I’m Simultaneously Happy and Frustrated with Star Fox Zero

Created as a weird sequel/prequel/remake for the Nintendo 64 classic Star Fox 64, this new adventure with the Star Fox team is familiar is a lot of ways. It’s the same crew, same premise, and largely the same type of gameplay. But then again it’s none of those things, with different characters, an altered plot, and such a variety of gameplay resembling anything but a Star Fox game. While I still had fun with the game, it certainly wasn’t the next space dogfight simulator I was expecting from Nintendo.

 

Sunday Roundup: 4/10/16

Hakuoki: Memories of the Shinsengumi 3DS Release Date: September 19th, 2013 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $18) Releasing a few years back, Hakuoki is as random a JRPG one can get on the 3DS. I decided to pick up this one for a couple reasons: I needed a game to fit into a Buy 2 Get 1 Free category to maximize the potential of the free game, and two it was released awhile ago and I likely won’t see too many more of it out there. The game isn’t particularly rare, and you can still find it on sites like Amazon, but it might be a game to keep in your collection. If for nothing else, it’s supposed to be a pretty decent strategy game.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Wii U Release Date: November 18th, 2012 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $18) Way back in 2012 I reviewed this game for the 3DS and was impressed by its variety in levels, characters, and quality of the racing in general. I have heard good things from a lot of people about this Wii U version (which also happens to be a console launch title!), with some people going so far as to say it’s a superior game to Mario Kart. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I’m all for games I can play with my friends on the couch! Unfortunately though this might just be a two player co-op game. Can anyone shed some extra light on this for me?

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition PlayStation 4 Release Date: October 27th, 2015 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – Free) The original Darksiders happened to be one of the very first games I ever reviewed for the now defunct Inside Gaming blog of the Machinima network. I thought it was pretty great back then, but not great enough to pickup the sequel until this “Deathinitive” re-release. Granted, I have had the game on Xbox 360 for awhile now, but this is in HD! Following Death as he fights in the war between the Angels and Demons, Darksiders II takes what made the first game memorable (the Legend of Zelda-esque exploration and gameplay) and makes it all better and pretty on the PS4!

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Wii Release Date: March 24th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (Cupertino, CA – $2) A port of an old point-and-click adventure game released on the PC way back in 1996, Broken Sword has gone down as one of the more influential games of the genre. Despite this, and the countless systems this game has come out for, I feel like the game has still gone unplayed by a lot of gamers, myself included! The game is a story driven adventure centering around the Knights Templar, a terrorist attack in Paris, France, and the mysteries around those involved. It’s interesting, don’t get me wrong, but I almost feel taken aback by how old the game is I don’t want to even try it. But we’ll see; maybe I’ll be surprised by it one day!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Sunday Roundup: 3/20/16

Pokken Tournament Wii U Release Date: March 18th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $50) The only pickup this week is the mashup we never thought would happen: Pokken Tournament. I was able to spend a bit of time with it (and Laura’s playing it as I’m writing this article), but so far I’m impressed. I think something I never thought I’d say in my entire life is that the launch of the Pokemon fighting game has been markedly better than the launch of Capcom’s Street Fighter V. I mean, damn, that’s saying something! The unique fighting style in Pokken is fun, at least as of now, and I’m enjoying what the game has to offer in the variety of each character. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some streams up soon! Did anyone else pick up this Wii U exclusive this week?

Laters,
Jsick

 

Skylanders: Superchargers Has a Lot to Offer if You’ve Got the Money

A well known fact around these parts is that I love me some Skylanders. Sure, they’re targeted for younger gamers, but the games and the toys have done nothing but capture my attention (and wallet) since they first came out back in 2011. What started out as a fun way to incorporate real world toys into a video game has become a genre all in itself. And, what’s better, each game has subsequently added more depth to the core gameplay, something I was honestly quite shocked to find in a game for kids. The prior entry, Trap Team, was by far the best game in the entire series, with tons to do, lots of cool new Skylanders to play, and a legitimately entertaining storyline and gameplay. The latest model, Superchargers, adds vehicles for the Skylanders to use in their quest to stop Kaos. While it’s not the strongest entry in the series, Superchargers represents the biggest departure from the series’ core gameplay to date. And the results…

 

Sunday Roundup: 3/6/16

Mega Man Star Force: Leo DS Release Date: August 7th, 2007 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $7) Another random stop into GameStop after work, another sweet find! I believe the last time I was at the store someone had dropped off a boatload of quality DS games which I was more than happy to swoop in and call my own. I am pretty sure these Mega Man Star Force games were hers as well, because I remember the GameStop associate telling me they were in there. I passed then, but this time around there was a Buy 2 Get 1 Free on old DS and Wii games, so I went to town and essentially got a near-complete Star Force series!

Mega Man Star Force 2: Zenker x Ninja DS Release Date: June 24th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $6) The first game had three iterations; Leo, Pegasus, and Dragon. Not unlike the Pokemon franchise, these different version offered up exclusive stuff you could only get in that specific game, but largely offered the same gameplay otherwise. After the first game, there were only two versions released per entry.

Mega Man Star Force 2: Zenker x Saurian DS Release Date: June 24th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – FREE) Seen as a sort of spiritual successor to the Mega Man Battle Network series, the Star Force series is actually set way in the future and doesn’t have any direct connections to its predecessor. Apparently this was done to not alienate new players by having a backstory set in, believe it or not, six prior Battle Network games! Despite this, the gameplay is largely the same, with grid-based combat decided by chips the player can use to battle enemies. RPG elements abound!

Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace DS Release Date: June 30th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – FREE) The final chapter in the Star Force series! I haven’t played any of series but I hear this one is left off on a cliffhanger. I haven’t heard of anything else coming for this series, so if you ever find yourself looking for Star Force 4 you can probably keep hoping. Sadly, Capcom seems to have forgotten almost entirely about the Blue Bomber. Even if it is another one of these off-shoot games, at least we’d know the company still cares about him!

Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker DS Release Date: June 30th, 2009 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $3) Back in 2001 I was pumped for the release of the Battle Network series. It was Mega Man but in RPG form, what wasn’t to like? And in most respects that original game was great… it just wasn’t the Mega Man I grew up with. Much the same here: this just doesn’t feel or look like Mega Man. It’s almost as if they attached the name just to make it sell better. Which is sad, because as its own world and series I might have been more interested.

Mega Man Zero Collection DS Release Date: June 8th, 2010 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $16) Another series originally starting out on the Game Boy Advance, the Mega Man Zero games had their own storyline and characters (and gameplay style) separate from the core Mega Man X games. The biggest defining factor of these games (of which all four are collected on the DS cartridge) were playing as Zero instead of Mega Man exclusively (at least I think exclusively, I only played the first), and a hardcore difficulty curve. Nothing unbeatable, but it looked back to the original Mega Man games of yore. I really liked the first game, and it’s a shame there aren’t any more of these coming out, either!

Pop Cutie DS Release Date: September 30th, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – FREE) Sometimes it’s the games you’ve never heard of which are the most fun to find! Pop Cutie is a fashion editor simulation game which has you creating the next big fashion line! Believe me, I wouldn’t be caught with this game if it didn’t have a great premise and a killer price tag. Usually it sells for much more than, well, FREE, online. Oh, and your clientele aren’t normal people: instead you sell to eccentric people who want all kinds of ridiculous things! It was a hit in Japan, and honestly it sounds like a pretty good time! And for free? Yeah…

Time Hollow DS Release Date: September 23rd, 2008 Purchased at: GameStop (Sunnyvale, CA – $2) Dude… Dude! When I saw this title on the bottom shelf I literally said outloud (though to myself), “Time Hollow, holy shit!” I’ve been looking for this game ever since I found out about it nearly five years ago. A visual novel in the same style as Virtue’s Last Reward or Hotel Dusk, Time Hollow lets you travel through time to solve the mysteries around you, your family, and the strange pen that’s letting you time travel in the first place. I think it’s been well received, but I feel like the real reason I’m happy to have it is because it’s been so damn long since I’ve wanted it, and this is the first and only time I’ve ever seen a copy!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Wii U Release Date: March 4th, 2016 Purchased at: Amazon (Online – $58) The only mainstream Zelda game I’ve never played came out this week on the Wii U. Annnnd I can’t play it right now, because our TV is broken! Ugh! Well, we do have a second TV, but Laura’s been playing through Mass Effect, so it’s kind of hard without another option. But I swear, I’m going to play this one and make sure I can say I have at least played it! Also fun fact, I now have the game on the Wii U, Wii, and the GameCube! Booyah!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Why Nintendo Makes the Same Video Games Every Year and We Still Love Them

Without question I consider myself a Nintendo fan. Compared to any other developer, I spend most of my time playing and/or getting excited for what I will soon be playing on my Nintendo Wii U or 3DS. Some experiences can only be on PS4 and what not like last year’s Fallout 4, but with Nintendo I have always felt they’ve done something special with their games… they’ve remained fun! Throughout the years and even during the short time I’ve been on this blog I’ve seen a handful of Marios, Zeldas, Pokemons, and many other Nintendo greats come and go. They’ve consistently been what I expect and then some, but nothing has been wholly “new” (with the exception of last year’s Splatoon.). After seeing Thursday’s Nintendo Direct, I’m excited for what the future holds: more of the same great faces Nintendo has always offered. But is that enough? Should Nintendo be focusing on something new rather than giving the fans more of the same? Hmm…

 

The Games I’m Looking Forward to in 2016

We’re knee deep in 2016 and there are a ton of awesome games scheduled for release this year! Just like every year, I’m sure I won’t have enough time to get around to all of them, but with so many excellent choices I feel like 2016 will be another great year in video games. Gamers have been spoiled recently: there have been lots of great years of games lately. Not just a few good games here and there, but complete years of consistently great games to keep your systems hot. So let’s check out what’s coming in 2016! Here are some games I’m anticipating to play and thoroughly enjoy this year!

 

Top Ten Game Pickups of 2015

Another year is coming to an end, and with it a great assortment of new games added to the collection. This year was a lot more memorable than the previous years, mainly because I was actually able to play a lot of the new games that came out! Just check out my Top Ten Games of 2015 and see what I mean! 2015 Was also the year I really got to enjoy my PS4! I’m looking forward to what the next year has in store for Sony’s home console. And who could forget the Wii U! Haters gonna hate, but I still love that system, and this year saw several great titles added to Nintendo’s black box. The 3DS is still going strong, and the next game I’m most excited for in 2016 happens to be for the 3DS (Fire Emblem: Fates!!). I never mentioned it before (or at least I can’t recall if I have), but this year also happened to be the year I surpassed 2,000 games in the collection! Yay for game collecting but boo for my aching wallet! Just like last year, instead of doing a complete rundown of all the games of 2015, here are the top ten best games I found last year!

 

Top Ten Games of 2015

The year that was 2015 is coming to an end, and as we tend to do as a community, let’s take a look back at the games that made the year memorable. There were some awesome indie releases, some great first party titles, and even some out of nowhere hits for just about every console out there. Instead of counting down the highest rated games across the board, here at SlickGaming I’m only looking at the games I actually played in 2015. Sorry Xbox One fans, you won’t see anything on this list. That being said, there were actually a great many awesome games released this year, and it was pretty challenging to narrow it down to just ten! Let’s get this grand spectacle started!

 

Top Ten Party Games

One of the best things video games can do is bring people together. Multiplayer has been around for decades, and with a general shift toward online multiplayer being the only way to play with others, local multiplayer and party games have been declining. Despite this, some of the greatest video games created were made specifically with local multiplayer in mind. Recently Nintendo seems to be the only publisher making games to fit in this genre, but there have been dozens of games released over the past years that exemplify the party genre. Here is my list of the ten greatest party games ever!