[Review] LEGO Marvel’s Avengers
Posted on 8 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Wii U | 7 Comments
System: Wii U (reviewed), 3DS
Release date: January 26, 2016
Developer: TT Games
Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
The LEGO video games have always been relatively simple yet fun romps through iconic universes like Batman, Harry Potter, and pretty much everything in between. Yet, while LEGO Marvel Avengers captures that same LEGO charm that the series is known for, it suffers from a number of bumps and hiccups that manage to hold it a little further back from its older siblings.
[Review] Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale
Posted on 8 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, Reviews | 5 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: March 1, 2016
Developer: Epics
Publisher XSEED Games
If there was an award for the most unlikely RPG revival of 2016, it’d have to go to Return to PopoloCrois. This series started out as a comic but became a cult classic game series in Japan thanks to a string of games on the original PlayStation. Now it returns for modern audiences, but Return to PopoloCrois is very much a return to the early days of 32-bit RPGs. It also brings in elements from the franchise formerly known as Harvest Moon, mixing the farming with a more traditional RPG experience. The two titles have a similarly peaceful pastoral setting (and apparently a large female fanbase in Japan) so it initially seems like a good mix, but unfortunately the gameplay side of things is a bit lacking.
[Review] Fire Emblem Fates
Posted on 8 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 15 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: February 19, 2016
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher Nintendo
Fire Emblem Fates has been on just about every strategy RPG fan’s radar within the last year or so, with enthusiasts of the genre patiently anticipating the next title in the series to re-immerse themselves in a world with such beauty and intrigue equally spread between its gameplay and characters. Now with the long wait coming to an end and with essentially three new and different experiences being released at once, it’s finally time to see if the wait was worth it. Does Fire Emblem Fates build upon on its predecessors in all the right ways, or was it fated for failure?
More: Fire Emblem Fates, highlight, top
[Review] Project X Zone 2
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Reviews | 7 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: February 16, 2016
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher Bandai Namco
The original Project X Zone that released back in 2013 was a pleasant surprise to fans of Capcom, SEGA, and Bandai Namco alike. It brought characters from each respective publisher into a strategy RPG format where they band together and go across space and time to defeat villains across multiple series, as well as original characters, to save the world from collapsing into itself through the constant overlapping dimensions colliding. Project X Zone 2 doesn’t veer to far from the original, featuring a lot of the same characters, maps, stories, and more. It almost makes this feel like more of an expansion than a true sequel, but that’s not such a bad thing. The fan service of bringing all these iconic characters into one game is what keeps an experience like this special, and the humor on top is a bonus throughout.
More: Bandai Namco, highlight, Monolith Soft, Project X Zone 2, top
[Review] FreezeME
Posted on 8 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 20 Comments
System: Wii U (eShop)
Release date: February 4, 2016
Developer: Rainy Night Creations
Publisher Rainy Night Creations
The 3D platforming and collectathon style of game is one that hasn’t been very prevalent since the days of the Nintendo 64. However, fans of old-school 3D platformers have wanted to see a revival of these experiences and its seems as though their cries are now being heard by the many studios out there. One indie developer named Rainy Night Creations strove to create a game that followed in the footsteps of the giants that were Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie in an attempt to bring its new title, FreezeME, into the genre. However, unlike the platformer’s clear inspirations, FreezeME has some seriously glaring issues at its core.
More: FreezeME, highlight, indie, Rainy Night Creations, top
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – February 2016
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 22 Comments
Let’s Talk #39: What are you playing? – February 2016
A new month is here! We entered February just a few days ago. So that means we want to know what you’ve been playing. Have you started up something entirely new for the month? Or maybe you’re continuing something you started a little while back? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: What do you want to see out of NX?
[Review] Final Fantasy Explorers
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 10 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: January 26, 2016
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher Square Enix
Final Fantasy has always been a beloved RPG by people around the globe with a rich and deep history that spans nearly three decades. Whether it be a mainline title or a spinoff delving into a genre other than the standard adventure JRPG, the series has managed to connect with millions since its inception, and still thrives to this day. Final Fantasy attempts to push the boundaries and mold several gaming styles and genres together with each new iteration, whether mainline or spinoff, but sometimes these attempts don’t go over so well — enter Final Fantasy Explorers.
More: Final Fantasy Explorers, highlight, Square Enix, top
[Let’s Talk] What do you want to see out of NX?
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 68 Comments
Let’s Talk #38: What do you want to see out of NX?
It was almost a year ago that we first heard about NX. Late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced the platform during the same conference where the mobile partnership with DeNA was made known, which was a move to assure fans that the company is still dedicated to core gaming systems.
We’ll finally be hearing more about NX this year. At the very latest, news will be coming in June at E3, though I’d be surprised if Nintendo didn’t touch on it a bit before then. We’re only a month into 2015, yet the rumor mill is already stirring with plenty of speculation. And as the months go on, we only expect this to continue. Rumors will persist so long as Nintendo remains quiet!
Everyone is anxiously awaiting new information about NX… which might not be an entirely bad thing! It allows us all to keep dreaming and imagining different elements about the system. We want to hear from you guys on this very subject: what do you want to see out of NX? Tell us in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?
[Review] Shadow Puppeteer
Posted on 8 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
System: Wii U (eShop)
Release date: January 28, 2016
Developer: Sarepta Studio
Publisher Snow Cannon Games
The premise of Shadow Puppeteer is simple: one night, a boy and his shadow are separated by a strange man playing a music box. From there, the journey consists of chasing him down throughout gloomy Tim Burton-esque levels. The game has you controlling the boy and his shadow individually with the controller being split by its left and right sides – each analogue stick controls a character with the buttons on their respective sides being used for jumping and other interactions. If you played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the concept should seem familiar. Where this differs is that you control the boy in a 3D space and his shadow along the surfaces of the environment, interacting with other shadows as a 2D platformer. The two ideas on their own aren’t exactly unique, but fusing them together provides plenty of puzzling levels.
More: highlight, indie, Shadow Puppeteer, top
[Let’s Talk] What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 52 Comments
Let’s Talk #37: What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?
The Internet has been set ablaze over the past day or so with speculation regarding a potential new Paper Mario game for Wii U. Since it’s the hot Nintendo topic of the moment, I thought it’d make sense to have this week’s Let’s Talk centered around that.
It’s been a long time since we saw a proper Paper Mario entry. The Thousand-Year Door, a GameCube game, was the last true RPG in the series. Super Paper Mario was fine enough (I enjoyed it quite a bit myself actually), but you could argue that Sticker Star isn’t looked upon favorably despite decent reviews at the time. At this point, it might be for the best to return to the series’ roots and remember why the franchise has (mostly) been loved by so many players.
With all of that in mind, what would you want to see from a new Paper Mario game? If you have any thoughts, definitely share them in the comments below!
