January2016
Review Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends (Wii U)
Super Kung Fu Smash Panda Bros.
Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends takes the movie franchise's core themes of kung fu, lovable characters and comedy, throws it into a 2.5D brawler and leaves you with a feeling of being satisfied but ultimately wanting something else. With the game being crafted by those at Vicious Cycle, the team behind...
December2015
Review Monster High: New Ghoul in School (Wii U)
A Strange Beast
The catchy refrain in a song at the beginning of Monster High: New Ghoul in School declares - "We are Monsters. We are Proud.". Its words sum up the game's positive message of "who you are is more important than what you are". Soon thereafter, players are led into a character creation mode to decide the kind of pretty monster you...
November2015
Review Barbie and her Sisters Puppy Rescue (Wii U)
Pawfully Repetitive
If there's one thing truly great thing about rescuing puppies in Barbie and Her Sisters Puppy Rescue, it's not the satisfaction of doing a good deed, or the subsequent obedience training you can do to ensure well-behaved canine friends. No, it's the sweet bicycle ride Barbie has on her journey to puppy saving. Barbie and Her...
October2015
Review Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations (3DS)
Ooo's clues too
If you want to play Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations, the odds look really good for you. A version of the game is kicking around on just about all the current (and a few not-so-current) systems out there. If you ask nicely, they might even make a port for the N-Gage. The 3DS version of Finn & Jake Investigations is...
Review Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations (Wii U)
Ooo's clues
Perhaps someone finally saw the potential in exploring a creatively quirky land to solve mysteries of fantastical and goofy natures. Perhaps they just looked at the title of the series and saw it had "Adventure" in it. Either way, Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations seeks to marry the "point-and-clickish" style adventure genre...
January2015
Review Penguins of Madagascar (3DS)
Likely to ruffle a few feathers
Everybody loves penguins, right? Well, judging by the success of the Madagascar movie spin-off Penguins of Madagascar it would seem so. The success of a family CGI movie almost certainly results in two things - more movies in the same vein, and a video game adaption for the franchise. Penguins of Madagascar is...
December2014
Review Penguins of Madagascar (Wii U)
Un-tactical Espionage Action
The Penguins from the smash CG hit Madagascar were so popular they received their own film in the form of Penguins of Madagascar, so it was inevitable that the four feathered friends would also receive their own video game adaption. Publisher Little Orbit - which is certainly no stranger to adaptations of movies -was...
Review Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom (3DS)
"I love you everything burrito"
Despite the universal praise for the main cartoon, Adventure Time hasn’t been able to truly gain the love of the public in the gaming vein. Its first stab on a Nintendo system was the snappily-titled Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?! and played very similarly to Zelda 2: The Adventure of...
Review Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue (3DS)
Flying on Empty
When a video game title receives both a console and handheld iteration, it's fairly common for them to feature unique gameplay, different art styles, and generally offer a fresh experience across the platforms. Instead, Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue for the 3DS is almost identical in every aspect to its Wii U counterpart...
November2014
Review Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue (Wii U)
Take Off Aborted
Movie inspired video games have often taken the liberty of deviating from the plot, throwing in events and scenarios that may be considered out of "canon" with the film's storyline and universe; a lack of faithfulness to the source material has been a frequent criticism throughout gaming history. Little Orbit's Disney Planes: Fire...
Review Falling Skies: The Game (Wii U eShop)
Falling to pieces
Video games have relied on the standard 'alien invasion' plot since the very beginning. It takes a unique twist to make it work in this day and age, whether it's a new gameplay style or a refreshingly original storyline, and that isn't an easy task. Falling Skies: The Game takes fun, tactical gameplay and blends it with the...
June2014
Review How to Train Your Dragon 2 (3DS)
How to train your dragon 2 do what?!
Handheld versions of 3D console games are always a tricky task; most of the successful ones avoid straight-up ports that are inevitably inferior to their home console brethren, and instead build the portable iterations from the ground up with 2D handheld gaming in mind. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate did this...
Review How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Wii U)
Needs a bit more training
How to Train Your Dragon 2, developed by Australian studio Torus Games and published by Little Orbit, is a throwback to movie tie-ins of yore. Most big action films these days opt for cheaper, often microtransaction-based game tie-ins on mobile devices, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and
April2014
Review Young Justice: Legacy (3DS eShop)
Downright offensive
Welcome to Young Justice: Legacy, where the mechanics don't work and "play" doesn't matter. The game purports to be a strategic turn-based experience but accomplishes nothing more than being a horrendous nightmare. It is astonishingly incompetent in every field. Its gameplay, engine, animations, and entertainment value are among...
February2014
Review Barbie Dreamhouse Party (Wii U)
Problems with plasticity
It's easy to dismiss licensed games like Barbie Dreamhouse Party as cheap cash-ins on popular franchises because, in all honesty, that's usually what they are. Creating a video game based on a classic line of dolls may seem like a step in the right direction towards our increasingly digital future, but it comes with the...
January2014
Review Monster High: 13 Wishes (Wii U)
Make it stop
Monster High: 13 Wishes is garbage. There's no getting around it. Don't play it, don't buy it. Just don't. Spend your cash on something more worthwhile. Buy a Monster High DVD if you must. Invest heavily in dogecoin if you're determined to do something crazy with your money. Just, not this. Anything but this. In a nutshell, Monster...
