1001 Spikes Review

Posted on July 25, 2014 by RealGamerNewz

1001 Spikes Review - RealGamerNewz

1001 Spikes is a 2D platforming adventure title in the style of older NES titles such as Mega Man, Super Mario and particularly draws a large influence from Spelunker. The Wii U version of the title features off-screen play and controls very well on the GamePad as well as the Pro Controller. This title is a sidescroller, that while difficult at times, has a very responsive and refreshing control scheme and style. You advance through stages while collecting loot and dodging enemies with a one hit death style. The game limits you to 1001 lives throughout the entire game, which at first seems like a lot but as you advance can dwindle fast if you aren’t careful. The game also features a multiplayer mode that is stylized like Mario Bros where you battle with up to three additional players to survive and defeat foes to collect points. I had a large amount of fun with both modes of the game and despite frustration at points, I did push on and enjoyed each and every bit of the game.

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Mutant Mudds Deluxe PS3 Review

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Jon

Visually Mutant Mudds takes a unique interpretation to the 2D retro art direction style by allowing players to hop back and forth between foreground and background layers throughout various points in the title. This plays into the gameplay too which is packed with action and takes pieces of the greatest platformers while pitting the player against an invading enemy via a true sidescroller action combat system. The presentation of this game is so polished players will feel a great value in their purchase immediately. Story-wise the game even satisfies deeper questions as to what the action is all about as an invading race starts off when a meteor shower hits the planet threatening to end the human way of life.

Mutant Mudds focuses almost completely on fun factor while managing to deliver a high quality sound system full of nostalgic nods and enough fresh ideas to feel like nothing you’ve played before. A new brand has been formed with this IP which we hope to see explored again at a further date, though the creativity displayed by the developer Renegade Kid also plagues our minds with questions of what will they come up with next? A sequel is indeed in the works though, and we look forward to this being announced later this year.

The Deluxe version of this game features optional checkpoints (which can be turned off for those more hardcore players). Each level will challenge the player significantly both by design that is suggestive yet deceptive as well as the time limit that each course holds. Players select which level they’d like to approach from a set of doors and can also take alternate routes to the end of the level resulting in an even more retro-throwback challenge but also demanding the player to return for the correct exit badge to that particular stage.

Once stages are passed in the traditional sense though, that doesn’t mean they are done yet. Walk through a mirror in the center of the stage selection screen to discover mirror matches of the level once seen in the “real” world. In this alternate dimension of sorts, players must use a different weapon otherwise their ammunition simply cannot effect the ghostly representations of the mutant enemies which come back to life after being killed. This weapon also comes with limited ammo, even further increasing the difficulty of the game. After all of these remix stages are also passed players get access to even more content. Doors to more stages are seen in the foreground and later unlocked.

Thankfully Mutant Mudds never quite feels like a puzzle game, though it will take some trial and error before players master everything. MM is a straight up action platformer with plenty of shooting, hopping, a bit of hovering thrown in here and there, and good old fashioned collecting “coin”-like pickups called golden diamonds which are used to buy upgrade items fro Grannie’s Attic. The music heard is top notch quality and really pays homage to some of the classics while also feeling brand new.

Engine Performance: No glitches were encountered during our play-through of this game.

Replay Value: Between the many levels, their alternate versions, and the hidden / optional content players will have plenty of fun to have before even tapping into the set of 10 trophies and playing on a second screen for Vita owners adds a bonus experience to the mix as well.

Final Verdict:

Mutant Mudds Deluxe is a game that brings the Platformer genre into a beautiful intimate relationship to the Side-Scroller Action / 2D Shooter genres while also adding new gameplay mechanics and graphical elements to the mix. With completely intuitive gameplay design as well as retro-inspired music, sound effects, and graphics MM does what most games could only wish to do and that is provide the ultimate complete package that every type of gamer is sure to fall in love with.

Overall Score: 10 / 10

RGN Rating: Diamond Game

Developer / Publisher: Renegade Kid

Available On: PC | PS3 | Wii U | iOS | 3DS | Vita

Played On: Sony PlayStation 3

Review Copy Info: A digital copy of this game was provided to RealGamerNewz by the publisher for the purpose of this Review

Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver Review

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Jon

Hot Wheels Worlds Best Driver RealGamerNewz Review

At the risk of sounding like a meme, if you played with Hot Wheels then you had an awesome childhood. For those of us who came up during the golden age of pretty much everything from toys to video games, Hot Wheels were one of the favorites. In Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver you’ll approach the most interesting concepts brought forth by the original toy franchise as well as some of gaming’s best racing game mechanics in a journey to become the world’s best driver.

The first step you’ll take on this journey is selecting a color-coded team, each with their own primary focus (for example Green Team = Speed, Blue Team = High Tech) and then the racing begins. You’ll be able to switch between teams at any time and also unlock special abilities using tokens earned through in-game challenges. Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver is expectedly focused on fun factor rather than realism and will see players chaining together drifts for miles, drifting on two wheels for hundreds of feet, performing deadly neck-breaking jumps, driving up and drifting across walls, and even more across a variety of locations that does a good job of preventing any amount of boredom normally associated with racing titles.

Gameplay: Racing and drifting are the most fun parts of the game by far. Precision driving events can be very frustrating at times, but also rewarding, and will eventually mold you into a better drive throughout the game. Stages such as tracks that become more and more narrow as time goes are easier to appreciate than the events that see you tediously navigating through complex precision courses with lots of stopping, jumping, and turning around.

Hot Wheels Worlds Best Driver RealGamerNewz Review 2

There are also some really interesting events that have you doing things like stopping a 200mph speeding vehicle as close as you can to a finish line using a parachute and perfect timing. Overall the gameplay is very smooth, easy to get into, and most of all fun. The variety of so many different things to do in the game make it an experience that doesn’t get stale, and you’ll probably get more enjoyment than you might have expected from the brand we all grew up as kids playing with. There’s over 50 challenges in the game as well as a multiplayer mode and you can customize 24 different vehicles. Medals are earned and tracked in addition to stat-tracking across the four different teams you’ll play as with various ways of completing each event.

Controls: Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver handles really well. You don’t need to be an expert at driving cars in order to enjoy this game. While the racing genre is heading towards a hyper-realistic standard, even for arcade racers, Hot Wheels brings it back to the pure enjoyment that all gamers can appreciate with the added bonus of over-the-top gameplay like riding up a wall or going through crazy tracks reminiscent of the actual Hot Wheels toy tracks. There’s nothing to really complain about in terms of controls, players of all skill levels should have no problem picking the game up and eventually mastering it.

Graphics / Art Direction: There are a number of different tracks in this game and each one has a different look and theme to it. Throughout this racing title you’ll be treated to a high production value in terms of graphics and vibrant, refreshing displays with attentive art direction delivered. Firebrand Games has definitely surpassed expectations in this department showing their mastery of current gen console hardware.

Soundtrack, Audio, Voice: The soundtrack in this game is the upbeat tempo stuff you’d expect to find in a racing game but what’s really cool is that often times the music has samples and sounds that are familiar to the video game industry. The audio of the vehicles sounds clear and appropriate, which is great since audio is important to the feel of a racing game. The voices can sometimes be annoying but they are also an important part of this game since they inform you of what’s going on and what you’re supposed to be doing. Thanks to the voice-overs provided in this game, you’ll never be confused or stuck wondering what’s going on, which enables you to enjoy the game in a streamlined manner and worry about your gameplay not reading instructions.

Hot Wheels Worlds Best Driver RealGamerNewz Review 3

Multiplayer Aspect: Up to 4 players can take part in local ‘Hot Seat Mode’ multiplayer on one console in a pass-the-controller style fashion.

Replay Ability: High

Engine Performance, Physics, Glitches: The physics in the game is loosely based on that of real life racing but takes many liberties in pushing it more towards the arcade / fantasy side of things. You’ll get a good balance which leans mostly towards fast driving, easy to master drifting, and also enjoy ridiculous feats that could never be accomplished in real life such as driving sideways across walls, over insane ramps, and more. There were no glitches encountered in our play-through of Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver and the game engine performed quickly and with stability.

Final Verdict: Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver is a great game, there’s really not much you can complain about with this racing title. We would have liked to see a full story mode / campaign added, and that led to a less than perfect score, however we definitely recommend this game to anybody that is looking for a pick-up-and-play experience capable of providing a good fun factor. The title is also age appropriate for all members of the family with the ‘E for Everyone’ rating by the ESRB. The graphics, sounds, game engine, and fun factor all come together to make a well polished product from Firebrand Games and Warner Bros. Interactive earning it an impressive 9 out of 10 making it a Gold Game on the RealGamerNewz Rating Scale.

Overall Score: 9/10

RGN Rating: Gold Game

Developer: Firebrand Games Warner Bros. Interactive

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive

Available On: Wii U / PS3 / Xbox 360 / PC

Handheld Version Available On: DS / 3DS

Played On: PlayStation 3

Review Copy Info- A physical copy of the game was provided to RealGamerNewz by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

Resident Evil Revelations HD Review

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Jon

Intro: There are those who say Resident Evil Revelations HD is nothing more than a “3DS Port” which allegedly “feels like a mobile game still”, but after significant time playing through the title it becomes clear right away that those claims are false. Resident Evil Revelations HD is a solid entry in this classic franchise and actually manages to outshine all other home console entries this generation in terms of the one player experience it is capable of providing. While we enjoy Resident Evil 5 and 6 for cohesive co-operative play, these titles have also been on the victim’s end of quite a few bashings for that experience not holding up to expectations in single player play-throughs.