Nintendo Switch Event.

This post is just my general reactions and opinions on the Nintendo Switch event on January 12, 2017. 

Overall I fell the reveal was pretty good and well received. About half way through they showed some of the "filler games". They have announced a new Mario game known as Super Mario: Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, Splatoon 2, and some new IP's. After the presentation they added more to the website with pricing of accessories and other games that were not announced. The Nintendo Switch launches on March 3rd, 2017 at the retail price of $299.99. 

Nintendo Switch needs to have a huge and successful launch in order to be successful because I don't think a lot of people have much left to give Nintendo. They did not show a whole lot of launch titles but the Nintendo website is being updated with a ton of information that was not in the live stream presentation. There were some very exciting games shown like Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade 2, Fire Emblem, etc... 

The most exciting news from the live stream was the final trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with the launch date of March 3, 2017 which is huge. Fans have been waiting a huge amount of time for this game to finally come out. This is what will help the Nintendo Switch tremendously and Nintendo knows that. I have really high hopes for this game and this console. 

For other releases and information please visit Nintendo's Website. This will include prices, accessories, games, releases, etc....

Fire Emblem Fates

Release Date: February 19, 2016

Genre: Tactical role-playing

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Date Reviewed: August 8, 2016

Fire Emblem Fates is another great entry into the Fire Emblem series for the Nintendo 3DS. Ever since Awakening, Fire Emblem has been getting some good traction in North America which is fantastic. Each entry gets better than the last (best one is Sacred Stones in my opinion). Fire Emblem Fates does something a little different. There are three games to choose from in this version. Each one has their own stories, characters and even weapons. Conquest and Birthright are the two mains ones recommended to start with while Revelation is the third story which is obtained digitally at a reduced cost. Once you hit chapter 5 you have the option to choose which side you will help.

As you progress through each story line you will discover lies, truths, and shocking twists. Each story gets their own unique player hub where you can upgrade, and build vendors, prison, blacksmith, arena, etc... There is also a multiplayer option where you attack another players hub or defend your own. In Revelation you get the option of using both sides buildings and farms. Each story is different but in the end the main point of it all is to try and stop this war between the two clans.

Fire Emblem Fates also introduces a new mechanic which allows your to partner up with other units. When doing so you get a slight buff in your stats depending on your relatioship with that unit. It also increases your chances of surviving. Another similar mechanic is when you are standing beside other units they will also increase your stats during battle depending on your relationship with that unit. The better the relationship means a higher stat gain.

Conquest:

Conquest is the story of the mighty kingdom Nohr. In this version it is early discovered that you were captured as a baby. In this story you were born in Hoshido and was captured at a very young age and grew up in Nohr. Manipulated you believe your allies in Nohr are in fact your blood relatives. If you choose to defend Nohr (Conquest) you will be shunned by Hoshido. Overall the story for Conquest is fantastic and has some really cool twists and emotional ties with some of the characters. However, this was my least favorite version.
Conquest is the "classic" way of playing Fire Emblem. In Conquest there is no grinding, resources are limited and the difficulty is much higher than any other version. If you are seeking a challenge then choose this path.

Final Rating:
8.5/10

Birthright:

Birthright is the other option to choose once you in chapter 5. This focuses around the clan Hoshido. In Birthright it is again discovered that Hoshido was your birth home but instead of sticking with Nohr you decide to go with Hoshido. Hoshido is the easier option especially with people who are new to the series. Birthright allows grinding and the ability to get stronger so the tougher chapters won't be as tough. Each mode does have Lunatic mode which is always a challenge. Birthright just makes it more bearable.

Birthright is the "newer" way of playing Fire Emblem, similar to Sacred Stones in a way. I found the characters are much more likable in Birthright and the story is a bit better as well. However, this story was not my favorite.

Final Rating:
9.0/10

Revelation:

Revelation is my favorite story out of the three choices. Revelation is a combination of Conquest and Birthright. It allows you to grind if you need to but the difficulty overall is higher than Birthright. In Revelation on Chapter 5 you decide to not join either clan and form one of your own to stop the war. You later discover a place which no one can speak of and the story and history of this place. It's fantastic story but I recommend you play Birthright and Conquest before Revelation.

Revelation also gives you the option to use BOTH building styles from Conquest and Birthright, allowing you to further customize your player hub. With Revelation you gather units from both Nohr and Hoshido. So overall it makes it a much more interesting story and the difficulty is just right.

Final Rating:
9.5/10

Overall Rating:
9.0/10
Follow Cody's Reviews!

Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: Creative Platformer

Release Date: September 11, 2015

Date Reviewed: September 18, 2015    

   

       Plague of Shadows is free DLC content for the game Shovel Knight where you get to play as the character Plague Knight. This free DLC pack comes with the ability to do a challenge mode where you can complete many different challenges for each knight. This will be unlockable when you beat the game once with Shovel Knight and Plague Knight. That isn't everything that came with this great DLC content. If you've beaten the normal game with Shovel Knight you will unlock the ability to play as Plague Knight. The levels and map layout are all still the same but it is very much a different game. You step in the shoes of Plague Knight where you have abilities such as throwing bombs. Just like with Shovel Knight, Plague Knight can also gather special items and customize his attacks. Each bomb has a certain fuse and certain explosive style that you can choose from which is needed to overcome certain obstacles.

Each boss, each level are played differently with Plague Knight.

       Plague Knight in a nutshell is very different from Shovel Knight. You can gather potions in order to increase your health, you need to gather coins in order to upgrade the shop and buy new attack items and Plague Knight has to move throw each level very different heavily relying on his exploding jumps. Plague Knight has no shovel to bounce off certain obstacles. Instead if you hold down the jump button and let go he will launch himself straight up or side ways. Plague Knight also has a double jump but doesn't jump as high as Shovel Knight does. Plague Knight even has his own armor sets as well which each have their own unique effects.

       The level design is of coarse flawless as ever. There is a bunch of new music scrolls you are able to collect and unlock. Playing as Plague Knight feels completely different and more of a challenge than Shovel Knight. Plague Knight is also as long if not longer than the original game and it is FREE. Plague Knight's story is very unique from Shovel Knight's but both have to do with love overall. Overall Plague Knight is a fantastic addon and is something that most developers need to do with their games. I look forward to the next piece of DLC they release.

Fantastic DLC!

9.5/10

Cody's Reviews Twitter-   *  Cody's Twitter-   *  Cody's Reviews Facebook-   *  Samuel's Twitter-

Super Mario Maker

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Platform Reviewed: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: Creative Platformer

Release Date: September 11, 2015

Date Reviewed: September 18, 2015

       Super Mario Maker is exclusive to the Nintendo Wii U. Super Mario Maker allows users to create, download, and play user created levels made by the community. The game starts off with a very minimum amount of items you are able to use to create your levels. The amount of things a person can create is endless. With a recent patch you do not have to wait for the full 9 days to unlock all of the content. The more you create, the more things you will unlock. Or do it the cheap way and spam blocks endlessly until you unlock all the content OR just move the clock forward day by day. Either way everything will eventually be unlocked.

The Creation Screen!

       There are four different version of Mario you can create with. First is Super Mario Bros for the NES. There is also Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, and "NEW" Super Mario Bros. U. By default you get Super Mario Bros. and "NEW" Super Mario Bros. U. You acquire the other two by unlocking them. How the creation process works is you select what type of Mario world you would like to create in. From there you slowly start to build your level by using the tools provided on the top of the screen. Everything imaginable is provided for you with some really cool unique twists. For example you can have multiple Bowser's stacked on each other, you can super-size any item or enemy with a mushroom, you can add customer sound effects to anything, you can make bullet bill cannons shoot super stars or springs, the possibilities are endless it seems. At first you are only able to upload 10 creations online for other players to play. In order to unlock more you need other players to "star" your creations. You get 50 stars you will earn a second coin which will allow you to upload 20 levels. So make sure they are quality levels!

You can do anything!

       If you are the type of person who would rather play custom creations and not create then there is a mode for you as well. You can start by playing 10 Mario Challenge which are all custom Nintendo made levels. If you beat all of them you will unlock the levels they played at the Nintendo World Champions. Once you complete that you can try the 100-Mario Challenge which provides the player with 100 lives. The player has a choice to either play on easy, normal, or expert. They all give you 100 lives so choose which is best for your skill level. Once the player completes one you are able to unlock 100 random costumes which you can use in the original Super Mario Bros. as pixelated costumes. There is one other mode you can choose from and that is Makers. In this mode you can pick which levels you want to play based on categories such as Up and Coming, Most Starred, and Featured. In here the player will be able to pick levels of interest and try to complete them. You also have the option of downloading the levels for yourself.

So much Unlockables!

       Super Mario Maker is great at what it offers and allows you to do. The really only complaint I would make about Mario Maker is the fact that some of the random levels you play should not belong on certain playlists. For example you might be playing on Expert mode and receive an auto level where you don't have to press a single button to complete the lever. Another example might be the over the top levels where everything is a troll or there are tons of enemies stacked upon each other. A lot of annoyances but I believe it will get better once more people play these levels and they get put into their respective skill levels. Overall Super Mario Maker is a ton of fun and is highly recommended to anyone who owns a Nintendo Wii U.

Overall Score:

9.5/10

Must Own!

Cody's Reviews Twitter-   *  Cody's Twitter-   *  Cody's Reviews Facebook-   *  Samuel's Twitter-

Fantasy Life.

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Open World RPG

Release Date: October 24, 2014, (JPN)December 27, 2012

Date Reviewed: March 24th, 2015

Fantasy Life is an open world RPG created by Level-5. Fantasy Life is a unique game where you are able to choose what life you want to live. There are 12 different lives you can choose from with each life having a ranking system. If you want to master all lives then prepare to dish out easily over 100 hours trying to do so. There is a main campaign to this game that is roughly 8 hours or so. It took myself 28 hours to complete due to doing the side quests and mastering mining with a little of mercenary and paladin as well. Fantasy Life has a Harvest Moon/Sims/Rune Factory feel to it and it is a good mixture.

Your character and your life.

You start the game off in an attic apartment where you are then introduced to the main story, great in game features and your choice of which life to venture off into. One great thing about the life system is you are able to change your life anytime you want. Each life always starts off with a mini tutorial on how to use the skills for that life as well as materials used for that life. Each life is unique and is very different from the other. Only ones that are remotely similar are the combat lifes which they should. They can vary from Blacksmithing, Sewing, Archery, fishing, and many others. Each life has a life master who you will report to once you've completed the tasks they ask you to. Once these tasks are completed you hand them in and turn acquire stars. Once you have hit the stars required you will rank up that life. Each rank up provide a stat increase associated with that life and new skills. For example if you are a miner you will learn a new skill where you can power up your attacks every time you mine a node.

Open World fun!

Fantasy life allows you to buy new homes, decorate them and own one home in each section of the world acquiring a total of 3 homes at a time. Another great feature is being able to play with your friends or other people online. This is a great opportunity to show off your homes and even take down some bosses that you are unable to solo. Only downfall to this is if you do not have the DLC and your friends does; you will not be able to play with them unless you have the DLC as well. Other than that your other party member can fully explore and help you take on some powerful monsters and complete those tough quests. Highly recommended feature to use.

Overall Fantasy Life is great for RPG fans alike. It is a cute little RPG that has a long of bang for your buck. Pick your life and explore Riveria with your friends, take down powerful foes, decorate your home, and have some fun! This game is highly recommended.


GREAT GAME
9/10

Cody's Reviews Twitter-   *  Cody's Twitter-   *  Cody's Reviews Facebook-   *  Samuel's Twitter-

Chariot

Platform: Nintendo Wii U, Xbox One, PS4, PC

Platform Reviewed for: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: Puzzle Plat-former

Release Date: January 8th, 2015 (Wii U), September 30th, 2014 (XB1, PS4, PC)

Date Reviewed: January 8th, 2015

       Chariot is a puzzle plat-former where the goal is to pull, push and guide a Chariot around each level collection treasure and special items. Each level get increasingly harder and longer with challenges on each level as you complete them. After your first run though a level you unlock additional modes and areas for that same level. After the completion of a level you also acquire gold from all of the treasure you have collected overall. You use this gold to purchase upgrades and new items to make your adventure a little easier but to also over come new obstacles in the later levels. Chariot is a well lengthened game that you can spend hours upon hours on unlocking everything and even just going through each level. Each level is a minimum of 15 minutes or longer if you aren't rushing through it. Collect as much treasure as possible because you will need the gold.

"Papercuts Scare me to Death!"

       Chariot is a very pleasing game with lots of humour, and adventures. The big selling point of this game is the cooperative play. Chariot makes it so that if you play with a friend you can overcome even more challenges and get more rewards for your efforts. Chariot is designed for cooperative play. You are obviously able to play solo but it is much more enjoyable with a friend. With cooperative play there are challenges that you and a friend are able to do. If you do these challenges you are able to get diamonds which gives you a lot of gold. It is well worth the frustration sometimes.

Co-op is great in Chariot!

       Chariot is a very beautiful game visually with tons of colors, unique art work, beautiful environments and even other NPC's. Each level has it's own unique look and feel to it. The character models and animations are extremely well done and really captures each of the characters personality. Chariot's soundtrack is top notch as well. Again, each zone has their own unique music and sounds which really sets the mood for each zone.

       In Conclusion Chariot is a must own indie developed game. What I love most about the Wii U version of the game is obviously the tablet feature where you are able to have one person play on the TV and the other play on the tablet anywhere in the house. The one thing I do wish they would have done is add more features with the tablet for in game. Maybe even something small such as interacting with the environment with your finger. If you are looking for a good sit down cooperative game Chariot is perfect for that.

Overall Rating:

9.0/10

Must Own!

Captain Toad

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: 3D Puzzle Platformer

Release Date: December 5, 2014

Date Reviewed: December 31st, 2014

       Captain Toad is a game set in the Super Mario 3D World environment and story line. In fact it takes place just before Super Mario 3D World. Captain Toad is a 3D puzzle platform game for the Nintendo Wii U. You primarily use the tablet to control the game world and move Captain Toad around the reach the goals. Captain toad is a very unique way to play. You either use the touch screen or the second control stick in order to rotate the world map around to navigate Toad though the level. You also have the option to use the Gyro controls built in the tablet itself. Some of the events take place in first person view on the tablet which appears third person on the TV. When you go into a mine cart level you control the aiming with the gyro controls or control stick while throwing object at enemies, coins and other collectibles. Captain Toad controls very well and runs extremely smooth.

 One of the early levels.

       Captain Toad is broken up in chapters. Each chapter has roughly 18 levels while the last one has 28. First chapter you play as Toad, second chapter you will play as Toadette and the chapters afterwards is a mixture of the two characters. The objective of each level is to grab coins, treasures and the star at the end of each level to complete it. Rinse and repeat. A lot of the levels are very different and offer some sort of challenge in order to grab all three diamonds. Each level also has a challenge to it in order to fully 100% complete each level. Some of these include collection a certain amount of coins or grabbing a certain item without breaking the bridge, etc... This adds a nice little challenge for the completionists out there. Each level is unique with it's own puzzles and charm. My favorite levels were the ones where you have to ride a mine cart and use the tablet to shoot coins, diamonds and enemies.

Big boss battles!

       Once you have beaten the game and cleared all the chapters you unlock a bonus mode. This is where you need as much diamonds as possible to unlock these additional modes. One of the bonus levels is playing through the first few levels of Super Mario 3D World but as Captain Toad instead which makes the gameplay very interesting and changes it up a bit. Another one is grabbing and guiding all four toads in each of the levels to the finish in order to complete it. This helps extend the game play and adds a decent amount of reply value to the game. For the low price of $40 this game is definitely worth the time and investment.

Getting the Diamonds are well worth it!

       The visuals are very beautiful in Captain Toad. Each level brings a breath of fresh air with different visuals, enemies, and scenery. Captain Toad runs at a smooth crisp 60 frames per second. The in game music is wonderful and some are remixes of the old Mario games. I wish the game was a little bit longer and some of the levels as well. The boss battles were fun but a little bit to easy. Overall Captain Toad is a great addition to the series and hope to see more from this franchise.

Overall Score:

8.5/10

Want to stay up to date with my reviews?

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Don't forget I also live stream!

Twitch

Super Smash Bros. 3DS

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Fighting

Release Date: October 3rd, 2014

Date Reviewed: October 17th, 2014

       The latest Super Smash Bros for the 3DS is the 4th entry in the series and a very popular and high demand video game. This version brings another huge roster as well as plenty of new characters to the game. The 3DS version brings a bunch of new modes which really extends the life of the game as we wait for the Wii U version. You have your classic mode where you fight random characters. This version you get to choose which patch you want to go. For example if you choose the red path the entire time it will be harder. Blue is easy and green is normal difficulty. The higher the difficulty the more coins and rewards you will get. Some of these rewards offer coins, new customizable moves, costumes, and trophies. The next mode is All Star mode which has been in the previous games. In order to experience the entire All Star mode you will need to have unlocked every single character. This mode takes you through the years of Nintendo characters like in the previous ones. Multi-man melee makes a return as well but instead of wire frame enemies you face a bunch of Mii characters. Home Run mode is back where you see how far you can hit the sand bag with the home run bat for each character. A new mode added is target blast. In this mode you have 10 seconds to launch a bomb from the platform and blow up as much targets as possible. Sort of like angry birds. You also have trophy rush mode where you are able to get a ton of coins and trophies. You also have a challenge mode. This really isn't a mode it's more like an achievement system where you complete certain challenges and unlock new stages, trophies, costumes and skills. Then you have your typical online mode where you can fight for glory or for fun. For glory is just a battle mode where every map is a final destination mode and no items are allowed. For fun is all default maps and all items are allowed and enabled. The last mode I want to cover is Smash Run. Now Smash Run would be a lot better if it was allowed to be played online but do not think will work well due to the lag. You start smash run in a huge dungeon where you complete objective and kill as much enemies as you can to power up your stats. At the end of the run you fight with 3 others and see who comes out on top. You can be climbing to the top the fastest, have a basic smash battle, or even race to see who wins and who uses their stats wisely.

Tortimer Island!

       Super Smash Bros. also has a fantastic soundtrack with a lot of returning tracks as well as brand new ones. A lot of the new ones are remixes like Dr. Wiley's Castle which is just great. The entire game runs at 60FPS with some pretty nice visuals which is very impressive for the Nintendo 3DS. However the animations for each of the assist trophies are at 30FPS which is completely fine. The Nintendo 3DS can only handle so much. Since the 3DS is much smaller than a TV each character as a dark border around them to see them much easier which can also be customized to make it thicker or thinner. Another cool feature is you can use your Mii characters as fighters and completely customize their abilities, stats and their costumes. There are three different types of fighting styles that the Mii's can use. They vary from swordfighter, fist fighter and gun fighter. You can even unlock badges and equipment to improve your Mii's stats so if you want to stack speed or power you can. Only thing is you cannot use these stats or customization options when you are fighting other players online. On top of that you are able use different skills for current characters which again you can use online against other players but is a great addition to the game to try the different abilities and combos.

Little Mac makes and Appearance.

       Overall in Super Smash Bros. 3DS there are a ton of features that will keep you occupied for hours on end. Tons of modes, options, unlockables, customization and decent online multiplayer. Super Smash Bros. is a must own game for all Nintendo fans and current fans of the series. This makes me even more excited to purchase the Wii U version which is set to release on November 21, 2014. The Wii U version will offer even mor modes and options apart from the 3DS, will have the same characters, different levels, and much higher visual quality. Great work Nintendo.

Fantastic Game!
9/10

Want to stay up to date with my reviews?

Facebook

Twitter

Youtube

Don't forget I also live stream!

Twitch

Hyrule Warriors.

Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: Action

Release Date: September 26, 2014

Date Reviewed: October 1st, 2014

       Hyrule Warriors for the Nintendo Wii U is created by the company who made the Dynasty Warriors series. Hyrule Warriors is not part of the Legend of Zelda storyline, it is its own separate entry. Hyrule Warriors is almost exactly like Dynasty Warriors with the main difference being that it takes place in the Zelda universe where you can play with a wide variety of characters such as Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Agitha, and even Princess Ruto of the Zora's. With Hyrule Warriors there is a lot of different modes to play on such as your Legend Mode which is the story mode. There is also Free Mode where you can play as any character on any mission you've completed on Legend Mode. There is an Adventure Mode which seems to be the favorite, including mine. In Adventure Mode you play on a classic map from Zelda 1. There are 128 different tiles to unlock and explore from the original Zelda game. In each tile there is an objective to complete to unlock additional rewards, weapons, and even characters. Adventure Mode is pretty unique, challenging and very fun. With Adventure Mode you may have to do some grinding with certain characters to increase their level, get better weapons and giving them more abilities to take down some of the challenges. You also need to play Adventure Mode in order to unlock the final four characters in the game. The rest of the Characters can be earned playing Legend Mode. The final mode to play is called Challenge Mode which is to take on difficult challenges.

Fast paced action, hundreds of enemies.

       Hyrule Warriors also offers co-op where one player plays on the television and the other plays on the Wii U tablet. Co-op mode is very fun but has some flaws due to the Wii U's limitations. In order to allow co-op on the Wii U they had to lower the resolution for the player who is on the television. It looks like a Wii game and the frame rate is lowered with noticeable choppiness. This does not make the co-op mode any less fun but people who are all about "DEM GRAPHICS" probably will be turned off by the visuals. You can play any mode with another player. There is however no online co-op which I think is a good idea because you will be experiencing a lot of lag with all of the action that is going on the screen at all times.

       The visuals of the game overall are very nice and runs at 60FPS on single player. The in game cinematics look fantastic, the huge environments, and the visual effects are all great as well. Most of the soundtrack is from previous Zelda games in the series. Some of the soundtrack are new and you can tell it feels like they belong in the Dynasty Warriors universe but it does get your adrenaline pumping when fighting bosses or even large crowds of enemies. The story is nothing new and overall not that great but I can see why. It would be very hard to create a fascinating story with what they had. You travel through different time points in the Zelda universe. You travel through Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and also Skyward Sword. They will be adding a lot of new content every month up until February so get the season pass if you want to experience more. On average to complete all mission in the game you're looking at about 50+ hours to get it all completed. There is a lot to do and this game can be played for hours and hours, heck you don't even notice the time passing while you are playing it half the time.

King Dodongo is back!!

       Overall Hyrule Warriors is a fantastic entry into the Zelda series. They took a very different approach to Zelda and it is very nice to get away from their basic formula and go all out killing hundreds upon thousands of enemies all at once. There is so much to do in the game and it is really fun to be able to unlock a lot of different weapons for each character, unlocking new abilities, combos, etc.... There is so much to this game and is a fantastic addition to the Wii U family. If you like Zelda, and Dynasty Warriors then I highly recommend this game to add to your collection.

Great Soundtrack

GREAT GAME!
8/10

Want to stay up to date with my reviews?
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

Don't forget I also live stream!
Twitch

Shovel Knight

Console: 3DS, Wii U, PC

Genre: Platformer

Release Date: June 26, 2014

Date Reviewed: July 4, 2014

Gameplay:

Shovel Knight takes another whack at the classic plat forming genre. The style for Shovel Knight takes place in the NES era. With classic 8 bit graphics and 8 bit sounds/music. It has a mixture between Megaman, Castlevania, and Mario. It mixes these three great games together to make its own step into the classic plat forming series. The game plays just like you would expect it if you've ever played an NES plat forming game before. Feels exactly like the three games I mention above. Shovel Knight feels like a fresh entry overall. The basic principle of the game is going through different levels; beat each knight to advance forward and save the Shield Knight from the evil Enchantress. You are a knight that wields a shovel as his weapon of choice. You attack with your shovel and perform certain tasks to venture through each level with this mighty shovel. From downward thrusts so you can bounce on objects and enemies to swooping your shovel to deal with enemies, the shovel has many uses.  Each boss knight has its own special attack and abilities. Just like in Megaman you need to find out what their patterns are to defeat them. Some of these bosses are not the easiest.

Ahhhh Classic.

In Shovel Knight you can even upgrade your shovel to perform new attacks. Shovel Knight can also purchase new armor that has different effects to the player. Just like in Mario you are on an over world map and you are able to choose any level, any time. Sometime on the world map there are random events as in mini boss battles, and treasure to grab by using certain items. If you are the type of person that needs to collect everything than you can even collect music notes. Return these music notes to the bard in town and he will buy them off of you for 500 gold a piece. When you give the bard these music notes he will add them to your collection so you can go back and speak with him at any time and listen to the music you have unlocked. Shovel Knight provides an excellent difficulty level as well just like in the classic plat formers. It starts off moderately easy and then picks right up and ups the difficulty level. Some levels make you want to pull your hair out but in the end are very rewarding when you finally beat it.

Graphics/Visuals:

Shovel Knight is an 8 bit plat forming adventure. It takes place during the NES generation of plat form gaming. The visuals and style of artwork is outstanding. Very colourful game, great looking backgrounds, fantastic looking enemies, great animations and NPC’s. All in all it is a very nice looking 8 bit game and a fantastic edition to the NES plat forming series.

Epic Boss Battles!

Soundtrack/Music:

Wow. Shovel Knight has one of the most amazing soundtracks I have even heard in the 8 bit era. Each and every song is unique, different, and makes your ears sing. You can tell they put their heart and soul into this game, into the music. The music is so good that it’s making me unlock and find all of the music notes hidden in the game. I often find myself going back to the main town just to listen to the music I have unlocked. Each boss, each level, and zone has its own unique soundtrack and every single one of them is a breath of fresh air. You can even get the entire soundtrack on download; it is very well worth it. Some people even got this game just because of the amazing soundtrack.

Epic Soundtrack!

Final Thoughts:

Shovel Knight is a breath of fresh air to the 8 bit plat forming series. It feels very familiar yet very new. With a mixture of the greatest plat forming NES games with a hint of its own style, Shovel Knight is a fantastic addition. Beautiful music, addicting and challenging game play, and beautiful art work, Shovel Knight is a must purchase. In fact I purchased it for all three platforms! My recommendation is to buy it on the 3DS or the Wii U just because you can quickly switch between all of them items with just a tap of your finger. The PC version provided no quick select tool.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Want to stay up to date with my reviews?
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

Don't forget I also live stream!

Twitch

Mario Golf World Tour

Console: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Sports

Release Date: May 2, 2014

Date Reviewed: June 30, 2014

Ahhh good ol’ Mario Golf. I have fond memories from playing the very first Mario Golf game for the Nintendo 64. I was so into the game than I even remember one of the cheat codes from when it first came out 10+ years ago. KPXWN9N3 was the code me and my brother memorized and for some reason it is still stuck in my head. Mario Golf for the Nintendo 3DS is another great addition to the series.

Gameplay:

First off there is so much to do in Mario Golf. You can’t decide which mode to choose from first. I personally started with the Mii Castle Club. This mode allows you to gold with your personal Mii character in the game. The point of this mode is to challenge the three different course tournaments and try and get gold on each one. Doing so will reward you with an award ceremony cutscene with the Nintendo characters as well as a gold cup for that course. Winning one of these will also allow you to unlock the use of these courses in the challenge mode and all other modes. On top of that for completing certain goals in any golf game you will unlock a new piece of gear for your Mii character. These pieces of gear are used to upgrade you Mii. It could be to increase your Mii’s power, their sweet spot or control of the ball. So choose wisely and pick the gear based on how you play the game. You can even unlock character costumes to add to your collection for your Mii to wear. Wearing a Princess Peach costume as a man with a beard looks kind of weird. Once you complete the course tournaments you can then take to some challenge competitions to unlock more things for your Mii. Some of them are very challenging but worth it in the end. One other thing I would like to add is when you play in the Mii Castle Club you also earn a handicap rating depending on how well you do. This handicap is very smart because it allows the game to figure out the difficulty for the tournaments.

Great courses.

Another mode is the “Quick Golf” mode. This mode has other modes inside of the selection. Such as challenge mode to earn star coins. When you earn a certain amount of star coins you will unlock courses, and even new playable characters such as Birdo and Kamek. The other options are just basic modes to play if you’re in a hurry. It can be Vs. mode with a CPU character, Stroke Play to play a quick 9 or 18 hole round of golf by yourself and an offline point tourney mode. If you really want to test your golfing skills there is even an online mode where you play against other players. The online feature is really great as you can set your own rules, enter tournaments created by Nintendo to win in game prizes, and even community tournaments that other players make themselves.

In order to purchase the unlockable gear for your Mii characters you will need to buy them with coins. Coins are extremely easy to earn in Mario Golf. You earn them by simply just golfing. There are even courses that you can play where you need to get coins floating around the course which adds to your overall coin pool. With Mario Golf: World Tour there is an option to buy some DLC packs for the game. I highly recommend this because each pack adds a new character and a brand new course to play on. If you buy the season pass you get Gold Mario as a character which is a great way to earn some extra coins. Fantastic buy and really fun, especially for casual players.

Graphics:

The graphics and visuals in Mario Golf are actually really good for it being on the 3DS. All of the character models look fantastic with great animations. Each character has their own unique animation which really adds to the game. The environment on each course is very unique and is never the same. Each course has their own them like bowser’s castle or cheep cheep beach. You will always know which course it belongs too. Costumes look very nice; the customization option for your Mii also is great with a large variety of golf clubs, shirts, golf balls, etc…

Great Items Selection.

The 3D also adds a very nice effect to the game. I personally don’t really care for 3D but I was impressed by it. It adds a whole new perspective when you are golfing and is sometime breath taken. The best times to use the 3D feature are during the golf matches. It gives you a whole new view and the environment surrounds you. I find it really absorbs you into the game more than playing in 2D. Other than that the 3D doesn’t make too much of a difference while walking around or navigating the menus. It is still a nice feature overall.

Soundtrack/Music:

Not really much to say here due to it being a golf game. The music is pretty standard and quite. Nothing really unique about the in game music. The in game sounds are great overall and the menu music is really nice as well. Other than that it’s pretty average, not in a bad way just nothing the really WOWS you with the music.

Overall Rating: 9.0

Want to stay up to date with my reviews?
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube

Don't forget I also live stream!
Twitch

Mario Kart 8.

Console: Nintendo Wii U

Genre: Kart Racing

Release Date: May 30th, 2014

Date Reviewed: June 20th, 2014

I’ve been a big fan of the entire Mario Kart series since the very first one on the SNES. I have played and owned all of them at some point. I even enjoyed Mario Kart: Double Dash immensely for the Nintendo Gamecube. I just recently bought a Wii U to add to my collection and decided to buy the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition. I to this day love my new Wii U and the games I have for it. Enjoy the review!

Gameplay:

Mario Kart 8 (MK8) is a breath of fresh air to the series. The very first Mario Kart game to be HD on the big screen! MK8 plays like any other Mario Kart game. There is a great new mechanic in MK8 that adds a “WOW” factor to the races. The new mechanic is anti-gravity. With this mechanic you can basically race in any direction! You drive upside down, around in loops, etc… This adds new dynamic to the Mario Kart. With this new mechanic they can create new and refreshing courses to future Mario Kart games. Even with Mario Kart 8, these courses are really enjoyable. MK8 also offers some new items to use against other racers. One of these new items is the boomerang. Using this item allows you to, you guessed it, throw a boomerang ahead or behind you and it comes right back to you. You can throw the boomerang up to 3 times in front of you or behind you. When you throw it, the boomerang will go ahead and then circle back to you allowing you to throw it again. Very handy item if you have the accuracy to use it like the green shell. Another new item added to the game is the “8” item. When you use this you will get 8 items that circle around you. Some of these items include a star, a bomb omb, a banana and a green shell. Whichever item is in front of you circling, you will use that item first.

Anti Gravity is the new Mechanic.

Coins make their way back into MK8 as well. These coins will help you unlock new karts, wheels, and parasails. There are a lot to unlock with these coins so make sure you collect them. You can collect up to 10 per race. Drift boosting also makes a return to MK8 but it is much easier to do this time around. Simply press and hold the right of left trigger to drift and continue to hold it to get a boost when you let go of it. There are also many different characters that you can unlock in MK8. Unlocking characters is extremely easy. By completing courses and earning cups you will always unlock a random character. Some of these characters include Rosalina, Toadette, and all of the Koopa Kids. The Wii U tablet can be used as a controller or can be used as a secondary screen which displays the race track and all of the racers. The same modes are back as well including Grand Prix, Versus, Time Trials, and Battle. All of these can be played online while Time Trials gives you uploaded ghost data to race against.

Online racing in MK8 is fantastic. The Wii version had a lot of lag issues while racing online. MK8 puts you up against 11 other people per race and I have not experienced any lagging or hiccups in my connection while racing. If you need something to do besides earning trophies in Grand Prix then give the online modes a try. It is great if you are racing competitively or just for fun. You start off with 1000 points and depending how well you do you will earn a certain amount of points. But if you’re coming in 10^th, 11^th, or 12^th all of the time then you will slowly start to lose points. It’s a good system especially if you are very good at the game. What I mean by that is Nintendo tries to promote “just have fun” feel online instead of “you have 18 losses and 2 wins, you suck”. This way people don’t really care and race to have fun. At the time of this review my score is at 1600.

Awesome character Roster.

Overall reaction for MK8 has been very positive for me. I am still having a lot of fun with the game just by racing online and with communities I know and enjoy playing with. I am very happy that you are able to join communities to play with your friends, live streamers, youtubers, etc… MK8 is very fun, beautiful, fast paced and cheerful as it always has been. This is a great edition to the series and probably one of the best since Mario Kart: 64.

Graphics/Visuals:

MK8 is the first Mario Kart game to enter the HD market with Wii U being able to do so now. The characters look so good; all of them have received a major HD upgrade. The character animations are very good as well. The biggest thing you will notice when playing MK8 are the environments of the courses. I have caught myself multiple times not paying attention to the races themselves because I was just amazed by the environment. They are very colorful, detailed and look outstanding.  The visual effects are extremely well done and the game runs incredibly smooth. No lag, no frame drops, just smooth gameplay all the way through.

Soundtrack/Music:

The second you load up MK8 the music starts up. The menu music is fast paced and sounds great. Gets your adrenaline going. The menu music has a nice rock feeling to it with small sections with an electric guitar. Compared to MK7, the music in MK8 is much much better. The new courses are no remixed versions of older tracks. All music in the new tracks is brand new editions to the series. The music in the older tracks from previous games are the same obviously but sound so much better and updated to today’s standards.

Menu music is sooooooooooo good.

Final Thoughts:

MK8 is a breath of fresh air. Yes it remains to be basically the same as the previous games but the game has been amped up to HD quality with a brand new anti-gravity mechanic that adds a lot to the game itself. With the amazing quality, to great online play MK8 is definitely a breath of fresh air. You will enjoy this game immensely with endless game play. I highly recommend this game to everyone.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Want to stay up to date with my reviews?
Facebook.
Twitter.
Youtube.

Don't forget I also live stream!

Twitch.