Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Video Review by IGN

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is the biggest Wii U title of early 2014, and it's now available in North America. The game was developed by Nintendo's own Retro Studios, who also crafted the well-received Donkey Kong Country Returns which was released for the Wii a few years back.

Tropical Freeze plays very much like its immediate predecessor, but with some new features. The big ape can now pluck items out of the ground, a move borrowed from the US version of Super Mario Bros. 2, and can also pick up enemies and throw them at their comrades (another move borrowed from the plumber's wacky NES classic). Also new to the series are Kong Pow Moves, which allow players to use the power of their Kongs of choice to affect enemies in various ways, like turning them into recovery hearts.

Fan-favorite Dixie Kong has returned after a long absence, and can twirl her hair like a propeller to get some hangtime on jumps and even some extra height. In single-player, she and Diddy ride on DK's back, essentially acting as power-ups, though both are completely playable characters in co-op, just like in the gorilla's Wii sidescroller.

Dixie isn't the only new playable character. Cranky Kong, whom Nintendo regards as the original Donkey Kong from the first arcade title, can be used as well. His cane allows him to defeat certain enemies the others can't, and also lets him bounce on spikes that would otherwise cause damage and take lives. In many ways, Cranky's abilities are very much like those of Scrooge McDuck in the NES classic DuckTales, and he has been received well by many for that very reason.

The reviews for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze have been overwhelmingly positive, and the consensus from professional critics is that it's a darn good game. As of this writing, it has a Metacritic score of 82 based on 58 reviews. Average gamers also think very highly of it, and it currently has an average of 4.9 stars out of 5 on Amazon. For those of you trust average gamers more than critics, you can read some customer reviews on Amazon here.

Jose Otero of IGN recently uploaded his video review of the game to YouTube, and he thinks it's awesome. You can watch his review after the break.

The Art of Balance: TOUCH! coming to Wii U eShop

Developer Shin'en Multimedia have announced their second Wii U game is The Art of Balance: TOUCH! It appears to be a souped-up version of the 3DS game of the same name, which, in turn, was originally released as a WiiWare title, garnering some very respectable scores from critics and praise from average gamers.

Here are some of the features to look forward to:

• Off-TV play, and multiple control schemes such as analogue, touch screen and Wii Remote.
• Multiple online and local multiplayer modes for both competitive or co-operative play. Up to five players can participate in the various modes at once — one on GamePad, four on Wii Remotes — while up to ten people can play across two Wii Us in online matches.
• Online Leaderboards will be a feature, and their goal is to be region free.
• HD graphics that incorporate all new designs and locations (A few pictures below).
• More accurate physics that are processed at 240 frames-per-second (as opposed to the 30 FPS physics that the 3DS featured)
• All the levels from the previous games, and then some.

The most obvious improvements are the HD graphics, more accurate physics, and smoother animations. As many of you are perfectly aware, Shin'en Multimedia are known for making quality games, including the outstanding Wii U eShop title Nano Assault Neo, which received a solid 9 out of 10 from our very own reviewer, Jake "The King of Video Games."

For those of you who want to get a feel for what The Art of Balance: TOUCH! has to offer, you can find a trailer for the original WiiWare version after the break.

Sonic Boom - Wii U Trailer

Sega has revealed Sonic Boom, a new video game which is coming exclusively to the Wii U and 3DS. The third and final Nintendo console exclusive is meant to serve as a prequel to the TV series of the same name, which sees some altered designs for the iconic characters of the Sonic the Hedgehog universe. The Wii U version is being developed by Big Red Button Entertainment, which is made up of industry veterans, including former employees of Naughty Dog, the creators of Sony's Jak & Daxter games as well as the Uncharted series.

Another interesting fact is that Sonic Boom is running on CryEngine3, the well-known game engine developed by Crytek. In addition, all four characters will have their own unique abilities based on their personalities, and they will all be playable in local co-op, though there will not be any online co-op.

As for the 3DS version, details are scarce, but we know that it is being developed by Sanzaru, who delivered the PS3/Vita game Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. 

Here's a brief excerpt from the official blog post:

Sonic Boom’s visual identity includes character designs inspired by the abilities and unique personalities of each of the characters, while still maintaining the core identity and values of the Sonic brand.  The rich worlds of the TV series and videogame will share a common narrative and a number of location and stylistic similarities reflecting full collaboration between videogame, TV series partners and SEGA from the outset.

Sega has released a trailer for the hedgehog's latest adventure, which features a decent amount of gameplay footage. So far, it seems to have garnered a pretty favorable reaction from viewers. Video after the break.

Starbeast is now a Wii U exclusive

Leaked concept art.

Ravi Jayant of indie developer Dead Pixel has confirmed that the upcoming Starbeast will be a Wii U exclusive, and says the formal announcement will take place soon.

4 words: Starbeast, exclusive WiiU title. Formal announcement coming soon. @Emi1yRogers, thanks for the support! pic.twitter.com/B5vwdYUnDz
— Ravi Jayant (@ravsters) January 23, 2014

The title in question was announced a while back, and some concept art was leaked, but details were scarce. Reports suggested it was a 2.5D shoot 'em up with a sci-fi setting, but no concrete info was given. However, Jayant has now revealed a few cryptic details.

There is a lot of speculation about #Starbeast. Three things: 1 No bullet hell. 2 Concept art floating around is old. 3 Cinematic experience
— Ravi Jayant (@ravsters) January 24, 2014

One Twitter user asked Jayant what sort of unique gameplay experience to expect from the GamePad, to which he replied: "Can't say. But, I will say this: we are paying attention to every little detail." For more details, check out Jayant's Twitter account via the source link below. (Thanks for the tip, Ravi!)

Source: Twitter

The Wonderful 101 - Video Review by IGN

The Wonderful 101 is now available in North America. The Wii U exclusive was developed by Platinum Games and published by Nintendo themselves. It features a team of one hundred superheroes whom the players guide through levels filled with villains, including plenty of huge bosses. The characters can be assembled to take the forms of various weapons including a giant fist, sword, gun, whip, and more.

So far the reviews have been very positive, and the unique action title currently has a Metacritic average of 79 out of 100 based on 61 reviews, with a few near-perfect scores awarded by some publications. Keza MacDonald of IGN has uploaded her video review and while she scores it a little lower than most, it's still a pretty good overview of what the "mass-hero action" game has to offer. Video review after the break.

Wii U Exclusives Trailer

Plenty to look forward to.

Many analysts, business insiders, and gamers have been criticizing Nintendo for their lackluster Wii U advertising campaign, but the company's UK branch has put together a new trailer which is garnering praise. The video features a number of games that are exclusive to the console, showing players experiences that aren't available on any other console. Video after the break.

Developer says The Wonderful 101 is a relatively short game, but will be fun and replayable

The Wonderful 101 is a Wii U exclusive in which players take control of 100 superheroes and guide them on missions as they take down massive adversaries that tower over them. It has been compared to Pikmin by some members of the media, and has been featured at many gaming expos throughout the world, receiving a positive response to critics and gamers alike.

Hideki Kamiya of developer Platinum Games has now revealed via Twitter that the superhero adventure will be relatively short. However, he emphasized the fact that his main goal is to make sure that games are fun, rather than focusing on long it takes to beat them.

If u hate to finish a game the next day u buy it, u better not play TW101. I focus on how it is fun, not how long it lasts till the ending.
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) April 27, 2013

One of his followers then asked him if the game is meant to be replayed multiple times, and Kamiya confirmed that indeed it is.

I hope you enjoy it like that. RT @asmodeus77: So is TW101 meant to be played over and over like DMC?
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) April 27, 2013

There are a ton of great titles that are relatively short, such as the Mega Man and Star Fox games. And yet, even after all these years, people still enjoy replaying them on a regular basis. Hopefully The Wonderful 101 will go down in history as one of the "infinitely replayable" classics.

The Wonderful 101 is expected to arrive later this year, but no official release date has been given for any region. Trailer after the break.

Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101 will remain Wii U exclusives

Platinum Games is currently working on Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, both of which are Wii U exclusives. Nintendo will be publishing the titles, and Hideki Kamiya has revealed via Twitter that the Big N is actually funding the projects themselves. As a result, Kamiya says that it's very unlikely that either of the games will be ported to other platforms as Nintendo would have to authorize the company to do so.

“We’re a development company…Nintendo gives us money, we make Bayonetta 2 and W101, and they sell it…So if Nintendo says ‘We’re putting Bayonetta 2 on PS360′ it’ll come out on those platforms…So ask Nintendo about it…”

It seems pretty safe to say that the two games will remain exclusive to the Wii U.

Source: Twitter

Platinum Games says Bayonetta 2 would not exist without Nintendo

In an interview with The Verge, Atsushi Inaba, the executive director of Platinum Games, said that if it weren't for Nintendo, Bayonetta 2 would not exist. He also said the development team is enjoying the challenge of creating a game for new hardware.

Inaba: "Would Bayonetta 2 not exist without Nintendo? The answer is yes."

"We are not viewing this as a change of platform. We were looking for a partner to create Bayonetta 2 and Nintendo was a strong, cooperative partner that was willing to create and grow Bayonetta 2 together [with us]. As a result the platform became the Wii U."


"We create the basic framework of our games on the PC, so even though the hardware changes it doesn't influence the creation of our games. We've already developed our own engine to work with multiple platforms."

"Because of the Wii U GamePad, we are putting extra thought into how to use these differentiating features. There's a difference in the game design side, but we are enjoying the challenges of creating games for new hardware."


Inaba didn't give any new information on the title, so we'll have to wait a while longer before we know how the gameplay will be in relation to the original. Teaser trailer after the break.

Source: The Verge


The original Bayonetta is available on Amazon.