[Review] RPG Maker Fes
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 29 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: June 27, 2017
Developer: Kadokawa / Jupiter
Publisher NIS America
For those who are unfamiliar, RPG Maker may seem like a brand new game coming to the 3DS, but really it’s a creation tool meant to give easy access to those that want to make simple RPGs and get into the realm of game development. The series has had a long history in video games, first being released in the early 90s, and is still heavily used to this day and frequently associated with short, indie titles typically released on digital outlets on PC. However, well-known games have also been made in RPG Maker such as Corpse Party, To The Moon, Aveyond, and much more. There are even quite a few RPG Maker-created titles currently available on 3DS. Though mostly a PC program, RPG Maker FES makes its way over to 3DS to give players their own chance at creating whatever it is they’d like using their stylus as their paint brush, and their mind as the ink. RPG Maker, like most engines and tools on PC, can get extremely deep in its technicality depending on how much one is trying to implement and achieve with their title, but does that flexibility and the power of PCs translate well to 3DS? Surprisingly, very much so.
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[Review] ARMS
Posted on 7 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Switch | 18 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: June 16, 2017
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
It feels commonplace with Nintendo to expect at least one new first-party IP to follow the most recent console launch. Enter ARMS, Nintendo’s latest original game, and their take on a more competitive-styled fighter. Nintendo has had experience with the fighting game genre in the past with the Smash Bros. series, but instead of leaning more towards the party-style that has been the intended main focus Smash Bros., ARMS seems to lend itself to a more competitive one-on-one style of fighting game in the vein of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat while still maintaining the big N’s signature twist on a traditional genre.
[Review] Disgaea 5 Complete
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 7 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 23, 2017
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher NIS America
Since its initial launch in 2003, Disgaea has been a flagship series for Nippon Ichi Software – even using Prinny as a mascot – and continues to be nearly 15 years later, having multiple spinoffs and branching off into other mediums such as anime adaptations and manga. What’s made the franchise so great and successful over the years is that not only has it touched multiple platforms on both console and handhelds, but it’s had fun and engaging gameplay that goes beyond the typical layout and flow of a strategy RPG, bringing along a great cast of characters, settings, art, and music to boost. Now Disgaea 5 Complete is making the series’ return to Nintendo consoles on the Switch for the first time since Disgaea DS back in 2008, and packs in all DLC from the original release. Despite the game itself being nearly two years old at this point, it offers those who have held out or simply never jumped into a Disgaea game before a chance to give it a shot. And even though Disgaea isn’t always associated with Nintendo, Disgaea 5 Complete feels comfortable and right at home on Switch, giving RPG and SRPG enthusiasts alike a great new title to get their hands on and delve into.
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[Review] Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch, Switch eShop | 21 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: May 26, 2017
Developer:: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Chances are nowadays that when you talk to someone about fighting games, one of the first titles to come to mind is Street Fighter. The series has spanned decades, with 2017 marking its 30th anniversary which is further celebrated with the updated release of one of the most seminal fighting games of all time, Street Fighter II. Before the imminent release of Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers on Switch, the game had already returned many times in the past. To some this may seem excessive, but for the most hardcore of Street Fighter fans, it’s a way to continually preserve the history of one of the most successful fighting game franchises of all time, as well as one of the most important titles in the series. However you look at it, Ultra Street Fighter II has a lot to love about it if you’re an avid Street Fighter fan, but may leave a lot to be desired to those looking to jump in for the first time or have casually spent time with the series over the last three decades.
[Review] Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Posted on 7 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 13 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: May 19, 2017
Developer:: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
As an avid Fire Emblem fan, I have a lot of respect for how far the series has come, especially considering that Awakening was supposed to be the final entry. It’s clear that the new direction for these games clicked very well with western players, breathing new life into a tired chain of tactical RPGs. If essentially “waifu-ing” Fire Emblem up and making the games overall easier to play meant I could still get my Fire Emblem fix every other year, then so be it. However, with Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentina, the developers decided to draw the series back to its roots by remaking the Japan-exclusive Famicom game Fire Emblem Gaiden.
[Review] TumbleSeed
Posted on 7 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 15 Comments
System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: May 2, 2017
Developer: aeiowu
Publisher aeiowu
The first thing that hit me upon playing TumbleSeed is how tactile it feels. Even as I was hopelessly fumbling and rolling my seed, making inconsequential progress up the game’s procedurally generated mountain, its textured soundtrack, satisfyingly percussive sound effects, and bright bubbly visuals kept me going – at least until I had a better grasp on the game. As it turns out, TumbleSeed is an excellent roguelike.
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[Review] Puyo Puyo Tetris
Posted on 7 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Switch | 40 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: April 25, 2017
Developer: SEGA / Sonic Team
Publisher SEGA
Puyo Puyo Tetris – a crossover of Puyo Puyo and Tetris – has been around in Japan since 2014, having released on just about every platform. With the Switch version as a Japanese launch title, it’s finally getting localized, albeit two months late. It goes without saying that Tetris is well known in the west with its release on every platform imaginable, though SEGA’s Puyo Puyo series is far less renowned internationally as it is in Japan. The last time a Puyo Puyo game saw an official international release was on GameCube in 2004.
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[Review] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 30 Comments
System: Switch
Release date: April 28, 2017
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Two years ago, I wrote an article on my relationship with Mario Kart and how Mario Kart 8 revitalized the series. In making that game, Nintendo reignited the magic I used to feel towards the franchise during the N64 and GameCube days. Mario Kart 8 shed a whole new light on kart racers and the potential they had at a time where most felt stale or rehashed, with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed being the new “king” of that genre before Mario Kart 8 returned to reclaim. Now in 2017, we’re back with the definitive version of one of Wii U’s best titles on its successor, the Nintendo Switch, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It’s as extravagant and beautiful as it was on Wii U, but this time with a revamped battle mode, all DLC included, a few new features, and plenty to love all over again.
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[Review] Snake Pass
Posted on 7 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 15 Comments
System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: March 28, 2017
Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher Sumo Digital
There are a lot of short tips that cycle through the brief loading screens of Snake Pass. The most helpful was perhaps the most obvious: “Remember, think like a snake.” I wouldn’t be entirely satisfied categorizing this as a physics-based puzzle game. Calling it a platformer is closer, but you can’t jump. Stick this game into any established category and you’ll find that its slithery nature slips right back out. Snake Pass is, mechanically speaking, a sort of deconstruction of the 3D platformer. It’s not quite like anything I’ve ever played.
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[Review] I Am Setsuna
Posted on 7 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Switch | 46 Comments
System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: March 3, 2017
Developer: Tokyo RPG Factory
Publisher Square Enix
Sometimes nostalgia gets the best of us. We look back on the vast history of video games and how far we’ve come, what’s changed and what hasn’t, for better or for worse. There are certain mechanics that evolve so much over time throughout all genres that we tend to forget how things once were when they became innovative for their time. The RPG genre has come a long way, stepping away from the linearity and turn-based tradition and heading more towards an open-world and free-form combat in a flashy hack-n-slash fashion. Sometimes, however, you want to go back to basics and back to a time that makes you fall in love with the genre all over again and elicits strong feelings of nostalgia and purity that may have faded over time as we’ve grown. I Am Setsuna brings us back to the 90’s at a time when Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Parasite Eve, and a slew of other Square titles were pushing a new wave of gameplay with their Active Time Battle systems – ATB for short – where you could attack at any given point once a meter was filled rather than wait your turn in a chess-like fashion like traditional RPGs. I Am Setsuna not only brings us back to a time where RPGs were at their best thanks to their deep worlds, battle systems, and innocent art styles, but brings with it a reimagining to a forgotten style of gameplay that feels fantastic to have back in a modern take.
