Good Game Get! Donkey Kong Country Returns
The platformer is a Nintendo genre. No one has ever really done it better, and Nintendo’s intelligent decision to have Retro Studios refresh Rare’s old Donkey Kong Country franchise could not have come at a better time in the Wii’s life-cycle.
The game is hard, and some reviewers have complained about that - but they seriously should reconsider the initial origins of gaming which focused heavily on difficulty. Donkey Kong Country Returns focuses on creative level design from start to end and whilst doing that it ramps up the difficulty gradually - until yes it has become fucking hard.
Co-operatively it is an absolute blast and is in fact more difficult with the exception of boss battles to play with another person. You’ll jump on a crumbling platform and your partner won’t be ready and he’ll tumble below and lose one of your shared lives. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it will force you to communicate with your partner which is a good thing.
We like nostalgia and especially like feeling young. A side-scrolling platformer is a classic formula and while Retro has introduced nothing that feels too new, it does feel almost perfect. Without a doubt Donkey Country Returns is the definitive platformer of this generation.
- Kyle
Good Game Get!: Rune Factory 3
I haven’t finished the game yet, but you need to know about the absolute magic of the third entry into Natsume’s incredible fantasy Harvest Moon series, Rune Factory.
It’s a shame that it hasn’t received any critical reception yet. I don’t usually give out numerical scores but if Jason Dietz and co. wants Good Game Get! to put in our two cents then let ‘em.
If you’re unfamiliar with the series then let me lay it out simply:
You farm.
You slay monsters.
You tame them.
You level up.
You make food.
You court lovely ladies, including a hottie mermaid with pink hair.
That’s just a small list of the broad spectrum of things the game allows you to do, and it allows you to do it all very seamlessly and quickly. Natsume has really pushed the series into an incredibly polished state.
The main character may be a little too shōjo oriented for my tastes, but it works, and helps make him a gentler character aesthetically, but he’s already a pretty nice guy.
And I apologize for the lack of screen-shots but a Google image search ended up a bust because this game is criminally unrecognized. Ideally I guess November wasn’t the best time to release the game.
I’ve been pretty jaded about games in general, but my girl and I have been playing this game intensely we just love talking about it and sharing tips, and stories with one another as we play the game differently and take on different requests from characters.
While the world Rune Factory 3 takes place in can be cheesy, it’s very centralized, realized, and satisfyingly fun to explore as it has beautifully illustrated backgrounds. The whole game graphically pops on a DSi screen and would probably be really rad on a DSiXL.
It feels so good to write so positively about a game that just pulls at me and really provides me with reason to play it. That kind of drive to play a game this intently is in short supply for me these days, and while I can’t possibly write on exactly every reason the game works for me - I will say that it has that certain quality and touch of magic that even professional critics unlike me can’t even pinpoint.
Well - if they can, let me know. I’d like to be able to write more like them.
Play this game, please.
- Kyle
Good Game Get! Costume Quest
Here it is, another October, and once again I found myself counting the days to another Double Fine release. It’s been a year since Brutal Legend rocked our consoles with its crazy fantastic world, only to then befuddled us by becoming a strange RTS halfway through (I never did get the hang of that part). But this year we get something a little more modest. This year the good folks at DF are heading in a new direction with a series of smaller games.
The first in this series, set in the pumpkin glow of Halloween, is Costume Quest, a “candy-gathering sim” from the creative heart of DF’s Tasha Harris. Well, actually, it would have been great if it was a “candy-gathering sim” but an evil witch and her army of monsters just had to ruin the evening by stealing all the candy, so our simple sim morphs into a modest RPG following the adventures of a costume obsessed trick-or-treater on a “quest” to save their sibling from the candy-thieving monsters.
It’s not a very hard game and I found I enjoyed Costume Quest more the faster I played it. The first costume you earn, actually the costume you start the game with, provides the best special ability as its “sneaker skates” allow you to zoom around double-time encouraging fast play. The limited difficulty makes it a wonderful game for kids, especially as an introduction to RPG’s. I was a little turned off by the combat, but that’s because I’m not the biggest fan of quick time events. The timing is pretty loose, though, and never frustrating. Eventually there is enough variety amongst the monsters, costumes and special attacks to keep it interesting enough.
But it’s very much a Double Fine game, and the developer’s humor and wicked charm shine through from beginning to end offering up a big enough bag of candy to keep you munching for a few hours. If you can get past the game’s simplicity and quick-timey combat, Costume Quest is definitely a “treat” (I know, groan, but I just had to say it) because it’s the sticky-sweet joy of the holiday this game gets right. If you love Halloween, or Double Fine’s quirkiness, you’ll love this game too.
- Andy
Good Game Get! Shantae: Risky’s Revenge
I’ve spent the week with Shantae: Risky’s Revenge and have enjoyed every minute of this charming and engaging DSiware gem. I won’t go into great detail, NintendoLife has already done a good job of that in their super enthusiastic 10-star review and follow-up interview with the lead designer. But, I too give it high marks for game play, art style and the delightful musical score, and agree it’s a must buy for DSi platformer fans.
It’s not the hardest platformer you’ve ever played — a little patience goes a long way in this game — though the difficulty does ramp up in a slow and satisfying way. Other nice touches, including the need to collect jars of “Magic Jam” scattered around Sequin Land before you can purchase the more powerful weapons, encourages exploration and prevents you from becoming too over-powered, too early. Shantae’s belly-dancing, animal-transformation powers are both cute and clever, and add a pleasant depth to the game.
I think what struck me the most is that Shantae: Risky’s Revenge could easily be packaged and sold retail and still be totally worth it — it is that good. The 1200 point price tag might be a little high for some, but the splurge will get you, as NintendoLife puts it “hands-down the best title available on DSiWare and quite possibly the best 12 bucks you’ll ever spend on a video game”. The best 12 bucks? Not sure about that one, but I can’t argue that the DSiware service has grown up a little with the release of this game.
-Andy