February marks the release of a new console! Yay! Otherwise there are: 5 3DS releases, 1 standard DS release, 1 Wii release, 4 PS3 releases and 6 Mutliplatform releases. No 360, PC or PSP exclusives on the list, surprising no one.
So read on and see what’s coming out!
Note: this doesn’t include shovelware or games that we all known will suck, but rather gamse I think are noteworthy for whatever reason, may it be because they’ll be popular, or that I’m personally interested in.
PLAYSTATION VITA
(02/15 for the “first edition” package and 02/22 for the “boring package that only has the system and power cable”)
Sony is starting up on the next generation of gaming with their answer to Nintendo’s “currently kicking all sorts of ass worldwide” 3DS, the Playstation Vita (which is currently selling worse and worse every week in Japan, but I do hope that changes). It’s basically a HUGE upgrade to the PSP. Better graphics and processing, beautiful badass screen of awesome awesomeness, second analog stick, touch screen, back touch pad (I’m currently not convinced about it, but trying it out could change my mind… and yes, it’s a touch PAD, not a touch SCREEN as so many people have been saying), better standard media (carts/cards > discs, especially for handhelds)… The only big downfalls so far is the overpriced memory cards (I see no reason for Sony not using SD other than “we wanna make slightly more money”), the lack of a memory card coming standard with the console (some games REQUIRE a memory card to even play at all, why the heck isn’t there a 256MB card included or something just for saving?), and the high-ish price of the console… but, then again, I paid 250$ for a launch 3DS so… it could have been worse. This seems like a console with a LOT of potential, and I hope that potential is reached, rather than completely squandered like the PSP was.
As for games… there aren’t a lot of launch games worth mentioning really… Seriously, the launch lineup is almost as good as the 3DS’, there’s barely anything there. The only title I want at launch is Gravity Rush, and that’s STILL not clear if it’s actually a launch title (it seems not even Sony knows, despite the game coming out on Feb. 9 in japan and at launch in Europe… what’s the hold up on a release date guys?)… and maybe Army Corps of Hell. Here’s the currently known launch title list (that I can find…), which I hope Gravity Rush will join:
Escape Plan (PSN Only) (hopefully there’s a demo, that has potential, maybe)
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
Hustle Kings (PSN Only)
Little Deviants (only game I’m 100% sure of getting in here… since it comes with the first edition package… otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten it)
ModNation Racers: Road Trip (a modern racing game with no online racing… epic fail, especially for a game that should thrive so much on community involvement)
Super StarDust Delta (PSN only)
UNCHARTED: Golden Abyss (it’s gonna be a dumbed-down version of a sub-par cover-based TPS… interest=zero)
wipEout 2048
Army Corps of Hell (potentially interesting, kinda like Pikmin meets DMC meets Brutal Legends)
Asphalt Injection
BEN10 GALACTIC RACING
Blazblue: Continuum Shift EXTEND
Dungeon Hunter Alliance
Dynasty Warriors Next
F1 2011
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer
Lumines Electronic Symphony
Michael Jackson The Experience
Plants vs. Zombies (PSN Only) (you HAVE to have a version of this on something already, right?)
Rayman Origins (the console version was bad (it looked nice though so that’s…. something), so my expectations are low on this one)
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen
Tales of Space: Mutant Blobs (PSN Only)
Touch My Katamari
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (rather pointless due to it being the same price as the console version… kinda like SSFIV3D)
Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition
MULTIPLATFORM RELEASES
The Darkness 2 02/07 (PC, PS3, 360)
The first “The Darkness” sucked. Yeah they tried something new with the Darkness, a weird creature that attached itself to the main character or whatever, but in the end it was just a sub-standard FPS. I’m expecting much of the same here, though I will give the demo a try.
Shank 2 02/07 (PC(?), PS3, 360)
The first Shank was a very solid game. Some things weren’t that great, like the “parkour”-like segments which were just boring, but the combat was fun and fast paced, and the boss battles were pretty entertaining (and especially fun when you managed to kill a boss without getting hit). I think Shank 2 will be just as good, but less “wow factor” unless they add a lot of new gameplay elements.
Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning 02/07 (PC, PS3, 360)
The demo felt a bit boring, but maybe the part the demo showed was the boring part of the game… It seems to have potential, but it feels quite button-mashy (like, as soon as you hit an enemy and make it fall down, just mash the attack button and win). Might be interesting for Western RPG fans, but not one I’m looking forward to myself.
Asura’s Wrath 02/21 (PS3, 360)
This game sucks. Why? QTEs! Seriously, the demo was basically QTE-only, any other gameplay actually has QTEs embedded into it (blocking/returning missiles, for example) and was only meant to build up a meter to get to QTEs. The gameplay, as far as the demo goes, is fricken boring, since QTEs just plain suck no matter what (it’s lazy on the dev’s side and not fun for the player). But I still really want to rent it, because the cinematics are completely crazy and awesome… Seriously, the second part of the demo is so crazy awesome, I want to rent it just to see how much more crazy it gets, that just looked so cool. If only the gameplay lived up to the awesome cinematics and visuals…
Syndicate 02/21 (PC, PS3, 360)
I’ve only seen videos for this a few minutes ago, wondering what all the hype was about (at least on news sites like Kotaku). And… well, it’s an FPS with nothing special (as far as I can tell)… I may be wrong, but what I’ve seen looks very sub-standard. The gameplay videos I just watch make it look really boring, like most modern FPS. “You can increase certain meters with adrenaline, by going in the middle of the action!!” the guy said, and then the meters went up while he was behind cover not going anywhere near the action… fail. (NOTE: I’m not familiar with the original Syndicate so that may not help… but it’s a completely different genre so… whatever, I’m guessing fans of the original are PISSED, just like X-com fans)
SSX 02/28 (PS3, 360)
It’s SSX…. The graphics look great and the gameplay will probably be pretty good. It’s not a series I ever really played, but I’m sure this is gonna be an enjoyable one nonetheless… Heck, I’ve seen videos and it actually looks really cool. A rental for me (at least for now), but this should be good.
Binary Domain 02/28 (PS3, 360)
I have no idea what this is, it’s just on there because Dave asked me to put it here. The only video I’ve seen it looked like a fairly standard TPS… Not really sure about this, but I’ll check it out when Dave buys it.
NINTENDO 3DS RELEASES
Resident Evil Revelations 02/07
RE isn’t a series I’m very interested in. Basically a series of games I have more fun watching someone play through than play myself. I’ve seen a couple videos and information about this game, and it looks like it could actually be very solid. The plot sounds interesting (as far as RE plots go) and the gameplay looks solid. Not a game I’m terribly interested in, but one I think fans will enjoy.
Demo impressions: Okay, I played the demo, and it’s actually really good. I mean, DAMN good. It looks really fun. It feels a lot like the original series, with the shooting/movement mechanics from RE4. Seems great really. Potentially a must have for the RE fan I’ll say.
Tales of the Abyss 02/14
I haven’t played much of the PS2 version of this, but I do remember not enjoying it much. Maybe I was just stupid at the time, I wouldn’t know, but I am interested at giving it another chance… Eventually, when I’m playing fewer RPGs.
Tekken 3D: Prime Edition 02/14
Prime Edition? What does that even mean? Anyways…. it’s Tekken. Not a fighting game series I’m particularly fond of. I just can’t get into it at all… I think it’s the whole “3D fighter” genre that doesn’t work for me, as I’m also not a fan DoA and Virtua Fighter (with the only exception being SoulCalibur). So yeah, this is gonna be Tekken, and it’s gonna come with a 3D Tekken movie. Not much more to say here, if you’re a fan of the series you’ll probably enjoy it.
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D 02/21
I don’t even see a point to this… wasn’t there recently an HD version released in a package? Might as well get that for probably the same price since there’s more games… Unless there’s something really different here minus the fairly pointless 3D visuals… I’d say don’t bother. Heck, if you want to play it on a handheld… the Vita is gonna get its own version of the HD remake so… yeah.
Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure 02/28
Some weird rhythm game that… looks sort of fun actually. The basic gameplay seems pretty simple, where you press buttons/tap the touch screen/move the system around when prompted, QTE-style, but the visuals are really interesting (almost Ouendan-like), and there’s multiple gameplay styles… it seems like it could be pretty cool. It’s just a rental for me though, since it’s largely QTE-like.
PLAYSTATION 3 RELEASES
Jak and Daxter Collection 02/07
I’ve actually never played a Jak and Daxter game.. I did play Daxter on the PSP (and only a little bit of it), but that’s really it, and I barely remember it… so I have no idea what this particular collection will be like… So yeah, nothing for me to say here.
The House of the Dead III 02/07
(not finding a boxart for this)
Didn’t the Wii get a version of this? … Yeah, it did, and it was in a package that had 2 as well… Not sure why this particular release doesn’t… Anyways… it’s House of the Dead, so obviously it’s gonna be entertaining. Just not sure how worthwhile this is since the Wii has a version with an extra game…
Twisted Metal 02/14
This looks pretty cool. It’s been a while since the last console Twisted Metal game, and this seems to add a few things to the formula and it looks quite fun to play overall. I’ll rent it since I’m not too sure about it, but it does seem very interesting.
Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 02/28
Wait what? Already? huh…. Maybe I should finish the first one (which is a very solid and fun RPG, by the way) some time soon before getting to this one… The original was a fun but repetitive and rather easy RPG, but it gave me good laughs and could pretty easily be really good if a few modifications are made to the base gameplay.
Actually, this one seems to completely change the gameplay, seeming to have similar to Phantom Brave and Makai Kingdom rather thanHyperdimension Neptunia… Interesting.
NINTENDO DS RELEASES
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 02/28
Not a sub-series I’m familiar with, since I missed the original DS game AND the 3DS remake of the original, so there’s not much I can say here… Yeah, I’ll stop here.
WII RELEASES
Rhythm Heaven Fever 02/13
The DS game, Rhythm Heaven, was fantastic. The gameplay was simple with 3 actions (touch the screen, DON’T touch the screen and swipe the screen) which affected the animations on the top screen, where you basically had to mimic something or follow a certain rhythm or do different things depending on instructions given by the characters. The gameplay was actually very fun and quite exciting, especially as the rhythm went faster and faster and the patterns mixed became more complicated… But I’m not too sure how well this will work on Wii… I’ll rent it.
Hopefully this ends up being a bit more insightful than other posts I’ve seen like this… Where all that was said about most games was “The graphics look good!”… yeah, but what about the game itself? Give some detail about why you’re hyped about a game, dammit!
So let’s go! (and yes, I’m being incredibly cheap and lazy, not including any images here, w00!)
Multiplatform
Asura’s Wrath
Not a game I’m really that hyped about yet, because most of the gameplay footage I’ve seen has been QTEs, which is the laziest/lamest gameplay element ever. But it IS a Capcom action game in the DMC mold, so I’m willing to give it a chance. And there’s a demo coming tomorrow, so… yeah, we’ll see. What I’ve seen does have potential, but I hope it doesn’t overuse QTEs like it seemed to in the videos I’ve seen.
Street Fighter X Tekken
This actually looks like a very solid fighting game. There may be a bit too many systems in place here (cross arts, cross rush, switch cancel, cross assault, EX attacks, stat-modifying gems, pandora mode… and I’m probably missing some), but it does look like it’s going to be fun to play, and I’m interested in seeing how the Tekken characters will play in the SF universe. I’ll rent it first, but I think this has some very good potential.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
FFXIII gets mostly unwarranted hate from… just about everyone really. The sequel will hopefully fix some things people weren’t happy about (linearity, lack of towns, Hope, Sazh… 2 of those which are stupid complaints (hint: Hope and Sazh are the valid complaints)) such as not cramming all the side-quests and exploration in one part late in the game (which was actually very fun). Seems to be keeping mostly the same solid fighting system with some modifications which I hope won’t ruin it (see: QTEs), some cool new elements (monster taming!) and it fixes some things (now you can switch leaders in battle, and you only lose when all your human characters die, rather than just the leader). If the modifications are substantial enough (there’s a lot more that I didn’t mention), it could end up being a really good game, rather than a mildly flawed good game 
Ninja Gaiden 3
The latest NG entry, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, sucked ass (basically boiling down to a God of War style button masher rather than a strategic action game like the “original” Ninja Gaiden on Xbox), but I have hope that this one will actually be good again. I do find that they’re putting too much emphasis on the blood and gore when they’re talking about it, but maybe the gameplay won’t suffer from them concentrating too much on something pointless. I’m only hyped enough to rent it due to the previous game in the series being ass, but it should be an interesting rental nonetheless.
Armored Core V
The Armored Core series isn’t one I’m terribly familiar with, but I did enjoy For Answer, and this one seems quite solid from what I’ve heard so far, with tons of robot customization options and a solid new online feature, like where one player seems to play as a “commander” of sorts. Another rental for me, but AC fans will love this for sure. It’s also one I definitely want to give a try.
Devil May Cry HD Collection
Obviously this is gonna kick ass. 2 of the best action games ever (DMC and DMC3) in one package! And their adopted brother, DMC2, is also included.The graphical update seems very minor from what I’ve seen, but maybe it’s gonna be a bit more obvious once I see it for real. I’m pretty hyped for this, and hey, I’ll be able to give DMC2 a fairer chance, maybe it’s not as bad as I remember.
Borderlands 2
FUCK YEAH! I FREAKING LOVE BORDERLANDS. Seriously, it’s so much fun. The blend of FPS and Diablo just works so well. There are a few things I hope the sequel enhances, like making more weapons really strong (in the first, it seemed like, no matter what, revolvers always ended up being better than everything else for me) and maybe a bit more quest variety. New character classes is great (how can one not want to play as a “Gunzerker”?), new weapons is also really cool (specifically the chaingun that shoots rockets… seriously!) and they’re adding weapon customization (which I was disappointed when it wasn’t included in the first) so that’s awesome. Not only that but many elements are being completely revamped, like artifacts (which were a bit bland in the original). The lists of updates I’ve seen make it look like it may feel like a completely different game from the first. I cannot fucking wait!
Anarchy Reigns
A multiplayer (or so it seems) 3D beat ‘em up made by Platinum Games… That’s enough to hype me up. I’m being a bit wary of it since some gameplay vids I watched seemed rather boring (BUUUUT those particular videos were played by gaming journalists, who are frequently not terribly competent gamers… or competent ANYTHING really). I certainly hope for a demo, but it does seem like it’s going to be a fun game (I just hope it doesn’t concentrate too much on the multiplayer aspect… you know, just in case the PSN or XBL end up getting shut down for 1+ month again ).
Bioshock Infinite
I didn’t really like Bioshock. Not that it’s bad at all, I can certainly see why people loved it and I appreciate what it was going for, but it didn’t really strike a chord with me. Bioshock 2 was trash though… Bioshock Infinite, however, looks very good. There seems to be a lot of high-on-action moments, especially using those weird rail things you can travel on, and the use of a partner with supernatural powers to change the world around does have a lot of potential which I really hope will be exploited properly on a gameplay standpoint and not just in cinematics/story moments. I think this is a rental for me though, since FPS games that I’m hyped for have a tendency to be terrible. I hope not, but I’m not taking chances.
DmC: Devil May Cry (lol)
Yeah, I’m convinced this game will be bad, but I still want to play it… probably due to me being a DMC fan. It’s not that hard to figure out that it’s really likely to suck… it’s made by Ninja Theory, who have yet to make anything even close to decent, and it looks really bad in gameplay videos if you compare it to any other DMC game. The action just looks so slow, clunky and sluggish, not helped by the low framerate… it just doesn’t feel like I’m watching DMC gameplay at all (not to mention the “alternate reality” thing where Dante isn’t really Dante at all and the setting is very… not DMC-ish). So I’m pretty sure this will end up sucking, but, for the most part, I’ll be renting it just to confirm that. And, if it does end up being good somehow, I’ll just have another DMC game to buy.
Lollipop Chainsaw
I’m getting tired of zombies. Everyone is. But one thing I’m most definitely NOT tired of is cheerleaders going around killing zombies (or anything reallly) with a huge chainsaw, making them spray rainbow blood. Oh, and it’s being made by Suda51 so… I’m getting it for the crazyness factor really… As if the awesome title wasn’t enough to make me want to get it.
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
Not really sure about that one yet since we haven’t seen much of the secretly-cancelled-and-then-secretly-taken-over-by-Platinum-Games game after Platinum Games took over (remaking the whole gameplay engine)… but the fact that Platinum Games took over at all is very interesting. I can’t wait to see/hear more about this particular project. It looks like it could be really fun, the little gameplay we’ve seen looks really solid.
Skullgirls
A fun little project by a few random gamers (and getting published by Konami). It’s a fighting game that uses anime-style graphics to display a bunch of really strange female characters, all with their own quirks either visually or gameplay-wise (like Ms. Fortune who can take off her head and control it individually from her body). This looks like it could be a really fun game, and there’s a lot of really cool systems in place to make it easy to play and as balanced as possible (for example, if someone is doing an infinite, the game recognizes that and the infinite can get ended with a single button press by the “victim”). And it’s developed by a solid competitive fighting game player, Mike Z (whom I know for having a badass Tager in BlazBlue), so I think the fighting engine will be very solid.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2
Episode 1 was fantastic. It doesn’t have the same great level design and overall polish as Sonic Generations, but it was still a very well-made game. Here they’re fixing the “not actually broken if you play the game normally but people stupidly complained about it anyways” physics from the first episode (seriously, ALL the complaints about the physics in Episode 1 are 100% impossible to find in normal gameplay, you HAVE to be looking for it),and to top it off Tails is gonna be here and Metal Sonic makes a comeback. This seems like it should be great. Yeah, probably gonna be the third good Sonic game this generation (3 great Sonic games in 1 post-Genesis generation? That’s pretty amazing ).
Zone of the Enders HD Collection
Kojima, stop making Metal Gear games already, and work on Zone of the Enders 3! Seriously, what’s the hold-up? ZOE3 has been talked about since before the PS3 came out, there’s no reason for it not to be in the works by now. Anyways… This includes the 2 PS2 ZOE games, redone in HD. I haven’t seen much about these versions, but whatever. The first game, from what I recall, probably didn’t age too well but was really fun at the time and it still has nostalgia value (as much nostalgia value as a PS2 game can have I guess). The sequel, however, made the controls a lot better, added a lot of movement/attack options and gameplay elements and should still be really fun now. This should be well worth picking up… and maybe if enough people buy it Kojima will finally drop Metal Gear get to work on ZOE3!
3DS
Kid Icarus: Uprising
This is the reason I bought the 3DS so early, since I was expecting it to come sooner (due to it being the first game announced for the system). But now it’s actually coming fairly soon. After seeing various gameplay videos, and a 3D trailer on the 3DS, I can’t wait to play this. It looks fun and fast-paced. Sure, it’s a different gameplay style from the original, but I don’t think the original’s gameplay would fare very well in modern days. Both the flying levels and the action hack n’ slash levels seem like they’re gonna be really fun.
Luigi’s Mansion 2
That was the unexpected announcement of E3 2011. Luigi’s Mansion is a very under-appreciated gamecube game, and, with the low amount of people who actually liked the original, it’s quite surprising that a sequel was announced… but it makes me and other fans of the original very happy to see Nintendo revisiting the idea, and they seem to be expanding on the original’s gameplay with more mansions, different types of ghosts to capture, revamped gameplay and a more puzzle-oriented design. Seems like a very high-potential game.
Paper Mario
A new Paper Mario! And, looking at the 3D video on the 3DS, it looks to use 3D insanely well, and the gameplay looks solid. Seems great! Not much more to say here.
PC
Diablo 3
This. Fucking. Game. It’s been in development way too long, and Blizzard has been teasing us with this for quite a while, constantly saying it would come out soon, eventually going for the DNF approved “it’s gonna come out when it’s done”. Finally it seems it will come out this year, and I can’t wait. Diablo 2 has always been a favorite within my group of friends, and it’s tremendously fun. This seems to add better graphics, a bunch of new character classes, as well as a completely different leveling philosophy than the previous game, new items, that auction house thing… The many videos I’ve seen over the years have been quite solid.
Fortune Summoners
A japanese indie game made by the dudes who made Chantelise and Recettear, and localized by the same guys who localized those 2 games (Carpe Fulgur). This game is a fast-paced side-scrolling party-based action RPG, with combo-based combat (using Street fighter-like moves), with multiple playable characters that you can switch between on-the-fly. Should be worth checking out, look for it on Steam… this month! It has a high price point for an indie game at 25$, but the game will take over 20 hours to complete (some have said around 27) and the gameplay is solid so… it should be worth it. You can check the overly cutesy demo here: DEMO! (keep in mind the demo takes over an hour to complete)
Torchlight 2
The main/only competition to Diablo 3! A lot of people who played both games at events actually preferred Torchlight 2, but this is from short bursts of gameplay, so it’s currently impossible to know if either of them will have more or less lasting power. Torchlight 2 does make a good case for itself with the modding tools being made available to everyone and easy to distribute (within the game itself, sort of like custom-made maps in Starcraft). Torchlight was fairly solid, but I found it to be way too easy, so hopefully this one fixes that. It’s one I’m very hyped to play.
Wii
Xenoblade Chronicles
A late surprise last year/month, with NOA announcing the American release of this game after months of saying they wouldn’t. Finally, through a deal with Gamestop/EBgames (I’m only assuming here, but it IS only being sold at Gamestop/EBgames, as well as Nintendo’s own website) the game is being made available and is doing quite well preorder-wise. It seems like a solid RPG with a few unique systems for battle (and otherwise… you can build/rebuild towns, go on quests and more) and a cool setting (the game takes place on a mountain-like titan giant… thing). And hey, if this does well, maybe Nintendo of America will probably be more willing to release Pandora’s Tower and The Last Story.
Rhythm Heaven Fever
Rhythm Heaven was a solid DS title, one that had fairly simple gameplay/controls but it was super fun. This is purely a rental for me tough, as I don’t know if the fun gameplay on the DS will translate well to the Wii’s motion controls, but I’m fairly convinced it’s gonna be worth trying out.
PS3
Twisted Metal
It’s been a while since a new Twisted Metal, and this seems fairly solid. There’s a variety of vehicles to choose from, and some have multiple functions (your driver can go out of a car to snipe people, for example)… and some of them seem to be transformers! Add to that classic Twisted Metal gameplay and cool boss battles… The game looks quite fun, and David Jaffe seems to know what he’s doing (I’ve been visiting his blog from time to time lately, I really like his attitude in regards to games and gaming).
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
Sly Cooper… I’m still playing through the second one (very slowly… I need to actually go at it seriously again), but I actually really liked the original and what I’ve played of the second. This seems to follow the basic gameplay formula of the other games, which is fairly classic 3D platformer style with unique stealth missions and fun boss battles… Sony’s ONLY announcement for PS3 last E3 seems like it will be one of the really good exclusives on it this year.
Vita
Gravity Rush (or whatever the fuck it’s called… seriously, the game has, like, 4 working titles)
One of the only Vita games that seems… interesting to me. The controls sound a bit weird from what I’ve heard (though that’s probably just a matter of getting used to the back touch pad… I hope), but it looks really interesting, where you have to alter gravity to travel through the environment. It just looks like there’s so much potential for cool platforming segments and boss fights. One of the only games on the Vita making me think about getting it at launch. But I may need a bit more to decide that.
Ruin
The other Vita release that’s not a port that I want to check out. It’s a Diablo-like game with, from what I understand, player-customized dungeons to fight through which are generated from your base setup or something like that, which is a very nifty idea (that and the game being saved on the “cloud” being able to be played on the PS3). Well, from what I’ve seen it looks great. I have some good expectations for this.
I haven’t made “Biggest Surprises” and “Biggest Disappointments” posts yet, not sure if I will… So here’s what we have right now! Again, no overall GotY post, but I don’t think it’s really needed, I think all the posts as a whole display a large variety of awesome games we got this year. Sadly we had to skip over a bunch of great games, otherwise we would have had 5-15 winners per category (other than Wii and 360), and I just decided to highlight my personal favorites. I’m sure other people/everyone else have different winners, and that’s obviously fine too.
So here it is:
2011 DS winners
2011 3DS winners
2011 Wii winners
2011 Xbox 360 winners
2011 PS3 winners
2011 Downloadable winners
2011 Multiplatform winners
Kirby’s been a bit left on the backburner for Nintendo in the last few years on consoles. Last year we DID get Kirby’s Epic Yarn, which was a random game with the Kirby franchise being plugged into it and, while it was a solid game, it failed to meet expectations in general and it most definitely didn’t have much of a Kirby feel to it. Otherwise, Kirby’s been confined to handhelds since 2000′s Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. So it’s been a long time waiting to finally get true Kirby action back on consoles.
I was quite hyped for this, so… does it hold up to the hype? It’s been fairly well spoken for by now, but I just want to give my own perspective on it since opinions have been all over the place.
Is it the return of Kirby that people have been wanting for so long? Read on and see!
Developer: HAL Labs
Publisher: Nintendo
Date of Release: October 24th 2011
Platforms: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Side-scrolling platformer
Rated E10+ for Everyone over 10 (E10+? what?)
Presentation
This game looks lovely. It doesn’t have a unique style like Kirby’s Epic Yarn, nor does it really have the polish and technical prowess of Donkey Kong Country Returns, but it really does look great. It’s super colorful, the characters and enemies look great, and, as you go further in the game, the backgrounds become more and more awesome, and there’s a large variety of locales with different looks. Most importantly, you’ll never have trouble seeing what’s in the background and what’s stuff you can jump on/have to avoid, and there’s no framerate drops, so there’s really nothing bad to say about this game graphically.
As far as audio goes, the game sounds fantastic as well. There’s a lot of recycling when it comes to sound effects, it IS Kirby after all, but the sounds are a bit better than their original counterparts (like hammer hits and Kirby’s usual sucking sound). The music is always fun and lively. It definitely gets more tense as you near the climax of the game, but it has that Kirby style. And there’s some remixed tracks too, Nothing wrong here.
Gameplay
It plays like Kirby! Big surprise, huh? While Kirby’s Epic Yarn went for a fairly different gameplay style than standard Kirby games, Return to Dreamland goes back to the series’ more conventional mechanics. Now you’re sucking up enemies and stealing their powers, and, in similar fashion to recent GBA/DS Kirby games and Kirby Super Star, each power comes with a variety of moves. Otherwise you have other Kirby basics like floating and sliding. The basic goal is to get to the end of every level and, after completing all levels in a world, to fight that world’s boss, rinse and repeat until the end. It’s fairly straightforward in its basics, and the level designs are also very straightforward (but generally fun since they try to mix things up with different traps and enemies), but it breaks the monotony by having you find Energy Spheres in each level. It’s not required, but it’s fun. Some require to solve puzzles and find hidden doors to reach them, some are out in the open but out of reach without the right power so it’s always interesting to get to them.
As for powers, there’s a few new ones, like Whip, Water and Spear, and a lot of oldies. One nice thing here is that all the old abilities have been slightly revamped. For example, stone, which was fairly useless before, now has an uppercut attack, making it at least viable to finish levels with, and also a stronger but slower stomp attack if you want to deal extra damage. A more notable example is that the Plasma and Spark abilities from previous games were combined into Spark, and it actually works really well. In total there’s 23 powers you can use and each of them has some uses, either in the games puzzles (using a certain ability’s special power to reach switches or bomb blocks) or in battle. I haven’t found any powers that I genuinely didn’t enjoy using, so that’s a plus for me.
In addition to normal abilities, you get Super abilities, which only come at certain points in the game. Those abilities have large destructive power, or are required for solving puzzles. You get those powers for a limited time, and, at the end of those segments, you’ll find a special area where you have no powers to go through it (you have to go fast because a wall of insta-death is chasing after you), which leads to a mini-boss battle for 2 energy spheres. The super-powers just feel superfluous, it seems like they could have just kept normal gameplay for those segments and hide the secret area or something… though I will say I enjoy the use of super powers in 2 of the boss battles.
An important feature here is the ability to play up to 4 people at the same time. This is really fun. Each player gets to choose a character who has a permanent power (Metaknight has Sword, Waddle Dee has Spear and King Dedede has Hammer), or a different-colored Kirby. It’s drop-in/drop-out at any time, so if someone is tired of playing, he can just drop-out without even pausing the action on-screen. It does make it pretty much impossible to die since more than one player on screen pretty much blows through everything, but it’s still a fun addition. Oh, and as soon as you’re playing with more than one player, the second player can change to any character when he wants, so it can make some puzzle-solving a whole lot easier since you can just switch to other characters when you want to.
Difficulty
One common complaint about this game is the difficulty. And I will say: It’s really easy. I mean, I died about 5 times through the main game (and the game hands out extra lives like crazy, moreso in multiplayer). But, then again, Kirby games are always easy on their normal mode, and the basic gameplay is loads of fun so it doesn’t very much matter how hard it is. And then there’s the fact that there’s an Extra mode, which is unlocked when you finish the main game.
The Extra mode gives you half the normal health which is already a huge boost in difficulty (while I didn’t DIE a lot in the normal difficulty, I sure got hit a lot) and it makes all the mini-bosses stronger, makes all the bosses stronger, and adds an extra final boss (so far I haven’t found any glaring differences with the normal enemies, but I may be wrong). So basically it goes from insanely easy to moderate difficulty. Oh and you can always challenge yourself and try to get all the energy spheres (in both the main game and extra mode), that’s bound to take a bit of work… OH and some powers have a “challenge” room where you have to use that power’s skills to get as many coins as possible while getting hit as little as possible and killing enemies as fast as possible in the shortest time as possible to get a high score… good luck getting the best medals in all of those. Oh and there’s an arena, which should be relatively challenging depending on how many healing items you get access to (I haven’t tried it yet), and a True Arena that includes the powered-up bosses from extra mode and a secret final boss.
Yeah, the difficulty complaint is a bit overblown, since it’s clear that there’s a good amount of content and actual difficulty if you look beyond the game’s first level (which some reviewers seemingly haven’t). Clearly the main game was made with younger players in mind, but the Extra mode, energy spheres, challenge rooms and arenas will probably be able to challenge Kirby veterans at least a little.
Overall
I like this very much. It’s pretty much Kirby doing what he’s best at. It’s not the BEST Kirby game out there though (it’s pretty hard to compete against the sheer amount of content/replay value/awesome of Super Star) and the gameplay isn’t the MOST solid in the series (*points to Super Star again*), but it’s a very top-notch Kirby experience. It’s good for newcomers of the series, especially kids since it’s not really hard, and Kirby fans will love it too, especially for the extra content.
It’s good! A very fun single-player game, and an entertaining multiplayer experience as well (especially with the 2 mini-games that I didn’t mention).
]]>So here we have: over 9000 Wii releases, 13 multiplatform releases, 4 3DS releases, 2 PS3 releases and 2 Xbox 360 releases… OH and 1 PC release (almost forgot that, silly me). Don’t forget this only includes games that will probably be good, or popular games. No shovelware here (other than Call of Duty), and no/very few downloadable games (since release dates rarely pop up early for these).
Read on and tell us what you’re getting!
WII RELEASES
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 11/20
Ah yes, a new Zelda, and holy shit does it look glorious. Nothing more to say here, buy it!
MULTIPLATFORM RELEASES
Goldeneye 007: Reloaded 11/01 (PS3, 360)
The Goldeneye remake on Wii was complete shit… by which I mean it was Call of Duty with the Goldeneye story with some messed up details and random stupid changes. This is looking to be the same thing… IN HD! Shit in HD is still shit though.
Sonic Generations 11/01 (PS3, 360, 3DS)
Ah Sonic, coming back with what might possibly be the second good Sonic game this generation! (note: Sonic 4 Episode 1 was the first) I’m not entirely sure what to think of this one yet. The demo that was set in the classic style of gameplay was really well done, though that can change if the level design starts sucking later on, and I’m not totally hyped up for the “new” gameplay style, but the demo at least convinced me that it’s at least not AS shitty as the terrible Sonic Colors. I’m picking it up, but I’m still very unsure if that’s a good idea or not. Good thing it’s so cheap on Steam.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North 11/01 (PC, PS3, 360)
Just saw it on some release lists, figured it might interest some people…. I have no idea what this game is like, and I don’t care.
Burgertime World Tour 11/02 on Xbox 360 (Also coming to PSN, PC and WiiWare later in the month, date currently unknown)
I rarely put downloadable games on here, but this one is worth it. How long has it been since a NEW Burgertime game anyways? And this actually looks really good from what I’ve seen. It keeps the classic gameplay philosophy but adds some new gameplay elements and level design gimmicks. Should be worth checking out.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 11/08 (Pc, PS3, 360)
Activision is once again releasing this game. This is the EIGHTH time they’ve release the same game this generation (ninth if you want to count “Call of Duty Classic” which is downloadable)… This is getting completely crazy guys (who am I kidding, it was already crazy at the third re-release)… Bah, who am I kidding, this will sell the inevitable undeserved millions and will make Actvision huge wads… of cash. Maybe soon people will realize they’re buying the same crappy game over and over… *looks at Madden*… Yeah, that’s not happening.
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection 11/08 (Ps3, 360)
Strangely enough, this doesn’t contain MGS1… may I ask why? Instead it’s Peace Walker (unless you’re in japan, in which case you’re getting MGS1 (on PSN, so not in HD) but not Peace Walker)… just a bit weird. Either way, this is an interesting pack for people who didn’t get the same collection (minus HD, minus Peace Walker, plus MGS1) on PS2 a few years back.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 11/11 (PC, PS3, 360)
One of the most hyped game this year. I’m personally not too interested (I’ll just rent it), but it doesn’t look terrible by any means. I’m gonna say this is one to watch out for, it’s probably gonna have hundreds of hours of gameplay if you want do to everything/if you don’t get bored of it before doing everything.
Rayman Origins 11/15 (PS3, X360, Wii, 3DS)
Seems to be really cool. Graphically it’s beautiful, but it also looks really fun to play. And a new Rayman game that’s actually about Rayman himself and not those fucking rabbits? CRAZY!
Need for Speed: The Run 11/15 (PC, PS3, X360, Wii, 3DS)
A seemingly standard Need for Speed game… with completely stupid and random “parkour” segments which are controlled by QTEs (at least in the original trailer I saw, the demo didn’t feature any of that)… not interested, the demo was very unimpressive.
Saints Row: The Third 11/15 (PC, PS3, 360)
Why hello there weird GTA clone. I actually haven’t played any of these, and I won’t start here, but at least I can say the devs of SR seem to take the game less seriously than the GTA series of late, so this is full of wacky weirdness, making it at least more imaginative than what GTA.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 11/15 (Ps3, 360)
A bit of a kick in the balls to release a much better version of the game (12 more characters, bunch of new stages, a couple new modes, spectator mode, complete rebalance, etc.) for 40$ only 8 months after the original which cost 60$, BUT at least this is looking really awesome. The new characters (other than Nemesis and Frank West) look really cool (my favorites so far being Firebrand and Mr top tier…. I mean Phoenix Wright), the Heroes and Heralds mode looks interesting and there’s tons of rebalancing done too.
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations 11/15 (PC, PS3, 360)
It’s Assassin’s Creed. And again it’s milking Ezio for all he’s worth, instead of going to a new setting or something. Anyways, you already know if you want this or not. I personally don’t like this series with it’s 100% mindless “platforming” (hold a button and a direction and the game will do everything on its own!) and button-mashy combat with no real strategy/fun… But a lot of other people clearly do (or at least enjoy the plot enough to suffer through the gameplay), so if you do, check it out!
The King of Fighters XIII 11/22 (PC, PS3, 360)
Didn’t really enjoy KoFXII… Not sure what it was about it, I just couldn’t get into it (though KOF as never my fighting game series of choice). Not planning on trying this one.
PLAYSTATION 3 RELEASES
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception 11/01
The Uncharted games, despite having rather uninspired gameplay (standard cover-based TPS with nothing that sets it apart from any other game in the genre), remains interesting due to being actually really good action movies in the vein of Indiana Jones. I’m sure this will continue the tradition of “fairly boring gameplay, good story/cutscenes”. I’m gonna rent it for sure.
Tekken Hybrid 11/22
Not a big Tekken fan myself, but for people who are, this includes the Tekken 3D movie, Tekken Tag Tournament HD and Tekken Tag 2 Prologue, so it should be a nice package for fans.
3DS RELEASES
Cave Story 3D 11/08
The original Cave Story is a very fun Metroid-style platformer. This looks… pretty much identical from what I’ve seen, but with 3D graphics (that do look quite good from what I’ve seen). Probably not a bad buy, but I question if 40$ is a good price point for it since you can still get the original for free… maybe if there’s enough new content…
Super Mario 3D Land 11/13
This will kick ass. Nothing more to say.
Shinobi 11/15
Not really sure about this one yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ll at least rent it. It’s been a while since the last side-scrolling Shinobi game (I’d say Saturn off the top of my head (Shinobi Legions) but I might be wrong), so this is interesting on that premise alone, and the gameplay looks okay from what I’ve seen.
Nano Assault 11/22
The third in the not-acclaimed-but-still-really-good Nanostray series by Shi’nen. This one takes on various gameplay styles. The ones I’ve seen were twin-stick shooter and a star fox-style “space” shooter, but I’m guessing there’s going to be regular side-scrolling shooter levels as well. Looks very solid.
PC RELEASES
Serious Sam 3: BFE 11/22
Another FPS this year that I’m interested in, partly because it takes on an “oldschool” style of gameplay in FPS, with some exploration for secrets but, most of all, badass fast-moving action and awesome weapons. Looks like this could be really good… hopefully.
XBOX 360 RELEASES
Otomedius Excellent 11/01
It was delayed again? Seriously? Come on guys, just release the damn thing… there’s already DLC available for it, so why is the game not out yet? *insert blurb about how it looks to be a kickass gradius game*
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary 11/15
It’s Halo.
September sees a good amount of interesting/popular games: 7 multiplatform (Wii, PC, PS3, 360) releases, 8 PS3 releases, 3 3DS releases, 3 DS releases, 1 PSP release and 2 Xbox 360 releases. Don’t forget this only includes interesting or potentially popular games, and it maybe be missing what will be hidden gems. We never know.
So read on and see what you’ll be buying!
MULTIPLATFORM RELEASES
Dead Island 9/06 (PC, PS3, 360)
As far as I’ve seen, it just looks like L4D with slower gameplay and maybe a deeper plot (or at least some character development). Not interested.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 9/06 (PC, PS3, 360)
Seems like a God of War rip-off with a space marine and orks… I’ll keep an eye out just in case it ends up being a competent action game, but I’m not keeping my hopes up.
(Note/correction/whatever: The demo was very unimpressive… it’s a clumsy hack n’ slasher with the controls of Gears of War which just doesn’t work for action like this… BUT the jetpack level in the demo was fun… I guess jetpacks DO make everything better… it’s a rental)
NHL 12 9/13 (PS3, 360)
*insert same text as madden release from last month*
Resident Evil 4 HD 9/20 (PS3, 360)
It’s RE4… I shouldn’t need to say much more, because you already know if you want an HD version of that.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica X HD 9/27 (PS3, 360)
I’ve never played Code Veronica… So I don’t have much to say here.
X-Men: Destiny 9/27 (PS3, 360, Wii, DS)
Haven’t seen much of this… it seems like a possibly interesting beat ‘em up with RPG elements. Doesn’t look too bad, but it’s a rental for me.
Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny 9/27 (PS3, Wii)
I had no idea this was even coming. But I’m also not terribly familiar with Rune Factory so I have nothing to say about it.
PLAYSTATION 3 RELEASES
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten 9/06
Disgaea always kicks ass. Nothing more to say. Buy this!
Resistance 3 9/06
First sucked, second sucked but had fun online, this one will probably also suck (don’t know about the online, don’t care). I’ll rate this game a “boringfps/10″
God of War Origins Collection 9/13
Portable lameness, redone in HD!
White Knight Chronicles II 9/13
Includes the first game with the modified engine from the sequel, so, if you don’t get bored of this fast, you have a LOT of content to go through here.
Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland 9/27
The Atelier series is generally great. I’m pretty hyped for this one
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection 9/27
Ico looked boring to play (haven’t played it myself, just judging from the boring-looking gameplay videos I’ve seen), Shadow of the Colossus was stupidly boring (a game where you spend most of the time basically doing nothing isn’t terribly exciting), not hyped for this at all.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD 9/27
Despite having all the old splinter cell games, I haven’t played them…. May be worth it, I wouldn’t know… yet.
Child of Eden 9/27
Wasn’t interested in the 360 release, not interested in this one.
3DS RELEASES
Star Fox 64 3D 9/09
This is my favorite N64 game, by far. I must have completed it over 100 times as a kid, and I still replay it from time to time. I’m pretty hyped to see it with even better graphics and 3D, should be quite interesting.
Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection 9/13
This game is great. It features amazing pinball tables like Funhouse and Pinbot and Taxi, and is overall really fun to play. One drawback on the 3DS version though… as far as I can tell, it’s missing 5 tables that are in the PS3/360 version: Tales of the Arabian Nights, Medieval Madness, No Good Gofers, as well as MAYBE Jive Time and Sorcerer that are in all the other versions…. If you have a PS3/360, get those versions, Wii if you don’t have a PS3 or 360… This is a nice alternative, but the HD versions kick its ass.
Frogger 3D 9/20
This actually looks really interesting. It’s classic Frogger gameplay, but in various environments, featuring a lot of new gameplay elements… I may check it out.
DS RELEASES
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 9/19
Loved the first one, and the other games in the previous Monster sub-series. This should also be great.
Kirby Mass Attack 9/19
The videos I’ve seen make it seem like a Kirby/Pikmin hybrid… looks pretty fun.
Solatorobo: Red the Hunter 9/27
Random Action-RPG, actually looks cool.
PSP RELEASES
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 – Innocent Sin 9/20
Oh, this is actually the first time this comes out in the US. I know people will point me to Persona 2: Eternal Punishment on the PS1, I will point out that it’s actually a different game from the first Persona 2, one that takes place in a parallel world. So yeah, this could be interesting.
XBOX 360 RELEASES
Otomedius Excellent 9/01
It better not get delayed AGAIN. Well, I don’t have a 360 anymore, but, if I did, I would be all over this. It actually looks like a solid Gradius game.
Gears of War 3 9/20
It’s Gears of War. You’ve played one of the 2 before it, you’ve played this one.
There’s 3 multi-platform games, 2 PS3 games, 1 Wii game and 2 PSP games.
There might be a DS release (that duke nukem game that shows up on every release list for every month but never ends up coming…. and wasn’t it renamed? Whatever), but I’m not holding off for it, so I might as well not list it. Surprisingly, there’s not a single game coming on the 3DS in April… not even shovelware (well some sites have 2 shovelware games in april, but others have the same games in May, so it’s impossible to know/care). Strange.
Read on and see what’s coming!
MULTIPLATFORM RELEASES
Michael Jackson The Experience 04/12 (PS3, Xbox 360)
A Michael Jackson rhythm game. I haven’t seen anything about this, despite a Wii version already being out for it… Not expecting greatness, but at least the music will be good.
Portal 2 04/19 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
That seems pretty interesting. There are some new gameplay elements, so it should feel like a fresh enough experience from the first game… Hopefully. And there’s co-op this time, which could be interesting.
Mortal Kombat 04/19 (PS3, Xbox 360)
Terrible. Or at least that’s the conclusion I came to after playing the demo. It’s supposed to be the big revival of the series, but it’s actually WORSE than Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. The only advantage it has on it is that it’s more violent. Well whoopity-fucking-doo, the gameplay is still stiff and just not intuitive whatsoever, and it still uses the prehistoric idea of having a button to block. Heck, the gameplay was actually better in MKvsDCU. This is pathetic. All it has over other modern fighting games is that there’s a lot of content… which doesn’t mean much when the basic gameplay isn’t any good.
PC releases
Darkspore 03/29
I had the opportunity to play the beta of this game… sadly it didn’t work on my computer (the game froze during the logos). So I’m waiting for the final version, hoping it works. It’s a highly customizable Diablo-style RPG, with what seem like instance dungeons, and you can change characters on-the-fly. This looks really good, I can’t wait to try it out.
PLAYSTATION 3 RELEASES
Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD 04/19
Classic Trilogy? Are Ubisoft forgetting that there were PoP games well before the ones on PS2/Gamecube/Xbox? Are they even old enough to be considered “classics”? Anyways, this includes all 3 PoP games from the last generation, all of which are much better than the terrible reboot that came out on current-gen consoles. It’s probably possible to get them all on PS2/Gamecube/Xbox for less than it will cost on the PS3, but it’s still an interesting collection.
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs 04/19
Not a series I’m terribly familiar with, and I did hear that it was simplified compared to previous entries of the series. I have no idea really.
PLAYSTATION PORTABLE RELEASES
Patapon 3 04/12
I didn’t enjoy the previous 2 games in the series much… But other people did, and this should be enjoyable for previous fans of the series.
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection 04/19
That’s very interesting to me, what with FF4 being my favorite in the series. It includes a remake of the original game with fully updated graphics (not sure if it has the extra content from the GBA version though), an Interlude story which bridges the story between the original and After Years (apparently it’s 15 hours long, which is nice), and of course it also includes After Years with all additional chapters. This seems like a really awesome package. I’m quite interested.
WII RELEASES
Conduit 2 04/19
The first Conduit sucked. As such, I didn’t keep up with any information about the sequel, but I’m not expecting it to be any good, just like the first one. I might give it a rental to see if I’m wrong, but I’m not holding my breath.
When Nintendo announced this at E3, I couldn’t have been happier. Donkey Kong has been either ignored, or been put in average to crap spin-offs (Barrel Blast, ugh). But finally there’s a new Donkey Kong Country, one of the best platforming series out there, or at the very least one of my favorites.
And then we saw gameplay… this just looked awesome. Not only graphically, but the gameplay looked so damn fun. I was hyped.
Read on and see if it lived up to the hype I had for it!
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Date of Release: November 21st 2010
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 (on PSN and XBLA respectively)
Genre: Side-Scrolling Platformer
Rated E for Everyone
What is good about this game
Presentation
The game looks fantastic. Retro Studios made Metroid look incredible, and they do as good a job here. The game is incredibly colorful and appealing to the eye. It uses a style similar to the SNES titles in the series, but obviously the technology is a lot better, so it also looks a lot better. There’s a huge attention to detail, with very pretty backgrounds and lots of animation everywhere. There’s always something going on, and everything looks really good. And there’s lots of variety in the visuals. Every world has its own unique look, with different elements and colors and overall design, and different enemies… unless, say, a pirate ship ends up in that weird canyon/desert-like level… which brings very interesting visuals too.
As for enemy design, while it is very different from the SNES DKC games, with no crocodiles or any familiar enemies, it still follows a similar visual style to the originals, and there’s various enemy types and lots of unique looks.
And the music. Ah, the glorious music. There’s lots of nostalgia for me in that sense, since there’s quite a few remixes from the first DKC game. Heck, I think most tunes from DKC make a return of some sort here, and they sound just as great as they did on the SNES. The new tunes also sound pretty nice, very fitting to the level and fun to listen to, with a DKC-like style.
Gameplay
Well this is awesome. It’s one of those hardcore platformers that require precision and fast reflexes/memorization. It plays fairly similarly. You don’t have a run button, but the B button is used to pick up and throw barrels, and shaking the Wii remote makes you roll, ground pound and blow some air. The jumping mechanics are solid. If you jump on an enemy, you can time the A button to jump higher, whether you’re in a normal level or in a mine cart. Swinging on vines, throwing barrels at walls to reveal secret areas, slamming the ground to find more secret areas, finding all the KONG letters, jumping on enemies, avoiding obstacles, jumping across holes, riding on Rambi, riding mine carts… this really feels like a new SNES DKC game. And it plays just as well, if not better at parts.
What steals the show though is the level design. Holy shit did Retro Studios surpass expectations. Heck, screw surpassing expectations, this has the best levels in any game in the series. Each level has some kind of gimmick, each which are really fun. Levels that don’t have their own gimmick mix up multiple other gimmicks making for very interesting levels. I’m not gonna spoil anything here, it’s something that has to be experienced.
Difficulty
The game is really quite hard. But I think this was a bit overblown by some reviewers. The game is hard, definitely, but I think various things in the game balance out the difficulty. First, you have 2 hits before dying, which is better than just 1 in the original. Then, you can pick up Diddy, who adds 2 more hits you can take, AND he has a jetpack which makes the jumps easier. You never NEED Diddy, but having him makes things a lot easier.
If you get to a level that might kick your ass nonstop, and it surely will happen, the Super Guide is back from NSMBW. 8 or so deaths, and you have the option of having Super Kong go through the level instead of you. He finishes the level for you, but he doesn’t pick up the KONG letters, he doesn’t pick up any of the puzzle pieces, and letting him do any of the K levels (the ones you get for getting the KONG letters) is useless since he doesn’t pick up the orb for you. Heck, while the game lets you go to the next level when you use the Super Kong, the level remains red to say that it’s incomplete.
Oh, and the game is insanely generous on lives. You get a lot in levels (100 bananas give a life, and more can be found in levels), and you also find TONS of banana coins. Those can be used in Cranky’s shop to buy Squawks (who helps you find puzzle pieces), an extra heart (which lasts one level), invincibility potions (which actually gives you a ton of extra heaers, making the one extra heart useless) and, more importantly extra lives. You get so many banana coins that you never have to worry about lives.
Replay value
There’s TONS to do here. Going through the game is only a small part. Afterwards, you can find every KONG letter in every level of the game. Once you get all of them in one world, you get an extra level, which is quite hard, and it gives you an extra level afterwards… which leads to Mirror Mode, where you play the levels upside down, only have one hit and you never get access to Diddy. Oh, and every level has between 5 and 9 puzzle pieces, which opens up stuff in the gallery. And then there’s Time Trials, where you have to use advanced techniques and such to go through levels as fast as possible, which is really damn hard. Needless to say, there’s a lot to do here.
Any negatives?
Yeah, one or 2 things.
Controls
While the controls aren’t bad by any means, they’re very precise and easy to use, but there is one major problem: motion controls! Yeah, DKC was a fairly simple game control-wise: one button for jumping, another button for everything else (running, rolling, ground pounding, picking up barrels). It worked perfectly. The problem here? Well, the second button was made almost useless, by making it only be used to pick up and throw barrels. Everything else? Well, there’s no running (if there is, the speed increase is VERY minimal), and the rest is handled by shaking the Wiimote… Shaking it while moving makes you roll, if you shake while holding down, you blow some air which can affect some enemies or background objects, and the rest of the time it does the ground pound.
The  problem here… Shaking the Wiimote isn’t exactly 100% responsive. Most of the time it works okay, but pressing buttons is much faster, easier to do in a tight spot, and ALWAYS responsive. It’s like they took everything the B button SHOULD have done, and assigned it to the waggle… It’s a really stupid decision. If the motion controls were an option then I wouldn’t even have mentioned it, but they’re the only control method for rolling and such. Bad idea.
Cast
That’s just very minor. Heck, I don’t even really care about it, but a lot of people do, so I might as well mention it. The cast of character is fairly short: Cranky, Donkey and Diddy are the only Kongs in the game, making furries unhappy at the lack of Candy Kong, and Funky Kong is nowhere to be seen. The animal buddies list is also fairly short: Rambi (who is upgraded from the SNES games) and Squawks (who just helps find puzzle pieces). More would be nice. I think the biggest complaint in this regards is the villains. The Kremlings are not there. At all. King K. Rool is not there. Instead, the enemies here are Tikis, who hypnotize animals for you to beat up. The new enemies are still fun to fight, and not bad in any way, but me and many other DKC fans just find the Kremlings more interesting.
Overall
If it wasn’t for the motion controls, there would be nothing to complain about in the game. The difficulty is balanced enough for anyone to be able to finish the game, but if you don’t use the Super Guide, or unlock Mirror Mode, there’s still a LOT of challenge in the game for veteran gamers or people looking for a challenge.
The best part of the game is the incredible level design. That’s not to say that everything else isn’t awesome though. Great controls (other than the waggle), great graphics, great music, really well done gameplay…. This is just a great game overall. I’d even go as far as to say that this is one of the very few must-haves on the Wii.
Retro Studios did a great job on Metroid Prime, and they did just as good, if not better, on reviving Donkey Kong Country. Great stuff.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Incredibly fun
- Fantastic level design
- Great graphics
- Good music
- Very balanced difficulty
- Lots of replay value
Cons
- Waggle is a stupid idea for a game like this, especially when such an important aspect as the roll being controlled by the waggle
- Some people might not like the short cast of characters, and the lack of Kremlings
The Save Factor
The game is 50$ at retail price, and considering everything there is to do in the game, and the fact that it’s just so well made, I think it’s well worth 50$.
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Sonic games on consoles have been pretty terrible after the Genesis. The Adventure series was a step in the right direction (I mean, all the non Sonic/Shadow levels sucked, but the Sonic and Shadow levels were good), but everything afterwards has sucked. The more recent Sonic Unleashed, however, DID get some praise. Why? Well, while half the levels were a completely terrible GoW rip-off, the speed-based levels did manage to find an audience. But… they weren’t actually any good, it’s just that, in contrast to the crappy Werehog levels, they actually seemed sort of fun.
Listening to the criticism from the previous game, Sega did what they thought was the logical thing, and made the whole game just like the daytime levels in Sonic Unleashed. Was it a good or bad thing?
Read on and see!
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega
Date of Release: November 16th 2010
Platforms: Nintendo Wii (reviewed), Nintendo DS
Genre: Platformer
Rated E for Everyone
What is good about this game
Presentation
The graphic design here is really awesome. The game takes place in an inter-stellar theme park built by Robotnik, which, in addition to the main theme park area, is surrounded by planets and various other places. What this basically means is that you have a bunch of completely different-looking areas, and they look fantastic. Mechanical areas, nature being corrupted by machinery, a planet made of cake and cookies, an aquarium, an armada of spaceship with asteroid and small moons… And there’s more. It just looks so damn good. There’s lots of detail put into the environments and it all looks really pretty. No problem here whatsoever.
The music is also fine. While not particularly memorable, but it has a very video game-like property to it (yeah, surprising, I know). Most tracks are very fitting and fun to listen to, and a lot of them really have that Genesis Sonic feel to them which is nice.
The map
No more random talking to NPCs and going through hubs or anything. Instead, you have a Super Mario Bros 3-style world map, where you can select the world/level you want to go. Huge improvement.
Wisps
I really like the idea of the wisps. Aliens that you can absorb, which give you super powers, like turning into a rocket, clinging to walls, eating through obstacles, turning into a bouncing laser, a balloon to float and speed through rings… It really gives you interesting things you can do to, and has the potential to really add variety to the gameplay.
Things I’m neutral about
Story/voice-acting/cinematics
I don’t really like it myself. The story is stupid. “Eggman (I reserve the Robotnik name for good Sonic games) built a theme park, let’s go destroy it just in case it’s an evil scheme!” It’s completely random and makes no sense. Turns out he WAS building that theme park for evil needs but…. wow. This is stupid. The voices are okay, but the script is laughably bad, the jokes are just bad…
I don’t like the story and related stuff here, but some people might like it if they don’t mind such a stupid plot. At least there’s no one other than Sonic, Tails and Eggman (and 2 random robot slaves he has).
What sucks about the game
Controls
The problem with the Wisps is that they control like shit. Other than the rocket that launches you vertically, all the wisps control terribly, especially when you’re in 3D “free-roaming” mode, where they just become uncontrollable. The non-Wisp controls don’t fare much better, with Sonic being incredibly floaty, the movement being slidy, and the whole thing lacking precision. Oh, and you have to shake the Wiimote to activate the wisp powers, fantastic (not).
Gameplay
Hum… wow. This is bad. Really bad. Let’s be completely honest here. The daytime levels in Sonic Unleashed, while better than the Werehog levels, WERE NOT GOOD. They were fast, true, but Sonic isn’t all about speed. The big problem they had here is that the levels were barely designed at all, just random ramps and things to duck under. It just wasn’t very interesting.
This is…. just more of the same. The parts where you control Sonic from behind are just about speed, and half of them are completely automatic… literally, there’s a bunch of segments where you don’t actually have to do anything. The parts where you actually have to do anything in those segments are so easy you barely have to try to get through them. Some parts even have button mashing with the homing attack… Which is lame.
The side scrolling segments are a mess. There’s no spin dash so that sucks. You have a double jump, which is done by pressing the jump button a second time… but you know what else happens when you press the jump button a second time? The homing attack. And it’s impossible to aim the homing attack at what you want. Sometimes there’s gonna be 2 enemies on screen, the icon saying which enemy you’re aiming at will be on one enemy, but doing the homing attack will choose a random enemy, frequently not the one the aiming icon was on. Â The problem here is that, a lot of the time, I want to do a double jump, and end up dying because I do a homing attack. Having to duck under obstacles is annoying, it constantly stops you. You also have a boost, which gives you a bit of extra speed. It works to a limited extent in the air at all times, but not on the ground, where it only works when you have energy. But using the boost just doesn’t really work, it gives so much speed that you can’t really follow the action anymore. The side scrolling segments just don’t really work and aren’t fun. Oh, and the level design sucks, it’s just a random array of random platforms.
Boss battles
Button-mashing… in a Sonic game? That’s… weird. The boss battles that I’ve gone through (5 of them) have been the cheapest, laziest bosses in video game history. 2 of them are actually clones of previous bosses. One of them can be beat by just waiting for a minute and then mashing the A button. The rest have cheap platforming levels, and then you button mash to kill the actual boss. It’s just… terrible.
DS version
Just a quick mention of the DS version, since I played a bit of that one… It’s actually a lot better than the Wii version. It takes a more classic approach to Sonic side-scrolling gameplay, and is a much better game due to that. It actually plays a lot more like Sonic 4, with the homing attack, and it adds the Wisps which is a nice addition. But the game also suffers from the same problems as the Sonic Rush games… Despite Sonic being fairly small on the screen, you can barely see anywhere around you, and you keep falling in holes… it’s just annoying. It just overall feels a lot cheaper than Sonic 4, and the bonus levels to get the Chaos Emeralds just really suck, and the bosses are as bad as in the Wii version. Not bad, but still not great.
Overall
This is so disappointing. Sonic 4 was such an good side-scrolling Sonic game, and easily the best post-Sonic CD game in the franchise. After seeing some gameplay videos and hearing impressions from E3 and reviewers, I thought this might end up being at least half-decent. But no! The game is just a recycling of the Sonic Unleashed daytime levels, which weren’t fun. The addition of the Wisps actually seems like it could add fun and variety to the game, but the controls for them are so broken it makes them really hard to use. The platforming is mostly really bad because of the loose, slippery and floaty controls and physics, as well as the broken homing attack and double jump controls.
It’s really annoying that it sucks since I had high hopes for it, and the fact that Sonic 4 was awesome. Maybe I had too high expectations, but how couldn’t I, considering how good of a reception it seemed to be getting? The only bad review I saw was from GameTrailers (whom I hate), but it turns out they were closer to how good the game actually is than every other reviewer.
Ah, there’s the problem: Sonic Team. Clearly they have no fucking clue what they’re doing with Sonic. See what Nintendo is doing with Donkey Kong Country Returns: giving their game to a competent studio to make a great game… Why isn’t Sega doing that? I’m 100% sure that there’s a good developer somewhere that would want to save Sonic. Heck, give up on 3D games for Sonic altogether, just look at Sonic 4, if that’s not proof that Sonic is better in side-scrolling games, I don’t know what is.
I have no idea what other reviewers have been smoking.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Looks awesome
- Has some good ideas
- Some replay value if you actually end up liking the crappy gameplay (red rings hidden in every level)
Cons
- Doesn’t control well
- Wisps control especially badly
- Story and characters are boring
- The overall gameplay is badly designed
The Save Factor
Well, let’s put this in perspective. You have Sonic 4 Episode 1 on the PSN/XBLA/WiiWare (and the inferior iPhone version), which is a great Sonic game, for 15$. And then you have this game, which sucks, for 50$… What a rip. So the Save Factor for this one is 10$. There’s a much better option available for much cheaper than the full retail price, so there’s no reason to pay the full price.
]]>So let’s go quick with this: There’s 3 worthwhile games coming out in December. 2 PC games, and 1 Wii game. Nothing on anything else.
Read on!
PC RELEASES
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 12/07
It’s a new World of Warcraft expansion! I never played the game, nor do I care about it, but this should give lots of new content to fans of the worldwide best-selling MMORPG.
Back to the Future: The Game No confirmed release date
I love me some Back to the Future. I just got the 25th anniversary Blu-Ray which is damn awesome, still one of the best movie series ever, and it’s timeless. The game… well, we haven’t seen much of it, but, since it’s TellTale, we can assume it’s gonna be a point-and-click adventure game. It’s made by big fans of the movies, and Christopher Lloyd is part of the production, and it’s actually a sequel to the movies (taking place 6 months after the end of the third movie), so I’m pretty hyped to try out my free copy of the first episode.
NINTENDO WII RELEASES
Super Mario All-Stars 12/12
This includes Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3 and the japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2 (the one that’s not Doki Doki Panic), all of which are awesome games. I actually have all those other than SMB2j (though I am planning on getting a repro cart for that… or a Twin Famicom to get the FDS version), and 2 copies of Super Mario All-Stars on SNES, yet I’m still buying it. Why? Because of the special book that comes with it, and the soundtrack which is sure to be awesome. Currently, my only problem with the package is that it doesn’t have the SNES games, and maybe a level editor where you can use engines and sprites from any of the games in the package….. But that’s only a minor complaint (though that level editor idea is something Nintendo should consider, imagine how much THAT would sell, and how awesome it’d be). Still, sure to be awesome, and the price is right.