It's a good day to put 'New World Order' on repeat

Danganronpa Decadence is out today, bringing three mainline Danganronpa games and a newly expanded side game to the Nintendo Switch. It's a good day to dive ?into these murder-mystery adventures and discover some truth amongst the despair, but you know what? It's also a good reminder that these soundtracks from composer Masafumi Takada are absolute, front-to-back b??angers.

As I was booting up the newest addition to the Danganronpa family this morning, jetting off to a summer vacation in Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp, I heard some familiar tunes start to play. The tabletop-RPG hybrid is pretty fan service-y so far, bringing together the casts of Trigger Happy Havoc, Goodbye Despair, Killing Harmony, and Ultra Despair Girls.

As different characters popped up on the screen, different themes and melodies played for specific ones, like the telltale theme for the Monokubs. And it wasn't long before I went down a rabbit hole of s??ound??track nostalgia.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5AZFDBdQKQ

If you haven't played the series, the mainline Danganronpa games—or at least, three of the four included in this Decadence collection—center around a bunch of young prodigies held in captivity, forced to play a deadly game. If they can kill a fellow c?lassmate and get away with it, they get to leave; but if their classmates can prove who-dunnit in a Class Trial, only the murderer is punished.

It's a pretty dark series that still has a lot of heart. The cast often struggles to keep hope alive in finding a way out, or developing some form of peaceful coexistence, while always fretting that a murderer is lurking among them. Comparisons to other text-heavy adventures like Phoenix Wright are pre??tty easy to draw, though I think their overlap is less about both series frequently involving reasoning and deduction, and more about how they use mysteries and trial settings to drive a larger story.

A key part of this is the music. I was talking with fellow Danganronpa aficionado Chris Moyse this morning, and he made a point that Danganronpa's characters have very straightforward animations for the most part. Text windows are punctuated with exaggerated character stills, but a large part of the broader mood-setting in Danganronpa is with its soundtracks. Take 'Beautiful Days,' which oft?en plays when the vibe is peaceful and you'??re just hanging out, chatting with other Ultimate students.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5K9CIf-XoQ

This is contrasted by 'Beautiful Dead,' which starts to amp up the tension. It's still got an open exploration feel to it, but the long drawn-out chords tug a little a bit. You can feel a little bit?? of the anxiety as e??ach chord stretches out.

Then, of course, we get to the trial music. The Danganronpa series soundtracks have some excellent trial music, really heightening the frantic debates and wild accusations that get thrown around as the Ultimates argue over who could have killed another student. A favorite of mine arrived in the most recent Danganronpa entry, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, with its Debate Scrum. When the opinion of the room ge??ts evenly split, the sides go into a face-off where you have to fire retorts back and forth. And as the platforms go up into the sky, the music just ramps higher and higher until it breaks out into an all-out scrum.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh0F4X1Ru1k

What Danganronpa does so well with its music is establish cues and moods early on, and then use them to instill a sense of dread or surprise. It's to the point that a certain set of numbers makes me hear 'New World Order' in my head. Across the soundtracks, it veers around different musical styles and genres,?? capturing a lot of the absurdity and despair of the events of the series.

With the collection out today, a new group of console owners have a good opportunity to play these games. And there's also the summer camp board game, too. I've only played a bit of it, but so far it seems like a fan service-heavy expansion of the V3 side game.

But if you do hop in today, make sure you're playing with the sound on. I know it's tempting to just second-screen something when you're playing a Switch game, but the Danganronpa soundtrack? is well worth making all the noise tho??se lil' Switch speakers can make.

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Art Attack

This year saw the wild, off-the-wall Danganronpa franchise celebrate its 10th anniversary. And Monokuma and friends certainly did so in style, with mobile remasters,  a fresh in-house publisher, and an excellent web series, shining the spotlights o?n the grisly-yet-gripping m??urder mystery anthology.

Spike Chunsoft isn't quite done just yet, as pre-orders are now open on Danganronpa Decade, a lavish art compendium that reflects on every entry in the cult gaming franchise. Danganronpa Decade compiles several previously released tomes, housing a total of four titles and a whopping 1,500 pages of artwork, concept sketches, storyboards, and more - all pulled from the twisted minds of Danganronpa director Kazutaka Kodaka and se??ries designer/artist Rui Komatsuzaki.

In addition to the reproduced artwork, each book features production notes, fan surveys, and developer interviews - though unfortunately Danganronpa Decade is only available in Japanese. If you want to pick up a copy for your own bookshelf, then pre-orders are open right now at various importers. Retailing for ¥18,700, or roughly $170 USD, Danganronpa Decade is admittedly quite expensive, but is certainly an opulent piece of merchandising for the dedicated Danganronpa fan.

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Prices (and kids) slashed

If you've ever been curious about diving into the murder and mayhem of the Danganronpa franchise, then now might be the perfect time, as multiple titles from Kazutaka Kodaka's grisly 'n' gripping adventure series are currently discounted on PC via Steam.

As of today, wannabe sleuths can bag several Danganronpa titles at around 60% cheaper than their regular retail prices. Original entry Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and its sequel Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair are both in the mix, alongside the critically acclaimed Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony and spin-off entry Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls.

And if Danganronpa isn't your bag, baby, then several other Spike Chunsoft titles are also enjoying price reductions, including excellent sandbox wrestling title Fire Pro-Wrestling World, the Zero Escape series, and a run of Steins;Gate visual novels. The sale ends ?on November 16, so act fast!

Spike Chunsoft Publisher Sale [Steam]

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Music to Murder By

Spike Chunsoft has released the fourth episode of its excellently in-depth "Dangan TV" show, looking at the inspiration and creation of the adorable and maniacal Danganronpa franchise. The vide?o series was produced as part of the ongoing an?niversary celebrations for the visual novel franchise, which has presented fans with a decade of destruction.

Following previous episodes - which focused on specific franchise entries - Episode 4: Hope Keeps on Going is more of a series overview, spotlighting one of Danganronpa's most important features: its stylish soundtrack. Host Megumi Ogata returns to hold court with series planner Shun S??asaki, sound designer Jun Fukuda, and composer Masafumi Takada, whose memorable t??unes have scored many a brutal murder and intense confession.

In this particularly lengthy episode, our panel discusses the importance of sound and music within the franchise, as well as the influences behind Takada's awesome OST. With help from Danganronpa fans on Twitter, the team also present a "Top Ten" of the series' most popular tunes, including Danganronpa 2's "Kill Command" and Danganronpa V3's "Let's Kill Each Other" ...are ??you noticing a trend?? here?

The episode winds up with the obligatory merchandise reveal, which this time around includes a beautiful Gothic parasol, much like that of Trigger Happy Havoc's gambling queen Celestia Lundenberg, and a brand new tabletop card game, Love Letter of Despair, which will launch in Japan this fall.

Dangan TV has been a great series. Each episode a detailed, personable, and fascinating look at one of gaming's most-bizarre franchises. Any title would be lucky to receive similar "Inside Baseball" treatment. It's a grand year to be a Danganronpa fan, and Spike Chunsoft has gone above and beyond with its annivers??ary celebrations. With a couple of months still to go before 2020 shuffles off, there's still time for a potential surprise. Fingers cross?ed!

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Trouble in Paradise

It's been a bit of a wait for all you murder maniacs, but Spike Chunsoft has finally added English subtitles to the second episode of its web series "Dangan TV" which looks at the legacy of the cult visual novel series, Danganronpa. Following on from episode one's breakdown of Trigger Happy Havoc, this episode looks at 2012 sequel Goodbye Despair.

Once again, host and Danganronpa voice actor Megumi Ogata is joined by series creator Kazutaka Kodaka and producer Yoshinori Terasawa to discuss the aftermath of Trigger Happy Havoc's release, and how the team approached the design of its terrifying tropical follow-up. Also joining the trio for this episode is Danganronpa "planner" Shun Sasaki.

The near one-hour video is full of anecdotes about the design of Goodbye Despair, as well as the trials of creating a sequel that not only lives up to the original, but hopefully surpasses it. Among the topics discussed in episode two are the difficulties of creating and casting a whole new class of characters, and the addition of Monokuma's lovable little sister, Monomi. As with the previous episode, the video concludes with the panel answering questions posed by fans on Twitter.

Currently, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is playable on iOS and Android via its recently released Anniversary Editions. It is also available on PS4 via the Danganronpa 1-2 Reload release. Spike Chunsoft is in the process of retaining western distribution from NIS America and, as such, select titles are bein?g removed from the PlayStation Network, to no doubt be re-released at a later date.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is available now on iOS and Android devices. Further Danganronpa news is planned for the remainder of 2020, as the s??eries continues its 10th anniversary celebrations.

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Dan-gone-ronpa

[Update: As suspected, Spike Chunsoft has just announced that it will be self-publishing all Danganronpa titles going f??orward. Further news is coming "once statements are finalize??d."]

Publisher NIS America has announced that several releases in its wild murder-mystery series Danganronpa are to be removed from the PlayStation Store in the coming months.

The first title to hit the chopping block will be Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, which will no longer be purchasable on PS Vita. This will be followed additional PS Vita titles Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair on September 4. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony for will vanish on PS Vita and PS4 on September 25.

NIS America thanked fans for their purchases but has offered no explanation for the removal. It seems an odd time for the games to disappear, as 2020 has been Danganronpa's most prominent year for news and announcements in a decade. It is fully expected (though not confirmed) that Spike Chunsoft will soon republish the removed titles, hopefully at somewhat less startling prices. It should also be noted that, for now, Danganronpa 1-2 Reload?? for PS4 will remain purchasa?ble on the PlayStation Store.

This weekend will see Spike Chunsoft release the latest episode of its behind-the-scenes show Dangan TV, so maybe we??'ll hear some more news regarding the cult s?eries soon.

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You say 'Goodbye,' I say 'Hello'

Spike Chunsoft has announced that the next title in the Danganronpa Anniversary Collection is ready to slice 'n' dice its way onto mobile platforms. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition will launch for iOS and Android devices on Aug?ust 2??0.

Originally released for the PlayStation Portable way back in 2012, Goodbye Despair is the equally nutty sequel to 2010 murderthon Trigger Happy Havoc and once again sees a motley crew of students fighting for their lives under the mismatched eyes of psychotic plush toy Monokuma, (this time accompanied by his lovable bunny-rabb??it relative, Monomi).

Moving the action from the schoolyard to a tropical island, players will step into the shoes of another "lucky" student, and must use their sharp wits and powers of deduction to solve a series of grisly killings and root out? the perpetrators. New features include the argument-inducing "Rebuttal Mode", and a unique mechanic known as "Logic Dive" which has a snowboarding-?style mini-game represent the character's search for the facts, ma'am.

As was the case with Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition, this version of Goodbye Despair will include several new features such as optimised visuals, an overhauled control scheme, a gallery mode, and other tweaks to modernise the title for its mobile re-release. Other Danganronpa titles will be receiving similar treatment in the near future.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Anniversary Edition launches in Japan on iOS and Android devices August 20. While no localisation has been announced, a global releas?e is expected.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Desp??air Anniversary Edition launche?s August 20 [Famitsu / Gematsu]

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The beginnings of a loco legend

Spike Chunsoft has launched the first episode of "Dangan TV: Hope Keeps On Going!", a new web series looking at creepy/cute murder mystery series Danganronpa. The series has been commissioned in part to celebrate the 10th anniversa??ry of Kazutaka Kodaka's wild world of classroom chaos.

The first episode, titled "How I Discovered Danganronpa", goes back to the first game in the series - 2010's Trigger Happy Havoc - as host and series voice actor Megumi Ogata chats with both Kodaka and series producer Yoshinori Terasawa about Danganronpa's conception and creation.

The conversation is full of interesting tidbits such as how Kodaka first envisioned Danganronpa, why the team chose the Visual Novel genre, and how early audiences reacted to Trigger Happy Havoc's sudden and shocking violence. The hosts close out the episode by answering a slew of questions posed?? by series fans on Twitter.

Running a meaty 45 minutes in length, it's an absolute must-watch for the Danganronpa faithful, and it sets a precedent for what looks to be an entertaining and informative series ?going forward. The next episode of "Dangan TV: Hope Keeps On Going!" will broadcast on July 18.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is available now on iOS and Android devices, with more Danganronpa news planned for release throughout 2020.

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Nice

It's nice to see studios get excited over big sales numbers that aren't in the multi-millions. Spike Chunsoft just tweeted out that they've peddled over 200,000 copies of Danganronpa 1 + 2 on ??Steam, nearly sev??en years after the release of the original on PSP.

If you haven't picked them up yet you can now grab 1, 2, and V3 by way of a new bundle, which nets you 10% off the $90 asking price of all three. For reference 1 + 2 are still $20 each pre-discount, and V3, still fairly new, is $60. Or you can go for another bundle -- just 1 + 2 for $35.

Spike Chunsoft [Twitter]

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No beer and no PSTV make Charlotte something something

People are often dismissive of the PS Vita: it pales in comparison to the Nintendo 3DS, its back catalogue is nothing special, and Sony made some u??tterly bizarre design choices. These people often forget that there is another layer of disappointment to this story, which was the release of the PSTV – a gadget for your PS4 that doubled as a non-handheld Vita. Let me repeat that – a non-handheld handheld, three years before Nintendo executed the idea with some semblance of elegance. In hindsight, it feels like it was almost doomed to failure.

Hold that thought, though – maybe the PSTV (and the Vita, for that matter) attract greater criticism than they deserve. There are certainly reasons why you might want to own a small, versatile Sony games console, and the PSTV provides just that. I've had my PSTV since February 2016, and I use it on a fairly regular basis – I'd say that at this stage, equal time is spent between my PS3, PS4 and PSTV. So, I f??eel well placed to look back on the hundreds of hours I've poured into this little guy, and tell you whether it deserves to be written off as a flop. Ultimately, the PSTV lets Sony fans down, falling short in several areas, but there's still something of value there for a select few of us.

PROS

1. Its size

Simply put, the PSTV is seriously compact. It's also just as lightweight as you'd expect for something so tiny. There's really not much between the PSTV and the Raspberry Pi 3, while it is dwarfed by the DS Lite (see below). This makes the PSTV the perfect console to take with you to gaming events, where there is an abundan??ce of screens or you're taking your own. I dread having to schlep my hulking PS3 Slim (Slim?!) across half of the city for gaming meet-ups, so having something so squashed down that I can fit in into a nice handbag, yet still hook it up to a large screen later, is a huge plus.

The PSTV with a rainbow alpaca (for scale)

 2. It's cheap as chips

When I picked up my PSTV, shops couldn't get rid of them fast enough. They were being flogged primarily as a PS4 accessory, since they also allow for streaming PS4 footag?e to a second TV,?? so demand was pretty low. If that was all the PSTV did, then I think it would have died on its arse completely.

So, I spotted a bunch of them on sale at MediaMarkt for 40 euros, and grabbed one without a second t??hought. At the time, PS Vitas could run to around quadruple? the price; PSTVs have since gone up to closer to 100 euros, but you can still pay almost double that for a Vita. Either way, you're shaving off some of the price if you're willing to forfeit the screen. It's also such an unpopular/unknown console that flash sales to get rid of stock are highly likely.

In addition, the fact that the PSTV comes with 1GB internal storage meant that I could start tinkering with it before I got hold of a used proprietary micro SD card (more on that later). And I got a voucher for a Worms game that I've never played, a?nd probably never will,?? so...that's nice, I guess?

3. So many great games – on a ??massive telly!

Back in 2015, the only way you could play Danganronpa 2 on a big screen was to get a PSTV: the PC release came a year later, and the double release of Danganronpa 1 and 2 on PS4 came two years later. The same (still) applies for Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4: Dancing All Night. It also might be one of the more practical ways for you to play PS1 and PSP games, even though the PSTV only supports digital releases of these formats. Meanwhile, it has a Vita cartridge slot, so digital or physical Vita games can be played on it. If you value playing your favourite titles on ??a larger screen, rather than being hunched over a handheld unit, this console is for you.

Personally, I would always rather play something blown up to a larger scale than squint at a tiny screen. I'm also not one for playing games in public, outside of a multiplayer context; I feel quite self-conscious on the odd occasion I do whip out my DS Lite on the bus. I'd much rather just listen to podcasts when I'm out and about. If I'm at home, but away from a TV screen, that tends to be when the laptop comes out and I complete more menial tasks in Stardew Valley.

Handhelds are not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, ??but I can relax and absorb the atmosphere of a? game better if I'm playing it on a home console. On the whole, the PSTV allows me to get more enjoyment out of Vita games. And I already enjoy the heck out of a LOT of Vita games.

CONS

1. Incompatibility and lack of support

By far one of the worst things about the PSTV is the fact that large parts of the Vita catalogue are not compatible with it. Because it isn't a handheld console and therefore has limited capacity to mimic touchscreens, huge swathes of games are greyed out in the PS Store. There is a way to use the analogue sticks of the DualShock 3/4 to perform touchscreen inputs, but it is so unwieldy that there is simply no PSTV support for a lot of titles. Among the outcast games are Gravity Rush, the Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and Persona 3 Portable bundle, and Danganronpa 1 (in Europe only – no idea why certain games are only supported ??in specific regions).

You'd think the DualShock 4 would allow for some touchscreen functionality, but Sony really dropped the ball when it came to incorporating the c?ontroller's various functions. The headphone jack doesn't work, nor does the Share button. There is no advantage to playing with a DualShock 4 compared to playing with a DualShock 3, which reeks of laziness.

The only thing worse tha??n being unable to play some PS Vita games on the PSTV is the fact that some games ??are apparently supported, yet don't work as they should. Luckily, this has only happened to me with one game that I got through my PS Plus subscription for free, so I didn't throw my budget away on something broken.

Amnesia: Memories is apparently unlocked for the PSTV, yet the mini-games (required to get all of the trophies??) require quick reflexes – and touchscreen functionality. While the PSTV can theoretically mimic this through analogue stick inputs, there's no way that playing a time-sensitive air hockey or rock-paper-sc??issors mini-game this way could be anything other than gobsmackingly shite. With no sign of any fixes or updates to the PSTV on the horizon, this is what you will be stuck with for all eternity, sadly.

2. The great micro SD card swindle

This will probably go down as one of the greedier moments in Sony corporate history. Thi?s problem extends to the PS Vita, but crucially, it was never fixed with the PSTV: the need for proprietary micro SD cards.

While I can appreciate that banning the use of standard micro SD cards would avoid the PSTV becoming a hacker's delight, it eventually got cracked anyway (as is inevitable). The laughable pricing of these Son??y-branded micro SD cards rubbed the fans? up the wrong way right from the start.

This is compounded by the memory card being locked to a single PSN account. So, for example, you will need separate memory cards if you have a UK and a US PSN account – technically against the rules, but even th?e President of SIE Worldwide Studios does it – or the patience to back-up and format one memory card again and again and again. There is simply no way to buy a game with one account and play it on ?another account, unless you apply some serious modifications to your console. So if you want to experience Vita games from around the world, you'd better be ready to lay down some serious cash, or to go through the irritating process of wiping your memory card several times.

3. Shonky hardware, shonkier software

In many ways, the PSTV is a sturdy little thing – you don't get the feeling it will be smashed to smithereens, lest you forget to cover it in bubble wr?ap before going on a trip with it in your backpack. In other respects, it can be quite temperamental. I have noticed from personal experience that it can be hard to get the bloody thing to power down properly; I am used to having to set the time and date 50% of the time I switch it on, because I don't realise it's not powered down properly when I flip the switch on my extension lead.

As you'd expect for a handheld derivative, it's not business up front, party in the back – there is a HDMI out, an Ethernet po?rt, one USB slot, and that's your lot. It's minimalist and certainly attractive, but also really sparse. If you want a fuss-free way to stream your favourite Vita games, prepare to be disappointed.

The PS Store has always been ludicrously primitive, and it's at its worst on the PSTV. The damn thing crashes all the time, and it saddens me to see that Fez and TWD: Season 2 are still the top advertised games. They're doubtlessly great games, but they're oh so very old! Also, my internet connection is terrible, but I swear it's even worse on the PSTV. When I tested it out on my parents' comparably impressive WiFi at Christmas, the download speeds were sluggish, even when downloading something as simple as Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God.

To me, the PSTV feels like a pr??ototype stolen from Sony's R&D department: the foundations of something good are definitely there, but it has an upsetting lack of polish.

THE VERDICT

It would be irresponsible of me to tell you to go out and buy a PSTV at all costs. In fact, it won't be a?? valuable addition to the vast majority of Sony games collections, since it falls short on so many levels. But if the compatibility limitations don't scare you off, if you vastly favour games on a giant TV screen, and if you're a little short on cash, the PSTV might be worth looking into. You're not going to experience anywhere near the same level of thrill as when switching on one of its heftier siblings for the first time, but it's ??a nice little standby device for when there's an obscure Vita game you're itching to play (provided it's compatible).

The real question is whether the $60 price tag is worth it, g?iven that you'll be dropping just as much on a decent-sized memory card. Sony should have realised the error of its ways and made a firmware update to allow for non-proprietar??y SD cards or multiple accounts per card, or it should have dropped the price on the cards and made them more readily available. Instead, the PSTV fell into obscurity. And it sort of belongs there, even though I do have a soft spot for it.

Do you own a PSTV? Do you think it's a terrible console, or did you get some enjoyment out of it? Let me know in the comments down below!

The post Looking back on the PSTV: hidden treasure or colossal ?failure? appeared first on Destructoid.

A mostly good port, but not as good as having it in your hands

I first played Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair while on an uncomfortable drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco. I was sitting on the top level of a double decker bus, where a woman who smelled of scabs and wore towels instead of clothes sat uncomfortably close to me. My seat's elevation and center of gravity had the fun side effect of making me incredibly nauseous, so I ??did all I could to focus on Jabberwock Island and the conniving, murderous students living there.

Spike Chunsoft bringing the visual novel/courtroom drama/bad mini-games of Danganronpa 2 is a blessing for folks who don't have or don't want a PlayStation Vita??. But for a few reasons, and in spite of my weird experience noted above, I think I still prefer this game on a handheld.

Tested on: AMD Phenom II X6 1045T Processor 2.70 GHz, 8GB of RAM, Geforce GTX 560 TI, Windows 10

I'll start by saying if you've read Patrick's analysis of the first game's port, you'll know exactly what to expect here. Graphical choices include switching between Direct3D9 and OpenGL, window modes?, anti-aliasing, and toggling on VSync and anisotropic filtering all before booting up the g?ame. The other key decision is whether you want control prompts for a controller or mouse and keyboard to appear. Whichever you choose, both inputs will register, allowing on-the-fly switching for comfort. I mostly stuck with the controller since I had the Vita controls burnt into my brain from that fateful bus ride.

Even on my older PC, all segments of the game performed smoothly and I encountered no frame dips. Whether I was navigating the island or dodging around in the Logic Dive mini-game (where the player becomes a digital snowboarder to...figure out stuff?), Danganronpa 2 looked crisper and ran better than it did on the Vita. However, some of the menus and text overlays did look a t?ad blurry compared to everything else on the screen, which can become annoying when playing a game that is about 70 percent reading.

Speaking of text, proportionally the font was roughly the same size on my monitor as it was on Vita, which is a little off-putting. A dart of the eyes on a handheld console becomes exaggerated when looking at a large monitor, and I typically use my forty-inch television as a monitor when playing games. This is a small complaint, but one to keep in? mind depending on the size of your preferred viewing method.

After the prologue, players can save at any time. This is helpful because Danganronpa? chapters tend to be long. The way I play through this series is by chipping away at it, sometimes shelving the gam??es for a few days and returning when I feel up to seeing my favorite waifus and husbandos get offed in uncomfortable ways (though I supposed getting offed is not usually a comfortable experience). Playing on the PC doesn't quite align with this playstyle quite as well, but it still works.

When factoring these little changes in, it's hard for me to recommend this over the handheld version, but that's because I love my little Vita and it's easier for me to go through a visual novel on it. If you don't have access to one of Sony's forgotten wonders, the PC port is competent and well-done. Either way, Danganronpa 2's macabre approach to investigating the deaths of your newfound friends and trying to catch the killer is a unique experience worth playing through either method. It does lose some of the first game's focus (especially towards the end), but the bizarre cast of characters and increasingl?y-convoluted murder scenarios will stay with me for some time.

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

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For $29.99

Spike Chunsoft has sent over word that Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair will be available on Steam starting April 18. It's priced at? $29.99, and will work with Windows 7, 8, and 10. Pre-order??s will start on April 4, and will come packed in with a bonus mini-OST.

Since the first one turned out pretty alright on PC, I have high hopes for this one. Now all we need is a PC port of the spinoff, Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, and eventually, the third game (New Danganronpa V3, which isn't out yet in Japan).

Danganronpa 2 [Steam]

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Nice work, NIS

Good news Danganronpa fans -- NIS has announced that both Trigger Happy Havoc and Goodbye Despair have sold over 200,000 units in North America. For a niche visual novel that's only available on the PS Vita, that's pretty good. These numbers come from North American NIS CEO and President Takuro Yamashita, as confirmed to MCV.

Well, that's just fantastic. Imagine how well it would have sold on a system like the 3DS! Expect Danganronpa: Another Episode in September in Japan, followed by a fall release in th?e west.

Japanes?e visual novel Danganronpa sells 200??,000 units in the West [MCV]

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It's pun-ishment time!

From the beginning, this murder (and I've seen a lot of them over the course of my career) struck me as too simple. Kyle Hebert -- a voice actor you may recognize as the voice of Ryu from Street Fighter -- was found dead in an elevator. According to a preliminary autopsy, he had been stabbed multiple times in the chest with a fountain pen. No signs of a struggle. The last people to see Mr. Hebert alive were four Danganronpa 2 characters -- Akane Owari, the Ultimate Gymnast; Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic; Ibuki Mioda, the Ultimate Musician; an??d Mikan Tsumiki, the Ultimate Nurse. The quirky quartet had dinner with Hebert before parting ways, mere hours before the murder.

Such is the setup for the Danganronpa Murder Mystery, an event put on by NIS America at the relatively young Anime Conji, located in beautiful San Diego. As promotional events go, an all-day murder investigation is certainly unique. It wasn't press-exclusive, either -- I believe the only two major gaming outlets covering the show? were Destructoid and my new pal Steve from Hardcore Gamer. The rest of the participants were all convention atten??dees.

At 10 A?M, interested guests shuffled into one of the panel rooms for an introduction video from series antagonist/mascot Monokuma & briefing from NISA's Tiffany Chin. There were six Truth Bullets (read: clues) scattered around the convention hall (one was fake & one was a secret). Attendees had until 5 PM to collect five clues, at which point they would be given the opportunit??y to vote in the Class Trial.

For the most part, the Truth Bullets were easy to uncover. Within an hour, the location of almost every clue had been uncovered by someone in the convention. All you needed to do to get your five clues was follow a large group of con attendees -- or, if you were less adventurous, find an otherwise innocuous corner utterly smothered by people. An hour and a half later, the culture had shifted. People could tell who was looking for clues, and would just give them the locations. Truth Bu?llets were even moved and stolen, so the NISA team spent a decent amount of time literally patching their real-life game.

Even though I was given access to the class trial, I still felt a deep need to solve the murder on my own. Like I said before, I've seen a lot of crimes and dastardly deeds in this line of work. And I've played both Danganronpa games! This'll be a cinch, right?

Here's what the six Truth Bullets told us. Before the Danganronpa cosplayers had dinner wi?th Mr. Hebert, a container of pesticide went missing from the storage closet. During the dinner, a blackout occurred. When the lights went back up, there was a small splash of juice on the table. After dinner, Mikan went for a walk around the convention hall, eventually running into Akane being accosted by security. Akane, still hungry after dinner, attempted to climb the elevator shaft in the hopes of finding more food elsewhere. Meanwhile, Kazuichi left dinner with a stomac??hache, heading immediately for the bathroom. When he left, Ibuki was waiting outside for him.

My theory was a tad more complex than what actually went down. I figured Ibuki was the culprit. She poisoned both Kazuichi & Mr. Hebert; Kazuichi had g??otten a lighter dose to weaken him so he would go to the bathroom, but Hebert got a stronger, lethal dose. Ibuki stayed outside the bathroom, establishing an alibi for herself, and stabbed Hebert's already-poisoned corpse to change everyo?ne's assumptions about the crime. This turned out to not be the case.

Over the course of the class trial, it was revealed that Kazuichi had poisoned his own glass, and then swapped them when the lights went out. And then once that was revealed, the trial continued to hammer this point home. The class trial was over in twenty minutes. I can't say it lived up to my expectations, but it's also understandable. I figure from the perspective of NISA, if everyone feels like they solved the murder, they go home happy. But from the perspective of a crime enthusiast, I was hoping for more. Danganronpa fans seemed to really enjoy themselves, and with good reason! The cosplayers embodied their respective characters perfectly, and the giant Monokuma suit brought the hilarity inherent in that character design to the forefront. Hopefully future Danganronpa murder m??ysteries pull from the source material in terms of complexity.

I did find the behind-the-scenes work interesting, though. For example: a simple photo of Monokuma looking dejected next to a "Please clean up after your pet" sign posted to the NISA Twitter account had to go thr?ough licensors. And you don't think about how much being a mascot sucks until you see the results; Tiffany emerged utterly drenched in sweat after a couple hours outside in the San Diego heat. According to a first-hand account from NISA's Jordan Vincent, the Prinny suit is worse. Penguins don't have hands, you know.

Themed press events usually have a real tackiness to them. They're either so expensive that they feel exceptionally skeevy or they're cheap and feel like a waste of everybody's time. NISA seems to have it figured out here; spend money on the fans first, press second. It doesn't make sense for most outlets to cover this, but if the amount of people I saw participating is any indication, it was quite popular with Anime Conji attendees. Danganronpa is something of a niche franchise, so giving back to the community in this way is a genuinely cool thing for a game company to do. Even though I was somewhat disappointed as a fan, ther??e’s no denying the work involved, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't really enjoy myself. Hopefully the team at NIS America adds more of a "mystery" angle next time around!

The post Destructoid solves a murder: Danganronpa Edition appeared first on Destructoid.

Do that to me one more time

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc was an intelligent riff on the perils of high school -??- you know, if ?you had thrown a murder mystery in between classes and the principal was a maniacal stuffed animal.

Its sequel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, takes a bele??aguered trope and turns it on its head. This is one "trapped on a desert island" story that takes things to an??other level entirely.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PS Vita)
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Publisher: NIS America
Released: September 2, 2014
MSRP: $39.99

Follow the upper crust of high school students (the "Ultimates,” as they’re called), promising young people with extraordinary talents meant to make the world a better place. The class of 16, including protagonist Hajime Hi??nata, are taken on a field trip to the abandoned resort of Jabberwock Island to discover how hope, friendship, and other positive ideals can benefit them -- at least, that’s the line of nonsense? they’re fed to get them to cooperate.

Of course, things aren't as bright and happy as your pink rabbit plush toy of an instructor claims. As it turns out, Jabberwock Island devolves into an inescapable prison manned by the malevolent Monokuma. While the students can live comf??ortably on the island, there's no hope for any of them to escape -- unless someone gets away with killing another student without being caught.

Much of Danganronpa 2 unfolds via interaction with other characters; back-and-forth dialogue exchanges compose the glut of gameplay as you uncover the mysteries of Jabberwock Island. With key players being killed off left and right, it needs that kind of balance, and the English script does a great job of providing it. Best of all, where most visual novels are content to throw wall after wall of text at players, giving little incentive to continue beyond the branching dialogue choices, Danganronpa makes excellent use of a vari??ety of different play styles?? to keep up the momentum.

The first of these you encounter are Phoenix Wright-esque segments where you explore crime scenes in a first-person point of view. This perspective gives the game a bit of a claustrophobic feel, emphasizing the hopele??ss mood that permeates the academy walls as you gather important evidence and testimonies against a possible culprit in a murder case. Fi??nding enough clues eventually leads to a Class Trial, a set of fast-paced mini-games that put your skills to the test.

Each mode of play in a Class Trial is a rapid-fire battle of wits as you point out relevant evidence to each character's testimony, "shoot down" letters to reveal clues, debate against other students in a rhythm game of sorts, and build comic strips depicting what you believe to have gone down in each case. The minigames have been overhauled from the last game, however, and they seem closer to puzzles than games of skill this time around. There's also a new segment known as the Rebuttal Showdown, which finds you "slashing" down arguments left and right -- literally. If that isn’t enough variety, there’s even a snowboarding minigame that requires you to answer questions that relate evidence to the current trial at hand. Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and Danganronpa 2 has it in spades.

Where the visual novel segments are at times too passive and overly wordy, Class Trials are an impeccable exercise in getting the blood flowing. They're as punchy as the neon-hued pop art, which is devilishly good at complementing the grisly deaths the students eventually succumb to. I also quite enjoyed the soundtrack, which, like the original game prompted me to go in search of a copy to enjoy outside of the game long after it had ended. Coupled with the unpredictable tone and often hilarious exchanges, it just felt right, whic??h is a combination many games, especially quirky ones like this, can rarely do correctly.

In the end, it all comes together in a most delightful way. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is an accomplished amalgam of storytelling, character interaction, and deduction – plus, a macabre attitude that isn’t afraid to show its true colors. It's just as bizarre and engaging as its predecessor -- and in an age where sequels often crash and burn, that's reason enough to?? say goodbye to despair.

The post Review: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair appeared first on Destructoid.

Seriously, lots of weirdos

What can I say? It's a screenshot kind of day. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is on the horizon, and NIS definitely doesn't want us to?? forget about it. Especially with the? amount of weirdos in the game, as evidenced above. 

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is slated for a September 2 release in North America and a European release on September 5. That's still enough time to play through the original game if you're interested in embarking on this adventure as well. But o??nly if you get cracking right now, because I guarantee you're going to get lost in the fandom. And trust me on this, you're going to want to get it in.

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Lots more accusatory finger-pointing!

If you're eagerly awaiting another dose of despair via Danganronpa, you'll want to check out this hefty new batch of screenshots for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, releasing September 2.

There are a few interesting surprises in the shots belo??w, especially if you haven't followed along with any of the previously-released assets. Lots of questions to ask. And luckily, only about a month left to wait until we can play. 

While we're?? on the subject, what are some of your favorite portable visual n??ovels/RPG-lite adventures?

The post Double your d?ose of despair with these new Danganro??npa 2: Goodbye Despair screens appeared first on Destructoid.

Deductions for days

Taiwanese Danganronpa fans have plenty to be happy about, with Sony Computer Entertainment Taiwan releasing a double pack of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair on August 21 for NT $2,090 (~$70). That's a l??ot of Monobear.

The double-pack comes bundled with a poster and a DVD including the first episode of the anime series, but neither game will include English voiceover or subtitle options, including Japanese and Chinese subtitles and Japanese audio instead. Also, that's an a??wesome poster. Love the minimalistic feel to it.

Danganronpa Double Pack Spreads Despair In Asia [Siliconera]

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Monokuma explains

The Danganronpa series sure has an interesting concept behind it. A group of kids are held hostage by a murderous bear, who encourages his pri??soners to murder one another on the sly.

Should the culprit get caught, well, it's off to the gallows. However, if the wrong person is accused, everyone else gets put to the sword and the killer goes fr??ee. Yeah, it's not exactly a heartwarm?ing tale.

Sound appealing? Well, you're in luck, my demented friend. Danganronpa 2: Goobye Despair is slated to grace PlayStation Vita on September 2 in North America and across Europe start??ing September ?5.

The post Here’s how Danganronpa 2’s murder mystery works appeared first on Destructoid.

A new series mingles with sequels at NIS' E3 preview

NIS was a bit of a hidden treasure at E3.

The publisher shared a booth with Atlus and it took me stopping and actually looking at what was on display at the demo station to put two and two together. The search was well worth it because I was rewarded with a closer look at three upcoming titles: Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited, and Natural Doctrine.

Out of the titles I saw, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair intrigued me the most. This time aroun?d, you find yourself stranded on a tropical island during a field trip arranged by your rabbit teacher, Monomi. For series veterans, there will be some returning characters from the original game. A big part of the core experience -- the emphasis on relationships and the ability to give?? gifts --also remains. And of course, Monokuma appears again, being his creepy self. 

But there are also plenty of new additions to Danganronpa 2 that keep it feeling fresh. One cool aspect was the "Dive Logic" minigame that takes place during the "court" portions of the game. During the minigame, you move through a tunnel on a holographic skateboard (the whole thing reminded me of Rez) with each ??branch of the path representing a piece of evidence.

It sounds like an interesting idea and is certainly pretty to look at. I mean, I love the typical art style of the game but the small break you get from Dive Logic feels just right. In New Game Plus, you can play as Monomi and uncover more of the story's sec??rets. It sounded like one of those titles that you need to play through at least three times to get the best idea of what the heck was goin??g on. And from the looks of things, I am totally okay with that.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair comes to PlayStatio??n Vita on Septemb??er 2, 2014.

Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited returns us again to the world and the story of Disgaea 4. This is no mere port of the PS3 title, however. By taking on the role of Nagi Clockwork, you gain the ability to travel back and forth through Disgaea 4's storyline via her "Time Leap" ability.

We'll get to see???? the characters at different points of their lives that we were previously not privy to, both before and after the events of the original game. It sounds like a great way to expand on the game and honestly, I think some of the characters could use an extra bit of fleshing out.

All the time-sink elements that fans know and obsess over are still there, like the Cheat Shop (You want the max level to be 9999? Sure, why not?) and the Item World. Plus, all of th??e PS3 version's DLC is included. There is even a new spell-tier, Peta. Before you ask, there is indeed a spell called Peta-fire. Get your chuckle?s out now.

Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited releases in August 2014 for the PlayStation Vita.

From what I saw of Natural Doctrine,  it looks like character deat?h will be a regular in-game occurrence. I was also told that the player will "enjoy" dying. Oh, and if one ch?aracter dies in a battle, it is game over.

But here's the thing: It actually looks pretty forgiving in terms of re-strategizing. For example, you can redistribute skill points that have been used on the skill tree. Let's say on a previous (failed) attempt, you placed your points a certain way that clearly wasn't working. All you have to do is remove them ??and arrange them as you see fit.

Natural Doctrine plays like X-Com meets Dark Souls. The turn-based battles take place on a grid across a medieval era-like backdrop. You'll have the option to link your characters' actions so they occur in immediate succession. The downside i??s that doing so enables your enemies to act twi?ce in a row afterwards. It will be interesting to see how this feature plays into gamers' strategies.

The ??online multiplayer will have cross-platform and cross-save ??features across all three systems: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita.

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Get Super High School Level excited

If you've been patiently waiting for your next tasty dose of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, I've got something to sate your hunger. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is dated for a September 2 release for Vita owners, but in the meantime NIS has sent over a selection of assets such as the box art and ?character portraits from the game.

It may not be enough to tide you over until the game actually comes out, but you can get a feel for the cast and who you might be wanting to sympathize with when you're in the game proper. Also, Kyle and I agree -- dat cover art.

The post Get pumped for September’s Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair with new character portraits appeared first on Destructoid.

That was...sudden

Let it not be said that NIS America keeps fans waiting. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc released just a few days ago and? already they've announced plans to localize its sequel.  

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair will launch for PlayStation Vita in North America and Europe this autumn. The followup to this week's hot release w??ill see players reprise their role as a?? mystery-solving high school student caught up in a series of dangerous games with grave consequences.

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