This is a column by Jason Schreier dedicated to the analysis (and occasional mocking) of his favorite genre, the Japanese role-playing game. Whether it's because they're too antiquated or just too niche, he believes JRPGs don't get enough attention in the gaming industry today. It's time to change that.


As gamers, we spend a lot of time playing God. Whether it's building worlds in Minecraft or destroying them in Skyrim, we're always looking for ways to manipulate forces that are normally beyond our control.

Some games even allow us to play God in less subtle ways. Simulation games like Ubisoft's From Dust and 2K's Civilization series allow us to steer the course of history and directly guide the fates of entire populations.(Continue Reading...)

NanaOn-Sha's spooky Kinect game, Haunt, may have missed its original launch ... erm ... year, but it turns out that it won't be by much. A representative from the studio told Joystiq this evening that the game will be available via Xbox Live Arcade, on January 18 for 800 MS Points ($10).

Haunt is materializing exclusively on XBLA and is the first of several neat Japanese Kinect projects first announced at Tokyo Game Show in... (Continue Reading...)


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