Tag Archives: Turn-Based

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, Famicom

This is the very first Megami Tensei game, released for the Nintendo Famicom in 1987, and it looks very basic compared to later Megami Tensei games, but was the foundation on which a successful series was built.

Based on a trilogy of fantasy novels by Japanese author Aya Nishitani, Megami Tensei was originally created as TWO distinct role-playing games. One version (this game) was developed by Atlus and published by Namco in 1987 for the Famicom. A separate version for home computers was co-developed by Atlus and Telenet Japan and published by Telenet Japan the same year.

The original game was never officially released in the West due to its use of religious themes, and Nintendo‘s sensitivity to them, but an English fan translation does exist that can be applied as a ROM hack.

Continue reading Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, Famicom →

Pillars of Eternity, PC

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment and first released in 2015, Pillars of Eternity is an isometric RPG very much in the style of Baldur’s Gate, with a multi character party system, quests and turn-based combat.

Continue reading Pillars of Eternity, PC →

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Nintendo DS

This 2009 ‘spin-off’ in the Megami Tensei series is a turn-based tactical combat game, with the usual demons, magic, exploration and battles – presented in a mix of comic-like panels (for the conversation sections) and isometric landscapes (for the combat sections).

Continue reading Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, Nintendo DS →

Pokémon Pearl, Nintendo DS

While I wouldn’t call myself a Pokémon fanatic, I do really enjoy the games because they are so well made, and because I love level-grinders. Pokémon Pearl (and its companion, Diamond) is considered by many as one of the best games in the series, and people still love to play it now.

Compared to previous generations, Pokémon Pearl has lots of new features, and compared to later generations: the series hasn’t yet started to collapse under its own weight.

Continue reading Pokémon Pearl, Nintendo DS →

Dragon Quest IX, Nintendo DS

The follow-up to the classic PS2 game Dragon Quest VIII is another fine level-grinder, with cheerful, colourful graphics and mesmerising gameplay. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix on the Nintendo DS in 2009.

Getting straight down to it: Dragon Quest IX (nine) is similar to the previous game in the series, but with a few fundamental changes…

Continue reading Dragon Quest IX, Nintendo DS →

Phantasy Star III, Megadrive/Genesis

The third Phantasy Star game, subtitled Generations of Doom, was released for the Megadrive by Sega in 1990.

Continue reading Phantasy Star III, Megadrive/Genesis →

Pier Solar and the Great Architects, Megadrive/Genesis

Pier Solar and the Great Architects is a famous homebrew Role-Playing Game released in 2010. It was developed by a team called WaterMelon and was initially released on cartridge exclusively for the Sega Megadrive.

Since then, though, it has been ported to a number of different platforms, including HD remakes for Dreamcast, PlayStation 3 & 4, Wii U, PC, XBox One, and Android.

Continue reading Pier Solar and the Great Architects, Megadrive/Genesis →

Pokémon Ruby Version, Game Boy Advance

Pokémon Ruby Version – released the same time as Pokémon Sapphire Version – was developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo in 2002 in Japan and 2003 everywhere else. It is known as a ‘third generation’ Pokémon game.

Continue reading Pokémon Ruby Version, Game Boy Advance →

Defender of the Crown, Game Boy Advance

Cinemaware‘s classic Defender of the Crown was ported to the Game Boy Advance by Crawfish Interactive and published by Metro3D in 2002 and it is an excellent conversion.

Continue reading Defender of the Crown, Game Boy Advance →

Advance Wars, Game Boy Advance

Advance Wars is turn-based tactical war game developed by Intelligent Systems and was first published in North America on September 10th 2001.

As everyone knows: the following day the world witnessed the horrific attacks on the World Trade Centre, and this tragic event resulted in the delay of Advance Wars being released to the rest of the world.

Continue reading Advance Wars, Game Boy Advance →