While it’s not unusual for a game franchise to sidestep stagnation by switching genres, 2012’s Persona 4 Arena was a truly remarkable crossover. With its source material exhibiting the rich characterization and resonant storytelling that’s ...
Read More »Phantom Breaker: Omnia review
Chaos;Head’s Rimi Sakihata, Steins;Gate’s Kurisu Makise duke it out with MMO addicts, cosplayers, magic girls, and even a few handsome husbandos, as MAGES fighter makes its long awaited Stateside debut. Shibuya-based MAGES is probably best ...
Read More »Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles review
The Hinokami Chronicles’ leap into interactive form succeeds not just because fighting captures the visual charm of the source material. It also nails some of the tender story beats that separate Demon Slayer from most ...
Read More »Striving for Fighting Flawlessness: A Q&A with Arc System Works
Found in 1988 by Minoru Kidooka, Arc System Works spent the better part of a decade as a contract developer for publishers like SEGA, Sammy, Bandai, and Banpresto. From futuristic racers like Cyber Spin to ...
Read More »Touhou Hyouibana: Antinomy of Common Flowers review
Touhou Hyouibana: Antinomy of Common Flowers pits the Gensokyo girls against one another in an aerial, tag-team based fighter. Despite the exquisiteness of the 2D spritework, players should expect a few rough edges. The Touhou ...
Read More »Samurai Shodown Special Edition (Xbox Series S/X)
Samurai Shodown reinvigorated the famed series’ staccato pacing and defensive play, with stylishly drawn characters and backdrops. Now, the title has been given a re-release that delivers 120 frame-per-second output on now-gen consoles and capable displays, ...
Read More »SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium review
With the release of SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, Nintendo Switch owners are privy to another victorious Neo Geo Pocket Color fighter. With a sizable roster and multiple play modes, this is the ...
Read More »Fatal Fury: First Contact review
With the release of Fatal Fury: First Contact, Nintendo Switch owners receive yet another Neo Geo Pocket Color fighter. While the game can’t match the fighter count of The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, seeing ...
Read More »The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny review
SNK’s portable weapons-based fighter makes a capable showing on Switch, courtesy of emulation wizards Code Mystics. While an alternative control scheme would have been welcome, as well as unified language between game and manual, these ...
Read More »King of Fighters R-2 and Samurai Shodown! 2 review
As the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection demonstrated, the company once known as Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation was an industry powerhouse. Beyond the two dozen arcade and console adaptations found on the anthology, SNK would later ...
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