Hyrule Warriors Review

Hyrule Warriors Review: The heroes of the goddess, valiant, strong and playable!

Hyrule Warriors is a non-canonical entry in the Legend of Zelda franchise that plays nothing like a zelda game. Instead, it plays like a cool Dynasty Warriors game that tries its best to pay homage to the LOZ universe and manages to incorporate some of its signature gameplay mechanics so it pleases both audiences, and it does!

It is a cool idea, conceived, made and executed by very capable hands that end up delivering the concept it promised to deliver. There's just not enough polish or potential met. Tecmo Koei and Nintendo made a terrific job giving the player the opportunity to play as some iconic zelda characters, they made an even better job making it work whilst implementing ideas foreign to the DW series.

The main thing here is the essence of the game, It is really a dynasty warriors game with the zelda theme on it, and not the other way around. This is important to note because LOZ games have always followed the same formula and metrics so many people might be expecting something else when picking this up, so I think it's crucial that I make this clear. (by making the same statement three times in a row)

you can't tell me that doesn't look cool as fu-

But enough about that, what are the games praises, and what are it's downfalls?

I believe the most compelling feat Aonuma (LOZ director) and the guys at Tecmo Koei accomplished was putting together lore, characters and overall tribute from 3 LOZ games very widely divided by temporal and almost generational gaps. Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword are all very well represented here, with a considerable amount of content from each, including places, characters, items, enemies and lore. I think it's a tall order to expect games released on 1998, 2006 and 2011 respectively to have a coherent and lasting appeal on fans of the series to the point where references to each are basically placed everywhere for the fan's enjoyment.

It is also important to note that there is new content, a new sort of compelling yet simple story with its own new handful of characters and of course a gorgeous yet very faithful redesign for the old ones. but this brings its own problems into the formula.

Now, the bads outweight the goods so let's start with them:

The Cons

here's a formula to calculate how many times the fps drops occur, 

the number of shiny things multiplied by number of times you'd like to bang zelda in that outfit = fps drops

Not many warriors for hire in Hyrule I guess. DW games have already set the bar really high when it comes to playable character amount and diversity, nowadays they have like 90 characters or so. Yeah, some of them are similar to others but there are still many more available than what Hyrule Warriors offers. There are only 13 playable characters, at least without dlcs and rumored patches. this is insanely low for the dynasty warriors standard and it could have been at least nice to have mystery characters to bolster that number up a bit, they could´ve have come from other entries like Majora's Mask or Wind Waker even if they dont precisely fit the story .

The triforce is too powerful, sort of. That number we just talked about grows a bit though, with alternate weapons that offer completely different combat styles for some characters the overall number of movesets goes up to 20, but along with this comes another problem. The extra weapons are not evenly scattered across characters. (yeah, you'd have to be a math genius to figure that one out if I didn't tell ya) It's almost laughable how they assigned them, Link has 4 weapons making him the most well equipped warrior in the game but I can understand that, he is the main character of the LOZ and he's had an arsenal of items to use so yeah, we can allow that. Only 3 other characters have an alternate weapon and the new original character specifically designed for this game has frigging 3. 

<<SPOILER YET NO SO SPOILER ALERT>> 

So Ganondorf, the very representation of evil and demise can only have one weapon but this girl gets 3? It's dumb and there is a case to be made for at least 3 more characters to have alternate weapons. 

<<SPOILER YET NO SO SPOILER ALERT>>

Starchilds and Bokoblins don't have a right to protest. Well, performance issues. It's news to no one that DW games are full of enemy troop models and AI to the point that in one special attack you're expected to kill 200 of them. (yeah, that's actually an in-game achievement) Well, Hyrule Warriors looks great, not perfect but pretty good, there is catch here though. Frame rate drops on difficult missions where many enemies appear. Adding insult to injury though, the multiplayer (which is a lot of fun by the way) has a severe graphic reduction to "ensure" the performance is kept, but it fails to do so, it still has many frame rate drops and maybe even more than the single player experience if you ask me. It's cool that they made it so the first player gets a whole screen for him/herself on the gamepad while the second player uses the TV but there is no option for splitscreen which to my knowledge could have been an alternative to alleviate the graphic reduction.

Why. There is no versus mode, no mounts or conquering mode. Why? :/

The Pros

Because it makes sense this nutjob handles 
entirely different than the other nutjob below him

Finally, top notch action for Link and his pals. The animations and movesets are amazingly well done, it is a joy and almost a sort of fantasy come true to see Link finally delivering colossal attacks fans of the series have always known he is capable of. It's also a joy to see characters that didn't engage in combat before have such creative ways to battle that also feel very tailored to their persona.

Character Originality. Despite its scarce amount of characters, they are all unique in some way. I'm not talking about different end combos or something like that. Real difference not matter how small is present in all of them, one of them for example sacrifices the basic strong attack for a damage buff to all its other combos while another has a gauge filled up by combos he has to be aware of to unleash a powerful attack if he doesn't want to overcharge.

Cohesive name for a cohesive game. Even if its not the dungeon lurking, item hunting game the zelda series is known for, items are implemented in a somewhat cool non-intrusive fashion and bosses are included just as you would expect them to be. There is even a creative and fun game mode based on the overworld exploration of the first LOZ game ever, which is a lot of fun to beat.

Visuals: Hyrule Warriors has great aesthetic decisions and designs, it basically brought back pure and unscathed designs from games over a decade old and made them feel true to themselves but not polygonally crippling. It is a huge shame though it underperforms so strongly in fps terms, specially on multiplayer. 7/10

Gameplay: A non intrusive zelda infusion in the dynasty warriors formula makes Hyrule Warriors, the most fun you'll ever have playing a warriors game if you're a zelda fan, that does not mean that you wont enjoy it if you do not like zelda, so it's great it was implemented so brilliantly. It is a shame it feels so cut down, a scarce number of playable characters, lack of VS mode, conquest mode and overall lost potential. 7.5/10

Story: The story is basically not worth explaining, even though some new characters are introduced it's just weird to watch a bunch of people grunt in long cgi cutscenes with text popping up occasionally. The new characters are fitting though and some unexpected situations arise so it's not a complete bore. 5/10

Music: A true saving grace for Tecmo Koei and Nintendo's new venture together. Amazing songs well polished from an already heavily orchestrated library and some cool new tunes all overflowing with dynasty warriors's signature upbeat rock pieces. 9/10

Final Verdict:

A long overdue crossover, fans of both series will love, But, therein lies the problem, fans of any of the two, there is not enough content mode, character and performance-wise to pull any aliens to the series towards making the purchase. It is selling very well, so here's to Hyrule Warriors eventually reaching it's full potential and becoming the deserving symbol of gaming genius to represent both the legacies it is based upon. 

7.5/10

**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 Instagram account "pegasusbootsgb" hope you enjoyed the read!

PS: I've decided to not excuse myself any longer as no one really reads any of my reviews, now if you'll excuse me, I'll go procrastinate and feel sorry for myself

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!