I want to apologize for not putting out my next story yet. Over the past several months, I’ve had problems determining exactly what I want the story to be and the tone I want for it to adopt, but to compound it all, my free time has been limited more than it ever has been. Between school, work, video games, writing a weekly review and rundown, and talking with my incredibly good friend, I just have not had the time. Or if I did, I lacked either the headspace or motivation to continue the story. It will take a while, but trust me when I say this story will be completed.
Two weeks ago, I briefly mentioned how Digimon World: Next Order was initially announced as a PS4 exclusive in the west, before being reannounced as a PS4 and Vita game, and later being announced as a PS4 exclusive due to content that will only be made available in the PS4 version. Well, this already bitter story is made worse due to the discoveries made by a community who examined a Chinese language version of Digimon World: Next Order and found that there was a complete English translation locked away in the game’s files. Or in other words, Bandai Namco must have known they were not going to release a Vita version in the west, so the made a last minute decision to not provide the English translation of this game in case people from outside of Asia were to import it. That is the only reason I can think of to lock out a language setting like this. 
There’s very little I can add to this story other than, “boy did Bandai Namco screw this up”. The announcement of a niche Japanese title coming to a west is usually a unanimous win of adoration and respect in my book, but this confused and manipulative messaging soured this release exponentially. If they had not locked the English text out of Digimon World: Next Order’s Asian version and explained why a Vita version was not going to be released in the west, because content would need to be added to it and there are complications with implementing it, this would be an odd, but otherwise good piece of news for everybody. But they didn’t, and now those who wanted to play this game on Vita are very reasonably upset.
Thunder Lotus Games, known for the Norse themed, hand drawn, giant slaying action game Jotun recently announced their next project, Sundered, It is a hand drawn action game with heavy Lovecraftian inspiration, set in a large procedurally generated world. One that some people have called a metroidvania, but I really did not get that by watching the debut trailer. It looks like a 2D action game with a lot of mobility options, but not an item hunting experience. Its art style is also something I tilt my head at, as the heavy usage of oranges and reddish browns actually looks to be more distracting than anything else, but I guess I’ll see if that is the case when Sundered releases in 2017.
2017 will also give way to the sequel to Nidhogg, that simplistic yet intense multiplayer dueling game that warranted quite a large following, even if it was a bit short lived before it fell off the radar due to the limited amount of content. If the game were just an expanded version on the first, that would be one thing, but upon looking at a few seconds of Nidhogg II, it’s far more than that. While it still looks to be a silky smooth battle of skill, the successor ups the graphics to resemble an early Super Nintendo game more than an Atari 2600, and with it comes an artisti change that verges on the goofy and cartoonish, which I can’t say I care for. I think these doopy naked men are a massive step back from the faceless and endearing fencers from the original.
After working on establishing their games studio over the past few years by acquiring companies like Double Helix Games and Twitch, as well as serving as a publisher of a few games themselves, Amazon Games Studios has formally announced their first in-house developed projects, all of which are multiplayer titles built around Twitch integration and streaming in some capacity. New World is a fantasy themed open ended sandbox that reminds me of Fantasy Life if channeled through the Elder Scrolls. Crucible is a 12 player survival based third person shooter where players must ally and betray others while fending off the dangerous fauna of an alien planet. While Double Helix’s Breakaway is a… sports MOBA staring warriors of myth and legend.
In addition to all of this, Amazon is also developing Lumberyard, their own in-house game engine that is currently available for public use. The engine is supposedly designed around multiplayer games, avoiding “heavy lifting,” and is also very compatible with VR. All of this sounds cool and interesting, but my tastes should be pretty well known at this point, and I care not for multiplayer games, streaming, or VR. These games are not for me, and I hope that Amazon eventually creates something that will cater to my niche desires. For everyone else, I hope these games are good and fun.
I really am a fickle and picky person when it comes to games I’m interested. I mean, my list of games I want to check out is a measly 150 titles long. Though, I am always supportive of niche Japanese games coming to PC, and feel the need to announce their existence. First off, the beloved Cave shoot ‘em up DoDonPachi Resurrection is coming to Steam within the next month by way of the RPG Maker publisher Degica. Meanwhile, the lovable XSEED will be releasing Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel for PC sometime this winter. You know, that 2D fighting game featuring Super Sonico and everybody’s favorite Nitroplus women, developed by the people behind Arcana Heart. Speaking of which, Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX apparently came out on Steam this past week, and I forgot to mention it when the release was announced. Whoops.
As one final mention, the latest in the Neptunia series, MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies, is arriving on PC on October 3rd, so expect a review of that super short brawler by October 10th, or earlier if I feel like it. Actually… I may as well show any readers I may have my tentative review schedule. 
No, I do not know exactly when exactly Student Transfer will be updated.