I haven't heard anything, the only new portable entry announced recently was an updated port of Tales of Hearts for the Vita. Given that the first Vita port, Tales of Innocence R, didn't make its way over here I think our chances for it are limited but there's still a chance. Tales of Hearts is by far the best portable main entry in the Tales series so it would be huge if that got localized. Going back to 3DS, with that market increasing in Japan and the Vita market seemingly not doing so well, I would be absolutely shocked if we didn't see another Tales game on the 3DS. Now the question is, will it be another port? Perhaps an entry not previously brought to the US, such as Destiny, which may lead the way to it being released here? Who knows. It's probably just as likely that they would make a brand new entry on the 3DS, or they might just port these Vita remakes. As always with the Tales series we'll just have to keep hoping and for now just focus on the coming release of Xillia. Come on Namco, gives us Tales of Hearts for the Vita!

Well I'm not sure what you already have so I'm just going to cover as much as possible. Now, the 3DS isn't overflowing with RPGs but there are still a bunch of them that should not be missed. I would start with Tales of the Abyss 3D. It remains my favorite entry in the Tales series and it actually plays even better on the 3DS than it did on PS2 thanks to reduced loading times. Devil Survivor would be my favorite RPG on the system, but it is little more than an enhanced port of the original DS game. Still, if you haven't already played the original this version is much preferred.

Maybe you prefer new RPGs though, not ports? In that case I say try Kingdom Hearts 3D. Not containing the issues many of the past portable side entries have contained, this one is a blast to play and feels much closer to a main entry in the series. Playing with the circle pad pro it will even feel like you're playing it on a console. The story is nuts, but that's par for the course with this series.

So far Paper Mario on the 3DS has been a blast, though I've heard some troubling things from those farther on in the game. Still, if you enjoy that particular series I'm sure it'll be worth a look. Staying with Mario for a second, Mario 3D Land is an absolute must play even if it's not an RPG. Don't miss it! New Super Mario Bros. 2 is also a good time, just don't go into it expecting anything new or revolutionary.

Both Harvest Moon: A Tale of Two Towns and Harvest Moon: A New Beginning are great relaxing games on the go if you're looking for nice combat-free RPGs. You'd probably want to try A New Beginning first because it's newer and has some cool new features, but Tale of Two Towns served quite well as my introduction to the series after jumping from Rune Factory.

Heroes of Ruin is a decent little dungeon crawling RPG as you can see from my review. It has some issues but is far from bad. There is full online multiplayer, various interesting classes, and plenty of loot to collect. It suffers from some repetition but it actually has a pretty decent story which isn't usually the case for these kinds of games.

Finally, Code of Princess is a fun little brawler with RPG elements from many of the same developers that brought us Guardian Heroes. Not lengthy or anything but it also has full online play and lots of different ways to replay levels as different characters. Worth a look!

That's about it, I could name some other non-RPGs but I will spend some time on that another time if you want some recommendations in that area. I hope this helps!

It has been a pretty good week! Got some new games in this week and I've been enjoying quite a lot of Ragnarok Odyssey and Halo 4 multiplayer. Thankfully I'm done with school but I understand the joy of a semester nearing its end!

Who could have prodded you for such questions? I'm always up for talking the Mario RPG games. I've been a fan of them since Super Mario RPG.

I know exactly what you're saying. The Paper Mario series really takes that whole paper aesthetic to heart and often uses it to add to the gameplay in lots of interesting ways. While the first two you could say had mostly traditional turn-based combat, they still had twists that kept a platforming feel and brought "paper" elements to the combat. That's not even getting into the great paper-related humor.

I understand the issues people had with Super Paper Mario despite loving it myself. That said, I think they're way too hard on it. It did something different, but there's nothing wrong with that. I know it wasn't as good as Thousand Year Door but that game is really hard to top. It still had the great humor the series is known for, some interesting paper-based gameplay ideas, and even the traditional optional 100 floor dungeon. Different isn't always bad people! I feel like some people never even gave it a chance. Now moving onto Sticker Star, it plays like the earlier Paper Mario games even though you don't have extra party members this time. So even if Sticker Star does turn out to have some issues I think fans of the first two Paper Marios will enjoy it.

I have played all the Paper Mario games though I have not completed the first one. I loved the goofiness of the games, and the way the paperiness of everything works into the humor. Thousand Year Door found ways to keep classic turn-based combat quick and fun with few dull moments. I loved the way Super Paper Mario applied elements of the first two games to a classic platformer. The flipping to 3D could be annoying at times but it was still enjoyable. Mostly I just love how the games took everything that makes Mario games fun and applied them to my favorite genre. Unlike Super Mario RPG, which at times could feel like a game from a completely different series, the Paper Mario games are truly Mario titles morphed into RPGs, even if they don't even all play the same. Sticker Star does this in a few new ways, but we'll get to that in a bit.

I love how quick and fun combat is even when it's very easy. It has those classic timing elements which vary based on the sticker attacks you're using and the attacks enemies are using against you. I'm only through World One and I already find the variety of sticker attacks to be staggering. The game does a good job providing you with new stickers as you explore so you never feel like you're running low (except perhaps against some tough bosses).

Character progression is mostly absent. You gain health updates but that's about it. Progression happens in the way you gain access to more powerful stickers as the game progresses, both through expansion to the store in town and the ones you find in locations. There's no customization to be found. It's just not that kind of game. There are rare and shiny stickers to find of course, so completionists will have fun finding every last sticker in the game.

I think the best comparison would be to Mario & Luigi Partners in Time. In that game all your special attacks were handled by using various items that corresponded to coordinated attacks between the brothers. The attacks in this game are much simpler but it has that same kind of feel, using simpler sticker attacks on random enemies when possible and saving the best ones for bosses. The combat is mostly easy, and challenge comes from bosses, solving puzzles, figuring out where to go next, and of course managing stickers as not to run out.

Mario just has the one companion again in this one, so you'll find a similar level of character development as Super Paper Mario (unless he meets new companions later on that I'm not aware of). In this one, the enemies and toads in towns seem to have a lot more personality. This means despite there not being as much individual characterization, it is still there. Hopefully this aspect continues as I progress further.

I feel like this successfully captures the feel of classic Mario games while at the same time making traveling in the game extremely easy. You'll never be too far from the world map so if you get stuck in a bind and need to go back to town or just remember a place where you can use a special sticker it's very easy to do so. While it may seem like it makes the game more linear and less of an RPG, based on a quick glance at the world map this turns out to not be the case at all. There are secret exits as you say, along with what appears to be secret areas in some levels (I keep seeing tantalizing doors drawn on walls I can't do anything to yet) that I can't access yet. Make no doubt about it, this isn't the linear progression that they used in Super Paper Mario. You do have to do a lot of exploring to figure out how to progress and I have heard worrying things about how difficult and frustrating this may get for some later in the game. Sounds like something I'll actually enjoy but we'll have to see.

I think if lovers of the older entries can get over the fact that you have no companions and all attacks are stickers, they will absolutely adore the combat in this one. It really is a lot of fun even against easy enemies! The game even copies EarthBound a bit and easier enemies will be instantly killed on the map when you jump on or hammer them as you progress. If they keep their minds open, I think the way the game resembles an adventure game in its exploration will be something fans really enjoy.

I was actually pondering if sequence breaking was possible quite recently. The game actually lets you got to 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, and 4-1 right from the start. I tried going to 2-1 and you need a bunch of stickers to open an initial door but you can get all the ones you need before completing World One. Perhaps my faithful sticker companion would just tell me "no Mario, not yet" but who knows. I may have to go back and try this out. More details on this coming soon when I figure it out!

No problem! I've been doing Q&A for two years now so writing this has become a regular part of my week, and I hope reading it has become a regular part of yours and many others' weeks! I have a blast doing this. Thank you for the great questions!

Oh cool, I was wondering what that crane reference was all about. That's cool! Now I really have the urge to go back and play Thousand Year Door...