Ah, good old Phantasy Star Online. Everyone's played it on one format or another, or dabbled in one of its numerous spinoffs, or spent hours fussing over expensive outfits in the now internationally-available sequel. Been there, done that, evolved a funny-looking Mag and kicked Dark Falz in the chops at the end. But when was the last time any … Continue reading The 21st century RPG
R-Type tried to say goodbye for the first time eighteen years ago, the PlayStation 2's R-Type Final intended to be one last hurrah for a relic of a bygone age. Two portable Tactics games came and went after that heartfelt farewell, but apart from that little experiment R-Type was considered a closed book. Or so we thought. The crowdfund-supported R-Type Final … Continue reading Review: R-Type Final 2
For most of the world the Mega Drive as well as this Game Gear version of Ristar were released on the exact same day back in 1995 (PAL gamers sadly had a small gap between the two); a time when the Saturn and PlayStation were both a common sight in homes across the globe and everyone could … Continue reading Fresh takes on old favourites
Kuusou Kagaku Sekai Gulliver Boy (created by Oji Hiroi - of Sakura Taisen fame - and Toyoo Ashida, director of Vampire Hunter D and... you'll see) is Hudson Soft's RPG retelling of the TV series of the same name. Both the game (on PC Engine) and the show debuted in 1995, with this 1996 remaster … Continue reading Ninjas and pirates! NINJAS AND PIRATES!!
By the summer of 2000 the once pioneering PlayStation was a thoroughly decrepit six years old and now the ageing budget alternative to the glorious next-gen delights of Sega's online Dreamcast and Sony's own PlayStation 2. Like every other console before it the PlayStation was supposed to politely fade into obscurity, its remaining stock swiftly … Continue reading I just think they’re neat
The DS' acronym-giving dual screens are good for many things, including holding the handheld book-style for some adventure gaming, ports of already unusual arcade games, and Sega being so very Sega - but if there's one genre they're definitely not made for, it's vertical shmups. That inescapable gap between the two screens creates an unplayable … Continue reading Dinky dual screen danmaku
At first glance, a second look, and even after skimming over a few screenshots, anyone interested in playing Heisei Shin Onigashima could reasonably assume this 1996 (Satellaview release, with some differences)/1997 (Nintendo Power service)/1998 (boxed retail cartridges shown above) two-part Super Famicom adventure game wasn't much more than a graphical overhaul of Nintendo's 1987 8-bit … Continue reading Super [Famicom] storytelling
I first became aware of Chinese/Taiwanese RPGs around fifteen years ago; a few names tied to a smattering of barely-explained screenshots was all it took to spark an interest that eventually snowballed into a mass buying and playing spree thanks to a combination of Yesasia's great selection of PC titles (as it was at the … Continue reading The anti-RPG that’s more RPG than most
PlayStation cutscene 'em up Metal Gear Solid was a legend in its own lifetime, selling millions of copies worldwide and responsible for a huge shift in mainstream gaming's attitude towards how games could play and the sort of weighty subjects their plots could tackle. It made "stealth action" mainstream in a way Tenchu, released the … Continue reading Change is bad. And good. And necessary.
Royal Stone is the relatively unknown (and happily now Game Gear Micro'd) 1995 Japan-only SRPG spiritual sequel to an internationally available Game Gear SRPG you might have already played called Crystal Warriors. It's also really pretty, the perfect showcase of the handheld's oft-forgotten expanded colour palette that in the right hands makes Sega's machine so much more than … Continue reading Seriously cute
