Given the oft-inflexible grasp of copyrights of trademarks, spiritual sequels are exceedingly common in the game industry. Often born from a developer’s appreciation of a dormant property, these works borrow the basic blueprint of a ...

The expression of indefatigable determination is Love Live!’s dominant theme. Undoubtedly, the anime’s first two seasons drove this point home, as viewers watched the perpetually energetic Honoka Kōsaka rescue the Otonokizaka Academy from closure, as ...

What is the concept? With a single protagonist able to simultaneously woo several perpetually eager characters, it’s understandable that dating sims are often dismissed as male fantasy. Recent Steam release Just Deserts does little to ...

From retail versions of Gal*Gun: Double Peace to the digital re-release of three Kirby titles, this week’s schedule of new game releases offers a number of familiar titles. The one entirely fresh title is Ghost ...

There’s a strong likelihood that Western gamers might not be familiar with Spike-Chunsoft’s Shiren the Wanderer series. After all, save for a pair of late 2000’s localizations for the Nintendo DS and Wii, the bulk ...

With remakes, remasters, and ports comprise a significant portion of the game industry’s output, it’s natural to be a bit skeptical of the whole practice. Although a number of these reiterations are born from genuine ...

The Shining series is a bit of a chameleon. 1991’s Shining in the Darkness kicked off the franchise that would exhibit intermittent continuity with a three-dimensional dungeon crawl reminiscent of Wizardry. Follow-up Shining Force resisted ...

Steam has a slew of pseudo-simulations, which all follow a specific concept. Combine a schedule of mundane tasks with an overly awkward control scheme, and watch as the hilarity ensues. At least that’s what the ...

Traditionally, summer months extend a light schedule of subordinate releases, with the industry cramming its notable offerings into the holiday period. But with remarkable offerings like Shiren the Wanderer, Fairy Fencer F, and Phantom Brave ...

Occasionally older brothers offer serendipitous nuggets of wisdom. As a kid, a friend’s elder sibling was listening to Mötley Crüe’s “Ten Seconds to Love”, a boisterous anthem about intercourse in an elevator. To demonstrate his ...