Mario and Donkey Kong : Minis on the move Review

(sorry about the bad pictures, I don't have any capture software for a 3DS so i had to make do :( )

Mario And Donkey Kong as you can tell by the name has become less of a battle between heroic Mario and the tyrannical Mr Kong. The previous entries in the series were usually based on a flimsy story that did not help the progress of the game. It was there just for the sake of being there. In this game they have given up and that and it is just a simple puzzle game. This improves the game a lot because it removes many of the pointless cut scenes however i have watched the credits about 3 times because it insists on showing you them every time you complete a "world" (more on this later).

This game revolves around getting the mini Marios (Paulines, Toads,  Peaches or Donkey Kongs) to the end of a course, In itself this is quite a simple task. The skill (and fun) of this game is collecting all of the M tokens as well. The game is broken down into 6 different sections: 

Mario's main event

In this game mode you have to get 1 mini to the end of a course using blocks that drop into your block storage area. If this block storage area fills up it's game over. If the mini falls of the edge it's game over. if you run out of time, you guessed it, it's game over. This mode teaches you the basics of the game such as trampolines, launch kongs and warp pipes. These all need to be used properly to reach the end of the course. Once you clear the first 10 levels of this mode the next mode is unlocked. I enjoy this mode however i find it very frustrating when the whole level is filled and you lose because your block storage location fills up (only 5 spaces). There are 70 levels in this mode so there is lots of content to fight your way through. Once you complete the first 10 you unlock the next area.

Puzzle Palace

The game mode is a lot slower paced and more about thinking that the first mode. In this mode you have a limited amount of tiles and you need to navigate your mini to the end of the course. many of the basic rules from the first mode apply to this mode as well. In this mode there are no time limits so you can take as long as you like to complete the puzzle. I enjoy this mode a lot due to the lack of time limit. It requires a lot of thinking to successfully navigate your mini to the end of the course with limited resources. Once the first 10 levels are completed the next "world" is unlocked.

Many Mini Mayhem

This mode has lots of minis (well between 1 and 4 anyway). These minis have to be navigated to the end of the course. In this mode you can't place blocks you can only move them around (many blocks are already placed and you drag them on the touchscreen). This mode is one of the better modes in my opinion. It is as frantic as mario's main event but it lacks the frustration of the storage area, It is also quite a difficult puzzle area however i feel that the puzzles in this mode are easier to solve that the other "worlds".

Giant Jungle

Giant jungle as you have probably guessed uses massive levels. This mode is just a super sized version of mario's main event however there are a few changes. You must collect 10 stars instead of the usual Mario coins. I haven't really played this mode due to mass rage quits  This mode is the harder mode of the 4 because of the very harsh time limit. If you collect 9 of the ten stars and then run out of time, chances are you wont try the level again for a while (that was my problem with it anyway).

Online Features

This game has a level editor and a level sharing option for use online. There is also a rating system so you know how good the levels are before testing them. In theory this is a good idea however there are a few flaws with this system. There are many levels which are very simple (no player input is required) because this game has just been released many of these levels are in the top rated. it can be a pain trying to find a level that is more of a challenge. Searching for levels also has very limited options  You can choose between best of all time, best weekly and random. There is also an option for viewing friends levels. This can be very useful if you have friends with the game. I was quite disappointed with the level editor. I had hoped that you could choose which game type you would like to play but you are forced to use the Marios main event rules.

Mini Games

This game features the standard fare of mini games that are usually included with the modern portable Mario games. This games have you using the touchscreen in many intuitive ways. I have not really tried these mini games but they are enjoyable for a short amount of time. 2 of the mini games have you using a catapult to launch mini Marios at a target. In one of the mini games you are shooting at balloons with different characters images on them (you get different points depending on the character) and the other mini game sees you shooting at shapes which you must destroy. This mode uses the 3D very well. The other mini game has you reeling in shy guys using the touch screen. I have not tried this mini game yet So i can not comment. The final mini game has you moving mini Mario up and down to avoid bullet bills and collect coins. 

This collection of mini games has multiple levels for each and i feel that it is a very enjoyable way to kill time. They are not as enjoying as the puzzles from the main game however the added content is welcome.

Overall 

i feel that this game has a huge amount of content for an E-shop game, I've clocked up a lot of game time on this game and i still haven't finished it. This game is almost on the same level as the professor Layton and portal series at a less steep price. This can can be picked up on the e-shop for a few pounds. The game provides a mass of content that any avid puzzler should enjoy. The only flaws in the game are due to my incompetence. Nintendo is once again continuing to outshine many developers when it comes to creating simple, cheap puzzle games. The price is slightly more than an IOS game but it provides a lot more enjoyment. The 3D visuals in this game are also very well used. They create a very interesting sense of depth in each stage.

Luigi's Mansion 2

Luigi's Mansion 2 

Review

Introduction to the game:

The SinglePlayer:

He's back! The lean green ghost capturing machine with his mighty Poltergust! More than 10 years ago the first Luigi's Mansion came out on the GameCube,  Luigi's Mansion 1 & 2 were developed by "Next Level Games", who were also the developers of the "Mario Strikers" series. And Luigi's Mansion 2 is finally here, on Nintendo 3DS!

This game takes place in a place called "Evershade Valley", when Professor E. Gadd requires Luigi's help because the Dark Moon is mysteriously shattered into 6 pieces, consequently the ghosts go mad, and start wrecking E.Gadd's lab, because the ghosts were helping the professor with his research. Luigi must travel to 5 different mansion to get the Dark Moons shards back, the 6th one is with King Boo, who isn't in a mansion, he is hiding in his own illusion.

Unlike the free roam on Luigi's Mansion 1, the mansions in this game are mission based, in each mission you can find a boo and try and get 3 star rank, you get a better rank the more money you collect and the time it takes you to do it, the shorter the time, the more points you get, if you find the boo in each mission, you unlock an extra mission for the mansion where you captured all the boos, you can also find gems in the mansions, for finding all the gems in each mansion, you get special rewards! The mansions all have something different to offer, they are also in different locations.

Evershade Valley.

The Mansions:

Each Dark Moon shard is being protected by Possessor Ghosts, they are basically the bosses of this game. The first mansion Luigi must travel to is the "Gloomy Manor" which is set in the Plains of Evershade Valley, this mansion was pretty cool, it was a classic mansion like the one in Luigi's Mansion 1, the gems and boos have great hiding places, like they have in every other mansion. Once you slay the boss in the "Gloomy Manor", (it's a spider, very scary, be careful :D).

 The fog on the map, moves away from the second mansion. Luigi then travels to the "Haunted Towers", they are placed in the forest in Evershade Valley, this location is a rather cool mansion, personally, I really enjoyed this world, the atmosphere was great, the only annoying thing, was the stupid plants that should eat you, they were a pain :-(. The Possessor Ghost in this world possesses a wooden staircase, this is probably the easiest boss fight ever.

The fog then moves away from the third mansion which is the location of the third Dark Moon shard. This third location Luigi must go to is the "Old Clockworks", this abandoned clockwork tower is situated in the desert of Evershade Valley. This third part of the game was also very fun, the boss was a lot better than the last one, the Possessor Ghost possessed a clock and you had a minute to capture a wave of ghosts, each minute was equal to 1 hour, so you had to do 12 waves, before being able to finish off the Possessor Ghost.

Once you capture that Possessor Ghost and recover your third Dark Moon piece, the fog then moves away from the 4th world, which is set in some kind of winter wonderland corner of Evershade Valley, this 4th place Luigi must explore to try and find the Dark Moon piece is called the "Secret Mine", this land was rather annoying, but the boss fight was worth the puzzles that this mysterious place had to offer. You went down a hill shooting some sort of grenade launcher at an ice boss while sitting on a sledge, once you noob tube the hell out of this Possessor Ghost, you recover the 4th Dark Moon shard.

The fog then proceeds to move away from the 5th and final mansion, the biggest mansion of all, the "Treacherous Mansion" which is set in some sort of ravine, the boss fight was supremely hard in this land, King Boo opens a portal to the universe of scary ghosts, and lets them all you, you must then go and capture them all, before the whole world collapses on itself, pretty big deal, once you go into near enough every room in this mansion, and capture all the ghosts in them rooms, you go to where the portal is, and capture a mega ton more ghosts, this level requires A LOT of skill, you then jump into the portal and capture the Possessor Ghosts, yes, there are a few of em, the 1 that is guarding the last Dark Moon shard splits up and goes into suits of armor, you then have to pull the rug that they walk on, and make them fall over, once you finally beat this Possessor Ghost, you get transported back professor E.Gadd.

EXCEPT! That you don't make it back to the professor, King Boo intercepts your teleportation, and you fight him in his Illusion world, this boss fight was pretty fun, you had to make rocks fall on his dead, and then try and suck him up, each time you dealt damage to him, he put you in a long corridor with obstacles you had to run past, this part of the boss fight required fast enough reactions, to dodge the obstacles and to try and pick up the random money.Once you beat him, you rescue Mario from the painting he got trapped in, Mario is such a noob he got stuck in a painting. TWICE. You then rebuild the Dark Moon with the last shard you got from capturing King Boo.

Once you beat the game, you can go back through it, trying to get 3 star rank in each mission, and trying to get all the gems and capture all the boos.

The Ghosts:

The ghosts in this game are a lot different from the ones in Luigi's Mansion 1, in this game, the ghosts can wear sunglasses, or put pots on their heads, and many other objects, to hide from the light of your torch, so you first have to suck the item off them.

There are all sorts of ghosts, will all different attacks, there are ghosts that go invisible, ghosts that can hide inside stuff, ones that spit stuff at you, ones that try and eat you...

The MultiPlayer:

Unlike the first Luigi's Mansion game, this was has an Online Multiplayer mode, where up to 4 Luigis hunt ghosts in the "Thrill Tower", this tower of ghostly power can be set to 5. 10. 25 or infinite floors, and each floor is random each time you play.

There are several game modes for this Online MultiPlayer, there is the "Rush" mode, where you must rush to find the switches that activate the door, if you capture all the ghosts in a room, you get added time, if you run out of time it's game over. "Hunter" mode, where you have to capture all the ghosts on the floor to be able to proceed to the next floor. There is also the "Polterpup" mode, you have to capture the hidden Polterpups, once you find and capture them all, you can advance to the next floor.

And once you complete them 3 game modes to floor 25, you unlock a bonus mode, where each floor is one of them 3 game modes.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope you will play this game very soon, it has surprisingly good graphics, the 3D is epic, the gameplay is smooth and fun, I would give it a 9/10, sure it has it has a few flaws, the story mode was shorter than expected, but apart from that it's insanely good.

New Nintendo Direct!

 There will be a brand new Nintendo Direct aired at 3PM GMT on the 11th of june. This will be viewable on nintendo's official website. This should be the highlight of E3 because Nintendo are set to reveal a brand new IP created by Shigeru Miyamoto.