HIGH An excellent game for new dungeon-crawl RPG players.

LOW The pain-inflicting 3D effects.

WTF The amazing and ridiculous Cannon Palm!

I volunteered to review an RPG. Why do I feel the need to mention this? Because I don’t particularly like RPGs, and have never been a fan. The genre can often feel unwelcoming to those who haven’t played the previous four, six or eight entries, and the learning curves often seem too steep for casuals. However, I’m glad I volunteered for this one because the final Nintendo 3DS entry of the Etrian Odyssey series is a great title for players of all skill levels.

Etrian Odyssey Nexus begins with the backstory of seven trees that helped the world flourish. Of course mankind foolishly destroyed these trees, and their knowledge and power was lost for eons. Now, adventurers roam the planet, searching for the missing resources. Players are tasked with creating an adventure ‘guild’ to explore various regions and map out labyrinths in search of these mythical treasures not seen for generations.

That’s a big task to undertake. Fortunately, Nexus is a first-person dungeon crawling RPG that’s extremely friendly to new players, or those that may feel intimidated by vast arrays of options. Even though I could create a guild of 60 members, after choosing from 19 different classes that all allow me to customize gender, hair, eyes, and skin for each individual, all of the needed requirements are clearly explained and suggestions are often made on how to complete each task. There’s also little need to create a party that large, as only five members can go out and explore at any one time.

Etrian Odyssey Nexus offers four levels of difficulty. There are the usual Easy, Normal, and Hard modes, as well as the one that I chose — Picnic! This is the easiest mode, but it doesn’t skimp on content or story, and players still have plenty of options to challenge themselves without missing out on the action and story. Once a party is created to one’s liking, various missions are received from two of the NPCs in town, the bartender and the princess.

Most missions require players to head into labyrinths to find a person or item, as well as to complete a detailed map of that region. While on those missions, player will partake in classic turn-based RPG battles against animals with just a hint of fantasy features, like armadillos that can heal other creatures, or hostile plants like the sentient, walking, coconut-shooting Cannon Palm! The enemies have solid designs, though just a couple hours into the game I began to see the same three or four enemies a little too often.

As for the actual battling in Nexus, the majority are random occurrences, popping up while traversing the map. Larger, more powerful enemies are seen on the exploration screen and indicated on the map with an arrow icon. These larger enemies can often be avoided by moving in certain directions, but sooner or later most will need to be defeated to progress further.

In combat, players can select from a variety of options like attacking, defending, changing formations, or utilizing specialized skills for each character. There are also options for making the fights automatic. The exchange is still turn-based and the player witnesses each move, but the few times I selected this option, I didn’t have to press buttons or make choices. This auto mode can be freely switched on or off at any time, even mid-battle, so it’s a great option to have when stuck or in a hurry.

Another key component in Nexus is mapping each area. The map options are abundant and this has historically been one of the highlights of the Etrian series. The lower screen of the 3DS is a grid representing a floor of a dungeon. Using the stylus, I could quickly select various colors to indicate different floor types, add icons for large enemies, and create clear, easy to understand symbols for secret passages and treasure chests. Mapmaking is my favorite part of Nexus, though gamers who might find such a task to be tedious should be aware, it plays a large role – many missions require mapping and reporting the information.

However, to help those who might not enjoy creating the map, Nexus also offers auto-mapping options. One option completes the basic path, but walls, secrets, and other information need to be added by hand. The other option is “full mapping” and will complete the map as the player moves around. However, I didn’t find full mapping to live up to its name — too many parts were still left out! I stuck to the to mid-range option and added my own details as I explored.

Other than a lackluster auto-mapping function, I didn’t find much to dislike about Nexus but my biggest complaint has to do with the 3D effects. When it works, it creates a wonderful, shadowbox-like effect. But, it doesn’t work that often – it was common for the 3D to blur and regain focus. My eyes regretted every time I attempted to utilize the feature, but fortunately, using 3D is not required.

The vast array of options in Etrian Odyssey Nexus could easily scare away players who are unfamiliar with or who dislike RPGs, but Etrian Odyssey Nexus is welcoming to all skill levels and would be a great starting point for players new to dungeon-crawling RPGs. It’s also an enjoyable and fitting send-off as the series’ last installment on the 3DS. Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by ATLUS and published by SEGA It is currently available on Nintendo 3DS. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS. Approximately 16 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. Four main dungeons and a handful of side quests were finished, with a total of twelve maps being completed. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, and Suggestive Themes. Attacks are indicated with a flash on top of the enemy and death is represented by fading away. No visible bloodshed is present. A bartender is the main person for sidequests and often mentions drinking various types of liquor. The worst language I encountered was a character using the word damn. Unsure of the suggested themes, but the ESRB website notes the revealing outfits of some female characters.

Colorblind Modes: There no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The game is fully subtitled, with all dialogue delivered solely through text boxes. Character names and models accompany the dialogue boxes. Many characters make non-English, verbal comments as part of the dialogue, but these do not impact gameplay in any noticeable way. The game is not fully captioned, but most actions seemed to be included as part of the story – “the guild turned around and a large beast roared as it charged the adventurers”. This game appears to be fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. There is no control diagram. The control pad is used to move around the dungeons and highlight battle options. The A button is used to select an option, the B button is used to cancel, the X button zooms in on the map on the bottom screen, and the Y button brings up the options menu. Mapping is done using the touchscreen and stylus.

High A faithful return to the material with new additions.

Low Might be offputting for those who aren’t familiar with the series.

WTF The baby with spider legs still haunts my nightmares.

The Schwarzwelt is a massive black dome of energy slowly expanding over Antarctica. Attempts to see inside the dome have yielded only pictures of strange vistas that don’t make sense — a shopping mall, a land of garbage, and a war-torn city.  Anything that’s ever gone inside the dome has never returned. Now, the United Nations has developed a team that will infiltrate the dome with the highest technology available to investigate and stop whatever is causing it to grow and envelop the earth.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is a re-release of a first person turn-based RPG for the Nintendo DS. Players take the role of a strike team member on the Red Sprite, an infiltration ship heading to the dome. Once inside, the team is attacked by demons, and a strange presence provides the protagonist with the ability to communicate with demons in the form of an app that connects to their techno-armor. With this new power, players continue to explore the Schwarzwelt and stop it at any cost to save the earth from destruction.

Players will spend their time traversing the different dungeons in the Schwarzwelt in order to find Forma — material that can be changed into equipment, items, and armor power-ups. As players power up their armor, new areas in each dungeon will be unlocked for the player to explore.

Combat is interesting. Players will choose either melee, ranged, or any number of magic skills (offensive or defensive) to defeat their foes. Each foe will has their own weakness and strengths, so the player will want to have a diverse party to handle every situation — and this is where demon negotiation comes in.

When exploring dungeons, demons the player encounters will ask questions, and the player’s answers may convince them to negotiate instead of fighting. Negotiation can yield items, money, healing, or even convince the demon to join the player’s team… for a price. Demons that join the player can then be recorded and summoned at any time outside of battle. They can be leveled up like regular party members, or fused together to create more powerful demons.

However, demon negotiation does pose a problem because there’s a lot of trial and error to it that’s compounded by a lack of consistency. Demons have mannerisms which normally hint at how players should answer their questions. However, not all demons of the same type will want the same answers. There have been multiple times where I negotiated with a particular demon and had it excitedly join my party without cost, while another exactly like it became angry and attacked me without a chance to retaliate.

So what’s new to this version? The biggest addition is a Alex – she’s a mysterious stranger with her own side story that integrates almost seamlessly into the original story. There are also new demons in each dungeon for the player to interact with, as well a completely new dungeon unique to this Redux version. The additions are unique enough to notice and warrant a second playthrough for those who’ve experienced the original.

Strange Journey was an enjoyable ride. Seeing the different dungeons of the Schwarzwelt and how the motivations of the demons (and how they felt about humans) blended well with each area.That said, those already familiar with the Shin Megami games will likely enjoy this reissue more than series newcomers thanks to its general difficulty and the inconsistency of the negotiation mechanics — it can be a bit polarizing for those who aren’t accustomed to the mechanics. Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Atlas. It is currently available on Nintendo 3DS. This game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on Nintendo 3DS. Approximately 30 hours were spent in single player mode, and the game was not completed. This game includes no multiplayer.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Sexual Themes, Violence, Blood, Language, and Partial Nudity. Female demons can be pretty revealing with their dress. There are many moments of demons tearing into the human crew members, nothing on screen, but there are many screenshots of bloody corpses. The language is fairly violent, but I have not heard F*** in the game. Young kids should not play this game. The tone and the issues it talks about are more adult, let alone the content of the game itself.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Dialogue is voiced in Japanese, but also includes subtitles for all dialogue. There are no audio cues necessary for gameplay, and the text cannot be resized. It’s fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: The game offers no remappable controls. Players can use A to select, X to save (while in a dungeon), Y to bring up the menu, and B to cancel. Movement is controlled with either the D-pad or the directional stick.

HIGH Fantastic branching story with memorable characters and clever combat mechanics

LOW Backtracking.

WTF …is Raynie wearing? Can she breathe in that getup?

Time travel and alternate histories are fascinating concepts that are extremely difficult to get right, especially in an interactive setting — they can quickly devolve into irritating repetition.  While Atlus’ Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology isn’t as flawless as its title suggests, solid characterization and a surprisingly complex battle system (more often than not) make up for excessive backtracking and somewhat grindy progression.

Historia transports players to the continent of Vainqueur, where an unending war rages. The conflict has unintended consequences, as the entire planet is slowly succumbing to a desertification process so severe that even humans are turned to sand as their very souls are stripped away.

The player controls Stocke, an agent tasked with ending the war and turning back the desert.  He and his allies quickly learn that the conflict isn’t as simple as it first appears, and enemy motivations are more nuanced than expected.  Stocke is also chosen to be the keeper of the White Chronicle, a tome of immense power which allows him to manipulate time itself.  Whenever he is unable to progress, or if a dialogue choice hastens the destruction of the world, Stocke has the ability to travel between two distinct timelines at “nodes” placed at numerous points throughout the land.

Moving through the world is standard JRPG fare — the party proceeds through three-quarter perspective maps while interacting with numerous characters.  Unfortunately, loose controls make clicking on those characters and other interactive objects frustrating.  This, combined with the irritation of having to repeat trips through previously-experienced areas in different timelines occasionally makes exploration a chore, especially when trying to complete the numerous side quests.  Engrossing visuals, impressive voice-acting, and memorable characters go a long way towards forgiving these issues.

Combat is comprised of a standard turn-based system with several important distinctions.

First, enemies are arranged on a 3×3 grid on which party members can use mana-based attacks to push (or pull) them around, setting up dramatic combo attacks.  Additionally, heroes can swap places with friends and foes alike, sacrificing a turn now for an all-important combo later, easily turning defeat into victory.

Progression is a grind, as powerful weapons and armor are hard to obtain in the early going. However, a “Friendly” mode allows the party to skip combat altogether while granting all the normal rewards.  Sadly, once this mode is activated, it cannot be undone.

In terms of the narrative, Stocke and his companions aren’t just bundles of statistics with cool attack animations, but living, breathing characters who evolve as Historia progresses.

By making the wrong decisions at various points, Stocke sees that attempting to save the world by himself actually hastens its demise.  These experiences (along with some advice from others) teach him to abandon his lone wolf ways and to rely on his companions.

One mercenary subordinate deals with the trauma of having lost her previous unit by hiding behind false bravado and emotional detachment. There’s also a rebellious princess with abandonment issues, a headstrong commander focused on bringing every soldier home alive, a young shaman with an unhealthy sense of attachment to Stocke, and more. It’s a joy to see these allies become more confident and capable as they continue to survive against nearly impossible odds.

Impressively, even the most sniveling toadies among Stocke’s enemies are portrayed as actual people with feelings and goals rather than as generic evil underlings. That’s not to say that Historia doesn’t lean heavily on tropes such as heroic sacrifices and the horrors of war, but the characters learn and grow organically, even relying on the benefit of applied hindsight. Unfortunately, some of Historia’s characterizations are spoiled by instances of colloquial English that serve to undermine the otherwise dramatic dialog.

In a larger sense, some of Historia’s best moments come from watching the heroes understand that their errors and flaws must be overcome (or at the very least, mitigated) by manipulating the flow of time and trying again. These moments feel like true victories, and not just railroaded plot points. Admittedly, the time travel can be overwhelming, especially when starting out, but it eventually becomes easier to know when to switch back and forth and how to tie up loose side quests without losing the central narrative thread trying to remember what events occur when.

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology offers a staggering amount of content for the price — there are nearly 300 different events to see, and the campaign can finish with dozens of possible endings.  Patient RPG fans looking for intriguing story hooks and puzzle-like battle mechanics would do well to try it.  Those looking to simply enjoy the narrative without being punished can also dip into Friendly mode and enjoy the experience as well.  Taking this time travel trip can be repetitive at times, but it also provides a world and characters that are worth the effort. Rating: 8 out of 10

— Jeff Ortloff

Disclosures: This game is developed by Atlus and published by Atlus, Deep Silver (Europe), and Atlus USA.  It is currently available on Nintendo 3DS. This copy of the game was obtained via a publisher code and reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS. Approximately 18 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed.  There are no multiplayer modes. 

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Fantasy Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes, and Use of Alcohol. Players select attack moves (weapon strikes, magic spells) from a menu screen to inflict damage and kill enemy creatures. The game contains some suggestive material: still-image screens of female characters with large cleavage, and partially exposed breasts and/or buttocks. In some sequences, drunken characters appear in taverns and reference alcohol in the dialogue (“All the booze my liver can handle”; “I am so plastered”). The word “sh*t” appears in dialogue.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: There are full subtitles, and audio cues have visual components such as a flashing sprite or suitable animation highlighting the item or event. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: Only certain functions are remappable. The L button can be changed to function as the A button, but this change limits important game options.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

HIGH The final case might be the highlight of the entire series.

LOW No love for Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth?

WTF Why can’t I speed up the text? This has been a problem for FIFTEEN YEARS.

Being a Western fan of niche Japanese games can be a frustrating thing. Every time a new title gets released, there’s always the question of whether it will receive an English localization, and whether entries yet-to-be-released will ever make an appearance to close gaps in the fiction. Also, games that do make it across the Pacific have increasingly become digital-only, much to the disappointment of collectors. While it seems like certain franchises such as Sega’s Yakuza have finally found a foothold in the West, Capcom’s lovable Ace Attorney continues to exist in a confusing and often-infuriating middle ground.

At this point in time, new games have been released in Japan, but it seems Capcom is far more keen to simply release ports of previous entries. Cutting down on translation costs, perhaps? One one hand, I suppose fans of Ace Attorney are lucky to get anything. However, one could also argue that Capcom has created a self-fulfilling prophecy of niche sales by limiting new offerings to downloadable ports of old games, which is never going to grow the fanbase. Those issues aside, I guess the recent 3DS port of Apollo Justice is a sign they haven’t completely forgotten Ace Attorney in the West, but putting it out on the 3DS eShop so late in that console’s life with little fanfare isn’t a great sign either.

In any case, it’s here, and fans of the series will be happy to know it’s a solid-yet-unremarkable port of a game that I have some issues with. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is technically the fifth game in the series after the original Phoenix Wright trilogy and the exceptional Miles Edgeworth offshoot that (I guess?) Capcom didn’t feel was worthy of a remaster.

For those who haven’t met him yet, Apollo Justice is a rookie attorney recruited by Phoenix Wright to work at the side of his adopted daughter Trucy to solve crimes and interact with a wide variety of inventive, insane characters in a courtroom drama only Japan could possibly conceive. It’s an effective formula, but Apollo Justice breaks away from previous installments by being a bit more serious, and losing some of the trademark Attorney silliness. That’s not to say it isn’t funny. The characters always keep things entertaining, but the Phoenix Wright games were always a very fluffy, lighthearted affair, and Apollo Justice — even when it was first released — never sat right with me as a fan.

However, my biggest problem with Apollo justice is the general weakness of the first three cases. They pale in comparison to the final case, which is quite lengthy, plays with the mechanics in interesting ways, and is able to put a wonderful bow on a series that already got one with the end of the original trilogy. For longtime fans, it’s worth slogging through the average cases so they can experience how the final one turns the entire series on its ear in some crazy ways.

As far as the port goes, it’s …fine. There’s nothing specifically done to enhance the game, although I can’t speak to potential 3D enhancements as I played it on a 2DS XL. It’s a bit sharper, the music is a little clearer, and the top screen has been enhanced to fit the wider 3DS’s display. Apollo Justice was also the first in the series designed from the ground up for the original DS, so the touch screen and microphone are used to uncover clues in novel, ‘early DS’ ways.

One thing that was in need of a fix, however, is the text speed. The visual novel is a slower-paced genre for sure, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be mechanically zippy like the Nonary Games titles or Danganronpa. Ace Attorney’s pace can be tedious during cross examinations, and it’s not helped by the painfully slow speed of the text that is only able to be increased after a first playthrough. Any way to speed up play would’ve been a welcome enhancement, especially considering most of the people considering a purchase have likely played this before.

For fans of Japanese visual novels, the Ace Attorney series is incredibly important — it brought the genre to the West and proved that it could work. While the long delays in translations and missing entries is frustrating, it’s good to see Capcom continuing to keep it alive in some fashion. While I would’ve much rather seen Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth get a re-release (or better yet, gotten its currently-unreleased sequel) I’m happy that fans of the series at least got this. 

Any newcomers intrigued by the Ace Attorney concept should definitely play the original Phoenix Wright trilogy first since Apollo Justice is uneven in tone and quality, but it’s still a worthwhile entry and this remaster is both competent and fairly priced. Rating: 7 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Capcom. It is available as a download only on the 3DS e-Shop with an MSRP of $19.99. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on a 2DSXL. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the game, completing the first two cases. The 15-20 hour game was completed previously by the reviewer upon its initial release, and the time spent with this new version was to check for technical competence. There are no multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T for Blood, Suggestive Themes, and Violence. While the game is a fairly lighthearted affair, the core of it is about investigating murders, and there is some swearing from a couple of characters.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: The story is told entirely through text and there are no necessary audio cues. It’s fully accessible. 

Remappable Controls: This game’s controls are not remappable.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

After the Thanksgiving break, Brad and Corey are back with some games and discussion topics. Brad gives some deets on Knight Terrors, ARMS and his weekly Warframe update, then they discuss how they categorize their GOTY lists and how they choose what to play as the year ends. They also talk about Brad potentially retiring his 3DS. For post-show banter, they deep dive on Corey’s Thanksgiving road trip, unhappy couples, bad parenting, Netflix shows and much more.

Timestamps:
Knight Terrors: 2:40
ARMS: 12:20
Warframe: 24:35
GOTY Qualifications: 35:22
Prioritizing Games: 49:27
3DS Retirement: 1:06:32
Closing: 1:15:00
Banter: 1:17:50

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to SoVideogames (at) gmail (dot) com.

HIGH The Magic: The Gathering + Monopoly formula is awesome!

LOW The AI is out for blood.

WTF Being a series vet and still getting hammered by the first battle for hours.

I would imagine that most people reading this review have never heard of Culdcept, but it debuted in North America back in 2003, and it’s been a long time since the last installment – eleven years, to be exact. I’ve been a fan since the beginning and never thought we’d see another, but NIS America surprised the hell out of me with Culdcept Revolt and I’m glad that they did.

There is a story mode in Culdcept Revolt, but it’s lightweight JRPG fare and I wouldn’t recommend the game based on it. No, the real draw here is diving into the systems of play – the devs offer a deep and detailed fusion of board and collectible card games, best described as a perfect marriage of Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering.

Play takes place on boards divided into squares with a variety of different paths and features, each space belonging to one of five categories: air, earth, fire, water, and tiles which are neutral.

The goal is to accumulate a set amount of magic power — basically, money. This is done by capturing spaces on the board, deploying monsters to defend them, and then upgrading the value of each land. Every time the player passes a castle (equivalent to Monopoly‘s “Go” square) the computer calculates the total value of the player’s holdings and awards a commensurate amount of power. Be the biggest land baron, reach the power goal before the competition, and the game is won.

However, winning isn’t quite as easy as it sounds, and this is where the card aspect of Culdcept counts. In Monopoly, once a player controls a property, it’s theirs unless they choose to sell and there’s nothing other players can do to change that. Culdcept Revolt takes a more proactive approach with its monsters.

There are tons and tons of different cards available, coming in creature, weapon, armor and spell varieties. Players create a deck of 50, and if they have a creature card in hand after landing on an unoccupied land, they can “cast” it to assert instant property rights. However, opponents can try to steal the land by landing on the same space, attacking with their own monster and doing battle.

The non-creature cards add strength and damage modifiers, and the spells can surprise an enemy with all sorts of effects like instant-kill, damage reflection and more. If the defender is successful, the opponent pays a toll. If they win, the former owner is booted out and loses the property, along with any upgrades associated with it.

Playing Culdcept Revolt effectively requires multiple levels of strategy, and more than a little bluffing if playing with others online. The cards included in a deck can be built to suit many styles, and knowing when to use modifiers is crucial – just a few points of miscalculation in one fight can mean the difference between a decisive win and a staggering loss. Of course, learning the ins and outs of each board also plays a large part. Some squares will be landed on more often, and knowing where the enemy is likely to stop can make all the difference.

Factoring in all these variables is a complex and delicate trick, but it’s one that Culdcept Revolt pulls off… just not perfectly. While the tutorial is solid, there’s a lot to learn about how the cards interact with each other, and overlooking a rule or forgetting about a certain effect can be devastating.

This learning curve is already tough, but the AI makes it even tougher – Revolt’s difficulty is often brutal. Computer-controlled opponents have a too-convenient habit of skipping over a player’s high-penalty spaces, and the AI manages to have just the right cards in hand a bit too often. I was getting my ass handed to me on the first mission, and I’m a series vet who’s had tons of experience with previous entries. Scoring a win feels great, but be prepared for a lot of frustration along the way. Patience is a must.

While it requires a fair time investment to get sunk in and the AI could definitely stand to have its fangs pulled out, Culdcept Revolt offers a wonderfully rich tabletop experience that would be impossible to replicate on a tabletop. It’s unlike almost anything else available today. Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Omiya Soft and published by NIS America. It is currently available on 3DS. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the 3DS XL. Approximately 8 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. 1 hour of play was spent in online multiplayer mode.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood, and Suggestive Themes. The ESRB listing itself says: This is a strategy game in which players assume the role of a rebel fighter battling for freedom against an evil force. Players engage in turn-based card battles on a game board against fantasy creatures (e.g., giant demons, dragons, ogres). Players take turns summoning creature cards that slash, stab, and claw at opponents; impact sounds and colorful light effects occur during battles. Some cards also depict violent imagery (e.g., creatures impaled by spears, lightning bolts). One red slime-like creature is referred to as a “Bloody Pudding.” Some female characters are depicted with exaggerated-size breasts and outfits that reveal large amounts of cleavage; a handful of creatures are shown with exposed breasts, though with no discernible details (i.e., no nipples). The word “sh*t” appears in the dialogue.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: All dialogue comes via text and there are no audio cues needed for play. It is 100% accessible.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

HIGH There’s so much to do!

LOW There’s so much to do!

WTF Putting my sheep and rabbit in the barn at night, then finding them outside the next morning. Repeatedly.

For the past 20 years, the objective of Bokujō Monogatari (literally, Farm Story) has been the same — turn a run-down ranch into a thriving business while befriending the townspeople and raising a family.

New games in the franchise tweak things by giving players new animals to raise, new recipes to make, and new people to meet, but we still run farms. It’s a proven formula. However, as new entries try to keep us interested with more options, the ability to play at one’s own pace can get lost in the sheer amount of things to do. While Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is comfortably familiar to me as a fan of the Bokujō Monogatari series and makes much-appreciated improvements, I was overwhelmed with all the ways I could spend my time.

Much of Trio of Towns is familiar to anyone who’s played a game in this series before. Players start out with a small, neglected plot of land and a tiny house. With some tools from their friendly uncle Frank, they can clear a plot to grow some crops, catch fish in the ponds, or forage for herbs in the nearby forest. As they ship more items and save up money, they can buy animals like chickens and cows, which can earn even more money.

I’ve done all this before, and I’m so familiar with this routine that even minor improvements are a big deal — things like, oh, the ability to choose my farmer’s gender. And since XSeed took over publishing from Natsume, I’ve noticed much cleaner spelling and grammar — no more awkward sentences like “You fished a bass!”

But my favorite gameplay improvement? It’s also the tiniest. From the very beginning, players can hoe and water crops by simply standing in one spot and holding down a button. In earlier games, I had to walk from square to square, making sure to aim my equipment in just the right place — at least until I’d upgraded my tools. I appreciate not having to think so hard about where I’m standing now.

Apart from these sort of fixes, the main way that Trio of Towns tweaks the series formula is evident in the title itself — there are three separate towns for our farmer to visit, each with their own stores, restaurants, and people to meet.

Buying items from these towns, participating in their festivals and befriending their residents raises a place’s Town Link Rank with the farmer; a higher Town Link Rank unlocks more goods to buy or build. However, raising a Town Link Rank sometimes requires items that can only be found in certain seasons, which means that doing what one wants to do can take a really long time. For instance, I wanted to make a textile machine in order to turn my wool into cloth. To build it, I needed 20 pieces of black lumber, but they were hard to find in nature. If I raised a certain town’s Town Link Rank high enough, I could buy them in the shops—but to do that I needed sweet potatoes, which are only sold in the fall. Too bad I learned that during the winter, and that meant I’d have to wait another year.

With so many towns to visit and so many things to do, it felt like so many things took too much time, and I also felt like I ran out of time to do everything I wanted to. My sense of direction isn’t that great in real life or in videogames, and having to check three different places for items rather than just one meant I just never found certain things. After three in-game years, I still don’t know where to buy corn.

While these complaints might sound like I enjoyed the game less than I did, virtual farming never gets old for me, and Trio of Towns improves the experience in many ways — I’ve just played so many entries in this series that it’s far easier to talk about what’s different than describing the similarities. While Trio of Towns has more structure — and more “stuff” in general — than I’m used to, it’s still the same farming simulator I know and love. Rating: 7 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Marvelous Interactive and published by XSEED Games. It is currently available on the Nintendo 3DS. This copy of the game was obtained via the publisher and reviewed on the original 3DS.

Approximately 25 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. No time was spent in multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E10+ and contains: comic mischief, suggestive themes, and use of alcohol. Players can breed animals by buying a special item that makes the animal pregnant; they can also find a spouse and raise child. Some of the drinks in restaurants are alcoholic, and picking up animal droppings is part of farm work. These things are all handled tastefully.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing: All dialogue and other important information is presented in text. I played most of this game with the sound off and had no problems whatever.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

HIGH Outstanding combat and character designs.

LOW Getting stuck at the instant-death dragon for way too long.

WTF Eight and a half classes? Why not nine?!?

Sega’s 7th Dragon III: Code VFD made me sit up and pay attention.

Although I wouldn’t call it a strict dungeon crawler since it’s got too much story and too varied a world for such pat classification, 7th Dragon has much in common with the genre.

Like many of its contemporaries, players are able to create their own party, customizing both appearance and class. Once a group of three has been composed, some story kicks things off and gets the player into dungeons where there’s a heavy focus on turn-based, menu-driven combat. However, the focus isn’t on the frequency of random encounters, but in how the skills of the characters work and play off of each other. Creating this sort of complexity is a difficult thing and few dungeon crawlers get it right, but Sega not only has it dialed in, they add dimensions I’ve never seen.

7th Dragon offers eight and a half (yes, a half) different classes, and each one feels fresh and different. Take the Samurai, for example. He or she may seem like a standard sword-user, but the class is able to choose between single or dual-wield, and can also shift between sheathed and unsheathed stances. The God Hand is another interesting class, focusing on hand-to-hand attacks while also being a healer. Players can choose to focus on either side of their personality, or mix it up as they see fit. Every type of character has some innovative interpretation, and I loved exploring the practical applications.

Added to the mix are a great number of skills that are passive or automatic. Every character has at least a few, and they become huge advantages if invested in. Characters will launch free attacks before enemies can act, spent magic points will be regained in the middle of a battle, dead characters will be brought back to life, and so on—there are a slew of effects, each with their own trigger. Besides being highly functional, they give battles a bit of a “slot machine” feeling—a free action is never guaranteed, so when one pops up it’s like winning a small jackpot.

7^th Dragon III also offers a new take on team structure. While only three party members will be initially available, the team soon grows to six, and then nine—three on the front line and six in reserve. The inactive members build up readiness at different rates, and some (or all!) may be called to assist in a pinch. Summoning one will break through a monster’s defense, three will activate a series of buffs, and tagging all six is a super-attack where every member fires off a power for no cost. It’s amazing, and adds a nice, chewy layer to extended battles.

While all of these factors create some of the best turn-based combat design I’ve seen in quite some time, the developers also looked at the more mundane functions and made sure that those were perfectly polished as well—amenities like clearly highlighting the stats of armor and weapons and making it a snap to equip them, enabling fast travel nearly anywhere in the game, clearly marking important items and characters on the map, keeping a quest log with step-by-step instructions on what to do next, and a dozen other quality-of-life choices that make 7^th Dragon III a totally hassle-free experience. The only place where the game misses a trick is that some cut-scenes before bosses aren’t skippable, but since the bosses are fairly infrequent it’s not hard to forgive this hiccup in lieu of what it gets right.

In terms of aesthetics, the game is top notch. Unlike many titles in the dungeon crawler genre, 7^th Dragon III understands the importance of seeing action onscreen. Where others skimp, this game splurges. Weapon choices are reflected on the character models, each attack and skill has a different animation, and monsters have fluid, exaggerated personality. The art style is also totally on-point, and with a soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro, there’s nothing to complain about in regard to the audio. It’s all fantastic.

If 7^th Dragon III has a weak point, it might be that the story isn’t anything to write home about. I’m not saying that it’s bad, but it contains many familiar themes and most of the plot points probably won’t surprise players who’ve spent time with JRPGs. I’m also a bit curious about how much of the previous installments in the series (never released in America) influence the current story. It was easily understandable and welcoming, but there were a few times when I felt like I might be missing out on something that would have resonated with more context.

Being a bit soft on the narrative is a sin that many games commit, and while I’m generally a big story guy, 7^th Dragon III: Code VFD performs so fantastically in all other aspects that I can’t scold it for not making me examine the human condition. For players who want an excellent RPG-lite or a nonstandard dungeon crawler, this game is the total package—it’s got some of the most entertaining mechanics I’ve seen in years, it’s a smooth as butter to play, and everything about it oozes polish. It’s not only going to be one of the best 3DS games released this year, but one of the best 3DS titles overall. Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Disclosures: This game is developed by Sega and published by Sega. It is currently available on 3DS and this copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the original 3DS. Approximately 30 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed at the time of review. There are no multiplayer modes.

 Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated T and contains: fantasy violence, language, mild blood, and suggestive themes. Honestly, this game struck me as totally harmless. I’m struggling to think of an example that might warrant a warning and I’m coming up dry. The action is bloodless combat with characters whacking monsters and… that’s about it. I’d say it’s totally safe.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing: All dialogue is delivered via text and there are no auditory cues needed for gameplay. It’s fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: No, this game’s controls are not remappable. It uses the circle slider, the face buttons, and the lower touchscreen is also required.

Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available in the options.

There are few games I love as much as Monster Hunter, and I’m thrilled to say that the next installment being released in the west, Monster Hunter Generations, is coming quite soon – it’s hitting the 3DS on July 15^th this year.

Capcom was kind enough to send a review code for evaluation, and I’ve been putting some time into it. While it’s still under a partial embargo, there’s no restriction on sharing the basics.

Of course, much of the content and structure here will be instantly familiar to fans of the series –players create a character, pick their favorite weapon, and head out to kill giant monsters – but there’s been quite a few changes. In addition to new monsters, a new home village, new areas to explore and so forth, the combat system is what’s received the most work.

Generations offers the same assortment of 14 weapons that was found in Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate ultimate — no new weapons this time around — but everything has been rebalanced and reworked. In addition, there are all-new systems that give every weapon new life.

The first system is that a player needs to choose a “Style”. There are four to choose from, and each one has different advantages and disadvantages.

The Guild style is closest to what people already know – it’s just the basics, and the weapons handle essentially the same way as one would expect from previous installments. The next is the Striker style, which is the most flexible because it gives the most access to new abilities called Arts. (More on that in a minute.) The third is the Aerial style, which gives players the ability to jump in order to leap onto monsters’ backs or to perform airborne combos. The final style is the Adept style, which requires that players master their knowledge and timing of monster attacks. When a character blocks or dodges at exactly the right time, it gives the hunter a special dash-run that closes the distance to the monster and usually ends up in a devastating counter-attack.

In addition to the styles, each hunter now has special abilities called Arts that can be equipped at will. Some enable powerful strikes, some let players escape out of trouble, some provide unlimited stamina for a brief time, and so forth. There are a wide range of skills that can be equipped in order to further customize the player’s combat preference and options in battle. Even better, once a Style and Arts are chose, the player is never locked into them – they can be freely switched around with no penalty.

I wish I could share more now, but between the partial embargo and the fact that there’s a ridiculous amount of content in the game that I haven even scratched yet, it’s just not possible. However, one thing I can share is that after spending several hundred hours with the Monster Hunter games and considering myself a fairly seasoned vet, Generations has me feeling like a fresh-faced schoolboy again. There’s just so much to see, and learn, and do.

Monster Hunter Generations will be available on July 15^th  3DS, and for those looking to get a jump on things, I highly recommend checking out the YouTube channel for @GaijinHunter. Despite Capcom’s best efforts at making the series more approachable to newcomers in recent years (and I applaud them for it) there’s still a long way to go, and a great need for more concise, useful information on the game’s nuances. As far as I’m concerned, @GaijinHunter has the best Monster Hunter information online. If you’ve got the itch to go after some really big game, check out some of his videos and get ready for the hunt!!

HIGH: The original Sonic in its pixelated glory.

LOW:  Maze Runner. It’s SO DAMN HARD.

WTF: The dudes in Power Drift are some strange looking folks.

The frustrating reality about nearly every ‘classics’ or ‘greatest hits’ retro collection is they’re anything but. Many publishers offer just one or two legitimately good games, surround them with a bunch of real stinkers, and let the thing crawl via poor emulation. Thirty wasted dollars later… why?

Sega 3D Classics Collection is, thankfully, not one of these bad eggs.

Sega earns big kudos for re-engineering the titles included in 3D Classics Collection from the ground up. There’s no slowdown anywhere, the graphics and audio truly pop, and controls are perfect and fully customizable. Every single title plays as intended… and sometimes better. There’s also a neat option to customize the audio and visuals to emulate arcade cabinets, there are mid-level saves, and tilt controls (on Power Drift) to simulate a wheel. Great stuff!

The collection of titles here is incredibly diverse and challenging enough to keep a player’s interest for extended periods. The lineup includes:

The original Sonic the Hedgehog

Legendary Genesis launch title Altered Beast

Kart racer Power Drift

Puzzle game Puyo Puyo 2

Helicopter combat title Thunder Blade

Space shooter Galaxy Force II

Original Master System games Maze Runner and Fantasy Zone II.

For those unfamiliar with the lesser-known titles (meaning everything but Sonic and Altered Beast) here are a few nutshells.

Power Drift is a poor man’s Mario Kart, albeit with no weapons or drift emphasis. It’s all about speed and positioning, and the game punishes heavily for collisions. The soundtrack is killer, and there are dozens of levels to play.

Puyo Puyo 2 is a ridiculously hard version of Dr. Mario, and I loved every minute of it. Easy to pick up but with challenging AI, Puyo Puyo 2 is the rare puzzler that quickly improves a player’s skill out of necessity. Other than Sonic, this was my favorite game of the collection.

Thunder Blade is a terrific, twitch-happy shooter than does wonders with 3D effects. It’s also the only first-person helicopter title I’ve seen requiring meticulous ground fire and careful movement between buildings. Thunder Blade is truly something special.

Galaxy Force II was way ahead of its time in level design and shooting dynamics. It’s yet another reminder why the Sega Genesis is arguably the greatest console of its era.

Maze Runner is an overhead hack and slash, and admittedly at the bottom of my gaming totem for this collection. It’s so damn hard, random, and frustrating. It’s also too slow, repetitive and punishing for this reviewer’s liking.

Finally, Fantasy Zone II is an homage to Sega’s early emphasis on bright colorful, seemingly happy worlds fraught with death at every turn. Fantasy Zone II is a 2D sidescroller combining enemies moving in simultaneous linear and wave like patterns. It definitely kept me on my toes!

If there’s a criticism to be had, it’s that not every title truly feels 3D. At the end of the day, only Thunder Blade and Galaxy Force II maximize 3DS functionality. Other titles in this collection provide an increased depth option, but the effects are minimal. Also, the on-screen menu prompts don’t always correspond to the actual buttons (e.g. they say press START when it should be A/B).

These are but small complaints. All in all, I absolutely loved the Sega 3D Classics Collection. Sega did an outstanding job in picking this lineup (they credit fan requests) and the work is presented with love. Rating: 9 out of 10

Disclosures: This game was developed and published by Sega. This review copy was obtained via publisher, and was reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS. About 10 hours were spent with the content.

Parents: Sega 3D Classics Collection is rated E by the ESRB for alcohol reference and fantasy violence. 

Deaf & Hard of Hearing:  Some games feature default subtitles, although audio is never essential to play any of them.

Controls: Sega 3D Classics Collection features complete button-remapping options throughout, also occasional tilt functionality.

Colorblind modes: No colorblind assistance is available.