VIRTUAL BASTION

What I Hope to See at E3 2021

With the heralded return of E3 just hours away, I figured I would throw my proverbial “wishlist” hat into the ring, because why not? Though the event won’t be as traditional as it once was (and will probably never be again), and though my own gaming inclinations of the past year have lain firmly on…

So It Looks Like the Borderlands Movie is Really Happening

When it comes to video game movies, there are basically two kinds: those that are rumored for years and never get made and those that dive into theaters out of nowhere. I’d like to say that there are good and bad video game movies too, but I’ve yet to see one I could honestly call…

Shadow of the Colossus: Ranking All Colossi

As the name suggests, Shadow of the Colossus has some of the biggest boss fights in gaming history. In general, these sixteen colossi are, well, colossal, and today, I thought it would be fun to rank them all, from the most aggravating or otherwise disappointing to the most epic and downright awesome (the order in…

New Game Plus: Fire Emblem – Three Houses

It’s been a couple of years since I finished my initial run through Fire Emblem: Three Houses. At the time, I remember very much enjoying my tenure at Gerreg Mach Monastery and seeing the story play out. I wasn’t and still am not all that psyched about Byleth as a character, but they get the…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #203

Up this week: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition – our Crystal Caravanners needs some myrrh to save the day, and we’re going to help them get it in this classic FF tale. Shadow of the Colossus – do we have what it takes to face giants in an ancient land? Follow along and find…

Top 5: Things I’m Loving in the “New” Mass Effect

Even though it felt like I had a pretty full gaming plate at the time Mass Effect Legendary Edition released, of course I had to dive in as soon as decent window of opportunity presented itself. I’m about two-thirds of the way through the “legendary” version of ME1 with my renegade engineer Lynn Shepard, and…

Switch Pro is Looking Much More Real, Is it Good Thing Though?

Rumors of a Switch Pro have been swirling around in some form for at least a year or so now, but they’ve never really proven to hold much water. That is, they didn’t until a few days ago. A listing for a Nintendo Switch Pro popped up on Amazon late last week, seemingly confirming the…

Crystal Chronicles: Have I Been Playing All Wrong?

It feels like the GameCube era of games falls into an odd middle ground where they’re just old enough that getting your hands on them is hard, but they’re also too new to be included on Virtual Console or the Switch’s online service. So when I saw that the Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles HD remake…

The Metroid Prime 4 Wishlist

You know, it’s kind of tough being a Metroid fan. Unlike Nintendo’s other major franchises, Metroid hardly ever gets any attention anymore. I mean, there hasn’t been a proper Metroid game at all since Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS. That was 4 years ago now. There hasn’t been a console Metroid game since Metroid:…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #202

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle First Impressions

In hindsight, I’m not sure if I picked the best or worst time to play Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch, 2017). When I got it a few weeks ago, I knew that Mass Effect Legendary Edition was in the wings, and I was already headlong into my Mass Effect: Andromeda replay. As well, Neverwinter…

More Details Arise for The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

Despite the mixed reception The Dark Pictures Anthology has received thus far, Supermassive games is dutifully moving forward with the next entry: House of Ashes. Little has been revealed of the game outside of an extremely short teaser, but that’s finally changing. The developer finally put out some more info earlier this week, with a…

Cat Quest: Demo Review

G’day, folks, in recent times, I have taken to downloading free demos as a means to experience a greater variety of games without having to pay for something I may not end up liking. (Y’know, the very reason demos exist.) Being someone who adores animals, especially those of the feline variety, it was no wonder…

Resident Evil Village is a Decent Action/Horror Hybrid

After finally getting around to playing Resident Evil 7, I was very much looking forward to seeing what Capcom would do with Resident Evil 8. I absolutely loved the tension-filled corridors of the Baker house in the previous game, so I was initially disappointed when it was announced that Village would be more like Resident…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #201

Up this week: Spelunky (demo) – it’s time to try our hand at treasure hunting in this classic, and sometimes difficult, rogue-like platforming game Cat Quest (demo) – join in as we check out the demo of Cat Quest, “an open world RPG set in the pawsome world of cats!” Hatoful Boyfriend – even pigeons…

Picking up where you left off, or starting over?

It was during a small lull recently that I decided to pop back into Neverwinter, a game that garnered my full attention between the turn of 2018 and 2019. I still followed the game’s happenings somewhat regularly and was aware that it had received a handful of updates since I had last played it. So…

Looks like QuakeCon is Going to be Digital-Only Again

Another day, another convention announcing that they’ll be “online-only” again in 2021. This time the convention in question is QuakeCon, the convention for fans of classic shooters, ID and of course Quake. The announcement came a couple of weeks ago, with the organizers basically saying that they’re doing this in the interest of staff and…

Hatoful Boyfriend: When Dating Birds Takes a Dark Turn

Hatoful Boyfriend is one of those weird games that seems like more myth than reality. Made as an April Fool’s joke, this dating sim has the player pursuing relationships with…birds, who are portrayed as photos over illustrated backgrounds. Like many before me, I bought this game out of sheer curiosity (it was on sale for…

On the Borderline: DOOM (2016)

Maybe this is just me but for I don’t know how many years now, there has existed a certain subset of games in my collection. These are games that I bought fully intending to play, but just can never find the right time to play. They are interesting enough to buy, but I’ll consistently prioritize…

Final Fantasy VII Intergrade ‘Final’ Trailer is Fire!

Another month, another trailer for Final Fantasy VII Intergrade. Just like before, the upgraded PS5 visuals look excellent, and it does make one kind wish they could play on the new system. However, the real stars of this trailer are the newly revealed boss fights, modes and summons!

Resonance: Krook’s March

I have Donkey Kong Country 2 on four different consoles, SNES, Wii, Wii U, and now the Switch. Needless to say, the game is a big deal to me. As I replayed the game for the umpteenth time on the Switch, I was reminded of just how amazing the game’s soundtrack is. In fact, this…

No PS5, No Problem

Like many out there, I was (and still kind of am) a bit frustrated by the lack of available PlayStation 5 systems out there. I was okay with waiting for a few months and still absolutely refuse to buy a scalped system, but I still wanted to catch up with the rest of the gaming…

Hot Wheels Unleashed’s SkyScraper Level Looks Pretty Sick!

I’m not usually one to get psyched for racing games. Something about them just isn’t terribly appealing to me I guess. There are exceptions though. In the PS2 days, I absolutely loved Burnout, and the Mario Kart series has always been a blast. There was also Hot Wheels: Velocity X on the Gamecube, and I’ve…

Outer Wilds: Groundhog Day Meets Outer Space

Outer Wilds is one of those video game masterpieces that most people have probably never even heard of. To give you a little bit of background, this game is like an open-world mystery that takes place in outer space. You explore a small, but complex, solar system, and your goal is to basically play the…

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…

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….

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…

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…

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…