February2021
Mini Review Neptunia Virtual Stars (PS4) – 10th Year Anniversary Doesn’t Quite Reach the Stars
Virtually famous
Neptune and the other three goddesses from Gamesindustri are back in a brand new action RPG to celebrate Hyperdimension Neptunia’s 10th anniversary. This time around the characters are transported to Virtualand where they are asked to help save all of the nearby worlds from the nasty villains, called Antis. The story aims to...
September2017
Review Mary Skelter: Nightmares (PS Vita)
Once upon a time
Based on some of Compile Heart’s previous games we weren’t expecting a lot from Mary Skelter: Nightmares - just a simple dungeon crawler with a bit of fanservice thrown in. What we actually got, however, was something far more interesting. The opening to Mary Skelter is surprisingly dark. The game’s protagonist Jack and his...
June2017
Review Dark Rose Valkyrie (PS4)
A thorny rose
Dark Rose Valkyrie is the latest Japanese role-playing game presented to us by developer Compile Heart and publisher Idea Factory. It’s set in an alternate version of 1929 Japan where Black Garnet, a meteorite, has hit the Earth and caused a virus that transforms the public into deadly creatures called Chimera. The protagonist,...
November2016
Review Superdimension Neptune VS SEGA Hard Girls (PS Vita)
To be this good takes AGES
Just when you thought that the PlayStation Vita had no new games, here comes a rather lovely RPG adventure which packs a ton of fun combat and exploration into a perfect on the go package. Superdimension Neptune VS SEGA Hard Girls is a spin off from the long running Hyperdimension Neptunia RPG series which sees various...
September2016
Review MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death (PS Vita)
MehQ
From Compile Heart, the developer of the reasonably popular Hyperdimension Neptunia series, comes a new game from a fresh intellectual property. MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death is the story of a world that is suffering an eternal nighttime. Legend tells the story of a chosen Machina Mage who must turn the key to restart the world and restore order...
April2015
Review Omega Quintet (PlayStation 4)
Poor first gig
It often feels like there are two contrasting ways to critique these anime-esque Japanese role-playing games. Do you rate it expecting readers to have intricate pre-existing knowledge of the tropes and experience that they're signing up for, considering that the vast majority with any potential interest will? Or do you discard this...
February2015
Review Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (PlayStation Vita)
PlayStation Noire
In an RPG franchise far, far away, there lived a CPU called Noire. As representative of Lastation, she didn't want to exist in the shadows of her allies anymore, and wanted to stand true as the game's main character. With hope in her heart, pure determination, and an army of generals at her command, her wish finally comes true in...
January2015
Review Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation (PlayStation Vita)
A real mouthful
We all know the dreaded curse of video game sequels. Studios will often find themselves with a hit on their hands, and in a feeble attempt to recreate gold, will instead serve up a horrible mess of lost potential. Japanese role-playing game Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation steers clear of this trap, instead...
September2014
Review Fairy Fencer F (PlayStation 3)
Caught off-garde
Sometimes the best way to succeed is to stick to the bread and butter of the genre, rather than mess about with weird gimmicks. In Fairy Fencer F, developed by Compile Heart, it aims to do just that in using fairies, furies, and fencers. Upon overhearing a rumour, our hungry hero Fang removes the sword in the stone to get his one...
August2014
Review Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 (PlayStation Vita)
Queen of Lastation
Irrespective of allegiance, we’ve all witnessed the console wars. From the days when Nintendo and SEGA contested store shelves, all the way to the triple pronged struggle of the current generation, it’s something that, as gamers, we’re all familiar with. This eternal war is at the heart of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1...
June2014
Review Monster Monpiece (PlayStation Vita)
Cover-up girl
It’s fair to say that Western support for the PlayStation Vita has dwindled in the past year or so, setting the stage for several Japanese ports to step up and plug the hole. None, however, are more questionably sexualised than Monster Monpiece; a card game where leveling up monster girls by rubbing the handheld’s touchscreen in a...
Review Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection (PlayStation Vita)
Let's nep nep
The colourful lands of Gamindustri are once again under threat – not from an evil organisation or an enraged Histy, but rather by an influx of idols in the charts. One idol group in particular, MOB48 – a take on the insanely popular Japanese girl group AKB48 – have been causing a bit of a kerfuffle, having stolen all of the CPU's...
May2014
Review Mugen Souls Z (PlayStation 3)
The questionable quest for cute
There aren’t many games as unusual as Mugen Souls Z. Its main character is a young goddess who carries around a coffin, not for any reason in particular, just because the writers needed some kind of container and that seemed to make sense. That’s not the weirdest thing that you’ll see either. Charged with...
January2014
Review Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God (PlayStation Vita)
Keep calm and curry on
What would you do if a big chain curry restaurant opened up in town threatening to take over your family owned curry business? You’d pursue the legendary magical curry recipe, of course – which is exactly what protagonist Pupuru and her fuzzy sidekick Kuu get up to in Sorcery Saga: Curse of the Great Curry God. In order to...
