Tag GameMill Entertainment

GameMill and Nickelodeon have teamed up to bring the second installment of the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl to consoles, how does it fare?

I enjoy a good fighting game, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter will forever hold special places in my heart. When GameMill reached out with the opportunity to review Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, I jumped at the chance, despite never having played the original. For obvious reasons I can’t speak to how it compares or builds on the original, however being a fan of fighting games I CAN speak to fighting games. When it comes to fighting games I have a weird relationship where I regularly lose and keep coming back for more. My biggest failure is that I can never learn or master combos.

In nearly every way the game feels like a clone of the latest version of Super Smash Bros from Nintendo. The biggest difference is the characters in the game, SSB focuses on Nintendo characters and IPs where NASB is centered around the many characters from Nickelodeon. Controls are similar but only about as similar as you can make them comparing Switch to Xbox controllers. In both games they mix stunning 3d models with cartoon or 8-bit drawn stickers battling in fully rendered worlds. The combat plays almost exactly like SSB or Multiversus but in the story mode you alternate between picking up boosts, fighting other characters and then fighting nameless foes. This game is more than just a simple fighter, there’s a story (admittedly I haven’t made it too far into the story, like I said, I’m not that great at these games) with branching paths to unlock different characters and bonuses. SSB had something similar that made it feel more like an RPG but this is more linear. We had a great time with this one and look forward to playing some more soon.

Dreamworks and GameMill have teamed up once again to deliver a racing game that uses only their vast intellectual properties with Dreamworks All-Star Kart Racing!

Racers, are you ready? GameMill and Dreamworks sent us a copy of their new All-Star Kart Racing game that exclusively uses many of the Dreamworks characters we know and love. Some of those characters include the Trolls, Hiccup, Po and Donkey, just to name a few. It even has BOTH Boss Babies. All kart racing games can’t help but the classic and wildly popular Mario Kart franchise. There’s no point avoiding it but we’ll keep it to a minimum.

Like many racing titles you start with a list of characters and vehicles, more are available to unlock though by playing challenges or races. Most of the achievements are lifetime gameplay based where some are based on completing specific challenges. For the most part those challenges are mostly default matches where you must win the race AND usually perform a specific goal. For example one of the challenges you play as Puss in Boots and must perform 15 trick jumps and win. As long as you followed the tutorial and hit the magic paths this shouldn’t be too difficult- unless you land the jumps out of bounds. I did that a bunch and took me several tries to complete it.

Visually the game is solid but shines when the effects and magic paths are flying everywhere. Most games force the AI to stick to the prescribed track but this one sends them down the secret and magic paths, giving them an edge that increases the challenge without unfairly boosting their stats. That means improving your own skills will be important. Controls are a little sticky at times and lack the sensitivity needed to weave around some of the cars but the controlled drift mechanics help by adding boosts once you learn to use them regularly. Overall this was a solid contender because of the IP and details in the stages but lack the polish and battle modes of Mario Kart. If you are looking for a racing-centric kart game or don’t really enjoy the battle then this will be perfect for you but if you want something to rival MK then this one is the closest we’ve had but still falls short.

Dreamworks and GameMill have partnered together to release Trolls Remix Rescue, an adventure game through the vibrant world of the Trolls.

Just in time for the upcoming Trolls film, Dreamworks and GameMill have partnered to release Trolls Remix Rescue. You start the game by choosing or creating your own custom Troll and after grabbing your headphones you are ready to show off your DJ skills. Like any Troll custom you must complete a dance battle before you can show your music skills. Those familiar with films will instantly recognize the game’s villain- Chaz the smooth jazz troll. Even in the films and show Poppy was always quick to forgive and forget. Chaz has convinced her that he lost his mojo and wants to play music at the Pop Troll’s music festival to try to find it. He then uses smooth jazz to brainwash all of the trolls but you, because you are the only one wearing headphones.

Both films had some of the best graphics I’ve ever seen in an animated film and as such my expectations were a little high. Sadly the game fell short in a big way there. The water effects were quite similar to those in the films but the glare at times was too intense that my kids had to leave the room as it was giving them a headache using the default settings. The story feels like it is truly from the same world as Poppy and her crew but the graphics just fail to live up to the same quality. Controls are simple to learn for an adult but mastering some of the combos with the unforgiving nature of some of the enemies can be overwhelming for a child. The game quickly became too difficult for my 8-year old daughter. Overall I enjoyed the game but I think the controls made it too difficult for my children to enjoy for their overall experience. Basically the best options if your kids want to play is to play for them and have the younger ones watch.

The folks over at GameMill Entertainment have delivered on one of the greatest franchises ever known- GI Joe!

Being a child of the Eighties I grew up with the original GI Joe cartoon series and to this day still read the comics. Other than the original title on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) I have even played every video game title released for the franchise. Very few forms of media have captured my attention or devotion like GI Joe has. Several months ago I learned that this game was going to be released and reached out to GameMill directly to see if we could cover the game using a review copy and they graciously agreed.

Expectations

Having played the other GI Joe titles I was expecting a simple game with very linear levels using the likeness of some of my favorite characters. What we got was something entirely different.

Reality of this GI Joe Title

The levels are mostly linear but with a bit of room for exploration. Collectibles hidden throughout the levels means you’ll have some replayability but not enough to overcome the monotony of some portions of levels. The characters and story look like they straight out of the comics. The story is very linear but focuses on both sides of the war, not just the good guys. This game is far from simplistic too. Even on the easier difficulties expect to die, a few times per level. This game is not your typical walk in the park, in fact I know seasoned gamers that commented on the difficulty level. My advice to you is to start on the lowest difficulty and replay on the higher difficulties. Replaying the levels on the higher difficulty will allow you to use built in level modifications and have a much easier time on the level. The best mods are those that give unlimited ammo or bigger shields.

The Breakdown

This game has the look and feel of the comics, as if it was written by Larry Hama himself, and has the world mechanics to cater to nearly every game style. If you are a fan of GI Joe or of a challenge then this game is a must play for you. (Editor’s note: The fact that this game was provided for review had no bearing on the thoughts/opinions expressed here.)