Another NIS America RPG is coming to PSN. Mana Khemia is from Gust. They made the Atelier Iris games.
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411mania gives a rundown on this week's game releases. Highlights include Avalon Code, Mana Khemia: Student Alliance, Samurai Shodown Anthology, and Docomodake BOING!

Avalon Code (DS)
Avalon Code is an action RPG created by Matrix Software, the developer of Alundra for the PS1 and, more recently, the co-developer of the Final Fantasy III and IV remakes for the DS. Like in many RPGs, the looming end of the world is what drives Avalon Code's story. What's different here is the fact that your mission isn't to stop the end from happening. Instead, you've been tasked with scanning all that is good in the world into The Book of Prophecies so that when the next world is created, only the things that are worthy are brought forth. Once something has been scanned, you can change its properties as you see fit by tinkering with its parameters. If there's a monster that you think is too strong, change its attributes to make it weak. Want to turn that regular sword into a flaming one? Add fire to its code. At the very least, this mechanic makes Avalon Code one of the most unique action RPGs on the DS and something to look out for if you're tired of all the remakes that the system has been seeing.

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Mana Khemia: Student Alliance (PSP)
This is a port of Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis, a turn-based RPG/school sim which was originally released last year for the PS2. It is considered the spiritual successor to the Atelier Iris series as it employs many of the conventions found in those games. Many of those who are familiar with the series consider Mana Khemia to be far superior to its predecessors in most respects save for the story (Atelier Iris 2 usually takes the cake in that department). The game was developed by Gust, a company that is well-known for its item-crafting systems and character development. I recently played through Ar tonelico II, so can attest to the company's ability to make item-crafting fun and ...
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Kombo Writes: "hose hungry to take Mana Khemia on the go with them will have to starve just a little while longer. Originally planned to be released in the coming week, NIS America just announced that Mana Khemia for the PSP will be delayed until Spring 2009."
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Figures submitted by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) show that since 2005, far fewer videogames have been refused classification by the Board than have films and videos. Furthermore, with the exception of four titles in 2007, no games at all have been refused classification since 2005.
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Today at the PlayStation Store, Sony secretly revealed the latest addition to their store. The new section in the PlayStation Store is called "Rockstar Store".
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Today Rockstar has announced that they will be releasing the Rockstar Legacy Collection for PSP. On October 15, Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, Midnight Club: L.A. Remix and Manhunt 2 will be available for digital download from the PlayStation Network for the PSP system.
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Rockstar Games confirmed that the releaseschedules from local distributors are correct. This friday Manhunt 2 will finally be released in liberal Holland and the rest of Europe. Manhunt 2 will be available on Wii, PSP and PS2.

The game was delayed for a long time a caused all kinds of discussion due to its explicit content. The BBFC has been under heavy critique from media and government, and the Byron report - following the Manhunt 2 release - caused lots of discussion once again. What the future holds for the BBFC is yet unknown, but Manhunt 2 will see daylight next friday.

The game will be available for €39,99 on Wii and PS2 and for €29,99 on PSP.
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Videogame makers and shops have two years to come up with a widely accepted industry code of conduct to better protect children from violent images, the European Union's executive body said on Tuesday.
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Following news last week that Australian censors have withheld yet another game (Dark Sector) from adult players, most gamers would feel frustration at the inequity of the current classification regime.

But Dr. Brett Hutchins, a passionate gamer and a senior lecturer in Communications and Media Studies at Melbourne's Monash University, believes the lack of an R18+ rating for games in Australia might actually be good for the long-term health and acceptance of interactive entertainment.

The gaming community should be very careful about what games they use to rally around and prosecute the classification system. In much of the public eye, unnecessary and mindless games like Manhunt 2, which rely on extreme violence to shock, titillate and garner attention, are only going to reinforce the stereotypes that gamers are fighting to overcome. Dr. Hutchins points out that "if the wrong games (i.e. extremely violent games) are held up as evidence of unfairness, this may actually be counter-productive."
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Rockstar Games has released an official statement in response to yesterday's High Court decision to rule against the Video Appeals Committee, which had previously given the green light for Manhunt 2 to go on sale in the UK.

"We believe the VAC decision was correct and do not understand the court's decision to expend further public resources to censor a game that contains content well within the bounds established by the BBFC's 18-plus ratings certification," read the statement in full.

Reported by GamesIndustry.biz on 25/01/2008
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