Disney Infinity Review for the Xbox 360

Disney Infinity

If You Can Dream It, You Can Build It

NOTE: This review is only covering what is featured in the Main game before buying more content and

The Toy Box mode. This does not include reviews of the Pirates of the Caribbean set, the Incredibles set, and the Monsters University set.

Introduction / The Main Game

Disney has finally outdone itself with its newest game Disney Infinity, which I'm sure you've already heard of. Disney Infinity is a new sandbox game featuring characters from many Disney movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Incredibles, Monsters University, The Lone Ranger, and Cars all in toy form completing quests and exploring the world in which they come from. Each movie has a completely different storyline, with a 3-4 hour campaign each. Disney Infinity comes with 3 figurines to start off when you first purchase your game. You get Mr. Incredible (The Incredibles), Sulley (Monsters University), and Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean.) You also get an object that you place on the portal that unlocks the 3 worlds: The Incredibles, Monsters University, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Also, I would like to mention that the characters from one movie CAN NOT cross over to another movie's game. For example, Captain Jack Sparrow can not go and explore Monsters University, and Sulley cannot go and set sail for the high seas in Pirates of the Caribbean. Now, back to what the core game includes. The game also gives you one Power Disc, which is something added to the game such as new skins for the world blocks in Toy Box, or new items for Toy Box, such as the Mike Wazowski's Car or Cinderella's Stagecoach.

Disney Infinity Box

The Toy Box

If you are a fan of games like Scribblenauts, LittleBigPlanet, or Minecraft's "Creative Mode," you are sure to be a fan of the Toy Box mode on Disney Infinity. The Toy Box mode is where all of your characters can be used in the same place. You can play as any of them at any time while in the Toy Box. The Toy Box encourages you to build the craziest racetracks, or the most amazing battle arenas you could ever think of. With an abundance of objects to start off with and then more that you gather by playing each story mode, you can really create whatever your heart desires on this game. One of the best creations I've seen is the amazing re-creation of Star Wars' famous Trench Run. After playing a couple of the user-created maps, I felt inspired enough to create my own. I used the Lone Ranger Toy Box and built a gamemode in which the Ranger and Tonto ride into a canyon, only to be ambushed by a load of Butch Cavendish's men. I had it designed that the enemies would just keep spawning and jumping down for the Lone Ranger & Tonto to fight. It was awesome, and with a couple of tweaks here and there, it might be ready soon to get uploaded to the user-generated levels on Disney Infinity's Toy Box.

Final Thoughts
Disney Infinity, in a way similar to Skylanders, really changes what the genre of Children's Games really is. This is not just a game for little kids, and its not just a game for families to play together. Its a game for the fans of Racing Games, Fighting Games, Platformers, Sports Games, and Stealth Games. It is a game for truly anyone, and definitely not an experience to miss out on.

The NERDict

+ Creativity is Encouraged

+ Lots of Content (3-4 Hour Campaign per Character)

- Too Many Toy Box Exclusive Characters

- Characters from One World Cannot Play in Another

Rating: 8.0

Don't Starve Review for PC

Don't Starve

An Epic Tale of Survival

Scavenging for resources, struggling to stay alive, and of course, trying to not starve are the objectives of the amazing adventure known as Don't Starve. The game puts you into an unknown world full of mysterious creatures and savage creatures that attack during the pitch black night. You play as Wilson, a man who has dedicated his life to science. You wake up somewhere in the huge world, and that is where you start to realize that you are the only human there, and there is no civilization, unless you count the houses constructed by human-sized pigs that you will stumble upon during one of your many, many playthroughs. You begin to gather resources and chop down trees. After gathering things like berries, you set up camp and try to survive the night. Each night that you stay alive in a playthrough gives you experience, which levels you up and gives you new characters. Don't Starve does a great job of throwing you into a world of endless discovery.

From what I have seen so far, Don't Starve is a game with an endless amount of replay value. Every time I started a new game after dying, during that journey I would always discover something new, or something that I hadn't noticed in the world. The game's map comes in handy a lot when you get lost in the woods and the sun is going down, especially when you do not have a source of light or a weapon. The only thing I didn't like about Don't Starve was that if it was night and you weren't in the light, you would die within a matter of seconds, unlike in games like Minecraft and Terraria where you can fight the creatures of the night if you choose.

In the end, Don't Starve is a great game and worth the $15. It is not a game that grows stale after playing it over and over, but one that gets better and better every time. You become more experienced with the world and your surroundings, making survival much simpler every time you play. Don't Starve is an absolute blast, and definitely my favorite survival game on the market.

The NERDict:

+ Cartoon-Style Graphics

+ Feeling of Constant Danger

-No Way to Defend Yourself at Night

+ Exploration is Encouraged

Rating: 8.75

Doodle Jump for Kinect

Doodle Jump for Kinect

Jump Your Way to Victory!

The other day while I was on the Xbox Live Marketplace, I noticed something new in the Arcade tab. Standing out from the rest of the games was a new Kinect title, which was "Doodle Jump for Kinect." I was already familiar with Doodle Jump from being a huge fan of the mobile game, and I was more than delighted to see it hit the Xbox Live Arcade. I downloaded the game and got right to it, and a couple minutes into it, I realized that I was playing one of the best XBLA games I've played in a while.

Screenshot of Doodle Jump for Kinect in action

Doodle Jump for Kinect is very responsive. Where you step, your little adorable green character steps on the screen. Where you move your hand, he shoots and destroys the monsters who are terrorizing the land. The game is an absolute blast, and the Kinect really seals the deal on this game. It makes the experience even more amazing, and immerses you even more into the world of Doodle Jump. This game really shows how enjoyable it can be using your Kinect for a great gaming experience.

My whole family had a blast with this title. My brother, who is 22, had a great time, along with my 6-year-old sister. We all thought that the game was enjoyable and extremely fun. That shows that its a spectacular game because three people from different age groups thoroughly enjoyed the title. I feel that Doodle Jump for Kinect is one of the best Kinect games out there and is one of my favorite Xbox 360 games in a long time! I would highly recommend Doodle Jump for Kinect to any casual gamer or hardcore gamer, especially due to the fact that I am a hardcore gamer and loved the Kinect title. Doodle Jump for Kinect is a shining star in the Xbox Live Arcade.

The NERDict:

+ Responsive Controls

+ Superb Gameplay

+ Beautiful Environments

+ Fun for All Ages

Rating: 10

Don't Forget to Pick Up Doodle Jump for Kinect! 

Injustice: Gods Among Us Review for the Xbox 360

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Best Fighting Game of the Year

Heroes will clash with villains and themselves in NetherRealm's newest fighting game: Injustice: Gods Among Us. In Injustice, you fight your way through iconic DC locations such as Metropolis, Gotham City, and Arkham Asylum, along with some new locations like Insurgency. The game has a wide variety of characters, with familiar faces and some unknown to non-hardcore DC fans.

The game also keeps itself fresh by releasing DLC every now and then, featuring new characters and skins. If you are interested in buying the DLC though, I would recommend purchasing the season pass for $15. It includes 4 characters (Lobo, Batgirl, Scorpion, Zod) and the Flashpoint skins pack. It saves a couple bucks which you could put towards things like the Arkham City skins or the New 52 skins, which I already owned due to me having the Collector's Edition of the game.

Solomon Grundy using his Grab Attack on Wonder Woman

Injustice is awesome, with great combat and an awesome new feature known as "Stage Transitions" in which you pull your left stick back and press A, sending the character through a series of events inflicting tons of damage and bringing you to a new area in the course, along with your now weakened enemy. The game also has some brutal grab attacks and special moves. There is one downer to this game though, and that is the gimmick known as the Clash, in which you select how much of your meter you want to bet, but that doesn't matter if the enemy has more in their meter than you. The enemy can just win the clash, and regain health, along with draining your meter, and you can do the same to them. I really didn't see the need for this to be included in this game. But overall, Injustice stands out from other fighting games.

The NERDict:

+ Stage Transitions

+ Great Solo Campaign

+ S.T.A.R. Labs Missions

- Clashes

Rating: 9

One Finger Death Punch Review for the Xbox 360

One Finger Death Punch

KA-POW!

Master the art of Kung-Fu at the press of only two buttons in Silver Dollar Games' newest title "One Finger Death Punch" In this title, you fight thousands of stick people as your character uses different weapons that are long range, close range, and fists. The combat is simple, and the only buttons that you have to press are X and B. And even though the game is simple, whoever is watching you will be sure to be amazed, as you tear through countless forces of enemies. The game is awesome and is a real steal for the price of 80 Microsoft Points.

It's a must-have for any player of indie games, and a great title overall if you have some loose change that you're willing to sink into the indie games store. I have to take a lot of guesses when I purchase indie games, but I always know that I'm going to get an enjoyable experience from Silver Dollar Games. This game is phenomenal, and I hope to see more games like this from Silver Dollar Games in the near future. They are quickly rising to be my favorite indie developer.

The NERDict:

+ Great Combat System
+ Low Price

+ Simple Gameplay
+ A Special Easter Egg for Players of "No Luca No"

Rating: 10

Defense Grid: The Awakening Review for the Xbox 360

Defense Grid: The Awakening

One Solid Tower Defense

Defense Grid: The Awakening is the newest title in Microsoft's "Games with Gold" program in which they are giving away games every month to members of their Xbox LIVE service. Defense Grid: The Awakening is their newest release in the set of games. Defense Grid is a Tower-Defense game, in which you try to stop aliens from getting to the "Core", in which they pick up these little purple spheres and have to bring them back to their base. But, it's pretty impossible for them to get away with your spheres if you know just how to place your arsenal of weapons at hand, such as Turrets, Lasers, Meteors, and much more.

The game is easy to pick up and play, and is well worth it's 800 Microsoft Points price tag if you are not an Xbox LIVE Gold member. The game has great graphics that were way better than what I was expecting, and the gameplay is fun, fast-paced, and an all-around great time when you really get into it. Between Fable III and this, "Games With Gold" is off to an amazing start!

The NERDict:

+ Addictive Gameplay

+ Rich Environments

+ Great Tower Defense Mechanics

- Slight Framerate Issues

Rating: 9

*FINISHED* GIVEAWAY: Win One of 7 Need for Speed and $5.00 Origin Codes!!

THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

GIVEAWAY:

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Prizes Up for Grabs:

$5.00 Discount Code for your Order at Origin

$5.00 Discount Code for your Order at Origin

$5.00 Discount Code for your Order at Origin

$5.00 Discount Code for your Order at Origin

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Dodge Car for the PlayStation 3

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Dodge Car for the PlayStation 3

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Dodge Car for the Xbox 360

Codes expire on 8/31/13

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Battleblock Theater Review for the Xbox 360

BattleBlock Theater
A Madman's Platformer

If you haven't already seen it all over the Xbox 360 Home, BattleBlock Theater by The Behemoth has hit the Xbox Live Arcade! The game features levels on levels of platforming action for you to enjoy whether it may be by yourself or with a friend either online or on your couch! No matter how you play it, BattleBlock Theater is an amazing game with challenging levels, fun co-op, and some pretty cool multiplayer modes.

BattleBlock Theater starts off with you and your friend, Hatty Hattington aboard the SS Friend Ship when you are shipwrecked on a mysterious island, inhabited by an advanced species of cats. Then, the cats take you and make you act in deadly theater performances, while they put what seems to be a possessed hat on Hatty. From that point on, Hatty begins to work against you. (or you and your friend if playing in Co-Op mode)

In BattleBlock Theater, most of the game consists of basic platforming mechanics as you go through the many deadly levels created by Hatty Hattington. The levels are quite simple at the beginning, but as the game progresses, you require more skill and knowledge to beat the levels, such as how to collect the hairball without dying or how to get the last green crystal in the level. Overall, the gameplay works just fine and is an enjoyable experience.

The sound design for BattleBlock Theater is also fantastic. The music is energetic and always upbeat, which adds an eeriness to the game, since while this happy music is playing, the player is jumping over spikes or running across exploding blocks. The voice acting is also fantastic, and the narrator is very funny. From the opening cutscene, you know right away that you are in for a hilarious, strange, but interesting adventure.

There are 8 different multiplayer modes in the game:

• Soul - Steal the enemy's soul and run away
• Muckle - Easily the most fun multiplayer mode, where either you or you and a teammate will fight against two other players, beating each other up for points
• Challenge - Score the best time on the level given to you
• Grab the Gold - Grab more gold from the golden whale than the other team and put it in the floating safe
• Ball Game - A game mode where you simply throw a ball in a basket
• Horse - Horse is a game mode where the objective is to ride the enemy team's horse to your team's stables to gain points and win the round

Screenshot from BattleBlock Theater's Co-Op Mode
(Split-Screen or Online Multiplayer)

The ability to create levels in the game is very fun, and it adds a whole new way to play the game. You can build levels where you either have to solve puzzles and collect crystals, or you can build levels in which people will battle in. The possibilities are really endless in the level creator, and personally I cannot wait to see some of the crazy things that people will come up with!

BattleBlock Theater in my opinion is one of the must-have downloadable titles of 2013. From it's quirky humor to its addictive gameplay and innovative level design, BattleBlock Theater is well worth its $15 price tag!

The NERDict:

+ Great Sense of Humor

+ Innovative Level Design

+ Spectacular Co-Op Gameplay

+ Fun and Addictive Competitive Multiplayer

Rating: 9.5

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Review for the Xbox 360

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

The Best Tranformers Game Ever?

The most critically acclaimed Transformers video game series is back and better than ever with stunning graphics and amazing third person shooter action! In Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, you play as a variety of different Autobots and Decepticons throughout the campaign. Throughout the missions, you will play as different characters that go along with that part of the story, from Megatron to Optimus Prime to Grimlock (pictured below)

Grimlock breathing fire onto a group of Decepticons

Fall of Cybertron is a blast. From the second you start the game until the credits roll, there is not a second of downtime. The voice acting is terrific and the sound design is great. When is swung my giant metal sword and smashed an enemy, the metal crunching sounds were amazing! Every weapon in the game also sounds fantastic, and each one differs in some way, whether it is the size, shape, recoil, or damage.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron had a lot to live up to, since the first game was so great, but Fall of Cybertron did much more than living up to the hype. It surpassed the original game. The graphics are so much better, which I didn't think was possible since the first game also looked fantastic. All of the weapons in the game can be upgraded, whether it would be for improved firing rate or if it would be for something like more ammo per clip. Fall of Cybertron is a major step forward for High Moon Studio's already very successful franchise.

When you finish the main campaign of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, you still have much to do in the game. There are many different multiplayer modes that are all very addictive and fun to play. The modes are Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Headhunter, Conquest, and my personal favorite, which is Escalation mode. In Escalation mode, you and four other players will fight off increasingly difficult waves of enemies. You have to buy weapons and health with the money you earn from the previous round. Escalation is the most challenging mode, but the most fun.

The NERDict:

+ Amazing Voice Acting

+ Great Sound Design

+ Fun Multiplayer Modes

+ Outstanding Graphics

Rating: 10

Terraria Review for the Xbox 360

Terraria

One Crazy 2D Journey

Part 1 of 2: Discovering Terraria

I first discovered Terraria the day after Easter this year. All of my cards had been opened and I had some money to play around with, so I went onto my Xbox 360 to look around the Marketplace. Then, I got an invite to a friend's Xbox Live party. We talked about Easter and I told him how I got Need for Speed: Most Wanted. He told me what he got, and then he asked me if I had heard of Terraria. I hadn't, but then I went and looked it up in the Xbox Live Marketplace, and I found possibly the best Xbox Live Arcade game out there.

After it downloaded, I was invited to my friend's game. He taught me the basics and gave me some weapons and equipment to start off with. I got the hang of things pretty quickly. Then, I started to explore the open world. I started building houses and getting NPCs (Non-Player Characters) to move into them. I had a blast playing the game. My friend and I played through several days and nights in the game, recruiting more NPCs, getting more hearts, more manna, and more abilities. Then, a couple of my other friends joined our party, discovered Terraria, and later joined our game after doing a couple things in their own worlds.

Part 2 of 2: The Review

Terraria is a game you could get lost in for hours. It is amazing, but time consuming. It took me a couple tries to get my world started and get a house built before night crept upon me and the creatures of it killed me. After I had an established house and a table and chair with some torches, my first NPC moved in with me. Then, after fighting some enemies and getting coins, the shopkeeper moved in with me, making it easier to buy things like boomerangs or ammo for if you are fortunate enough to have a musket like I am.

In Terraria, you can have many things from grappling hooks to laser guns. The possibilities are truly endless. I had a great time playing the game with my friends, and single player is also a blast. It is like a 2d version of Minecraft, but with boss fights and more equipment. (and also NPCs) Overall, Terraria is a great experience and definitely something an Xbox 360 gamer should check out if they have $15 to their name.

The NERDict:

+ NPCs

+ Boss Fights

+ Exploration and Creation is Key

- Rough Beginning

Rating: 9

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Limited Edition Review for the Xbox 360

Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Open World Racing Has Never Felt So Good

For Easter this year, I was happy to find a copy of Need for Speed: Most Wanted Limited Edition in my basket. After getting home from Church, I fired up my Xbox 360, opened my tray, and started up possibly one of the best games I have played in a long time.

When the opening cutscene began, I was completely blown away by the stunning graphics. And then when the cutscene ended, it threw me behind the wheel of a white Porsche Aston Martin. As I was cruising through the streets of Fairhaven, I noticed all the life and depth of the city itself. The city has a variety of cars driving around the vast open world. I had never seen so much depth in a free-roam racing game in my life!

I had a blast just exploring the map itself. From the city to the towering mountains to the scenic overlooks and bridges, this game looks all-around amazing. The lighting effects look beautiful, and the game looks its best when the sun is setting and you are speeding across one of the bridges in the huge world. The lighting looks perfect on the bridge, and the car's shadow is also spectacular.

Now, I'm going to talk about gameplay. At first, the cars feel a little hard to handle. But, after a good 5 minutes, you really get the hang of things. In terms of racing, this is the best that the Need for Speed franchise has ever been. Every race feels fun and very smooth, but now and then after a big crash, I would experience framerate issues. Now, that didn't happen too much, so it is nothing to worry about.

Overall, I would say that this a very high quality game that you could definitely sink a good deal of time into. And nothing is more rewarding than beating the most wanted cars, wrecking them, and getting a nice new ride after such a challenging race. Need for Speed: Most Wanted sets a whole new standard for driving games, or just open world games in general.

The NERDict:

+ Stunning Visuals

+ Smooth Gameplay

+ Gripping Police Chases

- Sensitive Driving Controls

Rating: 9.5

Batman Arkham City: Game of the Year Edition Review for the Xbox 360

Batman: Arkham City:

The Bat is Back and Better than Ever

After being a longtime Batman fan and a huge fan of Batman: Arkham City, I was very excited to see what Rocksteady's next project, Arkham City, would be like. I read all of the rave reviews for the game, and figured that I would hold out for the Game of the Year Edition of the title. So after waiting for it's release, I went to the local GameStop and got the game for about $30. And after ripping it open in the car, within a few seconds I realized that it was well worth the money.

Batman Arkham City: Game of the Year Edition contains a load of extra content. The game comes with two discs, one being the core game, and the other one made up of all downloadable content. Here is exactly what the Game of the Year Edition contains:

• Harley Quinn's Revenge: After the death of her beloved Joker, Harley Quinn takes over for him. She goes crazier than she even was before and is seeking vengeance against the Caped Crusader

• Catwoman Pack: Adding to the story of the core game, follow Catwoman as she roams around the city on the prowl for her loot that was stolen from her by Two-Face's gang. Fight your way through 4 different missions as you see what Catwoman was doing throughout all of Arkham City.

• Robin Bundle Pack: Play through all of the Challenge Maps in the game as Robin, along with two new challenge maps - Black Mask and Freight Train

• Nightwing Bundle Pack: Play through all of the Challenge Maps in the game as Nightwing, along with two new challenge maps - Wayne Manor and Main Hall

• Arkham City Skins Pack: Play as Batman, Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing in all new costumes from Batman: Long Halloween, Batman: The Animated Series, and many more.

• Challenge Map Pack: Play through three new Challenge Maps - The Joker's Carnival, The Iceberg Lounge, and the Batcave.

Batman: Arkham City is probably the best superhero game ever made. From the character animations to the gritty lighting effects and terrific voice acting, Batman: Arkham City is the must have game for any superhero fan or just all-out nerd in general. The characters are believable and Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are back to reprise their roles as Batman and his arch-nemesis, the Joker. Batman Arkham City: Game of the Year Edition is definitely worth the $30, because that pretty much just covered the downloadable content if you bought the original on release day.

The NERDict:

+ Great Voice Acting

+ Spectacular Combat

+ Gritty Environments

+ Extremely Cheap

Rating: 10