Review - Wizorb (2012, PSP/PS3)

Wizorb, the first title developed by Tribute Games, is a Breakout clone with retro styling. As usual for the genre, players use a paddle to bounce an orb around the screen breaking sets of bricks and knocking down enemies. Wizorb tries to mix things up by introducing a magic system and very, very light RPG elements, but ultimately it's a very simple, bare-bones Breakout type that's perfectly serviceable but unspectacular.

Review - Final Fantasy IV Complete

Final Fantasy IV is one of the most often re-released/updated games in the series. Originally released on the SNES in 1991, FFIV has been re-released on the original Playstation, Game Boy Advance, Wonderswan Color, as a downloadable title on the Wii, and probably some more minor releases I'm missing. It was also remade for both the DS and PSP, although the two remakes went in very different directions, with the DS version implementing full polygonal graphics, new dialogue, and new gameplay systems. The PSP remake, released as part of the Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection, maintains the original version's gameplay systems in their entirety while introducing new recordings of the classic soundtrack and new, higher resolution pixel art. For this review, I'll be talking about the PSP version, though outside of specific references to the new graphics, nearly everything I say can apply to the non-DS versions as well.

Review - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)

Tactics Ogre is an early strategy RPG originally released on the Super Nintendo in Japan in 1995 before being ported to the Sega Saturn and the original Playstation. It's considered one of the finest examples of the genre, though it wasn't the first popular strategy RPG title (Shining Force on the Genesis beat it by three years). In 2011, most of the original team got back together to develop a remake for the PSP. While I'll touch on the basics of both versions, in this review I'm primarily interested in reviewing the new content in the remake.

Review - Final Fantasy IV - The After Years

Ever find yourself wondering what happened to the cast of Final Fantasy IV seventeen years after Cecil and company saved the world? No? Me either. FFIV ends cleanly, with every plot line resolved and loose ends tied up. So, what better game to make a direct sequel to than that!