What Is Techno Again?

From the makers of BlazBlue comes a Persona 4 fighting game

Which sounds good to me. I love Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, and Arc System Works looks like it’s aiming for something similar with Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena (details on the characters, their moves, and their awakening attacks over at Siliconera). Who’s interested?

I enjoy other fighting game series—such as Soulcalibur, Tekken, and Street Fighter—but they don’t captivate me as well as Guilty Gear and BlazBlue do. The characters are unique and interesting, spout hilarious one-liners (in the case of BlazBlue, anyway), and can unleash some seriously awesome moves—in other words, they have more personality than they do an anatomically incorrect amount of muscle.

Tags: Arc System Works, awakening attacks, BlazBlue, fighting game, Guilty Gear, Persona 4, The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena
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The biggest games coming to Vita and 3DS in 2012

And here’s the continuation of yesterday’s console article, featuring the top ten most anticipated Vita and 3DS games of 2012.

As an update to the big fifteen console games of this year, Diablo III has just been confirmed for consoles. W00t!

Tags: 3DS, Diablo III, Nintendo, PlayStation, Vita
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time review: You’re too young to understand

This review is for the GameCube port of the game included in The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition.

Following The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with Ocarina of Time—or more precisely, continuing Ocarina of Time after my Skyward Sword fever wore off—guarantees an expert eye at detecting similarities and differences between the two games. Although I had never played Ocarina of Time in the past (the real past), it was because I was engaged in Skyward Sword that I knew how to maximize Link’s abilities in OoT. Rolling into trees to shake out items is just one of the many tricks that apparently translate from Zelda to Zelda.

I couldn’t help but compare Ocarina of Time to Skyward Sword, and not always in a flattering way. I wanted to keep the foolproof aiming, the orchestral score, and the convenient checkpoints from the newer title. It wasn’t my intention to play favorites. I wanted to enjoy the 3D Zelda that everyone had raved about for over a decade, and in some ways I did, but mostly I longed to return skyward.

After bringing peace to Skyloft, I could focus more clearly on Ocarina of Time. I can understand why the game, which gives you all the time in the world, is succeeded by a title (Majora’s Mask) that gives you no time at all. Zelda isn’t afraid to experiment with time (Oracle of Ages), alternate realities (A Link to the Past), and even size (The Minish Cap), so it makes sense that Nintendo would flip the switch in the other direction. Ocarina of Time handles the seven-year divide of child to adult Link well, even for a game that’s host to some of the biggest spoilers in video game history.

(more…)

Tags: Collector's Edition, GameCube, N64, Nintendo, Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda
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The biggest games coming to PS3, Xbox 360, and PC/Macs in 2012

Start saving your money and marking your calendar—in my latest editorial for GameZone, I list the top fifteen most anticipated console games of 2012. The games range from big budget blockbusters to some welcome additions and underdogs, so be sure to take a look.

I’ll be following this up with a list of ten great upcoming handheld games, so check back soon.

Tags: consoles, Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
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Top PSP and 3DS games of 2011

Besides being handhelds, the PSP and 3DS have one other big thing in common: Neither system is doing so hot. The long underused PSP is making its exit as Sony prepares to usher in the Vita, and the Nintendo 3DS debuted to much disappointment and disapproval. The past year has been a turbulent one for the handhelds, but not altogether fruitless. Check out the best PSP and 3DS games of 2011.

Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, PSP, Sony
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