Rated CBAM!

The End of Rated CBAM (No More Reviews)

2011-01-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

This has always been something I thought about every time I wrote out a review for a while now. I think I cemented that I would stop after 100 about a year ago. It took a while to get there since I don't play video games as much as I used to. There aren't a lot of reasons as to why I'm ending this, but the few reasons are big ones.

The main reason is the lack of support and interest. With anything in life, it's easier to do things if you get support. So little feedback (good or bad) and little interest from anyone (friends or strangers) made doing these reviews more of a task rather than something I enjoyed. I did think for a while to keep doing these as a record of me beating games, but I have plenty of other things that serve as proof of my game accomplishments. I will, however, start posting the day I beat a game and my score of it on my Facebook.

So I'm not going to drag this on any longer. Disney Epic Mickey is my 100th and Final review for this game blog. I will keep it up and alive, but I will not add any more to it. Thank you to those that did take time and read these. Now I will go back to just playing and enjoying games.

- AFR

Disney Epic Mickey (Review)

2011-01-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

Review 100 (Final Review)

Disney Epic Mickey (Nintendo Wii)

Rated “E” For “Everyone”

Mickey makes his return to being the star of his own game after many many years. While he hasn't had the best role in games over the years, he'll try once again...in an epic way. Will the combination of Disney, Warren Spector, and the Wii give the famed mouse the spotlight once again?

=====Story=====

After stepping through the looking glass, Mickey plays around with Yesnid's creation. Mickey accidentally spills a combination of paint and thinner all over the created world. He tries to clean it up, but runs back through the mirror before getting caught.

Years have gone by and Mickey reaches the heights of fame while Yesnid's ruined work has been stirring and gone awry. From the mess comes the evil Blot monster that continues to ruin the now called Wasteland. It then pulls Mickey through the looking glass and traps him in the diluted world he accidentally created. Armed with the magical paint brush, it's up to Mickey to find his way home.

=====Gameplay=====

Mickey has only a few abilities to use. He can jump, double jump, spin, and use his paint brush. Now his paint brush has the choice of using green thinner or blue paint. Thinner will dissolve your enemies and selective surroundings while paint can charm your enemies to help you fight and fill in selective surroundings. Just aim your reticule at your target and fire away. Choosing which method you want to use more of is up to you and there are benefits to using one over the other and is the base on the morality system for this game. Using one over the other will effect how characters react to you, how characters might or might not help you, and even determine whether you end up having to fight or not.

=====Difficulty=====

Mickey has never had the toughest adventures in his game history. This epic adventure is pretty much lukewarm in the challenge area. Again, the morality system can also help tip the scales of difficulty since fights can be avoided or more challenging depending on what you do. Overall, there are only a handful of blot monsters and puzzles that will give anyone a real challenge. Mickey doesn't have to try to hard to complete the majority of the quests that he may embark on.

Add in the fact that Mickey has infinite lives, it's almost impossible to not complete this game no matter what your gaming level is.

=====Content=====

While there isn't much to the game itself, there is a lot in the game. Warren Spector and his team did a terrific job of putting tons of nostalgia and Disney iconography in every inch of the Wasteland.

While settings aren't exactly how they are (due to Mickey ruining them), you can still find everything be familiar. Mean Street is an homage to Main Street in Disneyland and serves as Mickey's central hub between worlds. All worlds are crafted and have tons of Disney in them (crates you brake are crates you can actually find in areas of Disneyland). It's A Small World ride might like different, but you'll most likely know what it is. Despite its name, there's a lot of things pleasing to the eye in Wasteland. Even the music will sound familiar yet warped.

The 2D platforming levels are almost exactly played out like the actual cartoons. If you remember watching them, part of your brain might know what's just beyond the screen. Or you might know how enemies and environments will behave.

Everyone you encounter has been pulled from Mickey's past lore of cartoons. They might not have been the biggest characters ever made by Disney, but some stand out more than others like Pete and all his incarnations. Horace Horsecollar, the Gremlins, the Mad Doctor, and others are old school favorites that you will see throughout Mickey's quest.

And if you really want tons of content, spend some time around Mickey Junk Mountain. You'll find heaps of old Mickey Mouse merchandise piled together including old video games, pins, lunch boxes, and even some Mickey Mouse Club paraphernalia.

For more, check out GamesRadar article on 50 Disney References in Epic Mickey. 50 is such a small number as there are tons of Disney references in this game.

=====Final Thoughts=====

Anyone that has played this game will tell you (whether they liked the game or not) that the biggest offender is the camera. It's manageable, but it definitely can hinder your progress at times.

The 2D platform levels are great to playthrough and get the nostalgia feeling from having seen the past cartoons, but going through a few over and over to get from one place to another does get tiring.

The cut scenes are done in a great style. The game itself has many different styles as you play. The main game looks a certain way, the 2D levels have their own style and look, the cut scenes have their own style, and the CG is different so that all these things look like they're done by multiple artists.

The morality system is a big part of the game. It warrants multiple playthroughs especially since there are multiple endings depending on what you do throughout the game. Just think that with almost every item and almost every enemy that there are 2 ways to go about it. The added touch of the game auto-saving makes it so you can't go back on the choices you've made. Once it's done, it's done. New Game + will also help in wanting to see what else you could've done differently in the Wasteland.

The return of Oswald The Lucky Rabbit is just a big thing in itself. Seeing Walt Disney's first creation back in new content and being a main part of the story was great to see.

This game is NOT for everyone. There are a lot of things to like about it, but it helps if you are a cartoon enthusiast, a Disney fan, and even more so if you're a Mickey Mouse fan. And if you are a big Mickey Mouse fan, get the Collector's Edition for the Mickey figure and more.

Disney Epic Mickey is not the greatest game and definitely not Mickey's worst. Disney Epic Mickey is a great display of love to the mouse that stars in it and to the wonderful world of Disney.

Rated 3 out of 5

Wii Games - E3 2011 - Disney Epic Mickey

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Video Games | Epic Mickey | Review

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Review)

2010-11-29T09:48:00.000-08:00

Review 99

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo Wii)

Rated “E” For “Everyone”

Donkey Kong makes his return to consoles starring in his latest adventure. It has been a few years since the tie wearing hero graced us with his banana collecting goodness. Is this return to the country worth it or should the big Kong just continue being a featured player rather than the lead?

=====Story=====

A volcano erupts on Donkey Kong’s home island. The eruption releases evil Tiki figures that hypnotizes the animal populace with their melodic tunes. The animals then are made to steal Kong’s vast supply of bananas to…take over with banana power?

Well, the main thing is that Donkey Kong’s bananas were stolen and it is up to him and Diddy to get them back. They were either too heroic or too not-big-in-the-brain-department to be effected by the Tiki trances. They just know that they want their bananas and it’s time to go ape on the volcano Tikis.

=====Gameplay=====

The core of controlling Kong and Little Kong hasn’t changed much from the 16-bit country days. Make Kong go left, make Kong go right, and make Kong jump. The added motion controls aren’t as bad (recommend Wiimote/Nunchuk combination) as they are for simple, yet necessary, actions like blowing and ground pounding and rolling. You’ll be doing every action possible to get through stages and uncover the many secrets strewn about each level.

The major change to gameplay is the joined-at-the-hip approach. In this case, they’re joined on DK’s massive back. Playing alone, Diddy rides on his larger counterpart. No more switching, but the game was designed to around this rather than because of this. Diddy adds 2 extra hearts to your health and can provide a little hover action with his jet pack to extend your leaps of faith from platform to platform. A second player can jump in and take control of Diddy so that you can get some extra help from a friend. Hopefully you have a fully functioning ape buddy that will help you rather than hinder you.

=====Difficulty=====

This return to the country came with varying levels of difficulty. The first stretch of land serves well in showing you what to do and how to implement it while gradually increasing the challenge of doing those tasks (as should most games). As you continue on with your banana retrieval, the levels grow in challenge putting your skills to the test. The final areas definitely test your mastery of Kong as they definitely up the challenge. Thanks to the pacing, while the difficulty does skyrocket at points, it never seems impossible. A great mark of good difficulty design.

Each level is filled with platforming goodness. Stages that have you interacting and playing in the background are done extremely well. A few more of these stages would’ve been welcomed. Levels that have you going to the right or to the up of the screen are well paced and can have you biting your nails as you try not to be screen-killed. Vehicle riding stages (mine cart and barrel rockets) are done well and are great challenges in testing your timing. Some may not like them as much since they can (and most likely will) be the cause of many one-hit/mistake deaths. The same can be said for a few barrel blasting sequences.

Boss battles aren’t the most difficult to deal with. Once you imbed the attack patterns into your banana filled brain, you won’t have much trouble dealing with them.

But in case you took one too many tries at a certain level due to losing a lot of balloons (lives), Super Kong becomes available. Choosing to use Super Kong lets the computer take over and beat the level for you (just like in New Super Mario Bros Wii). It will beat the level for you and leave a reminder that it beat it for you. You can always go back and beat the level yourself to get rid of that mark.

=====Content=====

Other than retrieving the stolen banana stash, there is a lot to collect in this title. You have 8 main island areas to venture through. Each area has at least 7 levels to conquer plus a boss battle. Each of those (minus the boss) has K-O-N-G letters and puzzle pieces to collect (for gallery purposes). Each level has secret passages to further help in collecting bananas and puzzles pieces. And each area has a secret level to unlock more secrets. And there’s a Golden Banana Temple unlocked after beating the game. AND there’s an unlockable mirror mode with increased difficulty that you can go through.

They crammed a lot into this barrel. Going through the game once will easily net you 8+ hours. And if you want to challenge yourself in the previously mentioned mirror mode, you’ll at least double that and then some due to the increased challenge it provides.

=====Final Thoughts=====

Donkey Kong’s return is definitely a winner. There is a lot to like here. Levels and graphics are designed well, the music is memorable and nostalgic, and the challenge and experience is unforgettable. There are a few things I’d like to give nods to.

The animals seem very Pixar/Dreamworks-esque.

The levels where everything is black with shades of red were very eye pleasing.

The inclusion of Super Kong doesn’t hurt the game. It’s an aid to those that just can’t get passed that one level that’s been knocking them off their vine. Doesn’t mean they can’t beat any level beyond that. It’s just that one level is giving them a tough time. I can almost guarantee that anyone that has to resort to using Super Kong will go back and prove to themselves that they can do it.

Small nods to Game N Watch, DK Jr. Math, and even (maybe) The King of Kong were nice easter eggs.

Even though I saw the volcano Tikis use the bananas, I still don’t know WHY bananas. I know I shouldn’t read much into it, but I still questioned it when I saw it, ha.

The art of collecting items never seems like an extra thing to do in Nintendo titles. You just get a sense of wanting to collect everything rather than having to collect everything.

Seeing Donkey Kong and Diddy jump in at the beginning of each level really sets the tone of “I’m about to kick some banana-pilfering booty.”

Retro Studios has done well with yet another Nintendo franchise. If they continue to do this, I can’t wait to see what they do with what they get a hold of next.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a very much welcomed return. You can’t go wrong with this game. And perhaps those that wondered why Nintendo trademarked a certain phrase, it’s probably because they knew they needed that phrase for this game. Simply put…

Donkey Kong Country Returns is “On Like Donkey Kong!”

Rated 5 out of 5

Video Games | Donkey Kong Country Returns | Review

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Sonic Colors (Review)

2010-11-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

Review 98

Sonic Colors (Nintendo Wii)

Rated “E” For “Everyone”

A new 3-D Sonic game exclusive to Nintendo. With the string of exclusive Sonic titles only released on the Wii, is it about time that Sega hang up their red speed shoes up or will this colorful venture bring Sonic back on track?

=====Story=====

After having his plans foiled one after the other, Dr. Eggman decides to do away with his evil plots and turn a new leaf. He builds a theme park in space for the galaxy to enjoy. Welcome to Dr. Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park.

Knowing how Eggman operates, Sonic and Tails check out the newly built theme park and uncover Eggman’s plans. Eggman has been using the space theme park as a front to collect alien beings known as Wisps to harness their power and energy to, as usual, rule with an iron fist and be rid of that nefarious hedgehog.

=====Gameplay=====

Make Sonic run. Make Sonic jump. Make Sonic home-in on enemies and objects. Make Sonic collect rings. Nothing he hasn’t done before in his previous 3-D titles. The controls are simple enough and do work, but it might not always work for you.

Some sequences will prompt you that Sonic needs to make sharp turns. This almost never works out as Sonic feels as if he has lost any traction whatsoever. The sequences where Sonic can do quick dashes from side to side work fine, but can lead to cheap hits or deaths from not being able to always see what’s ahead of you due to either bad camera angles or just going too fast. The sequences where Sonic can increase his jump are too simple as you can just tap the jump button as much as you want to achieve the best outcome.

Make Sonic use alien Wisps to use their abilities? That is new. As you progress through different worlds, you’ll come across new Wisps, each with their own special power. You can become a laser and bounce off crystals to reach different areas, you can turn into a spike ball and cling and grind up walls you couldn’t before, you can drill through the ground to battle enemies or bypass level paths, and much more. But pretty much each Wisp can help you find a new way to beat each act. Their use is limited and most of the times only useful at certain areas. They do feel gimmicky and are actually not necessary for use as you can still beat most levels just making Sonic run.

=====Difficulty=====

Sonic Colors is an easy game. What may make the adventure difficult are cheap kills and trying to collect all the red rings (needed to unlock Super Sonic). Veteran 3-D Sonic players can easily run through this title in under 5 hours if they don’t bother with collecting red rings.

Cheap kills can come from bad camera angles as mentioned earlier. Trying to collect all the red rings can definitely test your patience at times. You’ll need to use Wisps to collect some of the harder to find ones.

Choosing to use Wisps during levels are mostly optional. They're best used to finding alternative paths to finish an act and that might just make your adventure that much shorter.

Boss battles aren’t a big challenge. This is where Wisps are a bit too powerful. Use the right Wisp and you can guarantee a one-hit win. The only boss that really serves as a challenge is the final one, but even that one is more time consuming and drawn out than anything.

=====Content=====

5 hours or less of running and 36 acts might not be enough for everyone. Wanting to become Super Sonic definitely will add miles to this game. Collecting all 180 red rings adds a level of challenge, but isn’t as fulfilling as collecting in a Mario title.

There are challenge levels in the form of the Sonic Simulator. You can also have some multiplayer action here, but…it’s not the greatest thing in the world. Just a little bit of extra content that is underwhelming.

=====Final Thoughts=====

Sonic Colors has a few things going for it. It looks great, it has great level design, and it gives a nice sense of speed. But there are just more things going against it than one would hope for.

The campy story comes with campy dialogue. The constant joke of Tails mistranslating what the Wisps are saying definitely shows that this is aimed at a younger audience. The voice acting doesn’t make it any better. I suggest listening to the Japanese voices with subtitles.

While the level design is great, it’s hard to not question why some levels are made. There is at least one act in each world that can take less than a minute to complete. Why not just flush out another nice level to run through? The same can be said about the final final act. That sequence was not necessary and too short and could have easily been part of the ending cut scene it leads to.

The really best parts of the game is when Sonic is on rails and is running through the levels. While those parts are fun to watch, at times you have to wonder why the best parts of the game are when you aren’t doing much in terms of actually playing.

You deserve better, Sonic. Perhaps Dr. Eggman is winning the war against you at a turtle's pace.

Rated 2 out of 5

Video Games | Sonic Colors | Review

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (Review)

2010-10-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Review 97

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (WiiWare)

Rated “E” For “Everyone”

Sega returns Sonic to a 2-D plain and has him leaving blue blurs across your screens. Is this truly the thing that all Sonic fans have been clamoring for or is it another strike on the hedgehogs long game legacy?

=====Story=====

After the events of “Sonic & Knuckles,” Sonic travels to unknown lands. The nefarious Dr. Eggman/Robotnik continues to build more diabolical devices to stop Sonic once and for and capture the power of the Chaos Emeralds.

…

Or…watch Sonic run fast through evil robots and save little creatures. There’s not much to the story here.

=====Gameplay=====

Sonic returns to his 16-bit roots after 16 years. Run to the right, run to the left, and jump. Nothing complicated at all with controlling the speedy hedgehog.

He did incorporate a few more tricks from his 3-D ventures in this latest episode. Sonic now has his homing attack to dispose of enemies that can lead him to different areas of the map. The homing attack can also target springs to bounce off of and monitors containing precious rings. He has also adapted the ability to run along sides of walls better than rolling on them, something that might be new to those that never gave the “Sonic Rush” titles a spin.

Special levels to collect Chaos Emeralds are modeled after the special stages in the very first Sonic game. Have at least 50 rings when you reach the end of a level and jump through the large ring to access them. Spin the level around to roll Sonic down the paths to the Chaos Emeralds. You can switch from d-pad controls or try tilting the Wiimote to navigate Sonic in these special stages.

Tons of familiar Sonic gameplay here. Nothing tough to figure out.

=====Difficulty=====

Dr. Eggman’s schemes were never the toughest to topple and that’s no different in this episode. Sonic 4 is on the same level of difficulty as any of its Genesis predecessors and in a way, easier. It won’t take long to take Sonic from the beginning of Episode 1 to the end of it. The toughest part of this digital download would have to be the special stages to collect the Chaos Emeralds. Some are pretty simple to move Sonic through while others will definitely put your skills to the test racing against the clock.

=====Content=====

Since this is a digital game, there’s only so much you can expect from it. 4 zones each with 3 acts, 7 special stages, and a final showdown with Dr. Robuttnik. The acts are vast in scope, but if you’re just a speedster, you can go through most acts in a couple of minutes. Leaderboards will definitely show how fast one can run through a stage. Trying to top the leaderboards will also extend your play with this title.

=====Final Thoughts=====

For those that cried for a classic Sonic title, here it is. It’s not Sonic’s best run, but he’s done worse. There are a few gripes that you may experience. One gripe is the physics. Letting go of any direction will cause Sonic to almost immediately lose any momentum. This can cause problems when platforming during certain levels. Another gripe you may have is Sonic unfurling after a homing attack, which will leave him vulnerable for a split second. It’s not that big a deal, but it can cost you your precious rings. And the game is short. You can download this title and be done with everything a couple hours later.

Some great points about the game include the graphics. The game looks great. The game is very nostalgic in many ways including sound effects, the feel, the look of some stages, and the boss battles with Eggman. The stages are designed with great detail (the torch level was a nice experience). It’s a great return to form. A few kinks can be worked out for the next episode, but those that wanted Sonic to be blast processing like he used to will definitely feel great after running through Episode 1.

Rated 3 out of 5

Video Games | Sonic 4: Episode 1 | Review Pod HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Metroid: Other M (Review)

2010-09-07T20:44:00.001-07:00

Review 96

Metroid: Other M (Nintendo Wii)

Rated "T" For "Teen"

The one of few non-Princesses in Nintendo's lead female stable is off on another adventure in space. After being primed and ready from her last trilogy, could a team of ninjas redirect her spaceship to something new and glorious?

=====Story=====

After the events of Super Metroid, Samus awakens after her latest battle with Mother Brain and losing the baby Metroid. She continues on with her space bounty hunter ways, but is interrupted by a distress signal. Changing her route, she meets Galactic Federation troops already investigating the Bottle Ship. Meeting her former captain, Adam Malkovich, stirs her emotions. Samus once again falls in line and takes orders from Malkovich and helps the Galactic Federation in finding out the reason for the distress signal. Twists and turns occur and Samus meets more of her past as Other M's tale unravels.

=====Gameplay=====

Team Ninja gives us 2 modes of play to use. The main mode of play is the 3rd person perspective with a 2-3D feel. Samus will run, gun, jump, and roll her way through the bottle ship. Dodging and stylish kills are new and show Team Ninja's influence on this female favorite. It is satisfying seeing Samus take out foreign aliens with some flair.

The other mode is the 1st person view ala Metroid Prime. Switching from a horizontal controller position to pointing the Wiimote at the screen, you see what Samus sees. Using her eyes, you can examine your surroundings and go for accurate plasma blasts. More importantly, this is your missile view. Lock on to enemies or breakaway walls and blow them away with Samus' trademark missiles.

=====Difficulty=====

Samus' linear adventure is also one of her easier times taking out bad guys. Seasoned bounty hunters will have little to no troubles navigating the Bottle Ship and getting to the bottom of the problems. Plenty of save stations also softens the blow for when Samus is in need of a recharge.

=====Content=====

The Bottle Ship provides 4 different areas to explore. Each area is filled with extras to help power up Samus' suit. You can spend time trying to max out your missile tank, get more energy tanks to make sure Samus can survive this mission, or you can find parts to make plasma shot charging faster.

=====Final Thoughts=====

If you haven't noticed, I was very short with explaining the usual key points I go through. That's because I'm saving the meat of it for now as I go through certain aspects of the game that has been widely discussed by many, if not all, reviews of Other M. I may go off on a few other tangents and throw in more personal opinions into this, but they relate in some way. Some spoilers are included.

WHAT WAS MISSING - No more blasting doors to open them. Other than doors that are sealed and need a missile or bomb to open, all doors just open for you.

Killing enemies to replenish health and missiles is no longer necessary. No enemy drops anything (unless story driven) so there is no health and missile icons to collect. I mentioned it before, there are plenty of save stations scattered throughout the Bottle Ship. That's the easiest way to replenish health and missiles.

If you are low on missiles or are on your last line of health, Samus can now recharge herself by...concentrating. Hold the Wiimote up and hold A to replenish Samus. Your 50+ missiles will be back in a few seconds. At least with the health it will only replenish to one full energy tank and nothing more. That would be too easy. It might not be easy to do this in the heat of battle, but it is doable.

CONTROLS - Playing the 3rd person mode is simple and fun enough to do, but it may feel too simple for some. The auto targeting system works, but not 100%. Eventually Samus will shoot at the next available target, but if there's a swarm of them, she might not always blast the one you want her to.

Being able to take out aliens with flair is nice and satisfying, but it is a bit too simple to do. Weaken the foe enough and then walk run up to it or jump on and MAYBE you'll kill with style. It's cool to see it the first few times on new enemies, but once Samus is strong enough, the thrill might not last. And speaking of once Samus is strong enough, once you get the classic Screw Attack, that's all you need to do. Have Samus bounce around through every most enemies and they're space dust.

To add to the easiness, the dodge...effective...too effective. When you successfully dodge, you get an instant charged plasma blast. So you really could relegate your battle to just tapping on the d-pad waiting for an enemy attack for Samus to dodge and then just shoot your charged shot.

The 1st person view...it's not Metroid Prime so get that out of your head. That's the only time you can use missiles and usually that's during tough boss fights. It might not flow easy for everyone to switch from one view to another, but you will do that a lot. I had no issues with switching back and forth. For any Wii game, I always find it better to immerse yourself into what you're doing. Samus holds her arm cannon a certain way to shoot and that's what I did.

Sometimes the 1st person view is forced upon Samus and she must "investigate" her surroundings. Samus MUST find the one thing on screen to progress the story. I honestly thought I got the game stuck because I looked at everything and nothing happened. Turns out that I didn't look at the right part/pixel that I NEEDED to look at to acknowledge that Samus is looking at THAT thing.

EXPLORATION - As mentioned earlier, Other M is very linear. This isn't a large planet Samus is exploring, it's a monster infested ship. While Samus is able to backtrack to find things, story devices also prevent her from fully backtracking. Most of it is because you couldn't blast open a door because you were unable to use the properly needed weapon. The best feeling of exploration is after the credits roll and you can continue with what you had already collected plus get an extra ending. This also means that it is impossible to get 100% the when you initially beat the game.

POWER UPS - With pretty much all Metroid adventures, Samus starts off with all her powers and equipment. Something will cause her to lose them and she has to reclaim them. Well, the "something" that causes her to lose her items is her former captain, Adam Malkovich. Since she's once again taking part in a mission with the Galactic Federation, Samus decides to follow his orders...no questions asked (other than yourself thinking "what the F?). That's right; she has everything at her disposal from start to finish, but doesn't want to disobey orders.

What? The door Samus can blow open, she can. The thing that can save us or help us advance further, she can't use even though she has it? She just wants to be a good girl and obey her former captain. And this brings us to the matter of...

SAMUS - Samus Aran...the once voiceless female protagonist now has a voice. THIS is probably the biggest negative of Other M. After 10+ years of never hearing Samus utter a word, being fearless in the face of many adversities, and surviving every single time...most would picture Samus differently (I know I did). Samus has many inner monologues throughout Other M. While the story isn't the best (the second half of the story being the better part), it doesn't help that the voice over for Samus is very dull. Almost every other person with a speaking part sounds fine except Samus and that's probably due to THIS being the first time we really hear her speak.

This kind of speaks volumes to other heroes/heroines that are voiceless. Could you imagine Link voicing himself after all these years? Would Crono seem more of a hero if he didn't just nod and gesture? But it's the fact that we play these silent protagonists that helps us immerse ourselves as being that character (male or female). You're the one doing everything and making the decisions that you think in your head and execute on screen. Putting someone else's voice easily reminds you that you are just playing a game and that you're guiding a character through an adventure. That sense of immersion is lost.

It doesn't help that the script/translation for the story is bad. Hearing the heroic icon of that travels through space say "Confession time..." makes her sound like a young girl writing on her space blog. It definitely shows a different side of Samus that probably none of us thought was there, but it also crushes a lot of what made her a popular, strong, female character. It makes sense when she flashes back to when she was younger and being stubborn to Malkovich, but the scars of war don't show on her as she has grown as much as you'd think.

The way she talks, being submissive to Malkovich, not doing what she does best...it paints Samus to seem weaker than she actually is. Does the Varia Suit and Zero Suit just cover up a lonely girl? I find it hard to believe. Others would believe that this is a very sexist game in the way Samus is handled. Hard to argue against that, but I don't believe it was blatantly done. Although seeing her in her Zero Suit and being very shapely is definitely the work of Team Ninja.

OTHER M - I've always wondered what the title meant. Playing through the game, I came up with a couple of answers.

1. Other M - means that there is anOther Metroid or anOther Mother Brain. This is what most people seem to think to be true as both of those actually come true.

2. Other M - MOther. At one point I remember just thinking that it was weird to see the choice of words for the title. "Other M." But thinking back on some of the things Samus said like always referring to the last Metroid she found (Metroid II) as "baby," the references of Mother Brain, the mother-daughter bond of two other characters, Metroids imprinting the first image they see as a mother...those and a few other things led me to believe that Other M really stands for MOther. I could be wrong, but that was the way I went with it and thought it was an interesting theme to use.

WHAT THEY DID RIGHT - The cut scenes are gorgeous. They did an absolutely fantastic job with each one making everything look great. There were lots of nostalgia bits to find (classic Metroid theme when starting from save spot, attacking O beams coming from walls, classic weapons such as the Screw Attack and Grapple, classic enemies, etc.). The 3rd person gameplay is actually pretty good. Had it been balanced out a bit more it would've been great, but it's definitely one of the better parts of the game.

=====True Final Thoughts=====

While I found that there was a lot not to like about this game, I did still enjoy it. Control issues and a few other minor gripes I didn't really mind personally. The bigger issues of the story and the surprising portrayal of Samus was definitely a disappointment for me.

Scoring this was very difficult for me. While writing this, I was thinking whether I should lower my score or not. All I can say is that this is definitely a memorable title and probably for a bunch of different reasons. I see it as more of a disappointment to long time Metroid fans, but newcomers with no history of Samus can just take it as is and enjoy the adventure. It's not the worst thing in the universe, but Samus Aran certainly has seen better days.

Rated 3 out of 5 (leaning closer to a 2)

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Wii Games - E3 2011 - Metroid: Other M

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Review)

2010-05-30T21:03:00.001-07:00

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo Wii)

Rated "E" For "Everyone"

Gamers don't always get a second flushed out Mario adventure on the same console. This console era hasn't ended and neither has Mario's adventures in space. Will a sequel be adding or is just more of the same thing showing that our famed plumber is all out of new tricks?

=====Story=====

In the second Mario Galaxy, Bowser has decided to change up his plans and this time take over the universe. This plan involves kidnapping Princess Peach and thwarting his nemesis Mario's every move.

...

So it's the same story. Unless you're playing any Mario game that's in RPG form, the story isn't what you're here for. You're here for Mario's second helping of galactic adventures.

=====Gameplay=====

Almost everything from the original Galaxy title has been kept intact. The solid platforming, the zero gravity, the squashing of enemies...it's all there. Even if this isn't your first trip with Mario in space, it doesn't take long to master the controls. It's the levels that are the challenge, not the controls.

Wiimote gestures are still minimal. The main thing is to shake it to make Mario utilize his spin, which can vanquish foes or extend your jump a littler farther and a little higher. That itself will allow players to creatively control their plumber. The pointing function to collect star bits is still in full use. There are other times you will need to manipulate your Wiimote in different ways, but those are few and far in between and not horrible hinderences.

The second player option now extends beyond pointing to collect star bits. A second player can now take control of a Luma and help collect coins as well as star bits. Not only that, they can help stun and attack enemies while Mario navigates his way through each galaxy. It's not the deepest form of cooperative play, but it's there if need a little help.

=====Difficulty=====

The difficulty of Galaxy 2 is very varied. Each galaxy is unique in its own way and has multiple forms as you can collect multiple stars through multiple visits meaning that almost each star has a different A to B route. The beginning galaxies will serve as a study guide of what to expect. The later galaxies are full blown thesis creations that definitely test your patience and platforming prowess.

Very little can prepare you for what the next galaxy has in store for you. Sure you'll jump and run and float around each one of them, but the level designers definitely gave you something to work at. Adding new elements of using long time dino pal Yoshi is necessary (on certain levels) and does change up your normal strategy. New suits (Cloud Mario, Rock Mario, etc) also add to the excitement and torture. For each new power-up or ability they added, they built a great deal of challenges for each one.

Prankster Comets return and will give you a run for your gold coins. They are challenges for the sake of adding more challenges to the game. From speed runs to sped up levels to one hit situations, you will clock in more time in space trying to retrieve stars from these challenges.

Boss battles are once again unique and in large scale. While patterns are easy to learn and figure out, if your skills aren't quick and polished enough then you will have a great deal of difficulty collecting the minimum 70 stars needed to complete this game.

=====Content=====

Tons of content. New suits, new power-ups, challenges, Yoshi...could there be anymore? Of course there is.

Luigi - play as Luigi at the start of certain levels. Plays exactly like Mario, but with better jumping abilities and less traction on his feet.

Throwback Galaxy - They recreated a Mario 64 level. Enough said.

Secret Galaxy - Mentioned a few times by characters in the game, a new galaxy becomes unlocked after your first playthrough to the end.

120 stars - The standard number ever since Mario 64.

240 stars - That's correct. After getting 120, 120 more are unleashed throughout the universe. Some are as simple as finding them behind a house while some are outright frustrating requiring you to purposely get hit to reach places and then inching closer and closer off thin platforms to perform a back flip to a star that can only be touched at the height of the jump. You want more to do, Galaxy 2 gave you 120 more things to do.

=====Final Thoughts=====

You don't have to have played the first Galaxy to enjoy this new one. It is recommended to go in number order to further appreciate what they added in and what they improved on from the first one.

The visuals are just as gorgeous and full of color and life as in the first Galaxy. Colors are bright and pop out at you, the use of lighting is very well done, explosions are glorious to watch, the galaxies are all different and unique and don't feel recycled at all, and characters are full of life and animation. The image of Mario flying around is just a great display of the power and magnificence that this character has attained over the years.

Galaxy 2 is once again accompanied by a great soundtrack. A full orchestra plays wonderful music as you hop from galaxy to galaxy. Each song sets the tone for each level. Old school renditions of classic Mario tunes sound just as great as ever.

There is very little not to like. Gamers that complain that the Wii doesn't appeal to hardcore players now has a load of challenging levels that most casual players can't conquer. This increase in challenge and difficulty may also be the most hated thing about the game as it can at times be very challenging (hence it being the most written about in this review). But you don't want a game to hold your hand and you don't want a game to beat you every time you try to play it. Galaxy 2 offers the middle area of difficulty while pushing the envelope for casual and seasoned players to need plenty of 1-Ups for this space adventure.

Galaxy 1 was close to perfection for Mario and for platforming games. Galaxy 2 doesn't mess with the formula and adds proper toppings for those that wanted a second taste of the same goodness they originally received. It may be more of the same thing, but when there was little to complain about it the first time, how will you not like it the second time? You will not be disappointed with this galactic adventure. Add another gold star to Mario's spectacular legacy.

Rated 5 out of 5

GameTrailers Review

Video Games | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Review

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Sessler's Soapbox

Wii Games - E3 2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2