PS Vita

On console, the Hyperdimension Neptunia series has provided a consistently engaging experience, blending amusing allegory, comical banter, and engaging play mechanics that are rooted in role-playing convention. But far more remarkable are the Console Patron ...

For years, Budapest-based Zen Studios has cultivated a near-faultless formula. Beginning with 2007’s Pinball FX and continuing through Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball 2, the developer strove to simulate the steel-orbed pastime, with each ...

Video games have continuously plumbed the gulf between imitation and inspiration. Ever since the first Space Invader broke formation, giving birth to Galaga, developers have often built upon the ideas of their peers. As such, ...

If the success of a game can be measured by the number imitators it spawns, then Monster Hunter is irrefutably triumphant. Once a multiplatform franchise which graced the PlayStation 2, PSP, and Wii, in recent ...

In many ways, mech-based games are the quintessential conduit for wish fulfillment. Typically, players are able to pilot awe-inspiring machines, each packed with munitions and appendage-mounted weapons capable of slicing a car in half. Commonly, ...

One of the more common design philosophies in contemporary gaming can be found in the mash-up. Take two or more stagnant genres, mix them together- and with a bit of creative inspiration and programming prowess, ...

Mirroring the moniker of their parent company, Idea Factory, developer Compile Heart has been consistently proficient when it comes to conceptualization. Record of Agarest War introduced an intriguing “Soul Breed” system into the SRPG genre, ...

While Nippon Ichi has enjoyed sustained success with the Disgaea franchise, the Gifu-based publisher/developer has often struggled to cultivate another hit. Sure, Spike Chunsoft’s Danganronpa games has earned critical and commercial acclaim and NIS America ...

I can’t help but feel a smidgeon of culpability for the stateside appearance of Criminal Girls. Several years ago, lascivious PS Vita games like Monster Monpiece, Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed, and Senran Kagura: Shinovi ...

Most game franchises don’t achieve immediate, unreserved success. Instead, properties are conscientiously cultivated, with each subsequent iteration demonstrating a conciliation between developers and fans. Case in point: when Hyperdimension Neptunia emerged stateside in 2011, the ...