XSeed Games Announces Localization for Five More Japanese Games

Fans of Japanese games, today is your kind of day.  Earlier we reported that Nintendo was committed to bringing more Japanese-exclusive releases to America and Europe, and now XSeed Games has just released a press statement in regards to their localizations plans; and it’s good news.  The company already known for localizing Japanese games, including all three of Operation Rainfall’s petitioned releases, will be bringing five more games out of Japan and into the world.

The five games they announced today are: Killer is Dead, Rune Factory 4, Valhalla Knights 3, Ys I & II Chronicles+, and Ys: Memories of Calceta.  For those keeping score, this is large variety of both genres and release platforms, so ideally there should be something for everyone.

Here is the press release in full, detailing the games and their platform availability:

KILLER IS DEAD

PS3™/Xbox 360®, Summer 2013 – Created by game legend SUDA51, this highly anticipated original game is set in a not-so-distant future similar to (but not the same as) the world we know now. The player takes control of an executioner named Mondo Zappa who wields a Japanese sword in his right hand and brandishes interchangeable weapons in his left artificial arm. His ultimate goal is to execute various heinous criminals scattered around the world and beyond.

Completely unique visuals and outstanding stylish action come together to deliver an unprecedented gaming experience in KILLER IS DEAD. This brand-new action title is being jointly developed by KADOKAWA GAMES and GRASSHOPPER MANUFACTURE, with SUDA51 lending his trademark sense of style at the helm. Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, will bring the title to the countries of Europe and Oceania.

Rune Factory 4

Nintendo 3DS, Summer 2013 – The first game in the Rune Factory simulation/role-playing series to be released on the Nintendo 3DS, Rune Factory 4 adds new romance options, the ability to select a male or female character at the game’s start, and has endless crafting, farming and cooking opportunities. The player becomes Selphia’s prince or princess and can manage the village, explore the countryside with townsfolk, or tame monsters in the wild to aid them in battle or help out in the fields.

Valhalla Knights 3

PS Vita, Fall 2013 – The fourth title published by XSEED Games in the popular Valhalla Knights action RPG series, Valhalla Knights 3 features a robust character creation system and brings intense seven-on-seven party-based combat to the PS Vita. Players can select from one of seven races and one of twenty job classes such as Fighter, Mage, Thief, Priest, Akatoki or Archer, while also equipping two sub-jobs. Players can adventure with a party of their own making or brave the wilds alone and seamlessly engage in real-time combat to earn skill points for upgrading and unlocking abilities unique to each job class.

Ys: Memories of Celceta

PS Vita, Fall 2013 – An extensive reimagining of (and pseudo-sequel to) Ys IV, one of the only Ys games never before released in the west, this title puts more enemies on screen than ever before and features the largest, most non-linear overworld in Ys history, boasting superlative graphics and a triumphant evolution of the fast-paced gameplay that has made this series a timeless action RPG mainstay. As the game opens, long-time protagonist Adol Christin finds himself alone, dazed and confused in a strange land, and must piece together his memories of how he got here and why, all the while struggling to determine whom he can trust.

Ys I & II Chronicles+

Windows PC (Steam), February – XSEED Games has delighted RPG fans for years by publishing multiple Ys titles from legendary RPG developer Nihon Falcom for handheld platforms and Windows PC, and now Ys fans can celebrate once more as an enhanced remake of the classic first two games in the Ys franchise comes to Steam for the first time. Including both Ancient Ys Vanished: Omen and Ancient Ys Vanished: The Final Chapter, this action RPG tells of red-haired swordsman Adol Christin’s inaugural adventure to defeat the evil forces blighting the isle of Esteria and uncover the mysteries of the eponymous lost land of Ys.

To sum up, Y’s I & II Chronicles+ will release on Steam in February and both Valhalla Knights and Y’s: Memories of Calceta hit the PS Vita this fall.  Rune Factory 4 comes to the 3DS this summer, as does Killer is Dead when it reaches Xbox 360 and PS3 players.

I’m 100% in favor of any and all localization.  I realize it’s both a great cost and gamble for most publishers, but variety is the spice of life, after all, and sometimes companies don’t realize how much appeal a niche game can find outside of their confined release territories.  I’m a big fan of just about every Suda 51 game, so that’s at least one guaranteed purchase for me right there with Killer is Dead.

Are you guys excited to hear about all the efforts publishers are now putting in with regards to localization?  Which of these games strike your fancy the most?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.