When Nintendo does HD, my god do they do it right.
If you’ve played any recent edition of Mario Kart, you pretty much know what to expect from Mario Kart 8. Nintendo has added a few new wrinkles to give the racing more depth and, of course, a set of 16 new tracks (and 16 remastered ones), but the vast majority of the experience has carried over from Mario Kart 7. There’s no question that Nintendo is justified in not fixing what ain’t broke, but it would’ve been nice to see them not only polish the gameplay and graphics to a sheen, but shake-up the single player formula, offering a product that’s a bit more robust than its 3DS counterpart.
Nearly a hole in one.
After Mario Tennis Open, I was a bit weary of the next Mario sports game to hit the 3DS. It looked the part, but it didn’t have the same heart and soul of past entries in the series. Thankfully, Mario Golf: World Tour has restored my faith in the series as it carries that undeniable charm and addictiveness that makes the Mario sports games so enjoyable. However, it’s not without its share of ugly blemishes, namely a thin single player mode that feels like it was chopped in half for the sake of DLC – something I never would’ve expected from Nintendo.
Babysitting with Yoshis – 2014 edition.
I’m the type of guy that doesn’t think its fair to compare one game to another, but in the case of Yoshi’s New Island, an exception has to be made. It’s the second follow-up to the SNES classic, Yoshi’s Island, and Yoshi’s Island is a very tough game to top. On the positive side, Yoshi's New Island does a lot of things better than the previous entry in the series, Yoshi’s Island DS, like getting rid of the annoying baby-switching mechanic and doling out some clever levels. On the other hand, it adds some new, underutilized mechanics, disappointing boss battles, and turns a definitive ability into a shallow gyroscope mini-game.
Hold the Jason.
Chris Iozzi here, while Jason was at work I snuck into PBJ Headquarters and did a little podcast of my own! Don't tell him, he's kinda funny about people touching his stuff.
Follow me into the green pipe.