It’s anyone’s guess as to why Sega decided to roll Phantasy Star into their idea for an offline/online RPG cash cow. Brand recognition probably had something to do with it, but the modern day interpretation of the series is a far cry from its inception (and three sequels) in the eight and sixteen bit eras. Whatever their reasoning, Phantasy Star Online ran away with the hearts of many ...[Read More]

New-old is the new new. Retro reboots are a dime a dozen, but the recent homage spin-off, one that seems to deliberately replicate the aesthetic 8 and 16-bit classics while simultaneously lampooning their respective genre conventions at every turn, is considerably fresh in its approach. Half Minute Hero, with its ridiculously fast paced spin in JRPG conventions, 3D Dot Game Heroes, which basically...[Read More]

Flight combat almost feels like a genre left behind by time. Arcade roots in Afterburner and Top Gun cashed in on the undeniable appeal of taking command of military jets and then using them to blow stuff up. Sure, the genre evolved a bit when it when it went into the third dimension, but mechanics from twenty years ago still form the basic principles of flight combat design today. Real life authe...[Read More]

Valkyria Chronicles II picks up two years after the conclusion of the original game. The new hot-headed protagonist, Avan, navigates the campus of Lanseal Academy in menu-based fashion, selecting various locations to view cutscenes, select missions, train characters, and update weaponry. Through a series of riveting battles which blend real-time strategy, turn-based strategy, and various jRPG elem...[Read More]

I didn’t know what to expect from Ys Seven. My Japanese RPG resume is considerably large, but completely absent of any representatives from Falcom’s venerable Ys series. It wasn’t that I was purposely ignoring Ys, rather, somewhat like excuse conjured by The 40 Year Old Virgin, “it just never happened.” Expectations were framed and, from the few screens I saw, Ys Seve...[Read More]

It wouldn’t be a stretch to say Persona 3 was one of the best games of 2007. Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga, the previous “MegaTen” titles to grace the PlayStation 2, were fairly removed from the usual Japanese-Role Playing Game paradigm, but Persona 3 wandered even further outside genre lines. Classic MegaTen demon collecting and JRPG-staple dungeon crawling were firmly in plac...[Read More]

The most complete Metal Gear game yet.

Disgaea, in case you haven’t heard, is an insanely deep and insanely insane series of strategy RPGs that has graced Sony’s systems through various sequels and remakes. Despite its relative lack of technical prowess in the visual department, Disgaea is looked upon favorably in the gaming community. They’re all great games, but the learning curve is as sharp as that left turn you w...[Read More]

If nothing else, you had to love Fat Princess for its rather unique charm. Titan Studios blended Real Time Strategy and Role Playing elements together and then removed any threat of intimidation by wrapping their creation around a delightfully infectious aesthetic. Literally and figuratively, it was bloody fun. Sure, you had to worry about managing resources and the proper team coordination, but i...[Read More]

Any list of great PS2 exclusive titles wouldn't be complete without The Red Star, a two player side scrolling shooter released in 2007. Most gamers have probably never heard of it, but if you missed it the first time, it's now on the iPhone and the PSP via the PSN. Other than the removal of two player support, the game still has its charm -- and issues -- intact.

Opening Day of the 2010 MLB season is just twenty-four hours away as I write this. A few weeks ago, Nathan Stevens reviewed the newest MLB offering from 2K Sports and from SCEA for the PS3. In the meantime, I've spent some time with MLB 10: The Show for the PSP. While not as full featured as its PS3 cousin, the PSP version offers a solid and well rounded single player MLB experience for any gamer ...[Read More]

It’s hard not to smile when one reminisces of Lunar. Though 1993’s Lunar: The Silver Star wasn’t short on nefarious villains and was no stranger to difficult battles, collective sentiment is little other than happy-go-lucky. It was quirky in a way contemporary RPGs weren’t allowed to be, demonstrating an altogether different approach from Squaresoft’s more popular 16-bit of...[Read More]