Added: 03.11.2014 0:00 | 4 views | 0 comments

With their bite-sized chunks of nostalgic NES challenges, the NES Remix games always seemed better suited to quick blasts on a 3DS rather than extended sessions in front of a Wii U. Perhaps that's why, despite Ultimate NES Remix being a simple compilation of its two couch-bound predecessors, it's so darn appealing.

Of course, much of that appeal comes down to just how invested you are in the Nintendo universe. NES Remix is all about nostalgia, from the 8-bit-inspired music and menus, to the classic cuts of games that make up its many challenges. Like the games that inspired them, the remixed challenges play to the old-school mechanics of score chasing and speed, focusing on dexterity and concentration over more modern conceits like accessibility and story. That's not to say knowing how to make Mario jump over a set of obstacles is particularly challenging, but doing so against the clock when the obstacles suddenly turn invisible most certainly is.

The whole lineup works wonderfully as a nostalgic tour of Nintendo's impressive back catalogue, or as a history lesson to those not old enough to remember them the first time around. Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Kid Icarus: these are the series that introduced an entire generation to video games, and age has done little to sour their excellence. Only lesser-known titles--the likes of Balloon Fight and Excitebike--fail to hit the mark, but maybe that's as much down to them not being a part of my childhood as it is down to the mundane challenges within.

Aside from the challenges, Championship Mode from NES Remix 2 returns, giving you the chance to play through three quick-fire sections of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Dr. Mario, with an accumulated score awarded at the end. A new addition comes in the form of Speed Mario Bros., which, as the name suggests, is the entirety of Super Mario Bros., but significantly sped up. Suffice to say, it is very difficult, but skilled players will be able to perform some seriously impressive speed runs with it.

There's enough variety and challenge on offer in Ultimate NES Remix, not to mention some powerful nostalgia, to keep you glued to the screen for longer than you think 30-second challenges ever could. Sure, if you own older versions of the game, there's nothing new here for you to see, but NES Remix's new home on the 3DS makes so much sense that you might be inspired to go back and attempt those challenges again.

Added: 02.11.2014 10:15 | 0 views | 0 comments


Koei Tecmo Europe released downloadable content codes for the Halloween set in "Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate", but these codes are exclusively for Europeans to use on the PlayStation 3.

Added: 01.11.2014 16:11 | 12 views | 0 comments


UM writes: I was a little hesitant to pick up Diablo III for my console Id played the first two games on a PC, and I had trouble seeing how some of the finer points of using skills would transfer over but it turned out to be loads of fun. Great interface, good pace, really fun skill progression/modification/customization. Of course I was aware of the slightly insane logic of games like this: fight monsters that drop items that make your character more powerful, so you can fight harder monsters that drop better items that make your character even more powerful, so you can fight harder monsters. Im sure theres a word for it. Pretty much any inventory-based RPG has this mechanic working to some extent. And its certainly not a problem on its own after all, with games like this, its about the journey, not the destination. But the more I played Diablo III, the more I was slightly disturbed at how incredibly slick it all felt. From the visible experience bar (just a...