As I sat on my couch playing Class of Heroes II, I found myself complaining a lot. Not out loud, mind you; the only other person around right now is my infant son, and he’s more interested in throwing my DVD collection on the floor. No, just grumbling to myself. Class of Heroes II is a messy game, with a lot of little logistical problems that make the game clunky at times. However, something must be wrong with me, because I can hardly stop playing it. MonkeyPaw Games did us a favor in bringing it over. READ MORE
If you haven’t heard of Black Rock Shooter, you probably aren’t a part of the aptly-titled Black Rock Shooter: The Game’s (yes, it really has an adorable nineties-esque “The Game” subtitle) target audience. That said, the character does have an interesting history. The franchise started as a mere collection of character drawings by an artist known as “Huke.” The drawings became popular in indie fandom circles and spawned a theme song via the infamous Vocaloid program that drew in millions of hits.
People with money noticed, and now we have a multiverse of animations, manga titles and of course, this game. A PSP title from 2011, NIS America has brought it over in a surprising move, no doubt making tons of crazy anime fans very happy. READ MORE
The latest in a long line of games by developer Artdink and only the second to make it to the West, Carnage Heart EXA is not your typical game. It feels more like a programming training tool, with a very specific language and no external applications. That’s not to say it isn’t fun by any means, though. It’s just important to know going in just exactly what you’re getting into. READ MORE
Last year, Aksys took a risk and published Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. Not only was it unique in that it was a visual novel, a genre that is still trying to get a foothold in our market, but it was also an “otome” game; a story specifically created for a female audience. Fleeting Blossom was a romance story revolving around Chizuru, a girl that finds herself involved with the Shinsengumi as they fought to assist the Shogunate at the tail end of a political era. It was very well-written, with a large cast of equally dynamic characters, and did well enough for Aksys to bring over another game in Idea Factory’s multi-game franchise.
This year we have Hakuoki: Warriors of the Shinsengumi, which prides itself as being a Dynasty Warriors-style action game that explores the plot of the original (though it actually appears to be based on the anime adaptation), and also brings a new, alternate-universe story that introduces some new characters and battle scenarios. READ MORE
Every once in a while, a game comes out over here that by all rights should never have happened, either because of the genre, the subject, the timing or the console. Generation of Chaos: Pandora’s Reflection is one of those games. As a title in a niche genre released on an obsolete, mostly-dead system, it’s not a localization you would ever expect to see. Like most games that fall into this category though, it’s fairly good, and I’m glad it arrived. READ MORE
