Super Mario 3D Land Review

Super Mario 3D Land

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo / Brownie Brown Platform: Nintendo 3DS Players: 1 Release: 2011 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.8 \ 10.0: Masterful

Above is one of the game's airship stages
 

If you want a fantastic linear 3D platforming experience, look no further-- Super Mario 3D Land is for you. A large amount of effort was clearly put into developing this game-- the soundtrack is fantastic, and the 3D visuals are very impressive, though close-up images appear far more pixilated than they appear when playing the game. It’s a rare occurrence to view a cut-scene in this game, but the few that are seen are very well-rendered. Another one of the many reasons it’s so good is the fact that it takes many cues from the 1990 NintendoEntertainment System classic, Super Mario Bros. 3. The story is the same as usual-- Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach-- though this game is a perfect blend of the finest elements of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, and the New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Galaxy games, making it feel like a best-of compilation of everything great about Mario. This entry brings back the iconic Super Leaf-- a power-up that grants you the raccoon-like Tanooki Suit. It no longer grants you the power of flight as it did many years ago when it first appeared in SMB3, but it now allows you to slowly flutter through the air, which proves. The Super Leaf’s return continued in Mario Kart 7, which was released soon after. Also brought back from SMB3 are airship stages, which are far easier than they were the last time they were brought back in 2009 and included inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii. Even Boom Boom of SMB3 fame returns as a recurring miniboss. That’s not to say nothing is new about 3D Land. There’s a new boss: Boom Boom's sister, the boomerang-throwing Pom Pom. There is also a handful of new power-ups: The Boomerang Flower, which grants you the shell and helmet of a Boomerang Bro and allows you to throw boomerangs; and the Statue Leaf, a stone Super Leaf that allows you to turn into a near-invincible statue temporarily by pressing L or R in midair. There are two other power-ups that only appear if you’ve died many times during the same stage: The Invincibility Leaf, which grants you a Tanooki Suit and everlasting invincibility, and the P-Wing, which warps you to a spot near the end-of-level flagpole (AKA, Goal Pole). There are also many new enemies, such as Prongos, Wallops, Coin Coffers, and many more. You’ll even see Goombas, Thwomps, Bullet Bills, and Boos sporting a Tanooki tail, which is easily explainable because all the Tanooki leaves blew off a tailed tree and spread out across the Mushroom Kingdom during the game’s first cut-scene. Some tailed enemies even drop a Tanooki Leaf upon defeat! (On normal worlds, they drop a regular Super Leaf. On special worlds, they’re likely to drop a Statue Leaf.) There are even new blocks! First, there are Warp Boxes. These cubical teleportation devices warp you to a different part of the stage. The other new block type is the Super Note Block, a wide rainbow cube that causes you to fly straight up to a secret area made up of clouds. Although it's related to the Note Block from Super Mario Bros. 3, it’s still new. There’s even a new type of Question-Mark Block that’s the length of three normal blocks-- they normally releases three coins when struck, and sometimes two coins and a power-up. And there's a new way to obtain power-ups-- there are randomly generated Mystery Boxes. In them, you have ten seconds to defeat all the enemies within, and you'll be rewarded with a shower of coins and a Star Medal. Additionally, there are Toad Houses. Like in other Mario games, these fungus-shaped shacks houses contain power-ups, and in the case of World 3, a photo album. You can also receive them from other players via 3DS StreetPass. The difficulty level is steady, but can be mildly frustrating-- the game starts out as a cakewalk and starts becoming very challenging. There are even a whole new batch of catchy tunes, with only several recycled from previous titles. One of the game's greatest inclusions is the focus on the hardware features. There are gyroscopically controlled cameras in some stages and a heavy focus on 3D effects. There are two different 3D depth options-- Standard and Extended, as well as secret rooms with 3D illusions that are revealed by stepping on a plate. Mario is the king of 2D platforming,  and this game feels similar to his side-scrolling outings due to its linear design. While previous 3D Mario platformers have been focused heavily on free-roaming exploration, while Super Mario 3D Land retains the feel of Mario classics that just makes everything click perfectly.  And also, while previous Mario platformers have contained themed worlds, Super Mario 3D Land mixes things up with tons of completely varied stages that show how creative the game can be. This is not only one of the greatest Mario games I’ve ever played, but one of my all-time favorite video games, and I very highly recommend it. I doubt there will ever be a better reason to own a Nintendo 3DS.

Ups
Reintroduction of the Super Leaf
Incredible visuals
Eye-popping 3D effects
Tons of new features
Super Mario Bros. 3 references
Focus on hardware capabilities

Downs
Occasionally unsteady difficulty level

ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $29.99 (Retail / Download)

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Kiby's Return to Dream Land Review

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: WiiPlayers: 1-4 Release: 2011 Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 9.3 \ 10.0: Excellent 

 

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is an amazing multiplayer platformer. The plot is fresh for the Kirby games-- an alien named Magalor crash-lands his ship, the Lor Starcutter on Kirby’s home planet of Pop Star, and you must recover the ship’s five missing pieces. The graphics are impressive, the visual effects left me staring in awe, and the gameplay is fantastic-- you explore detailed 2D environments, copying enemy’s abilities-- at least for player one. Player one is always Kirby, and players two, three, and four can play as Meta Knight, King Dedede, Waddle Dee, or even a different color Kirby (if you're a Kirby fan who hasn't played this game, let me just say Meta Knight, Dedede, and Waddle Dee are teaming up with Kirby for reasons unknown). Of course, only  Kirby can obtain Copy Abilities, but inhaling enemies isn't the only way to get special powers. You can now get Copy Abilities from levitating crystal orbs with one inside, and there are also several new ones to obtain, such as Water and Whip. There are environment-based puzzles that can only be solved with certain Copy Abilities, adding strategic elements to the game. Also new are the extremely destructive Super Abilities. The Super Abilities are Ultra Sword, which, with a tap of the 1 button, gives you a massive blade that can destroy large objects; Monster Flame, which lets shoot a massive burst of fire in the form of a dragon with a press of 1; Snow Bowl, which allows you to roll up into a massive snowball that you roll by shaking the Wii Remote gets larger as it rolls of enemies; and Grand Hammer, which grants you a gigantic sledgehammer that defeats crushes large objects and nearly any enemy. When activated by pressing 1, you can enlarge the hammer by shaking the Wii Remote before striking the ground, unleashing a deadly shockwave. There’s also a new challenge: collecting all the Energy Spheres. Energy Spheres are spheres with small gears inside them. Energy Spheres can be found in hidden areas, or if you discover a portal, you would get some Energy Spheres after defeating Sphere Doomer, who is fought at the end of every portal stage. The portal stages are auto-scrolling and almost entirely gray, and you must avoid being crushed against the wall of dark matter. And for gamers seeking a challenge, Energy Spheres unlock Copy Ability Challenge Rooms, which can be accessed aboard the Lor Starcutter, in which your skills are put to the test through an obstacle course that you must clear under a tine limit using a specific Copy Ability, its challenges fitted to the ability. There  are even a couple of minigames which are playable through the file selection screen as well as the Starcutter. The first minigame, Ninja Dojo, you shake the Wii Remote to throw a Chinese star at a target, and in the second minigame, Scope Shot, you must aim a reticle and shoot electric orbs at large robots that resemble Kirby characters in attempt to destroy them. The time limit makes some battles frustrating, though. Once you beat the game, you unlock another activity, Arena, in which you must battle every boss and miniboss from throughout the game. I hated losing against the final boss, though. Completing the game also unlocks the difficult Extra mode, in which you must re-complete the game with a smaller health gauge and battle powered-up bosses. one small complaint is the fact that every player shares the same life count, making it more likely to get a game over with multiple players rather than when playing individually, and when player one dies, so does everyone else, encouraging players to protect him / her. When another player dies, he / she doesn't end it for everyone else but still loses everyone's precious life. But the good thing is, when one player collects a piece of life-restoring food, they can share the health with another player by hugging (awww!), a feature carried over from the 1996 Super NES classic, Kirby Super Star. Another half-quibble is that rather than using a Wii Remote-Nunchuck combo, you hold the Wii Remote sideways like an NES controller to play, and the Classic Controller and GameCube controller aren't compatible, but that's just a nod to the classics. The gameplay elements of KRTDL make it, in a way, a soul sequel to the 1993 NES classic, Kirby's Adventure, one of my favorite classic Nintendo games. Though it's flawed in minor ways, none of these issues derail Kirby's Return to Dream Land in any major way, and it's an incredible game that no Kirby are platforming enthusiast alike should miss.

Ups
Fun multiplayer
Great graphics
Awesome Super Abilities
Fun minigames
Feels a like Kirby's Adventure soul sequel
Arena and Extra modes

Downs
Player one is always Kirby
Players share lives
Sometimes difficult
 

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

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Sonic Colors Review

Sonic Colors

Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Platform: Wii Players: 1 (Story), 1-2 (Eggman's Sonic Simulator) Release: 2010 Genre: 3D Platformer / Action Rating: 9.4 \ 10.0: Excellent 

Sonic Colors is my all-time favorite Sonic game. The 3D environments are remarkably detailed, the level design is excellent, the cut-scenes, complete with solid voice acting, are beautifully animated, and the gameplay is excellent. The plot has Dr. Eggman inviting Sonic and Tails to his interstellar amusement park to prove he's given up his evil ways. SPOILER ALERT: He hasn't. He's harvesting the essence of alien creatures known as Wisps to power his park, and Sonic and Tails must free them. Eggman will, however, spout out some of the most humorous amusement park-related jokes you'll ever here. Sonic, on the other hand, will deliver cheesy quips that go to show how much more kid-oriented this entry in the series is . There are seven worlds and a bonus world. The bonus world, Eggman’s Sonic Simulator. This takes place inside an arcade machine, which lets you play seven old-school-arcade-style worlds as a digitized Sonic. You can even play the Sonic Simulator as your Mii (with Sonic’s body), and a second player can join, but not in the main game. The partly orchestrated soundtrack is spectacular, as are the other tunes. This game introduces Wisps, small aliens that give you a powerful ability with the shake of the Wii remote when rescued. They’ve been trapped inside capsules by Dr. Eggman, who is planning to harness their power. There are a variety of Wisps: cyan Wisps, which allow you to streak forward with sound barrier-breaking speeds; yellow Wisps, which let you drill underground and freely speed around underwater without running out of air (at least until the ability wears off); orange Wisps, which rocket you into the sky, followed by you down slowly; Blue Wisps, which cause you transform into a cube and slam to the ground, converting blue blocks into blue rings and vice versa; green Wisps, which allow you to float upwards by repeatedly tapping the A button; pink Wisps, which allow you to morph into a pink, spiked ball and dash up walls, plowing through all enemies in your path; and purple Wisps, which allow you to transform into a purple shark and eat normally indestructible objects. Unfortunately, as you progress, you'll find that the difficulty level is inconsistent. This isn't a very challenging game most of the time, but then there's a handful of mind-numbingly difficult stages that have drastically hindered my progress. This game is almost nothing but fun (and occasional frustration) and I can’t recommend it enough to Sonic fans. Sonic Colors is one of the best experiences available on the Wii, so if you're not a Sonic fan, this is a great place to start.

Ups
Great gameplay
Amazing graphics and music
Excellent design
Awesome color powers

Ups
Those dang difficulty spikes!

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

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Super Scribblenauts Review

Super Scribblenauts

Publisher: Warner Bros. Developer: 5^thCell Platform: DS Players: 1 Release: 2010 Genre: Puzzle / Sandbox Rating:9.9 \ 10.0: Masterful

Wow. This game puts my brain to the test, yet it’s incredibly fun. You can create countless objects and apply adjectives to them to change their behavior and appearance, and objects must be created in order to complete levels. Some levels require a lot of thinking in order to obtain the Starite, a yellow star that must be collected in order to complete the level, and sometimes the solution is dead obvious, such as on Constellation 1, Level 1 (obviously). There are three colored Starites in a tree, and you must get the real one, which is sparkling. Unaware that Starites could be easily damaged, I created a rock and hurled it at the real Starite. Thankfully, the Starite wasn’t destroyed, but it was amusing to watch the apparently anthropomorphic star hop around in pain before I snagged it. Another example is the third level, in which you must create a single car part.

A good example of a very hard level is Constellation 9, Level 2, in which you must help a group of cheerleaders run a carwash. The level’s last hint was “What two objects create suds?” So I created soap and water. But that didn’t work, and I tried again. Eventually, I got so angry that I purposely blew up the cheerleaders with dynamite in rage and I had to retry the level. So then I looked up on the internet, “What two objects create suds?”, which I knew the answer too, and of course, the answer was "soap and water", which infuriated me. Later that day, someone suggested I create a bucket and water, and that worked. 

If you wish to complete this game 100%, then your vocabulary will be put to the test. Some levels have an advanced mode, which requires you to beat it three times in a row without ever using the same objects and adjectives in each playthrough. While some of the difficulty of advanced mode can be negated by using synonyms, it still challenged me greatly. 

In addition to Maxwell, the main protagonist, there's a wide variety of playable characters that are purchased with Ollars, the in-game currency that's earned by creating new objects, completing levels, and accomplishing other feats. The characters include mythological creatures, historical icons, monsters, and even the antagonist, Doppelganger! For those who just want to have fun and don't enjoy the complexity of Starite-collecting can mess around in the various "playgrounds" in which you can create anything you want without getting harmed (unless you destroy objects like nukes, attempt touch a grim reaper, create a black hole, or do something else apocalyptic. You'll die instantly)! If you're skilled enough, you can achieve every merit not involving Starites in a single playground (I've completed them all).  I played in the playgrounds so often, I ran out of interseting objects to create (I've created over 10,000 unique  objects while playing on my first save file)! Additionally, there is a fun Level Builder mode, where you can create tons of different level types, and even your own playground. Super Scribblenauts can be frustrating at times, but it manages to be expertly puzzle and entertain players, and it is one of the greatest games I have ever played! I can't think of a better reason to pick up and play a Nintendo DS.

Ups
Neat premise
New adjectives feature
Playground mode
Level Builder mode

Downs
Sometimes very difficult

ESRB: E 10+ for Everyone 10+ Content: Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief Price: $19.99 (Retail)

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Donkey Kong Country Returns Review

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Retro Studios Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release: 2010 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 8.8 \ 10.0: Fantastic 

Donkey Kong fans, listen up! This is the best DK game I’ve played 1994’s Super NES classic, Donkey Kong Country, the first game in the beloved series of platformers. This game introduces a new group of villains, the Tiki Tak tribe, who have stolen DK’s bananas, as well as hypnotized the innocent animal inhabitants of Donkey Kong Island. The Wii Remote adds a new thrill to the gameplay. Shaking it allows you to pound the ground rather than . Doing this as Player One, Donkey Kong, dizzies most types of nearby enemies, making them extra vulnerable, and doing it as Player Two, DK's nephew, Diddy Kong, pounds the ground as well, and it also fires his Peanut Popgun, which stuns some enemies and defeats others. With two players, you can be extra cooperative— Diddy can hop on DK’s back for a piggyback ride, but unfortunately, you "take turns" losing health while piggybacking, which can be a bit angering. Some of the levels can be frustrating, too, such as ones where you must ride a mine cart or a Rocket Barrel. Thankfully, dying enough times gives you the option to let mysterious Super Kong finish do the level for you (you still have to complete it yourself if you want to beat the game 100%). The secret-packed level design is splendid, and there are some levels that you can unlock with Map Keys, which can be purchased in Cranky Kong's shop for 20 Banana Coins. Completing these levels blazes a shortcut through the corresponding world. Also, if you look closely enough in some levels, you might spot a classic Nintendo cameo, such as on World 7-1. In the background, you might eye the iconic Mr. Game & Watch hammering under-construction parts of the industrial environment. Additionally, the game features some of the most beautiful visuals seen on the Wii (especially when shadows come into play) and lots of creativity. Minor issues aside, this game is great fun! It's an absolute blast, and I can't recommend it enough to Donkey Kong fans, especially those who lost hope for a sequel after Rare's buyout by Microsoft.

Ups
Great level design
Classic cameos
Striking visuals
Lots of creativity

Downs
Sometimes frustratingly difficult
"Take turns" taking damage in co-op mode

Also available on 3DS

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

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Mario vs. Donkey Kong Mini-Land Mayhem Review

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: DS Players: 1 Release: 2010 Genre: Puzzle Rating: 8.7 \ 10.0: Fantastic

 

This puzzle game, the fourth entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series is great fun. The concept-- you must use rail and conveyor belt pieces to draw safe paths for mini wind-up toys to the exit in between colored blocks. The plot has Donkey Kong go to the grand opening of Mario's Mini-Land theme park, and he's not one of the first one hundred customers that received a free Mini Pauline wind-up toy, so he kidnaps the real Pauline instead. There are five different wind-up Mario toys (AKA Minis): Mini Mario, Mini Toad, Mini Peach, Mini Donkey Kong, and Mini Pauline, the toy version of Donkey Kong’s hostage. Collecting all the lettered cards in a single world unlocks a minigame in which you must get the Minis into the correct boxes. Completing a world also unlocks a new template for Stage Builder, a mode that allows you to create your own levels. Until Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was discontinued, you could submit your custom levels to contests. However, the game can get tedious and frustrating. You don’t have to be a fan of Mario or Donkey Kong to enjoy this game!

Ups
Great concept
Amusing plot
Fun minigame
Stage Builder mode

Downs
Sometimes tedious and frustrating


ESRB: E Content: Comic Mischief Price: $19.99 (Retail)

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Super Mario Galaxy 2 Review

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release 2010 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.9 \ 10.0: Masterful

This amazing platformer lives up to its predecessor in nearly every way and improves every other facet of the game. I can't overstate my love for SMG2, but I'll have to begin with a nitpick, and that is that the plot isn’t as deep as this game's predecessor— Bowser is no longer attempting to take over the universe, but kidnaps Princess Peach just for her delicious cake which Mario was invited to have. The opening sequence is now 2D as well. One of the most notable changes of this sequel is that there are a greater number of 2D sections than in the original Galaxy. These segments play differently than traditional Mario side-scrollers, but flying in a bee suit through a maze of deadly plants and swimming in space through moving cubes of water ends up being more better than you'd ever expect. I did not enjoy this sequence as much, but  everything that follows it is nothing short of spectacular. Your main hub is no longer Rosalina’s Cosmic Observatory— it's now Starship Mario. This is a spaceship which Lubba, a plump purple Luma, transforms into a starship in the form of Mario’s head, or as Lubba calls it, a "faceship". This is among Lubba's mediocre jokes and puns  that will only appeal to young children. The world maps are different, too—they are no longer composed of circling galaxies, but now bare a slight resemblance to world maps found in the New Super Mario Bros. games, but are ventured by starship, rather than foot, and are in deep space. The game introduces new power-ups— the Cloud Flower, with lets you create up to three cloud platforms by shaking the Wii remote, and the Rock Mushroom, which allows you to curl up into a boulder and smash through enemies and objects. The stages in which you ride Yoshi add to the fun. Yoshi's three power-ups are enjoyable to use as well. The first of these is the Dash Pepper, which sets his mouth afire and causes him to dash forward at tremendous speeds, allowing you to run up walls; second is the Blimp Fruit, which causes Yoshi to swell up like a balloon and float upwards until you run out of air; and finally, there's the Bulb Berry, a glowing yellow fruit that causes Yoshi to glow, making invisible platforms appear. But as the effects wear off, the once invisible objects start shrinking from sight, and are no longer solid. Mario also has a couple of new power-ups. The first is the Cloud Flower, which allows you to create cloud platforms by shaking Wii Remote; the second is the Rock Mushroom, allows you to transform into a boulder and smash through objects by shaking the Wii Remote. It also introduces Comet Medals. There’s one in each galaxy, and they later let you play the galaxy’s Prankster Comet stage, a difficult challenge based on the galaxy’s environment. These challenged were included in the first Super Mario Galaxy, but were unlocked randomly. Prankster challenges include completing a stage under a  time limit, defeating a boss with just a single life mark, collecting a certain number of Purple Coins, finishing a stage while being followed by Cosmic Clones (evil duplicates of Mario who copy your every move), and defeating a large amount of enemies under a time limit. In some stages, you’ll find the blue chimpanzee known as the Chimp, who tests you with similar challenges.  Also, in this game, there are 120 Green Stars, instead of just a measly three, and they must all be collected to unlock the final galaxy, Grandmaster Galaxy. A second player is still able to join. Player two can do everything he / she could do in the first game, but is now visible onscreen as an orange Luma, as well as a cursor. The second player can now pick up coins well. There are even ways the game is better than the original aside from the gameplay. The soundtrack, although it recycles a handful of the original game's tunes, but throws in tons of new songs that add up to a better soundtrack. Additionally, the already incredible visuals of  Super Mario Galaxy have been improved, are some of the best I've ever seen (and for a non-HD console, that's really saying something)! Super Mario Galaxy 2 is my favorite videogame of all time, and if you haven't played it (shame on you!), you don't know what you're missing out on! It's a true masterpiece, and it will remain my all time favorite video game, likely forever. If you're a Wii owner with money to spare, than you have no valid excuse not to play this game.

Ups
Very creative
New power-ups
Inclusion of Yoshi
Incredible graphics
Amazing soundtrack
Everything else

Downs
We need Super Mario Galaxy 3!!!

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

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