Nippon Ichi Software America revealed at yesterday’s press event in San Francisco a bevy of games including Last Rebellion for the PlayStation 3, Disgaea 2, Mana Khemia 2 and Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! for the PlayStation Portable, A Witch’s Tale for the Nintendo DS, and the real shocker of the event, Sakura Wars 5 for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii, which marks the first time that Sakura Wars has ever been localized.

Last Rebellion is a joint project between NIS and Hit Maker (makers of Dragoneer’s Aria), an Action RPG set for this fall that looks fairly interesting, if not a bit rough. I’ll be honest and say that the screenshots released so far could pass for a PSP game, but I’ll reserve judgment until we get more high-resolution media. Last Rebellion includes an on-the-fly character switching mechanic that vaguely resembles Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin’s. NIS also detailed the VATS-like battle system: “during battle, different body parts can be  targeted to disable the enemy. For instance, attacks to the legs will slow them down, while blows to the arms will weaken their attacks. By strategically striking key areas of the body, players can strip the enemy of their ability to fight.”

Fact Sheet:

• Tactical battle system with interchangeable main characters
• Attractive, visual characters with lots of personality
• Gorgeous watercolor-like character art and event scenes
• A story of revenge featuring a dark anti-hero

Disgaea 2, to the surprise of nobody, will be ported to the PSP this fall with “all-new story chapters with a new main character,” NIS notes.

Fact Sheet

• All new story chapters
• New Battle Features from Disgaea 3
• All new characters, items, and skills

Mana Khemia 2 looks to be more of the same craftin’ fun as the original and will be out this fall. I’m just hoping that NIS doesn’t bungle the eventual PSP port as much they did with the first game!

Fact Sheet:

• Dual Battle: Mana Khemia 2 adopts a unique type of turn based battle system. You will have a set of attackers and supporters that switch in and out throughout the battle with attack/support actions.
• Massive Item Crafting: Over 100 items to craft. Players can search for ingredients throughout the world and create new items using what you’ve found.
• 2 Main Characters: There are 2 separate stories ready for Mana Khemia 2. Depending on how you played the game can alter the ending, so there are 2 storylines for the 2 main characters.

I’ve already sung the praises of Acquire’s Yuusha no Kuse Ni Namaikida on previous issues of GAME!, and as you all may know, NIS is localizing the excellent strategy/puzzle game as Holy Invasion Of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do To Deserve This?, by default this decade’s winner of best videogame title. And guess what, it’s a damn fine game as well. NIS released a trailer expounding on the title’s gameplay.

I’m not quite sure what to think of A Witch’s Tale. Another NIS/Hit Maker Action/RPG collaboration, it looks to be a cute, Halloween-themed little ditty with a fairly interesting story. “1,000 years ago, a tribe of powerful witches who used potent, dangerous magic lived beneath the world. One day, the witches invaded the surface world. When all seemed lost, the mystical Alice appeared. She used the witches’ own magic against them and sealed them away. They say the Witch Queen still lurks beneath the land, waiting for
her chance to return to power.” Sounds pretty sweet.

Fact Sheet:

• Drawing magic – Use your stylus to draw various runes and cast powerful spells.
• Touch action – All combat actions, like escape, attack, items, and casting, are executed using the touch screen.
• Dual screen map – Easily navigate through the vast world of A Witch’s Tale with the dual screen. Your location and the land map will be displayed on the top screen.
• Card collection – Search out and collect all the playing cards to unlock the secret Blackjack battles, where you can take on both enemies and friendly units.

Most relevant to my interests is Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for the Wii and PlayStation 2. As a closet Sakura Wars Fan (I actually own all four games on the Saturn and Dreamcast and all the Limited Edition bundles — don’t even ask why, it is, and forever will be, my secret shame). I would go on and on about my admittedly indefensible love-hate relationship with the series, but I just noticed 1up’s Jeremy Parish giving his thoughts on the announcement, so that will suffice. Although I never really got around to playing Sakura Wars 5, I’d unequivocally support and buy this game so (a) NiS actually starts localizing something else besides incorrigible Gust/Idea Factory RPGs, (b) [insert tangent about "hardcore" games on the Wii not selling], and (c) most importantly, so that future Sakura Wars games actually get localized. Not many publishers are willing to take a gamble on suche a niche game, but I guess the “creepy obsessed lonely anime fan with deep pockets” ratio has risen exponentially over the past decade. Oh, and before I forget:

Fact Sheet:

• 8 chapters in total, each with 4-5 hours of gameplay.
• A total of 7 characters to control.
• 6 different fully animated endings.
• Bonus features and story after beating the game.

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