(s) Archive
2023-04-28
“A hero is what he wills, and what he does.” Anime adaptations of video games can be mixed bags regarding quality. Those that approach the adaptation as a condensed retelling of an RPG’s plot run the risk of being too much “the same” to attract viewers already familiar with the title, and newcomers might not appreciate… Read More »
2023-04-12
This feature is intended to help parents determine if their children can successfully play the following video game. As parents, it’s important to know what your child is playing, but sometimes the rating on the box isn’t enough. How hard will it be for them to control? How complicated is the strategy? Will they be… Read More »
2023-03-25
For the uninitiated, One Deck Dungeon is the definitive casual dungeon-delving experience anyone can have on a table top, full stop. I reviewed it and one of its expansions, Forest of Shadows a few years ago, giving both high marks for their teeth and presentation. Here, I’m a little late to the party, but the… Read More »
2023-03-15
A New Story For a New Audience Yasumi Matsuno’s Final Fantasy Tactics is a tough act for any game to follow. The Final Fantasy series’ first foray into tactical RPGs garnered universal acclaim, left an indelible mark on the subgenre, and set fan expectations for Final Fantasy spinoffs that could rival and even surpass the… Read More »
2023-03-11
Skyrim is on eight platforms: nine if you count both Xbox Series X and S. Is it on mobile yet? While the board game iteration isn’t a port, it remains faithful to the massively successful title in its theming. Aside from the sheen, is this a deep, rich experience or a cash grab based on… Read More »
2023-03-10
I love fishing games. I remember that, as kids, my friends and I would huddle around a Mattel Bass Fishin’ handheld on summer road trips to the Lake of the Ozarks, a famous Missouri hot spot for money laundering fishing. We had the time of our lives with that low-tech masterpiece. That’s because fishing is our beloved pastime: a perfect mixture… Read More »
2023-03-09
As parents, it’s natural to want to share your passions and hobbies with your kids. RPGs have been such a big part of my life that as soon as my kids began to show interest in gaming, I wanted to show them all the genre has to offer. I think RPGs have a unique ability… Read More »
2023-02-28
Disclaimer: This is a special version made for media to experience, and contents may differ from the final version. FINAL FANTASY XVI © 2023 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Intro and Presentation Key Points Thanks to the lovely people over at Square Enix, I attended a Media Tour Event for Final Fantasy XVI… Read More »
Along with writing up my hands-on impressions from my time with Final Fantasy XVI, I wanted to showcase some footage and talk more in-depth about the battle system, including some helpful accessories that will let players tailor the gameplay to how they’d like. I’ll also get into some of the incredibly cinematic Eikon battles, and… Read More »
To wrap up the Final Fantasy XVI Media Tour, I had the privilege of a roundtable interview with the developers of Final Fantasy XVI: Creative Business Unit 3. This is part of a three-part feature that includes written hands-on impressions of the playable demo and an in-depth video on the battle system. There is some… Read More »
2023-02-16
In honor of the release of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, we are taking a trip through gaming history to savour the finest notes across 35 years of Final Fantasy music. In this second half, we pick up where we left off, starting with the music of Final Fantasy IX. Final Fantasy Music in 2000 –… Read More »
With Theatrhythm Final Bar Line out today, take a trip through gaming history to savour the finest notes across 35 years of Final Fantasy music. It’s truly impossible to discuss the music of role-playing games without referencing Final Fantasy and its prolific composer, the undisputed father of RPG music, Nobuo Uematsu. With a career spanning… Read More »
2023-02-15
Our Music of the Year 2022 feature has some items that may surprise you, but before you ask, yes, these albums did release in 2022*, even if some of the games they represent were from 2021. Huge releases from the likes of Square Enix and From Software make appearances, alongside Atlus, Nintendo, and several notable… Read More »
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, it’s 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 went… 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 the… Read More »
It’s 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 “chill” soundtracks in years… Read More »
2022 saw some phenomenal RPG soundtracks and album releases. It was hard to narrow down the OSTs I wanted to talk about here, but I decided to try! After all, we’re all here to share great musical vibes, yes? So, here are some of my favorite RPG soundtracks that you might’ve missed this past year.… Read More »
Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack In May 2022, I agonized over how I could objectively review the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker soundtrack. Now it’s time for Music of the Year, and I don’t have to be objective, right? Right. Both the story and soundtrack for the latest FFXIV expansion were filled with incredible moments,… 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 few… Read More »
For me, one soundtrack stood above the rest this year. This write-up won’t 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 don’t think I can identify a single song that feels off… 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 favorite… 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 it’s adapting so special. With the show sticking closely to the game’s story so far, I want to talk about some aspects of the source text that… 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 that… 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
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 to… Read More »
