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
It turns out the Magic game I've always wanted to play, simply (and unhelpfully) titled Magic: The Gathering, not only already exists but has existed for about a quarter of a century, received a local release, and really I could've bought it at any time between then and now if only I'd realised the game was … Continue reading Magic: The Microprosing
The 3DS remake was... fine, I suppose, and the fan remake swiftly shut down by Nintendo's ever-vigilant lawyers was nothing short of fantastic, but what about the real Metroid II, the original monochrome Game Boy game? It doesn't have the historical significance of the NES classic that started it all, and neither is it as lush or eternally popular … Continue reading Samus’ spooky adventures on SR388
Startling Adventures is a 2001 PlayStation disc by Capcom containing three entirely independent adventures, all of which can be played in any order or even flitted between at will. In this regard it feels very much like Level 5's "Guild" series for the DS; a varied compilation of games released under a single unifying label, a digital … Continue reading One bad apple…
This Famicom port of Mugen Senshi Valis is a picture-perfect example of how fast and loose early ports could treat their subject matter, a pre-existing brand seen as a list of ideas more than it was a list of unbreakable rules. Released in 1987, a year after the PC-88, FM-7, and PC-98 versions of the first Valis … Continue reading Valisvania: Yuko’s Quest
Most of your time with Capcom/Inti Creates DS game Kabu Trader Shun is spent in thrilling stock battles, using a cool head combined with gut instinct and a little luck to anticipate market fluctuations, buying and selling shares with perfect timing until you defeat your opponent in the merciless field of trader warfare. Victory comes in many … Continue reading Fighting over money
Sunsoft's Dead Zone makes an excellent first impression, cleverly reusing your chosen save file name in the cast list displayed shortly before the game begins, with you naturally playing the hero, Kirk. What's especially brilliant about this is seeing everyone else played by "HVC-022" - that's the Famicom Disk System's product number. This thoughtful little detail is … Continue reading Hoping for better futures
There are just a few weeks of school left before the main cast of this Tokimeki Memorial spinoff graduate, and no doubt more than a few of them hope the classmate they've spent the past few years awkwardly blushing at will be waiting for them under the school's very special tree - the one that promises … Continue reading Rewriting the romantic rulebook
The back of the box states that none other than Mamoru Oshii himself was Kidou Keisatsu Patlabor: 98 Shiki Kidou Seyo!'s director, although whether that's merely eye-catching marketing bluster or a straightforward fact seems to be up for debate. The game takes the form of a traditional adventure game with look/talk/examine commands neatly laid out next … Continue reading Go straight to jail
Underdog Detective is a brand new live action FMV game charting the adventures of Du Xun, an amateur detective and antique dealer of charmingly questionable repute. He's spent his whole life in Underdog Dwelling, Shendu's (now Luoyang's) 7th Century human rubbish dump, a place where the unlucky or unfavoured wash up against their will and … Continue reading Review: Underdog Detective
Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster 