gamrPreview: Japan's Dark Horses for 2011
by Karl Koebke, posted on 09 January 2011 / 6,044 Views
After reading through our recent preview of 2011 games I noticed something missing from a couple of the lists: the games I was most looking forward to. As a certifiable JRPG fan, and fan of Japanese gaming in general, it seems like they got the short end of the stick, particularly on the PS3 and 360 lists. Luckily, I’m here to fill in the void. Here are my top 20 picks of Japanese games that weren’t included in any of the other lists.
PS3 Q1 2011
Lock your doors and make sure your younger siblings aren’t in ear shot; a new Ar Tonelico is in town. Taking almost creepy exposition to a new level, the ladies in the game even lose their clothes as they power up in battles. It might make you cringe sometimes but the interesting action based battle system, innuendo filled story, and diving into women to talk to their inner personalities are all elements that make the series so unique.
PS3/XBOX360 TBA
Smaller mecha and a return to the series’ origins in gameplay means that Armored Core 5 might finally be the jolt the series needs. Not much more is known about this game but fans of the mecha genre should definitely keep it in mind. Hopefully we’ll get an announcement and release in the West in 2011.
Atelier Totori: Archemist of Arland 2
PS3 TBA
Another game from Gust? Well, yes, but this one isn’t quite as perverted. Atelier Rorona was a fun JRPG that focused more on item synthesis/alchemy than any I’ve played before. The story was a tad weak, as well as the graphics during battles, but Atelier Totori looks to change all that and has garnered significantly more critical and commercial success than its predecessor. No solid NA release has been mentioned but signs point to NISA localizing this just like they did Atelier Rorona, which based on the difference between Atelier Rorona’s Japan and NA release dates would put it smack dab in the middle of 2011.
PS3/XBOX360 TBA
When the Persona team from Atlus make a new game I take notice, and when they decide to make a game that I still don’t understand after watching three different trailers I can’t help but be intrigued and excited. A mixture of sexually charged story, a strange tower climbing setting, and puzzle gameplay has put this on my list of games to watch. While there is no definite release in the West yet I’m pretty confident this will make it here. Feel free to haunt my nightmares if I turn out to be wrong though.
PC TBA 2011
After Carpe Fulgur localized the unique and addicting Recettear to Western PCs in 2010 I decided to keep track of what else these guys look set to bring over. An Action RPG with an over the shoulder view, a similarly charming style as Recettear, and lots of great maps to explore - I can’t wait to give these guys my money. Capitalism, Ho!
PS3 Summer 2011
With all the talk of NIS’s financial troubles, fans of the series better get their hands on this game while they can as it could possibly be the last in the series (please, no). Disgaea 4 looks to finally be the kick in the pants the series needs to get the reception it deserves. With online cooperative and competitive play, the ability to build your own maps, and updated graphics (at least to the late PS2 level... I swear), this is definitely worth a look for any fans of strategy and breaking the fourth wall.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
PS3/XBOX360 Spring 2011
It’s hard to get attention for your game sometimes, what with so many competitors out there, but El Shaddai certainly doesn’t have that problem. A beautiful art style, and a title that makes me hopeful that we'll get some stories about Metatron for the first time since Dogma, has me keeping an eye on this release from Ignition Entertainment.
PS3 Q1 2011
The console wars converted into scantily clad anime chicks fighting the evil scourge of game piracy? Someone has been reading my fan fiction. Hyperdimenion Neptunia promises to bring all kinds of laughs if the developers do it right. Idea Factory has certainly made some disappointments, but with a concept like this I can’t help but give them another chance.
PSP Spring 2011
From the creators of Half Minute Hero comes another JRPG all about fighting the clock. Whereas the previous game was a JRPG with a bird’s eye view, this one is a side-scrolling action RPG. Half Minute Hero was one of the coolest and most original JRPG concepts when it released and the novelty certainly hasn’t worn off, so keep your eye on this game if you own a PSP.
PSP TBA
An alternate story to Persona 2: Eternal Punishment previously unreleased in the West? Make it happen, Atlus. Persona 2: Innocent Sin focused on a different cast of characters in an alternate storyline to Eternal Punishment and was actually the first Persona 2 title released in Japan. This is another game that has no concrete release date for NA yet, but hopefully it lands this year.
Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle
PSP March 18th 2011
Always wanted to try out Phantom Brave but for some reason never had a PS2 or Wii? Well, now's your chance, because the oft ported game is at it again on the PSP. Phantom Brave is all about strategically using your ghostly allies by confining them to inanimate objects and having them do your bidding, all with that NIS flair for the maniacal. The port promises to have some new characters and plot points, so it may be worth picking up even if you've played it before or if you’re an ardent fan of the original game.
PS3 Q1 2011
While not the type of game one would stereotypically think of as being a product of Japanese developers, Pixeljunk Shooter 2 is developed by Q Games out of Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, and I'm definitely looking forward to the game, so it earns a spot on this list. Continuing the adventure from Pixeljunk Shooter, the second game brings a first to the Shooter series with online competitive multiplayer, but I'm mainly anticipating the new exploration and abilities to be had in the single player campaign. Pixeljunk Shooter 2 should be releasing any day now, and hopefully the delays haven't hurt fan interest too much.
PS3/XBOX360 TBA 2011
This game may not even have a title yet, but I don’t need a title to be excited for the spiritual successor to 2009’s JRPG of the year: Demon’s Souls. Not much is known about this game, but it has a reasonable chance of releasing in the West in 2011 because a publisher for NA has already been found in Namco Bandai. If Demon’s Souls is anything to go by, PS3 and 360 owners can expect a dark, brooding RPG with a brilliant online system and tough as nails difficulty.
360 TBA
Kinect got a few interesting games announced for it during 2010's TGS and Project Draco is at the top of the list. A game from the creator of Panzer Dragoon which revolves around battles between flying dragons, how could you not be excited for something like that? It'll be interesting to see how Kinect works into the mechanics of the game, and hopefully we'll see the results sooner rather than later.
PS3/XBOX360 Summer 2011
Record of Agarest War is an interesting series in which you play multiple generations of heroes and your romantic decisions during the first generation have a direct affect on the main character for the second. This copulation based game mechanic is balanced by a strategic battle system and a story of upholding the balance between light and dark. Of course, that is then countered by perverted scenes of girls with sausages, so we’re pretty much back where we started.
PS3/Wii TBA
Harvest Moon is a great series, but personally I can't play a full game solely dedicated to farming, so Rune Factory is right up my alley. The mix of tilling the land and JRPG style exploring and adventuring helps to keep either from feeling too repetitive. Rune Factory Oceans is the first in the series to let you not only find a mate, but actually procreate as well (probably just showing the result and not the act itself, sorry). This is also the first Rune Factory to appear on a Sony platform. There isn't a set release date in the West for this game yet but it releases in Japan in late February and the localization pattern of the series gives me hope that we'll be seeing this before 2012 arrives.
PS3/360 TBA 2011
After releasing the critically well received but commercially ignored Vanquish in 2010, Shinji Mikami has apparently decided to see if two people with stigmas of making well made but poor selling games can counteract each other. Shadows of the Damned is a TPS/Survival Horror game from Shinji Mikami and Suda51 and it would be foolish to ignore a game from the mastermind behind Resident Evil 4. Not much else is known about the game, but I would contend that you really don't need to know anything else.
X360 TBA
Steel Battalion is famous for having the most complicated game controller ever, and now it’s moving to the hands free Kinect. Will this be a revolution for the series or a kick in the teeth to long time fans of this super realistic mecha simulator? Only time will tell, but either way I am intrigued.
Valkyria Chronicles III: Unrecorded Chronicles
PSP TBA
How could we forget about the sequel to our PSP GotY for 2010 in the main list? Well, technically Valkyria Chronicles 3 isn’t slated for NA release just yet, but based on history I think it’ll make it out here in 2011, so it gets a place on my list. The story focuses on a Gallian Army squad known as The Nameless, which is a penal squad made up of the dregs of the military during the Imperial invasion of 1935. Hopefully this means a return to some darker themes after the more preppy school based fare of the second game.
PS3 March 15th 2011
Another year and another Yakuza game comes to the West. The Japanese really do love their quintessential mobsters. This entry in the series introduces a few new protagonists but as long as I can still learn new moves by watching an old woman flip a scooter I’ll be happy. Anyone with a PS3 should buy this, if for no other reason than to give the crazy looking Yakuza zombie based title a better chance at localization.
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