There is no denying the cult status of the original Disgaea, and its lovable cast of characters is no small part of that legacy. Laharl, Etna and Flonne are names that will instantly paint a smile on any fan’s face. Some would even argue that the subsequent titles in the series never harnessed the same energy as the first.
So here we are, ten years later, with Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness, a direct sequel to the first game that takes great pride in bringing the old gang back to the forefront. It is an exciting (albeit predictable) move for the franchise, but I cannot help but wonder if NIS ever gave us a chance to really miss these characters in the first place. READ MORE
Marlow Briggs is the interactive version of the cheesy action movies I loved in the early ’90s, like Demolition Man. Things blow up, not because the plot calls for it, but because it sure would be fun to slow down the camera and watch a thing explode. There are guys with flamethrowers, not because they would be useful at an archaeological dig site, but because carrying a bunch of flamethrower fuel means they’ll blow up very nicely. These are the sorts of design choices ZootFly has made, and I love them for it. READ MORE
Platinum Games likes to make challenging titles with deceptively deep systems. Its latest offering, The Wonderful 101, is no exception. It is also a difficult game to describe, as it combines various genres – and indeed abruptly shifts between a few of them at various times – into one cohesive whole. READ MORE
Few series have new releases as highly anticipated as Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto franchise. A lot has happened since the last GTA game, including newcomers to the open-world genre and former competitors that have gone off in their own directions. Grand Theft Auto V, however, is out to demonstrate how sticking to and expanding on an already proven formula can work.
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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
