Pikmin 3
Reviewed By: Matteo C, Gino C, Giuliano V
Gameplay: 9, 9, 8.5
Matteo- Three Captains add an extra level of difficulty, new Pikmin are unique but lack of Purple or White Pikmin is disappointing
Gino- Very fun game but can be frustrating at times and losing Pikmin can be upsetting
Giuliano- Like how there are formal boss battles now, Pikmin AI is much more improved
Story: 8, 7.5, 7
Matteo- Predictable ending, mission logs reference previous games and characters
Gino- Simple but it's a Pikmin game
Giuliano- Well enough story to set up and justify the game, but not a strong narrative
Sound: 9.5, 9, 8.5
Matteo- Best sounding Pikmin game, one of the better tracks Nintendo has made recently
Gino- Liked the "voice acting" for the characters
Giuliano- Nature sounds were very realistic, soundtrack was well-done and suited the game well
Presentation: 9, 9, 9
Matteo- Very detailed environments, Nintendo's best-looking Wii U game to date
Gino- Easily the most detailed Wii U game so far, if this is just the beginning can't wait to see what Nintendo has to offer
Giuliano- Many cool new enemies and bosses, fantastic level design and environment
Lasting Appeal: 8, 7, 7
Matteo- Bingo Battle, Mission Mode and DLC will add incentive to the game
Gino- Game can be repayable with Bingo Battle but little incentive to play anytime soon
Giuliano- Story is a decent length especially if wanting to complete 100% but little incentive anywhere else
Final Verdict: 8.6 / 10
Pikmin 3 is a fantastic game and a must-have Wii U game, but little content aside from main story takes away considering the $60 price tag.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Reviewed By: Matteo C, Gino C, Giuliano V
Gameplay: 9, 9, 8.5
Matteo- Luiginary Abilities both in-battle and outside of battle add a new depth of gameplay, tightest gameplay in the series
Gino- Favorite of the series so far, Bros. Moves were original but sometimes unresponsive
Giuliano- Likely the best gameplay in the series but the Bros. Moves seemed very random and unrelated to the Marioverse, Giant battles are extremely fun and perfected
Story: 7.5, 8, 8
Matteo- Arguably one of the best stories in the series but because it drags on for so long it takes away from what the story could have potentially been
Gino- Really enjoyed the story, but the plot dragged on too long and too many unmemorable characters
Giuliano- Some very good ideas and nods to the series, but many of the characters are forgettable
Sound: 9, 10, 9
Matteo- Really enjoyed the main theme, but the majority of the tracks looped too much
Gino- Thoroughly enjoyed the music and sound effects of the series, did not mind the looping tracks they seemed to fit
Giuliano- Music was some of the best from recent Nintendo games
Presentation: 8.5, 8, 8
Matteo- Appreciate the change in art style, but it does not work with some of the characters
Gino- Game looked great at times but some sprites looked very ugly at times I.E. Bowser
Giuliano- Some of the bosses are very poorly designed, but most of the enemies and characters are quite fun and refreshing
Lasting Appeal: 8, 6, 8.5
Matteo- Arena gives more incentive, but ultimately will not replay the game because it is already a lengthy campaign
Gino- Game is already long enough so New Game Plus may not appeal to everyone
Giuliano- Game is a solid 35 hours of gameplay, which is abnormally lengthy for a Nintendo title, offers great incentive for new challenge with Hard Mode
Final Verdict: 8.3 / 10
Solid game with loads of content, but lengthy campaign may bore gamers with a low attention span. Still, very great deal for the $40 price tag.
Grand Theft Auto V
Reviewed By: Riley D, Justin D, Gino C, Giuliano V
Gameplay: 9.5, 10, 9, 9.5
Riley- Gameplay very fluid and refined, always fun finding creative ways to murder people
Justin- Brought back the elements that made San Andreas great but kept the overall charm that made GTA IV great
Gino- Great gameplay, always fun, gasoline is interesting
Giuliano- You can do almost anything and the fun never ends. Unfortunately, some of the main quest missions are somewhat boring but the "High" side-missions are absolutely fantastic
Story: 9, 9, N/A, N/A
Riley- Missions make clever nods to action movie tropes and Trevor was a complete badass and fun to watch
Justin- Story is never boring at any point, missions are always interesting and fun to play
Sound: 9, 9, 10, 9
Riley- The score pays homage to action movies and the radio soundtrack was balanced and entertaining
Justin- Classic hits are fun to listen to while committing crimes
Gino- Radio is just as key as the shenanigans and as always GTA delivers on awesome music selection
Giuliano- Enjoyed the soundtrack with some great tracks, voice acting is top notch
Presentation: 10, 9.5, 9.5, 9.5
Riley- Every mission offered something unique and I enjoyed each one, also the dialogue and the humour was top-notch
Justin- Graphics are a step-up from previous games, level design is superb
Gino- Graphics are an improvement on GTA IV but outer regions of Los Santos you can see polygons
Giuliano- While graphics aren't the best this generation, the environment and mission design is amazing
Lasting Appeal: 10, 10, 10, 10
Riley- There is always something to do in Los Santos, there are still tons of extra activities to do post-game and even if you manage to finish all the missions, there is online and endless possibilities for carnage
Justin- Whole world of business you can participate in including Stock Market and a large variety of activities such as Tennis, Golf and Yoga
Gino- Unlimited replay value with running around and the shenanigans
Giuliano- It is GTA, what more is there really to say?
Final Verdict: 9.8 / 10
GTA is no-doubt one of the best games this generation and offers limitless fun. For a $60 price tag, this game is definitely worth it!
Outlast
Reviewed By: Riley D
Gameplay: 8
Despite its simplistic stance on survival horror in that you can't really do anything besides run, it offers a fresh take on the genre as the phenomenon of being chased without the ability to do too much to defend yourself, was often horror inducing
Story: 7
While it started off as an original and promising concept, it took many survival-horror cliches and ended with a predictable conclusion
Sound: 9
The soundtrack was eerie and the effects did wonders to increase the pervasion of doom in the atmosphere
Presentation: 8
The visuals were beautiful, particularly the lighting, it does its job of scaring you and making you feel helpless
Lasting Appeal: 6
Clocking around 10 hours of gameplay, it is a short game but the initial journey is satisfying, Repeated playthroughs may ruin some of the initial appeal.
Final Verdict: 8 / 10
A breath of fresh air for the survival horror genre, a good game to pick up if you're looking for a good scare or if you're disgusted by the turn Resident Evil 6 took.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX
Reviewed By: Giuliano V
Gameplay: 8
Offers up the same experience as the original Kingdom Hearts but with updated controls to transition better into Kingdom Hearts II, the action-RPG elements are as fun as ever and really work on the PS3 controller
Story: 9
The timeless tale of Sora's journey through many Disney worlds stays the same as it was ten years ago. The inclusion of 358/2 Days as a movie is emotional and adds to the overall tone of the series.
Sound: 9
The soundtrack of the game includes timeless new versions of classic Disney tracks. The new voice acting scenes added for 358/2 Days and Re:Chain of Memories are fantastically done with some big-name voice actors like Christopher Lee and Brittany Snow.
Presentation: 9
The textures of the games are completely redone and look fantastic in comparison with the original. Square-Enix has truly set a standard for HD remakes with this game.
Lasting Appeal: 8.5
The massive amounts of trophies and content of these two titles offers endless challenges for perfectionists.
Final Verdict: 8.7 / 10
This collection of two of the best Kingdom Hearts games delivers very well. A great way for newcomers to get into the series and also a great collection for longtime fans.
