Tecmo Koei’s Warriors franchise has settled into a comfortable rhythm. Every couple of years we get a new numbered release. The last one of those, Dynasty Warriors 7, we got our hooks into in 2010. From there the team takes that engine and applies it to a number of spin-off…
Read MoreThe attacks are as over-the-top as always, but carry a lot more charm in this version Naruto is a series that generally tries and succeeds to find a balance between serious and silly, depending on the characters and topics. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 was one of my favorite…
Read MoreMany of the finest games focus on two aspects of their design; scoring and entertaining mechanics. Scoring is beautifully pure; doing certain actions rewards the player with points that increase a score. This score is most often either used to gauge the skill of a player or used to give…
Read MoreI don’t really understand why Tecmo Koei let the Kessen franchise fade into obscurity. There was so much potential in the basic idea of meshing Warriors-style action with a more cerebral strategy game, and as Kessen III proves, that formula is still genuine fun today. Perhaps it was the commercial…
Read MoreSEGA’s Monkey Ball series has had a less-than-stellar track record. The original released right back on the Gamecube were bona fide hits with some incredibly difficult single player action and some incredibly addictive multiplayer modes. The appeal was obvious from the outset – Monkey Ball is at heart a digital…
Read MoreGiven the popularity of this series to date, there are some pretty hefty expectations riding on this game’s success for Nintendo. Published by Capcom, this title is set to release in Japan December 8th, 2012. These screens are from the Wii U title, and there is supposed to be integration…
Read MoreA man trapped between two dimensions tries to escape a disintegrating alien base in this puzzle-laden, side-scrolling shooter. Cool, right? Fractured Soul is an interesting game. At first, I thought it was a straight-up action/ platformer- but it’s not. It’s actually more of an action/ puzzler. There’s definitely some shooting going…
Read MoreAhh Metal Gear. A masterpiece of gaming now re-appears on the gaming scene through the remastering of two of the best games in the series. Even though the latest in the collection is now eight years old, all the games still hold up brilliantly, and would arguably be better than…
Read MoreTreasure hunter, expert climber, fighter, even heartthrob? Pretty much all the characteristics Nathan Drake embodies. His first outing onto a portable device brings with it the same cinematic action sequences that are present on the console games whilst also showing off the power of the Vita. There is a story…
Read MoreFanservice. I don’t think anyone gets it quite like Tecmo Koei. Warriors Orochi 3 is possibly the finest example of fan service ever. The character mash-up stars well over 100 characters taken from not just Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors, but also less mainstream Tecmo Koei classics such as Bladestorm,…
Read More