There’s some good news for those who want to import games for the PS3.  For all practical purposes, it is completely region free.  It doesn’t require any modification to play import games.  There are a couple of key exceptions, though.

If you happen to have one that is old enough to be backwards compatible, the PlayStation 2 games are still region locked, as are PS1 games in all PlayStation 3 consoles.  As some additional notes, DVDs are region locked.  Blu-rays are also region locked, but for those in the USA, Japan is considered to be the same region, so it might as well be region free if you’re specifically interested in US and Japan BDs.

The other notable exception is really a technicality.  The PS3 does not support region locking directly, however, it does allow games to see what region the current system is.  As such, there’s nothing from stopping a developer from implementing their own region locking.  So far, only one developer has, and then for only one game: Persona 4 Arena.  As such, P4A is the only region locked PS3 game.

If you would like to play any import game (not just PS3 games) on your PS3, you have two options:

Option 1: Buy a Japanese PS3

As always, the most reliable and the most expensive method is to purchase a Japanese version of the console.  You can find some very interesting Japan-only PS3 models at Play-Asia, but they are on the expensive side, starting at right around $400.  In all honesty, you’re probably better off trying to land yourself an import capable PS2 to go along with a local PS3, partially due to price, and partially due to input lag in backwards compatible PS3 systems, specifically for PS2 games.

Option 2: Install Custom Firmware

There’s lots of risks for this one, it’s considerably less legal, but it also has the benefit of allowing you to play backup titles, assuming you have a Blu-ray burner and don’t mind buying BD-Rs.  It also allows you to have one console to play 3 generations of games on across multiple regions.  It certainly sounds promising.

It does, unfortunately, have the downside that it might lock you out of the PSN and online play.  If that’s something you don’t mind potentially giving up, you can look up the PS3 Jailbreak 4.31 Custom Firmware.  Installation is pretty straightforward: download the custom firmware, put it on a USB stick, and treat it like it’s an official PS3 update.  Keep in mind, though, that you can’t update your PS3 the normal way without undoing the custom firmware or, even worse, possibly breaking your console.

Be sure to thoroughly scan anything you download for viruses.  Unofficial things like this do carry an extra risk of viruses.

Where to Get Games

At this time, import PS3 games are abundantly plentiful.  The go-to source is Play-Asia, but NCSX, Amazon (3rd party), and eBay all have pretty wide selections of Japanese import PlayStation 3 games.

Interesting Game Highlights

For the most part, the most interesting import games on the PS3 are ones that are coming out in the US at some point anyway, such as Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Re MIX.  The biggest exceptions to this are game genres that are unlikely to do well in the US market, like Visual Novels or Dating Sims.  Possibly the most notable example of this is Clannad for PS3 (which was announced in April of 2010).

Enjoy your PlayStation 3 imports!

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Disclaimer: use any of these methods at your own risk. Some of them can damage your console.

Endorsement Policy: while some of the links in this post are affiliate links, others are not, and we strive to provide the best options out there, regardless of affiliate status.

Much like the original PlayStation, the Sony PS2 is completely region locked.  While it is backwards-compatible with PS1 games, those are also region locked on the console. If you only want to play some import PlayStation 1 games, take a look at the guide for How to Import for the PlayStation 1.

Since the PS2 will not play import games by design, you have to find a way around it.  Here’s a layout of the options.

Option 1: Buy a Japanese PlayStation 2

For long-term reliability, and for ease of setup, this is the best option.  It also tends to be the most expensive.  At this time, a Japanese PS2 from Play-Asia runs a hefty $350 plus shipping.  Amazon has some for under $200, but only from third-party sellers.  If you get lucky, you might be able to get a JP PS2 for under $100 from eBay.

If you have some extra money and you like collecting rare things, you can look into the PSX.  Despite American shops labeling PS1 games as PSX games, the PSX is actually a PS2 combined with a DVR and a built-in hard drive.  It looks like this:

They can typically be identified in online listings by the model number, which always starts with “DESR”, like DESR-5700 or DESR-7000, with the number mostly differentiating between hard drive size (160GB and 250GB respectively, in this case).

You can pick up a DESR PSX for around $400 to $500 from eBay right now, which is definitely expensive.  It’s even more expensive if you are a collector who likes to have the box.

Finally, since the first version of the PS3 was backwards compatible, you could go the route of picking up an import enabled launch PS3.  Check here for more information on How to Import for the PlayStation 3.

Option 2: Install a Mod Chip

This option is very tricky, and requires different mod chips depending on the model of your PlayStation 2.  Overall, I recommend against installing your own mod chip unless you are very good at soldering wires onto tiny points on a motherboard, because that’s exactly what’s required.

What’s worse, it can slightly alter the power traveling through the motherboard and to the laser, which can cause it to burn out early.  Due to the modifications made by the mod chip, it is more difficult to repair as well.  Replacing the burnt-out laser sometimes just causes the new laser to immediately burn out as well.

That being said, when it is working, it is pretty great.  You have one console that plays both local and Japanese games, and you don’t have to think about it.  You just put the game in.  If you really like this idea, and you’re willing to try to install one, you should research all of the currently available mod chips and find highly detailed and picture oriented guides.  If you want these benefits, and you’re willing to risk the long-term reliability of your console, but you don’t have the skills to install it yourself, you can look at Option 3.

Option 3: Buy a Pre-Modded PS2

Most of the usual vendors for this are no longer available, but if you dig deep enough, you should be able to find one.  However, even if you do find a vendor, you’ll likely be dealing with someone shady.  Your best bet is probably to try to find one on eBay or Craigslist, but you’ll have to get lucky even there.

It will be more expensive than picking up a local model PS2, and it will be almost as expensive as buying a Japanese one.  However, if you don’t yet have either, it can be a very economical option overall.

Option 4: Use a Swap Disc

The swap disc of choice is the Swap Magic.  The good news is that Swap Magic is well supported by its creators, and they even have a full Swap Magic guide.  The catch is that you will need to find a way to make your PlayStation 2 think that it has never been opened during the swap process.  How to do this varies based on the model of the PS2, and the Swap Magic guide above helps you select the right tool.  It usually provides more than one option for a given model as well.

Some notes, though: the slide tool for fat PS2s is convenient because it requires very little modification, but it does damage the disc tray motor over time, so it’s honestly not recommended.  For the slim version, however, either option should be fine, as long as it is installed correctly.

If you don’t want to buy directly from Swap Magic because you don’t trust them, Swap Magic discs occasionally show up on Amazon, albeit from 3rd party vendors.  But, at least then you have the buyer protection that Amazon provides.

Where to Get Games

The usual sources apply here.  Play-Asia is the most reliable source in terms of both price and availability, whereas NCSX Shop is a valid US-based alternative, but they tend to be more expensive.  Amazon has some Japanese PS2 games from third part vendors, but very few.  You can always take a shot at finding the JP PlayStation 2 game you want on eBay.

Interesting Game Highlights

Some of the best games available on the Japanese PlayStation 2 have to be the Final Fantasy International Versions (X, X-2, and XII) and the Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Versions (I and II).  These versions have new systems, new gameplay elements, new items, and new secret bosses added to them, making them an enjoyable play-through, even if you’ve already played the American versions.

Another fantastic game that never made it across the oceans is Namco X Capcom (spoken as “Namco Cross Capcom”), a turn-based tactical RPG in which over 100 characters from lots of different games come together to fight against one another.  It seems that only the fighting game crossovers seem to make it to our shores, but here’s an RPG crossover!  I even have a post about Namco X Capcom as an Interesting Import Only Game from several years back, and it still hasn’t made it out of Japan.

Enjoy your PlayStation 2 imports!

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Disclaimer: use any of these methods at your own risk. Some of them can damage your console.

Endorsement Policy: while some of the links in this post are affiliate links, others are not, and we strive to provide the best options out there, regardless of affiliate status.

Welcome to the Kuro Matsuri Video Games review of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance: Mark of Mastery Edition.

Kingdom Hearts 3D, a.k.a., Dream Drop Distance, is a continuation of the Kingdom Hearts series.  In fact, if anything, it is the culmination of the series so far.  It refers to nearly all of the previous iterations of Kingdom Hearts.  In part, that is what makes the Mark of Mastery Edition of Kingdom Hearts 3D so impressive; at least in part, the bonus items reference all of the previous iterations.

First, here’s a note of everything that comes with the Mark of Mastery Edition of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance:

The Mark of Mastery Edition comes with a variety of items.  The box is multi-layered with a white and grey design on the outside, and a black and grey design on the inside.  Of course, it comes with the game.  In addition to the game, it also comes with a set of postcards that go through every iteration so far of the Kingdom Hearts series. This includes the Final Mix re-releases, so there are quite a few high-quality postcards with very pretty and clean art on them.  It’s practically an art collection for the series.  In addition to that, it also comes with a set of 5 AR (augmented reality) cards.  These serve multiple purposes within the game.  The first is that it allows you to specifically place your Dream Eaters (the monsters that are on your side) onto a location and circle around them with the camera as though they were really there.  Additionally, some of them allow you to get rare Dream Eaters by scanning them; Dream Eaters that cannot be obtained any other way.  Don’t worry; if you don’t have these, don’t think you’ll be at a significant disadvantage.  The secret Dream Eaters are modifications of Dream Eaters that you can normally get in the game, but with marginally improved characteristics.  It’s a nice touch for the collector, but it won’t hurt the experience in any way for the non-collector.

Finally, it comes with a protective case for the 3DS with a Kingdom Hearts design on it.  The protective case is in two pieces.  The top piece has a nice black-on-clear design on it, while the bottom piece is only clear, serving only to protect.  As such, I’ve chosen to only use the top piece, as it adds a nice style, but it doesn’t prevent you from using the charging dock included with the original 3DS.  As a note, this case will not fit on the 3DS XL.  Here’s what the top layer of the case looks like on my red 3DS (note, the Keyblade attachment is not included):

Overall, the Mark of Mastery Edition includes a nice array of extras.  It includes practical items, like the 3DS protective case.  It includes digital items, like the Dream Eaters you get for scanning the AR cards.  It also includes collector’s art items, like the postcards and the AR cards themselves.  All-in-all, it is one of the better collector’s editions out there.

Now to the actual game:

Pacing: 4/5 Stars (Above Average)

The pacing is always limited when you’re talking about a handheld console.  Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance does a good job of balancing portability and pacing.  Generally, a portable game needs quicker pacing, and the ability to put the game down at any time.  Dream Drop Distance achieves this by providing a mechanic by which the user is encouraged to play for shorter periods of time; it’s called the Drop mechanic.  After a set, but unspecified, amount of time, you will be forced to switch between Sora and Riku.  It can be jarring, but it does provide a sense of urgency.  Additionally, it manages to break up the action into bite-size chunks; perfect for a handheld experience.  That being said, if you are attempting to experience the entire game in one go, it can mess things up, and it can be frustrating.

However, it does allow you to immediately switch back to the character you were playing as, which alleviates a lot of the frustration.  You do lose out on some bonuses during the switch, since you gain optional bonuses by getting enough points between drops, but the bonuses are fairly nominal, and going without them doesn’t seem to make a huge difference in your capabilities.

Story: 4/5 Stars (Above Average)

The story brings all of the stories from the previous Kingdom Hearts games together.  All of them play a role, even Kingdom Hearts: Coded.  They culminate into one experience that explains a lot, albeit in the same obfuscated way that all Kingdom Hearts stories seem to go about it.  If the story wasn’t so contrived, this would be an amazing story from beginning to end.  Instead, the story comes of as “good, but hard to understand”, meaning that the level in which you have been involved in the other Kingdom Hearts stories will heavily dictate how much you enjoy the story in this one.

Don’t worry, though, if you have missed some of the previous games.  It provides flashback sequences, as well as text-based re-caps, of many of the previous games’ stories.  This means that you can miss some games and still get the grand sense of the overall story.  However, if you haven’t played any of the previous games, the grand over-arching plotline will likely be lost on you.

Presentation: 5/5 Stars (Superb)

Given the resolution of the 3DS, the graphics are very impressive.  It runs smoothly the entire time, and it proves entertaining throughout.  This honestly seems like some of the best graphics the console can manage, even though it is so early in the console’s career.  All-in-all, nothing is really missing from the presentation in Kingdom Hearts 3D.

3D: 5/5 Stars (Superb)

Not everyone likes 3D, but it does add some extra depth in Kingdom Hearts.  It does take some practice to hold it still enough to fully enjoy the 3D without it getting in the way, but it manages to be engaging even at the highest 3D settings once you get used to it.  If you can’t manage to get used to the 3D effects, you can turn them off without any real hindrance to the gameplay experience, but you will be missing out on just how interactive and immersive the 3D gameplay can be.

Gameplay: 4/5 Stars (Above Average)

The new Flow Motion abilities are great fun to play around with.  They allow you to travel across the areas at great speed, and they allow you to perform relatively low risk and relatively high-damage attacks to enemies in the middle of a battle.  Given the time constraints forced upon you by the Drop mechanic, this fast-paced movement is much appreciated.  But, more than that, it’s outright fun.  Darting around the level at high speeds just makes the experience that much more entertaining.  Unfortunately, it does manage to expose some of the flaws in the levels when you hit unexpected invisible walls, but they don’t interfere as much as you might expect.  Overall, the gameplay is very polished and very clean.

It does borrow from the previous game in the series, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, for the Deck Commands.  At any point, you can press X to perform the highlighted special attack or spell.  This lets you customize how you play quickly and easily, while almost always allowing you to continue being effective.  Additionally, since this is only a part of the fighting mechanics, there’s plenty to do outside of the Deck Commands, giving you lots of flexibility in battle.

Kingdom Hearts 3D also allows you to train Dream Eaters to fight by your side.  These Dream Eaters effectively replace the roles that Goofy and Donald played in some of the previous games.  They are your computer-controlled allies, and they can be powerful.  Creating new Dream Eaters and leveling them up also provides a way for you to increase your own skills and abilities, similar to the way the Sphere Grid worked in Final Fantasy X.  You build up points and use them to travel around each Dream Eater’s grid to unlock new skills, stats, and abilities.  It allows for a lot of customization of the gameplay, letting you play how you want to play.

If only it weren’t so complex and confusing.  There are so many aspects that allow you to customize how you play that it can be overwhelming at times.  However, if you just continue to play and “go with the flow”, if you will, you’ll find it very enjoyable.

Exploration: 5/5 Stars (Superb)

The Kingdom Hearts games, at least in part, are known for their relatively linear paths that also allow for plenty of exploration.  More so than other games in the series, there is a lot to explore in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.  There’s enough branching paths and open areas that it can be difficult to thoroughly explore all of it as you look for more treasures, but that’s exactly what makes it interesting.  Even in the early levels, it can be quite the challenge to find every treasure box and fight every special enemy Dream Eater.  If you want to complete the game, you will have a lot of fun continuously exploring each of the worlds to find every nook and cranny in your attempts to collect every item available.

Replay Value: 4/5 Stars (Above Average)

Thanks to a New Game Plus feature, you can carry over the Dream Eaters you’ve created in a previous game.  They lose their levels and abilities, but it goes a long way towards helping you complete the Dream Eater bestiary as you play through multiple rounds.  Additionally, beating the game on the initial hardest difficulty, Proud Mode, unlocks a new difficulty, Critical Mode, giving you extra incentive you play through the game once more as you increase your Kingdom Hearts skills.

Difficulty: 3/5 Stars (Average)

Let’s face it, the difficulty in Kingdom Hearts as been up and down throughout the series.  The first Kingdom Hearts had plenty of challenge, and the second Kingdom Hearts was way too easy.  358/2 Days was awkward to play, and Birth By Sleep was very smooth to play, but both were reasonably difficult.  Dream Drop Distance really falls somewhere between all of these.  The challenge level is pretty low, even at the hardest difficulties.  That being said, it is nowhere near as easy as Kingdom Hearts II was.  It will provide a reasonable challenge on Proud Mode, and a real challenge on Critical Mode, but nothing extraordinary; that is, unless you want to go for a Level 1 Critical Mode play-through by blocking all experience points.  That certainly does prove challenging.  But, one step below that is only a reasonable challenge, and nothing more.

Overall: 4/5 Stars (Above Average)

All things considered, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is a lot of fun to play.  It ties lots of previous Kingdom Hearts stories together in a meaningful way, and provides a reasonable challenge.  It also features a drive for collection by keeping track of how many treasures you’ve found, as well as providing you with the option to create more allies and level them up to gain new abilities and stats.  This is one of the better games in the Kingdom Hearts series, right up there with Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts II.  It is well worth the purchase.

Enjoy the game!

-Kuro Matsuri

This is Kuro Matsuri Video Game’s roundup of the rumors surrounding the launch of the Microsoft Durango, commonly known as the Xbox 720.  At this time, there seems to be less information about the Durango than there is about the Orbis, but it will be updated as new information comes out.

The first piece of this rumor is simply about when final official information should be available: and it currently looks to be E3 2013.  It has been confirmed that Microsoft will make a major announcement at this year’s E3.  While they will not confirm that it’s about the next Xbox, many sources think that it’s the most likely time for the next Xbox to be announced.

Now, let’s dive into the available details:

Name: There’s really no consensus about what the name will be.  The codename has been leaked as “Durango”, and the community at large calls it the “Xbox 720″.  No confirmed information is out there at this point. Not confirmed.

Processor: Sources say that the CPU will be a 64-bit 8-core 1.6GHz processor, but the brand is not yet known, though some sources say it will be an AMD like the Orbis is expected to have. Estimated processing power in Flops is not yet available.  Not confirmed.

Graphics Card: It looks like the graphics card will be a Radeon Direct3D-based 800 MHz GPU, with a claimed 1.2 TFlops (1.2 trillion floating-point operations per second) in raw power.  Not confirmed.

Memory: Current leaked specs are showing 8GB of DDR3 RAM, which, compared to the Xbox 360′s 512MB, is a vast improvement.  That memory is shared between the CPU and GPU, but there’s also a small 32MB faster-running cache for the GPU to us.  Not confirmed.

Storage: The Durango is expected to have an HDD of an unknown size, and it seems increasingly likely that it will utilize 50GB Blu-ray discs, read at 6x speeds.  It could go the route that the Wii U did, and have a slightly modified proprietary Blu-ray format, but probably won’t so that it can have Blu-ray playback.  Some sources say that Blu-ray playback will not be available, though, so it’s pretty much up in the air at this point.  Not confirmed, some sources disagree.

Controller: There’s been practically no information on the controller for the Xbox 720.  It’s expected to be practically unchanged.  Not confirmed.

Compatibility: There is not yet any information about backwards compatibility or region protection.  However, it appears that the Kinect will be compatible.  The big news here is that there is information being spread around that states that the console will not be compatible with used games, which most gamers hope is not the case.  Not confirmed, some sources disagree.

Extras: This is where things get exciting, yet still very unconfirmed.  First off, there’s the small chance that Microsoft’s demoed and very impressive IllumiRoom technology could make it to the Xbox.  It will probably be as an add-on, if it’s available at all, but if it is available, it will be very impressive.  See below:

Additionally, some sources are saying that there will be virtual reality and/or augmented reality glasses, currently codenamed Fortaleza, or unofficially known as Kinect Glasses.  These could potentially be even more interesting than the IllumiRoom technology, but appears to be a later add-on, estimated to be launched some time in 2014.  Not confirmed, lots of variations in sources.

Price Point: Completely unknown.  Wild speculation is placing it between $400 and $500.  Not confirmed, practically no sources.

Launch / Release Date: Many sources are putting the release date as late 2013.  That would be a fast turnaround from E3 2013, though.  Not confirmed, but many sources seem to agree.

The information will be monitored and updated over time.  Both the Durango and the PS4 are looking like significant improvements over their predecessors. Feel free to browse our sources:

http://kotaku.com/xbox-720/

http://www.gadgetreview.com/2013/01/microsoft-durango-xbox-720-specs.html

http://www.vgleaks.com/world-exclusive-durango-unveiled-2/

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121326-Microsoft-Says-Its-On

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/12/the-status-of-microsoft-and-sonys-next-consoles-plus-a-whole-bunch-of-other-gaming-secrets/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57454653-1/kinect-glasses-coming-from-microsoft/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405922,00.asp

(Last Updated 02/16/2013)

Kuro Matsuri Video Games will be paying close attention to the details surrounding the launch of the new PlayStation.  The information below, unless otherwise noted, are rumors or supposedly leaked information.  Confirmed information will be tagged as it comes in.

First off, when can we expect official information to start coming out?  It looks like it’s February 20th at 6PM EST when Sony has a conference.  Unofficial sources have confirmed that the PlayStation 4 / Orbis will be announced at that time.  Here’s the teaser trailer (which basically shows nothing):

The conference has occurred! The Playstation 4 is officially announced! (2/20/2014)

Sony has launched a Press Release about the PlayStation 4 specs.  The information from that press release is included below. (2/21/2013)

Jack Tretton has made some statements during an interview with Forbes.  Information from that has been added to this post.  (2/23/2013)

So, here’s the details that are floating around out there right now:

Name: It will be called the PlayStation 4!  Confirmed by PlayStation directly.

Design: The design of the console itself is unknown, but Jack Tretton has stated that we can expect to see the console my E3, or possible sooner.  Approximate time confirmed, design not confirmed.

Processor: Current leaked information states that the processor will be an 8-core AMD processor (Jaguar).  The cores will be split into 2 clusters, simulating a setup with 2 processors that have 4 cores each. Claimed performance: 102.4 GFlops (102 billion floating-point operations per second).  8-core AMD x86 confirmed by Sony Press Release, pictured below.

Graphics Card: The graphics card appears to be an AMD R10XX-based card that shares memory with the processor.  It will run at 800MHz and produce an estimated 1.843 TFlops (1.843 trillion floating-point operations per second).  The GPU is on the same die as the GPU.  Confirmed by PlayStation Live Event and Sony Press Release (above).

Memory: Most sources are saying that the PlayStation 4 will have 4GB of RAM, with a 176GB/s transfer rate.  Some sources, though, are saying that Sony wants to try to get 8GB of RAM into the system before it launches.  Compared to the 256MB (system) + 256MB (graphics) that the PlayStation 3 had, either is a vast improvement.  During the PlayStation Event, the RAM was confirmed at a full 8GB of GDDR5 high speed RAM.  Confirmed by PlayStation Event and Sony Press Release.

Storage: Sources say that the PlayStation 4 will have a Blu-ray drive with pretty nice specs, running at around 6x, cmpared to the PS3′s 2x.  That should help with some of load speed issues and required installs that some games have had in the past.  It also looks like at least one SKU will come equipped with a 500GB HDD.  All details confirmed except size of the hard drive.

Controller: It looks like the Dualshock will live on, but it will be modified a bit.  First off, the middle area could be turning into a touch-pad, similar to the one on the back of the PS Vita.  It will include a front-facing speaker, much like the Wii controllers.  The top of the controller will include the PS Move light, allowing you to use the normal controller as a Move controller.  Additionally, Sony has listened to a lot of critics and made the analog sticks a little bit concave, allowing for a better grip.  Here’s a couple of the leaked images for the PS4 controller (keeping in mind that it is a prototype, so it could look a little different at launch):

These are the prototype controllers that were leaked:

Here’s an official picture:

It looks like the leaks are true.  The PS4 controller will act as a PS Move controller, as necessary.

Some sources have suggested that there will also be a Share button, but the leaked prototype does not have that button.  It’s not impossible for it to be added, but it seems unlikely.  Confirmed, with Share button, by the PlayStation Event.

Compatibility: The PS4 will remain compatible with Blu-Ray movies, but will not maintain compatibility with PS3 or PS2 games.  However, as a compromise, they have announced some service to announce the live streaming of PS3, PS2, and PS1 games on the PS4.  While they have not announced cost, this appears to be the compromise between PS3 full backwards compatibility, and the limitations of the new system.  PS1, PS2, and PS3 games will be available via streaming.  Depending on the costs associated with streaming, time will tell if it is worthwhile for the consumer.  Additionally, Sony has confirmed that you’ll be able to “suspend” the console at any time and resume gameplay where you left off when you return.

As a bonus: Sony has announced that the PS Vita will support instant cross-platform play with the Vita – did your kids interrupt your play time with Call of Duty?  Immediately switch to the Vita without losing any game time!

Partially Confirmed by PlayStation Event, Real-Time Switching between Home Console and Handheld Console Completely Confirmed.  Gaikai technology will be used to live stream PS1, PS2, and PS3 content, but no details have been released on pricing or whether or not you’ll be able to play the games you already own in this way.

Extras: Confirmed: the system will continuously record your current activities to allow you to share them with friends.  Additionally, some sources are suggesting that the PlayStation 4 will support 4K resolutions, though it’s highly unlikely that games will be anywhere near that even if it does. A new rumor is suggesting that the PlayStation Eye will be upgraded to a dual 720p camera setup with a 4 microphone array, which would significantly upgrde the accuracy and capabilities of the PlayStation Eye and the PlayStation Move.  The system has been confirmed to support automatic recording of live gameplay, as well as sharing of that gameplay through a quick button press to social media networks.  They have also confirmed live gameplay feeds, which can be set up in advance.  The PlayStation Event has confirmed that at least some games will be cross-compatible with common systems like your tablet or your phone; you might be able to plat the next Gran Turismo on your PS4 and your iPad or iPhone, or on your Android phone or tablet!  4k output unconfirmed, sharing and live stream sharing capabilities confirmed, live streaming to more than just the PS4 (including phones and tablets) confirmed, upgraded PlayStation Eye confirmed (but it is not known if it will come with the system or not).

Price Point: A Japanese newspaper (Asahi Shinbum or 朝日新聞), which generally has pretty good info, is pricing the PS4 at 40,000 JPY, which probably means a US price of $400 USD.  The PlayStation Event DID NOT announce the price of the system.  Not confirmed.

Launch / Release Date: A few sources have suggested Christmas 2013 as the release window for the new PlayStation, but only for Japan and USA.  Europe would get it some time the following year. Jack Tretton from Sony has confirmed that it will be released in the holiday season of 2013.  Confirmed through a Jack Tretton interview.

Launch Games: The games that are announced for launch include:

      Knack –cute game, reminds me of Trine except that it’s 3D, interesting setting.

      Killzone: Shadow Fall – impressive scale, futuristic environments

      Drive Club – 1^st person racing gameplay – can see competitors on the track in real time – certainly has potential as a high end racer

      Infamous: Second Son – political commentary, player on the wrong side of the law, intense

      Witness – Thought-provoking, RPG-like, vague information revealed

      Deep Down, Working Title – looks a lot like Dark Souls, sounds fun

      Watchdogs – be a whistleblower – steal from normal people while you catch the bad guys, without getting caught yourself

      Diablo III  – going to be available on the PS4… and the PS3.  Hopefully it won’t have always online DRM.

Destiny – a new Bungie title, “shared world shooter”, limited information available. Not Sony exclusive, but will have exclusive content.

More info: According to the interview with Jack Tretton, more information will be coming during E3 in California (June 11 – 13), Gamescon in Germany (August 21 – 25), and Tokyo Game Show in Japan (September 19 – 22).  Confirmed.

As a bonus, here’s a series of high-resolution controller pics directly from Sony’s Press Release

There we have it.  The important pieces of information summed up in one place.  To dig in further, feel free to look through some of our sources:

http://www.edge-online.com/news/playstation-4-revealed/

http://kotaku.com/5980781/report-sony-will-indeed-announce-the-next-playstation-on-february-20

http://kotaku.com/5980841/report-the-next-playstation-will-record-gameplay-and-let-you-share-it-online

http://www.vgleaks.com/world-exclusive-orbis-unveiled/

http://www.vgleaks.com/rumors-ps4orbis-touchpad-details-estimated-launch/

http://www.vg247.com/2013/02/08/ps4-could-come-bundled-with-a-dual-camera-playstation-eye-rumor/

http://www.asahi.com/business/update/0207/TKY201302060568.html

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-orbis-dual-shock-4-leak-analysis

https://us.playstation.com/meeting2013/

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=514512

http://www.ustream.tv/PlayStation

(Last updated 2/21/2013)

Clannad is a famous name in an infamous genre. The genre, often referred to as “dating sims”, is usually about meeting people (often girls) and trying to develop positive relationships with them while an interesting story unfolds both as a result of your relationships and sometimes simply as a background story to drive the motivation. The more notorious of the games in this genre tend to reward the player’s efforts towards maintaining good relationships with scenes of a sexual nature, but most of them (especially ones on consoles) do not. Instead, the reward is more story. As a result, the stories tend to be pretty good in this type of game.

Clannad has long since been available on the PS2, the PSP, and even the Xbox 360, but this new version has been announced for the PS3. This new version seems to be a retelling of the same story, but with HD visuals and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Fans of the genre should enjoy the upgraded fidelity in both the visuals and the audio. In addition to this, to make the PS3 version more valuable, there will also be a spin-off story available for download on the PSN. Between the current story and the new story, it is reported to take around 200 hours to make it through every branch of the story. And you thought RPGs took a long time to complete!

The Japanese release date has not yet been announced for this title. Also, we are around 99% certain that it’s not going to make it to the US, or any other region outside of Japan.

Sony has announced that they releasing a new update (they haven’t said when) that is going to make all future game releases completely region locked. No more importing unless you own a Japanese PS3.

As for the current library of region free games, the developers are allowed to release a patch that makes them region locked, but they aren’t required too. However, if they do release such a patch, you will be forced to install the patch if you want to play while your online. So, if you’re heavy into importing and can’t afford to buy a Japanese PS3, you might want to disconnect your PS3 from the internet whenever you play your imports.

Thankfully, Japanese Game Source has a Japanese PS3, so we’re not effected too much. As a result, we’ll be able to continue bringing you reviews on Japanese releases, so you can keep coming back here if you’d like.

Update 4/2/2010: Ok, this was an April Fools joke, just in case you didn’t already guess that by now =P

So, Famitsu has announced that Valkyria Chronicles will be getting a live action movie. Seriously! The game with art that is intentionally styled as though it was hand painted is going to become a movie with real people and real-looking scenes. Unless they plan to filter it to make it look hand painted, but what would be the point of that?

At any rate, the whole thing looks very official. There’s even a picture of the director and a storyboard image. But, alas, the date on the article clearly says April 1st. Is this the first of today’s looong string of April Fool’s Jokes all over the internet? It seems likely, but only time will tell!

If you want to see the story for yourself, head over to Famitsu (Google translated, for fans who don’t read Japanese).

Graphics

The graphics are simple, yet flashy. It’s kinda hard to imagine how that can be done until you see it. Hey, just take a look for yourself:

The simple 3D-pixel styling sounds simple, and in many ways it looks simple. It’s actually a lot less simple than it looks or sounds. Add to that some of the effects they put in there, and it comes off actually pretty flashy. Between some of the high dynamic range lighting effects, such as when you come out of a dungeon, and the “particle effects” where a defeated enemy bursts into a bunch of blocks that fly around all over the place, the graphics are actually visually appealing and entertaining to look at.

There are a few problems with the graphics, though. The biggest gripe is more of a style choice than a technical graphical issue, but the way things in the distance blur can get frustrating. It blurs too much too quickly. It’s hard to understand sometimes why something 5 steps ahead of you is blurry. At other times, it can actually have a nice effect, but it would have been better if the blurring was less intense.

You would also think that a game with such a simple graphical style could be run in full 1080p, while it only runs in 720p. However, at 720p, the framerate will occasionally drop. It doesn’t drop all that often, but it is noticeably when it does. So, the graphics must actually be much harder to render than it appears at first glance. Still, this certainly leaves some room for improvement, either in resolution or in framerate.

Graphics Score: 8.5

Story

There’s a story? Yeah, there is. And looked at as a whole, it is fairly amusing. Really, it’s just enough story to give you a reason to go to all the places and do everything. It’s hard to really care about the story, but then again, in order to care about the story, you might need to take the game as a whole seriously. While this game is definitely fun, it is definitely not styled to be taken seriously, so it had quite a challenge ahead of itself in trying to get the player to care about the story. Well, it didn’t make it.

Still, if you go into it expecting a light, amusing satire, the story becomes amusing enough. For example, take a look at the beginning story sequences:

It probably made you chuckle in one or two places, but the story just doesn’t hold up to the rest of the game. Perhaps an homage to a retro game in the story department just doesn’t quite work out all that well.

Story Score: 6.5

Gameplay

The retro gameplay is what really makes or breaks the game for each individual who tries it. If you’ve been dieing for some retro game action with some HD graphics, this is your chance (and possibly your only chance). It plays almost exactly like the original Zelda, with a bit of it’s own unique twist. After you attack, you can manually spin in a circle to do a spin attack. There’s enough time to spin in a complete circle, but only if you’re fast. It quickly becomes a staple move in your arsenal of straightforward 2-frame attacks.

Also, one thing that retro fans will appreciate that might turn off other gamers is the ability to roam anywhere, sometimes without a clear goal. It is possible to miss talking to the right person, and end up roaming around lost for a while. The good news is that roaming will likely let you find some nice goodies that will help you later, and occasionally you can even complete tasks out of order (usually by accident) this way. It makes it interesting, as long as you have the patience to stick with it when you aren’t completely sure what to do.

The dungeons are very similarly styled as well, cycling through a variety of elements from one dungeon to the next. The early dungeons are very easy, while the later dungeons can get surprisingly hard. The bosses are actually a lot of fun with a fair amount of variety, though there is an exploit or two that can be used to make a boss really easy on occasion.

Here’s the first dungeon in it’s entirety. This should give you a good idea of what the gameplay is like.

Part 1:

Part 2:

What is there to say, really, except that the gameplay was good back in the original Zelda era, and it’s still good now. It is, however, a tired gameplay system, so those looking for a truly new experience aren’t going to like it. Then again, someone looking for a truly new experience is probably going to dislike a lot of things about the game. But, if retro-styled is what you’re after, but you still want a good challenge while playing through it, this is where it’s at… well, it is once you get to some of the later dungeons!

Gameplay Score: 8.7

Weapon Growth System

This section is called the weapon growth system for one reason, your weapon will grow more than anything else in the game. To ridiculous proportions. Imagine if your sword in the original Zelda series could get large enough to practically cover the entire screen… and then some. It’s the ultimate in power for a 2D world gone 3D, and it is very amusing and completely satisfying.

On the other hand, upgrading is slow work. You have to collect a sword that can be upgraded to the level you want it to be, then you have to collect lots of money in order to upgrade it all the way… money that could be used for healing items or other one-time use weapons (bombs or arrows, anybody?) Also, getting a sword that can really be upgraded can be difficult too. If you watched the dungeon video above, you saw that you can collect “small blocks”. These blocks are used to purchase new weapons, but small blocks are hard to find, and it can take as many as 20 of them to buy a new weapon. Though, that does make it all that much more satisfying when you get the ultimate weapon of hit everything on the screen at once.

Yeah, it’s essentially just a novelty trick, but in retro games you had to put in cheat codes to get such ridiculously awesome swords. Now you can do it legitimately, and that is awesome.

Weapon Growth System Score: 9.1

Pacing

The pacing is only what you make of it. You are given the freedom to go directly from one dungeon to the next (though that can become rather difficult if you’re not careful), or you can wonder around aimlessly defeating monsters and collecting random stuff for hours on end.

However, even if you do go straight through the game, the story is so thin that the pacing still drags on quite a bit. The vast majority of the game is spent collecting the 6 orbs from a variety of dungeons. No truly new information is presented until right near the end of the game, and even then, there’s not much of a revelation to make it all feel worth it.

The thing is, that’s just how retro games did it. If 3D Dot Game Heroes had a more complex story with high quality cutscenes, it probably wouldn’t have been a true homage/parody/ripoff/whatever. However, a couple complex action cutscenes done in the 3D pixel style could have been truly hilarious. I’d call that a missed opportunity right there.

At any rate, the pacing is slow… very slow. Thankfully, the gameplay makes up for it, but the pacing could easily boot out a few players who were on the edge of enjoying the game to begin with.

Pacing Score: 5.5

Music

The music in 3D Dot Game Heroes is where the game seems to truly scream “homage”. If you weren’t paying attention, you might think the music was actually Zelda music. Upon listening closely, you’ll find that it’s actually full of surprisingly memorable tunes, the majority of which are nice to listen to and do a good job of complimenting the theme of each region. I found myself humming along as I played on more than once occasion.

As for the technical quality of the music, it’s as though the 8-bit music just bumped up its production values or something. The style is distinctively 8-bit, but it puts in high quality sound samples instead of the scratchy 8-bit samples of yore. Chances are that it will get you humming along to it as well.

Music Score: 9.0

Replayability

After spending 30 hours to play through 3D Dot Game Heroes once, and having a good challenge in the process, I discovered that beating the game unlocks a new difficulty. This is not a “new game plus” scenario, when you start a new game, you start over from scratch. While I enjoyed the game, I found myself thinking “ewww…” when confronted with the option to start over from scratch on a harder difficulty level. If anything, I would go back and play some more on the save that was right before the end of the game so I could explore more and collect more stuff. Starting over didn’t sound appealing in the slightest.

There is honestly very little incentive to continue playing this game once you’ve played through it once, provided that you really explore and invest your time into doing as much as you can the first time around. You might want to come back and do a couple more things, but starting over feels like spitting on all of your work up to that point.

In fact, you’re much more likely to want to go back and play the original Zelda after playing all the way through this. That’s not a bad thing, but it is rather unlikely that you’ll want to play this game again at least for a while. It’s not like anything is going to be different the second time through, and the combination of novelty and nostalgia can only go so far before convincing you to just go back and play the original that started it all.

Replayability Score: 5.2

 

Summary:

Graphics Score: 8.5

Story Score: 6.5

Gameplay Score: 8.7

Weapon Growth System Score: 9.1

Pacing Score: 5.5

Music Score: 9.0

Replayability Score: 5.2

 

Total Score: 52.5/70 = 75.0%

Import Friendly?

This game is available now in Japan, and it will be available in the US on May 11, 2010, and in Europe on May 14, 2010. How hard is it to play in Japanese if you don’t speak it? Well, most of the game, it’s not too hard. You’ll be able to figure out the dungeons without any knowledge of Japanese at all. There are a couple of parts that will prove difficult since you are occasionally told where you need to go without putting an actual marker on your map. Those 2 or 3 parts might leave you totally lost and confused, but if you don’t mind looking up a guide for a couple of small sections, you can enjoy this game all the way through without knowing any Japanese.

You will, unfortunately, miss out on the story… but there isn’t really much story here. Besides, you can probably guess the story based on the opening video (shown at the top of this review), almost right down to the end. If you can’t wait to get your hands on this game, the language barrier won’t stop you from enjoying 3D Dot Game Hereos.

Import Friendly Score: 8.5/10

3D Dot Game Heroes takes the old school Zelda formula, adds in a touch of humor and self-awareness, and spits out an amusing retro styled game that is surprisingly graphically impressive. You won’t be getting any realism here. But, take a look at the first dungeon in the game. Simple, not too hard… but it gives you an idea of how the game plays. And, trust me, the game gets a lot harder than this in the later dungeons. A couple of the boss fights are particularly brutal, and that’s just on the normal difficulty level. Of course, we have provided English subtitles. Due to the limitations of YouTube, the video has been cut into 2 sections, each one around 8 minutes long. Enjoy!