Tag: PS Vita

Ranking The Executions In ‘Danganronpa’

by Josh Jackson

Danganronpa is known for destroying its fans by getting them attached to the characters that make up its colorful cast, then killing them in some of the worst ways possible. With a whole new set of deaths to discover with the impending release of Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, we ranked the executions from the first three chapters of the story, sorting out the most despair inducing punishments in the series. From the gruesome to the silly and everything in between, it’s time to watch our friends die all over again.

Mikan Tsumiki: Bye-Bye Ouchies!

Kicking off the list is Mikan’s execution, which was the worst one by a long shot. Things didn’t seem quite right in Danganronpa 2, which felt apparent when the executions were a lot more out there than the first outing, but this one just left me confused and unsatisfied, contrary to the sexual undertones of her big death scene.

After being discovered as Ibuki and Hiyoko’s killer, she launches into space on a giant arm that’s been injected with some kind of… fluid. Matching up with her Ultimate Nurse talent, there were so many more interesting ways this could have went down. Instead, we got what was essentially an off screen death for someone who had embraced her dark side at this point in the story, making me feel robbed of the satisfaction of watching one of the bad guys lose AND an interesting death. Thankfully, they get much better down the list.

Monomi’s First Death

Serving as less of a formal execution and more of a wake-up call to the main cast letting us know that this second killing game is serious, the former Usami is gunned down by one of the fearsome Monobeasts, clearing the way for Monokuma to take over the second class. This one is low on the list considering there’s a lack of emotional connection since you just met Monomi, her death played up the comedy aspect of a stuffed bear getting shot up, and it’s extremely temporary since she comes back minutes later, but it was still an important scene for Hajime and his friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EWS-gydlMk

Alter Ego: Excavator Destroyer

Much like the above entry, this one is eventually undone, and it’s not the same feeling when you watch a computer get killed instead of a friend. Still, Alter Ego’s death was especially shocking at the time I played it since it died spying on the mastermind when we thought it had gotten away, AND it was a total surprise since the real killer of the case couldn’t be executed due to it being a suicide. True despair rose to the surface as our only way to discover the circumstances around the school had seemingly been crushed, but this wouldn’t be the case for long.

Jin Kirigiri: Blast Off!

The very first execution of the series gains much more significance once the game has reached its conclusion compared to when you actually watch it play out, but it’s important for a few reasons. One, much like Monomi’s death was a wake-up call for the cast of the second game, this being the very first scene you see when you start the game let players know what they were about to be taken on a wild ride of death sprinkled with a bit of lighthearted cartoon imagery. Finding out later that the unnamed victim was both the Headmaster of the school and the father of one of the main characters gives it much more weight in retrospect.

Celeste Ludenberg: The Burning of the Versailles Witch

Celeste was a true manipulator, pulling off the first double murder in the series after manipulating the gullible Hifumi to help her kill and cover up her first victim before tying up loose ends by killing her accomplice. Being granted a death fitting for the noble she pretended to be, the Ultimate Gambler has her perfect death snatched from under her feet when her death by burning is interrupted by a fire truck falling on her. As the first comedic punishment, it managed to have a decent amount of anticipation before the bait and switch, which both helped and hurt its position on the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8ynirdsev8

Teruteru Hanamura: Deep Fried Teruteru

Teruteru’s execution was one of the saddest. As the first class trial came to a close, it turned out that the Ultimate Cook killed his victim by mistake as he did everything he could to prevent the Ultimate Son of a Bitch, Nagito, from killing a member of the group in his quest for the the brightest hope in the face of despair.

If it was an accident, then why risk his friends’ lives to try and get away with the killing? It turns out he has a sick mother who he desperately wanted to see, making him fight tooth and nail for his own survival. Yet, we never find out her fate. Instead, we get a battered, deep fried chef who’s turned into a literal tempura after being dipped into a volcano. Considering the previous executions were relatively grounded, this was the first clue that Jabberwok Island wasn’t as it appeared, as the cast of the second game would later learn.

Mondo Owada: The Cage of Death

Equal parts funny and disgusting, Mondo’s execution after his insecurities led him to murder the Ultimate Programer, (and everyone’s favorite trap,) Chihiro Fujisaki, the former motorcycle gang member goes out as he lived. While strapped to the seat of his bike, he’s placed in a stunt cage and drives around so fast while being simultaneously electrocuted, that he ends up being liquified. Signaled by the reveal of Monokuma’s new favorite butter, it’s pretty disgusting when you see the bear eating the remains of your friend on top of his stack of pancakes.

Junko Enoshima: The Ultimate Punishment

As the mastermind who led both your classmates and the entire world to go on a murderous rampage, we should have reached peak satisfaction when it was time for Junko to get what was coming to her. Yet, her comeuppance felt bittersweet, considering the despair obsessed psychopath was actually excited to feel the true despair that only death can bring. Rather than setting up a unique execution for herself, she ends up going through every other execution from the first game! It makes you wonder what this girl is made of to survive being burned alive, crushed by a truck, electrocuted and bulldozed before finally being smashed to death by a giant weight.

And even then, this wouldn’t be the last we heard from Ms. Enoshima…

Gundham Tanaka: Gundham Tanaka Stampede

Gundham seemed to be a polarizing figure in the second game, and I landed on the side that couldn’t stand him. His obsession with the occult, his absurd speech mannerisms and his belief that he was some kind of demon king above all us mortals was only slightly offset by the Ultimate Breeder’s adorable crew of hamsters, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction. But even then, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy once his time finally came.

After reaching an agreement to fight and ultimately kill a fellow classmate as a sacrifice to spur the waning crew back into action, Gundham is placed in the path of a heard of stampeding bulls. Not being one to take his fate lying down, he sets up a magic seal, seemingly making good on the demonic power he claimed to possess all this time. Unfortunately for him, his spell doesn’t activate in time, leading him to being trampled to death. In his last moments, he gives a comforting look to his pets before the animals that had long since passed carry his spirit up into heaven. Part silly and part heartbreaking, seeing how much he cared for his companions meant he couldn’t be all bad. Right?

Makoto Naegi / Kyoko Kirigiri: After School Lesson

This one barely counts since one is a “what if” scenario if you make the wrong choice during the fifth trial, and the other one doesn’t go through. Regardless, it ranks high on the list mostly due to the tension it creates when experiencing it for the first time.

Setting up a fake murder for the purpose of getting rid of the Ultimate Detective, Kyoko Kirigiri, the player as main character Makoto Naegi has the choice to either fall into the trap, leading to Kyoko being killed and the remaining classmates living the rest of their days trapped in Hopes Peak Academy, or having Makoto take the fall, leading to our lead being killed instead. Naturally, things don’t go as planned, because just as Makoto is about to be crushed on the conveyor belt, Alter Ego comes back from the dead and shuts down the device just in time to save him.

On another note, I feel like dying while being strapped to a desk and being taught reproduction by a robot teddy bear would be a terrible way to go out.

Chiaki Nanami and Monomi: Please Insert Coin

Considering how serious this moment is, it’s almost unfitting to see such an important character die via Tetris block. But that’s what happens with Chiaki Nanami, our inaugural waifu of the year in 2014.

The Ultimate Gamer was a beacon of hope and encouragement for the class in the second game, especially when its protagonist, Hajime Hinata, felt completely lost. All the while, the class had an underlying suspicion of one another since it was established early on that one of their peers was a mole sent by the mysterious Future Foundation. As it turns out, Chiaki was that mole, but all wasn’t as it appeared to be.

You see, Chiaki was actually an AI created by Alter Ego from the first game designed as a sort of anti virus to help prevent outside interference. It turns out the entire game was a virtual simulation meant to rehabilitate some of the worst criminals the world had ever seen, but it had been hacked by the true mastermind on behalf of Junko from the first game. Nagito, that lunatic that I mentioned from Teruteru’s execution, discovered the truth before anyone else and decided to set up an unsolvable murder, using himself as the sacrifice. He planned on killing himself and all of his classmates, ridding the world of the criminals they really were and leaving Chiaki as the only survivor. Only things didn’t pan out this way, and Chiaki’s undying faith in their true selves helped her convince them to choose her as the killer. A choice that ended up being both correct, and completely unbearable. Luckily, AI’s never truly die, and both her and Monomi (as Usami), return to help the survivors during their final showdown.

And to think, this isn’t even the worst of what Chiaki ended up going through.

Peko Pekoyama: One Woman Army

None of the class were supposed to have known each other when waking up on Jabberwok Island, but two of them had an instant familiarity with each other. Peko Pekoyama, the Ultimate Swordswoman and Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Gangster, were childhood associates, with the former being the latter’s bodyguard. All of this was unbeknownst to the rest of the group, so when case two came along and it turned out that Peko killed a classmate in Fuyuhiko’s name after being threatened by the victim, who was really responsible?

Ultimately, it was Peko who was sent to her death since she was the one who actually committed the act. But what makes her death even more noteworthy isn’t so much over how much of a badass she came off as while slicing down all of the dummies trying to kill her, but that in the process, the tough exterior of her boss fades away as he pushes through the danger to try and help her. What he gets in return is an accidental near death experience, as Peko inadvertently slices through him while cutting down one of the puppets. In her sorrow, she cradles her friend as she’s stabbed to death be her endless hoard of enemies.

As the only execution that made me audibly gasp once it appeared as if we were getting two deaths in one execution, we ended up getting a much more cooperative, level heading Kuzuryu, taking Peko’s death to heart. He may have lost an eye, but in return, he gains a whole new level of maturity that carries him through the rest of the game.

Chiaki Nanami: The first punishment

You may be wondering why Chiaki is here again if she was already killed above? It turns out that the AI from the game was based on a real person, and she was the victim of the first true execution as we would come to know them.

As the only real punishment in the Danganronpa 3 anime, the real Chiaki was the class representative to the Danganronpa 2 class. The anchor that held them all together so to speak. So when Junko decided that she needed a group of followers to help her spread despair around the world, she used a combination of brainwashing and the murder of their beloved classmate to drive them all insane by forcing them all to watch her death.

Mimicking video games like Gauntlet, the Ultimate Gamer was forced to traverse an endless labyrinth full of deadly traps, each one landing with brutal effectiveness. Over the course of what’s essentially a ten minute murder porn session, we witness this girl who both the characters and the viewers grew so attached to have her arm broken, her eye smashed, her foot impaled and her physical limits pushed to the absolute brink before finally finding the exit and reuniting with her friends.

Or so she thought. As she seemingly escapes, a room full of spikes shoot from the ground, impaling her entire body and leaving her in a bloody heap. As she bleeds to death, she sees her friend Hajime one last time, now approaching her as the artificial Ultimate, Izuru Kamakura. In her final moments she cries out her desire to see her friends again, leading the emotionless Izuru to cry for the first time since transforming into what he had now become. Compelled by Chiaki’s undying will, he realizes that Junko’s brand of chaos isn’t the only way to reach one’s full potential, leading him to go behind her back and set up the Chiaki AI. Seeking to see which ideology is the strongest, he sets up a scenario where their ideals will clash one last time in the final showdown between hope and despair.

This scene showed that despite how charismatic and humorous she could be, Junko was a real monster. But most importantly, it showed the catalyst that led to the events of both games, even if we had to have our souls completely crushed in the process. I still get sad thinking about this scene… But there can only be one top execution, and for that, we’ll have to go from the end to the beginning.

Leon Kuwata: The 1,000 Blows

As the saying goes, you never forget your first.

Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star, was the first character to be executed after being outed as the murderer of Sayaka Maizono. She was planning to murder Makoto in an attempt to escape and discover what had happened to the bandmates in her idol group, but after being spotted by Leon, a series of events took place where he ended up killing her instead.

As the first execution, the game wanted to make sure to leave a lasting impression on us, and that it did. From not knowing what to expect as the first real conclusion to a case, to the haunting animation that would be associated with the rest of the punishments going forward, to the way he is chained and dragged away kicking and screaming is a level of fright that none of the other executions have achieved since. But then, we get to the actual execution, one fitting for a baseball star such as himself.

After being tied to a pole, Kuwata is shot with a ball from a pitching machine. And then another. And another. Suddenly, he’s being shot with hundreds of baseballs all over his body to the point where he eventually dies from the endless injuries being inflicted upon him in such a methodical, painful way. As the last bloody baseball rolls to the camera while his limp body hangs in the background, it’s at this point that you know you’re going to be in for a sick, twisted affair of a game.

You know what the crazy part is? This version is actually more tame than the original concept! As the only execution that was altered due to the graphic nature of the scene in the anime adaptation, the game version was actually toned down from the beta version. There, the scene plays out similarly, but eventual blood splatter starts flying from him while he’s still alive. Each ball results in another splatter until the whole room is eventually full of the stuff as if we were suddenly playing Mortal Kombat. It’s hard to imagine that this death could get any worse than the one we were presented with, and yet, here we are.

If you couldn’t tell, it takes a special kind of sadistic to come up with these executions. With a whole new game right around the corner, I can only imagine what new, sickening ways the developers will come up with when it comes to killing off our friends. Yet, its this despair that keeps us coming back, and I can’t wait to feel that sting all over again in two weeks.

What would your execution rankings be? Do you think any of them are off base? Let us know in the comments!

‘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!

 

E3 2017: Lick Your Way Through A Living Prison In ‘Mary Skelter: Nightmares’

by Josh Jackson

As most of us know by now, Japanese RPG’s can get pretty weird. Last year alone, we took a return trip to a world where game console goddesses saved the world from the disgruntled spirit of the Sega Dreamcast, and became pop stars who defended Tokyo from the evils of the entertainment industry. But I can comfortably say that I have yet to play anything like Mary Skelter: Nightmares, a new dungeon crawling RPG by Compile Heart that tasks you with leading a party full of gothic lolita versions of our favorite fairy tale heroines to freedom as they fight their way through a living prison. Except they’re hardly the prancing, singing princesses you might be picturing, because their insatiable blood lust leads them to go wild as they soak up the blood of their enemies. What’s the best way to bring them back to their senses? Naturally, you lick them clean.

Trust me when I say that you’re going to to need to get used to the trying act of making these attractive anime girls lick each other, because your success in battle directly correlates with how close they get to losing control. Doing damage, landing critical hits and finishing off strong opponents leads to larger blood splatters. Once one of the girls absorbs a certain amount of blood, they transform into their most powerful state, greatly improving their damage and abilities in the process. If that blood continues to pile up however, the girl will eventually go berserk, forcing her to lose all control and attack friend and foe alike. Licking has the added benefit of healing the affected party member, but when the rest of your girls are tied up with casting support spells, attacking enemy monsters or taking advantage of elemental weaknesses, Jack, your character, has a special weapon that can calm the girls down instantly. Don’t draw too much attention to him though, because if he’s out of commission, there will be no one to control the girls, leading to a game over.

Monsters and blood aren’t the only dangers in the prison, because the prison itself serves as both a lethal opponent and a helpful ally depending on the situation. Each area in the prison is guarded by a boss that hangs around outside the prison walls. These cheaters can attack you from the outside without allowing you to fight back, forcing the team to be on their toes as they dodge incoming hazards during exploration, all while avoiding the traps that the prison itself holds. The benefit however, is that some traps can be used to your benefit. Activating the right ones at the right time can damage the boss, bringing them down to your level and allowing you to battle them with a more traditional turn based system. As you play, the dungeon will also have its own set of desires that you’re asked to fulfill for combat bonuses. For example, if its feeling lustful, continuously licking will satisfy its need for waifu on waifu action. And you thought the showers were the only place that you had to worry about perverts in jail.

What made Mary Skelter stand out to me more than anything was its ability to keep you on your toes at all times. I’ve played plenty of first person dungeon crawlers where traveling becomes a chore after awhile since you can only look at the same walls for so long before it gets old. This game doesn’t give you the chance to get worn out out since you’re constantly under attack. With its unique mechanics, the ability to take characters like Alice, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella and customize their classes and abilities to make your custom fairy tale fighting squad, being able to de-level your characters to power up low level classes, and the focus on the dungeon as its own entity, and its easy to see why such an interesting take on the genre has piqued my interest. Besides, haven’t you always wanted to taste Snow White?

Mary Skelter: Nightmare will release on the PS Vita this summer.

‘Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night’ Canceled For Wii U. Coming To Switch Instead.

by The_acz

2 years ago, a disgruntled Koji Igarashi left Konami to make the Castlevania game of his dreams that Konami didn’t want to make. He launched the mega popular Kickstarter for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and has been hard at work on the game ever since then. They hit tons of stretch goals, including one that would get the game on the Wii U. Well, we all know that the Wii U essentially kicked the bucket back in late 2015, and with the recent success of the Nintendo Switch, there have been some major changes.

Just like Yooka Laylee a couple of months back, Igarashi announced today in the newest update that Bloodstained is no longer coming out for Nintendo’s red headed gamepad forcing step child. Instead, the game will launch on the Switch, and backers who once backed the Wii U version can now change to the Switch with ease, as well as other platforms. While sad for Wii U owners, this is another great game heading to the Switch via 3rd party support, and we couldn’t be happier for it.

What do you think? Which version of Bloodstained will you be getting? Check out the announcement right here.

 

 

Geekscape Presents: The Top 16 Gaming Waifus Of 2016

by Josh Jackson

We owe so much to our waifus, who often give us sad, lonely gamers love when reality shuns us. Pay your respects by checking out our lists from years past!

2014

2015

But anyway, off to the present!

WARNING: Potential spoilers for every game listed. Unless you’ve finished them or don’t care, skip the entries you’re worried about before you yell at me.

2016 has drawn to a close, which means it’s time to evaluate all of the top gaming waifu candidates for the past year. We at Geekscape take this process very seriously, which is why this year’s list has made its way to your screens a little later than in previous years. Because we always aim to deliver as the authority on all things waifu, (and because of how indecisive I am), this year’s list is the biggest one yet! Upping the tally to a massive 16, this year was a fantastic year for female characters, memorable companions and the downright freaky. Ranging from the sweet to the sadistic, the gamers to the inanimate objects, and from mechs to movie stars, here are the top 16 gaming waifus of 2016! But first…

Honorable Best Girls:

Ayane (Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 / Senran Kagura: Estival Versus)

Ayane will always hold a special place in my heart as one of my favorite video game characters of all time. Brought up as an outcast who was forced to live in the shadow of her half sister due to being a child born from rape, her resentment reflected through her relentless tactics as a master ninja. Often aiding Ryu Hayabusa throughout his missions, she’s shined as a co-protagonist in the Dead or Alive series over the years. I’m not the only person she’s left an impression on, appearing in both Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, and Senran Kagura: Estival Versus as a guest DLC character! While she had no prominent roles throughout the year, her growing popularity makes her worthy of a mention. Now if only Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water had released in 2016, that might have been enough to push her into the list proper as a guest in that game as well, but unfortunately, butt bumping and volley ball can only get you so far here.

Marie Rose (Dead or Alive Xtreme 3)

Speaking of Dead or Alive, I can’t mention 2016 without the unprecedented rise of Marie Rose. A newcomer to the DOA scene, she gets a tip of the hat due to her winning a fan poll that not only got her into Xtreme 3, but got her the cover of the game itself! It’s impressive enough as a new character, but considering she’s the only “Justice” character in a game full of “Plot”, it’s great to see such diversity shine through in the formerly rigid world of Dead or Alive.

Elena Fisher (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)

Elena *SHOULD* have been on the main list. She’s brave, daring, doesn’t take any crap, and manages to keep a carefree soul like Nathan Drake in line… Most of the time. But boy, did her chances fall apart when she forgave Drake so easily for lying to her about going on another adventure despite the two settling down after all of ten minutes. C’mon, at least punch his face in or kick him in the dick! Anything other than what happened. So we still love you, Elena. Just don’t take any more crap!

Shantae (Shantae: Half Genie Hero)

Shantae is FAR too kind to the citizens of Sequin Land. As their guardian genie, she’s always protecting its citizens for little thanks, to the point where the mayor is constantly trying to fire her. Half Genie Hero is a more personal adventure for the half genie, as she tries to find ties to her mother in the Genie Realm. While it hurts not to put her on the list, she really needs to put her foot down and stop letting herself be mistreated. Maybe we can impeach the mayor? Can you do that to a mayor?

UltraDimension Neptune / Big Neptune (MegaDimension Neptune VII)

More Nep is always a good thing, especially when you have two in one game. This dual blade / pistol wielding version of our 2014 runner up has all the personality of Nep proper, but without the CPU powers. This means as a human, she can age and grow in order to earn her nickname of Big Nep. She can hop dimensions and catch bugs with the best of them,but she’s not on the list because of her convoluted plan to infiltrate the bad guys from inside their group, which in typical Neptune fashion, fails spectacularly. This led to me being forced to fight her outside of non-cannon material, and I NEVER want to have to fight Nep if I can help it. She’s far too precious, and I don’t appreciate the trauma.

And so, without further ado…

16. Iris Amicitia (Final Fantasy XV)

Yes, I know that Final Fantasy XV hammers home the idea that Noctis and Luna are destined to be together, and in a way, that’s true. But for the short amount of time that she’s with you, Iris is much higher on the quality waifu scale than The Oracle ever was. She can’t die in battle, she constantly keeps you healed when your friends are bumbling around taking pictures, she gives you items that distract enemies, and she apparently becomes a bad ass monster hunter, (off camera!) Oh, and she’s cute as all hell!

But aside from her cuteness, she’s a go-getter who takes what she wants. I mean, some might call her a homewrecker for blatantly flirting with a guy who’s on his way to get married, but I call her assertive! In retrospect, considering that Luna was destined to die and knowingly led Noct into a situation where he would also be killed, all under the guise of him getting married to her, he was better off with Iris. Even if that meant having that asshole, Gladio, as your brother in law. And you know what? I felt more than justified when I took a picture of her to admire in the afterlife to distract me from being stick with Luna for all eternity. And she’d be much higher on this list if she had more screen time.

15. Those damn stained glass mirrors (The Last Guardian)

The Last Guardian could be an insanely frustrating game to play, mostly because Trico was literally programmed to only listen to your commands when he felt like it. But there was one thing that your dog / bird / snake… thing, would stop in its tracks for. Those stupid stained glass mirrors!

Your character claims that Trico was “scared” of them, but when’s the last time you saw someone blow kisses out of fear? Much like when your best friend meets that new girl, these are constantly getting in between your bro time with your companion. However, it might be a bit of an overreaction to cope with this new life change by shattering your competition into a million pieces, but it’s not like anything else makes sense in the game. Besides, if you saw Trico make that kiss face where he grows lipstick with his pink eyes, you’d do what you could to make it disappear as fast as possible.

14. Chun-Li (Street Fighter V)

Let me start out by saying that without Chun-Li, there probably wouldn’t be a waifu list. As the first character I picked in Street Fighter II back when I was five years old because of how unique she looked compared to the otherwise all male cast, she became my very first “main”. I also ran into my first “rage quitters” in the form of high schoolers that would poke me as a distraction until I lost to Sagat because I kept beating them in our matches.

Anyway, I would love nothing more to strap a rocket onto the self proclaimed “Strongest Woman in the World” and launch her up the list simply because she’s still my primary pick in Street Fighter V all these years later. But with all things considered, she’s pretty terrible in the game’s story mode, constantly getting beaten by characters she should be able to handle. Hardly fitting for a character of such caliber, but at least she enjoyed the top tier for awhile!

13. Mai Shiranui (The King of Fighters XIV / Dead or Alive 4 Last Round)

It pains me to put Mai above Chun-Li because she’s the antitheses of everything Chun is. Mai was also the first lady of Fatal Fury, but rather than being noticed for her martial arts skills or interesting backstory, she’s mostly known for her uncontrollable breasts that may or may not be independently living entities. (En-titties?) Anyway, I won’t let my personal distaste for her character get in the way of the scientific process of determining the top waifus of the year, and Mai had an incredible 2016. As one of the characters leading the revival of the King of Fighters franchise, her strong loyalty to Andy Bogard still holds true. But while being a character in an ensemble fighting game may not be enough, being a guest character in Dead or Alive, a game that might not exist in its current form if Mai never “busted” onto the scene all those years ago, helps things come full circle in a way. Not to mention that she’s always been fun to play!

So enjoy your time in the spotlight, Ms. Shinarui. You’ve earned it!

12. Ditto (Pokemon Sun / Pokemon Moon and Pokemon Go)

Despite being an E rated game geared towards children, Ditto is the one that trainers around the world go to when they want a good time. As the most accepting waifu on this list, Ditto can be anything you want it to be. Do you want a beast? Field? How about a Water 2? If you want it, Ditto’s got it, regardless of whether or not you “get along,” or “don’t like each other very much”. This trait is both a blessing and a curse for the purple blob, making its reliability a sought after trait, while its promiscuity is something we’d rather avoid. When you have a waifu who would reproduce with its own kids if given the chance, you might need to be a bit careful around this one, even if you owe your competitive team to it.

11. Arnice (Nights of Azure)

Arnice is a holy knight who ironically became half monster. Partaking on a mission to an isolated land that’s overrun with monsters, she takes up the task of ridding monsters from the land by employing the assistance of monsters herself. But one doesn’t just invade a beast infested land for the hell of it. Arnice uses her strength to protect the one closest to her, who in this case, is her best friend, Lilysse. Often hinted at having a relationship that is more than platonic, their story tilts towards the tragic side, considering Lilysse is a saint who’s destined to be the key to eliminating the blue blood that fuels the monsters by destroying it’s source. Except Arnice also carries the blood of the Ruler of the Night, so doing so would destroy her as well. Knowing that each enemy slain is one closer to her potential death, Arnice marches on, setting her safety aside for the benefit of her friend.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Arnice has one of the best designs out of anyone on this list, so that always helps!

10. E-Sha (MegaDimension Neptunia VII)

Gold Third is a group of four humans that were given power that rivals the Goddesses of Gamindustri. Each one represents a major third party, consisting of C-Sha, (Capcom), K-Sha, (Konami), B-Sha, (Bandai Namco), and S-Sha, (Square Enix). So where does E-Sha come into play? As you learn more about S-Sha’s past, it turns out that she’s made up of two former rivals who fused in order to ensure both of their survival. As a parallel to the stoic and cold S-Sha, (who shares her attacks, design and quotes with famous characters like Cloud and Squall), E-Sha is much more caring and compassionate. After all, it takes a special kind of girl to keep their biggest rival alive when they’re knocking on death’s door.

She was too pure for this world… So she left it.

As an obvious parallel to the real life merging of Squaresoft and Enix to form Square-Enix, E-Sha ends up being an underappreciated member of the cast considering S-Sha’s usually the personality in control. Still, with such a selfless attitude and some hilarious Dragon Quest inspired attacks to boot, we’re making sure that Ms. Enix gets her due.

9. Renka (Senran Kagura: Estival Versus)

Senran Kagura is a bizarre game to explain. As most probably know by now, its premise is to have high school ninjas fight as their clothes come off in creative and absurd ways. Yet, the narrative of each game tends to be more and more serious, somehow asking you to form an emotional connection with these characters as they stand around nude.

However, Renka manages to do a good job making a connection despite her tattered outfit. As one of the new characters introduced in Estival Versus, Renka is the eldest of the three Mikagura Sisters who serve as priestesses with the power to help bring people back from the dead. Competing against the Hanzo, Hebijo and Crimson Squads in the hopes of getting their wish granted at the end of the festival, the trio secretly wants to draw out a mysterious figure who led them to a cave right before their village was slaughtered, leaving them as the only survivors. But when she’s not carrying that uncharacteristically heavy burden, Renka was easily the most fun to play with, using electric taiko drums as her key weapon. When she’s not squaring off with dangerous ninjas, she’s drawing faces on her stomach and dancing to entertain her firework obsessed sister to keep her from literally exploding.

The game leaves that tidbit about the village slaughter and the mystery person up in the air, so I’m hoping we see Renka and her sisters down the road.

8. Lusamine (Pokemon Sun / Pokemon Moon)

Lusamine is someone who loves hard. Way too hard, some might say. So hard that she’ll abandon her children, create what’s surely a multi-million Poke yen dollar research organization, absorb a criminal gang into said organization, and use all of her resources to draw out otherworldly beings that could potentially destroy the planet just for the chance to see the object of her affection one more time. But in the end, after assimilating with a jellyfish monster and trying to kill her son, daughter and their friends, it all came from a good place! She just became a tad obsessed after her researcher husband vanished while investigating the Ultra Beasts. Now that’s real dedication! I mean, who needs THE world when YOUR world is no longer in it?

Thanks, Lusamine. Most people see you as an evil and neglectful villain, but I appreciate you.

7. BT-7274 (Titanfall 2)

Much like Ditto, BT isn’t necessarily a male OR female, so I’ll just draw my own conclusions. Turning the tables as what most would consider from a waifu, BT protects YOU, who is the one that is too pure for this world. It’s a nice change of pace to have your smile protected for once. This abandoned Titan who’s pilot was killed during a pivotal battle quickly takes you under its wing, adapting its abilities to help protect you while either giving you direct control, or fighting alongside you as true partners in arms. As the only waifu on this list that you get to be inside of, BT also doesn’t take kindly to other Titans moving in on you, who has the somewhat concerning habit of tearing their insides out and taking their abilities so it will be everything you might have loved about them. When push comes to shove though, BT cares the most about your well being, which is why it pulls an Iron Giant during the final moments of the game while taking his spot alongside Terminator X John Connor as one of the greatest robot and human ships in all of fiction. But like a long lost ex, it seems like BT will find a way back to you if the post credits scene means anything.

6. Athena Asamiya (The King of Fighters XIV)

The ultimate idol of the SNK universe, Athena has always been one of my favorite characters ever. Once again referencing Chun-Li, Athena was my King of Fighters equivalent, serving as my main for 22 years now. This hasn’t changed in King of Fighters XIV, with such a wide variety of moves that constantly keep opponents guessing. But when she’s not fighting, singing, or hitting fans with Psycho Balls in the face as a contest prize, she has so much more significance. As the reincarnation of the goddess Athena who starred in her own game back in the 80’s, this version of Athena has starred in its follow up, Psycho Soldier, and a lesser known survival horror game. Her profession as a singer comes from her game being the first one to feature vocalized lyrics in video game history, making her somewhat of an icon in the industry.

But that has nothing to do with 2016. What DOES have to do with it is how strong of a fighter she still is after all these years, all without having aged a day. And I mean this literally, since I’m pretty sure she’s been in high school for 30 years now. Either that, or she’s far more interested in fighting than studying.

5. Marie (Splatoon)

It’s unprecedented for a waifu to make this list twice in a row, but Marie earned it. Last year, she landed at the number two spot alongside her partner, Callie. This year, a rift came between the Squid Sisters, asking players to choose between the two for the final Splatfest. When the ink settled and all the kid squids went home, Marie barely edged out her sister to become the ultimate victor. The sarcastic bad cop to Callie’s overabundant good cop took the win graciously, alongside other milestones such as having her own amiibo made and her return announced, (possbily alone), for what would eventually become known as Splatoon 2. Apparently, the final Splatfest was like Highlander, where there could be only one since Callie has yet to be seen. Anyway, I may have voted for the purple squid, but if this Splatfest would have happened a few months later, I would have been Team Marie all the way! But more on that later…

4. D.Va (Overwatch)

Some waifus become waifus because they have incredible personalities, a strong resolve, an undeniable cuteness, or make perfect companions. Others are designed specifically as waifu bait, carefully crafted to specifically appeal to the sad, lonely gamers of the world. D.Va falls on the latter side of that spectrum, and I took the bait hook, line and sinker. She’s a young, attractive professional Starcraft player who’s skills landed her a gig in the South Korean military as one of the only people in the country with the reflexes to fight the perceived Onmic threat. And did I mention she fights by piloting a mech that’s sponsored by Blizzard?

But sometimes, you and your waifu just click, and that’s what happened when I first hopped into that bunny robot and captured my first point in Overwatch. With 53 hours and counting, 440 wins under our belt, and all the obnixious voice lines I could purchase, this is a relationship that keeps on delivering. We did well even in the dark ages of D.Va, when her Defense Matrix wasn’t togglable and her Self Destruct Ultimate killed her if she was in its blast radius, but every since Blizaard decided they no longer wanted to sponsor someone so vulnerable, they used their pull to boost her up. Now, we can protect teammates, eat damage, rush the point and push the payload in ways that surely frustrate our foes to no end. And even without the mech, Zero Suit D.va is no slouch herself, becoming a medium range shooter that can deal the damage quickly. Sure, I may have dabbled a bit with my side chicks like Mercy and Pharah, but I always come crawling back to Queen B.Va when it’s time to get serious. So while “WaifuWatch” has plenty of incredible female characters, making this list was easy mode for the gaming goddess.

3. Uzume Tennouboshi (The Neptunia Series)

As the newest CPU on the block, Uzume already had her foot in the door by being the Neptunia representative for the Dreamcast, one of my favorite consoles of all time. But even without being loved by association, Uzume has something special that even the best CPUs seem to lack. Her combination of toughness, her strong sense of duty, and the fact that in her world, she’s the only goddess left alive while protecting Gamindustri all by herself, what you’re left with is one of the best characters out of any game in the franchise. Alongside her companion / Seaman knock-off, Umio, the two have rounded up the remaining monsters and serve as their protectors while Ms. Tennouboshi does all she can to find a way to restore peace to Planeptune.

Obsessed with all things cool, this attitude hides the fact that she’s a girly girl at heart. As with the rest of the goddesses, her true nature shines through when she transforms into her CPU form, Orange Heart. While she may take up a much sweeter personality, her powerful fists and trusty megaphone still get the job done, and eventually saves her world not once, but twice over the course of the game! When your main antagonist ends up being the bitter version of yourself that formed when people didn’t accept the Dreamcast, it goes to show that your awesomeness can’t be contained in a single body.

Then again, whether or not Uzume survives the conflict is up to the decisions you made throughout the game. But even if she bit the dust in your playthrough, that wouldn’t be the last we saw of Orange Heart this year. Appearing in three different games, this just might be the most appearances for a single character in their debut year! MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune vs. Zombies brought her into the action game realm, while SuperDimension Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls had her literally square off against Dreamcast in the Vita’s crossover RPG. But no matter how you played as her, we’re really hoping we see the return of Planeptune’s crimson savior again in 2017.

2. Tsubasa Oribe (Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE)

Imagine that one day, you’re a normal high school girl who wants nothing more than to enjoy her latest Kiria album while trying to win a talent contest to become a Japanese Idol, all to find clues on the whereabouts of your missing sister. Then all of a sudden, you’re pulled into an alternate universe where entertainment is a source of energy, and you fuse with an ancient Pegesus Knight to become a warrior that protects the world from this Mirage threat under the guise of a singer. Sounds like a normal day in Japan, but this was the start of what would become one of the most creative game premises of the year.

But between traversing dangerous dungeons and teaming up with legendary Fire Emblem characters while teaching them the virtues of song and dance, this game was mostly about Tsubasa’s growth as a performer and as person. She’s klutzy, she’s not the most reliable and she can be a bit dim. But each and every time she was thrown into the deep end in an industry that she had zero familiarity in, she pulled through when it mattered the most. Whether she was asked to become an all star model, a television actress, or star in the latest soda commercial, the pressure of knowing that the world could end if you failed would break weaker waifus.

Tsubasa’s growth makes Tokyo Mirage Sessions a pleasure to play though.

Tsubasa isn’t a weaker waifu. Even if that meant she had to endure verbal abuse, face down towering monsters and fight side by side with those she looks up to, she always found a way to push through. Even when that included learning how to be seductive by talking to a stray cat. And in the end, she stood tall as a peer next to titans of the industry, all while fighting alongside Caeda, her high school friend, Itsuki, and by extension, Marth, to put the Shadow Dragon down once more. But what’s most impressive about Ms. Oribe is her ability to be laugh out loud hilarious, incredibly sincere and extremely dedicated, to the point where it felt so rewarding to finally see her come into her own as an artist. Seeing her go from her debut performance:

To her final performance:

It feels like the culmination of a long journey that you took alongside her, even if she technically went from an unknown to a national superstar in a few months. With all this considered, I had a hard time deciding who would be numbers two and three on the list, but with these factors in mind, Tsubasa’s perseverance more than deserved to stand above all the rest. Well, all except one.

We’ve counted down fifteen incredible waifus, showing that 2016 had no shortage when it came to some fantastic female, (and not so female), characters. But there can only be one who sits on the top shelf, so this year’s Best Girl deserves nothing short of an introduction worthy of Hollywood. So here to present our winner is 2015’s Waifu of the Year, Nepgear.

So without further ado, the 2016 Waifu of the Year goes to…

1. Eleonora Yumizuru (Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE)

What can I say about Ellie that can encompass how beyond exceptional she is in almost every way? In battle, she’s a powerhouse who can use her expert archery skills to instant kill entire fields of enemies, even when caught in a normally difficult Savage Battle. Story wise, she acts as a mentor for her less experienced peers despite being slightly younger than they are age wise. And there aren’t many people out there that can provide better advice when it comes to all things acting, considering that she’s a consummate professional who takes her career aspirations very seriously.

You see, Ellie is often misunderstood, with her no nonsense attitude often mistaken for the stereotypical “tsundere” trope often found in anime and games. But much like every aspect of Tokyo Mirage Sessions, it takes these cliche ideas and adds enough depth to make you really feel for these characters. Ellie might be the best example of this, as you get to know her through your mock “dates” as she prepares for more romantic roles. Unforunately for her, she stands out in Tokyo as a biracial actress, which makes her feel uncomfortable in her own skin. As someone with comes from a mixed background, this resonated with me far more than I ever expected from a silly game about singers fighting demons. But something about her interactions felt so real, because it’s not like being biracial even hinders her. She’s not discriminated against… In fact, it’s implied that she gets more opportunities because of how “beautiful” and “unique” she is. Hell, even the character designer said she was his favorite character to design since she has this air of beauty and elegance about her. But the experience doesn’t have to be negative or malicious to make you feel like an outsider. Sometimes, it’s when you know that the person isn’t trying to hurt you that hurts most of all.

It’s hard to explain without living through it, but just knowing that someone sees you as different because of something you can’t control just makes you feel… Wrong? Always on the outside looking in? So she works so hard to become recognized as an actress to the point where she’s obsessed with Hollywood. Because she sees Hollywood as a land of opportunity with so many different kinds of people that she’ll just be “normal” once she becomes a big Hollywood actress. Not half Japanese and not half Scandinavian, but just an actress. So she drinks their smoothies, she accepts nothing but perfection, and she won’t allow herself to ever be second best. And yet, through all of that, she always takes the time to lift those up around her to be as great as she wants to be, even if that means she has to push herself harder. When you wrap up her side missions and you see her dreams come true, finishing the battle against the Mirages so she can star in her Hunger Games knockoff in Hollywood with no regrets, I was so proud to see success for this fictional girl that I had known for about 30 hours.That’s not just top waifu material, but top character material, so while Ellie is admittedly relatively unimportant to the main plot, her path to acceptance and the eventual realization that home lies less with where you are and more with who you are with is one that will stick with me for a long time.

I’ve been struck by cupid’s arrow. <3

Part of the reason why this article is later than in past years is part of me felt weight under the idea that this entry was more than just a silly waifu blurb, and was instead a deeply personal attachment that I don’t think I’ve ever felt in any form of fiction before. Because I saw myself and some of my own life experiences in her struggles, so I feel like I’ve been there before.  Looking back… I think I did as well as I could have! So here’s to you, Ms. Yumizuru. Here’s to hoping we meet again down the road.

So there it is! After a full year, more games than I’ve played in a long time, and 5000 words, here is your 2016 waifu of the year! To celebrate this grand occasion, here’s an extended cut of Dream Catcher, the collaboration between Ellie and Tsubasa where the pair do their best Callie and Marie impressions to the tune of Splatoon‘s Calamari Inkantation.  The top two waifus of the year dressed as 2015’s runners up singing a song reminiscent of the final boss theme from 2015’s game of the year? What better way to send us off?

Special thanks to the talented FantasyGodiva, who put this extended cut together. Make sure you check out her channel for even more videos and walkthroughs!

Share your waifu picks below and tell me how much you hate my list! I’m not scared, I’ll protect my waifus to the death.

So Tsubasa, Eleonora… Play us off!

Pre-orders For The ‘Superdimension Neptune Vs. Sega Hard Girls’ Limited Edition Are Now Live!

by Josh Jackson

Do you love Neptunia as much as we do? Do you love waifus? Do you love pillows!? Idea Factory has us covered with the SuperDimension Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls limited edition, which is available for pre order now!

Ahead of the game’s October 18 release date, Vita owners are going to find plenty of ways to show off their IF love. Aside from the game, the package comes with the soundtrack on two CDs, a full color 28 page art book complete with character bios, a reversible cover, and an awesome collectors box featuring Hatsumi Sega. Most importantly, the double sided pillow case will let you snuggle up with whichever version of IF you want! So whether or not you want to cuddle with regular waifu, or make your dreams come true with the Dream Fusiom form, all it takes to fit your preference is a flip to the cold side of the pillow.

The limited edition is making us even more excited for a game that was a highlight of our E3 experience this year. With new protagonists, firms, and the ability to change classes, the last month is going to be the hardest to wait for. Pre-orders are open here for those who need a cuddle buddy, so let us know if you’re planning on picking this up!

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

Anime Expo 2016: ‘Gal Gun: Double Peace’ Is The Most Japanese Game I’ve Ever Played

by Josh Jackson

When you’re at Anime Expo, you expect to come across some weird stuff considering you’re surrounded by all things Japan. Knowing this, I was confident that I found the most Japanese game I would ever hope to play early into the first day. If you have your doubts about such a bold statement, imagine a rail shooter where your targets are an army of Japanese school girls who are desperately in love with you. And you can see through their clothes when zooming in. And headshots are replaced with a bullet to the boobs or vag.

GalGun trailer 1

Yep, that’s Gal Gun: Double Peace in its purest form. As the sequel to the original Gal Gun, which was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, was shockingly never released outside of Japan. Proving that there is still good in the world, that’s changing with this PS4 and PS Vita sequel. As far as I could tell from my brief demo, the girls are being controlled by demons that are forcing them to attack you with their love, and it’s up to you to shoot them down with your pheromone bullets to help them come to their senses. That’s right, even in a game such as this, the girls have to be coerced into paying attention to you. Being the hero that you are, no breast will be untouched as you save your school from this menace.

Beneath all of the absurd content, there’s some solid gameplay to be discovered. Believe it or not, the game is developed by Inti Creates, the team behind classics such as the Mega Man Zero series. Searching the environment for hidden demons and passports give you extra points and more insight on your classmates, while pulling off a series of one hit kills gives you huge bonus points for that coveted end of stage rank. Once your special meter fills up enough, you’ll be able to use a special attack that rounds up as many girls as you can fit on your screen and sits them down in compromising positions, while you rub and poke the evil out of them by finding their favorite spots. It’s for their own good, you see.

GalGun trailer 3

Double Peace isn’t all about shooting though. Sometimes, you’ll have to give your clumsy friends a helping hand. One example showed your friend try to look out of a window, but ended up getting stuck when she bent over and stuck her body outside of it. You’ll naturally want to get her out of that position in the quickest way possible, so what do you do? Open the window further? Push it upwards to give her a little more space? No, you’ll obviously stand behind her, grab both of her hips, and proceed to push and pull her until she’s able to pop out of her predicament. Using the PS4 controller’s touch pad to simulate pulling her by sliding your thumbs up and down the sides, I can honestly say that’s a first in my many years of gaming. And yes, this game is completely self aware, which is obvious since the game actually has a command to blank the screen out and replace it with a fake 8-bit RPG. Yeah, that’s right. The game has a panic button to hide your screen in case someone walks into the room. But hey, your character is a girl! Does that make it better or worse?

GalGun trailer 2

When I walked away from Double Peace, I knew that nothing at AX would be as shameless as the time I spent with the game. And yet, given how ridiculous the game was from start to finish, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. In a completely unironic way, I can’t wait to see how much more absurd the final game can get, which is why I’m suddenly finding Gal Gun on my radar.

Gal Gun: Double Peace is scheduled for a July 19 release.

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: ‘Attack on Titan’ Delivers On The Action From The Anime

by Josh Jackson

What happens when you need to keep making games about a popular anime series that hasn’t made a new episode in years? Apparently, you pass it between developers! After Spike Chunsoft’s 3DS effort disappointed last year, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force, (the team behind Dynasty Warriors and its spin offs), are trying their hand at the giant slaying franchise with Attack On Titan. By turning the tables on their usual formula and putting the player in a mob of soldiers that serve as fodder for the Titans, our hands-on time at E3 gave us glimpses of the series done justice.

Attack On Titan is split up into two major gameplay sections. The primary play mode is when you’re in control of one of the human characters, who traverses the smoldering towns with their 3D Maneuvering Gear. As you would expect from a game bearing the anime’s name, movement was the most exciting part of the time I played, feeling like a Survey Corps bad ass as I swooped in and out of the Titan’s range. Of course, you’ll have to get the controls down first, which had a moderate learning curve before things felt natural.

E3 2016 Attack on Titan Screen 2

Once they did however, combat was fast and fluid. Following the story of the anime, (which might look familiar since it’s the only story we’ve had animated for a long time), I made it my personal mission to make Mikasa look like as much of a pro under my control as she does in the source material, which I met with mixed results. Allowing us to target any limb on Titans both big and small that are powering through the towns allows you to get special advantages depending on the situation, whether you need to stop their movement or take away attacks with a successful amputation. Of course, the only way to finish one off is to slice off the nape of their neck, which is where I focused on most of the time. While it sounds simple enough, there’s a lot to take into account when lining up your perfect slice. You’ll need enough distance, momentum and timing to pull off the kill, and failing could lead to you being caught by one of the monsters. Running out of steam for your Gear and your blades going dull can also become a problem, forcing you to find new items to help you regroup. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than thinking you killed a powerful opponent, only to see your swords bounce off of them. To make matters worse, every kill is ranked, only furthering the embarrassment when you screw up.

But being a great Survey Corps member is about more than being able to kill enemies, because like Dynasty Warriors, there will be many times when you have to protect allies and key points on the map. Allowing too many of your comrades to die or letting Titans run wild will eventually lead to your game over’s, which is why it’s important to play to your character’s strengths. Mikasa for example, has a special ability that lets her slice up multiple limbs at once after it builds up. How other characters will play wasn’t shown as of now, but we’re looking forward to finding out as the game’s release draws closer.

E3 2016 Attack on Titan Screen 1

When not slicing up your enemies, you’ll be able to punch them really hard instead. Taking on Eren’s Titan form, you’ll be able to give the opposing giants a taste of their own medicine. Perfect for when you want to set aside the technical gameplay of the core mode for some old fashioned button mashing, playing as a Titan allows you to jump far across the map with a single leap and charge into enemies at high speeds when not punching and kicking them to death. Sure, you’ll probably level a few houses in between, but let’s face it. Those people probably would’ve been killed one way or another.

Overall, I’m impressed by what we’ve seen so far, and can’t wait to dive deeper into this universe once again. With multiple missions and characters to discover, let’s hope the full version continues to deliver when it releases for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PC and PlayStation Vita on August 30.

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.

‘MeiQ: Labyrinth Of Death’ Denied Classification In Australia For Some Reason

by Josh Jackson

While definitely not the worst offenders, Idea Factory’s anime inspired Japanese RPGs have been known to fall on the risque side of the fence in the past. With games that feature young girls that transform into busty goddesses, bosses that have a thing for pre-teens and some gratuitous camera shots as clothes are torn to shreds, it’s strange that this game is the straw that broke the camel’s back in Australia.

During my time with MeiQ at E3, it seemed like one of the most inoffensive games the company has released. Spending most of the play time in first person and battling with Guardians instead of people doesn’t give the game a whole lot of time to be terribly lewd, while all of the characters I saw were lacking in the dreaded fan service department. Nonetheless, Australia must know something we don’t, considering they’re refusing to carry the game in its current state due to its depiction of:

“..matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the  standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.”

Whoa, what game was I playing?

The board went on to state that the game would be, “…likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult… [featuring] a person who is, or appears to be, a child under 18 (whether the person is engaged in sexual activity or not).” The youngsters being exposed to sexual activity doesn’t seem to be much of an issue in other parts of the world, with Japan giving the game a 12+ rating, and the ESRB rating it as T for Teen. Could Australia be onto something, or are they just overreacting? After all, the country has a reputation for being strict when it comes to their gaming censorship, with games like Mortal Kombat, Saints Row, Grand Theft Auto and Hotline Miami having similar issues in the past. If nothing else, MeiQ can join these legendary games as one that’s received this dubious honor, and if controversy really does create cash, this buzz might be for the best in the end.

Source: Destructoid.com

E3 2016: ‘Superdimension Neptune Vs. Sega Hard Girls’ Shines The Spotlight On IF

by Josh Jackson

Years of loyalty means something in Planeptune. After being a side character in the very first Hyperdimension Neptunia game back in 2010, IF, (or Iffy as her friends call her,) has moved up from wandering adventurer and guild leader to main character! In Superdimension Neptune Vs. Sega Hard Girls, Iffy leads the charge alongside newcomer, Segami, against the Sega Hard Girls as they fight to protect the history of Gamindustri.

E3 2016 SuperDimension Neptune Screen 1

If you’re unfamiliar with who the Sega Hard Girls are, the characters are human incarnations of Sega consoles that have been featured in various manga, anime and game projects in Japan. So naturally, having them integrated into the Neptunia universe is a perfect fit. Seeing as this game is heavily built around the former console manufacturer, the Sega based CPU’s will be the only ones to face off against the Hard Girls. So if you’re hoping to see Vert renew her relationship with Iffy, or even Noire and Blanc return after the release of their own games, you’re out of luck. However, I’m all for Plutia, Neptune, Nepgear and the newest CPU who debuted in this year’s Megadimension Neptunia VII, Uzume Tennouboshi, getting their time to shine. Even if our typical protagonist is a motorcycle this time for some reason.

But Neptune becoming a two wheeled vehicle isn’t the only change coming in this crossover RPG, since the battle system takes on some interesting new mechanics compared to the mainline series. Developed by Felistella, the team behind the excellent Re;Birth remakes for the PS Vita, the battle system looks nearly identical at first. Once you start playing however, longtime fans will notice how much has changed with IF in the lead. The typical Guard Break system has been replaced with a standard set of normal and special attacks. Adopting a turn order system similar to games like Final Fantasy X while retaining the free movement gameplay that the series is known for, who goes first is determined by how much you attack. Each character can attack as much as they want until they fill up a meter that prevents them from acting any further. Going crazy and beating your opponents into the ground might not be the best way to go though, because the more you attack, the longer you’ll have to wait until your next turn comes up. The last thing you want for your adorable party is to become completely helpless while the enemies grind your health to zero.

E3 2016 SuperDimension Neptune Screen 2

As we know, it wouldn’t be a Neptunia game without crazy transformations, and Sega Hard Girls will be no different. The thing is, Iffy never got a cool form like the CPU’s in past games. As the star this time around, that’s all about to change. Acting in battle will also fill up your Fever, which allows you to literally jump up and grab the extra power to perform a Dream Fusion in the middle of a battle, (from a gem that resembles a Chaos Emerald no less.) With Iffy sporting an awesome red jacket to go with her new blonde hair, and Segami being able to take the form of the Sega Hard Girls as the game progresses, (which includes Game Gear, Mega Drive, Sega Saturn and Dreamcast for those keeping track,) the girls will be playing with power when we’re finally able to play through their journey to keep history from falling apart.

E3 2016 SuperDimension Neptune Screen 3

With brand new worlds and environments to explore, game references that go so far back that even the hardest of the hardcore might miss out on them, and a greater emphasis on exploration to go with the updated battle system, I’m really looking forward to how this crossover is going to play out. Between getting to see IF in the lead role, the Sega Hard Girls making their first non-cameo appearance in a Western released video game, or playing with some fan favorite Neptunia CPU’s, here’s one more reason to be a Vita owner when Fall rolls around. Now, where’s our Vert game!?

‘Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X’ Launches On August 30th; Will Have VR Support!

by Josh Jackson

This was why VR was made!

Sega has announced that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X, the next game in the franchise based on the virtual pop star and her team of idols, will launch on August 30 for the PS4 and PS Vita.

Shedding the “HD” branding for the console version, Project DIVA X will also be the first game in the series to have a story mode. As if Miku needed more than her charm to hook her fans around the world, her and her friends will have to sing and dance through five Clouds that pose a danger to their world for some reason. Each Clould has its own aura, from Classic to Cute, Cool, Elegant and Quirky, all of which containing their own challenges. With a combination of 30 new and classic songs to go with close to 300 costumes, each one is said to have an effect on the different challenges. From what we know so far, no one should accuse this game of not having enough to do.

New to Project DIVA X will be a Concert Editor mode, where players can customize their own shows with their favorite Vocaloids. If you needed a reason to finally push you towards investing in PlayStation VR, then you might want to set that money you were planning on using on the latest anime figure aside, since Concert Editor will support the virtual reality platform once it becomes an available via an update! It will be like you can finally reach out and touch your favorite pop star minus the restraining order and jail time.

Lastly, everyone who pre-orders the game or buys it at launch will get a Miku pouch for free! Use it for glasses, your favorite gaming handheld, or your favorite Nendoroid figurines! Retailing at $49.99 for the PS4 and $39.99 for PS Vita, an already discounted price is coming with even more goodies!Hatsune Miku Project DIVA X puch

So get ready to pull out the glow sticks and hold them high this August. Check out the trailer below and let us know if you’re planning on being in the front row for Miku’s next show!

This ‘Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization’ Trailer Debuts The Game That Doesn’t Want Players

by Josh Jackson

You know, after you’ve dived into an MMORPG where players who die in the game die for real and survived, I would think one time would be enough. That’s obviously not the case for Kirito, Asuna, and the rest of the cast from Sword Art Online, because the gang is returning to the origins of the game that started it all in Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization.

The latest trailer gives us a glimpse of what to expect from the next game to bring the popular anime to life. As a much faster sequel to Sword Art Online, Hollow Fragment, (which we reviewed back when it was released in 2014,) the simulated MMORPG game play that was featured in that game is making its return, this time with up to three CPU partners who tag along during your quests. From the footage shown, the game is looking like it’s streamlining many of the nagging issues the original game had, including much faster combat, expanded dating sim features and larger battles. Most importantly, the game will feature 8-player combat by combining four player online multiplayer with your CPU party. With everyone from the anime’s cast, to Hollow Fragment‘s debuting character, Philia, to the mysterious NPC, Premiere, who makes her debut as a character who learns from the players she interacts with, we’ll have plenty of party members to choose from once we start exploring the world.

But not all is well in what’s now known as Sword Art: Origin, a game that doesn’t want players. Set to release for the PS4 and Vita later this year, it won’t be long until we can see Kirito’s latest adventure unfold.

Class Is In Session This May In ‘MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombies’

by Josh Jackson

Better late than never as they say.

Originally scheduled to release at the end of April, the follow-up to last year’s action spinoff, Hyperdimension Neptunia U: Action Unleashed, seriously titled MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombies, will now signal back to school season on May 10th.

Taking place in an alternate universe where the CPU and CPU Candidates of the main Neptunia games are all students in a school called Gamicademi, Lowee CPU, Blanc, takes center stage as her and her friends decide to make a zombie movie. But when the monsters in their film all turn out to really be the undead, the girls must band together once again to protect their campus, while getting it all on film in the process.

Featuring up to four player co-op, which is a franchise first, MegaTagmension looks to bring the pain with all the hack and slash goodness we found in the Action Unleashed, and cranking it up through the roof with more players, more goddesses, and more enemies to defeat. With newcomers like Plutia, Peashy, Uzume, and the debuting Tamsoft joining the fight, there won’t be a shortage of carnage when the game graduates to our PS Vita handhelds.

Check out our coverage of the original release for screenshots of the Japanese version. Who will you lead to Gamicademi greatness? Let us know in the comments, and keep your eyes peeled for more updates as they become available.

‘Superdimension Neptune Vs. Sega Hard Girls’ Is Heading Stateside This Fall!

by Josh Jackson

If you thought that the upcoming MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune Vs. Zombies was the only Neptunia news to get excited over, Idea Factory had one more announcement for us Vita gamers. Remember that game that we discussed last year that stars support character, IF, and turns Neptune into a motorcycle?  Well, it’s heading stateside this fall, officially titled Superdimension Neptune Vs. Sega Hard Girls.

Developed by Felistella, (the team behind the excellent Re;Birth remakes on the Vita,) SuperDimension has IF and the goddesses of Gamindustri team up with the Sega Hard Girls, anthropomorphic versions of the Sega Genesis, (known in Japan as the Mega Drive,) Game Gear Saturn, and Dreamcast, each of which are goddesses representing their consoles. Created as a collaboration between Dengenki Bunko and Sega, (who came together last year to bring us the manga based fighting game, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, which featured Dreamcast in its story mode), the girls have starred in their own manga and anime adaptations in Japan. Naturally, this premise seems like a natural fit for the world of Gamindustri.

With Neptune tied up as a motorcycle, it’s up to IF to save history itself as the pages of from the Great Library begin to fade away. After teaming up with newcomer, Hatsumi Sega, the two must run, jump and crawl through each era of Sega history to preserve the past. With new abilities like class changing and Fever Time, even Neptunia veterans will have plenty to look forward to when Iffy’s adventure finally arrives.

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘Gravity Rush Remastered’

by Josh Jackson

Despite the Playstation Vita essentially becoming a blip on the radar when it came to its longevity and popularity, that didn’t mean that its library wasn’t filled with numerous bright spots among its many dry spells. As far as I’m concerned, Gravity Rush stood above the rest as the real crown jewel for Sony’s PSP successor, using the handheld’s build in motion and touch features in ways that hadn’t been seen before. Essentially a game about falling, this open world title built by Sony’s Japan Studio and Keiichiro Toyama, (the creator of the original Silent Hill,) changed the way we thought about movement in games, allowing Kat, the game’s protagonist, to change the direction of her gravitational pull at will.

Gravity Rush Remastered Screen 1

The only problem? Nobody played it outside of the passionate fans who had their Vitas near launch. Now, with a much larger install base on the Playstation 4, and Bluepoint Games at the helm, (the good folks behind most of Sony’s most recent remastered games,) Gravity Rush Remastered gives Kat a second chance at a first impression, bringing over the handheld game to consoles with improved graphics and controls along the way. After enjoying everything Kat’s adventure has to offer for a second time, not only does the game feel as breathtaking as it did the first time around, but its improvements make it one of the best games you’ll find exclusively on the PS4.

Essentially a superhero origin story, Kat wakes up with no memory of who she is or how she found herself in Heksville, a mysterious city that’s become broken apart and drifting away from itself. With Dusty, her magical space cat that gives her the power to control gravity, Kat fights to help restore the land to its original state, hold off the mysterious Nevi, a race of monsters that has begun to attack the citizens, and re-discover her lost memories.

As mentioned, Gravity Rush is an open world game, one that doesn’t exactly fit any one genre. Part action, part adventure, part platformer, without any strong leanings towards any of them, the real draw of the game is being able to fly around at your leisure as you explore the beautifully rendered comic book inspired world. Though you’re supposed to be spending your time seeking out and competing story and challenge missions to help the townsfolk, it won’t be long before you find yourself taking in the sights as you fly through every inch of the city. Free roaming around Heksville is addicting on its own, which is as easy as a tap of the R1 button to make Kat float or fall in the direction she’s facing. Allowing her to walk on walls, soar through the air and even explore the bottom of the land as you discover the Precious Gems needed for upgrades, movement is anything you want it to be, (as long as you have enough energy to maintain changed gravity.) That level of freedom alone makes Gravity Rush such a unique take on anything I’ve played, creating an environment where the simple act of traveling from point to point is exciting.

Gravity Rush Remastered Screen 2

No matter how great the movement is though, it would come off as a one trick pony if that’s all there was to it. With that considered, it’s fortunate that you’ll have plenty of Nevi to square off with. Now, don’t come into Gravity Rush expecting as many combat options as a game like Devil May Cry, because that’s not what this is about. Still, by maximizing what you can do with Kat’s abilities, taking out enemies by using levitation to throw items it them, activating a powerful special attack that can wipe out waves of enemies at once, and pinpointing an enemy’s weakness before using your gravity powers from meters away to pull yourself into them with a devastating kick, all find a way to be highly rewarding despite their simplicity. All’s not well with Kat’s fighting prowess however, because when the fight is taken to the ground, her standard kicks devolve into mindless button mashing while her jump kick is needlessly hard to hit with. Chances are you’ll want to stick to the air as much as possible. Even then, even though the lock on for the Gravity Kick seems to have been improved compared to the Vita version, with far fewer unexplainable misses, Kat seems to whiff too many of her attacks late game when most of the enemies are larger with multiple weak points.

What seemed like the biggest complaint that the original suffered from was its forced motion and touch controls, which oftentimes felt unintuitive at best, and forced into the game for the sake of showing off the Vita’s features at worst. Fortunately, unlike the targeting which seemed to be partially improved, Bluepoint managed to completely fix this control issue, to the point where the game feels almost too easy at points. As if the original Vita version was trying to compensate for what they new were awkward controls, the times to beat in challenge missions seemed tough to complete. Now, I managed to finish movement based challenges with half a minute to spare on my first try on many occasions, changing what used to be a frustrating mission into some easy upgrade points. Some of the challenges will still give you trouble, especially the ones with limited gravity energy or the ones that focus on combat, but there are still noticible improvements across the board that stand out even more during these stagse. The Gravity Slide in particular, a technique where Kat uses gravity to speed and drift along the ground, is so much better that it’s hard to imagine playing any other way. Imagine on the Vita, having to hold both thumbs on the corner of the touch screen to slide, then steer with oversensitive motion controls that would send you veering into walls more often than not. Then, imagine holding the L2 and R2 buttons and steering with the stick. It’s like night and day.

But with the good comes the bad, which in this case,  a problem unique to the PS4 version. In the Vita release, dodging was triggered by swiping the touch screen in the direction you want to move. The two sticks are so far away from the screen in this case, that accidentally tapping it was never an issue. That changes with the PS4, since all of the touch controls are relegated to the touch pad right above the analog sticks. In fights where you’re trying to move the camera while moving at the same time, there were so many times where I accidentally dodged into an attack and needlessly took damage because my finger grazed the pad. And unlike the motion controls, which can have their sensitivity adjusted to the point where they can be completely turned off, there’s no way that I could find to get rid of the touch dodging.

Gravity Rush Remastered Screen 4

Unfortunately, seeing as this is a port, there’s only so much Bluepoint could change. This means that the game’s strange story is still intact, which is only seen as a negative because of how much potential it brings, only to do nothing with it. When you bring out a game in a world that’s literally floating apart from itself, a raven haired rival that wants to kill you for reasons unknown, a master thief who becomes obsessed with defeating you, and God masquerading as a homeless drifter with a penchant for flashing, you would think the game would have some crazy places to go by the time the credits roll. Yet somehow, when it’s all over with, very few of these plotlines are wrapped up, and Kat’s amnesia doesn’t go much farther than where it started outside of some hints. As someone who was really in to the mysteries the game presents, I feel that Gravity Rush often came off as a tease towards a whole lot of future events without much resolution to them in the present. It was frustrating in 2012, and it’s frustrating now, especially when the story can be completed relatively quickly. A few more hours worth of missions could have been added to flesh out the story and the length.

Though the stories that are addressed are the DLC bonus missions, all of which come packaged with Gravity Rush Remastered out of the box. Adding a bit of character and three new costumes to Kat’s story, each set of two missions helps us dive in to side stories that help us get to know the citizens of Heksville better. Some even feature missions that have unique objectives compared to the main game, such as finding scattered pages and racing while opponents actively block you. These missions won’t appear until you reach the chronological point in the story where they take place, but finishing them helps boost your town rank faster, giving you access to a higher tier of upgrades sooner than you would in the regular game. And you’ll need them, since each DLC pack comes with two additional challenge maps, each of which are significantly more difficult than the ones the main game offers.

Gravity Rush Remastered Screen 3

It’s not perfect, but Gravity Rush Remastered deserves all the credit we can give it for not only feeling so fresh despite being a re-release, but especially because it managed to engross us almost entirely on the merits of its game play. Surviving the aging process so well is rare enough, but there are very few games that I would enjoy playing all over again. This is one of them, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s beautiful. It’s creative. It has that rare quality where it changes the way we think about games. And it’s an improvement over its Vita counterpart in almost every way. The ground combat and lock on still needs some work, the story is still a glaring weak point, and the unfortunate placement of the touch pad creates a brand new issue, but none of this gets in the way of Gravity Rush transitioning from one of the best Vita games, to one of the best PS4 ones. Whether digitally or physically, (exclusively through Amazon,) do yourself a favor and add Kat’s adventure to your collection. Now, bring on Gravity Rush 2!

Final Score: 4.5/5

Geekscape Games Presents: The Top 16 Games Of (The First Half Of) 2016

by Josh Jackson

I thought Christmas was supposed to be in December! Yet, as we wrap up January and head into February, you would think it was the end of the year considering how many amazing games are hitting the shelves. From high profile sequels to remakes, spinoffs and new IP’s that have demanded our attention, it won’t be hard to find a game or three to play in what’s typically supposed to be the slow winter and spring months. With so many to choose from, where do we start!? In no particular order, here are the 16 games of (the first half) of 2016 that we’re the most excited about.

 

Honorable Mention: Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow

Date: February 27th

For: Nintendo 3DS

Pokemon Red Blue Yellow 3DS Banner

It’s rare that people get so excited for a Virtual Console re-release, but c’mon, this is Pokemon! While not a full release, (and thus, being excluded from the proper list,) we’re too thrilled not to mention these titles! With Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow hitting our 3DS handhelds via the eShop in about a month, these ports will let us connect via built in wireless to rebuild our classic Pokedex’s with ease, all while poking at our nostalgia. It’ll be good to see what Missingno. has been up to after all these years!

 

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Date: April 26th

For: Playstation 4

Uncharted4

As one of the many games that was delayed in 2015, it’s easy to see why we’re anxious to go on one more adventure with Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. With rumors of this being Drake’s last adventure, with some hoping that Naughty Dog focuses more on expanding on The Last Of Us going forward, this very well could be the last time we travel the world with the charismatic adventurer. While it may sound crazy to drop such a popular franchise, it’s not like Naughty Dog hasn’t done it before with series’ like Crash, (which was admittedly out of their hands,) and Jak, and suddenly, it’s not so unheard of. Are you ready to say goodbye?

 

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

Date: February 8th

For: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Screen 3

While we’re talking about goodbye’s, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is being touted as the final Storm game. If this is true, it will signal an end of an era for the franchise, which brought incredible visuals, intense boss fights, and a giant roster to the popular series. Oftentimes surpassing its source material when it came to showing off how crazy Naruto and his friends can be when in a fight, it’s appropriate that the fourth game plans on wrapping up the story ahead of even the anime. As the final fights come to a close, we’re hoping we’re left with a game that’s fun enough to carry our fandom for a long time to come.

 

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

Date: March 4th

For: Wii U

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For those who listen to the Geekscape Games podcast, (thanks, Jeremy!), you’ll know that I’m generally against HD remakes, especially when they feel largely unnecessary. As with most poor life choices that I’ve made over the last year though, amiibo have changed the way I think. Coming bundled with a sweet Wolf Link amiibo at a standard MSRP of $59.99, the figure unlocks a brand new dungeon, alongside support with other Zelda amiibo to change the game in various ways.

Quantum Break

Date: April 5th

For: Xbox One

Quantum Break Gamescom Banner

As the first game from Remedy since 2010’s excellent Alan Wake, Quantum Break looks to continue the developer’s penchant for innovative action game play to go with its stellar story telling that originated with Max Payne. Starring Shawn Ashmore, the cinematic style from their previous games is still going to be a heavy focus, but unlike many games these days, it doesn’t seem like the game play will be compromised because of it. Promising solid action-adventure elements with puzzle solving areas, we’re looking forward to finally getting Quantum Break in our hands.

Trillion: God Of Destruction

Date: Spring 2016

For: Playstation Vita

Trillion Screen 1

This Vita exclusive from the publishers and developers behind the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, (which we’ll get to soon,) Trillion: God Of Destruction has you amass an underworld army designed to take down a seemingly unbeatable god with a TRILLION HP! As you chip away at it over time, you’ll get stronger by training in secret and building relationships with your potential underworld waifus. Because we all need a little love in between fighting an indestructible monster.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Out now!

For: Nintendo 3DS

Mario and Luigi Paper Jam Screen 1

The Mario and Luigi and Paper Mario RPGs have been one of Nintendo’s best kept secrets for years now, providing laugh out loud comedy to go with its interactive turn based combat. But what happens when you combine both into one game? Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam looks to find out, bringing Paper Mario into a new world for a brand new team up. With new abilities, jokes abound, (usually at Luigi’s expense,) and rewarding game play, what’s not to love?

Note: Keep an eye out for our upcoming review!

Final Fantasy Explorers

Out now!

For: Nintendo 3DS

Final Fantasy Explorers Screen 1

Described as Final Fantasy meets hunting and crafting games like Monster Hunter and Fantasy Life, Final Fantasy Explorers lets players team up in parties of up to four and fight some of the franchise’s most infamous monsters in their pursuit to complete quests. As they’re completed, characters can make new equipment, experiment with various jobs, and even temporarily take the forms of some of the greatest heroes in Final Fantasy history, including Cloud, Squall, Lightning and Yuna! Already adventuring? Share your friend codes with us in the comments and let’s get exploring!

Digimon Cyber Sleuth

Date: February 2nd

For: Playstation 4, Playstation Vita

Digimon Cyber Sleuth Screen 6

As the first Digimon game to hit the current generation, as well as the first RPG to release in forever, Digimon Cyber Sleuth features hundreds of champions to collect and fuse as you and your team save the real and digital world from a new threat. Developed by Media.Vision, the RPG masterminds behind the Wild Arms series, and it’s safe to assume that the other beloved monster collecting franchise is in good hands.

 

Star Fox Zero

Date: April 22nd

For: Wii U

Star Fox Zero Screen 1

Speaking of being in good hands, the long awaited Star Fox follow up seems like a match made in heaven, (assuming the Lylat System believes in such a concept.) As a collaboration between Nintendo and Platinum Games, what we’ve played of Star Fox Zero with its free range, on rails and on land game play has had us desperate for more. Which made it all the more heartbreaking when it ended up like Uncharted and got delayed from 2015 to this year. Still, it’s looking like it’ll be more than worth the wait, and it will be great to gear up with the old team again.

Project X Zone 2

Date: February 16th

For: Nintendo 3DS

Project X Zone 2 Screen 15

If Star Fox represents a strong team, then Project X Zone 2  is on a whole different level. Not only will Namco Bandai, Sega and Capcom team up for a second round of action packed turn based strategy, but Nintendo is getting in on the fun as well, with Chrom and Lucina from Fire Emblem and Fiora and Metal Face from Xenoblade Chronicles all appearing in the game. As one of the biggest surprises of 2013 for me, I can’t wait to get my hands on this crossover extravaganza once again.

Fire Emblem Fates

Date: February 19th

For: Nintendo 3DS

Fire Emblem Fates Banner

After Fire Emblem Awakening blew away all expectations in terms of both sales and popularity, the 3DS release served as a type of arrival for the strategy franchise, allowing it to take its place as one of Nintendo’s premiere IP’s. Capitalizing on this, Fire Emblem Fates will release with two versions with two different story perspectives. Featuring solid strategy game play, light dating sim elements and a custom character to lead the cast with, Nintendo is banking on Fates being just as popular, especially with special bundles, 3DS models, and even a downloadable third story on the way.

 

Megadimension Neptunia VII

Date: February 2nd

For: Playstation 4

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Despite it seeming like Neptunia refuses to take a break with so many spinoffs, remakes, and sequels for the remakes, Megadimension Neptunia VII is the first sequel to the core franchise since 2012’s Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory. Now that everyone *should* have caught up after being bombarded with so many mostly solid games over the last year and a half, (assuming you have a Vita or Steam,) it’s time to take Gamindustri to the NEXT level! Featuring multiple stories, new characters, updated transformations and some much needed changes to the combat, and it’s looking like Neptune’s current gen debut might be one of the highlights of the year.

 

Gravity Rush HD Remaster

Date: February 2nd

For: Playstation 4

Gravity Rush HD Banner

For my money, Gravity Rush is still the best game to release on the Vita. It’s breathtaking visuals, innovative game play and exciting exploration using the manipulation of gravity was too good to be ignored. Which is why I’m *really* pulling for Gravity Rush HD Remaster to shine in front of a bigger audience on the PS4. With reworked game play controls to work better on a Dual Shock 4, updated visuals, and all of the DLC included for $29.99, there’s no excuse not to get. Except for the fact that it’s mostly digital only if you’re already out of hard drive space…

If that’s the case, be like me and get the physical version which is exclusive to Amazon, and fall in love with Kat all over again!

 

Pokken Tournament

Date: March 18th

For: Wii U

Pokken Tournament Banner

Pokken was a long time coming, then all of a sudden, it was right around the corner! This collaboration between the team behind the Tekken series and The Pokemon Company brings together some interesting choices from the Pokemon roster to do battle in a 1-on-1 3D fighting game setting. Most importantly however, is that Pokken is looking to open the floodgates with the series’ first amiibo Card, coming packaged with Shadow Mewtwo. I hope you all have that second mortgage ready to go!

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

Date: May 24th

For: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC

Mirror's Edge Catalyst Banner

Another game that felt like it would never see the light of day. After years of hoping until finally being confirmed back in 2013, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst will finally be in our hands in a few short months! Serving as a prequel that explores Faith’s background, we’re counting on the innovative first person platformer to wow us again. If DICE can pull off the same magic that they did the first time around, then we have nothing to worry about!

Street Fighter V

Date: February 16th

For: Playstation 4, PC

Street Fighter V E3 Screen 1

Unlike most of the games on this list, the time it took from announcement to release was relatively short. Not that we’re complaining, because a new iteration of Street Fighter is always something to get excited about! With four new characters to accompany a wide variety of reworked veterans from Super Street Fighter II to Street Fighter Alpha 3, the new V system that’s looking to mix up the rules of battle, and an expanded story mode that looks to bridge the gap between the original cast and Street Fighter III, why wouldn’t we be frothing at the mouth to play this?

 

As you can see, we’re going to have a busy time throughout the year. What games are you most looking forward to, and are there any that we missed? Let us know in the comments, and check back for the latest news, previews and reviews on the games listed, and everything else in between!

‘Mighty No. 9’ Has Been… Delayed Again

by The_acz

In a new update to backers that will shock no one, Comcept has revealed that Mighty No. 9 has been delayed yet again from it’s February 9th release.

It now has an unknown release date yet to be announced. Comcept revealed back in September that the game’s single player was finished, but not the multiplayer. This has caused a lot of backers to get frustrated with the project and suggest to the company to just release the game as it is now and patch in multiplayer later (which wouldn’t be a bad idea.).

Are you still excited for Mighty No. 9?

‘Odin Sphere Leifthrasir’ Launches On June 7th! Here’s What Comes With The Collector’s Edition!

by Josh Jackson

Fans of 2D hack and slash games were thrilled to learn that Odin Sphiere Leifthrasir, a remake of the late PS2 classic that put Vanillaware on the map, would be coming to Playstation platforms in 2016. Courtesy of Atlas, now we know when we’ll be able to play it!

Launching on June 7th for the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita, Leifthrasir puts us in control of five different characters in a Norse inspired setting as their stories intertwine to reveal an ancient conflict. Featuring gorgeous 2D visuals, challenging combat, and a memorable soundtrack, it’s great to see this gem get a second look.

With every first print copy of the game, Leifthrasir will come packaged with a 64 page softcover art book, showing off those fancy character designs we were just talking about. If you’re a PS4 owner who adores the game as much as I do, then a special “Storybook Edition” will launch exclusively for that platform, coming with the game and a hardcover version of the art book, alongside a potion recipe t-shirt, a mystery art print, and a metal slipcase and premium packaging for the game.

Odin Sphere Remake Collector's Edition

Odin Sphere Remake Art Book

Along with this information on all the bonus goodies comes a new batch of screenshots for you to feast your eyes on. Want more information on everything Odin Sphere? Check out the newly launched web site for the game, and keep an eye on updates from us as they’re released!

Return To The Digital World In ‘Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth’

by Josh Jackson

In a few more weeks, Digimon will make its PS4 and PS Vita debut in the West with Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. To help hold us over for its February 2nd release date, Namco Bandai has released a whole lot of screenshots alongside a new trailer to drool over.

This upcoming turn based RPG will let players jump back into the world of Digimon, with over 200 different monsters to collect and train as part of your customazable parties. When not battling it out for the fate of the world, each hatched creature can be raised, trained and pampered in the Digi Farm, which was giving me serious Sonic Adventure 2 vibes when I watched the trailer below.

Developed by the team behind such role playing classics like the Wild Arms and Valkyria Chronicles games, it’s safe to say that fans of the genre have plenty to be excited about. Take it from me, someone who has never shown too much interest in the Digimon franchise, when I say that I absolutely cannot wait to give this game a spin.

But don’t take my word for it! Check out the screenshots and trailer below and let us know what you think. If you’re a die hard fan who needs everything Digi, make sure to pre order for exclusive character variants and Digimon, some of which weren’t even released in Japan!

Let us know what you think in the comments, and check back for more news and information as it’s made available.

 

The Top 10 Gaming Waifus Of 2015

by Josh Jackson

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)

Waifu 2015 Rise Kujikawa

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)

Waifu 2015 Toko Fukawa

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)

Waifu 2015 Quest Receptionist

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)

Waifu 2015 Ayumi

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)

Waifu 2015 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)

Waifu 2015 Homura 1Waifu 2015 Homura 2

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)

Waifu 2015 Lynlee

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)

Waifu 2015 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?

image

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.

Waifu 2015 Hatoful Boyfriend

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)

Waifu 2015 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)

Waifu 2015 Jonah

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)

Waifu 2015 Plutia

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.

Waifu 2015 Iris Heart

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)

Waifu 2015 Komaru

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)

Waifu 2015 Callie and Marie 2

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…

Waifu 2015 Callie and Marie 1

 

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)

Waifu 2015 Nepgear 1

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.

Waifu 2015 Purple Sister

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…

Waifu 2015 Nepgear 2

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!

The Five Games To Play On Halloween (Instead Of Getting Black Out Drunk)

by Josh Jackson

It’s Halloween! That one day of the year where everyone gets to dress up as the things they wish they were and bask in all things spooky. Most of us will be out partying with costumed strangers and making sure they can’t remember what happened the following day, which is more the reason to stay in if you’re anything like me. So what should you play while your house is getting TP’d and egged? We’ve got you covered. Here are five recent games that are perfect for playing on Halloween.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive

Corpse Party Blood Drive Screen 1

Recently released for the PS Vita, Corpse Party is an old school survival horror / visual novel title where you take control of a Ayumi, a high school girl who has dabbled in the dark arts, as her and her unfortunate friends come to terms with the events of the previous two titles. Serving as the final chapter of the Corpse Party trilogy that started back on the PSP, Blood Drive captures that sense of hopelessness, terror and anxiousness when it comes to surviving its trap laced corridors. And if that wasn’t bad enough, monsters are constantly chasing you, all without any real weapons! Think Clock Tower 3 or Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Don’t mistake its cute, chibi style visuals for going soft on the horror either. The game gets gory right out of the gate!

You can pick up the Everafter Edition, containing a two disc soundtrack filled with tracks from all three games, and a series spanning art book for $49.99, or the digital release on the PSN store for $39.99. For more information on this terrifying title, check out our E3 impressions here!

Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water

Fatal Frame Maiden Of Black Water Screen 1

The long awaited return of the Fatal Frame series arrived last week exclusively for Wii U, and from what we played so far, it was worth the wait. Fully utilizing the Game Pad as your very own Camera Obscura, the varied cast of characters must exorcise ghosts from a series of locations by capturing photos of them with their spooky camera. New to this version however, is the ability to move the camera in real time with the Wii U’s signature controller, and providing two different perspectives between the Pad and TV screen. Ghosts are only visible through the camera lens, so keeping an eye on both screens adds an extra level of immersion not found in previous installments. Luckily, squeezing enemies into the frame has never been easier thanks to the gyroscopic controls allowing you to rotate the Game Pad to alter your perspective, all while rapid firing shots as if this were a model simulator instead of a terrifying ghost hunting game. Oh, and you’ll still want to be mindful of your surroundings, unless you want to be met with a terrible fate.

Fatal Frame: Maiden Of Black Water can be played for free up until its second chapter, (as long as you have about 16 GBs of space sitting around). If you can’t get enough, the full game will set you back $49.99, exclusively on the Wii U eShop.

Lit (iOS, Android)

Lit Screen 1

Spending money is a drag, so if your spent all your cash on bags of candy or elaborate costumes, Lit might be the way to go. All you need is a smart phone, (which I hear is a pretty popular thing to have these days,) and you’ll be able to experience a remastered version of one of WiiWare’s most memorable titles. From the minds at Wayforward, Lit puts you in the role Jake, a “mopey teenager”, who must navigate the shadows to escape his haunted school using a variety of tools, as well as his trusty flashlight. This puzzle/horror game was a big surprise when it was originally released, and it’s getting even bigger thanks to 16 brand new puzzle rooms and par challenges to test your speed and efficiency. The best part? It’s completely free! Go download it now! You’ll be glad you did.

YO-KAI WATCH (Demo Version)

Yo-Kai Watch Screen 1

It’s a shame that the launch of Level-5 and Nintendo’s next big release, YO-KAI WATCH, is just narrowly missing Halloween weekend. What better game for the holiday that celebrates all things that go bump in the night than one filled with demons, ghosts and monsters, all of which are invisible? Fortunately, we still have the demo version to sift through, which does a great job of holding us over until the game’s full release on November 6th. Being pushed as the next Pokemon, YO-KAI WATCH has players befriend the titular Yo-kai, then using them to battle their mischievous, or downright evil brethren. After uncovering the hidden demons using your appropriately named Yo-kai Watch, the game’s unique battle system kicks in. By rotating your team of six in real time while activating special moves with touch screen mini games, players can manage offense and defense in a seamless, fluid way. With each Yokai serving as a different type of curse, like causing people to argue, use the bathroom too often, or feel all around not so swell, this lighthearted RPG looks to be taking the developer’s known charm and Nintendo’s huge marketing machine to make the next big hit! Oh, but while playing, make sure not to go out at night…

Splatoon

Splatoon Splatfest Pirates vs Ninjas

Finally, if you’re not in the mood for running for your life, capturing ghosts, surviving haunted houses or hunting demons, you can always sit back with your squid pals! Halloween weekend may be an odd time for a Splatfest, but for those who are going to be indoors anyway, Splatoon‘s latest team based competition decides to answer an age old question: Which is better? Pirates, or ninjas? Until 9 PM PST on October 31st, Inklings from across the country can vote for their side, deciding which of the two historical killers are best! Making tried and true costumes as well as a great poll, will the results finally put this debate to rest? Probably not, especially when there was never a debate to begin with. Everyone knows ninjas take this battle every time. EVERY! TIME!

So there’s how we’ll be spending our Halloween! From the gory to the creepy and the downright silly, there’s plenty of content to celebrate this year’s Halloween with in between all that trick or treating. Were there any games that we missed, or will there be any particular favorite you’ll be playing on this horrifying day? Let us know below!

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘J-Stars Victory Vs.+’

by Josh Jackson

Game: J-Stars Victory Vs.+

Available For: PS4, PS3, PS Vita, (Reivewed on Vita.)

Publisher: Namco Bandai

Developer: Spike Chunsoft

MSRP: $59,99 (PS4), $49.99 (PS3) and $39.99 (Vita, digital only.)

Importers went crazy back in 2014 when J-Stars Victory Vs. hit the Japanese PS3 and Vita. This crossover fighter that brought together Shonen Jump’s most popular franchises and characters into one explosive package was never expected to arrive outside of Japan. Much like Jump Superstars for the Nintendo DS, we figured licensing issues would be tough to sort out, especially for a niche title such as this. Yet, Namco Bandai surprised us late last year when they announced that not only would the game receive a Western release, but it would include an extra game mode and a PS4 release as well! Now dubbed J-Stars Victory Vs.+, characters from Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, and so many more franchises will finally get to brawl in the West. Now that the title has come and gone, was it worth the wait?

J Stars uses a somewhat basic model for its fighting mechanics, which typically take place as a two on two showdown with a third character acting as support. Standard matches end once the first team reaches three KO’s, but can vary depending on how many people are fighting in that particular battle. On the surface, every character is essentially the same, with a weak, strong, and special attack button making up their offense. Special moves cost meter, which can be charged up at any time, while tapping the block button right before you’re hit results in a teleport behind your opponent, leaving them wide open. I mean sure, you could just block, but absorbing too many hits will result in a guard break, with no choice but to accept your incoming punishment. Double jumps, dashing, and the ever important lock on button round out the game’s basic functions, with these three moves being especially vital since it would be easy to get lost in the game’s mostly large 3D arenas. Nothing sucks more than getting ambushed because you had no idea where the enemy was.

J Stars Victory Vs Screen 3

Using a unique momentum meter that constantly fluctuates as the fight goes on, once one team shifts it all the way to their side, the team will be able to activate their Victory Burst, a temporary state where their attributes are slightly boosted. More importantly however, is that players can choose to sacrifice time in this state in exchange for an Ultimate Attack, your character’s strongest ability that has the potential to do HUGE damage to the opposing team. Great for when you’re behind in a battle and need to shift the tide of battle, or when you’re dominating and want to put an exclamation point on your win, watching these animations, (and the resulting destruction,) is often rewarding.

As I mentioned, at first glance, each one of the 39 playable characters has similar combos and team attacks, making the core mechanics feel repetitive quick. What fixes this however, is that most characters have special properties that usually reflect their powers from their respective properties. For example, Goku and Vegeta can both charge up their second meter just as fast as their first, (as opposed to most of the cast’s meter gain slowing down after the first one is filled,) and once maxed, results in a Super Saiyan transformation. Naruto absorbs and stores his energy all at once, doubling his meter after risking precious seconds being completely vulnerable, can switch to Sage Mode, giving him the option to throw his Rasenshuriken, and gains a completely different move set during a Victory Burst with his Nine Tails Mode! Yusuke will revive in his demon form at no cost if KO’d during Victory Burst, but will immediately fall once it ends, while Seiya will sport his golden armor… The list goes on and on. So while the depth of the mechanics might not be all there, the special traits of each character still keep most of the cast varied, especially for fans who follow these Jump properties closely.

J Stars Victory Vs Screen 2

Then again, what good are the fighting mechanics if we don’t mention the modes? J-Stars has a variety of ways to put this fighting to the test, including Free Battle, Arcade, Victory Road, Online and J-Adventure Modes. Most of these are your standard fighting game affair, with Free Battle letting you fight against the CPU or your friends locally with custom conditions, Arcade, where you fight a series of enemies with increasing difficulty, (though this game’s version has a variety of tracks to take on set by how hard it is to at the start, much like Mortal Kombat), and Online, where you fight friends and strangers alike in this strange space we call the Internet. Just expect lag. And rage quitting. And no penalty for those who quit while those who stay get no reward. If you couldn’t tell, Online isn’t worth the trouble.

While these staple features are all well and good, most of the game’s unique single player content comes in the Victory Road and J-Adventures modes. In Victory Road, players will pick a team and take on themed battles against the CPU, where you’ll have to meet certain requirements during battle to earn a 100% clear rating on each fight. As you progress, the fights will continuously alter their settings and completion conditions, so it’s constantly asking you to approach battles differently. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t actually tell you what the challenge conditions are until AFTER the fight, so that bit of forced replayability will likely have completionists playing through each fight more than once.

J-Adventure on the other hand, starts off strong, but wears out its welcome for far too long. Choosing between one of four paths led by either Luffy, Naruto, Toriko or Ichigo, each story follows these characters as they navigate Jump World, a land where all these characters exist in the same universe. While attempting to assemble a team of fighters to win an upcoming tournament, each path leads to different partners, support characters, and missions to find on the world map. Using a ship to traverse the world, (which gains enhanced mobility as the story progresses,) players will earn precious currency to unlock new ship parts, characters, and J-Cards, items that can tweak the attributes of your team, while leveling up their fighters. Unfortunately, this is a case of too much of a good thing. Each story is so long that it’s unlikely that players will be able to get through one path, let alone all four. The camera is too close to your ship, often leading to accidental battles against opposing ships in the environment, and with no way to back out of them once their triggered. What’s worse, is that once your main objective in the story mode is complete, a whole new plot point opens up, extending the game even farther when you’ll likely be tired of the adventure mode by then, kind of like certain Shonen Jump stories that drag on 500 chapters past what should have been their ending point. Even though I had fun playing J-Stars, the combat is too shallow to maintain interest for that long, especially when you’re forced to play as the same three characters for the majority of these adventure sections.

J Stars Victory Vs Screen 1

So is J-Stars the dream crossover that Playstation fans have been waiting for? Not exactly, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of fun to be had. Between the huge character roster, the unique abilities for each fighter, lots of goods to unlock and plenty of modes to use them in, fans of at least a few of these properties will surely enjoy picking their favorite manga fighter and pit them against an opposing team. Yet, the shallow core mechanics, the overly drawn out story mode that’s seemingly mimicking the 700+ chapter stories from the Shonen Jump books, poor online and artificially lengthened content is sure to be put off some people. If you’re an anime or manga fan, you’ll surely have a great time with J-Stars Victory Vs.+, but everyone else would do well to get their fighting fix somewhere else.

tl;dr:

+ A huge roster that will surely satisfy the Shonen Jump faithful.

+ Unique abilities for most of the cast, adding a feeling of authenticity to their portrayal.

+ A good amount of modes to play around with.

+ Tons of unlockables, including characters, ship parts, and customizable cards.

– The core mechanics are shallow, forcing most of the characters to feel identical from a basic combo standpoint.

– Story mode is far longer than it should be, failing to keep an already repetitive experience interesting for long.

– Some modes like Victory Road are artificially lengthened by withholding challenge requirements, while the rest of the modes don’t offer anything new.

-Online is a mess.

 

Final Score: 3/5

The ‘Danganronpa 3’ Reveal Trailer Teases Updated Gameplay, A New Academy And The Same Old Monokuma

by Josh Jackson

During Sony’s press conference at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Spike Chunsoft officially revealed Danganrona 3, complete with its first trailer.

Originally said to have been in the works at last year’s TGS, this reveal trailer comes fresh off the heels of the latest game, Ultra Despair Girls, releasing in the West, so everyone should be on the same page when it comes to the story! Teasing a brand new academy, and a type of testimony called “skimmish,” where multiple classmates give their sides of the story at the same time, it’ll be even harder to cut through their words to find the truth. With Monokuma, Monomi, Shirokuma and Kurokuma all making appearances in the trailer, could they all be in the main game as well? Or were they simply stand ins for the yet to be revealed cast? All I know is that I hope that line about Togami being dead was only an example and not a spoiler.

Watch it below and tell us what kind of despair you hope the third main game in this popular text adventure will bring. Danganronpa 3 will release on the PS Vita, as well as making its console debut on the PS4, on a yet to be determined release date.

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

Check Out The Intense Opening Video For ‘Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax’

by Shane O'Hare

I LOVE mashups and crossovers! When TV or Film characters from different properties interact, or in the case of Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, anime/manga I get hype! Check out the opening film from the game!

Any Weaboo worth his salt will immediately recognize the properties these character are from, but if you’re just a Junior Weaboo let me list them out for you!

A Certain Magical Index
Accel World
Black Bullet
DURARARA!!
Oreimo
Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Shakugan no Shana
STRIKE THE BLOOD
Sword Art Online
The Irregular at Magic High School
Toradora!

I haven’t had a chance to play the game, but the models look absolutely amazing!

You can get your hands on Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax October 6th on PS3 and PS Vita.

If you snag yourself the Launch Edition of the game you will also get a copy of the soundtrack!

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Meet Ukyo, The Final Bachelor, In These ‘Amnesia: Memories’ Screenshots

by Josh Jackson

Would you cross dimensions for the perfect husbando? Amnesia: Memories is counting on it. This upcoming Otome title, (or story driven game targeted towards girls, which didn’t stop me from enjoying it at E3,) puts you in the role of a protagonist who has lost all of her memories. In order to regain what she lost, she must get close to the people in her life and learn more about herself while hiding the fact that she forgot in the first place. And what’s the best way to do that? Date all of the guys!

The latest batch of screenshots present Ukyo, one of the bachelors featured in Amnesia. Like the rest of the cast, this green haired beau will take different roles depending on which reality you want to pursue. So while he might be a love interest in one play through, he can also be a friend or co worker in another! Only by experiencing every reality will you find the truth behind your existence.

In addition to the previously announced PS Vita and Steam releases, there’s some good news for mobile fans out there! Amnesia will also arrive on Android and iOS at the end of August courtesy of Gloczus. Now you can have all your boyfriends on your phone without any of them finding out!

How boy crazy are you? Check out the screenshots below and get your heart racing. Keep an eye out for our final review as the August 25th release date approaches.

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

by Josh Jackson

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.

Extreme Dimension Blanc + Neptune Vs Zombie Army Tamsoft

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