Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Review

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure

Publisher: Activision Developer: Toys For Bob Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release: 2011 Genre: Action / RPG Rating: 8.6 \ 10.0: Fantastic


Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a spin of the Spyro series with a neat twist. In order to play, you must place an action figure-like toy on a device dubbed the Portal of Power, and it'll appear as a fully playable character in the game. The story has the evil Portal Master Kaos plotting to conquer the Skylands, and banishes the Skylanders to Earth, where they appear tiny and immobile. You'll have to hack, slash, shoot, and bash your way through a series of action-packed stages before you can battle Kaos. Before you can enter Kaos's lair, you must restore the Core of Light, the magical source of the Syland's existence. There are even small platforming sequences: platforming comes in when you have to cross gauntlets of Boost Pads and retracting spikes and rush to hurl a bomb at an underwise indestructible object, as well as other challenges. Your enjoyment of Skylanders primarily depends on what Skylanders you have and how good they are, mainly because of the special Element Gates. These are entrances to secret areas that can only be unlocked by a Skylander of the element emblazoned on the gate. This can lead to bonds with Skylanders you once didn't like before. For example, when I encountered a Life Element Gate, I realized that the only Life Skylander I had was Stealth Elf, and I've been playing as her ever since. Hardcore Skylanders fanatics may find themselves spending lots of money on certain elements of figures just so they won't miss a single secret area. Throughout a stage, you may encounter a treasure chest or a gift box. Chests contain loot, while gift boxes contain stat-boosting hats. Each Skylander can be upgraded with in-game gold. After purchasing the first several upgrades, you'll have to pick between two skill trees to buy upgrades from. Adding to the fun is the Arena mode, where you and a friend can duke it out. The negativity comes in when you realize how difficult the game is at certain parts without certain Skylanders, as many are overpowered in comparison, and some of the occasional lock-opening puzzles are almost unsolvable. But these flaws are fairly minor, and they shouldn't keep you from enjoying Sklanders: Spyro's Adventure, although I'm sure younger children will regardless. I may kind of be among that audience, this is a great game in its own right.

Ups
Solid action
Large variety of Skylanders
Varied gameplay
Skill trees

Downs
Difficult without certain Skylanders

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Cartoon Violence Price: $39.99 (Retail)

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Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Review

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Publisher: Activision Developer: Griptonite Platform: DS Players: 1 Release: 2008 Genre: Adventure / BrawlerRating: 8.6 \ 10.0: Fantastic 

Loosely based upon the 2007 blockbuster movie Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows delivers an exceptionally solid brawling experience. The story tells of a gooey black alien substance that's consuming people and animals, turning them into zombielike drones. You will encounter different varieties of theses foes throughout the game. As you progress in the game, you’ll be able to swap between your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to black Spider-Man, who is stronger, but antiheroic. Both of them have a large set of skills to unlock and purchase. It’s also rather fun to mindlessly use button-mashing combos against the infected innocents— I rarely use specific moves when in the heat of battle— all for the effort of obtaining orbs. Red orbs restore your health and purple orbs serve as currency. I also enjoy beating the crud out of the practice dummy from a save point, even though I know I won't even deter it. Speaking of save points, that’s where the negativity comes in. I normally only find save points after tons of time spent beating up brainwashed baddies and exploring it seems that I'll never find another one. In other words, save points are downright scarce. This certainly isn’t a major issue, though. Although I could nitpick just a bit more. My other complaint is that once you get KO’d, it’s difficult to recover. Before getting back on your feet, you must play through a sequence in which you must drag health-replenishing orbs to Spider-Man to strengthen him under a time limit. For those who have a screen protector, I recommend using the eraser of a brand-new pencil, and if you’re lucky enough, you’ll have replenished all your health in no time flat! While theses aren’t major annoyances, they can sometimes limit the experience, but Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is very enjoyable.

Ups
Solid brawling action
Various purchasable skills

Downs
Scarce save points
Difficult knockout recovery system

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

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Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Review

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

Publisher: LucasArts Developer: Traveler's Tales Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release: 2007 Genre: Action / Adventure Rating: 9.7 \ 10.0: Masterful 

Wow. I was already a big Star Wars fan when I first played this game (I was five years olds, but also new to gaming), and for that simple matter, I thought I couldn't underestimate it. I was wrong. Over time, I've grown to like The Complete Saga far more than I thought I would. It doesn't offer much  to those who've already played through its predecessors, 2005's Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and 2006's Lego Star Wars: The Original Trilogy. The Video Game is based on the prequel trilogy of the Star Wars film franchise (Episodes I-III) while The Original Trilogy is based on the first three films-- the Original Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI). The Complete Saga recycles all of its predecessor's stages and playable characters while also throwing in some new ones, but for newbies of Lego Star Wars (like I was at the time), it's really quite fun. The addictive nature of smashing Lego structures to obtain Lego studs (the game's currency) is surprisingly addictive, and can lead you to collect every stud in sight. This is the first of many Lego games to use this concept. You need studs to purchase new characters and vehicles. (You can even buy and play as Indiana Jones!) Not only does your stud-collecting pay off, but so does your character-buying. Many stages contain doors that can only be opened by specific characters, such as bounty hunters and Astromech droids. Behind these doors may be one of the stage's 10 Mini Kits. Mini Kits are cylindrical Lego objects that you must collect in order to assemble small Lego vehicles themed after their corresponding locations. You can view these from outside your hub, the Mos Eisley cantina. Other secrets are humorous, such as a movie theater that streams Lego Star Wars movie footage and rooms with disco balls and dance floors. You can also freely customize two Lego avatars from the cantina. Although your avatar can't unlock secret rooms, there's nothing I enjoy more than running around as a caped commando strangling baddies with the Dark Force and slicing up adversaries with a red-bladed Lightsaber in Free Play mode. Free Play allows you to play stages you've beat with any character (or vehicle on vehicle stages), and a group of randomly selected others that can unlock secret areas. But you don't unlock Free Play in a stage until you beat the Story Mode of it, in which you must play the stage with its corresponding characters. Story Mode is also the only way you can watch a stage's humorous cut-scenes, which add laughs and Legos to new versions of iconic film scenes. There are also bounty hunter missions, which you can't play until you purchase all the bounty hunters in the game (with the exclusion of Jango Fett, Zam Wessel, and any other bounty hunter not from the Original Trilogy). In them, you must track down the character hidden within the stage under a time limit. Finally, there are bonus stages, which you unlock from acquiring Gold Bricks. Gold Bricks are earned by collecting enough studs in a stage to earn a True Jedi ranking. Most of the bonus stages are based on normal stages, but some aren't-- like Lego Town and Lego City, which both challenge you to obtain one million studs in a non-Star Wars-themed city. All this fun can be enjoyed with a pal, including the two-player only Arcade mode. In this mode, you and the other player must duke it out in a small area under a time limit. (Tip: If you have purchased a ghost character, use it. They're invincible, and your friend will get really ticked as he / she tries hopelessly to defeat you. Pick the character before your friend does or you'll get really angry you! It's happened to me and it's not fun!) All these bonuses make it so the game doesn't always feel genuinely Star Wars, although it remains true to the formula for a good deal of time. The soundtrack is even composed entirely of John William's incredible tunes, so it's pretty much the best game soundtrack ever. You'll here all your favorite themes, my favorites being the "Star Wars Main Theme", "Mos Eisley Cantina Theme", "Imperial March" (Darth Vader's theme), "Duel of the Fates" (Darth Maul vs. Qui-Gon Jin), and "Battle of the Heroes" (Anakin Skywalker vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi, not Darth Vader vs. Ben Kenobi)  (of course)  The visuals aren't great, but that can be excused because this is essentially a port of two previous-gen games. If I have any complaint about this outstanding game, it's that some stretches of the stages are infuriatingly challenging. One part of a stage took me over an hour to beat-- you must assemble a massive puzzle while endless waves of Stormtroopers rush out of two doors. Getting struck by even a single laser while constructing the puzzle will cause it to break. You can temporarily close the doors, but it leaves you ill-prepared for the next assault. One other small issue, a control bug,  is that, occasionally, you'll start veering off course, but all you have to do is unplug and plug back in the Nunchuck. Despite its minor flaws, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga stands out above nearly every game I've played, and it holds many great memories for me.

Ups
Tons of content
Remains true to formula
Sense of humor
Two-player co-op or versus
All the music is from the movie

Downs
Infuriating at times
Mild control problems

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Cartoon Violence Price: $49.99 (Retail)

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