Mahjong Cub3d Review (3DS)

The next iteration of Mahjong offers over 200 levels if you count all the modes and the difficulty within each board. It also offers three modes--Cube mode, VS Mode and Classic mode. Cube Mode is the main mode with the most levels. Players will have the option of playing the alpha, beta or gamma puzzles. Essentially, this is just a fancy way of saying the puzzle’s difficulty level. Alpha, beta and gamma are easy, medium and hard, respectively. To confuse you even more, within alpha, beta, and gamma, there is also another option for difficulty that players can select on each individual board. With each level, the board or cube will change into a completely different shape than the previous level. As the difficulty level increases, the number of tiles increase, and the boards get a lot harder.

VS mode is the same thing as Cube mode with the exception of one thing: an actual player on the other side matching your wits. Unfortunately, you can only play online with one other player. Obviously, this limits how much you can really do online; offering more in the multi-player area would have been nice. Also thrown into the mix is the classic mode, which is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of new, futuristic 3D cubes, it harkens back to a simpler time of flat tiles and lots of them.

Moving on, Mahjong Cub3d is basically the same Mahjong Solitaire that we’ve been playing on our computers and video game consoles for many years now with the exception of one tiny thing: 3D. Using stereoscopic 3D, the classic Mahjong is taken into a completely new world. Instead of being flat, each tile is now placed on a four-sided cube. Using your circle pad and the L or R buttons, you will rotate the massive shape to match cubes on the board, making them disappear until you are left with no tiles at all. As you do this, you will have a limited number of moves and a limited amount of time, presenting even more challenge to the title.

Fortunately, the game also has a couple of help features to help players if they start to struggle on a particular puzzle. There is an undo button that lets the player undo his last move. Although players only get a specific number of undoes, it is nice to have that there just in case. In addition to the undo button, there is also a hint button; when it's pushed, you can see the next best move available.

The stereoscopic 3D brings Mahjong into the modern day. The graphics are beautiful; its simplistic form will capture the player immediately with its well-designed menus and look into a new 3D version of Mahjong. Finding matching tiles is even more fun than Mahjong titles of the past because the environment, as simple as it is, is able to immerse you into a puzzle world like never before.

Simply put, Mahjong Cub3d is strictly a variation of a traditional puzzle game. Its combination of simplicity and difficulty makes it an enjoyable experience. Regrettably, with the reinvention of the classic puzzler, a few things went wrong.

The controls for Mahjong Cub3d, although not horrendous, are still a little inconvenient to use. There are no touch controls at all, and It will only take a matter of minutes to figure out that a stronger control scheme could have helped this game indefinitely. Holding the R or L button while using the thumb stick to move the cube feels extremely awkward. Not only that, but you are constantly having to move the cube around to find tiles. Doing this combination all the time is a hassle and could have easily been prevented.

The lack of content is also saddening. The only things available are Cube Mode, VS mode and Classic Mode. To Mahjong Cub3d’s defense, there are lots of levels between all the modes. However, there are a lot of different modes that could have been added to make this game even better. Sure, having 200 puzzles is nice, but regurgitating a harder difficulty on the same level doesn't really consistute as a level all on its own.

Overall, what makes Mahjong Cub3d good is its simplicity. It isn’t hard to pick up, it is challenging, and visually, it looks pretty good. It's fun and its simple gameplay offers a new and welcomed puzzle presence on the 3DS. Although it would have been great to have more content and an easier control scheme, Mahjong Cub3d is still a must-have if you are a puzzle fan.

Via: Mahjong Cub3d Review (3DS)

Read More

VVVVVV Review (Nintendo 3DS)

Originally released back in 2010 for PC and Mac, this platformer has made a successful transition to the 3DS shop, available for a somewhat reasonable price of $7.99.  If you’ve been waiting for a solid downloadable title, or just something to kill time with until the next great game arrives, this is definitely the one to go with.

In the game, you control Captain Viridian, a simple looking dude who finds his ship on a collision course with some strange teleport.  He barely escapes with his life, but his crew members aren’t so lucky, as they’re scattered across a vast, trap-filled map.  The Captain takes it upon himself to rescue them, though he’s got no weapons to speak of, nor can he bop enemies on the head Mario-style.  The only ability he is able to use is a temporary switch in gravity.  With a tap of a button, he can go from walking on the floor to the ceiling, and back again.

When you first start VVVVVV, it’s simple enough, so you get an idea of how the gameplay works.  It’s easy to get into, but after a few stages, you’ll realize how vitally important precision is.  Hitting a spiked floor with even the slightest touch by the Captain’s foot kills him, so you have to be perfect in some areas.  (Luckily, the game comes with unlimited lives, so you can keep trying without severe punishment.)

As you proceed through the map and find crew members, you’ll find bigger and badder challenges awaiting, including randomly moving enemies that require timing to get around and walls that automatically bounce you back, making movement even trickier than you could’ve expected.  As you proceed, you can also unlock bonus levels, which really test your abilities to an even greater effect.  We love it.

Yeah, it’s tough, but you’ll find satisfaction when you finally beat a challenge, only to come upon another one that pushes you to think even further.  Kudos to the developers for throwing in sparingly helpful checkpoints, so that you don’t have to start all the way back at the beginning.  We hate when a game does that.

While VVVVVV isn’t the kind of game that takes advantage of the 3D layout (it’s about as effective as, say, Kirby’s Adventure, with cosmetic touches), it does look great when it comes to recreating the Commodore 64 vibe.  Characters are simply designed, but smile-inducing, especially the captain, who boasts a stupid grin throughout most of the game – unless when he’s dying, of course.  Then it’s all frowny.  The level design is diabolical and tricky, but that just adds to the fun.

Likewise, the music is upbeat and charming.  It sounds like something you’d hear out of a really good NES cartridge, a well-composed soundtrack that keeps you listening to hear what’s coming up next.  The sound effects are minimal, but not really necessary.

While $7.99 may be a bit hard to swallow for a downloadable game (especially one without a level editor), VVVVVV is definitely worth it, not only with its nostalgia but also its challenging gameplay and unlockable extra levels.  It’s worth flipping out with.

Via: VVVVVV Review (Nintendo 3DS)

Read More

Zen Pinball 3D Review

Well, like Crave’s Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Experience before it, Zen Pinball does get a slight boot from the addition of a third dimension, as it actually feels like you’re sitting in front of a real machine, seeing the ball coming down the lane so you can prepare for shots.  It can be slightly distracting if something bigger is happening on the table, like the gigantic robot moving its arms in Earth Defense, but the game comes with multiple view options, so you maintain control for the most part.  The only time we felt like we were losing track was when multiball was activated, and a default wide view was used.  Other than that, we experienced no problems from a technical standpoint.

Visually, Zen Pinball performs admirably.  The 3D layouts are fascinating, each with their own themes, skill shots and special areas to gain mega points.  And little markers come up to show you just what kind of point value you earned from each shot, without getting in the way of the action itself.  Some of these pinball table designs are pretty neat, too.  Excalibur definitely has a medieval flavor to it (even if the warrior won’t shut up about the might of the sword – yeah, we get it, buddy) and we dug the old-school sci-fi vibe of Earth Defense, as it reminded me about the classic Mars tables that Williams used to make in its pinball heyday.  Even if you turn the slider down to 2D, you’ll like the presentation this game is packing.

What’s more, the game is conveniently laid out across both screens.  You see the pinball action happening in 3D on the top screen, while the bottom displays both the LCD screen for that table (complete with classic light-ups and score display) and indications through the online leaderboards.  (More on that in a second.)  Kudos to Zen Studios for keeping it simple.

While the game doesn’t have the most in-depth leaderboards we’ve seen, it is quite competitive.  You’re given constant reminders about where you stand on a leaderboard, such as a point value that needs to be reached before you move up a place or how you’re faring against friends you’ve got registered.  While the pop-ups happen more frequently than expected, they are good reminders that keep you flipping for that high score.

Zen Pinball only comes with two modes.  You can jump right into a single player session for high score boasting, or jump into Hot Seat, where you play along with friends and pass the system around when it’s their turn.  Nothing major, but it works for party play, and keeps things competitive on a local scale.

The game comes with four tables, a decent value for $7.99, but the lack of any major licensed tables from, say, Marvel or other companies, is slightly disappointing.  There is some variety here, but we expected at least one of the major tables from Marvel Pinball to show up.  Don’t fret, though, as more are on the way via downloadable content over the next few months.  We’ll keep you posted.

While Zen Pinball 3D isn’t the ultimate pinball collection, it’s still a top-notch addition to your eShop library, and a good deal if you’re up for a night of flipper tricks and skill shots.  Zen Studios does it again.

Via: Zen Pinball 3D Review

Read More

New Super Mario Bros. 2 review

It would have been fitting if New Super Mario Bros. 2 revisited the land of Subcon, starred Shy Guys and Birdo as primary enemies, and featured weapons such as onions and pumpkins that you could pluck from the ground. This game could have been a revival of Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo's dark horse in the Mario franchise, and maybe it should have. Instead, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is once again a story about how Mario and Luigi need to destroy Bowser and save Princess Peach. The game doesn't suffer for that, because it's an expected formula, but the fact remains that there's absolutely nothing memorable about Peach being kidnapped at this point.

While it may seem that I'm being critical of the story in New Super Mario Bros. 2, it goes without saying that no one plays Mario games to experience a riveting plot. We play Mario games because they're mighty impressive platformers, and the portly Italian plumber's latest outing is no exception. Levels are a sheer joy to play through, with enemies, pitfalls, and secrets at every corner. As a matter of fact, that level of discovery is possibly greater than ever before. New Super Mario Bros. 2 revolves around coin collection, and you'll be surprised at just how many ways you'll be able to snag the precious golden Mushroom Kingdom currency.

Practically everything you do in New Super Mario Bros. 2 rewards you with coins. Defeating enemies using fireballs will score you coins. Going to hard-to-reach areas within levels will cause walls of coins to magically appear nearby. Going through a coin ring will result in baddies yielding even more coins. It's all about the coins in New Super Mario Bros. 2, and this is evident from the very beginning of the game. There are even new power-ups that help fill Mario's pockets with more gold. The prize block, for example, is a golden item that goes on Mario's head, and the faster he runs, the more coins it yields. Then there's the golden fire flower, which works like the regular fire flower, except that shooting regular blocks results in a sea of coins for the protagonist to collect.

This whole theme of greed carries over to every mode in New Super Mario Bros. 2. Coin Rush mode tosses you into three randomly selected levels, and you're tasked with snagging as many coins as possible within a set amount of time before reaching the goal. This is a decent distraction from the main mode, but it serves mostly to continue racking up your coin count, which the game constantly reminds you of in an attempt to entice you to reach the one million coin mark. If you want to team up with a buddy, you'll be glad to know that New Super Mario Bros. 2 features two-player co-op for its story mode. The only hitches are that this component only supports local play, and both individuals need a copy of the game. Trust us however, like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, playing co-op can be an infuriating experience, as you'll constantly be killing each other off by sheer mistake.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 looks about as great as it plays. Everything in the game is rich in color, and the levels themselves have that signature Mario charm. Throw in the massive amounts of gold you see throughout the entire experience, and New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a fine-looking game. As far as the 3D effect is concerned, I've heard some people say they weren't fans of it due to the blurred out backgrounds that add a bit of depth perception. Personally, I enjoyed playing New Super Mario Bros. 2 with the 3D effect turned all the way up because that added depth makes the foregrounds pop a bit more.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a great Mario game for 3DS owners who want exactly that. Despite the emphasis on coin collection, it doesn't add much that's new to the formula. You're still getting fire flowers and raccoon leaves, bouncy mushrooms and falling platforms, Goombas and Koopalings. But bearing in mind the fact that we've seen Nintendo do it all before with the Mario franchise, this is still a great platforming romp. Playing through the six main worlds and unlocking a couple of extra worlds is a great deal of fun. Running around like a greedy treasure hunter (read: Wario) is addictive, and it may be a mindless addiction, but it's ridiculously enjoyable nonetheless.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is exactly what we all expected it to be: It's a superb Mario game that does a lot of things right and hardly anything wrong. Maybe "new" shouldn't be a part of the game's title because there's really nothing here that Nintendo hasn't done before. That said, if you're a fan of the series, or if you're a 3DS owner looking for some wholesome fun, you really can't go wrong with New Super Mario Bros. 2. Now, let's just hope that when Nintendo makes another one of these games after New Super Mario Bros. U, it'll actually take place in Subcon.

For a bunch of indie game and burrito talk, follow @thesanchezdavid on Twitter.

Via: New Super Mario Bros. 2 review

Read More

Mutant Mudds Review (Nintendo 3DS)

In the game, the Earth is being overrun by these creatures known as Mudds, little rolling balls of mud that are simply making a mess of things.  A young kid by the name of Max sees these as a threat to not only his grandmother, but also the planet, so he grabs his water gear and heads out to eradicate the threat.  Of course, battling this evil force is a lot more than he bargained for.

Along with dealing with this army of mudballs, Max will also have to be careful through each stage he runs through.  Dangers lurk about, including inexplicably spiked floors that can easily end his turn.  Fortunately, along with his trusty water cannon, he can also activate a water-powered jet pack, enabling him to hover for a few extra seconds to reach areas just outside his jumping range.  While this is nothing revolutionary in a platforming game (Mario sported the FLUDD in Super Mario Sunshine), Mutant Mudds handles it with utmost precision.

The gameplay is pure old-school fun.  Mutant Mudds is all about shooting enemies on the fly while avoiding rocks that jump from the distance and collecting diamonds.  There are 100 scattered throughout each stage, and picking them all up enables you to unlock additional rewards, including a higher powered water cannon and a better jetpack.  You are limited to only using one power-up at a time, but Renegade Kid probably set it up that way so the game wouldn’t be a total pushover.  No biggie.

What’s more, it utilizes 3D in an ingenious way, where you can actually jump between the background and foreground without it being a distraction.  Enemies pop out beautifully, right at you, and it never gets to the point of feeling gimmicky.  Renegade Kid has a damn good idea how the third dimension is supposed to work, and we can only imagine where they’ll take it with their next project.

Along with savvy 3D effects, the graphics smack of old-school NES flavor.  The character design is vintage, with tricky level design, cartoon-like explosions and little pieces of environment that stand out in their own right, including clouds and trees.  Clearly, Renegade was influenced by the earlier era of video games – thus my estimation of what their offices are like.

For that matter, the music also shines.  The soundtrack is definitely of the “bit chip” variety, but truly excellent.  The sound effects aren’t much, save for little bop noises and explosions, but they serve their purpose.  Plus, I’m happy with the fact that Max isn’t saddled with a cruddy nerd voice.  We hate it when the unlikely hero sounds even more unlikely than he’s supposed to be.

The only way Mutant Mudds could’ve been any better is if Renegade added some online leaderboards to the completion times.  But that’s a very minor complaint for an otherwise superb platformer that every 3DS owner needs to experience.  Mutant Mudds is well worth its $9 price tag, an adventure that’ll remind you of the good ol’ days – or prompt you to check out what made them so special to begin with.

Via: Mutant Mudds Review (Nintendo 3DS)

Read More

Heroes of Ruin review

You'll spend your time around the city of Nexus, where you'll be tasked with awakening Ataraxis, who just so happens to be the founder of Nexus. With Nexus acting as your primary quest hub, you'll be tasked with the usual, kill a bunch of monsters, collect a bunch of items, you know, the works. While I wasn't that caught up with the story, it did catch me off guard in a few instances, but honestly, I just cared about the hacking, the slashing and most of all, the loot.

You have a choice of four different classes to pick from; The Vindicator being the Paladin of the group, Gunslinger who is your obvious Ranger class, Savage who is the main warrior class, and Alchitect (yes, it's spelled that way) who excels in magic. From then on, it's pretty much a standard hack and slash affair that is actually quite fun.

One of the most surprising aspects come up even before you make your first step as your newly created character. The game right away suggests hopping online and starting your adventure with three other people. That was definitely a pleasant surprise and not something you see on a handheld often. It actually worked quite well. I was able to hop on and actually connect fairly easily with others.

That isn't even the best part. One of the most unique features and something that I would have loved to see other ARPG's do as well, is the Alliance system. Your friends who are on your 3DS friend list can be tagged as part of your alliance, which add a whole new layer of gameplay to the game. While questing alongside an alliance member, you'll be able to level up your relationship (which isn't as weird as it sounds) and gain certain buffs and effects. Some of these are truly fantastic and make questing with people that you know extremely worth it. 

The daily and weekly challenges I’ve mentioned above often have a co-op component - there are currently two active ones that ask you to accomplish certain tasks in co-op. If you haven’t already figured it out, Heroes of Ruin has co-op coming out of its ears.

Heroes of Ruin does some other things right too though. For instance any loot that you pick up and don't need, you can instantly sell, no matter if you're deep in a dungeon. This quick sell system allows you to keep questing, without much downtime. Side Quest aficionados will be happy to know that there are lots to lose track of time with.

Now on to the downsides. Each Hero can specialize in three different Ability Trees, though they aren't really trees, but more so sequential unlocks. After learning an ability you can then map three of them to your face buttons to unleash them on hordes of monsters. The problem here is that since the game is so easy, you'll find that your standard attack gets most of the work done, which is truly a shame since some of the skills are actually pretty awesome, they're just not necessary. 

The menu system is tedious too. Not just because it somewhat slow to load, but you have to navigate a bunch of submenus just to get where you want to go. Scrolling through all your new gear is extremely tedious, and at this point, I would have much rather had a "Equip Best Items" feature, just so I wouldn't have to scroll through the whole thing.

While Heroes of Ruin definitely has some of the best online play capabilities of any 3DS game that I've previously got my hands on, it doesn't share the same amount of polish in the graphics department. Now I'm not one to usually complain about graphics, but I've seen very impressive graphics on the 3DS before. Seeing your characters close up, you really see how little detail was put into them. On one hand, it's understandable, something had to be sacrificed in order to make the online play so fluid, but this is just an eyesore. The environments are somewhat of a mixed bag. Some of them look really good, while others have muddled textures, making them stick out like a sore thumb from their surroundings.

The game also shines when played in 3D, because the depth of field effect actually works quite well in isometric games like this. The problem is the slowdown. As soon as you flick that 3D slider, you're going to see a noticeable dip in frames per second. This is nothing new, as I've stated a very similar problem with Dead or Alive Dimension on the 3DS as well, but when things get really chaotic on screen, the slow down is pretty unbearable.

Heroes of Ruin is simply a little rough around the edges. While one part of it is truly great (fun hacking and slashing and impressive online play) the rest suffers from not enough polish. If you can get over the somewhat bad presentation, and not turning up that 3D slider, you will find that Heroes of Ruin can be quite enjoyable, especially when played with others online.

Via: Heroes of Ruin review

Read More

Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword Review (Nintendo 3DS)

The story revolves around a princess who is spirited away by an evil overlord, and the land falling into chaos.  Eventually, the dust settles and peace is restored, though the princess is never really found.  Saddened over this news, an old man who hangs out by a pool of water weeps for her, then finds a destined warrior who can make the perilous journey to rescue her.  You’ll set out on your way, making stops to do battle with warriors and eventually get to temples, where you’ll tackle tough bosses and gain the tools needed to save the princess.

Though the action doesn’t change much in Sakura Samurai, it’ll no doubt be familiar to those who grew up playing a Punch-Out!! game.  There’s a heavy emphasis on dodging opponents when they strike, then hitting them back at the key moment, sometimes with a quick one-two slice, and others with a great combo move, a flurry of sword strikes with flower blossoms pouring out.  As you proceed through each battle, you’ll need to take special care of your katana, using a stone to sharpen it up on occasion or calling upon a blacksmith in the village to treat it like new.

The balance between combat and strategy is very well done in Sakura Samurai, and the game has heaping amounts of action.  Rewards include coins and health upgrades, so you can continue on your journey.  Along with enemy encounters, you can also stop in villages, buy new items, upgrade your weapons, and play a few mini-games that will keep your skills from dwindling.  You’ll also earn your own Rock Garden, which grows as you work your way through the game, unlocking a special hard mode as well as additional challenges.  There’s replay value galore here, even if the gameplay doesn’t change much beyond dodge, strike, repeat.  (But, hey, it worked for Punch-Out!!)

While Sakura Samurai doesn’t have the same style of visual pop as, say, the Ninja Gaiden games, it’s a very good-looking downloadable game.  The traditional samurai environment pops out of the screen, and the bad guys, though lacking in a little bit of variety, strike just like traditional warriors -- some even with a running slash.  The over-the-shoulder perspective is quite satisfying and gives you a decent enough view of enemies that surround you.  The bosses are particularly well designed and give you a run for your money in the heat of battle.  As for the sound, customary samurai tunes and strong weapon effects sufficiently do their work.

For a cheap downloadable game, Sakura Samurai is more than worth it, between its classic style gameplay, its striking 3D visuals, and its abundant extras, most notably the Rock Garden.  If you even dreamed about being a samurai at some point in your life, this is one you’ll definitely want to holster in your virtual library.

Via: Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword Review (Nintendo 3DS)

Read More

Resident Evil: Revelations Review

Simply said, yes.

Resident Evil: Revelations puts you in control of Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, as well as some other members of BSAA, in an all new adventure that takes place between RE4 and RE5. The story revolves around uncovering yet another strand of weaponized virus called the T-Abyss, released by a terrorist group known as Veltro. If you're expecting some revelations, you're definitely in for a treat. The game plays out a lot like Alan Wake did, with each part of the story separated into its own episode, complete with a story recap after each mission to ensure you remember exactly what happened and what's going on. It's a handy feature for those that like to take frequent breaks between gameplay sessions, as it quickly brings them up to speed.

Revelations plays a lot like RE4 rather than RE5. Though you still have companions at your side, you don't rely on their participation much, aside from a little help with firepower. The control scheme is fairly unchanged from Resident Evil: Mercenaries and still allows you to aim down your sights while moving around as long as you have the left shoulder button pressed down. This was an extremely helpful addition in Mercenaries and really helps out in tight situations when you just need to move further away but you want to keep pumping those virus abominations full of lead. The game also features a Circle Pad Pro control scheme which I'm sure makes the game much easier to play, but sadly since we didn't have the add-on, we couldn't put this to the test.

In true survival horror spirit, the game doesn't necessarily throw a lot your way. Sure it's scattered around levels here and there, but since the monsters take quite a few hits to take down, aiming carefully and precisely is an absolute necessity. Weapons can also be upgraded at various workbenches scattered around each level with upgrade items found through exploration, which makes taking down nasties a much quicker affair.

New to the series is an item called the Genesis Scanner. Much like the scanning done in Metroid Prime, this allows you to survey the surroundings for any hidden useful items, such as healing herbs and ammo clips. Scanning downed enemies also fills up a percentage meter, which when full grants an extra healing item. It definitely adds incentive to use this scanning device about everywhere you go. There in lies a little bit of the problem. Since scanning is so necessary for your survival, you'll find yourself more behind the lens of the scanner, than actually in third person.

If there ever should be a benchmark of what the 3DS is capable of graphically, Revelations should be that benchmark. Whether you're playing with the 3D effect on or off, the game looks absolutely amazing. Mercenaries was no slouch in the graphics department either, but I feel like that was just a taste of what Revelations has to offer. The sound design is equally as impressive with an ambiance that will send shivers up your spine. I highly recommend playing with headphones if you want to feel some fear while you're playing.

There are some things to consider when using the 3D effect, however. The game allows for three separate depth settings for the 3D effect, and what I've found is the strongest one also seems to have a lot of ghosting (when the image is doubled on screen). Turning the depth to the weakest setting proves to work just fine, though the depth perception isn't as impressive when it's turned all the way up.

Revelations also includes its own Achievements system but labels them as Missions. These can be checked throughout your gameplay and tasks players with certain goals such as killing 150 enemies, scanning a number of hidden handprints, dodging enemy attacks 20 times, etc. To further incentivize the completion of missions, each one is associated with a reward, like custom parts for weapons, healing items, and more powerful and potent weapons to take enemies down with.

Resident Evil: Revelations is an absolute must-have for 3DS owners. It's a much needed departure from the usual Mario's and Zelda's that permeate Nintendo's consoles, and it truly delivers on all fronts. If you thought playing a horror game on a 3DS screen isn't scary, you're in for a delightful surprise.

Via: Resident Evil: Revelations Review

Read More

Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater Review (Nintendo 3DS)

The game takes place in the 1960’s, when one little event could easily trigger a nuclear war between countries.  Naked Snake finds himself in the middle of a tense situation, in which he must eliminate a person he considers his mentor, The Boss, before she triggers an event that will put nations at each other’s throats.  It’s anything but easy, thanks to her Cobra Unit, filled with members of madmen (and women) who have their own way of dealing with enemies.  Naked Snake needs to use every bit of his skills and his cunning if he hopes to stop the Boss’ plan.

If you’ve played Metal Gear Solid 3 before, you know how epic this game gets.  It’s not a straightforward action game, but a game that relies just as heavily on stealth as it does Snake dispatching enemies.  You’ll need to use every bit of thinking you can with this game, especially when it comes to bosses like The Fear or The Sorrow.  (And yes, that incredible encounter with The End remains completely intact.  Don’t worry, hardcore gamers.)

With that, the game makes a mostly intact transition to the Nintendo 3DS.  There is some question when it comes to camera control (it’s better with a second circle pad, the one sold with Resident Evil Revelations), but the rest of the functionality is intact, whether you’re sneaking around a camp or using your side weapons.  What’s more, the game actually makes use of the 3DS’ gyro sensors in certain parts, like helping Snake across a balance beam.  It’s hardly what we’d call a game changer, but it’s nice that Kojima and his team left everything running moderately.

We say moderately because the team may have crammed too much into the game.  All the cut scenes, while amazing in 3D, are unskippable, meaning you can’t pause if you need to stop riding on a local transit or need to do something else.  Same goes for the ever-long CODEC conversations.  They can take forever.  Konami should’ve inputted some sort of ideal quick save system, so we wouldn’t lose our minds starting over at an earlier point in the game.

Still, the game looks very good on the 3DS screen, mild frame rate issues aside.  The third dimension really suits Snake well, and the environments look pretty damn swanky on such a small screen.  The audio is just as good, especially when the “Snake Eater” theme song kicks in.  We can’t stop listening to it.  The dialogue and sound effects are faithfully translated as well.

Yeah, maybe Snake Eater could’ve been chopped back a bit or edited to make the play experience as a whole a little smoother.  But as it stands, this is still a terrific translation of the classic game, retouched with 3D and featuring the kind of gameplay that still stands the test of time.  Even if you think you’ve seen it all before, you owe this Snake a revisit.  Even if it is just for that theme song. 

Via: Metal Gear Solid 3D: Snake Eater Review (Nintendo 3DS)

Read More

Kid Icarus: Uprising review

"The game's simple, intuitive play control has players hold the system in their left hand, while the right hand uses the stylus on the touch screen for targeting. The controls are simple enough to be grasped quickly, but offer layers of depth and strategy for advanced maneuvers."

Many men have lied to my face, but few have done it with such pretty words. The sad truth is that Kid Icarus' controls are far from simple or intuitive, and are in fact so awkward that they practically render the game unplayable.This is a tragedy, because Kid Icarus: Uprising is an otherwise thrilling game, its design problems seeming to stem largely from the limitations of the hardware for which its been designed.

In case you haven't noticed, the 3DS lacks a second analog stick. This means that the console is ill-suited for a variety of genres, say: twin-stick shooters, or 3rd-person action games lacking fixed cameras. Why Nintendo subsidiary Project Sora took a look at the device, and immediately thought to develop a game which is mix of both genres, is a goddamn scientific mystery. Though it seems obvious that their chief motivation was to take advantage of the 3DS' unique visuals, the portable's control scheme just wasn't meant for this type of game, giving us a very apt example of why you shouldn't put graphics ahead of gameplay. 

As Pit, the titular "Kid Icarus," players will wrestle with two uniquely frustrating control modes, each stage beginning with a short aerial sequence before moving onto the lengthier on-foot areas. The flight segments are undoubtedly the most exciting part of Uprising, frantic Star Fox-style rail shooting which takes full advantage of the dazzling 3D  visuals. Here, players control Pit's movements with the Circle Pad, dodging enemy fire while firing back with the L Button, aiming their stream of fire on the touchpad. Again, it's like trying to play a twin-stick shooter without a second stick, and though directing your fire with the stylus is a fun novelty, it doesn't really make up for the fact that you're glued to the included plastic stand.

Let me be perfectly clear when I say that the stand is not optional. Though I'd initially dismissed the stand as some sort of crutch for those not used to holding their portable systems like a jackass (I perfected the notorious PSP claw grip during the hundreds of hours I sunk into Monster Hunter Freedom), I quickly found that with my right hand busy with the stylus, my puny left hand could barely hope to support the entire weight of the device alone. Playing without the stand is like trying to ride a bike without a seat, it can be done, but you'll quickly tire of getting your ass pounded.

It's the on-ground segments which highlight just how bumpy this ride is. Once Pit's wings run out of juice, the game devolves into 3rd-person tedium,  frustrating camera controls complicating even the simplest maneuvers. It feels a lot like trying to control a lazy Devil May Cry clone with a trackball, and though the levels are loaded up with secret areas, vehicle combat segments, massive bosses, and piles of sweet, sweet loot, none of it makes up for the clumsiness of the controls. Though Pit is supposed to move with the grace of an angel, using the stylus to spin the camera around never feels intuitive, and has you constantly stumbling into the enemy's line of fire. The dash maneuver is especially troubling, letting Pit supposedly dodge enemy attacks with a flick of the Circle Pad. Unfortunately, the move is so easy to trigger that it almost seems as though its primary function is to help accidently push Pit into the game's many bottomless chasms.

At least we know where he got his name.

What sucks is that Kid Icarus has so many awesome things going on, but the core gameplay is too broken for them to matter. Dozens of unique weapons are available, all of which can be combined into even more ridiculous armaments. There's also tons of special powers and stat buffs to collect, letting players customize Pit by fitting these variously sized powers onto a customization grid. Even more thrillingly, the collected powers and gear can all be used in the game's intriguing multiplayer mode, where two teams of three each wage war across a variety of battlefields, working to destroy the opposing team's angel. Though the online mode offers even more cool loot to collect, after struggling with the bizarre controls throughout the lengthy single-player campaign, it's hard to muster up excitement for this online experience. Not to mention that multiplayer arena combat isn't really a great fit for the 3DS's tiny screen.

To be honest, Kid Icarus isn't a complete failure. As mentioned, the flight segments are incredible, combining the best of traditional rail shooters with the flair of a Universal Studios theme park ride. Additionally, Project Sora has done a fantastic job of bringing a long-forgotten Nintendo character back to life. Pit is equal parts Link and Woody Allen, a handsome young warrior with all the self-confidence of our favorite neurotic Jew. Nintendo fans will also appreciate the game's frequent nods to nostalgia, bosses talking about how much they've changed since the NES days, with some of the game's returning monsters storming into battle with their terrifying original 8-bit music playing alongside. The presentation is excellent, even hilarious at times, though one can only polish a turd for so long. 

In short, Kid Icarus: Uprising is a game designed for some wonderful alternate universe, where the 3DS has a second analog stick and a depth effect that doesn't require your head to be positioned at exactly the right distance from the screen. Instead we're stuck in this crappy little dimension of ours, where you need a plastic stand to play your portable game, and Sarah Palin is considered a legitimate presidential running mate. There are brief moments where it all comes together, where the 3D visuals are perfectly aligned, Pit hilariously bickering with the enemy as you thrillingly weave between a crowd of bullets, gleefully opening fire on the boss. But more often than not, the game's ambition is limited by it's own hardware. It's definitely a game every 3DS owner should experience at some point, if just for the brilliant flying segments alone. Though at $40, Kid Icarus is too much of a novelty to justify paying full price. 

As a side note, the game does support the Circle Pad Pro attachment. Not to fix any of the control issues, but to allow left-handed players to experience the awful controls for themselves. Haven't our nation's lefties suffered enough Nintendo?

Via: Kid Icarus: Uprising review

Read More

Shifting World review

Shifting World is based on the game Shift by Armor Games, a popular series of black & white flash puzzlers which features the rather intriguing mechanic of having players "shift" which color is solid. A simple button press inverts the world's rules, changing negative space into tangible platforms, and vice versa. At the same time the world is turned upside down, so when an exit is several stories up in the black world, it's a simple matter of switching polarity and jumping down to it in the white dimension.

This concept is cool, and in the Flash games it actually works rather well. However, this is largely because the flash games fit the entire play area onto the screen, letting players plan out how to best use their shift abilities. Unfortunately, Shifting World features levels far too expansive for such treatment. As a result the game is impossibly claustrophobic, keeping the camera firmly zoomed in on the main character, revealing only the immediate surrounding area. Though the bottom screen features a map of the level, this poses the exact opposite problem, much too small to provide anything more than a generic idea of where keys and other items are scatted about the level.

 

This makes navigating the game's levels seem like an entirely blind affair, forcing players to stumble along the monochrome corridors hoping they're heading in the right direction. The game's developers seem to be well aware of this disorientation, but their fixes are simply to make the levels largely linear in design, while also covering every surface in arrows nudging you in the right direction. Again though, this is supposed to be a puzzle game, and the constant hand holding means there's a rather diminished sense of accomplishment when you do finally arrive at the end door.

The game's monochrome visuals are cool, but don't really "pop" noticably.

However my biggest problem with the game is one which I think serves as an excellent example of when developers implement features without ever really asking "why?" Here I refer to the game's deadly spike traps, a design feature faithful to the original games, which like in many other 2D platformers will kill your character dead the second you touch them. The problem is that this isn't an action game, it's a puzzle game, and taking a step back from Shifting World makes you realize just how useless these spikes are. If there was a legitimate action component to the game, fine, but this action-puzzler features such stiff controls that dying to a mis-timed jump is a major annoyance, especially since the lengthy puzzles feature no checkpoints whatsoever.

 

Normally, these spikes would be a simple annoyance, though the game's most obvious flaw makes them a nightmare. No two bones about it, the jump button is broken. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn't. I've had trouble nailing down exactly what it is that causes the jump to misfire, but on countless occasions I've pressed that 'B' button, heard the little air-whooshy sound effect that signifies your character should be bounding through the air, and watched my black-suited avatar run off a platform into a bed of spikes. After a while I got filled with such tremendous anxiety when facing even the simplest spike obstacle, knowing that my knack for pressing the 'B' button wrong was sure to send me back to the start and undo five minutes of progress.

Love those spikes man.

There are plenty of other oddities abound as well. Though the visuals are interesting, the game's brightness level seem to abruptly change at random points throughout the level, often looking washed out and dull. I also hope you enjoy elevator music, because the same jazzy noir theme plays throughout each level. And as always, the Nintendo 3DS's depth effect is still wildly unimpressive, so even that novelty falls flat.

The moment which caused me to quit playing involved a blind drop onto a pit of these despised spikes, the game's shallow depth of field  making it possible for me to leap to my doom almost completely unawares. I'm not sure what the game's developers thought of that particular obstacle, if they truly expected me to be memorizing the position of every spike (despite the majority of them being singular obstacles) or whether I was supposed to be solving these puzzles through a sort of brute-force approach, learning where each unfair death is located and circumventing it on my next run through the maze. Point is, neither approach is rather fun, especially with a broken jump button.

 

In short, Shifting World is a very interesting mix of ideas which could've amounted to an incredible puzzle game. Instead we're left with a title that really needed nothing more than a reliable jump button and a better camera. Such flaws might sound small, but honestly they ruined this experience for me. Maybe the game excels beyond World 3, when some of the cooler features make themselves known (turning the world from 3D to 2D sounded fun). Unfortunately, I'm in no mood to find out.   

Via: Shifting World review

Read More

Crush3d review (Nintendo 3DS)

The goal is simple. Danny is trapped in his own thoughts, dreams and nightmares thanks to his friend's invention, C.R.U.S.H, that allows the user to explore his own subconscious. I don't know about you, but being trapped inside one's subconscious sounds pretty awful especially coupled with the fact you're stuck with a clothing attire thats best attribute is a stylish bathrobe.

Knowing this, it's obvious Danny doesn't want to be stuck in his mind forever. This is where you come in. You will take control of the wardrobe friendly Danny with the ultimate goal to make your way out of C.R.U.S.H. and into the real world with the possibility of punching your wily old scientist friend in the face for making you try out such a faulty invention.

Moving on, Crush3d is a puzzle game with an intriguing and original twist. In each area, the player will have to collect a certain amount of marbles scattered through the course to open the exit. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. The marbles you need aren't always going to be convenient for Danny to get to. You'll have to navigate in 2D and 3D space to get the marbles you seek. With each camera view you choose, you will be able to crush and uncrush. In simple terms, this means you can flatten the course to 2D and navigate side-scroller style or stretch the environment out in 3D.

Navigating through this 2D and 3D space is the name of the game. There are also little additions in the courses if you are looking for a more difficult challenge. Trophies and books will be scattered throughout each course often proving to be a bit more challenging to get to. Books will grab you extras such as new pajamas and a great ensemble of bathrobes and trophies will offer more time trial courses for the more dedicated Crush3d players.

Just like in 2007 with CRUSH, the gameplay is still an absolute blast. I'll be the first to tell you that puzzle games have never been my strong suit. However, this game will challenge you and test your brain power. It does a great job of introducing new elements to the gameplay to change up the monotony of just grabbing marbles. At times, players will encounter pushable objects to help you reach another area on the course or for some reason, giant bugs will show up randomly to try to block your way out. All of these small elements keep the player on his toes and add that little something extra that lets Crush3d stand out in the puzzle genre.

Not all is well with Crush3d world though. Besides the original gameplay, please don't go into this game thinking it's the next best puzzler since Tetris. Besides the core gameplay, I didn't feel that Crush3d offered anything more. The graphics were extremely bland to me as the focus seemed to be more on the course than the outside world around it. There are consistent themes throughout the game for the courses, but more effort could have been put into the overall graphics of the game to create something really special inside of C.R.U.S.H.

To add to that, the music doesn't add anything special to the game either. It would have been cool to have even just a few awesome soundtracks in there to help the atmosphere of being stuck in a subconscious with no way out. Personally, I would have also liked to see another track that gave Danny a shred of hope that his friend's invention isn't destined for an informercial on late night television. Instead, all we get is music reminiscent of an elevator ride made popular in office buildings everywhere.

With all the negatives in mind, should you take a look at Crush3d for the Nintendo 3DS? By all means, I think you should. If you can understand what you are getting yourself into and realize it's not going to be the epic visuals of a top tier game, this is a great and simple puzzle game. Although it lacks a wondrous soundtrack or graphics to make players ooh and aah, Crush3d is a remake gamers should be happy to own on their Nintendo 3DS.

 

Via: Crush3d review (Nintendo 3DS)

Read More

Mario Tennis Open Review

Instead, I got a humdrum golf game with Mario characters. I played it maybe twice and never touched it again.

It's sad to note that developers Camelot still haven't found much to do with the Mario franchise, failing to create anything more ambitious than by-the-books sports titles with Mario characters seemingly thrown in at random. Such is the case with Mario Tennis Open for the 3DS, a game which despite having plenty of great examples to follow from (Virtua Tennis, Mario Tennis GBC) decides to play it far too safe, resulting in a game with some decent multiplayer and little else.

The game modes are sparse, with the single player tournament mode nothing more than a series of bracketed competitions played across varying terrains. The gameplay will be familiar to anyone who's played a tennis game before: run over to where the ball is and press buttons to hit it back the opponent. Mario Tennis Open spices this up slightly by letting players deliver special skill shots, showing where the ball is about to land and which "color" return to use for maximum effect. The problem is that this dumbs the competition down to a color matching game, and running over to differently colored circles and pressing the appropriate colored pad on the touchscreen feels like a game for primary school children.

The weirdest game feature is the tilt sensor controlled gameplay, which is automatically turned on by default. If this is honestly how Camelot expected people to play the game, it's time to hire some actual focus testers. The feature is utterly bizarre, requiring players to first hold the system at the right angle, then swivel it to aim their shots. To make up for your inability to properly control your player while jerking the system around like a moron, Camelot has made it so your player automatically gets under the ball regardless of where you are on the court. For fun, you can run all the way over to one side of the screen, then jam on the return button to immediately teleport to where the ball is. It's downright silly, and a great example of effort wasted on something nobody wanted.

Truth is that the game has two redeeming features. One is that playing against actual human opponents is decently fun, while one of the included minigames lets you play the original Super Mario Bros. by slamming a tennis ball at a projected level, collecting coins and overhanding baddies to extend the timer. This minigame is perhaps the closest Camelot gets to doing something unique with the license, and it's tragic they didn't have similar thoughts for the main game. After all, this is Mario, one of the most unique gaming licenses ever. So why is this game so mundane? Throw some coin blocks on the court, let me serve up some fireballs, have Bowser stampede through the middle of a rally and set the net ablaze. Something! Anything!

Point is, Camelot could've had some fun with this one. Instead, we've got a mediocre tennis game where you can play as Yoshi. For $40, that just isn't going to cut it.

Via: Mario Tennis Open Review

Read More