KickBeat comes from Zen Studios who have been famous for the Zen Pinball series as well as the Pinball FX series on both major consoles. Zen Studios has backed both of these series extremely well with bringing in new tables to be purchased as DLC as well as adding popular tables. KickBeat is a genre that has really been missing for a while its a rhythm kung fu game. With an extreme soundtrack and new moves surely a new contender in the rhythm genre.
Zen Pinball 2 takes a different approach to the video game interpretation of Pinball. Instead of using already established tables from the retro era, Zen Pinball 2 has completely digitally inspired Pinball tables that function as fantasy boards – my favorites of which are the Darth Vader table and the Plants VS. Zombies table. If you already own a lot of tables from the PlayStation 3 version of the game, you can import your ownership of those tables into the PS4 version – which is nice for people who are already invested in this Pinball experience. As new tables are released for the game, you can indulge yourself in a demo play-through before deciding if you want to skip or purchase them.
Knytt Underground is a platformer where the player explores wide varieties of environments. It is a title for PS3, Vita, Steam and Wii U. For the Wii U version, the Gamepad and Wii U Pro Controller are supported with off-screen play as an option as well via Gamepad Support and cross-save cloud support with the dual ownership cross-buy deal for PS3 / Vita owners.
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:Â No glitches were encountered during our play-through of this game.
Replay Value:Â 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.
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.
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
Doki Doki Universe starts off by introducing the main character, a robot who has been abandoned by his family for being outdated. The overall task which players will spend the rest of the game working towards is then presented, this robot must get Humanity training and pass Alien Jeff’s reports or be sentenced to de-construction (along with all other robots that share the same model number as it). “Humanity is about understanding others” is the advice players are greeted with.