Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

 

The ultimate and latest version of Super Smash Bros. has arrived, and Wii U's incarnation is simply sublime on so many levels. It carries over 3DS's core gameplay, but adds on top of that exciting new features, HD graphics and more content than ever before.

Level editing returns more expanded with accessibility towards being creative with your designs. The online experience is improved and can be greatly satisfying, as I have played countless unknowns, but also friends. Occasional laggy matches occur, but the game can hardly be faulty for that.

8 player mode is introduced as the ultimate chaotic feature, and combining that with items on, just makes for exciting times. It's just that you need a lot of players and controllers to make this happen, and you won't find them quickly unless you are at a tournament, an event or a party.

Smash Tour is an interesting addition that combines Mario Party and Kirby Air Ride's feel while making it more fast paced. It's funny and ironic because in the past when I participated with tournaments, we would usually play Mario Party Blood games afterwards.

Event mode makes a welcoming return, and Special Orders is a mixture of previous modes where you basically gamble and you will have to do special orders in order to obtain large prizes. Trophy collecting is the largest amount seen yet, and it will take a long time for me to collect them all.

The gameplay really needs no introduction, and could and should be considered the most balanced seen yet. Even if you don't agree, balance patches have happened already as I type this, and it's simply a more fair experience because so many characters feel just right.

The new characters are diversive, exciting and respectful in nature. The iconic inclusion of Mega Man is one I will personally never forget, Little Mac deserved a spot more than anyone else, I am really surprised with Villager and how could you not love the new retro character Duck Hunt Duo, or the weirdest character introduced yet, Wii Fit Trainer?

It's okay when Nintendo does it, because all of the universes of each franchise come together wonderfully, like always, in one single huge segment of Nintendo celebration. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is unquestionably the best title in the series.

Tournament wise, I am practically retired from this scene. But I will never say never, because I will always have fond memories of the community, the competition, the rivalries, the intimidation and the excitement.

Rating: 9.5

The Last of Us

 

Naughty Dog's swan song for the PlayStation 3, remastered for the PlayStation 4 and the most awarded game in history so far, is a stunning third person shooter with familiar mechanics, however it's rare when all factors combined work so well together.

It really felt like a special The Walking Dead episode because of similar environments and situations, plus scarcity and survival dominate. Adding in on top of that infected humans and the effective clicker variants, alongside stealth sequences, and you got enough kinds of gameplay and enemies to participate into.

What really made The Last of Us memorable is indeed the writing and the relationship of the two protagonists Ellie and Joel, which only developed further as the game and story progressed. It's not a linear journey, and there are optional conversations and secret areas to behold.

Left Behind's side story provides interesting character development for Ellie, as she used to be best friends with Riley, while the DLC simultaneously goes back and forward between this and the quest for finding medicine for Joel. Ellie and Riley's relationship is wonderful portrayed with all of the playful activities such as waterguns, the arcade imagination fighting match and the horror masks, and it reached notorious status for featuring lesbian feelings.

A crafting feature is present, ammunition and other resources really felt scarce which is good, making me more conscious of consumption. The scenery and locations can also be stunning at times, and I liked seeing all of the little details and little side stories happening not only of Joel and Ellie, but NPC's too, or rather, what they left behind in their homes.

To be fair, I prefer Uncharted 2 and 3 as far as intensity, locations and action goes, but remember, TLoU is just a single entry so far. There's plenty of room to expand upon, such as enemy design, plot, weapons, traps, mechanics and so on.

By no means would I label The Last of Us as a masterpiece though. All the elements work, but there's not an overwhelming deciding factor, nor is it a generation defining game for me personally, unlike titles such as Resident Evil 4 or Metal Gear Solid.

I'm glad to have finally beaten it and the DLC after hearing unlimited amounts of praise in 1.5 years. I'm sure that the multiplayer is just as interesting as far as resource management and teamwork goes, so I will be delving into that soon.

Now I sure as hell can't wait for Naughty Dog's return towards Uncharted 4.

Rating: 8.4

Bayonetta 2

 

For my Bayonetta review, please refer to the following link. Nothing has really changed for the Wii U port except for additional Nintendo based costumes: http://flow-rush.blogspot.nl/2013/05/bayonetta.html

As for it's sequel, it is a sophisticated hack and slash video game, expanding further upon the plot and lore, and even more over the top sensational battles, this time letting you ascend a sacred mountain, as well as traveling to the past to uncover secrets.

The demon hierarchy is now also standing in your way, alongside the well designed angels from before, this time with new enemy designs, and more creepy stone faces. All of the familiar faces return, including Enzo, Rodin, that pervert, Jeanne and technically only one new character is introduced.

Bayonetta's new look is a welcome change, and the British accent still stands. The game is full of flashy moves, slow motion returns as the essential game feature alongside dodging, and in overall, it's a more casualized or easier experience.

The only dissapointments are still some of the motionless cut-scenes happening, although they have improved to some stylish extent. The other minor point is lack of linearity, or I guess a hub world of some sort, but then again, straightforward games can obviously work too, it's just that these games could benefit from it.

Nintendo's collaboration is certainly an interesting development for Bayoneta 2's existence. As they share a copyright and funding with the project, it is rather unlikely the game will ever lose it's status, considering that the Big N is still one of the biggest companies in Japan and the world.

I think it's also funny how Hideki Kamiya and his team so obviously put references towards Star Fox in both Bayonetta games, because they have flying action sequences very similar. I believe Kamiya also tweeted that he would love to develop a title for that franchise.

So Bayonetta 2 is ultimately a better game, a very hectic and stylish action adventure with giant and supernatural enemies, more girl pop music, a co-op mode, unlockables and replayability in the form of high scores, challenge and achievements.

Rating: 8.2

InFAMOUS Second Son

 

A new protagonist rises in the future after the demise of Cole, and it's up to the player to go for the good or evil path again, this time in Seattle, Washington. No longer will you be primarily using lighting powers, but this time, you are able to choose between up to 4 original and cool new powers.

Neon is the swift and sniper element, Video the airborne and stealth element, Smoke the aggressive and explosive element and Concrete is the defensive and also heavy damage element. With next gen graphics, familiar combat and precise mechanics, you can't go wrong with this sequel. However, it's a shorter experience than the others.

Unless you want to collectathon and do all of the side quests, as well as going for both paths, Second Son will end sooner than you think. But enough new features have been implemented in order for it to be a proper sequel.

Rating: 7.9

An even shorter prequel towards Second Son focusing on the pink neon girl and her background, as well as more character development for D.U.P.'s leader. First Light features a smaller Seattle but does provide enough side objectives and neon powerups to keep the most determined playing.

It shouldn't be seen as another main title because of the things I just said, but rather indeed as a DLC chapter or an old fashioned expansion pack. I just wonder what kind of powers shall be introduced in the future, as well how multiplayer will be handled by then.

Rating: 6.9

Current Video Game Controversies

It's been too long since I made an actual article either praising or criticizing trends in this industry, which now has more profit and sales than the movie and music industries combined. Let's summarize current video game controversies with a few paragraphs:

Microtransactions, DLC's and Season passes. Before these business models existed, you could either unlock additional content through specific conditions, or wait until an expansion pack would get released.

Nowadays, everyone's upcoming products from large publishers have all kinds of pre-order actions and promise on constant developments even after releases, such as bugs and balance patches. While the latter is a good thing, the former has gone completely out of hand.

Even as extreme as offering downloadable content on the very first day a new video game gets released, the fairness of simply incorporating such content into the packages themselves for free has vanished, and even worse, people sometimes now uncover hidden DLC content within games which are designed to basically unlock at a later time.

Since all of this plus microtransactions, season passes and special editions such as collector's or definitive or remastered or HD costs money, it all has become even more of an expensive hobby to venture into.

Although older video games sometimes get re-released for a new audience or generation, there is no mistake that everyone has become way more greedy at making additional profits from even the simplest things such as buying a skin, a gun or a level for a few currency.

Worst of all is that consumers simply accept and swallow it all up, to the point that if these business models are absent, they would flip out and say that such products lack content or replayability. Considering all of this has only made me more cautious than before with what's truly worth purchasing extra for, especially when discounts happen as early as a few months later, these are pretty much the dark times of throwing away money, for the most part.

Feminism, social justice warrior, GamerGate and the gamer identity. Much has already been discussed and said about this whole crazy controversy,  I just want to share my thoughts on the whole developing matter.

To really summarize this issue would be to talk about what it means to be a video game, and what it means to be a gamer. To me, they embody an enhanced medium where control and consequences are constantly present.

If a video game has a successful formula, such as killing off tons of enemy soldiers in a FPS, or platforming around to save the damsel in distress, showcasing stereotypes must then only be a tool for enhancing those experiences.

What I mean is that attractive men and woman are always more desirable to see than others. Exceptions always exist, but the whole identity of this leisure activity is simply developing further, as many new gamers seem to have risen up, and some of them are on a political crusade.

If feminists and SJW's want more female, transsexual, gay and bisexual presence in video games, honestly, they should create their own projects in order to see if their desires and demands can find an audience.

But as it stands, they already are influencing the industry, because it seems that game journalism and them are apparently together in bed, allowing for corruption and cronyism to form in examples such as ratings and reviews. That's a difficult topic to dwell into for the time being, so I might save that for the next time.

Dragon Age: Inquisition has the presence they desire and demand, and there are others, but who knows how video gaming will shape up in the upcoming years? Something else that needs a reconstruction are the genres, but that is also a future topic to reserve.

I'm all open for experiences for all kinds of audiences, I just hope that established franchises won't get affected too much with these demands and desires. There's always room for creating new IP's, so instead of criticizing poorly most of the time, creating your own content would be my answer for this issue.