Sequels, sequels, sequels! In this month's video game news digest, a lot of game series are having follow-up games being developed.
Last DBZ Sparking Game Is Under Development 
The game series finale Besides working on
Dragon Ball Z for Kinect, Namco Bandai is also developing the last
DBZ Sparking! game. Titled
Dragon Ball Sparking! Omega, it will be a sequel to the game,
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (
Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor in Japan), and it will have largest character roster in the game history.
The game will be out in Japan this winter.
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1Toriko's Friends Join Him in the PSP Game 
The power of teamwork More character from the manga series will help Toriko in his quest in the game,
Toriko: Gourment Survival 2. Komatsu, Rin, and Terry Cloth will join as support characters. Two new original characters will be in the game as well; one is a mysterious restaurateur who uses a chopping board as a shield while the other is lady chef named Koryou. The game takes place in the continent of Gattsuki where the Salamander Sphinx and Regal Mammoth reside.
The game's Japanese release date is July 5th.
Original SourceRurouni Kenshin PSP Game Preview 
Get ready to fight! Rurouni Kenshin: Kaisen, the PSP sequel to the previous fighting game, will give the players an option of playing as the anime version of Rorouni or the New Kyoto one. Previous characters from the last game as well as new ones (e.g. Sagara Sozo and Han’nya) are included in the roster, which contains over 30 playable characters. The game's Story Mode has been enhanced too, and Namco Bandai has added more anime stills for players to collect.
It will be out on Aug. 30th in Japan.
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1Gundam AGE Will Have Two Versions 
Two choices to choose from Namco Bandai will giving players two options for the
Gundam AGE PSP game:
Universe Accel and
Cosmic Drive. Each version will have different guest Mobile Suits from
00 Gundam,
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, and the original
Gundam series that appeared in "Cross Play Mission" play mode. In this online mode, three players work together to complete a mission. The four types of missions are: stroy the boss, destroy all the enemies on the map, attack and destroy an enemy ship, and protect your mothership. Clearing the missions will unlock characters, mobile suits, and materials that are only available in this mode.
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1Rinne no Lagrange PS3 Game Dated 
Another mech battle Just like
.hack//Versus,
Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne Kamogawa Days will also have a hybrid disc, which include an anime OVA and video game, which is an action shooter. The PS3 game,
Kamogawa Dream Match, retells the anime's first season. It will have over twenty stages and an original area, which was made specifically for the game. A secret level can be unlocked by clearing mission mode. Players will have a choice of 10 mechs, over 10+ playable characters, and 18 costumes to choose from. During the mission, the characters can chat with each other; original dialogue has been included in the game too.
The game will be out on Aug. 23rd in Japan.
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4More Manga-ka Involved with Unchained Blades Sequel 
More character designs by manga-ka Just like the previous game,
Unchained Blades Exiv will have character designs drawn by over a dozen manga-ka and video game character designers. These artists are:
- Suzuhito Yasuda (Devil Survivor)
- Haruyuki Morisawa (Larange: The Flower of Rin-ne)
- Yusuke Kozaki (No More Heroes)
- Kumiko Suekane (Once Upon a Glashma)
- Kaito Shibano (Luminous Arc 3)
- Kunihiko Tanaka (Xenogears and Sands of Destruction)
- Keatsumi Enami (Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari)
- Kia Asamiya (Fist of the North Star)
- Shin Nagasawa
- Eiji Kaneda (Aquarion)
- Senmu (Kampfer)
Toshio Akashi (
Lunar) is producing the game while Takashi Hino (
Grandia) is writing the story. Nobuo Uematsu is writing the theme song while his band, Earthbound Papas, is in charge of the soundtrack. The PSP and 3DS game will be out in Japan on Oct. 18.
Original SourceWii U Controller Has Been Revamped 
The updated controller According to a pic posted by a game's QA tester, the Wii U controller has been modified. It now has proper analog sticks; the "Start" and "Select" buttons have been rearranged while the built-in microphone has been moved left of the "Home" button.
Original SourceSony has announced that a crystal white model of the Vita on June 23rd. The 3G version will cost 9,980 yen ($375) and the Wi-Fi-only one will cost 24,980 yen ($312). A matching white headphone will also be available for 2,980 yen ($37).
Original SourcePSN Will Now Have Pre-loading 
Just like Steam, Sony will now offer pre-loading, which allows users to buy and download games. However the game will not be activated until the release day.
Original SourceSony Employee's Resume Hinted at PS4 
A SCEA staffer named Frederick Umminger has posted something interesting in his resume. He mentioned that he led a team of four engineers in maintaining voice chat library for PlayStation 4.
Original SourceKeiji Inafune and Sony's Japan Studios are working together to develop the Vita game,
Soul Sacrifice. The game takes place in a demon book. The MC is a man who was raised by a cruel sorcerer, who keeps slaves. When he was supposed to be sacrificed, the book appeared before him, in which he could see a sorcerer from the past battling monsters. When he enters the book, he can experience the stories that were written in it.
Inafune called the game a "true fantasy" because in order to use magic, a player will need to sacrifice something. For more powerful spell, the MC, which has been customized by the player, has to sacrifice his organs, which can be transform as weapons, and perhaps his life. For example, to summon the sword Excalibur, the MC will use his spine and transform it into the sword. Unfortunately after using that weapon, the player will die. Using too much magic will cause your character to have more monster-like features similar to the monsters that you battle. These monsters used to be humans but have been transformed due to the overuse of magic on their parts.
The game will be out in Japan this winter though no release date has been revealed for N. American and Europe.
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6More Persona 4: Arena Story Modes Detailed 
The box art Arc System Works and Atlus has posted four more characters's stories that will be in the Story Mode. Yosuke Hanamura is still working at Junes and going to school as a third-year. One day he heard of a rumor that the Midnight Channel is airing again. Deciding to investigate, he entered the TV and bumped into a mysterious girl named Labrys. Chie, who is pursuing her dream to become a police officer, entered the TV world as well and there, she heard a mysterious voice telling her that she will soon encounter a man wearing a cloack.
Yukiko Amagi is training to become a chef when she heard rumors about the Midnight Channel. She decided to enter the TV world to prove that her cooking has improved. There, she bumped into Labrys, who announced that she was the school council president, and both become friends instantly. On the other hand, Kanji Tatsumi, upon hearing that the MC is coming back, wanted to knit a gift for his senpai. He fell asleep and the next thing he knew it, he was in front of the high school and a TV monitor popped out of nowhere. Wondering if it was a dream or real, he decided to enter the fighting tournament, where he confronted his shadow self.
The game will be out in Japan on July 26th, Aug. 7th in N. America, and sometimes this year in Europe.
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7Atlus introduced a new mini-game, a new feature, and another character got a new ultimate persona in the Vita remake. First, the MC can now go bug catching at the local temple; the insects can be used as bait when the player go fishing. Second, if a player is low on health before a battle, he or she can send a Relief Request out online so another player can heal him or her.
Lastly, Rise who provide support during battles will have a new persona, Kouzeon. She also will have new abilities that will help her teammates. She can now join in an All-Out Attack, provide buffs on her friends or heal them (Battle Support), analyze enemies before you attack (Rise Check), and attack weakened enemies (Cheer Up). If the MC gets knocked down by an enemy, she can use Assist to help him back up.
The game will be out in Japan on June 16th and this fall in N. America.
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5Shin Megami Tensei IV Teased 
A teaser An advertisement for Atlus's
Shin Megami Tensei IV was in the latest Famitsu magazine. Unfortunately no information has been posted though a teaser website has been up.
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1Kingdom Hearts 3D: Mark of Mastery Edition Announced for NA 
The special edition Square Enix is going to release a special edition of
Kingdom Hearts 3D in N. America. The
Mark of Mastery Edition will include a hard cover to protect a 3DS from Nobodies, 12 art cards, five AR cards, and a copy of the game bundled in a magnetic case. One of the five AR cards is a "stand" for the players to use while they take pictures of their Dream Eaters; the others are rare Dream Eaters.
This edition will cost $55.
Original SourceIn a Famitsu article, Nomura stated that SE is planning to release a demo for the
Kingdom Hearts 3DS game, which would be similar to the one that was in Japan. However, it hasn't been officially announced yet.
Original SourceA New Zone of Enders Game Announced 
A new game in the series During its
Zone of Enders HD Night, which was used to promote the HD version of the game, Konami Production revealed that they are working on a new game for the series. The game is still in its experimental and prototyping stages. Ryosuke Toriyama will be the producer of the game while Hideo Kojima will act as a support-role producer.
The game is supposed to take place after
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, and its setting is in an ancient civilization.
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1Besides working on the next
Zone of Enders game, Konami is developing the next
Castlevania game too.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, which takes place 25 years after
Lords of Shadow, features Trevor Belmont who uses his own version of the Combat Cross and Simon Belmont who will become playable in the game at some point. While the former can use light and shadow magic, the latter can summon mystical guardians to aid him. Two other characters will be playable as well though they haven't been revealed yet.
For the game mechanics, it will have a deep combat mechanics; the X button will be used for strong attacks while the Y button will be used for long range ones. If a player wishes to use a secondary weapon (e.g. boomerang-like glaive), then he would press the A button. To grab enemies, push down the R button. Pressing the L button allows players to block an attack or dodge it. Usage of light and dark magic will be in the game too. Earning experience points allows Trevor to unlock new combos, such as launching enemies into the air. Some enemies are skeletons, axe-wielding undead, etc.
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2Besides the 3DS game, Konami is also working on the sequel to
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which will be a conclusion to the saga. In the debut trailer, Gabriel Belmont make his reappearance as he battles an army that was sent out to kill him.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will be out next year.
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Unchained Blades is about an arrogant dragon king who wants revenge on a goddess who cursed into his weaker, human form because he insulted her. Different mythical creatures (in human forms of course) will join in his journey as they try to reach the goddess's residence. You can find more info here if you're interested.