Amazing Console Reviews: Wii

6.75/10
"OK"

The Wii, shown with its controller.

Ah....the Wii. Some like it, some don't. I say, let's look at what's good....and bad in order to decide. I've had the Wii for a while now, and I do enjoy it sometimes. But there are just some things about it I can't help but hate. Let's take a look.

Let's start this off with some positive things about the Wii. For one, there are very good exclusive games for it.  Not too many, but just enough to keep it distinguishable. Secondly, the Virtual Console has some great old Nintendo games on it but unfortunately there are some games that seem like no brainers to put in but they're not. (cough cough Earthbound cough cough). And the final good thing about the Wii....is the backwards compatibility with one of my favorite game systems of all time, the Gamecube and displays them in slightly higher definition! (Unfortunately, along with that, there is a saving bug that (rarely) happens when you play 'Cube games on the Wii).

Super Mario Galaxy's graphics.

Now let's talk about the bad things, and boooooy is there a lot of that here. First let's talk about the low resolution graphics. Sure, sometimes it's not that bad (Super Mario Galaxy 1&2, Sonic Colors) but it's still unacceptable in this age of gaming. (It only goes up to 480p while PS3 and 360 owners get to bask in the 1080p goodness). 

Okay, I know everyone talks about this next part but it's just UN....ACC....EPTABLE!

Nintendo Sucky Connection logo.

The Wii's online network, while it is free, is AWFUL. Good they don't charge cause it's not worth anything! The best online game (in my opinion and IGN's) is Mario Kart Wii. And even that game's online is just....decent. Thank you Nintendo, but I would much rather play on PSN, which is also free but is actually really good, has very little to no lag, and has no sudden disconnections even though my Internet is good.

The PS3 can hold up to 320 Gigabytes and has an internal hard drive.....SWEET! The amazing Wii can hold up to....521 Megabytes.......uh......and has no internal hard drive......lovely. 

Next, I think the Wii misses out on all of the awesome games that PS3 and 360 owners get. (Batman Arkham City, Skyrim, Portal 2, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Sonic Generations, need I go on?). And it seems to get some of the worse games. Speaking of which....

The Wii has....terrible.....third party.....SUPPORT!!!! Almost nobody wants to make a game for the Wii because of the low resolution graphics, awful online network, and not enough data on the system to store everything. 

After all of my bickering, you'd think the Wii is a bad system right? Well not totally. It's a good system for kids, but when you get old enough to play some of the more mature games, the Wii may get old. In fact, I think the Wii is a bit dated. It definitely had a "wow" factor back when it came out, but not so much anymore. Overall, its not a good system, not a terrible system. I don't recommend it, yet I do. I guess it boils down to this: if you have a kid ages 5-12 then this may be the system for them. If you are a Nintendo fan, get this system. That's about all I can say.

Final Score: 6.75/10 "Okay"

See you next time!

Amazing Reviews: Sonic Generations (PS3, 360, 3DS)

8.5/10

"Great"

Sonic Generations Logo

Hey, remember when Sega made nothing but terrible Sonic games? Haha, that was a goooood time. Well, those times are over thanks to Sonic's most recent outings such as Sonic Colors and this game. If you're a Sonic fan, old or new, you'll love this game because not only are there 3D stages, but now there are also 2D classic Sonic stages. 

"Beautiful environments and smooth animations"

Graphics: Beautiful environments and smooth animations. Unfortunately, the frame rate may go down sometimes.

Controls: I wish I could say they were perfect. Controlling Sonic in a 3D environment is.....better than Sonic Colors....but still is a little wonky to control. Controlling Sonic in a 2D environment is also better than Colors, but still can be hard to get used to.

Fun Factor: The game is surprisingly addicting and the speed in the game can get really fast. Even though the game is short, there are plenty of.....ahem....."sidequests" you can do.

Online Mode: Unfortunately, PS3 and 360 owners only get Leaderboards. 3DS owners get worse graphics, worse controls, laggy online, less stages, no DLC, don't get the original Sonic the Hedgehog as an unlockable, and no leaderboards. Gee, I wonder which version is better. But, 3DS owners do get online races which are pretty laggy unfortunately, but not too too bad. Also Sega was smart with making the console prices 49.99.

Replay Value: Moderate

Recommended Age: 6+: Some stages can be pretty difficult for younger kids.

Final Score: 8.5/10 "Great"

Recomendation Rating: 4/5 Stars

See you next time....

              

Amazing Reviews: Luigi's Mansion (Gamecube)

Luigi's Mansion Title Screen

If there was one game I played constantly when I was younger, that game is Luigi's Mansion. My childhood is filled with fond memories with this game, but does it still hold up after 10 years? Let's find out.

Luigi's Mansion was a launch title for the Gamecube. It was basically showcasing the Gamecube's capabilities.  So, realistically, it would be a short game. And it is. But it's still enjoyable. And you WILL want to play it again.

Concept: The main objective of the game is to find Luigi's brother Mario, who went missing in a mansion filled with ghosts. After a bit, Luigi gains the help of Professor E. Gadd (haha) and the professor give Luigi the Poltergeist 3000 , which is a vacuum that you can use to suck up the ghosts. Then your journey begins in the mansion.

The Poltergeist 3000. Professor E. Gadd is in the lower right corner.

Graphics: When this game first came out, the graphics made me go "WOW!" and they still do look pretty good today. I love the little dust effect while you're walking. They seem to have put a lot of effort into the areas themselves, but the character models could have used a little more work. Overall though, graphics are great.

Controls: The controls work very well.....when you get used to them. Not too big of an issue though.

Fun Factor: The game is very addicting. Too bad it's so short. However, when you beat the game, you can play again in Challenge Mode, where the ghosts have more HP but your Poltergeist 3000 has 1.5 times the sucking power. I like this addition , it adds to the replay ability.

Online Mode: There is no online. Remember, this is a Gamecube game.

Music: You basically hear 1 song through the entire game. It's very catchy though. 

Replay Value: Moderately High

Recommended Age: 7+: Nothing bad about this game but some sections can be difficult for younger kids.

Final Score: 9/10 "Awesome"

Fun Fact:

I am SO glad the game is the way it is. It was originally going to be like this:

You see that gauge at the bottom? That's your vacuum power. If it runs out, you can't use it. I think it would've automatically refilled, but it would have been a SERIOUS annoyance. 

Also, the WORST PART. See that clock? That's your time. You had to beat the game in under 24 hours. That's no fun. D:

Amazing Reviews: Portal 2 (PS3, 360, PC)

Portal 2 logo

I haven't played the original PC classic, Portal. But now, I really wish I had. This is the second game I played on the PS3, and is also one of the best games out there right now.

Concept: This game is a first person puzzle game. You have a portal gun to solve these puzzles. The way you use it is by shooting a portal on a portal surface with R1 or L1 (PS3) then shoot a portal somewhere else using the opposite portal. Then you can walk through one portal and out the next. The puzzles ARE challenging. But I managed to get past the entire story mode without using a walkthrough.

Graphics: The graphics are spectacular. Up close, some textures look a bit muddy, but other than that the visuals are great. 

"The graphics are spectacular"

Controls: The controls are virtually perfect. No complaints in this department.

Fun Factor: Solving puzzles in this game is so satisfying and fun. It's just.....whenever you solve a puzzle you get this feeling of...accomplishment. Truly a great feeling. The online mode is also very addicting and fun.

Online Mode: This game supports 2 player co-op. When you find a partner (which either takes incredibly short or very long) you'll be in a hub world where you can choose which set of levels you would like to tackle first. The game also supports voice chat which makes communicating with your partner easy and efficient. If you want to play with your online buddy, just send an invite. Quick, Easy, Fun.

Replay Value: High

Recommended Age: 12+ - The word "damn" and "hell" can be heard infrequently in the dialogue. 

Final Score: 10/10 "Outstanding"

See you tomorrow!

Amazing Reviews: LittleBIGPlanet (PS3)

LittleBigPlanet boxart

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't been updating recently but finally I am back. And I have a PS3. 

LittleBigPlanet was the first game I had on my PS3. I have gotten some others, but we're here to talk about LittleBigPlanet.

This game makes me wish I had a PS3 sooner! 

Graphics: The first thing I would like to talk about are the graphics, they ARE high definition. There's almost no game that can compare to the visuals of this game. Not on the Xbox 360, not nothing. 

"They ARE high definition"

Controls: The controls are a little tricky to get used to, but not too much of a problem. However, some of the physics are a little awkward. An example would be switching from the middle plane to the back plane to the front plane. Also, jumping is very hard to get used to, but it's not terribly difficult to master.

Fun Factor: I gotta say, this game is soooo addicting and fun! The amount of tools at your disposal to make your own levels, as well as the many online features make this a must have for PS3 owners.

Online Features: The game's online is arguably the best part. Especially with a friend. You could play the entire Story Mode again but with 3 other players....or you could make a level with the help of your friend via the internet.....or play levels other people around the world have made....with up to 3 other players randomly! The online modes of this game are endless....and endless fun!

"Create a level with a friend!"

Replay Value: Very High

Recommended Age: 6+: content is appropriate for all ages! However, I'm not sure if I heard this right but in the intro level the narrator says the word "sexy" but really that's not a problem if he actually did.

Final Score: 9.75/10 "Amazing"

I will start updating sooner so watch for that!