VIRTUAL BASTION

So Nintendo, Where’s That Donkey Kong Collection At?

When Nintendo announced Super Mario 3D All-Stars last year, I found myself feeling hopeful that the company would finally start taking their classic library seriously again. Limited time items (with limited selections of games) like the NES and SNES Classics aside, Nintendo has spent the better part of 7 years doing almost nothing with their…

The Clock is Still Ticking on the Judgement Website

Last week, Sega launched a new website featuring nothing but a countdown and a rather fetching background image. So far, Sega has said next to nothing about what the site is counting down to, but they have given up two clues. The first is that the site does indeed have something to do with Judgement,…

Cheeky Charlatans: Daxter

It seems to be a common theme that a lot of these “foolish” characters tend to not make the best first impression. Take Daxter, for example. Sure, you might remember him now as a goofy and likable character in Jak 2 and Jak 3, but when I first encountered him in the very first game…

Cheeky Charlatans – Sly Cooper

Let’s get this out of the way, Sly probably isn’t the first character that comes to mind when one thinks of video game charlatans. He’s a thief, but he specializes in stealing from criminals rather than normal folk. So he’s not exactly a charlatan in the normal sense. He does have to don disguises every…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #197

Up this week: Outer Wilds – we’re off to solve a time-looped mystery that’s as big as a solar system (and takes place in one, too) in this amazing and award-winning game! Undertale – join in as we play through this beloved RPG to answer the question: can we find our way out of the…

Cheeky Charlatans: Claptrap

In terms of classic jokers (the ones who aren’t among Batman’s archenemies), a favorite has long been the characters who put up brave, happy faces in order to hide their inner cowardice. Yes, they love nothing more than to make light of a situation, making fun of anyone within their sphere of influences, which can…

Ghosts and Goblins Resurrection Will Haunt PS4 and Xbox One Too

A new trailer has emerged for Ghosts n’ Goblins Resurrection, and the game’s definitely still looking as tough as it always has. The dead are rising once again and I guess only Arthur and his absolutely worthless suit of armor is the only one up for the task. Hopefully this time around all the weapons…

Cheeky Charlatans: Sans

By now, I doubt anyone hasn’t heard of the incredibly popular indie game Undertale. One of the most notable aspects of the game is the ability to complete it without killing a single enemy. While you also have the option to do the complete opposite (AKA the Genocide Route), I don’t think I’d ever have…

Cheeky Charlatans – Imposter

Originally,　I was only going to talk about the well-known tricksters, pranksters, snark masters or outright shysters of gaming. There are, after all, plenty to choose from. However, there’s another kind of character I want to talk about, one that’s player-controlled. Depending on the situation, this one may be anything from hilariously incompetent to terrifyingly slick….

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #196

Cheeky Charlatans: Sheogorath

My first meeting with Elder Scrolls’ “mad god” Sheogorath occurred in The Elder Scrolls Online. Upon innocently agreeing to retrieve a handful of magical books for the Mages Guild and discovering that there was more to said book than met the eye, my travels eventually landed me in Sheogorath’s lair on the Shivering Isles. Little…

Sonic Colors Remake Possibly Confirmed!

Some dedicated gaming news sniffers discovered the possible existence of a Sonic Colors remaster earlier this week. First, a German dubbing studio listed a “Sonic Colors Remastered” in their work portfolio. Next, a French retailer, “SoGamely,” listed “Sonic Colors Ultimate – Limited Edition” for PS4, Xbox One and Switch on their site. SEGA has yet…

Cheeky Charlatans: Laylee

If you’re a lifelong fan of Banjo-Kazooie like we all are here at Virtual Bastion, then odds are you’ll also be familiar with its spiritual successor, Yooka-Laylee. The most important and most notable feature is the titular buddy duo, Yooka and Laylee, who serve as the replacements for Banjo and Kazooie, respectively. While a chameleon…

Cheeky Charlatans: Calypso

Even though I never played much Twisted Metal, the series’ main villain is nonetheless the epitome of cheekiness to me. Calypso has the power to literally anything, and he uses that power to put on crazy vehicular death death tournaments starring only the worst of the worst. These guys are all competing to have Calypso…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #195

Up this week: Undertale – join in as we play through this beloved RPG to answer the question: can we find our way out of the Underground while taking the “pacifist” route? Yooka-Laylee – can Yooka and Laylee recover the last pages of the magical “One Book?” Let’s play and find out! Nostalgic Notions –…

Cheeky Charlatans: Insult Bot

Picture this. It’s 25 years after humanity has been obliterated, and you emerge, somewhat bleary-eyed, from the safety of your underground vault into the West Virginia wilderness. With nothing in your possession but your C.A.M.P, a few meds, and a party hat, you spot some weapons and ammo clutched in the arms of a nearby…

GRIT Takes Battle Royale Out West

The battle royale craze may be over, but the games are still rolling into town nonetheless. The next title to throw its hat into the fray will be GRIT: a wild west-themed take on the genre. While the idea of an all-out cowboy brawl sounds pretty fun on paper, I wonder if it’s really enough…

Cheeky Charlatans: Swaine

I’ve actually written about Swaine before on my own blog, but when we decided on the topic of “playfully mischievous characters” for the month of April, I couldn’t help but revisit my favorite character from Ni no Kuni, the snarky thief Swaine. Funnily enough, my original feelings for Swaine were actually far from positive because,…

Cheeky Charlatans: Crazy Redd

When first started discussing gaming’s greatest mischief makers, Redd the Fox was one of the first characters to pop into my mind. It’s not so much that he’s done anything terribly bad (that we know of), but rather his obvious shifty attitude. This is a dude who runs his business out of back alleys, tents…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #194

Sony Closing PlayStation Store for PS3, PSP and PS Vita on July 2nd

Well, it’s finally happening. PlayStation Store services are finally being brought to an end for PSP, PS Vita and PlayStation 3. It was only a matter of time, and indeed this is something practically every knew was coming eventually, but it’s still kind of amazing. Once this hits, there are going to be a lot…

Discovery Isn’t What it Used to Be

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been really digging-into The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I’ve had good time with it, and I’ve had some not so good time with it. I’ve got plenty to say about the former, but all I’ll say about the latter is that I now fully understand why everyone who’s…

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade PS5 Features Look Pretty Awesome

A little while ago, Square Enix announced a new, enhanced version of Final Fantasy VII Remake would be coming to the PS5. This new version, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergade (ugh…) would feature a suite of visual enhancements, new features and a new side story featuring Yuffie. Well, today fans can see it all in…

Chasing Static Has Real Retro-Chic Going for it!

Making games in a retro style is most definitely nothing new. I mean, just how many 16-bit-ish games are released every year? How many of those have we seen since 2010? A ton. We’ve seen a ton! One would think that we’d be seeing a lot of games mimicking the 64-bit style too, but no….

Getting Creative in Morrowind

Well, last week I said I wanted to get back to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and this week I can say that I’ve been following through on it! I’m not playing pure Morrowind; I’ve applied many mods to fix bugs and improve the visuals. I’ve also added things to make combat and character growth…

Tomb Raider is Getting a Definitive Collection

For anyone who, for whatever reason, hasn’t touched any of the more recent Tomb Raider games, there’s a new Tomb Raider collection coming soon. Titled the “Tomb Raider Definitive Survivor Trilogy,” this collection will include all the enhanced versions of the last three Tomb Raider games. This information is coming via a leak, so there’s…

Dinosaur Planet: The Cancelled Predecessor to Star Fox Adventures

Those familiar with Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube should be well aware that this was not your traditional Star Fox game. In fact, it was much more akin to a Zelda game than a series revolving around animal pilots flying about in the vacuum of space. Well, that’s because Star Fox Adventures was never…

Getting Back to It: Morrowind

A few years ago, I decided I’d try diving into what is possibly the most celebrated RPG of the past 20 years: The Elder Scrolls II: Morrowind. The game got nothing but praise when it first launched, and fans have been singing its praises ever since. As someone who started with Skyrim, I was a…

Finally, A Truly New Pokemon Game!

Nintendo had more than a few interesting announcements during their recent Pokemon Direct, but perhaps the most interesting was the reveal of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. At long last, fans are getting the open-world pokemon game they’ve been dreaming of since the very beginning!

What’s the Scariest Little Nightmares Monster?

Now that Little Nightmares 2 has been released, I thought it might be fun to rank every monster from the first and second games in order of least frightening to most nightmare-inducing (with a number next to their name to signify from which game they originate). This list will include the Secrets of the Maw…

Is Gears 2 Coming Back?

An interesting picture just showed up on the official Gears of War twitter page, one that looks kind of familiar if you ask me. It looks like something from an older Gears game. In fact I’d say it looks like something from the best Gears game. Here, check it out!

Resident Evil 7 HAS UNLOCKABLES!!

I recently finished my first playthrough of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and I have to say that I kinda wish I hadn’t sat on it for so long. Its savory combination of tension, puzzles and exploration wound up being something I’d been looking for for quite awhile now, and it took actually finding it to…

Little Nightmares 2 is Back for More Gruesome Goodness

The long-awaited Little Nightmares 2 is finally here, folks! And though I was a bit hesitant about setting my expectations too high (I’ve been let down by too many sequels, you see), I can safely say this game does not disappoint! This time around, we play as a boy named Mono, though it isn’t long…

PlayStation 5: FOMO No Mo!

I few weeks ago, I spent some time talking about the PS5, specifically the somewhat irrational desire to buy one. As always, new consoles are exciting, so many of us can’t help but want to get our hands on the newest tech as soon as possible. I managed to keep my excitement controlled enough to…

Lots of New Video Released for Nier Replicant ver. 1.22474487139

The Nier remake: Nier Replicant ver. 1.22474487139 (referred to as “Neir Remake” from here on), is only a couple months away from its April 23 release date. This probably wouldn’t have been all that exciting back in 2016, but then that was before Nier Automata hit the gaming scene. That game really stuck a chord…

Ratchet & Clank: Life of Pie Animated Short

Just a few days ago, completely without warning, a 23-minute Ratchet & Clank short aired on Crave, a streaming service in Canada. Created by the same company who made the 2016 movie, Mainframe Studios, it follows Ratchet and Clank as they stop Dr. Nefarious’ newest scheme, which involves a gun called a Portalizer that can…