Friday 3 July 2015

Review: Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation (PSVita)

Remake, Remodel & Reuse. 


Chances are by now if you are the proud owner of a Vita you have come across our girl Nep Nep by now, this is the 3rd remake for the system alongside 3 spin offs, you WILL have been exposed to her charms by now. Will Neptune continue dominance on the Vita or is it time to press pause on our favourite goddess?




RE;BIRTH 3 is the third remake following the narratives of the main series from the Playstation 3. Victory once again follows our girls Nep, Noire, Vert and Blanc plus newcomer Plutia, in this title Nep is sent back in time to the very beginning of Gameindustri.

All the Neptunia games I've played bar Producing Perfection the writing is top notch, RE;3 is no different!. Victory was always my favourite story originally and the added extras, new story paths and improved writing just create an even greater story than before. 
Characters are all brilliantly written once again with all the little nuances that have brought this lovable cast to life. The time travel aspect allows you to see deeper into what makes each character tick and just shows how good IF! have gotten at writing brilliantly funny and engaging characters.




As mentioned briefly the game follows the narrative of Victory which involves Nep being sent to the very beginning of Gameindustri, this shows how the main cast came about and is a brilliant parody on the history of Gaming from Atari upwards. As the title follows on from RE;BIRTH 2 it actually opens with one of the smaller side stories and makes reference to it, this is brilliant for people who have played Victory as it keeps the narrative fresh.

For me as much as I loved the story, the original release of it was still too fresh in my mind which took a bit of a hit as a lot of the new side stories felt shoe horned in. I think this personally will all depend on how much you played Victory originally much the same as RE;BIRTH 2, With the first title it felt fresh and new as many didn't play the original HN and honestly it improved in every single aspect, with Victory it wasn't exactly broke and is more the case of throwing more stuff as it to make it seem better.



The music is the usual infectious mixture of Chiptune and JPop sweetness which perfectly suits the mood of the game and in fact the series on a whole. Voice acting once again is brilliant in both Japanese or Dubbed. Personally over the years I have become used to dub & think the voice acting really brings out the shine in the script from perfect meme delivery to the sounds Neptune makes in delight and anger.



The gameplay is once again really refined in this title, a silky smooth framerate is something that avoided the original titles and it's brilliant to have it back here! All the inclusions from the previous remakes are here including the Remake system and Stella's Dungeon which adds more hours than you'll care to admit to your overall time. The battle system is identical to the previous 2 which I believe was slightly modified off Victory so I won't be going over it again. Remake system is once again the same, basic idea is through items you can "remake" the game changing dungeons, loot drops and the like, character models are all nice but once again the same as the last two.

If you hadn't guessed we have hit the main problem with RE;BIRTH 3 in that it's a good game but it's near enough the same game as the previous 2 barring narrative and side quests, it plays the same, it looks the same and it even sounds the same, it's a shame as I really do enjoy the series but the re usage of assets is surpassing even Morrigan of Capcom fame levels.




RE;BIRTH 3 is a fantastic RPG for the Vita, it just pains that nothing is really done differently than the other two titles. It was obvious with how quickly these titles come out that some things will be reused but entire sections just seem like they have been copy and pasted into the game. The usual difficulty spikes should see you grinding during the game and the copious amounts of side content should keep you busy until the next onslaught of Neptune related titles.

This title works as a fantastic little time sink and a filler title until the next RPG on your list but it's far from the definitive list of RPGS you can play on your Vita and if you didn't like a previous title there is nothing new here to persuade you otherwise.

6/10

Who Should Play This? 

  • Fans of the Neptune series 
  • Looking for a filler RPG 
  • Enjoy comedy writing and parody 
Who Should Avoid This?
  • Looking for a serious RPG 
  • Expecting a ground-breaking new title
  • Not already a fan of the series

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