News by Britta S, Matt S, Lindsay M.
Welcome to Digitally Downloaded’s regular catch-up news feature. With each issue we will bring you the best news that you may have missed. Grab the biggest mug you’ve got, fill it with your favourite brew, and catch up with us (and our favourite news anchor, Dee Dee)!
Hatsune Miku: Future Tone gets another DLC update this week
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone is already the best value rhythm game you’ll ever find, with over 220 music tracks and 300 costumes to play dress up with your favourite characters, but SEGA is also adding to the game via DLC packages. The first package landed a couple of months ago. The second is coming this week.
Related reading: Here’s Matt’s massive 4,000-word review of the game.
The DLC pack includes four more songs (Hand in Hand and LOL being the two most recognisable, but they’re all good), Extreme mode for a bunch of existing songs, to really test your Miku abilities, and some new costumes for the characters, including new swimwear!
You’ll be able to download the DLC from the Japanese PSN store. Or you can wait until early next year, when the game gets an English release and the DLC will no doubt follow.
Haruki Murakami-inspired Memoranda coming early next year
Point-and-click adventure games have the ability to showcase artistry; Memoranda uses this ability to its fullest. The game combines elements of magical realism with classic gameplay and hand-drawn assets. The story, inspired by Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood), is that of a young woman who realises she is gradually forgetting her own name — but it is a memory problem, or something else? Memoranda takes place in a quiet town where ordinary people are mixed together with a few more… unusual characters. Interestingly enough, each one person to be on the verge of losing something, be it their name, loved one, or sanity. The Bit ByterZ-developed title is being released on January 25 to PC and Mac with a console release planned in the future. It had a successful Kickstarter to aid in financial backing.
Dragon Quest Heroes II western release dates set
The franchise that combines traditional JRPGs with the Warriors engine is back, with release dates for North America and Europe now confirmed as being April 25 and April 28, respectively. Dragon Quest Heroes II was released in Japan earlier this year and we’ve been anxiously awaiting the news of its worldwide English-language release. It is the sequel to — you guessed it! — Dragon Quest Heroes, a game which Matt called “endlessly playable” in his review for the game.
There are two new heroes to chose from (cousins Lazarel and Teresa); the knights-in-training live in a world divided into seven realms following a long war that occurred over a thousand years prior. As it happens in video games, the peace is broken when one army invades another kingdom and everything spirals back into chaos. It’s up to Lazarel, Teresa, and the High King’s envoy to return peace to the world. Dragon Quest Heroes II is receiving both a physical and digital release on the PlayStation 4.
Two New Releases on Virtual Console for Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS
Two classic Nintendo games are now available on Virtual Console in North America.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon was released originally in 2008 for Japan and 2009 for North America on the Nintendo DS. It is the eleventh entry in the Fire Emblem series, as well as a remake of the first game in the series, which only released for the Famicom in Japan. Developed by Intelligent Systems, this title is available for $9.99 on the Wii U.
Demon’s Crest was originally released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and called Demon’s Blazon in Japan. A spin-off of Ghosts ‘n Goblins, it is the third and final entry in the Gargoyle’s Quest series. Demon’s Crest has been released on Virtual Console for the New Nintendo 3DS for $7.99.
Be prepared for a really tough challenge with this game; the series is infamous for it.
We would expect both releases to make it to Europe and affiliated regions eventually.
