Developed and published by HAL Laboratory, Arcana is a fantasy Role-Playing Game that mixes card-battling with first-person dungeoneering, and it is a reasonably enjoyable experience overall. Also known as “Card Master” in Japan, Arcana was first published in 1992, exclusively for the Super Nintendo.
Tag Archives: Japanese
Soulcalibur IV, PlayStation 3
The fourth Soulcalibur game was once again developed by Project Soul for Namco. It was first released in 2008 for the PS3 and XBox 360, through Namco Bandai Games.
Soulcalibur III, PlayStation 2
The third instalment in the Soulcalibur series was developed by Project Soul and published by Namco in 2005. Soulcalibur III was first released for the PlayStation 2, and was later followed by an improved arcade version (it was actually the last Soulcalibur game to receive an arcade release).
Gun Smoke, Arcade
Gun Smoke (aka “Gun.Smoke“) is an arcade shooter by Capcom, first released in 1985. It is basically a ‘wild west’ version of their previous hit Commando, only this time you’re playing as a cowboy, shooting at outlaws.
The NewZealand Story, Megadrive/Genesis
A pretty much perfect conversion of the classic Taito arcade game, The NewZealand Story, developed by Visco Corporation and released for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis in 1990, in Japan only, through Taito themselves.
1942, Arcade
1942 is a vertically-scrolling bullet hell shooter from Capcom, first released into arcades in 1984. The game is loosely based on the Battle of Midway of WWII and sees you piloting an American P-38 Lightning, fighting against Japanese forces.
Yoshi’s Story, Nintendo 64
After Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, this is the second instalment in the Yoshi series. Yoshi’s Story was first released by Nintendo, exclusively for the Nintendo 64, in 1997.
Phantasy Star Online, Dreamcast
Phantasy Star Online was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 for the Dreamcast. The game is an online/offline JRPG in the style of the previous Phantasy Star games, and is much-celebrated. We’re looking at PSO “Version 2” here, which came out in 2001, with expanded content.
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, PC Engine
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones is a single-player platform game with action elements, developed by Advance Communication Company and published by Hudson Soft in Japan (in 1988) and NEC in North America (in 1989).
When the PC Engine was launched in North America in 1988 – as the TurboGrafx-16 – THIS was the pack-in game that greeted new owners. Not R-Type, not Turrican, not Ghouls ‘N Ghosts – nor any of the other great games on the system – but Keith bloody Courage in bloody Alpha Zones… History has noted that NEC (the manufacturer of the PC Engine) missed a MAJOR trick there, possibly even contributing to the console’s under-performance in sales, and eventual demise.
Persona 5, PlayStation 3
Persona 5 was developed by “P-Studio” and was published by Atlus in Japan and North America, Deep Silver in PAL territories, and Sega everywhere else, in 2016. It is a Role-Playing Game set in contemporary Japan, featuring monsters, the occult, and the supernatural. Oh, and turn-based combat (but don’t let that put you off).
The King of Grabs 