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While we're no stranger to anime themed titles on PlayStation consoles with Dragon Ball and Naruto making almost yearly visits, it's rare for any but the big names to come and play. But thanks to its overwhelming popularity, Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment, a PlayStation Vita tie-in of the worldwide smash hit, will be swinging its blade in July in Europe, while a North American release is set for sometime this summer.

Based upon the original story, players of the latest virtual reality MMO find themselves caged inside the game with no way to log out. They soon discover that their only hope of returning to reality is, of course, to defeat the enemies lurking inside of dungeons and complete the game. There is a catch, though, as death in the virtual world costs your life in reality – and to think that we thought it was bad enough when you simply lost experience points. With RPG action and a fully fledged cast of cameos ready to join your party, the release should be a must have for any fan. To top it all off, also included is a HD upgrade of the PlayStation Portable title Sword Art Infinity Moment, which never released outside of Japan.

This may not be the last niche title that we'll be seeing either, according to Herve Hoerdt, Vice President of IP Strategy at Bandai Namco Games Europe. “Fans were looking forward to enjoy this game, we listened to them. Our close collaboration with Sony allows us to release more and more niche games; Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment is the result of this successful partnership,” the representative wrote in the RPG's latest press release. Are you ready to play a game within a game? What other titles would you like to benefit from this new partnership? Leave your requests in the comments section below.