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Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- – The Final Chapter Prologue

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

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A few weeks ago, I ranked the Kingdom Hearts series to see which games I considered the best. However, I omitted a couple of entries; one of them being Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- (dear RPG makers, stop making your titles so damn long). The reason for its omission was because it ultimately wasn’t a full game and was only included on the 2.8 collection as a teaser of sorts for Kingdom Hearts III.

It very nearly was included, though; it actually would’ve been third in the rankings. That’s pretty high up for what’s really just a glorified tech demo, and that’s because, despite its short length, it’s pretty damn good. So, I figured I’d give it it’s own review to make up for it being left out. Continue reading →

Random Rankings – The Kingdom Hearts Series

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the Kingdom Hearts series

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If you really think about it, Kingdom Hearts is one of the weirdest success stories ever. I mean, it’s a Disney/Final Fantasy crossover. This is the kind of thing you’d see in fan-fictions from the mid-2000s; not a professionally made videogame series. Yet, somehow, it worked and has a large following of dedicated fans the world over – me being one of them.

While it’s certainly had its ups and downs, I still wholeheartedly love this series, despite my personal gripes with it, and am more than excited for when Kingdom Hearts III inevitably drops (whenever that is). In the meantime, I’ve decided to go through the entire series thus far to see how each entry stacks up against each other. Which games do I adore with all my heart and which ones do I wish I could cast into the darkness? Let’s find out together, shall we? Continue reading →

My VG Music Picks #38 – Character Select (Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3)

/ Michael Beckwith / Leave a comment

Oh, Marvel vs Capcom, I can’t play you to save my life but I love you as a concept. And while I’m aware some people had issues with the third installment in this crazy crossover series, it still looked like a pretty solid and enjoyable game to me. Though I can’t personally critique it’s gameplay, however, I can at least compliment its music, like this piece. Continue reading →

Why You Should Support Indivisible

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

I don’t usually go out of my way to support crowdfunding campaigns on the likes of Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Not because I don’t like the idea or consider it a ‘lesser’ form of making a product; they just don’t grab my interest. However, recently that’s beginning to change. It started with Yooka-Laylee (which you can read my thoughts about here), and it’s pretty much kicked into overdrive with today’s subject, Indivisible. Continue reading →

Batman: Arkham Knight – The Story of How the Batman Died… OR DOES HE?

/ Michael Beckwith / 2 Comments

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Batman. Who doesn’t know Batman? Who doesn’t like Batman? I’ve never met a single person that didn’t like Batman in some capacity. Batman is infamous and loved in pretty much every medium: comics, films, TV and, of course, video games.

Though for the longest time, there was never really a ‘true’ Batman game. Not to say there weren’t any good Batman games but I don’t think there was ever a game where you actually felt like Batman. The World’s Greatest Detective, the master of hand-to-hand combat, the stealthy ninja that could take out a room full of armed guards without being seen; were there any games like that?

That all changed, however, in 2009 when developer Rocksteady released Batman: Arkham Asylum, a title that came out of seemingly nowhere and took everybody by surprise, much like Batman himself. It received critical acclaim and pretty much put Rocksteady on the map due to it being the first time where players weren’t just playing a videogame that had Batman in it – they were Batman.

This single game sparked an entire series of Batman games; the latest of which being the grand finale, Batman: Arkham Knight (though I doubt Warner Bros will let an easy money maker like this end). Is it as awesome as its marketing makes it out to be? Let’s find out (BTW, I’m reviewing the PS4 version). Continue reading →