I’m a sucker for a good narrative adventure game, especially if it has a compelling story to tell. However, not all games within this genre are created equal, and titles like South of the Circle make this quite clear. That isn’t to say I had a bad experience during my playthrough, but suffice it to
Santo Ileso was brought to life in Las Vegas last week as select media was invited to experience Saints Row – the reboot from developer Volition being released next month on August 23. Saints Row comes nine years after the last release in this series, and more than fifteen years after the original – so what
It’s not often that I love a game at first glance, but I’ve always been a fan of that “dark cute” aesthetic. Of taking absolutely cute and saccharine critters and putting them in a situation that’s more than a little bit messed up. That contrast of something that wouldn’t look out of place in a
You really had to be a certain age to fully understand the absolutely monstrous chokehold that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had on younger kids at the time. Since then, to a certain extent, many other IPs popular with their target audience have had a hard time replicating at the height of its popularity. Save
While I tend to lean more towards fantasy over science fiction in video games, there has been the odd franchise or two with the latter type of setting that I’ve gotten into. The Metroid series comes to mind here, along with some sci-fi based shooters. Bearing in mind the relatively neutral perspective I have on
I’ll be honest, I loved damn near everything about Lost Judgment. I’m pretty sure my review of the base game made that point glaringly obvious. With any game in the Yakuza franchise, it’s almost always packed to the gills with content. That reason alone usually deters the addition of new story content with each title,
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
You know, it’s really hard to call something niche when a series has been receiving regular entries for what’s now been decades. It may be hard to believe that the Atelier franchise as a whole has been a long standing presence reaching right back to the original PlayStation, but there’s something to be said about
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
Early gaming has always fascinated me to some extent. Given that video gaming itself can largely be tracked to scientists goofing off on an oscilloscope to eventually grow into a lucrative and profitable economic mainstay is ridiculous feat in such a short amount of time. While they are merely a shadow of their former selves
I think it’s pretty well known by now that SEGA is none too shy about how much they’re leaning into all aspects of the Yakuza franchise. Which is great, because lately the main franchise and now the Judgment side of things were supposed to have split off into two separate playstyles. Last year’s Yakuza: Like
Cyberpunk is one of the most interesting subgenres of science fiction. It’s a demonstrably solid framework for writing flawed and morally gray characters, beaten down by a world brought to the edge of collapse by the whims of puppeteering corporations and capitalism run amok. Often, it explores the question mark of human consciousness, individuality, and
Never before have I felt both so excited and so afraid to review a title before. The latest in the Little Tail Bronx series of loosely connected games, I’ve been a fan of the series for some time now. However, I also knew the story would absolutely break my heart. It’s a tale of vengeance,
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always had a thing for medieval stuff. Knights, castles, siege weapons, swords, bows, everything really. I also really dug the more fantasy type stuff like wizards and elves and such. I have some real pieces of armor, swords and stuff in my personal space, so that should validate
The latest entry in CI Games’s best-selling Sniper: Ghost Warrior series, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2, has secured a release date of June 4th on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PS4. Taking place in the fictional country of Kuamar, Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 tasks the player with eliminating a brutal dictatorship through
Having grown up during the halcyon days of the original PlayStation yet totally separate from the hype that surrounded the library it sported was kind of weird. I had my eyes set on a Saturn being the rabid SEGA fan that I was in the ’90s, though that never came to pass until well after
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
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?
Despite being newer to the series, I feel confident in saying that the Atelier games are a good representation of what modern JRPGs have become. As a person who grew up playing the classic entries of this genre, though, I’m not yet sure how I feel about the changes of modern entries. However, it was
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.
