QCF: Valkyeria Revolution

ven after nearly 10 years since its initial release on the PlayStation 3, the impact of SEGA’s Valkyeria Chronicles still resonates throughout the tactical RPG scene to this very day, continuing to be sold on Steam after the windows version hit the store recently.

Since then though, the property’s transition into a full-fledged series has only propelled it further into niche territory, with two direct sequels releasing exclusively to Sony’s struggling handheld at the time, the PSP, and the other not even making it out of Japan. Hell, there was even some bunk-ass mobile game that didn’t last for more than two years before it was kicked off the market, and servers shut down—Valkyeria’s true claim to fame still bellied onto the original in the states.

Shooting for the chance that lightning will strike twice, as SEGA brings on Media.Vision, the same developers responsible for the Wild Arms and Chaos Rings series to create Valkyeria Revolution; a spin-off sequel to the franchise that’s available on both console, and portable.

While the premise in this venture certainly is interesting, Valkyeria Revolution seems to have left behind most of the qualities that made the Valkyeria experience so charming and likable in the first place.

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QCF: Grand Kingdom

IS is back with another take on the SRPG formula with Grand Kingdom, a PS Vita and PS4 game that seemingly exists as an amalgamation of every major RPG convention known to the human race. “Awesome!” you might say, but could it real be as great as it sounds; in short, he answer is, “kinda.”

Grand Kingdom has players take on the role of a commander of a band of mercenaries that are fighting in a newly kingdomless land where other bands of fighters fight for wealth and fame. Players manage troops via a central base where quests can be initiated, training conducted, equipment procured and distributed, and so forth—think Dragon Force meets Ogre Battle meets Disgaea. New units can be hired to form up to six troops of up to six fighters each to deploy on various quests.

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QCF: Axiom Verge

hether you love it or hate it, the renaissance of independently developed indie games is still very much kicked into high gear, and new titles like Shovel Knight and Hotline Miami are keep everyone on notice.

And with indie games still heavy hitting the scene of console gaming, the inevitable swell of side-scrolling love letters coming out of the mix, but none more frequent then the fan-favorite sub-genre that’s fondly recognized by the portmanteau that every gaming enthusiast has come to know: Metroidvania.

While the argument for if whether or not the sizable wave of these games is doing more harm than good to the genre is still up for debate, one particular title has uniquely approached the formula in a different direction. A direction that magnificently caters to both the culture of the titular design, and the fundamental dynamics that drive its appeal; Tom Happ’s Axiom Verge, a title that beautifully integrates what it homages into an experience that you’ll keep thinking about it, even after it’s over.

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QCF: Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

o matter what your standpoint on the matter is, it’s a fact that’s commonly accepted by a majority of modern society; violence is a part of life. Now when it comes to how people come to terms with this is an entirely different story, but I always found the concept of depictions that revel in graphically glorifying it as a point of illustration to be interesting; especially when it worked.

The argument on whether or not the gory aggression worked for Hotline Miami 2 though is a bit muddled, because when it works—it works.

And when it doesn’t, the title rings a bit hollow with a reverberation of pretension.

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QCF: Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart

t’s truly startling to me; another Neptunia game so soon? This is getting pretty ridiculous, especially since, in the last six months, three games of nearly the exact same flow and design have been released by NIS America. One, ok, I can see that, but three? That’s just too many.

Thankfully however, Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart looks to shake up the formula considerably as a pure Strategy RPG featuring the girls of the Neptunia universe.

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PAX PRIME 2014: Hands-On With Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd

ega surprised everyone last year with the announcement and subsequent release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F for the PlayStation 3 and as a downloadable title on the Vita. The Project Diva games should have been about as obscure as it came in the west, since the whole game revolves around the personification of a music creation suite called Vocaloid. Created by Crypton, Vocaloid allows its users to generate lyrics which are sung with the voice of the specific version you buy, and Hatsune Miku, though not the first, is far and away the most popular of the entire line, worldwide.

If you thought a quirky rhythm-music game based on a group of virtual singers with dress-up elements and theatre modes wouldn't fly, two things should be remembered; firstly, Hatsune Miku has wild, live freaking concerts in Japan (seriously!) and secondly, Project Diva F was a mad, runaway hit in North America, selling out in many, many places at retail, especially in the part of the world where I live.

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QCF - Demon Gaze

t seems as though every year NIS releases one or two games in hopes that they will be as big a hit as Disgaea, some have come close or so I've been told, but most seems to fall flat on their face. I for one hold my breath when I hear that a new NIS title will be hitting shelves and wonder “Why are they still around”. While Demon Gaze isn't anywhere near Disgaea in most respects, it has its moments.

You take on the role of Oz (or whatever name you see fit for your game self), a young man who awakens in a dungeon with no memories of his past. With the help of a woman named Lorna, a retired Demon Gazer you escape the dungeon and find yourself at the Dragon Princess Inn, run by the lovely Fran.

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QCF: Steamworld Dig

hen developers attempt to shove a veritable smorgasbord of buzz-worthy elements and tropes into their games, they’re banking on killing that sales bird among consumers with the two forecasted stones of expectations in the video game marketplace. The first is being able to promote a distinction of unique gameplay that’s conveniently composed of familiar elements that gamers know and love from other titles—it’s an assumptive projection for success that mostly results in being a shallow disaster than an innovative title.

Which is what makes Steamworld Dig from Image & Form Games a completely unexpected surprise that gloriously earns the title of being a worthy exception to the trend—The titles has now expanded to Steam, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita and is now, more than ever, one of the easiest must-own games to obtain out of 2014 to this very day.

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