Preview by Matt S. I’ve had the opportunity to get stuck into the opening chapter of Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream, and I’ve got to say upfront that this game has come as a relief to me. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure of the direction…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. It looks like EastAsiaSoft is going to kick off 2022 in much the same way it played 2021; where there’s a good dosing of fan service available, they’ll roll with it. Seven Pirates H is an Idea Factory game, with EastAsiaSoft partnering with the publisher to…
Read MoreNews by Matt S. This is just a short note, but since everyone who reads DDNet knows I love my JRPGs, I thought that this podcast that I was recently invited on to might be of interest. The kind folks at Blowing Cartridges were kind to invite me on to…
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I have a sneaking suspicion that Monark will be one of my favourite games of 2022. It is, of course, very early to be calling that, but the talent behind it is sublime: you’ve got the deep-thinking creator Hayashi Fuyuki, who turned a silly concept (“power-up by crying”) into a…
Read MoreList by Matt S. We’re through the bulk of the year now, and certainly, all the major JRPGs of 2021 have been released. As a whole, this year has been absolutely incredible for the genre. Indeed, I’d even go as far as to say it’s one of the best ever,…
Read MoreInterview by Matt S. In just a few weeks, Koei Tecmo is bringing back its own spin on the monster collection-and-battle formula. Monster Rancher may have never had the prominence of Pokémon, or the explosive (if momentary) success of Yokai Watch, but it has plugged along with its own fan…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. This game landed on us out of nowhere – I didn’t even realise it was on its way until I logged in and saw it sitting there on the Nintendo eShop. I’m glad I did. Having really enjoyed the previous four Mercenaries titles, as no-frills tactics…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I love the Mercenaries series. I’m under no illusions about them being great games, but I love their no-frills approach to GBA-era tactics JRPG action. We’ll probably never get another Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics, so this’ll have to do us. With Mercenaries Rebirth: Call…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. Pokémon Diamond and Pearl have Piplup as one of the starter Pokémon, and Piplup is the best Pokémon of all. Ergo Diamond and Pearl are pretty darned good games, and remaking them was always going to be the right thing to do. But seriously, I do…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. I’ll be upfront about this: Reviewing Shin Megami Tensei V is going to be a pain because all the good stuff that is really worth talking about falls firmly within spoiler territory. The think piece that I will inevitably write six months from now, when I…
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