Added: 06.01.2015 22:40 | 1 views | 0 comments

A defining moment of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth comes at the end of the second dungeon. Throughout the five floors, in between random battles, dodging damage floors, evading high-level enemies, and drawing a detailed map of places you've been, you are asked to answer questions about what you want in an ideal partner. Lo and behold, right before the penultimate dungeon boss, I was plopped down into a flowery, fairytale-wedding wonderland with Marie, a mysterious, bitter girl with a secret penchant for writing terrible poetry. As we progressed towards the boss, I was given the option of making all manner of cheesy, romantic gestures towards her for the sole purpose of watching her get adorably flustered. After defeating the boss--a disturbing, four-armed caricature of a minister--I exited back to the hub, only to find another piece of poetry Marie had tried to hide about her would-be marriage to me. It was then and there, with that ridiculous bit of character interaction, that my love for Persona Q blossomed.

Persona Q is a mix of the Persona series’ character interaction and the careful first-person labyrinth exploration of

At first, combat is tough. If you’re unfortunate enough to run into some of the fiercer enemies that appear directly on the map--the dreaded FOEs--the first time you explore a floor, you’re bound to regret it very, very quickly. The ever-present threat of the FOEs quickly becomes the biggest source of tension in the game, as they can usually down you within a few turns if they catch you unprepared. Fortunately, they also follow specific behavior patterns, and learning to recognize these patterns allows you to avoid them... unless you screw up, of course. When you’re even mildly low on resources and eager to explore more, the question of “Do I go back? Or do I run around some more and risk getting cornered and wiped out by a potential FOE lurking in the next room?” is a real conundrum.

FOEs are extremely dangerous, but even the standard encounters are very rough if you don’t use the combat system to its fullest. A few floors in, when you’ve started to get the hang of fighting, the combat never quite reaches the challenge level of some of Etrian Odyssey’s most harrowing random encounters. Particularly open to abuse are dark and light instant death spells, as many enemies have a weakness to either one or the other. (Naoto, who can access both skills naturally, quickly becomes one of the game’s most powerful party members as a result.) Finding the most effective skills and fusing them onto as many Personae as possible significantly reduces the challenge, though the scarceness of cash (and the Etrian Odyssey sell-dropped-loot-for-cash-but-you-have-limited-inventory system) can make the expensive process of Persona fusion a bit of a grind. Combat is enjoyable enough, but it’s not as much fun as the character interactions or the dungeon exploration process.

Once you step foot into the first labyrinth, the Persona elements take a seat behind the Etrian Odyssey influence.

Persona Q doesn’t quite hit the peaks that Persona and Etrian Odyssey do on their own. It does, however, take some of the best elements of each game, blending them together into an immensely satisfying and lengthy RPG. Persona Q is proof that this series has the power to delight, surprise, and engage, no matter the form it takes.

Added: 06.01.2015 20:20 | 3 views | 0 comments


Some big changes are possibly being made to BioWare Austin's recently-announced action RPG.

Added: 06.01.2015 13:05 | 53 views | 0 comments


Here are Japan's 30 best-selling games for the week of Dec. 22-28, typically the biggest sales week of the year. You ready for some disappointment? 1. (3DS) Yokai Watch 2: Shin Uchi - 265,226
2. (3DS) Pokemon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire - 144,435
3. (3DS) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 97,669
4. (WIU) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 86,752
5. (3DS) Final Fantasy Explorers - 48,360
6. (3DS) Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 46,471
7. (WIU) Mario Kart 8 - 43,564
8. (3DS) Yokai Watch 2: Ganso / Honke - 34,336
9. (PSV) Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Out of Order - 27,639
10. (PSV) Gundam Breaker 2 - 23,655
11. (PS3) Gundam Breaker 2 - 23,092
12. (3DS) Sumikko Gurashi: Koko ga Ochitsukundesu - 19,406
13. (3DS) Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 19,381
14. (WIU) Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - 17,869
15. (3DS) Aikatsu! 365-Hi no Idol Days - 16,764
16. (PS4) Grand Theft Auto V - 15,410
17. (PS4) Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - 14,206
18. (3DS) Mario Kart 7 - 13,104
19. (3DS) Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind - Chain - 12,565
20. (3DS) Gotouchi Tetsudou - 12,420
21. (3DS) Taiko no Tatsujin: Don to Katsu no Jikuu Daibouken - 11,286
22. (WIU) Taiko no Tatsujin: Tokumori! - 11,048
23. (3DS) One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X - 10,727
24. (3DS) Yoshi's New Island - 9,380
25. (3DS) Kirby Triple Deluxe - 8,485
26. (3DS) Mario Party: Island Tour - 8,256
27. (PS3) Shining Resonance - 8,167
28. (3DS) 12-Sai. Honto no Kimochi - 7,958
29. (3DS) Tomodachi Life - 7,242
30. (PS3) World Soccer Winning Eleven 2015 - 7,032 Those numbers are dragging ass.

Added: 06.01.2015 12:13 | 8 views | 0 comments


Jonathan from Me-Time Gamer writes "When I heard about Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor at first, I was a bit skeptical because some of the past Lord of the Ring games were not so popular. After the game came out, There was a lot of praise for it, but I still felt unsure because fiction games are not my strong suit. When Black Friday strolled by and I saw that Mordor was on special, I bought it for a good price and started playing it not too long after. What got me mostly intrigued was the nemesis system, which I will explain a bit later. Sharpen your Orc killing skill because its time to travel to the lands of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor."

Added: 06.01.2015 11:11 | 5 views | 0 comments


Paul James writes "2015 is here and in the opinions of many, the year stands to be one of the biggest, and most applauded since the early years of the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2008/2009. The Playstation brand is in the process of re-establishing itself as the premiere platform for gaming, and despite a relatively quiet year for the PS4 as far as first party software is concerned, 2014 was still a strong year thanks to releases such as Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Destiny and more. 2015 is shaping to be a monolithic year for the console on both the third party and first party fronts, while Indie developers continue to support the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita in ever growing numbers. With sales following the trajectory of the Nintendo Wii, Sony needs to ensure a constant flow of strong titles to ensure that the incredible sales pace it is setting continues. The past is the past and 2015 is a whole new story so as I cast my eyes forward, this is what I want from Playstat...

Added: 06.01.2015 10:11 | 0 views | 0 comments


Jonathan from Me-Time Gamer writes "When I heard about Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor at first, I was a bit skeptical because some of the past Lord of the Ring games were not so popular. After the game came out, There was a lot of praise for it, but I still felt unsure because fiction games are not my strong suit. When Black Friday strolled by and I saw that Mordor was on special, I bought it for a good price and started playing it not too long after. What got me mostly intrigued was the nemesis system, which I will explain a bit later. Sharpen your Orc killing skill because its time to travel to the lands of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor."

Added: 06.01.2015 10:10 | 11 views | 0 comments


Jonathan from Me-Time Gamer writes "When I heard about Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor at first, I was a bit skeptical because some of the past Lord of the Ring games were not so popular. After the game came out, There was a lot of praise for it, but I still felt unsure because fiction games are not my strong suit. When Black Friday strolled by and I saw that Mordor was on special, I bought it for a good price and started playing it not too long after. What got me mostly intrigued was the nemesis system, which I will explain a bit later. Sharpen your Orc killing skill because its time to travel to the lands of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor."