Monday, January 26, 2015

Bit by Bit: January 2015

With Silver Bit's Year in Review 2014 ending last week, it is time to look forward to everything coming out in the next 12 months.  Aside from a few games, most being re-releases, this January has been slow on the games front.  On the news front, there has been a steady flow of new information on upcoming games already known or recently revealed.  An onslaught of news came from Nintendo as their January Nintendo Direct revealed their entire winter line-up from the launch of the New 3DS to Mario Party 10.  Keep reading for more on the latest Direct.  Also keep reading as I have lots to cover in the first Bit by Bit of 2015.

Game of the Month
When I write The Games I Missed article of the Year in Review, it takes me a while to actually start playing any of them.  Thanks to the Steam Holiday Sale and a greater desire to play games on my computer, things were different this year as I jumped into playing a couple games on the list.  Playing one game, in particular, would go on to influence my decisions for the Game of the Month.  The Game of the Month was about to go to Pokemon Omega Ruby before I got into The Wolf Among Us.  While I spent a shorter amount of time with The Wolf Among Us compared to Omega Ruby, it left quite a impact on me.  

The Wolf Among Us is Telltale's Game first game after the incredible The Walking Dead Season One.  Coming after such a lauded game by both gamers and critics alike, Wolf Among Us had high expectations to live up to.  After beating the game, it is safe to say that Wolf Among Us demolishes those expectations.  Although it has some beautiful character moments that bring to light the intricacies of Bigby, Snow White and other fables, the game is a lot more plot-driven than The Walking Dead.  Speaking of the plot, The Wolf Among Us delivers some mind-blowing twists that had my mind racing in speculation for hours on end.  While story takes centre stage, the conversation-based gameplay and quick-time action sequences brings the entire experience together.  Despite needing to complete school readings, each episode had me eager to sit down and play more, the one thing all episodic games should do.  

Most Anticipated Game of the Month
Last week, Nintendo delivered their first Nintendo Direct of 2015.  The 45-minute presentation was great as the Big N announced their entire line-up for the first quarter of the year including release dates (something they usually withhold until the very last minute).  While the New Nintendo 3DS's reveal for North America headlined the show, I am not as enamored with the update as the vast majority.  Personally, I am not spending upwards of 200 dollars to get new features which can be added to my 3DS through peripherals.  It is a wise choice for those with the original 3DS, but not for those with an XL.  I can continue with this tangent, but it is time to get down to business.

My favourite piece of news from the Direct was the announcement of the new Fire Emblem for 3DS.  From the trailer, the new Fire Emblem looks to be very similar in gameplay and art style to Awakening, which isn't a bad thing considering Awakening is, in my opinion, the best 3DS game released to date.  Also the rumours about Fire Emblem's potential release in 2015 has spiked my anticipation for the game tenfold.  More Fire Emblem is always a good thing in my books.  Now, if we can only get an update on Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem from Nintendo.



Video of the Month
Usually when a Nintendo Direct is released, I am hard pressed to include a video of or from the event as the Video of the Month.  This time around that precedence isn't the case as there is a video even better.  Funny enough, my video of choice is Nintendo related as well.  It comes from a great Youtube show called Game Theory, a show which seeks to use video games as a tool for education.  The episode dives into the tragic hidden lore of the Super Smash Bros. series.  It is quite fascinating especially when MatPat looks at the lore's connections to creator Masahiro Sakurai and the possible inner dilemma the famed creator faces with Smash Bros.  If you enjoy this video, I highly encourage watching past episodes of Game Theory.  You might learn some interesting connections between academic theories and video games such as applying multiverse theory to Pokemon.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Year in Review 2014: Game of the Year


Every year, all roads lead to one placethe Game of the Year.  The title gets thrown around a lot throughout a year as gamers and critics voice their pleasure with select games.  But what truly makes a game worthy of being called Game of the Year?  Is it the most unique experience on the market?  Is it the game with the highest aggregate rating on Metacritic?  Is it the title that sold the most units?  Or is it the most popular game released in the last 12 months?  The criteria for what determines someone's Game of the Year differs with the person.  Personally, I determine Game of the Year with a mix of my highest rated games of the year and the strong feelings I experienced while playing each game.  In a cheesy way, my Game of the Year usually elicits a sense of childlike glee from the bowels of my soul.  The one game to do just that in 2014 was Shovel Knight.
Full disclosure, I backed Shovel Knight when developer Yacht Club Games pitched the game on Kickstarter in early 2013.  At the time, it looked like a cool mash-up of classic NES games like DuckTales, Castlevania and Mega Man that I found very appealing.  Also with the game set for release on Wii U, I jumped at the chance to support a game for the then struggling console.  Shovel Knight made its goal and backers waited almost a year and a half before the game was released.  While I was very excited for this throwback to NES games of the past, nothing could have prepared me for the final product.

Despite Shovel Knight borrowing its mechanics and aesthetics from NES era games, it makes these elements feel distinctly its own through a great amount of polish and refinement.  Everything is so finely tuned that with practice and perseverance anybody can learn to play the game with any sort of mastery.  Some of the incredible feats one can perform in escaping death or reaching a hidden area will make any jaw drop.  In addition to Shovel Knight's gameplay and aesthetics, the game packs a great amount of items to collect, feats to accomplish and tons of cheats to experiment with.  For just 15 dollars, Shovel Knight gives enough content to rival games four times its price with even more on the way through free updates.

Although I find no fault with Shovel Knight, that reason alone is not why I chose it for Game of the Year.  It is hard to describe what exactly makes Shovel Knight so special because one aspect of the game doesn't make it stand out.  It is the combination of perfectly tuned mechanics, beautiful retro-inspired graphics, wonderful chiptune soundtrack and respectful reverence for a bygone era which makes Shovel Knight stand above any game released in 2014.  Don't let the cheaper price tag and downloadable distribution method fool you, sometimes the best games come in smallest packages.  In Shovel Knight's case, the Game of the Year came a small affordable package.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Year in Review 2014: The Games

2014 was a strange year for video games.  Originally predicted to be an overwhelmingly successful year for the industry coming off of the excellent launch of the next generation, 2014 slowly morphed into a year of disappointment, polarization and the unexpected.  Many of the games people were clamouring for got pushed to 2015 and beyond, huge AAA titles like Assassin's Creed Unity, The Elder Scrolls Online and Watch Dogs fell far short of their tremendous hype and to top it all off, the best games of the year came from the most unexpected places.

Some of the best experiences of 2014 came from independent developers, free-to-play games and Nintendo's Wii U.  In fact, three quarters of the games I played during 2014 were on either Wii U or 3DS and it definitely shows in this list.  While I personally like to play a diversity of games throughout the year, nothing really sunk its claws into me like the offerings on Nintendo's systems during the last calendar year.  Before we dive into the games I consider the best of 2014, there are some great games that just missed the cut: Azure Striker Gunvolt, Bravely Default, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition and Infamous: Second Son.

While the games on this list are the best games I played in 2014, there is still on more article in this Year in Review—the Game of the Year.  Stay tuned for that article in the coming week and enjoy my favourite games of 2014.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The initial response to the reveal of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was not favourable.  During a dire time for Nintendo and the Wii U, fans were hoping for Retro Studios to reveal an epic new title like a new Metroid or whole new IP to turn around the bad situation.  Despite their pedigree, nobody wanted Retro to make another Donkey Kong and resentment towards Tropical Freeze ensued.  Nintendo and Retro would make the haters eat their words upon the game's release this past February.

Much like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Tropical Freeze brings back pixel perfect 2.5D platforming to the fore front.  It is one of the most difficult games available on the Wii U as each level will test the limits of one's reflexes.  In being difficult, Tropical Freeze isn't cheap or punishing.  With each death, you learn about the intricacies of the gameplay and controls which will help in overcoming the obstacles ahead.  In addition to the platforming and difficult, Tropical Freeze adds more Kongs outside of Diddy to accompany DK on his adventure.  Each Kong, Diddy, Dixie and Cranky, has their own moves and special abilities to help DK avoid death, collect items and reach secret areas.  The option of which Kong to use adds for more experimentation and replayability to Tropical Freeze over its predecessors.

After the slew of great releases for the Wii U in 2014, do not lose Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in the shuffle.  It may have come out very early in 2014, but Tropical Freeze is worth it no matter what.
Mario Golf: World Tour
After such a strong 2013, the 3DS had nowhere to go but plateau in 2014.  There were a good number of great titles released for the system during the past year, but nothing could compete with the frequency of the releases in 2013.  Despite a lighter year for the 3DS, Nintendo and Camelot produced one of the finest titles in the system's history and the Mario sports game period.

Mario Golf: World Tour perfectly blends the superbly tuned gameplay and mechanics from console Mario Golfs with the popular RPG systems of the portable entries in the series.  Speaking of the gameplay, World Tour has made the controls more approachable than in past installments.  I was adding top spin and back spin to shots with ease, something I found unnecessarily difficult in previous games.  In blending styles, World Tour brings the single and multiplayer modes closer than ever before.  Everything you do in the single player Castle Club mode prepares your Mii avatar for competition in local and online multiplayer.  In particular, the online multiplayer is where World Tour truly shines the brightest as the connection is incredibly smooth and allows players to post scores at their own pace.

Everything in Mario Golf: World Tour comes together to create a cartridge that will stay in your 3DS for months on end.
Mario Kart 8
As great of a game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was, it didn't turn around the Wii U's struggling sales.  That honour goes to Mario's return to kart racing.  Mario Kart 8's huge sales were not the result of name alone as the newest Mario Kart is easily the best entry since Mario Kart DS less than a decade ago.

Mario Kart 8 quite literally flipped Nintendo's kart racing franchise on its head with the addition of anti-gravity sections pulled from F-Zero.  The use of anti-gravity injects new life into Mario Kart's track design as they twist and turn in intricate ways, contain a plethora of shortcuts and offer plenty of opportunities to gain race-changing speed boosts.  Another addition to the Mario Kart formula comes in the form of new items, which improve the game's balance especially the Super Horn.  Using the Super Horn to stop a Blue Shell at the last minute is one of the most exhilarating experiences in video games this past year.  As great of a game Mario Kart 8 is, the lacking Battle Mode and inclusion of too many clone characters hold it back from being the best Mario Kart ever.

Despite Mario Kart 8's shortcomings, Mario Kart 8 is a ball to play.  Along with being loads of fun. the game is the first step in Mario Kart's next major evolution.
Bayonetta 2
Insanity is the best word to use in describing Bayonetta 2.  Everything from the story to the characters to the combat will have you laughing hysterically due to the game's over-the-top nature.

With Bayonetta 2, Platinum Games improves on every facet of the original title.  The controls are streamlined, combat feels smoother, combos are easier to pull off, levels are better paced, action sequences are more varied and quick-time events are better utilized.  On top of all the improvements, Platinum has included a plethora of Nintendo costumes which actually change aspects of the game—even adding an Arwing from Star Fox to one of the vehicle sections—and an online multiplayer mode to tackle waves of enemies with others.

All in all, Bayonetta 2 is one of the finest action games on the market today and a major reason to own a Wii U.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
You can't include one of the new Smash Bros. games without the other. While the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game share certain modes, features and the character roster, both offer different experiences.

The 3DS version is naturally focused on shorter, fast-paced sessions of play.  In turn, all the modes in the game are balanced for the shorter sessions as rounds of Classic, All Star and the new Smash Run modes can each be completed within 10 minutes.  Speaking of Smash Run, this 3DS exclusive mode is just incredible.  Smash Run mixes the best parts of the Subspace Emissary and Adventure modes from past Smash game with the core of this series—the fighting.  You have five minutes to collect as many power-ups, trophies and other secrets strewn across a ginormous map populated with grunts from different Nintendo franchises.  When the five minutes are up, you and your three opponents compete in a Smash Battle or Race to the Finish with enhanced stats.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Wii U version is made for longer play sessions as it is packed to the brim with content.  In addition to including all the modes in the 3DS version except Smash Run, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has 8-Player Smash, Event Mode, Master and Crazy Orders, Stage Builder, Amiibo support, Gamecube controller support and Masterpieces.  While Smash for 3DS is the appetizer, Smash for Wii U is the full course.

I can go on for hours about all the finer details of these two titles, but we don't have the time or space.  Both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are among the top tier for their respective systems.  Due to both games offering different experiences, I encourage everybody to pick them both up.  If you can only choose one, you're getting a stellar game either way.