Summon Night 6 Hands-On Impressions

Far away from the sensory overload that is E3, I had the chance to visit famed localizer Victor Ireland. This is a man many an RPG fan should know as the former president of Working Designs – best known for bringing the Lunar series to our shores.

Nearly a decade after forming his new studio and working on smaller titles, Gaijinworks is now focusing on giving the Summon Night series a chance to penetrate the Western market. After last year’s well-received 5th entry, they look to capitalize on their efforts with Summon Night 6: Lost Borders.

Attack On Titan Hands-On Impressions

I can’t say I have spent a lot of time with Attack On Titan as a property. Sure, I read several volumes of the manga and the first dozen episodes of the TV anime, but I still don’t know much about the characters or the overarching plot that was introduced after I had already given up on the material.

Walking into the Koei Tecmo closed meeting room at E3, I noticed the giant poster adorned on the wall to promote the upcoming release from the company’s subsidiary, Omega Force, best known for their Dynasty Warriors games – a series I am a huge fan of. 

Two Brothers is everything my childhood fell in love with

Originally Posted on  August 21, 2012: Link.

Two Brothers is a provocative new project from the indie team AckkStudios, a small group of developers who show a clear passion for the games of yesteryear. Instead of dwelling on what came before them, they are taking it only on a conceptual and artistic level and delivering what has the potential to be a very entertaining adventure.

In the beginning moments of the demo, everything exists in 8-bit monochrome. A young scientist named Roy is out to learn more about this mysterious land with the help of his partner, Mark, who serves as more of a mule but makes up for it with his fighting abilities. Breaching the themes of life and death, Roy is entranced by his first discovery of color and wishes to seek it out once again. Think of a more fantastical and mythological version of Pleasantville and you’re partway there.

Zack’s Best of E3 2013 Awards

Originally Posted on  June 26, 2013: Link.

2013 marked the fourth time I have been to E3, and it quickly became the most exciting. I have been shaken up before, but this year was complete sensory overload. There are new consoles coming out, developers are starting to really get the hang of the latest technology available on the different platforms, mobile is finally starting to look like something worth caring about, and the RPG genre really looks like it will hit its peak once again over the next 18 months.

With all of that in mind, I would like to share with you the games that I felt were the most exciting and the most promising of many that were out there during the event. Before we get started, let me make this clear – I did not get to see every single game on the show floor or in the closed meeting rooms. That includes titles like Dark Souls II and what Natsume was showing their booth (sorry, guys!). However, from the several that I did have a chance to see, I felt I made the right decisions. Please enjoy!