23 | November | 2010 | "DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!"

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)

Developer: Game Republic

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

Proof that decent single player game experiences aren't quite dead just yet, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is a nice surprise in this insanely busy holiday games avalanche. In this console cycle of endless AAA shooters, non-stop action games packed with multiplayer modes or games where some sort of mandatory online presence have become mainstays, Game Republic's lengthy and quietly beautiful little fantasy wants you to put down the caffeine, turn off the testosterone, pull up a comfortable chair and set a spell with the well-worn tale it wants to tell. Like Namco Bandai's other excellent single-player focused sleeper, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (and Game Republic's PS3 launch window title, Folklore), there's a lot of love that went into putting this one together and you can see it as you play. While the overall experience isn't flawless, the game is a guaranteed near-total joy for those who fully surrender to its charms.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/xD9FevMw1_o?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

We absolutely love Atlus and Atlus loves us right back. Maybe not absolutely, but hey… Sure, it's a long distance relationship and we don't talk all that much, but the gifts keep coming and they're always good ones, so we're hooked. Anyway, yes, it's another DS RPG extravaganza and yup, you'll get a free soundtrack with the game. Details below the jump. Go reserve a copy and make Atlus very happy…

By the way, the game's official website isn't quite up yet, despite the link in the press release. Fear not, dear reader… Atlus is on the case!