Clik here to view.
From the Archives: Drawing the Line
Any dedicated JRPG fan will know what an uphill struggle it is to get people who have found themselves drifting away from the genre to actually play one of your favorite games. All too often, people...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy Birthday, Asami Imai
Today, March 16, is the birthday of Japanese voice actress Asami Imai, one of the most distinctive, recognisable voices in modern Japanese entertainment. Since her debut in 1999, she has racked up an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Some Thoughts on Localisation
Localisation is, it seems, a somewhat thorny issue these days — but it’s one worth discussing. Before I begin today, I’d like to emphasise that by no means am I attempting to present a “definitive”...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MeiQ: Building a Better Dungeon
A good dungeon crawler has two aspects it has to nail in order to be successful: combat and exploration. Japanese takes on the genre often tend to incorporate a strong sense of narrative and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: Our Changing Attitudes to Interactive Storytelling
As I write this, I have beside me a copy of the October 1997 issue of PC Zone, a then-popular, now sadly defunct PC games magazine from my homeland of the UK. I keep this magazine around for two...
View ArticleClik here to view.
13 Reasons Why the Games Industry Needs to Stop Idolising Anita Sarkeesian
Although self-described feminist pop culture critic Anita Sarkeesian has abandoned her Tropes vs Women in Video Games project, she hasn’t stopped exerting her influence over an apparently enthralled...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: Let’s Go Round Again
What do you think of lengthy games such as JRPGs (or indeed Western RPGs) having multiple endings? I remember having this discussion with a friend a while back, and he commented that he hated it when...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wii U Essentials: Wii Party U
Nintendo’s Wii gained something of a reputation as a “party game machine”, for better or worse. The Wii U never quite captured the same success as its predecessor in this regard due to its considerably...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MeiQ: Narrative, Themes and Characterisation
Dungeon crawlers aren’t historically associated with having particularly strong stories, perhaps largely due to their origins as mechanics-heavy games with player-created parties. A number of recent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shmup Essentials: Cardinal Sins
As we’ve already established, Qute’s Eschatos is an absolutely fabulous shoot ’em up that every fan of the genre should have in their collection. Its predecessors are still very worthwhile games in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: Meaning in the Madness
With a lot of the games I’ve played over the last few years — including many of the visual novels that I’ve read — I’ve found myself thinking “gosh, I really wish I had this when I was a teenager.” Not...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: On Two Working Designs Classics
If you’ve been gaming as long as I have, you probably remember an outfit called Working Designs. Working Designs was an American publisher from the PS1 era that specialized in the localization of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Granblue Fantasy: Acknowledging a Phenomenon
There comes a point where something becomes so popular that it’s impossible to ignore, even if your initial reaction to it is “I’m not sure I want to get involved with that.” Such is the case with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gravity Rush: Introduction and History
Gravity Rush is an interesting series. Originally intended as something of a flagship title for Sony’s Vita handheld, its first installment was well-received but passed a lot of people by. Fortunately,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shmup Essentials: Thunder Force II
We’re going retro this time around, with a classic from the early days of Sega’s 16-bit console, the Mega Drive. The heyday of Techno Soft’s Thunder Force series was arguably around its visually...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: Kira Kira Hikaru
Today I’d like to talk specifically about one of the narrative paths of Overdrive’s visual novel Kira Kira. Specifically, I’d like to discuss Chie-nee’s path. There are spoilers ahead, so be warned if...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: Flying High in the Sky
There was a period in my life where I happily devoured every single JRPG I came across to the exclusion of almost all other types of game. To be perfectly frank, I’m pretty much back in that situation...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Granblue Fantasy: First Steps in Phantagrande
Last time, we looked at where Cygames’ mobile hit Granblue Fantasy came from, and how it’s become such a phenomenon. Today, we’re going to look in more detail at the game itself: how it works, how it...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Gravity Rush: The Franco-Belgian Tradition, via Japan
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Gravity Rush series is its aesthetic. As we noted last time, director Keiichiro Toyama’s desire was to create a game that, while still recognisably Japanese,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives: Kira, Kira, Kirari
I wanted to address the music-themed visual novel Kira Kira again today, if I may. I know I’ve covered it a number of times recently, but it strikes me as quite an interesting if not important work...
View Article