PS Vita

For some, the Japanese role-playing game has lost some of its luster, with critics claiming that contemporary titles use formulaic plotlines to goad gamers into action. But that claim could hardly be leveled at 2011’s ...

While progressive representations of female characters remains a stumbling block for the game industry, few emphasize the handful of exemplary efforts. In the genre of the Japanese role-playing game, Gust’s Atelier franchise has long been ...

After over two years, the BlazBlue series has finally returned. BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma (or BB:CP for short) is the latest in Arc System Works’ excellent 2-D fighting game franchise. Released just a few short months ...

Not long ago, it was nearly impossible for Westerners to play a localized visual novel. As former Nippon Ichi Software president (and now CEO of Idea Factory International) Haru Akenaga once explained, SCEA wasn’t interested ...

Pundits who claim that the plotlines of Japanese role-playing games have atrophied into a puddle of tired tropes likely overlooked 2010’s Hyperdimension Neptunia and its two sequels- subtitled Mk2 and Victory. Throughout the imaginative franchise, ...

Periodically, it seems developers enjoy putting players in embarrassing situations. From Feel the Magic: XY/XX’s simulated CPR, which prompted gamers to blow into their DS microphones to No More Heroes’ beam katana recharges that forced ...

In 2008, Zen Studios released Pinball FX, a prodigious title which strove to adapt the nuances of the cherished pastime into video form. While most critics praised the game’s ball physics and online functionality, many ...

Although platformers, shmups, and beat ‘em ups may have dominated the game industry during the 1980’s, the decade also witnessed the rise of another enduring genre: the first-person dungeon crawl. Faithful adaptions of pen-and-paper pastimes ...

I once had a psychology professor who claimed that self-preservation was the stimulus behind almost all human action. According to the instructor, a person’s desire to own a spacious house wasn’t just motivated by conspicuous ...

When the original Ragnarok Odyssey was released in October of 2012, the PS Vita’s library lacked a Monster Hunter-esque game. Now that consummate contenders such as Soul Sacrifice and Toukiden: The Age of Demons have ...