[Review] Pure Chess (Wii U eShop)
Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Reviews, Videos, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
Hi everybody, I’m back with another video review for you! This time, we’re talking about this Wii U eShop game about the lovely age old game of King’s and Queens: Chess. Check it out if you have a minute.
More: highlight, Pure Chess, Ripstone, top, VooFoo Studios
[Review] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Reviews, Wii U | 22 Comments
System: Nintendo Wii U
Release Date: February 21st, 2014
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Review transcript after the break:
[Review] Sonic Lost World
Posted on 10 years ago by Jack Johnson(@tupachologram96) in Features, Reviews, Wii U | 20 Comments
System: Nintendo Wii U
Release Date: October 29, 2013 (NA) – October 18, 2013 (EU)
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Nintendo/SEGA
Author: Jack
In a normative sense, Sonic as a platforming archetype ultimately aims to achieve one goal: create a constant chain of ephemeral pleasure via the utilization of perceived velocity the controllable gameplay object reaches in gameplay. While such a vision, an expanded AudioSurf if you will, perennially begets hedonistic intrigue, that seemingly one-dimensional objective for some dang reason hasn’t really ever come to fruition for Sonic Team over the past few console lifespans. A definite, tangible goal as such seems easy enough to reach, right?
Unfortunately, a granular obstacle to that simple speedy sentiment exists prohibiting fulfillment of that thought: the more the design team over at Sonic Team’s vision rides off in all directions (Sonic Unleashed’s Werehog levels being a prime example) as opposed to finding one meaning around which Sonic should revolve, the more plodding and forgetful each subsequent entry in the series gets. How can one ever hope to solve that ever-nagging dilemma?
More: highlight, review, Sonic Lost World, top, wii u
[Video Review] Unepic (Wii U eShop)
Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 5 Comments
More: EnjoyUp Games, highlight, top, Unepic
[Review] Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Reviews, Wii U | 15 Comments
System: Nintendo Wii U
Release Date: November 22nd, 2013
Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo
Publisher: Nintendo
Author: Austin
“If it ain’t broke, make it dramatically better.”
To say that Nintendo has released too many platforming Mario games in the last two years would not be particularly hyperbolic if you concern yourself with only the raw numbers. 2011 saw the release of Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS, 2012 had New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) and New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U), and now 2013 has slid soundly to a spectacular finish with Super Mario 3D World. At first glance it may seem like an annualization of gaming’s finest platforming franchise, but it would be erroneous to criticize Nintendo’s strategy when they manage to make every one of these games at the very least first-rate in fundamental design, and it would be downright dishonest to suggest that we would be better off if they hadn’t created something as lustrous and enjoyable as Super Mario 3D World.
More: highlight, Super Mario 3D World, wii u
[Review] Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
Posted on 11 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, Reviews | 1 Comment
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 24, 2013
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Author: Patrick
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Ace Attorney games. Their combination of legal drama, an exaggerated anime style and frequently hilarious dialogue resulted in some of the most memorable adventure games on the original DS. After passing the protagonist baton for a few entries, the original Ace Attorney —Phoenix Wright— returns to the courtroom with a fresh look and a few new faces. Unfortunately, I have a few objections to this new entry in the series. Phoenix might have retained his aptitude at bluffing his way through trials, but there’s a sense that the game’s writers have lost some of their ability to string together a cohesive story with interesting, well-developed characters.
More: Ace Attorney, dual destinies, highlight, Phoenix Wright, review
[Review] Jett Rocket II (3DS eShop)
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, Reviews | 11 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: November 13th, 2013
Developer: Shin’en Multimedia
Publisher: Shin’en Multimedia
Author: Austin
Released amidst a flurry of absolutely no hype or promotion– courtesy of Nintendo, it seems– Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai popped onto the 3DS eShop as the sequel to a well-loved (if perhaps a bit archaic) WiiWare title that bears the same franchise name. It’s billed as a platformer– and that it is– but it’s one that can’t seem to choose between 3D and 2D, swapping between the two as though it’s a motorcyclist in the busy lanes of a Los Angeles highway. The game is certainly trying to take you somewhere, and doesn’t seem afraid to take its own route to get there– but is the trip worth the price?
[Review] Senran Kagura Burst (3DS)
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, Reviews | 8 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: November 15th, 2013 (NA) – Q1 2014 (EU)
Developer: Tamsoft
Publisher: XSEED Games
Price (as of publication): $29.99 (NA)
Author: Austin
“Apparently, within 30 seconds of thinking about a possible game [producer Kenichiro Takaki] decided that one of the things people want to see the most in 3D are breasts.”
Without the existence of the 3DS eShop and a publisher like XSEED, North American audiences would probably never get to fully experience Senran Kagura Burst!. The anime-inspired (directly, in fact: there’s an anime in existence of the same name without the “Burst!” tagline) brawler seems to be on the radar of a handful of folks who probably stumbled upon an eccentric screenshot or video thumbnail that proudly displayed the game’s fascination with large, round breasts. This, after all, is how I was first intrigued.
But another curiosity quickly follows exposure to the game’s aesthetic: Is it actually well-designed, or does its merit hinge solely upon its ability to assail you with large boobs?
It is, a touch regrettably for some, chiefly to do with the boobs.
More: highlight, review, Senran Kagura Burst
[Review] Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Features, Reviews | 5 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 25th, 2013
Developer: Armature Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Author: Austin
“Hi, I’m Batman, and here’s uh… here’s my next game thing.”
Batman has been on a real kick lately, courtesy of the The Dark Knight trilogy of movies (which in turn, I understand, are courtesy of some graphic novels), and some of his most critically acclaimed recent appearances have been in videogames. This trend– on its fourth year– continues with the release of Batman: Arkham Origins and its sister game Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate. The latter of the two is the one that will be discussed here.
[Review] Pokémon X & Y
Posted on 11 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, Reviews | 3 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 12th, 2013
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Author: Patrick
By this point I shouldn’t have to explain what this long-running RPG series is about. The coming of age story of an adventurous kid and their menagerie of bizarre monsters has been constantly repeated over the last fifteen years with a very gradual evolution in the gameplay. While I enjoyed Pokémon Black, White and their sequels, the lack of meaningful mechanical changes that came with staying on one console for too long started to set in and I was hopeful that X & Y would breath new life into some of the staler aspects of the series. Now that the series finally makes the jump to the 3DS, does it manage to revitalise the franchise with new features while still capturing the same je ne sais quoi as the other titles? Well I think it does, at least.
