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The Top 10 Gaming Waifus Of 2015

by Josh JacksonJanuary 8, 2016

Warning: Potential spoilers follow!

The New Year is here! Which means for many of us, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the past year and think about what you did right, what you can improve on and how you can tackle 2016 in the best way possible. Or for the rest of us, you think back on all the fictional characters you were totally crushing on through 2015.

Yes, that’s right! It’s time for the second annual waifu of the year list (check out last year’s list right here), and if you were expecting it to be a one and done feature after I would have been inevitably added to the sexual offenders list, I’m just as surprised as you are. But before we get into the list, let’s show some appreciation for the fantastic waifu candidates that just missed the cut this year.

Rise Kujikawa (Persona 4: Dancing All Night)

While in the midst of a big comeback tour, a pop idol should probably spend her time brushing up on her choreography and screaming at interns for bringing them the wrong mineral water. Yet, Ms. Kujikawa decides to spend it saving her understudies from the clutches of monsters who must be fought with the power of dance. It was hard to list Rise over the new girl, Kanami Mashita, but considering the new girl is a big reason why the crap hit the fan to begin with, her senpai gets the nod here. The only reason why Rise didn’t make the main list is because her time to shine is essentially stolen by the swagtastic Yu Narukami, but that doesn’t mean her contributions shouldn’t be acknowledged.

Toko Fukawa (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)

In the original Danganronpa, Toko was often rude, shrewd, and oh so smelly, to the point where her alter ego overshadowed her in every possible way. When you consider that said alter ego is a serial killer, then you must really be a special kind of awful. Then Another Episode came along, and we were reintroduced to a strong, steadfast girl who was able to be Komaru’s voice of reason when being trapped on a secluded island full of killer robot Monokuma’s become too much to bear, (pun intended af.) So much so in fact, that even Genocide Jack develops self control along the way, serving as an invaluable ally for the Future Foundation. Toko would have normally been a shoe in for this year’s waifu list, except that she still only has eyes for Byakuya Togami. Anyone else would likely wind up dead, so yeah… There’s that.

Quest Receptionist (Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate)

Always there to greet you with a smile and a bad joke right before you take off to fight towering beasts that are likely to maul you, the mission girl is the cornerstone of any successful caravan. Now if she actually did something more than sit in a chair and make fun of you, then she would definitely be top waifu material. Regardless, she left her mark on the hearts of the Monster Hunter fandom, and that’s what counts.

Ayumi Shinozaki (Corpse Party: Blood Drive)

A shy girl with good intentions, this spiritually sensitive girl will do anything for her friends, even if it means diving back into a haunted school where most of them were previously killed in the hopes that she can revive them. Such loyalty is rare these days, which is why Ayumi deserves a nod. But we should also mention that her friends are essentially dead because of her, and returning to revive them means the ones that are still alive could end up killed as a result! But you know, an A for effort, Ayumi.

The Criminal Girls (Criminal Girls)

Now we can’t compile a list as ~~pathetic~~ amazing this one and not talk about the Criminal Girls, a group of mostly underage female inmates that are forced to help you as a guard, (who’s essentially a Pokemon Trainer if the monsters were girls of questionable morals,) escape a prison overrun with demons. That would be all well and good if criminals had any respect for the law, but considering these girls have an NWA attitude towards your authority, the only way to get them to follow your commands is to tie them down and spank them into submission… I mean, that really says it all, doesn’t it? The girls might have made the proper list if the game they star in wasn’t an absolute bore to play, but the concept is too absurd to ignore. So here’s your time to shine girls! And we’ll see you in 2016 in the sequel!

So after asking yourself how this made publication in the first place, you might be wondering who could have made the final cut with so many great characters on the sidelines! From weeaboo bait, to some of the biggest titles of the year, we scoured the gaming landscape and compiled the definitive list of waifu’s 2015 had to offer. From ninjas, to CPUs, vault dwellers to squids, and even a dude. Crack open your ramune and curl up with your favorite body pillow as we proudly (?) bring to you the top 10 waifus of 2015!

10. Homura (Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson)

An evil ninja formerly of the Hebijo Clandestine Girls’ Academy, Homura and her squad have become renegade ninjas, on the run from their former allies after helping the good ninjas of Hanzo Academy foil Hebijo’s plan for world domination at the end of the first Senran Kagura. Despite being rightfully known as the game that was specifically created for 3D boobs on Nintendo’s handheld, the games have deceptively strong storylines behind all the clothes tearing and shameless zoom ins. But what makes Homura stand out beyond all of the other Senran Kagura girls is that despite her cold, distant exterior, she’ll do anything to protect her friends, even if it means putting herself at risk. Whether that means shielding her fellow renegades from the wrath of their old school, or fighting alongside her childhood friend / good ninja rival, Asuka, Homura is never one to let pride get in the way of doing what’s right. To top it off, when her 10 kitanas, (which are incredibly badass by the way,) can’t get the job done, her Crimson Mode helps her take the battle to the next level.

9. Lin (Xenoblade Chronicles X)

The girl with the Monado hair pins. Lin Lee Koo is the resident prodigy of New Los Angeles, serving as the top mechanic for the BLADES as they explore the seemingly uncharted planet of Mira. In addition to being the one who services the team’s giant mechs, or Skells in this case, she also manages to hold her own in battle, wielding a heavy shield that’s as big as she is. It also helps to be tech savvy when everyone in town is using a substitute mechanical body.

But more so than all of that, Lin finds herself on the list mostly because of all the controversy that surrounded the ability to dress her up. After Nintendo added some extra cloth to a costume that they felt was too revealing for a 13 year old in the West, a segment of Xenoblade fans had a meltdown, fighting the decision tooth and nail to protect the integrity of the original work. Others might have just wanted to see her half naked, but the point is people were obsessing over her look for a very long time. Her being awesome is just a bonus!

8. Me (Fallout 4)

After spending enough time in the wastelands of Fallout 4, I came to the conclusion that I’m a pretty awesome wife. In a time that’s easily full of confusion after waking up from a cryogenic sleep, only to find everyone who was with you has been long dead and the last thing you witnessed was your spouse getting killed as your son was kidnapped, it’s all a lot to take in. But I pushed on, hell bent to rescue my son from the monsters who ripped him from my husband’s arms, eating and drinking as much radioactive meat and water as I can along the way. But in between developing stage 3 lymphoma with every meal, maybe I can help these passerby’s along the way? Or find this missing item for this questionable traveler? Wait, who was I supposed to rescue again?

If my version of Fallout Wife wasn’t so easily sidetracked, she could have been much higher on the list, but since I play as if my kid isn’t as important as these shady strangers I keep coming across, my priorities are clearly all out of whack. Number 8 sounds like a good place since I should get around to saving my son. Eventually…

By the way, Fallout 4‘s female lead voice actor was just on Geekscape this past week, which you can listen to right here.

7. Me (Hatoful Boyfriend)

I had trouble finding a picture that captured my good side in Hatoful Boyfriend. Oh, I know, how about this?

When I’m not a decapitated robot scarecrow tied down with a burlap sack, I’m a mild mannered middle school girl attending St. PigeoNation’s Institute for birds. I also happen to be the only human attending. In Hatoful Boyfriend, I have the capacity to love everybirdie, so much so that I’m acting as a secret liaison to re-establish human-bird relationships, unbeknownst even to me! Some of my friends have weird tastes in clothes, but still not any less weird than a human dating a pigeon.

As a hunter-gatherer who has enough compassion to not only serve as the ambassador for an entire species, but to fall in love with men of other species, my Hatoful self was a no brainer for this year’s list… Especially since I spend half the game without a brain. Whether I’m going to festivals with my bird boyfriend, or curling up next to him as a head in a jar while an army of bloodthirsty soldiers look to murder us in what could be our final moments, I must say that this time around, I’m a pretty good catch!

6. Me (Amnesia: Memories)

Making the list three times!? I think I’ve set some kind of waifu record!

When it came down to all of the different iterations of “me” this year, the top waifu goes to my female self in Amnesia: Memories. Imagine being a college girl who’s memories get erased when a well-meaning demon accidentally gets trapped in your brain, and said demon is the only person you can trust as you try to piece together your life while keeping your memory loss hidden from those who might take advantage of it. Sucks, doesn’t it? But despite all this, Amnesia me has such a big heart. Despite my potential husbandos being completely awkward around me, having magical eyes that make every girl *except* me fall in love with him, being so protective of me that they lock me in a dog cage so I can’t leave the house, or even a man with a split personality, one of which wants to kill me, the fact that I’m still able to find the capacity to love these men is amazing in and of itself.

Above all else however, if I get tired of a guy and want to dump them, rather than break their heart, I can just jump to a different dimension where I never dated them at all! If nothing else, at least I’m empathetic.

5. Jonah (Rise of the Tomb Raider)

What’s the first thing you notice about Jonah?

Yes, Scott. But aside from that. Jonah is the only companion from the Tomb Raider reboot to follow Lara into her latest adventure, serving as the textbook definition of her ride or die. Anyone can say that they would follow you to the ends of the earth, but Jonah really means it. Whether he’s traveling to war torn Syria, or to the Siberian mountains to track down an ancient relic that may or may not exist, the man even takes a knife for her! Forget that he’s so deep in the friend zone that a pair of pickaxes couldn’t dig him out, because he’s always there for Lara when she needs him.

Yes, he’s a guy, and I know that I disqualified guys last year, (no matter how feminine they looked,) but I would give Jonah a shot as my waifu just on the merits of how awesome he is.

4. Plutia (Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation)

In last year’s list, Neptune took the number two spot primarily on the basis that she was essentially every gamer’s dream girl. If you took those qualities and applied them to Plutia, she would be Neptune cranked up to 11. A perpetually sleepy and highly impressionable girl who will only greet the day if it means being able to play video games, knit dolls, or balk at any and all responsibility, the goddess of V Generation‘s alternate version of Planeptune doesn’t seem like much at first glance. But if you make her angry, she takes up a form that strikes fear in the hearts of friend and foe alike.

In her CPU form, Plutia’s personality takes a complete 180 as Iris Heart, a goddess that takes as much pleasure in punishing her friends as she does her enemies. Nicknamed “Sadie” for her sadomasochistic tendencies, her whip and high heels can grind any foe into submission, leading her allies to dread the occasions when Iris Heart is forced to show herself. Yet, some of you might be into that kind of thing, getting the best of both worlds from this polarizing Neptunia character. And if you are indeed that kind of person, Plutia will make her playable return in this year’s multiplayer extravaganza, MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombies. Get hyped!

3. Komaru Naegi (Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls)

Often touted as a regular girl who can’t do anything special, everything that takes place in Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls flies in the face of that idea. Despite being trapped on an island full of killer robots that are out to kill her, while a group of insane children turn hunting her into a game, Komaru doesn’t do too bad for herself! Armed with a special megaphone that can destroy and manipulate almost all of the machinery in Towa City, the girl who initially only known as the little sister of former protagonist Makoto Naegi, grows into a defender of hope in the face of growing despair.

Despite secretly being groomed to become the successor to the Ultimate Despair, Junko Enoshima, Komaru forsakes revenge and spares the lives of the innocent Monokuma Kids in the process, ending her adventure with both the kids and the adults out for her head. What the future holds for Komaru might still be unknown, but being able to make such a difficult choice, taking on all of the hatred of an entire town and carrying it on her back, earns her the number three spot on this illustrious list.

2. Callie and Marie (Splatoon)

Whether you’re a kid or a squid, there’s not a person who has played Splatoon who hasn’t fallen in love with Callie and Marie, collectively known as the squid sisters. Acting as news reporters who make sure to clue you in on all of what’s happening in Inkopolis each time you boot up the game, the girls are known to up the stakes every now and again with occasional Splatfests. Unlike any other waifu on this list, Callie and Marie have the power to manipulate Inklings around the world to fight in their name over such important matters as deciding if burgers are better than pizza.

However, rumor has it that in addition to keeping the world of Splatoon up to date, the two are said to secretly act under the guise of Agents 1 and 2, protecting the city from the hidden Octoling threat. As driven career women, it’s amazing that they’re able to find the time to work as undercover agents while managing to make wise cracks at each other in between discussing new stages. And if you think putting both girls on the list as part of the same entry is a cop out, it is! Because I can’t decide which one between the two is best girl. While Callie’s energetic personality would usually win out, Marie’s sarcastic wit delivered what had to have been the best line of the year, declaring that Team Science lost against Team Art because her team “had jobs to do.” Right in the feelers, Marie.

Whichever one you prefer, it’s undeniable that Callie and Marie have become the icons of what’s arguably the biggest new IP of 2015, so get used to those faces, because I expect to see them for a long time. And as always…

We’ve gone through a lot of amazing characters, but only one can stand alone as the undisputed “Best Girl” of 2015. So without further ado, the top waifu of 2015 is…

1. Nepgear (Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation, Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation)

Releasing in very early 2015, we were re-intruduced to Nepgear in Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation, and from the moment the download started on my PS Vita, it was love at first byte. As the resident techy of the group, Nepgear rocks at tinkering as much as she rocks that school uniform, often daydreaming of all things robotic.

Being the little sister of the series protagonist means having to live up to some high expectations, especially when said protagonist and all of her friends from the previous game start off as captured and powerless. From the point of Nepgear’s escape and rise from the ashes was one of the most enjoyable journeys I played during the year. Yes, I know that seemingly the majority of the fandom craps on the second game due to it losing a big portion of the first game’s humor in favor of a doom and gloom story with heavy anti-piracy themes. From a narrative standpoint however, Nepgear and the rest of the little sisters, under her leadership, are able to rise above hate, never give up and eventually surpass the goddesses, becoming incredibly powerful in their own right.

Nepgear in her CPU form as Purple Sister

Which is more the reason Re;Birth 3 broke my heart a little when it came to Nepgear. The game regained its trademark humor, turning the fans’ dislike for the second game, turning it into a big joke, and directing it straight at Purple Sister herself. Despite the fact that her only sin was coddling Neptune way too much, that didn’t stop her beloved sister from constantly putting her down, mocking her status as former main character, and turning her friends against her to the point where she even convinces her allies from the second game that it’s perfectly okay to leave her trapped in another dimension when it came to the “good” ending of the third game. A dimension she wouldn’t have been in in the first place if she didn’t travel between worlds to rescue Neptune AGAIN!

But speaking of alternate endings, the most controversial moment in the entire series falls squarely on Nepgear’s shoulders during the Conquest Ending of Re;Birth 2. The only thing Nep Jr. loves more than her sister and friends is Gamindustri itself, and this ending proves how far she will go when it comes to protecting the world she’s come to care for so much. In a desperate attempt to vanquish their enemies once and for all, the girls learn of a forbidden weapon that absorbs the life energy of CPUs to build its strength. From here, its open season, as Nepgear travels from land to land, slaughtering all of her friends, including her best friend, Uni, and the twin girls, Rom and Ram, the former of which looks up to Nepgear like a big sister. Eventually, only Neptune herself is standing, but not for long…

What the goodness!?

After all the Re;Birth 3 shenanigans, I almost wanted this to be canon, but when she’s not slaughtering everyone she holds dear, Nepgear is a strong, reliable girl who’s managed to charm the knee socks off of us. Plus, we’re humans, so when the inevitable day comes when Nepgear finally snaps, is there anyone better to be in your corner?

So there’s your list of top waifus for 2015! Did your favorite make the cut, or were our trash waifus far too inferior to deserve the honor of best girl? Share your thoughts, picks, and all the reasons why I’m wrong with us in the comments below, and tweet me your suggestions @InuJoshua!

‘Extreme Tag Blanc + Neptune VS Zombie Army’ Gets A New Character; Additional Details

by Josh JacksonAugust 17, 2015

More details have emerged for the upcoming Hyperdimension Neptunia spinoff, Extreme Tag Blanc + Neptune VS. Zombie Army. In addition to Plutia, Uzume and Peashy being confirmed last month, a unique character to this title, Tamsoft-chan, will make her debut alongside the rest of the cast.

Gaining her namesake from the developers of the game, (as well as the excellent Hyperdimension Neptunia U, and the horrendous Producing Perfection,) Tamsoft-chan joins Blanc and her friends after learning about their “interesting” activities while tagging along with Dengekiko and Famitsu. Aside from her love of festivals, (and her apparent hatred of bras,) we don’t know much about Tamsoft at this point. However, if she doesn’t fight with a sword in the style of the developer’s Onechanbara series, I’d be shocked.

What we do know however, is how the rest of the recently revealed characters will fight. Uzume can use up close kick attacks in addition to her megaphone, while Plutia uses her dolls to deal damage, even allowing them to attack on their own. When in her CPU form, her sword grants her long range, making her enemies suffer like only Sadie can. Lastly, Peashy keeps things simple, fighting with close range attacks with crushing punches and kicks. In other words, they’re exactly like they should be.

With the cast growing steadily, Zombie Army is shaping up to be a much bigger game than its action based predecessor. While no Western release has been confirmed, we’ll be counting the days until the announcement hits. Until then, Japan will receive the game exclusively for PS Vita this October.

Source: gematsu.com

Plutia and Peashy Will Fight The Undead In ‘Intense Dimension Tag Blanc + Neptune Vs. The Zombie Army’

by Josh JacksonJuly 23, 2015

Good news for Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory fans! Dengeki Magazine is reporting that Plutia and Peashy, two of the characters introduced in Neptune’s third game, will make their return in Intense Dimension Tag Blanc + Neptune Vs. The Zombie Army, (and yes, that’s the full title.) After being largely absent from the series outside of their debut appearance and its recent Vita remake, it’ll be great to see the Ultradimension’s CPU’s in a full fledged action game. I’m just wondering how sadistic Iris Heart will be this time around…

Following Noire’s lead after the release of the Lastation CPU’s own game, Hyperdevotion Noire, the folks at Idea Factory and Tamsoft decided it was Blanc’s turn to get her own game. Based on the hack and slash game play from this Spring’s Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, (which we showered with praise in our review,) this upcoming title puts the Lowee CPU in the lead role as her and her friends take on a zombie army in a new school setting.

Featuring Blanc, Neptune, Noire, Vert, Nepgear, Uni, Rom, Ram, Dengekiko, and Victory II‘s Uzume in addition to the two new ladies, it’s looking like the upcoming spinoff will increase its roster exponentially. Naturally, this is great considering this game will be the first in the series to allow up to four player cooperative play! With as much fun as we had with U, I’m excited to think how much better Zombie Army will be with all these new additions.

On top of the recent reveal for IF’s own game, how much more Neptune will we get!? We’ve gathered every screenshot released so far, so check out the CPU’s in action below, and let us know which character is your best girl! Intense Dimension Tag Blanc is set for a Vita release by the end of the year in Japan, with a Western release yet to be announced. But come on, we got Producing Perfection, and that game sucked! Surely we’re getting this, right?

Sources: Siliconera, RPGSite.net

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation’

by Josh JacksonJune 30, 2015

When I heard that Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory was getting the remake treatment in the form of a third Re;Birth game, I was curious to see how that would turn out. After all, part of the purpose of creating the remakes in the first place was to improve on the first two games by designing them with the game play mechanics of the third title. So when it came to recreating Neptune’s most recent canonical adventure in Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation, the game takes chances with tweaks to the game play mechanics, more plans to create, new story scenes, and larger environments. While it’s reassuring that the game is more than a copy paste job, not all of these updates are for the better.

Our return to Gamindustri is met with complete apathy from our CPU heroines. After enjoying years of peace after the events of the previous games, Neptune and the others have spent their time playing video games all day while neglecting their work, (which hits a little too close to home.) As word of restless citizens forming an organization that seeks to create a world without CPU’s spreads, Nep is finally forced to create some goodwill by getting off her butt and working for the people. As we’ve learned many times over however, work sucks, which is proven since Nep’s questing results in her getting transported to an alternate universe based on gaming in the late 80’s. Now stranded without her CPU powers, Planeptune’s goddess must help Plutia, this dimension’s constantly sleepy, (and secretly sadistic,) goddess of Planeptune, and the alternate versions of Noire, Blanc and Vert, while restoring her strength, fighting off the mysterious Seven Sages who look to rid Gamindustri of the goddesses, and building up enough energy to return home.

It wouldn’t be Neptunia without endless gaming references.

For those who thought the second game was had toned down the humor too much compared to the constantly lighthearted story of the first game, V Generation takes the narrative back to its roots along with its original protagonist. Rarely serious, the story serves as a parody of the game industry from the NES days, with bits and pieces of modern gaming mixed in. One of the highlights of the dialogue aside from the constant fourth wall breaking and gaming reverences galore, (does anyone else remember Fighting Vipers?), is to see how events such as the rise of Sony, the fall of Nintendo, and Xbox’s oversees struggles play out. These scenes are an interesting love letter to those who have been following the industry for so long, acting as a reward for playing in its own right. With that in mind, the experience would be even more enjoyable if more of it was voiced. It seemed like the dialogue here was only displayed through text more often than its predecessors, which was a bit disappointing.

Exploration is essentially the same as its always been, choosing which country you want to go to by selecting it on an overworld map. In addition to obtaining missions through the guild, shopping for items, or talking to the citizens of Gamindustri like in past games, a news based broadcast called the Nepstation debuts to break up the action at the start of every chapter. Usually delivering a humorous retelling of past events, selling bulk items, or offering in game trivia, I found this to be a small, yet memorable addition to the map. Once in a dungeon, the leader of the party plays an even larger role, with unlockable leader abilities that boost the whole party. Special challenges increase stats or award Plans as they are achieved as well, so actions like running or jumping a certain amount, attacking enemies in the field to initiate battles, or even accomplishments in battle like taking damage or landing a certain amount of hits all lead to these boosts, giving players an extra reason to rotate their party and its leaders.

Nearly every action, (or non-action,) will boost your stats.

Game play wise, battles are largely unchanged, but the way special attacks are handled was altered into a different beast, resembling something more similar to what was featured in the original version of the second game. In this full range turn based battle system, characters move in real time while they position themselves to center as many enemies as they can in their attack range. Each weapon and ability has its own attack area, making positioning vital to achieving victory, (no pun intended.) Broken down into three types of attacks, Rush builds up the EX/SP meter faster with multi hit moves, (we’ll talk more about the meter soon,) Power does more damage, and Break weakens enemy shields, allowing more damage per hit when completely broken. Starting with three attacks for every turn, unlocking EX attacks that trigger based on how full your SP bar is, and using items to synthesize extra attack slots now give each character the opportunity to use five attacks each round.

While this all sounds almost exactly like the previous games, the biggest change comes with the removal of the EX meter and integrating it into the SP meter. In the past, the SP meter was used to pay for special attacks, and was replenished by attacking, using items or leaving the area to recover it in full. The EX meter on the other hand, was a separate bar that was shared by the party. It could only be filled by attacking, and could be used to allow EX attacks, (as mentioned above,) or pay for EXE Drives, ultimate abilities that served as the quickest way to defeat bosses. While this system was admittedly easy to exploit and abused to breeze through tough fights, the new system makes it much harder to do so.

The flashiest attacks now come with a huge price.

While trying to strike a better balance is all well and good, I found that aspect to be the only advantage of the new, (old?), system. With the two meters combined, the SP meter is divided into four segments, which also act as the levels of the EX meter. Using EX attacks drains the meter, while each character gets their own instead of sharing it. Draining the bar at the wrong time will leave your characters stranded with their standard attacks while they rebuild their SP, so wasting it is a surefire way to crash and burn. The reason why this comes off as much more tedious is that leaving dungeons no longer replenishes the bar, forcing you to either use a ton of items, or grind out hits against weaker enemies until it fills. Considering how even transforming now costs a fifth of the bar on top of the EXE Drives and SP attack costs, you’ll find yourself spending more time than you want to fighting for the sake of having fully functional teammates again. But the absolute biggest flaw is that unlike past games, most of the single character EXE Drive attacks have to be unlocked, while the ones unlocked throughout the story are mostly double team moves. While powerful, these attacks use up 50% to 75% of the meter for BOTH characters, making half of your four person party essentially useless against bosses unless that attack was the finishing blow. Even if it is, guess what? More SP grinding!

Once you reach the late game chapters, you’ll be begging for the exploitable EX meter to return too, if for no other reason than to keep yourself from shattering your Vita in a blind rage. While Re;Birth 1 had its share of difficulty spikes, and Re;Birth 2 was a bit too easy for my tastes, this third game literally goes from one end of the spectrum to the other, sometimes in the same dungeon. There’s nothing more frustrating than blowing through all of the standard enemies in a dungeon with one turn KO’s, worried that you’re over-leveled, to getting one or two hit KO’d by bosses in those very same dungeons. I’m all for a challenge when it comes to my games, but I would also want it to build up over time. Re;Birth 3 doesn’t do this, making grinding, item hoarding, or blind luck a must to advance through the late game, a factor I didn’t encounter with its predecessors.

You’ll need those extra attack slots to survive the late game battles.

That’s not to say that Re;Birth 3 doesn’t have its fair share of improvements. Most prominently, the frame rate in battles and dungeon exploration has been improved to display a smooth, steady pace. Big attacks don’t chug along as noticably, and running through the maps are free of the slowdown that served as an annoyance in the prequels. Ironically, it’s with fixing another past complaint that the slowdown rears its ugly head again. Another long running issue is the amount of reused maps. While this game doesn’t do away with them, new dungeon designs constantly pop up while old ones are expanded with new or bigger rooms, with the ability to expand them further with the Remake system. In fact, while some are reskins, Re;Birth 3 contains more dungeons than any other games in the series by a large margin. However, when the bigger maps show up, so does the slowdown, biting off a bit more than the system can chew processing wise. The same is true with battles, since some feature many more enemies on screen at once. As you can probably guess, more enemies means more slowdown. That’s not to say we don’t appreciate the effort to expand the scope of Gamindustri, it’s just funny that these expansions undue the improvement to the more stable framerate.

Outside of these areas, Re;Birth 3 has also revamped some of its side content, including treasure hunting, creating plans, and the dreaded Stella’s Dungeon scout mini game. Instead of scanning the area for hidden items, each map hides at least one invisible Nep block. Mirroring the exploits of a certain plumber, hitting these blocks uncovers coins to buy items with, while weapons, armor or plans appear in rare instances.

Iris Heart tends to terrify friends and foes alike.

Speaking of plans, there are so many more this time around, bringing the best out of the Remake System. Basically a form of synthesizing from other RPG’s, the Remake System creates everything from new weapons, items, armor, outfits and dungeons, to changing the menu voice, battle music, adding attacks, changing the difficulty, and unlocking solo EXE Drives amongst many other features. On top of the discs that can be burned to create custom perks for your character, and its clear how customizable this game can be, more so now than ever.

Lastly, the Stella mini game from Re;Birth 2 returns, but manages to actually be enjoyable rather than terrifying and tedious. By equipping her with her own armor, weapons and partners to boost her abilities, Stella now climbs the Neptral Tower as she collects items for the party and herself. If you send her farther than her abilities can sustain, she’ll be KO’d by monsters, losing her armor and partner along the way. What helps me maintain my sanity this time around is that good equipment is easily obtainable if you do lose, and partners are recovered in a snap as long as you can reach the floor they fainted on. But most importantly, each map only takes about an hour or two of real time to passively progress depending on how far you are, even in sleep mode. Unlike the dungeons that could take literally over a day at their worst, only to fail right at the end, I would eagerly turn on my Vita JUST to check on Stella’s progress. Considering how much the original was universally reviled, to the point where separate DLC was released to make it manageable, to say this change is for the better would be an understatement.

You’ll actually want to play Stella’s Dungeon this time around.

When my time with Re;Birth 3 drew to a close, I found myself with an enjoyable, more ambitious effort than the previous games, with some fundamental flaws that keep it from being as great as its predecessors. Victory players will appreciate the expanded story, new translation, improved plan system, new maps and bigger environments. Re;Birth newbies will still find the laugh out loud humor and addicting battle system intact with the third game, with further improvements to Stella’s Dungeon and treasure hunting. Unfortunately, difficulty spikes, a tedious change to the SP Meter, and a story that’s a bit drawn out hold it back. Still, this retro trip through an alternate Gamindustri is one worth taking, and continues Neptunia’s trend of being one of the best RPG series found on the Vita. Want a lighthearted, self aware romp through a video game about video games? You can’t go wrong with Nep! Now, bring on Victory II!

tl;dr:

+ Neptune is back with the same laugh out loud humor we’ve come to expect from the series.

+ The game runs smoother than before, with a more stable frame rate in most cases.

+ While some of the dungeons are still repeats, plenty of new maps compliment the old ones, which nearly received universal expansions.

+ Stella’s Dungeon is actually playable!

+ Both the Remake and battle systems feature many more options, and are expanded in ways to keep them as addicting as ever. With that said…

– The new SP/EX Meter mechanic renders EXE Drives nearly useless, forcing unnecessary item or battle grinding to replenish.

– The later portion of the game suddenly spikes in difficulty and suffers from poor pacing.

– While bigger dungeons and more enemies on screen is appreciated, these areas are when slowdown rears its ugly head once again.

– The story drags, with no clear goal or progression from about the half way point through right before the end of the game. Not to mention the villains aren’t all that threatening.

Final Score: 4/5

E3 2015: ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation’ Delivers A Faster, Stronger CPU!

by Josh JacksonJune 18, 2015

It may have taken three games, but when Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory released in 2012, it’s safe to say that the series finally hit its stride. So much so, that the game play improvements introduced would carry into remakes of the original titles, both of which were great additions to the PS Vita library when we reviewed them over the last few months. While there was plenty to improve on, I went into Re;Birth 3 a little conflicted. At this point, I’m completely absorbed in anything the series can offer, but does the game that the remakes are based off of need its own remake? What can be changed for V Generation to feel different?

Based on the time I spent with the E3 build, this version looks to be aiming for the definitive way to experience Neptune’s most recent adventure. Taking place in an alternate Gamindustri that’s based on the console wars of the early 90’s, past characters will look and act different while new ones, namely this alternate Planeptune’s CPU, Plutia. From a game play standpoint, small tweaks have been added to change up the way the game is approached. The returning Remake System will allow the party to add an extra attack slot into their list of commands after finding the appropriate plan for each, while finding treasure through scanning the environment is replaced by an invisible question mark that Nep hits with her head. Added cutscenes, new scenarios, items to help progress in the Stella Dungeon scouting mini game from Re;Birth 2, the return of Victory‘s stat boosts for performing certain actions and other surprises round out all the new features, while the turn based combat system remains intact.

But more than anything, what’s immediately noticeable is the improved frame rate, which never skipped a beat during battle. While the previous remakes would be bogged down with some harsh dips when the flashiest attacks would take place, the comparible moves that I tried in the demo had no such issue. In addition to an upgraded interface with colorful effects during attacks, reworked menus and a rewritten script, it’s clear that the presentation went through as much polishing as the game play, which I can’t wait to experience with the full game!

So if anything, Re;Birth 3 feels less like a remake and more like a remastered version, adding in what worked about its prequels while improving on what didn’t. With the trilogy nearly complete on both the Vita and PC through Steam, there’s no excuse for when the next main sequel is finally released. Luckily for us, the Vita release is right around the corner, coming on June 30th! Keep an eye out for our full review, and tell us what your favorite moments of the series have been in the comments below!