Review - Mega Coin Squad

This week saw the release of a new game called Mega Coin Squad, which can be seen
.

As you can see, the game borrows heavily from Super Mario in terms of both style and gameplay, while adding a plethora of new features.

What you may not realize is just how simplistic this game really is.

I picked this game up yesterday for a mere $7, since I had some extra XBL credit lying around and I must say, that while the quality of the game is really, really good, I'm not sure it's worth the current asking price.

You see, the game is rather small. It features only 2 modes - single player and multiplayer (and the latter is local only for up to 4 players). Both are arena-based. The single player offers you multiple, stylish characters each with their own stats such
as strength and speed, for example, all of which are down on their luck and need coins to survive through their own personal endeavors. In single-player, your goal is to go from stage to stage (which is viewed from a Mario-esque overworld map) and collect
as many coins as fast as you can while avoiding enemies (which again, are eerily similar to Mario games - it has equivalents to the goomba, dangerous plant, flying fish, and bullet bill, among others) and meeting certain goals to gain 1-3 stars per stage.
Some of the goals include grabbing a certain amount of coins under par time, banking them all at once, or simply not getting hurt or dying. The stages change from world to world, which offers a good bit of variety visually, but still seems to be lacking due
to the fact that it doesn't really offer much that's new in the way of actual gameplay (for example, in my experience throughout the 1st 2 worlds, there hasn't been anything that truly stands out from the rest - like a boss fight).

Mutliplayer fairs slightly better because it's you against real players rather than with mindless enemies that are just "floating" or "walking" around. It offers multiple modes as well, which either is played at random via the "quickmatch" option, or if
you choose, you can customize your matches. The modes are pretty cool - there's a chase the rainbow mode - where each player vies for possession of a rainbow that gives you constant coins as you hold it, as well as a giant coin mode - where everyone vies for
possession of a giant coin that must be banked to earn it. There are also some standard modes as well, such as a deathmatch-style mode - where you're just trying to kill each other, as well as a coin-collection mode - which plays a lot like the singleplayer
mode, but you're competing against someone else for the individual coins.

At the end of each match (both in single-player and in multiplayer), another similarity to Mario appears - you get to hit a giant box for a reward or upgrade that can be used later (or if you're unlucky, a downgrade or loss of coins). So, yes, you can it
solid blocks to get more coins just like in Mario...

Thankfully, that's where the similarities end. In this game unlike Mario, you can earn weapons to use against your enemies - and unlike Mario, we're talking real weapons, not some fireflower or raccoon suit. Here, it's all about machine guns, rocket launchers,
grenade launchers, and so on, much of which can also be used to destroy blocks. Sadly, the weapons have a limit - either through ammo or time, they only last so long before you have to pick up another.

The controls are more varied too when compared to the Mario games, but still simple enough to learn. A is jump and can be used to double jump or used to gain more height by jumping up and off walls. X is used to boost, which basically turns your character
into a temporary bulldozer that plows into and through almost anything in his/her path - even better, it allows for you to boost in the 4 key directions (up, down, left, or right) and as such is incredibly useful for getting to where you need to go (for example,
you can jump, double jump, jump off of a wall, and then boost in any direction. This helps make the controls feel spot on overall. The only other controls are the B button, which is used to shoot weapons (which, other than left or right, the direction can't
be controlled, unlike the boost), and the Y button, which is simply used to "bank" coins whenever you're standing next to the piggy bank. If you prefer, you can use the triggers for boosting and shooting, but otherwise, there is no way to customize your controls
in this game. The bumpers and joystick buttons do absolutely nothing.

This is 1 of those games that is an absolute blast to play, especially with friends (the more the merrier!), but only in short bursts due to its simplicity.

My final verdict? 3 out of 5; only worth the purchase when it reduces in price (like $5 or free), or if you have a lot of friends that like to visit and play games with you or if you have an insane love addiction
to Mario-style games.

:)

 

New Releases 5/20

Not sure if Super Mario World or Mega Coin Squad.

 

Mega Coin Squad for Xbox One

That looks sick

 

I also forgot to mention that while carrying the rainbow or heavy coin, your movement is slowed and you can't use your boost or shooting abilities, which helps make the game modes that have them more fun as everyone jockeys for the prize. Furthermore, if
you don't have a weapon in hand, you can still press the B button to shoot a standard fireball (which varies in speed and strength based upon which character you choose), so you're never completely defenseless. The jump, like in Mario, can also be used to
jump onto and kill enemies.

I just can't shake the feeling that as good as this game is, it could have benefited from so much more - like having more to do in single-player (such as boss fights or something), online multiplayer, a stage-creator, more characters/weapons, and so on...
As is, it's rather barebones.

 

Yeah, I will pass. Just not my kind of game