Which Kingdom Hearts games should you play?

By Jenni Lada // 1.14.194.25.19

Kingdom Hearts has exploded. While Kingdom Hearts III is only the third game in the trilogy, it is one of many titles that rounds out the series’ lore. It is a lot to take in, and people might not have time to go through all of it. Fortunately, our guide is here to help!

To help better illustrate what is going on and what you should be playing, here is the full timeline going through when every game happens and if you should watch or play through each one.

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Let’s look at Fire Emblem’s transforming races

By Jenni Lada // 12.3.1812.3.18

There are a lot of animal-people in the Fire Emblem series! These are different races who transform into actual animals in battle, while occasionally maintaining some of these features while in their humanoid forms. Hearing about laguz or taguel can be confusing, especially since these races are not universal and may only be present in a few select entries.

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What do you need to know about Jake Hunter Detective Story?

By Jenni Lada // 9.17.1810.26.18

Adventure games and visual novels have been gradually gaining popularity outside of Japan. Thanks to series like Ace Attorney and visual novels like Hakuoki, people seem to be more comfortable with doing a lot of reading while sitting in front of their favorite console. It also means now might finally be a good time for Jake Hunter Detective Story to make its mark. This established adventure series is well established in Japan, and it might just be poised to find a place for itself in other regions after 2018.

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Video: Dropping blocks and breaking hearts in Tokimeki Memorial Taisen Puzzle Dama

By Graham Russell // 9.12.189.11.18

The enormous popularity of Puyo Puyo in Japan caused many, many competitors to try their hand at creating a falling-block puzzle franchise, and there weren’t many to find as much success in gameplay and domestic longevity as Taisen Puzzle Dama, Konami’s attempt in the genre. Let’s take a look at a signature entry — one tied to another Konami franchise that found a lot of fans in its home country!

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How early Hamtaro games were secretly awesome

By Jenni Lada // 8.22.188.20.18

What do you know about Hamtaro? There is a very good chance that the response could be, “Not a whole lot.” But, if you owned a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance in 2002 and 2003, you might be one of the few who knows a surprising secret. That is, there were two Hamtaro games that were absolutely awesome. Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! and Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak were both adventure games that actually required you to learn a new language and explore towns to help hamster-kind. Both of these games are surprisingly good, and that’s before Mario & Luigi developer AlphaDream took over the series with Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue.

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Angel Collection combines fashion and friendship

By Jenni Lada // 8.8.188.5.18

Before Style Savvy let DS and 3DS owners play dress up and run a shop, finding dress up games could be rather difficult. The titles would be geared toward younger audiences. Some would even be very rudimentary and only focus on the dressing up and clothing collection elements. There was one title that stood out, and that was Angel Collection: Mezase! Gakuen no Fashion Leader on the Game Boy Advance. Instead of focusing on fashion, this series offered an opportunity to do more.

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Where can players go after Octopath Traveler?

By Jenni Lada // 7.24.189.28.18

Octopath Traveler really blew up, didn’t it? The Nintendo Switch exclusive became a top eShop seller after launch and physical copies were so rare, Square Enix was issuing apologies and asking people to please consider a digital copy if they could not wait. It is a fun RPG to spend 40 to 60 hours playing. But, what if you already finished the game? What if you are ready to follow some new stories? Well, let’s help you find something similar to enjoy!

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The long history of pretty good indieszero games you probably didn’t play: a guide

By Graham Russell // 6.19.1812.12.18

Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido released earlier this month! We say that because E3 makes June a busy time, and also because, if early reports are accurate, not a lot of players picked it up. This is not new for developer indieszero, making its decades-long mission delivering interesting, quirky games that may slip your notice! Let’s look at the team’s history and break down what you may have missed.

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Review: Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival

By Jenni Lada // 5.29.185.29.18

Sometimes, first-party Nintendo games do not manage to get a worldwide release. Sakura Momoko no Ukiuki Carnival is one of those games. An adventure game with input from Sakura Momoko, the mangaka behind Chibi Maruko-chan, Shigeru Miyamoto, Indieszero and Nintendo, it tasked people with throwing a carnival using the power of the internet. It was unquestionably charming and odd, offering an aesthetic not often seen in the medium. It is also to the rest of the world’s detriment that it never appeared outside of Japan.