Fighting Ex Layer - A Retrospective Review

Arika's return to the forefront of fighting games was perhaps one of the most hyped moments in the FGC in recent history. Possibly over hyped. Their game, "Fighting Ex Layer", brought back fan favorite characters from a once dead 3D fighting game series, and attempted to do something new within a 2.5D fighting game frame. The mechanics, which were mostly unique to the new experience, did not hold the gamers' attention for long though, or at least not seemingly so. The online as of late is pretty much dead in the water. At the heart of the game, and perhaps what turned people away, was a deck based system known as GOUGI in which players could earn buffs, and abilities that would add an advantage if requirements were met during battle. The timed, and limited perks weren't game breaking per say, but they did play into that initial April Fools Day announcement that sparked the game actually being released in full. By that I mean it incorporated a sort of absurdity that normally would not be a part of a tournament friendly fighter as it threw the rules right out the window with what equates to cheats.

The Meaning of Life, A Gift From Me & My Grandmother To You

In my mourning, in the passing of my beloved Grandmother life finally made sense. It took the hardest low hitting moment of my entire existence for me to finally realize what's truly important. We, as humans, complicate things unnecessarily. We truly do. We hang onto that which only serves to enslave us. The hate, the anger, the sadness, the worry, and the fear. We let it become our focus, and in doing so lose our freedom. True freedom. We don't realize that this world and life, in it's entirety, is what keeps us wanting, and longing for something better or something else. All the while if we only let it go, all that binds us to those Earthly desires, we could be free. We could be happy. As long as what we seek is of this world though it will only serve to enslave us to this plane of being. Let it go. Let the cards fall where they may, and realize that in passing life itself is not what's really going to matter in the end. What will matter is the peace that follows the realization that life is simply a conditioning of the soul. That every emotion we feel along the way, every idea that passes through our mind, and everything we do in response can either loosen our restraints, or keep us bound to the things that will not last. The things that are not important.

It is my privilege and honor to pass unto you, my friends, the meaning of life. Do with it as you will. Your life is your journey, and only you can make the decision to let go of that which keeps you from what is truly important. Peace be with you always.

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (PS4)

NIS has tried several different approaches to the oldschool maze exploration RPG formula. Most of them were just alright. They did something different, and new every time, but visually lacked that signature NIS appearance in a lot of cases. Using a familiar witch theme, a few features from "The Witch and the Hundred Knight", and other series though this game comes together in such a way as to be both visually inviting, and more fun than the usual labyrinthine affair. At the heart of the story you will follow along as Dusk Witch Dronya, and her loyal apprentice Luca put on one hell of a puppet show. Chasing after the secrets of the Labyrinth of Refrain, which resides in the town of Refrain somewhere in the mystical world of Tanis Dronya seeks to uncover via puppets what she herself cannot gather. Due to miasma blocking any human entrance Dronya uses a magical soul possessed book known as the Tactatum de Monstrum to lead a brigade of puppet led covens into the mysterious maze in order to find rare items, and ultimately the secret that lies at it's core. A secret that could spell doom for the world, or grant such wondrous things as immortality.

Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk ~ A Twitter Preview Review

One of many game related Twitter moments. This time it's related to my upcoming review of NISA's "Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk" for the PS4. This is not the full review, but it will serve to give you some idea of what the game is about.

V-Rally 4 (PS4)

V-Rally 4. It's a sequel. That's a given. If you are like me though, are new to the series, and are thinking about trying it out you no doubt want to know how technical the game is. Being the off road vehicular racing game that it is 'V-Rally 4' definitely leans a lot towards the more technical side of things even though the controls are super simple. With said controls including a control scheme with two brakes, basic thumbstick steering controls, and camera angle changes you'll need to learn the track layouts as well as how to best drift along on a variety of different terrains. In being designed this way with the technicalities lying mostly with proper maneuvering/driving as a main focus, and the micro-management of career elements as close second side focal point it banks a lot of it's appeal on sports fans' interests, and gears the game towards rewarding that type of fan for their applied understanding. When it comes to the genre type this racing sequel is by no means an arcade style experience. It is most certainly not one that can be casually picked up and put down without losing the know how your next go around. You will need to commit time to learning/memorizing the tracks, micro-managing the career and sponsor contract elements as well as committing efforts to paying/recruiting the paid crew members to maximize prize potential.

Shadows: Awakening (PS4)

Sometimes I find myself scouting the PSN Store before I ever hit the internet for potential review projects. In this instance that's exactly what I did. I had been eyeing "Shadows: Awakening" for a while, and it was on my list of potential RPG pick-ups. Seeing the user based 5 star rating peaked my interest further. The PSN Store critics are usually more fair and honest than reviewers in general, because they have paid for the game out of pocket, and are more than willing to let you know if it's good, bad or somewhere between. Seeing a perfect rating is definitely something you don't often see. Upon playing my copy of the game I was personally met with a quality presentation certainly befitting of the praise. From the constant well voiced narration and the vocal NPC banter to the visuals, and gameplay the game felt worthy of it's price. While some compare it to Diablo, or oldschool DnD RPGs though I have to be the odd one out, and say this is more of a unique adventure. One that is in a class of it's own.

SNK HEROINES ... A To The Point Review

SNK Heroines, in my opinion, is not bad because of it's fan service. It's not bad, because of the revealing female attire. It's bad because the tag mechanics aren't explained well in the tutorial. It's bad, because it sacrifices SNK's traditional core mechanics for something based around casual controls, and an unnecessarily added tech that is not mandatory for achieving the end goal. The customization is also bad in that it's not as rewarding or brag worthy due to it's easily earned nature. The game, overall, is a departure from what made SNK fighters great. That is why I don't like it.

SNK HEROINES ~ Tag Team Frenzy (PS4)

Some things in life make you wonder WTF!? They literally make you wonder what in the hell someone was thinking when they did something? Such is the case with "SNK HEROINES". I was going into this playthrough, and review expecting a competent fully fledged fighter in the vein of older SNK fighters, but what I was met with felt more like a low budget novelty. It felt like it was one step above games like "Dive Kick". Moreover it felt like it was a game catering to female gamers while implying they aren't competent enough to play a proper fighting game. It was like a dollhouse dress-up fighter filled with SNK's version of Barbies made available for all those gals who like to play with said Barbies like boys do with their toys. The kind of childhood experience that leads to naked, and headless dolls. The story, which was itself lacking in seriousness, revolved around a perverted KOF character named Kukri and a pocket dimension he created just for the occasion. It felt so out of place and fantastical that the only thing that rivaled it's lackluster and ludicrous nature was the simple mechanics that anyone could pick up on and win with.