Nintendo Goes Mobile: A Game Changer?

Picture courtesy of Game Informer

This past week, Nintendo made a stunning announcement that they were teaming up with mobile game publisher DeNA to release games and apps on mobile devices. This was long rumored, and Nintendo constantly denied any desire to enter the mobile market, especially when its 3DS brand of handheld gaming devices has been selling incredibly well, even beating out both the PS4 and Xbox One in sales for the month of February. Nintendo will develop all of the games (which will all be brand-new, and not ports of existing games) while DeNA will lend their expertise to make sure the games fit within the mobile space. The announcement came alongside the reveal that Nintendo was also working on a new, next-generation home gaming console; usually news about a new gaming system would take center stage, but the revelation that gamers will soon be able to play Mario and Zelda on their smart phones or tablets is a huge deal.

In the wake of this announcement, Nintendo's stock rose almost 33%, which is great news for the gaming giant. Nintendo has always been a company that plays by its own rules, for better or worse. Most recently, this mindset has backfired in a major way; the Wii U has been a major critical and commercial disappointment (which is possibly the reason why they are currently working on a new, more powerful system) and many long-time fans are becoming more and more fed up with company's failure to keep up with the ever-changing gaming market. However, with the decision to develop and publish games on mobile devices, it seems as if Nintendo is finally willing to keep up with the times.

Even with the commercial and critical disappointment of the Wii U, Nintendo is still the world's most recognizable and popular video game company. Developing and releasing their games on smart phones and tablets is arguably the smartest move the company can make, especially in today's market. Mobile gaming is the biggest and most profitable in the entire industry, so by bringing their games to mobile devices, Nintendo has the opportunity to reach a new market and create a generation of new fans. Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata stated that the company hopes that their mobile games will help people become "interested in the Nintendo IP" and will become more motivated to buy a Wii U or 3DS.

Nintendo claims they want to begin releasing mobile titles as soon as this year, which is an admirable and attainable goal. In my opinion, the sooner they can get their games on mobile devices, the better. Despite their recent upswing in sales, Nintendo still has a lot of catching up to do if they want to go toe-to-toe with Sony and Microsoft. Hopefully this decision will lead to much greener pastures for the company; as someone who grew up with Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong, there is nothing I would like to see more than Nintendo be on top once again.

Helldivers Review: Glory in (Constant) Death

Image courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment

The beginning of each new year can be somewhat of a dead zone for gaming; all of the biggest releases are still on the horizon, and a solid new game is hard to come by. I typically use January/February as a place to catch up on my gaming backlog, but sometimes, out of nowhere, a great game sneaks up on me to (once again) push all of those unfinished games to the side.

Case in point: the brilliant and insanely tough Helldivers, a PlayStation-exclusive top down science fiction murder fest from Arrowhead Game Studios (whom you may recognize as the developers of Magicka).

If you've played Magicka, then Helldivers should feel right at home; you can team up with three of your buddies and traverse a near-endless stream of procedurally generated maps killing enemies and completing objectives. However, friendly fire is always on, meaning you have to coordinate with your friends in order to succeed. This adds a new layer of strategy and coordination; if you want to survive, you have to work together. And watch where you point your gun.

The setup for the game is straight out of Starship Troopers: you are a Helldiver, the best soldier that Super Earth has to offer. It is the distant future, and you are tasked you with eliminating the evil alien menace that is plaguing the galaxy and out to destroy Super Earth's way of life. It's up to you and your Helldiver pals to spread managed democracy across the universe and ensure freedom for generations to come! It's gleefully hilarious, especially since your character yells out "Have a fresh cup of tea-mocracy!" and "FREEDOM!" just about every time you kill something.

Gameplay is simple enough to grasp but has enough layers to create some unique strategy. You travel from planet to planet (each with varying difficulty) completing objectives, all the while trying to escape with your life. You have an arsenal of weapons that can be expanded and improved the more you level up. Each planet you visit also has scientific samples that you can collect to gain research points, which are in turn used to level up your weapons and abilities. Each player has the ability to call in support via strategems; equipment ranges from turrets and ammo to an APC and even a giant mech suit. Before you leave each mission, you have to wait on your escape shuttle; it's a little 'last stand' of sorts, with enemies coming at you from all sides. It's frantic and incredibly fun, especially when you throw other players and multiple strategems into the mix. Controls are precise, meaning you have no one but yourself to blame if you die.

Helldivers doesn't hold your hand at all. It rarely does you any favors, so that means it's up to you to take care of yourself and your teammates. Everything in this game can kill you: your friends, your own weapons, your defensive equipment, a teammate's drop pod, even the rescue shuttle can flatten your ass. You may thing that's a little too much, and at times it can be (especially when you're close to the end of a mission) but trust me when I say that nothing that Helldivers threw at me was frustrating. In fact, the multiple deaths made the game that much more fun (and hilarious). The feeling of accomplishment you get when you clear an insanely tough mission is incredibly rewarding.

You can play the game solo, but I would strongly suggest you either play with friends or use matchmaking. Helldivers is made for co-op, and it's much more entertaining and rewarding playing with others.

We're barely into 2015, but Helldivers is all but guaranteed to secure a spot on my "Best of" list at the end of the year. It's been a while since I have played as rewarding and entertaining game as this. I highly suggest you gather three of your closest buddies and dive straight into hell; you'll have a damn good time.

Just prepare to die. A lot.