Panzermadels: Tank Dating Simulator Review

By now, it should be pretty evident that I really enjoy visual novels, and I think I can boil down the reason why to a single point. Visual novels allow for a level of versatility in storytelling greater than any genre of game and have the ability to explore more bizarre or outlandish premises. Partially due to how they do not need to be built around any specific gameplay style, but also because they are an accessible medium for developers without much programming skills. A point that Panzermadels encapsulates quite well. (more…)

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Rayman Legends Review

Several months ago, I reviewed Rayman Origins, a colorful, creative, and tightly designed platformer that I came away from about as positively as I could. As such, it seemed inevitable that I would get to its sequel, Rayman Legends, and seeing as how the game has a Switch port due out in about a week, I figured that now would be as good a time as any. (more…)

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Disgaea PC Review

The Disgaea series is one that I have already held at least a passing interest in, as it’s art style, humorous sensibilities, grind and growth centered gameplay, and generally playful tone all struck me as things I would love if I gave it a try. With the release of a PC port of the very first game, it seemed like there was no better time to get into the series and, um, I don’t really like it. (more…)

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Lily’s Day Off Review

Anybody who looks at the games I review can parse that I tend to gravitate towards shorter games as, quite simply, it is far easier to get through one game a week if it is 10 hours long or less, and I try to parse out games that take 20+ hours with games that take only a fraction as much time. So without further ado, Lily’s Day Off, one of the briefest games I’ve covered on this site, and actually a pretty nifty visual novel. (more…)

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Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I Review

After going through the classic Genesis-era Sonic games last year with reviews of Sonic The Hedgehog 1, 2, CD, and 3, I thought I was done revisiting the classic titles. I am, but there was one mainline Sonic game that tried to recapture the feeling of these games, one that the upcoming Sonic Mania will basically overwrite. That is Sonic The Hedgehog 4, an episodic game series that must have done so poorly for Sega that they actually never finished it, instead stopping after two episodes. Seeing as how both games are surprisingly different for episodic titles, I will be reviewing the games separately, starting with Episode I naturally. (more…)

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Gemini: Heroes Reborn Review

Back in 2013, a little known Chicago based game developer by the name of Phosphor Games announced Project Awakened, an incredibly ambitious superhero game that promised to offer an, in retrospect, downright absurd level of customization and variability compared to other games on the market, all powered by the then new Unreal Engine 4. It stuck with me for quite a while, even after the independently developed game failed to accrue the needed funds via Kickstarter, and the project was supposedly cancelled. But the developers apparently were able to salvage enough of their work and concepts to create a brief game that also served as a tie-in to some TV show I have never heard of… Which I guess is still something. (more…)

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Remember, Remember Review

While I am the sort of person who does not shy away from reviewing obscure titles, I think I hit a new extreme here, as Remember, Remember, a visual novel that was released on Steam and Itch.io back in May of this year, has not been given a formal review of any kind beyond Steam reviews. I genuinely do not think this has ever happened to me before, but after playing through the game, I cannot say I am surprised by the lack of attention it has garnered.

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Xanadu Next Review

The original Xanadu was released for Japanese home computers back in 1985 as the second entry in the Dragon Slayer series. An incredibly long running franchise that was known for changing up its core concept and general gameplay almost completely with each installment, and went on to inspire a multitude of subseries, most notable the Legend of Heroes or Trails series. Xanadu itself was more of an offshoot title, one that was expanded with an additional scenario and even a Hudson developed spin-off for the NES by the name of Faxanadu. (more…)

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God Eater 2: Rage Burst Review

It’s been nearly a year since I reviewed God Eater Resurrection, an action oriented hunting game that was very promising, but struggled when faced with irksome minutia and over complicated mechanics. It was the kind of game that could very much benefit from a fully fledged sequel that reworks things and tries to maximize the core appeal, but that is not the case with God Eater 2: Rage Burst. Despite being a sequel that came out a few months after GER in the west, GE2 was actually released several months before GER in Japan. This means that many of the mechanics of GE2 appeared in GER, and the notable improvements are slim as such.

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Memory’s Dogma CODE:01 Review

I have brought this up before, but now would be a good time to restate my mission statement when it comes to reviewing games. Whenever I play a game, it is because something about it is interesting, appealing, or promising to me, and after going through it to completion, I enjoy the act of analyzing the components of each game. The process of assessing its strengths and weaknesses from my own subjective perspective. I do this in order to practice my critical thinking skills, increase my game literacy, and justify how I spend approximately 1,000 hours a year playing games. It is an enjoyable experience for me, at least assuming the game is at least average in its quality, and Memory’s Dogma is not even close.

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Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls Review

Part of me is absolutely amazed by how the Neptunia series continues onward despite the games being only average to pretty good and the target audience for these titles being a niche among niches. In spite of this, the series proved popular enough to justify a crossover with an anime and manga series centered around the personifications of Sega consoles, or Console-tans as they are colloquially known, called Sega Hard Girls or Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls. In theory, the crossover sounds incredibly sensible, but as I should not be surprised by at this point, it is kind of a mess. (more…)

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Freedom Planet Review

Well, this has been sitting on my to-do list for quite a while. After going through the Genesis-era mainline Sonic games back in 2016, I wanted to go through Freedom Planet as it was originally envisioned as a Sonic fan game, and takes many clear inspirations from the series. Yet due to my previous experience with the game, there was one minor mechanical decision that simply prevented me from giving the game my full attention. One that I will get to in a little bit. (more…)

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Owlboy Review

The storied history of Owlboy is one that stretches across almost the entire time in which independent game developers rose from an offshoot novelty to a mighty force in the game industry, and then transformed into an oversaturation of developers and games on the marketplace, where visibility and attention are in short supply. Or at least that’s how I see it. Originally announced in 2008, the game has gained something of a legacy, and just last year, it finally came out to a rather warm reception.  Considering I had been excited for this game since I first heard about it while in middle school, I was naturally looking forward to finally playing the game for myself. Unfortunately… Well, I’ll get into that. (more…)

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The Turing Test Review

It has occurred to me that I really have not ever really explained how I select the games I review. Quite simply, I have a list of titles that I keep based off of games that I catch a glimpse of or hear about while perusing around my regular sources of game related news. I collect these titles into a list that I then update once the game is released, setting a reservation price for myself to pay based on the often brief snippet of gameplay I played. Once it reaches that reservation price, I then glance at its reception on Steam to quickly double check the game’s quality, and then buy it. This is exactly what happened with The Turing Test. Also known as a case that makes me want to rethink this process. (more…)

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Higurashi: When They Cry Hou Chapter 5 – Meakashi Review

Another few months have passed, and another chapter of Higurashi has been released. I have been reviewing this series as the new translated versions have been coming out from MangaGamer, and after reviewing the four part Question Arc, it is finally time to dive into the Answer Arc, Higurashi: When They Cry Kai. (more…)

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Jotun Review

Considering how utterly massive my list of games to check out has been getting as of late, it’s becoming uncommon for me to forget about certain games, or even why I was interested in the first place. Some titles inevitably fall through the cracks, and with my memory becoming progressively worse as time goes on, which is especially worrisome considering I am 22-years-old, and Jotun was one of those. The game’s premise and warm reception were enough to justify giving it a closer look and, as is the case with every game I play to completion, a review. (more…)

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Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove Review

Yeah, I know I’m late to the party on this one, as Shovel Knight’s heyday wherein it received copious amounts of praise was nearly three years ago. However, it was recently rebranded as Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove and given additional content just shortly ago, so now is as good a time as any to revisit the game and go through its three fully fledged campaigns… at least that was my intention, but I’ll get to that. (more…)

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Inside Review

I always feel a bit odd when reviewing a game with such high critical marks and such a seemingly warm reception from the greater gaming community while also knowing next to nothing about it, as Inside is one of those select few games where discussions are prefaced with spoiler warning in order to discourage any who have not played the game from hearing why specifically it is considered a 9 or 10. Well, after making my way through it, I can firmly say that I understand why Inside has the reception it does. Or at least, sort of understand.

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Evoland 2 Review

Two weeks ago, I revisited Evoland, a somewhat cute yet insubstantial homage to The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy that, despite holding a modicum of charm, ultimately amounted to an underwhelming adventure with an incredible amount of missed potential. Potential that could very well be pursued through a sequel, but that really is not the case with Evoland 2. Instead, the game aims to be something different and notably grander than its predecessor, but amounts to a significantly worse and less interesting title. (more…)

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Cosmic Star Heroine Review

Cosmic Star Heroine was originally unveiled alongside a Kickstarter way back in October of 2013 where it was poised to be both a loving throwback of RPG of the late 16-bit era such as Lunar: Eternal Blue, Phantasy Star, and Chrono Trigger, while also defying many of the genre norms in order to offer a more engaging and streamlined experience. Not unlike the prior titles from its two-man developer, Zeboyd Games, such as Cthulhu Saves The World. I certainly held high hopes for this game, having backed it three and a half years ago, but after going through it to completion, I could not help but feel a little underwhelmed (more…)

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Evoland Review

So, I was not intending on reviewing Evoland, mostly on account of having already reviewed it nearly 4 years ago. But I recently replayed it to provide a better reference for my Evoland II review, which is not done yet because I have been unable to clear Evoland II yet, on account of a scheduling error on my part. Now, I could just go a week without reviewing a game, but I’ve got a good record going for me, and the more I thought about it, I have enough to say about this game in particular to warrant a full review. (more…)

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Mad Father Review

At this point, it should be evident that I am more than happy to explore a more niche side of the already niche centric Japanese game industry, so it seems like it was only a matter of time before I delved into the super specific subgenre of Japanese horror games developed in consumer level RPG creation engines. A genre I planned on exploring with the latest version of Corpse Party, but the game has gone through many permutations and it turns out that the PC version that I purchased is inferior to the recent 3DS release, who’d have thought? So instead I’m reviewing Mad Father. (more…)

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Oxenfree Review

As should be evident by now, I am very specific about the games I play and subsequently enjoy, barring a few exceptions. Those exceptions are often made due to curiosity over the specific concept of a game or the reception behind it. Oxenfree falls into the later, being a critically acclaimed narrative driven adventure game renowned mostly for its dialog. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t really like it that much. (more…)

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Rayman Origins Review

I have a personal policy where I like to revisit any game that I consider to be among my all time favorites once every few years. This is my way of ensuring that they are still quality titles that deserve to be placed so highly in my mind, help reinvigorate my affection towards certain titles, and allow me to more closely understand what makes these games so gosh darn good. Rayman Origins is the latest entry in this series of never ending exploits, and it’s still pretty wonderful. (more…)

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Life Is Strange Review

It has occurred to me how little I actually research the games I am going to review until I actually play them. This is mostly because I enjoy going into a game blind and not have my expectations too heavily hued by trailers and speculation, but it’s getting to the point where I jump into games without even seeing 30 seconds worth of gameplay or more than five screenshots. I’m not sure if that’s unusual, just like I’m unsure if playing most games several months or years after their initial release is unusual, but it’s something I’ve been doing lately, and something that applies to this title. (more…)

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Angels With Scaly Wings Review

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So, I’ve been reviewing games for about five years now, and never did I expect that I would start being given review codes from game developers without asking for them. This recently happened with a dragon dating sim called Angels With Scaly Wings. A curious little title that piqued my interest when the developers compared it to the Zero Escape series, so I began going through it after making room in my schedule. Which means this review is going live over a month after I received my review code. Whoops.

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Fire Emblem Heroes (2017) Review

fire-emblem-heroes-header-2As Nintendo’s second effort to branch out into mobile game using one of their established IPs, Fire Emblem seems like an incredibly odd choice. While the series saw a rise in popularity after the release of Awakening in early 2013, it is still a very niche franchise for the company, and does not initially seem like the best fit for the platform, as the games are story driven strategy RPGs. In actuality, Fire Emblem Heroes proves to be a surprisingly good fit for the platform, a pretty solid strategy game, and also one of the most engrossing yet frustrating experiences I willingly put myself through in quite a while. (more…)

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Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Review

wvw69kedgxujd8jz2hA few months ago, I reviewed Dragon Quest VII, and after forty hours with the game, my thoughts could only be generously described as mixed. It certainly made me question of affection towards the series and how I would feel about Dragon Quest VIII, but after playing it for only a short while, I realized that Dragon Quest VIII is something of an antithesis to its predecessor, and I’ve never been happier to use that word. (more…)

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Higurashi: When They Cry Chapter 4 – Himatsubushi Review

526490_20170130221745_1Seeing as how I reviewed chapter 3 of Higurashi a mere 2 weeks ago, I don’t really have much of an introduction for this review. I said a large number of great things about it, and was excited to see how the fourth chapter in this series played out. So I’m going to cut all pretenses and jump right in. (more…)

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Axiom Verge Review

332200_20170121173242_1I feel that I should begin this review with a spiel about how what would have been intricate fan games a few years ago have begun being developed a fully featured and separate titles that, while barring an obvious resemblance to another game or series, are also their own thing and deviate in pretty substantial ways. With Axiom Verge, the general aesthetic and gameplay elements are clearly based around the Metroid series, and more specifically the original 1987 title. However, I don’t really like attaching it to any series, let alone Metroid. Not because it actually transcends the comparison in some respects, which it does, but because it’s bad and I don’t want to associate it with something I like. (more…)

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Higurashi: When They Cry Chapter 3 – Tatarigoroshi Review

cg_043bSo, it’s been about a year since I last touched the Higurashi series with chapter 2, even longer since I reviewed chapter 1, and I really don’t have much of an excuse for that. While the second installment did not captivate me like the first, it was never my intention to give up on the series after I more or less stated that I intended on exploring this series of visual novels in its entirety. The series simply slipped my mind for several months, and only recently did I so much as purchase the currently released chapters. So without further ado, Higurashi: When They Cry Chapter 3 – Tatarigoroshi. (more…)

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Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Review

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Dragon’s Dogma has been on my list of games to check out for about five years now, but I never got around to it during the time the seventh generation of game consoles were relevant. So after it was released on PC, and after finding the time to invest in a massive western styled action RPG, I was finally able to go through the game. Though, I sort of regret putting as much time into it.

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Student Transfer Version 2.0 Review

screenshot0195About one year ago, I reviewed Student Transfer version 1.4. It quickly became one of my my popular posts of all time, seeing as how the post talked about a very obscure and niche game that was pretty much only talked about in its own forums and online message boards. When combined with the fact that I really enjoyed my time with the game, it’s only natural that I would revisit this visual novel centering around transformations, body swapping, mind control, possession, and more. But first, a bit of backstory. (more…)

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Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight Review

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How to best begin… I guess with a history lesson. Momodora is a series of action platformers that have been released since 2010. They gradually grew from a series of freeware games into what is seen here with the fourth entry in the series, Reverie Under the Moonlight. I personally have only played the third game, and I barely remember doing so, but it left enough of an impression on me to gravitate me towards the latest entry. Which also happened to quite noticeably influenced by the Souls series, to the point where I saw people lovingly refer to the game as MomoSouls.

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OneShot Review

420530_20161216173504_1OneShot was originally developed as an RPG Maker 2003 title released in 2014, where it garnered a decent following as far as I can tell. To the point where the creative team behind the game chose to remake and remaster their work for a retail release, complete with an updated game engine. With that backstory out of the way, I should begin by stating that I consider myself to be friends with Eliza Velasquez, one of the developers of OneShot, and she graciously provided me with a code for that game. I will try to be as impartial as can be with this review, but it’s best to disclose these sort of things right away. (more…)

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Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Review

253840_20161210141444_1After over three years of development and total crowdfunded proceeds of nearly one million dollars, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has finally been released, and I was one of the few thousand people to have backed the project. As such, I’m actually able to release a game review the day it comes out, which will likely never happen again. (more…)

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Ori and The Blind Forest: Definitive Edition Review

20161210111738_1Despite how Ori and The Blind Forest was instantly on my radar the moment I saw it, seeing as how it was shown off as a lavishly beautiful metroidvania game, it’s taken me quite a while to finally play it. It came out, was received well, but I never wound up buying it until over a year later, and after the release of an updated “Definitive” version. My reasoning behind this was that I knew just enough about the game to be worried about whether or not I personally would enjoy it, and for good reason. (more…)

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To The Moon Review

00Since I initially played it a few years ago, To The Moon has remained in my mind as one of the most emotionally gripping games I’ve ever played. A truly heartwarming tale that I was eager to recommend after experiencing it myself, but as is the case with many things I adore, I like to revisit them and determine whether or not a game is truly remarkable, or if past-me has less refined tastes than present-me. With To The Moon, it’s unfortunately the latter. (more…)

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Pokemon Moon Review

noqfmy74u0ccmz1vhwanAfter several months of anticipation and near weekly coverage on my weekly news segment, Pokemon Sun and Moon finally arrived to mark the 20th anniversary of this series. One that I hold very closely to myself and ultimately love, but have become incredibly critical of, as the shortcomings of a series become excruciatingly evident after playing every game in the mainline series (except for Platinum). But I’m not going to talk about those right now. For now, it’s time to talk about Pokemon Moon. (more…)

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Shadow The Hedgehog Review

_12After going through select entries in the Sonic series over the past few months, I think I’ve reached my end with this. A game that released eleven years ago, and served as a present for my eleventh birthday, because I was still a dumb little child young enough to find the edginess of this game to be cool. So I got the game whenever I did, including the limited edition Shadow The Hedgehog beanie. A collectible that I eventually threw away, but remembered well enough to reference it in a story of mine… because I think that the fact Sega sold this game with a beanie is funny. (more…)

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Mass Effect 3 Review

masseffect3-2016-11-08-21-22-33-17With Andromeda still looming over the horizon for a few more months, and my reviews of Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 out of the way, it’s time to dig into Mass Effect 3, the game whose heinously negative fan reaction effectively murdered the series for me for approximately four years. It’s easily the game I remembered the least of the series, but seeing as how I genuinely enjoyed my time with it at launch, I assumed that it would still prove to be a good conclusion to the Shepard saga. Well… I was wrong. It’s a great conclusion. (more…)

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Sonic Heroes Review

g9se8p-444After reviewing the mainline Genesis era Sonic games, I developed an urge to revisit a pair of Sonic games that I remember fondly from my childhood. No, not the first two Adventure games, I already reviewed those, the two that came out later and were tepidly received, Sonic Heroes and Shadow The Hedgehog. If only because I had not played either of these games in a decade, was curious of how poorly they held up, and was in the mood to emulate a few GameCube games. (more…)

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God Eater Resurrection Review

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So, I’ve been slowly chewing on this game for about two months now, and I’ve actually forgotten why I thought it was a good idea to purchase God Eater Resurrection, or more particularly, God Eater 2: Rage Burst, which came with this game as a bonus. My experience with hunting games such as this is limited to Freedom Wars. A game from one of this game’s developers that I thought was needlessly restrictive and ultimately frustrating, as detailed in a review I barely remember writing. I guess I was just in the mood to give them another chance, and I would say it paid off pretty well.

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Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles Review

20161011212322_1After two months and four games, I am finally done with the Genesis era mainline Sonic games. It has been an annoying journey from the abysmal Sonic 1, frustrating Sonic 2, and surprisingly alright Sonic CD. Now I arrive at Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the complete version of Sonic The Hedgehog 3, which only exists because Sonic Team made too many levels to fit on a Genesis cartridge and had to develop new technology to make their original vision playable to the masses. (more…)

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MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombies Review

20161004190240_1After having gone through Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1, Re;Birth2, Re;Birth3, Hyperdevotion Noire, Neptunia U, and Megadimension Neptunia VII, I’d say I have a very thorough familiarity with the Neptunia series, and for the seventh time in the past two years, another game in the series has found its way to PC, and law permits that now I have to play and review it. I expected a fairly lacking game that featured marginal improvements from the mechanical predecessor Neptunia U, but not only is that not the case here, MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombies is the worst Neptunia game I’ve ever played. I’d say worse ever, but the PS3 games were rubbish. (more…)

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Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past Review

wvw69jpzkz8gatdwcqDespite not being the biggest fan of the series, and only having played through five games prior to this one, I actually hold a special place for Dragon Quest. It is a lighthearted and joyful RPG series with memorable scenarios, excellent designs, lovely music, and simple yet enjoyable gameplay. So when a new one came out, under the guise that its success will dictate whether or not the series will continue undergoing the lengthy and difficult process of localization, I naturally picked it up, got my hopes up, and… well, I’m incredibly disappointed, let’s put it that way. (more…)

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