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)

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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)

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Theatrhythm Final Fantasy review

Cosmos and Chaos are at it again, and have once again summoned every main hero and a myriad of side characters to the fray in order to restore balance to the Rhythmia crystal, which is now teeming with darkness. The only way to do this is to travel the lands, battle enemies and reminisce through musical pieces that feed the Rhythmia crystal. It's a silly premise, but given that the game revolves around music, it works. 

There is more to Theatrhythm than meets the eye. On the surface, you have a seemingly uncomplicated rhythm game that relies on taps, slides and holds. Even a generally non-rhythm centric gamer can easily get through the basic difficulty of songs. Digging deeper and further unlocking harder difficulties or taking on the Dark Notes, which I'll cover later, proves that you not only have to have rhythm, but you also need to have great hand-eye coordination.

You're given the choice to build up a dream team of four characters comprised of any main hero from the 13 games, or eventually unlockable characters as well. These characters then level up, gain abilities, equip items, raise their stats and more. An RPG system in my rhythm game you say? It actually ends up working beautifully in conjunction with the overall gameplay, which I'll get into next.

The game's Series mode allows you to select any of the 13 games in the series, and then break them up into five separate sections. The beginning and ending songs are mostly there to provide backstory and conclusion, although you can tap along to the song whenever music notes fly over the crystal in the middle of the screen for some extra Rhythmia points.

The crux of the experience is in the three event stages. The Field stage (FMS) is a walking stage where your leader character walks along a field while you play along to the given field music. While your character's level isn't dependent on you completing the level, it does factor in how far they can walk, and therefore what items they can acquire. For example the main stat point that's important for Field stages is agility. The higher the agility, the further they'll go, simple as that. Having high Luck also helps with finding rare items.

Event stages (EMS) are stages that are the most nostalgia evoking. They are comprised of popular cutscenes or gameplay from each title which plays in the background, while you tap, slide and hold to the beat on the foreground. I can't tell you how excited some of these made me. I remember having a save file specifically right before the Waltz for the Moon segment in Final Fantasy VIII that I wanted to be able to rewatch whenever I wanted. It's great that this cutscene, along with many others, are included in the game.

​Lastly, Battle stages (BMS) are battles which pit your four heroes against an onslaught of enemies one after another. The governing attributes are Strength and Magic, since it helps you defeat monsters more easily. The more of them you kill, the better the rewards. Battle stages are definitely the most frantic of the three, since they always are comprised of up-beat, popular battle themes. These on Ultimate difficulty are quite hard to master.

Sprinkled between each of these stages are Feature Zones. In FMS, they'll turn your character into a fast walking Chocobo if successful. In BMS they'll call forth a random summon to do massive damage. Lastly, in EMS they'll extend the last 20% of the song to give you the chance to score more points.

Via: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy review

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes review

The LEGO games are known for their brilliant use of pantomiming to deliver story. While this is tradition for all of Traveller's Tales' LEGO games, this is one point where the original LEGO Batman suffered. Noticing this setback, TT for the first time has added voice acting in LEGO Batman 2.

I initially feared I'd miss the cuteness of pantomime and LEGO facial expressions, but upon playing, I realized that the humor is still present. If anything, character voice-overs add to humor, as the banter between the various heroes provide some witty dialogue. Not to mention, the gestures of our mini LEGO heroes remains hilarious.

One thing dialogue does allow is a coherent narrative, but while given the ability to deliver now, I can't say it really made that much of a difference. I understand that the plot can't be too complicated due to the relative simplicity of the concept, but I don't honestly feel the voice-overs contributed to the shallow chase of Batman and the Joker. It's a nice addition, but not something the story required.
Gameplay remains the same as previous LEGO titles, for the most part. You play through linear levels filled with LEGO-based puzzles. These typically include smashing constructed LEGOs and rebuilding them into useful objects or unlocking the different character suits that are used to solve future puzzles.

Some LEGO games focus on action, some on puzzles; LEGO Batman 2 leans more towards the latter. Every level involves some sort of simplistic action, but the puzzles, on the other hand, can be quite challenging. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with this, but I have to say some of the puzzles in the game stumped me for quite a while — and with no help system in place, I admit I was frustrated at some points. I can't imagine a child maintaining the attention span to solve some of them. It doesn't help that at times the practically static camera doesn't provide the necessary view to help you get a better vantage point of where to go or what to do next.

Of course, there is much more to do in this game aside from playing through the levels and solving puzzles. Scattered throughout the levels are your typical hidden Minikits, gold blocks, and tons of LEGO pieces to destroy. This provides a decent amount of fun that can be played separately from the story. And with the introduction of an open-world environment, you are more free to explore than ever before. While LEGO Indiana Jones 2 explored this idea, LEGO Batman 2 fully introduces the concept. The entire city can now be explored with tons of hidden secrets waiting to be uncovered.

You are now able to traverse the world through many of Batman's fun vehicles or through the powers of the DC characters — though many of them aren't available until the later stages. It's nice to have the added freedom to explore and find hidden objects, but it can get kind of repetitive to an extent. As you begin to learn the tricks in LEGO Batman 2, you begin to learn that many of the hidden objects are hidden much the same way.

The highlight in LEGO Batman 2, for me, was utilizing the many suits of Batman and Robin. Whether for puzzles or uncovering hidden objects scattered throughout the city, the different suits provide a nice change of pace to an otherwise redundant gameplay experience.

To the same degree, The Justice League adds an entirely new element. Whether you're soaring over Gotham as Superman or speeding through the city as Flash, the other DC characters are a great addition to the game that I would've liked to see more of. Unfortunately, as this is primarily a Batman game, the other DC characters are reserved until the final stages and mostly post-story fun.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes still has that same LEGO game charm. It's a fun game with new additions that, for the most part, make the experience a better one. It has a decent story length with added replayability thanks to hidden objects and the exploration added through open-world gameplay. As with all LEGO games, LEGO Batman 2 can get a little repetitive, but these added additions make it a fun playthrough that is definitely worthwhile — especially for fans of the LEGO game franchise.

Via: LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes review

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Marvel Pinball 3D review; will it make you want some shawarma?

Now, following the release of the much-acclaimed Avengers Chronicles tables, the original game is finally making its debut on the 3DS as a downloadable title for the eShop.  Marvel Pinball 3D comes with four initial tables — Blade, Iron Man, Captain America and Fantastic Four.  (We’re not sure what happened to Spider-Man, which would’ve been an ideal release with the movie coming out next week and all.)  Each table is loyally themed to each of its heroes, with Red Skull stomping around like crazy on the Captain America table and vampires popping up like mad in Blade.

 

 

Like the original Marvel Pinball release, Zen Studios gets everything just right with its pinball design.  Each table is fun to play and easy on the eyes, thanks to conventional pinball set-up and a multitude of camera angles to choose from.  So if you lose the ball, it’s likely your own fault.  (If the 3D becomes distracting, you can move the slider and just play the traditional way.)  The light-up LED screens are a nice touch, so that each table mimics the real thing, in a way.

Also, the audio is quite good.  Each table features dedicated voice acting, and while you’re not likely to hear Robert Downey Jr. on the Iron Man table (darn licensing rights!), you’ve got a pretty good sound-alike in his place.  The music is well done too, with heroicness aplenty backing it up — if that makes sense.

As for the gameplay, it’s vintage pinball, through and through, from shooting skill shots to taking down drop targets.  Some shots, like on the Fantastic Four table, can take a little time to master.  But you’ve got unlimited credits on these tables, so it’s time well invested.

Along with traditional solo play, Marvel Pinball 3D also supports online leaderboards, so you can try to top your friends’ best.  You can also earn Achievements, take on people locally through hot seat multiplayer (supporting up to four people), and add up your Hero and Team Score, whether you prefer playing by yourself or with others.  Most of these features were in the previous game, but we’re happy to see them back here.

The only downfall to Marvel Pinball 3D is Zen Studios’ decision making on the tables.  As we stated earlier, a Spider-Man table would’ve been novel with the movie coming and all, and even the Wolverine table could top the Fantastic Four and Blade ones.  And where are the Avengers Chronicles?  Were they too complicated to get in the initial collection?

 

 

Despite such small issues, Marvel Pinball 3D is widely recommended for Nintendo 3DS owners.  Zen Studios did a great job compressing these four tables into handheld form, and with decent 3D effects to boot.  And with the support of both local multiplayer and online features, there’ll be plenty to keep you busy.  All that’s left to do now is add extra downloadable tables to the crew down the road.  And yes, we’re looking at you, Chronicles.

Via: Marvel Pinball 3D review; will it make you want some shawarma?

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Pokemon Conquest review

If you're familiar with the cast and characters from the Samurai Warriors series, you'll see a lot of familiar faces. Everyone from Hideyoshi, Nene, Oichi, Masamune to Nobunaga himself are present in this game, as well as a myriad of familiar Pokemon that those warriors use to do battle.

The game takes place in the region of Ransei, where Pokemon run free and aren't confined to the inner walls of Pokeballs. The legend goes that a mysterious and legendary Pokemon will appear to those who conquer all of the Kingdoms in the region. Of course, the evil Nobunaga has caught wind of this legend and is also on a conquering spree so that he may plunge the region of Ransei into chaos.

Enter either a young girl or boy, who under the guidance of Oichi want to see Ransei flourish and live (mostly) in harmony, rather than live under the tyranny of Nobunaga. It's up to you to then conquer lands, recruit warriors, train Pokemon, manage your kingdoms and, ultimately, unite the lands of Ransei.

The premise, as whacky as it sounds, is actually quite clever, even though it's silly that these Warriors that you usually witness battling to the death are all of a sudden commanding a legion of Pokemon to do their bidding.

Although I did mention that I'm usually terrible at these sorts of strategy/tactics/management games, Pokemon Conquest manages to still be relatively kid friendly and eases in players who might find this genre relatively foreign to them. There are essentially two parts to Pokemon Conquest — management and battle. Luckily, however, the management portion is in fact not as in-depth, which means you won't spend hours in menus; rather, you'll get to the action much quicker — but more on that later.

The map, which expands as you take over various kingdoms, will be your go-to screen to manage both your character and any recruited warriors along with their Pokemon. Each kingdom will have various amenities available to you, such as shops that contain consumables and equipment, or fields and areas teeming with wild Pokemon and roaming warriors who are able to be recruited. Combining items eventually becomes open to players, which adds a simple crafting element to the game as well. Every time a certain character or Pokemon uses these amenities, however, he or she cannot be used again until the next month (next turn), so choosing how you spend your turn is something that needs to be considered.

Since you amass kingdoms over time, it's safe to say you won't want to tend to each one manually, although you certainly can. Thankfully, you're able to delegate any stationed warriors to do one of three things: train in order to raise stats, search for new Pokemon or warriors to recruit, or develop, which raises a Pokemon's energy, which in turn has an effect on their stats, links and more. These delegations then happen automatically every time a new turn is made, which ensures you just have to focus on the kingdom your main character is currently occupying. You're also able to march selected warriors along with their Pokemon to already claimed kingdoms for increased fortification, or to switch up your main lineup of Pokemon.

Via: Pokemon Conquest review

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