The first few days of a major game release are always the best.
If you’re lucky enough to pick a game up on day one, there’s really nothing like it. The fandom is abuzz, every social network is on the same page and you suddenly have plenty to talk about with all of your friends. It’s a rush, enough of one to make the most grizzled of critical thinkers gloss over problems in the wake of that irreplaceable joy of discovery. Then, inevitably, a week passes. This is where longer games are put to the test. Plenty of them pass, but not without a few nasty bumps along the way. READ MORE
Given how well the simulation and role-playing genres work together, making the easygoing farming experience of Harvest Moon more engaging by adding RPG elements turned out to be developer Neverland’s chocolate and peanut butter. The sub-franchise has garnered a fair share of success on the DS, Wii and PS3, so its leap into the next generation was highly anticipated. Does Rune Factory 4 grow a four-leaf clover, or is the series sowing seeds in barren soil? READ MORE
Etrian Odyssey has always been about player agency, allowing you full control over every aspect of your party, from their names and appearance to their class and equipment. Likewise, the central story tends to serve as a backdrop for your characters to explore the multi-floor labyrinth that you’ll spend most of your time in. Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl casts that aside for its main mode, layering the existing story from Etrian Odyssey with a cast of pre-built characters and expanding on the story itself. READ MORE
The Mario & Luigi series technically started on the GBA with Superstar Saga, but the argument could be made that the series is the successor to the SNES’s Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The battle systems are similar, the aesthetic is familiar and the Paper Mario series is definitely off doing its own thing. Either way, Dream Team lives up to the legacy laid out by Superstar Saga, Partners in Time and Bowser’s Inside Story before it. READ MORE
At first glance, Attack of the Friday Monsters!: A Tokyo Tale seems to be some action-packed game of monsters and heroes. After all, it has big creatures and fighting! Really, though, it’s a tiny fraction of the world, and serves as a backdrop for a relaxing story of childhood. READ MORE
