Crossbuy Thoughts

The Playstation 3, Vita, and Playstation 4 have had something for awhile now called Crossbuy. Basically, if you buy a digital game thats on one system, say PS3, and its also on, say, the Vita, then you can get digital copies of both games for ONE PRICE.

The Wii U/3DS has had nothing like that at all. Games like Citizens of Earth and Shovel Knight that appeared on both systems had to be bought twice if you wanted them on both systems.

Thats starting to change though. Awhile back in Europe, a game called Squid Odyssey became the first Wii U/3DS Crossbuy title. North America was left out of that though. But now Nintendo themselves are going to have Mario VS. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars as a Crossbuy title and developer Curve Studios will be the first Third Party in America to have Crossbuy with their game OiiOii.

I really love the concept of Crossbuy. There are titles on the Wii U/3DS like Shovel Knight and even Steamworld Dig that I'd love to have on both my Wii U and 3DS  but I just can't afford to buy two separate copies. But to pay ONE PRICE and get two copies? Thats pretty awesome. I'm hoping that more games, both from Nintendo & Indies, will be using Crossbuy a lot.

What do you guys think? Do you like Crossbuy? Are there games you wish had Crossbuy right now? Please let me know in the comments.

8-Bit Dragons Are the Best Dragons

I haven't always liked rpgs. In fact, the first time I played a Final Fantasy (on NES), I didn't like it at all. Earthbound was the first rpg I loved. Then Final Fantasy 7 really got me into loving rpgs a lot. Later I went back and played classics like the early Final Fantasy games and even the first Dragon Warrior.

So now whenever a cool looking new rpg comes out with a retro style, I get really excited. I love games with 8-bit graphics and the old style rpg gameplay. And a new one was just announced the other day!

Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria is coming to Wii U AND 3DS! This game was PS3, Vita, and ioS. I remember seeing this awhile back and being jealous that Sony players were getting it. It just looked so very good. Retro graphics and classic turn-based rpg adventuring! Man. I'm excited. Much thanks to Choice Provisions for bringing the game to Nintendo systems!

Take a look at these wonderful screenshots (from the official website):









For more info on the game, check out the official website here: http://totallychoice.com/games/dragon-fantasy-volumes-westeria

IronFall Demo Thoughts

Today, IronFall for the 3DS came out. I wrote about the game before here. The game could be downloaded free so that players could try out the demo and then buy the rest of the game if they liked it. I tried out the game and here are my impressions:
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IronFall has really good graphics. Its not the best I've seen on the 3DS but it does look good. I like the 3D too, even though I kept losing the sweet spot (area where you see the 3D) while playing the game. I'm playing the game on a regular 3DS. I'm sure the 3D looks even better on a New 3DS.

Gameplay wise, IronFall is pretty rough. The character moves rather slowly/sluggishly. The worse then that, though, is the game's stylus camera control. On the New 3DS, you can use the little nub to turn the camera. You can use the circle pad pro on the regular 3DS if you have it; I don't. So I had to use the stylus. The stylus camera control doesn't work well. It responds slowly and this can get you killed by the enemies. Shooting seems to work alright at least. Though you have to use the touch screen for reloading your weapon and hiding behind things and that isn't too convenient.

Basically IronFall is pretty good presentation wise but I can't say I was impressed by the gameplay. Although, I suspect, this game will play a lot better on the New 3DS. IronFall just seems like it was made for that new system. Perhaps it shouldn't have been released for the regular 3DS too.

Its a shame. I was really looking forward to IronFall but the game just doesn't live up to my hopes. I won't be buying the full game.

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

We Built This City

Creation is the name of the game. Mario Maker, Cube Creator, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Tipping Stars, and more games that let you build things for Wii U and 3DS. I can't get enough!

Lionel City Builder 3D: Rise of the Rails, from Big John Games (the game people who are making Cube Creator 3D), is another creation game thats coming to 3DS.

In Lionel City, you'll help a man named Van rebuild a train yard (and his city). There are stories and missions to take on. Even more exciting is the Sandbox mode where you can create a whole town and then run a train through it. You'll be able to share your town via QR code with other people & get to look at other peoples towns via QR codes.

Graphics wise, Lionel City is more realistic than Cube Creator. It looks good so far.

Take a look at this site for exclusive art & screenshots from the game: http://nintendoeverything.com/big-john-games-shares-first-lionel-city-builder-3d-screenshots-and-details/

Y2K New Footage Thoughts

I've written about Y2K before. Last week a new trailer was brought out for the game. You can see that trailer above. Here are my impressions of the trailer:
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WHAT THE HECK DID I JUST WATCH?!

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Yep. Thats my impressions.

Wait. No. I have more to say.

Y2K's new footage was pretty crazy. But there is a lot to love in it.

First of all, the game's graphics are great. I love its sort of cartoony, sort of realistic type of graphics. The city looks great. The characters look really good.

The game has a turn-based battle system and an overworld map! Its looks like one part Earthbound and one part....I have no freaking idea what else it looks like. Y2K is a really unique looking game.

I'm even more excited to play this game now.

That said, there is one thing I didn't like about the trailer and that was the music in the trailer. I asked the developer if that music would be in the game and he said yes. Hmmm. Though he did say that there was all kinds of music in the game and I was sure to find something I'd like. Well, we'll see about that. My taste of music is rock'n'roll and as far as games, more classical, than the poppy music that developers tend to be force on us with rpgs...

Still, the game looks awesome. And WEIRD. I like weird. Well, not TOO weird. But some weird is good.

Anyway, this is trailer #1. Hopefully it won't be too long till we see a trailer #2.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Indie game preview!

Puzzle Monkeys (Wii U) Review

Recently, #GamesMatter was giving away copies of a Wii U puzzle game called Puzzle Monkeys. I was able to get a copy. Here is my review of the game:
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The recipe for Puzzle Monkeys? One part Tetris, one part monkeys, and add in a dash of exploding blocks.

Puzzle Monkeys is not the most original Wii U eshop puzzle game but its not a bad game either.

The gameplay seems simply like a Tetris clone at first but thats just because the game does not teach you about its gameplay. You have to discover that the game uses the touch screen on your own. There are no tutorials for Puzzle Monkeys. The game tells you about its controls in the menus but you have to go look for that. I discovered the touch screen aspect of Puzzle Monkeys by playing the games second mode, which fully depends on the touch screen. Mode A uses the d-pad and the touch screen, Mode B is pure touch screen controls.

The game does have some good options for music and backgrounds. The graphics are simple but nice.

Most of all, Puzzle Monkeys is a challenging game. Even when you learn how to control the game, you'll still find yourself playing around with the blocks and trying to get things just right. The difficulty seems to ramp up real quick, even on easy mode.

I have to admit that I got bored of the game pretty quickly though. The challenge and the gameplay just didn't stay interesting to me. Maybe I've just played too many games like this in the past. The exploding blocks are a nice twist but the game needed something a bit more to make it special.

I also think this game should have been on the 3DS. Its a more pick up and play experience that seems better suited for Nintendo's portable.

As I said earlier, this is not a bad game. Its not a great either. The gameplay and graphics are fine but the game just doesn't have an addictive quality to it. Its a bit bland in the end.

My Score: 6/10

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I received my copy of Puzzle Monkeys from #GamesMatter and the developer @LogGameLtd.

The Return of Survival Horror

Resident Evil has become too much of an action game. Silent Hill is going to be reinvented and who knows if that game will stay true to its roots.Neither series is interested in being on the Wii U. Where do Wii U fans turn for some Survival Horror (or any horror) gameplay? Indies of course. One cool survival horror game thats already been released is Lone Survivor Director's Cut. And now another survival horror game is in the works for the Wii U.

Bizerta: Silent Evil, by Edrox Interactive, is a survival horror game coming to the Wii U. The game will have the player stuck in a mansion and hunted by evil creepy things. The game will focus on one character. I think this is good idea since the recent Resident Evil games have put in too many characters and its made the story too confusing. I always loved how Silent Hill focused on a single character, alone in the dark. I hope Silent Evil has more of a Silent Hill feel than Resident Evil.

Still, there are some worries as far as Silent Evil is concerned. The concept and the name are not too original. The game looks good but definitely reminds me a lot of Resident Evil, Zombi U and even Bioshock.

I'm hoping that the game will find its own voice and also take advantage of the Wii U gamepad. I hope its a game that Survival horror fans will love. We don't get too many of these types of games. As I said before, these games are becoming rare on systems other than the Wii U too. I guess time will tell whether Silent Evil lives up to its potential.

For a look at screenshots of the game & an interview from the developers, take a look at this site: http://www.cubed3.com/news/23437/1/exclusive-interview-edrox-on-new-wii-u-survival-horror-bizerta-silent-evil.html