Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS VITA)

Hope's Peak Academy, a school for the most ultimate of ultimate. No matter what you do in life if it's ultimate then you'll likely be invited to this most prestigious of places. Not only does it offer the best schooling possible, but as a student you are also guaranteed success in life after graduation. This of course is what the unfortunate 15 invited pupils thought as they approached the seemingly normal building. Upon arrival though their world was turned topsy turvy in a truly disturbing, and unexpected manner. Like a twisted horror story ripped from the script of some Twilight Zone episode their lives on the outside world came to an abrupt end as their days of freedom turned into a fight for survival. Motives, murder, and mayhem were only the start to the trials that these unlucky souls would endure.

Happy Belated New Year!!!

Greetings all ye blog readers! The year is 2014, and there's lots of gaming goodness headed your way in the coming months. As I mentioned earlier I have already sent out several review inquiries in hopes of snagging some review material. So far I've only gotten two confirmations from retail game developers/PRs, but I'm sure more are on their way. Unfortunately not everyone has awoken from their holiday hibernation just yet. As far as what I'm going to cover this year goes I will be trying my hardest to cover all of the new NISA, ATLUS, XSEED, and Tecmo Koei RPGs. Without a doubt this will definitely be the year for great RPG experiences. I'm definitely looking forward to it, and hope that you are too.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory (PSN)

If cutesy anime girls with oddly perverse dialogue oriented scripts are your forte then "Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory" might just be the RPG experience you've been longing for. This latest chapter of the ongoing saga featuring the goddess-like CPUs brings to the table yet another otherworldy dilemma set in the fictitious lands of the GameIndustri. Neppy (Neptune), and all her kawaii little girly pals get lost in their lazy daily activities while paying no attention to the duties they should be tending to. In the heat of the moment Neppy parts ways from her GameIndustri CPU friends only to be spirited away to another dimension where the GameIndustri is less evolved than the one she came from. With the Seven Sages up to their usual antics it is once again up to Neppy, and her old friends as well as her newly found friends to set things right and thwart a plot to rid the GameIndustri of the CPU's authority.

The Guided Fate Paradox (PS3)

 

Those of you who have been faithful to the Disgaea series will no doubt recall the mention of the angelic realm of "Celestia" during your many playthroughs. While Celestia has never really been shown in all of it's glory it's angels have often times showed up in some form, or fashion within the netherworld of Disgaea. Thankfully the lads, and lasses at 'NIS America' have finally decided to bring to light the world of Celestia, it's many inhabitants, and the mythology that encompasses it with this latest follow-up release. Not only did they flesh out this angelic realm in "The Guided Fate Paradox" by including a deeply involved story, but they also gave the game an art style that is entirely different from that of the Disgaea series making the story more of a unique experience. It's this anime inspired theme that will have Disgaea players gawking in amazement at the display unfolding before their eyes. Everything from the anime inspired intro to the actual gameplay will most definitely prove to the gamers that NIS America has yet to run out of noteworthy ideas in their niche RPG lineage.

Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (PS3/PSN)

Disgaea is one of those exceptional video game experiences that is deeply cherished by those who have played it, and often times passed up by gamers who are into the more casual gaming scene. In layman's terms Disgaea is what we RPG gamers call an "SRPG", or strategy based roleplaying game. Some even call it a tactical RPG, or a JRPG. Whatever it is referred to though it is one of the the most involved video games that the RPG genre, or any genre for that matter has ever seen. It is filled to the brim with anime inspired content, and a hundreds of hours of time filling fun.

Nippon Ichi Software, or NIS as you likely know them have in essence developed their own netherworld based mythology within the constructs of the series. This applied netherworld mythology is both expansive in nature as well as humorous in a variety of ways. The series' unique mythology is part of the reason the game has stayed alive for so long in the RPG unfriendly market. With a cast of otherworldy characters that all anime fans can relate to it's hard to not get lost within the quirky dialogue driven tales that are provided with each new release. The fact that the main set of protagonists involved in the plots often times find their places in follow-up games of the series only makes diehard fans want to return for more. By sticking with their tried, and true game design NIS will no doubt continue winning over gamers, and return fans for a long time to come.

Time and Eternity (PS3/PSN)

Through vivid dream-like animations, symphonic music, witty character dialogue, and brilliant voice acting NIS America breathes life into this vibrant fun-filled anime adventure otherwise known as, "Time and Eternity". The plot, as simple as it may seem involves the marital love interests of a pervy husband-to-be, and a seemingly innocent bride-to-be. Toki, the princess of Kazma is soon to be betrothed to her beloved yet quirky knight in shining armor (*INSERT YOUR NAME HERE*). Sadly, as it often goes in such a tale of love-filled fantasy the main wedding event is spoiled by some uninvited guests, and things immediately go from being joyful to grim, and even sorrowful. In this game's moment of tragedy the princesses' long hidden secret is revealed unwillingly as her dual soul "Towa" emerges to save the day. The prince who was mortally wounded is left unable to defend his bride, and sits slumped down watching his precious Toki, now turned Towa take out the assassins single-handedly.