"A lesson on Japanese history... with magic robots."

Sengoku Basara has a strange history in the states. This first game technically made it here, but in a bastardized form known as Devil Kings that was far removed from its original Japanese identity. The sequel didn’t make it here in any form. Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes is actually the third game in the series, but the first real version to make it to North America with its identity intact.

The game is exactly what its title advertises it to be with “Sengoku” being the warring states period of Japanese history in which the game takes place, and “Basara” roughly translating to “stylish” or “over the top”. And let me tell you, they aren’t messing around when they use the word, “Basara”.

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At first glance, Bayonetta seems like it has the perfect formula for the best action game ever. It’s got a sexy, badass protagonist, over-the-top combat, and to top it off, its creative director is Hideki Kamiya, the man behind the original Devil May Cry. All of these components have come together to make something truly special.

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As much as I dislike using the word “metal” as an adjective, I simply cannot think of a better way to describe Brutal Legend. How else do you describe a game set in a fantasy world inspired by classic heavy metal album art? With it’s impressive 107-song soundtrack, cameos from heavy metal icons such as Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister, it’s impossible to describe Brutal Legend as anything but metal.

Being a Tim Schafer game, it’s pretty much a given that the writing is top notch. The metal references and inside jokes are good for a laugh here and there. All of the dialogue is very well written, and expertly preformed. Jack Black is Eddie Riggs. He fits the part perfectly, and his enthusiastic performance is really what makes the character so lovable.

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We all have those games that we miss the first time around. With the busy release schedule of modern gaming, no one has time to play everything. That is why we at WingDamage present to you “Fashionably Late Reviews“. This is our series on games from the current generation of consoles that we may have missed on their initial release, but have gone back to experience now.

“Heavenly Sword” has just about everything wanted in a launch title. Though the reviews from the big names only pegged it as “Decent”. From my admittedly average gamer’s point of view, this game was surprisingly awesome.

Even on a standard definition television, the graphics are gorgeous. I am especially impressed by character expressions. Little nuances that make dialogue and character development more believable, lifelike and compelling. I’m sure we’ve all played games where the camera zooms in on a character’s intense expression in order to indicate “It’s on now” and we’re left sitting, waiting for some kind of change, that is never quite as fulfilling as we want.

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"Thanks for helping me move, Kratos"

We all have those games that we miss the first time around. With the busy release schedule of modern gaming, no one has time to play everything. That is why we at WingDamage present to you “Fashionably Late Reviews“. This is our series on games from the current generation of consoles that we may have missed on their initial release, but have gone back to experience now.

The transition of God of War from console to hand-held was as smooth as one could possibly hope for. The design of the PSP lends itself so well to this bloody platformer that it easily ranks high on the ‘Must-Have’ of any starter PSP game collection.

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We all have those games that we miss the first time around. With the busy release schedule of modern gaming, no one has time to play everything. That is why we at WingDamage present to you “Fashionably Late Reviews“. This is our series on games from the current generation of consoles that we may have missed on their initial release, but have gone back to experience now.

Sometimes, when I’m hanging out in Gamer Time, I come across the most ridiculous looking/sounding games I’ve ever heard of. Enter “Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad”.

It goes without saying that this game was designed with a young, male demographic in mind. Even if you were to look past the name, the translation of which is basically “sword fighting big sister”, and the cover art, you’d still have the back of the box to deal with. Here it explains that this game features “Sexy Samurai Sisters”, “Nonstop combat and swordplay” and a “dress-up mode”. Yeah, you read that right.

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