Opinion by Matt S. Now that the review embargo over Nioh 2 now lifted, I can talk about the game freely. I’ve already broached this topic briefly in my review, but I wanted to elaborate a little further here. In an otherwise magnificent game, Nioh 2 has one critical issue…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Koei Tecmo’s Nioh was a breakthrough in so many ways. It represented the first time that a developer outside of FromSoftware had figured out the X-factor that made FromSoftware’s Dark Souls and Bloodborne such incredible experiences. Koei also managed to do so while keeping a firm…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. If I were to ask everyone reading this to raise their hands if they are thoroughly sick of the roguelike genre being appropriated by indie developers to replace the joy of finely crafted levels in favour of randomised “endless” content, I would imagine that most people…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Football (yes, yes, “soccer” in some parts) is a highly tactical sport. Sure, players don’t run around in turn-based fashion, but the ebb and flow of a match, and the way that each player has their defined role and ability set… well, it’s all downright Final…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. You can’t really fault the developer (Chara-Ani), or publisher, NISA, for trying. On the back of Fire Emblem becoming one of Nintendo’s most important properties, it’s not surprising on any level that someone would want to dust off Langrisser (originally Warsong in the west). It was,…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Hero Must Die has one of the most interesting premises you’ll ever see in a JRPG. It’s almost distressing that it struggles so completely to execute against that potential, and the reason is simple: It stubbornly sticks to being a JRPG. The attempted gamification of the…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Hero Must Die. Again is a powerfully evocative game in many ways. You play as a hero who, after saving the world from a demon, dies. As a reward, he’s granted five days from heaven to tie up his loose ends and, perhaps, have one more…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Through Shinto-based storytelling and mythology there is a fun concept in Japan; Hyakki Yagyo, which translates as “The Night Parade of 100 Demons”. That’s only a rough translation, since the “parade” is made up of yokai, which are not really demons, but rather spirit creatures. Nonetheless…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Katana Kami: A Way of The Samurai Story came out of nowhere. I didn’t realise that Spike Chunsoft was localising it, and going into it, I didn’t really know that much about it. It will be one of my favourite games of 2020. It represents a…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. The swan song for the incredibly talented Japanese developer, Neverland, Rune Factory 4 was one of the finest titles released on the Nintendo 3DS. A beautifully elegant little game, Rune Factory 4 perfectly blended action JRPG dungeon crawling with everything that we love about the pastoral…
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