Sleeping Dogs

General Overview

Imagine if you had a game that combined elements of Saints Row, True Crime, Batman Arkham Asylum, Max Payne, and Assassin’s Creed. Imagine if that same game was a sprawling action RPG hybrid being fronted by Square Enix. Sounds too good to be true, right? Strangely enough, Sleeping Dogs seems to combine all of these elements and more and with a few understandable bugs, but all the same manages to pull it off.

7th Saga

General Overview

1993 was a great year for RPGs. This was one of the tougher ones. If you know anything about RPGs from the late 80s/early 90s era, you know that I’m not saying this is tough in comparison to today’s gaming; I’m saying it’s tough in comparison to THAT era’s gaming. If you like hard RPGs and have plenty of time to invest, 7th Saga might be right up your alley.

Semi-Annoyed Videogame Nerd – Episode 3

Final Fantasy 13? Ugh.

Final Fantasy 12

General Overview

Square Enix tosses tradition aside yet again with a single player MMO as an actual entry in the Final Fantasy series. The characters and story are pretty shitty, but the license point system, open world aspect, and semi-realtime combat may be enough to win over some diehard S-E loyalists. Plus, it looks and sounds pretty and is set in Ivalice, which was the universe of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

ActRaiser

General Overview

Usually when you throw several genres together, it just doesn’t work, especially when you’re dealing with older titles. ActRaiser is a shining example of how it CAN work, however, throwing a qualified action game very similar to that of the Castlevania games into the mix of a God sim whereupon you also level up. This is an excellent title that should appeal to action afficianados, RPG nuts, and megalomaniacs alike.

Dragon Quest 9 – Sentinels of the Starry Skies

General Overview

Level 5 and Square Enix are at it again with another fantastic RPG that incorporates much of the old with a little new to create a traditional, fun, and often tough little masterpiece. The very fact that this was all done on the DS makes it that much more impressive. If you love traditional RPGs and/or have always been a fan of the Dragon Quest games, this is a title you absolutely cannot afford to pass up.