Sometimes, you can't think of anything interesting to write as a lead for an article. This is one of those times.
I've been trying to put together this edition of Bit by Bit for a couple weeks now, but I blank every time I sit down to write an introduction. A lot happened during October; sadly I can't seem to find a way to put it into a cohesive thought. Maybe that's how the working life goes: everything just blurs together.
Well, enough of my introspective look at introductions. Let's get to what you read Bit by Bit for: the video games!
Game of the Month
If a game's quality was solely based on its graphics, Yoshi's Woolly World would easily be one of the best titles of 2015. Good thing it plays just as well as it looks. Yoshi's Woolly World is the closest Mario's dinosaur companion has come to reaching the quality of its first solo outing in Super Mario World 2.
Although Yoshi games have never been known for their challenging gameplay, Woolly World challenges the player in different way. Each level has tons of collectibles for you to find and the process of tracking down everything in one run can be very difficult. The great thing about the collectibles are the rewards. Collecting all the wonder wool in a level gives you a brand new Yoshi to play with. Also collecting all the flowers in a world opens up a secret level, which are easily the most difficult levels in the game.
Speaking of Woolly World's levels, the level design in the game is superb. From directing a Monty Mole through a maze of traps to transforming into various vehicles, each level in Woolly World has a different hook to keep you engaged. It also helps that the controls feel spot-on. They are easy enough to learn for beginners, but offer enough depth and nuance that seasoned players can pull off some great feats of platforming.
In all honesty, Yoshi's Woolly World is one of the best platformers of the year and yet another great title for the Wii U. Don't let the cute exterior fool you, Woolly World isn't a game just for children. It offers entertainment and challenge for all ages.
Most Anticipated Movie of the Month
I may be the only person on the planet that isn't excited for any of the huge AAA titles coming out this holiday season. I will admit that Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront look phenomenal, but I don't need to pick them up for myself right away. That's what siblings are for, right?
But when it comes to movies, I am stuck on the Star Wars Episode VII hype train with no way of getting off. Everything Disney and Lucasfilm has shown for The Force Awakens looks absolutely incredible without giving away too many plot details. I haven't been this excited for a movie in a long time.
Just watch the final trailer! It was worth enduring a few painful minutes of Monday Night Football to see live.
Video of the Month
Kids born in the '90s may remember the slew of cartoon shows based on your favourite video game characters. Mario, Sonic, Earthworm Jim and Mega Man are just a few of the video game cartoons that people may have watched during the '90s. One cartoon I remember was Donkey Kong Country, a CG-animated show based off of Nintendo's tie-wearing gorilla, which aired on Teletoon here in Canada. All I can remember about the show is its catchy theme song, but a show with a catchy theme must be good. Right? Right?!
No, Donkey Kong Country is, for lack of a better term, bat-shit crazy and not in a good way. While I may not be able to remember the finer details of the show's insanity, ProJared's newest video does a great job of capturing Donkey Kong Country in all its glory. Watch the video to see DK at his worst.
Showing posts with label Mario. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mario. Show all posts
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Bit by Bit: September 2015
September was an eventful month. I went to Fan Expo, spent three days powering through Mario Maker for a review, started classes for another year, and ended my post-secondary career in the span of 30 days. The last one might seem drastic and surprising, but it has been surprisingly refreshing. A great weight lifted off my shoulders when I handed in the withdrawal form. School took up every facet of life for the past five years, so to finally be done is surreal. Now, I got more time to play games!
Enough about me, we got games to talk about especially with the fall game rush in full effect. For the uninitiated, the fall game rush is the incredible amount of games that release from September to November each year. And I bet if you're a self-respecting gamer, you picking up at least one brand new title in the next few months. I know I'm buying quite a few.
Game of the Month
Super Mario Maker would be the easy choice for Game of the Month with its robust level editor and insane amount of user-created content, but I haven't spent as much time with the game that I originally thought I would. Mario Maker is one of the best games on the Wii U; it just hasn't grabbed me in the way I wanted it to. Outside of the first weekend owning the game, I've only picked it up a handful of times over the last few weeks. Let's just say seeing little reaction to your uploaded levels can be disheartening.
While Mario Maker didn't grab all my free time, Yacht Club Games' free expansion for Shovel Knight sure did.
In Plague of Shadows, you take control of Plague Knight as he collects the essence of his fellow knights in order to create the ultimate potion. Instead of relying on a shovel to bounce off enemies like a pogo stick, Plague Knight must use bombs, spells and his charge launch ability to reach the chambers of his former comrades. Although you play through the same levels that are in the main campaign, using Plague Knight's unique abilities makes each level play in a whole new way. Plus as an added bonus, each level has special area that only Plague Knight can get through. Plague Knight may be tricky to control at first, but you will definitely get the hang of his arsenal after the first few levels. In addition to the brand new campaign, Plague of Shadows adds a challenge mode with over 40 challenges to complete as Shovel or Plague Knight.
As an expansion, Plague of Shadows offers more content than most game expansions or DLC. Plus, it's all free for anybody who buys or already owns Shovel Knight! If the other planned expansions for the game are just as good as Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight may be one of the top games for years to come.
Most Anticipated Games of the Month
I can't nail down my most anticipated game of September since I have three big game purchases during the first three weeks of October. Very similar to those picking up all the big AAA releases in November, October is my big rush of games. Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash drops Friday, October 9th followed by Yoshi's Wooly World a week after that and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes just a week later. With all those games, I'm going to have quite a bit to talk about this upcoming month. No promises, but maybe I will get around to posting some reviews for them in the near future.
In all seriousness, I am really looking forward to playing all these new Nintendo games. Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is going to be to closet thing to a new Castlevania until Bloodstained comes out in 2017, Yoshi's Wooly World might just be the best Yoshi solo outing in decades, and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes takes the fun of multiplayer Zelda and melds it with the expert dungeon design of traditional 2D Zeldas. Also two out of the three games come with adorable amiibos, which is always a plus in my books.
Video of the Month
Words will not do this video justice. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle that is the Japanese launch trailer for Tearaway Unfolded. I promise you, it's one hell of an acid trip.
Enough about me, we got games to talk about especially with the fall game rush in full effect. For the uninitiated, the fall game rush is the incredible amount of games that release from September to November each year. And I bet if you're a self-respecting gamer, you picking up at least one brand new title in the next few months. I know I'm buying quite a few.
Game of the Month
Super Mario Maker would be the easy choice for Game of the Month with its robust level editor and insane amount of user-created content, but I haven't spent as much time with the game that I originally thought I would. Mario Maker is one of the best games on the Wii U; it just hasn't grabbed me in the way I wanted it to. Outside of the first weekend owning the game, I've only picked it up a handful of times over the last few weeks. Let's just say seeing little reaction to your uploaded levels can be disheartening.
While Mario Maker didn't grab all my free time, Yacht Club Games' free expansion for Shovel Knight sure did.
In Plague of Shadows, you take control of Plague Knight as he collects the essence of his fellow knights in order to create the ultimate potion. Instead of relying on a shovel to bounce off enemies like a pogo stick, Plague Knight must use bombs, spells and his charge launch ability to reach the chambers of his former comrades. Although you play through the same levels that are in the main campaign, using Plague Knight's unique abilities makes each level play in a whole new way. Plus as an added bonus, each level has special area that only Plague Knight can get through. Plague Knight may be tricky to control at first, but you will definitely get the hang of his arsenal after the first few levels. In addition to the brand new campaign, Plague of Shadows adds a challenge mode with over 40 challenges to complete as Shovel or Plague Knight.
As an expansion, Plague of Shadows offers more content than most game expansions or DLC. Plus, it's all free for anybody who buys or already owns Shovel Knight! If the other planned expansions for the game are just as good as Plague of Shadows, Shovel Knight may be one of the top games for years to come.
Most Anticipated Games of the Month
I can't nail down my most anticipated game of September since I have three big game purchases during the first three weeks of October. Very similar to those picking up all the big AAA releases in November, October is my big rush of games. Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash drops Friday, October 9th followed by Yoshi's Wooly World a week after that and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes just a week later. With all those games, I'm going to have quite a bit to talk about this upcoming month. No promises, but maybe I will get around to posting some reviews for them in the near future.
In all seriousness, I am really looking forward to playing all these new Nintendo games. Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is going to be to closet thing to a new Castlevania until Bloodstained comes out in 2017, Yoshi's Wooly World might just be the best Yoshi solo outing in decades, and The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes takes the fun of multiplayer Zelda and melds it with the expert dungeon design of traditional 2D Zeldas. Also two out of the three games come with adorable amiibos, which is always a plus in my books.
Video of the Month
Words will not do this video justice. Just sit back and enjoy the spectacle that is the Japanese launch trailer for Tearaway Unfolded. I promise you, it's one hell of an acid trip.
Sunday, October 4, 2015
First Byte: Fan Expo 2015 Gauntlet
Early September, I went to Fan Expo Canada for a day. Aside from exploring the massive show floor and buying a few cool items on sale, I spent the majority of my time playing upcoming games. Actually, it was more like standing in line to play said games. Much like last year. there were well over 30 games at Fan Expo for all to play from big AAA titles such as Assassin's Creed: Syndicate to smaller titles like Cuphead. I always go in dreaming to play every game on the show floor, but I can only get in a quarter at best. This year, I played 10 games in total.
This time around I'm changing up the structure of the Fan Expo Gauntlet. Instead of taking two parts to outline every game I played, I'm going to highlight three titles. These are the titles that I got more time to play and can dissect for your pleasure. With how poorly some demos were managed by volunteers, I just couldn't extract enough from them to fill a paragraph. For example, I played Transformers: Devastation for only enough time to say the combat is exactly the same as Bayonetta just with some third-person gunplay thrown in the mix.
Yo-Kai Watch
To my surprise, Nintendo had a lot more games at their booth than the three games advertised (Splatoon, Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Wooly World). One of the titles available to play on 3DS was the newest sensation out of Japan, Yo-Kai Watch. The demo I played gave me a good impression on the game's combat system, which is pretty different from most JRPGs on the market.
There are no random encounters in Yo-Kai Watch, you literally chase down wild yo-kai by keeping your cursor over them. Once the yo-kai are caught, you engage in combat. Combat consists of spinning a wheel on the touch screen to alternate between the six yo-kai on your team and activating special touch screen specific activities in order to unleash special attacks. Outside of lining up the correct elements to maximize damage and special attacks, normal attacks automatically occur at regular intervals.
For the 15 to 20 minute demo, I found the combat really fun and engaging alternative to the traditional RPG combat systems, but I can see it getting tedious over the course of a 40 hour playthrough if this is all Yo-Kai Watch offers.
Star Wars Battlefront
Ever since EA and DICE released the first slew of information on the new Star Wars Battlefront at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, people have been tirelessly debating over the game's content or lack thereof and its similarities to Battlefield. The gameplay footage revealed at E3 did quite a bit to fan the flames, but there were still some doubters. I will say this: you will have no doubts when you get your hands on the game. My friends and I walked away from the demo at Fan Expo astounded at how amazing it was.
The only mode available to play was Survival. It is Battlefront's version of Horde mode as you and a teammate are tasked with battling through waves upon waves of Imperial forces on Tatooine. The first few waves consist of just Stormtroopers, but as the waves go on, the difficulty goes up at a gradual yet challenging pace by throwing AT-ATs and shocktroopers your way. For somebody who can't hold their own in contemporary shooters, Battlefront made me feel like an all-star. The controls felt perfectly tuned to deal with everything that was being thrown my way. There were a couple waves where I was the last man standing and the tight controls were the only thing that allowed me to pull through.
Although the demo consisted of only one mode, the superb controls and the game's ability to accurately emulate the world of Star Wars has me highly anticipating playing Battlefront later this year.
Star Fox Zero
Most games I played at Fan Expo left me feeling optimistic about their final release. Sadly, I can't say the same for Star Fox Zero. While I will still buy this game early next year, I have a bad feeling that the game is going to alienate a lot of people because of its unique control scheme, much like Kid Icarus: Uprising before it.
Star Fox Zero has you using the analog sticks to control the Arwing and the motion controls in the Wii U gamepad to aim your weapons. This control set-up works during the on-rail segments. but completely falls apart when you enter all-range mode. The reason for this occurrence comes from the all-range mode's reliance on pinpoint accuracy to dispatch enemies. If you played Splatoon, you would already know that this control scheme is no where near accurate and Star Fox's focus on it feels counter-productive. Transforming into the walker did alleviate some of the targeting problems with particular enemies, but the walker's controls felt rough around the edges as will.
After playing Star Fox Zero, I am happy that Nintendo delayed the game until early 2016 because it gives Nintendo more time to refine the controls for the game. While Star Fox Zero has the potential to breathe new life into this struggling franchise, a polarizing control scheme might just ground the Star Fox team for good.
This time around I'm changing up the structure of the Fan Expo Gauntlet. Instead of taking two parts to outline every game I played, I'm going to highlight three titles. These are the titles that I got more time to play and can dissect for your pleasure. With how poorly some demos were managed by volunteers, I just couldn't extract enough from them to fill a paragraph. For example, I played Transformers: Devastation for only enough time to say the combat is exactly the same as Bayonetta just with some third-person gunplay thrown in the mix.
To my surprise, Nintendo had a lot more games at their booth than the three games advertised (Splatoon, Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Wooly World). One of the titles available to play on 3DS was the newest sensation out of Japan, Yo-Kai Watch. The demo I played gave me a good impression on the game's combat system, which is pretty different from most JRPGs on the market.
There are no random encounters in Yo-Kai Watch, you literally chase down wild yo-kai by keeping your cursor over them. Once the yo-kai are caught, you engage in combat. Combat consists of spinning a wheel on the touch screen to alternate between the six yo-kai on your team and activating special touch screen specific activities in order to unleash special attacks. Outside of lining up the correct elements to maximize damage and special attacks, normal attacks automatically occur at regular intervals.
For the 15 to 20 minute demo, I found the combat really fun and engaging alternative to the traditional RPG combat systems, but I can see it getting tedious over the course of a 40 hour playthrough if this is all Yo-Kai Watch offers.
Ever since EA and DICE released the first slew of information on the new Star Wars Battlefront at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, people have been tirelessly debating over the game's content or lack thereof and its similarities to Battlefield. The gameplay footage revealed at E3 did quite a bit to fan the flames, but there were still some doubters. I will say this: you will have no doubts when you get your hands on the game. My friends and I walked away from the demo at Fan Expo astounded at how amazing it was.
The only mode available to play was Survival. It is Battlefront's version of Horde mode as you and a teammate are tasked with battling through waves upon waves of Imperial forces on Tatooine. The first few waves consist of just Stormtroopers, but as the waves go on, the difficulty goes up at a gradual yet challenging pace by throwing AT-ATs and shocktroopers your way. For somebody who can't hold their own in contemporary shooters, Battlefront made me feel like an all-star. The controls felt perfectly tuned to deal with everything that was being thrown my way. There were a couple waves where I was the last man standing and the tight controls were the only thing that allowed me to pull through.
Although the demo consisted of only one mode, the superb controls and the game's ability to accurately emulate the world of Star Wars has me highly anticipating playing Battlefront later this year.
Most games I played at Fan Expo left me feeling optimistic about their final release. Sadly, I can't say the same for Star Fox Zero. While I will still buy this game early next year, I have a bad feeling that the game is going to alienate a lot of people because of its unique control scheme, much like Kid Icarus: Uprising before it.
Star Fox Zero has you using the analog sticks to control the Arwing and the motion controls in the Wii U gamepad to aim your weapons. This control set-up works during the on-rail segments. but completely falls apart when you enter all-range mode. The reason for this occurrence comes from the all-range mode's reliance on pinpoint accuracy to dispatch enemies. If you played Splatoon, you would already know that this control scheme is no where near accurate and Star Fox's focus on it feels counter-productive. Transforming into the walker did alleviate some of the targeting problems with particular enemies, but the walker's controls felt rough around the edges as will.
After playing Star Fox Zero, I am happy that Nintendo delayed the game until early 2016 because it gives Nintendo more time to refine the controls for the game. While Star Fox Zero has the potential to breathe new life into this struggling franchise, a polarizing control scheme might just ground the Star Fox team for good.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Bit by Bit: August 2015
It's sad to say, but summer is coming to an end. As hard as it may be to get excited to go back to school, fall brings with it an avalanche of new game releases. With the current generation finally running on all cylinders, there will be enough games to keep every gamer satisfied for the next four months. Just counting all the Nintendo games I'm going to pick up on Wii U and 3DS in the next four months is a little shocking. Good thing I have brothers that plan on picking up the multiplatform titles I'm holding out on, such as Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront, so I can play them without dropping nearly 100 dollars on each one. You know, I need to save that money to buy amiibos.
Before we get started with this edition of Bit by Bit, I would like to announce that I'm going to Fan Expo again this year. I will be there Friday with a few friends from school to hang out, buy stuff, play games, and explore the show floor. Just like I did last year, there will be a full rundown of everything yours truly did at the show along with the return of the Fan Expo Gauntlet. So stay tuned for all your Fan Expo goodness from Silver Bit in the coming weeks.
Game of the Month
In recent years, I have grown fond of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise and its challenging yet engrossing take on the JRPG genre. Funny enough, the Shin Megami spin-off series Persona that's responsible for the series popularity in the West is one I barely touched. While I own both Persona 3 and 4 on PS3, I never took on the task of playing one until I got Persona 4 Golden for Vita. Now I can't stop!
RPGs are perfect for portable play. You can pick them up to finish some sidequests or grind a few levels in small bursts, or dive into the story and dungeons as a way to spend an afternoon. It may take some time to wrap your head around all of Persona 4's mechanics and everything they entail. Once you get past the learning curve, managing social links, jobs, boosting stats, and preparing for the dungeons is a blast. I have already lost many hours just delving into all the activities you can do outside of the main dungeons.
The combat is no slouch either. It has a similar turn-based structure as most JRPGs, but adds a few new systems to make the combat more engaging. Determining which elements shadows are strong/weak against is the key to success. Couple that with powerful pile-on attacks and shuffle time bonuses, and you have the ingredients for an incredible battle system that will keep you on your toes.
I am only brushing the surface of what Persona 4 Golden has to offer. I strongly urge everybody to pick up a Vita or PlayStation TV to play this phenomenal RPG, or at the very least download the PS2 original off of PSN. I may only be 25 hours into the game, but I fully understand why it's considered one of the best RPGs of the last decade. Persona 4 Golden is that damn good, period!
Most Anticipated Toy of the Month
Rumours about a Shovel Knight amiibo were floating around the interwebs for a couple weeks now, but nothing was ever confirmed. That was until a UK retailer announced its existence ahead of Nintendo and Yacht Club Games' official unveiling at Nintendo's Nindies @ Night event in Seattle.
The Shovel Knight amiibo is being produced entirely by Yacht Club Games, and it unlocks exclusive modes and features for the Wii U and 3DS versions of Shovel Knight. The amiibo's biggest addition to the game is the Wii U exclusive co-op, which allows you to play the entire game with a friend. It will also add special challenge stages, new relics and character stat customization to both versions of Shovel Knight.
As happy as I am to see Shovel Knight get the amiibo treatment, I am even more ecstatic to see what comes from the introduction of official third-party figures into the amiibo line. This partnership truly marks an exciting new direction for the amiibo brand as a whole. Expanding the brand to outside properties may be the olive branch Nintendo needs to attract third-parties back to their systems. Plus, it offers a wonderful platform for indie developers like Yacht Club Games to get exposure on a scale they could of only dreamed of.
I have my fingers crossed for Bit.Trip, Shantae and Mighty No. 9 amiibos.
Video of the Month
It won't be too much longer before Super Mario Maker will be released to the general public. For those people like myself that cannot wait any longer, IGN has put together a series of videos called the IGN Super Mario Maker Editors Challenge to show off all the wonderful levels you can make in the game. These five to ten minute videos release every Monday, Wednesday and Friday leading up to Super Mario Maker's release and they offer great inspiration for those looking forward to creating their own Mario deathtraps. Plus, it's hilarious to watch the Mario insanity people think of and the priceless reactions from those playing.
I've included the first video in the series below, but I highly recommend watching them all. I hope to see many great levels online when Super Mario Maker launches on 11th of September.
Before we get started with this edition of Bit by Bit, I would like to announce that I'm going to Fan Expo again this year. I will be there Friday with a few friends from school to hang out, buy stuff, play games, and explore the show floor. Just like I did last year, there will be a full rundown of everything yours truly did at the show along with the return of the Fan Expo Gauntlet. So stay tuned for all your Fan Expo goodness from Silver Bit in the coming weeks.
Game of the Month
In recent years, I have grown fond of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise and its challenging yet engrossing take on the JRPG genre. Funny enough, the Shin Megami spin-off series Persona that's responsible for the series popularity in the West is one I barely touched. While I own both Persona 3 and 4 on PS3, I never took on the task of playing one until I got Persona 4 Golden for Vita. Now I can't stop!
RPGs are perfect for portable play. You can pick them up to finish some sidequests or grind a few levels in small bursts, or dive into the story and dungeons as a way to spend an afternoon. It may take some time to wrap your head around all of Persona 4's mechanics and everything they entail. Once you get past the learning curve, managing social links, jobs, boosting stats, and preparing for the dungeons is a blast. I have already lost many hours just delving into all the activities you can do outside of the main dungeons.
The combat is no slouch either. It has a similar turn-based structure as most JRPGs, but adds a few new systems to make the combat more engaging. Determining which elements shadows are strong/weak against is the key to success. Couple that with powerful pile-on attacks and shuffle time bonuses, and you have the ingredients for an incredible battle system that will keep you on your toes.
I am only brushing the surface of what Persona 4 Golden has to offer. I strongly urge everybody to pick up a Vita or PlayStation TV to play this phenomenal RPG, or at the very least download the PS2 original off of PSN. I may only be 25 hours into the game, but I fully understand why it's considered one of the best RPGs of the last decade. Persona 4 Golden is that damn good, period!
Most Anticipated Toy of the Month
Rumours about a Shovel Knight amiibo were floating around the interwebs for a couple weeks now, but nothing was ever confirmed. That was until a UK retailer announced its existence ahead of Nintendo and Yacht Club Games' official unveiling at Nintendo's Nindies @ Night event in Seattle.
The Shovel Knight amiibo is being produced entirely by Yacht Club Games, and it unlocks exclusive modes and features for the Wii U and 3DS versions of Shovel Knight. The amiibo's biggest addition to the game is the Wii U exclusive co-op, which allows you to play the entire game with a friend. It will also add special challenge stages, new relics and character stat customization to both versions of Shovel Knight.
As happy as I am to see Shovel Knight get the amiibo treatment, I am even more ecstatic to see what comes from the introduction of official third-party figures into the amiibo line. This partnership truly marks an exciting new direction for the amiibo brand as a whole. Expanding the brand to outside properties may be the olive branch Nintendo needs to attract third-parties back to their systems. Plus, it offers a wonderful platform for indie developers like Yacht Club Games to get exposure on a scale they could of only dreamed of.
I have my fingers crossed for Bit.Trip, Shantae and Mighty No. 9 amiibos.
Video of the Month
It won't be too much longer before Super Mario Maker will be released to the general public. For those people like myself that cannot wait any longer, IGN has put together a series of videos called the IGN Super Mario Maker Editors Challenge to show off all the wonderful levels you can make in the game. These five to ten minute videos release every Monday, Wednesday and Friday leading up to Super Mario Maker's release and they offer great inspiration for those looking forward to creating their own Mario deathtraps. Plus, it's hilarious to watch the Mario insanity people think of and the priceless reactions from those playing.
I've included the first video in the series below, but I highly recommend watching them all. I hope to see many great levels online when Super Mario Maker launches on 11th of September.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
E3 2015: Nintendo Digital Event Impresions
Nintendo didn't have one single answer to that question as they went for a sheer numbers approach. Starting with Super Mario Maker, there will be eight titles across Wii U and 3DS, including Star Fox Zero, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Yoshi's Woolly World, releasing this Fall. While there may not be a single title that will move tons 3DS and Wii U units, this is one of the most robust lineups Nintendo has had for the holidays in a long time.
Looking at the Digital Event as a whole, its content was good, but the video was completely underwhelming and disjointed. Nintendo tried so hard to be charming and wacky with the puppet skits, but it came off as embarrassing awkward. Also the announcement of certain games felt out of place.
Although I am not as upset about the Metroid Prime 3DS games as others, the way Nintendo just unceremoniously dumped it on us was a little insulting, especially for longtime fans. Federation Force and Blast Ball are two refreshing new takes on the franchise that I look forward to seeing more of, but these titles shouldn't have been the only Metroid announcement of the show. Plus the huge focus on Super Mario Maker and Mario's 30th Anniversary was a little lackluster considering the Nintendo World Championships did such an incredible job promoting that game. I will admit, revealing that the Mario transitions were actually the Amiibo support for Super Mario Maker was awesome.
While Nintendo's Digital Event felt lackluster as a whole, there were some titles that really impressed me. Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes looks to be the Four Swords sequel/co-op Zelda I've been craving for a long time. The ability to play core Zelda dungeons with others both on and offline is great. The proper return of Mario Tennis with Ultra Smash for Wii U was exciting to see. If Nintendo adds in robust online multiplayer to the game, it could be up there with Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and Splatoon as another great multiplayer game for Wii U. Last but not least, Level 5's Yo-Kai Watch was impressive as it had a great amount of charm and some unique RPG elements that looks to appeal to all ages.
The easiest way to describe Nintendo's Digital Event is a mixed bag. All the games showed off looked to be a lot of fun and it gave perfect picture of Nintendo's holiday lineup, which looks to be their best in a long time. The show just didn't have the cohesion or a big punch to keep fans from felling a little disappointed. Plus where on Earth is Retro Studios!?
Grade: C+
Monday, June 15, 2015
E3 2015: EA Press Conference Impressions
Let us start with the good news, EA's press conference was better than last year's showing. The bad news is that isn't saying much. In all honesty, EA has a great lineup of games under their umbrella; they just can't seem to translate that quality to the stage. When a conference with Mass Effect, Mirror's Edge and Star Wars almost puts you to sleep, there is something wrong.
The reason that EA had problems in translating quality to their stage performance was that they spent too much time telling instead of showing. The actual game demos showed at the conference combined for a run time of maybe 20 minutes. For a 90 minute press conference, that's unacceptable. Also whoever thought splitting EA Sports into four excruciatingly boring and unnecessarily long segments to fill time should be fired along with the person who thought having an interview with soccer legend Pele was a good use of time.
Out of all the bad, there were a couple of diamonds in the rough. Star Wars Battlefront had a phenomenal demo that expertly replicated the scale and grandeur of the Battle for Hoth from Empire Strikes Back. In five minutes, DICE showed first and third-person perspectives, vehicle combat (which includes controlling AT-ATs) and playable hero characters all to a great amount of fanfare. Other than Battlefront, the only other game to truly impress was Unravel, a puzzle platformer with unique mechanics revolving around yarn. While I have a feeling Unravel will be a smaller title in EA's lineup, it has the potential of stacking up their with other great mascot platformers like LittleBigPlanet and Mario.
If it wasn't for Star Wars Battlefront and Unravel, EA's 2015 press conference would have served as a good time for a nap or a bathroom break. EA seems to bark to the heavens that they understand their fans, but they are so out of touch that it's hilarious. Gamers don't watch your E3 press conference to hear about your onslaught of yearly sports games, we want the Battlefronts, Mass Effects, Mirror's Edges and Unravels to be the focus of your show. Until EA understands that fact, they will suffer the same negative reaction year-in and year-out.
Grade: D+
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Launch Station: Splatoon
First and foremost, Splatoon is a team-based online multiplayer shooter. Instead of racking up the most kills, players are tasked with covering their surroundings in ink. The team that covers more of the arena in their team's ink wins. Covering the arena in ink doesn't only satisfy the win-condition of matches, it offers players tactical advantages in battle. Considering you play as a human-squid hybrid known as an inkling, you are able to use the ink to hide from enemies, climb walls and refill your ink tank. While Turf War is the only multiplayer mode available to play at launch, Nintendo will be updating Splatoon over the course of the summer with new Ranked multiplayer modes such as Splat Zones and Tower Control.
Although multiplayer is Splatoon's main focus, it is not the only thing it offers. Splatoon has a large suite of offline modes from the single player Octo Valley to local multiplayer Battle Dojo.
Octo Valley has a similar design to the Mario Galaxy games as your inkling must navigate a series of floating planetoid-like platforms in order to reach the Zapfish at the end of each level. The levels contained in Octo Valley are split between the platforming levels described, arena fights with swarms of Octarians and boss battles. The Splatoon series amiibos play a role in this mode as they open up sets of unique missions, which unlock special equipment and bonus NES-inspired mini games.
On the other end of the single player front, Battle Dojo is a one-on-one local multiplayer mode where players compete to pop the most balloons. In this mode, one person plays on the Wii U Gamepad while the other plays on the television with a Pro Controller.
There are still loads of stuff contained within Splatoon's ink-covered package like customization, weapons, mini games and mechanics, but I don't have the space to cover it all here. If you want a in-depth look at weapons and controls, check out the latest edition of First Byte where I analyze the Splatoon Global Testfire.
All-in-all, I have a feeling that Splatoon is going to surprise a lot of people with its unique take on the shooter genre. While I am looking forward to spending some quality time with Splatoon, I hope Wii U owners give this game a chance and show Nintendo that it is time to create some brand new franchises to stand beside our established favourites.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
First Byte: Splatoon
Open to everyone who downloaded the free demo from the Nintendo eShop, the Splatoon Global Testfire gave Wii U owners three hour-long chances to play the game's multiplayer. Each hour-long opportunity was the same experience: pick your inkling, play the tutorial, pick your weapon set and jump right into multiplayer. The Splatoon Global Testfire offered four weapon sets to use, two maps to fight on and one mode to play. In between matches, you could play a retro-stylized Doddle Jump clone called Squid Jump.
After spending close to three hours with Splatoon, I found Splatoon's take on the multiplayer shooter to be a very enjoyable experience. Despite more developers focusing on team-based and asymmetrical skirmishes recently, the most popular entries in this genre try to make the player feel like a one-man army. On the opposite side of the fence, Splatoon's multiplayer only consists of four vs. four team battles, which focus on covering the battlefield with ink instead of blood. Focusing on teamwork and toned down violence makes Splatoon a more age-appropriate mutliplayer game than the military shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield that kids find ways to play. This focus also shows that multiplayer shooters don't need to be extremely violent in nature to be fun.
The first thing you will definitely notice upon loading up Splatoon are the controls. The controls are very similar to other shooters with the left analog stick to move, the right analog stick to look left and right, and the triggers for weapons. The difference comes with how you control looking up and down. Instead of mapping it to the right analog stick like most shooters, you control looking up and down by tilting the Wii U Gamepad in either direction. This control scheme can be jarring at first, but was easy to grasp after a few rounds. While I did get use to these unique controls, they don't work for every weapon in the game.
The controls fell apart when using the Splat Charger, a weapon that works much like a sniper rifle. Accuracy and precision are key when using this weapon, which makes aiming incredibly frustrating when the motion controls pick up every slight movement. I found out from friends and other sources that you can customize the controls, but the option was never made clear during the beta or through Nintendo's vast amount of promotion material.
Aside from the inconvenience, Splatoon plays great. The weapons have their unique strengths and weaknesses. Sub-weapons and special moves offer tactical options for changing the tide of battle. The instantaneous jump into the heat of battle activated by tapping the Gamepad eliminates the downtime of travelling. Plus, transforming into a squid to hide from foes or escape from danger is exhilarating.
The Splatoon Global Testfire offered two maps to play: Walleye Warehouse and Saltspray Rig. Both maps are symmetrical, but different in their design. Walleye Warehouse is built for close-combat with tight alleyways and few open areas, while Saltspray Rig is an open arena with multiple elevations and central platforms to battle over. Compared to other shooters, the maps are small and compact. The smaller maps increases the tension as your opponents is always close by. The tension is heightened by the lack of communication outside of a few preset phrases. While it creates a tense atmosphere, the lack of voice chat between teammate is a missed opportunity on Nintendo's part.
Apart from a few failures to initially connect to a game or connection errors, I had little to no problems with the Splatoon Global Testfire. The game's multiplayer looks to be shaping up nicely and I look forward to spending more time with it in the near future. With this successful test into public betas, hopefully Nintendo will use this method of testing for future projects. Maybe even give Wii U owners a few more chances to play Splatoon before launch. Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
On the Download: Mario Kart 8 DLC Impressions
While DLC and how game companies approach pricing and releasing it has become a hot topic in recent years, Nintendo has received a great amount of praise for their approach to these DLC packs. The reason behind the praise comes from the critical reception for Mario Kart 8 on its own and the timing of the DLC announcement.
First, Mario Kart 8 received universal praise from fans and critics alike. Both thought the game was packed with great amount of content to begin with and many were craving for more content for the game. Instead of feeling like Nintendo was adding content that should have already been in Mario Kart 8, the announcement of the DLC felt like a natural extension of the game and an evolutionary step for the whole franchise.
Second, most DLC announcements come well before a game hits store shelves. This practice can alienate consumers as it can be interpreted as game companies holding back content in order to extort money out of their loyal customers at a later date. Nintendo waited a good three months after the release of Mario Kart 8 to announce DLC for the game. Although Nintendo may have been working on the content at the same time as the game, the timing of the announcement, coupled with the affordable price, makes consumers feel that they are getting more bang for their buck and that the DLC content is in addition to the content already in the game.
Aside from dissecting the wide acceptance of the Mario Kart 8 DLC, the content provided in these packs are superb. Playing through each pack gave me a greater appreciation for Mario Kart 8 as a whole. Certain aspects that I overlooked upon my initial playthrough, such as graphics, audio and track design, are brought to the forefront in unique ways.
Seeing the rain-soaked neon landscape of Neo Bowser City hits home how wonderful it is to see Nintendo properties in full HD glory. Hearing the unique audio cues from Animal Crossing and Legend of Zelda on their respective tracks along with the electric fences and healing pads in the F-Zero tracks shows Mario Kart 8's incredible attention to detail and the reverence Nintendo has to their properties. Pulling together old and new Mario Kart tracks, in addition to re-imagining tracks from both F-Zero and Excitebike, spruces up the tried-and-true formula of cups having all new tracks or all old tracks and injects a ton of variety into the track designs. Speaking of the track designs, the changing seasons of the Animal Crossing track, the randomized layout of mud spots and ramps on the Excitebike and even slightly tilting Baby Park on its side for the track to be raced entirely in anti-gravity are wonderful tweaks that make the tracks a lot more engaging and exciting to play.
Although the inclusion of Link, Villager and Isabelle open Mario Kart up to the possibility of becoming Nintendo Kart, the three other "new" characters are nothing more than new costumes for existing characters. They don't bring anything new to the game other than a cosmetic change. Nintendo could of easily added these new costumes by having the a separate menu pop-up when selecting either Mario, Peach or Bowser much like they did with the boy and girl Villager and the colour variants for Yoshi and Shy Guy. Adding these unnecessary characters brings more attention to Mario Kart 8's overinflated roster problem. Also including these variants on existing characters over brand new characters from either the Mario universe or Nintendo as a whole feels like a missed opportunity in my opinion.
At 12 dollars for both of packs, the DLC for Mario Kart 8 is must own. The amount of content packed into it is astonishing. You are literally getting another half-game of content for the price of movie admission. Hopefully, the success of these DLC packs leads for more content for Mario Kart 8 in the years to come.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
On the Download: Super Smash Bros. Mewtwo Impressions
In recent years, Nintendo has gotten more comfortable with creating and selling downloadable content for their games. From weekly DLC packs to haggling NPCs to buy new content for a cheaper price, Nintendo has tested multiple approaches to tackling DLC in an effort to determine what model their fan base finds acceptable. Tests found in games like Fire Emblem Awakening, Pikmin 3 and Rusty's Real Deal Baseball have all led Nintendo to adopting the best practices for their major franchises, in particular, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, and Mario Kart 8. Since there isn't enough room to cover impressions for both games in this one articles, the Super Smash Bros. DLC will be covered in this article with impressions of the Mario Kart 8 DLC coming next week.
The most anticipated aspect of any Super Smash Bros. is the final roster. Everybody wildly speculates what iconic Nintendo characters will return for the next entry, what new characters will join the ranks and what third-party characters will interrupt the proceedings. Out of all the characters people were craving to see in the newest Smash Bros., a large group of vocal fans got behind the return of one psychic Pokemon—Mewtwo. While Mewtwo did not make it into the initial release of Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS, Nintendo heard the fan outcry and you can add him to the popular fighting game on Tuesday, April 28th at the price of four dollars for one version or five dollars for both.
Fortunately, those who registered both versions of Super Smash Bros. on Club Nintendo received Mewtwo for free last Wednesday. That includes yours truly. As it has been a long time since I last played Melee, I can't delve into the minute differences between Mewtwo's Melee move set and the updated move set. The only noticeable difference is Mewtwo's Final Smash, the Psystrike, which sees him mega evolve into Mega Mewtwo Y to blow opponents away with a huge ball of psychic energy. After playing through multiple matches (on and offline), Classic and All Star modes with Mewtwo, I found this psychic powerhouse to play similar to his Melee iteration. Due to his floaty movement and weak standard attacks, Mewtwo is meant for seasoned Smash Bros. players that are attuned with charging Smash attacks and playing on the defensive. In particular, Mewtwo's side and down B moves are only useful for deflecting projectiles or setting opponents up for Mewtwo's smash attacks as they don't have any real offensive use. Once I got accustomed to Mewtwo's strengths and weaknesses, I found him to be a great new addition to the roster.
For the Super Smash Bros.'s DLC fighters, it comes down to how you personally enjoy the characters available. Unless you want to get the full roster, it is easy to pick and choose which fighters you want to buy. At four to five dollars a piece, the DLC offers a great amount of value for the asking price especially when compared the Mii Fighter costume DLC also available.
Fortunately, those who registered both versions of Super Smash Bros. on Club Nintendo received Mewtwo for free last Wednesday. That includes yours truly. As it has been a long time since I last played Melee, I can't delve into the minute differences between Mewtwo's Melee move set and the updated move set. The only noticeable difference is Mewtwo's Final Smash, the Psystrike, which sees him mega evolve into Mega Mewtwo Y to blow opponents away with a huge ball of psychic energy. After playing through multiple matches (on and offline), Classic and All Star modes with Mewtwo, I found this psychic powerhouse to play similar to his Melee iteration. Due to his floaty movement and weak standard attacks, Mewtwo is meant for seasoned Smash Bros. players that are attuned with charging Smash attacks and playing on the defensive. In particular, Mewtwo's side and down B moves are only useful for deflecting projectiles or setting opponents up for Mewtwo's smash attacks as they don't have any real offensive use. Once I got accustomed to Mewtwo's strengths and weaknesses, I found him to be a great new addition to the roster.
For the Super Smash Bros.'s DLC fighters, it comes down to how you personally enjoy the characters available. Unless you want to get the full roster, it is easy to pick and choose which fighters you want to buy. At four to five dollars a piece, the DLC offers a great amount of value for the asking price especially when compared the Mii Fighter costume DLC also available.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Bit by Bit: March 2015
Let's address the elephant in the room. I know I promised to have things back to normal by the end of March and it's now three weeks into April. I am sorry for the delays, but school consumed my entire life until last Wednesday. Between writing close to 20 pages for final essays and studying non-stop for exams that involved copious amounts of writing, I wasn't in much of a mood to write anything else at that point in time.
Although I originally wanted this edition of Bit by Bit to be the first post back from the hiatus, I am very happy that I got the Launch Station for Xenoblade Chronicles 3D up in time for its release this past Friday, especially considering my reverence for the Wii original. Since school is winding down for the year (only one exam left!), I will be able to once again post to Silver Bit on a regular basis. With all that being said, let us rewind the clock to last month and look back at the best and worst of March 2015.
Shame of the Month
Typically, I highlight the best game I played in the past month, but I think the game I am talking about today deserves an exception. While I critique games, I don't usually review games I find middling or bad because I don't spend enough time with them to justify a review. Personally, I like to experience everything the game has to offer before writing a review, including playing through the single-player portion and spending a good amount of time with the multiplayer. It is a time-consuming commitment that I don't usually make for a game that I despise playing. Now, I want to start playing a greater variety of games, in both genre and quality, to widen what I talk about on Silver Bit. Although too much time has passed for me to give a full review justice, I will still honour this game as the very first Shame of the Month.
In the middle of all the craziness that was March, I decided to download a little free-to-play game that was popular among everybody I met through StreetPass—Pokemon Shuffle. At the core of Pokemon Shuffle, there is an okay match-three puzzle game. Sadly, that core is wrapped in frustrating gameplay mechanics that are only in the game to make players shell out their hard-earned cash.
Unless you have a gripping need to spend real money to play Shuffle for hours on end, it is best to play for the short amount of time offered through the five regenerating hearts. You will see everything Pokemon Shuffle has to offer in the first 30 to 40 stages, leaving you over 100 stages of recycling the same challenges with increasing difficulty. What makes the game even worse are the mechanics, such as the catchability meter and enemy disruptions, that are tweaked in such a way that it forces players to pay money in order to advance in the game. Yes, there are ways around these frustrations by hording jewels until absolutely necessary, but the game continually tempts the player to use them for five more turns or 20 more seconds to catch their desired Pokemon. These deceitful freemium practices just put a bad taste in your mouth.
Hopefully with Nintendo producing games for mobile platforms, these cash-sucking titles will be exclusive for those markets instead of infecting the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Pokemon Shuffle is pretty much the exact same game as last year's Pokemon Battle Trozei with new Mega Evolution screen-clearing combos and tons of devious ways to steal your money. Pokemon Shuffle may not be that fun, but it is perfect start to Silver Bit's Shame of the Month.
Most Anticipated Game of the Month
This past March, Nintendo pulled the curtain back on Splatoon and does it ever look good. About midway through the month, Nintendo brought video game journalists from media outlets like IGN and Gamespot and Youtube personalities like ProJared and The Completionist to play the game at their American headquarters. The onslaught of videos and articles that came from this event highlight Splatoon's various single and multiplayer modes.
Back when the game debuted at E3 2014, I initially thought Splatoon wasn't anything special as it looked like a neat little downloadable title. I can say now that I was totally wrong and I am glad to be wrong in this case. Splatoon looks to be a very comprehensive game with a Mario Galaxy style Octo Valley single-player campaign and fully-fledged suite of online multiplayer modes like Turf Wars and Ranked Battles. I am especially looking forward to spending lots of time in Octo Valley launching from floating island to floating island, using ink in unique ways to battle enemies and finding interesting ways to traverse platforms with some cool ink-squid combinations.
If you would've asked me about Splatoon at the beginning of the year, I would've shrugged the game off as Nintendo giving the third-person shooter genre the good ol' college try. Now, all I want to do is play it. I know I overuse this saying, but I seriously can't wait until May 29th to play Splatoon. I am that damn excited.
Video of the Month
In 1987, Hironobu Sakaguchi was a young video designer for Squaresoft that just wanted to finish the final game in his contract to pursue the greener pastures of hip hop. Unbeknownst to Sakaguchi, his "final fantasy" spiraled into the long-running franchise many gamers know and love and a seemingly never-ending extension to his contract. How did the success and popularity of Final Fantasy affect the legendary game designer? Watch Mega64's totally real behind-the scenes look at the making of Final Fantasy to find out.
Although I originally wanted this edition of Bit by Bit to be the first post back from the hiatus, I am very happy that I got the Launch Station for Xenoblade Chronicles 3D up in time for its release this past Friday, especially considering my reverence for the Wii original. Since school is winding down for the year (only one exam left!), I will be able to once again post to Silver Bit on a regular basis. With all that being said, let us rewind the clock to last month and look back at the best and worst of March 2015.
Shame of the Month
Typically, I highlight the best game I played in the past month, but I think the game I am talking about today deserves an exception. While I critique games, I don't usually review games I find middling or bad because I don't spend enough time with them to justify a review. Personally, I like to experience everything the game has to offer before writing a review, including playing through the single-player portion and spending a good amount of time with the multiplayer. It is a time-consuming commitment that I don't usually make for a game that I despise playing. Now, I want to start playing a greater variety of games, in both genre and quality, to widen what I talk about on Silver Bit. Although too much time has passed for me to give a full review justice, I will still honour this game as the very first Shame of the Month.
In the middle of all the craziness that was March, I decided to download a little free-to-play game that was popular among everybody I met through StreetPass—Pokemon Shuffle. At the core of Pokemon Shuffle, there is an okay match-three puzzle game. Sadly, that core is wrapped in frustrating gameplay mechanics that are only in the game to make players shell out their hard-earned cash.
Unless you have a gripping need to spend real money to play Shuffle for hours on end, it is best to play for the short amount of time offered through the five regenerating hearts. You will see everything Pokemon Shuffle has to offer in the first 30 to 40 stages, leaving you over 100 stages of recycling the same challenges with increasing difficulty. What makes the game even worse are the mechanics, such as the catchability meter and enemy disruptions, that are tweaked in such a way that it forces players to pay money in order to advance in the game. Yes, there are ways around these frustrations by hording jewels until absolutely necessary, but the game continually tempts the player to use them for five more turns or 20 more seconds to catch their desired Pokemon. These deceitful freemium practices just put a bad taste in your mouth.
Hopefully with Nintendo producing games for mobile platforms, these cash-sucking titles will be exclusive for those markets instead of infecting the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Pokemon Shuffle is pretty much the exact same game as last year's Pokemon Battle Trozei with new Mega Evolution screen-clearing combos and tons of devious ways to steal your money. Pokemon Shuffle may not be that fun, but it is perfect start to Silver Bit's Shame of the Month.
Most Anticipated Game of the Month
This past March, Nintendo pulled the curtain back on Splatoon and does it ever look good. About midway through the month, Nintendo brought video game journalists from media outlets like IGN and Gamespot and Youtube personalities like ProJared and The Completionist to play the game at their American headquarters. The onslaught of videos and articles that came from this event highlight Splatoon's various single and multiplayer modes.
Back when the game debuted at E3 2014, I initially thought Splatoon wasn't anything special as it looked like a neat little downloadable title. I can say now that I was totally wrong and I am glad to be wrong in this case. Splatoon looks to be a very comprehensive game with a Mario Galaxy style Octo Valley single-player campaign and fully-fledged suite of online multiplayer modes like Turf Wars and Ranked Battles. I am especially looking forward to spending lots of time in Octo Valley launching from floating island to floating island, using ink in unique ways to battle enemies and finding interesting ways to traverse platforms with some cool ink-squid combinations.
If you would've asked me about Splatoon at the beginning of the year, I would've shrugged the game off as Nintendo giving the third-person shooter genre the good ol' college try. Now, all I want to do is play it. I know I overuse this saying, but I seriously can't wait until May 29th to play Splatoon. I am that damn excited.
Video of the Month
In 1987, Hironobu Sakaguchi was a young video designer for Squaresoft that just wanted to finish the final game in his contract to pursue the greener pastures of hip hop. Unbeknownst to Sakaguchi, his "final fantasy" spiraled into the long-running franchise many gamers know and love and a seemingly never-ending extension to his contract. How did the success and popularity of Final Fantasy affect the legendary game designer? Watch Mega64's totally real behind-the scenes look at the making of Final Fantasy to find out.
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.
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.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Year in Review 2014: The Games
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Bit by Bit: December 2014
The funny thing about plans is that they get thrown out the window at a moment's notice. Coming off of school, I had a lot of ideas swirling around my head in which I was so eager to write about. During this time, life has been a lot more eventful than I anticipated it to be and plans changed to cover these new developments like The Game Awards, Amiibogeddon and the Uncharted 4 demo. In all honesty, I was hoping to produce a lot more content than I actually did, but I am really happy with the quality of articles posted in the last month.
As 2014 comes to a close, Silver Bit starts its annual Year in Review series. Check back in the coming weeks to see the great games I missed out on, my favourite games of the year and the illustrious Game of the Year. Starting with this new edition of Bit by Bit, Silver Bit is going to bring in 2015 in style.
Game of the Month
With Silver Bit's Year in Review just around the corner, I am going to be highlighting a lot of great games. Sadly, I am going to be cutting back on the number of games I highlight in The Games portion of the Year in Review. I am making this decision due to how little games I played this year compared to previous years. Since I am cutting back, some great games are not going to make the cut. Most of these titles have already been highlighted in past editions of Bit by Bit or through reviews and previews. With that in mind, I want to shine the spotlight on one more title that deserves some love despite not making the cut. Without any further ado, December's Game of the Month is Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for the Wii U.
Many people fondly remember the Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World for their change in pace and unorthodox gameplay. Mario games are known for their pixel perfect platforming and these levels stripped that away. Since Captain Toad couldn't jump, players needed to maneuver the camera in order to reveal the optimal path for Toad to take. While there were only a handful of Captain Toad levels in 3D World, they left quite the impression on players. In fact, these levels left such a great impression that Nintendo elaborated on the gameplay and puzzles to create an entire game revolving around the whimsical captain.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker features over 70 levels to complete on Toad and Toadette's quest to collect treasure and defeat the psychedelic bird Wingo. The levels in Treasure Tracker grow to be four to five times larger than the ones found in 3D World. This expansion in level size creates new challenges for players to overcome as the puzzles involve multiple levels and more enemies stand in the way. Adding to this challenge are the special objectives, such as collecting three gems, completing a level without taking damage or finding the Gold Mushroom, offered for every level. All-in-all, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a charmingly fun puzzle platformer that deserves more than getting lost in the hustle and bustle of larger titles this holiday season.
Most Anticipated Toys of the Month
Nintendo's line of Amiibo figures have gotten tons of attention since they released alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U this past November. This attention stems from the ensuing craze started from these figures selling out across the globe. I have been fortunate enough to get every Amiibo released in the first two waves. Now, my sights are set on collecting the third wave releasing this coming February. So far, I have pre-ordered every figure available through EB Games including the exclusive Shulk figure and am impatiently waiting to pre-order the other exclusive figures as soon as they are available. To say these figures are my most anticipated things of the month may be an understatement as collecting these toys are becoming a job unto itself.
Video of the Month
There was nothing better at The Game Awards than the world premiere gameplay for the new Legend of Zelda for Wii U. Way back at E3, Nintendo gave us a thin little snippet of a trailer to show the initial vision of the game. While only four minutes in length, this video gave gamers a ton more information to chew on. No piece of information made my jaw drop than the sheer size of Hyrule in the new Zelda. From the few seconds focused on the map, Hyrule looks to be as expansive as the largest open worlds from the past generation. Some cool moments came from showcasing the horseback combat especially the slow motion vaulting bow attack. Altogether, the gameplay video for the new Legend of Zelda is something to behold. Take four minutes out of your busy schedule to take in the awesomeness of the next evolution in this legendary franchise.
As 2014 comes to a close, Silver Bit starts its annual Year in Review series. Check back in the coming weeks to see the great games I missed out on, my favourite games of the year and the illustrious Game of the Year. Starting with this new edition of Bit by Bit, Silver Bit is going to bring in 2015 in style.
Game of the Month
With Silver Bit's Year in Review just around the corner, I am going to be highlighting a lot of great games. Sadly, I am going to be cutting back on the number of games I highlight in The Games portion of the Year in Review. I am making this decision due to how little games I played this year compared to previous years. Since I am cutting back, some great games are not going to make the cut. Most of these titles have already been highlighted in past editions of Bit by Bit or through reviews and previews. With that in mind, I want to shine the spotlight on one more title that deserves some love despite not making the cut. Without any further ado, December's Game of the Month is Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker for the Wii U.
Many people fondly remember the Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World for their change in pace and unorthodox gameplay. Mario games are known for their pixel perfect platforming and these levels stripped that away. Since Captain Toad couldn't jump, players needed to maneuver the camera in order to reveal the optimal path for Toad to take. While there were only a handful of Captain Toad levels in 3D World, they left quite the impression on players. In fact, these levels left such a great impression that Nintendo elaborated on the gameplay and puzzles to create an entire game revolving around the whimsical captain.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker features over 70 levels to complete on Toad and Toadette's quest to collect treasure and defeat the psychedelic bird Wingo. The levels in Treasure Tracker grow to be four to five times larger than the ones found in 3D World. This expansion in level size creates new challenges for players to overcome as the puzzles involve multiple levels and more enemies stand in the way. Adding to this challenge are the special objectives, such as collecting three gems, completing a level without taking damage or finding the Gold Mushroom, offered for every level. All-in-all, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a charmingly fun puzzle platformer that deserves more than getting lost in the hustle and bustle of larger titles this holiday season.
Most Anticipated Toys of the Month
Nintendo's line of Amiibo figures have gotten tons of attention since they released alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U this past November. This attention stems from the ensuing craze started from these figures selling out across the globe. I have been fortunate enough to get every Amiibo released in the first two waves. Now, my sights are set on collecting the third wave releasing this coming February. So far, I have pre-ordered every figure available through EB Games including the exclusive Shulk figure and am impatiently waiting to pre-order the other exclusive figures as soon as they are available. To say these figures are my most anticipated things of the month may be an understatement as collecting these toys are becoming a job unto itself.
Video of the Month
There was nothing better at The Game Awards than the world premiere gameplay for the new Legend of Zelda for Wii U. Way back at E3, Nintendo gave us a thin little snippet of a trailer to show the initial vision of the game. While only four minutes in length, this video gave gamers a ton more information to chew on. No piece of information made my jaw drop than the sheer size of Hyrule in the new Zelda. From the few seconds focused on the map, Hyrule looks to be as expansive as the largest open worlds from the past generation. Some cool moments came from showcasing the horseback combat especially the slow motion vaulting bow attack. Altogether, the gameplay video for the new Legend of Zelda is something to behold. Take four minutes out of your busy schedule to take in the awesomeness of the next evolution in this legendary franchise.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Amiibogeddon
Despite Nintendo's frustrating practices of building demand for certain products, their handling of this entire situation has left a lot to be desired. First, they completely underestimated the demand for the Amiibos especially the figures involving characters from franchises with a cult following like Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing. Activision did the exact same thing when Skylanders initially released in 2011. Since Amiibo is directly inspired by the Skylanders line of games and toys, it is baffling for Nintendo to not at least learn from Skylander's growing pains. Second, Nintendo hasn't done anything to dismiss these rumors of discontinuation. In fact, they have added more fuel to the fire by not giving a definitive "yes" or "no" answer to the question. All that has been clarified is more popular characters will be in regular stock while certain sold-out figures may be restocked at a later date. No definition of what characters are deemed popular enough for regular stock, outside of Mario and Link, and no concrete timetable of when these figures will be restocked if ever. On top of all this wonderful news, the Captain Falcon, Luigi and Pit figures from the second wave of Amiibos have been delayed until further notice.
Not everything surrounding the Amiibos is negative. As a matter of fact, the figures are really well made and their uses in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors are really cool. They have a lot of potential that hopefully Nintendo can capitalize on.
The feelings on Nintendo's mishaps surrounding the Amiibogeddon fiasco can be boiled down to one word--frustrating. These figures were made to capitalize on the toys to life market in order to make back the money lost on poor Wii U sales. It is puzzling that Nintendo isn't making greater efforts to meet the demand, even with "niche" characters like Marth, Wii Fit Trainer and Villager. If these figures are making a profit, there should be absolutely no reason to consider discontinuing or limiting the stock for any of them. While I personally don't believe Nintendo will fix this fiasco before the new year, the longer they wait to actually address the issue, the more they will alienate the Amiibo's target audience.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
The Game Awards 2014 Impressions
Before diving right into all the flaws with the Game Awards, I will admit there were some good to great moments in this show. There were a good amount of reveals with Metal Gear Online, Adr1ft, Human Element and the new Legend of Zelda being the standouts in my opinion. Speaking of the new Zelda, that gameplay footage, albeit being short in length, made me feel all giddy inside. Just the sheer size of Hyrule made my jaw drop. While I found them unneeded, most of the musical performances were done well especially the collaboration between Imagine Dragons and Koji Kondo. Geoff Keighley's friend Greg from Scotland stole the show with his performance of classic game tunes from Mario, Sonic, Street Fighter and Tetris using lasers to produce the music. After a performance that spectacular, Greg definitely deserves a job in the video game industry. It is up to the developer and publishers now, give the guy a chance.
One of my main complaints with the VGAs was their complete lack of respect and effort put into the awards aspect of the awards show. The Game Awards fixed some of that by putting together credible award categories, having most of the awards selected by of panel of industry veterans and highlighting more awards on the show than ever before. While I do have some complaints about the handling of awards outside of the main stage (more on this in a bit), the Game Awards did a job leaps and bounds better than any of the VGAs. Also the awards look much better than the stupid monkey statues they use to give out.
For everything good about the Game Awards, there were two or three things wrong with the show. For a three hour show, it had no sense of pacing. Some segments like Conan O'Brien's videos on the nominees for Game of the Year and Lindsay Stirling's performance of Dragon Age: Inquistion's theme song felt rushed, while others such as Keighley's asides with others in the crowd went on for far too long. Speaking of Keighley's asides, these moments made two key problems with the show evident: the lack of rehearsals and poor representation of awards not shown on the main stage
It is understandable that a level of improvisation makes the show feel organic, but every conversation, speech and introduction came off as awkward and highly unprofessional. The fact that you forget a member of the Hearthstone team was in the audience to accept their award for Mobile/Handheld Game of the Year, overheard a musical performance tuning their instruments on the main speakers or had a Sony representative call out the existence of a teleprompter is just unacceptable. These unfortunate instances make the video game industry as a whole look like a laughing stock to casual viewers and people from other mediums. These mistakes would have been ironed out with a few rehearsals before the show.
Building off of the lack of rehearsals, the awards given out off of the main stage were handled poorly. Nobody is going to take these awards seriously if Keighley and company are just going to hand them out with little to no context. Time may be a constraint, but have a pre-show or cut unnecessary segments in order to make these awards feel credible rather than awkwardly pulling people out of the audience to hand them their awards. These parts just reinforced how unprofessional the show was.
Apart from the Game Awards itself, my brother and I found it next to impossible to view the show on our Xbox 360 and PS3. We tried everything from looking on the dashboards to searching on the Youtube and IGN apps to no avail. When we went to search for instructions on how to watch on our game consoles, all we found were press releases boasting the show was available on all platforms without any instructions on where exactly to watch it. It is one thing to boast about the show's availability, but to not provide a means of helping people gain access to it added more frustration to this entire ordeal.
While the Game Awards is a disappointing and boring show, it is a small step in the right direction. Sadly, this step has created a plethora of new problems that Keighley and company will have to overcome before the show can gain widespread credibility. After this year's show, I believe efforts should be made on creating an awards show that competes with the DICE Awards and the BAFTA Game Awards rather than the Grammys and Oscars. Despite the Game Awards having a few moments that are worth watching, I cannot recommend spending three hours viewing the Game Awards in its entirety.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Launch Station: Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
Since Super Smash Bros. for 3DS will be the first Smash Bros. to release on a handheld, many gamers have had reservations over how the chaotic gameplay will translate to the small screen. Nintendo's answer to these worries is by placing outlines around all characters in order to improve visibility especially when the camera zooms out. Although both editions of the new Super Smash Bros. share the exact same roster, gameplay and multiplayer modes, there are a few areas where the 3DS version deviates from its Wii U brethren. Mainly, all the stages, aside from stages like Final Destination, Battlefield and Brinstar, are exclusive to the 3DS version as they pull from handheld games such as Pokemon X & Y, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Super Mario 3D Land. Apart from the stages, the main exclusive for the 3DS version of Smash Bros. is the Smash Run mode. Very similar to Kirby Air Ride's City Trial mode, Smash Run places players at random locations in this large open environment with the goal of collecting as many stat-boosting power-ups as possible in five minutes. After the five minutes are up, these super-charged combatants are put in a randomized match to determine who made the best of their run. Along with the Wii U version, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS also allows players to create their own Mii Fighters, customize move sets for preexisting characters and use Amiibo to train computer-controlled characters. One heavily rumoured feature, which cannot be confirmed until the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, is the ability to use the 3DS as a controller for the Wii U version of the game.
No matter the size of the screen, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS looks to be a worthy of the Smash Bros. name. From my time with the demo, I found the controls to take quite a while to get use to and the visibility of the characters to be difficult to follow in four-man brawls. Despite my reservations with a few mechanics, the demo is loads of fun and I highly recommend giving it a swing before picking up the full game. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is one of the most highly anticipated games for a reason. It's just about time to settle all your differences and conflicts in Smash!
Monday, July 14, 2014
Shovel Knight Review
Harkening back to the games of yesteryear, Shovel Knight's story is simple and to the point. Shovel Knight and his companion Shield Knight journey across the land seeking adventure and treasure. One fateful day, they attempt to climb the Tower of Fate only to have tragedy strike as the evil forces of the tower take out both Shovel and Shield Knight. Upon awakening, Shovel Knight finds that Shield Knight has vanished and the Tower of Fate is sealed. Due to the loss of Shield Knight, Shovel Knight retires his shovel and starts a life of seclusion. During Shovel Knight's absence, the Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter ravage the land by unsealing the evil forces trapped within the Tower of Fate. With the Tower of Fate opened, Shovel Knight takes up his shovel once again in a quest to save Shield Knight and rid the world of the Enchantress' evil.
While Shovel Knight may borrow many of its core ideas from other classics of the 8-bit era, these points of inspiration are one of its strengths. From the pogo jumping inspired by DuckTales to an overworld similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, Shovel Knight takes each borrowed concept and makes it feel brand new and distinctly its own. At the forefront of this adventure is the hero's signature and formidable shovel. Digging up dirt piles, attacking enemies, uncovering hidden areas and bouncing off of enemies to reach high platforms are among the few uses for this versatile tool. The shovel can even be upgraded with special abilities such as a charge attack or unearthing dirt piles in one swipe for greater use. The shovel is not the only versatile tool at Shovel Knight's disposal as the relics bought throughout the game all provide different ways of tackling obstacles. Shovel Knight's tools would be useless without Yacht Club Games' superbly designed levels. Much like Mega Man, each level plays to the unique features of their corresponding boss through beautifully animated backgrounds, blood-pumping music and special gameplay twists. Outside of the levels, Shovel Knight offers plenty of content for players to dive into including collectible music sheets, purchasable health, mana and armour upgrades, extra bosses, special levels and achievements.
The gruelling difficulty is a signature aspect of all 8-bit games. In order to appeal to a modern audience, Shovel Knight is much easier than those games. Not to say Shovel Knight is easy in any way because it is definitely not. The difficulty in the game ramps up at a reasonable pace as players learn the ins-and-outs of the mechanics. It helps that the penalty for death is losing three sacks of gold rather than a game over screen. It keeps players coming back at every death and skilled players can even retrieve those lost sacks their next attempt. You learn from each death and adapt your strategy to take into account every enemy encounter and new obstacle. The incredible feats one can perform to escape death will make any jaw drop. For those looking for a greater challenge, New Game + and the ability to destroy any checkpoint for gold are two ways to test your skills.
Aside from the few occurrences when the gold lost in death is impossible to reach without dying again and the lack of enemy variety in certain levels, there is nothing to fault Shovel Knight on. Yacht Club Games made an excellent product that pays respect to the games that inspired its gameplay and design while forging a new path of its own. In forging that new path, Shovel Knight surpasses its contemporaries in all aspects, especially fun. Shovel Knight is a special game that blends nostalgia for a bygone era with the pixel perfect platforming of today's best 2D sidescrollers. At 15 dollars, Shovel Knight is a game nobody should miss. As it stands, Shovel Knight is a strong contender for any Game of the Year competition.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Top 10 Games of E3 2014 Part 2
Welcome to the second part of Silver Bit's Top 10 Games of E3 2014. In the previous article, we took a look at the games that just barely made this final five. E3 2014 saw some great games grace the show floor, but only a handful can walk away as the most impressive games of the show. While all the games on this list are among the best of E3, the games in this top five could easily walk away with top honours depending on one's opinion. To reiterate, the only games eligible for this list are those available to play on the show floor. Now with that reminder out of the way, it is time to count down the final five games in Silver Bit's Top 10 Games of E3 2014. Hope you enjoy and feel free to share your favourite games of E3 2014 in the comments.
5. Sunset Overdrive - XBONE
There are only a select few Xbox One exclusives that really get one hopeful for first-party content on the machine and Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive is champion over them all. All of Microsoft's offerings nowadays seem to fall under the same experiences they delivered last generation, but Sunset Overdrive is the shining example of what happens when you give a team of creative minds full control over their vision. Sunset Overdrive is pure unadulterated fun wrapped into an open-world third-person action game. Stuck in Sunset City during the Awesompocolypse, the player is tasked with cleaning up the mess made by the launch of FizzCo's Overcharge Delirium XT, an energy drink that turns anyone who drinks into mindless mutated creatures known as the OD'd. Sunset Overdrive gives players tons of options to tackle their task through fully customizable characters, a slew of creatively designed weapons and plenty of solo and multiplayer missions to complete throughout Sunset City. Traversing Sunset City is incredibly fluid as players are able to wall run, grind rails and wires, instantly switch between grinding and zip-lining, bounce off of any surface and use other crazy acrobatics. Although Microsoft will not push Sunset Overdrive as heavily as Halo or Forza, it is a game that Xbox One owners should not overlook this holiday season.
4. Valiant Hearts: The Great War - PS3, PS4, XBONE, XB360, PC
The UbiArt engine has proven time and time again that the most beautiful games do not need to have the largest polygon count. In fact, the art in 2D games can be just as beautiful or even more than their 3D counterparts; just look at Rayman Legends and Child of Light for proof. Valiant Hearts: The Great War is the next title to use the UbiArt engine and the game looks spectacular in terms of its visuals and gameplay. Valiant Hearts follows the story of four individuals as they try to survive the horrors of World War I. Starting in different locations and allegiances, the stories of each character interconnect with one another through a common companion--a dog named Walt. Throughout the game, the characters are thrust into various situations from sneaking behind enemy lines to blowing up bridges. Valiant Hearts offers players plenty of puzzles to complete through interacting with the environment and other characters or sending Walt to reach areas the characters cannot normally reach. The interplay between using the characters and Walt to solve puzzles and the mature tones of the story have me very excited to venture into the world of Valiant Hearts in the near future.
3. Batman: Arkham Knight - PS4, XBONE, PC
In recent years, The Dark Knight has become an incredible force within the video game industry thanks to the folks at Rocksteady. One can argue that the Batman: Arkham games are single-handedly the greatest licensed games to grace the market. As the final entry in this acclaimed series, Rocksteady looks to pull no punches with Arkham Knight as Batman and his world are being supercharged with new abilities and content. The moment from the E3 demo where Batman steps out onto the balcony of his hideout and peers out onto Rockstady's Gotham City will make anybody's jaw drop. The expansiveness of this open world is breathtaking and I can see myself drowning hundreds of hours exploring every nook and cranny of Gotham City. With how vast Gotham City will be in Arkham Knight, Batman needs another way to traverse the city than just his trusty grappling hook and cape. For this final installment, the Batmobile has been added to The Dark Knight's arsenal. Aside from the vehicles primary purpose, Batman can summon the Batmobile at will, use it to immobilize enemies, have it clear obstacles and launch himself into the air. The Batmobile is not the only addition as Batman's combat and stealth abilities are receiving considerable upgrades in speed and precision. Although Batman: Arkham Knight will no longer be gracing consoles this year, the game looks to be on the road to surpassing its predecessors' legendary quality.
2. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS - Wii U, 3DS
Arguably the most anticipated game of 2014, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS had one of the best showings of the show. Nintendo went out of their way to make Super Smash Bros. the most important game of the show. They gave fans three character reveals in Mii Fighters, Palutena and Pac Man, an incredible live tourney held in the Nokia Theatre and multiple kiosks to play on the show floor. Seeing the two versions in motion is a thing of beauty. The Wii U version flows at an incredible clip and all the new characters, stages and items look to fit in with the polished gameplay. While the 3DS version may take some time to get use to the controllers as I have heard from many video impressions on the game, it looks just as polished and refined as its Wii U brethren. Much like Far Cry 4 in part one, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are both hard to sum up in words. I highly recommend watching the Super Smash Bros. Invitational or one of the live demos from Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 to see how great these games play.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - PS4, XBONE, PC
There are only a select few Xbox One exclusives that really get one hopeful for first-party content on the machine and Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive is champion over them all. All of Microsoft's offerings nowadays seem to fall under the same experiences they delivered last generation, but Sunset Overdrive is the shining example of what happens when you give a team of creative minds full control over their vision. Sunset Overdrive is pure unadulterated fun wrapped into an open-world third-person action game. Stuck in Sunset City during the Awesompocolypse, the player is tasked with cleaning up the mess made by the launch of FizzCo's Overcharge Delirium XT, an energy drink that turns anyone who drinks into mindless mutated creatures known as the OD'd. Sunset Overdrive gives players tons of options to tackle their task through fully customizable characters, a slew of creatively designed weapons and plenty of solo and multiplayer missions to complete throughout Sunset City. Traversing Sunset City is incredibly fluid as players are able to wall run, grind rails and wires, instantly switch between grinding and zip-lining, bounce off of any surface and use other crazy acrobatics. Although Microsoft will not push Sunset Overdrive as heavily as Halo or Forza, it is a game that Xbox One owners should not overlook this holiday season.
The UbiArt engine has proven time and time again that the most beautiful games do not need to have the largest polygon count. In fact, the art in 2D games can be just as beautiful or even more than their 3D counterparts; just look at Rayman Legends and Child of Light for proof. Valiant Hearts: The Great War is the next title to use the UbiArt engine and the game looks spectacular in terms of its visuals and gameplay. Valiant Hearts follows the story of four individuals as they try to survive the horrors of World War I. Starting in different locations and allegiances, the stories of each character interconnect with one another through a common companion--a dog named Walt. Throughout the game, the characters are thrust into various situations from sneaking behind enemy lines to blowing up bridges. Valiant Hearts offers players plenty of puzzles to complete through interacting with the environment and other characters or sending Walt to reach areas the characters cannot normally reach. The interplay between using the characters and Walt to solve puzzles and the mature tones of the story have me very excited to venture into the world of Valiant Hearts in the near future.
In recent years, The Dark Knight has become an incredible force within the video game industry thanks to the folks at Rocksteady. One can argue that the Batman: Arkham games are single-handedly the greatest licensed games to grace the market. As the final entry in this acclaimed series, Rocksteady looks to pull no punches with Arkham Knight as Batman and his world are being supercharged with new abilities and content. The moment from the E3 demo where Batman steps out onto the balcony of his hideout and peers out onto Rockstady's Gotham City will make anybody's jaw drop. The expansiveness of this open world is breathtaking and I can see myself drowning hundreds of hours exploring every nook and cranny of Gotham City. With how vast Gotham City will be in Arkham Knight, Batman needs another way to traverse the city than just his trusty grappling hook and cape. For this final installment, the Batmobile has been added to The Dark Knight's arsenal. Aside from the vehicles primary purpose, Batman can summon the Batmobile at will, use it to immobilize enemies, have it clear obstacles and launch himself into the air. The Batmobile is not the only addition as Batman's combat and stealth abilities are receiving considerable upgrades in speed and precision. Although Batman: Arkham Knight will no longer be gracing consoles this year, the game looks to be on the road to surpassing its predecessors' legendary quality.
Arguably the most anticipated game of 2014, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS had one of the best showings of the show. Nintendo went out of their way to make Super Smash Bros. the most important game of the show. They gave fans three character reveals in Mii Fighters, Palutena and Pac Man, an incredible live tourney held in the Nokia Theatre and multiple kiosks to play on the show floor. Seeing the two versions in motion is a thing of beauty. The Wii U version flows at an incredible clip and all the new characters, stages and items look to fit in with the polished gameplay. While the 3DS version may take some time to get use to the controllers as I have heard from many video impressions on the game, it looks just as polished and refined as its Wii U brethren. Much like Far Cry 4 in part one, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are both hard to sum up in words. I highly recommend watching the Super Smash Bros. Invitational or one of the live demos from Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 to see how great these games play.
As great as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS may be, there is one game greater than it this year. That game is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Not much has been shown of Witcher 3 since its reveal back in early 2013, but CD Projekt RED let the floodgates loose at E3. The Witcher 3 gives players a living, breathing open world to explore. In fact, the map is 30 times larger than the previous Witcher games. Plus the amount of freedom in The Witcher 3 is incredible as players can venture to any part of the map at any time and pick up and put down story and side quests whenever they choose. On your way to a quest objective and feel like helping a traveler in distress along the way or starting up a whole other quest, you are free to do that without penalty. The world is shaped around the player's choices in combat, regular conversation and pivotal story moments. Every piece of media for The Witcher 3 from E3 has been nothing short of phenomenal from the blood-pumping pre-E3 trailer to the show floor demos. While The Witcher 3 may not earn the same amount of money Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age or Mass Effect rake in, this game and its ambitious scope prove why anybody should spend close to 600 dollars on a next generation console. The next generation of video gaming truly begins on February 24th, 2015 with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
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