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Yoshi's Crafted World
Yoshi's Crafted World
2019 | Action
Simple mechanics (3 more)
Beautiful Art style
Yoshi (all of them)
Some level of difficulty in some areas
Feels very similar to the many Mario themed games before it (0 more)
Tons of adorable fun for all ages!
So Yoshi's crafted world was one of the two games I recieved as part of a bundle deal when I bought my Nintendo Switch Console. I was looking forward to playing the game as I hadn't played a Yoshi based game for some time and Yoshi is one of my all time fave characters. I didn't get chance to play wooly world as I haven't owned a new Nintendo console since DS Lite and the Wii. (I know it sucks, I just never had the money for them and by the time I did the next gen console was out and I was torn)

Anyways, as I began playing Yoshi's Crafted world and working my through the many incredibly awesome looking levels which not only have collectibles but has a flip side to each level in which you go through the level from the back which adds to the awesome game design as a whole, I realised that whilst it all looked new and had a new interesting yet simple plot to play through, the gameplay was the same mechanics that we've been playing for years in almost all the Mario Themed 2D platformers/side scrollers. You run across, bounce on enemies heads, throw eggs to smash things, collect coins and move on to the next level, then repeat. It works as a mechanic but at the same time I felt like there wasn't much of a change. However, they did add some more directions to this game, as you no longer just side scroll (although that is the majority of the game) but on the levels there will be certain areas where you can turn and head either towards the screen or away from it, in order to reach secrets or to simply continue through the level. So they mixed it up a little bit, but not much in my opinion.

One aspect I enjoyed was the outfits you could buy which worked as armour in a way. The designs are all made to look as though they are crafted out of cardboard boxes and other household items (hence the name 'crafted world') and this gives the game and adorable and very clever asthetic.

However if you're a fan of sidescrollers, the Mario world or just Yoshi in general then I would recommend giving it a go because it is fun, especially if you get a friend to join you and you can choose which outfits you want to wear and more importantly which colour Yoshi you want to be.
  
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
2017 | Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Strategy
Nintendo Switch owners will likely be thrilled with the amazing new title for the system which for me has been the best reason for owning the system.

Mario vs. Rabbids: Kingdom Battle blends the iconic Nintendo characters with the Ubisoft Rabbids in a new turn based adventure that fans will love.

Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, and others blend with the mischievous Rabbids after a hysterical accident combines the two franchises.

Using a guide, players will move across a map, collecting coins as they go which can be used to upgrade your gear at various times.

When players enter certain arenas, the game becomes a turn based tactical combat game. Think X-Com but more family friendly and you begin to understand the fun and challenges that await them.

A typical round involves players moving to a point on the field, taking cover, and firing an attack shot at an enemy. Players may also opt to use a defensive skill when available or charge in for a close-quarters attack.

Should players complete the round with at least one of their three players still standing, they can move onto a new area and fight a new set of challenges.

I was doing very well until the first Mid-Boss who along with his minions presented a large challenge. The game gave me the option to play in an easier mode, but that did not seem to matter much as the enemies used travel tubes, exploding boxes, and other tactics to dominate.

Being able to upgrade your weapons is a big help as often the extra amount of damage you can deal an enemy is the key to winning a battle or failing miserably.

The game offers a co-op mode for players looking to play with another player and it is an easy game to play, but one that is very difficult to master.

The Game did very well at E3 when it was announced and won several awards which are well-deserved as after several days of playing the game, I am not bored with it at all and still keep coming back to it again and again.

This is a big deal for me as I often become bored with Nintendo games after a few days as I often find the dated graphics and gameplay difficult to hold my attention for long compared to other options that are out there. This time, I found a game that I love and enjoy the challenge and whimsical blend of styles which makes this one the first real reason to own a Nintendo Switch as I have found it far more enjoyable than any other title currently available for the system, Zelda included.

http://sknr.net/2017/08/28/mario-vs-rabbids-kingdom-battle/
  
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Andrew Rich (36 KP) rated Nintendo Wii in Tech

Jun 20, 2019  
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii
Games Consoles > Games Consoles
9
7.9 (26 Ratings)
Tech Rating
Homebrew options including emulation (4 more)
Back compatibility
Good 3rd party hardware support
Intuitive user interface
Huge enthusiast base for support
No true HD output (1 more)
Fully deprecated by Nintendo as of January 2019
Better with age
Almost 13 years ago, Nintendo gave us the Wii, and if the enthusiast community is any measure, the Wii is still going strong. Even at its release, it wasn't the most powerful console - it wouldn't even do HD - and never had the game selection of the PS3 or XBox360, but it managed to chug along.

The motion controls are either fantastic - as in Wii Sports, Mario Kart and Skyward Sword, or just felt gimmicky, and even terrible - as in Mario Party 9, Ninjabread Man, and Chicken Shoot, and some didn't even use them, like my personal favorite @Muramasa: The Demon Blade. But the fact remains that it was, and is, still a good system.

These days, the original release games either look incredibly dated, or were designed around the system's limitations, and still manage to look good, but we're not seeing anymore new releases (except, of course, for Just Dance 2020. Thanks UbiSoft! ) so why is the Wii still good?

Well, between being back compatible to the GameCube, the Wii is also an absolute beast when it comes to emulating classic systems, from the Atari 2600 up to the original PlayStation. Add the Wii Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro, and you've got a one-stop shop for every Nintendo Console - including handhelds - from the NES up to the Wii, as well as systems from Atari, Coleco, NEC, Sega, and Sony. It turns out the Wii is a great option for those of us who want to play the old classics, but aren't collectors; and might want games not on the NES, SNES, or PS classic mini consoles.

All this time later, that little box of tricks is still proving its use!
  
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Dean (6921 KP) rated Nintendo Wii in Tech

Feb 27, 2019  
Nintendo Wii
Nintendo Wii
Games Consoles > Games Consoles
8
7.9 (26 Ratings)
Tech Rating
Motion based games (3 more)
Simple gameplay
Cheaper than other consoles
Can play GameCube games!
Limited number of games (0 more)
A console for everyone
When the Wii was first released it seemed a bit of a gimmick using motion based controllers to play games. However it was very popular with games like Wii Sports that was included with the console and Mario Kart making it successful. Some of the games were easily playable no matter your age and one all the family can play. It also has some good light-gun games, @The House of the Dead: Overkill is probably the best. Despite not having the technical power of the other main consoles at the time it could still produce amazing graphics. I was so glad that I could play the GameCube remake of Resident Evil through the Wii.
Overall a very good console for casual gamers and for the family to play together. It also has some good titles for more serious gamers as well.
  
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch
Games Consoles > Games Consoles
Games are WAY too expensive. (0 more)
I've played the Switch before, with my bro and my cousins. I was hesitant on buying one myself, since I have limited time to play video games. I was also hesitant because I have a 3DS. For Christmas, my bro bought me a Switch, and I've been making time to play it.
I've owned/played a lot of consoles in my life, starting with the NES. Nintendo, of course, keeps a choke hold on their original characters and games, such as Mario, Kirby, Legends of Zelda, Pokemon, and the list goes on.
The controllers are awkward if you're playing on the TV, but when the console is mobile, they feel natural in your hands. Thus far, I've only played Zelda, which I love.
A major con is that the games are so dang expensive. Zelda is at least 3 years old and is still nearly 60 bucks. I need to do more exploring on the eShop for indie games and whatnot.
Overall, I do like it slightly better than the 3DS and the Wii.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) Jan 5, 2020

I got a Switch last year, been a Nintendo guy all my life since the NES. Totally agree on the game price - I had Breath of the Wild on WiiU but have been hoping for a price drop so that I can get the Switch version. I’ve been making good use of the recent Nintendo sales though 😊

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Dakota Morrill (17 KP) rated the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in Video Games

Mar 4, 2018  
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2017 | Action/Adventure
Graphics, storytelling (0 more)
Boring simple combat, stamina, sudden difficult puzzles (0 more)
Beautiful world, nice story, but some flaws
In the beautiful land of Hyrule you'll experience a wonderful modern story of the famous knight Link and his adventures to aid Princess Zelda. In a beautiful world full of interesting creatures and sometimes unique ways to kill them using your environment or smacking them with their own hand, you will also find yourself drowning after 30 seconds of swimming in a river or trying to rock climb as you'd expect a famous knight to be capable of. You will also find yourself in epic battles with giant mechanical beasts then inside of them doing insanely difficult puzzles that will make you give up and just google the solutions only to realize you still have no idea how to get through them.

This game is the high praise game of the year for all the Nintendo die hards and young adults who grew up with the Zelda series, but in reality is an average game that feels like it took way too much spotlight away from better games such as Horizon: Zero Dawn, or Super Mario Odyssey.
  
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
2017 | Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Strategy
Fun, family friendly X-Com-a-like (0 more)
Strategy feels a little light at times I purchased (0 more)
I purchased the game having viewed only the trailers and being a huge fan of the X-Com series which it looks, and feels, very much like.

I found the graphics and overall visual tone of the game to be fantastic. The merging of Rabbids and Mario themes has been done cleverly in a manner which does not feel forced.

The humour largely works, in a cartoonish and slightly childish way and the story is enough to carry you through the single player despite not being massively deep, and being very linear.

The mechanics also work quite well, with one slight caveat. The levels themselves play more like a puzzle game than a strategy, there very much is a right way to do each level and a wrong way. If you make a wrong step then you may need to restart the level instead of finding a way to fix it as you go.

All in all the game is of a high quality and entertaining, and is well worth its price tag
  
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Paul Morrissey recommended The Leopard (1963) in Movies (curated)

 
The Leopard (1963)
The Leopard (1963)
1963 | International, Classics, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"A magnificent example of European filmmaking, totally undramatic and hypnotically watchable thanks to the extraordinary visual beauty of the photography by Giuseppe Rotunno, the set design by Mario Garbuglia, and the costumes by Piero Tosi, all under the superb control of a great director, Luchino Visconti. An extended time-travel visit to another world, the film is comprised of two major events are a family’s trip from the city to a summer residence and a forty-minute attendance at a ball. It’s probably the finest physical production ever filmed anywhere in Europe or America, a relic of a time when taste, intelligence, and artistry were still in operation, but perhaps even then only in Italy, and only with Visconti. The undisputed master of the costume film (he made only six), this is his masterpiece, dominated by the extraordinarily majestic performance of Burt Lancaster. The tall, athletic, handsome Irish American from 116th Street in Manhattan brought a dignity, strength, and reserve to the part of a Sicilian prince that no one else could have played better. Without him, it would be hard to imagine the film as good."

Source
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated The 33 (2015) in Movies

Jun 20, 2019  
The 33 (2015)
The 33 (2015)
2015 | Drama
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: The 33 starts as we follow our Chilean miners including family man Mario Sepulveda (Banderas) and safety inspector Don Lucho (Phillips) who is reluctantly backs down from their boss about the conditions inside the mine, believing the mountain will start to collapse in on itself.

When the mine does collapse, it leaves all 33 miners trapped hoping they might get rescued, well that is inside the mine. Outside the mine the miner’s families led by Maria Segovia (Binoche) demanded answers and help from the government with Laurence Golborne (Santoro) calling the shots, doing the best he can to find a way to rescue the miners. This is the incredible story of how the Chilean miners survived and were rescued.

 

Thoughts on The 33

 

Characters/Performance – The film is based on the real people involved, Mario is the one that takes control inside the mine, the reluctant hero even against the odds. Laurence is the government man that must do the right thing while working with the experts as well as keep the families happy. Maria is the sister of one of the miners and leads the protest to find answers about her brother and other miners.

Performance wise, Banderas shows himself to be the biggest star within the mine, we do get strange casting choices up next because we have a French actress playing a Chilean lady, and Irish man as a Chilean. But away from this we have good performances all around from the whole cast.

Story – The story is one that we all followed on the news, it was one of the most must watch news stories of the 21st Century. Seeing the amazing story of how the men survived, the way a small town can together to bring a nation, then the world to see, beg and pray for these men is an incredible story of courage, strength and belief in the human race.

Biography/History – While we don’t truly get to know the men personally, we do see the 69 days that changed their lives. This will go down in history as one of our moments of greatness as a human race.

Settings – The film is set between the mine which shows us just how trapped the character will be but we also see how the family members are working towards rescue.

Final Thoughts – This is an incredible story that was one we followed and seeing this brings back the memories but in places this is slightly slow.

 

Overall: Great glimpse into history.

https://moviesreview101.com/2018/03/27/a-z-bonus-review-month-the-33-2015/
  
Retro Mini Games Console
Retro Mini Games Console
Games Consoles > Games Consoles
7
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Tech Rating
Loads of retro style games (2 more)
Able to plug into tv
Lightweight for travel
Feels cheap (3 more)
Some games repeat
First language option is Chinese
No individual instructions per game
Lots of choice
Great console with lots of choices and helps introduce the generation into the retro style gaming we used to do when we were children.

I love the fact it comes with all you will need to plug the console into the tv to take the games to a more interactive with other players as well.

The console itself is very light which makes it feel cheaply made and I wouldn't believe it actually has 400 different games as some repeat themselves. Although there are some great choices including Super Mario and Donkey Kong there are some games you have never heard of.

It is very much you need to play around with each game to work out how to play it on the console as you aren't given any form of tutorial. Even some of the games you remember their controls are different.

Overall it is great for someone who travels a lot and wants to beat boredom but personally I would stick to my standard consoles with individual games.