Illusion of Gaia

Also known as:  Gaia Gensouki (Japan), Illusion of Time (Europe)

Developer: Quintet

I just recently played through Illusion of Gaia for the first time...and I'm not nearly as enthralled with it as some people are. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time with it for the most part...but that's about it. When I beat the game, I didn't have the urge to play it again and I wasn't thinking about how cool the story was...I was simply content to move on to something else. That said, Illusion of Gaia is still a good game...it mixes top-down, Legend of Zelda-style hack and slash, with aspects of an RPG and tosses in some interesting puzzles along the way. The game does have some personality to it as well, which is where I'm guessing much of the love comes from...as well as some humor that, at times, can get kind of dark and twisted. While I may not be a huge fan, I cannot deny that this is a well-made game for its time and I can understand why so many folks love it...Unfortunately, I just can't be placed in that category with them. A good game, but not necessarily one for my tastes.

Review added: 12/01/2018

Imperium

Also known as:  Kidou Soukou Dion (Japan)

Developer: Jorudan

I always like a good ol' scrolling, 3rd person shooter. I like them even more when they're unique in some fashion. So, when I first discovered Imperium, I grew fond of it pretty quickly. Taking place in the distant future of 2027, in Imperium, instead of racking up points as you blast enemy aircraft, you're racking up experience points for your weapon. If you get hit, the weapon that you're firing drops down a level and the only way to regain your lost firepower is to shoot down more enemies without getting hit. You'll unlock different weapons to switch between as well, so if one weapon's power is drained during a boss fight, you can switch to a different, high-powered weapon. It helps offset the typical scrolling shooter issue of, “I got hit and lost all my firepower in one of the later levels, now it’s incredibly hard to build myself back up to have a fighting chance.” In Imperium, you lose your firepower in one weapon, switch over to another weapon that’s at full power and you’re back in business. You can also adjust the game speed, so even if you've conquered the game at a slower pace, you can ramp up the speed to increase the difficulty and really test your skills. While Imperium isn't perfect, it's still well worth checking out if you're a fan of scrolling shooters.

Review added: 11/15/2023