Otaku Review: Digimon World Re:Digitize (PSP)

Digi-champion or digital waste?

Digimon World Re:Digitize or simply Re:digitize from here on was developed by Tri-crescendo and published by Bandai Namco games on the PSP in Japan back in July 2012.

Otaku Review: Gunslinger Girl Vol.1/2/3 (Ps2)

When the Gunslinger Girl anime launched back in 2003, it surprised many with its deep character driven story and occasionally gratifying firefight. A year later Marvelous Entertainment released this game in Japan, which was bundled with the anime (one of the first to do such a thing), that carried on Henrietta's story whilst introducing new characters to the franchise. Would importing the game be worthy of an incursion, or will you simply be dropping into a killzone? Read on to find out..

Otaku review - Moe Chronicles (Vita import)

Moe’kemon

Moe Chronicles was developed by Compile heart and released in Japan May 15th 2014 and in Asia a separate English subbed version was released on May 5th 2015 on the Playstation Vita.

Review - Under Night In-Birth Exe: Late (Ps3)

Otaku Review: Under Night In Birth Exe: Late

Platform: PS3

Price: £30 from Amazon.co.uk

Release Date:   Out Now

Review code provided by NIS Europe

Note: This is a re-run of my previous review of the Japanese version of Under Night In Birth Exe: Late from Sept 2014. The only difference between the Japanese version released around then and the EU version available now is the addition of English text and voice acting, and as such the review still stands as it originally did.

What makes a good fighting game?

Opinions on this will vary. Some people say a colourful cast of characters. Some might say a variety of features such as a full story mode or even a Streets of Rage inspired affair. Perhaps a plethora of unlockables, concept art and other goodies?

Review: Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!! (PS3)

Complete girl on girl battle action.

Arcana Heart 3: LOVE MAX!!!!! (from here referred to as Arcana Heart 3: LM to save my exclamation key some work) is the upcoming updated re-release of the 2011 2D fighter Arcana Heart 3 from Examu, Zen United and NIS America, it is due for EU release on November 21st 2014 on Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita.

Otaku Review: Proteus (PSVita)

Proteus knew all things—past, present, and future—but disliked divulging what he knew.

When I search the wonderful internet for unusal titles to review I always stumble upon a discussion about one particular game.  Usually discussions on the internet are like a school yard fight - pointless and usually end up with one party calling the other names; well in the modern age it usally is a meme expression that parties current mood.  Anyway, I am straying away from my original point - the discussions for the game in question do not end up like this though.  They usally end up with the two questions;  What is the point of this?  What am I doing?  Two very simple question but it is amazing how many different responses you get.  The game is called Proteus.

Guest Review: Key Of Heaven (PSP)

SOUTH OF HEAVEN

[Once again thank you to JayJay Davis of J(ust)RPG Gaming] 

I've had this one sat on my shelf for about a year and I've finally got around to it

Key of heaven is a psp rpg set in what seems to be a of set of feudal China in the land of ouka you play the roll of a outcast swordsman a former seiryu clan member you must travel across the lands to hone your skills and rebuild your clan with twits and turns at every moment it's a fascinating game that I don't think got the recognition it deserved

Guest Review - The Book Of Unwritten Tales.

[Special thanks to Vincent Valentine from J(RPG) Gaming on Facebook for this review. Remember we are always looking for guest content and new writers so please feel to follow Vincent and contact us! - Andi]

First of all I would like to thank you for reading my review, this has been my first game review since the N64 era and that was for a school magazine so be gentle with me :)

Guest Otaku Review. Brave Story PSP

BRAVE STORY NEW TRAVELER 

A massive thank you to JayJay Davis from J(ust)RPG Gaming on Facebook for this review.
If you can

Ok so this is my first proper review (go easy on me)!.

Brave story is a jrpg released in Japan and America on the psp it a very difficult game to get a hold of in the uk especially in English as a psp fanatic it was high on my list of games to get as a rpg gamer I find the psp is king so many sequels and spin offs but I digress back to the review.

Otaku Review: Gurumin - A Monstrous Adventure (PsP)

As recent history has shown us, gamers are more inclined to go towards more mature, violent games but deep down inside every gamer is an urge to play something a little less mature. Gurumin is that title you may desire and may even bring a little nostalgia up. Why you ask? Well, this is Zelda but for the PSP!  Not only is is for the PSP, a PC port is currently under the Green Light at Steam!

Otaku Review - Steins;Gate

Otaku Review: Steins;Gate

Platform: PC

Price: Varies (see the link for available retailers)

Release Date:   Out Now

NOTE: This review is spoiler free or at most reveals minor plot points or notes established at the very least on the website where you can buy Steins;Gate from. The one exception is a paragraph in white further below, which you can highlight if you wish to read it, although it does contain a significant spoiler. You have been warned.

I’m going to let you in on a secret here, or perhaps more an unwritten rule.

Plot holes do not matter if A) the characters are the driving force of a given narrative and B) the plot holes do not significantly undermine the growth or arcs of said characters.

I bring this up because there is no genre of fiction more fragile, more intrinsically susceptible to plot holes, than that of time travel. While writing this review, as something to have on in the background, I was watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day. There one could bring up a myriad of plot holes from the time travel elements, but as I mentioned before, they matter not one jot in the face of a compelling character driven narrative like in that film.

But what the devil does this have to do with Steins;Gate, you might ask? Well, Steins;Gate arguably fits in the same category as Terminator II (minus the wonderful Arnie moments), in that if one took a long, hard look at it, like a house of cards built on the San Andreas fault it would all fall apart easily. But stories are not houses even though people might live in them, and a shaky foundation is not necessarily to the detriment of the overall product. Especially not when said product is a great comedy, romance, thriller and love letter to nerd culture all rolled into one.

Otaku Review: Kenka Bancho

We Don't Need No Education 

Kenka Bancho: Bad Ass Rumble is a PSP game from Spike! Published by ATLUS, this title never made it's way over to the UK but fortunately the PSP is region free. Just what is Kenka Bancho? River City Ransom with a touch of Yakuza!, But is it any good? read on to find out!.

Otaku Review : Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament (PSP)

Ever wanted to carry out everyday jobs whilst sitting in a mech wandering around a victorian steampunk work? Well, today is your lucky day!
Steambot Chronicles is a strange little title. It manages to combine heavy mechs into a very cutesy world and it does work but you cannot over look the incredibly clunky controls.

Otaku Review: Makai Kingdom

Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome, released in Japan as Phantom Kingdom and literally mean's Demon Kingdom in English.This is a JRPG/strategy game where you use tactical decisions to win battles as well as use brute force. Developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software (creators of Phantom Brave, Disgaea) this under rated gem of a game rocked my world on the  PlayStation 2 console.

Retro Review: Digital Devil Saga 2

Cyber Christ 

Recently released on the PSN we are here with the second half of the Digital Devil Saga series for Playstation 2. Just how does it stand the test of time & is it a worthy follow on from the fantastic Digital Devil Saga 1. 

Otaku Review: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (PSone)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Time.......

Otaku Review posted by @hades_kitty who after this post will be joining the team for a more permanent role ^_^.

After a string of hit 2D fighting game hits such as Street Fighter, Darkstalkers, Capcom introduced its next (and final) generation of 2D arcade hardware in 1998. The team working on it included notable Obata Shinichiro as planner (since then worked on Marvel Vs Capcom 2) and Noritaka Funamizu ( Street Fighter). The manga author of Jojo, Hirohiko Araki, also worked closely with the team to bring out a fantastic arcade game then be released to Dreamcast and Playstation. I was fortunate to play the Playstation edition thought would love to get my hands on the Dreamcast one day.

Otaku Review: Final Fantasy Type 0 (PSP)

Fabula Nova Crystallis has been a series which has split the Final Fantasy fan base down the middle. Some love the direction the series has gone and some old school JRPG fans just hate it. So far in Europe we have been treated to three Final Fantasy XII titles with Final Fantasy XV coming in the future and all of them received very mixed receptions but over in Japan a title unknown by some might just have re-righted all the wrongs and maybe bring the fans back together. I will start with a bold statement which might cause a few argument but Final Fantasy Type 0 is easily one of the best final fantasy games I have played.

RetroReview: Digital Devil Saga

Take the red pill you return home.......

Digital Devil Saga was the second title from the RPG series Shin Megami Tensei by ATLUS to release on the Playstation 2, it was also the first time an SMT had seen any kind of advertising and interest in Europe after the sleeper hit Lucifer's Call (Nocturne for the US). 

Praised as one of the strongest RPGs on the system and the PS2 was hardly starved in that department, Ghostlight have recently managed to re-release DDS onto the PSN store as a PS2 classic!. How well does this stand the test of time?, lets find out!.

Otaku Review: Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law(PSP)

I'll Take The Case!

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, a crime video game based upon a cult TV series of the same name, is centred on ex-hero Harvey Birdman. I say ex-hero because the whole series is a parody of itself. The show involves many Hannah Barbera characters and different crimes in which they have become involved in. One of my favourite is the old question regarding Shaggy & Scooby. Were they just hippies with the munchies? Well, they are put up on front of the judge for that said crime. The main character of the show is Harvey Birdman, who too did have his own show in the 60’s. To be honest, it is a show I had never heard of, until I started watching this. The show finally ended when one of the main cast moved onto a bigger things. It was disappointing that the show ended and I wondered if there would be anything else. For a while, there was no answer until I stumbled upon the PSP version of Attorney at Law. It was a good few years after it originally came out and the reason why I was unaware is that it was only released in the USA.

Otaku Review: My Girlfriend is the President (PC)

The PC is a great platform for the aspiring otaku out there. While Jrpg's aren't exactly released for the platform much here, there's a wealth of Visual Novels n the like that have been fan-translated or seen a later release from the developer in English - with netbooks, laptops etc offering up portability for a premium Visual Novel experience on the go. With that in mind, Lets take a look at one - My Girlfriend is the President.