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Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is a turn-based strategy game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS.
Good Qualities
The premise of the game, as silly as it may seem, is original and amazing: in an alternate world after Abraham Lincoln faked his death, he assembles a team of public-domain literature characters to destroy aliens.
Great graphics that fit in well with the steampunk aesthetic, and have a comic book look to them.
While the combat system may seem overwhelming and hard to follow at first, it becomes easy once you get the hang of it.
Movement is grid-based but you control your characters in third-person shooter style, similar to the Valkyria Chronicles series.
Your actions are controlled by Steam, including movement, attacking and interactions with the environment. You are able to replenish Steam by finding spare Steam Tanks on the battlefield (often by breaking red crates)
During the enemy's turn, you can use Overwatch attacks to attack foes as they approach, provided you have Steam left over. Be careful, as the aliens are able to use Overwatch as well.
There are thirteen main playable characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses:
Henry Fleming: He is the balanced, average character in terms of health and attack power, with his weapon being the Eagle Rifle, and is also able to push enemies and obstacles out of harm's way.
John Henry: His strength allows him to break down barriers that most of his team cannot, and can destroy all enemies around him with his Bear Grenades.
Lion: He has a large health pool (which he can share with others using his ability) and uses his Lion Launcher to leap onto terrain that most other characters cannot.
Tiger Lily: She is able to heal allies using her Medi-Mortar and can survive a fatal blow in a pinch.
Tom Sawyer: He has high mobility, uses his Punch Gun to stun foes and can jump onto certain barriers, but has relatively low health.
Queequeg: He has the second-most health of the characters and uses his Penguin Lobber to send robotic penguin bombs to scout out enemies. His ability also allows him to raise the team's attack power.
Scarecrow: He is unable to be stunned and can use his Pumpkin Stunner to stun all foes around its blast radius.
Randolph Carter: He plays a defensive strategy, using his Unspeakable Lure to distract foes so their weak points are revealed, and his ability increases critical hit chances.
The Fox: She has the longest sight range of any agent using her Fox Rifle, and has more powerful Overwatch attacks to go with it.
Califia: Like John, she is able to smash barriers in her path and her Rhino Bomber has great range and damage, but she doesn't recharge Steam as well as most other agents.
Tin Man: He can restore Steam to his allies with his primary weapon, and like Scarecrow, he also cannot be stunned.
Dorothy Gale: Her Toto Blaster spreads out like a fan and deals heavy damage to foes in the close vicinity, but she is very frail and can't take much damage.
S.T.O.V.E.P.I.P.E.: Only obtainable once you obtain 100,000 Medals, he has both a melee and ranged attack and acts like a miniature version of A.B.E.
Each agent has a Special Attack that can only be used once per map, but costs no Steam.
Henry: Eagle Strike - Launches an eagle-shaped missile at the enemies.
John: Hammer Blow - Strikes enemies around him by slamming his left arm into the ground like a hammer
Lion: Mighty Roar - Damages and stuns all foes surrounding him using a megaphone to amplify his roars.
Tiger Lily: Healing Wind - Heals all allies around her.
Tom: Hijinks - Scatters mines in an area.
Queequeg: Harpoon - Throws a harpoon that can pass through multiple foes.
Scarecrow: Trick or Treat - Scatters mines to damage enemies and candies to heal allies.
Randolph: Eldritch Shield - Creates a barrier around all allies that halves damage.
The Fox: Sharp Eye - Doubles her range of sight and damage done by Overwatch attacks.
Califia: Raging Heart -
Tin Man: Steam Bath - Restores Steam to allies and damages enemies surrounding him.
Dorothy: Silver Streak -
S.T.O.V.E.P.I.P.E.: Double Drill -
Great soundtrack composed by Yoshito Sekigawa, with standout tracks being
The vocal theme song, despite being cheesy, is decent.
Good voice acting, especially from Adam Baldwin (Henry), Wil Wheaton (Lincoln), Jeremy Shada (Tom), Grey Griffin (The Fox), etc.
As you collect Medals and three Gears in each map, you are able to unlock Sub-Weapons and Boilers, respectively. This adds some decent replay value to the game.
In some boss levels, you are able to play as the Anthropomorphized Battle Engine (or A.B.E. for short), which is basically a mecha Abe Lincoln!
If you have certain Fire Emblem amiibos, you are able to play as Marth, Ike, Lucina and Robin. Each has their own weapons, secondary attacks and specials.
Marth: He is able to strike weak points using
Ike:
Lucina:
Robin:
If you have all four Fire Emblem characters at once, the music changes to remixed versions of music from the Fire Emblem series, including "Code Name: F.E."
You are also able to use a Circle Pad Pro for the original 3DS.
Bad Qualities
Enemy turns can take too long to finish; fortunately, an update allows you to speed them up.
When Wil Wheaton and Adam Baldwin were announced to be voicing Lincoln and Henry, respectively, two vocal minority groups were turned off by this due to the two actors being on opposite sides during GamerGate.
No overhead map, which makes navigation hard at times.
There are some brutal difficulty spikes, such as Chapter 10 and Chapter 12-1.
Unlike the main characters, the Fire Emblem characters cannot be revived by the Save and Restore All option; instead, their amiibo must be scanned again to get them back.
Additionally, you are unable to play as Roy, Corrin, Alm, Celica or any other Fire Emblem characters due to their amiibos releasing after this game.
Sequel-baiting: The ending cut scene shows that President Lincoln possibly survived using an Emerald Key after the final battle against the Great Shugguth, but a sequel will most likely never happen due to this game's poor sales.
Reception
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. received largely mixed-to-positive reception (scoring 69/100 on Metacritic and 7/10 on Nintendo Life), with many of the criticism directed at long enemy turns, confusing level layouts (and lack of an overhead map) and difficulty spikes, while the game's acting, art style, music and characters were praised.
While exact sales figures are unknown, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. sold less than 2,000 units in Japan and about 50,000 in the United States
Ring Fit Adventure is an exercise action role-playing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. Included with the game are two peripherals: the Ring-Con and Leg Strap. It was never released digitally because of these accessories being included.
Why It's Ring Fit
Similar to Wii Fit, this game is mostly controlled by exercise movements via the Ring-Con and Leg Strap peripherals.
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is a Metroidvania-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory, Dimps and Flagship, with Nintendo acting as the publisher, for the Game Boy Advance. It was released throughout 2004,
Why It's an Amazing Mirror
Unlike most Kirby games, which are linear platformers that utilize a world map to select stages, this game uses a Metroidvania approach, with a hub world and many branching paths to obtain the Mirror Shards.
The idea of a parallel universe to the pre-existing one in-universe is always a good concept in and of itself (such as A Link to the Past's Dark World or Lorule from A Link Between Worlds), and it is well-executed in this game with the Mirror World paralleling Dream Land.
Bright, colorful graphics typical of the Kirby series, with a variety of environments to explore.
You are able to call in three other Kirbys using your Cell Phone, provided your batteries have enough charge in them, and also use it to warp back to Rainbow Route.
The gameplay is still excellent, with many new Copy Abilities to obtain such as Magic, Missile, Angel/Cupid and even Smash Bros., which utilizes Kirby's moveset from that series.
The two new characters from the Mirror World are nice parallels to Kirby and Meta Knight:
Shadow Kirby may seem like he's trying to harm you, but is in fact a friendly character who gives you food, 1-Ups or Invincible Candy.
Dark Meta Knight is just as cool as his counterpart, with two excellent boss fights and offering the Master Sword before the fight against Dark Mind. He also becomes playable in Star Allies' "Guest Star ???" Mode alongside other characters who are or have been villains (i.e. Marx, Daroach, Magolor, Taranza and Susie), while his gameplay is reminiscent of this game due to the branching paths.
Great soundtrack, despite some of the songs being reused from Nightmare in Dream Land.
Fun bosses as usual, including Moley, Mega Titan/Titan Head, both Dark Meta Knight fights and of course, the final fight against Dark Mind.
The treasure chests are fun to find and collect, containing maps of the area, food, Spray Paint to change Kirby's body color and soundtracks to play in the Music Test.
The controls as always are tight and responsive, and here they are even better than in most Kirby games since this one is more fast paced.
Bad Qualities
While the Metroidvania gameplay is still good, navigation can be difficult without finding the various maps throughout the areas.
The other three Kirbys can sometimes feel intrusive and are often hardly useful when solving puzzles.
Mini Kirby is the most useless Copy Ability, as it is only useful to fit into tight corridors and is unable to attack.
For unknown reasons, the Kirby series deuteragonist King Dedede doesn't appear in this game at all; this is the only game in the series to have this distinction.
Reception
Hi-5
CarltheToonMan42/sandbox
1, 2, 3, 4, Hi-5!
Genre:
Musical
Running Time:
22 minutes
Country:
Australia
Network(s):
9 Network (Australia) Discovery Kids (Hi-5 USA)
Created by:
Helena Harris Posie
Distributed by:
Kids Like Us
Starring:
Charli Robinson Tim Harding Kellie Crawford Nathan Foley Kathleen de Leon Jones
Hi-5 is an Australian
Why We'll Do It Together
The concept of a children's music group doing activities together is an interesting concept in and of itself, and just like The Wiggles, it manages to pull it off nicely.
Each segment of the show teaches very important lessons for younger children to help them get ready for school:
Charli/Karla/Jenny hosts Body Move, where viewers learn to get in shape by imitating various animals, plants and other objects.
Tim/Curtis/Chris hosts Making Music, where viewers learn about pitch, rhythm, beat, melody and using real or pretend musical instruments.
Kellie/Jenn/Emma hosts Word Play, where they learn about new words and their meanings alongside her puppet friend Chatterbox (played by Charli/Karla/Jenny).
Nathan/Shaun/Luke hosts Shapes in Space, where they teach the viewers about numbers, shapes, colours and using everyday materials.
Kathleen/Kimee/Cat hosts Puzzles and Patterns, where the viewers learn how to solve problems and various patterns while the host gets their things taken by an alien named Jup Jup (played by Tim/Curtis/Chris).
At the end of each episode, the cast acts out a Sharing Story, where one member tells a story while the others act it out and they teach the topic of the day through it.
The songs, especially the Songs of the Week, are all well-written and fun to dance along to.
The show even got versions based in the United States (Hi-5 USA; aired on Discovery Kids) and the United Kingdom (Hi-5 UK; aired on Cartoonito and CITV) so that children in those countries could watch the show.
Bad Qualities
While Hi-5 USA is just as good as the original Australian version, one segment (apart from Body Move) would always be missing due to the show sharing its half-hour with Paz the Penguin. Jenn seems to have suffered the worst, as she is missing more times than the others.
This version was also cancelled after only two seasons.
Nintendo Switch Sports
CarltheToonMan42/sandbox
It's not as bad as Wii Sports Club, but we definitely could have gotten better than what we did.
Nintendo Switch Sports is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fourth game in the Wii Sports series, and the first to not be on a Wiifamily console.
Bad Qualities
One of the biggest problems with this game is its stunning lack of content, especially when compared to Wii Sports Resort.
Only six sports were available at launch (Volleyball, Soccer, Badminton, Chambara, Bowling and Tennis), while Golf was added on November 29, 2022 (which was a full seven months after the game launched); this is five less than the twelve sports that Wii Sports Resort had.
While it is nice to have many customization options for your Sportsmate, the fact that they are locked behind Online Play (which requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership to access) makes it a chore to even obtain them.
Good Qualities
It is an improvement over Wii Sports Club, though not by much, sadly.
Physical copies came with a Leg Strap accessory, for those who missed getting one from Ring Fit Adventure.
Rhythm Tengoku
CarltheToonMan42/sandbox
"Hey baby, listen to my phrase! I can give you a sense of rhythm!"
Rhythm Heaven, known in Japan as Rhythm Tengoku Gold, is a rhythm game developed by
Why It Taps Into Rhythm
The same rhythm-based gameplay from the previous game returns in this one, this time taking full advantage of the DS's Touch Screen to play the game.
Creative selection menu that can be steered using the center button
Many of the minigames are fun to play, just like its predecessor, including:
Glee Club
Fillbots
Fan Club
Blue Birds
Shoot-'em-Up
Love Lizards
The Dazzles
Munchy Monk
DJ School
Love Lab
Frog Hop
Lockstep
After beating Remix 6, the way the credits are utilized is interesting, being placed on top of the Airboarder minigame that can be played in the main menu later.
Once
Bad Qualities
It can take some time to get used to the flick controls, as it won't register an action if it's done too slowly.
Some bad rhythm games, including Rhythm Rally 2 (aka Cosmic Rhythm Rally), Big Rock Finish, Space Soccer, Rockers 2 and most infamously, Remix 8.
Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow (Tiny Toon Adventures)
CarltheToonMan42/sandbox
Oh great, this episode has Elmyra in it. It's gonna stink... Buster, Fifi, Furrball and Tyrone: Ehhhh...we wouldn't say that!
Part of Season:
1
Episode Number:
18
Previous episode:
Prom-ise Her Anything
Next episode:
Cinemaniacs!
Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow is the 18th episode of Season 1 of Tiny Toon Adventures, but the first produced.
Why It's a Free, but Good, Lesson in Pet Care
Being that this is the first episode produced, it serves as a good introduction to Acme Acres and some of the characters such as Buster and Babs Bunny (no relation), Elmyra Duff, Fifi La Fume, Furrball, etc.
The animation is better than the usual Kennedy Cartoons standards, especially the "Planet of the Bunnies" sequence.
The story is an interesting take on
Lots of memorable quotes, including, but not limited to:
"Oooooh, Mommy! Look at the widdle human girl! Can take her home? Can I, huh? Can I, huh? Can I, HUH-HUH-HUH???"
"Now, Junior, you know you microwaved the last one!"
"Ehhhhh...we wouldn't say that!"
"AHHHH! Bunnies! Bunnies! NO MORE BUNNIES!!!!!"
Buster risking his life to save Tyrone, Fifi and Furrball is very heartwarming, as is the time they do the same for him.
Plenty of funny moments, as is to be expected for a Tiny Toons episode, including:
Buster and Elmyra playing "Doctor," with the former diagnosing the latter with a flu and wrapping her in bandages, then unwinding them to send her far away from her house.
"THE PLANET OF THE BUNNIES!" Enough said.
The ending is excellent, with Buster and Babs having taught Elmyra a free lesson in pet care by making her the pet, thus she runs away not wanting to see another bunny for a long time.
This is also one of the very rare occasions that Elmyra gets her comeuppance in the show.
Good morals:
Treat your pets with care and don't abuse them.
Never go home with a stranger; they could potentially want to abduct you.
Bad Qualities
While the animation is good by Kennedy standards, there are still many errors in it (as was to be expected for the company).
While not quite to the same extent as Out of Odor, Elmyra is very unlikable in this episode, and that is saying something; she is more directly villainous here, kidnapping Buster so that she can have him as a pet "hippity-hop" and borderline torturing him with not only a REAL mud pie, but also putting him in a cage (with carrots in it under a carrot box), digging a grave for his supposed "funeral" and letting out not one but two sinister laughs.
The scene where Fifi, Furrball and Tyrone reveal that how long they've been trapped at Elmyra's is also incredibly sad to watch, especially since the latter has never been free from her clutches.
Thankfully, she does get her comeuppance by the end of the episode.
Plot holes:
How is Elmyra so fast and able to appear at every door and window in her own house?
What happened to the goldfish and frog in the third act?
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986 anime)
CarltheToonMan42/sandbox
Now, THIS Oz show really lives up to its name!
Genre:
Adventure Fantasy
Running Time:
22 minutes
Country:
Japan
Network(s):
TV Tokyo (Japan) HBO (US)
Distributed by:
Panmedia (Japan) CINAR (US)
Starring:
Morgan Hallett Margot Kidder
Seasons:
4
Episodes:
52
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (known in Japan as Ozu no Mahōtsukai, lit. "The Wizard of Oz") is an anime series based on four of L. Frank Baum's Oz books. In Japan, the series aired
Why It's Searching for a Dream
This show remains faithful to the four Oz books it adapts, namely The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,The Marvelous Land of Oz,Ozma of Oz and The Emerald City of Oz.
This is also one of the very rare occasions that the latter two stories have been adapted into any media.
Excellent animation for a mid-80's anime, with an adorable art style and stunning backgrounds to boot.
The show has a colorful and iconic cast of characters, ranging from iconic ones such as Dorothy Gale, Glinda the Good Witch, the Wizard himself and Princess Ozma, to more obscure ones such as Princess Langwidere (known as Lulu in the English version), General Jinjur, the Growleywog, Mombi and the Nome King.
Good acting in both Japanese and English, especially from Morgan Hallett as Dorothy.
Bad Qualities
While the show is faithful to the Oz stories, its grasp of the source material tends to slip at times, particularly in the last two seasons.
DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power
CarltheToonMan42/sandbox
Protagonist(s):
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl (Heroes) Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Villains)
This game has a similar feel to the Persona series, but with DC Super Hero Girls characters: during the day, you go around Metropolis trying to improve your Superstapost likes and completing various missions, while at night you face off against enemies and bosses.
Decent graphics that represent the TV series' art style well.
The story, despite being slightly bland, is still decent and feels like you are actually playing through a special episode of the show. And, just like the Yo-KaiWatchseries, the main story isn't the focus of the game, allowing for you to complete side quests and upload photos to Supersta.
The actors from the show reprise their roles in this game, and do just as well as they did there.
Tons of side quests to complete throughout the game, including, but not limited to:
Taking photos of superhero and villains' logos.
Collecting Metropolis High Hamsters plushies, including golden ones found in combat sections.
Various multi-part quests for each individual hero that unlock new outfits for civilian and hero/villain identities.
Many clothing options for both your civilian and hero/villain identities, the latter being clever references to other versions of the characters such as The New 52.
To restore Hob's Bay, you can place buildings in various locations and toys to guard them.
#BadQualities
Disappointingly, you can only play as three of the Super Hero Girls (Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Supergirl) and three of the villains (Harley Quinn, Catwoman and Star Sapphire); that's only half of each team.
