Pokemonsilph

Paper Mario Color Splash is the very controversial sequel to Paper Mario Sticker Star (a game which I also dislike). The reasoning behind this controversy is due to many similarities in game style to Sticker Star. The main problems I seem to have found traditional Paper Mario fans complaining about are the battle system, NPC designs, and the story. Many have complained about the battle system saying that it is completely pointless in the grand scheme of progression, as there is no traditional level up system in Color Splash (much like Sticker Star). I don't think the lack of an EXP system is inherently bad, as it is often used to pad out a game's length with grinding to be able to defeat certain enemies or learn certain abilities. In Paper Mario and Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door, leveling up gave you options between increasing health points, badge points (to equip special items), or "flower points" (special attack points), which was a nice way to give players a choice between certain options of play style, whether you want to focus on more health to recover from mistakes, badge points to increase your abilities, or flower points to let you use your abilities more often. Paper Mario Color Splash's only form of EXP gained from battling are "hammer points", which increase the amount of paint you can carry on the overworld and use in battles. Here's the thing, however: Color Splash is a different kind of Paper Mario. While older Paper Mario games focus mostly on story, combat, and adventuring, Color Splash focuses on being a more relaxed and laid-back game. Color Splash so far (through the half of the game I've played up to this point) shows its focus in exploration of stages, puzzle-solving (on some stages), and much like other Paper Mario games, an overall very enjoyable adventure (though Paper Mario Sticker Star missed out on an enjoyable adventure). However, many feel that this new Paper Mario style (used in Color Splash and Sticker Star) is cheating them out of another Paper Mario game akin to the original and The Thousand Year Door. Personally, I've always preferred the Mario & Luigi games for my Mario RPG combat fix, but others obviously don't feel that way. I will admit that a more complete experience would be made by a better battle system than what Color Splash has, and yes, battles can be annoying sometimes (but battles were sometimes annoying in the original Paper Mario games too, not just here). The battles use cards for attacks, and the card management feels a bit unpolished, as cards are strewn all about on the menu, and scrolling through a full 99 card deck can take quite a few swipes to reach from one end to the other; this would be fine if starting a battle didn't reset the card menu to the complete right side. These complaints are mostly just minor annoyances, however. As for boss battles, these are the battles that obviously have taken a toll, since most bosses require a certain Thing card (cards based off real-world items necessary for story progression in a lot of cases) to be able to beat them at all, which really puts a damper on the feeling of being powerful and destroying a boss. However, a merely okay battle system and meh bosses don't ruin the experience for this game (for me at least). For some, it's a huge detriment to this game, but I don't think it's as bad as some people are making it out to be, mostly because I feel like the game is focused more on the levels than the combat. Next up is character designs, and yes, most NPCs are just plain colored Toads. This isn't something that works all too well in an RPG based on character interaction at many parts, but I'm honestly surprised that despite the fact they don't have a name or unique design, I can still remember those Toads who say something funny and what level they're even at. They're very strangely memorable and well-written, and each one tends to have some sort of personality quirk or funny feature. Overall, I think the plain old design being used for practically all NPCs feels very lazy, but it's still somewhat mended by the memorable character interactions and personalities. The story also gets contention from some, but I can't speak fully on it yet. All I can say is that, much like Sticker Star, this game isn't going as much for a well-integrated story. It's almost the same as your basic Mario story but with subplots in many levels. I just wish the boss characters got more character development, honestly. Lastly (as I'm running out of room), the music and graphics are simply exquisite, and they're potentially the best the series has seen so far (the music is in close competition with Super Paper Mario's soundtrack). Anyway, I'll be giving this review just an 8 out of 10, as it doesn't quite feel completely polished in all areas. If you're looking for just a fun game that's also fun to 100% complete, then I recommend this game wholeheartedly, regardless of how it compares to other Paper Mario games.

I'm going to be BRUTALLY HONEST, I was in no way excited for this game since its announcement back in December of 2013. About a week or so ago, Polygon reviewed the game with a 5.5 score, so that hurt my expectations so much more than before. I was pretty much going to avoid the game, so I wouldn't make a purchase I would regret. But. After I had already dismissed the game, after seeing trailer of gameplay, story, etc. I decided to buy it, because it was staring me in the eye at the store. (I really bought it because I needed something to play over the weekend) As soon as I got home, I played it. And. I. LOVED IT! (Keep in mind that this was the first Musuo game I had ever played, and I came in with NO knowledge of this series' gameplay/story) First of all, the game looks "Alright". Not AMAZING, but not distracting either. Second, the gameplay looks boring and EXTREMELY repetitive in trailers, but you HAVE to play to understand how the gameplay feels. I found myself WANTING to capture all of the keeps and outposts to see what would happen (keep in mind that I'm not the biggest fan of repetitive games). The bosses are okay, most of the big bosses don't resemble their official Zelda counterparts, and they are relatively easy (unless your on the hardest mode in the game, in which you mine as well be trying to cut a diamond with bubble wrap). There are around 15 main story missions in this game, each of which can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. (only around 9 of them aren't used more than once). Adventure Mode is another mode in this game besides Story Mode, and it is really nice. It is fleshed out nicely, and can add a huge amount of content for completionists out there. There is also Free Mode which allows you to play each level with any unlocked character, and is more multiplayer friendly. (Speaking of multiplayer, this game's multiplayer, honestly, is just "okay". It lags in multiplayer mode, and the second/first player is pretty much forced to use the gamepad as a second screen. Also, one thing, IT NEEDED ONLINE MULTIPLAYERRRR... imagine this game with a mode where you could play AGAINST people in an online match where you had ACTUAL smart REAL people with powerful, leveled characters. That would have been awesome!) There is also Challenge Mode, but it feels more like a complete afterthought, to be honest. I played the first level of it, and it felt very "meh". Last but not least, there is the Bazaar and the Gallery. The Bazaar lets you craft badges to up your defensive, attack, and assist bonuses; level up your characters; create potions; and combine weapons without abilities with weapons that do. The Gallery is where Gold Skulltulas and illustrations come in. Collecting Gold Skulltulas in each level unlocks a new illustration piece, and after enough, it upgrades the Bazaar. (Verdict:) I was expecting a low class, repetitive beat-em-up/hack-n-slash game, but what I got was a fun experience that I can play for a long time. 9/10 :D

INTRO: Rayman Legends is the sequel to the great platformer that was Rayman Origins, and it pioneers even deeper into the genre of 2D platforming in gaming than its predecessor, Rayman Origins. CONTROLS: Rayman Legends controls about the same way that Rayman Origins, its predecessor, controlled, smooth and fluid. Besides that, the controls are the way they should be for a platformer of Rayman Legends scale. GAMEPLAY: Rayman Legends has somewhat similar gameplay as Rayman Origins, but mixes it up in brand new twists and challenges that make me feel like I'm playing a sequel to Rayman Origins and not just a rehash. One thing I thought was a little disappointing was that in Rayman Origins, you got new powerups for each new setting you were in to help you explore, but in Rayman Legends, everything is available to you from the start which doesn't bother me that much, but it isn't as cool as being able to play a new world you just unlocked with a brand new world-changing power-up. MUSIC: The music in Rayman Legends is simple and very well attuned to the various worlds and levels you can play in the game. It's very well orchestrated and composed as well as being, in my opinion, better than Rayman Origins soundtrack. GRAPHICS: Rayman Legends goes for a less cartoonish look than Rayman Origins, and goes for a more work of art look, and it looks beautiful. (Note: The game as a whole is made with 2D art-style characters, enemies, and backrounds, but bosses are rendered in 3D which I thought was a very nice touch.) LENGTH: Rayman Legends is a much longer adventure than its predecessor especially when going for 100%, and the length of the game as well as the other aspects, makes it feel like it is worth twice as much than the $60 price tag. (not including online/in-store discounts) OUTRO: Overall this game gets a 9/10 from me, because I thought it was almost 2 times as good as its predecessor, but still it loses a point, because it just doesn't deserve a perfect rating, because there are some flaws hidden within the game, but still this is a great, creative adventure that has pioneered 2D platforming even further.

Pikmin 3 is the latest entry in the Pikmin series, and it holds up very nicely. Pikmin 3 still has the great gameplay of the first two installments in the series, but it improves on it like the previous game in the series. For example, the Pikmin AI has been improved greatly to reduce cheap deaths by water and other sources, there is a new lock-on mode for accuracy during battles, and also keeps good aspects from Pikmin 1 & 2 and gets rid of the bad aspects from Pikmin 1 & 2. Pikmin 3 has some nice music that fits the atmosphere of the environments in the game. Pikmin 3 allows you to use 3 different controllers to play the game (Wii Mote Nunchuck, Gamepad, and Wii U Pro Controller), which offers a diverse experience between controllers. The graphics in Pikmin 3 are great, considering this is Nintendo's first true HD game (besides Mario games, Nintendo Land, and Game & Wario), and there is also a great amount of detail in the different areas and events, such as rain. Overall, Pikmin 3 is the best game for the Wii U (In my opinion), and Pikmin 3 deserves a 10 out of 10. (The game was a bit short though, but it didn't artificially lengthen the game like Pikmin 2)

This is a much more enjoyable experience than the experience I had with the first one (besides the story). The post-game content is better than ever, the music is just as awesome (if not better), but it did feel more like Black and white 2.0 rather than Black and White 2 (if ya get what I am saying). But besides that this is still a great game (9 out of 10), and I recommend this game to almost everyone.

I like this game a ton, the reason why is the following: polished graphics, great songs to play, the AWESOME sound when you hit a note, and the tiny details in the game as well. Overall I give this game a 9 out of 10 (this game only loses a point because there is a lack of songs currently) and I recommend this game to most people.

This is a AMAZING (rhythm) game, why you may ask... well... It has good visuals, comfortable, simple controls, a GREAT level editor, and a great online community. The only thing partially wrong with this game is the campaign mode, because it is very short, and you can beat it in under 2 hours, but after you beat the campaign you get basically a challenge mode to give you a little more to do. Anyway, this game gets a 10 out of 10 from me and I recommend this game to anyone.