Pokemon Dream Radar Review February 16, 2016

The original version of this review was written by our site’s Editor-in-Chief and published for the Poké Amino community. It has been republished here by its author in honor of Pokémon’s upcoming 20th Anniversary!

I would like to start off this review by asking the reader two very simple questions. First, do you have a copy of Pokémon Black 2 or Pokémon White 2 that you are either playing or plan to play? Second, do you have a Nintendo 3DS system? If the answer is “yes” to both of those questions you need to download this program right now.

Pokemon Dream Radar is a downloadable title for the Nintendo 3DS. It is an Augmented Reality (AR) game which uses the 3DS camera to project Pokemon and in-game items over a live video feed. In the game, you play as a researcher for a Pokémon Professor investigating the dream world for rare Pokémon. The player is expected to burst dream clouds which can hold dream orbs, Pokemon and items. The game does not make use of the 3DS’s 3D feature, so anyone playing the game on a 2DS should have an identical experience to anyone playing on a 3DS.

Any orbs the player obtains can be used to upgrade their equipment, making the game easier, and any items or Pokemon the player obtains can be transferred to the player’s save game for Pokemon Black 2 or Pokemon White 2 using either game’s Pokémon Link feature. New dream clouds spawn on a timer, giving the game a passing similarity for players who enjoy free-to-play titles, but unlike a FTP game at no point are you ever prevented from playing the game, nor are you ever asked to pay more money than the initial cost needed to purchase the game on the eShop. You can, however use 3DS play coins, obtained by walking with your 3DS system on, to respawn dream clouds to their maximum. Five play coins will automatically respawn the full amount of dream clouds you can currently hold, but you can only redeem coins three times a day. Otherwise clouds automatically respawn on their own over time. My advice would be to play Dream Radar in between play sessions of Pokemon Black 2 or White 2.  Once you’ve depleted your clouds, go back to the game while they respawn. Rinse, repeat.

I found the AR gameplay to be a lot of fun. I’m a huge fan of AR games like Spirit Camera, and I think the 3DS works really well as an AR device. While the gameplay experience is nothing like what you’d find in a traditional Pokémon generation game, I grew up playing FPS games and found it to be a nice change of pace.

If you want to use the app just for capturing Pokémon and using them in your game, the process to perform a data transfer with this app is pretty easy. Here’s a video showing you how it’s done.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep regularly sending your capture data from Dream Radar. The app can only hold six captured Pokémon, six items, and six legendary Pokémon in the transfer queue. If that content is not transferred to a physical retail copy of Black 2 or White 2, it will override the oldest captured data to make room for new captures, and whatever data it dumps could be lost.

It’s important to know that you can get some pretty powerful exclusive Pokémon with this app, and that should not be underestimated. All in all, this game was essential for me as I started my journey through Pokemon Black 2. If I didn’t have my Slowpoke with me, I don’t think I would have had as easy a time defeating the first Gym as I did, and my Thunderus was instrumental in helping me defeat the Elite 4 and the Pokémon League Champion.

The game does have an ending, and I was able to reach the ending of Dream Radar before I completed my first play through of Black 2. As the credits began to roll I felt a strong sense of accomplishment, as I knew the special Pokémon I obtained playing the game would join me as I continued to play Black 2. Perhaps if this game was a completely isolated experience which did not tie into any other Pokémon titles I would not find myself as willing to recommend it as I am, but given its low price of $3.99 US, fun gameplay, and the Pokémon Black 2/White 2 connectivity, I have to give this game my recommendation.  Enjoy, trainers!

Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition Review October 15, 2015

Three Fourths Home was an independent game title which originally released for the PC and Mac earlier this year.  The game touts itself as a visual graphic novel, and personally after having played it for myself, I can’t think of any better way to describe it.  Earlier this week, the game found itself on the PS4 and Xbox One digital marketplaces with the name Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition.  All of the original game’s story, graphics and achievements appear to have made the transition to console.  Is it worth your money?  Read our review and find out.

Editor’s Note:  A review copy had been provided to this website by the game’s publisher.  GameXcess.net has an official policy that we will guarantee a review of any game provided to us.

As Three Fourths Home started up I was immediately drawn in by its unique art style.  Immediately the color white filled my 40″ HDTV, and then the shadowed outlines of the game’s environment began to come into my view.  It is obvious the game’s developers wanted to portray the farmlands of Nebraska in the most unique way they could, and let me say they really did a great job in providing a fresh take on a corn-filled farmland.  Take a look at the game’s trailer so you can see what I mean.

As I said in my introduction, this is a game which has been described as a visual graphic novel, and for a game with this much of an emphasis on its story, you would think this review would want to talk about it in detail.  I mean, this is the website which features the So, What Happened? video series.  However, I have decided to keep this review as spoiler-free as I possibly can.  I went into this game knowing nothing about its background and I’m glad I did that, it would be horrible for me to try and direct anyone reading this review how I believe the game’s story should play out.  That all said, I just want to say that this game’s story rang a very personal tone with this reviewer.  As the game’s plot unfolded, I immediately felt a very deep connection with the game’s protagonist.  With the exception of our genders, I share a lot of similarities with Kelly, the main character of Three Fourths Home, and I don’t think that is unintentional.  There are a lot of in-game hints that the plot was based on a true story which happened to the game’s developer, and I would be really interested to know more about what their inspiration was to make it.  Beginning to end, this game’s story had me hooked, and I was not able to put my controller down until the credits rolled.

Once you complete the main game’s story, you’ll find a lot of extra content to interact with.  First off, there’s the game’s Epilogue, which unlocks right after you complete the game. The Epilogue does continue the game’s story and features new visuals in a new environment.  I recommend everyone play it immediately after finishing the game as it answers a lot of questions you may have.  Next up are three extra menus that unlock after completing the game. From here you can listen to the game’s soundtrack, read further stories written by one of the game’s supporting characters and view an important project alluded to in the story.  If you like the music, any track in the game can be played in its entirety. The soundtrack is very good and you can be sure I’ll be using the game’s radio feature to listen to every song.  I don’t want to go into too much depth about the other two extras the game features, but I just want to say that both of them succeed in fleshing out the game’s atmosphere and I’m happy they were included.

During my time playing the game I never experienced a single performance hitch, crash, or graphical tear.  The polish on this game really shines through.  The game’s art style may look minimal at first glance, but tons of little details can be seen occasionally fluttering in the background as you play.  If you want to know just how polished it is, I have to give props to whoever programmed the game’s rumble feature.  Crackles of thunder actually echoed through my controller very realistically, making it feel like I was actually playing this game in a thunderstorm even though I had clear skies outside my window.  This was a nice detail which, along with all of its other extras, in my opinion contributed to raising the overall quality of the game.

So it all comes down to this final question, is Three Fourths Home: Extended Edition worth your money?  Well, at a price of $4.99 US I would say it is.  While the game’s main story (not including the Epilogue) won’t take too long for some players to complete, the diverse amount of dialogue options the player has during the campaign is going to offer players a lot of replay value.  It also has multiple endings so achievement junkies might find a lot to like about that.  I know for sure that I’m going to want to replay this game multiple times just to see how other dialogue choices would play out.  I encourage you to do the same.

Three Fourths Home Extended Edition is out now and currently available on the Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, PC and Mac. Game was reviewed based on the Xbox One version.

Pokemon Shuffle Review March 12, 2015

Pokémon Shuffle is a free-to-play puzzle game released exclusively through the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS systems.  Its gameplay is very similar to that of the Pokémon Trozai games, as in both games you are presented a randomly generated puzzle board and have to match up chains of the same Pokémon to clear the puzzle and defeat the Pokémon you are attempting to capture.  However, unlike the Pokémon Trozai games which was fast paced and made players complete puzzles quickly, Pokémon Shuffle’s puzzles have to be completed in a set amount of moves, offering players the freedom to plan out every single move.  As a recent Pokémon convert, it is great to see Nintendo is branching one of their biggest franchises out into new territory for them.

The game opens with a great tutorial which clearly explains the game’s rules over the course of the game’s first fifteen levels.  Every puzzle in the game is represented by a specific Pokémon and if you’re able to complete the puzzle in the amount of moves you are given, you’ll be given the chance to capture that puzzle’s Pokémon so you can use them in later puzzles.  Each Pokémon has a different minimum percentage chance for you to capture them.  Then, the game adds a percentage multiplied by how many moves you had left when you completed the puzzle.  Your projected percentage determines your chances for catching that Pokémon.  If you’re able to capture it, you can use it in later levels.  If you miss your capture, you can play the later puzzles, but you’ll have to replay and complete the same puzzle again to get another chance of capturing that Pokémon.  If you have 2500 Coins and miss a capture, the game will offer you a second chance to capture the Pokémon again with a Great Ball at roughly double the percentage the first time you tried to capture it.

The more you use specific Pokémon in the game, the more they will level up, even if they’re used in puzzles you’re unable to complete.  Just be aware you will have to capture Pokémon evolutions separately, because no matter how much you level your captured Pokémon up, you cannot evolve them.  There is an exception for Mega Evolutions but I’ll talk about that later.

To play a level in the game, you’ll need to spend a Heart.  You start the game with a maximum of five of them, and once you use one up, a new one will return to your inventory after thirty minutes of real-time have passed.  If you run out of Hearts and don’t want to wait for them to recharge, you can buy more of them with Jewels, which you can earn completing specific puzzles for the first time or through daily check ins.  You can also buy jewels from the Nintendo eShop with real money.

After fifteen or so puzzles, the player will be given the task to defeat a more difficult puzzle against a Mega Evolved Pokémon.  These can be more difficult as Mega Evolved Pokémon can throw difficult hazards into the player’s game board, limiting their options for chains and combos.  Thankfully, once you complete a Mega Evolution puzzle, you automatically win that specific Pokémon’s Mega Stone, allowing you to use it in subsequent puzzles if you have captured the Pokémon who uses that stone.

Once you complete the game’s tutorial, the game will allow you to use the Check In feature.  I cannot stress enough to check in with this game as soon as you are able to.  Checking in will not only award you unique game items like Coins and Jewels, it will allow you access to special daily puzzles for unique Pokémon you can capture.  Check In will also automatically install minor game updates if they’re available, saving you from having to go to the Nintendo eShop every time they release a patch.  While you still have to install major updates to the game from the eShop, most of the game’s patches can be installed without having to quit the game, a major convenience for 3DS owners.  You can only Check In once every day.

The amount of content offered by this game cannot be understated.  As I write this review there are currently 150 regular puzzles offered in Pokémon Shuffle, and they can be played in the most recent version.  The game also has about twenty expert levels, which can be unlocked by gaining S-ranks in the normal puzzles.  As of today, Nintendo is also offering several special challenge puzzles right now, two of which offer the chance to capture a Mew and a Kyogre, and they area also offering a different type of special Rotom for each day of the week.  The best part is there’s nothing stopping Nintendo or the game’s developers from releasing updates for more puzzles in the near future.  Theoretically, the game can offer a level for each Pokémon, as well as one for each Mega Stone.  That adds up to over seven hundred possible puzzles.  It took me two weeks to complete all one hundred and fifty of the game’s regular puzzles, I can’t imagine how long it would take to complete six hundred more.

The game’s expert stages work a little differently than the game’s normal stages.  Once unlocked, expert stages can be completed in any order and do not have a set limit to the amount of moves you can use while completing them.  You do however have a time limit, and trust me, unless you’ve leveled up your Pokémon well, you will feel the time stress every time you try to play one of these levels, but they will give you the chance to capture several evolved and legendary Pokémon you couldn’t otherwise capture in the game’s regular puzzles.

I want to talk a little bit about the game’s artwork and audio, because I think that really sets it aside from other puzzle games.  The game’s 2D character designs mash up perfectly with the style of Pokémon: The Animated Series, so fans of the franchise will feel right at home.  This is a puzzle game, so I really can’t talk about the game’s environments, except for the fact I really like what they did with the game’s level select menus.  The game makes no use of 3D, so you won’t be able to notice a difference playing it on a 3DS or a 2DS.  I think something special needs to be said about the game’s music.  In the game’s puzzle selection menu, each set of fifteen puzzles are denoted by their own area, and not only will that area have its own background art style, it will be accompanied by its own music.   You’ll hear pan flute music in the jungle themed levels, to relaxing string music in the tropical themed levels.  The music is quite relaxing and enjoyable, and fits well with the style of each section.

I know that there are a lot of gamers out there who do not want to see Pokémon Shuffle succeed for Nintendo.  Gamers who grew up owning their games simply can’t wrap their heads around not being able to play them for extended periods of time without having to pay extra, but since the end product made for such a fun experience, you won’t find any complaints from me. I grew up playing games like Tetris and Dr. Mario and the NES and this game’s puzzles reminded me of those days.  Give it a download, you’ll find its a fun distraction during your breaks, and if you’re like me you won’t stop until you’ve completed level 150.