Project X Zone

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Tactical RPG

Release Date: June 25th, 2013

Date Reviewed: August 18th, 2013

Gameplay:

Project X Zone is a tactical RPG for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Bandai Namco. The games story is played through chapters. In total there are 42 chapters in the game. After chapter 10 each mission is about and hour or so long. Overall it is a pretty long game especially if you take your time going through it. After you beat he story mode you unlock new game+ which allows you to keep all of your items but the monsters are a lot stronger and you gain exp a lot slower so levelling will be much more difficult. If you want the challenge then go for it. When you start the game you start off with very few characters but after almost every chapter you gain new companies to help you out. Each of your companions have their own move sets you can master to perform powerful combos. In total you get about 50 characters to control. Each of you're companions also get their own solo units as well. Solo units are additional units that you do not control. You call them in to do some extra damage and add on to you're combo. The higher you're combo the more xp you get. Xp is not the term for experience points. In Project X Zone xp is almost like mana. Every time you do some damage this bar gets increased. If you get it to 100% you can use a characters special attack. The xp bar also allows you to use you're companions skills which can increase your stats, or even an increased walking range. Solo units also provide your companions with extra skills which are useful.

Battle Screen.

When you gain a level you get a stat increase like with any RPG. But when you gain levels you also unlock new move sets for your companions. Levelling is a key part of your adventures. You need these to be able to unlock more moves and more attack opportunities. You also learn skills by levelling. During the campaign you also get items and weapons from bosses and treasure chests which can be used to make your characters a lot more powerful by increasing their stats. The four stats that your characters have are HP which increases your health points, attack which increases how much damage you do, defence to take less damage, and tec which launches your enemies higher into the air to perform more combos on your enemies. Overall I really enjoyed the game play of this game. There are a couple of downfalls though. For example most of the levels you do are very repetitive and can be frustrating when you think you are almost done the chapter when out of no where 30 more enemies appear on the screen. This game also needed a lot more customization options, more moves and items to use or even a shop.

Graphics:

The graphics are decent. It is a tactical RPG so the character models are very small and do not have a whole lot of detail on them. What I do like about the graphics is that when each character performs their special attack they each have their own special little animations, some are 3D and some are 2D but overall they are great. The graphics during combat is crazy like with most cross over fighting style games. When you're doing the combos there is so much happening on the screen at one time especially when you call in support units and solo units to do cross over combos to increase your xp bar. There are no cut scenes in the game it is all mainly dialogue. 

Movement Screen.

The 3D on the 3DS is good, not great but good. When the combat sequence begins the 3D can really hurt your eyes due to the fact that there is so much happening on the screen at one time. The 3D while you are moving your units around isn't anything to interesting. The only time you see the 3D effect well is when each of your character do their special attacks. When some of the characters do their specials some of them have 3D models so the 3D works really well with that. 

Audio:

This is one of my favorite parts of this game is the audio. When you buy the game or pre order the game when the first batches come out you will get the limited edition box which includes a poster, art book, and the soundtrack. The soundtrack is the best part of the package because it has all of the music from the game itself. The music in the game is fantastic and goes very well with the game, and battle scenes. The audio overall from the game is crisp, sounds great and works very well with the game. 

Limited Edition Bundle.

Conclusion:

Project X Zone is a really fun and enjoyable game. When you buy the first initial batch of the game you get the limited edition for the same price of $40. This is a fantastic offer because it includes an art book, a poster and the fantastic soundtrack. The gameplay is solid but is a bit repetitive and can drive you nuts a few times due to the fact that some chapters it seems like the enemies never stop appearing. Project X Zone is a fantastic cross over game, has a lot to offer and is an extremely long game. I personally put 49 hours into the game before I actually beat it. f you are a fan of fighting games, tactical RPG's, and cross over games then I highly recommend trying this game out.

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Super Street Fighter 4: 3D Edition (Yes it's dead at work)

Hey everyone as promised here is the SSF4 review for 3DS. Now this one will not have any screenshots but I will add them later on.

Gameplay:
SSF4 on the 3DS is the exact same for the console and PC versions. But they did add a couple of new things such as the Dynamic View which is great for 3D Battles which is also a mode in the game. They also added a couple of new titles meant for some of the 3DS features like the streetpass feature. At first I was sort of worried about how this game will play out on the 3DS compared to the console and PC versions. It is actually pretty good. As in every Street Fighter you have your basic modes such as Arcade, and versus. Arcade plays the same, you fight other characters till you reach your rival and then Seth and if you accomplish certain goals during arcade you can fight Akuma or Gouken. What I love about arcade is when you beat it with any one of the 35 characters that this game has to offer you unlock titles for you player card. Unlocking all 35 character titles takes time and if a lot of fun that is if you don't cheat and play on easiest :P.

Another mode that you can play is versus. It is your standard versus mode where you can fight a friend or a CPU. There is also a 3D versus mode as well for the 3D lovers. They also added online battles which is a great addition for the 3DS. Sure it can be laggy online but if you get someone in your region it isn't so bad and can be loads of fun and competitive. When you win you earn Battle Points (BP) and Power Points (PP). When you lose you will slowly lose them. The more Battle Points you earn the higher your rank will increase. Power points are just for show. What I love about SS4 in general is you can unlock additional titles and battle icons when completing certain challenges. They even added a medals section which is like achievements.

Another mode is the Challenge mode whee you can destroy a car or bash barrels for those bonus stages. There is also a trial mode which has roughly 20 stages for each character which challenges you to try and complete their different moves and combos. They also added a mode for the 3DS which allows you to collect figurines. You can enter cheat codes to unlock additonal figurines and you can collect additional figurines by using the StreetPass feature. Overall the gameplay is the same as any other SF4 game but they always seem to keep it fun and add just enough features to keep it fun.

Rating: 9/10

Graphics:
The graphics for SSF4 on the 3DS is pretty impressive. It is almost if not the same as the console versions. Now obviously they added the 3D to the game which makes it even cooler. Now the 3D doesn't really work when your playing in normally due to moving the 3DS often from wailing on the buttons. This is why the added the Dynamic View to the game. This allows you to enable the 3D on the game and it works better for the game. It is always fun having Ryu's hadoken coming at your face. Overall the 3D is nicely done, not perfect but pretty close.

Moving away from the 3D, the game has kept the exact same style of art from the console versions which I think is a good thing because it works so well with the game. The art is great looking, the environments look great and the character models and moves also look great. A great looking game for a great handheld console.

Rating: 9/10

Audio:
The audio in the game is the same as always. The music sounds the same, the voices sound the same. The quality is great. I know the 3DS's speakers aren't the greatest but the sound in game is really well done. I always love hearing the characters yell their Ultimate Moves. The voice acting is very well done and hearing Ryu yell "Mentsu Hadoken!!" just gets you pumped because you know it's going to hurt.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion:
In conclusion the game is very well done and so much fun. It is a good time waster and is a blast when your playing online. Even if you aren't an online type of person you will still enjoy it because there is lots to do. A fantastic addition to the 3DS and fighting genre. Long live Street Fighter.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Pick it up!!