Now they look out for me. Stupid algorithm.

All Switch re-releases this month.

Tomodachi Life and Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta see Switch releases on April 16 and April 28 respectively.

Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition sees a Switch 2 release on April 16 as well.

Ys games are fun, and Xenoblade games tend to be pretty good. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Tomodachi Life. These are all re-releases but a fun time could be had nonetheless.

Capcom sees what the PC industry is doing and wants to make sure they get their piece of the pie.

Looks like Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen were made available LateFebruary to buy on the Switch. I have never played a Pokemon game, but the availability of those two has created a desire to ‘mon up.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection hits Switch 2, PS5, Steam, and XboX on March 13. Capcom’s crafting RPG with copious monster-hunting has another entry in its turn-based sister series. The stakes and production values are higher, but will they be enough?

Speaking of increased production values, WiZmans World Re;Try hits PS5 and Switch with another try at releasing same day and date as Stories 3.

Etrange Overlord – a NIS title in line with several other NIS releases – has noble Etrange executed and sent to Hell, where she decides to take it over. This time it’s an action RPG for the PS5 and Switch; available March 26.

March 27 sees the release of the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection for the Switch, PS4/5, Steam, and XboX. Physical copies are for the Switch. The last of the Battle Network-style of Mega Man games (but still not a Legends collection); Star Force fans will eat well this day.

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade gets a Switch 2 release as the system continues to pick up drifting titles to bolster its ranks. Not a bad strategy: Sony is pulling back from PC ports in a time when PC ports are super important for money, and Xbox is attempting to AI itself to death. Nintendo may win by simply being the last system standing.

Seriously, console wars are bullshit.

Also known as the Leon S. Kennedy.

First up is the first release of February: Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. I am currently working on Dragon Quest II from the 2D-HD release and am shocked at how the series has gone from absolute grindfest to ‘let’s make a fun game’. Don’t get me wrong, I often enjoy a grind; but after perfecting the series’ battle system in DQXI, it’s like the developers doubled-down on quality of life issues to make the games more accessible. I am here for this, by the way. The games have their charm, the monster designs are fun, and there is more emotional maturity contained in these games than a lot of other titles on the market.

Anyroad, DQVII Reimagined has a demo out. The title releases February 5^th for PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and Series X.

The next day has the release of Nioh 3 for PS5. The latest in a line of samurai-themed Soulslikes by Team Ninja, the Nioh series has focused more on combat than other games in the genre.

Ys X: Proud Nordics releases February 20^th, and is Ys X with all the bells and whistles meant for the Switch version. It hits the PS5 and Switch 2.

And yeah there’s a new Resident Evil game closing out the month my house is going to bond over; cats and all.

Some other titles for this month:
Calamity Angels: Special Delivery (PS4/PS5/Switch) (2/17)
WiZmans World Re;Try (PS5/Switch) (2/19)
No Sleep for Kaname Date (PS5/Switch/Switch2) (2/26)

Re-releases:
Kemco RPG Selection 3 for the Switch (2/12)
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma for PS5 (2/13)
Tales of Berseria: Remastered (PS5/Switch) (2/27)
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (PS5/Switch 2/XboX) (2/12)

Don’t push back your flu shots. Every time I could have gone something came up and I have been paying for it for about 9 days now. The bad parts of the flu are over, but the hanger-on chest and throat cold is annoying.

Trails Beyond the Horizon, the capstone game for the Calvard Arc; launches on January 15. The long-running sub-series still has a few more games left in it even as Nihon Falcom eyes the end of the story (and begins to plan for other properties such as a sequel to Tokyo Xanadu).

Code Vein II hits the end of the month. The animation of God Eater combined with a Dark Souls-inspired combat system to take down vampires.

Not much else this month. The Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined demo is out to try. It’s pretty fun.

Truth be told, lots of people should probably be playing Demonschool. It’s really fun.

Demonschool released digitally mid-November and captivated me right away. It looks like the first three Persona games before the series reinvented itself with Persona 3 (Persona 2 having been split into two parts). It plays like a chess-based strategy game where each battle has turn-limited goals to kill a certain number of enemies, but also preventing the enemy from reaching the player’s end of the field. Players must also reach the enemy’s end of the field to close out each battle. It’s fast-paced, fun, and players can restart any battle they are currently fighting up until the victory menu is closed out.

It’s got fun dialogue and combat, and the game’s fast travel map keeps players aware of every possible event in the game. The only downside is a few bugs which skip animations and once; a skill.

Most of December’s releases are re-releases, with the exception of Octopath Traveler 0, and even then barely. The game is a remake of the of the free-to-play Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent and removes a lot of elements inherent in mobile games such as gacha while expanding voice-acting and tying character unlocks to story progression.

The rest of month has the following releases:

November seems low on the physical releases. I assume it’s a combination of real world events, scheduling, and the fact Metroid Prime 4 will absolutely destroy all competition.

A friend recommended Crypt Custodian to me after they had played my recommendation of Ys: Oath in Felghana (they’re not a fan). The mechanics are roughly similar, but Crypt Custodian is infinitely more laid back.

The unprecedented event I did not expect was my wife to fall in love with Crypt Custodian, and we are now sharing a system for the first time since the PS2/GameCube era.

I have been big fishing in FFXIV again. This includes chasing rare fish with specific real-world times like 3:48 AM on a Wednesday for a chance at a digital fish. The whole process resembles fighting depression, and I do not recommend unless you find beauty in futility.

As I type this I am logged in awaiting a rare fish RIGHT NOW.

Anyroad, catch up on a some game recommendations from friends this month. Enjoy.

I am easily consumed by games to my lack of life. I am a potato of the highest order. These last few weeks the consumption has been Hollow Knight and Silent Hill f. Yes, that’s right. I am a killer potato.

Skip the next two paragraphs if you don’t want to hear about Silent Hill f‘s features.

Silent Hill f has probably the best New Game+ idea since Chrono Trigger. Story elements from the first playthrough are added into NG+ cutscenes to expand upon the story during subsequent playthroughs. It’s amazing while not diminishing the first playthrough; the plot of which relies mostly on being a mystery.

It’s common in video games to find new cutscenes and items during a second playthrough. New bosses, too. What NeoBards, developers of Silent Hill f; should be proud of is adjusting the feel of the game from the opening NG+ cutscene. I’ve delved further into Silent Hill f – more than any previous Silent Hill because of this accomplishment.

Digimon Story Time Stranger saw release on October 3. I recently found out is there are bad girl Digimon with abs. I am unsure how to feel about this and may have to play the game to make sure such a thing has zero effect on me.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Physical Edition hits shelves October 13. Soon, Morrowind. Soon, Daggerfall. Then, Arena. For all systems. Until the end of time being ported like Doom to your coffee maker screen-

Oh hey Dragon Quest I&II HD-2D Remake sees a launch on October 30. The DQIII remake was great fun.

Pokemon Legends Z-A reverses the alphabet October 16. You can buy it for the Switch, or pay $10 more for a Switch 2 version with a graphical upgrade the Switch could honestly handle.

October 10 sees a re-release near and dear to my heart: Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga. I have an import release on the PSP as a gift from working on this very site, and had given up some years ago about a translation coming over due to the both the diminishing PSP market and Trails in the Sky Second Chapter‘s localization having a ton of issues due to its immense length. But Trails is super hawt now since the series bucks all the JRPG trends players are used to seeing, so we’re getting a ton of Trails stuff.

Three more re-releases see re-release in October:

Disgaea 7 Complete (Switch 2) – 10/10
Persona 3: Reload (Switch 2) – 10/23
Tales of Xillia Remastered – 10/31

Go forth and play.

I will not be apologizing*.

August 28 saw the release of Super Robot Wars Y. I missed this title somehow in the last column. I am an idiot. Longtime readers (all fictional number of you) already know this. Part of the problem is the focus on physical releases, when the reality is those are only a fraction of good RPGs. I always prefer physical to digital for historical reasons; yet it is much more space-effective to buy digital.

Anyway, SRWY is the second title release in North America after Super Robot Wars 30. SRW30 was a Steam-only release, by SRWY is on the PS5, Switch, and Steam. I am playing it on Expert because I love punishing myself.

This month also has a punishing Tactical RPG release with another rerelease of Final Fantasy Tactics. I gave up trying to figure out what content this version has.

Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is releasing a remake on September 19. This version has graphics closer to the Cold Steel and later titles along with some extra content.

September’s releases:

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree – 9/16
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter – 9/19
Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian – 9/26
Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles – 9/30
Metal Slug Tactics (Physical Edition) – 9/30
Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny – 9/30

(*I am so sorry, Heath.)

I know there are more RPGs coming out this month, but the concept of the RPG slithers and crawls through the entirety of video games over time like some sort of cosmic-horror infection. I cannot grasp it; enthralled as I am my understanding bleeds out at the same rate of the infection.

It’s spooky, I tells ya.

August 21 sees the release of the Class of Heroes 3 Remaster on the Switch and PS5. The games are first-person dungeon crawlers in the vein of Wizardry or Etrian Odyssey, but leaning towards EO‘s adorable designs.

Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar hits August 27 for the Switch and Switch 2. The entire game is on the Switch 2 card, because this is a thing we – as consumers – must now discuss for some absolute stupid reason. If you’ve played early Harvest Moon games and followed their switch to the Story of Seasons label then you know what to expect.

Graphically Final Fantasy XIII and XV while gameplay-wise Devil May Cry and Bayonetta; Lost Soul Aside does an inspiration slide into systems August 29. This action RPG’s story sends players to save your sister and the world.

In other weird news, the Final Fantasy Magic the Gathering crossover netted a ton of money in one day. So not only did FF/MtG fans eat well; parent company Hasbro did too.

Enjoy.

This month’s standout release on consoles is MADO MONOGATARI: Fia and the Wondrous Academy available June 25 for the PS4/5 and Switch.

The rest of the year is much more busy. Two Trails titles and the Final Fantasy Tactics remaster for starters. A light month is a good way to shore up some cash for the future.

Its months like these where I question “what so I consider a Role Playing Game any more?” The Soulslike and Metroidvania genres often count, but those genres are also Their Own Thing; and like Super Metroid may not have the RPG elements Symphony of the Night did. Soulslikes could (and have) conceivably broken off from the action RPG genre. And then there’s the perks systems in many shooters; similar to tabletop-inspired RPGs like Fallout.

It’s a good time for selection or branching out. Personally, I have either been playing older games, or seem to be a year behind the curve with newer titles.