Tag: Playstation Vita

‘Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls’ Is A Much Better Game On PS4

by Josh Jackson

Back in 2015, I reviewed Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, a third person shooter that spun off from the point and click adventure games that have been all the rage on the Vita. When I first played it, I adored its creative use of weapons, its creepy atmosphere, and its variety in enemies, with my biggest complaints centering on the camera issues. Having fewer buttons made handling all of the game’s tasks a bit awkward on the handheld, which ultimately held it back from being as great as it could have been. That all changed with the PS4 remaster releasing ahead of the much anticipated Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, allowing a wider audience to enjoy this quirky action title with a slew of improvements. After playing through it again on the big screen, it’s clear that Komaru benefited greatly from the jump to Sony’s home console.

Trapped in the devastated Towa City with an army of Monokuma robots out to kill anyone they can find, Komaru Naegi finds herself fighting off the machines with one of the first game’s survivors, (and part time serial killer), Toko Fukawa. In between them and their freedom are the Warriors of Hope, a group of children who are seemingly responsible for the chaos with ties to series antagonist, Junko Enoshima. Part horror movie and part coming of age drama, tying Komaru’s journey of a regular girl in a world of geniuses to the loose ends of the first two games is done masterfully, still serving as an entertaining backdrop to all of the chaos that surrounds you.

As a remaster, my thoughts haven’t changed much regarding the game as a whole compared to the Vita version. Considering how shooters haven’t advanced much since 2015, Ultra Despair Girls still feels incredibly fresh with its unique use of weapons for both combat and puzzle solving. Using your gun to hack, destroy enemy weak points, push Monokuma robots into water and forcing them to dance among other functions are still equal parts fun and hilarious. It’s always nice to see a dark game that manages to retain a sense of humor. Still, long cutscenes reminiscent of its text adventure roots tend to hurt the flow of the action while the game makes it hard to keep track of what you’re missing for all of those completionists out there. With the improvements made to the controls, the PS4 version makes an already easy game slightly easier, meaning it won’t last terribly long from a game play standpoint.

But there are some key improvements that make the game worth checking out a second time, as well as making it a can’t miss game for PS4 owners who never had a Vita to play the original on. As soon as the game gives you control of Komaru, it’s immediately noticeable how much smoother the game runs on the console. The frame rate has received a boost, making moving the camera and exploring Towa City a much more seamless experience. Komaru, the city itself and the enemy character models look much more vibrant this time around, taking advantage of the high definition boost the game received in the upgrade process. But what was probably the original’s most glaring flaw, its awkward controls when trying to both shoot and move, have been improved with the addition of extra shoulder buttons. Now, what was once a clunky, unintuitive movement method that asked the player to make concessions with comfort is much easier to play. Adopting the Resident Evil model of control is always going to come with a certain amount of clunkyness, but it’s minimized to the point where I barely noticed them during my time with the game. However, aiming is still annoyingly slow, which is by design since one of Komaru’s skills during upgrading is her aiming speed. Hey, we can’t win them all…

With Danganronpa 1+2 Reload and Ultra Despair Girls both on the PS4 and the Danganronpa 3 anime available on demand, there’s little reason to miss out on the entire saga before we dive back into this world in Danganronpa V3. But even without that extra incentive, Ultra Despair Girls is a worthy action title that’s worth checking out. Whether its your first time or your next of many trips to Towa City, the game’s small annoyances can’t take away from this creepy, funny, incredibly dark but never dull shooter that always manages to keep things interesting. Whether you consider yourself an Ultimate Gamer or a regular old player, you’d do well to check this game out and see what all the fuss is about. Who knows? Maybe you’ll jump on the V3 hype train with us in the process!

 

NIS America To Livestream Press Event This Friday

by Natalie Kipper

NIS America holds an annual press shindig in San Francisco, California, and for the first time, the event will be broadcast live on the company’s Twitch channel! The festivities begin at 7pm Pacific/ 10pm Eastern on Friday, February 17.

What can we expect the Press Event? Here is what has been teased so far:

[via Miketendo64.com]

In an email sent out to attendees, NIS America stated that they have “five new games to announce and maybe even release dates for our first game on Switch and a game featuring an adorable black and white bear.” Now, I don’t know about you but that bear sounds a lot like Monokuma from the Danganronpa series to me. GoNintendo hypothesized that the yet-to-be revealed 3DS game is RPG Maker FES, which was recently announced for localization in Australia.

To keep up to date on the NISA Press Event 2017, head on over to their dedicated Facebook page. Do you plan on watching? Let us know in the comments!

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Attack On Titan’

by Josh Jackson

Attack On Titan seems like the kind of license that would be perfect for a video game, right? Based on the anime and manga series of the same name, what could be more exciting than soaring through the air and cutting down these towering giants? Unfortunately, past iterations haven’t had much success in delivering a satisfying adaptation to our screens, but that all changes with the new Attack On Titan from Koei Tecmo and Omega Force. Known for their work on the numerous Dynasty Warriors games and spinoffs, their expertise when it comes to creating large scale battles shines through with one of the most exciting games of the year, licensed or otherwise.

Attack On Titan PS4 Screen 1

Closing in for the kill.

If you follow the anime, you’ll know that the show has been stuck in limbo over the last few years after its initial 26 episodes, so forgive me if the plot sounds familiar. For those who might be introduced to the series for the first time through the game, Attack On Titan focuses on the last of humanity, most of which was wiped out years before by the sudden arrival of the Titans. These seemingly mindless creatures feed on humans, and pushed those who were left behind to build a new settlement separated by three walls. Eren Jager, Mikasa Akerman and Armin Arlert, childhood friends who live within the outermost Wall Maria, have their worlds torn apart when a sudden Titan attack led by the never before seen Colossal Titan, results in the wall being breached and their parents being killed as a result. Deciding to enlist in the military as retaliation, the trio prepares to take the fight to the Titans, becoming humanity’s last hope for survival.

When looking at how easily the humans are decimated throughout the series, Attack On Titan almost feels like Dynasty Warriors in reverse. Between Attack Mode, (where the story takes place), and Expedition Mode, (side missions that focus on obtaining new materials and gear), the core game play revolves around the player stepping in the shoes of one of the Survey Corps members as they traverse one of many maps, slaying dozens of Titans while helping squad mates in need. Capturing the feel of the show and its soldiers’ unique method of movement thanks to the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear, using these grappling hooks to fly through the air at high speeds is as satisfying as it looks. The controls admittedly have a bit of a learning curve as you memorize how to grapple, speed up, lock on, focus on one of five body parts, issue orders to your squad, and close in for your decisive blow, but once it all comes together well. Cutting down enemy after enemy results in one of the most thrilling game play experiences so far this year.

Attack On Titan PS4 Screen 2

Sasha Blaus holds her own against James Woods here.

Once on the battlefield, your main focus is to follow the red marked objectives to advance the story. Usually involving taking down multiple Titans, you’ll find yourself in a bad spot if you run out of gas for your gear, or if the twin swords you use for attacking wear out. All it takes is one mistimed attack, a lack of speed or a set of dull blades to be grabbed by an enemy, and if you’re not fast enough with your reactions, you’ll be food in no time. Thankfully, the field is littered with support soldiers who hand off more supplies when approached. As barbaric as it sounds however, the only way to know what they’ll give you is if you let them get eaten. Yes, much like the show, death is all around you. These NPC’s will often be killed, with a notification in the corner making you feel extra guilty about it by letting you know each time. By killing a Titan who’s consumed an ally, they’ll occasionally drop their corpse, which is marked with an icon showing which item their body will reward.

Attack On Titan PS4 Screen 4

Yep. A lot of people die.

If you want someone more reliable on your team, story characters will often signal for help with side objectives, ranging from helping them turn the tides in a losing battle, escorting them to a point, or triggering traps on the field. Once aided, they’ll join your five person squad and attack alongside you, bringing more items with them and triggering traps in the process. Often stronger than the generic NPC’s you can recruit, once a squad is in your control, you can issue generic commands like having them guard you, fan out to attack multiple nearby targets, or focus on the area you’re attacking for a devastating group attack.  In typical Dynasty Warriors fashion, important characters like your side quest recruits will comically “flee” the battlefield when defeated instead of getting killed. Which is strange since getting killed usually means getting eaten, so watching your squad be swallowed and chewed only to say they were tired of fighting and retreat right afterwards, is unintentionally comical. I mean, flee to where? You’re dead, man!

Speaking of friends, while Attack Mode is strictly single player, Expedition Mode lets players team up online to take on more difficult quests for the sake of money, new equipment, and the needed materials. Each set of missions is divided by a section of the map, each of which needs to be scouted throughout its nearly 100 missions. Not restricted to the story, these quests have the freedom to offer up some insane challenges to any Survey Corps member brave enough to take them on, and while expedition missions can be tackled solo, you’ll start to regret it once the difficulty ramps up. The reward is worth the struggle though, since the only way to unlock new weapons, Mobility Gears, scabbards, and eventually horses, is by playing through these missions. On the flip side, you can only unlock new characters for this mode by progressing through Attack Mode, so you’ll want to play both side by side if you want to steadily progress without trouble.

And while the assumption would be that each character would be exactly the same, Attack On Titan does a great job of making each main character feel unique, playing up their character strengths. Eren obviously has his Titan Form, where he can temporarily transform into one of the monsters and tear them apart with some basic melee combat abilities, but when characters like Levi and Mikasa feel significantly better at sword fighting thanks to their unique abilities, or Armin making up for his lack of strength by being the only person who can issue individual orders to his squad thanks to his tactical brilliance, each playable character delivers a small, yet noticeable difference to how you’ll approach combat.

Attack On Titan PS4 Screen 3

Each character is unique, but only Eren can one hand grab Titans that look like babies.

In both Attack and Expedition Modes, you’ll wind up with extra material drops by attacking marked limbs on Titan bodies, or earning an S rank at completion. Coming off as simple enough at first, obtaining S Ranks often felt more frustrating than it was worth. Finishing the stage fast enough and addressing enough side requests were both fine, but it’s easy to get knocked down a rank because you didn’t kill enough Titans. In my confusion, I noticed that in many cases, you’ll have to hunt down and kill nearly every Titan on the map, no matter how out of the way they are compared to the rest of your objectives. Feeling like a battle against my own annoyance, there’s little in the game more disheartening than getting your rank dropped because you didn’t kill those two guys hanging out in the opposite corner of the stage, especially when rare materials are on the line.

As much as the ranking can bring down your spirits, it’s a nitpick next to some of the bigger issues with Attack On Titan, most of which bog down the main game too much. For starters, while delivered with the same solid voice acting, beautiful visuals, and stellar presentation as when you’re in the middle of the action, the story is hard to stay interested in since it’s a story we’ve seen told so many times. This isn’t the game’s fault, but it’s impossible to be excited about sitting through the Female Titan finale for the third time. Fortunately, the game goes above and beyond in this respect, adding in part of the next story arc after the credits roll as a set of bonus post game quests. Within the main game, some of the missions feel more drawn out than they should be. If we break down the anime and make an action game out of the actual fight scenes, there’s very little to explore, (which was a big reason why last year’s game fell short). To compensate, small moments that were either glossed over, or took up all of two minutes of screen time on the show, will be expanded into whole missions in the game. It’s easy to see where the developers stretched things out to create a more “full” gaming experience, but for every great level we get, it also ends up being tied to slow story progression.

Attack On Titan PS4 Screen 5

You’ll be thankful for your crew when you’re inevitably caught.

But most importantly, as fun as the game play is, Attack On Titan falls into Omega Force’s most consistent complaint. This game is far too repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, the satisfying flash of a perfect attack, the occasional zoom in on your character before they deliver the killing blow, and the spray of blood that douses your character in a brutal crimson rain never gets old, but most of the combat revolves around you doing the same thing repeatedly for the 10 hours or so that the main story takes to complete. Add in a few more for the post game content, and another 10-20 minimum for the Expedition Mode, and the shine will definitely wear off over time. The game does try to throw in new elements with horseback levels, where your faithful steed will accompany you while traveling across areas with few buildings to latch on to, Titan Mode levels, where Eren fights hand to hand with some satisfying, yet few attacks as mentioned earlier, and bosses that require you to wear down their body before their weakness at the nape of their neck will be exposed, but it’s not enough when these brief moments are quickly replaced by the standard combat. It doesn’t help when occasionally, especially in small, enclosed maps, the camera loses all sense of direction and flies around faster than a Maneuver Gear ever could. Combined with the (appreciated) grapple physics that will drop you if your hooks become obstructed, and some minor slowdown when battles get hectic, and you end up with a great game with some minor technical hiccups.

Despite the repetition, Attack On Titan is one of the most enjoyable anime adaptations I’ve played. By capturing the style and brutality of its anime counterpart and successfully adapting it into an adrenaline rush of a video game with its satisfying, fast paced action, it won’t be hard to find plenty to love. Fans of the series itself, or even an action gamer who’s never heard of the series, (if any exist at this point), would do well to pick it up and take up arms against the Titans. With online play to keep the battles going long after the credits roll, a distinct cast of characters, and plenty of content to unlock throughout, Wall Maria’s tragedy is definitely our gain.

Final Score: 4.25/5

Here’s A First Look At The CPU Candidates In ‘Four Goddesses Online: Cyberdimension Neptunia’

by Josh Jackson

Courtesy of Dengeki Playstation, the Japanese gaming magazine that typically breaks the latest news regarding the Neptunia series of games, has revealed the CPU candidates for the upcoming Four Goddesses Online: Cyberdimension Neptunia.

Taking place in the same MMORPG that Vert, the CPU of Leanbox, is often seen playing in the main series, each of the girls now hold more traditional RPG job classes as they work to survive in this virtual world. Prior reveals showed that Neptune would be a Paladin, Noire a Dark Knight, Blanc as a healer/White Mage, and Vert as an Enchantress. No further details were known about the cast until now, but we know that when the CPU’s are around, their sisters can’t be far behind. With the most recent reveal, we now know what roles the younger girls will be playing based on some recently released concept art.

Based on the images, it appears as if Nepgear will take the role of a witch/Black Mage, Uni will be a gunner, Rom takes up her sword as a samurai, and her twin sister, Ram, will be the Ninja of the group. Uni makes sense since she’s always specialized in long ranged rifles, but the rest of the class assignments are surprising role swaps compared to the main game. Typically an attacker with light healing abilities, Nepgear going full-on mage is new for Nep Jr. On the other hand, Rom leaving the position of the team’s healer, and Ram becoming a class known for its speed and item usage as opposed to her usual offensive magic attacks, I’m really curious as to how each character will fit into these roles.

But first, we need to learn something about the game, with new pieces of information being few and far between. A release date, platform, or even what kind of game it will be outside of the vague description of a simulated MMORPG is still unknown, but for the time being, we’ll take whatever trickles out.

What are your thoughts on the CPU Candidates and their role in 4 Goddesses Online? Make sure to let us know in the comments!

E3 2016: Why Didn’t ‘Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Force’ Come Out Sooner!?

by Josh Jackson

The Gundam franchise has existed long before many of us were even born, with more figures, kits and anime series’ than we can imagine. Knowing that, when some very closely inspired video games started releasing throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, namely Sega’s Virtual On and Level-5’s Little Battlers Xperience. These versus style 3D arena fighters seemed like a perfect fit for the decades old mech series, but for some reason, they never came! It turns out Japan was holding out on us, since a series using this gameplay format did exist, but was largely been kept out of the West. But that’s changing with Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Force, which will bring together heroes that span the entire franchise exclusively to the PlayStation Vita for a handheld battle of supremacy. We played it at E3 and learned how big of a difference some familiar faces can make.

E3 2016 Gundam Extreme VS Force Screen 1

Choosing from over a dozen pilots out of the 30 plus that are featured in the full game, each one comes with their signature Gundam. Having the freedom to move openly in a 3D space, your character comes equipped with their own weapons and abilities that look to tear down the opposition while paying homage to their source at the same time. This time however, your opponents are going to be other Gundams, who are just as eager to boost and position themselves in order to take you out. With so many games featuring the franchise gaining a reputation for being slower and more clunky, playing Extreme Vs. Force felt like a dream.

Knowing this, it makes the battles even more fun to play when multiple opponents are on the field. Featuring 2 on 2 and even 6 on 6 battles that can bring a towering battleship into the fight, there will be plenty of ways to put that huge roster to good use. Missions that span the entire run will keep pilots busy, but when the single player content isn’t enough, you can always take on a friend with the game’s local ad-hoc mode. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if the game will feature online of any kind, but here’s to hoping we’ll have plenty of content to sift through when the game releases on July 12.

E3 2016 Gundam Extreme VS Force Screen 2

With such a rich history, which characters are you looking forward to playing with? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check back with us as more details surface.

Geekscape Games Reviews: Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

by Natalie Kipper

[This review is based on a sample provided by the publisher.]

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a remastered version of the original Odin Sphere, which was released on the Playstation 2 way back in the day (well 2007). Created by Vanillaware and published by Atlus, the action RPG was heralded as one of the prettiest games of its era. I somehow managed to miss out on playing the original, so I was particularly pleased to hear about Leifthrasir‘s release. As mentioned in a previous article, this new edition features updated graphics, additional mini-bosses, and tweaks to the combat system. While I can’t compare the previous version to this one, I can review the game at face value with a pair of fresh eyes. Note: I played the game on my Playstation Vita.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir review - attic

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir review -attic bookshelf

The game is broken up into storylines focused on the five main characters: Gwendolyn, Cornelius, Mercedes, Oswald, and Velvet. The heroes’ backstories tie together, leading them to cross each others paths at certain points. The overlying story focuses on a great war between the nations of Erion, the game’s world. The plot was moving, but not overly dramatic and was the main thing that enticed me to continue playing during long gaming sessions. The notes and memos scattered throughout the realm’s battlegrounds help flesh out the game world’s mythology.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a side-scrolling, action RPG. The areas are broken down into different stages, some filled with standard baddies or the larger, more imposing mini-bosses (with one room for the main boss). Other rooms can be designated “Rest Areas” or be tucked-away treasure rooms, occasionally housing a weapon skill-unlocking Phozon Prism. Finding these special items can be as easy as beating a required boss or as tricky as finding a hidden room. In the case of the latter, you are given vague hints in the “skill” menu as to its location.

Battles are fast-paced and require you to make use of blocking and breaking your enemies’ guard, “juggling” your opponents in a mid-air assault, and using available skills as well as alchemic potions. You learn on the go for most of it but there are mini-tutorials on occasion. In regards to alchemy, mixing up potions is simply a matter of either following the recipes (which you will find on the field) or trial and error. I found several mixtures to particularly helpful at certain points, particularly Shine and Restore.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir - Phozon skill tree

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir review - ability tree

By powering up Phozon Prisms with the phozons you acquire from felling foes, you can tailor your hero to match your fighting style. For example, some skills are more tactical in nature and rely on your character or the enemy to be positioned a certain way to be effective. Character abilities, which can be acquired by spending orbs earned through leveling up, further the tailoring process. You can focus on making your hero more defensive or offensive or even spend you orbs to unlock a discount at merchants. It is a fun aspect to the game that makes playing feel more personalized.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir review - Maury

Now, I can’t speak for how the original looked back in the PS2 days but holy cow, the Vita version is eye candy at its finest. Between the fluid animation, colorful graphics, and the storybook-like art style, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. And some of the food looked good enough to eat! The production values felt high overall, with tons of voice acting and a beautiful soundtrack.

I tend to be hesitant to pick up action RPGs because of my poor “gaming reflexes.” But I urge anyone who is even mildly interested in the title to pick it up. I certainly enjoyed my time with the title. What’s more, I can’t find a single thing wrong with it. I believe that earns Odin Sphere Leifthrasir a 5 out of 5.

Demo For ‘Odin Sphere Leifthrasir’ Is Live!

by Natalie Kipper

If you missed out on Vanillaware’s Odin Sphere when it was initially released on the PlayStation 2 or just want to make a return trip to the world of Erion, ATLUS has you covered with their upcoming release of Odin Sphere Leifthrasir for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita. A demo for the game is now available to download for PlayStation 3 and 4 with the Vita version going up on May 31.

What makes this title different from the original? Besides graphics that have been redrawn (yes, “drawn”) for 1080p/60fps, the combat system has received an upgrade and mini-bosses were added to maps in response to fan feedback.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is available to pre-order now and releases on June 7. Pre-ordering a copy will net you a free 64-page art book to go with your game, while supplies last. The PlayStation 4 also has an exclusive “Storybook Edition,” which includes a shirt, art print, hardcover art book, metal slipcase and decorative outer box along with the game.

Keep an eye out for Geekscape’s review of Odin Sphere Leifthrasir in the near future!

‘Breath of Fire III’ Is Heading To The NA Playstation Network This Month

by Natalie Kipper

Let the celebration begin! Capcom’s classic RPG, Breath of Fire III, is coming to the North American PSN Store this month on a yet-to-be revealed date. The title, priced at US$9.99, will playable on PSP, PS Vita, and PlayStation TV. Breath of Fire III will be joining its successor, Breath of Fire IV, which has been in the Store for a long time now.

No further details were provided but this is more than enough to get me thoroughly hyped. Also, I am going to put this out there right now: My fairy village can beat up your fairy village.

Will you be downloading Breath of Fire III? Do you have fond memories of the game? Let us know in the comments!

Breath of Fire III

[via Capcom-Unity; header image via Let’s Play Archive]

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls’

by Josh Jackson

Danganronpa had caught me completely by surprise when it hit Western territories early last year. Released on the Vita as enhanced ports of the Japan only PSP series, its first exposure outside of the Eastern market left a lasting impression. With it and its sequel, these titles pushed beyond what we’ve come to expect from text adventure titles with its dark, yet humorous premise, memorable characters and ambitious mix of game play styles. So much so in fact, that I named the series my favorite games of last year! Now, about a year later, the series takes another bold step forward with Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, the first original title the series has seen since 2012, built specifically for the Playstation Vita. Ditching the visual novel format, this spinoff takes on the third person shooter genre while bridging events between the first and second game, all while delivering the same ambition and creativity the main games are known for.

Ultra Despair Girls follows Komaru Naegi, the younger sister of the first game’s protagonist, who is being held prisoner by an unknown assailant. As time goes by, Komaru gets used to this life of solitude but her world takes an unexpected turn when a bloodthirsty Monokuma robot breaks into her makeshift home with the intention of killing her. After being rescued by an enigmatic group known as the Future Foundation, Komaru is tasked with surviving the Monokuma onslaught. Unfortunately, since her kidnapping, the world has fallen into ruin. Finding herself trapped in the isolated Towa City with a team of sadistic children known as the Warriors Of Hope, these kids plan on killing every adult they come across, including Komaru herself. Armed with a hacking gun that can fight off the robot army, and the schizophrenic fiction writer / serial killer, Toko Fukawa, (from the first Danganronpa), at her side, can this ordinary girl become the ultimate hope to fight off the despair?

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 2Death and destruction has never been so cute.

Split into multiple chapters, Ultra Despair Girls primarily plays in a similar style to over the shoulder survival horror shooters similar to Resident Evil 4 or Dead Space. Using a variety of ammo types, Komaru will find herself blowing away countless waves of Monokuma robots, relying on a steady aim to take them out in most situations. Shooting them in their glowing red eye with the standard Break ammo deals extra damage, rewarding players with bonus Monocoins, which are used to upgrade the hacking gun or Toko’s alter ego, Genocide Jack. Each kill rewards experience, which levels Komaru up and allows her to equip more upgrades at a time. As the game progresses, the hacking gun gains a variety of “Truth Bullets”, each of which has its own strategic use. Are a group of enemies lined up in front of an electric car? The Move bullet will force the car to drive forward, running them all over. Is there a Siren Monokuma in your way, who will alert nearby enemies when it spots you? Shoot it with the Dance bullet to make its light set off an irresistible disco flair, forcing it and its friends to boogie uncontrollably, (and vulnerable to your attacks.) Or you could just do your best Bioshock impression and electrocute every enemy standing in water. It’s this level of variety in both the weapon and enemy types that help the combat stand out, helping it emerge as one of the better executed third person shooters in recent memory in terms of weapon variety. Naturally, weapon variety doesn’t matter much if there isn’t enemy variety to go with it, which this game has in spades. Between the variety of Monokuma types and the bosses at the end of each stage, you’re constantly asked to approach situations differently, even if they rarely provide a challenge, (but more on that later.)

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 5The game offers a good amount of enemy variety, like this terrifying thing.

With so many attack options available, it wasn’t just enough to create a level of variety as you progress through the story. As you explore more of Towa City, you’ll come across Challenge Rooms, most of which you’ll encounter through normal progression. Here, Komaru is asked to accomplish a certain goal while only using certain Truth Bullets. Some will have you sneak to the exit without being spotted, while others will ask you to destroy all the robots with one attack. While most of these rooms aren’t particularly difficult, they play the role of helping us think outside the box in terms of how the game can be played, all while teasing our brain a bit in between all the shootouts. Then again, you CAN just kill everything in the room however you want, but it will hurt your end of stage rank, which becomes tempting in a handful of rooms where the objectives are explained poorly. Confusion, trial and error are never fun, but these moments are so few that they do little to hurt these challenges as a whole.

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 6Surrounded? Just make them dance!

Speaking of killing everything, what kind of serial killer would Genocide Jack be if she doesn’t murder anything? When not serving as the absolute best escorted NPC ever in a video game, (seriously, Toko NEVER gets in your or the camera’s way despite always following right behind you,) Genocide Jack can be called upon at will to slice up her enemies with her trademark scissors as long as you have enough battery power to sustain her. A fast, invulnerable melee attacker, Jack is used as a kind of power up, helping you get out of jams or clearing the screen in an instant with her comical special attacks. Using a variety of combos and charge attacks, ripping through armies of Monokuma robots is a joy to play. Unfortunately for fans of the character like myself, her role as a temporary fighter minimalism her role in combat. Outside of a handful of story sections where you’re forced to use her, the game discourages you from swapping out too much since your end of chapter rank can also drop if she’s abused. Naturally, you can always start the game in Genocider Mode, where using her becomes unlimited, but be prepared to watch your rank plummet as you do so.

With this in mind, the question must be asked; if the serial killer is a hero, how evil do the villains have to be? Heading into Another Episode, I must admit that I was disappointed in the direction the game decided to go in in terms of introducing a new set of characters as antagonists. After all, the end of the second game created the perfect set up for a whole group of villains that we could already be invested in. Thankfully, the Warriors of Hope turned out to be far more memorable than I could have ever expected. Sending conflicting messages, the game has this uncanny ability to show the children committing horrible acts in their pursuit of an adult free world, then shortly after, make you feel their mindset is justified. Each child has their own set of motivations that are pretty twisted, making me put my head down in disbelief as some of these details slowly became apparent. Let’s just say if you thought the premise of the first two games was sick, (forcing high school students to kill each other, while the culprits would get slaughtered in an often graphic, yet always comical way when caught,) some of the content in this game tops it, and then some. You’re a monster if you don’t feel uncomfortable at some point during your play through.

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 4New and old faces alike make appearances.

Outside of the Warriors of Hope, the story is Danganronpa‘s strongest point once again, quite possibly serving as the best in the series so far. Told through a mix of anime cutscenes, in game dialogue sections, (making use of the very expressive character models,) or the grim, 2D cutout style found in previous entries throughout the story mode, the game offers plenty of insight into the characters from the first game, somewhat logical explanations for some of the events that seemed impossible by the time the initial killing game came to an end, and plenty of foreshadowing towards the events that would take place in Danganronpa 2. If anything, the story’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t do enough to bring the two games together. If this was meant to fill in the gaps between the two main games, it’s as if it only filled half of it. Seemingly doing more to set up a second Another Episode game rather than answer the questions left behind in the second mainline title, which left me feeling like the closing moments ultimately amounted to nothing aside from some cool references.

Aside from the anticlimactic ending, the amount of story content disrupts the pacing often throughout its 18 hour run. Sounds good for a shooter, but when you take out the cutscenes, that 18 hours is cut down to about 8 of actual play time, and that’s being generous. Considering that this is spun off from a visual novel, lots of text is to be expected, but 30 minute scenes constantly popping up really hurts the flow of an action game. While expertly acted out by some of the top voice actors in the business today, sometimes you just want to get on with shooting stuff. Oh, and can the cast stop calling Komaru weak and a coward throughout 75% of the story? It’s hard to make that argument when she’s the only one destroying an army of killer bears. I think she’s earned the right to complain once or twice a chapter.

On the flip side, it may be true that Toko has grown as a character since surviving her previous ordeals, (which is a trait she displays many times,) but not so much when it comes to Byakuya, her crush from the original. Her calling him “Master” throughout the game is slightly humorous at first, but becomes grating as the game goes on. The amount that her self confidence has increased in every other aspect is a welcomed, (and natural,) progression when it comes to her character, but going in the opposite direction when it comes to Byakuya doesn’t match up. It’s not worth it to compromise Toko for a few laughs that ultimately fall flat, even if she does still manage to shine.

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 1Komaru and Toko are amazing together… Sometimes.

Either way, the two girls will need to find a way to work through their quirks to fight off enemies as threatening as the Warriors of Hope… Or maybe not. Unfortunately, another one of Another Episode‘s biggest flaws is that considering how dangerous they claim to be, the Warriors of Hope don’t put up much of a fight. Even on the hardest difficulty, the game is almost insultingly easy, with enemies doing very little damage. Throughout the entire game, I died a total of three times, once when I didn’t know a certain enemy would self destruct, once when I got knocked off a ledge for an instant death, and once when I made the mistake of playing in the sunlight that made my screen hard to see in the final moments of the 18 hour play through. Even then, if you are killed by a standard attack, Toko has the opportunity to save you with a timed tap of the correct button at the cost of one of a segment of the Genocide Jack meter. If that wasn’t lenient enough, if you time the save just right to where the prompt closes in on the blue portion of the prompt instead of the yellow, the save costs nothing, essentially giving you infinite lives. Oh, and if you’re expecting this to change with the boss fights, don’t. The fights themselves while interesting at times, are just as easy as the rest of the game. Even if you have trouble, every time you’re low on health, the enemies are kind enough to start dropping hearts all over the field. Combined with certain abilities, each one will replenish your health in full, making battle feel more like a formality than a challenge or reward.

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 3The Warriors Of Hope never lose their sense of humor, even as you breeze through their plans.

Then again, maybe the light difficulty is better than raging over unfair deaths due to the in game camera. While I never experienced any major issues with the sometimes unwieldy view, it’s still prominent enough to be addressed. The game essentially has three ways to control the angle, two of which are formal while the other is the very first power up Komaru is given at the start of the game. Auto is the default setting, where the camera sticks to your back by default. As the most ideal mode, this creates issues when trying to explore the environment for its many hidden items, since its hard to walk and search with the camera constantly moving. Second is manual, where the camera is rotated by the right stick and stays wherever you leave it. A quick tap of the R button will center the camera behind Komaru, but while minor, this causes the player to lose control of her for a brief moment before adjusting the direction she’s moving in. Ideal for exploration, it makes basic traveling an annoyance, especially since the only way to run and move the camera is to hold the Vita like you have a claw hand. The last, (and unofficial,) camera control method is the auto aim ability, the first power up provided at the start of the game. Coming in handy for most of the campaign, this move lets you automatically target the closest enemy to you. Considering how slow aiming is, this function is a life saver when you need to shoot quickly. However, when you’re surrounded, it has a terrible habit of targeting the wrong enemy if they’re slightly closer than your intended target. Each method has its strenghths and weaknesses, and while a consistent camera would have been ideal, alternating between these three modes is the way to go, even if periodically switching shouldn’t be the case.

On the subject of its aiming, I have no idea what the developers were thinking in this case, but the most apparent head scratcher was the design choice to make lining up your shots move painfully slow. I say design choice because rather than offering the option for aim sensitivity, the game instead offers faster aim as an unlockable power up, one that doesn’t even increase the speed that much. This makes the auto aim ability feel almost mandatory, but as mentioned, when you’re surrounded, you’re lucky if you target the enemy you’re trying to. As the only huge game play flaw, Spike Chunsoft made sure to make it count.

Danganronpa Another Episode Screen 7The Warriors Of Hope’ s strongest weapon might be forcing Komaru to use such awful aiming.

And finally, I can’t let the game get away with its terrible handling of collectables. This game has a huge amount of pick ups to find throughout its five chapters, which range from notes that explain the history of Towa City and its citizens, additional power ups for Komaru, ID Cards that offer insight on the pasts of the first game’s cast, and even an adorable story about Socki the Sock. These amount to what must be close to 100 items, many of which are must finds for Danganronpa fans. But good luck with that, since the game gives you no clue as to what items are in what chapter, or if you’re even missing anything in a particular section. Once you beat the game, a completion list tells you the percentage of each item type you found, but that does absolutely nothing to help you narrow down where you’re missing these flashing pixels. Naturally, this is a nightmare for people who don’t want to rely on a guide, but if you want to save yourselves hours of scouring stages, you might have to.

Despite its flaws, Danganronpa: Another Episode is one of the most refreshing shooters I’ve played in a long time. Rather than relying on tried and true methods set by other games in the genre to dictate its gunplay, Komaru’s adventure marches to the beat of its own twisted drum. Its unique ammo sets create a variety of strategic possibilities, which range from destructive to adorable, all while its story sets up so many gruesome scenarios. The strange part? It still manages to be so charming, just like the main games before it. Sure, the pacing of the game is hurt by its constant dialogue, the slow aiming feels like an example of forcing a handicap on players to force them to use power ups, the camera an collectables can be a pain, and the story ultimately goes nowhere, (even if its an amazing journey before the ending disappoints,) but in the end, Another Episode‘s can’t miss narrative and creative game play help it stand strong as one of the Vita’s best games this year. Don’t fall into despair, make sure you check this one out!

 

tl;dr

+ Creative game play that constantly asks you to approach situations differently, either in the field, or in specialized challenge rooms.

+ Decent enemy variety.

+ A deceptively dark, often shocking story, even by Danganronpa standards.

+ Unexpectedly scary.

+ Expertly voiced by a strong English cast.

+ End of chapter ranks, lots of power ups and collectables, will keep you playing.

– The game is way too easy, rarely offering a challenge, even on Despair (Hard) Mode.

– Long story scenes break the flow of game play, while its climax falls flat and some of the characterization feels out of place.

– Aiming is made slow to encourage power ups, while the only real solution doesn’t work properly when surrounded.

– Multiple camera options; none of which are ideal.

– No way to track missing collectables.

 

Verdict: Buy

Final Score: 4/5

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed Brings New Battle Tactics And Hack ‘N’ Slash Action To The PlayStation Vita.

by Mary Campos

The planet Gamindustri has found peace due to the combined efforts of the CPU’s and the CPU candidates. The CPU candidates find themselves a little bored in this time of peace.  However, what to warriors do when there aren’t any bad guys to battle? The answer comes in an interesting proposition in their time of peaceful boredom.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed is the first 3D action hack ‘n’ slash in the game series. Your favorite Neptunia characters will have to battle it out to determine who is the best, and strongest.

Hack ‘n’ slash your way through waves of enemies in real time. The free roaming battle stages allow you to create chain combos on the ground and in the air. You can play as your favorite characters as well as new playable characters, with new customizable equipment.

Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed features a dual system that allows you to switch between two characters. Allowing players to combine different characters and learn their strengths and weaknesses for the ultimate battle duo!

One of the new features is a “Costume Break”. Your character’s outfits tear and rip from the heat of battle. Costume damage lowers your defense but increases your crit rate and EXE Drive Gage.

Get ready to experience the new installment in the Hyperdimesion series and prepare for battle! Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed will be released on May 19th, in North America, and May 22nd in Europe. It will be available exclusively on the Playstation Vita and will be compatible with PlayStation TV.

Josh had an opportunity to take a look at the game earlier this week! You can check out his full review here.

https://youtu.be/ORf0A0JsFVE

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed’

by Josh Jackson

At this point, I feel like my Vita is a dedicated entryway into the world of Gamindustri. Considering that four different Hyperdimension Neptunia games have been released for the handheld in the last year, it’s easy to see why. Now that we’ve played not one, but two fantastic RPGs, dived into the strategy role playing realm, and even tried our hand at producing and managing their careers as singers, it’s about time the series took the action route. In Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, (a strange name for a non-Wii U title,) Gamindustri meets Dynasty Warriors in an over the top, horde slaying beat em up with the CPU and CPU Candidates doing the thwomping. But how well does a traditionally turn based franchise cross over into the action genre?

Now that the world is at peace, what’s a goddess to do aside from play games all day? Unfortunately, gaming doesn’t make a compelling news story, so when game journalists, Famitsu and Dengekiko, are tasked with writing up stories on the lives of the CPU’s and their little sisters, a little encouragement pushes them towards getting off their lazy butts and completing a few quests. Or at least, that was the plan. But when quests suddenly start popping up at an alarming pace, the gaming goddesses are forced to take up their weapons once again and fight off the overwhelming amount of monsters that have appeared while finding out who’s behind the sudden influx of requests. If our two writers are able to get a great story in the process, then even better!

Neptunia1

Hyperdimension Neptunia U features ten unique characters to play as, which naturally include the CPU’s, their little sisters, and the addition of Famitsu and Dengekiko. Each character has a set of unique, (although limited,) combos and special moves that are designed to harm waves of enemies at once, and vary from slow and powerful, long range, or fast with a high hit count. As missions progress, each character builds up experience, unlocks new equipment and discovers new special attacks to put even more pressure on the more difficult enemies. With the option of taking on these missions solo, or pairing two characters together, each one is varied enough to feel unique while still accomplishing the same tasks.

Keep in mind, on top of all of these options per character, the CPU’s wouldn’t be much without their HDD forms. These serve as a temporary transformation that boosts attack power while changing their combos completely, essentially feeling like separate characters. Making it incredibly easy to wipe out foot soldiers and bosses alike, despatching dozens of enemies at one time with your powerful, special attack right before the transformation ends is ridiculously badass, all of which is done without a hint of a frame rate dip. Naturally, you have to fight for that meter, which fills up for the idle partner while the player character defeats enemies. If theirs is full, the player character will get their fill. Switching is as easy as tapping the down button on the D-Pad, so managing the meter is one of the more strategic aspects of Neptunia U, especially when it comes to the end game content. If you’re more passive, you could always fill your meter by tearing your clothes to shreds… Wait, what?

Neptunia2

Yep, as you probably know if you’re reading this review, (and if you didn’t, welcome to the madness!), as characters take damage, their clothes rip up until their so-called armor “breaks,” resulting in a brief mid-battle cutscene that shows the girls in suggestive positions in nothing but tattered duds and underwear. Story wise, in a desperate attempt to cover up, they transform into their HDD forms, which come with their own, handy outfits! In other words, you get instant access to their most powerful forms faster if you let their clothes rip. Considering this game is developed by Tamsoft, the designers behind most of the Senran Kagura games, it’s not really a surprise since that series has made wardrobe malfunctions famous in recent years. Still, there are few moments more uncomfortable than when you’re playing as one of the sisters, (especially the pre-teen Rom and Ram,) and their butts and chests jiggle in slow motion as the clothes fly off. With that said, the game offers unlockable costumes that don’t break, break easily, or are pre broken depending on player performance, so kudos to the developers for giving the player the choice to shape their own game play experience.

Speaking of the experience, we can’t ignore the dialogue. As expected from a Neptunia game, its personality and charm shine through both in and out of quests. It’s clear that a ton of care went into the character relationships, with unique chatter between almost every possible team. When not fighting to the death, special events expand on the personalities of everyone involved, which range from fourth wall breaking gaming commentary, balking at the absurdity of their clothes tearing, and even a “GamerGate” ethics in journalism quip! While not as laugh out loud funny as the main games, considering nearly every line is voiced with both Japanese and English voice options on an individual character basis, what’s provided is plenty when you take into account that this is an action game rather than an RPG. Either way, it’s still more than serviceable for the franchise faithful.

Despite how varied the mechanics and characters can be though, one major issue that most games of this nature encounter is its repetitiveness, and U is no exception. Each character’s move set is insanely stylish, but with only a few combos per character, you’ll see everything each one has to offer soon after picking them up. Not only that, but the game offers little incentive to experiment, leaving players to stick with the combo that works best for them, rinse and repeat. The main story mode never gets particularly challenging either, making its hundred-ish quests a breeze. Every once in a while, the game throws a curve ball at you, either by hiding objectives, asking you to collect items or hunt down a certain enemy, but at the end of the day, each one is accomplished by beating everything into submission.

Neptunia3

Yet, U redeems itself in a big way when it comes to the post game content. After spending 12 hours or so completing all of the quests in the main story, a wealth of new missions and modes keep the fun going. If you think you’ll just be able to blow through these stages like you were able to in the campaign, think again. To survive, you’ll have to pick your attacks carefully, manage your meter better than ever, and know when its best to just quit the mission, store your earned EXP, and live to fight another day. In addition, an arena mode pits the CPU’s against each other in one on one battles that unlock powerful accessories, and a tower mode which sends two of the girls into a multi-tiered challenge where they must fight off increasingly powerful enemies. On top of collecting enemy medals, (coins that opponents drop at random once defeated and can be used to unlock stat boosts, weapons and accessories,) and boosting the group’s friendship, (or Lily Ranks,) for in game perks, and you have a game that will potentially last for much longer than expected. If I were to be extra critical, I would have liked it if the arena mode’s difficulty didn’t range from one hit kill, one hit death or a legitimate match, if it let you fight against other Vita owners, (assuming they exist,) and that collecting medals and boosting Lily Ranks wasn’t such a grind-fest, but these issues don’t detract from the experience too much. Besides, what kind of Neptunia game would this be if it didn’t have insane trophy grinding?

Most impressively, Hyperdimension Neptunia U has become a game that I just can’t put down. Perfect for the portable experience, the quests, bonus content and grinding feel tailor made to be played in short bursts. That’s not to say that I haven’t had hours long sessions, (and I’ve had many,) but with as fun, colorful and fast paced the action turned out, it’s no wonder that the addiction has set in. If you love Neptune and friends in all of their self-referential glory, then this is a no-brainer. If you’re a beat em up fan who desperately needs something to play on the Vita, then U is more than a worthy purchase. While the anime inspired style, its repetitive nature, and the whole clothes tearing thing might not be everyone’s cup of tea, you might just be surprised with how endearing this game can be. Try it, you’ll be glad you did!

tl;dr

+ Successfully brings the style of the Neptunia games to the action genre, with flashy attacks and combos to go around for its varried cast.

+ A lengthy campaign filled with a plethora of quests, unlockable items and game industry satire.

+ Post game content improves the game a great deal, adding modes and missions that make you re-think the game.

+ The same tongue in cheek script that we’ve come to expect from the series, complete with dual language options for individual characters.

+ The clothes tearing option adds to the strategy while being entirely optional.  

– Combat becomes repetitive with only a few attack sets per character. The twenty characters, (including their HDD forms,) doesn’t alieviate it enough, and is only amplified by most of the objectives revolving around killing everything in sight.

– Some unlockables are absurdly grind heavy, artificially extending the replay value with enemies that give few rewards and a slow moving Lily Rank mechanic.

– While fun for what it is, the arena mode is a missed opportunity, with wildly unbalanced difficulty settings and the lack of a PvP versus mode.

 

Final Score: 4/5

https://youtu.be/ORf0A0JsFVE

‘Hyperdevotion Noire’ Collectors Edition Pre-Orders Are Live!

by Josh Jackson

Idea Factory has announced that pre-orders for the collector’s edition of Hyperdevotion Noire are now available worldwide. Launching on February 24th exclusively on the company’s online store, this special edition will come packaged with all kinds of Gamindustri goodness to celebrate the goddess of Lastation.

The Collector’s Edition includes:

– Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart for the PlayStation®Vita system
– “XOXO Noire” Wall Scroll
– Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart Illustration Book
– Collector’s Box
– Reversible Cover Sleeve Art

Any Hyperdimension collectors out there? If so, I don’t have to tell you that these will go fast, so unless you want your life to be full of regret as you watch prices rise on eBay, I’d say you need to jump on this. In the meantime, watch out for more information on this SRPG spinoff as the release draws nearer.

Noire

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation’

by Josh Jackson

Gamindustri is on the brink of collapse. The four goddesses that serve as this land’s protectors have been defeated by the ASIC, an evil organization that has grown in power by securing their shares using pirated gaming software. The last CPU standing to face this threat is powerless to stop them, forcing her to flee as her sister and friends remain captured for the next three years. Pretty dark, huh? It’s probably the last thing you would expect from the sequel to one of the surprise highlights of 2014, primarily because of its cheery, often silly take on the video game industry. Yet, in many ways, Hyperdimension Neptunia: Re;Birth 2 creates a completely different tone, sacrificing some of this over the top humor for a more serious take on these characters that took me by surprise last year. With so much of the original’s charm relying on its unique premise and script though, can the world of Neptunia thrive without it?

2014-10-07-110530IF and Nepgear going nowhere.

Re;Birth 2 places gamers in the very capable knee socks of Nepgear, the little sister of the original’s hyperactive protagonist. In comparison, Ge-Ge is much more mature, (despite being the “little” sister,) taking her duties as a CPU Candidate, (or the next Goddess in line to rule her home of Planeptune,) very seriously. Even still, her insecurities shine through most of the story, often worrying about escaping her sister’s shadow, while regaining the confidence it will take to save the goddesses that were so soundly defeated. With familiar faces such as IF and Compa from the original lending a hand, a huge cast of party members both new and old, and the addition of the other three CPU Candidates in the form of Lastation’s Uni and Lowee’s Rom and Ram fighting to save their siblings however, and the fight for Gamindustri’s future seems a lot less hopeless.

RE2_battle (8)Rom takes the spotlight in her HDD Form.

Or at least, that’s until you start playing, because the opening hours of Re;Birth 2 can be absolutely brutal. Making a complete 180 compared to its predecessor, which eased us into its fights before spiking about half way through, the sequel doesn’t play around. I came this close to losing the first tutorial boss fight, having to actually use strategy, items and stat boosts to eek out a win. Who would have thought!? Oddly enough, experience points start rising through the roof while fights get easier as the game progresses, making the experience more of a breeze as you push through the hazing of the early moments. You have to prove you really want it!

Either way, it becomes less of an issue when battles are not only a blast to play, but when the game can be customized to fit your play style! In our review of the original, we went into detail about the real time battle system and the Remake System, which allowed players to customize their game play experience if they had the items needed to unlock them, (give it a read, here!) In short, each character, weapon and attack has a certain attack range and a radius in which they can be moved. Every enemy that falls into that range can be hit with one of four types of attacks, which include special attacks, power attacks, break attacks, (that lower enemy shields,) and rush attacks, (multi hit attacks that build up the EX Meter, which adds bonus and signature abilities.)What makes battle even more fun this time around, (aside from the increase from three party members on the field to four,) is that more of the team wields a wider variety of attack types, namely Uni, Rom and Ram being able to attack at long range. To top it off, when late game abilities become available, these jaw dropping sequences range from badass action sequences, to some exciting attacks that reference some of our favorite niche games. It’s just too bad that the game can’t often keep up with this much awesome, causing the framerate to drop to a crawl when things get especially hectic.

RB2_battle (3)Cave’s EX Attack drops jaws as fast as the framerate.

If using these abilities makes the game too easy, or if that newest boss is just too hard to beat. Remaking the game can adjust the difficulty, unlock new items, dungeons and weapons, or even change mechanics like reducing the amount of time it takes to build up the EX Meter. As a far cry from the PS3 version that this title is based on, both mechanics are what holds the core of the game together, helping game stay addicting throughout its 25 hour plus story on a first run.

Still, even though all of these features are great, they’re way too familiar. Oddly enough, it seems like Nepgear’s primary flaw is trying to be too much like her sister! Re;Birth 2‘s biggest sin is the absurdly large amount of reused content it took from the first game. Enemies, some music, whole environments and many of the voice clips are completely ripped from the first title, (with some dungeons even being duplicates from THIS game,) oftentimes making the latest in the series feel more like an expansion than a sequel. The point and click map is mostly unchanged, complete with NPCs who you choose to talk to on a menu. While often serving as humorous takes on popular game characters, (Snake Hayter, Maryo and Monobear come to mind,) talking to them on a map screen isn’t the same as meeting them in a full fledged environment. While I appreciated the streamlined nature of these interactions originally, I’ve fallen in love with Gamindustri so much, that I wish I could delve into it outside of the various dungeons.

RB2_battle (8)Guess what game this girl is based on? (Hint: pick your eyes up.)

In the end though, what I thought would be this game’s biggest weakness became my absolute favorite part of it. Yes, Neptune is a fantastic protagonist, so much so that I named her the number 2 waifu of 2014 thanks to her off the wall, self aware, airhead personality. When I saw Nepgear as such a serious straight shooter, I expected the game to be less enjoyable because of it. As the game went on however, I became really attached to the little sisters, making their journey from scared, lonely sidekicks, to powerful, confident and heroic goddesses. Be warned, the slapstick and fan service is kept to a bare minimum, (the latter of which was more overbearing and unnecessary than anything else if you ask me,) but what what we got in its place was an exhilarating story to experience, introducing a level of character development that was nearly non-existent when Neptune took the lead. Now, I have trouble imagining another game without Nepgear in the lead. Sadly, I’m fully aware that this will likely be the case going forward. Still, for every serious moment, you have characters like Broccoli healing her team by vomiting a smiling pile from her eyes, so there’s that.

RB2_battle (4)Stay out of the splash zone.

I can talk all day about everything that I love about Hyperdimension Neptunia: Re;Birth 2, but we only have so much bandwidth. What I will say, is that this sequel expands on the hilarious, yet mostly shallow narrative of the first game, creating a much deeper story that tackles themes such as coming of age, finding one’s own identity, and even video game piracy in a fun, lighthearted way. Features like the Stella Dungeon, where you send the titular character out to explore areas in real time in order to uncover special items, over a half a dozen endings, a new game plus feature and a variety of secret characters put the title over the top, and by all accounts, is a superior game to the original. Sadly, the technical issues and the overabundance of recycled content hurt the final impression, but not enough to keep Re;Birth 2 from being the best game of 2015 so far. Sure, it’s the first game I’ve played in 2015, but forget semantics, because Nepgear and the girls are starting the year off strong.

tl;dr

+ The CPU Candidates take center stage in a bigger way, with more party members, teammates on the field, and a huge amount of post game content.

+ Combat is as addicting as ever, with jaw dropping abilities that will keep you coming back.

+ A game that can be catered to your needs, thanks to the flexible Remake System.

+ A much more in depth story that sacrifices some humor for character development while still staying lighthearted, most of which is voiced in dual audio.

– Way too much of the content is ripped straight from its prequel, some of which is repeated multiple times within THIS game.

– Technical issues range in severity, from lips not moving during dialogue sections to massive slowdown during huge sequences.

– While more streamlined, it’s about time we replace the point and click map with a fully explorable Gamindustri.

Final Score: 4.25/5

Goddess Black Heart Has Blessed Us With The Opening Of ‘Hyperdevotion Noire’

by Josh Jackson

If you were eager for more information on the upcoming Western release of Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart, then the wait is over! The people over at Idea Factory have brought us some divine intervention in the form of new screenshots and the opening movie from the upcoming strategy RPG.

Placing Noire in her first starring role, would-be goddesses will be tasked with amassing a CPU army, creating bonds with teammates, customizing items to fit their playstyle and customizing their home between hard fought conflicts. As the first in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series to step into the world of Strategy RPGs, it’s sure to have plenty of surprises for new and old players alike when it arrives on the Vita in 2015.

Gaze upon the new batch of screenshots, as well as the opening trailer below! Are you planning on picking up Hyperdevotion?

 

A ‘Grim Fandango’ Release Date Leads Some Impressive Double Fine News!

by Josh Jackson

Have you been waiting for news on the re-release of Grim Fandango since it was announced earlier this year? Well, wait no longer!

At the Playstation Experience, Double Fine announced that the legendary adventure title will arrive on Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, PC, Mac and Linux on January 27th! For nostalgic gamers who want to revisit the classic, or gamers like myself who have never been part of the PC Master Race and couldn’t play it when it was brand spanking new, it’s great to finally know when we’re going to be able to experience the title!

In addition, Double Fine released details on a few more titles that are on the way, including:

Broken Age: Coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita alongside our Act 2 PC release next year.
Gang Beasts: Also heading to PlayStation 4 on PC launch day next year!
Day of the Tentacle: Special Edition: This is a thing! It’s happening!

In addition to the recently released Costume Quest 2, it’s looking like a good year for the team. What are you excited to see? And will you be firing up Grim Fandango in late January? Comment below and be heard!

‘Hyperdevotion Noire’ Is Headed Stateside! Tsundere Fans Rejoice!

by Josh Jackson

Only a short time after Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2 was announced for an international release, we learned that this wouldn’t be all that we would get from the franchise next year.

Taking its first steps into the Strategy RPG genre, Hyperdevotion Noire shifts focus to the Goddess of Lastation, taking place in the alternate world of Gamarket. As with their original world, the four CPU’s are once again at war for control of the land. When Noire is on the cusp of victory, a mysterious force drains the Goddesses of their power, the group must team up once again to save Gamarket from destruction.

At this point, it’s clear that Noire is the best CPU, right? While seeing how the gameplay will turn out, having the chance to play as Lady Black Heart in the main character role with completely new mechanics for the series is an exciting prospect. Check these reveal screenshots, and tell us whether or not you’re planning on dusting off your Vita when Noire’s game releases. Early 2015 can’t come soon enough!

From the press release:

A Moe Army Awaits! You ain’t never seen the CPUs like this! Lead them in their first-ever foray into strategy RPG gameplay, taking on enemies in a whole new way. You’ll fight off hordes of enemies in turn-based strategy, dodging laser beams and flaming pits, and using dangerous environments against your enemy.
Link up with the “Lily System” The more often characters are in battle together, the higher their bond becomes. Activating the “Lily Boost” grants special stats and abilities, while “Lily Points” can be used to activate ultra-special moves and even goddess transformations. Don’t be shy to build up those battle relationships and seal it all with a kiss!

Check your Status! All kinds of funky things can happen in the heat of battle and characters can be hit with status ailments that are both boon and burden. You can get pixelated, zombie-fied, or even turned into a block of tofu! Some status changes come with their own benefit and cost, so keep this in mind during a fight.

Item Customization! You’ll get tons of replay value with so many ways to boost your gear’s stats! The more enemies you defeat, the more items you can get to customize your gear in whatever way you see fit. Let the great experiment begin!

Livin’ the Noire Life! Life’s not all about grid-based battles. Sometimes Noire just wants to relax at home, and with the “Sim Noire” mode you’ll be able to do just that! Customize the place by buying furniture and accessories with in-game points, and make Noire feel like the goddess she is. She’ll also get to go out with friends and build up her social level!

A New Batch Of ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2’ Make Our Vitas Tremble In Anticipation

by Josh Jackson

Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth, was a one of the best surprises of the year, with us going as far as saying that it was one of the best RPGs in years. I mean, what better way to appeal to gamers than to make a game about the console wars framed within a anime-esque magical girl banner? It’s as absurd, (and entertaining), as it sounds.

Which is why we were thrilled to learn a few months back that the second game would also be coming to the West for the Vita! Re;Birth 2, a rebuilt version of the PS3’s Hyperdimension Neptunia mk.2, shines the spotlight on the sisters of the first game’s CPUs, each of which represent handhelds like the DS and PSP. Idea Factory is promising new characters, scenarios and surprises for both new and old, with returning favorites such as IF and Compa, as they fight to rescue the four goddesses of the original.

Have no clue what I’m talking about? Check out the latest batch of screenshots, showing off the colorful characters, world and battles that fill the world of Gamindustri. Hopefully this will make the wait for early 2015 a little more bearable. Nah, who am I kidding. I want it now!

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair’

by Josh Jackson

Back in February, a somewhat obscure text adventure game about a group of high school students who were forced to kill each other in exchange for their freedom ended up becoming one of the biggest surprises of the year so far. So much so in fact, that we raved about it in our review, to the point where I’d still call it one of the year’s best games even months later. One of the biggest strengths of the original Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, was its creative take on the visual novel, implementing elements of action games, rail shooters, and dating simulations to become one of the finest titles in its genre.

With that said, the obvious follow up question is; “What’s next?” How can a sequel to a text adventure, by which is fairly limited in what how much it can innovate, manage to feel like an improvement only seven months later? And yet, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair does just that, finding a way to succeed in nearly every area while finding multiple ways to stay fresh. And in case you were wondering, this version is every bit as dark and twisted as you would expect from the series.

20140228112722Monokuma is back, and is as big of a troll as you’d expect.

This time around, players find themselves in the unfortunate position of controlling Hajime Hinata, one of a group of 16 students from the prestigious Hope’s Peak Academy. Despite not being able to remember his talent, Hajime and his classmates are each considered “Ultimate” students, who are at the top of their respective fields. Whether it’s the “Ultimate Cook”, the “Ultimate Princess”, or the “Ultimate Yakuza”, each student serves as a beacon of hope for the future of the world. Only, things aren’t as they seem. After being seemingly abducted and held on Jabberwock Island in the guise of a school trip by their teacher, a talking stuffed rabbit who goes by Usami, it isn’t long before the trip gets out of hand. While the goal of the vacation is to build up their friendships and spread hope, it isn’t long before Monokuma, the antagonist of the original, commandeers the island and changes the rules to his liking. Now, there’s only one way off the island; kill one of your classmates, and get away with it.

In its opening moments, Jabberwock Island feels instantly familiar to anyone who explored Hope’s Peak Academy in the original. The majority of the game play is split up into two sections, which are Daily Life and Deadly Life. In Daily Life, Hajime traverses the islands in both the first person perspective of the first game in more enclosed spaces, or a new 2D side scrolling perspective when moving between the larger areas. These sections mostly consist of interacting with the characters to move the story forward, or participating in Free Time events, which allow Hajime to get to know his classmates better in exchange for Hope Fragments. With a little talking and a lot of bribery, fully exploring each character uncovers special abilities, while granting the means to buy extra ones by purchasing them with the fragments.

20140227154505Solving crimes is rewarding as always.

But the island can’t stay tranquil forever, which is where the Deadly Life sections take center stage. When a murder is committed, the cast goes into full investigation mode, using the on screen cursor to uncover evidence, (called Truth Bullets), to figure out what went down and who committed the crime. Once everything possible is uncovered, a Class Trial is initiated, where the surviving students participate in a Nonstop Debate. Like in the original, the characters discuss the case while the player has a small selection of evidence to choose from. Various key phrases are highlighted, which may contradict a piece of evidence you hold. After sifting through the distractions caused by White Noise that look to block your shot, Hajime must take aim and shoot through these contradictions using the right line of logic. Solving the mysteries end up feeling far more rewarding this time around, since they come off as more complex with less hand holding. With this sometimes backfires since the linear nature of the game can make it hard to guess which piece of evidence to use and when, even if you have the right idea, especially when the answers can be really farfetched at times.

In between the debates, new mechanics have been added while old ones have been changed, but not all of them for the better. For example, the standard debate leaves room to agree with blue statements, (which was only featured in the post game in the first title), showing that you don’t always have to be argumentative to be successful. Another original mechanic that changed in the sequel is the Bullet Time Battle, which has been replaced with Panic Talk Action. The rhythm themed button tap mini game now asks us to hold and release the X button to the beat of the music, with the length of time the button is held deciding how many statements are shot down, or how many bullets are reloaded. While an interesting change, it feels like one that wasn’t necessary, filing itself in the category of innovating for the sake of it. Still, these sections are still fun to play, which is the end goal regardless.

Yet, we can’t talk about needlessly changed mechanics without discussing the new take on Hangman’s Gambit. The first game had us selecting letters off of the screen to spell out words that would reveal the next clue. Now, we have combine at least two of the same letter before we can add them to our board in order, which admittedly has a fun, fast paced shooter game feel to it. While the concept sounds harmless at first, there are times where the right set of letters takes forever to crop up, or in later stages, where so many letters spawn at once that you take unfair amounts of damage. I’m sure some of you might be ready to fire off about how I shouldn’t fault the game for sucking at it, but it’s definitely not my fault when opposite letters spawn on top of each other, resulting in instant damage before they’re fully on screen. If the third game can bring back the old way of doing things, that would be great.

20140227172635Hangman after those funny cigarettes.

Even if Hangman’s Gambit is worse for wear this time around, I’ll gladly take the trade off when you consider how much Closing Arguments have been improved. My biggest complaint about the game play in the first game was how these comic book panels that piece together the crime were far too vague, forcing you to guess on the sequence of events based on small pictures with very little context. Now, not only does highlighting the blank spaces and the options at your disposal provide text clues saying what they mean, but each option is provided in increments instead of being distributed all at once. This results in losing the overwhelming feeling of having too many options while giving players a more balanced shot at choosing the right options.

20140227154101Closing Arguments went from the biggest flaw of the original to the most improved feature in the 2nd.

No longer acting as passive observers to your crazy arguments, classmates can now refute your statements as well, triggering a Rebuttal Showdown. When someone dares question your sound logic, things quickly turn from a shootout to a sword fight, allowing players to slice through their words using the touch screen or control pad in order to stay in favor. Once the key word comes up, cutting through it with the right Truth Bullet will put them in their place.

20140228123213Fighting for supremacy in a clash of words.

In one of the stranger additions to trials, the Logic Drive starts a snowboarding mini game that gives Hajime the means to connect logic strings together by sliding down the right paths. Yep, I just said there’s a snowboarding mini game in a text adventure. Surprisingly, the controls, physics and challenge is fairly strong, making them enjoyable to play. I’m sure I’m not the only one opposed to seeing this idea fleshed out more fully, because I would actively look forward to playing these sections as they came.

20140227165340Logic snowboarding is the next big sport!

The best part, is on top of all these changes and improvements, the biggest draw of the game has stayed the same, which is its brutal cutscenes, dark sense of humor, and undeniable charm, all wrapped up in a somewhat innocent presentation. Both the old and new songs bring the emotions the game is trying to draw out of us to life, while the 2D cardboard cutouts and pink blood amplify the ironic cuteness of a death game arranged by a sadistic teddy bear. Movies have a change in animation, providing some moments that are made of pure nightmare fuel, although these scenes are overall weaker than the first game.

This is furthered by the feeling that the new characters just aren’t as good as the ones in the first game. While the innocent charm of Sonia Nevermind, the strong impression Nagito Komaeda leaves, or Teruteru, a special kind of pervert character who’s nose will bleed for literally anyone, will stick with you, other characters like Nekomaru Nidai, Gundham Tanaka, Mikan Tsumiki and Kazuichi Soda range from annoying, to grating, often coming off as caricatures rather than people you’re supposed to get attached to. Not that the game doesn’t have a knack for tugging on the heart strings, making my jaw drop many times over, but while the cast of the first game was definitely eccentric, they all had a level of humanity that this cast mostly lacks. Not to mention that the game expects us to suspend our disbelief to absurd levels at some points, but these moments are eventually explained in a satisfying way, saving the story from a bit of ridicule.

20140224120638Characters like Mikan bog down the narrative, making it hard to care about them.

After about 30 hours or so passes and the main game is completed, Danganronpa 2 still has so much to offer. Like the first game and its School Mode, Island Mode lets Hajime focus on building friendships, both by using the 100+ presents that can be purchased with unlockable Monocoins to round up any remaining Hope Fragments, or using Trip Tickets to go on dates with them for expanded endings. In between all the lovey dovey stuff, a mining mini game asks the team to build certain items in exchange for more Trip Tickets, all while managing each person’s HP, the island’s cleanliness, and the amount of each item needed for a successful build.

In addition, the game does a complete 180, unlocking Usami’s very own mini game which pits her against the evil beasts that inhabit the island. Playing somewhat like an action platformer, Usami can jump on enemies, circle around them to create magical attacks, or unlock stronger equipment which allows her to progress through six short, yet entertaining stages, which include multiple difficulty levels to keep things interesting.

The crazy part? Between hundreds of unlockable gallery items, hidden Monokuma plush dolls scattered throughout the island, (which replace the magical coins that pop out of the environment), a virtual pet simulator that houses over half a dozen pets based on how many steps Hajime takes and a freaking in game novel, and Danganronpa 2 comes close to almost having too much content. This isn’t even all of the new content and improvements the game provides, but for the sake of not wanting to make this a novel of my own, we’ll spare the details on everything included, and leave some surprises for the game. Can we have too much of a good thing? Apparently not!

So after thinking that it would be near impossible to further the visual novel genre more than the first Danganronpa did, Goodbye Despair does so, and then some. While it doesn’t surpass its prequel in every aspect, it knocks most of what it tries to do out of the park. With a wide variety of game play mechanics, constant experimentation, (with mixed results), tons of distractions to give your sleuthing brain a break, and more unlockables than you’ll ever need, and you end up with a game that is a near perfect representation of what thinking outside the box can result in. What we’re left with is a sequel that takes risks instead of resting on the laurels of its successful predecessor, and is better off for it, making Danganronpa 2 one of the best games in its genre… And by extension, a strong candidate for one of the year’s best games. What’s more hopeful than that?

tl;dr

+ A return to form for the Hope’s Peak student body, providing deeper mysteries and more of a focus on exploration with its sick sense of innocent, self aware humor intact.

+ Features like in game digital pets, full fledged side games and new core mechanics, (like snowboarding logic), are bold inclusions that pay off in big ways.

+ Storytelling and cutscenes that will stick with you long after you’ve put the game down.

+ An insane amount of unlockables that will keep completionists playing for hours.

– Deeper mysteries result in moments where illustrating your point is hard to do, resulting in having to guess which similar piece of evidence is the right one.

– Certain story moments are too far fetched, which is made worse by a third of the cast ranging from annoying to insufferable.

– Not all changes were for the better, with a frustrating new take on Hangman’s Gambit.

Final Score: 4.5/5

‘Hyperdimension Neptunia ReBirth;2: Sisters Generation’ Is Confirmed For A Worldwide Release!

by Josh Jackson

Well, that didn’t take long.

Right off the heels of ReBirth;1‘s release, (which we called one of the best RPGs in years), Idea Factory has confirmed that Hyperdimension Neptunia ReBirth;2: Sisters Generation, will be coming to the Playstation Vita in early 2015. The even better news? It will be available in both physical and digital formats to North America and Europe, giving the latter region access to the physical version.

Like its predecessor, ReBirth;2 is a remake of one of the Playstation 3 releases, tackling mk.II this time around. Starring Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram, the little sisters of the first game’s CPU’s, characters from the original will also make an appearance to support the new cast. Including Compa, IF, and the promise of many others, this continuation of the original is sure to show how Gamindustri has changed since Neptune’s adventure, all while bringing a sense of familiarity to those who played the first game.

With the new ability to bring a fourth party member into battle, this change is sure to bring stronger enemies to compensate for the extra person on the field, opening up numerous possibilities. It’s safe to say… We’re excited!

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1’

by Josh Jackson

Platform: Playstation Vita

Release Date: August 26th, 2014

Genre: Japanese Role Playing

Developer: Idea Factory, Compile Heart, Felistella

Thinking back to the days when I first heard whispers of a new Playstation 3 RPG that would tackle the console wars with the magical girl genre, it would have been hard to imagine how far the concept would go. Yet, years after the debut of the original Hyperdimension Neptunia, the series has spawned sequels, its own anime and a very bad spinoff, to continuously feed its respectable following, making it a legitimate success. With each sequel improving on the last, the developers at Idea Factory decided to take the lessons they’ve learned to the Playstation Vita, creating a full remake of the original with Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1. By taking the best ideas from the second and third games and inserting them into Neptune’s first adventure, it’s safe to say that this release is on track to be the definitive version of the game that started it all. But are these enhancements enough of a reason to take a trip back to Gamindustri?

Nep_Re1_battle(32)Purple Heart soars into battle!

ReBirth puts players in the over-sized hoodie of Neptune, the goddess, (or CPU), of Planeptune. After being locked in an everlasting conflict known as the Console Wars, Neptune’s true form as Purple Heart is defeated, thanks to the combined efforts of Black Heart of Laststation, (or Playstation), Green Heart of Leanbox, (or Xbox), and White Heart of Lowee, (take a guess). After crash landing in the middle of her city with no memory of her true identity, she’s discovered by Compa, a ditzy nurse who somehow comes off as the more responsible of the two compared to Nep’s aloofness. In pursuit of her past, Neptune and her friends get wrapped up in a quest to save Gamindustri from a mysterious threat; one that puts all four realms at risk. But can the warring CPUs put aside their differences for the sake of saving the world?

The majority of the play time is spent in one of the game’s numerous dungeons, all of which are brimming with monsters and treasure, which is all presented in a bright, colorful world. Avoiding the tedium of random battles, all fights are triggered by making contact with enemies on the field, with the ability to strike enemies before battle to start with the upper hand. As expected, the enemies can do the same, so careless attacks can be punished in a big way.

Nep_Re1_battle(12)Gaining an early advantage and utilizing your attacks is the key to victory.

But first thing’s first. What kind of savior can protect people without fighting? If you typically associate JRPGs with slow, tedious battles, then ReBirth could be the game that changes your mind. Once these fights trigger, the turn based system is the only aspect you would be able to associate with the typical role playing game of old. When each party member’s turn comes up, they’ll have full range of motion within a certain radius, allowing players to position them in a spot that’s both offensively and defensively advantageous.

Nep_Re1_battle(29)Fewer foes are more menacing than the Super Otaku!

After a battle commences, each party member has three standard attack types, called Rush, Power and Break attacks, all of which have various advantages in a fight. Rush uses multi hit attacks that deal more damage than Break moves, and are primarily used to build up the EXE meter, (a bar that allows strong special attacks once filled). Power on the other hand, are typically single hit moves that deal more damage than the other two attack types. Yet, the most important function is easily the Break attack, which focuses on draining the opponent’s guard meter, triggering a huge damage boost once the enemy is weakened. As the party gets stronger, new special abilities become available, making it even more important to properly manage these three basic functions to deal maximum damage. And trust me, you’ll need to when going toe to toe with the game’s tough bosses.

Making this aspect even more important is its effect on your (and the enemy’s), ability to deal damage. The party’s attack range is illustrated by an icon that’s either in front or around them, with its reach depending on the character, ability and weapon they’re using. Mastering this feature is crucial to success when it comes to standard battles, since the right position can allow one attack to hit multiple opponents, especially when attempting to Guard Break huge groups at once. On the flip side, enemies have the same attack system, so keeping your party right next to each other is a one way ticket to an embarrassing Game Over. But when certain beneficial abilities work best when the team is within the vicinity of each other, sometimes, taking the risk can be beneficial. It’s moments like these where strategy adds a decent amount of depth to a relatively simple battle system, that adds layer upon layer as it progresses.

Outside of battles, Neptune and company can explore the terrain of each dungeon, seeking out valuable treasure with her radar, (used to uncover one hidden item per area), or through, plain, old fashion map scouring. While some can be used right out of the box, most treasures contain materials to synthesize other items. If this sounds familiar, that’s where the cliche ends, thanks to the game’s Remake System.

Nep_Re1_Field(4)Treasure hunting has never been so adorable.

In addition to creating items, the Remake System allows materials to be used to alter the game itself, allowing players to create an environment that suits their needs. Is that latest boss too tough for you to take down? Go ahead and remake the difficulty. Have you seen everything there is in a dungeon and want to explore it again? Then why not add harder enemies and new treasure? Or how about a new dungeon altogether? Yep, you can even add bonus dungeons to explore once the standard ones get dull.

Options like these really make ReBirth stand out, so even when the standard difficulty tends to be erratic, players can choose to change the game rather than put up with hours of level grinding. Although, if you’re too proud to take the helping hand, then those spikes may be more of an issue, especially when the game likes to put you up against multiple dungeons, enemies and bosses without save points or chances to heal. Do you like having to play chunks of a game over and over again? I don’t.

But there’s more to the world of Hyperdimension Neptunia then just the dungeons. Exploring Gamindustri is handled through a large overworld map, allowing players to select different areas to examine. Planeptune and its neighboring lands each have a Basilicom, or hub area. Here, the party can purchase items, weapons and gear, accept quests, (which range from boss fights, to hunting or gathering missions), seek information from each town’s strange inhabitants, and burn discs, which are customizable gear that can hold almost any stat boost or resistance you can think of, assuming you own the right items to do so. All of this mind you, is presented with a script that is laugh out loud funny on so many occasions, feeling like a true love letter to gamers who catch the many references to the medium. Even Neptune herself, gives us hope that all lazy, unreliable gamers out there can one day rise up and save the world. But not until filling up on junk food and finishing that one last stage, of course.

Nep_Re1_event(1)You would think the physical manifestation of a game console would know the drill by now.

But with such an endearing cast and interesting world the characters inhabit, it’s too bad that this doesn’t translate into the actual exploration of Gamindustri. With dungeons being the only areas to actually move around in, selecting icons and watching the story play out with text adventure style word bubbles set to backdrops, I felt eager to actually be able to walk around and communicate with these crazy characters, especially with the superb voice acting in both English and Japanese. It doesn’t help that the dungeons themselves come off as looking relatively bland, especially compared to the bright characters and monsters that often ooze personality without ever having to say a word. And at points, no words might have been the better option, since certain scenes featuring gratuitous fan service might make you feel embarrassed to read through those sections.

Nep_Re1_others(7)Sadly, this is the extent of which we get to explore Gamindustri.

Still, these complaints are a drop in the bucket compared to the ridiculous amount of fun I had playing through ReBirth. The fast paced game play combined with the endearing characters, hilarious writing, colorful presentation and the insane amount of customization makes this remake stand out as not only an improvement on the original, but one of the best Japanese RPGs I’ve played in years. Lack of true exploration aside, anyone with a passing interest in role playing games, anime, or nerdy video game references absolutely should pick up Hyper Dimension Neptunia Re;Birth1, serving as a true bright spot in the Vita’s bleak 2014.

tl;dr

+ A simple, fast paced battle system that adds layers over time.

+ The ability to customize everything from enemy layout to difficulty.

+ Multiple items to find, tough enemies to defeat, dozens of dungeons to explore and hundreds of quests give the game a ton of mileage.

+ A quirky cast of characters who inhabit a story that never takes itself seriously, brought to life by excellent voice actors.

– The lack of true exploration leaves us wondering what a fully realized Gamindustri could have been, with bland environments compared to the party and enemies.

– While optional difficulty adjustments alleviate the problem, sudden difficulty spikes and marathon dungeons can hinder progress.

-Occasional “fan service” moments may turn off some.

– While more of a minor thing, can party members who leave the team give my equipment back? Thieves…

Final Score: 4.5/5

E3 2014: ‘Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair’ Coming September 5th!

by Josh Jackson

NIS America has released more details on the upcoming release of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Dispair, complete with a brand new trailer for us to sink our claws into. Which of course means that it won’t be much longer before I can safely tread the Internet again without the fear of spoilers.
Picking back up a few years after the original title with a new cast of “ultimate” students, the group is on a field trip to a tropical island. However, this ticket to paradise quickly becomes a refresher course in the art of despair once Monokuma, the sadistic teddy bear from the original, returns to trap them all while isolated from society. The only way to escape? By getting away with murder.
Danganronpa 2 is technically a Vita remake of a Japan only PSP title, though like the first Danganronpa, this will be the first time that we’ll get the chance to play a localized version. Based on the trailer, class trials, investigations and the English voice cast will all return, which isn’t too unexpected. But the question remains… why is former rival, Byakuya Togami, trapped again, and why is he so fat?
The first game was released in February of this year, which was so good that I’d have to say that its dark premise, blend of genres and the way it so easily played with your emotions makes it an early contender for my game of the year. September is a long way away, which is plenty of time for Vita owners to get caught up, lest you risk yourself falling into ultimate despair come September 5th! For now, check out the E3 trailer and let us know if you plan on continuing with the series!

An Anime Adaption Of ‘Persona 4 Golden’ Will Jump From The Shadows In July

by Josh Jackson

It seems like Atlus is making these Persona teases a regular thing, although every announcement can’t be as awesome as a Persona 5 announcement.

The publisher has announced an anime version of its hit Vita game, Persona 4 Golden, the enhanced port of the PS2 classic. Retelling the story of a high schooler who arrives in a small town, only to be caught up in a supernatural murder mystery, the anime will include the additional scenes featuring Marie, a new character who was added specifically for the Vita version.

The confusing part in all of this though, is that there’s already a Persona 4 anime. Golden‘s story is exactly the same aside from Marie and a few other minor scenes, (many of which are optional), so I wonder how this is supposed to play out. Is this an anime of an anime? Will it run redone episodes, or will they just blend the new content into the old episodes? Or maybe this won’t be a series at all, and will only be a movie or OVA.

Either way, as much of a fan as I am, I see this as completely unnecessary. With that said, we shouldn’t be surprised. With another fighting game, a dance game and a chibi-fied spinoff, the fourth game is everywhere these days.

Check out the trailer and tell me how wrong I am. Persona 4 The Golden Animation will release in Japan in July with a Western release yet to be announced.

One Of The Playstation Vita’s Best Games Is Coming To PS3 And PS4!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: All the way back in January, Geekscape Games reviewed one of the best (and definitely the most addicting) games currently available on the Playstation Vita, OlliOlli.

The game is basically a side-scrolling Tony Hawk title (before the series sucked) mashed with an extremely fast paced (and challenging) platformer. The game is a ton of fun, and unfortunately I still haven’t made it on top of the Daily Grind leaderboard; that feat is about to get even harder too, as Roll7’s OlliOlli has just been confirmed for PS3 and PS4.

The announcement states that “OlliOlli will remain a PS Vita exclusive until summer 2014 and Roll7 is very close to getting the crash bug that some of you have complained about fixed. When the patch is released we’ll bundle in a nice little update that should put a smile on people’s faces too.”

If you can’t wait until the Summer, OlliOlli is currently available on PSN (for Vita, of course). Whatever the platform, you need to play this game.

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘OlliOlli’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Remember when the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series was good?

The days (and days) that I spent with the early THPS games are some of the fondest gaming memories that I have. A batch of my closest friends and I would rush home from school each (and every) day to throw on the Playstation, turn the volume way up (until we were yelled at by the owner of whatever home we happened to be at that day), and see who could attain the best combo, or the longest H-O-R-S-E streak in the latest THPS game. If you played, you must remember the amazing soundtracks that these games had too, like this classic:

http://youtu.be/XeNKhm09Q88

Sadly, the Tony Hawks Pro Skater series faltered after numerous acclaimed titles (and hasn’t had a game worth playing in years), and as great as EA’s Skate series is, it’s never filled the void left by Neversoft and Activision.

Today, UK developer Roll7 released OlliOlli exclusively on the Playstation Vita, and today, I felt like a kid all over again. Take a look at the game’s trailer below, and read on for my thoughts on the title.

As you saw in the video above, OlliOlli is a tried-and-true arcade style skating game, just like the old Tony Hawk titles, but also a whole lot different. Instead of pushing, grinding, and manualing through a 3D map, the game plays like an extremely fast-paced 2D platformer. You’re simply skating left to right, from A to B, while trying to earn as many points (by pulling-off and combining over 120 tricks and grinds), and attempting to complete as many objectives as you can in a single run. If you complete all of the objectives in a stage, you’ll unlock the far more difficult ‘Pro’ challenges for that level, which will likely have you swearing at your Vita, while having a blast doing it.

The game is extremely simple to learn (via a simple, easy-to-understand tutorial), but it’ll take eons to master, and just like the early Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater titles, I love every second of it. OlliOlli‘s controls are fairly basic, with the X button pushing you up to speed, while tricks and grinds are handled with the left analog stick (much like EA’s Skate series), and the L/R triggers spin your character around. The game also utilizes an interesting landing mechanic; as you approach the ground, you’ll press the X button to determine how successfully you land: too far away from the pavement will result in a ‘Sketchy’ rating, which substantially lowers your score, while a ‘Perfect’ rating will net you thousands and thousands of extra points. You definitely want to make sure you don’t fall though, or you’ll have to press the much-appreciated, always present restart button in the top left corner of the screen. Almost perfecting that ‘Hard’ or ‘Rad’ run when you eat the dirt may reduce you to tears, but each level is fairly short, so as angry as I was for screwing up, I was always happy to replay (the game also loads instantaneously, so that’s a big plus for repeating levels).

Junkyard Kickflip

OlliOlli spans 50 levels through five environments, with half of the stages in the ‘Amateur’ difficulty level, and half ‘Pro’ (unlocked once you beat each Amateur challenge in a stage). Afterwards, the game feels nearly infinitely replayable, as ‘Spot’ mode has you attempting the highest score in a single combo for each level (I’m very competitive against myself), and a ‘Daily Grind’ mode that puts you agains every player in the entire world. This mode is awesome; you’ll be competing on a new level every day, and after taking as many practice runs as you want, you get one shot at the gold. Bail or fail, and you’re done until the next day. I cannot wait to attempt to top the charts for at least one day, and if my OlliOlli skills are half as awesome as my THPS ability, I’m sure as hell that I can do it (and I’ll try, try, try until I do).

The only real downside to OlliOlli (which I’m sure can be fixed with an update) is that the game keeps crashing on me. I can be in-menu or mid-grind, and all of a sudden an error will pop up and my Vita will return to its home screen. It’s frustrating, and I can’t wait until it’s fixed, as it’s really the only thing keeping OlliOlli from perfection.

Port Fakie Ollie

Packed with content, and featuring kick-ass 2D visuals and excellent sound, OlliOlli is the most addicting game I’ve had the pleasure of playing on the Playstation Vita, and I can’t wait to stop writing this and get right back to it. The title brings me back to the glory days of the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, while being completely original on its own, and it’s really an incredible breath of fresh air in the all-but-dead skating genre. OlliOlli is now available on PSN for a cool $12.99 ($10.39 for Plus members), and it’s worth. every. penny.

OlliOlli scores a sick 4.5/5.

‘OlliOlli’ Will Make You Want A Playstation Vita

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’ve never been much of a proponent of the Playstation Vita. I purchased one at launch, only to sell it a few months later (there really weren’t any games at the time), and picked up yet another unit last February, which subsequently sat and collected dust (I expected it to solely become a Remote Play machine), until Media Molecule’s glorious Tearaway debuted in November.

Soon, I’ll have a new Vita game to play, and I feel like it’s one that I’ll be putting many, many hours into. Take a look at the trailer for OlliOlli below, and you’ll see what I mean.

It’s been a long, long time since a good skating game was released (Skate 2 was great, and the last great Tony Hawk title was probably the first in the Underground series), and OlliOlli definitely looks like it will breathe some much-needed life into the genre. It also looks excitingly different from anything we’ve played before, and is a perfect example of a game that fits perfectly on mobile, but likely wouldn’t translate well to a mobile phone, as you need buttons and precision for a game like this.

I can’t wait to get my hands on OlliOlli. It’s a Vita exclusive, and it hits PSN on January 21st.

You may want to pick up a Trigger Grip for this one.

Playstation Vita Gets A Price Drop!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s not the big news that Sony announced at today’s Gamescom conference, but it’s definitely still worth noting.

Sony has officially dropped the price of its struggling flagship handheld, the Playstation Vita. Effective immediately, the console’s new price will be a cool $200 / €200.

Sony also revealed that a price drop on Vita memory cards is forthcoming.

Is the drop enough to make you consider the console? What do you think is in store for its future? I still believe that the system lacks a ‘must have’ title, and am afraid of what may happen once the PS4 launches. Will the Vita simply become a PS4 streaming device?

Vita owner? When’s the last time that you picked your console up? Can you recommend me some games?

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