After NES Remix, I badly wanted a sequel. My main concerns with the first Remix were that developers EAD Tokyo and indieszero focused on Nintendo’s 1983-1986 Famicom line-up, which has not aged well. This second Remix, like all good sequels, takes what made the first game so great and improves upon the flaws. They also threw in backwards Super Mario Bros. with Luigi physics and a Nintendo World Championship mini-game if you own the first NES Remix -- how can you say no to that?
Even if you can never remember what it’s called, you’ve messed with tangram before. Probably in elementary school when it improved your understanding of geometry so extensively that your mind zipped out of your body to an ethereal realm of triangles and squares where you were truly at peace. Or, you used it once, decided it was boring, and stared at the carpet instead. Well, now tangram is back! And attacking!? That’s right, the set of shapes that can be formed to sort-of look like anything you can imagine is the center of the fast-paced, mind-challenging Tangram Attack! that found a way to make those simple shapes into a pretty good game – for a while.
Once upon a time, your average big budget game was expected to be bright and colorful with more realistic looking games being the exception. Today, however, a realistic look is more prominent and colorful games stand out more than ever. The Last Tinker: City of Colors feels like an attack against the loss of color - personified into a game - where the objective is to literally stop an evil force from removing all of the color in the world using the power of the red, green, and blue gods.
Alright, let’s get the obvious out of the way: Yes, Metal Gear was originally released on the MSX in Japan. Yes, it looked and played better than the NES version. And yes, the NES version is riddled with typos, inaccurate plot elements, and a counter-intuitive menu system. But let’s be honest-- few, if any of us were aware of the MSX version before internet gaming sites came into full blossom. Be that as it may, the NES version was respected as one of the most innovative (albeit frustrating) games of its time, and rightfully so. Despite the many differences from the MSX version, Metal Gear still provided a unique experience you couldn’t get elsewhere.
When you think of side-scrolling platformers, it’s hard not to recall old-school classics like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, and Mega Man. Shovel Knight, a modern day 8-bit 2D side-scrolling platformer, feels like a blast from the past. After an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign, Yacht Club Games’ first release is a grand slam.
Since they’ve hit the scene, I think I’ve built up something of a love affair with indie developer, Drinkbox Studios. They have an uncanny ability to create not only compelling gameplay, but memorable and humorous worlds and characters. Guacamelee is easily their greatest achievement yet, and the new Super Turbo Championship Edition only makes it better. Just the name alone should give you a perfect indication of the tongue-in-cheek humor Drinkbox imbues into their creations.
It’s hard not to appreciate games like Ittle Dew. Rather than chart new territory, Ludosity has created a solid Zelda send-up that focuses on charm, humor, and inspired block puzzles. While Zelda games offer up plenty of block puzzles of their own, Ittle Dew puts together some more complex challenges that will flex your mental muscle until the very end. Though an enjoyable romp, Ittle Dew’s various technical issues and finicky controls put a damper on some of the fun.
If you’ve played Pushmo on the 3DS, you should have a pretty clear idea of what you’re in for with Pushmo World on the Wii U. Excellent and intricate block puzzles are the core of the experience, along with improved online features. Furthermore, a new section of Pushmo have been added which vary up the core rules to make for new and interesting challenges that augment the core experience. Just like Pushmo on the 3DS, Pushmo World is a must-have Wii U title that stands out as one of the best offerings on the eShop.
I hated Squids Odyssey. It was too hard, it was just a stupid twist on Angry Birds, and it was going to throw countless levels at me before I could say I had finished it. Then, I realized I was doing everything completely wrong. Once I understood that Squids Odyssey really is a tactical, physics based RPG sort of thing, I became enchanted. The level layout, the character design, and the delightful music wriggled their way into my heart and made me fall pretty hard for Squids Odyssey. Unfortunately, the redemption only lasted until I hit more and more game-crashing bugs and my enjoyment was dragged back down to a comfy middle ground.
Fans of the Wario Ware series tend to like 9-Volt’s mini-games the most. Honestly, I can’t really blame them. Unlike Wario Ware, however, NES Remix and its follow-up on the WiiU eShop doesn’t come from the crazy mind of Yoshio Sakamoto; instead, it’s a tribute/mashup of Nintendo’s ‘classic’ NES titles from 1983 to 1986. I put classic in quotes because, let’s be perfectly honest here, a majority of Nintendo’s early Famicom titles have not aged well.
Exhilarating yet tedious, beautiful in a construction paper sort of way, and most of all both ingenious and boring, Secrets of Raetikon is a perfect example of the general state of indie games – inspired, but poorly crafted. I went into this work with no expectations, and no clue what it was, and for the most part, I was impressed and thrilled with what I played. But it’s a far from perfect game, with a pretty crappy ending, and play that can be both really fun and totally infuriating.
This review is part of the 2014 Sh*tty Game Review Fest - read about the event here.
I hope there is a special place in Hell for Nintendo Wii shovelware developers. Gummi Bears, The Magic Medallion alone would win Storm City Games and everyone else involved with it prime oceanfront property at the sea of fire. With platforming gameplay akin to wading through mud, and graphics similar to a bad Sega Game Gear game, this game, frankly, makes me want to dismantle the developer so they never strike again.
This review is part of the 2014 Sh*tty Game Review Fest - read about the event here.
Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure is a tough nut to crack. On one hand, I can see where the developers were going with this and aiming it for children. On the other hand however, they made this game incredibly difficult to talk about considering the fact that I’m a grown man reviewing a game meant to be played by adolescent children. While Disney Princess comes through as a boring and extremely monotonous for my mediocrely functioning adult brain, it could still conceivably be a solid title for kids everywhere, probably.
This review is part of the 2014 Sh*tty Game Review Fest - read about the event here.
Believe it or not, the Dodge Ram license is the least offensively bad part of this bargain bin shovelware detritus that came out on Wii a few years ago. I'll grant that it's a fairly novel way to grab the attention of the idiot masses, and it's never been done before. Now that the good aspects are covered, it's all downhill from here.
This review is part of the 2014 Sh*tty Game Review Fest - read about the event here.
When the directors of PixlBit approached the staff with Operation: S----ty Game Review, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been off the writing horse for a bit, and there’s something a bit refreshing about getting a chance to eviscerate critique a game that you know isn’t very good. If anything, it helps put things in perspective. So, when we got our games and did our unboxing videos, the general consensus amongst the PixlBit readers and staff was that I got off easy with HISTORY ™: Great Empires: Rome. Well, as someone who has absolutely no love for classic PC-style games (no, seriously), an old-school, turn-based strategy title ala Civilization is about as appealing as playing Barbie’s First Free Clinic Visit.
Child of Light is the video game equivalent of a children’s bedtime storybook. It’s full of beautiful artwork and whimsical characters. It lights a spark and captures your imagination. Then it starts to put you to sleep.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Kirby: Triple Deluxe a special game. It’s not particularly challenging, it doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but every time I play it, I can’t help but smile. When it comes down to it, I have to believe that the exceptional level design is the root of it all. HAL Laboratories plays with the depth offered by the 3DS and takes every opportunity to create interesting set pieces and enemies that crisscross the two planes within each level. Hidden secrets, intriguing puzzles, and fun use of Kirby’s abilities combined with these set pieces help make each and every level in the game special.
If you’ve played any recent edition of Mario Kart, you pretty much know what to expect from Mario Kart 8. Nintendo has added a few new wrinkles to give the racing more depth and, of course, a set of 16 new tracks (and 16 remastered ones), but the vast majority of the experience has carried over from Mario Kart 7. There’s no question that Nintendo is justified in not fixing what ain’t broke, but it would’ve been nice to see them not only polish the gameplay and graphics to a sheen, but shake-up the single player formula, offering a product that’s a bit more robust than its 3DS counterpart.
*This review contains minor spoilers*
It took about twenty five minutes into my play through of “In Harm’s Way” to realize that I hadn’t encountered any zombies yet. For that period of time, I was too caught up in the perilous situation that Clementine and the rest of the group found themselves in. This isn't a mark against it though; for me, it was a testament to its engrossing narrative. As each progressive event occurred, I became more and more engaged before being rewarded with a gruesome and gory finale. Episode 3 was another great chapter in Telltale’s Walking Dead series.
Following Supergiant’s critically acclaimed game Bastion, Transistor comes off as a very similar game, initially at least. Transistor quickly forms an identity of its own, boasting a unique battle system and an intriguing story. I found myself getting wrapped into Transistor’s many layers, whether it was exploring the city of Cloudbank, discovering the motives behind the mysterious Camerata, or strategically managing my abilities to give me that extra edge in combat. Transistor is a riveting and memorable experience from beginning to end.
Oh, the rush of zipping around another car, missing its bumper by a tiny smidge, and slamming on the brakes as you pull into the perfect parallel spot before oncoming traffic T-bones you into oblivion! This is the heart-revving, nerve-rattling, airbag-exploding life of a Parking Star: a fantastical existence we can all now get a taste of thanks to Parking Star 3D! Alright, I can’t hide the fact that parking cars is lame, but thanks to my low expectations, after playing Parking Star 3D I almost feel like parking is really exciting.
When I first downloaded CastleStorm, I was expecting a tower defense game akin to the classic Flash games. What I found, however, was a game crammed with bits and pieces of different classic genres that should have satisfied my nostalgia itch, but failed horribly. With a twist of tower defense, a mechanical snippet of Angry Birds, and a smidge of beat ‘em up, I was left in a state of confusion about what this game desired to be along with horribly cramped hands from the poor control schemes.
I want to heap praise upon Moon Chronicles - Episode 1 for being the fantastic FPS nobody was asking for on the 3DS, but it’s tough to do so when there’s so little content. There’s no question that what’s presented is entertaining – it’s graphically sharp, it controls well, and it channels both Metroid Prime and Perfect Dark. However, clocking in at just a bit over an hour, just as you’re getting hooked, Episode 1 comes to an abrupt close.
Going into Ragnarok Odyssey ACE I was excited. To find out that the game was a spin-off of the one MMORPG that I actually was fully engrossed in for a period of time was a treat. Though this game and Ragnarok Online are indeed very different, the similarities and shared aspects were apparent from the get go. However, while I enjoyed those aspects, I may have been better off getting the Playstation Vita version.
*This review contains minor spoilers*
The latest episode in the “Fables”-inspired Wolf Among Us was an interesting reminder of the strengths of this mode of storytelling. While the previous episode was hindered by slower moments and a lot of buildup, this one ramped things up a bit by continuing the mystery and introducing new characters. By throwing a slew of tough and divergent choices my way, “A Crooked Mile” helped remind me why this series can be just as effective as The Walking Dead.
