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Messages - TylerTreese

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TalkBack / Zumba Burn It Up! (Switch) Review
« on: November 28, 2019, 03:56:36 AM »

Dance your way into shape.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/52285/zumba-burn-it-up-switch-review

Thanks to the release of Nintendo’s own Ring Fit Adventure, plenty of Nintendo Switch owners are now using their console as an essential part of their fitness journey. Alongside the previously released Fitness Boxing and Just Dance, players now have another way to get in shape while playing a game: Zumba Burn It Up!

Zumba should be familiar to those with an interest in fitness as it's the exercise program created by Colombian dancer Alberto Pérez. The pitch is rather simple: dance off the pounds you've put on to some fun latin music. This release doesn’t change the formula at all from gamd adaptations and DVD releases as players just do the intended dances while holding one of the Joy-Con controllers in their hands.

The main way to play Burn It Up! is to take on the fitness classes. These range from relatively quick 15-minute sessions to 60-minute marathons. In total, there are 15 short classes, 10 30-minute classes, and six hour-long ones. These only differ in the song intensity, as some playlists are low intensity while others expect players to frantically dance the entire time. I preferred doing the shorter classes as I found the dances to be a good supplemental workout rather than something to base my entire morning routine around.

The only real issue is that the Joy-Con isn’t the greatest way to measure dancing. Sure, it works better than using a non-interactive DVD that can’t grade the player at all, but it’s only measuring arm movements. It’s generally accurate, but there were definitely points where I did the movement and it just didn’t register in-game, and other times when I knew I could slack off a bit and not be penalized since it wasn’t going to pick up on my leg movements when I’m moving my hands back-and-forth. If you view Burn It Up purely as a game, then it can certainly be played like one, and there are shortcuts that devalue the fitness aspect.

However, with the intended exercise program, it works pretty well. There are over 30 songs to dance to, with most of them being latin music with little name recognition. The biggest track in terms of American popularity would be "I Like It" by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin. That summer anthem is in full effect here and is included in plenty of playlists. The game stays true to its Colombian roots with its music selection and all of the tracks are fun to dance to.

The other ways that Zumba Burn It Up! turns your workout into a game is by providing a number of fitness challenges. There are daily goals to meet (such as earning five stars in a song) and more long-term ones to finish via weekly fitness challenges. It measures how much the player has worked out via a vague energy metric, but players will want to burn at least 200 of that metric each day if they want credit for the daily workout streak. These are worthwhile additions as they give everyone a goal to work toward, and nothing is too daunting that it’ll dissuade someone from giving it a go.

By itself, it’s hard to really recommend the Switch version of Zumba Burn It Up! The tracking isn’t great and it’s not something you’d ever want to spend hours with. However, as a greater part of a workout regimen, it certainly has its place. If anyone is looking for something to pair Ring Fit Adventure or Fitness Boxing with, this is fairly decent addition.


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TalkBack / Let's Sing Country (Switch) Review
« on: October 28, 2019, 01:30:00 PM »

A country boy can survive.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/52066/lets-sing-country-switch-review

I’m never one to turn down an opportunity to belt out some karaoke, and that’s why I was excited to check out Let’s Sing Country, the latest genre-themed expansion in the Let’s Sing franchise. While I’m not usually listening to country music in my free time, I have nothing against it and carry fond memories of being driven by my grandmother as she sung along to whatever the local country station would play. From Kenny Chesney to Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, I’ve listened to more country music than I probably would’ve chosen to over the years.

Unfortunately, most of the artists that defined country music in the 90s and 00s aren’t included here. Anyone looking to sing some Brooks & Dunn or Keith Urban will definitely be disappointed by the tracklist here. The track list isn’t bad, but its pre-2010 inclusions are shockingly sparse. Beyond single offerings from Glen Campbell (“Rhinestone Cowboy”), Kenny Rogers (“The Gambler”), and Dwight Yoakam (“Streets of Bakerfield”) there’s barely any country music from the previous century. In fact, there’s not a single country song from the 90s included here. The 00s don’t fare much better as they only have three songs and Toby Keith’s “I Wanna Talk About Me” is the biggest jam of the bunch (which to be fair, is quite the tune).

Clearly Let’s Sing is trying to target a younger fanbase and is using newer songs as a result. Thankfully, even if I wasn’t familiar with all of the songs, they’re all pretty enjoyable to sing along to. It’s fun to put on a southern drawl and belt out “Sunny and 75” regardless of whether it’s your favorite song. Although, they definitely skew towards modern country pop, there’s a decent variety of country to be found here.

That said, the package is definitely on the sparse side with only 30 songs available. Most rhythm games live or die by their music selection, and it wasn’t knocked out of the park here. There’s plenty of existing Let’s Sing DLC to purchase, but they’re not going to scratch that itch of wanting to sing along to some Tim McGraw.

There are some additional modes to choose from such as “feat.,” which is built around guest verses and singing with friends or the real artist, but there’s no way for the game to change up its basic karaoke gameplay. If you’re a competitive singer that prides yourself on singing in tune then you’ll be saddened by the game’s extremely sparse community. Let’s Sing Country has been out several days but most songs only have a few people on the leaderboards on Switch. In fact, I managed to top the list in nearly every song I played, which isn’t a great sign as I’m far from an all-star vocalist.

Let’s Sing Country is a totally fine karaoke game that has a pretty lacking tracklist. It has made the conversion to Switch just fine as it’s easy to read the lyrics even in handheld mode and the mobile phone app means you don’t need microphones to have fun. However, there’s just not enough songs to make it worth buying for most would-be singers.


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TalkBack / GRID Autosport (Switch) Review
« on: September 29, 2019, 03:35:38 PM »

A great campaign has helped it age well.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/51830/grid-autosport-switch-review

Despite having a varied array of kart racing games, there isn't a wide offering of quality realistic ones on the Nintendo Switch. With the release of Grid Autosport, which is a faithful port of the 2014 release, it finally has one. While it is still a five-year-old game at its core, the accessible and arcade-friendly racer has held up well and is a real star on the console due to its lack of competitors.

Grid Autosport has largely made the transition from last-gen consoles to Switch without sacrificing anything. All the content that wowed gamers on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is here, although there are several graphical modes to choose from. The default mode makes the game look the best, and can be enhanced by downloading a “High Res Car Textures” pack from the eShop, although it cuts the frame rate to just 30 frames-per-second. It’s totally smooth, but the control and sense of speed doesn’t compare to the game’s performance mode, which hits 60 and slightly lowers the graphical detail. I found this to be the ideal way to play as the game still looks great on a handheld. Finally, the energy saver mode, which lowers the graphics and frame rate, is great for those that are looking to conserve their console’s battery while playing. No matter what you prioritize as a player, Codemasters has you covered.

If there’s one disappointment in the graphical department it’s the blurry cockpit view. It isn’t the most tragic thing since it doesn’t make a ton of sense to play in that view while on a handheld because of the small screen. That said, it’s still decidedly less impressive than the colorful courses players race on and the detailed car exteriors players look at.

Just like the original release, the real strength of Grid Autosport is its in-depth campaign mode which ranges from five different categories: touring, endurance, open wheel, tuner, and street. In total, there are 28 different locations which can be raced in over 130 configurations. No matter if you’re looking for street racing or a more realistic sport experience, there’s something for every type of racing fan. It’s easily the most in-depth racing campaign on the system, and will keep players busy during hundreds of commutes.

Despite it doing a lot of things right, Grid Autosport is a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. The actual racing is somewhere in-between arcade racing and a simulation, so it is easy to pick up, but it lacks the depth of a sim and doesn’t have the more outrageous elements that make arcade racers so memorable. That’s not necessarily a problem, as the aggressive A.I. opponents help make the races consistently fun, but it isn’t likely to be anyone’s favorite racing game from strictly a gameplay standpoint.

There are positives to this blend of racing styles, though, and that comes in the form of it being a great segue from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Crash Team Racing to more standard racing games. Armed with a helpful driving line and the ability to rewind time if you make a mistake, this is one of the most accessible racing games you’ll find.

So many of Grid Autosport’s strengths, from its racing style to the focus on single-player gameplay, fit perfectly on the Nintendo Switch. Upon playing this port, it makes a ton of sense as to why Codemasters ported over the five-year-old game rather than one of its more recent offerings. It isn’t a classic by any means, but it is full of content and is a racing game that everybody can enjoy.


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TalkBack / Stranger Things 3 The Game (Switch)
« on: July 11, 2019, 06:01:58 AM »

All of the product placement, none of the charm.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50908/stranger-things-3-the-game-switch

Judging by the art style of Stranger Things 3: The Game, developer BonusXP was likely looking to remind players of the 2D action games of yesteryear. It’s successful in doing so but only because nothing conjures up the feelings of ‘80s gaming quite like a terrible game based upon a licensed property that you adore. It’s not the type of nostalgia they were aiming for, but this homecoming features plenty of pain.

The game follows the storyline of the third season of Stranger Things very closely, which actually makes its gameplay make little sense. See, most characters in the show are kept separated until near the end of the season. However, most of the puzzle solving here revolves around switching to characters and using their specific abilities to advance. That means you’ll have Jonathan interacting with Dustin early on even though that pairing would be impossible due to how the show actually plays out. This lack of separation kills a lot of the storytelling and makes it quite laughable at times like when Eleven talks about having a sleepover with Max and then her ex-boyfriend Mike suddenly appears.

One major change to the storyline is that they’ve shoehorned a ton of battles into the early portions of the story that weren’t there. Instead of letting the storytelling be the focus early on, everyone looks dumb as they constantly battle mutated rats and Russians without being able to put together what is going on.

The combat is constantly sloppy as it has an automated lock-on that switches from enemies to random debris inside the room. Thankfully, almost every battle becomes a breeze if you just switch to Eleven, as her blasts do more damage than any of the kids’ attacks. The only battles I actually enjoyed were the boss fights, although they’re mostly just sponges that take a ton of hits while the player avoids their powerful attacks.

Occasionally, some quests pop up that aren’t from the season itself that tie-in nicely to the core story. Like Mike’s mom getting her son to buy her stuff before her planned romantic evening with Billy. However, these moments are few and far between, and the game mostly focuses on delivering the story from the show poorly instead of fleshing out the town and cast of characters of Hawkins, Indiana.

The only aspect of the show that Stranger Things 3: The Game actually nails is in its product placement. The player has to drink cans of New Coke in order to restore energy, which is used for special attacks and abilities. This is just as blatant as in the show itself, so at least it is accurate.

Despite not seemingly pushing the Nintendo Switch’s hardware in any way, Stranger Things 3: The Game still suffers from technical issues. It regularly drops frames just running around the environments and doesn’t get any better with combat. I eventually got used to it, as it just became an accepted shortcoming after a few hours, but it’s ridiculous that such a simple title is running worse than most games on the system.

Stranger Things 3: The Game won’t appeal to fans of the television show as it’s a frustrating experience that reminds you of all of the high points of the third season but never actually reaches them itself. Instead you are stuck with a bunch of dull fights to get through, bland puzzles to solve, and reading pieces of dialogue from the show without any sort of performance by the actors. Don’t tarnish your memories of the third season by playing this.


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TalkBack / Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry (Switch) Review
« on: June 21, 2019, 04:52:33 AM »

Shouldn’t wet dreams at least be enjoyable?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50907/leisure-suit-larry-wet-dreams-dont-dry-switch-review

When Leisure Suit Larry came out in the late 80s, it became one of Sierra's most surprising hits. Regardless of whether the story of a middle-aged virgin trying to get laid appealed to you, it was backed up by some hearty laughs and some great gameplay. Now 30 years later and without series creator Al Lowe, German developer CrazyBunch has brought back Larry Laffer for a new adventure.

Rather than taking a stab at Larry’s younger days or lampooning 80s culture, Wet Dreams Don’t Dry finds Larry mysteriously waking up after sleeping through several decades. Now set in the present, a non-aged Larry has to deal with trying to hook up with girls on dating apps and getting used to social media. It’s a fun premise that could highlight how much dating has changed, but it mostly results in one-note jokes about Larry not being able to understand the concepts behind ridesharing.

Basing a game entirely around humor is always tricky, and that is really Wet Dreams Don’t Dry’s biggest failure: it just isn’t funny. Even if you find jokes about masturbation or other off-color subjects funny, the writing isn’t good. There are plenty of ways to make topics like sex and fetishes funny, but the latest Leisure Suit Larry title seems happy enough to bring up a sex position as if that’s the joke itself. There’s no actual punchline a lot of the time; the game just wants to be praised for bringing up a topic rather than actually finding any humor in it.

One could overlook some of its lacking humor if the gameplay was better, but Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is a rather pedestrian adventure game at best. Most of the puzzles are overly simple, and the few times that the player does get hung up on solving one, it’s usually due to the game being overly vague or confusing. There are tons of great adventure games to play on Switch, but this isn’t one of them.

It’s disappointing to not only see an iconic series used so poorly, but to see a solid premise poorly implemented. There are some bright spots like later on in the game when the graphics become like the 1987 original and players wind up meeting President Trump in a true meeting of great minds, but they’re so few and far between that the game is constantly dragging its feet. A few moments of creativity can’t outshine the main plot, which features an evil Apple-like tech company whose logo looks like a vagina.

Positives can be difficult to find, but the Switch port of Wet Dreams Don’t Dry should be commended. It features both touch controls and can be played with buttons as well. Finding a proper cursor speed for the analog stick can be frustrating, but it’s entirely customizable. Ultimately, it’s a perfectly fine version of the adventure game that can be played on the go without any technical issues.

The biggest issue with Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is its Mature rating as it has a sense of humor that would only appeal to the most basic of teenagers. If the concept of having sex isn’t the funniest thing to you, then you won’t find much to like here. Beyond its failing humor, all that is left is an uninspired adventure game that isn’t particularly fun to play since the puzzles are never interesting to figure out. Even a franchise like Leisure Suit Larry deserves better than this.


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TalkBack / The Room (Switch) Review
« on: November 06, 2018, 01:00:43 AM »

The iOS classic makes its Nintendo debut six years later.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/48852/the-room-switch-review

The Nintendo Switch has been able to find so much success thanks to how it has been able to bring together both the best of console and handheld gaming into one package. That's why it's so cool to see some incredible mobile titles get ported over, with the latest being the 2012 iOS hit The Room.

The gameplay here can best be compared to the puzzle solving seen in the Zero Escape series of adventure games. However, rather than trying to find your way out of an enclosed area, players are examining every inch of complicated boxes filled with all sorts of puzzles and mechanisms. The smaller scale worked great for its mobile origins and the detailed graphics have held up surprisingly well thanks to some additional polish. This may have been released six years ago, but it doesn't look dated in the slightest.

The gameplay is a perfect fit for the Switch's touch screen (although it can be played with the Joy-Con controller if docked), and the entire game is built around interacting with objects. Players use their finger to slide compartments out of the way, they'll turn keys and knobs, and rotating folding keys will soon become second nature. The control scheme is very natural, although there are some moments where the semi-fixed perspective (you have to double tap on an area to examine it) can make actually interacting with objects sort of clumsy. It never becomes more than a minor squabble, but there are some annoying instances where I'd be trying to turn a wheel and the game thought I was trying to change the camera.

While it's far from the focus, there is a story being told in The Room. It focuses on the player learning about a mysterious inventor (the same person that created the boxes you are solving) who managed to find a new type of matter called "null" that is invisible to the human eye. Players can view it thanks to an eyepiece they obtain early on, though, and having to switch between perspectives leads to some of the most satisfying puzzles.

Other than the addition of null matter, a lot of the puzzles are rather basic in nature. It's a lot of simple pattern recognition and scouring the box for where to insert inventory items such as gears and keys. However, this simplicity works to the game's favor for the most part as it keeps the action moving. I never found myself stumped (and there's a fantastic multi-part hint system to help aid players that do need a guiding hand), which meant that I was consistently making progress through the game's five chapters (each of which takes around a half-hour to complete).

If there's any real disappointment with playing The Room in 2018 it's that the tactile actions aren't as impressive as they were six years ago, and the game ends just as the story starts to get interesting. The latter issue is compounded by the fact that all four games in The Room title can be purchased on iOS for just two dollars more than the Switch port costs at launch. A compilation of the games would've made a lot more sense and would have helped justify the cost while also telling a more completed narrative.

If you don't mind paying the extra premium, though, then you'll find a satisfying experience in The Room. Sure, the game isn't quite the innovative title it was in 2012, but the puzzles are still challenging enough to leave the player feeling like they've accomplished something once they finish the epilogue. It's a worthwhile addition to the Switch's library, and fans of other "escape-the-room" titles will get a real kick out of it for the few hours it lasts.


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TalkBack / Re: eShop Miners Episode: 1 All Bad Games
« on: April 23, 2015, 02:14:54 PM »
Splash or crash worst game ever...
BLARGH!
I actually like Kersploosh! :P

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TalkBack / Re: eShop Miners Episode: 1 All Bad Games
« on: April 20, 2015, 03:31:14 PM »
Do you take suggestions?

I am interested in The Keep and A-Train. I knew about both games through neogaf, and apparently they're supposed to be good. Both are on 3DS though...
Yes, we take suggestions, but no guarantee that we'll be able to cover them. I'm actually currently reviewing A Train City Simulator so I'll see what I can do. I don't have a 3DS capture set-up, but maybe we can figure something out ;)


That was all kinds of wonderful.  You guys are hilarious.
Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy the future episodes as well!

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TalkBack / Re: eShop Miners Episode: 1 All Bad Games
« on: April 18, 2015, 02:41:36 AM »
Good heavens.
Hope you enjoyed watching!

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TalkBack / eShop Miners Episode: 1 All Bad Games
« on: April 17, 2015, 10:38:00 AM »

Our new series premieres with a look at some of the worst games the eShop has to offer.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/video/40110/eshop-miners-episode-1-all-bad-games

Tyler Treese of 8-Worlds News and John Rairdin are digging through the eShop looking for hidden gems. However, there is plenty of shovelware to get through on the way. In this first episode the guys take a look at some of their favorite low scoring games on the eShop.

Let us know what you think of the new show and feel free to suggest games you've tried, be they very good or very bad.


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I heard that Tyler guy is pretty cute!  :-*

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TalkBack / Re: The Missing Nintendo Games on 3DS
« on: January 21, 2015, 10:31:28 AM »
Nothing would make me happier than a new Advance Wars and WarioWare game on the system.

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TalkBack / Re: Citizens of Earth Review
« on: January 20, 2015, 09:21:24 AM »
I've only had it crash on me once so far in the ten hours I've sunk into it. Sucks that you are running into more issues :-/

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TalkBack / Re: When Is The New 3DS Coming to America?
« on: January 08, 2015, 10:55:26 AM »
I hope the rumors are true! Nice article, Neal!


It does seem logical.

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This is the most amazing thing ever.

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TalkBack / Re: Burden of the Silent Majority
« on: September 04, 2014, 03:25:34 PM »
First off: Thank you so much for writing this Karl.


I pretty much share the same opinion as you. I tried to be silent for a while but I felt sick after seeing people who I've met and people I respect harassed. I saw them called terrible things, belittled as humans, get threats of rape, death and more. The thing that made me uncontrollably angry was when I saw people celebrating the fact that they got Jenn Frank to quit writing about gaming. It makes me sick. I might not always agree with Jenn on every subject but I always respected what she had to say. She is a fantastic writer and gaming as a whole is crappier without her.


Now onto your question. I'm not sure how people are supposed to respond. I get told often that I shouldn't be dismissing #GamerGate. While I agree that games journalism could be better (not that i'm saying its corrupt or anything ridiculous, I just think that everything has potential to improve except for pizza), i'm not going to dignify this angry mob that harasses people with a response. If you are legitimately concerned with gaming then reach out to some writers while still treating them like humans and don't use some stupid hashtag. I'm sure some will respond. The great thing about the games press is how available they are (maybe even too available in light of recent events).


We're experiencing such an interesting time in gaming right now. Kickstarters, Early-Access games, etc. are all forcing writers to take a look at how they should cover the medium. Are the ethics on that stuff a little sketchy? Sure, there is a debate among journalists on whether or not Kickstarters/Patreons/etc. should be covered/funded. So obviously there is a lot to be figured out.


So yeah, I don't have an answer. I'm not that smart of a guy but hopefully some other people here will be able to give some good ones. I do feel like we have to speak up for those that are being treated horribly though. Or at least make it known that good people like us are the majority and the people harassing people are not.


@StrikerObi I am always shocked when I see people who argue against equality. Just unfathomable to me.

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TalkBack / Re: Mega Man Coming to 3DS eShop Next Week in Japan
« on: July 11, 2012, 03:07:50 PM »
Awesome news! I hope it comes to NA eventually as well!

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TalkBack / Re: Johnny Kung Fu Review
« on: July 11, 2012, 12:03:56 PM »
UFO Interactive has been so disappointing since each game they've done has seemed awesome in concept but awful in execution.

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TalkBack / Re: Japan eShop Round-Up (07/11/2012)
« on: July 11, 2012, 12:02:34 PM »
I've always wanted to try Bomberman GB3. I really hope it gets localized to the NA eShop but I doubt it.

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TalkBack / Re: Jewel Legends: Tree of Life Review
« on: July 11, 2012, 10:13:28 AM »
how did i get here


i am really lost


map quest took me here
Um thanks for reading I guess

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TalkBack / Jewel Legends: Tree of Life Review
« on: July 11, 2012, 02:07:09 AM »

This isn't quite the stuff of legends.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/31015

Jewel Legends: Tree of Life, another match-three puzzle game on the DSi Shop, makes a great first impression with polished controls and colorful graphics. However, some noticeable problems arise as the game progresses.

The game controls wonderfully (you switch adjacent tiles with the stylus to match three or more of the same type), and does a good job of introducing new gameplay aspects often, the most interesting of which is the power-up system.

During gameplay, you can match three crystals to collect energy. Gather enough, and you can use power-ups to help finish the level. More power-ups unlock as you progress further in the game, with more powerful variations taking more energy to use. Wise use of the abilities is essential to progressing through the game’s two modes.

In Adventure Mode, you play as the Hods, magical beings who lived in peace with the Tree of Life until a dark demon forced them into hiding for many years. With the defeat of the dark demon, the Hods must restore the Tree of Life by rebuilding 10 structures on the tree, which they do by lining up at least three of the same symbols in a row.

The process of building a structure consists of 10 levels. To successfully solve a level, you must collect a certain amount of three types of materials and destroy all the blue marble slabs on the play field within a time limit. The game has no difficulty tiers, instead opting to let you try a level again with an additional five minutes of time if you fail a stage, though the  challenge is inconsistent—the first level of a building can be more difficult than the last.

After completing a building, you unlock a bonus level in which symbols drop from the top of the screen, and you match them until you collect enough of one material or hit the top of the play area and fail. These bonus levels are a nice change of pace, and it’s a shame they are not used more often. Tree of Life also offers a Relax Mode, which allows you to replay unlocked levels.

Over the course of playing you unlock trophies you can view in the main menu. The 19 trophies encourage you to keep playing by acting as rewards when you do well such, as solving a level without using power-ups, though some are banal (such as getting a trophy for getting 12 other trophies).

Jewel Legends: Tree of Life is a solid fix for your match-three needs but doesn't do enough to differentiate itself. What begins as fun quickly turns monotonous through the one hundred stages the game offers.


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Great interview. I was not aware of all the legal troubles Mr. Paige had over payment. Interesting stuff!

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Download - November 10, 2011
« on: November 10, 2011, 02:30:30 PM »
Picked up FreakyForms. Going with a Dragon Ball theme =P

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Movies & TV / Re: All Things Netflix! Thread of Recommendations and Request
« on: November 10, 2011, 02:28:50 PM »
Howl's Moving Castle was available for Instant Streaming a few weeks ago (should still be up but you never know), definitely worth streaming if you haven't seen it.

25
Hello,


My name is Tyler. I'm an alcoholic - err Wrong thread. I've been enjoying the site's content for a while so I figured i'd join the forums.


Feel free to check out my site or my twitter (@TylerTreese) :)

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