Filed under: Metareview

We've been raving about Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars for the best part of a year. Starved of a top-drawer platformer since Mario did his thing in oh-seven, hopes are high in these parts for Red Fly's platformer. The big question: can the gameplay match the undoubtedly stellar art design (as seen in the latest trailer above)? Let's copy and paste text to find out together:

• Official Nintendo Magazine UK (86%) provides the most effusive review to date: "It'd have a Gold Award but for the camera. That aside, it's pretty wonderful." [Dec 2008, p.75]

• Game Informer (58%) is less enamored (in its really, really short review): "Mushroom Men has a few things going for it, like cool characters and clever sound design. Unfortunately, none of the good stuff has any bearing on the gameplay, which is a total mess. The camera is awful, the level designs are boring, and combat is comprised of whipping the remote around and hoping that you hit something."

• Nintendo Power (80%) found it to be vintage platforming fungi: "If you're hungry for some classic 3-D platforming, Mushroom Men is definitely worth checking out." [Holiday 2008, p.84]

• 1UP (C) thinks it's just a pretty face, and is reminded of generic PS1 platformers (surely it's not as bad as Croc?): "The rich presentation fills out its role in the game just fine, but the core mechanics simply can't back it up. Visually intriguing environments break down to straightforward platforming and switch-flipping puzzles; inspired design rears its head every now and then, but -- by and large -- Mushroom Men's stages are anything but progressive, falling right alongside a forgotten swath of PS1 platformers."

Even though PETA hasn't been too happy with Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, everyone else has to be enjoying the game we had so much fun with back at E3, right? Well, the few reviews that have come in haven't been all that positive. So let's get to the scores.

• IGN (70/100): "So what we have here is a good casual game; what last year's Cooking Mama should have been. World Kitchen is easy enough for anyone to pick up and play (despite the lack of tutorial), and Mama's charisma may even keep cynical hardcore gamers playing longer than they expected. A little depth beyond simple waggle controls and more gameplay variety would be nice, but this is a fun, breezy game for the non-discriminating player on your holiday shopping list."
• Nintendo Power (65/100): "Cooking Mama World Kitchen isn't bad, but it could have been better." [Holiday 2008, p.80]
• 1UP (C-): "World Kitchen tries hard to spice up the already tasty Cooking Mama recipe with new characters, slapstick rescue minigames, and cheesy-in-a-bad-way voiceovers, but the results leave behind a funny aftertaste. It'll do in a pinch, but I prefer Cook Off's well-balanced helpings."

Any of you pick up Mama's latest game? Agree with the critics? Disagree?

Now that Chrono Trigger DS has released, we're dying to know if it's just a quick and dirty port or something that received the TLC it deserved. For the most part, reviews have been positive, as the critics have lauded the game for a variety of reasons. So, let's get to it, shall we?

• GamesRadar (100/100) "If you've never played Chrono Trigger, you owe it to yourself to finally give this gaming touchstone a whirl. And if you have played it before, you can play it again, for no other reason than to see how new it all still feels. We would normally hesitate to give any rerelease such a high score, but this is the ultimate edition of a true classic."
• 1UP (100/100): "For fans, the reason to pick up Chrono Trigger is simply because it's available, intact, and enhanced. For newcomers, it's because the game has easily withstood the test of time."
• Game Informer (95/100): "It's a true classic, and playing it should be a government-mandated rite of passage for any role-playing fan."
• Nintendo Power (90/100): "Despite my criticisms, Chrono Trigger is an amazing adventure and a required purchase for ardent fans and anyone who's never played the game before." [Holiday 2008, p.82]
• IGN (88/100): "If you've never played Chrono Trigger before, buy this game. If you're a die-hard fan and want to support one of the greatest games of all time, buy this game. If you're having trouble validating a $40 purchase for what is ultimately the same game, it's the wrong choice for you, and your cash is better spent elsewhere."
• GameSpot (85/100): "Chrono Trigger is a fantastic synthesis of excellent storytelling, game design, music, and gameplay that has withstood the test of time and should be considered required playing for any fan of role-playing games. Though its extra content is hit or miss and it's essentially a direct port of a game released 13 years ago, the DS version is easily the definitive edition of this masterpiece,"

We've said a lot about Castlevania Judgment -- some good, some bad, some after giving it a go. But the time has come to see what's really going on with it, now that it's in circulation. And so, with bated breath, we present ... other people playing Castlevania Judgment, and then talking about it.

Nintendo Power (70/100) says not to expect Castlevania from this Castlevania: "If you forgo your expectations of what a Castlevania game should be--or are simply looking for a respectable 3-D fighting game--you should have a good time with Judgment."

1UP (16/100) kind of, well, hated it: "Beyond the strange art direction, Judgment suffers from jarring mechanics that disregard established fighting conventions. The uncompromising camera displays the action in a bizarre, disconcerting manner that tracks players in a 3D area filled with environmental hazards. And in combat, the camera's way too difficult to control. "

IGN (75/100), however, did not: "The combat is deep and entertaining, the characters are well balanced and very unique as a full-on roster, and everything from sub-weapons to specials, combo attacks, in-level traps and monsters, and epic super attack animations are well done and true to the source material."

RPG fans, the first few reviews for Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World aren't too good. Sorry to be so blunt, but them's the breaks. We have yet to try the game, but what about those of you who've already picked it up and invested a few hours? Check out the reviews then provide your thoughts in the comments!

• GameTrailers (79/100) says it needed a bit more TLC: "In some ways, it's a worthy successor to the original, but it's ultimately just another passable action RPG."

• IGN (67/100) thinks this isn't the best benchmark for the genre on Wii: "Being the only RPG on the Wii's horizon, this doesn't feel like a relief -- it feels rather depressing."

• Games Radar (60/100) tells us: "If you can look past the last-last-gen flaws that absolutely should be gone by now, there's a totally playable bit of gaming here that'll scratch your RPG itch for the time being. But if you're unsure as to which new Tales game you should play, Vesperia or Dawn of the New World, go Vesperia."

We were holding out hope that The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels would be a competent fighter, as we're a fan of the genre (as well as Star Wars). But, you know, the good Star Wars. Which, we suppose, this isn't, based on the reviews below. So, without further delay, let's get to it!

• GamePro (70/100) says this one is for the younger fans: "The shallow fighting system, the teenage snark and animation won't impress older fans of the series, but it's good fun for younger Jedis in training."

• GameSpy (60/100) is of the mind that this is a good prequel to the inevitable MotionPlus-enabled sequel: "Lightsaber Duels may not be exactly what fans were clamoring for when Nintendo unveiled the Wii's lightsaber-esque controllers, but it's still quite enjoyable. The single-player experience won't last you long, though, so you might not want to invest in the game unless you plan on playing with a buddy. If nothing else, it's a good sneak preview for the inevitable 1:1 sequel when the MotionPlus is released."

• Variety (50/100) thinks the game failed in the multiplayer: "The biggest potential for "Lightsaber Duels" lies in multiplayer -- which is also were the game is at it's worst. Fighting a friend in the same room is fun enough, but there are no options besides one-on-one combat until one person gets knocked down for the count. The lack of different competitive modes, as well as any options for online play, keeps "Lightsaber Duels" from becoming the awesome sci-fi fighting game it has the potential to be."

We'll say this much for Wii Music: it's probably the game/toy/whatever that has become the most debated release of 2008. It's caught a lot of flak, particularly since E3 and that presentation, but it's also had its fair share of defenders. Unsurprisingly, this uncanny knack of dividing opinion has spread to professional reviewers.

• GameSpy (70%) concedes that the title isn't for everybody, but thinks it will appeal to families and the chil'n: "It is far from a traditional videogame, and more akin to a tech demo or social audio experiment. The fact that it is so very basic means it's completely accessible to anyone, but at the same time there's not much here to interest regular and core gamers. It'll be a definite hit with younger children and in turn, parents and family members will love to watch the reactions of this demographic."

• 1UP (A-) was the first online outlet to get its review up, and managed to get us nicely hyped for the game with an absolutely stellar review and score: "Wii Music may have a hard time winning over the skeptics who just want to laugh at it, but give the game the chance it deserves. You just might realize it's pretty damn fun being in on the joke."

• ... Only for IGN's (50%) Matt Cassamina to deflate our enthusiasm with a fairly crushing verdict: "I think most adults will quickly recognize that Wii Music is little more than a noise maker tied to a series of gestures and grow bored of the experience in a matter of hours, if not minutes. The controls aren't particularly intuitive, but gimmicky, and the selection of music is fundamentally flawed with dated public domain songs rendered in equally dated MIDI."

Sam and Max: Season One has finally released on the Wii. We've been talking about the duo coming to the Wii for some time now. Has the wait been worth it? There haven't been that many reviews yet, so we'll keep updating this post when they come in. But, that's not to say a few outlets haven't tossed their two cents in. So, without further delay, let's get to the scores.

• 1UP (67/100) explains you'll need lots of patience to get through this one: "The game's still fun and unusual, and it's worth checking out if only to enjoy some of the more clever writing in gaming. But don't forget your patience -- you'll need lots."

• Game Informer (70/100) found the gameplay to be lacking: "When the laughter dies and some of the jokes fall flat, however, Sam & Max teeters as its gameplay is unable to support much interest for some stretches." [Sept 2008, p.105]

• Nintendo Power (70/100) says the game isn't really that funny: "There are moments of genuine hilarity, but the humor too often feels overwrought or simply falls flat." [Oct 2008, p.89]

In the shadow of recent releases like Mega Man 9, Samba de Amigo and Wario Land: Shake It! rolls de Blob, a game that might have been easy to forget about despite the compelling visuals. But when people start throwing around high review scores and phrases like "best third party game" (in a while, at least), we stop and take note -- and there's a great deal worth noting.

Eurogamer (80%) thought de Blob was colorfully delightful, though flawed: "The premise is delightfully daft, and some superbly animated sequences help set the tone with a style and tone evocative of LucasArts' legendary Day of the Tentacle. [de Blob is] a game we'd heartily recommend to anyone who thirsts for a 'proper' Wii game, whatever that is. Admittedly, some of the control and camera niggles ultimately detract from the overall enjoyment, but not so much that they should put you off trying this excellent and thoroughly original game."

Gameplayer (100%!) found something for everyone: "This is because de Blob is, in many ways, what you want it to be - there's no single, 'on-rails' way to either play it or complete it. Whilst progression does rely on a deftly implemented learning curve, and increasingly challenging elements of strategy, the route to the end can vary greatly. Want to barrel through as quickly as possible? Go for it! You only need to attain a certain amount of points to advance. A bit of a score whore? Do your best to find all the hidden bonuses! Meanwhile, the obsessive-compulsive out there may wish to colour in everything they encounter and go for the 100% effect – no problem!"

Matt Casamassina of IGN (84%) thought it looked fantastic: "de Blob is a game whose graphic look seems perfectly suited to Wii and it really is an excellent style. I love the contrast between the monochromatic cities and the colorful main character who drenches them in bright primary colors. I think it's worth stating, though, that Blue Tongue has matched all that style with a technical showpiece for Nintendo's little system. The platformer boasts an exceptionally clean, polished look complete with well-rounded architecture, beautifully animated characters and objects, some of the best particle effects I've seen in any Wii game to date, gorgeous graphic effects like depth of field blur, shimmering water transparencies, heat distortion and bloom, and more. All of this at an astonishingly rock-solid fluidity of 60 frames per second."

Talk about dividing opinion. As we type these words, Metacritic features just ten reviews of Wario Land: Shake It!, yet already the top and bottom scores are separated by a yawning gulf of 30%. Two things most critics seem to agree on: Shake It! is beautiful, and Shake It! is short. The rest is clearly up for debate:

• IGN (84%) published one of the warmest reviews to date: "It's got its share of modest shortcomings. It's not very innovative -- you've seen all this before in other platformers. The lack of a proper widescreen mode is downright annoying. And the core game is over a little too quickly for my liking. But, you know, it's still a really fun experience thanks to excellent control and fantastic level designs, not to mention a beautiful visual presentation."
  

• Eurogamer (70%) noted that the title didn't measure up to Nintendo's rich tapestry of platform games: "A game which is good, but not great, and certainly not up to the standard of Nintendo's best 2D platformers."
  

• GamePro (80%) mentions the "c" word, as dreaded by most blog-reading types: "Despite its simplistic gameplay, the game is still worth playing, especially for the casual Wii gamer. It's fun, it's simple and it's charming, which pretty much describes most Wii games that hit big with that audience."
  

• Finally, Jeremy Parish of 1UP (58%) heaped scorn on the mustache-twirler's return: "Shake It!'s failure to innovate is particularly infuriating, because it'll only serve to confirm in most people's minds the notion that 2D graphics are synonymous with dated, uninspired game design [...] the staleness of this game's action has nothing to do with the visuals and everything to do with the fact that the dizzyingly imaginative designers who helped make those earlier titles so memorable have moved along to the WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven series."

We've been waiting since last week to pull together a collection of reviews for 5th Cell's Lock's Quest, but until roughly today, that collection would have consisted of IGN and nobody else. That is an insufficient amount of meta-ness for a Metareview! We're not just running "IGNreview" posts here!

Now that there are multiple reviews out there, we can scoop them up and present them to you as individual tiles in a mosaic titled "how good some different reviewers think Lock's Quest is." Preview: quite good.

It's really hard to pick out just one excerpt from this glowing 1UP (91%) writeup. It's pretty clear that Phillip Kollar likes the game, at least: "The game effectively straddles the line between traditional tower defense and full-on real-time strategy, requiring the more fast-paced, on-the-fly tactics of the latter without ditching the addictive, pick-up-and-play nature of the former."

WorthPlaying (90%) found it, well, worth playing: "Lock's Quest is the sort of game for which the DS was made. It's quick and easy to pick up and play, makes great use of the touch-screen, and is just an overall delightful game. It isn't perfect, and there are plenty of places for a sequel to improve on, but it's charming, fun and one of the best titles to hit the DS this year."

IGN (86%) completely fell for the game's charms: "Lock's Quest is by far one of the most original, inspired, and entertaining experiences we've had on DS this year. Everything from the unique build mode to the impressive audio/visual offering, the immersion found in cinematic intros and story-developing cut scenes throughout, and even the random tongue-in-cheek dialogue lines thrown in to remind players that this is a game, made by gamers, are very welcome."

It was one of the biggest hits on the Dreamcast, and possibly the most joy-filled games ever (it actually made us like Ricky Martin). It has Ulala. It has sombereros. It has a trailer featuring a monkey. By all accounts, we should love Samba de Amigo like our firstborn. Do the gaming press agree?

• IGN (75%) feels the game is more suited to a casual audience: "In the end, I think this is a really good game for casual gamers. I showed it to some non-gamer friends this weekend and they had a blast just playing on easy. I had to practically rip the remotes out of their hands to get them to stop. But here in the IGN office, fans of the original Samba pick up the remotes, crank up the difficulty, and find the controls to be almost unworkable. This monkey is still a charmer, but his Wii controls need refining."

• NGamer UK (6/10) is not so keen on the responsiveness of the controls: "That old Samba magic is still there, but the challenge is in beating the controls, not the game. This should have been way better, given the console's strengths." [Nov 2008, p.56]

• Eurogamer (6/10) also points out the below-par controls, but acknowledges that the game can still be fun: "Apart from the obvious fact that party games have moved on an awful lot since Samba De Amigo first appeared, there's no denying that the control system just doesn't quite translate as well as it might have - and that can only hurt its appeal in the long run. There's still a decent amount of daft fun to be had out of this joyous little game, but it's definitely best sampled in small doses."

With all the current hype surrounding Spore, even ardent DS fanboys such as ourselves have to strain to recall Spore Creatures. It looks like a totally different game to its PC counterpart, and we quite enjoyed it when we went hands-on at GDC '08. So which is it: the sleek, refined alpha member of its species, or a sloppy afterthought of a game, heading for history's rubbish bin? We copied and pasted some other people's thoughts to find out!

• IGN (78%) gave the game one of its better reviews, praising its sense of fun and creativity: "Spore Creatures isn't intended as a replacement for the core PC Spore experience -- it's meant to compliment that design with a unique experience that lifts many of the core elements. And for the most part it succeeds in that task: this is a fun, involved, albeit more linear DS experience with a few quirks that get in the way, but even with those quirks it's great to experience a game on the more limited handheld with a similar sense of creativity that PC gamers will have in Spore."
  

• Eurogamer (5/10) isn't so keen, arguing the game is crippled by its linear nature: "What it doesn't offer is any sort of Free Play option where you can do your own thing. You can indulge your creative desires or you can play the game. You can't really do both at the same time in any satisfying way, which suggests that "linear action adventure" simply wasn't the right direction to take the Spore concept for its handheld outing."
  

• GameSpot's (65%) Kevin VanOrd just couldn't emotionally bond with his creations: "It's still a cute adventure across multiple planets, and it features a pared-down version of the creature creation tool that helped make the PC release such a success. It has some annoying quirks, and it won't inspire an emotional connection between you and your digital doppelganger, but Spore Creatures is still a pleasant diversion and an appealing, if ordinary, companion to its bigger brother."
  

With Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise having released on September 2nd here in North America (and September 5th in Europe), you've all had some time to play the game. There aren't many reviews out there right now, but the ones that are available seem to generally laud the game's ambitious efforts. After we check in with the critics, toss your two cents in.

So let's get to the scores!

• IGN (85/100) thinks it's quite the game: "Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise takes the original 360 effort as a template, and brings the 'go at your own pace,' free-form design to the Nintendo DS, beautifully. The visuals are crisp and colorful, the audio is a mix of in-game animal sounds and VO taken from the TV show, and its easy to control the world with a quick swipe or tap of a stylus. There are some basic changes to be had, such as the lack of camera control, the removal of the somewhat pesky mini-games for mating, and the general spectacle of watching your Piñatas move around in beautiful HD, but the core gameplay more than survives in its conversion to the pocket platform, and Viva Piñata is left with just as much magic on DS as it has on 360."

• Eurogamer (80/100) says the game isn't for kids, but good nonetheless: "However, what Viva Piñata: Pocket Paradise loses in coming second, and not having a triple-core PowerPC chip to drive its graphics, it makes up with its new, much better stylus-based interface, and Rare's impressive feat of retaining the vast majority of the original game's best features, in roughly the same measures. It's still a bit too complex to work as a kids' game (for that you might be better with the 360 sequel's co-op mode, where you can pick up a second pad and offer a helping hand), but for everybody else it comes highly recommended."

• Edge Magazine (70/100) said: "If Pocket Paradise makes you want to throw it against something, though, it's only because it succeeds in making gardening compulsive." [Oct 2008, p.96]

The follow-up to previous baseball title on the GameCube, Mario Superstar Baseball, Namco and Nintendo's next title, Mario Super Sluggers, has finally hit North American shores. Is it worth your time? Well, let's see what the critics have to say.

• GameDaily (80/100) thinks the positives outweigh the negatives: "Overall, the game plays great. The controls work perfectly, whether you're an avid baseball fan or a newcomer picking up the game for the first time. And if you're a n00b, several tutorials are available to help you out. Only two things hold Mario Super Sluggers back from diamond domination. First, despite having a terrific control scheme and lots of options, it's really just another Mario-licensed sports game. If you're looking for something past that, try MLB Power Pros 2008 instead. Second, there are no online options. It would've been great to form a league with your friends through the Wi-Fi Connection, but you'll have to settle for offline play."

• Nintendo Power (75/100) says it can be a bit clunky: "This baseball diamond loses some of its luster with occasionally confusing or clunky play (it's too easy to accidentally pitch or swing prematurely), but the game's simplified approach is great for sports-curious gamers looking to avoid the complexities of a real simulation." [Oct 2008, p.87]

• 1UP (B) found the game to be easy to pick up and play: "Super Sluggers succeeds and fails as most Mario sports games do. Its quick, arcade-style action is easy to get into and plenty fun, coming at the expense of the nuances -- and balance -- you'll find in a sim."

• IGN (74/100) thought Nintendo and Namco cut too many corners: "It's a shame Nintendo and Namco didn't go farther with this one overall, though. No online play? No major gameplay renovations, new modes, or improved style over three year old Superstar Baseball? With only Animal Crossing as current first party online offerings in the near future, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to cut corners with Sluggers."

• GameInformer (55/100) was quick to trash the game: "Go do something fun with your buddies rather than wasting an afternoon with this crap."

Gallery: Mario Super Sluggers