A beginner’s guide to Advance Wars

While the Fire Emblem series has been experiencing a renaissance, the same couldn’t be said for its longtime compatriot, Advance Wars. The other strategy franchise from Intelligent Systems has been dormant since 2008. Well… not anymore! And we’re psyched. But until Re-Boot Camp releases, digging back into those older titles is the way to go. Where should you start? Read on.

Read more

A beginner’s guide to Etrian Odyssey

Back in 2007, Atlus decided to use the Nintendo DS to do something ambitious. It brought back the days of first-person RPGs with original party members you had to customize and dungeons you needed to map. Thanks to the handheld’s design, the bottom screen allowed people to practice cartography as they played. Since then, 10 games have been released, each bringing something new to adventurers. Which should you try? What might be right for you?

Read more

A beginner’s guide to Persona

Atlus’ Persona series has exploded in popularity. This means there are not only mainline installments, but also ports, updated releases, reimaginings and spin-offs. There are all interesting games that do cool things with elements from the series, but it is also a series where you probably shouldn’t go and begin with the very first game. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to find a good starting point.

Read more