Week ending 11/30 & November Game of the Month
Thank goodness November is finally over. It was a hectic month — that will go down in gaming history as one of the greatest ever — thanks, in no part, to the launch of two brand spanking new consoles from both Sony and Microsoft.
There was also the usual flood of major releases primed for the holiday madness likeTearaway, Forza Motorsport 5, Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldsand Call of Duty: Ghosts.
But more importantly there was one title that grabbed the attention of the Destructoid staff more than any other game this month and perhaps is just the kick a certain Nintendo console needs to sell like hotcakes this winter season.
Scroll to the bottom to see our November Game of the Month winner!
Previous November Round-ups:
Week ending 11/23Week ending 11/16Week ending 11/9
Stick It to the Man!(PlayStation 3 [reviewed], PS Vita)Developer: Zoink!Publisher: RipstoneRelease Date: November 19, 2013 (PS3), Early December (Vita)MSRP: $12.99 (with Cross-Buy)
I enjoyed the ever-loving crap out of this game. From the cast of zany characters — many of whom you may think are throwaways only for them to show up again in later levels — to the crazy art style, level and puzzle design, and whimsically hilarious script. Everything is pitch-perfect. And whileStick It to the Man!isn’t a particularly long title (it may only take you between three to five hours to complete the game’s ten chapters) there’s loads to observe and listen in on, and dozens of minds per level to explore, leaving you wanting more. I couldn’t get enough of it.
Read the full Stick It to the Man! review
Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know!(3DS [reviewed] PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360)Developer: WayForward TechnologiesPublisher: D3 PublisherRelease Date: November 19, 2013MSRP: $29.99 (3DS), $39.99 (PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360)
At some point during the development process ofAdventure Time: Explore the Dungeon3DS, someone should have looked at the current build, and scrapped the project entirely. WhereasRegular Show 3DSwas a flawed love letter to retro fans,Explore the Dungeonis a sheet of paper with chicken scratch scrawled on it. It’s the worst game WayForward has put out in years, and yet another example of a wasted licensed game opportunity.
Read the fullAdventure Time: Explore the Dungeon review
Borderlands 2 Headerhunter 2: The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler(Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed])Developer: Gearbox SoftwarePublisher: 2K GamesReleased: November 26, 2013MSRP: $2.99
After the disappointingly mediocreT.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest, I went intoThe Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobblerwith tempered expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. Though the core gameplay is largely unchanged and the set of missions are just as short in length,Wattle Gobblerfeatures a more fleshed out narrative, with funnier and more important dialogue. Mister Torgue shines as one of the most well-written characters in all of Pandora, and that brilliance helps make this DLC pack more worthwhile than the last one.
Read the fullBorderlands 2 Headerhunter 2: The Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle here
Fighter Within(Xbox One)Developer: AMA, Ltd.Publisher: UbisoftRelease Date: November 22, 2013MSRP: $59.99
Fighter Withinis a lazy tech demo with a poor story, unimpressive fighting engine, and a forgettable cast. Maybe one day we’ll have a cool Kinect fighting game, where everyone at EVO is flailing around with some semblance of strategic value. But this is not that day.
Read the fullFighter Withinreview
Soulcalibur II HD Online(PSN, XBLA [reviewed])Developer: Project SoulPublisher: Namco BandaiRelease Date: November 20, 2013MSRP: $19.99
Soulcalibur II HD Onlineis a nearly flawless update of a decade old title. While it’s unfortunate that the online modeisn’tnearly as polished as the rest of the game, the true soul of the game has never looked so beautiful. Hopefully Namco works out the kinks in the netcode, but even with its shortcomings there is more than enough game here to warrant another go with this fighting game classic.
Read the fullSoulcalibur II HD Onlinehere
Mario Party: Island Tour(3DS)Developer: Nd CubePublisher: NintendoRelease Date: November 22, 2013MSRP: $39.99
The only true merit ofMario Party: Island Touris the ability to playMario Partywith your local friends on the 3DS. As long as they have a 3DS and are close-by, playing via Download Play is fairly quick and painless. However, the lack of online play and the overall single-player experience is a pretty big bummer. Unless you’re desperate and need a quickMario Partyfix on the go, stick with a console version if you can.
Read the full Mario Party: Island Tour here
BandFuse: Rock Legends(PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed])Developer: Realta Entertainment GroupPublisher: Mastiff GamesRelease Date: November 19, 2013MSRP: $69.99 (Artist Pack: game + 1/4″ to USB guitar cable), $79.99 (Band Pack: 2 guitar cables, mic, 4-port USB hub, acoustic guitar adapter – game NOT included), $179.99 (Guitar Bundle – Guitar Center Exclusive: game, guitar cable, & Fender Squire Bullet guitar)
It’s impressive to see a game such as this, focused on not only teaching you how to play guitar, but also how to have fun with it. The multiplayer extensions are a blast (if you have that many guitars, or friends that can play), and the karaoke and backing track selections can really further the creativity. While the jumps in difficulty can be drastic at the higher levels, there’s still plenty of ways to adapt, andBandFusesurprises at each step.
Read the fullBandFuse: Rock Legendshere
Read the fullSuper Mario 3D Worldreview