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Eurogamer 2011: 3DS 2012 Hands-On Round-Up
The 3DS has a strong future ahead of it. The release of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 will no doubt increase sales of the system incredibly, but it is the 2012 line-up that really has fans excited. Be it a new Luigi’s Mansion and Paper Mario, the return of Pit or some big third party franchises jumping on board, there really is something for everyone next year on Nintendo’s three-dimensional console. At Eurogamer Expo, I was lucky enough to get some hands-on time with three of the big games of 2012, all of which oddly shared a common theme – needing that second circle pad due to poor controls. Read more…
Eurogamer 2011: Games of 2011 Hands-On Round-Up
At a big event like the Eurogamer Expo, getting a sufficient amount of hands-on time with a game to build a strong opinion on it is often quite difficult due to time constraints, so rather than attempt to preview games I just didn’t get enough time with, I will be sharing my impressions on some select games that will be reaching your consoles in 2011 in this preview round-up. Read more…
Eurogamer 2011: Mario Kart 7 Hands-On
The first few months of the original DS were eerily similar to what we are seeing now with the 3DS; average sales and a general lack of games. But then Nintendo threw one of their big franchises into the ring and suddenly the DS was on top of the world. Consoles became scarce, and the games even scarcer. Soon the DS had become the predominant platform over the GBA, and secured its place as the biggest handheld console of all time. That game was of course Mario Kart DS.
The impact of a Mario Kart game should not be underestimated, as it has the power to sell console units as well as a new Zelda or Mario game could when released. It is for that reason that the 3DS’s very own Mario Kart game, the somewhat poorly named Mario Kart 7, has the ability to finally shake off the poor sales shackles and put the 3DS at the top of the handheld pile. Mario Kart 7 clearly has a lot riding on it, but can it live up to the hype, especially with few major changes to the established formula? Read more…
Eurogamer 2011: Mass Effect 3 Hands-On
“No one wants to admit it but humanity is under attack. One very specific man, might be all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat of our brief existence”
Two years ago those now immortal words were uttered by Martin Sheen’s Illusive Man as what is widely accepted as one of this generation’s finest games began in spectacular fashion. Fans of the series were not only treated to a continuation of the epic story of the galaxy’s battle against the Reapers but a brand new combat and control system which while moving it closer to the shooter genre and farther from the original game’s RPG roots, appeared to improve the gameplay substantially. We’re now just six months away from the arrival of the Reapers and the conclusion to one of the most ambitious gaming trilogies in recent memory, but can it improve upon what has preceded it?
If the demo is anything to go by, Mass Effect 3 will be more of a refinement of a concept rather than a radical change like we saw in the transition between the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Rather than scrapping a game that works rather well for a second time, BioWare have taken Mass Effect 2 and refined every aspect of it, while also bringing back some of the customisability and RPG elements that were lost between the first and second games. What you end up with here then is not only a conclusion to the series, but a combination of the first two parts to potentially create the best Action RPG ever made. Read more…
Eurogamer 2011: Super Mario 3D Land Hands-On
For any new Nintendo console, the arrival of its first brand new Mario game is a landmark moment like no other in the gaming industry. The Wii got the majestic Super Mario Galaxy which continues to reach the heights of best game lists and the DS received the first 2D Mario game in some time in the form of New Super Mario Bros. For the 3DS, Nintendo have taken what they learnt from 
both the Wii and DS Mario debuts and put them together to form Super Mario 3D Land, an entirely new take on the traditional platforming genre.
On the face of it, Mario 3D Land is your standard 3D Mario platformer, and that’s certainly true the first time you play it. Anyone who has played Galaxy will instantly feel at home with navigating around the 3D landscapes but all too soon it becomes apparent that this is not the same style of game as Galaxy, Sunshine or Mario 64. In fact, the game is much more akin to New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario World, as while the game world is in three dimensions, the gameplay style is still decidedly 2D. Confused? Allow me to elaborate. Read more…
Eurogamer 2011: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Hands-On
It has been five long years since Zelda fans last had the chance to step into Hyrule on their home consoles, and while the wait has been made easier by the release of three handheld titles, it has still been an almost unbearable length of time to wait. Thankfully, the time is almost upon us to put on our green tunics and head back to Hyrule. Coming in as the Wii’s swansong game, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword looks set to show over the course of a promised minimum 50 hours what the Wii can really do and send the console that defied all predictions off in style. It’s an ambitious task for any game to undertake, but from my initial impressions of the game, it could do just that.
What impresses me most about Skyward Sword is that despite it requiring a significant amount of physical effort to play, it feels entirely natural. The requirement to use MotionPlus takes out all pre-scripted feel of the swordplay in Twilight Princess and brings in a level of precision which is accessible to anyone who wants to play the game. If you have played Twilight Princess you will instantly feel at home, as in its most basic form, you are simply replacing the wild swings used in that with the more elegant precision afforded to you by MotionPlus. What is also good news is that Nintendo have decided to go for a ‘one swing powers all’ route rather than Red Steel 2’s approach of mimicking swing strength based on your real-life physical exertion. This essentially means that while you will have to move your arms to attack, you won’t have to swing around like a deranged lunatic to do enough damage to an enemy to harm them. It’s a simple concept, but it’s one that prevents the game from becoming too much effort to play. Read more…
Eurogamer 2011: Sonic Generations Hands-On
It is often said that Sonic fans can never truly get excited for a new game in the series until the game is sitting on store shelves and nothing else can be changed on it. In 2006, everything seemed to be on track after some troubling years but was de-railed when the final game arrived full to the brim with bugs and annoying hub worlds. In 2008 it appeared SEGA had finally nailed down 3D Sonic gameplay in Sonic Unleashed but it 
ended up being severely hampered by the night-time Werehog stages introduced. And Sonic the Hedgehog 4 looked set to be the next big 2D console Sonic game until gamers witnessed the terrible physics first-hand. All that before we even mention Shadow the Hedgehog and his gun…
But then last year there was a ray of hope. Sonic Colours arrived and despite having a gimmick in the form of the Wisps, managed to still be a fantastic 3D Sonic game, taking all that was good about Unleashed and creating an all-round good console Sonic game for the first time in at least 5 years. So on the back of a success like that, the announcement of Sonic Generations was met with cautious optimism from the Sonic community. Promising a re-imagining of classic and modern levels in both the original 2D and now perfected 3D styles, Generations appears on the face of it to be too good to be true. Well worry no more Sonic fans. It’s good. Very good. Read more…
Hands On Impressions: Netflix (3DS)
Back at E3 when Nintendo showed off the 3DS they also said that Netflix would be coming to the system at some point after launch. They didn’t say when, except that it was coming during the summer. Then over the last few weeks we’ve seen video services launch in Japan and Europe. North American owners of the system were wondering when they’d be getting to watch video on their systems. Even earlier this week Nintendo was saying that the service was coming soon, but wouldn’t commit to a date when asked. That date is now. The Netflix app is available (for free) from the Nintendo 3DS eShop. All that is required to use the service is one of the paid subscriptions that allows access to their streaming library.
Downloading the app is very simple. All you need to do is log on to the eShop and download the app. It will take up 154 blocks on your system and took me less than a minute to download. After getting the app onto your menu you simply need to press the Netflix icon and it launches right up. The first time you log on you’ll get a code that you’ll need to enter on the Netflix website and it will automatically link up your account with your system. After about a two minute synching process you’ll have access to your entire instant queue and the entire streaming library Netflix has to offer.
Mac’s First Hour “Yugioh 5D’s World Championship 2011″
Ah yes, its about that time again folks! I know I have been away for some time, but I am back baby! Of course it wouldn’t be much of a come back if I didn’t bring a little something to the table. That is why I have chosen to do another installment of ‘Mac’s First Hour’. For those who do not know what this little article is about, every week I take a game I have never played before and pop it in for 1 hour, and let you, the public, hear my thoughts on it. This week, I bought “Yugioh 5D’s World Championship 2011″, the newest installment for the Nintendo DS. I have always been a huge Yugioh fan, and every year I look forward to another game (AND the free cards!). As skeptic as I was about this game coming out, I did not let me fear of being let down get the best of me.
One thing I was happy to see off the bat was the re-due of storytelling we experience as players in Yugioh 5D’s. All of our favorite characters from the popular TV Show are there, and even some new bad guys we have never heard of. For those who have not played the 2010 version of this game, Y5DWC (Yugioh 5D’s World Championship) 2011 directly relates to its predecessor. You can see some elements of the previous game in this one, and I was happy to see what my actions did in 2010, affected the beginning story of 2011. Good job Konami! More cut scenes and more talking is just fine with me, IF it has to do with what is current in the main plot. The overall feel and emotional connection you get from making decision in this game, is well worth the hours you will put into it. Read more…
Mac’s 10 Hours (Pokemon White)
So there I was, on a Thursday night thinking to myself “How can I make an article REALLY stand out, and enjoyable for others to read?”. Then it hit me, what if I picked a game every week (new or old) and play it for the first 10 hours and write a short review about what its like? BAM!, Mac’s 10 Hour’s was born. Being a gamer myself, I know how important the first few hours, or even a few minutes are when you buy a game and are unsure of whether or not that money was well spent. Fear no more! I will give you the best points of the game, and some weak points I think each game represents. Please keep in mind that these are only opinions, and if you disagree or think something else is wrong, please inform me because I like to hear everyone’s thoughts and opinions. We all have our own quirks, and our own likes/dislikes. Other then that folks, sit back, crack open that mountain dew, and enjoy!
Pokemon White Verison
Pokemon is back folks! And boy, did they do a good job with this one!
Remember Pokemon? Yeah, the multi-billion dollar empire that has made several movies, a TV series that lasted longer then then a decade and put out games that sold literally MILLIONS of copies in the first week? Well, they are back! We all know very well what GameFreak Inc. has provided us with for the better part of the last 10 years. I remember sitting down for the first time with Pokemon Red when I was about 10 years old, and loosing myself in this epic game. Of course this was 13 years ago, and I could not WAIT to get my hands on the brand spanking new Pokemon White Version. It took well over a week to get (seeing as I am in Afghanistan, we tend to get mail a little later then most) but it was not only worth the wait, but also worth the first 10 hours I put into the game the first day. It was amazing to see my DS Lite using its graphic capabilities to the fullest, and deliver such an amazing view for a Pokemon game. You may have heard of the phrase “It’s the little things that count”, and GameFreak Inc. was not shy about changing the biggest things, and the smallest things, in this version. A major improvement was the over all graphics and feel of the game. It was not this boring 2D side scrolling adventure you had to endure for 100+ hours, but rather a fully realized 3D game.
GameFreak Inc. has truly stepped up their game, and used 3D to tell the Pokemon story in a whole new way.
This not only made it easy on the eyes, but also made running back and forth to the Pokemon Center ten times more enjoyable. The over all game-play and menu settings have also been re-imagined. Easy access to switching Pokemon, using items, and utilizing new “friend tools” was only a fraction of what has been remastered. The best thing however, is the brand new Pokemon! All new, and waiting to be caught 
There are so many more features I will discuss in later posts to come. Now for the downside. Oddly enough, there was not too many thing wrong with the game. A few glitches here and there, but nothing that would completely take you away from the over all game experience. I noticed when I used ‘Repel’ or ‘Max Repel’, that I would still run into Pokemon in the wild, when all I wanted to do was go to the Pokemon Center to heal my team up, and it only happened a few times. Besides this minor issue, I have not found any major downside to the game. If anything else should appear, I will be sure to mention it to you all! Stay tuned for more information on Pokemon White.
Mac’s Rating: 10/10 Gold Award
Why: The game we knew ten years ago has totally been re-done, and it is clear that Pokemon White kept most of the same things in it, such as trading, battling, catching Pokemon, but also changed HOW we do this. Global Inter-Connectivity (GIC) is one of the best things to come to the Pokemon Franchise yet. Now we have the freedom to trade anyone in the world, or battle anyone across the globe. This game has set very high standards for itself, and hopefully Pokemon games to come will mimic and continue, this awesome franchise we all love.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS)
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U, 3DS)
Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo (3DS)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (3DS)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3)
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