The market for Japanese Role Playing Games on the PC has never really been one of much largess. The large majority of PC owners tend to stick to the titles that were created for their medium, which usually take advantage of the hardware available to provide more customizable experiences, with additions such as multiplayer or interactive cut scenes. As a result, Western RPGs have always been king on the platform, since the PC has always been a much more US-centric platform then in Japan, where PC Gaming is relatively unpopular.

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If I told you that the team responsible for Resident Evil 4, including Mr. Resident Evil himself, Shinji Mikami worked on God Hand, I’m sure you’d be shocked.

Despite it’s impressive pedigree, God Hand has gotten a poor rap in the critical community. It’s sub-par reviews have vastly been cited due to it’s “extreme difficulty”, which I think is a very unfair criticism considering it was created with a specific gamer in mind. To clue you in on how much of a niche game God Hand really is, Producer Atsushi Inaba frankly stated that “God Hand is aimed at hardcore gamers”.

Does it have problems? Of course it does, it just doesn’t detract so much from the game that it ceases to be fun; in fact, God Hand is a blast. Read more… »

A new Mega 64 video has hit the internets, and this time around it features the tactical espionage action of Metal Gear Solid 4.  If you liked their New Super Mario Bros. video, I think you’re going to dig this.  Hit the jump for the video.

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With the announcement of Spirit Tracks for DS, and Majora’s Mask on the Virtual Console, it seems that Nintendo are going Zelda crazy. But apparently Ninty have yet another announcement to make.

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After finally getting around to completing Prince of Persia this weekend, it led me to ponder on player death in video games. For those of you who have played, or read about the game, you will know that in Prince of Persia the player is unable to die. Mis-timing jumps will result in your AI partner diving in to rescue you and mis-played combat will see her doing the same, allowing your enemy time to heal as she does so. So how important is this whole death thing, and is it an essential component of gaming? Read more… »

Samus Aran: Hot Babe, Bounty Hunter, and a whole bunch of other things. Samus is the main protagonist of the Metroid series, which follows her adventures and missions to thwart the Space Pirates, and their attempts to harness the power of fictional organisms such as the aforementioned Metroids. Not only that, but she’s well known as one of the first female main characters in a video game.

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While video game sales continue to rocket, it is fair to say that there is still a fair way to go before the industry reaches its peak. Last week we ran a feature detailing a handful of reasons why the games industry lacks the kind of accessibility that film boasts. Apparently, there was a crucial emission from that list: Price point.

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For those lucky few who haven’t already picked up a copy of Alien Hominid HD on XBLA, this week you are in for a treat as Alien Hominid is featured on this weeks ‘Deal of Week’. It’s reducing from the standard price of 800 points down to 400.

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First announced almost a year ago is Stalin vs. Martians, a RTS… Designed for People*. The title alone pretty much sum up what the game is about, although I still suggest reading the official site for a few laughs.

Last week the first gameplay video got released, and it’s looking surprisingly almost… good… Albeit the video is oddly mixed with dancing, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense (quirky foreign developers, who would of guessed?). Check it out below.

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Magnetica is a puzzle game developed by Mitchell Corporation for the Nintendo DS as part of the Touch! Generations series. In Europe Magnetica is called Actionloop. Magnetica has a counterpart on WiiWare, called Magnetica/Actionloop Twist. If you have ever played a PopCap game, you’ll instantly recognise Magnetica as a Zuma copycat.

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Those of you who desire a true 3D Pokémon game you could really sink your teeth into, are going to have to wait a while. Pokemon Company/GAME FREAK Board Director Junichi Masuda doesn’t seem too happy about developing a Pokémon title for the Wii.

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I’m led through the white corridors of the backstage area, a longhaired, clipboard-wielding, headset-wearing guy showing me the way to the stage. The lights are blinding, a large crowd is gathered and I’m ready to rock the place….

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