Falcom

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

HIGH Configuring my Orbment to get access to a powerful area-effect spell in the first chapter of the game.

LOW At least half of the game's playtime is spent with only two party members of a potential four.

WTF The budding relationship between Estelle and her adopted brother Joshua is weird enough, but was it necessary for nearly every NPC to peer-pressure them into it?

An Old Classic Gets a New Look

HIGH Finally beating a difficult boss.

LOW The game is short. I wanted more!

WTF Why is it so damn hard to kill flying enemies?

Change is Good, but Soul is Better

HIGH The pulse-pounding boss fights are some of the best in the series.

LOW The story is easily one of the worst.

WTF Sanitized or not, I never thought I'd see a torture scene in an Ys game.

Adol the Red is Back and This Time He Brought Friends

HIGH Bringing down a boss that has over 100K hit points in short order thanks to the fluid and fun combat system.

LOW Whenever the game forces players to stop killing things and advance the uninspired story.

WTF Really? A princess in disguise and a prison scene? Come on, RPG writers...

Game Description: Ys SEVEN is the latest installment in the long-running Ys series which first debuted on PC in 1987. This is the first iteration to be built specifically for the PSP system, taking full advantage of the widescreen format and hardware. The battle system consists of a three-member battle party with enemies engaged on the field map in real-time for fast-paced combat. Old fans of the series and new players alike will be immersed into the rich vibrant world containing over 30 hours of gameplay.

A legacy worth exploring

HIGH Getting to finally see how Adol Christin became a cult icon in the world of gaming.

LOW Wandering the temple at the end of Ys II for hours on end because it's so easy to get lost.

WTF Half of the items you find in the game are useless unless you're bored and want to screw around. I never once found a reason to use "magic of stop-time".

Game Description: Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure takes you into a vivid fantasy world, with a colorful cast of characters. A strong-willed girl named Parin is sent to live with her grandfather in a small mining town while her parents are off excavating an ancient ruin. No other kids live in town, so Parin is shocked to see a young girl tormented by a stray dog. The girl is actually an invisible monster that only she can see. Parin is invited to Monster Village—just when Phantoms invade. Only the Legendary Drill can beat back the Phantoms, and Parin sets off to find it.