It has certainly been a great year for Nintendo platformers. The release and success of games such as Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M and Kirby's Epic Yarn have all reminded many gamers why the platforming genre is still in full-force (even if it has taken a bit of a backseat to other genres like first-person shooters and RPGs). Now, in the midst of the conclusion of 2010, Nintendo hasn't forgotten about one of its earliest icons: Donkey Kong. The great big ape hasn't had a solid platforming experience since the final days of the Super Nintendo, so it seemed obvious to allow a developer such as Retro Studios tackle a daunting, yet nostalgic task (and for those who will say that I forgot about Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, please digress. As unique as the concept was, I'm merely talking about traditional platforming: a lot of running, jumping and obstacles to traverse. Basically good clean platforming). It's no surprise why Nintendo gave Retro permission to develop a new Donkey Kong Country title, as it's practically up their alley: take a concept/franchise that hasn't seen a fresh installment and revive it, while putting a new spin on its mechanics.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is not a remake by any means, but a continuation of what Rare first established 16 years ago on the Super Nintendo. Diddy, Cranky, Rambi and even Squawks are popular characters from the Super NES original that return, yet you may ask, "What has Retro done to make this new Donkey Kong title stand out?" Well, simply put, Retro Studios may not give gamers and DK fans alike the same innovation that they did with Metroid Prime, but they have carefully weaved together a satisfying albeit challenging experience.
Hop into a blast barrel and hit the jump, as I'll tell you why Retro Studios and Donkey Kong are tailor made for each other.
Activision certainly took a huge gamble when they announced last May that they were remaking the classic N64 first-person shooter GoldenEye for the Wii. A GoldenEye purist like myself (both as a fan of the original and the film it was based on) was skeptical of the idea of remaking a game that is still played in some shape or form today. After the James Bond license has been passed around from publisher to publisher for almost fifteen years. Since then, no title has equaled the poise and character of Nintendo and Rare's revolutionary shooter. The idea of a remake was not appealing to me and trying to have lighting strike twice seemed impossible and foolish. This GoldenEye remake had the early makings of a quick cash-in and the alienation of a massive Bond following. However, given the amount of flak I'm giving GoldenEye on the Wii, it's easy to assume the worst without a prominent developer at the helm. With that being said, I'm glad I was dead wrong. Developer Eurocom outdid themselves with this one.
GoldenEye for the Wii is not necessarily a remake per se, but a re-imagining of the original game and film as a whole. Developer Eurocom really did their homework in order to bring a pleasurable and engaging experience to a console that is low on decent first-person shooters. The makers of last year's on-rails first-person shooter, Dead Space: Extraction, have continued their unique storytelling methods while not straying too far from GoldenEye's original intent; that being a first-person title that balances its campaign and multiplayer for an experience that pleases both crowds. Indeed, Eurocom was wise to evolve the game for today's standards rather than copy it shot-by-shot.
Hit the jump to see if this re-imagining (and its multiplayer) has earned its 00 status.
Back in 2002, Nintendo took a huge gamble with Austin-based Retro Studios on bringing the Metroid series into the third dimension. In short, it paid off, ending the series' long dormancy and introducing bounty hunter Samus Aran to a new set of fans. Now, with the Prime saga complete, Nintendo has rolled the dice again, this time with Team Ninja taking the reigns of Samus' next adventure, titled Metroid: Other M. Gone is the struggle against the extra-terrestrial mutagen known as Phazon and in its place is a continuation of Samus' life after Zebes.
What separates Other M from Retro's Primes series of games isn't just a shift from the first-person to third-person perspective but its focus on story. This time, Nintendo and Team Ninja want to explore Ms. Aran's mysterious past that we have only had a short glimpse of through a Japanese-exclusive manga and from the more recent 2D-based Metroid titles. In general, there's a lot to be excited about from this package, but there's also a lot to worry about in terms of gameplay, storytelling and whether giving Samus a voice was only good on paper.
Hit the jump to see if Nintendo made the right decision with Team Ninja handling the Metroid franchise, or if they ran out on their own luck.
According to many, space is the final frontier. Our vast universe was thought to be the final area of exploration for Mario and company in 2007. The critically acclaimed platformer for the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, evolved the franchise to a new standard. As gamers, we thought we would have to wait until the next console generation before we were able to play a new proper 3D Mario title. That is, until Nintendo pulled a fast one on us at last year's E3 with the introduction of Super Mario Galaxy 2.
At first glance, Super Mario Galaxy 2 may seem like a simple expansion or rehash, considering this is the first time in more than a decade that we have a direct Mario sequel on the same console. That assumption made many worrisome, but once you examine the amount of detail and concern that went into Mario's galactic adventure, you'll understand why Nintendo has a firm grip on the platforming genre. Mario Galaxy 2 is a sheer cultivation of whimsy, color and zaniness that makes one throw out the doubts that Nintendo could outdo their previous masterpiece.
Now, a few months ago, I stated how New Super Mario Bros. Wii was the reason why we play video games and how it introduced gamers to a realm of why the platform genre is easy to learn. Although, now that I look back at it, NSMB:Wii was merely an appetizer for the bigger meal ahead. The second rebirth of Mario's 2D antics may have wowed consumers months ago, but this is where the senses are about to get a lesson in video gaming therapy. Mario Galaxy 2 is a rare gem, as it's a sequel in the realm of 3D Mario titles, which allows for some doubt regarding the "wow factor." The far reaches of space may seem like familiar territory, but fret not, as Nintendo has upped the ante with a tough and awe-inspiring adventure.
Hop on a Launch Star pad, hit the jump, and you'll see why Mario's latest adventure could be the best game on the Wii.
The Mega Man series has always been close to my heart. The music, characters, levels and the Blue Bomber himself were the right mixture for an epic 2D side-scrolling platformer. But, like many games that originated during the 8-bit era, their difficulty was center stage. The harsh difficulty was one to make a sane gamer snap their controller into two or yell feverishly at the television. Come to think of it, I once believed that some masochist developed these titles and programmed them in blood.
Those were the days, people. They just don’t make video games like they used to back then. Until, that is, when Capcom paid tribute to many Blue Bomber fans and released Mega Man 9 via digital download. After the success of Mega Man’s return to 8-bit form, we thought of this as a one-time experiment. Glad we were wrong on that one. Its successor, Mega Man 10, is more or less what you would expect out of the series: nostalgic 8-bit visuals, catchy music, lame boss names (I’m still waiting for Out-of-ideas Man) and, of course, the difficulty that will cause us to shout expletives. All in all, Mega Man 10 is another nod to fans of the series, all while doing little to drastically change its formula.
Hit the jump and find out if this one is worth your Wii points or if Capcom should go back to the drawing board.
Nostalgia has always been a hit or miss thing with me. Sometimes the best parts of a game aren't articulated well enough in today's gaming world, while others hit the ground running, reminding us how far the video game industry has come. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is certainly the latter. During a time in which the industry is ruled by the all-mighty FPS (along with the expansive sandbox title), NSMB: Wii strives to keep the nostalgic factor at exceeding levels, just like when we first laid eyes on our favorite mustached plumber in the 1980s.
But, with nostalgia, there also come the preceding factors such as gameplay and ingenuity. Like its predecessor on the DS, NSMB: Wii is another classic retake on the 2D antics of the Mario games of old, one that makes good use of how to make a great 2D platformer. This time though, Nintendo is selling this new title on the idea of cooperative multiplayer, a new addition to this line of Mario titles. At first thought, you might think this is a quick rehash of New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, but rest assured my friends, this is one experience both young and old alike should not miss out on, even if you're too busy with the plethora of titles released during the holiday season. The idea may be the same, but Mario still has our hearts hooked on the Mushroom Kingdom.
Hit the jump and I'll tell you why Princess Peach is in another castle, and it's worth the trip.
There are a rare few games out there which interest me, yet I have no desire to play them. This is usually due to the way that the game itself plays. The single best example of this is the Silent Hill series. For me, Silent Hill was always something interesting from a story perspective. A town that represented psychological torment was clearly one of the most brilliant ideas to come into the genre of survival horror.
Yet after the couple of hours I spent playing Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 4, I was immediately turned off by them. Combat was frustrating and the story seemed fairly convoluted. Even after the release of Silent Hill: Origins, I had little desire to jump into the series.
So naturally, when I heard of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, I was fairly uninterested. A “Wii-imagining” of the original Silent Hill, Shattered Memories would just be another Silent Hill game that I didn’t play. Slowly, I began to see gameplay footage and, eventually, I was actually excited to try out this new game. How did my first venture into the demonic town fare?
This review reads you as much as you read it after the jump.
There’s a lot about Dead Space that makes sense as a rail shooter. There are a lot of pop-up scares, a lot of atmosphere, and that whole “going crazy” aspect that they can milk. There were just parts of Dead Space that weren’t scary because we were divided from the “action” by always being able to see this faceless, heavily-armored and extremely competent avatar. So moving the scenario to a first-person affair with no camera control was a great idea to let gamers soak in the horror.
Well, it tries, at least. Maybe it was me, with my little TV, my insistence to play with the lights on and my genre-savviness, but I just didn’t find myself greatly terrified, just occasionally startled. Once you got deep into the game, the feeling wasn’t “oh god it’s the necromorphs!” but more “Oh, it’s these jerks again.” Dead Space just can’t seem to realize that pacing is important to the horror genre, and our heroes really shouldn’t have a flamethrower.
It’s easy to be skeptical with a Sims game. While the idea of guiding a bunch of morons you designed through the rigors of normal life has this unique godlike appeal, the series never seems to know what it is doing, with a variety of bad ideas and pointless expansions drowning the initial kernel of brilliance. Its spinoffs especially tend to feel really derivative, like the Sims Online (which quickly became a festering hole for cybersex), the Urbz (which was a horrible and offensive idea), and MySims, the series targeted at a younger audience.
The MySims series keeps on wavering on this line of competence, the first criticized for being too mechanical and the franchise senselessly including a racing game. But MySims Kingdom was a pretty decent adventure game, if a bit exhausting with all that building, so maybe there’s something to MySims Agents, which seems to be going the same way only with the rarely touched world of spy stuff. Kids like spy stuff, right?
Luckily, this idea bares a lot of fruit, with the game stripping away all the lamest mechanics of the first parts of the series and giving a fun and quick, if a bit easy and streamlined, adventure in the world of high investigation.
It's weird to think of Steven Spielberg, the man who brought us cinematic gems like E.T., Schindler's List, and Jaws as the reason for a casual video game. But with Boom Blox Bash Party, the sequel to the 2008 game from Electronic Arts, you pretty much have the legendary director to thank. In the days following the release of the original Boom Blox, it was Spielberg himself that started lobbying for a sequel, offering up insight on what could be tweaked, what should be fixed, and what new ideas and gameplay concepts needed to be introduced.
And much like (most of) his movies, Boom Blox Bash Party is a solid form of entertainment. We're surprised at some of the simple things that weren't corrected in the 14 month gap between the two releases, and while some of the nuisance game types were annihilated, others were introduced that'll prove to be just as effective at exasperating and infuriating many gamers.
But those quibbles are minor, and we'd like to get them out of the way early. Because ultimately, this is a superior sequel. EA could have rightly subtitled this game "One step further". Bash Party is all about going the extra mile, and giving you plenty of value for your money.
Hit the jump. But hold your hand steady... one wrong move, and you might collapse a tower.
Let’s begin this review with a simple experiment to quickly separate those who will have absolutely no interest in this game from those who could potentially find it amusing: had SEGA spent the money to cast Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of protagonist Lt. Washington, the tagline for House of the Dead: Overkill would undoubtedly be, “I am sick of these mother@$#%ing mutants in this mother@$#%ing game!” If you found that hypothetical quote offensive, this is a game that you will give an “F.” (We won’t go into the irony of that statement.)
If, on the other hand, you found that quote amusing and/or began reminiscing about Pulp Fiction, then continue evoking that dialogue, add images of Grindhouse: Planet Terror, splice in some Dusk till Dawn and you’ll pretty much know what to expect from the narrative and action of this title. But wait. Before you go getting all excited and head out to buy this on-rails shooter, know that while the aforementioned elements might make for a good movie in your eyes, it takes more than just plot and … witty… dialogue to make or break a game.
Though they aren’t egregious enough to deter moderate fans, Overkill suffers from a couple of technical flaws and is oddly missing some of the more basic features we’ve come to expect from a game. While skips in frame rate and the inability to adjust the difficulty level can also be overlooked, what ultimately portends the game’s ruination is the inefficacy of merging an unforgiving combo/points system with the frenetic action of a shoot-em-up.
Hit the jump to learn what the hell that last sentence means, and how it threatens to ruin your fun.
Animal Crossing was a revolution in 2002 when it was released for the GameCube. Its simple casual gameplay, its year-round calendar and constantly changing location, its deep gameplay that drew you back each day to see what was new, its "memorable" characters; it's amazing that it's taken them this long to get together a TV screen sequel, Animal Crossing: City Folk.
Unfortunately a lot has happened since 2002. Vast, deep content is becoming more and more a norm, casual gameplay and simulation received a huge burst because of the Sims and online gaming, and MMORPGs hit the mainstream, creating dozens of games that people had a reason to come back to every day. Now Animal Crossing's benefits are all too common, and it looks like Animal Crossing hasn't brought anything else to the plate.
Steven Spielberg has already made his contribution to the video game
world. His delightful and classic E.T. was the impetus for the great
video game crash, his franchise being transformed into a video game so
poorly planned that it spouted urban legends about entire junkyards
filled with cartridges. That event alone was enough, we didn’t need
anything else from the impressive movie director. We definitely didn’t
need his name senselessly plastered on a raucous, energetic and
senseless party game that involves exploding blocks.
I always had the idea that on every development team, someone thought, "I really just want to make the most innovative, creative, interesting, fun, and intuitive video game I possibly can. If for nothing else, to not shame my family name." The people at Planet Moon Studios made some of those games over the last decade: Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Armed and Dangerous, and Infected were all met with positivity, particularly Giants. Their latest creation, Battle of the Bands, made its way to Wii this spring. It is a "musical combat" game that plays a lot like Guitar Hero III's Battle Mode.
Battle of the Bands has a few bullet points of interest. It offers 30 different songs, from groups like Cypress Hill to AFI. Planet Moon actually recorded five different versions of each song, fitting each of the five different styles of music that players can choose from in the game's campaign mode - so technically, there are 150 songs to hear. Each different genre is represented realistically while any song is played, so "Brick House" sounds much different if you play as a marching band than a latin style. There are also power-ups to use during each song and some of them are devastating: one that covers the noteboard with smoke, one that slides the notes back and forth over the noteboard, for example.
Battle of the Bands faces a few potential problems. The controls are completely waggle-bound, so everything is done by flicking, jabbing or shaking the Wii remote. This is rarely effective in a Wii game, despite the fact that waggle is what makes Wii so unique. None of the songs are master tracks; each song's five recordings are all done by cover groups. Some people might enjoy this, others might be incredibly annoyed by it. Battle of the Bands also happens to be light on gameplay modes, and has no online multiplayer. How does this musical combat fare on Wii?
The name "Mario Kart Wii" is perfect for Mario Kart Wii, because Nintendo just took everything you know about Mario Kart, put it on a Wii disc and packaged it as a Wii video game with a lame Wii Wheel. If you are reading this review you are probably perfectly fine with that, because Nintendo games have been all about "more of the same" for quite some time now. Nintendo fans are used to it and better at dealing with more of the same crap than anyone but rap fans. Luckily, "more of the same" does not mean "bad", or anything close to it. I am a Mario Kart veteran, and although I am disappointed by a few of the flaws found in the game, I am ecstatic that there is a new Mario Kart to play.
Even if it is just more of the same, Mario Kart Wii offers a lot of fun stuff to do. It is a game that has enough features to stay spinning in the Wii for a substantial amount of time, making it worth its $50 ticket. The only thing in the package that really disappoints is the Wii Wheel, which is completely and utterly worthless. It is a hard plastic shell that holds the Wii Remote horizontally, with a button on the back to assist in pressing the B button. Using the Wii Wheel is a great way to handicap yourself and a great way not to enjoy Mario Kart Wii, so I advise skipping it.
I don't, however, recommend skipping Mario Kart Wii. I have enjoyed the game a lot since its time of release, and I can already feel the same tender feelings toward it as I felt toward Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart 64. It is a great game that Nintendo and Mario fans will consider one of the best Mario Karts yet.
Look both ways for turtle shells and hit the jump for more.
Back in 2002, Nintendo took a huge gamble with Austin-based Retro Studios on bringing the Metroid series into the third dimension. In short, it paid off, ending the series' long dormancy and introducing bounty hunter Samus Aran to a new set of fans. Now, with the Prime saga complete, Nintendo has rolled the dice again, this time with Team Ninja taking the reigns of Samus' next adventure, titled Metroid: Other M. Gone is the struggle against the extra-terrestrial mutagen known as Phazon and in its place is a continuation of Samus' life after Zebes.
According to many, space is the final frontier. Our vast universe was thought to be the final area of exploration for Mario and company in 2007. The critically acclaimed platformer for the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, evolved the franchise to a new standard. As gamers, we thought we would have to wait until the next console generation before we were able to play a new proper 3D Mario title. That is, until Nintendo pulled a fast one on us at last year's E3 with the introduction of Super Mario Galaxy 2.
The Mega Man series has always been close to my heart. The music, characters, levels and the Blue Bomber himself were the right mixture for an epic 2D side-scrolling platformer. But, like many games that originated during the 8-bit era, their difficulty was center stage. The harsh difficulty was one to make a sane gamer snap their controller into two or yell feverishly at the television. Come to think of it, I once believed that some masochist developed these titles and programmed them in blood. 
Nostalgia has always been a hit or miss thing with me. Sometimes the best parts of a game aren't articulated well enough in today's gaming world, while others hit the ground running, reminding us how far the video game industry has come. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is certainly the latter. During a time in which the industry is ruled by the all-mighty FPS (along with the expansive sandbox title), NSMB: Wii strives to keep the nostalgic factor at exceeding levels, just like when we first laid eyes on our favorite mustached plumber in the 1980s.
There are a rare few games out there which interest me, yet I have no desire to play them. This is usually due to the way that the game itself plays. The single best example of this is the Silent Hill series. For me, Silent Hill was always something interesting from a story perspective. A town that represented psychological torment was clearly one of the most brilliant ideas to come into the genre of survival horror.
It's weird to think of Steven Spielberg, the man who brought us cinematic gems like E.T., Schindler's List, and Jaws as the reason for a casual video game. But with Boom Blox Bash Party, the sequel to the 2008 game from Electronic Arts, you pretty much have the legendary director to thank. In the days following the release of the original Boom Blox, it was Spielberg himself that started lobbying for a sequel, offering up insight on what could be tweaked, what should be fixed, and what new ideas and gameplay concepts needed to be introduced.
Let’s begin this review with a simple experiment to quickly separate those who will have absolutely no interest in this game from those who could potentially find it amusing: had SEGA spent the money to cast Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of protagonist Lt. Washington, the tagline for House of the Dead: Overkill would undoubtedly be, “I am sick of these mother@$#%ing mutants in this mother@$#%ing game!” If you found that hypothetical quote offensive, this is a game that you will give an “F.” (We won’t go into the irony of that statement.)
Steven Spielberg has already made his contribution to the video game
world. His delightful and classic E.T. was the impetus for the great
video game crash, his franchise being transformed into a video game so
poorly planned that it spouted urban legends about entire junkyards
filled with cartridges. That event alone was enough, we didn’t need
anything else from the impressive movie director. We definitely didn’t
need his name senselessly plastered on a raucous, energetic and
senseless party game that involves exploding blocks.
I always had the idea that on every development team, someone thought, "I really just want to make the most innovative, creative, interesting, fun, and intuitive video game I possibly can. If for nothing else, to not shame my family name." The people at Planet Moon Studios made some of those games over the last decade: Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Armed and Dangerous, and Infected were all met with positivity, particularly Giants. Their latest creation, Battle of the Bands, made its way to Wii this spring. It is a "musical combat" game that plays a lot like Guitar Hero III's Battle Mode.
The name "Mario Kart Wii" is perfect for Mario Kart Wii, because Nintendo just took everything you know about Mario Kart, put it on a Wii disc and packaged it as a Wii video game with a lame Wii Wheel. If you are reading this review you are probably perfectly fine with that, because Nintendo games have been all about "more of the same" for quite some time now. Nintendo fans are used to it and better at dealing with more of the same crap than anyone but rap fans. Luckily, "more of the same" does not mean "bad", or anything close to it. I am a Mario Kart veteran, and although I am disappointed by a few of the flaws found in the game, I am ecstatic that there is a new Mario Kart to play.