Super Mario 3D World Review

Super Mario 3D World

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii U Players: 1-4 Release: 2013 Genre: 3D Platformer / Adventure Rating: 9.5 \ 10.0: Masterful

Above is 4 people playing the stage "Sprawling Savannah" using Cat Suits

Finally! After two years, the sequel to 3DS masterpiece Super Mario 3D Land has arrived! I knew throwing a penny into a fountain would actually cause this game to be announced... it just took a year-and-a-half (still waiting on Super Mario Galaxy 3, Miyamoto!). You might be wondering, why is this game on Wii U and not 3DS? I mean, it has "3D" in the title! Well, that's likely because the Wii U just needs more quality first party experiences. The story has a twist which, after almost 30 years of the same thing, is greatly unexpected. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad are taking a walk on a beautiful night when they discover an odd clear Warp Pipe. A green-garbed fairy emerges from the pipe in a panic, and is followed by Bowser, who captures the creature in a jar. With Peach right in front of him. Boom! Bet you didn't see that coming! Peach catches here first real break from being kidnapped. 25 years ago, she managed not to get kidnapped in Super Mario Bros. 2-- but that was Mario's dream. The four friends enter the transparent pipe, many of which will be found as they explore the new world of the Sprixtie kingdom on a quest to save the land's fairies form Bowser's evil clutches.

Super Mario 3D World presents many new features, the most notable being the new power-up, the Super Bell. This golden bell grants you an adorable cat suit that allows you to claw at enemies and climb up walls. There is also another new power-up: the Double Cherry. This pair of fruits creates a clone of you that copies your actions. Each Double Cherry you collect creates another clone. You can assemble an entire army of duplicates of you, but they will evaporate if they take damage. There is also the Cannon Box, a block that can be worn on your head to endlessly blast explosive spheres, and charge up more powerful cannonballs by holding the attack button; and the Light Box, which projects a beam of light that lights the darkness and evaporates ghosts. There are also returning Super Mario 3D Land favorites, such as the Boomerang Flower, the Propeller Box, and the Super Leaf-- its Super Mario 3D Land incarnation. You can play with up to four people, and, as a reference to Super Mario Bros. 2, the playable characters have retained there skills from that game, despite the fact that the game took place inside Mario's head. You now get a lot more freedom when you traverse the world maps-- you move in any direction, and they are goodies such as coins and 1-Up mushrooms hidden throughout them. The game takes excellent advantage on the Wii U's capabilities. The GamePad's touchscreen can be tapped to reveal invisible objects, and blowing into the microphone can blow small enemies away.

The visuals are beautiful, most of all the incredible lighting effects. The graphics are plagued by mild but almost unnoticeable pop-up. This is made up for by the vibrant, colorful, and detailed environments that make Super Mario 3D World a visual marvel overall. The game's musical score is also one of my favorites in the franchise. While nothing can top the work of the Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra, but the musicians behind this game's soundtrack come very close. The score mixes upbeat jazz tunes will keep you snapping to the beat (that is, if you know how to snap ... which I do not) with some Galaxy-style orchestral tracks.

In another reference to Super Mario Bros. 2, there are slot machine stages that plays a remix of the classic's character selection screen music. In addition to all the new features, many throwbacks involving enemies are features. Among the classic foes are Chargin' Chucks (Super Mario World), Bullies (Super Mario 64), Flurries (SMB2), and when you stomp on a Koopa, it's knocked out of its shell (not an enemy, but it's a feature unseen since SMW), and in some stages, Goombas can be found riding in large ice skates reminiscent of Kuribo shoes from SMB3.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mario's overshadowed younger brother Luigi (aside from an entire game), you can unlock Luigi Bros., a remake of Luigi's debut game Mario Bros. starring the overshadowed brother. If you have New Super Luigi U save data on your Wii U, Luigi Bros. will automatically be available to play. There are also several stages in which you can spot the shadow of Luigi's sprite from Super Mario Bros. As a single-player affair, Super Mario 3D World is still outstanding, but it's best enjoyed with pals. The multiplayer is chaotic and fun, and the game encourages teamwork far more than it did in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. For example, you now have to consider the consequences of tossing your buddy into a pit, because all of the players share the same pool of lives (an annoyance when your friends are newbies). Additionally, there are some fun stages where you ride a dinosaur named Plessie (a remix of the Secret Slide theme from SM64 plays in the background), all of the players must work together to control the creature. There are even a few hidden Green Stars that are accessed via platforms that require a certain number of people on them to move. However, everyone will still compete for the highest score, for at the end of the each stage, the player with the most points receives a crown. This piece of jewelry serves no purpose but to paint an imaginary target on the player wearing it and awards them with an additional 10,000 points if they finish a stage while wearing it, nearly ensuring that whoever has it at the end of a level will have it in the next.

The game takes advantage of Miiverse by allowing you to use collectible stamps hidden in stages to create pictures for others to view. With Miiverse, you can also find Miis on the world map and comment on or give a Yeah! to their posts, as well as race ghost Miis in stages. However, the game is not at any point a cakewalk, much unlike the game's predecessor, and there can be frustration at times, in fact. Additionally, when you play Luigi Bros., when you're done playing you must return to the Wii U homepage rather then SM3DW, which can be annoyingly time-consuming. And it just doesn't feel right to put a game that could be almost exactly the same on 3DS on Wii U, thought the multiplayer does make up for this. The mere fact it's on the system is to further popularize the console and boost sales. Even so, Super Mario 3D World is another amazing and imaginative Mario title chock-full of surprise and joy that never ceases to amaze, and it's pretty much the best reason to own a Wii U.

Ups
Awesome new power-ups
Beautiful visuals (with mild pop-up)
Creative use of the GamePad
Chaotic co-op
Fun stamps
Miiverse connectivity

Downs
Sometimes frustrating difficulty level
Game must be reopened after playing Luigi Bros.
Could have been almost the same on 3DS

ESRB: E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $59.99 (Retail)

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Review

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: Nintendo 64 Players: 1 (Story Mode), 1-4 (Minigames) Release: 2000 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 8.2 \ 10.0: Great

Above is Kirby using the Flame-Cutter Copy Ability combo

At the climax of the legacy of the Nintendo 64 came the game everyone had been waiting for-- a 64-bit Kirby title! The story has the evil Dark Matter invade the planet Ripple Star. One of the planet's inhabitants, Ribbon the fairy, escapes the sacred Great Crystal. Dark Matter pursues Ribbon through outer space and shatters the crystal, knocking Ribbon to Kirby's home planet of Pop Star, left with only the shards of the sacred treasure. Ribbon goes to Kirby's help, for Dark Matter is still is search of her. It's up to Kirby to collect all the crystal shards, which are hidden throughout the game's worlds. One of the game's most noticeable features are the incredible lush and smooth 64-bit visuals, arguably the best on the N64. You would think Kirby 64 would be a 3D platformer, given its platform, but it's played from a unique 2.5D perspective that series has never seen since. The action is similar to previous entries in the series with a twist that I dearly wish will be seen again soon: you can combine two different Copy Abilities for an all new attack. Cutter and Flame, for example, grants you a flzaming sword. You can also use the same Copy Ability twice for a mega-powerful attack. For instance, Bomb and Bomb lets you hold down the attack button to launch a mouthful of missiles! In another neat twist, if you inhale an enemy, you can hoist it above your head and use it as a weapon-- it's also kind of cruel. Aside from the main game, there's set of minigames that can be enjoyed with 4 players. These games are 100-Yard Hop, in which you must press two buttons to the right timing to hop over puddles; Crop Catch, in which you must catch falling fruit in a basket, and in the process switching places with other; and finally, my personal favorite, Checker Board Chase, in which you chase your opponents across a checkerboard and press a button to make a whole column of blocks fall. Despite all these fun new features, the game feel's rather slow-paced compared to the near-nonstop Iight action I'm used to from Kirby titles-- Kirby literally moves at a  slow pace, which kind of dumbs things down. That alone is a let-down. Additionally, the game can sometimes be frustrating, as some levels will tear through your life counter. Despite the slow pace, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a great game that no fan of the series should miss.

Ups
Impressive visuals
Creative Copy Ability combo system
Unique game-exclusive features
Fun minigames

Downs
Annoyingly slow pace
Sometimes frustrating

ESRB: E Content: ??? Price: $10.00 (Download)

Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins Review

Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Players: 1 Release: 1992 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 8.0 \ 10.0: Great

Above shows Mario using the Magic Carrot
 

Super Mario Land was a rather odd Mario platformer-- anthropomorphic sphinxes? Exploding Koopas? Stages in which you pilot submarines and biplanes.? Fake princesses that turn into octopi? What the heck?!  Well, any fans who thought that was super weird were probably a more comfortable with the game's sequel. Super Mario Land was bizarre, but you couldn't call it "untraditional" back in 1989, because it was the third Mario game released in North America, and the second one was a renamed non-Mario game! (See my review of Super Mario Bros. 2 for more details) The plot of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins has Wario, Mario's doppleganger who appeared for the first time in this game, take over Mario's castle-- not Peach's castle-- Mario's castle! To unlock the doors to the castle, Mario must retrieve the six golden coins that are scattered throughout the land. There's one coin hidden in each of the game's zones-- the Tree Zone, the Turtle Zone, the Mario Zone, the Pumpkin Zone, the Macro Zone and the Space Zone. These zones can be played in any order. The game plays like any other Mario game, except with a few creative twists that set it apart. In the Macro Zone, for example, you encounter an abundance of mega-size household objects, implying that you have shrunk. That Zone's boss is a mouse!-- And not Mouser from Super Mario Bros. 2. There is also a good deal of new enemies, some of which were variations of existing foes, and many of which were weird creatures that have never been seen since. The three prime power-ups of the Mario series-- the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, and the Super Star, are all present, and are joined with a new power-up: the Magic Carrot. This veggie grants you cute rabbit ears that allow to flutter slowly through the air by holding the A button, and swim indefinitely the same way-- no button-mashing! Anyone who has played the beloved Super Mario World will recognize some similarities. For example, Mario is able to spin jump in both games (it is pulled off differently here because the Game Boy has two main buttons rather than four). Additionally, both games remix and reuse their catchy main themes in many levels. The bonus games from the original SML have returned, but they're different this time. You can save up coins to play one of these games whenever you please. If you've read my review of Super Mario Land, you may have noticed how I scored these two games equally. Well, not that this is really anything to complain about, this game draws visual influence from Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World making it one of the best-looking titles of the 8-bit era (the first SML lies on the other end of the spectrum as one of the worst-looking games of the late '80s). However, it just didn't feel right to have such a great-looking game appear so colorless. Additionally, some of the music is full of ear-numbing squeaks that make you want to turn the volume down, even the typically catchy Super Star theme. Despite these flaws, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a classic that shouldn't be overlooked because it's bizarre.

Ups
Creative twists
New power-up
More traditional
Great 8-bit graphics

Downs
Black-and-white ruins graphical appeal
Music with irritating squeaks
 

ESRB: E Content: ??? Price: $3.99 (Download) 

Sonic and the Secret Rings Review

Sonic and the Secret Rings

Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team / Now Production Platform: Wii Players: 1 (Adventure), 1-4 (Minigames) Release: 2007 Genre: 3D Platformer / Action Rating: 7.3 \ 10.0: Good

Above is a scene from of the missions in Dinosaur Jungle

When the Wii was released, Sega was probably thinking, "Let's make a game that fully takes advantage of the Wii!". That sounds like a good idea, but they took it too far. It all begins when Sonic reads the Arabian Nights and falls asleep, and is awaken by the genie Shara. Shara tells him that the Arabian Nights face destruction by the evil genie, Erazor Djinn. Sonic is transported to the world of the Arabian Nights by Shara, where they confront Erazor. He wants to recover the legendary World Rings, which Shara claims don't exist. Erazor shoots a flaming curse at Shara, which Sonic jumps in front of to take for her. Erazor will only remove the curse, which will eventually kill Sonic, if he recovers the World Rings for him. Good enough story-- except for the fact that Sonic clearly doesn't have to hurry to remove the curse if he has enough time to complete a full journey, and there are even times when Erazor is for somereason trying to stop you from gathering the rings. As for the gameplay... to move, you have to tilt the Wii Remote, you dash forward by shaking the controller, and you can perform  the homing attack by shaking the Wiimote. Homing in on a chain of enemies and plowing through them all admittedly feels thrilling, I will say. The control scheme is primarily centered around motion, with the only exception being that you press 2 to jump. However, the controls can be loose and unresponsive at times, leading to lots of frustration-- the excessive implementation of motion was not a very good idea. That's not to say The Secret Rings is bad overall. The game is divided by worlds, each representing a different story in the Nights. Each world has a variety of missions to engage in such as completing a stage without dying, collecting a certain amount of rings, and more. The game takes an amusing twist when you encounter characters from the Arabian Nights resembling Sonic characters such as Sonic's best friend Tails, Knuckles the echidna, and Sonic's longtime nemesis Doctor Eggman. You can earn different skills which you can arrange in sets you can use when you play, adding a small bit of depth. One thing about this game that will stick in your head permanently is the4 soundtrack-- but not for the right reasons. While the music is good, the game's main theme is overplayed, and the lyrics can be extremely repetitive (geez, I wonder how much time it took to write the line "Who's gonna rock the place? Place? Place?") Aside from the main game, there's a Mario Party-style Party mode in which you can play motion control-based minigames with up to four players. Sonic and the Secret Rings is a good game, but the idea of a completely motion-based game just isn't a really bright one. It's not bad, just flawed.

Ups
Creative setting
Amusing characters
Four player party mode, I guess?
Catchy music

Downs
Heavy focus on motion controls that just doesn't work
Soundtrack has repetitive lyrics

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

Told You So Review's Guide to Gamer Language

Told You So Review's Guide to Gamer Language

Some of my viewers may not entirely understand some of the gaming terms I use, and if you are among that crowd, this dictionary of the language of gamers will be very helpful. It includes terms even I haven't used in my reviews, because gamers gotta know how to speak gamer. Example sentences are included, and examples for genres are the names of a game from the genre that I have reviewed.

A

Anti power move | The opposite of a power move (see "Power move")
Ex.: "You failed the level again! What an anti power move!"



B



Backseat gamer | Somebody that tries to tell their friend how to play a game while they are spectating. This is typically unnecessary and annoying

Ex.: "I know how to play the game, stop being a backseat gamer!"

Brawler | A typically 2.5D game that involves advancing from room to room while pummeling foes, thus earning the genre the nickname of "beat 'em up"
Ex.: Castle Crashers

C

Collectathon | A term that typically refers to nonlinear 3D platformers in which there are numerous collectable items that are necessary for progression
Ex.: Super Mario Oydssey 

COM / CPU | Abbreviations for "computer", as in a computer-controlled character
Ex.: The player was about to face a COM opponent.

Cut-scene | A cinematic sequence in which the story progresses and you usually have no control
Ex.: The final cut-scene was very lengthy.

D

DLC | Short for "downloadable content", which is, as the name implies, extra content you can purchase and download
Ex.: A new DLC map pack was released for the game.

E

Easter egg | A special hidden secret
Ex.: The Easter egg was very well-hidden.

eSports | Short for "electronic sports". That doesn't mean sports video games, it means professional gaming!
Ex.: The gamer made thousands of dollars through eSports.

Expansion pack | DLC that adds a significant amount of content to an online game, typically an MMORPG  (See MMO and RPG)
Ex.: The expansion pack increased the player level cap and added a new raid.



F

F2P / FTP | Short for "free2play" / "free-to-play", a game which is, well, free to play
Ex.: Random Heroes

FPS | Short for "first-person shooter", a shooting game in which you view the game from the eyes of the player character
Ex.: The Halo series

Freenium | An F2P game featuring DLC / IAP that can be purchased with real money (see "F2P / FTP", "DLC", and "IAP")
Ex.: Clash of Clans

G

God mode | When a player is massively overpowered and capable of creating lots of chaos
Ex.: "I've got a massive win-streak! I'm in God mode right now!

Grinding | Frequent repetition of a task in order to gain loot and / or experience points, typically in an RPG
Ex.: Destiny (this game contains a good deal of grinding)

I

IAP | Short for in-app-purchase. Essentially DLC for apps, but usually in the form of in-game currency instead of content (see "DLC")
Ex.: The game sold a virtual currency as an IAP.

J

JRPG | Short for "Japanese role-playing game" (see RPG)
Ex.: The Mario & Luigi series 

K

Killer app | Short for "killer application", a system's / company's most popular game

Ex.: The Super Mario series is Nintendo's killer app

L

Linear | Used to describe an objective in a game in which there is a strict path that the player follows

M

Minigame | A small and short game within a game
Ex.: The Mario Party series (these games aren't minigames, but minigame-based games)


MLG | Short for Major League Gaming. Major League Gamers compete in es|Sports tournaments for money (see "eSports")
Ex.: The gamer had won several MLG tournaments.

MMO | Short for "massively multiplayer online game", which is a game in which you interact with other users around the world. MMO is the root of subgenres such as MMORPGs (see "RPG")
Examples: No example

MOBA | Short for "multiplayer online battle arena", which are games that typically feature numerous distinct characters and are played from a top-down perspective in a PvP arena (see "PvP")
Ex.: No example

N

Noob | Sometimes written as "n00b". A noob is a newbie to a game and has a weak knowledge of it and little experience
Ex.: The player was inexperienced and considered a noob by others

NPC | Short for "non-player-character". An NPC can also be an NPC residence
Ex.: The player found a group of NPCs.

O

OP | Short for "overpowered"
Ex.: "That weapon is OP!"

P

Platformer | A game that usually involves jumping from place to place. 2D platformers are played from a side-view perspective, and 3D platformers are open-world and allow  more exploration. Platformers usually contain collectibles such as coins and power-ups
Ex.: The Super Mario series

Power move | An impressive feat
Ex.: "You just beat the final boss! What a power move!"

PvP | Short for "player versus player"
Ex.: The PvP arena was elaborate.

Pwn | To brutally defeat an opponent
Ex.: "I'm gonna pwn this guy!"



R

Rage quit | To quit out of rage and frustration
Ex.: The player had failed so many times that he rage quit.

RTS | Short for "real-time strategy", a game in you must execute a strategy with no break to plan it out-- it all moves in real time
Ex.: Warmongers

RPG | Short for "role playing game", a that is usually set in fantasy world and usually contain turn-based or real-time battles feature and a cast of numerous characters
Ex.: The Paper Mario series

S

Sandbox | A game allow you to explore an open world able to do whatever you please
Ex.: Minecraft

T

TBS | Short for "turn-based-strategy,", a game in which you engage in strategic turn-based battles
Ex.: No example

TPS | Short for "third-person shooter", a shooting game in which you view the player character from a third-person perspective. This is typically an over-the-shoulder view
Ex.: Kid Icarus: Uprising

I hope this guide was helpful! Now you'll know what to say when you go god mode pwn those n00bs in a PvP match in your favorite MOBA!

Wii Play Review

Wii Play

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Wii Players: 1-2 Release: 2007 Genre: Action / Party Rating: 8.1 \ 10.0: Great

Above is a scene from Shooting Range
 

Wii Play was 1 of the earliest Wii titles, and of all the games in the systems launch window, this was, in my opinion, the best. It offers 9 activities to engage in, and although this game had a mediocre critical reception, I think the activities offer plenty of fun. first, there's Shooting Range. In this shooter reminiscent of the Nintendo Entertainment System classic Duck Hunt, you move the Wii Remote to aim a reticle and shoot your way through various shooting galleries. You'll blast balloons, targets, throwing discs, cans, and ducks UFOs trying to abduct innocent Miis identical to the Mii you're playing with. Next, there's Find Mii, a game in which you must find a pair of identical Miis among a large crowd. Then, there's Table Tennis, which is, well table tennis. it's 1 of the more boring of the activities, but if you like motion-controlled table tennis, well, I guess it's worth a try. There's Pose Mii, in which you must drag your Mii and tilt it into proportion with outlines in floating bubbles. There's Laser Hockey, an air-hockey style game set in an rink of neon lights. There's Fishing, a relaxing game of fishing set in a visually charming hand-drawn pond in which you must reel in various fish to rack up as many points as you can. There's Billiards, a motion-controlled game of virtual pool. There's Charge! a game in which you must ride a cow through a meadow, crashing through scarecrows to score points. And finally, there's Tank, arguably the most fun game of all. This is a top-down multi-stage game in which you navigate a tank through a maze, defeating enemy tanks as you go. All this fun can be enjoyers with a second player. However, some of the games can wear thin over time, and not all of them are very fun. Even so, Wii Play is a fun party game, and although there are those who don't agree, I think it's very entertaining.

Ups
Entertaining games
Fun multiplayer
Amusing elements

Downs
Some frustrating games

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



Super Mario Bros. Review

Super Mario Bros.

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System Players: 1-2 Release: 1985 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 7.6 \ 10.0: Satisfactory

Above is a scene from the iconic World 1-1

How can you not love (or at least like) the original Super Mario Bros.? It may not have been the first Mario game (the first game he ever appeared in was the 1981 arcade classic Donkey Kong, in which he was known as Jumpman, while his first name title was 1983's Mario Bros., the debut of Mario's overshadowed little brother Luigi), but it is easily the most important. It set the standard for 2D platformers, saved the collapsing video game industry, and it's the foundation of modern gaming. The 8-bit visuals still charm me, and there's no denying that the "Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme", the infectiously catchy tune which plays in nearly all above-ground stages in the game, is one of the greatest pieces of video game music of all time. I will admit that as great as the game's tunes are, they are extremely limited. The series' constant plot has worn a little thin over the years, but back in the day, it was imaginative, and incredibly fresh-- a pair of Italian brothers that live in Brooklyn find a magic drain pipe that warps them to the Mushroom Kingdom, where the villainous King Koopa (now known as Bowser) has captured the ruler, Princess Toadstool (AKA Princess Peach), and the bros engage on a quest to save her-- pure genius! But throwing in a twist here and there doesn't change anything-- it's still the same  darn plot! SMB's gameplay is fun and fluid as usual, and a friend can join in and compete for the highest score as Luigi. But the game lacks to creativity of other Mario titles that dulls the game a bit, and it's rather short at 32 stages long-- short stages. Even so, Super Mario Bros. is a timeless classic, and no one can call themselves a true fan of the series until they've played one of the most revolutionary and influential video games of all time.

Ups
Saved the video game industry
Very influential (you wouldn't believe how many rip-offs there are)
(At the time) fresh plot
Fun, fluid gameplay
Competitive two-player

Downs
Limited soundtrack

Very brief
Not as creative as usual

ESRB: E Content: ??? Price: $5.00 (Wii) (Download) / $4.99 (3DS) (Download)