Castlevania is now 25 years old. Here's a look at how it has evolved!

Was the Virtual Boy a complete failure, or a vision of the future?

What did we think of the Nintendo 3DS? Read on and find out!

games

Impressions - Dengeki Stryker

Fri, 05/18/2012 - 15:15 -- Kira

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.

Desktop Adventures and the Casual Frontier

Wed, 04/18/2012 - 15:21 -- Kira

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.

Review - Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 23:51 -- Kira

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.

Pokemon Black & White 2 - 3DS-Enhanced Hopes

Sun, 03/18/2012 - 23:36 -- Kira

This fall will bring the release of Pokemon Black and White Version 2 in North America, marking the first numbered sequels in the main Pokemon series. Black and White were fairly innovative entries themselves,, modernizing the graphics and introducing a suite of online features as well as placing a greater emphasis on storyline and character interactions throughout the game. While the sequels will likely not contain innovations as noticeable or as numerous as those, there are a few new elemente and improvements on current ones that I would love to see introduced to make these games even better than their predecessors. Pokemon has always thrived on pushing the limits of technological connectivity and the social dimension of handheld gaming, and it would be great to see the new games leverage that history and the natural evolution of its features to become even better.

Save Points: Frustration by Design

Fri, 02/03/2012 - 23:22 -- Kira

We've all been there, In the middle of a long level or far from the last checkpoint when an interruption arrives, whether it's a knock on the door, a call to dinner, a phone rings, or any other number of possibilities. Most games don't support any sort of "suspend" feature to let you shut down at any time without losing progress, temporarily or otherwise. You either save where the designers will let you, or you can’t stop playing (unless you’re willing to just let your system sit, fully active, until you come back.)

KIRAKIRA Review

Sat, 12/31/2011 - 23:35 -- Kira

KIRAKIRA is not only one of the few all-ages visual novels currently available on the English market, also one of the most accessible. It features likable characters, an engaging and usually lighthearted plot, well-drawn art, and audio befitting a game that revolves around bands and music. KIRAKIRA is also one of the best-distributed VNs around, available on the iOS App Store as well as direct download and disc-based versions for Windows.

Old Republic Beta Impressions

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:39 -- Kira

Bioware's upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most highly anticipated games this year, but beyond that, it is one of the most highly anticipated Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs ever. The heritage of the widely-beloved Star Wars franchise and popular Knights of the Old Republic games would present a daunting burden for nearly any game to follow, but The Old Republic has another hurdle to pass: its developers have claimed that this title will bring all of the story and character of a single player game to the online environment of an MMO. I can't say for certain how successful they have been based on the hours I have played, but now that the NDA has been lifted, I can certainly say that my experiences indicate that there's a lot of potential in this game.

Halo: Celebrating 10 Years Of An Expanded Universe

Fri, 11/25/2011 - 22:06 -- Kira

Bungie and Microsoft's Halo franchise is one marked by innovation and impact, from its revolutionary take on FPS gameplay to its role in launching the Xbox platform into mainstream popularity. Halo has spawned a number of tie-ins ranging from Halo 3's Game Fuel soda to multiple lines of action figures, toy vehicles, and even board games. One of the key defining features of the series, however, is the vast universe crafted through Halo’s novels, comics, and short films. Like no video game franchise before it, Halo has created a multimedia phenomenon of the kind scarcely seen since Star Wars pioneered the concept of an “expanded universe” several decades ago.

Vanquishing the Night: A Castlevania Retrospective

Mon, 10/31/2011 - 23:59 -- Kira

A key part of what makes the Castlevania series unique is the way inn which the series plays with classic horror movies, mythology, and gothic and Victorian designs. Castlevania gamesalso tell deeply human stories-- and the seeds of this style were laid out since the very beginning. Castlevania toys with our fears, the unknown, and recognizable mythos to create a unique combination of thrilling horror and adventure that takes players to their fears and gives them the power to overcome them.

Castlevania: A Legacy of Resurrection

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 00:11 -- Kira

2011 has marked by many major franchise anniversaries, but one that is particularly important to me has also been one that attracted fairly little press coverage and even less attention from its producers: Castlevania. The original game’s horror movie-themed atmosphere, with its gothic castle and familiar creatures from mythology and popular culture, was a stark contrast to the cartoonish nature of Super Mario or the fantasy theme of Zelda-- but it would have fallen flat without the solid game that lay beneath the surface. Over the years, that gameplay has evolved, but Castlevania games remainas well-designed and fun to play as ever.

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