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Messages - Patchkid15

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1
TalkBack / Slime Tactics (Switch) Review
« on: May 11, 2019, 01:33:00 AM »

Become those pesky slimes you’ve always hated.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50477/slime-tactics-switch-review

Imagine playing a tower defense game, however, instead of protecting yourself from waves of enemies you are the one assaulting a stronghold. Slime Tactics, from Altair Works does its best to create that vision by including most of what I would define as tower defense staples; levels with predefined enemies and patterns to defeat, a slew of upgradeable units that offer up different attack functions, and power-ups that can help you along the way. Featuring these genre hooks combined with the premise of working for the “bad” guys seems great in practice, but the overall lack of control and design decisions drag Slime Tactics from being great to just being okay.

Slime Tactics plays simply with each stage by presenting a battlefield with various humans who fall in line with a generic damage triangle; archers who beat calvary, who beat soldiers, who beat archers. You take on the role of a human possessed by a slime who can navigate the grid in real time and deploy a limited number of slimes that can possess the enemy. Once possessed, the humans will redirect their attack on their own and eventually kill those remaining unpossessed. Placement of the slimes for human conversion has to be tactical to increase your teams combat potential, but after that, your control over what happens dwindles significantly. Slime possessed humans have a mind of their own and it is extremely challenging to force fights where you want them to happen. Some options exist to try and guide slimes individually or in groups, but this control just doesn’t seem to be enough to make you feel like you have agency over your success or failure in each fight.

When your team manages a win, Slime Tactics embraces a typical RPG leveling mechanic. Experience is gained for all slimes that participated in the battle, but the depth of this progression is limited. I could find nowhere that informed me what statistics were increasing, leaving me to wonder what grinding out levels actually meant. Going back to previous stages to level up seems to be required as well. Because of slime ineptitude once deployed in battle, the only way to get better for the hard fights is to train. Upgrades are doled out at a regular clip with either new items or slimes joining your ranks provided after the completion of nearly each level. This continuous change kept me interested so that I didn’t necessarily get bored with the same loadout forever.

The look of Slime Tactics is what originally drew me to the title. Clean sprite work overlaid onto a grid based blocky map looks great. The design choice to make the boss of each world deviate from the character art style is odd though. Bosses appear as big blocky creations which immediately stands out as different and inconsistent. They don’t look bad, just out of place.

Slime Tactics falls into the category of a game that is cool on paper but only decent at its execution. Tactical placement with a neat story twist is interesting but fails to provide the level of engagement I want. The continual upgrades kept me moving ahead but I was still ultimately frustrated by the entire package given the grind that was seemingly required to compensate for poor AI.


2
TalkBack / Pitfall Planet (Switch) Review
« on: April 23, 2019, 01:38:07 PM »

Cool robots with grappling hooks is all I should have to say.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50361/pitfall-planet-switch-review

I find myself in love with the recent resurgence of true couch cooperative games such as Overcooked or Chariot. Sitting down with one or more other players and working together always seems to yield truly hilarious and extremely rewarding moments. Pitfall Planet, from Abstraction Games, embraces the need for two players and has managed to etch its way into my personal echelon of great couch cooperative games. A few hiccups detract from the experience, but its overall ability to produce both simple and devious puzzles coupled with a cute aesthetic makes it one you will not want to miss.

Pitfall Planet opens in space, as a snoozing captain manages to navigate his vessel right into a field of asteroids. Catastrophic damage causes some of the robots onboard to abandon ship and land on a nearby planet. Thus begins your journey to try and restore a previously crashed ship in hopes of one day escaping from the dangers of the planet you are now temporarily calling home. Some light interaction through journals found in levels chronicles the journey of another wayward robot, but other than that there isn’t much in the way of a narrative. In a cooperative game it’s not necessarily required, but having the few loose threads tie the entire package together is welcomed.

Levels in Pitfall Planet are all functionally the same; collect all of the gold like trinkets and make your way to the escape elevator. Each level also has a bonus collectible diamond that varies in difficulty to obtain. The game unfortunately makes the choice to sometimes embrace difficulty through obscurity. Running around a level trying to find an object hidden completely behind a wall and offscreen just isn’t fun. Luckily I found that less than 50% of the collectibles were hidden this way, with the remaining using gameplay mechanics in more challenging ways to provide those dedicated to the game a bit more to do.

The cooperative elements require simple coordination between two individuals. Very few of the stages require fast reaction times which allows for route planning and puzzle solving to be much more methodical. The few levels that do embrace a frantic nature simplify the puzzles slightly so I never felt overwhelmed. The use of grappling hooks as your primary tool created some unique experiences as I grabbed gold, threw boxes, or even picked up my partner to reach new heights. Interaction with this partner robot is ultimately always going to be required, whether you are playing solo or with a friend. Solo play, while functional just isn’t the way to play as some tasks do require actions to occur near simultaneously which is tricky to manage with one controller. I adore the feeling of needing a second player, because while multiplayer games like Overcooked where you can complete a task individually but usually at a slower pace are fun, the delineation of required responsibilities in Pitfall Planet increases the engagement and interactivity of each stage.

All of the levels in Pitfall Planet are tied together through an overworld that tends to be slightly too large. Traversing between the groupings of levels can be tedious and seems unnecessary given the overall lack of things to do. There’s a small RC car that can speed traversal up, but ends up being unwieldy most of the time. The game may have benefitted from just serving up the levels via a menu and saving the overworld exploration for just the minor story beats.

The entire package is wrapped up with a cute block like appearance and a great electronic, soothing soundtrack. The simplicity of it all does mean when you get stuck you can’t really blame the environment for being too complex. Lighting in the levels highlights the areas to both be explored and interacted with telegraphing everything you need to touch clearly.

I loved my time with Pitfall Planet, but felt that the experience was a tad short as I neared the 100% completion mark after only 6 hours. The difficulty of levels climbed slowly but steadily over that time period and I felt a few more hours with the ever increasingly complex levels would have been nice. However, that shouldn’t detract from what is presented in the package as it is a tightly designed cooperative puzzler that can compete with the best in the genre.


3
TalkBack / Silence (Switch) Review
« on: April 20, 2019, 07:11:27 AM »

I met talking rocks… and that wasn’t when I was tripping on mushrooms.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50337/silence-switch-review

Daedalic Entertainment’s Silence is the Switch port of a follow-up to the developer’s 2010 release, The Whispered World. While the game deviates stylistically, there appears to be plenty in common thematically with the first in the series. I never managed to sink time into The Whispered World in the years after its release, but after playing through Silence I feel as though I may have to. Rarely do I manage to find a series in the point and click genre that contains a story featuring dark themes for characters in terms of their world and for them on a personal level, and all of this played against a fantasy backdrop.

The story of Silence starts on an Earth-like world with bombs being dropped on a city. Main characters Noah and his little sister Renie seek shelter, but catastrophe strikes and the heroes soon find themselves separated and somehow thrust into the fantastical realm of Silence. It’s a pretty generic premise, but the character division allowed the story to touch differing and aesthetically-pleasing locales in an easier way. For a point and click game set in a fantasy environment, I find this to be key. Location and uniqueness of the interactions are one of the most important things and luckily Silence nails both. The numerous characters are fairly different and the variety is nice, but ultimately I was left wanting more. Side characters seem to come and go without any significant character development or background. It was great moving from place to place, but I felt some of the key contributing players in these scenes could have used more room to breathe.

What Silence may lack in minor story detail, it makes up for with its take on traditional point and click gameplay. For the majority of the game you control either Noah or Renie journeying through forests, towns, and caves filled to the brim with situations requiring you to examine and interact with various objects in the environment. Where these puzzles become more interesting is with the addition of a secondary creature named Spot that accompanies you. Spot is controlled separately from your main character and is able to change his shape. This adds additional permutations to how items can be interacted with, increasing your available options. The sheer number of potential solutions pushes you to try and find the best solution to any given puzzle rather than just trying every option. Luckily the solutions typically make logical sense. While some point and click games love to produce obscure situations, Silence maintains most of its sense of logic as you progress through.

Silence continues layering on the depth in intelligent ways, such as branching paths that get introduced that circle back on the opposite character’s story in gameplay-impacting ways. I enjoyed solving a series of puzzles in a carnivalesque environment as Renie, which then managed to assist Noah in unexpected ways. The game also attempts to go beyond using only the point and click mechanic by introducing more dexterity-based interactions. These aren’t challenging in anyway but helped me see that the game was trying to go for more than is traditionally seen in the genre.

On the audio front, the main theme and other various background music in Silence is extremely well done. Music ebbs and flows with the action on screen and is arranged beautifully. Unfortunately, the remaining sound work is a stark contrast. Voice acting is nice to have through the entire game, but its quality is lacking. I found some of the character’s voices to be grating and just didn’t fit with the animation or tone of those scenes. Additionally, the game’s ability to mix music, voices, and sound effects was poor. Subtitles were quickly determined to be a must as after manually turning voices up and sound down, there were still times where I was unable to hear characters.

Functionally, Silence works as a basic point and click adventure game, but I feel as though it shows growth beyond the well-trod genre expectations. A blend of traditional old-school mechanics mixed with advances in storytelling and gameplay variation allows Silence to stand above what I have seen served up over the last few years. Some lackluster audio and a missed opportunity with the bevy of characters detract slightly, but not overly so from this generally decent package.


4
TalkBack / Ninja Village (Switch) Review
« on: April 11, 2019, 01:37:00 PM »

Manage a village full of people that may or may not resemble ninjas

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/50259/ninja-village-switch-review

Kairosoft has been slowly releasing its bevy of backlogged mobile simulation style games on Switch over the last few months. Artistically, many of these games appear similar, but they end up covering fairly different topics such as game development or the management of a mega mall. Ninja Village takes the approach of having you manage, you guessed it, a village full of ninjas. While this theme strays further from what the typical management style game serves up, Ninja Village still leaves something to be desired.

You serve as the lord of a clan of ninjas on a conquest to unite the competing clans around you under your rule. Accomplishing this goal means expanding your town to both produce and sell more goods in addition to supporting more townsfolk that you can then take with you into battle against the warring clans. Completing these goals shows how Ninja Village is filled to the brim with the typical trappings of a mobile clicker game. Every action you take is just to ensure that your wallet fattens even quicker in the coming in-game months. Thankfully, the details are a bit more nuanced than just clicking a button and watching the numbers go up, which means there are plenty of systems to engage with but none that are particularly deep.

The management of your town proves to be pretty lackluster as you place buildings and resource collection points around the expandable map that are used to house your villagers and provide places to work and make money. The game gives you no great way to know if your strategy for placement is efficient or could be better. Indicators of income per month or year are largely missing and it is hard to gauge if and when to change it up. Luckily, there is typically enough management and manipulation to do here that there aren’t huge amounts of downtime while playing.

Combat with other clans is largely outside of your control as you simply stage who will be fighting and what gear is to be used. After that you sit back and watch the action play out on screen. If you win, you get rewards that assist with the grind to more income. However, if you lose, the game actually punishes you by increasing the strength of all of your enemies making it harder if you were to attempt the fight again. This introduces a risk/reward element to choosing when to engage in combat, but it ultimately ends up being more frustrating as you now need to grind even more than you originally would have had to in order to see a successful fight the next time around.

Visually the sprite work is generally enjoyable from a distance, but as you might expect, blowing up a mobile game to the big screen clearly has its downsides. Usually everything looks fine, but pixelation becomes clear as you zoom into the action. The music, on the other hand, has no positives to balance out its downsides. A single song plays while you are building the town and it’s largely forgettable. After 2-3 hours of play and hearing it incessantly, I couldn’t even hum its short looping tune.

Ninja Village isn’t great, but it’s not totally bad either. While it is filled to the brim with the mobile game formula, there is a decent amount to do that can keep a player engaged throughout its 5-6 hour main campaign. I feel each player’s mileage will vary with Ninja Village. If someone is able to get really into town building or truly optimizing their clan’s combat potential, there may be something here. For the everyday player that stumbles across this, however, there are better alternatives out there.


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TalkBack / TumbleSeed (Switch) PAX East Preview
« on: March 15, 2017, 07:17:48 AM »

A rolly roguelike coming later this spring

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/44294/tumbleseed-switch-pax-east-preview

The PAX East show floor is filled with countless indie games, most of which you likely have never heard of. Realistically it is impossible to make time for each of them in the three days available, so you end up passing many by. TumbleSeed may have been one of these games I passed by in years prior had it not been for Nintendo showcasing it in their Nindies presentation a few weeks back. I’m glad Nintendo highlighted it, as it introduced me to a new charming roguelike that appears to have depth hidden in its simplistic style.

TumbleSeed is a roguelike through and through. After completing the tutorial, which introduces the main mechanics, the game thrusts you toward your main objective, climbing the many levels of a mountain. If you fail on your climb and are out of lives you start over. This seems punishing for the sake of being punishing; but it works due to the complexity and variety introduced early in the game.

Both watching the developer play the game, and trying it myself I couldn’t help but notice the similarities to something like Spelunky or Binding of Isaac. The game is split into multiple distinct areas in which you can obtain power-ups and auras that are random and can both help and hurt you on your way to the finish. Items introduce both benefits and risks that must constantly be weighed as you climb the mountain. The developer showed us several seed powers (typical power-ups). These appeared to be randomly placed around the environment in side areas and towns, meaning some runs may yield good powers early on, while others would make you really work to get to the great abilities. Some of these abilities included planting mines, firing lasers, or creating a poisonous cloud.

The art of obtaining and using the abilities is locked behind an extremely simple but challenging control method. Your seed character rests on a flat platform that is pushed up the environment by holding up on both analog sticks. The left analog stick controls the left side, the right analog controls the right. These function independently allowing you to roll your seed left and right. This may sound simple, but it is extremely challenging to a newcomer. I struggled to keep the seed still enough to navigate obstacles and constantly fell to my death. With practice comes perfect though, as the developer took control and showed me what true mastery looked like by flying past parts of the game that I would have spent the better part of half an hour on.

TumbleSeed won’t be for everyone based on the inherent repetitive nature of roguelikes. However, as someone who doesn’t tend to fall in love with this genre, TumbleSeed grabbed my attention. The unique and challenging controls mixed with the cute art style make TumbleSeed look extremely promising when it launches on Nintendo Switch this spring.


6
TalkBack / Snake Pass (Switch) PAX East Preview
« on: March 14, 2017, 04:58:20 PM »

A both unconventional and rewarding game is hitting Switch later this month.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/44293/snake-pass-switch-pax-east-preview

Snakes in nature can often be a venomous bunch. Most individuals would recommend avoiding them unless you are an expert on the subject. During NWR’s recent trip to PAX East, I visited the Sumo Digital booth where they were showing off a slithering creature that I fortunately didn't have to be afraid of. Snake Pass, releasing on Switch later this month, is a promising platformer that forces you to think and play differently than you ever have in the past.

The demo presented came in the form of three levels of varying difficulty (easy, medium, and hard). These complete levels from the game were jam packed with collectibles in seemingly every nook and cranny. Three primary items were required to progress but everything else came as an added bonus with the eventual goal of unlocking something at the end of the game. During my time playing I didn't manage to even nab half of the collectibles due to the difficulty in which they were placed. In total, the game features 15 levels, which may sound like a small number, but with the amount to do in a level you could probably spend an hour or so in each.

Playing as a snake was definitely a learning curve as well. Joy-Con disconnection issues from the large amount of interference on the PAX show floor aside, the snake was still difficult to maneuver. The difficulty didn't come from poor controls, but from learning how to move around as something unlike anything I had ever played as before in a video game. The buttons were quite simple; one to climb upwards, one to move forwards, and the left analog stick to control direction. The tricky part came in the form of constantly  asking myself the question, “How do I move as a snake?” Slithering back and forth picks up speed and climbing is precarious as you have to coil carefully around objects to maintain your grip in an effort to climb higher. The later levels definitely made this even harder by making the climbable points move and rotate, forcing me to act quickly often resulting in more deaths from my own poor decisions.

The difficult controls and amount of collectibles seems like a positive overall, as each level looks like it provides a significant amount of depth. I enjoyed attempting the same challenge repeatedly, often failing, as I felt like I was constantly learning more about the movement of the main character

One thing I unfortunately can't speak at length about is the quality of the music in the game as there were no headphones at our demo booth. David Wise of Donkey Kong Country fame signed onto the project, so I am hoping that I can expect something of similar magical quality. One other housekeeping item is to confirm that the game will support the Pro Controller, a good sign for those looking to avoid connectivity issues like we had with the Joy-Con.

Snake Pass is one to look for when it comes to Nintendo Switch on March 28. The game shows promise and if the remaining levels of the game contain the same enjoyable and challenging style, i'll be looking forward to playing more if it.


7
TalkBack / Stealth Inc. 2 Review
« on: October 29, 2014, 05:47:19 AM »

I hope this game can sneak onto your Wii U.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/38866/stealth-inc-2-review

Typically, I am not a fan of stealth-based games. Having tried game series like Deus Ex and Metal Gear Solid, the genre is simply not for me. Stealth Inc. 2, coming from Fluidity developer Curve Digital, grabbed my attention with its stronger 2D side-scrolling puzzle focus layered on top of its stealth-based roots. The game’s expanding overworld coupled with the array of non-stop puzzles makes it a standout Wii U eShop exclusive.

Despite stealth being in the title, it is not the focus of gameplay; it’s just part of a rich experience. Levels typically involve solving puzzles while only occasionally making you worry about an adversary’s line of sight. When a sneaky solution is necessary, the game makes sure you are more than prepared. Each new aspect is layered onto previously learned skills with each subsequent level. These seemingly endless new layers of complexity come in the form of your character gear and the many ways in the environment you can use it. The gear itself, coming in the form of an array of different tools such as the Inflate-a-Mate and Jack Boy, forces you to endlessly learn new things about the mechanics.

56.jpg

Stealth Inc. 2’s Metroid-inspired overworld was as equally impressive as it was disappointing. The world dynamically changes and grows with you as you progress along the predefined path of story levels, opening new passages that you must take to continue onto the next level. You can branch off of this path for extra collectibles, but a single path appears to be required for making meaningful progress. It was a missed opportunity to not allow players to explore within a given area and try to find alternative routes to get around, but unfortunately many of your objectives are behind walls that do not open until the level before it is complete. The ability to use all of your collected gear in the overworld only reinforces the limited feeling, as no matter how much you have, you still can’t get to another area until you finish the previous level and open a wall.

While the overworld exploration is somewhat disappointing, the mood and smart lighting design nearly make up for it. Low lighting effectively plays into the game’s difficulty while giving Stealth Inc. 2 a unique tone. It looks great on and off of the TV screen as off-screen play is present. Other than this basic feature, the GamePad doesn’t get much use. Using collectible character customization and looking at the rather static world map is the only true use when playing through the game. Co-operative play does introduce a mode where a second player using the GamePad assists in the completion of levels. Both players must work in tandem in this mode in order to achieve success.

56.jpg

For creative types, a stage editor is available for use and it contains what seems like all of the components that actual levels use. While the vast number of options is fantastic, the editor is initially daunting to use. With button controls and logic options hidden in various menus, it is difficult to quickly customize levels. However, it truly delivers a complete stage creation tool, but that comes at the expense of a quick and more usable tool. If you only want to reap the benefits of other’s hard work, created levels can be uploaded and then downloaded for more fun.

What matters most about puzzle games are the puzzles themselves, and Stealth Inc. 2 delivers in spades. Challenging levels with a consistent learning curve push players in a direction where boredom does not set in. Just as you feel as if you understand something, a new twist throws another wrinkle at you. The overworld is fun to navigate, regardless of its shortcomings; and the stage editor is a welcome addition for those choosing to take time to learn its intricacies. Stealth Inc. 2 delivers a full product that will leave any puzzle fan wanting more, and they can get it thanks to the long game and the downloadable created puzzles.


8
TalkBack / Nintendo Announces Additional October Virtual Console Titles
« on: October 16, 2014, 12:08:54 PM »

Nintendo's setting the spooky Halloween mood with...Kirby?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38763/nintendo-announces-additional-october-virtual-console-titles

New Virtual Console titles are heading to Nintendo's platforms later in October, as revealed in today's Nintendo Downloads press release.

In addition to the previously announced Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, set to release on Wii U Virtual Console on October 23rd, Nintendo revealed the following set to come on Devil's Night (October 30).

  • Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (Wii U)
  • Demon’s Crest (Wii U)
  • Gargoyle’s Quest II: The Demon Darkness (Wii U and 3DS)

With all of these games releasing right around Halloween, let us know in the comments which ones you will have on your TV as the trick-or-treaters come knocking.


9
TalkBack / Nintendo Download - October 16
« on: October 16, 2014, 08:03:00 AM »

Sizable Wii U eShop releases make up most of today's update.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38754/nintendo-download-october-16

There are a fairly large number of Wii U eShop releases as well as a slew of sales coming to Nintendo platforms in the coming days. The Castlevania love continues in the form of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance on the Wii U Virtual Console. Pyramids 2, the followup to one of the eShops earliest download titles is also out. Check the list below for the full offering this week.

Wii U Downloads

Ballpoint Universe: Infinite

Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut

Paper Monsters Recut

Chests O' Booty

Ping 1.5+

Wii U Virtual Console

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Nintendo 3DS Downloads

Pyramids 2

The Legend of Dark Witch

Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

Harvest Moon 2 GBC

Sales

Steamworld Dig is more than 30% off until October 30 (Wii U, 3DS)

Squids Odyssey is more than 60% off until October 30 (Wii U, 3DS)

Master Reboot is $6.99 starting October 22 until November 5 (Wii U)

Shut the Box is $0.69 until November 13 (Wii U)

TNT Racers – Nitro Machines Edition is $4.99 until October 30 (Wii U)

Trine 2: Directors Cut is $9.99 until November 3 (Wii U)

Snow Moto Racing 3D is $5.99 until November 27 (3DS)

Johnny Impossible and Samurai Sword Destiny, as well as other UFO Interactive games will be on sale starting October 17 until November 3

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legend of the Titan and Etrian Odyssey Untold: Millennium Girl, as well as other ATLUS game will be on sale starting October 20 until November 3.


10
TalkBack / Five DLC Karts Mario Kart 8 Needs
« on: October 16, 2014, 07:49:32 AM »

Other karts that should appear in the upcoming DLC packs.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/38762/five-dlc-karts-mario-kart-8-needs

With the recent reveal of the Master Cycle, Link’s decked out horse bike, I began thinking of other karts/bikes that should make their way over to race with Mario and friends in the latest iteration of Mario Kart. The idea that some of Nintendo’s biggest franchises could share the screen in a game not just focused on fighting is phenomenal. With F-Zero and The Legend of Zelda already having representation in the coming November DLC pack, there are still plenty of unknown karts for November, and the four additional karts as part of May’s DLC pack.

Below are some of the ideas I came up with that could help expand Mario Kart’s scope to make use of the entire Nintendo arsenal. Let us know in the comments section below of any kart ideas you would like to see.

Gyroid Bike

The villager made his appearance in Super Smash Bros. this year and brought the Gyroid with him in the form of a special attack. In Smash, the villager is able to hop on and ride the Gyroid across a stage. With the villager coming in the May DLC pack, a Gyroid Motorcycle would be an easy inclusion.

Warp Star Kart

Kirby was the star of his own racing game in 2003, and even made an appearance on Rainbow Road in the Smash Bros. Trailer for Rosalina last year. It only makes sense that Nintendo finally combines Kirby’s racing past with Nintendo’s racing future. The Warp Star, arguably the most famous of Kirby’s transportation methods, could be a basic kart that even a koopa kid could use to zip around the track.

Hocotate Freight Bike

If this ship was able to launch Captain Olimar and Louie into orbit each day throughout Pikmin 2, I’m sure it’s more than capable of blasting players around a track. The windows on the exterior of the ship could even be used to showcase some of the world’s smallest heroes.



Pilotwings Kart

With Nintendo giving some renewed emphasis on this older franchise, it wouldn’t hurt to give Pilotwings another push in the form of a DLC kart in Mario Kart. This kart could use its landing gear wheels while propelling its way through the map, and then lift them up and become its own glider for the aerial portions of stages.

Samus’s Gunship Kart

The Metroid series hasn’t gotten nearly enough love as of late, and a kart in Mario Kart may tide some individuals over. While possibly the least conventional on my list, I think the gunship would be a welcome addition. Plus, it will even blend right in on Rainbow Road as it falls into space after players fall off the track for the 10th time.


11
TalkBack / The Mii Plaza's Puzzle Swap Gets a New Puzzle
« on: October 16, 2014, 03:23:53 AM »

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38750/the-mii-plazas-puzzle-swap-gets-a-new-puzzle

A Fantasy Life puzzle is now available in the Mii Plaza's Puzzle Swap service.

The puzzle appears to contain the standard 40 pieces which includes 8 StreetPass only pieces.

Fantasy Life is set to release on October 24 in North America.


12
TalkBack / Re: Voice Acting Language Selected for Mighty No. 9
« on: October 15, 2014, 07:59:51 PM »
I am indeed back, and of legal drinking age. My shackles were removed so I could talk about Goof Troop with Neal and I decided to stick around and do a bit more work.

13
TalkBack / Link's New Ride Unveiled for Upcoming Mario Kart 8 DLC
« on: October 15, 2014, 12:16:33 PM »

Link is trading in Epona for a shinier model.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38747/links-new-ride-unveiled-for-upcoming-mario-kart-8-dlc

The Mario Kart 8 DLC coming later this year will feature the Master Cycle, a horse themed motorcycle made just for Link.

Revealed on their Twitter this morning, Nintendo of America touted the bike as having "plenty of horse power." The bike is decked out with Triforce hubcaps as well as a Hylian shield for side protection.

The first Mario Kart 8 DLC pack is set to launch this November and include Link, Tanooki Mario, and Cat Peach. The pack will also include 4 new karts and 8 new tracks. A second DLC pack is slated to launch in May 2015.


14
TalkBack / The Joys of the Super Smash Bros. 3DS National Tournament
« on: October 15, 2014, 04:40:26 AM »

Last weekend, Nintendo hosted a fascinating Super Smash Bros. for 3DS tourney in New York City.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/38745/the-joys-of-the-super-smash-bros-3ds-national-tournament

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of watching a small-scale version of The Wizard live in person. Nintendo hosted a Super Smash Bros. for 3DS tournament at Nintendo World Store in New York City. It was totally radical.

For those who didn't keep up with it, here are the basics. Nintendo hosted 16 qualifying tourneys at a smattering of GameStops across the country, and then the 16 winners were brought to New York City for the finals. The finalists could all customize their characters with equipment and different moves earned in the game for the tournament.

I went to the tournament after a full day of attending New York Comic Con. By the time I arrived at 6 p.m., I had been on my feet since about 8 a.m. I was exhausted and, quite frankly, figured I'd hang out at the Smash tourney for a bit and then go home before it was done. Instead, I got totally sucked in and stayed until the bitter end. In the finals, a guy playing Rosalina and Luma stomped a Mario fighter to take home the trophy and the ridiculous winner's robe.

I'm not someone who's into the wild and crazy metagame world of Smash Bros. I never have been and I likely never will be. However, watching this 16-player tournament was fascinating and engaging. It helped that nearly every game was close. It helped that the rules allowed for Final Smashes in the first two rounds. It helped that the trio of Nintendo's Bill Trinen and the Smash community's Toph and Progducto were tremendous commentators.

The Smash 3Ds tournament was an awesome spectacle. Being there in person, I could watch as people chanted for Mario. I could see the bitter look of defeat from players who were so close to moving on to the next round. I could attempt (and fail) to start a chant of "Lumalee! Lumabop! Welcome to the Luma Shop, motherf***er!" for the surprising amount of Rosalina and Lumas in the tournament.

In a way, this tournament showed how far Nintendo has come since the company initially rejected Melee's entrance into EVO two years ago. Gone is the company who ignored their fans' burgeoning competitive scene. Now, Nintendo is working closely with that community, including them at these events. It's awesome, and I hope we keep on seeing events like these throughout the ensuing months and years.


15
TalkBack / Voice Acting Language Selected for Mighty No. 9
« on: October 14, 2014, 03:19:02 PM »

English or Japanese? Only one could be featured in the game.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38738/voice-acting-language-selected-for-mighty-no-9

The official spoken language in Mighty No. 9 will be English, as decided by the game's Kickstarter backers.

Last week a survey was distributed in which a choice could be made between English and Japanese Voice Acting. Due to the large cost of voice work, only one language could make it to the final game.

Even though English was the final choice, the decision was close. With more than 20,000 votes cast, there was less than a 1,000 vote difference between the two options.

Mighty No. 9 is the latest game from Mega-Man co-creator Keiji Inafune. The title is set to release on both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems in spring 2015.


16
TalkBack / Goof Troop (SNES) Rewind
« on: October 13, 2014, 05:25:00 PM »

Neal and Patrick revisit Shinji Mikami's Goof Troop for the SNES.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/video/38727/goof-troop-snes-rewind

With the release of The Evil Within looming on the horizon, we take a look at this early Shinji Mikami game. You wouldn't know from looking at it but many aspects of this game would go on to influence his next series, Resident Evil. Come see how this master of survival horror got his start.


17
TalkBack / Tetris Ultimate Release Date and Pricing Announced
« on: October 13, 2014, 03:03:09 PM »

Digital purchasers will get the upper hand.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38723/tetris-ultimate-release-date-and-pricing-announced

Tetris Ultimate will release on the Nintendo 3DS November 11 with a discount to digital purchasers, Ubisoft announced.

Digital buyers will be able to download Tetris Ultimate at the price of $19.99 while retail shoppers will find the title at a MSRP of $29.99.

The game features 6 different play types as well as a single player challenge mode exclusive to the 3DS version of the game.


18
TalkBack / Beginnings of a Web-Based eShop Discovered
« on: October 13, 2014, 03:00:15 PM »

Is this a prototype of a soon-to-be browser-based eShop?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/38722/beginnings-of-a-web-based-eshop-discovered

A keen NeoGAF user has discovered what is potentially a web-based eShop.

The page (eshop.nintendo.net) links to a site that as of now only allows you to navigate through pages relating to download code redemption. Users were able to enter a download code and have the appropriate title download automatically to their system. The system can do this because the site links to your Nintendo Network ID like the web-based Miiverse client. Other users reported that the functionality was only active for certain regions.

While this is not an entire eShop setup, it may be the groundwork for a larger move to an online store, following up on plans dating to 2011. Nintendo will likely continue working on building this service, however, we may not see the fruits of their labor until they are ready to officially unveil a product.


19
TalkBack / EnjoyUp Games Bringing Abyss to Wii U
« on: March 06, 2014, 05:12:20 PM »

Explore new depths in EnjoyUp's revamped version of their 2012 DSiWare release.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/36776/enjoyup-games-bringing-abyss-to-wii-u

Abyss is coming to the Nintendo Wii U at some time in the future according to the games developer, EnjoyUp Games.



Abyss takes players on a mission through darkness to collect 'Gaia' energy stones while combating the ever present effects of gravity. The updated Wii U version of the game will include 12 new original missions as well as a competitive two-player mode. New visuals and updated music will accompany the game, which can be played exclusively on the GamePad.



Abyss originally was released as a DSiWare title in August 2012 and was one of EnjoyUp's many DSiWare games. Abyss will not be the companies first foray onto the Wii U, having already released Unepic earlier this year.


20
TalkBack / Re: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review
« on: October 29, 2013, 01:59:00 PM »
@marcel2552

In regards to question one, you cannot set waypoints on the map using the GamePad screen. The only map feature available using this screen while in gameplay is zooming in and out. To access waypoint settings you need to open the map with the (-) button.


As for framerate issues, there may have been one instance when I was being chased down by roughly 30 guards, as there was tons of action going on, on the screen. Other than that, it has seemed pretty flawless.

21
TalkBack / Re: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review
« on: October 29, 2013, 10:47:10 AM »
@azeke: The GamePad mostly functions as a map that you can zoom in and out on. Other than that, there wasn't anything else really going on with it. If I recall correctly Assassins Creed III had some other features, but this one does not.


@MetalMario2: We've gotten Pirates of the Caribbean, but other than that there are not many pirates in the entertainment industry. Also, I agree with you that at some point game game worlds get to big. There are certain points ACIV where you are forced into sailing for 5-10 minutes just to get to a location.


Any other questions about the game?

22
TalkBack / Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review
« on: October 29, 2013, 05:24:09 AM »

Time to set sail on one grand pirate adventure!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/35828

Pirates are not the most compelling entertainment topic in today’s age where zombies and superheroes reign supreme. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, however, embraces this often ignored subject material with great success. Ubisoft took their well known franchise and merged it with all the action one would expect on the high seas. The final product results in a formula that equally pulls from classic Assassin’s Creed as well as new gameplay mechanics.

Desmond Miles, the present day descendant of all the folks you have played as in past gaes, was the main protagonist in Assassin’s Creed games up to the conclusion of Assassin’s Creed III. Assassin's Creed IV picks up sometime after the conclusion of ACIII, with Desmond absent, and an unnamed, avatar-less character filling in as your controllable character. While this drives sections full of narrative, the lack of personality can be felt in and out of the Animus sequences. With a faceless character, it is harder to care about what goes on in the present day when there is such an exciting story being told in the Caribbean.

This exciting Caribbean story is far wilder than what Assassin’s Creed fans may be used to, thanks to the main character Edward Kenway. Grandfather to Assassin’s Creed III’s Connor, Edward is the captain of his own ship, out to discover more information about the mysterious “Observatory.” Edward isn’t your standard series protagonist as he operates independently from the assassins while working towards his own goals. His adventures take him all over the Caribbean, dealing with many people, templars, and assassins alike.

When I say Edward travels all across the Caribbean, I am not lying. The world map involves several large land masses filled with cities, jungles, and beaches; all of which are available for you to explore. This vastness is very welcome, but also hampering to the experience in some ways. Travel becomes a tiresome issue for those looking to blast through the story quickly. As you unlock more areas, fast travel becomes more and more useful for revisits, but the first trip to a location can take some time, especially on your relatively slow moving ship.

Sailing around the ocean, engaging in combat, and tailing other ships make up about a quarter of the gameplay in Assassin’s Creed IV. There is nothing wrong with all of these elements as they are fun, however, the depth one would like from such a large portion of the gameplay isn’t present. Fighting every ship plays out the same way, and following others only involves steering out of the vision of enemies. The core land-based gameplay provides you options on how to carry out missions and take down targets, but while on the ocean, there is typically only one straightforward way to get the job done. The ship can be customized and upgraded, but the upgrades are tied to you repeatedly sailing and looting the others you run into on the ocean.

One new sea element introduced in Assassin’s Creed IV that struck me very positively was the diving functionality. Being able to dive deep underwater to uncover shipwrecks while avoiding the looming threat of sharks is quite a rush. Managing your stealth, similar to how it is managed on land, coupled with a limited air supply, made for an exciting twist on the stealth gameplay presented elsewhere in the game.

Stealth gameplay is the key to land-based missions in Assassin’s Creed IV, more so than in previous Assassin’s games. Each mission revolves around sneaking between bushes while picking off your targets one by one until you can reach your true objective. With this being the core of the game, developer, Ubisoft Quebec, made sure there were plenty of options for you along the way. The new blow darts give you the ability to silently take out enemies from afar, while the new free-aim gun play mechanics come in useful when you are in a pinch. With so much variety, you don’t have to repeat the same strategy over and over again, making land missions not feel like a bore, despite their usual slow pace.

Black Flag looks great on the big screen as well as shrunken down for off-screen play. Shadows in some of the lusher environments really bring the space to life and the water effects on the ocean look great. Some poor textures are present throughout the game, but nothing to hamper the experience. Audibly, the soundtrack feels thrilling. Music while you are in chase or battle resonate well with the action. There is less to be said of the tunes scattered throughout the rest of the game, but all around, the quality of the music is superb.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag boasts tons of content, an exciting story, and plenty of fun gameplay. Some of the series tropes are running thin as the series is now going on its sixth entry, but it is still a quality experience. Black Flag is currently my favorite game in the series, not only because of its heavy use of piracy, but because of the constant swapping between land and sea gameplay. Black Flag is a must have for fans of Assassin’s Creed, and newcomers with a love for pirates will surely find something to love.


23
TalkBack / Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag Preview
« on: October 28, 2013, 05:45:23 PM »

Take to the seas in this exciting pirate adventure.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/35823

The Assassins Creed franchise has grown tremendously since the series’ humble beginnings in 2007. While some could argue that each game feels like more of the same, there is always plenty of new material to enjoy. With an original story, new naval warfare mechanics, and underwater adventuring, there should be something new for everyone in Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag. 

Assassins Creed IV takes players to the Caribbean during the golden age of pirates through the use of the Animus and former series protagonist Desmond’s memories. While roaming around the seas you control Edward Kenway, grandfather to Assassins Creed III’s Connor. Kenway fled from England to the new world where he could begin a new life of piracy. Along his journey, Edward will encounter and team up with famous pirates from history, like Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack, and the infamous Blackbeard. Like most plots however, Edward will face some adversity. This comes in the form of Woodes Rogers, an Englishman out to stop all pirates in the name of the king. 


With piracy being such a large theme in the game, the naval warfare from Assassins Creed III is back. Battles on the seas in Assassins Creed can occur between a variety of ships, whether you fight small, speedy vessels or large frigates depend on the scenario. Your ship, the Jackdaw, is fully upgradable. Choosing between more powerful shots, faster sails, or a stronger hull will help you and your crew become kings of the sea. While sailing, new environmental dangers, like tornados can now appear and create problems for you on your journey. 

While sailing on the ocean, players can now dive deep down in the waters to search after sunken treasure. Ships and other wonder await you all over the ocean floor; however, danger also lurks, as sharks can hunt you down and attack while you are diving. You are not the only one who can hunt others down however, as you can set out to hunt beasts on the land or sea. As with naval warfare, you can upgrade your ship and weapons used in hunting down the various creatures. 


What is back from previous Assassins Creed games is the large amounts of stealth and combat gameplay. There will be plenty of assassinations to complete, and plenty of weapons to choose from to slay your enemies. New guns will be introduced that expand upon the selection introduced in Assassins Creed III. A new free aim system for your guns adds some additional depth to your targeting abilities as well. 

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag brings traditional series elements and merges them with new gameplay to create an immersive pirate-like adventure. The game is set to release tomorrow, October 29, 2013. Our review of the game should be up around that time, and until then, you should probably change your Facebook language to Pirate to start learning the lingo.


24
TalkBack / Skylanders: Swap Force Review
« on: October 13, 2013, 11:40:52 PM »

You can't teach this old dog any new tricks.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/35702

The Skylanders series is still relatively young, and presumably garnering new fans with each iteration. These fans may jump into the world of the Skylanders because of the unique character quirks introduced in each sequel, or simply for the thrill of collecting every figurine. For the returning and new players alike, Skylanders: Swap Force on 3DS remains an enjoyable companion game to the console version; however, for those familiar with previous entries, Swap Force ultimately feels like more of the same.



Like every other version of the game, Swap Force on 3DS comes with its own portal of power used to send your favorite figurines into the game. However, unlike previous 3DS versions, there seems to be no limit on how many Skylanders you can keep stored on your system. After initially sending in your army of Skyland’s finest, you will never need the Portal again. Part of Swap Force’s appeal is the interchangeability of the top and bottom half of certain Skylanders; however, with this new storage system in place, the build what you need on the go aspect is gone. Swappability is still available in the game, though the satisfaction is not the same.

With the tactile appeal of Swap Force not present, one would hope developer n-Space ensured the gameplay would make up for it. While each level does consist of plenty of platforming and combat, nothing other than the variety of Skylander skills makes a remarkable impression. The platforming, while enough to not bore adult gamers, becomes rather repetitive as jumping is the only real mechanic. On the other hand, ripping through hordes of enemies is much more fun. Each Skylanders’ unique skills make them feel different to play, ultimately creating new styles of gameplay every time you swap out a character.

Like previous games, bonus areas are littered throughout stages which provide slightly different challenges than what are found elsewhere in the game. This time around, new Swap Force character specific gates also make an appearance. While the inclusion of these additional areas are great for those who already own every type of character, those sticking with just the three, bundled Skylanders are locked out of a great deal of the game’s content. There are time challenges and collectibles to be found, but completing the game 100 percent will require a Skylander of each element, as well as a Swap Force Skylander of each style.



The game’s visuals have not improved much, if at all, from previous entries. Everything looks like a lower resolution rendition of what can be found on the home console versions. Some of the areas you traverse are beautiful in this style, but nothing will completely blow you away. The story sequences, which are unique to the 3DS version of the game, are thankfully voice acted. While the voice work is generally alright, there were several times when there was a noticeable dip in quality, causing everything to sound distant and muffled.

Skylanders: Swap Force on 3DS is not the best version of what will most likely be one of this year’s hottest games, but it is a version that can fulfill the needs of the gamer on the go. It may lack some of the quirks that make the console versions so appealing, but with plenty to do and plenty of Skylanders to collect, Skylanders: Swap Force will keep you reasonably entertained for quite a while.


25
TalkBack / Skylanders: Swap Force Launch Guide 
« on: October 11, 2013, 10:12:26 AM »

Picking up the game and don't know what figurines to get? Now you do!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/35686

It's that time once again when Skylanders are the hot toy on store shelves around the nation. By now you've probably begun to notice your desire for small figurine collecting breaking free from the chains you put it in last year. Have no fear, Skylanders: Swap Force releases on October 13, and we here at Nintendo World Report want you to make the most out of the third Skylanders launch. Not sure what to pick up when you head out to the store? Check below for our quick launch guide of all of those Skylanders that will be available day one.

_____________________________________________________________________________

SWAP Force Skylanders

__ Wash Buckler (Water, Available in Console Starter Pack) 
__ Blast Zone (Fire, Available in Console Starter Pack)
__ Free Ranger (Air, Available individually or in 3DS Starter Pack)
__ Rattle Shake (Undead, Available individually or in 3DS Starter Pack)
__ Magna Charge (Tech)
__ Hoot Loop (Magic)

New Skylanders

__ Zoo Lou (Life)
__ Slobber Tooth (Earth)
__ Roller Brawl (Undead)
__ Countdown (Tech)

Returning Updated Skylanders

__ Blizzard Chill (Water, Series 2)
__ Lava Barf Eruptor (Fire, Series 3)
__ Mega Ram Spyro (Magic, Series 3)
__ Super Gulp Pop Fizz (Magic, Series 2)

LightCore Skylanders

__ LightCore Flashwing (Earth)
__ LightCore Grim Creeper (Undead)
__ LightCore Smolderdash (Fire) 
__ LightCore Star Strike (Magic)
__ LightCore Warnado (Air)

Special Packs

__ Triple Pack 1 (Lava Barf Eruptor (Fire) , Slobber Tooth (Earth), Super Gulp Pop Fizz (Magic))
__ Triple Pack 2 (Mega Ram Spyro (Magic), Blizzard Chill (Water), Zoo Lou (Life))
__ Tower of Time Adventure Pack (Pop Thorn (Air), Battle Hammer, Sky Diamond)
__ Fiery Forge Battle Pack (Bumble Blast (Life), Knockout Terrafin (Earth, Series 3), Fiery Forge

Retailer Exclusive Skylanders / Packs

__ Gamestop's Dark Edition Starter Pack (Dark Blast Zone (Fire), Dark Slobber Tooth (Earth), Dark Spyro (Magic), Dark Stealth Elf (Life), Dark Wash Buckler (Water)
__ Target's Double Pack #1 (Nitro Magna Charge (Tech), Free Ranger (Air))
__ Target's Double Pack #2 (Nitro Magna Charge (Tech), Rattle Shake (Undead))
__ Toys"R"Us - Legendary Free Ranger (Air)
__ Toys"R"Us - Legendary LightCore Grim Creeper (Undead)
__ Walmart - Enchanted Hoot Loop (Magic)


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