Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Reviews
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not bad. It is essentially Mini-Land Mayhem! with visual and technical upgrades. It never instills any sense of wonder or accomplishment, and it often feels more like work than play. It's a very paint-by-numbers affair; for a puzzle game it doesn't actually require much thinking, only doing. It is a game that exists, and that's about as much as there is to say about it.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars takes too long before it truly tickles your brain.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
The conundrums are clever, the characters cute, but there's precious little inspiration in Mario and Donkey Kong's latest puzzler
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 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.
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 amount of content in Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is great, but its lack of new ideas isn't.
I see myself getting a ton of mileage out the Workshop and Community options, which should keep me engaged for quite a while longer. If you are novice at puzzlers, Tipping Stars might be the game for you. Veterans will have to give this one a hard look, as it might only please them in the latter half of the journey.
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.
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 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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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 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.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a worthy entry to the series that'll appeal to existing fans and creative souls alike.
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.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars insures us that this series is still just fun and addictive as ever. Its new online 'tipping' system is original, and gives gamers more incentive to keep building. While Cross-Platform functionality is limited, you can't argue with getting two games for the price of one.