We have some great news for PS Vita owners now, especially those who are interested in buying Soul Sacrifice this week at launch, but have yet to do so. Keiji Inafune, creator of the game has revealed that those who buy the digital version of the game via the PSN, will receive a collection of bonuses that were only initially available to those that pre-ordered the game.

After almost an eternity of waiting between the Japanese and western releases, Soul Sacrifice is finally available to buy in America and Europe this week. The game has been hyped up for months as one of the PS Vita’s potential shining lights of 2013, while many positive reviews this week seem to justify this, with a followup a real possibility depending on how sales perform.

If you love RPG games especially, Soul Sacrifice is a no-brainer on the PS Vita. The game features a deep combat and unlock system, similar to that of Monster Hunter – which probably isn’t the first and last time that you have heard the two game titles in the same sentence.

For those that are still mulling on a purchase, Megaman creator Keiji Inafune has attempted to make your decision a lot easier, by offering up a selection of goodies for all digital buyers. For example, if you buy the game from the PS Vita store, you’ll receive two unique costumes that you can customize your player with.

On top of that, you’ll also receive three unique items to equip in game – these are the Spirits’ Flamepike, Spirits’ Blightstone and the Spirits’ Fulgurwood. For true JRPG purists, Inafune has also given the chance for players to play the game with Japanese voice-overs as one final goodie for those buying the digital version.

If you pre-ordered the game, you should have received all of the above already. We love that you have the choice between English and Japanese though, as it’s often a big request from many gamers who like to play through the game with the original voice cast as opposed to western conversions.

So there we have it, a great incentive for you if you plan to buy the game this week from the online store. If you have already bought Soul Sacrifice, let us know your initial impressions of the game. Money well spent or not?

The time has finally come for patient PS Vita owners, as highly anticipated action / rpg title Soul Sacrifice is due out on Sony’s handheld this week. For those of you still holding on for an elusive Monster Hunter game from Capcom though, it looks like that wait isn’t going to be ending any time soon.

The game has been out in Japan for well over a month, but as we well know it often takes longer for a Japanese game to be localized ready for a release on western shores. We saw it all the time with the likes of Pokemon on the DS and now Soul Sacrifice is easily looking like one of the first big hitters of 2013 for Sony’s handheld.

Reviews from Japan have been very good indeed, while most of you should have got an idea of how the game will play out, thanks to a demo release at the start of this month. On the subject of Monster Hunter appearing on PS Vita though, it looks like Capcom still has no plans to make it happen and we have yet another piece of evidence that suggests Nintendo has an exclusive on the franchise for the foreseeable future.

A post over at the Capcom forums has now been closed off, a thread which originally asked Capcom to bring Monster Hunter over to the PS Vita. Capcom communications specialist Yuri Araujo swiftly stepped in to the debate, giving a statement which said that they have “got no plans for a PSVita Monster Hunter at the moment.”

It would appear very logical indeed for Monster Hunter to appear on the PS Vita you would think, an ideal win win situation for both Sony who need massive games, and Capcom who would make a lot of money indeed on the elusive title. For whatever behind the scenes reason though, it isn’t happening and it now means that Soul Sacrifice is the closest thing that PS Vita owners have to a MH game at the moment.

Could that be a blessing in disguise though perhaps? Let us know your thoughts on the Monster Hunter situation and whether you are planning to buy Soul Sacrifice this week for the PS Vita or not.

PS Vita owners may have been feeling a little starved lately due to a lack of major game releases on Sony’s handheld, but the situation is set to improve significantly with the arrival of promising PRG Soul Sacrifice which arrives soon and is releasing in Japan at the end of the week.

Since the game is coming out within days in Japan, we can now bring you one of the first official reviews to come out for the promising title, and it comes from the reputable Japanese publication Famitsu. There has been a lot of hype over this game, not just due to the fact that the PS Vita needs new games, but the fact that Soul Sacrifice is actually a game that could go on to shift PS Vita hardware.

Famitsu’s review seems to have justified this, as they have given the game a very pleasing 37/40 review score, comprised of individual scores of 10,9,9 and 9 respectively. A summary of Famitsu’s review has been uploaded and posted to the NeoGaf forums, which also reveals some interesting information on the game – notably a rough time on how long it will take to complete the single player campaign.

According to the notes, Soul Sacrifice has an average campaign duration of 25 hours, which isn’t too bad at all for a PS Vita game. Don’t forget that the game also features a multiplayer mode as well which will increase the game’s longevity tenfold. We can also tell you that Soul Sacrifice has a deep magic crafting system, with over 300 spells to learn and utilize as you progress through the game.

Soul Sacrifice is not due out here until the end of April, but based on Famitsu’s review it looks like it could be a must-buy for all PS Vita owners. Take a look at the review notes over at Neogaf and tell us if you will be picking up Soul Sacrifice in the weeks to come.

Are you still disappointed that there isn’t more major games on the way to the PS Vita? We see Killzone Mercenary of course, but what else?

We’ve mentioned recently on how the PS Vita really needs some new games to catapult Sony’s handheld back into the limelight throughout 2013. The recent news about Resident Evil Revelations not getting a Vita version was a bit of blow, but one upcoming game does have the potential to change fortunes for Sony. That game is Soul Sacrifice and we’re hearing that Sony has an interesting incentive in place for new PS Vita hardware buyers in Japan.

Back in the days of the PS1, Sony used to offer physical demo discs on a regular basis which gave gamers an excellent preview of the latest games that were up and coming – the likes of Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot and Tekken, we loved it. You could pick up those discs by buying the latest gaming magazines, but obviously that trend stopped when the PS3 arrived sadly.

The good news is that this past time is making something of a comeback, as Sony Japan has confirmed that anyone who buys a new PS Vita from this point onwards in Japan, will also receive a free PS Vita game card which has the full Soul Sacrifice demo included. Not only that though, as the card will also include demos for Uncharted Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush and Hot Shots Golf.

It’s a great idea of course and we’re a little surprised that we haven’t seen a similar motion put in place for all future EU and US Vita purchases either. That could be down to the fact that an English version of Soul Sacrifice hasn’t been finalized yet, but hopefully we’ll see the same inventive over here soon.

It’s also a great way to get the word across and a message from Sony that Soul Sacrifice is going to be one of the highlights of the first quarter of 2013. For those that have already managed to swipe the demo from the Japan PSN store, is Soul Sacrifice worth getting excited about?