You’re forgiven if you haven’t heard of 7th Dragon, but that’s okay: we’re finally getting one of these JRPGs in English and you should check it out when it releases in July. Why? Read on!
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Let’s get this out of the way: Valkyria Chronicles Remastered is virtually identical to the game’s 2014 Steam release. It raises the resolution and includes all the game’s add-on content, but otherwise preserves everything about the PS3 original. The differences? Here they are: you can buy it on a physical disc, there are PlayStation button prompts again and, perhaps most notably, trophy hunters can now earn their Platinum that they were deprived last generation. That’s really it. This release included the demo for Valkyria: Azure Revolution in Japan, but there’s been no word on that in the West.
Now that we’ve taken care of that, we can move on to talking about how well Valkyria Chronicles holds up in 2016, which is unreasonably so.
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Puyo Puyo is great. We’ve told you that already. You can even play it through a few Western 3DS releases now! But here’s the thing: that’s not enough Puyo.
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Are you a Valkyria Chronicles veteran? Here are some tips for getting the most out of Valkyria Chronicles Remastered when it releases for PS4 next month.
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The first Project X Zone was about as unlikely a localization as they come. A spiritual sequel to a Japan-only title, it had so many different companies’ IP that licensing it would be a struggle, and the choices included were clearly based on Japanese popularity rather than global appeal. But hey, we got it! And its reception was solid enough to merit a global announcement for its sequel.
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Project X Zone 2 releases next week, and it’s a mash-up of all sorts of Bandai Namco, Sega and Capcom franchises (with a few Nintendo ones for good measure). Some of them haven’t exactly been seen outside of Japan, though! Here’s more on those fighters whose games have yet to hit our shores.
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Yakuza 5 does have some fun underworld intrigue and fighting action, but there’s so much enjoyment to the game that’s just about having a good time! Andrew Passafiume joins us to check out the arcade, play some riverside Shogi and practice our safe driving around the city.
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The Yakuza series often draws comparisons to Grand Theft Auto, and there’s certainly reason there: it’s about toeing the line between respect and crime in a violent world of thugs and schemers. But it never really feels like GTA, and that’s because while GTA strives toward building a living, cohesive world in which you can get lost for hours, Yakuza pulls the other direction, not just creating unreasonable environments and situations but also reveling in them to great effect.
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Yakuza 5 has reached the West today. It’s the end of a long wait for Yakuza fans, and an encouraging sign that the roughest days for American fans of Japanese games are behind us. Secretly, though, it’s the return for a franchise that is just as beloved and missing outside Japan for even longer: Taiko Drum Master, or Taiko no Tatsujin.
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