Handheld Reviews

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan Review

Developer: Atlus | Publisher: Atlus
Players: | Release Date: 02/26/13 | Genre: RPG

Hi, my name is Kaleb and I am a fan of RPG’s! This should come as no surprise to any of you who have followed my reviews, tweets, Facebook messages, or my gaming library at home. Though my love for Role Playing Games grows deep, I could never find enjoyment, in the past, of the Dungeon Crawling subgenre of RPG’s. This has changed recently and it began with Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 04/19/13

ESRB Details: Rated for Mild Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, & Mild Suggestive Themes. This is a role-playing game in which players control a group of fighters that explore fantastical labyrinths. Players engage in turn-based combat against a variety of fantasy creatures (e.g., large insects, slime creatures, sorcerers), selecting moves from a menu-based set of options. Attack moves are accompanied by light effects, bashing sounds, and hit point values. One labyrinth contains a hallway and a door that is stained with blood; a bear is also depicted with red stains on its fur and claws. A few female characters are depicted wearing bikini/low-cut tops that expose deep cleavage; one line of suggestive dialogue states, 'I gotta lady boner harder dan steel for dat stuff!' The words “bastard,” “damn,” and “hell” appear in dialogue.
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Shin Megami: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Review

Developer: Atlus | Publisher: Atlus
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 04/16/13 | Genre: RPG

In 1997, the Sega Saturn was a hot system in Japan. Sadly, many of the RPG’s released on that platform, and during those times, never found a way to make it outside of the land of the rising sun. As the years have passed, the industry has grown, and niche titles have found a larger audience, companies like Atlus are willing to take a few more risks. Fourteen years after the original title was released on the Sega Saturn, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is finally out in North America.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 04/18/13

ESRB Details: Rated for Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, and Violence. This is a role-playing game in which players assume the role of a young hacker involved with demons in a fantasy metropolis. Players explore dungeons, negotiate with enemies, and engage in turn-based battles with human and demon-like creatures. Players mostly use firearms and magic spells to kill a variety of demons, spirits and other enemies. Damage is sometimes indicated by screen-shaking effects and punching/zapping sounds. Still-frame sequences depict other violent imagery: figures with blood on their faces; characters clutching bloody wounds or standing in pools of blood. During the course of the game, some female demons wear outfits that expose their breasts; others have phallic-shaped heads or torsos. A couple of demons (e.g., “Incubus,” and “Succubus”) have sexual characteristics that are detailed in text (e.g., “It ravishes women while they sleep, impregnating them' and 'They visit sleeping men and tempt them into engaging in sexual congress with them”). The words “sh*t” and “a*shole” appear in dialogue.
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BookBook for iPad

Developer: Twelvesouth | Publisher: Twelvesouth
Players: N/A | Release Date: 05/18/13 | Genre: Accessory

Style, elegance, and uniqueness. These are but a few words that come to mind when visioning the BookBook for iPad. I have had the pleasure of slipping my new Retina-enabled iPad 3 into the BookBook and toting it around to various places and speaking engagements.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 05/09/12

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Kid Icarus: Uprising

Developer: Nintendo | Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 03/23/12 | Genre: Action

The 3DS seems to be jinxed by the same games drought that has affected other Nintendo hardware in the past. So it is without a doubt that Kid Icarus: Uprising is a key title for the future of Nintendo’s 3DS platform. Speaking of platforms, should we beware of a game that includes a small stand to play it?

By Dominick Fleres - 04/26/12

ESRB Details: Rated for Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes. This is an action game in which players assume the role of Pit, a winged warrior tasked with saving the world. As players run, jump, and fly through colorful levels, they use swords and energy bursts to defeat fantasy creatures (e.g., one-eyed blobs, giant snakes, mythical creatures). Players can engage in ranged and melee-style combat, sometimes using crosshair targets to shoot down enemies. Combat includes brief explosions, cries of pain, and slashing sounds. During the course of the game, one female character wears a tight outfit that accentuates her cleavage/buttocks. Some scenes also reference suggestive material (e.g., “[Y]ou better not be thinking of anything . . . naughty” and “Someone's overcompensating.”/“Feeling a little inadequate, Virindi?”). The dialogue contains brief references to bathroom humor: “[This environment is] actually pretty cute. Especially when you compare it to his . . . bowels” and “Well, there's more than one way to get rid of a bad chicken nugget. Maybe I should just expel you [from my body] the old-fashioned way.”
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Hunters: Episode One HD Brings Strategy to IOS

Developer: Rodeo Games | Publisher: Rodeo Games
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 05/18/13 | Genre: Strategy

With the changes 2K Games has in mind for the X-COM franchise, there is a big void left in the strategy space. Fortunately for owners of an iPad device, there is Hunters: Episode One HD to satisfy the hunger for the strategy genre. Recently relaunched with a new price point, Hunters: Episode One HD has you lead a squad of marines on a variety of independent missions to gain experience, upgrade skills, aquire new equipment, and increase the number of squad members you have. It does this all with a style and gameplay that is perfect for Apple's Tablet device.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 07/29/11

ESRB Details: As with all IOS games, they are not currently rated by the ESRB. However, Hunters: Episode One HD is a relatively safe game for most users. Players use a squad of marines to go on a series of missions. Each mission requires you to kill the other side. Killing a player results in their body falling down with some blood shown. No language or other offensive material is present in the current build we covered. As with all IOS titles, title updates can change the content.
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Tiny Tower eats up BIG Time

Developer: NimbleBit | Publisher: NimbleBit
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 05/18/13 | Genre: Simulation

Tiny Tower, from Developer NimbleBit, is the latest in their "Freemium" titles for the IOS platform. Currently available as a Universal Application, this addictive simulation will leave you happily managing a tower full of Bitizens in your attempt at building floors to reach the heavens. NimbleeBit isn't new to the idea of "Freemium" games. Their last title, Pocket Frogs, mixed a bit of Pokemon with Chocobo Breeding to create a weird mix of fun. Though it wasn't my cup of tea, it really caught on.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 07/29/11

ESRB Details: IOS Games are not rated by the ESRB. Tiny Tower, however, is a game that is safe for the whole family and features cute 8 bit looking characters as you manage a Tower full of Bitizens and floors of Apartments and Businesses for them to work in. Due to the addicting nature of the title, just be careful with how easy it is to make in-game purchases to speed up your Tower Building.
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Half-Minute Hero

Developer: Opus | Publisher: XSEED Games
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 10/13/09 | Genre: RPG

Tired of the same old boring Role Playing Games on your sophisticated PlayStation Portable? Just looking for something original to play? XSeed, Marvelous Entertainment, and Developer Opus Studio have just the game for you--Half-Minute Hero. While the game won't impress you visually, it more than makes up for it in originally and fun.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 10/31/09

ESRB Details: - Animated Blood, Language, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes - This is a collection of retro-style games with 8-bit graphics that includes a role-playing game, a scrolling shooter, a real-time strategy game, and an action game. Most games feature small characters engaged in minimal depictions of violence: casting magic spells, poking monsters with swords, tossing arrows at mushroom creatures that turn into coins. However, the dialogue punctuates the combat with phrases like 'Prepare to Die,' 'I'll beat you to a bloody pulp,' and 'Kill 'im.'' One weapon, 'bloody axe,' depicts a red blade accompanied by the following text description: 'The edge is blood red. But it's not rusted, mind you.' The expletives 'a*s,' 'damn,' and 'hell' also appear in text. In some scenes, female characters wear thigh-exposing short-shorts or tops that expose deep cleavage—in 8-bit graphics.
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Disgaea 2

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software | Publisher: NIS America
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 09/08/09 | Genre: Strategy RPG

While there may be several strategy RPGs out there, only a few franchises stand head-and-shoulders above the rest. One is Final Fantasy Tactics, which was really the first title to bring the genre into the mainstream. Another beloved franchise is Disgaea, the quirky Japanese strategy game that augments its deep and complex mechanics with a healthy dose of black humor. The franchise, which originally launched on the PS2, has been steadily porting its back catalogue to the PSP, normally with plenty of bonus features and added content. That’s definitely the story here, and it’s why Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days is not only a worthy addition to the franchise, but the definitive version of the game.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 08/10/09

ESRB Details: Language, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
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Scribblenauts

Developer: 5th Cell | Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 09/15/09 | Genre: Puzzle

Creativity is something lacking in our industry today. Many claim to have some original concepts or ideas--but very few actually deliver. When a company does achieve something truly creative, it is hard to point out and complain about any faults within the product. Such is the case with Scribblenauts. This Nintendo DS title is so fun and creative but has a few glaring issues that may cause some complain.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 09/29/09

ESRB Details: - Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief - This is a puzzle game in which players navigate a series of traps, puzzles, and enemies to collect stars scattered throughout the colorful levels. Players have the ability to summon different objects by writing/typing in the word (e.g., bike, spaceship, lion) and watching it come to life. If multiple words are entered in a sequence, different whimsical scenarios can be triggered: a bicycle can be used to jump over a baby; a bulldozer can clear away a shark; and cabbage can be fed to dinosaurs. Players can elect to summon 'cartoony' versions of bats, bombs, guns, and flamethrowers. These types of items can be used to destroy objects or even other summoned items (e.g., a club can be used to hit an animal; steak can be attached to a baby to attract lions; rockets can be lobbed at a man). These triggered animations are minimally depicted and are usually accompanied by popping, musical sound effects; bright, star-shaped flashes; or small puffs of smoke. If players wish to, they may type in the word vomit, which causes a beige-colored lump to appear on the screen.
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Wolfenstein RPG

Developer: id Software | Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1 Player Game | Release Date: 05/11/09 | Genre: Action/RPG

The gaming gods at id Software have been hard at work trying to get as many awesome titles into the hands of gamers. With projects like RAGE set to change the genre of First Person Shooter for the better, they haven't forgotten about the mobile market. In fact, Wolfenstein RPG is so good, it will make you wish they threw more resources at the iPhone platform.

By Kaleb Rutherford - 08/26/09