tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80405623628839513512024-02-18T23:35:58.062-08:00VGManiaReviews, articles, special features and other goodies related to the history of video gaming.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.comBlogger709125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-86095889048485467522018-01-01T01:57:00.002-08:002018-01-01T01:57:51.953-08:00New Year ... hopefully some New TricksHello all, and Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
A total of FOUR new reviews in the whole of 2017. Wow. Seriously. Wow. The return of Twin Peaks on TV, The Last Jedi (both of which I loved, by the way), I found nothing to say about 'em although I had slated myself to cover both cinematic phenomenons upon their respective arrivals, were they video game-related stuff or not - they were both quite important to me on a personal level. I also started a <i>Final Fantasy</i> 30th Anniversary project (a "book" of sorts) last spring, with plans to finish it by December, that didn't work out either, not by a long shot. What I have indulged myself in as of late - within the subject - is a definitive database of my ever-growing collection of games. The concept I have visualized for this massive project is a short review for each game. To get myself back in the groove, I've read through some of the reviews I wrote around the middle part of the blog's "golden age" and I've often found myself asking "who wrote this GREAT STUFF?", before realizing it was me, at a very different time, in a very different mindset. For the last few weeks, if not even months, I've thought about how great it would be to consider 2018 (a great year for new releases, by the way) as another blank slate for me to get the wheels moving again, if even by the length of two reviews a week. That would already be lightyears ahead of the state this thing is in right now.<br />
<br />
For now, this is only speculation, only a hint towards what I'd like to do, but if I've learned one thing during these eight years (EIGHT YEARS, think about it... Jesus Christ, how time flies), it's that I shouldn't make promises I can't keep. My personal life is full of constant changes, and those changes won't stop happening any time soon. In a few months, I'm taking a very courageous step, by moving in with the love of my life. Moving in with someone doesn't sound like much of a big deal, but it is a very big deal for both me and my, for our own separate, but very similar reasons. It'll take some time to get used to for both parties, but the most important thing is that we both definitely WANT to do it, and are prepared for lifetime co-op commitment, so to speak. I might've mentioned before that she's an avid gamer as well; actually a lot better in most games than I, to be honest. Actually, she has - by her own relentless commitment to a single video game at a time - affected me and my playing style (and commitment) to the point that even I had the inspiration to write, I don't have the time to write the way I want to. I'm seeing hints of that lacking time in the last few reviews I wrote - perhaps not everyone sees it, but I'm able to spot it immediately. The fire I once had, particularly during the most of 2012 through 2014, just isn't there. Another reason for that lacking thing I call fire might be, that some force drives me to more recent games, although I really want to do retro again - that means anything and everything prior to the seventh console generation by now. I've lost count of the times I've played a SNES game, good or bad, recently (after reacquiring a functional SNES in the end of 2015), and cursed to myself for not having a review of that game under my belt yet. Yet, I'm willing to try and spark VGMania up once more, as soon as I've taken care of some more important things. And I'm hoping this year will be the pivotal one in returning this immaculate love child of mine to its former glory.<br />
<br />
Until that happens, Happy New Year once again and may you all thrive in 2018.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-50029302094255785402017-10-02T15:32:00.001-07:002017-10-02T15:32:43.808-07:00REVIEW - Thimbleweed Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2M3LfgarcVsNKGfIlkjT1ChiNOHhsEcX9GNuLdKCN9oqN7LIB8rD52WP44yiD8oLgSDKqw8b4L8qGjjF3FPPVhnvdkExL9eR_PlLP7TVozQ1HVZMPdkWtv_oNVdQ1OKJ2qBemdzl2WU/s1600/thimbleweed_park_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2M3LfgarcVsNKGfIlkjT1ChiNOHhsEcX9GNuLdKCN9oqN7LIB8rD52WP44yiD8oLgSDKqw8b4L8qGjjF3FPPVhnvdkExL9eR_PlLP7TVozQ1HVZMPdkWtv_oNVdQ1OKJ2qBemdzl2WU/s320/thimbleweed_park_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Adventure, Point 'n' click</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, <u>PlayStation 4</u>, Windows, Xbox One</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Terrible Toybox</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S): </b>Terrible Toybox</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> March 30, 2017 (Windows)</span><br />
<br />
Early 2017, for me, was all about my anticipation and expectation of the return of the TV phenomenon known as Twin Peaks. Released 26 years after the show's cancellation, this 18-part third season was even more glorious and twisted than anyone could've ever imagined. Twin Peaks, in its entirety, has influenced dozens of video games through the decades - most notably the <i>Silent Hill </i>series, <i>Alan Wake</i>, and from what I hear, a game called <i>Deadly Premonition</i>, which has been on my wishlist for ages. Survival horror games, mostly. In early 2017, though, legendary <i>Maniac Mansion </i>and <i>Monkey Island</i> creators Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick reunited to bring us <i>Thimbleweed Park</i> - perhaps the most Twin Peaks-y game ever made (down to its abbreviation, "TP") - but paying homage to the classic TV series is not what the Kickstarter-funded project is for. It's homage, all right, to another phenomenon lost in time - SCUMM. Described by the developers themselves as a spiritual successor to <i>Maniac Mansion</i>, any gamer who was around back then sees the truth as soon as they start up the game. It IS <i>Maniac Mansion</i>, just (mostly) without permadeath, and instead of just one house, it's set in a whole crazy town where a dead body is DEFINITELY the least of your problems.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Then there were 80</i></b><br />
<br />
Two federal agents with very different outlooks on life - Ray and Reyes - are forcefully partnered up to investigate a murder victim found from a riverbank in the very small town of Thimbleweed Park. Though no one seems to care for the murder OR its victim, their arrival stirs up the small community, bringing to light the secrets of the town's strange history and a choice few of its citizens, including the recently deceased business magnate Chuck Edmund and his disfunctional family.<br />
<br />
I've been on yet another hiatus for almost five months, mainly due to having a lot of work on my plate and problems with concentrating on individual games; I've had some problems connecting with games on a level that I've set as a requirement for myself to write a review I can take seriously and not feel bad about it afterwards. Then of course, there's my girlfriend to consider - good thing she's a gamer, though, in fact the best damn gamer I know. The main reason for this confession, is that these last five months, I've spoken a lot about restarting the blog, especially after finishing "THE LIST 2.0", and often found myself kicking some invisible rocks around for not getting anything done. I've jumped from game to game whenever I have had spare time, and even if I've managed to concentrate on one individual game long enough to beat it to the hilt, I might've started to work on a review and get nothing done just because it's been too long and I can't come up with anything smart to say about 'em. Call it a writer's block if you will.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDH0AS1URyvJUd4wVhu0AzdBCh5MpJSFgGQHFPqby4FW9DU496kv8gs4BAl2dPuKhB6ICQtUmaJdpUi1IouGFGcMxFt1zvLqPmATJjInu-70OGsi2r7DFnkUGHwGrhyphenhyphenveASkeQ0G6jIA/s1600/thimbleweed_park_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDH0AS1URyvJUd4wVhu0AzdBCh5MpJSFgGQHFPqby4FW9DU496kv8gs4BAl2dPuKhB6ICQtUmaJdpUi1IouGFGcMxFt1zvLqPmATJjInu-70OGsi2r7DFnkUGHwGrhyphenhyphenveASkeQ0G6jIA/s320/thimbleweed_park_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the madness begins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then came <i>Thimbleweed Park</i>. I heard about Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick reuniting for an old-school PC adventure game some time in mid-2015, ergo about six months into the start of the Kickstarter campaign. However, as I'd completely given up on ever using PC as a gaming platform again - except for the old stuff, of course - I didn't pay it that much attention, but I was intrigued to know more about it. After all, Ron Gilbert is one of my favourite designers of all time and I'm always interested in what he's got cooking up even if it didn't directly concern me. Gary Winnick's kept an extremely low profile since <i>Day of the Tentacle</i>, which made the game even more intriguing. By total coincidence and whim, I picked up a local gaming magazine from the supermarket some months ago, which included a review of <i>Thimbleweed Park</i>. I read it, I laughed my balls off at the facts and the screenshots alone, and I was very pleased that the guy who wrote that review was an old-school point 'n' click fan who obviously knew what he was talking about, and that he gave the game a gracious rating, much based on how its target audience would receive it - not working in the dumbass method of automatically underrating the game 'cause it's a retro-style game which (deliberately!) fails to meet the 2017 standards. Some jerks do that, regardless of their age and experience. Well, as I reached the end of the very short but to-the-point review, I noticed a small print that said the game was "coming soon" to the digital console storefronts. I remember this as the same day Twin Peaks: The Return premiered. What a day that was. I was seriously overwhelmed with all sorts of expectations.<br />
<br />
Well, the game was finally released about two weeks before the Twin Peaks series finale; of course I downloaded it immediately, but I decided to push back my first trip to <i>Thimbleweed Park</i> until the series was over, 'cause I didn't actually know anything about the plot, and depending on how close it was to the series in its oddity, I was afraid the game and the series would mess each other up by some degree. Well, that wouldn't have happened, that's for sure. <i>Thimbleweed Park</i>, although there are many connections to Twin Peaks, is very different in tone. This is probably what a Twin Peaks game would've looked like if it was licensed by LucasArts in the early 90's - strange, surreal, but above all, distinctively humorous. This was the just the kind of game I needed to truly captivate me and get me off my proverbial ass in terms of writing reviews again - some of the first games I ever reviewed were SCUMM. I love reviewing SCUMM. After summing up my feelings of expecting and finally heading into this over-the-top laughfest, in this much excess, I think it's finally time to tell you what it's all about.<br />
<br />
<b><i>How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood, Chuck?</i></b><br />
<br />
<i>Thimbleweed Park</i> is a retro-style point 'n' click game that utilizes the 9-verb, illustrated SCUMM interface as it was presented in <i>Monkey Island 2</i> in 1991. Its whacked-out (almost non-existent) storyline takes place in the year 1987 - the release year of <i>Maniac Mansion</i>. The <i>Maniac Mansion </i>and <i>Monkey Island</i> franchises are constantly spoofed in just about every possible turn - as long as you set the "annoying in-jokes" option to ON - but so is just about everyone and everything in 80's pop culture, including but definitely not limited to Star Wars (of course), Indiana Jones (mm-hmmm), Michael Jackson, Max Headroom, Star Trek (then brand new The Next Generation, in particular), and David Lynch's distinctive cinematic work in general. Even Sierra On-Line gets their share of ridicule, BY NAME. All we need is a Sam & Max reference or cameo, and this would be like any LucasArts adventure game of old - of course, the license is currently owned by Telltale Games, but I wouldn't be surprised if they'd made an exception for <i>Thimbleweed Park</i>. Maybe it is there - I just haven't spotted it. It's impossible to spot 'em all at once.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgCCN6bEkk6BKvZwpnSntUoK-kZrs7VTMXCDkVsXD_1g1E2jcVPOVw98k1AJxE_1jlRcTvgiMNp8AIZu2EEdhaOJjUsN6x1Y21hJ-5PYwZybByoDl7YwKgUc5bTceSjo17DPtyLRox4M/s1600/thimbleweed_park_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgCCN6bEkk6BKvZwpnSntUoK-kZrs7VTMXCDkVsXD_1g1E2jcVPOVw98k1AJxE_1jlRcTvgiMNp8AIZu2EEdhaOJjUsN6x1Y21hJ-5PYwZybByoDl7YwKgUc5bTceSjo17DPtyLRox4M/s320/thimbleweed_park_03.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Franklin and some 1st world problems.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The game begins as a murder mystery investigated by two very different characters - the self-consciously cold-hearted bitch Agent Ray, and his quirky and borderline annoying Mexican partner, Agent Reyes. Solving the murder covers the first three chapters of the game's nine-chapter story, and long before the investigation is over, you'll probably have noticed that the murder is nothing more than red herring to serve as somewhat of a prologue to this madness they call a story. At steady intervals before the investigation concludes, we are introduced to three more playable characters. First up, the foul-mouthed Ransome the Insult Clown, the most hated person in town, who has been cursed by a local voodoo enchantress to never be able to remove his clown make-up or attire, due to an inappropriate joke the clown served her in the past. Delores Edmund is a geeky teenager who once traded millions of inheritance for her aspiration to be a game developer, and is now trying to cope with the consequences upon her uncle Chuck's passing. Her father, Franklin, roams the local hotel - also owned by the Edmund family - as a ghost, desperate to state a last goodbye to his daughter and get closure to his difficult relationship with his late brother. In the classic style of <i>Maniac Mansion</i>, each character needs to help one another to achieve certain goals, and finally, come together in one final chapter that will just leave you speechless, in better and worse.<br />
<br />
All in all, <i>Thimbleweed Park</i> is an awesome game - a heartwarming, nostalgic experience that certainly doesn't fall short on surprises or laughs. End of review? Not quite, I'm afraid.<br />
<br />
<b><i>*beep*</i></b><br />
<br />
The one core feature of old-school SCUMM is, of course, puzzle dependency. As fully expected, the puzzles of <i>Thimbleweed Park</i> are absolutely fiendish. There are two things to make them even harder to figure out than they are in concept alone; one, five playable characters with mostly inter-exchangeable inventories (the most notable exception is Franklin, who can't pick up anything or interact with any other playable character). Two, literally tens of acquirable items that serve NO purpose whatsoever. Guess which of these things I love, and which I don't particularly like. Sure, maybe <i>Maniac Mansion</i> had absolutely useless stuff lying around (and sure, even<i> The Secret of Monkey Island</i> had some), but since they went with the <i>Monkey Island 2</i> version of the engine, they could've also removed all the crap from the field and let the player focus on things that truly matter. It's a big world for a game of this type, and there are so many variables to begin with, that we really don't need this sort of dead weight and a bunch of red herrings to lure us into a trap.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RbPp493aSA6l22A4ZFA4mmR92hZxRECcqV_oSGLsllHDWejLELpPbLE3LmDFHU3mYM9JpIkoirnA0IZmiMidhDWp9NNlxzM3MdkIk0yXW4mTSmgPovBCy7s6IXGp-0IFzArQwPvoLL0/s1600/thimbleweed_park_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RbPp493aSA6l22A4ZFA4mmR92hZxRECcqV_oSGLsllHDWejLELpPbLE3LmDFHU3mYM9JpIkoirnA0IZmiMidhDWp9NNlxzM3MdkIk0yXW4mTSmgPovBCy7s6IXGp-0IFzArQwPvoLL0/s320/thimbleweed_park_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plumbers *slash* ghostbusters dressed as giant pigeons are<br />one of the more normal sights to see in this town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speaking of puzzles and difficulty, there's also a casual mode which removes certain steps from the lengthier puzzles, switches key item placements, and finally removes whole locations from the world map. As opposed to easIER modes in some previous SCUMM adventures, the easy mode in this game is kinda insulting. There's even less logic to some already illogical puzzles; some important, somewhat explanatory bits in the narrative are completely skipped; and the game all-around offers the player the conclusion on a silver plate; you practically walk through this game with minimal effort, be you a veteran or a complete beginner.<br />
<br />
Besides, even if you are a beginner (and in case you aren't too judgemental towards yourself), the standard gameplay mode offers you a hintline you can call any time, and as many times you like, as long as you have a phone nearby (Ray is the only character with a cellphone). The game drops contextual hints to any problem you might have, one at a time, until if and when you spam the hintline enough to prompt it to tell you exactly what you need to do to proceed, in verb-specific detail. It's not a secret, either - there are several advertisements of the hintline scattered across town, as well as a highlighted entry on the local phonebook. Even in the versions that support achievements, you are not punished for its use in any way. It's really hard to pass solid judgement on this one; while it does piss on the game's level of difficulty by an extreme bit, it's completely optional. It's not like the game tells you exactly what to do after you fail enough times - the choice of picking up that phone and dialing that number time and time again is yours, and yours alone. Considering just how fiendish some of these puzzles are, I'm not condemning anyone for the use of the hintline, as long as you use it in moderation. I personally think going at the game on casual mode is more of a disgrace than the occasional call for help - seriously, the casual mode fails to live up to the lowest standards of an adventure game. If "Monkey Lite" in <i>Monkey Island 2</i> was the choice difficulty level for game critics, this is one for Telltale Games fans. (Keep in mind that I love Telltale's more recent titles for what they are, but for wholly different reasons.)<br />
<br />
Finally, the narrative turns such a convoluted mess towards the end of the game, that at some point it's not even funny anymore. The ending - and many things leading into it during the last three or four chapters - is totally different from what we started from, and not in a delightfully surreal way, it occasionally feels like the game is comprised of two different projects. "Like a joke without a punchline", that's what I was looking for; keeping the humorous and non-sensical nature of the game in mind, I do feel like several jokes were missing punchlines here. Well, to be completely honest, even the high and mighty LucasArts didn't always get those endings right. It was nearly always the game and the experience it offered, that truly counted - and so it is here. <i>Thimbleweed Park</i> is such an experience, it will go down in history as one of the greatest point 'n' clicks ever made, even if just because it proves that even today, classic SCUMM works like a charm. No need for the more interactive GrimE, or any <i>Special Edition</i> or <i>Remastered</i> updates - give us nine verbs, an illustrated inventory, and a bogus world where nothing makes any sense all the while making all the sense in the world, and we're ready to raise hell.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
<i>Thimbleweed Park</i> most definitely has its flaws, and it's not the picture-perfect throwback you might imagine based on who made the game, and how much historic easter eggs are hidden within its being. But, it is a DAMN good game, which needs to be experienced by EVERYONE who was ever into any SCUMM game in existence. Considering how relatively weak the whole year has been in terms of exciting game releases (as opposed to truly exciting game reveals), I dare to say that in my books, <i>Thimbleweed Park</i> is a Game of the Year candidate. Time to re-install ScummVM.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Absolutely fantastic humour spanning up to four decades of pop culture, the history of adventure games at the front and center</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Tongue-in-cheek homage guaranteed to draw the interest of fans of David Lynch and in particular, Twin Peaks (YO! RIGHT HERE!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ *Beeping* great playable characters, memorable NPC interaction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Thimbleweed Park may be a small town, but from your perspective, it's a huge world to explore in a genre game</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Classic SCUMM as it was in (some of) the best PC game(s) ever made</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Loads of useless items lying around</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- The "story" turns a bit too convoluted towards the end, much more than it was probably intended to</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- The Casual Mode is an insult to all gamers, regardless of their experience with this type of gameplay; if you play a version with any achievement tracking, you MUST play through Casual Mode to be able to truly complete the game</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Some random inconsistencies with both puzzles and dialogue - that have just about always been there</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Even on standard mode, the game offers a very detailed hint service without any punishment involved, which makes the game a bit too easy for gamers who are not too judgemental towards themselves, as well as achievement hunters</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">< 8.6 ></span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-40627595161210745632017-05-15T06:02:00.001-07:002017-05-16T01:00:03.853-07:00REVIEW - Batman: Arkham Knight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN6ECJkUV6FO3d4Ueo_TO0BAlAJQ8aR1NQUsmEOIfhKSrS-SPvZRQMJgLi0-xLiSohtnv5dc2nX7cgUQ6SVf4-3ARD34Seg1FHkf6GBXLEc8RmOiEip7ctHmCk7k3dG1acYciLwUtEVo/s1600/batman_arkham_knight_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgN6ECJkUV6FO3d4Ueo_TO0BAlAJQ8aR1NQUsmEOIfhKSrS-SPvZRQMJgLi0-xLiSohtnv5dc2nX7cgUQ6SVf4-3ARD34Seg1FHkf6GBXLEc8RmOiEip7ctHmCk7k3dG1acYciLwUtEVo/s320/batman_arkham_knight_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S): </b>Action-adventure, Open-world, Stealth</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON: </b><u>PlayStation 4</u>, Windows, Xbox One</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Rocksteady Studios, WB Games Montréal, Iron Galaxy Studios (Windows)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> June 23, 2015</span><br />
<br />
NOTE: This is a re-stylized, mildly edited, and shortened (!) version of a review I wrote back in late 2015 or early 2016 during VGMania's downtime, hence the lack of my own screenshots (the game takes up a freaky amount of hard drive space on the PS4). I decided to publish it now to celebrate the DC Comics ensemble fighting game <i>Injustice 2</i>, which is out in the United States tomorrow and in the rest of the world by the end of the week. I'll be here to review that one ASAP, as well.<br />
<br />
Riddle me this: do you remember a little humble indie game called something like, um... what was it... <i>Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots</i>? Do you remember how director Hideo Kojima told us, as we were pissing in our pants out of pure excitement, how <i>Metal Gear Solid 4</i> was going to be the last <i>Metal Gear</i> game ever? Well, as it turned out: it wasn't. Kojima himself went on to direct <i>Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker</i>, released two years later, passed his baby over to Platinum Games another two years later for the creation of <i>Metal Gear Rising</i>, then directed the mammoth known as <i>Metal Gear Solid V</i> before getting unceremoniously canned by Konami - who are now working on their very own installment in the franchise, I like to call "<i>Metal Gear Crash 'n' Burn</i>". Well, even though <i>Metal Gear Solid 4</i> wasn't the end it was so gloriously and gratuitously hyped up to be, it was indeed the end of an era, the final <i>Metal Gear</i> game in the Tactical Espionage Action series, and the last to feature its original protagonist, Solid Snake. In the summer of 2015, after a few delays and a simply disastrous launch campaign, Rocksteady Studios finally unleashed <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> - the "FINAL" game in the <i>Arkham</i> series. We all knew it wasn't going to be the last one - but it is most definitely the last major <i>Arkham </i>title created by the original crew, and thus, in my opinion, should be treated as the last true <i>Arkham</i> game, the ultimate "Be the Batman" experience. Now I know there are a lot of people who disagree with me on this, but that's exactly what it is. <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> is a jaw-breaking, fantastic climax to one of the most exciting trilogies ever seen in video game history.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Blinded by fear</i></b><br />
<br />
Months after the decommission of Arkham City, Gotham City's crime rate has dropped almost completely; all of the surviving supervillains in the city have gone into hiding, leaving the swarms of street thugs to fend for their own against the most powerful law enforcement set-up in the world. On Halloween, everything changes. Scarecrow re-emerges two years after his disappearance following the Arkham Asylum incident, with Gotham's worst by his side, and manages to evacuate most of Gotham City with the threat of a city-wide chemical attack - counting on one man to stay behind and attempt to stop him. Together with allies brave enough to stay and stand by him, Batman embarks on what could be his last crusade against Scarecrow - unknowing that the mad doctor has allied himself with a new, mysterious villain calling himself the Arkham Knight, and his vast and powerful military forces.<br />
<br />
When I first finished - and immediately reviewed - <i>Batman: Arkham City</i> in late 2011, I honestly thought that was it. Rocksteady went all in with that game; the gameplay neared perfection, and with the death of Batman's greatest nemesis (not such a secret anymore), the <i>Arkham</i> story arc reached an imperfect but satisfying conclusion. There was nothing even close as exciting Rocksteady could've delivered with a third game than the whole comprised of two halves, <i>Arkham Asylum</i> and <i>Arkham City</i>. Warner Bros. developed the prequel <i>Arkham Origins </i>(and its portable counterpart) themselves, fueling the already common belief that Rocksteady had moved on. At this point, people didn't really care; <i>Arkham Origins</i> was, in part, a testament to the claims these Batman games had run out of ideas. However, once the first teaser for a new game called <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> emerged, the gaming community simply exploded out of excitement. This eighth-generation mammoth of a Batman adventure was set to answer all of our burning questions about past events in this universe and their ultimate consequences. Instead of simply remastering and redesigning the already familiar Gotham map used in both <i>Arkham City</i> and <i>Arkham Origins</i>, Rocksteady flushed that map and created a new, epic Gotham City from scratch, which you could finally be able to explore not just by running and gliding through the night sky, but by your trusty steed, which was done making cameo appearances - the Batmobile. Rocksteady also made it very clear from the start, that <i>Arkham Knight</i> would be THEIR last <i>Arkham</i> game - after this, Warner Bros. could do whatever they wanted with the series, but as much as they loved their product, Rocksteady would not touch it again. That speaks volumes - volumes of the greatest Batman story ever told. <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> is not that by itself - but it is the greatest part of a three-part story that IS the greatest Batman story ever told. I was always disappointed in the ending of <i>Arkham City</i> - ever since this game arrived, I've had no beef with it. It feels right.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgXL7v7r579wDwt7UF7IHHu01sGuGgBqEN_WYlp2s2xyb9KPLsGluch6HPbGl0H0BkS3OHOxp-qU-84DD75Mek_HkKvEc_ToguDHzLRrmtG2Rw8frwmOtvc-kEmBNXVpi7Pr1LHzEh0s/s1600/batman_arkham_knight_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgXL7v7r579wDwt7UF7IHHu01sGuGgBqEN_WYlp2s2xyb9KPLsGluch6HPbGl0H0BkS3OHOxp-qU-84DD75Mek_HkKvEc_ToguDHzLRrmtG2Rw8frwmOtvc-kEmBNXVpi7Pr1LHzEh0s/s320/batman_arkham_knight_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin, get in the car. ...Or don't.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The original landing of <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> was far from smooth. First of all, the PC launch version was a well-known, disfunctional piece of trash that got pulled out of the market almost immediately for a later relaunch, leaving many PC gamers harboring deep hatred towards Rocksteady and Warner Bros., as there was virtually nothing wrong with the console versions of the game. Especially after so many delays - the game was originally supposed to come out sometime in late 2014 - I can imagine their disappointment. (This is me feeling genuinely sorry for the master race, I think I've grown up some.) The $250 <i>Batmobile Edition</i> of the game got cancelled THREE DAYS before the game's launch, 'cause apparently hundreds of the Batmobile replicas that were the edition's main hook had broken to pieces during the launch shipment to the States and Europe. This left major game retailers harboring a grudge towards Warner Bros. as well, 'cause now they had to put up with shit from customers who had pre-ordered and already paid for the game - including yours truly! Well, GameStop, as great as they are, came up with just about the perfect solution to ease my personal disappointment. I got the <i>Special Edition</i> of the game, coupled with the Season Pass, a free retail game of my choice, a limited edition <i>Arkham Knight</i> action figure, and a vintage Batman coffee cup to cover all of my expenses. THAT'S service.<br />
<br />
After playing the game for about an hour and a half in the small hours between June 22nd and 23rd, 2015, I had fallen in love with it. I loved it from the start 'til the fake ending, and immediately took it upon myself to beat the game to 100% to see the true ending, which I loved even more. After finishing the game four times, I'm still pretty convinced that this is THE Batman game of all time. It's the small things that make it so - there are so many details, so many easter eggs, so many juicy, dark plotline twists that it really feels like you're living in a comic book, as the dark brooding hero of its pages.<br />
<br />
The next day, came the reviews - and fanboy rants. While just about everyone agreed that storywise, <i>Arkham Knight </i>was fabulous, full of surprises and surprise guest stars, an epic love letter to the most dedicated DC and Batman fans, many felt that the game contradicted not only the earlier <i>Arkham</i> games, but also Batman's methods by having the Batmobile in such an important role in exploration, puzzle-solving and most of all, heavy artillery combat. "Suddenly Batman has become a mass murderer", blah blah blah. Before venting my own thoughts about the Batmobile, as well as the whole game, let's be clear about one thing here: Batman does not kill anyone during the course of the game. It's made clear early on, that all of the tanks Batman destroys in this game are radio-controlled, and the firepower he uses on individual people are concussive shots. Stop spreading false information. Thank you. Now let's move on - let's review this most awesome game.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The Darker Knight Rises</i></b><br />
<br />
There's one thing I simply cannot do here: keep this short. Since I'm such a Bat-fan, I predict to delve deeper into the story than I probably should, or deeper than necessary at the very least. I'll keep this spoiler-free, though I'm counting on you having played through the previous parts of the trilogy. If not, skip to the next headline.<br />
<br />
Let's start with Batman himself, once again voiced by the one and only Kevin Conroy. Since <i>Arkham City</i>, this guy's been a wreck, since not only did he lose the only true love of his life, but also his arch nemesis, who was more important to him than he'd ever like to admit. Although deep down he knows it's not the truth, he holds himself responsible for the Joker's death, and therefore feels to have broken the only rule he ever lived by. Even with the Joker's memory plaguing his mind all the time, Batman stops at nothing when his city's in danger. However, when you're dealing with a guy like Scarecrow, and his notorious fear gas, you really shouldn't rush in with a head full of demons... just sayin'...<br />
<br />
Scarecrow has had one demonic makeover since the <i>Asylum</i> days. Not only does he look like a messenger from hell, he also sounds like one, courtesy of John Noble, who I remember best as Denethor in Lord of the Rings, as well as Leland Monroe, one of the main antagonists in <i>L.A. Noire</i> - creepy sons of bitches, both of them, but even with their powers combined, they can't match the new Scarecrow. Dr. Crane's mere presence takes us through pure psychological hell in this game, not to mention the lengths he goes to help deliver one of the darkest stories told in this whole franchise - definitely the darkest Batman video game storyline ever created, by far.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4egWaWwMs_sqewVHB69kq62KRnKPzIJQbPSEhzfgIRjVnfrs0n7s811CSln_qu66LwOi9D6eS8oBnw3bOfYR1rgUXQjM2dkrrIZrmzjIjl8j0jOIIf_koM2_d33Sz83scEwY5hBSnRJY/s1600/batman_arkham_knight_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4egWaWwMs_sqewVHB69kq62KRnKPzIJQbPSEhzfgIRjVnfrs0n7s811CSln_qu66LwOi9D6eS8oBnw3bOfYR1rgUXQjM2dkrrIZrmzjIjl8j0jOIIf_koM2_d33Sz83scEwY5hBSnRJY/s320/batman_arkham_knight_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dark Knight vs. The Arkham Knight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
To steer this review towards Christopher Nolan's films for just a small jiffy, the Arkham Knight (voiced by the almighty and ever so versatile Troy Baker, who also reprises his other roles from previous games) is this game series' equivalent of Bane. Bane has appeared in every Arkham game released thus far, but clearly more influenced by his comic book persona, while Arkham Knight seems to take a lot of influence from Nolan and Goyer's more realistic interpretation of Bane. He's a powerhouse both mentally and physically - which balances out the Joker business of previous games, just like Nolan deliberately balanced out his own Joker business by introducing his Bane - he has his very own private army specifically trained to fight Batman, and knows everything there is to know about Batman, as well as his true identity, secret allies, even his gadgetry. He's ALWAYS one step ahead, nearly impossible to subdue. However, his recklessness and homicidal hatred towards the Dark Knight will be his most likely downfall. We'll have to see, won't we? ...Stay tuned for the conclusion, it's awesome.<br />
<br />
The length of the guest list for this bashfest is just borderline insane. Many survivors of the <i>Arkham Asylum</i>, <i>Arkham City</i>, and even <i>Arkham Origins</i> storylines make an appearance; if not in the base game, then in the <i>Season of Infamy</i> expansion pack which I'll briefly be going over at the end of the review. Once again, many long-burning questions are answered, many new secrets unfolded, many points of closure finally achieved. The game has a sick amount of easter eggs relating not only to Batman, but other major players in the DC Universe, including Oliver Queen and Barry Allen, who have recently skyrocketed in popularity due to their respective TV shows - Arrow, and the first (and by far the best) of its many spin-offs, The Flash. There are also a couple of long-forgotten, one-off comic book heroes and villains that are made so much more interesting by being adapted into fleshed out characters. Nightwing makes his first voiced appearance here, and both Robin (the Tim Drake version) and Catwoman appear, big time - not quite as big as before, but yeah, you get to play as them both alright, and they both have their own sets of challenge rooms waiting for you after the game, as before in the case of <i>Arkham City</i>. Only this time in the base game itself, and not (only) as DLC.<br />
<br />
To tuck the story into a nutshell: it's very, very dark. It goes into places we've expected to visit since <i>Arkham Asylum</i>; almost every major plot twist in the game was written to rattle you psychologically by some degree, and the side missions in the game keep pushing that very same envelope. <i>Arkham City</i> already had you tracking down a serial killer, but here a similar side mission is not only more brutal and haunting, the conclusion is also a bit more disturbing. You can safely expect that not everyone will survive this night of terror - like in many good TV shows, that goes for EVERYONE. Before this turns into a spoiler merry-go-round, let's finally get into the game, how it (arguably) improves on the existing <i>Arkham</i> formula, and all that new stuff which admittedly goes both ways.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Knight Rider</i></b><br />
<br />
Gotham City, as you knew it in <i>Arkham City</i> and <i>Arkham Origins</i>, is gone. What we have here is a sprawling, flashy, but still kinda dark, polluted and depressing metropolis most influenced by the Gotham City we've seen in Batman live features in the last 30 years, with less of that comic book-influenced style and architecture at least I felt in the previous games. All of the landmarks most important to the Batman mythos are most definitely there, and well, to me, this is the Bat-game sandbox most recognizable as Gotham City; after all, I'm more of a film- than comic book freak.<br />
<br />
To navigate the complex roads of Gotham City, you have the one and only Batmobile - the one core feature fans always wanted since Batman went open-world, yet when it was finally added to the fray, these same fans wanted it out. The Batmobile is not just a sick vehicle for speed chasing, underground racing and the much-chastised tank and drone disposal, it's a multi-tool needed to make about 60% of progress in the main story; it's essential in many side missions, and about half of the Riddler puzzles in this game need the Batmobile's capabilities to be solved. While I do agree that the Batmobile's part in this whole scenario is way too big, I think the game is much more balanced than the next guy would have you understand. The main campaign alone is very lengthy, which means you'll have plenty of those freeflow and predator challenges, which made this series, to overcome. It's not all about blasting the shit out of tanks.<br />
<br />
That means Batman has also got some new moves at his disposal, and a long list of WayneTech upgrades that's simply impossible to complete during a casual playthrough of the game; that's why you need to be fully aware and in control of what you pick, which upgrade category is most essential to your goals and playing style, and read the descriptions of the abilities carefully, 'cause else this game is going to turn frustratingly hard for you really quick, and the upgrades get really expensive even quicker (...and some of them are just useless crap, like any glide-gadgets). Even casual street fights with lowly thugs can be ugly; assault rifles, stun batons and knives are free game in the City of Fear. If you don't have the means to counter these weapons, you'd best stay up in the air. Or in your car. Batman's new suit, designed by series debutant Lucius Fox - fantastic performance, by the way - has these micr... micro... pulse... THINGS, that allow him to capitalize on his natural speed and strength. What this means for the game, is that Batman has a truckload of more forceful and acrobatic takedown abilities, which corrects many previous inconsistencies and simply makes confrontations more fun in both main categories. Building up epic combos has never been this fun.<br />
<br />
The most important addition to the list of Batman's predator skills is Fear Takedown; by executing one standard Silent Takedown, you gain the possibility to take out a whole group of thugs with one swift combo of takedowns, possibly without them or their comrades ever knowing you were there. If this sounds too easy to you, keep in mind that the predator levels in this game are not much bigger than they were in the previous games, but they are much more complex by design and there are a lot more guys - who are highly intelligent, and completely adaptable to your tactics. Some sure-fire stunts will not work twice during a single confrontation, these guys tend to check each wall and floor vent whenever they're on alert, and finally, there are some specialized personnel you need to watch out for in addition to those that are already known, such as medics (a scourge in both combat categories) and hulking minigunners.<br />
<br />
The side missions can (mostly) be completed at your own pace and leisure, but let it be known right now, that these aren't really "side missions". You need to complete all but ONE single side mission to be able to bring the game to an actual conclusion, and if you complete them all, you'll get the real ending for your troubles. Some of the side missions are not even available until you've finished with the story, which has its own logic. What's not very logical, is a main or side scenario where you're supposed to save an ally from an imminent attack, perhaps as imminent as having a gun to his/her temple at that exact moment - yet, you find time to do something else before butting in and saving your buddy, such as collecting a nearby Riddler Trophy or breaking into a nearby militia compound. Just because they're there and you "have nothing better to do". This is how open-world games work, of course, there's no real order to things, that's ultimately OK, but on the hand of contradiction, <i>Arkham Knight</i> also has plenty of those long stretches of having to take care of something before being able to sidestep; I already hated that in <i>Arkham City</i>, the main campaign of which had very few points that allowed you to embark on a Riddler quest or other side missions. At its worst, <i>Arkham Knight</i> can be somewhat of an incoherent mess; there's too much going on at the same time. Just to drag it down a little bit, to once again propel it high up.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selina's a mixed bag of influences. I'm even seeing a little of<br />
the Gotham series in her.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
People seriously hate the Riddler in <i>Arkham Knight</i>. Here are SOME of people's problems with this guy. He talks, talks, talks ALL THE TIME, especially after you've conquered the main game and every other side mission; the Riddler's side mission is most likely the one you'll do last, because there are so many puzzles and Trophies in general, with a good deal of 'em hidden in levels and outdoor locations for other side missions. For the first time in the <i>Arkham</i> series, the Riddler appears as an actual boss after you've done everything relating to his conundrum, which in a way makes him the final boss of the game - a real disappointment, there, I can understand that. Like the main campaign of the game, the Riddler mission has A conclusion (which ends in the rescue of your ally from his Saw-influenced death trap) and a real one (where you'll fight him). To get to the first conclusion, you don't need to find Riddler Trophies at all - this is the puzzle-lite version of the game, so to speak. Instead, you need to go out into the world and conquer a number of "<i>Mario Kart</i> goes dark"-type of race tracks created by the Riddler, as well as puzzles mostly based on the advanced features of the Batmobile. Yeah, that's where most of the hatred for both the Riddler and the Batmobile stems from. Then you need to solve some much more tolerable puzzles together with your ally, to "finish" the mission. Of course any true <i>Arkham</i> fan will go for the true ending, it's not really optional for us, but casual players might appreciate the fact that you don't have to find every stinking Trophy and solve every puzzle in the game to reach some conclusion to this mission and the whole game.<br />
<br />
Finally, that good old challenge room is already plastered with a fine amount of different challenges of all categories - joining the classic Freeflow and Predator Challenges are tank battles, races, and chases - and each piece of DLC comes with its own stack of additional levels and skins. The coolest of these packs allow you to relive Batman's history in film by giving you access to Batmobiles from ages past, as well as Batsuits from ages past, and finally, levels inspired by the past, all the way from the 1960's to Nolan's film trilogy - each level even comes complete with its own theme music! All that's missing is a set of levels inspired by the 90's animated series.<br />
<br />
The huge amount of DLC also allows you to use a whole cavalcade of different characters even in challenges designed for someone else (and perhaps do a lot better from time to time by using an alternate character...) Simply put, the huge amount of DLC for this game makes the AR Challenge Room an infinite land of fun for those of you out there who always loved these the most about <i>Arkham</i> games, and even without the DLC, it's a vast, well-balanced hub of ass kicking you can go to "relax" any time you want. In addition to being listed in the main menu, every challenge in the base game is also accessible from within the open world.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Holy Season Pass, Batman</i></b><br />
<br />
In addition to challenge-based DLC, <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> also has a fine amount of story-driven DLC starring someone other than the Dark Knight himself, in the style of the <i>Catwoman Pack</i> for <i>Arkham City</i>. Unlike the <i>Catwoman Pack</i>, however, these are completely detached from the main campaign and vary in quality. <i>Season of Infamy</i> is different; it's integrated into the main campaign, brings four more villains (ergo, four more storylines) from <i>Arkham</i>'s past into the mix, and I don't know about you, but I think it's awesome. It makes the game even better and more whole than it felt during that launch playthrough, and succeeds in bringing even more depth and closure to these characters' storylines as they are imagined in the <i>Arkham</i> universe. Usually, I would've made a DLC guide, but since I'm not into spoiling this particular game, I wanted to mention <i>Season of Infamy</i> and its awesomeness briefly here, leaving the other add-ons for you to get familiar with and judge them as you see fit.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
Yeah, sure, there's that VR game which no one played, and a fifth major <i>Arkham</i> title coming perhaps even as early as the end of the year, but it's safe to say that <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> is the last true hurrah, the climax, of this fantastic series of games. It's one of the best Batman stories ever written for any type of media - even without Paul Dini! - a well-balanced, action-packed, immersive, exciting adventure full of guest stars and easter eggs from all over the DC Universe. It's arguably the best comic book license ever made - even if you're to argue, I'm pretty sure your personal favourite comes from this very same series, so let's not fight over it. To each his own. Mine's <i>Arkham Knight</i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ An illustrious, brilliant cast of characters to tell an illustrious, brilliant story</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Music, voiceover work, sound effects, all top of the line</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ A massive open world with very little, if any filler - and it's none other than Gotham City</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The vintage combat mechanics and predator tactics are refined to absolute perfection</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Remarkable balance between each gameplay style within the campaign as well as the line of side missions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The Batmobile balances things out even further...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- ...But the Batmobile is also way too important to the big picture</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- The side missions aren't really optional; you have to finish all but one of them to be able to reach some conclusion to the main campaign</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Some incoherence and inconsistency here and there; at many points, you're forced to make hours of progress in the storyline to be able to access the side missions again; while at some critical points where you feel like you should proceed with the story, you are allowed to do whatever you wish</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Some outright useless combat and exploration upgrades which will be of no use to anyone; however, you have to use them at least once during gameplay to be able to unlock every AR Challenge in the game</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>< 9.3 ></b></span>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-46949257806249898382017-05-04T05:13:00.002-07:002017-05-04T06:00:07.899-07:00REVIEW - Batman: Return to Arkham<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiGmqKhfbwwU6jFpAKQhiZ1uastqQONfwn7ofO8PR_pkbYkNNgIkdDrEIJLCxgb0shyDu38dKX8CGsbGmXR1hdNowiZRvPNYI9kMkozQARQOcqICCySTFkoUnGnGFd969FNjgVkoZ6HM/s1600/batman_return_to_arkham_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiGmqKhfbwwU6jFpAKQhiZ1uastqQONfwn7ofO8PR_pkbYkNNgIkdDrEIJLCxgb0shyDu38dKX8CGsbGmXR1hdNowiZRvPNYI9kMkozQARQOcqICCySTFkoUnGnGFd969FNjgVkoZ6HM/s320/batman_return_to_arkham_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S): </b>Compilation</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>PlayStation 4</u>, Xbox One</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Rocksteady Studios, Virtuos</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S): </b>Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE: </b>October 18, 2016</span><br />
<br />
It started with HD remasters of PlayStation 2 classics. Then, came the "HD remasters" of seventh-generation classics, some of which made sense, and some a little less. It was only a matter of time when Rocksteady Studios would heed to the inevitable task of updating the two games that redefined the previously disappointing category of action games based on a comic book superhero - no, THE comic book superhero - to the standards of the current generation of consoles. <i>Batman: Arkham Knight</i> had already been out for a while, now gamers could visit *slash* revisit the realms of the first two parts of the trilogy, with the Silver Age prequel <i>Arkham Origins</i> (somewhat) deservedly left out of the equation completely. What's a lifelong Batman fan to say? It's true that there's nothing new to these games, double that if you've already got all the additional content for both titles. But, many have pointed out that they're not the same games that they were when they came out - and that is a false statement I am here to correct. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Batman is Forever</i></b><br />
<br />
<i>Batman: Arkham Asylum</i>; Batman once again captures Joker and delivers him to Arkham Asylum, only to find that during his time outside the asylum walls, the Clown Prince of Crime has procured a chemical formula - not that different from Bane's Venom - that allows him to create a whole army of genetically enhanced supersoldiers, and then deliberately fallen into the hands of his nemesis to take over the asylum and let loose his fellow inmates to prevent Batman from interfering with his plan to dominate Gotham City.<br />
<br />
<i>Batman: Arkham City</i>; One year after the events of <i>Arkham Asylum</i>, Batman cleverly infiltrates Arkham City - a large, isolated portion of Gotham City absurdly turned into a sprawling mega-prison - to discover the motives of the facility's overseer, Professor Hugo Strange. After discovering that Strange is fully aware of Batman's true identity and is therefore practically untouchable by him, and that his true intentions threaten the lives of each and every resident of Arkham City, Batman has to rely on the help of many of his sworn enemies and a pack of uneasy allies to tear Arkham City to the ground.<br />
<br />
I'm not into re-reviewing games if there's nothing new to report, so to speak. Let's call this another article of "insight" instead of a review, 'cause even if I've said all there is to say about the games at hand in the past (9.0 for <i>Arkham Asylum</i>'s <i>Game of the Year Edition</i> back in 2010, and 9.2 for <i>Arkham City</i> in 2011), there's a lot to go over regarding whether or not <i>Return to Arkham</i> is a worthy investment nevertheless. I'll start with short recaps on what I think of these games individually; there might be some new points and opinions I haven't stated before - granted, if I'd allow myself the opportunity to rate these games again, I'd give 'em both a slightly higher rating. So, this much I can tell you right now; both of these games have gotten even better with time, in their very own unique ways. There's really no telling which one's the better installment; it completely depends on your personal style, preference and approach to action games.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM58wBKGtrpYiJkxJqrYhaQyQWZP1CGK4xzYZxhDTOJ4MsUVGNCbKeecBn9Y1VDVs7IAfgchlMN6TBH_vTQl-DHXNd688_0L4OU-EOuc_nAQSzgrVScBZFosUoqSNQb_xiX5eV_IYOTsg/s1600/batman_return_to_arkham_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM58wBKGtrpYiJkxJqrYhaQyQWZP1CGK4xzYZxhDTOJ4MsUVGNCbKeecBn9Y1VDVs7IAfgchlMN6TBH_vTQl-DHXNd688_0L4OU-EOuc_nAQSzgrVScBZFosUoqSNQb_xiX5eV_IYOTsg/s320/batman_return_to_arkham_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to where it all began.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First released in the late summer of 2009, at the absolute perfect time for an all-star Batman adventure as Christopher Nolan's film trilogy had recently hit its critical and commercial peak with The Dark Knight, <i>Batman: Arkham Asylum</i> nuked all expectations, prejudice and beliefs sky high. First of all, the game was developed by a relatively unknown British studio, and over 15 years had passed since any Batman game out of the dozens released had garnered any critical support. No one really believed in <i>Arkham Asylum</i>; even the final previews leading into the reviews by high-profile mediums left room for doubt. Maybe it just looked good, and was total shit underneath its flashy exterior. However, Paul Dini's writing, the voiceover cast led by 17-year Batman veterans Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, and most important of all, contextually pitch-perfect gameplay design made <i>Batman: Arkham Asylum </i>perhaps the greatest game of the year. Not only the best superhero game ever released, but also one of the first masterpieces in adapting a Metroidvania gameplay formula to a 3D setting, and injecting it with a simple but awesome stealth-action core element, and an even more awesome, innovative combat system to boot. Chocked full of puzzles devised by everyone's favourite narcissistic nerd, the Riddler, a clever retelling of Batman's origins combined with an occasional dip into a 2D platformer setting, cameos from all over the Batman rogues' gallery, and of course, Mark Hamill absolutely stealing the show as the Joker - as any good Joker always does - <i>Arkham Asylum</i> was the perfect Batman game of its time. Despite its minor flaws in gameplay, recognized by just about everyone who's experienced the whole series, there are millions of gamers out there who appreciate the narrow, confined spaces and thick, dark atmosphere of <i>Arkham Asylum</i> over every <i>Arkham</i> game that came since.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKg7fK5QaQL8jQLTFpHORbwILMPzogd3G4EseInbuFjPsYM-YsSzcmbRAsf-2euiP3gnO7QXZ4Xx7I8dSfWO1D_QTmGRRXUUIkeRgza0_QiveMymZXGfEX1M1UsEdmiEZ4kTsFXWdH6jE/s1600/batman_return_to_arkham_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKg7fK5QaQL8jQLTFpHORbwILMPzogd3G4EseInbuFjPsYM-YsSzcmbRAsf-2euiP3gnO7QXZ4Xx7I8dSfWO1D_QTmGRRXUUIkeRgza0_QiveMymZXGfEX1M1UsEdmiEZ4kTsFXWdH6jE/s320/batman_return_to_arkham_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to where it all ended. The first time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Batman: Arkham City</i>, released in the fall of 2011, ditched those narrow, confined spaces <i>Arkham Asylum</i> was best known for, and unleashed Batman on the open-world grounds of Arkham City, filled with distractions including side missions split into multiple parts, different training missions to hone his completely redefined gliding skills, almost four times the puzzles of <i>Arkham Asylum</i> once again devised by the Riddler, and more or less important appearances by a stunning total of 19 villains listed on the official central rogues' gallery alone! The combat and stealth systems were further improved, of course. Those more into Metroidvania than say, <i>Assassin's Creed</i> - the most obvious point of comparison, here - disliked or outright hated the thought of an open-world Batman game. Maybe blinded by that alone - I'll talk more about tunnel vision in a less speculative manner later - they started to pick on other stuff, and have picked on even more stuff as years have gone by. Bad story (not true, there are just a few slumps including a portion of the ending), stock gadgetry (well, that's partly true), and bad boss fights (Mr. Freeze?! ...and what exactly made the boss fights in <i>Asylum</i> so special?). The most common complaint of all: "it's just not as fresh and innovative as <i>Arkham Asylum</i>". Yeah, well, if you look at it that way, there's hardly a good sequel out there. Most actual critics were simply bedazzled by <i>Arkham City</i>, like they should've been - like Batman fans should've been. Like I was. All of this leads us up to <i>Batman: Return to Arkham</i> - a compilation disc consisting of both of these seventh-generation masterpieces, remastered and VERY SLIGHTLY redesigned, and permanently welded together with all of the DLC and platform-exclusive content for both games. Critics didn't like it, fans didn't like it. I doubted their reasons; I guess I've read the exact same ramblings one too many times. I once again set my brain to Bat-mode and headed into these games once more, to see if there was any truth to the mediocre reviews. I did find some of it hidden back in the deepest reaches. But, the truth is, that these two games are still as fucking fantastic as they were when they came out.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Crazy, crazy nights</i></b><br />
<br />
To keep with the intention of insight rather than reviewing the game from a wholly personal point of view, let's start with the stuff that bugs most people the most about this bundle of Bat-joy. The remastered graphics are up first; yeah, they're kinda bright and colourful. That much we can all agree on. There's also one thing you might've failed to notice: especially in <i>Arkham Asylum</i>, all hidden secrets are quite damn easy to find. It's not just the case of you playing by memory and knowing exactly where everything is, if there's someone by your side who's never played these games saying "that wall looks like you could blow it up" without the Detective Mode on, and being absolutely correct in that statement; that kinda spoils the thrill of exploration for veterans and newbies alike. It's a small thing, for sure, and not as bad in <i>Arkham City</i>, I think; the lighting effects are relatively closer to the original article than those of <i>Asylum</i>'s. All in all, the slight redesign of the games concerns <i>Asylum</i> more than <i>City</i> - with the exception of Talia al Ghul in <i>Arkham City</i>, who looks COMPLETELY different from the original model. ...And still appears in her original graceful form in the character bio screen. I guess some of the more obnoxious fans bombed Rocksteady for making her a blonde in the original, I dunno. Nerds.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaj5Al31ovKebZZzLtUlD82O0GFTUIBrILhx42cssXQJJBdc6PNvG2aIQOGx0JI03KXMLztuukNwwzxEY21gbGTkte4tlLg0F-WZjDiWFLXk_-YutxnybSO8Ef1fg2tTmjAt9yeqQe7fY/s1600/batman_return_to_arkham_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaj5Al31ovKebZZzLtUlD82O0GFTUIBrILhx42cssXQJJBdc6PNvG2aIQOGx0JI03KXMLztuukNwwzxEY21gbGTkte4tlLg0F-WZjDiWFLXk_-YutxnybSO8Ef1fg2tTmjAt9yeqQe7fY/s320/batman_return_to_arkham_02.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one character that's actually gets more menacing with<br />
each dive into a deeper palette.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The second point of discomfort among the general public is one I'd like to go a bit deeper into. It would seem that even in these times when developers continue developing their games all the time even after they're released, critics and fans are suffering from severe tunnel vision, getting more severe all the time. I understand the need to review a game right away, as soon as the embargo lifts. What I don't understand is why critics blast out final opinions on games based on review versions, which are usually very glitchy and incomplete, provoking expecting fans into blasting out their "own" opinions, which are usually based completely on these reviews, 'cause after reading them, these expecting fans won't always even bother to try the games themselves. They post shit on these games on Facebook and troll the developers every chance they get before even trying the games, <i>Mass Effect: Andromeda</i> being a good, recent example (which is why I haven't rushed into reviewing that game). First of all, I think the critics should give these types of incomplete releases the benefit of the doubt; I understand it would be nice to have a complete game in your hands at launch, but why say stuff like "the gameplay's OK, the game's all around good, but it crashed on me so I'll give it 4 out of 10"? Then, there are games that critics describe "perfect", and despite a whole ocean of glitches in them, they completely ignore those glitches and focus on the gameplay alone (which they should ALWAYS do), giving that long-lost benefit of the doubt to games they think deserve it more than those games that are just "OK". That's really unfair.<br />
<br />
The reason I wanted to preach here, is that the thing <i>Return to Arkham</i> was bashed for the most, was its tendency to lock down, crash, and very often freeze for seconds specifically in the middle of combat, which resulted in broken combo flows, rendering about 50% of these two games completely unplayable, moreover unbeatable. Well, during the course of my complete playthrough of both storylines, <i>Arkham Asylum</i> crashed once, and <i>Arkham City</i> twice. But, nearly every PS4 game I've ever played has done the exact same thing (including the perfect, almighty <i>Witcher 3</i>, take that you bastards), and there were no additional glitches to annoy me, not a single one, not even a small FPS break or texture failure. Nada. I had TONS of fun. All nostalgia aside, it was interesting to play through these games now that I've finally opened my mind to the DC Universe beyond Batman, most thanks to the TV escapades of Green Arrow and Flash, as well as <i>Injustice</i>. And, of course, the true final part of the <i>Arkham</i> trilogy, a review of which is coming up next, and in addition to tying up just about every loose end within <i>Arkham</i> (which I thought a DLC pack would manage just fine... pfft), beneath its Bat-surface it spread out to the far edges of the universe. But more about that soon. Let's wrap this up.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
You have both games on the PlayStation 3? Then this compilation should not be on the top of your list. You have the PlayStation 3, but neither one of these games, nor any experience from them? Buy 'em... for the PlayStation 3. You don't have a PlayStation 3, but you do have a PlayStation 4, and no experience from these two games? What's that, you bought <i>Arkham Knight</i> and thought it was confusing? How dare you! ...And what do you expect? Go out and buy this damn compilation, dude! There's nothing new here, that's for sure - even the Trophies/Achievements are exactly the same, and won't stack with your old collection - and with the originals, you'll get the graphics best suited for these bleak settings. However, if you've still not taken your first steps in these pieces of superhero video game heaven, now it's high time to do that. Any platform will do for the mere experience just as fine.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ These games are king</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The gameplay's just as rewarding as ever before</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- This collection took longer to arrive than most of its kind after its announcement; you'd think there were more new designs or features rather than just a few major inconsistencies to show for it...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- ...Therefore, it's not really worth much to someone who already owns all this stuff</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Absolutely no tweaks to basic mechanics that are known to be flawed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Too bright, too colourful, too obvious; <i>Arkham Asylum</i>, specifically</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">< 8.5 ></span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-38884286563675485782017-05-02T11:34:00.003-07:002017-05-04T00:52:11.306-07:00REVIEW - inFamous 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOpVqfleuufbnU_G7oGAn-W0tpkQtBfLwjbBsY2WEnUp8iLZBFnx9HmOfUPLnbx3kuccUdDTaj28fDdaEYkTWIfIHClXRFLkwbbASIwfaa7pXr7iZ7G_mciFrIJTp_Pz6egOeLbPEaRE/s1600/infamous_2_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIOpVqfleuufbnU_G7oGAn-W0tpkQtBfLwjbBsY2WEnUp8iLZBFnx9HmOfUPLnbx3kuccUdDTaj28fDdaEYkTWIfIHClXRFLkwbbASIwfaa7pXr7iZ7G_mciFrIJTp_Pz6egOeLbPEaRE/s320/infamous_2_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Action-adventure, Third-person shooter, Open-world</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>PlayStation 3</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Sucker Punch Productions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Sony Computer Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> June 7, 2011</span><br />
<br />
This game is most infamous (no pun intended - or perhaps it was) for the development hell it went through in its very short developmental period. Sucker Punch went to work on the game immediately after the release of the original <i>inFamous</i>, and unveiled the new product in the summer of 2010, only to be mauled by fans by completely changing the character of Cole MacGrath, all the way from the original voice actor to his more "attractive", heroic look. Sucker Punch defended their decision by explaining they needed a new kind of character to tell the story better (I, for one, am all in for that!), but ultimately they had no choice but to mix and match elements, both old and new, to create a satisfactory Cole MacGrath from scratch. Well, the game was done in a year into the first trailer, and the PlayStation community exploded in excitement. After all the setbacks, <i>inFamous 2</i> got mighty fine reviews from the media, and much acclaim from fans of the original. All of the original's mistakes and black spots were allegedly washed out. Still, after reading a dozen of great reviews, I pushed the game back for all these years. It's just been there, on the shelf, gathering dust. After finishing this game, supposed to be bigger, badder and better than the original <i>inFamous</i> in every single aspect, I'm kinda disappointed. In myself, that is. <i>inFamous</i> was a solid game, <i>inFamous 2</i> is a near must-have for fans of action-adventure.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Shock and awe</i></b><br />
<br />
The Electric Man, a.k.a. The Demon of Empire City, a.k.a. Cole MacGrath, still in a very confused mental state over the events that transpired during the Empire City blackout, is contacted by another NSA Agent named Lucy Kuo. Kuo tells Cole that her associate, a brilliant scientist who created the notorious Ray Sphere, has created a new weapon capable of taking down Cole's future nemesis - the enigmatic Beast. Just as Cole, Zeke and Kuo are departing for his lab in the city of New Marais, the aforementioned behemoth shows up and gives Cole a very painful demonstration of his powers, draining most of Cole's, and utterly destroying what's left of Empire City right before his eyes, just as Cole was foretold in the very end of the original <i>inFamous</i>. Cole and Zeke establish a new base of operations in New Marais, to track down the scientist, kill the Beast, and take down a rich, shady bastard who's turned the city into a police state of his own - and apparently has strong connections to many of Cole's sworn enemies including the Beast. It's gonna be a long journey - how it all ends is up to you. Famous or infamous, round two.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNRmhayIyEdLZg9LCVLjU6K4HAbqBmtW3-P2ujPHK3uMVw-3s3lkQEnixMwGVX0YTsSyiLIhLzR_zQYZoJ6E6_3otl0h7-3E484EnqGYwwQlXRxHleYGqwoCPgumPEe1Uv7iuQ1ZUKXE/s1600/infamous_2_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNRmhayIyEdLZg9LCVLjU6K4HAbqBmtW3-P2ujPHK3uMVw-3s3lkQEnixMwGVX0YTsSyiLIhLzR_zQYZoJ6E6_3otl0h7-3E484EnqGYwwQlXRxHleYGqwoCPgumPEe1Uv7iuQ1ZUKXE/s320/infamous_2_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ain't got the number of the Beast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I never had any special kind of love for <i>inFamous</i>. I finished the game once, and then put it to sleep. I bought <i>inFamous 2</i> and played it for about two minutes before deciding I wasn't ready for it before I'd finished <i>inFamous</i> for a second time. Fast forward five years, I finally finished <i>inFamous</i> for the second and definitive time, actually thinking it was better than I remembered, but still I wasn't too stoked about <i>inFamous 2</i> for some reason. Perhaps it was the story that still didn't stick that good, for me to bear through another sandbox-shaped apple from the same tree. Well, about thirty minutes into <i>inFamous 2</i>, I was dead certain I was heading into a very similar and therefore very accessible, but much better game. The voice acting is lightyears ahead of the previous game. The dynamic cutscenes do wonders to the storytelling - there are only a literal few of those comic book cutscenes here, only at a few key points of the game, including the prologue and the two completely different epilogues of the game. The city of New Marais - much inspired by New Orleans - is a much more interesting, diverse and somewhat sexier playground than the flat and repetitive Empire City. There are three completely different areas of the city for you to explore, all with their own types of enemies just like the first game, but also, different environments and conditions for you to try and survive.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfUT7_9CI4flTp0r-2G0nND6iZtLvfE0bNEj4NPD5n8trEhjnIkSDszMJxyhv8kvSNvCpAJoylHcrkCkcRPH-ELSRla1urlh8aBpS4Z4jA-JX2qFgCPFUYR1ePoy8hm-0yXcd4ymzyao/s1600/infamous_2_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfUT7_9CI4flTp0r-2G0nND6iZtLvfE0bNEj4NPD5n8trEhjnIkSDszMJxyhv8kvSNvCpAJoylHcrkCkcRPH-ELSRla1urlh8aBpS4Z4jA-JX2qFgCPFUYR1ePoy8hm-0yXcd4ymzyao/s320/infamous_2_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hate hippies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First consulting my girlfriend, who's also a hardcore gamer, about the differences between whether you're playing it nice or being an asshole, revealed a whole different story behind the supposedly superficial karmic system. Playing the game through as a different character revealed the truth, which was even more awesome than I could've imagined. The game itself is not that different, but the story is full of remarkably different twists depending on which side you're playing. The story is the key to this game - it's absolutely amazing. It picks up from where <i>inFamous</i> left off, but delivers it so much more beautifully, and moreover, naturally. In other words, if you decide to do something evil as a good guy, the transition (or just one single step outside your personal game) is explained so much better, and it feels more natural. The core gameplay hasn't changed all that much - I can think of only a few things that have gone through some changes - but there's a lot of new stuff here, a lot more than you would initially expect from a game that was in development for two years and had to suffer through somewhat of a development hell just because of one design element fans didn't like.<br />
<br />
<b><i>No good deeds go unpunished</i></b><br />
<br />
The sandbox of <i>inFamous</i> has been littered with all kinds of extras. Side missions are accompanied by karma-based mini-missions; for the good guys out there, there's a bomber running through New Marais who's turned Blast Shards (them good ol' Blast Shards) into bombs for you to locate and defuse, and of course dig up the remains of the bomb to slowly upgrade your juice meter. Civilians in need of pulse healing are now shown on the minimap, as well as civilians getting mugged by the prominent militia troops of the city. Bad guys get street entertainers to kill, and more Blast Shards to pry from the hands of dead civilians. For online enthusiasts, there are user-generated missions - yeah, you can create missions. How cool is that? The actual UGC is stuffed into the pause menu, but as long as you're playing online, Sucker Punch's own examples are scattered all over the map for you to take part in and take notes, if you're interested in such stuff.<br />
<br />
Once again, the story is one hell of a key to this game, and I can't possibly emphasize its greatness enough. It starts slow, there's a couple of hot points here and there in the middle, and nearing the end, regardless of your alignment, it just explodes and you'll be remembering it for a long time, especially if you played the original game. The decisions you make during the story are always built up and explained so you wouldn't have the slightest chance of making a mistake against your desired outcome. Most of the time, you even have two characters of opposing alignments by your side, kind of like the angel and the devil on your shoulder, fully explaining their views on the many situations at hand, and their opinions on what you should do. They're brilliant characters too, so the decision-making in this game, as easy as it might sometimes feel like, they both have brilliant arguments that are hard to ignore.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdA_2YfE6Kl__hbHC6-YJePBC79Dh3FjBTNNuzb3XANxetRW8cTY1ncmB-w1avGfpKbw7BWrtNN2mQK3c4hlU4hRe7rvZu1qtvFydH7lD2lRDGXqKqQFVeloORvCwXKOaR3HFqYSXTWg/s1600/infamous_2_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdA_2YfE6Kl__hbHC6-YJePBC79Dh3FjBTNNuzb3XANxetRW8cTY1ncmB-w1avGfpKbw7BWrtNN2mQK3c4hlU4hRe7rvZu1qtvFydH7lD2lRDGXqKqQFVeloORvCwXKOaR3HFqYSXTWg/s320/infamous_2_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City slicker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The combat is generally more diverse, as even your basic shock attack uses up juice, which leaves you with the option of stocking up on hard-to-find generators, or taking a risk and getting up, close and personal with the enemies using the newly added melée weapon known as the Amp. It looks rad, and plays out even more rad, especially with upgrades. Speaking of the upgrades, there's no more stunt list for you to complete just for Trophies' sake, but doing enough of these (much easier) stunts garners you the license to buy more upgrades with your hard-earned EXP. The amounts the game forces you to do are very reasonable, and the stunts are just way more fun to try out when there's some actual benefit involved.<br />
<br />
So, it's good - the game's very good. ...But. Are the original game's problems completely flushed? All but one - repetition. The further you go, and the closer you get to the end, the story gets better while the gameplay takes a run up the sad mill by ways of repetitive waves of repetitive enemies and repetitive missions even within the confines of the storyline. Once you get to the final fight, though, all of that matters a little less. The "good" ending in itself is one of the best scenes I've seen in any game for a long time, and what makes it feel even better is that the first game wasn't much of a poetic masterpiece. All in all, I can't find very many things besides that to complain about when it comes to <i>inFamous 2</i>. It's one of the true (semi-)hidden gems of the last ten years.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
I kind of put it out there already, and there's very little to add. <i>inFamous 2</i> is a fantastic game that outshines its predecessor by one fantastic mile. The few dips into the sea of repetition, more usual the further the story goes, are not enough to hurt a great story so fantastically told, and a game that generally whips a lot of the supposed sandbox greats off the table right out of its hiding place. Check it out - regardless of where you live, I don't think it'll rattle your finances too much nowadays.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Great story, great voiceovers, better storytelling</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ More dynamic cutscenes, less of those comic book stills</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The controls are even more fluid than before</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Player choices are more consequential</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Great upgrades to grant an even more fluid gameplay experience</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The sexiness and diversity of New Marais</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Still repetitive, especially towards the otherwise great ending(s)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Some annoying control-related glitches here and there, though less annoying than having to deal with Sixaxis controls in the slightest</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>< 8.9 ></b></span>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-4584181340646387072017-04-11T10:37:00.002-07:002017-04-11T10:37:43.962-07:00All life begins with "THE LIST"One might say it has begun. Working on the huge update to "THE LIST".<div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BSwO6tgB503/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">The 2017 reboot of #vgmaniablog begins with "THE LIST", a definitive database of every game at my direct disposal from 21 different gaming systems; either owned, or fully playable via different Windows-based emulators. As a self-aware #databasenerd, i'm having quite fun here. Can't wait to start writing again. #games</a></div>
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Henkilön Jukka Korkiamäki (@kuzpo) jakama julkaisu <time datetime="2017-04-11T17:35:14+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">11. 04ta 2017 klo 10.35 PDT</time></div>
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Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-53452559715385769622017-03-22T02:19:00.000-07:002017-03-22T02:19:03.307-07:00On my pending returnPhew, almost exactly six months have passed since my last game review. A lot of things have happened since then, mainly good things, that have alienated me from my laptop - alienated me from polishing up this blog, as well as writing new reviews. Well, I think the time is near to break the silence. Not today, not tomorrow, maybe not even next week, but I'm itching to get back to work as soon as possible.<br />
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I'm not dead. I'm not terminally ill. Just wanted to take this opportunity to inform you that I'll be back with some new stuff, hopefully as early as April.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-23813882233913686312016-09-25T03:43:00.001-07:002016-09-25T03:43:15.755-07:00REVIEW - inFamous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTP2aQi2zRpVh5jolV7yZ6IDKS0TYT6bg27K4Q9XLurw4Yvn4RNe5IKlP-N7D1Pk94vTpzoC5aAOV-KbvBPdA26kHDf8sR7E9WY4BuPtdsmW2oHQSLPnpskzYpILqs6p3gbFZdNtuA4M/s1600/infamous_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTP2aQi2zRpVh5jolV7yZ6IDKS0TYT6bg27K4Q9XLurw4Yvn4RNe5IKlP-N7D1Pk94vTpzoC5aAOV-KbvBPdA26kHDf8sR7E9WY4BuPtdsmW2oHQSLPnpskzYpILqs6p3gbFZdNtuA4M/s320/infamous_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S): </b>Action-adventure, Third-person shooter, Open-world</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>PlayStation 3</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Sucker Punch Productions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Sony Computer Entertainment</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> May 26, 2009</span><br />
<br />
<i>inFamous</i> is a game I've wanted to do ever since I first started doing this thing. It's easier to go over the reasons why, before going into the couple of why-nots.<br />
<br />
1. It's an open-world adventure game currently laid smack in the middle of the history of action games set in an urban, open world. Long after <i>Grand Theft Auto III</i>, right before <i>Assassin's Creed II</i>, and long before <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> came, saw, conquered, and destroyed all hope for future developments' (such as <i>Watch_Dogs</i>) chances to really succeed in the open-world genre. Plus, unlike <i>Grand Theft Auto</i> or <i>Assassin's Creed</i>, this game was set in a post-apocalyptic world. Post-apocalyptic is kinda like my middle name. I never seem to lose interest in the different possibilities of a post-apocalyptic (open) world.<br />
<br />
2. It was the second time a dedicated Sony developer went out to break loose of their family-oriented image. Naughty Dog did it first with <i>Uncharted: Drake's Fortune</i>, and we all know how that game fared, not to mention what kind of stellar franchise followed that game. Sucker Punch were known for <i>Sly Cooper</i>, and <i>inFamous</i> was their ticket to young adult land; being a PS3 exclusive already meant a lot when <i>inFamous </i>came out, so all in all it was a widely anticipated game.<br />
<br />
3. The overpouring similarities between the story of <i>inFamous</i> protagonist Cole MacGrath and the story of Peter Parker - which, no doubt, are intentional, and have even inspired some critics to establish a spiritual connection between this game and the classic sixth-generation <i>Spider-Man</i> titles. "With great power comes great responsibility." Peter Parker has embraced that as a rule. Cole MacGrath, however, is given a conscious choice. Will you choose ultimate power, or will you choose responsibility? Like in any good karma-based game, you won't be able to grasp the underlying greatness of <i>inFamous</i> without trying both sides.<br />
<br />
Which brings us to the question: is the game good and interesting enough to endure multiple playthroughs? Back when I got this game as a present having not the balls to risk the invest myself, I thought it was quite good, but I couldn't possibly muster the energy for a second playthrough - which the game needs to unfold, there's no escaping that. Also, <i>inFamous</i> didn't have a franchise backing it up, so I kept pushing it forward 'til it would have at least one sequel to make me want to go for a marathon. I tried, both times that a major sequel broke through, to get motivated for <i>inFamous</i> again, but on both occasions, I found the game heavily outdated by its peers. Even moreso on the second try, of course. Well, now I'm finally on that one final crusade to find out if <i>inFamous</i> truly is as outdated as it seems, and if evil's truly the only way to go if you want to succeed in this game.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Electric Funeral</b></i><br />
<br />
The sprawling metropolis of Empire City is caught in a massive EMP blast, which results in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, and a total, city-wide power failure. Caught in the center of the blast is deliveryman and urban explorer Cole MacGrath. Instead of succumbing to the blast, Cole becomes a human battery, a walking electrical conduit who is able to take advantage of any trace of electricity in any way he pleases. With these new powers constantly growing stronger, Cole is faced with the ultimate question: will he use these new powers to help Empire City back to its feet, or reduce what's left of it to mere ash?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwPnIW7geJrZL_5c0ka85cjGYuhrEpB5dxkHnNAdlS1GG-Z2jYJ0uRWk0zqg-I8wVDcDomw7a22vqvuYYuu9u5a7C6iETcPGrRjMCSh1Dd-xacQ4QfyqXDvO1eguaywCqVgIMpUhVcZ0/s1600/infamous_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwPnIW7geJrZL_5c0ka85cjGYuhrEpB5dxkHnNAdlS1GG-Z2jYJ0uRWk0zqg-I8wVDcDomw7a22vqvuYYuu9u5a7C6iETcPGrRjMCSh1Dd-xacQ4QfyqXDvO1eguaywCqVgIMpUhVcZ0/s320/infamous_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A superhero with his villainous fits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>inFamous</i> was released at the perfect time for a PlayStation exclusive. At first, no one really knew what kind of a game it was to be, except for the core story element of being able to play the superhero or a supervillain in a superhero game. Stick that in a PlayStation exclusive, one made by such a revered developer, albeit one who had only made games for kids or early teens at that point - remember Naughty Dog - get blessed with a couple of damn fine early reviews, and you've got another PlayStation classic right there. Well, <i>inFamous</i> did never reach the massive popularity of <i>Uncharted</i>; <i>Uncharted 2: Among Thieves</i> came out some time later - hell, they might even have picked up a few climbing points from <i>inFamous</i> - and once it did, people hardly remembered this game anymore. The <i>Uncharted</i> franchise became the new cornerstone of the Sony PlayStation family, something <i>inFamous</i> was always intended to be. Bad advertising, or a good game that just wasn't good enough? I guess there's a bit of truth to both claims. <i>inFamous</i> is a great game that had all the potential to be a great franchise. There are just a few things really off about it - the game, I mean. I'll have to take a rain check with the rest of the series. Let's talk <i>inFamous</i>.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FYzIlgd1abMpdZbrRqFoOhMlI2ZJSX-RhR7KjxnaA37mpIdJIGHKR-dMx2NLmBgrpH7XciP6TvJIsdd0lt22mkDerPJyGXsM4Ihclcd2DrFK0S0F_xuDvgt5A081AQ7ytaEXlgRp-6I/s1600/infamous_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FYzIlgd1abMpdZbrRqFoOhMlI2ZJSX-RhR7KjxnaA37mpIdJIGHKR-dMx2NLmBgrpH7XciP6TvJIsdd0lt22mkDerPJyGXsM4Ihclcd2DrFK0S0F_xuDvgt5A081AQ7ytaEXlgRp-6I/s320/infamous_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutscenes are more than a little detached from the game,<br />but in themselves they look quite damn good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>inFamous</i> is an open-world action game, a third-person shooter with some RPG elements. Your secondary objectives besides the story are to help out the people of Empire City on either side of the law to gain territory; collect different stuff to either boost your maximum shock energy, find out more about the game's (very nice) backstory beyond what the twists in the main storyline lay out in the open; and finally, no game of <i>inFamous</i> is complete before amping your abilities up to eleven, whether you're the hero or the villain of this story. It's not just about a few key decisions at a few key points of the game how your character develops - everything, and I do mean everything, you do in <i>inFamous</i> is tracked to determine your karma. When you're attacked by a horde of enemies in the middle of the street, when an electrified grenade or a gigantic hammershock to the center of the crowd would prove the most effective option, you should remember that any civilians caught in the blast become food for your karma meter. If you're generally playing it nice, you could try to compensate the situation by going over to and healing any surviving civilians, and capturing surviving enemies for the police to handle. Or, if you're playing rough, just unleash the mayhem. Throw in a few more bombs to make doubly sure they're ALL down.<br />
<br />
Of course the storyline missions and the big decisions, which are thankfully thoroughly explained by short cutscenes to avoid making drowsy mistakes with and for your character, have the most impact on how the game plays out for you. The final battle and the ending are both pretty much the same for both karmic outcomes, with some differences in the final monologue of the game, just to ensure us that a sequel was always coming. Which is good, 'cause <i>inFamous</i> can get quite tedious towards the end - here's hoping they fixed the most major mistakes with the sequel.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Running out of juice</i></b><br />
<br />
First and foremost, <i>inFamous</i> is all-around repetitive. For the first few hours, the side missions have a fine abundance of variety to them. Towards the end, they're starting not only to repeat themselves by a long haul, but they're also repeating elements from storyline missions that weren't that fun to begin with. Collecting stuff, now that's what I'd advise you to do all the time instead of saving it all for later - you have this kinda "Spider-Sense" that shows the collectibles readily available to you on the minimap. There's a whopping total of 350 Blast Shards hidden all over Empire City's three districts, and only 300 of them have any actual use in gameplay - the remaining 50 are a disappointing gift to all Trophy Whores out there. The rest of the collectibles aren't nearly as much of a nuisance in total than going after the 50 Blast Shards that don't have any use, and could be anywhere in this sprawling pile of a city. Empire City ain't exactly the most interesting sandbox there is - it's kind of like a post-apocalyptic HD remaster of Liberty City in <i>Grand Theft Auto III</i>. Just without the cars. And the distinctive landmarks. And the different layers of terrain. And the hoes. Each district is supposed to be distinctly different from the next in style, but to be honest, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the districts if not for distinctly different enemies occupating each one. Yeah, regular enemies come in three types. There are some variations to each type of enemy, but not enough to carry an open-world game.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivijbgLeEaPHxqzFSDn3BLjpohK1YPubWNMAerUjuqjo5vhVuKR9WolNZlBm1XX8NaFigb0eI7NeLu5h1AC5tIsHT66jBtru-vv6IT597Ra47nl1WH9gtqWnvOHzV9keHBBOHH3A3Z8s/s1600/infamous_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivijbgLeEaPHxqzFSDn3BLjpohK1YPubWNMAerUjuqjo5vhVuKR9WolNZlBm1XX8NaFigb0eI7NeLu5h1AC5tIsHT66jBtru-vv6IT597Ra47nl1WH9gtqWnvOHzV9keHBBOHH3A3Z8s/s320/infamous_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His delivery service just got a whole lot faster.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, the story, as unique and exciting it basically is - it's a God damn open-world superhero game of completely original design! - is not told very well. Most of the voiceover work is fair enough, but the dialogue itself is clumsy, and somehow even aggravating, I can't really describe it any better. The cutscenes that are stylized after classic superhero comic books look really nice, but they're detached from the game and occasionally, they even seem to go against the karmic settings of your character, and the rest of the cutscenes are just bad cinematics. The exchanges between Cole and his ex-girlfriend, or his fat, dumb, jealous and arrogant (read: clichéd) best friend are painful to watch and listen to. There's just no emotional charge there of any sort.<br />
<br />
My second round through <i>inFamous</i> was certainly a nice one, but that's only 'cause six years had passed. There are two people I know to have played this game through twice in a row to get to the Platinum Trophy, but I simply could never have done that. In all its length and size, not to mention how boring and repetitive a true open-world adventure in this game can get, and the crappy dialogue, in my opinion<i> inFamous</i> is not a game to be thoroughly completed at once. But, back to the original and more important question, is it outdated? No. General gameplay mechanics are actually way better than I remembered, and Cole's climbing ability is superior to any assassin's in the <i>Assassin's Creed </i>series, as far as gamer's comfort is concerned at least. So there, a very essential complimentary point before I wrap this up and delve into the sequel(s) for the first time.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
<i>inFamous</i> is full of both superficial pros and superficial cons, a fairly even splice between good and bad karma. But, focusing on what's truly essential about an entertaining action game, <i>inFamous</i> excels in a whole bulk of it. The controls are fluid, the core mechanics of the game work fantastic. The new abilities are easy to grasp, and easy enough to execute with this terrific control scheme - except for the final ability which is another example of how useless the Sixaxis always was. Although it's not always carried that well due to the monotonic and clumsy dialogue, the story is fascinating and unique, and the resolution, regardless of your choices, paves an interesting path to a very interesting sequel. So, if you're on the market for a fairly entertaining open-world action-adventure apart from the more high-profile must-haves of its kind, <i>inFamous</i> is quite a solid choice for you.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Near-perfect controls</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Fantastically delicate karma system</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Great story...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- ...Brought down a tick by average voiceover work and frustrating dialogue</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Repetitive side missions</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Monotonic world and enemy design</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>< 8.1 ></b></span>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-79735201101289919102016-09-13T06:33:00.002-07:002016-09-13T06:34:44.278-07:00REVIEW - New Super Mario Bros. U<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinE9OXTmcMYZwmtWK4nSFqJ_Dk-lsXTS9vnfcpRCN6glFDEhzJgaqJmMo3cokwC96SXmllWsM7ax82zqz4TNd6mpKg9MPZvXkFM9FSrl2JQD2gW8EfkCugQxw-ASOTV0T9b7vbH2XdfMw/s1600/new_smb_u_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinE9OXTmcMYZwmtWK4nSFqJ_Dk-lsXTS9vnfcpRCN6glFDEhzJgaqJmMo3cokwC96SXmllWsM7ax82zqz4TNd6mpKg9MPZvXkFM9FSrl2JQD2gW8EfkCugQxw-ASOTV0T9b7vbH2XdfMw/s320/new_smb_u_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>Wii U</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> November 18, 2012</span><br />
<br />
<i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> was the first brand new Mario launch title, actually starring the man himself, for any new Nintendo console since the original <i>Super Mario 64</i> - and that is by far the only special thing about it. I am so frustrated with this series right now, especially after a solid line of fresh experiences in the Mario franchise, some of them even positive surprises. I was thinking of dragging this a little further down the line to spare it from my wrath, but then again, I realized that all this stuff swirling in my head was there from the very beginning; it's not going to change in the future. I still took another round of <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> straight to the gut, to see how it played out with a different controller. It's somewhat better with an old school control scheme, as I suspected, and believe me, the game ain't bad to begin with. The ultimate question, however, is...<br />
<br />
<b><i>...What is so God damn NEW about it?</i></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkV1Laxn04UZnKMSGodxEUtMPjzvy4p8FxOgv4cGCtm23OcjssNwJ1z2Eb0TpIE3c_0STMviAwpJ63KebYSeRJDbcxcbIdlY5oBVQS2wfWIFoQZycL586JLdkQ5g9oOeJBsDxx8acOlF8/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkV1Laxn04UZnKMSGodxEUtMPjzvy4p8FxOgv4cGCtm23OcjssNwJ1z2Eb0TpIE3c_0STMviAwpJ63KebYSeRJDbcxcbIdlY5oBVQS2wfWIFoQZycL586JLdkQ5g9oOeJBsDxx8acOlF8/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Bowser invades and takes over the Princess' castle, of course trapping the Princess inside it, while hurling the foursome of Mario, Luigi and a couple of Toads for generic multiplayer fodder to the outer limits of Mushroom Kingdom. Apart from non-linear, yet all-mandatory progression, we know the rest of the deal - through and through - and in 2012, 27 years of the <i>Super Mario</i> franchise and three <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> games already behind us, we are getting bored. Moreover, we find ourselves wondering how in the hell did Nintendo manage to spend THREE YEARS on making and disguising what is essentially <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i> in high-definition?!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplJusQJn2hzJd74UkKgAKujnm4kfwQmLzeKCJcHHBWGWDUYJxqmDVfYO8W2Oy_bBWnJGPWobHLCz3nxT8d78X0_I1vo2rZIFHlJonNeu1tmriHn_jvp0gvOmrw2X9xqhQR5ojcnl4cUU/s1600/new_smb_u_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjplJusQJn2hzJd74UkKgAKujnm4kfwQmLzeKCJcHHBWGWDUYJxqmDVfYO8W2Oy_bBWnJGPWobHLCz3nxT8d78X0_I1vo2rZIFHlJonNeu1tmriHn_jvp0gvOmrw2X9xqhQR5ojcnl4cUU/s320/new_smb_u_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I never thought to say this, but looking at those star-shaped<br />thingies makes me miss <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yeah, I'm furious. All the pros and cons I noted concerning all of the previous titles in this series match the pros and cons of <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i>. Why? Because it's the exact same game. The first <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> title on the Nintendo DS was the one I criticized the most, for being such a simple, yet at the same time, very strange, successor to the first Famicom titles, and generally speaking not the fresh and innovative first-party Nintendo game we were safe to expect in 2006. You can double down on a game that was released on Nintendo's eighth-generation powerhouse in 2012, and basically - despite some gratuitous Miiverse social media bullshit and a freeform world map to cover it all up - IS THE EXACT SAME GAME as the previous major console title in this particular series!! Well not the exact same game to be honest, there are more levels in this game, but all the levels from the previous one are recycled by some degree. ALL of them - except for all of the most important boss fights. I guess those ones are made different, 'cause kids always remember bosses best. Successful cover-up, then? Not by a long shot.<br />
<br />
<i>Super Mario 3D World</i> was originally supposed to be the final game of this marathon, simply because it's the newest out of all Mario platformers - excluding <i>Super Mario Maker</i>, if you count that as a platformer or even an actual game - and 'cause it's also the best Mario platformer in ages. Firstly, I kinda got sidetracked from the <i>New SMB</i> series by taking on <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> on my 3DS one night, and I followed up with <i>Super Mario 3D World </i>like a zombie, forgetting all about a review of <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i>. Secondly, in honest hindsight, if I had written this review before <i>Super Mario 3D World</i>, I'd probably had spent half the time bashing this game even more than I already have, or will. With <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> out, and <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> on its way, <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> was a gap-filler, nothing more. It's a good game, of course it is, it's based on a simple and functional formula. Should you buy it, should you keep it in mind? Should you remember it? If you don't have any of the earlier games under your belt, sure. Otherwise, no.<br />
<br />
<b><i>All these things I hate revolve around me</i></b><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ3IfCOicWmqXgkhXXpbHKaXyypd1g27SUhj10HJertD23JtHCbf-8_nOETRjVMuA6T6kpLa_iutWPaqLszddd9kyzUo-7rDHihGf7TWSu5SWUDy3q9crMcIaTH84PlWI22u1CRhbtRQ/s1600/new_smb_u_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ3IfCOicWmqXgkhXXpbHKaXyypd1g27SUhj10HJertD23JtHCbf-8_nOETRjVMuA6T6kpLa_iutWPaqLszddd9kyzUo-7rDHihGf7TWSu5SWUDy3q9crMcIaTH84PlWI22u1CRhbtRQ/s320/new_smb_u_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's something nice for a change. That oil painting in the<br />background is freakin' rad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Let's play it a bit nicer for a change and say that <i>New Super Mario Bros. U </i>"plays very close" to <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i>. Having that out of the way, let's get straight to control business: if you're hell bent on playing and beating this game just for collection's sake, do yourself a favour. Put the Wii U Gamepad to rest and dig up a Wiimote. I know 'cause I tried both options: even though the same odd mishaps that plagued the "original" occur when playing with the Wiimote (such as Mario ducking in the middle of a dash if your thumb is just slightly off-key), the old controller is just so much more practical for not only a casual game of <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i>, but also the levels near the end of the main world campaign that are solely based on the controller's motion detection feature - the MD lifts, if you remember. Trying to control the lifts with the bulky Gamepad, especially if you're playing too close to a living room table or any other piece of furniture, is a nightmare. Either the furniture disrupts your movement, or you, having no control over your physical powers, will end up accidentally smashing the Gamepad to the table. Before long, you'll be doing that on purpose. (Those pads are God damn expensive, by the by.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCaTGtS0IGNAgXQ2m60FuEmIysB2un50r69fjB9edNkgem1cKgNsBjaPZzn6vfEYgaaHDlxo5wMynrKVSVnT2ltkdeFKBPKbp64xIl6Epw2xlT4BgrLPXMiyE8L4-3ulUv9LMSwM74m4/s1600/new_smb_u_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCaTGtS0IGNAgXQ2m60FuEmIysB2un50r69fjB9edNkgem1cKgNsBjaPZzn6vfEYgaaHDlxo5wMynrKVSVnT2ltkdeFKBPKbp64xIl6Epw2xlT4BgrLPXMiyE8L4-3ulUv9LMSwM74m4/s320/new_smb_u_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowser's the biggest thing in this game. Literally.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's just one completely new power-up in the whole game, and even that's a combination of a 21st century Tanooki Suit and a Propeller Box; it doesn't even have an actual name to my knowledge, it's just called a flying squirrel suit, and it doesn't need a whole lot of explaining if you've seen how those two power-ups have worked in the last couple of years. The Mini Mushroom makes its "anticipated" comeback; this time, you can run on walls with it. Well, yippie-ki-yay. Yoshi turns up once again, on some very few choice occasions, but the game is littered with different-coloured Baby Yoshis that have some special abilities to help you out in some levels, on a totally random level of necessity. If you can carry the Baby Yoshi all the way to the goal, you'll gain an extra life. Isn't that swell? As if the game didn't shower you with 1-Ups already; seriously, the game is so unrewarding it hurts. With the exception of the final boss fight - that's "final", before a special world once again turns up to issue its very own assrape-class challenge. Ironically, the Bowser battle is once again great, and more innovative than the whole game altogether. The only innovative thing about the rest of the game is the addition of a fifth player for the multiplayer scheme, to aid the player with Boost Blocks, which are exactly what they sound like. What makes no sense as an idea makes even less sense when you realize that you'd do 99% better in the hunt for the main world campaign's Star Coins with the aid of a Boost Block player.<br />
<br />
I'm outta here.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
What you've got to understand once more is that <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> is not a bad game by any measure; it's just a huge disappointment, another aggressively recycled <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> title faintly disguised as a brand-new game. Clearly, it was not made for adults to play, not to mention review. Alas, all of the articles I've ever read concerning this game shower it with praises, often leaving true masterpieces such as <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> and <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> coughing up the dust trail. I don't get it. I'm sad that Mario has to make his exit from the blog this way, but at least this time I know for certain that <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> is not the last game on my list. Just the last one for a prolonged while to come.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ It's still <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ It's still <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">< 7.2 ></span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-61249534329100582552016-09-12T19:16:00.001-07:002016-09-22T11:46:11.681-07:00REVIEW - Super Mario 3D World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqbpLEeOsMWUiRF-x6YFLzHbtlaLKdHKOajWpP1fqO7-QEe6Lv-994Y26Hjbm4UREg2VX9PImgNhDxHkKHnYIDyfNOGNjOh_z0OzQkkV56tcD5nxlJei-cjNWFgEp6wQU5TT2X2SiCuA/s1600/super_mario_3d_world_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqbpLEeOsMWUiRF-x6YFLzHbtlaLKdHKOajWpP1fqO7-QEe6Lv-994Y26Hjbm4UREg2VX9PImgNhDxHkKHnYIDyfNOGNjOh_z0OzQkkV56tcD5nxlJei-cjNWFgEp6wQU5TT2X2SiCuA/s320/super_mario_3d_world_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S)</b>: Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>Wii U</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Nintendo, Brownie Brown</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> November 21, 2013</span><br />
<br />
Let's imagine it's 1990. You have a handheld game out, called <i>Super Mario Land</i>. You have a series of previous major console titles called <i>Super Mario Bros.</i>, <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> (two of them, actually), and <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>. What should you call a game that would sound significantly "bigger" in name than a game called "<i>Land</i>", and a far departure from the previous series of games as well? The answer: <i>Super Mario World</i>. The year 2013 - same question. You have a handheld game out, called <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>. You also have a series of games called <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i>, <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2</i> and <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i>. What should you call a direct, major sequel to <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>, all exclusive to your superconsole that is still (arguably) missing its definitive Mario title? The answer: <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> - of course. As expected, <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is just as superficially attractive as its 3DS predecessor. It's exciting, beautiful, and fun, through and through - and undoubtedly a great multiplayer game, a partial throwback to the Western version of the classic <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> and a partial 3D adaptation of the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> multiplayer scheme. Perhaps a tiny bit of <i>Super Mario 3D</i>'s most basic magic is lost on the big screen. In good news, <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> has more than a few tricks of its own to almost immediately compensate for the vaguely lingering lack of passion, and finally prevail over its predecessor.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The greatest pipe dream you've had in a long time</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-SIBiz6D6n0W7pakeJ67QbrLf6orJiuxadhF6F0LHG1mCopnZK_U6_otDCcGjSBv_exJ2F5dm4uA82pLx1zxRZiLUQTi5DzR_KIiUGaFeZIeqGt-ee_NPIt84SGYrxevsiSooLrafY4/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj-SIBiz6D6n0W7pakeJ67QbrLf6orJiuxadhF6F0LHG1mCopnZK_U6_otDCcGjSBv_exJ2F5dm4uA82pLx1zxRZiLUQTi5DzR_KIiUGaFeZIeqGt-ee_NPIt84SGYrxevsiSooLrafY4/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Mario, Luigi, Toad and the Princess find a broken glass pipe from somewhere near the castle (why can't any of their nice little walks be just NICE LITTLE WALKS?). Mario and Luigi do quick work on the pipe and a faerie called a Sprixie appears, to inform them of a situation at Sprixie Kingdom; apparently Bowser has finally given up on the thought of conquering Mushroom Kingdom and moved on to this beautiful, but mild and meek world to enslave its citizens and rule as its tyrant king. Mario and Luigi join forces with Toad and the Princess for the first time since their journey to Subcon, and head to this wonderful new kingdom to give their long-pestering arch nemesis the boot - in a-3-a-D-a!<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> was a really, really, really good game - but everyone didn't like it. Many high-profile critics questioned the game and its importance to the Mario franchise, or platformer gaming in general. It would seem that the necessity of its fancy 3D effects was under the heaviest fire, which is where I give up on understanding some people - <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> was not only a fucking great looking game, the 3D effects were awesome and fun, the controls were no less than perfect, the game was an early milestone of all things the Nintendo 3DS could do, and most importantly, it was such a refreshing game after the couple of stale (still good) <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> titles. Those critics spent all the praises they had in store on the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> series, and went all "meh" on <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>. I don't get it, I simply don't. Then came <i>Super Mario 3D World</i>. A few of those same critics loved this game, they said that now the 3D thing truly shines, and the core gameplay is so much better on the Wii U. Again, I don't get it - of course I had to get this game to see if there was any truth to the game being notably better than <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>. Well, it's not a NOTABLY better game (I will defend that first one to the end), but then again, it's not any worse either. Actually, it's a pretty damn good game, to put it blunt it's one of the greatest Mario games ever made. It's basically <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> on the big screen, with a very strong emphasis on multiplayer, something the original game didn't have at all, plus some other fine treats that never could've been accomplished with the original game, including one special level design which even made it into its own spin-off game! I'm once again leaving the multiplayer mode's greatness for someone else to figure out; I'm in for the single-player experience. Which is both everything and nothing like everything you've ever experienced before - and it's fucking grand.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5AEtIkewJHkeYH7U2FIe87ISzTisOvOi_ouvjbZn68fMEOasP5pHXf6j2VB217DIzwLrL0h_84ZPMhkg5Nlge2ewnxzLdjcnRTr0FMUpveSfsEmvGYnj4fE-8cjzEeSAJW5H71hb1AI/s1600/super_mario_3d_world_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5AEtIkewJHkeYH7U2FIe87ISzTisOvOi_ouvjbZn68fMEOasP5pHXf6j2VB217DIzwLrL0h_84ZPMhkg5Nlge2ewnxzLdjcnRTr0FMUpveSfsEmvGYnj4fE-8cjzEeSAJW5H71hb1AI/s320/super_mario_3d_world_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mega-Mayhem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The look of the game is a bit of a hitch if you start to reflect on it too deeply. The stomach-turning, semi-set-piece 3D effects of the previous game are omitted from the way of a more straightforward 3D game - but, with more levels primarily viewed from your character's back (including "racing" levels) and a "free" camera to compensate; at any time, you're allowed to change the camera angle to the left or right by one tick, and there are certain levels where you can rotate it into any direction you wish. It's no less than the whole idea in those levels; I'll talk about 'em later, 'cause they're kinda awesome. The basic gamepad's special features such as touch screen controls and the microphone are utilized, thankfully in the least possible amount. (I'm old school.) The soundtrack is a gigantic mix of the brand new stuff, and stuff heavily remixed from ages past, as far back as <i>Super Mario Bros.</i>, and our version of <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>, to which a lot of the game's core gameplay owes to. All of it's in the exact right spirit, it's awesome. Even the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> theme song in its few appearances stays fresh here, despite sounding like a broken record in its original habitat.<br />
<br />
<i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is much lengthier and richer in content than <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>. While that doesn't exactly come as a surprise, the cynical expectation is that the game recycles a lot of the 3DS game to gain more berth. Not at all - while almost all level design elements from the previous game are carried over, the levels are all new. They're fun - for the absolute most part - and full of all new stipulations, ideas and concepts that'll make you giggle like a little girl. (Assuming you're not actually a little girl. If you are, stop reading. Lots of gratuitous f-words coming. Oops, might've slipped some in already. My bad.) Unlike the previous game, the game is also NOT linear. There are lots of secret sub-bosses and even whole levels "hidden" (not very well) within the worlds, that you aren't required to beat for a simple completion of the game. Completionists will get their chow with eight worlds for the normal round, and a whopping total of FOUR secret worlds, all of their unevenly divided levels spammed with three Stars and a Stamp - kind of like Nintendo's answer to Trophies and Achievements - to collect. Plus, of course, a true completionist will go for the best flagpole score in each and every level. The completionist who's so awesome he's kinda awkward goes for completing each and every level with each and every playable character in the game. Oh yes, hah-hah: <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is fucking huge.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The return of the awesome foursome, plus one</i></b><br />
<br />
The special talents of each player in the field are exactly the same as they were in <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>. Mario is an all-around character with good basic talents, Luigi can jump higher than everyone else and has good (and sometimes very useful) hangtime, Toad runs the fastest, and Peach (Toadstool.) can use her skirt to float for a short (and sometimes VERY USEFUL) period of time. After you've conquered the main game, as well as a few levels in the first extra world - a Star World based on <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, so you probably know what's coming - Rosalina is added in as a fifth playable character. She can spin around without the help of any power-ups to defeat enemies.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmxnERkPzwr8y4B-YcwnBZvZK-O_0IOsBYi87z_fKmh1xmml4dIDuuehepI9eQX-HUuJCSXlk7giI4QDpxcxUCP0P56DhFtBfR5idg7L4gw7WWfTWF4D4r2iLZFzBQ2KsVyjDML2VzRU/s1600/super_mario_3d_world_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmxnERkPzwr8y4B-YcwnBZvZK-O_0IOsBYi87z_fKmh1xmml4dIDuuehepI9eQX-HUuJCSXlk7giI4QDpxcxUCP0P56DhFtBfR5idg7L4gw7WWfTWF4D4r2iLZFzBQ2KsVyjDML2VzRU/s320/super_mario_3d_world_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh shit. Back in <i>Limbo</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All the power-ups from the previous game are there, and Mega-Mario/Luigi/Toad/Peach from the <i>New Super Mario Bros. </i>series makes a few appearances. The new prominent power-up of the year is the Super Bell, which morphs the character into a cat, capable of climbing walls and executing two different lunge attacks from the ground and from the air. It's a quite cool power-up once you learn to use it, and you'd better, since it's so frontline stuff for this game. The game isn't complete without a whole series of strange, gimmicky power-ups we've grown to expect in the times of <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> and <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>. You'd best see the bulk of 'em for yourselves, but I've just got to mention the double cherry from <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>, which creates up to five clones of your character. While the game sometimes borrows level designs even from <i>Mario Kart</i> and <i>Luigi's Mansion</i> (I just can't bear to play the Ghost House levels with anyone else but Luigi, since they're clearly designed with him in mind), you'd not expect it to borrow from <i>Mario vs. Donkey Kong</i>. You can beat the clone levels without being able to bring the clones to the goal, but very often you need to do your best to keep them alive throughout the ordeal to be able to collect all the hidden stuff. It's a neat gimmick, but very often hellishly frustrating.<br />
<br />
The Mystery Houses are no longer just sporadically respawning blocks for you to gain a lousy extra Star every once in a while, but challenge rooms with as many as five to ten Stars for you to collect in gradually toughening speedrun challenges, related to some core element of gameplay. Nothing too merciless, but properly challenging fun. The boss fights are so much better and there's more diversity to them than on the handheld. Boom-Boom and Pom-Pom make a few appearances, yes, but they're accompanied by several sub-bosses including new ones such as Brolder and old favourites such as the Hammer Bros., a strange being calling himself King Ka-Thunk, Bowser's new henchmen Hisstocrat and Motley Bossblob, and of course, the big man himself, who you'll be facing a total of three times. Bowser won't show up in flesh after the main world campaign, probably because the final fight with him is kinda hard to outdo. It's quite possibly the best Bowser brawl we've witnessed in any game since <i>Yoshi's Island</i>, or at least shares the top spot with <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i>. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Speaking of Bowser, you need 170 Stars to enter the final level of the campaign; although that sounds like a lot, it's not nearly as brutal as some of the requirements in <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>. Even on my first round of the game, I had 192 Stars in tow by that point.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nz0zU5CAQoF9fEsxsknfoGeeGu9bE_fLvRlMBbw9O3wt9LwcSDXCqDKcjB2fmdI1wbEvFApMVUW2QbUFCmwz4fkS6e6_P1iANxtUSM0LhRFfinMynLubtq2dQDahHhEmTOmRos-dtGw/s1600/super_mario_3d_world_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4nz0zU5CAQoF9fEsxsknfoGeeGu9bE_fLvRlMBbw9O3wt9LwcSDXCqDKcjB2fmdI1wbEvFApMVUW2QbUFCmwz4fkS6e6_P1iANxtUSM0LhRFfinMynLubtq2dQDahHhEmTOmRos-dtGw/s320/super_mario_3d_world_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Captain Toad's easier exploits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now for the most special level design of the game, which went on to become its very own spin-off title due to the popularity of these levels. Remember the cowardly and borderline narcissistic Captain Toad from <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>? Well, he's back for adventure in puzzle levels that (allegedly) haven't been influenced by <i>Fez</i> at all, but they sure do look like it. Here you are stripped of all the basic elements of a platformer; there are enemies, but you cannot hurt them. You cannot even jump. You need to find a way to each of the levels' Stars doing nothing but move around in a limited 3D space you can freely rotate up, down, left or right, sometimes taking advantage of the enemies' M.O. to get to your goal. These levels are really hard to explain beyond the simple fact that they're absolutely magnificent, great changes of pace at the exact right places - challenging enough for those who aren't that good with puzzles, and at the very least relaxing for those who are. I might dig up the actual spin-off some day, not sure if I'd pay for a whole retail of this schtick, but I'd sure like to give it a go.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is pretty much a perfect Mario game, but it has some bumps. The controls are not, relatively speaking of course, quite as perfect as <i>3D Land</i> would allow us to expect. Many levels do not only support the use of certain characters, they are lingering on the border of being absolutely impossible to beat without the use of certain characters - not really common in the main campaign, thankfully so. The game only saves single Stars and Stamps when you actually complete the level they're found from, which basically means you'll have to grind a ton of levels, including boss levels, from the beginning to the end, several times before you're sure to have found everything, whether it depends on a mandatory character or a mandatory power-up. There are even some random cases where the game practically finishes the level for you before you've even noticed you're missing something. Grinding is always a fucking chore, imagine having to play every Star World level AT LEAST twice, all the while remembering that there's far worse shit coming up after you've conquered that world.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
I was making excuses there. The truth is, I've not left a Mario game this happy since I played <i>Super Mario 64</i> for the very first time 20 years ago. <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> restored my faith in the Mario franchise, <i>Super Mario 3D World </i>capitalized on it after a briefly bland start, and then some. While the game does at first look a little too ordinary in contrast to what we expected from a major adaptation of <i>Super Mario 3D</i>, it begins throwing hard punches at us at a rapid pace in about 20 to 30 minutes, and doesn't let up 'til the fat turtle burns. It's been too long since I said this about any game, let alone a Mario title; <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is one of the best video games ever made.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The level design is all about one surprise hit after another</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Having multiple characters to play (around) with in a <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> kind of set-up is a hoot</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Having us dig for secrets is truly the game's greatest strength for a change (although grinding's not that fun, see below)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The Captain Toad puzzles</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The Mystery House challenges</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The boss fights - including a very different, but mega-epic Bowser brawl</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Feels a little flat at first, but grows stronger by the minute</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Lots of forced grinding and backtracking, especially for completionists</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- A few control issues, nothing too notable</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">< 9.6 ></span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-54678467736858655642016-09-06T07:34:00.005-07:002016-09-06T14:28:05.755-07:00REVIEW - Super Mario 3D Land<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QM57jSbTSrlQq4tDRX6C5Zb7R1BEhYtbqcgbOjnYL3QT1GrRN9KTcptY6JQEvFVZomxpBjOw56Dq3daMuiuL_8JGr-3e6Mp9pfgBJfnLVKTVRkae7eOiwxboIjTrjBSogJVqmE5cl2c/s1600/super_mario_3d_land_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QM57jSbTSrlQq4tDRX6C5Zb7R1BEhYtbqcgbOjnYL3QT1GrRN9KTcptY6JQEvFVZomxpBjOw56Dq3daMuiuL_8JGr-3e6Mp9pfgBJfnLVKTVRkae7eOiwxboIjTrjBSogJVqmE5cl2c/s320/super_mario_3d_land_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON: </b><u>3DS</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S): </b>Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S): </b>Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE: </b>November 3, 2011</span><br />
<br />
The creation of <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> began with the most obvious and logical thoughts; the Nintendo 3DS didn't have any launch titles starring Mario, or any big plans for a <i>Super Mario</i> or <i>Legend of Zelda</i> title to be outed in the handheld's first months. Since this was a handheld that boasted on fancy 3D graphics, the new game was a near-obligated 3D title, but there was no way the most recent <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> series could be ported to the Nintendo 3DS with full steam. So, Mr. Miyamoto once again had a fantastic idea. How about they made a 3D game that played out like a perfect cross between <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> and<i> Super Mario Galaxy</i>, a 3D game that 2D Mario fans could just as easily access, one that would serve as a sort of "bridge" to those old-school gamers just getting into 3D Mario? As always, Mr. Miyamoto had a fine nose for this stuff - but this time, he outdid himself. <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> is basically <i>New Super Mario Bros. 3DS</i> - just lightyears ahead of that series of games, no less than one of the best Mario games ever made. Especially considering the system it was exclusively released on.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Mamma mia, this is awesome!</i></b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aLhPwU3lBP8pap7WIGUJog_TYgWxT2AQuQS5EM87UgYFHh_kBpR8rW2kdY_pCbCOXhwwDQ-Whbdq_OEZGL0N7i3XnhBr4C5ivFZJO9j-4y36iHl_8EJwtRflFUuk-Q08xk5mDf1ZrLU/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aLhPwU3lBP8pap7WIGUJog_TYgWxT2AQuQS5EM87UgYFHh_kBpR8rW2kdY_pCbCOXhwwDQ-Whbdq_OEZGL0N7i3XnhBr4C5ivFZJO9j-4y36iHl_8EJwtRflFUuk-Q08xk5mDf1ZrLU/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
The most severe thunderstorm in Mushroom Kingdom history strips the rigid Tail Tree of its leaves; these leaves being what gave Mario his flying ability in the jurassic times of <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>. Bowser quickly catches on to this mishap and sends his troops to gather the fallen leaves and bring them to him, so he can bless his army of miscreants with the magical powers of these leaves and once again capture Princess Peach, with hopes of finally being able to defeat Mario with the powers he once used to defeat him. Good thing we are here to prove the stubborn old turtle wrong.<br />
<br />
I don't think I've ever used this word to describe a game before, but there's no way around it this time: <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> is an extremely "attractive" game. The box art is pure Mario. Classic enemies, classic power-ups and Mario himself appear in a fancy, colourful 3D setting that really tells a lot more about the game itself than you could imagine. The back cover blurbs "Classic Mario Action with a Modern Twist!" and "Jump and Dash Your Way to the Goal Pole in an all-new adventure" sound like blurbs for <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, but looking at the screenshots, we're more reminded of a <i>Super Mario 64</i> of the new age. An image of a game that plays out like a classic <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> game, but looks like <i>Super Mario 64 </i>or <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> (and is named after an 80's handheld classic) seeps into our minds. What's even better, that's exactly what the game is like. <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> is as close to a new Mario classic than a new Mario game could possibly get, and very likely the singled-out best game the Nintendo 3DS has to offer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFJzdDje_qtcTeouh51ba-wrY83QIF2DyN_eNPdTPEvJF9HH1ljy-muybAy-wU8EEovS2Sgt475de6KCfhwHGj5iPlAFD5zr4U5qmI9lMlSD98hVzAACqNL3zj4FpgyUGZLZpRKtOdwc/s1600/super_mario_3d_land_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFJzdDje_qtcTeouh51ba-wrY83QIF2DyN_eNPdTPEvJF9HH1ljy-muybAy-wU8EEovS2Sgt475de6KCfhwHGj5iPlAFD5zr4U5qmI9lMlSD98hVzAACqNL3zj4FpgyUGZLZpRKtOdwc/s320/super_mario_3d_land_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's classic from the start.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Pitting <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> against the two prominent strings of platformers of the 21st century reveals that the game truly is a cross between <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> and <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, although the most essential of its core influences come from the 8- and 16-bit eras. The game is even more straightforward than any iteration of <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, actually straight as an arrow - there are no secret exits or levels to be found within the confines of a single playthrough - but surprisingly it really doesn't matter at all. The worlds don't have any distinct themes; it's a total mash-up of different experiments - presented just like the different galaxies in <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> - usually dealing with the fanciest 3D effects and the most diverse level designs the 3DS could handle. Well, at least the game stays fresh all the time! No excessive abundances of anything, that's good. A human heart can only take so much ice and water. In exchange for the game's humongous dose of diversity, the boss fights leading up to the once again epic final battle against Bowser are gradually toughening versions of the same battles against fake Bowsers, or Boom Boom and/or his female counterpart Pom Pom. Not a big problem. The game doesn't have any big problems, actually, beyond some usual technical problems with the 3DS' game screen itself if you're going at the game in full 3D - which have probably been all but harvested when playing the game on a New 3DS.<br />
<br />
<b><i>The NEW Super Mario Bros. you always wanted</i></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglD5PEKXp7VU4u5xEt-GgSqpF7mHpi9BPrHBqLZ8XwjVPiED6pqoz9wGVNwgE23sA_BunrhA-FTsDvJenlYAKMB81Jb6nsoXOQIu1iz3dZWTyKo5HqNboAPNlp2xHq_EEl3MR3jjUQGsA/s1600/super_mario_3d_land_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglD5PEKXp7VU4u5xEt-GgSqpF7mHpi9BPrHBqLZ8XwjVPiED6pqoz9wGVNwgE23sA_BunrhA-FTsDvJenlYAKMB81Jb6nsoXOQIu1iz3dZWTyKo5HqNboAPNlp2xHq_EEl3MR3jjUQGsA/s320/super_mario_3d_land_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our princess is probably in another castle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Making a cross between two completely different spheres of Mario, the developers have to be a little careful - judging from the whole cavalcade of power-ups they came up with in the 15 years (or so) leading into <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>, being careful's good. NO Mini-Mario, NO Mega-Mario. Just Mario, Super Mario, Fire Flower-smelling Mario, Starman-humping Mario, and then the couple of new ones, which are God damn great. Tanooki Mario ain't exactly new, it's just heavily modified from what it was in the oh, so classic <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>. Since the levels' design is limited to what you see on the screen - very unprofessionally speaking, but I trust you know what I mean - you can't fly using the Tanooki Suit, but you can hover for a very generous amount of time after a high or long jump. The Tanooki Suit is an irreplaceable life saver in many different situations. The Super Guide of the game is no longer an automatic CPU yawn-fest; failing a level a set amount of times gives you a chance to beat the level yourself in a golden Tanooki Suit, wearing which your only weakness are the bottomless pits. If you can't handle the levels even with the help of this power-up, a P-Wing appears to send you straight to the end of the level. I know it sounds easy, but here's the best part: once you get to the secret worlds of the game, these items no longer appear, and trust me: most of those worlds are SHIT with a capital S. They're basically the same designs brought over from the main game, but heavily modified and stipulated, the heaviest stipulations being the constant appearance of the oh, so pleasant company of the Cosmic Clone, reprising his role from <i>Super Mario Sunshine</i> and <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>, and sometimes, a 30-second time limit to finish the level at hand. Although the main game is quite easy - yet comfortable as hell - keep in mind that to complete <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>, you need to beat it three gradually toughening times.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZL40U53Ve2Z1KKD7ZC57OyZ0FPUN-pgg8-kHVdkTvMOMsnTVSlAQfWMFBJE_IAsLmcZfAHPNy417Wc4FjWqQS_EJPE3aEmyTExTcz3sbSk1if2VyoCji_J7lXRO0IDkVxXS9-Ca5xbn4/s1600/super_mario_3d_land_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZL40U53Ve2Z1KKD7ZC57OyZ0FPUN-pgg8-kHVdkTvMOMsnTVSlAQfWMFBJE_IAsLmcZfAHPNy417Wc4FjWqQS_EJPE3aEmyTExTcz3sbSk1if2VyoCji_J7lXRO0IDkVxXS9-Ca5xbn4/s1600/super_mario_3d_land_04.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm loving this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Propeller Box allows you to jump to great heights, and usually appears in some special - outright awesome - levels. Finally, the completely and utterly original Boomerang power-up is a blast. With this, you basically gain the power of the Boomerang Brothers who make their first appearance since <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>, if I remember correctly. The boomerangs have a long range, and can be used to collect items out of your reach, including Star Medals. Yes, the three Star-somethings in each level from <i>New Super Mario Bros. </i>are back, most of them hidden in plain sight on the first playthrough. You actually need these to unlock certain levels in each world, which makes them much more useful than in any <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> game - the levels these trinkets unlock are some of the best and most exciting ones in the whole game. Be ready for some retro madness, as well as levels that generally put the 3DS' capabilities to the ultimate test.<br />
<br />
Not one bad word, huh? Well, not exactly. <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> is just that damn good; here goes, nevertheless. The first round is a bit short and easy, with the exception of a few strings of really difficult levels in World 6. The worlds that unlock after the first playthrough are not different enough to spark interest for a second playthrough right away, but the extra challenge is interesting. The third playthrough, well that's starting to feel like the game is outright bullying the player. The levels are still designed pretty much the same, but they're ultra-hard to the constant point of total frustration. ...Here I'm talking like that's a bad thing. Die-hard Mario fans eager for challenge will love the shit out of those levels.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
Instead of starting it simple with <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> when I first got the Nintendo 3DS and started to collect all the Mario titles I've missed during these years, I went straight for <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>, 'cause it was just so damn attractive. I was most pleased to witness that the attraction is real. If you've long craved for a bridge, the smack middle, of the two graphical dimensions of Mario, you should go, get yourself a 3DS (preferrably the new one), and dig up <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>. You will not be disappointed. This game is fucking awesome.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>UPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Looks and sounds delightfully perfect</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The perfect cross between 2D and 3D Mario</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Innovative and constantly surprising level design</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The perfect atmosphere for a bridging title</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ Great tempo, great controls, great power-ups</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">+ The Bowser fight is one of the best in the best company</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DOWNS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- The rest of the boss fights</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Three playthroughs is a bit too much for perfect completion</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">- Some problems with the game screen blurring up, probably fixed when playing with the New 3DS</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">< 9.4 ></span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-68008558209130915752016-09-04T05:16:00.004-07:002016-09-04T05:16:48.244-07:00September updatesThe first steps for the VGMania clean-up program have been taken. All the external links are removed for later replacement, and the FAQ/About Me section (The Story So Far) has been updated, and somewhat revamped. Feel free to check it out. The next two or three - maybe even four - reviews are scheduled for Tuesday night, so see you then.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-84378089073342991782016-08-29T05:26:00.000-07:002016-08-30T01:44:13.593-07:00R.I.P. Summer of 2016Summer has ended. Winter is coming. [insert image of a dead Stark here]<br />
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[Done.]<br />
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A lot happened to me this summer. Some of it bad, some of it worse, some of it quite damn good. Either way, things that occupied my mind for extended periods of time. Summer is always a critical time for me, mostly because of my actual work. Lots of special stuff to sell brings lots of customers. What I'm trying to say is that after the massive reboot of this blog in spring, I haven't been able to capitalize on it. Yet.<br />
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I've talked plenty about what happens next, but none of those ideas are even near fruition. Designer's block has not been an exception, it's been a rule - a clockwork rule - for the past months. Luckily I've managed to clock in a couple of reviews, but a couple ain't nearly enough considering how excited I was about restarting this thing. However, just so we're clear, the Mario vs. Donkey Kong marathon wasn't supposed to last that long anyway - I have more games to review on that front, but I'll save them for later. For my own, and your sake - it's not healthy to take on dozens of games from the same franchise in a row. Trust me, I know. Once more, after three more reviews, the Mario vs. Donkey Kong 35th Anniversary Marathon is over. I'll stop when it's still fun.<br />
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So, as I was saying, the next three months are all about change. As I was reviewing different layout options last week, I realized that the biggest mistake I made when I rebooted this thing, was deciding on a thorough change all at once, with zero actual ideas for any part of it. So, it will be a gradual one instead. I'll start with the FAQ section - I've already washed the old one out - and by tomorrow night, you should be able to read a more comprehensive and up-to-date bio of yours truly, if you're interested in the man behind the "clusterfucks" and "rock hard controls". I'll then move on to work on the external links, and those which link to my own pages, I'll check that their respective contents are up to date as well. The reviews will once again change to the acclaimed Ups/Downs format starting with the next review. Uh, actually, a bulk of reviews will be heading your way next week, if not before - with at least two reviews which are totally apart from the previous marathon.<br />
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As for more marathons, do I have line-ups planned for ya or what? October's the time of Monster Mash as it always was - because of Halloween - and I've already got a couple of reviews written for it, kind of like to pay back for the couple of very short-lived Mashes of the past. I already mentioned <i>The Legend of Zelda</i> 30th Anniversary Marathon, but I'm still not sure whether I want to go at it now or in the distant future when <i>Breath of the Wild</i> comes out. Rest assured, though, it's coming - I've actually been dying to continue where I left off the last time. Never thought I'd say that, at least in public. It's hard to jot down the next RPG Time!, 'cause I'm not sure of the amount of spare time I'll have towards the end of the year. But, both <i>Final Fantasy XV</i> and <i>World of Final Fantasy</i> are coming VERY soon, and I'm playing about three J-RPG's in a very loose tandem on my 3DS. It's not impossible for an RPG Time! to rear its head before 2016's over. In addition, there are a couple of smaller "marathons" coming up very soon; the first one comes right after Mario vs. Donk... OK, just Mario, and the second one is part of the Monster Mash. What comes in between? Hell if I know. I'm going where the wind takes me. :) As a matter of fact, I do know. Sorta.<br />
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I made a promise to myself some time ago, that once I had rounded out my <i>Legend of Zelda</i> collection with the two games that were missing - a little over TWO YEARS after buying the first one! - I would stop collecting games for as long as it takes for me to reach total financial security. You see, for the last seven years that I've collected games, even good paychecks have barely left me enough to eat after rent, after bills, and after feeding my inner monster. I have always lived on the principle that I have to get myself something special every month, just to remind myself why I go to work every day and motivate myself. For the last seven years, it's been a game or two. Well, this summer's done a real number on my bank account. Actually, that's a poor choice of words - there are no numbers on my bank account. So, two weeks ago I took the bull by the horns and fulfilled my promise. I bought the last two <i>Zelda</i> games I was missing - <i>Spirit Tracks</i> and <i>Skyward Sword</i> - and declared that I will no longer make random game purchases. Anyone who catches me buying a game that's not already on my pre-order list, gets a twenty, no negotiation, until the time I publicly declare to have started collecting games again, which could be years from now.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJP68VvhLjQ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">When all else fails, Triforce! What started on May 15th 2014 with The Legend of Zelda for the NES, ended today with Skyward Sword for the Wii and Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS. So 2 years and 3 months later, an approximate of 600€ poorer, I now own every single-player LoZ experience in some shape or form. This marks a good time to quit game collecting for a while, to concentrate on actual gaming and new releases. #vgmaniablog #nintendo #zelda #games #gamecollector #triforce</a></div>
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Kuva, jonka Jukka Korkiamäki (@kuzpo) julkaisi <time datetime="2016-08-18T11:42:27+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">18. 08ta 2016 klo 4.42 PDT</time></div>
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Seven years is a long time; a 566-game long time, to be exact. Plus, I still have vast ROM libraries for several systems to punch through at will, so don't you worry about me not having enough to go on here. Actually I feel like I have more than ever, now that I'm finally focusing on playing my old games before buying new ones. Who knows what kind of gems I'll find? Or what kind of stinking heaps of overrated horseshit might've I missed during all this time? Time will tell...<br />
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...And that time is now.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-16117685207168797542016-08-07T09:07:00.002-07:002016-08-07T09:07:46.588-07:00REVIEW - Super Mario Galaxy 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>Wii</u>, Wii U (Virtual Console)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S): </b>Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> May 23, 2010</span><br />
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<i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, as we all know, spread like wildfire in the Wii community. Not only was it named one of the greatest video games of all time upon arrival, it also served as Nintendo's one defining underdog asset at the peak of the last great console war. After its release, Mario creator and developmental manager Shigeru Miyamoto quickly commissioned an updated version of the game to capitalize on its success, and gave the team a year to complete <i>Super Mario Galaxy More</i>. Its updates largely consisted of material that was cut from the original game due to time restraints and gameplay issues. As the game began to take shape, and as the creative designers seemed to come up with completely new ideas by the hour, the deadline of the game expanded by over a year, and it was decided that the game was to be a true sequel to <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> instead of the intended re-release of the original. Upon its arrival - in the twilight of the original Wii - <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> was hailed as yet another masterpiece in the exact vein of its predecessor. This one, I missed completely, as even none of my friends were active Wii gamers at that point of time. <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> proved to be a positive surprise after a lousy first impression from years back, let's see how this one fares now that I've got all the bases covered. It was an update, sure, but were all the black spots that plagued the original truly harvested?<br />
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<b><i>Dinosaurs in outer space</i></b><br />
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Effectively retconning the events of <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> begins with the Princess once again inviting her favourite plumber for cake (yup) during the Star Festival, a time when comets fill the skies of Mushroom Kingdom, raining down Star Bits. On his way, Mario finds a stray Luma, who immediately takes a liking to Mario and tags along as Bowser, having grown to enormous size after munching on Grand Stars, attacks the castle and snatches the Princess. Afterwards, the villain escapes to the center of the universe. Mario takes to outer space, and finds a stranded planet, which turns out to be mobilized and serving as a starship. The ship's owner, Luma mechanic Lubba asks Mario's help in rescuing his crew along with the usual Grand Stars and the Princess, and in return, he offers his ship.<br />
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I hadn't even started with <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> for the second and definitive time, when not one but two of my friends were already telling me that <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> was so much better. Well, I'm a completist, I didn't really care all that much, but granted, these sudden praises, as well as the surprisingly good taste <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> left me with, got me all pumped up about <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>. Firstly, what we've got here is one gigantic game - there are over 240 DIFFERENT Power Stars to collect in <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> (with 70 once again being the minimum to beat the game), 49 galaxies to explore, a serious multiplayer mode for those who care (whereas <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> only had the daddy's little helper mode available for a second player), and a hell of a lot of secrets to unravel. Though, once again, most of these secrets are pretty much shoved in your face. Be that as it may, beating <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> will take a good while. Completing it... will not happen for casual players. I'll surely get back to the game's enormous difficulty level.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we gooooooo...</td></tr>
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The game definitely looks and sounds the part of what is essentially an update - fucking fantastic. I always thought that design-wise, the original <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> looked kinda odd. It had occasionally strange enemy and level design, it didn't really feel like a Mario game from time to time. Well, some of the aforementioned designs are up for reprisal in "Part Deux", but to compensate, we have nostalgic, innovative, mostly fabulous designs heavily inspired by some of our all-time favourite games in this franchise. Exploring new, recently unlocked galaxy belts is always a party; there's sure to be at least one galaxy in each world designed to blow your mind if you're a long-time fan. My absolute favourite level in the game spills it all by its name alone: Throwback Galaxy. A throwback to what? That's for you to find out. The music is even better than before. Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota are joined by <i>Wii Sports</i>, <i>New Super Mario Bros</i>. and <i>Mario Kart </i>composer Ryo Nagamatsu, to work on a massive soundtrack filled with rehashed <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> jive - those epic outer space adventure tunes we so kindly adored - new tunes, and a whole truckload of remixed stuff from days past, mostly from the original <i>Super Mario World</i>. Just one proper level into the game, we can see why.<br />
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<b><i>He's green, he's lean, he's a digesting machine</i></b><br />
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Yoshi's back in the supporting role he's most famous and acclaimed for, and as the one key element that really separates this game from its predecessor. He's also a good key to start talking about the power-ups, since he's kind of like a power-up in himself; like all power-ups in the world of <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, he's only required for certain, occasionally optional, tasks to be completed. I was kinda frightened how Yoshi's core features would work using the Wiimote controls - the 3D setting, not that much, since I already had experience playing as him in the <i>Super Mario 64</i> remake. You use the Wiimote to point at stuff to eat and press the B trigger; it's a solution worth tipping your hat for in most situations, in the most precise ones it's a bitch. When you're crossing a raging lava pit using Yoshi's tongue to swing from one connecting point to another, you'll wish you'd had a larger TV - it feels that not even 48" is enough to constantly register a connection to the remote.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gee. It's Bowser. Oh my God.</td></tr>
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Adding to the previous game's list of gimmicky power-ups, we have three more gimmicky power-ups which are only required in few choice situations in few choice levels - and of course, two of them in the final boss level (the final boss level for casual players, that is). First up is Cloud Mario, probably the most useful and easiest to use out of the three. This allows Mario to jump somewhat further by default, and also, to create up to three cloud platforms from thin air to stand on; the energy needed to create those platforms is refreshed each time Mario picks up another cloud. It's utilized quite neatly, and works like a charm. The Spin Drill allows Mario to drill through certain types of soil with his spin attack, to the opposite side of whatever rock he's standing on; to find secret items, solve puzzles or even fight bosses. Finally, the Rock Mushroom turns Mario into a devastatingly fast and destructive rolling rock. It's initially quite cool, as you can smash through all kinds of backgrounds and most enemies in the game - excluding Chomp - but just wait 'til you get to parts where you must actually steer the rock. There's no way to avoid witnessing these situations - time and luck will tell if you actually have to deal with them to boot. We're just a snap away from discussing that difficulty level of the game.<br />
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Yoshi has his own short set of gimmicky power-ups, and man, will you rupture a vein or two. The Blimp Fruit allows Yoshi to float upwards for a short spell. The Bulb Berry's a strange one, as it illuminates and "creates" platforms that otherwise aren't really there. The Dash Pepper makes Yoshi run straight forward like crazy, and he's even more of a bitch to control than Rock Mario, not that much if you're going for level completion, but God forbid if you're trying to actually do something in particular, like collect coins or a Comet Medal or something. Which finally brings us to that enormous level of difficulty critics have sometimes blasted the game for - as will I.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup. The bosses are huge.</td></tr>
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In <i>Super Mario 64</i>, I never had any trouble of finding the 70 Power Stars I actually needed to complete the game. Of course, every time I went for the kill and set on a trip to find all 120 of them, I ended up crying my guts out. Finding the mandated amount of 70 Power Stars in <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> was almost automatic for the any-player, as long as you had the will to explore, and unlock those secret galaxies. Well, if you're a casual player, you might just reach 50 Power Stars in <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>. You'll really have to fight for the remaining 20. Let's start with the Comet Medals; each galaxy in the game holds one, and by finding a certain amount of these unlocks a Comet Challenge in some random galaxy of the game. The challenges are pretty much the same as in the first game: speedrun challenges and such. In this game, you simply MUST take part in them if you're going for the minimum amount of Power Stars to merely beat the game. You also MUST take part in other challenges that were made for not only 3D platformer veterans, but grand masters of the Wii control scheme, and hope for the best. You will think to yourself, that hey, maybe I can just collect enough coins and Star Bits to feed those Lumas, birth me a couple of new galaxies to explore, and collect the easiest Stars from those levels for compensation. Yeah, that's not gonna work. First of all, the secret galaxies in the game very often just have one easy Power Star - that's not enough to raise the total to the warranted amount. Secondly, the amount of coins and Star Bits those Lumas ask of you are preposterous. The ones that ask for coins, are almost without exception hidden in levels where it's either hard as fuck to collect coins altogether, or waiting at the end of very hard levels, where you'll have probably died a few times on the way, losing all of your coins. The ones that ask for Star Bits to chew on ask for such amounts, that you'll basically be forced to replay levels, preferrably the easiest levels in the game, to come up with such sums. That's not hard - that's boring. Even as an explorer by nature, I ended up having 60-something Power Stars when I reached the final threshold to Bowser's keep, having conquered about 99% of the "normal" challenges the game has in store, plus already a few "optional" challenges. Yeah, the game is hard. If I were a gambling man, I'd say it's even outright unreasonable at a whole bunch of occasions. As per usual in the <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> (and <i>World</i>) series, an extra world is unlocked after the initial ass-kicking is done; why not just give us one extra world to begin with... we could really use one.<br />
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Further adding to the difficulty are the controls, which are still not perfect, and make us fear all the new stuff this game has in store. Surprisingly it's the Nunchuk that seems to break more often than the 'Mote; Mario seems to either slow down, or stop altogether whenever you suddenly change direction in the middle of the most urgent run, and both Rock Mario and Dash Pepper-powered Yoshi are almost impossible to keep in some modest form of control. I've lost hundreds of lives in this game just because of the glitchy analog control and that alone. That's not an angry gamers' view, that's a fact which I've had other people see for themselves - people that would be happy to point out that I'm just a bitter, frustrated old gamer, and that there's nothing wrong with the controls. Since the quality of the controls at the very least is a flaw that the player can't do zilch about, "unreasonable" is pretty much the one word to describe <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i>...<br />
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<b>VERDICT</b><br />
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...But, if only it were that simple. <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> is also, at its core, a very good and entertaining game, and slightly better than the first one. Hell, let's just say it: one of the best Mario platformers there is, at the very least of the few most recent generations. Whereas <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> goes for the faithful recreation of the most classic 2D Mario set-up, <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> does the same to the 3D schtick of <i>Super Mario 64</i> (adding in the gravity mechanics, of course). Neither one of these arcs never hit the prime of their respective concepts, in my opinion; it was the actual cross (not just an occasional mash-up) between the 2D and 3D realms of the Mario franchise that hit the ultimate jackpot of these times. I guess that one's up next.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">< 8.9 ></span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-57976772907616180512016-08-01T07:32:00.000-07:002016-08-06T13:00:53.040-07:00REVIEW - Super Mario Galaxy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWlHD2fGLmutWjT5mIC2AeLYYx3j6lD7Htd_lWsTP6di4AA-Alg3PTgPyy356SO1qdDltdgwZTbMYzjUIaZUogB2lcTfQRqdm6jud9a0mdhy68WSzdptw7vC4-yzHFLS9fe2Hme5wPRY/s1600/super_mario_galaxy_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWlHD2fGLmutWjT5mIC2AeLYYx3j6lD7Htd_lWsTP6di4AA-Alg3PTgPyy356SO1qdDltdgwZTbMYzjUIaZUogB2lcTfQRqdm6jud9a0mdhy68WSzdptw7vC4-yzHFLS9fe2Hme5wPRY/s320/super_mario_galaxy_01.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>Wii</u>, Wii U (Virtual Console)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> November 1, 2007</span><br />
<br />
You could say that by finally reviewing <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, I've come full circle. In the very beginning of this whole blog, in the very first review I ever published in August of 2010 (<i>Super Mario Bros.</i>), I slipped in a little something to bash this game. I've similarly taken advantage of a few later situations just to tell you how overrated I thought this game always was. Just recently, I've gone back to my <i>Galaxy</i>-bashing mode as if to say "a review of <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> is coming". Just to assure you I've got nothing severe against this game just for the heck of it - or just because it's a Wii game - it's only fitting that six years after my first review, almost to the exact date, I'll finally come clean with what bothers me about this game. Also, all the stuff there is to love about <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>. Yes, to be perfectly honest, this essentially direct successor to the almighty <i>Super Mario 64</i> is a great game. Just not quite as amazing as the Nintendo 64 classic was upon its arrival; it suffers from occasional technical slumps and in my personal opinion, in all of its admittedly fresh appeal it often feels a bit too distant from a vintage Mario set-up.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Supernova</i></b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMSsktlJPvB2bqdxdstv5wdhhpWwEXXe0v-iwmD2iAKrHLxpOKh4IUjhBibwXBOXUEN3kf_Q7kiWAmwcPAfla4FAA-zMS4XGntv_EDJHeBj8QCQTCzwtdXReSrqUWPYmnDwYNdSrqL-0/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmMSsktlJPvB2bqdxdstv5wdhhpWwEXXe0v-iwmD2iAKrHLxpOKh4IUjhBibwXBOXUEN3kf_Q7kiWAmwcPAfla4FAA-zMS4XGntv_EDJHeBj8QCQTCzwtdXReSrqUWPYmnDwYNdSrqL-0/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
In perhaps his most insane fit to date - as an epic update to his stunt in the original <i>Paper Mario</i> - Bowser tears Princess Peach's castle right off its foundations, and into outer space. Mario manages to hitch a ride, but is spotted by Kamek and tossed to another planet, which is actually a giant observatory run by a beautiful enchantress named Rosalina. With the help of her and her "children", and the magic of the 120 Power Stars scattered across the near galaxies, Mario attempts to reach the center of the universe where Bowser's keeping his still as lovely, yet still as unwilling bride-to-be.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioir4U0UrGjC-p9MqxV5g4ZO9wM4Q2WY2t17RGF0EFlaE7NM8GLUAx6in8g5I2HauzD7HebV_-vfB-pq1pozuDKK4gy3SMugCxZxq9CsnaDxwQI8RdsFhS0yzhxGMtaAUjV_nIIyssOs/s1600/super_mario_galaxy_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioir4U0UrGjC-p9MqxV5g4ZO9wM4Q2WY2t17RGF0EFlaE7NM8GLUAx6in8g5I2HauzD7HebV_-vfB-pq1pozuDKK4gy3SMugCxZxq9CsnaDxwQI8RdsFhS0yzhxGMtaAUjV_nIIyssOs/s320/super_mario_galaxy_04.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh gravity, thou art a heartless bitch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First impressions often are the most important ones, especially in the world of video games. An hour into a game - depending on the game, of course - you'll very often know if it's any good, or interesting enough to see through. Many Mario games, actually the most Mario games I've ever played, have left me with an amazing first impression. Sometimes that impression has stuck with me through the whole game, sometimes they've fallen flat towards the end. My first impression of <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> was just ghastly. It was a brand new game back then; not the first game I ever played on the Wii, but the first to force the Wiimote and Nunchuk combo on me. I originally found them very uncomfortable. I found the game very uncomfortable, as well, and although I knew very well that it was more or less a <i>Super Mario 64</i> sequel - that is, a sequel to one of the best games ever made - the first 30 minutes weren't any sign of it. Cutscenes after cutscenes, tutorials after tutorials, the gameplay felt all weird due to the gravity mechanics and the round shape of the playfields... there was nothing about it that justified such praise the game got from just about everywhere. Not to mention getting nominated for the fancy title of the greatest Mario game ever. Then I finally got to collecting Power Stars, and at its best moments, the game really felt like a <i>Super Mario 64</i> revival. Then, I realized how much I missed that game, and that maybe I should go and play <i>Super Mario 64</i> instead. So I did, and I never touched <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> again. Until now. The same feelings lingered, but I was determined to suck it all up and not rest until I'd seen the credits. After the very slow passing of, say, two hours, the hours started to tick away like seconds for a fine period of time. I realized I was always wrong about this game. I was right about a notable sum of things, but the truth is that <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> has its amazing moments. It's not the best Mario game ever made, but had I missed out on it completely due to my thick negativity towards its oddities and the excessive hype that followed in its wake, I would've died as a very sad Mario fan.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Super Mario 128 (...it was actually called that first)</i></b><br />
<br />
After the odd and dare I say, humble beginnings of the game, we are thrust into a gravity-based outer space adventure that indeed plays out almost exactly like <i>Super Mario 64</i> in its core. Serving as a substitute for the castle, we have the observatory - which, unlike the castle, practically shoves its few secrets in your face. The observatory is kind of like a castle in itself, with a terrace, fountain, bedroom, kitchen, and finally, engine room, all of which serve as hubs for galaxy exploration. There's also a library, in which Rosalina tells her and the observatory's origins in the form of an illustrated fairy tale; the more you advance in the game, the more chapters of this darn cute story are unlocked. The story of the game is uncharacteristically deep, and while you're still basically doing the same stuff you've been doing in these games since<i> Super Mario Bros.</i>, there's more to it than just saving that damn damsel in distress from the most stubborn old turtle there is. As to how necessarily we needed more than that age-old core plot to keep us entertained, that's another thing completely.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrSKG8uj8cv0tTa93GC1jJWyqEFvk_5IsTXMIMN7KkJpok92Qko31RmJoEy19oYbcvTBiEqHIFMky30VAfB_P4bHcQevQsVdutRE9Bo-Obt0PG9yEYniFHh-lQ7BhZOutkMXF897Ye9E/s1600/super_mario_galaxy_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrSKG8uj8cv0tTa93GC1jJWyqEFvk_5IsTXMIMN7KkJpok92Qko31RmJoEy19oYbcvTBiEqHIFMky30VAfB_P4bHcQevQsVdutRE9Bo-Obt0PG9yEYniFHh-lQ7BhZOutkMXF897Ye9E/s320/super_mario_galaxy_02.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm-a Commander Maaariooo, and this is my favourite store on<br />
the Citadella.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The galaxies are the paintings of the game, and they all have a different amount of Power Stars to collect, from one to five, unlike in <i>Super Mario 64</i> where each painting held seven Power Stars, and the rest were scattered in secret locations and levels all around the castle and its grounds. This allows the inclusion of a whole truckload of different galaxies and level themes to explore, and like I said, the observatory has its secrets, which are shoved straight into your face assuming you're being at least somewhat of an explorer, and are willing to go for some extra challenges which are outright presented to you - you don't have to look for anything special to unlock these, you'll just have to win. If you're not fully comfortable with the control scheme, you'd better get used to it if you're going for 100% completion in <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>. I'd say fully conquering <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> is very challenging, but not as challenging as conquering <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>, <i>Super Mario World</i> or <i>Super Mario 64</i>. Once you get used to the controls, some of it's outright child's play. The final boss level isn't as bad as it first seems, you can skip a whole lot of tough levels - you need half of the Power Stars in the game to finish it, even less than in <i>Super Mario 64</i> - but it's the different Comet challenges, Luigi rescues and secret racing levels which are the shit, assuming you're interested in the game beyond being able to make it to the credits. <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> ain't over quickly, not even for the most casual of casual players.<br />
<br />
With the strange (and somewhat unbelonging) worlds, comes a bunch of new power-ups. <i>Super Mario 64</i>'s health points are back, but so are Super Shrooms which were missing from that game - they now double Mario's health until his first defeat. The Fire Flower has been downgraded to a temporary perk, alongside Starman and the new Ice Flower, which serves a different purpose than in the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> series. This item allows Mario to walk on water and lava, and jump between adjacent waterfalls as if they were solid walls. The Bee power-up allows you to fly for a limited period of time, and is cancelled out if you hit water. The Boo power-up allows you to pass through mesh walls and windows. The Spring, now that's a shitlist favourite if there ever was one. This turns Mario into a Slinky, which means he moves by springing up from the ground, and if you push the A button at the exact right time, he jumps really high. You can just imagine the comfort of the controls with that one, especially in a level that is wholly built of narrow pathways. Good thing about these disappointing power-ups is that they're very gimmicky, they're basically novelties needed for one or two levels in the whole game each, with the exception of the Bee item that appears numerous times throughout the game. That's OK, it's definitely the most useful one out of all these crap items.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPhJmPRe4GY1xfxtDuqkZNMLbRHE2rs25Vr4pnRw0yEUHp-SNYOHS3b6Eg8YpZOcCZHQZch5p7YOqwOES7lkS4gdLPCoeiRmCtuMLnnhQqf1_dkGnf2Fz4EUrIry6-NJWBHnWVnc59dU/s1600/super_mario_galaxy_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPhJmPRe4GY1xfxtDuqkZNMLbRHE2rs25Vr4pnRw0yEUHp-SNYOHS3b6Eg8YpZOcCZHQZch5p7YOqwOES7lkS4gdLPCoeiRmCtuMLnnhQqf1_dkGnf2Fz4EUrIry6-NJWBHnWVnc59dU/s320/super_mario_galaxy_03.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An underwater boss in a 3D Mario game? ...Not quite as bad<br />
as it sounds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Star Bits somewhat replace the classic coins, which are now essentially health items - but you only have to collect 50 of them to gain an extra life, and ones that are too far for you to reach, you can collect by simply pointing the Wiimote at 'em. Throughout the game, you meet a lot of Lumas (Rosalina's star children) who actually eat those Star Bits, those damn cannibals, and will grant you passage to extra Power Star challenges within levels, and to extra levels from the observatory. They are pretty cool to keep an eye out for. After Luigi is rescued from a certain predicament in a certain galaxy, he sets off looking for Power Stars on his own, and usually gets his ass lost or captured. He's that brother no one wants to have, but can't live without, so of course you'll go look for him, deducing his whereabouts from a photograph you'll get from the observatory's Mail Toad, for another Power Star. Finally, the Comet challenges - these include speedrun versions of previously completed missions, tricky and precise races against your shadow self (that damn thing from <i>Sunshine </i>and one certain game where he totally ravaged my nerves), daredevil challenges which pit you against a boss with only one health point to spare, just to mention a few. These are quite fun, but completing them all is only for completists who are fully at home with the controls.<br />
<br />
Before I let this one off the hook and head into <i>Super Mario Galaxy 2</i> - which I've heard from many reliable sources to be the real thing, suddenly... - I have to commend this game for one special feat. <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> is possibly the greatest sum of musical score in a Mario game, ever. The epic, yet still somewhat goofy and quirky soundtrack by Mahito Yokota and Nintendo court magician Koji Kondo is like a cross between Star Trek, Star Wars, even <i>The Legend of Zelda</i> (as my friend wanted to add) and classic Mario. One couldn't even imagine a better soundtrack for an adventure among the stars starring Mario. If it's not the best collective ever, then it's right up there with <i>Super Mario World</i>. It's really refreshing after the disappointing and repetitive soundtrack of the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> series.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
<i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> is a clever, fresh and stellar platformer, which occasionally stumbles on its own unusual being. The controls aren't perfect, the game starts off very slow, but as it starts picking up the pace, it very often reaches the gold standard of its spiritual predecessor. Like I said, it's still not my favourite Mario game, but I have to admit, it's the most refreshing Mario experience I've had in recent months, and it comes from a mighty fine place, with a mighty fine purpose. All about that snotty first impression all those years back hasn't been forgotten, but most of it has.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8.8</b></span>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-62784056218274495292016-07-25T12:47:00.001-07:002016-07-25T12:50:51.464-07:00REVIEW - New Super Mario Bros. Wii<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmpCN2CMF7ddtnsl-w-CK-C8I2GmaFwAH2ZAPOVzh-IDfYvGdQV67kjPd7QoW3noZT9GLS0R6H28m8tbyKekgEdCmldLXSGnV4eLPWiJf8UrvgieV6MDLWaasmaTy0DzU-xs9WNuQv3Q/s1600/new_smb_wii_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmpCN2CMF7ddtnsl-w-CK-C8I2GmaFwAH2ZAPOVzh-IDfYvGdQV67kjPd7QoW3noZT9GLS0R6H28m8tbyKekgEdCmldLXSGnV4eLPWiJf8UrvgieV6MDLWaasmaTy0DzU-xs9WNuQv3Q/s320/new_smb_wii_01.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>Wii</u>, Wii U (Virtual Console)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> November 12, 2009</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
After the great success of <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>, Mario creator and producer Shigeru Miyamoto went on to recreate a classic <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> game for multiple players. He had toyed with the idea several times in the past, as far back as in the Nintendo 64's heyday, but found it impossible to create a fully functional game of such premise until Wii had proven its capabilities. Miyamoto's hand-picked "Team Mario" basically remade <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> for the Nintendo DS, heavily revamping the level design to accommodate a 4-player game, the new power-ups and their advantages, and finally the motion detection feature of the Wii. The result, arguably a far more exciting platformer game than the first New Super Mario Bros. title, and another remarkable entry point to Mario's adventures in the 21st century alongside its sequel, the previously reviewed 3DS iteration.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Wee-he-hee</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURsfdixhaqn27J5On_E1nmMLRF3sUCjVcgaYuh1SxRNfX70g12QGY-B8RksCPeiu-sJt27GPWmmIvlY52lytcVgigqdbBexkIHzN6rABOEDL9Kf1nvSXNPSwfjVjoZJTf9xT_z8VWImE/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURsfdixhaqn27J5On_E1nmMLRF3sUCjVcgaYuh1SxRNfX70g12QGY-B8RksCPeiu-sJt27GPWmmIvlY52lytcVgigqdbBexkIHzN6rABOEDL9Kf1nvSXNPSwfjVjoZJTf9xT_z8VWImE/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Princess, Mario, Luigi, Toad. Birthday party at Mushroom Castle. Bowser crashes party. Princess gone. Oh yeah, Mario time!<br />
<br />
20-something minutes into <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i> - my first touch to a classic Wii game in seven years, I might add - I had made so many observations, that I had to pause the game every now and then to write it all down on paper, it's all very essential review stuff, in better and worse. First and foremost, most importantly, I have to explain my discomfort - in lack of a better word - with this particular series of games, 'cause now it's clear as day. Mario games have always been about something new. Every Mario platformer I've ever played has been notably different from all the others. Even the international version of the NES trilogy was comprised of three totally different games, and I think it was the huge, somewhat unexpected success of <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>, that prompted Miyamoto and his followers to strive for a completely different game every time they took on a new Mario project. When we have a game called <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, we expect it to live up to its name. In the first game's case, all it needed to be was an entertaining platformer. It turned out a bit boring (on my personal account), but it was a Nintendo DS game; it had certain limitations, so everything's OK. When a Wii iteration came along - let's just pretend I cared back then - the expectations were much higher. Those expectations were certainly met, but what we had here was basically a remake of the Nintendo DS game. Oh well, maybe it was all part of the plan. Then came <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2</i> for the Nintendo 3DS - the same. Then, <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> - up next for a more thorough gutting - basically a remake of a remake. Namely, this game. With two fantastic, not to mention, hella inventive <i>3D</i>-branded adventures in the between, for the 3DS and the Wii U, one has to wonder why this repetitive series is still widely considered superior. (I'll not even start with <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>'s alleged superiority to just about everything.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfg9rjzp6vfX0J_4K7Gl2jrgrAVkw_9YgCeZ0LM_7jFSleqqums76abNPB1LytP37dFXHXLhhyYbkLRYAihlIe8zsd33ufdwbqbrlylxvEbYuBc4Adn2eahhmGZHWFnmhhgtlOxPQmrE/s1600/new_smb_wii_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfg9rjzp6vfX0J_4K7Gl2jrgrAVkw_9YgCeZ0LM_7jFSleqqums76abNPB1LytP37dFXHXLhhyYbkLRYAihlIe8zsd33ufdwbqbrlylxvEbYuBc4Adn2eahhmGZHWFnmhhgtlOxPQmrE/s320/new_smb_wii_02.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshi's back, but not as much more than a gratuitous cameo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On a lighter note, which finally leads us to the actual review of this game, I also noticed that there is no better controller for a <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> adventure than the Wii Remote. Its size and scheme are just right for this game. Motion control is so much comfier with the Remote than the Wii U gamepad - I'll have to replay <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> with the Remote before reviewing that game, 'cause I had gotten all ready to bash the game's motion-based controls. The only thing wrong with the Remote in relation to this particular game is the size of the digital pad. I have huge thumbs, been working 'em out for the last 30 years after all. It's very hard to maintain constant speed and momentum in the game - speed and momentum are very often the keys to success in a Mario platformer - as it's way too common to press to all directions at once. Death-defying running jumps - Mario ducks down when he's supposed to jump straight forward at the absolute nick of time with no second chances. Then it's "oh noooooo". Oh well, can't blame the game, or even the controller, for how the world built me up.<br />
<b><i></i></b><br />
<b><i></i></b>
<b><i>Koopa Party Poopa</i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfSPMIzGdslehSE8cgn3TJEHwipk44doJ3pisiXf_nT8eooBbeQuQVNp_WJVFN_We6VIKmMiVsvTX-u8E9a2-guLBNCLlMnt9EePNbwgkdHppxo9QxNWmXhHq6hWDwV7VgzXu7G0VkeE/s1600/new_smb_wii_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglfSPMIzGdslehSE8cgn3TJEHwipk44doJ3pisiXf_nT8eooBbeQuQVNp_WJVFN_We6VIKmMiVsvTX-u8E9a2-guLBNCLlMnt9EePNbwgkdHppxo9QxNWmXhHq6hWDwV7VgzXu7G0VkeE/s320/new_smb_wii_03.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Move and tilt the platform by moving and tilting the 'mote.<br />
I'll surely return to this subject soon enough.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Instead of just duking it out with Bowser Jr. for most of the game's duration, you are also treated to a huge comeback by his seven siblings, who've been absent from a traditional Mario platformer scheme since <i>Super Mario World</i>. In a bit of a twist, you face all of 'em twice during the main game of eight worlds; first, in the mid-world fortress where they lay down the basics of how to fight 'em, and then in the world castle, where Kamek appears to buff them up with some magical enhancements, and/or manipulate the level itself. The boss fights are pretty clever and exciting, including the few showdowns with Bowser Jr. on the vintage airships, and the final fight against Bowser ain't nothing short of blood-pumping. Two thumbs up to the boss fights.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY52XluyIkVZXP75MBFWLawux-qOiXQbSFga6L1dSx_LRGFs5mtPCtccoWww_DRMDhGeIApYFG5uJHbf4nzz4zdLWHdSTNAkB3ev8fqVCxnJaihZA8iVXj2hcEXNoDTb9Vo1X3Z3SK4xY/s1600/new_smb_wii_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY52XluyIkVZXP75MBFWLawux-qOiXQbSFga6L1dSx_LRGFs5mtPCtccoWww_DRMDhGeIApYFG5uJHbf4nzz4zdLWHdSTNAkB3ev8fqVCxnJaihZA8iVXj2hcEXNoDTb9Vo1X3Z3SK4xY/s320/new_smb_wii_04.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another motion-based level where the direction of the<br />
spotlights depends on the 'mote's position.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The power-ups also get two thumbs up. The Mega Mushroom is ousted, perhaps because it doesn't sit well with the multiplayer endorsement of the game - I haven't even tried the multiplayer game, in case you're wondering. I hear it's pretty damn neat, but I don't know... I have enough trouble as it is in the single-player game... anyway. The Mini Mushroom is still in, unfortunately, but I don't remember seeing more than one level where it would be needed for any cause, and they're never found from the field, only won in minigames. So, why am I complaining? Perhaps I shouldn't, 'cause we have 1) The Ice Flower. It's basically the same as a Fire Flower, but instead of outright killing enemies, it freezes them, after which you can use them as platforms or throwing weapons. Additionally, the Ice Flower works on many enemies that cannot be harmed (or killed) with any other type of attack; for example, you can freeze a Dry Bones and afterwards crush him with the Ground Pound, or put a Podoboo's flame out with just one shot. Very handy. 2) The Penguin suit. Now this is just useless on most occasions, but you will definitely see the good in it whenever you're in a water- or ice (yuck)-based level. You can slide across ice killing every enemy just by bumping into them, and swim much, much more fluidly while in this get-up. 3) The Propeller power-up. ...You know, I won't even go into it. All I can say is that it's a God damn lifesaver, and makes good use of the motion detection feature. Good use, as in proves to a stubborn old fool how great such a feature is.<br />
<br />
The level design could be better, but then again, it IS already much better than in the previous DS game. It's not just one identical level after another, there's a lot of shuffle going on constantly, and even in the twilight of the game, there are plenty of levels that are thrown in as peacemakers after lengthy stretches of absolute insanity - or elaborately, levels that are easier for a 2D Mario veteran to cope with. I think that fixed statement hit the target much better, after all <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i> is NOT, under any circumstances, an easy game. But it is a fun game, which will please veterans and newcomers, single players and multiplayer enthusiasts, alike.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
<i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i> is a great platformer, a huge improvement over the first game in the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> series. Instead of going into more detailed stuff as to how it still lacks the excitement of the very best in the Mario franchise, and how I and the developers still have some slight differences in the creation of entertaining level design, I'll just bow my head, thank the developers for their fine work in recreating a classic Mario game for us who appreciate them over any <i>Sunshine</i> or <i>Galaxy</i>, and take my leave to work on the next one. Thank you.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">8.5</span> </b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-16672673424765501732016-07-18T12:32:00.001-07:002016-07-18T12:33:35.130-07:00Mario & Donkey Kong: 35th Anniversary!...Over a week ago, that is. I'm a tad late, but there are plenty of reasons for that, both proper and not so proper ones. I'm a really systematic guy, and after I wrote the review for <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2</i> all those weeks ago, I found myself in a loop 'cause I had no <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i> to review. I was heading into <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i> instead, and that just wouldn't do. I had to get that one game from the between on my plate. So I went to a local retro store (I fucking love that shop) and found it immediately; for a very reasonable price, no less. Then, since I couldn't find a compatible controller combo for any sum relatively as reasonable, I turned to a favorable mail order company, and found a Wii Remote + Nunchaku combo for about 60% cheaper than anywhere else. Of course I ordered that set. Days went by, then weeks, then my schedule got filled with all kinds of stuff such as the Tuska Metal Festival and my birthday party, and I was totally hooked on a certain <i>Legend of Zelda</i> game, I kinda forgot the whole Mario and DK anniversary, and that I'm still waiting for the controllers to show up. It turns out they've still got my order, it's just that they had to order a new batch of those controllers and one of the games I ordered along with 'em themselves, which is the cause of the remarkable delay. That's fine by me, I wouldn't have had time to play any other games anyway. Well, I'm returning to my actual day job tomorrow - good vacation, btw - so if I'm going to do this, it has to be done right now. I'll get back to actually reviewing games as soon as I can - and it's kinda obvious my plans are to pay homage to the <i>Zelda</i> series' 30th anniversary as well, and get some reviews, which have been a long time coming, out of the way. But, only through reviews - I'm not that much of a fan of the franchise. These two guys, on the other hand, made up for the best parts of my childhood.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj868nHT6PiKWPH5Aw3jOGfT9ezqUeRTAoq0D6wLX12US9xMqspzUPeo_v-yNO8GmjdCwpriuHNHym748gsJ7O7Dz5sDI41CXdS-gn6WGKRb2UuofA8uh4xabpVZ_IsMBm01PsbMZs0nTM/s1600/Radar_scope_arcadeflyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj868nHT6PiKWPH5Aw3jOGfT9ezqUeRTAoq0D6wLX12US9xMqspzUPeo_v-yNO8GmjdCwpriuHNHym748gsJ7O7Dz5sDI41CXdS-gn6WGKRb2UuofA8uh4xabpVZ_IsMBm01PsbMZs0nTM/s1600/Radar_scope_arcadeflyer.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radar Scope, the game that "evolved" into<br />
<i>Donkey Kong</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
By early 1981, Taito's <i>Space Invaders</i> and Namco's <i>Pac-Man</i> had taken North American arcades by storm. A relative newcomer to the video game industry in the capacity of a developer, Nintendo had attempted expansion into North American territories numerous times, most recently with an arcade shooter named <i>Radar Scope</i>. While <i>Radar Scope</i> did become a big hit in Japan, only a handful of cabinets was sold in the West. Instead of attempting to launch yet another game, the company - under orders from the legendary president Hiroshi Yamauchi - recalled the unsold cabinets for reprogramming. 28-year old designer named Shigeru Miyamoto convinced Yamauchi that he's got a gameplay idea that could well be an international break for Nintendo. Hopeful, yet skeptical of the young designer's talent, Yamauchi appointed Nintendo's main designer Gunpei Yokoi as the project's supervisor, and a $100,000 budget for the game's development.<br />
<br />
Around that same time, Nintendo had applied to King Features Syndicate for a license to make a video game based on the Popeye comic strip and cartoon - somewhat inspired by the recent feature film adaptation. The game, designed by Miyamoto, was basically done already, but when King Features turned the offer down, the game was basically converted into Miyamoto's Nintendo-saving project. Popeye was replaced with a carpenter called Mr. Video, Olive Oyl with a damsel in distress called The Lady, and finally, Bluto with a gorilla, as inspired by the film King Kong. He didn't want to create a monster, he wanted to create more of a character that was neither a hero or a villain, more of an endearing character with primal qualities that made him a nuisance rather than a manifestation of evil. The game is known as the first ever to have had a storyline written before the actual programming took place. Pleased with the results, Yamauchi laid down one more condition for the game's release: since it was targeted at North American audiences, he wanted it to have an English title. Instead of going over the numerous myths surrounding the title of the game, I'll just go with the most popular one: since King Kong was not an option, Miyamoto came up with the title of <i>Monkey Kong</i>, which he then rephrased <i>Donkey Kong</i>, because he and Yokoi felt that "Donkey" was a proper word to describe the quirky nature of Donkey Kong and his owner's rivalry - the "owner", originally called Mr. Video, then Jumpman, was renamed Mario in North American releases of the game (after Nintendo of America's landlord Mario Segale). His signature clothing and moustache were actually the product of Miyamoto's desire to create a fleshed-out human character as opposed to the matchstick men and formless protagonists of the past; his overalls were painted in the opposing colours of blue and red so players could see his arms move, and the moustache was added in for a distinguishing facial feature.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndKQZvdjBVbqohOeAEx23HimN6BzpQdZDD4vOljEd5R8um0hppQukDLMB-WBUtGeRG1vMPlGKH1Z4gQpYcGgp0ns6rNzvLgsQmJGDPFszv-NJfUoDHLUfdRtrhs1ABEaRjMJ2ZtBMtHc/s1600/tumblr_inline_mzzme35CSM1sy9i4j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndKQZvdjBVbqohOeAEx23HimN6BzpQdZDD4vOljEd5R8um0hppQukDLMB-WBUtGeRG1vMPlGKH1Z4gQpYcGgp0ns6rNzvLgsQmJGDPFszv-NJfUoDHLUfdRtrhs1ABEaRjMJ2ZtBMtHc/s320/tumblr_inline_mzzme35CSM1sy9i4j.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunpei Yokoi with his former apprentice, now master designer<br />
Shigeru Miyamoto in 1994. Best known as the creator of <i>Metroid</i>,<br />
Yokoi passed away in a tragic car accident in 1997.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Although Nintendo of America's sales manager disliked the game - reportedly for being so different from every other arcade game on the market - and even the distributors had doubts because of the game's title, Minoru Arakawa who was in charge of Nintendo of America at the time managed to convince them of the game's impending success, so a few machines were green-lit for testing. The initial turn-out was $30 per cabinet a day. The remaining <i>Radar Scope</i> cabinets were converted into <i>Donkey Kong</i> machines, and put on sale on July 9th, 1981. Thus, the legends of Donkey Kong and Mario were born - as well as the modern platformer genre, in which<i> Donkey Kong</i> is preceded only by Universal Entertainment's <i>Space Panic</i> from 1980.<br />
<br />
After this story of how Mario and Donkey Kong were born, I hope to tell you more such stories as I go on doing this celebration of a marathon, until there are no stories left to tell. Needless to say, both characters are still going strong, both together and separate, with well over a hundred releases between them, and I consider myself blessed, having been a fan for over 25 years. Here's to the next 35 years, cheers!Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-68038477254114239282016-06-27T04:46:00.001-07:002016-06-27T04:46:13.882-07:00The Legend of Mania: Article of AwesomenessFresh off the EPIC season finale of one God damn masterpiece of a TV show known to us sons of the North as Game of Thrones, I really felt like writing something. It's the excessive blood pressure that does that to a man. First, I thought about writing something on Game of Thrones, but it has come to my attention that many of my friends - and readers - haven't even gotten started with the new season at all. (Get a move on, Jon Slow!) Then, I thought about doing a quick review on Telltale Games' original story based on the lore, but it's been a while since I saw it through and I've yet to have found the energy to go at it again. Let's just say the six-episode series in the traditional (and worn) Telltale Games style had its moments, but it was far from being everything I expected from a Game of Thrones game adaptation. Continuing on with the Mario vs. Donkey Kong marathon is certainly a possibility, but I'm not quite ready to do that just yet. But, I will tell you this much: the marathon will continue much further than what I originally planned. There are a lot of games related to this classic rivalry that I suddenly feel the urge to review. But, it will not be a completely straight line of Mario and Donkey Kong reviews - I will certainly need a break at some point. But, I'm almost certain that I will be doing reviews of Nintendo games quite some time; I have a lot of catching up to do.<br />
<br />
Which brings us back to business; after going over ideas on what I should write about for about ten minutes, it came to me clear as day. I totally missed E3 this year, focusing on getting accustomed to my new work habitat, getting to know a lot of new people and my plans for the last three weeks of my summer vacation. I certainly didn't forget the expo, though. As soon as I had some spare time, I dug up every trailer and every bit of info on every remotely interesting game presented at E3. Now if you have followed me since the beginning, or at least -ish, you know there was a relative shitload of games from my favourite franchises on show, including what I predict to be the game of the decade by its ten-minute trailer alone: <i>God of War</i>. However, I've written a lot about <i>God of War</i> and that series alone in the past, so I can't base another whole article on it with a good conscience. Let's take a deeper look at the best of what E3 had to offer. (Let me just say that I've pre-ordered all of the main games of this article already, although not every one of them has a confirmed release date... or even year.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yr-dp03lyCNkpCElZTSnxnDwR6gwcVbqAjY58LBZpXB3YK2bP2-FqGxsPT0tFnsqDm_bWs3rFU2rRYdzHE2S4q5d6slV8UsTsvGPcSNxVDOL6lws0N-mv7_tAht5-dYbRwzbAzYZ7sk/s1600/link.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yr-dp03lyCNkpCElZTSnxnDwR6gwcVbqAjY58LBZpXB3YK2bP2-FqGxsPT0tFnsqDm_bWs3rFU2rRYdzHE2S4q5d6slV8UsTsvGPcSNxVDOL6lws0N-mv7_tAht5-dYbRwzbAzYZ7sk/s200/link.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say what you will about abandoning the<br />old. As a newborn near-fan, I'm excited.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What I find kind of funny is that some of these games, I first talked about them years ago on this blog, long before I took it offline, and even now they're not even close to fruition. First of these games is <i><b>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</b></i>. Back then, it was simply known as <i>The Legend of Zelda</i>. Back then, I also said that it's surely an interesting game, but not for me personally, 'cause I'm not a <i>Zelda</i> fan, not a Nintendo supporter and I don't own a Wii U. All of those things have changed. While I still don't exactly consider myself a <i>Zelda</i> fan - I've been overtly critical towards the series since the release of <i>Ocarina of Time </i>all the way back in 1998 - I now own a legal copy of every game in the main series, with the exception of Spirit Tracks, and I've enjoyed many of them. Most notably <i>A Link Between Worlds</i>, of course because of its strong connection to my favourite <i>Zelda</i> game of all time, and <i>Phantom Hourglass</i>, to my complete and utter surprise since it's wholly based on the use of the DS touch screen, which I'm still not a huge fan of. I'm currently on the brink of completing <i>The Wind Waker</i> (the HD version), a great game as well - I'm moving on to <i>Twilight Princess </i>right after, and from what I've heard, that game has the potential of becoming my favourite <i>Zelda</i> right after <i>A Link to the Past</i>. So has this upcoming game, judging by what I've seen. Hell, what we've all seen. You've got to watch the trailer if you ever had so much as any respect for this series...<br />
<br />
...But, the trailer's not that good in itself. I'm not a huge fan of these gameplay trailers that the rest of the world seems to love nowadays, 'cause they very often tend to paint a wrong sort of picture about the game. I'm more into the feels of a wholly cinematic trailer. Either way, the trailer for <i>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild</i> did manage to show off a good deal of all the new sorts of elements that will surely be a large part of the game experience, and not bore me out of my socks like these gameplay trailers usually do. It would seem that this game has a more or less full voiceover track, which will surely divide opinions amongst those who prefer voice acting and those who prefer the random cries of "yay", "com'on!" and "splyysh" of the past. As to what the world looks like - I think I'd better dig up <i>Skyrim</i> from the dust for a warm-up. This is clearly going to be, by all means, the biggest game Nintendo has ever made, and the closest to an RPG they've ever made themselves - not to mention the closest to an RPG <i>Zelda</i>'s ever been. At least I think that's a fabulous thing.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ71Vgb-_BwW5Vh2HdRYgK5k5TSKspspeD6t2OT2exSRtgQUwZNQ9XRD82vdh1pMqFgpwvkqA02bCbhgLFN5lrItuDuVORbnH_ui4EFH7R3ZnhDei84hDyDOZJzpXQiRxASwuRp96rZRA/s1600/kratos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ71Vgb-_BwW5Vh2HdRYgK5k5TSKspspeD6t2OT2exSRtgQUwZNQ9XRD82vdh1pMqFgpwvkqA02bCbhgLFN5lrItuDuVORbnH_ui4EFH7R3ZnhDei84hDyDOZJzpXQiRxASwuRp96rZRA/s320/kratos.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's like meeting an old girlfriend at a bar. You're a bit confused,<br />but damn, you wanna hit that.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Speaking of gameplay trailers, it's already a good time to talk about <i><b>God of War</b></i>. Excuse me... <i>GOOOOOOD OF WAAAAAAAAAARRRR</i>!!! "I haven't forgotten you... or what you did that night." Throughout its span, Kratos' quest for vengeance (for things he brought upon himself, that beloved asshole) was (and still is) some of the best journeys I've ever taken, one which I will certainly embark on yet again in the future, in its non-flawless entirety. Most likely once the release date for this whole new chapter in the strange timeline of the <i>Ghost of Sparta</i> is nailed down. At first, when I heard that a game called <i>God of War</i> was up for release on the PlayStation 4, I naturally thought that they were going to re-release the series once again (which I'm sure they will, sooner than we think) under one title. Then, I heard it's going to be a new game. I didn't even consider the possibility of a new prequel, since <i>Ascension</i> didn't make much sense as what it was. Then I saw just a small weeny bit of the trailer and thought the guy who looks like Kratos is not Kratos at all, but some reborn namesake version of him, a physical piece of fan service. Then I paid attention to THAT scar and some very small details in the background that ensured me that this guy is the very same Kratos. Only now, he's in Norway, battling it out with the Gods of the North. ...How awesome can awesome get, exactly? Or strange?<br />
<br />
Well, as we long-time <i>God of War</i> fans know - I love you, brothers - this was one of creator David Jaffe's original ideas, alongside the Kratos vs. brother schtick they used up in <i>Ghost of Sparta</i>, not to have the series stuck in one mythological setting. Kratos, the character, was probably not a part of that idea, but the current creative directors saw that Kratos belongs in <i>God of War</i> as much as Mario belongs in <i>Mario Bros.</i>. Which I totally agree on. I'm not sure how they'll twist this up, seeing that Kratos committed suicide in the end of <i>God of War III</i>, but judging by the gameplay trailer and the simple fact that <i>God of War</i> is coming back, as well as regarding my personal infatuation with Norse myth, I'm very interested in seeing how this turns out. Once again though, I would've preferred a cinematic trailer. This one shows off a little too much, and it goes on for too long. Never thought I'd say that about a sneak peek on a whole new <i>God of War</i> game.<br />
<br />
On to another favourite of mine, which still remains an almost complete enigma, after being "shown off" at several expos throughout the last couple of years, and another game I already was going apeshit about a few years back. The developer's most recent title proved that they're still very much in the game, and I actually regret not having reviewed that particular title right before originally pulling the plug on VGMania (I still have the draft, but I'd have to make so many changes that I'd have to start it all over again in any case). The developer I'm speaking of is BioWare, that most recent title being<i> Dragon Age: Inquisition</i>, and the future game none other than <i><b>Mass Effect: Andromeda</b></i>. Judging by the very little we've actually seen, <i>Mass Effect: Andromeda</i> is a very logical sequel to <i>Mass Effect 3</i>, although the main emphasis is on rebooting the franchise, and bringing back all that stuff fans of classic <i>Mass Effect</i> love. Well, if the example of <i>Dragon Age: Inquisition</i> is anything to go by, here, I think we'll have exactly what BioWare promises. Alas, very little is still known of this upcoming sci-fi epic, besides some random details on Shepard's replacement Ryder, and the facts we've known since and even before the release of<i> Inquisition</i>. The trailer once again wasn't much of a trailer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwK9u8nFxESRb_gUHnEyAFN3pQzDpw2sVSEUwoc2Jo5lGXhCZzjDssC71Jku9mh5f_kYn02SVl-MGgL3mQiyIHdb-6KbO6uRcQm46lNmha1_sROu3Z1OduXj6kbpVlglMFnFVZADErFrY/s1600/coon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwK9u8nFxESRb_gUHnEyAFN3pQzDpw2sVSEUwoc2Jo5lGXhCZzjDssC71Jku9mh5f_kYn02SVl-MGgL3mQiyIHdb-6KbO6uRcQm46lNmha1_sROu3Z1OduXj6kbpVlglMFnFVZADErFrY/s320/coon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who in the world is the Coon? Perhaps we'll find out in <br />December.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last for the main course, we have the sequel to perhaps the most surprising hit of 2014:<i> <b>South Park: The Fractured But Whole</b> </i>(see what they did there?). Now when they first announced this game, it seemed it would take an eternity for this game to reach gold, but it was later I realized, and especially after hearing the dialogue in the actual trailer, that Parker and Stone were waiting for the opportune moment for a new South Park game to strike at what it was supposed to strike at, just like episodes of the show (and <i>The Stick of Truth</i>) before it. The new game is another RPG, loaded with timely satire (mostly on the Marvel and DC cinematic universes) and a casual, yet exciting and positively hilarious role-playing interface. At least that's what I'm expecting, and I'm counting on it so much that I actually pre-ordered the <i>Collector's Edition</i> of the game. It's the only game in the bunch that's confirmed to come out later this year.<br />
<br />
Before I start packing for my 14th trip to the Tuska metal festival in Helsinki, plus getting together with tons of friends to have fun with besides the festival, there are a few more games I simply have to mention. First off, <b><i>Skyrim</i></b> is coming back as a new-generation edition with all of <i>Dawnguard</i>, <i>Hearthfire</i> and <i>Dragonborn</i> in tow. Not much of a surprise there, but a word from the wise! I avoided <i>Skyrim</i> for years, until it was reasonably priced. If you're still in the dark about this game's greatness, do not hesitate to buy the new version right when it comes out. Even if you're not a big fan of RPG's, even if you're not an <i>Elder Scrolls</i> fan, I implore you to get this game. You'll not be disappointed. Batman is coming back not only by means of the <i>Arkham</i> collection, but the previously teased Telltale Games title. Now I know what I said about the Telltale Games style being a bit worn out after all these years, but... it's Batman. Troy Baker-voiced <b><i>Batman</i></b>. They're using the Animated Series font, for Alfred's sake. Speaking of Telltale Games, <i><b>The Walking Dead: Season Three</b></i> is also coming up. I guess I'll have to get that for completion's sake, but if <i>Michonne</i> is anything to go by, I'm not expecting great results. Square Enix failed to deliver a new presentation of the upcoming <i><b>Final Fantasy VII</b></i> remake (can you say "FINALLY"?), but delivered info on the <i><b>Final Fantasy XII</b></i> remaster, the new <i><b>Star Ocean</b></i> game, and an intriguing throwback title called <i><b>World of Final Fantasy</b></i>, up for release on the PlayStation 4 and Vita in October.<br />
<br />
Kojima Productions make their return as an independent developer, following up on the success of the Konami-produced <i>Silent Hills P.T. </i>demo with a game called <i><b>Death Stranding</b></i>, also starring Norman Reedus on a quest for... something very strange. We'll have to see how this turns out. Meanwhile, check out the teaser and make your own conclusions on what kind of game it'll be, I don't really care what kind of game it'll be. I don't care whether it'll take years for it to manifest, whether it'll turn out a PlayStation 6 or 7 exclusive. I just hope Kojima is able to fuck Konami violently up the ass. That company has totally lost its edge.<br />
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Speaking of (I love "speaking of") losing edge: <i><b>Resident Evil VII: Biohazard</b></i>. One of my lifelong favourites in the field of video games, <i>Resident Evil</i> turns 20 years old. There have been a lot of bad spin-offs, and four years ago, <i>Resident Evil 6</i> contaminated the main series as well. For the first time ever, I was not crazy about a new main series title in the <i>Resident Evil</i> series - hell, I watched the trailer for the first time yesterday. <i>Resident Evil VII</i> seems to pick up where the aforementioned <i>P.T. </i>left off; it's just perfect, <i>Resident Evil</i> bluntly taking what its once-rival almost started. But, I'm still a bit torn about <i>Resident Evil </i>becoming a first-person ghostbusting game. I'll just have to see how it works. Since I'm more adjusted to first-person games these days, I'm not taking anything for granted, and because of my love for (games 1, 2, 4 and 5 of) this franchise, I'm willing to give <i>Resident Evil VII </i>the benefit of the doubt - as long as critics like it. But, I'm not placing my pre-order just yet.<br />
<br />
Well, that's about it. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you once I'm ready to take on <i>New Super Mario Bros. U</i>.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-60199891628428795252016-06-25T08:38:00.000-07:002016-06-25T08:38:19.598-07:00REVIEW - New Super Mario Bros. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmvrwUty5uV8jzqYi1I-VekdbXdLmHUxbJ_xM-kHsR4Gn1C5JCdUjQAP84yr86BI04GTdqjRH7KUT6Tdrb9PW0inIuISK0MvD2-ocP_Ca-eWTqOWZR3i-lO6HEV89aldA6FLShJiUzgA/s1600/new_smb_2_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmvrwUty5uV8jzqYi1I-VekdbXdLmHUxbJ_xM-kHsR4Gn1C5JCdUjQAP84yr86BI04GTdqjRH7KUT6Tdrb9PW0inIuISK0MvD2-ocP_Ca-eWTqOWZR3i-lO6HEV89aldA6FLShJiUzgA/s320/new_smb_2_01.png" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>3DS</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S): </b>Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> July 28, 2012</span><br />
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Actually, this game should be called <i>New Super Mario Bros. 3</i>; it's actually the third game in the <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> series, and I don't see any good reason as to why it's called "<i>2</i>". <i>New Super Mario Bros. 3DS</i>, that would've been consistent. Oops, I forgot: it's not a 3D game. OK, so what we have here, either way, is the third entry in the series that started with <i>New Super Mario Bros. </i>for the original DS in 2006. It's another spiritual successor to the very first <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> titles (including what we know as <i>The Lost Levels</i>), featuring a lot of gameplay elements, designs and mechanics that came along long after those classic games. The first <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> game was a huge disappointment for me, and I have so far managed to miss the Wii game completely (it's actually one of those Mario titles I literally MISSED altogether, as in failed to note its release!). <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2</i> is a very good game. It's not that different from what we've seen before in this particular series of Mario games, and its extra gimmick is not that interesting, but it's a fluid, extremely entertaining handheld platformer nonetheless, its influences come from the right places, and both its level and enemy design are far beyond what its direct predecessor had to offer - relativity noted - six years back. This is exactly what I expected from <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> - it's not the best fairly recently released Mario game out there, but it's a damn good entry point to the modern times for Mario veterans and the new generation alike.<br />
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<b><i>Mario '12</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51FezEbOtskQVBZKUYfRioSIrHhDjLo8Ij5EnnV7HI8W0CT1Sw0jwzPg5GfXjeVHK_GCD0Ld1RYTewqc2AFDVgE55jh4YRz7gENtCvIdltv0M7kvYUG3s2iSvaThUUvgCCF4HC47f_BI/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51FezEbOtskQVBZKUYfRioSIrHhDjLo8Ij5EnnV7HI8W0CT1Sw0jwzPg5GfXjeVHK_GCD0Ld1RYTewqc2AFDVgE55jh4YRz7gENtCvIdltv0M7kvYUG3s2iSvaThUUvgCCF4HC47f_BI/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Mario and Luigi take off on a coin hunt. Meanwhile, you know who along with his seven bastards get the chance to snatch Peach (Toadstool.) in total peace. Upon discovering that they have YET another princess-rescuing mission ahead of them, the Mario Brothers decide to mix their little game of gold rush with serious work, Not only are they after Bowser, but the kingdom-wide record of finding one million coins along the way.<br />
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I can tell you right now, even if focusing on collecting the most coins possible isn't my favourite way to start a new Mario game, I had much better vibes with this title from the start than I ever had from start to finish with the first <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> game. It's not that different, really - hell, some of the levels are almost identical to some of the levels in the first game. However, it has somewhat better controls, it looks absolutely fantastic, and no matter how much some levels indeed resemble levels found in the first one, the level design is generally speaking so much more innovative, clever and exciting. It's a much more daring game, in a word. After a game like <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i>, it's obvious <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2</i> doesn't exactly push the 3DS to its limits, but it's just as technologically awesome as a vintage <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> game on a handheld can be. I'll give it that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1M73MpuJc1Rf-HhQHGsO2vjpqp1Uf_lcGZ2vWzL3clvqRQ0_uSq0GnnCDReihIF7_R-A7CpoRnqRutDS24ONNSDrl5I8ot8eQljAqu2-l1WzXeBRBd37e32woZUqZDOI24TMRnJBbr8/s1600/new_smb_2_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1M73MpuJc1Rf-HhQHGsO2vjpqp1Uf_lcGZ2vWzL3clvqRQ0_uSq0GnnCDReihIF7_R-A7CpoRnqRutDS24ONNSDrl5I8ot8eQljAqu2-l1WzXeBRBd37e32woZUqZDOI24TMRnJBbr8/s1600/new_smb_2_02.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Things get pretty crazy with the Golden Flower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What might also jog my curiosity and enthusiasm towards this game, including its sights and sounds, is its variety of influences, that most come from two of my absolute favourite 2D games in this series from ages past - <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i> and <i>Super Mario World</i>. First of all, and most importantly, the three dumb power-ups that almost utterly destroyed a good part of the DS original are (almost) omitted from the fray. and replaced with the classic Super Leaf from <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>, and a couple of power-ups that primarily exist to produce a shitload of money - a Golden Flower which lets you shoot fireballs that break bricks into coins, and a very strange curiosity item, a "brick mask" that produces money from every move you make, the faster the better, for a limited amount of time, or until you take damage. There are also some golden rings about, which turn all the enemies to gold, and if you defeat them in that time window, they yield tens of coins upon defeat. It's kinda cool, really, but of course, you'd have to be into collecting coins a bit more than me. Also, since collecting coins is such a focus point in this game, and their primary function is still the same after almost 30 years, it takes no genius to figure out that it's almost impossible to see a Game Over screen in this game. There's a good bit of tension missing - but I guess that's the sign of the times.<br />
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<b><i>What about the children?</i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K__W7fu3sVpU7RNsFyXBImhBgDykCy4665YdsK3xmfFyCOiBqvbiKnEf7D-ONZqyn2n2ZH_cgmsIK1g8iLuA-5xgPE0aqwCwLlEWx_7eVAJjDDISwvRAFp7t0B4xbkDUe_Bg2CAsojs/s1600/new_smb_2_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7K__W7fu3sVpU7RNsFyXBImhBgDykCy4665YdsK3xmfFyCOiBqvbiKnEf7D-ONZqyn2n2ZH_cgmsIK1g8iLuA-5xgPE0aqwCwLlEWx_7eVAJjDDISwvRAFp7t0B4xbkDUe_Bg2CAsojs/s320/new_smb_2_03.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mega Mushroom is still in, but as even more of a novelty<br />item than before.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Koopalings already made their long-awaited return in<i> New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i>, but since I missed that game - it's so damn good to have these rascals back! ...And, to be completely honest, these seven confrontations are probably my favourite boss fights ever against this particular collective of henchmen. The order in which you face these guys is a little shuffled up from the past, which is good, and what's even better: some of the Koopaling fights mirror the fights against them in <i>Super Mario World</i>, and some which were just basically harder copies off each other in that game have taken a turn into something completely new, moreover clever and exciting. Reznor returns, as a mid-world boss - that's a little disappointing, 'cause he (they) appears in every single world, and if you've played half as much of <i>Super Mario World </i>as I, he's easily dealt with throughout the game.<br />
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Every promising paragraph has ended with a slight downside, and it's true that <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2</i> isn't the perfect Mario game, but the best thrills it offers are at the very least very close to what I'd expect from a 2D platformer with the <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> brand on it, and at even better times, the game manages to surpass my expectations. However, and still, having been released after such as mold-breaking masterpiece as <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> (oops, I might've spoiled something there...), I still find this game somewhat lacking of excitement and true innovation. BUT, to a die-hard fan of classic Mario jump-action, I must say that <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2 </i>might very well be the best game in the <i>NSMB </i>series.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
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I kinda leaked it out there already, didn't I? <i>New Super Mario Bros. 2 </i>is everything that its direct predecessor on the original DS was, only a much better, more flowing and exciting platformer. If you're still in the dark of Mario's more recent exploits like I was a little over a year ago, but interested in how this jurassic icon is doing nowadays, I strongly suggest you dig up this game first. Like I said, it's a fabulous entry point for both young and old.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8.7</span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-47233826423294396962016-06-18T00:51:00.001-07:002016-06-18T00:51:45.720-07:00REVIEW - New Super Mario Bros.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2HywGFD7Eo0x9eeIr-V7Jt80eR1Zl25mxulSL_NvVLkrLcaYuQFbAm7ia2UUzei4gBomJsBtLT-wTCcVB7_TCu-zyuLvINuAV0pMwQzXsGQ6P4P1s7ZsYp7wi0OaMghbyzqH3QDDyQg/s1600/New+Super+Mario+Bros.__13010.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2HywGFD7Eo0x9eeIr-V7Jt80eR1Zl25mxulSL_NvVLkrLcaYuQFbAm7ia2UUzei4gBomJsBtLT-wTCcVB7_TCu-zyuLvINuAV0pMwQzXsGQ6P4P1s7ZsYp7wi0OaMghbyzqH3QDDyQg/s320/New+Super+Mario+Bros.__13010.png" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>DS</u>, Wii U (Virtual Console)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> May 15, 2006</span><br />
<br />
As far as stand-alone <i>Donkey Kong</i> games from recent years went, I didn't have much choices. With Mario, it's a whole different story. I literally had tens of titles to choose from - which is probably difficult to believe, considering how many Mario games I've reviewed back in the day, and also considering that I laid the plumber to rest not once, but twice, due to the lack of games available. Well, suffice to say that me and Nintendo have resolved our differences in the last four years - I've bought a whole lot of Nintendo games, both new and old, in the last four years and a good bulk of them stars either Mario, Link or Donkey Kong. I've bought not one, not two, but three Nintendo consoles, and gotten a fourth for a Christmas present. So where the hell should I begin? It's obvious I can't do 'em all, and I don't even have a reason to go into the exploits of the extended Mario family just now. I don't have a reason to do any all-star games just now - this marathon is more about two central characters. That principle actually helps shorten the list quite a bit. Well, since I started with a game called <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i>, let's go to another comeback game from a little further back. The Nintendo DS was launched in North America on November 21st, 2004, and with it, as always, came a Mario title. Not a completely new one, though, but a complete remake of <i>Super Mario 64</i>. Although the remake was critically acclaimed for its technological prowess, and (almost) all of the extra content that set it apart from the original game, some people started speculating if Mario had run his course and all we'd get was remakes of hardly aged masterpieces from that point on; Nintendo had already announced a game called <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, which didn't promise much by its name in this situation. However, <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> was a completely new game; it was to be the first traditional 2D Mario platformer since <i>Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins</i> for the Game Boy, from 1992, and just as its title implied, a spiritual successor to the very first game in the <i>Super Mario</i> series from 1985. Its arrival was greeted with rave reviews - but is it really that good? Let's see. Classic <i>Mario Bros.</i> expert on the case.<br />
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<b><i>You know my name</i></b><br />
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Mario and Peach (Toadstool.) are on a little walk through the gardens (here comes that innuendo again) when lightning suddenly strikes the Princess' castle. While Mario runs out to check if everyone's alright, Bowser Jr. sneaks up behind the Princess and snatches her. Mario's focus quickly shifts back to his pink-clad love muffin, and we know the rest.<br />
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First of all, I've got to admit that I've had experiences with Mario games from the last ten (plus) years in a wrong order. I've played better games than <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>, but they've also been newer games by far. Except for <i>Super Mario 64 DS</i>, but hell, that's a remake based on one of my favourite games of all time - it doesn't matter whether I hacked it to pieces at launch or just started it yesterday. However, putting things into focus, one can still write an honest review of <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i>; really good Mario games never grow old. The original <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> - I still love that game. <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i> - oh hell yeah. <i>Super Mario World</i> - magnificent. <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> - never liked it too much to begin with. You get the idea. When a game called <i>New Super Mario Bros. </i>emerges, I have certain expectations. In the gist of it all, I expect a good, entertaining platformer. That much <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> manages to deliver. Is it all I could hope for from a 2D Mario adventure, a subcategory of platformer games that is almost full of some of the greatest video games in the world? No.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadow of the Colossus.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some things I've always admired Nintendo for, even in the years I spent in the between criticizing them in every turn, mostly for their refusal to accept modern reality, is innovation, their focus, how they polish their creations to the absolute hilt. During the time I've owned a 3DS or the Wii U, updates to the games haven't really changed anything - they've been complete games from the start. That's something Sony and Microsoft should study. The innovative part is what I wanted to talk about here, though. Even if <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> is basically a spiritual successor to the original <i>Super Mario Bros.</i>, it's expected to be an innovative game from the start, especially since it's a first-party DS game. I'm not seeing anything new and exciting, not until well over the midway mark of World 2. It's then and there when influences from all sorts of Mario games from the last 20 years really start to kick in and be crucial to your progress. I think it's a bit too late, though, and there have already been a lot of elements to the game which might've chomped off one bite too many - it just might be that you, whether you're an old-timer here for them old times, or a new-generation gamer, will just blast through the game as quickly as you can to be done with it. Doesn't matter, really. There's not much reward to be had for the tricky collectables, the new power-ups are basically useless, and the game can be frustratingly hard at some spots, regardless of your item reserve or how many extra lives you got stacked up. Good news for them blasters, you only have to beat six of the game's eight worlds to complete the game - the two are secret ones, strangely in the middle of the game - and there are a few tricks you can use to your advantage to get to the credits as fast as possible.<br />
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The graphics are just as good as you'd expect from Nintendo's very own research and development team for such a title. 3D character models and level effects against 2D backgrounds, plus of course the very physical movement of Mario creates a fluid feel to it all. No criticism there. Koji Kondo took a creative break (for all of 2005 and 2006 actually), and is credited as "sound director", while Asuka Ota and Hajime Wakai are in charge of the actual composition of the game. Another bundle of remixes, and some new tunes, which really aren't that great although the Overworld theme went on to be used in a lot of future games at some capacity. This is probably the first Mario game of any genre, developed by Nintendo, in which the music doesn't have any notable positive effect on me.<br />
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<b><i>You know my game</i></b><br />
<br />
<i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> is just about as standard 2D Mario jab as it can possibly get after his 3D exploits. Some random mechanics like the ground pound and wall kick manouvers are still in, but casual players will do just fine without 'em - just jump, dash, and shoot the occasional fireball, just like decades back, and you've got this. The level design really ain't that special; once harder levels set in, they're made harder with standard, tactically placed blocks, platforms and enemies instead of something really innovative and elements that would go to show what the DS was truly capable of. Bowser Jr. appears as a recurring miniboss who never really changes tactics, just the levels change a little bit (once in a while); the gallery of world bosses comprises of magically enhanced versions of standard enemies (like in <i>Yoshi's Island</i>, only on a smaller scale) and you'll butt heads with Bowser himself a few times, in a vintage <i>Super Mario Bros.</i> fashion - only the circumstances are a bit different from what you're accustomed to.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQU8QP-XdX0OMieDu2dZydJFDvjXSwWHIB8OzEI2jI1vkogNaI4Fx6jmNj8slOmDU_azALHgUIHgT8qEb_EH9HCUwGgN0Dx0WVh7LbcAX_dBnImsbFu0fPRcL2Lrmw0u1nIxf1MuDtWs/s1600/New+Super+Mario+Bros.__16576.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQU8QP-XdX0OMieDu2dZydJFDvjXSwWHIB8OzEI2jI1vkogNaI4Fx6jmNj8slOmDU_azALHgUIHgT8qEb_EH9HCUwGgN0Dx0WVh7LbcAX_dBnImsbFu0fPRcL2Lrmw0u1nIxf1MuDtWs/s320/New+Super+Mario+Bros.__16576.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facing off with Bowser Jr.. Just the first<br />
time of many.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Every level in the game has a set of three hidden Star Coins, which you can use to open up pathways along your long walk through Mushroom Kingdom. However, these only help you to reach Toad Houses and some minigames for extra lives. To gain access to the two "secret" worlds in the game, you need to find a secret exit in one of the levels of each of the adjacent worlds. As expected, the levels in there are quite hard, but I can tell you: if you are able to beat the game, you're sure as hell able to beat the secret levels. Your arrival to World 6 is greeted by the forces of Satan, and they're escorting you to Hell from that point on. The bosses you can definitely handle. If nothing else works, try the Mega Mushroom.<br />
<br />
The Mega Mushroom is quite the epic novelty item. With this, Mario grows in size to barely fit the gameplay screen and trashes EVERYTHING in his wake, which unfortunately includes paths that might lead you to Star Coins. You might perceive it as a frustrating item well beyond its cool factor, until you realize that it works on all bosses, including Bowser. (There, a hint.) This reminds me, that the item reserve from <i>Super Mario World</i> is back, placed on the touch screen along with a level "map" and your HUD. The Blue Koopa Shell... buhhhh... always wanted to be part of the Koopa Troop? Well, now you can, this one time, and as you will see, life in Bowser's army isn't that great. With the Shell, you swim faster, sure, and that's a good thing - Mario swims very slow. You can also withdraw into the Shell to protect yourself, and dash into a traditional spinning attack across the floor... which also spins you right out of control, and probably leaves you groaning at the bottom of a pit. The Mini Mushroom does the complete opposite of the Mega Mushroom, and shrinks Mario into a size he can't do shit to enemies, but is able to defy gravity and jump to incredible heights, and fit into smaller pipes. These are the new power-ups. Like 'em? Didn't think so. They're shit. Except that Mega Mushroom, for its occasional value - occasional.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
Of course <i>New Super Mario Bros.</i> is a good game; it's a 2D platformer starring Mario, it can't go to complete waste. But, it is so uncharacteristically typical and plain from Nintendo, and gets more frustrating in its sheer staleness the further it goes. The new crappy power-ups and the collectables' lack of usefulness just drive the nail further in. It's funny how this game got all the glory and the next handheld game in the <i>New SMB</i> series was so disliked by many critics; I find the successor more innovative and exciting, not a perfect game by any measure but better. Some might say "it was 2006, cut it some slack", and my answer is "it was 2006, so I certainly won't". Good game, but I expected more.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">7.5</span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-48152299165513356022016-06-14T14:33:00.001-07:002016-06-14T14:33:58.226-07:00REVIEW - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7QtYHI0a5vA_T_u9rlvjRI0iZHv_LT2h1IUSPpf3xnYNtzjK5BpTSuIMEqAXwjj90UllclvhaaAgKxXCSqPJfXyyEYdrRwghAjFY3NQb1HxNUfDYCG47aFIepZCp_oKm3PMK4W9O5ck/s1600/dkc_tropical_freeze_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7QtYHI0a5vA_T_u9rlvjRI0iZHv_LT2h1IUSPpf3xnYNtzjK5BpTSuIMEqAXwjj90UllclvhaaAgKxXCSqPJfXyyEYdrRwghAjFY3NQb1HxNUfDYCG47aFIepZCp_oKm3PMK4W9O5ck/s320/dkc_tropical_freeze_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S): </b>Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>Wii U</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Retro Studios</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> February 21, 2014</span><br />
<br />
The well expected success of <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> called for an obvious sequel, which arrived in the form of the Wii U exclusive <i>Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</i> in early 2014. I didn't know anything about this game when I bought it, and the only experience I had with <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> was the 3DS version, which I liked, but it was hardly amazing and not nearly as good as the last two games in the original SNES trilogy. It felt like half-cooked fan service at its near-worst and nerve wrecking crap at its absolute worst - thanks to some new gameplay mechanics, not to mention heavy repetition of those "new and amazing" level designs, and snotty controls - but then again, it just might be that the Nintendo 3DS or any handheld was never cut out to run a hectic and precise platformer like <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> properly. I thought to myself, would I like to play an amazing platformer like <i>Rayman Legends</i> on the Nintendo 3DS? Hell no! I dug up one single rating, not even a review, for <i>Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</i> before starting it up (I had already bought the game though, for DK's sake), from somewhere I trust. They said it was all right, and at the very least on par with the previous game. Then I wrote that review of <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i>, and ended it by saying that maybe I should see how this "new" <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> plays out on a bigger screen, with a better controller. The game itself can't be that different from the previous one, right? Well... it sure sports the same basics. Only those basics are honed to near-perfection here. To my complete and utter surprise, <i>Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</i> is the best and most satisfying <i>Donkey Kong </i>experience I've had since my first run with <i>Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest</i>. That was a fucking long time ago.<br />
<br />
<b><i>At the heart of winter</i></b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17fnTWAStXcV0zvAnmiwIJJJPZlcwEIV9BYNogzsi7mQ_fW669jLjxZQvXcMwFouIiBNt3mRjd_UcaYp9cctkYzoL7I2t4a7ju5J7Zw75yJL70Dq3TTLWofaiRznkI-2zmfm1sC2Eg8g/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj17fnTWAStXcV0zvAnmiwIJJJPZlcwEIV9BYNogzsi7mQ_fW669jLjxZQvXcMwFouIiBNt3mRjd_UcaYp9cctkYzoL7I2t4a7ju5J7Zw75yJL70Dq3TTLWofaiRznkI-2zmfm1sC2Eg8g/s200/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="200" /></a></div>
Donkey Kong's birthday bash is ruined by Snowmads - an army of vikings from a faraway arctic land, led by one Lord Fredrik. Using his magical horn to summon a furious stormwind and a gigantic ice dragon, Lord Fredrik freezes the whole of Kong Island in mere seconds and sends the whole Kong family flying all the way to the edge of the surrounding sea, to Lost Mangroves, before claiming tyrannical (and cold) rule over the island. DK, Diddy, Dixie and Cranky embark on a long and difficult quest to travel back to their home island and chase away the unwanted birthday guests.<br />
<br />
I'll cut right to the chase.<i> Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</i> feels like a fresh, new game from the very start. It still pays a lot of homage to the earliest games in this particular division of <i>Donkey Kong</i> games; as a matter of fact, there are a lot of times I think it's just about as close to classic <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> as you can get. You can change the controls to a classic mode if you like, and swimming is back (with a vengeance, I might add), with that weird blowing ability omitted from the fray. Rambi and Squawks are still the only classic animal buddies around; Enguarde's classic underwater attack is now practically a part of DK's own repertoire. The level design is absolutely marvellous, not to mention innovative, flowing, and exciting just to watch, and there is no unnecessary repetition; the one single part of the game where I felt just a little bored was the world where almost every level is an underwater level. Even then there's something to save the experience from becoming too stale. There are exciting gauntlet runs; the dash isn't any better or faster than before, but the controls are much better and the game much more forgiving when it comes to your speed. You just need to be very precise from time to time. Those rocket barrel rides which I hated in the previous game? Once again, MUCH better and responsive controls, AND an extra tick of health by default for your ride, be it a mine cart or a rocket barrel. There are only a couple of each types of vehicular levels in this game; again, no unnecessary repetition, and that's also one of the reasons they're so fun this time around. The game is full of glorious surprises. Such as the next part.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYZaUGBBmvx9OiecWc14scess31kPm6P7ge_Z1jNaKTNRLw3ff8gbSYaIA6XJMPKtfjEsCKZLIeus_S5ezShKpGumE8W8_uiqLOYkD9pFLB5MIW2Uk5-sX4DddScL0MojFkzm4lmhFn8/s1600/dkc_tropical_freeze_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYZaUGBBmvx9OiecWc14scess31kPm6P7ge_Z1jNaKTNRLw3ff8gbSYaIA6XJMPKtfjEsCKZLIeus_S5ezShKpGumE8W8_uiqLOYkD9pFLB5MIW2Uk5-sX4DddScL0MojFkzm4lmhFn8/s320/dkc_tropical_freeze_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're back in the water. Not that fluid, but occasionally fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This next part almost makes me cry. So I played a few levels, actually my best friend was sitting right next to me, and I went underwater for the first time. The music changes in real time, from the standard music to an underwater tune, and vice versa. While I was getting accustomed to the underwater controls, my friend noted "ah, what a familiar track - brings back memories, doesn't it?" I was like, "yeah, but they already remixed a lot of stuff in the previous game so it doesn't really surprise me". As I was listening to the track, though, I thought to myself that it really was an outstandingly beautiful remix. Then, the remixes stopped playing for an extended while, and all this new music set in. AMAZING music, which already, after the first two or three worlds, built up to the greatest video game soundtrack I've heard since the late 90's. When a fucking jaw-dropping remix of "Lockjaw's Saga", one of the greatest tunes in <i>Diddy's Kong Quest</i>, hit in an extremely creepy underwater level (just the right spot for it), it hit me. This is fucking David Wise. Not a Japanese dude covering him, all that's been playing is David Wise. It's gotta be. Is it? YES... with a few Japanese assistants, yes, but he returns as the primary composer of the game for the first time in the main series since <i>Diddy's Kong Quest</i>, and altogether as the primary composer for any major console game since GameCube's <i>Star Fox Adventures</i>. The years have done this man wonders. This is seriously the best and most memorable soundtrack in any game I've heard in a long, long while. It isn't just my admiration for Wise, or if it is, there's a reason for that admiration - and <i>Tropical Freeze</i> is a pretty damn good reason. To me, David Wise is an integral part of the true <i>Donkey Kong Country </i>experience. Now, on to the gameplay.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Family matters</i></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXrVXrn4N1w-ixGdUx-bFZn7R4VIC9196F3L3KZFEGy3GEiQAOu3zQmhtHyDCQTudeaQ4imggSG9r-j-3VstRhzchbmftvfKqp4sPZsZYpkyG9MS9t0dRWd6FXzkMyqiA1kEN92HH_I8/s1600/dkc_tropical_freeze_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqXrVXrn4N1w-ixGdUx-bFZn7R4VIC9196F3L3KZFEGy3GEiQAOu3zQmhtHyDCQTudeaQ4imggSG9r-j-3VstRhzchbmftvfKqp4sPZsZYpkyG9MS9t0dRWd6FXzkMyqiA1kEN92HH_I8/s320/dkc_tropical_freeze_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The definitely lost vikings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The basics haven't really changed, and every idea from <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i>, be it a good or an initially bad one, is rehashed - the controls are better, there's no force fed repetition. The level design is much more exciting and constantly changing, even within levels (2D to pseudo-3D in the middle of the hottest heat and vice versa, just as a quick non-spoiling example). This much I already covered. There's a lot more to it than first meets the eye, though. There are much more secrets in the game than just well-hidden jigsaw pieces, bonus rooms and KONG letters, and some secret extras that can be accessed by the acquisition of these. There are also secret exits hidden in certain levels, leading to secret levels in the worlds, the difficulty level of which varies this time - they're not all borderline impossible. There's also post-completion content in seven secret relics which will open the path to yet another "Lost World", I presume.<br />
<br />
Funky Kong runs the shop this time, and the variety of items on sale hasn't practically changed at all. You will need to buy an abundance of extra lives at some point, presumably, and luckily they're still cheap assuming you're half of an explorer - you're bound to run into loads of extra money. He sells extra figurines for your viewing pleasure, though, that's the one addition. Cranky is a playable character.<br />
<br />
And with the last sentence, we can end this review. 10 out of 10. Stay tuned for the next review.<br />
<br />
...Just kidding. Actually, Cranky isn't even that good of a partner unless you need him to collect some specific collectables. Unless you're playing with a friend, your partners once again travel piggyback. Diddy is just the same as before - he can use his jetpack to make you hover for a short time and help you over large gaps without you having to resort to your insecure forward roll. Dixie pretty much functions the same, but she can also help you make a kind of a double jump to higher ground. Cranky is basically Scrooge McDuck. Seriously, his pogo jump mechanic is identical to <i>DuckTales</i> - the newer, simplified version - and yes, you can even cross floors covered with spikes with Cranky's cane. Just like Scrooge. Every partner is a gift - but in certain situations, such as most boss fights, Cranky is useless besides the fact of bringing two more health points to the table. Too bad. We love that guy. There's just one partner available for certain levels, but usually, and always in boss fights, you can make the choice between the three yourself. I usually use Diddy all the time I can - he's the most comfortable and familiar partner to use after all that time I spent on crying and cursing through <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i>. Pressing L or R once having defeated a set amount of enemies with your partner in tow, you can unleash a special attack that destroys every enemy on the screen. Doesn't do squat to bosses, though.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gzwrpfNnID8q578VjAUVxyLsfAioK0SdyOqjWcQehT9_sKoUGEtAblgstKBCkZEv4EtvjgbYB0yswUQTyoTnENw7usufF_zzgFOn0H_OVzTCoZwZRq57a83ppMTnqmA4ajUtoLh0bXA/s1600/dkc_tropical_freeze_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gzwrpfNnID8q578VjAUVxyLsfAioK0SdyOqjWcQehT9_sKoUGEtAblgstKBCkZEv4EtvjgbYB0yswUQTyoTnENw7usufF_zzgFOn0H_OVzTCoZwZRq57a83ppMTnqmA4ajUtoLh0bXA/s320/dkc_tropical_freeze_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is no longer bullshit. I kinda like it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The boss fights are simply awesome. The previous game had a few great bosses, but here no one disappoints. Their strategies change with every bit of damage taken, they look amazing, and the tunes that serve as their themes kick ass. The final boss fight against Lord Fredrik is one of the most frustrating, but at the same time satisfying platformer bouts I've been part of in a long time, and there are definitely more than one or two solid pointers to the many vintage fights against the one and only K. Rool. It's great.<br />
<br />
If there's one flaw in this game, I'd have to go to my favourite subject of criticism in any platformer: ice. Being called <i>Tropical Freeze</i>, this game obviously has its share of icy levels... but surprisingly, those levels are fun in the challenge they provide. There's also a certain attraction to them - I think fans of <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> will love these levels in particular. But, underwater levels are not that fun, especially comparing them to the nicely flowing underwater sequences in an obvious game of comparison, <i>Rayman Legends</i>, which came out a bit before and obviously influenced this one a little in many ways. The swimming mechanic is not that good, and can turn out really frustrating, considering how many underwater levels there are in this game. None as frustrating as the rocket barrel levels in the previous one, though.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
<i>Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</i> simply does everything better than its predecessor, there's no way around it, and there's no way to describe by words how much the slightly tweaked controls, as well as the general atmosphere brought on by great music and altogether genius level design change the face of the game. Going into this game, I said something along the lines of "let's get this over with". Coming out of the game, I can easily rank <i>Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</i> one of the greatest platformers I've played since the 16-bit era.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">9.1</span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-91491381910688193142016-06-12T09:36:00.004-07:002016-06-12T09:38:39.181-07:00REVIEW - Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S):</b> Platformer</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b> <u>3DS</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S):</b> Monster Games</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S):</b> Nintendo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE:</b> May 24, 2013</span><br />
<br />
<b>Note: </b>All screenshots are from the original Wii version of the game. If <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D</i> is played in Original Mode, superficial differences between the games are minimal.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p3UJLPkOjoqqJ6kex2E90aRZPgYRN-1t7UpPw9sfx1UorMYOuDuREP_O7OVRuY1J9eAK3KyMW8iALBDrRV7HnBJCcD-elKmOMO2SiaByCZ0PYzUF2_IbwBzHfRetIeLKA5eyCx0R8P8/s1600/donkey_kong_country_returns_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9p3UJLPkOjoqqJ6kex2E90aRZPgYRN-1t7UpPw9sfx1UorMYOuDuREP_O7OVRuY1J9eAK3KyMW8iALBDrRV7HnBJCcD-elKmOMO2SiaByCZ0PYzUF2_IbwBzHfRetIeLKA5eyCx0R8P8/s320/donkey_kong_country_returns_01.png" width="320" /></a>There seriously can't be a better title to start off this new Mario & Donkey Kong marathon than a game called <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i>. The very original <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> from 1994 was the most important key reason why I truly wanted to have my own SNES system in the first place. When <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> was first announced in 2009 or so, history repeated itself; for the first time, I thought about getting a Wii. Stubborn and hostile as I was towards Nintendo at the time, and as broke as a man could be, I never really gave it a second thought. Even when the game was finally released and Retro Studios got showered with all forms of godly praise for bringing back what Rare was once forced to abandon, I refrained from actually reading any of those positive reviews. Then, I got myself a 3DS, and it was then I really noticed, that <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> had been ported to the handheld some time ago. I went to great lengths to find this game; good games for the 3DS (as well as the original DS) are surprisingly hard to find. I did find the game, though, and went at it like a hawk - I felt all of those old emotions come over me like a tidal wave. Sadly, those emotions include severe anger and deep frustration. No <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> game has ever been this full of those moments when you seriously want to kill someone. <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D</i> has some breathtakingly great moments - but it is not everything I ever hoped from this return.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Return of the swing</i></b><br />
<br />
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An ancient tribe of malicious Tikis is woken from their deep sleep by the eruption of their home volcano. They set off after the greatest treasure of Kong Island - Donkey Kong's famous banana hoard - hypnotizing the animals of the island to do their bidding. After years of peace, Donkey and Diddy Kong - who are both immune to the mass hypnosis - journey forth through the perils of Kong Island to reach the volcano and banish the creatures for good.<br />
<br />
<i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> (<i>3D</i>) is very much like a blast from the past, made with those who grew up with the original trilogy firmly in mind, but at the same time, it draws influence from more recent 2D platformers, especially in constantly breaking the 2D mold of the game with amazing 3D effects and multi-layered level designs. The original <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> trilogy was simply a marvel to behold. Rare's technology and design was something never seen before. In this day and age, the sort of jaw-dropping moments such as seeing the intro to <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> for the first time can no longer be experienced. Graphics, as such, have reached a standard very few even try to break nowadays. They're no longer <i>Donkey Kong Country</i>'s greatest draw. Now it's all about the level design. And man, <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> is one hell of a ride; there's some slightly revamped old stuff in there, and a lot of new stuff. All of which is not that fun to play. Let's focus on the part which is, though.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNRGwOfiYSdfOH67142WHBdxs2w46vjCRQ3e7OKX-jq2w4u2uKq8v2Nj-mCqrd01tLdfCipb_5sxAljBrf0kHY-vqeIBtceZveIopm360wQtKc0m66YLRpPkuQxbg3oThJnLU-03vBR4/s1600/donkey_kong_country_returns_02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNRGwOfiYSdfOH67142WHBdxs2w46vjCRQ3e7OKX-jq2w4u2uKq8v2Nj-mCqrd01tLdfCipb_5sxAljBrf0kHY-vqeIBtceZveIopm360wQtKc0m66YLRpPkuQxbg3oThJnLU-03vBR4/s320/donkey_kong_country_returns_02.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The backgrounds are not what they seem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> could might as well be called <i>Donkey Kong Country Rebooted</i> - it's very clear that this game was made by different people than the original trilogy, and it's fully understandable that Nintendo wants to really own this series again. It was more or less Rare's property back in the day, which probably made it very hard for this series to return after they were bought out by Microsoft. However, David Wise's original music remains, heavily remixed by a tight-knit group of Japanese composers. Most of it sounds pretty damn awesome, and once you reach the Factory world, you might want to turn up the volume to max; avid fans of the original <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> know that theme damn well. The music plays a surprisingly important key role in building up the game, 'cause it WILL feel weird at first. All of the classic enemies are completely ousted from the fray, DK has some strange new abilities (and he seems to have lost the ability to swim), Rambi and Squawks are the only returning animal buddies, and single players will have to live with the fact that they're going to play as the ever-so-bulky DK all along the way. Diddy - who's now DK's nephew instead of his best friend - is an irreplaceable companion as always, but he plays out very differently from before.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Monkeys in Hell</i></b><br />
<br />
Diddy travels piggyback and boosts your jumps with his jetpack; he also brings in two extra hearts of health (three, if you're playing the 3DS' New Mode). As long as the easy-going, hang-loose platformer schtick goes on, he feels like a small, useless bonus, but rest assured, the game isn't like that for very long at all and soon Diddy becomes irreplaceable. So irreplaceable, that I would almost make a claim that some levels are simply impossible to complete without Diddy's help. I know it's not the truth, but it's pretty damn close, frustratingly so. The levels do have fair checkpoints, but a little too often reaching a checkpoint means you're cut off from perhaps the only DK barrel in the whole level, whereas in most situations in the old games, a DK barrel was placed right next to a checkpoint. The returning Cranky - my man! - has a shop from where you can buy some helpful items for your reserves kind of like in <i>Super Mario Bros. 3</i>, but if you leave a level in midway to pick some item you find yourself in desperate need of, you'll have to start that level all over again, and the collectables you've already gathered from that level go back to zero; just so happens that those collectables are very often the main reason for your constant failures to complete the level.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZaYbQMis5PJ59g1JVBlma5NJ23MKeDX6Bp1yM3Ki5ySLmCrP52mj2qyanXyhrucMsVC6KkM5ODUokiGQ4bMthGWHlQRPKjWBqVhq5W3dCkSRRFjm6v1zSMswy5hkTx4ZKG7JdlP-J00/s1600/donkey_kong_country_returns_03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZaYbQMis5PJ59g1JVBlma5NJ23MKeDX6Bp1yM3Ki5ySLmCrP52mj2qyanXyhrucMsVC6KkM5ODUokiGQ4bMthGWHlQRPKjWBqVhq5W3dCkSRRFjm6v1zSMswy5hkTx4ZKG7JdlP-J00/s320/donkey_kong_country_returns_03.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The climbing mechanic's actually quite nice. Too bad any of<br />
that nice didn't rub off on some even more important <br />
mechanics.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coins are needed for shopping at Cranky's, obviously - his items are actually so cheap that you will never run out of lives to live out in this game, assuming you're not one serious speedrunner. Jigsaw pieces are littered all over the levels, some hidden in plain sight, some in secret passageways, and some in traditional bonus levels - which you'll have to complete, and in one try, to make 'em count for the 100%. Bananas are for the exact same purpose they ever were, but then come the KONG letters. If you collect every single KONG letter in all levels of a single world, you'll get to try a "Lost World"-type of bonus level, which of course is one hellish piece of work. There's also a whole world of bonus levels waiting to be visited after the completion of the game, which is the actual "Lost World". If that's not hard enough for you, and you manage to complete the hellholes of this God-forsaken place, you'll be rewarded with a hard mode, with all levels unlocked, with alternative design for you to "enjoy". <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns</i> is, for all intents and purposes, the hardest game in all of the series. Yes, even harder than <i>Diddy's Kong Quest</i>, and by far. However...<br />
<br />
If you're not too judgemental towards yourself, you can always use a Super Guide. The Super Guide mode activates every time you die eight times in a single level, and offers you a chance to automatically complete the level by watching Super Kong do it. Your most severe penance for this is not finding any collectables from that level. As long as these bypasses have existed in video games - the original Wii version of this game might be one of the first - I have heavily criticized them, but seeing what sort of trainwrecks await you in the last couple of worlds, I'm all in for the option.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Rockets set my eyes in red glare</i></b><br />
<br />
The game is at its absolute worst - in all senses of the description - during mine cart rides, which make their extremely notable return from the old games, and the new types of vehicular levels, where you'll be using a rocket-fueled barrel to navigate through tight passages, in both horizontal and vertical levels. I'm amazed I didn't mention this before, but the controls, at least in this version of the game, are not perfect. So many moves are mapped to one single button, that it's very easy to make mistakes when the game's tempo reaches 200 for every single level. The analog disc is so damn sensitive, and no, there's no option to use the digital pad for precision moves. In most of the rocket barrel levels, there's just one button for you to use: the button to fly upwards, which you'll be needing to keep balance as middle of the level as possible. That is until the hazards from all over the place set in. Then you're up shit creek. It's as simple as that. The rocket moves extremely weird; often, it feels like it ascends and descends on its own. Yep, as you might've guessed, these levels are one-hit kills. I fucking hate these levels. Just when you think you've been through the worst and there are no more of these coming, they fall like snow in February. Even the final boss fight of the game starts with a rocket barrel sequence, as I already guessed hacking through the level which I think was meant to be sold as the final one, judging by its sky-high difficulty. (And one level which I totally Super Guided, with no remorse.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVqIG0BuEjpNVxhlZm3c3zvFaC5Xj7KTsMh-YfpyTgKXbPcOoR-Haq07RrrQtpSrB1fGDFGu9iXO5yrbH5-8lbWwyYNv5fPHeIkeEYOSlwM0ZMivS4unwEUKmIODEmCaJDKqxWZL2-P0/s1600/donkey_kong_country_returns_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVqIG0BuEjpNVxhlZm3c3zvFaC5Xj7KTsMh-YfpyTgKXbPcOoR-Haq07RrrQtpSrB1fGDFGu9iXO5yrbH5-8lbWwyYNv5fPHeIkeEYOSlwM0ZMivS4unwEUKmIODEmCaJDKqxWZL2-P0/s320/donkey_kong_country_returns_04.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is bullshit, bullshit, BULLSHIT! ...And I don't like it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Two more serious flaws remain, and these are also gameplay issues that get worse as time and levels go by. Like I said, there are many moves assigned to a single button (Y), and of course one of them is the ability to dash. Well, let's say DISability. One of the basic core elements of just about any platformer ever made is complete fluff in this here game. After starting up the dash with a roll, DK takes a few running steps, and returns to a speed just barely above his walking speed until you roll again. Most levels that mandate the involvement of Rambi are even worse; these levels require a consistently fast speed, and Rambi can only dash when you tap the Y button at well-timed key points to slap his ass (literally) to make him take a few running steps. Having Diddy along doesn't help Rambi with running jumps at all, since he's too heavy for Diddy's jetpack to carry anywhere beyond his normal jumping distance. In short, the game borders on impossible to keep up with, the tempo gets that damn crazy after the first couple of worlds.<br />
<br />
Then, the final flaw - trial and error. There's a lot of that involved here, again many thanks to the tempo, but there's also a graphical issue, which blurs the line between a static background object and a solid obstacle a bit too often. Playing the game with the 3D graphics set to minimum helps a little, but not much in the more difficult levels where there's much happening as it is, all kinds of shit's flying all over the place, and you're fully focused on mere survival like in the rocket barrel levels. Once again, a short version: <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D</i> is the hardest game in the franchise, but all of its difficulty does not stem from the proper place.<br />
<br />
<b>VERDICT</b><br />
<br />
Although it makes you feel quite homicidal, <i>Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D</i> has a sweet purpose behind it. I would very much like to try the original game, 'cause I believe a lot of the issues I had with this experience come from the fact that it's a hectic, non-stop platformer on a handheld system, and my eyes and hands are both 32 years old. I'll have to see how <i>Tropical Freeze</i> checks out, and if it supports this theory at all. Anyway, this is a good game. Not quite what I expected after almost 20 years, but it has lots of entertaining moments and a great atmosphere.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">7.7</span></b>Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-77947544667069725672016-06-12T04:07:00.000-07:002016-06-12T04:07:37.172-07:00Mario vs. Donkey Kong: The 35th Anniversary Marathon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW15kJTC34F4ZoTKtPE1npySGA5auTRHV-BqYlvaVQlx4UCD8Szrn6dZT1Fuu81HHVF5nkpeHvpd-sE3caVLOkNY0luDNXsuqDTp13rcQCutbgoWK7Er9CAHPdbFZVREBL2teywPPxa0/s1600/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzW15kJTC34F4ZoTKtPE1npySGA5auTRHV-BqYlvaVQlx4UCD8Szrn6dZT1Fuu81HHVF5nkpeHvpd-sE3caVLOkNY0luDNXsuqDTp13rcQCutbgoWK7Er9CAHPdbFZVREBL2teywPPxa0/s320/Mario_vs._Donkey_Kong_logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Yes, you read quite right. Last time, I was talking about returning to the roots... well, let's up the ante a little. I'm returning to the two franchises where I started from back in 2010, for two simple reasons. One, come July 9th, the original <i>Donkey Kong</i> arcade game created by Shigeru Miyamoto turns 35. Second, I've played a lot of Mario and Donkey Kong games lately, with my quite recent acquisition of the Nintendo 3DS and the even more recent acquisition of the Wii U. 35 years, with both main characters of <i>Donkey Kong</i> still very much alive and kicking (though mostly in their own separate divisions nowadays) - that's a LONG time, and me, a Nintendo kid and retro gamer to the core cannot leave this celebration unnoticed. Of course, most retro games in these franchises were already covered a long time ago - it's time to focus on some choice efforts from the last 16 years. I'm very excited to return to these two long-standing favourites of mine and see how the years have treated them during my time apart from Nintendo.<br />
<br />
With luck, the marathon starts tonight. With almost as much luck, it starts tomorrow night, and will last until July 9th (give or take, June 28-July 8 is a busy time for me), and it is then I will write a bit more definitive speech for modern gaming's eldest arch rivals and the celebration of their big day.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-68705260796030559532016-06-07T05:41:00.001-07:002016-06-07T05:43:57.826-07:00Health issues, new systems and general jib-jab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhzIKVScuDEG1FI4Acokf_s-VnCU9cxbTvvEO-xFmL6k4laIpd3SUeeb358E2KtvappOigDPLk-kqRU0_2Jb11_6Tet_1GVlmMDtRHhYrjHEqswq4bLpK9Oef61xkeJ0G243DAnFidok/s1600/13240656_10154259200839345_1271821856872261525_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhzIKVScuDEG1FI4Acokf_s-VnCU9cxbTvvEO-xFmL6k4laIpd3SUeeb358E2KtvappOigDPLk-kqRU0_2Jb11_6Tet_1GVlmMDtRHhYrjHEqswq4bLpK9Oef61xkeJ0G243DAnFidok/s320/13240656_10154259200839345_1271821856872261525_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Five of my newest reviews - and my first public ones in almost two years - have been online for some time now, and I'm working on the next bulk as I speak, but first I'd like to tell you a little about what's been going on these past two years. So, I originally quit - without close to any notice - because I had kinda lost faith in my talent, and not only that, but I was really busy at work and preoccupied by all kinds of other stuff. That "other stuff" soon turned out to be a whole array of symptoms related to manic depression. I was officially diagnosed in the fall of last year, and this bitch I was dating at the time took full advantage of my mental condition and made my life a living hell for a few months. Things came to a close when I finally got this new apartment of mine after months of trying - one month without a home altogether - and with her out of the picture, I could focus on the main problem; my psyche.<br />
<br />
You could say I've returned to the roots of this whole blog - I started this whole thing back in 2010 to vent out my frustration, it was therapy of sorts. However, now I'm also doing this because I've been told I'm good at this, and simply because I like it. Now that I live further away from any downtown temptations, I've been able to save up some money, and my hobby of game collecting has grown to some epic, borderline ridiculous proportions. With that, I am proud to welcome three new systems to the fold: the <b>Wii</b>, the <b>Wii U</b> and the <b>Nintendo 3DS</b>. Yes, after all my harsh words towards the Wii family in particular, I've finally jumped on the wagon, and found some AWESOME games along the way. Thanks to the Virtual Console services and the 3DS' seamless backwards compatibility with all versions of all Nintendo DS games, I am able to produce reviews of just about anything one could possibly think up. There were Nintendo DS reviews before, but I dared not review anything truly good without having a genuine DS system for my gaming platform. ...And yes, this means Mario is coming back at some point, and this time there might actually be some masterpieces left to review. Even reviewing the <i>Metroid Prime</i> series is now a very solid possibility, now that I've finally broken out of my FPS-hating shell, and now that my mind is generally open to just about everything. Oh yeah, and before I forget: last Christmas I got myself the best Christmas present I could ever get myself, in a new SNES system. I've already bought about twenty games for it, I simply love that machine - it seems like the ten years I spent without a SNES never happened. After all, I have two of the most important games of my former SNES collection - <i>Chrono Trigger</i> on the Nintendo DS (best version of the game, by the way) and <i>Super Mario RPG</i> on Virtual Console. My physical SNES collection includes gems such as <i>Secret of Mana</i>, <i>Super Metroid</i>, <i>Super Castlevania IV</i>, the whole of the original <i>Donkey Kong Country</i> trilogy, <i>SimCity</i>, <i>F-Zero</i> and whatnot. Let's just say that I've often cursed at the games I've sold at some point of my life - there aren't many of those left. I might still be struggling with manic depression, but as far as my favourite hobby goes, I'm quite happy with how things are at the moment.<br />
<br />
As for the next reviews, I really can't determine a schedule. I'm on vacation right now, sure, but it's a very short one and I thought to take care of some more important business as far as this blog goes, and that, I think, is the layout. I'm also down with pneumonia - or rather the aftermath - which requires me to keep up a steady resting rhythm. Also, I'm moving to a new workplace next Monday, and I'm kinda stressed out by that - mostly in a good way. Anyway, reviews are coming, and once again, I think it's gonna be a blast with some choice cuts from Wii U and 3DS included. Classic Wii games will have to wait for some time, since I don't have a remote/nunchaku combo just yet, but they are coming too, sure as shit.Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8040562362883951351.post-46634281323426052532016-06-02T04:18:00.002-07:002016-06-02T04:35:14.167-07:00REVIEW - Dishonored<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f6wYeVmSe93oUGFFTFL4fuwelNCZ01fE4aflhXzy0EdJqSGG9cKziW35s49dniOrHoQscT9zaY9oAUEoZPSoB02mKDqzXzdstAhTkDJJmYACv2UFbAgq1xDpq3PXYPT2W03bFLI_loQ/s1600/dishonored_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7f6wYeVmSe93oUGFFTFL4fuwelNCZ01fE4aflhXzy0EdJqSGG9cKziW35s49dniOrHoQscT9zaY9oAUEoZPSoB02mKDqzXzdstAhTkDJJmYACv2UFbAgq1xDpq3PXYPT2W03bFLI_loQ/s320/dishonored_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>GENRE(S): </b>Action-adventure,
Stealth</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>AVAILABLE ON: </b><u>PlayStation
3</u>, Windows, Xbox 360</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>DEVELOPER(S): </b>Arkane
Studios</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>PUBLISHER(S): </b>Bethesda
Softworks</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RELEASE DATE: </b>October
9, 2012</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Arkane Studios' work on their greatest hit – back then, just a
handful of hope for the struggling studio – began in 2009, which
was to be the year of the assassin adventure; in the end of the year,
Ubisoft launched the mother of all sequels in <i>Assassin's Creed II</i>. A
niche was getting set up, which might be one of the key reasons to
ZeniMax Media reaching towards Arkane Studios and buying it in hopes
for a different, yet just as groundbreaking tale of murder and
conspiracy to be released under the oh, so fabled Bethesda Softworks
banner. By the time <i>Dishonored</i> finally came out in 2012, the niche
had gotten much bigger, it was all but perfect for a new stealth
action IP. <i>Assassin's Creed</i> was no longer at the top of its
popularity, but waned just the right amount for a new game to come
collect its remaining harvest. Released almost a year before, <i>Skyrim</i>
smothered the Bethesda Softworks logo in molten gold, and still
continued to flourish, as fans all around the world were eagerly
anticipating the arrival of the third and final add-on, the
magnificent <i>Dragonborn</i>. There couldn't have been better circumstances
for <i>Dishonored</i> to hit the shelves, and for a completely new game, it
sold well. It was loved by critics and gamers alike, and hailed by
many as one of the greatest new franchises of the century, the
perfect mix of a stealth-based action-adventure and a Bethesda RPG,
but never to my account, a real masterpiece. I don't remember anyone
ever giving it a straight perfect review. That figures. <i>Dishonored</i> is
not a perfect game. What <i>Dishonored</i> is, though, is a good start.<br />
<br />
<i style="text-align: start;"><b>Requiescat in Pace, or don't</b></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We're in 17<sup>th</sup> century England, a very industrialized and
very fictional one. Empress Kaldwin's personal bodyguard Corvo Attano
– a quite intimidating, soft-spoken guy with supernatural talents –
returns home from a long journey, only to be brutally framed for his
liege's (and lover's) murder, as well as her daughter Emily's
abduction, by the Empress' spymaster and his hired help. Six months
later, on the eve of his execution, Corvo escapes prison with the
help of a group of imperial loyalists operating on the far outskirts
of the city of Dunwall. With these loyalists at his back, Corvo
starts picking off the spymaster's – now Lord Regent – cohorts
one at a time, and aims to rescue Emily from her real captors in the
process.</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-style: italic; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIk5Ktr7biF5HmROeiwB5q38P31PTaTiYt-YYgr4oe3CKAY6TGub-3tD8ukgF_lZ7WNkjcozwhWWg2TBdxUOCBZ4_pE3FCX6aF8znIH3-0_OrzJ4ofFYD52nbRPYzd9eIKaq2bjuMJWM4/s1600/dishonored_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIk5Ktr7biF5HmROeiwB5q38P31PTaTiYt-YYgr4oe3CKAY6TGub-3tD8ukgF_lZ7WNkjcozwhWWg2TBdxUOCBZ4_pE3FCX6aF8znIH3-0_OrzJ4ofFYD52nbRPYzd9eIKaq2bjuMJWM4/s320/dishonored_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Dear sir, I do believe you're getting fucked.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>
Dishonored</i> has a very interesting story, that I personally think goes
to waste, just a bit, in a comic book environment. Got to keep in
mind, though, that this game is really, really violent. It's not all
that more or less violent than <i>Assassin's Creed</i> was at this point,
but it's a first-person game, so it's a bit different; photorealism
might've seriously pissed censors off. The first-person perspective
threw me off a little too, at first. It's a challenging perspective
for me as it is, but a stealth game? That's serious shit. It's
surprisingly adaptable once you get over it. The stereo surround is
awesome, it's one of your greatest tactical advantages. Many stealth-
or stealth-oriented games tend to have problems with distancing
chatter or footsteps properly, <i>Dishonored</i> does it just right.
Headphones, or some really juicy home theater set-up are recommended
for this one. To further praise the sound department, the music's
quite OK, and we have talented voice actors we ALL know placing their
bids here – Susan Sarandon, Lena Headey, Michael Madsen, Carrie
Fisher, and Brad Dourif, for starters.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><b>Double, double toil
and trouble</b></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>
Dishonored</i> actually has much more in common with <i>Metal Gear Solid</i>
than it has with <i>Assassin's Creed</i>, IF it can really be compared to
any earlier game in existence; it really is a rare game of its very
own kind. So, let's just leave any comparisons to any game that came
before out right now, and just concentrate on the distinguishing
features of <i>Dishonored</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_9rohqNOtXVb7k6ufIVivcO9CHvVWleSZ8MRDJqJhd1Tvn5NBkbp6CqBU1ebr6bJmFgcjSeyCVrAw3rCKI72f_S28NS9evInUPnNLG3Rry5qtrFslFtqRAWapG4zyZFve2CZsZEk-Mw/s1600/dishonored_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt_9rohqNOtXVb7k6ufIVivcO9CHvVWleSZ8MRDJqJhd1Tvn5NBkbp6CqBU1ebr6bJmFgcjSeyCVrAw3rCKI72f_S28NS9evInUPnNLG3Rry5qtrFslFtqRAWapG4zyZFve2CZsZEk-Mw/s320/dishonored_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And down he goes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>
Dishonored</i> is cut into 16 distinct chapters, 9 of which are your
primary missions and the rest are more or less tutorials or small
quests that work towards the story. During these missions, you'll be
visiting different parts of Dunwall, very often the same parts, but
not without some significant changes, always for the worse – and
side missions are always designed to accommodate a specific main
mission, so if you're gonna do them, do them right away. As to why
<i>Dishonored</i> has more in common with <i>Metal Gear Solid</i> than <i>Assassin's
Creed</i>, is that in <i>Assassin's Creed</i>, the only true solution to any
situation or major confrontation is a knife to the neck. It's just
the approach you can decide for yourself. In <i>Dishonored</i>, you can
decide most of everything for yourself. You don't have to kill any of
the guys and gals on your list, you can go for an indirect approach
to make sure no one hears or sees them again. Such as utterly
humiliating them; humiliation has no cure in this fancy-ass town
ruled by self-important dicks. Or, if you necessarily want them dead,
but are tired or bored of sneaking behind their backs and venting
their necks with your blade, very often you can find an alternative,
more difficult but rewarding method. The side missions in the game
very often give you clues to some really cool assassination plans,
and it's really hard to resist trying them out.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To effectively sneak around in this severely plagued police state,
Corvo has a wide array of gadgets and supernatural talents granted to
him by a spirit of an intentionally vague alignment; he's kinda there
to remind you of your own alignment and the ending you're going to
receive for your actions. No need to browse through them all, but a
few examples would be nice. You can possess rats (which there are
plenty of, I can assure you, and all the more if you keep icing
folk), bloodhounds and fish (really) to access certain types of path-
and entryways. At a more advanced level of this ability, you can also
possess regular enemy soldiers. You can't do anything to directly
harm anyone – except push them off cliffs by just walking into
them, that's fun (not to mention walking off a cliff yourself) –
but this is a standout method to get closer to any enemy that's
actually your target, including main mission targets. Your basic
method of stealth movement is a teleportation ability you'll gain
almost immediately after the first mission of the game, it's a real
diverse hoot once you learn to use it properly and to great effect.
Of course, as in any self-respecting game nowadays, you can hack all
sorts of enemy equipment to function for your cause with the Rewire
Tool. Finally, I guess I'll mention Thief Vision, which allows you to
track enemy movement behind walls. So, it's kind of like Batman's
Detective Mode, only you can use this for a very limited period of
time and it really isn't quite that useful. Oops, a comparison.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMswKHTNzRO53SdL_aGq68csSVpto4pU5FCM_9gxImlfMvqd63rdWDoup8742A8RStpeJ0MrWnQUpEfvQv-Ns2-51y9ohsX7KCvS8L2GtEENgRM3zjylIujB1oDf4fwZjsBJBA0t2-OY/s1600/dishonored_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMswKHTNzRO53SdL_aGq68csSVpto4pU5FCM_9gxImlfMvqd63rdWDoup8742A8RStpeJ0MrWnQUpEfvQv-Ns2-51y9ohsX7KCvS8L2GtEENgRM3zjylIujB1oDf4fwZjsBJBA0t2-OY/s320/dishonored_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ouch. That'll leave a mark.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last, I'll speak of what's left in the levels besides the missions
and side missions, what makes them last for hours. Well collectables,
of course, and not just any dolls or statues that reward you with a
warm soul and a Trophy, but really important stuff; Runes to upgrade
your abilities with, and Bone Charms, role-playing accessories which
allow you to augment yourself with multiple passive abilities and
perks. As the game developers practically encourage you to survive
this game without improving on your default abilities too much, the
Bone Charms are not all that essential to your success, the augments
are not really that awesome, but they can be of surprisingly great
help from time to time. To find these collectables in each stage of
each level, you have a ”sonar” called Heart... which, actually,
is literally a still beating human heart. Nice to have one in your
pocket on these long trips, huh.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<i>
Dishonored</i> is full of good, innovative ideas, but their execution is
very rough-edged, very clanky at times. The gameplay never quite
leaps the expected standards of the publisher or the genre. Close
combat is somewhat clumsy, ranged combat has somewhat random
registration, and the radial menu for the abilities and weapons is a
complete fucking nightmare at its worst. Instead of the ability you
pick, the game very often picks another one. Let's say you pick Blink
to teleport right behind an unsuspecting guard to stab him in the
neck, and when you use it, you notice that well, the game didn't like
your choice and chose a hand grenade to throw at the guard and
perhaps kill him, but also alert every damn guard in the vicinity.
Like I said, a fucking nightmare. Always double-check.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>VERDICT</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>
Dishonored</i>'s flaws might be few, but it's a fairly lengthy game, and
these problems, few as they are, follow the trail from the beginning
to the very end, only getting worse with time and difficulty. It's
not a stellar game as far as gameplay is concerned, but it has so
much great ideas, a whole new, such great take on the stealth action
genre, and such a good story to it, that it really should not be
ignored by anyone. Not with a sequel on the way.</div>
<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8.4</span></b></div>
Kuzpohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02734723579204039666noreply@blogger.com0