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Ironically, the same principles which stimulate adoration for Japanese role-playing games are also the reasons why the genre has a constituency of critics. Much like haiku, the beauty of the JRPG stems from the scope ...

What is the concept? While EuroRPGs such as Venetica, Risen, Arcania: Gothic 4, and Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga might lack a bit of polish, few can criticize these games for a deficiency of ...

During the heyday of the coin-op era, the brawler enjoyed an extended period of quarter-gorging success. The reason for the genre’s popularity was clear: titles like Double Dragon, Final Fight, and Bad Dudes articulated the ...

Look past Retro Game Challenge’s collection of faux-Famicom titles, and the title divulges an implicit takeaway: despite cultural and geographical differences, the medium of gaming created an undeniable similarity across Eastern and Western childhoods. Much ...

Ex-Bungie designer Jaime Griesemer once explained Halo: Combat Evolved as “thirty seconds of fun that happened over and over again”. In essence, the design philosophy centered around building a rock-solid game mechanic that could be ...

What is the concept? Savvy shmup enthusiasts might be familiar with Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta! (direct translation Mamoru-kun Has Been Cursed!). Originally a NAOMI-based arcade coin-op, the game was ported onto Japanese consoles with an ...

For over twelve years, Omega Force’s Dynasty Warriors franchise has provided visceral and fantastical interpretations of Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms. While the series’ hack-and-slash gameplay has proved contentious, few can argue that ...

For role-playing aficionados, the 3DS has become an obligatory purchase. From Nintendo’s own Fire Emblem: Awakening to Atlus’ output of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, SMT: Soul Hackers, and Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of ...

For decades, games have strove to duplicate the visual appeal of anime. Over the past few years, a number of titles such as One Piece: Pirate Warriors and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 have ...

The designation given to Gioteck’s PlayStation 3-compatible controller is a bit of misnomer. Moniker and marketing aside, the SC-1 Wireless Sports Controller is proficient during protracted sessions of FIFA Soccer 2013 or NHL 13 but ...