Features by Cullen Black

The mobile and PC ports of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince are perfectly serviceable
The mobile and PC ports of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince are perfectly serviceable

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is now available for PC and mobile devices after its launch on Switch last year. Here's how the two versions shake out.

feature by Adam Vitale and Cullen Black on 16 September, 2024

Persona 3 Reload - Episode Aigis makes me finally appreciate The Answer
Persona 3 Reload - Episode Aigis makes me finally appreciate The Answer

Persona 3's divisive epilogue "The Answer" has been remade in the Reload Expansion "Episode Aigis", offering a sizeable dungeon crawl sure to excite fans who missed the challenge of the original.

feature by Cullen Black on 10 September, 2024

Tokyo Xanadu eX+ on Switch is now the best version... in English at least
Tokyo Xanadu eX+ on Switch is now the best version... in English at least

Nihon Falcom's hybrid between Trails and Ys returns, this time on Nintendo Switch and touting a great new English script.

feature by Cullen Black on 24 July, 2024

Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen offers a compelling reason to return to Valisthea
Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen offers a compelling reason to return to Valisthea

The first of two DLC packs for the game lets players face off against Omega in a combat-focused side chapter of the story.

feature by Cullen Black on 12 December, 2023

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are not perfect, but I'm thrilled to be playing them on Nintendo Switch
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are not perfect, but I'm thrilled to be playing them on Nintendo Switch

Square's latest attempt to bring six classic Final Fantasy games is admirable, even with their faults.

feature by Cullen Black on 19 April, 2023

Persona 4 Golden has finally come out on a Portable System - Switch Impressions
Persona 4 Golden has finally come out on a Portable System - Switch Impressions

(It's a joke, sorry. Persona 4 Golden is now available for Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation consoles.)

feature by Cullen Black on 17 January, 2023

Persona 5 Royal: How do the Switch, Xbox, and PC versions stack up?
Persona 5 Royal: How do the Switch, Xbox, and PC versions stack up?

We check in on just how good the new Xbox, PC, and Switch versions of Persona 5 Royal in this port report.

feature by James Galizio and Cullen Black on 17 October, 2022

Nier Automata for Switch is a miracle port
Nier Automata for Switch is a miracle port

Nier Automata on Switch feels like it shouldn't exist. But it does - and it not only works, it works well.

feature by Cullen Black on 30 September, 2022

No surprise, the .hack//G.U. Last Recode Switch port is pretty great
No surprise, the .hack//G.U. Last Recode Switch port is pretty great

Bandai Namco has another solid re-release on Switch.

feature by Cullen Black on 03 May, 2022

How Chrono Cross connects to Trigger: What happened to the CT cast and how the games are related
How Chrono Cross connects to Trigger: What happened to the CT cast and how the games are related

Chrono Cross is a sequel - but only loosely. Dig in, however, and you can find deep connections to Chrono Trigger - and the fate of its beloved cast.

feature by Cullen Black and Alex Donaldson on 06 April, 2022

Kingdom Hearts' Cloud Ports on Switch: Far from an "Integrum Masterpiece"
Kingdom Hearts' Cloud Ports on Switch: Far from an "Integrum Masterpiece"

The Kingdom Hearts series has made its way to Switch, but not as expected.

feature by Cullen Black on 16 February, 2022

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut on Switch: Existential brilliance on the go
Disco Elysium - The Final Cut on Switch: Existential brilliance on the go

ZA/UM's masterpiece finally goes portable, and it's quite impressive.

feature by Cullen Black on 11 October, 2021

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot on Switch goes even further beyond... expectations
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot on Switch goes even further beyond... expectations

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is one of the rare Switch ports that blows expectations out of the water, nearly stacking up to original console versions.

feature by Cullen Black on 23 September, 2021

Ni no Kuni 2 on Switch: Comfortable, fun, and surprisingly solid
Ni no Kuni 2 on Switch: Comfortable, fun, and surprisingly solid

The second entry in the Ni No Kuni series makes its way to the Nintendo Switch in this quite an ambitious port.

feature by Cullen Black on 18 September, 2021

Judgment's PlayStation 5 remaster brings a much-needed performance boost at the expense of its unique visual identity
Judgment's PlayStation 5 remaster brings a much-needed performance boost at the expense of its unique visual identity

Judgment's remaster on modern consoles brings some greatly appreciated performance updates, although a noticeable change in the lighting style may not always land well.

feature by Cullen Black on 23 April, 2021

Hands-On with the Steins;Gate 0 on Nintendo Switch
Hands-On with the Steins;Gate 0 on Nintendo Switch

Steins;Gate's divisive sequel finally hits the switch, but this port didn't make the transition entirely unscathed.

feature by Cullen Black on 11 February, 2020

Decade Memoir #4: Cullen Black - NieR
Decade Memoir #4: Cullen Black - NieR

Expectations were subverted time and time again these past 10 years, but few did it as well as Yoko Taro with NieR, which celebrates its 10th anniversary next year.

feature by Cullen Black on 28 December, 2019

How The Alliance Alive HD Remastered Brings a 3DS Gem Back To Life
How The Alliance Alive HD Remastered Brings a 3DS Gem Back To Life

The Alliance Alive was massively underappreciated upon its original release, but now it's finally getting a chance to reach a wider audience.

feature by Cullen Black on 04 October, 2019

Hands-on with Dragon Quest I, II, and III on Nintendo Switch
Hands-on with Dragon Quest I, II, and III on Nintendo Switch

Alongside the release of Dragon Quest XI S, Square Enix surprised us all by with Switch ports of the first three games in the series. The question is though, do they stack up?

feature by Cullen Black on 29 September, 2019

Hands-on with Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Hands-on with Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Although it came around a little later than its franchise brothers, Final Fantasy VIII gets a re-release on new platforms. We take a look at its modern makeover.

feature by Cullen Black on 02 September, 2019