I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. May you and yours have a good holiday season. =)
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Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Original Release Date: November 17, 2009 on Wii
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is the follow-up to the 2007 hit, Resident Evil: The Umbrela Chronicles. After having such critical and commercial success, it seems only natural that Capcom give us a sequel.
A light-gun format was a strange twist for the Resident Evil series to take. It was a series that is known for being survival-horror and is then turned into an action game. One criticism that Umbrella Chronicles fell under was having Resident Evils 0, 1, and 3, with 0 and 3 being two of the weaker entries in the series. Darkside Chronicles focuses on Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, two of the of the best entries in the series, in addition to a new scenario that preludes Resident Evil 4. The stories are not complete but will be understandable to people who haven't played the game before. The scenarios had to be changed around to ensure that there were always two players at once.
The game begins with Leon Kennedy and Jack Krauser investigating a sundrenched, seemingly abandoned village somewhere in South America in search of a man named Javier, who is believed to have had contact with Umbrella, a large figure from the previous game. The two encounter waves of zombies and monsters known as B.O.W.s, short for Bio-organic Weapons, on their way through the village. Afterwards, the story goes back to the time of Resident Evil 2 and Leon recounts the events from that game. When we rejoin Leon and Krauser in South America, the two continue and encounter Javier. The Veronica Virus is mentioned and the events of Resident Evil: Code Veronica are recounted. Each story is split into multiple chapters and there are many more levels than in the previous game, so there is quite a bit more to play here.
The gameplay is mainly the same as Umbrella Chronicles, which isn't a bad thing. You aim with the Wii Remote pointer and fire with the B Button. Weapons, ranging from handguns to shotguns to rocket launchers, can be assigned to a direction on the D-pad and Control Stick and can be swapped at any time through the level. A simple flick of the controller is needed to reload the weapons and the knife can be readied by pressing the Z Button on the Nunchuk and then swung by moving either controller. As you move through levels, you can collect Files and Gold, the latter of which can be spent to buy upgrades for each weapon in a fashion similar to Resident Evil 4. One common criticism can be found in each review of this game: the camera. Darkside Chronicles uses a cinematic camera system that really puts you into the game. Realistic camera movements can add to the mood but the frequently shaky camera can make aiming weapons more difficult than it needs to be. Speaking of which, the overall difficulty seems much lower than in Umbrella Chronicles. (In my first go through the game, I got mostly A's and S's in each chapter.)
The production values for the game are among the best seen on Nintendo's little white console. The models for each monster and environments, some of which are affected by damage, are detailed with a variety of textures and excellent lighting-effects. CG-rendered cutscenes look beautiful even if lip-syncing could use a little work. The voice actors from previous games reprise their roles with the same brand of dialogue that the series is known for. A great orchestrated soundtrack adds to the intensity along with the sounds of monsters and weapons firing wildly.
All-in-all, Darkside Chronicles is better than Umbrella Chronicles in just about every way. The gameplay is largely unchanged but as stated earlier, that isn't a bad thing. Though it may not be the ideal Resident Evil title, players can give much entertainment out of this package and a plethora of things to collect ensure that the game will be played for quite some time.
Graphics: 9.0 - Environments look wonderful with a host of textures and lighting effects. Cutscenes are gorgeous.
Sound: 8.0 - The voices sound good and the soundtrack holds just as well.
Gameplay: 9.0 - Blasting through hordes of zombies, spiders, plant-monsters, and other creatures of the undead is as fun as ever.
Appeal: 8.5 - Fun gameplay and many collectibles give an incentive to replay the game for some time.
Final Score: 8.6 - Great. Even people who are new to the Resident Evil series can have fun with the title.
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Original Release Date: November 15, 2009 on Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a great game, there's no denying that. It's a wonderful return to the gameplay that made the plumber so famous and is both fun and challenging. Is Mario's first 2-D platformer on a console in 18 years worth the long wait?
The game begins with the celebration of Princess Peach's birthday but the celebration is cut short when she is kidnapped. (If you didn't see that coming, then you've never played a Mario game before.) Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings, who are returning from a long abscence, make off with the Princess and Mario, Luigi, and two Toads run after the airship.
Essentially, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is what you would get by combining the gameplay of the first title with techniques that couldn't have been done on hardware at the time. The graphics are rather modest of what the Wii is capable of with nice lighting effects with 3-D backgrounds and a solid frame rate.
The gameplay is ****c 2-D Mario but in a fashion similar to New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS. The biggest addition to the gameplay is the multiplayer focus. At any time, 1, 2, or 3 other players can join you in the single player quest. This addition makes New Super Mario Bros. Wii a riot to play and gets would-be observers involved in the action. Strangely, playing with others makes the game both harder and easier. For one, the level doesn't end until all players lose a life but the players can bump and jump on each other leading to a lot of accidental deaths, which becomes more of a problem in cramped levels. One common criticism is a lack of online play in the multiplayer mode. However, I feel that the mood of multiplayer is best experienced when besides the other players.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii features a welcome addition called the Super Guide to help you get through a level. After failing a level so many times, the player can opt to have Luigi step in and play through the level for them. This feature has been the subject of debate among fans because some felt that the game playing itself would make the game too easy, which would be a detractor because the game is actually pretty difficult (especially in later worlds). In addition, there are dozens of hint videos that show the locations of Star Coins, secret exits, and Super Skill techniques. With these videos, you can find out where everything is but you still have to get to it yourself.
The sounds are what we've come to expect from Mario games, with cheerful tunes and a variety of voice clips. The soundtrack is good, even if quite a bit of a songs are reused from the DS game.
I had a great time playing through New Super Mario Bros. Wii and I don't have a problem telling you to buy the game this very moment. Sure, the game doesn't tread too far from the foundations of the series but it does succeed in giving a great challenge that's also very fun.
Graphics: 8.0 - The visuals are modest and the expansive overworlds look more impressive than the DS game.
Gameplay: 9.0 - The great Super Mario Bros. gameplay holds up well even today.
Sound: 8.0 - The sounds are mostly familiar and still sound good.
Appeal: 8.5 - The multiplayer adds replay value to the game along with some good times.
Final Score: 8.4 - Great. The gameplay is still fun and made better with more players.
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