Atelier Ayesha Plus available now on PS Vita

Lovers of “JRPG’s” or (Japanese Role Playing Games) will be happy to know that Atelier Ayesha Plus-The Alchemist of Dusk is now available for download on the Playstation Store as of yesterday.

The game was developed by GUST, one of Koei Tecmo’s teams in Japan.

Chin Soon Sun– Community Manager, Koei Tecmo Europe had this to say;

“Atelier Ayesha Plus (or Atelier Ayesha PS3) is the first game/entry for the DUSK Trilogy (which will follow by Escha & Logy and Shallie), you will find Dusk World a little darker than Arland because the land has gone through many eras of destruction and recovery”.

“There are countless ruins to be found in this beautiful yet fleeting world”.

Atelier Ayesha Plus tells the tale of a girl, Ayesha Altugle, who after the death of her grandfather and the disappearance of her younger sister Nio, now lives alone blending healing cures to sell in her workshop. Upon a vision of Nio appearing near her empty grave, Ayesha is convinced Nio is still alive and begins her search to save her sister.

This enhanced PS Vita version will bring new features including dual audio (English and Japanese voices), new bosses, new costumes, a Hard mode, and the Album missions which unlock exclusive costumes and gameplay features and the ability to change party members at any time – As an added bonus  if you download it from January 13th to February 10th, you’ll receive Bonus costumes as a bundle.

The full download is 2.95 GB and also supports and is playable on Playstation TV.

Check the US official site to find out more information about it here: http://www.koeitecmoamerica.com/ayeshaplus

Tearaway for PS Vita is $19.99 on Amazon US

Amazon has announced a reduced price for Media Molecule’s Tearaway.

For those eager to play Media Molecule’s new game Tearaway on the PS Vita but are waiting for a price reduction, well here it is.

Tearaway is $19.99 on Amazon US. You save $16.00, a (44%) savings. You will receive a code for a digital download. The size is 947Mb so make sure you have enough space. If you prefer a physical copy, it is currently $39.99.

If you’re unsure about whether you should pick up the game, check out playstation Lifestyle’s review.

Nintendo games on iOS?

Nintendo Is “Experimenting” With Bringing Games To IOS

Nintendo has been finding themselves between a rock and a hard place in recent years when it comes to handheld gaming versus mobile gaming, as is Sony with their PS Vita.

While the DS, 2DS and 3DS are great devices and are enjoying great sales, it could always be better. Smartphones and tablets have been taking potential profits away from their portable consoles little by little over the past few years.

The belief by many is simple, who wants to carry an additional device dedicated to gaming when our phones have everything we need already? Well I guess it really depends on the type of consumer/gamer you are and where you are going. If it’s a quick commute, maybe a quick round of Angry Birds, Candy Crush or my favorite Nimble Quest is enough but most gamers do not consider these types of games as true deep playing games along the lines of, lets say a Zelda or Mario Kart for 3DS on the go are.

To remedy (somewhat) this problem, Nintendo is looking at various experimental ways they can add their brand on mobile devices but, and here is the tricky part..not take sales away from their own devices. A catch 22.

In a recent interview, Reginald “Reggie” Fils-Aime, president/chief operating officer of Nintendo of America, suggested a shift in Nintendo’s current strategy. Fils-Aime explained that while the ultimate goal will be to draw gamers to Nintendo hardware, the company is aware of the need for expansion. “We recognize that there are a lot of smartphones and tablets out there, and so what we’re doing is we’re being very smart in how we use these devices as marketing tools for our content.” He went on to say, “We’re also doing a lot of experimentation of what I would call the little experiences you can have on your smartphone and tablet that will drive you back to your Nintendo hardware.”

Fils-Aime was also quick to point out “We believe our games are best played and best enjoyed on our devices,” so it’s unlikely that Donkey Kong 3D and Mario Kart 8 will be available in full mode on a future iOS.

Many consumers and analysts are suggesting that Nintendo get out all together from the console market and focus on the great games they make just as Sega has done. But as John Brownlee a writer for Cult of Mac suggests and I tend to agree:

“Many people will wonder why Nintendo doesn’t just give-up, and just start releasing games for iOS, but that’s too cynical. Nintendo is, in many ways, Japan’s Apple, tightly integrating hardware and software to create a magical experience. Telling them to just give up on hardware is like telling Apple to start licensing iOS to competitors and stop making iPhones. But Nintendo does need to be smarter about what a gaming console even looks like in a world saturated with smartphones, and it looks like they have finally started.”

PS4 + PS VITA Ultimate Edition bundle “rumored” for December

Videogamer.com posted an image claimed to be of a Sony ad from this week’s issue of MCV, and it shows the bundle dated for December 2013.

In a move that should come as a surprise to exactly no one who has been paying attention to Sony for the last six months, it looks like this holiday season there will be a PlayStation 4 bundle that will include the PS Vita.

Sony really wants you to buy a PS Vita. On its own, the portable console hasn’t done particularly well. The games are expensive, the storage options are expensive, the mobile data version of the console is expensive, and it’s really just not an overly compelling experience unless you are a huge fan of Sony exclusive titles.

Over the last couple of months, Sony has worked incredibly hard to change this increasingly negative opinion. They have dropped the price of storage, opened the door to a huge selection of low cost indie games, and created a truly impressive cross platform experience with the PS4.

According to MCV, Sony intends to run a £2.5m television campaign called “The Best Way to Play” to highlight how the PS Vita integrates with PS4, as well as promoting the handheld’s title Tearaway.

Leading up to the next-gen console’s launch, Sony has been highlighting PS Vita’s integrated features with the console. These features include second screen functionality through the official PlayStation smartphone application and PS4’s Remote Play capability, which allows supported PS4 games to be played on the PlayStation Vita via a wi-fi connection. Announced games that support the feature include Diablo 3, Assassin’s Creed 4: Back Flag, Resogun and many more.

To leverage these features, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia’s managing director Michael Ephraim recently told Polygon that Sony is “looking at ” Vita price drops and possible handheld/console bundles.

Given the $100 price gap Sony currently has with the other holiday console this year, the company has considerable breathing room for this particular play. Since the PS4 Remote Play feature already supports some of the bigger titles for the holiday launch, not the least of which is the big RP demo title Knack, if Sony could price this to be only $50 or $100 more than the Xbox One’s barebones kit it would still stand a reasonable chance of selling well.

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Xbox One sells 1million units “worldwide” on day one

Microsoft confirms that the launch of the Xbox One was the best Xbox launch for the company yet.

Following the big launch of the Xbox One at midnight last night, Microsoft has just happily announced that the new console sold through 1 million units across 13 markets during its first 24 hours on sale. This marks a new record for the Xbox business, the company said. Supplies are also now limited. “Xbox One is now sold out at most retailers. We are working to replenish stock as fast as possible to meet the unprecedented demand from our customers,” Microsoft said.

“We are humbled and grateful for the excitement of Xbox fans around the world,” said Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, Xbox. “Seeing thousands of excited fans lined up to get their Xbox One and their love for gaming was truly a special moment for everyone on the Xbox team. We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles and look forward to fulfilling holiday gift wishes this season.”

Microsoft also mentioned some tidbits about gameplay milestones in the new games. In the last 24 hours, over 60 million zombies have been killed in Dead Rising 3, over 3.6 million miles have been driven in Forza Motorsport 5, over 7.1 million combos were put together in Killer Instinct, and over 8.5 million enemies have been defeated in Ryse: Son of Rome.

Sony’s PS4 also sold a million units in its first day, but it’s worth noting that the console still hasn’t shipped in Europe, unlike Xbox One. PS4 will launch across the pond on November 29.

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