The Bayonetta series is probably one of the most infamous cult classics coming out of studio PlatinumGames. The original, way back in ye olde days of 2009, gained a number of fans…but not enough for original publisher Sega to consider the series viable. That’s where Nintendo swooped in, reviving the series with a second entry
“This looks just like old school Persona!” That’s the reaction I heard ringing out from everyone who saw Demonschool on the PAX West show floor. And, to be honest, it’s hard to blame them. An inferred school setting, the isometric camera view present in many screenshots, battle screens with large tall sprites…it does look vaguely
What is it that we all want from our gaming handhelds? Long battery life? Comfortable to hold in our hands? All of our favorite games available on the go? Nah, it’s all about that big screen life, baby! Gone are the days of the big brick Game Boy with a screen the size of your
Finally revealing your passion project to the world really is something every artist looks forward to. Having the opportunity to do so at one of the largest conferences for the medium you’re working in? All the better. This was the opportunity Eric Manahan of The Matte Black Studio had at 2022’s PAX West conference. The
When it comes to remakes and remasters, one question that always seems to come up is, “How much content can be changed?” For some, a few tweaks and adjustments are perfectly acceptable in the remake of a classic game. Hell, maybe even massive changes are just fine, a la Final Fantasy VII Remake. For others,
Twenty years ago (holy crap has it really been that long?), the development studio Inti Creates got their start working on the Mega Man franchise with the much-beloved Mega Man Zero series. After producing a number of games in various different subseries in the franchise, Mega Man went into its famous content drought. But that
I got into collecting retro games a few years back. Both to reexperience the NES era that I grew up with, and to try out games from other consoles I never owned when I was younger. I’ve managed to build complete collections of three of my favorite franchises (Tales of, Ys, and Fire Emblem), and
[Edit 6/1/2022: Particula has added buying options for both D&D Shells and a USB charger since the time of writing. The following review remains unchanged.] The internet rules everything around us. At least, that what tech toy manufacturers seem to think. The jokes of everything being “smart” are kind of old at this point, but
When you’re creating a follow-up or sequel to a previous game, one of many things to consider is “how much should we change from our previous game?” Changing too much could risk alienating fans of the original, but could bring in new fans. Not changing enough might be seen as being lazy, but may make
IllFonic is a studio that’s been actively pushing back at the negativity that surrounds the idea of licensed games. While their two previous licensed titles – Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds – received middling reviews, both maintain dedicated fanbases, with the latter still receiving updates even now in 2022. Now with
While Devolver Digital is known for publishing everything from the quiet and emotional Gris to the gory and violent Carrion, the publishing studio itself is known for having a snarky, off-kilter sense of humor. Watching any of their E3 “press conferences” is a quick way to see what the studio is about (and a rabbit
One thing that being a game reviewer for nearly a decade now has taught me is that it’s not really possible for me to dislike an entire genre. Sure, there are some genres out there that I’m not much a fan on – fighting games for example – but then the occasional game comes along
Well, it’s that time of year again! It’s officially New Years Eve, with a brand new year approaching on the horizon. 2021 continued to be a…rather wild ride in many ways. But it’s the time to look back on the most important thing of this past year: what happened at Gamer Escape! The biggest change,
A few months ago, we had the opportunity to go hands-on with an early build of Chorus, a space combat game that was promising an engrossing story alongside its intergalactic dogfighting gameplay. This initial demo left a positive impression on me, despite me being…well, quite bad at the game itself. Now, with the full version
A little over four years ago, we took a look at Blue Reflection, a new IP from Gust (of Atelier fame) and Koei Tecmo. A JRPG set in the magical girl genre, it was something that seemed to have a lot of promise when I first booted it up. Unfortunately, I came away from it…less
Ever since finally getting my hands on a PC Engine Duo (or, as it was known in the US, the TurboDuo), I’ve been on a bit of a shmup kick. The system is known for its absolute glut of space shooters, after all, so why not dive in and see what it actually had to
I’ve never really been much into tabletop card games. If you don’t count the couple years in college I lost my life to Magic: The Gathering, that is (and I don’t remember much of that time, considering that was right around when I turned 21…). Setting that specific time aside, tabletop card games just never
It seems I’ve reached that age where my nostalgia is being pandered to. All the TV shows and movies I grew up with as a kid getting sudden reboots. Games I played in my formative years getting remasters dropped out of nowhere. And, what, can I say, I’m reveling in it. Shoot that ActRaiser remaster
The space combat genre: probably one of the most overlooked and forgotten gaming genres in the modern era. It seems most developers have forgotten about the pure fun of zipping around space in a fancy ship, shooting down ships or creatures or what-have-you, and upgrading that ship so you can zip around faster and shoot
2011 was a year of absolutely massive games that have gone on to be considered classics. Portal 2. Skyrim. Dark Souls. The Witcher 2. Hell, one of my favorite games of all time (Deus Ex: Human Revolution) dropped during this absolutely stacked period of gaming. With hit after hit dropping, though, a number of smaller