Drew-Constantino
It's a good thing that the PlayStation Vita is still getting some quality games, thanks in part to teams like Nippon Ichi and Experience that continue to support the handheld.
Nippon Ichi Software America has finally released the debut trailer for Stranger of Sword City, a JPRG which is already available on the Xbox One in North America.
Here’s a brief excerpt about the dungeon RPG’s story:
Your flight crashes after passing through a mysterious portal. As the sole survivor, you awaken to an unfamiliar land lit by stars you’ve never seen. This land is Escario, the city of swords. Quickly marked as the Chosen One, the Stranger of Sword City, you must defend this place and choose your allegiances carefully as you scour the land for a way home.
As for the gameplay, Stranger of Sword City is a role-playing video game that features several character classes, such as "human, elves, dwarves, ney and migmy". Players progress through the game by navigating through dungeons laden with hazardous booby traps. Too bad there is no PS4 version of the game, but at least it will come to PS Vita.
Stranger of Sword City is due out on the PlayStation Vita on April 26 in North America and April 29 in Europe.
Thanks Ben, for the free game code for Stranger of Sword City! ^_^
Related Game(s): Stranger of Sword City
To be perfectly honest, the only first person dungeon crawler I every really kind of liked was the mini game included in the ancient Encarta digital encyclopaedias (way back when Windows 95 was still super revolutionary and CD-ROMs were so in)..
How do people enjoy these types of games? And I mean no ill-will with that question. I am simply and honestly curious *big question mark appears on top of head*
Last edited by Breadlover on 3/24/2016 6:16:29 AM
That's like asking why people liked Doom. It was a dungeon crawler with guns, unless you were playing multi-player.
Vita, the lost son of Playstation keeps rumbling along in it's niche. I'm still very happy with mine…Plenty of games to keep me busy. There may not be tons of AAA action games from western devs on the thing, but that's fine with me, since I don't play them. 🙂
This looks interesting, but with other games to play on the Vita's younger and much bigger brother, this will likely be a delayed purchase on digital format.
OH MY GOD!
HIGHLANDER IS BACK?
Dude… You’re like one of the main reasons why I used to even visit this site.
I miss your posts way back when you used to talk about all sorts of technological stuff, like explaining to us why the PS3’s architecture was superior to everything else at that time. But then the PS4 came out, and then you disappeared…
WHAT HAPPENED???
Unfortunately, life happened. Health issues in my immediate family, moving house, etc…you name it, I tried it.
But, This is still the only place I go for PlayStation news, and I suspect it always will be. I had to get Ben to reset my password though, so I could post again.
I'll just say this…
It's good to be back.
Ah, I see. That's understandable, and I hope you have resolved whatever it was that you had to go through.
I while back I remember you being very upset with the direction Sony (or consoles in general) was heading. Coz, these consoles have now become underpowered PC's. I shared your resentment back then, as it was no longer about pushing the limits of hardware/software or anything. It was just about catering to the mainstream.
Again it is understandable, seeing how these are largely business decisions; corporations are more interested in making a profit after all.
But for me personally, my interest in gaming is fading… Even though there are still some titles worth looking forward to, it just isn't the same any more… Maybe I'm getting old or something lol, but that 'magic' that was there in the previous generations has faded for me. It seems like I'm not the only one, even my friends and relatives feel the same way (some of them have quit gaming all together…)
I'm wondering how you feel about this generation of gaming Highlander?
(And btw it's great to have you back, I'll be defo returning to this site more frequently, and perhaps even leave a comment or two, instead of lurking in the shadows all the time 😉
Yep, I'm back, and it'll be great to have comments from you. 🙂
Warning….long comment ahead. 😉
I did, and still do have mixed feelings about the PS4 and the whole sealed box PC side of things. I can see their reasons, and understand them. It's sad that consumer electronics lacks the cutting edge where companies make products at the bleeding edge of technology, and try new things. But that ship has long since sailed. The truth is, if Sony (or anyone else) continued in that manner, they'd soon go out of business, so…
PS4 itself is better than I thought it would be. I did some deep reading about the APU inside it, and it does several things that are different from the APUs in consumer PCs and the Xbox One. Those things are all performance tweaks to the architecture that do bring a bit of that old technological individualism and flare. It's just not as obvious now.
However Sony has show with the PS4, it can shift lots of consoles, which is good. I like that they are one of the leading lights in VR. Their strong 3rd party support is so much better than last generation. With PlayStation Now, PlayStation Vue and even the very recent (today) news that they are bringing some PlayStation games to iOS in Japan and Asia via PlayStation Mobile; shows that they are still innovating. But, with PS4 they made a much safer bet on hardware.
The 10,000 foot view for me of this generation is dominated by one specific piece, Sony still loves games, and PlayStation continues to be the console home for the greatest variety of games. The Japanese developers and publishers are still transitioning because of PS4's slow start in Japan, but they are coming over now, which will enrich the variety of games on PlayStation.
I think that the advent of 'big' AAA games is almost like 'Event' TV. It's hard to compete for attention with these big 'event' games if you're publishing a much smaller game. I think the magic you're talking about was partly the new experience, because until the PS4, each new generation had added some major new experiences to gaming. PS4 is more evolution than revolution in terms of the games, so they feel the same as they did on PS3. VR might change that, I'm not sure.
But games in general have matured, so the magic has faded in that regard. However I find myself enjoying a lot of games still. The new R&C looks great, I hope it's as fun as it looks. That 'fun' factor is the thing I think needs to be amped up in gaming in general. I play FFXIV and one of the most common issues in that game is players who burn out because all they do is grind, and it ceases to be fun for them. Sadly it's often due to their choices in what and how to play in the game, but I think it's a symptom you can find in games everywhere. Games are not about being 'fun' so much as they are about being spectacular, or action packed or accurate simulations or whatever else.
Gaming should be about fun, and then everything else follows. So, even if PS5 turns out to be an evolution of PS4, or even a virtualized console running on a PC under various OSes, if Sony manages to restore fun to the equation, PlayStation will always be safe.
Oh no, a really long post…
Highlander…
It really is you ^_^
On a serious note, I genuinely love your intricate and well thought out posts. Seriously, any time I used to visit to this site, the first thing I would do is read one of Ben’s articles and then straight away scroll down and look for one of your comments. There’s just something special about your comments in particular that stand out from the rest, but ever since you left…
):
But now that you’re back, I’m looking forward to stalking more of your comments lol…
Getting back on topic, seeing how consoles are less specialised and becoming more like PC’s, I think it is now more important than ever for these companies to really focus on the exclusives. Honestly, that’s the only reason why I even considered purchasing a PS4 this time round (and why the other consoles were avoided/no exclusives that I cared about). Any multi-platform game that I am interested in, I just get them on my PC now…
You see, after the PS3 generation, b4 purchasing a PS4, I decided to switch over to PC gaming… I never thought I would do it, but after some tinkering with PC parts, and making my own rig, I finally saw the light… and I became one of those PC elitist bastards that I despised so much in my earlier days…
After you get over the cost issue, it’s just so much better. With a decent dedicated graphics card, the consoles are no match. And on top of that, being able to emulate all the classics is just a massive bonus. I have imported my entire collection of PS1/PS2 titles, including all my old save files… They are now immortalised on my PC, whereas before they were gathering dust. And since Sony clearly isn’t interested in backwards compatibility, I think we have every right to make this happen for ourselves.
Regarding that lost ‘magic’, I think you’re right. PS1 > PS2 > PS3 – each new console genuinely felt like a ‘next gen’ experience. However, when the PS4 came out, something was amiss. Since I had already switched to a high end PC, seeing games run on the PS4 was a disappointment to put it mildly. And exclusives like Uncharted 4 & Detroit look very promising, but let’s be honest, we’re at that point where they could look just as good (if not better) on the PC if the devs had the intention to develop for it. I completely get the frustration for PC gamers now, there is so much potential with these GPU’s, but games always have to conform to the substandard and outdated technology of the consoles, until the next generation, where it starts all over again… And considering these new consoles are now just underpowered PC’s, there is none of that ‘hidden potential’ excuse we had in the previous gen (which had some validity at the time since it was unique hardware unlike this generation).
But anyways, like you say, gaming should be about fun. And I think many of the indie games trying to go back to the basic factor. While many of the big players are busy milking their franchises, much of the innovation is now coming from these smaller developers. With that said, I am yearning for more of those bigger experiences, those iconic moments and stories usually found only in bigger games. Yes, those kinds of games have come out recently, but the ones I was looking forward to ended up being a little underwhelming… (MGSV anyone?)
OH MY GOD!
HIGHLANDER IS BACK?
Dude… You’re like one of the main reasons why I used to even visit this site.
I miss your posts way back when you used to talk about all sorts of technological stuff, like explaining to us why the PS3’s architecture was superior to everything else at that time. But then the PS4 came out, and then you disappeared…
WHAT HAPPENED???
That's like asking why people liked Doom. It was a dungeon crawler with guns, unless you were playing multi-player.
To be perfectly honest, the only first person dungeon crawler I every really kind of liked was the mini game included in the ancient Encarta digital encyclopaedias (way back when Windows 95 was still super revolutionary and CD-ROMs were so in)..
How do people enjoy these types of games? And I mean no ill-will with that question. I am simply and honestly curious *big question mark appears on top of head*
Last edited by Breadlover on 3/24/2016 6:16:29 AM
Unfortunately, life happened. Health issues in my immediate family, moving house, etc…you name it, I tried it.
But, This is still the only place I go for PlayStation news, and I suspect it always will be. I had to get Ben to reset my password though, so I could post again.
I'll just say this…
It's good to be back.
Ah, I see. That's understandable, and I hope you have resolved whatever it was that you had to go through.
I while back I remember you being very upset with the direction Sony (or consoles in general) was heading. Coz, these consoles have now become underpowered PC's. I shared your resentment back then, as it was no longer about pushing the limits of hardware/software or anything. It was just about catering to the mainstream.
Again it is understandable, seeing how these are largely business decisions; corporations are more interested in making a profit after all.
But for me personally, my interest in gaming is fading… Even though there are still some titles worth looking forward to, it just isn't the same any more… Maybe I'm getting old or something lol, but that 'magic' that was there in the previous generations has faded for me. It seems like I'm not the only one, even my friends and relatives feel the same way (some of them have quit gaming all together…)
I'm wondering how you feel about this generation of gaming Highlander?
(And btw it's great to have you back, I'll be defo returning to this site more frequently, and perhaps even leave a comment or two, instead of lurking in the shadows all the time 😉
Vita, the lost son of Playstation keeps rumbling along in it's niche. I'm still very happy with mine…Plenty of games to keep me busy. There may not be tons of AAA action games from western devs on the thing, but that's fine with me, since I don't play them. 🙂
This looks interesting, but with other games to play on the Vita's younger and much bigger brother, this will likely be a delayed purchase on digital format.
Oh no, a really long post…
Highlander…
It really is you ^_^
On a serious note, I genuinely love your intricate and well thought out posts. Seriously, any time I used to visit to this site, the first thing I would do is read one of Ben’s articles and then straight away scroll down and look for one of your comments. There’s just something special about your comments in particular that stand out from the rest, but ever since you left…
):
But now that you’re back, I’m looking forward to stalking more of your comments lol…
Getting back on topic, seeing how consoles are less specialised and becoming more like PC’s, I think it is now more important than ever for these companies to really focus on the exclusives. Honestly, that’s the only reason why I even considered purchasing a PS4 this time round (and why the other consoles were avoided/no exclusives that I cared about). Any multi-platform game that I am interested in, I just get them on my PC now…
You see, after the PS3 generation, b4 purchasing a PS4, I decided to switch over to PC gaming… I never thought I would do it, but after some tinkering with PC parts, and making my own rig, I finally saw the light… and I became one of those PC elitist bastards that I despised so much in my earlier days…
After you get over the cost issue, it’s just so much better. With a decent dedicated graphics card, the consoles are no match. And on top of that, being able to emulate all the classics is just a massive bonus. I have imported my entire collection of PS1/PS2 titles, including all my old save files… They are now immortalised on my PC, whereas before they were gathering dust. And since Sony clearly isn’t interested in backwards compatibility, I think we have every right to make this happen for ourselves.
Regarding that lost ‘magic’, I think you’re right. PS1 > PS2 > PS3 – each new console genuinely felt like a ‘next gen’ experience. However, when the PS4 came out, something was amiss. Since I had already switched to a high end PC, seeing games run on the PS4 was a disappointment to put it mildly. And exclusives like Uncharted 4 & Detroit look very promising, but let’s be honest, we’re at that point where they could look just as good (if not better) on the PC if the devs had the intention to develop for it. I completely get the frustration for PC gamers now, there is so much potential with these GPU’s, but games always have to conform to the substandard and outdated technology of the consoles, until the next generation, where it starts all over again… And considering these new consoles are now just underpowered PC’s, there is none of that ‘hidden potential’ excuse we had in the previous gen (which had some validity at the time since it was unique hardware unlike this generation).
But anyways, like you say, gaming should be about fun. And I think many of the indie games trying to go back to the basic factor. While many of the big players are busy milking their franchises, much of the innovation is now coming from these smaller developers. With that said, I am yearning for more of those bigger experiences, those iconic moments and stories usually found only in bigger games. Yes, those kinds of games have come out recently, but the ones I was looking forward to ended up being a little underwhelming… (MGSV anyone?)
Yep, I'm back, and it'll be great to have comments from you. 🙂
Warning….long comment ahead. 😉
I did, and still do have mixed feelings about the PS4 and the whole sealed box PC side of things. I can see their reasons, and understand them. It's sad that consumer electronics lacks the cutting edge where companies make products at the bleeding edge of technology, and try new things. But that ship has long since sailed. The truth is, if Sony (or anyone else) continued in that manner, they'd soon go out of business, so…
PS4 itself is better than I thought it would be. I did some deep reading about the APU inside it, and it does several things that are different from the APUs in consumer PCs and the Xbox One. Those things are all performance tweaks to the architecture that do bring a bit of that old technological individualism and flare. It's just not as obvious now.
However Sony has show with the PS4, it can shift lots of consoles, which is good. I like that they are one of the leading lights in VR. Their strong 3rd party support is so much better than last generation. With PlayStation Now, PlayStation Vue and even the very recent (today) news that they are bringing some PlayStation games to iOS in Japan and Asia via PlayStation Mobile; shows that they are still innovating. But, with PS4 they made a much safer bet on hardware.
The 10,000 foot view for me of this generation is dominated by one specific piece, Sony still loves games, and PlayStation continues to be the console home for the greatest variety of games. The Japanese developers and publishers are still transitioning because of PS4's slow start in Japan, but they are coming over now, which will enrich the variety of games on PlayStation.
I think that the advent of 'big' AAA games is almost like 'Event' TV. It's hard to compete for attention with these big 'event' games if you're publishing a much smaller game. I think the magic you're talking about was partly the new experience, because until the PS4, each new generation had added some major new experiences to gaming. PS4 is more evolution than revolution in terms of the games, so they feel the same as they did on PS3. VR might change that, I'm not sure.
But games in general have matured, so the magic has faded in that regard. However I find myself enjoying a lot of games still. The new R&C looks great, I hope it's as fun as it looks. That 'fun' factor is the thing I think needs to be amped up in gaming in general. I play FFXIV and one of the most common issues in that game is players who burn out because all they do is grind, and it ceases to be fun for them. Sadly it's often due to their choices in what and how to play in the game, but I think it's a symptom you can find in games everywhere. Games are not about being 'fun' so much as they are about being spectacular, or action packed or accurate simulations or whatever else.
Gaming should be about fun, and then everything else follows. So, even if PS5 turns out to be an evolution of PS4, or even a virtualized console running on a PC under various OSes, if Sony manages to restore fun to the equation, PlayStation will always be safe.