Ys: Memories of Celceta (PS Vita)

Very rarely are us westerners gifted the opportunity to play an up-scaled re-imagining of a Japan only title. Through Nihon Falcom, and XSEED though this rare chance was made a reality with the release of Ys IV's reinvented successor "Ys: Memories of Celceta". The game itself was recreated from the bottom up in order to bring a wholly unique action RPG experience to those who have followed the series since it's early days. Along with the 'Ys IV' back story comes Ys 7's menu system, and combat mechanics. Fans of both previously released Ys installments will no doubt feel right at home with the unique mixture of gameplay features regardless of the altered graphics, and applications. Locales from the past installments will make their way back into the picture as you follow a man of legend named Adol Christin on a journey of discovery. Adol himself stumbles onto the scene, and out of the fabled forest of Celceta with no recollection whatsoever as to how he got there, or who exactly he is. Through an epic quest, and formidable peril you will take on the role of Adol as he, and his companions try to sort things out, and unravel the mysteries at hand.

TuneIn Radio App (PS VITA)

I'm a long time fan of music. Growing up I listened to everything from classical symphonies to heavy metal on my radios, cassette players, and even CD players. Music often times has been my peaceful escape when I needed some R&R, and has even inspired me to draw some of my greatest artistic masterpieces from time to time. Without music I think we can all agree that the world would be a much duller place. It is the music that breathes life into onscreen action whether it be in video games, or the latest movie releases. It is music that lulls us to sleep as children, and that inspires us to do our best. Throughout the years, and through many innovative creations music has been brought to us in the convenience of our own homes as well as in our daily outdoor activities. While the record players of yesteryear are a whisper of the distant past things like mobile apps continue to give us the opportunity to listen to the music we want to hear whenever, and wherever we want to hear it. One such app has been recently introduced on the PS VITA. While the PS VITA is more of a gaming device than a proper music source it still acts as a proper platform for the music that is made available through the traditional radio stations.

PS4 & The PornHUB APP

People who know me know that my side job involves interactions with the adult film industry. Just as I'm a journalist for all things gaming I'm also a journalist for all things "Adult". I honestly enjoy both sides of the entertainment spectrum, and love to bring my readers news, and reviews on the latest offerings of each. With that being said though I myself like to keep both topics of discussion separate. As such both my blogs are separate as are my associated Twitter accounts. The dangers of mixing the two could be costly not only for me, but also for the underage gamers who come to me for gaming advice. As such I'm treading a thin line on even bringing this discussion to the forefront, but I think that even as taboo as it may seem it is a relevant part of the gaming industry as of now. This of course brings me to the topic of discussion for today. Recently it was revealed that the adult streaming site "PornHUB" has signed on with Sony to bring to it's customers some "Adult" entertainment. There's part of me that thinks this might be an awesome opportunity, and part of me that is concerned about the whole thing being a witch hunt of sorts.

Contrast (PSN)

Compulsion Games, and Focus Home interactive take us on a video game journey so deeply involved that it's many layers reflect the Einstein theory that the gameplay is based upon. Like Einstein's theory of the multiverse the heart of the story at hand which involves a little girl, and her parents' dwindling relationship is explored in many different yet similar ways. Didi, the game's main protagonist, and her shadow traveling circus friend named Dawn traverse the worlds between light, and shadow in order to make sense of their broken reality, and ultimately make peace within Didi's broken psyche. In a way Didi's story borders both on psychological interpretation similar to the offerings in American McGee's "Alice: Madness Returns" as well as the metaphyiscal theories of other dimensions past our own, like an eerie episode of "The Twilight Zone". As you travel with Didi, and Dawn you'll unlock the secrets behind Didi, and her family as well as gain a peek into their world behind this fantasy of sorts. Through Didi's shared dialogue, and her interactions with the shadowy figures found within her fractured fairytale will ultimately become fully merged in a way that all can understand, if they only take the time to look beyond it's facade.

An Open Letter to Katsuhiro Harada

Mr. Harada,

My name is Brad (OtakuDante). I'm what you'd call a serious fighting game enthusiast, and fan. I've played many fighters in my time including that of the TEKKEN series. As a long time fan of the "TEKKEN" series I have followed your work rather closely, and have bought each release. For the most part the experience of playing TEKKEN has been fun, and has been something I've been glad to return to on a regular basis. From 'Tekken 3' onward I often times got lost in the local competitive aspects of the game, and even got into some of it's latter online offerings for the PS3 & Xbox 360. There's no doubt that you, and your development staff are gifted in the areas of fighting game creation, and that you know how to make a proper fighting game. With that being said though this latest free-to-play release on the PS3 has become an experience not worth revisiting, in my personal opinion. The online is overrun with the worst sorts of gamers who are all intent on winning in the cheapest way possible. This cheating opportunity which I speak of is available to them for several reasons. One reason in particular is that the "free-to-play" format often times attracts gamers other than your tried & true fans. Online gaming is severely competitive now, and younger, more annoying gamers often times get into competitive online games just cheat their way to the top of the leaderboards.

AquaPazza (PS3)

In the world of fighting games rarely ever will you find a plot that is 90% lighthearted, and only 10% violent in nature. Usually there's some sort of ominous evil corporation, or evil being/character lurking behind the scenes who is intent on ending, or ruling the world by some sort of ultra horrific means making the gameplay at hand more mature. As such it was a delightful treat to be able to play what I consider to be one of the few male, and female friendly fighting games available for the PS3. With AquaPazza's diverse cast of cutesy anime inspired characters gamers will likely warm up to their favorites, and enjoy using them throughout the various modes of play. You'll find everything from the cliche anime schoolgirls to mask wearing emperors, and even some feral sword toting characters who each add a bit of that anime spark that all of us Otaku long for. Through artistically crafted menus, beautifully animated cutscenes, and catchy Japanese theme songs gamers who are willing to give this game a chance will find themselves lost in one of this year's more positive experiences.