Given the constant shift of the video gaming landscape, it is quite astounding that Game Freak and The Pokemon Company have managed to maintain an air of freshness in the long-running franchise that is Pokemon. Transcending the simple ‘fad’ phase, the series has gone from strength to strength – shifting and adapting with each new generation. In a move reminiscent of yesteryear, the latest instalments to the world of Pokemon serve as the ‘definitive’ editions, in the vein of Yellow, Crystal, Emerald and so on. Seeking to serve both the hardcore Pokemon audiences as well as those who might have missed the original Sun and Moon, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon provide the perfect bookends to the series on the 3DS.

As in Sun and Moon, the journey begins prior to arriving in Alola, where you are prepped by Professor Kukui as you move from Kanto. Setting out with your starter Pokemon, you save Lillie and Nebby from a group of attacking Spearow, and are in turn saved by the island’s guardian totem Tapu Koko, who leaves behind a mysterious stone which goes on to become the Z-Ring for special Z-Moves later in the game. From here on in your character must perform the Island Trials which replace Gym Battles, while holding off Team Skull as well as discovering the motives behind the supposedly peaceful Aether Foundation. Focusing more around the Pokemon Necrozma, the game’s story differs from that presented in Sun and Moon, including new NPCs such as the Ultra Recon Squad, whose motives are strange and not known until later in the game.

As far as gameplay goes, at its heart it is a tried and true Pokemon game. Battles are bright and colourful, and are entertaining to be a part of. They’ve definitely come a long way from the days of 2D pixelated sprites; and the fact that now the Trainers are visible behind opposing Pokemon (when battling) is a nice touch. Completing Island Trials and unlocking new Z-Moves is really entertaining – and where X and Y as well as Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire had Mega Evolutions, the idea behind Z-Moves makes attacking just that little bit more fun as it ties it to a move type rather than just a single Pokemon. You’ll also notice that a lot of the tunes have being remixed into something a little funkier and ‘relevant’, for lack of a better word – they feel less like generic battle tunes and more like songs you’d hear on the islands themselves.

The fact that Pokemon has grown so much as a game franchise also shows in the game itself – not only are environments sprawling and full of life, their realism has certainly changed since the days of old. This is also accompanied by the barrage of new Pokemon to the series, and while there aren’t any huge inclusions as this is a minor update, there still are a few new characters to enter the fray. Coupled with the ability to obtain more legendary beasts is also a welcome change. Ride-on Pokemon replace the traditional HM moves (known as PokeRide style features), meaning you can use Pokemon like Tauros to break through certain boulders once unlocked. There’s even a new game in Mantine Surf, which is a little aside as you travel through Melemele Island.The ability to interact with your Pokemon is another thing that has remained since Pokemon X and Y, and one thing that I find quite entertaining. The ability post-match to help, groom and play with your Pokemon as well as feeding it Poke Beans is a neat little gimmick that really makes you feel like you’re interacting with a real being. It promotes the idea that there is more to the game than just using these small creatures in a bloodsport to determine a victor.

The biggest concern I have with the game, and maybe it’s just me and I’m getting old and can no longer keep up with things; the game is too obsessed with guiding you on one path. Don’t get me wrong, for younger players and those less knowledgeable in how Pokemon games operate, this is a great idea as often these games are a tad difficult to navigate. But the crux of the matter is that within the first hour of playing or so, I began to lose interest in the story being told because it was just words. Gone are the days of simplicity, giving a little bit of information that can be taken a long way, and replaced with spoon-feeding everything to players and holding their hand along the way. For a game that is all about the adventure, my excitement was lowered due to this.

THE 3DS VERSION OF THIS GAME WAS PLAYED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW.

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Stepping away from the traditional narrative, Monster Hunter Stories on 3DS takes the idea of Monster Hunter and throws it in an entirely new direction – instead of seeking out and hunting monsters to get stronger and progress, what if you could capture and bond with these creatures and fight alongside them? Step into the shoes of a Rider as you explore the lands searching for strong Monstie (that’s what they call them) eggs to hatch and form bonds with, to become the ultimate Monster Rider!

I am relatively new to the Monster Hunter franchise, so the sense of awe might have been a bit lost on me compared to seasoned players. But even so, from the get-go this is an RPG that does what a lot of others can’t – it doesn’t bog you down in heavy dialogue chains or complex battle scenarios, it offers you the glimpse of a story, then gets right into the game. Your job as a Rider is to sneak into nests and steal eggs to hatch them, and then raise them as a companion. Pokemon similarities aside, the fact that you get to explore the map while riding on a monster is insanely fun and entertaining. It adds to the excitement of a game that already plays into the hands of those who know what they want out of an RPGWandering the open world isn’t a draining experience either – you can either run on your own or mount a Monstie and traverse the land quicker. Some places can only be reached with a Monstie skill (like high jumps and leaps) and Monsties normally run faster than your character does. Exploring also gives you the opportunity to discover lairs where you can find new eggs to hatch. One of the best parts of the game is that you will get a warning if you aren’t strong enough for specific lairs, meaning you’re less likely to stumble upon something and get completely wiped out. You can also harvest materials and items from resources scattered throughout the environment, and you can do so both on your Monstie and on the ground.

Once you enter a Monstie lair, you will normally have to battle through until you reach the egg nest – which is often guarded by a tougher Monstie than usual. Most Monsties are visible throughout the field; some will charge you and attack, while others will just stand around. Bumping into one of them initiates a battle – sometimes you can even sneak up on them for a surprise attack.One of the simplest and most fun parts of the game is the battle system – a ‘rock-paper-scissors’ type scenario which revolves around Power, Tech and Speed attacks. For the most part you control your character, and can anticipate the attack that the enemy might use, which can give you an advantage and cast more damage. Working in tandem with your Monsties in battle, you fight the opponents head-to-head in a game of skill that involves analysing your enemies’ attack patterns. Most of the time the enemies don’t change their attack type though, so you can read them easily.
The more you fight, the more power you build up in your Kinship Stone (the magical bonding device given to all Riders) which progresses your ability to perform stronger attacks; simultaneous attacks of the same type can boost it significantly and raise the strength level between you and your Monstie. Eventually you can perform team-up attacks by mounting your Monstie, taking down foes with major damage.

While the story is forgettable, it is a very basic tale of lost friendships and evil forces taking over monsters, but it works for the kind of game that is being presented, and doesn’t hinder the gameplay experience like others often do.

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I don’t know about you, but I had lost hope. There hasn’t been a great, explorative Metroid game in a little over a decade. When Other M came along, I had honestly thought that Sakamoto had forgotten the elements that made Metroid great and after that game’s icy reception I suspected maybe the franchise was done for good. I’m happy to report that rumours of Metroid’s demise were greatly exaggerated – Metroid: Samus Returns (M:SR) is a stellar return for the series.

Samus Returns is a remake of Metroid 2, a game for the original GameBoy which while being revelatory in its time is difficult to play these days. I’ve tried on more than one occasion to exterminate the Metroids on their home planet of SR388 but given up due to a lack of maps and the claustrophobic feeling from the GameBoy’s tiny screen. Of all the past Metroid games, Metroid 2 was the one most in need of a modern, accessible remake and that’s exactly what MercurySteam have provided.

Samus Returns takes the underlying structure of Metroid 2 and takes liberties with the map layout and combat to modernise the game for 2017 audiences. Teleporters have been added sparingly around the different map areas, but they don’t cheapen the exploration as I suspected they might – rather they just act to prevent you needing to retread old ground any more than you really want to. Speaking of the map – there is one in Samus Returns and it makes a huge difference to playability compared to the original. You can place markers on the map screen too. Anyone who has played a Metroid before will know the feeling of finding an upgrade that is just out of reach, that you have every intention of coming back to but by the time you have the ability to get there you’ve just forgotten about it. Markers help greatly here, making it ever so slightly easier to go for that perfect run.

Exploring the map and finding collectable upgrades is a huge part of the Metroid series’ appeal and forms an important part of M:SR’s gameplay too. Like with the teleporters, concession has been made to help with uncovering secret paths through the scanning Aeion ability. This ability uses Aeion power, a newly added resource gained by defeating enemies and allows you to scan large portions of the map around Samus. Doing so will uncover layouts on the map screen, much like finding a map terminal in other Metroid games, along with a visual and aural indicator if there is a secret path nearby. This doesn’t diminish the puzzle elements of M:SR’s gameplay at all in my mind. Finding invisible paths is only the start of a puzzle – it’s as satisfying as ever to use your understanding of Samus’ abilities and movement to actually reach the items.

The second major element of any Metroid game alongside exploration is the action, and Samus Returns adds some abilities here that change the way you approach combat. Most hostile creatures in the game will charge at Samus when close enough, often too fast for you to deal with them with your beam weapons. For these situations, M:SR introduces a melee counter attack. Requiring some modicum of timing (the window is pretty wide for most enemies, to be fair) you can whack’em back to stun the attacking creature and immediately counterattack. This skill is an essential one to learn as many creatures you’ll encounter are armoured and near invulnerable unless you counterattack them and to uncover a weak spot.

I was in two minds about this change to begin with. It is jarring, going from past Metroid games where you rely on movement and projectiles and replacing this with a stop/start combat where you really need to wait, lure enemies in and counter to be successful. Enemy attack patterns and layouts have been well designed around this ability, but I am pretty ambivalent on it overall. It’s not something I’d want added as a standard feature in Metroid games from here on out, but it works well enough here that it helps make combat feel distinct from other games in the series. It does feel pretty great to nail the occasional string of quick counters to be sure. Boss encounters are a combat highlight, some demanding precise control and other some elements of puzzle solving too – some of the later bosses are quite difficult but greatly satisfying to conquer.

It’s certainly nice that while you’re exploring and fighting across the planet SR388, the environments you’re running through look really spectacular. The background behind the play area is always alive with movement of local creatures, natural rivers or lava flow. It’s not so prominent as to be distracting but adds dimension to the environments, making them feel like natural habitats as well as carefully constructed game levels. Samus herself is great too, with her iconic suits rendered in great detail. MercurySteam seem to have pushed the 3DS about as far as it could to produce an impressive presentation for the platform. Bucking a trend of late, the game can be played in stereoscopic 3D as well. I personally didn’t use this all that often but the times I did performance did not seem adversely affected. The music is similarly great, though I feel it was overly familiar. Too much of M:SR’s music seemed pulled straight from Metroid Prime. Prime’s music is still as great as it ever was, but would have appreciated unique arrangements of familiar themes rather than the same music I’ve heard countless times before.

I didn’t know what to make of Metroid: Samus Returns on it’s announcement. Metroid 2 is the game in it’s series in most dire need of modernisation but after some past missteps in trying to build a Metroidvania style game I wasn’t not entirely confident that MercurySteam could do the series justice. After playing the game though, my worries quickly faded. The melee counter will be divisive, but boss fights are immensely enjoyable to overcome. Exploration and puzzles are a joy and overall the game scratched that Metroid itch that’s been sitting around for far too long.

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To most gamers, the Fire Emblem series truly took off when Awakening was released for the 3DS in 2013. But the franchise has its roots deeply embedded in the origins of Nintendo, first appearing in Japan on the Famicom in 1990 and following up with a sequel in 1992. Now, 25 years after its initial release, Fire Emblem Gaiden gets a full-scale remake for the 3DS in what could be seen as aswansong for the handheld with Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.

The nation of Zofia, dedicated to the Goddess Mila, and the nation of Rigel, following the Dark God Duma, are pitted against one another in conflict. At the heart of this conflict are two childhood friends in Alm and Celica, forced to take up arms against one another and lead their armies into war. Further worsened by Zofia’s General Desaix and Rigel’s King Rudolf, the battle threatens to leave the continent of Valentia in ruin, and to destroy the friendship held so dear to Alm and Celica.

While retaining the same tactical RPG gameplay the series is well-known for, Fire Emblem Echoes is extremely different to the previous instalments on the 3DS – and the biggest reason for this is the fact that it is a remake. While the series has come a long way and introduced many new mechanics, some of which players have taken for granted, Fire Emblem Echoes goes back to basics – weapon durability is gone, single items can only be held, and the noted Weapons Triangle (strengths and weaknesses) is absent too.

Characters are represented by unique character classes which dictate their weapons and actions, which includes Mages having to sacrifice health points to use magic, and so on. Fatigue is also a large part of the game, with characters progressively getting weaker the more they battle – this can be fixed with food items or sacrificing goods to Mila shrines within dungeons. The fine line between healthy characters and fatigued characters losing stats is very thin and can lead to the loss of units in a battle.

When in battle, the gameplay feels a lot like a classic game – there is no nonsense and messing around, gameplay moves quickly and attacks must be calculated otherwise players will face the consequences (especially if playing on Classic Mode which includes permadeath). And while personally I like the new features each instalment has added, its refreshing to see the difference between gameplay styles for older versions and how it makes the game flow. This however may frustrate a lot of players, simply due to it feeling like a step backward rather than forward with the mechanics that has turned the series into what it is today.

Being thrown between Alm’s story and Celica’s story also makes for a change in gameplay – with different character units fighting on different sides, tactically players must think of all advantages in a map before making a move, which can sometimes be tricky.

When not in battle, the game introduces other elements as well – point-and-click style town screens allow players to talk to NPCs, pick up loose items and recruit characters to the party, while dungeon-exploring makes an appearance when traversing the environment – controlling a single character, players explore areas in rendered 3D collecting items and coins, and fighting monsters or sneaking around them.
The other interesting feature in the game is Mila’s Turnwheel – an item both Alm and Celica possess, which allows for a three-turn rollback to correct errors that may have been made on the battlefield. For Classic Mode this is especially useful as losing units means they don’t return at all within the game.

Fire Emblem Echoes’ soundtrack also gets the complete overhaul, and of course, why wouldn’t it? Everything about the game has an old-school feel to it but with a fresh coat of paint, and the music is no different. The same can’t be said for the voice acting though – which personally got a bit grating after a while, however it is nice to see the teams putting in the effort to voice every line rather than every second or third as with previous instalments.

CONCLUSION

While it won’t be for everyone, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is a fun remake that showcases the history of the series with a brand new look. Seasoned fans of the games will find themselves slightly out of it with missing mechanics, but as the game’s difficulty has been toned down since the original, it will appeal to more players. A fitting last instalment for the 3DS, the game is worth a look for those craving tactical RPG battles, or for long-running fans wanting to see the evolution of the series.

The Nintendo 3DS version of this game was played for the purpose of this review. You can read our review policy HERE.

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HAL Laboratory’s final instalment in the BoxBoy series offers yet another satisfying plethora of deceptively simple puzzles that will have you scratching your brainbox with inquisitive glee.

In order to begin thinking outside of the box, you once again have to the assume the role of Qbby. A sentient box (that looks more like a marshmallow with legs) who can produce a set amount of connected boxes. You then use these boxes to traverse to the end of a level by essentially playing tetris with the environment. This consists of doing things like, fashioning a barrier out of boxes to avoid lasers, creating a bridge to cross a gap or slithering like a snake through narrow gaps.

However, basic boxes aren’t the only thing in your arsenal. With every new environmental obstacle thrown at Qbby, he’s given a different type of box that can be used to overcome them.

If there’s a ledge you can’t quite get to, you can hitch a ride on a box rocket that will launch you to your destination. If there’s a wall stopping you from getting to the end of a level, you can throw an explosive box at it to help pave a way through. The way these obstacles are dispersed throughout the game always keeps it feeling fresh and fun.  It’s also great that you’re never boxed in by any constrictive parameters forcing you to bypass an obstacle in one particular way. This environmental experimentation is complimented by the game’s generous checkpoints that allows you to instantly reset to the beginning of an area if you make a mistake.

Like the previous games in the BoxBoy series, Bye-Bye BoxBoy! is puzzle platforming in its purest form. There’s no artistic finesse à la Braid or visual vibrancy akin to Battleblock Theater – it’s a simple minimalistic monochrome world with a simple core gameplay loop – use the boxes at your disposal to help reach the exit doors located at the end of every level.

For an added extra layer of puzzle solving, each level has a a number of collectable crowns in hard to reach spots. With every crown you collect (of which there are usually one or two) you are rewarded with extra in-game currency once the level has been completed. If you exceed the amount of boxes given to complete a level, the crown will become greyed out and you will be unable to collect it. This is where the instant reset feature comes in handy, as you can immediately have another attempt at reaching the elusive headwear.

Thankfully, the amount of crowns in a level is not abundant – so if you’re a compulsive collector, you won’t have to spend too much extra time working out how to capture the crown jewels. The currency you earn from completing levels can be used to purchase outfits, short comics, music and challenges. I spent most of my money on the short, humorous comics and the whimsical array of outfits. The items that can be purchased are a tad inconsequential but I always got a kick out seeing Qbby dressed as a pirate – or as I liked to call him, Captain Barboxssa.

CONCLUSION

Don’t be fooled by Bye-Bye BoxBoy’s unassuming appearance, it consistently provides succinct morsels of puzzle solving goodness that always challenges but never overstays its welcome. If you’ve overlooked the BoxBoy series until now, saying bye bye to BoxBoy might just be the best way to get acquainted.

The Nintendo 3DS version of this game was played for the purpose of this review. You can read our review policy HERE.

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Poochy and Yoshi’s Wooly World is a brand new version of the 2015 Wii U title, Yoshi’s Wooly World. For those that didn’t play the original, the game is a platformer featuring Yoshi himself. It draws heavy inspiration from Yoshi’s Island on the Super Nintendo in the sense that you need to swallow enemies to get eggs, which you can then use to shoot items and unlock secret areas.

That’s really what Yoshi’s Wooly World is about. You can easily breeze through pretty much all of the levels, but part of the fun is unlocking the 5-7 secret paths in each level and collecting every item. Each level contains five collectible flowers, five pieces of wooly and twenty stamp patches which are hidden behind certain needs.

There’s actually a good reason to find these collectibles too. Collecting every flower will unlock a secret level in each of the worlds whilst collecting all the bundles of wool will unlock secret patterns for Yoshi.There’s 55 levels in the main mode of the game with no new ones added. It’ll take you a decent amount of time to get through each level and as I mentioned earlier, the added collectible component will keep you going for more than 10-15 hours. For the most part, levels are inspired and have unique concepts to them which keep each of the levels feeling fresh and fun.

The game still looks vibrant and detailed on the 3DS, although everything is obviously a little bit smaller which makes certain secrets much easier to miss. The game runs great on the New 3DS at 60fps whilst it’ll run at 30fps on the older console.

Mellow Mode is a brand new addition to Poochy and Yoshi’s Wooly World. It’s clearly designed for the younger or more casual gamer. You’ll gain three Poochy Pups which are absolutely adorable and designed to make your life in-game a lot easier. They’ll point our secrets to you as well as attack enemies if they get too close. Whilst I didn’t mind the fact that they’d point our secrets as some can be quite hard to find, Yoshi also gains wings in this mode which makes the game ridiculously easy and probably a step too far in the Mellow direction in my opinion.There’s a number of new modes and adventures to play through. The Yoshi Theatre features 30 stop-motion videos featuring both Yoshi and Poochy and will unlock each day as you play through the game.

Poochy Dash is a bonus mode in which you control Poochy whilst trying to collect as many beads as possible. There’s also a number of challenges that you have to complete whilst doing so. In all honesty, this was my favourite part of the game. It was perfectly suited for the portable version of the game and a ton of fun. I wish that there was more of these in the game.

When it comes to Amiibo support, each of the Yoshi Yarn Amiibo will bring a second Yoshi into your game which will allow you to reach areas only available through co-op mode (which isn’t available in the 3DS version). The brand new Poochy Amiibo will unlock a brand new time attack mode to Poochy Dash.

CONCLUSION

Poochy and Yoshi’s Wooly World is an incredibly fun and solid game as most Nintendo titles are. I love these types of games as they provide a genuine wind-down and don’t require a huge amount of mental investment as most open-world games do these days. In my opinion, the levels felt a little less uninspired compared to Kirby’s Epic Yarn, but that was due to the fact that Kirby can inhale and take on his enemies attacks which added for an extra gameplay element. Poochy and Yoshi’s Wooly World is great for gamers of all ages and there’s enough content here to keep you going for a long while.

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Hello there! Welcome back to the world of Pokemon! Stepping into the sunny shores of the Alola region, our latest Pokemon legend is about to unfold! Let’s go!

Its been a little over two years since we got a new Pokemon game (three if you’re talking about a new region) and the level of anticipation I was feeling was as strong as it’s ever been. The first Pokemon game I ever received was Pokemon Red back in 1998 for Christmas, and my parents refused to let me open it until Christmas Day. I remember sitting there just staring at the Charizard on the box, itching to rip it open and begin my adventure. This was the exact feeling I had when I was holding the Pokemon Sun box in my hands.

MINOR SPOILERS ARE PRESENT THROUGHOUT

Our latest adventure takes place in the Alola region, where the sun shines bright and the water is clear enough to see the school of Wishiwashi swimming underneath your feet. Taking inspiration from the American state of Hawaii, Director Shigeru Ohmori has shared that Alola is supposed to incorporate a meaning of a land that “overflows with life-force that supports many different forms of life.”

Like with the majority of Pokemon games, you start off your adventure by being introduced to the Professor of the region. In Alola, it’s Professor Kukui who gets the honour of explaining to you what the world of Pokemon entails. He’s a dashingly handsome man with abs of steel, I honestly couldn’t help but feel my in-game mum was flirting with him.

He takes you up to the island and asks you to find the Kahuna, aka the head of the Island. As you look for him, you come across a young girl name Lillie who needs your help. After you help her, you meet Tapu Koko, the guardian deity Pokemon of the Melemele Island, something that is apparently super rare for trainers. From there, the Professor, Kahuna and Lillie realise that you’re destined for greatness and your adventure begins.

You are presented with three starter Pokemon for this journey – the adorable Grass/Flying owl Rowlett, the adorable Fire cat Litten, and the adorable Water seal Popplio. Which one should I pick? I’ve been stressing about this decision ever since the starters were revealed all those months ago.

Now, some useless trivia about myself: during my first play through of each game, my starters have been as follows – Bulbasaur, Chikorita, Torchic, Piplup, Tepig and Fennekin.

As you can see, I’ve always opted for the Grass or Fire starter, with the exception of Piplup. If I were to base this on type, I’d pick either Rowlett or Litten. If I were to base this on cuteness level, I’d pick Rowlett. So that’s what I did. The little fluff ball of cuteness is now my partner, and I’ve blessed him with his new name: Archie.

At this point, the Kahuna’s grandson Hau (who you may have met if you played through the Sun/Moon demo) rocks up and challenges you to a battle. It’s evident that he will be your main rival for this game. He sends out his Popplio, and we fight it out, with me coming out victorious. Professor Kukui and the Kahuna suggest to you that you should take on the Island Trials to become the Island Challenge Champion. They explain that there are four islands, and each island has a trial and grand trial that you must overcome before challenging the Island Kahuna. After proving yourself worthy against all Kahunas will you be the Island Challenge Champion.

Lillie, our lovely lady friend from before has decided to take on the role of guiding you through your new life in Alola, which is pretty nice. She’s a very mysterious girl, and I can’t help but feel there’s more to her than meets the eye.

As we trudge along the grassy routes, we encounter a variety of Pokemon, including Pikipek, this generations default bird, as well as some old faces I’ve missed. A nice surprise is that Alolan Meowth and Alolan Rattata make an appearance early on. Now, the part that literally had all Pokemon fans shook to the core when it was revealed was the introduction of Alolan forms. For those who don’t know, Alolan forms are Pokemon from the past generation who have changed their appearance and typing drastically due to the exposure of the Alola region’s different climate from where they once originated. I’m loving every single Alolan form I’ve come across so far, and I’ve even put some in my party, even though I’ve never had their Kanto counterpart on my team before. Alolan Grimer is probably my favourite so far.

I’m loving the amount of Pokemon available for you to catch right off the bat. All the new Pokemon I’ve encountered have unique concepts and seeing as how we’re up to over 700 Pokemon now, it’s hard to think of what else they could possibly come up with. The Pokemon feel like Pokemon (excuse me Vanilluxe and Trubbish) and it’s exciting to discover a new one at every turn.

A brand new feature, or perhaps just an upgrade to Pokemon Amie is also now at play. Whenever your Pokemon completes a battle, you are given an option to “Care” for it. In this screen, you are able to use various grooming tools to clean and nurse your Pokemon to increase its happiness level. If your Pokemon has suffered Paralysis or Poison, you can swab it away with medicine. If it’s been hit by Sand Attack or a Water type move, you can clean them with a cloth or blow dry them respectively. It’s a very hands-on experience which strengthens your bond and connection to your Pokemon. I’m loving this feature because not only is it a hands-on experience with your Pokemon, but it also means I don’t need to buy any more Paralyz Heals ever again!

Professor Kukui tells you about Rotom, the Electric/Ghost who is about to fuse with your Pokedex, becoming the Rotom Dex. The Rotom Dex now acts like a sidekick, think Navi from Ocarina of Time (and possibly more annoying), giving you hints and tips, while telling you where to go on the map. It enjoys popping up with useless comments every time you exit a building, which, in all honesty is a bit annoying. Is there an upgrade where you can shut him up? I’ll be waiting, GameFreak.

Continuing with the long introduction phase of the game, you then head to a Pokemon School where you battle the kids and the teacher until you meet Ilima, the Trial Captain. He lets you know that he’ll be helping you complete your trial on this Island. I’m finding that there is a little bit of hand holding in the beginning, and while it’s normal for games to have an introductory period, this is taking a long time. I’m just eager to get out there and do my thing!

You explore through to Hau’Oli, which is the city on the beaches of Melemele Island where you discover that it’s the biggest shopping district of the Alola Region. I’m really loving the presentation of the island. You can spend a very long time being immersed in your surroundings and wasting time just exploring. Entering the clothing store (which looks like an Abercrombie and Fitch), you see racks and racks of colourful clothing choices. Now, character customization was a big and welcome change in the later generations, but with Sun and Moon, the options are endless. I spent a good 30 minutes in the store trying on everything available, from singlets, tshirts and polos, to pants, socks, shoes, bags, hats and accessories. Next door to the clothing store, there is a hair salon, and for 4000?, you can get a haircut! I’m now rocking a “modern quiff.” It’s a great way to make your character truly your own, and make it your own story.

The in-game music is very calming and soothing to listen to, and the Pokemon Centre theme has been given a refreshing Island Remix. Speaking of Pokemon Centres, in a new twist of events, if you’re travelling with six Pokemon and catch a new one, you now have the option of sending the newly caught Pokemon to the PC, or swapping it out with a Pokemon in your party.

A lady at the Tourist Bureau upgrades your Rotom Dex and gives you the ability to take photos with the new camera installed. You’re then challenged to take a series of photos of Pikachu, and then pick the one you think is the best to be awarded points. It’s a cute feature that I’ve yet to explore in more depth, but it’s great to see the inclusion of something that is reminiscent of Pokemon Snap from the Nintendo 64 days. I’m happy to see GameFreak attempting to really put their everything into this game, but not just for the sake of adding things.

The villains of the game are Team Skull. Two bumbling grunts come for you and Ilima, but are easily defeated. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Team Skull, they seem nice, really. Maybe they’re just misunderstood. Remember how menacing Team Magma or Team Rocket were? Team Skull seem kind of sweet to be honest.

As I reach the Verdant Cave for my first trial with Ilima, I can now see that Gyms are definitely no more. The trial is like a more interactive mission-based Gym, you could say. For this particular one, I had to hunt down three Yungoos before finally battling the Totem Pokemon of the Trial, a Gumshoos. Totem Pokemon, for those who don’t know, are generally super sized versions of their species, with a special aura that raises their Special Defense in battle. After taking down this tyrant Trump look-a-like Pokemon, I was rewarded with my first Z-Crystal.

Z-Crystals make for a new way of play for every Pokemon. There is a Z-Crystal for every type of move, and in this instance, I received the Normalium Z, which allows any Pokemon who has a Normal Type move to use the Z move “Breakneck Blitz”. There are also Pokemon Specific Z-Crystals which bring out Pokemon specific Z-Moves. I’m liking the Z-Moves – it’s interesting and definitely gives you an edge if used correctly. The only downside is the animation sequence takes a long time.

After completing my trial, it’s back to the island to face off against the Kahuna, Hala. Defeating him means I’ve now completed the Trial of Melemele Island.

I really like that there seems to be so many steps required to complete an entire Island Challenge. The intricacy and layers of events is set at a really good pace, and the game doesn’t rush you to do anything. I spent a good portion of my time catching all my Pokemon, and making sure they had the right Nature. Yes, I’m that kind of person.

The second Island you arrive to, Akala Island is perhaps three times as big as Melemele Island. I spent around five hours here catching and training my Pokemon while trudging along up the mountain paths and sandy outback towns. It’s great that they can fit so many things onto one Island, that when you think about it, it still seems like one entire map like previous games, except this time it’s separated by islands, making it into a super map kind of thing.

There are three trials on the Island of Akala, each one unique, and dare I say, funny, in their own way. You’ll meet the three Trial Captains Lana, Kiawe and Mallow, who test you on various skills. Like I said, I really love how this seems to be the new Gym system. They’ve taken a repetitive and sequential system of old and tweaked it to make it a new and exciting concept entirely. It still feels like you’re collecting Gym badges, but really, you’re not.

For those who are wondering, my team as of now is Dartrix, Pikipek’s evolution (can’t give away the name yet, sorry!) Alolan Grimer, and a few old favourites that you’ll be glad to see!

Honestly, it’s such a big world with so many things to do, I’m just excited to keep playing! I enjoy taking my time with the game, talking to every NPC, going into every house and checking every single rubbish bin for presents. The plethora of characters you meet are so colourful and each have their own personality and story to tell. They’ll ask you to carry out missions like finding them a Pokemon, or sometimes they’ll just give you items because that’s what Alola is about.

CONCLUSION

Pokemon Sun and Moon have taken the Pokemon games above and beyond to a whole new level. The roster of Pokemon present is perhaps the most diverse and unique I’ve ever seen, with designs, abilities and typing we could never have imagined they’d create. GameFreak has tweaked and altered things for the better, and have perhaps created the most immersive and interactive Pokemon game yet.

The post Pokemon Sun and Moon Review – The Very Best Pokemon Yet appeared first on Press Start.

The sequel to the popular Yo-Kai Watch series is finally out, and while it’s a great addition to the series, with a few kinks and buffs here and there it definitely could have been better.

“Fleshy Souls” and “Bony Spirits” are the two options you can pick, and the differences are so minimal that you can just pick a game based on the cover you like the most to be honest.

For die-hard players of the first instalment, there was probably a feeling of frustration and confusion as they were forced to basically replay the beginning of the first game all over again – from learning the basics, meeting Whisper, and then doing the same tedious tasks and quests that you were so happy to have seen the back of the first time around. This is great for players just being introduced to the series, but for veteran players it’s mind-numbingly unnecessary.

After that however, the world of Springdale is open for exploration once again, and this time, it’s been expanded! While the town and its neighbouring locations (such as San Fantastico) are filled with a plethora of colourful and quirky characters, the quests they have you do are still the basic fetch missions that require a lot of time and patience.

Another new experience in Yo-Kai Watch 2 is the introduction of Time Travel. You can now travel back in time to befriend Yo-kai only found in the olden days, and see the creation of the very first Yo-Kai Watch.

The most annoying new feature is perhaps the ability to travel by train. Like in real life, you’ll have to sit there and wait for the correct train at the correct time to get to your desired destination. As someone who already hates public transportation, this new mechanic was frustrating, especially if you got on the wrong train.

The roster of Yo-kai has grown by a considerable amount, and with over 180 new creatures to fight alongside, it’ll take a long time to meet them all. Version exclusive characters is what makes the difference between “Fleshy Souls” and “Bony Spirits”, with Komasan S only being available in the prior, while Jibanyan S being only found in the latter for example.

Most of the plot and story lines mimic that of the Anime, and as someone who is up to date with the Anime, it was great to see a throwback to a scenario that happened on screen.

The battle system is still the same, and while somewhat exciting to watch, it gets repetitive and dull as time goes on. While part of the charm of the game is to watch your Yo-Kai friends battle each other, it does get a bit dreary as all they do is take turns to hit each other, while sometimes calling upon their Soultimate move to get a cheap KO.  More experienced players will find the charm of the battle system in teaming up Yo-Kai that work well together, but for casual players, it won’t matter.

CONCLUSION

Yo-Kai Watch 2 doesn’t offer anything extremely different or new to the series, but if you have the patience to sit through it and collect every Yo-Kai medal, then this is the game for you. The game would have been much better if they decided to forego the entire opening sequence and somehow find a way to change up the battle system, and buff out the aspects that make it lacklustre. Overall, it was still enjoyable, but probably only because I enjoy seeing Jibanyan’s cute little face on my screen every time he battles.

The post Yo-Kai Watch 2 Review – Enjoyable, Yet Familiar appeared first on Press Start.

We begin on the small island of Estard, in the fishing village of Pilchard Bay. Our protagonist (to be called whatever your heart desires) and the young Prince Kiefer have been exploring things in secret, while their friend Maribel tries to narrow down their sneaking ways. Estard is seemingly the only island on this great planet; and the adults of the land refuse to speculate on anything different. Our three young heroes continue their quest in search of answers and the truth. Until one day, Kiefer and our Hero discover the truth, and the real journey begins. Travelling through time, the crew stumble upon lands long lost and save them from the terrors within, not only helping the people of those lands but returning them and their islands to the present and uncovering a truth about their world that nobody seems to believe.

Dragon Quest VII first appeared on the PlayStation back in 2001, published by Enix (now Square Enix) as Dragon Warrior VII. Even in comparison to modern RPGs, Dragon Quest VII’s campaign (minus the side quests) will run you well into 100+ hours of gameplay – venturing across the lands, obtaining shards to complete the map and save each island across the world, and defeating enemies on your quest. The game has had a graphical overhaul from its days on the PS1; from pixelated sprites on overworld maps and in-battle characters to fully-recreated 3D models. Everything is refreshed and newer, but still retaining that nostalgic sense of yesteryear by ensuring it doesn’t stray too far from its roots. Even the music, which is identical to the original (I looked it up to make sure) has been reorchestrated and sounds fuller and more grandiose.Eager players will be available to jump straight into the action too; the game itself doesn’t have a difficult learning curve. Much of the game’s opening is spent running back and forth for the sake of narrative progression, and you don’t really hit your first battle until you’ve uncovered the first island. By then, it’s a matter of following the simple rules of turn-based combat – attack at will, and make sure your party doesn’t die. And that’s honestly all there is to it – when engaged in battle, players will queue up party moves and the battle will play out before your eyes. Newer special moves unlock the more you battle, and levelling up your characters and grinding away against enemies ensure that you stay ahead of the curve. Just ensure you have enough healing items or spells on you to continuously heal, otherwise you end up dragging a coffin around until you can find a church to resurrect your fallen comrades!

The game employs a class system for units, but this doesn’t come until a little later in the game (when you really need it) allowing the depth of the game’s battle system to come out just that little bit more. As with most RPGs, balance is key so ensuring you have the right offence and defence is always a good strategy. What it also allows the game to do is keep the player involved and entertained with the battle system, as after a while the grinding and fighting gets repetitive.

The overworld is populated with NPCs, as well as wandering enemies which are great for grinding. After a while this might get annoying as you spend your time searching for more fragments to recover the missing islands; however, this time around the fragments are easier to track down compared to the original PlayStation version.

The turn-based battle system, while quite simple, isn’t without its gripes – I found battles beginning to grow long and tedious, more for the fact that while you can tactically get an advantage in harder battles, the majority is just hitting the same actions over and over again. Coupled with slow dialogue (even at fast speed) and unskippable cutscenes, and suddenly it seems as though a few minor issues from the original game have squeezed themselves through the fresh coat of paint. That’s not to say these are game-breaking problems, just noticeable issues that affected my playthrough.

CONCLUSION

RPG fans and people who like extensive gameplay times will absolutely fall in love with Dragon Quest VII; it is a game that retains the sense of nostalgia it imbued almost 16 years ago. Coupled with the wonderful art style of Akira Toriyama (which is why everything looks like Dragon Ball). Old and new RPG fans are sure to find something they love within this game, and aside from a few minor inconsistencies, Dragon Quest VII definitely is a worthy addition to your collection.

The post Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past Review – A Sense of Nostalgia appeared first on Press Start.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force plays very similarly to Metroid Prime Hunters, with the exception of less reliance on touch controls. The game focuses heavily on the combat aspects of Metroid Prime rather than the vast exploration. There are roughly sixty missions to play through, which are all a great length for a handheld game. Most missions are completely different and map design is also quite varied, which was a nice surprise. Before each mission, you’re able to select between a number of weaponry, ammo and mods that will enhance your attack or defense.

There are two main control schemes, which are both decent options. The default control scheme is based around using the 3DS’s Gyroscope to move around and aim. The second control scheme (the one that I used) uses the right analogue nub to aim your weapon. It felt more natural and the 3DS nub actually held up quite well in precise movements. You can only play one or two missions at a time as it becomes incredibly obvious that in such an intense game, the 3DS is just not a comfortable handheld to use for extended periods. My hands aren’t the biggest in the world, but I was experienced severe cramp.Metroid Prime: Federation Force is without doubt meant to be played as a co-op experience. This is the best way to play the game, and playing it solo, whilst possible does the game a massive injustice. To my surprise, this is probably the first game that I’ve been able to play a Nintendo game online without major issue.

There is one issue with Ninteno’s online functionality though, whilst the game is best played with a squad of 2-3, either locally or online, it definitely suffers from a lack of voice chat. Sure, for the most part you’re just going from point a to point b, but most of the fun of playing games online is being able to chat as you play. Playing online with a friend, we were forced to use Facebook Messenger to communicate which essentially broke the momentum of play.I couldn’t help but have one thought from the second I booted up this game. It just feels confused. Had this released alongside the 3DS originally, I’m sure a lot of people would have played it, but I just can’t see many groups of 2-4 people picking the game up, and the game just isn’t as enjoyable played solo.

There’s a good amount of strategy required in Metroid Prime: Federation Force and the game is actually quite challenging. It was only on the second or third mission that our team started struggling and we quickly realised that we’d need to work together to keep each other live and find a balance of attack and defence.

I’m not the biggest Metroid fan, but the story may have just as well not been there. It didn’t really keep my attention throughout the game and I was incredibly eager just to get to the action.

Blast Ball is a separate mode included on the Federation Force cartridge. It’s essentially a watered down version of Rocket League in which two teams of three go at it trying to shoot balls into the other team’s net. It’s fun for a few turns, but once again, it doesn’t come close to something as great as Rocket League.

CONCLUSION

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is an interesting idea and definitely not a bad game. The game design is solid with a great variety in maps and missions. You’re going to have a hard time getting a group of people together constantly to make your way through the story. It is playable solo, but it’s extremely challenging and nowhere near as fun. If you have an itch for a new Metroid game, then this will come close to scratching it.

The post Metroid Prime: Federation Force Review – An Interesting Idea appeared first on Press Start.

Let’s face it, we all know the story of The Force Awakens by now, but what’s most important about a Lego game is how it handles the events and characters of the story it’s trying to re-tell. In the case of Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there is simply little to nothing negative that can be said about Traveller’s Tales’ charming and incredibly accurate coverage of the events of Episode VII.

Whilst the newest installment of the Lego Star Wars franchise may only cover a single film, this has given the developers at Traveller’s Tales the opportunity to create their most narratively-faithful and charming title to date, combining the events of the film (including the most part, which I won’t spoil) with the charm and humor that we’ve come to expect from the Lego IP. The Force Awakens isn’t just a faithful adaption of the franchise as of yet, but it manages to raise the bar quite a bit for future installments of both the Star Wars and unrelated titles within the Lego IP.The game does compensate at times for the fact that we’re only covering a single film’s worth of material, which mostly comes down to comic relief and smaller character moments, which sometimes work and sometimes they don’t, though most returning players might not be affected too much by it as newcomers would. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens on a narrative front is a charming, fun and faithful experience that won’t just appeal to Star Wars fans, but newcomers and Lego fans alike.

Players have grown to expect the same old song and dance when it comes to the graphical aspects of Lego games, though as of Lego Marvel’s Avengers the attention to detail and faithfulness to the visual representation of the source material has taken a pretty significant leap when it comes to visual fidelity and even cinematography. Scenes like the Millenium Falcon escape and the battle of Starkiller base are presented in incredibly familiar fashions, with some of the cutscenes being basically 1:1 framed recreations of the film itself, which lends a lot to the game in terms of authenticity.Textures and geometry detail in general, are what you’d expect from a Lego game, though the overall product does seem a lot more refined and technically capable than most of its predecessors. Cutscenes and aerial sequences like the Millenium Falcon escape, in particular, are quite stunning to look at considering the graphical formula the brand has been practicing the past few years.

Some of the most notable improvements lay in the lighting and the animations, which have taken a huge step forward. Characters, in particular, look much more alive and traversal looks and feels a lot smoother than we’re accustomed to from previous titles. Facial animations are what you’d expect, though that’s always been part of the charm of the brand. Smaller droids and characters also fill the screen as the recreation of the Star Wars universe truly does feel more alive than it has ever looked before in the Lego dimension (pun intended.)Analyzing the Lego games has always been a particularly hard thing to do, as the core of most of the titles does feel awfully familiar from game to game. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, however, does feel like one of the most renewing and well-forged titles that Traveller’s Tales has produced in the last few waves of their popular adaptions.

The strongest aspect of this newest installment is the fact that the game throws some much-needed diversity into the classic Lego gameplay formula, combining traditional platforming sections with intense dogfights and even shooter sections, which is something entirely new to the brand.The dogfights, in particular, are more well-crafted than you’d initially expect. Recreating iconic sequences such as the Tie-Fighter escape the game either puts you behind the wheel or in the shooting position as the game delves into extended dogfights that often rival the main gameplay sections in terms of gameplay design. Whilst the controls and combat systems are fairly simple in use and design, these levels simply feel like a joy to play as I  piloted the Millenium Falcon in my escape from Jakku.

The second most noteworthy addition, in my opinion, was the inclusion of new Gears of War-like cover sections, which has the players take cover in shooting sections that are used to take care of heavily armed enemies. On paper, it may sound repetitive, but these sections are actually a pretty nice change of pace in some levels as they never really feel out of place , though in some cases the shooting mechanic itself does leave a lot to be desired.
There’s also a good amount of puzzles throughout the game, though some mini-games which include visual passwords and such to move on to the next part of the level do seem to get a bit repetitive after a while.

A lot of the core gameplay remains unchanged, though the formerly noted additions and a good and the puzzles keep the pacing fresh as you move throughout the film, which should take about 6 hours for the main story, with some additional time left to replay levels, find hidden objects and play side-missions that should complete your experience quite nicely.Quite frankly, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens may be the strongest title that Traveller’s Tales has given us as of yet when it comes to adapting popular franchises. Providing fun, renewing and diverse gameplay, the game more than makes up for its length by the fact that what’s there is just so fun to play. If there’s one Lego game you’re picking up this summer, you better make sure it’s The Force Awakens!

The PS4 version of LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens  was primarily tested for the purpose of this review.

The post Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review appeared first on Press Start.

For all the talk about Mario, Zelda and Samus over the years, it’s easy to forget the little pink puffball that could. Though Kirby certainly doesn’t have the pulling power of a new Legend of Zelda title, nor the clout to have a full E3 expo presentation or orchestra tour, there’s no doubting his unique appeal both in design and function. There’s a number of other reasons why he’s my personal favourite Nintendo character but I’ll get to them in a moment, as right now I want to talk about his most recent adventure released recently on 3DS.

Kirby: Planet Robobot sees our little hero awoken to the sounds of explosions and strange starships in
the sky. With little dialogue or explanation outside of the opening cut scene, you’re thrown straight into it in familiar Kirby fashion, sucking up bad guys and jumping/floating through side-scrolling levels. It doesn’t take long, however, for the unique twists of this new adventure to appear, and they really do change things up for the better.

let’s be honest here, Kirby is really cute. Pink is my least favourite colour and yet here I am harping on about how cool a piece of cotton candy is! The little dance routines he does at the end of every level, his ability to smile through the pain, that outcry of happiness with each wave … you can’t help but fall in love with him, which in hindsight is a little weird, but there you go. It’s a shame that Kirby has never hit the same kind of heights as is fellow Nintendo mascots, but as a fan I’m happy to see that the publisher and long time developers Hal Laboratories continue to pump out quality titles with is name on it.

Whilst the general story is fairly simple (alien/robot race bent on taking over the world, hero jumps in to save the day. The usual.), it’s the charm of the world and its inhabitants that makes the ride more than worthwhile. Kirby doesn’t say anything at all really, but his mannerisms more than make up for any shortfalls in his character development. I mean come on, just look at that face. How can you not like
that face!

If you’re un-familiar with the series, here’s the basics. Kirby has the ability to suck up or eat his enemies, some of which provide him new abilities based on their form. There’s a myriad of different enemies across the series, fire breathers or sword wielders, and Kirby can make use of all of them in some way or form. It’s fairly easy to switch between forms at any time, just as long as there’s an enemy nearby with what you need.

And that’s where the twist comes in. In the past, you’ve just been the little guy, attacking with whatever you’ve got. Your first mini boss battle has you going up against a giant mech, and no before you ask it’s definitely nothing like Titanfall. Once you beat it, you’ll notice the now empty shell of the robot free for your own use. There in lies the key to Planet Robobot, as you now use the very weapons of the enemy against them. In a way, it follows tradition, but the abilities of the mech really change things up.

For starters, most of the levels are a mixture of traditional platforming and the new mech based combat. Kirby himself isn’t a fast character even when ‘sprinting’, but as soon as you find an available mech suit you’ll find yourself dashing along at high speed. Most of the levels are clever enough in design that they clearly set out areas that only a mech can get to, or hint at what’s to come. As introduced in Kirby’s last 3DS adventure, Triple Trouble, you can shift between two different planes, adding some clever puzzle solving to the mix (and some much needed use of the 3D depth slider of the console).

Most Kirby games have a low level of difficulty. In the case of Planet Robobot, most of the experience can be completed rather easily by even the youngest of age groups. But for the older generation such as myself, there’s some meat to the bones thanks to said puzzle solving and hidden collectibles. The
bosses, whilst nicely designed, are in the tried and true ‘find the pattern’ tradition that you’ll quickly figure out. Then again, Kirby’s abilities are the notion of choice, allowing you to attack in any way you see fit, which in turn can change a difficult fight with one type to much easier one with another.

There’s a few extras thrown into the package outside of the main game. Team Kirby Clash is a mini RPG for up to four players, a half decent diversion but it doesn’t really last as long as it could. Likewise the puzzle/arcade game Kirby 3D Battle which puts Kirby into a sort of isometric arena where the aim is to beat all of the enemies as quickly as possible. It’s always nice to have something else to do outside of the main quest, but these feel more like demos for much bigger adventures. I would have loved more
of 3D Battle specifically, which reminded me a little of a sort of Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker if
someone, had pushed the turbo button and removed the puzzle element.

So why is Kirby my favourite character? For one, his ability to copy or mimic multiple powers makes
him one of the strongest characters out there despite his diminutive stature. Those of you who play Smash Bros. will be more than familiar with his move set, most of which translate straight from the
series, and the fact that he isn’t easy to beat. In fact, Kirby can take a decent amount of damage compared to Mario or Sonic, especially when you introduce the mech suit. In other words, he’s well
suited to running into the fray without fear.

Kirby: Planet Robobot is a perfect example of that desire to create something new within an often used
space. More importantly, it proves that even an older franchise can still breath creative life within an
industry now teeming with 2D platformers on almost every kind of hardware imaginable. Kirby always seems to go unnoticed and it’s a damn shame, because Planet Robobot is easily one of the best releases on the Nintendo 3DS, if not one of the best action adventures of 2016 so far.

The 3DS version of Kirby: Planet Robobot was primarily tested for the purpose of this review.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Fire Emblem Fates wasn’t reviewed as separate entries due to the fact that the base gameplay remains the same, only the narrative changes depending on the path chosen.

Released to massive acclaim from both Nintendo fans and critics alike, 2013’s Fire Emblem: Awakening was a great success for both the 3DS and the franchise itself, providing a rebirth for a series on the decline in Japan and cementing the IP amongst Nintendo’s greatest. It also allowed the Western world to truly get a feel for the series, marketed more heavily than previous translations. And now, Intelligent Systems is back at it again with Fire Emblem Fates, promising to be bigger and better than before. With three separate paths to follow that change the story and characters within, Fates takes everything that made Awakening fantastic, and builds on it in so many ways.

The kingdoms of Hoshido and Nohr have been at war for countless years; forged from bloodlines of ancient dragons existing in that world. You are the avatar, a Hoshidan royal stolen away by the Nohrians as a child and raised with them – only discovering this at a point where tensions between the two sides have reached boiling point. Caught in the midst of the conflict, do you choose to return to your true family (Birthright), side with those who have cared for you throughout the years (Conquest), or ignore the two and forge your own path? The choice is yours to take up arms; to protect the peaceful nature of Hoshido, or to cast away the darkness from within Nohr, and ultimately decide the fate of the two nations.

Taking the concepts of light and dark between the two iterations, Fire Emblem Fates retains much of the same looks as its predecessor and builds on them with great detail. For Birthright, Hoshido and its characters have a ‘light’ look to them, embodying the peaceful nature that they seek, whereas Conquest utilizes a darker colour scheme to contrast this and show them as a warring and powerful nation.

As with Awakening, Fates utilizes three methods of in-game narrative progression – dialogue text scenes, in-game renders, and pre-rendered cut scenes. As the avatar is customisable, the player’s character is usually only seen in the former two. Each character also gets their own little set of voice clips to accompany actions and dialogue options, giving them a bit more personality than just a drawn avatar on-screen. To add that little bit more personality to the game, there is now a Castle Builder mode, where you can customize your castle and lay it out to your liking (but we’ll get to that later).

Battle scenes in-game remain relatively unchanged from before (character models now have feet!) and battles tend to flow faster than previously. Statistical menus and such are explained in better detail, which helps newcomers to the series understand better just exactly what is taking place on-screen.
Lastly, but definitely not least, the score is again quite addictive and magnificent. The game’s soundtrack employs themes on which each nation is based – for Hoshido, a very Japanese melody, and a more European style for Nohr. This is evident in battle maps and castle scenes. The main theme for the game, a song performed by the character Azura, is also a tune you’re likely to get stuck in your head after enough times hearing it.

Fire Emblem’s combat is relatively simple, yet can be quite punishing if you aren’t paying attention. The game gives you the option of setting a difficulty level at the start, and also whether you want to play Casual (respawning characters) or Classic (perma-death!). If you play Classic and have a guilt complex like me, prepare to reset your game a hell of a lot to save characters. Permanent death usually results in characters being unplayable for the remainder of the game, though they may still appear in cut scenes throughout.

As with every other game in the series Fire Emblem is a turn based tactical RPG – characters move around spaces on a map and can attack or heal other units and complete objectives. Different units, such as Archers and Ninja can attack from a distance, while Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Lords can cover a massive distance in single motions. Fates plays extremely similar to its predecessor in Awakening, with most objectives needing players to defeat the enemy to progress.

Units can be paired up to provide support bonuses and harbour relationships between the two, which leads to more story options (including children) opening up later in the game. Paired units don’t usually attack as well together as they do when placed side-by-side, so the more tactical you think, the more you can get out of a turn before the enemy has the chance. A new introduction is the defence mechanic, which allows characters to accumulate defence points which are then used when an enemy attacks, often blocking what is usually an unblockable move. This saved my butt on multiple occasions and allowed me to strategically place characters on the map to progress faster.

Dragon Veins are a new tactical implementation allowing players to change the playing field by tapping into special powers within the earth. These can manifest in the forms of rivers, lightning strikes, avalanches or even whirlwinds which can aid or hinder units on the map, making the terrain tactically difficult for some players. These can only be harnessed by Royal Family members on either side, and not supporting units.

Another new feature allows players to capture enemy units and have them fight for you by convincing them in the prison within your castle. They can choose not to, or you can sacrifice them at your own will. Some units cannot be recruited or captured, so the option to do so usually does not appear. Units that can be recruited without having to be captured end up with a “TALK” option above their head, only seen when moving an appropriate character such as the Avatar nearby.

The main menu screen in Fates has been replaced with the Castle as previously mentioned, where players can upgrade their weapons stores and defences. Other players’ castles can be visited and battled in, allowing resources to be acquired and used in your own castle. This does not affect gameplay in any major way (aside from possibly gaining stronger weapons) and any units that die in a castle invasion will not permanently die within the story itself.

Fates provides the most interesting choice of all, depending on which version you pick; you follow a specific path throughout the game. At its conclusion, you are then able to purchase the opposing game for cheaper as a download, and also the third expansion which completely changes the story. As particular unit classes are only available in one or the other, this makes gameplay a little more interesting between the two games as units all fight differently to one another. The Birthright campaign is the easier of the two – resources are easier to come by, and battles are not as difficult. The Conquest campaign makes things tactically more difficult and resources are a lot harder to obtain, and the Revelation path is suggested only for those who have completed the first two, being the hardest to complete.

Fire Emblem Fates, regardless of which game you begin with, is a wonderful experience that builds on everything Awakening did right, and makes it even better. Newcomers are welcomed with open arms into the game, and experienced players will enjoy the story and the minor changes that the game brings. Fates is a worthy addition to your collection and a definite threat to your free time; you’ll find yourself wanting to go back for more, even when finished.

The 3DS version of Fire Emblem Fates was primarily tested for the purpose of this review

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The Nintendo 3DS version of Bravely Second: End Layer was primarily tested for the purpose of this review.

Bravely Second: End Layer is an excellent role-playing game with a seemingly simple yet engagingly intricate battle system. The cast are entertaining and third-dimensional while the music and sense of world building are akin to traditional Final Fantasy games of old. Bravely Second: End Layer is a perfect game for fans of the traditional turn-based role playing genre. Its class-based job mechanics and the brave and default system create an entertaining battle system encouraging one of the genre’s common criticisms of grinding, by rewarding players with bonus spoils from battle. Characters’ voices are distinct and as creative as their character design and back-stories.The story of Bravely Second: End Layer is both grand and welcomingly familiar. Set two years after the events of the previous game, players follow Edea and Tiz as well as new characters, the always-optimistic Yew and the mysterious Magnolia, through their quest to rescue the now Pope Agnes from the clutches of the Kaiser and his foreboding diamond-like castle floating in the sky. Without spoiling the game’s narrative, the game’s world and characters are charmingly comedic, even in its most dramatic moments.

Each of the cast are also wonderfully characterised. The game offers both a main quest, whereby players travel around the world in search of a way to save Agnes, as well as a variety of side quests following characters from Bravely Default and their lives since the end of the game, making it incredibly rewarding to those who have played the original game. These side quests are fun in their own right and offer great character development to both former bosses and Edea with some quests even parodying pop culture. One side quest followed the adventures of Edea’s former commanding officer and knight Sir Heinkel and Kikyo the shy ninja, now a police constable and private investigator respectively, as they and the party try to solve a murder case with clearly satirical characters Sholmes and Whitson; while another quest involved the party deciding on a town’s education system – choosing whether to side with a co-educational system supported by the brash monk Barras and his pupil, or Edea’s childhood friend, the Valkyrie Einheria, her apprentice and their view towards a segregated education system. There are also non-voiced scenes – often lighthearted comments from the perspectives of each of the party on the plot, characters and certain gameplay mechanics – providing insight on each character’s pasts and their relationships with others, further ironically characterising them as multi-layered despite their miniature appearance. Bravely Second’s art style is distinctly mesmerising. Each character is modelled as a ‘chibi’ – a miniature cartoon character – with a slight lisp to their voice as a result of the recording equipment used in the recording studios, adding to the adorably cheesy tone of most scenes. Players can change characters’ costumes by equipping outfits such as Yew’s cavalier uniform or by changing a character’s job – with some, such as the ranger even changing a character’s facial appearance – as each job outfit is colourfully created to help contextualise said outfit’s job, such as the Knight’s heavy-clad armour mirroring the job’s high defence or the Bishop’s priest gown emphasising the job’s healing magic.While the over-world map isn’t particularly beautiful, each area is strikingly different from one another. Within my 40 hours with the game, I’ve experienced poisonous swampy terrains, a floating village in the sky and a hot spring resort, among other iconic areas. The explorable parts of these areas are illustrated by beautifully painted canvases on the top screen while the map of the area is outlined on the lower screen. Enemy and character designs are also quite appealing, as players battle a variety of creatures such as a tree spirit in the shape of a floating pile of sliced apples and a cat spirit in a gentleman’s suit. The soundtrack is also immersive and diverse, with a mixture of peaceful flute ensemble titles played during the save or party menus, jazzy piano solos dictating a town and the merchant menu, and coarse Japanese rock opera for the more iconic boss battles.The most engaging part of Bravely Second: End Layer however is its gameplay and the brave-default mechanic. In combat, the player assigns an action for each character for a given turn, such as attacking, using an ability or items or fleeing the battle – or the player can decide to defend and save a battle point in what is known as defaulting, or use up a battle point to use an additional action by braving. Players can gain up to three battle points and lose up to three battle points, leaving a character on minus three if they brave three times when at the standard zero battle points, resulting in the given character missing three turns; adding a great sense of strategy to battles, especially since this mechanic applies to enemies too. Enemies also have their own strengths and weaknesses as players can equip gear mid-battle and use examine to identify said enemy’s weakness.

There is also a class-based job system where characters defeat a class-based boss to gain their job asterisk, allowing the player to equip each of their party as the given job – new jobs are unlocked by completing the main story while jobs from the previous game are gained through the various side quests. Each job has its own weapon proficiencies, skills, stats and passive skills, as well as a distinct outfit. Black mages have low physical defence and are unskilled in battle axes but can cast devastating spells such as dark and flare; while the charioteer is a class based on heavy offence with the ability to wield additional weapons to the given character’s head and armour equipment slots, significantly boosting their physical attack.

Players can also equip a secondary job to use other jobs’ abilities, as well as passive skills. Some jobs are even recommended to be chained together such as the healer-based bishop class and the wizard’s ability to apply spells to the entire party over multiple turns, an essential spell for end-game. Choosing which class to assign your characters to, and by extension, their role in the party, is part of what makes Bravely Second so fun.Players can tweak the random encounter rate from zero encounters to double the rate in the lower screen menu to encourage grinding. I found myself grinding for thirty minutes or so around a save point at the beginning of every dungeon until I was at the maximum level recommended for the area but that was often to grind a job to unlock a new ability than to further level my characters. The game rewards grinding by granting the player a bonus rate of experience points, job points and in-game money by finishing a battle untouched and within one turn – which is often more of a gamble than anything else since the chained bonuses tempt the player to continue fighting a fourth group of enemies even when their party has minus four battle points.

The game also offers a few mini-games, some more entertaining and rewarding than others. Players can access the streetpass component of the game whereby the player can restore Magnolia’s village by assigning villagers – streetpassed users – to areas around the town, rewarding the player with items or special skills usable in battle after reaching a requirement, such as defaulting ten times in battle, often boosting the party’s stats before striking at an enemy for high damage. Players can also send their characters to other players and summon friends in battle for a turn; as well as equip their friends to their characters by ‘abilinking’, giving them access to their friends’ job levels; and potentially unlocking high-level abilities early in the game which may break your experience with the game. Bravely Second: End Layer continues to exceed at what its predecessor Bravely Default did best. Yet, unlike its predecessor the game feels like a completely original Japanese role-playing game, rather than a reboot of the original Final Fantasy and its four heroes of light. With a highly engaging cast, immersive world and expansively dynamic battle system, the game is both welcoming to newcomers and rewarding to fans of the series.

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TT Games is back with, you guessed it, another LEGO game! Following 2013’s Lego Marvel Superheroes, this time around it is the Avengers who get their turn with a title based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But how solidly built is this latest outing compared to the previous instalment?

Bridging what is essentially Marvel’s ‘Phase Two’ of superhero movies, the game is a movie tie-in to both The Avengers as well as Avengers: Age of Ultron, with levels thrown in from intertwining movies such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 3. Starting with the opening scene of Age of Ultron, the game then throws players back to the first film, to chronologically play through.

Lego Marvel’s Avengers does everything right in terms of how it looks; which is the oddest thing for a Lego game. Environments are all modelled after those seen in the films, but the lighting and detail on the characters and environments makes me think that there is so much more that could have been done with the game itself rather than simply be a movie tie-in. The good thing is that this game shows how far graphic capabilities are coming in terms of console games, which can only mean they’ll get better from here. Other than that, the game itself is practically just another TT Games’ Lego game – the HUD and menus are exactly the same as pretty much every other Lego tie-in.
One of the most entertaining parts, although it does begin to wear thin after awhile, is TT Games’ trademark ability of adding in visual humour to an otherwise serious moment; think Nick Fury drinking a milkshake while delivering lines, chickens on the helicarrier, or the constant appearance of Stan Lee everywhere.

The score is practically just the Avengers OST directly laid over the top, but one of the most grating things is the fact that 90% of dialogue is ripped straight from the movies – background audio included. While this is clearly done to make the game a little more authentic, it is really jarring to not only hear the same quotes over and over again, but the sounds from the movie still embedded in the clip and not scrubbed from it. It almost seems rushed, as though they had a day before release to get it done, and it really takes you out of it.

There really isn’t anything special to be said about the gameplay here; if you’ve played one of TT Games’ Lego incarnations, you’ve practically played them all. Characters are paired up and switchable, each with a power relevant to the level (or relevant to the story being played), and players guide the characters through the level destroying as much as physically possible while solving small puzzles to unlock collectibles and amass a large amount of ‘studs’ (you know, those little pieces that come out when things break).

Although the gameplay is stock-standard for TT Games, they still manage to make it fun; there’s just something about wandering around as a Lego minifigure and smashing everything to find as many studs as possible, and in the process accidentally breaking a civilian or blowing something up and destroying yourself in the process. Tag team attacks are introduced between the two playable characters onscreen to double the damage, which are helpful when in a tight situation. Free play makes the game a little better and more bearable – instead of being shoehorned into the movie tie-in, you can wander Manhattan or a recreation of Asgard as any character you want – but here you’ll note that there are omissions of characters compared to Lego Marvel Superheroes, such as Spider Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic four. Other inclusions from the now Disney-owned empire of Marvel just don’t quite cut it, even though there is a significant roster of playable characters.

Hopefully with the fact that there is set to be a ‘season pass’ (for Lego? Madness, right?) there will be increased content not entirely focused on just the MCU, but other aspects of the universe as well.

There’s no denying that the formula for the game is sound, as with pretty much every TT Games offering. But while it is another fun game to occupy time, Lego Marvel’s Avengers feels like it is dropping the ball a little when it comes to Lego games. Being stuck in a movie tie-in really limits the initial fun that can be had, and with poorly-ripped movie dialogue thrown in whenever they feel like it, the game feels more like a chore than a bout of fun that even die-hard fans might have trouble being entertained by.

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The universe of Dragon Ball is once again in disarray! The world’s strongest fighters must gather together to stop the enemies from the past from taking over! With the help of past, present and future fighters, can Goku and his friends retrieve the Dragon Balls and restore order to Earth?The game starts like most DBZ games do, playing through the story arcs starting with the Saiyan Saga and travelling all the way through to the Buu Saga. Once the initial story arc is complete, Adventure mode becomes available, which is where the proper story of the game begins. The timeline of the Dragon Ball universe has warped and become mixed together, and villains and heroes from all over have appeared and are wreaking havoc. It is up to Goku and friends to gather the ‘Ultimate’ Dragon Balls and wish for the world to return to normal. Along the way, Goku is challenged not only by long-defeated foes (harking back to the original series Dragon Ball), but others as well (Even though most fans have denied GT as canon, the enemies still appear). Can Goku and the Z Fighters restore the planet to normal?Dragon Ball Z Extreme Butoden is effectively a fan service game in multiple ways; the style of the game harks back to the original Butoden series that first appeared on the Super Nintendo system in the early 90s, with a graphical boost for the 3DS. The character sprites are pixelated for this exact reason, but still detailed for what they are, and the environments behind them are rendered with a little 3D detail. Energy blasts from the characters are also rendered in the same way, and the blending of all elements comes together well to create something that feels new but also retro. The game is colourful and vibrant, and stays true to the typical DBZ art style from the anime and manga.

But what would a DBZ game be without its soundtrack? While the characters are voiced in Japanese (and the voice audio isn’t amazing quality), the game itself has a very generic pop-rock soundtrack that is common of most Dragon Ball Z games, and after a while gets very repetitive and annoying. Fighting and energy sounds are taken almost directly from the anime, so at least the game still appeases the fans by using original sounds.The biggest gripe I had with the game also turned out to be a blessing in disguise; starting the game there is no introduction or training mode to get you into it. The options are still provided within the start menu during battles, and this is relatively easy to follow, but otherwise the player is practically left to fend for themselves.

The combat system has quite a deep learning curve to it – with light, heavy and energy attacks being the three key components to a battle. Pressing multiple in succession leads to a rush combo, and pressing the right amount of buttons at times leads to a powered up rush combo that is used to deal large damage in a short period of time. Stronger attacks or attacks that end in a large energy blast require ‘Ki’ power to use, so the option to power up mid-battle helps push them over the edge (and it doesn’t take a week to power up either!).Players can select a choice of either 1, 2 or 3 warriors, and depending on the amount of warriors picked, the remaining roles can be filled by support characters which can assist the player during a battle. Each round lasts for as long as each player has an able combatant on the field or until the time runs out.

Once you get into the swing of things, the fighting within the game becomes crazy and fun, although you may be button-mashing for your life at some stages. Energy blasts, teleportation attacks, throws and ultimate combos become easier to perform the more you use them, and combos can be accessed by the pause menu so that you know what you are doing. Each level is finished by defeating the opponent and receiving a ‘rank’, allowing you to unlock additional fighters and support characters; however it seems a challenge to unlock the S ranking for fights, so most of the time I would end up with an A ranking.
The selection of fighters for such a seemingly big game is actually quite disappointing – the favourites are all there (Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks) but the majority of secondary or supplementary characters are pushed into support roles, as are some forms of main characters (SSG Vegeta is a support, Android 16 is a support, the majority of the Ginyu force are supports). This makes fighting stale after a while due to lack of variety within playable characters.While paying a lot of fan service and having a fighting system that grows on you the more you play it, Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden ultimately falls short of being an amazing game and instead is relegated to an average state. True fans of the series will get a kick out of it for a while but even then will likely grow tired of the repetitive gameplay and limited character options.

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Your adventure takes place in the land of Hytopia. A small kingdom that is utterly obsessed with fashion and at the very pinnacle of the fashion mountain is the princess, Princess Styla. One day the princess receives a mysterious parcel from an unknown sender, unwittingly she opened the parcel to reveal the most unstylish of curses. Princess Styla is now cursed to wear a horrible black jumpsuit until the curse is lifted. The kingdom is in disarray, the townsfolk are too afraid to leave the house in anything too stylish in fear for their safety. Their only hope is to pray for the hero’s with pointed ears, sideburns and a part down the side of their hair appear to save them all from this unfashionable disaster. Triforce Heroes takes a play from both the Wind Waker’s and A Link Between World’s graphical prowess. A mixture of fun cell shaded graphics with the vivid detail in the landscape from their respective inspirations. The best thing about it is that it gels together remarkably well. Zelda games have always incorporated a unique visual presence throughout the series and Triforce Heroes is no different. Exceeding the high bar of the visuals is the soundtrack that can be found within the game. The main theme is one driven by excitement and fun whilst the various stages themes are an equally impressive encapsulation their respective areas whilst still maintaining a high level of energy to generate that feeling of frantic puzzle solving, action adventuring mayhem. There is also a musical easter egg to be found in the game that will make any veteran of the series grin from ear to ear upon discovery. This game takes a few pages from otherZelda games but quickly ends up on a stage all of its own. Essentially there will be a team of three Links’ that venture out into the Drablands to complete the temples/stages of their respective areas. Forrest, fire and water all the standard Zelda elements we have come to love plus more (Just because I used the term standard don’t be confused, these areas are anything but). These three Links are blue, green and red to identify yourself throughout your experience. The Links solve puzzles, battle enemies and engage in some epic boss battles in traditional Zelda fashion through the use of items such as the bow and sword but there are a few nifty perks thrown into this experience. Between all three Links you share a total of 9 hearts that serve as your life, if a team mate is getting hurt, you are getting hurt. That’s the spirit of a team after all and teams work together especially with the new “Totem” technique where Link’s stack on top of each other to gain height to activate switches, use items or even access new areas.

In keeping with the theme of fashion in Hytopia, your outfit will play a huge role to your adventure. As you overcome puzzles and battles you are rewarded with various upgrade materials that can be crafted into different fashionable outfits to aid your cause. One outfit will grant you the ability to shoot more arrows, another to shoot sword beams, one to increase speed and there are even more in-between (Rhymes!).As I mentioned before, there are three Links taking part of this adventure. You can find your missing Links (team mates) through a variety of methods such as random online match making, download play or just normal friend list match making. There is no in game voice communication however and this is brilliant! Replacing the voice communication is a series of Link themed emoticons on your lower screen of the 3DS console to communicate with your newly found heroes. A few examples of these Link-emotes are a simple thumbs up, a “Nooooo”, Item hint, Totem time and the all time favorite of mine the Throw emote. Why is it my favorite? Because every time I see it I endeavor to throw who ever used it out of the world’s bounds. Sure we lose a heart but that’s what they asked for. These emotes are a breath of fresh air and I had a great deal of fun using these prompts to solve puzzles and communicate with my teams this way. I found that using these emotes as opposed to voice communication it could create a lot of those “Ah-Hah!” moments in the game. That feeling of sheer joy when you solve a puzzle and generally makes you feel good about your self and your experience with the game.If you are unfortunate enough however to have no Internet connection and no friends near by to play local multiplayer with you can always opt for the single player experience. Beginning single player is the exact same levels and challenges you find in the recommended multiplayer but this time you can control all three Links, switching possession of your soul between the three. One active Link can move and do puzzles but the other two remain stationary waiting for your input. It sounds kind of ok, maybe even do-able in theory but really the game was created for multiplayer and I found the single player option to be nothing short of painful swapping back and forth between Links and even being slow to complete timed switches because of the swapping transitions. I advise you to avoid the single player path at all costs.

For those of you who like multiplayer but have had enough of team work there is always the Coliseum. An arena in where again three Links are pitted in the same room, the only difference is that it is a free for all death match. The one who deals the most damage and receives the least wins. This mode was great for a little break but not something that I could see myself spending a lot of time on because it really didn’t feel like Zelda to me. Online vs. mode but maybe that’s just me.Let’s face it Triforce Heroes is not the Zelda game we are waiting for. We all want Zelda Wii U but for now this game will absolutely and most certainly fill that Zelda void in our hearts that we all crave so much. Whilst the story is a particularly odd one for the series, it can be forgiven in understanding that it is laying a foundation for introducing the trio teamwork mechanic for this adventure. The stages/temples are exhilarating, the graphics are fun and the music is enchanting as always. The communication emotes are a breath of fresh air and are a pleasure to spam when required. The puzzles are at the right level for a random team of three strangers and the combat action is genuine fun. I only have two parting words of insight for this game. One, if you are a Zelda fan you need this game, two steer well clear of the single player mode.

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It all starts with a hot new toy/fad/craze, a young child who can’t afford it or is prohibited from having it, but then somehow, through some crazy or mystical way, gains control of the most unique or powerful or rare version. At its base, Little Battlers eXperience (LBX for short) is an RPG that follows the simple tropes and conventions of anime narrative stories by focusing on the latest battle toy and the power of a collectible craze that sweeps the nation; but on a deeper level it gives players a complex and fun battling system that allows both young and old to enjoy it.
  The year is 2050, and LBX has taken the world by storm. Small robots with the capability for battling in safe, cardboard constructed arenas; LBX are customisable and are a means to settle scores and prove who is the strongest and best LBX fighter. Enter the game’s protagonist, Van Yamano – a 13 year old boy who desperately wants an LBX robot but is denied by his mother, due to his father’s involvement in the invention of them and subsequent disappearance. Van hangs around the local hobby shop with his friends Amy and Kaz, and consistently talk everything LBX.

One day, Van comes across a mysterious and strange lady who hands him a case, which so happens to contain a rare and unique LBX robot; and with the blessing of his mother his adventure begins as he sets out to become the best LBX fighter there is. With the help of his friends and his unique LBX robot, Van sets out to find his missing father and stop a government conspiracy revolving around the LBX robots.

At face value the story is clichéd and generic – nation-sweeping fad, child missing a parent, and unique fad item being top-secret. But Level-5 have managed to keep it fresh and entertaining at the same time, and easily accessible to adults and children alike.
LBX is split up into three different types of presentation – rendered cutscenes, in-game cutscenes, and in-game action. Due in part to the fact that there is also an anime based on LBX, many of the game’s major cutscenes are rendered to full effect in anime style, serving as links or major moments within the game’s plot. Lesser actions are rendered with in-game models, and all other events (battles and map-wandering) are rendered as base gameplay. This is typical of Level-5’s style, but occasionally it doesn’t work to full effect, as some scenes load anime cutscenes whereas others have none.
 All gameplay graphics are bright and vibrant; overworld graphics are detailed and laid out neatly, and in-battle graphics are sharp (to a certain point) and colourful. Menus are also bright and brilliant, eschewing from darker palettes to keep it entertaining and fun.

The voice acting is superb for a game of this calibre, with all anime and some in-game cutscenes dubbed with a level of quality not usually seen for games, especially not on the 3DS. This makes the game just that bit more enjoyable instead of hearing clunky scripted dialogue every so often. The music is upbeat and really adds a sense of mood to the game depending on where you are and what is taking place. As with most typical RPGs, LBX splits itself into two forms – overworld exploration and battle mode. The overworld of the game is separated into action on the top screen and location map on the bottom, highlighting NPCs, save points, and objective arrows to follow. In certain zones, random encounter battles can happen at any time (similar to something out of Pokemon) with unrestricted battle rules. Objectives are clearly highlighted both via text and via an arrow that can be followed and moves around on the map screen, meaning it would be very hard to get lost. Some NPCs are also battle options; with either restricted or unrestricted rules, allowing for players to grind and battle to level up their LBX unit.

When it comes to battling, the fight system in LBX is quite simple but a lot of fun. For most matches, the rules are relatively simple – take out your opponent; whether it be in a certain amount of time, or a certain number of times, or a certain number of opponents. Teams can vary from 1V1 to 3V3 and different numbers in between. The LBX battling system relies on three major points – HP (hit points), BP (battery power), and Tension. HP is of course standard, meaning how much health your LBX robot has before it is knocked out. This can be replenished via quick-use items or on-field power ups. BP relies on usage – the more your unit moves around and performs attacks and dodges, the faster the BP gauge runs out. Once the BP gauge runs out, the unit becomes slow and extremely vulnerable, and can only be powered up with on-field items or quick-use items in the battle menu. Lastly is Tension, which is the main tactical advantage or disadvantage of the game. Each movement, attack and shot that your unit performs takes a certain amount from the Tension gauge. Once this gauge is depleted, you become extremely vulnerable for a brief amount of time, and your attacks become extremely weak. Thankfully the Tension gauge replenishes itself extremely quickly, meaning you can be back into the battle in no time.

Other factors apply to battles as well; armour and weapon upgrades can change the base stats of your unit, while items such as grease and repair kits help keep the unit functional and active. Failure to maintain the unit results in degradation and battles become easier to lose. Upgrading the unit can increase or decrease stats and speed depending on the items used as well, so balance is key; and with over 100 different items to customise your unit with, there is no telling of the combinations that will work for you.

One of the biggest gripes with the entire game is the menu layout. While being visually presented well, I would often spend minutes longer than I should have in each menu option purely because the sub-menus and options weren’t organised, and I would be searching for an option in a completely wrong sub-menu. This coupled with the small loading spaces in between made it frustrating to deal with.

Familiar tropes aside, LBX: Little Battlers eXperience is a wonderful game that both new and experienced gamers alike can sink their teeth into. With a fun and family-friendly storyline, as well as customisation options in abundance, LBX is exactly what its name states; a little battle experience, and one that is guaranteed to entertain for countless hours. Definitely worth your time.

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From Intelligent Systems, the studio best-known for the Fire Emblem series comes the steampunk-packed, comic-styled Code Name: S.T.E.A.M! Fight off the alien menace, unlock powerful weapons, and even take control of a gigantic mecha-Abraham Lincoln to save the planet from total annihilation!

From Intelligent Systems, the studio best-known for the Fire Emblem series comes the steampunk-packed, comic-styled Code Name: S.T.E.A.M! Fight off the alien menace, unlock powerful weapons, and even take control of a gigantic mecha-Abraham Lincoln to save the planet from total annihilation!Henry Fleming (named after the protagonist of the novel The Red Badge of Courage) oversees security detail in the American Embassy in fair Victorian London during the opening of the Steamgate Bridge, when alien invaders begin attacking the city. Fighting through the chaos and meeting up with John Henry (named after an African-American folk hero, and you’re going to want to get used to these references!), the pair are rescued by none other than President Abraham Lincoln himself, piloting the state-of-the-art airship Lady Liberty.Here the pair are recruited to Lincoln’s task force, known as S.T.E.A.M (Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace), and discover that the aliens seek the Necronomicon (H.P. Lovecraft’s textbook of magic) to awaken their leader, the Shugguth. Along the way the team makes the shocking discovery that the beast itself resides under the surface of the South Pole, as it had been left behind millions of years ago.

Recruiting some familiar fictional and folklore-inspired heroes such as Lion, Tin-Man and Dorothy, as well as Tom Sawyer and Queequeg (Moby Dick), the agents of S.T.E.A.M fight their way across America and even traversing to the magical Land of Oz in order to stop the alien menace and save the planet from being frozen over.Code Name S.T.E.A.M is presented to players through a comic book aesthetic; with each level of the game representing a new chapter of the comic. Cutscenes are rendered as comic panels, right down to the onomatopoeic action words and speech bubbles for characters. This look is retained for the gameplay segments too; a sort of partially-modeled comic book cel come to life. The visuals are bright and entertaining; the consistent use of golds and browns to highlight the steampunk influence on the game helps it to stand out, which is coupled with an abundance of steam pipes and valves littered throughout environments.
The vibrancy of colours isn’t limited to environments and playable characters either; the alien enemies are contrast to the protagonists; shades of blue and purple highlighting how cold and evil they are compared to the warm and heroic good guys. (It was hard not to describe them as ‘steamy’).
Those familiar with Star Trek will notice that the characters of John Henry and Abraham Lincoln are voiced by none other than Michael Dorn and Wil Wheaton respectively. And the voice talent doesn’t suffer like other games either; each character is given a voice, and the acting is actually half-decent. The only gripe is that after a while, each character’s catch-phrases begin to get repetitive and annoying, making you wish they had have just recorded that bit extra.The game also draws from so many forms of lore; almost all characters are representations from books or novels from literature history. The biggest influence is H.P. Lovecraft; things such as the Shugguth and the Necronomicon coming straight from his works, as well as Professor Randolph Carter. Add this to the likes of the Wizard of Oz references and classic literature throwbacks and you get a mish-mash that works really well.

Even the score of the game is of a decent quality; a mixture of rock and orchestral bars littered throughout each level and menu screen makes the game a lot more fun and adds just a little bit more depth to the gameplay. Every weapon has a unique sound to it, blended with the sounds of steam-powered mechanics just to aid in creating the world, and the screams and roars of the aliens as well as the splats when they are destroyed give the player just a little more satisfaction in taking them down.
The biggest annoyance is the consistent announcement of “Player’s Turn” and “Enemy’s Turn” at the start of each round. It can’t be turned off, and after a while it begins grating the ears and being just generally annoying.
In S.T.E.A.M’s gameplay we can already see elements of Intelligent System’s history with turn-based games; the game focuses on a turn-based movement system where characters are powered by steam units. Each steam unit represents one space to walk, and weapons use steam units as well, making the player think strategically about each move. Heavy weapons such as Lion’s “Lion Launcher” and John Henry’s “Bear Grenade” use four steam units, whereas Tom Sawyer’s “Punch Gun” and Henry Fleming’s “Medi-Carbine” use one and two units respectively. Steam tanks and billboards scattered throughout levels replenish steam reservoirs, otherwise the player must wait until next turn for the steam to replenish via the character’s boiler backpack. Boilers can be swapped for more efficient ones, or for tanks that give the character stat bonuses to help them fight the enemy better as well.The game employs a system called “Overwatch”, in where characters can defend from aliens during the Enemy’s Turn. Overwatch is enacted by leaving steam in the character’s tank and having a weapon with Overwatch ability equipped; this allows for the character to attack an enemy when it comes into range of the character during the enemy’s attacking stage. The enemies also have the ability for Overwatch, and it is here that the game gets a little annoying; where the player character’s attacks are limited to how much steam is in the tank, the enemies seemingly have an unlimited Overwatch ability. This can lead to frustration, as each movement that a character makes can seemingly be countered by an enemy’s Overwatch, whereas sometimes a player may only get one to two Overwatch attacks in per turn. Sometimes even with the best of strategies, enemies can knock out multiple team characters because of this, and it adds a degree of difficulty to the game that is quite annoying.

Each character has strengths and weaknesses on the field, too. Characters equipped with heavy weapons such as John Henry and Lion tend to have bigger health bars, but their steam gauges drain quicker due to the weapons using more. On the other end, characters such as Scarecrow and Tom Sawyer use single units or two units per attack; their attacks aren’t as strong, but there is more chance for movement and defense this way. Some characters such as Tiger Lily and John Henry can also heal, and Tin-Man can replenish steam with his weapon. Finding the right balance of characters can be difficult as there is no warning about the enemies in the level prior; in some scenarios heavy force is required, but a balanced team may struggle due to the lack of heavy support. In other scenarios a lighter or quicker team may suffice. Each character also gets a special move that can be used once per mission, which does not affect their steam gauge and can cause major damage to enemy units.Enemy movement is also not established to the player, and sometimes it seems like the enemy units have an unfair advantage even with Overwatch employed. Some enemies seem to be able to travel great distances and give the player headaches. There are strategic save points littered through every level that, if used correctly can greatly assist the player as they replenish both steam and health of characters. This can strategically be used not only to restore characters to full health, but also to extend turns beyond the initial steam capacity.

The one upside to the steam mechanic is that the majority of collectibles in range, such as coins and gears, can be collected without wasting steam. Each step taken into a new space uses steam, but if you step back into that space the steam recovers; provided you are not attacked or do not reach a save point, you can test out the best routes to progress through a level without wasting steam. This can allow you to collect coins and gears which give you new equipment when collected. Once you fire a weapon, your steam meter drops down and cannot be replenished until the next turn.Code Name S.T.E.A.M is a great game that takes many cues from both literature and comic history, and throws it into a fun fantasy steampunk world. But where the story is fun and unique, the gameplay begins to get annoying and may seem like a challenge at times. With great voice acting and a wonderful comic book aesthetic, S.T.E.A.M gives an atmosphere that not many games manage to pull off these days; of adventure and excitement while not getting too serious. While not the best of Intelligent Systems’ games, S.T.E.A.M is still a worthy foe for your free time, and a great game to pick up on the 3DS.

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With a complete visual remaster and some minor tweaks to improve gameplay and playability, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask returns to the forefront fifteen years after its initial release on the Nintendo 64, and four years after its predecessor Ocarina of Time’s remake. But does the series’ arguably darkest entry still live up to the hype?

In three days, the moon will fall, and the land of Termina will be no more. The Skull Kid has stolen a dark and powerful ancient mask, and is using it to wreak havoc across the land; the mountains have frozen over, the ocean has become toxic, and the swamplands have been poisoned. As for our young hero, his horse has been stolen and he has been transformed into a Deku Scrub.

The Happy Mask Salesman is right. “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

Setting out with a new fairy companion in Tatl, Link must traverse the wide land of Termina in order to release the spirits of the Four Giants, the guardians of the land, to stop the moon from crushing Clock Town and stopping the Skull Kid’s treachery. With only three days to do so, Link and Tatl must use the flow of time to their advantage and free the spirits of the Giants to save the land.

Unlike its predecessor ‘Ocarina of Time’, Majora’s Mask reaches out to players on a more emotional level; heavy themes of loss and isolation flow throughout the game, and lead to key plot points such as obtaining masks. Everyone in Clock Town is afraid of the moon falling (set to happen on their festival day), and the afflictions of the habitat of each race (Deku, Goron and Zora) lead to them fearing the end. Each coinciding mask contains the spirit of an important member of their tribe, and it is up to Link to take their place and fulfil their journey.

When the 3D remake of Ocarina of Time was announced for the 3DS, many hoped that Majora’s Mask would be right around the corner, and four years after, their hopes were realised. Sporting a similar remodelling, Majora’s Mask looks and feels a lot fresher than its predecessor; colours are vibrant and stand out, and textures and models look as though they have been thoroughly detailed.

In comparison to the original, of course the differences are great; gone are the jagged polygonal character models of fifteen years ago, replaced by smooth and detailed recreations. Many of the locations of Termina have been tweaked from the original as well. Places such as Clock Town are now more open and easier to explore, and the land of Termina itself is greatly improved by the updated textures and modelling. The game may be a remake, but the work that has gone into the recreation makes it feel new and exciting again, rather than just feeling like a rehash. The use of the second screen as a map and menu screen allows for the top screen to be less crowded. The only downside to this is that the iconic crescent-shaped clock from the N64 iteration is replaced with a timer bar on the top screen.

One of the gripes of the game is the 3D feature; and I can’t quite put this down to whether or not it is my handheld, but in a few instances of activating the 3D, some frames happened to flicker or blur, or even have a slight shimmer to them. As I am not one to use 3D that much I kept it off for most of the game, but in some instances where I wished to test it, occasionally I would get a slip in quality, which was unfortunate.

As with any Zelda game, Majora’s Mask also has some fairly iconic musical arrangement. While it does share a fair bit with Ocarina of Time, a lot of the songs and melodies are new, and highlight the themes of the game. Some of the old Ocarina songs also return, as well as the addition of new ones which are sure to be causing ear-worms for you long after the game has finished.

Majora’s Mask plays a lot like Ocarina of Time, which is understandable given that it is basically a direct sequel, and was created on the same engine and with most of the same assets; but to write it off as just a rehash is doing yourself a very big disservice.

The key aspect that makes Majora’s Mask different from a lot of RPGs (and Zelda games in general) is the three-day time cycle. The game gives the player three days (in-game time) to traverse the world, solve problems and complete quests. At the end of the Third Day, the battle against the Skull Kid becomes active, and provided you are ready, you can take him on. However, to be able to do that, you need to make yourself ready, by questing to the four ends of Termina and defeating the evil inside. Time can be slowed to half the normal rate, or sped up to double in order for certain events to happen, but at the end of the three-day cycle, the Song of Time must be played in order to start again. When this occurs, all consumable items (bombs, arrows, magic beans) and Rupees are lost, and the three-day cycle recommences from the Dawn of the First Day.

While the three-day cycle is quite unique, it also can get quite annoying at times; progress in temples is restarted, and all subplots that are currently in motion reset back to where they were at the beginning. The ability to focus on more than one task is difficult here, as one small mistake can lead to the player having to start the cycle all over again. The ability to warp to save points makes this a little more bearable, instead of having to traverse Termina to get to a destination each time.

Along the way, masks become a commodity through which certain problems can be solved; wearing certain masks can trigger events or different dialogue actions with characters, or even give access to new areas of Termina in order to further a subplot. The majority of these problems and subplots focus around the three main masks, each based on a race of Termina; Deku, Goron and Zora. Each mask has a different set of powers relating to that particular species, and allows different interaction between other NPCs within the game; for instance, the Deku mask will allow access into the Deku Palace, but standard Link cannot enter. Certain obstacles can also be overcome using these powers; Deku Link can launch from Deku Flowers, Goron Link can traverse large gaps with the Goron Rolling attack, and Zora Link can swim great distances on a single breath and fight underwater as well. Other masks, such as the Great Fairy mask allow Link to search and attract Stray Fairies.

Unlike Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask doesn’t do a lot of hand-holding in terms of how to play; players are thrust into the world with little instruction. Guides appear along the way, but most of the gameplay comes down to teaching yourself and learning how to do things. Minor tweaks from the original game include the addition of save points throughout the world (as opposed to having to travel back through time to save the game) as well as the addition of the Sheikah Stone, allowing for players to seek out a handy hint on what to do next if they get stuck.

One thing that players may find difficult is the camera. The camera has always been a bit of a hit-and-miss in the N64 iterations, and it feels like the one thing that could have done with just a bit more tweaking in the remakes. For those with either the Circle Pad Pro, or the New 3DS/3DSXL, the camera is controllable with the second joystick/nub, making life a little easier when it comes to bad camera angles.

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After years of anticipation, Pokémon fans across the world are finally able to experience the remakes of the highly successful Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire on the Nintendo 3DS. Following on from the success of the first games of the sixth generation, Pokémon X and Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire not only keeps Pokémon fans old and new entertained but also reintroduces the allure of the Hoenn region to the newer fans of the franchise.

The story of the remakes is highly faithful to the original games, with a few tweaks and changes that add to the story and give the player a fuller experience. The relationships with the player character and the rivals May or Brendan, Wally, your father Norman and certain other important characters are more detailed and have more of an impact on the greater plot. The leaders Archie and Maxie, of Team Aqua and Team Magma respectively, also have a greater depth to them than what was present in the original games. Their motivations and relationships with one another are also highlighted. There is no major departure from the original portrayal of the story on the Game Boy Advance, which may or may not disappoint some fans.

The most anticipated addition to the story, however, is the Delta Episode. A completely new story arc, the Delta Episode is post-Elite Four content that acts a sequel story to the main central arc of the game, giving the player the opportunity to not only obtain new and rare Pokémon, but we also see what the villainous teams get up to during this time period and get a glimpse at some completely new characters, who add a welcome freshness to the mix. It can certainly be considered as an improvement to the post-game content in X and Y, which left a little to be desired.

The transition to the 3DS is seamless, with the beauty of the Hoenn region being shown in much greater detail and through numerous new aesthetic sequences, including a flock of passing Beautifly and a revamped Cave of Origin to name a few examples. The water is well designed, allowing you to see more detailed reflection in it, not just of the player but of the starry sky at night-time and the clouds during the day. Various landmarks, buildings and mountains are also far more detailed, with a greater amount of scope and perspective. However, apart from a few neat additions, the graphics and art style are not largely different from that of X and Y, and the same minor issues from these games are still there.

This would include that slight lag that sometimes appears during battle, heightened when the 3D is turned on. These are not major issues, just slight annoyances that I feel both myself and other players could more than tolerate. In fact, the fact that Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are so aesthetically similar to X and Y in terms of the gameplay is a positive, particularly for newer gamers as the familiarity in the presentation helps greatly with the translation to this Generation III remake.

The core battle gameplay of the remakes is pretty much exactly the same, with an additional few extra moves, 21 new Mega Evolutions and of course the Primal Reversions of the two mascot legendary Pokémon. I’ll admit I was disappointed that there were less new Mega Evolutions introduced, but overall the ones introduced are very welcome additions. Mega Latios and Mega Latias in particular are fantastic supplements to the gameplay, allowing you to free fly across the Hoenn region on the back of either of these Mega Evolved Pokémon to not only any prior destination but also to the mysterious Mirage Spots. This is made possible thanks to the use of the Eon Flute, meaning you no longer require a Pokémon to know the Hidden Move Fly to get to your desired destination in a hurry.

Speaking of the HMs, the number of these is increased back up to seven in order to stay true to the original formula of the games, meaning that you will often have to switch out a Pokémon or two for ones who know various HMs (colloquially referred to as HM slaves). Again, this is an annoyance but not one that massively debilitates the enjoyment of the game. In terms of the large amount of water routes that have been talked about, GameFreak has been smart about making these easier to navigate by lowering the Pokémon exposure rate, allowing for a somewhat smoother journey to towns and cities initially reachable only by using Surf. And also, Hoenn is an island continent – it makes sense that there would be a lot of water!

The overhaul on the features of the PokéNav is by far one of the best aspects of the game. Not only do you get to use the Player Search System, Pokémon Amie and Super Training, but you also get the chance to use a brand new feature called DexNav, where you can locate Pokémon sticking out of the grass via an ear, head or tail. Often these will either be rare Pokémon or ones that know a rare move. This is highly useful for both competitive battling, trading and breeding purposes.

The Pokédex has also been updated to include certain newer evolutions, and it is now possible to obtain the National Pokédex prior to beating the Elite Four. As far as the mini-games from the original versions, Contests (now known as Contest Spectacular) and Secret Bases (now known as Super Secret Bases) have also been improved upon. I do have a small issues with the Contest Spectaculars, as I feel that apart from allowing Mega Evolutions into the mix for effect, they did not really do much to improve on them or make them more similar to their portrayal in the anime (i.e. no Contest Battles!). However, I am very much looking forward to hosting my very own gym in my Super Secret Base, once I have decked it out more to my liking.

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Taking Batman and Co’s adventures beyond the streets of Gotham. The Justice League are forced to from an uneasy alliance as they defend Earth from the menacing Brainaic. A world consuming being that has now set his sights on our world and will stop at nothing to achieve this goal.

Lego Batman in all honesty hasn’t made any huge improvements since it’s original conception but at all costs do not let that weigh you down. The tried and true method of “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” applies to this beyond all measure. The amount of detail in each Lego brick is fantastic and the way the levels are built is magical sure to inspire any child. Particular note has to be made of the exemplary space segments.

Cutscenes are crisply rendered and outrageously humorous, with some stellar voice acting from stars such as Troy Baker, Laura Bailey, Nolan North, Conan O’Brien and even Adam West, the original Batman for a lot of people. Beyond Gotham boasts an outstanding soundtrack that has taken snippets from the wonderful Tim Burton Batman film’s of the early 90’s and incorporated them wonderfully.

One particular gripe I had with the games choice of presentation was during the local couch co-op portions where wandering too far from your partner would force the screen to split dynamically. This rotating nightmare was disorientating beyond description, sure it could be counter acted to a fixed vertical split screen which then cut your viewing space down to almost nothing. Perhaps I am showing my age but I really believe good old fashioned horizontal split screen is the answer to this but it might of just been something that was over looked in development.

Being a Lego character the bricked world is at your finger tips to destroy and create as needs be to further your progress. Just about any object can be bludgeoned to reveal collectible Lego points which accumulate to reveal a sense of progress throughout each level. Ultimately it hasn’t changed a lot from previous games but the same principle I gave in Presentation applies. I do have to mention the outstanding array of DC cast members that are made available throughout this game: Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern and that is only naming the more major characters. Looking past those bigger names there is still an abundance of characters to play as, in the 100s!

Once characters are unlocked you can take them back to previously completed sections to unlock or collect things that were otherwise unobtainable the first time through, increasing the replay value immensely. I must say it was excellent to see the various sizes of characters coming into play such as Lex’s Battle suit, Martian Man hunters natural form and Killer Croc just to name a few.

Not too far into the game players are given a huge treat in terms of game play. A small segment out in space opens up for some epic intergalactic battling. Reminiscent of the PS4’s launch game Resogun, this twin stick shooter segment was a great addition and a fantastic break in game play. That’s not too say I needed the break in game play but it certainly was welcome.

Abundance of fun aside and exceptional variations in game play aside. I felt that at a few times the methods to progress in the game were a bit vague. I don’t need hand holding but for an adult, sorry two adults playing this game. There were segments where we were both stumped, perhaps our Lego imagination wasn’t up to scratch but these examples surely did ruin the immersion we shared in this game.

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Skylanders Trap Team follows the story of the evil Kaos. This time, Kaos has blown up Cloudcracker Prison which has obviously released all of the evil villains. It is the Portal Masters job to use the Trap Master in order to capture the escaped villains and return order to the universe.

The story won’t be winning any Golden Globes however it’s solid enough to keep the key demographic interested. I have to commend the writers for finding a way to keep the story going without making it feel too shallow. Cut scenes are well presented and are sure to suck young gamers in.

Skylanders Trap Team looks exceptional on PS4. It’s without doubt the most colourful and vibrant game that i’ve played on the console. Most elements of the levels are destructible and react beautifully with a ton of particle effects scattered around the creatively crafted world.

I really have to commend the various Skylanders teams at Activision. The game runs extremely smoothly which is impressive for the amount of consoles that the game is available on. The game rarely has any slow-down which is a great feat considering that a lot of enemies are always on-screen at once.

There are now over 300 Skylanders and they’re still looking just as inventive as the first wave. They’re all extremely unique and interesting to look at and animation of the characters are always smooth.

I also played the game on an iPad mini and was completely stunned with how great the game looked. Sure, it didn’t have the polish and sharpness that the PS4 version did, but it was extremely impressive to me that the game was able to run at all, let alone look so good on a tablet device.

?The concept of last year’s Skylanders Swap Force let me a little underwhlemed. The gameplay was solid but the concept of joining two different Skylander halves to combine a new one didn’t feel as special to me. It took away from the overall personality that individual Skylanders have and it didn’t make collecting anywhere near as fun. I know that my nephew definitely didn’t grasp onto the concept either. The naming conventions and endless possibility just left him confused to the point where he wasn’t able to get as involved as he usually does.

I’m happy to report that this is not the case with Skylanders Trap Team. Not only do you have the usual new lot of Skylanders, there are now 40 trappable enemies that are all playable within the game. You get two different traps with the starter pack and more are available to purchase separately. Basically you’re able to trap certain enemies with the corresponding elements trap. You can then tag this enemy into the game whilst the trap is inserted into the new portal. It sounds extremely confusing but it works. It adds a whole new dimension to the game that I didn’t think was possible after four straight yearly releases.

My only criticism of the game remains that unless you’re willing to play the main game over and over again, there really seems to no reason to collect everything. The game is over in about 10 hours and whilst it is an absolute blast, there really is no reason to replay the game unless you want to test out more characters. I’d recommend that you get at least one of each element for both the traps and the Trap Masters to unlock absolutely everything there is to unlock. What’s included in the Starter Kit is enough to get you through the main game but you’ll be going past a lot of gates that you won’t be able to access.

When getting through the game, you will also notice that there are a lot of gates that have the symbols of two unannounced elements. These have now been confirmed to be Light and Dark elements but no release date has yet been set for these figures. I’m a little bit unsure about the strategy behind this. It’s extremely annoying to have sections of the game that can’t yet be started because the figures haven’t been released.

I was lucky enough to get to play the game on both the PS4 and on a Retina iPad Mini and the game plays tremendously on both. For the first time ever, I can happily say that it is the exact same experience on both platforms. I can’t think of a AAA gaming franchise that has been able to achieve this so successfully.

On the Tablet version, you’re given a bluetooth portal that still has a spot for the traps to go in. It syncs perfectly out of the box with absolutely no effort. Similarly, Activision have given you a Bluetooth controller that also works on AAA batteries. The controller also syncs straight into the game without any effort whatsoever. I must say, the controller is absolutely wonderful. It’s a scaled down version of a 360 controller and feels every bit as good. I hope that Activision allow this controller to work as a standard bluetooth controller down the line as i believe that it is the best in the market.

The game apparently has to be online to download new characters once placed on the portal. It is a small annoyance but won’t be an issue for most players. I’d rather that the game do this as it’d be ridiculous to download character data for over 100 Skylanders when most won’t get the full catalogue. The good thing is that you’re able to play the game with no portal attached and you’ll still have access to two Skylanders at all times. You’re also able to play the game without purchasing the Starter Kit through the use of digital packs. These are quite expensive though so i’d opt for buying the Starter Kit.

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My interest in Fantasy Life was already piqued weeks before its due date and on release day, I rode down to my local store and purchased it with excitement. I had put myself on a black list for all information on the game itself as I like to be surprised and work out game mechanics in the moment. I was only an hour in and I already knew that the next 300 hours of my gaming life would be invested within the fantastical world of Reveria. Almost 60 hours in and I can safely say, I was correct. This game is full of fun, colour and magic. Basically, all the ingredients needed for an addictive game.

Fantasy Life begins with you creating an avatar. It took me quite a while to settle on something because there are so many options available to you. I managed to make almost a pixel copy of myself and it is almost too cute for words. You then begin the story by (literally) falling through the roof of the local real estate agent, you then become the new person in town, are summoned to the castle to meet the King and the story begins!

Let’s face it, this game does not exist purely for a storyline. This game is here for you to create a story for yourself by playing a Life. You start the game by choosing one class or ‘life’, this will be the life that carries you through the main story. However, at times an obstacle appears and in order to overcome this it, you must change your life. For example, I began my adventure with a Magician as my first life however; I then needed potions on my adventures so I trained as an alchemist. I wanted furniture for my home, so I became a carpenter but I also needed wood so had to become a Woodcutter. All the lives flow and interweave together to assist you in attaining your goal.

The development of your character is more the focus of the game than the actual storyline Endless hours will pass by as you chop wood to make furniture for your house. It is so satisfying to find that stockpile of ore you have been looking for, for an hour. The personal contentment with this game comes from completing the small tasks and quests than it does with the over aching storyline.

This game came with some high expectations given the development team behind it. Level-5, the team behind the Professor Layton series, 1-UP, responsible for Super Mario World 3D and h.a.n.d who have a claim to many popular Japanese handheld titles such as Kingdom Hearts series, were all involved in the development process. Yoshitaka Amano, illustrating genius behind the art of Final Fantasy and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, and Nobuo Uematsu, composer behind Final Fantasy were also heavily involved in the presentation of the game and it’s an obvious win in the game’s favour. It needed this to really bring you into the world.

It is absolutely comparable to both Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon 3D, as a focus of the game is to customise a designated space and forage through forests and deserts. The 3D actually enhances this game for once and does slightly less to give me a headache but unfortunately is still something I had to avoid. Will they ever make a game where 3D does not give me a headache? I digress…

It’s a pretty game with sharp bold lines to catch the eye, the creatures you meet on your journey are both cute and frightening and at times, it is hard to kill something. I mean, who wants to kill a big honey bear or a nap dragon? However, a life deems you must, as it’s all a part of the adventure.

Your missions and quests have you running from one city to the next fighting giant snakes and apes as you go. If you have unlocked the woodcutter and angler lives, you can stop and collect some wood or fish for later missions. One of the things I personally really enjoyed is the ability to have all the skills available for the lives you have, regardless of which one you are. So, spending some time gearing up for a hike between cities to complete some missions becomes a real interactive experience…if you want. You can easily buy everything you need OR you can actually go out and grind for it, which is what the game has exactly been designed for. The game play, excluding combat, is similar in style to both Final Fantasy, with shades of Pokemon Y.

It is a dense game. Massive. There is so much you can do. You do not have to specifically do all the quests; at times, you can deny them and take them off your list if you are feeling overwhelmed and anxious. Or it can do the opposite and make you play until your arms can’t hold your 3DS up anymore. As a person who thoroughly loves spending hours organising my characters in any RPG, checking my way though the questing lists gives me tingly feelings. You have three mission lists, one earns you Dosh, the game’s currency (PS you will need A LOT of it, do those quests), another earns you Stars, which level up your character and the third, advances the storyline. You companion butterfly, Flutter, is the person to go to in order to progress the story. By earning stars and levelling up, your character can allocate two points into any of the skill slots. The tricky part is deciding what to focus on the most. Word on the underground was that investing in luck was the way to go so I went with that and it proved to be a massive success.

Combat is fun and unlike other JRPG’s, is based in Real Time. It is easy enough to master and a nice change of pace, and similar to Zelda’s A Link to the Past. If there was ever a game suited to RT over turned based, it’s this one. Turn Based would break the steadiness and pacing of the game and would definitely stretch it out in an unnecessary fashion. The landscape, as mentioned, looks gorgeous and although it is pleasing to the eye, it can be a little tiring at times having to walk or ride a horse/turtle/camel everywhere. Thankfully a decent amount of fast travel is available once you really start to progress in both character and story.

Pros:

• Content – This game has so much you can do. It’s up to you how much content you choose to take on board which helps those who want to keep to a certain set of lives
• Visuals – It is just so pretty.
• Grinding and crafting – if you like collecting herbs to make potions and armour, this is your nirvana

Cons:

• Repetition – if you’re not interested in going back and forth many times over and incorporating it into your strategy, you most likely will not enjoy this
• Story – or lack thereof rather. Whilst I am enjoying the game immensely, it’s mainly because I love the questing and crafting side of RPG’s. It actually has the base for a fantastic and engaging story however, it’s just not enough to blow my mind.

The post Review: Fantasy Life appeared first on Press Start.

Nintendo’s iconic brawler is back and on the move with its latest installment, Super Smash Bros for 3DS. Building on the franchise’s established mechanics and gameplay, SSB3DS takes the fight to the streets; allowing us once again to pit our favourite Nintendo characters against one another in an insane battle royale of gaming history. With a massive roster of characters including two new franchise representations in Pac-Man and Megaman as well as new Nintendo additions Little Mac, Robin, Shulk and Animal Crossing’s Villager, Super Smash Bros for 3DS aims high and comes out on all cylinders firing.

As with the limitations to being confined to a handheld, SSB3DS takes on a cel-shaded appearance for characters and environments, differing from the graphical style of its predecessors. This is in no way detracting from the gameplay experience itself; battles are bright and flashy, characters are vibrant and battle environments are as detailed as ever. Character animations are snappy and sharp, and are only let down by the quality of the screen and the amount of detail crammed into something so small. The inclusion of series newcomers Pac-Man and Mega Man and the return of Sonic the Hedgehog allow you to settle scores over who was the better mascot in their heyday. Some players may find the game less favourable due to climactic battles rendering characters extremely small on the already small screen.

A bigger gripe with the game itself is the navigation of the menus; the amount of menu and sub-menu options is at times confusing, and could be refined or streamlined for easier access.

The SSB series has always been an aural delight, and this installment is no exception; from the in-game sound effects to the atmospheric battle pieces and even classic and retro songs, the game does not fail to deliver in both mood and nostalgic reference. Each stage is accompanied by either a medley of the series it draws from or a track from the original game itself (such as Green Hill Zone for Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mute City for F-Zero).

SSB3DS leaves itself in no shortage of options; with Classic Mode, All Star Mode, Smash Run, as well as Smash Mode and a series of minigames to accompany it. Classic Mode sees a return to the traditional single-player mode last seen in Melee; fighting through several stages to reach the end and defeat the series’ iconic villain Master Hand, while earning gold and trophies along the way. A new difficulty system has also been introduced for this mode that allows players to increase the difficulty level to earn a higher reward – but losing in this state knocks the reward and difficulty level down each time. Paths are also selectable along the way, allowing for additional challenges or rewards. All-Star Mode takes the premise of pitting the player’s character against each other character in the order of their year of debut, starting with Mario and Donkey Kong and working up from there.

Smash Mode allows players a no-frills, basic way to jump straight in and fight, with customizable rules and time limits. Returning minigames such as Multi-Man Smash and Home Run Contest are still fun and simple to play, and the replacement target breaking game (now titled Target Blast) is almost something straight out of Angry Birds, where players must get their character to launch a bomb into a field of targets and structures and score the highest amount of points.

Smash Run is the biggest change to the series, and is also one of the more disappointing modes. Four players (or one and three opponent AIs) are placed at random on a large map, and tasked to fight familiar series enemies to receive stat boosts and collectibles which can later be used to customize your characters. At the end of a five-minute period, the four players are pitted against one another in a seemingly unrelated and randomly-selected challenge, to which the victor go the spoils. This mode is sometimes frustratingly difficult, and can often seem pointless when not attempting to unlock new stat boosters for your character.

Character customization is a welcome addition to the series, allowing players to fine-tune their favourites, with areas focusing on attack, defense and speed. The ability to create your own fighter based on your Mii is also a handy little quirk, with three different classes to choose from and an extensive unlockable costume collection.

One of the touted features in the lead up to SSB3DS’s release was the ability to play online, but the feature itself is a mixed bag. Connecting with friends is an easy experience in itself, using friend codes to find and create games through the internet, but the matchmaking option is where I had a lot of trouble. Often, when trying to connect, I would get errors that did not allow me to connect. In the matches I did play with friends, lag was intermittent, but sometimes stopped the match entirely as it loaded.

The biggest issue with SSB being on the handheld console is the transition of gameplay from a controller to the 3DS controls. The Circle Pad, while comfortable, sometimes lacks the precision input required for particular moves, and can lead to some confusing and accidental movements that can sway a game either way. Reports of people’s Circle Pads detaching/breaking are also on the rise due to the excessive use and force applied to them. With no alternative such as being able to use the D-Pad, the question will be how long until Nintendo has to deal with the influx of issues caused by the game. Having played on a 3DSXL, the controls aren’t too fiddly; bigger hands may suffer as a result of being forced onto such a small gamepad. 

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LEGO The Hobbit tells the story of the first two Hobbit movies. The story sees Bilbo Baggins team up with a group of Dwarves as they try to claim back their homeland from the evil Smaug. The only argument that I have is that they could’ve waited until the third movie was released in order to release a completed package. As it stands, the game ends quite suddenly and feels like an incomplete story. The developers have done quite well in bringing a bit of humor to quite a dry story.

I played LEGO The Hobbit on the PlayStation 4 and was pleasantly surprised with the game’s visuals. The recreation of Middle-earth is full of colour and personality. The game looks much better than the previous LEGO Lord of the Rings games. The developers have hit a good balance of LEGO-like graphics and semi-realistic graphics. As expected, the character models and animation are incredibly solid and also do well to capture the essence of Middle-earth.

The voice acting is pulled directly from the film sequences. It creates a faithful representation but can also fall quite flat in terms of a unified experience. It felt to not fit in with the overall presentation at times.

Coming from The LEGO Movie Videogame, LEGO The Hobbit is quite a disappointment. It reverts straight back to the formula of the LEGO games that you’re used to. It’s the rinse and repeat formula of repetitive combat mixed with unlocking new characters. Its only saving grace is when playing the game with another person. The LEGO games were made for co-op play and it’s always their redeeming gameplay feature. It’s one of the only games that let you sit down with another person and hash it out with a bit of old-school local multiplayer.

One of the biggest issues with the game are the boss fights which are comprised of QTE events and frantic platforming sections which can still be frustrating due to the camera angles.

LEGO The Hobbit retains the blueprint formula that was introduced in The LEGO Movie Videogame. This was a new gameplay mechanic that required you to find a bunch of missing parts in order to build something new to advance to the next section. This does well in breaking up the repetitive gameplay, but it is now quickly becoming something that is overused and being relied on to break up pacing. Another new addition are buddy attacks. You’re able to get together with another character to unleash a more powerful attack that can be used to take down larger enemies. It’s a good addition, I just wish that more new gameplay mechanics were introduced.

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As a remake/retreading/reimagining (take your pick) of the 2008 original, Etrian Odyssey comes with an actual preset story instead of the absolute hardcore focus on dungeon crawling (though that is also an option via Classic mode here), with predetermined classes and characters. You play the Highlander visiting the city of Etria, a town hub that rests next to the Labyrinth, a giant maze of dark forests, mythical earthen lands and strange technology hubs that serve the majority of the setting. Soon enough you stumble upon a group of allies, one of which is the titular Millennium Girl, an amnesia stricken girl with an affinity for technology. Insert obligatory JRPG clichés here: an amnesiac girl, a rising threat, a scholarly medic, the reckless pyrotechnic, the battle hardened commander, it’s all been done before. Thankfully the cast is made up of likeable characters, and their brief interludes between exploring and combat are a nice touch. Despite the likeability of the characters, their arcs are simple and obvious and originate from the oldest RPG stereotypes in the book.

Etrian Odyssey isn’t anything spectacular to look at, but it presents itself serviceably well. The dungeon layouts are repetitive which can lead to confusion as to where to go, but I suppose the limitations of the 3DS combined with the robust map system can make this a forgiving flaw. There’s nothing quite like looking at a complete map, one that you have done yourself without the help or the handholding from the game and it’s a remarkably satisfying feeling.

Cutscenes look great and the enemy types all look unique, which is refreshing after looking at the same dungeon layouts for hours. The menu system is a bit simplistic and cluttered but it’s all serviceable. Overall the presentation is nothing special; the cutscenes and characters all look nice, but repetitive dungeon layouts and clunky text brings it down.

Etrian Odyssey employs a unique combination of typical turn based combat and cartography that makes up the bulk of the gameplay. When entering a dungeon for the first time, you are presented with a blank slate, and it’s up to you to chart your progress by marking doors, items of interest and the general layout itself. It’s an immensely satisfying and intricate process, utilizing the touchscreen via your stylus to draw these maps. The dungeon exploration is done via a first person view, systematically moving through environmental blocks whilst fighting enemies. There is an inventory limit which is quite harsh given the high drop rate of monsters, forcing you to go back to town to sell your items. This isn’t really a fault, since the combat is so challenging and tough that you’ll be running back to town to heal up anyway.

When it comes to the combat, Etrian Odyssey uses the classic turn based system, with your five characters using a mixture of defense and attack skills in order to beat the enemy, and it boasts a surprisingly deep roster of skills. You can study your enemy, exploit weaknesses and turn the tide of a losing battle with smart tactics. The skill sheets for every character is broad and a joy to scroll through, figuring out which points you should use to boost which skill path. Your Highlander character is an offensive fighter with abilities to sacrifice health for broad attacks; it’s up to you how to tackle the next skillset once you level up, should you boost health skill points to counter the sacrifice, or do you boost your attack to make each skill even more deadly? And that’s on a surface level: Etrian Odyssey boasts an impressive repertoire of skills and playstyles. It should be noted that the Story Mode locks each character into a predesignated class, whilst Classic Mode gives you free rein to choose between all 11. While Story Mode gives you five equal and solid classes, there’s always room to experiment and choose your own in Classic.

The game is no picnic either; Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens roam the dungeons, and these F.O.E’s are some of the games most dangerous opponents. Encountering one in a dungeon is tough enough, but the game quickly throws 3 or 4 at you in a row bringing the frustration levels high enough to risk damage to the Nintendo handheld. These fights are immensely satisfying to succeed in and reward the player with rare materials and big EXP boosts.  Even the titular Picnic named difficulty level is tough, and the highest difficulty only giving you one life for the entire game. Only hardcore JRPG players apply.

And in case you weren’t having enough fun with the skill systems, enemy analysis and turn based combat, this reiteration throws in Grimoire Stones: rare items that open up your class to different skills and boosting your original ones. Unfortunately these Stones are mostly random unless you sell rare materials and buy even more expensive items in order to unlock set ones, and while you can combine two to form a stronger Stone (at the expense of a third), it feels more like luck than skill and it’s a system you could potentially ignore.

But tough difficulty should never be looked as a negative, and Etrian Odyssey manages to make the challenges feel incredibly tough whilst completely rewarding. It’s not unfair or cheap (though those F.O.E encounters can be crippling when done several times in a row, there’s always an option to retreat, hide and avoid and run back to town to heal up) and it just feels satisfying, with huge rewards to back it up.

On the downside, despite this being a remake to assumedly give players an easier starting point, this is still a hardcore JRPG, to the fault. Materials are never really explained, you have to work out most of the skills and enemy tactics yourself and the map system is very intimidating at first, with heavy dumps of screen text attempting to explain the system but not doing it in a way that sticks. These are all hurdles that can be overcome within hours, but if you’re looking for a game you can simply jump in every now and then with your 3DS, then this is not it.

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The LEGO Movie Videogame tells the exact same story as The LEGO Movie. Emmet Brickowski is your average construction worker in LEGO Land. An unfortunate series of events leads him to being the ‘chosen one’ that has to save the world by defeating Evil Lord Business and ‘The Kragle’. As with the movie, the game’s story is hilarious, however I’d highly recommend not playing this game before watching the movie, if you have any interest in seeing the movie that is. The game spoils the best lines from the movie and whilst they’re just as enjoyable the second time around, the movie will be almost pointless to you if you’ve already played the game.

The LEGO Movie Videogame looks almost as good as the LEGO Marvel Superheroes. The biggest graphical change is the fact that the environments are now all made out of LEGO, where in previous times they LEGO was limited to some of the characters and parts of the environment. I really enjoyed the change, as the game was able to separate itself from a series that has become quite stale.

The cut scenes in the game mostly consist of original sections from the movie. They look slightly more compressed and less visually impressive but that’s to be expected. The sound in the game does a perfect job of making you feel like you’re in The Lego Movie. It’s not out of this world, but it’s enough to put you in a believable environment.

The LEGO Movie Videogame differs slightly from previous games in the LEGO universe. It tries to add more variations of gameplay through the use of mini-games and interesting character missions. For instance, the game kicks off almost instantly with a Dance Dance Revolution type mini-game to the ridiculously catchy theme song “Everything Is Awesome”.

The game also introduces a new play set mechanic in which Emmet must build large city items using instructions from a play set. They usually involve finding specific bricks that are missing from your collection in order to build the item required to advance. The game also features Master Builders, which can create structures using blocks without instructions, as you’d expect from previous games (and the movie). Unfortunately this gets repetitive fairly quickly and the game feels like it relegates back to the standard formula of previous LEGO games.

In fact, this is the thing that disappointed me most about the game. The game starts out as the most innovate LEGO game to date but quickly morphs into a repetitive game that screams rushed, clearly in an attempt to coincide with the release date of the movie. It’s still a ton better than the majority of movie tie-in games, but it still falls a little short.

Thankfully, The LEGO Movie Videogame introduces a stellar roster of characters. Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and even Gandalf are all unlockable and provide an exciting burst of gameplay for a brief amount of time. As always, the game is better played with a buddy. It’s easy enough for anybody to pickup and is great in short spurts. Unfortunately, for older players there is almost no challenge in the gameplay, but this means that it’s completely achievable to beat for its target audience.

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The game takes place in Labyrinthia, which is a medieval style city which is located in a world that hasn’t been been explored by either Professor Layton or Phoenix Wright. An evil individual known as ‘The Story Teller’, whose shadow conceals witches across Labyrinthia. Layton and his trusty sidekick Roy are called to Labyrinthia to investigate a missing person. Soon after the game begins, a girl named Espella is accused of witchcraft. Predictably, Phoenix Wright takes on her defense, which consists of ‘The Witch Trials’ where he must contend with a bunch of witnesses.

The story is told magnificently using gameplay mechanics from both existing franchises. Both games are known for their wacky plot twists and unbelievable scenarios so it’s not surprise that the story delivers in almost every way. Sure, it’s not for everyone but if you’re a fan of either series, chances are you’re going to be in for a wild ride.

Both sections of the game are extremely polished in their presentation. Professor Layton looks exactly as fans are used to as per the previous 3DS games in the series. The Ace Attorney sections have also seen an upgrade to 3D models. This makes the games blend really well together and makes them feel more apart of the same universe. Beautifully animated cut scenes and voice acting are at the forefront of the game which is what fans have come to love from both series. The game features a darker tone than hasn’t really been seen before which makes for a visual treat.

For the majority, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney retains the gameplay of both series. Whilst playing the Professor Layton segments, fans will be happy to know that a wealth of puzzles are included to be solved. There’s not much variation in what’s already been included previously and that’ll delight most fans of the series. The same can be said for Phoenix Wright segments. They’re exactly what you’ve come to know and love in previous years so don’t expect too much variation. The ‘vs.’ in the title is actually quite misleading. The game takes place over a series of chapters alternating between solving mysteries and trying to win your court case. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though as it works quite well in solving the story and both games require you to be in the same mind frame.

The game is a really great showcase for both series. It takes the best of both worlds to provide a really enjoyable package. Each chapter work well to break up gameplay and the game is paced incredibly well. I hadn’t played much of the Ace Attorney series so it was an amazing introduction to me as I was already incredibly familiar with Professor Layton.

New to the Ace Attorney series is the ability to cross-examine multiple witnesses at once. It makes it much more interesting to be able to question one witness whilst looking at another witness to see their reaction. It adds another level of depth to the court room.

This time around, Phoenix will occasionally have to cross-examine multiple witnesses at once. Whilst pressing one witness, another may react to one of their statements, and questioning them may yield new information or evidence.

It’s worth pointing out that I felt that there wasn’t enough done in bringing the two franchises together to create a new experience. The two do intertwine at a point in the game but it never really feels like a new experience. There are about seventy puzzles to get through as Professor Layton and, overall, I’d say that you will spend more time solving puzzles than providing your case in court. Furthermore, the puzzles are quite a bit easier than in previous games in the series, but this is to be expected.

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As expected, Yoshi’s New Island tells the story of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. The stork has been faced with the task of finding Mario and Luigi’s real parents. Baby Luigi has yet again been stolen by Kamek and of course, Baby Mario is dropped on a nearby egg island. He is found by a group of Yoshis who try to reunite him with his brother. Of course this leads to Yoshi and Mario trying to defeat Bowser in order to save his baby brother. It’s the same story that you’ve played through before, were you really expecting anything more?

Yoshi’s New Island features a brand new hand-drawn art style. Since it’s first announcement this has divided Nintendo fans alike. Some people feel that the style is a great direction for the series and others feel that it looks worse than the original game on Super Nintendo. I tend to be somewhere in the middle. I definitely feel that the game at times, can look worse than the original however in motion, the game looks a lot better than it originally did in screenshots. I am a sucker for hand drawn art and feel that Yoshi’s New Island does look great on the 3DS. The 3D really helps give the game a pop-out book kind of feel and it’s genuinely adorable.

The sound is where Yoshi’s New Island falls completely flat. The original game was heralded for it’s amazing soundtrack. The melodic tunes still stick with me to this day. Unfortunately, Yoshi’s New Island tries to re-create the soundtrack and fails miserably. It’s a horrible misrepresentation and I almost wish that they pulled the soundtrack straight from the original.

The latest iteration of Yoshi’s Island doesn’t do a whole lot to change things up from a gameplay perspective. The main game is still to get Yoshi and Baby Mario from start to finish. If you get hit, Baby Mario will be float away inside a bubble unless you catch him within the allotted time limit. Placed throughout each level are five flowers. These are usually hidden and unlock bonuses at the end of each stage. There are also 20 hidden red coins, which provide much less of a challenge. The biggest problem with these collectibles is that whilst they’re the most difficult thing about the game, they don’t really provide a whole lot of reward for spending your time searching for them.

Yoshi’s Island features 6 islands but unfortunately they feel quite uninspired and seem like a step backwards from the original game. The game suffers due to the fact that by the time it increases in difficulty, it’s almost over. In fact, this is the biggest problem with the game. The original Yoshi’s Island is one of my favourite games of all the time, so the fact that it doesn’t change things up too much is just fine with me, however it’s the incredibly easy difficulty level that really disappoints me.

New to the series are ‘mini games’ that are included within the game. Yoshi’s Island has always had transformations but Yoshi’s New Island takes it to a whole new level. The game has you transforming into objects such as a jackhammer or helicopter. Once becoming the object, the objective is to use the 3DS gyroscope to steer your object around within a time limit. Whilst I commend the developers for trying to take advantage of the systems features, they feel totally tacked on and occur at the most random times within levels. Also, they don’t have a whole lot of variety amongst the different transformations. Giant eggs are also new to the series. The Mega Eggdozer allows you to plow through sections of the environment to reach new areas and the Metal Eggdozer can be used in order to roll over enemies or explore underwater. These are easily the best new gameplay addition to the game. I wish there were a few more to shake things up however.

You’re also able to play multiplayer with the use of only a single cart. There are six games to unlock but whilst these are fun for the short-term, they won’t keep your attention for long. Our favourite was Ground-Pop pop. In this mini game, the objective is to pop as many balloons as possible. The real issue is that there are no leaderboards or set scores to complete, you’re simply just competing against your opponent. I’d really like to see Nintendo take multiplayer to a new level and take advantage of the internet.

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I’m a fan of The Legend of Zelda, this is no secret. One of my first N64 games was Ocarina of time, I ended up owning the game several times through out my childhood. Even though I never got past the Water Temple until I beat the 3DS remake, the point is that all of my Zelda experience is post OoT. The reason I bring this up is because, A Link Between Worlds is the sequel to A Link to the past. A game that has heralded by many a people, to be the best game of all time.  It’s also a Zelda game I never played, after playing a Link between worlds; I intend to rectify that. Surprise, surprise, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between worlds is a fantastic game. If you’re a fan of Zelda, I don’t know why you’re reading this review. If you’re wondering about it, just go buy it. Trust me, and every other critic, it’s good.

As much as I love the 3D Zelda games, the half an hour or so of exposition that most of them put you through kinda kills the desire to replay them for me; Unless I have a good amount of time to kill that is. I’m going to abbreviate here, but ALBW doesn’t have this problem. The crux of the story is explained faster then it takes 4Chan, to post something questionable.

You could say that, thanks to this the plot has lost all depth. Well the plot isn’t deep or complicated; this is true. You still have endearing characters, and If you boil it down to plot points; it’s just as formulaic as every other Zelda game anyway.

• Evil appears in Hyrule
• Link is the Hero of Hyrule
• Link goes on a Journey to fight said Evil.
• Evil is vanquished.

Ta Da! You have a Zelda game. It’s just a game that gets straight to the point, it’s just a really nice change of pace after a season of cinematic blockbusters.

I’m gonna let you in on a fact here. Nintendo could take post-cocaine Steven Tyler in a BDSM outfit and somehow, make it the most delightful thing you have ever experienced. Nintendo is fantastic with their presentation, is what I’m saying. The original Wind Waker stands the test of time, let alone the HD remake. So it should be no surprise when I say that, the presentation in A Link Between Worlds is fan-freaking-tastic. As it is with every Zelda game, the soundtrack is brilliant. It’s filled to the brim with rearrangements of classic Zelda tracks, and I wish Nintendo would put it on iTunes. I’ll let it speak for itself.
[embedvideo id=”l9kpICWcmt0″ website=”youtube”] As expected from a first party Nintendo game, A Link Between Worlds is absolutely ravishing. Further pushing that Nintendo doesn’t need top of the line hardware, to make a visually astonishing game; A beautiful art style is just as important. That’s exactly what ALBW has, a great vibrant and cartoony art style that is a feast for the eyes. Both Hyrule and Lorule have their own distinct styles, with plenty of different environments. Desserts, lakes, Volcanoes, Snowy mountains, and the plenty of temples you are destined to conquer. Which is where some of the games most impressive visual elements shine, and also the environments where I have a problem. See, Nintendo is very good with the 3DS. All of their first party titles have fantastic implementation of it, ALBW is not an exception; In fact it’s probably their best work yet. It is especially impressive in the dungeons, as all the dungeons work on multiple floor and some even have mechanics that revolve around depth. Now saying that, the dungeons are also at the center of my only problem with the presentation. While the Dungeons do look impressive, they just lack character. You get exactly what you would expect from the different themed dungeons, no real surprises. This is just me nitpicking though, they still look astounding in their own way.

You know those games you get every once in a while, the ones that grab you by the neck and don’t let go for hours a day? Well, A Link Between Worlds is one of those games. A Link Between Worlds takes a lot from it’s predecessor, that’s not hard to see; Even from someone who hasn’t played A Link To The Past. It’s not just a game that feeds on Nostalgia, it changes enough of the formula to stand on it’s own two feet as a worthy successor. Completing Dungeons and exploring is the core gameplay here, and My favourite change is how item progression is handled. Normally there is a set path of what dungeons you need to do, a new system in place here destroys that. Very early on into the game, a merchant called Ravio occupies Link’s house. The role of Ravio is to rent you all the key items you need to progress.

Dungeons still reward you for completing them, just not with Hookshots, bombs, etc. That job belongs to Ravio. Need a hookshot for a dungeon? you will need to rent it from Ravio. As a result of this, it’s up to you what order you take on the dungeons. This is reflected in the game itself, the in game map (Which takes up the bottom screen) marks where all the dungeons are. Which is great, because ALBW’s newest mechanic might leave a bit stumped from time to time. Each The Legend of Zelda game has it’s own unique mechanic, ALBW’s is the ability to merge into a 2D plane with the environment as something that could be described as a living painting. It’s a simple mechanic to grasp, and the game requires you to use it a lot to travel to Lorule and for a lot of the outstanding Puzzles in the game. I feel like I should mention the Streetpass mechanic, which allows you to fight other player’s Links with a certain Loadout. However since Streetpassing is rare where I live, I didn’t get the chance to try it out.

There will be a lot times where you need to be navigating a 3D environment on a 2D plane to solve a puzzle, and you will often forget that. It’s not a fault of the game, it just takes a while for it to click that you can merge with more or less every flat surface. This power, along with all your weapons and key items work on a single resource. Bombs, Arrows, Hookshots, merging into walls, etc, all use a bit of magic. There are multiple ways to refill the magic bar, but the rate of regeneration is so decent that you won’t really need those methods. More or less, the entire game is completing dungeons.

You do have the two worlds of Hyrule and Lorule to explore, but doing so is just for collectibles or items that makes your life a lot easier.  It’s all optional, but highly recommended. Even when I was up at the final dungeon I was finding things that I wish I found earlier in the game. It’s easy to get sucked into just exploring and finding rifts between Lorule and Hyrule, hoping that they will land you in places that will give you something helpful; Like that fourth heart piece you need so badly. I’m not the type of person to go out of his to get collectibles, but you will discover something hidden so often that it quickly becomes an engrossing experience.

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Sonic Lost World follows the journey of Sonic, and the struggles he faces as he tries to defeat Doctor Eggman. The evil Doctor has captured several of Sonic’s animal friends. Pursuing Eggman, Sonic and Tails crash land on a world in the sky which is known as the Lost Hex. Doctor Eggman has seen it in his best interest to enlist the help of the world’s indigenous Zeti race, who are known as the Deadly Six. The main charters are all really charismatic in this game, but unfortunately the villains falls short, ending up as generic antagonists. The story itself holds up quite well in terms of the Sonic series but it’s definitely not as great as earlier Sonic games.

The latest entry into the Sonic franchise can be commended for its presentation. The CG cutscenes look absolutely stunning and the voice acting, though cheesy, is still acceptable. The game itself looks absolutely radiant, which is to be expected with such a bright and colourful game. It’s not the most amazing looking game, but thankfully the art style saves it.

The game looks absolutely great when in motion and runs without too many hiccups. It’s when you stop and look at the environment that things don’t look so great. It’s not such a big issue, because you’ll be going at speeds quicker than your eyes can discern for most of the time, but once you stop, it’s there. The sound track is a pleasant companion to the fast-paced gameplay. It’s catchy without being too repetitive, but it’s unlikely that it’ll stay in your mind for too long after completing the game.

The minute I began playing Sonic Lost world, I instantly felt that the team were inspired by Mario Galaxy. This is obvious in the fact that you’re essentially traversing through different floating worlds. It never feels like it’s a straight copy though, due to the fact that the platforming aspects of each game are completely different.

There is a good variety of stages. You’ll find your usual Sonic stages such as those that thrust you through the level faster than you can take notice. There is also a nice mix of old-school platforming levels. The game is definitely at it’s creative best when it slows things down a bit and allows you to explore the level.

The problems really start to come with Sonic Lost World when you start to tackle some of the longer, faster paced 3D levels. This is when you realise that the controls really let this game down. The main difficulties come from the new running and jumping control scheme. It’s in no way intuitive and really doesn’t feel all that good. The other man issue is the new lock-on mechanic. Locking on to your enemy when jumping feels absolutely horrible and really just breaks the momentum the game should have aimed to deliver.

Unfortunately, this game doesn’t hold your hand in any instance, as there are absolutely no sort of tutorial levels that teach you these new mechanics. They do feel more natural with practice, but it still just ends up feeling too clunky to save the game. It’s a real shame because the level design in Sonic Lost World is absolutely incredible. It’s more inventive than any Sonic game that has come before it and quite frankly, it’s more creative than most platformers these days.

The Wii U version supports co-operative multiplayer. Whilst in this mode a second player can control a remote controller vehicle in order to assist Sonic. It also features competitive multiplayer which has you racing against the other player. Miiverse support is also included which allows you to exchange Wisps or shields. The Off-TV play is to be as expected.

Sonic Lost World is the best HD Sonic game without doubt. Unfortunately, it’s let down by wonky controls that most won’t be patient enough to put up with. Regardless, the level design is incredible, which is more than enough of a reason to play through the game at least once.

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Lego Marvel Super Heroes brings a brand new story to the table which will absolutely please fans of the brand. The game starts off with Silver Surfer being chased by S.H.I.E.L.D. Soon after Iron Man is knocked out of the sky by Doctor Doom. After Doctor Doom falls onto earth, Doom forges an alliance with Loki to make the Ray of Doom. It’s an extremely interesting story that throws a bunch of Marvel characters into a situation that couldn’t happen otherwise.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes doesn’t really stray too far from what we’ve come to know from previous games in the series. On the PS3 it wasn’t visually any more impressive than the last game. It’s always great to see a new lineup of characters be turned into LEGO form however and the game is as bright and colourful as always.

What we’re really intrigued about is the next gen version. Loading times have been dramatically improved and the amount of LEGO blocks on screen is said to be almost doubled from what current gen can handle. Lighting is also dramatically improved. This is just what the series needs after a bunch of releases that haven’t really progressed on current gen.

Firstly we’re going to say that LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is pretty much what you’d expect from a LEGO branded game. There aren’t really any advancements made in the series which is the biggest disappointment to us. If you’re a Marvel fan then you’re going to eat this game up and enjoy every single second. There are over 100 characters that make their grand appearances from start to finish which keeps things feeling fresh and interesting.

It’s the lack of progression in mission structure and AI that really disappoint. We can’t help but feel that they’re becoming simply reskinned games. After playing through LEGO City Undercover on the Wii U we’ve really struggled to enjoy any LEGO game fully since. The varied mission structure in that game was absolutely phenomenal and it’s hard to stay interested in LEGO Marvel Superheroes when the gameplay itself feels so repetitive.

As always there’s always fun to be had in local multiplayer. I could sit there for hours on end playing this with my nephew and to see him sitting next to me in pure joy was enough to keep me going. If i’m being honest it’s a little disappointing that online co-op hasn’t been included in the game. It feels like it’d fit the game perfectly. Hopefully this is something that the developer looks to add in the next-gen versions.

The real highlights of the game are in the boss battles. Whilst these are all similar in nature, it’s really awesome to see you going against teams of popular bad guys in order to overcome evil. They all have amazing visual set pieces that really make these memorable and an absolute joy to play through. Exploring a LEGO version of New York City is another special moment that will be enjoyed by anyone.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is a must have for any gamers who have even a remote interest in the Marvel series. It’s a fun time for those who aren’t feeling tired of the LEGO series. The game looks as colourful as ever and will take up about as much as your time collecting all of those characters as any other game.

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For those who are expecting an epic adventure set in the Toy Story universe you may be disappointed. The Toy Story expansion takes place in space and whilst the setting is extremely unfamiliar, all the characters that you’d expect are here. Rex, Hamm and those crazy little aliens are all featured and seem to really fit their originals character representations well. It was good to see the Toy Story characters interact within a new universe.

The Toy Story In Space play set looks as you’d expect. It’s a great representation of the Toy Story universe and is a lot more interesting than other playsets, purely for the fact that this is a setting that I’ never really seen before. It’s not as colorful as the other playsets but this is countered with a darker tone that will really intrigue Disney fans.

Unfortunately there are still quite a few problems with slowdown on the Wii U version. One thing that I absolutely loved was the fact that a lot of the characters are voiced by their original voice actors. This makes all the difference to Disney fans.

As with the other additional playsets, you get two characters. Disney have been smart in including Buzz and Jessie in the playset whilst requiring you to buy Woody separately. I wouldn’t have minded this if it wasn’t for the fact that Woody isn’t available at launch here in Australia.

The mission structure in this new playset is exactly as you’d expect from playing the previous ones. As Jessie or Buzz, your main mission is to help transport the Pizza Planet Aliens to a brand new world.

Expect the usual dose of platforming and climbing. I found that making jumpers were a lot more difficult until you unlock Buzz’s jetpack. Once you unlock this fan favourite, you can glide around from jump to jump with absolute ease.

There’s also a ton of other unlockables that fans will be familiar with. Our favourite is definitely the blaster. It wasn’t until I unlocked it that I really felt that I was in a Toy Story universe. You can expect your romp around the intergalactic to last around 6-8 hours as per the other playsets.

Toy Story in Space is another great addition to the Disney Infinity universe. I can’t help but feel that 34.99 is quite a good deal for 6-8 hours of additional playtime when you’re getting two beautiful painted figurines. I wish that the structure differed a bit more from the other play sets but it seems like simplicity was a design decision made by the game designers.

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Taking place roughly 3 months after Batman Arkham: Origins (still in Batman’s early years of crime fighting) a mysterious explosion at Blackgate prison has allowed for three master criminals Penguin, Black Mask and The Joker to each claim a portion of the penitentiary for themselves as they begin their uprising against the opposing crime bosses and those who put them there. Although it seems something much more stranger is at work here.

Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate is a funny game in terms of aesthetics, from a distance this game looks brilliant but come too close and its finer flaws are clearly visible. The trade-off however is that whilst running this game is completely smooth, no frame rate issues or hiccups, which makes perfect sense to me. The story portions of this game are presented in still hand drawn images with the appropriate voices to accompany them. The voices provided are the same actors who have also portrayed their respective characters in Arkham Origins. Roger Craig Smith as Batman and Troy Baker as Joker just to name a few, which goes without saying that the calibre of the talent is sensational and the voice acting is certainly a strong suit of the game.

Developers Armature are an exceptionally tightknit company with great accomplishments and achievements in Nintendo’s Metroid franchise and boy have they transferred their previous games’ mechanics over. Blackgate takes an interesting approach to exploration by introducing a 2.5 Dimensional plain as you apprehend criminals, seeing as this game has only been released on portable consoles it’s the perfect idea to fully capture the hostile environment that is Blackgate prison. Unfortunately this method made it quite difficult for me to navigate the maps to find points of interest, which usually wouldn’t be too bad, but this game requires quite a large amount of backtracking to various locations once certain tools have been unlocked or tasked accomplished.

Another significant difference between its console entries is that rather than utilising an experience points system to level up the Dark Knight, Armature have imported their exploration/discovery method of finding Bat-gadgets and Bat-Upgrades. This is a breath of fresh air to the series and forces the player to keep a sharp eye for anything out of place that may lead to an upgrade, such as armour or parts of a new bat suit.

Controls play out quite well, utilising aspects of the Vitas touchscreen and gyroscope for detective mode and hacking respectively. Although fans of the series coming directly from the console counter parts may find that in terms of button presses there is a bit of latency or unrecognised presses that can hinder your progress momentarily. Predator rooms are once again present and offer you the opportunity to intimidate and instil fear into your prey by means on tactful take down. Although not as many gadgets are available in Blackgate as fans may be used to, the essentials are still there. You can snare enemies from gargoyles, bat claw enemies off ledges, batarangs to distract and silent takedowns. All said tools serve at maximum performance. Armature have also bought over free flow combat which to describe accurately I would say is on par with Arkham Asylum, no multiple counters can be performed and this is where a brief moment in control responses fails in the counters and stuns, apart from that chaining together hits and building combos as you evade attacks is fluid and fun.

Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate is essentially a smooth transfer from its console counterparts, bar a few instances such as button latency and simple A.I during the free flow combat. The backtracking and confusing navigating can at time become frustrating but apart from these minor hiccups Armature have bought an admirable entry of the Arkham Series to the portable front. The exploration reward system is impressive and utilises tools that certainly do make you become the world’s greatest detective. Blackgate improves on Batman’s and Captain Gordon’s developing relationship and the tutorial segment sees Batman introduced to Cat woman with their relationship being portrayed very similar to comic book lore.

Like I said an admirable entry from Armature Studios, they have handled their job well introducing the Arkham series to handhelds but unfortunately I think this game will only appeal to those who are already involved with Batman via means of comics, movies or games.

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Game: Pokemon X / Y Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Out Now Available On: 3DS Version Played: 3DS

Pokemon has never been a series known for it’s narrative; The previous titles Black and White add an emphasis on story, and for the most part I enjoyed the change. Pokemon X and Y seems to focus more on your journey as a Pokemon trainer. This is accentuated by the fact that, instead of one or two rivals introduced at the start of the game. You have a group of friends. Each of them love Pokemon for a different reason. Whether it be you just like battling, catching, exploring or having an emotional connection with your Pokemon. All of these different archetypes are expressed through these characters. The moments you experience with the group is not integral to the story, but they were more interesting in terms of making the world feel more alive.

The narrative the game pushes you through uses the typical Evil Team/Organisation formula, and it doesn’t do it very well. It just feels it like was shoehorned in just for the sake of following a formula and it’s awfully predictable. Team Flare’s goals are definitely the most sinister of all the teams yet, however they don’t really seem like a threat. They just pop up every now and then, and the only point it gets interesting is at the climax. Even then, the big finale to the arc is not really all that satisfying at all. If anything there is a character with a really engrossing backstory that feels wasted. It deals with the Pokemon War that is referenced over and over again in previous titles. I just wished they explored that story more, rather then lumping it in with Team Flare.

I my first Pokemon game was Pokemon Yellow, which I got with the special Pikachu Gameboy Colour. I have grown up with Pokemon and it has grown up with me. From the 8bit era, to them merging sprites with polygonal environments in Black and White. It was only a matter of time until Game Freak decided to make that final leap into a full polygonal world.

Pokemon X and Y showcase some of the best visuals on the system to date, what better way to showcase this then base the new region on France. The Kalos reigon is stunning and diverse; From the bustling Luminose city, to the constantly snowing area of Snowbelle. Pokemon has always been a been a vivid series, that doesn’t change here. The new hardware has given the visuals the breath of fresh air the series needed. The creativity is alive in each of the eight gyms you enter, and the raw technical power they show off in the Elite Four is astonishing. Seriously, each of those Elite Four entrances are there to impress.

The overworld is as you should expect, filled with trainers and lots of different environments. Each different area has it’s own detail put into it, snow crunching underneath your feet, the grass blowing the the wind. These are only small things done to the presentation of these areas, but they go a mile in making the areas feel alive and exciting to explore. When it comes to the overworld exploration, the camera can be really frustrating in some areas. An example is Luminose City, the camera can hug so tightly behind your character at points that it makes it difficult to orientate yourself, let alone try to find something specific. The areas where the camera acts like this is few and far between. So it doesn’t hinder the overall experience too much.

This is a Pokemon game, so you will be raising and battling a lot of Pokemon. Those aspects, have benefited the most in the decision to scrap sprites. To really appreciate how much work they put into this, there are now 718 Pokemon total. Pokemon X and Y includes 69 new Pokemon, which is pretty low compared to previous iterations. Since there is such a low new Pokemon count, I feel like they focus more on reintroducing old Pokemon in this new Polygonal style. Which was a fantastic idea to get old and new Pokemon fans alike.

Each Pokemon has been given special treatment. Animation is extremely smooth and their models are highly detailed, bringing all their unique features to life. It’s crazy how much love and effort were put into bringing these creatures into a 3D space. Of course, not only the Pokemon got the special treatment. All of the attacks have been redone as well, it should be needless to say that they all look fantastic.

My only gripe with these new visuals is that frame rate drops are a problem. For the most part the game is fine in 2D, but as soon as you enable the 3D on the 3DS the frame rate drops across the board. I prefer to play games on the 3DS in 2D anyway, but it was quite an eye opener to see such a frame rate drop as soon as I tried otherwise. I’ll put it this way, there was a reason why the 2DS was launched alongside Pokemon. I have a feeling this is why.

This is a Pokemon game, and Game Freak sticks to it’s guns. Rather then overhauling the combat system like many critics have thought is best for the series. They have sticked to the trademark turn-based RPG formula. The Pokemon series has been doing this since 1996, and it’s still as fun as ever. With X and Y bringing some much needed refinements and additions to the overall gameplay experience. The end result gives a something for everyone.

The biggest and best, new feature to the series is the Player Search System AKA the PSS. Player interaction has always been part of Pokemon in one way or another, from the old days using Link cables, to the infrared on the DS. The PSS is by far the best system for online play, not just for the Pokemon series but for Nintendo games in general. Unlike the games of the past, there is no contrived centre to connect or interact with other players. As soon as you connect to the internet, the PSS actives. You can finally do all the online play that should be experienced in a Pokemon game, without jumping through hoops. It is incredibly seamless. Whether you want to battle, all formats are supported, and trading is easier then ever.

Outside on the usual trading and battling all Pokemon games have seen prior, the game has a few features in the PSS to encourage good behaviour, form shouting people out for good behaviour, favourite them, and my favourite addition. O-Powers.

O-powers are periodic passive stat bonuses that you acquire throughout the game, you can give them to yourself, or other people you see online. Whether that be your friends, acquaintances or just random people in the passerby section. Sure, you could just use these stat bonuses on yourself to make your life easier, but there is a catch. O-powers have use resources that you get automatically over time. Since using O-Powers on yourself cost substantially more than using it on other trainers, you are highly encourage to be a good sport and help the community. Most the time you will receive O-Powers from others in return, the Pokemon community is fairly good about not abusing the system. The only problem I have with the PSS is that, outside of the primary functions of trading, battling and giving O-Powers; Changing a setting can lead you digging through menus, since the layout isn’t all that intuitive. But it’s only a small complaint.

With the PSS covering all the online wants people have been asking, the rest of the new additions address things people have been wanting for quite a while.

For those who just want to play with their Pokemon, you have Pokemon-Amie. This mode is all about making your Pokemon happy, through interacting with them. You pet, feed and play with your Pokemon in various ways. It does provide some in battle benefits though, critical hit rates are increased, Pokemon that are happy have a chance of curing status effects and much more. While this mode isn’t as robust as a dedicated pet simulator like Nintendogs, it’s still a nice little distraction.

For the newcomers to Pokemon, you may not be aware how deep the battle system is. Getting up to speed to play competitively online, could consist of you to spending many hours online, reading guides on how to make the Pokemon the best you can be. It can become overwhelming real quick. Veterans know what I’m talking about when it comes to EV and IV training. Finally, after many years. Pokemon X and Y is taking steps to making competitive Pokemon battling more accessible with the new Super Training feature. Training Pokemon the way you want has never been easier, you simply play the mini-game corresponding to your stat of choice to raise it. When you clear all the mini-games they will advance to the next level, allowing you to earn stat points quicker. The mini-games all consist of shooting balls into moving goals, after an extended period of time this can get really repetitive. It’s worth keeping in mind that this is all optional. So it’s up to you whether or not you decide to raise your Pokemon like this. Overall, it’s a better solution then finding out which rare item slowly raises certain stats, like you have had to do in previous games.

To top it all off, Pokemon finally has player customisation. The game starts off with some basic Hair and Ethnicity customisation, but the majority of it comes from the plethora of clothes stores you will find around the Kalos region. It’s not the best or deepest use of character customisation, but it’s a step in the right direction.

That’s it for brand new additions to gameplay however, the rest is mostly refinement to an already polished series. Rollerskates  speeds up the game to a considerable pace, making it easy and enjoyable to explore the vast region of Kalos. Capturing Pokemon finally gives experience, New Sky-battles are interesting, hoard encounters force you to keep the type of moves you have in minds, the new Fairy type Pokemon introduced to the series throws a wrench into type match-ups, keeping things interesting for old and new players alike and Mega Evolutions are cool, but the real effectiveness of them is in competitive battle. Chances are you will be so overpowered in single player that Mega-evolutions are just a cool gimmick.

That leads me to the refinement in the game that I don’t really like, that’s the change to the EXP share item. In the past, the EXP share item only gave half of the experience earned to a single Pokemon. Now the EXP share is a key item that you can toggle on and off for your entire party. Instead of taking experience away from the Pokemon that earned it and splitting it to the others, it still gains full experience, and all the other Pokemon get half of what it earned. Now, this sounds great for raising lower level Pokemon up quicker; but what ends up happening is that the game becomes incredibly easy. The Pokemon I kept with me most of the time where at least 5 – 10 levels higher then the enemies they were fighting at all times, doesn’t matter if they were Gym leaders or the elite four.

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Game: Scribblenauts Unmasked Developer: 5th Cell Publisher: Warnerbros
Release Date: Out Now Available On: Wii U/3DS/PC Version Played: PC

This time working together with superheroes, can Maxwell and the allies of justice fight off the horde of villains and return things to normal?

In an all new adventure, Maxwell and his twin sister Lily, accidentally travel to the world of the DC Universe heroes, due to a silly mistake by Maxwell. In order to return back home, the siblings must work together with the Justice League and Other DC Heroes to find the starites needed to power up the globe and go back home. To make matters difficult, these are scattered all over the world. The siblings are met with villainous opposition from the many criminals that the heroes face in their own territories. You become a valuable asset to the heroes, all the while you search for the starites that you have lost, so look sharp, and leave no corner unsearched.

The game has a very approachable and charming design. Akin to a children’s book, the graphics are comprised completely of highly stylized illustrations, which also include the scenarios, items you will use and even the menus. It’s very consistent and effective for the target audience that I would expect this game is marketed towards: Children.

I enjoyed the music, and I especially appreciated the fact that the Gotham theme song follows the same school as the music that was composed for the popular Batman Trilogy. The rest of the music was not as impressive, but it was still used as a way to set the tone for the numerous maps that you can traverse, so it accomplishes its goals. In terms of sound design, I was very pleased. There was a certain cheer and humour from the many sound affects you can hear in the game, from the grunts and punches to the superpower sounds, it all made me smile.

The scenarios you play in are simplified versions of the heroes’ cities. I found them to be quite small, especially after I had Maxwell give himself the “supersonic” adjective, he could traverse the map in just a few seconds, which disappointed me a little bit, but I will say that this is personal because I believe that that is not the point of this game.

In Scribblenauts, the main character Maxwell possesses a magical notebook in which he can write certain words and these will magically manifest themselves in the real world, hence, the gameplay. You can select characters and add adjectives to them to modify certain aspects of their personality or physique and you can also write nouns to spawn items that you can use to help you proceed with missions. It’s much more fun than what it sounds, believe me.

In the DC world, the public eye is a very important thing, so having a good reputation is a must for any superhero working in these cities, and since Maxwell is helping the heroes out, he must abide by this too. In Unmasked, reputation works as a form of currency (earned by completing randomly generated side tasks and missions) which is used to purchase locked items in the game, such as maps, objects and alternative story missions which can involve other heroes’ identity.

Considering I’m a nut for customization in games, I found a feature that really sucked me in, and that was the hero creator. Once you finish the first mission, Batman grants you usage to his computer, in which you can create and customize your own superheroes, weapons, vehicles or pretty much anything to your liking. Want a unique pet to tag along in your adventures? You can do that (even with something like Cthulhu), want a gigantic sword that’s unbreakable and shoots bullets? You can do that too. Do you want a helpful sidekick that can help you when you’re in dire need? Just make it to your specifications!

This system really impressed me. The only downside against it would be that it’s a tad confusing to use at first, but you can get used to it through trial and error. I made myself a little flying companion like Navi to follow me around (just made her supersonic so she could keep up with me, and unavoidable, so she would always follow me around). I think it was a nice touch.

I never knew just how far you could go in a Scribblenauts game, granted there are a lot of limitations to the words that you can use if your vocabulary is extensive; I found the game to be much more fun than I ever thought it could be. It’s wacky and over the top if you want it to be, or it can be conservative and careful, or anything else for that matter, there’s just that many fun possibilities to be had when you play this game. The final choice is always yours on how you wish to accomplish your goals, and that is something I can really appreciate.

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Game: Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of The Titan  Developer: Atlus  Publisher: Atlus
Release Date: Out Now  Available On: 3DS  Version Played: 3DS

For those looking for an engaging storyline experience, you don’t really get it here.  The premise of the story is that For centuries the people of Tharsis have been living in the presence of a giant tree called Yggdrasil. Not knowing what it’s purpose is, or what secrets it holds. So the people of Tharsis start to encourage adventurers to reach and explore Yggdrasil. You’re just the latest bunch of adventurers taking on that task. It’s that simple. Normally a light story can be redeemed by some interesting and in depth characters, but it doesn’t really have that either. That’s a real shame, but it’s refreshing change that an RPG is relying on its gameplay to encourage you to keep playing, rather then feeding you story points every few hours.

The presentation is a bit of a mixed bag for Etrian Odyssey IV is absolutely fantastic, and has a pretty mixed style. When in the hub of Tharsis the characters you meet and different areas of the city is all 2D anime inspired art. Which is what you come to expect with JRPGs. As soon as you’re out of the HUB however, the 3D visuals kick it. It’s bright and colourful, and you’re never really left with just an empty space, something is always going on. Whether that being a giant enemy looming in the distance, or just some other adventurers.  Each of the different lands you go to through out the game are diverse and just as colourful as the last.

However, the dungeons are a bit of a different story. While each different land has a unique style, the dungeons in the land have the same tile sets. So the visual flare in the dungeons wears off pretty quickly and can easily put you in the mindset for just grinding. Speaking of, the 3D models for the monsters are fantastic. Animation is smooth and and the more powerful monsters definitely convey that they could rip you to shreds if you’re not careful. The soundtrack is fantastic, suiting each situation appropriately, from the up-beat Tharsis theme, to the blood pumping battle music. I absolutely love it. I  have honestly just left my 3DS open so I could listen to it.

Since it’s release in NA, all I heard about Etrian Odyssey was that it is absolutely brutal. So I went into the game being overly cautious. Stocking up Medica (Health Potions) in case something happens to my healer, or If I need to heal two or more people at once. I turned back as soon as my party’s mana started getting low to avoid any sticky situations. There were a few close calls but for the first 10 or so hours of the game, everything was going pretty smooth. Then, I decided to be a little bit reckless. Thinking that my party could handle it, and I got absolutely slaughtered. Again, again, and again.

I know I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, but I feel like explaining that experience is very important to this game. Etrian Odyssey has been boasted to be a “Hardcore First Person Dungeon Crawler” and well. It kinda lives up to that. I feel like I should say that. It has a harsh learning curve at the beginning, however the game does more then enough to accommodate  new players by adding a casual mode. However, if you are new to the RPG genre be ready for a challenge.

This game can be tough for those that aren’t used to the systems that come from a game like this. It has an extreme amount of depth that could be tough to understand straight away. An example of this is how the game starts off with you choosing how you build your own party, will you go a standard MMORPG party build, Tank, 3 damage and a healer? or do you think of your own? Some people wouldn’t even understand the importance of a party build unless they learn’t the hard way. It’s important, because if you jump into here thinking 5 damage classes will just breeze you through the game. Think again. You have to understand what your getting yourself into.

Also, it’s worth noting that I’m shorting things here, classes just don’t fit the role of tank, damage, healer etc. There is a lot of classes here that work in a lot of specific ways, not to mention you have subclasses for even more customisation. The thing is that, you really have to consider how your building your party, there is not an optimum build. It’s balanced in a way that you’re always missing something crucial, and you have to find a way to compensate for it. I found myself switching by party around trying to find what I found worked well for me. Once you have found that balance you’re comfortable with, you have plenty of ways to progress. Levelling up gives you a basic stats increase, you have a skill tree to fill out to your liking. Then you have ways to acquire better gear, you don’t just buy better gear at the blacksmith. Rather, you have to materials from all those nasties you just fought on your journey, or who knows. Maybe doing an extra quest or two will give you a nice piece of equipment. It’s worth finding out.

Speaking of quests, your journey is split into two sections. The overworld and the dungeons. Once you have built your party and go to leave Tharsis, you are given an Airship. Pretty cool right? However, don’t let your mind wonder off with it’s imagination. The overworld section with the ship is pretty lacklustre. You can gather food which gives you stat bonuses for a short time and are sold automatically when you go back to Tharsis. Talk to other adventurers, fight F.O.E’s (Think of them as bosses) and explore. Once you get to a certain point you get upgrades for you ship, which allow you to explore areas you couldn’t get to before.  Then you have the dungeons, which is where you will be spending most of the game.

You explore the dungeons in first person on the top screen, and on the bottom you have a map with you make yourself. While making a map sounds tedious boring, and if you have poor art skills possibly confusing. You move on a tile based system, and the map tracks where you have walked on with a blue square. It’s your job to outline the walls, gates, shortcuts possible hazards and F.O.Es all through out the dungeon. It’s not as tedious as it sounds, filling out a map completely is really rewarding. You will be in the same dungeons a lot, so having that map filled out will be a blessing if you just want to blitz through as fast as possible.

Combat isn’t your typical turn based affair with random encounters. It just goes turn after turn. So when you attack, the monsters do. They don’t deal damage and then it’s your turn. It all unfolds at once. So you have to take a lot of things into mind about party management through the various class abilities, or just doing outright damage to your opponents. You will also unlock “Bursts” which are more or less an additional ability anyone in the party can use that takes up it’s own action, so instead of 5 actions, you might have 6. These abilities range from party wide buffs to attacks on enemies, and can be quite helpful against the stronger enemies. As you can see, there is a lot to consider as you progress through the game.

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of The Titan is a game any RPG fan should play. The lack of an interesting story is more then made up for by the beautiful and vibrant visuals, a rewarding sense of constant progression and one of the most in depth and fun dungeon crawling I have had in a long time. Not to mention it is suited perfectly for the 3DS. Easy and quick to pick up and play for 20 or so minutes, but can also be played for hours and hours in a single session without really feeling tedious. Be wary, those inexperienced in the RPG genre you have a tough time ahead

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Disney Infinity” developers=”Avalanche Studios” publishers=”Disney” platforms=”Wii U/PS3/360/3DS” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”Wii U”]

The stories of Disney Infinity are dependent on their respected play sets. The great thing for Disney fans is that each play set has a uniquely written story that extends on the universe of that given play set. For instance in The Incredibles, players must defeat Syndrome as he tries to take over Metroville once again. In Monsters University, players must beat FearTech in order to be the superior college group.

This is one of the best things about Disney Infinity. The game would’ve been at a huge disadvantage if Avalanache retold the original stories for each respective movie. The story lines are extremely believable and a range of characters are found in each universe with near perfect voice acting.

The presentation in Disney Infinity is incredible. The game is absolutely beautiful and colourful and really brings these Disney worlds to life. Each play set has a slightly varied art style and it completely shows. Whilst the Pirates Of The Caribbean play set is completely dark, the Monsters University play set is full of life and colour.

The character details have received a lot of love and care which really helps this be an amazing game for Disney fans. The sound effects are extremely varied and fit the worlds perfectly.

There are a few downfalls however. The frame rate can dip quite a bit when playing in split screen and the menus seem to be clunkier than they need to be. I played on the Wii U version so thankfully most of the menus were touch capable on the touch pad however the menus are a lot clunkier on the PS3/360 and this is easily the biggest negative with the game. After a few hours with the game you will find yourself getting through these menus quicker however I couldn’t help but feel that it should’ve been much simpler for its target demographic.

Disney Infinity is the type of game that you have to play to understand just how special it is. Upon booting up the game you have two options. Play sets can be described as the ‘storyline’, and are specific to a certain Disney theme and cannot cross over (for example, Woody from Toy Story cannot enter the world of Monsters University, or vice versa).

This is one of the things that really shocked me with this game. A lot of people don’t seem to know this yet however EVERY play set is extremely different in how it plays. All of the play sets have been given a lot of love and care in order to make them play completely different and offer a new experience to the player. For instance the Cars play set is a complete racing game whilst the Lone Ranger is an old school Western shooter and Monsters University involves scaring other monsters. The amount of possibilities is endless due to the infinite number of Disney franchises that Avalanche Software gets to explore.

I found this to be a huge positive as it provides a lot of variety to the game. I don’t think I would’ve been as eager to get to the end of each play set if each character could be used within that play set. This way it always felt that i was playing a true Disney experience that could only be had with this game and that felt incredibly good to me.

Completing missions gives you coins and levels up your character. Both of these things result in unlocking items for both play set use and within the Toy Box. The interesting thing to note is that your level and coins stays with your character so you can take these to your friend’s house whilst retaining your data.

The second part of Disney Infinity is the Toy Box. The Toy Box allows you to create your own Disney World from scratch, or starting out with one of the pre built worlds. This is where your imagination can explore. There are no boundaries or restrictions in the toy box – every single character can enter and interactive with each other.

There are a number of Pre Built Toy Box experiences which really showcase just how much you can create in this mode. To give you some scope these include things such as a football stadium complete with scoreboard, a Mario replicated platformed, a fully customisable cars race track and a complete recreation of Disney Land.

This is just the beginning,  There are also a bunch of tools which work to change the perspective to be top down and mess with gravity. You get to choose whether what you build use the law of gravity or not.You can upload your creations to Disney who will then curate the best levels and make them available on the Wii U, PS3 & 360. This is truly something that has never been done before. You can also partake in Online co op with up to 4 players in the Toy Box.

The 3DS version is a completely different game all together. It features a Mario Party type gameplay which sees you going around a board competing in mini games. The figurines and power discs still apply for the gameplay isn’t nearly as appealing as it’s console counterpart. It’s disappointing to see that you can’t buy the game as a standalone version as well.

The last thing to talk about are the Power Discs. These are  are discs that can be placed on the Infinity Base along with their characters to add new elements to the game. There are two types – Round and Hexagonal. The circular discs affect in game attributes such as a 20% health boost or 15% more damage to other characters.

The hexagonal discs can only be used in the Toy Box. You can unlock a series of Disney favorites such as the Mickey Mouse car or Cinderella’s Coach. There are also hexagonal power discs, which change the whole world of the Toy Box. For instance the Finding Nemo disc will turn the whole toy box into an under water world. This is extremely cool and something that you have to experience to understand. Watching the world you just created change on the fly is truly special.

Power Discs are also stackable. For instance, you can stack the round discs in order to create special in game combos that can only be experienced be doing so. Similarly hexagonal power discs can be stacked in order to unlock multiple items in the Toy Box at once.  The power discs will be sold in blind packs of 2 for $5.95 and will be released in a series of waves. Wave 1 will be available at launch which features 20 discs. Be prepared to open your wallet as you WILL get addicted and collect them all.

Disney Infinity is a must play for anyone young or old. The gameplay is absolutely infectious and it has one of the most spine tingly introductions that i’ve ever experienced in a game. Don’t be put off by the price of the figurines as they’re extremely good quality and each play set lasts anywhere between 6-10 hours. You will sink hours into this game without even noticing.

The post Review: Disney Infinity appeared first on Press Start.

[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”SteamWorld Dig” developers=”Image & Form” publishers=”” platforms=”3DS” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”3DS”]

The story in SteamWorld Dig is almost non existent. The player take’s the role as Rusty, a lone mining steambot, as he arrives to an old mining town in great need. Dig your way through the old earth, gaining riches while uncovering the ancient threat that lurks below. Whilst there isn’t much of a story as you play through the game, this general premise is enough to keep you going with a general understanding of why you are where you are.

SteamWorld dig is an impressive looking game. It has beautiful sprites and extremely fluid animation. The beautifully created sprites create one of the nicest art styles that i’ve seen on a 3DS game. If I had one little nitpick with the visuals it’d be that the 3D didn’t add much. Whilst it changed the depth of the background I really feel that it could’ve done more to make things pop in the underground. I feel like puzzles could’ve also used 3D to explore different gameplay mechanics.

The game has an incredibly catchy sound track. It’s clear that Image & Form put a lot of effort into the many sound effects that this game employes from it’s Western backdrop. It really complements the overall presentation to make this an extremely believable Wild Western themed game.

At the core SteamWorld Dig is about a character called Rusty who inherits a mineshaft from his uncle. You gain a pickaxe and must hack away at dirt in order to retrieve minerals to sell to the townspeople. Whilst this sounds quite simple, the game rewards you with a number of upgrades along the way which allow you to get to new places that you weren’t able to reach before. Some of these upgrades include the ability to run faster and jump higher or drill through dirt that you weren’t able to get through before.

It’s an extremely great concept that allows for a lot more puzzles to be introduced and does extremely well to keep the game feeling fresh for the entire way through. The game’s pacing is incredible and really spaces out the upgrades and new gameplay mechanics well. You never feel as though you’re plugging through dirt repetitively for nothing.

Enemies also play a part in the underground world. There are a number of different enemies but are more of a nuisance than anything. They’re largely unimaginative and just require a simple few hits of the axe in order to kill them. I would’ve liked to see more imagination put into them and have them play a larger part of the game. They seem to break up the exploration every now and then with not adding much.

Whether you love this game or not will depend on what type of gamer you are. The game is an extremely slow grind and based on exploration more than enemy encounters. It rewards taking the time to dig through every grain of dirt and find gems in order to upgrade your weaponry. There is a number of ways to die and doing so has big consequences.

The one disappointment was that the game has a number of equipment to buy in the form of torches and ladders but I found that uses for these were few and far in-between. I would’ve if I was made to use my mind a bit more in careful placement in ladders. There isn’t much challenge in making sure that you can always get back to the top.

SteamWorld Dig is a great entry into the eShop. I’d recommend it for any 3DS gamer on its price alone. There is a lot of content to be explored but keep in mind, it’s an extremely slow paced game and really promotes exploring and taking your time to look at every nook and cranny. The game is definitely a breath of fresh air and an experience that i’ve never gotten from another game.

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Once again the Australian games retail sector has shown it’s contempt for such trivial things as “street dates” and “release schedules”. Set to be released on the 22nd, Disney Infinity has officially broken it’s release date today with its sale to the public being confirmed by EB Games Australia via its official twitter handle

This isn’t the first game in Australia to launch ahead of its previously scheduled release date and with a big line up of AAA games on the horizon its now become “wait and see” for which one is the next to fall. Check out our preview of the game and let us know if you are excited to finally find out who would win in a fair fight, Woody or Buzz.

The post Disney Infinity Hits The Streets Early appeared first on Press Start.

[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Mario & Luigi Dream Team” developers=”Nintendo” publishers=”Nintendo” platforms=”3DS” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”3DS”]

They have taken on the Bean Bean Kingdom, traveled through time, been swallowed hole by their arch-nemesis, now they are venturing into dreams. The overqualified plumbers RPG saga is back with Mario & Luigi: Dream team.

Those who have played the Mario & Luigi games should know what to expect from the story of Dream Team. For those who don’t I’ll give you a quick run down.  Princess Peach, Mario and Lugi. Get invited to the Pi’llo Island tropical resort. Through a series of events, Princess Peach gets kidnapped, an Ancient Evil is awakened, and you have to save the Pi’llo Kingdom. More or less standard stuff. While the story itself is not all that interesting, it does enough to drive you from Point A to Point B, and your journey to accomplish your goal is the best thing about the story.

The hilarious and insane characters you meet along the way, the bizarre situations it puts you in is all hilarious and charming and it kept me smiling, giggling and interested from start to finish. Granted the humour is subjective and I might have a really immature sense of humour, none the less I loved the journey to the end with all these characters over the actual story, but honestly I was constantly looking forward to the next interactions with the characters that the simplistic story never really detracted from it.

Man, Oh man. So, this is the first Mario & Luigi game on the 3DS, and it does not hold any punches. It is absolutely beautiful. Pil’llo Island Island is a very diverse place. It has a desert, a forest, a beach front, a spring time garden area, shopping district, mystical caves and a mountain that has lava down bottom, and snowy up high. This place is Bear Grylls worst nightmare. It’s mother nature wanting to know what happens when  EVERY CLIMATE POSSIBLE  IS THROWN TOGETHER.

But hey, it makes for a lot of visual variety,as soon as you think you’re done with an area,  it moves you to a dream world equivalent of an area, which takes a new perspective and turns everything bizarre, or it moves you somewhere else completely. You will revisit areas, but you with all the real world and dream world jumping you will be doing, focusing on how to fight new enemies, and finding collectables to really feel that you have been in an area for too long. The games art style is a bit mixed, the characters still retain their sprite based stylistic look, however much more detailed then before. While the world itself has much more depth and detail then previous instalments.

One thing I have to mention are the Giant Luigi fights. In this situation the entire games art style changes to a polygonal cel shaded look. I have to mention this because visually, these are my favourite points in the game. It really opens you’re eyes to what the 3DS is capable of. I have to give them a lot of credit, it’s been over 2 years since the 3DS came out and these segments really showed me how much I underestimated the system. I’m not joking. It is beautiful with a capital gorgeous. Who needs technical brute force when a change in art style can go a long way?

I used 3D for a short time, it looked nice but since some of the attacks use the gyroscope, I thought it best to just leave it turned off. The music is fitting for each of the different areas you explore, with the exception of the battle music, none of it felt memorable or seemed to stand out.

When I’m talking to my friends about Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, I explain it as “Baby’s first RPG” that’s not to put down or insult the game. It’s just very accessible, everything is clear, there are no vague terms. The game makes sure you know what you need to know, and if you’re having trouble the game does have options to make it easier, should you need it.

At it’s core, the game is a turned based RPG but the creativity spills over into the gameplay as well, the series staple active combat makes a return. Timing your attacks and learning the attack patterns of enemies is as fun as ever. Especially in the dream world when all the attacks are super powered by Luigi. New gimmicks, such as the gyroscope are implemented in some of the attacks. For the most part, the combat is unchanged from the previous games.

The game also has a few puzzles, but most of them are so simplistic it’s hard to really call them “Puzzles”. Since most of the “Puzzles” use dream world abilities, you get to see more of that creativity we see everywhere else in the game spill over, giant Luigi Balls, springs, drills, and all sorts of wacky power-ups. It’s great.

You have the typical side-quests and collectables you see in these sorts of RPG’s are present. Unlike the most games seem to be doing with their collectables, these ones are actually worth doing. Supermoves, rare items and gear. They don’t really feel pointless. Some of them feel like typical fetch quests, which is a bit disappointing, but you still get some humorous situations none-the-less.

Overall, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is a great game. The active combat is as fun as ever, they take advantage of the 3DS hardware. It’s gorgeous, sure the soundtrack and story isn’t all that great. On the other hand, the journey as a whole is a fun time. For those who love RPGs or want to get into them, I couldn’t recommend it more.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”LEGO Legends Of Chima: Laval’s Journey” developers=”TT Games” publishers=”Warnerbros” platforms=”3DS/Vita” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”3DS”]

Chima is a land where anthropomorphic animals lived in peace with one another until a conflict caused a civil war with the eight animal tribes: Lion, Eagle, Raven, Wolf, Gorilla, Rhino, Bear, and Crocodile. The members of the factions fiercely battle over a powerful natural resource called Chi, which could allow its possessor to create or destroy. Once a pristine, natural paradise, CHIMA has become a battle ground for eight animal tribes. Best friends are now enemies. The animals fight for control of a natural resource called CHI, a powerful element that is both a source of life and potential destruction. Only a few brave heroes in CHIMA understand the true nature of CHI, and the possible downfall of CHIMA that will result from its misuse. Their stories, and the stories of those who seek to destroy them, are known as the legends of CHIMA.

LEGO Legends Of Chima runs quite well on the 3DS. Colours are extremely vibrant and the graphics are extremely enjoyable. The 3D effect is extremely subtle but works well and the framerate holds up despite the game taking place in an open world environment. I did have quite a few graphical glitches however. I constantly found myself falling through walls and off ledges. The sound is average as it is with most 3DS games however not much more can be expected in a children’s adventure. The story is told through pre rendered cut scenes which look quote well for a 3DS. The graphics really help Lego Chima feel like a real world.

The gameplay in Lego Legends of Chima is not too different from what we’ve come to expect over the past few years. I did notice quite a more streamlined game though. You go through the game mission by mission unlocking different animal tribes. Unlocking these animal tribes allow you to access parts of the game that were not available to you before. Each of these tribes vary greatly in their ability and moveset. The different animals didn’t just feel like reskinned characters as has happened with recent LEGO games. I think that the novelty of playing in a theme movie world definitely takes some of the fun away but it’s there’s enough depth there with the animal tribes to keep children and even some adults interested for the whole way through.

I definitely felt like the combat could’ve used a bit of an overhaul. I was disappointed to see that the animals still fought like lego humans. I really wish they took advantage of the fact that they had all of these awesome characters and made them feel more like animals rather than people.

One of the biggest problems in Lego Chima is without doubt the loading times. I was extremely surprised to find that the game has a huge open world with a ton of shops. To get into each of these shops you’re looking at a 30 second load screen and the same when you’re finished looking. It’s just unacceptable for a game today.. especially one that runs on a cartridge.

Whilst the puzzles in the game were extremely enjoyable due to their difficulty, the platforming made them unenjoyable at times. I constantly found myself missing jumps or rolling through the world for no reason of my own. This is extremely frustrating and definitely something that happened on multiple occasions. It instantly pulled me out of the experience.

There is a bunch of items to complete after collecting the game which makes the game last around 10-15 hours in total. You can also link with the LEGO website to gain some stuff as well as street pass other players to unlock new items.

LEGO Legends Of Chima: Laval’s Journey is a decent game for the young ones. I found myself enjoying it for the first hour or so but soon figured out that the game was plagued by graphical glitches and long load times. Apparently a patch is on the way to fix some of these issues which will definitely help improve the game but we can’t help but feel that this was rushed to release or just not given the usual love and care that go into normal LEGO games. At a budget price we’d recommend it for your kids. They’ll instantly fall in love with the characters and story.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Project X Zone” developers=”Banpresto / Monolith Soft” publishers=”Namco Bandai” platforms=”3DS” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”3DS” ]

Ever wondered what would happen if Deadrising’s frank west and Darkstalkers’ Hsien-ko, teamed up with Tronne Bonne from Megaman Legends to take down Guardian from Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins? What about Heihachi from Tekken teaming up with Yuri Lowell and Estelle from Tales of Vespiria to take down Aragami’s from god eater? Sounds like absolute madness right? Well Project X Zone has plenty of it.

For a game with such a crazy premise you should expect an equally crazy story right? Well you certainly get a strange story about worlds crossing over and the typical evil organisation planning on using that for nefarious deeds.

HOWEVER it just feels like it keeps going in circles. The only way the plot advances even 14 hours into the game consists of  “hey new characters, maybe they know what’s going on.” NOPE. Well let’s ask the next group of people, guess what. They don’t know either. Want to know why the antagonists are doing this? Most of them don’t know either. It feels like they do it just because they are the villains. No personal motivation, or incentive for them, they do it because hey. That’s what evil people do right? The most kick you might get out of the story until the plot actually advances are the character interactions between your favourite heroes and heroines.

Trust me, if you’re looking for an engaging story, it’s not here. If you’re looking for some playful banter between your favourite characters, by all means get this. Some of the interactions had me in stitches.

I’m going to be honest here, I love everything about Project X Zone’s presentation. That being said, there is something that many people will have an issue with. That is the fact has no English voice acting. The only localization work done for the game is solely text based. Don’t expect to hear Reuben Langdon doing the voice of Dante or any other characters you may love. The lack of English voice acting is a flaw, however it’s a flaw I can live with. I can still understand and play the game fine, not to mention most of the time I prefer Japanese voice actors anyway. Just thought I should warn you guys of that.Other then that, Project X Zone has a fantastic presentation all around.

The soundtrack is full of high energy battle music and fan-service, giving each character a theme from their respective franchises.  It has the well rounded balance of a 3D modelled isometric map and 2d spritres, much like Fire Emblem. The in battle animations are Frantic, fluid and flashy. Thanks to the fact you have so many different characters witch can act as support it never really feels like you see the same combination of attacks. It’s always satisfying to see a flurry of attacks go across the screen, with an insane amount of damage counters accompanying the madness. Super attacks are crazy and ending a combo with them is always a great feeling.

Project X Zone is a weird game, it takes elements from genres and mixes them in a ways i haven’t really experienced before. On the surface it looks like your typical turn based strategy RPG. That is until you actually engage in combat, next thing you know you’re on a 2d plane dishing out 80+ hit combos, tagging in team mates for support and watching chaotic super moves devastate your opponents. Then you’re back in the isometric perspective as quick as you got out of it. It was a pleasantly confusing expierence, and that brings me to my first gripe with the gameplay. Nothing is really explained all that well, (Unless you read the manual of course) It leaves it all to you to experiment and figure it all out by yourself. Terms such as ZOC, how to use skills properly or even proper explanation of the UI is swept under the rug in favour of just dropping you right into the game.

That being said, once you have everything down pat. Project X Zone is quite a fun a game. It can be broken down into two sections. The first section the overworld, or strategy portion. Which plays a lot like Final fantasy: Tactics or fire emblem. Where you move units on a grid based system to get within range to attack enemies, different characters have different movement allowances, attack range, skills, etc.<

Then you have the combat portion. Which changes the perspective to a 2D plane similar and allows you to do pre-structured combos through simple commands. Fighting an enemy will give you two different types of experience. XP and Expierence. One being the normal progress bar to level up your characters, learn more skills, combos, multi-target supermoves and more.

However, XP is a resource shared between your entire team.  XP is important to your team. It is needed to pull off super moves and character skills. It also gives you a few options when an enemy attacks you. From countering to negating the damage from the attack completely. XP is an important resource and later on in the game, it’s quite the balancing act and you will find that keeping a few XP in the bank handy for some of the more demanding mission objectives. As a whole, the game shows a lot of depth. On top of the XP system you have support characters, equipment, and the system of other characters providing benefits if they are near each other. While it does sound all complicated, it won’t be long until you’re taking out bosses left and right, and pulling off 100+ hit combos. For a system that doesn’t explain much in the tutorial it doesn’t take long to get the swing of things and feel like a total wrecking machine. The combat is indeed very unique, but  it is done right in all possible respects.

Project X Zone is insane. For the most part in a good way. If you’re looking or a good time, it’s here. Just don’t expect to understand what the hell is going on.

The post Project X Zone Review appeared first on Press Start.

Animal Crossing is a series that always tends to get critical acclaim or somewhat of a cult following, I never understood why. So I jumped in feet first to see what the craze is about. This is my review of Animal Crossing: A New Leaf.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is not really a game that is dependent on it’s story. You’re moving to a new town as an ordinary citizen. When you step off the train you are mistaken by everyone for the new Mayor. Despite what you say, you are made Mayor of this new town and it’s your responsibility to make it a fantastic place to live, or mould it in any twisted way you desire. Aside from a letter you receive from the real mayor more or less saying, and I’m paraphrasing here. “It’s all good homie, you be mayor. I’m outta here” That’s all the story and exposition you get. You’re right into the gameplay!

The best way to explain Animal Crossings presentation is, Joyous. It’s bright and colourful, joyful music and a lot of detail. Nothing is there for no reason. There is always some interactivity with it and it’s just fun to see how different things react and trust me.  There are tons of different items to play with. Animal Crossing knows it has a certain style and it flaunts it. The only complaint I have with it is that when the 3D is on, the place just feels devoid of anything. 3D just feels like a second thought, and that’s fine. If anything it’s just me nitpicking. I can’t find any active flaws with New Leaf’s presentation.

Animal Crossing is a very unique, but very accessible game. The jist of it can be explained like this, your goal is to acquire bells (The in-game currency) to improve the town and by doing that you can improve your relationships with the townsfolk and build your ideal town, while it runs in real time. Sounds pretty simple right? For the most part it is, but thanks to the real time mechanic, the passage of time effects your town event when you don’t play. Weeds will grow, trees will die out, townsfolk will move in and out of town and they will react to the time, if you’re wondering around at 2am the townsfolk will either be asleep or wonder why you aren’t asleep yourself. The real time mechanic really helps add a certain charm to the game. Animal Crossing also offers a lot of things to do, new shops can open, villages will ask for favours, competitions happen every now and then, and so, so much more. The only way to really experience how much there is to do in this game, is to actually play it.

Next thing you know you will be devoting hours of your day wondering your town, planting trees for more fruit, doing favours for towns folk. Just to get those few extra bells to finish that cobblestone bridge that needs funding, or to finish paying off that home loan so you can expand your house even more. Unfortunately some mechanics are explained all that well and don’t offer anyway for you to find the answer other then looking online, I spent days trying to find an Axe to chop down some pesky trees and only after the garden shop opened was i able to purchase one, and i only found that out after googling the answer. Also, for those who can only play at night, I recommend you adjust the 3DS clock accordingly if you want to play the game. The Real time mechanic can be a downside with stores shutting after a certain time, it just doesn’t suit everyone, but there are certain ways around it.

With the online additions you will be visiting others towns gathering fruit you can’t normally get, and exploring what other have done with their town shows how much variety and customization in the game there really is. However it’s not perfect, the messaging system is clunky and the in-game friends system is no better. It just feels a bit tacked on and thats a bit of a let down, especially after seeing how much consideration they put into it. It’s not a big deal, just a mild inconvenience but if you plan on playing a lot it’s a very common inconvenience.

As a newcomer to Animal Crossing, I’ve had a great experience so far. It’s a very charming, accessible and addicting game that got me spending a few hours on it everyday. Gathering funds to finish that next project, or to deliver a present to Hugh the Pig my favourite person in my town. However it isn’t flawless, some tasks that should be easy to do feel a bit clunky, but it’s nothing that ruins the experience. If you want a charming casual game that will easily give you something to do for the foreseeable future. You can’t go wrong here.

The post Animal Crossing: New Leaf Review appeared first on Press Start.

[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D” developers=”Retro” publishers=”Nintendo” platforms=”3DS” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now”]

Much like all the other Donkey Kong games that before it, our beloved ape finds his bananas stolen by an evil Tiki Tribe who have brainwashed the entire island’s animals. The plot is meaningless however provides a good reason for you to be exploring the world.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is visually spectacular. The look and feel of this extremely colourful game looks vibrant on the 3DS screen. Playing this game brought back a lot of memories from my childhood SNES days and it really surprised me with how true the developers made the game to the original. The 3D effect is really good and works well into the games mechanics which sees you traversing through the foreground and background. I didn’t notice any visual downgrade from the original Wii version. Whilst the FPS is locked at 30FPS, I didn’t notice it enough to dampen the experience. The classic Donkey Kong music and sound effects took me back and was a treat to listen to.

You will be extremely glad to know that every form of motion controls have been removed from this 3D port. This was one of the glaring negatives of the original Wii game and thankfully doesn’t make any sort of appearance in this. The game controlled extremely well which is important for such a fast paced platformer. You’re given the choice to use either the circle pad or the dpad with the face buttons acting as jumping and rolling.

The other major change comes in the form of a new mode. The mode is called “New Mode” and is designed to aid players who found the original challenging(It was extremely challenging). This mode gives the player an extra heart to your life bar as well as more items to help you along your journey. Some of these items include slowing down the minekart or giving yourself a DK barrel at any time. I found that this mode provided a much better learning curve to the game and makes it extremely more accessible to a wider audience.

On top of Donkey Kong Country Return’s lengthy campaign, there are also a bunch of collectibles such as secrets sections within levels as well as collecting all the K-O-N-G puzzle pieces which opens up a new world to play through. You can also buy a key in each world from Cranky which will unlock a new level in each world. You can unlock pictures in the art gallery by collecting puzzle pieces found throughout levels. Combine all these collectibles with challenges and time trials and you’re set for a long while.

I found the level design in the game to be some of the best of the series. All of the worlds provided completely different visuals as well as new enemies to defeat. Working out what tactics to use against what enemy whilst jumping through a difficult stage is where the challenge in this game lies. I never found deaths to be cheap and always found that using the right timing was key to get through the level. Whilst there is a world added to the remake of DKCR, I wish that there were a few more levels or mini games added in to give returning players a new experience.

Donkey Kong Country Returns was an amazing game that revived the Wii late in its life cycle. The game on 3DS is even better in almost every way and cannot be missed by anyone that owns the system. If you’d had previous struggles with getting through the difficult game on the Wii then give it another go with New Mode.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates To Infinity” developers=”Spike Chunsoft” publishers=”Nintendo” platforms=”3DS” genres=”” release_date=”17/05″ “Version_played=3DS”]
The Mystery Dungeon series is known to have great stories, so how does Gates to Infinity Hold up? While it may not be the deepest or most complex story of all time. Gates to infinity is a feel good adventure about inspiring hope and happiness to cold and cruel Pokemon world.

Everything the story does, is done well. With the exception of the amount of time it takes to kick off. However, it has caused me to Smile, laugh and there was even a few tear jerking moments, which for me is a rarity and the way this is possible is what the Mystery dungeon series does differently from every other Series in the Pokemon Franchise.

It gives the Pokemon personalities. They aren’t just cool monsters. You can actually get emotionally invested in them. They are In depth characters, they grow and change. From the energetic hot headed Emolga, to the timid Dunsparce. All of these Laughs, smiles and tears. Are all brought from all the antics and tribulations of these characters you spend 20 – 30+ hours with, and I couldn’t have enjoyed it more. One thing to be noted though is that there is no voice acting at all in this game, so be prepared to do a lot of reading.

Gates to infinity’s overall presentation has had a total overhaul to really take advantage of the series finally making it’s debut on the 3DS. The soundtrack is feels more ambient then previous installments. While that does give the dungeons a better sense of wonder and mystery, it wears off quickly especially in the longer dungeons where paying attention in those is needed, and dull ambient music doesn’t help that at all. Boss themes are great however and the overworld theme for Post town is fantastic and I can’t get it out of my head.

The visuals make a departure from the series staple of sprite work and 2D environments and bringing the series into the 3D world, and it’s beautiful. It’s bright and colourful no matter where you go. The world and the Pokemon themselves have never looked better. The dungeon environments are diverse. From frozen tundras to mountain tops. It feels like you’re always going to a new place, which stops the typical dungeon crawling from feeling stale.

If you’re not familiar to The Mystery dungeon series, it is a Isometric grid turn-based dungeon crawler. Gates to infinity is no different. If you have played a previous installment and looking for a lot of new gameplay elements. You won’t find it here. Combat is mostly the same, you learn new moves as you level up, you can evolve, you can have many items at your disposal, and you can still recruit other Pokemon into your team.

Gates to infinity seems to focus on being an accessible pick up and play dungeon crawler, and it does this really well. You can easily breeze  through a side quest while on the go, even if you’re in one of the longer dungeons there is a quick save option for you to just pick it up later. However this accessibility seems to sacrifice depth. The combat’s simplicity is a blessing and a curse, never feels like it evolves over the course of the game. The changes you can make to team tactics are way to minimal, and while the dungeons are visually diverse, most of the time it feels like i’m wondering through hallways.

If you can ignore these problems and enjoy the combat, you have a big game in front of you. A main story taking roughly 20 – 30 hours, The ability to generate your own dungeons, side quests, and challenge quests are there for you. Then there is your base of operations called “Paradise” which is where you can clear land to build shops, mini-games, Raffles, dojos and a whole lot more to build a community out of all the Pokemon you have recruited throughout the game. While doing this through normal quests to get all the materials you need to accomplish this can take some time. It’s all worth it to see your community grow and even rewards you for it. With Nintendo finally embracing DLC there is even more content for you to discover if you’re looking for it.

The mystery dungeon series is back! While it doesn’t change much to the previous installments, it’s still an accessible dungeon crawler, if you don’t mind the repetition Gates to infinity is a great way to spend a good 20+ hours.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Fire Emblem Awakening” developers=”Intelligent Systems” publishers=”Nintendo” platforms=”3DS” release_date=”April 20th”]

Fire Emblem: Awakening puts you in the shoes of the typical Amnesiac protagonist in the Halidom of Ylisse. You are quickly paired with Chrom, the main protagonist of the story and prince of Ylisse. You find out that Ylisse is in more danger then it seems. Rising tension with the neighboring nation of Plegia, and undead like creatures called The Risen appearing all over the nation causing destruction. In what seems to be converging to a three way war. You vow to Chrom to fight along side him and his group of soldiers called “The Shepherds”  to ensure that the threat will be stopped. Doing whatever it takes to keep Ylisse and it’s people safe from harm.

While the plot isn’t all that exciting in the beginning, it does it’s job in keeping you interested from battle to battle. Until the point where the big plot twists start to happen. The star of the story by far, are the characters. All of the Shepherds have a distinct personality. None of them feel boring, or the same. They have their own insecurities, dreams, and quirks. All 43 of them.

The only gripe I have with the story is that the game tries to build up some obvious plot twists for far too long.  While these are only few and far between, they still don’t feel worth it when the twist is actually revealed.

I want to say one thing first. Play this game in 3D. In my opinion, Fire Emblem: Awakening has one of the best utilization of 3D on the platform so far.

The UI is detailed and provides all the information you need, while not obstructing all the beautiful diverse locations you visit. Everything from snow covered fortresses, to farmland in the woods. All are memorable due to the details and depth accentuated by the 3D.

The beautiful CG cut-scenes  smoke crawling in from the edges of the screen, The perilous drop of a ravine, and even the occasional bird flying across. All of these things are utilized. This is how SRPG’s visuals should be done on the 3DS, and I hope upcoming franchises take note. It really is something special.

Fire Emblem’s soundtrack matches it’s visuals. Superb. It does it’s job in helping the game convey the emotion it wants, the battle music adds a sense of desperation in a tight spot and the voice acting does great in bringing all of the characters to life. However, this is where my issue arises.

Everything in game isn’t fully voice acted. Which is fine, normally. Asides from the small bits that were recorded for important parts of the story, everything else is small voice samples, and when those voice samples don’t suit the situation going on, it throws you off. This may also be nitpicking, but it’s the only issue with the overall presentation I have.

Fire Emblem has been known as an SRPG series with a lot of depth. While the game does a lot to open it’s doors to newcomers, like adding a casual mode that removes character deaths. Veterans of the series will not be disappointed.

The gameplay is the typical SRPG affair. You have a group of soldiers that you move across a battlefield in turns to take down the enemy. Once you do that the battle is over. The special thing about this is the amount of customization goes into your team, and how that actually effects the game.

Everything from managing equipment on your team, to building a relationship between characters so that they are more effective in battle together. There is always something new to learn, but not so much that you feel like you’re being overloaded. The game does  an exceptional job at pacing these new mechanics and making sure you have all the information you need before, taking a turn and potentially getting a character killed. There is no better feeling than executing a plan and it going flawlessly.

The only problem that may arise while playing the game is up to the person playing. There is a lot of content to explore here. While this should be a good thing, and for me it is. However, if you just want to rush through the story missions to beat the game you may need to level up your characters quite a bit. This won’t be a problem for avid RPG gamers for the newcomers however, you might want to play on casual just to be safe.

This is how a strategy RPG should be done. Mechanics that constantly keep giving you something to learn, some of the best visuals on the system to date, heaps of content to keep you playing for hours, and combat that never feels old. If you’re an RPG fan Fire Emblem: Awakening is the game you buy a 3DS for. If you’re a casual gamer looking for a quick game to play. This may not be for you.

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