Letter from the Editor – Passing on the Torch
Hello readers, As I’m sure you might noticed things have been slowing down at Lv42, although it might be for different reasons than you think. Since launching the site back in November of 2009, all of us have been working hard to be delivering content 5 days a week. It should come as no shock that through all of this hard work many of our writers have gotten noticed and now find themselves...
Air Forte
Any videogame with a cleverly integrated Star Wars reference automatically gets my seal of approval. Air Forte, Brendon Chung of Blendo Game latest project isn’t just some kind of slapstick Robot Chicken affair. The game has some clever writing for its somewhat short length. It’ll make you laugh, make you cry and perhaps just a little frustrated through its hilarious kind of edutainment. Air...
Fractured Persona – killer7 #5
With Cloudman behind us, we’re pushing on through to another double-length chapter! This chapter, entitled Encounter, is split into two very distinct parts so, much like Sunset, I’ll be writing a separate article for each half. How fun! How many answers will this chapter hold? And how many new questions will come from the explanations? The only way to find out is to read along! I hope to...
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
On its surface, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies looks like just about a dozen other Japanese role-playing games on the Nintendo DS. You have cute anime characters fighting slimes and dragons in turn-based combat using basic commands like Attack, Items and Spells. But look deeper and you will find a deep, charming and addictive RPG that pushes the boundaries of the hardware and may just...
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Anyone familiar with the original Donkey Kong Country series remembers how much fun they were. The environments were vibrant, lush and full of secrets, the music was probably some of the best at the time and the gameplay was energizing, challenging yet fulfilling. Thankfully Donkey Kong Country Returns is a return to form. Instead of reimagining Rare's classic SNES series like the Nintendo...
Fractured Persona – killer7 #4
We skipped a week, but now it's back in all its glory! Our killer7 analysis continues with the next chapter, Cloudman. This chapter is much shorter than Sunset, and also takes a step off the main plotline to explore another very important character in the killer7 universe. But shorter isn't always a bad thing! The animation style for the cutscenes changes dramatically in this chapter, making...
Talk Is Cheap – 7/19/10
With his return from London, England, Michael and Nick have plenty of catching up to do. During the episode they talk about Tim Schafer’s recent comments about Activision CEO, Bobby Kotick. The duo also discuss Lady Gaga’s concert, The Sandman, Asterios Polyp and Transmetropolitan. To wrap things up Michael mentions two of Japanese pop singer, Namie Amuro’s songs, Wild and Do...
The Global Appeal of Dragon Quest IX
Dragon Quest is a big deal in Japan. Maybe that is an understatement; maybe the right word would be phenomenon. But it is more than that. After all, this is a franchise that has a habit of consistently selling over 3 million units with each new game released in the series. Yeah, in Japan Dragon Questis a big deal. But for the past 21 years Square-Enix has been trying to figure out how to...
Talk Is Cheap – 7/14/10
Excitement! Thrills! Two guys sort of chatting about video games! The dynamic(ish) duo of Nick and Joel talk about Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Blendo Games and Spy Fiction.The guys realize the limitations of the DS via Dementium II; ponder this week’s Indie Compendium: Looming and Coma; discuss Blizzard’s first real bad move: RealID; and Free Form it up...
Dementium II
It's a shame that games like this must be so hampered by their platform. Dementium II has a contemplative, unnerving narrative with an unoriginal yet effective look that truly belongs on a console. It's difficult to create or embrace a proper horror atmosphere on a 3 inch screen with a MIDI-esque soundtrack, and it certainly doesn't do the combat any favors. The end result is unfortunate...
