51. Mario Kart 8 (WIIU)
52. Quell Reflect (3DS)
53. Electronic Super Joy: Groove City (WIIU)
52. Rage of the Gladiator (3DS)
54. Electonic Super Joy (WIIU)
55. Ascent of Kings (WIIU)
Rage of the Gladiator (3DS) is the best Punch Out!! game in years. In it, you play as a prince sentenced to fight against various warriors and mythical creatures in the arena for murdering your father, the king. (Guess what? You find out who really did it when you beat the game!) Each of the battles plays like a bout in a Punch Out!! game. (That is, you dodge or block enemy attacks based on their various audio or visual tells, and then you counter with your own attacks. If you land an attack before an enemy attacks, you fill a gauge at the bottom of the screen that allows you to perform incredibly damaging combos, and you win a match when you knock the enemy down three times.) Defeating one opponent unlocks the next, and clearing a difficulty level advances the story and unlocks the next. The game also contains light RPG elements, and defeating an opponent provides you with points you can use to upgrade your skills and money you can use to purchase items and upgrade your equipment. You receive more money for dispatching opponents efficiently, and the game encourages you to replay battles for more money and a higher ranking. (Also, it is practically impossible to defeat opponents on the higher difficulty levels without upgrading your character's skills and equipment.) Finally, the game looks great, and the 3D effect is amazing. (When enemies start throwing projectiles at different speeds in the higher difficulty levels, the 3D effect is incredibly helpful for dodging those attacks.) In sum, the game certainly deserves all of its accolades, and anyone who has ever enjoyed a Punch Out!! game should give it a try.
Electronic Super Joy (WII U) is a simply spectacular 2D platformer, and it is now one of my favorite games. The game's soundtrack is spectacular; it has distinctive art direction; it is consistently funny; and it is incredibly addictive. The later levels are also incredibly difficult, however, and those who are easily frustrated may not enjoy it. (At one point, I thought that the Wii U port was glitched such that achieving one of the bonus objectives, and unlocking the bonus levels, was impossible. It isn't. It is just really, really, really hard to do.) If levels like this and bosses like this are appealing to you, then you really should give this game a shot.
Ascent of Kings (WII U) is a very easy and very short 2D indie platformer that plays and looks a lot like old MD-DOS platformers from the late 1980s. You can get through it in about 45 minutes, and the only thing that it really has going for it are its aesthetics and low price point. I had fun with it, but I really can't recommend it.
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