Reviews

Posted on 13 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Reviews | 0 comments

Game Info
System: Nintendo 3DS
Genre: Flight Thing (Simulation?)
Players: 1
Release Date: March 27th, 2011
Developer: Monster Games
Publisher: Nintendo

I admit, I’ve never used a poorly-worded catch phrase as the title to a review before. Other sites seem to do this endlessly, (“Can Zelda slash its way to victory?”, “Will Mario need steroids for his latest sports title?”) yet I’ve never found it to be quite in my taste. For some reason this week I’m feeling different, because (as you can see) there is a magnificent use of puns in the title of this review, if only to allow myself a very easy segue. “How?”, you ask? It’s simple: PilotWings: Resort is not a crash landing, but it’s also no cruise-level flyer.

When I begrudgingly lugged myself down to one of my local GameStops to finally trade in some old Wii games for PilotWings: Resort, I was a little bit… erm… “miffed”. I mean, after all the hype we had seen surrounding the launch of Nintendo’s new handheld, there really wasn’t much to be had in terms of launch titles. Sure, Nintendo had Steel Diver, PilotWings, and some game about animals (elephants, if I recall), but aside from one or two select games, nothing seemed worth even a passing glance. So, needless to say, the thought of trading in 6 games for 1 wasn’t the most appealing one I had had in the last few months. Bottom line? Bleck.

Still, after a few minutes of getting everything traded (and being surprised that I got a lot more than I had expected), I made the purchase, alongside Street Fighter 4 3D, and headed back home to play them.
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Posted on 13 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Reviews | 0 comments

There are a lot of words one could use to describe a system like the 3DS. “Awesome”, “Innovative”, “Sleek”, “Sexy”; these would all fit the bill very nicely. After all, it’s been seven years since Nintendo first released their genre-busting “Nintendo DS” onto the gaming scene, so it’s only fitting that their next handheld device would be, for all intents and purposes, at least as innovative if not more so than the 140 million seller that the original DS was. While many people have used many words to describe the new 3DS system, and all of them ring true, one word is better than any other at illustrating everything there is to know about this $250 fun-box.

The 3DS is absolutely and unwaveringly Nintendo.
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Posted on 13 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Reviews, Wii | 0 comments

Game Info:

System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Sports/Party
Players: 1-4
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Nintendo

He has appeared in over two hundred video games to date, has taken on professions
from doctor to professional boxing referee, and his combined sales total from all
his games is over 210 million units. He is, of course, the one and only Mario, and it
seems as though his talents never end. From defeating over-sized apes in the original
Donkey Kong to taking the gold trophy in intense cart races, he is a master of
everything that comes his way.

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Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 0 comments

Game Info:

System: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Platformer
Players: 1
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Hudson Soft

Pacing is something that can either make or break a game. Take too long to get to the interesting parts like, say, Final Fantasy XIII and most people won’t stick around to see what comes after all the corridors and tutorials. On the other hand, if the game starts out strong and then loses momentum, gamers will quickly get bored of the whole experience. A great game should be enjoyable from start to finish, and unfortunately A Shadow’s Tale (or “Lost in Shadow” for all you Americans) fails in that regard. The final result is a game with a few interesting ideas that ends up difficult to recommend thanks to some awful pacing and poor design choices.

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Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Reviews | 0 comments

Game Info:

System: Nintendo DS
Category: RPG
Players: 1
Release date: November 29, 2010
Developer: Camelot
Publisher: Nintendo

There’s certainly no shortage of RPGs on the Nintendo DS, with Nintendo publishing Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Dragon Quest IX, and Glory of Heracles all over the last twelve months. Joining these titles on the crowded handheld is Camelot’s Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the latest game in a series that has been off the radar since it last appeared on the Game Boy Advance. Fans have been begging Camelot for a new Golden Sun game for ages, so does Dark Dawn live up to expectations and, more importantly, does the series still hold up after a seven-year hiatus?Read More

Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Reviews, Wii | 0 comments

Note: This review is written by a GamingEverything writer, Jack. I’m posting it here because I thought you’d find it entertaining, and iMovie disappeared so I can’t do “That One Show” tonight.

~Austin

Platform: Nintendo Wii (via Wiiware)
Developer: Gaijin Games
Publisher: Aksys Games
Release Date: 17 May 2010

I’ve always been a fan of Gaijin Games’ Bit.Trip series, so when I heard last year that a fourth one was coming out that would combine the series’ retro feel with my favorite genre in gaming (platforming) as an homage to Pitfall, I was ecstatic. Unfortunately, I didn’t get around to buying it until just this past week, but it was definitely worth the wait. Bit.Trip Runner takes great accessibility, beautiful new graphics, old school difficulty, and the same dynamic rhythmic gameplay the Bit.Trip series is known for and combines it into one of the best WiiWare releases to date.

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Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Nintendo, Reviews, Videos | 0 comments

Dear whomever reads this,

You are hereby chosen. Chosen for what, you ask? Chosen to be the guinea pig for my new video style episodic thing nonsense. This means you must watch, and you must analyze the video above, and then comment down below regarding what you thought of it. Consider it a weekly video podcast of sorts, and pay no mind to the shoddy quality of jokes and dialogue; the style is what I’m curious about! I appreciate the feedback, guys!

~Austin

Posted on 14 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Reviews, Wii | 5 Comments

Game Info:

System: Nintendo Wii
Category: First-person shooter
Players: 4 player split-screen, 8 player online
Developer: Eurocom
Publisher: Activision

I’m in a rather unique position as a reviewer of Goldeneye right now: I’ve never actually had the joy of experiencing the single player campaign of the original 1997 title, and I certainly never saw the 1995 movie that goes along with it. Because of that, I feel like I almost have a special perspective on this re-imagining of that classic N64 title that not many people get, but playing through this game has convinced me that perhaps I should go back and give the original game a shot, if only to understand where this sequel came from and what has changed since then.

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Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 7 Comments

Game Info:

System: Nintendo Wii
Category: Platformer
Players: 1
Developer: Dimps, Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega

It goes without saying that most modern Sonic games haven’t exactly been great. After the hedgehog made the jump from two dimensions to three, he’s been stuck in a downward spiral filled with annoying animal friends, werehogs, and bizarre interspecies romances. Sonic needed a return to his glory days, and who better to attempt this than the developers of the surprisingly good Sonic Rush and the Sonic Advance series, Dimps. With Sonic 4, Dimps were tasked with creating a Sonic game that would both bring back fond memories of Sonic Team’s early games on the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive, still be an entertaining 2D platformer, and please Sonic’s unappeasable fanbase. Did they manage to pull off all of these things? No, not really.

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Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 5 Comments

Game Info:

System: Wii
Category: Music
Players: 1-4
Release date: September 28, 2010
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Publisher: Activision

Over the past several years, a number of different gaming competitors have challenged Guitar Hero in the music genre. Similar products have been introduced, with the main one being Rock Band. Guitar Hero has been around since 2005, and has seen a number of different versions since then. As a result, some fans have felt that the franchise has started to become a bit unfocused and stale. With increasing competition and decreasing sales, Activison has decided to liven up the license by making Warriors of Rock similar to the original title, which was very well-received. However, even though the game is very well-made, it doesn’t stray too far away from where fans have become accustomed.
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