James 
Trails to Azure has arrived half a year after the long-awaited English release of Trails from Zero, heralding the completion of the missing Crossbell arc from developer Falcom’s Trails series of role playing games. One question remains: Has the thirteen year wait been worth it? Trails to Azure is as direct a sequel as you …
Three years after the coronavirus pandemic hit Japan, resulting in the closure of hundreds of arcades nationwide and even SEGA selling its chain of game centres to Genda, you’d think few companies would be willing to invest in new arcade software and hardware. Yet here we are with Chase Chase Jokers, a brand new release …
This is D3 Publisher’s latest attempt at the over-the-top action game series, following cult classics such as Earth Defense Force and Oneechanbara. On the surface it shares far more similarities with that latter series, though, sporting a combination of hack-and-slash gameplay and a purposefully out-of-place high school protagonist. Thus it may somewhat come as a …
As we enter October we’re reminded that we’re swiftly approaching what is typically the most crowded period of the year for major new video game releases. It’s no coincidence that some publishers are eager to see their games released during this calm before the storm. Kamiwaza: Way of the Thief, a game set in Edo-era …
Nihon Falcom Corporation celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, making the Japanese developer one of the longest-running in the business to date. Unlike its peers, Falcom has avoided many recent industry trends: It has retained its independence from mergers and acquisitions, it has staunchly decided to develop its own game engine rather than adopt a …
Despite originally releasing just six years ago, Gal*Gun: Double Peace carries with it a strange aura of a long-lost Japanese retro game. There’s a very good reason for this – it came from a completely different era, back when a shrinking domestic console market led to publishers doubling down on erotic-themed releases that would guarantee …
This year’s Cotton series revival shows few signs of slowing, with the SEGA Mega Drive shooter Panorama Cotton re-emerging for release on modern systems. This month also marks the first time the game has been reissued since its original Japan-only appearance over 25 years ago. Boxed copies of the original today fetch a whopping 55,000 …
In our Panorama Cotton review we mentioned that the Cotton series was, historically, rarely afraid of reinvention. Cue an emphasis on the word “rarely†because there was one exception: Cotton 100% on Super Famicom, which has recently been re-released on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.ÐºÑ€ÐµÐ´Ð¸Ñ‚Ð½Ð°Ñ ÐºÐ°Ñ€Ñ‚Ð° без кредитной иÑтории Cotton 100% is very much a reimagining …
The Caligula Effect 2 is the latest RPG from Japan to see an overseas release from publisher NIS America, but its original release actually came courtesy of FuRyu. This is important, because FuRyu is one of the last publishers left still making RPGs for a shrinking Japanese market after the locally established Nintendo 3DS and …
Tetris is eternal. Throughout the past three decades, the falling block puzzle game has evolved across a plethora of appearances, many of which have earned their status as all-time classics. From the simple appeal of marathon mode in Tetris DX, to the puzzle trappings of Tetris Plus and Tetris with Cardcaptor Sakura, all the way …
Arriving on the just-released Super Famicom during the tail-end of 1990, Actraiser’s juxtaposition of side-scrolling action with god simulation put Quintet – a then-new developer formed primarily of Falcom alumni – on the map as a developer unafraid to innovate. This thirty-year-old game saw you in charge of an almighty God, tasked with restoring peace …
SEGA’s original early 2000s arcade game Monkey Ball, along with its home console remake, Super Monkey Ball, are both what we like to call “forever gamesâ€. Two decades after release and they’ve still yet to outstay their welcome. In true classic SEGA arcade fashion, the games were graced with an incredibly simple concept that was …
You’ll know exactly what to expect from brand new arcade-to-home port Cruis’n Blast just moments after firing it up for the first time. This is a game that unashamedly revels in its garish demeanour, its flashy presentation and wild vehicle line-up accurately setting the tone for its racing, where the difference between a first place …
The current year in video games may well go down as one of the best as far as unexpected revivals of Japanese classics go. So far, we’ve seen classic shooting game series Cotton rebooted, No More Heroes 3 was finally completed, and classic adventure games Famicom Tantei Club and Tsukihime were remade entirely. Konami has …
A video game, at its very core, serves up a set of rules that ultimately determine how we play and behave within its virtual world. Load up a game of, say, Sonic the Hedgehog, and this quickly becomes apparent: run straight up to the first loop-de-loop and the resulting outcome communicates all you need to …