More on Secret Wars, NX, and the Commanding Fungus Officer who Tracks Gems and Stars

It's been over a month since I've posted here and I apologize.  I could make any amount of excuses and they wouldn't matter because... well...  Who cares?  Work, no computer at home, some sickness, all sorts of stuff.  But whatevs. 

Let's move on, shall we?  I'll try to cover as much as I can as terribly as I can.

First off, we have a lot more information about Marvel's upcoming Secret Wars.  We know Dr. Doom is somehow the orchestrator as the real identity of Rabum Alal (rah-boom ah-lawl) as a sort of future version of Dr. Doom along the lines of how Immortus is future Kang.  What we also now know a few more of the lands involved like the Regency which houses a pre-Brand New Day Spider-Man who is still married to Mary Jane, and a land dedicated to Doctor Strange where I presume there be the weird magic things happening, an entire world dedicated to Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur (love those guys), a land dedicated to Old Man Logan, and a few others.  What is really interesting is the potential for Marvel to not just simply go full Crisis on Infinite Earths their world, but do more of a Nu52 of their world as they can pick and choose from what timelines and characters from which they like and implement them as they wish.  Let me explain.

The most obvious one to me is Jubilee in terms of character replacement.  Hailing from "Westchester" a world which never stopped being what seems to be the animated X-Men cartoon universe.  So why Jubilee?  Well, as of House of M our good friend Jubilation became a "Flatscan," worked as a social worker of sorts for other depowered mutants, joined the renegade-esque New Warriors utilizing technology specifically from the Wizard, the Ghost, and Hank Pym.  Most technology was based on the Wizard and her gloves simulated super strength, super durability via force field, and flight, the Ghost tech allowed her to pass through objects, and once used Pym Particles to grow to giant size.  Either way, she grew out of that phase and went full vampire, and while some people delighted in this change the vampire phase is now on a strong decline while there seems to be some thirst for the old sparkler Jubilee if certain circles are to be believed.  And this can be a very good thing, because Marvel could basically put in place a Jubilee which was wildly popular for a while and not have to explain it with anymore than a handwave of, "Blame it on the Crisis Incursion."  And I really believe this has a chance because this is the best place to bring back Wolverine.  "But he just died!"  Let's not pretend he was gone forever, as almost no popular character gets to stay dead.  This is a perfect place because Wolverine in the early 90's was also ridiculously popular (as he really always was) and the old team up of Wolvie and Jubes would be a big appeal. And there are other characters like Spider-Man who can be again married to MJ, Iron Man who will again be returned to normal like with Heroes Return where they literally altered reality to bring back pre-Kang/Immortus fuckuppery, and a few others I'm sure I'm just not thinking of.  This isn't to say Marvel will push the big reset on all of their characters, as I'm sure Captain Falcon America and "X marks the" Cyclops are here to stay.  This can be both good and bad, and Marvel should take this chance to get rid of some of the crappier continuity to streamline and untangle the web of nonsense Marvel has.  And while I'm sure the previous sentence blustered people into a furor, I'll comment more on that in another post. 

Nintendo says they're working on a new console with the project name of "NX."  Knowing Nintendo, they'll throw away this perfectly fine console name and replace it with "Bleeg" as the official console name.  No new info, just that.  I wanted to say it because I do want to see Nintendo release another console.

Last but not least is I picked up and played Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.  Wonderful little game.  Beautifully crafted, plenty of quickfire fun, accessible to pretty much anybody but challenging enough to satisfy me.  I say challenging in how the puzzles work, not necessarily challenging on how well I handle a controller.  It really has a fun personality to it, and well... I'll probably review it.

Sorry I've been off the radar for some time.  I'm hoping to get a computer soon and post more here since there's plenty to share.


              ~ Love,
                        Mak

Happy belated Valentine's Day AND St. Patrick's Day.

SUPER SMAAAAAAAAASH BROTHERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRS!!!! For Wii U

Gather round, gather round ladies and gentlemen for a grand ol' review for the latest installment of the long running fighting franchise whose name misleads people into thinking brothers go around super smashing things. 

Full on disclosure.  If you're reading this at all, you know what Smash Bros is about and you never had any inkling it was about brothers who super smash stuff.  You know full well it's about a roster of popular Nintendo characters along with a few non-Nintendo characters duking it out.  I say popular, but I mean some are only popular in Japan or just popular enough to make the cut.  While most characters you will recognize, there are quite a few you'll only barely know enough just to name.  You'll know characters like Bowser Jr. to a degree, but might totally gloss over he was the main villain in Super Mario Sunshine and completely not get why some sort of dark Mario keeps painting the screen as his Final Smash.  Or you might like Captain Falcon, but barely played any F-Zero games.  For these transgressions you can be forgiven (not that these are any sins) because the game barely cares or deals with any story and just picks small elements from characters to build up their attack pools.  That's right, this is like a Virtua Fighter game where the only story which takes place is in your head. Smash Bros. 4 eschews with the obligatory story campaign like Brawl's Subspace Emissary and just goes for the insanity of a huge roster of characters, a plethora of items, and a new 8 player smash mode, which was not featured in the 3DS version of this game.  There is a solo campaign, but it is more reminiscent of the original Smash Bros in how it is bare bones, fight so many battles then the combat team (Fighting Mii Team in this one) and Master Hand.  If you have played the 3DS version of this game, you won't find too much different or surprising except for how the solo campaign has exchanged the multi-path system for a weird board top sliding statue system where you get to sort of pick who you fight.  You might feel that this game is just a slightly larger (and more enjoyable) version of the 3DS version, and if you're like me you own both anyway because you can't get enough of this game.  So let's talk about some of the good and bad of the game.

The character roster is huge as I have previously mentioned.  The largest in Smash Bros. history with a whopping 5,000 characters (clearly not that many), 17 of which are new to the series.  You might feel the roster is a tad bloated and that all these characters would weight down the game, but the opposite is true.  Aside from the Mii Fighters, all of the characters definitely feel unique (except for maybe the clone characters like Pit and Dark Pit but I mean from one another) and they all are surprisingly fun.  I had as much fun with Palutena and her slow telegraphed weird attacks as I did with Mega Man and his lack of punch.  And the characters are fairly diverse in terms of speed, power, range, how they attack, if they can counter, how they soak up damage, how you can be tricky, etc. 

I take it back, I did not like Diddle Diddy Kong.  I just could not get a feel or enjoyment with that character.  

Characters like Little Mac are big risk/reward characters for being fairly light, but powerful and fast with large charge ups and a unique meter which gives him an instant (usual) KO uppercut when full.  Characters like Danky Kang Donkey Kong are slow and lumbering with a weird charge up punch makes up for it by having extreme power and range with his long gorilla arms and fashionable tie.  Olimar of the Pikmin series has a very unique Pikmin inspired attack pool where he plucks different Pikmin from the ground (3 at a time) and each Pikmin he throws does something different, though most usually latch onto an enemy face and pound them in.  And the uniqueness doesn't stop there.  The Villager from Animal Crossing, Palutena, Mega Man, Duck Hunt, and others have weird tactics and abilities which are fun and when mastered are fatal.  Which brings me to the next bit.

Smash Bros Wii U is a very accessible game.  It can be played by beginner and master alike and both will have fun at the same time.  There's enough give that some players won't outright be dominated no matter how skilled the other is, but enough skill to master that the better skilled player shouldn't lose to something silly.  And this is really good because this means people like my girlfriend with very little gaming experience can hop on and actually enjoy herself, and this is what a huge roster and great balancing mechanics can do.  It can allow newcomers and oldcomers to come to the same table, laugh it out, and just have plain old competitive fun with one another without one side feeling overburdened by the other.

"Well Mak, this sounds like some sort of kid's game which appeals to the casuals and not the serious gamers people keep telling me it does.  I'm out!" 

Well, if there's anything I can say about that I will have to say it through the immortal words of the Boganella shotgun, "Rack off ya dog!"  And I seriously mean it.  If this is the attitude you hold towards this sort of game, then you've replaced a critical component of "fun" in video games and replaced it with "shit eating".  Video games can be technical and mastering them and their systems is fun, but if you look to a game and say it's simply not sophisticated enough for your supremely fine tuned technical skills and therefore terrible, then you can go sit and spin on your no fun knob and leave the rest of video game players alone because this game IS fun.  This game appeals to both "casuals" (as loathsome as a word that is) and "hardos" (which sounds equally ridiculous as if it were some badge like "Army Ranger").  There is very little about this game which isn't fun, and most of it is relegated to when you pick up a trophy in the solo game only to find out it's not a new trophy.  Or when I get random placed into Diddy Kong.  Or if I'm random placed on the Great Cave Offensive level which is so big I can't stand it. 

So there are a few bad things.  Trophy collecting which I sort of mentioned earlier. Trophy collecting becomes this all absorbing thing to do as it serves in the form of achievements in some ways and just fills your time with quick spurts of joy in others.  Trophies aren't bad, and their intent is great.  The problem is the multiple methods in which to get them.  After each combat you receive coins which can be used in the trophy store to purchase trophies.  The problem is there are other ways to get the trophies and the system just randomizes which ones you get in every way that isn't a store purchase. The solo campaigns allow you to get trophies as an award for either challenging certain characters or as a roulette bonus, and if you went to the store and spent all your hard earned coins on some sales and what appear to be rare trophies it really sucks when you get a copy of these trophies and only end up with as little as 400 gold despite blowing 850 on the trophy.  It sucks, but this is nitpicking hard because while it does sort of change the way I play the game in trying to make matches longer and such it really doesn't change anything about the game otherwise.  It double sucks because you lose gold for buying special orders passes and then get copies and blah blah blah.  Some might tell me, "Mak, did you enjoy the coin launcher which was also a gamble?" And I would say "No."  I would then be told, "But this is free."  And I would agree.  But it's the difference between putting quarters into an egg machine and knowing the risk with the launcher game as opposed to getting a gift from your parents who knew you already bought something and they simply gave you more of it.  First world problems at their finest.

Another bad thing is sometimes I can't seem to pick up items I run by, and this has several times cost me in combat trophies, pokeballs, etc.  Not really bad, because it adds to the intensity when my friends have the same problem.  The computer I wish also shared this.

My only other problem is a couple of levels which are just way too big, such as The Great Cave Offensive.  Normally big levels are not a bad thing for me as they allow lots of fun.  But some levels are just too big, and while they probably are meant for 8 player fights they make four player fights boring draws because it takes forever to find a combatant and just draws out the length of time.  So as long as I avoid those levels I'm perfectly happy, but I have been known to raise a vote to simply reset the fight to get a different level and it has pretty much always been unanimously accepted.  But aside from these things, the game is great.

My final problem is the loss of some characters. From Brawl we lose the Ice Climbers and Pokemon Trainer.  The official reason for the Ice Climbers was something to do with having two characters acting as one being a problem, though Duck Hunt has the same thing sort of going on.  The Pokemon Trainer is a bit more obvious.  I'll miss the Squirtle/Ivysaur/Charizard in one shift feature which gave you versatility, but let's be honest in saying everybody did their best to just be Charizard all the time.  I found myself playing Charizard most often and so it made sense Nintendo ditched the Trainer and just shoved in Charizard.  I'll miss the Trainer and his background running, but it makes the most sense development wise.

So now for the scoring...

Graphics: 9.8

Graphics are superb.  No chugging, latency, lagging, any of that stuff.  Everybody was clear on the screen for the most part and the colors were gorgeous.  Much like the beauty of Mario Kart 8, the graphics in this game are top notch.  The only problem I really had with the graphics were some of the attacks and statues in play were just...bleh.  Mega Man's leaf shield took particular dislike with me.  Minor minor flaw, but still worth mentioning.

Sound: 9.8

The sounds are great.  Everything makes one, they're all pretty satisfying.  The music is grand and catchy and fits the levels.  But it's the voices I felt a little bad about. The voices feel all but forgettable, and that's a shame given the work put into the whole process.  There are voice soundboards you can access in game, and I'll tell you I don't remember more than 10% of them used in the game.  Link has upwards of 30 but I dare defy you to make out more than four.  The sound switches up in the menu as you access it and that's nice.  However, it seems weird but I can't remember the game's central theme like I could with the original, Melee, and Brawl.  So... Yeah.  This is more nitpicking than anything.

Playstyle/Gameplay: 9

I've stated before my only real problem is sometimes it has problems with me running by and picking up things which wasn't apparent in the previous installments of this series.  The characters are fairly balanced, and any imbalance isn't bad because the game is fun and every character has an advantage and disadvantage.

Variety: 9.8

The assortment of characters is bizarre, as is the selection of stages.  While I almost yearn for more stages, the fact you can make your owns stages is fairly awesome and makes up for the shortfall.  Also something to include is the Mii Fighter creator.  The assortments of designs and configuration is pretty fun, and nothing beats a cowboy hat shooter with a dragon's head for a hand.  Also, I loved in a previous game where at the credits you shot at the names Star Fox style and can't say I love the new "fill up the picture" by punching style since some characters just sort of suck with this aspect.  "That's because you suck, Mak."  Yeah, I do.  But this doesn't necessarily make me want to get better at it so much as skip the end sequence altogether.  To hell with the potential extra 100 gold.  I'm always taunted by being shy two or three gold.

Designs: 10

All these characters are beautifully detailed and they move great.  There is plenty of color and detail to the bare glance which makes most of the ruckus easy to follow and keep characters distinct, but if you look closer you see the care and effort put forth by Nintendo to really flesh out all these designs.  Stage design is also beautiful and the environments function great from the familiar Brinstar lava raise to the excellent Wario themed Gamer level which has a furious mom checking in on you and if you're caught in her gaze it spells death. 

Story: N/A

Stability: 10

Game is great.  No graphical glitches I saw.  It all worked perfectly as you would expect a Nintendo's hail mary product to be.

Replay Value:10

If you cannot fathom why this got a ten, I would assume you're not quite sure of the point of this game.

Total Score:
9.8

Final Thoughts: 

What can I say?  This game is beyond fun.  Fun enough that I got my old ass up and took my Wii U to my family's house to share it with them when I'm usually just happy to tell them how much fun I was having alone.  Yes, so much fun I had to share the fun.  There was literally too much fun for me to have alone, even with my girlfriend playing as well.  If I tried to contain it, it would've manifested as some sort of cancer and killed me down the line because the fun was too powerful.  Powerful additions were made to this game in the form of Little Mac and Mega Man.  I was a little iffy on Brawl, but this game deserves all the points it got.  If it weren't my personal job to nitpick things, I would have given this game a 10.

Pictured: Destroyers of your free time

The Bi... The Witch Is Back. Bayonetta 2: Return To Thunderdome (Possible Spoilers Of Course)

Sorry it's been more than a week since my last post.  Busy life is busy.  Especially with games to play, comics to read, and apartments to clean.

 

Let's do this.

Bayonetta 2 is a video game for the horrendously underrated Nintendo Wii U home video game console about witches and their quest to capture all the rings from Sonic the Hedgehog and use really cool weapons and techniques and demon summons to crush their angelic and demonic foes in a quest to capture all Pokemon everywhere.  Alright, so the rings are simply inspired by Sonic and there are no Pokemon.  It's really about the titular (no pun intended) character Bayonetta trying to save the soul of her friend Jeanne (pretty much pronounced "John") who is trapped in Hell Inferno, because Jeanne sacrificed her life to save Bayonetta (whom Jeanne calls "Cereza") from Bayonetta's own demon summon which oddly went out of control.  Of course the story spins off from that into a bigger end of the world sort of story we are familiar with and definitely echos back to the first of the series, but that's hardly of concern.  The primary concern is the character, style, and gameplay of Bayonetta 2.  At least that's all the concern Team Little Angels had, because the story definitely feels like it was developed to the point they could market it as a game and immediately stopped after that.  Also both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are packaged in the same box at the price of one game.  It's great.

The first Bayonetta was somewhat controversial given the overt sexual overtones of the portrayal, dialogue, and pretty much every movement Bayonetta made.  The second one makes the first look somewhat conservative.  The overtones are sometimes replaced with just outright sexual commentary and the scenes of crotch and butt shots are somewhat a little more obvious.  It's not that this is a bad thing for the most part, but sometimes it felt like the game just goes a bit out of its way to remind us Bayonetta leverages her sexuality.  Gone are her platinum award "I should've been a pole dancer!" comments (or at least I think so, I haven't been able to WIN a platinum award yet) and in it's place gives us Bayonetta putting squirrels in her cleavage, or Loki commenting about how Luka stares at Bayonetta's tits all day long, or Bayonetta straight up ditching innuendo and blatantly saying, "Though if it's sex we're talking about..." (Summary, not an actual quote).  It's odd, because while these things aren't bad they just feel out of place or shoehorned in.  I get, accept, and revel in how Bayonetta is meant to be a sexy, flirty vixen who strips down and engages in suggestive combat styles while saying things like, "You want to touch me?" but that's part of her charm.  Before in the first game she simply implies it in subtle and smart ways and moves on.  The second game sometimes just ditches it in case the viewer didn't get the joke.  Like if Stephen Colbert made a joke about why nobody is comfortable with a celebrating Germany then waited a few minutes to say, "You get it?  Because the last time the world saw a very celebratory Germany was when it was run by the Nazi regime and they were storming Europe while reveling in their status!"  It sort of just ruins the mood a bit.  Granted she isn't always mega subtle with her lip-licking, hip-thrusting, ass-shaking dances, but that's all body language and she works best when talking with her body.  Granted this is just the second game, so maybe I am thinking her personality is already fairly well established when it might not be.  Either way, moving on.

If you can't tell by my last paragraph, let me Bayonetta 2 this for you:  The game isn't for children.  Kids can play it and have fun and potentially pick up the word "Fuck," but you as a parent might not appreciate the sexual tones, language, and if you're extremely religious you don't want them wondering aloud why angels look like animals and are portrayed as bad guys.  Granted if you qualify in the last one, you probably don't want them playing games about witches, dressing up as witches for Halloween, celebrating Halloween, or even reading Harry Potter books because it has witches in it.  This game has no reverence for religion at all and uses it as nothing more than a tool to play a game.  The angels are of the older design before they were given real human like appearances, they're strict, they follow extremist orders, and really shows the demons are no worse or better, just a different part of the spectrum.  Well, when it does tell story at least.  If you are a Nintendo owner with children, don't assume you can just plop this down after a game of Mario Kart 8 with your kids, because the transition would be as jarring as smacking a concrete wall with your car at 40 miles per hour. 

It's actually sort of weird how this ended up on a console well known for its more family-friendly variety and doubly weird when people try to pitch it to one another, much less to a company fir the first game.  Really it's just a weird game in general that I couldn't have imagined was easy to pitch.  Could you?  Imagine if I went up to you and said, "Hey guy, I have a game proposition for you.  It's a game we're calling Bayonetta, and in it you're a witch named Bayonetta who has to go around and kill angels, but the angels are bad guys.  But that's not the insane part.  The best part is how you're like this really sexy witch who uses hair as her entire costume and has to strip to become more powerful after dancing around like a stripper!  You shout sexy things, sway your hips, and when you finish it there's just a big ol' dance celebrating your sexiness!"  And at that point you call security because you don't remember Sega relaxing their security to let loons like this in.  It probably only really saw the light of day due to Hideki Kamiya of Devil May Cry fame being a writer.  Sort of like how if Brian Bendis decided to write a story about how Reed Richards spent the early part of his marriage cheating on Susan and Marvel only said yes because it was Bendis who wrote it.  It is a really weird and sometimes uncomfortable game.  I played both the first and second one with my girlfriend in the same room this weekend and I will tell you there were a few times we were both uncomfortable and she was most likely questioning why I was playing this in front of her and what I must think about behind closed doors when nobody is watching.  She might also think it's better she doesn't know.  She might also think this is what I find sexy in a woman, but I hope she doesn't because that would be unfair and Bayonetta would be horrifying in the real world.

But now I'm rambling on too much.  Bayonetta is fun.  Pure fun.  If you like games that are just fun and don't really try to do the whole "We're really the next big thing," and just want to sit back and wail on people by wearing flaming chainsaws on your feet and not being forced to QTE for funerals, this game is for you. 

I'll be ditching the Good/Okay/Bad system from here on out because I felt it was a bit too general.  The idea was not to give the idea there was real science to how I felt, but it also really didn't satisfy me with how I evaluated things since it implied that things I really enjoyed and things I mostly enjoyed were the same rank when it simply wasn't true.  I'll be using your standard numerical system and evaluating it at the end.

Graphics: 9.5

I really want to give this a 10. For some reason I can't bring myself to it.  Framerate is 60 fps, environments are beyond gorgeous, detail is tremendous, light, texture, flashy stuff, everything is just top notch.  However, when I write "10" I feel like I'm putting it too high.  9.5 will have to do. Maybe because sometimes the camera angles were off and caused clipping with certain punishments.  Though that really isn't so much a graphics problem maybe?  I dunno.

Sound: 9.5

Voices, attacks, music, all of it great. My only real problems were sometimes the soundtrack drowned out the dialogue or the dialogue drowned out the background noise or the background noise drowned out everything.  I tried to adjust all the metrics, but it seems the soundtrack just has a few problems like that.  Voices were superb as the always pleasant to listen to Bayonetta purred out her lines and delighted with her witty charm.  Rodin gave off the cooler weapon guy with his voice.  Enzo was annoying as ever.  Loki was something of a let down, and really all the other voices are either grunts or some sort of Latinish language or something.  Music was fantastic as the developer did the same thing here as he did in the last game by releasing an official song and having it completely overshadowed by a J-Pop remake of a classic song which in this case was the unbelievably infectious, "Moon River."  Unlike "Fly Me To The Moon" before it, "Moon River" isn't in every single scene and really is only up to highlight the more lighthearted and fun parts of the game, like the introduction in the beginning of the game where Bayonetta starts off in a dress, strips, spotlights, hairs up, and kicks ass immediately afterward.  Sound effects were very top notch.  All weapons sound very different and satisfying.  Chainsaws grind, scythes ding, shooty guns go bang bang, the insect bow was fun, all the sounds were great.  Like I said, the uneven nature of how the sounds balance was sort of off and the only reason this didn't nail a 10.

Playstyle/Gameplay: 10

Solid 10 here.  When I first started there was just this button mashy way I played, but as I developed and learned how to time things better and understood how combos work the game became this unbelievably enjoyable experience where I performed better and overall was just far more satisfying.  Once again, nothing is as awesome as seeing a bit scythe slash followed up by a chainsaw laden leg sweep followed by Madama Butterfly's gigantic heel stomping someone.

Variety: 8.5

The variety in this game isn't...well, huge.  There are different enemies and they all require different strategies, but when you really get down into the gameplay they're not really all that different.  Sure I can't get better than a stone badge for that stupid flying snake boss level, but that's the exception.  Most of the time you'll be smacking away at enemies (generally ineffectively until you get your Umbran Climax) and waiting to dodge to engage Witch Time, which helps you fill your meter for Umbran Climax.  It basically becomes a game of waiting for visual cues and then unleashing combo hell on people and then repeating.  Really the best part is that the enemies all look different, but a good half of them just sort of look the same or ARE the same from previous games.  Also the demon army guys look like reskins of the angelic ones.  It feels unfair to say the variety isn't that big when it sort of is in some ways, but for the most part you will be wailing on the same enemies in every level after they're introduced.  The only real benefit is every level DOES introduce a new type of enemy whom you will fight 25 more times before the level is complete.  They do sort of mix the enemies together, but I wish they mixed them up more and integrated a few more enemy types.

Character Designs: 10

 Always a strong point for a series that is all about style and flash, Bayonetta 2 does not even come close to disappointing with character designs.  I passed this section in Borderlands the Pre-Sequel, so this is new.  Bayonetta herself looks fresh and wonderful, filled with personality, and completely realized as change for change sake as it relates to her character.  Her short haircut, shoulder bits, bare arms, and flowing hair...cape parts(?) (I'm a comic and game critic, not a fashion critic) are all beautiful and look like a natural evolution to her character that is both distinct and not at all the lesser of her older beehive style.  It looks like Bayonetta.  Jeanne looks slicker.  The angels are beyond well designed as are their demonic counterparts.  Rodin and Enzo look the same, but they look good.  10.  TEN!!!

Story:  7

 I was debating whether this was a 6.5 to 7.5 rating, but I think 7 is really the best for it.  Let's face it, the story is only as developed as it needs to be for gameplay to commence.  There is effort to tell a story, but it feels lost in most of the levels (aside from the War level).  There is a kid who has a mysterious amnesia and destiny who is being conspired against by authority forces he doesn't understand who sends angels to stop or retrieve him.  If this sounds familiar, it's because it is the basic plot of the first Bayonetta.  The only real difference is Bayonetta is just not the focus of that plot, and has her own subplot which is tossed aside after it has been achieved around the second half of the game and then Bayonetta goes to complete the first plot who has a bad guy which more or less is recycling the entire end goal of the first game in how he wants the Eyes of the World to elevate himself to God status and remake the universe in his image.  The only difference is instead of integrating Bayonetta into a statue, the enemy just wants the power for himself.  There's also this underlying story with the Masked Lumen which is obvious and unsatisfying.  The only reason this isn't lower is because of how interesting Bayonetta's world is.  You definitely WANT to know more about it.  How do demon pacts work?  Why are demons rebelling?  Is it because of this god guy?  How does he influence it?  Why don't we get more about Inferno and all of its awesome design?  More Rosa please?  There's enough there you want to know more but the game doesn't necessarily pay off.

Stability: 10

Aside from a graphical clipping and one failed start of a level, the game works flawlessly.  The clipping is probably a necessary evil due to the camera angle, and I think with the failed start the level had a timer and since I skipped the cinematic it was just following script.  This game very much felt like a finished product as an old school game was.  Something you open and worked perfectly.  Face glitches, balancing, all of that stuff didn't exist like problems do with some more modern releases which are racing out the door.  The game is just very polished and works flawlessly.  No lagging, no sagging, no graphical snagging.  Just pure gameplay and perfect rendering.

Replay Value: 9

This one is truly the most variable because Bayonetta's reasoning for replays is very dependent on what you're replaying for.  If it's just to smash more angels it has an okay replay value, though Tag Climax will be more your thing.  Really the replays will be mostly for those trying to improve their trophy values, collect rings for costumes and weapons, and those who want more challenge who also want to unlock certain weapons and costumes.  It has tremendous replay value in that regard because you can easily fight differently with different weapons and configurations and accessories, which turns each fight into something brand new in regards to how you actually combo and punish things.  If you're only interested in hammering through to say you've completed the game, then your replay value will be 0.

Total Score:

9.2

Final Thoughts: GET THE GAME

The total for me is a 9.2, and what really hurt it was the story.  Honestly this game is an essential for fun.  Even with the story shortfall and the variety "shortfall" the game was beyond fun and some of the most fun I've had video game wise all year.  Maybe even the past two years.  If you are one of the people who can get past their pride and own a Wii U,  you owe it to yourself to own this game.  It's worth the full price tag, and is ten dollars cheaper on the virtual store as opposed to the physical copy.  It comes with the first game which automatically unlocks the Nintendo costumes which are beyond fun (having Madama Butterfly's fists and feet replaced with Bowser's is endless fun), as well as the sounds that go along with it (coin and rupee sounds) is just a blast.  The game is pure fun.  GO BUY IT NOW.  If you don't own a Wii U, I'm sorry.  Out of the three "current gen" consoles, I honestly would say it's currently the best of them.

Let's dance, boys!

Nintendo Is Relying On Their Past... And I'm Loving It.

I'm sure I'll get tired-ish of making so many posts in a single day in between things I'm supposed to be doing, but today is not that day!

Either way.  Without further ado...

Allow me to introduce you to the majesty which is The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Released originally in 2000 two days after my birthday for the Nintendo 64 console, Majora's Mask is a markedly darker tale for the hero Link and a direct sequel to the enormously popular Ocarina of Time.

Okay, full confession.  I may normally hate rehashing of old titles, or relying on old success to breed new success.  I even criticize when comic companies won't support new characters due to fear, and simply push their older characters to ensure money flows at the highest margin.  I understand it, but I dislike it.  However Nintendo gets a pass with Zelda and Pokemon for me.  With Pokemon it's because new features are added, everything is updated with current Pokemon, problems are fixed, and I can play with friends who are not connected by a cord in high school.  Zelda gets a pass because... well... I don't know why, but probably because Zelda is my favorite gaming franchise of all time.  ALL.  TIME.  I like Zelda so much I ensure vacation days are set aside so I can play the latest Zelda game.  I eat this stuff up like if I hadn't seen food in days and someone took me to a Golden Corral.  There's something about Zelda games which allow me to look past things and just enjoy myself in a way I don't normally get to anymore.  In more modern times I just see a game as a technical device filled with moving parts and find the flaws and enjoyable bits and weigh them and notice them.  Not with Zelda.  Zelda sort of washes over me and brings me back to a time of adventure and exploration where even as a tiny insignificant person, a little wit, plenty of courage, and just the right tools can send me across a vast land and free an entire people from the fear they've been forced to endure.  Such is Link's burden, and Majora's Mask really drives home this fear.

Quick rundown: Link is looking for his friend he lost at the end of Ocarina of Time and falls into a whole new world (dimension) which is being threatened by the moon crashing into it in three days.  That's it.  Doesn't sound big?  You see that moon in the picture above?  It stares at you, getting closer and closer each passing moment, mocking and daring you to stop it.  How do you stop it?  Defeat four dungeons in classic Zelda style in the three days allotted at which you must turn back time and constantly lose your stuff while trying to progress through the game.  It creates an air of urgency and fear other Zelda games don't.  It deals with death and mourning and our blind ignorance to our own problems.  Seriously.  Everybody in Termina town pretty much have to know the moon is gunning them down, but they don't care.  They have a festival to plan.  Very much a cakes and circuses comment I'm sure, even if unintentional.

Having this title re-released for the Nintendo 3DS is just good, though.  Most people gave this title a pass originally due to late release on the console's lifecycle, the need for what was an expansion pack (not the kind you buy online, the kind you bought in a store to boost the power of the N64), and what admittedly was a fairly hard (by Zelda standards) and imposing game.  The management and pressure was on, masks were central, creepiness was everywhere, a potentially sympathetic villain at a time it wasn't common, and the awesomeness of the Fierce Deity Mask (which actually implied maybe YOU were the bad guy) made up a different sort of monster which only gained appreciation after the fact.  It isn't a case where we look on the past with nostalgia (though a bit of that is definitely there) as much as we see the game for what it was, and not have to compare it with the at the time fresh and massively popular Ocarina of Time of which nothing could compare to (though I said A Link to the Past was better and still stand by that).

I may be a bitter, jerkish, small man, but seeing news of a great game getting a second lease on life for a generation who've only heard about it warms my small, small heart.