Author: J. Rose

  • Review: MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death (Sony PlayStation Vita)

    Review: MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death (Sony PlayStation Vita)

    MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death Publisher: Idea Factory Developer: Compile Heart Genre: Dungeon Crawling RPG Release Date: 09/13/16 Dungeon crawling RPGs of any sort have always been an acquired taste among gamers, even at the best of times. Synonymously difficult, vague, and grind heavy, most developers will design a dungeon crawler with these characteristics as a…

  • Review: Deadlight: Director’s Cut (Sony PlayStation 4)

    Review: Deadlight: Director’s Cut (Sony PlayStation 4)

    Deadlight: Director’s Cut Publisher: Deep Silver Developer: Tequila Works Genre: Action Release Date: 07/21/16 I first played through Deadlight when it was originally released in July of 2012, back when it was exclusive to the Xbox 360 and Windows platforms as part of Microsoft’s “Summer of Games”. Four years later, here we are with the…

  • Review: Asdivine Hearts (Nintendo Wii-U)

    Asdivine Hearts Publisher: Kemco Developer: Kemco / EXE Create Genre: RPG Release Date: 04/14/16 The company Kemco has been developing and publishing games for pretty much as long as I’ve been playing them. From their ports of the original MacVenture games Deja Vu, Shadowgate and The Uninvited on NES, to several under the radar, but…

  • Review: Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir (Sony Playstation 3)

    Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir Publisher: Atlus Developer: Vanillaware Genre: Action RPG Release Date: 06/07/16 Japanese based developer Vanillaware does a lot of interesting and creative things with their games. The one thing they don’t do (so far), however, is create games utilizing 3D polygon-based graphics. Lead by artist and game director George Kamitani, the team includes…

  • Review: Trillion: God of Destruction (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Trillion: God of Destruction Publisher: Idea Factory Developer: Compile Heart Genre: RPG/Roguelike Release Date: 03/29/2016 Being an avid video game enthusiast nowadays means that one can easily find themselves surrounded by games that are similar to, “in the spirit of,” or an outright carbon copy of something already available. The Role Playing Game market is…

  • Review: The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition (Sony PlayStation 4)

    The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition Publisher: NIS America Developer: Nippon Ichi Software Genre: Action/RPG Release Date: 03/04/2016 Japanese developer/publisher Nippon Ichi is known for creating and releasing games around the world with very interesting and quirky concepts that are unique to the developer, regardless of what they release to the market. 2014’s…

  • Review: Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition (Sony PlayStation 4)

    Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Genre: Role Playing Developer: Larian Studios Publisher: Focus Interactive Release Date: 10/27/15 Over the years, RPGs in general have twisted and turned in a myriad of different ways to create new takes on the collective genre. Some of these variations have created winning formulas that we’ve grown to appreciate and…

  • Review: Samurai Warriors 4-II (Sony Playstation 4)

    Samurai Warriors 4-II Genre: Action Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Tecmo Koei Release Date: 9/29/15 A sensation in its home country of Japan, and a cult hit in other countries, Koei’s Musou series is an amalgamation of real time strategy and frantic, beat-em-up style action. Since the original introduction to this formula with Dynasty Warriors 2…

  • Review: AeternoBlade (Sony Playstation 4)

    AeternoBlade Genre: Action Developer: Corecell Technology Publisher: Corecell Technology Release Date: 8/04/15 Given their rise in popularity over the years, the “Metroidvania” genre of video game has seen its fair share of imitators to fill in the gap left by Konami’s abandoning of it. As with any genre of game, some hit the mark, some…

  • Review: Sword Art Online: RE Hollow Fragment (Sony Playstation 4)

    Sword Art Online: RE Hollow Fragment Genre: Role Playing Developer: Aquria Publisher: Namco Bandai Release Date: 7/28/15 Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment first appeared on the Playstation Vita, as a game based on an anime property that featured a plot that deviated considerably from the anime series it’s based on. The story centers itself around…

  • Review: Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess (Sony Playstation 4)

    Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess Genre: Action/Puzzle Developer: Tecmo Koei Publisher: Tecmo Koei Release Date: 07/14/15 Tecmo’s Deception franchise has been around for quite some time. From its first person debut on the original Playstation console, to several of its various story driven third person sequels, including the spin-off Trapt that came out back in…

  • Review: Toukiden: Kiwami (Sony Playstation 4)

    Review: Toukiden: Kiwami (Sony Playstation 4)

    Toukiden: Kiwami Genre: Action/Adventure Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Koei/ Tecmo Release Date: 03/31/15 Many titles have come out in attempts to capitalize on the success of Capcom’s popular Monster Hunter franchise of games. Originally released last year on the Playstation Vita, Toukiden: The Age of Demons was Tecmo Koei’s admirable attempt at replicating Capcom’s effective…

  • Review: Bladestorm: Nightmare (Sony Playstation 4)

    Bladestorm: Nightmare Genre: Strategy/Action Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Tecmo Koei Release Date: 3/17/15 Back in 2007, Koei released the original Bladestorm, titled, “The Hundred Years’ War”. An interesting, albeit futile, attempt at combining the massive scale of their traditional Musou formula with the popular RTS genre. The game was received with tepid reviews and a…

  • Review: Daylight (Sony Playstation 4)

    Daylight Genre: Adventure / Horror Developer: Zombie Studios Publisher: Atlus Release Date: 04/29/2014 Since the invention of the survival horror genre of video games, we’ve seen quiet a few variations of the initial “make every shot count” formula that started the ball rolling. Psychic links, setting traps, and even utilizing occult powered cameras from the…

  • Review: Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition (Sony Playstation 4/Playstation Vita)

    Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition Genre: Action Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Tecmo Koei Release Date: 03/25/2014 A new addition to Koei’s long running Dynasty Warriors series will most likely either make a reasonably seasoned gamer cringe or giggle with delight like a child on their way to Disney World. There honestly isn’t much…

  • Review: Ragnarok Odyssey Ace (Sony Playstation Vita)

    Ragnarok Odyssey Ace Genre: Action/RPG Developer: Game Arts Publisher: XSEED Games Release Date: 04/01/14 Over the past few years we’ve seen a few “hunter” themed games, following the success of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series. Most effectively emulate the key features when compared to Capcom’s trend setting formula, while also adding some kind of new mechanic…

  • Review: Basement Crawl (Sony PlayStation 4)

    Basement Crawl Developer: Blooper Team Publisher: Blooper Team Genre: Action/Puzzle Release Date: 02/25/2014 When I first saw the trailer for Blooper Team’s “Basement Crawl” pop up in the PSN store, the sinister Killer Klown esque mugshot of the character portrayed in the static preview was definitely enough for me to watch the video. Something I…

  • Review: SAR: Search and Rescue (Sony Playstation Portable/Playstation 3)

    SAR: Search & Rescue Developer: SNK Publisher: SNK Playmore Genre: Action Release Date: 03/20/12 SAR: Search & Rescue, or “SAR” for short, is another one of those oddball arcade games from SNK that was released prior to the company’s Neo Geo era. The games sees you controlling one of two 80’s styled space marines as…

  • Review: Dynasty Warriors 8 (Microsoft Xbox 360)

    Dynasty Warriors 8 Developer: Omega Force Publisher: Tecmo Koei Genre: Action / Strategy Release Date: July, 18 2013 Being a fan of Koei’s “Warriors” series in all forms and fashions over the years, it’s still amusing to reminisce on the fact that the very first entry in the series, at least for those of us…

  • Review: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Nintendo Wii U)

    Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Genre: Action / RPG Release Date: 3/19/13 With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Capcom’s “love it or hate it” Monster Hunter series makes its third Western console debut on Nintendo’s Wii U. If this is your first foray into the series, here is a bit of background on…