For a $10 game, God Mode might be worth the price of admission. The ruined temples and cities are nicely detailed, the creature design is superb, the controls are tight and the fast-paced action can be addictive. However, even if one is able to round up some pals online, the redundancy and lack of depth make God Mode a mixed blessing.
Despite the overall difficulty, La-Mulana is one of the best games in its genre. It’s a polished (and hidden) gem that’s sure to satisfy nostalgic gamers craving some old-school adventure, and accessible enough to pique the interests of a younger gaming crowd. Simply put, I can’t recommend this game enough.
Lego City Undercover isn’t a bad game, it’s just an unfortunate one. The large city, GamePad integration, humorous narrative and imaginative puzzles certainly make the game a welcome addition to the Wii U’s sparse library. However, the flaws limit the experience and effectively place the game firmly in the “good effort, could have been more” column.
Fortunately, the writers were smart enough to make Star Trek’s story have nothing to do with Into Darkness. It is canon, and it does take place between the first two films, but nothing will be lost if it isn’t played. Truly, this one of the only good things that I can say about this game. Underneath all of the messiness lies something that could have been worthwhile, but as it stands I expect Star Trek to find itself in the bargain-bin in the very near future.
It might be easy to view Blood Dragon as merely a re-skin, but I definitely did not find this to be the case. It’s a fast, clever, hilarious, action romp that knows when to slow down and allow the player to take it all in and move at their own pace. I had a great experience with this game, and I plan on revisiting it often. Well done, Ubisoft. Well done.
It’s a shame that this series really hasn’t caught on like it should here in the West. The reasons for this aren’t clear, but the harsh barrier of entry and limited Western releases probably have something to do with it. MH3U really is captivating once the gameplay kicks in, and it’s another bullet-point on the short list of reasons to own a Wii U.
Remember Me is effective in certain areas, and lackluster in others. Dontnod’s ambitions aren’t fully realized, however, and the flaws stick out too far to make them forgivable. The hit-and-miss gameplay and rote storytelling keep the game from reaching its full potential, but there’s enough good craftsmanship here to make it worth checking out.
Despite the poor beginning, New Leaf is one of the better games in the series. It’s a fun-filled, engaging adventure open to gamers of all kinds. Much about the game is more of the same and feels all too familiar, which is to be expected albeit kind of a letdown, but most of the new content and the solid social experience keep it just fresh enough to remain appealing.
While the gameplay could have used a little more polish, it’s still riveting, and I think it’s a safe bet to say that The Last of Us contains Naughty Dog’s best writing to date. Its heartfelt delivery emphasizes the complicated grayness of humanity, and just what we’ll do when everything goes wrong. It pushes all the right buttons in the areas that count, and is one hell of a way for Naughty Dog to end their stellar run of Playstation 3 exclusives.
NSLU may have the appearance of a reskin, but it’s truly not. The little changes that have been made have lead to a deeper, more polished experience that plays like a love letter to the 8-bit era. It’s a rewarding experience that’s evidence Nintendo hasn’t lost their masterful ability to create some of the best platformers around.
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