“Retro” Review: The Dark Spire

Posted on December 9, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS

Developer: Success

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Score: A (95%)

(Note: while I’m buried in a few other reviews and working on some new site stuff, here’s an old review to peruse. This previously “lost” review was written LONG before the PSN Wizardry games from XSEED and Wizardry Online were announced, but I decided not to alter anything mostly because I’m surprised this turned up in a folder packed with stuff I thought was gone for good – enjoy!)

Since no US publisher seems to even be thinking about reviving the classic Wizardry franchise anytime soon, Atlus has pretty much taken up the mantle of “publisher of Wizardry-like gameplay experiences” on the Nintendo DS. Some of you might be asking “Hey! what about that excellent 2001 PlayStation 2 game, Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land, huh?” However, that game (great as it was) wasn’t at all related to the eight Sir-Tech PC games. Other than a few console remakes of the first seven games scattered over an assortment of Japanese consoles and a few handheld version the numerous Japanese-developed Wizardry games are their own bird (and yes, it would have been grand to see them localized in English), but that’s another subject for another time. Anyway, thanks to titles such as the two Etrian Odyssey games (which can be seen as spiritual successors to Sir-Tech’s original games) and now The Dark Spire, developed by Success, Atlus will absolutely make you do a happy dance if you love your RPGs old-school tough yet completely user-friendly.

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Review: TANK! TANK! TANK!

Posted on December 3, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Wii U

Developer: Namco

Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B (80%)

As a launch title for the Wii U, Namco Bandai’s TANK! TANK! TANK! may not look like a system seller, but look past its colorful arcade visuals and initially simple gameplay and you’ll find a fast-paced (and 100% tank focused) party game shooter that owes more than a little credit to Sandlot’s always fun Earth Defense Force series of games. In fact, the game manages to play almost exactly like an arcade version of EDF would, streamlining the experience down to timed stages, random weapon pickups that you can use instantly and a mix of assorted enemies from giant robotic spiders and wasps to some pretty wild bosses that need to be taken down as quickly as possible. Granted, blowing monsters into scrap metal over and over is all you do here in the main game whether playing in solo or co-op, so those seeking something deeper should look elsewhere. On the other hand, given that this is a rather enhanced port of an arcade game that offers much more than the original version, you SHOULD expect and respect the repetitive nature of the game to the fullest by diving in and shooting up the scenery as much as possible.
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Review: Nintendo Land

Posted on December 3, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Wii U

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo of America

# of Players: 1 – 5 (offline)

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 +)

Official Site

Score: B+ (85%)

As a launch title for the Wii U (or more precisely, the included pack in for those of you who are interested in or have very wisely purchased the black Premium version of the console), Nintendo Land is, much like Wii Play and Wii Sports, a collection of mini-games that shows how versatile the new GamePad is. Nintendo’s new system has a controller that’s been misunderstood by some in the gaming press and too many people who hang on every word some of those sites print. Fortunately, the game not only mostly delivers the goods where it should, some of the mini-games here end up being memorable enough that one hopes Nintendo decides to expand upon some ideas on the disc in the near future.

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Young Justice: Legacy Teaser: It’s Getting Closer…

Posted on December 2, 2012 by geelw

Finally (after a wee bit too long and quiet time), here’s a cool short teaser for the upcoming Young Justice: Legacy game, set to hit home and portable consoles in 2013. Thanks, Little Orbit! OK, that’s one more game to keep an eyeball peeled for next year. If you feel like reading some insider stuff about the game, boogie on over here and here for some posts that are pretty informative about what goes into making a game like this come to life. Naturally, the big fat question for many fans remains just how good it’s going to be. Then again, given that it’s an action/RPG and there’s a nice pedigree behind the product in progress, I think the Little League (a ha ha) is in fine hands indeed. Now, let’s see an all gameplay trailer next time!

Review: Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition

Posted on December 1, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Developer: WB Games Montreal

Publisher: WB Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

Nintendo-only console owners have most likely been hearing about how stellar Batman: Arkham City was on the PS3 and Xbox 360 for long enough that I’ve heard of some of the more hardcore fans of the Dark Knight plunking down the money for a competing
console and a copy of the game. For the rest of you who waited it out, you’re getting the definitive version of Arkham City that not only features every bit of DLC (on the retail disc (not as some download you need to buy or add before you play), but great new GamePad exclusive functions and some nice new costumes that make the experience even better than before. I’m console agnostic myself, so as soon as I heard this was coming out, it made it to the top of the list of “ports” that had to be played. While perfection comes thanks to the wealth of content old and new, some minor technical issues break the illusion from time to time. Nevertheless, WB Games Montreal has done some amazing work in bringing Rocksteady Studios’ smash onto a new console in such fine order.
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Review: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Posted on November 19, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: Junction Point Studios

Publisher: Disney Interactive

# of Players 1 – 2 (Co-op)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: Single Player D+ 6.5/Co-op: B+ 8.5

Like the piles of scattered Disney memorabilia you traverse through between maps, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is a beautiful mess. As in beautiful when it works and a mess when it doesn’t. Of course, that’s both a good and bad thing, but we’ll get to the constructive criticism below the jump. As a co-op experience, the game in a great deal of fun as Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit team up to battle enemies solve puzzles and track down a seemingly endless supply of collectibles as they tackle the task of repairing an earthquake-ravaged Wasteland. There’s less darkness here and a much richer color palette, making this one of the better-looking Wii titles this year. But both single player and co-op have a few technical and gameplay hurdles that can sap the fun down a bit. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 (and presumably Wii U) versions can probably be patched up to a more stellar experience, I’m gathering Wii owners will be stuck with a flawed game that could have been greater than it is as it currently stands.

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Review: Jewel Master: Cradle of Egypt 2

Posted on November 18, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS (also on Nintendo 3DS)

Developer: Cerasus Media

Publisher: Rising Star Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: B (80%)

Match-3 puzzle games have a certain healthy reliability to them and while it adds a few new twists to the formula, Jewel Master: Cradle of Egypt 2 is a pretty solid budget game for entry level to veteran genre fans. While it’s not packing fancy HD visuals or flashy special effects, there’s a nicely addictive feel to the gameplay that makes for a game worth replaying multiple times. Featuring three game modes, 100 levels and an interesting resource gathering mechanic that really needs to be expanded on in any future games in this series, CoE2 makes foe a rather cool gift for puzzle fans of any age.

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Woo Hoo. My Wii U Is On The Way!

Posted on November 16, 2012 by geelw

So, Best Buy comes through (whee!), although since it’s a SUNDAY launch (which has been a Nintendo standard for a while), I won’t be jumping up and down like a kid on Xmas until the 19th or 20th. Still, that’s awesome news. I have some stuff coming and I hear Ninja Gaiden 3 has been reworked considerably to a much more enjoyable experience, so that one is going on my play list. Of course, Nintendo hasn’t ever sent me anything I’ve requested (they’re publishing the game not Tecmo/Koei), but I don’t mind paying for this one if it’s as good as I’ve heard.

New Additions: Busy Week (Part 1)

Posted on November 15, 2012 by geelw

In addition to some digital releases I need to download (or already) have downloaded and started playing, a few more new retail releases have shown up, so I’ve been a bit buried in playing through some of them for reviews next week. Skylanders Giants is quite fun and yes, going to get wallets drained from all the cool figures kids will be asking parents to buy. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two I’ll be reviewing at least twice (PS3 and Wii versions). I should have asked for a Wii U version come to think of it, but I had put in a request so long ago that I wasn’t sure if Nintendo’s new console was getting one. Now, I’ll need to play it for the Gamepad functionality. Reviews on this one are embargoed for a few days, but I think I can get away with saying the game is fantastic so far.

Speaking of Wii U games, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition is the first of a few Wii U titles I have coming (my system should arrive either Saturday or Monday), so I’m thrilled to see what changes Rocksteady has made to the award-winning game. Reading the back of the case, it’s definitely going to be the most complete version of the game to date and it’s packing a ton of new content as well. And hey – Nintendo DS games are still being made, kids. Thundercats and Jewel Quest: Cradle of Egypt 2 are here and fun for the road (or at home). Oh yeah, the Lollipop Chainsaw in the pic? I finally got around to buying a copy, so I’ll get around to reviewing that one after the newer stuff. The first few stages had me in stitches, so that’s a good sign…

Video Game Appreciation 101: MBA Online Learns You Some Nintendo Facts

Posted on November 13, 2012 by geelw

Damned doomsayers and mobile evangelists on industry sites aside, it’s hard to argue against Nintendo’s massive successes in reinvigorating the video games industry on a few key occasions. I’d even go as far to say that EVERY mobile games success wouldn’t even be possible if it weren’t for the company’s proven track record with handheld dominance throughout the late 80’s to today. Granted, the company has made some bone-headed mistakes every so often, but they’ve always recovered and have forged on in terms of innovation and getting their fan base some of the most purely fun game experiences.

With the Wii U shipping out this week along with a healthy lineup of what’s looking like mostly strong titles, that long chart on the left from the eternally smart and busy folks over at MBA Online (you click it, it gets bigger! Whee!) shows that despite its ups and downs, Nintendo is going to be here for quite some time.