RPGWatch Feature: The Whole Game in My Hand #6

Mike Anderson takes on the world of handheld RPG gaming with his latest entry in this series. As usual, Mike rounds up the recent releases on the PSP, DS and other formats and the feature is a full review of Etrian Odyssey - a classic hardcore title the likes of which is no longer made commercially for them PC. Here is a sample:

There seems to be something of a RPG revival happening on Nintendo's handhelds recently - at the end of last year there was Mazes of Fate for the GBA (DS version in progress as noted above), then earlier this year there was the rogue-like Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja, and now we have Etrian Odyssey. This game hearkens back to classic party-based dungeon romps such as the early Might & Magic games and The Bard's Tale as well as many others. It is one of the best games I have played this year, but also one of those experiences sure to split opinions - it is brutally hard, extremely long and unforgiving, and is basically a dungeon crawl. I would term this a 'narrowband release', as it is really not made for the audience who are the growth crowd of Nintendo's 'Touch Generations' playing Cooking Mama or Brain Age, nor is it for younger console-centric folks who see Final Fantasy as the origins of the role-playing genre.

Read it all here.