Weekly Famitsu magazine reveals the final four Sengoku Basara 4 characters: Sourin, Muneshige, Hisahide and Kotarou

Well, the suspense of this final character announcement was greatly reduced by last week's reveal in the Taiwanese gaming press. Given that it wasn't taken down, I'm presuming that Capcom knew the cat was out of the bag but didn't want to damage their relationship with Weekly Famitsu by acknowledging it in public. It doesn't matter any more though as we now have official confirmation of the final four characters for Sengoku Basara 4, bringing us up to a grand total of 40 characters (with 32 of them playable!). The promise to finish revealing the playable characters by the end of the year has officially been kept.

Tomorrow's issue of Weekly Famitsu (dated 2nd January 2014) has the full scoop as usual. The game is now ranked in 6th place in their chart of upcoming titles, a major improvement since the last time I checked. Here's a translation of the article.

Ootomo Sourin 大友宗麟
Character image phrase: 古今奔放 Kokon Honpou ('Uninhibited In Any Era')
Seiyuu: Sugiyama Noriaki
Weapon: Kudou Kunikuzushi ('The Destroyer Of Provinces Drive' i.e. the Xavi tank)
Playable: Yes
Description: The young head of his house who leads the Ootomo forces. Holding a firm belief in the shady religion 'Xavism', Sourin bothers those around him by preaching at every opportunity. He heads off on a journey with his loyal retainer Tachibana Muneshige to make the most of the turbulent era and construct 'Xavi Land' parks all over the land of Hinomoto. On the battlefield, Sourin rides on the Kudou Kunikuzushi and gains more believers even while he's fighting.

"The popularity of Xavi Land will bring Xavi-sama back to the land of Hinomoto once more!"

Caption: By using his unique skill 'Sou, Anata No Omokage' ('Yes, Your Visage'), the Kudou Kunikuzushi gains limbs and becomes capable of high-speed attacks for a set time.

Tachibana Muneshige 立花宗茂
Character image phrase: 青天白日 Seiten Hakujitsu ('Found Innocent Of All Charges')
Seiyuu: Inada Tetsu
Weapon: Raikiri (dual chainsaws)
Playable: Yes
Description: A commander who serves Ootomo Sourin. Overflowing with loyalty, Muneshige is known as a man of integrity but that's not all; he's also regarded as a paragon of great courage in the land of Hinomoto. Even while he's being ordered about by the self-centred Ootomo Sourin, Muneshige is firmly loyal to his lord - and his famous blade Raikiri is renowned on the battlefield.

"Tachibana of the Western Skies is here...let anyone who has cause be my opponent."

Matsunaga Hisahide 松永久秀
Character image phrase: 天我独尊 Tenga Dokuson ('Divinely Self-Important')
Seiyuu: Fujiwara Keiji
Weapon: Treasure sword and gunpowder
Playable: Yes
Description: Hisahide is someone who doesn't think twice before trampling on other people and uses any means necessary to get what he wants. Although he's working on behalf of the Ashikaga faction, it's only because he's looking for 'something' himself. In battle Hisahide releases explosive techniques utilising his signature gunpowder, together with his treasure sword.

"To be scorched by flames or cut to pieces...well, there isn't all that great a difference."

Caption: Scatter the enemies before you with flowing movements!
Caption: When his enemies have been covered in gunpowder from Hisahide's attacks, he can wait for something to set them ablaze, or ignite the gunpowder-coated enemies for additional damage.

Fuuma Kotarou 風魔小太郎
Character image phrase: 疾風翔慟 Shippuu Shoudou ('Soaring Gale')
Seiyuu: None
Weapon: Ninjatou (dual ninja swords)
Playable: Yes
Description: The legendary shinobi who once served the Houjou family. Kotarou is a mysterious being who simply keeps on fighting according to the orders of his employer, without speaking a single word or displaying his intentions. In Sengoku Basara 4, he's been hired for 'a certain reason' that Matsunaga Hisahide has in mind, fighting all over the land of Hinomoto as ordered. In battle Kotarou's quick, ninja-like movements toy with his enemies as he releases a continuous flurry of attacks.

".............................."

Caption: Kotarou has plenty of aerial skills at his disposal, and abilities which launch enemies up into the air.

--

The bulk of the rest of the article is devoted to the game's boss, Ashikaga Yoshiteru. It's mostly duplicated information as shown in the NPC trailer already, such as the three coloured 'modes' he can adopt in boss fights (red, black and gold) and an introduction to his three weapon transformations.

We also have some new information about four of the game's stages.

A stronghold of the Ashikaga army, 'Eiroku Palace'.

Ashikaga Yoshiteru's residence, luxuriously decorated with splendid ornaments. The commanders protecting this castle include three of Kyuushuu's military powers: Shimazu Yoshihiro, Ootomo Sourin and Tachibana Muneshige. Matsunaga Hisahide and Fuuma Kotarou are standing by too. On top of all of this, it seems that special traps have been set up which are unique to Eiroku Palace. If you're lucky enough to be able to get past the traps, it might be possible to avoid a confrontation with a powerful foe...

(The screenshots show Hisahide and Kotarou in a purple/gold room surrounded by troops.)

A stronghold of the Ashikaga army, 'Ruins of Ounin'.

Another of the Ashikaga forces' major strongholds, where the scars of the fierce war which once raged still remain. Many warriors of the Ashikaga faction lie in wait in the area, such as Tsuruhime. Prepare for a ferocious battle and advance!

(It's the devasted castle we've seen before. Tsuruhime is shown taking aim at Masamune as he fights a bunch of Ashikaga soldiers.)

The stronghold of the Ootomo army, 'Xavi Land'.

Xavi Land, a place with a cheerful atmosphere. If you look closely, your eye will occasionally catch sight of vulgar ornaments. Muneshige appears wrapped up in the body of the mascot character 'Jumbo Xavi-kun'!

(The pictures show lines of soldiers playing trumpets with confetti flying through the air, and Muneshige wearing a huge stuffed Xavi suit - exactly like a fairground mascot character. He's wielding his chainsaws even while wearing the costume.)

The stronghold of the Amago forces, 'Izumo: Shiraga Castle'.

A desert-like stage. Invading requires that you open up the 'wall of sand' which blocks the way. However, you should take care around the Amago Juuyuushi ('Amago Ten Braves') who ride on waves of sand and specialise in tactics which make use of the local geography.

(It's the same desert stage we've seen in several videos. The pictures show the Amago Ten Braves - a line of nine identically-dressed soldiers standing in front of a gate with Shikanosuke and Oyassan in the middle. Another image shows them surfing across the sand again.)

--

This reveal is actually more interesting for what it doesn't include than the confirmations of the four characters we were already expecting. It seems that poor Houjou Ujimasa really is the only one of the playable characters from Sengoku Basara 3 Utage to have failed to earn a place in Sengoku Basara 4, with the theory that he'd turn up as a surprise non-playable character now looking less likely. It's still possible that he'll appear later on as a surprise - perhaps at the Basara Matsuri event or during a late magazine reveal next month - however, even the most ardent Ujimasa fans must be swiftly losing hope. He came dead last in the Sengoku Basara 3 Utage characters in the BSR48 poll, behind several of the unplayable regional warlords, and his face probably doesn't sell much merchandise. On the bright side it will be easy for them to add him as a paid downloadable character and Odawara Castle would make a nice bonus stage pack one day...

--

Errata: I previously gave Shikanosuke's element as ice, but after quickly rewatching last week's Nico Nico special I realised that this was incorrect. Shikanosuke's element is light.

Here's Ieyasu's elemental icon from the broadcast:

And here's Shikanosuke's from the weekend's event coverage:

I apologise for the confusion caused; I thought Ieyasu's was rounder and yellow while Shikanosuke's was more angular from memory. Here are the icons I've seen so far.

--

Although this is outside of the scope of my usual news coverage Capcom fans might get a kick out of these Ichiban Kuji lottery prizes for a February promotion. The Capcom Girls cushion uses one of my favourite pieces of artwork...

Anyway, we're in for a number of treats tomorrow. The next live video broadcast is taking place at 20:00 Japan time and the official website update might bring one of the two new videos from last weekend along with it. I'm going to try to write a report after I get home and view the broadcast on a delay as usual, then save my next report until the rumours from this weekend's Jump Festa event start appearing. Let's enjoy Xavi - I mean, let's look forward to the next batch of information!

Update: Added the profile pictures now that the website has updated. 4Gamer, Gamer, Famitsu and Dengeki Online have published their usual reports, and the new video is below.

Weekly Famitsu article reveals full Sengoku Basara 4 character profiles for Yoshiaki, Yoshihiro, Kenshin and Kasuga

I now have formal confirmation of the five new character announcements as well as all of the rest of the new information from this week's magazine. Here we go, starting with the character profiles.

Mouri Motonari 毛利元就
Character image phrase: 詭計智将 Kikei Chishou ('Wily Strategist')
Seiyuu: Nakahara Shigeru
Weapon: Rintou ('ringblade')
Playable: Yes
Description: The supreme commander of the Mouri forces with his headquarters at Aki: Itsukushima. Motonari is also a detached schemer who employs ruthless tactics in order to guide his army to victory. On the surface he's working as one of Ashikaga's subordinates and mobilising his forces to unify the country, for the sake of making Aki the centre of the land of Hinomoto.

"The land of Hinomoto will become Aki; pave the way and become a pawn!"

Caption: Beginning with Meijite "Sha" where he calls archers to provide covering fire, Motonari's speciality is having many unique abilities which require placement.

(Note: I tried to save time by translating his profile from Sengoku Basara Magazine vol. 3 last night for this article. Except it turned out that it was a little different, so uh... here it is as a bonus!)

A ruthless tactician, Motonari perfects his selfish plans for one purpose: victory. With absolute confidence in his own schemes, he even views the lives of his subordinates as though they're his pawns. Motonari is distrustful of others and believes in his own abilities. He appears to be working for Ashikaga so that Aki Province can become the centre of the land of Hinomoto.

"Your paltry level of resourcefulness is no match for mine. My name is Mouri Motonari: a child of the sun!"

Shimazu Yoshihiro 島津義弘
Character image phrase: 一刀必殺 Ittou Hissatsu ('One Stroke, Certain Death')
Seiyuu: Ogata Kenichi
Weapon: Large sword
Playable: Yes
Description: The supreme commander of the Shimazu forces, Yoshihiro wields his huge sword as a master of the 'single deadly strike' Jigenryuu style. In this turbulent age full of battles between strong enemies, he spends every waking hour in combat to perfect his Jigenryuu. Many soldiers fear the way he relentlessly cuts down his opponents, and he's come to be known by the nickname 'Oni' ('Demon') Shimazu.

"Things like being respected as 'Oni Shimazu'...they're wasted on me now. I'm nothing more than a demon...a lone demon, without a name!"

Caption: Cancel with a unique ability when you have an opportunity!

Mogami Yoshiaki 最上義光
Character image phrase: 勿怪跳躍 Mokke Chouyaku ('Unexpected Leap')
Seiyuu: Shiratori Tetsu
Weapon: Shikitou (parade sword)
Playable: Yes
Description: As the commander who leads the Mogami forces of Dewa, Yoshiaki is an overly self-conscious person and a self-proclaimed 'splendid gentleman'. He's been considering going with the flow in order to survive the turbulent times... but he still hasn't said whether that means siding with Ashikaga Yoshiteru or Oda Nobunaga.

"Appreciate it well! A most splendid gentleman is before you!"

Caption: Yoshiaki can use a variety of skills, such as stopping enemies from moving unpredictably or stabbing at them with his parade sword.

Caption: A 'two-shot' picture of the Demon King and the Splendid Gentleman together!?

Uesugi Kenshin 上杉謙信
Character image phrase: 神速聖将 Shinsoku Seishou ('Godlike Speed, Blessed Commander')
Seiyuu: Paku Romi
Weapon: Katana (Iai techniques)
Playable: No
Description: The supreme commander of the Uesugi army of Echigo, and a genius in combat feared as the 'God of War'. However, Kenshin shows no interest in seizing the country. Instead he postpones the confrontation with his rival Takeda Shingen and takes the position that Ashikaga Yoshiteru should rule the land of Hinomoto.

"I wield a sword guided by the heavens...come along and receive it."

Kasuga かすが
Character image phrase: 月下為君 Gekka Ikun ('Assisting Her Master In The Moonlight')
Seiyuu: Kuwatani Natsuko
Weapon: Kunai
Playable: No
Description: Kasuga appears as an enemy commander in this game; a 'kunoichi' who dedicates herself to serving her beloved Uesugi Kenshin. Her skill as a ninja is considerable yet she also loses sight of her surroundings when she becomes emotional. With Uesugi Kenshin not aiming to take control of the country, Kasuga is feeling frustrated about being aligned with Ashikaga Yoshiteru.

"That person's gaze makes me even more...intensely passionate..."

--

It seems that the link between these characters is that they have some kind of direct interest in Yoshiteru's activities (according to the magazine). So, what else was in the Weekly Famitsu article?

The game is now in 10th position in the magazine's ranking of upcoming games. Pictures from the Sengoku Basara 4 opening movie took up a quarter of the space, with individual shots of Masamune, Shikanosuke, Mitsunari, Maria, Sakon and Yoshiteru. Yukimura is shown clashing with Naotora and Nagamasa cradles Oichi in his arms. It looks as though it's going to be another great opening.

A brief summary of the play books confirms that Naoe Kanetsugu will have some role in the game, since the microscopic text in the picture I am looking at has an option to pick his dialogue boasting about his invincibility as an audio play book. It looks as though the other one is the 'flattery rod' item which has appeared in the series before, and there's a promise that there will be a mixture of old and new options for you to set. You can equip up to three different dialogue books at a time to affect the way that soldiers speak to you mid-game.

We also have confirmations of four new stages. The Mouri army's stronghold, Aki: Itsukushima, is back as usual. The giant mirror mechanic is back as well, though it looks more complicated as the enemy soldiers can change the direction of the mirror to scorch outsiders with light. Yoshihiro's base is confirmed to be Satsuma: Uchijou ('Inner Castle'), a castle hidden deep in the woods with a gimmick where the enemy can be lured into a big crowd. Yoshiaki has a different camp this time in Ushuu: Mogamigawa, where a large number of 'mustachioed gentlemen' can burst onto the scene to make it hard to find the real guy (hey, this sounds familiar...). The stage also contains a large statue of the man himself. Last but not least is Kawanakajima: Uesugi Battle Lines, a version of Kawanakajima bathed in fog where the Uesugi troops will encircle the player. The magazine teases Kenshin as the boss of that stage (of course) but doesn't technically confirm those details.

The description confirms that there will be more than 40 stages in Sengoku Basara 4. I have 31 named stages on my list so far so I'm looking forward to seeing more. The magazine also notes that the stage bosses will change according to the route you pick as you progress through the game - I have a feeling that this means I'm going to have to redo my list at some point to add all of the variant types of each stage so that the different bosses can be seen...

--

With last week's Sengoku Basara Magazine confirming that there would be 32 playable characters out of a total roster of 40 warriors, we should be expecting another four playable characters before the end of this month. Unfortunately, there are actually five characters still unaccounted for from the Sengoku Basara 3 Utage cast: Sourin, Muneshige, Kotarou, Hisahide and Ujimasa. Two of those have already been shown in official footage, one has been hinted at and the other two are still unknown, yet unlikely to be missing entirely.

I can't help but feel it's unlikely that of the six non-playable 'unfinished' characters, it would be Ujimasa that Capcom would spend the time completing first. If he's involved it's almost guaranteed he'll be unplayable, which effectively proves that the rest will be playable. The only question that remains, in my mind, is whether they'll announce all five next fortnight and have Ujimasa take Mitsuhide's place as a non-playable character (since Mitsuhide and Tenkai shouldn't really be taking up separate slots in the list in the first place). Or will they drag the confusion on into January and only reveal four of the five next time..?

--

I've updated my translation guide as well to include the new stages and other details.

The official Sengoku Basara 4 website should update overnight to add the five newcomers to the character roster, and then in the morning we should see some high resolution pictures courtesy of the gaming press.

After that, I'm planning to enjoy a few relatively peaceful days until Sunday, when the Tokyo in-store event will take place and flood Twitter with more rumours!

Update 05/12/2013: The official website has now updated and confirmed that we'll get the character pages for the five newcomers next week. Even more interestingly, there's going to be a series of five fortnightly Nico Nico broadcasts beginning at 22:00 (Japan time) on 12th December which will highlight the game with live demos and guest appearances. The show will be presented by comedian Kanada Satoshi of Hannya, and he'll be assisted by DJ/model Nakada Kurumi. One lucky viewer will have a chance to win a replica golden skull tea bowl created by artisan Maruoka Kazumichi especially for Sengoku Basara 4.

The first broadcast (12th December 2013 22:00-23:00) will have appearances from series director Yamamoto Makoto and seiyuu Seki Tomokazu (Ishida Mitsunari). The second broadcast (26th December 2013 22:00-23:00) will feature Kobayashi 'KobaP' Hiroyuki and seiyuu Okiayu Ryoutarou (Toyotomi Hideyoshi). Guests for the subsequent episodes have yet to be announced, but the broadcasts will take place at the same time on 9th January 2014, 23rd January 2014 and 6th February 2014.

If you are a Nico Nico premium user you can visit the broadcast page now and book a timeshift to ensure you don't miss the first episode. Regular users can watch too!

Update 05/12/2013: News websites like Gamer are now posting more images. I'll update the translation guide post this evening.

Sengoku Basara 4 Reference Materials (Part 2)

This is the second part of my collection of translated Sengoku Basara 4 reference materials after the first grew too large for a single post. You can see the other part here; it contains menu translations, a stage list and weapon enhancement information.

Sengoku Basara 4 Reference Materials

If I have time, I'll gather my Sengoku Basara 4 information here as a reference guide. News and article translations will remain on my main blog; this summary is just for the main menus and system details for the game itself. More detailed explanations of everything in the list can be found on the main blog.

This is currently a work in progress. Unlike my usual posts this one will be updated periodically. Please note that as this blog entry became too long for Blogger I have moved the later chapters to a second post.

The Sengoku Basara 4 Sumeragi additions are in a separate guide here.

News roundup: Weekly Famitsu magazine announces Ootani Yoshitsugu for Sengoku Basara 4

Ootani Yoshitsugu is revealed for Sengoku Basara 4 in Thursday's Weekly Famitsu magazine

In a surprising move, it seems that this week's news from Weekly Famitsu magazine only includes one character announcement for the new game: Ootani Yoshitsugu (Gyoubu). This means that next Wednesday's issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine is likely to reveal at least one additional character as well to reach its promised total. Perhaps it will be Motonari (do I say this every single time)?

BlackKite over at Koei Warriors has posted a translation of the details known so far. I'll add the rest this evening when I have access to the magazine.

Update: I now have the magazine so I've added a news story right at the bottom of this post and will add all of the magazine content there as I translate it this evening. Scroll down for the news!

Kotobukiya previews new Sengoku Basara One Coin Grande trading figures

It's been a while since these were announced and with this week's listings it turns out they won't be released until late May 2014! The price for a box of all twelve trading figures is ¥8,160 while blind single boxes will set you back ¥680 apiece.

The Sengoku Basara ~Eiyuu Shuuketsu-hen~ ('~Gathering of Heroes Edition~') collection will contain reissues of the popular Masamune, Kojuurou, Yukimura, Sasuke, Shingen, Keiji, Motochika, Motonari, Kenshin and Kasuga figures as well as brand new figures of Ishida Mitsunari and the older version of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The figures can be ordered as a set at CD Japan, AmiAmi, Hobby Search, Otaku Republic, Big In Japan and Amazon Japan.

Yet another Sengoku Basara 4 demo event announced for December

So far, the Sengoku Basara 4 demo has been in hot demand at all of the events where it's appeared with fans turning up early to try to get a chance to play it for themselves. They'll be able to try their luck again soon with the Sengoku Basara 4 x Play.Community premium trial session ~Shinagawa Daigassen~.

This free event will be held on 15th December 2013 in a secret location in Shinagawa, Tokyo, where a total of 120 fans will participate across three separate sessions at 13:00, 15:40 and 18:00. There will be an exclusive demo build of the game as well as a battle between players divided up into 'Western Army' and 'Eastern Army' teams. Attendees can pick up one of the special Sengoku Basara 4 bags and take home an exclusive clear file, and there will also be a presentation by the Sengoku Basara 4 developers.

Fans can apply up until 25th November 2013 using the form on the official Sony Play.Community website. Those of us who can't attend can at least look forward to more juicy information from those who can, since the new demo might contain different characters to the one we've already seen!

The latest Sengoku Basara 4 information from Weekly Famitsu magazine

This week's magazine (dated 5th December 2013) contains a huge amount of new information about Sengoku Basara 4. The game is currently ranked 11th in the top 30. First of all, here's our newest character reveal:

Ootani Yoshitsugu 大谷吉継
Character image phrase: 寥星跋扈 Ryousei Bakko ('Unrestrained Lonely Star')
Seiyuu: Tachiki Fumihiko
Weapon: Prayer beads
Playable: Yes
Description: It's been decided that Ootani Yoshitsugu will join the battle as the commander who serves as Ishida Mitsunari's advisor in the Toyotomi forces - and also his friend! Even though Tokugawa Ieyasu has left their ranks and they gained Shima Sakon as a subordinate, Yoshitsugu continues to counsel Mitsunari just as he did before.

"I occasionally serve as 'Gyoubu'...whatever the punishment, leave it to me."

(Note: The name Gyoubu literally means the old Ministry of Justice. The 'Gyou' kanji is the same as the one used for 'punishment'.)

Ootani is able to freely manipulate the prayer beads which float behind him, striking the enemy with them to attack. He has a long reach (when facing something) and he seems to have a wide range of attack too.

Caption: The prayer beads smash into the enemy trapped by the mark.

Ootani usually moves by riding on his koshi platform. By using the unique ability 'Sekuna Hokoboshi', he's able to move at high speed with the beads acting as wheels.

Caption: A renowned strategist, second only to Takenaka Hanbee.

Note: Poor Gyoubu didn't get a very long description! The pictures show him looming over Sakon with Hideyoshi's awesome kabuto visible in the background - it looks as though it's a huge feature of the stage they're on. Another shot shows him rising into the air clutching Kanbee's weapon with his beads. Poor Kanbee is dangling helplessly below.

Caption: A dramatic scene where he abducts Kuroda Kanbee like a UFO. What on earth is going on here!?

Weekly Famitsu pictures spotted so far: Shima Sakon's 2P alternate costume (based on his real-life historical armour), cool picture of Gyoubu looming, Gyoubu's CG render and stuff about tag level-ups.

With these announcements, we have just four more of the usual fortnightly Weekly Famitsu updates left before the game is released. We also have ten characters left in limbo, including the mystery character who will have some tie to next week's magazine release.

--

Characters weren't all that the magazine wanted to reveal about Sengoku Basara 4 this week. Three full pages were devoted to unravelling the new game's system including tag, comrade levelling, weapon enhancement and the Basara shop.

Your battle comrade can level up mid-battle too!

Note: The main picture shows Sakon charging through enemies with some red status updates in the bottom left of the screen. 'Battle comrade: level up!', 'Battle comrade: behaviours expanded!', 'Battle comrade: tag available!' and (in orange) 'Tactical results: obtained!'.

Mitsunari's portrait is shining (perhaps the tag icon just appeared next to it with a flourish?).

Battle comrades can also use the abilities they learn immediately!

Battle comrades are able to use skills they learn mid-battle as they level up, just like the player's character. Show off the moves you've learnt!

Note: The stage that Mitsunari and Sakon are fighting on has a Tadakatsu graphic over the mini-map with a meter for charging a cannon. The map itself looks like exactly the one we've seen in pictures before with a cannon you can control to fire on some Tokugawa carts.

Explaining the system #1: Level up with an 'Inrou of Enhancement'.

Note: An inrou is a traditional box, shown as a floating gold object in the screenshots.

It's possible to pick up an item called an 'Inrou of Enhancement' during battle. By using the Inrou of Enhancement on the battle preparation screen you can increase your experience points. Of course, this applies to the player character - though you can also benefit and level up a battle comrade too. You can use the item on whichever character you choose to help them level up more quickly.

Note: Mitsunari is selected and he has two labels next to his portrait: 'available as a player character' in blue and 'available as a battle comrade' in green. The bottom of the screen displays your money on the left and the experience stored in your inrou near the middle. You can split the experience between characters however you like.

Speculation: The screen shows a total of 32 characters in the list, which might be a clue that there will be 32 playable characters in total when all 40 warriors have been revealed.

Explaining the system #2: A second costume is available for each commander.

It's possible to switch costumes on the battle preparation screen. As with previous games in the series, each character has a second outfit. Heading out to battle wearing a different costume to your usual one is sure to give the game a fresh feel! For now, we'll reveal the second costume for one of the new characters, Shima Sakon. Dressed in this outfit based on the real Shima Sakon's armour instead of his usual tracksuit-like costume, he looks like a true warrior.

Perhaps the orange-coloured kuwagata shape, which decorates Sakon's helmet like a stag beetle's horn, represents his easygoing personality?

You can also get special costumes as DLC! Once you've obtained a costume, you can equip it whenever you like.

Note: Both Sakon and Katsuie have the same yellow swirl as their elemental icon in all of the screenshots.

Explaining the system #3: Tag becomes available as the battle comrade's level is raised.

Increase your battle comrade's level enough and you'll be able to use 'battle comrade tagging' rather than simply relying on issuing orders to control your ally. If you tag mid-combo, you'll immediately unleash an attack and be able to continue your chain; depending on how you go about it, you could start a 'supreme combo'! What if it's combined with a Giga Basara technique...!?

Caption: By pressing the R3 button while playing as Ootani Yoshitsugu, his battle comrade Ishida Mitsunari becomes the main character. The changeover is extremely quick.

Aim for a 'supreme combo' by making use of tag with your battle comrade!

Note: As we thought, when you see the red/blue mark over the battle comrade's health bar it means that tag is available.

Explaining the system #4: A brand new weapon enhancement system.

Up until now, to improve your capabilities you could do things like attaching accessories to your weapon. In Sengoku Basara 4, you can strengthen your weapons in various ways with a new system involving whetstones, fortune hammers, tamahagane steel and inscriptions. This article explains each mechanic in detail.

Note: This section is split across a large number of screenshots showing the enhancement menu system. After going to the battle preparation screen and selecting 'weapon enhancement', a red menu at the top lets you choose between 'equipment', 'enhancement', 'fusion' and 'disassembly'. When you pick 'enhancement' your weapons are displayed on the left with a yellow label for the one you're currently enhancing and a blue label showing which weapon your character has equipped.

'Whetstones' are used to enhance weapons.

When you receive the item called a 'whetstone' during a battle, it can be used to raise the stats of a weapon from the battle preparation screen. The five weapon stats that can be increased are attack, defence, basara gauge, fighting spirit and hit points (moving clockwise from the top of the statistics chart). After selecting the stat you want to increase, decide how many whetstones you want to use and try out the enhancement.

The 'fortune hammer'.

You can use the fortune hammer to enhance one of your weapon's stats at random. There are three tiers: a blessing, a middle blessing or a great blessing. Leave your fortune to the heavens!

Tamahagane steel breaks through a weapon's limits!

Further enhancement is possible! There's a limit to how much you can enhance a weapon. However, by using the item tamahagane steel, you can increase the weapon's rarity - which in turn raises the upper limit.

Combine two weapons!

As well as being able to increase the stats with whetstones, fortune hammers and tamahagane steel, there's a feature called 'inscription' which allows you to attach special abilities to your weapon.

By fusing two weapons together, an inscription is created which can be used in enhancement. The inscription will vary depending on the combination used, and you can check what it will be before you begin the fusion.

It could be said that rushing through the battlefields and collecting weapons to create a perfect inscription is one of the game's highlights.

Note: The pictures show Katsuie's reverse naginata Senpuu (Unsigned) with a two-star rating/level and a gauge beneath it. The blue-and-white text under the picture of the weapon says that there are 10 more pieces of tamahagane steel required until the rarity of the weapon increases. You can press square to use tamahagane steel from your stock. Under this are three slots, of which two are occupied by the abilties 'break stone' and 'crushing blow'. In the bottom left of the screenshot is your total stock of fortune hammers which you can use by pressing triangle. On the top right of the picture is your total number of whetstones, which you can put into the five stats using the circle button.

Speculation: The weapon stat screen is mostly straightforward but in the area where the weapon's individual inscription slots are listed, some slots are marked with a circle in the middle of them which indicates they're maxed out. One of Katsuie's weapons had a unique gold-coloured slot with the text 'six realms'. Is that his personal ability..?

Note: As well as Senpuu and Senpuu (Unsigned), I think Katsuie has a green weapon called Suiran and (this is especially difficult to see) a gag weapon shaped like a pen called Mangamichi.

Explaining the system #5: The Basara-ya shop is still going strong!

You can go to the Basara-ya shop from the march screen and purchase items with the money you've obtained. The weapons you purchase in the shop will also have a few enhancements applied to them if you have enough spare cash. In addition, you can also buy the materials needed to enhance your weapons such as whetstones, tamahagane steel and fortune hammers.

Note: The march screen has options on the left for 'battle preparation', 'select battle comrade', 'Basara-ya shop' and 'settings'. The shop will alert you with text over its name when there are special deals on offer. The options in the shop's main menu seem to be 'buy', 'weapon enhancement', 'weapon fusion', 'weapon disassembly' and 'online Basara-ya shop'. If you pick 'buy' the shop can be sorted into categories such as weapons, enhancement materials, music and dialogue.

Caption: Don't miss the special deals! When the shop is running special deals, it will stock joke weapons with properties you can't see until after you get them in your hands; you might find a really powerful weapon! However, there are a large number of expensive items. Be sure to gather enough money!

Note: The prices in the shop show a lot of items costing 100,000 ryou or more. Whetstones cost 50 ryou, fortune hammers are 2,000 ryou and tamahagane steel is 3,000 ryou. There are apparently 200 items in the list, and the 'special deal' items have green labels. The interface shows three numbers underneath the weapon stats; these are your total number of whetstones, pieces of tamahagane steel and fortune hammers respectively from left to right.

Speculation: I also noticed that the total number of weapons in the bottom corner of the enhancement screen was 6/20. Can each character store 20 different weapons? In addition, the screenshot of the shop showed two separate joke weapons; whether they're a single weapon available with varying statistics or some characters have more than one joke weapon model is unknown. Some weapons have brown/orange backgrounds while others have blue/grey, so there might simply be two types of each - though to make things more complicated, in a picture of the shop some had silver backgrounds and others had gold while the mystery 'special deal' weapons were red.

Capcom updates the official Sengoku Basara 4 website with a new gameplay video

As expected, last Saturday's gameplay video has now made its way to the official Sengoku Basara 4 website. The theme this time is the various ways you can level up in the game. You can watch it on YouTube or below.


Initial observations:

• We have a few more confirmed stage names with Oushuu: Aoba Castle (Masamune), Bizen: Ujou [Okayama Castle] (Hideaki), Remains of Ounin: Souden (Yoshiteru), Battle of Sekigahara: Touyou (Ieyasu), Toyotomi Reminiscence Struggle (Hideyoshi) and Oda: Azuchi Castle (Nobunaga).
• I clarified the wording in the Inrou of Enhancement section above after seeing it in action. You can share your experience between characters from a single pool of experience stored in your inrou box. That's good news if you find levelling a particular character a chore.
• I was wrong about the gold inscriptions being unique character abilities, since the video shows lots of them along with special green ones.
• Sakon's basic weapons are Odds/Evens. He also has White/Black, Heaven/Earth, Luck/Misfortune, Odds/Evens (Unsigned), Odds/Evens (Gold) and Six/Four - which looks as though it's his joke weapon, except I cannot tell what it is. (Update: According to Japanese fans, it's a guitar and bass, and the numbers are the number of strings on each instrument. This shows how little I know about music..)
• Mitsunari's joke weapon is a tennis racquet apparently called Garden, though the pronunciation of the name isn't confirmed and it's a deliberate tennis reference.
• You can receive Inrou of Enhancement items as battle rewards as well as on the battlefield itself.
• There are many different types of stat bonus items you can receive (the flat sheets which appear as rewards and in the shop). They're referred to as 'play books'.
• As well as the 'special deals' which can appear in the shop, there's a red icon over the shop's name on the march screen when a discount is in effect. The discounts seem to affect certain categories labelled in red.
• There is a lot of space available if they decide to add a large number of DLC items later on since they're using very small icons for inactive costumes. I am going to start saving my money...

Fans of Gyoubu will have to wait until 28th November for his character page, but there are updates for the tag system, battle comrade level-ups and Sakon's alternate outfit. Other characters have received new voice samples as well.

--

The usual higher resolution pictures are now available courtesy of the Japanese gaming press: 4gamer, Famitsu, Gamer, Dengeki.

Update 21/11/2013 (00:50): Translation complete.
Update 21/11/2013 (01:15): The official website has updated, so I added pictures and the video!
Update 21/11/2013 (07:50): Added the links to various Japanese gaming websites and some extra observations about the video I noticed when I watched it again in bed. This post is now complete and further updates will go into a new one on Saturday.

News roundup: Weekly Famitsu announces the Azai couple and Kyougoku Maria for Sengoku Basara 4

We're back into the rhythm this week as early leaks from tomorrow's issue of Weekly Famitsu (dated 21st November 2013) have started to appear on 2ch and Sengoku Basara 4 is getting some coverage once again. It's moved to 13th place in the Most Wanted ranking (a drop from 11th place, and 8th place the week before).

Motonari is still missing in action (and looking even more likely to be teamed up with the Xavists than ever unless Gyoubu and/or Hisahide will be involved with his story) but at least last week's mysterious lady has had her identity revealed. Here's what Weekly Famitsu has reported.

The Kyougoku-Azai army joins the battle to seize the country!

Nagamasa has been revived for the main game series! It seems that he'll be stirring up drama along with Oichi once again. In addition, the game's final new commander has arrived!

Kyougoku Maria 京極マリア
Character image phrase: 愛染艶花 Aizen Enka ('Bewitching Flower Of Passion')
Seiyuu: Sawashiro Miyuki
Weapon: Cloth
Playable: No
Description: Introduced as an enemy commander, Kyougoku Maria is Azai Nagamasa's older sister. She's a woman who possesses so much beauty that it even distracts warriors from enemy armies. Maria considers herself the most valuable thing in the world; she views other people from this perspective and tries to determine whether or not they are good enough for her. On the battlefield, she attacks by manipulating cloth at will.

"If you want to become my accessory...show me proof? That even you would make an worthy accessory for me..."

(Note: She uses the word warawa to refer to herself.)

There's a picture showing Masamune wrapped up in Maria's weapon, then another with a kiss mark covering the screen. Caption: "In a defenceless state, bound by the cloth. A devilish kiss approaches Masamune!?"

Then a strip of cloth is shown extending from her hand area and hitting Masamune. "Part of her outfit becomes a long cloth and knocks Masamune over! This long range attack looks like quite a threat... How do you close in!?"

Another picture shows a purple-fringed cloth descending from above Maria with a caption: "A gigantic veil from the sky above!?"

(Raindrops' notes: In the real world she was known as a Christian - she was also the wife of Kyougoku Takayoshi and mother to Kyougoku Takatsugu. It's strange that Sawashiro will be providing Maria's voice, as she's also reportedly behind Itsuki in Sengoku Basara Mobile, which I've never played. I'm not sure whether that's good for Itsuki's future in the series.)

Azai Nagamasa 浅井長政
Character image phrase: 信義不倒 Shingi Futou ('Unshakeable Loyalty')
Seiyuu: Tsujitani Kouji
Weapon: Katana
Playable: Yes
Description: The supreme commander who leads the Kyougoku-Azai army. Nagamasa is a deeply serious person who prizes justice and punishes those he has recognised as 'evil'. He's proud, too. Often trapped between the demands of his wife Oichi and his sister Maria, Nagamasa's problems never end. Although his reach is short on the battlefield, he fights by making use of his agility.

"Where there is evil, there's justice as well... Where there is justice, evil is stifled!"

There's a picture of him using Kizan: Juumonji and a caption. "One of his unique skills involves Nagamasa storing up the 'Power of Justice'. As the power builds up his reach increases, and he can also release a powerful technique."

Oichi お市
Character image phrase: 幻妖言惑 Genyou Genwaku ('Enthralling Apparition')
Seiyuu: Noto Mamiko
Weapon: Dark hands
Playable: Yes
Description: The wife of Azai Nagamasa. Feared by many as the sister of Oda Nobunaga, Oichi harbours self-destructive thoughts. Since being with Nagamasa gives her a sense of peace, she's become deeply dependent on him and will stop at nothing to protect her husband. Oichi's weapons are her shadowy 'dark hands'.

"Oh, I'm glad...you can die before hurting Nagamasa-sama...hehe."

Caption: "The threat of the 'Great Dark Hands' from cancelling a normal attack!". There's also a small picture of Nagamasa holding Oichi by the shoulders as they're surrounded by the demonic hands.

Lastly, there's a funny picture of Oichi and Maria tugging at Nagamasa earnestly while he makes an agonised face in the middle, captioned "Even Nagamasa is baffled, torn between his wife and his older sister!?".

--

Here are the pictures I've found so far: one incredibly small picture which apparently came from Jump, and a camera phone shot of Nagamasa and Maria. G from the comments section also found this shot of Oichi. Here are alternate shots of the same pictures of Maria and the Azai couple.

There's also some new information about the structure of the game's Sengoku Creation mode in the same magazine article. I'll just translate it all, even though it sounds erratic when they keep changing topics.

--

In this game, you can alter history in countless ways depending on your character's actions and the shifts in the influence of the enemy forces. Depending on how you play you could reign for more than a thousand years.

Choose your battle from the march screen!

On the march screen, your character's drama unfolds first of all and then the enemy forces' movements are relayed. You choose where to march after receiving the information about your enemies; you can also view the rewards and requirements while making the decision.

Since the enemy movements vary between plays, the details of each battle will also change. The five types of battle are normal, outbreak, omen, derivation and one-on-one fight. The outbreaks and omen battles can suddenly appear with shifts in enemy influence, so you have to look out for them.

The pictures show Iinoya Castle as an 'omen' (purple), Sengenji as a 'derivation' (blue) and Honnouji as an 'outbreak' (red).

The type of battle also affects the rewards and contents; these changes can be substantial. In the case of the 'one-on-one fight' battles you have to face an enemy boss right at the beginning of the stage. If you win the match, the prize will be a weapon.

--

The anime cutscenes made by Production I.G. are shown if you clear one of the 'anime routes' in the game. Only some of the characters have this as an option. Alternatively, you can take the 'drama route' to enjoy a deeply dramatic story. The drama routes seem to appear as blue scrolls whereas the anime routes are coloured red.

Drama breaks out during the march!

There's a lovely picture of Masamune and Yukimura crossing their weapons in front of huge blue/red flags.

Developments in the fights between enemy forces can change the conflicts which break out. You need to check which scenarios and battles have appeared!

There's a shot of Mitsunari running and gasping "Hanbee-sama!" with his and Hanbee's portraits on either side of the screen.

Rush into the drama routes! There are events with certain combinations of characters!

If you head out to fight when a drama route appears, the mid-battle conversation will change. Each of the characters will have major story developments. Incidentally, finishing the drama route after branching will alter the ending. The outcome is up to you.

At the end of Sengoku Creation mode, once you've unified the land, a timeline of the steps you took is displayed on-screen. It also shows the length of your reign.

--

Finally, a few of the screenshots reveal even more interesting stage names, which add to the few I've posted about twice before. Please note that these pictures are incredibly small and I used my best efforts to make out the blurriest kanji.

(With a blood-spattered background) An outbreak! Azuchi-Shiten gathering.
(With a blood-spattered background) An outbreak! Revenge: the sword of the God of War.
(With a blood-spattered background) An outbreak! Kaga: Maeda Kabuki-Matsuri.
(With a blood-spattered background) An outbreak! Fate: the One-Eyed Dragon.
The Chousokabe forces crush the Kyougoku-Azai forces at Pirate Fortress: Hyakki Fugaku.
A fugitive ('otazunemono') lurks at Shizugatake.
A fugitive ('otazunemono') lurks at Osaka.

Both Nobunaga and Mitsuhide are shown as bosses on the Incident At Honnouji stage, and there's a new stage called Tango: Sengenji which belongs to Maria.

--

The return of the official Sengoku Basara pickles

In other news, remember the Sengoku Basara pickles from Kyomaf (Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair 2013)? The special edition packs of Kyoto-style Daiyasu Sengoku Basara Kyou-tsukemono have now been given a wider launch, still priced at ¥683. The pack includes three varieties: red shiso cucumber, pickled shiso and purple shibazuke. You can even pick them up at import stores such as AmiAmi.

Not sure I'll be going out of my way to order a set...

More merchandise on the way: Sengoku Basara 4 gashapon collectibles

I mentioned this on Twitter during the Animate Girls Festival 2013 at the weekend, but we now have a listing so it's official: Takara Tomy are to release a set of ¥200 capsule 'AR Gacha' collectibles on 28th February 2014. There will be fourteen different designs to collect - Masamune and Mitsunari have two each - and one of the characters is secret. I'm guessing it will be Motonari, especially since they've arranged them all with Motochika next to the blank spot.

The latest Sengoku Basara 4 video news

The news should continue in a few days as fans in Hokkaido are going to be shown a brand new Sengoku Basara 4 video this weekend at an in-store event, and more details about January's launch event should also be coming very soon. In the meantime, the team of PSandNintendFreak and Nine Demons Yoshitaka over at Koei Warriors subtitled the DLC costume video in English for the enjoyment of their fellow fans.


Update 23:45: Finished! The Famitsu information is now complete. At least until morning, when I'll add the pictures from the next official website update...
Update 07:55 07/11/2013: The official Sengoku Basara 4 website has now been updated so I've added pictures to my article. The front page has changed to show the game's cover artwork and there's a new (very short) teaser trailer. The Kyougoku-Azai army character profiles will be available on 14th November. I've moved the other news snippets to a dedicated news post today as there were too many.

News roundup: Motochika, Magoichi, Tsuruhime and Kanbee join the Sengoku Basara 4 cast

The first leaks from tomorrow's issue of Weekly Famitsu (dated 31st October 2013) have now surfaced and it seems that fans of Motonari are going to have to wait a little longer for confirmation. Instead, the new playable characters confirmed for Sengoku Basara 4 are Motochika, Magoichi, Tsuruhime and...Kanbee!

(Note: I've since received my issue so this post has been updated.)

There's a nice new group shot of all of the new characters accompanied by Masamune, Yukimura, Mitsunari and Ieyasu with a caption declaring that the package design is complete and brimming with energy. Presumably this is the artwork we'll see on the standard edition packaging a few months from now.

The game has moved up to 10th place in the upcoming game rankings and we're treated to a full four page article. A footnote advised that a previous issue of Weekly Famitsu had made a mistake with the game's rating: it's CERO rating B (ages 12+), not 15+ as the older issue stated.

Chousokabe Motochika 長曾我部元親
Character image phrase: 天衣無縫 Ten I Muhou ('Flawless Construction')
Seiyuu: Ishino Ryuuzou
Weapon: Ikariyari (anchor-spear)
Playable: Yes
Description: The supreme commander of the Chousokabe forces who rules over the western sea. He's trusted deeply by his men as their big hearted, considerate 'big brother'. As he continues his voyage in the mobile pirate stronghold 'Hyakki Fugaku' Motochika thinks about the oceans of distant lands. At the same time, he's also considering helping his friend Tokugawa Ieyasu in his conquest of the country.

Caption: Although Motochika's skills are slow, he has a long reach and his attacks cover a wide area.

"Wind blowing over the land doesn't matter at all... Waves! Storms! That's what gets me started!"

Saika Magoichi 雑賀孫市
Character image phrase: 煙鳥翔華 Enchou Shouka ('Smoky Bird Soaring Magnificently')
Seiyuu: Oohara Sayaka
Weapon: Guns
Playable: Yes
Description: The third generation leader of the Saika Shuu, a mercenary group equipped with firearms. Instead of using the value of the reward to select their employer, they're proud people who will only enter a contract with a partner who acknowledges their skill and way of life. In the turbulent times they advance across the battlefield to determine whether any force is worthy of a contract. On the battleground Magoichi specialises in long-range attacks using guns.

Caption: Who has Magoichi recognised as her contractor!?

Caption: Magoichi's normal attacks change depending on the unique ability that was used before them. She has different techniques to suit her distance from the enemy!

"The cloud of gunpowder smoke which drifts across the battlefield...we're there, within it."

Tsuruhime 鶴姫
Character image phrase: 純白可憐 Junpaku Karen ('Pure White And Lovely')
Seiyuu: Koshimizu Ami
Weapon: Bow
Playable: Yes
Description: The shrine maiden bound to the Iyokouno forces who possesses the mysterious power of an oracle. Although she was raised in a shrine with the greatest care, there's a risk that she doesn't know when a person shouldn't be trusted. One day, Tsuruhime heard a voice from the heavens calling itself 'Himiko' and set sail in turbulent times in order to bring the battles being waged across the land to an end. Yet on the battlefield, Tsuruhime specialises in long-range attacks with her bow and shows a great deal of energy as she blasts her enemies away.

Caption: Maintaining the ideal distance is critical when fighting with a bow. In addition, one feature of her unique skills is that she can fire a powerful arrow if the button is released at the right time.

"The seeds of this turbulent age are calling forth a storm, so I'm harvesting them before they sprout!"

Kuroda Kanbee 黒田官兵衛
Character image phrase: 機略重鈍 Kiryaku Juudon ('Heavy, Sluggish Manoeuvres')
Seiyuu: Koyama Rikiya
Weapon: Iron ball
Playable: Yes
Description: The supreme commander of the Kuroda forces. Kanbee was originally a commander in the Toyotomi army, however his capabilities were seen as dangerous together with the ambitions he secretly harboured and he was driven away to the southern lands. He wasn't discouraged even after that incredible misfortune; in the turbulent age he embraced his aspirations once more, setting out a network of underground tunnels spanning the whole of Hinomoto.

Caption: Kanbee swings the gigantic iron ball magnificently to fight. While his movement and skills are slow, this can be mitigated by incorporating some evasion.

"What's wrong with having ambition!? Even my humble self - a nobody next to all of these powerful warlords!?"

--

The bulk of the remainder of the magazine article is dedicated to more 'combined enemy formations'. I talked about these before here but here's a recap of the older ones we've already seen:

• Juugyorin ('Gun Fish Scales'): Enemies with guns form a pyramid and fire in unison.
• Ootatetate ('Huge Shield'): 12 enemy soldiers with spears and shields gather up into a wall.
• Ookurumagakari ('Great Winding Wheel'): The soldiers stack up like totem poles and then roll around together as a spinning wheel.
• Kakuyoku No Jin ('Crane Wing Formation'): The enemies connect their spears into a pole and spin to form a tornado.

There are now thirteen additional combined enemy formations with small variations on the originals. Here's the list with the magazine's comments (of course, a lot of the names are silly puns).

• Enyoku No Jin ('Flame Wing Formation'): A tornado of fire approaches! It's a splendid formation of soldiers clad in fire.
• Tamagakari ('Winding Bullets'): The soldiers who carry bombs on their backs form a wheel and charge. As they move forwards, they drop bombs into the ground. Are they creating a minefield?
• Daikikin ('Great Famine'): Another soldier sprinkles a mysterious powder above a soldier carrying a rice ball. Eat the poisoned rice ball and...!?
• Kin Nobori ('Muscle Ascent'): A formation with the soldiers on one another's shoulders. Acting as a ladder, there's a risk that it will sharply increase the enemy's range.
• Shinobikago ('Ninja Cage'): The ninja use hand seals to create a closed space, like a kekkai. If you're trapped inside this formation, is escape impossible until you destroy the base?
• Yumigyorin ('Bow Fish Scales'): A combined enemy formation for archers!
• Kingyorin ('Goldfish Scales'): A gorgeous formation of glittering gold!?
• Yariuma ('Spear Horse'): Treating the spears as though they're stilts!
• Tatetate No Kamae ('Shield Stance'): A more compact arrangement than the Ootatetate. (Note: It uses just four shields.)
• Kusatatetate No Kamae ('Thatched Shield Stance'): A grass pattern has been drawn on the shields to act as camouflage?
• Kurumagakari ('Winding Wheel'): A three-man formation capable of sharp turns.
• Atsugakari ('Winding Pressure'): Crushing with giant hammers!
• Kagyuu ('Fire Cow'): Cannons(?) on both shoulders blast out fire!!

The new formations are accompanied by extra information about the new 'tactician' units. As well as instructing other soldiers to assemble into the formations above, they have some special 'tactician orders' they can issue to make the enemies work together so that they're harder to defeat.

• Charge in ranks: The enemy soldiers charge together in rows.
• Surround the base: The enemies move around their base at high speed to keep it safe.
• Sack: They pounce on the player in a group, pressing down and crushing them (Note: in other words, it's a dog pile - and the picture of it happening to Mitsunari is pretty funny).

A picture of Tsuruhime with Oyassan has been circulating on 2ch and Twitter. More pictures will hopefully appear after the magazine has been released; in any case, the official website should update on Thursday as usual and the gaming press will post screenshots in their coverage.

Extra pictures from Twitter: Magoichi, Motochika/Tsuruhime, Kanbee, shots from the group picture 1, 2, 3, 4

--

Of course, that's not the only recent Sengoku Basara news.

More Ichiban Kuji prizes officially revealed

We still don't have a firm start date beyond mid-January, but the official Sengoku Basara Ichiban Kuji website has now updated to confirm more details about the list of prizes in the upcoming ¥600 convenience store lottery. In addition they've posted sample pictures of all five exclusive figures that participants can win.

A rank prize: Date Masamune 'Kyun-Chara' figure
B rank prize: Sanada Yukimura 'Kyun-Chara' figure
C rank prize: Maeda Keiji 'Kyun-Chara' figure
D rank prize: Tokugawa Ieyasu 'Kyun-Chara' figure
E rank prize: Ishida Mitsunari 'Kyun-Chara' figure
F rank prize: Hooded blanket
G rank prize: Japanese-style drawstring bag (four different designs)
H rank prize: Clear file (four different designs)
I rank prize: Set of pins (four different designs)
J rank prize: Design strap (four different designs)

There's no mention of the rumoured S-rank prize of a Sengoku Basara 4 multi-cloth, nor of the Last One prize, which is supposedly a Date Masamune 'Kyun-Chara' figure (drawn swords version). We'll have to wait and see.

--

Update 16/10/2013 23:20: All of the Weekly Famitsu material has now been translated. Let's look forward to the official website update and gaming website reports in a few hours!
Update 17/10/2013 07:40: The official website has now updated the character page so I've decorated this post. The profiles for Motochika, Magoichi, Tsuruhime and Kanbee will open up next Thursday.

News roundup: Famitsu magazine welcomes more returning characters to the Sengoku Basara 4 cast

Details from tomorrow's issue of Weekly Famitsu are now being leaked and it seems we have five returning characters appearing in Sengoku Basara 4, though two are said to be NPCs. It's brilliant news for fans of Mitsuhide(!) and Keiji - while fans of the game's strongest couple have had their worst fears realised...

Kobayakawa Hideaki 小早川秀秋
Character image phrase: 無明秋夜 Mumyou Shuuya ('Autumn Night Of Ignorance')
Seiyuu: Fukuyama Jun
Weapon: Nabe pot
Playable: Yes
Description: Hideaki is the supreme commander of the Kobayakawa army. As a lord he's a coward and extremely indecisive, but when it comes to food he's a glutton who gets more fired up and determined than anyone else in the land of Hinomoto. He seems to have built up a strange lord-retainer relationship with Tenkai, the mysterious monk who resides in the Kobayakawa household.

For Kobayakawa, running around and apologising become forms of attack. Contrary to appearances the unique skills which use the pot on his back are very powerful.

Hideaki's true value is in his unique skill 'Mogu Mogu Kingo' ('Munching Kingo'). By eating food, Hideaki's unique skills will be powered up. Try to keep his stomach full!

"Since I'm the 'nabe shogun', I have nothing to do with things like battles..."

Tenkai 天海
Character image phrase: 慈眼傍観 Jigan Boukan ('Spectating Merciful Eye')
Seiyuu: Hayami Shou
Weapon: A pair of 'monk staff' (shakujou) scythes
Playable: Yes
Description: An unidentified Buddhist monk who works with the Kobayakawa army. Due to his skill at advising the indecisive Kobayakawa Hideaki and the way that he can charm people with words, he's earned the admiration of the soldiers. However, nobody knows the background of this person who habours many secrets and often disappears.

By using the unique skill 'Koukotsuteki Kyuushuu' ('Ecstatic Absorption') Tenkai can heal himself and raise his 'ecstasy' level. This increases the efficiency of his normal and unique skills.

"As a reward, I'll tell you! My name...my real name is...! Hehehe...hahahahaha!"

Note: There's a cool picture of Tenkai leaping aggressively towards Nobunaga wielding both of his scythes.

Maeda Keiji 前田慶次
Character image phrase: 絢麗豪壮 Kenrei Gousou ('Gorgeous Splendour')
Seiyuu: Morita Masakazu
Weapon: Choutou-shuyari (Super-sword, scarlet spear)
Playable: Yes
Description: The supreme commander of a reborn Maeda army. While his free-spiritedness as a former vagabond remains, he's starting to gain an awareness of being the head of his clan. Keiji seems to harbour doubts about carrying responsibility for his land on his shoulders, opposing the turbulent era brought about by the 'restoration of power to the heavens'. Meanwhile, as the one who was known as a kabukimono, he can't deny the heated enthusiasm that the people are emitting. On the battlefield he blows numerous enemy soldiers away by brandishing his lengthy 'super-sword'. Keiji's personality can be appreciated for the way it embodies splendid action.

By using Keiji's unique skill 'Koi No Kakehiki' ('Tactics of Love'), his normal skills, unique skills and special moves can be cancelled.

Note: There's a picture of Keiji blocking a frontal attack from Yoshiteru.
Note 2: A kabukimono is a dazzling eccentric.

"For the Maeda clan of Kaga, for those who yearn for love...please take a good look at Maeda Keiji's great eccentricity!"

Maeda Toshiie 前田利家
Character image phrase: 豪放磊落 Gouhou Rairaku ('Open-hearted')
Seiyuu: Tsuboi Tomohiro
Weapon: Three-pronged spear
Playable: No
Description: Maeda Keiji's uncle, and a commander who loves the meals his wife cooks more than anything else. The heroic spear control he demonstrates on the battlefield marks him as 'Mataza of the Spear'. At the same time, he seems very interested in the movements of the lord he used to serve - a certain Oda Nobunaga.

Having handed his role as head of the family over to Keiji, Maeda Toshiie and Matsu battle hard in order to support Keiji. What kind of drama will we see from them?

"With support from Keiji, the strongest couple is even stronger!"

Matsu まつ
Character image phrase: 賢才瞬麗 Kensai Shunrei ('Gifted Sparkle')
Seiyuu: Kaida Yuuko
Weapon: Naginata
Playable: No
Description: The wife of a warrior family who wields her cooking skills in order to support the new Maeda army. She repeats her strict but gentle lectures on a daily basis so that Maeda Keiji will be a respectable head of their clan. On the battlefield, her combination with Toshiie poses a threat.

Whether they're going to a bustling festival or creating a stack of rice, the peaceful atmosphere throughout is one of the Maeda clan's traits. The quips between the married couple of Toshiie and Matsu are a highlight!

"The new Maeda army is full of life, just like fresh vegetables!"

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This week's gameplay feature concentrates on some of the elements shown off at the Tokyo Game Show 2013, such as level-ups during battle. It's nothing revolutionary but I'll translate it.

• You gain experience by defeating enemies and enemy camps, which leads to level-ups taking place during the stage.
• If the level-up unlocks new a technique, it can be used immediately.
• A picture shows Masamune levelling up and unlocking Crazy Storm with the input L1+Triangle displayed on the screen.
• You can switch your special move mid-battle, so you can have multiple special moves equipped at the same time.
• Caption: Change to adapt to the situation! Masamune is shown freely switching between Hell Dragon and War Dance in an instant.
• The sword clash ('kengeki') mechanic is back when your attack coincides with an enemy commander's strike. As usual, you have to bash the button quickly to be victorious and stagger the enemy.
• If you use the left stick while guarding just before an enemy attack lands, you'll trigger the desertion mechanic ('mikiri'). It's the fancy dodge move shown in some of the videos and slows the enemy down for a moment.

Then there's a section on enemy camps.

• Camps are locations which act as bases for the enemy forces. The camps play a critical role: they're close to the barracks, from which enemy soldiers appear in succession, and gates might not open if you haven't destroyed the camp. Furthemore, inside the camps are special enemy units called camp commanders.
• By defeating the camp commander, it's possible to claim the camp for your own forces.
• Camps with up to three levels are created through the enhancing abilities of the strategists (note: this is a particular unit type which was described back when the enemy formations were revealed).
• If that's the case, it's necessary to defeat the camp commanders on all of the floors before you can take the camp.
• There's also a system called 'camp destruction' which lets you destroy the individual levels of strong bases with a single blow. If a button icon is displayed on-screen when the camp commander goes to attack, calmly press that button with the right timing.

The game has risen another spot in Weekly Famitsu's ranking. It's now in 14th place. Footnotes about the theme songs confirm a few other details:

• As with the Naotora wedding outfit I mentioned before, there are plans to make the Masamune hakama/wooden sword DLC costume available separately later on for a fee.
• Count ZERO (the game's opening theme) will include keywords like 'creation' and 'advance towards the enemy' in the lyrics.
• Meanwhile, Runners high (the ending theme) contains a message along the lines of 'keep on running, don't stop!'.

I was momentarily excited when I saw that the Hyakka Ryouran Tamatebako special edition of the game came with an actual Date Masamune, only to realise it was a misprinted bullet point. Sigh.

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So, it seems there'll be no opportunity to ride bears in Sengoku Basara 4 and the deer will have to make up for it. I'm reading a lot of negativity about poor Kingo being included which seems really unfair; it's not as though excluding him would represent an opportunity for one of the Maeda couple to be playable. Surely the developers would have chosen the characters they wanted to include before coming up with the final number of playable characters, not the other way around.

Kingo is popular in the stage plays so I'm interested to know what his story will be this time around. I also want to know whether they'll make Mitsuhide play differently to Tenkai this time to justify him having two different spots on the roster.

Thanks to this week's reveal we're now up to 23/40 characters formally announced, with 5 of them being NPCs. The official website (and major Japanese news sites) are likely to update on Thursday to share the details from the magazine.

Japanese Twitter user escarpment19 has uploaded a photograph of Keiji's page and the Maeda couple, while yuhya63 provides a glimpse of Tenkai/Kingo here.

Bonus: CapcomChannel has posted a higher quality version of the Naotora/Matabee gameplay demonstration and presentation from TGS 2013.

Update (23:30): The whole article is now translated above. By the way, everyone looks the same as they did in Utage (though I like Keiji's new render better, Tenkai's looks awesome and Kingo's isn't very flattering).
Update (Thursday morning). The official website has now been updated so I added the profile pictures.
Update (Thursday noon). Pictures are now all over the Japanese press such as Gamer and 4Gamer.