[Review] Rhythm Heaven: The Best Plus
Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, Reviews | 7 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: June 11, 2015 (JP)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Author: Patrick
Okay, so full disclosure: Rhythm Heaven is probably my favourite Nintendo-published series if not my flat-out favourite game series of all time. For me the core gameplay clicked immediately with the cute and creative minigames that make up the series proving to be a brilliant way to test players’ musical abilities. You could sell me a Rhythm Heaven game that was 75% old content and I’d still eat it up. And that just so happens to be what Nintendo have done this time. The currently Japan-exclusive Rhythm Heaven The Best+ brings rhythm games from the previous three entries in the series to the 3DS along with a handful of new games and some structural changes. It’s a solid compilation of the series’ highs, even if there’s a sense that the developers didn’t quite get why Rhythm Heaven is “the best”.
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[Review] Yo-kai Watch
Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 8 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: November 6, 2015
Developer: Level-5
Publisher Nintendo
Author: Dennis
Few games in the last few years have excelled at making me feel truly lost in their world. When these types of experiences come about, they can make you forget who you are, your age, status, and more due to the fact that you’re so invested in them your mind completely clears. Yo-kai Watch manages to accomplish this and delivers an unbelievable experience that excels in everything it has to offer, from its graphics, gameplay, story, mechanics, as well as an art form a lot of games don’t bother utilizing anymore: humor.
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[Review] Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations
Posted on 9 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews, Wii U | 7 Comments
System: Wii U (reviewed) / 3DS
Release date: October 20, 2015
Developer: Vicious Cycle
Publisher Little Orbit
Author: Vincent
Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations is a game that I want to love. I really do. I used to enjoy the show, and taking a quick glance at this title, it really doesn’t seem that bad. Once you dive deep enough, however, you quickly begin to realize how everything falls apart and how this becomes something that really doesn’t seem worth adventuring through.
[Review] Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 72 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: October 22, 2015
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher Nintendo
Author: Dennis
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water sees the return of a series that has been dormant since Mask of the Lunar Eclipse’s release in 2008 for Wii. Sure, there have been a few spinoffs since then – most notably Spirit Camera on 3DS back in 2012 – but it’s been a while since we’ve seen any mainline entries, especially considering Maiden of Black Water would be the first Fatal Frame released outside of Japan since Fatal Frame III: The Tormented in 2005. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water takes a different approach mechanically and gameplay-wise than any of the other releases in the franchise, yet it still very much stays true to form delivering a great horror experience that we seldom see on Nintendo consoles.
[Review] Yoshi’s Woolly World
Posted on 9 years ago by Vincent Ward in Reviews, Wii U | 11 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: October 16, 2015
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher Nintendo
Author: Vincent
To be perfectly honest, I’ve never fully played through a Yoshi game. I’ve always wanted to, but I just never really got around to it. Sure, the cutesy visual style of the Yoshi titles should appeal to someone like myself, but because of the seemingly simplistic gameplay, the series was never quite at the top of my list. With Yoshi’s Woolly World, however, Nintendo brought the cuteness the series is known for to a whole new level, finally pulling me in enough to try one of these games out to the fullest. Having played through what most of Yoshi’s Woolly World has to offer, I can now say that calling this game adorable is an understatement.
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[Review] The Legend of Legacy
Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 15 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: October 13, 2015
Developer: FuRyu
Publisher Atlus
Author: Dennis
At first glance, The Legend of Legacy seems to be an amalgam of things – and it is. Legends are brought together to bring you this title in the form of Final Fantasy XIII composer Masashi Hamauzu, Chrono Trigger writer Masato Kato, SaGa illustrators and designers Tomomi Kobayashi and Kyoji Koizumi, with the inclusion of many other former developers from Square and Level-5. You can feel the influence and inspiration of The Legend of Legacy exude from all of these creators, allowing the game to thrive and revel in it artistically.
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[Review] Extreme Exorcism
Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment
System: Wii U
Release date: September 23, 2015
Developer: Golden Ruby Games
Publisher Ripstone
Author: Dennis
Genuine arcade games in the modern era have been one of those lost treasures we see far too few of. When they do arise, some still fall short of bringing something refreshing, memorable, and fun to the table. Extreme Exorcism brings back the old school in the best way possible, delivering a unique and fun experience everyone can enjoy. Gameplay is the core focus of Extreme Exorcism, and it executes on this front so incredibly well.
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[Review] Year Walk
Posted on 9 years ago by Travis(@nintentravis) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 8 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: September 17, 2015
Developer: Simogo / Dakko Dakko
Publisher Simogo
Author: Travis
When you first pick up Year Walk, “peaceful” and “serene” are two words that may pop into your head. You find yourself in a quaint, Swedish forest in the winter, with snowflakes falling, the wind gently whispering, and ‘barely there’ atmospheric tones.
The odd sense of warm security you feel in a chilly setting is misplaced, however. Despite the calming, ambiguous way Year Walk opens, your character’s goal to eventually see into the future by partaking in a ‘vision quest’ takes a few disconcerting turns.
What I’m trying to say is that this game is going to rustle your jimmies.
[Review] Super Mario Maker
Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Reviews, Wii U | 19 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: September 11, 2015
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Author: Dennis
Since his debut in the 80’s, Nintendo’s famous plumber has spawned a plethora of games, touching upon nearly every genre and delivering smiles to people all over the world. Shigeru Miyamoto’s excellence in game design and character creation is one that’s been seminal and is responsible for copious amounts of developers’ paths to where they are today.
Until Super Mario 64, most mainline Super Mario games had been side-scrolling platformers. With its addictive gameplay and unique design, Mario went on to become one of the gaming world’s most unique and well known characters in gaming history. Mario has become an iconic character known globally even to those unfamiliar with the medium. With countless ROM hacks for the various Super Mario titles from the original to 3 to World plaguing the internet for years, now you can design your own Mario levels seamlessly with the Wii U GamePad easily, and the possibilities are endless.
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[Review] Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson
Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, New Nintendo 3DS, Reviews | 33 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release date: August 27th, 2015 (EU) – September 15th, 2015 (NA)
Developer: Tamsoft
Publisher Marvellous, XSEED
Best girl: Rin
Let’s just get this out of the way first: Senran Kagura has always sold itself on the breasts of its female protagonists rather than the actual gameplay and on the surface this sequel is no different. It’s still all about teenage anime girls fighting it out in the perviest way possible and it’s bound to be a style that will alienate most of the console’s audience. Though it wouldn’t be particularly professional to do so as a reviewer, Senran Kagura 2 is absolutely the kind of game where it is reasonable to dismiss it based on the premise alone. That said, there is more to Deep Crimson than finally making good on the producer’s promise of viewing breasts in stereoscopic 3D and there are some welcome refinements to the brawler gameplay.
My only experience with the series prior to this was the Playstation Vita spin-off, Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus, a game I didn’t care for at all, which made it even more surprising when I ended up enjoying Deep Crimson quite a bit. I still have my misgivings about the game’s aesthetic, but the fast-paced combat and bizarre tone definitely filled a niche on the console’s library. Though the gravity-defying blobs the game calls breasts might still be Senran Kagura’s primary selling point, there is thankfully a bit more to it this time around.
