Rune Factory 4 takes its life-sim delegation seriously, and the amount of available gameplay it contains across dozens of activities is borderline staggering. Though its RPG elements wouldn't stand on their own and the visuals come up a bit short (specifically a disappointing lack of good stereoscopic 3D), Rune Factory 4 is charming fun, and a pleasure to regularly get lost in if you decide to do so.
Finally, we have a scrap of good news to grasp at regarding Wii U sales. Or at least, Nintendo makes it sound pretty good. According to the Japanese hardware and software giant, sales of the near-literally flailing Wii U console have experienced a drastic 685% spike in the UK, following the release of superb remake The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. Holy percentage points, Batman.
Ever wonder how something as pop culture-y as selfies made it into the latest Zelda game? C'mon, you know what I'm talking about - much like Grand Theft Auto V, Nintendo latest Zelda remake has included the ability to take pictures of oneself in various locales, ranging from the charming to the precarious to the downright hilarious. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD did already have a camera as part of its gameplay -- lovingly dubbed the Picto Box by the game's creators -- but apparently getting Link to physically spin it around and snap a photo of himself was not the easiest of features to implement.
If you've been following my posts as of late, you'll know I'm pretty amped for Atlus's upcoming 2D fighter AquaPazza. Rather than listen to me verbally ogle the game all over again, you'd probably be better served getting the scoop from some of these old posts. HYPE.
Rune Factory is the new Harvest Moon. That's what I was told, anyways - and thus, I grabbed Rune Factory 4 and have been tearing through the game ever since. I never did play Harvest Moon before it went on two year hiatus, but it looks like I may soon get the chance after all as in this week's Famitsu, series developer Marvelous AQL revealed that a new game in the farming series is coming to 3DS, and is on track for a February release.
So Drakengard 3 is the prequel to the original Drakengard, is the right Square? I'd personally opt to name it Drakengard Negative One if it were me, but that's why I don't work for a major videogame publisher. At any rate, we now know thanks to a press release from Square Enix earlier today that Drakengard 3, the latest entry in the company's action-RPG hack-and-slash (and fly-and-slash), is a real game that is coming to the PlayStation 3 in 2014.
F1 2013 might seem like a Formula One fan's dream exclusively, but writing it off as that alone would be an unfair assumption. Contained within is a surprisingly accessible, yet deep racer that is fun and challenging regardless of your prior engagement level with the F1 world. If you're a superfan you'll enjoy it that much more, but those folks likely already made their decision ahead of time.
Though its Kickstarter campaign has ended, the game is funded, and a surprising number of stretch goals have been reached, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is still looking to stretch even further than anyone ever really imagined it could.
I'm pretty sure everyone loves bundles, and European PS4 owners have already been getting their hopes up for the previously confirmed but not specifically detailed PS4 value-packs that will launch alongside the system come holiday. IGN has confirmed this morning that there will be a number of options regarding which games can be bundled with a PS4, and both Watch Dogs and Killzone: Shadow Fall are on the list. Nice!
Grand Theft Auto V had the biggest launch in gaming history. It netted $800 million on its first day, and reached a billion in two more. Yet, not even the mighty Rockstar is immune to shaky online launches - GTA V's multiplayer counterpart, Grand Theft Auto Online, has been suffering major issues since it went live, and until today there had been little sign of a solution in sight. Luckily, Rockstar has now completed a patch that should fix most of the major issues that have been cropping up.
