Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is the most recent release in the Koei Tecmo’s Dynasty Warriors universe, but this entry eschews from the familiar button-mashing chaos many come to expect when hearing Dynasty Warriors. Going in a new direction, Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is a turn-based, tactical RPG where you control each unit's movement and actions individually then wait for your opponent to do the same. It cannot be denied Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is a bold step away from Koei Tecmo flagship, but is it a breath of fresh air for the franchise or just a game to tide fans over until the recently announced Dynasty Warriors 9?
Dragon Quest Builders is published by Square Enix and was released in North America October 11, 2016, for Playstation 4, Playstation 3, and Vita. For those who don’t know what this game is exactly, imagine if Dragon Quest and Minecraft got fused together. You still get a story with beloved characters from the Dragon Quest franchise but with a slight Minecraft twist. I had already previously tried out this game at PAX West 2016 in a short demo. For first impressions of the game, check out the article here.
Volume two (chapters 6 - 11) of Yona of the Dawn was released in early October and did not disappoint. In this volume, Yona and Hak arrives in the city of Fuuga, the capital of the Wind Tribe. Their sense of safety was short-lived when the Fire Tribe starts harassing the citizens of Fuuga in pursuit of Hak, who is suspected of kidnapping the princess and murdering the king.
Obvious: spoilers for the first Steins;Gate game ahead!
Having first reviewed JAST USA’s PC release of Steins;Gate in 2014, I had originally thought that this well-told time-travel story was complete and had nowhere left to go. Sure, I’d watched the movie Steins;Gate Fuka Ryōiki no Déjà vu but to me, the story of Okabe reaching the Steins Gate world line to save both Kurisu and Mayuri was complete though even that felt a bit superfluous. Now after hearing about, and having played, the “sequel/expansion pack” Steins;Gate 0 I’m glad I’ve never been so wrong.
The year 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Castle in The Sky by Studio Ghibli and Viz Media, the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution and global entertainment licensing is celebrating this anniversary with the release of The Art of Castle in The Sky. The release coincides with the film’s 30th anniversary and joins the series of hardcover art books by Viz Media showcasing Studio Ghibli films.
From Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Shinji Higuchi (Attack on Titan) comes Shin Godzilla, also known as Godzilla Resurgence here in the West. This is the 29th Godzilla film produced by Toho Co. Ltd and is a modern reboot of the Godzilla franchise that draws many classic elements from the original 1954 film. Already the highest grossing live action film in Japan for 2016, does it continue to build on the success of previous Toho Godzilla movies or is the new origin story a complete reboot like the Nolan Batman trilogy?
Like the other Style Savvy games, in Fashion Forward, the player becomes a manager of a boutique through magical means. The aesthetics of this game is very feminine, but at the same time, I don’t think that is all it has to offer. Taking away the girly elements, this game is a simulation game - managing stock and inventory of the store, attending to customer needs, and of course, withholding the reputation of a fashionista and top designer in a fictitious city. New to this franchise, Fashion Forward, there are other things to do than selling clothes. Become a makeup artist! A hair stylist! A room designer and even a model!
So first came the manga, then the anime, and then the live action movie, now comes the game! So cue the German chant chorus because here comes Attack on Titan (PS4) by Koei Tecmo. This game is coming out just in time for the fans that are waiting for the second season of the anime to begin. Is this what all fans are waiting for or is this just another bomb like Humanity in Chains?
Yona is a typical princess living a carefree life of royalty with her doting father, King Il (pronounced like ill), in the kingdom of Kouka - a historical kingdom that seem to be a mix of Korean and Japanese influence. Akatsuki no Yona, or Yona of the Dawn, is written by Mizuho Kusanagi and began in 2009. It is an on-going publication in the bi-monthly magazine, Hana to Yume. It was announced at Comic Con 2015 that Viz Media would be bringing it to North America for English fans.
In most respects, PlayStation 4’s The King of Fighters XIV - which is the 14th core King of Fighters game - is simply more King of fighters, but as a fan of previous entries in the series, that’s exactly what I wanted. There’s a lot that in this latest installment that veterans will find familiar along with new changes that will be welcomed. Familiarity is one of The King of Fighters XIV’s greatest strengths, allowing players to jump straight into the action while cutting through formalities that aren’t needed.
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As a whole, the four-female member band Silent Siren is an exemplary piece of the modern Japanese music puzzle. Although the members, Suu (Sumire Yoshida as Vo & Gt.), Hinanchu (Hinako Umemura on Dr.), Ainyan (Aina Yamauchi on Ba.), and Yukarun (Yukako Kurosaka on Key.), all started off as fashion models in Japan, their passion and talent for music has helped them gain attention from music lovers across the globe since their inception in 2012.
The plot to Phantom Brave revolves around the character Marona, a young girl who has the power to communicate with Phantoms, which are essentially the spirits of the dead. In the world of Chromas, her powers carry a negative stigma, and she lives on an island all by herself taking odd jobs to survive. However Marona has a guardian - the phantom Ash - a friend of Marona’s deceased parents tasked with watching over the girl.
A.W.: Phoenix Festa comes by the way of Kadokawa Games, a sizeable Japanese developer best known for its connection with many portable RPG games as well as the popular series Sword Art Online. It is based on the anime series The Asterisk War and it combines elements from dating simulations with action RPG gameplay and still, manages to find its footing with its fun combat system and interesting gameplay elements.
Grand Kingdom tells the tale of Resonail, a continent which consists of four nations at war over the fallen Empire of Uldein. The story is delivered via voice-acted comic book-esque cutscenes where players engage in turn-based battles. Delivered by lead designer Tomohiko Deguchi, Grand Kingdom takes inspiration from many of my favorite like minded games in the genre – think Fire Emblem or Valkyria Chronicles or even Odin Sphere – but it also shakes things up to keep the experience unique.