The story picks up with Kirby hanging out with his friends, when a spaceship crashes near them. From there Kirby decides he is going to help this stranger repair their ship and live happily ever after. Not a super deep storyline. In fact, compared to last year’s Epic Yarn, this story is weak. The good news is that with the excellent gameplay the story is completely unnecessary.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is a perfect 2D platformer. Kirby utilizes his copy abilities to defeat bad guys as he traverses through seven worlds. The copy abilities seem to have new layers as all of them have secondary abilities based on direction buttons and some even require fighter style combos.  None of these are overly complex and even if you can’t remember them all, the basic move for each power is perfectly usable. Seasoned gamers might be a little turned off by how easy the initial play through is, though some of the energy spheres can be hard to find. The energy spheres are hidden extras that can unlock bonuses. Collecting all the energy spheres also allows you to battle the final boss.

On top of a few new copy abilities Return to Dream Land introduces super abilities. These five abilities have a set time limited use and for the most part attack a large portion of the screen.  They are also usually used in levels to destroy parts of the level that unlock secret areas. I really wish there were more chances to use these abilities but you would be basically unstoppable and the game would be done in about 10 minutes.

Multiplayer options are available in this game similar to Epic Yarn, however this time around you can have a full four players. Player one must play as Kirby. However, each additional player can play as a different coloured Kirby or one of three other characters.  The other characters are Meta Knight, Waddle Dee, and King Dedede. Each has their own attack: King Dedede swings his trademark hammer, Meta Knight wields a sword, and Waddle Dee totes spear. The multiplayer mode is actually a lot of fun and can be started at anytime. All an additional player needs to do is push a button on their controller. The drawbacks to this are that only one player can have a super ability at a time. So even if you have four Kirbys only one of them can have a super ability. The next issue is that player one acts as an anchor on the screen, where if the other players fall to far behind they get dragged to player ones position without taking any damage. This can be beneficial at times but at other times such as bosses this can be deadly. The final problem is how lives are handled. Lives are shared so the additional players could use all of them quickly, since even their initial opting in takes a life.  The other life issue is that only if player one dies does the level end. This is why the other players could accidentally run through the lives without realising it. This is somewhat balanced out by health items being something you can share. This is done by running into another character face-to-face, at which point it looks like the two are making out. This keeps the players on more friendly terms since you don’t need to compete for health.

Graphics are simple and beautiful. The updated style is exactly how I would envision the original Kirby games being updated for the Wii. The system isn’t being pushed by this game and yet the game is stunning and reminds me why I love traditional platform games. There are too many games to mention that are supposedly graphic masterpieces that I would trade for more games like this one.

The game is a wonderful call back to what games use to be. The co-op is one of the friendliest I’ve seen for this style of game, though getting everyone to have their preferred power can be hard at times. Yes, the game will visually appeal to younger gamers but if you judge this game on that, you are missing out. If you don’t own a Wii, I can’t in good conscience say this is the game to buy a Wii for even with how delightful it is; but if you own a Wii, make sure to add this to your Christmas list or go buy it now. Seriously. Go. Buy. Now.

As a rail shooter, the game simply requires you to aim at the screen and shoot anything and everything that moves. The controls are relatively intuitive during the shooting, however using stuff like the knife and grenades can be clunky with the Wii’s simplistic control scheme. This is avoided to an extent with three different control schemes, two of which are for the Wii Remote alone and the other for use with a gun peripheral and nunchuk. The gun style is nice but at times it is easy to forget all your additional controls on the nunchuk. This was one of the games that came out to exploit the Wii Zapper but really the Nyko Perfect Shot is much better for this and really any shooter game on the Wii.

The graphics aren’t bad during gameplay. There are some resolution issues but with the enemies being zombies it isn’t too bad and might even add to some of the creepiness. The backgrounds are varied but very flat. The saving grace is that the backgrounds are very interactive allowing for lights and windows to be shot, as well as later levels allowing for chandeliers to be shot down onto hordes of zombies. The real graphics that stand out as pure horrible is cut scenes involving the playable characters. The players look oddly waxen and have really dead and soulless eyes. This harsh contrast actually makes them more terrifying than the zombies attacking you.

The rail system is nice since you don’t need to know where you are going yourself but it also has its own problems. The main problem is there are times when the camera just wildly darts around. Yes, you can shoot the enemies but it is unlikely you have time to kill an enemy unless you can always get a critical hit. The critical hits in this game can potentially take the enemies down in one blow, such as the zombies’ heads being a good starting point. During certain parts you have plenty of time to gun down the enemies but other times that is not possible.

Multiplayer mode can definitely make the game easier since you can focus on different enemies upping your chances of survival considerably.  So to balance the power of numbers Capcom decided the players should share certain things that make it harder and not share things that would make it convenient. The most important thing you share is health. This is actually pretty reasonable since it would be hard to differentiate who got hit when the enemies are just swinging at the screen. However, ammo pickups scattered through the level are kept by the character who grabs it first and not distributed. In a regular game, this is standard but in a game that depends on both players staying alive a little sharing by default would be nice. Instead by the end of a level either one person is equipped like a one man army, while your partner is struggling with a pop gun or you are having to take turns and risk missing a weapon because the player whose ‘turn’ it is to grab the weapon can’t get to it fast enough.

The story is very much a streamlined version of the three mentioned games as well as adding background information that wasn’t in the originals.  This is done either with documents you can pick up in each level, but also with an additional story where you can play as some of the antagonists to learn their stories. The documents really shed light on how terrible the always looming Umbrella Corporation really is.

Normally, I am not a fan of the Resident Evil series due to the core mechanics. However, the streamlined non-thinking rail shooter style I do enjoy.  There are still plenty of issues that make the game hard to sit and play for any long amount of time but it is a good game if you just want to play a level on random occasions.

The game choices seem interesting to me because two of the biggest, Bioshock Infinite and Resistance 3, have no Move support.  In fairness this is still up in the air for Resistance 3 but Bioshock 3 will absolutely not support Move.  This seems weird because they make the claim that their motion control is somehow more mature than others.  At the same time maybe Sony is right not to push this since porting to the Wii for third-party games would become much easier. The big game that will feature support for Move will be NBA 2K12, which from what I understand is a basketball game.

The more targeted innovation for games was a push for 3D TVs. Once again this will be great for Sony, since their current push seems to be their 3D TVs. A lot of games showed up on the floor with this, but once again Bioshock Infinite opted out on this feature. This is probably because it is also on the PC and Xbox 360, which aren’t slated to pick up 3D games till much later in the year.

Now for new hardware, the big thing was the Playstation Vita. This is Sony’s answer to the 3DS. The big news for this is the price point of $299 US. This is only $50 more than Nintendo’s 3DS. Functionality wise the system is on par with the 3DS but with better graphics minus the 3D.  The system itself is also sleeker by comparison and most likely, based on Nintendo’s past, probably supports the online play in a much cleaner way. Although as I say that I am reminded of the current network issues, but still no online is as bad as Nintendo’s friend codes.

While the Playstation Vita was the big hardware announcement, Sony also had a Playstation branded 24” television on display. The screen is 1080p which is pretty pointless since the human eye cannot perceive the 1080p at this size.  This was geared toward college students and came with two pairs of glasses. Let me cover what this TV isn’t. First it doesn’t have the PS3 built into it, it is just designed with the system in mind in close quarters like dorm rooms. The glasses do not have to be worn but the glasses aren’t just for the upcoming 3D games.  Instead the glasses are utilized for two player games, at least two player games that support 3D in one-player mode.  The glasses are specific to the player and rather than splitting the screen between players, the glasses filter out a portion of the displayed image giving the players individual screens on one TV. If you’re not wearing the glasses the screen looks like two images on top of each other and potentially just a huge blur.  This still strikes me as a fantastic idea and one the other systems can hopefully embrace in some way. The only thing that I haven’t been able to figure out is the angles required from the players.  The setup for this TV was a mock dorm so players were seated close to the screen making it hard to tell what angle is required.

Overall, Playstation came to the show strong and probably prepared to come under criticism about the network hiccup.  If anyone was still focused on that after the show, they might be blind to the fact that Sony is also moving into new technologies.

Nintendo does seem to be giving the DS a pretty good send off.  Two of the final games for the system are Professor Layton and a new Kirby. Professor Layton and the Last Specter is as fantastic as all the other installments but not much is actually new to the gameplay.  Although, really, I can’t begin to imagine how they could change it without ruining the game. Kirby on the other hand seems to be a new take on the series.  This installment takes the platform to a new level by mixing in what they have deemed realtime strategy.  What it looks like to me is more using the new powers at the right time. The new power is the ability for Kirby to split into multiple Kirbys.  Basically the idea is very similar to The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure but on a larger level.

The Wii titles this year were also pretty scarce.  I don’t think this is a sign of the Wii coming to an early end but it does make me think the transition is going to be very abrupt when the time comes. The big game was still The new Legend of Zelda title, but three other games caught my eye just as much. The first is Kirby and maybe it isn’t well known but Kirby is a powerhouse in my book.  This installment seems to revert back to the older style of inhaling enemies and stealing their powers. The addition of extra powers is also very exciting. The more exciting news is the multiplayer to the extent of having four players at once.  The only thing is the non-Kirby players most likely function in a different way. I wish that there had been more shown in this regard. The other two exciting games are Mario Party 9 and Fortune Street. Both games are board game style games. The announcement of Mario Party 9  surprised me as Wii Party seemed to be the new direction.  I’m actually happy this isn’t the case.  The other game Fortune Street is Square Enix’s take on the board game using Dragon Quest and Mario characters. This one has potential for the Monopoly fan and plenty of opportunities to annoy others.  The game seems to focus on real-estate and stock style strategy.

Overall, the main game news seems to have been saved for the 3DS.  At the same time the news on the DS and Wii are nothing to laugh at or ignore. Though at the same time it is probably safe to assume that next year’s E3 will have few, if any games for the Wii and almost no chance for DS games.

The most surprising and interesting of these was the virtual space. Because the controller seems to be a game centric iPad, this allows developers to place things off screen that can be viewed with out changing the main camera angle. I especially like this for the golf demo they showed, even though this use seemed entirely for novelty use.

The only true game shown using the controller was Super Mario Bros. Mii. This alone seemed to be a good selling point, since you can leave the TV and still play the game directly on the controller. I am totally sure parents will love this functionality especially.

However, this leads me to the main problem I see coming up with the Wii U. In the Mario demo the kid playing switches from the Wii Remote to the Wii U’s tablet controller. The other demos were either an individual using the tablet or one person on the tablet while anyone else playing was always on the Wii remote. This harkens back to what was said earlier in the presentation, that the system won’t be cheap. In fairness, since it is superior graphics to all current consoles I was expecting this. However, with the only one person using the controller at any given time makes me think the controller alone costs a small fortune. In the case of the Wii, the controllers were expensive enough if you wanted remotes and nunchuks but this may be even more expensive then those two combined.

The graphics that the system showed seemed promising but the price point may be what drives people away. The saving grace to this potential cost issue is that all the Wii’s peripherals will carry over to the new system, so maybe we can save money there. Overall, we won’t know until the price has been announced and even then more games showing the tablet’s real value need to be shown.

The Work Boy was a keyboard and stand that could be attached to the Game Boy.  Some of the basic functions included were a clock, calendar, calculator, and a map that would give you basic info for major areas. Then the more pointless ones are the conversion calculators for things like temperature or currency.  There is also an app to keep track of your bank account, because that is what handheld game systems are for.

The most ridiculous application however is the ability to make phone calls.  Well not to the extent that the system itself makes them.  Instead you dial the phone number on the system then hold the speaker to a phone and it will autodial a number based on the sounds that a telephone actually picks up and translates.  I’m not entirely sure how this option is any better than just dialing but I guess if you couldn’t remember the number it would be good to put the number somewhere for preparation.

The only thing that seems like it would be useful, and use the full keyboard, is the day planner.  The day planner works pretty much as a text editor. Yet, even with an actual usable application this peripheral didn’t sell well.  This is probably due to the target audience of the Game Boy being the exact opposite of the Work Boy.  Now versus the other pocket organizers available in 1992 it really isn’t much worse or better.  In fact looking back a pen and some paper were probably the best thing to carry around.

It is interesting to look back on these peripherals and realize that there have always been stupid ones and companies will make more and more of these. Maybe Nintendo can release their Vitality Sensor to add to the list.

Lunar: Dragon Song takes place 1000 years before Silver Star Story.  From here the story struggles to keep focus.  The previous games had story and depth and, yes, very predictable plot points, but this game seems to try and remove all but the staple plot points.  This makes the characters exceptionally flat, I’m talking nearly subatomic flat.  The game could have been a lot more if it had simply been longer and taken time to explain the characters’ motivations.  By the end of this game dialogue became more of a chore and finishing the game seemed like just an end point rather than a real conclusion.

Unfortunately, the story isn’t the only shortcoming.  The battle system was altered to a point that makes the game needlessly complex and sometimes harder.  First going into battle makes you choose between two modes, virtue and combat.  Virtue mode is the only way to gain experience from battles while combat mode is the only way to gain items from battle.  Versus all other RPGs I’ve played this is really counter intuitive.  In fairness, unless you want to collect all the enemy cards, virtue mode is what you will stay in during the game.  Also the designers thought they would be creative and use the DS’s microphone allowing you to shout commands.  Because there is nothing like yelling “run” at the top of your lungs, which on a sidenote if you leave this option on a lot of ambient noises can trigger the running away.  Beyond this the game uses a lot of standard RPG controls including using enemy cards for extra effects.

Due to the previous games I expect a lot from the music and graphics.  The good news is that the graphics maintain well versus the other remakes and improving the look.  I could have done with more animated cutscenes but I accept that there are limitations to what handheld systems can do. The music however is lackluster and boring.  The normal repeating loop is in the background and due to the limited story cutscenes there is no really dynamic musical portion.  Now a part that I don’t mind is the lack of voiced dialogue.  This could have been made even better had I been able to name the characters.  It made sense in the previous games where I couldn’t name characters due to voiceovers, but this game has no excuse.

If you want an RPG that represents the DS then steer clear of this game.  If you love the Lunar series also steer clear of this game.  If you want an RPG where you need not pay attention to story, hate good combat systems, and/or hate yourself then and only then should you even think about touching this game.

There are three Bomberman games on the iPhone that are reminiscent of the originals and capture the simple game play really well.  Once again blowing things up is the overall objective.  However, a story has been added, putting Bomberman in an Indiana Jones style role and the options of what path you want to take.  The paths really aren’t all that important though because you have to go through all of them to get to the last boss.

The different routes have subtle graphical differences, but really being a bunch of walls to blow up the subtle changes can be easily overlooked.  Even so the story with the nostalgic gameplay is great.  On top of the nostalgic value, other aspects were added such as extra weapons.  The bombs that you get to detonate, yourself for example, are very useful.  The special weapons you get later are kind of hit or miss and by the time you are ready for the boss fight they become kind of useless.  I believe these games, or at least similar Bomberman adventures, are offered on the home consoles.

The home consoles are probably a better place for these games, in all reality.  The game itself is not an issue, but instead the controls.  I have played other games on the iPhone that have you using an on screen directional pad and, like this one; I have yet to find one that does it well.  I think the real problem is that there is nothing tactile to keep your finger from sliding the wrong way.  So if you are playing for any amount of time there is a good chance that your character is going to end up veering up rather than left, just as an example.  Most of the time in this game that won’t make or break you, but other times you might end up wedged between a wall and a bomb, which isn’t ideal.

If you want a Bomberman game on your phone this is a lot of fun and I am not trying to knock it.  But if you have a directional pad in your iPhone game you might want to just get a different game.  And in case anyone is wondering, trying to play it on the iPad doesn’t help in fact maybe even a bit harder with all the additional space.

Viewtiful Joe follows Joe, a movie lover that is pulled into the movie world in an attempt to rescue his girl, Sylvia. Nothing too exciting there and for the most part pretty standard, but then Joe is given a watch from his movie hero, who at this point is getting old. This watch allows Joe to transform into a super sentai style character. Through a majority of the first game he attempts to come up with a cool superhero name final deciding on Viewtiful Joe.  In the end, Joe of course saves Sylvia, who then turns and also becomes a hero, Sexy Sylvia.  Within the first game you could replay the games with other characters which altered the cut scenes but mostly played the same.

The second game brought in Sexy Sylvia as a main stay.  Compared to Joe’s hand-to-hand combat style, Sylvia had guns.  These were used as an additional puzzle aspect in the second game.  Besides these basic styles the hero forms allowed Joe and the others to utilize movie powers. This ranged from altering the passage of time to zooming in for a close up. Each game added more such as the second game giving Sylvia replay abilities. These powers could be used in different ways such as fast forward allowing Joe to strike something enough times and fast enough to catch on fire to deal more damage. Further into the games, these powers needed to be used in conjunction to either make the bosses easier or even to get through puzzles.

Graphic wise this was when cel-shading was new and the thing to do. In this case, the cel-shading lends well to the movie themed levels. The atmosphere fits and even the serious levels have a colourful and fun feel. Along with the trips through different movie themes the music also changes accordingly.

The spinoffs, on DS and Gamecube/PSP, are also pretty good.  In the case of Red Hot Rumble on Gamecube and PSP, they basically tried to do a party fighting game in the vein of Smash Bros.  Unfortunately, this game is easily the weakest. While it shares the same look and characters as all the others, it doesn’t seem to capture the series.  Double Trouble, on the DS, however does feel like it could have been the third game that never happened.  The only thing that makes it obviously not the finale is the unconnected storyline. This one adds two more powers called “Scratch” and “Split”.  In these cases you are directly affecting the film.  This mainly was to use the DS’s touch screen and manipulates other onscreen objects.

Overall, I miss this series and wish it could have had the ending it deserved. If you can pick any of these up, in anyway, it should be done. However, if you can only find Red Hot Rumble go ahead and avoid it because that is not a measure of what this series really is.

Well this couldn’t be further from the truth.  The game removes the college as the hub for everything; instead you have boxes that hold the movies.  Within each movie, there is a giant hub where things are gradually unlocked and this is definitely where the problems begin.

The hubs also have minigames and hidden areas, which is the only way to unlock everything.  Most of these are so obscure that unless you use a walkthrough you will be searching for hours on end.  Now some are fun and simplistic, like the ones where you grab a specific vehicle and race around.  Although, these aren’t even perfect as the vehicles are difficult to control and the view does not zoom out enough to see where the next marker is, those problems aside I still like running things down in a vehicle.  Other areas that need to be unlocked are only accessible by using the flying vehicles to parachute into, which I guess seems intuitive, unless you don’t realize there are flying vehicles.

Other minigames needed to achieve 100% require you to go back into the main levels. Since this is the first LEGO game to have a different level inside a level you already played, it is initially very confusing.  On top of this, the levels are darkened the second time through making it difficult to discern parts of the level at times.  Some levels call for this change based on what happens in the main story missions but other times it is unnecessary and annoying.  The good thing about these levels is that it lets you know the types of characters you need, rather than just making you go in and out till you figure out exactly what you need.

The good news is that, other than the vehicles, the controls carry over well from the previous game.  The characters that are in the game for the most part make sense to have, while others such as zombie mannequins don’t make much sense.  The vehicles, since most function similarly, can be a lot of fun.  I mean really who doesn’t want to drive a refrigerator around in the desert.  The flying vehicles are also a convenience if you need to get around the hubs faster.

The stories are what confuse me the most.  I understand that for younger audiences Crystal Skull is the freshest in their minds, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be divided into three parts while the other movies are boiled down to one abridged segment.  For how much people bad mouth Crystal Skull, it surprises me that it is given so much importance.

Overall, the game is good.  It would have been better if this was the first one and the other was the second so you would see an improvement.  That seems mean but I do love the original trilogy and this one just seems over the top and being presented as LEGO doesn’t help its case.