At PAX Australia, I had to opportunity to try out Just Dance 17, the latest instalment in the Just Dance series. When I say opportunity, I really mean that I went to seek out these booths so I could play the game.

Standing up there against three others, two of whom were Just Dance representatives because nobody else had the balls to get up there, we shook and shimmied to Justin Bieber’s smash hit ‘Sorry.’ Following the prompts on the bottom of the screen, we were made to drop, twirl, slide and glide. It’s straight forward and easy once you remember the order of the dance moves, as most songs usually have three to four sets of moves that repeat as the song goes on.The dance moves themselves aren’t particularly hard or intricate, but to score the points, you have to have perfect timing. I played on the Wii U version and found the response and tracking of my moves to be very accurate.

I then made my way through to the second Just Dance exhibit just to play again, and this time it was a 2 v 2 battle round to Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.” Just Dance 17 offers four modes of dance to play in: Single, Duo, Trio and Quadruple, for up to four players. It’s the perfect party game, really.

The visuals are great, providing a bright and whimsical backdrop that doesn’t distract you from your mission, and it really propels the game onto another level of engagement.

Some songs take the dance moves right out of the video clip, for example, Fifth Harmony’s hit ‘Worth It’ has various dance moves lifted right out of the official choreography performed by the band. Personally, this was a huge advantage for me as I was familiar with the dance moves prior to playing this level.The song list consists of 41 songs, taken from hits of today and the past. You’ll find a mixture of songs from DNCE’s 2015 hit “Cake By The Ocean”, to Queen’s classic “Don’t Stop Me Now.” You can also find hits from Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, PSY, and Sia to name a few.

A great thing about Just Dance 17 is that it comes with a 90 day pass to Just Dance Gold, a subscription to Just Dance Unlimited, which gives you access to every song in Just Dance history as well as a selection of songs only available through this service. You can renew this after your free period is up.

I then had the chance to play this at home on PS4, but because I don’t have the PlayStation Camera, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to play. Luckily, Ubisoft has created an accompanying free iPhone app that lets you use your phone as the controller when you play Just Dance 17! Connecting via the same Wi-Fi network, you can navigate the menu with your iPhone and then use it as the controller while you dance.

There are over 230 unlockable avatars that you obtain after every song you play, which adds for a nice touch for those who enjoy being rewarded for their hard efforts. The score you earn also gives you some coins to purchase unlockable songs. I’ve yet to delve deeper into the game, but the replay level is high as I constantly aim to hit five stars and unlock all the trophies.

My highest score so far is 9,800 on Selena Gomez’ “Love You Like A Love Song.”

CONCLUSION

Parents who complain that children spend too much time playing video games and not getting exercise will regret ever saying that if they purchase this game. You will be most definitely be sweating by the end of it. Just Dance 2016 is fun for the whole family, and I’d highly recommend it.

The PS4 version of this game was primarily used for the purpose of this review.

The post Just Dance 2017 Review – Fun For The Whole Family appeared first on Press Start.

Mario Color Splash is a clever, bubbly and often funny adventure that blends a few lightweight role-playing touches with platform and puzzle play. Thus the game features Mario, but unless you have seen any of the previous RPG epics, the play is quite different, often slower and delivers turn based combat.

In Color Splash Mario and his friends are transformed into a two-dimensional paper form and travel to an island called Port Prisma, a place made of paper, cardboard and paint. This last element, ‘paint’ is the lifeblood of all and you get to mess about with it heaps in the game, with often surprising results too.

The animation is really quite enchanting with ‘cut-out’ characters that look like walking stickers being central to the game’s story and graphic style. Indeed Color Splash looks like it has been lovingly made by a skilled artist working with scissors, glue, paper and cardboard. The impact is remarkable too and the way the unusual world can change and  be explored because it is made of paper is really clever.At times as a part of play you are encouraged to bend the cardboard, roll it or even cut it out, revealing some quite amazing surprises.

Sadly, despite all of the colour and charm things are pretty worrying in this seemingly bright and happy realm. A horde of hood wearing ruffians called Shy Guys have armed themselves with straws and are draining attacking the island by sucking the live giving colour out of everything and everyone they come across.

Thankfully Mario is able to take these minions and their larger masters on in a battle based adventure that uses the Wii U controller. He is also helped by a talking paint can and the fact that one of his weapons is a hammer that can cover areas with paint, bringing them back to life with splashes of colour.

The combat is cleverly integrated into play with great use (for once) made of the Wii U touchpad. Once into a battle, you must use the touch screen to pick from a deck of ‘attack cards’ and each of these conveys different bonuses.

There are jump attacks, allies you can call to help, hammers you can wield and even fireballs you can summon. These all have different effects and some attack types will be better suited to a particular foe, so there is room for strategic decisions here.

On top of this the game makes clever use of the Wii U controller’s touchpad in other ways too. You can use it to play a ‘paper rock scissors’ game for extra coins when you compete in ‘Roe Sham Bo’ tournaments. Plus, there will also be moments in the game when you can cut out sections of scenery and must trace a line along the image of the backdrop as presented on the touchpad. All of this stuff fits in with the art and craft theme in the game and makes for an adventure with plenty of charm and surprises.

Color Splash has a great sense of humour and while you have to read a fair bit when you meet various characters along the way, they often have oddball and amusing comments to make. There are plenty of hints too for you to glean when chatting to the various folk you come across.

The game employs plenty of carrot and stick inspiration to keep you moving forward with sub quests, new powers to learn and ‘paint stars’ to collect, which in turn signal the completion of an area and often access to new territory.

The only really significant chink in the armour that we could find is that the combat system is a little one-paced and battles can feel very similar. They also chew up tons of time, as you are often mobbed by roaming assailants, even when you revisit areas previously conquered.

Counter-balancing this is the way the game has the power to truly surprise you. There will be plenty of ‘oooh wow’ moments when the game world is transformed and sometimes sees the landscape literally turning itself inside out as the paper based nature of the environment is cleverly used pull of some quite amazing transformations.

The use of paint in the game is also inspired and almost every object is sopping wet with the stuff. All you need to do to access it is wack the scenery with a hammer. You’ll need to do this often, as you will need paint to supercharge your cards in battle as well as solve many of the puzzles the game throws your way.

CONCLUSION

Even though the Wii U may be edging towards the end of its life cycle, it is great to see a game that feels fresh and imaginative and has a sense of humour. Paper Mario Colour Splash has a strong sense of identity and blends some lightweight RPG elements with other adventuring tropes into a game that feels unique on the WiiU roster. The game may require some patience, but once you persevere you will likely be hooked.

The post Paper Mario: Color Splash Review – Fresh and Imaginative appeared first on Press Start.

So, those of you who haven’t heard much about this game, might not know that the latest toys come to life offering isn’t content with just letting you develop and arm your Skylanders with all sorts of wacky skills and items.

No, this time around you can create your own Skylanders using the power of this stuff called ‘Imaginite’. Instead of merely offering you toy characters to plonk on your new portal (once again supplied with the game), this time around Skylanders Imaginators arms you with Imaginite based ‘Creation Crystals’, which you can use to make your own unique Skylanders. The crystals glow when placed on the toy portal and look a little like coloured egg timers. They come in different flavours, reflecting the core natural domains common to the series.

You also get a new type of character, the ‘Sensei’, to play with and you must head off into the gameworld and battle that persistent pest, Kaos. Naturally, the littlest big bad guy has a few fresh tricks up his sleeve too and has managed to use the same sort of magic that you now have access to, to conjure up unheard of foes, called Doomlanders.

There is plenty of intense combat and lots of cheesy one-liners from Kaos, with his deadpan sidekick Glumshanks still in tow. Plus, there is puzzle play aplenty, platforming action and racing too. What an absolute smorgasbord of ‘Skylandery greatness’, as Flynn, who has also returned, would say. There is a lot to like and much to do apart from the familiar cocktail of exploration and combat.

There is even rail riding challenges, a juke box you must tune to obtain gold, the odd spot where you can take ‘selfie’ images of your Skylanders for extra treasure, and a snail you must race for extra Imaginite crystals. It is like the developers reached a critical mass with a good group of mini games and then decided to double down and make even more, as the selection is superb.

All of these minigames have one very welcome reward. You get chests that, once opened, yield extra Imaginite. This substance can then be smashed and turns into cool bonus items. This system is quite different to the coin based reward dynamic we have been used to with previous games and to be honest it kind of makes the coins you do earn feel redundant. But hey it’s all treasure, so it is hard to complain.

One slight design change I personally don’t like, is the way you can so easily and instantly from anywhere open the ‘upgrade’ menu and purchase new powers. This cheapens the experience, as you can upgrade your characters as soon as you have the readies. Having to travel to an upgrade shrine during the game or schlep back to town like we had to in older games feels like a better design approach, as it means you treasure the upgrade process more.

That said, there are tons of upgrade options and it is still fun to pump your characters up, even if it is a little too easy to do so quickly.

If you thought the visuals in Superchargers were varied and colourful, you’ll be impressed by how much better Imaginators looks. The game is bursting with bright effects, colourful, varied architecture and wacky backdrops.

There are also new elements like Sensei Shrines that give you access to extremely desirable special attack moves. However, these moves are unique to a particular Sensei and can only be taught to an Imaginator ‘student’ from the same battle class. Thus, you are given motivation to buy all of the Sensei toys and Creation Crystals sold separately. This may not please everyone, especially those on a budget.

Also, using the Creation Crystal, the character creation aspect of the game is hugely satisfying with a massive array of classes, apparel options, voices, catchphrases, theme tunes and special attacks on offer.

Making your own characters and choosing how they look, how they sound and how they fight is immensely rewarding. There are some mighty oddball options too.

Watermelon shoulder pads and coconut helmets are just the start of how silly and creative you can be. It is slightly annoying how you must keep a particular character configuration once you have created it using a Crystal. These toys cannot be ‘reset’ like other Skylander figures.

That said, replacement crystals are only ten bucks and you can make an army of truly weird and wonderful warriors that reflect your own twisted ideas. Indeed as long as you buy into the need to purchase the toys there is a lot of (admittedly pricey) fun to be had building your collection.

Imaginators isn’t entirely perfect though. At times I did find the controls on the rail grinding sections lacked the precision required to easily leap from track to track. Also the racing bonus levels did see you occasionally get frustratingly stuck in the scenery.

However, for the most part the action is superb. The combat is chaotic with special moves and magical attacks firing off all over the place and as long as you keep moving and attacking you can generally do well even on the hardest difficulty level.

The way the Imaginators pushes the need to spend real world money to buy toys and other trinkets on you, with adverts that pop up during loading screens, is also a minor blemish.

CONCLUSION

Skylanders Imaginators manages to do the seemingly impossible. Not only does it breath life into a franchise that has always demanded fresh innovation with every release, but the game delivers fun for kids and older players alike. Imaginators adds new character customisation and creation dynamics to the already familiar formula of combat, exploration and puzzle solving.

If you are stuck for something to grab for a pre-teen gamer this Yuletide, and they don’t have the game already, Imaginators is a safe bet that will please most.

The Xbox One version of this game was used for the purpose of this review.

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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.

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The Wii U version of Pokken Tournament was primarily tested for the purpose of this review.

Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company have pooled their combined resources and talents to bring Nintendo fans a taste of something different. A Tekken influenced Pokémon combat game. As the player, you pit your Pokémon against another in the best of a three round match up to determine the best combatant on the day. As you gain experience you level your Pokémon up and increase your reputation to become the best trainer of the Ferrum region.Taking all the flare and jazz of any typical fighting game and incorporating them into Pokkén was always going to happen. Your pocket monster bursts on the scene with an insane amount of charisma and flair (including some very odd grunts and groans) and is not only equally matched by his opponent but also the surrounding arena.

The first time I found myself actively thinking about this games presentation was at the beginning of my first match and the game was introducing the level that was about to become my battleground. It was a volcanic themed stage and the vibrant colours that formed the pools of lava and embers were remarkable to watch. All the stages have the feel of them being a living and breathing arena and I think was something that has captured the Pokémon spirit without flaw of recreating epic battles through the use of the environment.The amount of detail in this game is marvellous, I have seen things that I haven’t seen before and will never forget like the pointed bodily organ that sits between Blaziken’s legs? The first time that breezed across my screen is surely something I didn’t expect to see.

In all seriousness though, the Pokémon have stayed very true their source material in terms of appearance. When you activate your Pokémon’s synergy attack though each and every one is a sight to be seen, outer planet attacks, thrashing combos with intense bolts of lighting and streams of fire bursting at the seams. Once activated each match is a visual treat to be a part of.

The games HUD during battle is very well structured considering the amount of things that are being fit into the screen. Health, Synergy, assists, avatar plus details and match time all fit in there and are easily to be quickly seen on the fly and didn’t clutter your game space.I love Pokémon; I have been a trainer all my life and love to share a journey with my companions. I also love Tekken; Tekken has solved just about every argument that my brother and I have ever had. Combining them sounds like a great idea to me, right?

Initially I couldn’t have been more wrong, my first half hour or so into the game I was regretting every single second of it. The painfully read script of your guide, Nia and her agonizingly slow tutorials and the long mundane explanations of everything, absolutely everything. For a game that has such a simple formula, pick a Pokémon and fight with it, why did it need to take so long to dance around everything else?Thankfully though once I was left to do my own thing the game really opened up. I could pick one of the 16 Pokémon to go practice with. I found competitive and friendly online matches in an instant and were absolutely lag free. A lag free match, I was so happy! I was able to scan up to 5 Amiibo daily to claim rewards. These rewards are usually cosmetic but can also be in game money to purchase a desired cosmetic item. At the beginning of your experience you will choose certain things about your avatar that identify them as you and unlock the rest of the options as you progress. These customisations are absolutely anything from different hats, scarfs, jackets, background or taglines and quotes. With the tag lines and quotes I found myself having a chuckle to myself. I identified myself to be a “Grappler” and each match was able to ask my opponent “Do you mind if I tear things up?” none of this is essential to the game but adds a bit of humour and makes it a good reflection of you, if you chose to do so.

Concluding each battle you are ranked on your Offensive, Defensive, Skill and Bonus out of 5 and are paid handsomely with in game money and experience for your Pokémon for how you went. The in game money is used to purchase the cosmetic items previously mentioned. As you gain experience your Pokémon levels up and becomes stronger just like in any traditional Pokémon game. This idea though does introduce a lot of replay ability to the game and provides enough motivation to switch around Pokémon until you find what character you want to main with.Now the battles, that’s what we are all here to talk about. Matches are fast and intense as you anticipate your opponent’s movements all the while trying to formulate your own tactics that will see you the victor. Each of the 16 Pokémon specialises in one of the following; Technical, Powerful, Standard or Speed attacks. Certainly all the combatants are capable of a bit of everything but do lean towards one more than the others. As you successfully land repetitive attacks you will switch phases from Field Phase where you can move around quickly and freely in a three dimensional plain to Duel Phase a close quarters 2D fighting plain where you and your opponent deal some serious damage.

Although labelled as a fighter, I feel it is more of a glorified brawler with a very mild need to be able to recite combos, even flirting with button mashing territory. This makes it more than accessible for new comers to the genre or someone looking to experience Pokémon in a different way.

Throughout your battle you will charge what is called Assist Pokémon, currently there are around a dozen pairs of assist Pokémon that offer different types of benefits as you battle. Some can disorientate, heal you or deal area damage. While they do assist you ever so slightly, I just saw the feature as a way to include more Pokémon to the experience.The Synergy gauge is the be all and end all of a Pokkén battle. As you deal or take damage your synergy level rises, once it has maxed out you can activate it to unleash a series of devastating blows to your opponent and finish them off with an outrageous finishing move unique to your Pokémon.

My only other real grief with this game is the lack of selection to the fighters. There are around 720 or so Pokémon and Pokkén has 16 fighters two of which have doubles, Pikachu, Pikachu Libre, Mewtwo and Shadow Mewtwo. I think that these could easily have been simple costume swaps to cover this opening the gates for two more Pokémon at launch but likely we will have to wait for DLC characters to fill that void. Here is to hoping for Blastoise!After my shaky start with the painful tutorial I wasn’t sure I could come back from it but after my first few matches with my pick of the 16 selectable Pokémon and working the finer details out of each I was having a blast. I even found myself utilising the off screen gameplay feature of the Gamepad to play while I was cooking dinner, making this game great for short bursts and on the fly gaming. The easily accessible controls open the game up to fans from either side of the road with some great visuals and excellent online multiplayer. Just about anyone who partakes in a few matches of Pokkén Tournament isn’t going to regret it. We just need some more characters to use.

The post Pokken Tournament Review appeared first on Press Start.

The Wii U version of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD was primarily tested for the purpose of this review.

A high definition remake of one of the most successful games of the series. Marking the games 10 year anniversary and the series 30^th. The third release of the game sees not only some pretty textures thrown in but also a lot of fine-tuning to the gameplay.“Tell me… Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?” Twilight Princess is the story of a young man named Link as he answers his call to heroism to save the land of Hyrule. Although that sentence can be aptly applied to just about all his adventures (minus the ones where he isn’t in Hyrule of course) this time around however Hyrule is at the mercy of the Twilight realm and its shadowy leader Zant. This mysterious force has shrouded the land in darkness and isolated its citizens in a never-ending dusk that only Link can end with the aid of his mysterious companion, Midna. Link must master his destiny, hone his skills and overcome the Twilight if he wishes to save Hyrule.Obviously this game being a HD remake anyone and everyone is expecting the visuals to absolutely pop out at you and they do, without a shadow of a doubt (Twilight punsJ). However, what makes them pop so much is the comparison in this remake to its originals. The games title has “Twilight” in it, obviously from this you would expect it to be darker toned and eerily oppressive as the darkness consumed your gaming experience and for the original it captured that feeling marvellously. With the release of the HD counterpart is has raised the bar even further. The shadow lands are grim, barren and desolate making you feel isolated with the weight of your adventure certainly a heavy burden for you to shoulder.In contrast though once twilight area has been cleared the life and warmth that engrosses the area is bursting at the seams in vibrant colours from splashing crystal clear water to rustling tree branches. A feeling and sight that I feel the previous releases weren’t capable of with their respective consoles technical limitations. Of course accompanying you on your adventure is that familiar soundtrack that can only be identifiable as part of the Zelda franchise.

The sounds are enhanced versions of their original MIDI file format, personally I would have loved an orchestral overhaul but what we have now more than certainly fits the bill. These tunes are still just as inspirational and empowering as they have ever been adding to the epic feeling of your adventure.Comparing to the originals the HD remake remains pretty well unchanged you are still solving puzzles and fighting for your life in epic battles. What Nintendo and Tantalus have done however is essentially smooth out a few of the rougher edges from the original. The tedious tears of light collecting segments have been sped up by collecting fewer fragments and now as opposed to talking to Midna then electing to turn into your wolf form you can now do it at the press of a button. Collecting rupees is much easier with a larger wallet to begin with and collecting Poe souls is a breeze with a special item that helps narrow down their locations. Whilst these aren’t huge changes the little improvements certainly do build upon the grander experience.That is not to say that this game is without its flaws however. I consistently feel that Link and by extension his wolf form’s movements are incredibly robotic or even blocky and fail to move and interact fluently with the environment as you would expect a main character to do so in this day and age of gaming. The same notion is even more applicable when you are required to do some more accurate movements with Link’s horse Epona. The movement system feels like it certainly was a feature that was left in the last generation. Although they are not deal breakers they certainly do break any and all immersion I had with the experience when you place it up against such a beautifully rendered world.

Nintendo and Tantalus have incorporated a wealth of features into the game that can only be accommodated to the Wii U console. The incorporation of the Gamepad control is a blessing to the game as you can easily manage your inventory on the fly and quickly refer to the map without too much stoppage in the game play. Cashing in on the Amiibo craze was a no brainer from Nintendo as 6 Amiibo are functional with this game. The two Link variations refill your arrow count and the Zelda and Sheik Amiibo refill your health, keep in mind though that these can only be used once a day. The Gannondorf Amiibo is used to absolutely ruin your day and turn a grand old adventure in Hyrule to what I now refer to as Dark Hyrule (A hybrid of Dark Souls and Zelda, it also fits in nicely given the Twilight theme). Applying the Amiibo increases the incoming damage you receive by to two times the normal level and up to four times when completing Hero mode. Hero mode is essentially a mirrored (Wii map) tougher version of the game and can be chosen to participate in from the very start.The trophy for the game however is the Wolf Link Amiibo. Using this Amiibo opens a gauntlet challenge known as the Cave of Shadows. You must complete each stage using only your Wolf Link form working your way through 40 odd levels of gruesome combat challenges.

As everyone has come to know and love of the series, the dungeons are challenging, their respective themes hit a home run without becoming over bearing or fatiguing to the player. What battles any fatigue or repetition at all with this game though is its excellent story driven chapters between dungeons, something that no other Zelda game is yet to replicate as well in any following game, at least in my opinion anyway.Although Twilight Princess isn’t the Zelda game that everyone has their eyes on this year it certainly was a welcome surprise when it was announced. A decade year old game that is revered as one of the best-selling games for the Wii/GameCube and holding the title for many of gamer as their favourite title of the series. The logic is there for the remake and thankfully Nintendo and Tantalus took the ball and ran with it with a crisp and well executed remaster that remains more than faithful the original by keeping the remaster simple yet incorporating a slew of new tools to keep things fresh, fun and smooth. I couldn’t recommend this game enough, whether you are a series fan or taking your first steps in the land of Hyrule. Do not miss out on this adventure.

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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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Super Mario Maker doesn’t have a story per se – but rather is a creation tool. It is more or less a storied celebration of the franchises 30 year anniversary. Players can both create and play courses, designed by other players or even themselves, using heaps of different items, enemies and power-ups.

There’s not a lot more to it, and while it sounds ridiculously simple (and it is) there are some great things you’ll be able to do with Super Mario Maker regardless of how creative you might be. The important thing to remember with Super Mario Maker is that it’s appeal is going to be different for everybody.

For the platformer enthusiast – it represents the potential for an endless amount of Mario courses to play through. For the more creative and artistic types – it provides a wide and largely intuitive game creation tool like no other. But whether you play or create, Super Mario Maker is great fun.Super Mario Maker brings is presented in a typical Nintendo fashion. Menus and the interface are clean cut and easy to browse for anyone of any skill level. A testament to the idea that it’s bringing together thirty years of Mario, the game also brings together four very distinct visual styles from different eras throughout the franchise. The most recent ones – from New Super Mario Bros. U still looks as clean as ever. The older ones, on the other hand, look brilliant too! We’re not sure if Nintendo have touched them up but they look bright and crisp especially in full high definition.The soundtrack is similarly designed around a collective sense of nostalgia. All your favourite tunes and themes from the series are more than likely here, with some rearrangements here and there to keep things fresh especially during the segments where you modify the courses. It’s a simple design choice but one that really separates creating from playing. Similarly, and more admirably, every custom character you unlock via amiibo or otherwise also has their voice clips fully intact from whichever game or series they hail from, which is something Nintendo didn’t really need to do but did. And these small details definitely make the game better for it.For a product like Super Mario Maker it’s really hard to discuss the story (of which, there really is none) and the presentation (which is fantastic) but one thing where Super Mario Maker really shines is in how it plays. As mentioned previously Super Mario Maker has both “Play” and “Create” modes that ensure it will appeal to most fans of platforming games.

As you’d expect from the name of the game, the crux of the experience is built around creating levels and modifying existing ones. What really took me by surprise is just how intuitive the creation tools are and how versatile they are. They definitely don’t have the creative depth that games like LittleBigPlanet might’ve had in their heyday, but they are probably the easiest “game creating” tools I’ve ever used in a video game. With the tap of an icon and the drag of a stylus most enemies and items can be placed on a course with minimal worries.One particular facet of the creation system that is just amazing is how you can customise already existing parts of the game in ways that you wouldn’t have even seen in the Mario games proper. Placing a Bullet Bill launcher in a level, for example, is easy. But dragging a Fire Flower or a Star inside of it means that in your level, that launcher will fire those things rather than the typical Bullet Bills. It really is that easy.

Rather than having Lakitu throw Spiny Eggs at the player, he can throw Cheep Cheep or other collectibles. Heck, shake Lakitu with the stylus and you can spawn him into the course without his cloud. It’s a very simple mechanic that can change the way a course plays or subvert players’ expectations dramatically. As another brief example, you can attach wings to almost anything and see the results pan out in real time. You can put anything in a pipe and watch it infinitely respawn in the level. The possibilities probably aren’t really all that endless, but Super Mario Maker does make you feel like they are.Additionally, to satiate the most hardcore of fans, there is a style system in place that allows players to select which style of Mario game they’ll be creating, as well as which type of level they’re creating. The Game Styles are Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U – each of which has its own unique look and music.

It’s a really nifty feature to be able to just switch between these and watch your entire course be modernised or devolved with the touch of the stylus and it comes with some gameplay changes too – including the physics and other idiosyncrasies that might come with that play style.Some elements are exclusive to each Game Style – for example Yoshi won’t appear in the Super Mario Bros. style but will be replaced by Goomba’s Shoe instead. But beyond the Game Styles there are also Course Styles which alter the setting of the level. Ground is your standard course. Underground is, as you’d expect, underground – much like the second level of Super Mario Bros.

Underwater, Ghost House, Castle and Airship are all fairly self-explanatory. They’re all aesthetic choices, of course, but this variety allows players to construct what can become essentially an entire Mario game. Underwater is especially fun and an outlier here as a course you’ve built can be fundamentally changed with the tape of a button – due to different enemy behaviours when they’re in the water.There are a slew of other options as well which gives players more choices in how they craft their courses. You can make them static, left-to-right courses. You can make them scrolling ones – similar to how Airships played out in previous Mario games – with up to three different levels of speed. You can even change the timer itself if you want players to take their time exploring a level or complete it quicker than normal. The choice is yours with what you want to do and how you want to do it.

The way that all of these creation tools and options come together is truly remarkable. Within seconds you can be playing a level you created and within seconds you can be back to editing it without any hassles or load times. It’s a truly seamless experience. Similarly, other tools like seeing a trail of Mario during levels can help more meticulous designers fine-tune their courses to play and flow however they want. Dare we say it – there’s enough variety and versatility here to create more open ended, multiple pathed Mario courses. Something I never thought we’d see.There are a few issues with the creation tools, however, that we would be remiss to ignore. Firstly, the rather obvious omission is that players cannot use the tools to create sloped terrain across any of the course styles. It’s not a huge deal, but it can mean there’s a slight homogeneity to the variety of levels available for the game. Similarly, there’s no way to implement checkpoints for those who might want to make a slightly longer level with more challenge. There were some issues with how content was unlocked across multiple days, but thankfully, at the time of writing, this has been rectified with an online update.

Another issue which will definitely be a subjective one is that there is no way to formally link levels together to create worlds or a conclusive game. As mentioned previously, you can definitely create these levels with a natural set of progression in mind but there’s no way to play them from one round to another. By design, this almost negates the whole role of coins and lives, but is also a feature that could’ve made Super Mario Maker truly amazing. Then again, maybe Nintendo doesn’t want us cutting their mustard.The other half of the Super Mario Maker experience is obviously the Course Land, where players can upload their courses, download others and participate in certain challenges that shuffle randomly selected courses from the Miiverse (or Nintendo Network) and requires players to complete them with a certain amount of lives. It’s a nice touch, especially for those who aren’t really interested in creating themselves. Those without an online connection can also enjoy the sample courses on the disc, but we really recommend getting your Wii U online for this experience.

As with any other game where user created content is rampant, Super Mario Maker’s moderation is key to its success. At the time of writing most of the courses were pretty great, while others were quite clearly “test” ones that posed no challenge. The success of Super Mario Maker as a package, in terms of longevity, is just how long the community keeps creating quality content for the game. And hopefully the ratings system will do a good job at weeding out the average stages from the sensational ones. For those with fears of impossible courses appearing during the challenge modes – fear not – as creators must complete the course themselves before being able to upload it. A simple caveat, but an important one.Super Mario Maker isn’t something I necessarily thought that I’d want to play but after spending some serious time with it I’m happy to say I’m almost in love with it. The simplicity of creating is bound to appeal to people who might’ve been scared off by more complicated tools in other games and SDKs. The versatility of these tools is even more so ingenious. It’s almost as if Nintendo have finally found the killer app for their Gamepad after all these years – because honestly without it Super Mario Maker wouldn’t be as fun and intuitive as an experience as it is.

There are a few minor gripes I have with the creation tools – namely there are some minor limitations (for reasons unknown) that might leave some players feeling a bit disappointed. But most of these are niggles and nitpicks that it’s hard to fault Super Mario Maker for. Creative or not, you’ll still have some fun with Super Mario Maker. Heck, I never considered myself creative in this way but Super Mario Maker has me coming back for more. It’ll be exciting to see what the community will come up with in the many months to come. A unique and fantastic experience.

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?Disney Infinity 3.0 is the third instalment in Disney’s popular toys-to-life franchise. Whilst the first game focused on Disney properties, second focused largely on Marvel properties, Disney 3.0’s branding relies heavily on the holy-grail of the entertainment industry, Star Wars. From the onset of the game, Star Wars fans will feel right at home with many minor touches placed throughout Disney Infinity 3.0s many game modes. Avalanche Software have decided to include one play set with the game this time around. The Twilight of the Republic is set after the events of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. Without revealing too much of this brilliant original story, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano (Both included in the Starter Kit) find themselves in a Droid factory on planet Geonosis. The story will take you on a journey to find out who has reactivated the droid army in order to save the day.

The world is filled with a wealth of Star Wars lore which are evident throughout the incredible amount of side missions and NPCs which are placed throughout each planet. You can expect to come across fan favourites such as Jabba the Hutt, Mace Windu and of course, the incredibly evil Darth Maul.

If i’m being completely honest, the presentation is always what has stopped this series from being a masterpiece. Load times were all over the place, parts of the game felt unintuitive and assets felt reused and repetitive. I’m glad to report that this is no longer the case with Disney Infinity 3.0. Straight off the bat you’ll realise that load times have been drastically improved. Everything from loading into play sets, exiting in and out of toy box worlds and even characters appearing in-game once placed on the base feels smoother and quicker. It no longer feels like a chore to quickly zip around the many amazing modes that Disney Infinity has to offer.

?One of my greatest fears when Star Wars was revealed as the featured universe of Disney Infinity 3.0 was that Avalanche would have trouble bringing the art style of many Disney/Marvel properties together with Star Wars successfully. It quickly became apparently once stepping foot in the brand new Hub that this wasn’t an issue at all. I actually feel like the Star Wars characters & environments have been given a new life with their over stylised new designs. Not to mention, the figures are absolutely incredible. I can’t help but feel that they feature even more detail and polish than ever before. The Disney Originals in 3.0 feature a great selection with classics such as Mickey and fan-favourites from newer Disney movies such as Sam & Quorra. For me, Star Wars is nothing without it’s soundtrack and sound effects. Within seconds of the game starting up, you’ll feel right at home with signatures swoops of the lightsabres and the brilliant orchestral store that you’ve come to love over the past 30 years. This game really is the ultimate hype builder for The Force Awakens.

Disney Infinity has always provided boasted an infinite variety of ways to play but Disney Infinity 3.0 really delivers on the promise. I’d recommend starting out in the brand-new Toy Box Hub in which a bunch of recognisable characters will teach you everything that you need to know to make the most of Disney Infinity’s multitude of play styles. You can go through tutorials for flying air-based vehicles, learn about toy boxes or just run around and level your character up by taking on enemies that will randomly appear throughout the Hub. The Toy Box Hub really works to bring everything together into one polished package.

?The biggest improvement of Disney Infinity 3.0 is the combat. In previous games it always was enjoyable yet felt somewhat clunky but Ninja Theory have done an incredible job with making you feel that there is a certain level of skill required in order to pull off the biggest combos. This goes a long way in the included Twilight of the Republic play set. As mentioned above, it follows a unique story which any Star Wars fan will appreciate. You’re able to use the included Anakin or Ahsoka to battle your way through the planets or you can purchase Yoda, Obi-Wan and even Darth Maul. This is easily the best play set that Disney Infinity have offered up. The world feels full of life and actually provides you a reason to explore every nook and cranny. Even the side missions, whilst aimed at the younger demographic, are a blast to play through. I’d recommend turning the difficulty up to Hard to challenge yourself. One of the new combat abilities that you can level up are Force Finishers which allow you to pull off a certain force related special move if you time it perfectly. This is one of the many combat improvements that will make the game enjoyable for hardcore gamers. The play set is broken up into combat based missions, vehicle bases missions and intergalactic missions which are all equally fun. It can get repetitive at times, but it’s the perfect length and never outstays it’s welcome. 

Inside Out is the other play set that is launching alongside the game. Whilst I wasn’t able to get my hands on it in time for this review, I can confidently say that it is equally fun and provides a completely different experience to that of Star Wars play set. There is also a Rise of the Empire play set coming next month which focuses on key moments from the original Star Wars trilogy. In Disney Infinity 3.0 community features have been even further enhanced to ensure that accessing the latest and greatest Toy Boxes is incredibly intuitive for the most entry-level of players. Flynn’s Arcade will match you with three other online gamers instantly in order to go head-to-head in competitive Toy Boxes. The El Capitan will provide featured Toy Boxes that you shouldn’t miss.

Disney Infinity 2.0 went a long way in providing even more possibilities within the Toy Box. Disney Infinity 3.0 works in improving this even further with the biggest addition being the brand new Path Creator. This allows you to create paths for vehicles, enemies and other objects which allow you to create your own set pieces. Avalanche have also included a Music Note Creator which allows you to create your own music. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the brand new Toy Dispenser allows you to quickly access toys from various Disney properties. ?Another major addition to Disney Infinity 3.0 are the new Toy Box Games. So far two have been announced in the form of Toy Box Takeover & Toy Box Speedway. Both will be available in October with Toy Box Takeover being included as a preorder bonus at EB Games. Toy Box Takeover focuses on different franchise from the Disney, Marvel & Star Wars universe in a world where Syndrome from The Incredibles has stolen the Infinity Wand and has used it to create several new worlds. The game is a dungeon crawler where your task is to obliterate any randomly generated areas who cross your path. Toy Box Speedway has been created by Sumo Digital and is a kart racer far beyond any of the vehicle based Toy Boxes that have been included in Disney Infinity to date. Power discs are now sold in packs of four which is greatly preferred to the blind packs of two. 

It’s hard to mention Toy Box Games without mentioning Sidekicks which are new and improved in Disney Infinity 3.0. Sidekicks are lesser known characters from Disney properties that follow you around in the Toy Box/Toy Box Games. They are now able to be levelled up, mainly through the use of farming. You’re able to set your Sidekicks to work on a crop in order to grow vegetables which in turn, you’re able to feed them and help them level up or equip them with new abilities. It’s a great addition to the franchise and one that I found myself sinking a bunch of time into. 

Disney Infinity 3.0 is the game that i’ve been waiting for since toys-to-life came to fruition a few years ago. It is a complete and polished package that genuinely has something for hardcore and casual gamers alike, young and old. It is better than Disney Infinity 2.0 in almost every way and brilliantly celebrates all things Disney, Marvel and Star Wars.

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Most of us (if not all of us) will be familiar with the classic Jurassic Park story. A theme park compiled of genetically engineered dinosaurs where all things go awry; what’s not to love? LEGO® Jurassic World takes the approach of most franchise-based LEGO® games where the story told is an abridged version of the events throughout all of the films, which in this case also includes the new Jurassic World, which opened in theaters last week. But in the case of this game, does it hurt any of the material involved that’s been abridged? Yes and no.The charm of the Lego games is that it tells more humorous versions of the stories it adapts, but Jurassic World may be one of the most in-depth adaptions that the brand has attempted so far. Tonally the story is much more lighthearted than its theatrical counterparts, but it still tries to create some of the tension with a more friendly tone, which thanks to the art-style and overall take on the story itself is quite successful within it’s own context, but certain most darker-in-tone sequences from the films take a beating when it comes to delivery. This is mostly due to the fact that the game obviously wants to shy away from certain acts of violence and demise, which normally isn’t a bad thing within the LEGO® brand, but the fact that some of these moments were so iconic in the films themselves make it a shame that they’ve changed so much when it comes to structure, delivery and outcome. The formula Warner/TT Games have been using when it comes to humor and such may be showing fatigue though, which is possibly due to the fact that the brand has become quite over-saturated when it comes to the amount of released titles in recent memory. There are certain parts of the Jurassic Park/World brand that are simply more suited for the transition than others, and whilst the package overall is quite good, fans may be a little underwhelmed throughout.So what’s it look like? Well based on the overflow of LEGO® games in recent history we’ve grown pretty accustomed to the visual presentation that the LEGO®-based games have brought us. But with every property comes a different challenge, and with each title you’ve got to find a way to properly showcase something familiar, yet showcase it in an entirely different light, which is what TT Games has always been fairly skilled at and Jurassic World is no exception when speaking about their great track record. Some of the areas do have a distinctively more realistic look than we’re used to when it comes to the games within this brand, but the distinctive style always shines through in a well-done manner.

On a technical front LEGO® Jurassic World is pretty much the same as we’re used to from the other LEGO® games when it comes to graphical fidelity and performance. Textures on the actual LEGO objects are pretty sharp, though more natural elements range from ok to good when it comes to sharpness and detail. Elements such as grass don’t always come out as well as the more artificial objects, and backgrounds are sometimes a bit more blurry than probably intended. As a graphical package overall it doesn’t get any worse or better than other recent LEGO titles.Animations seem as fluid as ever, though motion blur may seem a bit exaggerated at times. (This feature is optional in the PC version, and in some of my walkthroughs performance did seem to pick up with the feature disabled.) There really isn’t much that stands out that I’d have to note, though I must say performance on lower-end machines did seem better than expected. Console users should experience similar positive experiences depending on their platform.

There aren’t any remarks regarding the sound design, though the musical score is a department where LEGO® Jurassic World is severely lacking. Due to the limited amount of licensed tracks from the films the game seems to limit itself to the small selection of songs quite frequently, backing it up with an original score that just doesn’t seem to do the trick, not only in comparison to the scores of the original films, but within its own right. The result is a musical score that quickly falls into repetitiveness as the game goes on, constantly falling back on the same themes.On a more positive front, the game seems to fare much better when it comes to gameplay, though content is much more limited. The game isn’t necessarily that much different than other LEGO games when it comes to gameplay, but it just works for what it is. General exploration, combat and such are genuinely fun, and given the fact that we’ve got 4 movies and 2 parks to explore the game could easily last you 12 hours, depending on your play-style. It does however raise one serious question; do we really need so many games of the same brand with similar styles of gameplay?Not to say that the game’s gameplay isn’t solid, because it is. The clear problem though is the fact unless you’ve limited yourself to LEGO® Jurassic World, you’ve most likely experienced something similar in structure about a few months ago with the last LEGO®-based title. This fatigue may be more apparent for returning players though, as newcomers and Jurassic Park/World fans could easily be delighted by the package the game offers.

The structure of the game is pretty simple; the game is set-up in a hub world (or in this case, technically two), through which the story levels are spread out through the map. Players progress through exploration, though the game does set you on a clear path to avoid confusion. The main levels usually consist of general exploration, combat, puzzles and chase sequences, which are based around the key sequences of the films, though obviously sometimes a little looser in interpretation for gameplay purposes. In the case of Jurassic World, you’ll also get to unlock and create dinosaurs, which adds a nice new dynamic to the mix.Most of the gameplay ranges from solid to good, though certain encounters seem a bit uninspired and more like filler material, which causes some pacing issues. Post-story content is another story though, as we’re also given a lot less motivation to actually complete what there is of it. The problem with the cast of the game is that there are simply less characters that players would actually pursuit to unlock. Games such as Marvel, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean and such offer iconic characters that players actively pursuit to unlock, but with Jurassic World there aren’t many characters that are instantly recognisable or classics (a lot of the cast of the second and third movies come to mind), which offers players a lot less reward. Post-game content is also more limited, which puts a lot of the characters behind replays of the story levels, which honestly isn’t that fun.Jurassic World is obviously a great theme to pursuit when creating a game in this genre, though whereas the game has its moments to shine it more often stumbles. Fans of the movies and returning players who want some more to play should have a decent time with LEGO® Jurassic World, but it is definitely one of the weaker instalments in the LEGO® franchise.

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Splatoon was conceptualised by Shintaro Sato who created a generic 4-v-4 paint-based territory control game. The barebones idea was quickly expanded and turned into Splatoon. The game quickly became one of the most original IPs in recent Nintendo history. There isn’t a ton of backstory in Splatoon which I definitely didn’t have an issue with. The single player campaign is based around players rescuing great Zapfish, which are Inkopolis’s source of power. Players control Inklings in either a boy or girl form. They can transform from human to squid form which adds possibility for future games.Visually, Splatoon is the most exciting game that i’ve played this year. The over-stylised world is alive with different objects that change depending on how covered in paint they are. The character design is exceptional. Everything feels like it belongs in the world of Inkopolis whilst still remaining fresh throughout the whole campaign.The music throughout the game is incredibly catchy and suits the frantic nature of the gameplay perfectly. The sound effects are equally as awesome. Everything from a ink-gun firing to your squid diving into ink is extremely well thought out and adds to the overall fun experience that is Splatoon.I’ll be honest in saying that I didn’t know a whole lot about Splatoon before I started playing it. I always had the misconception of it being an online only shooter that was cashing in on the recent trend of online only shooters. Upon booting up Splatoon, it’s clear that you’re going to be in for an absolute treat. The over-stylised nature of the game beginning with hosts of an apparent TV series if just the beginning of many whacky things to come.

At the forefront, Splatoon is a team-based third-person shooter that is played out in teams of four. You control an inkling who has the ability to change from human to squid on the fly. The main objective of the online components is to cover as much ground as possible with ink. As a human, you can shoot ink all over the map or take aim at other inklings to kill them. As a squid you’re able to quickly travel through your own ink. This allows you to not only hide from enemies, but replenish your ink ammo.

The beauty of Splatoon is the fact that it’s incredibly easy for anybody of any age to pick up and have a great time. Thankfully, there is a lot more to the game if you’d like to play competitively. To be successful in this game, use of the Gamepad is almost necessary. The gamepad shows you exactly how much ground you’ve covered and also allows you to jump to any other player on your team to assist them in covering as much ground as possible with your ink.

Inklings have a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and a special weapon. You’re able to purchase certain combinations based on level requirement with the use of coins. Your primary weapon ranges anywhere from a paint roller to a rifle. Secondary weapons consist of items such as bombs and grenades. Your special weapon which can be activated after covering a certain amount of ground with your ink allows you to activate a shield or enemy detector.This is fleshed out even further with the use of customisable clothing. At first, it seems like these are pointless items that change the look of your inkling, but upon further inspection they actually change some pretty important stats. This ranges anywhere from changing the amount of ink that your main weapon consumes or helping you respawn quicker.

There are essentially two online modes in Splatoon. You’re forced to start out in the Regular Battle arena. This is where you learn the basics, earn cash and find your perfect combination. Once you’ve levelled up to level 10, you’re able to take part in Ranked Battles. The game uses a ranking system that ranges from C- to A+ and will change depending on consecutive wins and losses. Ranked Battles uses a mode called Splat Zones. This is a king of the hill styled mode which you’re tasked which controlling a certain area for a certain amount of time. Nintendo have confirmed that more online modes will be coming in the near future which promises to keep the game fresh.

There are 2 maps at any given time with them being on a four hour rotation. This is something that I had a slight issue with. The games online matches are 3 minutes long and playing consecutive matches on the same maps quickly gets old within a four hour period.What surprised me most about Splatoon was just how good the campaign was. Titled Octo Valley, players are tasked with making it through enemies and obstacles to capture Zapfish. Your player is equipped with a default weapon that you’re able to upgrade throughout the game. Each world has a certain theme and manages to keep it feeling quite fresh throughout the campaign. In each level, there is a hidden scroll which adds a certain aspect of replayability. There is also a boss level at the end of each world which is where Splatoon is at it’s creative best. Overall, the story is quite barebones but it’s a great addition to the multiplayer and is a great starting point for a sequel.

Splatoon also supports Amiibo. Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy & Squid all get a beautiful Amiibo to accompany the game. Each Amiibo unlocks a certain set of missions which allow you to use different equipment within the games story.

Battle Dojo is a local multiplayer mode. One player uses the Wii U Gamepad and another uses the Wii U Pro Controller. The aim of the game is pop the most balloons. It’s definitely the most shallow of all the modes, but it’s good that the option is there for those gamers that don’t want to play online.Splatoon is by far my favourite game that i’ve played on Wii U. It’s colourful art-style and quirky personality make it addictive from the word go. It’s straight up fun that absolutely anybody could enjoy and is a perfect entry into the online world for Nintendo. It’s really shows off the Gamepad in the best possible way. It’s an extremely polished game from Nintendo and one that’s hard to fault.

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Mario Party 10 signifies the 10th main entry and 14th entry overall into Mario’s fun-filled party video game series. With more modes than ever and more ways to play, Mario Party 10 is without doubt, a very ambitious video game. Get your Wiimotes, Wii U Gamepad & Amiibos ready for one heck of a ride. Mario Party 10 is presented beautifully. As soon as you boot into the menus, you will soon realise that Nintendo have put a lot into making this game accessible whilst still remaining as vibrant and colourful as ever. Mario Party is a game that has had seen a lot of injustices with the most memorable being the horrible letter boxing in Mario Party WiiThe sound of Mario Party is as joyful as ever. Whether it’s Toad’s high-pitched squeal or Mario’s signature voice, the game doesn’t disappoint. When it comes to fun tunes, Mario Party 10 has more than you’d ever want from a Nintendo game with constant music and sound effects ringing through each fast-paced minigame. Mario Party 10 has 3 main game modes, each differing slightly from what’s been offered in previous outings. There are definite positives and negatives to each mode with each having slight annoyances that couldn’t easily been better worked into the game.

Mario Party is the main game mode in which a board game is played out in similar fashion to the controversial Mario Party 9. All four players travel together in a car which simplifies the game ensuring that you allow yourself enough time to finish it without becoming board. The downside is that it ultimately takes away some of the strategy of trying to take alternate directions in order to benefit yourself in the long run.The gamepad is used in this mode in order to show an alternate Bowser dice where when each number has been rolled, Bowser will appear to punish the player who rolls the remaining number. Whilst simplified, I found the mode to be fast-paced and fun with just the right amount of minigames.

Bowser Party relies heavily on the Wii U Gamepad. Ideally played with 5 players, 4 which control players using the Wiimote whilst the Wii U Gamepad player controls Bowser. This mode sees four players trying to reach the end of the board without being caught by Bowser. A series of minigames are played which sees Bowser take part in a number of gamepad specific minigames. I found this mode to be a success as it made good use of the Wii U Gamepad with minigames feeling fresh and fun. Unfortunately you won’t be playing it more than a few times as there are limited mini games which make the mode get extremely repetitive, quickly.Amiibo Party is a very interesting mode. You need an Amiibo to unlock this mode and up to four Amiibos can be used within the mode. If you’re using an Amiibo, it will be represented on screen, however if you’re not, your character will be a cardboard cutout. Each Amiibo unlocks a new board that can only be played whilst using this certain Amiibo. Without doubt, it is the best use of the Amiibo figures yet.

The style of play represents the more old-school Mario Party game, with the goal being to collect the most stars before the game’s end. Unfortunately whilst initially promising, there are a few niggling issues which get in the way of it being fun. Amiibo Party requires you to tap your Amiibo on the Gamepad far too many times for absolutely no reason. Ultimately Mario Party is still extremely fun with a group of people. It’s obvious that there are issues there but they seem way more apparent when you’re playing by yourself than in a group of people. Mario Party has always been about getting people around the TV and this doesn’t differ in anyway. It has enough uniqueness to require a purchase whilst still remaining familiar within the overall series.

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THIS REVIEW CONTAINS EXCERPTS WRITTEN BY JAKE & BONNIE 

There isn’t really much of a story to Smash Bros U. Nintendo has essentially gathered its more popular characters from their various franchises to duke it out for supremacy. This entry marks the 4th console release of the series and in such has added a plethora of modes, extras and characters. Enough that will keep any Nintendo fan or fighting fan beyond happy.

This is the first time the series has entered the realm of High Definition and boy oh boy does it show. As opposed to its cell-shaded twin counter part on the 3DS, every monocle of detail looks vibrant and stands out strong, on your TV or the Wii U Gamepad it all looks wonderful. Menus are much the same exceptionally colourful and easy to navigate, whilst perusing these menus most people will notice something exceptional about them. A vivid soundtrack that invokes the very spirit of competition can be heard throughout game play, catered to your personal flavour and draws inspiration from all walks of life in the Nintendo world.

What makes Super Smash Bros magical is the audio. All these elements are bought together in such a delightful little package that it’s so hard not to feel like smiling the whole time. It’s fast and it’s fun. The stages are amazing to look at (if you get the opportunity to look instead of SMASH) and listen to there’s an amazing mix on offer. The roster of characters is as hearty as you would imagine and again, they all look and feel absolutely spectacular.

As a very broad overview Smash is about laying damage to your opponent/s and increasing their smash percentage. The higher the percentage the further your opponent gets knocked, the ultimate goal being to knock your opponents out of bounds for the stage.

Lets broaden the horizons of accessibility for this game. If you aren’t a fan of the Wii U gamepad or pro controller, there are multiple options available at your finger tips to use. The Wii Remote, Wiimote & Nunchuk, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro and finally the Gamecube controller (which requires a special adapter to use up to 4 Gamecube controllers). Like I said plenty of options, I haven’t played a game in the series since it’s initial launch on the Nintendo 64, so needless to say the fundamentals of the controls were not what I was used too; thankfully there is a profile option that allows you to use custom made controller layouts and frankly it is a life saver for myself at least.

Keeping to the tonne of options, players are given the choice to pick one of 49 characters. The much more popular characters such as Mario, Luigi, Link, Kirby, Donkey Kong etc are available from the get go but a number of characters are left for you to unlock at your own pace. Frankly I found this method to be absolutely pointless because these unlockable characters didn’t really inspire me to push myself to unlock them? Maybe it’s because of personal preference but that’s the beauty of opinions.

Game modes come at you harder and faster than a flurry of punches from Kirby. Players can now opt to have an 8 player smash (offline only) with a mixture of teams or free for all but can only be performed on certain stages. Traditionally the max amount of players has been 4 and those who favoured that mode still can. Items are plentiful and as chaotic as ever whilst levels are vast and varied. Some move you around at a million miles an hour and others are stationary, only one thing can be sure though is that danger is waiting for you.

Smash Wii U online is a mixed bag. Being offered to 4 players of team and individual competition in modes of Glory or for fun. Unfortunately every attempt I have had to play online has resulted in the slowest game play I have experienced, due to connection issues obviously. The problem seems to be sever issues from what I have read, My internet isn’t the most powerful and usually is the source of blame in situations like this but having done some research, it seems Nintendo have a little but more fine tuning to do with this portion.

These figures have launched along side Smash Wii U and are compatible across a few Nintendo games at the moment with more scheduled in the near future. Although we will just be focusing on their interaction with Smash Bros for today.

To integrate your chosen Amiibo with the game simply hold it near to the lower left hand side of the Gamepad, upon doing so you can then give your figure a name and select from a variety of coloured outfits for them. Playing Smash on various modes can earn you a variety of moves and abilities to customise your character.

In battle your Amiibo can fight along side you or against you. With the sole purpose being to level them up to stand a fighting chance when you take them into battle. Currently level 50 is the max for these characters and it doesn’t take a great deal of time for them reach this plateau and once they hit this stage I didn’t find them to be of much use unless I was taking them to battle at friends houses. Exposing Amiibo to various situations and enemies forges their battle tactics and strategies. Along with taking notes off of your personal game play

None the less, these items added a new interesting spin on the game but ultimately proved nothing more than a bit of a gimmick. Or at least a small stepping-stone to what they may hold in the future.

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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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You are Physchobot, a uniquely small robot that enters a larger drilling bot to undergo maintenance and repairs. Each different repair is portrayed to the gamer as the puzzle you interact with, repairing circuits, gears and clearing out unnecessary build up of foreign matter is all in the days work for the tiny hard working Physchobot.

Tetrobot and Co boasts an incredibly simple foundation for its 2-D puzzles. Designs are basic but develop their own amazing charm. The stories small segmented pieces are cartoon still images, they looked good, developed the foundations for the story and that was it; no more story additions and do you know what? It was perfect, rather than complicate things they had a simple premise and then let their puzzles walk the walk and talk the talk. One minor grief from the said story segment though; Maya, the creator of the Physcobot is shown creating her masterpiece, welding the bot together with clear safety glasses. No one welds with clear safety glasses, that is why we welders wear welding masks! The argument could be that she was soldering BUT there was a distinct welding crackle.

That small hiccup aside, the game plays presentations are flawless. Tetrobot as a character goes through a range of emotions from confusion when you enter an inaccurate command, pain when you force it into an electric current; even boredom when you don’t enter a command for a period of time. Levels or stages vary with the bot you are working on, a water flooded bot will obviously have you avoiding and working around pools of water for example; the water actually looked extremely refreshing even while inside inside a broken down robot or maybe I was just exceptionally thirsty.

Silly me began the stages of this game tapping buttons on the game pad expecting something to happen; rookie error, Jake! Tetrobot runs solely using the touch pad of the Wii U, which makes it possible for some excellent off T.V gaming if the main television is required by someone else. Directing your bot across a side shuffling grid formation is fluent and easy to master, as you direct your bot into pipes and crevasses for your puzzle solving maintenance  job. Particular blockages found can be transported around to activate switches and even act as a currency for access to locked off segments of levels for collectible disc fragments.

Collecting the broken disc fragments in each level is the key to unlocking further levels in the game as well as a maintenance workbook/schedule that offers fragments of the bots memory for those who want to get more involved that way. However, as I said before, the puzzles themselves do the talking for the game. They are smart, unique and keep you on your robot toes. I didn’t stumble upon any that were ‘rage quit’ hard but had plenty of “Ah-Hah!” moments that made me feel like a complete oaf for not realising the solution sooner.

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Stealth Inc 2 involves A leading scientist of the corporation responsible for the titular clones is trying to outshine a colleague of his who is at the very top of the company quota. The second rate scientist frustrated with his standings voluntarily stays back at work and unleashes a diabolical plan to climb ranks of his company quota. The pending madness of overtime obviously causes all hell to break loose!

The story takes a strong focus as to why the clones exist and what their actual purpose is, whilst offering a compassionate insight to the reason for the brutal demise of these poor things. Overall I felt it was a very simple story to kick start the game and keep it churning along, although looking at it from a sole puzzle game perspective it is a step well above what other genre entries have provided. Which I felt too be a strong step but wasn’t over bearing any other aspect by any means.

Any true gaming perfectionist is going to appreciate this game running at a full 60 frames per second and next to no loading times inside of the game. The way Curve Digital have yet again crafted that truly dirty, grimy industrial look to the world the clones fight for survival in is flawless.

Overall though not a lot has changed in terms of its predecessor, musical themes are still as intense and nerve racking as you try to get your timing right for a section or even as you evade the bigger bosses. Where I believe this game presentation shines is the narration/commentary displayed on the walls in game. Say for example you are looking to run across a flat floor with a few hurdle obstacles, the writing on the wall will reassure you it is safe, until you are about half way through and turns on a death laser which needs lightning quick navigating as it taunts your imminent demise.

The smug writing on the wall taunting and teasing you can play havoc on your confidence, but like I said, this feature gives the game or series now a unique shine too it which I haven’t experienced before.

Stealth Inc 2 expands on its predecessor in many ways, whilst still maintaining that frustratingly challenging unique charm that made the original such a success.As opposed to the linear levels offered up to you in the first games, players or clones are now gifted with being able to explore the facility they are created in. Working as a sort of metroid-vania hub world, players enter the levels, or tests as they are called. By gradually completing these tests new areas can be progressed to. I found this addition to be a much more enjoyable experience as it not only gave me an opportunity to envelope myself in this world as opposed to generically selecting levels from the original. In particular, structures of the building were tied together perfectly generating a familiarity between the gameplay of the hub world and levels to the story of this game.

Being an exclusive for the Wii U, gamers can expect to get the most out of their system with the features incorporated into the game pad. In a co-op perspective, one player can control the movements of the clone as you would in traditional single player and the other player on the game pad can use a selection of tools to help or hinder the progression of their friend. Team work is great but the opportunity to destroy my friends hopes and dreams within the game is priceless, as I found a sense of all seeing power from the game pad. After studying the patterns of the puzzles for quite a while working out the kinks and tricks too them, I just couldn’t resist forcing my co-op partners demise right near the end, when they were at their most confident.

The challenges themselves have seen a degree of overhaul, keeping familiar elements and introducing new ones such as fan forced gravity or even smoke/steam to block out the sensors of turrets. More often than not, you will find yourself dumbfounded as you try to work around a particular challenge but when you finally see the light, that sheer feeling of outwitting success is brilliant.

Other perks added to the game include small pieces of customisation. Finding shining articles around the world allows you to be able to change the look of your clone; i.e. a cliche viking helmet can be worn as well as other various body outfits. Challenges are ranked and scored throughout the world or more appropriately the Miiverse; forcing the perfectionist players to get the treasured “S” Rank. Although to attain such a revered mark, you may be forced to come back to the stage once a new skill or method has been acquired.

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It’s a Platinum Game first off, so don’t expect any semblance of a cohesive story. Yet Bayonetta 2’s story is increasingly better than the first one, mainly due to charming roster of characters previous players have grown to like. Much like the first game, Bayonetta 2 beings in medias res, throwing you straight into an epic setpiece that’s very much like the first, dumping exposition while you feverishly fight off a legion of infinite angels.

Bayonetta 2 concerns the story of, well, Bayonetta. Kicking off from the stylised setpiece intro, it soon cuts to present day in a very humour-filled segment of Bayonetta and Jeanne preparing for a Christmas party, with the Joe-Pesci like Enzo in tow.

Any player of the first game (and you really, REALLY should play the first) will recognize the returning cast. Luka comes back as the very annoying yet funny ‘love interest’, his presence isn’t really needed at all but he is responsible for creating one of the game’s funniest moments. Rodin is back as the shopkeeper, and as one of the beings more powerful than the title character. Enzo is back of course, and it was really refreshing to see Jeanne and Bayonetta play off one another. Indeed, where Jeanne was mainly an antagonist in the first game, here they’re welcome allies. Of course, its Jeanne’s incarceration into hell that serves as the main focus on the game, as Bayonetta embarks upon a trip to a sacred mountain called Fimbulventr in order to rescue Jeanne’s soul.

Father Balder, surviving the spectacular finale of Bayonetta 1, is revealed to be alive and takes on the form of the Masked Lumen Sage, the last of his species and the main antagonist. A mysterious child named Loki appears early in the game, hunted by angels determined to stop him from reaching Fimbulventr. To elaborate anymore would be going into spoiler territory, but Loki’s presence also forms the major part of the story.

It honestly doesn’t make sense, but it’s also one of Platinum Games’ more creative and well written stories. Some genuinely funny dialogue and some very well written character arcs save the otherwise nonsensical story. Towards the end, the plot embarks on this absolutely mindblowing path to tie it to the first game, and it’s so clever, so ingenious that my jaw was on the floor. I didn’t expect Platinum Games to be this clever in terms of storytelling devices, and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve seen.

And in terms of complaints about overt sexuality, Bayonetta may very well one of the strongest female action heroes to ever cross gaming. Bayonetta is an internally consistent character with her own motives, character arc and ideas. She isn’t a forefront for the agendas of the male characters. She follows her own lead and is independent. She is vulnerable but isn’t defined by weaknesses; she is internally and externally a strong character who just so happens to enjoy sexuality. She plays with it, breathes it and mocks it at the same time. It’s a symbol of her being in control, an extension of her self-consciousness. It’s not sexist because Bayonetta is more than a trope or a stereotype; she has flaws and motives, she has a character arc that develops her as a person, the story isn’t focused on her physicality, but her as a person. Camera angles and sound effects do their best to illustrate Bayonetta’s sexualisation, and while it may make some players uncomfortable, it’s never done in poor taste.

Objectification in games is a topic and it’s an important one, but to me to label something as objectification requires an insight into the actual character. If the character has no reason to wear what she wears and it’s at odds with what she represents, hell yes, scream objectification, grab the pitchforks and go to town. But if sexuality is part of the character, then wearing something sexual isn’t bad and nor is it objectification.

It should be noted that most male characters are played for laughs (outside of Loki and Rodin) and not one of these characters gets any development. Bayonetta is one of the strongest representations of heroines in gaming, and everything within the game is consistent with the tone.

Bayonetta 2 is easily the most gorgeous looking game on the Wii U. Contrary to popular belief that 30fps is enough, Bayonetta 2 not only looks better running at 60fps, but it’s essential to keep up with the insanely fast combat. The game runs simultaneously on the gamepad and on the TV, and either way it looks amazing. I noticed some very, very rare slowdown occurrences (specifically during Umbra Climaxes) but otherwise it runs perfectly well on 60fps. I fail to see why other development teams refuse to reach for 60fps especially considering they’re working on more powerful hardware than the Wii U.

Art style is absolutely spectacular: from the start of the game, fighting in a human-based city to the genuinely disgusting realms of Inferno, this game looks absolutely amazing and unique. The creativity gone into environments is incredible, the levels are more open allowing for exploration for bonuses, and enemy and creature designs are both memorable and unique. In a game like Bayonetta, good enemy design is essential towards the gameplay, and the enemies are designed uniquely enough to both keep the game constantly refreshing and fair in terms of dodging enemy attacks. If we were focusing on art design, level design and enemy design, Bayonetta 2 absolutely smashes it out of the gate, eclipsing its predecessor easily. The mindbending physics-defying environments will have you running up and around buildings and around and around environments. The camera trickery and gravity bending feels like Super Mario Galaxy on crack.

Controls are smooth and responsive: I was worried I would struggle to keep up with the action due to my dislike of the gamepad but it works perfectly fine. A Pro Controller would be beneficial though, especially if you’re not using the gamepad screen.

Character designs are incredible: Bayonetta with her ludicrously extended extremities and short hair looks fantastic; her attack patterns are all unique and are always a delight to watch.

Hair attacks (Wicked Weaves) look similarly spectacular. While the same problem of too much hair obscuring the action remains (a bigger problem in co-op), you can actually adjust the camera further out to make sure that not too much is obscured,  a smart, simple option that makes the game better than the first in presentation. Otherwise, it’s very hard to think of any flaws about Bayonetta 2. It feels good, it looks good, and it’s easily one of the best looking games out there. It just proves that you don’t need top of the line hardware to impress people; you just need creativity and a wicked sense of originality.

The soundtrack is unfortunately less memorable than the first game’s epic 5 disc OST, but it’s still adequate. While I detest the crazy upbeat pop style of Japanese music, it suits the game incredibly well and like in MGR: Revengeance, during boss fights it just works so well. The catchy, super silly tunes mixed with the campy story and likeable characters will just leave a huge grin on your face.

The gameplay doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s hard to reinvent the wheel of a combat system that’s nigh perfect. While I gave flack for Borderlands TPS for being too similar to its predecessor, and while Bayonetta 2 is very similar to the first in terms of gameplay, it’s different as TPS didn’t improve an already flawed gameplay base, while Bayonetta 2 maintains the incredible high bar set by the first.

Like the first, combos are created by punching and kicking. Upon completion of a successful combo you’re rewarded with a Wicked Weave, an extra power kick or punch made out of Bayonetta’s hair. Successful combos also fill your magic gauge, which can be used on Umbran Climaxes or the familiar Torture Attacks; special attacks that gruesomely dispatch enemies using old school torture devices with that added Bayonetta flair- successfully executing the semi-QTE of a Torture Attack leads to greater rewards. There are just a wild number of combos and strategies for each encounter, and Bayonetta 2 reaffirms itself as one of the tightest, fastest and rewarding gameplay systems in gaming since the original (and Ninja Gaiden Black).

Bayonetta 2 also adds a new gameplay element called Umbran Climax which can be activated when the player has a full magic gauge. Similar to the state of boss fights in the first game, this technique strengthens Bayonetta’s attacks and combos with extra Wicked Weaves and Infernal Demon summons for a short period of time. This increases their overall range and damage and also replenishes Bayonetta’s health when in use.

Witch Time is back, probably one of Bayonetta’s best features. Dodging in the last second allows for time to slow down, letting you sneak in a fast combo or to traverse an environment before it crashes down. While slow-mo is something of a fad, it’s used incredibly well in Bayonetta, as both a strategic gameplay element and as a reward. There’s nothing more satisfying than perfectly nailing a dodge and seeing time slow down in an incredibly vivid and detailed manner. There’s no Non-Stop Infinite Climax difficulty (disables Witch Time in the first game), which is a real shame so your only option is to strap on the Evil Harvest Rosary and play on 3^rd Climax for the toughest challenge possible.

The boss fights are consistently incredible in both challenge and in style. There’s nothing that really eclipses the sheer wow factor of the first (which ended with literally punching a god into the sun), but the strategy has been upped somewhat. All bosses are incredibly tough, and it’s such a mind puzzle trying to decipher their strategies and attack patterns. Yet it never, ever feels unfair; whenever I was hit I could never blame the game, it all was due to my own failure. Unfortunately, at least half of the 16 chapters are dedicated to bosses and bosses alone. While the boss designs and fights were consistently spectacular, I personally enjoyed the smaller verses against groups of enemies. It’s a shame there weren’t a few more verses spread out against groups of enemies.
While this particular nitpick won’t affect my score, I wanted to point them out for the diehard fans of Bayonetta who may be a little disappointed to see the same flaws remain. The main nitpick I have is with skipping cutscenes: much like the first you’re forced to pause the game first and then select ‘skip’. It’s a menu flaw I thought would be fixed with the introduction of the Gamepad, but it still remains.

QTE events remain, but there’s literally only two insta-death fail QTE’s. The first was plagued with bad QTE’s that were punishingly fast and ended in an insta-death during scripted platforming segments, and I’m so glad that this was fixed. QTE’s are still very much part of the game: Torture Attacks utilize them heavily, finishing off a boss will always result in a gleeful bashing of a button to score as many halo’s as possible.

And much like the original Bayonetta, The Gates of Hell remains as one of the most fully fleshed out shops in a game. Everything you do in game results in halos; the form of currency in this game. Whilst many games tend to have very little in their in-game stores and too much money, Bayonetta 2 really makes you work for bonuses, culminating in that very familiar Platinum Ticket (999999 halos) that no doubt will take you to the hardest boss fight in the game (I’m deciphering this via in-game text and the first game’s ticket). You can buy accessories and techniques, and you’ll definitely need them to gain an edge on the punishing difficulty. Wearing bracelets that let you parry attacks, or automatically activate Witch Time when hit, each accessory gives you a small edge in each battle. The amount of costumes, items, weapons and bonuses on hand are staggering: and the best part is that none of it is locked behind DLC. It’s all unlockable as long as you play the game. Lollipops are useable items that provide much needed attack boosts and health regeneration, the attack boost and invulnerability lollipops are incredibly brief as to keep the game as balanced as possible. You also pick up ingredients throughout the game to use to create such boosts.

Panther Within is unlocked from the start (thankfully), but Crow Within needs to be purchased. A new transformation called Snake Within is also introduced, allowing Bayonetta to traverse underwater environments quickly. There are a lot more underwater environments than in the first, but they’re all fun and brief. Bat Within is essential for struggling players, letting you dodge after you’ve been hit, negating the damage done and activating Witch Time. I found it sad that I spent more time dealing Witch Time due to Bat Within then proper dodging, but again, this is only through fault of my own.

Weapon customisation returns, and as usual they add even more variety to the combos, letting you apply any combination of two on Bayonetta’s hands and feet. Collecting Golden LP’s let you unlock them, but you still need to cough up halo’s to use them. The default weapon set ‘Love Is Blue’ (Bayonetta’s pistols) are enough to get you through the game, but you’ll definitely want to pick up Rakshaka, a sword combo or Alruna, a set of whips. Each weapon is distinctly different and feels varied enough, yet switching between two sets is always smooth and results in some spectacular combo finishers.

Medals return, as another one of Bayonetta’s signature gameplay motifs. For every ‘verse’ (battle) you’re judged on the creativity of your combos, the time you took to beat the verse and how much damage you took. It was a mark of how challenging Bayonetta 2 was that I was getting constant silver and gold’s whilst I Pure Platinum’d the first game. Medals rank from order of Stone, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Pure Platinum. It should be noted that verses are very easy to skip and having no medal due to a skipped verse is borderline shameful, yet it’s a great reason to explore the game and really soak in the environments. Getting that Pure Platinum is something I aim to do with countless replays, and there’s nothing more disheartening than seeing a Stone medal pop up, while there’s nothing more satisfying in gaming than getting a Pure Platinum.

Bonuses litter the levels in creative ways. Umbram Crows require a quick trigger and are fiendishly difficult to catch; unlockable chests contain Witch Hearts and Moon Pearls, both items essential for raising your health and magic gauge, respectfully. Some chests are shattered into pieces, requiring you to run a time trial in order to pick up all the pieces.

Difficulty levels are less exciting than the bevy of options in the first. Auto mode is gone, since there’s touch screen controls now, but they’re fairly mediocre. Playing this game with touch screen controls is just wrong. The menus don’t look as nice and even the chapter screen has taken a hit (I really enjoyed the small doll of Bayonetta moving around the map in the first), but these are tiny, minuscule nitpicks that don’t mean a thing. I’m just a huge fan.

There’s less on rails segments, but there are some wildly creative and insane levels. In particular, one missions has you control some sort of giant robot, dealing some wicked damage to enemies. Another one has you riding a jet to a mountain. Each level is just so memorable and unique, it’s hard to think of any game that matches Bayonetta’s levels of creativity.

Australian gamers get the deluxe edition by default: I couldn’t find a retail copy of Bayonetta 2 by itself anywhere. Simply put, this port is spectacular. It’s better than the 360 version, and let’s just forget about the nightmarish PS3 port job. It runs better, it feels better, and simply put, if you’re going to buy Bayonetta 2, you simply HAVE to get the first. Australian retailers are packaging the two together at NO extra cost, so to pass this up you’ll have to be insane.

Adding a sweet cherry on an amazing cake, Platinum have put Nintendo costumes into the port, letting you play as Princess Peach, Daisy, Link or Samus. Not only are these cosmetic changes, but they actually have gameplay effects. You can actually use Samus’s arm cannon, Link can block attacks with her shield and halos are rupees instead, and the two princesses can summon monsters instead of wicked weaves. I can’t think of any developer that would go to this much effort, and it’s just a genuine delight to see how much work has gone behind the port, and that absolutely zero percent of it is locked behind paywalls.

The post Review: Bayonetta 2 appeared first on Press Start.

Just Dance 2015 is the follow up to Just Dance 2014. There’s no story of sorts to push the player through the routines, it merely throws the player into the game with a large majority of the songs unlocked.

The improvements introduced in 2015 do their best to streamline the experience previously presented in 2014, as well as improve the sense of community and social interaction between players. In that regards, it’s widely successful.

In short, Just Dance 2015 is the perfect embodiment of the mantra “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. It’s improvements are iterative but it doesn’t break any of the components put in place in previous games.

As with last year’s game, Just Dance 2015 employs a very simplistic user interface that makes it pretty easy to find what you want relatively fast. It’s a kind of retro glam look that really fits in with this kind of game. During the actual dance sequences, the now ubiquitous Just Dance style is ever prevalent. A silhouette of the dancer moves in a similar way to how the player should imitate during gameplay. These moments have only gotten better as each game is released, being professionally animated and/or captured.

Similarly, to keep things interesting, most of them are stylised in a way that suits the song that’s being played or references some other aspect of the song (such as its lyrics or even its music video in some circumstances). A new addition with Just Dance 2015 is that many of the videos aren’t afraid to create a little bit more visual spectacle by zooming in during certain moments or even panning the camera. They’re small touches but they help keep an otherwise stale formula remain fresh visually.

With the Just Dance series becoming more of an annualised occurrence, it’s easy to sit back and assume everything is the same as last year, just with a different set list of songs, but thankfully it isn’t. Ubisoft have done a pretty good job at providing a fresh experience with a new set of routines but also with new and cool features.

Are they groundbreaking? Not particularly, but they certainly help the experience stop from stagnating despite the annualisation of the franchise although a lot of them require you to be willing to put videos of yourself dancing up on the internet which is definitely not something for everyone.

Those who have never played a Just Dance game shouldn’t have too much trouble adapting to the formula. You create a profile, pick a song, and mimic the character movements as they appear on screen to the best of your ability. The better you mimic these moves, the more you’ll score and subsequently unlock. Some songs are more difficult than others, so you’ll get a pretty good idea as you play which songs you’ll prefer.

And there’s a wide variety of songs too, with some old school groups like Gloria Gaynor and Aerosmith all the way up to Icona Pop, Calvin Harris, Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus. There’s even a few tracks from some foreign artists, like angry French rap or a Bollywood rendition of your classic Christmas songs. Just Dance 2015 takes on a pretty diverse set list and it’s something to be said where almost anyone of any age could easily join in and not feel left out. I don’t know how, but Ubisoft really have crafted one of their most diverse setlists yet and despite going on for so many years it’s baffling how they manage to keep finding the “greats” of each genre and include them while still feeling fresh.

The crux of the new content is relegated to multiplayer modes, which seems appropriate given how social this kind of game is. Community Remix is an interesting one – it allows players around the world to dance to a routine of Ubisoft’s choosing, and for Ubisoft to collate these videos together to make a choreographed routine as danced by the community. Ubisoft allegedly screens these before they’re put together, which is a job I don’t envy. But it’s a great way to add “multiplayer” and make players feel like a part of the community without incorporating proper, live multiplayer.

Other new modes include Challenger Mode, which acts to capitalise on similar asymmetric multiplayer experiences such as Words With Friends and SongPop. Every song can be performed as a “challenge” against another player. Once the first player completes their dance, their score and choreo is saved in the system until the challenger dances back. This is another great inclusion because it allows you to complete and compete against other players at your own leisure, and the community is already active enough that I’ll have three to four challenges ready for me each time I booted up the game. It’s not live multiplayer, but it’s so well done it’s hard to fault it.

World Dance Floor returns from the last Just Dance game too, where players can join up into crews (think clans, but dancing instead of shooting) and compete to climb a global leaderboard. This mode is pretty fun but it’s restricted by how many people are performing at that given time so it wasn’t always available for me to play during my sessions. But it’s still nice to see how you stack up against other people throughout the world and even within your own country.

One thing that’s immediately more obvious with 2015 is the way that the menus have been fine-tuned to be a lot more responsive. The user interface, in general, has been tweaked ever so slightly to reduce the time it takes to jump and select from song to song. It’s a very minor improvement but one that really streamlines the entire experience and one I really commend Ubisoft for, they’ve really built a solid case on how to use Kinect to completely control and navigate a user interface with little to no effort.

This streamlining also carries over into the playlists mode, which can also function as the Fitness mode. In playlists mode, as you’d expect, you can pick a certain time interval to play in or just pick a non-stop shuffle mode. Calorie counters are also included, and when activated, act as a replacement to the Sweat mode found in previous games. I appreciate the addition of non-stop playlists as they’re perfect for a pick up and play setting at a party or if you’re not sure how long you want to spend dancing in each session, but it is a bit disappointing to see you can’t skip a song if you’re not a fan of it.

On a technical level, Just Dance 2015 isn’t really one of the best demonstrations of Kinect as a motion tracking device. It’s particularly forgiving when it comes to scoring and there were many times when me or my group would score a “Perfect” just when waving our arms rather than doing the proper movements as shown on the screen. This feels like a bit of a moot point since it completely defeats the purpose of playing a game like this, but it’s worth mentioning especially when other games like Dance Central actively provide feedback on which parts of your body are out of touch. Just Dance does nothing of the sort, but you could argue it’s more about having fun in Just Dance than technical proficiency.

The game also supports downloadable content but I’m of two minds about how it’s been implemented in Just Dance 2015. There’s a few new routines available as of now, one of which is free, but there’s also several of the Just Dance 2014 routines available to download. I already own these routines in Just Dance 2014, so having to pay extra money just for the convenience of having them playable from the Just Dance 2015 disc seems a bit rough, especially considering that the game’s contemporaries have managed to migrate downloadable content from three previous games and even across generations.

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Candy? Costumes? Why, it must be Halloween! Think of children running around, excitedly yelling, “Trick or treat!” or street parties where neighbours can come together to celebrate.

Costume Quest 2 opens on that high note, picking up siblings Reynold and Wren’s adventure soon after the previous game, just as they arrive in their hometown of Auburn Pines. A Halloween party is due to begin, but as is sometimes the case, there may be some unwelcome guests. And cue the arrival of invading monsters from another realm, led by the crazed local dentist Orel White. The kids must then embark on a journey to try and prevent the invasion from ever occurring, or risk facing a dystopian future where candy and costumes are outlawed.

All in all, the game features a simple story that is easy enough to follow. While it may certainly appeal to a younger audience, the simple premise of going around on an epic adventure wearing costumes and fighting bad guys is sure to also have a nostalgic effect on some of the older gamers out there. However, and as I’ll go into detail later, there is very little story beyond that which is made clear at the beginning.

I should probably take the time, however, to commend the writers for offering up a storyline that, for the most part, is able to stand up on its own. By that, I mean that newcomers to the series will quickly be able to grasp what’s going on, even without having played through the original game or had knowledge of its storyline.

I must say that I rather enjoyed the game’s simplistic design, aesthetically similar to Double Fine’s Psychonauts. At times, the game took more of a cartoon-like appearance, though that did little to detract from the experience. In fact, it reminded me of my childhood, with an environment that visually resembled ones from classic games like Crash Bandicoot.

It is also worth noting that I found some of the building and character models to take upon a lighter, and often, comical appearance. This was likely intentional on the developer’s part, helping to establish an atmosphere suitable for players of all ages, and to contribute towards the game’s focus on a child’s imagination.

With regards to sound design, the developers certainly did well to provide a score that matched the mood and atmosphere of the explorable locations. It was a nice touch to hear gentle guitar strumming as I explored the swampy bayou, to the upbeat, New Orleans-esque sounds of the French Quarter.

Central to the game’s premise is quite obviously candy and costumes. While the former’s importance was restricted mostly to purchasing upgrades and replenishing health, it is the latter that was of more interest to me.

I vividly remember owning several costumes as a child, but those don’t begin to compare to the variety featured in the game. They ranged from the starting superhero costume, to a clown, right up to a ghost. Each came with their own unique abilities, so it was fun to experiment with different combinations for my characters during battle. A number of them did have abilities usable outside of battle, like the pterodactyl costume allowing us to flap wings. I do find fault with this feature, however, given the lack of cues informing us what to do upon first encountering an obstacle we could clear.

In addition, the presence of several of these costumes did seem to be a matter of convenience. Sure, it was nice to have such a variety of them, but certain ones like the Hotdog outfit really only had one use outside of battle, and that was to distract a minion standing close by to where it was found.

Upon getting right into the main part of the game, I found myself in a bayou, where I began to familiarise myself with some of the game’s features. Throughout this stage of the game, I was tasked with carrying out a number of side quests, including locating children (hide-and-seek), knocking on doors for candy deliveries, and seeking out special Creepy Treat Cards for trade.

At first, I found these side quests to be a largely fun and challenging experience, although given the scale of the bayou, it often took some time backtracking if I missed something. However, when I advanced onto the following stages, I found that each area contained all of the above features, and little else. This gave way into repetitiveness, and as such, the game felt like seven monotonous hours doing the same things repeatedly. More than that, the hours spent running around had me forgetting that there was actually a point to all this, with a disproportionate amount of time doing errands to advance the storyline.

In their quest to undo Orel White’s evil plan, our heroes must often face off against the dentist’s minions. These take the form of turn-based battles, providing ample time for players to formulate strategies on how best to defeat their foes. Each character in the party would have an opportunity to use a regular attack, their costume’s special ability (if the special meter was filled), or a Creepy Treat Card.

I honestly felt that the Creepy Treat Cards made skirmishes far too easy. Despite encountering such a wide range during the course of the game, two in particular caught my attention: one that enabled enemy minions to attack themselves, and another that caused their attacks to heal your heroes. To put it simply, these two were overpowered. Perhaps to dampen their overall effectiveness, making use of them required cool down periods, and some were restricted for use only on minions and not bosses.

If I have anything positive to say about the combat system, it is that the game offered up some interesting special attacks. These attacks carried on between each battle, and gave me the freedom to strategically charge them up during a minion battle, and save their use for a boss battle. A particular favourite of mine was the ‘Declaration of Destruction’ that accompanied the Thomas Jefferson’s costume, and came with a neat little cutscene.

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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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Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes features an original story headed by Brian Michael Bendis. In The Avengers, players must defeat the Norse God Loki from rebuilding the Casket of Ancient Winters. Similarly to the film, The Guardians Of The Galaxy plot revolves around the Guardians protecting Nowhere from Ronan the Accuser. Spider-Man’s plot is heavily inspired by The Ultimate Spider-Man and features around defeating the evil Green Goblin.

The three plots will please fans of the Marvel universe as they each tell a new side of each franchise in quite depth. The Disney Original characters will not receive their own individual stories this time around and will only be useable in the Toy Box.

Disney Infinity 2.0 on PS4 is a big step-up from the Wii U version of the original game. Characters have a lot more detail and seem to have a lot more in common with their original on-screen characters. Maps appear to be quite a lot larger in scale and more seems to be destructible which is a nice touch. There are a lot more other things that help the open-world games seem a lot more alive. The worlds are full of cars and people which are all destructible and overall, more enemies seem to be able to appear on screen at once without the game slowing down.

I commend Avalanche with being able to represent so many different Disney franchises in so many different ways throughout the game. There are so many fan favourites ranging from different furniture items to Toy Box vehicles.

The main gripe I had with the game was the persistent loading times. When booting up the game or loading up the Toy Box, the load times were fairly long. Thankfully they’re not quite as bad once you get into a Play Set but it was still more than noticeable in certain instances.

In Disney Infinity 2.0 there are 3 separate Play Sets this time around. With the Starter Kit you will receive the Avenger Play Set whilst Spider-Man and Guardians Of The Galaxy can be purchased separately. The Spider-Man set was by far my favourite as I feel that they really nailed the Spider-Man’s ability to fly through the city. The completely different characters of The Avenger characters are well represented in game and really do well to provide some variety.

Unfortunately the overall lack of imagination in Play Sets means you’ll be stretched for creativity while playing them. The gameplay is still extremely solid however variety between Play Sets left me wanting so much more. Each Play Set has you going from point A to B in order to complete missions with the odd side-mission to keep you occupied. I can completely understand the gameplay is so basic as my seven year old nephew is able to understand what he has to do in order to get through the game. However as an older Disney fan, it’s still too basic for me. Countless films and games have shown that they can pander to both adult and children audiences, and it’s hard to forgive Disney Infinity 2.0 for not being able to engage adults well.

Some characters could be used across Play Sets through the use of Crossover Coins. It’s still limited to certain situations but wherever possible, characters can cross over into two play sets. This is something that wasn’t allowed at all within the original game so I was extremely excited to see how this works. Skill trees are also more fleshed out and seem to add much more depth to the overall experience. I would have liked to see both things taken further however it’s improved the game dramatically.

Power discs return and make a much bigger impact on the game. Whilst ability and toy box discs are still around, power discs also unlock alternate costumes for characters. Sidekicks make an appearance in the form of the side-kick power disc. Whilst not everyone’s favourite may not appear as a figurine, it doesn’t mean that they’re not featured as a sidekick. They play into the game as a timed power-up with their own exclusive health bars. The biggest new addition to the power disc collection are the Toy Box game discs. These are discs that unlock 1-2 hour mini-games within the toy box. Two come with the Starter Kit however it has been announced that there are at least 4 more to be released in later waves.

The Toy Box in 2.0 has seen quite a massive improvement. In the first game, it was extremely impressive with what Avalanche were able to do with the game however they’ve brought it leaps and bounds in Toy Box 2.0.

The first big addition are townspeople. These are characters from various Disney shows that will start building various aspects of the Toy box for you. For instance, Eve from Wall-E builds trees and foliage around the place. There is another character that also builds race tracks. The cool thing about this is that they build around each other and essentially create a world that will be unlike the last.

You’re able to take customisation further in the Toy Box by taking full control the camera angle and add in-game text to essentially create a story (with online approval from a Disney moderator). This basically means that players are now able to create a game that doesn’t feel like it was something forced and incomplete.

Another addition are INTerior Toy Boxes. You’re able to populate these inside spaces with popular items from all over the Disney universe. You can also put doors all over the place which can link to a completely different space. These can be linked to an extremely large scale and allow you to keep building until your heart’s content.

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Everything about The Swapper is minimalistic, and that includes the way it delivers its story to the player. The game takes place in a universe where humanity has exhausted their natural resources, establishing outposts in the deep space to synthesise useful materials to send back to earth. Without divulging too much more information – humans develop “The Swapper”, a device that creates clones of the user, which is quickly shunned by the experts stationed on the outposts who claim it’s dangerous and unethical. You play as an unnamed character who has been dropped into this world, who eventually finds a “Swapper” and must explore an abandoned space station to discover just what happened on the station and find his own way out of the station.

It’s important to highlight how interesting The Swapper is in terms of it’s blurring of the genres. It’s a game that could easily be interpreted as a puzzle game, in similar vein to titles like Portal. But it could easily be interpreted as a horror title given how thick the atmosphere is. But thankfully, there’s no jump-scares, no pursuers, but only words that convey the horror. This works great for two reasons – first of all, those who are frightened of the genre can easily skip all of the text and play through the game as if it were an interesting puzzle game, taking in the very well-crafted atmosphere and wrapping themselves up in the mystery and isolationist viewpoint. But second of all, those who want a truly chilling story with a very unnerving finale can easily read into the audio logs and other text collectibles strewn throughout the game world to put the story together and come to the horrifying conclusion themselves.

It speaks testament to the games atmosphere that, while the story on its own isn’t particularly unique, the way it’s presented still makes it feel like something fresh and new. This isn’t just another one of those pretentious indie titles – but the game’s content is mature and much more cerebral than your typical video game narrative. But it is a fantastic ride that shouldn’t be missed that will keep most players intrigued, or for those not following the story, engrossed from beginning to end.

The Swapper is a very strange looking game that uses a very strange looking art style. But that’s apparently because it’s been modeled in clay, digitised and then animated. While it sounds like a recipe for disaster and that it might look like a poor man’s Wallace and Gromit impersonation. And in screenshots, it really does. But in motion, the game looks fantastic. Lighting manages to perfectly show off these unique and solid, if not slightly chunky, character models in the best light possible (literally). It’s a strange style that’s not been seen in a video game for a long time now and one that sounds a bit weird, but once you’re aware of the fact it’s clay then it becomes exceedingly apparent. And honestly, it looks great – to the point where it manages to capture that sense of isolation that games like Metroid have been so successful in doing in the past.

The sound design is similarly crafted in a way to ensure that the game draws the player into the world rather than play with their emotions as a result of what happens in the world. There’s little to no music – there are some sombre piano pieces here and there, but for the most part the sounds that players will be hearing in The Swapper will be the sounds made by the environment or pieces that emphasise the alone and overwhelming loneliness of an abandoned space station. The voice work on show here is minimal, but serviceable too, but really is so rare that it makes up little to none of the game.

The Swapper borrows elements from titles like Castlevania and Metroid but doesn’t in any way attempt to be them. Mixing these elements of backtracking and character progression with Portal-esque puzzle progression works particularly well. The player must travel through the space station, which is conveniently modulated, and collect special orbs. Each area will require a certain amount of orbs to progress through – so players who want to get by on the bare minimum can do so but those who want to explore will be able to find everything the game has to offer. There is some backtracking, but it’s nowhere near as excessive as other games in this genre.

As you might have expected, the crux of the game’s puzzles comes from the Swapper tool. The tool allows players to create up to four clones as well as to swap control between them at any given time. Clones themselves move with the player, unless interrupted by an obstacle like a wall or a crate. This is where the brunt of the challenge comes from in The Swapper – attempting to find the optimal setup to get all the clones to hit all switches simultaneously in a room or to get through a series of doors unscratched are just some of the challenges the player will encounter.

The Swapper attempts to change things up as the player progresses by introducing different lighting systems within the ship itself. These lights have varying effects on The Swapper and its clones – blue lights, for example, will prevent clones from being created in the area they illuminate. Red lights can block The Swapper from “Swapping” control between clones of those standing in red light, while purple lights block both. Towards the end of the game, The Swapper also plays with gravity to make puzzles much more difficult. And they are particularly difficult – but incredibly satisfying upon solving them. The pacing and the difficulty of the puzzles, thankfully, feels just about right although there is bound to be some players who will have to resort to a guide, and I wouldn’t fault them for doing so either. The Swapper can get tough during its later levels.

While it might seem like playing on a console would be less enjoyable than playing on a PC with a mouse, the console versions of The Swapper feature a surprisingly intuitive control system. While the cursor affects where created clones will appear, the game slows down time to allow for players to place their clones strategically without flustering about with poorly designed controls. Even better – this design choice allows the developers to incorporate some very interesting puzzles designs, where the player and their character can create clones and swap to them in order to climb large vertical space. Opening the exploration up to a vertical level gives The Swapper another edge to its exploration when compared to other games in the genre, although it’s rather macabre to see three clones just fall to their death after you’ve successfully climbed an area.

The Swapper itself will probably be over for most players within five to six hours, though to find absolutely everything the experience could probably last anywhere between six to ten. The trophies themselves are assigned to finding secret terminals throughout the game, which elaborate on the game world and what went down on the space station – which means most players will be able to easily complete the game without unlocking a single trophy. These collectibles are easily the most elusive, but as with the puzzles, will be especially rewarding if players set out to find the all – although most of them are hidden through what feels like unfair means at times.

The post Review: The Swapper appeared first on Press Start.

Mario Kart doesn’t feature a developed story as such, the name says it all. Mario and his buddies (and usual enemies) all gather to test their expertise on the karting track. This time around players can choose their types of vehicles, tires and gliders all with their own varying stats that add another dimension to races. Defying gravity and physics, racers will compete underwater, in the air and even upside down. For a total of 32 tracks, 16 original tracks and the other 16 are reimagined courses from previous games.

Mario Kart 8 boasts a creative visual HD enchantment in the likes of which I haven’t experienced for a long time. Colours just seem to pop out of the screen. The combination of the colours and the variety of the worlds that have clearly been developed with the utmost love and care is bliss and sure to strike a resonating nostalgic chord to those familiar with the series. It even left a newcomer that I played with in awe at the delicate attention to detail of the world and colours. The vibrancy of the tracks, the backgrounds and the roads were all so striking that it was just simply awe-inspiring to play on such tracks. Many complained about the supposed Wii U’s dated hardware but honestly, this is what a true next gen game is meant to look like. No Watch_Dogs downgrade here, just a pure HD technicolour bliss.

At the conclusion of each race you are given the opportunity to view a well-structured highlights reel. You can view, edit, expand and upload these videos directly to YouTube, which adds another great social aspect to the game. I should warn you though as an Australian resident, a decent ADSL 2+ upload speed took nearly 45mins to upload a 30 second video. Not Nintendo’s issue by any means, just the poor internet quality of Australia but be weary of the long upload times if you wish to upload a lot.

Tunes that accompany you over the course of your race are brilliantly suited to the specific tracks they accompany. Again you can feel the love and care that has been taken into development of these tracks. And as familiar players will know the final lap of the course causes the tempo of the music to increase nearly twice that as to what it normally does. Yet these songs still sound superb as you brace yourself for the ensuing chaos in the last lap.

I haven’t played a game in the series since Mario Kart 64. So heading into my first race exceptionally green but ripe with competitiveness, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that Mario Kart 8 takes an extremely simple and approachable control scheme that accommodates itself to any player.

Mario Kart offers a plethora of options to get your karting fix. Single and multiplayer both locally and online, across a surplus of competitive options, I should note however four players can participate locally and two online with up to 10 other online participants. Players can join in the mayhem using a variety of the Wii U gamepad, Wii U Pro controller and even the original Wii remote. This really justifies how accessible Nintendo wanted this game to be.

Players can dive into the Grand Prix, where 12 racers vie for first place tallying their points across 4 races. Time trial is as simple as it sounds, empty course and the open road to perfect your racing lines and find faster alternate routes. Vs. really needs no explanation as you go head to head against a local adversary. Finally, Battle where racers can take to the track in any direction they choose with the goal to eliminate their opponents by popping their three balloons with normal items found during any typical race.

I was intrigued with the new and various weapons to be utilised against other races (new to me at least). The sound horn acts as kind of shock wave disabling any racer in your radius, this is obviously just one example in the no doubt multiple new items appearing. It was great to see the return and continued use of the dreaded Blue Shell or Bowser Shell (as it was known in my house hold). I just wish that there was the old booby trap fake item pickup to lure unsuspecting foes into.

As I mentioned earlier in the piece there are a total of 32 tracks. 16 are completely new making their Mario Kart debut and another 16 revisions of previous courses that appeared on various other consoles such as the N64, 3DS and Wii. A new and exhilarating feature is that races are contested underwater, in the air, against walls and even upside down. Players are sure to find themselves turning with the gravity to adjust to their new angles of racing but it doesn’t grow strenuous adjusting to the movements, a great development balancing act. The widely touted anti-gravity features are not just for show; they play a crucial role in tracks, utilizing bumpers to boost speeds and trying to keep track of the hectic colours and looping tracks that may cause giddiness from the sheer fun of it all.

There are plenty of unlocks to be gained through winning competitions and the collection of coins. The unlocks come in the shape of other racers, vehicles, tyres and gliders. Each of those four factors previously mentioned come into play when choosing what formula is right for you. Some give you better speed but less grip for example so perfecting your style to suit your vehicle adds another whole layer to the depth of this game. It does have a slight learning curve too it but I felt it wasn’t really too crucial to the gameplay.

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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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You are Spider-Man, local hero of Manhattan and web slinging nuisance to the thugs that engulf his city. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 game serves as more of a prequel to the film of the same name for the most part, which then diverts sharply into an alternative timeline. Frankly, I couldn’t decipher if the reason for this choice was to save spoilers from the coinciding film or just a reason to cram as many of Spider-Man’s rogues into the game.

After a brief flashback which ignites the beginning of the story, Spider-Man is left to uncover the mysterious murders that are only referred to by police as “The Carnage Killings”. During the game’s duration, many characters inject themselves throughout the course of the story, offering no real depth but what feels like a filler or even unnecessary deterrents to extend the length of gameplay out.

Having the opportunity to review this game on the older generation of consoles, I went in feeling at a slight disadvantage in terms of experiencing the best presentation I could. Realistically though I think it didn’t matter in the slightest, as current and new gen are that close together in terms of graphical fidelity there is a difference measured by the skin of your teeth. In terms of game development this game felt like it could have snugly fit rubbing shoulders with games released early in the last generation. Character models were bulky, unrefined and during cutscenes moved worse than robots from 80s movies.

It just feels like fuel to the fire that the videogame/movie tie-in combination is horrendous. This is supposed to be a movie tie-in videogame but it doesn’t even utilise the cast of the film, the only original cast member who reprises his role is the master of cameos, Stan Lee. Other major characters barely resemble their on-screen counterparts, a huge departure for a supposed “tie-in”. The cast for the game did little to offer any form of engagement, leaving me feeling like they were just simply reading the scripts rather than feeling them and truly portraying their characters.

Spider-Man tries to be funny delivering his trademark smart ass comments and cheap shots to the bad guys. Typically I would love these sorts of antics, being the person I am. Unfortunately, these comments completely miss the mark of humorous and become painfully repetitive pretty quick.

At various points also, Spider-Man will be presented with an interactive conversation where a button press opens a conversation path revealing more information that is usually irrelevant to anything. Spider-Man is exceptionally agile; I understand that, the world understands that. I don’t see why it is necessary for Spider-Man during these conversations to be excessively moving or jumping around, or even creeping up on captured foes, during the conversations. The latter example is flirting dangerously close to disturbing.

The big open world that is Manhattan is unlocked to you from the get go. Traversing Manhattan is one of the best features available to the player, and although it may take you a little while to finely tune the perfect rhythm for web swinging and navigating the city it is certainly one of the more richer experiences to be taken from the game. Using the respective shoulder buttons to make either your left or right hand deploy a streamlined web is probably as close as anyone will get to being a real web slinging Spider-Man any time soon.

Combat is a vital aspect of the game in both stealth situations and normal combat. Beenox tries to use a system similar to Arkham’s “Free Flow” but makes a mockery of it rather than a flattering imitation. Building a sense of strategy and rhythm is what the developers aimed for in their concept and imitation but unfortunately it results in a bash the attack button with a few counters performed to save yourself.

Stealth portions of the game borrow from, again, what feels to be a gimmick of Arkham’s Predator encounters; stalking your adversaries (as you battle beyond confusing camera angles) biding your time for the right time to strike. Often I was in clear view of a patrolling goon (for longer than the required recognition time) as I subdued one of his allies for no punishment or even acknowledgement of my sloppy stealth tactics. The range in which stealth takedowns can be performed also felt very inconsistent: sometimes I could be meters away whilst the other times I had to be right on top just to perform the same basic takedown.

Dispatching goons and bosses as well as collecting special items throughout the game will earn Spider-Man experience points for boosting abilities and enhancing skills. Some examples of the skills are strengthening your web to entangle goons for longer or to swing quicker and more precisely as you navigate the vast open world. These upgrades aren’t really necessary or relevant to the gameplay, as I had long forgotten about them and didn’t purchase any upgrades until I was well into the later portions of the game and it was simply just to spend the experience rather than a necessary purchase.

Boss battles aren’t big or epic nor even really inventive or challenging. Generally you are just facing off against one super strong person as you mash attack and counter his moves. Rarely they might spawn a few lackeys to help them out only for Spider-Man to eliminate, though basically you are dodging a character specific move then attacking, which is nothing really memorable.

Finally, there is an abundance of side missions to complete which actively control your hero/menace meter. Being a hero or a menace determines if the Enhanced Crime Task Force (this team gets explained to you in-game) targets Spider-Man during this game. Whether you are being targeted or not isn’t an issue, usually it is a small one or two button quick-time event to continue. Over the course of my time with the game I became less concerned with the meter as the side missions that affect your stance are repetitive and offer little reward other than keeping the task force off your back.

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Swords & Soldiers HD is essentially the original Swords & Soldiers game with a fresh coat of paint for high definition systems. Originally released on Nintendo’s restrictive WiiWare platform, the game was understandably quite scaled back to fit on the service. “HD” manages to bring the full Swords & Soldiers experience to the Wii U, albeit with some clever and intuitive extras.

The general gist of the story is that three different factions – the Vikings, the Aztecs and the Chinese are all vying for the attention and power of various gods and deities. Of course, this requires them to carry out all kinds of mundane tasks, many of which require wars against the other factions. Which forms the basis of the game’s gameplay.

Generally speaking, the story in Swords and Soldier’s is easily the component of the game that the developers were least concerned with and it certainly shows, but the game is still enjoyable without.

Visually, Swords and Soldier borrows a lot from bright and colourful cartoons like Looney Tunes. Characters are well drawn, have distinct and unique (if not mildly culturally insensitive) designs and all looks great. The jump from the original Wii version to the high definition Wii U version is noticeable too, with everything looking brighter, much more colourful and much crisper. Sometimes some of the game’s art and environments err on the side of boring and lifeless, but the characters themselves more than make up for it.

The game also has a very surprisingly well put together and epic-sounding orchestral soundtrack which adds a sense of urgency to each battle and complements the action rather well. There’s a dynamicity to the game’s soundtrack too, with the background music ramping up when the action starts and settling down when it subsides. There’s minimal, although comical voice work that also gives personality to all the different units and three factions available.

Swords and Soldiers is a real time strategy game with a twist – the entire game takes place on a two dimensional plane rather than a three dimensional one. Units can move from left to right, automatically attacking anything they come into contact with. It dramatically simplifies the game itself, but it feels like a perfect fit for a game like this appearing on consoles. It’s simple, but there’s still a degree of strategy involved – like determining what to send out, and when. On top of this, players themselves can cast spells to either buff or debuff units as they (automatically) march towards their goal. In between sending out units, other units can be deployed to collect gold, which can be used to unlock upgrades and deploy even more units.

The use of three different factions changes how each of them play. The Vikings are very straightforward – they pillage gold and use this to pay for upgrades and units. The Aztecs employ methods of sacrifice to further their own means – adding a real layer of strategy to their metagame. The Chinese, on the other hand, must erect statues to gods in order to progress and are easily the most complex faction to master. Each plays differently enough to carry players’ interests throughout the campaign, and it’s especially encouraging to see that each of these factions plays differently rather than being the same thing with a different skin.

Swords and Soldiers comes in four main varieties – a campaign mode, a skirmish mode, a challenge mode and a multiplayer mode. The campaign mode is probably the most interesting – featuring different objectives for players to complete along with some ridiculous but comical justification. Some levels even have multiple ways to be completed too, adding some variety to the fold. Skirmish mode allows players to just have a quick, traditional match while challenge mode adds novel spins to the game’s traditional gameplay. Multiplayer is also quite cleverly implemented on the Wii U, with each player having a whole screen, be it the GamePad or the TV itself, to themselves. There’s also a set of achievements to unlock too, so most players will manage to squeeze at least five to eight hours out of Swords and Soldier’s offerings.

The Wii U version implements a very intuitive touchscreen interface that helps to control units and deployment with a greater degree of finesses and speed than in previous versions of the game. Even better, this control scheme is also available to the player when playing off-screen for a more portable experience. Those who don’t enjoy this admittedly superior control scheme can also control the game with a Wii Remote – as the second player will in multiplayer modes too.

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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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You play as Aurora, a young girl with long flowing locks of red hair. She is the daughter of a Duke of Austria in the year 1895. Her mother’s identity has remained a mystery to the young girl and the absence of a motherly figure has created an extremely strong relationship between her and her father. Although as time passed, her father grew lonely and eventually found the company of another woman. On the night of her father’s wedding, Aurora becomes ill and would not awaken. For all intents and purposes she is announced deceased.

Aurora awakens in the mysterious land of Lemuria. A strange world full of stranger monsters, where she is greeted by a new friend, Igniculus. Aurora eventually learns that Lemuria’s sun, moon and stars have been taken from the land by the mysterious Queen of the Night. It is then up to the small child to recover these divine figures in the hope of reuniting with her father.

Ubisoft Montreal has crafted Child of Light on the ever so popular UbiArt Framework Engine, the same engine that has re-invented and re-defined the Rayman series.

The use of this engine presents the player in a 2D side scrolling world, none the likes of which the world has seen before. Every piece of the game has been hand-drawn to an incredible amount of detail. The world will ignite your inner child’s nostalgic imagination of all the wonderful stories and fairytales you heard and dreamt of when you were younger. All of this occurs before the magnificent watercolours are delicately placed into the world.

Traversing from one side of Lemuria to the other, is like bearing witness to an evolving and growing children’s book. It’s incredibly soothing and calming to the soul and leaves you in a state of awe. Accompanying the humble visuals is a restful, yet engaging string ensemble with a masterful pianist performance keeping the rhythm and the flow to this enchanting soundtrack.

I mentioned that Child of Light is reminiscent to that of a children’s book, and keeping to the nature of that, the game has an exceptional narrator delivering outstanding guidance and background to the elements of the game. Keeping in tune of the children’s theme is the way that the dialogue has been fashioned to speak only in rhymes. If more voice actors were cast I feel it would have enriched the experience, although in saying that I understand the design choice as story books are read, not heard. It is a wonderful design choice as time and time again I found myself chuckling at the entirely predictable outcome of a conversation in regards to the rhymes. Some particular characters even take it as far as to correct other characters who do not speak in rhymes.

I have already mentioned the word ‘child’ a few times in this article. Don’t naively let that fool you into thinking that this is a children’s game. At it’s core, Child of Light is essentially a turn-based RPG, with all the item collecting, experience gaining and levelling up that goes with the genre.

Very early you are introduced to Igniculus, a rain drop looking fire fly. Igniculus can be controlled by you at the same time as you control Aurora or separately by a local co-op friend. Igniculus is invaluable to your quest, lighting dark treacherous paths, gathering the fuels for your health and magic but most importantly, his battle aids are vital to your success.

Once a battle is engaged, you are able to attack based on your speed and how long it takes to complete your chosen actions. The game makes use of an Active Time Battle System, popular to the genre; taking skill and finesse to manage your health and magic as you wait for the right time to strike with your attack. Evading your opposition’s attack is obviously one of the best strategies to survive, but to use Igniculus to your advantage is sheer brilliance. Utilising the second (or single) player firefly you can shine a light over your opponent as they strike to ‘blind’ them which may result in a miss, resetting their action timer. Not only is attack offered, but healing is also an option from Igniculus and various other party members who join you along your quest.

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Set three months after Origins—the prequel Rocksteady are more than prepared to exclude from the saga—Blackgate follows a night which sees the Dark Knight’s most ominous foes rise up and seize control of Blackgate Penitentiary, with The Joker, Penguin and Black Mask each holing up in a ward of the prison.

The world’s greatest detective is quick on the case, as we see an expansion of his origin tale, including the first time he happens upon the seductive Selina Kyle, better known as the cunning thief Catwoman. We’re also able to see a young, hardboiled Jim Gordon as he and Bruce continue to forge a relationship that’ll define their lives, as they throw their bodies upon the gears of Gotham’s crime rings.

It’s a serviceable addition to the Arkham saga, though narrative has long been a strongpoint for the franchise.

Being a handheld port, I didn’t expect this game to look the part when scaled up for the big screen but it holds up surprisingly well. Blackgate, like most other games in the series, has a tonal darkness that beautifully suits the consistent, gritty presentation of Batman—which has been commonplace pretty much since Nolan’s film adaptation, Batman Begins, almost a decade ago. It’s almost hard these days to imagine the campy, 60s iteration of Bats ever returning. Any chance of that died a grim death at the hands of Joel Schumacher.

Blackgate Penitentiary serves its role as a battleground for Batman to overcome his great adversaries, though like most prisons it’s a bit drab and yearning for colour—which makes The Joker’s deranged scrawls littering the walls all the more striking as they burst luminously from the open canvases that are Blackgate’s walls. The setting does undergo a change once you make your way through the prison’s administration offices so it remains not only foreboding, but fresh also. The game’s cut scenes aren’t presented in the traditional Arkham fashion.

Due to the initial restrictions of being a handheld game, the major narrative plot points roll by almost as a storyboard with almost static images being complemented by the odd flourish and a stellar cast of voice actors. Considering our hero’s roots lie in the comic books, this is a logical choice in style that I’d say pays off handsomely.

Heavy hitters Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker—who’s in pretty much anything and everything these days—reprise their roles as our favourite dysfunctional duo, Bruce Wayne and his number one nemesis, The Joker. Their rich vein of form from Origins continues as they turn in great performances, particularly Baker who is on his way to creating a Joker that he can own. Granted, he’ll never be Mark Hamill but if the torch is to be passed, he’s making an excellent case for himself.

Blackgate plays like a “Metroidvania” game, with map exploration and using upgrades to reach hard to reach places playing a huge role, making it much more like Asylum than City. That said, despite being a 2.5D title, the franchise’s focal point—being its combat—remains more or less intact. Of course, with threats only converging from the left and right, a lot of the challenge has been sapped out of it, though the fundamentals are still in place with timing being key. Counters remain the name of the game, as a well timed counter will put the attacking thug squarely on the deck.

Similar to other Arkham games, Bats gradually stockpiles an arsenal of handy gadgets that open up new avenues of exploration within the prison. That weakened wall you couldn’t penetrate at the start of play will succumb to your explosive gel, which comes later on as you progress. It’s definitely rewarding to explore and discover all of the hidden collectibles in Blackgate, though the map isn’t without its flaws.

There was a point early on in Blackgate, after I’d chosen to first pursue The Joker, where I became seemingly stuck thanks to my lack of an upgraded encryptor. The poor in-game map made finding an escape an impossibility that eventually led to my reboot, it’s an inelegant design that made Blackgate a terror to navigate.

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Donkey Kong is celebrating his birthday along with Diddy Kong and new additions Dixie Kong and Cranky kong when a snowflake enters and blows out the birthday candle. The camera pans to a group of animal Vikings sailing towards Donkey Kong island. The leader unleashes a strong icy wind that freezes the island over and blows the Kongs away. It is Donkey Kong and his crews quest to return the island to its original state. The story is told through a number of beautiful cut scenes. It’s just enough to give the game a purpose, story wise. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking though.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is probably the best looking Nintendo game that I’ve ever played. Not only is the art style amazing, it has the graphical polish to back it up. Each of the 6 worlds are all extremely different in their appearance but all just as beautiful as the last. The cutscenes look absolutely incredible and I can’t help but wish that there were more of them. Dixie Kong in particular really put a smile on my face. Graphics have come a long way since she was last playable so it really made me step back and appreciate just how lucky we are.

The soundtrack was created by David Wise. This was huge for me as I can still remember the tunes of the original Super Nintendo games despite not playing them for at least 5-10 years. The soundtrack in Tropical Freeze is on par with the original trilogy. The tracks are extremely catchy without becoming repetitive.

Donkey Kong Country hasn’t changed a whole lot over the years. The formula is still pretty simple. Go from level to level until you reach a boss which you must defeat in order to get to the next world. The formula works well, and the reason that it doesn’t become boring is because the games come at long time intervals. I can’t help but feel that the game lacks a little bit of charm and variation from the original SNES trilogy, however by no stretch of the imagination is this game anything short of spectacular.

Dixie Kong and Cranky Kong have made their much anticipated return to the series. Dixie Kong is able to assist Donkey by using her ponytail to give him a short burst of height and slowly propel to the floor. Cranky Kong has a cane which much resembles Scrooge McDuck’s. He is able to use it to get across spikes or bounce on enemies. Diddy Kong is back with his barrel jetpack. Adding these new characters to the mix really does keep the game from getting stale. Dixie Kong was by far my favourite as it really took me back to my younger days of playing through the original trilogies with my cousins.

Tropical Freeze introduces the Kong-POW meter. This allows Donkey Kong and his partner to initiate a special move once the meter is full. Each duo has a different on-screen animation but all act the same way in killing all enemies on screen. I didn’t really find that it was all that useful, but it was still pretty great to have in times of panic.

The Super Guide from Donkey Kong Country Returns has been removed. Retro studios have opted to include an expanded shop which offers a bigger variety of items which can be used to make your playthrough a much more pleasant one. Kong letters and puzzle pieces are back but are much harder to collect due to the fact that some now require a specific partner in order to be able to reach them. Time Attack mode also makes a return and features online leaderboards. In addition, players can also view video replays of the top ranked players.

The amazing level and character design is what will keep you coming back. The variety of levels and enemies is almost unmatched from any previous Donkey Kong game. The game definitely gets a lot more difficult as you progress but you will find yourself becoming better equipped to take on harder platforming tasks with more practise. The boss levels are definitely the most frustrating in the game. They’re hard in the sense that there really isn’t any checkpoint. You might die only one jump away from killing the boss and you’ll be forced to start the level from scratch. The only reason that this works is that you only ever die from it being your fault. There are no cheap deaths, so it works.

The inspired level designs and stiff platforming challenges help Tropical Freeze hit rewarding high points that feel great after you’ve conquered a tough area. Take my advice: Jumping into Tropical Freeze with a boastful attitude that you’ve done it all in 2D platformers can lead to disastrous results. DK and the rest of this furry cast handle much differently than Mario and company. These characters genuinely feel heavier, and that emphasis on weight and momentum affects how you jump. I liked the distinct feel, and how it distinguished Tropical Freeze from a lot of platformers in the genre.

Tropical Freeze does nothing with the GamePad and this is something that shocked me a little. When playing the game using the GamePad it literally stays blank. I would’ve loved to see Retro use it in a unique way, even if it wasn’t mandatory.

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Trine 2 takes place sometime after the conclusion of the first game. Our three heroes, Amadeus The Zizard, Pontius The Knight and Zoya The thief are summoned by the Trine. The Trine is a sort of watchful protector of the land and summons the trio when trouble lurks. Trouble certainly is brewing, the kingdom is in disarray as the forest seems to be growing a mind of its own and the goblins have taken over the castle. To add to the trio’s already growing list of problems it seems a mysterious witch is watching their progress and is soon to reveal her intentions.

Trine’s graphical presentation is phenomenal; the vast array of colours that are produced is breathtaking. Frozenbyte reinvent the rainbow with the spectre of colours on display. The levels range from forests, castles, icy caverns, dungeons, underwater and even lava filled pits. Apart from the already mentioned fabulous colours on display, each individual level is bursting with details that deepen the experience. The trio’s voice acting isn’t anything special but they don’t get a great deal of opportunity to talk apart from a few humorous wisecracks now and then. The majority of the story is narrated through enchanting story book segments at the beginning of each level whilst it loads. The narrator is cast superbly and tells an interesting story, setting the atmosphere for each level. Each level’s accompanying soundtrack is unique and emotive and does a great job of adding to the experience.

The Trine is a mysterious relic that bounds the three characters into one, making things much easier for the player or players involved. Throughout your adventure the three characters will use their specific traits to solve a series of physics based puzzles which incorporate a couple of the elements as well as magic and gravity.

Amadeus uses his wizardry skills for the puzzle solving, he can conjure up planks or boxes and even levitate certain objects. Pontius is the muscle of the group doing most of the battling against the enemies and Zoya uses her agility and archery skills. Each character has a skill tree which can be developed through the collection of vials in-game. The branches offer more tools which can be used for puzzles and attack. Zoya for example can shoot flamed arrows, Pontius can use his shield to glide and Amadeus can conjure more than one object at a time.

Three players can join in the adventure either locally or online. Locally works fine and is great fun with a bunch of mates. The exact same goes for online where players can drop in and out as they please and your unlocked skills transfer no matter where you go. Online flowed smoothly without a hiccup but I feel it may be worth mentioning that using Amadeus levitating skills resulted in a jerky, imprecise and uncontrollable experience. Also from what I could tell, there was no online chat.

The puzzles offer a great challenge that have a good steady rate of increasing difficulty. Time and time again players will sing the accomplished “Ah-hah!” moment. Replay-ability comes not only great multiplayer available but also through the collection of secrets such as poems and portraits that dive deeper into the lore of Trine.

The PS4 entry offers a few unique opportunities to control actions of your player through the use of the Dual Shock 4’s touchpad. Aiming Zoya’s bow, levitating items with Amadeus or defending Pontius with his shield can all be controlled through the touch pad. Of course if this isn’t comfortable for you it has been mapped to right thumb stick.

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Taking place 15 years after the conclusion of Assassin’s Creed 4 you play the role of Adèwalè, first mate of Edward Kenway and Quarter Master of The Jackdaw. Sometime during the 15 year gap, Adèwalè has joined the ranks of the Assassin’s and become an exceptionally proficient assassin.

During a naval confrontation with some Templars, a horrific storm capsizes and leaves Adèwalè floating adrift. Eventually washing up on the shores of Port Au Prince, Adèwalè ignites a rebellion of sorts and begins to liberate his people from the clutches of slavery.

Ubisoft have made an amazing effort of developing a completely new area for their Freedom Cry DLC. Rather than resting on their hunches and giving old areas a simple make over, they have really taken a step above and beyond what is needed and fans are sure to love it. Whilst the enemies are simply just a re-skin to a more appropriate French attire to fit the theme of the game, the world still boasts its own unique charm. Taking up roughly 20% of the size that AC4 did there is still plenty to see and do, small islands to collect treasure and other areas to visit. One feature that caught my attention is the singing of the slaves. Call it folk, freedom or redemption songs but these amazing voices truly capture the emotion of the oppression. Their voices produce a source of hope and courage.

Freedom Cry introduces players to a couple of new weapons; two in particular are the firecrackers which distract guards and the blunderbuss which is essentially a short range, wide spread shotgun. Adèwalè is a much more physical and brutal assassin utilizing the blunderbuss and a machete to lead the rebellion.

There are a few familiar features from the main game appearing again but offering slight variations to make things much more interesting. The plantation/warehouse loot missions are replaced with liberating plantations of slaves. The same applies to free the pirate segments which are now free the slaves. Freeing slaves is the key to unlocking rewards for Adèwalè; free 25 and you get a bigger ammo pouch, free 500 and you get unlimited ammunition with unlockable increments in between. The same applies to “Maroons”; people of the freed slaves who take up arms and aid you in your quest. I found this reward system to be extremely generous and found myself taking much more interest in the side missions. The brilliant naval segments are present for the DLC and offers players the opportunity to liberate slaves in transport.

Whilst you can expect the beautiful charm and attention to detail in Freedom Cry as you know and love from the main segment of AC4, Freedom Cry still containts a lot of tedious repetition that goes hand in hand with the Assassins Creed series. Tail and eavesdrop on a conversation or simply synchronise a view point and run around collecting the items it reveals to you. Depending on your personal preference, Freedom Cry can be tackled head on while you are in full swing of playing Assassin or can be approached at a later time when it suits the player as it is its own very capable and competent story. Personally I would have loved  to see this a bit later down the track when I had acquired a taste for the open seas again. I found the story of Freedom Cry to be much more engaging and direct as opposed to AC4’s light hearted theme. Unfortunately, 10 or so missions (4 hours for 100% completion) are not enough to capture the true severity and horrific implications of slavery.

Ubisoft should be applauded for taking such a bold step into a topic not usually associated with gaming. The experience was so intense and heartfelt that I felt morally obligated to help those in their plight whenever the situation arose; it would actually leave me emotionally shattered if I failed to save them.

Freedom Cry is a part of the AC4 season pass or can be purchased separately from your respective online store.

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Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics is a crossover sports/party video game. It is the 4th game in the Mario & Sonic series and is one of two games that Nintendo and Sega have partnered for on the Wii U. It’s the first in the series to be published by Nintendo Globally.

As this is the first Mario and Sonic Olympics game to appear on the Wii U, you can expect a huge graphical improvement. The character models of all the characters look better than they ever have before. There are a ton of characters here that we’ve never seen being rendered in HD so that was one of the first things I noticed when booting up the game. There are also a number of locations that are being recreated in HD for the first time. The soundtrack is at you’d expect it. It’s catchy without being too annoying but don’t expect to remember it once you’ve switched the game off.

Mario and Sonic at The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics is the series first entry on the Wii U. Taking this into consideration the game requires that you use the Wii U GamePad if you’re playing by yourself or a Wii Remote Plus if you’re taking on multiplayer. Some of the games also require the use of the Nunchuck. Whilst most people have a Wii Remote Plus, it’s an interesting decision that some games actually require it.

There’s quite a good variety of Olympic events to take part in. These range from speed skating, to curling, to bob sleighing. The thing that was absolutely loved is that the Wii U GamePad is really taken advantage of. When you’re Bob-sleighing, you can use the Wii U GamePad in order to steer your way through the tubes. Other events use a combination of both the GamePad and Wii Remote but for the most part things are kept fairly simple. The thing that annoyed me most though is that you had to constantly change control methods. Some events require the GamePad whilst some require the Wii Remote. I wish that there was a more universal way of playing and that you could choose this method from the start screen.

Mario and Sonic 2014 ventures into the online space for the first time in the series. With only four events that are playable online, I can’t help but feel that it was a rushed decision and one that could’ve been implemented a whole lot better. I understand that a lot of these sports wouldn’t really fit into an online space but the more popular games such as Ice Hockey isn’t even playable online.

Thankfully Nintendo have included a few other Network features. You can share photos and compare your records with your Wii U friends and the wider Miiverse community. Thankfully when you’re not using the Wii Remote for an event, you can display commentary and things like gameplay tips. I also really liked the way that the Wii U GamePad was integrated into the menus. It’s really refreshing to have developers take advantage of the touch screen and second screen on the GamePad.

The biggest problem with Mario and Sonic at The 2014 Winter Olympics is the inconsistency in events. There are quite a few control issues which really make the game unenjoyable at times and the quality of events is really up and down. Some of the events are really easy to get into and play and other events just simply feel like a chore. Ice Hockey is one that we really enjoyed but was still hampered by weird controls.

Outside of the 16 main events, there are also Dream Events. Whilst these are also quite inconsistent, they are extremely interesting. Things like Roller Coaster Bobsleighing and Hole-In-One Curling are an absolute blast. They reinvent standard events and really blow your mind with their utter craziness. The Bullet Bill race is a ton of fun in particular.

Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics is a solid game. It doesn’t really do anything to push itself beyond that unfortunately. The Online functionality is interesting but not deep enough to use past a certain extent. If you’re playing with friends then you’re guaranteed to get some fun out of this but don’t expect to spend days playing it by yourself. There is a lot to be unlocked within the game if that’s your sort of thing.

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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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ATTENTION: Assassin’s Creed 3 is shamelessly spoiled in this review, so if you haven’t played it yet and want to find out the fate of Desmond Miles and co, I’d skip reading this

Black Flag tells the story of Edward Kenway, charming/roughish pirate who seeks fortune, whilst stumbling upon the Assassin’s Order and their vicious fight against the Templars for humanity. It sounds engaging and deep, but it’s not really. I feel I only was vested in this game because of my love for pirates and nautical based themes, and the story just kind of flew over. Big names like Blackbeard, Charles Vane and Calico Jack make appearances, but they amount to similar cameos as the historical figures in Assassin’s Creed 3 were, ergo not much impact. It’s a story that’s more grounded thanks to the final bow of Desmond: no more end of world bullshit, it’s a simple pirate tale mixed with the Assassin’s Creed template without the need to juxtapose crazy cult figures and bullshit end of world theories into it. I guess Desmond was good for one thing.

In a surprising twist, the plot for the ‘present day’ plot is not only engaging and interesting, but an absolutely hilarious bit of meta-narrative worthy of Kaufman himself (Charlie Kaufman, that is). Playing the role of an Abstergo employee digging through the memories of previous protagonist Desmond Miles to create the ‘perfect entertainment piece’ for the audience, you have to sift through the memories of Kenway in order to discover and create material to make it a mass produced game. It’s incredibly self-referential, clever and intriguing, especially when the layers start to fall and a more sinister plot is discovered. Not only was this an incredibly interesting plot, but it was the very first plot in the Assassin’s series where I WANTED to play it. I found myself laughing at some of the self-deprecating and meta jokes Ubisoft were clever enough to put in, and there are a couple of very welcome easter eggs that scream of potential for crossover franchises (coughWatch_Dogscough).

Black Flag runs quite poorly on the PS3, no sugarcoating that. Frame rate chugs like crazy, pop in is evident everywhere and outside of the free-run animations not much stands out. The open world is immense and deep, but the graphics take a hit. The atmosphere on the ship is clearly the only standout here: rain hitting the deck, watching your crew run around whilst you engage in ferocious battles, it would be absolutely spectacular if there wasn’t so much cluttering the UI. Honestly, I’d love for the game to ditch the present day concept entirely and just focus on the Assassin’s Creed past; just imagine a game like Black Flag without any of the immersion-shattering parts. While I lauded the present day plot, I also would not mind seeing it disappear if it meant this happening.

It’s no competition to which version you should get: if the DRM is gone, then PC gets 100% of my vote, otherwise the next-gen consoles are looking much better, though I’d wait for the whole 900p/1080p mess to resolve itself, because God knows no one wants to be a part of that right now. The PS3 version runs well enough, but I KNOW that there are better versions out there and if you had the choice, there’s my vote.

The menu system has been COMPLETELY overhauled, and thank God for that, since the franchise’s UI have ranged from terrible to completely fucking atrocious. Though I’ve fairly sure they’ve recycled the menu sounds from Splinter Cell (you can quote me on that, I’m very confident of this) the menu’s are fluid, easy to use and the map is actually easy to access for once. No longer waiting for the map to load agonizingly slowly, then agonizingly trawl my way looking for my objective, it’s been simplified to great effect.

Sounds are solid, especially Kenway’s voice actor. Fits the character exactly, I found myself liking (or at the VERY least, tolerating) Kenway because of this, which is more than I could say for Connor from AC3. Voice acting all around is solid. Can’t really think of many negatives here, or many positives. It’s good. The orchestral score is fantastic, and it absolutely shines during the combat, completely immersing myself into the pirate life. That’s not to mention the dozens of sea shanties. Black Flag nails the pirate look, the pirate feel and the pirate sound.

Let’s get the worst out of the way: the core combat on foot is an absolute disaster, and it is completely monotonous and boring to slug your way through dozens of enemies when Ubisoft have created a combat system this uninspired. The age old ‘wait for counter, then chain kill’ system is here, yet it’s not even half as fun or engaging as Brotherhood’s combat, despite the advancements everywhere else, simply because it’s just not challenging at all. Mashing dronelessly to kill enemies is incredibly dull, and not only are the chain kills and combos completely unsatisfying to pull off seeing as they require the skill of a 3 year old, but the kill animations are incredibly drawn out and just boring to watch. The sword/blade combat is boring, it’s unchallenging and it’s just taken steps backwards. Ubisoft need to really just completely overhaul their on-foot combat system and start from scratch, because what’s left is unsalvageable. There’s some nice sword and pistol sets to buy to make the monotony less…monotonous, which is always a nice touch.

That said, the core components of stealth and assassinations are quite fun. The stealth has been overhauled for the better, and it works well in Black Flag. Hiding in bushes, luring guards to their death and silently assassinating a whole convoy is a thousand times more satisfying then mindlessly mashing the attack button in face to face combat. Assassinating from air is always a slice of fried gold, and I’m glad to see the inherent fun and style of assassinations remain as strong as ever.

Fortunately, the two things that Assassin’s Creed 3 got right are done magnificently well here, this being the ship combat and the free-running. AC3 was criticised heavily for its lack of focus, and here I can see the attention into the ship gameplay was not a throwaway. I don’t recall having this much fun in a pirate themed game since…ever. Controlling the Jackdaw is wonderful, it feels like a real ship, customizing and upgrading it is not only essential, but actual motivation to go out and do side quests, and the love for the pirate life is evident here. Sea shanties can be collected around the world, chasing them down on foot, money is actually challenging to collect, and the weather system is impressive. Things like storm and fog actually have an effect on gameplay, as wild hurricanes threaten to tear your ship apart, and rouge waves attempt to capsize you. It’s a battle against man and nature, and the ship combat is absolutely breathtaking.

Hearing the score swing into action, firing cannons and swivels and barrels into ships that double the size of yours, then boarding them, swinging from rope into air assassination into quick combos and igniting explosives, it is absolutely magnificent and more than makes up for the bland on-ground combat. Attackable forts around the world add another dimension to the combat; taking a leaf from Far Cry 3’s outposts, consisting of withering down the exterior’s defences with the ships’ weapons, then running on foot to assassinate the head officer. The fort mechanics are wonderfully fluid, engaging and challenging, with a nice decent curve of difficulty to accompany the ship’s eventual upgrades. However, it is a shame that it gets so repetitive. Things like unlocking taverns (which consist of the exact same bar fight every time) and boarding ships don’t change objectives, and it’s a shame to not see a mix-up of objectives. That being said, the core components are so damn fun that it’s hard to see it as a negative, but even eating ice-cream every day for a month will become boring and repetitive. The diving sites provide a necessary annoyance: having to dive down shipwrecks is fine despite the finicky controls (seriously, will we EVER get a game with good underwater controls?) but the top tier upgrades are tied to these sites, which make them a chore to go through, albeit a near compulsory one.

Free-running has been fine-tuned so well that I don’t even look back on AC2/Brotherhood anymore. The overhauled animation system that debuted in Assassin’s Creed 3 was great, and here it’s near-perfection. My main complaint in the series was that free-running never gained any momentum. Climbing over a bar in the old games would stunt your progress even if you were running full pelt. Not anymore; running into objects will have Kenway vault over or duck under them with equal parts grace, speed and style, without losing a step in momentum. Running through crowds is now done organically without the need to hold down an awkward button, and the world has been fine-tuned to accompany Kenway’s free-running actions, with ledges, ramps and nature itself all being climbable objects. AC3 harped on about its blend of free-running between the natural world and buildings; Black Flag makes good on that promise. While we won’t see the style and skill equal to, say, Mirror’s Edge’s system (and I doubt we ever will), this is the next best thing.

And finally: the hunting system. While still not as engaging as Far Cry 3’s system (despite being ripped out from it entirely) mainly due to most on-ground upgrades being unnecessary, it’s a hell of a lot better than AC3. I felt myself actually stopping at harpooning sites, actually going out of my way to upgrade Kenway’s weapons and health not because I NEEDED to, just because the system was much better crafted than in AC3. I was surprised to see myself spend so much time hunting, it’s not a stand out feature and it suffers from repetition much like the rest of the game (thankfully the canned animations before/after the hunt is skippable) but it’s a welcome one.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is a strange game. There’s many things wrong with this game, so much I can nitpick and groan and put down, and Ubisoft have had more than enough of my time and money (and yours!) to not warrant forgiveness or for me to look over these things, yet I find myself completely and utterly immersed in this game. One of the deepest, most addictive sandboxes I’ve found myself playing this year (edging out even GTA V in terms of depth and fun). The ‘Assassin’s Creed’ logo on it isn’t really justified, as it has become its own game, and very unlike an AC game. Black Flag does many things wrong, but when it reaches its highs, they’re the highest the franchise have ever been. Buy it on console, next-gen or now, buy it on PC (hopefully if the DRM will be removed), just play this game and acknowledge the first right step that Ubisoft have done with this franchise in years.

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Deus Ex Human Revolution was originally released on the PS3, 360 and PC in 2011. It is the long-awaited sequel to Deus Ex which was a game changing shooter in terms of combining both RPG and FPS shooter elements in a seamless way. The series is heralded for it’s story and Human Revolution doesn’t disappoint, combining a fantastic setting with the ethical dilemmas of human augmentation, body modification and what constitutes right and wrong in those moral situations.

Human Revolution is visually quite average. Its saving grace is it’s fantastic art style. It provides a different look into a very futuristic world. It sports an extremely vibrant orange and black colour vibrant. These elements work together to create a world that you’re very intrigued to explore.

The voice actor for Jensen does a fine job but the majority of the voice acting treads a line between cringey and terrible, which is a shame since the game uses an abundance of cutscenes that push the plot. The cutscene presentation also contrasts slightly with the actual game, with better textures and darker colours in comparison, which clash with the overall presentation. The Wii U looks pretty similar to the PS3/PC version and it runs well.

Since the original game came out years ago, this review will focus mostly on the improvements on the Wii U.

Deus Ex Human Revolution: Director’s Cut was first exclusively announced for Wii U which is why Eidos Monreal and Straight Right have made such good use of the Wii U gamepad. It feels like it was made for the Gamepad and not as an afterthought like so many other Wii U ports. Navigating inventory and hacking systems is a lot easier to use with the touchscreen than with buttons. The game also supports off-screen play where the developers have been smart enough to use the sides of the gamepad in order to access things like mission objects or your map.

There are still a few things that feel tacked on. When you take aim using a rifle, your view switches to the Wii U gamepad in order to make your shot on the smaller screen. Whilst this is a cool idea, it something feels unnecessary and makes combat feel clunkier. Thankfully it feels incredibly smooth and actually helps the experience rather than hinder it in most other instances. There are also still a few issues with dumb AI that still seem to appear from the original.

The Wii U version also allows you to take screenshots to draw on and record short audio clips. You can share these with friends. You can also share screenshots through Miiverse if that’s more of your thing.

The Director’s Cut was always intended to be the definitive version of this game. It aims to fix a few niggling complaints that players had with the original. One of the main ways it does this is by giving more choice when it comes to the boss fights. You can now take the bosses down through ways other than straight up combat. It still feels similar and a little tacked on (endgame results that they still die no matter what route you take) but it’s nice to see that you can employ tactics that you’d use in other parts of the game to defeat these bosses.

The Director’s Cut version also finally includes the Missing Link DLC. They’ve also been kind enough to include the full strategy guide for your viewing pleasure. Another neat touch that has been included is a commentary track that allows you to get an insight into the developer’s initial creation process. You can also take a further look with the Making Of documentary. There’s a lot here for Deus Ex fans, and it’s worth the purchase if you’ve never played it before.

The Director’s Cut is without doubt the definitive version of this game. It’s absolutely exceptional on the Wii U and we found that it was the best way to play this game. Eidos have been smart enough to include enough for players of the original to come back. These include tweaked gameplay, riveting developer commentary and a new game + mode to explore. This is a must purchase for all Wii U owners.

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Set 10 years after an Odin strike called on America by the Federation that has the left the country in ruins and with the impending invasion, we follow two soldiers on a mission to save the country. These soldiers must overcome great loss and work together with the Ghosts. The Ghosts are the last force that America has at its disposal, using technologically advanced weaponry and tactics to fight back. Ghosts is the 10th Call of Duty sequel that’s been brought out. Infinity Ward and Raven studios developed it, and this is the biggest COD ever. With the biggest multiplayer rebuild in the series, this has been one highly anticipated release for a lot of people.

Now before anyone says anything, I know that the game is still running off a dated graphics engine. But who can argue with a constant 60fps? I’ll always pick a smoother experience over slightly higher graphics. The fact that Infinity Ward uses the same engine as before means that they can push it to the limits. It’s not as good as some of the other AAA titles out there but the game still looks great. The scenery, the animations and everything else are so smooth, seamless and look great.

Even whilst online, the game still runs smoothly minus a few instances of lag that I’ve experienced and while I was a little let down they didn’t try and go with a new engine, this is the best sounding COD game I’ve ever played. With the new reactive sound emitters, the team has been able to make the most realistic sounding game possible. Especially if you’re running your sound through a surround sound system or even a pair of decent gaming headphones, it’s so easy to dive right in and feel like you’re part of the action. It’s the little things they’ve added that make the game better for me, like how online the other characters will yell out where enemy players are and where to go.

For me, I feel games like Call of Duty set the bar when it comes to the first person shooter. While some people have their picks for which COD is the best, I think that this one is up there. As per the standard, Ghosts is spot on with the gameplay. The story itself is on par with most big budget action flicks these days. With a great storyline and some fairly believable characters, my only problem would be that it feels somewhat short. I managed to finish it spaced out over two nights, but it was worth it. The controls are the same as always, which makes jumping straight into the action all that much easier.

Ghosts also brings the knee slide into gameplay. Treyarch does the dolphin dive and now you can slide while running into cover into a crouching position. It does take some getting used to, but once you’ve got the hang of it you’ll be pulling off trick shots and executing some aggressive tactics with it.?But when you think Call of Duty, most people think of the multiplayer. When Ghosts was announced Infinity Ward said that multiplayer was getting a huge overhaul and they’ve done just that. From new game modes such as Blitz and Cranked, to the way you equip perks, it’s all different.

Ghosts has some of the greatest maps I’ve played and they all look incredible. Each map seems huge in its own right, but they all have their areas that you can turn into a vital choke point. They do take some getting used to but I feel they’re great. Infinity Ward have even added dynamic events into gameplay, each being triggered in different ways. When you play on some of the new game modes that have been added, the action is very consistent. Cranked, Search & Rescue, Blitz and the all new squads mode. While it looks great, that same high quality sound from the main game is found online. Knowing that every lifelike explosion, gun shot, bullet whiz is from another player, it ramps up the tension tenfold.

But one of the biggest changes for online would have to be the character customisation. For years gamers have wanted to make their own soldier and now they can, even having the choice of playing as a female avatar for the very first time in the series.?Extinction mode is probably my favourite bit about Ghosts. Similar to BO2 zombies in the sense it’s a wave based game, the action builds up much quicker and gets harder in a much more progressive way. Moving your way through an alien infested town to set off a nuke then run back to the evac, I’ve only been able to make it back just once with a group of mates. The different breeds of aliens, the somewhat strange attachment system, even levelling up, it’s just a lot of fun you can have with mates.

For me, I think Call Of Duty Ghosts is a great addition to the Call of Duty family. It has a decent and while short, fun campaign, a great online section with pretty much any kind of game mode for whatever kind of gamer you are, and it looks and feels great to play. Over playing it my one concern had a lot to do with lag and dropping out online, but recently they’ve talked about Ghosts getting dedicated servers across all platforms of gaming from next gen to current gen, which is just the start for this game. You already know that there will be four DLC releases over the course of the next year keeping the game fresh for everyone, I feel this game will be a very big hit with fans new and old.

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Wind Waker HD takes place several centuries after Ocarina Of Time. The game takes place on a vast ocean known as the Great Sea which is filled with tiny islands. The game opens on Outset island where Link lives with his sister and grand mother. Whilst celebrating his birthday, Link rescues a girl from the woods after a creature drops her there. This leads to Link’s sister being captured by the mysterious creature. The adventure then turns to Link having to rescue his sister from the evil Ganon.

As you’d expect, Wind Waker HD looks absolutely stunning on the Wii U. It’s the nicest looking game to date on the system. This is all thanks to the upgraded HD textures that really pop thanks to the beautiful cell-shaded backgrounds. Link animates much smoother than he did in the Gamecube version and has a lot more expression on his face depending on what situation he is in.

The new lighting engine that this game uses is absolutely phenomenal. Outset Island looks better than ever and I found myself getting lost in this game just looking at all the beautiful scenery. This isn’t something that I remember doing in the original. Sure the art style was interesting but I was never in awe of just how good it looked. The amazing soundtrack sounds better than ever before and really keeps you immersed n the world.

Wind Waker was truly revolutionary when it was released. It completely changed up Zelda as we had known it before. Wind Waker focuses really heavily on it’s unique story and style of combat. It really gave players a sense of exploration in a world that they’d never experienced before. The game was criticised for being quite a bit shorter than other games in the series and also having an uninspired set of dungeons and fetch quests.

Despite this is was still praised for trying something different and being able to pull it off. Even though it’s quite short, the main quest is one of the biggest rides that Nintendo have ever provided. The gadgets and locations are more inventive than ever and you never feel like the story is dragging on.

Wind Waker HD is without doubt the best use of the Wii U gamepad yet. Nintendo have really gone out of their way to show you all the different ways that you can use the gamepad in order to enhance gameplay. The gamepad is now used to display the map. It’s also used to quickly swap out items which helps more casual gamers get into the series.

The game also uses the built in gyroscope to aim and look around whilst in the first person view. This really helps accuracy when using either the hook shot or aiming the bow. For those that want to go with a more traditional controller method, Nintendo have also included support for the pro controller.

Miiverse is also smartly integrated into a game through the use of a new item called ‘Tingle’s Bottle’. You can write down a message and pop it into a bottle then send it out to Sea. Other people will then see your bottle floating at shore and will randomly see your message. It’s just another smart way to integrate Miiverse into a game and whilst it doesn’t really enhance the experience, it’s nice to have it there for those who want it.

There have been some minor adjustments to the second half of the game but most of the main criticisms with fetch quests and uninspired dungeons remain the same. One huge criticism with the original was just how long it took to sail from place to place. Thankfully this has been fixed with the introduction of Swift Sail. This speeds up the sailing process regarding of the weather.
Nintendo have also introduced Hero mode for series veterans. In this mode enemies will inflict double the damage and you cannot find hearts in the environment. Thankfully this can be toggled on and off when loading a save file, so you’re not restricted for the entire play through.

Wind Waker HD is a game that all Wii U owners should play. It’s one of the first times that we’ve truly understood just how special the Wii U gamepad is. You’ll enjoy this game whether you’re new to the series or a series veteran. Nintendo have introduced a host of new features to make this title better than it ever was before and the presentation is second to none.

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Game: Just Dance 2014 Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: Out Now Available On: PS3/360/Wii U/Wii Version Played: Wii U

Just Dance 2014 is a big year for the series. It adds a variety of online features as well as adding a new Karaoke mode. It will also release on the next gen consoles at launch. Our review will specifically cover the Wii U version and the functionality that the Wii U gamepad brings to the table.

Just Dance 2014 doesn’t stray too far from what you’d expect. The menu is extremely stylish but simple enough for players of all ages. Players are given the choice to either navigate with either the Wii Mote or the Wii U Gamepad. The entire game has an extremely fun, retro colour pallet and it makes it an absolute joy to play. Quite simply Just Dance 2014 looks better than any that come before it. Each song is paired with its own unique theme and that’s what makes the game so fun.

The song list this year really sets it itself apart. There is truly something there for everyone with favourites such as the Ghostbusters theme song and more recent hits such as Lady Gaga’s ‘Applause’. Just Dance relies on its music and this year does not disappoint.

The main gameplay of Just Dance 2014 has not changed much from previous iterations. Your main objective is still to use a Wii Mote and follow the on-screen dancers to the best of your ability. Your performance is based on how many stars you can get out of 5. The better you perform will determine how quickly you unlock new tracks and modes. We’re glad to see that Ubisoft have not broken the usual formula too much. Just Dance is extremely popular amongst a casual audience and we can’t see this title being any different.

Just Dance 2014 has added a few new modes into the mix. Stage Mode is the first that we’re going to talk about. This mode places one player as the leader dancer with two backup dancers behind you. The whole idea is that you’re trying to replicate a lead popstar whilst your backup dancers complete a different routine. Our personal favourite was Battle Mode. In Battle Mode, you take your choice out of 4 mash-up songs. Each player will have custom choreography in which they go head-to-head in a dance off. The better you dance determines how quickly you eat away at your opponents life bar. Just Sweat is the final mode that is included for offline use. In this mode you dance to tracks like normal with a calorie counter showing how much that you’ve burnt off for each routine. There are a lot more tracks for this mode than in previous versions of Just Dance.

We also found that Party Master was a great mode for groups of people. One player uses the GamePad and chooses which dance moves that the people holding the Wii Motes should perform. Not only can they change dance moves as frequently as they want, they can also change to a song of their choosing mid match. It adds a sense of uncertainty to what are usually familiar routines and is a great use of the Wii U GamePad.

The biggest addition to Just Dance 2014 on the Wii U is the added Karaoke support. You can switch on karaoke mode by tapping on the GamePad. You can then sing along into the GamePad’s microphone in order to earn yourself extra mojo. We found this a little cumbersome as it’s pretty hard to dance and hold the GamePad but it was still impressive to see Ubisoft adding new features into an already successful franchise.

Just Dance 2014 finally brings the series into the online space. It features two online modes. Online Competition is exactly what it sounds like. You can jump online and dance to the same song as other people around the world in order to try to get a better score than them. It’s not possible to communicate with your competitors or even choose your song. You literally just jump in and start dancing. At the end of each song you’re presented with a dynamic leaderboard which shows your ranking amongst other places in the world. I think that we’ll see this space updated even further in years to come but it’s good to see the series pushed into the online space.

Autodance introduces video recording to the series. Using the GamePad, you can record 30 seconds of yourself dancing. The game will automatically choose parts of the clip into one goofy clip that looks absolutely ridiculous. You can then share this video to Just Dance TV or Twitter. There is also a pretty good system where you can look at other people’s videos, rank them and even give them a tag. It’s not perfect but it’s good that it’s there. You can also visit the Nintendo eShop in order to purchase new songs. We were shocked to see that new releases such as Katy Perry’s Roar was already on there as a free download.

Just Dance 2014 is the biggest leap that we’ve seen in the series since it’s debut. There isn’t a single person that couldn’t have fun with this game at one time or another. If you’re a fan of dancing games then this is a must purchase. It betters itself in almost every way which is what we’re looking for in a game. We’re excited to see how it fares on the next generation consoles in a few weeks time!

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Game: Batman Arkham Origins Developer: WarnerBros Montreal Publisher: Warner Bros
Release Date: Out Now Available On: PS3/360/Wii U/PC Version Played: PS3

New developers to the Arkham series WB Games Montreal take the series to an early part of the Dark Knight’s career in this prequel to perhaps the most critically acclaimed superhero game series.

In Arkham Origins Batman is reasonably new to the vigilante gig in Gotham City, having only spent a couple of years under the cowl, while the police don’t know if he is on their side or aiding those who terrorize the city. For some of the criminals they aren’t even sure if “The Bat” is real or is just a figure made up by the local law enforcement to scare the criminals into hiding.

One criminal who is well aware of the Batman and has had enough of him interfering with his business is the crime lord Black Mask. Reaching the end of his tether Black Mask issues a bounty of $50 million dollars for Batman’s head, bringing 8 assassins to Gotham on a brutally cold, dark and stormy Christmas Eve.

A less experienced and unrefined Batman is the focus here. It is called Origins after all and WB Montreal has really nailed what they set out to do. Batman is angry; he is hostile and is at times a little too confident in himself and his abilities which lead to a lot of underestimations in this adventure; he lacks the wisdom and experience that eventually makes him the Dark Knight. The Batsuit screams the same, unrefined and open to revisions. It seems as if it has been assembled together rather than the whole piece that it will become. Roger Craig Smith makes his debut portraying a gruff and extremely passionate Batman and does not miss a beat. In fact after the first scene I completely forgot about this being his debut performance and instantly placed him right up there with Batman legendary voice actor Kevin Conroy.

But what is Batman without his Joker? Arkham Origins takes you into the first meeting between the two characters and WOW! The chemistry is phenomenal both collectively and individually. Troy Baker who takes on the role of The Joker, after Mark Hamill’s retirement from the role. Baker portrays the character excellently by incorporating snippets of Mark Hamill’s work and adding his own flare which proves to be an outstanding combination.

To compliment the terrific voice acting is the exceptional cut scenes that accompany the voices. Highly detailed scenes with exquisite attention to detail that screams out amazing potential for a CGI film. There was more than once instance where I was covered in goose bumps just from the power and emotion of the terrific cut scenes.

Gotham City’s size is roughly twice the size of that which was offered in Arkham City. In fact, in the northern part of the city for those who played Arkham City will be able to recognise the buildings and structures that do eventually become Arkham City, which can be seen as a smart development move and a nod to the previous work of Rocksteady, all which helps to reinforce the idea that we are in the same universe of Bat lore. What connects the northern side of the city to the southern side is a bridge of epic proportions which truly does exemplify the verticality of this world. Tall structures of different shapes and sizes are out there waiting to be scaled for Batman to perch atop and brood upon.

Whilst the city is of a much larger scale it is still an option for Batman to grapple hook onto building ledges and then accelerate off that grapple to enter a sped up glide which is not only extremely fun and is just another one of the little things that make you feel even more like Batman. If soaring and gliding through the air isn’t your thing though, you can remotely call the Batwing for fast travel across the city; a new feature for the series.

Unfortunately for the PS3 version I was reviewing, I suffered from severe frame rate issues which required a restart, all which occurred from selecting the fast travel option. Whilst it appears to have been fixed during an update patch, I must stress that to get the most from your game, it is best to update to save yourself any dilemmas.

For such a large city for all extremities, it is an extremely quiet and lifeless city. Understandably it is Christmas Eve and everyone may be and probably is at home asleep waiting for Christmas day, also with the martial law in effect, but to see some life in the streets; even to intervene in a random mugging would have made the game all that more realistic and improved the experience tremendously.

Arkham Origins doesn’t re-invent anything in the Arkham series and to be honest, why should they? As the old saying goes “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it” a phrase I am positive that everyone has heard in reference to the Arkham series. Previous entries are regarded as the ‘cream of the crop’ in the superhero game genre. Previous developers Rocksteady Studios have set a high bar but WB Montreal answers the call and hits back with ferocity. They have tweaked a few components here and there such as gadgets or slight variations to the enemy roster such as martial art fighters who are able to counter your counters and the large armoured enforcer that needs to be completely immobilised and disarmed before you can subdue him.

The boss battles are incredible, full of variety and constantly keeping you on your toes, which is only scratching the surface for combat in Arkham Origins; free flow combat makes an appearance again and is once again in excellent form. Building combos, whilst jumping, countering attacks and using gadgets has never been so much fun and the way the animations tie in and react so quickly particularly when countering three enemy attacks at once is simply outstanding.

As previously mentioned the game borrows a lot of aspects from previous entries; predator rooms play out basically the same as they always have, tasked with subduing an entire room of thugs with only the finest of Batman take downs. At the completion of either combat or predator challenges you are scored on a number of variables such as gadget variations, combo accumulated, stealth and health remaining which is graded and then calculated to give experience points. After collecting enough experience you can enter a menu which allows you to upgrade aspects such as your health, number of Batarangs thrown at once or open alternative take down methods, just to name a few.

A new and exciting feature to debut is the Dark Knight system in which your progress is traced across areas such as combat, predator or navigation. Each category contains 15 ranks each of increased difficulty; a welcome inclusion that will have the keenest of players modifying their approach as they apprehend their foes in all situations.

Batman is after all labelled as ‘the world’s greatest detective’, a feature that is highlighted extremely well in Origins. Using his sophisticated Bat Computer and cowl, Batman can analyse a crime scene and piece it together to solve the crime. These small occurrences only last a couple of minutes but are welcome breaks in the pacing of the game and lets the player focus on another aspects of The Bat; his extraordinarily sharp detective work.

As you progress through the story avenues open to further immerse yourself in the world of Batman, through the “Gotham’s Most Wanted” menu, you can for instance, find yourself dissecting Enigma’s (soon to be The Riddler) cleverly crafted puzzles throughout the city just as an example. This and much more will have you covering Gotham over and over to see 100% completion but it doesn’t end with the completion of your first play through; new game plus allows you to play though a second time with an increased difficulty with your progression transferred over from your first run through, including Gotham’s Most Wanted progress and Dark Knight Challenges. For the extremely brave once you complete new game plus a mode called “ I Am The Night” becomes available in which you are given one life only to play through the entire game (fortunately there are checkpoints so you don’t have to complete this 12 hour campaign in one sitting).

As always, challenges are available outside of story mode to compete in online leader boards or for your own personal satisfaction. Subject to a variety of combat and predator scenarios you are given either a score to beat or three varying methods to take down your opposing thugs; challenges are a sure-fire way to keep the replay value alive for many more hours to come.

For the first time ever in the series multiplayer is introduced which places you in a 3v3v2 scenario. One team of 3 will consist of members of The Joker’s gang, another 3 from Bane’s gang and the remaining two of course become the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin. The background to this is a turf war between the two gangs with Batman and Robin coming to put an end to it. Utilising a third person shooter mechanic for the gang members and a simpler layout of controls from single player for the dynamic duo, Splash damage have done a fantastic job with this. It is up to the gangs to eliminate their rival gang, with bonuses for killing Batman or Robin; certain tools specific to the gangs’ help you gain the upper hand and during the course of a match The Joker and Bane become playable with their own added bonuses. All the while Batman and Robin take down as many thugs as they can to increase their intimidation meter. Multiplayer works well it its own right and doesn’t necessarily feel ‘tacked’ on. In fact I think I will be spending a bit more of my free time in it.

Like I have stated Arkham Origins doesn’t re-invent the series but it doesn’t need to. What it does is perfect a balance of using old tools and mechanics from Rocksteady whilst taking small liberties to add variations and flare to it. At times it can feel very repetitive, but then you quickly notice how much WB Montreal have added for this game making it feel like a certified chapter to the Arkham series and not just a game with the Arkham name tacked on. WB Montreal have truly done an outstanding job with Origins. Through their excellent voice acting and CGI works it makes a gripping story impossible to ignore. The multiplayer will have you playing for hours and the challenges as well as new game plus modes will have you hooked for even longer.

For those of you who cannot get enough of Batman Arkham Origins, Nether Realm Studios have developed a mobile tie in app that lets you take your crime fighting anywhere you go. Whilst essentially an individual game it does contain a few tie-ins for your console experience that are worth noting. Upon fulfilling certain criteria, achievements are unlocked and by connecting to your console of choice can unlock experience points for your multiplayer game or unlock a Bat suit for use in the game.

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Game: Skylanders Swap Force Developer: Vicarious Visions Publisher: Activision
Release Date: Out Now Available On: PS3/360/Wii U/3DS Version Played: PS3

The story in Skylanders: Swap Force is quite similar to those of the past. You as the portal master will embark on a new adventure into Cloudbreak islands. This is the home to a mystical volcano that erupts every 100 years to replenish all the magic of Skylanders. Whilst engaging in a huge battle, some Skylanders were caught in the volcano’s eruption which blasted them apart from each other and sent them all to Earth. This magic has now granted Skylanders a special ability to swap halves in order to form even more powerful combinations. Skylanders must unite in order to defeat Kaos once again in order to get them back to Cloudbreak Islands in order to save the Skylands.

Upon booting up Skylanders Swapforce, the first thing you will notice is how much the visuals have been improved. The game has a new developer in Vicarious Visions and they’ve rebuilt all environments and character models from the ground up. The result of this is a much more realistic representation of what Skylanders should look like. The Skylanders used to live in a cartoony, uninspired world and now live in an almost Pixar quality like universe.

The animations in this game are simply stunning. Vicarious Visions had over 100 Skylanders to recreate and reanimate in this game and all of them move absolutely superbly. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Wash Buckler on his tentacles or Blast Zone on his rocket, the Skylanders are completely smooth in how they navigate through this beautiful world. Another huge improvement in this iteration is the music. For each level you are presented with an orchestrated sound track which is unique for each level. One of my biggest gripes with previous games was that the soundtrack got hugely repetitive and sound effects really got on your nerves. This is not the case with Skylanders Swapforce. ITtwas genuinely a pleasure to listen to the music as I made my way through this beautiful universe.

The biggest addition in Skylanders Swapforce is without a doubt the ability to jump. All Skylanders whether they be from previous games or not can now jump. This allows the game to now take place on different levels and completely makes it much more of an expansive game. Whilst this doesn’t completely reinvent the game, it’s really refreshing not to have the whole game take place on a single plain. I felt that this had become really repetitive in previous games.

The control scheme has retained its simplicity which is to be expected as it’s mainly targeted as kids. My 6 year old nephew absolutely loves this game and as an exclusive Nintendo gamer, it’s really refreshing to see him pick up a PS3 controller and instantly know how to play this game.

The main concept of Skylanders Swapforce is the swappable characters. There are 16 swappable characters and the interesting thing is that the bottom and top halves are upgradable separately so you retain those attacks when swapping characters. This allows you to find your perfect combination and stick with it. There are also 16 new non-swappable characters and 16 reposed characters. Thankfully the game will let you use ALL of your old Skylanders but unfortunately you will need the new portal. Skylanders Swapforce packs a bunch of content with 17 levels. You won’t be finishing this game anytime soon and we really love this about the game. The amount of characters is backed up by just how long the campaign is.

The levelling system is quite similar to that of the previous games. You level up your character by collecting coins and beating enemies. You can then use those coins to purchase upgrades for the top and bottom half of your characters. Upgrades are made at strategically placed pods throughout each level. There are also specific upgrades that can only be upgraded for finding soul gems throughout the world. Each Skylander has one respective Soul Gem that is placed in a specific level and can be found with any character, regardless of whether you own that Skylander or not.

One of the main new mission additions is Swap Zone challenges. These are challenges where you need to use specific elements together in order to complete a mission. These include things like speeding down or flying down a race track in a certain amount of time. You get smaller presents like hats that upgrade a specific stat for completing them. These are a fun break from the main story and also a very clever ploy in order for people to buy that Skylander they need in order to complete all of the missions. The one thing I will say about SKylanders Swapforce is that the amount of depth is incredible for a game that’s aimed at children. To think that there are well over 100 characters who all have more than 10-15 specific moves is absolutely amazing. It really is a kids dream.

There are also a bunch of arena modes outside of the story mode. Solo Survival mode is where you face off in a bunch of different arenas with a variety of different enemies. This mode is extremely difficult and really put my skills to the test. Team Survival Mode is where two people can enter this same arena and face off against the same wave of enemies. Rival Mode incorporates you versing your opponent in order to defeat more enemies than the other. Battle Arena Mode is where you put your skills to the test and go head to head with your opponent with the sole purpose of defeating them. Finally, Ring Out mode is where you go head to head with the mission of knocking your opponent out of the arena in order to win.

Skylanders Swapforce is a very welcome addition to the Skylanders series. Vicarious Visions have really revamped the series in a way that probably wasn’t imaginable last year. The environments and characters look a whole lot better and gameplay has had a turn for the better with the inclusion of the ability to jump and swap tops and bottoms of characters. I’m excited to see where the series goes from here and how it fares on the next gen consoles.

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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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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Rayman Legends” developers=”Ubisoft Montpellier” publishers=”Ubisoft” platforms=”Wii U/360/PS3/Vita/PC” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”Wii U”]

Rayman Legends doesn’t tell much of a story but that’s ok because the game is enough fun that it doesn’t need one. It does however provide a small cut scene at the start to set the game up for those who are interested. Rayman, Globox and the Teensies have been sleeping for a century since Rayman Origins. During their extended nap, The Bubble Dreamer’s nightmares grew in strength and numbers and so has the magician. Rayman and his friends are waken up by side kick Murfy who alarms them about the bad news.

Rayman is the best looking game that I’ve played on Wii U. It outputs natively in 1080p on the Wii U and it looks absolutely gorgeous. The backdrops are so varied in design and the hand-drawn art shines on the big screen. Character design has also been given a huge amount of love. There is a massive variety of character costumes and each one is just as detailed as the last.

The sound effects in Rayman Legends have also been given a lot of love. The constant ‘oohs and ahhs’ when you find a special passage or the ‘thump’ from smacking a friend or foe never gets old.  I was really surprised with the variety of music included for a game that has SO many levels.

The overall Presentation in Rayman Legends is one of the best i’ve seen. The games hub places you in a museum where every piece of hanging artwork represents a level. Jumping into the artwork then takes you to the said level. This really made me want to keep playing as I constantly went back and checked which levels I had completed 100% and which I still needed to go back to. This was a huge step up from the map that featured in Rayman Origins.

Rayman Legends is a side-scrolling platformer which has a huge emphasis on speed. What starts out as a walk in the park soon becomes a game of speed, skill and a lot of trial and error. What Rayman Legends does really well is it’s gradual increase in difficulty and throwing new things at you. I never felt that I was comfortable or that the game was getting too easy because as soon as you get used to one mechanic, it throws a new one at you.

The amazing thing about Rayman Legends is that it’s the simplicity in gameplay that makes it such a successful game. The gameplay only really consists of running, jumping and whacking enemies so anytime you die only comes down to your own mistiming rather than feeling cheap. The sheer variety of enemies in the game is something that amazed me. In almost every level the design is changed up with the use of new enemies which all behave in different ways.

In each world there are a number of levels to complete. These vary from simple platforming levels where you have to get from the start to end, touch-screen based levels where you control a character named Murphy on the touch pad in order to get your AI controlled player through obstacles, boss fights, time based invasions levels and a special musical level at the end of each world which are some of the most creative levels that i’ve ever seen in a platformer.

Each level features a number of Lums that must be collected in order to 100% that level. These go towards unlocking new characters and unlocking a lucky ticket for each level. This lucky ticket can unlock creatures which give you extra Lums, a random sum of Lums and Back To Origins levels which are recreated levels from Rayman Origins.

The game also includes four-player, drop in and drop out cooperative play which makes things a whole lot more enjoyable. Playing through these levels with friends makes the game even more frantic than before and provided some of the biggest laughs that i’ve had with a game in a long while. The touch screen based levels are also a lot more enjoyable with another person. I played a lot of these levels with my nephew controlling the touch screen whilst I quickly navigated through the levels. The amount of puzzles that the game throws at you are so varied and over the top that it never got old.

I must admit, playing through these levels by myself was a bit of a drag. When playing by yourself, you’re relegated to the touch screen whilst an AI player navigates through the level. It seemed to take away from the overall speed and pace that the other levels required. I would definitely grab the Wii U version for this reason as well as I couldn’t imagine them being any better on the PS3/360. Thankfully you can skip these if you’re by yourself and wait until you’re in the company of a second player.

The variety in level design will keep you happily playing until you complete the game but you’ll still feel a huge need to go and collect every single Lum and Teensy from each level. The game also features a challenge mode with updated daily and weekly challenges which will provide you with a reason to come back for weeks after you’ve finished the main campaign. There is also a soccer mode called Kung-Foot which uses a great combination of action, skill and timing in order to get a soccer ball in a goal.

Rayman Legends is a must buy on any console. I’d recommend the Wii U or the Vita version as the game clearly was built around touch screen mechanics. It’s beautiful artwork and amazing level design makes it one of the best side-scrolling platformers i’ve ever played and does everything to better itself from Rayman Origins.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”The Wonderful 101″ developers=”Platinm Games” publishers=”Nintendo” platforms=”Wii U” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”Wii U”]

The Wii-U had a big presence at E3 2012, while everyone was excited of the aspect of Pikmin three and wondering what a HD Super Mario Galaxy would look like. I was watching the Gamespot e3 livestream and became infatuated with the idea of Platinum jumping into the Wii-U to develop this weird game called Project P-100, It suited Platinum to a T, colorful, unique and completely bonkers.

Project P-100 has now become what we know now has The Wonderful 101, and it has finally released, it”s another great Platinum Release, but also their biggest blemish.

THE EARTH IS IN DANGER OF AN ALIEN INVASION FROM THE GEATHJERK! But thankfully, earths mightiest heroes, the Power Ranger-esqe force called The Wonderful 100, are more then prepared to take down this alien threat.

I”m going to be honest, the story isn”t anything to write home about, it”s more or less a device to take you from level to level.  But hey, the campy nature of the story and the ridiculous turns it makes is a really fun time, and it took me back to my mighty morphen power rangers days, so that was a personal experience for me, but a pleasant one.

The Wonderful 101 is directed by industry legend Mr. Hideki Kamiya, and it”s easy to make comparisons with his previous work, namely Viewtiful Joe. While the two look extremely similar, Platinum does what it does best and gives The Wonderful 101 a style all of it”s own, the art mixes from cellshaded to beautiful 3D models, the character and enemy design is nostalgic yet brilliantly insane.  This game crosses so many genre”s in it”s visual design that some of the things it does just feels anarchic. In a good way.

This weird Distant future metropolitan city is beautiful and all these different super powered freaks and heroes really stand out, while being an ode to good old Japanese Tokusatsu.

The Wonderful 101, for me is the game that defines what it means to be a Wii-U exclusive. The unite morphs system, which is a key mechanic you use all through out the game, for attacking and solving puzzles is something that feels like it was specifically developed for the Wii-U gamepad.

The single player is put into a mission by mission structure, with the exception of the boss battle set pieces these levels are mostly the same thing, make your way from Poimt A to B, taking down any GEATHJERK in your way with your hoards of heroes using their unite morph powers. Your resources for the unite morph weapons are the heroes themselves, as you go through the missions you will find citizens and sometimes other Wonderful 100 members which you recruit in to your hoarse by drawing a circle around them, sharing your power with the citizens, effectively giving you more resources to make your unite weapons bigger and more powerful.

To use these weapons you simply draw the specific shape the game teaches you for each weapon, with your stylus or right analogue stick. We recommend using the stylus, the analogue stick cam be handy for the more simple gestures in a pinch.

To begin with, combat is simple and fun, you get a hang of using unite morph mid battle to adapt from situation to situation summoning multiple groups of heroes using unite morphs, and buying new skills or modifiers after each mission is indeed rewarding, but all the charm and cool set pieces don”t hold up well enough once the game starts to get aggravating thanks to a frustratingly buggy camera and cheap deaths.

The camera is usually set to an isometric perspective, with the exception of when you go into the small puzzle sheds where the game zooms way in onto your squd when they enter these buildings. Controlling your horde accurately and just surveying the interior of these areas is more complicated then it should be. You know what the worst part is, these camera issues aren”t limited to these areas, even when the camera is zoomed far our to display the battle area, it sometimes gets stuck in the location where a level event happened or even stuck on buildings and other objects. Mix this with the screen filling chaos of the combat, the whole experience goes from fun to frustrating in a matter of seconds.

Platinum is still really good at making Unique experiences.  I do have to give them props for making a game that uses the Wii-U gamepad for a key mechanic, rather the only make the Wii-u gamepad a secondary inventory or map screen. The Wonderful 101 is definitely another good release from the studio, however it is also their biggest blemish. A Buggy camera and combat that at times just seems unfair, brings the whole experience down a few pegs.

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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.

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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.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”The Smurfs 2″ developers=”Wayforward” publishers=”Ubisoft” platforms=”Wii / Wii U / 360 / PS3″ genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”Wii U”]

The Smurfs 2 has the usual story that you’d expect from a Smurfs storyline. The evil bad guy Gargamel has snatched the blonde Smurfette from her home in the Smurf village. The rest of the Smurfs crew take up the challenge in finding her and returning her to the village yet again.

The presentation in The Smurfs 2 is one of it’s redeeming assets. It features a hand drawn art style which took me back to my childhood as it represents the original art style of the show rather than the movies. Story is told through the use of cartoon still-frame images with an overlay of narrative. Whilst these do well to tell the story, i would’ve much preferred actual cut scenes. I also think that this would’ve been more appealing for children who can’t really read all that well.

The animation in the game is pretty great and the scenery is extremely vibrants and sharp. There is a bit of glitchyness when it comes to the character animations but they’re hardly noticeable due to the beauty of the rest of the game. The sound in the game is a great representation of the original shows and the movie.

Smurfs 2 is a traditional side-scrolling 2D platformed. The goal is to make it to the end of the level by bouncing on enemies and avoiding pits. There are also a host of coins and other items to collect upon your journey. Unfortunately The Smurfs world is let down by a largely uninspired level design. Unfortunately all of the levels seem to blend into one and never really provide any new ideas along the way. The game features six different locations to explore. This excited me at first but I soon realised that the game is still extremely repetitive despite the vast variety of locations.

There are 5 levels in each world and you will face a boss battle in the form of a Smurf bad guy at the end of each world. The game isn’t long by any stretch of the imagination but Way Forward are to be praised for including a number of reasons to continue playing beyond completing the main story. You will be challenging with beating 3 achievements in each level. These vary from collecting a number of things or completing within a certain time limit.

The incentive in doing this is to unlock all the new characters from The Smurfs universe. There is good reason to do so as each character has an unique ability that completely changes up how you’ll play through the level. This is where you will get your variety from and it’s recommended that you try each level out with a number of characters to see how they differ.

I played the Wii U version which to my surprise actually added in a unique feature to the Wii U. A player can use the gamepad in order to control Clockwork Smurf. As Clockwork Smurf you fly around the world helping player 1 attack enemies whilst dropping them berries and coins. Whilst it doesn’t add much to the gameplay, it’s good to see the developer take use of the gamepad.

Whilst this game clearly isn’t intended for adults, I invited my nephews around to try out the game and they absolutely loved it. The difficulty seemed to be just right for them and they really enjoyed playing through the game with a huge variety of characters that they’ve come to know and love from the movies. 30 levels, 6 boss fights and a bunch of achievements make this game something that they’ll be playing for weeks.

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Fans have been waiting eagerly for the past ten years for the third entry into the Pikmin franchise. Pikmin 3 begins with a crash landing on a foreign planet. You take the role of Captain Charlie, Alph and Brittany who become stranded on a planet with no means of escaping. Their only hope of survival is finding fruit to keep them alive. Alph stumbles upon the Pikmin race and learns to master them in order to uncover the hidden fruit of the planet. Olimar and Louie make a few surprise appearances and will be sure to put a smile on the face of series veterans.

Pikmin 3 does a great job in continuing the story of the franchise. Nothing feels forced and I felt a genuine excitement to explore the planet to uncover all of it’s surprises. The three new characters really help keep things fresh and having them all be so different in personality really made for an interesting dynamic that had me entertained from start to finish.

Presentation is always where Nintendo excel and Pikmin 3 is no exception. This is easily the best looking game on the Wii U and the first time that i’ve been excited for what Nintendo can achieve in the High Definition space. The game is beautiful in every way. There is so much detail put into the environments, Pikmin and even the fruit. I found myself stopping to take in the environments on multiple occasions and Nintendo even gave you an inbuilt first-person camera to take your breath taking snaps and share them around.

The boss battles are easily some of the most creative art that i’ve seen in a video game. They amount of detail that Nintendo put into each and every one is absolutely jaw dropping. I felt like I was apart of the universe whenever I came across one. Sure, there are a few left over Wii textures that tagged along from the development process however I found myself too busy looking at the beautiful planet to care.

Pikmin 3 is a very simple game in theory. You use different coloured Pikmin to get to different various areas to get through cleverly placed puzzles. You have a 15 minute time limit collect fruit in each of the 5 levels and you MUST collect fruit to stay alive in the game. You can only access a certain part of the level in the allotted time which means that you’ll be going into each level multiple times until you eventually get to the boss area. The boss battles are where the game truly shines. Never have I seen such innovative enemy design. The boss battles and enemy designs in general really give you a sense that you’re on a believable foreign planet.

The game really shines in the later level due to the micro management of your Pikmin. You can separate your armies with the use of your 3 characters in order to have three Pikmin armies going on the fly. This allows you to have your Pikmin spread all over the map and have them working on defeating different enemies or carrying fruit at different times. This is where the challenge comes from as you can do a lot more in the 15 minute time limit if you us your time wisely.

Pikmin 3 has 5 ways to control the game. You can play with the Tablet as your map & aimer, using just Wii remote to aim and the Nunchuk to move (Definitely the most accurate way to play), The Wii U Pro controller, Using the gamepad and off TV play or you can use the Gamepad as your map whilst aiming with the Wii remote and Nunchuk. This is definitely the best way to play. Being able to still see the map whilst having the accuracy of the Wii remote really combines the features of the control schemes nicely. It feels really natural to play this way and i’d recommend that you test out the various control schemes to find out what works for you.

Pikmin 3 is quite a long adventure despite only having 5 levels. Even after finishing you’re faced with the challenge of completing a ton of various missions which will really test the skills that you’ve built up whilst taking the main adventure. Even more impressive is the multiplayer mode which is called Bingo Battle. Bingo Battle sees you going against another play in order to obtain bingo cards of fruit and enemies to make a winning combination. This multiplayer mode involves a lot of strategy and throws a lot of curveballs your way in the use of power ups. All of these things combined really make it for a challenging multiplayer mode that is completely different each and every time that you play it.

Pikmin 3 is a must own for any Wii U owner. The game is absolutely gorgeous and the sound is incredible. With a whopping 5 different control methods everyone will feel like a master of the Pikmin in no time. The game is perfect in length and a genuine pleasure to play through from start to finish. The multiplayer and missions add even more depth. All of these things make Pikmin 3 the game that you should buy a Wii U for.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Ducktales Remastered” developers=”WayForward” publishers=”Capcom” platforms=”PS3/360/PC/Wii U” genres=”” release_date=”15th of August” version_played=”Wii U”]

Ducktales Remastered has Scrooge McDuck and his three nephew’s Huey, Dewey and Louey travel across the world in search of five treasures to further increase his fortune. Each level has you looking for a new set of artefacts in order to capture a prized jewel. All of the beloved DuckTales characters and enemies are in the game.

DuckTales Remastered includes hand-drawn 2D character sprites with 3D modelled backgrounds. The art style is absolutely incredible and maintains the original feeling of the game whilst giving it a new life that was an absolute joy to look at. I found myself stopping to look at every new enemy as just as much care was put into each and every one. WayForward hired Mike Perraza(An original DuckTales Artist) and Rick Evans (Original Disney Background Painter) to head the art for the game and it’s extremely obvious from the first second. The game absolutely screams Disney.

The music in the game is absolutely incredible. I really appreciated the fact that Jake Kaufman understood how great the original sound track was and decided to add his take on it by making the pieces more orchestral. The sound effects are just as good as they were in the original game and effects such as the pogo stick or hitting an enemy are just as punchy and addictive as they were before. The game runs extremely smoothly on the Wii U and Off TV play is a welcomed addition

WayForward decided to include cut scenes into the Remake. Scrooge McDuck is voiced by the original Disney voice actor who was bought out of retirement for the role and this was extremely appreciated. A number of other Disney voice actors were bought back to reprise their roles in the game as well. Whilst the cut scenes were beautiful and added a new sense of story to the game, I felt that they really got in the way of the fast paced gameplay. Whilst the cut scenes before or after levels were a great addition, I felt like the game would’ve done better if it didn’t stop gameplay so often in the middle of levels. It seemed to break the momentum.

Ducktales Remastered was praised for its simple, yet addictive gameplay back in 1989. The game only uses two buttons; one to jump and one for action. The original relied on its extremely tight and responsive controls to get you through the levels. WayForward have done an excellent job in making the controls as tight as they were. The amazing pogo stick jump makes a return in the remake but WayForward decided to include an easier option for new players. If you find the original method too difficult to use then you have the option to set it to Easy Pogo which allows you to simply hold the Y or A button to continue using the pogo until you’re hit.

The game includes the 5 original levels which are all vastly different in scenery. Each level brings a great variety of new enemies and a new form of terrain that makes your life difficult. For instance the Amazon level features prickly vines that you can only Pogo Stick across whilst the The Himalayas features snow which you can’t pogo stick in otherwise you get trapped.

Each level has been recreated faithfully from the original and this made me extremely happy. The original game was very challenging for its level design without feeling cheap. Dying was always something that came from mis timing a jump or not killing enemies in the correct sequence. The game definitely still feels like an old school NES game. You will die a lot and have to start the level again but this brings great satisfaction once you have completed it. You will often have to make a choice to take the deadlier route in order to gain some red gems. Majority of the original secrets passages are still intact but WayForward went the extra step in adding in even more passages.

The boss battles are the greatest thing about this game. The same boss enemies have been bought over from the original however they have been completely rebuilt and made to include new attacks and require new strategies to beat. The boss battles really bring out the creativity’s and fighting through each was an absolute joy.

There are a few changes from the original which help bring Ducktales Remastered into the 21st century. The game now includes a map screen which is incredibly useful for the artefacts in the game. Ducktales Remastered has you collecting a series of artefacts in each level before you can progress to the boss fight. This is something that the original didn’t have and I think it was a good decision to include it. These artefacts differ in each level and are a great way to ensure that you explore every nook of the level.

Those wanting a little extra will be happy to know that there is a new tutorial level that takes place in Scrooge’s mansion and a bonus level after the final level that features an extra boss fight. My main gripe with this game is that it doesn’t contain a few extra levels. The game is SO creative in its level and enemy design and it’s such a shame for it not to be implemented further in a bunch of new levels.

The main game is quite short however you will need to play the game 3-4 times to unlock everything. The game has an amazing variety of unlockables which you can buy with your money. You can buy sketches, music, arts and a bunch of other things. My favourite collectable category are the character pages. These compare both the original pixel art characters to the new hand drawn 3D characters. These are available for all of the main characters, enemies and the boss battles. It really shows how faithful WayForward were to the original art.

The game also features a leaderboard which shows things such as longest play time, most valuable play through and number of playthroughs. If that’s not enough then you’re also able to go swimming in Scrooge’s money vault and see what treasures you’ve collected so far. There are also a few treats for completing the game for the first time which I won’t spoil!

DuckTales remastered is a huge shot of Nostalgia in the arm. The game retains so many of its great 8bit ways whilst adding a few new tricks in order to appeal to the masses. The game is still as addictive and challenging as ever. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves platforming or just loves the Disney charm in general. The length may bother some but the will to better your score and unlock every collectible will keep you going through 3 or 4 playthroughs. Playing this made me want to run back and play through my NES collection!

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Cloudberry Kingdom” developers=”Pwnee Studios” publishers=”Ubisoft” platforms=”PS3, WiiU, 360, & PC” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”PS3″]

Pwnee Studios describe Cloudberry Kingdom as an “intense, focused, never-ending platformer.” They couldn’t be more right, let me explain to you why.

Before I begin with the actual in game story, let me give you a bit of history behind Cloudberry Kingdom. Originally beginning as a Kick-starter project back in 2012 with a target goal of $20,000 and being described as “the hardest platformer ever”. It is beyond me why anyone would back a game that sounds so challenging but none the less their goal was achieved with an extra $3500 to spare. With the majority of funds being pooled to configure Pwnee Studios game algorithm that can design an infinite number of levels and adjust the in game difficulty based on the individual player but I will go into more detail about that in our “gameplay” heading.

Cloudberry Kingdom’s Princess is being kidnapped by a man named Kobbler. Coming to her rescue is a retired hero named Bob (voiced by Kevin Sorbo of Hercules fame). After Kobbler momentarily gains an advantage he uses this to escape leaving Bob to give chase to save Cloudberry’s Princess and this is the gamers cue to begin chipping away at this games several hundred level story mode.

Cut scenes play out introducing you to the several varieties of backgrounds to play in and also provide a lot of humour, some of it toilet humour, some of it witty and the rest is just a chuckle because it is chuckle worthy. All are excellent and well-timed along with quality voice acting particularly by Sorbo but that may just be my inner child being very biased.

Game play is presented in a cartoon style which works very well for its self by highlighting the features of whatever environment you may be playing in at the time be it a frozen forest or a lava filled dungeon. Foreground interactables and dangers are portrayed the same which I found all works very well mixed together and to the developers credit throughout all the levels, combining the intense precise game play I never had an issue with determining what was relevant to gameplay and wasn’t during my intensely focused sessions.

There is some amazing music to be herd during your game play but unfortunately like I’ve said earlier this game requires a lot of intense focus and I was rarely ever able to pay a great deal of attention to the track title or artist that appears in the bottom left corner. Let me assure you though although I didn’t see the names. The beats being laid down certainly do aid your gaming experience and giving what felt to me like a rhythm to jump to in game levels at times.

This game is a basic design in terms of its cartoony appearance and ever so simple controller layout but it is all done well to Pwnee’s credit.

Perhaps my most favourite bit of the presentation was the “hero customisation” where you can create your own hero to take to the game. Given all the jumping I created mine as close to Superman as I could, blue suit and red cape. Who better to perform death defying leaps? Unfortunately I did die a lot more times than Superman ever has. Such a simple idea but works well and builds upon this games already strong feature of individuality.

As I’ve said earlier story mode has several hundred levels but what’s amazing about that is that each level no matter what game mode you are in is unique to you. An algorithm designed by Jordan Fisher. Can generate levels that will cater to the individual’s skill, providing a challenging gaming experience with an infinite possibility of levels.

Whilst the computer uses the said algorithm to randomly create the challenging levels it can quickly become very frustrating as essentially what you are trying to beat is the computer, yes I know that sounds silly because isn’t that what most games are about? Here is why, this algorithm in its harder level design has been made to produce levels that are solvable they also require precise focus and timing, dodging laser beams, enemies and every other obstacle this game can throw at you. You just have to see a demo video of the difficult game play to understand what I’m talking about. If I could offer you one word of advice for this game in its harder levels it is to back yourself, don’t hesitate or second guess yourself. I found that going through the levels as fast as I could was usually the road to success. This makes sense in a computers thought process. Unfortunately though this makes a successful level run feel very forced, robotic and unpleasant.

To help counter the feeling of this Pwnee has laid out collectables in each level that are crystals. These can be picked up and accumulated throughout your game to aid you in those much more difficult levels. One of three options to choose from. You can let the computer show you the correct route from start to finish in a short video. You can let the computer guide you through the level as you play or simply slow down time to give you a much clearer and less cluttered view of obstacles.

Along with story mode there is also free play where you can choose the parameters of you game and arcade. Inside arcade there is escalation where the collection of crystals accumulates you lives through your game. Time Crisis which is essentially the same but collecting crystals gives you more time and Hero Rush which again is like time crisis but at the completion of each level you are awarded a power up. Power ups are offered through Cloudberry Kingdom as a form of variety to shake things up. Unfortunately I felt as if they weren’t used very well particularly in story. They would appear for about a string of 10 levels swap for another 10 then it felt like the game completely forgot about them for ages. Power ups are available in different forms such as wings for a double jump, a spring loaded horse for extra height in a jump, a jet-pack or even shrinking the player, which may sound silly but I found being smaller gave me a bit more room to dodge obstacles.

Whilst lacking an online multiplayer and leader boards there was an interesting take on local multiplayer. Up to four mates can join locally to participate in games modes, there is a catch however. You are all tethered together with the task of completing the level. I found it works well and is a great way to enjoy a quality game with those close to you.

I would not hesitate to recommend this game to anyone to play. In particular though I cannot wait for the Vita version of Cloudberry Kingdom, this game would be amazing to get through any gamers morning commute. It is great to see such hard work pay off from a humble beginning in the Kick-starter program. The work they have done with their algorithm for generating infinite levels is outstanding even though I did find myself at times getting frustrated with the difficulty of it.

The post Cloudberry Kingdom Review appeared first on Press Start.

[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Game & Wario” developers=”” publishers=”Nintendo” platforms=”Wii U” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”Wii U”]

[youtube id=”YXRwtqive0c” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Game & Wario was initially a tech demo showcasing the Wii U gamepad’s features at E3 2011. At the end of 2011, Nintendo decided that the game would be a full retail release as they had too many ideas to make it pre-installed software. The game also received a graphical facelift with Wario as the main character. Nintendo also launched Crowdfarter(A parody of Kickstarter) to encourage fans to promote the game via social media.

Game & Wario on the Wii U is one of the first to make me realise just how much of a difference High Definition makes. Everything is extremely crisp and colourful and puts you in such a great mood from the moment you press start. The variety of mini games show off a range of differing graphic styles. The sound is full of nostalgia and has the same addictive charm that I have come to expect from the WarioWare series. The presentation as a whole is extremely polished. It is clear that everything in the game was well thought out by the developers and it all works well together to make an extremely insane game.

In Game & Wario there are 16 mini games. 12 which are single player and the remaining 4 which are Multiplayer only. Majority of the mini games are extremely enjoyable due to their originality. I decided to only mention a few of the single player mini games in this review as the discovery is the best thing about Game & Wario. You initially start off with one single player mini game and unlock more along the way.

An example of a mini game that I enjoyed immensely is ‘Gamer’. This mini game has you playing on a portable console whilst hiding from your mum. The difficulty comes from having to play a series of WarioWare micro games on the touchpad whilst making sure that Mum doesn’t catch you awake playing games on the big screen. This has you multitasking and provides an incredible amount of tension.

New concepts like this one is what makes Game & Wario so special. Having two different screens to interact with is the Wii U’s biggest asset and Game & Wario takes advantage of this. However, I feel that the team got lazy with a few mini games. Games such as ‘Sky’ simply have you tilting the touchpad left and right in order to steer your character. It felt completely unoriginal and gave me no reason to want to play it again.

The multiplayer mini games are where you will spend the most time. ‘Sketch’ has you interacting in a Pictionary style game where one person draws on the gamepad whilst the others guess until somebody correctly guesses. Whilst this isn’t a new concept, it is executed brilliantly. The mini game takes advantage of the Touchpad and the TV in a way that only is possible with the Wii U. Playing Sketch with a full room was one of the most fun i’ve had with a Video Game in a long time.

‘Fruit’ has one person taking control of the gamepad and trying to steal fruit without the other competitors figuring out who they are. Fruit was also extremely enjoyable with a room full of people. Trying to work out strategies on the gamepad without anybody being able to see really changes up the playing field. I would’ve loved to see Fruit fleshed out a bit more as I really think that a lot more could’ve been done with the mini game.

‘Islands’ sees players go head to head in a mini game where the objective is to fling a monster onto a island using the gamepad. You are scored on wherever your monster lands. I really appreciated Islands in the fact that it completely changed up the game type. There are many surprises in store with this mini game which will keep you playing for yours.

Easily the worst multiplayer mini game is ‘Disco’. Disco has two people playing on the gamepad in a Guitar Hero like game. You send through beats to the other person who then has to match the beats on the other side. Whilst I originally thought that it was a great concept, it simply doesn’t work. The gamepad cannot register multiple touches at once which makes it incredibly difficult to register your presses.

Game & Wario is good old fashioned fun for the whole family but unfortunately there are a few short comings. I really didn’t like the huge split between single player and multiplayer games. I would’ve really loved for majority of the mini games to be able to be played in both a single player and a multiplayer capacity. I also can’t really understand why the Wiimotes weren’t integrated into the game. Wiimotes would’ve gone extremely far in the multiplayer games and also create new ways to play so I felt that it was a complete oversight not to include them.

Game & Wario is the most fun i’ve had with my Wii U in a long time. You will spend a lot more time with some of the mini games over others but there is a lot more depth to be had than initially realised. There is definitely reason to pick it up regardless of how many people you will be playing with. The one negative I have with the game is the price. If it were $20 cheaper then i’d be recommending it to every Wii U owner but this is hard to do at full price when there are so many great Wii U games coming out in the next few months.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”Epic Mickey 2″ developers=”Disney” publishers=”Sony” platforms=”Vita/Wii U/360/PS3″ genres=”” release_date=”Out Now” version_played=”Vita”]

Like its predecessor, Epic Mickey 2 takes place in a world based on classic and retired Disney characters and attractions. The story begins sometime after the conclusion of the original Epic Mickey, with Oswald and the other Wasteland characters starting to rebuild their world. A series of earthquakes threaten to undo the work, but the Mad Doctor appears and convinces Oswald to join forces and combat the new menace. So Gus, the leader of the Gremlins, and Ortensia, Oswald’s girlfriend/wife, contact Mickey Mouse and bring him into the world. Mickey and Oswald team up to save the forgotten world.

Epic Mickey 2 will please Disney fans in one area. The presentation in Epic Mickey 2 is incredible. The use of hand drawn cut scenes that are wonderfully created really bring the story to life. Character design is true to their originals and really make playing through the story enjoyable. All the favourites from the Mickey universe are all here and are all represented faithfully to their original. The voice acting is superb and will instantly put a smile on your face. The Disney atmosphere is created wonderfully and I was taken back to my childhood instantly when booting up the game.

The game didn’t really have the most amazing graphics in the original and this Vita port is also in the same category. What makes the graphics pop is Vita’s OLED screen. Whilst there some jagged edges around the place, they can be forgiven by the beautifulness that the screen brings to the game. The framerate slows down in some areas but nothing to the point that made the game unplayable.

Epic Mickey 2 feels like an old school platform from the first second. I feel however that it tries to achieve too much that lets it down. Early in the game Mickey gains access to a paintbrush that can either draw or erase objects in the game world. An example of this is if there are rocks missing and you need to get to the other side, the drawing brush can make those rocks appear with blue paint. Green paint has the opposite effect, if you need something removed from the game world then the green thinning paint is how you go about it.

Mickey doesn’t have any form of attack to kill his enemies. Instead he uses his paint in order to turn the enemies good. He has a paralysing spin attack that gets them down but the only way to get rid of the enemy is to paint it. This works well to create an interesting mechanic as some enemies also have armour in which you have to use the green paint in order to weaken their defences.

Unfortunately this is where the fun ends. The Vita controls don’t add a whole lot. Whilst the touch controls were a nice addition, I still much preferred using the analog sticks to aim. There are also a few other times where you use the Vita’s gyroscope in order to steer Mickey around in vehicles. Whilst these don’t hurt the game at all, they don’t really add anything either.

One of the best features of Epic Mickey 2 on the home consoles was playing in Co-Op. this was one of the redeeming features on the original and unfortunately it isn’t available here outside of Ad-Hoc mode which means that you’ll need another Vita as well as another copy of the game. The reason that this hurts the game so much is that the co-op AI sucks. You will constantly find Oswald being out of position and it being more of a chore to get him to do stuff. I would’ve much rathered the ability to swap in and out like the Lego series allows you to.

Epic Mickey 2 is a great game in theory. Unfortunately the co-op nature and wonky gaming mechanics let it down. What helps it is the nostalgia from all the Disney lore and the interesting paint brush mechanics. It’s only $22 on the Vita which makes it hard to resist if you’re a Disney fan.

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[gameinfo title=”Game Info” game_name=”LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes” developers=”Traveller’s Tales” publishers=”Warnerbros” platforms=”WiiU” genres=”” release_date=”Out Now”]

Lego Batman 2 has it’s own original storyline set in the DC Universe. We see Lex Luthor teaming up with a bunch of DC baddies whilst running for president. Batman and Robin fly in to try and save the day. Batman adds the cast of the DC universe to try and take Lex Luthor down. The story of Lego Batman 2 does extremely well to give fans of both series a new storyline set in the DC universe whilst still maintaining the beloved LEGO humour.

Traveller’s Tale have done an amazing job with the graphics considering the game world is extremely large. Every level has a distinct look and feel which really made the game feel unique from the previous entries in the LEGO franchise. I had a few issues with slowdown of the framerate however nothing to the point that impacted the gameplay.

Lego Batman 2 has the typical sounds that you’d expect out of a LEGO game with the addition of some sound effects from the DC universe. The sounds can get repetitive however I found that it added to the overall charm of the game. Nothing makes you feel more heroic than running around Gotham City to the music from Batman.

The addition of the Wii U Gamepad allows for many different play styles. The default way the game has you playing is to use your gamepad as the map and playing the game on the TV. You can also use OFF TV play to send the whole image to your gamepad. I played most of the game this way as I meant that I could play the game whilst doing other things. The gamepad really fixed the multiplayer aspect of this game. You can play with one player on the gamepad and the other on the TV screen. This was something that hasn’t really been done on the WiiU yet and I hope that more games use this feature.

The one thing that I found annoying was that you had to use a Wii Remote as the secondary player. I really enjoy using my Pro controller on the Wii U and i’ve found that most games enable the use of it however Lego Batman 2 does not. I feel like i’m going back in time when i’m being forced to use the Wiimote and Nunchuk and this wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Lego Batman 2 has you progressing through the game chapter by chapter. It has you solving problems using several hero’s abilities together to solve puzzles which will allow you to advance to the next portion of the chapter. Each hero has individual powers so the challenge comes in working out which character you need to use in order toe advance throughout the level. I recommend playing through the game with a friend otherwise you will need to swap characters regularly which breaks the flow of the game.

I really enjoyed exploring Gotham City. I was really amused by finding collectables and spent a bunch of time exploring random tall buildings. Once you’ve completed the story is when you’re able to freeroam and choose any character you want to roam and find scattered collectables.

I would pickup LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes if you haven’t played the original on other consoles. The game is a bunch of fun to play with someone else. If you’ve played the original then i’d only recommend to pick this up if you really love playing games using Off TV play.

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Kung Fu Rabbit / Version Played: WiiU
Neko Entertainment / WiiU / April 18th / RRP $6.50

Kung Fu Rabbit was originally released on iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows 7 devices last year. Neko Entertainment have now ported the game to the WiiU eShop. The story surrounds itself around a rabbit who practises Kung Fu who goes on a quest to save all the baby rabbits who have been abducted by unknown invaders. There isn’t much narrative going on but the premise is pretty easy to grasp.

The game was praised heavily for its graphics when it originally came out on mobile devices. The graphics are even better in HD on the WiiU. Everything is extremely vibrant and crisp and the variety of level locations is easily the best thing about the game. It is a visual treat from start to finish and will melt your heart with its cuteness.

Kung Fu Rabbit features 3 worlds consisting of 20 levels each and another bonus world which is made up of harder levels which also features 20 levels. The goal of the game is to get through a number of obstacles to rescue a baby rabbit. Early on in the game this seems like an easy task but as the game rolls on, it grows extremely hard due to the fact that you do not have any checkpoints within levels unless you purchase them.

The main challenge comes in the form of collecting carrots. Each level features 3 small carrots and 1 golden carrot. The golden carrot is always the riskiest to get and the game plays greatly on the risk vs reward mechanic. The carrots you collect are used as currency to buy things such as single use items which include things like being able to set a checkpoint and another slot for artefacts which are new abilities such as being able to jump higher. Whilst this adds a bit of depth to the game, these are not required to complete the game which makes it a tad pointless. I wish that the game integrated new abilities into the progression of the game to keep things fresh.

The game controls very loosely. Whilst this is frustrating at times, it adds to the tension and definitely gives the game a steeper learning curve in in being able to control Kung Fu Rabbit. I think that a lot of people will not enjoy the controls however i’d urge you stick with it as I found it extremely satisfying when grabbing that final carrot. Off TV works without any hitches and the game controls better than it ever did on mobile devices.

I can’t help but feel that this game would’ve been better suited to the 3DS. Whilst it plays and looks amazing on the WiiU, I just can’t help but feel that I would’ve enjoyed the game so much more if I was able to flip open my 3DS, play a few levels and then come back to it a few hours later. I’m not sure that you will want to turn your WiiU on just to play a few levels. It definitely feels like the game was created with short bursts of play in mind.

Kung Fu Rabbit is definitely rough around the edges in most regards except the graphics department. However for $6.50, the simplicity of the gameplay and it’s quirky, charming art style draw you in from the first second and will keep you hooked to the point where you will definitely have that just one more level attitude. I just wish that there was a bit more substance to the overall game but it’s some of the best fun you will have at this price.

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Need For Speed Most Wanted U / Version Played: WiiU
Criterion / EA / PS3-360-WiiU / March 21 / RRP $89

First up I just want to say that I will be covering the new WiiU exclusive features of Need for Speed Most Wanted U and briefly touching on some of the original gameplay elements. The game was originally released in October 2012 for PS3 and 360 and met with a ton of positivity.

When the game was released on its original consoles it was praised for looking amazing. The great news is that the WiiU version is noticeably better looking. The textures are more polished and the night-time lighting now looks realistic and incredible. It’s great to see Criterion take advantage of the WiiU’s capability and provide what is the best looking WiiU game yet.

Need For Speed Most Wanted has you racing around an open city finding new cars to race in open street racing events. Every car you find has 5 separate events. As you complete these events you will eventually get enough Speed Points to unlock a race against one of the Most Wanted drivers and work your way up the list. There are the usual things you’d find in a Need For Speed game such as police pursuits, takedowns and all that good stuff.

Included in the WiiU version is the Ultimate Speed Pack. This was the first piece of DLC released for the original version and includes five extra cards, 25 new challenges and 70 milestones to find.

The most exciting things about this new version come in the form of the gamepad exclusive features. My favourite by far is off-tv play. This feature has quickly become my favourite feature of the WiiU and why I really love to play as many games as possible on the system. Changing from TV to WiiU gamepad is the most seamless it’s been in the any game. You press the minus button and it’s instantly transferred.

A fun mode for families will be the Co-Driver mode. One player takes charge of the racing using the Wiimote or Pro Controller. The second player takes control of the gamepad and has free range over things like seamlessly changing day to night or allowing the gamepad player to bring up a detailed map, guiding them to places of interest. Whilst this feature is quite novel, it was really cool to see how powerful the gamepad can be. Not only are all these features available when playing by yourself on the gamepad, you can also turn traffic on and off, on the fly and also create diversions for police cars.

Another cool feature even if you won’t really use it, is the ability to use the gamepad’s gyroscope feature to steer your car. It works great when driving around aimlessly, but not so much in the middle of a high speed race. The only real disappointment came when it came to navigating the menus. Criterion didn’t take advantage of the touch screen capability when controlling the menus, instead opting to only let you use the DPAD.

Online and Autolog work just as well as they did on the other consoles. This has been one of the first times that i’ve felt like I was getting the full online experience on a Nintendo console with no real drawbacks.

In my eyes you can’t go wrong buying this game. You gain a host of new features on top of what was an already great game. This is easily not only the best racer, but the best third party release on the WiiU. Pair these things with the fact that the WiiU isn’t actually getting many releases and you’d be crazy to not at least try this game and put your WiiU to good use. I really praise Criterion for looking at ways to improve the game and it shows all over.

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Injustice: Gods Among Us / Version Played: PS3/WiiU
NetherRealm Studios / Warnerbros / PS3-360-WiiU / April 17th / RRP $79

Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fighting game by NetherRealm Studios the same studio that created Mortal Kombat. The game pits the Super Heroes and Villians of Earth against each other. Their colossal and deadly battles threaten the world with their sheer force.

The graphics in this are absolutely amazing. The amount of detail placed into every single character and their unique moves is absolutely incredible. The animation of everything from the simplicity of the movement of the character, to the fast paced level transitions are just completely smooth time and time again and look straight out of a movie. The amount of detail in the level design is out of this world. The developers were very careful to stay true to the franchises of the game and there is so many little touches that fans of the DC Universe will be overwhelmed on their first time playing.

Sound design is great in this game. Sound effects are not repetitive and they chance based on what sort of attack you’re doing and how much damage your opponent is taking. Injustice’s soundtrack does what it should in building suspense and heightening the senses to anticipate the stories next turning point. All of these things add to the high presentation values of the game.

When I began playing Injustice, the gameplay felt a little bit slow and clunky for my liking. This wore off a little as I continued to play however compared to Mortal Kombat, I just felt that it didn’t have that same fluidness that we’d come to know. The thing that shocked me the most about the game was the variety in specific characters attacks. Every player has 3 unique special moves, one character power and then one mega epic super move. Going through each character and finding out their unique abilities was some of the best fun i’ve had in a video game. These moves are so true to their character and universe that it just works incredibly well.

There is a small downside to so many unique abilities though. At times I felt like there were slight balance issues. When using the character power(Circle or B), I found that some characters were extremely more useful than others. Whilst it’s great to have these specific character abilities, sometimes it felt a bit unfair that my opponent could attack me with a powerful attack from the other side of the stage whilst my ability was just to swap weapons. I also felt that certain characters were a lot easier to pull off combo with than others. For instance making combos with Batman felt like more than a breeze then some of the other characters. In the traditional fighting sense it felt that it was a tiny step back from Mortal Kombat in this regard.

It completely makes up in all other areas though! The arenas in this game are absolutely incredible. Every single arena has its own set of animations and is constantly changing from start to finish of every battle. You can use parts of the arena against your opponent and there are so many destructible things in the level that it just feels more alive than any fighter i’ve ever played. There are 15 arenas, all which have multiple sections which are activated by performing the Back + Cross / A move. This just adds even more replayability to the game and adds a new dimension to every fight. Another inclusion I really liked

The main story mode is quite a treat. It is set out in the form of a movie featuring DC characters. It features several chapters. In each Chapter you take over the role of a new character and then proceed through multiple scenes until you reach the next chapter. There is also a number of QTE just to change up the pace of the story mode. The cutscenes are well put together and will be extremely appreciated by DC fans.

As far as other modes go you are spoilt for choice. There are 240 S.T.A.R missions all with three different objectives. The objectives are things such as winning with more than a minute remaining, not getting hit, make a certain number of combos etc. Next up we have Battle mode which features 20 different battles. on the surface it will similar to arcade style fighting but it is quite a lot more. Each battle features multiple enemies to get through but the catch is for each battle there is different stipulations. An example is getting through a series of battles with a continuing health bar. Fighting fans also will be happy to see an in depth hero card which allows you to see a ton of individual stats for each fighter in the game and your playing time with each of them.

As you play through the modes mode you will find yourself leveling up. Leveling up unlocks things such as backgrounds and icon for your profile. You also gain access cards throughout your play time which will allow you to unlock things such as concept art, music, backgrounds(which are interactive and destructible) and alternative costumes. You also use these cards to buy things such as bonus XP for a set number of matches and unlock the remaining battles.

When entering online I was greeted with the surprise of a daily challenge. This consists of a challenge that has you doing version things to earn XP. An example of this is playing as raven and besting 5 other raven players online in any game mode. This was a nice surprise And just another nice touch among many. When playing online you have the option to play in a player match. Ranked magch or a private match. Ranked matches are always 1v1 and when playing in non ranked matches you have the option to play 1v1, koth and survivor. Online system was extremely clean and extremely easy to get into a match.

I really enjoyed the WiiU version. Playing on the WiiU gamepad gives you the option to either display your move list on the gameplay, or you can play the entire game with OFF-TV play on the gamepad. The game also supports local multiplayer with the other player using either the Pro controller or a Classic controller.

From the moment I started playing Injustice: Gods Among Us it was clear that the game was an extremely well thought out game that would appeal to the masses. NeatherRealm were extremely careful in staying true to the character and worlds of these DC characters and they did so brilliantly. Even though I felt that the traditional fighting aspect may have been a small step from Mortal Kombat, There are so many little extra touches that will make you keep going back for weeks to come. If you’re into fighting games or have even the slightest interest in the DC universe then you have to pick this up.

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Toki Tori 2 / Version Played: WiiU
Two Tribes / WiiU / April 4th / RRP$19RRP

The original Toki Tori was released in 2001, one of the last big releases for the Gameboy Colour. Despite being ported to many other formats after that, including WiiWare, Playstation Network and IOS, it never received the attention it deserved. Main character and 2d visuals aside, Two Tribes have gone in a completely different direction in this sequel that follows up 12 years later.

Toki Tori 2 looks absolutely stunning. The whole screen is filled with colourful, crisp graphics at all times and I often found myself taking in the scenery of every new level. The game barely has any load screens and never has any slow downs. The animation is silky smooth and adds to the overall experience.

Straight off the bat, i’m going to say that Toki Tori 2 isn’t for everyone. The game starts you out with absolutely no premise and no real idea of what your the objective is. You are given two directions for majority of the game, A to whistle and B to stomp. All of the puzzle solving in the game is based off these two actions and get more advanced as the game go on. The extremely satisfying puzzles is what will keep you playing until the end. It isn’t until about 3-4 hours in that the game starts making sense and the game starts getting structure. Whilst I enjoyed the sense of mystery and discovery, I can see people getting frustrated extremely quickly, as it is never clear that you’re doing the right thing. I can’t help but feel that the game would’ve absolutely excelled if it gave the player a bit more structure and a sense of direction in the beginning.

The sense of accomplishment that you get from solving the individual puzzles is absolutely overwhelming but there are multiple times where you literally do not know where to go next. This isn’t due to the difficulty of a puzzle, it is simply because the game does nothing to tell you what the overall objective is or which path is the right way. This is a huge shame as I feel that it something that wasn’t necessary to make this a great title.

The WiiU allows this game to have a few cool features. An hour or so into the game you unlock a feature that lets you use the WiiU gamepad as a camera viewfinder which ties into the game. Off Screen play works better than ever as well. When playing on the TV, the gamepad show’s your whistle commands and also which way to the closest exit. I found this to be one of the best uses of the gamepad so far. The developers could’ve easily just replicated what was on the TV but this actually keeps your eyes on the tv and has you looking down when you need to.

Toki Tori 2 is one of the best puzzle games in recent memory and lets face it, anyone with a WiiU is dying for games to play so you should go and buy it now. The game is incredibly unique and is satisfying once you get the hang of things. It uses the WiiU’s features incredibly well and is easily one of the best titles available for the system. You will be frustrated time and time again but the frustration will soon disappear as you discover the next area. Those that stay with the game until the end will be extremely surprised how great the game is once the full game mechanics are exposed.

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