Joystiq

Disgaea Infinite trailer makes as much sense as the other Disgaea games

Mike Schramm — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:16:00 EST

That Disgaea Infinite trailer that snuck out in Japanese a little while back has now been officially released and translated into almost-English and, while it's a little harsh to call the series "the ultimate grind-fest" (unless fans want to wear that title as a badge of honor), this weird little adaptation that turns the strategy RPG into a "visual novel" adventure game still looks interesting.

Last we heard, this one was due out for the PSP in May, but this trailer actually says June of 2010. We checked in with NIS America, and they informed us that the game is due out on June 8th of this year. Look for it as a downloadable title on PSN then.

Disgaea Infinite trailer makes as much sense as the other Disgaea games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Disgaea Infinite visual novel for PSP releases this May

Andrew Yoon — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:30:00 EST

We certainly didn't see this coming. While it may seem strange to doubt the release of another Disgaea game, Disgaea Infinite is not what you might expect. No, it's not a SRPG. It's not even a platformer. Instead, it's a visual novel game -- an interactive story-based adventure, akin to the Phoenix Wright series. According to a press release, this will be NIS America's first visual novel published in America.

Disgaea Infinite promises to keep the same over-the-top humor the franchise is known for. Players will assume the role of a Prinny on the hunt for an assassin trying to take down the demon Laharl. With the power to take over other characters minds and bodies, Prinny will be able to solve this almost-murder mystery. Expect it on PSP this May.

Gallery: Disgaea Infinite

Disgaea Infinite visual novel for PSP releases this May originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nippon Ichi reveals Disgaea Infinite visual novel

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:45:00 EST

Nippon Ichi continues to crank out announcements for its new upcoming games -- though calling this one a "game" might be a bit of a stretch. Though Disgaea Infinite shares a name, setting and characters with the core Disgaea series, it's far from a strategy-RPG title. In fact, this installment is a PSP visual novel, starring a Prinny who's tasked with solving a murder by possessing other characters and reading their minds.

As you might be able to tell from the above description (and the trailer posted after the break), it's shaping up to be bizarre -- even by Disgaea's typically weird standards. Regardless, Japanese Prinny enthusiasts can grab the game Nov. 1 on the PSN for 2,500 yen ($27).

Continue reading Nippon Ichi reveals Disgaea Infinite visual novel

Nippon Ichi reveals Disgaea Infinite visual novel originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For Famitsu, 428 equals 40

Chris Greenhough — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:10:00 EST

Filed under: News, Reviews, Imports

The Famitsu 40/40 has lost some of its lustre in recent times. Since 1998, the magazine has awarded nine perfect scores, but three have come in 2008, including one for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

However, even we found the latest game to receive the honor surprising. 428: The World Doesn't Change Even So is a "visual novel," a graphical text adventure from roguelike kings Chunsoft that keeps player interaction to a minimum. In other words, it's very unlike any other game to receive a flawless Famitsu grade. In fact, it's unlike most other games, period.

We haven't posted a great deal about 428. That's not because we don't find it interesting -- we definitely do. It's because, as Alisha has noted, a game of its ilk is almost entirely impenetrable to our western eyes. Suffice to say, it has now been instantly promoted from "intriguing curio" to "must-own import." Not that a release outside Japan will ever happen.

For Famitsu, 428 equals 40 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Half-Elf Tentacle Assault is -- gasp! -- canceled

Eric Caoili — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: News, Homebrew, Imports

Alas and alack! Team-DSX, the doujin developer behind Half-Elf Tentacle Assault has announced that it has canceled the homebrew hentai game. You'll have to get your half-elf-assaulting kicks elsewhere!

According to media reports, the preparation committee behind comic convention Comiket -- where Team-DSX was expected to debut and sell the title -- declined the developer's registration for the event. The group has since taken down its official page and posted an apology for the cancellation at its blog.

Presumably, the Comiket rejection was due to Team-DSX's publicization that the game's ROM requires a flashcart. In fact, the developer went so far as to distribute double-sided flyers promoting Half-Elf Tentacle Assault on one side and advertising an R4 distributor on the other.

And so it goes, the lewd game has disappeared just as quickly and as quietly as it slithered into our lives, wrapping its slimy tendrils around our limbs and devastating our orifices, promising, "I'll call you sometime," before taking its leave. We'll spend a week waiting by the phone for that call, but we won't be surprised when it never comes.

[Via Canned Dogs]

Interested in "adult" homebrew games for the DS? Make sure to check out Naughtiness on the Nintendo DS ands its sequel, More Naughtiness on the Nintendo DS. Also, you'll want to have a look at our homebrew guide for more information on how to play these saucy games!

Half-Elf Tentacle Assault is -- gasp! -- canceled originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Half-Elf Tentacle Assault's boxart is -- gasp! -- NSFW

Eric Caoili — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Homebrew, Imports

Looking to satisfy the legions of perverts interested in its upcoming homebrew release, Half-Elf Tentacle Assault, doujin-developer Team-DSX has posted a potential design for the game's CD-ROM cover -- to cut down on costs, the group plans to release the ROM on CDs instead of traditional carts, so that customers can transfer the game to their flashcarts.

The screenshots featured on the packaging give you a good idea of what to expect from the visual novel (if the Half-Elf Tentacle Assault name wasn't descriptive enough) and are, naturally, very NSFW. Even with stars and white spots covering all the naughty bits on the images, we've hidden the cover past the post break, away from chaste eyes.

Just one last quick caution -- the boxart depicts half-elf Colin and another heroine in suggestive scenes of forced sodomy. Also, a green pig-man with killer abs has his head totally slashed off. You've been warned!

See also: Naughtiness on the Nintendo DS, More Naughtiness on the Nintendo DS

Continue reading Half-Elf Tentacle Assault's boxart is -- gasp! -- NSFW

Half-Elf Tentacle Assault's boxart is -- gasp! -- NSFW originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not quite 428 screens, but a few

Alisha Karabinus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Screens

Titles like 428 -- a clear member of the outstretched-hand club, even if it's not box art -- make us wish we had a Japanese Wii. Also, that we could understand Japanese. That's probably pretty important when it comes to Sound Novels, and from these shots from the suspenseful 428: The World Doesn't Change Even So, the story looks like it might be worth following.

Y'know, if we could. Instead, we'll just have to sift through the images and try to reconstruct the surreal story they paint. And we'll have to be happy with that, since the chances that we'll see an English version are somewhere between negative 15% and a cold day in hell. Too bad -- we really wanted to know what was going on here.

[Via GoNintendo]

Not quite 428 screens, but a few originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Imabikisou's screenshots are slowly creeping up behind you

Eric Caoili — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Imports, Video, Screens

By themselves, these Imabikisou: Kaimei Hen screens barely register on the "scary scale" -- a highly advanced, experimental fear-measuring instrument that we purchased through eBay. When sorted into a collection, however, such as our massive gallery below, the images begin to grow a feeling of unease in your stomach as you peruse each shot.

Maybe it's the fact that none of the characters' faces are ever completely shown? Or perhaps it's the ambiguous, likely supernatural conflict that presumably connects all the images? We just hope that Sega decides to eventually bring this Chunsoft-developed visual novel, a port of a PlayStation 3 title (with two new chapters), to the States! Lock your doors, pull your curtains shut, and peek past the break for a creepy Imabikisou trailer.

Continue reading Imabikisou's screenshots are slowly creeping up behind you

Imabikisou's screenshots are slowly creeping up behind you originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fire on the Water almost as awesome as Smoke on the Water

Eric Caoili — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: Homebrew

Having garnered near-unanimous praise and placed first in the NEO Spring Compo's DS game category with Lone Wolf: Flight from the Dark, Project Aon is readying another homebrew port of the Lone Wolf "gamebooks," this time for the second book in the series, Fire on the Water.

Project Aon has already posted a release candidate for the game, allowing users to download and try out the visual novel before its final release. As with Flight from the Dark, the sequel allows readers to take control of the story with RPG-inspired elements, such as branching narrative options and character customization (e.g. skills, disciplines).

In addition to fixes and general improvements, Fire on the Water now features four new music tracks, an improved game engine for handling more complex events, merchants, and mini-games. If you haven't jumped into the homebrew scene yet, now is a good time!

[via DCEmu]

Fire on the Water almost as awesome as Smoke on the Water originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chunsoft reveals a suspenseful non-game

JC Fletcher — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:45:00 EST

Filed under: News, Imports

In Japan, developer Chunsoft isn't just known for inventing the Mystery Dungeon subgenre of roguelike RPGs. They're also responsible for the development of the "visual novel" genre: graphical text adventures that focus on telling a story with very little player involvement. Chunsoft calls these Sound Novels, a name they have trademarked.

The company has announced thier latest Sound Novel as a Wii release. Like most other Chunsoft Sound Novels, the "suspense drama" 428: The World Doesn't Change Even So uses real photographs as backgrounds for its text; while early releases featured silhouettes, the later Sound Novels now use real actors as well. Also like other Sound Novels, it has approximately 0% chance of being released outside of Japan.

Chunsoft reveals a suspenseful non-game originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 May 2008 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reading is fundamental (for playing Lone Wolf)

Eric Caoili — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Homebrew

Though we couldn't manage to load the game employing our usual methods of homebrew wizardry, LoneWolfDS: Flight From The Dark looks to be a very polished and complete release. It's a port of the first book released for the Lone Wolf series, a collection of "gamebooks" that allow the reader to take control of the story through branching narrative options, character customization (e.g. skills, disciplines), and other RPG-inspired elements. Think of it as a more involved and satisfying Choose Your Own Adventure.

It's clear from the official site and screenshots that Project Aon put a lot of thought and time into Flight From the Dark's presentation, so you should definitely try it out if the visual novel experience we described above sounds like something you'd fancy. Peek past the post break for a four-minute video of the game's character creation process and story progression.

See also: Snatcher Pilot Disk ported, fantastic

Continue reading Reading is fundamental (for playing Lone Wolf)

Reading is fundamental (for playing Lone Wolf) originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 08 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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