2D platforming is sexy again

With recent releases like New Super Mario Bros, Metroid Other M, and Kirby's Epic Yarn, Nintendo has been giving fans a lot of franchise love lately.

Like a lot of gamers, I grew up in the era of the 2D platformers on the NES and SNES. My hands-down favorite game from that era was the original Donkey Kong Country, which came packaged with the SNES that I got for my birthday.

There was so much to like about DK Country. The levels were filled with collectibles and shortcuts, the graphics were beyond their time and the soundtrack still ranks as one of the best game soundtracks of all time.

Donkey Kong had yet to receive a starring role on the Wii, but that changed when Nintendo announced Donkey Kong Country Returns.

The short of it is that the game looks spectacular. From the various videos and previews that have been released so far, the level design looks fantastic. Retro Studios seems to have captured a lot of the magic and charm that Rare first created back in 1994.

Donkey Kong Country Returns releases on Nov. 21, right in the middle of this crammed holiday season. My wallet is already whimpering.

Cars Mater-National quick review

What it is: A racing game sprinkled with mini games and collectibles in an open-world environment.

Who's it for: Your children, or the most unapologetic of Gamerscore and trophy whores.

What I liked:
- The aforementioned wealth of achievement points.
- Some interesting characters from the Cars universe

What I didn't like:
- Wonky physics
- Boring mini games
- The entire game can be completed in a few hours
- Repetition
- Repetition
- Repetition

Summary: Even for a game aimed at younger gamers, Mater-National is short and feels like an add-on rather than a proper game. The racing is divided into three different sections and consists of road races, relay races and a stadium race in each section. The problem is that even with slight variations, the maps become very repetitive. There are also mini games and collectibles, but they only add to the game's length by a couple hours. There's nothing broken about Mater-National -- although collisions send your car bouncing like it has no weight -- but there simply isn't enough here to recommend the $50 price point.

SCORE: 5/10