Mighty No. 9: A trying tale from crowd funding to download

Just about everyone that has been playing games since the golden years of Nintendo has encountered Mega Man and struggled to take down the dastardly Dr…this isn’t about that game, but this is about it’s creator’s quest to bring a predecessor to the current generation through a bumpy crowd funding campaign. The drama is behind us at this point and the game is here, so let’s focus on the what has been provided to the fans and backers along with the experience. Mighty No. 9 is a side scrolling action game in which you take on the role of Beck in the year 20XX as the ninth robot among a number others designed to compete in the Battle Coliseum; the twist is that Beck is the only one that isn’t infected by an unknown virus. Each of the robots have a unique power in which, surprise, you take over their power upon defeating. Instead of the familiar jump and shoot, a dash attack has been introduced in which bonus’ are rewarded based on timing and combos. Let’s see how Mighty No. 9 lives up to its predecessor and if that classic 2D action holds up.

Right out of the gate, my experience felt slightly nostalgic and then after being introduced to the cast of characters, I got those old warm and fuzzy feelings. With each of the bosses providing a new special ability upon defeat, making selection of the next stage being strategically chosen based off newly acquired skills to help with completion of the next stage. I personally felt that Mighty No. 9 was not quite as difficult as I was expecting, however there was some stages that provided the frustrating level of difficulty that would make me set down the controller and step away after many failed attempts. There was something that stood out to me, particularly like a sore thumb were the boss character designs, they did not seem to fit in or look finished in contrast to the bright and flashy level designs and enemies. Another throwback that took me back to the patch less good old days is the music and there is good reason for that as it is the same composers, including Manami Matsumae, who have worked with Keiji Inafune numerous times in the past. 

While Mighty No. 9, seems extremely linear, being a side scrolling game with 12 unique stages and boss battles, there are a number of various game modes included, which are unlocked throughout gameplay. Such modes include Challenge Mode that consists of various mini missions, Boss Rush Mode to race against your best times, harder difficulties, along with 2 Player Online Race Battles and Co-Op Challenge Modes. I enjoyed most of my experience with Mighty No. 9, even though there were some gripes here and there, particularly by the main character designs and the story that I found myself skipping through cut scenes stages in. While it’s roots are definitely visible in this title, I feel that it has enough going for it to stand on it’s own and bring in a new audience that is not familiar with the previous classics of Keiji Inajune. Mighty No. 9 is available now across just about every console for $29.99.

Deadlight: Director’s Cut: The console zombie 2D platformer now on consoles

I have been provided with a code for Deadlight Director’s Cut, a title that I really had no idea about, which tend to be my favorite titles to review, especially when they are games in this particular genre. Deadlight is a 2D platforming game where you play as Randall in 1986 Seattle searching for family he was separated from. It is you against zombies and puzzles with weapons if sneaking is too passive for you, so let's see how Deadlight goes.  

Immediately out of the gate, I am reminiscent of the time spent with Limbo and Castlevania. It also has a nice level of difficulty by making ammo scarce and puzzles thought invoking when zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you. Visually it looks great, while the foreground is dark and the background is a detailed apocalyptic Seattle. While the gameplay was fun and visually it looked great, I am not sure if it was the story or the animation style had me skipping cut scenes shortly after starting. 

On top of the ability to now play Deadlight on the current consoles, Survival Arena changes things up by fighting off waves of zombies and while it was entertaining, progressing up the leaderboards kept me returning. The Director's Cut includes a digital art book and the original Developer Diaries to provide fans with more insight to the Deadlight series. Deadlight: Director's Cut is available now for $19.99 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The Dead Island Trifecta: Dead Island and Riptide Definitive Collection, topped with Retro Revenge

Coming from someone that it not a fan of HD remastering of previous generation titles, it is time for a game in which I think is a perfect fit to be polished and reshelved, and that game being Dead Island. One of my favorite zombie open world survivor games, up there with Left 4 Dead, has been rebuilt and both Dead Island and Riptide Definitive Collection are available as a big scary package or individually. However, should you choose to get the retail collection, you also receive you will also receive Dead Island Retro Revenge, a 16-bit side scrolling beat em up. Time to see how they hold up as we head back to Banoi, so who do you Voodoo bitch?

As this is a remake there is no need to go over the originality that came with Dead Island, so I might as well jump right into how it looks and plays. What a lot of zombie survival games, there is that lack of urgency or atmosphere that seems haunting. My favorite part of Dead Island was how hectic it is. If you do not perform zombie population control, the difficulty curve gets steep very quickly and if that isn’t bad enough, you need to constantly keep a pulse on your weapons’ remaining durability. This doesn’t change in the transition to next gen consoles, the noticeable differences are in the looks and smoothly it now plays. 

In the Definitive Collection, I did not experience slow down in frame rate regardless to the situation I find myself in. I did find myself stopping and enjoying the tropical scenery of Banoi littered with the undead as it just looks so much better. These improvements are made possible by way of a new photorealistic lighting system, anti aliasing, and improved game models. The interface has also seen a bit of a change and the Power Fists have been introduced, a power up that was introduced as an unofficial PC mod.

Last but not least, we have Dead Island Retro Rampage, a side scrolling, 16-bit, endless running, beat em up. In comparison to the aforementioned games, Retro Revenge has a more light hearted and simpler approach, tasking Max with going on a rampage to find his stolen cat. I had a lot of fun with it as it still had that melee heavy combat and mature content with a look that takes me back to gaming in the early nineties, without the slow processing power. To provide that current feel, leaderboards and trophies kept me coming back for more, while the power ups, super attacks, and combos kept it fresh. 

MashButtons takes back Philly in Homefront: The Revolution

It has been a few weeks since the release of Homefront: The Revolution and wanted to wait until some of the title’s lingering bugs had been patch to provide my impressions. The Revolution is the sequel to the 2011, Homefront. In this open world title, you are tasked with leading the Philadelphia resistance to take back your homeland from Korean takeover. The city of Philadelphia changes as you re-take your home, and be sure to takes some recruits as it is dangerous to go it alone. Now that I have gotten a deeper look at the game, it is time to share the experience. 

Sure it may not have been very polished looking or a story with characters that stayed captivating, but the gameplay was fun, fast, and with just enough difficulty. The mission difficulty tended to vary on the number of recruits with me and the health packs I had at my disposal, when I went at strike points alone it often led to frustration. The customization of weapons on the fly was another item I particularly appreciated as certain weapons have dual purposes making tactics on the fly easier to navigate. This was really nice because it meant I did not have to go to my cellphone interface that felt like a step back in time to an era before smart phones. 

The reason in which I was hesitant to post my impressions was due to a number of bugs encountered early in the game making it very difficult to progress through the story. Good news about the recent patch, it feels as though the game now plays as it was intended. With that being said, the way it was intended is a fun open world shooter with weapon customization and four player online coop missions. Homefront: The Revolution also came out at a great time with the next couple months being light in big game releases. 

Mashbuttons grinds away in Sacred 3 review

The time has come in which the sequel to Sacred 2 has come and for those unaware, Sacred 2 was a massive top down, open world, dungeon crawling, action adventure title in which I spent just as many hour exploring as I put in to the similar Diablo 3, yeah it was that good. Enough about its predecessor, let’s get to the title at hand, Sacred 3 allows you to play as one of five character classes that play significantly differently in the fight for Arcania. Play with a friend in two-player offline coop, four-player online coop, and if you choose to take on the burden yourself, but I suggest against it, as your journey will consist of lots of level grinding depending on the class you choose.

Shortly after I chose my character, I decided to go with the new Malakhim class, there was a big lack in character customization and the world was no longer open but now a level tree to play through. The character classes still play significantly different which makes for a lot of fun in online matches when you can get into one, but in my time spent with this title, I had no one join my match and the fee that I tried to join, I was immediately booted from. The gameplay is where it is at as the action is fast, I did not experience slowdown when things got hectic, and after each level, I was able to upgrade and change my character's skills and weapon load outs based on the amount of ass kicked in the previously missions.

In the end, no, this is not a true sequel to Sacred 2, as the only thing that is consistent is the character classes and the top down action. Did that ruin my experience, absolutely not, I had a lot of fun with Sacred 3 as it was easy to pick up and play a mission or two to kill time, and while I was not able to play online, the online leaderboards added a replay element to grinding and replaying missions. That being said, if you are a fan of titles like Gauntlet Legends, this game will make you feel nostalgic and the couch coop made the experience very enjoyable. Sacred 3 ultimately felt like what Sacred Citadel should have been as it feels like a fleshed out version of that, and had they chosen to add a moniker to the title or did not use the ‘3’, it would have a larger community online. Sacred 3 is available now on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC for $49.99.

MashButtons get colorful for Saints row 4 review

The time has finally come, you know that time in which we get our early copy of Saints Row 4 and the onslaught of people threatening to ban me for playing pirated games come in. In the spirit of of the content in hand, this review is going to be pretty fucking colorful and what better occasion to let the shit fly. The Saints are once again in the shit but this time not as celebrity figures but as the big badass commander in chief, of course still customizable to your liking. Shit gets real in the forth installment as this time their are motherfucking aliens out for Saints blood, as the leader of the Saints you must save the free world from the bastard Zin Empire. These bastards are lead by a real shitbird named Zinyak and he captures the president and cabinet, locking them in a mental prison cellblock where you are equipped with superhero abilities.

Now that I am sleep deprived from playing hours on end doing absolutely nothing that progresses the storyline and just random shit in the fake world of Steelport, I came to terms that this is likely not leaving my Xbox 360 disk tray for a while. The gameplay is smooth and very similar to most other open world games out there, but this bitch slaps games today by satirizing titles we have loved (or hated) from the current and previous generations. The customization is where I had the most fun and you can change just about anything from the weapon appearance, chest and crotch sizes, personal appearance, superpowers, and other shit. There is a fun and off the fucking wall story that really made me feel like I was playing The Naked Gun of open world sandbox games.

The downside, ha what downside, this game is so much fun that...shit, I forgot about those times in which I rage quit doing the tower climbs. A little word to the wise, upgrade your jump ability early as you will rely on on it to climb the alien towers and complete missions. There were a couple times in which I did encounter bugs which caused me to reboot my Xbox, but at the time in which I typed up this review I had been informed that there will be a day one update to address these issues. Lastly, there were times in which I would go into missions not knowing if I was going to get my ass handed to me and had me screaming obscenities, but after 4,5, 10 attempts, it was apparent to level grind and just come back later.

Saints Row 4 is a damn good time, from the over the top story and the satire of other games' stories and play styles had me laughing out loud, looking for easter eggs, and just fucking shit up in ways that only a Saint can appreciate. Like Saints Row of past, there is a lot of side missions and activities to do throughout the world and more often than not, I would be headstrong on missions, find a cluster on a rooftop, look around, and spend the next hour going rooftop to rooftop for more clusters to upgrade my super abilities. I still hear the relation of Saints Row to GTA, sure that may have been how it had been perceived in the sandbox games, but do not go in expecting GTA, expect a game that is open world like a number of games but by no means ever takes itself too serious. Saints Row 4 gets a “fucking A right” from MashButtons, now just need it to be released to get in on some coop action.

Dead Island | Review

Every now and then, a game comes along that no one really expects much from; usually from a lesser known developer, and publisher, and sort of flies under the radar.  Please direct your attention to Dead Island, a little gem from developer Techland, and published by Deep Silver, just released last week.  You'll actually have a hard time finding a copy, as they're flying off shelves at all retailers, but if you find one, snap it up; for with it, you'll find one hell of a ride.



I played Dead Island at E3 back in June, in a private room with some of the games developers.  At the time, I thought, it had some potential, but I was left with a pretty non-descript taste in my mouth.  Was this because we were dropped into the story unbeknownst of the actual time line with no context?  Or was it the hub-bub of our crazy schedule, and the buzz of the showroom floor (and other titles) that kept me from really enjoying it?  I'll never know...perhaps it was just another 3-4 months of polish the team put in, cause now, I CAN'T STOP playing this game.

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Your newest information regarding Dead Island involves a rapper

Sir Mix A Lot, I mean Sam B is the newest character announced for the uber pretty upcoming zombie slayer, Dead Island. He is a soon to be washed up one hit wonder booked by the Royal Palms to perform, "Who Do You Voodoo?" On his way to hold on to the fame and get back on the map, Sam B finds out he has a lot more in store for him.

When was the last time you wanted to know more about a game this bad?

I have come to realize that I do not think I have been in this much anticipation just from a trailer and a few shots as I have with Dead Island. Why is this so? Is it due to the production level of the trailer, the premise of zombies on an island, or an incredible marketing team? Either way, I am frothing at the bit for the opportunity to get my hands on it and see if it lives up to the hype. While waiting though, you can enjoy the latest pictures received for Dead Island.

Where the hell did the epic trailer for Dead Island come from?

You remember my review for Nail'd? The off road over the top racing game I recently raved about? Well, it's developer Techland has released a trailer for it's upcoming zombie survivor game, Dead Island. Let me just say, it's looks pretty epic, where did it come from, why haven't I heard of this before, and when can I get my hands on it? Sorry, was that more than one question, I was too overwhelmed with what I just saw.

Nail’d | Review

Synopsis: The time has come for the feel good over the top off road racer which is nail’d, to hit consoles and PC’s and it is our duty as always to play the hell out of it and see how it stacks up. The have done a number of races, both online and off, with Deep Silver's new racer, so let’s get down to the brass tacks. The game is based on it’s over the top speed and tracks, while providing depth with the ability to choose from motorcycles or ATV’s, both being fully customizable. Boosting has been brought into the equation to give you the edge on racers, earned by landing huge death defying jumps, landing on opponents, and making your way through fiery gates. The break neck action is accompanied by a rock, punk, and metal soundtrack fitting to the blur of dominating roller coaster like tracks.

Praise: I’m hooked! I do not think I have had this much fun with an off road racer since the MX vs ATV series, but with speeds that make DiRT 2 look slow, how could it be anything but fun. This is not a racer to be taken seriously but a racer that makes the player sit on the edge of their seat trying to nail unfathomable jumps, with the flair of an SSX title on wheels. One of the biggest features that I feel makes this title forgiving is the ability to steer in midair, though not realistic, the formula works wonderfully. The tracks are massive and beautiful looking with a number of routes taking many plays to master and find gates to keep your boost gauge at max. Whether your preference is two or four wheels, racers can choose their vehicle of mass destruction and customize it as they see fit. There are a large number of events on over a handful of tracks to keep players coming back for more.

Gripes: Though not without faults, it does only have a few that didn’t affect the gameplay for me. The first being that you are unable to pull off tricks, which seems like it would be a good fit for the amount of time spent flying. Licensed vehicles would have also made this game stand out a little bit more, but for the price it isn’t a huge complaint. My biggest issue with this title is probably the small online community as I have not successfully located a server when quick match is selected, however, if I create an online match, it does not take long to locate other people to play against. Other than that, those were the only issues I could find while playing.

Overall, nail’d is my go to guilty pleasure of the year, as there is a good amount of replay value, fast and fun gameplay, and free DLC out of the box, adding to everything racers have to take advantage of. If you are looking for a realistic racer, this is not for you, but if you are in the market for an over the top racer and tracks that leave you breathless at times, I highly suggest this title. For those on the fence, the price starts at $49.99 new to prevent sticker shock. See you all online!

Mashbuttons.com gives Nail’d 2 a 9 out of 10.

Nail’d is available now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

White knuckes got you down, Deep Silver has a solution for that!

This just in from those comical folks at Deep Silver, a white knuckle cream to prevent you from those embarrassing moments. Check out the infomercial and testimonials to brighten your Thursday and prepare you for the gravity defying Nail'd.

Risen | Review

Synopsis: Our mailbox is overflowing, and this time it is SouthPeak Games that chose to provide the most recent review copy, with Risen for the Xbox 360. Risen is a RPG where you assume the role of a stowaway on a ship shortly after becoming shipwrecked. The game is made up of four chapters in which you choose the side to complete the story on along with making your own decisions as you see fit. The open world also lets you discover new places and people in the order in which you choose, ultimately reducing linear gameplay and eliminating load screens. With the onslaught of similar RPG’s such as Sacred 2, Divinity, and now Risen, die hard RPG fans are having a tougher time trying to figure which game will be worth losing that much sleep, hopefully this review helps with having to make that decision.

Praise: Risen is not your normal RPG, like Dragon Age, Oblivion, or Mass Effect because it seems to target the hardcore RPG fan. After recently beating Mass Effect 2, I gladly welcome Risen to be my next RPG to throw my free time at. The biggest selling point for me is the huge open word, where you talk to anyone, do the missions in the order you want, and fight then rob anyone you please (which is not a good idea to do early in the game as it will mostly likely backfire on you). It’s just refreshing to know you don’t have to do “this” in order to complete “that”, so its easy to pick up and play a few simple tasks while you have some free time, but easier to say, one more mission or one more level, then before you know it, you are either late or realizing you’re not going to get much sleep. Moral paths seem to be a common feature put in games recently, but in Risen, it is harder to determine which side is “bad”, the Inquisitors or the Rebels, I went the rebel route. Looting seems to be an part of the RPG’s we have all grown to love, besides how the game controls and story, but in Risen there is no restriction to what you can carry, it is a dream come true, not having to worry about constantly managing what you are carrying just to make space for something bigger and better.

Gripes: If you can’t remember the last time you saved your game, then it’s probably a good time to save. The reason being, is that the autosave feature does not happen often enough and before you get to the higher levels you will die, a lot, and have to restart from the last point in which the game was saved. The combat is live action, and while you are able to assign hot keys, but in most cases, I used those for items to replenish health and went into combat, mashing the attack button while occasionally blocking. Another thing I found awkward in the gameplay was having to arm my weapon to attack and disarm to loot or pick up items, I got used to it after a couple hours, but missed out on items early on because I forgot to disarm my weapon after killing enemies.

Overall, this is my second attempt to review Risen, unfortunately, my PC kept asking for the original DVD and I still haven’t seen an available patch to fix. However, Risen for the Xbox 360 quickly eliminates flashbacks of frustration with having the opportunity to explore a massive world, loot, answer questions to determine your character’s path, and did I mention loot? Risen has a LOT of gameplay to keep you busy, claiming over sixty hours of gameplay, and with having the ability to choose your own path and the freedom to pass up missions to streamline the story or take your time to try and complete every task you take on and any enemy you stumble upon.

Mashbuttons.com gives Risen 7 out of 10.

Risen is available now for the Xbox 360 and PC.

Risen boxart revealed!

Looking in my email its about that time, box art and preview time, that is. Here is the box art for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of Deep Silver's Risen. I am even throwing in a little trailer for those like me that haven't heard of the title.



Risen is a new RPG title that is broken into four chapters and your character will have multiple ways to develop through the story by their actions and decisions made throughout the course of the game. We should have more details as the release gets closer, so we can all get more familiar as to what to expect in this release.