Review: One Piece Romance Dawn (3DS)

Review by Matt S.

Ever played a game that you know is terrible, but you just can't stop playing? It has unappealing presentation, dull or broken gameplay, and almost no depth or finesse, but it's something that you just have to complete?

One Piece Romance Dawn is one of those games for me. 

That in itself is really strange because I'm not the biggest fan of One Piece in the world. I vaguely know the characters (thanks to the One Piece Warriors game, because I haven't watched the anime or read the manga), but it's not like this is a Bleach game; where I'd rush out to buy one of those I'm not going to go out of my way to track down One Piece stuff. 

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Review: Rainbow Moon (Vita)

Review by Matt S.

Are you a fan of old school RPGs that involve a load of grinding and not much else? Rainbow Moon is the game for you. I loved it back when it released on the PlayStation 3, and I love it that little bit more on the Vita.

The game hasn't changed in any meaningful way in the transition to the small screen. It's a little more difficult to appreciate the vibrant colours that was a big part of the big-screen Rainbow Moon's charm, but in every other way the Vita game is every big as slick as its predecessor. Cloud saves even allow you to share the save file between versions. 

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Review: 99 Spirits (PC)

Review by Harvard L.

In Japanese folklore, a tsukumogami is a household object which has gained sentience, turning against humans to wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting. 99 Spirits is an RPG revolving around this phenomenon, chronicling the journey of a swordswoman named Hanabusa through medieval Japan to uncover the mystery behind these apparitions. Combining elements of puzzle, strategy and role playing, TORaIKI and Fruitbat Factory offer up a quirky and interesting game full of fresh ideas, but not without missed opportunities.

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Review: The Guided Fate Paradox (PS3)

Review by Matt S.

I love a good paradox. They're the brain twisters for the intelligent, and also philosophy that everyone can think about. Integrate a good paradox into a narrative and you'll effortlessly engage your reader or viewer as they ponder over the ideas and theories that you're throwing at them.

With that said I had no idea that Nippon Ichi would execute on the potential of the paradox so perfectly. The Guided Fate Paradox is surprising on so many levels. It's a relatively mature and restrained production from the folks best known for the insanity of Disgaea. It's the first roguelike RPG where I've cared more about the narrative than the actual dungeon hacking. It's the simplest looking but most attractive PlayStation 3 game ever made. Perhaps that's the great point that The Guided Fate Paradox makes; it itself is a development paradox. 

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Review: Pokémon X (3DS)

Review by Clark A. 

For all its critical and sales successes, the Pokémon franchise has been lambasted by an increasingly vocal minority for reusing the same formula over and over again. Enter Pokémon X (and Y) for the 3DS, arguably the most ambitious title the main series has seen in the last decade. While it doesn’t particularly reinvent the series, it lays tremendous groundwork for doing so and offers a familiar yet original experience along the way.

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Review: Valhalla Knights 3 (Vita)

Review by Clark A. 

To say Valhalla Knights 3 expects the player’s full attention immediately would be quite the understatement. Before hitting the half-hour mark I witnessed a gratuitously detailed history of the world’s nations, a corrupt emperor turning on an already corrupt world, the legend of a master thief, an uninformative flashback of my character, men being hacked up, women getting berated, and the fall of the nation. If that last sentence sounded muddled, you’re in for a treat. Constant perspective swapping and informational tidbits thrown into the midst made for me a rather muddled introduction to the series.

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Review: Rune Factory 4 (3DS)

Review by Clark A. 

Many will regard Rune Factory 4 as yet another release in the farming meets fighting franchise. While that is indeed an accurate assessment, this particular entry perfects the balance of said components and expands on them with variety that outweighs other major players in the genre. It’s also the most addictive game I’ve played this year besides Animal Crossing and for many of the same reasons. If you’re remotely intrigued by the concept Neverland has been pumping out for several years, there’s no better starting point than the cream of the crop.

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Review: Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (PS3)

Review by Matt S.

Disgaea is a series that is quite happy with sticking with what it does best. It's a franchise that isn't really known for innovation, but then fans keep buying the games for one great reason - it doesn't actually need improvement. No tactics RPG has come along and managed to outdo Nippon Ichi on its home turf.

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Review: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoners: Soul Hackers

Review by Matt S.

"Why am I reviewing this game now?", many of our readers will ask. After all, it's been available in the US and Japan for quite some time. 

Unfortunately Shim Megami Tensei: Devil Summoners: Soul Hackers took its sweet time to hit Aussie and European shelves. But better late than never, right? And coming hot on the heels of Etrian Odyssey IV, it has been a good time for fans of rich, deep and challenging turn-based RPGs.

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Review: Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl (3DS)

This has been a really good year for the Nintendo 3DS - doubly so if you are a fan of RPG titles. Shin Megami Tensei IV is still fresh in my mind as I had a chance to play another dungeon crawling RPG. In fact, it was not that long ago that the latest entry to Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan was released, but Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl does an excellent job of balancing what gamers loved about the original game, with new mechanics that have been hits far more often than misses.

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Review: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix (PS3)

Review by Matt S.

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix was a good idea by Square Enix. This is a series that has become utterly incomprehensible for any player who hasn't kept up with each new release over the years, and so packaging three of the more critical stories together will help new players take those first steps into the universe as we wait for the eventual release of Kingdom Hearts 3.

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Etrian Odyssey Untold demo is now open for exploration

While we’ve only just published our Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan review here at DDNet, let’s not forget that Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl is rapidly approaching its October 1st release date on the 3DS.

To get you hyped up for the next installment in this old-school JRPG grindfest, Atlus has opened the iron gates of its upcoming title on the 3DS eShop, granting access to the first two floors of the game’s Story Mode. Whether you purchase the game at retail or digitally once it is released, be sure not to delete your save data from the demo version, as it will carry over right into the full release of the game.

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Review: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan (3DS)

Here's the reason this game is essential if you're one of those people that grew up in the 80's and 90's with Dungeons & Dragons and other pen and paper RPGs, and the likes of Wizardry on your PC; In Etrian Odyssey you draw a map on grid paper as you explore the various labyrinths that are filled with deadly traps and monsters.

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Review: Atelier Meruru Plus: The Apprentice Of Arland (Vita)

Oh how I love Meruru. I discovered the Atelier series with Rorona. It became my favourite JRPG franchise with Totori, but Meruru is something else entirely; this is the perfect traditional, turn-based JRPG as far as I'm concerned.

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Review: Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

The Shin Megami Tensei series does not quite have the same reputation for brutal difficulty of the likes of Fire Emblem, though it certainly comes close and the series can be somewhat difficult for newcomers and is rooted very firmly in a lot of the 'typical' JRPG principles. You'll be looting, grinding and figuring out elemental weaknesses here, and that works out just fine.

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Project Phoenix: One Kickstarter to watch

I don't often support Kickstarter projects. As far as I'm concerned it's still an unproven service and frightening in how little it holds the people that run the projects to account.

But every so often a project with real potential emerges that would not have been possible in any sense of the word without Kickstarter support, and without supporting it the chance for the vision to be realised is next to nothing.

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Review: Tales of Xillia (PS3)

The Tales series has a long history; 14 main games and a handful of side quests. Through that time there has been a remarkably consistent approach to game design and though there's been general improvements and tweaks to the spreadsheets operating the game, for the player, there's a familiarity about the Tales games that is greater than what you'll find in most other JRPGs.

That's what the fans of this series seem to want, but that aside, Xillia proves one thing quite conclusively - the Tales series needs a rethink. It's just not advancing as quickly as its immediate rivals.

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Review: Earthbound (Wii U)

I had never had the opportunity to play Earthbound before. That's not from lack of desire to experience it, but being Australian means that I miss out on all kinds of classic RPGs (and a bunch of modern ones as well) that people rave about. However, Earthbound was an especially gaping hole in my collection because, to hear certain circles speak of it is is the greatest JRPG ever made. Such is the reputation of the game that it commands some truly magical prices over at Ebay, not unlike a Game Boy Color game we reviewed last week; Shantae.

Earthbound on the Wii U Virtual Console goes for $13 here in Australia, and now having played through it, I'm glad I only paid $13 for it. While it is undoubtedly a lot of fun I do fail to see how anyone could put this game in the same league of some of the classic JRPGs out there. 

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