Berwick Saga, Tear Ring Saga's 2005 PlayStation 2 follow-up, managed to annoy me before I'd even opened the box. The reason is down to the subtitle, "Lazberia Chronicle Chapter 174", a rather grandiose label that at first blush appears to imply Shouzou Kaga, the game's creative lead and strategy-loving force behind Nintendo's Fire Emblem series, had 173 … Continue reading New tricks
There's something about Langrisser Millennium, Masaya's 1999 entry in the long running SRPG series, that we need to make very clear very quickly: It's not like its older and infinitely better known tactical forebears by design, even going so far as to have the back of the box spell out this game's desire to be a new … Continue reading A fresh start in a new era… well, maybe
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
There's some minor confusion over the English title of this 2001 PlayStation strategy game: Is it "TearRing Saga", as shown so clearly on the save screen? Perhaps it's "TearRingSaga", as written on the title screen, the disc, and the box's spine? Or could it be "Tear Ring Saga", as printed on the back of the … Continue reading Fire Emblem Saga
In 1945 a mysterious black moon appeared in the sky and waves of mythical beasts - goblins, gorgons, naga, and worse - began to roam the land, their only goal to kill, without malice or anger, every human they could before they expired. It's now 1999. Humans have been erased from entire continents and the situation is … Continue reading Students, statistics, and bloodthirsty beasts
I've played a lot of Amiga games in my time - some very well, most very badly, but definitely in vast quantities whatever my skill level - and I'm fairly certain sci-fi resource 'em up Deuteros: The Next Millennium (Amiga version shown and played, although an Atari ST port was also available) wasn't one of them - until now. … Continue reading Turning quick goes into all nighters since 1991
It's clear from the moment you begin that Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is a far more extensive remake of the original Super Famicom game than PSP stablemate Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is of its equivalent PlayStation progenitor. Even those fateful opening questions on faith, family, and friendship have been reformed into something new, … Continue reading The Wheel begins to turn…
Developed by Human and released exclusively for the PC Engine in 1994, this largely disconnected and untranslated sequel to the original Vasteel is another sci-fi strategy title starring hot-headed resistance heroes all too eager to yell PG-rated insults at well-dressed militaristic people as both sides stomp around in giant mech-type weaponry known in this particular … Continue reading Move Crushers and Voice Knuckles
Power DoLLS FX, released in 1996 for NEC's poorly received PC Engine follow-up, the PC-FX, is one of several remakes of the original PC-98 game Power DoLLS, a Kogado Studio "Scenario Simulation Game" featuring an all-woman cast stomping around in giant mechs on the distant planet Omni in the far future. The grid-like nature of the battlefields, marketable … Continue reading Playing with DoLLS
What do you get when Hudson Soft, the developers of the Nectaris (AKA: Military Madness) series, are given the keys to Intelligent Systems' Famicom/Super Famicom/Game Boy Wars? Exactly what you'd expect. There's your little cluster of buildings. There are the enemy's. Each side has to shoot and shell their way across the map, soldiers taking … Continue reading More of the same, please
Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster 