E3 PREVIEW: IT’S A ME, LUIGI!
In celebration of the Year of Luigi, there will be a new expansion pack for the New Super Mario Bros. U called New Super Luigi U. The expansion includes more than 80 news maps and a new playable character, Nabbit. Nabbit, a former boss, is invincible to enemies and obstacles. This immunity comes at a price so Nabbit cannot use power-ups.
Since I hadn’t played Wii U in a while, I decided to play with Nabbit in the demo. We played with five players. Four were controlling characters and one creating helpful platforms to assist us on completing the level. In classic Super Mario Bros. U fashion, it turns into a bit of a chaos as people rushed through the levels and to be winner while trying to help their friends.
I really enjoyed the Nabbit because I could literally just plow over things or help clear the way for the team against hard foes since I was immune to their attacks. While the Nabbit cannot use power-ups, he can store them in his bag for bonus points at the end of the level. The Nabbit is a great choice for the least skilled person in your group.
It’s definitely a fun game to play with friends and an excellent party game. Our team was constantly shouting jokes and laughing as we played. I was worried the person creating the platforms would get bored but he was essential to our survival. There were also many times when a lucky platform would appear to save them before falling to an untimely death or a trolling platform would appear to block the path of the winner.
It’s definitely a must-have download if you and your friends couldn’t get enough of the original title. The expansion can be downloaded on Thursday (June 20) for $19.99 from the Wii U eShop.
E3 PREVIEW: PULL IT TOGETHER, KNACK
Goblins have attacked the city and it’s up to Knack, a creature of various particles fueled by energy sources, to stop the goblins. This action platformer is for all ages and offers simple controls. It’s a fun, relaxing game that I could easily see myself playing as well as Eric’s daughter, Kyrie.
You can fight goblins with close combat, explore for treasure, solve puzzles by switching forms and upgrade to unique abilities with new equipment.
There isn’t anything ground breaking with gameplay or the limited storyline presented. The cartoony and colorful graphics remind me a lot of Rachet & Clank. It’s definitely a game meant for kids but I think adults could enjoy it too if looking for a casual title.
Knack will be available on the PlayStation 4 during Holiday 2013.
E3 PREVIEW: NO STRINGS ATTACHED WITH PUPPETEER
The best way I can describe Puppeteer is Tim Burton meets Little Big Planet. The dark platformer opens by setting the stage. No, really. There are curtains that open and close, sets, and everything a theater kid could hope for.
The opening act shares the tragic story of a young boy named Kutaro. He was kidnapped and transformed into a puppet by the villainous Moon Bear King. Just for fun, the tyrant destroyed Kutaro’s head and throws away his body in a dungeon. The witch of the castle and her flying cat Yin Yang come up with the crazy idea that Kutaro should steal the magical scissors from the Moon Bear King. You set off to retrieve the magical scissors with the help of the sarcastic, pessimistic Yin Yang who is probably the distant cousin of the Cheshire Cat.
You are able to control Kutaro with one analog stick and Yin Yang with the other. The dual control takes some practice to get the motion down. I enjoyed being able to control both characters at once because most games like The Cave only let you control one character at a time.
Yin Yang helps you find a new head and then you begin to explore the depths of the dark castle. You can retrieve new heads like a skull, spider, and eventually a hamburger head. The hamburger head was my favorite because it made me look like a younger MayorMcCheese. Each head can give you a new power for you to use and help you complete the level. There are 100 heads in the entire game but I only saw 3 in my demo.
The game is filled with dark humor and haunting goofy ideas that would make The Addams Family proud. There is definitely a type of a gamer who will enjoy this but if you can’t stand Tim Burton then, you probably want to pass on it. Puppeteer will be released on the PS3 in September.
REPORT: HANDS-ON WITH THE NVIDIA SHIELD AT E3
At NVIDIA’s E3 booth, most people seemed to grab a Shield T-shirt and then try their hand at winning a Shield or GeForce GTX 780 graphics card. I was more interested in trying the open-platform handheld device myself.
The device was very comfortable to hold in my hands since it’s shaped like a controller. I didn’t find the device very heavy and I’d compare it to being slightly heavier than an Xbox 360 controller. The screen was bright and picture was clear and crisp in the dimly lit booth.
When I picked up the device, it was already set to a first person shooter zombie game. I decided to give it a try even though I’m absolutely dreadful at FPS games. Luckily, this game was pretty simple or it was already set to the easiest setting because I was kicking some serious zombie ass.
My friend, Davis, a veteran gamer of the Warp Zone, couldn’t resist commenting on just how slow the zombies were moving but I didn’t care. It was entertaining enough and I could see myself enjoying it on a long trip.
After spying someone next to me playing Sonic 4, we both immediately switched games to give it a go. Unfortunately, Sonic 4 on the Shield requires you to use the Analog Stick instead of the classic D-Pad. It wasn’t the same not being able to use the D-Pad that I had used with classic Sonic games on the Sega Genesis or Game Gear.
While I enjoyed playing on NVIDIA’s Shield, I don’t know if I’d buy one just yet based on price and other options in the market. It’s more likely that I’d just wait for a friend to buy it and borrow it.
The Shield runs on Android 4.1 OS (aka Jelly Bean). As previously reported, the Shield is $349 and will ship at the end of June. For more information and to pre-order one today be sure to visit NVIDIA’s online store.
ATARI BREAKOUT & GOOGLE IMAGES
Go type Atari Breakout into Google Images for a surprise to rival typing Do A Barrel Roll into the Google search bar.
Jump! - Created by Jake Murray
Every video game enthusiast has moments in their gaming history that they look back on and remember with picture perfect clarity. The moments are different for everyone. It might be the first minutes of popping in a new game on launch night, the first time watching a favorite cut scene, or beating a seemingly impossible level or boss. These nostalgic moments are the reason that we play video games, and the memories are perfectly etched in our minds
The artist, Jake Murray, created this piece as a tribute to one of those defining moments for him. He describes the piece and the nostalgia as follows:
“Like a lot of kids who grew up during the 90s, I LOVED video games. The first time I saw Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on my cousin’s Sega Genesis, I was completely hooked and would not rest (or let my parents rest, rather) until I too owned a Genesis.
Well, eventually I got one, and to this day I still have fond memories of sitting as close as physically possible to the TV screen trying to get Batman to make the jump over those damned rooftops. I remember getting so engrossed in the game that I would lift the controller high over my head every time I attempted to make Batman jump in hopes that the motion would cause him to glide just a liiiiiiiitle bit farther and land safely on the other side of some bottomless chasm. It never worked, of course, and I soon learned to just sit and move my thumbs.”
I think we all understand what Jake is talking about. I remember a similar moment for myself, which was my first time playing the Nintendo 64. The game was Star Fox 64, the setting was a birthday party. Crouched around the TV in the dark, flying through the decaying rubble of Corneria for the first time, I was blown away by the action. We must have played that first level at least 20 times. And that moment that Falco calls out for help, “I could use some help here Fox!”, I would lean forward every time as I boosted to try to save him.
It’s such a simple part of the game, but I will always remember it.
What unforgettable gaming memories do you have?
YOU’VE GOT MAIL: GAMER AND GEEKY THEMED CARDS
When was the last time you sent a physical card or letter? Who doesn’t love uncovering an unexpected goodie hidden in the mailbox among junk mail, bills and catalogs. Surprise someone with a special notecard featuring Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Star Wars, Alice in Wonderland and rainbow pixel hearts. The cards are extremely affordable at only $3.50 each from RainbowDarkness on Etsy.
