Topic: Game of the Month - April 2013

[NWR_insanolord]

Here we are back for the NWR Community Game of the Month thread for April 2013. We're switching up the format this time, so instead of having you vote we'd just like you to pick your Game of the Month for April and write a paragraph or two outlining why you picked it.

[azeke]

Toki Tori 2

Minimalistic approach, brilliant puzzles, metroidvania-ish structure, and "show don't tell" throughout the game. MiiVerse which seems like was made for this kind of game.

It's the Fluidity of Wii U eShop. If eShop is getting such good games already in it's life i can't wait to see and play what indies have in store for the future.

[ShyGuy]

Rayman Challenge App. More fun than our only retail game, Injustice: Gods among us, and the daily challenge keeps you coming back for more. My only complaint is everyone is better at it than me

[lolmonade]

For April, my game of the month would have to be Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (MH3U) for Wii U.
 
I've always been mildly curious of the Monster Hunter series, and even tried to get into Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii (game w/pro controller was on sale for cheaper than the controller alone), but found the graphics to be too muddy and painful to the eyes, which made it a bit frustrating trying to play the game for more than an hour or so.
 
The first couple of hours were a real drain, going through quests that seemed tedious/mundane, and collecting everything that a monster or plant dropped completely unaware of what the point was.  But if you can soldier on through the initial slog of quests, the game begins to expose itself as something with an incredible amount of depth and content to explore, and the quests go from "kill x species of weak monsters" to "hunt/capture this giant monster that's 5x the size of your character!". 
 
Alongside this is a crafting system that hinges on using the materials you find in the game to improve your weapony, armor, stat boosters, and other things I'm not even aware of yet. 
 
If you're someone who has plenty of time on their hands, likes a game that feels like you're rewarded for the effort you put into it, and can appreciate the excitement of taking on a giant dinosaur after working hard to prepare yourself for it, then I'd wholeheartedly recommend this game.

[TJ Spyke]

lolmonade, I think it's supposed to be a game that came out in April. MH3U came out in March (both in North America and Europe).

Wii U only had 1 retail release and that was Injustice: Gods Among Us. The Wii U eShop had Toki Tori 2 and MAYBE the Rayman Legends Challenge App (if it counts). Really barebones month for Wii U.

The 3DS had Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins. 3DS eShop had Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D, Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger, Soccer Up! 3D, Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper, Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo, Witch and Hero, Crazy Construction, and BearShark: The Game

DSiWare had Clash of Elementalists, Working Dawgs: Rivet Retriever, Puzzler Brain Games, Puzzler World 2013, and Color Commando.

[ShyGuy]

Don't forget the virtual touring app and the VC on the Wii U.

[ejamer]

lolmonade, I think it's supposed to be a game that came out in April. MH3U came out in March (both in North America and Europe).

Wii U only had 1 retail release and that was Injustice: Gods Among Us. The Wii U eShop had Toki Tori 2 and MAYBE the Rayman Legends Challenge App (if it counts). Really barebones month for Wii U.

The 3DS had Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins. 3DS eShop had Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D, Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger, Soccer Up! 3D, Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper, Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo, Witch and Hero, Crazy Construction, and BearShark: The Game

DSiWare had Clash of Elementalists, Working Dawgs: Rivet Retriever, Puzzler Brain Games, Puzzler World 2013, and Color Commando.

No wonder I had such a hard time thinking of a game to add.  Not a good month, although Soul Hackers would probably be appealing if I didn't already have a handful of RPGs to play through.

[Pixelated Pixies]

For us Euro peeps it has to be Fire Emblem: Awakening. It's fantastic.

[lolmonade]

lolmonade, I think it's supposed to be a game that came out in April. MH3U came out in March (both in North America and Europe).

Wii U only had 1 retail release and that was Injustice: Gods Among Us. The Wii U eShop had Toki Tori 2 and MAYBE the Rayman Legends Challenge App (if it counts). Really barebones month for Wii U.

The 3DS had Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins. 3DS eShop had Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D, Dillon's Rolling Western: The Last Ranger, Soccer Up! 3D, Mystery Murders: Jack the Ripper, Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo, Witch and Hero, Crazy Construction, and BearShark: The Game

DSiWare had Clash of Elementalists, Working Dawgs: Rivet Retriever, Puzzler Brain Games, Puzzler World 2013, and Color Commando.

Oh, well then, none of the above would be my answer.  But I'm still leaving my post there because I don't think it was out long enough in March for me to truly appreciate it 

[Soren]

Pandora's Tower also...

[BranDonk Kong]

Game Dev Tycoon ("hacked" version)

[broodwars]

For me, my game of April (which was a pretty barren month altogether on all the platforms) would be Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (remember, it came out last night, April 30th on PSN).  It's just the sort of stupid fun I needed after a number of big AAA disappointments in March, and the 80s Tron-esque style and electronica music are incredibly spot-on.  I'm looking forward to the official release of that game's soundtrack.

[NWR_insanolord]

Since it was brought up, March releases are fine. A number of people on staff picked Monster Hunter for their GOTM selection, which will be up on the site soon. Sadly, the game I sank 15 hours into this month is not eligible, though.

[ShyGuy]

What is your GOTM, Spudley?

[NWR_insanolord]

Am I Spudley?

[Stogi]

Game of the month?

Tricking people into getting slapped.

My favorite is someone pop locking then tagging me on one hand, I then smoothly flow to my other hand to which I slap the **** out of an innocent bystander.

[ShyGuy]

Spudley is David Spade's nickname.

[NWR_insanolord]

I haven't really played much that came out recently. I sunk another 15 hours into FIFA 13, which is amazing, but didn't even come out this year, let alone this month.

[Soren]

I haven't really played much that came out recently. I sunk another 15 hours into FIFA 13, which is amazing, but didn't even come out this year, let alone this month.

I've logged nearly 130 total hours of Fifa 13 so far, with no end in sight. The next closest game is Blops 2 with 45. It's insane how much value the Fifa games have.

[NWR_insanolord]

And I thought I was insane with about half that. It really is spectacular though, and I hope we'll still get FIFA 14 even though we aren't getting Madden.