Super Mario 3D Land review

Super Mario 3D Land

Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS

Developer(s): Nintendo EAD Tokyo

Publisher(s): Nintendo

Genre(s): Platforming

Rating: E for Everyone

A tree that stands on Princess Peach's castle grounds is stripped of all its leaves during a storm. The leaves, which turn out to be Super Leaves, are blown across the Mushroom Kingdom, bestowing Tanooki tails on all living things they touch. When Mario and the Toads go to inspect the tree the next day, they discover a letter from Bowser, learning that he has kidnapped Princess Peach. Mario sets off in pursuit to locate and rescue the princess.

This is how I imagined a 3D Mario game to play like.

Let me start by saying when this game was announced and I saw the trailer I thought that this  would be just another Super Mario 64 remix of sorts. I am happy to say that I was wrong! It does have the visual styling of Super Mario 64, but it has the  playability of Super Mario Bros 3. This is what I imagined what Super Mario 64 was going to be like so when that game came out I wasn't the happiest Mario fan. 

Yes that's Bowser with Raccoon tail.

Now you get all the usual items like Super Mushrooms (to grow), Fire Flowers (to throw fireballs), Super Stars (becomes invincible for a short time) and Gold Coins. Oh and just like your regular SMB game after collecting 100 coins gets you a 1-Up (extra life). They did add a few new items to make your experience on Super Mario 3D Land have that WOW! When you find the propeller box, which is a "?" box that when you hit it becomes a cute little box that you wear can fly you in the air vertically so that you can reach higher platforms. Boomerang Mario is exactly that. You throw a boomerang and if you time it properly, you can jump around and have that one boomerang take out a number of baddies on the screen. The one thing that made it a Ooh or Aah moment went to the revival of the Tanooki (raccoon) suit from the SMB 3 fame. It generally still plays the same (no flight but the ability to hover), and if you are knowledgeable of SMB3 you can find the ability to turn your Tanooki Mario into a statue (for all of us fanboys).

Yes! Tanooki Mario is back!

Now that I cooed over the Super Mario 3D Land, it' time to give you sharp thoughts on the game. The 3d controls are very responsive but require some real adjusting if you're not used to Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Galaxy. So mastering jumping with precision on certain platforms can be a bit tricky. The graphics are smooth, with bright colors like what you would expect from a Mario game. Now the 3D effect that comes with being on a 3DS works so well to the point where you can turn it all the way up and it won't bother your eyes likes a few of these 3DS games have in the past. I have to give props to the level designer, because he brought originality to old level concepts. The stage may seem short or constrained in a box but they are highly imaginative. Things you couldn't really do in the 2D world of Mario, and too afraid to try in other 3D Marios have been implemented here. Some stages are completely vertical shooting higher in the sky while others exist in the one area as if it's asking you to solve the puzzle that is this stage. New imaginary Ghost house stages, fantastically organized and heart-pounding Airship stages, and every stage has remixed classic themes with new tracks that carry the same vibe. I have to say this game definitely gets a 4.5 out of 5. I am love with this game. By for my new favorite Mario game. I don't know how they keep improving on these more recently SMB games but they do. I can't wait to see what new comes from Miyamoto. Rumor has that there is a 2D Super Mario Bros coming out for the 3DS someday soon. Hhmmmm......

Release Date for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition!!

The BBFC (UK's ESRB rating system) lists a release date for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition: 24th June 2011.

The British Board of Film Classification has confirmed the launch of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition in the UK.

The BBFC's listing mentions anime animator Jiro Kanai as director, suggesting the Arcade Edition includes new intro and outro movies.

Predictably, the game was passed with no cuts made.

Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono has teased the launch of the Arcade Edition, which includes four new playable characters, for months now.

Speaking to Eurogamer ahead of the launch of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition last Thursday, Ono said: "Well, if you think I'm a tease, I ought to have something to show if I'm teasing. But that's all I can say because of political issues."

The AE (Arcade Edition) adds Yun and Yang from Street Fighter III as playable characters, as well as Evil Ryu and new character Oni (an even more evil Akuma) as secret bosses.

Gameplay balance changes are also implemented, some of which have sparked intense debate within the fighting game community.

We'll see if it is a download or a disc. Which format would you prefer?

Source: Eurogamer

The winner of the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Super suit contest is....

Ok. The time has finally come to announce the winner.....
DRUMROLL PLEASE?!?!?
The grand prize of a free copy of Super Mario Galaxy 2 goes to the J1 forum member "o0 LMoney 0o" for his Ram Suit Mario.
I would like to thank everyone who entered the contest, and for all the amazing participation and really sweet ideas they came up with.
Thank you all again for trying so hard to make this contest all that it could be and more.

o0 LMoney 0o's entry:



Hitting a block w/this Power-Up releases a ram that you have to dodge & hit w/a Butt-Slam. Once you do, you get the suit.
It's basically a RAM SUIT, in that it changes Mario's body to look more like a Ram (horns, hooves instead of boots, fur, etc.).

The suit gives Mario abnormally high attack power, and also gives him very noticeable horns on his head/hat. The horns allow him to ram (ha) into things/enemies, and the hooves also grant traction on otherwise unclimbable surfaces. Other than that, the specifics of this suit are displayed below:

1) With the horns, Mario's attack potential goes up. Enemies that would otherwise be partially/completely invincible against Mario's attacks are now susceptible to harm. With this suit, Mario CAN still be hurt, but he'd have little within the game world that he could not cause damage to, in turn. He could also potentially use this attack to get through certain walls/doors/floors. The "Ramming" attack (which, hypothetically, would replace the "Slide" command) would be VERY powerful, but difficult to control. He'd also get a "Head-Drop" attack (replacing the "Butt Slam") to hit enemies from the air. The "Ramming" attack could be charged by crouching, causing Mario to kick his right foot back off of the ground repeatedly, like a ram/bull.

2) With Mario's feet now replaced by hooves, Mario could potentially traverse terrain that before may have been considered adverse, like muddy/slippery surfaces. Weather effects like wind/rain would no longer be a deterrent to making a successful jump/sprint to a specific location. Getting wet would slow him down though-a "Spin-Attack" in mid-air would solve this.

Imagine being able to go through walls into other areas for hidden items or shortcuts to getting certain Stars, or being able to just run through most enemies without worrying about taking (too much) damage. Or using the "Head Drop" to repeatedly hit a button that brings up a door/statue that you eventually have to ram through to get a key...or reveal an enemy. Or fighting a boss that keeps covering it's weak point; you run into it's legs, making it double over, then you ram into it's head, and it falls back...you then jump onto it and "Head Drop" into the weak point.

This would definitely add a bit more of an action vibe to the series, right?

Now that is an entry!! GREAT JOB!!!

WANT A FREE COPY OF SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2?

After a few weeks with no results The Reset Button is closing the Super Mario Bros. Wii Lunch Contest. But don't you worry we are replacing it with an EVEN BETTER CONTEST!!!

Presenting...

"WOO-HOO Super Mario Galaxy 2 Costume Contest"!!

This contest and rules are VERY simple.

You know how Super Mario has so many crazy suits from raccoons, capes, metal, feathers, to turtles, penguins, ice, and frogs? Well let's see what you think would make a great suit!!

Go over to the J1 Studios FORUM, and under CONTEST there will be a thread for the Super Mario Galaxy 2 Contest.

Come up with the best idea for a new Super Mario suit and what it does, to win a free copy of Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii. The only limit is your imagination. Don't worry you don't need to know how to draw, just be creative. It can be based off of animals, vegetables, minerals or even elements! Go crazy!!!!

Here's an example:

MONKEY MARIO.... HE THROWS BANANAS, AND THEY MAKE THE BAD GUYS SLIDE AROUND.

Enter as many times as you want, but you have to post EACH idea as a SEPARATE reply/post within the SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2 CONTEST thread. You can't just reply once and fill it up with as many ideas as possible, you have to do some work for a free video game.

Contest ends June 21st and this contest is for everyone except members of J1 Studios.

Good Luck!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE CONTEST!!!

Super Street Fighter IV Review

Game: Super Street Fighter IV
Genre: Fighting
Developer(s): Dimps/Capcom
Publisher(s): Capcom
Release Date: April 27, 2010
Rating: T
System(s): Playstation 3, X-BOX 360

Review

Street Fighter…one of the most iconic titles in fighting game history. You grew up on it, knowing that if someone shouted out “Hadoken”, then they were trying to be like Ryu or Ken. More than 20 years later, Capcom released the newest addition to its legacy of world warriors: Super Street Fighter IV. So the question is: will it stand up to the legacy of its predecessors, especially Street Fighter IV?

If you’ve played Street Fighter IV (released on February 2009 for PS3 and 360), then you’ll know that the story is basically the same. And if you haven’t played SFIV, then you may want to go back and get the game if you’re looking for story. That’s not to say that there’s no storyline in this game. This game picks up where Street Fighter II left off, if you go by the timeline (Street Fighter, SF Alpha Series, SF II, SFIV, Street Fighter 3rd Strike). Shadowloo is destroyed and a new syndicate named S.I.N. appears, hosting a worldwide martial arts tournament. As you play with each character, you see their specific story from beginning to end.

There’s one thing I’d like to point out about this game before I really get into it. On the back of the box, the creators title it as “The Ultimate Vision of Street Fighter.” To be honest…I agree with them.

The controls of this game are classic Street Fighter, with its 6 button configuration (light, medium and heavy punch/kick) that we’re all familiar with. Honestly, not much has changed with the system’s basic movements. The Focus attacks – attacks that can temporarily immobilize an opponent and absorb a single hit –, Special moves – unique moves for each character -, and Super Combos and Ultra Combos – character-specific command moves that can be done when filling up your respective meters – are still in the game. On the surface, nothing much has changed, proving the old phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

However, even though the basic stuff hasn’t changed, a lot of other things are new in the game. SSFIV has 10 new characters added, bringing their total count to 35 characters. Characters from previous Street Fighter titles make an appearance on here, something that has fans of the series ecstatic over. Dee Jay and T. Hawk (who I respect but hate with a passion…yes, LeVonn78, he’s going down) from Super Street Fighter 2 appear on here, two characters that everyone expected to be on SFIV. Cody and Guy from the Alpha series are on here as well as Makoto, Ibuki and Dudley from Street Fighter 3rd Strike. And 2 new characters are added to the roster: Juri, a lethal Tae Kwon Do fighter that possesses a destructive mechanism in her left eye called the Feng Shui Engine and Hakan, a Turkish oil wrestler who is Capcom’s “joke” character in the series.

Don’t get me wrong, Hakan is an interestingly good character. Just…

...eh, on with the review.

One of the better improvements that they did was rebalance the characters. And by “rebalance”, I mean they altered the character’s damage properties so that there would be a bit more equality. For instance, the damage on the ultra combos – end-all combos that can easily change the tide of the match when a character takes enough damage – has been modified so that a weaker character’s ultra will do slightly more damage than – let’s say – Zangief’s ultra. Granted, some characters will have strong moves, but it won’t be devastatingly strong as with last game.

Speaking of moves, the moves are another change that I like to highlight. Characters now have 2 ultra combos in SSFIV, bringing with it a bit of strategy. Taking a page from SF 3rd Strike, players can choose which ultra they can perform in their match. And the new ultra combos in general…it’s something that I have to tip my hat off to Capcom for. These new set of Ultra combos…it’s one thing to see an ultra and be like “That’s gotta hurt!” but a lot of the newer ones just make you cringe at the end of it (cough*Metsu Shoryuken*cough). Visually stunning, they are the exclamation point that you can add to the beating you give to your opponent.

The new online modes is another thing that they introduce here. Besides the Ranked match that is standard with most fighting games, there are two new modes on here: Endless Match and Team Battle Match. Endless Match is pretty much as the title states: you’re in a room with 8 other people, fighting against everyone until you lose. When you lose, you go to the end of the line, watching everyone else battle until your turn comes up. Yes, the trash talk runs rampant here with the addition of the peanut gallery in this mode. Team Battle: you’re in a team of 4 battling against the other team. When you’re not up, you’re watching the mayhem go down.

Also added is a Replay channel where you can upload the replays of online battles to the worldwide network for everyone to view. Personally I like this idea; however I don’t like the rules regarding replays. To save a replay – just like in SFIV - you have to meet certain criteria in a match. Personally, I think that you should be allowed to save a replay regardless of criteria. Because honestly, when you’re in an online fight, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to save a replay of you demolishing an opponent with or without meeting their criteria. Other fighting games let you do so with no stipulations, why not here?

And finally, for all the ol’ skool SF fans, the bonus stages are back. Yes, demolishing the car and breaking the barrels are included in this new installment of the game. And you are able to access them without going through Arcade mode.

So what else is there to say about SSFIV that hasn’t been said? Graphics are amazing, the new characters are a welcome addiction/addition (Dudley/Balrog, Adon/Sagat, Juri/Cammy, Juri/Chun-li), the new ultras are nuts, and the online is worth playing. What I can say about it is this: they’ve taken everything right about the earlier titles and just brought it to life here in this huge battle royale of warriors.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5
- The Wolf's Core

Win a free copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. :)

In honor of kicking off the new season of The Reset Button, we here at J1 Studios have come together to offer you, the fans, a chance to win big! The New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Lunch Contest is open to every fan of the site and the rules are very simple.
Be the first person to tell me what I had for lunch and you will win a FREE copy of New Super Mario Bros Wii.
As a plumber Mario finds himself in many sitiations where he's traversing pipes. Well on his latest journey he recovered my lunch. Only thing is unless I can remember what each of the three things on my plate are, Bowser is going to to game instead... Guess what I had for lunch and win a free copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii courtesy of The Reset Button.

Send answers to resetthegame@Gmail.com include your answer, name, and address.

Good Luck!

MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3!!!

The rumors are now made true and official! Marvel and Capcom have come together to give you MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3!!!

It will be available for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Characters confirmed are Wolverine, Hulk, Spiderman, Magneto and Ironman are representing the MARVEL side so far. Morrigan, Ryu (of course), and Chris Redfield (Resident Evil 5 version) are on the CAPCOM side. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?

It seems to have an interesting look from the trailer, very Tatsunoko VS Capcom feel with a dark ink like edge to it. It was said that it would be 2D with 3D elements. I guess that's to make it look like comic book art in a way.

According to the MVC3 news going around it will be released "later this year or early 2011" and will be flying at "full 1080p"! They are already bragging about the number of characters in this game being super duper ridiculous. So I'm guessing we expect a huge chunk (if not all) of the old MVC2 cast plus at least a dozen more. Here's to hoping they add Thor and Deadpool!!

April is fun time for games!

Keeping it simple. I know it's a few days into April, but we should happy for games this month. Let's get the list going, and with Gametrailers help they have a video for us to use.

April 13th

-Splinter Cell Conviction (Multiple Platforms)

April 20th

-Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)

April 20th

-Dementium 2 (NDS)

April 27th

-Super Street Fighter 4 (Multiple Platforms)

April 27th

-FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa (Multiple Platforms)

April 27th

-Dead to Rights: Retribution (Multiple Platforms)

April 27th

-Nier (Multiple Platforms)

Video Games | GT Release Calendar | Games of April 2010

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

E3: Ratchet & Clank Future! Super Mario Galaxy 2?

Here are some more videos from the E3 announcements. I'm not much of a Ratchet and Clank kind of guy but this does look good. 

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time 

Impressive right? I would actually watch a feature length film of R&C. Would you?

Well I know waaay too many Mario fans out there, so I know that people are excited for the ever impressive sequel involving our hero traveling from planet to planet for all of plumber-kind:

Super Mario Galaxy 2

A beautiful Wii game! Thank you Nintendo! It takes a mind so full of creativity to create not just one, but a sequel to such an awesome game!

We'll be putting up more info throughout the week!