If 2002 was a hallmark year for the Nintendo GameCube, then 2003 was an amazing year for Xbox owners. Out of the ten best games (as rated by critics), 4 were Xbox releases and only 2 were PS2 titles. At this point, Xbox games had started to surpass other consoles in terms of visuals and…
Games That Will Cost You a Kidney: Skies of Arcadia
The Dreamcast’s greatest Japanese role-playing game, and perhaps the best JRPG of the 2000s, is not as costly as other entries on this weekly series. However, purchasing a working copy (with case and booklets) of Skies of Arcadia remains a considerable investment in both of its versions. Skies of Arcadia the Greatest JRPG of…
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Sega Genesis)
Playing Tenchu: Stealth Assassin’s a few weeks ago reminded me of an exceptional ninja game originally released on the Sega Genesis, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. Though I had not played it in a while, I recalled Shinobi III having some excellent sprite work and entertaining side-scroller gameplay. After recently replaying Shinobi III,…
TGIF: Looking Back at Horizon Zero Dawn
I never wrote an official review for Horizon Zero Dawn. So, this piece will stand as my “official” take on what I consider to be my 2nd (behind The Last of Us) favorite newest franchise of the last 10 years. To be fair, in terms of a single story driven playthrough, I might have enjoyed Horizon…
The Best Games of 2002 According to GameRankings
2002 will forever be remembered as the year of the GameCube. Nintendo’s little purple box received two of the greatest games of all time in Metroid Prime and its “next gen” Mario entry. The PC platform makes a return with a few games, and Grand Theft Auto continues its rise in popularity and critical acclaim….
Square Enix Sells Historic IPs and Western Studios for $300 Million
In a world, and market, where Sony closed down its historic Japan Studio and is focusing on western development, Square Enix is taking a different approach. Square Enix is currently in the process of selling off some of its most important western internal properties and studios. The Embracer Group (a conglomerate of video game…
Games That Will Cost You A Kidney: Tales of Destiny
It could be said that Namco’s Tales series might have reached its zenith in terms of popularity last year with Tales of Arise (2 million units sold to date). However, what perhaps remains the franchise’s most valuable game is a 25-year-old entry. 1997’s (1998 in the U.S.) Tales of Destiny is a game that will…
Final Fantasy XVI Producer Wants Players That “Drifted Away” From FF Back
As we await for the arrival of Final Fantasy XVI, we recognize that Final Fantasy is, perhaps, the most famous name (aside from Pokemon) in terms of Japanese role-playing games. The series’ fame in the west was largely built in the 1990s with Final Fantasy VII and a few other PlayStation entries which drove the series…
The Best Games of 2001 According to GameRankings
By 2001, The PlayStation 2 had begun to receive its sophomore software and its catalogue began to fill up with great games. These games included Final Fantasy X and the cultural phenomenon Grand Theft Auto III. This was also the year where the Dreamcast was, for all intents and purposes, declared ‘dead’. Microsoft and Nintendo…
Sakaguchi: Is Square Enix “Okay” After Unveiling a $11K FFVI Statue?
Ah! Final Fantasy VI! To many longtime fans of the series, the aforementioned game is the best in the series. Despite the fact that it didn’t sell well (in contrast to the PlayStation 1 entries) initially, Square Enix would release the game over multiple systems after its SNES release, growing the game’s popularity after its…