PS Vita

When Americans travel to Japan, they often remark on how safe the country feels. Unlike many parts of the U.S., you’re able to walk freely without the fear of assault or mugging – at any ...

Like many Otaku-Americans, my upbringing had a strong Japanese influence- with video games, manga, and tokusatsu occupying the bulk of my recreational hours amidst the 80’s and 90’s. Moments along the way pointed to a ...

In the West, Nihon Falcom’s output is tarnished with the rare blemish. Notably, The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion and Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch– the first two entries in the Gagharv Trilogy ...

Let’s get this out of the way first: while Valkyria Revolution is set in the same world as the cherished Valkyria Chronicles franchise, similarities between the two are largely superficial. While SEGA published the inaugural ...

The ‘90s were a glorious time for the strategy role-playing genre, with SEGA crafting the Shining Force series while Quest Corporation earned critical acclaim with the Ogre Battle franchise. Later, key Tactics Ogre: Let Us ...

If you were a PSP owner in 2010, there’s a chance you might remember Nippon Ichi Software’s Cladun: This is an RPG. Although screenshots might have conveyed the sentiment that the game was little more ...

Released in 2002 for Windows-based machines, Utawarerumono resonated with the Japanese public, spurring two radio dramas, a trio of manga and an anime adaptation, as well as a PS2 port developed by Sting. But save ...

2012’s Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Bloom was released at an unfortunate time, just as the PSP’s user base was beginning to erode. But those who did get an opportunity to play the Aksys-published title ...

The first thing you should know about the recent PlayStation 4 and PS Vita release of Akiba’s Beat, is that the game shuns one of the most notable features of its predecessor. While 2014’s Akiba’s ...

Japanese role-playing aficionados know that allegory is a frequent storytelling strategy. Whether it’s Hyperdimension Neptunia’s spirted take on game console competition or the Persona series’ ruminations about our inner psyches, there’s something rather potent about ...