Lets put all the other controversy around this game aside for a second and actually talk about the game itself. This is readily looking like the next thing I'm going to bother actually buying. Are there any good extended raw game play clips of this in action? I've seen the snippets in the official trailer and it looks pretty cool but I'd like to see more. Also, any word on the price? Is this going to be a full price thing?

Between this and Killer is Dead August is going to be a fun month. =D

This is one of those games that's pushing me closer and closer toward getting a Vita. Another one being Muramasa, which coincidentally is another Vanillaware game. Co-op beat'em-up action with a fantasy theme sounds awesome. Sadly, I haven't seen any recent footage outside of the trailers that have come out as of late.

@demoskinos: Not me. It'll be $50 for PS3 and $40 for Vita. There's no cross buy and cross play so that sucks. It does have cross save though. But you probably don't have a Vita so you won't care. But there's your price!

@hailinel:It's going to be on PS3 as well, if you didn't know.

Looks cool to me. All of the "controversy" got me interested.

Hopefully it will be good. I never even heard of it until the stir last week. I liked what I seen of vanillawares other games but have never played one. Here is my chance I suppose.

Despite some degree of fascination with their previous materials I've never actually played a Vanillaware game o.O; watching someone play Odin Sphere for 40 hours sort of negates the need to play it yourself I find.

@immortalsaiyan: Beat me to it

Odin Sphere was awesome. I still need to play Muramasa, so good thing that is coming to Vita too. So yes, I am excited to play it.

It would be amazing if they ported over Odin Sphere as well, but with a better frame rate.

I'm certainly looking forward to it on PS3. I really liked Muramasa. I was already planning on getting a Wii at the time it came out and the QL turned me on to it. Picked it up with the console and I wasn't disappointed.

Sure some of the character design is silly but I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen of Vanillaware's gameplay and that's what's important to me. Brawlers were hot, turned to shit for a decade plus, then there was Vanillaware. Hopefully they'll keep it going. I'll probably see if I can get it on GameFly and get a copy to keep if I like it.

Doesn't look like something I'd like; I'll give it a try though if there's a demo or a ps+ special offer.

I'm picking this game up for sure. The game looks like fun as a co-op game. I plan to get the game for PS3 and probably Vita in the future.

I don't know enough about it to say I'm excited, but I'm definitely really interested, and will be playing it. Most likely on PS3.

@awesomeusername: Hmmm... I suppose $50 isn't too bad. I'd hope for $40 but eh.. I'll still buy it.

$50 seems like too much to me, if I were interested that is. But $40 should be the PS3 price and $30 for the Vita. It would gain a lot more sales then at $50 and $40.

What's the determining factor of the "perfect" price in your mind?

I'm not at all excited to play this game. I didn't like beat'em'ups when they were relevant. I extra don't like them now.

@hailinel: I said it already. $40 for PS3 and $30 for Vita. That's for retail though. Digital versions should be like $36 and $26. $40 for a side scroller beat 'em up (?) for Vita is to much. A lot of these Vita games shouldn't be $40 anyway. Hell, at least be $36! Sony's retail titles are the cheaper games on the Vita store.

As a matter of fact, the price should depend on the game (quality?). $36 should be the highest a Vita game costs and that's if it's a game that makes sense at that price like AC3:L, Gravity Rush, Uncharted:GA, Soul Sacrifice, etc. Games like Dragon Crown, Unit 13, Sonic Transformer Racing thing, MLB, etc. should be like $28. (Keep in mind that these should be the digital prices, I could care less about retail Vita game prices. Who buys Vita games at retail?!) I know dev's have to make a profit and stuff though so whatever. But lowering the price like I said would get more people into buying it instead of someone staring at it on the PS Store and saying "Nahhhh, I'll wait for a price drop/sale." I completely got off track. Why the hell did I bring up Vita game prices? Ahhhh, what the hell. Sony seems to be the only sane publisher who's lowering their games prices at retail like Sly 4 and The Puppeteer. More publishers should follow suit, especially Atlus since they're not a big publisher.

I'm always excited to play a new Vanillaware game. What they do with sprite graphics makes pretty much everything else look like the scribbles of clumsy little children.

These are pretty much my thoughts as well.

Me. It's the reason I bought a Vita, so it's great that it's actually coming out. I love Vanillaware's stuff without exception. Well, I didn't play Muramasa on account of not having a Wii, but that'll be fixed soon enough.

I've come to really like beat 'em ups after the Scott Pilgrim game but GrimGrimoire is the only Vanillaware game I've finished so far. Odin Sphere and Muramasa felt a bit too light on the core combat mechanics to keep me interested in the action for hours on end, but just judging by the trailers the characters all seem to have a lot going for them. I'm buying both version regardless.

Here's hoping they found some way to shoehorn in more gorgeous food animations.

my penis.

I can't wait to play it. Ridicuboobs aside, I love the super-detailed 2D sprites. Muramasa's gameplay was mostly an improvement on Odin Sphere's, even if both of them are pretty much mash-attack-button-to-win. There was certainly a lot less graphical slowdown in Muramasa (Odin Sphere was almost unplayable at times; we're talking like 1 fps.) I'm hoping this one makes some more improvements. Long live 2D!

LOOKS awesome, i'm just not sure how they'll keep a beat 'em up interesting.

It's easy for you to say, "It's a beat'em up, I shouldn't be paying this much," but at the same time, how much did it cost to make? Would it be of any benefit to the developer or publisher to release it for $30 on Vita?

I was hype before I saw the witch tits. Some of the original team that made the first Capcom D&D beat em ups? Fuck yes. I love that and Shadow Over Mystara, some of my favorite games along with the AVP arcade game. I hope it's really deep combo wise like those were.

Got my preorder in with Amazon yesterday. So I'm good to go.

Dia uno.

That's why I said "I know dev's have to make a profit and stuff though so whatever." I'm only saying it makes more sense to put it at that price from a consumers perspective. People with Vita's consistently say they don't want to pay $40 for a Vita game because it's to much and the fact that the Vita hardly gets demos doesn't help these games get garner more sales either. People aren't going to just toss $40 at a game they hope is good.

The Amazones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOunJMKAh4E

excited :)

I am. I am debating whether or not to get this at launch. I just have a feeling it's gonna play great.

no crap just hype!! i cannot wait vita all the way man!!!

My Famitsu DX Pack shipped today, it should arrive early next week. A lot of negativity surrounding Nippon-Yasan's pre-orders but I just might use them again.

That coffee mug's going to be hella pimp at work.

well i'm counting the days and minutes and i just can't wait i also have and incredible urge to get my hands on the pre order art book

@darkvare: I know right? If there was ever any game where an art book made me all giddy its this one. I'm really looking forward to seeing this thing running on my screen. The game is just so damn pretty.

@demoskinos: i've been playing grim grimoire and odin sphere in anticipation

The "controversy" was just another non-issue that Kotaku made up until George Kamitani fed the trolls with a gay bash. This is set to be an absolutely gorgeous beat-em-up, and I look forward to it.

Man I've put almost 15 hours into this game already and have owned it for a little less than 24. Don't think I've done that with any game since Diablo 2.

Put it on hold to get some exercise but I'm probably going right back in afterward.

Yea, I am excited to play it, it looks truly beautiful (ridiculous boobs aside).

Yeah I've got around that as well. I'd have had more if PSN updated in a timely fashion. >_>

I'm absolutely loving the game. I have it for both systems if that says anything.

Good lord! I bought Dragons Crown da Vita on the cheap over here in lovely PRC and I must say that I have been enjoying it immensely. Quite the sword and sorcery spectacular! Best soundtrack and art of the year.

@cosi83: My favorite band is NECROphagist.

@nekroskop: did they do the music or sometin?