Persona 5 Royal (PlayStation 4) Review
Persona 5 was the first time I truly jumped into any of the Shin Megami Tensei games. There have been a few times that I explored a game in this massive franchise on the 3DS or the PS2 but I never stuck with them for long. Upon reviewing Persona 5 on release, I sank almost 100 hours into it and vowed to finish the game one day. It wasn’t long before an expanded release known as Persona 5 Royal was...[Read More]
Power Rangers Battle for the Grid Season 3 Marks Bright Future
Being a geeky kid that grew up in the 90s, it is no surprise that I absolutely adore the Power Rangers. My love of video games always kept me wanting a really good Power Rangers game, one that captured the high-octane, albeit campy, action of the series. Not long ago, I reviewed Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, a 3v3 fighting game from nWay Inc. that fell more in line with the energy stirred up...[Read More]
Drake Hollow (Xbox One) Preview
In a time where social interaction has been significantly reduced where people are discovering just how useful technology can be to meet that need, we need all of the cooperative games we can get. I’ve always been a bigger fan of cooperative gaming experiences over ones revolving around competition; I’m more into PVE than PVP. I also find that games centered around PVE, especially ones that lack a...[Read More]
Void Bastards (Nintendo Switch) Review
As one of the most groundbreaking and influential PC titles of the late 90s, System Shock 2 created a ripple effect throughout just about every corner of the gaming industry. Whether citing the game as being an inspiration or having a previous designer on System Shock 2 or the other notable projects from Looking Glass Studios on the project, players of the original title can usually connect the do...[Read More]
One Step From Eden (Switch) Review
When it comes to games that last, complex and well-designed mechanics can keep players coming back for more years after release. These are the sort of games that are usually challenging but fair, deep and mysterious, but also simple enough to play for short bursts and typically there are lots of things to unlock or elements that change up each session. I consider games like this to be mechanically...[Read More]
My Hero One’s Justice 2 (Xbox One) Review
While many licensed games are proving that high quality and satisfying fan service can both be achieved in the same production, this has yet to be the norm. This conclusion was made painfully obvious during my time with My Hero One’s Justice 2 on the Xbox One. All things considered, I am in the target audience for this title. I love the My Hero Academia anime and I consider it one of the most hear...[Read More]
3000th Duel (Nintendo Switch) Review
A genre that has always excited me is metroidvania, a type of game that has seen a massive flood of titles that fit the mold but can vary in quality greatly. For the most part, the metroidvania titles I come across are stellar, aside from maybe a few glaring problems or a personal taste issue. Upon startup, I thought 3000th Duel was going to fall into the bin of less than average metroidvanias and...[Read More]
One Step From Eden, Inspired by Battle Network, Hits PC and Switch
If there’s one series I’ve wished to see come back with fresh ideas, it’s Mega Man Battle Network, a series of titles which was (mostly) an RPG spinoff of the Mega Man franchise that had more than ten entries when counting dual versions. I loved this spinoff quite a bit, but more for the incredible manga by Ryo Takamisaki, Mega Man NT Warrior, which also had an anime. I even owned the physical PET...[Read More]
Persona 5 Royal (PS4) Impressions
A few years ago, P-Studio and Atlus stunned the world with the release of Persona 5, a JRPG revolving around high school drama laced with superhero tropes, mature themes, supernatural beings in strange parallel worlds, and addictive systems that provided hundreds of hours of play. Committing to Persona 5 is a journey, one that’s more like a televised series than most RPGs, as each section could be...[Read More]
Infernax Expands Castlevania 2 and Zelda 2 Designs with Bloody Brutality
I played a ton of games at PAX West back in September. In fact, I had an appointment almost every hour and they were often spread throughout the area. Somehow, I made it every single meeting and while I wasn’t able to share about every single session, there are several that stand out that I still think about. One of those games is Infernax, a violent display of retro-inspired, heavy metal brutalit...[Read More]
Temtem (Pokemon-like MMORPG) First Impressions
There are few things that frustrate me more in gaming than the reluctance to change that’s found in the core RPG Pokemon games. Ever since Ruby and Sapphire, there has been a laundry list of either removed features like an additional region or seemingly obvious improvements like a fast-forward mechanic. I’ve played just about every core Pokemon game multiple times through on top of many rom hacks ...[Read More]
Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate (Switch) Review
Musou is the name given to a specific type of action game that typically involves taking down thousands of enemies with sweeping strikes and flashy special moves with a plethora of characters to choose from. Stemming from the Romance of Three Kingdoms series of strategy games, Dynasty Warriors eventually hit what we now know as Musou in Dynasty Warriors 2, a popular launch title for the PS2. Since...[Read More]