In May 2009, Nippon Ichi America announced they will be bringing Sega’s Sakura Wars to the United States for the first time on the PlayStation 2 and Wii. A long and celebrated series that began in 1996, this is a pretty big deal for the few of us that have played and enjoyed them for several years.

But most people in the west (understandably) have absolutely no idea what all of the hulla baloo is about. “Why should I care? Isn’t this just another random JRPG?” At a glance, that’s probably what it appears to be, but it’s so much more.

In this thread, I’m going to explain why you should be interested, and why you would be well served to pick up this great title when Nippon Ichi releases it this fall.


What is Sakura Wars?

Sakura Wars (also referred to as Sakura Taisen) is a series of Strategy RPGs developed by Red Entertainment (Tengai Makyo, Thousand Arms), Overworks/Sega WOW (Skies of Arcadia, Valkyria Chronicles), and published by Sega (You know, Sega!). The series features character designs by renowned manga artist Kosuke Fujishima (Tales of Phantasia, Symphonia, the Abyss, and Vesperia), music by Kohei Tanaka (Alundra, Bionic Commando), and story by Ohji Hiroi (Moeyo Ken).

The concept is simple at first glance: Sakura Wars is a strategy RPG with an unusual twist for building your stats. In the game, you play as the captain of a specially created unit of female solders with high levels of spiritual energy to fight the forces of evil in large, steam powered robots. Sounds pretty cookie cutter so far? Good, ‘cause that’s as many cookies as we’re gonna cut!


What makes Sakura Wars so special then?

Lots of things, but for now let’s stick with gameplay. Unlike most RPGS where characters improve by gaining levels through experience earned in battle, in Sakura Wars your squad members improve in strength and mobility the more they like/trust you. A typical “episode” in a Sakura Wars game consists of two modes:

1) Adventure Mode: Walk through the theater/town, talking to the various characters in the story
2) Battle Mode: Get into them mechs and take down the bad guys.

The Adventure Mode is where the stat building occurs. As you walk through the theatre (your base) and the town itself, you’ll encounter the various members of your squad doing whatever it is the story feels like having them do at that particular moment. As you talk with them, you’ll come across questions or situations where you have to choose how to respond. Respond correctly, and the girl’s trust increases. Respond poorly, and you lose trust.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “That sounds like one of them dating sim hentai games!” Let’s get this out of the way: Yes, there are dating sim elements. No there is no hentai. But even THIS aspect of Sakura Wars is hardly standard fare; like everything else in this series, there’s a twist involved.

In most adventure games/dating sims/Elder Scrolls, when the window of choices pops up, you have more than enough time to read each response, think it through, and select the best choice accordingly. But that hardly seems interesting/realistic right? I mean seriously, what girl’s gonna wait there for hours and hours for someone to respond to a simple question?

Sakura Wars utilizes a system called LIPS for your options, and these responses are timed. Usually, you’re given no more than 3-5 seconds to respond. That’s 3-5 seconds to read each response, decide on the best one, and then select it. So you gotta be on your toes. Let’s take a look at the following screen:



See that bar around the text window? That’s the timer, and it’s going to fill up fast so you better respond quickly or your character will say/do nothing instead. BUT this also brings up another interesting choice; sometimes the best course of action is to say/do nothing.

Additionally, there are times where you’re given one choice, but must adjust the volume/intensity with which you state it to the appropriate level using the analogue stick.



There are also times where you’re given one long time frame to go through several timed options.



As you can see, it’s anything but cookie cutter. All of these interactive scenes in Adventure Mode serve two purposes:

1) Determine the stats of the characters in Battle Mode
2) Determine which ending you’ll get at the end (i.e. which girl you “win” with)

Now, you might say to yourself “Well, that’s easy then! I’ll just make every girl trust me and they’ll all kick ass in battle!” Not so fast buddy! It’s not that easy. All of the girls have various and sometimes conflicting personalities. Some girls are easier to please than others. And sometimes, you’ll converse with two “conflicting” girls at once, meaning you’re liable to gain one’s trust while simultaneously losing trust from the other. And you can’t afford too many weak links when you enter Battle Mode, or you can get your ass handed to you if you’re not careful. So it’s a giant balancing act, one that’s much more addicting and interesting than it seems at first glance!

And this is just the Adventure Mode. Now let’s talk about the Battle Mode! Here’s a screenshot of a typical battle scene in Sakura Wars:



For those who’ve played Valkyria Chronicles, you might notice a couple of similarities (or at the very least, you might have read some of us mentioning them in the official VC thread). This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; this is the game Overworks developed immediately prior to Valkyria Chronicles. Unlike the grid-based competitors like Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea (or the first two Sakura Wars games I might add…), this Sakura Wars title features a free roaming battle field, with the Action Bar at the bottom of the screen determining how far you can move.

The major difference is that in Sakura Wars, the bar isn’t just for movement. It’s also used for actions like attacking (all mapped to a specific button, as shown). Each bar is split up into a set of partitions. Move a certain distance, and one partition will be drained. Thankfully, if you haven’t carried out any actions, you can also return to your starting position to refill your gauge. As you can see, this system requires careful management of the Action Bar. Maximize it to make battle easier. However unlike Valkyria Chronicles there are no real-time elements to the battle system; it’s a strictly turn-based affair.

There are some other notable similarities between Sakura Wars and Valkyria Chronicles (though there are arguably, just as many differences if not more)

- Both are set in an alternate version of the early 1900s (SW modeled after the 1920s, VC after the 1930s)
- Both feature similar gameplay flow of story sequences, followed by battle sequences (and a similar menu in-between these scenes for saving and reviewing your characters).
- Both feature one very highly powered technology that runs just about everything (SW uses steam, VC has “ragnite”)
- In both games you play as the captain of a squad, and in both games if this captain is killed in battle, the game ends (also like VC, the story characters don’t “die”, they retreat. Unlike VC, there are no non-story based characters in battle though).
- Both games are told in “Episodes” (or “Chapters” in VC)

A quick FAQ:

I’ve heard the game Nippon Ichi is bringing to America is actually the 5th game in the series. Am I going to be completely confused?

With the exception of a couple of cameos in the first 15 minutes, this is a pretty self-contained game. There’s no need to worry.

I’ve heard some people say this entry isn’t the best the series has to offer. So is this a bad game then?

To me, this argument is akin to saying Super Mario Bros. 2 is a pile of trash because 3 is better. It may be different, and maybe not as good depending on who you talk to, but it’s still a really good game and definitely worth picking up!

I don’t like JRPGs that have light-hearted unrealistic stories, big eyed characters, peppy music, turn-based battle, and colors other than green and brown. Will Sakura Wars change my mind?

No, no it won’t. However, if you do like quirky off-beat humor, lovable characters, colors, and are willing to check your disbelief at the door, it’s a fun and entertaining ride.

So this is coming to the PS2 and Wii?

The game was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. According to Nippon Ichi America’s Press Release, it’s coming to the US on both the PS2 and Wii, so you can pick whichever system you prefer.

What date is this coming out?

March 30, 2010

What kind of review scores did it get in Japan?

Famitsu: 10, 10, 9, 8 (37/40)
Deigeki: 90, 85, 85, 85

Why oh why did you take the time to write all of this up? Do you work for Nippon Ichi?

I wish. I wrote all of this because I believe there are many people who will really enjoy this game if they simply know what it is before jumping in. Just doing my part to spread the word.

What are these “extras” that Nippon Ichi mentioned in their press release?

The game features an option called “The Long Day in New York,” where you can walk around the town and talk to various characters to view images and cinemas you’ve viewed, music you’ve heard etc.

Will the game feature the original Japanese voices?

The PS2 version of the game will have both a Standard edition and Premium Edition. The Premium edition will come with 2 discs, one with English the other with Japanese. The Wii will only be getting the Standard edition.

What's the cost?

$39.99 for the PS2 Premium edition (2 disc), $29.99 for the Wii Standard edition (1 disc)

Is there a website?

Just click right here!

Can I please see what the game looks like in motion?

Here’s a trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEv-wDLgWL0&fmt=18

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/sakurawarssolongmylove/video/6246846?tag=topslot;thumb;1

NEW! English Trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F5ImyUMbLQ&fmt=18

NEW: US Trailer! http://www.sakurawars.us/movie_hres.html

NEW: English Screenshots Here!

You had me at:

Sakura Wars (also referred to as Sakura Taisen) is a series of Strategy RPGs

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bryehn said:

You had me at: Sakura Wars (also referred to as Sakura Taisen) is a series of Strategy RPGs

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What I love about Sakura Wars is how it mixes Strategy RPG gameplay with Adventure style gameplay in a unique and interesting way that really increases the gameplay's style. It's also one of the few series that started in 2-D, but made a brilliant translation into 3-D.

10 years too late Sega! TEN YEARS!

speedpop said:

10 years too late Sega! TEN YEARS!

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It's late yes, but I'm a "Better late than never" kinda guy.

so its persona 3 / 4 ? kinda ?

back in my Dreamcast days i was dying to try out Sakura Wars, but my interest in JRPG's have waned since then.

Flek said:

so its persona 3 / 4 ? kinda ?

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I can see the comparison. You do spend time around town chatting and making decisions to increase your team. The major difference is that in Sakura Wars the decisions are timed and more varied, and there isn't random dungeons and experience grinding.

Excellent thread. I played 1-4 on the Saturn/Dreamcast and loved them. Haven't tried 5 yet which makes it even better that my first playthrough can be in my native language. Totally pumped.

Vinnk said:

Excellent thread. I played 1-4 on the Saturn/Dreamcast and loved them. Haven't tried 5 yet which makes it even better that my first playthrough can be in my native language. Totally pumped.

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And if 5 does well in America, Nippon Ichi might find a way to bring the first 4 games stateside as well (PSP Go for 1+2, PS2/Wii for 3+4 I'd imagine...)

speedpop said:

10 years too late Sega! TEN YEARS!

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It look Fire Emblem 13 years to get here. Famicom Wars took 10 years as well.

BTW, the game sounds like a huge pain in the behind. I won't know until I actually try it though.

This might be a dumb question, but are there actually stats organized in a menu somewhere or is everything handled with bars? Six minutes of YouTube trailer and I'm not seeing the numbers.
I mean... it's fine either way. Just watched looking for an RPG and got something that seems more like a pure strategy game to me, which is curious.

Jiggy said:

This might be a dumb question, but are there actually stats organized in a menu somewhere or is everything handled with bars? Six minutes of YouTube trailer and I'm not seeing the numbers.

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Stats are mostly hidden. Like in real life ! You can see a couple of bars/numbers/words to qualify relationships at given times (before battles), though. But you don't really need to know the exact values. You'll easily understand just by talking who likes you and who doesn't. You mostly try to increase the stats to be able to see the videos of the special combos during fights.

Each time you talk to people, you'll hear tunes that suggest you increased (or decreased) your relationship with her/him. It's really the core of the game, because sometimes saying something will please some people and upset others. Sometimes, waiting for the time to run out (and say nothing) can be your best option.

The decision tree is huge, especially since in the Dreamcast games it's carried from one game to the next one. You'll get different parts, different endings, depending on your choices.

The best part of those relationship is that the game is really filled with humor. You'll often be offered strange or funny answers, and the results can be pretty unexpected. I'm really wondering how they'll manage to translate it, especially since it's filled with japanese wordplays... the name of the japanese team, "Kagekidan", for example, can be read "floral assault team" (all girls have a floral name) or "theatrical team" depending on the kanjis used.



Another thing I really like about Sakura Taisen : the orchestral music is really good. The only gripe I have with this series (that cost me probably several thousand dollars in games and goodies) is that the battle side of the game is far too easy, it's nearly impossible to loose a fight, and it really doesn't require skills. The battle system is really good (kinda similar to Valkyria Chronicles, barren real-time aspects), but you really need to be interested in the adventure part to enjoy the game.

This series looks pretty cool. I will keep it on my radar.

Next they should bring Segagaga to the US

I can't see this series without remembering Tim Roger's terrible review about it.

Is NISA going to mess the release up?

EmCeeGramr said:

I can't see this series without remembering Tim Roger's terrible review about it.

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Does something awful do these every year?

I want to read them all they're great.

2) Determine which ending you’ll get at the end (i.e. which girl you “win” with)

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sega looking for new markets after japan banned it?

EmCeeGramr said:

I can't see this series without remembering Tim Roger's terrible review about it.

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Except that review is for the action spin off Sakura Taisen V: Episode 0, which is NOT the game Nippon Ichi is bringing to America.

aaaaaa said:

sega looking for new markets after japan banned it?

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As I mentioned, there is no hentai, no rape, no sex, none of that whatsoever. Everything is pretty PG or PG-13 at its worst.

Calints Neos said:

Is NISA going to mess the release up?

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They better not, or they'll have some 'splainin' to do! :lol I think they've learned from their previous releases.

op you've sold me

Looks fun. How long is each battle compared to VC or traditional srpg's?

Asbel said:

Looks fun. How long is each battle compared to VC or traditional srpg's?

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Depending on the battle, half an hour to an hour. Later battles can take upwards of an hour and a half if you go after all of the enemies.

Great job on the OP. I was of course going to buy it in any case but now I'm looking forward to it even more.

Edit: Maybe you know, does this game (the japanese version of it) work well with PCSX2? I'd love to play it in HD.

Ignorant of any status details, I'm currently leaning towards the Wii version.
That said, I do plan on waiting to see which version NISA/IdeaFactory fuck up less, and plan on going with that one.

As I understand it, IF is only involved with the Wii version, so that might not be the way to go after all...

So I wasn't interested in this game at all until I read this. Now I think I'll pick it up. Are there any announced differences between the Wii and PS2 versions?

Nice thread! I think you managed to pinpoint exactly what SW is about better than I could have. I was actually thinking of doing a "History of Sakura Wars" or GAF plays: Sakura Wars series" thread quite a while ago as a way to help people just getting into the games and answer any questions that might come up. But with the announcement of SW5 in the US, I went against it since the possibility of the rest of the series being released might actually happen now. Guess I'll post relevant stuff in this thread then. :lol

Koren said:

Stats are mostly hidden. Like in real life ! You can see a couple of bars/numbers/words to qualify relationships at given times (before battles), though. But you don't really need to know the exact values. You'll easily understand just by talking who likes you and who doesn't. You mostly try to increase the stats to be able to see the videos of the special combos during fights.

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Well, I meant where and what are the stats in terms of battles. OP says this:

All of these interactive scenes in Adventure Mode serve two purposes:

1) Determine the stats of the characters in Battle Mode

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Sounds good, but what stats are being built up? HP, strength... Of course, if increasing trust raises all stats simultaneously, then I guess it truly isn't relevant and I can just estimate everything. I kind of figured that's the case, which is why I'm saying it seems like more of a strategy game/visual novel hybrid to me than a strategy RPG/visual novel hybrid by reading what's being described here.

Which is fine if so.

Jiggy said:

Well, I meant where and what are the stats in terms of battles. OP says this:

Sounds good, but what stats are being built up? HP, strength... Of course, if increasing trust raises all stats simultaneously, then I guess it truly isn't relevant and I can just estimate everything. I kind of figured that's the case, which is why I'm saying it seems like more of a strategy game/visual novel hybrid to me than a strategy RPG/visual novel hybrid by reading what's being described here.

Which is fine if so.

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Well going from past entries of the series, during the "eyecatch" saving portions of the game, you can see who likes you the most along with the various stats on their attack, defense and the like. I can't see this game being any different in that regard.

Ramune said:

Well going from past entries of the series, during the "eyecatch" saving portions of the game, you can see who likes you the most along with the various stats on their attack, defense and the like. I can't see this game being any different in that regard.

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This is correct. At certain points in the episode (and always before you start battle) you'll be brought to a menu where you can save etc. One of the options in this menu is the ability to see the stats of the girls as well as their rankings (i.e. who likes/trusts you more). Stats do not affect HP or SP I'm afraid, but stats affect their strength, defense, and mobility.

Ramune said:

Well going from past entries of the series, during the "eyecatch" saving portions of the game, you can see who likes you the most along with the various stats on their attack, defense and the like. I can't see this game being any different in that regard.

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It's the same.

ivysaur12 said:

So I wasn't interested in this game at all until I read this. Now I think I'll pick it up. Are there any announced differences between the Wii and PS2 versions?

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No announced differences at this time. I'm hoping N1 will mention something at E3, especially about the controls.

Cool, always wanted to play Sakura Wars back in the Dreamcast days.

Interested in the Wii version, is it in 16:9?

Also, do you guys reckon I will like it if I LOVE SRPG like Fire Emblem (going as far as playing Maniac's mode), Advance Wars or Shining Force but I find, for example, Nippon Ichi's offerings so time consuming and stats deep that they give me headaches? Even Final Fantasy Tactics Advance GBA was too cluttered for my own taste.

Dash Kappei said:

Also, do you guys reckon I will like it if I LOVE SRPG like Fire Emblem (going as far as playing Maniac's mode), Advance Wars or Shining Force but I find, for example, Nippon Ichi's offerings so time consuming and stats deep that they give me headaches?

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Sakura Wars is not time-consuming at all for stats. But keep in mind that it has few in common with games like Fire Emblem. Again, I'd like to stress the fact that it's rather an adventure game with a very strong SRPG element rather than a SRPG with an expanded story part. You need to be interested in the adventure part to truly enjoy Sakura Wars.

Sometimes, in the middle of a fight, a girl can talk you about a thing you talk earlier (like the color she was wearing in the morning*) and the answer (and the time you take to answer) can have a result on the following attack.

* I don't remember this case, I have two examples in mind but I don't want to spoil anything. For people who have played ST3, I'm talking for example of ...

Jiggy said:

Sounds good, but what stats are being built up? HP, strength... Of course, if increasing trust raises all stats simultaneously, then I guess it truly isn't relevant and I can just estimate everything. I kind of figured that's the case, which is why I'm saying it seems like more of a strategy game/visual novel hybrid to me than a strategy RPG/visual novel hybrid by reading what's being described here.

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As said before, all stats are built up (or down !) at the same time. There's no stat management, it's just a matter of who is friend with who, so which combinations can be efficient.

Actually, there's no need for stat boost. I played a couple of time building the worst possible stats (it brings pretty funny talks) and fights were barely harder, as long as you know what to expect from the opponents. The only interest in stats is to be able to trigger doubles attacks, specials (between the captain and each girls, which give a nice/strange video*, or between girls themselves) and parries.

* I put strange because... you'll have to discover by yourself. Strange is really the best word to describe some of them. I kinda doubt there's a lot of games where you're assaulting the enemies while shouting "steak, potato, hamburger!".

Would someone that detests sRPGs, but loves Persona 3/4, like Sakura Wars, or should I stick to the DVDs?

I'd be excited if I could read it but alas, I cannot.

Dash Kappei said:

Cool, always wanted to play Sakura Wars back in the Dreamcast days.

Interested in the Wii version, is it in 16:9?

Also, do you guys reckon I will like it if I LOVE SRPG like Fire Emblem (going as far as playing Maniac's mode), Advance Wars or Shining Force but I find, for example, Nippon Ichi's offerings so time consuming and stats deep that they give me headaches? Even Final Fantasy Tactics Advance GBA was too cluttered for my own taste.

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Don't worry, it's a Sega game through and through. Unless 5 takes a very different turn from the earlier games, you CANNOT grind. It's not like they have randomly generated dates you can go on (although that'd be pretty cool). However, there's always a ton of different things you can do and concentrating on each girl opens up new conversation branches, so it's quite replayable.

But like Koren said, you might find the battle system in this game a bit too simple. It really depends on if you find the adventure part interesting. My memory of the way these games work is if you make a response that pleases one of the girls, you'll hear a little bell, and her stats in general go up. You don't have to take her to the gym to improve her strength or anything like that.

Btw, someone who's played 5, can you abuse the "Protect Girl" option in battle? I think that got mostly fixed in 3, but you could still do some crazy stuff with it iirc.

Additionally, there are times where you’re given one choice, but must adjust the volume/intensity with which you state it to the appropriate level using the analogue stick.

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I'd forgotten about those in ST 3... a really cool idea, but I generally didn't like the implementation. Things like this might make the Wii version interesting (if it was anyone but Idea Factory porting it).

Would someone that detests sRPGs, but loves Persona 3/4, like Sakura Wars, or should I stick to the DVDs?

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If you love Persona 3/4, you'll love this (unless the thing you loved about Persona 3/4 was the randomly generated dungeon crawling). There's not that many battles anway, and the ones that are there are basically Valkyria Chronicles light. If you've been watching the Sakura Wars anime, you might be a bit put off by the characters in this one, but the anime rarely did a good job of capturing the spirit of the games anyway.


Damnit, this thread is too early, I'm having a hard time waiting as it is. :/ I might have to hook up the Dreamcast again at this rate...

androvsky said:

Btw, someone who's played 5, can you abuse the "Protect Girl" option in battle? I think that got mostly fixed in 3, but you could still do some crazy stuff with it iirc.

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Abuse in what way now? For relationship building? The cover option has remained the same as always thruout the series really. Although yeah, 1 was extremely bad about how many you could protect :lol I think that was fixed in Atsuki though. There's a new flaw here, its' the Co-op attacks. You can literally finish a battle in minutes if you get those co-op attacks up to 100%. It's like every single attack will result in a combined assault. That's the new broke.

Mejilan said:

Ignorant of any status details, I'm currently leaning towards the Wii version.
That said, I do plan on waiting to see which version NISA/IdeaFactory fuck up less, and plan on going with that one.

As I understand it, IF is only involved with the Wii version, so that might not be the way to go after all...

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We still don't know why Idea Factory was listed but yeah, I'm planning to get the PS2 version until they clarify that. Hopefully IF just got them connected to RED who landed them the deal with Sega or something...

Is this coming out for full price or it is still too early to know?

Buyed a PS2 at the end of its life cycle for Persona 3 and 4, I love them and also made me to buy lots of other excellent PS2 games for a great price right now. 10, 20 euros...

Reading this Im now looking formward to it, maybe they will make it cheaper in the PS2?

Do you know if its coming also to PAL land?

androvsky said:

Btw, someone who's played 5, can you abuse the "Protect Girl" option in battle? I think that got mostly fixed in 3, but you could still do some crazy stuff with it iirc.

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It's still pretty efficient. Last battles would have been harder without it, it's a good way to take an insurance that your healer (or weak ally) won't be washed out. It also allows

androvsky said:

I'd forgotten about those in ST 3... a really cool idea, but I generally didn't like the implementation.

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What didn't you like in it (and especially what do you expect to be different in Wii version) ?

It's used pretty often in V, and I loved the one in Central Park when you date Gemni

SpacePirate Ridley said:

Reading this Im now looking formward to it, maybe they will make it cheaper in the PS2?

Do you know if its coming also to PAL land?

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I wouldn't hold my breath on those two.

It's a pretty big translation work (far larger than a RPG), so it won't be bargain priced, I'd say. And I kinda doubt they'll try to distribute it in Europe before they get the results of V in north America.

Koren said:

I wouldn't hold my breath on those two.

It's a pretty big translation work (far larger than a RPG), so it won't be bargain priced, I'd say. And I kinda doubt they'll try to distribute it in Europe before they get the results of V in north America.

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True, but once the translated version is released in the US, the work is basically done. Hasn't Square-Enix released stuff in Europe after Atlas or NIS translated and released it in the states?

GoutPatrol said:

Is this coming out for full price or it is still too early to know?

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Sadly this is currently unknown. I'm hoping we'll get this info soon, if not at E3.

LiquidMetal14 said:

I'd be excited if I could read it but alas, I cannot.

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If you can read English, you'll be able to read it when it's released! ^_^

P90 said:

Would someone that detests sRPGs, but loves Persona 3/4, like Sakura Wars, or should I stick to the DVDs?

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I think so, as the SRPG parts don't play much like the other SRPGs. There's a heavy emphasis on the Adventure mode, which is similar to the Persona 3/4 system.

I wonder if the anime will make it here too... or has it already been released years ago?

:lol Been waiting so long, I can't keep track anymore

RurouniZel said:

True, but once the translated version is released in the US, the work is basically done. Hasn't Square-Enix released stuff in Europe after Atlas or NIS translated and released it in the states?

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Yes, but if it failed in the US (and I fear this may fail, unfortunately), I'm not sure a publisher will want to take the risk, for a kind of game really uncommon outside of Japan.

I hope I'm wrong, since I really want the series to come back to life.

Epcott said:

I wonder if the anime will make it here too... or has it already been released years ago?

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Where is "here" ?

Here in France, a couple of places broadcasted the movie, the TV series has been broadcasted several times on anime channels, and most (if not all) OAV are available on DVDs.


In the US, I'm pretty sure that everything has been broadcasted and/or is available on DVD.

Koren said:

Yes, but if it failed in the US (and I fear this may fail, unfortunately), I'm not sure a publisher will want to take the risk, for a kind of game really uncommon outside of Japan.

I hope I'm wrong, since I really want the series to come back to life.

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Understandable, but I'm optimistic that it will succeed. Not light up the charts mind, but I believe that through word of mouth this will be a slow burner. ^_^

Wow! great OP RurouniZel! I always take pride in my fellow NeoGAF members when they take the time to make a case for why a game is great like this.

I wonder if this will include ST V episode 0 too.

Can't wait to try one of ST games without resorting to a translation FAQ. Nice thread OP, consider me excited!