Fans of the SHMUP (Shoot 'em up) genre in the U.S. have always had a hard time in recent console generations finding easy access to titles without importing them from Japan. Thankfully, Aksys Games is trying to reverse that trend. Aksys has released their first SHMUP in the U.S. with Deathsmiles. On the development side is Cave, one of Japan's best SHMUP developers. Deathsmiles is a horizontal, side-scrolling, bullet hell SHMUP. It features young girls in Gothic Lolita outfits fighting against monsters to stop Jitterbug from opening a portal. Read More...

Have you ever been excited for a game's release, and somehow found a way to ruin the game experience due to your own mistake? I guess in my case, it's more stupidity than a mistake. What I am about to recount is how I went from being in Heaven to dragging myself through Hell in a matter of 10 days. This is my story on how my attempt to review Record of Agarest War went sour and the lessons I learned. As a gamer that is very keen on the import scene, I had heard of Record of Agarest War when it was first released in Japan in late 2007. I was intrigued by the reported dating aspects, the Soul Breeding the game touted and being able to play through story through multiple generations. Read More...

Aksys Games has announced their latest limited edition package. This time it is for the Gothic Lolita style shoot 'em up (SHMUP), Death Smiles. The limited edition package will include the game, soundtrack CD, and a faceplate featuring the girls from the game. What would one expect to pay for this package? $59.99? Read More...