Persona 3 Portable Review (PSP)

Following the success of Persona 3 and 4, Atlus released Persona 3 Portable in 2010, which updates the game mechanics to be more in line with that of Persona 4's. Strangely enough, I ended up having a hard time getting into this game and kept on putting it down until recently. Now that I've given it a chance, I can definitely say it's an amazing game.

Tales of Hearts R Review (PS Vita)

            In April of 2014, something that nobody saw coming happened: Tales of Hearts R was announced to be coming to the West. Considering the fact that the Vita was and is doing poorly worldwide, as well as the niche status of the series, it’s a miracle the game made it over to begin with. And though its flaws prevent it from surpassing the likes of Xillia 2, it’s still a worthy entry in the series.

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?