Atlus

In my opinion good RPGs are hard to find. There are a lot of them, but barely any are worth the time and effort needed to see them through to the end. Portable RPG's are even scarcer, and with the competition between Nintendo's DS and the Sony PSP, I was more than a little surprised to find a quality RPG on the GameBoy Advance new release rack. Not surprisingly, it comes to us courtesy of Atlus. One of my favorite publishers, Atlus certainly knows their niche market.

Game Description: Travel to the American West during the mid-1860s—the days of the pioneers and the Gold Rush are ending, and a new railroad is being built near a dangerous Western town. One day, a lone stranger arrives in town, with funny-looking clothes and a long blade that ain't a knife or a saber. He's come to use that blade to bring justice to this lawless town. His name is Gojiro Kiryu and he's the first Samurai in the West. Attack with all the power of the samurai, by chaining hundred-hit combos in Master Mode.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity

By all rights, Samurai Western by Spike should have been the sort of low-budget-yet-surprisingly-good game that I love to discover, made even better with big hats and sharp swords. But in this case, I'd have to say that this attempt to appreciate an alternative title was a flat-out waste of $40.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes

Looking for a traditional turn-based role-playing game (RPG) that doesn't feature elves, dragons, and the days of yore? Then I've got the game for you. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (DDS) is the latest game from the much-loved (yet almost tragically ignored by American gamers) MegaTen universe. Renowned for their modern settings, philosophical and ideological story elements, use of demons, and unrelenting difficulty these games are revered by hardcore RPG fans. DDS is the latest offshoot in a gaming world that already features the Persona titles, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, DemiKids, and a slew of other games, and much like its brethren, it's a refreshing change of pace for a genre that seems to be mired in stale ideas and clichéd stories.

Game Description: Junkyard, a town of endless rain... With his four companions, Serf, the main character and a member of a tribe called Embryon, sets out for Nirvana, a land that can only be reached by the champions of Junkyard. They devote themselves to fighting against the never-ending resistance mustered by other tribes. In the midst of chaos, a mysterious object, the Pod, suddenly appears. Countless spheres of light are emitted by the Pod and infect Serf and his comrades, awakening their demonic power.

Game Description: Set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the entire population of the world has been annihilated by a global catastrophe called the conception. Now, the fate of the entire world lies on the shoulders of a young man turned demon, who must battle his way through opposing demonic forces to bring balance to the world to come or possibly become the harbinger of its destruction. Set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the entire population of the world has been annihilated by a global catastrophe called the conception. Now, the fate of the entire world lies on the shoulders of a young man turned demon, who must battle his way through opposing demonic forces to bring balance to the world to come or possibly become the harbinger of its destruction.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes

Highly regarded in Japan, the Megami Tensei series (sometimes referred to as MegaTen) is one of that country's most popular and long-running role-playing game (RPG) franchises. Despite spanning approximately seventeen years and over fifty titles, its religious imagery and moral questions are practically unknown on domestic shores with the exception of two overlooked PlayStation discs, Persona: Revelations and the amazing Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. Now, with the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, American players can sample a bit more of what they've been missing. It's delicious, but an acquired taste.