Updates to the Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi DLC schedule
The official website has updated to reveal the latest additions to the Sengoku Basara 4 SumeragiDLC schedule. They've confirmed that the single versions of the various tie-in costumes will be available gradually with one being added to the store each week for each of the collaborations. This doesn't affect people who already bought the sets (or the special edition box with all of the costumes included).
The Character theme songs ~DISCO BASARA mix~ music pack will be released next week, so a track list with samples is now available on the site. The characters whose (remixed) themes are included in the set are Sen No Rikyuu, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Kyougoku Maria, Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, Ishida Mitsunari, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shima Sakon, Shibata Katsuie and Ii Naotora.
A mysterious new trademark registration appears, prompting speculation
An official trademark registration for a project called Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura Den (Sengoku Basara: Sanada Yukimura Legend) has been discovered by the Game Talk website. The Japanese Patent Office published the information on 28th July following its original filing on 10th July 2015. The trademark was filed in class 9, which is the category assigned to gaming equipment, games and digital media.
The site theorises that it has something to do with the exposure that next year's major Sanadamaru Taiga drama is expected to bring to the historical Yukimura. Perhaps Capcom plans to build on that by releasing a title with him as the main character?
This wouldn't be the first time that Yukimura has carried a Sengoku Basara series - he features prominently in a couple of the manga adaptations and was the lead in the Takarazuka musical a while back. He was even chosen to represent the series in that recent Q Transformers episode.
Personally, I'm going to expect something simple like a smartphone game until I hear any announcements to the contrary.
More details about the newly-released Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi strategy guide
Capcom's Sengoku Basara information portal has posted a description of the 480-page Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi: The Complete Guide book which came out in Japan today. It's based on the previous guide released for Sengoku Basara 4 so a fair amount of the data will be the same for this expansion. The new additions will be added in a Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi chapter. My copy shipped this morning so I'll try to summarise any interesting pieces of information towards the end of next week.
The official website publishes another new gameplay clip
Kasuga's moves are highlighted in today's new (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: I love roses, after allvideo clip. It's a little bit sexy.
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I finally received my special edition Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi in the mail yesterday so I now know a little more about the Sumeragi ID redemption process; fortunately it's exactly as I expected when I translated the first few steps so there shouldn't be any problems. Don't forget to claim your weapon DLC if you registered a Sumeragi ID before the deadline!
Incidentally, I received the comic-style Amazon Japan wallpaper with my preorder and it has a few of the greatest English 'translated' lines in the history of gaming.
Sourin: I do this for cash, not for ZABI. Muneshige: Yes Big Daddy.
Worth every penny.
By the way, there's a survey slip in the game box intended for customers who bought the game. If you don't mind muddling through the Japanese I recommend that everyone completes the survey at the link typed on the small piece of paper. In the questions asking what was good/bad about the game I mentioned the difficulties we foreign fans had in supporting the series we love and talked about how people were hoping for official English translations.
The first week sales figures for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi are available
I can't believe that the game has already been out for a week...
According to 4Gamer's preliminary chart, Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi has sold 58,889 copies on PlayStation 3 and 35,161 on PlayStation 4 for a combined total of 94,050 copies in its first week. The game has taken the second and third positions in the list. Famitsu's chart has the first week sales at 46,291 on PS3 with 24,848 on PS4 for a total of 71,139 copies.
There will be more sales charts published later on (and since they count using different metrics, the exact values will differ) but it looks as though it's doing ok for an expansion. It's interesting to compare its sales relative to the top seller (Youkai Watch: Busters) as the difference is significantly greater in Famitsu's chart.
These figures include both the standard and limited editions but they don't take download sales into account, so all that is known about the latter is that the game ranked in fourth place on the PS3 download chart and second place for PS4. Exact sales figures are not published for the PlayStation Network chart.
Another new gameplay video has been posted on the official website
Today's special video is a showcase of Matsu's moves in (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Animals! Gather Together!
Capcom will open a merchandise shop in Minoo for a limited time
The latest of Capcom's collaborations with the Oedo Onsen Monogatari hot spring 'theme park' brand is a special e-Capcom shop situated at the Minoo Onsen Spa Garden in Osaka Prefecture.
The Capcom Shop in Oedo Onsen Monogatari: Minoo Onsen Spa Garden store will be open for business between 1st August and 30th September 2015 and it promises to sell merchandise from series such as Monster Hunter, Sengoku Basara and Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney). There will also be displays for visitors who want to pose for pictures, appearances by Airou (Felyne) characters from Monster Hunter, games such as 'Battle Roulette', a stamp rally and special stickers for those who buy something from the park's food court.
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There's no magazine roundup today because Weekly Famitsu only had a meagre two pages of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi coverage and none of it was new. Next week's issue is going to continue the walkthroughs with information about the new Heaven difficulty - but I think the community will have figured it all out long before the magazine catches up.
Amazon posts the cover artwork for the Complete Works book
The Amazon Japan listing for the Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi Official Complete Works art book has updated to show its cover illustration.
I can't wait for Amazon to list the next V-Jump so I can place my order for both together!
Japanese fans can prove their Sengoku Basara knowledge with a unique picture
A preview of the special illustration available to those who pass the Sengoku Basara Qualification exam this year has been published. Surprisingly, they're using the Sengoku Basara Judge End style for the picture.
A live viewing broadcast is planned for the upcoming crossover stage play
Now that Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi has been released, the next big upcoming event will be the Butai Sengoku Basara vs Devil May Cry stage play which starts its run three weeks from now. Fans of Sengoku Basara or Devil May Cry who will be in Japan on 30th August 2015 but unable to make it to the AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo can book tickets to see
the finale closer to home, as a 'live viewing' broadcast has been
announced for cinemas across Japan. Further details are available on the
official website.
Park Romi (Uesugi Kenshin) was at Otakon in the US last weekend
Seiyuu fans may be interested to read this report by fellow fan Mewshuji!
The latest official Sengoku Basara 4 promotional video
Monday's special video was (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Hungry General. It's Toshiie's turn for a closer look at his special moves.
The official stream for the episode where Yukimura appears in Q Transformers
In case you missed it, the episode of the Q Transformers anime with a guest appearance by Sengoku Basara's Sanada Yukimura is available on the official DLE channel on YouTube. It's nothing to write home about but it's fun to see the series appearing elsewhere.
How to claim your four 'early reservation' weapons, if you registered for them
I'm still waiting for my physical copy of the game to arrive (it's being held in UK customs waiting for my expensive fines to be calculated - tch!) so these instructions might be incomplete. I'll finish them once I've successfully claimed my weapons.
In the meantime, here's what I know so far about the way you obtain the code for the benefit of those who registered their Sumeragi ID in time and now have their copies of the game. First, you need to visit the Sumeragi ID website and log in with your Sumeragi ID, just like you did before.
Click the new black button above the picture of the weapons as shown above, then check inside the game box for your PSN code for Yoshiteru's special weapon. You need to enter it into the next screen as shown, then click the black button at the bottom.
There may be additional steps but I'm hoping it's straightforward. You should be presented with a PSN code for the four 'early reservation' weapons and a download link for the special bonus wallpaper. I should have my physical copy later this week so I'll be able to confirm any extra details then.
Update: I have now been through the process myself and can confirm that the code and wallpaper details are on the very next page as expected. Be careful not to delete your save after claiming the weapons on PSN as this can sometimes cause the weapon DLC to be lost.
Note: Please remember that the weapon DLC can only be used when playing on your Japanese PSN account. Costume DLC will work on any account on the same console after its initial activation.
There has been some confusion about this so I'll try to explain it clearly.
If your Sumeragi save is linked to a Japanese PSN account...
All of the Japanese DLC will work. When you start up the game it will check for any DLC and the special weapons and costumes will be unlocked in your inventory ready for use. The only thing to be careful about is that if you decide to delete your Japanese save and start over for some reason after redeeming consumable DLC (e.g. the inscription packs and boosts on PSN) you won't have access to them any more. Weapons, music and costumes are permanently attached to your account.
If your Sumeragi save is linked to a non-Japanese PSN account...
You can use costume DLC after activating it on a Japanese account first, but any DLC weapons and boosts (like the inscription packs) will be unavailable. At this time there is no way to access those other than by starting over with a new save on a Japanese account.
If you don't have a save yet (i.e. you are starting the game fresh)...
I recommend using a Japanese account if you can, in case they add more weapons you can't resist later on. It's not hard to level up and gather materials this time around, and it's much easier to start from the beginning with an account set to the correct region than it will be to start over later on.
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These rules apply to both PS3 and PS4 users. Future weapon DLC which isn't already on the disc might work normally, but I have personally confirmed that the current weapons will only show up if you use an account from the correct region.
Please note that by 'weapon DLC' I mean the eight element-changing DLC weapons only. The special weapon skins which match the collaboration costumes are not actual weapons; you will see those automatically if you switch to your character's first weapon no matter which account you're on.
Finally, if you have Asian codes rather than Japanese ones - for example, the code for the DLC weapons in some copies of the Asian edition of the game - you may need to activate them on an account from one of the Asian PSN stores rather than the Japanese one. In that case, you just need your save to be on the same account you used for activation in order for the weapon/boost DLC to show up.
It took forever for the UK-accessible simulcasts to get started this season. I would have posted earlier except there aren't that many titles even including the delayed ones; this is going to be a very quiet season for me in terms of anime viewing. Crunchyroll, Daisuki and Viewster have all announced a few titles but Animax UK hasn't done anything yet - not that communication tends to be one of their strong points.
Arslan Senki, Gintama, Ore Monogatari!! and Shokugeki No Soma (Food Wars!) are all continuing into the summer. Most of the new titles I want to see are locked away by rights holders based in other regions, leading to one of the weakest UK-accessible anime seasons in ages. There are several good shows airing right now so why do we mostly get the fluffy school comedies?!
Sengoku Basara content from Thursday's issue of Dengeki PlayStation magazine
Better late than never, I hope!
I've been rewriting parts of my Sumeragi FAQ and adding a few details as I discover them, which is taking a while. As I mentioned before, last week's Dengeki PlayStation had a massive amount of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi coverage. Some is going straight into my ongoing guide for the game when I have the time to work on it, but there were also a few general articles about the series overall which seem more appropriate for a blog post.
In Dengeki PlayStation's official review of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, reviewers Tokachiya, Ru~pa, Yuuto and AO scored it with 80, 80, 90 and 90 points respectively. Tokachiya noted that it was especially good for newcomers to the series.
One of the magazine's spreads collected a number of arbitrary rankings put together by the magazine staff.
Top three classic Sengoku Basara portrayals:
1. The fist fights between Yukimura and Shingen
2. A super-gigantic robot!? Honda Tadakatsu's appearance
3. Oushuu's 'big bro' leading his delinquent soldiers
Top three blood-pumping stories:
1. Sakon's anime route from Sengoku Basara 4
2. Keiji's drama route from Sengoku Basara 4
3. Hanbee hiding his illness from Hideyoshi from Sengoku Basara 2
Top three over-the-top skills popular with the editorial department:
1. Matsunaga Hisahide's Kuromagatsu
2. Date Masamune's HELL DRAGON
3. Oda Nobunaga's Hametsu No Shoudo
Top three "Now this is what you call a boss!" characters:
1. Oda Nobunaga
2. Ashikaga Yoshiteru
3. Matsunaga Hisahide
Top three most unique warriors:
1. Mogami Yoshiaki from Sengoku Basara 4
2. The Gohonyari from Sengoku Basara 2 Eiyuu Gaiden (Heroes)
3. Tachibana Muneshige from Sengoku Basara 4
Top three stages with impressive mechanics:
1. Hinomoto Tunnels: Josui Line from Sengoku Basara 4
2. Oushuu: Aoba Castle from Sengoku Basara 4
3. Pirate Fortress: Hyakki Fugaku from Sengoku Basara 4
Top three ultimate rivalries:
1. Date Masamune vs Sanada Yukimura
2. Tokugawa Ieyasu vs Ishida Mitsunari
3. Mouri Motonari vs Chousokabe Motochika
A few miscellaneous notes from an interview with YamamotoD about the design process back when they were creating Masamune and Yukimura for the first Sengoku Basara.
Yukimura's association with the colour red was obvious but they originally considered using black for Date Masamune instead of blue, due to the real-life Masamune's love of the black lacquer armour which famously influenced the design of Darth Vader in Star Wars. However, they really wanted to go with Masamune and Yukimura as leads and use red and blue as their main colours, so they stuck with blue.
The interviewer remembered that it was a shock when the game first came out and Masamune was speaking English. Yamamoto responded that although we take it for granted nowadays, back at the time this was a challenge. It normally sounds like a joke when you think about peppering everyday conversations with English, right? He still remembers attending the preproduction recording with seiyuu Nakai Kazuya on 23rd December 2004 when the game was still in development and worrying that the English would sound awful, but Nakai's English was really cool! He said "I'm no good at English" yet the team reacted with "Let's go with this!".
The magazine staff counted up the times Masamune and Yukimura had battled one another throughout the series and found that while there had been eight draws, Masamune had won three times while Yukimura had only won once. They wanted to know whether this meant that Masamune was actually the stronger of the two.
YamamotoD explained that the two are inherently evenly matched; Yukimura isn't weaker at all so long as he's in good condition. He's weaker psychologically, however, and this is shown at times like when Masamune crushed him in Sengoku Basara 3. Yukimura was at his lowest point after Shingen fell. Masamune was at rock bottom too after being beaten by Mitsunari, yet he was still rushing around recklessly. With all being equal, it's the difference between someone who grinds to a halt and someone who rushes onwards at all costs. Another part of it was that Masamune had lashed out at Yukimura in anger.
YamamotoD mused that they still haven't properly told the story of Masamune's battle with Yukimura in the games, even though it was shown in the original Sengoku Basara opening movie. The interviewer joked about whether the next game was going to be 'Sengoku Basara Zero' - and was swiftly shot down.
Lastly, there was also a short interview with Nishikawa Takanori of T.M.Revolution, in which he admitted that Kyougoku Maria was more interesting to him than Sen No Rikyuu as he has a thing for voluptuous women. Ok. He also took the opportunity to mention (once again) that he's hoping to play a character in the game series next time around. Good luck, Nishikawa.
The latest promotional video goes online on Capcom's YouTube channel
Another Friday means another Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragivideo and the most recent one is called (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Behind you, Kasuga!
Listings appear for the latest Official Complete Works artbook
It's traditional for each new game in the series to receive a commemorative book containing artwork and game information, so it's no surprise to see Amazon Japan listing the Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi Official Complete Works with a release date of 21st August 2015 and a price of ¥2,700.
Yukimura is to make a guest appearance in the Q Transformers anime
The most recent news is that Sengoku Basara's Sanada Yukimura will be appearing in the fourth episode of the currently-airing anime series Q Transformers ~Saranaru Ninkimono He No Michi~. Naturally, seiyuu Hoshi Souichirou will be providing his voice as usual. The episode will air in the early morning of 28th July 2015.
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I hope everyone is enjoying the Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi fun whether they already have the game, they're still waiting to play it or they're simply following the news and enjoying the party atmosphere for now. This series has the best fans in the world.
Participate in a Twitter retweet campaign to win bizarre towels
One of the special launch day promotions was a campaign which asked fans to retweet particular official tweets to be entered into a draw to win one of twelve 'approximately life-sized' towels.
There will only be one of each towel given away, so this is a fun chance to earn some truly unusual merchandise.
The campaign is running until 13th August 2015 so all you need to do is follow the official Twitter account and retweet the messages on that page.
Please note that you will need to use a Japanese address to claim the prize so it may be necessary to use a deputy service if you are lucky enough to be contacted. Winners will be notified by DM.
My Capcom's free Tokusei Kawaraban newsletter will also be giving away 50 tote bags to its members between now and 31st August 2015. Again, a Japanese address is required to claim the prize.
Win special PlayStation store gift cards if you have a Japanese address
To promote the launch of the game, a special campaign is running in the Japanese PlayStation store where fans who have bought some of the game's DLC can choose one of three special ¥500 PlayStation Store gift cards to enter a draw to win it. 150 winners will be selected for each design. If you have a real Japanese address linked to your PSN account, click here for further details.
All six tie-in DLC videos are now available from Capcom's YouTube channel
Early impressions of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi and a few note for importers
Fan ysbryda mentioned this in the comments yesterday but there seems to be an issue specific to the way DLC is handled in Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi. I've done some investigating and it seems to be limited to weapon DLC; costumes can be used on any account on the PS3/PS4 as normal. Because the weapon DLC is activated in-game rather than with add-on files downloaded from PSN, users who normally play on a foreign PSN account don't seem able to access their DLC weapons when using a different account to the one they originally used to buy/activate the content.
There are some mixed reports from other users so far. I would really like to be able to clarify this as some fans are going to have to make a hard choice between continuing from their Sengoku Basara 4 saves or using all of the costume and weapon DLC they've paid for. So far it seems that if you want any of the special edition weapons you're going to have to use a Japanese (or Asian) save to match your DLC codes.
In addition to this issue, a problem has been found where activating your DLC, importing your Sengoku Basara 4 save and then deleting your Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi in that order makes it impossible to access consumable DLC such as inscription packs and money boosts as it's considered 'used'. This is affecting Japanese users too; please be careful if you are transferring your old save and trying out some of the consumable DLC.
Incidentally, it looks as though the three magazine DLC weapons are the only ones so far according to the new information page Capcom has set up. They're now being described as content you can only get with the magazine, so it's probably best not to wait and assume they'll be added to PSN later if you want them.
As for the game itself, it seems light on actual new content but in terms of overall refinement I'm really enjoying it. My old PS3 had an unreliable drive which struggled with Sengoku Basara 4 at times so having the PS4 version so running it straight from the console seems beautifully smooth in comparison. I've started out with Rikyuu and I'm having a blast.
I'm trying to get my reference materials post up to date around my day job so progress is a little slow. Last night I finished the whole Tenka Medal shop translation (why doesn't Muneshige have a medal costume?!) and sorted out a few other details. After posting this update I plan to finish the inscription list and tidy up the DLC section of my guide. The next priorities will be the new stage bonuses and the move/weapon lists (especially since several inscriptions refer to specific moves), as well as a few miscellaneous menus to make navigation easier.
The biggest information today is the release of Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation magazines, both of which have prominent articles about Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi to celebrate its release. I skimmed through the articles quickly and couldn't see anything new, but there's a truly massive amount of data to pick through so I'll post about it later in the week. There are also further details about many of the collaborations announced in yesterday's tenth anniversary live broadcast, so in spite of slacking off with the magazines this is a very long post once again.
KobaP on Sony's PlayCommu Cafe stream earlier today
I want to add one more thing before I get started. Since he's been working so hard, I'm going to tweet evidence that I'm playing the game overseas to KobaP in the hope that it will make him happy and (gently) spread awareness that there are fans all over the world. I encourage all of the other importers out there to do the same!
How to obtain DLC codes for the weapons in today's magazines
Both magazines came with a Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi DLC weapon this week. If you just want the DLC codes, you can buy them as e-books through BookWalker. First, purchase the 30th July 2015 edition of Weekly Famitsu magazine for ¥350 here (Maria's weapon) and Dengeki PlayStation for ¥526 here (Sakon's weapon).
It's easy to identify the right issues as they both have really awesome covers.
Proceed through checkout as normal. You can use Paypal if you're buying from overseas.
Then, once checkout is complete go to your account page. The account page can be switched to English so just go to the Campaign section, find the code(s) which mention 戦国BASARA. You can enter them into your Japanese PSN account to redeem your special weapons!
The DLC codes will only work until 11th January 2016 so don't forget to activate them on PSN.
The third magazine-exclusive weapon with V-Jump won't be available until next month, so that's all for now!
Warning: Early reports from multiple users indicate that you can only use DLC from the same zone as your game save on PS4. It might be best to start over with a Japanese account if you want that DLC.
Place your preorders now for the Premium Bandai Sanada Yukimura Jacket
If you want that amazing jacket from yesterday's live stream (and have enough money), it can now be ordered from the Premium Bandai shop. Preorders close on 20th August 2015 and the jackets will ship in September.
The price is ¥100,000 and I didn't realise before but it comes with a pair of matching gloves as well. There's a feature article on the store's blog as well to make it seem even more desirable.
More Sengoku Basara characters receive Frogman-style illustrations
We saw glimpses of the Taka No Tsume (Eagle Talon) characters dressed up as Masamune and Yukimura, and now more Sengoku Basara characters are getting in on the fun.
Details of the 10th Anniversary Medal Set
If you wanted a closer look at the 10th Anniversary Medal Set mentioned yesterday, the Entersis website has posted a listing with proper pictures.
The characters featured are Masamune, Yukimura, Keiji, Ieyasu, Mitsunari, Sakon and Katsuie. The medals will be released in mid-October 2015 priced at ¥5,400.
BAKE posts bigger pictures of the Sengoku Basara PICTcake Chara cakes
The official website for the cake range is now online and the pictures look delicious. They're five-layer sponge cakes with strawberry pieces and cream as filling, surrounded by biscotti and topped with orange, peach, kiwi, grapefruit and raspberry and a choice of fresh or chocolate cream.
Sadly, they only deliver within Japan.
Pasela Resorts' Sengoku Basara collaboration menu is revealed
A press release has teased the special menu items which visitors to one of the many Pasela-run entertainment cafes and karaoke joints can enjoy. These are just some of the items themed on Rikyuu, Maria, Sakon, Yoshiteru and Matabee which will be on offer in the Ueno Three Monkeys Cafe and Osaka Three Monkeys Cafe venues.
Ordering from the Sengoku Basara menu will reward you with one of forty randomly-picked Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi coasters.
There will also be a Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi menu in selected Karaoke Pasela venues across Japan. Masamune and Yukimura both inspire their own drinks, while Sen No Rikyuu's Extreme Hospitality Green Tea Cake is an option for dessert.
In addition, the Capcom Bar in Shinjuku has also added a few new menu items to celebrate the game's release. There are a pair of 'special costume' drinks themed on Masamune and Mitsunari, along with a dessert called Uesugi Kenshin & Kasuga Macedonia.
The karaoke venues and Capcom Bar are offering a different selection of six coasters for customers who order from the special menus.
The tie-in food items will be available until 31st August 2015.
Buyuuden offers a generous range of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi items
The Sengoku-themed bar Buyuuden has a wide assortment of items for its tie-in campaign, split across the afternoon (11:00-15:00) and evening (16:00-24:00) menus. It's also planning to decorate the bar with Sengoku Basara characters while the campaign is running.
There are also plenty of cocktails to choose from. Non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions are available.
Each time you order from the Sengoku Basara menu, you'll receive a random coaster. Different coasters are available depending on whether you visit during the afternoon session (red) or the evening (purple). There are nine designs available in the afternoon and eleven in the evening.
If you order the set menu during the night session, you will receive six of the coasters and a Sen No Rikyuu tea cup.
The collaboration menu is only available until 31st August 2015.
Earning the Sengoku Basara goods available from BAGUS Internet cafes
To clarify the news from yesterday, one of the three Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi x Gran Cyber Cafe B@gus stickers is randomly chosen and presented to customers who pay ¥1,059 for a three hour Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi Pack Plan at the cafes. The mouse pad is for those who visit the cafes five times during the campaign period.
A closer look at the promotional art for the new Sengoku Basara Dokugan manga
Details about the manga itself are still to be revealed but a bigger picture of Nekoi Yasuyuki's upcoming manga has been posted. The artwork looks great! I wonder which other characters will be appearing?
The latest Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi videos were posted today
The newest Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragivideo is (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Fuurinkazan. Naturally, it's about Shingen and offers a quick glimpse at his moveset.
The highlights from last week's episode of Capcom TV have also now been postedonline.
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Well, that's all for today! I'm going to disappear and play some Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi. My reference materials post will be quietly updated as more information is discovered over the next few days - the trophy list is already up thanks to Lacters!
I'm a little bit overexcited right now as I've just finished watching the full Sengoku Basara Series 10th Anniversary Special Live Broadcast for the last two and a half hours.
It was set up like a mini Basara Matsuri with boisterous guests and lots of silly announcements. The video is still available for people who have access to the timeshift feature on Nico Nico; the stream seems to have been a success, attracting 64,722 viewers and 77,420 live comments (many of which were used on screaming and applause whenever the guests came on camera).
I've put the rest of this post under a link because it contains a lot of screenshots and I don't want to be responsible for making anyone's computer explode if they make the mistake of reading further.
Today marks the official ten year anniversary of the Sengoku Basara series.
The two-hour celebratory stream starts at 20:00 Japan time, and it's just been announced that Noto Mamiko (Oichi) will be appearing as a surprise guest. Sadly I can't watch it live due to work but I'll be catching up later in the evening! The link is here.
I hope everyone is well and able to celebrate this milestone for the series, whether they're an older fan or someone just discovering Sengoku Basara for the first time. It's wonderful seeing how warm and enthusiastic everyone is about this crazy series!
I'll post again this evening but I didn't want to miss the chance to mention the official anniversary before it's over. There are a few small updates from the last couple of days...
First, here are official pictures from the grand opening of the Sengoku Zukan -Cool Basara Style- ('Sengoku Reference Book -Cool Basara Style-) museum tie-in event. It looks really fun!
The usual posters for this year's Masamune-kou Matsuri have also been spotted around Miyagi Prefecture. The festival is using the CG artwork from the Sengoku Basara 4 special edition this year.
The novelty Sengoku Basara 4 t-shirt from Tokyo Game Show 2013 has appeared for sale on Ami Ami with a release date of late July 2015. It's available in S, M, L and XL sizes and priced at ¥3,078 discounted to ¥1,840.
I didn't blog about yesterday's NGC gameplay stream because I was too busy, and because the game's release date feels so close now that I'm getting excited about playing it for myself. The first demonstration was a great showcase for Matsu and Toshiie fans, then Yukimura and Masamune got together to tear through the Eastern Army's version of Sekigahara for old time's sake. OneSanitarium has put together a selection of highlights for the benefit of those who missed the broadcast.
I can't believe that Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi will be available so soon...
Please enjoy today's stream if you're able to watch it when it airs!
A very quick update today as I want to devote more time to updating my reference guide for the game and responding to all the comments. I added all of the recent data to the reference guide last night and tidied it up a little but the character profiles still need some work!
A tweet from the official Sengoku Basara account has finally confirmed the details of that last mysterious element-changing weapon spotted in an early trailer.
A DLC code for Shibata Katsuie's dark-elemental 'Neckchopper' weapon will be included in the October 2015 issue of V-Jump magazine, which goes on sale on 21st August 2015. It's the first issue of V-Jump to be released after Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, hence the long gap between the game's release date and the availability of the code.
The summary of all of the magazine-specific DLC announced so far is as follows:
Name
Description
Type
Released
Details
「ピン」・「キリ」
Shima Sakon's fire-elemental weapon, 'Lows/Highs'
Weapon
23/07/2015
Included with Dengeki PlayStation issue 595
愛らしい妾に似合う猫の手
Kyougoku Maria's light-elemental weapon, 'Cat Paws To Suit The Lovely Me'
Weapon
23/07/2015
Included with Weekly Famitsu (dated 6th August 2015 but released 2 weeks earlier)
Included with V-Jump (dated October 2015 but released 2 months earlier)
If you want to buy the magazines, you can buy the physical editions at Amazon Japan and other good bookstores. Here are the links for the correct issues of Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation; V-Jump isn't up on the site yet but should be added soon. CD Japan is also able to supply all three magazines.
Weekly Famitsu and Dengeki PlayStation can also both be ordered digitally through Bookwalker if you want to save on delivery costs or live in a country which cannot order from Japanese bookstores. Bookwalker can accept payments from non-Japanese PayPal accounts.
The promotion for Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi is in full swing
With the game's release date just a few days away, a major advertising campaign has commenced with 40 different characters appearing on digital sign boards in JR train stations across the Kanto region. The signs will be on display between 20th and 26th July 2015. The article has a list of all nineteen major stations which will be displaying the signs for the benefit of fans who want to visit and track down their favourite characters.
The NJPW collaboration moves into its next phase
The ongoing tie-in campaign between the Sengoku Basara series and the New Japan Pro-Wrestling group (NJPW) has taken things to the next level with the announcement of a wrestling costume designed by the Sengoku Basara team.
Wrestler Gotou Hirooki will be wearing the outfit for the G1 CLIMAX tournament starting on 20th July 2015. KobaP and Gotou met up to promote the new collaboration at a press event, where it was revealed that Gotou found the Sengoku Basara games a refreshing way to release stress. He was very surprised to discover that the series was particularly popular with female gamers.
At one point they let Gotou try out Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi during the event. Since he was already familiar with the series, he cleared a few stages as Masamune and admitted that he lost track of time when he was playing. He was then allowed to try the same stage again on the new 'Heaven' difficulty. After struggling through the tough enemies for a while, he eventually had a game over, saying that while the enemies were a bit too strong it made killing them all the more fun.
Going back to the costume design, the Japanese-style clouds and lightning imagery are intended to fit with Gotou's 'daredevil' nickname and he's apparently looking forward to trying it out in an actual match.
A 'Thunder God' t-shirt inspired by Gotou Hirooki and designed by the Sengoku Basara team will be available from 20th July 2015 costing ¥3,000.
In addition, a special card featuring Shima Sakon dressed as Nakamura Shinsuke will be released for Bushiroad's Sengoku Basara x King of Pro Wrestling card game.
The card will be randomly packed in boxes of the fourteenth series of the game, from 10th July 2015.
Travel back in time with Sengoku Basara and Edo Wonderland
As part of the Sengoku Basara tenth anniversary celebrations, it's been announced that the series will team up with Nikko Edomura for a specialcommemorative event between 23rd July and 12th October 2015.
Nikko Edomura (Edo Wonderland) is an open air historical museum set up to recreate the atmosphere of what it was like to live in the Edo period. I happen to have been there twice before, and while it honestly has very little to do with the warriors of the Sengoku period it's an amazing place to visit for anyone with even the slightest interest in Japanese history. You're encouraged to dress up in traditional clothing upon arrival and wander the streets, sampling old fashioned food, talking to staff members (who dress and act in character) and learning about history in a fun way. There are live action ninja shows, traditional games, magicians, courtesan performances and ninja weaponry exhibitions; in short, it's a history fan's dream come true.
A variety of attractions have been announced to tempt Sengoku Basara fans into making the trip to Nikko. Ashikaga Yoshiteru's archery range will be offering a tenth anniversary clear file, and visitors can participate in a treasure hunt to win one of five exclusive Edo Wonderland character cards. One of them has the park's mascot Nyan-mage dressed up as Masamune.
Special Sengoku Basara merchandise and menu items will also be available for visitors to the park, such as character-themed shaved ice, and characters such as Sen No Rikyuu, Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Kyougoku Maria will also be appearing around the village.
I'd definitely go again to check out this collaboration if I was able to get there!
The first visuals from the Sengoku Basara vs Devil May Cry stage play
The Butai Sengoku Basara vs Devil May Crystage play will start its run soon and Famitsu has posted an article full of pictures of Yamaguchi Daichi and Matsumura Ryuunosuke, the actors who will be playing Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura respectively. The pair also shared a few thoughts on the unique challenges of acting in a crossover play.
Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi enters Famitsu's hall of fame
The official website for the new game and anniversary celebrations have also been updated with some design improvements, and Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi has officially entered the Weekly Famitsu
gold hall of fame after achieving a score of 34/40 in this week's cross
review. This reminded me that I completely forgot to summarise the reviews when the magazine came out (oops) so let's fix that.
Ranbu Yoshida: There's a huge amount of content, with the stories from Sengoku Basara 4 available on top of brand new ones. There are heated parts and funny parts - it's the usual generous variety of dramatic stories about rich characters reimagined in a daring way. The jokes leave a strong impression overall, but it's a fantastic entertainment product with a Sengoku warlord theme. The new features like Battle Roulette are a good finishing touch. (9 points)
Jigoro☆Ashida: With super-distinctive new characters and additional stories too, there's a wide range of content from the serious to the hilarious. Depending on the outcome of Battle Roulette, the player can transform or be showered in danger; it's enjoyable to see it making the battlefield chaotic. Gathering Tenka Medals and trading them in for a selection of rewards such as costumes and skills can be fun and addictive. It doesn't really feel as though there's much difference between the PS4 and PS3 editions. (8 points)
Kushida Namuko: A unique interpretation of history and warriors, with intense drama which is half comical and half serious. The new Battle Roulette feature can reverse the flow of the series' hallmark 'one versus many' fights in a single shot when it appears, making it fun to use strategically. Although the game is great for new players, the addition of the new drama and anime routes will attract fans interested in the story. I didn't sense much of a difference between the PS4 and PS3 versions of the game. (8 points)
Bunbunmaru: The series' first outing on PlayStation 4 has a busy feel which doesn't disappoint. The numerous enemies who appear are a good fit. The new elements which have been added, such as Battle Roulette, make the battles even more flashy than before - but on the other hand there are also parts which don't feel so exciting; impressions may vary. Levelling up the weapons can be quite involving and offers a lot of replay value for people who enjoy that kind of thing. (9 points)
The four reviewers all mentioned the game in their 'best of the week' recommendations at the end of the review pages. The total score is one point lower than the 35/40 which Sengoku Basara 4 received but as three of the four reviewers are different people to before it's up to you to decide how relevant that fact actually is. I'm pretty happy with the result!
Preorders for the next volume of Sengoku Basara Magazine are now open
The tenth issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine can now be preordered on Amazon Japan, so it should be available at all good online import bookstores soon. The release date is listed as 31st August 2015 which means there're keeping to the original publication schedule even though the previous issue was a month late.
Another short Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi video and reminders about next week's streams
Today's new Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragivideo clip is (Approximately) 10-second Theatre: Creature Concerto, a preview of the new animal-themed one-on-one battle.
As previously announced, there won't be a new 10-second Theatre video on Monday for some reason. The next new video content should be the hour long NGC Nico Nico Game Jikkyou Channel show on Nico Nico, which will air on Monday at 19:00 (Japan time). Then there's Tuesday's big anniversary event which might contain a few new announcements of its own...
Capcom explains how to transfer your Sengoku Basara 4 save data to the new game
The official Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi website updated this morning to explain how the save transfer feature works. Judging by the number of messages and emails I've received about this, a lot of people have been anxiously waiting for these details! Here's a brief walkthrough.
Important: The save data transfer option will only be available the very first time you launch Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi. If you make a mistake, completely delete the new Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi save file which was created on your PlayStation, relaunch the game then repeat the process from the beginning. If you have purchased any consumable DLC such as money or experience bundles, you will not be able to claim them a second time. It's best to make sure you're happy with your save game before visiting the store.
Warning: If your Sengoku Basara 4 save is on a non-Japanese/Asian PSN account, you will not be able to use any weapon or boost DLC in Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi. This doesn't affect costume DLC, which can be shared between accounts on the same console as normal. If you plan to use any of the exclusive DLC weapons or boost DLC it may be best to start over from a new save game on a Japanese or Asian PSN account. It's much easier to obtain rare inscriptions now and there's no trophy for getting each character to the maximum level in Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi.
1. Transferring data to the PlayStation 4 version of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi
The first thing you need to do is load your copy of Sengoku Basara 4 and install the update that's now available for it. It doesn't matter whether you have the physical or digital edition of the game. You'll be notified about the update as soon as the game is launched.
Then, go into Settings from the main menu. It's the fourth item in the list. A new option has been added to the bottom of the Settings menu: Upload.
You will immediately be prompted to upload your data. It's very simple.
Your PS3 will connect to PSN and upload your game data. It will be uploaded to the same account you're using on the PS3, so make sure you're using the one with your main game save. It's not necessary to have PlayStation Plus.
You should see this screen once the upload successfully finishes.
When you have your copy of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, make sure you're logged in as the same PSN account you used with your PS3 Sengoku Basara 4 save data. It's fine if it's not a Japanese account, however, early reports indicate that you can only use weapon/boost DLC from the same zone as your save (costumes are unaffected). It might be best to start over with a Japanese account if you want that DLC.
Start the game up. You'll see this screen the very first time the game loads.
Then this screen will appear.
Obviously, the answer is Yes.
The next screen shows how any non-transferable weapon upgrade materials and banked experience will be converted into Tenka Medals. Interestingly, the last two items are the two music Play Books for the opening and ending theme songs. I'm guessing they won't be available in Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi since they'd have to pay to license the songs a second time, so their Play Books will be replaced by the two new theme songs. A few additional Tenka Medals will be awarded as compensation for those who unlocked the two themes in Sengoku Basara 4.
The exact number of Tenka Medals awarded will vary depending on how much progress was stored in your Sengoku Basara 4 save before the import. The conversion formula hasn't been published on the website.
There will be one more screen after this (not pictured) which tells you how many skill revisions you've unlocked for free as a loyalty bonus. It won't be a large number, and you can unlock the rest with Tenka Medals as you play. 2. Transferring data to the PlayStation 3 version of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi
This is a simple process and there is no need to download the update from PSN. All you have to do is ensure that your Sengoku Basara 4 save data is stored on your PlayStation 3's hard drive. The first time you launch Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi, you will see the following screen.
It's exactly the same as the final step of the PlayStation 4 import. Select Yes and confirm your Tenka Medal conversion results.
As with PS4, the next screen shows you whether you unlocked any additional skill revisions for free as a loyalty bonus. If you didn't, you can still unlock them later with Tenka Medals.
That's it, you're done!
If you have trouble with the PS3 transfer, check this comment for a possible solution. There was a software update shortly after launch which may have changed the procedure slightly.
Note: You cannot share your Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi save data between the PS3 and PS4 versions if you happen to own both, and Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi data cannot be reimported back into Sengoku Basara 4. I guess you can import it into both versions of Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi separately if you don't mind that the saves won't be shared once you start unlocking new things.
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Aside from the save transfer details, today's website update had a few extra sneaky pieces of information. Ten character profiles were added with the usual silly nicknames. Tsuruhime: Nonsensical Shrine Maiden Saika Magoichi: Proud Machine Gun Ootomo Sourin: Child of Xavi Tachibana Muneshige: Muttering Chainsaw Honda Tadakatsu: Manoeuvring Sengoku's Strongest Shimazu Yoshihiro: Demon Grandpa of Satsuma Fuuma Kotarou: Legend of Few Words Kuroda Kanbee: Iron Ball of Misfortune Kobayakawa Hideaki: Worthless Glutton Tenkai: Perverted God of Death
(Sourin's doesn't mean he's literally claiming to be Xavi's child. It means 'child' in a spiritual sense. Tadakatsu's is edging ever closer to being an outright Mobile Suit Gundam reference given the Japanese phrasing.)
The page which lists the already-announced Personal Inscriptions has pictures of even more Tenka Medal costumes.
Another page confirms that further DLC is planned in future, so keep checking for new announcements. If you're not sure about buying the new PlayStation 4 theme which came out today, SPARDA-990 has posted a few snapshots of the theme in action. I really like it, especially the silly details in the icons:
And unlike almost every other PS4 theme I have collected, the colour scheme doesn't make it impossible to see all the text. Cool.
Finally, the three new stages revealed the other day are confirmed to be one-on-one battles, not full stages in their own right. This explains why they have been missing from the Free Battle Mode stage count in all of the demonstrations so far. There's also another new one-on-one stage: Creature Concerto (いきもの協奏曲). Oyassan leads the animals of the Maeda army in a fun (and powerful) romp.
Capcom posts another short trailer for the game
The 15-second version of the game's television commercial is now available on the Capcom YouTube channel.
The Famitsu website posts play impressions for the returning characters
I'm not going to translate this article since it's not saying anything new, but it collects reporter Giant Kuroda's gameplay impressions in more detail than the comments occasionally printed in Weekly Famitsu magazine. It's mostly a gameplay introduction for fans new to the series who want to understand what makes Shingen, Kenshin, Kasuga, Toshiie and Matsu unique.
Motonari, Sasuke, Shingen and Rikyuu will appear on regional biscuit packaging too
A few more pictures of yesterday's Country Ma'am biscuit packages have been revealed. They show the characters on the other sides of each box. I'm glad that Rikyuu gets to appear on the green tea flavour after all.
Today's Nico Nico relay broadcast with Ojogiri Daa and Dogma Kazami
I have to admit I didn't pay all that much attention to today's broadcast as it was Kanbee/Matabee and Maria/Nagamasa on stages we've already seen. It was fun to watch it in the background as I uploaded my Sengoku Basara 4 save after work and wrote this post.
Ojogiri Daa's hair was doing weird things with the green screen they have set up in the broadcast room.
Thankfully, OneSanitarium grabbed somefootage of the highlights so I could focus on the goofy parts.
This was the final relay broadcast until 24th July 2015, so it's just next week's NGC and anniversary lives to look out for until then.
