(s) Archive
2017-11-21
Our entire Fabula Nova Anniversaris feature is filled with content: In-depth examinations of characters, recurring themes, and more. But the heart of it all is here, in Memoria. We posed a simple question to the staff: To share a short memory of one or more Final Fantasy games, with the intent of having one to… Read More »
2017-09-26
2017 is a banner year for Ys fans. Not only have we received a new entry in the form of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana as well as a PC port of Ys SEVEN, but the series also celebrated its 30th anniversary in June. You might’ve heard quite a bit of buzz about Ys over… Read More »
2017-09-07
Storytelling is synonymous with RPGs. The genre paved the way for proper storytelling in video games as an entire medium, making players feel like they are a part of something meaningful and grand rather than like they are playing with an interactive toy. Instead of eating dots while avoiding ghosts, players can find themselves thrust… Read More »
I don’t think anyone was expecting much out of Borderlands 2‘s story when it hit shelves in late 2012. If Gearbox’s previous efforts proved anything, it’s that writing coherent storylines or compelling characters is not their forte, and that the random loot generation and guns that shoot exploding sharks would take the spotlight in Borderlands… Read More »
Final Fantasy VII was a watershed title not only in terms of opening the floodgates for JRPG localization in the Western Hemisphere, but was also a personal watershed title for many of our individual gaming histories, mine included. A huge part of why Final Fantasy VII is a personal icon lies in its cast of… Read More »
Final Fantasy XII‘s tale of a political power struggle in a land plagued by war is nothing groundbreaking; the premise is common and has arguably been done better. Still, while reviewing the remastered version of the game, The Zodiac Age, I found myself far from bored. The overall plot might have been very conventional, but… Read More »
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a bishop, a psychic, and an baron/author from the 1800s* walk into a haunted monastery, where they must then learn to work together to unravel its dark secrets and correct the hideous deeds that occurred there in the past — if they want to escape alive. This is… Read More »
One thing I knew right away when I was asked which game had the best ensemble of characters, my answer was the Mass Effect series. However, there was a problem for me: I couldn’t pick the series as a whole. I had to narrow down which game from the series had the better characters. Was… Read More »
WARNING – Spoilers for Persona 4 follow. Most Persona games can be summarized as follows: a Japanese town experiences a supernatural event, which escalates into a world-ending threat, and the planet’s only hope is an unlikely group of teenagers. In Persona 4, the Japanese town is the sleepy, rural Inaba and the supernatural event is… Read More »
Want to know how to grab my interest before I play a game? Show me your main characters performing gun kata against one another to culminate in a post-fight execution. That’s what Resonance of Fate did before I even hit start on the controller. It was a bold move to start off with that kind… Read More »
The Tales series is one of the best examples of a series with consistently fun and enjoyable characters. Each entry manages to deliver a cast that I’ll remember for years to come. No other cast has stood out more than Tales of Vesperia‘s: they’re a bunch of mismatched individuals who form an unlikely friendship in… Read More »
Often, when we think of a memorable RPG ensemble, we tend to think of the hero and their party: the friends and allies we meet along the way assembled into a merry band on a collective mission of world salvation. And with good reason; whether it be the larger-than-life BFFs of Persona 4, or a… Read More »
2017-08-22
Bloodborne: The Card Game is a soft cooperative/competitive deck-builder that loosely resembles its licensed property. Designed by Eric M. Lang and published by Cool Mini or Not (shortened as CMON), Bloodborne is an excellent medium-light-weight game featuring strong elements of luck, planning, and prediction. While fun for several playthroughs, the limited content of this well-designed… Read More »
2017-04-04
Robbie Daymond is a skilled and fun-loving voice actor who has done voiceover work for such companies as Nickelodeon, Disney, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, NBC, 20th Century Fox, Marvel, Bang Zoom!, Lucas Films, Activision, Square Enix, Volition Games, Studiopolis, VIZ, Aniplex, SyFy, Random House and many more. A few of his many roles… Read More »
2017-01-19
Voicing the protagonist in the newest entry of a franchise synonymous with the RPG genre, Ray Chase is living a dream come true for most voice actors. With his roots planted in the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts (formerly known as the School of Theatre) and training from the British American Dramatic… Read More »
2016-10-02
It’s no secret that video games can make us happier. Research in the field of clinical psychology has shown that video games trigger a response in the brain’s pleasure center, and there’s debate in the field about whether or not this can lead to an actual addiction. Scientifically speaking, there is a reason for why you get… Read More »
2016-09-27
When the news that the London Philharmonic Orchestra would be performing parts of the Final Fantasy XV soundtrack at Abbey Road broke, my heart leapt into my mouth. I’m the first to admit I’m a little tired of waiting for FFXV, and my hopes have been both raised and dashed, but there’s always been something… Read More »
2016-09-11
The RPGFan team put our collective heads together to vote on the staggering range of retro RPGs that Sony made available on the PlayStation Store between 2006 and 2016, and they came up with a list of the 30 best games of the PlayStation Store that are worth your time. Now that the current generation… Read More »
The RPGFan team put our collective heads together to vote on the staggering range of retro RPGs that Sony made available on the PlayStation Store between 2006 and 2016, and they came up with a list of the 30 best games of the PlayStation Store that are worth your time. Now that the current generation… Read More »
2016-05-13
And here is part two of our list! Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective 2011 • DS Not every DS game embraced the touchscreen’s unique controls, but Ghost Trick wrestled it into a brilliant puzzle-solving mechanic that complements its gorgeous animations and twistastic story. At the beginning, Sissel, our spirit protagonist, finds himself dead and imbued with… Read More »
Are we really over halfway through this decade? Yes, we are! But in that time, we’ve been treated to many excellent games that have eaten up our time and deserve to be played. So we thought rather than count down our favorite games or the top ten games of the last half-decade, why not give… Read More »
2014-09-27
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Atlus’ outstanding Digital Devil Saga duology of PlayStation 2 RPGs. Those games combined a visceral combat system and satisfying character customization with one of the most atmospheric and well-presented worlds in a modern game. Serph, Sera, and the rest of the Embryon crew’s struggles through Junkyard… Read More »
2014-09-22
When we say David Brevik has been around, we mean it in the best of ways: From his work on the classic Diablo II, to Dungeons & Dragons Online, Hellgate: London, and more, we chat a bit about the man’s history, his process, and his work today at Gazillion Entertainment on Marvel Heroes. RPGFan: Older… Read More »
2014-07-12
Over the last decade, role-playing games have become increasingly difficult to define. “RPG elements” are now found in a wide variety of genres from shooters to sports games. Many developers seem to have realised the value in including systems with arguably addictive and rewarding properties, such as leveling up. While anyone reading this site could… Read More »
2014-06-02
Drakengard 3 is out now, in all of its violent and bizarre glory. While the game itself attracts attention on its own, many players were delighted to hear that its musical stylings would be crafted by none other than the team behind its spiritual predecessor, NieR. MONACA composer Keiichi Okabe was gracious enough to take… Read More »
