Good quality sound is very important to me in my media. I can’t enjoy movies or console gaming without my full surround sound speaker setup. I’m more than happy to shell out a couple hundred bucks for quality headphones for my PC. On the other hand, I wouldn’t really consider myself an “audiophile.” Sure, I’m
When it comes to the Fire Emblem franchise, there’s a hard cut-off point between the entries fans consider “classic and hardcore” and “modern and casual:” Fire Emblem Awakening. According to some of the fanbase, after Awakening, the franchise lost some of the elements that drew in its original base in exchange for bringing in a
Wonder Boy – a classic Sega franchise from the Master System/Genesis era that has been going through a sudden renaissance in the past few years. Having originally gone dormant in 1994, the series suddenly saw a return in 2016 with Wonder Boy Returns, a remake of the original game. However, it wasn’t until 2017 when
TimeSplitters has been a long-beloved franchise, with numerous fans clamoring for a new entry. One can’t blame them, considering the most recent entry, Future Perfect, was released in 2005. It seems though that the wait may be finally approaching its end for fans. Publisher Deep Silver has announced that they have formed a new studio
Of the “classics” one is expected to play in order to consider themselves a “real visual novel fan,” one that is often mentioned to this day is Ever17: Out of Infinity. It’s easy to see why; aside from the fact it was one of the first “real” visual novels to be released in English, it’s
Do you like your games with a healthy dose of stress? Want to relax by doing the same thing that you do every day of your life: survive? Well then, may I introduce you to the genre of survival games! I kid, of course. But survival games, or games with survival mechanics, have quickly become
During the great indoors-ening of the past year, my group of friends has had to find ways to hang out and do things together while staying in our own homes. Most of us being into gaming, this usually defaulted to playing some kind of multiplayer game while chatting on Discord. More often than not, that
The sheer amount of text in my favorite games was always the excuse that I gave to my parents that video games were actually good for me. “Look at all the reading I’m doing! It’s educational!” There really is a lot of text in games, when you think about it. Even in games with little-to-no
A horror game that doesn’t wrest control from the player. A title that can instill dread and fear without dictating it to the person in control. That’s the goal We Create Stuff’s CEO Ido Tal had for their upcoming game, In Sound Mind, of which he is also the co-producer. In a presentation for his
Controlling a game through body movements is nothing new. Hell, remember the Kinect? Using a camera to translate motions into gameplay is hardly novel…but what matters more is how these inputs are actually put to use. Enter GoodbyeWorld Games, a Los Angeles-based indie collective preparing to launch a title controlled by blinking your eyes. Before
If someone offered you the chance to change your memories, would you take it? Would you allow another person into your mind to clear up hazy memories, or perhaps bury ones you’d rather forget? What if it came with the risk of changing your personality or your sense of self completely? This seems to be
The idea of visual novels in virtual reality has always intrigued me. Taking a genre mostly made up of 2D sprites and massive amounts of text, and turning it into an immersive experience that actually allows one to interact with the characters and the story around them. I had my first taste of this a
It’s always interesting to look back at a long running series and see how its changed through the years. Final Fantasy going from turn-based fighting to its “Active Time Battle” style, now experimenting with real-time nowadays. The Tales series taking the same basic battle engine and putting new spins on it with each new entry.
When the original Atelier Ryza launched in the west a little over a year ago, it brought a few changes to the well-established series beloved by fans. With a more action-focused battle system, simplified alchemy systems, a stronger focus on plot, and a touch more fanservice than usual, Ryza went on to be one of
It has arrived: the end of the year. A year that felt simultaneously gone in a flash yet unbearably long. It sure has been an…interesting…start to a new decade. In gaming, though, the year has been crazy. A brand new console generation has begun, and people are still struggling to be a part of it,
For most people, the controller that comes packed in with their gaming console is all they will ever need. After all, it’s the controller a console is built to work with – why would they need anything but the standard? But for some, they want more out of their controller. More buttons, customization options, a
What we have here today is a game that is purposely difficult. One that straight up tells you that it’s difficult when you select a new game. Combat is methodical, relying on reading your enemy. Healing is done by resting at bonfires found throughout the world.
When a game you create suddenly strikes it big and gains a sizeable following, what do you do next? Do you continue to produce content for it? Do you create a direct sequel, or another game in the same style? Or do you go in a completely different direction and make something else entirely?
If there’s one piece of gaming kit that I’m willing to drop stacks of cash on, it’s a quality headset. I’m no audiophile, but sound quality in games and music is still incredibly important to me…perhaps due to my background in music and radio.
I’ve spoken much in past reviews about how games in long-running genres or popular series need to do something unique to stand out. Put a twist on a formula, introduce some new mechanics, something to keep fans coming back entry after entry. Admittedly, that’s a personal preference. Some gamers prefer to stay in their comfort