Lego Jurassic World Review (Nintnedo DS Version)

Hello, there! I hope everyone's enjoying their summer. I know it's been a while but here I am with a fresh review.

Hot on the heels of the T-Rex juggernaut that was Jurassic World, Lego released a game version of the hit movie on several gaming platforms.

I played the Nintendo 3DS version so I do not know how similar they compare to other versions.

But regardless, if you would prefer playing this game on the go rather than stuck in the house on the Xbox One then it definitely is worth your money.

The game allows players to relive all four films - although to begin with you will only be able to access the original and Jurassic World. 

As this is a Lego interpretation of the series, it takes some creative liberties with the plots and levels. While the stories are similar to the source material, the game does bypass some parts and focuses on the main points.

All the characters are also made of Lego, of course. The cut scenes are not bad but I don't understand why you can only watch a handful in 3D. It kind of defeats the purpose of being on the Nintendo 3DS.

Also the audio quality of the voices is awful. There are taken straight from the films but it sounds like they were recorded in a toilet.

The gameplay itself is pretty good. The controls are straight forward so anyone can play. While most puzzles again are straight forward some require you to look around and explore different areas before they can be solved.

However, if you have played previous Lego games Jurassic World will give you a sense of deja vu. There is nothing new in the game mechanics compared to previous games.

Lego Jurassic World gets 7/10.

Dimension Hopping: Sortof... Pokemon Omega Ruby Review

A remake of Pokemon Ruby has been a long time coming. For the uninitiated, the original Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire came out in 2003 on the Gameboy Advance. 

They were the third in the series of games and introduced a new generation of 100 Pokemon for players to catch and train. The remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were released last month on the Nintendo 3DS

While the layout of the game is 95% the same, it has been upgraded to a full 3D game. So even if you have played the originals like myself it does have a completely different look. The graphics still hold the same bright colours and anime style of the previous games and dare I say it…the cartoons. But the upgraded graphics is definitely worth the pennies you pay for the games. 

Something that I don’t quite understand is why only certain parts of the game utilise the 3DS’s full 3D mode. If you don’t own this console, this allows the game to appear like it is leaping off the screen - like a 3D television. Only Pokemon battles and select parts of the main game (roaming around the landscape) use this feature. 

I’m not sure why that is but it’s disappointing. Pokemon games have been criticised in the past for not keeping up with the graphics of the console successive titles have been realised on. Between the original two generations on the Gameboy Colour and moving onto the Gameboy Advance, there was very little change in quality of graphics or gameplay itself. 

As for game play, the fundamentals are the same: you catch Pokemon, you train them and battle them to progress further in the game. Some new elements have been added to the remakes, there’s much more emphasis on becoming close with your Pokemon - this is done by petting, feeding them and playing mini games. There is also a new form of evolution which certain characters can achieve in battle later on in the game and some new areas. 

There’s a lot to do besides the main game, so there is enough to keep players busy if they tire of battling. The game is very pretty and there is enough here to keep old and new players alike entertained. 

Omega Ruby gets 7/10.

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.