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Game Review – Mario Kart 8

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Game review – Mario Kart 8
Platform – Wii U (exclusive)
Developer – Nintendo

Rating – 9.5/10

theonewhokarts

Vengeance, thy name is Luigi.

Mario Kart is one of those legacy franchises that has become ubiquitous with the Nintendo brand, and I am no stranger to its siren call. I’ve played every single one since the original nearly 25 years ago on the SNES, and own nearly all of them as well. I’m also very good. And by good, I mean comes-in-first-online-consistantly good. In Mario Kart 7, I beat all circuits on all difficulties with a 3 star rating on the first play through. I have to warn people I play with, because I’m just going to win nearly ever time. It’s not a brag, it’s simply that Mario Kart is my game. I know the tracks, I know the tricks, and if I had the opportunity to play the game professionally, I would.

So when I tell you that Mario Kart 8 is the culmination of everything I could possibly expect from such a title, you will fully understand my sentiment.

marioupdown

Kart took a cue from Galaxy and it paid off.

How can such an old series simply continue to shine in the way only Nintendo seems to be able to pull off? Well, it starts by paying attention to what the fans like. It has the most customizability of any Kart game in the franchise, and that really gives you the most sense of individuality of any of them so far. You can even upload your own Mii. It allows you to cater to your own style of racing in a way that lets you feel the road as you like, but without overwhelming you with options which have you tweaking for hours. It’s a well balanced system that leaves nothing feeling particularly over or underpowered.

Next come the maps. I’m always hesitant to suggest that any developer is capable of reinventing their own formula, and while I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that Nintendo has indeed done so, I cannot deny that the tracks are truly spectacular. All of the new circuits are gorgeous eye-candy, and extremely fun to boot. Even the classic tracks and circuits have received varying face-lifts (some are almost exactly the same, while others have taken some significant liberties that don’t seem much like their original predecessors at all), but in ways that only improve them. I was trying not to be overly impressed due to my long-term bias towards the franchise, but I simply couldn’t help myself. Every track has that vibrant charm only Nintendo can execute with such precise consistency.

MK8_N64-RainbowRoad

Think you're good at Kart 64's Rainbow Road? Think again.

There’s nothing much revolutionary coming from items and powerups, but there are a few new ones that really stick out. There’s a boomerang and it is a lot of fun to fling around. There’s a “Super Horn” which creates a large area of effect shockwave around you capable of knocking out just about everything including that pesky Blue shell. But the new stand out item for me is the Piranha Plant, which both boosts you ahead faster, while also chomping on anything that gets in your way, including projectiles and other players. There’s also an 8 now, to replace the former Lucky 7, which has a similar effect.

The one thing particularly apparent about this game, however, is the challenge it presents in 150cc mode and online play. I was taken aback by the difficulty level, even with my experience, and that’s not a bad thing. You have to fight to get into first, and there’s no guarantee you will hold on, because the other racers are most certainly relentless in their pursuit.

mario-kart-8-150cc-difficulty

I'm not saying 150cc is hard... I'm saying it's like trying to open a can of beans with a rusty spoon held between your butt-cheeks.

It’s fast, it’s difficult, and you will love every minute of it. But don’t take my word for it… Recent figures are showing over 1000% increase of Wii U sales since the release of Mario Kart 8, pushing it past the Xbox One and catching up to the PS4. This merely proves Nintendo’s commitment to first-party content, and this game is no anomaly in that department.

If you like Mario Kart games, get it. If you like racing games, get it. If you like Nintendo games, get it. If you like games with a real sense of challenge and replayability, get it. Hell, there’s almost no reason not to get it if you consider yourself a gamer, whether casual or hardcore, young or old. You will not be disappointed.

/gameon

P.S. Luigi will haunt your dreams.

Game Review – Divinity: Original Sin

/ pfomega / 2 Comments

Game review – Divinity: Original Sin
Platform – PC (exclusive)
Developer – Larian Studios

Rating – 10/10

cowsim

This game review brought to by animals with more personality than your co-workers.

Since I want to give you some insight into the types of games I play, I’m going to start with some reviews for games I personally play a lot. Let’s start this off with a bang.

For all you Steam users out there, it’s no secret that Divinity: Original Sin has been a popular title for several weeks now, even while it was in Early Access. Since I have been a little too enthusiastic with my purchases of unfinished games in the past, I figured I would wait until official release of this one. Being the Steam junkie I am, I was also going to wait for it to go on sale as I often find games aren’t worth $40+. However, this game has been receiving nothing but high praise from the RPG community, and has been widely heralded as the Baldur’s Gate 3 fans have been waiting for. Then, a few weeks ago, I noticed my friends list filling up with people playing D:OS, including one of my close friends who was raving about it. I had to bite.

Was I ever not disappointed.

divinity-original-sin-21-1024x576

ffs... Two characters to create? I'm the kinda guy who spends an hour just molding the face.

Simply put, Divinity: Original Sin is a masterpiece. It’s hard to describe just how engaging and enthralling this title is. It doesn’t hold your hand, yet the world unfolds before you as if turning the pages of a book you can’t put down.

It is a role-playing game in the truest sense. Fans of the classic turn-based combat system will absolutely love it. It brings the environment and the elements into play in with intense, destructive, and decisive battles which will leave you feeling satisfied after almost every fight. I’m not talking about a few crumbling scenery pieces, either. You can set the whole map on fire, and put it out by making it rain until there are puddles. Then, you can freeze the puddles and cause those standing on the ice to slip and fall. Control of the elements becomes very important in combat as well as in solving puzzles and disarming traps.

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One well-placed lightning bolt into a pool of water = a pile of stunned orcs. Don't have any of your own party in the water, though...

The overarching story is interesting without being invasive, and even pretty funny at times. The voice cast is clever and cheeky; full of colorful and memorable characters.

diedbydying

Such a tragic way to go.

While it’s not a grand departure from other RPG stories, it’s no less compelling. It nods to its predecessors, and then embraces its fans with a dense, sprawling world of seemingly endless exploration and discovery. There are monsters of every size and composition. You almost never know what to expect going into each new battle. Sometimes you reign victorious with ease. Other times, you feel like the game has unleashed a wrath of anger and torment upon you, completely changing your perception of battle or it may simply wipe out your entire party in a single, fuck-your-decision-making-skills moment.

2014-08-19_00001

Um... Shit.

Did I mention it’s dense? I’m talking, core-of-a-dying-star, dense.  Trying to find and unlock every cave and crevasse in this game is an adventure unto itself. Just when you think you’ve carved a slice off of this game’s grandeur, it turns around and shows you it’s but a small chip off the corner. Character customization is endlessly diverse, and your bottomless inventory is merely a testament to the amount of collectables and crafting available.

FTl7fkX

Do I do good for the leadership bonus, or do I do evil for the sneaking bonus? Hmm....

If the value of a game is based on $ per hour played, then $40 for Divinity: Original Sin might be the best deal of your life. I’m 100 hours in, and I’m roughly halfway through to the end. I’m sure it has been completed in much less time… but I like to be thorough, what can I say? This game provides the environment in which one can enjoy being “he who must explore every corner,” and rewards you for it. Larian Studios has set the bar a little higher for the gaming industry.

/gameon

awesomersmell

P.S. Talk to the animals.

Obligatory first post.

/ pfomega / 2 Comments

allthememes

Because memes.

Well here I am, another gamer putting up a blog in the hopes of creating some sort of existence in the digital world. Fun, right?

I do, perhaps think of myself as more than a gamer on occasion. I work in the game industry as well as play. I have a pretty banging PC tower (obligatory hashtag, #pcmasterrace), but I don’t entirely hate console peasants. I still own nearly every Nintendo console ever made… but maybe I’m not a purist because I don’t have a Virtual Boy. I guess I’m just not that nostalgic when it comes to failed experiments.

IMG_1818

 Yeah... no.

So why am I writing this blog when there is already a sea full of blogs and “legitimate” game review sites? Well, for one thing, I’m pretty tired of a lot of the publications out there. When I see IGN give some wretched, old franchise regurgitation from one of the big 3 publishers (don’t worry, we’ll get to them later) a 90 on metacritic, while the user score sits somewhere around 2.0, it makes me want to stab myself in the eyes with a fire-poker burning with the heat of a thousand suns.

ign-rating-for-call-of-duty-ghosts_gp_2430213

Fair warning... Activision is high on my shit list.

Also, don’t get even get me started on how grossly overrated these so-called “next generation” consoles are (nevertheless, I will eventually get started). We’re getting close to a year since release and there are still no titles worth the price of entry. Suddenly, everyone’s faith in Nintendo is returning because they give a shit about making quality titles even with their vastly older franchises with more brand power than the Pope.

the-great-supper-game-mascots-nintendo-mario-sonic-capcom

Remember when the blue hedgehog was Mario's biggest competitor? Now, he lives in his eStore.

I will also likely preach about the church of Valve and their rather exemplary contribution to the industry. I guess it helps when your CEO/Founder is the biggest stereotype basement gamer nerd I can possibly imagine — and I honestly mean that in the best possible way. He’s clearly a guy who gives many of the fucks you might expect from such a character. He cares about his company name, and he cares about the industry as a whole. Not to mention his most popular and lucrative title is not only free to play, but has professional gaming tournaments with $10 million prize pools. While I’m not personally a big fan of DOTA 2, it’s hard not to get carried away in the grandeur of it all. Much respect to the Gabe.

Key-Arena

“It’s not a sport. " - John Skipper, President of ESPN

So, I’m a little passionate. This is the internet. Please try not to take it too seriously. You can call this a place to vent, a place to show off, and a place to pretend like maybe I know about things and even influence other people in some minute way. Maybe provide an example for how people should appreciate developers who actually care about making good games over high profits, or share with my fellow gamers in the love of this grand institution of artwork and skilled programming. Or… perhaps just say, “fuck it,” and post memes because they cater to the lowest common denominator of primate decision making and therefore incite the fastest consumer response!

Either way, it’ll probably be fun for at least one person. Me.

/gameon

fuckit

P.S. I hate you if you don't love this movie.