Battle Fantasia

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Arc System Works

Arc System Works is known for some very good, 2D fighters. Battle Fantasia is one that seems to be forgotten about, though. Here in North America, it was released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC…but it only saw a physical release on Microsoft's console. The gameplay is similar to most of Arc System Works' fighting games - nice, solid combat. The big gimmick in this game is the "Heat Up" function, which is necessary to utilize in order to beat the game - the final boss does not take damage unless you are "heated up" while delivering your offense. The fighting itself is slower-paced to some of other Arc System Work's fighters…I kind of compare it to the change in gameplay between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the type of fighting game that you prefer, it may be a turn-off. I, personally, love it. The cast of playable fighters are all completely unique and memorable, meaning that if this kind of fighter is for you, you may find yourself gladly working your way through as each character just to see how their stories play out. Anyway, I consider Battle Fantasia to be a pretty under-rated fighting game. It's not an all-time classic, but it's definitely one of the better fighting games of its generation, in my opinion. It may be worth tracking down a copy to find out for yourself. Do keep in mind, though, that while compiling the average score, it do seem to be in the minority for enjoying this game, with some people absolutely hating it, so it's always best to give it a try yourself to see what you think.

Review added: 07/13/2024

Bayonetta

Also known as: N/A

Developer: PlatinumGames

I always thought that I'd like Bayonetta, since it looked like an oddball game and I tend to enjoy oddball things. Initially when playing, though, I thought that my instincts were wrong and that this was not going to be my cup of tea. Bayonetta seemed unlikeable, and the over-the-top action cutscenes that seemed to pop up constantly made my eyes roll. However, sticking with the game, Bayonetta became more and more likeable and the story got more and more interesting, and it never seemed to take itself too seriously, making me glad that I stuck with it until the end. The over-the-top cutscenes never really grew on me, though…it's like a good joke. If you hear the joke once, it's great….when the same joke gets told repeatedly, but with slightly different content, no matter how great the joke is, it gets old pretty quickly. Why the chicken crossed the road was probably pretty funny for first time it was told…not so much after a hundred times. In between the cutscenes, much of the action is a typical brawler, but with plenty of combos and such to apply. It's still a brawler, though, so the action can get repetitive…that's where some of the cutscenes are welcome - it gives you a break in the repetitive brawling, preventing the game from getting old too quickly. I just wish it had fewer eye-rolling action cutscenes. Overall, though, Bayonetta is a solid game well worth checking out if you've got access to it.

Review added: 09/20/2025

Beautiful Katamari

Also known as: Beautiful Katamari Damacy (Japan)

Developer: Now Production

I like Beautiful Katamari…I like any Katamari game, honestly. But just because I like it doesn’t mean that it’s an excellent game. If Beautiful Katamari had been the first game in the series, then this would be great. Unfortunately, it’s the fourth…or sixth, if you count the two mobile games in the series that came out in 2006 and 2007. And with very few exceptions, there isn’t a whole lot here to make it much different from any other game in the franchise. If you’re like me and don’t care, then you’ll probably like Beautiful Katamari just as much as I did. If you liked the previous games but were hoping for something new or innovative, you’ll likely be disappointed. Aside from online battles, which admittedly were fun, and HD graphics (which is probably why this is “Beautiful” Katamari) there just simply isn’t enough new content to make this game feel like anyone but the most devoted Katamari fans would play from beginning to end. While you can count me among those devoted fans, I also can’t blame anyone if they’re underwhelmed by what they get here.

Review added: 11/06/2020

BioShock

Also known as: N/A

Developer: 2K Marin

I was a new owner of an Xbox 360 when BioShock came out, and was looking for some exclusive titles to warrant me having the console. I got BioShock, which was exclusive to the 360 initially, knowing full well that I generally did not like first-person shooters. But, I had heard good things about it, and the story of the game sounded interesting, so I gave it a try. I popped the disc in, pretty much ready to dismiss it as “good like everyone says, but not for me.” Next thing I knew, several hours had gone by, I needed to get to sleep before work, and I was still having trouble putting the controller down. I've heard first-person shooter veterans voice their disapproval of this game, but I absolutely love it. I’ve beaten BioShock countless times, and while I do not consider myself a great first-person shooter player by any means, I know the game well enough where I managed to beat it once on Survivor difficulty without using a Vita-Chamber, granted that was later on the Playstation 3 version. There aren’t many games released over the last 15 years that made me so obsessed to play through it over and over to try to perfect the game, but BioShock did. Despite the number of times that I’ve wandered through the sunken city of Rapture, I still look forward to whenever I return to it today.

Review added: 10/12/2019

Blue Dragon

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Mistwalker

Blue Dragon was a game that I couldn’t wait to play when it first came out. As a huge fan of turn-based RPG’s, seeing that Blue Dragon was going to be a traditional-style RPG with turn-based combat, I was already onboard. Toss in the fact that the creator of the Final Fantasy series was making it with his new development team and the composer for most of the Final Fantasy games was also taking part in the project to make the soundtrack, I figured that there was no way that it could be a stinker. While it definitely wasn’t a stinker, it also wasn’t nearly as fantastic as I thought it would be. Blue Dragon is definitely a decent RPG, but I feel like it was more of an RPG for beginners than anything else. That’s not to say that more experienced players of RPGs won’t find anything to like here, but I think many of them will grow bored before the game ends…I personally felt like the game was getting a bit tedious by the end. I am glad that I played through Blue Dragon, though. It has more positives than negatives, and it also contains one of my favorite boss fight songs in all of video games. If it starts with a hair metal scream, it gets an automatic thumbs up from me. Anyway, this was a decent debut game by Mistwalker, but it’s not the homerun that their next Xbox 360 RPG would turn out to be.

Review added: 09/03/2020

Bomberman: Act Zero

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Hudson

Who here likes Bomberman? Well…that’s more than I have fingers and toes, so I can’t count that high…but it’s probably like a gazillion people with their hands up. Who here wants to see a darker, edgier Bomberman? A lot of hands went down. We’re probably down to like 453 folks now. Okay, who wants a darker, edgier Bomberman with the fun gameplay thrown out the window so we can replace it with gameplay that is much less appealing? Only one hand is still up...Oh, it's the guy who was in charge of development of Bomberman: Act Zero. Can someone show that man the door? And please make sure to let the door hit him in the keister on his way out. Bomberman: Act Zero is just a mess. It's admirable that they tried to give the beloved franchise a facelift with something new, but if they were a doctor and this was their facelift, they should be expecting a lawsuit for malpractice. The new look alienates fans of classic Bomberman, and I can’t imagine that it lured in anyone new. The gameplay itself feels the same way – unnecessary changes made that likely alienate fans of classic Bomberman while failing to attract any new fans. Bomberman: Act Zero is just an awful game, and the worst in the franchise by a pretty large margin. Thankfully, we’ve never gotten another game in the franchise like this one again.

Review added: 10/05/2020