Announced this morning by Sega's assistant community manager David Beavers on the PlayStation Blog, the Sega Mega Sale drops the prices of every piece of downloadable Sega goodness on the PlayStation Network by 40%. That includes downloadable content for PlayStation 3 games Sonic Unleashed, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Valkyria Chronicles, as well as Sega's full lineup of downloadable PSP titles for your PSP or PSPgo. For those of you who, like me, "upgraded" to Sony's latest handheld, this would be an excellent time to fill up that 16GB of memory with games like Crush and Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It won't make the tears go away completely, but they'll sting a bit less.

Check out the full list of sale items below, or just hit up the PlayStation Store and browse. The sale runs between today's PlayStation Network update and January 7th, so you've got plenty of time to shop.

PSP:

Alien Syndrome
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Crush
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Gunstar Heroes
Iron Man
Sega Genesis Collection
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals 2
Super Monkey Ball Adventure

PSN:

Sonic Unleashed Apatos & Shamar Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Chun-nan Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Empire City & Adabat Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Holoska Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Mazuri Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Spagonia Adventure Pack
SONIC: Very Hard Shadow Missions
SONIC: Very Hard Silver Missions
SONIC: Very Hard Sonic Missions
Valkyria Chronicles Edy's Mission "Enter the Edy Detachment"
Valkyria Chronicles Hard EX Mode
Valkyria Chronicles Selveria's Mission "Behind Her Blue Flame"

Happy Holidays - The SEGA Mega Sale for PSN is on! [PlayStation Blog]

According to producer Shuntaro Tanaka, it would take the team three years to make another PS3 game, and that's considering the fact that SEGA already has assets that can be used in the game as well as improved PS3 game development "know how".

Putting the game on the PSP was a much faster solution. Tanaka hopes to see the franchise expand on the PSP and the PS3.

Fans are hoping to see another PS3 game.

Producer On Why PSP For Valkyria Chronicles 2 [PSP Hyper]

Each of those ideas presents problems to me as a gamer. Rage quitting is usually beneath me as a lady. Walkthroughs are only for use when I need to get through a game quickly for work purposes. And asking the Internet for help – particularly on puzzle games where there's no way to give hints without just telling you the solution – just feels wrong.

Obviously, my circumstances are different from the average gamer's because I have publicists for many games on speed dial. However, I don't like to abuse these connections when I'm playing a game for fun and not for review purposes. So instead, I usually stick to a ritual of behavior.

First, I pause the game during the part where I'm stuck. It could be a bum boss battle, a room where I can't figure out how to progress or at a point where I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing or where I'm supposed to go. I'm the level-headed type, so I assume that this must be a case of user-error. Maybe I need to review my stats or my gameplay objectives and make sure I'm not under-leveled or something. This solved my stuck problem during that level with the train in Valkyria Chronicles.

If that doesn't work, I usually double back in the game to look for a special item or grind my level up in the case of bum boss fights. I usually don't have to do this because I'm a completion-obsessed gamer who searches every area, breaks every crate and fights every random encounter just for the experience points. But, hey, sometimes I missed a crate – sometime I forget to check the shops for all the armor upgrades. So maybe being stuck really is my fault. This tactic resolved an ugly boss fight in Tales of Vesperia – you know, the one with the demo boss only he's way harder in the retail game? And you can't go back and grind very much because the road is cut off?

Above: Sometimes, it's not your fault...

The third time, though, I stop blaming myself and indignation sets in. Why would they make a game this hard? How could I possibly have missed whatever it is I need to get past this point? What is wrong with the developers that they make something I can't figure out? This is a dangerous line of thinking because it's a small step away from a rage quit unbecoming of a lady. It also has way of contaminating the rest of my opinion of the game. Which is why I never finished the first Modern Warfare on Xbox 360 (stupid barn mission with the tanks – why don't you shoot them, Price, while I try not to die for the millionth time!).

The final part of my ritual is to quit the game – not rage quit, mind you; just a normal save and quit – and sleep on it preferably ‘til a Saturday morning. Then I come back to it while in my jammies with some cereal, the same way I played many a video game on Saturday morning as a child. It calms me down, gives me a fresh perspective and reminds me that games are supposed to be fun. This totally saved my experience with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (I hate you, Vamp – die in a fire).

There are exceptions and games that totally defeated my ritual, of course. I broke down and used a walkthrough on The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time after two and half years of wasted Saturday mornings ($%#&ing Water Temple!); I also looked up a puzzle solution in Puzzle Quest because I really wanted to capture a Wight or something and just couldn't figure it out.

But for gamers out there like myself who sometimes hit a wall with games we love (or would love to try and love), I ask you: How do you deal with being stuck?

Further reading:
Stuck!! – 21 game levels that stopped you dead in your tracks
Getting Stuck Sucks: OXCGN's Games That Frustrate

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They're not reprising starring roles for the PSP sequel, but still, they'll be in there as playable characters nonetheless, along with Lamarre from the anime and two characters (Mitnz and Julius) from the comic as well.

Welcome back, Alicia. It just wouldn't be the same without you.

おなじみのあの夫婦が『戦場のヴァルキュリア2』に参戦決定！[Dengeki]

Far from being concerned by the fact that not all PlayStation 3 owners make use of Home, Buser was excited that so many people have even tried it at all. "We came so close to setting a concurrency record," he gushed. "The media is not groking how amazing the usage level is [on Home.]"

For those of you who don't know much about computer science or Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, what Buser is going on about has to do with the potential that Home has to interact with other software — the PlayStation Network, Twitter, you name it. For example, the Home team recently rolled out an update that enables game launching of all PS3 titles from directly within Home. Also, they've developed connections between the PSN, the PSP Go and Home that have the ability to talk to each other.

So while Buser declined to announce any plans to somehow integrate the PSP Go directly into Home, he very enthusiastically said that the potential is there.

Potential, he said, is what drives Home's expansion. The potential is there for developers to build spaces that connect with the fans. The potential is there for fans to demand things from developers. To that end, says Buser, if you want to see something in Home… ask for it.

Right now there are over 50 spaces in Home, public and private. There are 1000 virtual items to be bought or earned and the service has hosted over 200 community events where you can win real things like collectors editions of video games. All it takes to enjoy any of that is a PSN account and maybe a little tolerance for updates and evolving content distribution systems. Home is still technically in open beta, after all.

I for one would like to see a Valkyria Chronicles space and a Tales of Vesperia space. I also want some soft of transmogrifier that will turn my realistic-looking avatar into something more appropriately anime for those spaces. That was the one thing I didn't like about the Ratchet & Clank space — it didn't look like you belonged there because you weren't cartoon-y enough.

Also, I really wish they'd open up the building editor to users instead of just developers. If I could build a palace that was just mine, I might form a stronger attachment to my virtual identity in Home than I do from walking around a cookie-cutter-made living space that every other user could easily have. But that's just me.

What do you want to see in Home?

A brief statement issued by Sega's PR said "Today, Sega announces new downloadable content for Valkyria Chronicles on PS3. 'Challenges from Team Edy' will test your strategy skills in all new missions! The DLC content will be available Winter 2010.".

No word on what it was, nor how much it would cost. Just the date, and the fact. Still, it's new Valkyria Chronicles content, so that's good enough news for now.

Shortest Sega announcement ever [CVG]

UPDATE - Good news, everyone! Sega have clarified that the original press release contained a fairly significant typo, and that the DLC will be out in Winter 2009.

The official Sega blog points fans to the equally official Valkyria Chronicles Twitter and Facebook accounts, which are taunting fans with the phrase "W _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ - _ o _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ _ _ ." As Sega marketing types have begun to replace those blank space with letters, it's becoming more and more likely that phrase is "what goes around comes around."

What could that mean? Well, likely one of two things.

One possibility is that the final batch of Valkyria Chronicles downloadable content, released in Japan this summer, is coming stateside.

The other is that Valkyria Chronicles 2 will make an appearance in North America. After all, the PSP does "go around" and, despite the platform change and differing artistic styles, we're guessing Valkyria Chronicles fans would like to get their hands on the sequel.

Of course, there may be a third option we're not considering, but we'll continue to watch this space.

I got going on this idea because my first night on the job for Kotaku — covering a Godfather II event — I sliced my foot open and spent the next week limping from junket to junket. But whenever I thought I had it bad as a games journalist, I'd always remind myself that journalists in video games usually have it way worse. They wade through zombies, deal with emotionally unstable people and more often than not wind up on the front lines of wars and stuff. They're the ones that deserve a bottle of Cristal and a hug. But instead, they get this photo gallery.

Taylor — Suikoden 5
[Image Cred]

Irene Ellet — Valkyria Chronicles
[Image Cred]

Frank West — Dead Rising
[Image Cred]

Elena Fisher — Uncharted
[Image Cred]

Joseph Schreiber — Silent Hill 4

Keith Helm — Disaster Report
[Image Cred]

Ben Bertolucci — Resident Evil 2
[Image Cred]

Ulala — Space Channel 5

Everyone — Michigan: Report From Hell (never came out in North America)
[Image Cred]

Madison Paige — Heavy Rain
[Image Cred]

Laura Parton - D2

Keats — Folklore
[Image Cred]

Maya Amano - Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Alyssa - Resident Evil: Outbreak
[Image Cred]

I give honorable mentions to the news announcers in King of Fighters 12, the sportscaster characters in any sports game ever and one to Reuben Oluwagembi in Far Cry 2 (couldn't find a good enough picture of him). Other than that, these are all I've got — hit me up in the comments if you think of more. Owen Good nominated Paperboy I assume on grounds that he would have been promoted to copyeditor by now, but I don't know...

P.S. I still have the cork from that bottle of Cristal in my purse. It reminds me of everything that's happened in the last year and how much of it I owe to Kotaku. Here's looking at another year of blogging!

A DVD of the anime comes with a special bonus clip called "A Day at the Beach." War gets old, and nothing says summertime like playing volleyball, carrying around melons or sporting a ginormous head.

買ってみたり！ [Earlbox via Sankaku Complex]

Announced in the newest issue of Japanese game magazine Famitsu, the game is set in 1937, two years after the first game. Cadets from the Gallia Royal Military Academy are sent to suppress an insurrection in the southern part of in-game country Gallia.

The game's central concept is contrasting the world of the military academy with war. Valkyria Chronicles 2 is due out this winter in Japan.

Thanks everyone who sent this in!

Something I didn't notice in the first episode: if you look real close, you can see that, in some places, the game's trademark "coloured pencil" look is still used.

Maybe.

Even though the game's sales were disappointingly low, VC producer Ryutaro Nonaka has expressed interest in making another title. This isn't confirmation of another Valkyria Chronicles, but the producer admitted that he didn't want to show at just one title.

Originally released last year, Valkyria Chronicles is a tactical role-playing-game set in wartime Europa, a fictional version of Europe, during the 1930s.

Sega Interested in Valkyria Chronicles Sequel [Kombo via VideoGamesBlogger]

The anime is produced by A-1 Pictures under the direction of Yasutaka Yamamoto (episode director of xxxHOLiC: Kei, Big Windup!). The theme song is sung by Canadian Catherine St. Onge (aka newly minted pop star HIMEKA), who won the 2nd All-Japan Anison Grand Prix singing contest.

Watch Valkyria Chronicles Episode 1 with English subtitles [Sega Nerds]

Given that Valkyria Chronicles is also ludicrously value priced at GameStop right now, should you be spending U.S. dollars, we'd think that news of additional content should be a great kick in the pants for RPG fans. Or fans of games, really.

So what's new? This stuff!

• Hard EX Mode – fight your way once again through the entire Imperial army, where the enemies are more lethal and your main tank Edelweiss is unavailable. You'll have to be more strategic in order to overcome your opponents.
• Edy's Mission "Enter the Edy Detachment" – six members have been separated from Squad 7 and on their journey to reunite with their squad, they stumble upon a tiny village under attack by the Imperial Army. Play as Edy and command your outnumbered team to defend the small village from annihilation.
• Selvaria's Mission "Behind Her Blue Flame"– Taking place right after the outbreak of Gallian battle lines, you play as Johann, a young and meek engineer assigned to Selvaria's troop. See the action as it unfolds behind enemy lines and see the war play out through the eyes of the enemy.

Valkyria Chronicles DLC marching to PSN soon [PlayStation.blog]

The anime is produced by A-1 Pictures under the direction of Yasutaka Yamamoto (episode director of xxxHOLiC: Kei, Big Windup!). The theme song will be sung by Canadian Catherine St. Onge (aka newly minted pop star HIMEKA), who won the 2nd All-Japan Anison Grand Prix singing contest.

You can hear a sample of it in the above clip.

The 300 page book is published by Enterbrain, the same company that publishes Japanese game mag Famitsu. Titled Valkyria Chronicles Development Artworks, it goes on sale at the end of April. Price is still TBA.

戦場のヴァルキュリア　デベロップメントアートワークス [Official Site]

These fan-service swimsuit-wearing toys are a second set of capsule figurines to go with the more modestly-dressed first set released last August. The outfits are based on an unlockable report chapter where the members of Squad 7 hit the beach.

Except Selvaria and Edy — those outfits are totally from the imaginations of the character design team since neither character appears in that report chapter. Selvaria, I get (why wouldn't you seize an excuse to see that in a bikini?), but Edy? I'm not sure why she's getting so much attention. She even has her own mission in the new DLC chapters.

The figurines are in Japanese capsule machines now at 400 yen ($4) a pop.

Gallia's Finest… In Bathing Suits, Sega's New Valkyria Chronicles Figures [Siliconera]

Hrm. Still Alicia, and she's still brandishing a weapon. Or should that be weapons? We don't want to make mountains out of molehills, and we're happy to get this off our chest. However, something sticks out in the anime version. We'll keep you abreast of any developments on this bumpy issue.

アニメ『戦場のヴァルキュリア』作画が地味にひどい [チラシの裏でゲーム鈍報]

On March 28, a "premium event" is being held for the anime in Tokyo. The first episode will be screened, and there will also be a talk with the anime's staff and voice talent. Those hoping to attend fill out this form by March 16. Winners will be drawn by lottery.

For those unable to attend but are living in Japan or have access to Japanese TV, check out the anime's time and channel listings for its April premiere.

『戦場のヴァルキュリア』より5キャラクターの設定画や放送＆イベント情報が！ [Dengeki Online]