Don’t you just always admire a game that attempts something new and fresh in their respective genre? Whether or not the risked venture is a success or failure, I always commend such an effort.

That brings us to Suikoden 3, an RPG from Konami that not only attempts to reinvent the wheel; it attempts to reinvent the hovecap, the axle, the engine, the airbag…the whole damn car! And, while I commend the effort, it’s a textbook example of the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Read more… »

In a press release today Atlus U.S.A has unveiled their special edition version of Shim Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon. The new game in the Shin Megami Tensei series, and the sequel to SMT: Devil Summoner, promises to “Improve upon its predecessor in every way.”

Hit the jump to find out how Atlus will be spoiling fans this time. Read more… »

With E3 approaching fast, it would only be right for the big players to get the ball rolling and begin announcing what we can expect from their respective shows this year. And, in an official PlayStation blog posting, Sony have done just that by dropping in not one, not two… but six — count ‘em six — titles that they will definitely be showcasing at the beginning of June.

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I have to confess: the main reason I played this game because I’m a total nerd for all things Mega Man. Surely, there was no way a turn-based RPG about Mega Man X could be any good, right? Well, to my surprise, the game was not an absolute train-wreck. I guess that’s understandable, since it was made by Capcom’s Production Studio 3 – the development team behind the long-running Breath of Fire series. That doesn’t mean, however, that the game is great by any stretch.

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It’s been seven years since we last saw the Persona series, and when we did, it took the gaming community by surprise. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 changed what the Persona series used to be and created one of the freshest Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) to ever hit the PlayStation 2.

A few months after the release of Persona 3, Atlus brought us Persona 3 FES, an expansion which includes the main story (The Journey) with a hard mode and new additions, and it also includes the follow-up story (The Answer). Is Persona 3 worth another semester if you have the original, and what about newcomers?

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The Shin Megami Tensei series is known for having mature themes and being more difficult than your average Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs). They have been largely ignored by western gamers, but it has gathered a cult following. Atlus’ Persona 3 is a more accessible game for JRPG gamers due to the inclusion of an easy mode and friendlier atmosphere. Persona 3 takes an interesting approach by combining sim-dating elements with traditional RPG elements, but how well does it mix them? Does it create a mess or a masterpiece?

You take the role of a nameless, transferred high school student. Upon arriving, the main protagonist notices an unusual change in the city and his classmates living at the dorm won’t tell him anything. After a shadow attack and awakening to his persona, his classmates finally tell him about all the shadows and the “Dark Hour” – a period of time that occurs every midnight which only a few people are aware of and remain conscious during that hour, and shadows appear. Read more… »

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… »

What do you get if you cross Final Fantasy and Disney? Kingdom Hearts. KH is a crossover between Squaresoft (Now Square-Enix), and Disney Interactive. Released in 2002 Kingdom Hearts is an Action RPG of epic proportions. Being the first game in the series it’s got a lot to prove to both Action and RPG fans alike. Can it satisfy both? Or does it just come off as mediocre across the board? Hit the jump to find out.

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Some surprisingly great news for our usually stiffed PAL gamers.

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Part of Atlus’ 3 big releases for the Holiday Season along with Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and Luminous Arc 2, Eternal Poison was the one with the least anticipation or hype due to it being a new IP and a strategy-RPG, one of the least popular genres. There was something about Eternal Poison which caught my eye; maybe it was the attractive box art. Developed by Flight-Plan, known for their Summon Night series, their latest RPG to make it to the United States introduces us to medieval, gothic world of Besek filled with unusual demons and great art direction. Atlus’ latest strategy games weren’t met with praise, but can Eternal Poison change this trend?

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