A new ocean of stars awaits

Tri-Ace's next entry in the Star Ocean series has set a date. Star Ocean: The Divine Force will launch?? on October 27, 2022 for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC.

A new trailer for Star Ocean: The Divine Force premiered on Square Enix's channels today, highlighting the gameplay, story, and setting of this new RPG. Alongside a story blending the worlds of fantasy and sci-fi together, it look?s like a colorful cast of characters will be available to recruit in-game. This trailer gives us a few good looks at the new crew working together in battles, as well as some of the 3D world exploration.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vexU1oYKSXs

The Divine Force is the newest entry in the Star Ocean series, with its most recent predecessor being 2016's Integrity and Faithlessness. It's been a minute since the last Star Ocean, as tri-Ace has been working on some projects like the 2019 remaster of Star Ocean: First Departure.

A sky full of stars

It's exciting for Star Ocean fans to have a new entry to look forward to in this s??eries. I'm still mildly curious about it, as the action RPG combat and exploration seems like it might be a good time, even if the ?character design isn't quite clicking for me yet.

This is another entrant into an increasingly stacked October, though. Just two days prior to Star Ocean's Oct. 27 date, the Bat-Family takes a bite out of crime in Gotham Knights on Oct. 25.

Marvel's Midnight Suns and the Overwatch 2 multiplayer launch add even more heroics earlier in October. And both Modern Warfare 2 and the Resident Evil Village expansion close out the month.

Not that I think Call of Duty fans and Star Ocean fans are a perfectly overlapping Venn diagram or anything. But the fall is finally starting to look filled-up with games. Even with some? of this year's heavy hitters delayed out to 2023, it's looking like a fairly dense holiday season.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force enters the fall launch lineup on October 27, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and ??PC via Steam.

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Follow the story of two heroes venturing across the stars

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Star Ocean series. And today, Square Enix and tri-Ace announced the next entry in the franchise. Star Ocean: The Divine Force is set to launch sometime next year.

Shown off during today's State of Play stream, Star Ocean: The Divine Force follows dual protagonists Raymond and Laeticia. The Divine Force will once again use a "Double Hero" setup, following one protagonist from an advanced civilization and another from a more fantasy-based kingdom. The choices the player makes along the ??way will determine what events unfold, and which characters you ally yourselves with.

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

Alongside a story that's affected by your choices, there's also fully 3D trav??ersal and exploration, and freedom to fly around in the world. It's also got some fast action to go with that free exploration.

The PlayStation blog has more details about the new entry, including a lengthy introduction to our Double Heroes and the lore that's bound them together. For Star Ocean fans who have been waiting some time since the most recent entry, at least now there's something n??ew on the horizon.

The wait will have to continue though, as Star Ocean: The Divine Force is targeting a 2022 launch for PlayStation 4 and PS5, as well as Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

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Turn-based gunplay galore

For the most part, Japanese role-playing games are like video game comfort food. For those of us that enjoy them, they're a known quantity and rarely stray away from the flagpole franchises that we're all familiar with like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. 

We might have seen something of a resurgence in these sprawling JRPGs recently, but back in the Xbox 360 and the PS3 era, new games of this caliber were few and far between. Resonance of Fate ?initially released for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2010 and I never did find time to play it. Though a 4K rerelease of the gun RPG seems entirely out of left field, it's great to see ?titles like this getting a second chance to thrive. 

Resonance of Fate 4K/HD Edition (PS4 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: tri-Ace
Publisher: SEGA
Released: October 18, 2018
MSRP: $34.99

Resonance of Fate takes place on an Earth of the distant future where, surprise surprise, we've destroyed the environment to the point where our atmosphere can't support human life. To get around this l??ittle setback, humans create Basel, a massive? air purification system controlled by something called the Zenith system.  Eventually, humans build cities on the massive tower of Basel, but Basel doesn't just control the environment. It controls every aspect of human life. 

Society on Basel is broken up into a caste system. A person's class is determined at birth and the higher you?r class, the higher in the tower you live. At the very top of the tower are the Cardinals, who otherwise act as the ruling class? of Basel. Zenith even programs a "quartz system" that controls every citizen's exact lifespan.

The protagonists of Resonance are Vashyron, Zephyr, and Leanne.? They're part of the middle class of Basel and work as Hunters, hired guns who make a living doing odd jobs. Everything from monster extermination to letter delivery. 

The world of Resonance of Fate is fascinating but is quickly squandered by its storytelling. The steampunk city has the potential to be great, but the plot takes forever to get off the ground and relies too heavily on canned character moments that d?on't land. While you're trying to figure out what exactly the fuck is going on, the narrative keeps jumping back to moments of off-color humor between our three protagonists that are more cringe-worthy than they are funny. I als?o wouldn't come here looking for well-written villains. The ruling Cardinal class seems to spend a good portion of their time plotting and laughing about how evil they are.

The best part of Resonance of Fate is its combat, an insanely unique and complex system even the most seasoned JRPG veterans will require more than a few minutes to wrap their heads around. For starters, where most role-playing adventures are filled with swords and spells, Resonance of Fate is dominated by guns and grenades. It combines some classic turn-based combat with ??elements you would more commonly find in action RPGs.

Players are given full control over all three party members during battle. You have all the t??ime in the ??world to plan out your moves, but when you're moving or using an ability like readying an attack, a timer starts draining. This allows you to quickly interrupt enemy attacks or have yours interrupted if you're not careful. It also means one bad move can be the difference between victory and defeat; feeling pretty rewarding when things go your way.

The battle system is very confusing at the outset and is made harder to get a grasp of considering the optional tutorials aren't directly accessible from a menu but have to be sought out at the local arena. You'll have to balance learning complicated team attacks, mastering machine guns and pistols that deal different damage types, and in the end, Resonance is still one hell ?of a grind. There are plenty of enemy types in Basel but not enough to keep ?things fresh through the fifty or so hours of game. 

Dungeons in Basel are laid out like one long encounter in which you move from battle to battle.? An idea that is interesting ?on paper, but it ends up being a series of bland almost identical rooms in which you fight some basic enemies and then finally a boss. Also, if you end up deciding to leave and grind out a bit it means you'll have to start the whole encounter over next time, and if you happen to find yourself low on Escape Hexes, the item that teleports you out of a dungeon, you'll have to backtrack all the way out upon completion. 

More interesting than the other varying systems in Resonance of Fate is Babel's world map. The entire city is laid out in multiple levels on a giant hexagonal grid. The city is falling into disrepair, and certain areas have become untraversable. To combat this, you'll need to lay down energy hexes you earn in combat. As you light up different areas of the grid, you'll find hidden items,? gain access to new towns, and opens lifts to other levels of the tower. Certain areas block progress by using color coated hexes only obtainable via story missions. 

Resonance of Fate 4K/HD Edition is definitely a visual update from the original, but even in 4K, it's still sort of an ugly game. The character and city design are just fine, but the whol??e color palette is mudd??y and dark. I understand going for an apocalyptic vibe, but it can't hurt to pop a little more color into things. 

If you're a hardcore fan of Japanese role-playing games, then Resonance of Fate might be for you. The storytelling is far from remarkable, and the battle system requires a whole lot of patience and commitment. It wasn't groundbreaking in 2010 and isn't groundbreaking now, but there are a handful of neat ideas. I can't help but wish they had done the work to make this updated version a bit more approachable via updated tutorials, but for those looking for that classic tale of a group of teenagers out to murder god, you'll find comfort in Resonance of Fate 4K/HD Edition. 

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by? the reviewer.]}

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PS4 and PC release

tri-Ace's Resonance of Fate will be getting a re-release soon. Going with the very accurate 4K/HD Edition moniker, the steampunk inspired RPG will be heading to PS4 and PC next month for $35. You can currently n?ab a digital pre-order on PS4 and wishlist the game on your Steam account. Pre-orders on PS4 will nab you a dashboard theme and system avatars to use.

Along with a trailer, tri-Ace has launched an official website with all?? the information you'll need for this new version?. There doesn't appear to be any changes to gameplay, instead functioning more like a port than any kind of remake.

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Success is handed out in spades

Star Ocean Anamnesis didn’t make the biggest splash when it launched stateside on the App Store and Google Play earlier this month. The franchise is relatively niche despite its heritage and mobile phones aren’t exactly short on free-to-play gacha games. Despite having never played a Star Ocean title, I signed up for pre-registration because ??it genuin?ely looked like it could be a fun time.

Anamnesis means 'memories from a previous existence' which plays right into the gacha mechanic of the game that brings in heroes from previous titles in the Star Ocean series. Heroes are summoned by Evelysse, the busty amnesiac character who is aiding me in my q??uest to return home alongside the go-getter Coro, my robotic bear companion. In addition to characters, Eve can also summo??n weapons that'll strengthen my team of three.

After spending a week with the game, I have just now reached the point where weapon and character selection matter. Now, the game is getting interesting and my hand is no longer bei?ng held by a developer so desperate to get people into it that they nerfed the experience by needlessly showering? players with free gifts.

Free-to-play, mobile, gacha games inherently lack the appeal of a premium-priced game. These are, after all, designed first and foremost to convince people to spend money on loot boxes. Well, actually, spend money on gems I can use to purchase loot boxes. Anamnesis is actually pretty good out the gate with its free-to-play elements. I regain stamina quite regularly, am overloaded with gems so I'm not enticed to open my pocketbook, and can co?mplete the entire first planet without being forced to stop. In fact, I was able to beat the first planet without even playing the game. 

Similar to Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia, Star Ocean Anamnesis has its campaign divided up between story segments featuring Eve and Coro, and combats segments where my team of three competes in real-time battles. These fights are pretty stunning on my phone. Even on the highest graphics mode, there isn't a bit of slowdown. So??und effects take a hit, but when my team is attacking, all the effects run smoothly across my screen.

Thou?gh there are three people in my party, I only control my lead character. I can move them around the battlefield avoiding attacks and positioning them for short and long attacks. I can also just pres?s one of my three attack buttons and they'll move for me. It's a pretty interesting setup that could make for compelling gameplay if Square Enix and tri-Ace didn't overload those who pre-registered with free shit.

10 minutes into the game, I have a level 25 fiv??e-star character. Two m??inutes after that, another member of my team, also a five-star pull, is level 27. This wasn't through grinding or gameplay, but rather through the Enhance System that lets me quickly level up my squad so long as I have the right materials. Because I pre-registered, the game gives me multiple Rainbow Platinum Prisms, the item needed to exponentially boost character stats.

With two characters? well above level 25, I don't have to touch my phone during battles across the first planet of the game. And this isn't some auto-battle mode -- though that is an option -- my A.I. partners are just too strong. On the second planet, there is a sea of recruitable level-70 characters from other players that, again, do all the work for me. I think I actually started engaging in fights just out o?f sheer boredom.

I understand the reasoning behind having a leveling-up mechanic like this in the game as I use it in Fire Emblem Heroes whenever I unlock a new 5-star hero. I don’t want to spend time level grinding when I can just use the spoils of my victories to speed along the process. It makes sense, but in Star Ocean Anamnesis, it’s available so early to players -- and we’re encouraged to use it -- that it?? throws off the balance of the game. Only now, after a week of playing, am I hitting battles that I don’t automatically win in a couple seconds.

In most other instances, the ease of the game would have caused me to delete it days ago and move onto something else. But I like the battle system, and I wanted to see what it was like to actually play the game and not just let my overpowered A.I. partners do all the work for me. The battle system is not a game changer, but it works well enough to set it apart from many of the other gacha games on the market. I don’t know if Star Ocean fans will be satisfied by Anamnesis because I don’t know any Star Ocean fans, b??ut you can certainly do a lot worse when?? it comes to free-to-play mobile games.

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Huh, okay

2009's Star Ocean: The Last Hope is resurfacing this year in Japan with a remaster for PC and PlayStation 4. Launching November 28 for 2,800 yen, the digital-only game will support "full HD" on PS4 and 4?K on PS4 Pro along with image ?settings for shadows, blur, and the like.

As for the PC version, ?Square Enix will include mouse and keyboard support and let players hide the user interface for more immersive screenshots, someth?ing I always like to see officially supported.

I think many of us would agree there are countless other Japanese role-playing games from the last console generation better suited for this sort of remastering, but hey, they went with Star Ocean 4, and I'm not about t??o complain. Let's hope Square Enix continues to dip into its backcatalog for PC.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - 4K ? & Full HD Remaster [Square Enix via Gematsu]

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October 18 launch for North America

Exist Archive is coming to North Amer??ica on October 18, Aksys Games has ??announced.

Originally released in Japan last year, the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita role-playing game is a joint effort between Tri-Ace (Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean) and Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa, Zero Escape) about a bunch of kids who ge??t killed and embro?iled in a war between feuding gods.

Aksys Games plans to release the title with ??its original Japanese audio as well ??as new English voice acting. A European release is also in the cards, but Aksys is still ironing out the details.

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At least in North America

[Update: Now th?e date has officially be?en confirmed directly from Square Enix.]

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is coming ?to PlayStati??on 4 in North America on June 28.

The good word comes from Square Enix's online store, where a special "Day One" edition?? of the game (which include?s a smattering of digital bonus content) is now available for pre-order.

Square Eni?x is releasing the PlayStation 4 version of Tri-Ace's new role-playing game in Japan tomorrow. Or today, actually. Because it's?? already tomorrow over there. Time zones are weird.

A PlayStation 3 port, which isn't coming ?to western shores, will launch in Japan on April 28. Square Enix has yet to ann??ounce release information for the title's European and Australasian debuts.

For more on Star Ocean 5, you can check out our interview with producer Shuichi Kobayashi.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness [Square Enix Online Store]

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Only on PlayStation 4

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is heading west this su?mmer, Square Enix announced today.

Be?fore then, the role-playing game will debut in Japan on March 31 for PlayStation 4, followed by a PlayStation 3 port on April 28. Of course, since other countries embraced current generation platforms more quickly than Japan, the publisher only plans to release the PS4 version internationally. 

For more on Star Ocean 5, you can check out our interview with producer Shuichi Kobayashi.

Star Log 1 [Square Enix]

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Hammy, but surprisingly decent

Star Ocean: The Last Hope had a truly dreadful script, but the cringe-worthy voice acting probably didn't do the game any favors, either. Thankfully, it sounds like Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness will be a little better in that department, at least if its first English trailer is any ?indication. 

The voice over still has an overly theatrical quality about it, but I suppose that comes with the territory. Hopefully this one doesn't have any terrifying children hell-bent on taking "nappy time" with you.

The JRPG is hitting PS3 and PS4 i?n Japan on March 31. A western release will follow late??r in the year.

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A month later

Despite the fact that tri-Ace was acquired by a mobile publisher, it seems as if it is going to keep on trucking with console games. One such project is Star Ocean 5, which will be published by Square Enix. It was originally set for a February 25, 2016 date for ??Japan, but it's just been delayed to March 31 of that same year. Apparently the reason for the delay was due to quality reasons.

The game has already been confirmed for the PS3 and PS4 platforms, and will be ?localized at so?me point next year.

Star Ocean [Square Enix via Siliconera]

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It's nothing special so far

When Spike Chunsoft and tri-Ace announced Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky, I was supremely impressed with the visual style. As it turns out it looks even better in p?erson, as I witnessed during my hands-on?? time with the TGS build.

From a gameplay standpoint though I have some conce?rns, mostly stemming from the repetitive nature of the flow.

As you can probably tell, Exist Archive is one of the better-looking games of the year. This is even true in the menu screens, which are dynamically presented with views o??f crushed worlds, feeding into the narrative that involves a mysterious alien planet that hosts a battle between multiple Gods.

Within the demo I had the option to tweak/change my party of four, which I opted to forgo in the interest of time (plus, the text was in Japanese). The game seems to be mission-based,?? but is heavily reliant on an RPG presentation, right down to lengthy conversations between party members (which are all fully voiced) and various interludes that contain story prog??ression.

You'll get through these missions in a 2D Metroidvania manner, with light platforming elements, and ranged/melee attacks. Like Chrono Trigger or Lunar the enemies are visible on-screen before battles engage, but once you touch a foe it triggers a battle scene reminiscent of so many classic JRPGs. I was expecting something much more complicated, b??ut based on the demo, it seems?? like you only need to select an area in which you wish to attack, and characters will blast that area.

Each party member's battle animations are incredibly stylish, complete with sweet flips with dual-wielding pistols from one particular character. Right now the framerate isn't the greatest in and out of combat, which might be a result of the fact t?hat it's an earlier build. The game isn't even out in Japan ?yet.

Exist Archive has a lot to prove in my mind. Right now the framerate isn't ideal, combat seems rather shallow, and the platforming sequences? aren't quite thrilling enough. I wasn't able to fully experience the story however beyond gists here and there, so hopefully that's where it will grab me. As usual, I'm holding out for the finished version to make a full judgment -- if it ever gets localized.

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I'm interested

Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky, the newest project from tri-Ace ??and Spike Chunsoft, looks pretty great. Now, compliments of for latter part of the collaboration, we hav??e a gameplay trailer that shows us a bit more in regards to how things will actually play out.

In short, it looks like there's plenty of JRPG combat to be had, as well as some sleek-looking platforming. While it's just coming to Japan later this year on PS4 and Vita, I hope that it get??s localized ev?entually.

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Introducing Exist Archive

Oh hey, I didn't see you there. I was just reading about Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky, a new role-playing game from Star Ocean studio Tri-Ace and Spike Chunsoft of Danganronpa fame.

Revealed in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, the new PlayStation 4 and Vita title follows the exploits of a young man who, after being caught in a mysterious explosion, awakens on an alien planet where he a??nd ele??ven others soon find themselves wrapped up in a war between the gods.

The collaboration is coming to Japan later this yea??r. No word yet regarding a western release.

スパイク・チュンソフト×トライエースの新作RPG『イグジストアーカイヴ』詳細公開！　それは神に死を弄ばれる若者たちの群像劇 [Famitsu]

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New project to be unveiled next week

Zero Escape and Danganronpa studio Spike Chunsoft is teasing a collaboration with Tri-Ace, the company behind Square Enix's much loved Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile franchises.

The countdown site doesn't give a lot to go on, aside from the phrase "new side-view RPG."

Whatever it is, the project is the subject of a lengthy spread and the cover of the upcoming issue of Weekly Famitsu, so more details regarding the joint effort will be revealed i?n due time.

新規サイドビューRPG | スパイク・チュンソフト [Spike Chunsoft via Famitsu]

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It's not a mobile game factory just yet

Back when word broke regarding Tri-Ace'??s acquisition at the hands of mobile group Nepro Japan, the early speculation was the studio's days making games f??or consoles were over.

Then, just a couple months later, Square Enix announced a new entry in the Star Ocean franchise was in development at Tri-Ace, indicating fears may have been ove?rblown. Perhaps the developer wouldn't be relegated to?? churning out smartphone games for the rest of its days after all.

While catching up with Star Ocean 5 producer Shuic?hi Kobaya??shi at E3 last week, I inquired about the acquisition and what, if any, impact Tri-Ace's new parent has on the tit?le's development.

"We are not expecting any impact," Kobayashi told me through a translator. "When you say Tri-Ace has been bought by another c?ompany, you think they must be troubled. But that's not the case.

"They just wanted to reinfor??ce their capital base. When they were negotiating the contract, they made sure that the new company were not going to poke their nose in their creative direction or development policy. On the creative side, they have 100 percent control."

So,?? that's encouraging. If Tri?-Ace wants to start making apps, it will be of its own volition, at least.

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SO5 producer on how new game came to be

During an interview with Destructoid today, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness producer Shuichi Kobayashi intimated the series was in a state of upheaval after the launch of Star Ocean 4.

Kobayashi told me "nobody would dare to get involved" with the franchise out of respect for former series producer Yoshinori Yamagishi, who departed the company following Star Ocean 4's release.

"I thought somebody had to do it," Kobayashi said through an interpreter. "I had to? force?? myself."

"I hope this ??isn't going to sound arrogant -- I thought if I couldn't produce it, nobody else could."

Kobayashi remained committed to keeping the franchise alive, though. He worked on a pitch for Star Ocean 5 in secret with his close friend and series creator Yoshiharu Gotanda until they were ready to take a shot at making Kobayashi's dream a reality.

"If my CEO doesn't like my proposal, if he rejected it, that would be the end of the entire franchise," Kobayashi feared. Moreover, "if this hadn't come about, I wouldn't b?e working for Square Enix now."

Obviously, things worked out. Earlier today at Square Enix's E3 media showcase, the publisher confirmed Star Ocean 5 for a western r?elease. The upcoming role-playing game is slated to debut in Japan this winter before coming to North America and Europe in 2016.

Kobayashi also mentioned he and Gotanda have plans for the franchise moving forward, but wouldn't go into any specifics. For now, he intends to focus on the one already in?? the pipeline.

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It's off to space we go

Star Ocean 5 is a real thing coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Square Enix announced in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu.

According to Kotaku, who we graciously credit these image scan??s to, the game is being developed by Tri-Ace who developed the original?? SNES game in 1996.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is the fifth entry in the main series and is set in between Star Ocean 2 and Star Ocean 3.

We will have more on this sto??ry as information becomes available.

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Sad

Today is a sad day for tri-Ace fans. It appears as though mobile developer Nepro Japan has fully acquired the studio that built Star Ocean, Resonance of Fate, and one of my favorite PlayStation games of all time, Valkyrie Profile.

The acquisition will force tri-Ace into a mobile development role, helping to scale up Nepro Japan's operation. The studio was pretty active recently, helping Square Enix with Lightning Returns and developing Phantasy Star Nova for Sega.

I'm happy that tri-Ace is able to continue on as a developer and maybe they'll make some great mobile titles, but it's certainly the end of an e?ra for JR??PG fans.

Tri-Ace [Release.tdnet.info via Doki Doki Kusoge]

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Under the radar JRPG from tri-Ace

Resonance of Fate, the PS3 JRPG from Tri-Ace and Sega,?? is now available for purchase on the PlayStation Store for $20. &nb?sp;

There are a few complaints worth leveling at Resonance of Fate. It's a bit ugly and drab in its washed out brown and gray. It also takes a while to figure out its weird gamep??lay system, though this is also a mark for it. It's nice to see a JRPG try out an entirely new form of combat, one that ends up being pretty neat. 

Plus, there's all sorts of clothes shopping to?? do. 

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I hope I can summon a space dolphin to fight for me

The upcoming demo for Phantasy Star Nova will feature cooperative multiplayer for up to four players over a local Wi-Fi network. The demo will not allow character creation or story progress, but will featur??e a battle against the Gigantes enemy,?? Agrios.

Sega has stated t?he demo will require around 1.15 GB of space to download. I m?yself cannot wait to reenter the world of giant beam swords and feeding my robot healing items.

The full version of Phantasy Star Nova will be available this November in Japan.

Phantasy Star Nova ??Demo To Include 4-Player Co-Op [Siliconera]

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Still working on Phantasy Star Nova, too

Tri-Ace (Star Ocean, Resonance of Fate) is currently plugging away at Phantasy Star Nova (out this year in Japan), but the company is also working on a free-to-play title for the Vita, Judas Code, according to this week's Famitsu.

The gun-action RPG is set to release in Japan this summer. During World War III, a mysterious pillar from space known as "Longinus" eroded the planet, leaving a husk? for you to survive on. The single-player portion is some sort of action shooter, while the multiplayer portion is a deck building card game.

I never did finish Resonance of Fate. Too bad. It was neat, albeit mechanically dense (and drab as heck). Plus you could go clothes shopping for all the characters. Maybe I'll watch Terror in Resonance to make up for it. 

tri-Ace announce?s ?free-to-play Judas Code for PS Vita [Gematsu]

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In Japan though

If you own a Vita and have access to the Japanese storefront, get ready to download the Phantasy Star Nova demo within the next month. According to Sega, the demo will drop in August, and will feature a giant boss fig??ht as well as some exploration sections.

If you're anywhere near the Sapporo Convention center or Port Messe in Japan you can attend the Phantasy Star event on July 26th and August 3rd respectively, which will have the demo on sit??e.

Phantasy Star Nova [Sega.jp]

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Would a few seconds have hurt anyone?

Remember how earlier I detailed Sega's E3 2014 lineup and we all lamented the lack of Phantasy Star Nova localization? Me too. But don't cry. Not yet. There's a brand new trailer that'll dry all of your te??ars, and then remind you that this may never come to America. But we can dream, can we not?

Actually, I wouldn't even get too excited about this trailer. Conveniently, and as usual, it glosses over gameplay for CG visuals that look cool, but don't exactly reveal much about the game beneath the window dressing. Developer tri-Ace is going to have to do a lot better than this in order to hold my attention, but I'm still intrigued because of this Vita exclusive's local cooperative play and the fact that it's a brand new Phantasy Star.

Keep the dream alive, a?nd make a wish every time you watch this trailer.

New Phantasy Star Nova Trailer [NeoGAF]

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It's lookin' pretty...pretty good

A couple of days ago, Tri-Ace and Sega announced Phantasy Star Nova, a game for the PlayStation Vita that's set for 2014. Apparently it will take place in the same world as Phantasy Star Online 2, and will feature four player co-op.

It's still a ways away, but in the meantime, an official site has opened, showing off a bit more gameplay. I think it's looking pretty solid, bu??t don't take my word for it -- here, have some screenshots. Everyone loves screenshots, right? RIGHT?!

PSO [Phantasy Star Nova.com]

The post Phantasy Star Nova opens up official site appeared first on Destructoid.

Japanese release 2014

Tri-Ace and Sega are bringing up new game Phantasy Star Nova for the PS Vita in 2014. It takes place in the same world as Phantasty Star Online 2. This new title, announced tonight in a pre-TGS So??ny press conference, can be enjoyed alone or with up to four players via an ad-hoc connection. Expect a new battle experience and a strong story line. 

The post Phantasy Star Nova announced for PlayStation Vita appeared first on Destructoid.

Square Enix never said anything about this!

It seems that Tri-Ace staff were involved with the development of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Tri-Ace's Yuichiro Kitao sent out a tweet that said that you might even see him in the staff credits. Tri-Ace pitched in on XIII-2's programming, design and artwork, he says.

I'd like to imagine Tri-Ace looking over Square Enix's shoulders during the creation process, pointing out the silly stuff that wouldn't work well in an RPG. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of their teamwork next month when Final Fantasy XIII-2 will finally be available.

Tri-Ace Helped Out With Final Fantasy XIII-2 [Siliconera]

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