Atlus sent out not just one, but three short trailers for Tokyo Beat Down, Success Corp.'s new DS brawler. We hate to say it, but the animation looks pretty choppy in these videos. But the concept of the game -- cops beat up tons of dudes -- and the hilarious writing ensure that we will be giving this one a chance.

Above, Lewis Cannon demonstrates his nonviolent communication skills. After the break, two more trailers, featuring Cannon shopping for justice (which, of course, he dispenses by punching and shooting dudes), plus Takeshi Bando and Rika Hyodo handing out a few Tokyo Beat Downs as well. Beat Down is out March 31.

Remember Success's police brawler Tokyo Doujitahatsu Terror Wo Chinatsuseyo? Atlus did! In another wonderfully surprising Success acquisition, the publisher has announced plans to release the beat-em-up in North America on March 10 under the catchy title Tokyo Beat Down.

Players control an elite Tokyo police division called the Beast Cops, who rid the streets of terrorists and other criminals by beating the hell out of them. A true arcade-style brawler, the cops can "hurl enemies into each other, chain together combos, execute special moves and throws, and then let loose on your foes with an arsenal of firearms, ranging from the small to the obscenely large".

We didn't think we needed any more DS games in the next couple of months, but we were SO WRONG. There is always room in our hearts, wallets, and Penguin United DS game cases for an arcade brawler.

I mentioned in the Dark Spire post that I don't usually play dungeon RPGs. I have no aptitude for strategy, little patience for grinding, and, uh, I actually tend to get lost in first-person maze-type environments. So that is just not the genre for me. But I will play The Dark Spire, even if my experience only lasts a searingly frustrating ten minutes, because both of its visual styles appeal to me.

Have you picked up something you knew was outside of your usual area of expertise based solely on the style? Are you planning to? Or are you smarter than me?

Atlus has confirmed the theory that their upcoming The Dark Spire is a localized version of Success' Genmu no Tou to Tsurugi no Okite -- either that or they dropped whatever game they had planned under that name after they saw that everyone thought it would be Genmu. Probably not, but it's a fun idea.

The Dark Spire is a first-person dungeon RPG playable in two distinct graphical styles: a vintage "wireframe" look straight out of Wizardry, or a striking, high-contrast "modern" look. Players control a band of adventurers who attempt to survive the tower stronghold of Archmage Tyrhung in order to gain possession of a magical jewel. According to one baffling screenshot, characters will be able to learn skills including dance, knitting, and "arts and crafts" along the way.

One element we were not aware of in the Japanese version is the running narration on the bottom screen, which makes The Dark Spire feel much more like a text adventure. The narration, combining atmospheric storytelling with Atlus humor, is just one of the reasons this game is going to make us attempt to play a hardcore dungeon RPG.



[Via press release]

Atlus is no longer content with just producing the games we want. With recent releases like Ontamarama and Draglade and new announcements like Ys I & II, Trackmania DS, and the perplexing My World, My Way, the company has turned their attention toward localizing other companies' games we want. We appreciate the personal service.

According to the ESRB, the company has picked up at least one more of our fascinations: Marvelous' Steal Princess, a nice-looking ARPG with a map editor. They're also planning to release some kind of dungeon RPG called The Dark Spire, whose origin is currently unknown. Based on Atlus's longstanding Success connection, a Siliconera reader has posited (as we did when we saw the description) that this might be Success's Genmu no To to Tsurugi no Okite, the first-person dungeon RPG which allows players to switch between a gorgeous retro line-art mode and a gorgeous black-light-poster-esque mode. At least, we hope that's what it is!

Maybe you can identify Dark Spire based on the ESRB's description, which we've reproduced after the break.

Behold: Tornado. What's the game about? Does it really matter? From what we can stomach gather, this ludicrous video – complete with a crappy rip-off of Danny Elfman's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure score – shows a game that looks like a Katamari Damacy clone, is played by swirling the stylus on the DS screen, and stars the love child of Shadow the Hedgehog and Aero the Acro-Bat.

Oh, and what is up with that poor raccoon? Or the little girl with the dead eyes and creepy smirk? The whole thing looks like footage David Lynch could have shot after going off his drugs. There's a second spot after the break, but you might want to take a moment to compose yourself before clicking through, since it's just as hysterically awful. You have been warned.

Ignition won't be forgetting about Europe when it comes to localizing Tornado, Success's Katamari Damacy-esque action game about a bunch of heroic cats who employ tornadoes to tidy up the mess left by a devious galactic Prince who wants to claim all possessions on Earth. Hey, it could happen!

The game is currently slated for a fall release in Europe, but Ignition might want to hurry up -- the game still lacks a release date in its native Japan. While we wait for something more concrete, let the wind guide you gently towards our gallery and a dozen new images.


[Via press release]

We've already established that having the Atlus name on the front of a box is usually A Very Good Thing, and look! Somebody at Amazon must clearly have been listening to us, as the uber-retailer has the following Atlus-published titles up for sale:

• Rondo of Swords -- $19.99
• Draglade -- $13.39
• Ontamarama -- $10.04
• Contact -- $23.44
• Touch Detective 2 1/2 -- $9.99

That's not all -- while we were scrounging though Amazon's bargain basement section, we found a couple of other potentially worthy additions to your DS library:

• Children of Mana -- $20.09
• Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble -- $10.04

You can also get Ping Pals for $4.29. But like that deserves a functioning link.

Do you enjoy the Izuna character portrait comics on the official website? If not, you probably haven't read them, because they're delightful. Atlus is now offering a chance for the fans to share their own Izuna comics, and get a shot at some free stuff for doing so!

All you have to do is pick one of four templates (each one featuring interactions between different Izuna characters), add text to a form, and submit your hilarity to Atlus for judging. The winner gets a copy of Izuna 2 and all the posters -- even the one that they didn't pick for Amazon copies!

Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns is about more than mini-posters and sexy ninjas -- a lot of work goes into getting a game like this localized. Not only does a good localization team have to focus on the translation, but they also need to fix any bugs or problems that gamers found in the Japanese release. Apparently, fixing bugs for a roguelike is especially hard and frustrating, as you might have guessed.

Here's the Quality Assurance stat breakdown, according to Atlus:

• Number of testers on Izuna 2: 6
• Number of DS systems almost thrown against the wall: 6
• Number of system-type bugs our testers reported: 104
• Number of text bugs our testers reported: 259
• Number of times the testers nearly gave the project lead a heart attack with a fake system bug: 3
• Number of bugs our testers reported to which we responded: "That's not a bug, that's the way this game works:" 17
• Number of monkeys we could have hired to do their job: 0

The production diary is actually a really interesting read that not only Izuna fans, but also people interested in the localization process should give a look. Besides, we always appreciate more insight on how the other side of the gaming industry works.

The Izuna 2 poster situation has officially become ridiculous. Atlus has revealed that the cover of every copy will not feature the same mini-poster on the reverse; rather, each copy will have one of two pieces of arttwork. In addition, they've released the winning design from the Amazon poll.

With the Gamestop-exclusive poster, there are now four different Izuna 2 posters. Each copy ordered from Amazon or GameStop will include two, one of which can be chosen. Crazy people can try to collect them all by ordering one copy from each retailer and just hoping for two different posters on the boxes.

Not only is Atlus including a fold-out poster on the back of the Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns boxart, they're bundling one of two provocative posters with Amazon orders of the game as well.

But even that isn't enough coverage for Ninja Studio's roguelike heroine: GameStop orders of Izuna 2 will ship with yet another mini-poster featuring a more dressed, but no more demure, Izuna than the others. You could probably get away with having someone see this one on your wall.

We predict a minor swell of unopened Izuna 2 copies on eBay shortly after release, sold by people who just couldn't choose a poster.

Confirming Nintendo Power's statement, Ignition Entertainment sent out a press release announcing their intention to release Success's Tornado in North America. Surprisingly, the game isn't even close to being released in Japan yet: Success's barebones Tornado website still shows an "undecided" release date.

As Toki, a member of the Cosmic Cleaners, Tornado players must use upgradable Tornado Machines to clean up the world and reclaim all the items, people, and buildings that a malevolent Prince has stolen from Earth. Like Katamari Damacy with a different rotational axis. The focus is on acquiring unique items, and completing levels in the Story Mode unlocks them in Arcade Mode for replay and continued collecting.

The first English screens are available in our gallery. Take them for a spin, why don't you (oh man, sorry about that).


[Via press release]

Likely capitalizing on this year's box office release for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, developer and publisher Success has announced a new adventure title that features a very familiar-looking archaeologist.

Sporting a dusty brown fedora hat, Jonathan Westwood stars as an escape route specialist in Johnny's Epic Escape Campaign (Jonny no Dasshutsu Taisaku Ikusa). Though he isn't armed with a whip and he doesn't have a short Asian sidekick named Short Round, Jonathan will be escaping from four different scenarios that sound a lot like Indiana Jones movie titles:

1. Akumu no Gamble Night (Nightmare Gambling Night)
2. Nessa no Nuikyuu (Labyrinth of Hot Sand)
3. Nuifu kara no Sasoi (Invitation from Hades)
4. Wasurerareta Kaizokusen (The Forgotten Pirate Ship)

Johnny's Epic Escape Campaign hits stores in Japan this August 26th, the same day Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens in Japanese theaters. Swing into our gallery below for screenshots from the game!


[Via Game Watch, Siliconera]