Pokken Tournament
Was trying the demo last night, have to admit I wasn't overtly impressed. The graphics also appeared very soft as thought it was running low res for the battle graphics, although the UI was sharp.
Was hoping for better, maybe the full game is better, but wasn't sold so far by the demo.
+1
However, I disagree on the graphics. I thought it was 1080p, when it was 720p. It looks so damn good and it makes me want a Pokemon Stadium type game on WiiU. I've also played the demo and while I do appreciate the choice of playable demo characters (not simply just Pikachu), there are a few glaring issues with the demo itself.
1) Usage limit? Nintendo always seem to do this. What's the point of a usage limit on a demo? It's got barley anything in it anyway, so if people want more, they will buy the full game.
2) No controller options. Even the MH4U demo had the option to use the CPP. To play this demo you can only use the WiiU gamepad and that's not exactly the most popular controller choice
3) Matches are too easy. I mean I was randomly pressing buttons at first and won everytime. Later on, when I was trying to test out and learn the moves, I killed the opponent simply by trying out every move. I know it's a demo, but there can be some semblance of difficulty. Even the Smash Bros demo had difficulty options.
I've seen reviews of the game and after playing it myself, it's not at all too much like Smash Bros. It plays very differently to me. It more like a traditional 3D fighting game, though it's most like Soul Calibur or Tekken (obviously). Considering that directions are very important to attacks, the third person camera doesn't lend itself too well to the gameplay.
An example: Lucario has a move [Bone Rush] triggered by pressing 'forward' and A, and a different move [Extreme Speed] triggered by 'up' and A. If the camera is behind your character and you press forward 'up' and A, he doesn't always use the move I want. It is very likely that I'm missing something and just bad at the game, but the non-2d gameplay makes it kinda difficult and confusing to pull off certain moves.
Overall, the selection of modes isn't too impressive, here's what is available...
Ferrum League: AKA Single-player Story Mode
Single Player - Regular: Just fight against a CPU however you want
Single Player - Extra Battle: Literally the only other 'mode'. Mechanics are slightly different and boost pickups appear
Practice - Tutorials: Now this is pretty good, they help you learn techniques and combos or try out moves on your own
Local Play - Local Multiplayer: Player 1 must use the gamepad or you can play by LAN if you have 2 WiiUs/2 TVs/2 copies of the game
Online Play - Friendly: Play with your friends, share a code to play with specific people not on your friends list or play against anyone.
Online Play - Ranked: Earn rank points by playing matches
From reviews, it seems that the big reason to get this is for multiplayer either online or at tounraments via LAN. The only real unlocks are shadow Mewtwo from completing Ferrum League and customisation options for your avatar who you don't see much of in actual play. The single player has issues apparently and isn't too great. Not to mention it doesn't have as much content as something like Mortal Kombat X.
I strongly recommend people either play the demo or play someone else's copy of the game before buying it. This is one for the competitive players and hardcore fans, it doesn't excel outside of the multiplayer. Which is to be expected of a fighting game. IMO, not worth £40 (or £50 on their official site). But, perhaps a worthwhile buy at £25ish though or the £60 bundle which includes the wired controller (worth £20) they released for it. Not as ergonomic as the Pro controller and apparently takes getting used to. I'll stick with Smash Bros as annoyed as it makes me sometimes. I prefer the 2D gameplay.
Star Fox Zero
The Star Fox Zero Bundle is sold out at the only place I found it (Official Nintendo Store). Better hope other retailers start getting some in stock.
The Star Fox Guard side-game is being sold for a very appropriate £13 if bought seperately. Once again, other retailers don't seem to have it available for pre-order.
http://store.nintendo.co.uk/games-wii-u/star-fox-guard/11261977.html?widget_id=207762
There is also a collector's edition guide for it. I would be excited for the guide, but the last guide I bought was for Xenoblade Chronicles X and the guide was not that great. I literally had to jot down my own extra notes in the guide to make it more useful. So be wary.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Fox-Ze...&qid=1458422467&sr=8-3&keywords=star+fox+zero
As usual, even though this is a Nintendo First party game, which tend to be great, I'd recommend not pre-ordering and waiting till reviews/release to buy. The good news is that you won't be missing out on much, there are no pre-order bonuses and the 'First-Edition' is just the Limited Edition bundle including the other game. They still have yet to mention if they fixed the controls, which divided opinions on the game at E3 last year.
If reviews are good for it, I may saw off and sell my leg to buy this game.
Not so Important
I also finished Xenoblade Chronicles X's main story this week at ~311 hours of play time. It does get a bit crazy, but unfortunately leaves too many loose ends/plot-holes/sequel-bait. It's similar to Metal Gear Solid 5 in that regard, some folks read into it and think it's cool, other are upset at a seemingly unsatisfying story. Gameplay is good though, I've unlocked a bunch of end-game stuff including level 60 Skells. Made 4 of them and they are sweet.
probably because ive spent a shed load on digital titles.
