Not often can a game earnestly tout itself as a nigh-perfect package of gameplay, audiovisual presentation and narrative and, even if it can, there is usually some other critical flaw that it faces that sadly mars the overall experience. But, once in a very, very, very great while, some game passes through that gauntlet of development and reaches a state akin to Nirvana amongst games; a place where the true legends thrive and real gaming history is made and its players can count themselves truly privileged to have experienced it. This is where the game can stand with the classics of the other arts in a veritable pantheon of greatness.
One of these games is Persona 4 Golden. READ MORE
The DJMax series hasn’t found much light here compared to other music games here in the U.S., but it still managed to find its niche here. While some are familiar with the Beatmania-styled Portable series (DJMax Fever and DJMax Portable 3 both making their way to the states), the lesser known Technika has only made an arcade appearance for the last three years of its existence. At most, those machines have been scarcely placed around the country. READ MORE
When making an action-RPG on a handheld system, there are two things you need to do to make it work. First, make sure it is an easy pick-up-and-play game in small doses. Next, put in a camera that works with a portable systems’ limitations. With Ragnarok Odyssey, Game Arts did a better job of fulfilling those needs than anyone else has thus far on the Vita. READ MORE
Portable entries of big franchises are usually created one of two ways: They are an attempt to emulate the gameplay of the main games as best as possible, or they are something different entirely. The latter usually focuses on experimentation while trying to stay as connected as possible to the original games. The former, on the other hand, rarely succeeds, mostly due to the hardware limitations of the handheld in question. Ubisoft has tried both approaches with Assassin’s Creed, but thanks to the Vita’s impressive technical specs, the former finally seems entirely plausible for the franchise. Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is that game, blending together well-known elements of the series with some Vita-specific gimmicks that rarely succeed. READ MORE
In a time in which smaller, independent digital-only games on consoles continue to struggle with figuring out reasonable price points and sensible release windows (especially on the Vita), Sony has thrown us a curveball: a free game! Well, for the most part. Frobisher Says, from European developer Honeyslug, is a WarioWare-inspired, rapid-fire cacophony of minigames that was created as a way to show off the myriad of gameplay features of which the Vita is capable. Frobisher uses everything: both touch screens, all of the buttons, the camera (for pictures and augmented reality) and the motion sensor. The game was released at launch in Europe, and probably would have been a much bigger deal than it will be in North America had it been available then as a more interesting alternative to Welcome Park. The price tag of no dollars, though, should definitely grab some attention. READ MORE
