The Obscurer Tribune # 30

Yay, another nice round number!

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The US publisher for DeathSmiles has been revealed – it’s Aksys! Moreover, it looks like we’re getting pretty much everything the Japanese release got, in one form or another – the “Mega Black Label” mode (which was DLC in Japan) will be available to us as well, though it’s unclear as to whether it’ll be offered via the same format here or will be included on the disc. Again, assuming that the localization job is good, for God’s sake put aside some cash to buy this! (DToid coverage here).

King of Fighters Sky Stage officially released in Japanese arcades today – for those of us halfway around the world, there are some more screenshots.

The lead designer for Death by Cube has been interviewed by Siliconera – if you’re interested in the sort of mindset mindset that gives birth to a whole bunch of robots and blood (sorry, “red oil”), give it a read.

This interview with the executive producer at PM Studios, the crew behind the Gunbird 2 PSP remake, seems to suggest that the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the new character artwork has been heard, and that the original assets will be used instead. I’ll take that as good news.

While the invaluable doujin database site known as “Shoot the Core” sadly went down some time ago, one shmup forumer is slowly rebuilding some of the links originally found there in this blog – if you’re itching for a finger-twitching download or two you might want to keep an eye on it.

The dynamic duo of Tomopop and Touhou strike again, with the announcement of a release of some recolored figures.

Yup, we’ve got yet another Space Invaders-inspired t-shirt design on our hands…and this one’s a crossover!




Recently it was announced that the upcoming European version of BlazBlue would be able to link up and play against challengers from other regions – by the time you read this a worldwide patch should be out which allows this to happen, and also fixes a few other issues (and adds some new DLC).

According to Capcom, the “2.5-D” approach that it’s recently taken with Super Street Fighter IV and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom has worked out pretty well, so in the foreseeable future we should probably expect more of it from them, in some form - also thanks to the respectable performance of TvC, we may be getting more stuff from Capcom based on Tatsunoko licenses…or perhaps even a whole new “versus” game (DToid coverage here).

Some additional footage of the shooter minigame in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is also out in the open – moreover, in case you were planning on attending, check here for a few additional details about the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom pre-launch event in NYC, which should be happening tomorrow. On a final note, if you’re one of those people wondering why Capcom didn’t put the Samurai Pizza Cats in the game, well, you can at least be assured that they tried (DToid coverage here). At least you might get a DLC character or two…

Still no word on the fate of Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny in the USA – Europe, however, is another story, as Rising Star Games has picked up the publishing rights for the game over there. No potential release date has been revealed, but the title will be renamed Samurai Shodown Sen, closer to its original Japanese moniker. By the way, speaking of Rising Star, Marvelous Entertainment, a former 50% shareholder in the company, has just cashed out. Coincidence?

Unless I misremember, it was announced a little while back that Neo Geo Battle Coliseum would be coming to XBLA – more than that, though, it’s just been revealed that the game’s artwork and sprites will be getting a once-over as well. Not looking too bad overall, in my opinion.

While it’s only rumors at this point, word on the street is that some sort of “special” edition of Super Street Fighter IV might be in the offing…stay tuned.

Could a gal named Rio be the next permanent Dead or Alive cast member? While originally created for a pachi-slot offshoot, she’s also going to appear in the upcoming different offshoot, DoA Paradise – this is how Lisa/La Mariposa got her start, so we’ll hafta see if Tecmo decides to give her a chance to beat on some people in the future. There are also some new shots out of an Ayane figure announced a short while back. Of course, in an effort to get most of you to actually read this, I’ll also include some screens and a trailer for Paradise. Oh, and by the way, the game is being localized.

If you haven’t yet signed up for Wry Guy’s “Fatal Destructoid” King of Fighters ‘98 tourney, perhaps his showcase of prizes will entice you. Y’know, just in case the fact that KoF ‘98 is awesome isn’t enough for you.

In a bit of rather grisly news, the Japanese voice actor for Dead or Alive’s Bass, Soul Calibur’s Edge Master and Tekken’s Heihachi, among many others, died on Sunday after being spotted wandering in the street with a wound on his arm. Suicide is suspected, but nobody’s sure what happened as of yet. (DToid coverage here.

On a similar but slightly more uplifting note, a recent outpouring of support for the family of a SRK member who died suddenly is nice to see – feel free to get in on the effort yourself if you’d like.

Not to be outdone by the Touhou gals or Ayane, a new Juri sculpt from Street Fighter IV also makes an appearance on Tomopop. On a similar note, a one-of-a-kind Blanka prototype statue is being auctioned off to raise some relief money for the Haiti quake victims, so if you’re looking to snag a rare collectible and help a worthy cause while you’re at it make sure to have a look! (DToid item here.)

Capcom-Unity visitor BigMex shows us some concepts and sketches for an imaginary remake of the original Street Fighter. Apparently our very own Jimbo makes a guest appearance (not really, but it sure does look like him!).

Wry Guy’s most recent King of Fighters “Love Letter” post (which you’d better have read by now) was recently mentioned over on Orochinagi – congrats!

Everyday Legend, meanwhile, had been working to build up some hype for a small fighting tournament he was involved with – looks like he’s had some success.



There were already some rumblings as to the next big thing coming out of the Shin Megami Tensei team over at Atlus, but now we’ve got a preliminary listing for a PS3 SMT game on Amazon Japan. Not a whole lot is known other than that, but it appears that this is probably not Persona 5 – keep an eye out for more info as it comes! (DToid coverage here.)

Here’s another one you probably saw coming – Persona 3 Portable is headed to the USA, with Atlus aiming for a July release date. Check out the first trailer and decide how many times you’re ready and willing to buy this thing. (DToid coverage here.)

The final Official Blog entry for Shiren the Wanderer on Wii is out, this time featuring some of the bosses which will do their best to pummel you into oblivion. The game is out next month. (DToid coverage here.)

We’ve still got a few months to wait before Atlus brings 3D Dot Game Heroes to our shores, but we do already have some localized screens to tide us over until then. The Flame Temple is full of fire? Good to know!

Well, if you’re gonna play a Japanese game with “relationship elements”, you can expect some rather direct remarks concerning mammary glands and other such specialized anatomical bits…as the ESRB write-up for Sakura Wars: So Long My Love affirms. Well, at least it’s been rated, so hopefully all the delays are finally finished for good.

The Tribune has been a bit remiss in covering Last Rebellion, but it will call a bit of attention to a pair of guest characters that will appear therein – you might have expected to see our ol’ pal Prinny pop up in there someplace (which he does), but you’ll also be able to battle Mikan, a cat from one of NIS’s jigsaw puzzle games, as a hidden boss as well.

In case you were planning on importing Etrian Odyssey III from Japan, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer than first expected – the title has been pushed back from early March to early April. On the c-blogs, matty125 updates us on a few other related items, most notably the soundtrack.

Moar delays, moar, MOAR! Fate/extra, originally due out in March overseas, has also been pushed back, though no specification has been given as to exactly how far.

I guess it was always kind of a foregone conclusion, but now it’s official – the Agarest full-body pillow is a go. Japan-only…for now.

I said last issue that I was hungering for some impressions of Sands of Destruction – Son of BaconSandwhich has offered a couple. Gamer Limit also published a full-fledged review.




Atlus has posted its second “walkthrough” video for Trauma Team, focused on the endoscopy portion.

I’d only heard of Japanese PSP title One Million Ton Bara Bara in passing, but it looks like we’ll get a closer gander at it soon – the title is being localized as Patchwork Heroes, and will be available as a downloadable title in the Spring. If you haven’t seen the game before, check out the Japanese trailer – the object is to cut or blow off pieces of airships without getting picked off, it actually reminds me of Qix. (DToid coverage here.) In case that wasn’t interesting enough, in Japan this game and Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! are being cross-promoted – Badman 3D will contain a demo for Patchwork, and the latter game will include a Badman-esque level.

DJ Max Fever, which came out on UMD a little under a year ago in the US, is now on the PSN for download. Also check the link within the Gunbird news item in the “Shmups” section for a bit more DJ Max information.

Mr. Devore apologizes for missing this trailer for Closure – guess I owe you the same apology, because this thing looks pretty neat. It appears to use light in the same manner as Echochrome used perspective – if you see it, it exists, but if you don’t, it doesn’t.

And the latest extra character confirmed for Super Meat Boy is…Flywrench! Yep, this may well be the first time that a bent line has qualified for a “special guest” designation. Also, Mr. PerLee has a “Life and Times” article up about the history and personalities behind the upcoming title.

Genki-JAM will kill you if you don’t give new XBLA Indie game Tobe’s Vertical Adventure a try. Offhand it doesn’t look to do anything too different platforming-wise, but it still looks pretty fun, especially for three bucks.

Next door, Joystiq conducts an interview with the big cheese over at Nicalis, which is working on the Wii remakes of Cave Story and La Mulana, among other titles.

By the time you read this Muscle March should be available locally for the Wii – and should only be priced at five bucks. The link also has yet another goofy-as-ever movie to watch...though the launch trailer leaves even that in the dust.

After all this time, Braid is getting an honest-to-goodness disc-based release for the PC before the month is out – oddly enough it’s being marketed as a “casual” title, but whatever. (DToid coverage here.)

The Tribune already mentioned that a Kenka Bancho movie was in the works – now, check out a few pictures of the goings-on. Still no sign of eye lasers or banana outfits, unfortunately.

Toys R Us is clearing out some of its gaming shelves, and one of its deals is snagging Valkyria Chronicles for 20 bucks when you buy MAG or Mass Effect 2. Of course, the game’s already 20 bucks new by itself at Gamestop, but hey. You might also scan this listing for some other price drops – if you haven’t picked up Henry Hatsworth or Soul Bubbles yet, I WILL FIND YOU. (DToid coverage here.)

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Still working on That Big Thing I’ve Been Promising Forever, in case anyone’s wondering. ‘Til next time, thanks again for reading and keep gaming obscurely.

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