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Sony announced the new PlayStation Plus game catalog updates, with Crisis Core FFVII available for Extra and levels. The PSP Level-5 game Jeanne d’Arc is also going to beshowing up in the library for the PS4 and PS5 alongside two other Classics titles. They will be available to subscribers starting on July 16, 2024.

There are three Classics total showing up in the PlayStation game catalog for the PS4 and PS5, with Jeanne d’Arc leading the charge. The PSP Clank spin-off Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is also making the leap to the current platforms. Both feature the ability to make quick saves, rewind, or use special filters. Up-rendering is also used. Summoner rounds out the group as the PS2 Classic heading to the PS4 and PS5. 

As for the titles heading to the PlayStation Plus Extra and game cata July 2024, here’s the list:

• Crisis Core: FFVII Reunion (PS4, PS5)
• Deadcraft (PS4)
• The Jackbox Party Pack 9 (PS4, PS5)
• Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (PS4, PS5)
• No More Heroes 3 (PS4, PS5)
• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (PS4, PS5)
• Remnant II (PS5)
• Steep (PS4)
• Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes Complete Edition (PS4)

People with a PSVR 2 can also play Job Simulator.

The next PlayStation Plus Extra and additions will the roster on July 16, 2024.

The post PlayStation Plus Game Catalog Gets Jeanne d’Arc, Crisis Core FFVII appeared first on Siliconera.

The PlayStation Portable was such a treasure trove of fun games. Often in precisely the sorts of genres that Siliconera readers love! So we thought it’d be helpful to, before the PlayStation Store shuts down on the Vita, give you a rundown of the best PSP games to buy on the store. After all, it may be your last chance!

Here are our criteria:

• It must still be available for purchase on the PlayStation Store in North America.
• It isn't ported or remastered on a modern platform.
• If the game’s only available digitally, that’s a plus.
• It offers something great or special to today’s players.

Onto the games!

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together 4q515g

Many still swear by Tactics Ogre as the best tactical RPG out there. It built the formula that would give Final Fantasy Tactics so much success, but with a standalone world and nuanced writing that made everything a bit more grounded and real. Let Us Cling Together on PSP is the definitive version of the game, with rebalanced progression, new content and an easier way to see all the branches of the game’s story.

Ape Quest 242m5w

Ape Quest is precisely the sort of weird that you can only get on PSN. Released in three -only chunks in the West, it’s a quirky minigame collection set in the world of Ape Escape. You’ll need to jump through a few more hoops to get this one, though! It was never officially approved for the Vita, even though it runs fine, so it’s only purchasable on the PS3’s PlayStation Store. From there, you can transfer it to your system of choice.

The Eye of Judgment: Legends 1e4vs

Buried under the innovative but finicky camera tech of the PS3 Eye of Judgment game was an intriguing grid-based card game. Legends collects all the cards and adds more, making for a great way to try that out without the big hassle of lighting and trial and error. Is it a bit janky at times? Yeah, for sure. But it’s the sort of game that you’ll want to play for dozens of hours, so it’s a bit easier to fight through the first couple to acclimate to it for the long haul.

Patapon 3 4b3j3g

While the first two Patapon games have reappeared as remastered editions on PS4, the third game hasn't. And likely won't! But that's too bad, because it's the deepest and most engrossing of the three. There's definitely a degree to which Patapon 3 relies upon knowledge of playing the other games, but it uses this base of knowledge and builds upon it to make a satisfying sequel.

LocoRoco Midnight Carnival 6q1b2u

Similar to Patapon 3, Midnight Carnival follows two remastered PSP games. What makes it even more special is its -only status: you won't be able to get this after the shutdown. The carnival theme adds some extra aesthetic fun, and the gameplay is largely built on the solid foundations of LocoRoco 2. And hey, it holds up really well when upscaled on the Vita! Which, as it turns out, ain't always easy for a PSP game.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable 5z116c

There’s some debate about whether Portable or FES is the best way to experience Persona 3. One has gameplay updates! One has more content! But both offer a great Persona game, and both are going to be a lot harder to play when the PlayStation Store shutdown kicks in. (And hey, there's something to be said for a game of this length being on a handheld.)

Valkyria Chronicles II n2a2g

Though it’s largely considered the weakest entry in the Valkyria Chronicles franchise, this second game has a lot going for it! It offers tons of hours of gameplay. It iterates on the formula in interesting ways. And hey, it even has some multiplayer content? Mostly, it’s more Valkyria Chronicles, and you should probably want that.

Echoshift 51523v

The follow-up to the PS3’s Echochrome, this game plays with time more than perspective. You use remnants of your past selves to get through environments. Combined with the monochrome aesthetic, and it’ll scratch your puzzle itch in a way that Boxboy! has over the past decade.

Jeanne d’Arc 4r3s1k

The PSP had a cornucopia of quirky tactical games that really messed with the formula. But Jeanne d’Arc? Nah. It’s a very traditional strategy-RPG, but its gameplay balance and solid writing make it a great example of why that template works so well. Level-5’s signature aesthetic flair carries the game well after its technical era, and its nostalgic trappings make its quest one worth playing.

Sweet Fuse: At Your Side 68p3v

According to otome expert and Siliconera Editor-in-Chief Jenni Lada, “Who wouldn't want to go to uncle Keiji Inafune's amusement park, become trapped inside with characters designed by Ace Attorney Art Director Tatsuro Iwamoto and get angry to make proper progress in dangerous situations?” Sweet Fuse is a standout in the otome genre on a platform full of ‘em. And it showed up late enough in the PSP’s life — and early enough in the Western genre’s growth — that a lot of people probably missed it.

Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time 5k5gv

Wayfarer of Time's intuitive real-time battle system is really something special. So is its deep, layered narrative! While it has the trappings of a traditional JRPG that will feel nice and comfy, the moment-to-moment is distinct and engaging. A port of the Japan-only Growlanser IV, this version's the only way to play it in English. And did we mention that it's really quite good?

Patchwork Heroes 4u6r5r

Sony did such a good job in the PSP era with funding and publishing weird little projects. Patchwork Heroes is definitely one of those, a -only action-strategy game from Acquire. The paper-like aesthetic is charming. The battles work like super-advanced Qix: you destroy airships by cutting them apart and blowing them up, while avoiding lots of obstacles. Give it a try!

Brandish: The Dark Revenant 5h193u

For a while, it seemed like this game would never make it to the West. Long a side project at XSEED, Brandish: The Dark Revenant showed up on PSN so long after the PSP’s demise that it was essentially marketed as a Vita game. Still, better late than never! (And that goes for you ing it, too.) This remake is widely regarded by Brandish fans as the best way to play.

What do you think are the best PSP games on the PlayStation Store? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And check out more of the handy PlayStation Store guides we’re sharing as the PS3 and Vita shutdown dates approach.

The post The Best PSP Games to Before the Vita PlayStation Store Closes appeared first on Siliconera.

I posted up early impressions of Jeanne D’Arc before, now I’m waist deep into Level 5’s tactical RPG. The experience is getting better too. Part of the reason is the malleable skill system. You don’t have classes in Jeanne D’Arc and you are not awarded skills when you level up. All magic, stat boosts and “coup de graces” (a fancy name for weapon skills) are in the form of interchangeable skill stones. In one battle you can make Jeanne a magic by equipping heal to recover HP and ranged fire attacks. Then for the next encounter you can switch her skill stones to red weapon attacks and make her a close ranged fighter. You can do this for any character too, which means you can choose to use your favorite characters instead of spending time building up healers. To keep the game balanced each skill stone has a level requirement that prevent players from equipping powerful stones too early.

Quickly players amass a decent amount of skill stones between monster drops and purchasing them at stores. The purple and pink frog, Cuisses, that follows you around has a special ability, he can merge your excess stones. By taking two of your skill stones Cuisses can create a new one and give you an extra ability.

I mentioned that Jeanne D’Arc has a turn limit for fights. On paper it doesn’t sound like a big change, but it is. When you only have ten moves to win a fight you tend to go all out. You don’t have time for hit and run tactics. One strategy I started toying with is weakening a few enemies with one or two hits instead of trying to kill them one at a time.  If you try this approach the monsters will attack you on their next turn and your counterattack will finish them off. As long as you keep your party grouped together you get a defense bonus from the united guard system, but the damage you reciprocate with is the same as a regular attack. Chipping away at monsters with your other party opens another tactic for Jeanne. She can transform into an armored warrior that gets an extra turn each time she kills an enemy. If you find yourself running low on turns this is a fast way to shift the tide back in your favor.

Not all of the missions in Jeanne D’Arc are about beating monsters into oblivion either. In one mission you have to escort your five characters to the other side of the screen. There are way too many monsters on this stage to take on and if a single character falls it’s the end of the game. You have to carefully progress through the stage by keeping your characters close to take advantage of united guard. In another stage you have to keep a soldier surrounded by enemies alive. The trick here is to quickly run past monsters by using Jeanne’s Godspeed skill to reach the knight right away. In other missions you play defender by protecting a location from enemies. These missions are well suited for archers and magic s that can pick off approaching enemies. While the objectives in Jeanne D’Arc are not radically different, the game mixes up the missions much more than other strategy RPGs.

While there are more mission types Jeanne D’Arc doesn’t try to evolve the strategy RPG genre at all. Instead it polishes what tactical RPG fans love, packages it with a great presentation and a strange take on French history. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at the Hundred Years’ War the same way, it’s much more interesting with the British summoning lizardmen and anime cutscenes.

The post Jeanne D’Arc and the depth behind it appeared first on Siliconera.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Jeanne D’Arc and I was very impressed away by it. The game begins with Jeanne as a regular girl in her home town of Domremy. Jeanne and her close friend Liane step away from the village to find Roger. An orc impedes her path and a booming voice from the sky (signified by capital letters and a black background) tells Jeanne to draw her sword. Apparently, the English are aided by orcs and other monsters in this alternate take on history.

Research at Play-Asia

The story is told in two ways. Dramatic scenes in Jeanne D’Arc have anime movies and are voiced with French accents. However, most of the story sequences play like a silent film. Dialogue between Jeanne and her army is told through text boxes, a 3D background and frozen drawings. When Jeanne dons the magical armlet you get to watch an animated scene where she equips it. In a later sequence you see Jeanne transform Sailor Moon style into a new suit of armor. When her village is burning to the ground after the first fight, the story is told through pages of text boxes.

The story is certainly unique, but I haven’t delved enough into it to see how deep it goes. I spent most of my time in battle fighting the English back. Jeanne D’Arc’s system should be familiar to anyone who has played a strategy RPG. You move characters around a grid, pick commands from a menu and watch the blades fly. Jeanne D’Arc tends to have larger battlefields than other SRPGs and you end up fighting more enemies. In the early fights you command five troops and you have to face nearly double that many Lizardmen. The key to winning fights is to take advantage of the two elements unique to Jeanne D’Arc: Burning Aura and Unified Guard.

When you strike a bovimoth (a cow demon) from the front an orange glow representing a burning aura square appears behind it. If you can position one of your characters in that spot and attack while standing on it you get an attack bonus. When a monster gets hit it might not stand still, it may counter with a blow of its own. You can lower the amount of damage the counterattack deals by bunching your party together. When your characters are grouped they get a defense bonus from the Unified Guard system. On paper these elements sound minor, but they add a new degree of depth to Jeanne D’Arc. If you play your cards right you can chain Burning Auras together. For example you can attack a Dark Elf with Jean who uses a lance that can hit enemies from two squares away. After the strike a burning aura appears behind the elf. You can move Jeanne on the burning aura square behind the elf so she gets an attack bonus for her turn. After she attacks a second burning aura appears on the square between Jean and the monster. You can move Roger to that square and give him a burning aura attack bonus too.

You have to take advantage of the burning aura system because you don’t use skills in Jeanne D’Arc as often as you do in other SRPGs. At the beginning of a battle you don’t have a full MP meter for spells or special moves. The gauge slowly increases each turn, which prevents players from casting their most powerful spells. The skill system in Jeanne D’Arc gives players a lot of flexibility to customize characters. In the beginning you have three open slots that can be filled with special attacks, spells like heal and elemental attributes that align you to one of the three spirit affinities. You can earn skills directly from monsters or purchase spells such as fireball and ice bullet in stores.

Jeanne has one other ability, she can transform into a new suit of armor by expending SP. When Jeanne wears the Valkyrie-like armor she earns an extra turn each time she slays a monster and has the flash of white, a powerful sword skill. Since Jeanne can only stay transformed for a limited amount of time you have to use the skill wisely. One trick is to space out the nearly dead enemies and keep them a couple of squares from each other. If you do this when Jeanne is transformed you can make her move far. After each orc falls to the ground Jeanne gets another turn to move and attack. To balance Jeanne’s multiple moves players have to complete the battle objectives in a set number of rounds. I’m for this change because you can’t spend rounds buffing characters. You’re forced to fight and figure out the fastest way to clearing all of the monsters led by the lone English knight.

So far Jeanne D’Arc feels like a game strategy RPG aficionados are going to enjoy. Look for more to come later this week.

The post Beginning Jeanne D’Arc appeared first on Siliconera.

Sony is offering a free UMD disc demo of Jeanne D’Arc. To grab one you need to have a Playstation Underground , fill out a form on the official site and then sit patiently while it is mailed to you. I Sony was giving Jeanne D’Arc demos out at Comic-Con too and the mail order demo is probably the same thing.

Side note here, but Sony Computer Entertainment America doesn’t offer many able PSP demos like Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. God of War, Jeanne D’Arc and Syphon Filter all have demo discs instead. They’re nice collectibles, but I bet the games would get more attention with a 200MB demo level that stays on your memory stick.

The post Not sure about Jeanne D’Arc? Get the demo appeared first on Siliconera.

Jeanne D’arc? Level 5? Original SRPG on the PSP? Back at Comic-Con I had a quick chat with Kari Wahlgren who did the voice of Ashe in Final Fantasy XII and Saya in Blood+ about her new role as Jeanne in Jeanne D’arc. Before starting the interview I completely butchered the game’s title by not using any French pronunciation when I asked how she liked her new role. Yeah, this was one of those spur of the moment things, but something I’m glad I can bring back to Siliconera HQ even if I made a fool of myself to get it.

So why did you decide to do the voice of Jeanne?

KW: This was one of those few games where I didn’t have to audition for it. They called and said “hey we have this part and we would really like you to do it.” And the character is based on Joan of Arc, a historical character that is very fascinating to me. So I was very excited about it. The game is loosely based to her story with some historical and fantasy elements mixed together. Yeah, I was pretty excited about it.

Have you got a chance to play the game yet?

[laughs] I have got a chance to play the game and I have to it I’m a terrible gamer. I had to have some of the guys help me get to the next level because I would be like crap this is hard! It is a very strategy based game and I think the hardcore gamers that like that style of game will be very challenged by it. It’s cool. I’ve played it, but not well.

What was your favorite part about it?

Just the look of it. I mean it’s so clean, the storyline is great, the characters are very interesting. It’s got a little something for everyone. The gamers will be challenged, but it’s got enough story and character development for the people that like that kind of game are also going to enjoy it.

Who is your other favorite character? Besides yourself, I know you’ll pick yourself.

There is a great relationship between the two main female characters. She (Jeanne) has this best friend named Lea. There is such a great relationship between them that I would say I dig her character too.

Did you get a chance to hear the Japanese voice acting before?

Yes, we do get to hear the Japanese actors in a game like this where it is already been released in Japan, which is kind of nice because you get a sense of style with the character and personality. Before we dub each line into English we do get a chance to reference the original Japanese recording.

Is the Japanese language track going to be in this too?

In this one just English.

Sony Representative: It’s one of the situations where well they are French, so why are they speaking Japanese. Obviously people are going to ask why are they speaking English then. We decided not to put it in for artistic reasons. We felt the quality was so good I don’t think anyone is going to miss the Japanese.

You speak English in this right?

Yeah.

Did you have to learn pronunciation or do you already have a French accent?

We did do pronunciation in the game, which was very challenging. We had a French engineer in the studio making sure we pronounce things right and we don’t get too euh huh huh about it you know? So yeah we had help with the pronunciation.

The post Talking with the voice of Jeanne D’arc appeared first on Siliconera.

This isn’t nearly as good as scoring an original Q&A with Level 5, but Sony Computer Entertainment USA released a canned Q&A with extra details on Jeanne d’Arc. There are some interesting nuggets of information like Jeanne d’Arc has been in development for about two years and (gasp!) Level 5 is altering history by changing Jeanne’s end. Level 5 also explains how Jeanne d’Arc is different from other strategy RPG games because it has an increased emphasis on bunching your characters together.

Q: How long has Jeanne d’Arc been in development?

A: When we first started, we had a small team working on the concept and prototyping for about six months.  If you count that as well, it’s just under two years.

Q: How would you describe the world of Jeanne d’Arc?  What influenced the team in creating the game’s story and overall art direction?

A: What we hoped to achieve is the blending of history and fantasy.  The blending of reality and fantasy creates a unique world that is both familiar yet disorienting which makes for an interesting experience.  We were inspired by a wide variety of works for Jeanne d’Arc.  We saw the different portrayals of Joan of Arc by artists, movie makers, and writers, and we created our version of her that fit our story.  As for the graphics, we’re pretty proud that everything is done in 3-D.  We put a lot of work in to making detailed stages, towns, and backdrops.  Since everything was done in 3-D, we were able to create more dramatic scenes through the use of camera work.

Q: Can you provide a brief overview of the story in Jeanne d’Arc?  How closely does it parallel the real Joan of Arc?

A: Jeanne d’Arc is inspired by the story of Joan of Arc, and as such, it is a mix of both history and fantasy.  This story takes place in during the Hundred Years’ War, where Jeanne receives an oracle to drive the English out of her homeland.  She rallies the French troops to fight the English and free the occupied cities, and tries to have The Dauphin, Prince Charles VII, crowned as the rightful ruler of .  On top of this history, we’ve added fantasy elements such as “The War of the Reapers”, a great battle fought between man and demons.  Since the ending of Jeanne’s life is very well known, we wanted to surprise the players by making some changes to the ending as well.

Q: How would you describe the characters in the game?

A: Many of the playable characters have some basis in history, such as Jeanne d’Arc, Gilles de Rais, and La Hire, all who fought alongside one another during the Hundred Years’ War.  You’ll find other notable names in the characters such as Bertrand, Jean, and Richard who were important figures in the war.

In of personalities, although we consulted other works as reference, we did take some liberties to fit our vision of Jeanne d’Arc.  We wanted to make the personalities of each character easy to understand—Jeanne is the determined hero, ionate about her beliefs and unwilling to yield.  Liane is her counterbalance; gentle and somewhat meek.  But you’ll see her character grow in contrast to Jeanne.

We’ve also paid close attention to the character design to make it easy to understand the personalities of the characters.  For example, we turned La Hire into a therion (a lion beast) to match his boisterous, jolly nature, while Gilles de Rais, a calm, collected character, uses purple and burgundy tones to match his personality.

We also gave each character a unique look and color scheme to help differentiate them on the battlefield.  Because strategy games use a wide-angle view, we wanted to make sure the characters are easy to discern even when they look small on the screen.

Q: How many levels are there in Jeanne d’Arc?  How many total hours of gameplay?

A: There are around 40 stages or so, and it should take between 30-40 hours to complete for the average player.  If someone wants to play through all the missions and extras, it’ll probably take over 50 hours.

Q: Describe the challenges in developing an RPG for the PSP system?  Especially since you’re used to developing on the PS2.

A: On PS2 titles, we were able to use anime-like expressions on the character’s faces to help express emotion, and we wanted to do this on the PSP as well.  Doing this, however, was too taxing on the PSP processor so we decided to go with being able to display more characters on the screen and making them easy to control.

The other challenge was the content.  Just because this is a game for a portable device, we didn’t want to reduce the volume of the game.  We wanted this game to have just as much game play as your typical PS2 title.

Q: How is the combat system in Jeanne d’Arc unique for a turn-based strategy RPG?

A: There are four elements that really set this game apart from other turn-based strategy RPGs on the market today. The three features are “Burning Aura”, “Unified Guard”, “Transformation” and “Skill Stones”.

Burning Aura is a system where if you trap the enemy between two of your characters, you will be able to deal out additional damage.

Unified Guard, on the other hand, is a defensive system where if your characters stand near each other, they will share a defensive boost against physical attacks.  The more allies you have near by, the more powerful this effect becomes, and it rewards the player for moving the troops as units. But the drawback to this is that since they are bunched up together, they become more vulnerable to attacks that cover a wide area, such as magic spells.

Both of these systems are simple concepts that are intuitive—it makes logical sense that you’re more likely to withstand an attack if you’re standing shoulder to shoulder with your allies.  It also makes sense that you’re able to attack more effectively when you flank the enemy and attack from both sides.  We wanted to emphasize team coordination motivate the players to think strategically without making the system overtly complex.

The transformation system is another aspect that makes this game unique compared to other turn-based strategy RPGs.  Characters equipped with magical armlets have the ability to don a powerful armor, which give them additional stat boost and special abilities.  Their greatest advantage, however, comes when they defeat an enemy.  Normally, each character can only take one action per turn. But when a character is in a transformed state, they get an additional turn each time they defeat an enemy.  This can be utilized to turn the tide of battle as the character can defeat multiple enemies across a wide area in one turn.  This must be used strategically, however, because it takes some time to build up the power to transform, and the characters can only sustain their transformed state for a limited number of turns.

The last major feature is the Skill Stones.  Each character is able to equip up to six skill stones. These skill stones range from ive effects such as HP/MP/Attack/Defense boosts, to specialized skills such as auto HP recovery, locating loot, casting spells, etc.  There are also skills based on your weapon type, which allow the characters to attack over a broad range, or concentrate their attack to deal heavy damage against a single enemy.  You can even combine different skills to create new, more powerful ones.  With the wide-range of skills available, this system allows the player to customize their characters to the way they play. If you’re an aggressive player, you can set it so your characters are effective at moving quickly through the map and dealing damage, while a more conservative player can set it so that they have higher defensive/healing capabilities.

These elements help deepen the strategy aspects of the game, and improve the speed/pace of the battles.

One other feature worth mentioning is the text bubble system, where the characters offer commentary throughout the battle depending on the situation. This helps bring out the personality of the characters.

Q: What gameplay features in Jeanne d’Arc are you most proud of and what aspects of the game do you see it helping to evolve portable RPGs?

A: We put in a lot of time to make sure the controls felt just right.  For example, because this game is fully 3-D, camera can become an issue when blocked by buildings and other objects.  We made the buildings semi transparent when it blocks the camera so that the players will be able to see all their characters even if they are behind buildings.  Moreover, the players are able to control the camera themselves using the L/R button and the analog stick so they can see the map from their preferred vantage point.

We’re really proud of what we were able to achieve graphically on the PSP.  We wanted to make one of the best-looking PSP game available and we put in a lot of details into the environment and characters without going over the top.

Q: What does Jeanne d’Arc bring that’s different from other RPG games?

A: First and foremost, because this is a strategy RPG, we made sure that the strategic elements of the game were fun.  We kept the basics simple and true to the traditions of the genre.  From there, we incorporated the unique systems (explained earlier) and used the animated cut scenes to enhance the dramatic elements of the story.  By uniting the historical story and fantasy of Jeanne d’Arc, we’re hoping that players can experience a different kind of RPG.

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of working on this game?

A: In a strategy RPG, the game balance makes or breaks the game—we knew that going in, and just as we predicted, it was one of the most difficult aspect of the game to get it just right.  We didn’t want it to be too difficult, nor did we want the game too easy.  Finding that right balance took quite a lot time, but it was definitely worth it in the end.

The post Level 5 answers questions asked by SCEA on Jeanne d’Arc appeared first on Siliconera.

While this video is designed to promote Jeanne D’Arc with some of the game’s strategic features anyone who has played a strategy RPG will get the joke. The scenario has three workers try to approach their manager who has 475HP and a flame attack set as if the real world was a SRPG. Is this more or less creative than Microsoft Gears of Wars viral videos? You be the judge.

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The post Watch: How Sony promotes Jeanne D’Arc in Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

One of the games that was overlooked at Sony’s Gamers Day was Jeanne d’Arc, a strategy RPG developed by Level 5. It was sitting in the PSP booth on the first day while most people were checking out Uncharted: Drake’s Legend and Heavenly Sword (impressions on the latter coming soon). It’s sort of a shame that the four demo stations got little to no attention.

ittedly it’s hard to get into a strategy RPG with only a couple of minutes of play time, but I sat down to check out Jeanne D’Arc. When I started the game I was already in a battle and something different in Jeanne D’Arc is the topography is more vibrant. Jeanne was smack in the middle of a city with bridges to cross and narrow streets to walk in. Some enemies were hiding on the roofs of buildings too and the only way to reach them was to climb up ladders. Since the demo had Jeanne, Jean and another character extremely overpowered you didn’t have to use any complicated tactics to “win”. You could run up and use your standard attack or sit back and let Jean waste enemies with counter attacks. However, there are some neat tactics you can use like clustering your characters in a group, something you wouldn’t want to do in most other SRPGs, to grant a defense boost to any connected characters. Jeanne also has a set of skills to boost allies within one square of her, which can be an added benefit if you bunch up your party around her. It’s clear that Level 5’s spent a great deal of time on Jeanne D’Arc’s presentation and check past the break to see a trailer with spliced anime scenes.

The post Jeanne d’Arc under loved at Sony’s Gamers Day appeared first on Siliconera.

Lots of PSP news today and besides XSeed’s announcements, Level 5’s strategy RPG is getting localized by SCEA. The announcement has been anticipated by many PSP owners and the wait for Jeanne D’Arc isn’t too much longer, it is scheduled for release this August. Jeanne D’Arc is the story of a great war between demon armies invading the human world. Jeanne who is guided by omnipresent voices is called to seal away the demon king and save her homeland. Besides Jeanne there are 14 other characters to use to push back monsters and the approaching English forces. Level 5 has made hit after hit and Jeanne D’Arc looks like it’s going to follow that trend. There are some English screenshots past the break so you can see the progress of Jeanne D’Arc’s localization. The PSP is fast becoming an RPG powerhouse with so many games lined up in 2007.

The post Sony publishing Jeanne D’Arc in North America appeared first on Siliconera.