Archive | September 2013

Review: Gravity Rush

titleI first played Gravity Rush when I imported it a few months before it’s Western release. Since then I’ve also familiarised myself with the English language version, and as a result have put quite a lot of hours into the game. This wasn’t time wasted, and there’s so much to love about Gravity Rush. Unfortunately there’s also a few things to hate, and the game’s levels of brilliance are at times matched by it’s levels of frustration.

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Review: The Wonderful 101

titleEarlier this year I fell in love with two games. The first was Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, a superb game despite it’s stupid title. The second, Vanquish, was originally released in 2010, although I had regrettably ignored it until a couple of months ago. Both these titles were made by Platinum Games, and this got me excited for their upcoming release; The Wonderful 101. It’s finally here, but sadly it’s not quite as wonderful as the title might suggest. Whilst certainly not a bad game, anyone use to the high quality experience Platinum Games usually deliver is likely to be disappointed.

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This Week on Dracula’s Cave

It’s been just over two weeks since I started Dracula’s Cave and I want to thank everyone who’s been reading the stuff on it and helping make it a success! The next week looks to be one of the few final weeks before Christmas where there aren’t any big releases, so I’m going to use this time to try some new things. Firstly I’m going to add some more to the review section, and will be reviewing a mix of old and new games. Also the site is currently a little light on anime content, expect the first anime reviews to start this week too. Then with any luck, this time next week I might just be reviewing the new GTA game…. Until then, please enjoy your stay at Dracula’s Cave!

Review: Killzone: Mercenary

titleKillzone: Mercenary follows on from a long string of games that have unsuccessfully attempted to bring console quality gameplay to Sony’s PlayStation Vita. The first person shooter genre has become particularly notorious for failing to translate, and Nihilistic Software (who were responsible for a bad Resistance game and an even worse Call of Duty) are likely to have tainted the expectations of anyone who played either of these two titles. How does Killzone handle the downsize? In three words? Better than most.

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Guide: How to Unlock the True Ending and Epilogue in Persona 4 Golden

title4Unlocking all the story content in Persona 4 Golden can be a minefield. One wrong move and you’ll be missing out on both additional story and gameplay. Problem is that if you start looking this kind of stuff up then it probably won’t be long before you’ve ruined the surprises, and you might still be confused about what exactly you need to do (especially as a lot of guides only cover the unlocks for the PS2 version of Persona 4). So here it is, a spoiler free guide that will make sure you get the most out of Persona 4: Golden on your first playthrough.

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Thoughts on the Persona 4: Golden Ending (spoilers)

s7Persona 4: Golden has an immense and detailed hidden ending that rewards the hard work required to unlock it. I’ve crafted a spoiler free guide to help you get there, but in this post I’ll be sharing some quick thoughts on the game for you to check out once you’ve completed it. Please note that this includes major spoilers, and I’d advise any reader to be familiar with all of the game’s content before continuing.

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This Week’s Purchase: Joytech TFT Colour Monitor for Nintendo GameCube

TitleThese days you don’t hear very much about the Joytech TFT Monitor, but I remember when this item first came out back in around 2003. At the time Joytech made two different screens specifically designed for the Nintendo GameCube, but of the two this one was notably superior, as well as harder to find. In fact, the shop I ordered it from (I think it was Argos) originally sent me the STN Monitor, and once this error was finally resolved I saw for myself the vast improvement in picture quality that the TFT delivers. It’s as true today as it was ten years ago that this is hands down the best portable monitor available for the GameCube, and it’s now even more difficult to acquire than it was back then.

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Review: Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate

title3Dead or Alive is just as great now as it was 10 years ago. The formula has always worked, and the series has often been about making minor amendments and enhancements to an already superb fighting game. Dead or Alive 5 added the graphical and presentational values the game was previously lacking, but one year on and this enhanced version of the game is going to feel awfully familiar to anyone who picked up the original last year.

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Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix

titleI must admit that this is the first Kingdom Hearts game I’ve spent more than an hour with, and rarely do I ignore a series as prolific and well loved as this. As a newcomer I find the fact that this is both the ‘1.5 Remix’ as well as the ‘Final Mix’ to be a slightly odd concept, but apparently it’s the additional content which makes up the extra 0.5 worth of stuff. As well as the original, this package includes Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories (translation: remade version of the GBA game) and three hours of remastered cinematics from the DS game Kingdom hearts 358/2 Days. In total this is enough Kingdom Hearts for you to gorge yourself until you feel sick, and that’s probably exactly what will happen.

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10 PSP Games Still Worth Playing

titleThe PSP has been around for nearly 10 years, and has an incredibly varied library of games. Unfortunately, finding the good ones can at times feel like wading through a big pile of garbage, and by garbage I mean a big pile of rushed PS2 ports that are even worse now than when they first came out. But underneath there are some great RPGs, a few hidden classics, and other forgotten games that are still well worth playing. Last week I picked up a PSP Go and since then I’ve been hunting down the classics, now I present you with ten whole games that are still great fun to play today.

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