Official Nintendo - June 2014 (TRUE PDF)

Official Nintendo - June 2014

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Sonic: Lost World review: An unfortunate discovery (3DS)

Anticipating a Sonic game is like playing an inverted version of Russian Roulette. The encouraging trailer serves as the single vacant chamber, while the memories of Sonic's most disappointing outings haunt those that remain. 2010's Sonic Colors was a surprise victory, managing to marry some enjoyable new mechanics with Sonic's speedy heritage.

Initially, the 3DS version of Sonic: Lost World felt like another impending miracle, but it seems that Sonic's recent success has come to its end. Lost World follows Sonic's venture through seven themed areas in an effort to stop Robotnik and The Deadly Six from draining the energy from the world. Clearing levels requires you to successfully navigate platforms, grind-rails and twisting tunnels, all while smashing robots with Sonic's spindash attacks and collecting as many rings as possible.




Lost World mixes classic with vivid and inspired landscapes, upholding each world's themed direction well enough to keep the scenery interesting. Sky Road's sunny opening fades into casino-themed trails of nightlife, and the botanically oriented opening to Silent Forest concludes with a moonlit evasion of spotlights. The frame rate is generally up to the action, but getting hit while carrying anything more than 30 rings drops it to something resembling a flip book with a few pages missing. The cutscenes also seem pixelated and blurry, even without the 3D effect turned on.

Both 3D and 2D levels exist in Lost World and encompass the majority of the series' notable modern mechanics, including spindash attacks, running across walls and bumpers that propel Sonic onto new paths. It also grants an encore to the Wisp creatures that were introduced in Colors. Wisps can be collected from capsules and deployed as a sort of powerup - the Asteroid Wisp collects enemies and platforms into an asteroid belt and grants a floaty second jump, for example.

Although its bag of tricks is gradually implemented and occasionally interesting, many of them feel like speed traps rather than satisfying additions. I have never wished to see complex, multi-chamber switch puzzles or blockades requiring specific bodycounts to proceed in a Sonic game, and Lost World has ensured that I never will.

What's conceptually sound isn't always reliable, either. The established lock-on system used to dash into enemies with homing attacks often dropped me right in front of a monster without actually dealing damage, typically resulting in an injured Sonic and an explosion of rings. Larger foes call for a charged homing attack, which boils down to dodging other obstacles while waiting for the reticle to triple-target enemies that often block Sonic's progress through a level. The same attack can be used for targeting chains of lesser foes, too, but its choice of subjects is often astounding. I burnt many lives trying to kill a single enemy in front of me and instead rocketing after something behind the camera or sailing over a chasm toward something I had no intention of targeting.

After consecutive failed attempts, Lost World spawns a capsule containing an RC unit meant to assist with clearing a difficult section, sort of like Nintendo's Super guide. Barreling down on a pack of monsters with a toy plane in tow that's furiously coating everything in sight with missiles is immensely gratifying, but it often feels more like a solution to the broken attack mechanics than an optional aide to frustrated players. Additional RC units, along with boost items like 1-ups and auras for Sonic that act like shields or magnets for rings, can be built in Tails' workshop using elemental resources that are awarded with the completion of each level.

The series' fondness for weaving alternate paths for players to explore in future plays is present in Lost World, but the pathways merge sloppily and result in confusing mazes. I frequently backtracked through passages that I thought were ultimately leading me to a level's conclusion, only to find a bumper or speed strip encouraging progress in the direction I had just come from. Aside from the detours, the main paths suffer from the unfortunately established tradition of punishing Sonic's speed with spikes and enemies that can't be anticipated, and can only be avoided after an initial failure. Worst of all, the sections that require Sonic to smash all of its resident baddies are unavoidable, reducing portions of stages into tired button mashing until everything is dead.

There are reasons to return to previously completed levels - each stage contains five hidden red star rings, many of which are fairly difficult to find. Wisp capsules also appear in levels preceding their introduction in the game, encouraging fresh attempts in an effort to see areas that weren't immediately accessible. There are even hidden stages, which thankfully are not limited to the special world that's entirely comprised of gyro-controlled Chaos Emerald levels in space. These gyro levels fail to captivate, but the hidden levels that offer alternate, resource-stripped versions of the game's main levels offer an additional challenge. However, the fatigue inspired by persevering over the main game's downfalls doesn't leave much of a desire for more.

The most frustrating thing about Lost World is that it's not consistently miserable. There are brief sections that feel competent and structured around the game's mechanics - Sparsely placed lines of enemies that immediately work with the homing attack and serve as bridges to platforms, or stretches of ramps and rails that encourage you to run as fast as possible without hiding a "gotcha" enemy at the end to knock the rings out of you. However, these are abruptly and frequently interrupted by grating mechanics or an unwarranted "strike" from an idling enemy. Every fresh realization of an impending puzzle inspired a sigh, and I laughed in disbelief at sudden threats that the immediate surroundings encouraged me to run blindly towards.

I'm tired of resorting to the one-ring trick to survive the broken mechanics and blind hazards of a Sonic game. I want to feel satisfaction from besting a stage full of thought-out pathways and platforming opportunities, or at least survive a level without an event that makes me question its structural integrity. Unfortunately, Lost World tries to pack in so many mechanics that it suffocates the rapid-fire platforming segments, which are breathless when all the mechanics are suited to Sonic.

Via Joystiq

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Best NES Video Games Of All Time

#15 Duck Hunt (1984)

The orange gun. The flying ducks. The annoying dog that was terrible at hunting and always laughed at you when you had a bad day. All of these features made Duck Hunt an unforgettable game and a timeless childhood classic that most of us will never forget.

#14 Punch-Out!! (1987)

While it moved on to be a successful spin-off (see Mike Tyson's version) and a sequel on the Super Nintendo platform, this classic game was an introduction to fighting platforms that also introduced memorable characters and bosses that seemed almost impossible to defeat.

#13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (1991)

Also known as an arcade hit, this installment involving the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the best side-scrolling action games to date as the difficulty was adaptable and the gameplay was phenomonal for it's time. Plus it made us say "cowabunga" a lot.

#12 Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword Of Chaos (1990)

If you were into ninjas and throwing stars as a young kid, chances are you were into Ninja Gaiden. The series took off as soon as it was released but the most memorable installment was the second game in the franchise featured slicker controls and graphics which made Ryu's hacking and slashing way more fun.

#11 Tecmo Super Bowl (1991)

NFL games always had a hard time being enjoyable before the Madden series arrived but Tecmo Super Bowl was an instant hit the moment it shipped out to homes across North America. The only real drawback were the uniforms, like which team actually wore pink and white in the 90s'?

#10 Dr. Mario (1990)

Along with Tetris, Dr. Mario was one of the first original puzzle games that everyone knew and loved. The only problem was, most kids didn't know how to play it and were left frustrated by it's difficulty for years, and years, and years.

#9 Contra (1987)

Though Contra never really lived up to it's name after it's third version on the Super Nintendo, the original for NES set the bar for side-scrolling shooters. Collecting lives and different weapons became important and it took a unique level of skill (and a high amount of sugar) to beat levels without dying.

#8 Excitebike (1985)

Compare it to it's Nintendo 64 brother and the original 8-bit version of Excitebike wins by a landslide. The game was intuitive and addicting as it was always a competition to beat a friend's score. That is until the scores were magically erased.

#7 Double Dragon (1987)

Billy and Jimmy spawned numerous sequels and cross-overs throughout the 1990s' but nothing was more memorable than the duo's first installment for the NES that was a lengthy classic in itself. Instead of simple one-punch/kick action moves, combos were also made and those made the minds of 8-year-olds literally explode.

#6 Final Fantasy (1987)

The first edition of Final Fantasy was the game that made nerds. It created and defined the RPG genre which later led into dozens of spin-offs and other platform action puzzles like Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts and even Super Mario RPG that added a spin to the Nintendo world.

#5 Nintendo World Cup (1990)

Again, sports games were rather difficult in the NES days as graphics weren't as smooth and controls were clunky but Nintendo's first take on soccer was fantastic. Right down to the icy fields and concrete playgrounds to the players "dying" after taking too many tackles, Nintendo World Cup was addicting.

#4 Mega Man 2 (1988)

A tiny teenager with in a blue costume/helmet who could shoot lasers? WHAT? Add in simple controls, great NES music and innovative levels and Mega Man 2 still holds up as one of the best classic games out there for the Nintendo console.

#3 Battletoads (1991)

Though the Ninja Turtles were cool, Battletoads were a lot more rad. The characters - frogs and toads that wore spikes and grew giant hands and feet to destroy enemies - were way too cool to begin with but it didn't eliminate the fact that the game was ridiculously hard. Most will agree, not many made it past the second level.

#2 The Legend Of Zelda (1986)

It's hard to imagine a game like Ocarina Of Time could derive from an 8-bit NES cartridge but the first game in the series had everyone and their parents hooked on Link and his mission to rescue Zelda. It was fantasy/RPG at it's finest (no one to this day knows what those orange creatures are).

#1 Super Mario Bros. (1985)

It was the game that started it all. Looking back, the graphics weren't impressive but the idea of touching flowers and throwing fireballs at enemies was enough to keep kids hooked. Plus all of the secret passages to get to tunnels to skip levels was helpful but mostly really cool. It also spawned Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 where both sequels topped each other with several innovations.

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The Wonderful 101 review: Barrel of superheroes

At some point in your life you've probably heard somebody say that video games are just toys. Perhaps you argued the issue, talking about how games are like interactive movies and that they're often made for adults and how the average gamer is in his or her thirties. And then maybe you went home, turned on your game box, stuck a Skylander figure onto your Portal of Power and zoned out for a few.

Games may not be toys, but they often owe a lot to them. Whereas Skylanders and Disney Infinity require actual toys to play, the The Wonderful 101, an action-packed Wii U curiosity from Platinum Games, feels more like playing with toys than either of them. With dozens of costumed characters to control, most with no defined personality traits, and a rambling plot that makes little sense and shifts gears on a dime, Wonderful 101 has the same illogical bent and opportunity for imagination as a child playing with action figures.

The Wonderful 101 (E3 2013)

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In Wonderful 101 you control a brigade of up to 100 tiny superheroes as they protect Earth from invading robotic aliens called the GEATHJERK. The forces of the Wonderful 100 (you, the player, are the 101st, of course) come from across the world but remain anonymous – as their credo states, "their faces forever masked, their tombs forever unknown." (That's a weird reference to mortality in a game with unlimited continues.)

Only a handful of heroes have speaking parts, and they all make dramatic entrances at specific moments and with special new abilities directly related to whatever obstacle is currently in your way. These main heroes are more stereotypes than characters, from the California surfer dude who says "bro" a lot, to the female hero who wears pink and talks about make-up and shopping. Most heroes are nothing more than a character design and a brief bio, with an attack that mirrors one of the main seven heroes. With color-coded costumes, identical black masks and names like "Wonder-Red" and "Wonder-Green", the Wonderful 100 resembles a host of Japanese pop culture icons, from Ultraman to the Power Rangers to Jushin "Thunder" Liger, with a soupçon of Voltron teamwork mixed in.

Together you and these heroes spend many hours beating up aliens. Just as old brawlers like Final Fight would put up invisible walls until you beat down every thug on the screen,Wonderful 101 breaks battles into discrete and impromptu arena settings, closing off areas and forcing you to fight until every foe is dead. Those enemies are tough from the start, and it's up to you to figure out their weak spots, learn their patterns and strike at the right moment.

Unlike Pikmin 3, which Wonderful 101 superficially resembles, you can't split up your heroes. They always work as a group. There's a weak attack where they all rush an enemy at once, but that's only useful when breaking down trees and park benches for in-game currency. (The Wonderful 101 graduated from the "Man of Steel" school of city-saving, where you can still save the day despite turning half a city into ruins.)


In almost every battle you'll depend heavily on Unite Morphs: special moves that band every hero together to form a giant weapon or defensive formation. Wonder-Red, the leader, works with his hands, with a Unite Morph that forms a massive red fist out of the willing bodies of his colleagues. Wonder-White grows large claws that are good for both shredding aliens and climbing up the sides of certain walls. With Unite Glider you can escape an exploding spaceship on a hang glider made up of superpeople.

Unite Morphs exploit the Wii U's second screen, as you trigger them by quickly drawing a pattern on the GamePad. You can also use the right stick to form that pattern with your characters on the TV, but this is less reliable. You can switch your team leader through these same Unite Morphs, or by pulling up a menu on the GamePad that displays the faces of every hero you've unlocked so far. The only difference between these leaders is the Unite Morph weapon they can harness, with seven total shared between all characters. It's hard to properly mash buttons with a stylus in your hand, and the touch screen occasionally misreads a finger gesture, so you might want to work on how quickly you can unsheathe the stylus from the GamePad's holster.

The biggest hang-up with the GamePad, however, has nothing to do with its integration into Wonderful 101, but rather that you can't throw it to the floor in a fit of anger the way you can a normal controller. You will want to do that, a lot, as Platinum's well-deserved reputation for difficult games is reinforced once again.

Battles are tough from the get-go, and you'll need to know the advantages of every Unite Morph and the exact timing of every enemy's attack to emerge unscathed. Timing is critical when blocking with the all-important Unite Guts move, which has your heroes glom together into what looks like a Jell-o mold, hitting bad guys with their own deflected projectiles or momentarily staggering them into a defenseless stupor. Even with firm knowledge of every attack and every GEATHJERK's pattern, though, you'll probably see the "game over" screen many times on the Normal setting.

It can be frustrating at first, but battles turn into strategic set-pieces once you crack the combat, built around the successful juggling of Unite Morph combos, hairpin rolls and split-second blocks. The combination of pattern recognition, space management and lightning reflexes almost resembles a fighting game. It's not a particularly deep system, butThe Wonderful 101 explores it in depth, with sprawling battles that require the use of certain morphs in specific situations. Boss battles combine these techniques with well-done Quick Time Events, as tight deadlines and the need to scribble a shape on the GamePad make them more interactive than merely tapping a button. Each cluster of fights is judged by how quickly it takes you to win, how many combos you used and how much damage you took. You are awarded medals based on your performance, ranging from "pure platinum" to "consolation prize." These don't have any in-game value, but it feels good to be recognized.

Still, the difficulty level is high, and the camera only complicates combat. There are always dozens of characters on screen, and the camera stays zoomed out so far that it's often hard to tell what's happening during any battle. Even though your leader is always highlighted, she or he can get lost within the rippling wave of miniature heroes, making it hard to attack or defend at the right moment. The makeshift battle arenas rarely fit entirely on the TV screen, and sometimes enemies lurk off-screen, waiting with a ranged attack that requires split-second reflexes to dodge. If you can't see the enemy as it prepares an attack, it can be almost impossible to time your defense.

Although the massive scale of your attack force can lead to such nuisances, it's also what makes Wonderful 101 unique and entertaining. With such ridiculous background heroes as Wonder-Sailor, an old hero with a replica galleon as a hat, and another hero with a computer for a head, Wonderful 101 packs its roster with charmingly absurd characters. Among the main characters, the most memorable is the French glutton Wonder-Green, a sniper who always has a burger in one hand and his beloved gun Christine Daaé in the other. He's essentially a heavily armed melding of Augustus Gloop and Pepe LePew.

Unfortunately Wonderful 101 doesn't treat its female heroes with much respect. The whip-wielding Wonder-Pink debuts with cheesecake poses, panty shots and S&M references that feel out-of-place for an otherwise kid-friendly game. She's catty, haughty and fixated on fashion, filling the stereotype of the sexy mean girl. None of the other women in the Wonderful 100 get a line, other than the non-fighting pilot of their flying headquarters. You'd think with 100 characters to play with Platinum could've given one role to another female hero, even if just to add the good girl complement to Wonder-Pink's bad girl.

Like most Platinum games, however, whatever issues might plague Wonderful 101 are glossed over with charm and an idiosyncratic vision. Sorting through dozens of heroes, picking out your leader and imbuing him or her with a personality feels like dumping your toy box on the floor and gathering up the ones you want to play with. The game's major characters have preset identities and points of view, just as cartoons will define the most important characters from a line of toys, but the large number of additional characters allow for ample creativity. You might be too busy double-teaming GEATHJERK with a giant sword and massive hammer made out of superheroes to craft an intricate back-story for Wonder-Clean, the 31-year-old crime-fighting dental hygienist, but the opportunity is there.

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Here's how the Nintendo 2DS compares to the 3DS

Nintendo's announcement of a new handheld system dubbed the Nintendo 2DS, a revision of its Nintendo 3DS but without the stereoscopic 3D display feature, was met with bewilderment this morning. Based on name alone, the system sounds like a generational step backward from the 3DS, touting the feature that it "plays in 2D," just like every other Nintendo handheld system to date.

The Nintendo 2DS still plays 3DS games (and "more than 2,000" games released for the original Nintendo DS), Nintendo says, just without the stereoscopic 3D features.

Save for a new external hardware design that's more like a slab than the folding clamshell of the 3DS and DS, the new 2DS is almost functionally identical to 3DS.

According to a spec sheet from Nintendo, the screens on Nintendo 2DS are the same size as the current 3DS model. The upper screen measures 3.53 inches and the lower screen measures 3.02 inches. Those dimensions are smaller than the 3DS XL, which has screens 4.88 inches and 4.18 inches in size.

The 2DS, 3DS and 3DS XL all feature the same motion sensor, gyro sensor and inner and outer cameras. Nintendo 2DS features a dedicated sleep button — a low-power mode achieved typically by folding the 3DS closed — and drops one of the built-in speakers. Without headphones, the Nintendo 2DS outputs mono audio.

The battery on the Nintendo 2DS appears to have a slight edge on the 3DS. Battery life while playing 3DS games on the 2DS is approximately 3 to 5.5 hours. While playing DS games on 2DS, battery life is listed as 5 to 9 hours.

Nintendo 2DS, thanks to its "fixed, slate-type form factor," is Nintendo's biggest handheld, measuring 5 inches high, 5.67 inches wide and 0.8 inches thick.

Despite a naming scheme that seems perplexing, with the Nintendo DS, 2DS and 3DS all currently being sold and marketed, the 2DS' support of games for the last-generation DS and current-generation 3DS should limit buyer confusion.

Nintendo's approach with the 2DS is clearly a value play; it says so right on the company's comparison of the "Nintendo 3DS Family" which labels Nintendo 3DS the "compact" option, the XL the best choice for "largest screens" and 2DS for value.

At $129.99, the Nintendo 2DS is positioned between the last-generation Nintendo DS — which Nintendo sells for $99.99, but on which game releases have slowed to a trickle of mostly movie and TV license-based games — and Nintendo 3DS, which starts at $169.99. It's an entry-level device, capable of playing just about every portable game Nintendo currently sells, but without the stereoscopic "glasses-free" 3D feature that seemed like a product of Nintendo responding to a quickly fading entertainment fad.

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