Sorcerian Original is the Windows 98/95 compatible remake of the... well, the original Sorcerian, a game first released on the PC-88 back in 1987. As remakes go Original's a fascinating case of the very old meeting what was at one point in time the very new. The graphics for example have been completely overhauled, many environments now boasting … Continue reading There’s only one Original
Category: _RPG
Free from filler, fetch quests, and flabby storytelling
Eldorado Gate's second volume is so keen on getting started Bantross, our suspiciously inscrutable combination of host, party leader, and know-it-all rolled into one, can't even make it through his introductory speech without getting interrupted; the game content to cut him short and throw a single line's worth of description for each of the first disc's three … Continue reading Free from filler, fetch quests, and flabby storytelling
Pop’n RPG!
TwinBee RPG is the straightforward name of a straightforward game; one where you, the player, are sucked through your TV during the intro sequence to help out the cast of your favourite show (spoilers: It's TwinBee) after things suddenly take a turn for the worse for Light, Pastel, and Mint. As with any other playable self-insert experience your … Continue reading Pop’n RPG!
The beginning of an epic adventure
Eldorado Gate, Capcom's Dreamcast exclusive RPG series, is in many ways a creation that should have never got off the drawing board. This was a brand new RPG saga with no famous name to fall back on, released on what was definitely the "wrong" format for the genre at the time (Final Fantasy IX, Vagrant Story, … Continue reading The beginning of an epic adventure
Hi-speed fantasy
Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest, also known in other regions as Mystic Quest Legend... but not that Mystic Quest, which would be the Game Boy title US Squaresoft fans will remember as Final Fantasy Adventure, which was actually Seiken Densetsu, better known as the prequ- [sigh] The game in the photo at the top. You know, that … Continue reading Hi-speed fantasy
Sword, swords, and strategy
Pioneer's 1995 "Active Real Time SRPG" Bounty Sword takes place in a world of steampunk-ish gritty fantasy, a place where the divide between the almighty power of forgotten ancient technology and true magic is barely the width of a fairy's finger, where people from all walks of life take on whatever dangerous jobs turn up at the … Continue reading Sword, swords, and strategy
The odd one out
The "After Armageddon" part of Mega CD exclusive After Armageddon Gaiden's title reflects the game's setting: Here demons rule the world, and have done for so long most humans are nothing more than naked livestock, kept in pens and incapable of mouthing anything more complex than meaningless animalistic sounds. The pre-made team of demons you control … Continue reading The odd one out
That meeting could have been an email: The Game
As I've mentioned before Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra had a heck of a lot of work to do if it was going to win me back and I freely admit I came at this final entry with something of a hostile attitude, one fuelled by two games worth of annoying characters, poor writing, and various … Continue reading That meeting could have been an email: The Game
Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse starts off so strong it's worth staying on the title screen for a while just to hear Yuki Kajiura's haunting musical piece "In the beginning, there was..." gently flowing around an otherwise silent scene of the ES Asher (these replace the AWGS' of Episode I) being constructed piece by … Continue reading Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Review: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails
Originally a Japan-only PSP game released in 2012, the game now formally known in English as The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails was Falcom's final release for Sony's underappreciated handheld - and it shows. Shockingly gorgeous to look at and crafted with the sort of confidence that only comes with hands-on experience and a specific, single, … Continue reading Review: The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails