2014 has proven to be a fruitful year for fans of the Tales franchise. Tales of Hearts R marks the third release, following remaster compilation Tales of Symphonia Chronicles and fan-friendly sequel Tales of Xillia 2. It’s been billed by some as the great JRPG hope for the faltering Vita, the result of a fan-led campaign to see more localized titles make it to American shores for its content-starved audience.
It isn’t a bad game by any means, but it suffers from the weight of the expectations it bears. READ MORE
It can be easy to forget how tough telling a compelling story in a video game can be. Some games do it brilliantly, like last year’s Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, but others tend to struggle. Sometimes telling a story within an interactive medium requires sacrificing some of the gameplay in order for the narrative to stand front and center. Kan Gao, the creator of one of my favorite games, To the Moon, fully understands this. No one will call it a masterwork of game design, but few can deny the impact of its story.
In lieu of a proper review, I thought I would take the time to talk about Kan Gao’s latest title, A Bird Story. Although it features no dialogue and is a lighter story than To the Moon, it’s a yet another prime example of finely-crafted interactive fiction.
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In this episode, Graham takes Andrew and Henry back to Gallia for a look at the Steam release of the previously PS3-exclusive Valkyria Chronicles. Other topics: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the Mario Kart 8 DLC, Tales of Hearts R, Assassin’s Creed: Unity, Massive Chalice and Halo: The Master Chief Collection!
Our next show is a special stream! We’ll be gathering to play Super Smash Bros. for Wii U at a special time: Tuesday, November 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern.
To watch the show and chat with us live, check out this page every other Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern and follow us on Twitter for special streams.
There’s no denying that The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a huge package offering lots of replay value. With over 200 items, randomly-generated maps and enemy placements and rewards for completing the game multiple times, Rebirth is a completionist’s dream. READ MORE
Clerks is the very definition of a movie with a distinct writing style. If you’ve seen it, then you know to expect copious amounts of sarcasm and memorable characters. Thankfully, the return of Jeff Anderson as Randal and Jason Mewes as Jay mean that the characters you remember feel right. This isn’t a Clerks sequel and Kevin Smith isn’t involved, and that just makes it all the more impressive that it feels like it could be. READ MORE
