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[Subaru]

If I'm gonna say, "hey this movie is awesome!", I'm gonna talk about WHY it was awesome. And if it's a review or impressions, I hope it's more than just surface level comments like "DUDE YOU FIGHT THIS GIANT GORILLA AND YOU TRANSFORM LIKE POWER RANGERS". Suda51 has lots of zany shit in his games, but they're mostly mediocre to play. What's the difference between a Suda 51 game and Platinum one? What makes one more "fun" than the other one? THAT'S what I like to hear about. "It's fun!" doesn't tell me anything. What about it is fun?

But they usually don't make reviews explaining why the game is fun (or isn't).

Like, I saw lots of MGR criticizing that you don't need to use the other weapons (like bombs and guns). That's not a problem, that's a quality! The FUN in MGR is to cut everything, why should I need to use other weapons when all I want is to masterize Raiden's sword?

I don't know, I guess if I need to write a review, I would give a "score" lower than my "experience" because it was so much fun!

 

[Steve Youngblood]

Echoing another thread, realistically we should see many more games get a mixture of review opinions and scores - a 6 to 9 range would be normal in a more healthy review environment. Read a game impression thread on a forum and you'll see a mix of people from those who are convinced a particular game is utterly broken to those who think it's brilliant. By reading the debate between an actual variety of opinions you may come to see why different people think what they do.

Personally, I think the problem with reviews threads -- and I know I'm not breaking new ground here or adding any insightful commentary that hasn't been uttered before -- is that far too often it breaks down to seeking validation for the opinion they have (or want to have) as opposed to people just genuinely being interested in what other people think about a game. And it's not completely unreasonable -- even if it's regrettable -- as commercial and critical performance are two of the easiest metrics available in terms of trying to establish "objectively" (and I want to throw about five more quotes around that word to denote how disingenuously it's being used) how good a game is.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

i want to ask you an honest question, what about any game is fun? how you'd describe it?

For me, I like to go into the details of what I think makes it fun or not. The platforming in Sands of Time is fun. Why is that? Because UbiSoft's engine gives the prince incredibly fluid animations and fantastic sound design. The pitter-patter of the Prince's footsteps running out along a wall, or the way he crouches his body down against a wall to help build power for a wall leap. It makes utterly fantastic and neigh impossible gymnastics seem believable, and that much more satisfying to execute.

PoP08 wasn't fun to me. Why is that? A big reason why is because that tactile weight and sound is gone. Jumps don't feel like death-defying leaps of faith any more. Going from a pole to clinging on walls to riding a wall have been streamlined and automated, and failure have been completely trilivized because it's impossible to die. Most of the player execution and realistic empowerment of SoT is gone, and the platforming is considerably less engaging because of it.

This isn't even some deep critical facilities being used here. This is me playing the video game, and describing what I feel works or doesn't work about it. Is that not what a review should do? Talk about the mechanics and aesthetics of the game and how they work in concert with each other?

 

[Salih]

Gameswelt.de 8.5/10
http://www.gameswelt.de/the-wonderful-101/review/wertung,203948

quick translation:

"Oh my god! Did that really just happen?" These were my first thoughts that went through my head after i beat The Wonderful 101. What you can expect from this game is a ten-hour campaign of action, insane productions and a wide variety of gameplay mechanics, which in this form is tough to surpass. The innovative fighting system punishes those who not pay attention and rewards those who sacrifice their valuable time to learn and master every inch of the gameplay aspect. The replay value is high, there are alot of unlockables und the bossfights are unbelievably intense. Rarely you experience such fresh game concepts, which work straight away and fascinate. The Wonderful 101 is a ray of hope in the still manageable WiiU library, a must-have for every action enthusiast and a testimony for japanese craftsmanship. PlatinumGames put again their ability to the test and you should cherish that. Just like us.

 

[dugdug]

But they usually don't make reviews explaining why the game is fun (or isn't).

Like, I saw lots of MGR criticizing that you don't need to use the other weapons (like bombs and guns). That's not a problem, that's a quality! The FUN in MGR is to cut everything, why should I need to use other weapons when all I want is to masterize Raiden's sword?

I don't know, I guess if I need to write a review, I would give a "score" lower than my "experience" because it was so much fun!

Not everyone thought that was fun.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Personally, I think the problem with reviews threads -- and I know I'm not breaking new ground here or adding any insightful commentary that hasn't been uttered before -- is that far too often it breaks down to seeking validation for the opinion they have (or want to have) as opposed to people just genuinely being interested in what other people think about a game. And it's not completely unreasonable -- even if it's regrettable -- as commercial and critical performance are two of the easiest metrics available in terms of trying to establish "objectively" (and I want to throw about five more quotes around that word to denote how disingenuously it's being used) how good a game is.

Chalk it up to the hype I suppose. It is understandable when a person has jitters about an experience they've been looking forward to or hoping is going to be amazing. Actually I think Nintendo's decision to release a demo of this game to the public before any reviews posted was a good one. It seems that at least a bit of grounding is happening with reactions to the reviews because many/most already interested in the game have played the demo. Most impressions of the demo have been pretty positive.

Sometimes LTTP threads seem to accomplish more towards discussing thoughts about a game than review threads though, and not just because more people have played the game by then. The anticipation has passed, and expectations have drained away.

 

[Subaru]

Not everyone thought that was fun.

But I don't understand what do youd NEED to use it! If you WANT to use it, you can and it works (specially against helicotpers). But I don't want to use it, so I didn't.

 

[RobFox64tm]

Personally, I think the problem with reviews threads -- and I know I'm not breaking new ground here or adding any insightful commentary that hasn't been uttered before -- is that far too often it breaks down to seeking validation for the opinion they have (or want to have) as opposed to people just genuinely being interested in what other people think about a game. And it's not completely unreasonable -- even if it's regrettable -- as commercial and critical performance are two of the easiest metrics available in terms of trying to establish "objectively" (and I want to throw about five more quotes around that word to denote how disingenuously it's being used) how good a game is.

In the DuckTales review thread, I stated how I felt that some reviewers weren't being objective enough (in general, not just with that particular game), and was told that reviews aren't supposed to be objective, but that is instead the job of a press release. So, yeah, I DON'T think some people on here quite understand what "objective" is... and I stand by my assertion that niether do some reviewers.

It's very hard to make a purchasing decision when a game gets reviews that range from below 5 all the way up to and above a 9. I understand that people have fiercely different tastes, and that is definately reflected in the variety of review scores, but we must ask ourselves just whose tastes are these games targeted towards in the first place? Very few reviews these days take that question to heart before casting final judgement, and what we end up with is basically just an opinion piece. A product review shouldn't ever be the same thing as an editorial; they're completely useless otherwise.

That being said, I enjoyed DuckTales just as a I knew I would, and I highly enjoyed the demo for this game, so I'll likely dive into this one eventually as well. It's too bad not every game has a demo like this, because I wouldn't ever have to read any other "reviews" ever again.

 

[GameGuru59]

It's very hard to make a purchasing decision when a game gets reviews that range from below 5 all the way up to and above a 9. I understand that people have fiercely different tastes, and that is definately reflected in the variety of review scores, but we must ask ourselves just whose tastes are these games targeted towards in the first place? Very few reviews these days take that question to heart before casting final judgement, and what we end up with is basically just an opinion piece. A product review shouldn't ever be the same thing as an editorial; they're completely useless otherwise.

I like the way Famitsu reviews games. They get 4 people to play the game and they give their opinion. I'm assuming they all have different tastes and whatnot, so the review(s) they do of games can give the reader a better impression of whether they will like the game or not. The reader can then discern between the reviewers' described tastes and games they've liked in the past and weigh that against the other reviewers' scores. IGN used to do this in its early days, though not quite in the same way. Matt would review a game and Fran or somebody would chime in at the end with "another take". To me, that's the best way for a large publication to review a game.

These single reviews put the name of the whole publication behind a single person's opinion (something that's VERY different from movie reviews). Joe gamer comes along and reads IGN's review and says "well IGN gave it a 7 so it must be average", not knowing many people consider the game incredible- and that this is one person's opinion. In movie reviews we see nothing like this. Nobody would say "Time magazine gave We're the Millers 2 out of 5 stars". Thus, when fans of an upcoming game see reputable publications give their game low scores they understandably get upset because they (understandably) want to see the game do well.

 

[Mory Dunz]

Um, there's a lot of good reviews that haven't been added to the OP I think.
Over 8s

 

[maquiladora]

Most of the reviews seem good. Why are people getting upset?

 

[Hero of Canton]

To put it as simply as possible: if you enjoyed the demo, you will enjoy the game. A few reviews shouldn't suddenly make you reconsider. And I say that as someone who writes about games for a living.

Find a critic whose opinions usually match your own and read their stuff. Then maybe, if you're able to engage with alternative viewpoints, read other stuff from writers whose reviews are well-written but which you might happen disagree with. I find it interesting to get a broad range of perspectives, though I appreciate not everyone feels the same way.

 

[Ein Bear]

The problem with review threads is that too many people seem to act as though any score below a 9 is terrible, and that the reviewer in question is nit-picking the game as an excuse to call it absolute dogshit. I feel like they miss the entire point of why a review exists.

Like, I played the demo of Wonderful 101 and I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Paid off my pre-order that very night, and cannot wait to dig in to the full game on Friday. But if you were to ask me if I thought you should buy the full game too, I'd make sure to mention that there were a couple of problems I had with it. I found the action a little hard to follow at times, for example, and felt that the changing of the unite morphs were frustrating, and felt that they damaged the flow of the game.

There are quite a few reviews that say a similar thing, and then a few posters who pick up on it and mockingly claim that they didn't have a problem with it, and therefore the reviewer is just 'bad at games' or something. But to me, that's the whole point of reviews - to point out things that MAY be an issue for you, and to give you a heads-up about it if you're on the fence about a game. If something didn't bother you, or you even preferred it, then that's great! But by the sounds of things the game definitely has a few things in it that will be somewhat divisive, and to not take note of them would be to miss the point of a review completely.

That doesn't mean a game sucks. In most of these reviews, the actual written content asserts that the Wonderful 101 is a very, very good game. But at the end of the day, it's got a couple of questionable choices in it that may slightly dent your enjoyment. These things are written for the general public, to help them decide if they should buy something or not, and not simply 'points' in a weird metacritic game for hardcore fans.

 

[Coolwhip]

Most of the reviews seem good. Why are people getting upset?

Probably because people wish this game will do well. It's already facing an uphill battle because it's on Wii U and because it's not a typical gritty cinematic 'AAA' game. Mixed reviews aren't a good start, although skimming through this tread most reviews seem to be 8-9. Pretty good actually.

 

[Vancha]

Also made a video impression of the game, as I had to review the game for a Belgian site. the video is in english and features gameplay of act 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvH2G6cH3sA

 

[Darryl]

That doesn't mean a game sucks. In most of these reviews, the actual written content asserts that the Wonderful 101 is a very, very good game. But at the end of the day, it's got a couple of questionable choices in it that may slightly dent your enjoyment of it. These things are written for the general public, to help them decide if they should buy something or not, and not simply 'points' in a weird metacritic game for hardcore fans.

i don't know if everyone agrees with you. i've heard "this is just my personal opinion on the game" as a defense from reviewers all of the time. i don't think reviewers are putting that much thought into this stuff. i haven't read a review yet where i felt like a reviewer was putting themselves in the shoes of a perspective buyer of the product they're reviewing. like the reviews on this game, who does anyone think they're protecting by docking it for controls? the whole advertised gimmick behind the game is the controls. it is exclusive to a console with a weird control scheme. people buying this will be in the know, you don't need to dumb it down and act like they want a traditional core gaming experience.

 

[marc^o^]

TheSixAxis: 8/10
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/08/19/review-the-wonderful-101/#

Platinum Games have made the game that they want, for a platform that they love, pushing the system far beyond what we’ve seen on the PS3 and Xbox 360, in turn giving Nintendo what they need – a solid exclusive, with the possibility of a sustainable franchise as well as the potential to sell, that isn’t yet another Mario related title.

 

[metalslimer]

i don't know if everyone agrees with you. i've heard "this is just my personal opinion on the game" as a defense from reviewers all of the time. i don't think reviewers are putting that much thought into this stuff. i haven't read a review yet where i felt like a reviewer was putting themselves in the shoes of a perspective buyer of the product they're reviewing. like the reviews on this game, who does anyone think they're protecting by docking it for controls? the whole advertised gimmick behind the game is the controls. it is exclusive to a console with a weird control scheme. people buying this will be in the know, you don't need to dumb it down and act like they want a traditional core gaming experience.

Or maybe just because you own a wiiu doesnt mean you want crazy control schemes in the game.

Anyway it's disappointing to here that the gimmick is holding back enjoyment for a lot of people. Bayonetta 2 luckily will have CC support. Hope kamiya the best with this one but some mixed reviews is doing no favors.

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Or maybe just because you own a wiiu doesnt mean you want crazy control schemes in the game.

Anyway it's disappointing to here that the gimmick is holding back enjoyment for a lot of people. Bayonetta 2 luckily will have CC support.

...this game also has CC support.

 

[Riki]

...this game also has CC support.

Shhhh. People need a reason why this sucks even if it's not true.

 

[metalslimer]

...this game also has CC support.

I guess i meant there won't be any crazy gimmicks at least going off the first's scheme and looking at the E3 demo.

 

[Ducktail]

IGN Italy is now a relevant gaming review source? Right.


Regardless, I am looking forward to playing. Kamiya is a genius.

 

[Darryl]

Or maybe just because you own a wiiu doesnt mean you want crazy control schemes in the game.

Anyway it's disappointing to here that the gimmick is holding back enjoyment for a lot of people. Bayonetta 2 luckily will have CC support.

i agree with you but if this is what i wanted then i wouldn't have been in the market for a game that so blatantly advertises the crazy control scheme. i'm not in the market for a sports game regardless of reviews because i know it is a sports game but reviewing those games like the person purchasing that game isn't aware of the product they're buying is a waste of everyones time. it doesn't help anyone.

 

[QaaQer]

Most of the reviews seem good. Why are people getting upset?

meh, people always get upset when others disagree with their preconceived notions of the worrld. At least when people argue over reviews, nobody dies--unlike, say, arguments over religion.

Or maybe just because you own a wiiu doesnt mean you want crazy control schemes in the game.

Anyway it's disappointing to here that the gimmick is holding back enjoyment for a lot of people. Bayonetta 2 luckily will have CC support. Hope kamiya the best with this one but some mixed reviews is doing no favors.

Thank god for that. I really don't like the tablet, heavy and un-egro.

...this game also has CC support.

And apparently, one vital aspect only works 75% of the time once the more complex morphs appear.

 

[wsippel]

Or maybe just because you own a wiiu doesnt mean you want crazy control schemes in the game.

Anyway it's disappointing to here that the gimmick is holding back enjoyment for a lot of people. Bayonetta 2 luckily will have CC support. Hope kamiya the best with this one but some mixed reviews is doing no favors.

Bayonetta has two weapon sets of which you only use one at a time. W101 has seven weapons in four different sizes each, and the ability to use up to five simultaneously. The "gimmick" is what enables the combat system in the first place, not something tacked on for shits and giggles.

And apparently, one vital aspect only works 75% of the time once the more complex morphs appear.

The most complex morph is the hammer, happens to be in the demo, and worked 100% of the time for me (I used the analog stick). Unless you really suck at drawing simple shapes, or try to draw a symbol that's too big for the number of heroes you have available.

 

[marc^o^]

Do you guys pull out w101 complex moves as consistently as say a dragon punch? I'm still on vacation and have yet to try the demo.

 

[metalslimer]

i agree with you but if this is what i wanted then i wouldn't have been in the market for a game that so blatantly advertises the crazy control scheme. i'm not in the market for a sports game regardless of reviews because i know it is a sports game but reviewing those games like the person purchasing that game isn't aware of the product they're buying is a waste of everyones time. it doesn't help anyone.

True, but it seems these reviewers think that scheme was unwieldy. For example i though SS controls were perfect and found the criticism at that unfounded, but if they were not as accurate i would want them told to me even if i was expecting a new control scheme

 

[Ein Bear]

Bayonetta has two weapon sets of which you only use one at a time. W101 has seven weapons in four different sizes each, and the ability to use up to five simultaneously. The "gimmick" is what enables the combat system in the first place, not something tacked on for shits and giggles.

Just because something is inherent to a game's design doesn't mean that it can't be flawed. 'It has to be this way for X to work' simply implies that maybe X shouldn't have been a goal in the first place. For me, I disliked how the combat freezes and makes you draw the symbols to swap your morphs. The pausing hurts the flow of the combat, and the symbol drawing can be hit or miss with it's detection.

Again, none of that means I didn't enjoy the demo thoroughly.

 

[metalslimer]

Is there any way they could have just put buttons to select what morphs you want on the gamepad instead of having to draw anything? It just seems like a bad idea to have that kind of a gimmick in a fast pace action game. For those who enjoyed the demo and thought the drawing was easy, is it actually fun to draw them?

 

[Zemm]

I've played the demo extensively and the control problems mentioned in many of these reviews isn't something that surprises me.

Moving your hand to draw on the gamepad makes for jarring gameplay

When you want to draw a shape you have to hold the somewhat bulky gamepad steady with only your left hand and swipe with your right hand which takes a special effort to balance the gamepad and keep it flat in front of you. If the touch screen were more sensitive this would be a smaller problem, but unfortunately it requires a pretty stiff touch while you draw shapes. The game is so frenetic that while you are making these shapes on the gamepad it is a good idea to keep your guys moving to avoid attacks which you will do with your left thumb on the left analog. So basically you are only using the grip of half your thumb and four fingers flat on the back of the gamepad to maintain balance while you press down in the middle-right of the gamepad to draw shapes. In short, all this requires a manageable yet still annoying amount of effort to keep the controller balanced while maintaining focus on the constant action on screen.

Which leads me into another problem with the drawing mechanic. The size of the shape you draw is an important part of the game because it determines the size of your formed weapons. Using the right analog is not a great alternative to the touch screen because it is hard to draw shapes of differing sizes with the right analog because if you move the right analog quickly it draws a small shape so to draw a big shape you have to move the right analog slowly but that can get your guys hurt because the enemies don't wait around for you to slowly draw shapes.

That also leads me another problem with the drawing on the gamepad. The UI layout on the gamepad is actually a little cramped so if you draw a large shape onto part of the gamepad that has a menu button on it, not only will it not work, but it brings up a menu and you are left desperately trying to swipe the menu away so you can draw a shape and engage in combat, all the while your guys are being pulverized on screen. It is frustrating.

Once I got used to the controls and how the enemies attack and basically figured out what the game wanted me to do, the game got a lot more fun and overall I still enjoyed the demo, but that leads me to another complaint: This game wants you to play a certain way for each stage. It isn't a game where you can be creative and beat the enemies anyway you want with the provided game mechanics. W101 wants you to beat these enemies in a very specific manner with regards to using which method and where. I found this pretty disappointing considering the gameplay proposition.

It can be really addictive and I am still getting it, but the complaints in these reviews don't surprise me. The first 5 to 10 minutes with the demo were somewhat heartbreaking for me and the learning curve is somewhat harsh and somewhat unfair. I don't find that the W101 is a game that gives evidence to the notion that the gamepad is a positive step for gameplay innovation.

This is the best review in the thread.

 

[Retro_]

Is there any way they could have just put buttons to select what morphs you want on the gamepad instead of having to draw anything?

Probably. but then it would have lost the size and multiplayer functionality, as well as the other controller options because the game would only be playable on the pad.

and I think the game is alot more interesting with the drawing.

It just seems like a bad idea to have that kind of a gimmick in a fast pace action game.

It's actually a good idea to me. Sort of revitalized my interest in one of my favorite genres that I felt was beginning to stagnate, partly because of all the preconceived notions people(and some designers I guess) have of what a fast paced action game should be.

101 says fuck your expectations and does something completely new. and I couldn't be happier to have both this game, and a sequel to my favorite game Bayonetta on the horizon.

For those who enjoyed the demo and thought the drawing was easy, is it actually fun to draw them?

I think it's fun. More fun than Zandatsu ever was to me.

Could get old but there's something pretty satisfying about pulling them off successfully at the right time

 

[DashReindeer]

True, but it seems these reviewers think that scheme was unwieldy. For example i though SS controls were perfect and found the criticism at that unfounded, but if they were not as accurate i would want them told to me even if i was expecting a new control scheme

I fail to understand your point. You say that you liked Skyward Sword's controls, and note that the criticism of that game's controls was unfounded, but then go on to say that you would hope reviewers would tell you when they were not "as accurate." The whole thing is subjective. I have found the controls in Wonderful 101 to be a delight, presenting me with far fewer problems than say pulling off moves in Street Fighter consistently. Since this game does have a learning curve for its control scheme, obviously some players are going to have trouble. It's fine to explain that to players, but it's misleading to tell them that the controls don't work because they really do.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

Is there any way they could have just put buttons to select what morphs you want on the gamepad instead of having to draw anything?

I guess it's possible but there are different sizes of morphs so if the game were to stay the same you'd need 3 buttons for each weapon type. And of course the drawing isn't only used for morphs.

 

[diffusionx]

In the DuckTales review thread, I stated how I felt that some reviewers weren't being objective enough (in general, not just with that particular game), and was told that reviews aren't supposed to be objective, but that is instead the job of a press release. So, yeah, I DON'T think some people on here quite understand what "objective" is... and I stand by my assertion that niether do some reviewers.

It's very hard to make a purchasing decision when a game gets reviews that range from below 5 all the way up to and above a 9. I understand that people have fiercely different tastes, and that is definately reflected in the variety of review scores, but we must ask ourselves just whose tastes are these games targeted towards in the first place? Very few reviews these days take that question to heart before casting final judgement, and what we end up with is basically just an opinion piece. A product review shouldn't ever be the same thing as an editorial; they're completely useless otherwise.

Reviews can only ever offer the subjective experience of the reviewer. I would be very wary of any reviewer who claims to speak for a wide variety of people.

I think it's also very smart to have people of different backgrounds review a game. The idea that only fans of X should review something is very limiting. DuckTales is intentionally meant for old fart gamers who remember the NES game, but it's being sold to a wider audience than that. A younger person who isn't familiar with the NES game but enjoys modern platformers and is intrigued by the NES game should have a review out there written by someone who isn't familiar with the NES game but enjoys modern platformers. Obviously that reviewer is only writing from his or her point of view, but it would be useful to some people.

 

[metalslimer]

I fail to understand your point. You say that you liked Skyward Sword's controls, and note that the criticism of that game's controls was unfounded, but then go on to say that you would hope reviewers would tell you when they were not "as accurate." The whole thing is subjective. I have found the controls in Wonderful 101 to be a delight, presenting me with far fewer problems than say pulling off moves in Street Fighter consistently. Since this game does have a learning curve for its control scheme, obviously some players are going to have trouble. It's fine to explain that to players, but it's misleading to tell them that the controls don't work because they really do.

Well yes, even though i found their criticisms unfounded personally, others hated the control scheme and never like it. A game getting 8-9s with a mixed reception to a control scheme is pretty good to be honest. Some things work for some people while not for others. So yeah there doesn't seem to be objective way to review some things. Now if there are outright inaccuracies that's what i take issue with.

 

[GameGuru59]

I guess i meant there won't be any crazy gimmicks.

So anything other than pressing buttons is a gimmick now? You can't even use the control stick for anything other than character movement now? No wonder the mainstream gaming press doesn't like this game.

This is why I'm glad Nintendo exists. If the N64 came out today people would claim the fucking control stick is a gimmick. NES? "Look at that D-pad gimmick! Why not use the joystick?! Its worked fine for the arcade!" Thank God somebody with money in this industry isn't comfortable resting on the status quo.

 

[SporeCrawler]

Most of the reviews seem good. Why are people getting upset?

Most of the reviews are good but some are overly harsh (blistering thumbs 3.0, first time i heard of them)

 

[Saint Gregory]

This is the best review in the thread.

I haven't had any issues holding the pad while drawing shapes so that sounds more like a person to person problem.

But, I have had the problem of accidentally hitting the menu tab while playing which is a big issue for me. If it's the same in the final game I'll be upset but I'm sure muscle memory will win in the end and I'll work it out.

It's pretty much a given that any game that forces you into an unusual control method is going to be controversial as many Wii motion control games experienced last gen.

 

[HoJu]

I'm more concerned about the bloated runtime critics keep mentioning then the controls. Kamiya isn't averse to putting hours and hours of filler into his games, like say, the entirety of Okami, or recycling boss fights. Edge mentioned fighting the same boss five times, repeating "set piece" moments, etc.

hmmm going by Kamiya's previous games, I'm guessing (and hoping) that these are just the "rival" boss fights, like the ones with Jeanne from Bayonetta.

did any reviewers say if enemies have new moves and whatnot on harder difficulties?

 

[Retro_]

That also leads me another problem with the drawing on the gamepad. The UI layout on the gamepad is actually a little cramped so if you draw a large shape onto part of the gamepad that has a menu button on it, not only will it not work, but it brings up a menu and you are left desperately trying to swipe the menu away so you can draw a shape and engage in combat, all the while your guys are being pulverized on screen. It is frustrating.

I think that's only an issue in the demo. In the direct there seemed to be a large open canvas just displaying your heroes positions on the pads. The demo seems to try and fill the pad screen with tutorials for some reason.

Once I got used to the controls and how the enemies attack and basically figured out what the game wanted me to do, the game got a lot more fun and overall I still enjoyed the demo, but that leads me to another complaint: This game wants you to play a certain way for each stage. It isn't a game where you can be creative and beat the enemies anyway you want with the provided game mechanics. W101 wants you to beat these enemies in a very specific manner with regards to using which method and where. I found this pretty disappointing considering the gameplay proposition.

Where in the hell are you getting this impression?

I expect the bosses to be like that to some extent, but the demo allowed for a variety of approaches to be used towards completion.

 

[lt519]

I couldn't get a hang of the controls in the demo but I also didn't try very hard to get through the initial learning curve. Game looks fun but I'm not a huge fan of the genre. I'll prob nab it just to support and give it another go, but I'm not expecting to fall in love with it. But hey guess what, that's ok. I can see where some will love this game and some will hate it. Not everyone has to like it and it's going to be highly dependent on people giving the control scheme a chance.

 

[QaaQer]

This is the best review in the thread.

+1.

 

[marc^o^]

It's pretty much a given that any game that forces you into an unusual control method is going to be controversial as many Wii motion control games experienced last gen.

PES PlayMaker comes to mind. Countless reviews didn't get the controls, which made me lose faith in reviewers for a long time. Then I understood it took me hours of practice to master the complexity... time reviewers didn't have.

 

[SporeCrawler]

PES PlayMaker comes to mind. Countless reviews didn't get the controls, which made me lose faith in reviewers for a long time. Then I understood it took me hours of practice to master the complexity... time reviewers didn't have.

PES playmaker is one of the best utilizations of the wiimote yet so underrated and disregarded by soccerfans and reviewers alike (i bought like 3 versions)

 

[ASIS]

So drawing is an intersting concept, but it doesn't reach its fullest potential due to some technical and arguably inherit setbacks.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is yet another case why this is the best controller set up ever:

Spoiler

yes, I'm going there

 

[Pitmonkey]

I know this may be off topic - but on the focus of control, the only issue I come across is where I can't get out of one animation. I'll be stuck on say the sword or the fist. Am I missing something or is this what everyone has been complaining about.

 

[Tyrant Rave]

I know this may be off topic - but on the focus of control, the only issue I come across is where I can't get out of one animation. I'll be stuck on say the sword or the fist. Am I missing something or is this what everyone has been complaining about.

Hit Y to Wonder Dash. It cancels out pretty much whatever you're doing.

 

[cloudyy]

Replace the drawings by button presses? Hmm, I don't know but to me that sounds like the casual mode in Street Fighter 4 3DS where you just press those big buttons on the touchscreen to do a super/ultra. I guess options are good but seems like dumbing down the controls imo.

 

[QaaQer]

So drawing is an intersting concept, but it doesn't reach its fullest potential due to some technical and arguably inherit setbacks.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is yet another case why this is the best controller set up ever:

Spoiler

yes, I'm going there

Pikmin 3 agrees.

I love being able to have my hands separated.

Back in the SMG2 era, I ordered a sensorbar replacement that had a bit more power (ran on usb), and it really helped with the pointer accuracy.

 

[RobFox64tm]

Reviews can only ever offer the subjective experience of the reviewer. I would be very wary of any reviewer who claims to speak for a wide variety of people.

I think it's also very smart to have people of different backgrounds review a game. The idea that only fans of X should review something is very limiting. DuckTales is intentionally meant for old fart gamers who remember the NES game, but it's being sold to a wider audience than that. A younger person who isn't familiar with the NES game but enjoys modern platformers and is intrigued by the NES game should have a review out there written by someone who isn't familiar with the NES game but enjoys modern platformers. Obviously that reviewer is only writing from his or her point of view, but it would be useful to some people.

I agree with you on this, absolutely. The ideal solution, and as someone else had already suggested in reply to my post, would be to have publications offer second takes on reviews, or perhaps a panel format. Back in the day, EGM and Gamefan magazine had a team of reviewers on each game, all with varying tastes (which were stated in each reviewers bio), so you had a nice range of opinions for which to assess whether or not a game was right for you. The average of those scores always seemed like a fair and objective number, and rarely did I ever see diverging opinions to that number elsewhere.

Being the "old fart gamer" that I am, I've seen many changes in the industry, and as far as reviews go, they are a lot less reliable of a source for making purchasing decisions than they use to be, even if one could argue that metacritic is basically the same method. Of course you don't have background information on every reviewer on metacritic, so a lot of important information is unavailable. It also doesn't help that publications are probably perpetuating highly skewed reviews to recieve clicks, which I understand sounds a little paranoid, but would it really be all that surprising? I like to call these particular journalists the "shock jocks" of the game industry. Usually their reviews are worthless to me, but they do offer great insight when they are utilizing the proper format to do so.

The point is, you're right in saying that it's virtually impossible for one person to speak for everyone, BUT that doesn't mean there aren't methods that can be used to compensate for that: of which aren't being heavilly employed currently.