Onelargeprawn
Hello, fellow Mario Kart 8 lovers! We’re back with an exciting review of the new DLC tracks that launched yesterday. We already reviewed Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U when it first came out over here, and we reviewed the first set of extra tracks, Zelda x Mario Kart, over here. Now we have the last lot of tracks and karts and characters—two more cups and eight new track, plus some more new characters and vehicles, all being reviewed right here, right now, by me. Let’s race!
My last review of Grand Theft Auto V was for last-gen systems, and since then, it’s received a release on current-gen consoles, and now a belated release on PC. Either way, the game is huge, and on PC it’s crazy huge, physically speaking. The retail version contains a crazy 7 discs, while purchasing the download version on Steam will run you around 60GB. Hope you weren’t thinking of using your regular capped account for it! Incidentally, grabbing the retail version nets you a nifty map that you can frame or hang on your wall or use to wrap a small body in. Since the games are functionally similar, my prior review still stands, so I’ll be highlighting the differences of the PC version of the console version.
In 2005, the Nintendo DS saw the release of Kirby: Canvas Curse, a Kirby game that used an unusual mechanic to control the pink puffball: drawing on the touch screen. The game was well received by critics, and this, I imagine, is what prompted Nintendo to release a sequel for the Wii U, and with a new aesthetic: clay. Or “plasticine” as it’s sometimes known as. When my son was younger, he called it “lunch”. Let’s see how well-moulded this game is.
The Fall, a Kickstarter-backed game that first released on Steam, has now made its way to the Nintendo Wii U. I strap on my powered suit, and go exploring to see whether this puzzle action game is worth playing. Come along!
Kirby is one of the stalwarts that has been a part of the Nintendo family for almost 25 years. In 2010, we saw the release of Kirby’s Adventure Wii, and it was fairly well received. I get a chance to review the Virtual Console version of the game for the Wii U and test the Wii Virtual Console in the process.
Circa 1920, Russian artist El Lissitzky coined the term Proun (proun-ouned as “pro-oon”) to describe his abstract, geometric art style. He personally described it as “the station where one changes from painting to architecture”, which could mean many things, or nothing, but in any event was seen as a branch of the suprematism art movement. It all sounds terribly pretentious, so I bet you’re currently asking “what in the blazes does any of this have to do with video games,” and I’d respond with a witty, “Ah, but that’s what YOU think.” Or maybe I’d actually get around to telling you that all this knowledge forms the basis of today’s review for a racing game called Proun+. Let’s roll.
I never played any of the prior Saints Row games, so going into this game I wasn’t immediately familiar with any of the characters. This review is going to be taken from the unique perspective of someone unfamiliar with Saints Row. Would a standalone expansion be enough to turn someone into a fan? Would such a person understand the game without the backgrounds? I skew my halo and head for the highway to hell to find out.
The original Xenoblade Chronicles, released in 2011, was one of the last great games of the Nintendo Wii’s life, and because it came so late, it was played by far fewer people than would have been hoped. It was a huge achievement of an RPG, too, with a deep mythology, a widely-acclaimed battle system, huge sprawling maps, and vibrant characters. Developers Monolith Soft and Monster Games have ported the game as a New Nintendo 3DS exclusive, allowing more people to play this masterpiece. I take up my Vorpal Sword Monado Blade and head into the wild yonder to see how well this port stacks up against the original.
Soldner-X (or more properly, Söldner-X, a German term meaning “mercenary X”) was a side-scrolling bullet hell shoot-em up (“shmup”) game released in 2007 for the PS3. It was fairly well-received, and received a follow-up game, Soldner-X 2:Final Prototype in 2010. Today’s review is the PlayStation Vita port of the game. I suit up, and jump into the cockpit of my fighter ship because my trigger-finger is itchy. Let’s see how well the Vita version stands up on its own, shall we?
The Mario vs Donkey Kong series of puzzle games, now over ten years old and six games in the bag, sees its newest addition return to the 2D platform style that it originally started with. Like many of the prior games, your mission is simply to get the Mario-themed clockwork toys to the door by manipulating various elements on the game screen. I gather up my clockwork toys and try not to throw them from the cot as I bring you this review.