[Review] Kirby: Planet Robobot
Posted on 8 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 6 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: June 10 2016
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher Nintendo
For as long as I can remember, I’ve blindly followed Nintendo through all of their expenditures to varying degrees of success. I remember the times with my GameCube and Game Boy as vividly as the experiences I spent on my Wii U just yesterday. There’s always been a certain charm that has resonated with me in games by the big N, and most of that comes from not only the spectacularly well-designed games that come often enough to keep me hooked, but also from the lovable characters that inhabit them.
But Kirby has never been one of the characters that came to mind when I thought of what I love about Nintendo. During all my gaming experiences as a child it appears Kirby was all but completely absent from those memories, and that’s mostly thanks to me never actually picking up this side-scrolling mascot’s games. My logic has always been “what can Kirby do that Mario doesn’t already do better?”. After picking up Kirby: Planet Robobot, however, I soon fell in love with this puff of pink and understood what diversifies him from Nintendo’s other platforming greats.
More: HAL Laboratory, highlight, Kirby: Planet Robobot, top
[Review] Rynn’s Adventure: Trouble in the Enchanted Forest
Posted on 8 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments
System: Wii U (eShop)
Release date: May 26, 2016
Developer: Arcane Four Studios
Publisher Arcane Four Studios
One criticism that’s tough to lob at the Wii U is to say that it’s lacking in good 2D platformers. From its best such as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze to the more run-of-the-mill New Super Mario Bros. U, there’s consistently solid base-level mechanics and there’s fun to be had in just running and jumping. Unfortunately, I found even the simple act of controlling the character in Rynn’s Adventure miserable. It’s a reminder of how important it is to get basic movement to feel right in a platformer. When other issues are compounded on this basic failure, then the whole of the design feels anything but compelling.
[Review] Pocket Card Jockey
Posted on 8 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in 3DS eShop, Reviews | 3 Comments
System: 3DS (eShop)
Release date: May 5, 2016
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher Nintendo
You’re playing solitaire, managing RPG stats, strategically maneuvering an adorable little stumpy-leg horse. As disparate as these elements seem, they manage to meld into a single cohesive experience with every little initially convoluted wrinkle feeding into another system, looping around and creating a uniquely addictive experience. I haven’t ever wanted to play a racehorse management sim governed by the rules of solitaire, but I’m sure glad I did. I guess what’s most surprising is that some madman somehow crafted these distinct gameplay elements into one of the more engaging 3DS games.
More: Game Freak, highlight, Pocket Card Jockey, top
[Review] Star Fox Zero
Posted on 8 years ago by Vincent Ward in Reviews, Wii U | 19 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: April 22, 2016
Developer: Nintendo / PlatinumGames
Publisher Nintendo
Over the years we’ve seen the Star Fox series take many new directions in its style of gameplay simply to shake things up from standard air combat. Whether it be shooting rocket launchers in a battlefield or saving a planet of dinosaurs, Fox McCloud has done it all. Now, with Star Fox Zero, Nintendo has finally decided to reconnect with the series’ roots in an attempt to build upon the formula that worked so well in the series’ origins.
More: highlight, PlatinumGames, Star Fox Zero, top
[Review] Star Fox Guard
Posted on 8 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in Reviews, Wii U | 4 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: April 22, 2016
Developer: Nintendo / PlatinumGames
Publisher Nintendo
During E3 2014, Nintendo showed off a couple of demos that were meant to highlight some of the more unique uses of the Wii U GamePad. Two years later, fans would hear nothing about either of them until the March Nintendo Direct of this year where it was announced that one of the demos, Project Guard, had been completed. Enter Star Fox Guard, a companion game to coincide with the release of the newest entry in the Star Fox series, Star Fox Zero. Nintendo’s spin-off games of popular franchises have proven to be hit-or-miss over the years, so just how well does this title fare?
More: highlight, PlatinumGames, Star Fox Guard, top
[Review] Bravely Second: End Layer
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 21 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: April 15, 2016
Developer: Silicon Studio
Publisher Nintendo
The highly-anticipated sequel to the 3DS’s surprise hit from Silicon Studio – which was originally supposed to be a brand new Final Fantasy game before becoming Bravely Default due to its different sense of direction – is here. It reunites us with our favorite characters from the first game while introducing a few new ones to bring us a brand new story, and manages to keep the world as fresh and vibrant as ever. Get ready to embark on an incredible new journey traversing the familiar and unfamiliar in Bravely Second’s vast new world as you save Agnés, who now serves as Pope in a seemingly utopian world – that is, until a mysterious new Empire kidnaps her on the day a peace treaty was to be signed.
[Review] Hyrule Warriors Legends
Posted on 8 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 6 Comments
System: 3DS (review of Wii U original here)
Release date: March 25, 2016
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher Nintendo
When I first reviewed Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U back in 2014, I fell in love with its epic battles and large scope surrounded by Zelda references and throwbacks galore. Now that Nintendo and the folks at Koei Tecmo have decided to dive back into the Zelda world by porting the game into Hyrule Warriors Legends on the 3DS, will sacrificing a bit of the scope for more content help this game become the definitive version, or will it just become a legend of the past?
More: highlight, Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, Team Ninja, top
[Review] Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (3DS)
Posted on 8 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in 3DS, Reviews | 2 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: March 18, 2016
Developer: SEGA
Publisher Nintendo
The Mario & Sonic series first began in 2008 to commemorate the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Since then, Mario, Sonic, and friends have continued duking it out at each edition of the Olympics, now leading up to this summer’s festivities in Rio de Janeiro. But how does Mario and Sonic’s newest foray into traditional sporting events on the 3DS stack up against their previous ventures?
[Review] Mutant Mudds Super Challenge
Posted on 8 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in 3DS eShop, Reviews, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
System: Wii U / 3DS (eShop)
Release date: March 17, 2016
Developer: Renegade Kid
Publisher Renegade Kid
Immediately upon playing the first level of Mutant Mudds Super Challenge, I was reminded about how much I loved Renegade Kid’s original 2D platformer. When it released in 2012, it was one of the first great 3DS eShop titles. Super Challenge feels largely like a continuation of the first game’s later levels. It’s telling that it hasn’t been named Mutant Mudds 2 since there isn’t too much new here, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
More: highlight, indie, Mutant Mudds Super Challenge, top
[Review] Pokken Tournament
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Wii U, Wii U eShop | 5 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: March 18, 2016
Developer: Bandai Namco
Publisher Nintendo
Way back in 2013, fans were treated to a very short three second clip of Lucario and Blaziken standing across from each other in a gorgeous HD graphical style we had not seen with Pokemon before. It was a whole year before we heard anything regarding it, and then out of the blue, it was announced: Pokken Tournament, a fighting game developed by Bandai Namco with supervision from Tekken and Soul Calibur heavyweights Katushiro Harada and Masaaki Hoshino. It was confirmed to come out for arcades in Japan, but ultimately fans all over the world wanted it in their homes where they felt it’d be best – the Wii U. It wasn’t until sometime into 2015 where we finally received confirmation that it would indeed be making its way to Nintendo’s home platform and getting a worldwide release in 2016. Now, here we are. Pokken Tournament is in the hands of fighting game an Pokemon enthusiasts around the globe, but has it been worth the wait?
