strategy

Valkyria Chronicles 4 Demo Impressions

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Mashing together elements of anime characters and story, European watercolour visuals, Advance Wars strategy, and the type of third-person action you’d find in the Gears of War series, the first Valkyria Chronicles was a novel take on the turn-based strategy game. I didn’t play it until years after the fact and it made a strong imprint on my heart, even though it got too tough towards the end and I never finished it. Not having owned a PSP, I wasn’t able to play the next two entries in the main series, but Valkyria Chronicles 4 is just weeks away from arriving on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Having taken the lengthy demo for a spin on the Switch, I’m very excited to rejoin the battle.

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Quick Look at the Valkyria Chronicles 4 Demo

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I was taken aback at how long the Valkyria Chronicles 4 demo was to the point where I didn’t have enough time to finish it while streaming the other night. For now, here’s a look at the first two missions in the demo! Full demo impressions coming soon!

Buy Valkyria Chronicles 4 Now From Amazon.com

 

SteamWorld Heist Review

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Before the release of SteamWorld Dig 2, Image & Form expanded on the SteamWorld franchise with a 2D turn-based strategy game. SteamWorld Heist is that game. Set in space, you control a team of robot space pirates as they venture through the galaxy, oftentimes finding themselves caught in gunfights within enemy ships. Is this a secret gem in the SteamWorld series?

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Valkyria Chronicles 4 Coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

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Sega’s innovative strategy series Valkyria Chronicles is getting a new sequel. Unlike the poorly-received spin-off that came out recently, Valkyria Chronicles 4 marks a return of the franchise’s unique blend of turn-based strategy and third-person combat. While I never finished the first game, I really enjoyed what I played of it. With it coming out to the Switch, I think I would prefer to play this on that device, as I would gladly sacrifice some graphical fidelity in exchange for the convenience of the platform. Being able to play a meaty strategy game on my commute would be perfect. Looking forward to playing this one in 2018!

Buy Valkyria Chronicles Remastered Now From Amazon.com

Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Review

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When internal images and documents surrounding the marketing of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle leaked, I shuddered a little bit. From the core concept of mashing these two franchises together, to the corporate speak used to make the game sound cool, I had my concerns that this had disaster written all over it. Then E3 happened and perceptions changed again. Taking these two franchises and putting them in an XCOM-style turn-based strategy game made the product even weirder, though it also looked like it had potential to be something special.

In a year where Nintendo has continually surprised us, they, along with Ubisoft, surprise us yet again. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a great game.

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Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Live Stream

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Working my way through world 2 of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle while speaking a bit about my Fan Expo 2017 experience!

Buy Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle Now From Amazon.com

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Review

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Over the course of seven games released outside of Japan, only one Fire Emblem title has failed to impress me. That dud is Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. Starring Marth, arguably better known now for his appearance in the Smash Bros. series, it was a remake of the first game in the series. Despite featuring updated graphics, its antiquated story and gameplay remained, leaving a lot to be desired for players who jumped on the bandwagon through more refined entries in the franchise.

My concern all along for Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia was that it would suffer the same fate as Shadow Dragon. As a remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, the second game in the series that was initially released in 1992, its fair to assume at the outset that this also would have aged poorly. Does this remake suffer the same fate as its predecessor? Continue reading →

What Happened to Advance Wars?

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Years before I knew what Fire Emblem was, I was a die-hard Advance Wars fan. Upon its original release on the Gameboy Advance in 2001, it opened my eyes to the wonderful world of turn-based strategy. Beyond being my first foray, it’s still one of my favourites.

The series would get three more sequels before Nintendo quietly stopped supporting the series in 2008. Meanwhile, its sibling game Fire Emblem has taken off to become a marquee Nintendo franchise. What happened to Advance Wars? And what can be done to bring it back?

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Fire Emblem: Heroes Impressions

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Many years ago, I played a game on iOS called War of Eustrath. It was in essence, Fire Emblem with mechs. While I had fun with it for what it was, it ultimately just made me long for the day when a true Fire Emblem experience would appear on iOS. It only took seven years, but better late than ever, right?

Nintendo’s marquee tactical RPG finally makes its debut on mobile phones with Fire Emblem: Heroes. Unlike Pokemon Go and Super Mario Run, this one is built on a very traditional mobile game monetization model. Is this worth the grind or your hard earned money?

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XCOM 2 Review

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Remember that time in the XCOM reboot where you saved the world from the alien invasion? Whatever good you did eventually got undone. By the time XCOM 2 begins, the world has been enslaved by the aliens for many years. At this point, the XCOM group is nothing more than an underground movement fighting with scraps. With the odds worse than ever, can you muster up the will to fend off the alien forces one more time?

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