A beginner’s guide to Star Ocean

Star Ocean is one of those series that did, and still does, things that others don’t. Think of it as a JRPG for fans of series like Star Trek. The casts regularly involve people from more advanced civilizations getting involved with those who are still growing, even though there are various measures in place to allegedly stop that sort of interference. As a result, we get energy weapons, cyborgs, magic and people who can turn into cats. It is a lot to take in, and Michibiku is here to help you on your way into this ocean of stars.

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What do you need to know about Groove Coaster?

There are plenty of different sorts of rhythm games available in Japan. Since they typically don’t require much knowledge of the language to succeed, they’re great candidates for importers worldwide to enjoy. Fortunately for fans of the genre, that isn’t necessary with some series. Taito’s Groove Coaster series has been making a big showing worldwide! Which means you should probably know more about it.

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Atelier Ryza feels like an alchemist who could successfully lead multiple games

In Dengeki PlayStation, an interesting tidbit came up. Gust’s Junzo Hosoi, who produced Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout, noted that the developer could bring Ryza back to be the lead for the next game in this possible series. To be specific, Hosoi compared it to maybe being like the Harry Potter series. While it might be an unfamiliar idea for Atelier, it would work rather well for a possible Atelier Ryza trilogy.

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Atelier Ryza’s item synthesis system is incredibly intuitive

Gust is always changing how alchemy works in Atelier games. The synthesis system is in flux, with different means of piecing things together appearing almost every time. Sometimes, you’ll have more puzzling moments. The Mysterious series has entries with grids and ingredients having different colors and shapes to fill boxes. The Arland trilogy tended to have you picking items from lists. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout changes up everything in the best sort of way, and the result is an entry where it is easier to become an invested alchemist.

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Review: Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD tries to reshape a Wii launch game’s legacy

By any given measure, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a reclamation project of sorts. Banana Blitz wasn’t a particularly well-received entry at the time, and the intervening years have not seen a late fandom grow around it. So why is it, of all the Super Monkey Ball games, getting a remaster? One potential reason is that decision-makers at Sega thought it had an undiscovered appeal buried under its early motion controls and lack of development focus.

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Review: Atelier Ryza shows the series is growing up

Most of Gust’s Atelier games feel alike. A young woman decides she wants to become an alchemist and goes about honing her skills, proving herself and solving some major problem along the way. Every entry seems to have a priority, be it the exploration elements, item creation, relationships or story, but none of the installments released since Atelier Rorona feel like a step forward. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is a great big jump in almost every way.

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Appreciating distinctive Monster Hunter-likes

Thanks to Monster Hunter World, the series has exploded in popularity. People might experience it, go through its Iceborne expansion, then wonder what’s next. While moving on to another entry in that series is a possibility, it isn’t the only option. The series is so popular, it has inspired a whole collection of contemporaries who do similar things. Best of all, some of them explore the space to try and improve on areas Monster Hunter doesn’t touch.

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The Alliance Alive HD Remastered is a cleaner and clearer experience

The Alliance Alive HD Remastered is upon us. Soon, people will have a chance to go through one of the better Furyu JRPGs released recently. While the obvious perk is having an HD version of the game available on more platforms, there are a lot of other things that have been adjusted to make the experience a little more pleasant on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC. In fact, while some minor things have changed, it’s definitely a good way to play.

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