Issue #23: A Fresh Coat of Paint – September/October 2016

Have you ever walked into a house and thought the paint on the walls was totally atrocious? Maybe the carpet was a horrid color too, and the decorating was disgusting. And yet, the people who live there must love all of those things, or else they wouldn’t have chosen each one! Some people just have different tastes than others.

The same holds true for video games. Over the years, different companies have tried to freshen up aging franchises by giving them fresh coats of paint – introducing striking visual changes in a new sequel, or shifting a series’ style of gameplay entirely. And, every time one of these shiny new paintjobs is presented to the public, you can bet that opinion’s going to be split on whether it was the right decision or not. Some people will love it! Other will hate it. Tastes will always differ.

In this issue of NF Magazine, we find ourselves in the midst of the debuts of several “fresh coats of paint” for many major brands. We have our full review of Mighty No. 9, the fresh take on Mega Man that found millions of dollars’ worth of fans through its Kickstarter debut, but seems to have faltered in delivering with its final product. We have our evaluation of Metroid Prime: Federation Force, a total shift in direction for the Metroid brand that offended countless fans with its first reveal (like walking into a hot pink and pea green living room). We have our thoughts on Pokémon GO’s total reimagining of that series’ core concept of “gotta catch ’em all,” and our cover game, Paper Mario: Color Splash, actually represents a second fresh coat of paint layered over a first!