So without further ado let’s get this list started.

10. Super Neptunia RPG 

It’s not that I hate this one, but there is no doubt it is my least favorite of the spin-off titles. Giving all the girls amnesia really made this story drag on, and by the time they acted like themselves it was over. The girls having their usual banter is a big part of the experience, and a lot of that is missing here. Exploration and combat were pretty meh as well, so while I didn’t hate my time with this one, I wasn’t a huge fan of it either.

9. Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls

The gameplay in Neptune vs. Sega Hard Girls is fine, but the story certainly dragged it down. You’d think with all the great characters in the Neptunia franchise and the Sega Hard Girls, this would’ve been great, but the writing here just isn’t good. They made poor IF into an intolerable bitch in this game, and really made me think less of her overall. The time travel aspects of the story were kinda interesting but everything else fell flat. The one thing they did add that I thought was neat, were more ways to explore the environments, but not even the fact you could ride Nep… as a bike could save this one for me.

8. Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars

I had a great time with the gameplay of Neptunia x SENRAN KAGURA: Ninja Wars, but I felt like this was a very tame entry in both franchises considering their ecchi-filled pasts. I know things were different when this released and the rules for platforms were much more harsh, but it seemed like this one just played things a bit too safe. The balance mini game was fun, combat was solid and the story was decent, but I feel like this was just held back by the fact that it lacked some flavor.

7. MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies

This one always seems like a lesser version of Neptunia U in my eyes. It has the same style of Hack n Slash gameplay but the overall story just wasn’t as much fun. There are plenty of costumes here, and Uni and Nepgear get some quality time for you shippers out there, but overall this one was a lackluster entry in the franchise for me.

6. Neptunia Virtual Stars

I played Neptunia Virtual Stars about the time I was really starting to get into Vtubers, so it was the perfect time for this to come around. While this one is down the list a bit I have to say I had a really great time playing it. The girls have a lot great banter between them, there are lots of awesome costumes to obtain and the video creation mini game was a ton of fun. I never knew I wanted to see Nep dance like that, but I certainly approve. I had a good time with the run and gun combat here as well, the boss battles where a bit boring, but overall this one was well worth the time invested.

More Nep goodness on Page 2! ->

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An English translation patch for Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is now available, thanks to the good folks of The Geofront’s V Sector. For those who don’t know, Ys vs. Trails in the Sky is a PSP crossover game featuring characters from Nihon Falcom’s Ys series and The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Playable characters include everyone’s favorite red-haired swordsman, Adol Christin, the always energetic Estelle Bright, the Crossbell detective Lloyd Bannings, the wall-smasher Dogi, and much more!

In order to patch and play the game, you will need your own copy of Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki: Alternative Saga. You can purchase your own digital copy from the Japanese PSN store. Or, if you want a physical copy, you can try your luck at online retailers such as eBay. Once you have your own copy, you can go to The Geofront’s website to download the patch and read a guide on how to patch your copy or watch a video guide.

For your convenience, you can check out The Geofront’s video patching guide below.

Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga can be played on a PSP/PS Vita/PS TV with custom firmware, or a PSP emulator. Players using an emulator will have the option to install an HD texture pack as well.

The Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga translation project was completed by the dedicated members of the V Sector after 22 months. Falcom fans will finally be able to experience this special crossover in English thanks to their work. A big congratulations and thanks to The Geofront for all of their hard work.

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ScourgeBringer, the rogue-platformer, is now available on the PS4, and PS Vita digitally. Physical editions are coming soon, though they are limited, and you can pre-order it now for the PS4.  There will be a boxed version for the Vita port coming at a later date as well.

About The Game (from press release)

ScourgeBringer aims to channel the mystery and rawness of an early rogue-platformer, with fluid control, aerial combat, pixel graphics and a punchy soundtrack. The story follows hero Kyhra, who is sent away to uncover the secrets of an Eldritch monolith which is threatening to destroy her world. Armed with her trusty combat drone, she must shoot and slash her way through the infinite depths of an ever-changing dungeon, wherein gigantic bosses, ancient machines, strange ghosts and untold secrets from previous explorers await. There is no backtracking, as the game’s structure follows a procedural combination of pre-built challenge rooms, not unlike The Binding of Isaac.

PRESS RELEASE

ScourgeBringer Arrives on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita

The acclaimed rogue-platformer is now available for purchase digitally with physical editions coming soon

Montpellier, France (April 22, 2021) – Developer Flying Oak Games and publisher Dear Villagers (Recompile) have released the hit rogue-platformer ScourgeBringer on the PS4 and the PS Vita today.

As of today, players can download ScourgeBringer via the digital store on both PS4 and PS Vita. The limited release PS4 physical edition is currently available for pre-order, with a boxed version of the Vita port soon to follow.

ScourgeBringer is a fast-paced rogue-platformer first released to critical acclaim on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and Game Pass in late 2020.

About ScourgeBringer
ScourgeBringer aims to channel the mystery and rawness of an early rogue-platformer, with fluid control, aerial combat, pixel graphics and a punchy soundtrack. The story follows hero Kyhra, who is sent away to uncover the secrets of an Eldritch monolith which is threatening to destroy her world. Armed with her trusty combat drone, she must shoot and slash her way through the infinite depths of an ever-changing dungeon, wherein gigantic bosses, ancient machines, strange ghosts and untold secrets from previous explorers await. There is no backtracking, as the game’s structure follows a procedural combination of pre-built challenge rooms, not unlike The Binding of Isaac.

Features:

Dive into fast-paced rogue-platforming gameplay described by Eurogamer as “Dead Cells meets Celeste”
Slash and shoot your way smoothly with superfluid platforming controls
Sharpen your skills with a frantic combat system focused on attacks only
Dash forward to the otherworldly adaptive sounds of Joonas Turner (Nuclear Throne, Downwell, Broforce … )
Defy hordes of unspeakable enemies and giant bosses holding the secrets of the Scourge
Explore the infinite depths of an ever-changing dungeon
Uncover mysteries and find mementoes of previous explorers to unlock reality defining secrets

ScourgeBringer is fully localized into English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (simplified).

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished with the ScourgeBringer PS Vita port, and delighted to be joining such a superb library of handheld games,” says developer Thomas Altenburger. “The dream lives on!”

About Flying Oak Games
Made of wood and pixels, Flying Oak Games (FOG) is an independent video game studio in a secret forest of the North East of France (in Metz). Born from many game jam collaborations over several years, the team still dedicate themselves to the community by organizing local events, as well as being part of the Global Game Jam organizers family. Its main motivation is to make games that are accessible, instantly fun and addictive.

About Dear Villagers
Dear Villagers is Plug In Digital’s publishing label. It’s a warm-hearted invitation to join us in the little unusual neighborhood we are building within the gaming industry, a place where talented studios can unleash their creativity and where players enjoy distinctive and audacious games on PC and consoles, such as Edge of Eternity, ScourgeBringer, and Recompile.

The post ScourgeBringer Arrives on PlayStation 4 and PS Vita appeared first on oprainfall.

Frontwing have announced that they will be unable to meet the production deadline for the PlayStation Vita version of Sharin no Kuni: The Girl Among Sunflowers. As a result, the project has been cancelled for that platform. Backers who have pledged for the digital and physical PlayStation Vita versions of the game will be able to ask for a refund or exchange their pledge for a copy of the game for PC which is still currently in development. Here is their official announcement that was sent to backers and has been posted on their campaign page:

It is with great regret that we have decided to announce that, although last-minute adjustments to the development and production schedule with all parties involved have been taking place until very recently, it has been confirmed as of last week that one of the main rewards for this project, the Playstation VITA version of the game (both physical and digital), will not be able to meet the deadline for its production. As such, we will be either cancelling and refunding, or exchanging the VITA version of the game to the PC one for all eligible backers and pre-order store purchasers.

We deeply apologize to our supporters who have been looking forward to playing the game despite the repeated delays.

Please note that we will not be accepting cancellations for the PC game version at this point, as we believe that it will be successfully released and delivered.

Frontwing have further described the difficulties they faced with the production of the Vita version below:

Details about the cancellation of the VITA version

We believe that we should be as open as possible about the circumstances that led to the cancellation of the development of the VITA game version, and as such we will share with our backers the circumstances that led up to this point.

From the beginning, the VITA development schedule suffered the effects of the delays from the development of the PC game version, but here we will focus on the developments in the last year and a half after the change of the publisher.

In the July 2019 update, we announced that our publisher agreement with Limited Run Games (LRG) had been dissolved and that we would be working from that moment on with the Hong Kong-based publisher Eastasiasoft Limited (EAS). The reason for this change was to avoid the issue of the VITA manufacturing ending in North America within that same year. The project team knew that by changing the publisher to a different region, the manufacturing deadline would also change, so we outsourced the pre-production and game development of the VITA version to a certain development company that has a license to develop VITA games, and rearranged the schedule in order to meet the deadline.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes it brought to workplaces all over the world affected that schedule, the completed master data of the game was scheduled to be delivered by October 2020 at the latest.

However, at the last minute, that date was changed and the game was not delivered to us in October due to circumstances with the development company, and the project team was not able to confirm the actual product until November. Even more problematic than that was the fact that the game was confirmed to have many bugs, including fatal flaws, at that stage, and additional development time was inevitable.

However, even at this stage and during all this time, we had repeatedly asked the development company for a clear deadline for the mastering of the VITA version in order to manufacture the cartridges by the end of the year. We set a manufacturing schedule for production through discussions with Eastasiasoft, shared this information with the development company, and the development company responded that they expected to meet this deadline.

Until the very last moment, the project team still believed that the game production was going to finish and enter the manufacturing stage, but in the end the multiple issues that kept appearing during development and the additional time required to fix every one of them resulted in the developer not being able to meet the deadline discussed with EAS. We are currently in negotiations about the liability issues derived from the failure of the development contractor to meet the delivery date.

Even after last year’s delivery date had passed, throughout the month of January the project team had been studying and searching for alternative methods through various channels, including EAS, but in February it became clear that we would have to abandon the production of the VITA version, and this is why we are making this announcement.

One thing we would like to make clear is that the schedule and development estimates that we have reported in updates and comments until now were never false: they were always based on the information that was shared with us in our meetings with the development company that we outsourced the project to. We believed that we would be able to deliver the VITA game version to everyone until the very end.

As you can see, the direct cause of the cancellation of the development of the VITA game version was the overdue delivery date of the development contractor, but the final responsibility for the situation, including the management of the contractor, lies with the project team, or to be more precise, Frontwing, who is the main organizer of the project and in charge of the development management.

We would like to make clear that AKABEi SOFT2, Eastasiasoft Limited, Limited Run Games, and Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc., which have been mentioned before as project members, have no role or responsibility in the delay or cancellation of the game, including the VITA version. Please refrain from contacting these companies individually with any complaints or inquiries.

The post Sharin no Kuni Cancelled for PlayStation Vita appeared first on oprainfall.

I have seen a multitude of shmups in my life, ranging from classics to modern, but never have I seen one with random levels. Until now, that is. Task Force Kampas takes influence from Japanese shmups, with a few bells and whistles thrown in. However, there are aspects of it that feel much less like a retro shmup, barring the modernized aspects of the game. This I will get into later, first let’s talk about how the game plays.

During a run, you only have one life, though thankfully you have a health bar. If you get hit, you become invulnerable for a period of time, at the cost of your firepower. After that period, you cannot shoot at all in order to regain health. In addition, you can save creatures called cocos, where once you save enough of them you’ll get a coco satellite that shoots on your behalf. Shooting down enemies increases your firepower, and twice per stage you can choose between two random upgrades once you go far enough. These upgrades are a super shot, double shot, and an increase to your max HP. However, these upgrades only last until you defeat the boss.

As far as options are concerned, there are five difficulty levels, three sound levels, five ships, and technically seven filters. The difficulty levels mainly change the amount of enemies, though I can’t say I truly noticed a difference with boss patterns. Between the five ships, each has one specific defining aspect to separate them all. These range from double shot, super shot, more HP, side shots, or even the inability to shoot at all but you have a multitude of coco satellites in tow.

Meanwhile there are three bosses in the game. Despite the levels being random, all three bosses are in the same order. There is an evil squid, a crab, and a mantis most likely influenced by psychedelics. These bosses are really simplistic, with the squid oddly being the most complex despite being the first fought. The squid shoots out projectiles in circular patterns. The crab swaps between one claw shooting singular projectiles and the other sets of three projectiles, and then firing lasers. The mantis throws projectiles that act as the game’s equivalent of curvy lasers.

As a whole, the soundtrack is okay. I can’t say I truly find any track memorable outside of the mantis’ theme. Sound effects are rudimentary, or at least seem like it since they tend to get lost and blended together during gameplay. Also, the only technical issue I found was when changing filters where none was selected, one of them specifically would not be applied until I selected default. Graphically, the game looks decent, at a glance. However, the way the game presents its visual information is mind boggling. The screen shakes quite often, with enemies all grouped up together, so it becomes too easy to just lose track of any important element. I had moments where I couldn’t even judge distance properly. I can’t even begin to imagine how much worse it becomes when using the filters.

With that said, what aspects makes Task Force Kampas feel much less like a retro inspired shmup? Well, the screen shaking is certainly one of them. Beyond that, the game is lacking in specific options. The only options that affect gameplay directly are difficulty level and ship type. In other games, it can range from difficulty level, shot type, ships, bombs, and any other option potentially possible. Also, game information on the store pages imply the game potentially ending is a twist, where skilled players can get past the ending. This confuses me, as all the store pages specifically mention that it takes after the golden age of Japanese shmups, just with modern conventions. There were many shmups on the market that did, in fact, end. Not all were like Namco shmups like Galaga that were completely endless. Games like Pop’n Twinbee, classic Earth Defense Force, and DoDonPachi revolved around players getting better and better, trying to use as few lives and even bombs as possible.

Then there are other aspects that ruin that feel, and even get in the way with the game’s quality. The levels are indeed random, but in the most lackluster way possible. It would be one thing if enemies spawned in formation, yet everything in the game spawns in clusters. This boils the gameplay loop down to keep moving left and right just washing the screen with your bullets to kill everything as fast as you can. It doesn’t help that enemies don’t leave after a set amount of time. Then there are the missiles that slide down at the very sides of the screen and have randomized speeds as well as random spots where they suddenly change trajectory at a diagonal. It gets worse if you get hit, as the screen is flushed with red significantly until you recover enough health. Amidst the chaos, these factors can make runs spiral out of control.

Even the movement is not right. The player’s ship moves far too loosely, especially for a game asking you to weave through projectiles rather tightly. It doesn’t help that the player’s sprite matches the hitbox. This may sound odd, and at first sprite and hitbox being one to one was the standard. Later on though, more and more games made the player’s hitbox smaller than their sprite, to create a happy medium on being able to see where you are, but also still grant the possibility to tightly move between projectiles. Considering Task Force Kampas’ approach to modern conventions, it gives me the impression that the influence is only surface level.

At the end of the day, I can’t tell what era of games Task Force Kampas takes after. It is clearly not like anything from Namco, many games made by Konami, or even shmups made in the early to mid 2000s such as those by Cave. One can certainly argue that it is good that it attempts to not completely mimic those games. However, I find it odd that the developers on their Itch.io page mention that it takes after the golden age of Japanese shmups, considering these oddities. There are pieces that correlate to certain eras but many of them are executed at the basic level. This ranges from the idea of endless runs, bullet hells, satellites, bosses having stages, and game loops. Yet this influence stops itself to just three bosses before looping, the squid being the only truly “bullet hell” boss, no visual cues between boss phases, and difficulty levels mainly relying on enemy count rather than enemy formations. Not to mention the only new thing as far as I am aware of is the ability to recover health by not shooting.

In truth, is the game bad? Not at all, in fact it is not even that difficult overall. However, it’s also roughly average, with some blemishes on top of it. Even for $4.99 on their itch.io page, or $5.99 on all other platforms, it is hard for me to recommend this to fans of the genre after playing this for 2-3 hours. At best, the ones who like to get the highest score possible from endless runs I can recommend this to. This unfortunately derives from the fact where one aspect some players love about the genre, others could care less. That is the issue when Task Force Kampas is such a loose understanding of the genre. Hopefully when Casiopea Wave crafts another title about the golden age of a particular genre, they took notes of ideas on what to do going forward.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher

The post REVIEW: Task Force Kampas appeared first on oprainfall.

ININ Games is very proud to announce that the digital release of Ultracore for the PlayStation Vita is now here. The game has launched digitally for the platform in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Ultracore is a run & gun style platformer with a price tag of $19.99 / £17.99 / €19.99 on the PlayStation store according to the press release. Here is the launch trailer from the Switch/PlayStation 4 launch late last month:

The Eurostyle metroidvania platformer was never released in the 90’s. Now, Swedish developer, Digital Illusions (also known as DICE), have collaborated with the original team to bring the game as a digital purchase to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita consoles. Ultracore has extensive levels where you’ll meet formidable and heavily armed bosses! If you are a fan of classic 2D action games, then you may also enjoy the vertical side-scrolling levels, which feature a bit of intense shoot-em up action. There is also the optional soundtrack, which features bands such as Scandroid, Mega Drive, 3Force and more.

Lastly, here are a few screenshots of the game in action:

The post ININ Games Has Launched Ultracore PS Vita Version appeared first on oprainfall.

(Dates are in MM/DD/YYYY format)

Spike Chunsoft are currently publishing the series on both Steam and mobile devices meaning those releases should not be affected by this. It is always possible that Spike Chunsoft will re-publish the titles on the PlayStation Store in the future but as of right now, they have yet to confirm this. In the meantime if you planned on buying these games on a PlayStation 4 or Vita, now would be a good time to pick them up before they are removed from the PSN store, even if its only temporary.

The post Danganronpa Games to be Removed from PlayStation Store appeared first on oprainfall.

Space-based shooters have been a staple of video games for decades. Even today they still come out on a fairly regular basis. Enter Lillymo Games’ retro-styled shoot ‘em up Habroxia, a game which leans heavily on the classics while trying to add a few new twists. Is it enough to leave a lasting impression? There’s only one way to find out.

Story is in short supply in Habroxia, so let’s sum the whole thing up in two sentences and move on. Aliens are invading the galaxy. Stop them. The gameplay will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s played a top-down scrolling shooter before, moving right and shooting baddies as they appear. Sometimes the game will shift from a side-scroller to a vertical scroller mid-stage, which is a nice little novelty but doesn’t affect how the game plays outside of a perspective change.

Controlling Habroxia is fairly simple, and there are a couple nice touches to how the player’s ship performs. While not particularly fast, it offers a few different firing options. One fire button shoots a straight, concentrated blast. The other fire button shoots from the side of the ship. Holding both fires a spread shot in front. Each has a use for different situations and different attack patterns, both for bosses and for regular enemies. On top of that, items drop which give powerups like damage boosts, a shield, or a bomb that wipes the screen of enemies. I’d almost argue it makes the player too capable, but I’ll delve more into that later.

Habroxia offers four modes of play, but three of them need to be unlocked by playing the first, Story Mode. Calling it Story Mode is being quite generous, as there’s little to no storytelling happening. The bulk of Story Mode’s 15 levels involve destroying as many enemy ships as possible, then defeating the boss at the end. Once in a while a boss-only level will appear, or a couple that involve saving astronauts floating in space. Said astronauts don’t actually need to be saved to complete the level, which is good because you can easily kill them by accident if they pop up in the line of fire. A successful rescue unlocks their profiles in the pause menu, giving a first name and one-sentence description of how they got stranded. That and you get to see them dropped off at a space station at the end of the level and see their “Thank You!” text overlap until it’s a barely readable mess.

In addition, the Story Mode of Habroxia has an upgrade system for the ship. Options include more powerful shots, heat-seeking rockets that fire automatically, increased fire rate and a wider spread among others. These are bought using credits, which can be found in destructible objects or sometimes dropped by enemies. Credits don’t appear often enough to buy up all the upgrades before the midway point, but they can be accumulated by playing the same level multiple times. Considering most levels only last two or three minutes, grinding for upgrades is pretty simple to pull off. The difficulty scales up enough for it to be a handy tool for progression, but replaying old story levels with the upgrades trivializes them, to the point I could just hold both fire buttons, make sure I didn’t fly into a wall and get through unscathed.

That leads to two of my biggest problems with Habroxia. The first is the general difficulty. Enemies have very easy to read movement and shooting patterns, and often don’t appear in large enough groups or fire in enough directions to warrant more than moving slightly to one side. Virtually every enemy, even if my weapons weren’t strong enough to kill them, could be easily maneuvered around and forgotten about. Even the bosses don’t offer much challenge, with maybe one or two managing to hit me more than once or twice. I should note I’m not particularly good at shooters, but this game offered little in the way of challenge for the main campaign. The second problem is how Story Mode ends. I beat a random boss, the screen turned to a vertical scroll, and the credits started. Just call it Arcade Mode instead of having a Story Mode where the story doesn’t start or end.

Part of the problem with Habroxia’s difficulty curve, or rather difficulty plateau, is a lack of enemy variety. It’s advertised that there are over 50 different enemy types, but thinking back on my experience I’m struggling to remember more than twelve, assuming land mines count as an enemy. Even bosses suffer from this, as at least two of them are simply Mark II versions of prior bosses, which as far as I could tell just meant they took more hits to destroy and had maybe one extra attack. The AI for enemies is clearly just a set pattern repeated throughout the game as well. The same enemies consistently appear from the same parts of the screen and use the same attacks at the same time. Agony, thy name is monotony.

Beyond Story Mode, Habroxia offers three other modes of play, all of the “endless” variety and none of which factor in Story Mode ship upgrades. Invasion has you shoot down waves of enemies until either you die or you fail to destroy every enemy in a wave. Second is Rescue Mode, where you keep going until failing to rescue any astronauts that appear. Last is Shield Maiden, a mode with an interesting setup but which highlights the game’s enemy problem. You start with the weakest guns and low health, and the only pickups are shields. The idea is to survive as long as possible, but the easy-to-avoid enemies appearing too far apart in the same movement and attack patterns as in Story Mode, plus health pickups dropping regularly from breakable objects, make it very easy to survive. I hit the 20-minute mark before deliberately flying into a wall after seeing the same limited selection of maps and enemies appear over and over.

Replay value shouldn’t be a problem for games like Habroxia, and yet it has that very problem. Story Mode takes less than an hour and a half to get through, and since there’s only one save for everything, replaying it from the beginning would require deleting the game’s save data. The three unlockable modes don’t offer much incentive to keep playing, nor do the high score tables for each Story Mode level. Oh, did I mention? There’s a scoring system with a combo multiplier, which goes up for every enemy destroyed and resets to zero for every enemy missed. I say enemy, but for some reason meteoroids count as enemies. Point being, if you replay older stages with an upgraded ship, it drastically changes the standings of the high score table, which I still can’t tell if the other names on it are real or not. If anyone plays this and sees “SCR” on the list, now you know who that is.

Even presentation-wise, Habroxia leaves something to be desired. Starting up the game tosses you to a mode select menu, and some organization choices are just confusing. The stats menu can only be accessed while playing a level, same with an astronaut profile list. Viewing a high score table in one mode forces you to go through a ship upgrade menu instead of backing out normally. The audio is thematically appropriate with the NES-like visuals, but often seems like some songs are playing without a track. Imagine a rock band where the guitar only has three strings and half the drum set is missing and you’re pretty close. The options menu is only accessible in-game, and only consists of sound and music volume toggles. Everything seems strangely disjointed, and does nothing to help improve my perception of how the game plays.

While it’s functional as a game, I expected more from Habroxia. That may sound unfair, but my expectation was not to breeze through everything the game had to offer in less time than a Lord of the Rings movie and feel no urge to return to any of it. What it does right, it does with no particular finesse. It’s a shooter in which I was able to get away with not shooting anything, or mindlessly holding the fire buttons on way too many occasions. Considering what else is available, not just on consoles but on PC as well, I struggle to recommend this to anyone, barring a massive discount from its $7.99 asking price.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by publisher.

The post REVIEW: Habroxia appeared first on oprainfall.

In an uncomfortable reality, let’s shift gears and talk about a dream in Yumeutsutsu Re:Master. A tale of finding love while making games that released back in June of last year. In short, a girls’ love story from the very special team over at Kogado Studios. The last sentence will seem familiar to you and that’s because this isn’t the developer’s first trip down yuri lane. You may recall a title by the name of Nurse Love Syndrome, I know I do since I have a review on it. On the subject of that review, I spoke about how Kogado brilliantly shines a light on mature themes in an initially frightening setting while keeping things all-ages. It seems they got the memo from a lot of people echoing the sentiment as they double down for Yumeutsutsu. Four scenario writers, two new artists, voice actors aplenty. How does it hold up?

Welcome to a tiny town by the name of Koenji. Your new name is Ai Otori. Life may be boring right now, but it’s your past that’s interesting. You used to have a very close relationship with your sister until three years ago when she texted you to stay away from her. Try as you may to figure out the reason for such an unexpected change of heart, it’s impossible right now. That is until you receive a job offer from an unlikely field: game development. The head of Eureka Soft sends an offer with a cryptic message: Save your sister. Things keep getting weirder by the minute, but you decide it’s time to finally figure out what the hell is going on. After moving into the company’s dorms, your first day is about to begin. Little did you know that this would be the first domino to fall.

The beginning of Yumeutsutsu Re:Master keeps the Kogado tradition of making sure you’re as far out of the loop as possible. To clarify, that means you will understand nothing. Normally, and justifiably so, you’d call this a bad thing if you were a newcomer. However, consider treating this like the slow start of a very fast roller-coaster. Game development is a special kind of hell and mixing in romance is asking for trouble. Without spilling the entirety of the beans, Ai’s got a lot of work to deal with. Furthermore, it gets even more challenging when she doesn’t know a single thing about game development. Back to reality, as the new assistant director, you now have a new set of colleagues and choices that will lead you down some unexpected paths. Let’s take this time to introduce those very special people.

Let’s start with the narrative writer, Saki Mugendo. Saki comes with a warning label off the bat – do not underestimate her. She may be small, and she may look young, but she’s a incredibly mature and self-centered woman. She’s known around the office as the Tinysaurus. As cute as it sounds, you’ll do well to avoid trespassing on her den, or desk. Her roars may be frightening, but be mindful and heed her occasional words of wisdom. She’s one of the founding members of Eureka Soft that worked tirelessly to earn her place in the industry. However, it’s very easy to forget that when she treats the office like her home and only ever wears a tracksuit amidst an unpredictable sleeping schedule. Looks can be deceiving, just don’t let her know you thought about that.

In my first year of writing reviews for Operation Rainfall, I’ve learned that writing is a mentally exhausting task at times. Whether it’s my own reviews or hearing about developers struggling to make a story that sticks. Needless to say, when I found I could go on the writer’s route, I was expecting a grim reminder of that fact. The scenario written by Naoyuki Takeuchi details the familiar struggles of striking a balance between meeting a deadline and keeping your sanity in check. All while reminding you that support from a close friend is all you need at times. Saki’s route is far and away the most innocent of the choices as a testament to her appearance. The best way to describe it would be to say that at the end of the day, this dinosaur is a girl with a heart that needs warmth. A perfect first route choice.

Next on our list of dazzling heroines we have the ever-charismatic Nana Tachibana. As forward and silly as they come, this girl’s a part timer at Eureka Soft. An aspiring voice actor who seems to be struggling landing gigs. As such, she takes multiple jobs to pay the bills. However, that doesn’t stop her from being the light in the dark path of game development. She’s been around long enough to know how to read the room and properly calm everyone down when needed. She accomplishes all of this while cosplaying as a maid and naming herself the Banana Maid, adding onto an already silly profile. She’ll be your best friend in your first few days in the company, and she’ll be quite forward with her advances in an effort to ease you back to this grim reality. However, something about that smile doesn’t seem entirely natural.

Voice acting, the eternal battle royale where only one comes out on top for a prime role. Who better to convey such emotional struggles in this industry than the second scenario writer, Hatsumi Shimizu? Yuri fans will be quick to recognize this name as they’re responsible for the scenario in the Flowers series. A series best recognized for its extensive drama and perplexing mysteries on top of forbidden love. Transitioning to this route after finishing Saki’s route lowered my guard for an emotional ambush. While I won’t give specifics away, this is not a route for the faint of heart. As the wheels of fate expose more of Nana’s past to you, the choices you make go way beyond simply winning the heart of a damsel. It’s a matter of life and death. Being the brightest smile in the room doesn’t mean anything if it’s fake. Proceed with caution.

More mind bending Yuri on Page 2 ->

The post REVIEW: Yumeutsutsu Re:Master appeared first on oprainfall.

In press release put out today by publisher PQube they’ve announced two new bundle packages for their lewd rail shooter, Gal*Gun Double Peace and Gal*Gun 2.  The bundles (A separate bundle for each game) includes the base game and all the DLC released so far with exception of Gal*Gun Double Peace‘s Pheromone Z DLC. If you were maybe interested in the Gal*Gun games, but were maybe holding off for a better deal, this might be a great time to pick them up if you’re also interested in the post-launch content. And if it was just not on a radar and you’re asking yourself “What the heck’s a gal gun?” you can checkout the trailers below to get your answer:

Gal*Gun Double Peace Ultimate Edition is available for Steam and PSVita, with PS4 coming May 20th for $54.45 USD, and Gal*Gun 2 Complete Edition is available on PS4 and Steam with a Switch release coming May 14th for $59.66 USD. Checkout the press release below for more information:

The post Gal*Gun Double Peace and Gal*Gun 2 Bundles Now Available appeared first on oprainfall.

I hope you’re staying safe because we have yuri visual novels like Yumeutsutsu coming! From the legendary developer and publisher duo that blessed us with Nurse Love Syndrome comes something softer. A tale of finding the purest form of love within indie game development. This is Yumeutsutsu Re:Master. To clarify, while the title indicates that it’s a remaster of a previous game, this is all-new. In fact, the game has only been out in Japan for almost a year now. This is a particularly special release for me. The amount of detail present in their last title, Nurse Love Syndrome, was breathtaking. I note that in my review here. Now they’re taking a different scene all-together, and we’re not just getting the base game. No, we’re getting the extended epilogue in Yumeutsutsu Re:After as well! To be honest, the news caught me off guard. Nevertheless, I’m extremely ready!

Please look forward to the International Steam and Nintendo Switch release on April 23rd. PlayStation 4 and Vita users don’t despair. You will get your hands on this wholesome adventure in due time. Unfortunately, this delay comes as a result of COVID-19. Degica Games asks fans to be patient and ultimately to be safe. Pricing details regarding both titles are not confirmed. However, the Japanese Re:Master is currently $64.99 on Steam. If this serves as an indication then please prepare your wallet. It will be worth every penny.

Degica Games and developer Kogado are proud to announce the gaming-themed girls'-love visual novel Yumeutsutsu Re:Master and its extended epilogue, Yumeutsutsu Re:After, for digital release (in English!) on Steam and Switch eShop later this month! https://t.co/brfRpmQOHT

— KOMODO HI (@KomodoHawaii) April 10, 2020

So why do I think this is so special? Read this amazing synopsis.

Yumeutsutsu (roughly translating as a half-awake, half-asleep dreamlike state) Re:Master is a sweet and savory girls’ love adventure saga in which indie game development serves as the main catalyst for everything that occurs. Kogado’s previous yuri visual novel duology, Nurse Love Addiction and Nurse Love Syndrome, was centered on the professional lives of nurses and nursing students, and this saga continues that trend of taking a close look into the lives of professionals at work, this time focusing on everyday game developers in their natural element.

Eureka Software — a small game studio in Koenji, near the center of Tokyo — serves as the central setting for this tale. The protagonist, Ai, is a simple country girl who makes a rather big move to the city by herself to be closer to her younger sister, Kokoro, who diligently spends her days making games for Eureka. The sisters have been estranged for quite some time after their parents’ separation, so Ai is eager to reunite with her sibling and make up for lost time by joining her in her work.

Unfamiliar with the game development process, however, Ai’s life quickly descends into surreal and potentially deadly chaos, not unlike that of a character from one of the very titles she’s working on. (If you think you know what to expect from this game, then you don’t know Kogado visual novels!) She winds up surrounded by people much stranger than any NPCs you’d find in any ordinary game, and must make the most of these encounters to achieve a better life. Her biggest worry in all of this is the stand-offish attitude that Kokoro projects around her, despite the fact that Ai uprooted her life and moved to Tokyo alone just to be with her. On top of this, there seems to be some significance to “Nie Majo,” an old doujin (indie) game that Eureka Software is remaking with Ai and Kokoro’s help…

The post Yuri Visual Novel Saga ‘Yumeutsutsu’ Coming West This Month appeared first on oprainfall.

Playasia is having a Spring Sale! You might as well save some money on the games you are buying anyhow! I’ll list below NA versions of games available on this sale. All links are affiliate and help us pay to keep the site running.

SUPER BOMBERMAN R 
Konami – Switch

Our previous price:US $51.99
You save: US $27.99( 54% )
US $24.00

METAL GEAR SOLID HD COLLECTION
Konami – PS Vita

https://youtu.be/cDYjQHAEalg

Our previous price:US $39.99
You save: US $10.00( 25% )
US $29.99

DRAGON’S CROWN
Atlus – PS Vita

Our previous price: US $44.99
You save: US $15.00( 33% )
US $29.99

MEGA MAN LEGACY COLLECTION
Capcom – PS4

Our previous price:US $24.99
You save: US $6.00( 24% )
US $18.99

BAYONETTA 2 
Nintendo – Switch

Our previous price:US$ 59.99
You save: US$ 10.00( 17% )
US$49.99

STREET FIGHTER X TEKKEN
Capcom – PS Vita

Our previous price:US$ 44.99
You save: US$ 22.00( 49% )
US$22.99

RESIDENT EVIL: ORIGINS COLLECTION
Capcom – PS4

Our previous price:US $44.99
You save: US $25.00( 56% )
US$19.99

MARIO KART 8 DELUXE
Nintendo – Switch

Our previous price:US $59.99
You save: US $10.00( 17% )
US $49.99

SHANTAE: HALF-GENIE HERO
Xseed Games – PS Vita

Our previous price:US$ 65.99
You save: US$ 6.00( 9% )
US$59.99

ODIN SPHERE LEIFTHRASIR
Atlus – PS4

Our previous price:US$ 59.99
You save: US$ 23.00( 38% )
US$36.99

TINY BARBARIAN DX
Nicalis – Switch

Our previous price:US$ 34.99
You save: US$ 8.00( 23% )
US$26.99

PENNY-PUNCHING PRINCESS
NIS America – PS Vita

Our previous price:US$ 34.99
You save: US$ 7.00( 20% )
US$27.99

SOUL SACRIFICE
Sony Computer Entertainment – Vita

Our previous price:US$ 39.99
You save: US$ 19.00( 48% )
US$20.99

RAYMAN LEGENDS
Ubisoft – PS Vita

Our previous price:US$ 39.99
You save: US$ 14.00( 35% )
US$25.99

The post Playasia Spring Sale appeared first on oprainfall.

Visual novel lovers rejoice as Ratalaika Games has more games coming to consoles very soon. To clarify, the publisher held a special presentation this morning, reminiscent of a Nintendo Direct, announcing ports. Some of these include fan-favorite classics and others are exciting new reads. Below we’ll have all the information regarding the new titles and when you can see them. Operation Rainfall extends a congratulations to the many developers on their new ports. Furthermore, congratulations to Ratalaika on the wonderful showcase. Keep it tuned here for more information on these titles and more of the publisher’s news.

Being a princess is not an easy job. Being a Queen is even harder. Especially when you’re only fourteen years old, and the reason you’ve inherited the throne is that your royal mother has just met an untimely end.

Now power is up for grabs. You may be the official heir, but much of the country’s nobility would love to steal the throne for themselves. Aggressive neighbors will take advantage of any weakness to enlarge their borders at your expense. And that’s not even mentioning the magical dangers which are lying in wait…
Can you survive long enough to reach your coronation?

Developed by Hanako Games, Long Live The Queen is a cult classic princess raising simulator, originally released on Steam in 2013! Ratalaika Games’ is pleased to announce that Long Live The Queen will be ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year!

As the nephew of a retired super villain, there’s nothing Keegan wants more than to become one himself — and what better way than to join the League of Evil? All he needs to do is commit a crime to complete his application.

Unfortunately, Keegan soon finds himself in more trouble than he could have ever imagined when his plans are interrupted by a couple of spies from opposing agencies.

Pick choices that drastically change the story. Will Keegan’s plans be thwarted or allow him to be successful?

Developed by Man-Eater Games, Blind Men is a boys’ love visual novel set in a light-hearted parody of spy fiction. Will Keegan join the League of Evil or be thwarted by suave spies? Ratalaika Games’ is pleased to announce that Blind Men will be ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year!

In a magical town there lives a candy alchemist, Syrup, who one day discovers a candy golem in her basement. Where did she come from? Who could’ve made her? Go find out!

Featuring a memorable cast of colorful characters and 10 unique endings. Your choices affect the story! Will Syrup achieve her dream of making the Ultimate Sweet, or will she meet a much more tragic fate…?

Ratalaika Games & Nomnomnami are proud to announce that Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet will be making its way onto Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Vita, and PlayStation 4 on March 4th, 2020!

After the discovery of a mysterious portal, you are selected as one of the few humans to travel to the world of dragons. While you serve as an ambassador, you learn more about this strangely familiar place, and discover that your human colleague knows more than he’s letting on…

It will be up to you and the friends you make to uncover the conspiracy that threatens the newly discovered world – and in the process, you may even find love.
Make deep choices that influence the game world permanently! Experience 13 unique endings with character specific routes!

Developed by Radical Phi, Angels with Scaly Wings tells a surprising tale of a human visiting a world populated by dragons as an ambassador from Earth. Explore this new world with various secrets and mysteries. Ratalaika Games’ is pleased to announce that Angels with Scaly Wings will be ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year!

When Syd the Shiba Inu returns to Shiba Island after a ten-year absence, she sets off a chain of events that overturns the lives of all the dogs she had left behind. She gets back in touch with her old friend, Max, and along the way meets a mysterious Labrador retriever named Quei-Li. (What’s a Lab doing on the Island, anyway?) They are her only remaining allies as she tries to survive the past that made her leave the Island in the first place.

Your choices matter – there are multiple drastic ways to change the fate of Shiba Island, with 10+ variants depending on how you treat the dogs you meet along the way.

Developed by Quill Studios, A Summer with the Shiba Inu is a visual novel with interactive, meaningful choices. There are multiple drastic ways to change the fate of Shiba Island, will you be a good pupper or a bad dog? Ratalaika Games’ is pleased to announce that A Summer with the Shiba Inu will be ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year!

Tales of Aravorn: Seasons of The Wolf is an RPG set in a fantasy world, you’ll play as Shea or Althea, twins from the far-away village Ninim. In just the course of one year, you will experience many storylines and side quests; situations and events where your own choices influence the game.

The twins’ tale starts when one of the siblings finds a young wolf and decides to take it with them. Thus, begins the long journey which will take the siblings on a long journey!
The game features 9 different classes, each with its own set of skills. Experience unique romances available for all tastes, both straight and homosexual!

Developed by Winter Wolves, Tales of Aravorn: Seasons of the Wolf is an RPG set in the world of Avavorn. Explore isometric maps, make friends, and even find love in this unique RPG adventure! Ratalaika Games’ is pleased to announce that Tales of Aravorn: Seasons of the Wolf will be ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year!

A teenager with no name and no home wanders from one city to the next, burdened by the weight of his extraordinary ability. When he is accused of murdering a woman he’s never met, he sets out to prove his innocence and find the true killer. The investigation quickly takes a turn for the complicated when a strange voice appears in his head, warning him to watch his step.

Search for clues, interrogate witnesses, and find a murderer. Even with your extra abilities, it will still take solid facts and logic to prove your innocence!
Enjoy this cult classic indie mystery visual novel with HD art, backgrounds, and assets!

Developed by Sake Visual, Jisei: The First Case HD is a cult classic murder mystery visual novel now with updated art assets, the first entry in a mystery tetralogy! Ratalaika Games’ is pleased to announce that Jisei: The First Case HD will be ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch later this year!

That’s all of the announcements, do you want to know more? If so, please consider watching the 11-minute showcase video right below! It features new trailers for all the games on this list.

The post Ratalaika Games Showcases Several Visual Novels Heading to Consoles appeared first on oprainfall.

BEST BOY

Editor’s Note: There are no previous winners listed since this was not a category we voted on last year.

Here we are, folks! It is time for the boys to show their stuff. Going from the charming to the angsty to the downright adorable! With three contenders, let’s find out who stands above the others. With that said, it’s just nice to appreciate a good boy or two as well!

Dante (Devil May Cry 5)

NA Release Date: March 8th, 2019
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows (Steam)
Preview

Coming from the rear, Dante rushes out with his motorcycles and smooth dance moves. Okay, there is more to it than that but despite now being effectively old man Dante, he is a return to form with his charm and easygoing demeanor. Smile, laugh, and just have a good time with this old dude. Toast to you, Dante! Glad to have you back!

Dimitri (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

NA Release Date: July 26th, 2019
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Review

Going from stylish to swelling darkness within his poor heart, is Dimitri! Want a strong and sincere lad? Perhaps mixed in with some mental madness that makes you understand the poor man? Then he is the one for you. Even if he is the angsty one in this competition, he is still revered as one of the best main characters in the series to date.

Astolfo (Fate/EXTELLA LINK)

NA Release Date: March 19th, 2019
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows (Steam)
Review

When I said downright adorable, this is who I as referring to. Not only that, but I should mention he’s quite innocent in character and indeed a boy. Astolfo is here to be one of the paladins of Charlemagne once more. This charming rider takes to the skies, securing victory for all around him with grace and style!

And the winner is…

Astolfo!

Tada! The cute one is the winner of them all! Gramps and angst was just not enough for this adorable and charming lad! Sure Dante had style and Dimitri has a wonderful story to him, but I am pretty sure it is much harder to deny Astolfo’s ability to forget our worries away. Unless he can’t do that of course. But I think that would be a rarity, since look at those sparkles and smile! In any case, enjoy yourselves folks, see you next year as we ponder on who our favorites are for the year!

The post 2019 oprainfall Awards: Best Boy appeared first on oprainfall.

As Link later walked through the ruined Temple of Time, he told everyone that hopefully the one non-spawning object would be the barrier between where Link was standing and the end of the game at Hyrule Castle. In other words, the long-sought-after Barrier Skip would come to life before all of Twitch and the present audience. As Linkus7 finally got to where Hyrule Castle could be seen, the hated barrier was still there on the bridge. The room remained silent as Linkus7 continually rezoned back and forth between the Temple of Time and the pathway to Hyrule Castle while he explained that this part of a speedrun is always luck based and this is how people lose time during a run. Then, 54:23.5 minutes into the run, the barrier was gone and the live crowd deafeningly cheered and the oppressive tension that had been present from the very beginning when Linkus7 booted up this GameCube classic was released all at once.

This video starts from the beginning of Linus7’s run for AGDQ 2020. You really should down to watch the entire thing, as it is mesmerizing.

The post AGDQ Is an Event that Must be Experienced in Person appeared first on oprainfall.

I’m a little late on the Weekly Special, but you can still enjoy these savings until Jan 21. All links are affiliate and help us fund the site.

CODE:REALIZE – WINTERTIDE MIRACLES
Aksys Games – PS Vita

List price: US$ 34.99
Special price: US$ 29.99*
You save: US$ 5.00 (14%

LOST SPHEAR
Square Enix – PS4
Our Review

List price: US$ 21.99
Special price: US$ 18.99*
You save: US$ 3.00 (14%)

UMIHARA KAWASE FRESH!
Nicalis – Switch
Our Review

List price: US$ 18.99
Special price: US$ 16.99*
You save: US$ 2.00 (11%)

ACES OF THE LUFTWAFFE: SQUADRON
THQ Nordic – PS4

The post Playasia Weekly Specials Featuring Lost Sphear, and More appeared first on oprainfall.

Operation Rainfall was founded June 22, 2011 in order to push for the localization of a trilogy of Wii RPGs: Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower. Since successfully achieving our campaign goals, we have moved to covering the latest and greatest in video game and anime news. In celebration of the 2010 to 2019 decade ending, the staff put together a list of the top thirty-one best games that you simply cannot miss. In order to qualify for this list, the game had to:

1. Be released between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019 in North America.
2. Obtain at least a plurality of votes from our staff.
3. Re-releases from this decade were allowed for consideration, if the new release was a substantive increase of content over the original. For example, 2012 Persona 4: Golden would qualify due to the heavy amount of substantive new content included in that re-release versus 2008’s original release, but the HD re-release of 2008’s God of War: Chains of Olympus as part of the 2011 God of War: Origins Collection would not due to the minimal increase of new content.

Our writers then came together, and each picked up several games that they have played and loved, and talked about why each of those games are one of the thirty-one best video games from this past decade in each of the pieces to follow. Furthermore, a special thank you to Brandon Rose for the featured logo image.

Before reading on, feel free to check out choices for 2010/2011, 2012/2013 , 2014/2015, and 2016/2017 first!

Our final list will be published over five days in order of release date, covering two years per article. Today’s article covers the decade’s final best five games that were released between the years 2018 and 2019.

2018

27) Celeste

Publisher: Matt Makes Games
Platform(s): Linux / macOS / PC / Nintendo Switch / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
Release Date: January 25, 2018

Josh Speer says:

Celeste is one of those games you really have to experience for yourself. I remember being captivated by the old school art style when I first saw the Switch trailer, but didn’t really put much stock in the game at that point. Much, much later, I finally picked up Celeste, and was completely blown away. Not only was this a great indie game, it was one of the best of the decade.

Celeste is a very challenging platformer that still finds a way to feel fair. You play a young girl scaling a formidable mountain while dealing with her own emotional turmoil. Both narrative and gameplay are intricately intertwined, and by the time you make it to the top of the mountain, you’ll feel a rush of strong emotions. Or at least I did. This is a game that really spoke to me, and unlike most platformers, it’s packed with content. That is, assuming you’re willing to take life or death chances to find all Celeste has hidden away. A wonderful game, and one of my favorite indies of all time.

28) Mega Man 11

Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC / PS4 / Nintendo Switch / Xbox One
Release Date: October 2, 2018

Justin Guillou says:

After the release of Mega Man 10 back in 2010, fans of Capcom’s long running series have waited for almost an entire decade for the next greatest adventure in the Mega Man universe, and Capcom finally delivered with Mega Man 11.

This game was everything a Mega Man fan could ask for and more. It had clever level design, fun weapons, memorable bosses and a distinct and unique graphical style that is sure to stand the test of time. There were even some new and welcome additions such as the Double Gear which could not only be very helpful to new players but added a whole new layer and depth to the gameplay that more advanced players can take advantage of. Despite the new additions, it still felt very retro. This was very much the same kind of side scrolling Mega Man game that many of us grew up playing. And there are plenty of bonus modes, challenges, difficulties and unlockables and even an alternate arranged soundtrack to keep you coming back for more. If you’ve never played a Mega Man game before but had even a passing interest in the series, I can’t think of a better entry point than Mega Man 11.

29) Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: December 6, 2018

Marisa Alexander says:

One of gaming’s biggest crossovers is back and bigger than ever, especially how all characters returned. Super Smash Bros Ultimate saw the series hop from one generation to the next once more, this time with the ability to play at home or in portable mode thanks to the Switch. With brand new stages, Mii customization, new modes, and some help by Bandai Namco themselves to oversee balance for competitive fighting, the series was at its peak. It was both a great time to be a Smash fan and to get into the series.

Both fighter and stage presentation was absolutely marvelous, with a strange chaotic beauty amongst the fighting. Most characters were also exceptionally fun, allowing a niche for most people to settle on. With its abundance of rewards, the game had a wonderful staying power to its name, only further enhanced by DLC. Needless to say, this generation of Smash will be fondly remembered for a long time.

See our final two entries, from 2019- the final year in this decade- on the next page —->

The post Oprainfall’s Best Games of the Decade- Part Five: 2018-2019 appeared first on oprainfall.

I’ve been a fan of Shovel Knight since the very beginning, so it’s somewhat bittersweet covering the final DLC for the first game, King of Cards. Though I didn’t personally cover Plague of Shadows for the site, I did cover Specter of Torment, and it goes without saying I’ve played through every major update to the game in my limited free time. The first DLC adventure was a tale of villainous romance, the second was a tale of loss and vengeance, and King of Cards is a tale of ascension. King Knight might seem the least interesting of the other playable members of the Order of No Quarter, but Yacht Club did a good job of making his adventure lively and varied. Put simply, King of Cards is huge, and though you don’t have to play through every level to beat it, even racing through the game as I did, it is a longer than average Shovel Knight game. The real question for me was – is this the best DLC adventure for Shovel Knight?

Though this won’t be news to any fan of the series, King Knight is a bit of an odd choice for his own story. He’s a bit of a narcissistic buffoon, and you never get the impression there’s much brain hidden behind that golden helm. However, I do applaud the way his story was woven. The tale is told with a mix of the offbeat humor from Plague of Shadows and combat that is a mix of elements from that campaign as well as Specter of Torment. The cards in the title refer to an up and coming card game in the realm called Joustus. Not only is it a hit, but it’s drawn people together to compete for the title of champion. King Knight is all about being recognized as the best, and sets out to win the tournament, defeat the 3 Joustus Judges and get the recognition he feels is long overdue. Along the way he’ll acquire a quirky entourage of allies, and their personalities were a highlight. There doesn’t initially seem to be much more to the plot than that, but I promise the wrinkle eventually reveals itself later in the game, and though not entirely unexpected, it did a good job of keeping things entertaining.

I will say now, if you came to King of Cards expecting the level of storytelling and nuance from Specter of Torment, you’ll be disappointed. This is a very different story, and to be fair, each of the DLC campaigns is quite distinct stylistically. With that said, I did hope that there’d be a bit more backstory to King Knight than we got. You do learn that he’s very immature, and possibly young as well. His mother plays a large role in the story, and his reactions to her indicate he’s a teenager or young adult. To put it simply, King Knight is a bit of an ass, though thankfully that ties into the humor I mentioned earlier. I just wish we knew a bit more about him, such as whether he found or made that golden armor, and how he trained rats to work for him. At the end of each stage, you’ll grab a golden hoop suspended by your flying rat minions, and they’ll carry you away. That’s far from typical rat behavior, and more than anything, I’m really curious how someone that lacks intellectual curiosity like King Knight had the patience and knowledge to teach such advanced skills to animals. Or how he built those tiny propeller harnesses. Having said all that, overall I did enjoy the story in King of Cards, even if it was more shallow than Specter Knight’s tale.

Though I’ve been (rightfully) talking some shit about King Knight, I will say that he has certain things going for him. For one, he’s quite powerful in that golden armor, and can move surprisingly fast. His main attack is a powerful shoulder bash, and when he connects with something, be it foe or wall, he’ll do a fancy aerial spin. This is actually another attack, and by landing on anything except flat ground, you’ll continue bouncing and damage any foes you stomp. As if that wasn’t enough, when you land on proper terrain while spinning, such as swinging lanterns, you’ll reset your bash, and be able to do it again. This makes King Knight quite powerful and very versatile in how he fights and platforms. Most stages make use of this mechanic to force you to smash into things just to get aerial, and then use your spin to maneuver around. Sure, he’s not as nimble as Specter Knight or as tricky as Plague Knight, but he is really comfortable in a sort of middle lane between the two. I grew to really enjoy how he played, and found he was especially effective against many of the games bosses. You encounter Specter Knight as a boss early in the game, and I literally beat him in less than a minute. Now, that’s not to say the bosses in King of Cards are all pushovers, they aren’t. It’s just a good indication of how powerful King Knight can be once you learn his mechanics.

One way King of Cards is different from the other DLC adventures is the overall number of stages. I beat the game as fast as I could, and only got through about half of them. Quite frankly, there’s a plethora of stages, though to compensate, most are quite a bit smaller. Many stages only have one checkpoint, and only a rare few have two. That’s not to say that this game is super easy. Yes, the stages are shorter, but given how aggressive King Knight’s controls are, and how easy it can be to fall into a pit or damage yourself charging into foes, it evens out pretty well. I did appreciate how foes give up a heart after taking enough damage, as this really helped keep me from dying more. And though these are shorter stages, you’re given incentive to take your time playing them with Merit Medals. There’s typically 3 in every stage, and these are your primary currency with which to acquire Heirlooms (powerful artifacts that provide new abilities). There’s tons of Heirlooms in the game, though my favorite was probably the Turn Coat, which lets you deflect projectiles back at foes.

You might be wondering what you spend your money on, and the simple answer is Joustus. Though you get a free starter deck pretty early, you’ll want to buy new cards, as well as buy back those you lost. See, every time you lose a match, your opponent gets one of your cards. Which might seem unfair, except that you can buy back duplicates, or win them back by beating them again. Additionally, if you need the help, you can buy Cheats that provide powerful effects during Joustus matches. I’m not ashamed to admit I ended up needing these Cheats regularly, and the reason is simple – I’m terrible at Joustus.

More Joustus on Page 2 ->

The post REVIEW: Shovel Knight: King of Cards appeared first on oprainfall.

Operation Rainfall was founded June 22, 2011 in order to push for the localization of a trilogy of Wii RPGs: Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower. Since successfully achieving our campaign goals, we have moved to covering the latest and greatest in video game and anime news. In celebration of the 2010 to 2019 decade ending, the staff put together a list of the top thirty-one best games that you simply cannot miss. In order to qualify for this list, the game had to:

1. Be released between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019 in North America.
2. Obtain at least a plurality of votes from our staff.
3. Re-releases from this decade were allowed for consideration, if the new release was a substantive increase of content over the original. For example, 2012 Persona 4: Golden would qualify due to the heavy amount of substantive new content included in that re-release versus 2008’s original release, but the HD re-release of 2008’s God of War: Chains of Olympus as part of the 2011 God of War: Origins Collection would not due to the minimal increase of new content.

Our writers then came together, and each picked up several games that they have played and loved, and talked about why each of those games are one of the thirty-one best video games from this past decade in each of the pieces to follow. Furthermore, a special thank you to Brandon Rose for the featured logo image.

Before reading on, feel free to check out choices for 2010/2011, 2012/2013 , and 2014/2015 first!

Our final list will be published over five days in order of release date, covering two years per article. Today’s article covers the decade’s best seven games that were released between the years 2016 and 2017.

2016

20) Persona 5

Publisher: Atlus USA
Platform(s): PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4
Release Date: September 15, 2016

Patrick Aguda says:

Persona 5 takes place in Tokyo and follows the protagonist when he transfers to Shujin Academy after an event in his hometown changes his life drastically. The protagonist starts out as an outcast at the school, but after strange and supernatural events start to occur, he gets dragged into another dimension known as the Metaverse. Here, he discovers the power of Personas and learns of the work he can do with this newfound power. As time goes on, he gathers friends who share a similar goal in wanting to help change society, or change the hearts of those they find to be corrupt. The protagonist dons the codename ‘Joker’ and becomes the leader of these group of individuals known as the Phantom Thieves.

This game is the Persona series’ long-awaited entry on the PS4 and it was worth the wait. The game features beautiful cel-shaded graphics, an eye-catching UI and a nice recreation of Tokyo. It keeps the popular social simulation aspects introduced in Persona 3 and introduces a plethora of characters the protagonist can interact with and get to know. These confidants can offer the protagonist and his team special bonuses depending on their relationship rank. These bonuses can range from EXP sharing, to increased money gains, or even the ability to access new shops. The turn-based battle system returns and is still as solid as it was in previous entries. The music in the game is influenced heavily by jazz and sounds incredible. All the party members in the game are interesting and their confidant stories add much more depth to their characters. Persona 5 has excellent music, beautiful graphics, great characters, and solid turn-based gameplay. It is one of the best JRPG’s released this decade, and you’re doing yourself a great disservice if you haven’t tried it yet.

21) Titanfall 2

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms(s): PC / PlayStation 4 / Xbox One
Release Date: October 28, 2016

Walter P. says:

Released two years after its multiplayer focused predecessor, Titanfall 2 expanded on the setting from the original game. It focuses on Jack Cooper, a member of the Frontier Militia who participates in a failed attack on the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC). He comes across the Titan BT-7274 and the two learn to rely on each other as they face IMC forces including the Apex Predator mercenary group.

Titanfall 2 is gone of the best shooters from the last decade for the tweaks made to its multiplayer, but also for the campaign which shows more of the conflict between the Militia and IMC. Fighting while on foot is quick and when piloting a Titan you can feel their power. One of the highlights of the single player is the interactions between the Titan BT and Cooper which is said to have been inspired by buddy cop movies, along with some anime. One of the biggest downsides to the game is that the campaign is a bit short and it wouldn’t have hurt to see some more Cooper and BT working together. That being said, the adventure between the pilot and Titan is something worth experiencing.

See our 2017 winners on page 2 ->

The post Oprainfall’s Best Games of the Decade- Part Four: 2016-2017 appeared first on oprainfall.

Operation Rainfall was founded June 22, 2011 in order to push for the localization of a trilogy of Wii RPGs: Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower. Since successfully achieving our campaign goals, we have moved to covering the latest and greatest in video game and anime news. In celebration of the 2010 to 2019 decade ending, the staff put together a list of the top thirty-one best games that you simply cannot miss. In order to qualify for this list, the game had to:

1. Be released between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019 in North America.
2. Obtain at least a plurality of votes from our staff.
3. Re-releases from this decade were allowed for consideration, if the new release was a substantive increase of content over the original. For example, 2012 Persona 4: Golden would qualify due to the heavy amount of substantive new content included in that re-release versus 2008’s original release, but the HD re-release of 2008’s God of War: Chains of Olympus as part of the 2011 God of War: Origins Collection would not due to the minimal increase of new content.

Our writers then came together, and each picked up several games that they have played and loved, and talked about why each of those games are one of the thirty-one best video games from this past decade in each of the pieces to follow. Furthermore, a special thank you to Brandon Rose for the featured logo image.

Before reading on, feel free to check out choices for 2010/2011 or our choices for 2012/2013 first!

Our final list will be published over five days in order of release date, covering two years per article. Today’s article covers the decade’s best five games that were released between the years 2014 and 2015.

2014

15) Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Publisher: Nintendo
Platform(s): Nintendo Wii U / Nintendo Switch
Release Date(s): May 30, 2014 / April 28, 2017

Quentin H. says:

Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have up to twelve (12) players competing at once across forty-eight (48) tracks in twelve (12) cups and across four (4) cc modes. In Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, there were thirty-six (36) characters to play as in total, and that total increased by five more in the 2017 Nintendo Switch release. In addition to all these racing cups and characters and modes, there was also a Battle Mode where people would fight each other online to see who can last the longest. While Mario Kart 8‘s Battle Mode was fairly lackluster, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s Battle Mode gave players eight (8) areas to battle and destroy/collect coins/escape from jail (just go with it) in. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was a re-release of Mario Kart 8 with all of the DLC from the first entry thrown in alongside some new surprises.

Both of these games are some of the best multiplayer experiences that you are going to have across any platform at any time in gaming history. Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have an ease of accessibility so that anyone, from ages 8 to 88 can sit down, play a few races, and go anywhere from last place to first place (or vice versa!) in just a few moments with a well-timed Blue Shell. The courses themselves are varied, the graphics are beautiful, and it is easy to say “just one more race” to your friends while playing together on a rooftop or at a skateboard rink on the Nintendo Switch. The Battle Mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is also the best in the entire series, and the modes are varied enough and short enough in length that no one feels frustrated from not being in first for long. I honestly think that these joint titles are well-worth being some of the best multiplayer of this past decade.

16) Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS

Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 3, 2014

Marisa Alexander says:

During 2014, Nintendo released its new entry for Super Smash Bros. after massive amounts of hype, or dare we say, two new entries. Yes, even Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS gets some love. There was something marvelous back then about bringing one of the best games to play with friends on the go. It even had unique stages and an entire game mode all to itself. All in all, the 3DS version actually is able to stand toe to toe with its console counterpart.

Even on a lower resolution and weaker hardware, the models for the characters looked wonderful, fluid and easy to keep track of the action. Not to mention the game’s unique mode, Smash Run, was by far one of the most genius modes in a game to date. Running around a gigantic maze opening chests, finishing challenges, and defeating enemies to collect stat boosts to prepare for a grand final battle was a fantastic treat. Not to mention this version’s take on Classic mode just so happens to be one of the best Classic modes to date, granting this game practically immortal replay value.

Go to 2015 on Page 2 ->

The post Oprainfall’s Best Games of the Decade- Part Three: 2014-2015 appeared first on oprainfall.