VIRTUAL BASTION

What is an RPG without the “R” and the “P?” [Mass Effect 3]

Just prior to the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda in March, I chose to play through as many of the original Mass Effect games as I could. Due to limits in free time, I opted for a streamlined approach to the games in order to play each from beginning to end. I managed to make…

Turn Back the FPS Clock with DUSK!

There’s a new 90’s shooter on the horizon, and it’s name is DUSK! Currently in development by New Blood Interactive, DUSK aims to help fill the void left by the decline of the classic FPS. If the trailers and early critical reception is anything to go by, then signs are good that it’ll be able…

Euclidian Lands: Chess Meets Rubik’s Cube

As I continue my ever-vigilant quest to research new and unique indie games, my attention fell upon a particularly interesting game for Apple iOS. Being an avid Windows-user, this is not something I’d be able to play myself, but for anyone who does own an Apple device and enjoys puzzle games, then you might want…

I’m…still not sold on Destiny 2

Despite having some Destiny disillusionment, I couldn’t help but check out the Destiny 2 beta a couple weeks ago. I honestly wasn’t expecting much so I found myself pleasantly surprised by what it had to offer. The opening mission was engaging, the revamped Crucible was fun, and the “Inverted Spire” strike was at least new…

YouTube Highlights, Weekly Edition #21

Happy Friday everyone! With another week almost done, and the weekend on the horizon, it’s time for us to take a moment to revisit our week in YouTube. And this week was a good week — we’re getting really close to 100 subs! HUGS to everyone who’s hit that “subscribe” button! If you want to…

Truth, Justice, and the Kurain Village Way in Ace Attorney 2

After what seems like f-o-r-e-v-e-r, I’ve finally completed Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice for All. Much like with the first game, I find myself in awe of the experience. I know that “awe” probably isn’t a word applied to many visual novel games, but there’s something pretty special about Ace Attorney, and I think…

Nintendo confirms SNES Classic pre-orders to open this month

Nintendo recently confirmed that the SNES classic will be available for pre-order later this month. In a move to address the recent confusion surrounding pre-orders for the already popular SNES classic, Nintendo announced on their Facebook page that the console would indeed be made available for pre-order in late August. In the event that you…

Paradise Lost: A Game Where You Play as…an Alien Plant?

In recent weeks, I have been looking up lists of the most anticipated, and most unique, recent or upcoming indie games. One game that was mentioned on several different occasions was Paradise Lost: First Contact (though on one web site, it was listed under the name Paradise Never). In this game, you play as an…

Relying on Lootboxes is a Mistake

Are you really happy with the lootbox system? I’m not. At first I thought they were fun. I mean, who doesn’t like the feeling of opening what is essentially treasure chest? The thing is though, almost all of the fun in a lootbox is found in the opening. Once it’s done, it’s done, and hopefully…

YouTube Highlights: Weekly Edition #20

What a week, what a week! If ever there was a one truly happy moment about a week, it’s that moment when you realize that the weekend is only a few steps away. Which is where we are right now. (So meta.) To aid you in getting into your weekend groove, why not take a…

Resonance: Secunda

For no terribly good reason, I recently took a new trip through The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I played through the game only once when it was new(ish), and at the time, the experience didn’t leave much of a lasting impact. I couldn’t say what exactly brought on the inkling to pick up the game…

Observer: A Cyberpunk Experience from Bloober Team

The makers of “Layers of Fear” have announced a new game recently. The project is known as “Observer” and appears to be a horror game set in a cyberpunk style future. It looks promising, but question is whether or not Bloober Team has learned from past mistakes and criticisms.

A KH3 Release Date, Toy Story, and More

I’ve long since lost track of the number of years we’ve been waiting to hear this news. But it’s finally confirmed…Kingdom Hearts 3 is indeed something that’s going to happen in our lifetimes! It was announced at Disney’s D23 convention that this greatly anticipated game is scheduled for release in 2018. When in 2018, I…

Pyre and Buying Based on Developer

Most of the time, buying a game based solely on who’s developing it is good way to set oneself up for disappointment. Heck, in this modern world of video game advertising it can be a bad idea to buy based off a demo (I’m looking at you vanilla Destiny). There is still a short list…

Age Doesn’t Make a Game Dated

It was thanks to Cary’s recent post, Playing Games Past Their Prime, that I had a revelation concerning a few questions I had been asking as of late. It largely boils down to: why do some old games feel dated, while others from the same era do not? Furthermore, how is it that even new…

The Road Better Left Untaken

I love Crash but playing through the Crash Bandicoot N’ Sane Trilogy reminded me of just how infuriating the original game could be. It requires much greater levels of precision and endurance than its successors, and there no level that typifies this more than “The High Road’. I truly, absolutely, wholeheartedly, and unabashedly hate “The…

Indie Games On-Demand?

There is a new subscription-based video game service launching soon. The service is called “Jump“, and will be offering an initial library of 60-100 for a flat fee of $9.99 per month. The service is currently in closed beta until July 24th, but once it launches it will offer users unlimited ad-free access to a…

A Cry for Help from a Weary Kingdom Hearts Fan

Now that I’ve gotten through Breath of the Wild and Yooka-Laylee, my top two games of the year, I’ve been working my way through Kingdom Hearts 2.8. The bulk of this game’s time has, and will continue to be, spent on the remake of Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance. The most exciting game in this…

Persona 5 and Rivers in the Desert

I know that I’m about three months late in saying this, but I gotta say it anyway: Persona 5 is excellent! I’d never played a Persona game before this one, so I went into it not really knowing what to expect. What I got was a game with a familiar-yet-new combat system, characters that I…

Nintendo’s Coming to Universal Studios

There are a lot of franchises out there that have gotten the theme-park treatment, though rarely, if ever, are those franchises of the video game variety. Even so, I would often think of how well-suited Nintendo would be for its very own land in a theme park. And what do you know, it’s actually happening! …

SNES Classic Mini Almost Immediately Sold Out in UK

Earlier this week, Nintendo finally announced the highly anticipated the SNES Classic Mini. To the delight of many a Nintendo fan, the company stated that they intend to produce “significantly more” of the item than its predecessor. While this is certainly a welcome announcement, it doesn’t seem to be translating into greater availability for the…

Beyond Good & Evil 2 Prototype Gameplay and Reiging-In the Hype

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still a very long way off. The fact that it’s happening at all is certainly something to be excited about, but it’s important not to let the hype take control just yet. The trailer shown at E3, while looking very much like the kind of game Beyond Good and…

Resonance: Hivory Towers

While Yooka-Laylee was not quite what we had all hoped it would be, there is one area where it absolutely delivered, and that was nostalgia. After having completed the game only about a month ago, and despite having a rather rocky time with it, I already kind of miss it. I think some of the…

Beyond Good & Evil 2: Different But Still Familiar

At this year’s E3, long-time fans of Beyond Good and Evil finally got the announcement they’d been waiting for since 2009: concrete proof that Beyond Good and Evil 2 was in development. Ubisoft had previously announced that the game was in development back in October 2016, but talk is cheap when it comes to a…

Metroid Is Back!

It’s been a long wait, but our day has finally come my fellow Metroid fans! Nintendo has announced not just one but two upcoming Metroid games! After the seeing nothing of substance released for the series since 2010’s Metroid: Other M, holding out hope for a new game was starting to become difficult. Here we…

Why E3 is Still Important

“I’m pleased to announce…” These are the magic words of E3. They stoke excitement and they inspire the imagination. They are the prelude to much of what the audience is there to see. The show’s relevance has been getting called into question with increasing frequency over the years, and it’s understandable. Thanks to the internet the…

Hello Neighbor Alpha 4: Thoughts and Theories

For the last month or so, I have been frequently checking Youtube in the hopes of discovering more updates for the intriguing indie game, Hello Neighbor. If you’re not familiar with this game, allow me to summarize. Simply put, your goal is to sneak into your neighbor’s house and discover what he’s hiding in his…

Ghost of a Tale: A Redwall-Inspired RPG Adventure

In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for me to find enough new games that really interest me. Many of my favorite series have since ended or update quite rarely. Plus, I have grown far pickier over how I spend my money. To continue my quest for new and interesting games, I have been…

A Look Inside Breath of the Wild’s DLC Pack 1

As many of you no doubt know, it was announced some time back that owners of Breath of the Wild could pay a $20 fee for some DLC entitled “Expansion Pass” (which I discussed in a past post). Aside from some bonuses I assume were initially available for anyone who bought the DLC, several additional…

YouTube Highlights: Weekly Edition #9

You know how they say time flies when you’re having fun? Well, that’s certainly true when it comes to our YouTube channel, because we’ve been having loads of fun sharing our Let’s Plays with you! Once again, thanks to all our subscribers for the likes, comments, suggestions, and general goodness. It all goes a long…

Will Red Dead Redemption 2 sound as good, if not better than the first?

Earlier this week, an article popped up on VG247 discussing marked similarities, as pointed out by a NeoGAF member, between the song used in in Red Dead Redempetion 2’s announcement trailer, and a song titled “Apertura” (from The Motorcycle Diaries) by Gustavo Santaolalla. Take a listen below. Santaolalla is a composer with plenty of meaty…

Yooka-Laylee: A Game with Good Intentions

Fans of the Banjo-Kazooie series have long-awaited a true sequel since Banjo-Tooie’s release on the Nintendo 64 in 2000. When Yooka-Laylee was finally announced as a spiritual successor to the much-beloved pair of platformers, I’m sure every Banjo-Kazooie fan jumped for joy. Many people, like myself, hoped that Yooka-Laylee would harken in a new era…

YouTube Highlights: Weekly Edition #8

Greetings and salutations, good people. We’ve reached the end of another week, and that means it’s time to take a trip around Virtual Bastion’s week in YouTube. We certainly do appreciate all the love we’ve received there (and here!) about our new name and look, so a big thank you is due to all you…

Unreal Engine 4 is Surprisingly Friendly to New Developers

The power of Unreal Engine 4 continues to impress as more and more developers put it through its paces. We seen what the engine could do for some of our favorite games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but what about completely new projects? What can a completely new developer do with it? More…

Four New Zelda: BotW Features the Duck Can’t Live Without

Just because my time with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has come to a close, that doesn’t mean I have stopped thinking about it. This game was an amazing experience, and it introduced a plethora of improvements that have elevated the Zelda franchise to new heights. Below is a list of the…

YouTube Highlights: Weekly Edition #7

Hello, one and all! We hope that you’ve been having a good time exploring our new digs. We’ve been busy sprucing up the place, making sure that everything is just right. So don’t mind our mess…instead just sit back and enjoy the return of our weekly YouTube highlights! (And be sure to follow Virtual Bastion…

A Blissful Pursuit: My Relationship Fighting Games [REVISITED]

The following is a repost of an original article that first appeared here on April 16, 2015. This week saw the release of Mortal Kombat X, the latest title in that ubiquitous fighting saga that, if nothing else, well popularized the phrase “Get over here!” But this week also marks another Mortal Kombat milestone: the 20th…

Time To Go Full Throttle?

DoubleFine fans will still need to wait awhile until the studio is ready to release Psychonauts 2, but those looking for a taste of that wonderfully delightful DoubleFine flair in the meantime are in luck. Another early classic from Tim Schafer’s time at LucasArts has been remastered and released earlier this week! Which excellent piece…

Spring is Here! Let’s Talk about Games!

Winter is dead. Long live spring! Yup, spring has finally started to settle in around here, so thoughts have naturally turned from staying warm and video games to enjoying the warmer weather…and video games. Alright, so maybe the improved weather doesn’t change all that much after all, but it does have me wanting to see…

Mass Effect: Andromeda — Screenshot Theater

Being over three weeks old now, Mass Effect: Andromeda feels a little like old news. Most people I know who have it have already completed at least one playthrough. Speedy hares they are! I, on the other hand, am the tortoise in this gaming race — slow and steady. And yes, this is a fancy…

Saturday Video Round Up: August 13 – 19

The end of the week has once again arrived, so a hearty congratulations are in order for making it through to the end. Your reward, like every week, is a brand new Video Round Up, bringing the best trailers and gameplay clips from the past seven days. Here’s a small taste as to the content…

Saturday Video Round Up: August 6 – 12

It’s the weekend once again, which means it’s time for your weekly dose of the Video Round Up. As we head into prime video game season, the trailers have begun to flow. Without further adieu, here’s just a small sample of the content waiting for you this week. With about a month left until release,…

Saturday Video Round Up: July 30 – August 5

The weekend is once again here and that means it’s also time for a brand new edition of the Video Round Up. As usual, we’re bringing you the best trailers and gameplay clips from the week that was. Here’s a small taste of what’s to come: One of the more criminally overlooked games of 2016…