Ok guys and girls, this is the first official review of Angel Spire and just cause it happens to be an Admin game, doesn't mean i'll show favoritism. This review focuses on "The Song of Elegin", a rm2k3 game created by Madriel222.

The story starts off as a prologue of the current events happening in the world. The demon lord Elegin had just been defeated by a Paladin named Zakarum. The era of magic is nearing it's end as the people of the lands stopped believing in the arcane arts. DUring this prologue, you'll meet up with Oroth, the main character of the game. As the member of the order, a group who's purpose was to defeat the sorceries of the Infernal realms, he currently is having a conflict with his father. He hasn't seen his dad for over nine years. Every time he writes to him, he doesn't write back. So Oroth's main thought in mind is to return home and confront his father. The Order is about to close down and Oroth with his close friend Berundd has been sent to the mainland, where the real story begins.

-The Review-
OK, time to get to the review.

Gameplay
The gameplay is very good. It features some unique characteristics in it that sets it apart from most rm2k3 games. One of the things you'll notice from the start is the flawless day/night system plus random weather. It may be night out and raining, but when you go indoors, ity'll get bright like how normal people's houses are at night and the rain will go away. It has random encounters which i'm not a big fan of, but the battles are fun to play in with all of the different customizations. Over 300 skills allready, and it's only a demo...WOW!!! An impressive picture based limit break, and features a well done calender system.

Graphics
The graphics are pretty good. The towns and forests are well sized and colorfull. although I didn't like how some of the indoor maps were done. Another unique feature that shows impressive graphics is the Custom Menu System. It shows your posessed items, player status, Navitas (Which i failed to find out), Essences, a very good presented party changing system, a World Map, a journal, and gold display. The only graphical problems in the game I had is that sometimes it's hard to see what's what when it's night time. Also the numbers in the guages during battle are hard to read.

Music
Music wise, it uses mostly midis.Mostly music from Trace Bundy and Final Fantasy midis. Though it does use some Final Fantasy midis, he did used them right. Those Trace Bundy tracks are very good to. They fit the mood of the events that are occuring during the story. I didn't have a problem in this catagory.

Overall Score
This game shows some well deserved credit, as it is one of those games that will break this gaming drought facing us in the gaming community. I give The Song of Elegin Demo version

4 out of 5

Title: Hero's Realm
Author: Kentona
Reviewer: Shin Migumi

Lead four heroes and their teams against the evil forces of Mephistocles, the Lord of Demons. Lead four teams as you explore dungeons, ascend towers, spelunk caves, save villages and defeat the forces of evil! A classic NES-style RPG that will keep you entertained for hours on in.

Plot (4/5)
The world of Nerth is a peaceful place, with brave knights, benevolent kings and content people. The Gurus, an association of Wise Old Men and Wise Old Women, kept watch over the world. Everyone was happy.

12 years ago, the great Guru clairvoyant Alistair had a vision...

"I have had a vision," said Alistair, "The Child of Light has been born!"

The Child of Light! While this is great news, it carries with it a dark realization... The return of Mephistocles, the Lord of Demons, is nigh. The prevent a panic across the world, the Gurus kept the vision a secret.

And then...the Void of the World opened. The barrier between the Demon World and Nerth was weakening.

"It is time for action," said the great Guru Grand Poobah Pablo, "Messengers, send word to all the Kings and Queens in all the lands of Nerth. The War of Darkness is upon us - send us your greatest heroes. The Forces of Light needs the bravest warriors, the most talented mages, and the pluckiest rogues if we ever hope to defeat the Forces of Evil."

And so the word was sent out, and the world awaits with bated breath for the return of the Lord of Demons...

The game is split into 5 chapters, each tying together into one big finale. The plot itself isn't exactly "original" but it does satifies those who love a modern heroic RPG-style story. You can tell that alot of the plot, and the game itself was inspired by the Dragonquest series, which isn't a bad thing. If you love the Dragon Warrior/Dragonquest series, you'll feel right at home with this game.

Graphics (4/5)
This is where the game kinda suffers. While it doesn't bother me since I love NES style graphics, some gamers might think the graphics are to plain and dated compared to todays standards. If you are one of those people, then I encourage you to look beyond graphics bacause their is a really good game here. It uses mostly RTP, but don't let that fool you into believing that this is a noob game. Kentona purposely use RTP to ceapture the feel of an old NES rpg like Dragon Warrior or Mother. I, myself didn't have a problem with this at all, but for others who doesn't like RTP, please don't let that be the reason why you won't play this, cause you'll be missing a really good thing.

Sound (4/5)
What do you expect. Classic NES-style game will surely have classic NES-style music right? Correct. Nothing excellent, but it isn't terrible either. It keeps you interested and does a good job at capturing some key moments throughout the game. You can expect to hear some memorable tunes from classic games (if you were around at that time) and some new ones. Overall though, the music does satifies, but it doesn't blow your socks off. It's just the right pace and the right amount to keep you interested.

Mechanics (5/5)
This is where the game shines. Being a game that doesn't have a CBS or a CMS or a swimming system or anything like that, your probably wondering why this got a 5. Well, I just answered it. By not focusing on features and minigames and stuff like that, Kentona focused on what seperated a good game from a great game, the battle system. Ranging from 19 different classes, you can design and customise exactly what kind of party you want, similar to games like Final Fantasy 5. From the get go, you'll be able to choose the gengers of your companions and choose from 12 of the 19 classes: Druid, Wizard, Mesmer, (Girl)Witch (Boy)Warlock, B. Knight, Paladin, Shapeshifter, Ronin, Bandit, Harlequin, Engineer, and Ranger. It doesn't matter which classes you choose, the battle system is balanced perfectly, making it "simple to pick up, but difficult to master". It actually rivals that of the legendary Dragonquest battle systems. Each class is created perfectly, ensuring that won't be continousely mashing the attack button. Strategy is definitely the key to victory.

Another cool feature is simple, yet addictive. Havinng items hidden in bookshelves, pots,etc. It may seem simple, but I spent about a hour just examining rooms for hidden items, and I wasn't bored at all.

Conclusion:
So what is there to say, only this. Hero's Realm is the "BEST" classic NES Dragon Warrior style game to date. Kentona outshines anyhing that has come before it. The is definitely a revival of a once great era in gaming. The feel of it is just right, the story is good, and most importantly, the battles are fun and engaging. That why I give Hero's Realm...

4.5 out of 5

Title: Alter Alia: The beginning of Terrinos
Author: Neo Kuriyo
Reviewer: Shin Migumi

So, this is my (lost count) review on ASP. It's on Alter Alia, a Scifi, post-apocalyptic game by Neo Kuriyo. I do believe that this game has some highlights. If you like these kind of games like I do, i'm sure you will two.

Plot (8/10)
Alter A.I.L.A. takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, on a remote plateau: one of the last remaining land masses above sea level. You play the role of a young prisoner, who among others, have had their memories erased, and must now fight for their lives everyday for the entertainment of others. From here, the story can go in 3 separate directions, depending on your choice during the prologue.

The three sides are as followed:
Rebel: On this route, you'll join up with a rebel faction created to stop the dictatorship of Kugar, the overlord. Your motives are ultimately summed up in overthrowing Kugar and establishing peace and human rights for all.

Imperial: On this route, you'll support Kugar's regime, and work towards crushing the rebellion. All resistance must be terminated.

Independent: On this route, you won't join up with either side. Whoever rules does not matter to you. Your one goal is to be free.

Since their are three different routes, I can't really say much more about them since that would spoil them pretty much. There is also a secret fourth route you can take, and i'm definitely not telling you that. Just know that you'll have a great time taking whichever route you choose.

Visuals (7/10)
Now these won't be the best mapping you will see. Some are simplistic as hell, bt the gameplay makes up for it. What does keeps me interested in the visuald department is the custom facesets, system set, and custom battle graphics. They are done very well and really draws me in. I do believe that he couldh've done better as far as mapping, but it isn't a real problem unless you can only play games with insane mapping done in it.

Audio (8/10)
The audio is very nice in the game. It really captures the feeling of the game, which is a shooter/scifi type game. No fantasy music is in it, which is refreshing to see. Some of the tracks are heavily overused throughout the game, but it didn't bother me to much. I just wish he had a larger selection of music.

Mechanics (9/10)
Everything runs great in the game. Sure they're are some bugs that I encountered, but they are small, nothing really drastic that you stop you from playing. Some unique feature that he did add are the help file and the unique skills that every character posesses. The help file is wonderfully done, almost like a little dictionary, which uses pictures to play meaningfull information about the aspects of the game. Another mechanic is that each character has a unique skill that they can use during battle, making strategy a plus. EVerything in this departmeny ran smoothly.

Conclusion
I really enjoyed playing this game. It keeps you interested throughout and doesn't bombard you with MGS style cutscenes I see alot in most games. It won't be the best visual game you'll see, but it will be one of the most enjoyable ones.

I give Alter Alia: 4 out of 5