Bravely Default Review (3DS)

            With the path Square-Enix has gone down these days, you’d be forgiven if you assumed a classic game that captured the spirit of the older Final Fantasies would never see the light of day. But here we are; Bravely Default was released earlier this year in America. I admit that I found it hard to get into at first, but the effort was worth it. If you liked those old Final Fantasies, such as III, IV, V, VI, or IX, you’re going to really enjoy this game.

My Impressions on Shulk in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U

            As expected of a Xenoblade fan like me, I immediately tried out Shulk as soon as I booted up Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. And I love what I’ve played; he’s one of my mains alongside Lucario and Megaman. Shulk is slow, but his attacks have good range. It’s best to play him somewhat defensively; stay at a mid-range and focus on using his excellent aerial attacks.

Xenoblade Chronicles Review (Wii)

            Warning: There will be spoilers for the first few hours of the game. Oh boy, where do I begin? Well, let’s have some backstory first. Xenoblade Chronicles was an RPG for the Wii released in Japan on June 10, 2010. Though it has no story relation to previous Xeno titles like Xenogears or Xenosaga, it’s very clear that there are influences from both games in Xenoblade. The game was originally called Monado: Beginning of the World, but was renamed to Xenoblade to honor Tetsuya Takahashi, who had worked on the other Xeno titles. Xenogears was a Square Enix game, and its team had also worked on Chrono Cross. Afterwards, however, they left to form their own company, Monolith Soft. Namco Bandai ended up picking them up, and they worked on Xenosaga. Xenosaga was meant to have a massive story spread across 6 games. However, poor reception of Xenosaga Episode 2 forced them to wrap things up in the third game. Around 2007, Nintendo bought Monolith Soft; it’s probably because of Monolith being Nintendo’s first-party developer that Xenoblade even had a chance at being represented in the newest Super Smash Bros.

Midnight Puppeteer Quick Review (PC Freeware)

            So one day, I saw a post from a fan page on Facebook for this freeware horror puzzle game Ib. Said post contained a link leading to another game by the name of Midnight Puppeteer. And after playing it, I can certainly say it was really worth looking at. In fact, here’s the link; it’s a freeware game: http://vgperson.com/games/midnightpuppeteer.htm

Pokemon Ruby Destiny Life of Guardians Review (GBA Hack)

            Have you ever wanted something similar to the games you’ve played, but not quite the same? Have you ever found yourself longing for a story in a series that usually prioritizes gameplay over story? Or do you just want something fresh from a series that feels like it’s starting to stagnate?

Smash Bros. 3DS Demo Impressions

            Well, I managed to get lucky and got a code to download the eShop Smash Bros. 3DS Demo. Here’s what I think about it.

Tales of Xillia 2 Review (PS3)

            WARNING: There will be minor spoilers for both Xillia 1 and Xillia 2. One year later, and now we finally have the sequel to 2013’s Tales of Xillia. This particular entry brings back a lot of things from its prequel, right down to the exact same environments, but it brings a lot of new things to the table that make it vastly superior in my opinion.

My thoughts regarding Nintendo's new announcements

            Well, first of all, Shulk’s confirmed for Smash Bros. And I’m REALLY, REALLY happy about that. They even included Dunban and Riki as part of his Final Smash! There’s also a Xenoblade stage as well, and I hope this all helps to raise awareness for Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Bioshock Infinite Review (360/PS3/PC)

            Soon after I finished Tales of Xillia last August, a friend of mine let me borrow Bioshock Infinite for the Xbox 360. I found myself absolutely immersed in its world, and needless to say I really enjoyed the game. I enjoyed it enough, in fact, to purchase my own copy of the game on Steam a few months later. Now, let’s take a look on just WHAT exactly makes this game so great.

Project X Zone Review (3DS)

            First of all, I apologize for my lack of activity on this blog. I’ve been caught up in a bunch of stuff lately, so I haven’t had the time to properly sit down and write a review. Project X Zone is a 3DS crossover between Capcom’s, Namco’s, and Sega’s franchises. People were hyped for it when it was announced for localization… but now that the hype’s been LONG gone, the game’s been mostly forgotten, and for good reason.

Wii U Impressions

            So I got a Wii U recently, complete with New Super Mario Bros. U and Wind Waker HD.

Tales of the Abyss Review (PS2/3DS)

            On a whim, I purchased Tales of the Abyss for the PS2 near the end of sophomore year of high school. What I didn’t know was that this game wasn’t your average RPG in terms of plot. And after getting past the first major plot twists, I couldn’t put the game down. However, most people can’t make it past the early parts due to the protagonist Luke. I’ll be blunt here: he starts off as an unbearable selfish asshole who’s spoiled. But that all changes. If you can bear with it for the first bit of the game, you’ll go on to see some of the best character development in an RPG.

My Opinion on the Final Fantasy Franchise and Which Direction It Should Go In

            Square Enix’s flagship franchise has been the target of bias and hatred since the release of Final Fantasy XIII. Of course, the series has had its detractors ever since it took off with Final Fantasy VII.

Xenoblade Chronicles X Impressions

            After all of the stir that Operation Rainfall caused, I came to know about Xenoblade. I eventually gave the game a shot and fell in love. I adored the huge open world environments, combat system, characters, and story. I sunk a grand total of 70 hours into the game. So naturally, I was extremely excited when Xenoblade Chronicles X was unveiled in January 2013’s Nintendo Direct (where it was known only as "X"). The open world and combat system seemed to be making a triumphant return in HD, and it was the biggest reason I wanted to get a Wii U.

Tales of Zestiria Impressions

            I admit that I haven’t been really keeping up with info from Tales of Zestiria recently, but what I HAVE seen interests me.
UPDATE: Battles REALLY ARE seamless! There won't be any transitions between battles, and the terrain also affects the battle. Now I'm even more hyped for the game.

Sonic Colors Review (Wii)

            Before I became the big RPG fan that I am today, the games that I played most were from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. After hearing one of my best friends talk about it so much during middle school, I decided to give one of the games a shot. I started with Sonic Rush, and was instantly thrilled by the high speed platforming. After that, I found myself buying every new Sonic game that came out on day one and playing the hell out of them.

Pokémon X and Y Review (3DS)

            Ah, Pokémon. As a kid, I loved the TV show. When I discovered that there was such a thing as a Pokémon game, I was overjoyed. The thing is, I never really paid attention to video games until I saw Ruby and Sapphire at a Target one day. I still remember that day very fondly, since it was Pokémon Ruby that got me into video gaming. Fast forward to June of 2014, and we’re fresh off of E3 and expecting remakes of my favorite Pokémon generation later this year. However, let’s take a look at Pokémon X and Y in the meantime.

Tales of Xillia Review (PS3)

            Namco’s Tales series is an Action RPG franchise that started with Tales of Phantasia, released in Japan in 1995. Since then, the series has become one of the most popular RPGs in Japan, just behind Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. In America, the series is much more niche and obscure, with many titles being skipped over completely and unreleased here. However, Namco seems to be striving to change that fact, and we now have Tales of Xillia, released back in August of 2013, and its sequel coming in the same month this year.

Persona 4 Golden Review (PS Vita)

            I remember when I first played the original Persona 4. It was the first game in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise that I’d ever played. 5 hours in, and I fell in love. When I finally got my Vita recently, Persona 4 Golden was the first game I got with it. And I managed to fall in love with it again.