PlayStation Vita

Review: Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle – A Battle Unlike Any Other

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Pros:
+Well-drawn character portraits and voice acting
+Some of the soundtrack is a solid piece for fans to enjoy
+Arcade mode is quite fun and offer a lot of replayability

Cons:
-Tutorials are extremely desired for newcomers
-Visuals are a bit rough
-Lackluster

If you aren’t familiar with the Touhou Project, a series of games, print works, and CDs that follow the series’ protagonist Reimu Hakurei as she adventures through a haunted region of japan, you are probably missing out, but that’s okay. It’s a series that you have to actually be familiar with. It’s one that is both odd, lively, and quite enjoyable all together. It’s also one that has a rather large crowd surprisingly enough.

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‘Freedom Wars’ to ‘Soul Sacrifice Delta’: Here’s 5 Vita Games That Should Get a PlayStation 4 Port

/ Dustin Murphy / 2 Comments

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‘Dragon’s Crown’ [Credits: Vanillaware, Atlus]

With the recent announcement of Dragon’s Crown Pro for the PlayStation 4, it wasn’t a second guessed thought about the PlayStation Vita’s existence. The game saw wild success on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. While the console is seemingly dead, except for third party support, the handheld has received some of the most fascinating games to date. Games such as Freedom Wars, Caligula Effect and Soul Sacrifice Delta, certainly stand out among the many games the handheld device has received since its launch in 2011.

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Review: Mary Skelter Nightmares – No Nightmares Here, Just Good RPG Fun

/ Dustin Murphy / 2 Comments
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[Credits: Idea Factory/Compile Heart]

Pros:
+Astonishing use of audio and visual approaches, helping immerse players
+Combat scenarios are fun and at times quite difficult
+A nice change of pace compared to Compile Hearts’ previous titles
+Fun and traditional gameplay using normal dungeon-crawling experiences

Cons:
–At times, the game seems to try hard, and seem rather “edgy” when using controversial approaches such as undressing characters
-Over-sensualizes the idea of self-harm to help heal party members out of their “Berserk” style state.
-Third-person gameplay would have been astonishing to have had in the games gameplay mechanics

 

For the PlayStation Vita, 2017 seems to be one of its biggest years. We’ve seen it get some admirable titles ranging from Tokyo Xandu, to the enigmatic and well scripted Utawarerumono: The Mask of Truth, to the interesting, and once-completed, enigmatic Caligula Effect. It’s been a year that Sony should take notice of when it comes to the PlayStation Vita and it’s third party support that keeps the handheld afloat, but that’s not to mention the many other games the handheld has received in recent days.

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Review: Utawarerumono: The Mask of Truth – Where No Lies Exist

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Pros:
+Ends the current saga with a solid and great conclusion.
+Character development has been highly improved upon since the previous titles
+SRPG elements such as combat have been vastly improved upon and appear more frequently
+One of the most solid soundtracks and voice tracking to date

Cons:
-Quite a few scenes that serve almost no purpose to the game, but instead play out as filler content from the main story.
-Choices seem not to matter when asked to make them.
-Back story explanation to new players could have used a bit more detail and or a video recap that sums up the entirety of the past two games.

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Utawarerumono is a unique series. It’s one that has grown rather popular overseas due to the manga as well as anime adaptions the series has received in recent years, it was only time before this extremely niche title would get a release in the United States, and draw in the Japanese SRPG.

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Review: Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire – All Sins are Forgiven

/ Dustin Murphy / 1 Comment

Pros:
+Extremely light dialogue that obligates players to moral choices.
+Combat is easy to learn and easy to adapt to, but patience is key midway in.
+Extremely nice art style, music, and sound effects

Cons:
-The full story requires both the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 versions.
-Cutscenes are sparse and told through static animations
-Combat can, at times, become too difficult

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What do you do if you are a princess or a prince and you are handed the keys to a kingdom? Those keys also come with a magical, talking book, and its insurmountable amount of knowledge. This talking book isn’t just talking. It’s one that served as you father, the kings, prized possession with its limitless advice and knowledge it contains that can help you become the ruler you need to be for your people. It is a book that will help you take on the tasks needed in order to restore your empire, and help your peoples.

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Review: Accel World vs. Sword Art Online: Millenium Twilight – When Worlds Collide Online

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Pros:
+Offers up a unique experience by mixing two VR based MMO worlds into a single narrative
+Fixes some of the issues with flight from SAO: Lost Song
+Sound effects, music, and dialogue are dead on for fans of the anime.

Cons:
-Constant frame rate drops on PlayStation Vita
-Controls can be slightly clunky, which takes away from the experience
-Games AI has a tendency to wander off in combat and attack different targets

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If you’re a fan of Sword Art Online, there’s no doubt that it’s a great time to be alive. Games, anime’s, manga’s, and even plenty of collectibles. This is where publisher Bandai Namco comes in to play. They’ve decided we haven’t had enough of the franchise and to their advantage, they’re right, and fans respond by heading to their retailers to purchase the latest releases for the franchise. With Sword Art Online -Hollow Realization- having only released a few odd months ago, we’ve now got the latest installment in the virtual world series, which was created by Reki Kawahara.

The long-term result of this game? It’s quite honestly one that serves up an exciting bit of gameplay for fans to enjoy. Unlike what you’d expect, Accel World vs Sword Art Online is a bit of a different twist than what you’d be expecting. Instead of seeing the two sets of characters fighting each other, the game sets it up so that both sets of worlds are working together to rescue the virtual world of Alfheim Online from complete and total annihilation.

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Review: God Wars: Future Past – The Future Looks Bright for the Gods

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Pros:
• Great Story – Sucks you in and you want to find out what happens
• Offers a wonderful and classic approach to turn-based strategy RPG elements
• Character development – in dept allot of customization
• Graphically nice for the genre – beautiful pixel combat, cut scene, and story board dialogue
• Outstanding ST – Nothing surprising expect nothing less
• Likable/detestable characters – Players can easily relate to some of the games characters

Cons:
• Subtitles are absent for the games cutscenes. Cut scenes are dubbed in Japanese

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Joining in on the ever-popular genre tactical RPG’s, NIS has enlisted their newest title into the ranks of this genre, and continues to do so thanks to the Japanese studio Kadokawa Games. This all seemed to grow when Natural Doctrine attempted to help revolutionize the genre, but was quickly taken back to basics by God Wars.

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Sony Has Announced the PlayStation Plus Games for July 2017

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Every month PlayStation 4 fans begin the debate on what game they will see. Whether it’s titles like the smash hit Killing Floor 2 by Tripwire Interactive, Tales from the Borderlands by Telltale games, or simply games such as the upcoming PlayStation Plus games we’ll be seeing in July. Continue reading →

Review: Akiba’s Beat – Akihabara’s Groundhog Day

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Pros:
+Amazingly well done visuals and music that serves up an enjoyable experience for any otaku.
+Dialogue is hilarious and often-times very well done.
+Animations run smooth on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita

Cons:
-Combat is repetitious and a nuance after 20+ hours
-Enemy designs in dungeons are over-used and lacking diversity
-Dungeons could have used more diversity and difficulty between each of them

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When it comes to looking for things to do outside of Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Marvel Heroes Omega; my time has been delicately consumed by games such as Persona 5. With the review period of games having come down to a slow down, it was now time for me to begin looking through before setting my eyes upon the review code for Akiba’s Beat. A game that would set forth to be the spiritual successor to Akiba’s Trip.

Over the past few weeks I’ve found myself throwing down a few good brawls as I decided to take a stroll through one of Japan’s most famous locations for anime, games, electronics, and all things fun. What I did find? My ability to strip down my enemies are now long gone. My determination to smack some punk upside the head with a computer keyboard has been taken away. My ability to even romance my characters best friend had been taken away. Instead I’ve even found my weapons had been taken away and stripped down to basic things.

This does not go without saying that Japan and its culture are wonderful. Both pieces of it are absolutely mesmerizing to folks like myself. We often find ourselves daydreaming about being that otaku is salivating at the very sight of giant mechs, games for miles, and more anime than you could imagine. We dream of the day we can get our hands on the figurines hidden behind glass panels. Such reasons are the reason us geeks are quick to admire games such as Akiba’s Beat since we get to live out our digital dream to some form by running through Japan’s neon light filled district as protagonist Asahi Tachibana, a kid who has dropped out of college and has become a self-professed NEET (Not in Educaton, Employment or Training).

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Review: Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds – A Tale Where Winds Blow and Love Blooms

/ Dustin Murphy / 1 Comment

Pros:
+First chapter in a split story, which delivers a need for both, and will drive players to continue forth with the next game.
+The new characters are great, comedic, and provide an exemplary portrayal of entertainment value.
+The story is fleshed out quite well due to the games pacing and story-telling approach.
+Character designs remain fresh and unique for returning fans

Cons:
-Some narrative based story seems left out and won’t be answered until the games follow up title.
-Does require some knowledge of 1860’s Japan and the culture.

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When it comes to storytelling, it’s not hard to find a good game, one that makes you press forth through its endless barrage of beautiful graphics, and harsh endeavors. It’s a common trait in game design and one that will push you forth as you work your way through every inch of each story. In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of visual novels as they have begun to appeal to North American audiences and dragging them deeper into their tales. Among these many franchises comes the Hakuoki series, which has held fans’ interest in recent years.

With Idea Factory, Inc. at the helm of the franchise, it’s no surprise to anyone that Hakuoki has garnished a following that keeps fans amused, and lured into the franchise. However, what appeal does a series that took places in the 1860’s featuring the legendary Shinsengumi have over fans new and old? First is the appeal to fans of the PlayStation Vita, which received an enhanced port of the first entry called Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds, which promises more romance options more-so than ever before.

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