Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Xbox 360

    Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a direct sequel to 2010's Final Fantasy XIII and is only the second time that developer/publisher Square Enix has released a direct sequel to a numbered Final Fantasy release. The game was released in 2012 on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. While XIII-2 keeps much of the same gamplay features that XIII had, new characters as well as some major changes keep the release from feeling as though the game is simply more of the same.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Playstation 3

    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a Japanese style Role Playing Game developed by Level-5. The game was released in two different versions; one for the Nintendo DS, and one for the Playstation 3. The DS version of the game was released in 2010 and was available only in Japan, while the PS3 version of the game was released internationally in 2013. Easily, the most notable aspect of the game is that Studio Ghibli (known for movies such as My Neighor Totoro, Spirited Away, and  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) worked on the game's animation as well as its soundtrack, creating a one of a kind gaming experience.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope - Xbox 360

    It's the year 2097. Human kind survives on Earth only by living underground after destroying their own planet in nuclear war. Research into space travel becomes humanity's only hope of survival. Humanities' eyes turn to the skies in the hope of finding a new, habitable planet on which to start over. Star Ocean: The Last Hope is actually a prequel to the entire Star Ocean series which saw its start back in 1996. The fourth game to release in the series, The Last Hope hit shelves in 2009 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Developed by Tri-Ace and published by Square-Enix, The Last Hope is a Japanese Role Playing Game with a Sci-Fi setting which is a bit different for the genre. But does the game stand up against other RPGs on the system?

Lost Odyssey - Xbox 360

    Lost Odyssey is a Japanese style Role Playing Game developed by Mistwalker and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game was released in 2008, solely on the Xbox 360. Mistwalker is a game development company made up of JRPG legends such as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, Hironobu Sakaguchi. I had heard a lot of hearsay about the quality of Lost Odyssey, and after playing it myself, I can see that this game is what Final Fantasy should have been on the Xbox 360.

Skies of Arcadia: Legends - Nintendo Gamecube

    Skies of Arcadia: Legends is a Japanese style Role Playing Game released in 2002 for the Nintendo Gamecube. Originally developed by Overworks and released in 2000 on the Sega Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia was ported to the Gamecube as an enhanced edition. I'm incredibly thankful for this port as I never owned the "so-far-ahead-of-its-time-that-it-failed" Dreamcast, and as such, would never have gotten the chance to experience such a great game.
 
    The Gamecube port includes a graphical upgrade as well as all of the extra content that the Dreamcast version got via downloads. Some quests and the game structure have changed between versions, though the Gamecube version is still, at its core, the same game that was seen on the Dreamcast.