I have no idea why the decision makers at ACQUIRE through that C.A.R.D.S RPG: The Misty Battlefield was a good name for a game. It’s hard to imagine anything more totally and utterly generic, and this entire review is so late after the game’s release precisely because even I overlooked…
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It feels like I’ve been asking for a new Ogre Battle title for decades (probably because I have been). No, not Tactics Ogre, though those are also very fine. I do mean Ogre Battle, the JRPG/Real Time Strategy series of just two titles that I was obsessed with back on…
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I just want to start this review by saying that I love Tiara, the blue-haired secondary protagonist from the Fairy Fencer series (it’s a series now that there are two games). Like, I really, really, love Tiara. As far as anime female design goes, she’s my third favourite character ever,…
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It might be a remake of a remake, but Tactics Ogre Reborn is one of the greatest games of its genre. It effectively established the genre, many years ago, and has barely lost anything in the years since. I have to hope that Square Enix has prepared this release to…
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It’s difficult to write within the fantasy genre in 2022. On the one hand, it’s painfully easy to write something so self-serious and overwrought that it comes across as a desperate and doomed effort to channel Tolkien. Writing fantasy that people will take seriously is monumentally difficult because fantasy by…
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I know this is a nice problem to have, but there are just so many games that 2022 has thrown up that deserve awards at the end of the year. It has been a monstrously good year for video games, especially if you like Japanese games, and The DioField Chronicle…
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With its title, Triangle Strategy takes being “on the nose” to a whole other level. While that is a weakness because it is difficult not to roll the eyes at it on first impressions alone, the ideas and concept behind it are sound and make more sense the further you…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. With its title, Triangle Strategy takes being “on the nose” to whole other level. While that is a weakness because it is difficult not to roll the eyes at it on first impressions alone, the ideas and concept behind it are sound and make more sense…
Read MoreReview by Matt S. It’s fascinating to see what a difference a console release can make. Earlier this year I first played Banner of the Maid when it released on PC in English. I had a fine time with it, but as a Final Fantasy Tactics-like JRPG, I felt like…
Read MoreVideo by Matt S. Utawarerumono is truly beautiful stuff. It’s a gorgeous visual novel, with some quality turn-based tactics action backing it up. But while that is good stuff, it’s what inspired Utawarerumono where the game finds its greatest magic – it’s inspired by native Japanese (Ainu) culture, and that…
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