Yoshi's New Island Review

Yoshi's New Island

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Arzest Platform: 3DS Players: 1 (Story), 2 (Minigames) Release: 2014 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 7.8 \ 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is Yoshi preparing to throw a Mega Eggdozer.

Back in 1995, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island was released. Despite not being a true sequel to Super Mario World (instead it was a prequel to the entire series), the game was well received. I never got a chance to play the game or its 2005 DS remake, but I did eventually play its true sequel, which comes in the form of Yoshi's New Island. The original Yoshi's Island did have a 1998 Nintendo 64 sequel called Yoshi's Story, but this game falls in between on the timeline. I find the game's title to be misleading-- the island is not new, but the game is. The plot has an interesting twist. It turns out that the babies Mario and Luigi were delivered to wrong house by the stork! The stork frantically flies towards his intended destination, but is once again thwarted by Magikoopas, who once again capture Luigi and the stork, and Mario once again falls onto the back of a Yoshi. It may seem a little too early to complain, but come on, the story is nearly identical to that of its predecessor. Sure, plots of the main Mario titles are similar, but at least a little thought has to be put into figuring out how Bowser will kidnap Peach!

The gameplay is similar to that of the original Yoshi's Island, but with added features. The most notable of these are Mega Eggdozers. These are giant eggs that are obtained when Yoshi swallows a giant Shy Guy, which is done by rapidly pressing the B button when you stick your tongue to one. When an Eggdozer is thrown, you can earn up to three 1-Ups depending on the damage inflicted on the environment. You are also able to obtain metal Eggdozers. These eggs roll in a straight line and weigh you down underwater when you would otherwise float to the surface. Vehicle transformations return from Yoshi's Island. Rather than being placed in bubbles in the middle of the stage, these transformations are accessed by entering secret areas. In these areas, you are given limited time to make it through an obstacle course. Classic transformations return, in addition to some new ones. The transformations are helicopter, submarine, jackhammer, minecart, and bobsled. Kamek returns as the recurring mid-world boss, and the battles with him are fun and creative. My two favorites are the battles in which you must use eggs to pop balloons that hold up missiles, and hope it will hit Kamek; and the frustrating but still creative battle where you must throw your eggs at arrow blocks that direct the egg, and try and find the path that will lead your egg to the evil Koopa Wizard.

The hand-drawn visuals have been improved and are still charming. The 3D effects make the graphics look smoother, but are otherwise unnoticeable. The soundtrack doesn't fare as well, however. The tracks aren't terrible overall; a few are catchy, and a few of the songs, especially those that have kazoos in them, are kind of annoying. The Story mode, while fun, has a fair amount of frustrating moments, especially towards the end of the game. In each stage, there are 20 red coins to and five flowers to collect. In addition to collecting these, you must have 30 seconds on your timer to entirely complete a stage. The timer displays how many seconds you have to save baby Mario after you take a hit, and Mario's crying is as annoying as ever. What is extremely angering is that once you reach the end of a stage, the red coins and flowers reset, and you must find every single one of them again. The conclusion of the Story mode will seem familiar at first to those who've played the original, but the final boss battle ends up being pleasantly surprising. The ending does involve one of the most nonsensical canonical events ever to occur in a video game, but this is Mario, not a story-rich experience like BioShock or Mass Effect. in In addition to the Story mode, there are several two-player minigames to unlock, none of which I have played. Despite the frustrations, Yoshi's New Island is a solid platformer.

Ups
Fun story mode
Vehicle transformations
Visuals are still charming
Fun Kamek battles
Pleasantly surprising ending

Downs
Unoriginal plot
Some annoying songs
Very frustrating at times

ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $39.99 (Retail / Download)

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Review

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: 343 Industries / Saber Interactive Platform: Xbox 360 Players: 1-2 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Release: 2011 Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is a comparison of the new graphics and the original graphics.

In 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved was released alongside the original Xbox and was very well received by consumers and critics alike. Before this game, people doubted there could ever be a truly great shooter on a console. Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark are two notable exceptions, but been they suffered from awkward and control schemes due Nintendo 64 controller having only one analog stick. Bungie proved the doubters wrong, hence the astounding 95.54% average score on GameRankings.com. However, I think this massive praise was mainly due to how revolutionary the game was at the time. I still very much enjoy it, but I'll explain later why I think Combat Evolved is slightly overrated.

When I finally became a Halo fan, I went on to play nearly the whole main series in mixed-up order. In the end, the first game in the series is the last one I played... the anniversary version, at least. When Bungie ceased developing the Halo franchise, Microsoft-owned developer 343 Industries kicked off their company with a remake of Combat Evolved. The story is incredibly fresh and original: The year is 2552, and a military space vessel called the Pillar of Autumn has just escaped the planet Reach, which was destroyed by a alien alliance known as the Covenant. They believe that the destruction of humankind is the will of their gods (later games reveal that these "gods" want quite the opposite). The ship is carrying extremely valuable cargo: Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, the seemingly last supersoldier left in the SPARTAN-II program. Covenant forces board the Autumn, and the Master Chief is woken from cryo-sleep to evacuate the ship. They then land on a strange ring-shaped world, a Halo. This game has some of the best universe building of any series debut, and the story was further explored when the novel The Fall of Reach was released soon after the game.

The game plays almost exactly the same as before, and even starts off with original visuals. A notable feature is that you can press the Back button at any time to switch from the classic graphics to the beautiful (albeit a little cartoonish) remade high-def visuals. The lip-syncing is a bit off and there are occasional framerate drops and texture pop in, but the truly breathtaking sights of the Halo ring make up for this. Having both graphical styles is made technically possible by overlapping the original game engine and a modified version of the Halo: Reach engine. This feature allows you to see how much visuals advanced over the course of a decade. My only problem with this feature is that it takes several seconds to switch visuals, and you can easily be killed while doing this in the presence of enemies. I believe that the old graphics, although primitive by modern standards, look great by 2001 standards. You are also able to switch to the remastered soundtrack primarily composed by Tom Salta. The new tunes perfectly match Marty O'Donnell's brilliant arrangements, but the orchestra is more powerful and moving than ever.

After playing this game, I learned that it has some nifty features that haven't been present in the series since. For example, when operating a vehicle with marine passengers, your allies' health will be shown. Alongside your shield meter is your health meter, which has only appeared in Halo: Reach since, and is a feature that I think adds a touch of realism, and requires you to be more careful. It prevents you from being able to simply hide in a corner when your shields are down and be in perfect condition seconds later if you've been shot while unshielded. However, it can be frustrating to be stuck on checkpoint with your body health critically low.

The main draw of this remaster is that the gameplay has been left untouched, and given this game's age, this doesn't always work in the favor of the game or the player. For example, the grenade fuses are still unreasonably long, there's still copious amounts of backtracking, and I would have liked to see upgraded AI and proper ragdoll physics added to the game. When in remastered mode, it's laughable to Elites dive off ledges to avoid grenades or see bodies fly through the air flailing their arms and curling up when they hit the ground. 343 had the right idea leaving the game be-- everything from taking cover to let your shield recharge then reemerging to mow down Covies with an assault rifle to storming a beachfront with a squad of marines feels every bit as good now as it did in 2001; it just takes away from the experience to suddenly think "Man, this game really is old". The campaign, although excellent, can be frustrating very frustrating at times due to the health system as well as the not-so-fondly-remembered missions in which you must battle the deformed victims of the parasitic Flood infection. There have been two new additions to the main game: Skulls and terminals. Skulls alter the gameplay just as they have as before, and must be tracked down like in Halo 2 and Halo 3.

Additionally, one or more terminals are hidden in each mission. They come in the form of objects, such as computers and control panels that are hidden in plain sight and have always been part of the game. When activated, terminals show a beautifully painted animated cut-scene that explores the backstory of Halo. The terminals depict events that Master Chief didn't witness, such as 343 Guilty Spark's reaction to the crash of the Pillar of Autumn, (minor spoiler alert) the transformation of Captain Keyes into a Flood, and some even hint at the plot of the then-unreleased Halo 4. Both these features can only be accessed when the new visuals are being used, and are welcome additions. Another improvement over the original is the addition of glowing panels on the floor. While the copy-pasted hallways and rooms are lazy as ever, the folks at 343 Industries at least have the decency to make the the infamous mission "The Library" a bit more tolerable. When you crack open the case of Combat Evolved Aniversary, you'll notice the game comes with a free download card for Halo: Reach DLC. By entering the code on the back, you get the Anniversary Map Pack and a new Firefight mission. It's a shame that only seven of CE's maps have been remade, leaving a lot of fan favorites such as Death Island excluded  It's a good thing Blood Gulch was remade in Reach, or the fanbase might have started petition. While the maps are few, the Anniversary Classic matchmaking mode really does feel like the online component Combat Evolved couldn't have. In this game type, the gameplay has been tweaked to be as similar to the original game as possible; The gravity has been increased, melee attacks are weaker, and the magnum is ridiculously powerful and seems to miraculously target heads -- it's the same experience, but with fancy high-def graphics and Reach's stellar customization and leveling systems. Overall, Halo: CE Anniversary is an incredible remake that no series fan, new or old, should miss, but it will do nothing to convert those that dislike the series.

Ups
New HD visuals
You can easily switch between new and old visuals
Old features return
Very fun campaign
Includes free Halo: Reach DLC

Downs
Game feels as old as it really is

Sometimes frustrating
Long visual-switch time

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and frightening scenes) Content: Blood & Gore, Mild Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Kirby Super Star Review

Kirby Super Star

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System Players: 1-2 Release: 1996 Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 8.3 \ 10.0: Great

Above are Kirby and Waddle Doo playing co-op

When I became a Kirby fan, I found that Kirby Super Star was hailed as one of the best games in the series. When Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition was released, I had a chance to experience this classic, as well as Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. While I  don't quite agree with that claim, it's still a great game. The concept is original, and it's a great one: Super Star is eight minigames, some not very mini, into one! These games are Spring Breeze, a remake of Kirby's Dream Land (now with color and copy abilities!); Dyna Blade, a small series of traditional stages topped off by a boss fight;  The Great Cave Offensive, a full-blown Metroid-style treasure hunting adventure; Meta Knight's Revenge, a series of time trials through the Halberd; Gourmet Race, a series of races against King Dedede that also requires you to pick up as much food as you can; Megaton Punch, a contest against an enemy in which you must carefully time button presses in order to punch the ground with more force than your opponent (look into the crowd in the background and you may spot a cameo from a Nintendo stars including Mario and his pals and Samus Aran); Samurai Kirby, a timing-based challenge in which you must time a shuriken throw to beat your foe; The Arena, a gauntlet of increasingly difficult boss fights that has made its way into future tiles; and Milky Way Wishes, a short but fun platforming adventure. The game's 16-bit colorful and detailed visuals are among the best of the era, a pleasant touch. You'll also be treated to some of the most recognizable music pieces in history of the franchise, most notably the Gourmet Race theme, the complete version of King DeDeDe's theme, and the Marx battle theme. All of the platforming games support co-op. By pressing a button, Player one (Kirby) can transform their copy ability into the ability's corresponding enemy (Waddle Doo for Beam, Poppy Bros. Jr. for Bomb, etc.). However, this can be a frustration, as your partner may be impatient to get back in the game when they die, and in order for that to happen, you may have to sacrifice your hard-earned ability. Additionally some of the games can get boring and difficult. Even so, Kirby Super Star is a classic, and any Kirby fan is foolish not to give it a try!

Ups
Eight games in one!
Great 16-bit visuals
Amazing music
Co-op capabilities

Downs
Co-op is also flawed
Games can get boring and difficult

Also available on Wii and Wii U (via Virtual Console)

ESRB:  E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $8.00 (Wii) (Download) / $7.99 (Wii U) (Download)

Halo 4 Review

Halo 4

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: 343 Industries Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2012 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is Master Chief battling Prometheans with an assault rifle.\

The five-year wait for Halo 4 was made less boring by the first ever Halo strategy game Halo Wars, a look at life as an ODST in Halo 3: ODST, series prequel Halo: Reach (the first Halo game I played, and still the best), and a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved (the latter of which was developed by 343 Industries,). In 2012, that wait was put to an end. Many fans were relieved, but some were skeptical because of the new developer. However, 343 Industries did a great, but not perfect job of crafting a massively-anticipated sequel.

The story leaves off exactly four years, seven months, and 10 days after Halo 3, with Master Chief in cryo-sleep onboard the UNSC vessel Forward Unto Dawn. He is awakened by his AI companion, Cortana, when she discovers a that Covenant fleet has boarded the ship. Minor spoiler alert, the first foe you encounter is an Elite. Yes, a treaty was made with the Covenant in Halo 3 after the destruction of the Ark, and a truce with the elites was formed months before that, but this is the Covenant Remnant which cares not for the Arbiter's leadership. Near the end of the mission, it seems that Cortana malfunctions. After this, you must battle the Covenant Remnant in low gravity on the outside of the ship. During this sequence, the beloved battle rifle, which has returned, floats through space for you to snatch. You are then sucked into a gravity well and stranded on the Forerunner planet, Requiem.

Upon landing, Cortana reveals that she has attained rampancy, which causes AIs that have been active for over seven years (she has been active eight) to quite literally think themselves to death. It would be like a human thinking with so much of their brain that they would forget other crucial bodily functions, such as breathing. Master Chief than makes it his mission to get Cortana back to Dr. Halsey, but the Covenant aren't the only ones in his way. Now, he must battle the Prometheans, beings constructed by the Forerunners. He must also defeat the Ur-Didact, one of the last living Forerunners. The Didact is planning to use a super-weapon called the Composer to wipe out Earth's population. He sees them as the largest threat in the galaxy because of the Human-Forerunner War from long ago. the missions that follow this make up what is among the best campaigns in the series, and its conclusion will shock you.

The graphics are gorgeous, but the game doesn't offer many truly beautiful sights as Halo: Reach did. However, the attention to detail in the objects you interact with is astounding in campaign; from the dents and scratches on the Chief's armor, to the scaly skin of the Covenant, the visual features were a treat fro my eyes, as were the  and nearly photorealistic CGI cut-scenes. However, the Wii is capable of more impressive explosion effects, and the Spartan models in multiplayer look a little plasticky because of the slightly cartoonish visual style and lack the fantastiv armor detail presented by Reach. As a huge fan of platformers, a have no problem with cartoonish aesthetics in general, but it feels out of place in a shooter where this look isn't intentional such as Borderlands.

If you're bored with campaign, you can play three other modes in Infinity. Here, you can battle online or with friends in War Games (this has nothing to do with the classic movie of the same name-- it's Matchmaking renamed); make your own maps in Forge; or engage in the fun Spartan Ops mode, a secondary campaign of sorts in which you engage in brief ops as your customized Spartan. In Spartan Ops, your Spartan is referred to by his / her primary armor color (I'm called Crimson). However, Firefight mode, which hold some of my greatest Halo memories, has been scrapped in favor of Spartan Ops. Reach solved the problems faced by the lack of co-op matchmaking, but Infinity does not allow you to play co-op matches for the campaign or Spartan Ops. Additionally, you can only gain experience playing Infinity modes, while Reach allowed you to rank up by playing the campaign. You can only unlock armor through leveling up, rather than purchasing it with cR. You can now customize your own weapon / ability loadouts to use in War Games, which is a nice touch. However, rather than putting all of the   A great new feature is the arsenal of new Forerunner weapons. My two favorite of these weapons are the binary rifle, a rifle with incredible sniping capability that can instantly incinerate nearly any opponent (a laser sight does give away your location when using the scope); and the incineration cannon, a heavy piece or artillery that fires a massive long-range projectile that explodes upon impact, dealing incinerating those nearby and and showering more high-damage sparks. If you're not careful, you can incinerate yourself with the weapon! Speaking of weapons,  the sound design in this game is incredible. The rattle of the battle rifle, the boom of the shotgun, and that awesome shoom you hear when you fire a rocket, and everything all sound intimidating. The game also introduces many Armor Abilities, including Hardlight Shield and Promethean Vision. On the downside, 343 has scrapped nearly every feature added in Reach, most noticeably game types. The new Dominion mode, which is essentially intense slayer with base-building, is very fun, but it doesn't make up for the loss of Invasion (which this has replaced), Headhunter, and a co-op playlist. You may also notice that a few features of the multiplayer are borrowed from Call of Duty, such as some of the perks and ordinance drops. All of the Covenant foes have been remodeled, and the new forms are significantly uglier. This is meant to up the fear factor, but I don't like it. I truly don't understand these changes, as nearly 70% of 343's employees previously worked for Bungie. Although the flaws are mainly due to the fact that 343 Industries doesn't fully agree with Bungie's ideas, they've done an excellent job of making a Halo game, and a new developer is nothing to be skeptical about. Fans definitely should not skip by Halo 4 for that reason.

Ups
One of the best campaigns yet
Gorgeous (but sorta cartoonish) graphics
Spartan Ops mode
Customizable loadouts
Forerunner weapons and new Armor Abilities

Downs
Not as many beautiful vistas
Nearly all content introduced in Reach is gone
Disc 2 requires a large amount memory to download
Covenant foes have been remodeled

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood,  Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Halo 2 Review

Halo 2

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Microsoft Xbox Release: 2004 Players: 1-2 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.1 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is Master Chief battling Covenant at a temple with a battle rifle

In late 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved was released alongside the Xbox to much acclaim from both gamers and critics. In 2004, along came the sequel. The game's plot resumes right after the end of Combat Evolved, with the Halo destroyed and the UNSC celebrating their victory. The game opens in the Covenant's mobile capital city, High Charity. Thel Vadam, the Elite shipmaster that led the attack on reach, has been put on trial by the Prophets of the Covenant. The Elite is stripped of his rank and branded a heretic for failing to protect the Halo. Meanwhile, the Covenant launch an attack on Earth, and it's up to Master Chief to stop them.

The campaign has a twist-- for the first and only time in the series, you get a glimpse of the other side of the war, as several missions put you in the shoes of the new Arbiter, the disgraced Thel. The Elite shipmaster was absolved of his heretic status and made the Arbiter by the Prophet of Mercy. The Arbiter is a Covenant warrior that is chosen to gain honor through death. The Arbiter's missions include killing the leader of the heretics and retrieving an artifact called the Index from a newly discovered Halo. Some of the missions face the Arbiter with battling the human and Covenant victims of the zombielike parasite, the Flood. When the Arbiter isn't fighting Flood, he's battling the Covenant, because (minor spoiler alert), the duties of the Elites become the Brutes', and the Prophet of Mercy orders a genocide of the race, sending most Elites into hiding, and the Brutes on a hunt. This entry in the series introduces many new weapons (most notably the battle rifle and the SMG), as well as the ability to dual-wield handguns (why remove that from the series, why?). The mechanic of hijacking has also been added. It feels super satisfying to kick an enemy off its Ghost or ripping a passenger out of a Warthog, and even more satisfying to cram a grenade down the cockpit of a tank and watch it explode or to tear a pilot from its Banshee.

The plot of this game is by far the most intriguing in the series. The campaign is not only the one of the most difficult, but one of the most entertaining in the series, in my experience-- except for the mission Quarantine Zone. When you're not playing the campaign, you can engage in two-to-four player competition in Split-Screen mode, or up to 16 players via system link. There's also the new Xbox Live mode, which allows players to play team matches in a variety of sub-modes against other Xbox Live users from around the globe. This mode has been credited with defining modern matchmaking. Sadly, the mode was discontinued in 2010, along with the original Xbox Live service. I will never get to experience this mode in its original form, but I have since been able to play a near-perfect emulation in Halo: The Master Chief Collection. The game features visuals that hold up well today, and rank among the best of the sixth generation. The soundtrack is spectacular, and even some of the rock songs such as the Mjolnir Mix of the Halo theme and "Follow" (by the band Incubus) are enjoyable. Although the campaign is very fun, it's occasionally very frustrating, and I can't imagine how insane Legendary difficulty is (I assume one-hit-deaths abound and individual checkpoints taking hours to reach). Additionally, sorry if this somehow spoils things, the campaign's cliff-hanger ending is disappointing. Even so, there's no denying that Halo 2 is a classic sci-fi shooter that can't be missed by fans, and if you weren't able to play the game back in 2004, it's still worth playing now.

Ups
Fun campaign
Great plot with surprising twists
You get to play as the Arbiter
Great visuals (for the sixth generation, that is)
New Xbox Live mode(?)

Downs
Rock tracks not as good as orchestrated ones
Inconveniently located health meter
Frustrating campaign (yes, it's fun at the same time)
Disappointing cliff-hanger ending

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood & Gore, Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Kirby: Triple Deluxe Review

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: 3DS Release: 2014 Players: 1 (Story Mode, Dedede's Drum Dash, Dedede Tour), 1-4 (Kirby Fighters) Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 8.8 \ 10.0: Fantastic

Above is Kirby using Hypernova to knock over a tree with a wrecking ball

When Kirby's Return to Dream Land was released in late 2011, longtime fans were thrilled to see the series return to its traditional platforming roots for the first time in years. It was the second Kirby game I ever played, and has remained my favorite entry in the franchise. After a somewhat lengthy wait comes the 3DS-excelusive sequel that is this game. The opens with a beautifully rendered cut-scene that begins with Kirby sleeping in his house when, suddenly, a massive beanstalk, pardon me, "Dreamstalk", erupts from the ground. This lifts Kirby's house into Floraria, a land located high above Dream Land. Kirby wakes up and spots King Dedede's castle entangled in the Dreamstalk. He enters the castle and discovers that the insect-like Taranza, who created the Dreamstalk, has captured his the gluttonous tyrant. Kirby decides that a perilous journey through Floraria is worth rescuing his nemesis and pursues Taranza. Triple Deluxe presents many new features, most of which you will notice in the first few stages. It's hard not to notice the game's colorful and gorgeous graphics, but that's not all. There are now Warp Stars that take you from the foreground to the background, and vice versa. This leads to creative moments. Also, the game features collectible keychains that come in the form of sprites from other Kirby games. If you don't want to collect them yourself, you can purchase them for three Play Coins apiece. Additionally, Triple Deluxe presents several new copy abilities. These include Bell, which allows you to fling deadly music notes at your foes; Beetle, which grants you the power to skewer and fling enemies with a horn and fly by holding the A button when in midair; Circus, which lets you bounce around like an acrobat and juggle flaming torches; and Archer, which grants you a bow that allows you to shoot targets from afar. Plus, Wheel is back for the first time in years! In Kirby's Return to Dream Land, inhaling was taken to the next level when the ability to Super Inhale. That feature is no longer present, but inhaling is getting taken even further with the Hypernova power-up. Found in some stages, Hypernova is used to inhale and move very large objects, as well as unravel tapestries depicting memorable classic Kirby scenes. In some stages, Bandana Waddle Dee, one of the playable characters from KRTDR will stand in the background and toss you food that you can consume when you're health bar is near-empty. This game takes great advantage of the 3DS's gyroscopic capabilities, with many scenes that require tilting the system. When viewing your keychain collection, titling your 3DS move your keychains as well. For players seeking a challenge, there are several Sun Stones hidden in each stage. Although Story mode isn't a cakewalk, it's somewhat brief. If you want to take a break from Story Mode, there are several other modes to keep you occupied. There's Theater, which allows you to view any cut-scenes you've witnessed throughout story mode; Kirby Fighters, in which you can pick a Copy Ability and face off with up to three of your friends via Download Play or play a series of seven increasingly difficult battles against CPU opponents. Some of the series' best classic tunes play in this mode; Dedede's Drum Dash, a mode in which you, playing as King Dedede, press A in tune with the music to bounce of drums and collect coins; and Dedede Tour. This mode enables you to replay story mode as Dedede after you beat it. Now come the flaws. The game lacks co-op, lowering the level of fun (although co-op in the previous game did have some issues). Furthermore, Super Inhaling and fun mini games are no longer present. Kirby: Triple Deluxe, is a great platformer that no series fan should miss out on, but I recommend the game's predecessor more highly.

Ups
New copy abilities
Hypernova power-up
Collectible keychains
Takes advantage of system's gyroscopic capabilities
New modes

Downs
Story mode is somewhat brief
Lacks co-op
Super Inhaling and minigames are gone

ESRB: E Content: Cartoon Violence Price: $39.99 (Retail / Download)


Halo 3: ODST Review

Halo 3: ODST

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2009 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.0 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is Rookie battling Covenant on the streets of New Mombasa with a silenced SMG
 

Awhile ago, Halo fans may have wondered what it was like to be a UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST). When Halo 3: ODST was released, they wondered no longer. The game takes place during the events of Halo 2 (that makes me wonder why the game's title isn't Halo 2: ODST). The Covenant have discovered the location of Earth and are launching an all-out assault on New Mombasa, a port city in Kenya, Africa. Since the Master Chief is somewhere on Delta Halo, a squad of six ODSTs is dropped in pods from thousands of feet in the air into to New Mombasa (that's where the "Orbital Drop" part comes in). This squad consists of Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck, Captain Veronica Dare, Rookie, Dutch, Mickey, and Romeo. Rookie, like Noble 6 in Halo: Reach is anonymous, and with the exception of grunts and shouts, Rookie never says any word aside from a rare "ow". The latter four have real names in the Halo universe, but they're not mentioned in the game. When you crash down in Mombasa, you start off as Rookie, and you've been separated from the rest of the team. Throughout the campaign, you will switch between each soldier, with each interesting object Rookie finds leading to a flashback from the perspective of the ODST who dropped it. Up until the last two missions, Rookie's segments are rather boring-- they're 25% action, 75% strolling towards through the streets of Mombasa towards your objective point. However, the sights of the streets can be breathtaking, and little touches such as car alarms blaring and ATMs malfunctioning add to the desolate tone. The game is visually impressive the majority of time, and the sight of Mombasa at night is especially beautiful. The Halo 3 engine was reused for this game and looks better than ever, but it does show it's age occasionally. The action doesn't become the traditional intense and nonstop stuff fans are used to for Rookie until the last couple missions. ODST presents a new feature: the Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance (VISR). Activated by pressing the X button, the VISR lights up dark areas as well as highlights enemies red and allies green. By pressing Back, a menu will be opened up that allows you to view the mission map, mission objectives, and listen to the game's hidden collectible audio logs. This is an awesome feature that I'm disappointed hasn't been seen since. By discovering enough of the 52 audio logs documenting Mombassa escapee Sadie Endahsa, you can unlock perks such as an armory room and Mongooses, all of which make Rookie's segments a little more interesting and enjoyable. The campaign is difficult, a feature that is present in all Halo games, but it's not particularly lengthy. Of course, it's still very fun. Gunning down hordes of Covenant with a turret as Mickey, soaring through the night sky in Buck's stolen Banshee, blasting Banshees and Phantoms with a missile pod manned by Romeo, and racing down the coastal highway of Mombasa in Rookie's Warthog are some of the highlights of my experiences with shooters. While it's not my favorite campaign, it has more incredibly fun setpieces like this than any other game in the series. While I've become use to saving the universe as the Chief, I still enjoyed the noire style of the game, especially the moody jazz soundtrack that goes with it. If you're bored with the campaign, you can play  other modes that come on the second disc in  all of Halo 3's DLC maps: Of course, there's Matchmaking; You can make your own maps in Forge mode from Halo 3; host your own matches in Custom Game mode; and you can survive waves of Covenant in the new co-op Firefight mode that is included on Disc 1. Firefight is can feel repetive when solo, but it's a blast with buddies. Halo 3: ODST isn't my favorite Halo game, but it's still an incredible title that series fans shouldn't miss.

Ups
What's it like being an ODST? Question answered!
Tons of fun campaign moments
Game comes packaged with all Halo 3 DLC maps and modes
New Firefight mode

Downs
Campaign is shorter than usual
Rookie's segments are boring
The visuals are bland on rare instances
Firefight gets repetitive solo

ESRB: M Content: (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood, Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Halo 3 Review

Halo 3

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2007 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First-Person Shooter Rating: 9.3 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is, from left to right, the Arbiter wielding a carbine and Master Chief wielding an assault rifle

Halo 3 isn't my favorite Halo game (that would be Halo: Reach), but it's pretty darn good, and critics certainly agree. The game is set soon after its predecessor in the year 2552. Mankind is currently losing the war against the alien alliance known as the Covenant. The game begins with Master Chief, one of the last soldiers serving in Dr. Catherine Halsey's SPARTAN-II program, crash-landing while his armor is locked in the middle of a jungle in eastern Africa. Here, is confronted by Sergeant Major Johnson and his squad of UNSC marines. Upon regaining consciousness, Master Chief notices nearby movement, and rushes toward the potential assailant to find that it's a Sangheli, a species of Covenant, better known as Elites. Master Chief holds his magnum to the alien's chin, but Johnson hurriedly informs him that that this Elite is the Arbiter, a disgraced Covenant Fleetmaster. The Arbiter was stripped of his rank by the Prophets, the Covenant's religious leaders, and  made the Arbiter, a warrior who gains honor through death. However, the humans had formed a treaty with the Elites. This is because, in the previous game, the Prophet of Truth deemed the Elites unfit for duty due to their failure to protect the Prophet of Regret, and they were replaced by the Brutes. After this, the Elites discovered their religion was a lie. The Covenant believe that they can embark on a "Great Journey" by activating Halos, massive rings built by the ancient alien race, the Forerunners, the Covenant's gods. When activated, a Halo will wipe out all sentient life in a massive radius, which the Covenant are unaware of. The  rings were built as a last resort against the zombielike parasite known as the Flood, which is infesting Earth. The Flood are not affected by the Halos, but without sentient life to feed on, they will all eventually starve. Master Chief's mission is to destroy the Flood and its monstrous source, Gravemind, and to stop the Prophet of Truth from activating a Forerunner Artifact called the Ark. The Ark is located outside of New Mombasa, a Kenyan port city. When activated, the Ark will fire all of the Halos, wiping out all life in the galaxy. This is one of the series' deepest and most compelling plots yet. This is a pretty bad jumping-on point for players such as myself that are (in my case, were) fairly new to Halo, but it doesn't matter. But be warned, if you played Halo: Reach right before this like me, you'll be wondering why that Spartan fell from the sky and why that Elite that you would have killed in Reach (and also, by the way, let the attack on Reach) is now your ally. The game's campaign is very fun, but it can be frustrating. The difficulty level never rises much, but is always sometimes frustrating, and the game is already  pretty tough on the Normal difficulty. A nice touch in campaign is the still hilarious Covenant dialogue in battle. For the first time in the series, the game supports up to four-player co-op. This time around, everyone isn't just a carbon copy of the Chief. Every player assumes a different character, and if you're joined by someone playing as the Arbiter, the dialogue between him and the chief will become more personal. If you're tired of the campaign, players with an Xbox Live Gold Membership can treat themselves to online fun with Matchmaking in a variety of modes. As fun as playing online can be, the ranking system is very irritating. You gain experience when you win and actually rank down if you lose. This is extremely unfair, as your chance of victory relies heavily on your teammates, who can leave at any time and be penalized. Overall, Halo 3 offers both a solid online and local multiplayer. You can host a versus match with up to three of your buddies in your own home, and even more by inviting Xbox Live friends or using System Link. There's Forge mode, a new feature to the series. This mode which allows you to modify existing maps by deleting and adding weapons, vehicles, objects, and more. However, you can't place unlimited objects on your map, which is probably to prevent lag. Additionally, the mode isn't taken full advantage of, as none of the maps, are completely blank canvases. Lastly, there's Theater mode, in which you are able to view clips of recent games, and save your favorites for bragging rights. Using the new File Share, you are able to upload your Forge maps, films, screenshots, and custom game modes, of which can now be now be much more thoroughly modified. If you like what you find, you can download it for yourself. Halo 3 introduces a couple more new features. You can now detach turrets from their stands. You can also rank up in matchmaking. The game features detailed and vibrant visuals which hold up well today, and an amazing soundtrack. The collection of maps in this game exceeds the quality of that in other Halo game. The game includes remakes of fan favorites such as Last Resort (Zanzibar remade), and great originals such as Valhalla and Pit Stop. Halo 3 is an incredible game, but it doesn't hold up nearly as well as Reach. That does not at all mean that Halo and shooter fans should shy from this game, not at all. If you're and Xbox 360 owner that's allowed to play M-rated games, this is a must-have title.

Ups
Compelling story
Fun campaign
Covenant dialogue still hilarious
New modes
New abilities

Downs
Very difficult campaign
Forge item list is hard to navigate

ESRB: M (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood & Gore, Mild Language, and Violence Price: $14.99 (Retail / Download)

Halo: Reach Review

Halo: Reach

Publisher: Microsoft Developer: Bungie Platform: Xbox 360 Release: 2010 Players: 1-4 (Campaign), 2-16 (System Link / Online) Genre: First Person Shooter Rating: 9.4 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is a player wielding an assault rifle attacking an enemy piloting a Ghost

Halo: Reach is a prequel to the original Halo trilogy. You witness the fall of the planet Reach, something fans have been waiting for since the 2001 release of the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach. It's ironic that, sadly enough, this is the last Halo game developed by Bungie, yet it falls at the start of the main series' timeline. Reach is set in the year 2552, when mankind is at war with an alliance of alien races collectively known as the Covenant. The Covenant claim the destruction of humans is the will of their gods, the long-extinct Forerunners. The aliens are opposed by the  UNSC (United Nations Space Command) army, which genetically alters a small number of selected soldiers into supersoldiers called Spartans who don powerful suits of armor with a rechargeable shield. The armor enhances reaction, strength, and jump height. (Halo fans, remember that this takes place before Master Chief is one of  the last Spartans still serving in the UNSC) The campaign begins by shows the ruins of the planet Reach, the UNSC's military stronghold. The battered and dirty helmet of your customized Spartan lies on the ground. Immediately followed by this is a flashback to a UNSC camp on Reach, where Spartan Noble Six, the character whom you assume the role of, meets Noble Team, a squad is composed of five other specially selected Spartans. Your teammates are Noble One, Carter, the bold, no-nonsense leader of Noble Team; Noble Two, Catherine (better known as Kat), the team’s techie who has a robotic prosthetic arm (it was lost in a prior battle); Noble Three, Jun (pronounced "June"), the team’s sniper; Noble Four, Emile, a witty but sometimes silent soldier who has a dome-like helmet with a  skull painted on it and carries around a machete; and Noble Five, the bulky Jorge, who’s brutal in battle but has a big heart.

Noble Team’s first mission is to investigate distress signals coming from a farm. The action takes awhile to heat up, but when it does, you’ll realize that, even on Normal difficulty level, this game is no cakewalk, especially when you try to tackle it on your own. You’re sure to encounter frustrating moments. You can engage in two-to-four player co-op, which eases the trouble, unless you have the world’s worst partner (my brother), who sabotages the mission in any way possible. The battles in this game are on a larger scale then ever before. You can see the charred remnants of mountain ranges and cities, and look up at the sky to see dogfights between Banshees and Falcons. It's even possible to be crushed by Banshee debris. Something you’ll notice right away is how amazing the game looks by Xbox 360 standards, especially during cut-scenes. I’ve found that I’m one of the only people I know who enjoys cut-scenes or even the campaign. The campaign’s story, while not very deep, is compelling and has several twists. But the campaign isn’t all there is to the game. Of course, for those who have an Xbox Live Gold Membership, there’s Matchmaking-- online multiplayer. There are a massive number of game types in Matchmaking, including old favorites like Slayer, Capture the Flag, and Oddball. There's also a handful of new modes, my favorite of which is Headhunter. In this game type, every player starts off with the possession of a single flaming skull. More skulls are scattered throughout the map. To earn points, you must deposit these skulls at a zone. Upon dying, you will drop any unbanked skulls you have on you, and if you hold the maximum number of 10 skulls, your location will be revealed to enemies. There is also a new co-op playlist that allows you to play the campaign or Firefight in a matchmade game for the first time. Nowadays, games are focused on having solid online multiplayer, and not only does Reach do that, but it delivers some of the best local multiplayer options of any game I've ever played. Returning from Halo 3: ODST is Firefight, a mode in which you’re given 10 lives (bumped up from seven) to fight for your life in various sub-modes. You are now able to customize nearly every aspect of the game, from the loadouts to the traits of Spartans and Elites. You can also host a Custom Game, which allows you to play any Matchmaking mode offline with friends, or invite your Xbox Live friends. You can set your own rules and also save your presets as a new game type. This feature allows even those that hate shooters to have some fun. You can turn Reach from an FPS to a racer to first-person hide-and-seek; as the countless Halo: Reach game nights you can view on YouTube show, the possibilities are near-unlimited. Furthermore, there's Forge, a mode returning from Halo 3 which allows you to modify  maps with limited supplies and play on them with pals. Forge has been vastly improved, as you can now create structures. Lastly, there's Theater, in which you can watch and edit films of recent sessions, and pause to take screenshots of your favorite moments. Pics, films, maps, and custom game types can all be uploaded to the File Share for other Reach players to enjoy. You are still able to recommend a file to all your friends by selecting a single option, You can now obtain credits (cR) in order to purchase various items and also level up. This includes armor, which is just to look awesome; Firefight voices, if you don't enjoy Noble Six's voice in Firefight; and armor effects. There are daily challenges that give you a chance to earn cR. However, a large amount of these challenges can only be completed by playing Matchmaking, which I only sometimes. Your military rank can now be increased outside of Matchmaking, so you don't need to play Matchmaking for people to know how good you are.  There is a handful of new weapons, including the designated marksman rifle (DMR), the grenade launcher, the target locator (human weapons), the Plasma Repeater, the Plasma Launcher, and the Concussion Rifle (Covenant weapons). However, it's missing a few old favorites, such as the battle rifle, the submachine gun (human), the carbine, the beam rifle, and the Brute shot (Covenant).  You can't even dual-wield handguns (nor could you in Halo 3: ODST, released the previous year)! There are two new vehicles: the Falcon, a helicopter with two turrets (human), and the Revenant, a sleek, red vehicle equipped with a plasma mortar, boosters, and a passenger seat (Covenant). But the game is missing the Hornet (human), the Chopper, and the Prowler (Covenant). Even so, it's more important what a game does have over what it doesn't. However, the game suffers from occasional but brief frame rate drops despite the annoyingly lengthy load times, which are there to pre-load the games and prevent lag. Last of all, and this is self-explanatory if you've played a Halo game, the aforementioned visuals and orchestrated soundtrack are absolutely amazing. Halo games have always had great graphics, but the engine was drastically overhauled over the course of development. Halo 3: ODST doesn't have much on Reach in the visuals department! The vistas are gorgeous, and the character detail has been vastly improved. Examples of this are the dents and scratches on Spartan armor. The musical score is arguably composer Martin O'Donnell's best work yet, and while many of the tracks sound similar, they're all epic and intense. From gameplay, to graphics, to content diversity, there are few times when Halo: Reach ceases to amaze. If you’re an Xbox 360 owner who’s of age to play M-rated games (even though this game shouldn’t be rated M), then this game is a absolute must-have.

Ups
Great campaign
Content diversity

Don't like shooters? Not a problem!
Amazing visuals and soundtrack
New weapons and vehicles
Tons of new content

Downs
Sometimes very difficult
Daily challenges are overly focused on Matchmaking
Missing weapons and vehicles
Lengthy load times

ESRB: M for Mature (DISCLAIMER: I disagree with the Mature rating, as there are just as violent games and movies with lower age ratings) (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains intense violence, large amounts of realistic blood, bad language, and scary scenes) Content: Blood, Language, and Violence Price: $19.99 (Retail)

Plants vs. Zombies Review

Plants vs. Zombies

Publisher: PopCap Developer: PopCap Platform: iOS Players: 1 Release: 2010 Genre: Real-Time Strategy / Action Rating: 9.1 \ 10.0: Excellent

Above is the game's title screen

From PopCap, developer of many popular casual games including the Bejeweled, Bookworm, and Zuma series (none of which I've played) comes Plants vs. Zombies. This is an app with an amusing  plot-- zombies or many varieties are fixated on breaking into your house and eating your brains, and you must thwart these undead monsters by using an array of odd anthropomorphic plants. The game features several modes, the main being Adventure. In this mode, you play through 50 increasingly difficult stages, divided into five worlds, each being a part of your house-- lawn (day), lawn (night), backyard (day), backyard (night), and roof. The playing field is divided into several lanes. In each stage, you begin with 50 suns. Suns are used to deploy plants onto the field. Plants are priced differently and all serve unique purposes. Well, some serve the same purpose, but do it better than others. The main plants include sun-producing sunflowers, pea-launching peashooters, defensive walnuts, and explosive cherry bombs. The zombies come in many different types,  each one odder than the last. There are pole-vaulters, football players, disco dancers, Zamboni (pardon me, "Zomboni") drivers, pogo-stickers, miners, and many more. Throughout the game, you'll engage in several entertaining minigames, which are available to play upon your completion of Adventure mode, along with a handful of other minigames. Completing the first four worlds of Adventure unlocks the Zen Garden, in which you can grow plants to produce coins. These coins can be used to purchase items from your maniacal neighbor Crazy Dave, who aids you throughout the game. Believe me, he's crazy, and in a very humorous way. As you may have noticed from what I've already written, this game is chock-full of humor, a decent amount of which comes from the Suburban Almanac, a guide to all of the plants and zombies you've encountered. One touch of funniness comes when you complete Adventure. The zombies send you a poorly-written surrender letter that requests that you make a music video with them. I won't spoil the video, but you can view it for yourself when you beat Adventure. Additionally, the game features charming hand-drawn graphics and a catchy soundtrack. I only have a few small complaints about this game. It can be frustrating at times, in part due to the tactics of the ladder and bungee-jumping zombies encountered the roof levels being borderline unfair. The game lacks some animations; for example, when you knock a balloon zombie out of the sky when it's flying over a pool, it will simply disappear. My last quibble is that the the sound quality is relatively low. The DSi port gets a pass because the hardware doesnt allow it, but smartphones and tablets are optimized for playing music. Plants vs. Zombies is a truly amazing app, and I doubt you'll find a better experience on your mobile device.

Ups
Amusing premise
Chock-full of quirky humor
Fun minigames
Charming hand-drawn graphics and catchy soundtrack

Downs
Sometimes frustrating
Missing animations
Relatively low sound quality

Also available on other mobile devices, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and DSi.

ESRB: E 10+ Content: Animated Blood and Cartoon Violence Price: $0.99 (Download)

Suggestion Box

Suggestion Box

 

I'm always looking for ways to improve my site. If there's a game you'd like me to review or a page element you think I should add, then leave a comment below.

THANK YOU!

Punch Quest Review

Punch Quest

Publisher: Noodlecake Studios Developer: Rocketcat Games Platform: Kindle Fire Players: 1 Release: 2012  Genre: Action / 2D Platformer Rating: 7.9 \ 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is an image of an easy section of a run

From Rocketcat Games, developer of the critically praised Super QuickHook (which I have yet to play) comes an epic endless runner. You assume the roll of a muscular warrior with a tremendous penchant for punching whom you can select the gender. To satisfy the warrior's craving, you must pummel bloodthirsty monsters. However, a gnome named Gnomey needs you to complete arbitrary tasks (he literally calls them arbitrary) in order for him to achieve true gnomehood. This is only one of the game's humorous touches. By defeating monsters and completing quests, you receive Punchos, the game's currency. Punchos can be used to obtain getup for your character and purchase powers. You have two standard powers and one Super Move. Super Moves vary from causing defeated foes to explode from generating a massive stone fists that circle you. If you gain enough power while using a Super Move, it becomes an almighty Ultra Move. To activate your moves, you must fill up a meter on the bottom of the screen by defeating enemies. During your run, you may encounter an egg. Punch it, and you will assume the roll of a creature, such as a gnome, a laser-raptor, or a rabid goaticorn to rack up some more points. However, the challenges can be mind-meltingly, well, challenging, like getting an 100-hit combo. Also, not surprisingly, the action can become tedious. The retro-style visuals, while certainly not original, are charming and detailed enough to take my mind off the b boredom. Despite its minor downfalls, Punch Quest is an exceptional app that should satisfy anyone seeking solid endless running action.

Ups
Amusing backstory
Quirky humor
Retro graphics
Epic powers

Downs
Challenging "arbitrary quests"
Can get tedious

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? Price: $0.00 (Download)

Clash of Clans Review

Clash of Clans

Publisher: Supercell Developer: Supercell Platform: iOS Players: MMO Release: 2012 Genre: Action / Real-Time Strategy Rating: 7.9 / 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is an image of an beginning player's village

 

From new developer Supercell comes a fantasy action-strategy app that has since become a mega-hit. The game has you assume the roll of a chief who is tasked with building and managing a village. As soon as you begin the game, you'll engage in a boring tutorial in which you are attacked by goblins and must set up a cannon to defend your village. Then you must engage in an incredibly easy ambush on a goblin outpost. From there, you must build the necessary structures for your village. There are several types of currency: gold, rare dark elixir, and gems. Gold and elixir are the main money, while dark elixir takes awhile to unlock, and gems are the things people use to (sort of) cheat with and then -buy in bulk for just a few bucks. I however, am not a "gemmer", and earn gems fairly. Right away, you're tasked with creating a gold storage, a gold mine, an elixir storage, an elixir collector,  a barrack, and an army camp. The latter two are used for training and housing various troops, which can be used to raid villages all around the world or engage in the optional campaign that has you raid goblin bases. In order to gain a good reputation, you must obtain trophies. To do this, you must attack other players from around the world. There are several leagues. The more trophies you have, the higher your league rank. The higher your rank, the bigger the bonus from an attack. One of the game's best features is the ability to create and join clans-- for a (in-game) price. A clan is a guild of players who can help each other by sharing troops and participating in Clan Wars, two-day turn-based wars between two clans. The clans have one day to prepare, and one day to do as much damage as possible. The clan that receives the most stars (obtained by doing damage), reigns victory, and earns a solid loot bonus. One of the game's nice touches are its impressive cartoony visuals, which bear a unique style. Despite the good features, there are flaws. Some items are overly expensive, and structure building / upgrading yields annoyingly long waits in which you are unable to interact with the structure. This game intentionally tests your patience, which is how Supercell has made millions in gem purchases. If youve spent a fair share of time on the App Store, you're probably very familiar with the free-to-play format, and if you hate it as much as all hardcore gamers, just know that Clash of Clans popularized it. As a result, those who choose not to buy gems will encounter gemmer after gemmer when searching for players to attack in higher leagues. Additionally, it's not uncommon to get raided, and you can lose lots of gold and elixir. Even so, Clash of Clans is an exceptional app, which could be better had It not decided to trick people into spending money.

Ups
Good concept
You can create and join clans
Unique and impressive visuals

Downs
Boring tutorial
Some items are overly expensive
Annoyingly long upgrade waits
Raids can devastate you

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? Price: $0.00 (Download)

League of Evil Review

League of Evil

Publisher: Noodlecake Studios Developer: Ravenous Games / Woblyware Platform: Kindle Fire Players: 1 Release: 2012 Genre: Action / 2D Platformer Rating: 7.6 / 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is the agent delivering a punch

From the creators of other apps including Random Heroes (see my review!) comes a critically acclaimed action-platformer app. The game has you assume the roll of a cyborg agent who is sent out to take out evil scheming scientists collectively known as the League of Evil. You are equipped with supernatural agility and strength, as well as two of the most powerful weapons known to man-- a fist and a foot! You'll get face spike pits, electrified drones, turrets, spiked blocks, soldiers, ninjas, spies, sumos, and more across over 160 stages to give those scientists that well-deserved punch in the face! This is a speed-running-oriented platformer in the vein of Super Meat Boy-- the stages are short, and you're only given a short amount of time to complete a stage if you wish to achieve a three-star score. Longer levels will grant you 35 seconds, but sometimes you might be limited to eight! If completing this game 100% didn't already sound tough enough, there's a briefcase hidden in every stage. I strongly advise getting three stars on a level before attempting to snatch a briefcase so you'll be free to take your time. Like other Ravenous Games titles, League of Evil has a quirky sense of humor. The best examples  of this are the opening cut-scenes at the beginning of each world. In the first world, you get assigned; in the second world, there's a newspaper which includes an add for League of Evil 2; in the third world, it's a TV news announcement; and in the fourth world, it's a scene in which you must break free from a chair you're chained to and dispatch two spies. Plus, the game has an infectiously catchy chiptine soundtrack. However, the game is hard-- EXTREMELY hard. This game is best enjoyed in short bursts-- you're gonna end up wanting to scream if you get stuck on a stage, and trust me, activating the "ghost" option will only get in your way. Having the ghosts of your failed attempts bloodbath screen is obviously influenced by Super Meat Boy, but that game saves it for when you've completed a level. I've checked my stats, and I've died several thousand times. I also envountered a handful of frustrating technical issues including being locked in a certain direction, completion screens taking awhike to load, and unresponsive menus. Despite the extreme difficulty, League of Evil is a great app that any fan of Ravenous Games shouldn't miss out on.

Ups
What do you expect after playing Random Heroes?
Quirky humor

Downs
HARD!!!
Ghosts are intrusive
Minor technical iaauss

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains large amounts of animated blood) Price: $0.99 (Download)

Warmongers Review

Warmongers

Publisher: Category 5 Games Developer: Category 5 Games Platform: Kindle Fire Release: 2012 Genre: Action / Real-Time Strategy Rating: 7.9 / 10.0: Great

Above is a scene from one of the game's early battles.

If you enjoy fantasy-filled strategy action, than Warmongers is for you. Like many apps, it doesn't need a story to be fun. The general idea is that you use mana to deploy various units into a battlefield to combat goblins. There is a green on the top of the screen. You must fill it up by getting units across the screen. When goblins cross, it empties. When it's full, you win! In the center of the bar is an orb-- your BloodLust orb. This orb can be filled by defeating foes, waiting, our using potions that you can unlock by playing every day. When filled, you can activate a unit's supernatural BloodLust attack. Every unit has a different attack. For example, the spearman charges towards the nearest enemy with tremendous speed and dispatches it with a flurry of spear strikes; the knight charges towards the nearest enemy and releases a shockwave that temporarily stuns all the foes in that row; the archer releases an arrow that knocks back and mildly damages all the enemies in a row; the wizard transforms the nearest opponent into a sheep, which then explodes. These are half of the eight unit's attacks. The game features 16 territories, each consisting of several sets of three battles. You can unlock new units and BloodLust tokens by conquering territories. BloodLust tokens are used to purchase a unit's BloodLust attack. Additionally, there are various powers you can unlock. These powers can be used in battle. They include summoning a rain of arrows, calling forth a row of massive wooden stakes that burst from the ground, and tossing a poisonous gas bomb to weaken foes. Also, there are different army colors. Each color has a different ability. The default color, red, increases BloodLust regeneration from kills. Blue increases mana regeneration, and so on. The most expensive color, black, combines the effects of all purchased colors. However, the game can be very difficult. Managing your mana well is crucial, and one wrong move can ruin the whole battle and cease your winning streak bonuses. Plus, the action can get repetitive at times. The game will satisfy anyone seeking a stiff challenge. Despite its flaws, Warmongers is great by mobile game standards-- and it's FREE!

Ups
Great strategy action
Awesome BloodLust attacks
Cool powers
It's FREE!!!

Downs
Very hard
Mana-managing is crucial

One wrong move can ruin you
Sometimes repetitive action

Also availabe on iOS

ESRB: ??? Content: ??? Price: $0.00 (Download)

Terraria Review

Terraria

Publisher: 505 Games / Re-Logic Developers: Re-Logic / Codeglue Platform: PC Players: 1-8 (LAN) Release: 2013 Genre: Sandbox / Adventure Rating: 8.6 \ 10.0: Great

Above are three players residing in their large house

If you're a Minecraft fan who thinks like me, when you first see Terraria, you may think, "Minecraft rip-off!!!" just because there's (admittedly charming) retro-style graphics, mining, crafting, and resource-gathering. But that's a lie. Sure, Terraria and countless other games, some of which are actual rip-offs (I'm looking at you, Survivalcraft!), may have borrowed those few ideas, but Terraria does it better then the rest by adding a large twist on Minecraft: The game is played from a 2D perspective. That one change makes a big difference. This can make the game feel a bit limited, but that's a minor issue. Also, you'll find that the gameplay is much different. When you first play the game, you must create a character. You can customize this character's appearance to your likeness, from hair to clothing color, and name it whatever you please. You can create multiple characters, each of which can travel to any of your up worlds without losing any gear, allowing you to gather items from one world to bring to another. It's a unique system that really helps. When you create a new character, you start off with a copper pickaxe, a copper shovel, and a copper sword. Anyone who's played  Minecraft will be comfortable with having to gather supplies, and any strategy you may have developed when you create a Survival world in Minecraft still might work. However, the same level of comfort may not apply to the 2D control scheme. I didn't have a problem with it, but others may. When you create a world, there will be an NPC guide. You can chat with this guide to get advice. Among this advice is how to get NPCs to move in. There are various NPCs, all of which serve a different purpose. Here are the requirements for an NPC to live with you: You must have a large enough house with a door, a wall in the background, a light source, a table, and a chair. A nice touch is the fact that when you die, you respawn with all your items to alleviate frustration. Those seeking a greater challenge can play Hard mode to change this. Minecraft has quite a few items, but Terraria has far more. There is a huge variety of tools, weapons, armors, ores, and miscellaneous junk. If you don't like the appearance of your armor, you can use something better looking, such as a jungle rose for your hair, as a vanity item. Where Minecraft only has swords and bows, Terraria has spears, shuriken, blowguns, grenades (one of which I accidentally killed myself with), and far more. Even potions have far more variety. There are potions to make you luminous, allow you to reverse gravity or breathe underwater, and some that improve random stats like ranged attack accuracy. In every world, there is a dungeon. These dungeons can hold untold riches, and all hold the near-unbeatable Dungeon Guardian, a massive disembodied skull that can kill you instantly. When you speak to the old man in front of the dungeon at night, you can summon the Skeletron, a massive disembodied skull with massive disembodied arms! Defeat it, and you gain access. The game features other odd and amusing bosses including a massive flying eye and a literal wall of flesh, the oddest of all being the Easter-themed Lepis. Part of the Easter update, this monster is a massive, pink, grinning bunny that lays eggs that hatch small man-eating bunnies (meant to be ironic because bunnies are usually just sliced in two from fun by players), and occasionally, large eggs will be lain that hatch another Lepis! These can be destroyed before they hatch. This specific boss claimed the life of my NPC guide and roommate, Jeff, who was soon replaced by Ben. In short, the bosses are crazy hard! Even so, they add to the game's quirky humor. Also, it takes awhile to get all the survival necessities. As with Minecraft, the mobile version of this game omits a lot of content, the console version has most of it (but for a higher price), and the PC version is almost undeniably the best. Even low-end modern computers can run this game at a stable framerate, so it's best not to buy it on one if portability isn't a concern to you. However, newbies can play the tutorial. But, like the tutorial Minecraft: Console Edition, there are far too many valuable items to give you a clear idea of what the game is like. Regardless, I recommend this to any Minecraft or survival game fan seeking a slightly different experience.

Ups
Charming retro graphics
Not a Minecraft rip-off
NPC system
Toms of items
Creative bosses
Quirky humor

Downs
Crazy hard bosses
Overly easy tutorial
Small world limit
Missing content

Also available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, 3DS, Wii U, and mobile devices.

ESRB: T Content: Alcohol Reference, Blood & Gore, Cartoon Violence, and Mild Suggestive Themes (PARENTAL WARNING: This game contains large amounts of animated blood) Price: $14.99 (Download)