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November 19, 2012

Review – Scribblenauts Unlimited

Review Scribblenauts Unlimited
There’s a monument at Edwin’s farm, a simple stone statue meant to commemorate the short life of Duchess, the firey panda. My intent was to create a fire panda that could conceivably shoot fire and fly, but a misinterpretation of words saw Duchess come to life while also on fire, at which point she proceeded to burn her little hearts away and die. I suppose such mistakes are bound to happen when granting God-like powers to people like me.

Despite 5th Cell’s attempt to directly furnish players with as much quirky narrative potential as possible, the enduring charm remains the accidental stories waiting to be discovered as players push against the walls of the test chamber here.

I’d like to suggest that how far your imagination can test those limits against the necessary restraints that bind the game onto a disc will determine the long term value being offered, but that’s not entirely true. Scribblenauts Unlimited is more about testing how long players will persist in trying to do anything they are allowed to imagine, before surrendering to the demands of a game that necessitates more narrow actions than the seemingly open world of unbridled creation suggests.

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November 18, 2012

Review – Nintendo Wii U

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , — Jamie Love @ 6:40 pm

Review Wii U
Nintendo’s successor to the Wii has landed, aiming to maintain the dominance of the Wii while raising the processing power that cost the Wii plenty of third party titles – not that the system severely lacked unique third party offerings all its own, there were just very few of us who ever seemed to buy them.

As with anytime new hardware arrives, I’ll claim to have no proper idea of how one judges and measures a device that does more to lay the foundation for future developments versus turning the gaming industry on its ear overnight – of course I’ll fumble through an attempt all the same. I’m not so concerned about being on the right side of history with my opinions, but rather with getting you as much information as possible.

With that said, I hope you’ll read on for a closer look at the hardware and my initial attempts to field the most pressing questions for anyone considering taking the leap this year – and your questions are the most important ones, so please hit me up in the comments and I’ll work to answer any and all questions you have.

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November 17, 2012

Review – New Super Mario Bros. U

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 6:08 pm

Review New Super Mario Bros U
From the Acorn Plains to the Rocky-Candy Mines, the road to Princess Peach’s castle is littered with tiny details, signs of attention that haven’t graced the Mushroom Kingdom since the last time a 2D Super Mario Bros. game launched alongside a new Nintendo console – for those keeping score at home, I’m of course referring to Super Mario World, which released with the Super Nintendo back in 1990.

Nintendo still assigns numbers to the myriad of stages within each zone, but also includes subtitles for each, lending some insight into the hurdles Mario and company face, but more importantly, adding a bit more personality to the endeavor – from Porcupuffer Falls to Which-Way Labyrinth, with a stopover at Walking Piranha Plants!

The name game here is one very small example of an enthusiasm that has somehow been renewed despite Mario’s burden of supporting two consoles simultaneously. When you add up the layers of attention spread throughout this curious new world, it’s easy to suggest that the plump plumber is embarking on his most energetic 2D adventure since the 1990 classic that lends overdue inspiration here.

And yet, the greatest accomplishment may be that the game also showcases Nintendo’s new hardware with less gimmick and more of an invitation to play with company, while not inhibiting the option to play solo.

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November 13, 2012

Review – Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Jamie Love @ 9:39 pm

Review Call of Duty Black Ops II 2
It’s fair to say that gaming has taught us some rather strange lessons. Eating mushrooms allows us to grow, powerful critters can be caught and stored in balls, rubbing two differently colored plants together creates medicine on the fly – the list goes on and on to spiral around a few city blocks.

And considering all the ridiculous activities videogames enable, I have to find something better to say about Black Ops II, rather than simply stating that it has a ridiculous plot at the heart of its campaign – that would just be a silly and wasteful thing to say.

It would probably be fairer to say that the story of Black Ops II simply builds on the well-worn foundation of the franchise, which may feel plenty worn depending on how many of the numerous releases in the series you’ve soldiered through.

And yet to simply suggest this would be selling the game short.

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July 3, 2012

Hands On with Project P-100

Filed under: Editorial Rants — Tags: , , , , — Jamie Love @ 8:36 am

Project P 100
There’s a bit of a snipe hunt for the game that puts the Wii U in perspective and makes ownership mandatory, or at least that’s the vibe I get whenever gamers talk with me about Nintendo’s new hardware. Since the publisher recently held an event in Toronto to offer local press the opportunity to sample their wares from this year’s E3, I had the chance to revisit titles Nintendo is currently showing, still suspecting some surprise announcements before the launch later this year.

I can’t claim to have found a system seller in the mix, but a lengthy session with Platinum Games’ working title, Project P-100, did go a long way toward convincing me that the incentive for early Wii U adoption is materializing.

The game was stationed next to Pikmin 3, which made it easy to compare the surface play style as I took command of a squad of brightly colored super heroes from an angled overhead view. As with Pikmin, players lead their team into combat, commanding them to attack the various enemies encountered throughout the city. However, Project P-100 works to bring legitimate evolution to the familiar via the Wii U gamepad.

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June 12, 2012

E3 2012 – Hands On with Nintendo

E3 2012 nintendo Wii U
Following Nintendo’s E3 2012 Press Conference, there were plenty of voices of concern regarding the showing, particularly a lack of first-party titles associated with a yet to be cemented launch window. And while I was a bit surprised in this regard as well, given how easily a simple series of teaser trailers for Super Smash Bros., or further adventures in the Star Fox and/or Metroid franchises might have worked to lessen skepticism, I’ve become a bit Zen about the issue.

Nintendo’s Press Conference seemed to focus intently on a wider audience beyond those that had gathered in Los Angeles for the event, and if the Publisher’s showing in 2010 taught me anything, it’s that Nintendo has proven with past hardware releases that they can summon titles from the void to suddenly turn the frowns of the hardcore faithful upside down. They’ve done this on the Wii, the 3DS, and the 3DS eShop in recent memory, though there is something to be said for the lack of consistency that sometimes makes their surprise announcements as necessary as a drop of water is to a man lost in the desert.

What seemed most noteworthy this year, aside from the 3DS being pushed off the stage to make space for the Wii U, was Nintendo’s interest in multiple media streams. In many ways, Nintendo’s attempt to reach out through more channels could be blamed for lessening the showmanship people have come to expect from an E3 Press Conference that opens the show every year. On the other hand, if you’re familiar with Nintendo’s rather dinosaur-like approach to social media in the past, their growing interest in reaching out to more people through more channels is something that should be encouraged – we just need to remember that such pursuits involve continual experimentation and don’t always promise ideal results.

And now dear Sugarfiends, it is time to take a walk through the hands on time I managed to scavenge with Nintendo’s first and third party offerings. The list seems a bit light this year, but in earnest, I tried to bring back as much first hand information as possible.

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