@Sparx: Yeah that's why I'm hoping GTA lasts me a long time. I know Smash Bros will, but... I can't play that every day. But if she takes care of the baby, that'll be fine.

I'd rather her take care of him and not work than us having to pay some a-hole to take care of him and screw the whole thing up. So... my video games can take a hit. I've got huge numbers of books to read anyway.

2NinjasTapedTogether

Yay. Feels like I've been waiting for Mana Khemia forever. I pre-ordered the limited edition box thing quite a while ago. Can't wait to play it.

slacker164

Well, I'm waiting for FES to come out, and nothing else in April for me, save maybe another RB guitar so my bassist can play.

And the second I saw Great War: The Spartans, I thought of "Meet the Spartans". That made me throw up. So, from that, I conclude that this game will suck.

Polywhirl

@Witzbold: What was in the J LE?

I already have Mana Khemia paid off. I don't want to miss out on it like I did Growlanser: HoW.

Fierfaerie

Hmm, I still have a couple of games I missed out on that I haven't bought yet, so it's a good thing I don't need anything this week. I still have to buy Chains of Olympus (plus the first two games). I'm also looking forwards to getting FES when it comes out over here, since I also missed out on the original. Plus, GTA is coming and I'd like to pick that up first day. Probably some other games I forgot about but they'll have to wait.

Magic Emperor Anima

I pre-ordered the SE version of Mana Khemia from Rosen Queen (.com) when they were giving the first thousand that special deal where you get a miniature figurine of Jess. Cost me $10 shipping, and probably another $15 to get it over the Canadian border... but it will be worth it =)

ChaosKnight

@2NinjasTapedTogether:

judging from your wife... nope =)

Sparx

@Sparx: Luckily for me, RPGs aren't my cup of tea, so I win out in the end. Or do I?

2NinjasTapedTogether

Speaking of Sparta, I dusted of Spartan: Total Warrior for PS2 today (played it on the Triple). Man, that game is awesome. It's pretty much Dynasty Warriors done right!

Knoxximus (360/PSN)

I need COD4. Excellent. Maybe they'll lower the price on the regular edition? Wishful thinking I guess.

MrAkash

dems slim pickins alright!

-itis

Does anyone know when CoD4 game of the year edition come out for PS3

BrentW

Glorious 3D on the PC? Stop the presses!

Aethyr

@2NinjasTapedTogether:

That was my plan as well, although Mana Khemia sounds very interesting and might be a whim purchase. A any rate the website is entertaining with some catchy music.

Sparx

GTA4 is gonna be my next game purchase and, if my wife doesn't go back to work, probably my last for awhile. But we'll see. MGS4 is still calling to me and taunting me. What a flippin' tease.

2NinjasTapedTogether

Mana Khemia is pretty cool. Ive had the J version for a while. Kinda sad I didnt buy the LE version when I had the chance.

Witzbold

So... nothing absolutely new?

ph15h

Sim pickins.

Oh well, Lost Odyssey continues to take most of my spare time anyways.

supershavin

I'm buying Mana Khemia first thing. Been waiting for it for awhile.

Ashurahori

I think that the next game I'll be getting is possibly... MGS4 or Haze... I don't know... I was looking forward to the NA release of Armored Core: for answer. Hopefully it will answer the question why AC4 sucked so badly, haha... I'm only slightly kidding...

Last_Raven

I'm gonna have to skip on Mana Khemia. I'm waiting for Ar Tonelico 2...does anyone know if we're EVER going to get that? I hear rumors that NISA might announce it during the summer but iunno...

But April is the month for P3:FES for me :D

physical

MANA KHEMIA YES
then Baroque Wii!

jeffx

People still release games in between the release of Brawl and the release of GTA4? Why?

dowingba

I pre-ordered Mana Khemia last week from Rosenqueen. I can't wait to get it!

thinkfreemind

Shockingly, not that many DS games up for grabs, really =/

Completed Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, but got so pissed off in Hard difficulty when the game kept calling me a Lesser Ninja after I hit 200+combos per encounter area T____T

Byakko

Mana Khemia is already reserved for me ... I still have to get Crisis Core, and I want to pick up a couple copies of a DS game for me and my gf to play together in some fashion (can't decide which one, though ... maybe Pokemon or the new FF: Crystal Chronicles game).

Lots of stuff coming up, though! Arcana Heart and Baroque are next week!

jayntampa

@physical: Buying Mana Khemia might help us get Ar Tonelico 2 since I imagine NISA will look closely at sales of Gust games when deciding to release another Gust game.
Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Mana-Khemia is the first school themed alchemy title released outside Japan. And it's not technically a part of the Iris series either. So not really a case of being "pumped out." Though maybe I'm just quibbling.

Fonic

Will probably pick up CoD4 since I just got a 360 recently and was waiting on this.

ShineyBlueShoes

Meh. Nothing really interests me. I might look up Mana Khemia, since Witzbold and a few others seem to be interested in it.

KM91

Boo to this list. BOO I SAY!

whitey9

Who doesn't have CoD4 already? Like they need a collector's edition.

Ulquiorra

"The PC finally gets a real-time strategy game"

Bahahahahahahahaha, that's the best laugh I've in a while... Well, not really, but I laughed.

And no PS3 version of COD4:GotY? Bah... Not that I like realistic shooters, though. I prefer UT3... For the run and gun and for the mods... The many many many many mods... I know I'm in the minority, though.

bobtheduck

Thank PETE for a slow week.. I'm not made of money and still have to pick up both GoW:CoO, and FFVII:CC... somehow.. and somehow before GTAIV is released. I need, like, 20 slow weeks.

MrBionic

@Byakko: Ah, but it's all about the UTs. I haven't finished Head Ninja yet, but I've gotten Master Ninja on almost every chapter up to 8. I do as many UTs as possible while keeping good time and I kill everything to get 'Annihilations.'

Indeed, nothing for me this month. I'll probably even skip GTA for the moment. I actually sat down tonight and resolved to finish my backlog of games, starting with FFIX. Love the story, hate (mostly) the gameplay. It's already trying me 3 hours in. I believe RPGs and I have grown apart... -_-

Xiedo

@MrBionic: Having picked up CoO, RENT. It's phenomenal, it's fun, it's gorgeous, if you like much of anything at all you'll love it, and you'll be done in two days or less. I honestly felt robbed.

user.error: like jesus christ on acid

I'm waiting for Mario Kart Wii on the 27th and hopefully a PC version of GTA4 sometime soon.

FlashIV

I've bought a few NIS games over the years, but I've never been able to get into them. They're like an inside joke I don't get.

cio

@Witzbold: so basically what the American version is coming with...still extremely jealous that ya'll got the Odin Sphere artbook...I've thought about Ebaying that but I just can't spend 50 bucks on it...too expensive for something someone got for free.

Fierfaerie

@Fierfaerie: Im not too sure I assume the soundtrack + some book maybe.

Witzbold

@physical: I'm waiting for that too. Ar Tonelico 1 itself took a long time to localize, though I'm not sure why.

Including the obvious (Grand Theft auto 4, MGS4, Mario Kart Wii, etc) I'm also waiting for the PSP Star Ocean remakes and the next Suikoden. But those, especially the last one, are games I'll probably be waiting for a very long time.

Aiwokote

@cio: *cries silently*

I adore NISA....I think I have two-thirds of the games they've published over here if not more...and while I haven't had time to play them all the ones I've worked through I've thoroughly enjoyed, enough so to keep me buying them even when I don't have time to play them. Which ones did you not like that you bought, and why?

My only real rule for the NISA games is that if they still have the Japanese voices, USE THEM!

Fierfaerie

@Xiedo:

Ah crap I don't want to keep bloody scribbling! Horrible idea for a scoring system! Use the cheapest technique repeatedly and you win!

Talk about backlogs, it's time for my annual 'restart FFVII and play it a little further before forgetting to finish it again for another year' ritual.

I've restarted FFVII a total of 5 times, never once finishing it XD Heck, at most I think I hit Disc 2 the last time I restarted X3

And I have to keep restarting because I'm obsessive compulsive and hate not remembering what I was aiming to do the last time I played it.

Byakko

I'm just excited that we are one week closer to the special edition of Persona 3. Whooooooo!!

GullyZiss

@Ashurahori:
What he said.

Cactuar

@Squishy3: Actually, scratch that, make it 6 games. I'm also playing Guild Wars: Prophecies and Eye of the North.

Squishy3

I'm not really getting new games per se, I'm borrowing old ones off of friends/getting a newish one for covering for my boss while he was out sick this week. (I work at a local mom and pop shop in Ohio that'll kick Gamestop's ass any day of the week.)

Just borrowing Persona 3, Hotel Dusk and the Rub Rabbits (glad it's as frustratingly hard as Feel the Magic!) and getting Crisis Core this week hopefully.

Doesn't help I have an Ashcraft syndrome when it comes to beating games. I still haven't beat any of the games I'm currently playing, and I have 4 new ones to play. Yay!

Squishy3

Yep, GTA is next on my list. I happen to know for a fact it's going to eat a hefty chunk of my free time so that should keep me happy.

Colour me clueless about hardcore JRPG's, though.

splines

@Fierfaerie: The Art Book I think was a limited run thing for the original folks who purchased the game day 1.

Witzbold

@Fierfaerie: I know it's practically blasphemy, but Disgaea... I could NOT get into that game at all. I bought it when it came out, held onto it for four years, I tried to play it several times, and it just didn't click. I've also tried Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom, and Grim Grimoire.

cio

@supershavin: You too, huh? I shouldn't even be looking at buying other games, since I know I still have a long way to go to beat that game. Damn it's got a great story. But I digress...

I never could really get into the Atelier Iris games. I owned the first one but it never really grabbed me enough to come back to it. I'm not really sure what it was either; maybe just bad timing. I was going through a phase where I hated pretty much all JRPGs. Thankfully I'm back to my old self again and loving the hell out of Lost Odyssey and Eternal Sonata.

Captain Impulse

@cio: DId you enjoy any of those other titles? I loved Disgaea but I really couldn't get into La Pucelle, because it felt like a step backward (which, in actuality, it was...I believe it was released first in Japan). I owned Makai Kingdom but it didn't do anything for me. I sorta enjoyed Phantom Brave but never finished it. I've found that in most Nippon Ichi games, I tend to favor the main characters and rarely use any of the captured/attainable monsters.

Captain Impulse

Toy Shop is actually made in Portugal (my home) so I do hope it does well, for the future of portuguese gamedev.

Shiryu

Pre-ordered the LE Mana Khemia with the PVC figure a while back. I'm always interested in a good RPG.

Draneor

Wait wait wait... "glorious 3D"? My gods! Technology is moving so fast! At this rate, we'll have 16 bit graphics within the next 10 years!Even more, if Blast Processing isn't just a rumor!

ShaggE

Definitely Mana Khemia (hopefully).

I pre-ordered it at RosenQueen.com when it was first up their, and I moved last week and called them to tell them that my address had changed. They refused to accept my new address over the phone and directed me to e-mail them with my change of address. I did, and they never responded to that e-mail. So here's hoping I actually receive the game (which, by the way, they already charged my credit card for when I pre-ordered it)

Strange Bedfellows

Does anyone know if Mana Khemia will be released in Europe?

badmoogle

Mana Khemia is awesome ^_^ Love the weapons system and the crazy combat.

Shadowmist

I just got Rock Band and I am still going through the guild quests in Oblivion (I know, I am so up to date!), so I'm pretty much set until the release of GTA IV. :)

Darth Navster

@Byakko: This is not true UTs are cheap. On everything but axe ghuls (slow, dumb, melee enemies) it's actually pretty hard to pull off a UT mid-fight. Much harder, anyway, than conventional combat. Plus, never forget you can absorb essence to quicken UTs. In fact, this is the only way it can be done in most fights. Fights where UTs are not "time-sensitive" (like boss fights), you can scribble at a reasonable pace and still get them off in time.

About RPGs, lol, glad to hear someone else with the same problem. If I almost get there and stop, then more than about a year lapses, I MUST revert to square one. I still need to finish FFs 7-10. All of them (except FF9) I got real close to the end and got bored. With FF9 I made it maybe 1/4 the way so I figure that's a good one to start with (more fresh game instead of re-treading).

Xiedo

Mana Khemia will be my sole purchase for the week.

DTJAAAAM

@Captain Impulse: None of those other titles could really hold my attention. Makai Kingdom I only played at a friends house, but I owned Phantom Brave for a while... I don't know, It's not like I really had any distaste for the game, I just felt as though my time could be better spent elsewhere whenever I put it on. As for GrimGrimoire, I found the gameplay to be way too simple, and I was put off by the way the battles were set up in 2d / vertical.

cio

Nothing for me this week.

chords of steel