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
1.05.2011
Disney Epic Mickey (Review)
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
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11.29.2010
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Review)
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
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