New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: 3DS Release: 2012 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 9.2 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is a scene from World 4
 

I'm proud to be writing this review. Why? Because I'm one of the first people in North America, possibly, to own New Super Mario Bros. 2. I got it on it's release date (without preordering it!)-- August 19th, 2012, minutes after my local Target store opened, and I'm enjoying it very much. So far, it's not nearly as good as the original game nor New Super Mario Bros. Wii. But of course, like every Mario platformer, it's still outstanding. Your goal, as usual, is to rescue Princess Peach. This time, the capture occurs while Mario and Luigi are fooling around with raccoon power. Then the Koopalings, whom Bowser Jr. is no longer among, are the capturers, just as in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Your goal is not only to rescue Peach, but to acquire a lot of coins. 1 million coins to be exact. Does that sound too hard? Well, Mario's got a few tricks up his sleeves (and not Luigi, because this game, sadly, eliminates the Luigi cheat from the original NSMB. By the way, you can pull this off by holding L and R when you select a file.) that'll help you on your quest to absolute affluence. Among them is the Gold Flower, a rare power-up that allow Mario to hurl golden fireballs that turn blocks into coins and allows you to get more coins out of defeating enemies with fireballs. There are also gold rings that temporarily turn enemies gold, causing them to drop piles of coins when defeated. Kicked Koopa shells trail coins along their path! Coins erupt like a fountain from the pipes of defeated Piranha Plants! Bullet Bills and leaping Cheep Cheeps trail coins as they streak through the sky! You get the picture. There are gold blocks that appear when ten coins are emptied from a block. When you hit one from below or ground-pound one, Mario wears it on head, and until he gets hit or loses it gradually, he'll generate a coin with every step he takes. The faster you move, the more coins you earn. There are blocks that rapidly scroll numbers, and the number showing when the block is hit causes that amount of coins to pop out. And finally, there are special black pipes. When a fireball is thrown at one end, a coin comes out the other. Hidden rooms usually contain very clever coin collecting sequences, such as kicking a shell to make it ricochet of the walls and into POW blocks, exploding blocks full of coins.  New Super Mario Bros. 2 also reintroduces the Super Leaf, a beloved power-up from Super Mario Bros. 3. But if you think I forgot that there were Super Leaves in Super Mario 3D Land, you're wrong. The Super Leaves in 3D Land transform Mario into Tanooki Mario, while in  NSMB2 and SMB3 they transform him into Raccoon Mario, who has the ability to fly after a long dash. It bears similarities to SM3DL, though. There's also the new White Leaf, an ever-lasting invincibility granting Super Leaf that appears only after you die five times in a row on the same stage. This replaces the P-Wing from SM3DL that would take you to the end of the stage when you die 10 times. Now to get to the extras.  Additionally, in a nostalgic reference to Super Mario World, the Reznors return as mini-boss. These are triceratops-like creatures that appear here for the first time in over 20 years! NSMB2, unfortunately, lacks minigames, unlike the original (and not to mention Super Mario 64 DS). It  also lacks the Mario vs. Luigi mode from the original game. To make up for this, the game introduces Coin Rush, in which you must play three randomly selected stages with a short time limit and collect as many coins as you can. If you really enjoy Coin Rush, you can purchase the many DLC stage packs available on the Nintendo eShop. As a bonus, coins you collect in Coin Rush go into your overall total from the main game. Best of all, a second player can join you via local wireless, but sadly not third and fourth players. (If only all platformers could have New Super Mario Bros. Wii's style of four-player co-op...) There's one more great new addition: You know those secret cannon stages in which you climb into a cannon and blast to a distant world? Well, now, the cannon doesn't blast you directly to that advanced world. Instead, when you enter the cannon, a countdown starts, and when it hits "Go", you'll be blasted forward and start dashing without stopping through a silhouetted obstacle course while the catchy Toad House Mario theme remix from the original NSMB plays. You must time each jump perfectly if you want to survive and advance to the secret world. But one of the negative parts is the fact that the game wasn't built for the system like Super Mario 3D Land before it-- there's no real reason to crank up the 3D. Even so, the 3D adds some smoothness and depth to the background, which makes it less noticeable that the visuals aren't particularly impressive from close up. Although New Super Mario Bros. 2 isn't nearly as good as the original game to me, it's one of the best titles available on the 3DS and for sure the system's greatest 2D platformer. I still highly recommend it to any fan of Mario, platformers, or anyone who loves gold.  With all that fun coin-collecting, you'll become as greedy as Wario!

Ups
SO MANY COIN$!!!
The real Super Leaf is back!
Awesome new power up-- the Gold Flower
New Coin Rush mode
Download Play 2-player co-op

Downs
No VS. Mode or Minigames
Not built for 3DS
Visuals are unimpressive close up

ESRB: E Content: Comic Mischief Price: $29.99 (Retail / Download)

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Scribblenauts Review

Scribblenauts

Publisher: Warner Bros. Developer: 5th Cell Platform: DS Players: 1 Release: 2009 Genre: Puzzle / Sandbox Rating: 7.8 \ 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is the concept of the game's object creation system

I overestimated Scribblenauts-- highly. That's not to say it's terrible or anything-- but I might not have bought it if it wasn't for the fact that Super Scribblenauts, one of the most infuriatingly difficult-yet-greatest games I've ever played, wouldn't exist without this game. But I should've realized that Scribblenauts would be so inferior to its sequel. It doesn't give you control options like Super Scribblenauts-- the frustrating touchscreen controls are mandatory. You must purchase new worlds with Ollars, the game's currency. There are pressuring object-creation pars in levels. And worst of all-- you can't use adjectives! But it isn't all bad-- the game is quite good, in fact. I saw a bright side to the game when I realized that there were a few superiorities. The object-creating concept seemed as fresh as ever, and there are several infectiously catchy tunes that weren't featured in Super Scribblenauts. Although the stage creator from the sequel isn't present, I find that I sometimes want to use the game's level layouts for creating custom levels, and you're welcome to do that through Level Editor, a mode that allows you to create a level using the template of a pre-existing level that you've cleared. Although it's not perfect, I recommend Scribblenauts to anyone with exceptional mental abilities who enjoys and enjoys the clever concept.

Ups
Fresh premise
Catchy music
Level Editor

Downs
Touchscreen-only controls
Object-creation pars

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

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Super Mario Sunshine Review

Super Mario Sunshine

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo GameCube Players: 1 Release: 2002 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is a scene from Gelato Beach

Super Mario Sunshine, as some know, is s sequel to Super Mario 64, despite being almost nothing at all like its predecessor, or any Mario game in general. Mario and Peach are vacationing in the tropical paradise of Isle Delfino, but their plans are ruined when they arrive at the airstrip to find that Mario's face has been drawn in paint-like goop. From there, you must locate the FLUDD-- Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device-- on the other side of the airstrip. FLUDD is a device built in a similar manner to a jetpack composed of a water tank and a nozzle. You'll use FLUDD for cleaning up "graffiti", defeating foes, and more. When you find FLUDD, a cut-scene showing him identifying Mario plays, in which he scopes Mario out from his perspective, and footage of previous Mario games plays on the bottom-left corner of the screen. You must squirt the thick-painted nose of the Mario face painting until a giant goop-covered (and toothless) Piranha Plant erupts from it. You'll encounter this foe many times throughout the game. Squirt his open mouth three times to defeat him. Once you've taken him out, the paint will clear away, and the game's first Shine Sprite appears. FLUDD later explains (yes, FLUDD can talk, and I will therefore refer to FLUDD as "he") that Shine Sprites are magical objects that once gathered around the Shine Gate, which brings sunshine to Delfino, and they've gone missing. It's up to you to recover all 120. And that's only after you get arrested and brought to court and charged for dirtying up Delfino with graffiti. Of course, Mario isn't the true culprit. It's his mysterious imposter Shadow Mario (who I know the identity of and won't tell). As soon as you're released from court and into Delfino Plaza, the Pianta police (the Piantas, as well as the Nokis, debuted in Sunshine) order you to clean up the mess. Near the ocean, you'll find another huge mess. You'll have to once again fight "Goopy Piranha", the big goopy Piranha Plant as I like to call him. Once he's defeated, the mess clears and the Great Pianta Statue erupts from the ground, and Shadow Mario swoops in and snatches Peach. You'll have to squirt him till he drops Peach, and then the adventure truly begins. Shadow Mario runs off and paints a rainbow M on the Great Pianta Statue and hops through it. Rainbow M's act as portals to stages. As you collect more Shine Sprites, more and more destinations are revitalized, such as the boathouse and the lighthouse. The boathouse serves as a shop, where you can exchange blue coins for Shine Sprites. If that doesn't sound very Mario-ish, wait till you see some of the old enemies' new incarnations: Piranha Plants are goopy and toothless, Bloopers tread land, have four realistic tentacles and suckers, and die in water (with the exception from the super speedy ones you get to ride on water and can even move on land-- so awesome!); and Koopas look almost nothing like their original selves-- unless their incarnations from the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros., released two years before Super Mario Bros., count, as they crawl in both games. There aren't even Goombas! I'm not at all trying to make the game look bad, though. (Although I could complain about the cruddy camera, as well as the return of the one-death-and-you're-out-of-the-level concept). Adding to the un-Mario-ishness, but to the variety, are the FLUDD's secondary nozzles. If it wasn't unusual enough to see Mario short-sleeved and wearing a jetpack-like device, FLUDD has a Hover Nozzle that allows you to hover shortly; a Turbo Nozzle that allows you to burst across the landscape with sonic speed; and a Rocket Nozzle that allows you to burst skywards and snatch out-of-reach items. I'm still not at all trying to make the game look bad-- as the series has evolved throughout the last decade, some of these things have become more and more true to the modern Mario formula.  Noticeable are the visuals, which hold up very well for decade-plus old game. There are a few rough models, but I the exotic landscapes are almost beautiful, and the water looks surprisingly realistic. The tropical-themed soundtrack is memorable as well. One of the greatest features about the game is that it has an more elaborate story, unlike nearly every other Mario game. In addition, the game's well-rendered cut-scenes are fully voiced! Sure, Peach had some lines in SM64, but no one else did. The un-Mario-ishness is combated by features like Yoshis (that spew fruit juice that transformers enemies into floating platforms and will evaporate if they run out of juice) and secret platforming stages in which you're deprived of FLUDD by Shadow Mario and an amusing acapella rendition of the "Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme" plays in the background. I highly recommend Super Mario Sunshine to any platforming fan, with the exclusion of Mario-haters and Super Mario 64 worshipers. Once I got far in the game, all my complaints meant nothing, and I loved the game. Super Mario Sunshine, as well as GameCubes, are hard to come by these days. Just be aware-- you don't need a GameCube system-- you can always get a Wii and a GameCube Memory Card and controller(s). It may be one of the only GameCube games I've played, but rest assured that it's one of the greatest titles in the system's library

Ups
FLUDD has multiple nozzles
Great visuals
Catchy soundtrack
More complex story
Secret platforming stages

Downs
Some untraditional elements are not good

ESRB: E Content: Comic Mischief Price: ???

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Super Paper Mario Review

Super Paper Mario

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Intelligent Systems Platform: Wii Players: 1 Release: 2007 Genre: 2D Platformer / RPG Rating: 8.4 \ 10.0: Great

Above is a 3D scene from the game's first stage

I'll assume that Super Paper Mario is a rather untraditional entry in the Paper Mario RPG series-- it's more platformer than RPG. The game begins at Mario and Luigi's house on a peaceful day. Luigi states that it's so peaceful, it's boring, and that he wished that something surprising would happen so they could go on another adventure. They're suddenly told by Toad that the Princess has been kidnapped, and probably by Bowser-- no surprise. So the Mario Bros. sneak into Castle Koopa while Bowser is plotting to kidnap Peach, and he spots Mario and Luigi. Suddenly, a mysterious, deranged figure appears out of thin air. He says that he's Count Bleck and that he's captured Peach. He casts a spell on Mario that renders him unconscious, then creates a vortex that sucks up everyone but the portly plumber. Mario wakes up to see a butterfly-like creature named Tippi who warps him to Flipside, a town in the sky that will soon be consumed by a vortex if Mario can't recover all eight Pure Hearts. After you find an ancient magician in a room behind an invisible door in the first stage,  which begins in 2D, he charges you all the coins you have (or 10,000 coins, his original price, which I highly doubt you'll manage to collect) to gain the ability to "flip". By pressing A, you can "flip" into 3D. While in 3D, a meter will appear under your HP display-- your Dimension Meter. If your Dimension Meter empties, you'll take damage. In order to defeat Count Bleck, you'll need the assistance of Peach and Bowser (who will eventually escape Bleck's grasp and wind up in Flipside, and become playable.) and several ancient creatures called Pixls. The first Pixl, Thoreau, allows you to grab certain enemies and items and toss them. The second Pixl, Boomer, can transform into a bomb to destroy obstacles and activate switches. The third, Slim, lets you become so thin that all moving hazards will pass through you if you stand still. The fourth, Thudly, allows you to jump up and slam into the ground, dealing heavy damage to unshielded foes. And the fifth, Carrie, transforms into a hovering platform, allowing you to move much faster and cross pits of spikes. These are the Pixls who will find during the first half of the game, and there are even more to discover. Throughout the game, you'll play as Peach and Bowser and escape Count Bleck's fortress, and they will join Mario on his quest as fully playable characters. Peach can float with her parasol by holding down the jump button, and Bowser can breath fire by crouching. However, I sometimes think the hints you receive from Tippi to help you solve complex problems are overly cryptic, making me stuck on certain parts of single stages for a very long time (thank goodness for Save Blocks). Also, some stage segments require you to use multiple characters (you can easily swap you character out from your item menu), like flipping into 3D with Mario in order to get on top of an otherwise un-scalable object, and then gliding over a long gap with Peach and her parasol, it can be frustrating to fail and have to repeat the process. Additionally, the script is very text-heavy. The writing is hilarious, but there's just so much, and sometimes I just wish the characters would shut their mouths! Still, Super Paper Mario is a superb platforming-RPG, and I hope to see more games with its unique dimension-swapping concept.

Ups
Unique dimension-swapping concept
Creative and humorous
Variety of playable characters
Platforming focus
Pixls

Downs
Very text-heavy script
Difficult stretches

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

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Metal Slug Anthology Review

Metal Slug Anthology

Publisher: SNK  Developer: SNK PlayMore Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release: 2006 Genre: 2D Shooter / 2D Platformer Rating: 9.1 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is a scene from Metal Slug 4
 

As its title implies (and its release date, too), Metal Slug Anthology is a collection of the seven home console and arcade Metal Slug games released 1996 through 2006 that celebrates the tenth anniversary of the series.. Those seven games are Metal Slugs 1 through 6, and Metal Slug X, MS 2's improved remake. The Metal Slug series tells of a military called the Regular Army and there war against the evil General Morden and his army, the Rebellion to foil his plot to rule the world. All seven playable games are pixel-perfect ports of their arcade counterparts, so the main differences are the control scheme and the adjustable difficulty, which can be modified from the game-selection screen. Since these differences are so small, players of the arcade versions of the games should already know what to expect. Pure, intense, action fueled by waves of military vehicles, destructive weapons, and plenty of other militaristic aspect. I once struggled to beat even the first stage of a Metal Slug game due to my limited quarters, but you now have the option to play with unlimited lives. This allows you to see how good you really are at the game, due to the complete lack of the stress of coin-deprivation, for that made me nervous when playing the arcade versions. You'll otherwise have to spend virtual credits. Better yet, you're actually still rewarded for beating a game even with unlimited lives. Completing the game on Easy mode rewards you with three virtual tokens. Completing the game on Normal mode gets you four tokens. And beating it on Hard mode gets you five. But what are the tokens for? For purchasing in-game memorabilia! All this adds up to a very good collection, but as much as I've enjoyed the Metal Slug series, none of the games have been perfect, which is about my only reason not to give Metal Slug Anthology a perfect score! Either way, I highly recommend  Metal Slug Anthology to anyone who has the slightest interest in action games.

Ups
Nonstop intense action
Awesome weapons
In-game memorabilia store
Adjustable difficulty level

Downs
No Metal Slug game is perfect

ESRB: T Content: Blood and Violence Price: $49.99 (Retail)

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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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