Reviews
Kid Icarus: Uprising Review
(Originally posted on splitkick.com. Thanks to the Splitkick team for the edits!)
Kid Icarus on the NES has its fair share of fans, but I’m not one of them. I’ve given the game multiple honest tries, and have always felt that its particular blend of platforming and shooting don’t gel in a way to create a fun experience. Though fans clamored for a new entry in the franchise, I couldn’t have cared less to see Pit star in another game, if it meant a retread of his 2D platforming roots.
Then I played Kid Icarus: Uprising. It is not the retread I was expecting. Instead, it’s a game far more ambitious – and awesome – than I ever would have imagined.
Too Many Cinderellas Review
In a story almost as old as stories themselves, Prince Charming has fallen in love with Cinderella. Unfortunately for him, she ran away as the clock struck midnight, and she’s probably not coming back. This is the setup for Too Many Cinderellas, a card game for two-to-four players. Looking to you and your friends for help, what you’re actually going to do is try to convince the heartbroken and confused prince that the woman, man, or cat in your entourage is actually the maiden he met on that fateful night.
Good Cop Bad Cop Review
In Good Cop Bad Cop, the police are trying to shake out the crooked cops from their ranks. What starts out as an investigation will escalate to a full-blown gunfight until one of the leaders of each side is dead. Do you want to step inside the police precinct and get entangled with a messy war on corruption?
Mad Catz Fightstick Alpha Review
Best known for their popular TE line of premium arcade fightsticks, Mad Catz jumps into the entry-level market with the Fightstick Alpha. Contained in a small shell with a price tag to match, Mad Catz hopes that this product can provide fighting game players with the experience of using a fightstick without breaking the bank. Is this the starter fightstick for you?
Lanterns: The Harvest Festival Review
The harvest is in and it’s time to celebrate! In Lanterns: The Harvest Festival, players act as artisans, decorating the lake around the castle with colourful lanterns. The player who earns the most honour by the end of the process is declared the winner. This isn’t a process that I’m familiar with in real life, but it does make for a neat and fairly light strategy game that sort of evokes the feelings that come with Ticket to Ride and Carcasonne.
Indie Game: The Movie Review
(Originally posted on splitkick.com. Thanks to the Splitkick team for the edits!)
“I will kill myself if I don’t finish this game,” proclaims Phil Fish, when asked about next steps if he fails to complete Fez, the game he’s been creating for over 4 years. People generally don’t mean it when they use that expression, but there’s an undeniable air of sincerity that accompanies Phil’s words. Why would a man be ready to kill himself over a game? Within minutes of watching Indie Game: The Movie, the answer becomes readily apparent.
Paperback Review
Paperback by Tim Fowler puts players in the shoes of aspiring writers. Pouring over each word, players compete to become the most famous writer of the bunch by completing work on paperback novels. No, you won’t actually have to write novels to win the game, but your vocabulary will be put to the test in a game that is equal parts Scrabble and Dominion. Are you ready to become the next J.K. Rowling, Stephen King or Nicholas Sparks?
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre Review
From its insanely long title to its artwork that is equal parts cartoony and metal, Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre needs no help in the style department. Heck, the game even comes with a cardboard standee of the mountain just for the added ambiance. But does this wizard battle royale have the substance to keep you coming back for more?
Mark of the Ninja Review
(Originally posted on splitkick.com. Thank you to the Splitkick team for the edits!)
Perched atop a lamppost, I spot my targets. Directly below me are three gun-toting foes who have no idea what’s coming to them. I could simply grapple to the adjacent rooftop to continue my mission, but my bloodlust is running high. I ask myself, “Do I want to cloud their vision with a smoke bomb, then stab each of them in the back? Or can I come up with something more clever?” Scanning my inventory, I find just the thing to liven up this party. In an instant, a swarm of ravenous insects showers down on one of my enemies. As the insects make quick work of his flesh, his partners freak out, and accidentally shoot each other in the commotion. Recognizing that my work was done, I slip off into the darkness to continue my quest.
Though it’s a stretch to classify Mark of the Ninja as a simulation, this 2D stealth platformer makes me feel more like a real ninja than any other video game I’ve played before. Marrying concepts from the NES Ninja Gaiden games with the Arkham series of Batman titles, it’s also one of the coolest games I’ve played in 2012.
In Third Person 