Category Archives: Reviews
iPhone Review – KAMI RETRO
Younger readers may not remember, but there was a time where CGI graphics looked more like pastel cardboard box cut outs then lush pieces of moving art. GAMEVIL celebrates this old school visual style with it’s latest gesture based platformer, KAMI RETRO for the Apple iPhone.
KAMI RETRO’s main hero(s) and backdrops look like they were imported directly from the classic Dire Straits music video “Money for Nothing”.
Don’t let the game’s visuals fool you, this isn’t a simple 8-bit run and jump platformer. KAMI RETRO borrows heavily from the classic Lemmings formula, challenging players to figure out the best way to save their boxy protagonists from falling to their doom.
Each stage is created with a simple premise – get your mindless pixel heroes from the green to red portal. As the game progresses, the point-A-to-B design remains true, but KAMI RETRO also wisely throws in new mechanics and obstacles including springboards and air fans to keep things fresh.
Unlike most trail and error puzzlers, I never felt that a stage’s solution was purely left to luck. By making players repeat their chosen route four times in repetition, KAMI RETRO gives you a sense of accomplishment when you finish a level versus the typical “how the hell did I just do that?”
Another neat touch is that when you do decide to retry a stage, everything is left exactly as you last left it – a feature that should be a requirement in future platform puzzle games.
KAMI RETRO’s spot on gesture control system is amazingly tight. Much like the level design, I never felt my initial failures were due to the game’s response to my finger swipes. Players direct their onscreen followers with simple up and down or left and right screen strikes.
Using a familiar three star system, KAMI RETRO will have you coming back for more just so you can prove your dominance as a pixel pushing game master. KAMI’s scoring system is a mixture of weighing in how many stars you collected/heroes you saved/ and time it took you to complete each stage. And believe me, when the latter levels start picking your brain, each matrix will weigh heavy on each decision made.
CLOSING COMMENTS
KAMI RETRO doesn’t reinvent the wheel of gesture-based iPhone platformers, but KAMI’s slick 80s visuals and challenging gameplay earns the game every right to get it’s money for nothing and it’s chicks for free. GAMEVIL has a hit on their hands and I can’t wait for a sequel.
DigitalNipples KAMI RETRO Score – 9 out of 10
Wii Review – You Don’t Know Jack
You don’t know You Don’t Know Jack? Here’s a quick history lesson. In a time when Youtube and streaming internet video was just a pipe dream and animated gifs were considered cutting edge technology You Don’t Know Jack was a breath of fresh air. The irreverent digital trivia game became the centerpiece of many geek parties and even had a chance going mainstream with a six episode television run hosted by Paul Ruebens (of Pee Wee Herman fame). After not catching any national attention, You Don’t Know Jack slowly took it’s ride into the sunset.
Fast forward almost 15 years later. THQ has decided to bring back You Don’t Know Jack, this time to almost every game console and handheld under the sun. Does this once cutting edge franchise have a chance in the ever expanding world of living room entertainment? Surprisingly, yes.
You Don’t Know Jack plays like a 15 minute television show. Up to four players grab their Wii remotes and are presented with a series of questions. Each game you play is considered an episode, and each episode has ten set questions locked and loaded. This is what makes You Don’t Know Jack work – the lack of a random puzzle generator means that you won’t be seeing repeat questions annoyingly pop up.
A Chance to Screw Another Contestant? YDKJ at Its Best
Multiple choice questions make up a majority of You Don’t Know Jack‘s itinerary, but there are a few new and classic YDKJ mini-games to mix things up for even the most experienced trivia buff. DisOrDat is one of the repeats from series past, but it’s quick and simple format is a nice break after a few multiple choice rounds.
My favorite new addition to the franchise is the Who’s the Dummy round, where the game’s host explains his recent interest in ventriloquism and then contestants are challenged to decode the question and answers without the use of Bs, Ps and Ms – the three letters that are almost impossible for any ventriloquist to pronounce. This type of humor is what You don’t Know Jack is famous for and is guaranteed to produce a chuckle.
Another gem is the Wrong Answer of the Game Challenge. A side quest that presents a product sponsor at the beginning of the game and has contestants second guessing even their correct answers while hunting for, you guessed it, the wrong answer of the game. By picking the wrong-yet-sponsored answer players are awarded extra cash and a short commercial from each product’s sponsor.
Insert Big Cock Joke Here
You Don’t Know Jack‘s simple text based looks and style work perfectly for this genre and I never noticed any notable load times. You can get a game started quicker than an average board game, which is a real selling point that a lot of developers seem to ignore in this category. The Wii version of the game lacks online play, but honestly this type of game is made for a family room full of friends and isn’t missed.
73 episodes are included on this edition of You Don’t Know Jack, and YDKJ‘s $29.99 price sticker makes it the perfect value for the budget conscious gamer. With over 65 hours of entertainment it will take quite a few get together to burn through all of You Don’t Know Jack‘s trivia, and the games quick and easy set up process should make it the goto next time your throwing a party with a group of trivia savvy friends.
CLOSING COMMENTS
Are you a trivia fan? If you answered yes than You Don’t Know Jack is a no-brainer. The game’s humor, variety and approachability makes it the perfect party favor. For under 30 dollars you’ll get a polished quiz show that’s guaranteed to produce a ton of laughs at your next special occasion. I can’t wait for volume 2 – Viva You Don’t Know Jack!
DigitalNipples You Don’t Know Jack Score – 8.5 out of 10
DS Review – Kingdom Hearts Re:coded
The Top 5 Worlds That Won’t Appear in Kingdom Hearts 3
- Walt’s Cryogenic Chamber of Fun
- Dumbo’s Stereotypical Crow’s Nest
- Ariel’s Phallic Tower of Terror
- Donald’s Der Fuehrer’s Face Town
- Uncle Remus’ Storytime Theater
Review
Confession time – I’m a Disney nut. From my vintage mouse ears to my always expanding Vinlymation collection, if something is even remotely associated with the castle that Walt built I’m instantly sucked in. That being said, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix’s long standing franchise always grabs me with the promise of combining the two things I love the most (Disney and Video Games) but almost always falls short with stale gameplay and just down right goofy (sorry…) plots.
Kingdom Hearts Re: coded is a re-telling of sorts of the original Kingdom Hearts. Originally a cell phone episodic adventure, Re: coded never really has a cohesive voice, so new adventurers that have never been introduced to Sora and crew may have a hard time grasping what’s going on.
100 Percent Sora!
Players are presented with a series of task that consist of fixing Jimmy Cricket’s journal that recorded Sora and friends original Kingdom Hearts tale. This everything-is-the-same-but-different plot device is not the most inspired game setting, but it actually works thanks to a few gameplay choices Square Enix went with.
My previous experiences with the world of Kingdom Hearts always comes to screeching halt after I begin to lose interest in the game’s monotonous swinging keyblade roots. Kingdom Hearts Re: coded doesn’t completely ditch Sora’s weapon of choice, but keeps things fresh by throwing different game styles in each Disney-themed world.
Sidescrolling platforming, real time strategy and even onrail shoot-em-ups are all represented at some point during Sora’s quest to put Mr. Cricket’s journal back together, and improves the usual hack/slash/talk series of events.
A personal favorite gameplay side quest was the Mount Olympus traditional RPG stage. Instead of wildly swiping his keyblade, the Mount Olympus world forces players to command Sora through a series of turn-based battles, a real treat for old school Square fans.
Kingdom Hearts Re: coded looks amazing, and had me doing double takes at some of the impressive 3D models the Nintendo DS throws around on the screen. There’s a hint of slowdown in a few areas, but the action on screen never becomes unplayable. Kingdom Hearts Re: coded uses an odd mixture of FMV and still art scenes to tell it’s tale, but considering the DS’s media limits Sora, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are all well represented.
CLOSING COMMENTS
Kingdom Hearts Re: coded didn’t erase my qualms with the franchise completely, but it’s a nice change from what we’ve seen in the past from the series. The game’s plot is still all over the place, but Re: coded’s episodic roots could have been at fault here. What the game does right is shake things up at just the right pace, and if you’re a jilted Disney/KH fan like me, you owe it to yourself to give the franchise another try.
DigitalNipples Kingdom Hearts Re: coded Score – 8.1 out of 10
iPad Review – Cash Cow Deluxe
There are thousands of iDevice puzzle games in the App Store, but for every Peggle there are at least 20 Bejeweled clones. Finding a fresh game is a real challenge. Cash Cow Deluxe is not the most exciting game available for your new iPad, but it deserves a try just on originality alone.
Farm Living is the Life for Me!
Review – Erotek Dimensions 3D
Warning – the following review contains adult content.
My eyes! The world’s first Blu-Ray 3D adult movie has arrived and since it’s our duty to keep you, our loyal readers, up to date with the latest 3D content and technology DigitalNipples is going to take one for the team and review the disc only because we love you…
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Wii Video Review – Grease
Check out DigitalNipples first Wii video review – 505 Games Grease the Game for the Nintendo Wii!
Food Review – Kellogg’s Super Mario Fruit Snacks
The staff here at DigitalNipples are equal opportunity product reviewers (Hear that PR reps? Send us your stuff!), so when we came across a box of Kellogg’s Super Mario fruit snacks we couldn’t resist. That’s right, we plowed through a box of 10 of these bad boys so you, our readers, would know if these gooey little fruit treats have any chance of replacing Chicken In a Biscuit as the go to late night gaming snack – Bon Appétit!
Who Knew Sweaty Italian Plumbers Could Taste So Good?
3D Review – Mitsubishi’s 3DC-1000 3D Adapter Kit
I recently posted an article detailing 3D on a Budget and mentioned the Mitsubishi 3DC-1000 as a key component to creating a 3D rig that wouldn’t completely empty your wallet. After multiple delays, Mitsubishi has final shipped the 3DC-1000 to select dealers and I was able to get my hands on one for this review. After a few days of tooling around and wearing down my retinas, I am happy to report the 3DC-1000 is the real deal and will have Mitsubishi TV owners captivated with it’s many options.
It's Here!
3D on a Budget – a DigitalNipples Tech Special
After letting people know I recently upgraded our family room TV to a 3D capable boob tube the standard reaction is “how much did that cost?!” or “how much do you make again?!”. The truth is 3D can and is a surprisingly affordable option for those in the market for a new TV that want to experience the future of home entertainment now!
Just a quick disclaimer – I consider myself a tech geek but am admittedly new to the 3D realm of things. The 3D market is constantly evolving and with that change I plan on updating this article quite frequently.
Explosions, Robots, and Halle Berry Look Alikes Oh My!
iPad Review – Dominion HD
From the classic groupings of your standard Risk board to the dice roll battles, Dominion HD is the digital table top evolution of a strategy standard. Dominion HD is the latest digital download from Chillingo, one of iTunes premier publishers, and needs to be organized right next to your Words With Friends – it’s that damn good.
Only in the game of Dominion could Greenland be so important.
iPad Review – Iron Man 2
Licensed games have long been known as the black sheep of the video game industry. Remember those awful Star Wars games on the 2600? How about that legendary landfill full of E.T. cartridges? Jaws for the NES anyone? Comic book hero games get lumped into this group all to often, and that’s why Iron Man 2 for the iPad is such a nice surprise… not only does it shine as a movie tie in, it’s game mechanics are spot on and it just might prove the iPad as a viable core gaming machine.
A Fun Underwater Level?!
Local Review – Dave & Buster’s Roseville
Ladies and gentleman, Roseville has a new cougar den and it’s name is Dave & Buster’s. Mixing a semi romantic dinner setting with a wild arcade may sound like a miss match on paper, but after a night of food and electronic mayhem both the Mrs. and I are sold.
H-U-G-E
PadRacer Video Review
Here’s a short video review of PadRacer for the iPad (Super Offroad arcade cameo FTW!)
Wii Review – Let’s Tap
Let’s Tap is the first official new IP to come out of Prope, Yuji Naka’s personal development studio. After a successful run as head honcho of Sonic Team, Naka saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship on the beat up blue yacht know as the S.S. Sonic the Headhog and dove into a sea independence hoping to dream up the magic once more. Experimental in nature, Let’s Tap proves that Prope still has that magic touch seen last during the Dreamcast renaissance (anyone else remember the Sonic Team 5? Chu Chu, Samba, Phantasy Star oh how we miss thee!) and brings a whole new way to play on the Nintendo Wii.
My Let's Tap Rig
