Nintendawg

I was going to pre-order this anyway, but this is a nice little treat indeed.

YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks hilarious, we need games like this!
Please Namco, bring it over!

Worth purchasing for Solange's b00bs physics alone [LOL]. I laughed so hard when I saw that. I'm having a blast with this game, it's got all of the stuff that made the '90s brawlers so great.

Great, I was hoping this would get localized
I'm also hoping there will be a soundtrack cd bonus, as the music seems fantastic in this as well as previous videos of the game.
Day 1 pre-order!

this game good. me buy.
lol

I'll get this, it looks fun
thanks @Windy and @pkrockin for the feedback

It saddens me to hear about all those 3DS's getting stolen
About the game... I would prefer a physical copy myself, but if that's the only way we can get it then so be it.
xseed games have localized some very obscure titles in the past, on physical media and I'm grateful to them for that. If releasing the game on the e-shop is the only feasible option for them right now, I will endorse them and WILL NOT wait for it to drop to $10. That's just petty.

Got it last night and I must say I'm impressed. I also love the fact that even though it's a JRPG, it's got Western aesthetics both in its presentation and in its gameplay mechanics. Thus you get the best of both worlds.
Yes, the e-shop was in dire need of such a title.

I'm loving it so far, it's games like this one that keep us from ageing, haha!
Lovely music, graphics (some cool lighting effects and parallax scrolling too), plenty of humour, laid-back style of gameplay and interactive fun with the touchscreen.
Oh, and, no time limit so you can enjoy all those qualities without any rush.
9/10 from me.

trial&error-trial&error-trial&error-trial&error-... . . hubble bubble toil & trouble.
After trying this demo out, I'm kind of disappointed in this game, unfortunately. It feels more like a reflex exercise program than a game. It is not difficult to master the switching between the two screens and it works well. I completed all the levels without too much effort. It's just that it feels... pointless. Also, the far-too-common handicap of not being able to shoot in an angle, not even upwards, is very annoying.
Too bad, because I wanted to support the developers. They seem to have concentrated too much on [gimmicky] gameplay mechanics and insane time limits for speed running achievements that it gets stripped down to a hectic chore.
A missed opportunity, really, this could have been great [in my humble opinion].

@Tech101 Sadly the game doesn't keep track of the hours you devote to it, but I can surely tell you it took quite a while. More than any other Atlus rpg I've played so far. And I didn't beat Alraune, that side-quest Boss was too hard for a lvl 70 party. The end bosses were a joke compared to Alraune. I'll probably start a New Game + sometime, in order to get my party up to lvl 99 and then she'll feel the pain. If I had to guess, I'd say I invested more than 200 hours in total... and there was a lot of grinding involved (mainly killing F.O.E.'s) because as you already know, grinding is a necessity in this game. If you don't kill a lot of monsters you don't get the materials for better gear. So it's not just about gaining levels. I agree, the addition of sailing was great indeed, like you I would often spend a lot of time fishing and doing the side quests at the ports.
I'm just hoping they will improve certain gameplay mechanics, like the way elemental attacks affect monster affinities... at the moment they don't seem to have such a great effect when you forge your weapons with the elemental hammers. I prefer having other status ailments on my party's weapons instead... like Stun and Sleep. Great game indeed, if one is willing to devote (plenty) of time to get into it.

Pre-ordered! And I just finished Etrian Odyssey III - The Drowned City so this couldn't be any more fitting!
cheers Atlus!

"updated graphics"? Hmmm... the original already boasts some very impressive visuals. I'm hoping they'll release a patch for those of us who own last year's retail release. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Not only is Red the Hunter an amazing game, it is also DSi-enhanced and optimized. If they show all that love to the 3DS instalment, it is going to set a new standard for rpg's on the system.

I'm currently plowing my way through Rune Factory 3, which is amazing. They've incorporated even more traditional Harvest Moon elements into it which is a good thing. From what I've seen so far, Rune Factory 4 is bound to be epic!
I remember one of the developers saying "3D snowfall is a sight to see". I'm really looking forward to this and, keeping in mind that xseed games have localized even less popular titles in the past, this certainly looks like it's going to happen!
Day-one-purchase for me

@McHaggis

"Just because... -//- ...released."

By all means no, but on the other hand you should (to use your own impelling manner) be more lenient on a game that does so much, so well. Make no mistake, you may only see a "handful" here, but I've been to many fora ever since this game was announced and the constant b*tching about graphics was unprecedented.
Lack of replay value? You can start the game over with a new class for a totally new experience and there are 4 distinct classes in total. The game even features randomly generated dungeons. What more could you possibly want? A good spank, perhaps?
'dawg out.

"I don't get people.
Never have...
...never will."
Especially those who take it upon themselves to claim that this game's graphics are awful [or any other derogatory term of your choice...].
What the heck? When did you all become so... spoiled?!?
Pi$$es me off, I must say.
It is a pity there won't be a sequel, I love this game...
I would really love to hear from all you naysayers out there, what other hack & slash games for the (3)DS do you consider to be... good? I'm really curious.

Alright, I'm off [to download this].

Now, this is my bread & butter!
I'll get it in the post in a couple of days along with the cd and artbook, I can't wait!
cheers Atlus

"oxymoronic"..?
Epic fail, to use a contemporary term.

Anyway, this is great news indeed, I was hoping this would make it to NA. I'm still playing through the 3rd instalment, "The Drowned City", and having a blast indeed. Lots of grinding required, it's true, but the rewards are well worth it.
I'm pre-ordering this day 1.
And now that there will be a casual mode, I'm sure more gamers will be able to appreciate this amazing series.

GROWL
Killing animals, even for virtual entertainment is plain cruel and should not be endorsed.

I strongly recommend Devil Survivor: Overclocked. It improves SO much on the original, gameplay wise (not to mention that it features some brilliant voice-acting). The addition of the Demon Compendium enables you to register powerful versions of the demons you create, like keeping them "in store" for future use! You can re-summon your powerful demons (at an, admittedly, hefty cost) even after you've fused them, which really makes the game even more addicting, plus it saves a lot of time grinding-wise. From what I've seen so far, this new installment seems even better. DeSu cartridges should be surgically grafted onto every 3DS.

It's not a matter of the number of screens available. It's a matter of (maybe too) complex controls.
It's only fitting that the iOS version (or whatever it's called...) features single-screen combat. The original was great, but concentrating on both screens during combat verged on the impossible. Especially during the later stages, where you got your a$$ handed to you if you remained in one spot for too long. All I ever did was mash Left or Right on the d-pad, occasionaly pressing up for Joshua's or Beat's air combo. And that worked just fine, I finished the game without losing once. But I don't think anyone in here is able to draw whole circles on the touch screen to, say, activate the Meteor Pin while dodging enemies and at the same time keeping an eye on Beat's card deck. It's humanly impossible. Sure, there were a few pins that granted limited invulnerability to Neku so you could concentrate more on the upper screen, but you ended up doing much less damage to enemies. I do believe that combat is a lot of fun in this game, but at the same time it had this major flaw that I mentioned. Setting your ally to "auto" was plain useless.
As for a sequel, sure why not? Neku's appearance in Kingdom Hearts DDD would imply that they have something in the works. They are now in the process of building up hype and from the looks of things doing quite a good job too.
Bring it on, Square Enix.

Pang was one of my favourite arcade games back in the day...
By the way, what's with the Satyr-looking males in the first picture? A (sexual) innuendo of some sort?

I haven't had so much fun with a tennis game since Pro Tennis Tour on my old Amstrad 6128+. This game is perfection, in the sense that it is SO much fun! Voice acting is just hilarious! I also love it how mom and auntie fall flat on their b**bs when diving for shots!
The controls are spot on, too. Nice work.
Too bad about the missing multiplayer option indeed, but what can you do
matcho pointo!
9/10

.(double post)

Voice acting in English is always so much better.
The trailer is full of spoilers so I didn't watch it in its entirety.

I got this as soon as it came out and I can honestly say that it is one of the best shoot 'em up games I've ever played. The gameplay is spot on, the graphics are awesome and the music, with its upbeat hard-hitting tracks (make sure you connect your 3DS to powerful external speakers for the ultimate experience) combined with the frantic action on the screen keeps your adrenals throbbing. What's more, it never gets old, no matter how many times I play through the campaign.
This game really showcases what the 3DS's bump mapping and per-pixel lighting capabilities are all about. You won't believe your eyes. We only dreamed of games like this one when we were kids...
10/10

I don't think the abscence of a map and a tutorial in this game was just to make it more "hardcore". That would be plain silly, in my humble opinion. All of the game's hidden features were a very clever way (on Nintendo's part) to create much needed hype about the game. There was no internet back then, for anyone to browse through endless walkthroughs. Word of mouth was all there was.
All this build-up of hype (for this and many other NES games), was working in Nintendo's favour acting as some sort of advertisement. Very clever indeed.
And of course, there was...
Nintendo Power.
Back then, there was no other way to be in the know about all those (absurd) secrets in NES games, but to own the magazine. Which is kind of ridiculous if you ask me, but that's life.
I have yet to finish Metroid (I do not endorse the use of walkthroughs in games), but I simply cannot be ar$ed to take the time to draw a huge map when I've got so many other wonderful games waiting to be played...

"Of course, if you use those restore points for anything else, you're officially cheating."

nerd alert

yup, this game's still as much fun as it was back then

"...but it's important to note that you didn't really beat Super Mario Bros. unless you beat it fair and square"

aaaand that goes for pretty much any other game out there, doesn't it.

Oh yes!!! Day 1 pre-order for me!
9 9 9 was way too addicting! From the looks of things this sequel will only improve on the original in a number of ways, so it is bound to be epic!
cheers AKSYS and everyone at the development team (Chunsoft?)!

Atreyu... heheh, I would watch "The Neverending Story" every single day back when I was a kid
I think I'll give this one a try.

@Lohengriehn ...amen, brother.

"do a forward roll!"

@Thomas BW84

"Nintendawg - Thanks for the views, opinions are wonderful things "

ain't that the truth!
and thanks for not wording it like Dirty Harry...

About the lack of content... that goes for pretty much any shooty platformer out there, doesn't it?
It's the (arguably) high level of difficulty that adds longevity, not the scenario or the huge amount of levels (that would get tiresome in this type of game). That being said, I myself can blast through all stages of Contra (4) or Metal Slug 7 (or Commando Steel Disaster) in a lot less than an hour, but that's never bothered me. I always find myself going back for another quick fix of pure shoot 'em up mayhem. The point (?) of those games is to give you an adrenaline rush, to get you pumped, but that's about it. Like a short but strenuous workout, if you know what I mean.
You forgot to comment on the Data Discs. Finding all of them in order to unlock the extra stages (added content) can prove rather challenging and is quite an achievement in itself. For what it's meant to be, I think what this game does it does well.
I'm just trying (perhaps in vain?) to understand why it is you'd review a game such as this when you're clearly not a huge fan.
anyway, cheers for the conversation!

@battleToaD

Why, of course I meant that you can't be serious that you no longer recall which games you own.
Even if you own well over 200 DSi games like me.
But, if your room is in such a mess that you cannot sift through your games anymore, yes, you do have my sympathy!

@Thomas This game is fairly similar to Metal Slug in many ways. One of them being the INability to shoot diagonally with your main weapon (I also hate that). But, at least in this game, once you get the machine gun (or any other upgrade) you can shoot diagonally continuously, unlike Metal Slug. Those who have played Metal Slug know exactly what I mean. So, in comparison, Metal Slug's controls were a lot more handicapped. I chose M.S. as a benchmark of sorts, since it seems to be widely popular.
Not to mention that the forward roll gives you momentary invulnerability, enabling you to survive intense battles practically unscathed.
I very much doubt that any seasoned gamer can get through all 5 stages in less than an hour as you claim, but oh well.
You're right about the platforms mixing in with the background objects in the first part of the final stage (it's not too much of a problem).
There are a few extra stages to be unlocked if you manage to recover all the Data Discs (shooting at various hidden spots to reveal them), which requires quite a lot of exploration. I do prefer this game to Metal Slug.
I'd give it at least a 7 in all strictness.

@battLeToaD "Damn my huge backlog but i'm not sure if i already have the retail release."
...come now...

laugh
I can see Rebecca Black's "Friday" becoming all the more popular now.
that's a great list and wow, I haven't even unboxed several of those NES games yet...

Finally! It was about two years ago that I first heard of this game being cancelled and was really disappointed...
And you know that if it's anything like Contra 4 it's going to be great!
Pre-ordered

Downloaded the game yesterday and I'm loving it so far! This review is a bit on the harsh side, but at the end of the day it's just another opinion, right (just like yours, SwerdMurd - "consumer idiocy", "bad taste" etc.)?
As long as you're having fun with a game, that's all that matters.
Plus, at only 7 bucks it's a steal!