Author Profile
- Username
- Ron_DelVillano
- Articles
- 228 (182 reviews)
- First Article
- Fri 13th, August 2010
- Avg. Review Score
- 5.9
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Review Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (3DS)
Throw away the key
Being ambitious is no easy task. Playing a full, big-budget console game on a portable system is likely in every gamer’s wildest fantasies, but due to hardware limitations, we’re often left disappointed by half-hearted ports. Armature Studio, in its infinite wisdom, recognized this concern and chose to take this one in a...
Review LEGO Marvel Super Heroes (Wii U)
Super studs
There was really no way to predict it so long ago, but the modern series of LEGO franchised games are undeniably great. When the first LEGO Star Wars game hit store shelves in 2005, it’s probably safe to assume that Traveller’s Tales didn’t foresee the growth that the franchise would go on to enjoy. Eight years and more than 10...
Review Deer Drive Legends (WiiWare)
Legends of the Fail
There’s a new WiiWare game available in North America. Let that sink in for a moment. After nearly nine months of silence, a new title emerges from the depths of Maximum Games's back pocket and lands squarely on the WiiWare service as Deer Drive Legends, the light gun shooter that you probably haven’t been waiting for...
Review Batman: Arkham Origins (Wii U)
Same hero, less refined
Whenever a video game franchise moves from one developer to another during its lifetime, there tends to be a few raised eyebrows. There are definite examples of licenses that have significantly improved following the move from one studio to another, such as the console games in the Skylanders series jumping from Toys for Bob...
Review Skylanders SWAP Force (3DS)
Swap-n-go
There is a common and unfortunate trend in video game development in which a great game is released on a home console, and then a vastly inferior version — or spin-off — is released as a portable title. Recent victims of this phenomenon include LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins and Sonic Lost World. While these shouldn’t be...
Review Skylanders SWAP Force (Wii U)
Swap ‘til you drop
It’s no secret that collecting and gaming go hand in hand — how else can you explain the popularity of special editions of games that come with physical content as well as toys and figurines? Taking this into account, it’s no wonder that the Skylanders series has become so popular and successful since its inception just...
Lost in space
Just when you thought that the DSiWare service had nothing left to offer except some word puzzles and interactive children’s books, along comes Astro. It's quite clear that this is intended to pay homage to the Atari classic Asteroids in its design and gameplay, but it falls short of recapturing what continues to make the original a...
Review Phineas and Ferb: Quest for Cool Stuff (Wii U)
Not the best quest ever
Have you ever read a book on parenting? Libraries full of instruction manuals exist on how to raise a child properly, ranging from topics such as bathing to teething to using the potty for the first time. Imagine, if you will, that there was a video game version of those books. A video game designed entirely to teach children...
Review Letter Challenge (DSiWare)
Missing the mark
There isn’t really an interesting or unique way to introduce Letter Challenge, but that might be the point. There are plenty of word-based puzzle games available in the world, and so many of them already exist in one form or another on the Nintendo eShop, but that wasn’t enough to stop Enjoy Gaming from throwing another one...
We spend some time with the newest member of the 3DS family
When the 3DS first launched and showed the world exactly how incredible glasses-free 3D gaming could be, it was quickly dismissed by many as a gimmick and a dying fad. Now, almost three years and 30 million shipped units later, the 3DS is one of the strongest consoles on the market, and...
Developer Interview Eric Carter on Skylanders: SWAP Force for Wii U
Producer discusses UI differences and developing on Wii U
At the time of writing, the launch of Skylanders: SWAP Force, the third instalment in the highly successful Skylanders game series, is just a few short weeks away. In preparation for its release, we were generously invited to tour Vicarious Visions headquarters in Albany, NY to learn a little...
Hands On Skylanders: SWAP Force
We visit Vicarious Visions HQ to check out Skylanders: SWAP Force
It’s difficult to believe that the Skylanders franchise — a series that has sold millions of copies worldwide and has spawned a multitude of sequels and spin-offs — is only just turning two years old. Since the 2011 release of the series debut, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure,...
Review Angry Birds Trilogy (Wii U)
An angry trio
What can possibly be said about Angry Birds that hasn’t been said a million times already? A game that started out as a humble iPhone app just four years ago has now permeated our culture in a huge way. There are multiple sequels to the original game, toys, books, an animated television series, and it’s nearly impossible to walk...
Review Disney Infinity (Wii U)
Infinite possibilities, infinite potential
The first impression that some on the periphery have of Disney Infinity is that it can easily be written off as a direct copy of the Skylanders blueprint. In truth, what we have here is an action-adventure game that uses real-world figures and implements them in the video game as playable characters, which...
Review Disney Infinity Figurines
Beyond Infinity, into your home
To fully grasp the concept behind Disney Infinity, it’s important to understand that the whole game uses a meta concept in which things in-game also must exist in real life. Without delving too deep into theories or abstractions, the simplest way to put it is by saying that everything is a toy. Whether it’s the...
Developer Interview Mathew Solie on Disney Infinity, Toy Box Inspiration and Future Potential
Producer sheds light on infinite possibilities
At the time of writing, Disney Infinity has just recently launched in both North America and Europe. With its use of collectible figurines that can be used as playable characters in-game and the inclusion of cross-platform user generated content, the new title from Disney Interactive is making leaps and...
Review Donkey Kong (3DS eShop / NES)
It's on like Donkey Kong
This year marked the 30th anniversary of the initial Japanese launch of the Nintendo Family Computer, more popularly known around the world as the Famicom. Among the landmark console’s launch titles was Donkey Kong, a port of the arcade hit that began Nintendo’s launch into video game history. Now, in the year of the...
First Impressions Hometown Story
At home in your pocket
The 3DS has been on the market for just under three years and it is already home to two Harvest Moon titles, an announced Rune Factory game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, two entries in The Sims series, and now the upcoming Hometown Story. It seems as though if you’re looking for a life simulator of almost any kind,...
Review DuckTales: Remastered (Wii U eShop)
Tales of derring-do
It’s difficult to determine exactly who video game remakes are geared towards. On one hand you have generations worth of gamers who played the original and would love to experience it again on a modern console with updated graphics. It’s possible, however, that these people are no longer playing video games or don’t own...
First Impressions Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (3DS)
Ghost of his former self
What in the world has happened to Pac-Man? There is a plethora of games staring the spherical leading man on almost every gaming platform, yet with every reimagining he seems to become a worse version of his former self. Every now and again we’ll get a gem, like 2010’s Championship Edition DX, but that’s just a...
First Impressions Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
2014th time’s the charm
Believe it or not, nearly four years have already passed since the 2010 Winter Olympics hit Vancouver, Canada. That means, as you probably already know, the 2014 Winter Olympics are just around the corner, this time settling comfortably in Sochi, Russia. The occurrence of the worldwide games also means that, you guessed it,...
Review Chain Blaster (3DS eShop)
Blastin’ makes me feel good
It’s been just over a month since G.Rev’s Kokuga hit the 3DS eShop, and now we’re already being treated to another shoot ‘em up with the release of G-Style’s Chain Blaster. Though shoot ‘em ups have been few and far between since the home console took over the industry and put countless arcades out of...
First Impressions Sonic Lost World (3DS)
Gotta go portable
It’s no secret that time has not been kind to Sonic the Hedgehog. Over the past decade Sega's spiky mascot has undergone a complete redesign, and has had to muddle his way through several sub-par outings that have left fans wanting so much more. The losing streak seems to be coming to and end though, with recent Sonic titles...
First Impressions DuckTales Remastered
The quack is back
There is a well-known phenomenon in the video gaming world where a licensed game will be adapted from a much larger franchise, and it will inevitably flop. It’s been happening for decades now, with such notable titles as Atari’s 1982 stinker E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and more recently with the ill-fated Aliens: Colonial...
