Donkey Kong Country Returns Game Review

The reason that Nintendo are able to compete with their rivals (Sony, Microsoft) is the fantastic catalogue of games based off their many successful franchises. Donkey Kong is the latest character from our childhood to make a "HD return". Donkey Kong Country Returns is an almost perfect remake of one of Nintendo's classics and with nothing to complain about, other than the brutal difficulty, fans will be ecstatic with this latest choice from the Nintendo archives to receive a High Definition remake.

The developers seem to have approached this game with old-school values, mixed in with new-school techniques to appeal to modern fans. It is a game made with love, you can really see the passion the developers had for this franchise and the final product is phenomenal, it joins New Super Mario Bros and Kirby's Epic Yarn as a modern day 2D classic.

PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Game Review

The Pokemon franchise has seen huge amounts of success on hand-held systems in the past few years, but never really impressing on any main console. Though there are Pokemon games on the Wii, none are worth you're time or hard earned money. PokePark Wii is the latest instalment of the franchise to hit the Nintendo Wii and this time it might just be worth a look. This little RPG is heavy on mini-games and while it is directed at the younger audience, it can still provide a fun enjoyable experience for anyone.

You're magical adventure begins when the Legendary Mew seeks out Pikachu and his friends, Chikorita, Charmander, and Piplup to help save the PokePark from certain destruction. Former friends and rulers of the PokePark regions, Venusaur, Blaziken, and Empoleon have drifted apart and the lack of friendship has shattered the Sky Prism, scattering it's pieces all throughout the land. The Sky Prism is what keeps the Sky Pavilion (Magical fortress in the heavens, Mew's home) floating. If this was to fall it would crush all the Pokemon bellow, so this is a very serious issue in the world of Pokemon.

Limbo Game Review

Games are beginning to turn into a form or art and Limbo is the latest game to catch the eye of the gaming world with it's film noir style graphical direction. The game produces no dialogue, no text, and gives no explanation. It's hard to imagine how this can then be called "Art" by the critics in the gaming industry and be considered one of the best games of the year. The fact is Limbo manages to communicate everything that it needs to say without saying a single word, using the setting, Sound, and Environment to create an atmosphere that is almost unmatched by any other 2D Puzzle Platformer i have ever played. On top of all this the ending is one of the greatest moments in recent gaming history.

In Limbo you take control of a young boy after he wakes up in a dark forest. There is no indication of how you got there, why your there, or where you should go. You don't even know who you are. You set out on your journey and you find out very soon that this is a very dangerous unforgiving world you are in, your motivation at this point is to find a way out of this forest. The game has no unnecessary cut scenes or loading times, it's just you locked in this horrific atmospheric world unaware of what lies beyond your next step. The game manages to lure you into it's unique environment, isolating you from anything else.

Kirby's Epic Yarn Game Review

Games back in the 80's and early 90's were all about 2D platforming, perfecting these types of games is what had everyone talking at the time. Games like Mario, Sonic, Earthworm Jim and much more contained us to our basement for hours every day. Then the 3D era of gaming came along and everyone's focus was shifted into a new direction. Lately we have seen a resurgence of what made us spend 90% of our childhood's in a basement, 2D platforming games.

2010 has already produced some spectacular 2D platforming games, some are new and fresh while others dive back into time and recapture the magic of past classic franchises. For me personally the three stand out games so far are Limbo, Super Meat Boy, and Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Sonic we all know and love and it's great to see him return to his former glory while Limbo and Meat Boy are new classics worthy of rivalling any of our old beloved franchises. Kirby is the latest to continue with this string of 2D platforming games and delivers yet another fantastic game.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is a unique platformer which enhances all that is great about 2D side scrollers and uses it to create one of the best games of the year. Epic Yarn is a game full of charm, Kirby is always cute and delightful to control but it's the design of the game which is so enchanting. Epic Yarn is a game which uses anything you would expect to find in an arts and crafts store to create one of the most unique environments ever seen in a side scroller. Yarn, string, and buttons are the items used to create the building blocks for this unique and wonderful world.