The X Button

Art Crisis

The Fate/Etc. universe grows more complicated with each retelling and off-shoot, but the Fate/Extra sub-series is relatively easy to comprehend. Released on the PSP back in 2011, the RPG is set in a virtual-reality simulator that uses a high-school setting to carry out the Holy Grail War, a deadly tournament with a wish of immeasurable power as the prize. All of the participants use Servants, human warriors who fall into one RPG-ish class or another: Lancer, Caster, Saber, and so on. As with other pieces of the franchise, Fate/Extra often bases its Servants on real historical figures, so you'll see a blonde Saber swordswoman who's really the Roman emperor Nero, or a Berserker housing the soul of Chinese general Lu Bu. There's also a Lancer based on Vlad the Impaler, and he's partnered with a cannibal who dresses like a freakish Ronald McDonald. See, it's perfectly normal stuff.

Fate/Extra CCC returns to this stage with a slightly different route. The original game found the player's avatar, male or female, choosing between alliances with recurring lead Rin Tohsaka (in alternate-reality form, of course) and a woman named Rani VIII, while CCC focuses on another heroine. It finds the first game's virtual world in disarray; with the breakdown of its all-guiding computer system, the Holy Grail War is a free-for-all. At the core of the conflict is a girl named Sakura Matou, who was a mere supporting character in Fate/Extra. This time around, she's the player's main ally and the source of suspiciously similar-looking characters running around the virtual high school. They're all part of the game's bizarre exploration of feminine sexuality and, we presume, fan titillation.

Fate/Extra CCC sticks to its predecessor's paper-rock-scissors system for attacks and guarding maneuvers, adding an auto-battle feature and helpful reminders of the storyline directives. While some of the characters are familiar, many of their roles are redefined this time around; there's a new Gilgamesh Servant among the player's optional companions, and good ol' Rin Tohsaka seems a bit more antagonistic this time. Don't worry if that bothers you. There's a bunch of other Fate/Thing retellings to choose from.

Import Barrier: It's a RPG based partly on a visual novel…so yeah, there's a lot of text. But the PSP remains region-free should you take the plunge.

Chances of a Domestic Release: Slim but worth mentioning. Aksys Games released Fate/Extra over here, but they've said nothing about bringing out the sequel.

Super Robot Wars UX doesn't stake out much new ground, apart from being the first game in Banpresto's multi-anime mecha-combat orgy to hit the 3DS. Once again there's a plotline that brings a variety of familiar robots into some unfortunate shared dimension, and it's that robot lineup that the fans really want. The selection's a bit paltry this time around, drawing from the Macross Frontier movies, Aura Battle Dunbine, Juso Kiko Dancouga Nova, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, Ninja Senshi Tobikage, Fafner in the Azure, and Linebarrels of Iron. Perhaps Banpresto's counting on fans to grab it for the mecha that are new to the series, namely the major robots from Heroman, Demonbane, Mazinkaiser SKL, SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors, The Wings of Rean, the Fafner: Heaven and Earth movie, and that Gundam 00 film that upset everyone by bringing aliens into the mix. And then there's the inevitable Super Robot Wars debut of Hatsune Miku; or rather, Virtual On's Fei-Yen made up to look like the green-haired virtual idol. We may as well accept Miku in all our games right now, while there's still time.

Of course, Super Robot Wars UX remains a strategy-RPG with a good supply of grid-driven battles. It also borrows a few features from earlier games, including a dual-attacking Partner System and an upgradeable skill tree, and it supplies some new characters and mecha. Our hero this time around is Earth Federation officer Agnes “Arnie” Berge, who pilots a Riot-B mecha. In the more ambiguous Unknown Strikers group, we find mercenary heroine Saya Kruger and her Lyrath jet fighter, while her merc-leading father controls an ominous machine called Orpheus. Oh, and there's one more way that Super Robot Wars UX breaks tradition: it's the first of its franchise to feature downloadable maps and other extras for a small fee. We probably should accept that in all our games, too.

Import Barrier: The story is all in Japanese, but Super Robot Wars entries are pretty approachable in gameplay terms. Too bad the 3DS is region-locked.

Chances of a Domestic Release: No better than any other Super Robot Wars game, and that ain't good. But hey, maybe the series will pick up steam over here when Project X Zone arrives with Sanger from Super Robot Wars: Original Generations! Right? C'mon, let's be optimistic here.

The first Sword Art Online game is called Infinity Moment, but a better title might be Sword Art Online: The Ouroboros License or Sword Art Online: The Game About the Anime About The Game. The light novels, manga, and anime that make up Sword Art Online all deal with a massive networked video game that abducts its players and threatens them with real-world death if they happen to lose. It's an idea similar to .hack, and so Infinity Moment proceeds along the same lines. Its vision of Sword Art Online is a 3-D action/RPG where players go through the routines of leveling up, learning new weapon skills, and fulfilling sidequests. Protagonist Kirito takes the lead in most battles, but he can recruit a computer-controlled partner who allows the player occasional input. These sidekicks can be further customized with defensive, offensive, or supportive options. And different outfits, of course.

Sword Art Online being what it is, most of Kirito's partners are women who like him in one way or another, and the player can initiate dates and casual conversations to ensure that everyone gets along in combat. Infinity Moment features Asuna, Lyfa, Yui, Klein, and other adventurers recognizable from the anime series, plus Sinon from the firearm-centric Gun Gale Online spin-off. Few anime-based games are complete without some all-new character, so Infinity Moment brings out Strare, an experienced swordswoman of no apparent guild affiliation. The storyline, overseen by original author Reki Kawahara, diverges from one climactic duel in the established Sword Art Online saga, branching off into a new tale about a floating tower overrun by a strange virus. As with actual online RPGs, half the appeal of Infinity Moment seems to be the social side—solitary as it ultimately is. There's no multiplayer mode, so all of the interaction's within the game's simulated world.

Import Barrier: Between chatting with party members and picking out skills, there's enough to trouble those who can't parse Japanese.

Chances of a Domestic Release: Very slight, and the odds probably won't improve much after the Sword Art Online anime is released in North America. If the latest .hack games can't make it here, the smart money says Sword Art Online's game won't.