Megadimension Neptunia VII - Heart Dimension Neptunia H

Coming around full circle "Heart Dimension Neptunia H" ties in everything from Uzume's initial introduction to the goings on in regards to the failed attempt at securing Uzume's console in the second part of the unfolding tale. At the heart of this current story arch you'll find that the CPU candidates, and the four Gold third members are the main role-players in a quest that has finally pitted them against the real culprit behind the scheme at hand. After the ruling CPU's evolved into their next form during the final battle against Affimax's leader in chapter two they succumb shortly afterwards to the tricks of a doppleganger known as Kurome, and are forced against their will into the Heart Dimension. Kurome, as it turns out is the main villain of this latest Neptunia tale, and she is intent on seeing things through to the end. Until now it wasn't made clear what Kurome's agenda was, but as things come into the light through character interactions it is made known that she is intent on merging both Zero Dimension, and Hyper Dimension so that the Hyper Dimension falls in a similar manner as Uzume's world did. Along with Arfoire and Croire, Kurome continues to lead the CPU candidates on a chase in hopes that she can possess the console that she sought out from the start. The only thing standing between her and that end goal now is the CPU sister candidates, and the Gold Third who had become allies through circumstance.

Capcom You Done Goofed

This Sunday morning I got into SFV hoping that I could get in some decent matches to share with my Youtube audience. To my dismay I ran into a steady stream of modders, and lagswitchers via the good old PSN. This was made worse by the pitiful excuse that is matchmaking. In SFV you have only two options when searching for a match online. One is regarding the platform of choice (PS4 / PC), and the other the connection quality (which makes no real difference with cheaters in the mix). Without the previous region options, and skill level settings in place the player is forced to play against those online players who are abusing the system. Noobs get paired with wannabe pros, and visa versa. This in itself is a huge oversight on Capcom's part. Their whole ideal of pro level competition is so badly warped that they have overlooked these matchmaking details in an attempt to force players to get better, or fail. With the lack of a proper tutorial mode (combos, setups, ...), and an Arcade mode with competent AI/CPU opponents to fight against newcomers do not stand a fighting chance. Not to say that going up against the world's greatest cheaters is going to make them any better though.

Street Fighter V - Impressions (CENSORED VERSION)

The following critique is open for discussion between gamers, and members of the Capcom staff. All I ask in engaging in said conversation is that you keep things clean, and well thought out. Don't throw around expletives, or blame like a wayward child. If you have facts, or opinions based on said facts feel free to share them. Just do so modestly, and earnestly. The truth is what I personally aim to present here, and I hope you all take the time to do the same. Let us begin ...

First off I want to say that I honestly feel as if I just paid sixty dollars for a free-to-play fighter. What I mean by that is that SFV in it's current state is a lot like what Koei Tecmo, and the Killer Instinct developers offer up freely at base level with their core fighting game franchises. The only significant difference between those gaming experiences, and this one is that you get a full roster of currently available fighters. Does a full roster, and only a few modes warrant a sixty dollar price tag? I don't think so. Not only does SFV feel as if it should be a F2P game, it also still looks and feels as if it's in a Beta state. Not all features are functional, and not all listed offerings are readily available. A huge chunk of what should be there is not there. The added fact that online play is worse than last-gen's "Ultra Street Fighter IV" makes the experience even less worth the retail pricing than it already is. The one viable offline mode, as of now is the "Survival" mode. It is the only thing that is even really worth playing at this moment in time, and that's not saying a lot.

Rainbow Moon (PS4)

Yesterday, while doing my usual Twitter interactions I saw eastasiasoft tweet a quoted message that I feel is very relevant to gamers, and the developers who are reaching out to said gamers. Their tweet basically tied in with the fact that Capcom's 'Street Fighter V' will be coming out the same day that their 'Rainbow Moon" port will. That is definitely a big game to go up against, and I think in light of their sporting remark they realized this too. I personally feel that indies are often times looked over due to such release scheduling, and there's no doubt in my mind that SFV will be stealing away a lot of attention from such indie experiences for some time to come. With that being said though 'Rainbow Moon' does hold it's own as a quality tactical RPG, and presents to the gamer a unique take on the genre as well. I'm just hoping that some of you out there will give it a chance before getting lost in other gaming activities, and PSN store offerings this week. If you do you may find as I did that indies such as 'Rainbow Moon' can sometimes be of more value than what 'Triple A' titles are.

Megadimension Neptunia VII - "Hyperdimension Neptunia G" (PS4)

I know it's been a while since I promised the follow-up reviews from this amazing Neptunia trilogy, but I do have some valid excuses. The fact of the matter is it's taking longer than normal, because the game is much larger in scale than I anticipated. It's like reviewing three separate games in one go. There's a lot to do, and a lot I've yet to discover. The fact that Idea Factory continues to release game expanding DLC has me paying attention to even more in-game offerings. Currently, as it stands, I find myself deep into the second portion of the game with enough knowledge to keep you in the know. This portion of the game, as it were is known as "Hyperdimension Neptunia G", and like the first game in the series it follows the Gamindustri gals' encounters during the Gameindustri shift period. It also takes places directly after the events surrounding the discovery of the mysterious console, and Uzume in the previous story. There are of course new features introduced as well as four different branching stories involving specifically paired off Gameindustri CPUs, and their sister CPU Candidates. Each of which is playable in any order from the start.

The Old Man, The Children & The Playground

Once upon a time in a world much like our own there existed a place of financial mediocrity. The people who inhabited the cities, and their dwellings barely scraped by on their meager monetary income. For entertainment they'd seek out the simplest, and most affordable of pleasures. Often times they'd get lost in books filled with tales of fantasy, luxury, and things beyond their reach or understanding. They dreamed of the finer things, better places, and better times. For the most part their ideals, and their focus was very much like a dream, and even with the simplest of pleasures at hand they were able to create an entirely different coexisting world of their own in which their own trouble burdened world did not really matter. Generation after generation this ideology, and simple scraping by on meager financial earnings was passed down, but to a greater degree. New fads, and new ideas were born from the wood works often times offering the newer, and older generations something they had never experienced before. It wasn't until an old entrepreneur happened by though that their world of social entertainment was changed for the better, or perhaps the worst ...