sJagstang

The Last of Us for PlayStation 3 is one of the defining video games of this generation, Naughty Dog once again shows that they are not only one of the best developers in the industry, but they also show with The Last of Us that they are some of the best storytellers period. The story is a dark, gritty and brutal journey of survival with the main characters Joel and Ellie, I'm not going to spoil anything about the game but rest assured this is a great story with some fantastic characters. The gameplay is a stealth/action survival game with horror elements, with both infected and human enemies that have very smart A.I. and are a challenge to fight, especially on higher difficulties. I think the "Clicker" Infected enemy is one of the best enemies in a video game, The sound they make can create a very tense atmosphere in the gameplay, the human enemies are just as fun to fight as they are very intelligent in how they try to take you out and how they try to find you when you are hidden. Just keep in mind that the game is very dark, very brutal and violent, If you do not like these type of things then you may want to consider whether the game will be your kind of experience. Overall The Last of Us is a fantastic experience that should not be missed, If you have a PS3 then you should most definitely pick this game up immediately, If you don't have a PS3 then this game is the definition of a system seller.

Professor Layton & the Curious Village is a great little puzzle game with a interesting story and great characters, the story follows Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke as they go to the village of St. Mystere to solve the mystery of the Golden Apple. I'm not going to say much more than that since I don't want to spoil the characters or story. Obviously the meat of the game is in it's Puzzles, There is about 130 puzzles in the game, Most of the them are good but some can be a bit so-so in there logic and sometimes they don't give you any indication of how to solve a particular puzzle since they sometimes leave out key information but this happens rarely and may be a localization issue. The game has a nice art style with characters that really stand out, It's fun to explore St. Mystere to find some of it's hidden puzzles. The town is fairly small so there isn't really an issue of getting lost in the town or anything like that. Sometimes the puzzles can feel like they are not really relating to what's happening in the story and can be somewhat random but they do a fairly good job of trying to make them cohesive, Not that it really matters since the puzzles are still good for the most part. In the end if you like puzzle games or at least want to try one then Professor Layton is a great game to play on Nintendo DS or 3DS, If you generally turn away from puzzle games because you want an interesting story to keep you going then you won't have the problem here since the characters are a big standout, especially Layton and Luke. Go pick this one up.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is one of the best reasons to own a 3DS at the moment, There is a surprising amount of depth here for a handheld game and this is easily one of the best experiences you can find on the Nintendo 3DS at the moment. The story is interesting with some nice twists and the game also has some of the most interesting and fun characters to interact with in a long time, the game will last a solid 20-25 hours on a basic runthrough of the story alone but if you add in the fact that there is loads of side content, character development to explore and tons of ongoing DLC support for the game you can easily double, if not triple that gametime. The gameplay is a turn based strategy RPG where you move your characters on a battlefield from a top-down perspective and defeat your enemies by positioning your characters in ways to get the advantage over enemies, for one example if you position two characters next to each other they will support each other in battle with provides bonuses to stuff like defense, attack and other things and also improves those two characters relationships that can lead to fleshing out those characters more. There is two modes for playing this game... Classic mode makes it so that if a character dies on the battlefield they will die permanently and you will lose them unless you reload a save, This makes the game very challenging but it also adds to the tension of the experience since every move counts. There is also the Casual mode which turns off perma-death so characters that die will come back at the end of that particular battle, Whether you play Classic or Casual you will find an enjoyable experience, Just make sure you pick the right one for you when you start the game. There is also 3 different difficulties to the game which you can choose from. With all these varying difficulties that will add up the possible amount of time you can play this for as well. The graphics were quite nice for 3DS but I didn't feel they were amazing personally, but nonetheless they are not bad. The CG Cutscenes for this game are absolutely gorgeous however. You get to create your own character to use in the game which I think is a first for Fire Emblem if I remember correctly. the character creation options have a fair bit of depth so you can feel like you have a lot of choice on how your character is designed. There is a very deep leveling up system in the game where you can change upgrade classes and also switch classes of characters which can lead to interesting and powerful characters. There is also some other features in the game that add to the depth like Marriage among other things. There is a great amount of downloadable content support for this game so far which is nice to see on 3DS. Overall Fire Emblem Awakening is one of the best games you can find on the Nintendo 3DS, It's definitely got the most depth of any 3DS game on the market so far. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has a 3DS or is looking for a game to make them jump into the 3DS.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64 is one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time and rightly so, the gameplay is fantastic and the amount of hidden secrets in it is impressive, the meat of the game is the dungeons and world to explore, the story was great for it's time although I feel other more recent games in the series have done a much better job delivering a cinematic story, but don't get me wrong for Nintendo 64 the game was phenomenal. Now over a decade later we get The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for Nintendo 3DS, This remake of the classic game delivers better graphics, a more convenient UI for item switching, Gyroscope controls for aiming weapons like the Slingshot or Bow and obviously the ability to play in 3D. As many have said here on Metacritic already, this is a fantastic port of the N64 Classic delivering a remake that is the definitive version to play nowadays, The game will give you a solid 20-30 hour experience depending on how much you flesh out the game in terms of finding secrets, doing side quests and other things. The world of Hyrule is a great diverse world with tons of different locations to see from Death Mountain to the Gerudo Desert. There is a issue with using 3D and Gyroscope controls at the same time since the sweet spot for 3D can become distorted when you are moving the 3DS system around but both of this features are completely optional. The game also the optional "Master Quest" mode which makes the game more difficult and changes some things to add challenge, This is unlocked after you finish the main quest. The game also features hint movies to help you if you get stuck which is a nice addition for newcomers. There are some things that obviously show their age now like some of the puzzles being fairly easy since at the time of the original release back in the late 90's, the use of 3D environments in gaming was still a new experience and a lot of the puzzles revolved around this. Hyrule Field is also very empty but obviously this is also due to the limitations of the Nintendo 64. Sometimes the targeting system can be a bit so-so but it's not a big issue and rarely causes issues. Overall this is a fantastic port of a classic that defined a generation of video games, If you own a 3DS this is a must have whether you played it on N64 or you are jumping in for the first time, The game holds up very well.

Fable II by Lionhead Studio's is a solid action adventure game but it just lacks in a lot of area's, The game is way too easy which takes away any challenge the game could of had, the world is sometimes very graphically appealing and has a magical feel, but other times it's bland and uninteresting, It's a very mixed bag with some silly design choices. The fact that you have to sit there doing boring work mini-games to get money is the most uninteresting game design I have seen in recent times, Your companion dog is a nice addition with some good AI to him with helping find you treasure and dig spots, But in the end Fable II is a technically solid title, but bad design choices bring it down dramatically. If you own an Xbox 360 and want a fantasy action adventure title, Fable II is a decent ride despite some issues but if you are looking for deep game design then you should look elsewhere as you will not find it here.

Halo: Reach is a great first person shooter with some of the best multiplayer you can find on the Xbox 360, It is also easily one of the best exclusive games for the Xbox 360. Even if the story mode is not very interesting, It works well as a prequel to the original trilogy of Halo games. There is a great amount of depth to this game with it's multiplayer content and Bungie should be commended for delivering a fantastic Halo game to close off there time with the franchise, If you have an Xbox 360 then this is one to pick up.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a good first person shooter, It's a bit too similar to what has come before in the Call of Duty franchise but if you can get past that fact then you will find an action packed story, and some of the most addictive multiplayer out there, along with the great zombies co-op survival mode, This is a package that will give you tons of playtime, This was the last call of duty I played as I was starting to get bored of the franchise and therefore I skipped more recent entries, But overall Black Ops was a fun multiplayer game, It's not perfect but it's good enough to recommend, However if you are looking to join in on the Call of Duty franchise, You may be better off going for one of the more recent entries in the franchise where there are more active players.

Fallout: New Vegas is a solid game in the Fallout franchise that provides hours of single player content, There are few games out there that could match the amount of content you can find in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Whilst this game is good it has a lot of bugs that bring down the overall experience dramatically, I have never experienced so many game bugs from a single game and as a huge fan of Fallout 3, I was very disappointed by it, the game is great if you can get past the bugs, but if you can't then you might want to consider looking elsewhere. But from a content level this game can give you hundreds of hours playtime.

Call of Duty World at War is probably my favorite in the Call of Duty series (tied with Call of Duty 2) as I prefer the WW2 setting to the other settings the games have taken place in, World at War features a decent campaign which will last about 4-6 hours, but the real meat of the game comes from it's multiplayer which can give a lot of fun and replay value, It has some balancing issues and some of the maps are too big leading to times when you can't find enemies but overall these issues are not as bad of issues as some of the more recent Call of Duty games have had, I'm not sure if people still play World at War online anymore but if they do then I consider this one of the better Call of Duty games, more recent games have lost there appeal due to the annual releases in my opinion, But this was one of the last call of duty games I played and it's a good game, with solid single player campaign, fun multiplayer and the awesome co-op zombies survival mode, Whether you play alone or with a group of friends, this game can give you hours and hours of fun.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is one of my favorite racing games of this generation, Developed by the creators of the Burnout series Criterion delivers a great arcade racer about cops and racers. It's fast, fun and intense. Cars may not handle realistically, but they are not designed to. This is about driving fast cars at crazy speeds, Need for Speed has had some pretty bad releases in recent times with Need for Speed The Run and some of the ones coming before Hot Pursuit, So this is a great return to form for the Need for Speed series. If you are just looking for a fun racing game that doesn't go for realistic handling then this is for you, If you want realistic driving then avoid this one. There are some issues with the game, the biggest being that there is absolutely no local multiplayer and the online multiplayer is pretty empty now, How a racing game can not include local multiplayer is beyond me, But either way it's still a fun game.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a great action/stealth RPG with a fantastic atmosphere, characters, world and combat. You can choose to go in guns blazing or take a more stealthy approach and your choices in upgrades will be crucial when deciding your play-style, whether it's upgrading your hacking skill so you can attempt to hack more difficult computers or unlocking several perks that can help you in stealth or action gameplay, One of the weaker points of the game is it's boss battles which feel out of place compared to the rest of the game, especially if you happened to choose the stealth route, But overall it's a solid game that is an easy recommendation to action, stealth or RPG fans.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is pretty average across the board, It's single player campaign is decent and action packed but it's way too short and it's story is not very interesting at all. Obviously multiplayer is what the Call of Duty series it known for, but unfortunately Modern Warfare 2 is just as much a mixed bag here as well, the guns in the game control well but are not very balanced and the kill streaks are what kill the game with people just destroying with some of the later kill streaks which makes the game not fun and all you end up doing is sitting in a building waiting for the kill streaks to end. There are better multiplayer shooters out there, save your money and get a shooter that is more balanced, If you really want a Call of Duty game then there are also betters ones out there.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a very enjoyable stealth game with an interesting story and characters, some may complain that the cut-scenes are too excessive as they pop up so often and last long, but if you don't mind that then you will find a gripping experience unlike anything else on the PS3, It's a tricky game to score since it really depends on if you are going to be bothered by long cut-scenes or not. If you don't mind then this game is definitely worth picking up, but if you don't want your gameplay to be interrupted very frequently then you may be better off picking up something else, nonetheless this is one of the best games on the PS3.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is easily one of the best games on the PS3, It has some of the best gameplay, graphics and story on the system, Whilst I prefer Uncharted 2 I did have a good time playing Uncharted 3 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality action game with good characters, the multiplayer in the game is good fun and very popular at the moment on PS3, If you are looking for a multiplayer game then this is worth picking up as well.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a fantastic action game with great characters, a gripping story and great graphics. The game begins with a very cool setpiece that will have you on the edge of your seat and it will keep you there throughout the game, the game will last you probably about 8-12 hours depending on how fast you play. The multiplayer in the game is pretty good, It's not amazing but it's probably one of the best multiplayer experiences to be found on PS3, although now it's better to go to Uncharted 3 for multiplayer, The best part of this game is experiencing the story and it's characters whilst having some top notch gameplay and graphics. This is my favorite of the Uncharted series and anyone who is looking for a good action game will enjoy this.

As a huge fan of Dragon Age: Origins, I couldn't help but feel very disappointed by Dragon Age II. The gameplay whilst more fluid was made far too easy and basic for an RPG, It loses the thing that made Origins fun which was challenging tactical gameplay, the characters in DA2 are decent but they are not as good as the Origins cast and the decision to make the whole game take place in one city and some area's nearby it was a huge mistake and one of the most blatant examples of reusing locations, Dragon Age Origins felt huge in scope but DA2 feels limited, bland and disappointing, I hope BioWare can return to form with Dragon Age 3 because another game like DA2 would be a massive disappointment considering how great DA: Origins was. The game also has one of the worst endings I've seen in recent times, It's like BioWare doesn't know how to end games recently.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is a good game, but it's not great. It's quite repetitive and the combat is somewhat clunky compared to other games but Uncharted 2/3 don't have this problem, The graphics are nice for 2007. The best thing about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is it's story and characters which are all interesting and it's great to play through the game just to see how the story unfolds, It's gripping and good fun, the gameplay is by no means bad, but a bit clunky with silly things like Sixaxis controlled grenade throws but it's a game worth playing if you own a PS3.

It is nice to see Mario and Sonic characters in the same game considering Nintendo and SEGA's history in the past, but the game is an average game with some good mini-games and some really bad mini-games, There are plenty of better mini-game collection games out there nowadays so I wouldn't recommend this game myself, However if you have young kids and are looking for something to play with them or for them to play alone and they are interested in one of the Mario & Sonic Olympic game series, You would be better off getting the London 2012 version rather then this one.

Mass Effect 3 is a game that obviously caused a lot of controversy when it released last year due to it's bad ending, I agree that the ending was bad but I don't think it took enough away from the game for me as I was really enjoying the game up to the last 20 minutes. The gameplay is great with fast paced combat and the story is interesting with some great choices to be made throughout the game, It's a good game, The ending was obviously very disappointing for a lot of fans and rightly so, But the Mass Effect Trilogy still has some of the best story and characters of this generation and should not be missed, download the Extended Cut DLC which will soften the blow a bit even though it is still a pretty lackluster ending even with it.

Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game in the Mass Effect Trilogy, It introduces tons of great characters and has some great third person shooter gameplay, It's a shame that it loses some of it's RPG elements but the choices you make and the world that you experience in Mass Effect 2 is just amazing, the PS3 version comes with extra DLC on the disc which would have to be bought separately on Xbox 360 and PC so the PS3 version is the best to get in terms of what you get from your purchase, It will last you about 20-40 hours depending how fast you play and what side content you do, This is an easy recommendation for any gamer.

The beginning of the Mass Effect Trilogy has finally come to PS3 after being released on Xbox 360 and PC a long time ago, Whilst the game is great there are a few things that bring it back mainly being technical issues and a lack of polish that the other games in the series have, It has not aged well but that doesn't take away from the fact that the game has a fantastic story, solid gameplay (Unpolished but decent), great characters and it begins one of the best game series of this generation, If you plan on playing the Mass Effect Trilogy then you should start with the original despite some of it's issues, even if you have already played Mass Effect 2 and 3 but not the original then you should play it to see how the story begins in full detail, It's worth the purchase and you won't be disappointed if you can get past the issues it has.

Sleeping Dogs was probably one of the biggest surprises of 2012, It was a game that was fairly unknown until it's release where it turned out to be a great game with a great story, great hand to hand combat and a great open world to explore, It has a good amount of content. If you like games like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row then you will probably like this game, It's by no means perfect with some things missing that would of been nice but it's still worth a play.

Sony's attempt at a mascot fighter is a fun game and has great potential in the future if the series continues, But comparing it to the main game series you can compare it to "Super Smash Bros." It is not as good, It lacks the iconic characters that Nintendo has under it's belt and one of the things I feel will hurt it as a party game what it is trying to be is the fact that it doesn't work as well as a pick up and play game, the game gets better the more you play it and practice a character which I feel hurts it, But on the other hand it also makes the game have a deep combat system which will be good for some. The game lacks the urgent feeling to the combat that others fighters have where you are losing health from every hit, the only way to kill other players is with Super attacks which means the only attacks that really matter are those. Nonetheless it's a solid title and if you are a PlayStation fan then this is a great game for you, Just like the first Smash Bros, PlayStation All-Stars has a great chance to improve drastically if a sequel happens.

Final Fantasy XIII has a lot of issues with linear gameplay, some bad characters with annoying voice actors and a confusing story, It has some good points with it's combat system being fun to play even if it's nowhere near as good as previous final fantasy games and the graphics are quite nice, Square Enix has really lost it's way with the Final Fantasy series, There are a lot of other JRPG developers out there making better games then the Final Fantasy games of recent times, There is no denying that Final Fantasy is a franchise that has great potential to make fantastic games if you look back at there track record, But Square Enix is going the wrong way with the franchise.

Dragon Age: Origins is a fantastic RPG by BioWare with some great characters, a deep and interesting world and a great story, It's a long game which will give you anywhere from 20-40 hours in a playthrough depending on your speed and how much side content you do, But if you buy the DLC or the Ultimate Edition that number increases drastically with tons of great extra content. The graphics are one of the weaker points of the game on consoles but they don't detract from the game enough to be very noticeable apart from a few exceptions in some area's, the combat is quite slow paced with you controlling a party of 4 and switching between them, I think this game is much better then Dragon Age II and is a must for any RPG fan.

Batman: Arkham City is easily the best Batman game ever made, but even more impressive then that it is one of the best games ever made. It has some of the best combat in any game, some great graphics, exploring Arkham City is a lot of fun with tons of collectibles and side content to find, the main story itself is fantastic with great performances from several fantastic voice actors, If you are a fan of Batman or action games in general then this is a must buy, There have been many Batman games over the years, but none have managed the quality and near perfection that this game has achieved.

A great and much needed reboot to the Tomb Raider series has rejuvenated the franchise with this very successful game by Crystal Dynamics, The action of the game is extremely fun and using the bow feels very good, upgrading your weapons over the course of the game is very cool, however the skill perk system is generic with a few exceptions. The story is good showing the growth of Lara Croft from innocent explorer to strong survivor, Lara's character is very good but her ship mates are pretty much stereotypes and are not very interesting. Tomb Raider provides a great reboot to a long running franchise with one of the most iconic characters in gaming, It's gritty, fun and will keep you hooked from beginning to end, If you have played the Uncharted series the gameplay is very similar with both being pretty much the same quality combat wise. Pick this game up, It's one of the best games of 2013 so far.

Whilst the mini games are good fun for a while and this pack-in gives a much better amount of content then the original Wii Sports did, It's hard to recommend it when the mini-games lose there appeal pretty quickly, If you enjoyed the original Wii Sports then this is worth a pick up, but make sure you have a group of people willing to play with you or this will not last you long at all.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a solid 2D Mario game but it fails to capture the magic of previous Super Mario Bros. games, It is fairly challenging but I wouldn't say it's hard. The gameplay is great with very good controls using the Wii Remote held sideways, the game has a great amount of content that can be enjoyed solo or with up to 4 people and is definitely worth playing for any Mario fan but if you are looking for the best 2D Mario game to play, You would be better off playing New Super Mario Bros. U or Super Mario Bros. 3/Super Mario World.

The Legend of Zelda series continues to impress in game design with Twilight Princess, Perfecting the formula that has come with previous titles with a dark story, fun bosses and some great characters. the graphics are pretty good for a Wii launch title and I know a lot of people love the dark gritty style of Twilight Princess but I personally prefer the style of Wind Waker or Skyward Sword, I think my main complaint with the game is that it is just a bit too easy, the bosses are not very challenging but they are fun. This was easily the best launch title for the Wii and provides another fantastic adventure for Link to embark on and anyone playing it will enjoy it, the game lasts a solid 30-45 hours depending on how well you play but there is tons of side content that can easily bump that number up to 50-60 hours. Pick this game up and enjoy!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a Nintendo fans dream game, Featuring tons of Nintendo characters and a few non-nintendo characters being Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, Most characters are fairly well balanced, but there are a few that are a bit overpowered and some that are quite under-powered, Nonetheless this is the best example of local four player competitive play along with Mario Kart, The weakest part of Brawl is it's online play which is very laggy and is just hard to play. This is one of the best games on Wii to play with family and friends, It's adventure mode storyline is decent for seeing all Nintendo characters together, but it is quite repetitive and the gameplay is quite boring and easy. But this is an easy recommendation for Wii or Wii U owners looking for a game to play.

One of the best games on Wii and just one of the best games in general, the level design in Super Mario Galaxy is some of the best, if you are a platformer fan and have not played this game you are missing out on a true gem, Whilst getting the first 60 stars is pretty easy to do, getting the full 120 stars is challenging and will give you hours of playtime. The graphics are great despite being in SD, I never looked at the game and thought that it had to be in HD to look good, Nintendo knows how to optimize there hardware to look fantastic. If you have a Wii or Wii U then pick this up for one of the best designed games ever made.

This is the best example of Motion Controls to date and shows that fantastic game design can lead to solid motion controls, they are not perfect with some registering issues but this is very rare, Motion Controls are used to control your sword and shield as well as your items which include many things like a Bow, bombs, a flying beetle just to name a few, they all control very well. The story is arguably one of the best to come for The Legend of Zelda series, It's very cinematic and provides an origin story for the series, the characters are great and the game will last you about 40-50 hours just playing the main story depending on how well you play, there are some great puzzles to figure out and the enemies in the game are sort of like puzzles themselves with you having to figure out how to get to there weak points. Nintendo manages to take the Wii hardware and make a game absolutely beautiful with a watercolor painting sort of design, it is very impressive for a game not in HD. It is easily one of the best titles for Wii and a testament to the fact that motion controls can work **** is designed properly to take advantage of them, Nintendo achieved what they set out to do with the Wii back in 2006. There is so much to say about this game that I could go on forever, but if you have a Wii or Wii U then pick this game up you will not regret it.

Assassin's Creed III is a solid title for Wii U with some small but nice GamePad features and the solid gameplay that the series is known for, The Wii U version is very similar to the other versions of the game with no massive Gamepad functionality, It mainly provides you with a map which is still nice to have, the story is decent but a bit inconsistent with the main issue being the new main character called Conner, who is generally an uninteresting character who constantly changes his mind.. he just isn't very interesting and a lot of the supporting cast is uninteresting as well, Seeing all the great characters in previous AC games would make you think that would be the case here, but it isn't. Gameplay has some nice additions with it's fast dual wield combat and being able to traverse through the forests of the frontier with ease, the naval combat is a real standout here with some intense battles with great controls. If you like the Assassin's Creed series you will most likely like this game, and if you are a Wii U owner getting into the series for the first time you will find enjoyable gameplay and a solid multiplayer component but it is not as good as previous AC titles. The American Revolution is a great setting for the game but it was not used as well as it could have been. Even so this is one of the best launch titles for Wii U and definitely worth a play.

It's a fairly solid title, but it could have been so much better. The things it captures well is the feeling of true survival horror with limited ammo and tense gameplay, It also uses the Wii U GamePad very well as a "Survival Kit" featuring Map, Scanner and some other functionality. Where it really falls short is some design issues, Your main weapon is a Cricket bat, but using it is slow and repetitive with normal zombies taking forever to die, the graphics are also fairly weak for a game designed exclusively for a new console where it should be showing off what the Wii U can do. It's a solid title, one that survival horror fans will definitely love and I would still recommend it to people looking for a fun zombie game. There is great potential here for a sequel with improvements.

It may have a few issues here and there, But this is easily one of the best Kart racers ever made with genius track design, a great character roster for SEGA fans and game design that easily rivals and in some places beats Mario Kart, It's biggest downside is that the online play is pretty empty at the moment, you can find games with 3-4 people but you will rarely get a full lobby racing, But don't let that turn you off this game because it is fantastic and any Sonic, SEGA or Kart Racing fan should pick this up right now! Especially if you like playing with family and friends as this game supports FIVE player split-screen with one on the GamePad and 4 on the TV and you can take people you are playing locally with online for some great racing fun, The Wii U version also has some exclusives modes. Definitely worth a buy, One of the best Wii U titles for launch.

At this point you know what you are getting into when you play a 2D Mario game, Perfect controls with some of the most fun platforming gameplay whether you are alone or playing co-op, I think this is the best of the "New Super Mario Bros." series with nice crisp graphics, excellent gameplay and some fun power-ups and some of the best platforming level design out there, It doesn't change the design of the game a lot, but it perfects it and as one of the launch titles for Wii U it does a good job as the first HD Mario game. That's not forgetting the fact that you get Challenge modes, Boost Rush mode and tons of content to do after the main game is complete including star coin hunting and much more, This will keep you playing for a long while and it is probably the best launch title for the Wii U.