Sony

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza series is undoubtedly one of gaming’s most unique franchises, with a duality nearly unrivaled in any medium. Across seven main iterations, an expansive cast of colorful characters have chaperoned players ...

2015’s Citizens of Earth was a decidedly mixed experience. Although developer Eden Industries’ procession of pop-culture references, Earthbound-inspired quirk, and ever-growing entourage of recruitable everyday types was occasionally clever, it also suffered from serious executional ...

The term ‘Galápagos Syndrome’ was coined to describe an intriguing situation that emerged with Japanese mobile phones. These wondrously evolved devices were undoubtedly some of the best phones on the market. But they weren’t compatible ...

Media sequels can fall victim to their own version of middle-child syndrome. Whereas inaugural efforts revel in world-building as well as character backstory, and concluding episodes are elevated by contributing a sense of closure, middle ...

Inevitably, there will probably be a few prudish critics who will dismiss Kotodama: The 7 Mysteries of Fujisawa as little more than lecherous fan-service. Regularly, the game offers up a match-three puzzler where combos remove ...

The industry’s dominant puzzle franchises have been around for a while. Tetris is thirty-five years old, while Taito’s Puzzle Bobble (aka Bust-A-Move in North America) has been around for twenty-five years. Even Puyo Puyo is ...

Button mashing is term to describe the act of hitting controller buttons in a wild act of desperation. It’s often used to describe a rookie trying to fortuitously trigger a combo or special move. Occasionally, ...

Much like Keith Richards, the Bubsy franchise refutes the rules of longevity. The Rolling Stones’ guitarist persists despite a lifetime of bacchanalian revelry. Similarly, Accolade’s bobcat enigmatically endures, even after a succession of slipshod sequels. ...

Occasionally, games can seem like a jumble of ideas, with little sense of unity. Or perhaps, efforts like the recent release of Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland happen to blend ideas together so seamlessly, ...

Not long ago, almost every first- and third-person shooter included a single player campaign. That’s not the case anymore. Titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege have all ditched ...