QCF: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

 question that’s been springing up a lot more than it ever has in the past, is why does Nintendo insist on being a proprietary entity within the industry? Why not go third party and bring that trademark “Nintendo magic” to the PS4 or Xbox One; the answer is simple—their games benefit more from them being their own boss than suffering from it.

For example, when the internal R&D departments aren’t developing themselves, they rely on second-party studios that are allowed explicit creative control over some of the company’s most prized properties; enter Retro studios and their sequel to the revived Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

Nintendo’s strategy may come off pandering, even to the most dedicated fanboy, but like Super Mario 3D World, impressions aren’t everything and, this cold jungle romp is another delightful gem to celebrate the ownership of a Wii U.

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PPR presents Limelight: Kirby's Dreamland 3

t’s a shame when there are games that release during those weird time windows or conditions that subject it to the depths of obscurity; and one such game is one of the best starring Nintendo’s pink stud.

Kirby’s Dreamland 3 was released back in 1997 on the SNES, more than a year after the release of the ongoing and mind-blowingly advanced Nintendo 64—it’s a real shame a lot of people haven’t played it, let alone heard of it. That’s why we’re taking it upon ourselves to stream it with George taking the lead, and fret not guys, if you’re loving what you’re watching then you can find the gem on the Wii U’s Virtual Console the Kirby Anniversary Collection on Wii.

You guys can tune in (and subscribe to us while you're at it) around Sunday evening, March 2nd, at 6:00 PM pacific time and join us in the chat as we get adorable as fuck with some 16-bit crayon effects!

QCF: Max: Curse of Brotherhood

he duality of a sibling can be broken down to a science—a gradual rite of passage in life from childhood to adult life. Despite the bond of blood, the relationship of brother and brother isn’t always built with loyalty and love; it’s all too susceptible to the harshest animosity that this world has to offer. Case and point; when your little brother is being a turd, leave it up to irrational anger to lead you to buy into the first online search result on how to make them disappear—which is where we find Max, and his curse of Brotherhood.

Building upon the onset of Xbox One in the first few months of its launch, Press Play takes upon themselves to inject some whimsy into the fledgling library of the new box, and while Max aspires to shine, it instead struggles to be competent at best, and a fumbled mess of asinine physics the rest of the time.

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QCF: Contrast

hose familiar scenes from a movie you can’t quite remember, the ones with the atmosphere of streetlights and Deco art posters, streets filled with cabarets and burlesque shows for fellas and dames— The Great Gatsby withstanding , the 1920’s is an era so vaguely romanticized for its appearance over culture . It was always what was seen or heard versus what was said or done, with all of the style and bravura on stage and never too much indulged on the history and culture behind it.

Compulsion Games means to tell a story that’s born in the thick of it, and while the fiction is rich in intrigue and complimented with exquisite eye candy--Contrast is a collective of ambitious gameplay mechanics that manage to grease that platforming wheel, the rotation however, doesn’t come close to spinning full circle.

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QCF: Rayman Legends

acky colors, unintentionally subliminal adulterated themes, offbeat animation, and ridiculous character design; these are the hallmarks of the French cartoon culture. French cartoon have this unique approach with seizing certain demographics or markets to give way to license that would capitalize best in that field. The older demographic has Tintin, the younger crowd has Marsupilami, and gamers have Rayman.

Ubisoft enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance of sorts with Rayman after releasing the revamped throwback Origins back in 2011, but perceiving an ideal sequel seemed a bit ham-fisted when Origins is lauded for being charmingly simple, how do you improve on something like that? Make it a Wii U exclusive and use the shit out of that newfangled gamepad, that’s how! Though the wind shuttered out slightly from beneath Nintendo’s sails when Ubisoft decided to lift the exclusivity of the title and delay it, leaving curiosity to clamor over just how unique or definitive the Wii U version would be.

Dunking several hours into the wild platformer, the latest title to feature the floating torso with hands and feet is has set the standard on being both the model example of an improved sequel, and a must-own for the Wii U library.

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PPR Presents Play Play: DuckTales 2

apcom and WayForward brought back the Duck with the bucks, and while the game holds up in its own little ways, too few have ever been able to check out the rare sequel that released late within the NES’ lifespan. George and Ser bring you the latest Play Play, where we tackle the elusive DuckTales 2, and discuss why it’s a shame that a lot of people haven’t played it.

Rate and subscribe to us iTunes today, follow us on our new Twitch page, subscribe to our YouTube, mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and be sure to stalk us on our social network pages while you stop by at our Forums and register as well!

QCF: Thomas Was Alone

ver the years we've seen video games grow from a simplistic collection of various shooter, puzzle, and platform titles to a wide array of entire virtual worlds that players lose themselves in for weeks. With the combined work of multiple developers on a single team, the standard modern video game consists of realistic visuals, compelling soundtracks, and an overall story-driven environment that often leaves players craving more.

With games continually following these new trends, it's harder for more simplistic throwbacks to convey any highly compelling story elements – that is, if they're not created with enough heart or offer players enough groundbreaking elements. However, not too long ago, one creative indie darling proved this could still be done with a minimalistic presentation created with few resources: Thomas Was Alone.

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PAX East 2013: Ducktales impressions

ostalgia is a tricky beast when it comes to the realm of media. Fond memories are often blinded by rose tinted glasses of grandeur that rests upon those who share this experience on a modern soapbox. Certain properties however, are an exception to the rule, like the Carl Banks inspired Disney cartoon Ducktales which stars the richest duck in the world Scrooge McDuck, and the misadventures he underwent to chase even bigger fortunes with his nephew in tow.

Unlike other contemporaries from its time, Ducktales has charmingly aged and with its legacy, were the much lauded NES titles developed and published by Capcom—This weekend at PAX, The blue and yellow giants, in partnership with WayForward, have announced a remastered revival of the classic and after having some time with it, my six year old inner child and I were able to nod our heads in approval together.

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