Archive for the ‘PSP Reviews’ Category.
The early PSOne game Revelations: Persona is widely considered to be the victim of one of the biggest localization hack jobs of all time. Besides a lackluster translation filled with poorly conceived attempts at mythological nomenclature, the localization team saw fit to fiddle with the game’s balance, alter character art in order to make the cast appear more western, and even remove whole sections of the game for no readily apparent reason. And so when a PSP port-slash-remake was announced, there was a great sigh of relief in the Western Hemisphere. And, thankfully, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona does indeed improve vastly on the localization of the original game. Unfortunately, with a poorly executed plot, badly balanced combat system, and a mishmash of aesthetic elements, the game lying hidden underneath the piles of meddling heaped on Revelations: Persona isn’t exactly a diamond in the rough. Continue reading ‘Shin Megami Tensei: Persona – Staff Review’ »
When I accepted the review assignment for Adventures to Go, I expected that it would be an easy review that would fit well into my schedule. I could pick up the game, play through an order or two, and set it down for a while. No need to play for hours at a stretch, no deep storyline to follow, and minimal gameplay mechanics to learn.
Continue reading ‘Adventures to Go – Staff Review’ »
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days continues the recent trend of PSP rereleases, retooling Disgaea 2 and dropping it onto Sony’s handheld with some new features. Although it adds some interesting new content, including an epilogue starring Axel, Dark Hero Days lacks some of the wit and energy that made Disgaea so much fun, at least in the plot department. It doesn’t make too many changes to the Disgaea combat system, and most, if not all, of the really new content introduced for this port is available only after completing the mainline quest, meaning this port will probably be a little dull for gamers who have already sucked the marrow out of the game’s PS2 iteration. Continue reading ‘Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days – Staff Review’ »
When it was announced, Dissidia: Final Fantasy sounded like an interesting concept: a fighting game starring Final Fantasy characters. At first glance, you might think it is the spiritual successor to Ehrgeiz. You’d be wrong. The only thing this game has in common with that PS1 brawler is the inclusion of Cloud and Sephiroth among the cast. Make no mistakes about it. This is an action RPG at its finest, and for fans that have dutifully played the first ten Final Fantasy games, it’s chock full of nostalgia and gameplay that will keep you coming back. Continue reading ‘Dissidia: Final Fantasy – Staff Review’ »
Nostalgia is powerful. It can help keep memories of games long gone, but also color those memories one way or another. Maybe that old game really was as good as you remember, or maybe when you pick it back up again it’s just not going to do it for you. With the PSP release of Star Ocean: Second Evolution, fans, foes, and newcomers alike will get the chance to test one of Tri-Ace’s older titles and see which way they really roll. Calling Second Evolution a remake is a bit of a stretch, but several convenience tweaks, quality voice acting, and a vastly improved script make it a far more accessible and enjoyable title than its Playstation predecessor. Continue reading ‘Star Ocean: Second Evolution – Staff Review’ »
The gaming world is filled with unusual mascot characters. Nintendo has a rotund Italian plumber that eats mushrooms to gain power. Sega gave us an insanely fast hedgehog with a surly attitude and a flying two-tailed fox for a friend. However, none are quite so unique, offbeat, or downright strange as the Prinny: the knife wielding, peg-legged, exploding penguins that embody the souls of sinners punished to a lifetime of slavery. Also, they say “dood” a lot. In Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?, the seemingly weakest creatures in the Netherworld star in their own game. Continue reading ‘Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero – Staff Review’ »
While trying to decide how best to open a review of Star Ocean: First Departure, I came to the painful realization that I couldn’t possibly do so without taking you back in time. Just wasn’t gong to happen. So generate 1.21 gigawatts, strap yourself in, and set your coordinates to Akihabara, July 19, 1996.
(insert Huey Lewis interlude and “Great Scott!” exclamation here)
Continue reading ‘Star Ocean: First Departure – Staff Review’ »
The Wild ARMs series has never been known for stellar quality, but the games — excluding the second installment, which left many fans with PTSD — are still the objects of affection for many RPG connoisseurs. Naturally, players have certain standards and tolerances when it comes to Wild ARMs games. They know they aren’t getting a perfectly polished game, just an above average one that gains appeal largely from nostalgic references.
So when a longtime fan recognizes that the newest Wild ARMs title isn’t up to the series’ standards, you know it’s bad.
Continue reading ‘Wild ARMs XF – Staff Review’ »
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the latest game in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, is a game that will appeal mostly to fans of the series. Starring a character who appeared only in flashbacks and in passing mentions in the original game and detailing many events only alluded to in FFVII, Crisis Core relies a great deal on nostalgia, to the point where it’s actually re-telling parts of FFVII at times. Still, underneath it all, there is still an interesting, if not particularly challenging game with some unusual ideas about combat and storytelling. On the whole, Crisis Core is a solid, if somewhat predictable title that should provide some entertainment for people looking for a bit more background on the characters of Final Fantasy VII. Continue reading ‘Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – Staff Review’ »
The Tales series has a long and venerable history of avoiding North America, much to the consternation of its fans. In fact, pretty much all of the regions outside of Japan tend to get left out of most things the series offers beyond the flagship titles. And so Tales of Eternia for the PSP is a bit of an odd bird. Despite the fact that we’ve seen the game on this side of the pond before on the PSOne, Namco saw fit to release this PSP port in Europe and Asia, but not North America. Thankfully, the PSP’s lack of regional lockouts means that denizens of the Western Hemisphere have access to the game as well. Overall, Tales of Eternia is a decent port and a solid game overall, although a lack of polish and original content prevent it from being a standout title. Continue reading ‘Tales of Eternia – Staff Retroview’ »
When Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was released in late 2003, it quickly became a sleeper hit, its offbeat humor and complex tactical RPG gameplay combining to make it a highly appealing entry in an underrepresented genre. Although none of NIS’s games have done quite as well in North America, Disgaea is still going strong, with a sequel and now a nearly picture-perfect port of the original game to the PSP, with a few minor additions. Although Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness purports to offer an entire post-lunchtime of darkness, what it gains over the original is honestly not that impressive, making this version more of an extended brunch. Continue reading ‘Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness – Staff Review’ »
Despite having some game-breaking bugs and a translation just this side of gibberish, Final Fantasy Tactics has gone on to gather quite an impressive following in the decade since its launch, and today it is widely recognized as one of the classics of the gaming world. With the release of Final Fantasy Tactics: the War of the Lions on the PSP, Square Enix has managed to fix some of the game’s more glaring issues, bugs and translation included. Of course, with this new version comes problems of its own, such as low sound quality and a slight but persistent amount of slowdown and lag. However, even with these problems, the new translation, added content, and a slight rebalancing of the Job Class system makes Final Fantasy Tactics: the War of the Lions the definitive version of this gaming classic, and worth a look to anyone with even a passing interest in tactical RPGs. Continue reading ‘Final Fantasy Tactics: the War of the Lions – Staff Review’ »
The basic structure of the traditional fantasy RPG is well established. Take one part youthful hero, add in one cheery female lead, one musclebound tank, and one wacky mage. Stir in knights, dragons, a mad god bent on destroying the world, and a hero gaining maturity and wisdom by way of a journey across the world. Incorporating all these clichés and more, Brave Story: New Traveler is about as typical an RPG as one could hope to see. Continue reading ‘Brave Story: New Traveler – Staff Review’ »
RPGs as a whole have a penchant for history, often absorbing established historical fact piecemeal into their plots. Jeanne d’Arc takes this much further than most, taking more or less the entire history of Joan of Arc into its plot, altering 15th century Europe and the Hundred Years War to fit a fantasy RPG template, complete with Elves, Dwarves, and a race of animal people known as Therions. Continue reading ‘Jeanne d’Arc – Staff Review’ »
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