Both it and 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will now be released on December 9

Unfortunately, it looks like JRPG fans in Australia must wait a little longer to get their hands on both Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and 7th Dragon III Code: VFD. Deep Silver, the publisher of these games in both Europe and Australia, has confirmed that the launch date for b?oth games will have to be pushed back by one week.

Both Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will now be on store shelves in Australia on December 9 instead of the previously-announced release date of December 2.

Deep Silver has not ??given any reason for the delay.

Even though it's a little frustrating to see such a delay get imposed on the release of a game that came out several months ago in other territories, at least this situation is nowhere near as terrible as the one-and-a-half-year wait imposed on European and Australian gamers who wanted to get their hands on a digital-only release of Shin Megami Tensei IV. Likewise, it's nice to see that 7th Dragon III Code: VFD is even getting a release in those territories, considering that Sega originally had no plans to even release the game? outside of North America and Japan.

Despite my criticisms, I'm still hopeful that Deep Silver will be able to achieve a greater parity with regards to the launch dates of Atlus-published titles in Europe and Australia when compared to that of North America. After all, the publisher has been able to lock in a simultaneous release date for the upcoming Persona 5 in these territories.

I can only hope that the situation regarding both Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and 7th Dragon III Code: VFD is the exception rather than the rule when going forward. After all, the North American release date for the former was only confirmed days after the publishing agreement be??tween Atlus and Deep Silver had been offic?ially announced, and the latter was to be released less than a week after news of that deal had broke. Such a disparity between launch dates in Europe and Australia when compared to ??that of other regions was to be expected.

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Both games will be on store shelves December 2

It looks like Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse finally has a confirmed release date in both Europe and Australia. Deep Silver has announced via a trailer on its YouTube channel, which you c?an view below, that the Atlus-published role-playing game will finally be playable in those regions on December 2.

Deep Silver also confirmed that 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will be released on the same day. This announcement was also made via a trailer which you can view on the company's YouTube channel. Considering that Sega initially had no plans to even release the game in Europe and Australia, it's certainly nice to se??e that anyone in those regions with an interest in title will finally be able to play it soon enough.

Of course, Sega's initial refusal to release 7th Dragon III Code: VFD in Europe and Australia wouldn't have been as much of an issue if the Nintendo never added region restrictions to its handheld console in the first place. After all, anyone in those regions with an interest in both it and the latest instalment of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise ;would h??ave easily been able to import and play the games on their devices without issue when the titles launched in North America earli??er this year.

Let's just hope that Nintendo doesn't make the same mistake again with its upcoming Switch console.

Feel free to check out the trailer for Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse below:

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Specific dates are still unconfirmed

With the recent news that Persona 5 would be debut on the same day in both Europe and the U.S, I was hoping that the days of having delays for Atlus’ g?ames imposed on Europ??ean and Australian fans would be over.

Sadly, this does not seem to be the case. Deep Silver, the publisher currently responsible for the distribution of Atlus’ games in Europe and Australia, has confirmed on their YouTube channel that Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse will be released in winter 2016. This is in contrast to the September 20 launch date in the U.S.

While this delay is nowhere near as egregious as the one-and-a-half year wait imposed on Europeans with the previous instalment of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, it is still a rather frustrating state of affairs made worse by the fact that 3DS titles are region-protected, ensuring that fans cannot play imported copies of the game without buying additional hardwa?re.

Deep Silver has also confirmed via a trailer on their YouTube channel that 7th Dragon Code III Code: VFD, a game Sega had no plans ??to re?lease in Europe at all, will be released at around the same time.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is set for release later this month in the U.S and later this year in Europe and Australia. You can check out Deep Silver’s trailer, and the primary source for this news, bel?ow:

_{[Source: Deep Silver via Gematsu]}

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imageepoch lives on

I just wanted to preface this review by once again providing a eulogy of sorts for imageepoch. I did it for Stella Glow, its last major release, and I'm doing it again for 7th Dragon III Code: VFD.

Yes, the latter was t??echnically developed by Sega, but several members of imageepoch worked on it, and they created the series after all. It's also confirmed to be the last game in the franchise, and one of the last remnants of their legacy.

7th Dragon III Code: VFD (3DS)
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Released: October 15, 2015 (JP), July 12, 2016 (NA)
MSRP: $39.99

When I first dove into 7th Dragon, I immediately recognized it for what it was: a highly customizable dungeon crawler. You know the ones -- the games that allow you to choose your mostly silent protagonist's appearance and class from the get-go, along wit??h the rest of a custom-built party? It's the kind of experience that stat-hounds will love, as it allows you to truly role-play and control your entire team.

As a result, the story is ancillary. Set in the year 2100, it follows the tale of the Nodens Corporation's attempt to stop the awakening of the 7th Dragon, "VFD," which will result in the extinction of mankind. To train for this upcoming apocalypse, people are tested through seemingly innocent VR machines of sorts to see if they have potential to fight off the incoming threat, like a Last Starfighter-type recruitment tool. Predictably you and your crew are chosen and have the full backing of ??Nodens in your? quest.

It's a coo?l little world and I dig its vibe. Ninjas inhabit neon playgrounds of the sci-fi future and don't feel out of place, for instance. But the more I played the more familiar elements I saw, and started to realize that a lot of it did blend together. The mostly electronica soundtrack fits the theme, but most people probably couldn't identify a single song in a lineup. Similarly, the dragons look intimidating, but too familiar (as a note, 3D effects are not supported).

A silent protagonist would have also been cool if you could make interesting choices, but you really can't. Any question posed generally just has two (weakly written) options, both of which have the same end result. 7th Dragon's dialogue can be snappy and fun (especially from the creepy stuffed rabbit named Nagamimi, who reminds me of Kyubey from Madoka), but it comes in fleeting moments, and isn't voiced outside of occasional phrase?s like "Okay."

The limited story feels like a deliberate design choice, intended to funnel players into focusing on building their party. You can do this by way of dungeons, which thankfully aren't as generic as some other crawlers, with large layouts and challenging enemies to face. 7th Dragon's combat system is the absolute best part of the game, because even though each class is mostly comprised of arc??hetypal roles, the diversity ??of the skills on offer really makes you think.

Naturally I chose a Samurai as my main squeeze, who has access to a skillset that mostly benefits himself -- options like a self-heal and self buffs to take the heat off of my healer. That role instead went to my hip-looking GodHand that I appropriately named Lucio, who operates similarly to a Monk in a series like Final Fantasy. He?? can not only heal teammates but also build combos, which take careful planning to ramp up damage. One of my other favorite classes is the Duelist??, who can summon "cards" with different elemental aspects (ice, fire, lightning) that all have unique properties.

It's tough to manage at times but not insurmountable, as you can swap the difficulty at any time between standard and casual. The skill system is also very open-ended. Playe??rs can use points to jack up their stats (like health and mana), discover new abilities, or augment old ones. Just about everyone should find a class or two they gel with that allows them to play to their strengths.

That hardcore element of number crunching also expands to the hub system. It's a small, confined, and sometimes vanilla area, but you can basically alter it to your whim, adding optional modules with "Dk" points, acquired on quests. An instant warp system (triggered by the R button) is also convenient, because that's what 7th Dragon&n??bsp;does best -- it streamlines ??all the fluff, sometimes at the cost of a more captivating world.

Again, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD isn't a game you want to get into if you aren't the type of person who puts a lot of time into party preparations. If you want a rich, engrossing story with unique characters that grow over time, turn around and walk away now, as this is very much a niche dungeon crawler that will only speak to specific members of the community. But for those people, it's a good enough RPG respite in the sense that it actually allows you to play a role in the way you see fit.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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But the company is looking into it

Sega currently has "no plans" to bring 7th Dragon Code: VFD to Europe, according to Sega Europe community manager Dan Sheridan, who says while the company knows fans want the game, "there's nothing we can con??firm today, but we are looking to see if it's something we can make happen."

On a related note, in response to a fan question regarding whether Sega intends to take a more active role in bringing Atlus games to Europe, Sheridan said Sega "treats Atlus as an independent label and as a result its up to Atlus to ??choose who they partner with ??to release their titles."

While the current situation surrounding Atlus and Japanese-developed Sega titles in Europe is frustrating, it's something the company is working to improve.

Earlier this week, Sega SVP of commercial publishing John Clark told MCV "We're very interested in bringing all of the group's Japanese content not just to the West, but to Europe in particular. We are always trying to find a way. And that's an on-going process. That's something we are continually assessing and talking to and if there are re?ally strong opportunities to support the Japanese content in Europe, we'll do it."

As it stands, 7th Dragon Code VFD will release in North America on July 12.

Sega Central [YouTube]

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Accidental announcement

It seems like every Japanese role-playing game under the sun is coming out this summer, and Sega's 7th Dragon III Code: VFD is no different. The Nintendo 3DS-exclusive dungeon crawler is coming to the Americas on July 12, Sega announced (it seems accidentally) earlier this week.

Sega released the title in Japan last October, but has yet to announce any plans to bring it to Eur??ope.

7th Dragon III Code: VFD takes place in an apocalyptic near-??future where dragons have taken over the planet and the world's only hope are a gro?up of time-travelling video game employees.

For more thoughts on the JRPG, check out Brett Makedonski's preview from Tokyo Game Show.

Sega [Twitter]

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Wild-named 3DS RPG from Sega

Usually the phrase "abuse of power" isn't leading anywhere you want to follow. There's the lurid, with top-level employees pressuring underlings into some fingerlings if you follow what I meanaling. There are rulers of countries (America, for instance) illegally deposing democratically-elected governments and destabilizing regions. But sometimes it means that when we're in Tokyo, I get to send Brett to see a game like 7th Dragon III Code: VFD because it is, to me, funny to do. 

We've not quite kept ears to the ground on the 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (which, to me, is funny to pronounce in full) beat since, but here's an update in the form of a new trailer a?nd reminder that Sega is bring??ing the 3DS RPG to the US in summer 2016. It'll run you $40.

"In 7th Dragon III Code: VFD, the protagonist and his/her team must utilize time travel technology -- courtesy of Nodens Enterprises -- to cleanse the diabolical dragon menace that has consumed earth," Sega PR reads. "Specifically, True Dragons in three different time periods must be destroyed before the mighty 7th Dragon: VF?D can be vanquished."

Those time periods? include 2100 Tokyo, "ancient Atlantis," and "futuristic E?den."

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For Nintendo 3DS

7th Dragon III Code: VFD is coming to the Ame??ricas this summer, Sega has? announced.

Despite being the fourth entry in the 7th Dragon series, Code: VFD will be the first to release in the West, as the 2009 Nintendo DS? original and? PSP spin-offs never left Japan.

Considering this one's bonkers premise, that sounds like a shame -- we might have been missing out on something! Code: VFD involves saving the world (in 2100) from dragons by time-travelling to Atlantis, the futuristic capital of Eden, and modern-d?ay Tokyo. And as if that weren't bizarre enough, the rol??e-playing game involves rescuing stray cats from dungeons and sheltering them in a cat café.

Code: VFD was the best-s??elling console game the week it launched in Japan last October.

Previous entries in the franchise were developed by Imageepoch, the now-defunct studio behind Time & Eternity, Stella Glow, and Fate/Extra that declared bankruptcy and shuttered last spring.

Sega of America plans to release Code: VFD both at retail and via the Nintendo 3DS eShop. No plans to distribute the title in Europe or Oceani?a have been disclosed at this time.

You can find our own Brett Makedonski's Tokyo Game Show impressions of the game here.

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Maybe both

As I spend the week demoing games that are entirely in Japanese, I accept that I'm not going to understand a lot of things. I know the kanji for "forest" and that's the extent of my fluency with the language. Dialogue's the first to go. Similarly, the likes of menus and items are mostly? lost on me save for the times I can just sort of figure it out.

It can feel overwhelming when sitting down with an RPG. Given 25 minutes with 7th Dragon III Code: VFD, I had a slight fear that I wouldn't get to any combat. There was a chance in my mind that I would just wand??er in and out of shops or something without really realizing it. I could feasibly waste the entire time progressing nothing and not being any the wiser.

That scenario would've bee??n far more merciful than what played out. Chapter 0 kicked my ass up and down so hard that I have to wonder if I missed something crucial, this game is devilishly hard, or I just really suck at video games.

After finding some sort of Alien-esque space pod to transplant myself into a virtual world, I was randomly attacked by two low-level creatures. "This is the beginning of the game. It's the first encounter. I got this." Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope ??nope nope.

Those two little bastards repeatedly killed me. Like, ten times straight. Each of their attacks would take off a third of my health, leaving me forced to use a health potion. They attacked again and I was right back where I started. When I got a blow in, it wouldn't defeat one of them (even my s??pecials). Worse, because I didn't spend that time healing, I'd usually die on their next turn.

I tasted victory once when it let me start the encounter with a preemptive attack. I think the game felt bad for me. With only a sliver of health left, I dealt the final strike and escaped the situation scathed but alive. Progres?s. Incredibly uncompromising and frustrating progress, but ??progress nonetheless.

Seconds later, I hit another random encounter agains??t the same two enemies but now with the amount of health I had after the first fight. Fuck. ??Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

I gave up. 7th Dragon III Code: VFD wasn't going to work out for me. I know when I'm bested, and I absolutely was. Maybe I was missing something important and it's? really not al?l that hard. Maybe it's tough as nails. Whatever the case, it sent me packing with my tail between my legs, and it's been a long time since a demo has been able to do that to me.

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