Sakura Wars news & views thread

[RedCoKid]

Blogs:

1up: Retronauts, The Grind
Destructoid
Hardcore Gaming 101 (posted Jan 4 2010)
RPGamer fan editorial (posted Jan 19 2009)

Hype:

Neogaf 1 2
RPGFan
Select Button

Interviews

411mania coverage of Anime Expo 2009 panel (posted Jul 10 2009)
Die Hard Game Fan
Gamespot's On the Spot (posted Jan 15, 2010; skip to 3:45-8:25 or click here)
GameZone (posted Jan 21 2010)
Original Gamer (posted Mar 14 2010)
PSN Podcast
RPGamer
Vandal (posted Mar 1 2010; for English, click here)

Previews:

Anime News Network (posted Mar 3 2010)
ESRB (posted Jan 22 2010)
Examiner (posted Mar 23 2010)
Game Revolution (posted Jan 25 2010)
GamerNode (posted Jan 27 2010)
Gamers' Daily News
Gamespot
Gamestyle (posted Feb 14 2009)
Gamezone (posted Dec 21 2009)
Gaming Nexus (posted Jan 12 2010)
IGN (domestic) (posted Jan 29 2010)
IGN (import)
Just Push Start (posted Jan 27 2010)
Level Forty Two (posted Feb 15 2010)
Nintendo Life (posted Mar 10 2010)
Play Magazine
PS Illustrated (posted Dec 23 2009)
PS Nation Podcast (posted Dec 30 2009; skip to after first break, ~33-50% through)
RPGamer (posted Feb 1 2010)
RPGFan (posted Dec 30 2009)
Siliconera (posted Jan 11 2010)
Warning! A Huge Podcast (posted Mar 21 2010; skip to 2:05:15-2:09:20)
Worthplaying (posted Jan 7 2010)

Reviews:

1up - 83%
Edge (Wii) - 70%
Gamefaqs
Games Master UK (Wii) - 52%
Gamesradar / NGamer UK (Wii) - 61%
GameZone (PS2) - 60%
Gaming Trend (PS2) - 80%
IGN (PS2) - 90%
Just Push Start (PS2) - 70%
Metacritic (Wii - PS2)
Nintendo Power (Wii) - 75%
Official Nintendo Magazine UK (Wii) - 81%
Playstation Illustrated (PS2) - 83%
RPGamer - 70%
RPGfan (PS2 import) - 90%
Siliconera - N/A
The-O Network - 60%

[odinfan]

Nice of you to compile this for us, Rose. Appreciate it. This gives people a great way to find out information if they're curious. We should also probably do a one topic video section, in all honesty.

[RedCoKid]

RPGFan has a nice preview. An interesting backstory here is that the author posted a stinging critique of AT2 months after its release and until now hadn't touched Sakura Wars.

[odinfan]

Honestly, I've been following Gann around, and I can tell you, when one of his favorite franchises gets an OK, he immediately forgets all the criticism that he just put down. I read what he wrote on AT2, and even if some of it was true(I won't deny it), he didn't have to go that far to prove a point.

Hopefully he receives the game as well as we do, because I can't stand any more of his opinions. I know NISA won't let us down, but I don't think he believes that.... he's still quoting something so long done and buried.

[RedCoKid]

http://www.rpgfan.com/boards/index.php?topic=6924.0

I'm playing a preview build of the English version right now, and even though it's not entirely polished, I have to share with y'all right now that this may well be the best game NISA has ever brought stateside. I am loving the crap out of this game.

[Snatcher2047]

Well, that's definitely good to hear.

[RedCoKid]

PS Nation Podcast preview! Skip to after the first break, ~33-50% through. He sums up his first experience with Sakura Wars, including his take on English voices. There are a few issues remaining to be fixed on the PS2 preview build such as wrong characters speaking and occasional typos.

[odinfan]

Was I the only one who repeated along with the other guy that it was a dating sim when he said it wasn't one exactly? lol.

[RedCoKid]

He was at a loss for words. The dating sim part is the level-up mechanic. Describing it only as a dating sim is like calling a PB&J sandwich just a jelly sandwich.

[odinfan]

Well, the Sakura Taisen series have always been pure dating sims to me, so I'm not afraid to put it on the same line with TokiMemo(as opposed to something like P3, which is mostly RPG), even if there's more to it. I've always known it as one, and I don't think that fact has really changed now that I know more about it.

[RedCoKid]

Tokimemi Memorial is closer to something like Sentimental Graffiti. Sakura Taisen would be like Persona 3 if the latter only used dialogue to level up and then threw you on a couple maps before a boss. Yeah, people have called ST a dating sim or SRPG-lite, but that's misrepresenting a game where you spend half your time in battle.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/12/08/sa ... -february/

There's a lot to love about the game, really. The visual novel style adventure part of the game lends to a lot of replay value, since you can answer branching dialogues a ton of different ways, become closer to certain characters, etc.

The battles are actually pretty epic. None of them are short; think Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3, but with more robots. In a way, it sort of balances out the two different segments, since as soon as you get tired of talking, it's time to fight. As soon as you get tired of fighting, it's time to relax again.

I think it's paced pretty well. And, believe it or not, that's totally objective. I'm talking as a gamer to a gamer, here.

This is a good way of putting it. You'll see, too.

[odinfan]

Another preview:

http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2010/ ... er-in.html

(Made the last one in the wrong post... lol)

[RedCoKid]

(lol I posted there already)

Ok, will add it to the top post as well, though it is not really a preview since he doesn't have the disk others have tried. BTW thanks for the reminder

[RedCoKid]

Worthplaying's preview has been added.

Destructoid relays news about preorder bonuses:

Are you planning to buy Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for the PS2 or Wii this March? Haha! I kid, of course you are planning to buy it.

That image...

[RedCoKid]

Preview from Siliconera.