In Baroque Syndrome's world unsettling visions and rumours of distorted monsters with a taste for human flesh are on the rise, while in the shadows a mysterious sect—apparently led by an angelic being—busy themselves with dangerous experiments in strange places the government is well aware of, but dare not enter. This is the world before the … Continue reading Distorted pearls and the before that came after
This remake of the arcade sprite scaling stunner OutRun is another entry in the Sega Ages 2500 series that is probably hindered as much as it is helped by the legendary reputation of the game it's trying to recreate; OutRun's staggering popularity ensuring everyone with even the mildest interest in the game has a clear enough idea … Continue reading Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.13: OutRun
The pixel art seen throughout Magical Vacation, Brownie Brown's 2001 GBA RPG, is never anything less than utterly stunning. Every location is bathed in comforting pastel colours and brimming with astonishing levels of detail, this art encompassing everything from lush forests to industrialist towers and populated by fluffy dog people, talking puppets, and every other kind of … Continue reading From the spelltacular to the magically mundane
Date cute schoolgirls while scheduling daily teenage-appropriate activities designed to boost your personal attributes in several key areas? Now then, where have we seen that before? Of course Konami can hardly be faulted for taking their inspiration from Konami, and in many ways Love Plus+ (yep, Love Plus Plus), an expanded version of what was at the time the … Continue reading Together we sail out to the sea of love… LOVEPLUS
At first blush the rigid grid-based dungeon crawling of From Software's 2006 PSP exclusive King's Field Additional I appears to be a drastic departure from the immersive die 'em ups that came before it, this UMD upstart choosing to ditch the freeform exploration of old in favour of a right angled labyrinth and the solitary town above … Continue reading Taking an old series to new depths
Unlike the previous volume's extensive 3D remake of Hokuto no Ken, which took the original's bare bones and then teased them out into something more acceptably modern, Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.12: Puyo Puyo Tsuu Perfect Set has been treated to the very lightest of modern touches, almost as though they were aiming to change or update … Continue reading Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 12: Puyo Puyo Tsuu Perfect Set
Balancing out the clean colours and comical stylings of Westone's Wonder Boy series is the Super Famicom title Dark Half, a turn-based RPG soaked in sombre colours and painterly artwork. The game's defining feature is its unique "zapping" system, the plot switching back and forth between heroic protagonist Falco and Demon Lord antagonist Rukyu over one in-game week, … Continue reading A game of two halves
We may now be eleven volumes in but the Sega Ages 2500 Series is still eager to surprise those that have stuck with it through thick and thin, this disc release of Hokuto no Ken setting itself apart from previous entries by not only offering players the now expected 3D remake of the titular game, but also … Continue reading Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol.11 Hokuto no Ken
Langrisser IV dared to reshape the remains of the well-intentioned misstep that came before it, cleverly polishing Langrisser III's unpopular albeit inventive rock into the shining gem it always could have been, guiding the series in a thrilling new dire— Oh wait no Langrisser IV is actually trying very, very, hard to be Der Langrisser v1.1. In fact this is so keen … Continue reading Langrisser 2+2
Korokoro Puzzle: Happy Panechu! is a GBA puzzle game released exclusively in Japan in 2002 and developed by Mobile 21, perhaps best know for their work on a different title for the same handheld: Gradius Generation (AKA Galaxies/Advance). Unlike the seventy billion other puzzle games released for Nintendo's portables over the years (exact quantity possibly a little less than that), … Continue reading Happy! So happy! Mega happy!
Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster 