Sengoku basara

Gonna do some necro-bumping here. Hope it's alright.
Anyway, I'm a big fan of this series but I usually discuss it in other pastures. Alas, those discussions have lately been stuck in a Groundhog Day loop between the bi-weekly updates of the currently in development Sengoku Basara 4 with people speculating over the roster and other people shooting down said speculation that last until the next batch is revealed.
That said, I'm going to try and convert more folks or at least get to know the fans of the series here at Skullheart.
To those unfamiliar with the series, it's essentially a stylish hack and slash series where the player mows down entire armies under the guise of overtly fantastic depictions of prominent figures from Japan's Age of Warring States. The games aren't "difficult" games per se and are usually best for venting and feel like a total badass. The real challenge is mastering the combat system that IS quite complex (the game is by the makers of DMC3 and DMC4, after all).

Anyway, 4 is currently in the works and here's a few trailers to give a idea of what the series is about and to those who are already fans, the improvements. The first 3 have been edited with subtitles by a joint effort of the more dedicated fans and trailer 4 is fresh from this week.

Here's the official site: http://www.capcom.co.jp/basara4/
The game is set for a (unfortunately) Japan exclusive release on January 23rd, 2014.

While Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes was the first title I played, I've been following the series since it's debut.
Personally, I love the series for it's colorful cast, stylish presentation, addicting gameplay, amazing soundtrack and sense of humor.
My top three favorite characters are Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Oichi and Otani Yoshitsugu.

Love Oichi, I use her all the time X3

sengoku basara 3 is super awesome fun.
I forget who my favorite to use was in that game.

I have Sengoku Basara X (the fighting game made by ArcSys) but I have no idea how the game systems work.

The latest update is all about Capcom unleashing their hounds of war and making known they'll milk fans for every cent they got.
Sengoku Basara has now jumped aboard the DLC train in the form of retailer specific alternate costumes. "Luckily", they're essentially texture swaps with minor details altered so nothing for importers to fret about.

http://www.capcom.co.jp/basara4/dlc.html

The most elaborate of these goes to the new girl, man-hating Christmas cake, Ii Naotora.

On a side note, and something that I personally found quite disappointing, the character designer is no longer Makoto Tsuchibayashi (who has worked on the series since SB1 and also designed characters for Shinobi, Devil May Cry and Vanquish) but the anime designer, Ookubo Tooru. :/

Anyway, if they stick to the bi-weekly pattern, the next batch of character reveals for SB4 comes next Tuesday. At this point, it's a fair assumption that only veteran characters will be confirmed.

Pardon the cheeky double post but we got a big surprise out of nowhere. Sadly, as is customary in the series, it's the kind of surprise we can look but can't touch. The latest update brings us 3 characters.

Left to right: Oichi, her husband Azai Nagamasa returning from a long hiatus since SB2 and a new character out of bleepin' nowhere, Kyougoku Maria, Azai Nagamasa's older sister. (In real life she was a Christian hence the Western name.)

Screenshots: http://www.4gamer.net/games/209/G020985/20131107066/
Translations: http://www.raindropsanddaydreams.co.uk/2013/11/news-roundup-weekly-famitsu-announces.html

Oichi and Nagamasa returning are great news for me. Now I patiently await for Otani Yoshitsugu and Matsunaga Hisahide.

Yay, I don't have to triple post! -_-"

Cybermanworf said:

In that case should I wait until that potentially happens or should I get them as they get released?

If tradition remains, a expansion will eventually be released (probably early next year) but if the trend continues, you'll miss out on the full story mode that is always removed in the expansion to make room for more characters, modes and short character-specific stories.
If you think that's worth the purchase or not, well, let the Story trailer released yesterday speak for itself.

Personally, I'll try getting this ASAP. The last character trailer FINALLY showed what I've been waiting to see since the game was announcement, that buffet of manliness that goes by the name of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. 03:23 for best character in the series.

Since I'm going trailer-happy, here's the latest subtitled ones. All the raw ones are in the Capcom Channel.

The cast has been fully revealed - 32 PCs (highest PC count in the series) and 8 NPCs.
http://www.capcom.co.jp/basara4/character.html
Sadly, SB1 veteran Houjou Ujimasa is not appearing this time likely because he's the least popular character in the series, which is a shame. He's a fun, unique character and in Utage is easily one of the strongest but because he's a scrawny old man nobody likes him.

I'm planning to get SB 3 hopefully.
And maybe SB 4 if it comes to the states

Does the HD collection have English subs?

Jutsei said:

I'm planning to get SB 3 hopefully.
And maybe SB 4 if it comes to the states

While Samurai Heroes is a great game (with a GLORIOUS dub that shut my hater weeaboo mouth), it's largely outshadowed by the expansion, Sengoku Basara 3 Utage. The character count alone says it all - SB3 has 16 PCs and Utage has 31 (3's 14 NPCs made playable plus the PC debut of Matsunaga Hisahide). Furthermore, Utage introduces TAG mode that allows you to take two characters unto the field as well as add new skills and retune all the SB3 veterans with new skill properties and cancel options.
And it costs a dirt cheap 2,500 JPY right now.

And I highly doubt SB4 will see the light of day in the West. If you're not familiar with the series, it's one of Capcom's two Japanese cash cows (the other being Monster Hunter) but while MonHun sells like hot cakes, the best selling Basara game so far is SB3 at around 500,000 units...which, let's face it, is not much. Where Basara really rakes in the green is with merchandise and events. There's a large amount of stage play adaptations, including one by a well known all female troupe. And that stuff obviously doesn't stick Westside.
And if you look at Samurai Heroes, you can tell Capcom NEVER bothered making any sort of promotion for the game (not even a freakin' stream session). If you weren't a fan of the series by then, chances are you didn't know 3 was being localized.
I think Basara is a very unique phenomenon in the industry given that it's a somewhat fanservice-heavy action game marketed for girls.

I wish things were different and Capcom give the series a honest attempt at selling the brand in the West, but I don't see it happening.
I'd gladly settle for a subtitled only digital release.
The games are very import-friendly, with the HUD having enough visual cues for the player to understand what he's supposed to do and for the most part, the objective is just KILL EVERYONE. Rarely, if ever. will the game make you babysit NPCs. But it is a shame to miss out on the dialogue because these games have pretty entertaining stories, be it the dramatic or comedic type.

Vladislav_Paizis said:

Does the HD collection have English subs?

As Cybermanworf pointed out, there are no subs but almost everything in SB2H has been translated by diligent fans. As said above, the games are very import friendly.
If you haven't already, I'd extend the suggestion of getting Utage instead. By now the game alone costs a measly €17 and the core gameplay experience completely blows the prequels out of the water. I personally love SB2H and I think it's better than both 3 and Utage in terms of stages (they're more and overall more fun to play) but the way the character "handles" and the number of options the player has is just miles better.

So meager original version I can actually understand, or better version with more characters that I can't understand.
Huh.
Tough call

As long as my Oichi's playable it'll have my interest. ^^

An expansion huh? like utage did?

Makes sense.
However unlikely my personal hope is if there's an expansion I kinda want Itsuki back ^^

Jutsei said:

Tough call

For that particular title, you at least get a dilemma. For everything else, it's take it or leave it.
Just remember that if you get Samurai Heroes, you don't get Norio Wakamoto.

Lunerstep said:

As long as my Oichi's playable it'll have my interest. ^^

Her hasubando is back so unless you want sweet tokusatsu justice stomped on your backside, choose your words carefully. :P
And a cutscene excerpt already shows her going berserk at seeing him dead.

Lunerstep said:

However unlikely my personal hope is if there's an expansion I kinda want Itsuki back ^^

I think she might remain excluded. Tragically, her seiyuu passed away at the young age of 41, taken away by the Big C.
In the mobile game, she is voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro, who voices Kyougoku Maria (but the series isn't stranger to having one VA voice two characters).

Excluded characters are:
- Nouhime
- Mori Ranmaru
- Xavi
- Itsuki
- Imagawa Yoshimoto
- Miyamoto Musashi
- Honganji Kennyo
- Houjou Ujimasa ("freshly" cut in SB4)

Xavi is unpopular and has been replaced by Sorin, Itsuki has the unfortunate situation I've mentioned and Yoshimoto, Kennyo and Musashi are very unpopular as well as "2-skillers", characters with a grossly incomplete moveset that only have 2 special moves (current series standard is 8 skills per character) so Capcom would be better off making new characters to sell then remake these who would take almost as much work as entirely new characters.
Most fans are hoping Nouhime and Ranmaru will appear in SB4's expansion given that Nobunaga is looking for them in his story but Ujimasa's exclusion (a character that has a current gen model), is damping some of those expectations.

and I do feel bad for her cuse of her husband, but that wont stop me from liking her so : P

Also I guess those points make sense, but as I stated what I wish may and most likely not happen, there just wishes for the game not demands.

So, game's getting released next week and Capcom is doing the last stretch to Hype Station with a trailer blow out, one per day showing the new characters (this is Capcom so Hideyoshi, Hanbei and Nagamasa count as "new").

YAMANAKA SHIKANOSUKE

GOTOU MATABEI

TAKENAKA HANBEI

TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI [SIDEBURNS INTENSIFY]


Keep tabs on Capcom Channel for more.


On a side note, to give those out of the loop a idea of what the Basara phenomenon is, have a look at the Basara character themed meals and cocktails promotion. I'm not the booze type and I gotta say some of these look pretty good, namely the sundae-esque Kuroda Kanbei themed cocktail and the Toyotomi Hideyoshi cocktail that is so manly, it has to be served in a stone cup.
But yeah, it's in these silly things where the brand really rakes the green, strange as that may seem to us.

so, what's everyone's opinion on Motochika?
cuz I love that guy.
just flying around with an anchor.

SanoBaron said:

shout outs to Ieyasu for looking at guys who fight in mechs, use multiple swords, flying anchors, several fire arms, magic, and being "y'know, I think my fists'll be enough"

Worf, I figured you'd like Date the best because

my favorite live action basara is nobunagackt

if you want something else to like then here ya go.
also

man I can just hear the TM Revolution just looking at that

by heaven's decree, I agree!

wanna know who should play live action Motochika?

Yutaka Kobayashi.