Quick Review: Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures (PC/3DS/WiiU/Switch/PS4/XONE)

Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures is a game that is a lot more unique than it looks. While it may look like just another retro style action game attempting to cash in on retro nostalgia and fans of the web series; it also takes a rather unique approach to its design. Specifically, it manages to …

Standard Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (PS3/360/Wii/PC/Ios/Android/OUYA)

I have always had a history with the Sonic the Hedgehog series. I grew up with both of the Sonic Adventure titles and I formed a connection with both of them early on. I also was nostalgic for the Genesis games seeing as how I played them through Sonic Mega Collection. I did enjoy games …

Standard Review: Ys I & II Chronicles (PSP/PC/Ios)

I often find myself overwhelmed by the amount of well known JRPG series I still need to check out. Given that I haven’t even beaten every mainline Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the idea of jumping into another long running series is a daunting one. But hey, I’m finally reviewing a Falcom game, so that’s …

Top 5 Games Reviewed On Guardian Acorn in its Fourth Year

Well shit, Guardian Acorn’s 4th birthday just passed! I’m still quite in awe that this experiment of mine has lasted this long, and I’m hoping that it continues to last. And now comes the tradition where I take one last chance to talk about the best and the worst games I reviewed this year. Okay …

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES): Shoots for the Moon, Lands Among the Stars (Detailed Review)

Super Mario RPG is a game that, when it was originally released, likely met with a lot of skepticism. Squaresoft’s RPGs are generally known as their huge sweeping tales that were not like anything that most gamers have seen at the time. Mario games, on the other hand, generally had no story beyond the typical …

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation (NES/SNES/GBC/Ios/3DS/PS4/Switch): A JRPG Legend (Detailed Review)

A lot of us who live outside of Japan don’t realize just how important the Dragon Quest series is to gaming. So many of us are bound to have at least one JRPG among our favorites of all time, yet ultimately aren’t familiar with the series that put this genre on the map. I’ve often …

Amazing VGM: Sealed Door (Chrono Trigger)

So we all agree Chrono Trigger is amazing, and we all agree that it’s music is also amazing. I have considered replaying it for review purposes, but something something backlog too big blah blah blah you heard it all before. So I did the next best thing and watched Chuggaaconroy’s lets play of it. I …

Amazing VGM: World Map Themes (Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line)

Yeah I kinda fell out of the habit of making Amazing VGM Pieces haven’t I? The last one I did was for The Dark Colossus Destroys All from NieR, and that was back in October. Perhaps I should capitalize on the game I just reviewed then? Dragon Quest II it is! Particularly I would like …

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line (NES/MSX/SNES/GBC/Mobile/3DS/PS4/Switch): A JRPG Codifier (Detailed Review)

Dragon Quest II is often glossed over when discussing the legacy of the series. While Dragon Quest I is noteworthy for being the first game in the series and Dragon Quest III is noteworthy for being motherfucking Dragon Quest III, Dragon Quest II just seems to be known as “that one that’s really really hard …

Dragon Quest (NES/MSX/SNES/GBC/Mobile/3DS/PS4/Switch): A JRPG Pioneer (Detailed Review)

Given the niche of people who read my stuff, I am sure most of you are aware of the impact the Dragon Quest series has on JRPGs as a whole. There is a strange sense of disconnect when thinking about how popular the series is in Japan when comparing its overseas releases. While the series …