Super Mario 3D World Review

Super Mario 3D World Review:

Because jumping never gets old.

Super Mario 3D World is the latest main platformer game in the Super Mario Bros franchise. This already titanic if not god-like gaming monster, icon and ruler of its own genre just got its first 3D platformer-oriented entry on the Nintendo Wii U. Adopting a very similar approach to that of Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS but taking a bigger focus on multiplayer mechanics and a kitty cat related extravaganza that end up making it an amazing multiplayer experience. Now if we're really honest, it doesn't bring much that is new to the table, but in true Mario and Nintendo fashion it's one of the best platformers ever created when it comes to gameplay and level design.

Summary: For any of you living under a rock, inside it or being a rock yourselves, I'm going to go out of my way to explain you guys about the most well-known video game franchise in history. Super Mario games are usually about a quirky Italian plumber who's love interest: Princess Toadstool or Peach is usually kidnapped by the king of a bunch of turtle creatures called Bowser who's always had a thing for stealing her away. In one way or another Mario has to figure out a way to reach the foul creature's lair and rescue the princess back from it's clutches. To any of you who might have only played a Mario Sport related or Party game: those are just "Super Mario" characters taking a vacation and getting fit to do more platforming when summer's over.

2 words: Cat suits

Now it just seems silly to talk about a game that is most likely already very well depicted inside your heads, so we're going to talk about the particular aspects of this entry that make it pop out from the rest.

The Multiplayer

Super Mario 3D World is a very ambitious project because it aims to give comfort and a nice cooperative yet competitive approach to multiple players when it comes to 3D platforming, something that almost no games have managed to pull off effectively up to date. The result? It works, astonishingly well, as a matter of fact. First of all, you can play the game with a single Wiimote, a Wiimote + Nunchuck, the Wii U Gamepad or the Wii U Pro Controller. All of them control beautifully and provide the player with the same amount of button input complexity, all of it. The game uses a score oriented approach to reward the best scoring player at each stage with a crown that can be fought over throughout the next level. What it does is provide the crowned player with a bonus that further ensues said player stays king or queen of the play session. I happened to play through the entire game with friends and the amazing local play feeling that comes from screwing each other, collaborating to find hidden collectibles and/or reach secluded spots is the same that you got from many other games back in the N64 or PS1 era. It is so palpable, it really makes the whole game be played in multiplayer a must.

it's this frantic race and mayhem that really evokes those amazing feelings

Another aspect that should be mentioned is the character choice the player has to make. Just like when Super Mario Bros 2 hit the shelves in North America back in 1988 you can choose to play as Mario, his younger brother Luigi, Princess Peach or Toad, and they all show the same differences they had back then, Mario is well rounded and his controls are the tightest, Luigi jumps really high, Toad is the fastest and Peach can stay afloat for a bit after she jumps. So players can develop a sort of fondness to their respective character and use their exclusive advantage to aim for the highest score.

Story, Progression and Collectibles

The story this time around is the most forward we've seen since Super Mario Bros hit the NES, you get about 15 seconds of a non-spoken and dialogue-less cinematic showing Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach taking a stroll through mushroom kingdom when Bowser basically pops out all of a sudden and shows them he kidnapped a bunch of fairies and leaves. Afterwards, they all follow him into a pipe that leads to "Sprixie Kingdom" a place very similar to Mushroom Kingdom aside from some unique, never-before seen power-ups and a handful of newcomer enemies as well as some pretty antique ones Nintendo decided to re-visit.

this is part of that cinematic so sorry for being spoiler-y you still have 14 more seconds to discover on your own *wink*

To be bold and straight forward, the game consists of about 8 levels with a few more difficult ones to challenge yourself with once you're done. It implements the whole "hidden stars" system to collect and get rewards from. You can also scavenge for Stamps to use on Miiverse, most of the time there's one per stage and therefore a ton of them in total.

It seems kind of silly to talk about Mario power-ups as part of the review but some of them really affect the whole scheme of things this time around and do some really cool things that are worth talking about.

Cherries: The cherry power-up basically gives you one more, well... "you". As a result you can control multiple characters that all follow the same movements. This can also have synergies with every other power-up, so if you're "fire" Mario and pick up a cherry you'll control 2 "fire Marios" which is just blazing! Actually, this also offers a player who's going through the campaign in "Solo" mode the opportunity to activate multiple character switches and solve puzzles he would not be able to otherwise.

you've got to admit that looks pretty cool. Cmon.

Cat-Suit: For many, this upgrade seemed childish and unnecessary, thankfully it was one of the main focuses for the game's level design. It is pretty much the most powerful and versatile power-up in a platforming Mario game ever and that's including the Invincibility Star. Simply because it allows you to damage most enemies from a safe distance and traverse virtually any obstacle that might come your way.

depicted: Mario's most powerful, agile and brutal form

There are of course a couple more power-ups to be mentioned but they're worth finding out for yourselves and are very stage specific.

As for progression, the game seems hectic and way too open for a platformer at first. But when all the players get accustomed to the controls and pacing, the game brilliantly makes them each plan their own fastest, most efficient routes and every level is basically turned into a flashy race full of opportunities to show off and get ahead of the competition. Difficulty-wise, it takes it's time to demand anything big from the player for a while but after about 50% of the game is done, the players who've been paying attention and learning the ropes really start to shine. At the end of the game it really gets as hardcore and unforgiving as a 3D platformer can get.

believe me, when you get to this stage you'll throw your controller to the ground because its so hard omfg sh- *grunt* f-ck!

So no more beating around the bush or should I say "jumping over" it? haha lame joke I know. Let's rate this thing:

Visuals: Super Mario 3D World looks beautiful and runs smoother than a F1 race car. At no point during my 4 player campaign did a screen filled with cats, goombas, fireballs and the like stutter for even a second. The Sprixie Kingdom while very similar to the Mushroom one has its own unique feel and makes the game feel like a very beautiful, simple, yet stylized new Mario game and not a "New Super Mario Bros" aesthetic-wise. 8.7/10

Gameplay: Mario games are sort of confined to the very old traditions they set for themselves throughout the years and therefore lack their previous potential to innovate. Despite this evident obstacle, the game managed to feel fresh thanks to its absolutely perfect and "over the years" polished controls, the exciting multiple routed layout of the levels and the very minor yet effective mechanics mentioned earlier such as the cat suit integration and focus and the character-specific player choice. 9.5/10

Story: Most Mario games that exist make a mild effort to set a story in motion and make the player feel at least slightly engaged with the situation at hand. Be it through the centuries old "Damsel in Distress" plots or just a plain old hero's quest, but Super Mario 3D World cuts out even the slightest of those tropes and uses an extremely short cinematic intro to get your game on, which is welcome. Let's be honest, no one cares why Bowser is being evil this time around or how Princess Peach got kidnapped. 6.3/10

Music: This game's soundtrack is just amazing, maybe it's strongest point if you're really sensitive and caring about a game's score. There are simply too many well composed catchy and moody tunes that vary almost endlessly and fit the diverse scenery of Sprixie Kingdom. It's just too cool and a blast to listen to even when you're not playing the game. 9.8/10

Final Verdict:

Super Mario 3D World just exists to show off Mario and Nintendo's seemingly unreachable mastery at making platformer games. It brilliantly takes on a multiplayer concept that is pretty much impossible to execute perfectly and SM3DW just falls short on very scarce occasions camera-wise, nothing else. Other than that, it is a wonderful multiplayer and high score single player experience that makes you get those pleasant nostalgic local multiplayer chills down your spine. You know, the ones you got many years ago on the N64 and PS1 era when most of us were so young and so cheerful. Super Mario 3D World can make you feel that way again which is rare, powerful and very difficult to pull off, so it earns a:

8.5/10

*Hey guys, sorry I was away for so long and didn't post anything in a while, college got tough and a lot of things happened, mainly I was running low on time and games to play, I hope to get back on the horse pretty soon and keep up the reviews.

**Also, I'd like any of you that actually read this far please inform yourselves about the situation we are currently living in Venezuela, it is a tragedy and we really need the global eye staring at us and supporting us even if its just wishes and good intentions from afar, thank you very much for reading and have a good day.

Pikmin 3 Review

Pikmin 3 Review:

Making an already great game even greater 101

Pikmin 3 is the third game in the amazing game trilogy "Pikmin" which has already spanned across 3 Nintendo console generations. It is, if I do say so myself (which isn't worth much... YET) one of the greatest accomplishments in the modern video game industry. Pikmin 3 sets out to and accomplishes to do something not many third entries on a series manage to pull off, and that is, improving it's heritage and making the overall quality and significance of their carried legacy superior. Not many games manage to get better and better exponentially from the get-go all the way to their third installment. So cheers to Pikmin 3 for being such a prowess!

We've recently discussed how some very promising series can sometimes make some horrible mistakes that ultimately tarnish their past accomplishments or worse, ruin their respective franchise's. So in this article I plan on explaining you guys how this game managed to not only dodge the bullet but backfire and hit the bullseye unlike many others in the past few years. So no more beating around the bush, here's what you need to know about Pikmin 3:

yes, yes, I know you're all dying to see this review now, calm down

Summary: The Pikmin games are Real Time Strategy games in which you raise, command and take care of a bunch of super cute and ultra cooperative creatures called "Pikmin". These little fellas are not only the main mechanic by which you complete all of the games in the series but they're also part of a much larger ecosystem that is extremely entertaining to explore in which you, the player, as Captain Olimar have to learn the ropes of treasure hunting and figure out a way to not only survive but prosper too! In Pikmin 3 there are a couple of differences that have a direct influence on the main mechanics of the game. Number 1: You're in a charge of a whole crew of Space Explorers this time around, Captain Olimar is no longer here! You are tasked with managing and exploring as Alph, a Space Engineer, Brittany, the crew's Botanical Researcher and Charlie, their captain! and Number 2: You're no longer on a mission to look for treasure. You're now desperately gathering food for your home planet and your crew, so learning how to effectively micro-manage your crew members with the GamePad is crucial to your survival and success. 

For any of you who are not familiar with the Pikmin games: Just because they are "RTSs" it doesn't mean the games play out like Age of Empires or Warcraft III do. Instead of gathering resources to fuel your "civilization's growth", you just raise Pikmin. These are the heart and soul of your society, they are your army, scout troops and heavy lifters. There are no buildings or "Eras" involved. This is a game about exploration, quick thinking, battles and resourcefulness.
 

 

As you can see they clearly need your help, just look at the face of  complete and utter terror the blue one in that crab's claw has

Now, Pikmin 3 is made up of a combination of factors that just flesh out a perfect recipe for video game genius. It does what every sequel should. It adds more content without changing it's franchise's true essence in the slightest and improves upon all that preceded it. It also takes full advantage and smart use of the Wii U's GamePad. So with it and a truly simple but effective way of story narration and development, it manages to tell the most compelling story about the most interesting Pikmin characters up to date.

The game is now based on the management of 3 leaders at the same time, which may sound complicated at first but it takes no longer than a couple of stages to get used to. Pikmin 3 also does a beautiful job easing you into the process. It's genius level design and a slow paced introduction of the many minor game mechanics and techniques, help you teach yourself the masterful art of divided exploration and food collection. You can use a leader at a time which can throw Pikmin and other leaders around in order to reach secluded spots or uncover another route to explore. You can use your GamePad at any time to send a specific party member along with his/her own Pikmin squad to investigate a specific spot on the map. For those of you who might be worried about the controls and preferred the WiiMote's precision from the Pikmin 2's Wii version: Do not fret, you can use the WiiMote too! And only consult your GamePad's screen in order to send out your unoccupied leaders.

you get to boss these 3 little fellas around, tell me their chubby little cheeks don't make your brain explode from the cuteness and anticipation

Enemy variety, boss battles, level design, visuals, new content and difficulty are all top notch. Not once does this game made me feel like it's stuck on a pattern or it's not constantly opening up. Every stage offers a new mechanic, new Pikmin or tool and adds a more challenging difficulty level than the previous one. Keeping the game fresh, rewarding and ultimately fun to play. The visuals of both landscapes and creatures are just excellent and I certainly cannot stress this enough. There's some of the most beautiful and realistic places in gaming for you to explore and a good number of magnificently designed enemies that can range from cute and creative to sheer creepy and cool looking.

There is a downside to this game though. It's a tad short, it does, as mentioned earlier, a terrific job constantly rewarding the player with new content and more challenging situations, but there's a downside to that. If you guarantee the player new content and just excellent progression with every single stage, your game becomes shorter. Yet this is one of the few games I've played in recent years in which I've craved for a "filler" level. You know, one of those stages that is just a redesign of a previous one or an extra stage that doesn't necessarily offer anything new or necessary for the story's progression. Simply because I had so much fun with the gameplay. On the bright side, the game really does offer a lot of alternatives and lengthier gameplay in the form of competitive play. There's missions you can take on solo or co-op to reach high scores, play boss battles again, finish the game in 100% completion in the least amount of time and a 2 player VS mode that is accessible and a whole lot of fun to dive into.

this is VS mode, it's split screen and 2 players compete in order to collect the items shown in their bingo cards to collect 4 in a row and win!

Another mishap happens to be the game's story. Even if it is in my opinion the best in the franchise, it builds up a little bit too relaxed and then takes you on an amazing roller coaster ride that doesn't last very long and this discrepancy just feels a little bit forced. Pikmin 3's plot is also an amazing one because for the first time in this series's history and in many modern video games, you are introduced to 3 characters very rapidly and they all earn your respect and love without cheap pop-culture references or super cool over-designed cut-scenes. Through sheer dialogue and emotions you care for these 3 and genuinely engage in their journey to save their planet.

There is simply not much else to say, other than mentioning the game only gets more entertaining the more you play it. I'd also like to let you guys know that it finishes beautifully, making you fully understand and effectively use it's new very well polished and introduced mechanics. Pikmin 3 not only has more Pikmins, it's also a game that just seems to have had more love put into it than the vast majority of triple A games today. 

this guy has one of the coolest boss battles ever, and there is a reason for that... try to figure it out just by looking at the picture!

Visuals: Pikmin 3 has nothing to fear from other current-gen games in terms of graphics and artistic design. Not even from some of the more graphically stylized games on more "powerful" consoles out now. And that's nothing to sneeze at. Like mentioned before, enemy and landscape design that should be taken as an example and inspiration for years to come make Pikmin 3's visuals excellent if not completely flawless. 10/10

Gameplay: Easy to learn, difficult to master and flexible controls, GENIUS level and boss battle design, the addition of great non-disruptive new mechanics that come with a brilliantly planned difficulty curve and excellent effort/reward approach on the game's progression, make Pikmin 3's gameplay excellent. If there is one downside though, is it's shortness. Unless you're willing to competitively play against other people online for highscores or have friends who can aid or challenge you in the Co-op and VS modes. 9.5/10

Story: Pikmin 3 offers the best story in a Pikmin game, period. But, that is not such a big prowess to be honest, Pikmin games are not known for their stories, but their gameplays. There is still an outstandingly well executed story here that manages to genuinely make you care for it's characters without resorting to overproduced cut-scenes or pop-culture references which is a trend nowadays. It feels disruptive at one point which damages it's overall value but it is great nonetheless. 8/10

Music: The music in Pikmin games has always been very characteristic. No other game franchise has music like it to my knowledge, yet it manages to feel familiar and unique at the same time. Tunes that immerse you in the heat and pressure of battle, extremely fitting boss battle themes and melodies that only encourage you to explore even more. Define this game's soundtrack which is great but I do believe there is some room for improvement. 8.5/10

Final Verdict:

Pikmin 3 is one of my top 3 games of 2013 if not the game of the year. The amount of fun and challenge it offers is just top notch. It's redundant to mention it's worth every single penny, with loads of content, multiplayer modes, DLCs for those who are left unsatisfied by this game's incredibly excellent shortness and competitive play for hours upon hours of self-improvement. Pikmin 3 does what almost no new games do, and that is helping the player teach his or herself and respecting their intelligence. It's also an astonishing feat it managed to improve even further on a formula that seemed close to perfection since Pikmin came out on the Gamecube back in 2001. So Pikmin 3 deserves a:

9.2/10

*I'm sorry I wasn't here to properly wish you guys a merry christmas and a happy new year, I was away with my friends and family, I hoped you all had wonderful holidays and expect 2014 has great things in store for all of us.

**For the native english speakers, I apologize for the grammar errors. I'm still getting the hang of this language, it is in my best interest to write as adequately as possible but please do not let those mistakes take away from the article's meaning and objective.

Remember to follow me on Twitter at "@pegasus_boots" and my new Instagram account "pegasusbootsgb" hope you enjoyed the read!

Opinion: Super Smash Bros Analysis

Opinion

Nintendo's most powerful game. Has it lost it's strength or is it stronger than ever?

As many of you should know by now, the next big entry in the Super Smash series has already been announced, It's actually a 2 hit combo this time around, and their names are Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Super Smash Bros for 3DS but we'll call em "SSBW3" for short. Now, what should we be looking forward to? Well, aside from the fact that graphics and visuals have been improved, we have a very important addition to the roster who's announcement basically made the Earth itself tremble, Megaman or Rockman if you're a Japanese gal or guy. Yes, for any of you who didn't know by now The Blue Bomber joined the fray and his looks, skill set and animations are as classic and smooth as a Mozart's symphony. But we're not here to talk about internet rule 34 sensation Wii Fit trainer or "Condom over Mario's Head" Villager. We're here to talk about what exactly should we be excited about and what I think could be implemented in the new games that might freshen things up a bit. First, let's talk a little bit about what's been going in the franchise, the genre and its console, that way we can lay down a comfy, romantic, rose petal sprinkled bed of context for the incredibly provocative and luscious suggestions I'm gonna give Mr. Sakurai next. (For those of you unaware, Masahiro Sakurai is the SSB series director and the creator of Kirby)

I got this image from the Forbes magazine's website, that's how fucking epic the inclusion of Megaman is

According to the most handsome game developer of all time, SSB Melee for the Gamecube is still his baby boy, he claims it's the most balanced and well rounded entry in the series. Now, SSB Brawl actually had a bigger roster, a level editor, an amazing story mode in comparison to the previous ones and of course, revamped visuals, but many fans of the series still prefer Melee because it seemed more balanced. In Brawl, many characters were just clones of others and there were a couple of fighters who's skill set and moves either didn't work that well or dealt such a small amount of damage they just weren't viable. Let's cross our fingers and wait for the upcoming games to have less clones and a fully viable roster.

so much class and style, this man is 43 years old, 

you ladies wish chumps like Ryan Gosling or Zac Efron managed to have this silky smooth skin at their 40s

The genre itself is pretty unique in its own way, many new games have started to pop up and try to imitate it's style or put their own spin to it. Almost at the end of last year, Sony and PlayStation finally released their supposed SSB killer: Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, a decent game in it's own right but ultimately a flop. The game was hyped up a lot soon after it's announcement and many Sony fans started chanting their victory anthem before the thing was even released. The trailer for the game on Youtube was constantly getting comments like: "STFU NINTENDRONES, PABR IS GONNA KICK SUPER FAG BROS A$$", "WHO WANTS TO PLAY WITH GANONDORK AND DONKEY DONG, RAIDEN AND COLE FTW" & "FAT PRINCESS IS SO MUCH SEXIER AND PRETTIER THAN PEACH OR ZELDA HAHAHA YEAH!" Well, ok, maybe not that last one, but that's pretty much how that shit went down yo! 

So where is PABR now? It's actually treated as an outcast, a disappointment like the children in Sparta who can't fend off 2 starving saber tooth tigers with a stick. The game was not only a financial failure but also a flawed production when it comes to the genre's demands, it tried to blend hardcore fighting mechanics and combos with an incredibly tedious and awkward way to defeat your opponents, aside from it's aesthetics and some of the most hilarious video game crossover encounters ever, the game landed on its belly after a 30 feet drop which led to it's paralysis, multiple rib fractures and almost absolute termination of a sequel. 

Everything hasn't been horrible though, behind this fake hero, many indie games like Gentlemen! and the upcoming JamSouls for Steam seem promising enough, so the rookies without sponsor might actually show the defeated giant a thing or two and help it get back on it's feet.

this is a screenshot of JamSouls, now awaiting its approval on Steam Greenlight, check it out!

To kind of wrap things up in this already pretty long prologue, let's talk about the consoles these twin titans are going to nest in. SSBW3 is actually holding either an amazing katana that can cut through steel and a crappy wooden shield OR a kitchen knife and a shield who can fend off death itself. What exactly do I mean with all my stupid rambling? Well, SSBW3 as it's name dictates is coming out on 2 platforms, the Wii U and the 3DS. So to start things right, let's talk about the magnificent Nintendo 3DS. This is the katana, the adamantium shield, the 3DS has had such an amazing run and many marvelous things to come, packed with a library unlike any other, features unparalleled in the industry and a price so low it's actually below sea level (this is actually a subliminal message carefully placed here so a proposition I'm gonna make later on doesn't make you go ape shit), this platform is fated to give SSB's debut into portables the show of a lifetime. As for the Nintendo Wii U goes,  things are a little bit shaky, Nintendo is treading on some thin ice here, the game pad has already proven itself a complete hindrance to some decent games. But! all hope is not lost, the Wii U could hit a home run if the ball is pitched the right way, It may not have the strongest arms or the most disgusting spit on the league but it's still powerful in it's own way.

Without further a do, It's time to put on the baby doll, dim down the lights and pop open the bottle of champagne because it's time to reeeally show our appreciation and flexibility to Super Smash:

I`m desperately trying to get your attention

Roster

Bomberman

Hudson and Konami's beloved IP, later tarnished by some crappy decisions that are only gonna make me mad if I talk about them. The White Bomber has had it's fair share of games on Nintendo platforms, so why not? If anything, the inclusion of Megaman sets the tone and lays down the foundation for this demolition project. Bomberman would be a blast! (pun, completely intended) He could even come with a skill that uses Pommy or have it join the roster itself, it's flexible enough, it can take many forms and fight in about a dozen different ways. Megaman has already delved deep into the whole "Grab and use the weapons of your enemies" deal. Bomberman could do the same with the Aqua Bomb, the Wind Bomb, the Light Bomb and so on. He can bring some cool items and propositions into the formula, he is in my opinion one of the most plausible additions to the roster. As far as design goes, I think both the Bomberman from Second Attack or the Generations one would fit in nicely.

Link (From Majora's Mask)

Now, we can all agree Toon Link is pretty cute and all but he's one of the cloniest clones in the series, even the storm troopers get jealous. So what do I propose? Link from Majora's Mask, "Isn't that the young link we saw in Melee? stfu PB!" now, gimme a second to explain pal, we still have 3 days until the moon falls on our heads. I think it would be amazing to see this Link join the roster as a variant to Pokemon Trainer, you read that right, Pokemon Trainer, BAM! He could start as a deku, goron or zora, whichever one you like and have the B-DOWN skill make him change masks, A catapult flower as a recovery for the deku, a fiery uppercut for the goron and a water twister for the zora, many skills can be adapted to work in the battlefield, the goron's roll, the zora's shield, the deku's bubble shot and so on. He could also turn into Fierce Deity Link for his Final Smash, the point is I can assure you he will make for a great fighter and maybe he's addition and success will finally convince Nintendo to remake Majora's Mask for the 3DS!

Paper Mario

What's interesting about this addition is it's remarkable difference to its possible aesthetic clone: Mario. Paper Mario is a beloved character and series of games, he is fun, hardworking and has a heart of gold, but unlike his 3 dimensional counterpart he is far more versatile. He's been joined in his adventures by such a wide array of characters that he's overcome the most difficult, bizarre and complex challenges in all of his series. With the help of his well rounded team of partners and equipped with his hammer, star powers, badges and stickers, he would have no troubling going at it against the best of the best.

Tails/Knuckles

I don't think we'll see them added this time, and I don't even think we'll ever see them both simultaneously because Mr. Sakurai already said that he doesn't want to have third party characters overwhelming the first party ones. But, either of The Blue Blur's best friends would make for a great unique character. Tails could enter the battlefield aboard the Cyclone and Knuckles could easily match Ike or Bowser's brute force. I would love for them to be included.

Ryu

I'm not talking about Ryu from Street Fighter I'm talking about the old classic Ryu Hayabusa from the first Ninja Gaiden or Shadow Warriors games if you're an European reader (who am I kidding, only my mom and my cat read this blog). These gems for the NES are really something I think Nintendo should pursue a bit more. He would be a great addition because of his astonishingly well developed move set and animations like the ones we saw in Ninja Gaiden Sigma and his potential to up the age demographic for the possible buyers. We all love Nintendo and its IPs and that's never gonna change but including some characters that are a bit more rough looking wouldn't hurt the series. Adding Big Daddy and Cole is out of the question, those are just not classic enough and they really do mess with the whole Smash formula, but we witnessed how well our pal Snake did on Brawl, let's not be afraid to pay homage to characters from the same era and with the same amount of awesome.

And now I'm gonna mention others that I believe would be good but not of the 

"AMAZINGOMFGYEAH" kind:

Chrom, Avatar (Fire Emblem Awakening), Geno, Mallow (Super Mario RPG: The legend of the Seven Stars), Chrono (Chrono Trigger), Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia), Prince Fluff (Kirby's Epic Yarn), Little Mac (Punch-Out!), Kachi, Achi, Isa, Airan or Saki (Sin and Punishment).

Mechanics

Before we start, I want to make myself clear: I think the SSB has incredible combat mechanics, level design and stage layout overall. I still wish some things were added and others were changed though, and these are:

Streak Smashes

That's right, just like a predator missile but less stupid, I propose the Streak Smash, well, how does it work? If you manage to beat your opponents 3 times without dying you automatically get your Final Smash! How cool is that? It could be a feature that is configurable on the settings menu along with "stock" and items, you can even set up things like the amount of kills that will net you one or add conditions like: "Only if you kill the same person X amount of times without dying" or "Beating the same person 2 or more times in a row does not count towards the Streak Smash"

Am I the only one who thinks this is a stupid feature in a game that cod fanboys need stop bragging about?

No More Tripping

Brawl introduced tripping as a mechanic, and no, I don't mean tripping balls after you took LSD or had a party with Miley and Molly. Real falling and tripping while in combat, this happened randomly and under almost unpredictable circumstances, it left you vulnerable and just felt like you were taking a cheap hit afterwards. I propose adding an option to turn tripping ON or OFF so competitive players can have their fun and people who love tripping can do it without restraint.

yeah, umm we do not need this in Smash and yeah "We Can't Stop" making fun of you either Miley

Medal or Trinket

Nowadays companies just keep adding more and more buttons to their controllers. Half of them are not even used in some modern games and I am pretty sure they can fit another button for "Trinkets" on the next SSB. What is a "Trinket"? Well I would propose that before every match you select a sort of medal, call it Fire Emblem, Golden Banana, Gameboy Horror, whatever you like, but what these bad boys do is either have a very brief effect or boost up a stat, for example:

Palutena's Crown: Press the "X" button to set up a brief projectile shield that will block but not return any projectile damage for 2 seconds. It charges upon death, kill or every 1 minute. It can only hold 1 charge.

Link's Golden Gauntlets: Very slightly boosts your "A" moves's Knock-back.

Yoshi's Cookie: Use to recover 10% of damage received. It charges upon death, kill or every minute. It can hold up to 2 charges.

These of course are just things I pulled out the top of my head and they could be turned off in the setting menu but I do believe it would give a little bit more of customization when "maining" a character. This feature could be turned on or off and every character should add one, this way, there will be trinkets to unlock and they aren't all available from the get-go.

because I haven't seen one of this mofos since practice mode in SSB64

Underwater Combat

(this is it, the reason that subliminal message was planted inside your head like in Inception, so hang tight)

This is my weakest suggestion because I don't even know if it would work out but I would be thrilled to see stages where big bodies of water could be used as turfs of war too. in the water every attack changes ever so slightly, all recoveries can be set on course to any direction you want and knock back is reduced. I personally think it would be hard to make a new set of moves and animation for everyone underwater but I would be delighted to see people planning their strategies inside a shelter in a stage in which certain characters would excel and could find a way to turn the tide of battle (pun intended, again).

this is what pops up on google images if you type in "underwater combat"

 I am speechless I have no speech, speech is not something I possess

Features

And now, last but not least, changes in the game outside of combat. These features I'm gonna mention are in my humble opinion necessities and I hope you feel the same way.

No More Recolors!

I think we're all a bit tired of clones in SSB, in Brawl for instance we had Fox, Falco AND Wolf. You might be one of those Wolf players now all mad and flustered at me saying: "Wolf is nothing like Fox, I suck with Fox and I rock with Wolf" and I can say to you: "Well, you're not wrong  but you're not right, Wolf is different, his moves are similar but half the "B" moves change and its combos and overall speed change drastically so I'm with you bud." But if you're a Falco player and you say that shit to me, I'll tell you what the Fox says, the Fox doesn't say "Ring-e ding Ring ding a ding", he says he's identical to Falco except for the feathers and the stupid blaster. I know, I know there are some other differences but they are so insignificant when you look at the big picture. This is a game who's developer has already on numerous occasions stressed out how difficulty and mentally exhausting it is to fit in new characters and remove old ones, so your clone should be left out!

evidence, your honor

But! I'm here to offer an alternative, we've already seen Wii Fit Trainer (Male) is in the game but he wasn't announced as a new character, which means that there are skins  that actually change the character model! So what I propose is having this skin ordeal take over almost every character. Want to play as the last generation of Pokemon instead of the first? go ahead, Froakie, Quilladin and Delphox will be there instead of Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard. Would you prefer to use the Link from Skyward Sword instead of the Twilight Princess's one? be my guest. Do you dislike using Ike because spiky hair is no longer cool since we're not in the 90's anymore? Pick Chrom Instead.

more evidence your honor, in the 90s spiked hair was a thing indeed

This would completely freshen up the experience and solve most of the "I want my clone to be included" charade. This, ladies and gentlemen, would make us happy.

No More Story, What Now?

SSBW3 will probably lack a story mode, Nintendo and Sakurai already said in a bi-weekly column on the renown Japanese magazine Famitsu that things would go this way. This isn't bad, necessarily, as cool and exciting as the CG cut scenes on the Subspace Emissary (Brawl's Story Mode) were, It took away a big part of the disc's space and the development team's time. Let's be honest here, We all play the Smash games for its awesome gameplay and the opportunity to see King Dedede hit and fuse Samus and Captain Falcon using the force. So this shouldn't sting that much.

Oh you weren't buying it? well here it is chump

The suggestion here is quite ambiguous, I propose more game modes, VS or Co-op oriented ones. Here are a few examples:

Battle for Ylisse

Something like the "100 man melee" but maybe Fire Emblem themed, a mode in which 4 players try to fend of entire Plegian armies that try to invade Ylisse. The objective here is to find out how long you can manage to hold your ground. This could be turned into a competitive mode by splitting the screen and having items that buff your opponent's enemies, boost up your defenses or damage your opponent's fortress itself so the plegians manage to break his castle's doors and make him lose the match.

Bounty Hunters

A Co-op only experience in which the screen is split and every player has access to a mini-map similar to that of Super Metroid. The layout of the levels are just like the ones in the game and everyone must explore, find a number of keys equal to the number of players and head for the main boss's room where you will finish of Kraig or maybe Metroid Prime. The idea is to do it as fast as possible with a minimal amount of casualties. There could be 3 possible levels each with it's own boss and it is randomly selected each time you begin the hunt.

Pandora's Vengeance:

A VS only scenario in which  2 players battle at a coliseum while Pandora sends in her minions to invade the town. You can't deal damage directly to your opponent but you can kill and evade the minions the goddess of destruction is sending in, they are the only ones that can harm you. Your attacks to the other player will only fill a "stagger bar" that stuns your opponent if you manage to fill it up. Ballistas, spike traps, hot oil traps and the such can be triggered with the previously mentioned "Trinket" button if you're standing next to them and these can only hurt your opponent. (I know this mode seems like a stretch but I've seen worse ideas turn into something awesome)

Game Master

Now this is a new game mode but it is so different I would announce it as a completely new feature. It would be up to the the game devs to create a sort of arena in which many traps and contraptions could be triggered by a player using the game pad, he or she could also send in a boss at some point, maybe Ridley or K. Rool I believe this game mode is something Wii U users would have a blast with.

you guys want to see this funky guy join the fun too, admit it

Now I know this has been a very opinionated article, filled with a bunch of nonsense, it's almost like a  Baz Luhrmann movie, am I right? but I wanna end on a more serious note.

SSBW3 is not coming out anytime soon as far as we all know but there is a problem I'm having with it. I'm not getting excited enough, as soon as I heard of Brawl's announcement I went bananas, maybe it's because I've gotten older but It doesn't feel like that's the reason behind by limp situation. Believe me! I want to be excited, I want to go crazy in bed with this thing, but I just don't have that same eagerness I had when the Smash Dojo was live here on the internet. I've given it much thought and I believe it's lack of innovation that's holding these series back, the game is gonna be amazing no matter what, but I want it to be the game of the decade even when there will probably still be 6 more years until the decade ends upon it's release, So just like a Youtube celebrity would express himself: I approve this message. Wait, no. I want to ask you guys to really share what you thought about my article, my suggestions and add some suggestion and input of your own. Please go nuts in the comments section below.

I'm so good with the whole image puns and references, you've gotta admit that too

**For the native english speakers, I apologize for the grammar errors. I'm still getting the hang of this language, it is in my best interest to write as adequately as possible but please do not let those mistakes take away from the article's meaning and objective.

Remember to follow me on Twitter at "@pegasus_boots" and my new Instagram account "pegasusbootsgb" hope you enjoyed the read!

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y Review

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y review: 
A faulty step in the rightest of directions.

Disclaimer: this review is written under the assumption the reader has some basic knowledge of both the Pokemon universe and the monster raising RPG Pokemon games. However, it is in my best interest to review it in a way that compels to the taste of both newcomers and veterans to the franchise.

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are the latest twin entries to the Pokemon monster raising game series. This specific couple was a long awaited one for a few reasons: it is the first entry of the franchise to be released globally on the same date, it makes a huge change in its almost iconic aesthetics of 2D pixelated sprites, it introduces 2 complex or relevant new mechanics called Pokemon-Amie and mega evolutions and it also brilliantly takes full advantage of the 3DS's capabilities.

Summary: the Pokemon monster raising series are the main product of The Pokemon Company in conjunction with game developers Gamefreak and Nintendo. They consist of monster collection and training, engaging in turn-based battles against other Pokemon trainers and gym leaders. This is all done in order to raise the best Pokemon team and conquer the Pokemon league of a determined geographic region. There are other types of Pokemon games like the Pokemon rangers and Pokemon mystery dungeon franchises but this article is about the main series. (e.g: Blue, Red, Sapphire, Ruby, Pearl, Diamond, etc)

After you catch one, you register it on your Samsung Galaxy S4 as shown.

This time around, your journey takes place in the Kalos region. You are just moving in to the town you're going to start your travels from and you have no troubles making friends that will accompany you throughout the majority of your adventure. You must explore this beautiful France-inspired land, learn of its culture, its people, its touristic landmarks but most importantly its Pokemon and its legends.

Oui Oui! Le France Reference! (I know nothing about french I`m so sorry)

If you've ever gotten your hands on a Pokemon game you already know you usually pick out one of three starting Pokemon to help you make the foundation of a soon to be EliteFour-beating team. This time around the possible choices you can make are raising either Chespin (grass type), Froakie (water type) or Fennekin (fire type). But soon after you`ll be able to pick another starter! Beloved Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander are back from generation one and you get to choose one of them to raise it and have it help you become a Pokemon master.

Top row: New Generation Pokemon Bottom Row: 1st Generation Pokemon

(See? not all my image captions are going to be brimming with brilliant jokes)

The main change to the franchise in this entry as mentioned before are its visuals. The game got a full makeover with 3D models, 1st or 3rd person landscape influenced views and just an amazing upgrade to its graphical aspect overall.

To avoid giving out an excessive amount of data. (not because I`m lazy but because I do not wish accidentally spoil the game for anyone, obviously) Here`s a couple of things you should know right from the get-go:

-There are new Pokemon included, but not as many as what usually come along on a new generation.

-There are new Legendary Pokemon, but just a few, like mentioned before, not as many as you would normally expect to be included with a new generation. But it's important to know some old ones are there for you to catch and some even get a mega evolution this time around!

-These games are the most accessible and user friendly Pokemon games to date. Almost everything from story progression to competitive breeding is a lot easier and less time consuming.

-Even though mega evolutions are of course more powerful forms of already very powerful Pokemon, they are well balanced as far as I know. All the competitive aspects of the series is still there and working.*

-There is a new type of Pokemon: Fairy-type, it is super effective against Dragon-Type Pokemon for example. Some old Pokemon were either turned into fairy types or received it as an extra type, but some of the more interesting ones are from this generation.

-The Pokemon-Amie feature is a friendly tamagotchi-y or nintendogs-like feature that enables you to pet, feed, mimic through the 3DS`s camera or play mini games with your Pokemon. It is not necessary for story progression whatsoever but it does reward the player in certain ways for using it. Making it an excellent addition since it doesn't force you to make use of it if you dislike it. (Any Pokemon is compatible with the Pokemon-Amie)

Every Pokemon is compatible! Like this intimidating fellow who might just bite your hand off any time now.

And now, sadly, it`s time to talk about the immense flaw this game has going against it. Don't get me wrong, please, this doesn't make the game terribly bad or boring, but it does take away from the experience as it eliminates one of the things that made past Pokemon so fun to play for both newbies and pros, it's difficulty.

The game is incredibly easy, and its not because I have played the other ones in the series, its irrefutable badly measured. It amazes me how this could go by unnoticed on a game with such a long development period, an amazingly talented developer and a formula over a decade old that never had this problem before. After about 25% of the story, you start to widen a level gap between your Pokemon and those you encounter in the wild, the ones Pokemon trainer have and even the gym leaders`s parties. So at this point in the game, the difference in your weakest Pokemon and the gym leader`s strongest is clear. Yours is about 1 or 2 levels higher, YOUR WEAKEST. By the end of the game your weakest Pokemon will most likely be about 7-9 levels above the leaders`s toughest. For anyone new to the series: THIS IS CRAZY, IT HAS NEVER BEEN LIKE THIS, YOU USUALLY GRIND TO GET ON PAR WITH THOSE GUYS NOT OVERLEVEL THEM ACCIDENTALLY.

Don't tell me this creature doesn't look overpowered and devastatingly strong to you.

So to kind of wrap things up, the games are not bad, at all. It's just something that in my opinion takes away so much from the experience, to kind of go through the motions because things come out so easily and Pokemon battles are almost never a challenge. I'm striving to make an honest critic out of myself and I have to say this game is worth it's tag price. But! if it wasn't for such a huge upgrade aesthetically and all the cool features and tools added to the game. In addition to these entries getting the closest to perfection we've ever been to the ultimate Pokemon formula, this game would be a bad one. No one wants to play a game that offers no challenge whatsoever, and even though one eventually rises in Pokemon X and Pokemon Y it is on rare occasions. Without further a due, here is the scoring for the latest animals in this already beastly franchise:

Visuals: the game looks amazing! this is the best looking Pokemon game up to date and one of the best looking games for the 3DS and that's no exaggeration. There is one tiny little detail, the 3D feature drops the frame rate at times and it's not enabled for all the zones and events in the game. But the game received such a beautiful upgrade and change to its graphical design without altering its functionality that it is truly something to praise Gamefreak for. 9.5/10

Gameplay: everything control-wise is as tight and flawless as ever. Like I said before, most mechanics have been made easier and less time consuming which is great, but since the challenge is almost completely removed from the game and just because it was truly staple of the series it does negatively affect the experience. 6.5/10

Story: this is neither the worst or the best story in a Pokemon game, we've definitely seen better and we've most definitely seen worse. It is an okay plot with an O.K ending but the game does deserve its praise when it comes to the setting and the huge amount of cultural reference and homage it pays to the country it is inspired by. 7.5/10

Music: the music is very nice, it is as you'd expect from a Pokemon game and even if you've never heard any of it before, you'll be humming some of the tunes in no time. Some pieces were beautiful, trendy and just really fun to hear but most were great, nothing more than that. 8/10

Final Verdict:

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are great games, it is a shame something like its iconic decent-to-hard difficulty was lost somewhere in the process of development. Despite this evident mishap, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y have so many cool new features like mega evolutions, Pokemon-Amie, wonder trade and game chat that make them a truly wonderful experience, a flawed one, but also worth playing.

7.9/10


*I am not a competitive player, I do not know if the competitive aspects of the game have been heavily affected or not "hands-on" but I did my research so that veteran competitive players could actually get an idea from this review, from everything I read and investigated: this game did not damage the competitive play.