Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture

For many, “fan service” is shorthand for titillating elements- whether it’s the inclusion of revealing attire or an instance of racy dialog. But it the broadest sense, the term refers to the presence of any ...

What is the concept? For those bored by the melodrama faced by Castlevania’s dour Belmont clan, Rabi-Ribi offers a refreshingly cheery alternative. In this PC release, players assume the role of Erina, who was once ...

At one time, the run-and-gun was abundant, with beloved titles like Contra, Metal Slug, and Gunstar Heroes tasking players with clearing an enemy-filled path by using an unrelenting barrage of bullets. But until the recent ...

Given the quality of most modern adaptations, it’s easy to forget that most games based on manga and anime were routinely horrible. From the eight-year localization cycle delay faced by the lackluster Dragon Ball Z: ...

From a coquettish witch who defeats foes via an elegant ballet of brutal batterings to Ryu Hayabusa’s ever-agile navigational abilities, nimble protagonists prove plentiful this week. But beyond the single-disk addition of Bayonetta 2 and ...

What is the concept? Role-playing video games started as simple affairs, with titles attempting to emulate table-top experiences. But naturally, the genre evolved, and electronic interpretations steadily integrated a bevy of now-conventional mechanics. From elaborate ...

Few publishers have a fanbase as impassioned as Nippon Ichi Software. When the company was formed in 1991, it was the release of 2003’s Disgaea: Hour of Darkness that really stirred passions on both sides ...

2015 was the year the visual novel reached a tipping point in the West. Thanks to the efforts of publishers like Aksys Games, Idea Factory International, MangaGamer, and Sekai Project, the medium has finally fostered ...

Who knew February was National Tactical Role-Playing Appreciation Month? Between the releases of Rainbow Moon and Project X Zone 2, as well as Fire Emblem Fates on the 19th, there’s a ton of grid-based battling ...

Being an indie developer often means working with a skeleton crew under a tight, sometimes non-existent budget. Of course, this results in small versatile teams capable of rapidly adapting to any challenge that comes their ...