By Omar (@siegarettes)
There’s something comforting about the construction of myth. A sense of adventure that feels at once larger than life, incredulous even, but at the same time often intimate and familiar. That’s the feeling that Moon Hunters attempts to capture. Each hour long session is designed to produce a unique story for you and your friends.
By: RJ (@rga_02)
To be honest, I had no clue what to expect from Trillion: God of Destruction. I didn’t pay much attention to the PR emails I was getting and all I knew it was made by some ex-Disgaea folks. When I was downloading the game I thought this was going to be just like Disgaea but with a Compile Heart twist. In the end, I wished it was like Disgaea.
By Omar (@siegarettes)
Stardust Vanguards is a game that is sits squarely within the revival of the local multiplayer genre. It’s a game that demands four players, any less and it feels as if it’s missing parts of the game. It took a while to even get together a group large enough to play it (it kind of demands to be played at a gallery or party setting). Each player controls a separate faction, piloting a mech that commands a small squad of space fighters. There’s a focus on an interplay between bullets and blades, presented with an aesthetic of 80’s mech anime. Each mech can dash, shield, cut, and fire a limited burst of bullets. What makes it stand out, however, is the ability to call in space fighters to fight for you after a few kills.
By: Omar (@siegarettes)
Read our original review on Neptunia U here
Having thoroughly toured the world of the JRPG, Neptune and company now venture out into the world of the arena brawler. Once again their fight takes place in Gamindustri, a world full of puns and jokes poking fun at the real world of Japanese game development. Instead of taking part in the main series Console Wars, however, this time the team is battling to show off for Dengekiko and Famitsu, two reporters based on the Japanese game magazines. The plot is a side story to the main series, removed from any stakes or events that occur there, and essentially exists to set up a reason for you to make each character brawl against hundreds of enemies.
by Omar (@siegarettes)
A copy of Deathsmiles occupied a shelf at my local game store for a long while when it originally came out for the Xbox 360. I’d take a look at it once in awhile, drawn by the oversized special edition box. Eventually, after glancing at it in a games magazine and playing some short sessions of CAVE’s DoDonpachi, I decided to give it a try. The sales associate was understandably surprised, given obtuse shooters featuring gothic lolitas aren’t exactly a frequent purchase. Thinking back on it, that’s probably the moment I began my descent into bullet hell.
by Omar (@siegarettes)
It feels strange to review Nitroplus Blasterz so quickly after spending major time with Dengenki Bunko Fighting Climax. Both serve a small niche of specific anime lovers, and both feel like something that a generation or two ago would be mostly relegated to small hobby shops. Yet today we have both, serving their niche and appearing in large retail stores alongside all the other major releases. If anything, it’s an indication of the growth of their audience.
by Dante (@videodante)
Distant Star: Revenant Fleet, by Blazing Griffin, is a solid addition to the space strategy genre. The setting is classic grand sci-fi, an empire of traveling humans protecting the alien artifact that gave them the technology to explore the stars (fittingly, called the Arc).The player is put in the shoes of the commander of a ‘revenant fleet’ (get it) of A’kari warships, carrying the Arc to safety away from the pursuing Orthani forces.
If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because it’s remarkably similar to 2012’s FTL, another game in the ‘space roguelike’ genre and clearly an inspiration for DS:RF. It’s not necessarily a bad thing- Revenant Fleet clearly builds on the structure that FTL laid the foundation for, but has enough unique differences to hold up on its own.
@siegarettes talks about how Rayforce (aka Gunlock aka Layer Section) builds a story that reinforces the use of its lock on mechanic.