I've been collecting thousands of bananas in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U. Here are some thoughts on the game.

"Tropical Freeze" plays pretty similarly to the 2010 Wii title "Donkey Kong Country Returns." Players control Donkey Kong to smack, roll into and hop on enemies, and have partners to help the title character out. Besides Diddy Kong with his classic jetpack, Dixie Kong returns to use her ponytail to float upward and fan favorite Cranky Kong's special ability let's you hop along spikes and pointed enemies. However, it's hard not to choose Diddy Kong who is the best partner to have.

Retro Studios did an amazing job in the graphics department, making each level feel alive. Composer David Wise, who worked on the SNES versions of the series, returns to create some of the best music you'll probably hear this year from a video game.

Check out my full review at www.theoaklandpress.com.

Get even tinier thoughts at www.twitter.com/JeffHoard921.

I've been traveling the world awakening crystals from the darkness in Bravely Default for the 3DS. Here are some thoughts on the game.

Don't let the awkward name fool you. Bravely Default is a great JRPG that takes you back to the glory days of Final Fantasy. It has all the staples of a turn-based JRPG, but with some twists. During battle, players can use the Brave option to use up to four actions at once per character, essentially ending a fight right away if lucky. The Default option puts a character in a defensive mode, and stockpiles those actions for future turns. The best part is even enemies and bosses use this.

There is a lot of grinding in this game, especially if you want to max out all the job classes available for each character. Each job dresses your team in the proper attire, which is a neat detail. There's also all kinds of abilities and combinations to create the best party that fits anyone's play style.

Check out my full review at www.theoaklandpress.com.

Get even tinier thoughts at www.twitter.com/JeffHoard921.

Capcom's action-packed side-scroller Strider is set to release Feb. 18 on PSN for the PS4 and PS3, and following day on Xbox Live for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, as well as Steam for PC.

Two new challenge modes include Beacon Run, aka a speed run throughout levels. Survivor Mode unleashes increasingly difficult waves of enemies that players must survive. Global online leaderboards are available for both as well as Story mode. New sets of costumes can also be unlocked (not paid for, yay!)

Strider will cost $14.99.

Ubisoft has some great-looking games like Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends, and the upcoming Child of Light looks no different, thanks to their UbiArt Framework engine. A trailer released today shows off the game's colorful visuals, and it looks like Ubisoft Montreal poured their hearts and souls into this turn-based, fairy-tale inspired RPG.



Child of Light promises more than 200 skills to unlock and 600-plus crafting combinations, giving gamers more than enough options to play the way they want. It will be available to download April 30 on Xbox Live for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, PSN for PS3 and PS4, the Nintendo Wii U eShop, and Steam for PC. It will cost $14.99.