Of all the Dynasty Warriors games, the Empires series is the most complex and involved, and is also the least renowned. These games generally come last in a release cycle for the Warriors franchise (and come immediately before the next numbered game in the series), and that trend would also…
Read MoreAny long term fan of JRPGs will attest to something along the lines of a ten-percent rule, which states that the first ten percent of any JRPG will also be its worst segment. It makes perfect sense, since the genre is all about building up your characters and you can’t…
Read MoreThe Total War series has always been known for mixing accessibility and A-grade production values with a surprisingly deep level of strategy. These games might not quite reach the strategic standard of a title like Europa Universalis, but while is not hard to pick one of these titles up and…
Read MoreIf you’re familiar with HAL Laboratory, you’ll know exactly what to expect when starting up one of its games. The long running studio has always been about unabashed fun and joy, and there’s no better mascot for HAL’s ethos than Kirby. He’s a pink puffball with no real defining features…
Read MoreThe Hyperdimension Neptunia series has been kicking for several years now and, despite its polarising otaku-centric qualities, has impressively reached a point where demand is sufficient that western fans are getting at least six releases in a year’s time. That release schedule would make Mario blush; poor protagonist Neptune must…
Read MoreHyperdimension Neptunia is clearly an important and commercially successful franchise for Compile Heart and Idea Factory. After three “main” JRPG releases on the PlayStation 3, ports of all three to the PlayStation Vita, and the first PC release in the franchise, we’ve also seen the publisher experiment with bringing the…
Read MoreTop Dollar (gazing at falling-snow crystal ball depicting cemetery): Dad gave me this. Fifth birthday. He said, “Childhood’s over the moment you know you’re gonna die.” – The Crow There are a lot of similarities between The Crow, a film about a man unable to come to terms with his…
Read MoreThe Order: 1886 is at its best when it’s not trying to be a game. The development team wanted to deliver a highly cinematic, narrative-driven experience, and in literal terms it achieved this. The Order: 1886 is, indeed, a narrative-driven experience. So before we get on to the game side…
Read MoreI realise that Q*Bert is not quite the iconic character from the old era of arcade games like Pac-Man or the Space Invaders are. But he deserves more respect than Q*Bert Rebooted, because this game is an embarrassment. I grew up with Q*Bert, and actually wore out my Game Boy…
Read MoreHere are Digitally Downloaded most of the team share a common love for certain styles of gaming. One example of this is the classic dungeon crawler, which has been around since the original Wizardry series. Despite the genre being around for almost as long as gaming, in the past year…
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