Hallowe’en is a special time of year. So special, in fact, that we couldn’t let our celebratory Halloweek go by without making a very special effort to do a very special thing indeed. To that end, we’ve resurrected the ghost of H.P. Lovecraft, master of fevered horror and creator of Cthulhu, to write a few game reviews for us. It wasn’t easy. We had to enlist the eldritch help of Aleister Crowley to even get the ritual started–fortunately he haunts the right-hand toilet cubicle on the first floor–and he’s a notoriously cranky old bastard.

But succeed we did. So here’s old Howard Phillips, to take over the article and furnish you with his finest, most considered responses to this year’s biggest games. See you at the end. If you’re still alive, and sane, and not the prostrate thrall of an elder god… Good luck on all that.

Super Smash Bros.

Every bone of my wretched skeleton froze to fragile ice, liable to shatter with the steadily creeping weight of the endless moment. I stared into his eyes, seeing not life, nor light, nor comprehension. Only madness. And worse, it was not the disarrayed, fragmented, scattershot madness of the fractured-but-harmless lunatic, but one focused and aware, if it were aware of anything at all, of rapturous delight in its own insanity.

He looked back in silent, intent vigil. At me, through me, within or without me, I could not fathom which, and nor did I wish to try, for to follow his gaze back along the deep, fissured path to its source would surely have seen me lost forever. Perhaps it was days. Perhaps only a handful of eternally contorting seconds. But when my lucidity returned, to snatch at my hand and turn me shrieking away, I could not help but feel that our exchange was not yet over, nor would it ever truly be so. His empty glare lingers over my shoulder to this day.

Score: Despair / 5

WWE 2K15

The sights that I witnessed surely cannot have been real, but rather the twisted dream of an insane god. One by one, two by two, three by three the brawny beasts left the portal, emerging from the stygian blackness beyond to lurch, pound and creep toward the chamber. Upon that profane altar they assembled, these unholy constructs, these perverse amalgamations of man, rock and beast. Over and over again they threw themselves against each other, breaking and crashing their gnarled forms into the most terrible, impossible shapes.

Oh, the depraved lies that my deceitful eyes wrought during that unhallowed spectacle! Please, in the name of all that is reasonable, they must have been lies! For the creatures appeared, for the longest time, to stretch and contort their bodies into the most sacrilegious configurations, creating such heaving knots of ligament and flesh that the very stinking air around them must have defied and defiled all hope of logic, science or intellect. And worse! So much worst an abomination! Upon finally falling, rendered and broken, these hulking molestations of the rational inflicted further contempt upon my sanity, reviving, reforming and recommencing their assault as if nary the slightest of affronts had ever been committed.

Score: Devastation / 5

Tomodachi Life

There is a man in the room above mine own. I cannot see his face. In my dreams, he comes to me and tells me that he is unhappy, and that he requires seven things. Seven things, are what he requires. A simple fountain pen, a handful of purple bread, the shoulder of a cloven beast, the sap from a tree, a red cloak, and the soul of a banshee. Only then will he show me his face.

I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I cannot see his face. I see his face. Darkness.

Score: Decay / 5

Forza Horizon 2

The world of my senses dissolved into a garish blur. Illuminated only by the weighty mystery of the waning gibbous moon, my uncontrolled acceleration from the civilised plane was an irresistible trajectory into the void. Far from the lights, far from the path, further and further into the murk I went, my journey into blackness punctuated by intermittent flashes of blinding light upon unrecognisable scenery, bursts of sickening colour shaking incoherently at my core.

Above me, the pale, shadow-draped satellite watched in silence. If the gloom from which it half-protruded held any answers, then those answers were not forthcoming. Only the cold, faceless glare of that cryptic moon, half-shrouded in the same darkness to which I was committed. And on, on I plunged! Further, faster into the unformed night! The ground beneath me–if it were still the ground at all–rattled and contorted with a searing rage. Explosions and unseen shatterings shook the very air around me, as unseen objects tore past my face. And everywhere, in the periphery, I knew they lurked. Out in the night, watching for me and waiting for me. The pig people (opens in new tab). Always watching, and always waiting.

Score: Devilry / 5

FIFA 15

The drone of a thousand thousand human voices is echoing around my ears, threatening to lull me into a sleep that I fear I may never awake from. I desperately glance into the virtual eyes of a man known only as ‘Messi’, who answers my stare with a hollow gaze of his own that–such is its artifice–sends a dread chill through the core of my very being. I am helpless now. As a shrill whistle punctuates the infinity of our exchange, I realise that this game–this spectacle of fools–is already over.

The men are moving now. They chase a round object that objectively matters nothing to their existence, yet they pursue it as if a very legion of slave masters compelled them. They matter not. The object becomes entangled in a white web, which wraps around it like a cloak, presumably choking the life from its spherical victim. The men cheer, but I know that they are already dead. They always were.

Score: Dread / 5

Mario Kart 8

Around I went again. Around and around and around, never to slow, never to rest, never to look back at the blissful innocence left behind. How many times now had this dread circumvolution claimed another haunted hour of my experience with its obstreperous drone? How long had this sleepless sun driven my fevered senses from rest? How many hours, months, or years had it scorched my skin and flooded my senses with the foul stench of flame, of oil, of burning steel?

The dread beast was upon me now. I had, in my nave inattentiveness, been unaware of its presence at first, its ponderous, sluggish lurching registering barely a shadow upon my perception. But now it was here, a thundering blight of teeth, scales and talons. Beyond that, I will not describe it. Beyond that, I cannot describe it. Even if my mind were able to fully comprehend is fearful countenance without breaking entirely, I fear that the bumbling foibles of human language would be as naught in the face of its horror. But it matters not. Soon it would strike. Soon, and so close, so painfully close to sanctuary, that deathly azure inevitability would drag me down once more. My only solace would be a swift descent into oblivions sweet respite. Until the next time. And the next. And the next

Score: Desperation / 5

Watch Dogs

What is this place? This prison? And who am I? I stare longingly into the Pandora’s Box nestled in the palm of my hand, hoping it will somehow allow me regain my humanity, and escape this dreadful virtual zoo. As I run my rough hand over its smooth surface, I feel the world shifting around me. What devilry is this? I shall surely die here.

A fellow entity suddenly draws beside me in his motorised carriage. Wordlessly I slide into the seat beside him, and he duly mirrors my movement. I am now alone. I spur on my magical vessel and drive forever, spurning the temptations of some foul demi-god, who urges me towards a constant stream of empty activities. In his language, the beast calls them ‘Fixer missions’, but I know them to be evil traps that will forever enslave my consciousness. I must be wary.

Score: Darkness / 5

Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn

Sorry, got caught up in the moment there. Ahem. Where were we? Oh yes, that bit at the end of the article where we ramble on a bit in a desperate attempt to fill a final paragraph, before passing you on to some links to other stuff. H.P. would be brilliant at this. He’s great at rambling on a bit. But alas, we have already laid him back to rest, with the promise not to bother him again until at least this time next year. All part of the deal to get him to write this for us, I’m afraid. He’s a bit antisocial like that. But anyway, links!

How does an editorial on Why most scary games fail as real horror, and why they always have (opens in new tab) sound? And then maybe a Photoshop gallery of your favourite video game characters zombified (opens in new tab)? Yeah? Awesome. Enjoy.

The post The biggest games of 2014, reviewed by H.P. Lovecraft appeared first on Game News.

The Super Smash Bros. series is one of a kind, isn’t it? Masahiro Sakurai is a genius for taking a genre as complicated as 2D fighting and opening it up to a massive audience of casual and hardcore gamers alike. The simplified control scheme is easy to learn and difficult to master, the items create tons of chaotic, exciting moments, and the concept of Nintendo mascots fighting for supremacy is just inherently appealing. There’s really nothing like it.

Oh, except for a ton of games that saw the wild success of Smash Bros. and tried to replicate it. Now, we can sit here and argue all day about the semantics of phrases like knock-off, clone, or rip-off, but I think we can all agree that these games were undoubtedly inspired by Nintendo’s fighting franchise. In honor of the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, let’s take a look at all the would-be Smash Bros. competitors that can only dream of being as famous as the original.

Onimusha Blade Warriors (PS2)

Unless you’re an absolute Onimusha fanatic who’s got the game logo tattooed in bold on your lower back, names like “Samanosuke” and “Gogandantess” probably don’t have the same familiar ring as “Mario” or “Ganondorf.” But that didn’t stop Capcom from turning its survival-horror/action hybrid series set in feudal Japan into a multiplayer brawler. It’s a bit like the swordplay of Samurai Shodown on a four-player scale.

Does it do anything unique? Carefully timed critical hits and counterattacks are at the core of Onimusha’s swordplay, and those same principles carry over to Blade Warriors’ bouts. Also, since floating platforms don’t make a ton of logical sense, many stages have you jumping from the foreground to the background to simulate verticality. Cool!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (Wii)

If you’re going to make a knock-off, why not hire the guys who helped design the template? TMNT Smash-Up is actually the product of Game Arts, which had a hand in developing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Sadly, it doesn’t topple Tournament Fighters on the Super Nintendo as the greatest TMNT fighter of all time. And because Ubisoft publishes it, you can actually pit Raphael against a Rabbid. Guess who wins.

Does it do anything unique? Not particularly, no. You can win fights by knocking your opponent off the stage or depleting their health bar, and there’s a Tag Team mode that lets you swap between two characters a la Marvel vs. Capcom. But beyond those changes, this is pretty much a straight port of the Smash engine with TMNT assets. Could be worse.

Small Arms (Xbox 360)

One of the earliest Xbox Live Arcade games (that wasn’t a slapdash Midway port), Small Arms posits what would happen if you gave all the Smash Bros. characters gigantic guns. Shooting trumps punching as you pick from a huge arsenal of Unreal Tournament-style weaponry like chainguns and plasma cannons and proceed to blast the bejesus out of your enemies. The roster is as generic as they come, but this is still the Xbox brand’s best (and only) Smash Bros. clone to date.

Does it do anything unique? Because you’re aiming guns while you bounce around the stages, Small Arms actually employs a twin-stick control scheme that works to great effect. And because this is an XBLA game, there’s actually some DLC–something Nintendo has yet to exploit!

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PS3, Vita)

Some people are convinced that no, PSASBR (worst acronym ever?) is not a Smash Bros. knock-off. But come on. It’s a fun, frenetic brawl between some of Sony’s most recognizable mascots–which aren’t very numerous, so a bunch of cool third-party characters made it into the roster as well. Shame that it doesn’t feature Spyro or Crash Bandicoot, but the inclusion of niche oddballs like PaRappa and Sir Daniel Fortesque help dull the pain.

Does it do anything unique? Rather than defeating your opponents by rocketing them off the stage, super attacks are the only things capable of causing death. Honestly, this strange, critical design choice was probably the reason PSASBR gets a lot less fanfare compared to its Nintendo counterpart.

DreamMix TV World Fighters (GameCube, PS2)

Long before Solid Snake snuck his way into Super Smash Bros. Brawl, he was actually a part of this crossover beat-’em-up, which stars characters from Konami, Hudson, and Takara properties. You probably aren’t familiar with that last one–that’s because it’s a Japanese toy company that released a ton of Hasbro favorites overseas. What that all means is: this game lets you orchestrate a fight to the death between Bomberman, Simon Belmont, Tyson Granger (the Beyblade kid), and Optimus mother-loving Prime.

Does it do anything unique? The method for beating your enemies is utterly bizarre: smack the coins out of them until none remain, then steal their wandering soul before they can reclaim it. Maybe it’s all a depressing allegory for the dangers of capitalist greed?

Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

Tons of Cartoon Network characters, like Dexter, Samurai Jack, and the Powerpuff Girls duking it out in a battle royale? Sounds awesome! Sadly, its held back by controls that are nowhere near the smooth, responsive feel of the Smash Bros. handling. Still, if you spent hours of your childhood parked in front of the TV, the pure amount of fanservice and obscure references Punch Time offers up can help you power through the mediocre gameplay.

Does it do anything unique? Scoring knockouts is done the same way as PlayStation All-Stars, where you bash meter-building cubes out of your opponents that culminate in a devastating super attack. Oh, and it predates PSASBR by a year.

Guilty Gear Dust Strikers (DS)

When you’ve got hand-drawn fighting game sprites as gorgeous and meticulously detailed as those seen in the Guilty Gear games, you may as well try to reuse them as many times as humanly possible. Dust Strikers took the series’ roster wholesale and dropped it into a barren multi-tiered stage, added four-player multiplayer, and pretty much called it a day.

Does it do anything unique? Smash Bros. has Home Run Contest and Target Smash, but Guilty Gear Dust Strikers goes all out in the minigame department. If you’ve ever wanted to guide May’s dolphins through rings or play billiards with Venom, here’s your chance!

Megabyte Punch (PC)

Megabyte Punch may not have any iconic faces, but the lack of star appeal is made up for by the fact that you’re building your very own robot pugilist from scratch. By trekking through huge environments and beating up everything in sight, you collect parts that you can use to customize your little mech. Once it meets your high standards, you can take it for a test drive in multiplayer brawls. Oh, and the graphical style is awesome, full of bright colors and blocky 2.5 goodness.

Does it do anything unique? Pretty much everything I just said. Smash Bros. may be the inspiration for its gameplay, but the ideas here are pretty darn innovative. It’s practically Smash Run before Smash Run became a thing.

Digimon Rumble Arena 2 (GameCube, PS2, Xbox)

Digimon, digital monsters; Digimon are the champions! Of plagiarism. Bandai clearly felt no shame making a fighter that copies the Smash Bros. in every conceivable way, right down to the style of the character select screen. But for those that prefer Agumon to Charizard, this is a serviceable Smash clone that uses health bars to determine KOs.

Does it do anything unique? Digimon can evolve (similar to some other digital monsters), allowing character can transform mid-fight into one of two distinct forms. That’s pretty rad, provided you know anything about digivolutions, or the fact that they’re supposed to called digivolutions.

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The post 15 Smash Bros. rip-offs that couldnt outdo Nintendo appeared first on Game News.

That, more or less, is how I think all Nintendo fans feel about the release of a new Smash Bros. We know it’s happening because there’s a website that posts new pictures every day, but we feel as though it’s too good to be true. It can’t possibly release sooner than later because we don’t deserve it. That’s why, whenever there’s a rumored release date that puts Smash Bros. on the Wii U and 3DS before 2018, people call bullshits. But, as yet another source validates a “soon” release, it’s time to start taking these things seriously.

This time the leak comes from Nintendo itself. Bernd Fakesch, general manager for Nintendo Germany, recently said that both Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. would be releasing in spring of 2014. And you know what? Recent history says that Mr. Fakesch is likely not faking.

First, let’s look at Nintendo’s recent release strategy. For the most part, the publisher has been fairly tight-lipped on future releases, save for the few hitting shelves in the immediate future. With the exception of games announced around the Wii U’s launch (for obvious reasons, since barely anything was done for the console’s debut), nearly every game discussed by Nintendo has been given a release date within a year of the reveal. That’s shocking, especially with the trend of announcing a game and then promoting the hell out of it for two years before even thinking of releasing it.

Nearly all of Nintendo’s big releases in 2013 were announced in 2013. Wind Waker HD, A Link Between Worlds, Super Mario 3D World, Pokemon X and Y, Sonic: Lost World, New Super Luigi U, and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team all released within months of their announcement, making up a vast majority of the big Nintendo games released this year. The only real exceptions to the rule come with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and a duo of Yoshi games, but DKC is releasing in a few months (and was supposed to be out by now before its delay), and there’s likely a good reason why neither Yoshi game has released yet.

Nintendo’s strategy here is actually sort of awesome. Sure, I have plenty of nostalgic memories of crying into my keyboard over Zelda delays, but this strategy is definitely beneficial in the long run. By and large, Nintendo seems to be holding off on big unveils for games over a year out, and with both Mario Kart and Smash Bros. being revealed at E3 2013, that would mean we shouldn’t be surprised to see them by that time next year.

There’s also the fact that Nintendo has been unleashing Smash Bros. news at an absurd rate. When Henry and I started Super Smash Bros. Wii U Weekly (every week on YouTube, btws) we anticipated having little-to-no information to talk about. Now, we have the opposite problem: hardly a month goes by without two new stages, a new character, and a bunch of other small reveals. There can’t be much left if Nintendo actually wants to release this thing with any secrets intact.

Oh, and the Wii U isn’t selling well, and Nintendo knows that, so, like, c’mon, you know it has to release stuff soon.

I know. I’m right there with you. I think it’s too good to be true. Smash Bros. releasing anytime before the end of 2014 just doesn’t feel right, and I think Nintendo is going to wise up, realize we don’t deserve Smash Bros. and take it away because we’re getting a C in math oh god oh god I’m hyperventilating. But Nintendo’s recent trends point towards a near-future where we’ll all be playing Smash Bros. together, and that’s something to get excited about.

The post Nintendo Germany says Smash Bros. is coming next spring, and its likely right appeared first on Game News.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U Weekly is GamesRadar’s weekly Super Smash Bros. Wii U show. Yeah, we bet you figured that out already. Come back every Wednesday for the latest news, analysis, and speculation about the upcoming brawler.

The post 3DS vs. Wii U – Super Smash Bros. Wii U Weekly (Episode 2) appeared first on Game News.

Now, when I use the term “rip off,” don’t mistake it for games that share a genre. If that were the case, every 2D platformer rips off Super Mario Bros (opens in new tab), every other puzzle game is a counterfeit of Tetris (opens in new tab), and any 3D fighting game ripped off Virtua Fighter (opens in new tab) (which, in turn, stole its fighting style from Street Fighter (opens in new tab)). No, what I mean is games that have such clear, specific inspirations that you can be sure it wouldn’t exist in its current form if it didn’t lift gameplay techniques wholesale from the games that pioneered them. And in many cases that’s completely forgivable.

Just look at last week’s release of Sleeping Dogs (opens in new tab), a game that wears its influences on its sleeve. Beyond the sandbox trappings firmly established by Grand Theft Auto III, the hand-to-hand combat is straight from the Batman: Arkham games (opens in new tab) and fans of Wheelman (opens in new tab) will recognize the source of hijacking cars. But listing influences ultimately doesn’t matter, because Sleeping Dogs executes so well on what it rips off, something many of the reviews (opens in new tab), including GamesRadar’s (opens in new tab), agree on.

You need only look back to 2010 for another perfect example of execution outpacing obvious inspirations. When the original Darksiders (opens in new tab) came out, more than a few knocked it for being a Legend of Zelda clone, something I’ll agree with despite loving the game. The dungeon structure was the same, they share sword-based combat, and exploration incorporates tools identical to boomerangs and hookshots. For extra uninspired credit, Darksiders also contains a weapon that shoots orange and blue portals. Seriously (opens in new tab).

Once I got over my reflexively negative reaction to the seeming lack of any originality in Darksiders, I settled into the game and found myself continually impressed by it. The developers had learned well from Zelda. Over and over again Darksiders proved it didn’t merely copy and paste from Link’s adventures, it had studied them closely. Developer Vigil Games skillfully implemented those lessons to give tribute to the games of their youth. And then Vigil went on to iterate further on these inspirations, delivering the even better (and more original) game in Darksiders II (opens in new tab).

The same pride in unoriginality was on display in Shadow Complex (opens in new tab). Developer Chair was open about its inspirations (opens in new tab), copping to lifting design strategies of Super Metroid (opens in new tab). Like Darksiders, you can tell it comes from a place of love and admiration, out to fill a niche Nintendo created and few outside of Castlevania (opens in new tab) had tried to fill. Chair, like Vigil, then took the gameplay and added aesthetics and story content that the originators didn’t approach, making for a game that people accepted with open arms. Shadow Complex continually shows up on best XBLA games (opens in new tab) lists and many are clamoring for a sequel.

There are so many examples of games I hold dear that may not blaze a new trail, but were outstanding all the same. Would Rhythm Thief exist without Professor Layton? Saints Row without GTA? Dante’s Inferno without God of War? League of Legends without Dota? Or Torchlight without Diablo? All of those are worth your time no matter how you feel about what they took from their sources.

The added irony of Kamiya’s statement is that he doesn’t need to look far to see the power of a brilliant rip off. Platinum’s Bayonetta (opens in new tab) is clearly inspired by Devil May Cry, though most would forgive that since many former DMC devs worked on the title. But few could argue that Okami would exist without Zelda’s 3D titles. Just like Darksiders, Okami closely shadowed the Zelda template, but used it tell a story all its own. It’s an unforgettable game thanks to all the ways it learned from and expanded on another franchise’s strengths. Instead of calling out those games as deceptive, gamers lauded Okami as a work of art and Platinum has quickly become one of the most respected companies in its field.

Believe me, artless re-creations and flagrant stealing can, and definitely should, be called out and given the lack of respect they deserve. Look at the negativity that met Limbo of the Lost (opens in new tab), a game that mirrored Oblivion in all the wrong ways. Then there’s Facebook heavyweight Zynga, which has been rightly accused multiple times for blatant theft of titles like Tiny Tower (opens in new tab) and The Sims Social (opens in new tab). However, give a game a chance to prove itself a sham. Just because Battle Royale’s inspiration is clear from the outset doesn’t mean it’s fate has been decided. Gamers should first take a deep breath and remember all the great times they had with “rip offs.” It worked for me.

You know that kid at parties who talks too much? Drink in hand, way too enthusiastic, ponderously well-educated in topics no one in their right mind should know about? Loud? Well, that kid’s occasionally us. GR Editorials is a semi-regular feature where we share our informed insights on the news at hand. Sharp, funny, and finger-on-the-pulse, it’s the information you need to know even when you don’t know you need it.

The post Its ok to be a rip off (as long as youre good at it) appeared first on Game News.