Released in 1996 on the original PlayStation, Suikoden found commercial (on a small scale), and critical success nearly a year before Final Fantasy VII opened the mainstream market for games in the genre. For many PlayStation owners, Suikoden was their first RPG on the system. To others, their first good RPG on the systems as Beyond…
Tag: JRPG
JRPG stands for Japanese Role-Playing Game. This unique genre of game combines the Western RPG or Role-Playing Game genre first popularized by Dungeons and Dragons with Eastern storytelling and cultural references often seen in anime or manga. JRPGs are almost exclusively made in Japan.
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PlayStation’s SaGa Frontier Will be Remastered in 2021
SaGa Frontier, is a somewhat strange Japanese Role-Playing game that found critical success in Japan in 1997. The 32-bit era RPG is getting the ‘remaster’ treatment despite the fact that its critical reception stateside was mixed to say the least. The title was not a hit with American audiences, as its 71/100 Gamerankings’ meta score…
Octopath Traveler: A Fresh but Classic RPG
When I think about what defines an RPG, I’m reminded of my very first experience with the genre. I’ve got my Game Boy Color out and I’m enjoying Pokémon Red. That means that for me, an RPG was traditionally a turned-based game where you learned enemy weaknesses and exploited them. Naturally, there needs to be…
Huge “Go Beyond’ Update Coming For Pokemon GO
Players of Pokemon GO have a lot to look forward to next week. Starting December 1st, 2020, the game is rolling out a gigantic Pokemon GO update, aptly named GO Beyond. Originally announced on November 18th, there is still a ton for players to do to prepare for this patch. Here is a quick breakdown…
Throwback Bit Thursday: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The 23rd of November (three days ago), marked The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time‘s 22nd birthday. Yes, it has been a whooping 22 years since we first got our hands on what in my opinion remains – to this day – Nintendo’s finest gaming moment. It is only natural that today’s throwback section takes…
My Love Letter to Dark Cloud: One of the Greatest RPGs Ever
With the sad news that developer Level-5 is leaving North America and my hopes for Dark Cloud 3 dashed, I wanted to take a look back at Dark Cloud. Sharing my love and experience with this game, I highly recommend it to fans looking for a classic RPG, which was my favorite PS2 game. Despite some heartbreak during…
Throwback Bit Thursday: Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits, might just be the best PlayStation 2 JRPG that almost no one ever played. In fact, in terms of its plot, it might just be one of the best JRPGs ever, period. The 2003 game, is the sixth installment in the legendary Arc the Lad series. The series…
We Need More Final Fantasy Tactics
With quarantine starting in March, I have had plenty of time to kill this year. I have spent a good share of this time trying out different strategy RPGs. With fantastic recent titles like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and excellent indie games like War Groove (2019) and Into the Breach (2018), my time has been…
Throwback Bit Thursday: Dragon Warrior VII
Let’s get this out of the way: Dragon Warrior VII, by far, is the worst Japanese Role-Playing Game that I have ever played. In some ‘throwback bit’ sessions I have remembered the great, but today, it is time to look back at the other end of the spectrum. Now, Dragon Warrior/Quest (Quest in Japan, and…
Tidus: The Most Human, and Best Developed Final Fantasy Leading Man
Final Fantasy X‘s protagonist, Tidus, is one of the greatest leading men in the history of SquareEnix’s long running Japanese Role-Playing Game (JRPG) series. He is certainly better than Final Fantasy VIII’s Squall. The previous sentence shouldn’t cause much controversy, as Squall’s bland, lone wolf persona was absolutely mystifying, and at times, frustrating. If it…