Hero’s Saga Laevatein Tactics in stores

Aksys Games has released Hero’s Saga Laevatein Tactics at retailers nationwide today. Hero’s Saga Laevatein is billed as a hardcore strategy role-playing game featuring story-driven gameplay, over 120 playable characters, and twenty-three different character classes to choose from. As tends to be the case with tactical strategy role-playing games, a war rages between two nations and one hero will be the difference between utter defeat and glorious victory.

Players command forces using one of several formations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses on the battlefield. Players will also have to collect The Einherjar, legendary Vaettir Arms (180+ Arms to find) scattered throughout the game, that supposedly strike fear into the hearts of enemies. The game also promises ad-hoc wireless connectivity to trade items, rent out your heroes to aid friends, or multiplayer combat to take friends out; and a class system that is based on what equipment you use.

Hero’s Saga Laevatein Tactics has been rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about Aksys Games and Hero’s Saga Laevatein Tactics, visit href=”http://www.aksysgames.com”>www.aksysgames.com.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona released

Atlus U.S.A. announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona for PSP, the remake of the first chapter in the Persona role-playing game series, is now available at retailers across North America. The UMD version of the game is a Collector’s Edition boxed set that includes the game’s full 2-disc musical score at participating retailers. A digital PlayStation Network version of the game is also planned, currently scheduled for release on October 1st.

More than the same old JRPG, Persona is dark, philosophical, and complex. Persona is set in a modern day Japan that has gone into chaos. Demons run free, and you and your team must navigate an alternate version of your world to bring your reality back into order.
The remake boasts a fully relocalized script, revamped user interface, faster battles, expanded soundtrack, new in-game movies with voice work added just for the North American release and the familiar gameplay of the original.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona has been rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

Vandal Hearts: Flame of Judgment character details

Konami Digital Entertainment unveiled new details on some of the characters in its upcoming tactical role-playing game, Vandal Hearts: Flame of Judgment for Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is the first next-generation installment of the classic strategic RPG series promising a swift pace, improved user mechanics and a rich, character-driven storyline. The characters that drive that story include the following:

Tobias Martin: Tobias is a war orphan, and a ward of the Church of Restoration. After losing his parents, Tobias grew up on the streets, stealing and brawling to survive. When the Church offered him an education, he jumped at the chance, leaving the street life behind. He isn’t sure of much in life, but he thinks he knows right from wrong - a belief that will soon be put to the ultimate test.

Luce Valenci: Luce is a knight of the kingdom of Balastrade. Like many youth of her generation, she grew up without her parents - in her case, trapped in a crooked orphanage. When she grew old enough, she led her friends in an escape, and then followed her father’s footsteps in the army. Now suffering a low point in her once-stellar military career, Luce tolerates no nonsense and keeps few friends.

Altyria Jono: Altyria is a farm girl from the other side of Balastrade’s border. Despite being blessed with a loving family, Altyria grew up apart from her peers, finding solace in reading and self-education. When conflict brews, and Altyria’s loved ones are scattered, she finds herself truly alone for the first time, and must learn new ways to survive.

Connor Ganson: Conor is a career criminal at age sixteen, an unrepentant street thief and con artist. He grew up alongside Tobias Martin, and the two were inseparable friends for years. When Tobias joined the church, Connor declined to follow him, and the two have rarely seen each other since.

Calvin Atrias: Calvin is Tobias Martin’s younger friend. Timid and awkward, he rarely leaves the sanctuary of the church, at least not alone. With danger closing in, Calvin must choose whether to stay sheltered within the church walls or risk his life to help defend them.

Gren Silas: Gren is Luce’s right-hand man. Known as “Ten-Men Gren” for his enormous strength, Gren is virtually silent, answers to no one but Luce and obeys her every command without question. No one has ever seen his face - or, if they have, they haven’t lived to tell about it.

Daldren Gray: Daldren is Balastrade’s greatest war hero, and one of the few surviving veterans of the twenty-year war against the rival kingdom of Urdu. Respected across the land for his legendary valor, Daldren still serves in the field to this day, stamping out threats to his land and its people.

Kelbrun Hale: Kelbrun is the chief of an infamous bandit gang known as the “Fist of Enkidu.” A dishonored war veteran, Kelbrun was stripped of his rank and banished after brutally sacking a defenseless town. His raids and robberies have grown bolder in recent months, and his bandits are better equipped and deadlier than ever. How he came to be so successful so quickly is not yet known.

Shance Aya: Shance is the leader of the “Hellhounds”, a relentless cabal of infallible bounty hunters. She is known, among those few who know her, for her murderous bloodlust and delightful sense of humor.

Phantom Brave: We Meet Again in stores

NIS America’s Phantom Brave: We Meet Again has been shipped to retailers nationwide. Phantom Brave is Nippon Ichi Software’s first Wii title incorporating a free roaming style battle system and an anime influenced character design and story. If you have never played an NIS game before (where have you been?) Phantom Brave is a turn based strategy RPG that incorporates unique battle styles and a hardcore character customization system.

 Players can create units from a number of monster/ghost categories and power them up to their liking. Like the Disgaea series, Phantom Brave is designed for the hardcore RPG fan in mind, offering a skill and RPG system that lets you create characters capable of doing massive amounts of damage using a combination of unique skills and high levels and the game’s oddball mechanics.

Look for the game in stores now.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona to be relased on UMD, PSN

Atlus U.S.A.’s Shin Megami Tensei: Persona for PSP, the remake of the first chapter in the Persona RPG series, will launch simultaneously at retail and via PlayStation Network on September 22. Retail customers have an added incentive to pre-order; the UMD release of SMT: Persona is a Collector’s Edition boxed set, with every launch copy containing the game’s full 2-disc musical score created by composer Shoji Meguro.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is currently scheduled to release in stores and via PlayStation Network on September 22, 2009. Both versions have an MSRP of $39.99, but only the physical launch copies will include the game’s soundtrack on 2 discs, all packaged in a premium oversized outer box.

Phantom Brave: We Meet Again coming August 11

Phantom Brave: We Meet Again will be released on August 11th, says NIS America. The reboot of this odd, wonderful strategy JRPG will come packaged with a digital art disc containing more than 30 artwork files, 100 character illustrations, 60 background artwork, and more. Phantom Brave: We Meet Again features improved graphics over the original PS2 version of the game, English/Japanese dual voice over, four all new chapters, extra items and skills, as well as a new character named Carona.

In case you’re unfamiliar with Phantom Brave, the game is a turn-based strategy RPG that incorporates hardcore character customization system and unit creation from long list of monster/ghost categories. There are two main phases to Phantom Brave’s battle system: Confine and Battle. Carona, the protagonist of this game, can summon ghosts and monsters as battle units to fight for her but she must “confine” these souls in to objects on the battlefield like rocks, plants, and items. Depending on what object you use as the host, the stats of the units you summon will greatly differ. Some units become stronger when confined to certain objects, so knowing your spirits’ characteristics becomes a very important strategic element.

Look for Phantom Brave: We Meet Again in a few weeks.

Class of Heroes released

Atlus U.S.A. has released Class of Heroes, a first-person, old-school CRPG dungeon crawler for PSP to select retailers across North America. In the game, players don the role of a student enrolled in Particus Academy, whose main curriculum focuses on teaching would-be adventurers the ins and outs of surviving a vast and connected labyrinth underneath the entire world.

Class of Heroes promises over 500 character possibilities derived from 10 races, 2 genders, 3 alignments, and 15 majors. Changing your majors provides for further customization at higher levels. Another promise is over 80 hours of first-person dungeon crawling in an ever-changing 3D labyrinth containing more than 75 maps full of puzzles, traps, and treasure. Naturally you’ll battle hundreds of monsters and uncover over 1300 item types along the way. Finally, there’s an alchemy system offering more than 400 recipes, giving you the ability to synthesize new items from random components found in the labyrinths, as well as customize your weapons’ attributes, range, and strength.

Class of Heroes is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and is available now.