PlayStation

Vanguard Bandits

While it may not be the best game of its kind, or the prettiest, Vanguard Bandits is a very unique game. If you're a TRPG fan, and you're sick of the conformity of the genre, pick it up right now, and get a breath of fresh air.

The only reason not to get Vanguard Bandits would be if you can't stand strategy type games at all. The story has a wide variety of emotions, from sappy love stories to vile deception, witty humor to angry insults. The characters have excellent development, and smashing up hundreds of mechanical ATACs on the path to victory doesn't feel too bad either. Due to the number of missions, and the length of play, I wouldn't recommend simply renting the game, unless you like teasing yourself. Just do yourself a favor, and buy it right now. You won't regret it.

Originally titled Epica Stella and then Detonator Gauntlet, Vanguard Bandits is the perfect example of a new release that is actually a little treasure from the past. This battlefield strategy RPG, which is set on a continent of warring countries, isn't for everyone, but if you're a strategy RPG fan that isn't too fussy about graphics, you'll be pleased. According to the game's thick, full-color instruction booklet, which has become a Working Designs staple, the company stumbled across the game "during [its] licensing of Vasteel way back in the days of the TurboGrafx-CD system." The game often shows its age, especially graphically, but never feels antique; what it lacks in visual style it makes up with charm.