Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory is nothing if not high-concept. A thinly veiled allegory for the console wars, this is the third entry in a series of JRPGs which casts anthropomorphic caricatures of Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and Sega as goddesses vying with one another for supremacy over the world of Gamindustri.

The premise is as exciting as it's ever been, but that's never really been Hyperdimension Neptunia's problem. Decidedly mediocre affairs, the games have never quite lived up to the intrigue, hamstrung by a failure to deliver an engrossing experience beyond the clever conceit. Victory is definitely a step forward for the series; however, Compile Heart seems all too keen to shoot itself in the foot on the road to progress.