Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (PS4)

NISA's latest entry in the Danganronpa series is one that goes back to it's root formula. At least somewhat. Providing once again the base character introductions, night and day exploration, character interactions, mini-games, chapter based episodes, wacky intermissions, crime scene investigations, and the murder trials brought on by the imposed killing game the developer draws the gamer into the tedious tasks at hand with great attention to detail. New additions to the experience come in the form of 16 new ultimate students, each with their own quirks and talents made prominent alongside the introduction of five foul-mouthed Monokubs, and a new school location inside what looks to be a massive cage. A cage called the, "End Wall". What drives the plot home this time is not only the unusual circumstances behind the latest event, or the new location, but more so those involved. While Monokuma returns as the series mainstay antagonist the newly introduced Ultimates, and Monokuma's five inherently murderous children known as the Monokubs (Monodam, Monokid, Monophanie, Monotaro, Monosuke) also help to push the new killing game forward.

In the way of Ultimate classmates you have the main female protagonist Kaede Akamatsu (Pianist), as well as the contributing ultimate student classmates in the form of Suichi Saihara (Detective), Angie Yonaga (Artist), Gonta Gokuhara (Entomologist), Himiko Yumeno (Magician), K1-B0 (Robot), Kaito Momota (Astronaut), Kirumi Tojo (Maid), Kokichi Oma (Supreme Leader), Korekiyo Shinguji (Anthropologist), Maki Harukawa (Child Caregiver), Miu Iruma (Inventor), Rantaro Amami (???), Ryoma Hoshi (Tennis Pro), Tenko Shabashira (Aikido Master), and Tsumugi Shirogane (Cosplayer). Each of which harbor what I like to call "PC Culture" personalities along with their accompanying Ultimate talents. Their quirks, or personalities adhere to, and poke fun at gender issues, religious beliefs, and cultural phobias among other things. It's these identity politics nods that, in my opinion, weaken the otherwise interesting and intriguing plot twists at hand.

Danganronpa Another Story: Ultra Despair Girls (PS4)

For this review I'm going to mainly stick to the pros and cons of the PS4 port while going over in minor detail the direction of the story, and how it relates to the happenings of the first Danganronpa game. No spoilers though, and no mechanics breakdowns outside of what is new. If you want to catch up on the full scope of the game be sure to check out this link to my PS Vita review of the same game (https://thegaminginferno.blogspot.com/2015/08/danganronpa-another-episode-ultra.html) ...

Danganronpa 1•2 Reload (PS4)

For those of you out of the know, and new to the show the series that is "Danganronpa" is in a class of it's own. Pun intended. Despite leaning heavily on visual novel style storytelling, and basic point and click investigations the game provides a character based judicial process unlike any other. A judicial process that has you figuring out who's who in the grand scheme of things, and administering a punishment deserving of the crime afterwards. In the first game, "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc" you follow average student, but ultimate lucky attendee Makoto Naegi as he embarks on a life changing journey at the presumably prestigious "Hope's Peak Academy". A school for the ultimate of ultimate classmates. Each of which are the ultimate at whatever it is they do best. Supposedly the school is to open up a world of opportunities for the students who attend, but the 15 students that end up arriving on opening day find out otherwise. Through the maniacal managing of Monokuma, and the murderous intent of those among them the classmates must keep their calm, and assess the situation intelligently or die trying. As Makoto you must observe others in your presence, find clues about certain situations, and build upon relationships to try and figure out what exactly is going on as well as how to escape the nightmare thereof.

Grand Kingdom (PS4)

Prior to getting my hands on the full version of NISA's "Grand Kingdom" I was on the fence about it. I really was. At first I saw little promise due to the game's overall indie appearance, and deviation from the NISA norm, but going back into it during it's BETA phase I saw some potential. A glimmer of hope, if you will. I think it was the combat system that intrigued me the most of all during that time. The fact that it was a tactical RPG built around multiple forms of lane offense/defense, and strategy really made it stand out from other games in the genre. While the combat was simple in a lot of ways it harbored a much deeper functionality, and role in the provided gameplay than I imagined it would. Not only do you have objective war oriented quests to play through, but as the title suggests everything about "Grand Kingdom" is grand in scale within the finalized product. I liken it to a complex, and decisive chess game in which there are four warring nations moving their pawns about on a continent sized chess board in order to achieve ultimate victory, and/or global domination. In fact the game itself is heavily war focused with lengthy skirmishes/wars playing out at your direct command or through AI driven troops sent out in your stead. You have plenty of tasks to take on in the form of detailed troop management, campaign initiatives at the capital of your chosen nation, and even field operations with battles that will sway your influence over the shattered continent on which you, and your guild take on mercenary tasks.

One Piece: Burning Blood (PS4)

Coming from the pages of Eiichiro Oda's serialized manga, "One Piece: Burning Blood" recounts in vivid detail the pivotal moments at the battle of Marineford island, and the triggering event that started the whole war. Nearly every One Piece character imaginable converges in a fight to the death in order to either execute the captured 'Portgas D. Ace', or rescue him from his would be execution. Joining Luffy, and the Straw Hat Pirates on Ace's behalf are Whitebeard, and his nefarious fleet as well as some former foes who have found themselves on the side of Luffy against the marines. On the opposite side of things Akainu, and his established Navy partners go all in to stop all pirates from advancing, and rescuing Ace from execution. The epic battle that ensues is all accounted for in a four part campaign called the "Paramount War" which depicts what transpired through the four main role players' points of view. You get to see the fight as Luffy saw it, as Whitebeard saw it, as the marine captain Akainu saw it, and even as Ace saw it from the trigger point forward. It's a heated battle filled with manga-like visuals fit for modern-era consoles. It's like seeing the manga itself come to life with original Japanese voice-overs, and being able to live out every moment of it in decisive hands-on encounters. Just as Luffy, and the Whitebeard crew fights an insurmountable war so shall you as you battle boss after boss in the midst of fighting game worthy arena combat.

Grand Kingdom BETA (PS4) - Second Thoughts

Call it back peddling, or whatever you may, but I have changed my mind about "Grand Kingdom". I think it has potential. This second thought comes after spending some more time with the BETA, and seeing what else it had to offer. While I still feel the anime style is a bit simplistic/indie in nature, and that the story isn't as in-depth as it could be the combat more than makes up for it. I find it to be a nice change from the traditional strategy RPG formulas. It's kind of addictive, and fun at the same time. I also like the in-game character design, the fact you can change the spoken language to the original Japanese, and the added fact that it has an online component which allows you to send out or command your troops in contracted wars within one of the game's four guilds. It seems to be one of those drop in, and drop out RPG experiences that can be played anytime you feel like it. Of course you will have to check in on your troops every once in a while if you send them out via the "Detachment (automated)" option, but other than that it seems to be a leisurely gaming experience with a bit of longevity involved. The online connectivity definitely offers some replay value.

Grand Kingdom BETA (PS4) - First Impressions

I've spent some time playing through Grand Kingdom's BETA tutorial today on my PS4, and have come to realize that the game is not at all what I expected it to be. I expected a more Japanese presentation, but was met with an art style, and gameplay that can best be described as "American" in nature. The whole game is kind of simplistic in design with the main focus being on the lane based tactical combat contained within. Oddly enough it is Japanese developer Spike Chunsoft who created this particular RPG though, which baffles me to no end. When it comes down to gameplay, and game management the whole ordeal feels as if it's geared towards a free-to-play format. It doesn't feel grand in scale like most NISA games, and has a sort of indie atmosphere about it. Gameplay, as it were, is done via two main features. This includes moving a pawn-like avatar through an semi-overhead map to it's end destination within a set amount of moves, and engaging in actual party inclusive battle scenarios during said maze-like traveling. All while avoiding traps, and using available menu options along the way.

When you meet up with the enemy's avatars (or pawns) on the game's map display you will be taken into the battle screen where your troupe of mercenaries stand in their four respective lanes to the left, and the enemies in their respective lanes to the right. Sometimes there will be hidden traps, and objects placed in the lanes between you, and your enemies as well. The point of the battle is basically to make proper use of your party members' skills, and attacks as you move them a limited amount of times on, and between any of the lanes. The combat is turn based, and relies heavily on class type offerings, and tactics. Classes available in the BETA are limited, but include a Knight, a Medic, a Witch, and an Archer. Each of which has varying weapon/skill reach, and capabilities on the battlefield. The end goal of it all is to kill off the opposing leader, and the rest of the enemy troops before your party members are killed off. Of course there will be a boss fight when you reach the end marker of the current campaign map, but that too plays out in a similar way as the standard battles do. Keep in mind some enemy avatars harbor stronger enemy types, and that engaging them is not always the wisest of options. Sometimes using map menu skills to bypass the enemy avatars will be the best course of action, especially if your party is ill-prepared for the situation.

Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls (PS VITA)

NISA's Danganronpa series continues it's twisted, and often times morbid tale with one hell of a plot deviation that most gamers will not see coming. This 'Spike Chunsoft' re-imagining of the traditional Danganronpa formula not only impresses with it's visual aesthetics, deep seeded storytelling, and action RPG inspired gameplay mechanics, but goes well beyond all of that to provide likely the best entry in the series to date. It touches base on some real world problems while continuing to be it's own beast of burden. We find some returning characters of interest as well as a character or two that was briefly shown in the previous two game entries. All of which are showcased through amazing in-game visuals as well as through decent length anime sequences, and CG cutscenes that will no doubt keep the gamer closely following what the hell is going on. Content wise this sequel is more robust in nature, and more hefty with everything that it offers. While the developer could have easily made it a more linear experience they added extra mini-games, secret items to discover, and a grade system among other things that will have you spending plenty of time outside of merely advancing the plot. As usual the game is chapter based, and will incorporate some of the elements of the previous Danganronpa experiences while doing it's own things with them.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PS VITA)

Following a similar path as "Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc", Spike Chunsoft's "Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair" pits the latest Hope's Peak Academy "Ultimates (students with varying ultimate talents)" against themselves, and against the murderous intent of the returning Monokuma as they try to figure out why it is they are where they are, and who is behind their current predicament. As with the first game the second installation in the series begins with the unusual meeting between a main character (Hajime Hinata), and his accompanying classmates at the supposedly prestigious Hope's Peak Academy. It's after the classmates arrive, and meet up with "Usami" (a mystical stuffed rabbit) that the students are magically transported via the school building to an island resort meant to build their hope. Of course things go to hell in a hand basket rather quickly as Monokuma arrives on the scene once again with his usual trial, jury, judge, and executioner ploy. As the plot thickens, murders occur, and trials go underway even more underlying facts surface in the origin of Monokuma, and the driving force behind his actions. Secrets to the core story are ultimately revealed through the characters that are fighting for survival in this second go around. You'll find as always that in returning to the world of Danganronpa nothing is ever as it seems, and digging to the truth of it all will require some serious attention to detail as well as some serious detective work. It's mystery mayhem at it's finest! ...

Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars (PS VITA)

Having had no prior knowledge of the series I was quite surprised to see a strategy-JRPG drama so in-depth, and vast in nature. The developers of this innuendo rich adventure known as "Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars" included an impressively rich background history on all of the characters, and organizations involved. Like a true RPG concepts such as that of good, and evil are also explored, but in a more pseudo-religious tone. While the world outside of Alterra is rarely visited, or mentioned within the game the special heroes, and heroines involved in the fight for good are given a new home in which all of the action takes. These highly ranked young ladies, and gentlemen are each gifted, and personally chosen by the Star God to fight off the growing threat caused by otherworldly inhabitants, and the seven deadly sins. Known, as the Elite these "A-S" Rank students find solace in their social interactions as well is in joined fights, and classmating. While their daily lives are mostly geared towards fighting the good fight these chosen few still have to work on their social skills in order to be prepared for the more sexually suggestive academic activities. Even though classmating may sound bad it affords the would be parents child-like allies which will accompany them in the continuous battles that they face for the sake of the world's population. Hence the title, "Conception II".