New Super Mario Bros. 2 Game Review # 6

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the third iteration in the New Super Mario Bros. series and a direct sequel to the original New Super Mario Bros.. Bowser and his Koopalings have once again captured Peach although this time a touch of Wario has been added in the sense that a large focus is placed on collecting coins. The game was recently released and is currently available everywhere and is also available through the eShop for download.

The gameplay is still the same tried and true formula. The mini and mega mushroom return and for the first time since Super Mario Bros. 3 you are able to fly with the super leaf. As mentioned earlier collecting coins is a large part of the experience as many new power ups and challenges revolve around collecting coins. Whether it be a coin block that can give differing amount of coins when you hit it, a coin block for a head which trips coins with every movement, or making everything turn into coins and gold around you. You might ask why you would want to collect coins. Nintendo is tracking the worldwide number of coins collected and a bonus is added if you collect a million coins. For beginners this game adds the ability to become practically invincible after 5 deaths on a level. Only a few things can kill you and that is mostly falling which jumping is a lot easier when invincible. For veteran gamers, finding the three star coins in each level is still the way to test your skill which these coins later help unlock more advanced levels.

The music and graphics are decent. Unfortunately there were no memorable tracks that I can remember but I also can't think of any complaints about the music other then not being a fan of the "wah wahs" still but that is not going to change and is not a deal breaker at all. I felt the 3D was not as important in this game as other titles. It did not look bad but I did not feel the added depth helped playing this particular game. There was no  added benefit in my opinion apart from it looking nice with 3D on. The graphics themselves are standard. Nothing should blow you away but everything looked just fine.

As far as bonus modes you are able to play 2-player co-op and have a vs. mode called Coin Rush. Unfortunately the 2-player mode requires both people to have a copy of the game which unfortunately for those that have multiple people on the same game then this mode can not be used. Coin Rush can be a lot of fun challenging friends and rivals scores. The stages are random so you are not able to memorize a plan with the packs that come with the game. If wanting to prove yourself against a set pack then there is DLC available where everyone plays the same thing. For veteran players you can also find some advanced packs available to truly test your skills available also.

For beginner players I can not recommend this game enough. The issues in the first New Super Mario Bros. have been fixed with the invincibility power up which can be used if you need it. No worried on getting stuck on one part ever again. For veteran players there is still star coins, secret paths, and even advanced levels, Of course there is also Coin Rush to challenge others or download the DLC and challenge the world or just take on some really hard extra levels. There is definitely something for everyone here and I would recommend it to anyone with a 3DS.

New Super Mario Bros. Game Review # 5

The New Super Mario Bros. series has been around for a while with games in the series being available on every Nintendo platform available since its first release with an upcoming Wii U entry in the series being available at its launch. By this time the New in New Super Mario Bros. isn't exactly as strong as it was when the first game was released but at that time it was the first side-scrolling game starring Mario in almost 15 years. This review is about that first game and why even today it still belongs in your game collection.

We will get the plot out of the way quickly. Princess Peach has been kidnapped and you must defeat Bowser to rescue her. If you were expecting a great story then the Mario platformers are not where you should be looking.

The gameplay is perfect. If you die you never feel its the games fault which is a sign of great gameplay. Mario has some moves from his 3D platform adventures which are now at his disposal for the first time in 2D. You are able to do a triple jump which allows you to go higher on the second jump and even higher on the third jump when jumping consecutively. You also are able to wall jump. The wall jump in particular has saved me from jumping out of bottomless pits where I would have died in previous 2D Mario platformer games. The mini-mushroom and mega-mushroom are two big additions to the power ups which have been seen again in future games. There is a good challenge in this game for all gamers. Advanced players will find fun in collecting all the star coins in each level of which there are three per level. Beginner players will still find a challenge where a game over means starting over from the last save which could send you back to the previous castle you beat unless you saved after spending star coins on a different route on the main map. For these beginners this will force them to improve on the levels they have till the next save spot until they are able to complete them or collect star coins from previous levels to get more opportunities to save. There are also cannons which can be used to skip levels which can be found which can help these beginners if stuck but the future levels will only get harder. There are also alternate worlds which paths to them can be found which can also be used to get further into the game.

In addition to the main mode there are mini-games which should be noted. If you don't own Super Mario 64 DS then there will be some mini-games that came with that game which are also available for this game. If you do already own that game then none of these will be new. Some are only single player and can be fun to try to get the top score. Others are available for local multiplayer against others where the other players don't even need to own the game themselves to play. Even more then the mini-games there is an extra mode called Mario vs. Luigi which also a local multiplayer game which does not require the other player to own the game. This mode is unique to this game and to me this mode is a huge selling point. When my original copy which was 100 percent completed was stolen I bought this game again just so that I could still play this mode. The point of this mode is to either collect a set limit of stars (which this limit is set before playing) or the other player must run out of lives (unless this is set to unlimited). This mode is perfect for those that want to prove their Mario skills over someone else. I've spent hours playing this mode. As an advanced player it kept me coming back to test out my skills against others. I also have seen beginners have fun with this mode. It may not look as intense but for two beginners having someone at their own skill definitely is a challenge in itself.

When it comes to the graphics they are what you expect from 3D graphics in a 2D platformer. They don't wow but they are definitely not ugly. There are no issues with graphics that would effect the gameplay either which the gamplay is the most important part for a platformer. The music is typical Mario. The main theme is memorable and has become important to the New Super Mario Bros. series. I felt the music was great but I'm not a big fan of the "wah" noises in every song which is a mainstay in this series. It is a nice touch seeing the enemies react to these "wah" noises though.

If you are an advanced player with other advanced player/s living locally that don't own this game then the Mario vs. Luigi mode makes this a must by. You will thank me. For everyone else I would still recommend this game. This series is fantastic but I do feel that the Wii and 3DS game is better for beginners (the upcoming Wii U also appears to be beginner friendly also) but if you don't have the ability to play those games then this entry still does not try to be too hard. For other advanced players without the need for the mode mentioned above then collecting all the star coins can make this game hard and I recommend trying to collect them all instead of just trying to complete the game as the game by itself does not have much challenge to it.

The House of the Dead: Overkill Game Review # 4

If you have been to a few arcades then odds are you have seen The House of the Dead series. I have memories playing a few lives in a few of the games throughout my life. I don't remember getting far or beating any but they were fun games to play with a friend. When the Wii first came out it was seen as a great console for the genre of rail shooters which are fairly non-existent out of the arcade scene. The House of the Dead: Overkill might be a few years old but it has been re-released on other consoles fairly recently.

The first thing to note is when this game says its Mature, it is Mature. The game had the Guinness World Record for the most profane video game at the time of its release. Expect to hear swearing pretty constantly with the f-bomb being dropped 189 times during the game. Also expect a lot of sexual themes throughout the entire game. Also gore is to be expected and expected even more then what you would think for a House of the Dead video game.

Although the game is a part of a series of games, you do not need to play the other games. The story is a prequel to the other games but when I play it feels almost like a spin off. Almost like an alternate world. The game is linked to the other games slightly but I don't feel there is much satisfaction knowing those links when you play the game. The story has you going through different settings. Each setting the goal is usually the same. The plot isn't exactly the most brilliant thing ever created but it serves its purpose. The game is meant to feel like a B-Movie. This is very obvious the entire time. What is brilliant is just how random the game can be. If you like cheesy then you will love it. The dialogue can be just as random with tons of one liners.

The music in the game is fairly good. There were several songs that I thought were nice and others that weren't as nice. It was good overall surprisingly. The visually are very gritty and do a good job trying to be B-movie quality. The entire setting does make you feel like you are in a B-movie.

I do have to comment that despite the game trying its best to look un-polished like a B-movie it does have a few-unpolished elements that I feel were not on purpose. Upgrades and new weapons are unlocked with money but you only get money from getting on the leader board  The higher on the scorecard the better the money. The issue is if you are really great and top the scorecard several times then money is slower to gain the more you can't top your own scores until you rarely get money at all. The upgrades and weapons are not carried over to the directors cut version of the game either which means all the work done at the beginning is just to get to the better Directors Cut levels and having to work to unlock everything again. On a rare occasion the game has glitched in various ways such as game breaking glitches. On one boss fight I played the bosses health stopped going down despite me doing everything perfectly.

If you are looking for a good rail shooter then the game is great despite the glitches. I would not recommend to those that are looking for something not so over the top or not as cheesy. The game is fun when playing with a friend and does a great job being unique even unique from the other entries in the same series.

Kid Icarus: Uprising Game Review # 3

Kid Icarus: Uprising is the 3rd game released in the Kid Icarus series. It had been over 20 years since the last game. In these years there have been many fans wanting a new games while other games from that same 8-bit era had multiple more sequels. The main character had made a few appearances as his 8-bit self in other games. In Super Smash Brothers: Melee, Pit received his first appearance non-8-bit appearance. This was as a 3-D trophy with his old look and the tagline, "Will he ever fight again?". In Super Smash Brothers: Brawl players were able to play as Pit and his appearance was updated. The appearances in the Super Smash Brothers series added a lot of wood to the fire that Nintendo was interested in making another Kid Icarus game. There was truth in the rumors and Masahiro Sakurai, who is the director of the Super Smash Brothers series, directed Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Despite being the 3rd game in the series, there is no need to play the first games. A lot of the information from the earlier games are referenced in the game. Very early in the game, the plot of the original will be explained and in more detail then you would get from playing the original. The plot of the second game is not referenced in the slightest. There are several game play elements from the original which is poked fun at but Uprising does a wonderful job being able to give the player information that would allow them to understand these things without having to have played the original.

The story of the game is very well written. There is a large cast of characters with plenty of new characters. The story rarely plays out to what you expect. The story rarely takes itself seriously as almost anything can trigger a joke from the cast of characters. The jokes can be quite cheesy but I feel this is the route they wanted from the characters. If you really hate the jokes after playing through once then they can be turned off. I personally love the silliness that is the character interaction in this game. The world of Kid Icarus didn't have much depth before this game came out. With this one game I felt like the game world has become as deep as most other series.

The gameplay can be difficult to get used to. There are two main modes. One is where you are on a set path through the air as you dodge and attack enemies. The other mode is where you are on land and have complete freedom to get to the objectives. This game is perfect for someone looking for almost any kind of difficulty. At the beginning of a level you can offer hearts (the currency) to make the games difficulty harder or easier then the normal difficulty. With harder difficulties the more you are able to earn if you can survive. Also some paths open up on harder difficulties to offer more risks and rewards. On lower difficulties then average you will be able to go all the way down to where the game is a cake walk. I personally feel that the average difficulty where no hearts are used is just a tiny bit of a challenge for beginners but not enough to where it is too hard. As a seasoned gamer, I rarely played a level without being in the mid range difficulties. The game recommends you a difficulty on levels as you play through the game. With 91 difficulty levels there is a lot to do to make the difficulty just right. The controls have been something that has been called out a lot by gamers. The game comes with a stand and this provided me a lot of comfort while playing. Many complain that it hurts to play. I agree that the way you play this game is rarely seen in a majority of games. I rarely used the stand as I wasn't near a surface to use it on regularly. After playing for a few days this was a non-issue as my hands were used to how I was playing. I imagine I could still not play for hours without wanting to rest but never had this issue as how well the game is broken up.

The sights and sounds were amazing in this game. There is a lot of music and each is unique. The music can be quite epic at times and always matched the settings I was surrounded by. The graphics were very beautiful on my handheld. I always had to keep my 3DS charged as I wanted to keep experiencing it all in 3-D.

The multiplayer is a load of fun. The modes are based on the on foot segments of the main game. You can play with a team or have it be everyone for themselves. Weapons and abilities are randomly given out in multiplayer, received in the main game, and received through Streetpass. The best weapons are typically rewards on higher difficulties in the main mode. You can also build better weapons through fusing two other weapons or buying the better weapons. I feel that the way this is done gives anyone with the ability to get those better weapons in multiple ways. The team mode is perfect for beginners as dying with a lower rated weapon makes a very small dent in the team combined health while higher weapons and dying can take out huge chunks. If you become Pit in this mode you are randomly given a high powered weapon in this mode also.

If you are looking for a fun game for online/local multiplayer or looking for a epic main quest with tons of replay value, this is that game. I recommend it to anyone that has the system and anyone that is looking for a reason to own the system.

The World Ends With You Game Review # 2

The World Ends With You is an action RPG made by the same team that made by the Kingdom Hearts team and Jupiter at Square Enix. Jupiter made Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories before being a part of this game. It originally released on Nintendo DS in Japan in July 2007 then other regions in April 2008.

The gameplay is hard to get used to but is satisfying to master. It boils down to doing two things at once as you keep track of action on both screens. There are ways to assist such as having the top screen auto or go auto after no input for a short period of time. When the top is in auto it will not make decisions nearly as well or as fast as you can so it would be recommended to take the time to learn to play. Luckily you can control the difficulty in two ways. You can change your level and the enemies difficulty. This game can be either a walk in the park or very hard with this system. For those that go for the harder path they are rewarded with better drops from enemies and/or higher drop rates.

The story is great. If you are looking for something like Kingdom Hearts but without Disney, this is it. It is very unique as you play as a youth in Shibuya, where making fashion statements are just as important except used to fight enemies. The game will take you for a ride and expect to not know what to expect throughout.

The music is worth purchasing just by itself. There are many great songs and the music matches the vibes from the game. There are many times where I would pause the game and just listen through the soundtrack.

This is a fantastic game and a most own for anyone that is more then a little curious. This is probably one of my favorite games for the Nintendo DS, a system that had many great games. It is also definitely one of my favorite games period. This is a game that I had to have in my collection and bought a second time because my first practically 100 percent completed copy was stolen. If you can't find a copy, last month an IOS version was released Worldwide. I can't recommend that version since I have no experience but it would be worth looking into if its the only way you can experience this game.

Mario Party 9 Game Review # 1

There have been a lot of Mario Party games over the years. Looking at the North American release dates we see something. The Nintendo 64 had one each year from 1998 to 2000. The Nintendo Gamecube had one each year from 2002 to 2005. Also earlier in 2005 the Nintendo Game Boy Advance had a portable entry. In 2007 we had another one on Nintendo DS and then one for the Nintendo Wii. If we stop at 2007 we see that #1 there are a lot of Mario Party console games and #2 Nintendo releases them annually on home consoles as soon as they release that first one for the console. This is very odd when looking at Nintendo History. If we take a series like Super Smash Brothers it has only had one per console since its release on Nintendo 64. Going back further we see Mario Kart has had one with every console since it started on Super Nintendo plus one on every handheld starting on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance which is similar to Mario Party portable entries. All of these series are praised as great multi-player experiences. One wonders why the Mario Party Portable series has followed this and yet the consoles have seen multiple entries. Then after Mario Party 8 something happened. No announcements on a Mario Party 9. I remember waiting for a Mario Party 9 announcement during this time. I expected it but it never came. Mario Party 8 was graphically similar to the Nintendo Gamecube games which is expected from a game that was in development early in the Nintendo Wii's life. The gameplay also suffered from this early development as the controls were not fully realized. There was a lot of waggling in place of pushing buttons. Now Nintendo has released Mario Party 9 this year and let me tell you, it was worth the wait.

Mario Party 9 is a must have party game for the Nintendo Wii. That is saying something since the Nintendo Wii is home to a lot of party games. There are only a few groups that I would exclude from the must buy list. The game shines in multiplayer. You can play single-player but a majority of the enjoyment is with other people. This does not take advantage of online so local multiplayer only. If you have no one locally to play with or not enough Wii Remotes for at least one more person then this game would be more enjoyed as a rental instead of a purchase more then likely. Even though the game supports four players and is built around that, you can enjoy the game greatly with just two people. Nothing in this game supports any Wii Remote attachments or Motion Plus so any Wii Remote will work just by itself to enjoy this game. If you have friends that also have Nintendo Wiis then have them bring their Wii Remotes to have fun at your place if you don't have enough Wii Remotes.

Graphically, this game is beautiful. It is widescreen and the art style is very visually appealing. I had no issues playing the game caused by graphics.

The music was great for what it was needed for. It was designed to be background music and it does a good job with this task. The music may be repetitive but that never became a problem in my playthroughs.

The gameplay is great. There was less then a handful of minigames where I felt the game would play better without the motion controls which are forced upon you. Also there were only a few minigames which are based upon luck only instead of any skill. Luckily if you play the main mode or a majority of other modes in the game with human players then you can usually avoid playing these minigames. It should be noted that the main mode does require luck and skill to win. I feel that luck weighs more on this scale. I feel this is different from past Mario Party games. Each had luck but I felt skill was still more important in those games. There were several times I saw I would win a majority of minigames but wind of loosing the whole game due to bad luck. After playing the game a lot I eventually was able to improve my odds by realizing how the game would work against the winning players and work to avoid those traps if I was winning. Likewise I would work towards those things if I was losing. It is fun in its own right. If the other players are not putting up enough of a game then it becomes you vs the game itself. Also you can put a handicap for other players if you want things a bit more balanced. You will also notice that the main part of the game is all done with everyone in the same vehicle plus every map has a beginning and an end. This is new to the series and I love it. It takes getting used to but I feel it is something that I want to see more in the future. I would not mind having both modes in future games but would be upset to see this not show up again. If you hate the new way the main game plays then there is always several other modes where skill becomes the name of the game.

This was my favorite Mario Party game and it was a great Wii game. If you don't own this game then consider adding it to your collection.