For better or worse, almost anything that Yasuhiro Wada creates is destined for comparison with the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series. It’s a franchise that’s spurred twenty-five sequels, a quartet of spin-offs, and inspired titles ...
Read More »de Blob 2 (Switch) review
Last June, de Blob was ported to the Nintendo Switch, bringing one of the highlights of the Wii’s third-party library to a new audience. Challenging players to revitalize dreary, monochromic backdrops into vibrant cities, the ...
Read More »de Blob (Switch) review
According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, ‘flow’ is the mental state a person reaches when they are fully immersed in a task. Commonly known as being ‘in the zone’, Csikszentmihalyi isolated nine elements that occur when ...
Read More »Waku Waku Sweets: Happy Sweets Making review
Movie studios like Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, and DreamWorks craft films capable of entertaining both children and adults. But in the realm of interactive entertainment, few firms outside of Nintendo have been able to consistently ...
Read More »de Blob (PC) review
According to psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, ‘flow’ is the mental state a person reaches when they are fully immersed in a task. Commonly known as being ‘in the zone’, Csikszentmihalyi isolated nine elements that occur when ...
Read More »Moco Moco Friends review
Manga, anime, and gaming witches have a challenging gig. Not only must they protect their pantaloons/pantsu from overexposure, as impossibly short skirts are the normative clothing choice, but they frequently fall victim to formula. Often ...
Read More »Solar Shifter EX review
What is the concept? From Raiden’s snaking plasma-beam to Ikaruga’s polarity switching mechanic, any respectable shmup has a distinctive hook. For Solar Shifter EX, a recent PC release from the one-man studio behind Meridian: New ...
Read More »Skylanders Superchargers review
In 2011, when developer Toys for Bob released Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, the concept of fusing physical toys with video game was innovative. For many, being able to place a figurine on the bundled “Power of ...
Read More »Leo’s Fortune (Xbox One) review
What is the concept? Neo-Freudian criminologists believe that a large percentage of lawbreakers want to get caught. The theory is particularly useful when discussing the behavior of nearly every video game villain. Either divulging their ...
Read More »Story of Seasons review
For a franchise with a notable absence of antagonism, the Bokujō Monogatari/Harvest Moon franchise has found itself in an ironic junction. Originally published in 1996 by Japanese publisher/developer Pack-In-Video (creator of Die Hard, Friday the ...
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