Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Reviews
Unlike previous Mario vs Donkey Kong games, which were mostly effortless recommendations, Tipping Stars is a game where the recommendation comes with a lot of caveats. As long as you keep those in mind, and keep your expectations tempered, there is no reason to not get the game at all. For what it is, Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is well made and a lot of fun.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is enjoyable but rather easy, even in later stages. The main attraction here is the stage builder where after unlocking everything you can build practically any kind of stage you wish. While some people tend to make stages simply to give easy stars in the hopes of getting easy stars in return, there are stages where a lot of thought was put into them and are challenging. If you like the series, you'll enjoy Tipping Stars, but you might find it a bit too easy.
'Tipping Stars', Nintendo's latest installment in the 'Mario vs. Donkey Kong' series, offers up tons of content and compelling central mechanic, but struggles to justify its price point.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is very reminiscent of Lemmings, as the goal is to guide Mario and friends through levels by manipulating objects around them, instead of directly controlling them. Creating inventive ways to avoid hazards and collect coins make each level a challenging, but endearing, experience. The ranking system is well crafted to make the game appealing to both casual and competitive gamers. Creating new levels in the workshop mode and then sharing them online adds further replay value to a game that is already rich in content. The whole package is presented with beautiful visuals and an incredible soundtrack to create something that should not be missed.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars might not be the smash-hit the Wii U needs to lift its sluggish sales figures and lacks the graphical flourishes we've seen in other Nintendo first-party software, but for pre-existing fans of the series and puzzle-lovers alike it's sure to provide more than its fair share of entertainment. Besting all of the single-player stages is no mean feat, but its the level creation tool - along with the online community which accompanies it - that are certain to make this a release which continues to attract attention months if not years from now.
And as a game in its own right? You can't accuse it of being short on content, features or ideas, but it's hardly long on them either, and it's a shade overpriced for what it is. Perhaps worse, you can tell that Tipping Stars is a game made with care but without passion, a game that isn't its own raison d'�tre. Like the little clockwork Marios marching toward their goal, it's got purpose, but it's not the real, joyful thing.
The level editor is an excellent choice to add to the game and the possibility to download its version released for the other console upon purchase is a welcoming sign from Nintendo. It could improve, though, by showing more original content when compared to its predecessors.
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Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is hardly a game-changer, as it plays it too safe instead of establishing a truly remarkable entry in the series. Still, thanks to some solid community-based support and a reasonable Cross-Buy program, it's a moderate enough value to build upon, especially if you're a fan of the series.
Like Minis on the Move, Tipping Stars won't draw the kind of crowd Mario's other extracurricular activities (kart racing, tennis, golf) might, but it's no less a quality way to kill time while on the go.
The amount of content in Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is great, but its lack of new ideas isn't.
Despite not doing anything particularly new, Tipping Stars still a great puzzle game that does a nice job straddling the line between fun and frustrating.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not a bad puzzle platformer, it just doesn't bring anything new to the table. The cross-buy between Wii U and 3DS is a welcome bonus, but perhaps this was done because the game feels very much like mini game for your phone and is not very well suited for either of the two systems.
The best part of playing Tipping Stars is finding a devilishly clever community-made level to enjoy, but is that good enough? The basic gameplay in this entry just seems uninspired, especially its main campaign. It feels like Nintendo's famed devotion to fun first is simply missing from the game, which merely ports a too-familiar formula to new devices. It's time to just let these lemmings jump off the cliff.
A disappointingly familiar entry in the long-running puzzle series, that comes across as very cheap (in terms of production values, if not price) but not particularly cheerful.
Removing "what", limiting "where," and focusing on "when" limits what can really be done in the main stages. The minimal "storytelling" that wraps the main game suggests where the developers wanted the focus to be: in the experimentation and design of the Workshop and in the sharing of the Community. That other stuff? Just a tech demo.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is an enjoyable and involving puzzle game, particularly for younger gamers, which despite its relatively short campaign has a number of tricks up its sleeve to guarantee that you'll be returning to it many months later. The level editor is a great example of empowering players with clear and solid tools, which allow you to to work creatively and effectively without being hampered by overly complicated systems.
Tipping Stars is just about what you'd expect from a modern Mario vs. Donkey Kong title: unique, fun in short bursts, and inexpensive—but nevertheless, nothing terribly exciting. Although it certainly is the product of Nintendo's B-game (in contrast to the blockbuster, irresistibly creative products it's known for churning out elsewhere), it's a nifty $20 distraction that does include a respectably versatile level designer and affiliated online sharing system.
The conundrums are clever, the characters cute, but there's precious little inspiration in Mario and Donkey Kong's latest puzzler
Nintendo has released an all-new Mario vs. Donkey Kong title for both the 3DS and Wii U that not only offers more of the same, addictive puzzle gameplay, but new features that will improve its replayability a great deal.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a worthy entry to the series that'll appeal to existing fans and creative souls alike.