Top 10 Indie Games of The Year

I love end of year lists. I read them all the time. Most of the time I'm like " What's that show? I've never heard of that." or " Oh, another Playstation or Xbox game on this list." But still, those lists are fun to read.

They are also fun write and I plan on writing one today! This is my Top 10 Indie Games of the Year list. These are the Indie video games, on Wii U and 3DS, that I loved a lot. I think I'll start at 10 and work to #1.

10. Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion: Picking the best RCMADIAX games is tough. This developer constantly makes really simple, yet extremely addictive games for the Wii U eshop. With the help of @leuvsion, he made an even better take on Blok Drop. Very good graphics, fun gameplay, tough challenges. This is a must own on the Wii U if you love puzzle games.

9. Poker Dice Solitaire Future: Another RCMADIAX game. I almost said Shut the Box, but Poker Dice is slightly more addictive and will last you a bit longer than Shut the Box will. This game was highly underrated. I don't think it sold much. It should have. It might not have fancy graphics but its SUPER addictive!

8. Fairune: A retro-styled action rpg. It reminds me of the first Zelda but with better graphics and better puzzles. Fairune may seem very simple (and its very short) but what a great game. I had so much fun with this game. Much more than I thought I would. Plus: the game is super cheap. Highly recommend this game

7. Costume Quest 2: I loved the first Costume Quest on the PS3. I was pretty sure that I was going to like this one too and I was right. Costume Quest 2 was a great addition to the Wii U eshop. An rpg that had humor, good puzzles, and was centered around my favorite holiday (Halloween). Love it.

6. Paper Monsters Recut: Take parts LittleBigPlanet and Mario and what do you get? Paper Monsters Recut! PMR has excellent graphics and fun gameplay. Yes, it is a bit on the easy side but I actually love that too. Its nice to just have a really fun game to play and not worry too much about dying. Sure there are some hard parts in this game but overall, its just a fun relaxing game. A must buy for platformer fans!

5. Thomas Was Alone: Puzzle games aren't usually known for their stories. In fact, most puzzle games don't have a story. Thomas Was Alone is a puzzle game that has a huge focus on story, in fact, I would say that the story is even better than the puzzles. Don't get wrong, Thomas Was Alone has some cool puzzles and some tough ones too but its the story that will keep you coming back. The voice over work is just excellent. You'll want to know what happens to Thomas and co. next.

4. Moon Chronicles (Episode 1):  Moon Chronicles Episode 1 for 3DS didn't get much attention and thats a shame. Chronicles has good graphics, GREAT 3D, fun gameplay, and a mysterious storyline. And just when its getting very interesting...TO BE CONTINUED! Which you would think would be a minus but its not. It just makes you want the next one even more. And the next episodes are coming in January! FINALLY. I'm excited.

3. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse: Looking for some hair whipping fun? Look no further than Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. I reviewed this game on 3DS but this title is on Wii U now too. I bet its just as good on both systems. Shantae is such a fun game. Parts Castlevania, Metroid, and its own very unique style, Shantae is the best 3DS Indie game of the year. Although, can Wayforward be considered an Indie? I know they've worked on some big titles. Ah, well, I'm considering them an indie for this list! Buy this game!

2. Armillo: Forget Sonic. Who needs him. We have Armillo, the fastest and coolest platformer on the Wii U eshop. I love this game's graphics and its gameplay is a lot of fun. I was especially a big fan of the 2D bonus levels in this game but the 3D levels are awesome too. PLUS: this game is on sale RIGHT NOW. You should totally buy it if you haven't already. Armillo would have definitely been number one on my list if it wasn't for...

1. Stealth Inc. 2: Stealth Inc 2 is the best Indie game of the Wii U eshop. Its mix of platforming and puzzle is just brilliant. So many fun and often challenging levels, plus you can make your own levels or play other people's levels. Stealth is the game that keeps on giving. If you don't own this game, go buy it! This game gets my highest recommendation. SO GOOD. Man.

And thats my list of favorite Indie games of the year. There were other good games too (Xeodrifter, A World of Keflings) but these were the games that I truly loved in 2014.

Tomorrow I'll have a list of 10 Indie Games I can't wait to play in 2015! I bet you all can guess what my number 1 is right? Its pretty obvious if you read my blog often. heh. See you tomorrow! Happy New Year.

Disappointment and Magic

Today's blog entry was going to be a really positive blog entry about Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes. This is a game that I like a lot. I use to have it on the PS3 and it looked great in HD. My dad always liked the DS version too. For Christmas, both of us got used copies of the DS version. So far, I haven't had a lot of time to play the game other than multiplayer. My dad has been playing the game a bunch and...

...this morning he ran into a game breaking bug. I have no idea if there is something wrong with the cart or if this is just a major game bug...

What happened you ask?

My dad was playing in the later part of the game. Its the Underworld level. He was just going back to get some more Vampires and then the game...froze. Well, kind of. The game menu worked fine and the bad guys animation was still working but he couldn't move his character. His character was stuck between two areas. The game froze mid-camera shift.

Then my dad saved there and went out of the game. He went back in and the game was the same way. He couldn't get out of this section of the game...

He went to the second save file. It was someone elses file and the game is working fine there. So it can't be that the cart is broken right?

I have no clue what's wrong with the game. Its pretty disappointing though. My dad was having so much fun with the game and getting very far and now he has to go back.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is a really cool game. We've never run into any issue like this before with it. I wonder if anyone else has or if anyone has a solution to this problem. Please let me know @df2506!

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Tomorrow, I'll be back with my Top 10 Favorite Indie Games of this year list!

Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion First Impressions

Along with my two major Wii U downloads on Christmas Day, I also picked up Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion. I wrote a preview of this game before. I was looking forward to it a lot. Has it lived up to my expectations so far?

Here are my First Impressions
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Right away, I was impressed with the graphics. Blok Drop U was a pretty simple game graphics wise. Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion, on the other hand, is really well animated. The graphics are very nice.

Gameplay wise, the game is similar to Blok Drop U in some ways, different in others. You still have to get rid of blocks to complete the levels, but there are some interesting new additions too. The enemies and the new nice looking environments are great additions. I'm kind of iffy on the new creature you have to save instead of a block. It does make sense that it would be a creature rather than a block, but man, it so annoying how that little guy will walk just a tiny bit more and fall off into the void. Of course, I guess thats part of the challenge. Can you safely get that guy to stay on the ground?  It is a bit annoying though...

Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion is a harder game than Blok Drop U. The challenges are tricker (not just because of the new creature you have to save). I admit I haven't gotten very far is this game yet. This is just a first impression of the game and not a review. If I ever get a lot further into the game, I'll do a review.

That said, Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion offers a challenging puzzle game, with wonderful graphics and a low budget price. Its is worth buying from the eshop. But then again, most @rcmadiax games are worth buying from the eshop!

(as an aside: this game also makes me very interested to see what Twisted Fusion is like)

What I am trying to say here? BUY THIS GAME. Especially if you like puzzle games with a bit of challenge. Ok, I said this wasn't a review. Its not. I'll be even more critical of this game later on. Maybe. If I can ever get past some of these hard levels....

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Tomorrow I'll talk about another game I got for Christmas: Might & Might: Clash of Heroes for the DS. It won't be a review or preview of the game. I'll just talk about why I like it. See you then!

Darksiders 2 First Impressions

I also got Darksiders 2, an older Wii U third party game, for Christmas too. It was on sale for $7.99 and I couldn't resist it. Here are my first impressions of the game
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Darksiders 2 is an action/adventure game. Its definitely a mix of different types of games. Combat wise, the game feels like God of War or Devil May Cry. The game also has jumping and running across walls and that reminds me of Persia of Persia. The dungeons and wide open spaces that you explore remind me of Zelda or possibly Elder Scrolls. All of this comes together to produce a game that is really really cool.

Darksiders 2 has fun gameplay. I especially love wandering around, exploring the landscape and dungeons for hidden treasure. I'm definitely enjoying the game a lot.

The game has pretty good graphics too. Its not as stunning as many of the recent Wii U games, but it does have some really cool settings and special effects.

Darksiders 2 has voice acting and its very good! The music and sound effects are good too.

I think the story is interesting but its not as good as the gameplay.

Overall, Darksiders 2 is a very different experience for a Wii U game. It feels more like a game you'd find on one of the other systems. This is a dark, broody game. Still, I really like it.

So far, I've beaten two dungeons and collected a bunch of treasure. I will be doing a review here (sooner or later) for Darksiders 2. For now, if you want to hear more thoughts from me about Darksiders, please check out my twitter @df2506. I'll be talking about the game once and awhile.

Tomorrow, I'll be back with my First Impressions of Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion!

Captain Toad First Impressions

For Christmas, I got Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Here are my first impressions of the game
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Captain Toad is a adventure puzzle game. Each level has you navigating Toad through an environment to get three diamonds, coins, and more. The level variety is really AMAZING. Sometimes the levels are pretty small, while other times, they are a bit bigger. You just never know what cool new area the game will throw at you next. The gameplay is so much fun.

I also love Captain Toad's visuals. This is a very cute game. Its like a wonderful animated cartoon. And some of the levels are just down right beautiful. This is probably the best looking game on the Wii U right now.

Treasure Tracker's music, voice, and sound effects are excellent too. Love when Captain Toad says " Time for Adventure! "

The game's story is simplistic but its also downright cute (like the visuals). Some people might find it kiddy. I don't care. I love it.

Overall, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a real treasure itself. It may very well be my Game of the Year. Yes, I might like it more than Smash Bros even. We'll see.

I'll have a review of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker sooner or later. Though, for now, I'll just tell you: if you love adventure/puzzle games, you should buy this one. Its so great.

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I'll be back tomorrow with First Impressions of another Christmas gift: Darksiders 2 for Wii U.

My Pokemon Special Demo Thoughts

The other day, one of the the awesome Treehouse people on twitter was giving away Pokemon Special Demo codes. I'm not a Pokemon fan but I thought I'd like to try the demo & write about it. I had never really played a regular Pokemon game before (I'd played the Pokemon dungeon demo but didn't like it).

For me, it was the name Pokemon, plus the anime' graphics (I'm not an anime fan) that always turned me off of the Pokemon franchise.

So what do I think of the demo?
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The Pokemon Special demo has really good 3D. I was impressed. BUT...

The 3D is only on during the flying scene & during battles (and its not always on during battle).

When you're just walking around town or the dungeons, the 3D turns off. I don't get this at all. I think the graphics in this game would look so much better with 3D always on. Is the actual game like this? If so, thats pretty lame in my opinion.

The regular graphics (without 3D) are alright. Like I mentioned before, I'm not an anime fan so the graphical style didn't wow me.

Gameplay wise, the town exploration in the demo is pretty limited. You can't go into any of the houses, you can talk to people but they don't really give you advice or help you in any way. I'm not even sure why the town is really included in the demo.

The battles are turn-based and I kind of liked them. It was neat that you can switch out Pokemon during battle. Mega Evolutions seemed like a cool feature too. I only got to see pokeballs a little but that seemed like an interesting addition. The battles weren't anything out of the ordinary for rpgs but that was fine. It was definitely the part of the demo I liked the most.

I actually had more fun with the demo than I thought I would. It didn't make me want to run out and buy one of the Pokemon games though. I still didn't care for the graphical style, found the town boring, and honestly the dialogue was cringe inducing. Its not a bad game though. I may want to revisit the demo again sometime.

Happy Holidays

Hi everyone! I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everybody. Tis the season for gaming and fun for sure.

Tonight, especially, is a great gaming night for me. I'll be playing Animal Crossing New Leaf. New Leaf has a special holiday called Toy Day where the player dresses up as Santa and delivers presents to the animals. Toy Day was in the original Animal Crossing and City Folk too, but its much more fun on New Leaf.

If you have the game, I highly recommend checking it out. If you don't, please take the time tonight to replay one of your favorite games or better yet, download a new Indie game for either the Wii U or 3DS eshop.

Here are links to previews/reviews I did of some of my favorite Indie games. These are great downloadable games imo:

Steamworld Dig (3DS): http://morethoughtsfrome.blogspot.com/2014/12/steamworld-dig-3ds-review.html

Armillo (Wii U): http://morethoughtsfrome.blogspot.com/2014/09/rolling-around-universe.html

Stealth 2 (Wii U): http://morethoughtsfrome.blogspot.com/2014/10/stealth-inc-2-wii-u-review.html

Shantae (3DS): http://shigerureviews.wordpress.com/2014/10/20/shantae-and-the-pirates-curse-3ds-review/

Costume Quest (Wii U): http://shigerureviews.wordpress.com/2014/11/12/costume-quest-2-wii-u-review/

Stick It to the Man (Wii U): http://shigerureviews.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/stick-it-to-the-man-wii-u/

RCMADIAX Games (Wii U): http://morethoughtsfrome.blogspot.com/2014/09/puzzle-it-out.html

Xeodrifter First Impressions

Today, thanks to developer @RenegadeKidLLC and @IndieGamerChick, I got my #GamesMatterWishMakers wish! It was XEODRIFTER!

I downloaded the game and started playing it. Here are my First Impressions of the game. I will have a review of the game on this site sooner or later. These are just my early impressions.

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Xeodrifter owes a lot to Nintendo's Metroid. Graphics and gameplay wise, Xeodrifter is definitely a homage to that game.

That said, Xeodrifter brings plenty of uniqueness to the table.

First of all, I noticed that Xeodrifter has really good 3D. I'd recommend playing it in 3D if you can. If not, the game looks pretty good in 2D too. The graphics are excellent. The music is very good.

Other things I like: You can choose what planet you want to go to, but it becomes pretty obvious what planet you should go to right away. The game doesn't lead you by the hand, though it does place obstacles in your way that need certain powerups for you to pass them. Very Metroid of it for sure. The powerups are very unique to Xeodrifter though. I won't tell you what they are. I don't want to spoil the game for anyone reading this.

I will say that this is not an easy game. It is, perhaps, a bit more challenging then Metroid even. You start off with very little life and its not too long before you run into your first boss. Still, Xeodrifter is a fun game. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded.

I'm very happy I got this game and I'll talk about it more, as I play it, on my twitter @df2506.

Locked to Earth

Awhile back, I had heard about an rpg called Festival of Magic coming to the Wii U. Then, I saw the game's title was changed to Earthlock: Festival of Magic. The game looked interesting. Of course, I'm a huge rpg fan so I'm interested in any rpg thats coming for Wii U or 3DS.

But...shortly after the name change, I didn't hear anything else about the title.

Today, Always Nintendo has an article about the game. You can check it out here: http://alwaysnintendo.com/earthlock-festival-magic-may-get-playable-demo-early-next-year/

The game is looking better than ever. I really like the slightly cartoon/cel shaded look to the graphics. The battle system is sounding pretty complex and interesting too.

Here are the latest screenshots detailing the game's battle system (from the game's kickstarter page. Its funded):



Please take a look at the game's kickstarter page for more information: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/171497873/earthlock-festival-of-magic/posts

I'll be back tomorrow with a Christmas blog entry!

Never Turn Your Back On A (Zombie) Viking

My first ever review for @ShigeruNews was for Stick It To the Man by @zoinkgames! Its a game that I liked a lot.

Now, Zoink! is working on a new game. Its called Zombie Vikings and it will be coming to Wii U sooner or later.

This game excites me a lot. Steamworld Heist is the Indie game I'm looking forward to the most in 2014. Zombie Vikings is a VERY close second.

So what is this game about?!

Zombie Vikings is a story-brawler where you can play up to 4 people local or online. Its looks SO GOOD. Goofy, funny, and fun. Its continues the bizarreness of Stick It and takes it to the next level.

Check out what the story is (this is from the official website):

Loki just snatched Odin's last magic eye right out of his eye-socket and hastly gangled off with it. Thor and the gods are too busy partying, so blind as a bat, Odin makes a desperate move. He raises four of the most fearsome Zombie Vikings out of Norse soil- Gunborg, Seagurd, Hedgy, and Caw-kaa! A putrid posse sent on a mission through the most epicness of worlds to retrieve The Eye and make peace with their rotten pasts.

Hack through the boiling gingerbread swamps of Molgaga, take a cruise through the intestines of the Midgaard Serpent, fight giant troll poultry and find out how Soccer really was invented."

Doesn't that sound INSANE?! It also sounds a bit gross...and a ton of FUN.

Here are some screenshots:












Oh and here's the awesome trailer for the game:

I WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME NOW.

Seriously. Can't wait till this game comes out. Its going to be so much fun.

Steamworld Dig (3DS) Review

I should have done this a long time ago. I've had Steamworld Dig, by @ImageForm, for awhile. But I've always resisted doing a review for it. Why? Because I love it so much. I didn't know if I could do an unbiased review.

I can't promise this is an unbiased review of Steamworld Dig. In fact, its probably a VERY biased review of the game. I'll just be up front about that...

And so...

STEAMWORLD DIG (3DS) REVIEW

Can you dig it?

ahem. Sorry.

Steamworld Dig, from developer Image Form, is on the Nintendo 3DS eshop right now. Its also on the Wii U but I haven't played that version. This review is all about the 3DS one.

Dig doesn't waste too much time with its story. It has a short cutscene at the beginning and Rusty quickly being thrown into the gameplay. And I'm totally fine with that. Not every game has to be heavy on story and this game more than makes up for lack of story with its gameplay.

You dig in Steamworld Dig. Hence the title. Its very addictive. You have to dig deeper and deeper to find jewels so that you can upgrade Rusty! You also find some upgrades hidden in the mine too. I really loved this game's gameplay. Its easy to just play Dig a little bit or spend hours digging for that next upgrade. There's also enemies to fight and not all of them are easy (like that last boss). This is a really fun game.

Dig makes good use of both 3DS screens. The top screen shows gameplay and the bottom shows your collection of jewels. The game does have 3D but its not a must for this title.

Other important things to note:

The game's music is really good. Its got an excellent western vibe.

So do the game's graphics! The game is set in a small western-like robot town. Its 2D graphics and very well designed.

Overall, Steamworld Dig is a fantastic game. It can be played in short or long bursts. The story is pretty simple, but the gameplay is amazing. This game is so addictive.

Like I said in the beginning, this is a biased review. I love this game. Its very hard for me to nitpick it. I'm sure if I was going through it and trying to, I could probably find something bad to say. Maybe. I don't know. I suppose some people might find the gameplay gets repetitive or something silly like that. Whatever.

I highly recommend Steamworld Dig! Buy it. Love it. Painfully wait for Steamworld Heist...

My Biased Review Score: 10/10

Super Biased Review Score: 1000/1000

Unbiased Review Score: 9.8/10

Believe whichever one you want to believe.

P.S.

Is Steamworld Heist out yet?!

Wave After Wave

Its been awhile since I've played a cool 2D outer space shooting game.

Developer Varia's XBridge, coming to Wii U in Q1 2015, looks like it'll be a really fun outer space shooter. The graphics look excellent, the gameplay looks fast and furious and...the game has A LEVEL EDITOR.

If you've read any of my past blog entries, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of level editors. I think its great that players can create their own content if they want to and play other peoples levels. And Wii U is the perfect home for these editors because of the touch screen.

With XBridge's editor, players can create enemy waves and bosses! Ships, colors, and various boss parts are at the players disposal. Its very impressive sounding.

Take a look at this screenshot of the level builder (from the Kickstarter page. the project is fully funded):



and here's a potential boss:



Doesn't that look really cool?!

The following are a couple of GIFs of actual gameplay too. I like the changing background a lot:





I'll be keeping an eye on XBridge for sure.

For more information on the title, check out the Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/variagames/reven/posts/1087277

Games Still Matter

Back in October, I wrote about #GamesMatter, a giveaway that just gave games away to 1) Promote Indie  Games and 2) Be Nice To People. Games Matter is still going on. @IndieGamerChick holds them a lot still. They mostly giveaway PC Indie Games but occasionally they'll give away consoles/handheld games too.

December is a big month for Games Matter. Right now, Indie Gamer Chick has a big Holiday Giveaway going on. If you are in good standing with the giveaway, you can make a list of Indie games you want and she will try to get them for you. She wants people to ask for PC games mostly because console/handheld games are hard to get (because developers get less codes for them).

And so I entered the giveaway and asked for console/handheld games. I don't know if I'll get any but thats ok. I know its a long shot. That said, I hope if you have been involved in the giveaway before, you'll look into this special giveaway. It looks fantastic.

For those who want games for Wii U or 3DS, Indie Gamer Chick has said that she is working on a Twitter giveaway for Nintendo fans. She also has a giveaway in the works for other console gamers too. Console fans should definitely keep an eye on her twitter.

I love that this giveaway is still going on. Indie game are the future of third party gaming in my opinion. The current AAA third parties have gotten lazy. Most Indie developers, however, are always looking for new and interesting ideas. Any promotion or giveaway that puts the word out about Indies is a great thing.

Be sure to check out Indie Gamer Chick's website and her twitter.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Indie preview.

Cube Creator 3D Demo First Impressions

Today, I downloaded the Cube Creator 3D demo from the 3DS eshop.

I talked about Cube Creator previously. I was pretty excited to check the demo out today.

Here are my first impressions of the demo
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The Cube Creator 3D demo allows you to create in a pretty wide open space (its not huge but it is fairly big). There are a couple of buildings already created and even a small mineshaft to go into. There is still plenty of space to build some things.

I wasn't a huge fan of moving around with the A, B, X, and Y buttons but I got use to it. Selecting a cube and placing it with L is pretty easy. Getting rid of a cube can be tricky sometimes because the selector doesn't always land on the cube you want.

There are no enemies to fight in the demo nor challenges to take on. The demo is just a creation and exploring demo.

You can try the demo 20 times. I wish it had been 30 times at least. There isn't much to the demo but I can see myself playing around with the creation a ton more.

I'm starting to get even more interested in Cube Creator. With the addition of enemies, a Survival mode, random worlds, and being able to import demo data, the full game seems like it'll be a fun.

I might offer some more thoughts soon. I want to play around with the demo even more.

Atomic Robo: the Video Game

I'm currently addicted to a comic called Atomic Robo. Its about a robot created by famous scientist Nikola Tesla. The comic jumps around in time and Robo's adventures have been shown in the 20s, 30s, 40s, etc etc. Robo has fought dinosaurs, creatures from out of time, vampires, and more.

And why do I bring this all up? Why am I talking about a comic on my video game blog?

BECAUSE I WANT AN ATOMIC ROBO VIDEO GAME.

Seriously. Never has a comic character been SO perfect for a video game.

Atomic Robo would lend himself to:

-A platformer. He can jump.

-A fighting game. He's great at fighting.

-A turn-based rpg. He's a robot! Imagine leveling Atomic Robo up.

-An open world game. Robo has several different headquarters to choose from that could be explorable. The developer could set the game in New York or have it set on an exotic island!

Also other genre's I'm not thinking of! There's so much back story to choose from. So many cool stories that could be adapted or a totally new story could be created. Robo lived a REALLY LONG TIME.

Anyway, this needs to happen. I'm not sure why this hasn't happened yet. Someone get on this already.

Also: please bring it to Wii U. I know thats asking a lot. Third party games don't usually come to Wii U. But Atomic Robo is such a lighthearted fun character. He deserves to be on the system that cares about lighthearted games. Kids AND adults would really love an Atomic Robo game. I know they would.

For more information on Atomic Robo, check out this fantastic website: http://www.atomic-robo.com/

I love Retro Rpgs!

Ok, here's a game I want to review. I have no idea if I'll actually get to but...

Fairune is a retro styled rpg coming to the 3DS eshop THIS THURSDAY. I wasn't sure what to think about this title at first but then I saw this video....

And then this video:

Fairune looks very cool. The art style is so nice. The battle system is very classic Zelda. The game is going to be pretty cheap on Thursday. Only $2.99. I wonder if that means it'll be a very short game. Not sure what to think. I know that it looks good though. And I hope I get the chance to review it. I definitely like games like this. Here's hoping its a good one. The 3DS eshop needs more rpgs!

The Eshop Explodes Again

This Thursday, the Wii U eshop is, yet again, getting a bunch of games. This time, a total of 6 games (that I know of) will be coming to the shop.

So what six games are coming to the Wii U eshop this Thursday (December 18).

Here's the list:

Blok Drop X Twisted Fusion (by @rcmadiax and @leuvsion): The creators of Blok Drop & Twisted Fusion team up to blend their two universes into one puzzle game. The graphics and gameplay look really good. I'm hoping to get to review this game. We'll see.

Toss N'Go (by @rcmadiax): Another game by rcmadiax! This game looks much simpler than Blok Drop X but does look very addictive and fun. Rcmadiax games are almost always worth a download.

99 Moves (by @enjoyupgames): A retro arcade game where you only have 99 moves to get to the end goal of a level. The game looks ok.

Plenty of Fishes (by @NitrolicGames): The player plays as a fish trying to eat smaller fish. The game has single player and supports up to five players in a multiplayer mode. I suspect its only off-line multiplayer mode though. The game does have an online leaderboard. This really doesn't look like my type of game though.

Cake Ninja 3: The Legend Continues (by @cypronia): Objects come onto the screen and you slice them. Pretty simplistic game. I suppose somebody might like it...

Meme Run: This game scares me. Please don't buy it. We need less games like this on the eshop. (psst. its 4.99. ugh)

My advice: just buy the Rcmadiax games. You can't go wrong with his games.

No Ordinary Deer

What if a hunter was turned into a deer and found out what it was like to be the very creature that he hunted?

@CM_Games's Deer God, coming to Wii U, will ask this question and gamers will play the answer. Deer God is a platformer/exploration game where the player plays a deer trying to survive in a harsh wilderness. Th environment and deer are pixelated but its very 3D looking. The levels will be randomly generated, which should add a lot of replay to the title. There are also power ups that the player collects so that the deer can reach new areas. The game sounds fun and looks great.

Take a look at these screenshots from the Kickstarter page (its already funded):









And here is a trailer for the game:

With a unique concept, fantastic graphics, and cool gameplay, Deer God should be a must buy when it appears on Wii U.

Destroy The Blocks!

All blocks must be destroyed!

Thats a pretty typical puzzle game objective. The 3DS has quite a few puzzle games, not of all of them good, but its always nice to see a new one added. I enjoy a nice puzzle game once and awhile and my dad loves them.

One puzzle game that we both saw a preview of recently that impressed us was Hazumi by @EyecancerGames.

In Hazumi, you control a ball and have to destroy all the blocks that match the ball's color in each stage. There are various obstacles that get in your way and you have to use the ball to get push, pull, etc them out of your way. The game also has a level editor! I love that.

Hazumi looks to be a pretty addictive game. Its out now on the 3DS eshop!

Here are some screenshots from the Official website:





Wow! Looks like it could get pretty challenging.

Also, take a look at this video by the ever awesome @NintenDaan:

Check out the official website for more information: http://hazumi.info/ and you can go to the 3DS eshop now and download it if you want. Its $3.99. Very good price!

Amiibo Panic In the Streets

Recently, Nintendo released figures called amiibos. These figures can interact with the Wii U (and soon the 3DS) by a technology called Near-Field Communication (NFC). They do various things for various games. For Super Smash Bros Wii U, you can train the amiibos to be fighters. For Hyrule Warriors, Link will unlock a new weapon, other figures will unlock random stuff.

Nintendo fans are going pretty crazy about these figures. People are snatching them up as fast as possible...

One of the reasons for this is the rumors that continue to fly about the amiibos. What rumors you ask? Well, just in case you've been living under a rock (or you just don't keep up with Nintendo but read my blog anyway), I'll briefly talk about them...

It started with a rumor that the Villager, Marth, and Wii Fit Trainer amiibos had been discontinued. Then some people started to buy them, either for themselves or to sell them at a high price. Nintendo went on to, sort of, deny the rumor but also said that some amiibos would go away in the future. People started hearing that other figures would soon be discountinued too...

Now every so often on twitter, I hear about someone buying up amiibos as fast as possible. Nintendo fans really are starting to panic about some amiibos going away...

I can tell you for sure that Mario and Zelda related amiibos are not likely to go away. That would be crazy. Almost all Nintendo fans love them. They'll stick around. Ones like Wii Fit Trainer...well...you never know...

But in my opinion, its not a big deal. I bought the two amiibos I wanted at launch: Villager and Link. Not sure if I want anymore. Maybe Toon Link and Yoshi. I haven't decided yet. Overall though, I'm not worried about amiibos. I have a feeling that, even if some go away, they'll eventually come back. Who knows? I'm not worried.

Please calm down everyone. There's still many more amiibos to come.

Its A Tiny Galaxy

Yesterday, I got to try a PC preview build for an upcoming Wii U game called Tiny Galaxy. Thank you to the developer. Taylor Hajash (@ArcanePixel), for letting me try it out. 

Tiny Galaxy stars a no-name hero (at least no name yet) who is traveling across mini-planets to collect three tiny stars. There are blades and other things that get in his way.

Now, I'm not a PC gamer. I'm awful at PC games; I don't feel comfortable playing games with a keyboard and/or a mouse. I like to have a controller in my hands...

So I went into the preview of Tiny Galaxy knowing I would suck at it. And I did.

With the PC demo, I used the keyboard arrows to move and the spacebar to jump. I was horrible at jumping but I did alright moving around. I especially enjoyed the game's graphics. The snow levels, most of all, stood out to me. I loved the little details like the things trapped in the frozen planets. Its a very nice looking game overall.

The gameplay is simple but its fun. I think the game will be a lot more fun on Wii U though. Also this early build had no music or sound. I'm sure music and sound effects will make Tiny Galaxy even better.

Please take a look at these screenshots. As I said, its a wonderful looking game:

I'm looking forward to playing this game on Wii U. The developer told me that the game will support Off-TV mode. That made me extremely happy. I know I'm going to love playing it on the Wii U gamepad. Can't wait!                                                                                                                                                        

Not So Hollow Knight

Indie Developers continue to stun me with the games they come up with. Most of the time, I'm stunned in a good way. Occasionally, its a very bad shock. I don't talk about the bad ones here though. I like to focus on the good!

Today, I saw a REALLY stunning game. The game is Hollow Knight by Team Cherry (@TeamCherryGames). Its on Kickstarter right now. The Wii U is a stretch goal of $50,000. But the game has only 8 days to go and hasn't made all its initial goal yet. So this MIGHT be a long shot for Wii U but I really hope not. This game looks stunning.

Hollow Knight is a 2D action/platformer/exploration game. And its so beautiful looking. A lot of work was put into this game. It looks like an animated movie that Tim Burton put together. I won't try to describe it anymore. Just look at these screenshots from the Kickstarter page:









Ok, so those last two are Gifs. I hope you can all see them. Doesn't that look incredible?

Here's a trailer too:

Please, if you can, support this game! I would so love to see it come to Wii U. For more information, check out the Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/11662585/hollow-knight/description

Its Too Soon For Animal Crossing Wii U

I love Animal Crossing. You all know this by now, right?

I also love the Wii U. Ok, that one is probably more obvious than my Animal Crossing love.

That said, ITS TOO SOON FOR ANIMAL CROSSING WII U.

Why did I put that all in caps?

Well, the whole Animal Crossing Wii U thing really bugs me. Everytime Nintendo releases some kind of AC content for the Wii U, lots of people say " Oh, an Animal Crossing for Wii U must be coming soon."

Its not coming soon. Its too early.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf, for 3DS, only came out about 2 years ago. It hasn't been out very long at all. Each installment of Animal Crossing takes longer than 2 to develop. I think Animal Crossing fans should know that by now. Even City Folk, as rushed as it was, didn't come out that fast. AC doesn't stand for Assassin's Creed. We do not get a new installment every year (or every two years in this case).

And personally, I don't want a new Animal Crossing every year (or two). I want Nintendo to take their time with Animal Crossing and give us something NEW with every installment. If AC Wii U came out this fast, we would just be getting New Leaf 2.0. It would be another City Folk situation. I liked City Folk ALOT but it could have been WAY better. New Leaf was the next step in the Animal Crossing franchise. It added new cool elements to the series. The Wii U version deserves the same thing. It shouldn't be a New Leaf port.

Look. I know a lot of Animal Crossing fans are impatient for the Wii U version. My advice: play more New Leaf. Bored of your current town? Let animals go, put in new projects, heck: delete the file and start over! New Leaf is an amazing game. I bet you haven't seen all the animals the game has to offer or all the projects or gotten even half of the furniture. Animal Crossing is a long term investment game. You're supposed to play it for several years until the next one comes out. It seems like a lot of AC fans are not willing to do this. Its a shame really.

I play my TWO AC towns every day. I still love the game.

sigh. Anyway. I know this won't make any difference. You guys will just keep on talking about wanting a Wii U Animal Crossing won't you? Please have a little patience is all I'm asking. Nintendo needs to take their time with this. AC isn't Mario. We get a new game every few years.

And thats the way it should be. Quality over Quantity.

I'll be back tomorrow with an Indie Game Preview!

A Robot's Job Is Never Done

Robots never get any credit. Think about it. Most movies about robots are about evil robots trying to take over the world or robots trying to become human. Steamworld Dig is the only robot friendly game I can think of. Yeah, there may be others. But I bet a lot of them feature evil robots!

Factotum, by TACS Games, is a game coming to the Wii U about robots who do not get any credit. They are " disused menial " robots according to the game's official website. But these robots will rise above their station and take back their ship from aliens!

The gameplay will feature puzzle solving and repairing systems. Graphic wise, it looks like the player is using security cameras to watch the robots and different arrows to direct the robots. Factotum looks like a really neat game! 

Here are some screenshots from the developers website:

For more screenshots, check out the developers website: http://tacsgames.com/

Zelda Wii U Thoughts

On Friday night, Nintendo showed new footage of Legend of Zelda for Wii U during the Video Game Awards.

IT LOOKED GREAT!

I was floored. I admit I'm a huge Legend of Zelda fan, so I was bound to like it but wow, it just looked even more amazing than I would have thought. What did I like about it?

First of all, the graphics were stunning. Absolutely highly detailed and beautiful. I just know it'll look even better though by E3.

I also loved how huge the game's world looked. The Wii U gamepad map looked gigantic! I was so impressed. The environments on screen looked Elder Scrolls big. I'm sure in the actual game there will be tons of secret items & dungeons to find.

Other things I liked: the return of Link's horse & the fact that it has a mind of its own (won't hit trees!), the return of Link's parachute, and the slow mo jump off the horse!

I did think one area in the demo, the one with the light colored green grass, still looked pretty early in development. But thats all I can think of for a negative. Zelda Wii U was jaw dropping!

Now I'm super excited for Zelda Wii U. Can it be 2015 now?!

Every Wizard Has His Day

Kickstarter has been a great place for Indies to get games funded for PC, Wii U, and other systems. Developers have gotten games funded this way, though some developers haven't been as lucky. You just never know what people want to fund and what they won't want to fund.

A game that is currently on Kickstarter and going through the funding process is Wizard's Day by Michael S. Tonder of @ToneRedStudios. It is being developed for PC/Mac/Linux first, with a stretch goal for Wii U. Currently it has $5,087. It needs $15,000 for PC/etc, but it needs $25,000 for Wii U. It needs to get this by December 17th. I hope it makes it.

Why?

Wizard's Day is an adventure/platformer. It stars a Wizard (duh) trying to collect pieces of a wizard's staff to break a powerful spell. The gameplay is very retro, think the second Legend of Zelda but with even more jumping. The graphics are 3D dimensional and pretty good. It looks like a fun game.

Take a look at some screenshots from the Kickstarter page:







For a trailer and more information, please go here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1182912039/wizards-day-an-indie-adventure-game-for-pc-mac-and

Good luck to the developers! I hope to see the game on the Wii U.

I'll be back tomorrow with my thoughts on the new Legend of Zelda Wii U footage that was released yesterday.

Sonic Boom (Wii U) Demo Impressions

Yesterday, I downloaded the Sonic Boom Wii U demo and pretty much right away, I wished I hadn't downloaded it.

The Sonic Boom demo starts off with Sonic and a pink Hedgehog (sorry don't know her name) entering some kind of factory. We don't really get any kind of story here. Instead, we get very goofy voices from Sonic & his pal.

Gameplay wise, Sonic Boom isn't very impressive. It lacks the speed that Sonic games are known for. Sonic and his pink gal pal wander around the factory and smash enemies. There is a little speed in there too but not much. I guess the controls work ok but the demo was very bland. Everything that makes Sonic, well, Sonic seems to be missing from the demo. Its a very boring demo.

The game's graphics are not bad. I've seen better but Sonic and everything else is pretty 3D dimensional. Still, I think the last Sonic game looked better than this.

I have to admit I've never been a big Sonic fan but I have played some fun Sonic games in the past. Traditional 2D Sonic seems much better than the more 3D Sonic.

I wouldn't want to review the whole game. This just doesn't seem like my type of game. I've heard other people say that this is a bad game and I'd say, at least, the demo was bad. It does not make me want to buy or even rent the full game. I'd recommend people just avoid Sonic Boom and go play an older Sonic game if they really need to play one of his games.

I'll be back tomorrow with an Indie game preview.

Guardian of the Galaxy Video Game (I Wish)

Today, I thought I'd write about a pretend game instead of a real one.

I really loved the Guardians of the Galaxy movie from Marvel Studios. It was a funny and really fun movie. I can't wait to see it again on Blu-ray.

I bring this up because...I'd love a video game of Guardians. On the Wii U. I know this a complete fantasy because most third party developers have abandoned the Wii U. So most likely if there was a Guardians game, it would be on other platforms.

Sure, yes, the Guardians are in Disney Infinity and thats on the Wii U. You need to buy figures for that game though.

The Guardians also have a game on ioS. I don't even want to think more about that game...

What I'd love to see on Wii U would be a full, epic Guardians of the Galaxy game. I'm thinking Mass Effect meets the Marvel Universe. You would play as Star-Lord and have control of his ship. The game would be set in the same universe as the movie, but after the movie. It would be a side adventure for the group. The graphics would be on the level of Mass Effect or better. The gameplay wouldn't have to be similar to ME. It could be turn-based or it could just be straight out action. Personally, I'd love a turn-based Guardians game. A massive, universe spanning Guardians rpg for Wii U would be amazing.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "But Dan, usually movie based games SUCK."

And you are right. Usually these games suck. For a Guardians rpg to be great, it would have to have a great developer. In my dream world, that would be Bioware. There are plenty of other developers that could pull it off though (Retro for instance...)

Will Marvel ever do a game such as this? I doubt it. Marvel seems to, mostly, be doing games for ioS. Lego Marvel is an exception of course, but there have not been many console Marvel games lately. I really miss them. Guardians could be a really amazing game for Wii U. sigh.

Ok, enough day dreaming. Tomorrow, I'll be back with something else. Not sure what yet. I will be doing a SONIC BOOM Demo Impressions blog entry sometime this weekend. That reminds me...I have to go download that demo. Take care.

Tactical Attack

I'm a huge fan of role playing games. I also like Tactical rpgs quite a bit too. Final Fantasy Tactics for Playstation 1 was an amazing game. Fire Emblem Awakening for the 3DS is an excellent game too. My dad is even more of a fan of the genre. Any game thats a tactical rpg has our attention. So far, the Wii U hasn't had any Indie tactical rpgs, but that will change sooner or later. There is a game in development for the Wii U right now that wants to feel that hole.

Liege, by Coda Games, is a tactical rpg set in the fictional Kingdom of Liege. The graphics look really good and even better, the gameplay looks solid. I like how the story and the gameplay take place in the same environment. There's no transition to a battle field. The characters walk around and when they run into a battle, menus pop up and they are in battle mode.

Take a look at these graphics, from the Liege Kickstarter page (the game is fully funded):







And even better, here's one of the newest gameplay video:

Here's a link to the kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/codagames/liege

and here's the official website with the up to date information on the PC beta: http://www.codagames.com/

This is a very promising looking tactical rpg. I can't wait to see it on the Wii U!                                          

A Pixel's Life

The other day Nintendo Enthusiast posted about a game called Life of Pixel. I watched the trailer and man...I was blown away.

Life of Pixel, by @SuperIconLtd, is a platformer with a really cool twist. The twist is that you play as a Pixel that travels through different video game systems. With each video game system, the graphics change! So there are NES, SNES, Gameboy, Mega Drive, and other worlds. The visual variety in this game is awesome. I was really impressed by how authentic each world looked. Its so great that this game is coming to the Wii U. Its going to be heaven for retro gamers for sure.

Here are some screenshots from the official website:










Wow, right?

For even more screenshots, check out the official website here: http://www.supericon.co.uk/our-games/

I also linked to the Nintendo Enthusiast article above! And of course, here's the official trailer for the game:

Retro gamers will definitely want to keep an eye on this one. I know I will be.                                               

Don't Forget Your (Time) Hat

I love stories about time travel. Movies, video games, books. I'm there. Say time travel and you have my full attention.

A Hat in Time, by developer Gears for Breakfast, is about a time traveler collecting time pieces to save the universe. The game is currently being developed for the PC. It may or may not come to the Wii U. I really hope it does. It looks like a ton of fun.

Hat in Time is a platformer, but looks to have plenty of exploration and collecting of things. It also has really nice 3D visuals. It reminds me of an N64 or early Gamecube platformer, expect better visuals of course.

Take a look at these screenshots from the official website:







Also, here's the pre-alpha trailer:

A Hat in Time looks fantastic. I'm sure it would be one of the best games on the Wii U eshop. I really hope it makes it to the system. In the meantime, check out the official website for more information (and screenshots) of this game: http://hatintime.com/