This week we have blogs about favorite cooperative gaming experiences, game remasters, and bad ports of multiplatform titles. Plus, the community delivers a duo of reviews and takes us back in time to Paper Mario's inception.
We've also created a playdate group and will celebrate its launch with more Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate shenanigans. It's a good week, so get reading!
Community Blogs For May 14 – May 20:
Nintendo Screen Shot
Scrap Book #3
Yoshi's Island, one of the greatest games of all time, makes this edition of
happydude633's Screen Shot Scrap Book. The whimsical art style and adorable
Yoshis make for some awesome images. He balances out the cute with the
intensity of Hyrule Warriors.
My Big Ol' E3 First
Party Predictions
Lovemeorshootme is keeping the tradition of weekly E3 predictions alive with a
slew of 'em. I didn't remember WiLD until this blog mentioned it, so I'm
looking forward to seeing some of these predictions coming true! Bonus points
for wanting a new Monster Hunter (and buying a Wii U just for Capcom's
dino-smiting game).
52/52 Week 20 – What
We're NOT Going to See at E3
More E3 predictions? You got 'em. TheDarkestLink wrote about what we won't get
to see at E3. Metroid makes the blog, and for that I am eternally saddened.
It's not like I expected anything new on Samus' front, but I can dream for a
new 2D Metroid game. Please, Nintendo?
Replaying Paper Mario 64
Jon_G takes us on an adventure through Paper Mario, a bona fide Nintendo 64
classic. It's hard to believe the game is coming up on its 15-year anniversary
(my goodness I've gotten old), but Jon has one important point to make: the
game holds up. It may look dated, but its charm and gameplay are still strong.
Six Last-Gen Games That
Should Get Remasters/Remakes
Raging Searchers knows this generation is chock-full of remasters – and you may
or may not like that. But as long as they're going to be made, he has some
suggestions on what developers should re-release, like the Mass Effect Trilogy,
Fallout 3, New Vegas, and BioShock. I'd gladly plunk down more cash for another
romp through Rapture.
Learning
To Accept Change By Way Of Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Change is good, or so the saying goes. Rebekah Lang writes about how Animal
Crossing: New Leaf helped her cope with change by being more adaptable in the
real world. She says it best: "Change isn't always bad. And apparently, it helps us
grow as people and stuff."
Poor
Ports: A Generational Gap
Cragaleg points a sad truth out: Your old consoles may no longer play competent
versions of multiplatform games. He came to this conclusion after playing
Shadow of Mordor on the Xbox 360, noting how poorly crafted the port is. This
inability to port newer games onto older platforms (which totally makes sense
considering how old the PS3 and 360 are) convinced me to wait to play the newest Dragon Age on PS4, and I'm glad I did.
Shooters
Reloaded
Kyle Wadsworth gives us an in-depth look at first-person shooters – specifically
Destiny – hitting on what makes them so fun, what's changed, and what just
doesn't work.
Writing Challenge Responses:
Community Writing
Challenge – The Very Best of Cooperative Games
Trenchmace writes his very first response to a community writing challenge, and
it's centered on two games: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 – an absolute
favorite of mine – and Halo: Reach. The high difficulty level is a reason he
likes both so much, and I have to agree that the challenge definitely adds to
the reward of victory.
Community Writing
Challenge: My Epitome Of Co-op Greatness
Rebekah has made it known before just how much she loves Borderlands, but this
blog explains every little detail of just what appeals to her so much, and how
she got into the series. I'm also a huge Borderlands fan, and the first game
kept me in touch with my friends in the Lower 48 when I moved to an island...in
Alaska...to become a newspaper reporter and fight crime with Kodiak bears.
Community
Writing Challenge: Favorite Co-op Experience
AlexBizzar may take cooperative play to a whole other level. How? Alex controls
the keyboard, and his significant other uses the mouse in Mechwarrior Online.
It sounds a little too difficult, but just like when riding a tandem bike for
the first time, communication is key. And a helmet.
Community
Writing Challenge: Favorite Co-Op Experience
Helldivers is Uesugi-dono's jam when it comes to playing games with a buddy. The
isometric shooter, coupled with a Starship
Troopers vibe, makes for one of the greatest games he's ever played. And it
also encourages teamwork with challenging enemies and the ability to (probably)
accidentally shoot friends or new people he meets from all over the
country.
Community Reviews:
Ori and the Blind Forest
Review: Saving a Forest of Beauty
Refle gives us a look at a game that sounds equal parts heartbreaking and fun.
It's a platformer with some Metroidvania features, which is always a genre I
welcome with open arms. Just don't expect much in the way of satisfying combat.
Broken Age PS4 Review:
An Incomplete Picture
Tony Sansone says Broken Age looks like a storybook brought to life – but the
beautiful aesthetics don't make up for a lackluster second half. It's
ultimately a worthwhile experience, but just loses a bit of momentum.
Community Writing Challenge:
Loyalty. You've either got it or you don't. I want to know which characters, pets, or creatures you've come across in video games are the most loyal you've met. From Suikoden's eclectic entourage to Monster Hunter's cats, loyal friends are everywhere. (Side note: This post is inspired by my cat, Miyamoto. He helped me take down a giant wasp in our apartment, and for that he gets extra kibbles for a day).
Community Playdate:
First things first: Please join our new playdate group!
This week's playdate game will be Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on the Nintendo 3DS. We'll be playing on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. CST. Newcomers and veterans are welcome. Please leave your Friend Code in the comments if you haven't played with us before. We'll keep players updated throughout the play session via the new playdate group, so please make sure to join it!
I hope you enjoy the blogs! Please contact me via my Game Informer page or on Twitter at @LouisGarcia12 with any blog news or playdate suggestions.