Castlevania is now 25 years old. Here's a look at how it has evolved!
Dengeki Stryker, an upcoming visual novel from localization company MangaGamer and Japanese studio Overdrive, inherits its style and premise from an unusual source: superhero stories. The trial version was released recently, and I was excited to try it. So far, the game offers an exhilarating combination of hot-blooded action with a dash of intrigue as well as the modern school setting and romantic comedy of visual novels, with flair and style enough to bring a new spin to the genre.
Marvel's The Avengers is the culmination of plot arcs and characters from five films, with a legacy to live up to and great potential for both success and failure. I am happy to report that, although it isn't perfect, The Avengers is a stylish and fun movie that encapsulates the kinetic action and quirky humor of comic books while retaining the high production values and visual flair of its predecessors.
For many players, publishers, and pundits, casual gaming is the wave of the future. Characterized by a pick-up-and-play mentality and often released on a variety of multipurpose devices, casual games bring freedom, speed, and ease not associated with traditional consoles or the modern AAA game experience. However, casual gaming has been around for quite some time, and even major publishers tried years ago to capture the simplicity of small games like Solitaire and combine them with the deeper gameplay and established franchises of traditional games. One example in particular, Star Wars: Yoda Stories (along with its sister title, Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures), contained many concepts that were ahead of their time, and which could well be revisited in the relatively new mainstream gaming market.
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn's release in late 2010 placed it 7 years after its predecessor, The Lost Age, debuted on the Game Boy Advance. Though It is not as breathtaking In graphical presentation as the GBA support, Dark Dawn takes advantage of the available hardware to create a colorful and appealing experience worthy of the series. Its story places an entire generation between the original games and this one, making it accessible to newcomers while still offering many nods and connections to please returning players. Dark Dawn stands out with solid graphics, a unique spin on its gameplay, and a plethora of clever puzzles spread throughout its many environments.
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