#atlus
#atlus
by Amr (@siegarettes)
Relentless in artistic and storytelling ambition, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim still comes off as lacking in confidence. It takes plenty of risks, and in presentation at least marches forward with a swagger that makes it clear Vanillaware knew how many people they could bring in purely on the promise of their incredible 2D artwork and its time-travel, mech centric premise, myself included. Yet by the time the credits roll on the game 13 Sentinels’ big ideas and ambitious remixes of the adventure game formula feel more like distractions than essential components of its storytelling.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
I wanted to like Persona 5. I really did. The bold colors and lines of its master thief aesthetic and its themes of rebellion made a fantastic impression, with plenty of creative scenarios to infiltrate. It felt like a fresh take on the Persona series that brought a lot of much needed change. But 50 hours later I found myself slogging through yet another dungeon that took too long, wishing for the end but knowing I wasn’t even halfway through.
So when Persona 5 Royal came out I thought “what the hell” and decided to take another shot at this 100+ hour RPG to see if I’d like it any better this time around. Not the smartest idea, I know.
by Amr (@siegarettes)
When I originally reviewed Persona 4 Dancing All Night, I said it was a game with a clear passion for dance. It surprised me with how involved its story was, and the level of presentation it brought to its dance sequences. By comparison, Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight feels workmanlike.The word I’d use to describe P5D isn’t “passionate”, but rather “competent”. It’s made well enough, and if you enjoy the music of Persona 5 you’ll probably enjoy Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight. But it’s missing so many of the little touches that made P4D feel like a loving entry in the world of Persona and lays bare what P5D is–a spin off entry to get more money out of fans.
by Omar (@siegarettes)
The original Rock of Ages was one of the first games I ever reviewed. I wasn’t kind to it. I was enamored with its tour of art history by way of competitive tower defense, but the actual act of playing it ended as a competition in seeing who could roll their boulder down a hill faster. Its humor never landed with me either. Still, I can’t deny that Rock of Ages was a spectacle. ACE Team is a developer that’s kept me engaged through the sheer wonder of their art direction. So the promise of a new, more varied living art gallery built by a more experience team was all I needed to show up for Rock of Ages 2.
By: Omar (@siegarettes)
If there’s one thing that keeps me coming back to ACE Team games, it’s their ability to channel aesthetics from all kinds of places into eye catching locations for digital violence. That’s still true in The Deadly Tower of Monsters, a top down action game that takes inspiration from B-movie special effects. It’s a fitting tribute; ACE Team games seem to occupy similar spaces among their peers, banking on the appeal of their art and design while leaving certain seams revealed.
by Omar (@siegarettes)
Of all the things I expected from Persona 4 Dancing a deep, detailed story to set it up was not one of them. What initially started as a collaboration with the developer of the Hatsune Miku games eventually moved onto a new team. Just as well, as tonally Dancing is less Love Live! style candy colored idol celebrations and more Perfect Blue. Well, maybe with a little less ultra-violent murder.
By: RJ (@rga_02)
Dungeon Travelers 2 is a dungeon crawler pg made by the folks over at Aquaplus. The Vita has seen a fair share of dRPGs in recent years, but should you check out this game? Here are my opinions so far.
By: Michael (@DragmireG)
Bienvenido al abismo.