Drakengard 3 Launching on May 20th for PS3, Collector’s Edition Revealed

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Drakengard 3 Launching on May 20th for PS3, Collector’s Edition Revealed
Drakengard 3 Launching on May 20th for PS3, Collector’s Edition Revealed

Let me start by thanking everyone for patiently waiting for news about Drakengard 3. We’ve been quiet for a long time, but today, we’re dropping some huge news — the silence is no more!

Let’s start big: we’ve got a release date. Drakengard 3 is coming out on May 20th, 2014, for $49.99 on PS3. Mark your calendars, and keep that pen out, because there are a couple more dates I’d like you to note.

If you pre-order Drakengard 3 before March 4th, or if you already have, you’ll be locked in for three bonus items — all at no extra charge. The first item is something I know those of you who appreciate an authentic gaming experience have asked for time and again, and your voices have been heard. You’ll be getting the Japanese Voice Over DLC pack.

Drakengard 3 for PS3Drakengard 3 for PS3

Drakengard 3 for PS3

As for the second and third items… they’re a secret! We’ll reveal the second item on March 4th, and the third item on April 9th. Basically, the earlier you pre-order, the more you get. If you wait past March 4th, you’ll only get two items. The Japanese VO DLC will have expired. If you wait past April 9th, you’ll only get one item.

Last but not least, retailing for $79.99 exclusively from the Square Enix Online Store, the Drakengard 3 Collector’s Edition was crafted with the fans who’ve loved Drakengard since the PS2 days. Of course, it’s also accessible to newcomers as well, with the original Japanese box art and that gorgeous, bloody flower on the case.

This version comes with some incredible stuff, including a complete prequel novella — a collection of short stories written from the perspectives of each character. It’s also got a selection of tracks by acclaimed composer Keiichi Okabe. We’ve mentioned he also composed Nier, haven’t we?

The Collector’s Edition also comes packed with more content and a few nods to series fans. It’s got a full DLC stage featuring Zero’s sister, One, as a playable character. And for the long-time fans, you can equip Zero in the Caim costume. Aesthetically, the costume is reminiscent of the original Drakengard, but functionally, it decreases stamina consumption when using a skill. Finally, the Giant Baby Hat is for your dragon, which needs no introduction to those of you who know this series.

Drakengard 3 for PS3

One very important fact I should mention about this version is that only 5,000 of these are going to be produced. We’re giving you the number upfront so that you know that when we say limited quantity, we mean limited. And rest assured, pre-ordering the Collector’s Edition also gets you all three pre-order bonus items, no matter when you order it.

I hope we’ve made up for that prolonged silence with all this news. If you have any questions, be sure to ask us in the comments!

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165 Comments

47 Author Replies

  • Can anyone please explain the backstory behind the baby hat? please.

  • @ Sakura Minamida
    Please consider making the game available at other retailers, Best Buy, Gamestop, etc.
    Thank you!

  • (80028ED6) pls fix psn

  • 20 Replies nice :) o pls fix ((80028ed6)) I cant play online or go to the psn store

  • I can’t buy this game if it’s only being distributed by Digital River. Looks like I’ll wait until it’s on Amazon or ebay. Won’t be long.

    @87 No, Drakengard 3 does not negate the existence of NieR. Without spoiling much, this is a prequel and it addresses the series as a whole.

  • Let Square Enix damn well know — DAMN WELL KNOW — that if Drakengard 3 doesn’t meet sales expectations in the States, it’s because of an insistence on filling the entirety of both their feet with bullets. A double whammy of time-sensitive pre-order bonuses coupled with absolute pre-release exclusivity of the game, an that’s just for Yankees! Then there’s everywhere your Store doesn’t serve.

    The only sense I can see in this would be to allow folks a chance to put in for a Collector’s Edition (really, just a soundtrack sampler? not the whole deal?), rather than seeing them sell out in .5 seconds through Amazon and GameStop. But what’s there to sell out of in the Standard Edition’s pre-orders?

    (Well, not like I’m one to talk: I’ve been a scumbag and ordered games to secure their exclusive bonuses and then made my money back to purchase the game digitally later when my budget can actually allow.)

  • *takes a harder look at the poster’s front*
    *check it out elsewhere

    And is there any way that poster can be made nearly purely awesome and replace onii-tan Nier with papa bear Nier (that is, the one we gaijin full-sale got, not counting the later add-on jazz)? I mean, I guess there’s no way to avoid including Nowe, but a bit less compromise in the brutal ensemble, eh?

    (For anyone doubting Caim & crew’s legitimacies, I HIGHLY recommend the Let’s Plays by The Dark Id. DRAKENGARD!)

  • I was set to pre order the game until I read it’s only available for pre order via square Enix but then the store that some entity operates has huge problems now and has had even bigger problems in the past. Rethink this idea square and you’ve got my $60 let Gamestop sell the item I’d buy it then or even amazon I need a trusted retailer without so many issues when it comes to pre orders.

  • Just checked out squares website their is no way I’m pre ordering with them I’ll wait until someone resells the game or just skip it all together.

    List it on psn for crying out loud people are literally complaining about your service as we type

  • Oooo new game coming out on ps3 cool but, dont know if i’m going to get them because some of are exspensive.

  • Ive been waiting for this game TYVM.

  • Is this going to be digitally on US psn store?

  • @92

    Huh, weird. Could’ve sworn it was mentioned here.

    Both IGN and Destructoid are reporting digital release for North America.

  • I pre ordered already.Thank you for giving us an awesome collectors edition. I will be using that dlc costume since it looks cooler then her default one.

  • i was about to pre order but cancel it….

    reason:
    1- it aint exclusive only for pre order the bonus (VO)… (so no point to pre order)
    2- state on site of SQUARE ENIX once it gone (4 march) it wont be available no more…. (now you are saying it be on sale later on…. so no point to pre order)
    3- digital river ar the worth company to deal with

    if you want to make exclusive and collector edition at least make sure of:
    – it limited (not in mass production or else no point here..)
    – make sure all DLC we get for PRE ORDER stay only for pre orde (or else no point ot paid high price if other will have it for cheaper)

  • you can keep ur game SE. Although i was looking forward to it day1, but not if you could only acquired it threw ur website.

  • What are the differences (or what is missing) from this Collector’s Edition that’s in Drag-On Dragoon 3’s 10th Anniversary Box? Am I correct to note that it does not have the Commemorative Artbook that includes commentary and illustrations, the History Films blu-ray and the Postcard set? I’m only asking out of curiosity – I was very excited to hear the news and immediately preordered a copy.

  • I pre-ordered Drakengard 3’s Collector’s Edition the moment I saw it on the blog this morning! I’m so excited for it. I usually don’t pre-order so early (or at all) but I’ve been a fan since I rented the original Drakengard. 2 was fun – though I bought and played it in Japan, so I couldn’t bring it home with me.
    So happy SE is localizing D3!!! Can’t wait to hear about the other pre-order bonuses. I like how you guys did it, with the Japanese VO. So I can pick and choose which language to play with.
    I can’t wait to play Zero! Also, One’s pre-order bonus sounds like fun. She has this chakran style weapon. So I’m excited for it. Maybe I’ll actually be able to finish this game. Thanks SE! I’ve been waiting for this. Just one, two… three more months!

  • I’m so glad to see that Drakengard 3 finally has a release day! I’ve played NieR and loved every aspect of it; enough to platinum the game! I’ve already go the Collector’s Edition for both Final Fantasy X/X-2 and Drakengard 3 pre-ordered! Now to wait for these games to ship!

  • Wow, I was totally expecting this to ship late in the year, after Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX. Was definitely not expecting it to ship before the end of Spring.

    Contrary to what a few negative nancys felt the need to say here, I absolutely loved the PS2 games. The first one more so than the second, but they were both awesome. And Dat Baby Hat… XD
    That is quite the add-on, haha.

    With all the problems I’m reading about here, I hope I’ll be able to pre-order the CE. I’d been wondering why it wasn’t in Gamestop’s system or on Amazon yet, so hopefully my first encounter with the S-E online store doesn’t completely screw me over. Looking forward to May now!

  • Well, for my part, I was able to sign-in to S-E’s online store and complete my pre-order of the CE with no issues whatsoever. I was able to reach the order confirmation screen and received a confirmation email.

    Extra info: I’m using Chrome. Don’t know if that helped me at all, but there ya go.

  • $21 shipping to Canada?
    Yea adding to the fact our dollar is low that puts an $80 CE to $110 Canadian.
    Sorry but you’re really making my decision about whether I’m getting the CE or not by making it a Square Enix store exclusive with horrible shipping.
    At least offer free shipping to Canada as well even if we have to order $150 worth of stuff or more. That or stop with all of these exclusive CEs, makes it pretty unfair to your Canadian customers.

  • A question about ordering from the Square Enix online store, since trying to get a relevant, coherent answer out of Digital River support through email is an exercise in futility:

    I was thinking of preordering the Drakengard 3 CE, along with the CE for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, to put the order total above $100 and qualify for free shipping. Since these are both preorders, when will the games be shipped? Will each game be shipped separately as its release date arrives and it becomes available, or will they be held and all shipped together when the latest game in the order (in this instance, Drakengard 3) releases? I’d be worried about my Final Fantasy X/X-2 CE being held and ending up going out of stock before Drakengard 3 releases, if that’s the case.

    Any answers regarding this would be greatly appreciated!

  • Thank you so much for bringing over the Japanese VO. Along with Lightning Returns, you guys have really listened to the fans who wanted dual-audio and for that I thank you again. No words typed up in this comment could articulate the appreciation I have for you guys doing this. I pre-ordered the collector’s edition as soon as the announcement went up on Facebook. I hope this means that future titles will have dual audio as well!

  • If I preorder the game, I assuming I going be ship a physical copy of the game. Is that corret?

  • *shipped a physical copy* ahh morning are full of typos…

  • Both editions…

  • @ Shinsugi: I can’t vouch for the standard edition, but when I pre-ordered the CE, it specifically stated on the final invoice “boxed item” under shipping info, so yes, it is definitely a physical purchase. Considering it claims to come in a box with the original Japanese cover art and a novella, I’d think it’s safe to assume it should be physical.
    The standard edition should be the same as well.

    • Yes the game will be a physical item. The CE will be packed with the Japanese box art with a physical disc. The SE will have a NA specific packaging design with a physical disc.

  • I’ll probably buy this Digitally, since SE/Digital Rivers shipping makes ordering for Canadians a near impossible nightmare.

    I will not buy any form of the game, physical or digital, until the Japanese VO DLC is available, even if you’re going to charge for non pre orders.

    If you’re going to wait to make Dual Audio available for everyone, then I’m going to wait to buy the game. At this point I’ll probably buy a used copy when the DLC is available, just to make sure you get lese money.

    This is what happens when you use and never fix you shipping service (digital river). I am now planning to do everything I can to make sure I get this game and you get nothing from me. And you were my favourite game company.

    Please offer real shipping options, or stop making thing Exclusive to your SE store. You’re driving away lifetime customers.

  • I really wish this game was available at retail stores, it’s 12$ just to ship to Canada. I’ve been waiting for this game forever so I’m still planning on buying it, but don’t think i’ll use the store after this one purchase.

  • Been looking at the concept art of this game….really awesome stuff….and cool characters….especially womans….I really love the concept art…amazing outfits too,so much details.

  • I have a question out of curiosity. Nier is one of my favorite video games of all time, and I know about its story connections to the original Drakengard. What I’m wondering is will there be story references to Nier made during this game as well? Maybe some prologue story events mentioned in the book Grimoire Nier? Because either way, connections to Nier would be super awesome!

  • Will this game be releasing for purchase on PSN digitally, or will it be only through the Square-Enix store? Not too interested in the DLC, but I am very interested in the game and would like to not have to order from the store.

  • @DrDemcie

    So far, it is going to be released digitally on PSN and physically through SE store only. No other physical release through other retailers, yet. Hopefully they do release it physically through other retailers.

  • “those who appreciate an authentic gaming experience”

    Spoken like the ignorant piece of weaboo s*** you clearly are, Sakura. Contrary to such typically nippon-loving idiocy, your suggestion that those who dont care about japanese VO in games or other mediums dont appreciate authentic experiences is nothing but a load of utter f****** idiotic and wholly untrue bull****. FACT of the matter is there isn’t jack **** more ‘authentic’ about JP audio in games, and especially in a case like this where it sounds very well done, there’s NOTHING false or fraudulent about english dubs in comparison. In fact, dubs are often eons ahead of their comparatively s*** jp counterparts, and those who rally constantly for the latter aren’t any sort of authenticity appreciators. They’re just dumb **** weaboos like yourself ignorant to the fact that the pushing for an all-around inferior experience due to dub superiority an the fact nobody makes a game wanting dialogue to be read 100% and not simply listened to.

  • Can’t expect tast.eless dip***** like you to comprehend these facts though Educate yourself before you spout such inane bull**** again. Ill take my permanent leve of this s*** page for this s*** company’s game so whatever bull**** replies anyone sends my will never reach me. Deal with it, my facts and superior dub experiences win, your idiocy and s*** jp vo experiences lose. another fact.not reading messages frm randomusernames either btw.

  • I would really like Square-Enix to go back to their previous e-commerce store, that they operated. Digital River screwed me out of alot of days to play FFXIV A Realm Reborn with their poor shipping and exhurbant shipping fees. I’m OK paying sales tax and would prefer picking up these Collector’s Editons at a Retail Store where damage can be contested easier/quicker and not have to pay shipping. I also preferred the old e-commerce store because their was more merchandise available especially the statues and jewelry plus the shipping and customer service was better.

  • @ AizawaYuuichi
    I pre-order mine and it say “boxed shipment.” This and the fact that I had to pay a shipping cost should basically mean I should get the physical copy. Now, I just have to wait and hopefully the cheapest shipping won’t be too delay…It said “this order will be shppied after the release date of 5/20/2014 for Drakengard 3[PS3}” which hopefully means a day or two after it relase and not a couple of weeks…. First time ordering on square enix store, semi-scared.

  • Any Details on the Novella?

    Is it hardcover or softcover?

    Is that picture to scale? Or is it bigger than a PS3 case?

  • @ Pickles_Warden

    Speak not the Watchers,
    Draw not the Watchers,
    Write not the Watchers,
    Sculpt not the Watchers,
    Sing not the Watchers,
    Call not the Watchers’ name

  • @ Shinsugi: I’m pretty sure that just means that they won’t be shipping the game before the release date. Hopefully the shipments will start going out on the 20th, and most people should have it within a week, depending on what shipping option they chose.
    It’s my first time ordering from them as well. I don’t like doing digital pre-orders normally, but I’m making an exception for this game. Been waiting and hoping for a long time that we’d get another game in this series.

  • @AizawaYuuichi: hopefully that is the case. It is too far to worried about it and probably this thread will be most active near the release date, hopefully, with joyful comments of getting the game and how awesome it is instead of comments of not complaints due to shipping problems and stuff.

  • *comments of complaints due*…. I really wish we can edited our own post

  • Thank you for bringing this game over. I pre-ordered the collector’s edition when it was first announced. Even though I hate Digital River.

    To those complaining about the Japanese voices being DLC: at least we are getting them. Square Enix has finally listened to us. Now we can pester them into putting the Japanese voices on the disk next game they localize.

  • This post may have single handedly dissuaded me from getting this game entirely, on morals alone.

    I was really looking forward to this. Looks excellent. However, leaving Japanese Voice over DLC is a really cheap shot at your audience, and screams desperation. I don’t particularly need Japanese VA, would probably not use and would not buy if it was sold separately, but the fact that you are hiding something that a lot of people want behind a pre-order exclusive deal, that apparently can only be done through some freaking very specific means, is disheartening and frankly a little puzzling. For a game with such a niche audience, one would think you would want to branch out and make this as accessible as possible.

    You should facilitate people getting your game, not test their will on how much they are willing to bend over for the privilege of playing it…

  • well. That was an instant preorder, if I ever did see one. ^_^

  • @SanosukeJP

    lol you mad boy!!

    and yeah it is authentic since the creators and script writers and the like are overseeing the voice department and want to renact the story as true as possible in their vision.

    that’s not the case with dub where you have to rely to some random english ADR director whose interpretation which may or may not have the same idea from the creators.

    don’t be mad if you can’t comprehend Japanese and just stick to English.

    and lol “weaboo” it seems you don’t know that Sakura Minamida is actually Japanese. so maybe you should stop using the word since clearly your clueless and makes you look like an Id!ot.

    let me guess, you know only English and English should only be the language in the world? i bet you must be an ignorant american lol.

  • Excellent news ! Pre-ordering mine now.

    I hope the music in this game is as gorgeous as in Nier :)

  • I know that you are only responsible for the US market, but can’ t you or anyone tell us whats up with europe?

    Will we also get a retail or a special edition and will we get also the jp voice DLC ?

    SE Europe don’t give any feedback to us, no mails are answered, there is no reaction in the blogs, theres not a single word.
    Many fans are therefor frustrated and angry, they feel treated likesecond rate customers.

  • Is there some reason why companies don’t allow some of their games to be sold by other retailers? Could you list the pros and cons? (I don’t know much about those decisions)

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