Whew, that was a bit of a marathon of a title. Yes, at Jump Festa, Bandai Namco announced that a number of its previously Japanese only titles would be receiving full localization. The long and short of it is that Tales of Berseria (PS4 and PC), JoJo’S Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven (PS4), God Eater: Resurrection, God Eater 2: Rage Burst (PS4 and PS Vita), One Piece Burning Blood (PS4) and Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs-Force (PS Vita) will all be coming soon to a non-Japanese console near you.
The announcement was accompanied by a slew of trailers as well as marketing blurbs explaining just what the hell a Gundam is, who on earth a JoJo is, and why exactly Gods are being Eaten, amongst other improbably titled questions. Here are the trailers and (loose) paraphrases of the accompanying blurbs:
Tales of Berseria (PS4 and PC)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdgBpP90Gb4]Assume the role of Velvet as she becomes angry because of her traumatic experience three years before the events of Tales of Berseria that unfortunately imbued her left hand with special abilities. Velvet must confront her emotions, and presumably boss fights, as she works with her friends to really stick it to those that wronged her. More details here.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven (PS4)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUJ-ikwXDAA]Play as the characters from the long-running JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga (and anime as of 2012) as they face off in 2-on-2 action-brawler settings, developed by Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm creators CyberConnect2. Nonstop anatomically impossible posing and supernatural abilities ahoy as these profoundly talented fighters somehow manage to be incredibly masculine and effeminate at the exact same time, leading to much confusion. Also, shame on the PlayStation blog for not including a pun about Stands.
God Eater: Resurrection and God Eater 2: Rage Burst (PS4 and PS Vita)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9E8SgfeNuM]Often described as Sony’s answer to Monster Hunter, God Eater is about a collection of humanity’s last survivors as they fight to survive against strange monsters that have been wreaking havoc called “Oracle Cells”. Humanity’s last hope is in elite hunters called “God Eaters”. A localization of God Eater 2 has been on the verge of being announced for ages. God Eater: Resurrection is a remake of God Eater 1, and God Eater 2 is a much-demanded sequel. Oh, there’s an anime too if you want to whet your appetite on God Eater lore ahead of the games’ release for western audiences. More details here.
One Piece Burning Blood (PS4)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxmIPp2e8-Y]One Piece is one of the longest running manga of all time. Pirates, intrigue, stretchy arms, and a cast of characters that spans decades. So it’s only fitting that there’s enough characters for a decent 3-on-3 fighting. It’s unclear if this is canon or just for fun, but either way, the game certainly has some flashy moves. More details on the official website here.
Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs-Force (PS Vita)
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oDitTXd0hQ]Gundam, another long running series, is about human-piloted giant mechas duking it out. This is another 2-on-2 fighter. Bandai Namco clearly seems to think the west wants a lot of these brawlers. Well Gundam has a lot of different mechas, pilots and stories to cover, so it’s also ripe pickings for fighting game of this sort.
Release dates for all of these games haven’t been explicitly stated yet, but it’s nice to see more games reaching a wider audience.