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Critical reviews have missed the point. Fans of cult classic Fear Effect are happy, and that’s what counts the most, right? Sedna is an indie revival of a dormant IP, and it’s bound to come with some inherent development limitations, and yet Sushee has managed to craft an original, ambitious, and wholly satisfying experience in a timely fashion. That’s far more than most indie studios have accomplished, especially following unrealistically lofty crowdfunding campaigns. Sushee has preserved the aesthetics and character personalities that made us love the original Fear Effect games on PlayStation. There’s a change in gameplay perspective not unlike another cyberpunk classic Shadowrun, and while quite different from the originals, it suits the series perfectly. Combat is a bit clunky at times, especially when trying to use stealth, but puzzles are as clever and fun as they are challenging. I especially love the death cutscenes, which make repeated failures a welcome learning experience instead of a source of frustration. The game shines brightest on Switch in my opinion, but PS4 is solid too. Frankly, I’ve enjoyed Fear Effect Sedna far more than the sum of its parts and more than I expected even after I backed the campaign. That’s in no small part due to nostalgia, but Sushee still deserves the credit for managing to capture that feeling almost 2 decades later.

Critical reviews have missed the point. Fans of cult classic Fear Effect are happy, and that’s what counts the most, right? Sedna is an indie revival of a dormant IP, and it’s bound to come with some inherent development limitations, and yet Sushee has managed to craft an original, ambitious, and wholly satisfying experience in a timely fashion. That’s far more than most indie studios have accomplished, especially following unrealistically lofty crowdfunding campaigns. Sushee has preserved the aesthetics and character personalities that made us love the original Fear Effect games on PlayStation. There’s a change in gameplay perspective not unlike another cyberpunk classic Shadowrun, and while quite different from the originals, it suits the series perfectly. Combat is a bit clunky at times, especially when trying to use stealth, but puzzles are as clever and fun as they are challenging. I especially love the death cutscenes, which make repeated failures a welcome learning experience instead of a source of frustration. The game shines brightest on Switch in my opinion, but PS4 is solid too. Frankly, I’ve enjoyed Fear Effect Sedna far more than the sum of its parts and more than I expected even after I backed the campaign. That’s in no small part due to nostalgia, but Sushee still deserves the credit for managing to capture that feeling almost 2 decades later.

When Street Fighter V first launched in 2016, I was among the many fans who were seriously disappointed by its bare-bones content and slim roster. But with 2 years of refinement under its black belt, plus some seriously impressive additions to its content, this Arcade Edition marks the franchise's highest point since Super Street Fighter II Turbo. The long-requested arcade mode is filled with nostalgic detail, and it gives offline players a compelling reason to keep fighting, something that the original release was sorely lacking. New V-Triggers will undoubtedly shake up competition online, and while there are still a few classic characters missing from the roster, the selection we have at the beginning of Season 3 is still fantastic on its own merit. If you've never played Street Fighter V, this is the perfect time to jump in, and if you already own the original, there's absolutely no excuse for not downloading the free update and giving it another chance. The champ has officially made a comeback, and even in a year packed with high-profile fighting game releases, Street Fighter V Arcade Edition is strong enough to take on any contender that comes its way.

So Gear Club Unlimited is pretty solid. I thoroughly enjoyed what I played of it last night. The UI and structure still makes it pretty evident that the game was born on mobile, and as expected, it doesn't do much to challenge the authority of Forza or GT. The controls feel good on Switch, though, and the game is right-sized for its platform in a lot of regards. The races are varied, and progression with level, money, and unlockables goes pretty quick. Graphics are good, especially the car models. Customization features are fairly extensive and provide a great way to make the experience your own. I especially like the garage/workshop customization since it's so different from other racing games. It gives the whole thing a fresh and unique flavor. The only things that make it somewhat difficult to recommend are 1) the $50 price tag seems about $10 too high for it being obviously built on a smaller budget than its contemporaries, 2) while local multiplayer seems great, there's no simultaneous online play, 3) there are a few missing things like a Single Race mode that would've enhanced the package considerably, and 4) it could strike some players as being too generic if they're used to stuff like Forza. None of that really bothers me, but mileage will vary depending on what kind of gamer you are. Still, for the first racing game on Switch with licensed real-world cars, it's a decently satisfying purchase. I'll definitely spend some time with it casually between Skyrim sessions, so at least it's not the type that I play once and shelve indefinitely. There's already a lot of content, but free DLC is promised over the next couple months that could enhance it further. In its current state, I'd give it a solid 8/10, and frankly, that may be a little better than I expected.

Between subjective arguments over the game's art style and Marvel's roster limitations that Capcom can't control, MvC Infinite isn't getting a fair shake. The game is approachable and fun to play, and while its visuals may seem generic to some, others may find its mix of semi-realism and comic book exaggeration to be a refreshing (if safe) aesthetic. It's not perfect, but I like the base roster much more than I did the launch version of MvC3. Sure, I miss the X-Men and Fantastic Four's Doctor Doom. Perhaps Disney could set aside its cinematic dispute for the sake of Marvel's lifelong fans and allow Wolverine and Magneto to be added as DLC. But ultimately, that's not a fight Capcom can win if Disney says it's off the table. There are a lot of cool characters with heavily revised movesets here, though. I think it could be argued that Chun-Li, Dante, Nova, and several others that have appeared in previous entries play better than ever. The auto-combos make it easy to try out characters you may not otherwise, but they don't do enough damage to break the game or even the playing field with an experienced competitor. I also like the way the infinity stones affect your team's strategy, by bolstering strengths, hemming up weaknesses, or adding something unexpected into an already odd pairing. Some have tried to say this makes all characters into all-rounders and thus detracts from the roster's personality, but that's all in how you use them. It's kind of like saying customization is a bad thing. There are certainly some elements that I would criticize, however. The Arcade mode should have difficulty settings, for one thing. I've been able to beat the end boss several times, but it was frustrating enough that I could see many players quitting the game over it. The UI and menus feel pretty cheap and could use an overhaul. There are plenty of viable characters like [Marvel's] Gwenpool, Luke Cage, Elektra, Daredevil, Spider-Gwen, Cloak & Dagger, Punisher, [Capcom's] Jill Valentine, Samanosuke Akechi, Vanessa Z. Schneider, Ruby Heart, Zangief, Amaterasu, Kasuga, Tron Bonne, or Viewtiful Joe that could fill out an improved roster. There should be alternate costumes for more than Captain Marvel, and stage selection is pretty thin. Another single player mode like Tatsunoko vs Capcom's Survival could go a long way. Ultimately though, I still like what's there more than the initial releases of Marvel vs Capcom 3, Street Fighter V, and quite a few competing franchises. MvC Infinite may not set everyone's world on fire, but I'd definitely encourage players to try it and determine if it suits their tastes. It's definitely worth the time to evaluate fairly and objectively, plus many of the game's biggest issues can and likely will be solved through DLC and updates.

I normally hate shooters, and I typically steer clear of online multiplayer unless a close friend compels me to join. Against all odds, Blizzard has overcome both of these aversions, and I'm absolutely in love with Overwatch. The game is a joy to play, nuanced yet totally accessible. Many comparisons have been drawn to Team Fortress, but it also harkens back to a time when I still played games like Quake II and Unreal Tournament with my college buddies. Yet Overwatch is so much deeper and well-polished. The backstory is interesting, the cast is an unparalleled multi-cultural mix of instantly lovable personalities, the visual design is sublime, and the online functionality is flawlessly fluid. I love the concept of leveling for cosmetic loot, incentives for backfilling quick matches is genius in that it keeps you engaged and progressing regardless of your team's skill or success, and the contextual awareness between the characters you control means you don't even have to talk with strangers if you'd prefer to keep the mic off. It's a lesson in community inclusion, in making even the weaker links feel like they're worth having on the team. Overwatch is multiplayer genius. I'm so glad I purchased it on a whim and got outside my single-player RPG comfort zone.

The user review by belts echoes many of the things I would have said in my review. This is an excellent entry into the franchise, and it largely exists because Tecmo Koei listened to fan feedback from DOAX2's stumbles. If you've played an Xtreme title, then you already know what to expect. What I find most disturbing about DOAX3's release is not the gratuitous sexualized content that became the focus of its western press, but the biased and vendetta-driven journalism surrounding it here in the west. Thus far, the "professional" reviews have been highly subjective, presented offensive speech that has little to do with the game in question, and even contained blatant inaccuracies concerning the game's content. Having spent nearly 40 hours with DOAX3, I can honestly say it is the most refined and enjoyable game in the series, and the core volleyball mechanics return to the simple yet nuanced controls that made DOAX1 a hit. Believe it or not, these things are important to Xtreme fans, and while the gorgeous graphics and body physics may add to the allure, they would not be enough without solid gameplay to keep us grinding. Keep in mind that this is an Asian release with English subtitles and has not officially been released in the west. Professional review sites don't typically bother with imports, so beware of those that may make an exception for DOAX3, especially since many seemed poised to "take a stand" against the game before it was even released. Thanks for the hard work, Koei Tecmo.

Street Fighter V is a well-made foundation for a proper sequel, but it's just too light on content to recommend at this stage. If your only focus is online multiplayer or tournament-style competition, then you may feel like SFV is streamlined to your liking, but casual players wanting solo modes will be sorely disappointed. Capcom has built the game with a DLC release schedule in mind, and it will take several months of both paid and free downloads to make it feel complete. Even the story mode barely passes as an introduction to the 16-character roster, as it currently features 4 low-tier fights with some quick graphic novel cutscenes in between. It's nice that we get Japanese and English dual audio, partially because the English voice acting is a mixed bag and nowhere near the quality I'd expect from a high-profile release like this. Street Fighter devotees will be pleased to know that the narrative is pushed in some interesting directions, but it's far from poetry. Also, the new characters are [arguably] better than the ones we got in SFIV's initial release, but they still don't feel as iconic as the series mainstays, many of whom will remain absent until several waves of DLC have passed. The new mechanics are solid and perhaps more balanced for competitive play, and the graphics are fluid and crisp, if the weird caricature art style doesn't turn you off. Sound effects and music are also decent, but the intro lacked any real punch, something I really enjoyed in the earliest SFIV releases and even SFxTK. I really want to like SFV, but in its current state, it really fails to excite me the way a good fighting game should. Inevitably, we'll end up with Super Street Fighter V Turbo: Arcade Edition (or something to that effect) in a year or so, and while I know most gamers won't be able to wait that long, I doubt anyone will look back at this launch fondly. It's a half-baked triple-A title designed to gobble up DLC money, and yet I can't deny the allure of jumping in while the game is still hot. Buy at your own risk, I suppose.

Final Fantasy Explorers makes no attempt to hide its similarities to Monster Hunter, but it's also a solid entry into the growing subgenre I like to call "Hunting Party RPGs". Like other games of this type, FFE allows parties of up 4 combatants to venture into a semi-open frontier and hunt down creatures for various quest rewards. As an alternative to multiplayer, FFE allows you to fill out your ranks with trained monsters, which is a nice inclusion for anyone wanting to play solo, though it takes serious effort to bring those monster allies up to snuff. Fortunately, FFE is also much more approachable in early stages than its Monster Hunter brethren, and there's a generous method of trading time off your quest clock for resurrection should you meet an early demise at the hand of some formidable foe. I also appreciated some smaller touches, like being able to hide headgear or keep it visible, switching job classes and skill loadouts any time you're in town, saving those loadouts to presets that can be labeled and recalled easily, picking up minor subquests to complete in tandem with major story missions, and making over your avatar when you want a different hairstyle or decide that you hate the current voice. Even gender swaps are available in case you play 100 hours with a male and don't want to lose all that hard work by starting a new game as a female, but it'll cost you 10,000 Gil when you do it. There are over 20 classes to choose from and tons of weapon types to match, many of which are unlocked by progressing through the main story. These are mostly franchise mainstays like Knight, Black Mage, White Mage, Dark Knight, etc, but every one of them can be hybridized by mixing skills on your L/R-trigger palettes. So even if you're not a magic-centric class, you can still learn offensive spells like Fire or Thunder, and it would be wise to pick up Cure and Esuna abilities as soon as they're available. All of these abilities are learned by trading in CP (Crystal Points), and many skills can gain procedurally-generated mutations when used properly in combat. That means you're able to build out your character with one-of-a-kind skills to match whatever unique look you can piece together from the modular armoring. There's genuinely a wealth of compelling content here, but it's not perfect. My first major gripe with the game is that it's NOT in 3D. Considering FFE's graphics aren't any better than Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, this should have been feasible by Square without worries of overtaxing the hardware. Secondly, the environments are a bit vanilla, though I did appreciate the weather effects in certain zones. You've got plains and mountains and volcanic caverns, but most of it feels too generic. Fortunately, Final Fantasy imagery, sound effects, and music breathe some life back into it, and the feeling of familiarity and nostalgia keep you immersed despite a few missteps. You even get a chance to dress like or fully morph into iconic heroes from the FF universe, including favorites like Cloud and Lightning. All in all, Final Fantasy Explorers is a better and more addictive hunting party RPG than I expected, and while it won't dethrone Monster Hunter's 3DS entries any time soon, it does make for a very solid (and approachable) alternative, one that Final Fantasy fans should especially appreciate.

Grimm Bros deserves a huge round of applause for what they've put together with Dragon Fin Soup. It's a hugely ambitious project for an indie developer, and in their first game release, they've managed to serve up a flavorful mix of roguelike conventions, JRPG inspirations, and modern innovations. The wealth of content is staggering, even if the hardcore Souls-esque difficulty keeps casual players from being able to see or appreciate much of it. But like Demon's/Dark Souls, DFS offers a great sense of accomplishment and reward if you can brave its challenges. That's not to say DFS's initial launch was flawless, but Grimm Bros has more than made up for any hiccups with constant support and software patches. They really listen to the fans and are tirelessly making improvements to the game, despite it already being a rich experience as-is. Mainstreamers need not apply, though. DFS revels in deep combat mechanics and a unique set-your-own-pace blend of strategic turn-based and real time elements. It is also among very few games I've seen make intelligent use of its procedurally-generated maps, as the environments are much more nuanced than the repeating corridors you'd typically expect, and landmarks keep locations feeling familiar even amongst the randomness. There are also plenty of mini-games and side quests to fill your grind, and character/skill customization boasts tremendous depth. The visual style is slick, too, and it's refreshing to play a retro-inspired indie game that isn't made up of equally retro pixel art. The bottom line is, if you enjoy a challenge and understand what to expect in a roguelike RPG, Dragon Fin Soup is a must-play title on any platform, and despite its inspirations being well-worn territory since the 80s and 90s, Grimm Bros has still managed to bring some new ideas to the table. For that, we can afford an indie dev some patience and more dedicated fandom, especially since DFS is still one of the earliest crowdfunded game projects to deliver on promises with an actual release. Good work, guys!

Grimm Bros deserves a huge round of applause for what they've put together with Dragon Fin Soup. It's a hugely ambitious project for an indie developer, and in their first game release, they've managed to serve up a flavorful mix of roguelike conventions, JRPG inspirations, and modern innovations. The wealth of content is staggering, even if the hardcore Souls-esque difficulty keeps casual players from being able to see or appreciate much of it. But like Demon's/Dark Souls, DFS offers a great sense of accomplishment and reward if you can brave its challenges. That's not to say DFS's initial launch was flawless, but Grimm Bros has more than made up for any hiccups with constant support and software patches. They really listen to the fans and are tirelessly making improvements to the game, despite it already being a rich experience as-is. Mainstreamers need not apply, though. DFS revels in deep combat mechanics and a unique set-your-own-pace blend of strategic turn-based and real time elements. It is also among very few games I've seen make intelligent use of its procedurally-generated maps, as the environments are much more nuanced than the repeating corridors you'd typically expect, and landmarks keep locations feeling familiar even amongst the randomness. There are also plenty of mini-games and side quests to fill your grind, and character/skill customization boasts tremendous depth. The visual style is slick, too, and it's refreshing to play a retro-inspired indie game that isn't made up of equally retro pixel art. The bottom line is, if you enjoy a challenge and understand what to expect in a roguelike RPG, Dragon Fin Soup is a must-play title on any platform, and despite its inspirations being well-worn territory since the 80s and 90s, Grimm Bros has still managed to bring some new ideas to the table. For that, we can afford an indie dev some patience and more dedicated fandom, especially since DFS is still one of the earliest crowdfunded game projects to deliver on promises with an actual release. Good work, guys!

Grimm Bros deserves a huge round of applause for what they've put together with Dragon Fin Soup. It's a hugely ambitious project for an indie developer, and in their first game release, they've managed to serve up a flavorful mix of roguelike conventions, JRPG inspirations, and modern innovations. The wealth of content is staggering, even if the hardcore Souls-esque difficulty keeps casual players from being able to see or appreciate much of it. But like Demon's/Dark Souls, DFS offers a great sense of accomplishment and reward if you can brave its challenges. That's not to say DFS's initial launch was flawless, but Grimm Bros has more than made up for any hiccups with constant support and software patches. They really listen to the fans and are tirelessly making improvements to the game, despite it already being a rich experience as-is. Mainstreamers need not apply, though. DFS revels in deep combat mechanics and a unique set-your-own-pace blend of strategic turn-based and real time elements. It is also among very few games I've seen make intelligent use of its procedurally-generated maps, as the environments are much more nuanced than the repeating corridors you'd typically expect, and landmarks keep locations feeling familiar even amongst the randomness. There are also plenty of mini-games and side quests to fill your grind, and character/skill customization boasts tremendous depth. The visual style is slick, too, and it's refreshing to play a retro-inspired indie game that isn't made up of equally retro pixel art. The bottom line is, if you enjoy a challenge and understand what to expect in a roguelike RPG, Dragon Fin Soup is a must-play title on any platform, and despite its inspirations being well-worn territory since the 80s and 90s, Grimm Bros has still managed to bring some new ideas to the table. For that, we can afford an indie dev some patience and more dedicated fandom, especially since DFS is still one of the earliest crowdfunded game projects to deliver on promises with an actual release. Good work, guys!

Professional reviewers give this a 5 or 6 because it doesn't try to meet or beat triple-A standards, but that's like giving a campy Bruce Cambell film a 50% rotten score because it's proud to wear the B-movie badge. If you know what you're getting into and it matches with your personal tastes, you'll find a lot to love in Onechanbara Z2 Chaos. Its plot, characters, and script are what you'd get from Japanese grindhouse / shock horror like The Machine Girl, complete with all the gore, sexuality, and campiness that entails. The biggest real complaint is that environments are a bit bland, but at least the levels span the modern globe and allow you to play in whatever order you see fit. Rest assured that the game isn't alpha-quality clunkiness like its XBox360 predecessor (nobody played the Wii one anyway), and everything from character models to core gameplay mechanics have been drastically improved to make this the best Onechanbara game to date. Tamsoft and publishers D3 and XSEED seem well aware of this, as the game comes with both in-game and physical extras that get you caught up on the story of earlier bad releases. New retail copies pack in an art book / field guide and the OST, along with some fittingly ridiculous costume DLC, and at $49.99, it's still somewhat bargain-priced for a new PS4 release. As for the game's content, you can expect an insane amount of visual customization for all four playable girls, allowing you to change everything from base outfits and hats to accessories you can reposition all over their bodies. Combat mechanics are where Onechanbara really shines and shows the most vital improvements, and even though it should feel repetitive, the variety of playable females, skill enhancements, unique weaponry, and genuinely fun beat-em-up stages give the whole package some staying power. I immediately recalled fond memories of older action favorites like Gungrave and Bujingai, so if you enjoyed either of those, you'll probably understand the flavor I'm trying to describe here. Combat includes some interesting mechanics like weapon refresh that slings the blood off of your worn-down blades, berserk modes and transformations, team cross-attacks, enemy dismemberment, timing-based combo boosts, switchable secondary weapons, sub-weapons, chase/follow dashes, and on-screen quick time prompts that utilize the DS4's touch pad (or Vita's touchscreen if using Remote Play). That's right, if you're a Vita player, you'll already know that most triple-A titles neglect Remote Play, but Onechanbara works like a dang dream. It's easily the most fine-tuned Remote Play experience outside of Tomb Raider, and it elevates the game further for anyone needing to use that feature. While the control scheme isn't drastically altered for Remote Play, even the controls that seem like they'd be awkward on paper make sense once you've got the DS4/Vita in your hands, and I was shocked the first time a quick time command worked flawlessly on my Vita's touchscreen. I didn't expect it because the game is so good via Remote Play that I'd forgotten I wasn't playing an actual Vita title. The moment I entered the touch command, I thought to myself "oh, that's not going to work on... holy crap, it worked!" All these little things you don't expect from a B-tier game add up to make it worth more than the sum of its parts, so if it sounds like Onechanbara fits your personal tastes, you should definitely give it a chance. I'm glad I took the gamble, especially after I hated previous entries' clunky gameplay. This is a perfect guilty pleasure candidate, with more meat on its bones than most mainstream reviews will ever give it credit for having.

Bound By Flame doesn't deserve a perfect score, but I'm going to give it one anyway to offset the spamming of terrible scores that it's having to endure. In truth, BBF is about an 8.5, but even placing a number on the review is difficult for a few reasons. The game is awkward, in much the same way as Mars War Logs felt awkward. From inconsistent characterization and uncomfortably cynical dialogue to bad lip-syncing and amateurish voice acting, the presentation is going to rub a lot of players the wrong way. The question is, how much importance do you place on cinematic presentation? Because if you're the type of gamer who enjoys gritty real-time combat and a serious level of challenge, BBF may still have enough to offer that aesthetics don't matter anymore. If you like, say, Dark Souls or The Witcher for their strategic and deliberately-paced combat systems, you will want to give BBF a spin. If you thought Dragon's Dogma was a good first entry into a new IP in spite of some glaring flaws, you'll easily overlook the worst of BBF's issues. Just don't expect Skyrim. While you could compare chunks of BBF to a lot of its action RPG peers, it holds the least resemblance to Elder Scrolls. There's some DNA from Dragon Age, Witcher, Amalur, Dark Souls, Fable, even War in the North, and of course Mars War Logs -- but practically nothing about the game suggests that Spiders was trying to compete with Skyrim. As long as you set your expectations accordingly, you'll be just fine, especially considering it's only a $50 new release on a brand new console, on which there is very little selection right now and NO other RPGs to speak of. BBF actually manages to deliver on much of its gameplay mechanics, and I genuinely enjoy the music and art style. Crafting is deeper than expected for both equipment and expendables, as you can change out modular parts of weapons and armor easily or craft items like traps on the fly, even in the heat of combat. Mission objectives and combat conditions are varied and often very fun to figure out, even if you die a lot in the process. Things like target lock-on and parrying work just fine (contrary to popular belief), but heaven forbid, you actually need to learn the game's system to be effective with them. I appreciate that this isn't a paint-by-numbers RPG, and even though it borrows some inspiration from plenty of big-name IPs, the resulting whole feels almost entirely original. It just won't be the kind of original that everybody likes. Personally, I'm getting everything out of it that I expected and maybe then some, so I respect what Spiders did with their first retail game. I look forward to seeing what they do next, and I wouldn't mind getting some DLC for Bound By Flame. We've got quite a while to wait on games like Dragon Age: Inquisition and The Witcher 3, so I hope players don't write this one off too quickly.

Deception has never tested well with critics. It's playfully irreverent, single-minded in what it tries to accomplish, and highly stylized. But if you have ever played and enjoyed a Deception, then this latest installment will likely exceed your expectations, as it is the meatiest and most user-friendly (yet still challenging) game in the series. Complaining that its gameplay is repetitive is like saying Tetris **** because it's nothing but falling block puzzles. Deception players want a large variety of traps to set up chain attacks and inflict tons of pain on their opponents, and IV gives you more tools than ever, even allowing you to create missions and share them online once the story campaign is done. There are about 100 challenges to clear, plenty of unlockables, and a handful of unique locales to explore. The graphics are clean and run at a smooth framerate, even if they're not the most cutting-edge on the system, and while the game isn't exactly focused on narrative, what's there is fun and well-written (and in its original Japanese audio only, which is a good thing). Don't be fooled by the mediocre reviews; those are kind of expected from any Deception game. This is an unapologetic puzzle-strategy mash-up, and it won't be for everyone. But it's fantastic for any fan of the PSX cult classics, and it's actually not a bad entry point for new players. I do recommend the Vita version over PS3 if you have the choice, both because its gameplay style really shines on the portable and because it's a lower risk at $40 instead of PS3's $50.

Toukiden far surpasses my expectations, and while it may need another iteration or two to reach the gameplay variety and depth of its Monster Hunter inspirations, it's off to a better start than any other "Hunting Party RPG" franchise thus far. The combat, character creation/customization, use of AI teammates for those wishing to play solo, and incorporation of new gameplay concepts like Mitama and Demon Eyes are all impressive advancements over its peers Monster Hunter, God Eater, Ragnarok Odyssey, and Soul Sacrifice. The graphics are among the best on Vita, and the story is more immersive and enjoyable than what you'll typically find in this sub-genre. I found myself actually caring about the NPCs and the village we were defending. There are plenty of things to do around town, from crafting weapons/armor and accepting side quests to growing a magical tree and bathing with NPCs for stat buffs. The affinity-based social system is more compelling than it probably deserves to be, and the ability to play through multiplayer missions using only AI allies is appreciated for those without Vita-wielding buddies (though online match-making is also supported). Detractors will cite some of the features of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and 3 Ultimate that Toukiden doesn't boast - better mission variety, verticality in level design, fishing and mining mini-games, and a much-loved focus on food... But considering all the new stuff that Toukiden brings to the table, I would not be surprised if some hunting party fans come away liking this one better, especially if they're as irritated as I am about Capcom's leap to Nintendo platforms. No matter how you slice it, Toukiden is legit, and while the game already offers 80+ hours of content (about 40 for a story run, double that for all the side quests and challenges) it looks like there's plenty of DLC coming over the next few months to keep you in the fight!

I ignored War in the North for over 2 years before picking it up on a Steam sale, and while the game is not without its faults, it has slowly risen to become one of my all-time favorite action-RPGs. First off, the game NEEDS to be played on a decent PC with a controller, as its console counterparts suffer from some ugly technical hiccups that ruin the experience, while the mouse and keyboard controls just aren't right for the third-person real-time combat. Also, it's very easy to dismiss the game in its first 3-4 hours, since you don't start to see the depth of its streamlined RPG design until you've leveled a bit. And lastly, the Lord of the Rings setting and characters are honestly just brand recognition and window dressing for what would have been a fine action-RPG under any other name. It's not like the concept of a male human, a female elf, and a male dwarf cutting down orcs and trolls is all that original in fantasy these days... and it doesn't need to be. Snowblind's games have always been this way; Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath never really benefitted from or had a great impact on their respective D&D and EverQuest IPs, but they were good games nonetheless. In other words, don't play War in the North because it's Lord of the Rings. Play it if you like dark fantasy action-RPGs, as it handles its violent combat-driven mechanics very well. There are a few extras to be explored, from the occasional side quest and replayable areas laid out on a proper RPG map, to challenge quests and even Dragon Age-esque branching dialogue (though you're never really faced with consequences for those choices). The real fun is in unlocking skills that have a sizeable impact on your fighting style, and each of the three characters offer a fair amount of visual and stat-based customization. The only weirdness in customization is how your selected character reflects changes, while the other two auto-level and stick to preset builds when controlled by the AI. While they retain changes you've made whenever you actually play as them, they revert to the auto-builds whenever you switch. They don't lose your changes upon switching; they just don't use those changes when AI-controlled. That may seem confusing and odd to solo players, but it's obviously a design choice due to WitN's focus on co-op. It means that other players can easily drop in or out without messing with your saved builds, and it also means that you can sell any unusable equipment without having to hold onto it for another character. In the end, most solo players will stick to a single favored character anyway, so it doesn't matter that much. And on the flip-side of that point, WitN does offer an excellent cooperative experience for up to three players, if you've got friends willing to play it. The game also presents a fairly wide variety of locations and enemy types, drawing inspiration from Tolkien's lore even outside of the original novels or film adaptations. It's lengthy, too, as the game generally takes 20 hours or more for a story run (as long as you're not skipping the dialogue) and could easily eat up 60+ unlocking everything. And despite its length, the combat doesn't get old. In fact, it gets better the further you press on, and due to its moderately high challenge, it becomes quite rewarding. The ability to call on a great eagle for occasional air strikes or form a protective/restorative dome using the Sanctuary skill are particularly cool, and you'll often be left with a smile on your face after downing a massive wave of orcs. In the end, I have been pleasantly surprised by War in the North, and even if it shouldn't be placed in the same basket as Skyrim or Dark Souls, it serves as an enjoyable [and usually cheap] option for anyone looking for a solid action-RPG.

Ragnarok Odyssey's dependency on the Monster Hunter formula may be debatable, but even if it were a completely original action RPG, it would still fall short of some basic genre standards. Ever since MH took over the portable action RPG market, franchises like Phantasy Star, White Knight Chronicles, and Lord of Arcana have been adjusting to claim some of its territory. Some manage to transcend the MH influences to become unique (and arguably superior) IPs, but RO is not one of them. Instead, it tries to gain a foothold by being the first of its type on Vita, and if you're really desperate for more team-based creature combat on your newest handheld, RO may offer some marginal enjoyment until God Eater 2 or Soul Sacrifice get released next year. Otherwise, you'll probably find RO to be a juvenile outing with colorful but flavorless presentation, boring and stiff combat, forgettable characters, and an unconvincing by-the-numbers story. Most of the user reviews here are biased due to there being no competition for RO on the Vita yet, but that doesn't mean you should waste $40 on a sub-standard game. It won't take much for the second guy in line to blow them out of the water. I honestly wanted to like the game, but even after a dozen hours, it has absolutely failed to offer a single reason to keep playing. Instead, you would be better served **** Gods Eater Burst on PSN for half the cost, since it benefits tremendously from Vita's bi-linear filtering and ability to map camera controls to the right stick (not to mention having better story, characters, and music than any of the so-called MH clones). When all is said and done, Ragnarok Odyssey will fall into the same category as Valhalla Knights and Lord of Arcana - a seemingly attractive game that ultimately fails in execution, feeling too rushed and content-lite to capture the dedication of hardcore RPG fans. Sorry, but that's just how I feel. Now, back to GEB.

Atlus never fails to impress with the Persona series. I loved Persona 4 on PS2, but I always felt like the story and characters were slightly better in Persona 3, especially in later FES and Portable versions. But with P4G, Atlus has managed to add greater depth to every element **** that, by all rights, was already a modern RPG masterpiece. There's a lot more to do, from mini-games to new Social Links, and even if you've beaten the original, the new story content will often make you doubt what you think you know from previous playthroughs. There's no greater RPG experience to be found on Vita, period.

I was already a huge fan of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue from Arc System Works, and the Persona/SMT games are my favorite RPG franchise now that Final Fantasy has reduced itself to constant ****. But when I heard that Atlus was teaming with Arc to make a Persona fighting game, I could hardly believe it. Atlus is no stranger to trying weird things with its franchises (see: Catherine), but even after its release, I have a difficult time believing it exists. First things first, please ignore the importers that spammed this section with low scores because of Atlus' region lock, as they went out of their way to make gamers aware of this decision long before its release in Japan. Only a few weeks separated the Japanese and American releases, both included dual language capability, and the solid-as-a-rock multiplayer netcode for region-specific servers all led to the decision, and ultimately Atlus' fans have supported it as having our best interests at heart. Anyway, as for the game itself, I have been blown away by the quality of the whole thing. In combining an RPG with a fighting game, you might expect Arc and Atlus to dumb it down to the lowest common denominator for both genres. Instead, it feels like Arc saw this as an opportunity to expand on the things it learned from GG and BB, while Atlus didn't shy away from including Persona's signature social elements, extensive story, mature themes, and excellent voice acting. Yes, Arc managed to implement some entry-level mechanics like autocombos and common counters to make the game accessible to all player types, but it also included instant blocks, breaks, cancels, SP meters, and a variety of other deep mechanics that rival the best tournament-level fighters (SSFIV, UMvC3, etc.). The inclusion of Persona's status ailments was also a pleasant surprise, since it deepens both the tactical aspects of combat and the aesthetic connection to the Persona series. This is canonized material that serves as a sequel to both Persona 4 and, by proxy and inclusion of four particular characters, Persona 3. Even the end boss is a Kirijo Group android directly related to Aigis and other P3/P4 events, and since we already know that Aigis shows up in P5, Arena may serves as a light story bridge into that game as well. Also, I think it's worth noting that the Personas themselves [in Arena] were brilliantly implemented. You can alter color combinations between the human user and their Persona, allowing 64 different combinations for each character pairing. Using them in battle feels like the best parts of MvC's tag/assist system mixed with Vanguard Princess's support character mechanic, though Arena feels more advanced than both in certain ways. Even special moves are named after SP skills in Persona, ranging from Agidyne and Zionga to Megidolaon and Myriad Arrows. Guilty Gear's dust attacks have been repurposed as All Out Attacks from P3/4, and Persona users can enter an Awakened state to have a fighting chance once their health drops below 35%. Furthermore, Guilty Gear's instant kills have returned, but in a much less cheap manner, requiring certain conditions to be met before executed. BlazBlue's beginner and advanced combat modes have been blended so players always have a fallback autocombo if they get lost, but these combos are, of course, very predictable to seasoned players and not terribly effective as a button-mashing technique in the long run. That means first-time players will find the game "easy to play but hard to master", while veterans will be able to form their own refined play styles with each character and focus on technical things like frame count and recovery time. Persona 4 Arena also includes [arguably] the best soundtrack, the best 2D animation, and the best story of ANY fighting game to date, not to mention a wide variety of loveable characters that far eclipse the more formulaic BB roster or the tired SF and MK line-ups. This game is definitely worth the purchase, it will soon be a rarity along with other Atlus/Arc products, and with DLC and solid network modes to keep you interested for a long time, it may satisfy you more than other recent efforts, especially the disappointments from Capcom of late. No matter whether you like RPGs, fighting games, or just gaming in general, P4A offers enough unique content that you shouldn't pass it by. Calling it a simple fighting game would be like calling Catherine a simple puzzle game. Don't judge it just on its genre.

Never before have I seen such a low-profile title so soundly destroy the competition in its niche genre. I downloaded the demo alongside a half-dozen others when I finally purchased a Vita, but Pinball Arcade was the only one I kept coming back to. The very next day, I **** the reasonably priced base game along with both available DLC packs, thus unlocking eight of the finest pinball machines in gaming history, with plenty more planned for near-future release. Let me be clear on two points here... First, I would normally pass by a pinball game without a second thought, not because I dislike pinball (quite the opposite, actually) but because I've never played a virtual pinball game that accurately recreated the real-life experience. Pinball Arcade got my attention by featuring cross-platform support between Vita and PS3, along with the claim that its historic machines were recreated with the same physics, measurements, and actual chip emulation of the original tables. Farsight Studios exceeds expectations on all of these points. Not only was the game a great value, but I immediately downloaded my PS3 copy and got obsessed with looking up old tables that may get included with forthcoming DLC. Now to the second point - I generally dislike download-only titles on my PlayStation or XBox platforms. While such throwaway, casual experiences may be fine on iOS or Android, I prefer packaged retail releases with deeper gameplay on the more hardcore consoles. The Pinball Arcade, however, offered such an addictive, nostalgic museum of virtual classics that it managed to tear me away from massive titles like Mass Effect 3, Dragon's Dogma, and even my first Vita purchase Gravity Rush. As for the meat of the game, it's really nothing more complicated than using flippers, tilt-nudges, and some quick mental geometry to knock a metal ball into the right targets, but the controls are incredibly responsive and accomodates both touchscreen and button-only play styles. Climbing the leaderboards is what it's all about, though generally I only care about beating my own top scores and learning the nuances of each unique table. It's hardcore, old-school, and tremendously challenging, but it also offers enough immediate gratification that newcomers to pinball can still enjoy themselves. Game menus also provide background information on each table's real-world history. Speaking of which, some of you may be curious about which tables are included. The base game includes 4 - Tales of the Arabian Nights, Ripley's Believe It or Not, Black Hole, and Theatre of Magic. As of July 2012, Farsight has made two DLCs available, each of which adds 2 more machines - Cirqus Voltaire and Funhouse in one, Medieval Madness and Bride of Pin-Bot in the other. If that's not enough, 4 more have been announced for August DLC - Gorgar and Monster Mash in the first pack, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Black Knight in the second. Furthermore, Farsight has successfully secured the rights to reproduce Twilight Zone, thanks to a kickstarter campaign, which is incredibly cool since Twilight Zone is arguably the more revered pinball machine of all time. Star Trek: The Next Generation and Attack from Mars are also reportedly in the works, with even more over the very bright horizon. If you're a pinball fan, you've probably already stopped reading to immediately download the game, but if you're still with me, just know this - The Pinball Arcade is the finest virtual collection of pinball gaming ever created, and with so much additional content on the way, it is truly the retro gift that just keeps giving. Fine work, Farsight.

Hunted is not a perfect game, not by a long shot. But, it is also severely underappreciated, as it delivers on several important features that are often neglected in current-gen action RPGs. First off, the co-op is fantastic, whether you're playing online or local split-screen. I have worked in video game retail for eight years, and a common question that I get from customers is, "Which PS3/XBox360 games offer split-screen co-op for me and my girfriend/boyfriend?" Despite my desire to bring more couples closer via gaming, that remains a difficult request, especially since an increasing number of co-op enabled titles require online connectivity. Aside from the usual suspects (Army of Two, Call of Duty, Borderlands, Dynasty Warriors, Resident Evil 5, Portal 2, and a small handful of others), it's difficult to recommend an accessible split-screen game nowadays. It's even harder if said couple is looking for a fantasy game to relive their earlier game dates with Champions of Norrath (a common experience that seems to pop up more often than I ever thought possible). Hunted is, perhaps, the only possible title to fit that bill in the seventh generation. It feels like a classic multiplayer arcade, something akin to Gauntlet or Golden Axe but with updated visuals and some Gears of War control conventions. As an added bit of genius, the split-screen not only scales in a way that maximizes frames for each player, it also pushes most of the UI elements into the resulting black bars on either side, thus clearing the two windows for improved visibility. Other than some smart co-op choices, Hunted also manages to revive classic dungeon crawling in a refreshing and streamlined manner. RPG fans probably won't like the trimmed-down skill trees, lack of item inventory, or inability to customize the two playable characters, but the combat is fun and frenetic. You'll also be swapping weapons in and out quite a bit, and each character offers melee and ranged options that are responsive and easy to toggle between. The environments are also imaginative and memorable, even if the exaggerated dark fantasy styling won't appeal to some. Too often, fantasy games either stray too far into outlandish designs that leave us confused and unable to identify with the setting, or they stay too close to their LotR/D&D inspirations, thus feeling bland, tired, generic, or ripped-off. Hunted never gives us a huge measure of originality, but the world is fleshed-out and intricately detailed, offering diverse topography and a variety of weather conditions to make each area seem unique. And lastly, let me applaud inXile's inclusion of a level editor, in this case called the "Crucible" mode. By earning gold in the main campaign, players can unlock a ton of options to create their own dungeons. You can control gravity, weapon rules, number of enemies and waves, arena layout, and more. You could craft a dungeon that only takes a few minutes to clear, or if you're feeling really sadistic, you could maximize difficulty by placing 25 arenas on the grid, each with 9 waves of 100 enemies, thus requiring combatants to clear 22,500 enemies in a single run! Whoa. Created dungeons can be named, then played locally or shared online. It's a cool system, and one that I would like to see more developers utilize, especially in the modern dungeon crawler genre. In the end, Hunted excels with the features that its competition lacks, and despite a general lack of triple-A polish, it's fun enough to make a lasting impression with the gamers willing to give it a chance. Inevitably, Hunted may go down as a 7th-Gen "Best Game You Never Played" candidate, but if dungeon crawling or co-op play are important to you, I would definitely recommend picking one up while you can still find copies on retail shelves (for cheap, nonetheless!).

MadWorld is exactly as advertised. It's mindless, gory, stylish, and most importantly, it's fun. MadWorld is not a perfect game, and it won't fill the desire for deeper gaming experiences on the Wii, but it does accomplish two key things - 1) It's reminiscent of the mature-cuz-we-can SEGA games of Genesis past, and 2) It offers unique and well-implemented motion controls. Too bad it also caters to an audience that isn't really interested in owning a Wii, meaning hardcore and mature gamers that mostly populate the true next-gen consoles PS3 and XBox360.

Binary Domain is an interesting beast. Whereas Yakuza: Dead Souls was still uniquely Japanese in flavor and has endured some criticism of its TPS mechanics as a result, Binary Domain is a Western-style shooter with some added elements that its Japanese developers must have thought would enhance the typical TPS experience. The result is surprisingly effective and enjoyable. Yas, if your team is the one who localized Binary Domain, I need to give you some serious commendations. The script, the voicework, and the crisp presentation are all high-caliber. The same love and care that obviously went into the localization for Yakuza 4 and Dead Souls are here, but the addition **** English dub makes it even more impressive (not that I would EVER want the Yakuza games to be voiced in English again, mind you). That being said, Binary Domain is still quite different than its Yakuza brethren. It's a lot more linear, and the gimmicky voice command and relationship systems don't work that well most times. The multiplayer is also pretty mediocre, but the single-player campaign is far more enjoyable than any standard Western shooter that I've played in the last few years. The constant banter between teammates, the well-conceived story, the atmospheric locales, the variety of gameplay, the brilliant mechanical designs, and the satisfaction of blowing pieces off of the enemy bots all combine for some compelling gameplay and replay value. The enemies are fairly intelligent and can be quite difficult to take down, which contributes to a sense of real achievement. Menus and interface components are streamlined and user-friendly, and the auto-save/checkpoint system is about as perfect as you could ever hope to have. You never need to worry about losing progress or screwing up a save file, career profiles, hard saves vs. quicksaves, or any of the other aggravations that seem to pop up in Western shooter campaigns. Also, the plethora of upgrades, crafting options, item pickups, and shop offerings still feel like they benefited from Yakuza's pedigree. And like Yakuza, you actually start to understand and genuinely care about the characters, even if they do seem painfully stereotypical and forgettable in the first couple hours. I love the way that minor puzzles, mini-games, and QTE-esque rail sequences keep the shooter combat from feeling repetitive, and the quality cutscenes are lengthy but don't overstay their welcome. Players can also approach objectives in a variety of ways. NPC squad members might suggest an action to take down the enemy, but you are still welcome to do it your own way, to which they will sometimes reply "nevermind" in a comical way. The script is perfectly balanced, too, throwing in some clever humor amidst the intense drama of the narrative. It tackles some difficult existential material at times, so the occasional comic relief is certainly appreciated. If there is one thing that I could say is a missed opportunity, though, it's the linear structure of the game. While shooters normally ARE linear and it may not bother a majority of players, I feel like Binary Domain would have been a more stand-out title if it had allowed you to approach mission content and objectives in a more free-roaming fashion. I didn't expect the game to be a Mass Effect contender or anything, but if you were able to set up a base camp as you moved through Tokyo and handle secondary objectives freely before moving to the next hot spot, perhaps even selecting your teammates to supplement your abilities in each scenario, it probably would have made better use of the relationship system and customization that the game touts. Still, this is just wishful thinking, and perhaps the devs will consider that if Binary Domain 2 ever becomes a possibility. Otherwise, the major gripes that you will hear in reviews for this game are focused on the lack of multiplayer options. Sure, the mainstays are present, though not original or revolutionary by any stretch, and there is no campaign co-op. And that's a shame, since it could've garnered Binary Domain some much-deserved attention from critics and players alike. The bottom line is this - Binary Domain is, surprisingly, one of the best third-person shooters we've received in the seventh generation, if only for its meaty single-player campaign. Unfortunately, the game wasn't marketed very well for its American release, and many gamers may overlook it assuming that it's just a generic throw-away title. In actuality, even the best Western TPS franchises could learn from Binary Domain's stellar presentation and localized script. I would encourage ever Yakuza fan, shooter fan, or general action gamer to give Binary Domain a shot, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the quality of its experience.

Binary Domain is an interesting beast. Whereas Yakuza: Dead Souls was still uniquely Japanese in flavor and has endured some criticism of its TPS mechanics as a result, Binary Domain is a Western-style shooter with some added elements that its Japanese developers must have thought would enhance the typical TPS experience. The result is surprisingly effective and enjoyable. Yas, if your team is the one who localized Binary Domain, I need to give you some serious commendations. The script, the voicework, and the crisp presentation are all high-caliber. The same love and care that obviously went into the localization for Yakuza 4 and Dead Souls are here, but the addition **** English dub makes it even more impressive (not that I would EVER want the Yakuza games to be voiced in English again, mind you). That being said, Binary Domain is still quite different than its Yakuza brethren. It's a lot more linear, and the gimmicky voice command and relationship systems don't work that well most times. The multiplayer is also pretty mediocre, but the single-player campaign is far more enjoyable than any standard Western shooter that I've played in the last few years. The constant banter between teammates, the well-conceived story, the atmospheric locales, the variety of gameplay, the brilliant mechanical designs, and the satisfaction of blowing pieces off of the enemy bots all combine for some compelling gameplay and replay value. The enemies are fairly intelligent and can be quite difficult to take down, which contributes to a sense of real achievement. Menus and interface components are streamlined and user-friendly, and the auto-save/checkpoint system is about as perfect as you could ever hope to have. You never need to worry about losing progress or screwing up a save file, career profiles, hard saves vs. quicksaves, or any of the other aggravations that seem to pop up in Western shooter campaigns. Also, the plethora of upgrades, crafting options, item pickups, and shop offerings still feel like they benefited from Yakuza's pedigree. And like Yakuza, you actually start to understand and genuinely care about the characters, even if they do seem painfully stereotypical and forgettable in the first couple hours. I love the way that minor puzzles, mini-games, and QTE-esque rail sequences keep the shooter combat from feeling repetitive, and the quality cutscenes are lengthy but don't overstay their welcome. Players can also approach objectives in a variety of ways. NPC squad members might suggest an action to take down the enemy, but you are still welcome to do it your own way, to which they will sometimes reply "nevermind" in a comical way. The script is perfectly balanced, too, throwing in some clever humor amidst the intense drama of the narrative. It tackles some difficult existential material at times, so the occasional comic relief is certainly appreciated. If there is one thing that I could say is a missed opportunity, though, it's the linear structure of the game. While shooters normally ARE linear and it may not bother a majority of players, I feel like Binary Domain would have been a more stand-out title if it had allowed you to approach mission content and objectives in a more free-roaming fashion. I didn't expect the game to be a Mass Effect contender or anything, but if you were able to set up a base camp as you moved through Tokyo and handle secondary objectives freely before moving to the next hot spot, perhaps even selecting your teammates to supplement your abilities in each scenario, it probably would have made better use of the relationship system and customization that the game touts. Still, this is just wishful thinking, and perhaps the devs will consider that if Binary Domain 2 ever becomes a possibility. Otherwise, the major gripes that you will hear in reviews for this game are focused on the lack of multiplayer options. Sure, the mainstays are present, though not original or revolutionary by any stretch, and there is no campaign co-op. And that's a shame, since it could've garnered Binary Domain some much-deserved attention from critics and players alike. The bottom line is this - Binary Domain is, surprisingly, one of the best third-person shooters we've received in the seventh generation, if only for its meaty single-player campaign. Unfortunately, the game wasn't marketed very well for its American release, and many gamers may overlook it assuming that it's just a generic throw-away title. In actuality, even the best Western TPS franchises could learn from Binary Domain's stellar presentation and localized script. I would encourage ever Yakuza fan, shooter fan, or general action gamer to give Binary Domain a shot, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the quality of its experience.

Xenoblade Chronicles can go toe-to-toe with such JRPG classics as Chrono Trigger, Suikoden, and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, and there's no denying that it fills a major role-playing void on the Wii. But to get my one and only gripe out of the way, let me just say this - by no fault of the game itself, players won't be able to shake the feeling that Xenoblade should have been made on an HD-capable console. While Xenoblade Chronicles is an astounding technical achievement that makes use of every ounce of processing power it can squaeeze out of Wii's hardware, it still doesn't look much better than a decade-old PS2 RPG. As jaw-dropping as some of its environments and sweeping set pieces may be, the game's blurry textures and low-polygon models are a constant reminder of the platform's limitations. That being said, good gameplay should always trump graphical prowess, especially in the RPG genre, and Xenoblade delivers some major innovations in that department. The game successfully mixes the best parts of Japanese and Western development while bringing a few new concepts to the table. At first, it may strike the player as an offline MMO, with its real-time auto-attacks and a skill bar that lines the bottom of the screen during combat, but it's not that simple. There are a ton of ways to interact with enemies, whether it's instigating a battle, evading more aggressive mobs, dodging attacks that would automatically land in a typical MMO setup, or strategically positioning characters to exploit enemy weaknesses and distractions. Aside from combat, exploration and party management features are equally impressive. Equipment changes are visualized, enhancement slots allow you to constantly evolve the armor and weapons you like, crafting is deep yet intuitive, and even questing has been drastically streamlined over the MMO contemporaries that inspired its basic structure. The world itself is massive and very original in its design, as sweeping landscapes are interwoven in a way that makes every vista and cliff face recognizable, thus eliminating a constant reliance on maps and objective pointers. I also thoroughly enjoy the addition of social elements, which allow for relationships between party members, unlock special scenes, and even track the interpersonal connections of NPCs. Xenoblade impresses on a lot of fronts, and it's all highly intuitive. Also, unlike a majority of JRPGs that have been released in recent years, the story is almost immediately engaging and enjoyable, and despite the strength of its narrative, the entire experience remains non-linear and highly customizable. Japanese development has seemed reluctant to let go of its past conventions and typically linear storytelling techniques, so Xenoblade is solid proof that innovation is not only still possible, but now highly encouraged by the instantly classic and commercially successful precedent of Xenoblade Chronicles. While I could certainly go into greater depth with the game's individual systems, the points I have already made should be more than enough to convince RPG fans to buy the game as soon as possible. Play it for yourself, and as long as you can get over the fact that the game only exists on the technically limited and aging Wii, Xenoblade will almost certainly gain a permanent place in your RPG collection.

In every hardcore gamer's library, there are a handful of slightly clunky titles that are just fun enough that the player overlooks their flaws for the sake of originality and enjoyment. Deadly Premonition, Nier, Sacred 2, and Dead Rising are good examples from the Seventh Generation, for instance. While Yakuza games would typically fall among the more polished releases of their, an aging graphics engine and a somewhat awkward shift to third-person shooting mechanics place Dead Souls into that "guilty pleasure" category. Reviewers have trashed Dead Souls for failing to conform to the Gears of War standard, which has somehow become the litmus test for a great TPS. In truth, Yakuza: Dead Souls is far more reminiscent of Gungrave, and even that comparison might appeal to some of its potential players. This chapter takes place in an alternate universe, where many of the events of Yakuza 4 have not yet transpired, some previously dead characters are back with altered backstories, and completely new people show up without a lot of wasted exposition. It's all in the name of fun and fanservice, though, and there's plenty of cameos and inside jokes that long-time Yakuza players will appreciate. That being said, it's not a bad way for new players to jump into Yakuza for the first time, either. Like every game in the series, Dead Souls is chock full of mini-games, side quests, quirky Japanese humor, and other quality content to fill 60+ hours. The main story would only take 15-20 hours, which is still above average for an action game, but surprisingly deep representations of golf, billiards, darts, bowling, karaoke, various casino games, batting cages, fishing, and a ton of other mini-games make Yakuza: Dead Souls a one-stop shop for all of your entertainment needs. It also features some of the most disarmingly suggestive (but hilarious) dating sim elements ever to reach our shores, with Hot Spring Ping-Pong and Aromatherapy Massage (complete with a "Happy Ending Bonus") topping the list of activities you can enjoy with Kamurocho's nightclub hostesses. It may seem odd that you can do all of this stuff in the middle of a zombie outbreak, but Yakuza's weird internal logic makes it all seem pretty natural. You'll understand when you play it. And you SHOULD play it. Sure, the shooting mechanics are a bit frustrating when the camera hangs up on a wall or your auto-aim plugs more holes in the wall than in a nearby zombie's head, but it doesn't take much time to get adjusted. Besides, Dead Souls packs in an overwhelming number of ability upgrades, weapons and armor to craft, and items to pick up amongst four respectably varied characters (Kazuma Kiryu, Ryuji Goda, Goro Majima, and Shun Akiyama, all series favorites). Heat Snipes are a fun addition to the gunplay, as they allow potentially massive assaults against enemy hordes, and some of them are combined with the abilities of your current partner. On that subject, dozens of characters, some new and some familiar, will join you when entering the zombie-infested quarantine zones. They'll offer commentary, guide you on mission objectives, and help keep you alive, though you will also need to watch their back in the process. As the game progresses, the quarantine zones will grow to overtake more and more of Kamurocho, so the only real downside to Dead Souls is that if you don't enjoy the gunplay elements, the game could get increasingly frustrating as the story nears its end. Still, when you consider all of the steps that Yakuza's developers took to make it an exercise in fanservice and stupid fun, Dead Souls deserves some serious respect for what it does right. And even with the same graphics engine that serves as a foundation for 4 games (Kenzan, 3, 4, and now Dead Souls), the cutscene motion capturing and accompanying voicework is still pretty staggering, even if all the dialogue is in its native Japanese. The bottom line is this - Yakuza: Dead Souls is a varied and enjoyable piece of gaming entertainment, and if you can get past a few clunky flaws in its TPS mechanics, there is a wealth of content to explore that is unlike anything else on the market... well, unlike everything but Yakuza 3 & 4. Enjoy!

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning provides the most fun I've had in a fantasy RPG since the 16-bit era. It has already been compared to The Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, Fable, and even Dark Souls, but frankly, I think it feels more like an evolution of hack-n-slash action RPGs like Diablo or Champions of Norrath, albeit with much deeper role-playing mechanics than you normally get from those games. The focus is obviously on combat, which borrows heavily from the Devil May Cry lineage (God of War, Bayonetta, etc.). With loot waiting to be **** around every corner and after every battle, you can quickly build a character in any direction, and weapon-armor loadouts make an enormous difference in how that character handles. You also don't need to worry about experimenting with a set of skills, since you always have the option of wiping the slate clean or simply shifting your focus to a different set of abilities. Destiny cards then allow you to buff your character out with stat enhancements that match your desired focus, kind of like a flexible class system. You can easily create a magic-using rogue or a wizard with a longsword on standby, pretty much any combination you can dream up. There's no shortage of content, either, since the game's story quests and optional missions easily add up to 200+ hours. You can buy houses to store your junk, restore your health, and allow makeover options, and these residences can be upgraded in a variety of ways. There's also a day-night cycle that impacts NPC/enemy activity as well as adding some pretty environmental effects to the lush environments, though no dynamic weather is present like it is in Skyrim. On that subject, many players have criticised Amalur's level design for being more restrictive than Skyrim's, but in my opinion, the inability to cross mountains or go whereever you please adds to the brilliance of the map layout. Every area is designed in a memorable way, and getting from one place to the other can be a sort of environmental puzzle, more like classic 16-bit RPGs than the recent open-world trend. I see that as a positive, since it not only illustrates greater focus on design but also makes it a challenge to get from one side of the map to the other. You'll need to meet quest requirements, defeat bosses, and gain key items to access some of the coolest locales, and considering the intelligence of some enemy mobs, that provides a real sense of accomplishment. It's not Dark Souls, by any stretch, but if you fancy yourself a strong gamer, I would highly encourage playing on Hard, as Normal mode can seem too easy for veterans of the genre. Like Dark Souls, though, battles require a bit of strategy and precise strikes, but all of it is much faster and more forgiving than Souls. This game really is meant for fans of loot, combat, and exploration, and it does all of these elements very well. The only shortcomings are its minor technical flaws (mostly in glitchy audio) and its fairly standard fantasy lore/plot. The scripting and scenario writing isn't bad within those confines, though, since R.A. Salvatore provided most of the storytelling. Also, Todd McFarlane's artistic direction is cool, but it's much lighter-hearted than some of his comic book and action figure designs, resembling a more detailed World of Warcraft or Fable-esque aesthetic. Even the game's controls are a little like Fable, but again, Reckoning is clearly the more advanced evolution between the two. All in all, I would actually call Reckoning my favorite fantasy RPG of this generation, above Skyrim or Dragon Age: Origins, but considering it satisfies a different set of criteria than either of those games, it can co-exist with your other favorites just fine. Buy it for its fun factor. Buy it for its unique mixture of elements from other RPG heavyweights. Buy it because it's the first time we've seen God of War combat in an action RPG, and frankly, I want more!

Gods Eater Burst is NOT just a copy of Monster Hunter, although it will undoubtedly appeal to many of the same players as Capcom's popular portable series. I just recently purchased the game, and I am sorry that I did not do so earlier, as I had originally planned on importing it, decided to hold off for the American release, then allowed mediocre reviews to dissuade me from following through. As an avid Monster Hunter fan, I was afraid that God Eater (I prefer to call it by the original and less awkward Japanese title) would end up the same as Lord of Arcana, a disappointing and uninspired rip-off that disguised itself using the obscure but devout Lord of Vermillion legacy. In the first half-hour, players will immediately recognize care and artistry in the game's design. From a sweeping and diverse soundtrack (ranging from techno and j-pop to classical and heavy metal) to some of the best visuals on PSP, God Eater is a treat for the senses, and the creature designs are far cooler than those found in Lord of Arcana. Some people may even prefer the modern / sci-fi themed God Eater universe to Monster Hunter's dino-monstrosities and Viking villages. But beyond the "hunt big things with groups of four" premise, the comparison to Monster Hunter isn't really valid, as the anime cut-scenes, above-par voice acting, and interesting story make GEB feel completely original. NPCs have a lot more personality to them than in similar games, and the action is fast-paced and responsive, save some issues with camera control (but that's a common symptom of the single analog stick that everyone's used to by now). Character creation is some of the best in any portable game on the market, and the ability to craft new equipment and specialized bullets to suit your play style really enhances the personal connection you form with your in-game counterpart. You can also switch on the fly between a gigantic blade, a massive gun, or an invaluable shield, all of which can morph into a gaping mouth that devours fallen enemies. Some strategy also comes into play when fighting later enemies, which may be more vulnerable to one attack type than another. Missions are plentiful enough, and there's already some free DLC available, but if there was one major complaint that I had about GEB, it would be the repetitious zones and enemies. Keep in mind that Burst is an improvement in this area, as well as some tweeks it made to control, but the game would certainly benefit from having two or three times the variety of locales and creatures instead of the elemental swaps that stand for new adversaries. Either way, God Eater will serve up enough challenge and content to fill 40+ hours on a single-player campaign, and that's not including the time you could spend doing ad hoc runs. And by the way, in case you're a fan of Monster Hunter but don't like depending on other gamers to topple the bigger baddies, God Eater allows you to take some very cool NPCs on the hunt to fill out your four-member squad. Gods Eater Burst is a solid first entry in what could be a growing franchise, and if the rumors are correct, we could be getting a bigger, better God Eater 2 on Vita in 2012. Start building your stats now, New-Type! ***As one final note, there have been several games compared to Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, the reigning champion in the portable action-RPG market. These include White Knight Chronicles: Origins / The Dogma Wars, Lord of Arcana, God Eater Burst, and Phantasy Star Portable 1&2, to name a few. Hardcore fans of Monster Hunter may wish to wait for Freedom 3 to be relaesed stateside, but if you're debating between the look-alikes to fill your time, Gods Eater Burst is easily the best alternative. I have played them all, and God Eater is far more enjoyable than the rest.***

I usually steer clear of games like this. I tried Saints Row 1&2, and while I could respect them for what they were trying to accomplish, they still fell into the same "just don't care" category as GTA. I'm not a huge fan of "gangsta life," rarely enjoy sophomoric humor involving pimps and prostitutes, and can't get satisfaction from cop-killing and other criminal activities. Games are an escapist experience for me, and I typically prefer more fantasy or sci-fi inspired settings, and **** chooses to depict a more realistic modern setting, I will only pay attention to it if the story and themes are highly original. That being said, Saints Row: The Third doesn't meet any of those deeper, escapist qualities that I mentioned, nor does it depict anything realistic in its loose "gangsta" themes. This third entry takes the series in a new direction, and the result has more in common with Twisted Metal or Just Cause than Grand Theft Auto. This is the kind of on-screen madness that I can get on-board with. For someone who is still playing Dark Souls, The Witcher 2, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Skyrim, a little stupid fun can go a long way towards cheering me up. SRTT aims to make you smile, and all of its ridiculous humor makes you realize just how funny games can be when they don't take themselves seriously. Sure, you still kill cops and blow s*** up constantly, but in SRTT, it all feels so idiotic and over-the-top, that you half-expect the same characters that you chopped up with a chainsaw or threw out of a 40th floor window to get up and laugh it off, followed by another vain attack against your easily overpowered character. Now, that's not to say that the game is a breeze; it can be quite challenging on the highest of its three difficulty settings. But it also rewards you for practically everything you do, from near misses in traffic to a chain of headshots, making it an unlikely comparison to games like Elder Scrolls in its open-world RPG elements. On that note, the character creation and continuous customization rival the best role-playing titles on the market. You can also upgrade weapons, get vehicles, and purchase property. It's weird to admit this, but after playing Saints Row: The Third, you start to wonder why more serious RPGs don't incorporate these gameplay components on a consistent basis. There's no denying that the game is well-constructed, and even though the campaign will only last about 15 hours, it includes enough content to extend play to the 30 or 40-hour mark. That's not including the countless hours you could spend on multiplayer and other modes, and DLC is already showing up on the network. In the end, Saints Row: The Third is exactly as advertised - an adult playground with a stupid amount of toys to help you waste time, but you may be surprised by the lasting value you get out of such a mindless experience. I certainly was.

Skyrim is a difficult game to review, largely because your level of enjoyment will depend on what time of gamer you are. The game provides you with an enormous feature set and plenty of toys to play with in an impressive sandbox of a world. But if you don't have the time, patience, or interest to seek those things out, the game is never going to spoon-feed you reasons to keep playing. Also, there's rarely any sense of actual accomplishment, as the combat and questing rely more on diligence than actual challenge, and enemy mobs are surprisingly sparse. If you just like exploring and building your character, though, there is quite a bit of optional content that will keep you distracted for 100+ hours, but all that content will feel like filler for less adventurous players. The weather system, day-night cycle, enhanced social interaction, and housing are among my favorite parts of the game, and they go far in adding a sense of immersion. Practically everything is improved over Oblivion, and many of the most annoying aspects of that predecessor have been changed or entirely removed. Technical issues still abound, such as arrows getting stuck in your character and never disappearing like they're supposed to, horses and other animals getting launched into the air randomly, and corpses twitching eratically, but none of these are prevalent enough to kill the overall experience. My biggest gripe is actually against the combat, which is inexcusably loose and lacks any real innovation over previous Elder Scrolls titles, and it's fortunate that the enemies aren't any tougher than they are since you'll probably have a hard time landing a hit in close quarters. Overall, I have really enjoyed my time with Skyrim in spite of its drawbacks, and I'm sure that most role-playing fans will feel the same way. Just make sure that you have some time to devote to it before making the purchase.

Up to this point, I have never been much of a Bethesda fan. Oblivion had some great features that didn't appear in its rival franchises, but it also feel into the same category as Grand Theft Auto for me, where despite having tons of stuff to do, I just didn't care to DO any of it. Fallout 3 was no different, and its wacky interface was such a turn-off to me that I failed to see how it reached mainstream success, unless that was due to its strong-arm marketing hype. And Brink did absolutely nothing for me, 'nuf said. However, Skyrim has managed to redeem Bethesda in my eyes, if only for this one game. Skyrim is not perfect, as it suffers from the same technical drawbacks as its predecessor, but its content is far more compelling. The first thing that I noticed was the fact that Skyrim has a lot more character and style than the dreadfully generic Oblivion, albeit a straight rip-off of Peter Jackson's depiction of Middle Earth (specifically The Two Towers, since some of Skyrim's regions look like they're recreations of actual Weta sets). That being said, character creation is much improved, graphic quality is much higher, Jeremy Soule's soundrack is astounding, menus have been streamlined, and the dialogue system is better. The only real downside to the improved play mechanics is a general lack of fulfillment in questing, as most results aren't even impactful enough to move NPCs from their rooted position atop a throne or behind a store counter. In other words, the world still feels pretty stiff, despite significant work to improve the AI. Animations are often unnatural, and many of the game's best features require a silly amount of aimless adventuring before they can be unlocked. In the end, much of the game's content feels like filler and time-sinks, which should come as little surprise to anyone who has played Oblivion. Among my favorite features is the active weather system, which has a powerful impact on your exploration and combat, and it often feels like the environment is a worse adversary than the [inexcusably sparse] enemy mobs. The weather, day-night cycle, housing, enhanced social interaction, and crafting systems are all genuinely enjoyable, and they all go far in immersing the gamer in what could have otherwise been a boring march through uninspired quests. Ultimately, it is a great open-world experience for wasting time and building a character that you like, but if you're looking for challenge or a sense of purpose in your game, Skyrim could do a lot better. I still like Dark Souls better, as it constantly provides a sense of accomplishment, but the two are pretty different overall. I would recommend Skyrim to any fan of adventuring and exploration (as long as they have a fair amount of patience), and I commend Bethesda for improving in the areas that annoyed me the most in previous games. RPG nerds rarely complain about boredom in a properly crafted virtual world, since we're pretty good at finding or creating our own entertainment within those worlds, so it's the enormous feature set that makes Skyrim stand tall as it gives you plenty of toys to play with even if you care little for the main story.

Fate/Extra is an interesting game. When you first start playing, the game feels like a complete rip-off of the Persona games. From the visual styling and calendar-based daily cycle to the nighttime dungeon battles and social interaction, everything feels like an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of its Shin Megami Tensei rival. That being said, Persona 3 stands as my favorite game of all time, so there are definitely worse franchises to imitate. Like Persona, it takes about an hour to get through Fate's introductory material, but after that, it starts to take a life of its own. The scenarios were written by Nasu, of Fate/Stay Night PC fame, but since this story takes place in an alternate universe from the original, no prior knowledge of the Fate series is necessary. You start by playing through a mostly linear prologue using a generic male character, after which you are able to select one of three companion types and a gender for your character. The gameflow is similar to Persona 3/4, where you spend your daytime hours attending high school and chatting to other students, often leading to clues that will aid in your nighttime confrontations. Combat occurs inside randomly generated wireframe dungeons, not unlike Tartarus or Mayonaka TV in Persona, and at the end of each calendar week, you'll face off against a rival and their servant, again not unlike the full-moon showdowns against Arcana demons in Persona 3. Even your servant, who does all of your fighting and leveling, is vaguely reminiscent of using a persona to deal damage in combat. Battle structure is a paper-rock-scissors affair, where memorizing your opponent's patterns is key to inflicting more damage than you sustain. I'm sure this was intended to mimic the push-turn system that gained praise for Persona, but in that department, Fate/Extra fails to execute the mechanic properly. Due to your enemies' unexpected changes in pattern, you could literally do everything right and still get beaten, but more often than not, a trial-and-error approach will still prevail. On that note, it is also very important to maintain multiple save files, as the branching story and choice-based plot progression can lead to dead ends and undesirable outcomes. This is actually Fate/Extra's greatest strength; while the game is not as long or immersive as Persona, it does offer a comparable amount of replay value, especially considering the number of possible player-servant combinations. The social elements are fun and teasingly titilating, as well, though they ultimately feel more shallow than Persona's social links. Many fans of Fate will be frustrated by the game's constant comparison to Persona and will claim that the game manages to forge an identity all its own, but I believe it falls short of that goal. In blatantly stealing so many elements from those games, this new entry seals its own Fate (pun intended), and it would be ridiculous to expect anything besides contant comparison by people who have played both franchises. However, that does not mean there is no originality or fun to be discovered in Fate/Extra. Its graphic presentation is gorgeous, and with the PSP nearing the end of its lifespan, it's nice to see a good JRPG grace the UMD library. In all honesty, I would never have expected it to get a US release, but Aksys has done well to bring overlooked Japanese titles to America. Voiceovers are still in Japanese, which will please purists, and the game is very reasonably priced, with a standard version at $29.99 and a Limited Edition (box, artbook, and soundtrack included) at only $39.99. Many niche Japanese games see PSN release as a digital download only, but considering most fans of this subgenre appreciate the collectibility of a hard copy and bonus materials, the gorgeous packaging and presentation are a definite plus. It's no secret that Aksys models its publishing efforts after Atlus of America (which publishes Persona, of course), so it's appropriate that Fate/Extra gains proper attention from their localization team. In the end, I would definitely recommend Fate/Extra to any fan of JRPGs or of the Fate franchise, and while it doesn't reach the lofty position of the games that obviously inspired it, it can be a fun and compelling way to extend the life of your PSP.

Your level of enjoyment in playing NCIS will largely depend on two factors - 1) what kind of NCIS fan you are, and 2) what kind of gamer you are. If you're not a fan of NCIS, you might as well stop reading now and find something else to play, unless you already love detective games or pixel-hunt games like Mystery Case Files and Cate West. Otherwise, NCIS is a game made for its fans, featuring all of the major characters from the series (although few of them are actually voiced by their respective actors), and the game's case scenarios were written by the same people who script the TV show. And in case you haven't noticed, Ubisoft published the game to appeal to the same players as its CSI games, but NCIS actually improves in this area, as development was shifted from the Chinese company that handled CSI to an internal Ubisoft studio that would better understand the property. All-in-all, NCIS pulls off everything that it tries to do in a reasonable fashion. Analog controls are quite manageable, considering you have to move a cursor around to point characters in the right direction. The cases are relatively compelling, and some of the storytelling is genuinely interesting. Graphics won't knock your socks off, but they're functional. The sound matches many of the show's mainstays, from the "thump" sound with its black-and-white snapshot at the beginning of each scene, to the opening theme and other tracks pulled straight from the series. Gameplay is varied, allowing you to pixel-hunt for evidence, photograph crime scenes, move bodies, help with autopsies and other forensic analyses, and even interrogate suspects. That being said, the simplicity of each task, combined with a completion meter, make it impossible to mess up, and once the 5 hours of crime-solving is done, there is little reason to play again. On the flipside of this, if you're looking for some quick achievements, NCIS is a pretty easy way to get them, and the game retails for $39.99 instead of the usual $60. So, if you're a fan of the show and enjoy video games on a casual level, NCIS is a decent purchase. However, the most discerning NCIS fans and hardcore gamers will find a lot to b**** about here. As I have already mentioned, the characters are not voiced by their actors, aside from David McCallum for Ducky and Robert Wagner for DiNozzo's dad, neither of which perform as well as they do on TV. Ducky even comes off as seriously creepy without the support of NCIS's on-set chemistry. The character models don't always look great, either. DiNozzo looks nothing like Michael Weatherly, McGee and Ziva look good from some angles and bad from others, and Abby probably would've been okay if her body movements weren't so unbelieveably stiff. Gibbs fares the best in his appearance, but his voice and lines are so non-Harmon that it's annoying. Everything about the game could've been more ambitious, especially considering that NCIS is the highest rated scripted show on television and has climbed in viewership every year for nine seasons. CBS could've taken a paltry $10 million out of the show's multi-billion-dollar revenue and really contracted something special from Ubisoft, but instead, they made something that's only slightly better than the other games of its type. In that way, NCIS is a missed opportunity, but it will still hold some interest for casual fans of the show or of detective gaming. Could be worse...â

Your level of enjoyment in playing NCIS will largely depend on two factors - 1) what kind of NCIS fan you are, and 2) what kind of gamer you are. If you're not a fan of NCIS, you might as well stop reading now and find something else to play, unless you already love detective games or pixel-hunt games like Mystery Case Files and Cate West. Otherwise, NCIS is a game made for its fans, featuring all of the major characters from the series (although few of them are actually voiced by their respective actors), and the game's case scenarios were written by the same people who script the TV show. And in case you haven't noticed, Ubisoft published the game to appeal to the same players as its CSI games, but NCIS actually improves in this area, as development was shifted from the Chinese company that handled CSI to an internal Ubisoft studio that would better understand the property. All-in-all, NCIS pulls off everything that it tries to do in a reasonable fashion. Motion controls work well with the Move (though much more basically than a game like Heavy Rain), and Dual Shock analog controls are quite manageable if you prefer a standard controller. The cases are relatively compelling, and some of the storytelling is genuinely interesting. Graphics won't knock your socks off, but they're functional. The sound matches many of the show's mainstays, from the "thump" sound with its black-and-white snapshot at the beginning of each scene, to the opening theme and other tracks pulled straight from the series. Gameplay is varied, allowing you to pixel-hunt for evidence, photograph crime scenes, move bodies, help with autopsies and other forensic analyses, and even interrogate suspects. That being said, the simplicity of each task, combined with a completion meter, make it impossible to mess up, and once the 5 hours of crime-solving is done, there is little reason to play again. On the flipside of this, if you're looking for some quick trophies (including a guaranteed platinum), NCIS is a pretty easy way to get them, and the game retails for $39.99 instead of the usual $60. So, if you're a fan of the show and enjoy video games on a casual level, NCIS is a decent purchase. However, the most discerning NCIS fans and hardcore gamers will find a lot to b**** about here. As I have already mentioned, the characters are not voiced by their actors, aside from David McCallum for Ducky and Robert Wagner for DiNozzo's dad, neither of which perform as well as they do on TV. Ducky even comes off as seriously creepy without the support of NCIS's on-set chemistry. The character models don't always look great, either. DiNozzo looks nothing like Michael Weatherly, McGee and Ziva look good from some angles and bad from others, and Abby probably would've been okay if her body movements weren't so unbelieveably stiff. Gibbs fares the best in his appearance, but his voice and lines are so non-Harmon that it's annoying. Everything about the game could've been more ambitious, especially considering that NCIS is the highest rated scripted show on television and has climbed in viewership every year for nine seasons. CBS could've taken a paltry $10 million out of the show's multi-billion-dollar revenue and really contracted something special from Ubisoft, but instead, they made something that's only slightly better than the other games of its type. In that way, NCIS is a missed opportunity, but it will still hold some interest for casual fans of the show or of detective gaming. Could be worse...

Don't let the updated graphics and dual-screen presentation fool you. This game was (and is) better on the GameBoy Advance. The 3D models look terrible, the terrible AI has broken the game by allowing players to cheat their way to victory, and none of the "additional features" feel like improvements. Here's my advice: 1) Look up the review for the GBA version to read how the real game fared, 2) seek out a $10 GBA copy on eBay complete with box and manual versus the overpriced $20-$45 you could end up paying for the DS version, 3) experience one of the greatest dungeon crawlers of the past decade in its fantastically retro 2D glory.

Hardcore dungeon crawlers form the backbone of my massive RPG collection, spanning 30 years of gaming and continuing a pedigree of pencil-and-paper RPGs that reaches back even further. From Dungeons of Daggorath on the TRS-80 to Demon's Souls on the PS3, dungeon crawlers traditionally focus on challenging combat, exploration of labyrinthian environments, and deep stat building. For most modern, mainstream gamers, these elements may feel tedious or boring, but for those of us who grew up in the wireframe halls of PC RPGs, it often serves as a cathartic and thought-provoking experience unlike any other. Hardcore dungeon crawling was born with games like Wizardry, The Bard's Tale, and Dungeon Master, but Western development has largely abandoned the subgenre for open-world action RPGs like Oblivion. Since the mid-90s, Japanese development has kept the genre alive with popular series like King's Field, eventually leading to more recent classics like Etrian Odyssey and The Dark Spire (both on DS, which has largely served as the champion console of modern dungeon crawling). Even Wizardry, which began life as a tongue-in-cheek parody of D&D-style role-playing, saw a dark transformation as it shifted to Japanese development, as most of its jokes and puns were lost in translation. Now, Wizardry is considered one of the most (if not THE most) hardcore RPG franchises in existence, spawning dozens of spin-offs and sequels in the last couple decades and currently being forged into an MMORPG of unparalleled, masochistic difficulty. Yet, unlike most franchises to endure the last 30 years of gaming through constant evolution and design changes, Wizardry has barely touched its original formula, leaving the game's party structure and tile-based exploration almost untouched while simply making updates to graphical presentation. Many of the Wizardry games have become collector's items worth $100-$200 each, both amongst their Japanese players and international importers. Aside from the recent release of Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls on PSN, the franchise has not been seen stateside since 2001, when we saw the PS2 release of Busin ~Wizardry Alternative~, which Atlus renamed in its English localization, under the title Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land. Despite being developer Racjin's first attempt at a Wizardry title, the game retained all of the franchise's best elements while adding some fresh 3D visuals into the mix. With an outstanding soundtrack and some of the best 2D character art the series had ever seen, Tale of the Forsaken Land became an instant classic for Wizardry fans. This is one of the few PS2 games that I revisit on a regular basis. Along with gems like Persona 3 and Shadow of the Colossus, Wizardry: TotFL remains a favorite even when compared to Seventh Gen juggernauts. But that being said, don't be misled into thinking that it compares to the graphical or gameplay styles of today's mainstream gaming. It is still a plodding, dismal adventure that focuses on stats and strategies, and it delivers its story through subtlety and text-based interaction, not the lengthy exposition and cinematic flair we've grown accustomed to in Final Fantasy or Dragon Age. The bottom line is, if you enjoy the mechanics of a classic dungeon crawler, have a great imagination to fill in the gaps as you would with a fantasy novel, and don't mind a seriously unapologetic challenge, Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land could be worth seeking for your retro-collection. It will no doubt evoke some nostalgia from those who played the genre in the 80s. Fortunately, the gaming industry has seen a resurgence of classic design, as evidenced by 3D Dot Game Heroes, Demon's Souls / Dark Souls, Elminage (Japan only), the Etrian Odyssey trilogy, and the upcoming Legend of Grimrock on iOS. Fighting game franchises like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat are returning to their 2D roots, thus placing them back in direct competition with newer 2D powerhouses like BlazBlue and Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena. PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace continue to drive the popularity of smaller independent titles, many of which fall back on tried-and-true retro styling. VanillaWare titles Odin Sphere, Muramasa, and the upcoming Dragon's Crown mix RPG elements with old-school arcade, side-scrolling beat 'em up action. This is the time to revisit your gaming roots, and for me, Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land remains atop the mile-high pinnacle of retro-RPG greatness.

This is the handheld game of choice for those of us raised on Zork and Wizardry, and it's a perfect addition to the hardcore RPG library that has more recently included games like Demon's Souls and The Witcher. The game has already become a rarity in the United States, but considering the fact that it has received Game of the Year awards from classic RPG circles, it's well worth time spent seeking it out. Other recommended classics in the same vein may include 3D Dot Game Heroes on PS3, Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade on PSP, Etrian Odyssey on DS, Warriors of the Lost Empire on PSP, or Fighting Fantasy on DS.

Back in 2009, I spent 120+ hours of my life on Demon's Souls, and since then, I have not found its equal. As dark, challenging, and repressive as the game was, Demon's Souls still managed to feel like a breath of fresh air in the staling game market, throwing back to classic mechanics that were left in the 80s and early 90s with 8-bit, 16-bit, and arcade games. I find it interesting that Demon's Souls was far better received in North America than in its native Japan (790,000 copies in NA to Japan's 300,000, many of which were sold after the game's subsequest success overseas), as the game reflects more western RPG conventions and D&D-esque styling than the increasingly common anime-styled games that get labeled as "JRPGs." Dark Souls is a spiritual successor in the purest sense of the over-used phrase. Its controls are identical to Demon's Souls, yet they are even more precise than before. The artistic style, starting classes, soundtrack, and multiplayer options are all quite similar as well, but again, they have been tweaked to be a bit superior to that of Demon's Souls. The graphics are more detailed and crisp than ever. But the biggest change here is the open-world structure. Unlike Demon's Souls, which had the Nexus serve as a hub between several more fragmented worlds, Dark Souls has interconnected areas that form one gigantic, seemless world. It's also at least three times the size of all of Demon's Souls' areas combined, and the zones are still diverse and well-conceived. The linking of various zones works kind of like classic Metroid or Castlevania maps, where shortcuts to previous areas can be unlocked, making exploration valuable and rewarding to the overall mission. Instead of the Nexus hub zone, players can rest at bonfires, where they can also upgrade weapons and armor, among other things. Combat is also enjoyable and very deep, and enemy mobs are more varied than in Demon's Souls. In short, Dark Souls improves on every aspect of its predecessor, and with the new open-world structure, Dark Souls can easily stand up to the industry's western-developed heavy hitters (like Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls). In fact, I can honestly say that Dark Souls could steal some serious thunder from Skyrim by offering a more fresh yet hardcore approach to the genre. I also think that it's astounding that developer From Software could make lightning strike twice - it would have been far too easy for some developers to misinterpret Demon's Souls overwhelming success in North America and try too hard to tweak the subsequent formula to cater to American tastes. Instead, From Software stayed true to its original form, even deciding to increase the challenge for Dark Souls. And as one final point, let me also say this: Anyone who has not tried Demon's Souls or Dark Souls should not let the now-legendary difficulty of the series discourage them. The challenge that these games offers is not the same kind of hard-for-the-sake-of-hard frustration that some games fall victim to. Even if you are normally frustrated by difficult games, it's usually because of cheap mechanics and the feeling of having to fight the controls or poor design, and none of that is an issue with the Souls games. They just demand a little more observation, a bit of strategy and thought. From Software trusts that its gamers are intelligent, diligent, and skilled enough to handle that challenge, and that's what makes every victory in Dark Souls feel like a real achievement. The game may not be for everyone, but I would at least encourage every PS3 or XBox360 owner to try it.

Back in 2009, I spent 120+ hours of my life on Demon's Souls, and since then, I have not found its equal. As dark, challenging, and repressive as the game was, Demon's Souls still managed to feel like a breath of fresh air in the staling game market, throwing back to classic mechanics that were left in the 80s and early 90s with 8-bit, 16-bit, and arcade games. I find it interesting that Demon's Souls was far better received in North America than in its native Japan (790,000 copies in NA to Japan's 300,000, many of which were sold after the game's subsequest success overseas), as the game reflects more western RPG conventions and D&D-esque styling than the increasingly common anime-styled games that get labeled as "JRPGs." Dark Souls is a spiritual successor in the purest sense of the over-used phrase. Its controls are identical to Demon's Souls, yet they are even more precise than before. The artistic style, starting classes, soundtrack, and multiplayer options are all quite similar as well, but again, they have been tweaked to be a bit superior to that of Demon's Souls. The graphics are more detailed and crisp than ever, running in 720p or 1080i on PS3, making it one of a small handful of PS3 games that can display in 1920x1080. But the biggest change here is the open-world structure. Unlike Demon's Souls, which had the Nexus serve as a hub between several more fragmented worlds, Dark Souls has interconnected areas that form one gigantic, seemless world. It's also at least three times the size of all of Demon's Souls' areas combined, and the zones are still diverse and well-conceived. The linking of various zones works kind of like classic Metroid or Castlevania maps, where shortcuts to previous areas can be unlocked, making exploration valuable and rewarding to the overall mission. Instead of the Nexus hub zone, players can rest at bonfires, where they can also upgrade weapons and armor, among other things. Combat is also enjoyable and very deep, and enemy mobs are more varied than in Demon's Souls. In short, Dark Souls improves on every aspect of its predecessor, and with the new open-world structure, Dark Souls can easily stand up to the industry's western-developed heavy hitters (like Dragon Age and Elder Scrolls). In fact, I can honestly say that Dark Souls could steal some serious thunder from Skyrim by offering a more fresh yet hardcore approach to the genre. I also think that it's astounding that developer From Software could make lightning strike twice - it would have been far too easy for some developers to misinterpret Demon's Souls overwhelming success in North America and try too hard to tweak the subsequent formula to cater to American tastes. Instead, From Software stayed true to its original form, even deciding to increase the challenge for Dark Souls. And as one final point, let me also say this: Anyone who has not tried Demon's Souls or Dark Souls should not let the now-legendary difficulty of the series discourage them. The challenge that these games offers is not the same kind of hard-for-the-sake-of-hard frustration that some games fall victim to. Even if you are normally frustrated by difficult games, it's usually because of cheap mechanics and the feeling of having to fight the controls or poor design, and none of that is an issue with the Souls games. They just demand a little more observation, a bit of strategy and thought. From Software trusts that its gamers are intelligent, diligent, and skilled enough to handle that challenge, and that's what makes every victory in Dark Souls feel like a real achievement. The game may not be for everyone, but I would at least encourage every PS3 or XBox360 owner to try it.

I am getting sick of hearing games get qualified as "JRPG" or "Western Developed" or "Old-School." Role-playing elements exist in every genre now, from third-person action games to first-person shooters. Coming from someone who has been devoted to role-playing for more than 25 years of video gaming, I still love to see companies try new things, but too often critics categorize games and belittle their finer points by forcing them into unecessary stereotypes. Japanese programmers often have a hand in developing Western titles, and likewise, American and European programmers are often brought in to assist on Eastern projects to make a game more appealing to the international market. Too much synergy and genre crossover occur in today's gaming market to call anything old-school or refer to them by national origin. That being said, White Knight Chronicles II (along with the previous WKCs on PS3 and PSP) attempts to appeal to both Japanese and Western markets, with robust single-player and online multiplayer options that allow gamers to approach the game in whichever way they prefer. This effort does not succeed on all points - story sequences feel shallow and incoherent at times, with sub-par English voiceovers doing little to elevate the game's presentation, and MMO features sometimes feel tacked on. Still, the accomplishments that WKCII gets right serve as redeeming factors overall. For years, I have looked for an RPG that brought many existing features together under one title - character creation, open-world exploration, a full day-night cycle, dynamic weather systems, seasonal changes, player housing, town construction, solo and multiplayer features, social elements, and branching storylines. While Mass Effect and Dragon Age do all of this except multiplayer, and Persona 3&4 contain their unique and refreshing take on many of these systems, practically no other games come close to completing this wish list of role-playing features. White Knight Chronicles II does not successfully integrate all of them either, but as you explore the massive world the game offers, it becomes evident that (despite shortcomings) the creators acknowledged all of the desires of RPG gamers and tried to deliver. The graphics in WKCII are clean and at times gorgeous. Like the first game, GeoRama features allow you to build a custom town and recruit residents to improve its functionality, though the whole thing feels like a glorified online multiplayer lobby. Customization is extensive, from creating a player character and changing out equipment to creating your own combo attacks. Combat itself is improved over the first game, though it still needs work. Exploration is also well-rewarded, and the game world is fairly enormous. But my favorite tweek to the whole package is the day-night, weather, and seasonal changes. This is an immersive quality that is largely overlooked by developers (or simply left out for programming, budgeting, or deadline restraints), but seeing trees sway in the wind, hearing ambient noise, or having environmental shifts affect combat are really valuable for drawing a player into the game world. Also, since you often backtrack in RPGs, these environmental factors allow you to see familiar locales in unfamiliar states upon revisiting them, which adds to variety and replayability. Overall, WKCII is worth the purchase, and in case you haven't played the first game, it's included in the North American release, complete with tweeks from the sequel retrofitted into the original. You can even carry your stats and equipment from one game to the other, which the online players will most definitely appreciate. I'm not claiming that this is the answer to all of your RPG dreams, but it is another step in Level-5's quest to bring all of the best RPG features into a single game. That's not an easy pursuit, but it is a process that I want to be a part of... and a goal that makes me respect any developer who tries for it.

I play a lot of MMORPGs, both subscription-based and free-to-play, yet I do not consider myself to be an MMO junkie. Despite the fact that I currently have 32 full MMORPGs installed on my system and am in the process of beta testing a handful of others, I have never proceeded further than level 10 on most of those titles. The reason is simple. While I recognize the infinite potential of MMORPGs as a genre, a majority of these games are too formulaic to try something that sets them apart from the growing crowd. Most retail MMOs are not worth their monthly cost unless you devote every minute of available play time to them, and many F2P MMOs are either geared towards casual audiences or blatantly clone the features of big-name subscription games like WoW or Aion. For all of these reasons, I get an unparalleled level of enjoyment when I try an MMORPG that manages to elevate itself above the confines of its genre. So far, I have only found about a dozen of these, including Vindictus, Cabal Online, Atlantica, and Forsaken World. I am also a long-time player of Guild Wars, and I also recognize the merits of Aion, Final Fantasy XI (screw XIV), and Rift. And since I know some people would ask, no, I am not very fond of WoW, although it is hard to ignore the impact it has had on its genre, for better or worse. With that said, I am quite impressed with Aika Online. On the surface, it may not seem to break many boundaries, but it is undeniably fun to play and pretty to look at. When I first started the game, I was discouraged by the gender-locked classes and limited customization, but the comprehensive classes and focus on making each type unique really makes up for the shortcomings. It also didn't take long for me to start noticing a level of care and detail that I rarely see in MMOs. Rather than being a serious grindfest like most Korean F2Ps, Aika has a wide variety of quest types, and combat is fast-paced and enjoyable. Experience rate at lower levels is also fairly high, thus allowing newcomers to fit in nicely. The design aesthetic is also impressive, as the armor and weapons straddle the line perfectly between ornate and functional (MMO players will sympathize when I say most games stray too far in one of those directions). Music, voiceovers, and above average dialogue scripting add to the immersive environment. I even listen to the Aika soundtrack on my iPod occasionally, as it is much closer to cinema quality than other MMO OSTs. And then we come to the two major draws for Aika - the Pran system and RealmVSRealm PvP. First off, the Pran system really sets Aika apart from its competitors. Basically, after Level 7, you can raise a fairy child to become your aid, allowing her to learn various support or attack skills, affecting her personality through conversation and actions, and even dressing her up or feeding her. It's an interesting "pet" system, and in my opinion, it's far more compelling than the similar Anima dynamic from Prius Online. Next, we have RealmVSRealm 1000vs1000 PvP. Yes, you read that correctly, and yes, it is actually fun, even if you don't normally enjoy PKing or getting PKed. There are many different types of PvP in Aika, ranging from 1-on-1 player combat when crossing between nations (servers are designated as nations, with your allegiance to one of them locked in at Level 10) to full-on castle raids that can ultimately place you in control of that realm as Lord Marshal. Guilds and Alliances are well-supported, and the community of Aika genuinely seems friendly and helpful. Even newbies seem welcome in this world, and that's a nice change. All in all, I must praise Aika for being a feature-rich free-to-play game with solid artistic design and a great balance between PvP and PvE content. Most of the marketing surrounding Aika stresses its PvP elements, and while those features are truly unique if you get into them, you shouldn't let it dissuade you from playing on a PvE server or partying with a more restricted group of friends. Whether it's solo, community, or friendly co-op play that you're interested in, Aika has plenty of great stuff to offer. With a large game world and some very attractive character designs, this could actually become a favorite above retail MMORPGs, and North American publisher gPotato does a fantastic job of supporting/updating its products. Kudos.

El Shaddai is, above all else, a prime example of how a video game can transcend its genre conventions to become a work of contemporary art. This game is both gorgeous and unique, with constantly shifting visuals that somehow straddle the line between surreal religious imagery and Tron-like aesthetics. For starters, you play as heaven's scribe, the namesake of the apocryphal Book of Enoch, as he hunts the fallen Grigori angels and delivers them to God before he decides to wipe out the planet with a great flood. The sheer boldness of not only referencing Judeo-Christian religion but also placing the game's story within the context of such a controversial text is commendable in this conservative age, and the integrity of the source material is maintained throughout. Strangely enough, though, Enoch (and his pal Lucifel) are both wearing Japanese name-brand Edwin jeans as a part of their holy garb. In fact, those jeans are all that are left on Enoch's body after sustaining enough damage, since the game uses no health bars or other UI elements on-screen and represents all pertinent stats through visual changes. As a result, there is no inventory management either. Power upgrades and weapon changes are all instantaneous, with Enoch steeling one of three weapon types from his foes (each carries its own pros and cons), and Fruits of Wisdom add to Enoch's latent abilities as they are gathered. The visceral combat actually feels like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, which is appropriate since designer Takeyasu Sawaki originally worked on both DMC and Okami. The controls are simple, but intelligent use of the limited weaponry and rhythmic attack input add enough depth to keep things interesting. Also, the player's perspective will change between distant third-person, over-the-shoulder, and side-scrolling views, which not only makes the levels play in different ways but also makes optimal use of each stage's visuals. Side-scrolling stages may look flat, with cel-shaded platforms and parallax eye catches, while an over-the-shoulder view may be used while Enoch runs across a shadowed landscape towards a bright light that reveals the silhouettes of his enemies. It all comes together nicely, but if there is one criticism I could make about the visuals, it's the fact that El Shaddai still only uses 720p. While that resolution has become standard on even the greatest PS3 and XBox360 titles, the game uses such minimalism in its presentation that I think both systems could have handled true 1080p. The PS3's fans don't even come on during most of the 60 fps gameplay, so Ignition probably could've pushed the resolution higher and eliminated some of the game's jaggies. Some players may also find the combat to be a bit repetitive, but with its inherent depth and the addition of platforming, environmental puzzle solving, and even driving, things stay fresh through the ten or twelve hours of gameplay. It may not be the longest game in recent memory, but it warrants multiple playthroughs on various difficulty settings. Overall, I had a blast with El Shaddai, and its combination of visual flare and great story-telling places it firmly into Shadow of the Colossus territory. This could be an instant classic if enough people embrace its artistry. Oh, and as an added bonus, the game does allow you to switch between Japanese and English voiceovers, both of which are quite respectable. I would encourage all of you to give this one a shot.

Despite all of the dread and complaints about Catherine's difficulty, I found that it fell perfectly into the challenge level that I expect from a good puzzler. I completed the game my first go-around on Normal difficulty, then moved up to Hard once I felt like I had surpassed the steep learning curve, which the game does a great job of maintaining through technique suggestions and gradual introduction of new elements. That's actually one thing I greatly appreciated about Catherine's pacing, too; the constant addition of new block types, variation between boss patterns, and a shifting of theme and environment with each tier of the tower all keep the game fresh through its 10 to 15 hours. While it may take significantly less time for some gamers to breeze through the story mode, making complete use of social elements, playing the Rapunzel meta game, and talking to all of the sheep on the landing areas will lengthen the experience. The game also has eight possible endings (though it would not be necessary to beat it eight times to see all of the possibilities), contains unlockable local multiplayer, and provides puzzle variants through the randomized Babel stages. Co-op is a blast with someone of [at least] moderate intelligence. I also think it's worth noting that the storyline is remarkable, albeit a bit silly with one or two of its many twists. The voice acting is good, at least up to par with other Shin Megami Tensei and Persona titles, and the influence of personal choice can be felt in the branching cinematics. I was pleasantly surprised to see many Persona elements carry over to Catherine, as your interaction with the patrons of the Stray Sheep bar and the nightmare victims can alter the story in subtle ways, giving Catherine a more customized feeling than one might expect. In short, this is a tremendously satisfying game that works on every level of its action-puzzle-horror-sim mashup, and if you're looking for a more unique and mature addition to your stale 7th generation game library, Catherine will definitely fit the bill. Just be ready to die a lot until you get the hang of things. Easily one of my favorites from the past year. Now, on to El Shaddai...

I have had an interesting experience with WotLE. I purchased the game when it was first released, only played it for a few hours, then put it down in favor of a more developed console game. A few weeks later, I traded it in, deciding that it didn't offer much in the way of innovation. Months passed, and when I got in the mood to play a good portable action game, I started to miss WotLE. I searched it out at my local GameStops, but the game had become somewhat of a rarity, thus increasing my desire to play it again. I finally found a mint copy on eBay for a decent price, and it now stands as one of my favorite action games on PSP. The point is this - Warriors of the Lost Empire may not offer a revolutionary experience, but it gets the basics right and presents them in such a clean, refreshing fashion that it satisfies all of your desires for hack-and-slash fun. If you enjoy dungeon runs, looting, building a character's skills and weapons, and other Diablo-esque conventions, WotLE hits all the right notes, even if it doesn't do much to advance the genre. There aren't many games like this on PSP (the original Untold Legends and Dungeon Siege ToA may be the only comparable titles), and WotLE deserves more attention than is evident on first impression.

If more American players were aware of outstanding free-to-play MMOs like Vindictus, it would be the end of subscription-based online play. Vindictus is 100% free, yet it offers content that is so strikingly innovative that you will be left wondering how Nexon can afford to distribute a game of this caliber without requiring micro transactions of some sort. Many F2Ps place their non-paying gamers at a severe disadvantage, thus defeating the purpose of it being "free" in the first place, but in Vindictus, you have no such limitations. Players can partake in the entire game without ever paying a dime, though if you're like me, you'll be in love with the game to such an extent that dropping $10 on some Nexon points for a sexy inner garment set will actually seem like a bargain. On that point, Vindictus has some wonderful character customization and armoring options, though you are technically altering preset characters. This may seem like a restriction at first, but it also means that a sensible story can be constructed around those characters, and we all know that the weakest part of most MMOs is usually story flow and personality of its "signpost" NPCs. Vindictus feels much more organic, with voiced cutscenes and beautiful zone design to make the world more engrossing and inspiring than any pay-to-play competitor. The combat is equally innovative, with an action-oriented (and extremely violent) real-time system taking the place of standard point-and-click attacks. You can even map the controls to a gamepad for a complete God of War / Bayonetta console feel. If that's not enough, the grappling and ranged weapon attacks add some real strategy, flexibility, and depth to the fighting. Pin large enemies to the ground with spears and chains while teammates attack the weak spots, destroy scaffolding and crates to use the splintered shards of wood as temporary weaponry, and use an enemy's head to bash a hole in a wall before launching his corpse at his unexpecting comrades. You can even exploit traps in the environment to kill ambushing hordes, or destroy the traps to avoid having to navigate them. It's such an interactive combat experience that you will never want to go back to the snail's pace of standard MMO grinding. All dungeons are instances, with the ability to party with friends or other players a la Monster Hunter. Level design is focused and varied. And you won't have to worry about party members "doing their own thing" because of the objective-driven structure of missions, and if partying isn't really your thing, practically all of Vindictus can be completed solo. Environmental effects and weather variations also add to the overall experience. I could keep going, but if you've read this far, you've already wasted time you should've spent downloading this magnificent title. See you online!