(s) Archive
2023-02-15
NieR Re[in]carnation Chill Out Arrangement Tracks by Patrick Gann Sometimes Square Enix makes surprising picks for which games get their own dedicated arrange albums. In this case, itās NieR Re[in]carnation, the mobile game side-story with a soundtrack that is strong but certainly less noteworthy than Gestalt/Replicant or Automata. For the arrange style, Square Enix wentā¦ Read More »
My two top picks for 2022 brought me a sense of nostalgia that only video game music can, yet for completely different reasons. Triangle Strategy is a brand new IP, drawing inspiration in its presentation from older games. Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered is originally from the PS2 era, but its personal connection to theā¦ Read More »
Itās been another great year for game music. I have some special individualized awards this year, so be sure to keep reading! BEST CHILL INDIE OST: Tunic Original Soundtrack Matching the game’s visual aesthetics perfectly, Lifeformed and Janice Kwan came out of left field to write one of the most impressive āchillā soundtracks in yearsā¦ Read More »
For me, one soundtrack stood above the rest this year. This write-up wonāt surprise anyone who reads the overall list first, but I do have a little bit more to say about my favorite video game music from 2022. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 OST I donāt think I can identify a single song that feels offā¦ Read More »
Where did 2022 go? It felt like a blur of high-profile games released in bursts throughout the year, which consequently affected my ability to keep up with music releases and even what I wanted to listen to. We didn’t get all the music releases we should have yet (coughXenocough) either, but here are a fewā¦ Read More »
2023-02-14
In a series with multiple titles spanning several decades, Final Fantasy has had a plethora of romances throughout its lifespan. While some have fallen flat, I found most character relationships charming and rewarding. And, although not all are universally beloved, it is worth discussing with our favorite Hallmark Holiday approaching. Here are my personal favoriteā¦ Read More »
2023-02-08
With the NieR: Automata Ver1.1a anime finally up on its feet (despite the premature hiatus), it seems like an opportune time to reflect on what made the game itās adapting so special. With the show sticking closely to the gameās story so far, I want to talk about some aspects of the source text thatā¦ Read More »
2023-02-04
The full subtitle for this book is “The History of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and the Rise of Japanese RPGs in the West.” It chronicles a personal journey through years of classic (and rare) RPGs. Author Aidan Moher himself prefaces the book by saying that it reflects his personal experience with the genre and thatā¦ Read More »
2023-01-21
RPGFriends, if any of you are familiar with a game known as Dungeons and Dragons, I might have a nice surprise for you. Introducing Eyes of Iyre, a visual novel /RPG hybrid heavily inspired by the worlds and characters of D&D (and perhaps a bit of Dragon Age), with some stunningly beautiful art to boot.
2023-01-11
Top 5 RPGs: 1. Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster 2022 marked my first chance to play a version of this beloved classic Final Fantasy title, and it easily secured a place in my heart as soon as the ending credits rolled. I love the gameplay, the emotive music, the powerful storytelling, and the characters! Everythingā¦ Read More »
Okay, I finally played this game and it’s really good (Retro Encounter GOTY) – Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur MachtĀ Xenosaga is a series that’s been sitting on my backlog for years. It’s long stared at me, saying, “You love Takahashi. You need to play me.” Years of hearing up and down things hasā¦ Read More »
Most people pick their favorite games of the year based on criteria such as gameplay, story, etc. For 2022, I’m doing something different and instead choosing my favorites (in no particular order) based on protagonist fashion styles. Fashion Awards Manafinder After Manafinder‘s protagonist Lambda is forced into exile from the protection of her home city,ā¦ Read More »
I didn’t play as many new games in 2022 as I did the prior few years, but I got to at least enough to muse on a few favorites, ranking five of them. Let’s get to it: Special Awards Unplayed, Unfortunately – Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Elden Ring, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, Stranger of Paradiseā¦ Read More »
To be completely honest, I don’t feel I’ve played enough games that were released in 2022 to be able to say which game is the best of the year. For what it’s worth, I’d have to go with Triangle Strategy. I haven’t played many new releases because I’ve been trying to go back and playā¦ Read More »
This is the first year ā maybe in the entire time I’ve written for the site ā in which I felt I played enough high quality new releases to warrant a Top 5. What a banger year for gaming overall. 5. Triangle Strategy If Triangle Strategy had the same tenacity and punch in the firstā¦ Read More »
Best Game of 2022 (That I Played): Horizon Forbidden West Early in 2022, I realized that the release of Horizon Forbidden West was rapidly approaching, and I still needed to play Horizon Zero Dawn. So, with the strong encouragement of RPGFan’s own Caitlin Argyros, I dove into the open-world post-apocalyptic RPG, quickly falling in loveā¦ Read More »
Early Access Game of the Year: PokĆ©mon Scarlet & Violet People like to say that Nintendo is old-fashioned, behind the times, and even a bit of a dinosaur. Sure, their online infrastructure may be old enough to vote, they make you jump through hoops just to try to voice chat, and friend codes… still exist.ā¦ Read More »
Another year gone, and I feel like I played more new games this year than usual. Several great games released in 2022, and not just ones starting with the prefix Xeno! Best farming sim of 2022: Harvestella Okay, maybe I didn’t play any other farming sim this year, but I can’t say enough how muchā¦ Read More »
Best RPG that isn’t covered on RPGFan so I might get in trouble for this one – Vampire Survivors Listen, roguelikes and RPGs have a complicated relationship. They’re born of RPGs, but often take a huge diversion from the story-driven focus of traditional RPGs with a focus on execution-based gameplay to perfect your runs. There’sā¦ Read More »
Top 3 Remakes & Remasters 1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion We got some PSP remakes and ports this year, and while I’m sad Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth came out too late for these superlatives, I’m quite pleased with the ones that did make it out in time for the list. Crisis Core: Final Fantasyā¦ Read More »
2022 has left me strangely tranquil in my personal life. Unfortunately it’s a tranquility born of the acceptance of a lot of changes, not all of which are positive. However, through the support of friends and family, the routine of parenting and work, and, to a much lesser but still crucial degree, good entertainment, especiallyā¦ Read More »
The Go Away Rean Schwarzer Award Ladies and gentlemen, we would now like to announce this year’s Go Away Rean Schwarzer Award nominees. And they are: Rean Schwarzer in Trails of Cold Steel! Rean Schwarzer in Trails of Cold Steel 2! Rean Schwarzer in Trails of Cold Steel 3! And, finally, Rean Schwarzer in Trailsā¦ Read More »
While some of us are still mentally and physically recovering from 2021, I am wondering how long it will take for my wallet to recover from 2022. Square Enix have been absolutely killing it this year, yet in some ways, their releases have still been overshadowed by blockbuster hits such as Elden Ring and Xenobladeā¦ Read More »
And we’re back today with our individual Editors’ Awards for Games of the Year! And it’s a big year for them, too: we had a whopping 15 different writers contribute individual lists, so there’s a lot to check out here. You will notice that we give our writers a lot of freedom with how toā¦ Read More »
There are many games I simply didn’t get around to this year. Not yet, anyway. So this list is sorely lacking at least one game I’m sure deserves to be here (Xenoblade Chronicles 3). But I have three special awards that I’d like to discuss. Remake of the Year – LIVE A LIVE HD-2D Remakeā¦ Read More »
