TNT Racers ‘tracks & tricks’ subtitle seems a bit misleading once you play the game. I came in expecting a kart game mixed in with some race tracks and tricks to pull off in these tracks. All I got were race tracks with the occasional ramp to do a small jump off of. I don’t mean to start off in such a negative light, but I just thought that was worth noting to anyone considering to 2 friends I brought over to play it thought it was going to be a Joe Danger-ish kart racer when they saw it. TNT Racers is actually a pretty solid (albeit simple and content lacking) kart racer that hits most things you’d expect in the genre in the right ways.

When you start up the game you’ll be given a tournament mode (regular campaign mode), a time trial mode, and a custom race that lets you tweak a few options to customize a race to your preference. The tournament mode has around a dozen races separated into normal, fast, and turbo difficulties. I did like how each race tries to change up the variety, but most of them are just ‘get the most amount of points in the time limit/lap limit’. You’ll encounter your basic time trial challenges where you need to complete a certain amount of laps before time runs out, a variety of score challenges, knock-out mode, and special unique races. The score challenges task you with reaching the point requirement before your opponents and this is done by collecting coins scattered around the track, doing jumps, hitting a turbo when the race starts, or blowing up your opposition. In knock-outs you have to reach a kill quota by either blowing up the other racers or if they fall behind. I don’t particularly like how all the racers have to stick together and if you fall behind you’re instantly killed. I suppose it works for this game, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. The unique challenges throw in objectives like smashing 60 cacti or completing a certain amount of laps in a track full of landmines. They’re nothing amazing, but they do keep things a bit fresh.

A neat thing about the races is that if you’re killed and the other racers are still around you become a ‘shadow’ racer. You can’t be hurt (unless you fall off the track) or targeted by the opponent and you get a special set of power-ups available only to shadow racers. Your job is to fuck with the remaining racers as much as possible and mess with them before they can score anymore points. This way everyone can continue to participate in the race which keeps the pace up. It’s a pretty cool feature that I hope future kart racers take note of.

As any kart racer, you’ll find a slew of wacky weapons to use as you fight for first place. There are whirlwinds that send racers flying into the air, giant hammers, missiles, shields, smoke machines to blind the screen, oil to spill, an over sized gun, anvils you can attach with a plunger to slow down other cars, and a few others. These all work fairly well and it’s nice how you can drop a weapon if you don’t want it. You’ll find close to a dozen different cars you can use and change the color of. The ones you have to work for to unlock are pretty neat like the UFO kart, but there’s nothing much else to mention about them since they all handle the same. There are also 9 tracks that are also reversible, so 18 total tracks. They come in your basic desert, forest, arctic, and mountainous stages with each environment getting 2 or 3 areas. They’re nothing special but the tracks that take place in the same environment are different enough to excuse using the same setting. The game sports local and online multiplayer, but I’ve been checking multiple times each day since release and haven’t been able to get into an online match with more than a single person. This doesn’t really bode well for the long-term online ‘community’ if I can only find a single person to play with in the first week of release.

The graphics (as you can see) aren’t exactly top notch, but the game has an endearing style that fits together well enough. The music has a nice ‘pop’ to it that adds to TNT Racer’s lighthearted tone. I will mention that the over-the-top view of the action is a bit disorienting since it’s a bit too close to the cars. This makes it hard to drive on a track that you’re not used to and you’ll have to rely on where the AI seems to be turning or the camera turning to realize which way you’re supposed to turn. It really would’ve helped if they put in a camera that’s maybe a bit higher up or angled in a way so you could see what was coming in front of you.

The Final Word
TNT Racers really feels like Keen Games are reaching into your pocket and snatching $5 more than it should be worth. Only a few days after release and there is NOBODY online which makes me think barely anyone cared enough to either buy the game or waste their time playing online. It’s really a shame since the game is solid. It’s got your basic kart racing mechanics in it, there are a half dozen decent stages, the weapons are fun to use, and it controls well enough. The issue here is that I can’t really recommend buying this at $10 since the content the game offers doesn’t reach something you’d expect to spend $10 on. I could definitely see this game doing much better at a lower ($5) price range. If you dig kart racing games (there’s a demo by the way) and don’t mind dropping the extra dosh go for it, but if you don’t then I’d turn the other way from this title.

- MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average

Like Mario, many of Zelda’s musical themes have wormed their way into popular culture (the secret noise and “ba-da-da-DAH!” being two examples–”ba-da-da-DAH!” has actually been spotted in non-Zelda games when a character gets an item)

With this year marking the series’ 25th anniversary, we also receive the latest chapter in the beloved series. Does it surpass Ocarina of Time? In some ways it does, and in other ways, it doesn’t.

There will be spoilers in here, so if you want to be surprised, click away now.

Still with me? Let’s dive into the legend…

Story: Very Good

This installment begins in a city in the sky named Skyloft, where Link is in training to become a knight. One aspect of this training is the Wing Ceremony, a bird race commemorating a knight’s bond with a Loftwing (phoenix-like birds the Skyloftians use for transportation) and the goddess’ providence over the world. After rescuing his Loftwing from his rival Groose (who reminded me of Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), Link handily wins the race and a sailcloth from Zelda. But before he and Zelda can take to the skies in a post-race flight, a mysterious tornado spirits Zelda away, and Link discovers a special blade and Fi, the sword’s mysterious (and almost robot-like) guardian spirit. With Fi’s help, Link ventures down to the surface in a race to find Zelda and stop the evil force that threatens to consume both the earth and sky. It may sound simplistic on the surface, but once again, the huge cast of memorable characters and immense development for both them and Link earn it a rightful spot in the lineup of Zelda stories.

Graphics: Excellent

The Wii is again pushed to its full power in an intriguing blend of Twilight Princess’ realistic style with the whimsy of Wind Waker’s cel shaded style. Link looks more beautiful then ever, and the detail is fine enough you can see the details of hair, threads on his clothing, the wrinkles on his face when he smiles, and more. It’s not just the people that are detailed–so are the places and creatures in Skyloft and Hyrule. From a Loftwing’s feather to the grains of a tree trunk in Faron Woods, the sheer detail in the world makes you feel like you’re right there alongside Link.

Sound/Music: Excellent

The Zelda series has long been known for its wonderful music, and Skyward Sword is no exception. In addition to some old favorites (yes, the beloved main theme is in the game), there’s also plenty of new tunes that are destined to become classics–the haunting main theme of the Ballad of the Goddess, Fi’s Celtic inspired theme, the comical trombone-led theme that heralds Groose’s appearance, and the etheral dream-like music of the Silent Realms are just a sample of the diverse blend of music you’ll hear on your quest.

In keeping with the tradition of Link having a playable instrument on his adventure, Link has a harp availiable to him this time around, with the ability of learning five mystical melodies along the way. While not as complex as the ocarina (you can only play glissandos instead of individual notes), it is still simple to learn and fun to play. (although I wonder what it would have been like if you could play individual notes on the harp….)

Gameplay: Very Good

The game really shines on its gameplay yet again, with the main selling point being the usage of your Wiimote (with the WiiMotion Plus) as the sword. This means that some enemies are vulnerable to a specific slash, so swiping the air willy-nilly won’t get you very far. This adds a new dimension and a sense of realism to the fighting. However, this does come with a price: sometimes the WiiMotion Plus makes the controls work a little TOO well. For example, an early quest that involves climbing to a rooftop took me about ten minutes to finish because Link would jump off even if I slightly moved my Wiimote–so some actions will require a little caution to account for the extra sensitivity.

Longtime Zelda fans will notice that Link starts with six hearts instead of the traditional three, and with good reason–the dungeons are vast and challenging, and enemies can and do hit you hard if you’re not prepared. However, they are not so challenging that you’ll tear your hair out or throw the Wiimote at the wall–the game gives you just enough help to give you an idea of what to do next, but doesn’t hold your hand through the dungeon. In other words, easy enough for the casual crowd to enjoy, but hard enough for the long time fans that expect a challenge with every Zelda game.

Overall: Excellent

Aside from overly sensitive controls and a story some may find simple and cliche, the vast world, memorable characters, beautiful music, and challenging dungeons more than make up for it, making Skyward Sword a worthy addition to the Zelda pantheon and a fitting present for 25 years of adventures.

Happy 25th birthday, Link–here’s to 25 more years of adventures!

Happy gaming,
SparklingBlue

Just to warn you, there are spoilers in here, so if you want to be surprised, click away now.

Still with me? Let’s go for the gold…

Graphics: Excellent

The Wii is pushed to its full power here, and the level of detail really shines–grass rustles, water ripples, lights sparkle, and every venue for the 2012 Olympics is faithfully recreated down to the tile and carpet on the floors. The character designs have also been polished–so well you can make out individual hairs and furs on each one. The London cityscapes featured in the London Party mode look like they could come out of a postcard. Details like these bring London into your bedroom or living room–making you feel like you’re right there in the middle of it all.

Music/Sound: Very Good

Festive and exciting is the word in London, from the opening shot of Mario and Sonic atop Big Ben to the medal ceremony music. You’ll be snapping fingers and tapping toes as you compete to both high energy songs for the competition events and classical remixes for the performance events. Unlockable remixes are back in this installment as well, and many new classics (such as Puzzle Plank Galaxy and Tropical Resort Zone, to name a couple) join old favorites such as the Mario main theme and Green Hill Zone. However, this is kept from being Excellent because of some of the odd arrangement styles on some of the remixes, and several remixes were recycled directly from Vancouver. Overall, it would have been nice if some of the returning tunes got new arrangements, but it is nice to hear some old favorites once again alongside some brand new songs.

Gameplay: Excellent

This Olympic installment is bursting at the seams with things to do, and many new events join the party. Synchronized swimming, ribbon dancing, fencing, horseback riding, shooting, canoeing, and soccer are just a few new events for you to try alongside classics as track and field, Ping Pong, and gymnastics. Each event’s controls feel realistic and easy to use, although an explaination is provided if you’re ever confused as to what to do–although you will usually figure it out after one or two tries.

If you get tired of the events themselves, you can always run wild on the steets of of London playing mini games and completing missions in London Party mode. Earning medals will net you scratchcards, which are your tickets to the unlockables in the game. It tries to add an element of surprise as to what you unlock–you might get a new outfit with one card, a decal with another, and a song with a third. While the different events are just as fun alone, it gets even better with friends–up to four players can join in the fun. With so much to do and unlock, it is highly unlikely you will get bored.

Overall: Excellent

Plenty of things to do and collectables to unlock make this the best Olympics game yet–I was actually saddened I only got to play it for a weekend, because I had only scratched the surface on the wealth of things to do both alone and with friends. A must buy this Christmas.

It seems like ages since we’ve seen Mickey on the cover of a game but who bothers remembering when each game he’s been in has been mediocre at best? This time Junction Point Studios deliver Epic Mickey, quite possibly the best Mickey/Disney game released in years and it’s dripping in delicious Disney nostalgia. Epic Mickey starts out with our old pal Mickey curiously going through a magical mirror that sends him to Yen Sid’s tower. It’s here where Mickey decides to mess around with the old wizards latest arts and craft project by tossing thinner all over it when he accidentally creates the shadow blot. Cut to a few years later and the shadow blot decides he wants Mickey to take a trip into the world he’s been wasting for a while and this is where your journey to stop the shadow blot and return the Wasteland to normal begins. Being a huge Disney fan I was ecstatic when I saw the concept art first released for Epic Mickey. Remember all that grimdark creepy looking shit they pulled out? Yea the game looks nowhere that creepy but it still manages to tip on the edge of being uncomfortable in certain levels.

Once you finish the tutorial level you’ll arrive at the hub world called Mean Street where you’ll have access to the other worlds and various quests/shops. As you progress through the game and it’s various sidequests you’ll unlock projector screens that take you to different worlds which in turn have their own projector screens to go to another world. Some of these worlds have towns like Mean Street as well where you can choose to do sidequests or not which all basically involve fetching an item. The areas themselves have some of the best design I’ve seen in a while with each area feeling unique with tons of little details and references to anything Disney. One thing I wish they added was a way to instantly travel from world to world since many quests will have you going to multiple places to fetch items and you’re going to have to go through those 2D segments multiple times. Sure, they’re fun the first or second time, but after having to run through the same shit so many times it starts to lose it’s appeal.

If you recall a few months prior to EM’s release they hyped up the idea of paint and thinner, these are the tools with which you shall use to wreak havoc or restore the Wasteland with. The way it works is simple enough; anything that’s bright and colorful can be erased and if you notice an empty space that has a certain ‘overlay’ over it then you can most likely paint something in. The concept is brilliant but the overall delivery seems to fall a bit flat due to the hype built up about how you could paint/erase anything you see when in reality it’s just the few obvious parts that stick out more than the red & yellow bricks in the middle of a jungle in Uncharted. That’s not to say it’s a badly implemented idea, it’s just that it didn’t live up to what I was expecting. Nonetheless you’ll use your paintbrush as your main weapon throughout the game and this is where the game pushes it’s morality system once again at you. Using paint on your enemies will turn them into allies who will instantly begin to attack their buddies, but this isn’t a permanent effect since if you hit your newly turned allies too much or spray a bit of thinner on them they’ll see the error of their ways and try to kill murder maim pleasantly knock you out. On the other hand you’ve got your trusty thinner with which you can use to basically erase the enemies. Thinner will also erase armor off Beetleworx enemies so you can punch the inner gears while paint will slow them down. Paint and thinner once again give you a moral choice while fighting one of the many bosses you’ll encounter in the Wasteland. You can either purify them with the paint or just erase them completely with the thinner. The thing I liked about this is that in most games the evil option is always the easiest, but in Epic Mickey doing it the evil way might actually being harder.

One thing that annoyed me about the paint/thinner is that you can use it to basically tear apart the various towns you encounter and turn the citizens into puddles of ink, but once you return you’ll notice everything was reset to how it originally was. The fact that they stressed on how your behavior in the Wasteland will change how you play gave me the impression that I can make it look better one town at a time, only to return and see all the holes I patched up were erased and everything looked like it was shit all over again. You’ll also encounter some special weapons like a clock to slow down time, an anvil to drop on enemies/switches, & a TV set to distract those pesky blotlings. One of the major complaints most reviewers are having with this game is the camera. Personally I had no trouble at all with it and was able to see where I had to go and position it whenever I wanted. There are times when the game will stop camera movement, but that’s simply because the section you’re on is most likely a 2D platforming part so the point of looking forward isn’t necessary at all.

Instead of using the 3D models to show a cutscene we’re treated to wonderfully drawn animations to help draw the narrative with noises that fit each character and subtitles to allow us to understand their ‘Disney’ lingo. The graphics themselves aren’t exactly top-notch for a Wii title but Epic Mickey makes it work and the art-style looks perfect for what I would except from a Disney game. The music is definitely one of my favorite aspects of this game though, with each world having a brilliantly done theme that feels exactly like a Disney song would sound like.

The Final Word
You probably bought this if you’re a Disney fan like myself and enjoying the hell out of it, but if you’re still unsure about it then stop being unsure and go out and get this fantastic game. Oh yea did I mention it’s pretty long, popping out around 15 hours?

- MonsterVine Rating: 5 out of 5 – Excellent

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s: Duel Transer is a disc-based game for the Nintendo Wii. It was originally going to come out in September of 2010 with a card scanner accessory, but the scanner was removed from the package, and the game released in December 2010. Konami stated that, if the card scanner does come out, it will not be compatible with Duel Transer.

When you first start up the game, you’ll see the opening sequence. The opening cinematic shows Yusei Fudo drawing a card with the “Shield Warrior” and “Speed Warrior” cards already in Attack Position on his Duel Disk. He then places his “Junk Synchron” card on the Duel Disk, and proceeds to Summon “Stardust Dragon”. We then see the Summon animation for “Stardust Dragon”, followed by several duelists, these being Hunter Pace, Chief Armstrong, Grieger, and Lazar. Then several Dark Signers make their appearances; first Misty, then Devack, Carly, Roman, and finally Kalin. Next is Akiza with her “Black Rose Dragon” being Summoned, followed by Leo and Luna, side by side, each drawing a card with “Power Tool Dragon” behind Leo and “Ancient Fairy Dragon” behind Luna. The twins hold up those two cards, crossing them with “Power Tool Dragon” in front, and that’s followed by both monsters’ Summon animations. Next is Crow, followed by “Blackwing Armor Master” being summoned. Then there’s Odin, a Transcender, and Surtr appearing together, one after the other. Jack Atlas is next, drawing a card and Summoning “Red Dragon Archfiend” to attack with. “Black-Winged Dragon” bursts forth after that, and then “Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode” rushes forward, attacking. The logo shows up after that.

You get four save slots in this game, and this is where you see how much time you’ve put into that file, the face of your character for that file, and a percentage showing how many of the cards in the game you’ve collected. Your name is on that file also, of course. You can use the – Button to delete a file here, also. When you start a new game, you choose a name (“Player” is the default), then a character to represent you. Your Starter Deck will be different, depending on whether you chose a male or female avatar. Unlike most of the other Yu-Gi-Oh! games, there is no character customization.

You are taken to your Main Menu next. The options here are Story Mode, Deck Menu, Free Duel, Shop, Status, Options, Load Data, Database, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Once you start the game’s Story Mode, you choose an area from a menu. Yggdrasil Entrance is the only place open at first, but then you lock other areas by clearing each stage. You learn you are one of the duelists invited to participate in the Duel of Legends Cup, a massive tournament to be held on Ragnarok Island, an isolated island in the middle of the ocean. The island’s only interesting feature at first is a great tower, named Yggdrasil. The tournament organizer, Surtr, explains that the tournament winner will have the world at his feet, and the tournament starts with having Duels on the island to get inside Yggdrasil. You’ll quickly notice that many characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s anime are present in this game, as is expected for a Yu-Gi-Oh! game to start with.

Once the dialogue is over and done with for the time being, how Story Mode works is explained. You basically move your character on a honeycomb-style map, using 1 Action Point, or AP, to move to the next panel. You spin the AP Roulette to gain AP. Just on the first stage, you’ll notice there are several different kinds of panels, and there will be more in future stages. The Slow Panel, for example, requires 3 AP to move to, and the Stop Panel saps all of your AP. Using your PDA in Story Mode lets you access everything on the Main Menu, short of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Instead, there’s a Suspend Game option, which lets you exit Story Mode. The game saves data automatically with every action taken, whether it’s editing your Deck or moving your character in Story Mode.

The Deck Menu lets you view Deck recipes, as well as edit your own Deck using cards from your trunk. The controls are similar to the Tag Force series for the PSP, but since you’re using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk for this game, there are a few differences. You have to hold down the C or Z Button, then press a certain direction on the + Control Pad, to scroll more quickly through your cards, use search functions, and so forth. You can only search by the card’s initial, frame, icon, Type, Attribute, Level, or what it can do, such as removing cards from play or Special Summoning monsters. You can also search for cards that are on the Forbidden/Limited Cards List.

In Free Duel mode, you can choose an opponent, and which Deck that opponent is to use. You can play a single Duel or a full Match, as well as adjust the time limit for each turn and starting Life Points. Deck recipes can be purchases with DP from the Shop for use here, and additional opponents can be unlocked through various means.

The Shop is where you use DP earned from Duels and clearing stages in Story Mode to buy packs of cards and Deck recipes. You start with 300 DP, and what packs are available depends mainly on what you do in Story Mode. Some packs and recipes are more expensive than others.

Your Status is just that. You gain EXP through Dueling, and every 1000 EXP levels your character up. This, in turn, lets you get more AP from spinning the Roulette in Story Mode. Your wins, losses, draws, name, DP, position in Story Mode, and chosen avatar are also here. Lastly, you also see how many cards in total, and how many different cards, you own.

Options is where you can change message speed, music and sound effect volume, card animation speed, and toggle Duel effects, display of detailed card information, display of activation confirmation, automatically drawing a card for your turn, Summoning shortcuts, and more.

The Database keeps track of Duelist Data, your Card Album, and also has Help, the Movie Theater, and the Forbidden/Limited Card List. The game comes with the March 2010 list, but you can download the September 2010 list from the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and switch to it in the Database here. The Movie Theater will only have the opening sequence at first, but there are certain cards in the game that have special animations, such as “Stardust Dragon” being Summoned and attacking.

You can Duel anyone worldwide or nationwide on the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, setting the rules as you would in Free Duel mode. You can also exchange Friend Codes with others to Duel specific people. You will be asked to choose a name for the leaderboard, though.

The controls for this game are very simple. You mostly just use the A and B Buttons, as well as the + Control Pad, on your Wii Remote. The Nunchuk’s Control Stick is just for scrolling through card text without looking at the card’s full details and more precise movements on the Story Mode maps. The C and Z Buttons are just for search shortcuts and such when you’re editing your Deck. Everything else on the Wii Remote is rarely used.

The game’s Story Mode has an interesting story, told through the characters’ dialogue, and that story honestly has little to do with the anime itself. The game also has every card in it that’s been released in Japan, including Starstrike Blast and TCG exclusive cards from Absolute Powerforce. You won’t find “Gravekeeper’s Recruiter” in this game, but you will find “Gravekeeper’s Priestess”, for example. Also, cards with alternate artwork let you choose which picture to use from the start.

The problems with this game are that it doesn’t really seem to warrant a Wii game disc. It feels more like it would be more at home on the PSP, especially since the Summon and attack animations were basically ripped from the Tag Force series. It could have done with more character customization, the most recent TCG exclusive cards, voice acting (the Tag Force series in Japan has it, but not our versions, which is retarded), and a password machine (every card has an 8-digit code on it, which is used to put the card into a video game).

The Final Word
All in all, it’s not a bad game for this series, but it could have used some improvements. Maybe Konami should think about a game that can update its database of cards, so we wouldn’t have to keep buying new games.

- MonsterVine Rating: 3 out of 5 – Average

Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Developer: Good Feel
Price: $50.00
Platform: Wii

When I first got my hand on Kirby on the E3 show floor, I was a little hesitant on the visuals but otherwise pleased with the overall gameplay and feel of this new installment to the Nintendo franchise. Sure, it was a little embarrassing playing with a game that had such vibrant hues and cutesy enemies making up the core of the game, though I nevertheless was optimistic on the new approach to this beloved franchise.

Pun intended, Kirby spins a new yarn of an adventure to be unraveled by the player as he ventures forth into a welcoming, creative world made entirely of colorful fabric. Told in storybook fashion, the plot revolves around the main protagonist Kirby literally being accidentally sucked into a new realm of yarn by a sinister wizard, Yin-Yarn (an obvious reference to the balance of Yin and Yang). Kirby, feeling hungry, decides to eat a suspicious tomato known as the metamoto, because accidentally eating mysterious objects is the natural path for all fun-loving, adorable pink balls of fluff. Yin-Yarn, furious that his his fruit was taken, sucks Kirby into his sock and our hero is casted into Patch Land. Meeting Prince Fluff, Kirby is determined to resolve the damage that Yin-Yarn has done to the world and sew back the seven magical pieces to mend the fabric of Patch Land.

As is obviously stated, Kirby’s world is constructed entirely of yarn, and in order to progress through the story the player must gradually unwind and pull together pieces of the world using Kirby’s new found yarn powers. Kirby’s primary weapon is a knotted piece of yarn used to lasso loose fabric to literally pull the environment close for easy jumps (he can no longer float), parachute to safety, or whip enemies out of existence. Other abilities include transforming into a speeding car when double tapping the direction Kirby is moving and an anvilwhen holding the down button for an arial attack. In certain parts of the story Kirby acquires new powers to assist in a specific level, such as transforming into a giant projectile-throwing robot, a motorbike, and a UFO that conducts electricity. Unlike previous installments, Kirby lacks his signature sucking technique for absorbing enemy powers, so he instead relies on the default move sets as well as the in-game transformations. The changes does not necessarily lessen the typical kirby experience, though it does diverge from the norm of the series in gaining new abilities; so to those hardcore Kirby fans that think this game is a failure, I say BULLSHIT. People, have no fear: It remains a Kirby game with the core gameplay intact regardless of these new additions to the experience. Just take the game as if it was your favorite series directed by someone else (at least it is not Shyammalan, screw that guy).

Don’t get me wrong I love the game, though one aspect of this game that pissed me off was not the new style of gameplay, though the level of difficulty of the overall experience. The game is dumb-founding in the ease of completing levels and taking down bosses. One of the first bosses of the game is a yarn dragon that spits out his tongue and shoots out fireballs; the player merely has to whip out his yarn knot and repel those attacks against the monster. The game might as well be targeted in challenging toddlers. It is that simple. The gameplay is very forgiving to human error, so much so to the extent of making Kirby essentially invincible to any harm. The only things lost when Kirby takes a blow would be either the colored beads or the menagerie of items he collects on his journey. Regardless of the babying the game gives you to progress, you will enjoy traversing through the colorful world and meticulously finding each and every little object to add to your collection. In that sense the game is rewarding to the player, and as a side quest you may assist in constructing rooms in the overworld using the items you collect.

The Final Word
Once you get past the feminine qualities of the art style (don’t worry, you guys will keep your penis by the game’s end), Kirby’s Epic Yarn is an endearing and worthy addition to the Kirby franchise. The gameplay will not challenge hardcore fans in the least, though it will certainly entertain as the player ventures into new levels.

- MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good

I think it’s fair to say that the Sonic the Hedgehog series has not seen a stellar release since December 1998 when Sonic Adventure was released on the SEGA Dreamcast and since then it has been a near constant stream of games that will ‘reboot’ the nearly two decade old series. The latest Sonic game has always been cast as ‘the saviour’ of Sonic the Hedgehog and without failure; it has always been a disappointing result. Yet, Sonic Unleashed will still sell because there are still those few people who firmly believe that it can revive the Sonic franchise. So can Sonic Unleashed FINALLY breathe life into this long dead franchise?

No. It can’t and it hasn’t. Sonic Unleashed is a game riddled with hideous control, camera problems, boring level design, awful, convoluted hub worlds and disturbingly pointless characters. This is pretty much the same as all other 3D Sonic games since the turn of the millennium.

The Unleashed moniker that Sonic has now been bestowed is in relation to his ability to transform into a Werehog at night. Yes, apparently hedgehog’s now have a ‘were’ form at night. When in this form, Sonic grows furry, gets longer arms and a slightly more grizzly voice. It makes for an interesting change in appearance but it’s baffling that these fairly hideous looking creature to behave in exactly the same way as when he’s in his normal form. It’s increasingly baffling to have NPC’s react in the same way as well.

All of this transfers into stages which consist of the player moving Sonic around cookie-cutter levels and running up to hordes of similar looking enemies and mashing away on the attack button until they are all gone. In amongst this incredibly simple gameplay are sprinklings of platforming that are neither fun nor rewarding due to a stubborn camera and ‘janky’ platforming mechanics that only work from a distance that it decides. As an example of this, you could be 3 feet from a ledge and grapple perfectly for one jump, then for the next jump the option will not be presented until you are barely touching the ledge you are reaching for. It is this kind of mind-meltingly infuriating gameplay that really shows Sonic games to be the cancerous thumb on an otherwise healthy hand that is the modern day platformer.

The other half of Sonic Unleashed’s gameplay take part in the day and are the classic ‘let’s-hold-right-and-jump-every-now-and-again’ gameplay from Sonic games of old as well as integrating 2D gameplay every so often. Sadly, even this attempt to revisit the glory days of Sonic and his (then) unique platforming experience feels antiquated and unnecessary, especially in 2008. The 3D aspects of the day are kind of fun when watching things speed past and speeding over water, but every so often the game throws some incredibly precise platforming mechanic at you where you need to time the jump or positioning precisely, and with controls primarily built for speed, his can be nigh on impossible especially when going for the fastest time possible.

Even the world that connects these two styles of levels is unnecessarily complicated and big. It is as if the developers decided that having a hub world filled with pointless characters filled with equally pointless information in an attempt to keep the story progressing. Within each world, you control Sonic and guide him towards the level openings. In the towns you will meet various people who will blabber to you about unimportant things. There is no reason for all of the hub worlds and villages because Sonic is a platforming game, not an open-world adventure game, the levels have been designed as such and it seems as though the hub worlds have only been created in order to stretch out the game and make it longer than it would be to just go from level to level.

To stretch out the game further, Sonic must collect Sun and Moon medals in order to unlock new levels. These medals are hidden in unspecified places that will have you searching every nook and cranny for, which wouldn’t be fun even if the game was brilliant. The medals in the Day stages will hinder you from playing them as they were meant to be played as you will have to jog around the level looking for medals when you want to be blasting through the stage as fast as ‘hedgehogly’ possible.

Both types of gameplay are hampered by heinous camera issues and control problems. Some of the best moments in the game come from blazing through the Day stages at incredibly high speeds, and it’s goes from annoying to downright maddening when you have to stop and correct the camera so you can see where you are actually going. Sonic’s Werehog form is no different, and the camera will put up more of a fight than the enemies themselves. Add to the camera issues some terrible level design and you will be wondering why you are still bothering with the game.

It certainly won’t be for the story. It is a confusing mess of characters that wander in out of the story seemingly at random before Sonic finally goes to fight Dark Gaia (the cause of his lycanthropy.) The fact that Sonic is now a particularly vicious looking creature might seem like an interesting plot development (at the very least), only nothing about Sonic changes apart from his appearance and voice. He is still the same old ‘save the world’ morally inclined hedgehog despite his new malicious figure. The characters he is surrounded by don’t help either.  With the exception of Robotnik, they are all the typical children’s favourite do-gooders who wouldn’t even drop litter on the floor, let alone be interesting. The worst offender though, is new character Chip. He is full of ‘scared but determined’ sidekick clichés that ear spewed from the world’s most cheerful vocal chords. His constant want of food is anything but a source of entertainment and will only lead in you partaking in pointless side quests.

Sonic Unleashed is a game that will aggravate you to the point of hurling your controller through the nearest window.  At this point you would think I would say something like: ‘It looks like the Sonic franchise has finally met it’s end’ only, the Sonic franchise has been outdated for about a decade now. It has gone past being a dead franchise into being a zombie of a franchise.

The Final Word
Sonic Unleashed’s terrible camera, horrendous controls, hideous story and characters and awful hub world / level design make this game a pointless purchase for anyone, and completely irrelevant in this day and age.

- MonsterVine Rating: Abysmal