We have some great news for those patient and accommodating fans of Arc the Lad. The English-version emulation of the game has been completed and is set for re-release on January 18th in the PS one Classics, Imports section, on the EU PlayStation Network. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience and sincerely thank all of you for your immense patience during this process.

Many of our games are true Japanese imports. When we first released Arc on the EU PlayStation, the game was in Japanese. But a game of Arc’s complexity needs to be in English. Working Design’s wonderfully localized version is still one of the most appreciated tactical RPGs of all time. So we can now present the full depth of story in English that was needed to enjoy this game.

Players follow the young adventurer Arc, who sets out to save a world teetering on the edge of oblivion. But he’s not alone; seven different party members will join the quest over the course of the game, each one bursting with dozens of hand-drawn frames of animation that immerse players in the surreal fantasy landscape.

Arc the Lad introduced gameplay features like jumping and body blocking that extended the tactical strategy element. Further enhancing the game’s presentation, the epic soundtrack is widely remembered for its excellence. Players can also choose to plumb the depths of an optional 50-level dungeon that, if conquered, will influence future events in Arc the Lad II, unlocking a key character and a separate side quest.

If you haven’t already, make sure to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/monkeypawgames.

Thanks again for your support and expect even more classics returning on MonkeyPaw Games soon!

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When my son talks about his favorite rock bands and the music of today, I always advise him to listen to the blues. To fully understand music, you have to look at its roots. The blues brought us many of today’s contemporary sounds. Art of any form is a collection of creative inspiration. Past masters influence resonate with today’s prodigies and new art is conceived. The same is true of games.

One reason retro gaming is enjoying its recent renaissance is because gamers want to go back to their roots. Today’s games, with their mesmerizing graphics, sometimes lack a simple hook. Graphics can become a form of marketing, which can distort the mechanics and gameplay. Retro games didn’t have that luxury.

MonkeyPaw is all about the chance to relive some of those great games that made you a gaming junkie. So today we present a title that reminds us of our fighting game foundations. Galaxy Fight is a classic SunSoft title that strangely never found its way West.

You’ll see the first time an “endless” platform was used in a fighting game and how well it influenced other games. Galaxy Fight has a rhythm that just flows into fun. Retro gaming is where you’ll see today’s games in their infancy… and you might even hear a little blues humming inside your head.

Galaxy Fight is available from PlayStation Store from 10 January, 2012.

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Well we’re a few months into our new venture and we’ve put out a lot of gaming in that time. Dezaemon Plus! and Blockids will mark the fifth and sixth additions to the MonkeyPaw classic European game portfolio on the PlayStation Network. And we have a lot more surprises planned for our retro-gaming fans.

But we’d like to ask your assistance. We need you to tell your friends about what we’re doing and get the word out. We know our core fans are dedicated gamers and that you’ve picked up some titles already. But we need a bigger response so that we can influence more Japanese companies. We need to show them there is a viable market in Europe and that licensing is worth their effort. It is like voting with Euros. Spend more on the candidates of your choice!

Here’s a good choice for shooting fans. Dezaemon Plus! is a chance to play game god. You get to create a game using a robust game editor that allows you to form sprites, level designs, boss characters, music and more. Use parallax scrolling and other game design techniques to create a completely original game. Then play or trade with friends using a memory stick on the PlayStation 3 and PSP (PlayStation Portable) systems.

For puzzle fans, we have a new title as well. It is hard to put a premium on a game mechanic that keeps on giving but surely the Breakout mechanic (to give it a name) is one of the most enduring in all gaming. There is something so retro to sliding your paddle along that horizontal plane. Just about anyone could pick up a joystick and play.

So how can you improve on the mechanic? Gather some great game minds, throw in a little Japanese spice and you can actually pull it off. Japanese industry has a penchant for copying (does your Lexus look like a BMW?). But they manage to make improvements so that the copy becomes better than the original. So two games might look similar but the play of the new and improved version is quite remarkable when you sit down and play. And that is what you get when you play Blockids.

Dezaemon Plus! and Blockids are now both available for the low price of €4.99/£3.99 on the PlayStation Network under the Import banner. Pick them up today and support our efforts to bring you the best lost treasures from the Land of the Rising Yen.

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Well, the Import Section is now up and running. We hope you’ve had a taste and are looking for more Japanese fun. Our next game from the land of the rising yen is Arcade Hits: Shienryu. Shooter fans will have a blast with this emphatic display of early bullet hell. The game happens to be one of our office favorites so I can tell you that you’ll be satisfied and rewarded by such shooting splendor.

Arcade Hits: Shienryu is the kind of shooter that exemplified the class of firepower that came out of the great shoot’em-up era in Japan. If your eyes could bleed they would after an intense hour with Shienryu. Sure, there were bigger hits in the era, but Shienryu is a standout for its outstanding attention to detail and silky-smooth controls. Allow yourself to immerse in the cockpit of your tactical fighter and watch the full trajectory of shrapnel after you blast it into a thousand pieces.

MonkeyPaw will continue to bring you closer to your Japanese gaming roots. We want to deliver all those lost classics from a far-away land that you never thought you’d get your trigger finger on. Experience this gem and place your mind in Eastern thought.

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