The latest game in the One Piece series, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 , will be released in North America next month as a digital exclusive on PlayStation 3.

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Pirate Warriors 2 was announced earlier this year as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, but ended up being released in Japan in March on both PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. For its western release, Namco Bandai announced it would only be released on PS3 , no doubt due in part to Vita's struggles.The publisher today announced the ways in which the game can be obtained will, in fact, be even more limited -- it will only be available as a digital game on the PlayStation Store. It also confirmed the game will be released on September 3 for $49.99.Pirate Warriors 2, like its predecessor released last year (which received a 6.0 in IGN's review ), takes the One Piece license and crosses it with the style of gameplay found in Dynasty Warriors, another series that developer Tecmo Koei is responsible for. It's not a comparison Namco Bandai shies away from; today's press release even mentions the comparison itself."In One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 players will be able to immerse themselves into the 'New World' and dive into huge power clashes that can only be seen in game," the press release states. "With a very expansive cast of Pirates and Marines to choose from, players will be able to harness the incredible powers and stylish techniques of all their favorite characters and take down hordes of enemies that will flood the screen in exciting Dynasty Warriors style."Does Pirate Warriors 2's digital-only release affect your buying decision? Or does it cause you to hold out hope that the Vita version might make it out of Japan one day? Let us know in the comments.

Chris Pereira is a freelance writer who spends his spare time agonizing over the final seasons of The X-Files. Check out what he's saying on Twitter and follow him on IGN