April2024
Review Freedom Planet 2 (Switch) - A Sonic-Style Platformer Exuding Passion & Quality
He better watch out
Back in 2014, a team of new developers calling themselves GalaxyTrail released Freedom Planet—a retro style platformer that captured the hearts of many classic-era Sonic the Hedgehog fans. Freedom Planet, in fact, started life as a Sonic fan game, though it established a unique identity for itself as development wore on, and...
April2023
Review Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories (Switch) - A Witty Little Nostalgia Trip
Melondramatic, in the best sense
We are living in an unprecedentedly competitive attention economy, one in which time and energy are increasingly finite and precious. Because of this, it can be easy to overlook games which appear simple and unassuming at first glance: retro monochromatic Game Boy-style graphics, cute-but-childish anthropomorphic...
March2019
Review Fate/Extella Link - One Of The Best Musou Games On Nintendo Switch
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love
Musou fans have been a bit spoiled this generation, with many great releases in this niche genre coming out for the Switch, some of which are from the Big N itself. One of the more middling Musou games from the early days in the Switch’s life was Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, which married that...
September2018
Review Senran Kagura Reflexions - Cheap Titillation Masquerading As A Love Story
A massage simulator that’s strictly NSFW
With so many unique hardware features at its disposal, Nintendo Switch has given developers plenty of inspiration when it comes to using the HD Rumble and gyro-controls of the Joy-Cons. We’ve aimed down imaginary sights with triple-A first-person shooters, pulled off many a routine with dancing simulators...
August2018
Review Freedom Planet (Switch eShop)
Gotta go fast!
When producing a work of art as an homage to something that came before, there always exists the danger of the new product doing the job a little too well. It could very well be that the new product perfectly matches its inspiration beat for beat, yet it still feels hollow because it’s missing a soul of its own. Fortunately, Freedom...
July2017
Review Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star (Switch)
The Emperor’s New Clothes
If you’re unfamiliar with the Fate/ franchise, you’ll certainly be forgiven; this long-running series from doujin developers Type-Moon started with a 2004 erotic visual novel (Fate/stay night), and has flown largely under the mainstream radar since, while steadily expanding into a massive media collection of RPGs,...
February2017
Review Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS)
A tale of three cities
In recent times the legal environment of the Harvest Moon series has become a bit muddled. Starting in 2014, XSeed Games began localizing the latest games in the series under the name Story of Seasons, due to the fact that Natsume owns the IP rights to the Harvest Moon franchise. So, although the Harvest Moon series continues...
December2016
Review Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (Wii U)
Genieus
Immediately upon seeing the title screen and hearing the game's main theme, you know that Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is another step forward for this series. Back in 2002, Shantae made her debut on the Game Boy Color to rave reviews but disappointing sales — hardly a shock when you take into account the GBC was on its last legs — but the...
Review Exile's End (Wii U eShop)
Good enough to avoid being exiled
Metroidvania fans have had some great luck over the past few years; with solid indie titles like Guacamelee! and Axiom Verge, a once-quiet genre has inched back into the spotlight. Though the game's description claims that Exile's End isn't a Metroidvania game, it should indeed be counted in that category. Let's...
October2016
You're invited
Corpse Party is one of those experiences that's an acquired taste; you won't be entirely sure if you like it or not at first, but keep trying it. A game such as this is less about raw gameplay and more about an engrossing story and atmosphere, which it has in spades. There may be some frustrations in the gameplay formula that can rip...
July2015
Review Lord Of Magna: Maiden Heaven (3DS)
Domestic Bliss
When Rune Factory developer Neverland sadly shut up shop in 2013, there was still one project left on the table - a brand new story-driven SRPG named Lord of Magna. It lay unfinished until Marvelous miraculously reassembled part of the original team to finish the game, and we're lucky they did; it's not perfect, but with fun battles,...
March2015
Rewriting the story
Have you ever wanted to leave it all? Just pack your bags, move to a completely new place and start a brand new life? If you've ever wanted to see what it's like to start fresh, now is your chance with the release of Marvelous' latest farming simulation title, Story of Seasons. As was outlined in our recent review of
November2013
Review Senran Kagura Burst (3DS eShop)
Fit to Burst
Fresh from the friendly fields of Rune Factory 4, XSEED returns with another, decidedly more deadly offering from the Land of the Rising Sun in Senran Kagura Burst. Taking its gameplay inspiration from classic side-scrolling beat-'em-ups, and its over-the-top, undergarment-filled style from anime and manga, this is a fun, frenzied...
October2013
A Rune of one's own
The Harvest Moon series has become something of a standby over the last decade or so, so it's easy to forget just how revolutionary it was when it first hit the Super Nintendo back in 1996. An RPG where players progressed not by fighting battles or banishing evil, but by tending gently to the land, caring for animals, and finding...
January2013
Review Unchained Blades (3DS eShop)
Do the wyrm
If you could wish for anything, what would it be? If you're anything like Fang, the immediately off-putting Dragon King protagonist in the opening moments of Unchained Blades, you'd ask for the name of the strongest being alive, start a fight with a goddess and get thrown out of heaven for your insolence. Thankfully, XSEED's latest 3DS...
October2010
Review Ivy the Kiwi? Mini (DSiWare)
Ivy the Kiwi? light
After spending years helping Sega create some of its most popular console releases during the Mega Drive and Saturn eras, Yuji Naka decided it was time to form his own development studio. His main goal was to create gaming experiences that appealed to a much broader audience. No better title could sum up this goal more perfectly...
August2010
Ivy the Ki-Wii
No matter how many video game titles Yuji Naka creates, he'll likely always be best remembered for his work during his days at Sega's Sonic Team. Even despite his new development company Prope's greater emphasis on creating video games with a much broader scope and appeal, there's obviously still a lot of desire among his fans to see...
Absolutely di-vine
After spending years helping Sega create some of its most popular console releases during the Mega Drive and Saturn eras, Yuji Naka decided it was time to form his own development studio. His main goal was to create gaming experiences that appealed to a much broader audience. No better title could sum up this goal more perfectly...
November2009
Review Ju-On: The Grudge (Wii)
Time to break out those rubber underpants!
The Ju-On series of films are a true horror landmark. Released at a time when most horror films have just become an endless series of remakes or are more depictions of torture than "scary movies," they refreshingly provide genuine frights with terrifying tales of vengeful spirits haunting the...
June2009
Review Drill Sergeant Mindstrong (WiiWare)
Look alive, maggot!
The best way to describe Drill Sergeant Mindstrong would be to liken it to a military boot camp version of Brain Training. The game presents you with four basic mini-games, each with its own unique military theme complete with a Drill Sergeant barking commands and insults at you on a nearly continuous basis. While these...
April2009
Review Retro Game Challenge (DS)
A TV show about a man playing videogames actually works as a game itself.
Retro Game Challenge was originally released in Japan back in 2007 under the title Game Center CX: Arino’s Challenge. This is because the game is actually based on the Japanese TV show titled Game Center CX, which stars Shinya Arino, a popular Japanese comedian who tackles a...
