Kirby’s Return To Dreamland is possibly the easiest game I’ve played in my entire life. Usually this is a bad thing, but in this title’s case, it’s simplicity and ease actually works in its favour. The game’s levels are varied and extremely long. Early stages are very easy, but towards the end of the game, the difficulty ramps up significantly (I found the final boss insanely difficult). You don’t have to really try very hard to make it to the end of every level and surprisingly I actually enjoyed this. Kirby’s Return To Dreamland is the kind of game that’s a ton of fun after a rough day at the office or school because… (more…)

Mario Kart 7 introduces a number of new features to Nintendo’s fan favourite kart racing franchise, but it still ends up playing almost identically to its predecessors.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, because Mario Kart is the kind of franchise where too much tweaking of the core mechanics mean it just isn’t Mario Kart anymore. Mario Kart 7 attempts to maintain this delicate balance, keeping enough of the game the same, but also introducing new original features to keep things fresh. The ability to customize your kart with various different wheels, body types, and hang glider attachments adds a welcome dose of customization to the relatively simple franchise…. (more…)

Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS has convinced me that three dimensional effects can actually add to a game’s overall experience. The recent remake of Ocarina Of Time on the 3DS looked amazing, but the 3D effect really didn’t alter the game’s gameplay in any meaningful way. In Super Mario 3D Land, it’s almost impossible to play the game with 3D disabled (something I’ve actually done with other 3DS titles). The extra spatial sense that the added dimension provides, makes traversing the game’s vibrantly designed levels significantly easier and way more fun. The game also utilizes the three dimensions to their full effect, enemies pop out from the… (more…)

Ten years ago, the original Xbox launched with a title that revolutionized console FPS gaming and took off in student dorms everywhere.  The game was called Halo: Combat Evolved, and it swiftly became one of the biggest franchises to come out in the past ten years (alongside Call of Duty, Gears of War and Uncharted). Most of you know what Halo has become over the past few years, but not all of you may know how it all started. Halo was originally a Mac real-time strategy game before Bungie changed directions when purchased by Microsoft after a powerful showing at MacWorld. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, a remake of the original,… (more…)

My name is Kory and I’m addicted to the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  I can’t stop ‘chasing the purple dragon’…and I literally mean winged monsters from the sky. Skyrim, a single-player epic RPG from Bethesda Softworks, is the fifth and arguably greatest installment in the celebrated Elder Scrolls series. Set in the Viking-inspired Nordic nation of Skyrim, the game is open-world, open-ended and filled with enough content to be virtually inexhaustible to the average gamer. For these reasons, I have been unable to tear myself away from the game since I first received my copy. During those brief times when I have been forced to take a break, I talk… (more…)

It doesn’t matter what platform Tetris is on, Tetris is always just Tetris. The fact is that Tetris Axis in 3D really doesn’t add much to the usual Tetris formula; but it does look pretty cool. This title, Tetris Axis, also got me thinking: Was I really that bad at Tetris as a child? I remember not being able to make it past 20 lines. In Tetris Axis, I made it to a respectable 80 (at least respectable by my standards). Tetris Axis features online play, which is a rare addition to any 3DS title. It also has the usual Tetris modes with one interesting inclusion, climb mode (this mode was also available… (more…)

Professor Layton and the Last Specter is an interesting yet frustrating game. For starters, the title blends classic PC point and click game-play with mind-bending puzzles. The concept is great, but instead of tying the game’s puzzles to the story – as is the case in classic adventure titles such as Monkey Island or Sam and Max – the Last Specter doesn’t even try to integrate the two. Basically, there are puzzles for no other reason than the town of Misthallery’s inhabitants are simply puzzle-crazed individuals. This strange decision pulled me out of the game’s otherwise reasonably engaging story line. Professor Layton and the Last Specter is a prequel to all previous… (more…)

A lot of information concerning Batman: Arkham City has been announced and hinted at over the last year, so much that I was afraid I’d know everything about the game by the time it was released. Thankfully, the game turned out to still be a brilliant experience and just as enjoyable as if we had been told nothing. Every feature of the game makes it feel like a new toy; the visuals were amazing and ultimately the game was a perfect and natural progression from Arkham Asylum. The painful minutes spent downloading Catwoman and Robin finally ended with the game’s first level featuring none other than the titular femme fatale. The… (more…)

Star Fox 643D takes amazing advantage of the Nintendo 3DS’ 3D capabilities. It’s just a shame that it’s overall design is showing its age. Star Fox 643D is a remake of the N64 classic and is faithful to the original game. You play as Star Fox, the Lylat system’s last hope to fend off  the evil Andross. That’s about as deep as the story gets, but Star Fox 64 isn’t about the story, it’s about addictive space combat and blasting the crap out of various enemies. The gameplay is as fun as ever and controlling your Arwing fighter and Landmaster feels just as smooth as it did all those many years ago… (more…)

Nintendogs+Cats isn’t the kind of game I typically go for, but it isn’t supposed to be. The title is obviously aimed at a younger audience, not someone who is 22-years-old and male. That being said, I’ve done my best to examine Nintendo’s pet simulator as objectively as I can and enlisted the help of my girlfriend’s 11-year-old sister, Lisa. She is, after all, the exact demographic that Nintendogs+Cats is designed for. From what I can tell, Nintendogs+Cats for the 3DS is extremely similar to the DS original. I haven’t actually played the DS version, but Lisa has, and according to her, “It’s pretty much the same as the other game.” The… (more…)