Game of the Month: Dragon's Crown

As in just shut up and buy it already if you own a PS3 or Vita. There are big differences in both versions (so yeah, you want both), that art book is PHENOMENAL (and even more so if you happen to have imported either expensive deluxe Japanese version of the game) and the game itself is an instant classic that's both a throwback to arcade beat 'em ups as well as its own bird.

Take a peek at the video below if you're not convinced yet. If that stunning artwork and outrageously stylized characters don't get your eyes popping and your wallet flying out of your pocket or purse, well... I can't help you in your art appreciation much. Anyway, grab this for home and/or the road and tell a friend if they own a PS3 or Vita to buy this as well. You'll be able to play together... but the game WILL make both of you work like hell for that privilege, as co-op is locked out until you play through the main game once. This won't take too long, mind you and hell, you'll NEED the bonuses earned in order to survive the harder difficulties and alternate paths.

Seven MORE KOF XIII Trailers (Atlus Keeps On Rolling...)

Yes, these are going up a bit later than planned, but I was busy playing a few games and got sidetracked. Such is the life of the one-man operation. Here you go - seven more characters from the upcoming fighter. These are pretty short, so like the first nine, you won't need that beer and chips or have to worry about falling asleep halfway through. Hell, one of these guys or gals will slap you silly if you did anyway...

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin Trailer

Sometimes, abbreviating a game name just doesn't work well. Case in point: SMTP2IS looks and sounds like a license plate number to me. Anyway, Atlus is set to knock it out of the park again with yet ANOTHER great RPG to devour all your free time. September 20, 2011 is the date and yes, it's yet another PSP exclusive. Color me giddy that publishers such as Atlus, Xseed Sony and others are making this the best year for the portable.

SMT Devil Survivor Overclocked '8th Day' Teaser

Here's a peek at Atlus's remastered RPG, headed to the 3Ds now with full voice acting, enhanced higher-definition art and an all new 8th Day section not found in the DS game. North American gamers will be dancing with joy, but UK and European 3DS owners are out of luck, as there are no plans to release this in those territories and as you know, the 3DS is region locked. Perhaps some third-party publisher can do the deed, but I'd gather it's not going to happen because of the localization issues required for each non-English speaking territory (not inexpensive to do, mind you).

Trine 2: Atlus' Download Only Blast Of Fresh Air From FrozenByte

FrozenByte's absolutely beautiful physics-based action/adventure is one of those great games that keeps classic gameplay alive and well. While this one is all is set to hit PSN and Xbox Live soon, it WOULD be nicer to also see a disc release with the first game as well as Atlus' other download-only hit, the offbeat brawler/shooter/action game, Zeno Clash. Not all core gamers have access to PSN or Xbox Live accounts, so making sure they have the same opportunities to play as many of the games everyone else does should be a priority for all publishers until we see as close to 100% of the user base with high speed connections as possible. More games for everyone at both retail and online means more money for game companies and developers, right?

The King of Fighters XIII Gameplay (Or: Oops, Make That TEN Trailers!)

Yeah, yeah, I forgot one video (Atlus posted it a while ago), but then again, it was pretty late here when I finally got around to posting the other clips. Anyway, here you go. Screenshots from the upcoming 2D fighter to come in a separate post. Don't say I never gave you anything, grrrr.

The King of Fighters XIII Character Trailers (Yes, All NINE Of Them!)

Atlus, I love you so much, but this is ridiculous... in the best possible way. OK, I'll shut up now and let you get to watching all these brief HD trailers starting with the ladies first because I'm a nice guy. OK, Mai said she'd beat me up and I'm not into that rough stuff. Anyway, one here, eight below the jump. I COULD have done nine separate posts, but there's still a ton of stuff to tackle from other publishers (not to mention a review or two) and I don't want you all to think I'm a TOTAL Atlus freak or anything (he said, stroking his copy of Run Saber gently). Oh yeah, The King of Fighters XIII is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 in October in HD with an incredible amount of new and updated features.

SMT Devil Survivor: Overclocked Auction House/Fusion Video

Atlus sure knows how to make the end of the world highly enjoyable, that's for sure. Even though I sunk something like 160 hours into the DS version, I'm actually thinking about doing it all over again on the 3DS shortly. Check out some of the Demon Auction and Demon Fusion parts from Atlus' upcoming RPG. Yeah, the person doing the bidding in the video isn't exactly the best beast buyer, but I'd gather this clip is only showing off the features to those who haven't yet played the game or who want to see what it looks like in action on the 3DS.

Review: Catherine

Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360

Developer: Atlus

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1 (Online 1 - 2)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

Catherine is one of the best original games of 2011, hands-down and of this writing, Atlus' fastest and biggest selling title to date. The hype surrounding the Japanese release along with initial worries that it wouldn't be localized due to its subject matter were followed by quick disappointment from Atlus fans when they found out it was staying overseas. Surprisingly, not too long afterward, word started leaking out that an English localization was underway and shortly after that, Atlus USA announced that Catherine was indeed coming to North America not only uncensored, but with PS3 and Xbox 360 cover variants, a great art book/soundtrack CD pre-order bonus and even a fantastic Limited Edition package. Definitely not for kids, anime haters, hopeless romantics or those easily frustrated by trial and error gameplay, what's here is a remarkable, visually brilliant work that bridges the gap between uncomfortable arty project and instant conversation starter.

Catherine Is Coming!

Well, alright. Atlus came through and is indeed shooting over a copy of Catherine, which makes me happy beyond words. Well, I have words, but you'll need to wait and see what they are. Granted, I'm still buying the retail version (both of them) at some point because I'm crazy like that, but I'll be diving into the review copy as soon as it arrives and getting it done up as quickly as possible. Thanks much, guys!

Atlus Shows Off Its Girl Catherine, Some Still Sexually (and Otherwise) Confused

Last evening (or afternoon if you were on the West Coast), Atlus did an incredible (and lengthy) Ustream demo of its upcoming PS3/360 game Catherine and based on the number of press attendees plus a decent sized group of just over 20 non-press oglers, this was their most successful streaming event to date. It's no wonder, given the interest shown in the game ever since screens and videos of the Japanese version started popping up on the Internet and gamers started begging for a localization.

While the single player mode was the main draw of the event, there was a bit of multiplayer shown that made for a really nice surprise. I have the feeling THAT mode just might break up a friendship or two in the same way The Adventures of Cookie & Cream did when things got too out of hand. Then again, in Catherine's MP, it's every sheep-horned man for himself (and it's a damn good thing it's only two players onscreen, given the hilariously zippy pace and violent pillow swinging action going on with the frantic block climbing).

E3 2011: Check Out The Atlus Booth!

So, what's going on with one of my favorite publishers? Take a super-quick tour of their E3 booth and find out, that's what! Now, if only I could get them to fly to NYC one day with all their wonderful games...

No More Teasing: Catherine Website Goes Live

Whee. Atlus' girl is looking to be one of those ladies people just can't keep their eyes off of. The official site mimics the original Japanese site's stylishness (play with those chains on the opening screen for a nice surprise) and is packed full of awesome art, game info and more stuff that will make you blush (and any co-workers gasp if you're at work peeking at this stuff)... July 26, 2011. PS3/Xbox 360. Watch this one sell out fast.

Atlus Discovers Time Travel, Stuck in 1999!

All I'll say is I hope they get back safe and bring a couple of copies of Ogre Battle 64 back with them when they return. I sold mine off a while back and kind of wish I didn't. Atlus Faithful news from June '99 below the jump...

Catherine "Are You Committed" Trailer

A few weeks back, Atlus USA asked fans to submit video responses to a few age old relationship questions with selected bits being used to promote its upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 puzzle horror game hybrid, Catherine. Here you go, the results of that little experiment in terror...

Catherine Announcement Trailer (Late, But Still "Fun" to Watch)

Speaking of Atlus - I'd forgotten to run this nicely disturbing Catherine trailer from a few weeks back, so here you go - enjoy! I really can't wait for this one, but now that it's US-bound, I don't need to spend too much money on the import version and bugging a few folks to assist in translating things. Awesome.

Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga Soundtrack BonusTrailer

Here's a peek at the latest trailer for Atlus' upcoming RPG Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga featuring some of that excellent music, which by the way, is going to be on the bonus CD included with the game (thanks Atlus!). There's a demo hitting Xbox LIVE on March 22, and the full game will be available in stores on April 12, 2011. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the changes and sinking way too much time into this expanded version of the original.

Atlus to Set Catherine Loose on Gamers This Summer!

EXCELLENT. Thank you, Atlus! After a ton of interest from gamers outside of Japan even as the game's developers said they had no plans to localize the PS3/360 game for Western audiences, the (no doubt going to be) Mature-rated horror/puzzle/strategy game hybrid is headed for a US release this summer. There was a HUGE teaser e-mail sent out last week that used the same pink background as well as a line from the game, so it was easy to figure out what was what. I ran a few movies on the other blog a few weeks back, but I'll be updating.both sites with image galleries once I get shots of the US version in action. Awesome - I guess I'll be getting both versions since they're doing the dual cover thing (yeah, I'm THAT crazy).

Gallery: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked (3DS)

Yeah, yeah, there are a ton of 3DS games I need to cover (and I'll get to them starting this weekend), but I'm actually really looking forward to this one the most. Atlus is bringing a souped-up version of one of the best RPG's of 2009 to the 3DS with a few cool new features. Overclocked includes full voice acting, an all-new epilogue, revamped visuals and more. The game's official site is going up soon, according to Atlus... just keep coming back and clicking on that link 'til you get a picture. Or I'll just post here again when it finally does go live. Press release & five screens below the jump

The Cursed Crusade Trailer #2: "Ambitions"

Atlus and developer Kylotonn Emtertainment have what's looking to be a guaranteed hit with this upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360-bound Action/RPG. Given that nearly everyone seems to be comparing it to Demon's Souls, there's going to be an immediate audience for the game that should propel sales no matter what the reviews say. Based on available info, the game is quite a bit different (and it should be) in terms of story, gameplay and a few other major elements, none of which should stop any fan of From Software's hit from checking this one out. Hell, here's nothing like being pleasantly surprised by a game you thought was going to be something entirely different (or all too familiar), right? More on The Cursed Crusade shortly...