Review – Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D

Leithal
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Horror films have a reputation for churning out sequels that are ridiculous and unnecessary. Whilst this echoed throughout the Saw series and direct to DVD films like Wrong Turn 2, The Hills Have Eyes 2 etc, this film Texas Chainsaw 3 (D) is the most ridiculous, waste of time horror film possibly ever. Big call, but it’s true! The throwaway plot, horrid script and appalling acting all contribute to making this possibly the worst horror film of all time.

The Texas Chainsaw 3D is a direct sequel to the original 1974 film, but set in 2013…let me explain how this is meant to make sense…After the tragic events of the first film, a group of vigilantes head to the house of the Sawyers and burn them all alive. Little do they know that a baby and grandmother escape the blaze and when the grandmother dies her unexplained heir Heather gets access to the house and brings a few friends who mistakenly let her cousin Leatherface loose who wreaks havoc upon the town and the people who burnt his family alive.

The story is so badly and thinly sewn together it is just laughable. Nothing seems to fit together and make sense, I found myself saying “what” all through this film and laughing at all the gaping holes in the plot. The script is so horribly cliché for a C grade horror film and not even in an ironically cool way, it is just unbearable.

The young actors are passable, but with bad dialogue and a leaky plot there isn’t really much room to move. One part of this film that annoyed me was making Leatherface a retarded child and making his revenge plot out to be heroic was just a joke, and only added to the ridiculousness of this movie.

There isn’t really much more to say apart from steer clear of this at all costs, even die hard fans will be bored and insulted by this unnecessary sequel. I have never felt so ripped off by a movie in my life, especially after being so disappointed that this didn’t make it to Australian cinemas, I am glad it didn’t and you should be too! Avoid this!

Review : Halo 4

Novastream
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Well the long anticipated Halo 4 was released one the 6th of November and i managed to work up the will to go to the midnight release (was expecting a little more show but we do what we must) and well let’s start if off by saying it is a beautiful game no issue in anything in the game models were created perfect and textured to perfection, now i do have a couple issues with Halo 4 could have been longer and play style has moved too much into the “main stream” FPS game (first person shooter). on the whole 343 has done an amazing job at bringing their own story into the vastly loved Halo universe.

After Bungie had left use with what I can only say was one of the biggest cliff hanger close to a game series in this current generation of gaming history at the end of Halo 3 the story pick up that 343 used to bring to life the next level of the Halo experience. Ok well lets dive into this no holds on any punches, The first thing that i saw coming into the game after the opening cinematic was the new HUD display showing you just what the chief would see which includes some of this helmet insides which to me was a more of an immersive concept to give the player a hell of a lot more to the feeling that they are the Master Chief the second thing that really hit me coming into Halo 4 was the sheer size of the game has increased and the fact that the levels are just so detailed you could get lost looking at the textures of the levels and the atmosphere that 343 set up in game.

Now for the less than great parts that I thought of Halo 4 first off we go for length Halo 4 has followed so many current games down the rabbit hole of not a very long game having said that I did not get board playing it so in that way sort of a good time to keep the player interested for so long that they finish it but not so long that they wish to dig their eyes out with the controller so full points on that one guys but a little longer could have been nice rather than a 5 hour game.

Issue number two Halo in what i came to find with the series that was in direction of Bungie was that each new game had something different something that really made it stand out from the other games that came before it wether it was new weapon system, fighting in zero gravity or the introduction of the knife to the player for assassinations ( so much fun with that function ) but Halo 4 sort of stood there with its big pair of scissors and glue stick  looked at all the current Halo games and went well i like this and this so let’s just use these things and just started to glue everything onto its self like that one kid well all know from kindergarten who the teacher had to keep a close eye on

. Oh and the plot holes trying sitting there going but but that was never explained for the love of god will someone please fill me in “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE” which you can only assume that 343 will be making another game at some point and for the love of god elaboration is the friend of a storyteller and game producer otherwise you will have your player going ok cool I have no idea what is happening here and that is never a good thing.

Now comes the time where I rap this review up of what I thought of Halo 4. well with the game play being what it is I can say Halo fans will not be disappointed a lot of plot holes will leave you wondering a lot of the time. but the new toys that you get to play with and kill other things still generates a lot of fun for the player being a fan of the Halo universe is something that will help really get into Halo 4 but you don’t really need to know anything about the series to play this game seeing as it seems (as read from 343) that Halo 4 is just the start of a new Journey for Halo and the team at 343 so well what i can say in closing is that i would recommend this game rather highly it most defiantly is not just a reskin sequel of Halo 3 which in my books earns you a lot of points and has some rather interesting content and incounters during this game.

I would rate Halo 4

4.5 /5

By Justin / devilaxel

Review : Little Big Planet Karting

Leithal
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Good news everyone! Someone has FINALLY managed to create a karting game that is not an exact clone of Mario Kart! Surprised? I was too! In fact that game is so far from anything Mario Kart, the only thing it has in common is part of the word “Kart”

This is actually set as a direct sequel to Little Big Planet 2, set in Craftworld, you play as Sackboy and have to race against “The Hoard” a gang of Kart bikies who want to take all the objects and stickers from the world to keep for themselves. Sackie must race, battle and destroy these bikies to claim back Craftworld through 71 single player levels, that’s right 71! This is not your average karting game!

Apart from racing, you also have battle stages where you must destroy a certain amount of enemies, an amazing multiplayer multi-verse where you can create, play and share your own designs and race online in either story or user created levels.

Stephen Fry provides the amusing and engaging narration again through this game and provides the ultimate LBP experience, a feat that they have managed to carry through every game consistently and nothing is different with Karting.

Each different world is inspired by previous LBP games with some new ones added in, adding some potential new characters for future releases. I did notice that there are not many trophies when you start playing the game, it is actually a challenge to unlock them which is becoming a rarety for games these days.

One of my favourite parts of this was the multi-player, it is set out exactly like the previous LBP games with user made tracks, worlds and challenges. I played around with the multiplayer 3 hours after the games release and it was already rich with user-generated tracks and worlds that kept me playing for an 8 hour session before I realised that people love L.B.P. and this game only enhances the universe and brings a worthy challenger to the karting genre.

Little Big Planet Karting is not only the best karting game I have ever played, it also takes into account that karting can be great single player and build and expand on previous game installments. Little Big Planet Karting is out now exclusively on Playstation 3.

Review by Alaisdair Dewar

Review – Duck Tales Remastered

Novastream Novastream
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A new game has hit the downloadable market recently, that being a remastering of one of my favourite games as a kid – Ducktales Remastered. Though Capcom has certainly earned a reputation for itself for not releasing any “new” games in their classic franchises (particularly Megaman, 3 games cancelled in less than a year, one in less than 24 hours after its announcement… but that’s a topic for another day) – it’s great to see that they are supporting Wayforward in recreating this NES classic.
To start off with, the thing that I remember fondest about the original Ducktales is the wonderful soundtrack and, fortunately, each track has been lovingly recreated by Jake Kaufman – giving a modern feel to most of the tracks (particularly there’s some definite “wub-wub” hidden in Transylvania’s score). The tunes are still catchy and, though short, they never irked me once during my playthroughs.
The art style as well is another thing that has been nailed by Wayforward, though this hand-drawn style is something that they are no stranger to. The animations of Scrooge et al is sublime, though I would have liked to have seen their mouths (bills?) move when speaking, but given the size of the sprites relative to the screen, this can be forgiven.
Speaking of the voice acting, there is lots of it in this game. To try and capture the style of the cartoon, there are quite a lot of cut scenes throughout the game. Further to this, the surviving original voice actors all reprise their roles, including 93 year old Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck himself, ensuring that each character feels just right. Every missions is ‘top-and-tailed’ per sé with at least one cut scene with often one or two thrown in each mission for good measure it seems. This is a point of contention for many for, as good as these sequences are, they do disrupt the gameplay somewhat – and given that each level is only about 10 minutes long once you know what you’re doing, it can put you off your game a little.
As for the gameplay, well, it’s just as you remembered it – which is not necessarily a good thing in this case. Each level has its own specific goals but, more often than not, you are tasked with finding a few objects – rendezvousing with one of your comrades and progressing to another section of the stage before the boss. Also, there are only six stages in the game (excluding the tutorial) and, as mentioned before, each level can take under 10 minutes, so this can be a short game – providing you can live to see the end.
There are three difficulties, just as in the NES game, which greatly affect how the game plays out and how you conduct yourself. On the “Easy” difficulty, players start with unlimited lives, three hearts and enemies do half a heart of damage per hit. Whenever you die, you just start back at the screen you died on – also the map is fully revealed from the start of each stage. On “Normal”, players have three lives and enemies do a full heart per hit – also the map has to be revealed as you go. Lastly, on “Hard”, players start with three lives and no map. Now, I’m a fan of challenging games, but there’s a severe problem with the difficulty in Ducktales Remastered – it’s just not fair.
Whereas the original Ducktales had tight and responsive controls, the controls just aren’t as strong in this remastered version. For those who don’t know, in the original game – pressing and holding “↓” would make Scrooge bounce on his pogo stick – the main mechanic in the game. Wayforward has now changed the pogo controls to one of two options; either holding “A” or “Y” when in the air, or holding “↓” as well as “A” or “Y”. Whilst the controls feel fine at first, it soon becomes apparent that the pogo stick isn’t responsive or reliable, which leads to many frustrating deaths. I played this with both the Wii U Pro Controller and the Gamepad, both of which suffered from this problem – which is a shame. Also, one thing which is really odd, is that the game doesn’t support Wii Remotes, which is definitely a missed opportunity in recreating the classic.
As for replayability, there is a gallery where various behind the scenes goodies can be purchased. These range from early sketches of the backdrops in the game, to the soundtrack as well as sketches of the TV show. There’s also an unlockable “Extreme” difficulty for completing the game on “Hard” mode, wherein you start with three lives and no continues – definitely a choice for the masochist. Though, my favourite is definitely the option to play through the game with the original 8-bit soundtrack behind you once you complete the game for the first time.
All things said and done, this is definitely a game I enjoyed but, is it for everyone? I don’t think so – though if you are willing to look past the cheap deaths and dated gameplay, there’s an enjoyable platforming adventure that’s been faithfully recreated by Wayforward to be had. Now, if you don’t mind me, I’m off to solve a mystery or maybe even rewrite history…
Raymond Standen

Review – Rayman Legends

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After successfully relaunching Rayman two years ago with the massively successful game Rayman Origins, Ubisoft is back with the sequel Rayman Legends, originally intended as a Wii-U exclusive, the company made the decision after initial sales of the Wii U were below expected to spread it across all consoles including the Playstation Vita. The game is quite beautiful incorporating some gorgeous colour and platforming multi-player action, as well as a pretty solid 12 hour story, there is loads to do here.

You play as Rayman (mostly) with a ton of characters to unlock, and work your way through some of the best animated platforming levels we have seen in the last few years. There are some 3D bosses that are a lot of fun to interact with and the combination of 2D and 3D blend together seamlessly.

Story wise this game doesn’t really offer anything out of the ordinary, there are Teensies to rescue that blend with 90’s Tiny Toons/Animaniacs music that show character and heart in place of an actual story. But really trying to get a story out of a platformer seems like a redundant issue.

​Playing the levels is engaging as a single player, but it does support 4 player co-op (5 with the Game Pad!) if you want to get your friends involved. But be wary if you are playing with noobs who like to stop and smell the roses, this will become frustrating as Legends does move quite fast and the gameplay doesn’t keep things moving. You are only as fast as all of your characters collectively. But do keep your friends around for the hard to reach areas that require more than one player to reach, just look out for those massive green branches with thorns that are always placed WAY too close together.

The main difference with the Wii U version is the assistant, it switches to the GamePad, forcing you to play minigames to continue through different levels. Also clearing obstacles out of the way for other characters to guide them through safely is a little glitchy at times with the ai seemingly not so smart, but this is only a tiny annoyance and the only bad thing about this game.

​Rayman Legends builds on the Origins story and while it doesn’t bring anything terribly new to the platforming genre, it does deliver an addictive platformer with some varying modes that will keep you coming back time and time again.

Rayman Legends is now available on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Playstation Vita.

Review by Alaisdair Dewar

Review – Total Recall

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Note to the reader : In this review I will not be comparing the new one to the old one, this movie warrants its own review as a stand alone movie.

A lot of people cry about remakes, especially when they stray so far from the original material (the movie in this case, not the short story!) judging it as “inferior” and “predictable” it is a remake you idiot! Of course it’s going to be predictable! The thing I loved most about Total Recall is that is was none of these things.

Factory worked Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell, I know I thought Randy and Dennis have another brother?) is bored with his routine job, going nowhere living in “The Colony” Set at the end of this century the world has been torn apart by nuclear war and only 2 countries remain The United Federation of Britain and The Colony (Australia). Living in the Colony is no easy feat, you are seen as the scum of the planet and the UFB are trying everything they can to control everyone on the planet to their wielding ways.

Quaid is married to Lori (Kate Beckinsale) an emergency worker, Quaid keeps having recurring dreams of being chased and trapped with another woman. The same day at work upon finding out he didn’t get the job promotion he has worked so hard for because someone at the UFB beat him to it (those British bastards!) he learns of a company named Rekall, a place that can make your fantasies come true and help you forget just how horrible the world is.

The beauty of this movie is that it does such a perfect job of creating a destroyed, near-apocalyptic world that is barely habitable. The dark and moody tones mix with the grittiness of the streets to create the perfectly believable premise that the world is horrible and anyone who lives in this universe would want to escape it.

Quaid moves off to Rekall and choses the fantasy of being a spy, a double agent working for both the UFB and the resistance led by Mathias, leader of the resistance set on revealing the truth about the UFB’s plan to control the world.

When the system goes haywire Quaid wakes up from Rekall and cannot tell if what he is experiencing is real or rekall?

Colin Farrell shines as Quaid, never before had I envisioned him an action movie star, but from the start with the shirtless scenes (drool!) and his ability to hold his own for the entire movie, make him the unlikely hero you will be cheering for. It has been awhile since we have Jessica Biel in a starring role and she delivers an outstanding performance here. Kate Beckinsale plays well Kate Beckinsale with her  pout, evil eyes and pointy guns. It is a solid performance from all involved and this is part of what makes the movie work so well.

Story wise it is a major jump from the original and this was necessary to separate it from any pre-conceived ideas about what the story should be. It is a fresh and welcome approach to the idea of Recall and maintains interest in the plot for the entirety of the film.

Story aside this is predominately an action movie, and action there is! Countless explosions, magnetic car chases, roof sliding, lift jumping, crashing and smashing, it is all her and in full gear. Action junkies will marvel at just how much action was packed into the 2 hour long movie without sacrificing a good story.

Overall fans of the original seeking a nostalgic revisit will not find this here, you will find a fresh new film that has been expertly told with a fresh cast and perspective. This is definitely one to catch at the movies!

Review by Alaisdair Dewar

Review : Dead Island – PS3/Xbox360/PC

Leithal
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So many Zombie apocalypse games crowd our consoles begging for our undivided attention and hard earned dollars so when the preview for this one came along it looked like a bad Resident Evil knock off, fortunately our prediction was completely wrong and the team at Housemarque (Super Stardust HD) have created a rich and engaging environment that will see you spending endless hours at its mercy.

You choose your character from the main screen and set off as the island’s only immune member who cannot catch this virus so the onus is on you to do everything while everyone else just sits around and makes uncomfortable groaning noises.

The game is set out like Infamous, you have free reign of the island and speak to various survivors and carry out several missions for them all in an effort to get the power back on and get a signal happening so you can call for assistance, and if that wasn’t enough Oceanic flights are back to crash on the island and create some more missions that take this game to a whole other level.

It is quite graphically violent particularly when it comes to the blood factor (I know what do you expect in a zombie game!) but even for a MA rated game it is quite full on so those with a weak stomach would not do well to play this game. Part of effective gameplay is hitting the zombies in exposed body parts and open wounds to inflict more damage and this can get quite graphic at times.

The game play is great, the controls are easy to use and getting around the island is easy, you can pick up abandoned cars to drive between the two safe houses (both of which strangely do not attract any zombie of any kind) there are no guns in this game just paddle’s, butcher knives, blunt sticks and my personal favourite the Motlov cocktail *note this is dependant on the character you choose as to what kind of weapons you have, we played with the non gun slinging character. It is this added feature that makes the game so believable and enjoyable to play, not having to reload all the time and search for new guns. On the other hand though a big part of the game is collecting cash from dead bodies, random suitcases that have been thrown out of hotel rooms and you must trade cash when you pick up weapons, health, medikits and other items even though there is no-one selling them and they are just sitting on the ground in front of you. I mean where does the money actually go to?

That aside this game has a lot of hours and a lot of fun to be had! Dead Island is out now for PS3 and XBOX 360.

Buy it now!

Review – Resident Evil 6

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Resident Evil 6 is available now on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Zombies are everywhere these days. No, I don’t mean in the apocalyptic, ‘the end is nigh’ sense, I mean in terms of entertainment. It’s as if the entertainment industry thinks that zombies are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for consumers, as there seems to be a new zombie game/movie/ TV show every other week, and so they’ve become something of a mascot for the entertainment industry.  Nowhere is this the case more than with video games, and while the Resident Evil series is as old as console based games themselves and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it was the father of all zombie video games, it certainly has come a long way and made a remarkable amount of progress along the way.

Resident Evil 6 is the first Resident Evil game that I’ve really had a foray in, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint; it plays like an interactive movie and with 3 separate campaigns, each with its own distinct characters that overlap one another, there’s plenty of plot to keep you entertained and as you’d expect from a Japanese game the graphics are exceptional.  Now I’m certainly not a big fan of Japanese games as in my opinion many of them maximise one aspect of the game (like the graphics) while putting minimal effort into the other parts, like gameplay. Resident Evil 6 on the other hand manages to be a good all-rounder, managing to balance the various aspects of the game like graphics, gameplay and story while still managing to be fun to play

The campaigns in Resident Evil 6 are exciting and the story really gives you an apocalyptic feel where everything is hopeless and you save some survivors only to watch them get killed 5 minutes later. It certainly paints a particularly dreary picture of the end of the world and the dead are indeed numerous, so much so that they can easily swarm and overwhelm you. In situations like that riddling a zombie with bullets isn’t really going to cut it, not mention the fact that the zombies bodies sway all over the place like a sapling in the wind, making getting that all crucial head shot that much more difficult. It is in these situations that hand to hand combat really becomes your saving grace, and it certainly is entertaining; while punching and kicking the zombies that attack you doesn’t sound all that entertaining, it’s when they’re staggered and your character has a chance to go in for a coup de grace like tripping a zombie and then coming down with an elbow from the sky right into its face that this game really shines. Nothing is more satisfying and stress relieving than crushing a zombie’s skull with a roundhouse kick or elbow drop.

There are a variety of zombies in the game, from your run of the mill zombie complete with unsavoury expression and groaning noises and then you have your special zombies like a giant fat zombie that can withstand a pretty significant barrage of bullets and the zombie with inflated vocal chords that screams at you. You’ll never really be fighting the same thing all the time as the more powerful special zombies will keep popping up to chew your face off keeping you on your feet and mixing things up.

As far as criticism for the game goes, sometimes the characters can have strange and unrealistic movements, particularly their heads while talking, which I’ve noticed in many Japanese games like the Final Fantasy series, where their heads will bob as they talk which seems pretty unnatural. As well as this certain plot elements can make no sense, such as why Leon is so willing to run across the zombie thick countryside with Helena to this weird Cathedral while never really making a good effort to express his desire for there to be a good reason he’s doing this instead of escaping. These are minor points and easily overlooked.

While I’ve given this game a good review it is still just another zombie game, and those of you who are particularly tired of playing them might find the $79-$89 price tag more than you can chew, but this game is pretty damn good for a zombie game and I’d recommend you shop around and look for a good deal, pay attention to those trade and save sections, because this game is fun, and worth having.

Review by Mat Lowe

Dishonored Review

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There was a time once when the only choice a gamer ever had in his game was whether or not to save before a boss fight, but now the gaming market is flooded with games that put the power of choice in a players hands, ultimately allowing the player to get a completely unique experience every time they play…or at least that was the idea. While in the past there was only one path to success and players were punished for their wayward meandering, today the developers say “why throw the body of that guy you just shot in the face in the river, when you can throw him at a nearby guard patrol and sit and laugh while a horde of mangy rats swarm the area biting they’re ankles”. This is the kind of choice – ridden dilemma that players will face in games like Dishonored.

In Dishonored you play as the betrayed and vengeful bodyguard turned assassin Corbo, who is framed for a crime he did not commit. In his quest to seek vengeance against those who murdered his charge, the empress, he is enlisted by the local rebel movement as an assassin and must kill specific targets to uncover the conspiratorial plot behind his betrayal. Add in a visitation from a mysterious and powerful god like being called the outsider who grants Corbo magical powers and you’ve got a game that takes stealth and assassination to new and surprisingly interesting heights.

Dishonored is an interesting game as it manages to be unique and unoriginal at the same time; “but how is that possible?” you might ask.  The answer comes out of the mouths of the developers themselves, as in an interview at E3 they quite clearly stated that the game was going to be original and yet would take generous amounts of influence from a variety of other similar games. That being said, Dishonored’s roots are as clear as day, with similar stealth and silent takedowns to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, sword and sorcery elements that are similar to Skyrim not to mention the graphics and character designs, which clearly resemble fable 2. This game took all the bits and pieces that made other games unique and adapted them to its self. Now, you might think this would make the game seem boring as it might rely too much on the elements it took from its counterparts, and you’d probably be right, if it wasn’t for the fact that those elements work together so well.

Dishonored succeeds where many others have tried and failed; it took the best elements of the games that gamers love and turned those elements into a single game, and surprisingly, it worked. The gameplay emphasises the stealth elements of the game, gearing players towards finding alternatives to all out carnage (which never ends well) and encouraging players to think outside the box to avoid conflict and while offering player choice in gameplay is good, too many games try and fail at this approach, offering only limited choices in a restricted environment. While Dishonored has a clear path of progression,  it gives you a myriad of choices of how to achieve your goals from possessing a rat to get past patrols, going all guns blazing or just sneaking through over the rooftops. This again is similar to Deus Ex; however you will find yourself replaying missions to try different approaches just to see which is more fun, or you could just gallivant around the city leaping across the roofs like a crazed spider monkey. The choice is yours.

The magic elements in the game primarily give you an advantage in stealth, however you will find yourself primarily using blink, which has a low mana cost and allows you to seemingly teleport to nearby locations, which makes scaling walls and crossing roofs a lot easier and more practical. That being said, the magic abilities you can learn are limited to only five or six different abilities and five or six permanent effects, such as an increase in total health, which primarily give you an advantage in stealth. I was disappointed that the game didn’t have a wider variety of abilities and a more advanced and extensive leveling system rather than only allowing you to upgrade your skills to level two. As well as that some of the characters voice acting was not as good as others for example, many of the conversations overheard by the guards sounded awkward and out of place, or lacked any clear emotions. If that wasn’t enough, the game had a few bugs that didn’t quite catch the attention of the beta testers. I recall fighting a series of guards all shooting at me and jumping to get over a banister only to start floating up to the ceiling and getting stuck by a nearby pillar while they riddled me with bullets. At least it was entertaining.

The games story was intriguing and there are many books, notes and voice recorders to listen to which extend your knowledge of the world around you, however it can be quite boring listening to these as the voice acting being average and the conversations not being as interesting as the gameplay or stealth elements makes it easy to just ignore them and continue your meandering.

And that’s the best thing about player choice, focusing on the stuff you like and ignoring the stuff you don’t. This game was excellent and a lot of fun. Despite my minor technical complaints, this game does so much right that I’m quite prepared to forgive a few loose ends. If you enjoy stealth games or any of the other games I mentioned in this review then get this game, or even if you don’t have experience playing those games, you won’t be disappointed. Sell your cat, sell your microwave, sell that vintage collection of baseball cards you’ve treasured since childhood, it’s a small price to pay for hours of fun.

Dishonored is out now on PS3 and Xbox360

Review by Matt Lowe

Review – Scribblenauts UnMasked (WiiU/3DS)

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When you think of franchises combining, Scribblenauts and DC Comics doesn’t really spring to mind as a perfect match, then going one step further and only releasing it on Nintendo Wii-U, the little next gen console that could and the 3DS kind of limits the audience it could potentially get to. Surprisingly the crossover works completely and the game delivers some serious nerdgasms for DC comics nerds and some serious platform fun for everyone else.

Scribblenauts Unmasked follows the story of the main hero Maxwell who has the ability to create any object using his magical notepad and pen. You use these objects to help solve puzzles and manoeuvre around each world and help citizens. You must team up with DC heroes like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and The Flash in each of their home towns/worlds to help stop Doppleganger, a fellow scribblenaut who is intent on destroying all of the DC worlds as well as Maxwell and his sister Lilly.
There are so many good things about this game, not only for a DC fan but also as a gamer in general. Any game in which the developers spend their time allowing you to create any item or object you can think of is worth its weight in gold, and this game truly delivers that anything you can think of item combo and it doesn’t get old.
Using the touch screen and the stylus on the Wii U Pad and 3DS touch screen ensure a seamless transition from platforming control game-play to writing objects. In addition to this you can add adjectives to characters giving them characteristics to help get past a certain puzzle or clear an area. The graphics cannot help but feel a little old school, but it is fitting to the series and all of the DC characters actually look great in the Scribblenauts style of graphics.
Let’s get to the nerd stuff, there is a bat-computer which gives players access to over 2000 DC comics characters, even down to the incredibly obscure like Animal Man and Matter-Eater lad. There are also several versions of each character like hundreds of different Green Lantern characters, Atlantean characters and dozens of versions of Batman and Superman characters. It really is the most impressive collection of comic book characters in a game and will be sure to please DC comics fans everywhere. As well as being able to bring the characters onto the screen, it also serves as a wiki guide to characters, places and weapons for seemingly just about everything in the DC universe.
As well as this there is the Hero Creator in which you can create your very own superhero or just plain character. Weapons and items can also be customised and created to help get past the missions or just for fun. Being able to customise Aquaman’s trident so it glows blue with electricity and shoots shards of ice was just too much fun.
I was skeptical about releasing the game on Wii U and 3DS exclusively, but it actually works for this console and funnily enough would be annoying on the PS3 and Xbox 360. There are so many worlds to explore in this game and characters to unlock and use, it really emphasises the longjevity that this game provides.
There are hundreds of missions as well as free-play and side missions, it is the kind of game that players can come back to over and over and still have something new and fresh to do. If you don’t feel like playing the big heavy missions, you can do fun little citizen missions that keep things light and fun.
The music and sound effects are spread between the gamepad and Wii U system evenly and this is one of the best things about a Wii U game I have noticed in a long time.
Overall this is one of the most addictive and entertaining games on the Wii U. If you don’t have one, it is definitely worth picking up just for this (and the tons of other great titles coming in the next few months!) if you prefer handheld, the 3DS version is just as good and has the same gameplay and missions as the console version.
This game is a MUST for all DC comic fans and platform game lovers.**Here is a hint type in Geoff Johns and Jim Lee into the Batcomputer, and you can also customise them!
Review by Alaisdair “Arrow” Dewar
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