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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/05/19 in all areas

  1. From the crayon aesthetic of the original Yoshi's Island to the yarn style of Woolly World, Yoshi games just can't seem to keep away from putting a unique visual spin on Yoshi's solo adventures. Yoshi's Crafted World ups the ante by dumping an entire arts and crafts store into the mix, giving the entire game a Do-It-Yourself, homemade charm. And even if the gameplay hasn't seen much evolution from past Yoshi titles, the endless charm of the game is more than enough to keep players engaged. It's another peaceful day for the Yoshis of Yoshi's Island when Kamek and Bowser Jr. swoop in, intent on stealing the magical Sundream Stone, an artifact with the power to grant any wish. But before the two villains can get away with the stone, its five gems are broken off and sent flying across the world. Now the Yoshis are in a race to recover the stones before Kamek and Bowser Jr. get their claws on them. It's a cute story even if it's nothing we haven't seen from a Yoshi game before, and the short dialogue intros to boss fights are pretty charming. In the end, the story set-up doesn't matter much for a Yoshi game—the colorful scenery and trademark platformer gameplay are the stars of the show. Crafted World also treads lightly when it comes to shaking up the gameplay—very little is different here, so series veterans will quickly slide right back into the enemy-eating, egg-throwing, smiley flower-collecting action that defines Yoshi's games. Yoshi games have always had a solid mix of more laid-back platforming mechanics (compared to Mario or Donkey Kong games) combined with a wealth of collectibles to uncover which rewards a slower, more thorough exploration of its stages. None of that has changed with Crafted World. In fact, one of the few changes to the gameplay formula was in adding even more collectibles—specifically, more smiley flowers, which are now required to unlock new regions—so this game really doubles down on the franchise's position as a treasure trove of hidden items to sniff out. The gameplay may not be all that different from Yoshi's inaugural adventure in Yoshi's Island over twenty years ago, but the formula is still wonderfully addictive with a great balance between the ease of simply progressing through the game and the added challenge of collecting everything, satisfying all levels of gamers at once. The only other mildly significant addition to the gameplay is the extra dimension of exploration that Yoshi now has. Crafted World is still a side-scrolling platformer, but now Yoshi can throw eggs into the foreground or background as well as move forward or backward on that 3D plane, though only in specific areas. Ultimately it's not a huge addition—in fact the feature kind of feels like a holdover from a 3DS game—but it adds a few interesting puzzle mechanics as well as even more places to hide collectibles. The downside is that aiming into the foreground/background is a little challenging since you have to carefully aim at a specific target for the game's aiming mechanics to lock on. Granted the game is pretty good about giving you a generous "lock-on" range, but it still has a way of slowing down the gameplay and requires a bit more careful aim. It's nothing too difficult to work with, but it takes a bit of adjusting, especially for Yoshi pros that might be used to the wiggle room that aiming/jumping usually offers. Finally there's the flipping mechanic that was originally touted as a major feature in Crafted World but, in the final product, is a bit more lackluster. Every stage of the game has a flipped version, where you essentially get to play the level again but with a new objective and while seeing the back side of all of the cardboard scenery. It's a cute concept but feels woefully underutilized. Seeing the back side of every level doesn't actually add much of a fresh perspective on the gameplay, and instead the mechanic just feels like a way to pad out the game's length. Given the short length of this adventure though, maybe it makes sense to pad the game a little. If all you're interested in is reaching the end of the game and seeing the credits roll, Crafted World can be completed in as little as six hours or so. Of course, there are a lot of collectibles along the way, and not just in the flipped versions of stages, so don't worry, there's still plenty of content to occupy your time. Plus there's co-op mode, letting two players team up in local multiplayer which, like a lot of co-op platformers, can be as much of a hindrance as it is helpful, but is nevertheless a fun time. As already mentioned the DIY arts and crafts visual style of the game is absolutely adorable. Cardboard tube rocket ships, paper plate platforms, and even the characters themselves sport slightly fuzzy, felt-like features—it's a dangerously cute design style, one that the developers clearly had a lot of fun building. The graphics do a perfect job of capturing a playful sense of childhood whimsy, and manages to stay heartwarming and charming from start to finish. The music is less successful in this area, though. The songs are just as cute and whimsical, but none of them has quite the staying power as the visuals, and the soundtrack gets old fast. The main theme is somewhat overused in each region's background music, which makes the whole soundtrack seem a bit one note. As a sequel to Woolly World, Yoshi's Crafted World doesn't stray too far from the franchise's tried and true formula. The visuals get a charming upgrade from just yarn to now incorporating all kinds of adorable arts and crafts creations, but in terms of gameplay Yoshi's Crafted World feels like essentially the same game we've played before. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as the gameplay is just as engaging and addictive as ever, and the platformer challenges are inventive even if they are rarely truly difficult. Series fans will surely appreciate the game, and the friendly, adorable aesthetic makes it a perfect introduction to a younger generation of players. Rating: 8 out of 10 Eggs
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  2. Another PAXEast has come and gone, and here are the games I"ve played! If it's coming to the Switch, it'll be mentioned. To start off, Nintendo actually has two booth spaces this year. One is the larger more family friendly booth housing a Yoshi display and the usual stage. The other is a much smaller "Mature" booth. The smaller one has a much shorter line, and interestingly when I asked them how the line was setup (Do I have to wait in the "main" line, or is there a separate line for the "mature" booth), they asked me if I'm here just for Mortal Kombat, I was. Apparently the way the line works is that if you are there to try out Hellblade, Assassin's Creed III Remaster, and Bloodstained, you wait in the "mature" line. BUT, if you were there for Mortal Kombat, they will pull you out of line, have you play it, get a prize ticket, and get out. Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch bound title) The game ran quite well from what I can see, with dynamic resolution scaling and lower shadow quality. But it's still as bloody as we all know Mortal Kombat can be. Played only one session 1P v COM, Sub-Zero v Scorpion. Lost in the final round in a very close match...where Scorpion did his fatality in front of who I assume is a Netherrealm developer (he wore an MK11 shirt as oppose to the Nintendo shirt). We had a good laugh and told him how glad that there is a new MK game on a Nintendo console after so many years and how well it ran. Touhou Gensou SkyDrift (Switch bound title) The surprising thing about this doujin game is that I was told that it was developed by former Mario Kart developers, and it shows. It's a Double Dash style game, and after getting use to the controls (Drift with B instead of R, summon/use item with R instead of L, tag with L), it felt pretty much like home. The weirdness of this game comes from your partner being used like a hoverboard. N1RV Ann-A (Switch bound title, PC version played) A visual novel where you play as a bartender, and the story progresses depends on not by dialogue choices, but what drinks you decide to mix your customers. After you mix in the ingredients for the drink you make, you have to shake it by moving the mouse all over the place, I hope on the Switch (and PS4 version), you can shake the controller or Joy-Con for shaking the drinks, it just seems appropirate. Been a fan of the Cyberpunk Bartender Action series when I first saw its first title VA-11 HALL-A in 2015, instantly fell for the series for it quirky characters and art direction. It seems like the new lead for N1RV is more upbeat compared to Jill's snark in VA-11, but I think I'll still like her as well. I think VA-11 HALL-A is getting a Switch port as well. World of Horror (Switch bound title, PC version played) A Lovecraftian-Japanese horror hybrid (if that makes sense) visual novel RPG that reminds me of those old Mac adventure games like Shadowgate or Deja Vu down to the black and white graphics. It's creepy. Even the chiptune is unnerving. There are battles in this, and the transition to those were the only jumpscares I can see in this game. Windjammers 2 (Switch bound title, PC version played) Dude, it's Windjammers. Ultra Bugs (Switch bound title, PC version played) It's a Vlambeer title, so it's going to quick pick up and play arcade action. I enjoyed it. Nothing else to say. Lethal Lawns A competitive multiplayer title where you mow a lawn and KILL each other with said mowers. It was simply fun. I'd like to think it being something like bumper cars, but backend collisions are deadly. Ion Maiden (Switch bound title, PC version played) Nice to see another Build engine game since...Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior. Playing this took me back to my childhood. Even told the developers that seeing another game using this engine is amazing, really enjoyed it. Wrath: Aeon of Ruin (Switch bound title, PC version played) It's a Quake engine game. I found this to be okay, but liked Ion Maiden more because I've played more Build Engine games compared to Quake...maybe Star Trek Elite Forces I & II, but that's it. (Okay, I didn't know that Ion Maiden and Wrath are Switch bound titles) Also, seeing this as the "mature" booth's backdrop, awesome.
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  3. I really hate how some of the cool looking controllers for Switch are wired. There is this awesome looking Zelda themed one that is all black with gold buttons and I'd totally get it...but it's wired. -_-
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  4. Can't wait to ride with everyone tonight. But let's try to avoid racing on the same track three times in a single tournament this time
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  5. The quality of the models looks pretty darn good. Characters kind of remind of the look of vikings from How to Train Your Dragon. But yeah, odds of this releasing in any capacity outside of straight to digital in the west are low.
    1 point
  6. Yeah, I'm just sort of bored with my usual setup. I tend stick the light to medium chars, hardly go the heavies. Which is weird to say because the weight doesn't mean much, it's the kart config that makes or break what setup you like to go with. Tho saying that the heavies I lean away from is Bowser and DK. Tend to stir away from inside drift bike, really small and big wheels. The karts themselves I don't really have any detest but I'm sure I have a few. I'll see what I come with tonight and see what happens.
    1 point
  7. Welp, I think ride as a character I despise driving as, same goes with the kart config. Curious to see how do when I combine those two aspects.
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  8. Can't really think of anything. Might be just a regular tournament tonight. Here's last week's 200cc Tournament! Streaming tonight's tournament on Twitch: https://twitch.tv/TKrazyO
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  9. Fair point on both. There's no need for it. Agreed on that (in terms of Nicholson and Ledger's Jokers).
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  10. JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE! JONATHAN! CHARLOTTE!
    1 point
  11. In all seriousness, Metroid Prime Pinball was a solid pinball game. Release an HD version of that with new tables? I'm there.
    1 point
  12. They're pins from PAX's Pinny Arcade. Got a better picture with the pins (including the Rose Gold Peach that only comes with if you buy the entire case. Don't ask how my wallet is doing.), and what pins you could get from these blind boxes.
    1 point
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