Throwing Eggs: Yoshi's New Island Review

One for Nintendo and especially Mario fans this week as we take a look at Yoshi’s New Island for the 3DS. While this is not the first outing for the plumber’s dinosaur partner in recent years, it is for this particular series of games. If you’re not familiar with the Yoshi’s Island series, the original popped up on the SNES console back in the early 90s. 

The premise for the newest arrival to the series is the same: you control Yoshi and have to get baby Mario to the goal of each level, gradually progressing through worlds until you reach the final boss battle.

Like previous games, this is a side-scrolling adventure, harking back to the 2D hay day of the 16-bit SNES. But the game can be viewed in 3D, with Yoshi, enemies and objects jumping off the screen against the background. 

Game play wise it is not very hard. It does become a bit more of a challenge in later stages, but usually a couple of tries is enough to get through most levels. The controls are pretty straight forward as well so it’s a good family game for people of all ages. Even if you do speed through the levels, there are a lot of items to collect which you will never find on the first run. This gives a lot of replay value if you’re bothered about getting 100 per cent completion. 

The only thing that really annoyed me after a while was the music. There is very little variation, with the soundtrack to most levels sounding almost - if not - the same. There could have been a few more tunes recorded for a game with so many stages. 

Yoshi’s New Island gets 7/10.

The Enemy Review (The Visitors Saga 2)

You know when sometimes you read a book or watch a movie and certain plot points or ideas are reminiscent of those from other books and films? Well get ready for a lot of déjà vu as we take a look at The Enemy, the second book in The Visitors Saga. 

If you’ve not read my review of the first installation I will some it up as this - aliens kidnap everyone except a few teenagers and they are trying to escape monsters and get to Washington. 

The second one takes off where the first left off with would-be-hero Charlie Freeman being strapped to a medical bed and told he’s gone insane. He’s also told that he has in fact just hallucinated the aliens and the events of the previous few days outlined in the original novel. This concept is strung out for a bit then dashed - making the first part of the story completely pointless. 

Anyway, Charlie is rescued by his friends and they set about getting to Washington (again). The story does pick up a lot at this point with a lot of action and genuinely edge-of-the-sate moments as the humans try to escape the flesh-hungry Grimms. Also thrown into the mix is the revelation that the Grimms can absorb human DNA and essentially becom

e like people. Once Charlie and his friends reach Washington however, the story unravels again.

Like the original novel, The Enemy is not a bad book. It has some great moments, a pretty cover and occasionally an original idea of its own, but it’s let down by poor editing, cardboard cut-out characters, a pantomime villain and too many borrowed ideas from other sci-fi legends. 

It gets 5/10.

Book Review: The Nightlife San Antonio

If you’re sick of all the usual suspects when it comes to vampire novels and the TV shows that have been all the rage these past few years then I seriously suggest you get your teeth sunk into Nightlife: San Antonio.

This is the latest novel from erotic vampire writer Travis Luedke. Although part of a series, San Antonio is a standalone novel and therefore can be picked up by newcomers and old readers alike. 

The story tells of paramedic Adrian and his relationship with a strange woman whose life he saves from the Mexican mafia. The woman - who miraculously heals from her bullet wounds - turns to Adrian for help as she tries to piece together her lost memory. Adrian quickly realises that this beautiful woman is not as nuts as he first assumes and what follows is a deadly adventure to piece together who she really is, as well as stirring clear of those who wish her dead. 

If you are not familiar with the series, be warned, it is filled with sex, blood and a lot of violence, making it very much an adult book. 

San Antonio is a lot of fun like the others I have read in the series, has a lot of action and close to the knuckle dark humour. It also has a much denser plot that Luedke’s previous titles, which I really enjoyed. Not one for the faint hearted! 

Nightlife San Anotio is out on June 9.