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Favourite Moments in Fiction #10 – D-Team’s Force Quit Scene (Zero Time Dilemma)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

WARNING: The following article contains spoiler for Zero Time Dilemma

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If you played Zero Time Dilemma, you already know what I’m talking about and why I enjoy this scene. Granted, it is stupidly cheesy but even though I’ve only experienced the game very recently, it instantly wormed its way into a special place in my heart.

First, some context (not all the context, though, because we’d be here for much longer otherwise). The Force Quit Box – which can be used to end the Decision Game that the main cast have been forced to play – has been opened thanks to the efforts of C-Team and Q-Team. All that’s left is to activate it, which falls to D-Team – Diana, Sigma and Phi. But the box needs two specific items placed in it to do so, with the only clue to what they are being “Each is a mother’s memento.” Now, if you’ve not played the game, this is where it gets weird. Continue reading →

My VG Music Picks #54 – Blue Bird Lamentation (Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

Do any of you have a piece of music that when you listen to it, you end up feeling sad regardless of your current mood? For me, Blue Bird Lamentation from the second Zero Escape title is that piece. Seriously, I get melancholy whenever I hear it. Hell, sometimes I put it on just to make myself sad. Continue reading →

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Beta – First Impressions

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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I’ve already mentioned my interest in Square Enix’s upcoming crossover fighting game for the PS4 in a recent article, but I still had some slight reservations regarding whether I could actually play the game or not. I don’t want to spend money on something that I ultimately can’t get to grips with. Fortunately, Square Enix released an open beta for the game, allowing players all over to get a taste of what it has in store.

With the beta now closed and the game due out in a few days, I figured I’d jot down my personal experiences with Dissidia to share with you all and see if this is a game anyone can pick up and enjoy or something reserved only for the most die-hard of fighting game fans. Continue reading →

Sonic Forces – …Me to Question This Franchise’s Future Again

/ Michael Beckwith / 3 Comments

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After a hiatus of sorts that was born from the unmitigated disaster known as Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, 2017 was set to be the year of Sonic the Hedgehog’s return. And while most eyes were focused on Sonic Mania, – a nostalgic throwback to his glory days in the 90s – my attention was placed squarely on his new 3D outing, Sonic Forces. If Mania was specifically designed to pander to Classic Sonic fans, Forces seemed to be doing the same for those who grew up with the more recent titles, such as myself.

Even when early previews were quite negative, I remained optimistic that while the game might not be the same level of quality as, say, Sonic Generations, it’d at the very least provide me with plenty of enjoyment and help usher in a new age of good 3D Sonic games. Sadly, that is not entirely the case. Continue reading →

Favourite Moments in Fiction #7 – Makoto Defeats the Mastermind (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

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Sometimes a final battle doesn’t need cool explosions. Sometimes a final battle doesn’t need a clashing of blades. Sometimes a final battle doesn’t even need any sort of violence. Sometimes, a final battle can be not one of weaponry or strength, but one of words. Case in the point – the ending of the final class trial in the first Danganronpa game. Continue reading →

Danganronpa – The Saga of Hope’s Peak Academy (Series Retrospective)

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the entire Danganronpa series

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Where do I even begin describing something like Danganronpa? What even is a Danganronpa? It almost sounds like a word a one year old would make up (real talk, though, it’s actually a portmanteau of the Japanese words ‘dangan’ and ‘ronpa,’ which mean ‘bullet’ and ‘refute’ respectively. It’ll make sense later).

Bizarre names aside, though, this strange series has really made a name for itself since the first game’s initial release in 2010. Back then, it was a Japan-only PSP title that only a small handful of Western fans soon learned about. Cut to 2014 and someone, somewhere, decided that the rest of the world should be made privy to the lives of the Super High-School Level Students of Hope’s Peak Academy. And it paid off in a big way.

Following the first game’s re-release on the Vita, Danganronpa has slowly but surely become notably more well-known. While by no means a household name, it still developed a surge in popularity. Originally just two games on the PSP (a console most people don’t even acknowledge anymore), the series now consists of seven games, several re-releases, two anime series, novels and a tonne of manga (seriously, there is a lot of it).

I found myself checking the first game out almost on a whim, and ended up falling in love with it and desperate for more. It’s since quickly become possibly one of my favourite series, so (with the next game in the series arriving later this month) I’ve decided to write up a personal retrospective about my experiences with it and why I love this franchise all about the ongoing struggle between hope and despair. Continue reading →

Dust: An Elysian Tail – Wait, ONE Guy Made This?!

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

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You ever have one of those games that you so desperately want but just don’t have the means of playing it? For me, that game was indie title Dust: An Elysian Tail. Released in 2012, it was only available for Xbox and PC; I had neither and certainly wasn’t going to invest in either just for a single indie game. But I always hoped that, someday, the game would be released on other systems and, lo and behold, fate threw me a bone and gave Dust a release on the PS4 in 2014.

Despite my eagerness, however, I have only just managed to properly play it for myself. Was it worth the wait or did I get needlessly overexcited? Continue reading →