Jason Venter
As well as founding and building HonestGamers, I've written reviews, guides, and news a variety of leading game outlets, including IGN, GameSpot, Polygon, Game Rant, GamesRadar, PC Invasion, Joystiq, and others.
Writing For
GameSpot
Game Rant
PC InvasionLatest Reviews
With a variety of smart enhancements that keep the player experience firmly in mind, Persona 3 Reload reminds everyone why the original game was one of the finest of its era.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth builds on everything that came before it to provide one of the medium's most essential RPGs, filled to bursting with an unrivaled bounty.
House Flipper 2 rewards creativity and puts out a relaxing vibe that can be downright addictive.
Backpack Hero offers some neat adventures worth experiencing, but you'll have to grapple with a persistently irritating interface and other rough edges to find them all.
The same array of activities that has made past games in the series such a joy to play returns once more, but the effect isn't quite as impressive because the central story hasn't been given enough time to properly develop.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless mostly feels like business as usual, which is good news for long-time fans and newcomers alike. Some rough edges have been smoothed, though, and the polish works alongside a few smart new features to produce one of the finest entries in the series to date.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line scratches a particular itch, which means the game is unlikely to hold a great deal of immediate appeal for people who aren’t already familiar with the Final Fantasy series. That franchise has produced some amazing music over the years, though, and the fans who already love it will likely welcome a fresh excuse to listen to some of their favorite compositions once again. The combination of music and visual assets could also help franchise newcomers see what they’ve been missing. A little more variety in the compositions included would have been nice, but otherwise, the package contains the right bells, whistles, and nostalgia to keep players busy and happy for a very long time.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is another strong Yakuza game that fans won't want to miss, finally localized for English speakers. The improved visuals often put the package in line with more recent fare, but the uneven results prevent it from finding the true greatness that was nearly within its grasp.
One Piece Odyssey is a rousing adventure thanks to its engaging combat, liberating character customization, and beautiful environments. Sometimes, design choices limit player agency, but the effect rarely lasts long. The end result is a mostly satisfying JRPG that should keep fans hooked, provided they make it through the forgettable first few hours and take advantage of the various systems. After a few initial rough patches, the game lives up to most of its potential and is easy to recommend as both a One Piece experience and a JRPG.
As the sixth main installment in a JRPG series that dates to the 16-bit era, one with a slightly tarnished reputation in recent years, Star Ocean: The Divine Force evokes a comforting sense of familiarity even as it experiments with some of its expected returning elements and pushes in exciting new directions. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and Tri-Ace has done a wonderful job of crafting a new world long-time fans and newcomers alike may feel reluctant to leave once the credits roll, even keeping in mind a few rough patches they encountered along the way. That’s no minor achievement, and makes the game easy to recommend to genre fans in search of their next addiction.