Should You Buy?

The Nintendo 3DS XL came out over the summer in the U.S., and the question I'm asking you now is, should you buy it? It depends on whether you have the original 3DS or not. If you do, then there probably aren't a ton of new features that would warrant putting your money down on a new 3DS, but if you don't have a 3DS, then this would be the preferred model of choice.

It isn't the revamped handheld that Nintendo usually releases through the life cycle of its handheld consoles, but rather a size upgrade. It's larger, and doesn't have enough feature that if you have the original 3DS, then you should just hold off and wait. 

Top 10 Must-Have Wii Games

These are the games that any Wii owner should own, and if you don't own them... You should buy them.

10) Donkey Kong Country Returns- Going back to the SNES days, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a love letter to fans of the original three Donkey Kong Country returns. It is not for the faint of heart, because it is one of the hardest Wii games to date, but it packs an incredible amount of fun into a little disc, and is a definite must-have.

9) The Last Story- An RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, it is one of this generations greatest JRPG's, beaten out only by Xenoblade Chronicles.

8) Xenoblade Chronicles- A JRPG featuring a kid with a sword, who is the only one that is able to save the world. The game is already great from the start.

7) Sonic Colors- Sonic has had a rough few years with his games, but Sonic Colors goal is to fix that problem. A fun fast paced platformer that any hedgehog fan should buy.

6) New Super Mario Bros. Wii- A 2D Mario platformer that features all the fun from the original 2D Mario games. The first 2D Mario platformer to feature multiplayer, and it certainly is fun to kill your friends while playing the game.

5) Super Smash Bros. Brawl- A fighting game featuring a myriad of Nintendo characters? Why not? It's fun.

4) Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess- A darker themed Zelda game that is great for any Zelda fan, or anyone just a fan of adventure games.

3) Super Mario Galaxy- A game that brings back the charm of Super Mario 64. It's a challenging innovative platformer.

2) Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword- Featuring a new control scheme, it features all that is loved about Zelda. Dungeons? Check. Bosses? Check. Zelda? Check

1) Super Mario Galaxy 2- It takes all that was great about the original, and makes it better, something I hadn't thought possible. If you don't have this game, then what are you waiting for?

http://www.gamesradar.com/wii-u-manufacturer-foxconn-used-underage-workers/

Recently the manufacturer of electronics such as the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and various video game consoles, Foxconn has come under fire for employing underage employees. Nintendo's products are made by Foxconn, and when recently asked about whether they were aware of this or not, they replied,

"Nintendo is in communication with Foxconn and is investigating the matter. We take our responsibilities as a global company very seriously and are committed to an ethical policy on sourcing, manufacture and labor," Nintendo said. "If we were to find that any of our production partners did not meet our guidelines, we would require them to modify their practices according to Nintendo’s policy."

Xenoblade Chronicles Review

One of three games campaigned for in Operation Rainfall to be localized for U.S. gamers, Xenoblade Chronicles is a JRPG with much to offer, and is one of my personal favorite games of the year. Nintendo made the right decision in bringing this gem to our shores. If they hadn't, then some would have missed out on one of the greatest JRPG's of this generation.

Story
It's a year after a battle between the Mechon, a mechanical race that lives on the Mechonis, and the Homs, the main citizens of the Bionis. You start off as Shulk, the main character who lives in Colony 9. The Mechon attack the colony and kill Shulk's childhood friend Fiora, which leads to Shulk embarking on an adventure to avenge her death and bring down the Mechon. He is joined by his friend Reyn, and then over the course of the story they are joined by countless other partners in their own attempts to bring down the Mechon.

Gameplay
The battle system in Xenoblade is one of the best battle systems I've ever used in a JRPG. Like most JRPG's, it is a turn based battle system, but at the same time it's dynamic. It isn't static like you would find in a Dragon Quest game, it's a constantly moving battle system. You move while you attack, and you almost never stop moving. After a certain point in the story you also gain the ability to see the future. This allows you to see what attack the opponent will use, who it will attack, and whether it will kill them. You can use this to protect your teammate from dying, and to potentially keep a battle going that you would have otherwise lost.

Music
The music in the game is probably one of my favorite parts of the game. One of the composers was Yoko Shimomura, also known for her work in Super Mario RPG, the Kingdom Hearts series, and the Mario and Luigi series. Her music is memorable and often praised, so it's no wonder that her music in Xenoblade is excellent.

Overall
Xenoblade is a game that almost didn't make it to American shores, and if you haven't played it, then you need to. It is truly one of the greatest games to grace the Wii this generation, and is definitely a must have for any JRPG fan.


9.5/10

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 Review

While it is just a sequel to the original fifth generation Pokemon games, Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 feature enough differences to warrant a revisit to the Unova region.

Story
As in every main iteration of Pokemon games, Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 present you as a new trainer from a small town, about to begin your journey as a Pokemon Trainer. In Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, you start in Aspertia City, rather than Nuvema Town like in the original Black and White.

These are the two characters you can pick to play as.

As always you are able to pick from the water, fire, or grass starter that veterans to the series will be familiar with. Just like in the original Black and White, Unova trainers are able to pick from Tepig, Snivy, and Oshawatt.

From there you begin your journey to collect all eight gym badges and become the Pokemon League Champion. Along the way you'll face off with a villainous team known as Team Plasma, who made their introductions in the original Pokemon Black and White. They were introduced as Pokemon freedom fighters, wanting to separate Pokemon from human captivity. N was the king of Team Plasma who felt that he was right, and even captured the dragon type Pokemon Zekrom, or Reshiram to help him achieve his goal. It was revealed however, that the true leader of Team Plasma was Ghetsis whose main goal was to put all Pokemon under Team Plasma's control so that he could rule the Unova Region, using N as a cover. In Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, Ghetsis  makes a reappearance to once again conquer the Unova Region through the use of the Dragon-Ice Type Pokemon, Kyurem.

While the story of Pokemon Black and White is continued in their sequels, it is possible to pick up the game as a new player and enjoy  the game without confusion.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 remains largely unchanged from their predecessors. Pokemon battles remain turn based, with Pokemon types giving you advantages and disadvantages. 

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 introduce the Pokemon World Tournament, a way to battle past gym leaders, and a way to measure your strength against others. It offers a new way to play, and is appealing to some older players' nostalgia.

The Pokemon World Tournament allows you to battle past gym leaders such as the Kanto Region Gym Leaders.

The PokeStar Studios is also introduced as a new interesting gimmick. It's the Pokemon World's take on Hollywood. In PokeStar Studios you pick a Pokemon and then you basically follow the skit given to you, and when you are finished with the skit, then you've successfully completed a movie which you can then watch. It's an interesting gimmick which definitely wastes time, and presents a degree of fun not found in the Pokemon Musicals.

Music

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 primarily features the same music from their predecessors, albeit remixed slightly. They music is catchy just as it was two years ago, and the new music for the new locations in the game fit perfectly and show off the creativity the composers at Game Freak have.

Overall Impressions

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 are more of the same, which isn't a bad thing. If you like the Pokemon series, then it's definitely a must buy, and if you want a game to start in the Pokemon series, this is one that is easy to pick up and enjoy. Everything that was great about Black and White has been put in this game, along with new additions that add to the fun factor.

8.5/10

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review

I've decided to dedicate this blog to game reviews, both old and new games. My focus will primarily be on Nintendo games, not that I don't play other games, but because they are generally my favorite games to play. My first review is going to be over the newly released game: New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo 3DS.

Contrary to its name, New Super Mario Bros. 2 doesn't introduce much new to the series. Does that make it a bad game by any means? No, but those who are expecting something new are going to be disappointed. However, those who look forward to another 2D Mario game won't be disappointed at all. It's the same classic gameplay that we all know and love.

Gameplay
As with any 2D Mario game, the basic mechanics are running and jumping. You'll stomp a Goomba's head, and you'll send that Koopa spinning by kicking his shell. Of course there's fire Mario, which allows you to shoot fireballs at your enemies, burning them to a crisp. Then there's the Super Leaf which turns you into Raccoon Mario, which allows you to fly into the air after running for a few seconds just like he did in Super Mario Bros. 3. The Mini Mushroom returns, allowing Mario to shrink and go into places previously unaccesssible. The Mega Mushroom, which made its debut in 2006 in New Super Mario Bros., returns after taking a hiatus after appearing in Mario Kart Wii, and it's my favorite power up just because it transforms Mario into a giant, allowing him to wreak destruction on the game's environment.

New Super Mario Bros. 2, while not offering much in new content, does focus on something that hasn't been focused on much before. Coins. Yes they've been in the series since its debut, but they haven't been explicitly focused on like this game presents. New Super Mario Bros. 2 urges the player to collect as many coins as they can, and this is shown by the amount of coins presented in a level. There are more coins in this game than in the entire Mario series... Which is an overstatement, but it seems this way because the center of the game is on coin collection. In this game, Nintendo was nice enough to help us in our quest of coin collection by introducing the Gold Flower.

The Gold Flower

What it does is allow Mario to shoot little bursts of gold out at his surroundings. Any enemy hit by one of these will instantly die, and also grant Mario an allotted coin amount. The flower also allows you to turn certain objects into coins that you can add to your constantly growing coin collection. While not necessarily an innovative feature, it does allow players who like collecting coins to have a reason to come back to the game after finishing the main part of the game.

Coin Rush Mode

Coin rush mode is a new mode that is meant to add replayability to the game. The goal is to collect as many coins you can in as little time as possible within a certain time limit. However, from what I've played of this mode I can say that I'm not a fan of it. The levels picked for Coin Rush are not exactly levels built for speed runs, which is basically what this is. It's a speed run to obtain as many coins as possible, but due to the way some levels are designed, not all are built for this mode. Nintendo could have handled this better by making better decisions on what levels were included in Coin Rush, and maybe they will with DLC that they promise is coming.

Story

The story premise is the same as it has been for the past twenty-five years. Bowser kidnaps Peach and Mario has to save her. Just like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario has to defeat the Koopalings before he gets his chance with Bowser. When he finally does, Bowser is of course defeated and Peach is saved. It's all happily ever after until Bowser decides to Kidnap Peach again.

Music

New Super Mario Bros.2 does not have much going in the way of music. It's the same music that was used in New Super Mario Bros and New Super Mario Bros. Wii with minor altercations to it. The musical choices for the New Super Mario series are getting tiring, and I hope it's a situation that is rectified in New Super Mario Bros. U.

Overall Verdict

New Super Mario Bros. is not a bad game by any means, but it's not a great game. It's simply good. It doesn't capture the same magic that the Super Mario games of yore brought us as children. The series was magical back in 2006, but here in 2012 due to lack of innovation it's simply becoming old. This is still a good game, and it will tide you over until New Super Mario Bros. U, which I'm hoping will bring a spark back into this series, because it surely needs one. I was excited for this game, but it's just more of the same, which isn't bad, but a little spice would be nice.

8/10 Good, but not great...