Review: Mario Golf: World Tour

Mario Golf: World Tour is a perfect example of how a game in real life can be boring, slow-paced, and difficult to master, but a video version of said sport can be incredibly entertaining, fast, addictive, and easy to pick up and play. I’m beginning to believe Nintendo just needs to throw Mario into anything mundane and it’ll become a best seller. Mario Knitting could be the next big hit. Perhaps even Super Mario House Chores would be a parent’s dream come true for their Nintendo loving children. But let’s be real: Mario’s best non-Bowser-thwarting outings are always on the links. Or the tennis courts. Or the race track. Or the fighting arena.

 

Sunday Roundup: 4/20/14

I was trying to think of some way to tie in Easter with this week’s roundup of games, but I couldn’t really think of any way ninjas or talking gorillas could be incorporated. I guess Mario (and to a lesser extent Wario) have some affiliation with Yoshi, who produces eggs by defeating enemies. I’m not going to dive any further into this failed analogy…

But I will tell you that a semi-sweet deal at GameStop lead me to these games. Usually the Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal is a great time for me to go nuts, but this weekend it was altered to only include games $20 or under. Kind of lame, but thankfully there are plenty of games under twenty bucks that I’d want to buy. Four, apparently!

 

 

Tomodachi Life Has Totally Won Me Over

Man, talk about selling a game!

Earlier today, Nintendo released a new Nintendo Direct focusing on the quirky 3DS game, Tomodachi Life. Previously released only in Japan, this Nintendo Direct didn’t just give Western gamers a solid release date for their own region, it also let us delve into the wonderfully self-gratifying world on the Nintendo elite.

Before this special Nintendo Direct, I had little interest in the game, thinking it more a novelty than something I’d really enjoy. But after seeing this crazy video, I have decided that Tomodachi Life needs to be a part of my life.

A little bit Animal Crossing, and a dash of The Sims seems to make this new 3DS game a weird, wacky, one-of-a-kind game only Nintendo can create.

 

Review: Yoshi’s New Island

All things considered, Yoshi is kind of a terrible guardian. He was tasked with safely delivering baby Mario to his parents, but in doing so he led the toddler through dozens of perilous predicaments: lava-filled caverns, haunted houses, and jungles full of thieving monkeys. And that’s not to mention the extended amounts of time the duo swam underwater without breathing. Or forcing the puny plumber-to-be to watch as he swallowed enemies whole and popped them out as enormous eggs. For all intents and purposes Yoshi should have been the last choice for a babysitter for the future hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Yet here with are again with the release of Yoshi’s New Island on the 3DS, which once again puts the dinosaur in the limelight as baby Mario’s keeper.

See why I was disappointed with this game by reading the full review here!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Review: New StreetPass Games

The Nintendo 3DS has a basket full of features: it can display stereoscopic 3D images without the use of glasses, the system is capable of handling software that is visually comparable to the Wii, and it fits in your pocket. Perhaps the most underused (?) but most awesome features the system has is StreetPass. Tagging someone with the system’s detection ability and then playing a game with that person’s Mii character has always been fun, and getting bonus content in select 3DS games is even cooler. But with the addition of four brand new downloadable StreetPass games to play, Nintendo has made carrying your handheld with you even more exciting! Not all the bonus games are incredibly fun, but there’s enough content and enjoyment to be had to easily warrant a purchase.

 

Top Ten E3 2013 Announcements and Stories

E3 2013 has come and gone. By many standards it was what we’d come to expect from the expo: new game announcements, news on all kinds of projects, and some exclusive trailers, demos, and videos. But just about everyone can agree that this year’s E3 went above and beyond the expectations of most in attendance. It wasn’t just about the games this year: it was about the consoles and how they affect the gamers. It was about a change in the way we game and how our hobby will change moving forward. It was about publishers making games that gamers wanted to play. And above all, it was about glorifying our hobby and giving us an undeniable outlet to look at and say without wavering that we’re proud to be gamers. These ten announcements are just the tip of the events that made E3 2013 so memorable, and what you should be most excited for.

 

Top Ten Dream E3 2013 Predictions

The 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo is right around the corner, and what better way to get hyped up for the event than by speculating what the conference might have to offer? I did a list like this last year and came away with almost one correct prediction, so maybe this year will be more realistic (though I highly doubt it). Even so, getting just one of these to be true would be fantastic and would totally make my E3. One can hope…

 

Nintendo Direct Impressions and Previews

A few weeks ago I was able to attend a Nintendo press conference in San Francisco! Of course I was thrilled to have the chance to meet some game journalists and play upcoming Nintendo games, but I knew I wanted to focus on the task and deliver a preview that wasn’t just me being a fanboy and gushing about each title. I’m happy to say that my first (and hopefully not last) article on Machinima is up, and it is all about the 3DS!

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Games previewed include The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 2, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move.

The article is hosted on the Inside Gaming Daily blog. Check it out and look for each of the games to release this year!

Laters,
Jsick

 

Mario and Donkey Kong’s Decades Long Battle

Mario and Donkey Kong.
Two names synonomous with video games that have been around since before many gamers can even remember. Whether it’s Donkey Kong running through a jungle, Mario jumping over barrels, or the two of them racing go-karts, the Nintendo mascots have been locked in competition since the beginning of the Japanese game company’s storied history.
Since the release of 1981’s arcade classic title Donkey Kong, an oversized gorilla and an Italian plumber have been going at it for decades. Let’s take a look back at each and every video game featuring the duo going head-to-head.

 

What to Expect from the new Legend of Zelda

With every new Nintendo console comes a brand new Legend of Zelda. It should come as no surprise that the Big N has announced a new game starring the green-clad hero for the 3DS: the Japanese developer has been steadily releasing Zelda games for each and every one of its consoles and handhelds for over two decades. What could come as a shock to some gamers is the setting and style for the new, as yet unnamed, 3DS Zelda. The game takes place in the same Hyrule we explored on the SNES in 1992 with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.