The Layton series played a big part in my schooling years. Little ol’ me and my Nintendo DS, absolutely stoked to have this series in hand. If there was any gaming franchise that kept my mind alight, these were it, thanks to all its puzzles. There are now seven games in the Layton series. This…
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Persona Q2: The Cinema Labyrinth is a quirky little game, mixing the classic gameplay formula of Etrian Odyssey with Persona‘s ‘so hot right now’ shoot ’em up style. The blend works well for the most part, making Persona Q2 a fun and always interesting experience. You play as Joker, the ever popular protagonist of Persona…
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Kirby has always been the spark of joy in the occasionally cheerless games landscape. I mean, how can he not be? He’s a literal ball of cute pink fluff, and in this cotton-themed adventure, he’s every bit the pure, shining saviour of games that he should be. Kirby is wholesome, Kirby is brilliant, Kirby is…
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Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is a game about cause and effect – the consequences of fate, and how the smallest decisions can change an entire history. In Radiant Historia, the kingdom of Vainqueur is under siege on all sides. Tensions are rising in the cities of Alistel and Granorg, and a mysterious force known as…
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Often to their detriment, Nintendo are big fans of the remaster, pulling games from the past and updating them for a new generation seemingly to fill a release schedule plagued by a lack of strong, ongoing third-party relationships. I don’t buy into it half the time, but things are a bit different with Mario &…
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It’s been a long time since I’ve been genuinely surprised by a video game but Monster Hunter Stories achieved just that, and then more. From the distinct, beautifully designed world to the fun combat and exploratory gameplay, the Monster Hunter spin-off left me genuinely floored. For those new to the franchise, Stories marks a perfect…
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Going into Ever Oasis, I expected something akin to the delightfully cute Animal Crossing series, but what I experienced was surprisingly different. Mixing the town-building and cutesy characters of Animal Crossing with action-based RPG gameplay, Ever Oasis is a hybrid of styles, but one that works brilliantly as a whole package. The first thing I…
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I will admit to have very little prior experience with the Fire Emblem franchise, having deliberately avoided the series due to its deep lore and extensive history. Despite this, I largely enjoyed my time with its newest entry, Shadows of Valentia, which presents a simple, but surprisingly accessible story for new fans and long-time players…
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Niantic’s Pokemon Go quite obviously paved the way for the next installment in traditional handheld Pokemon games to make a big impact on the video game market. We are now in the seventh generation of the irresistible RPG series and, as expected, dual titles Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon have been breaking sales records since…
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Nostalgia never dies, and is almost always a completely viable way to market something. That notion has been proven by Nintendo time and time again, and while riffing on past triumphs may have worked to the brand’s detriment at times, no one can deny the joy of being able to revisit your childhood through gaming….
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Instead of pushing back against the inevitable Pokemon comparisons that have been buzzing about ever since the first entry, Yo-kai Watch 2 seems to be welcoming the parallels, particularly by splitting up the sequel into two “same but slightly different” games: Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits. Like the constant Pokemon RPGs, developers Level-5 Watch maintain…
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Earlier this year, Nintendo revealed the model for a peculiar looking sack Pokemon named Mimikyu and, in so doing, introduced the world to one of the most bizarre and tragic backstories ever written for a video game character. The reason for its appearance as a badly drawn and malnourished version of superstar Pikachu: it’s just lonely…
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It took a few years for gamers outside of Japan to finally see the modern remake of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, a reverent update of one of the longest, most in-depth, and sadly underrated JRPGs of the 21st century. It was originally released for PlayStation in the year 2000, a huge…
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Capcom has announced the release of a Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice DLC. The new episode, entitled Turnabout Time Traveler, brings fans back into the world of Phoenix Wright for their latest case, which deals with a time-traveling bride. The full-length downloadable episode takes place after the events of Spirit of Justice….
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Monster Hunter, Capcom’s hunter-gatherer action RPG series, has stuck around for quite a few years, first appearing on PlayStation systems with inventive, straight-forward gameplay and a winning formula: prep for quests, head out on quests, and complete those quests, usually by bagging and tagging magnificent Jurassic-inspired beasts. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
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Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is set to make its debut in Australia and New Zealand on the Nintendo 3DS handheld console on September 17th. The newest game in Square Enix’s long-running Dragon Quest RPG series has been completely rebuilt and re-imagined for the Nintendo 3DS. Fragments of the Forgotten Past is…
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Big news 3DS fans! Nintendo, you know, the company that has complete control over your childhood memories, has announced a Nintendo 3DS Direct broadcast for later tonight.
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The Sega 3D Classics Collection is finally coming to Australia for the Nintendo 3DS, complete with previously unreleased games. The collection (which until now was only available in Japan) boasts nine classic games from the Sega Mega Drive, GigaDrive and Master System including Sonic The Hedgehog, Thunder Blade, Galaxy Force II and Altered Beast – all given the…
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The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (PMD) has always been the go-to if we’re looking at Pokemon spin-offs that aren’t evolutions of the classic original RPG. Sure Pokemon Snap was a memorable game, and the two Pokemon Stadium were excellent, as was the lesser-known Pokemon Conquest and, to a degree, PokePark, but PMD always had the most…
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Hyrule Warriors: Legends, an exclusive 3DS release, will be making its debut on March 24. Packed with even more content than its predecessor, Legends will feature five brand new characters, the ability to command and switch between four characters on the battlefield and two new exclusive story lines.
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AlphaDream’s Mario & Luigi series has consistently been one of the best and brightest franchises on the Nintendo 3DS, pulling on the rich universe that the Mario brand has created for itself for an expansive, and inventive mix of nostalgia and progression. Nostalgia because most of the humour relies on our attachment to these characters…
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