The Gaming Plunders Of The Dread Pirate Guy

Preview: Resident Evil: Revelations.

2012-01-22T22:08:00.000-08:00

3DS continues to stay on the right track by introducing demos for games in their eShop (now if only they would tidy up the format, we'd really be in business). Regardless, the 'Shop in question has introduced a demo of Resident Evil: Revelations.

I gave up playing the demo for RE5. It just felt frustration and too non-Resident Evil for me. And don't even get me started on that stupid knife....

Yet here I am with a new game, and I liked this one.

The first thing I noticed is that the "claustrophobic" feel from the original game is back. Cramped corridors, that sense of dread in opening a new door, random beasts jumping out of you while inside a room. I don't know what to make of the new creatures in this game, but they were far more inspiring, and I uttered an expletive or two as I ran out of ammo and had to run (okay, so I'm a terrible shot).

The "scare" feeling was back. The tension felt higher instead of "Oh geez, another nasty looking thing shambling towards me." My time was hoping that the next door I opened wasn't going to have some awful thing behind it. And I liked it.

The graphics are wonderful, and really show off what a little powerhouse the 3DS is. The 3D also works well. Nothing major is added, but a nice amount of depth and perspective to objects makes things "pop". Subtle and unobtrusive, but effective. Control is decent and not robotic. Of course, I didn't play the game with the extra circle pad, but the default setting is manageable. Even the voices and music are great.

The most striking thing about the game is how much it felt like the very first title. The feeling of isolation and dread, the creeps around every corner, and the horrible feeling associated with getting surrounded or having to resort to just a knife. This is one of those moments of "old is new", and the return to form is welcome.

The demo is short with just a few rooms. Just enough to whet the appetite before showing off a nice cut-scene and fade to black.

Whatever kick started the 3DS into "awesome" territory keeps moving forward with what looks like to be a really good Resident Evil game. I passed on the Mercenaries title, but this one may actually be to good to pass up.

Fight Against SOPA.

2012-01-17T23:50:00.001-08:00

I normally don't add much of a non-gaming slant to my blog, but SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is threatening to take away our freedoms regarding the internet, and entertainment media. And yes, that includes video games.

Essentially, the government can control what we can and can not view. We could be held liable for lawsuits in posting pictures of intellectual properties (simply posting a picture of Zelda on your blog? Nintendo would be able to sue you for it).

The problem is, while putting a stop to piracy is an understandable enough desire for businesses as our world's media becomes more and more digital, it's so broadly, vaguely, and poorly written that freedom of speech would pretty much just dry up and die when it comes to the internet. The government would control the internet, how it's run, and what would be allowed to put online. It's a staggeringly unconstitutional proposal.

A huge amount of sites are opposing it: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, Amazon, AOL, Reddit, Mozilla, LinkedIn, IAC, eBay, PayPal, Wordpress and Wikimedia. Even our President and his administration refuses to support this monstrosity.

If you're interested in the January 18th movement, more information can be found HERE.

I do not want the internet to look like this:

CES 2012.

2012-01-15T23:39:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I don't know why all the gaming blogs and websites really talk about CES. To be perfectly candid, it barely has anything to do with video games at all.

Mostly, CES is about HD and 3D TVs, car audio, cases to protect your phones and tablets, and a few other things. It's like a high end flea market, though the feel of going booth to booth and seeing the same thing only slightly repackaged in each one never seems to really escape you.

There was some video game stuff, however. Sony had about 8-12 Playstation 3 games tucked away on a tiny walkway, and Microsoft was promoting Kinect the same as they did last year. If there was anything else, it was impossible to find, and let me tell you: I walked a significant portion of the show floor between the Convention Center and the Venetian, and even went up a few floors. It's not like the Nintendo Powers of old, or the second coming of E3. And I didn't expect it to be. But with gaming consoles becoming more multimedia outlets, is that not the very definition of "consumer electronics"? At an expo, no less.

Strangely, my most exciting experience came on a personal level. It was by mere random chance (and a random Facebook update complaining about the sketchiness of the expo's wi-fi. Seriously? CES is going to have sporadic wi-fi?), that I ran into a cousin of mine that I haven't seen in over 20 years. Seriously, we used to play together as children, and with a well placed tip, I actually recognized the guy, now all grown up (as he's around my age), and of all the places to have an impromptu family reunion with someone not seen in over two decades. Crazy....

And I did get a few StreetPass dings on my 3DS, which wasn't as many as I hoped for. I got about a dozen, which, at CES, I kind of thought I would have found more. Again, CES. People from all over the world, and it was kind of a bust.

Anyway, it was a lot of walking, a lot of repetition of products, and two very sore feet. But hey, now you know what "magic" you missed this past week.

Quick Update.

2012-01-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

It has been a super busy week for me with work, but I wanted to check in as I know I have a lot of info. to update, including my week's trip to CES (Don't get too excited. You'll understand why after my report, but there was a personal surprise for me, which I'll detail because it's fun).

I will say that in bringing my 3DS to CES this week, I didn't get quite as many StreetPass tags as I would have hoped over the last three days (about a dozen), or as many regions added to my locations list (2 new states here, and 2 regions of Japan), but at least I can take my 3DS out and finally get signs of life on the thing. I'm sure Christmas helped matters a lot.

Also, Zen Pinball (thanks to SuperPhillip for reminding me that it's NOT Pinball FX as found on the Xbox 360). It's available for download on the 3DS as of today (for us in the States), and finally, Nintendo has allowed for an online system to be properly implemented in a game. If you download it, we can all attempt to crush each other's scores. The 3DS downloadable lineup is still limited, but it's been consistently good lately. And this is another winner.

More this weekend, and "Hello" to my new readers!

Revising A System.

2012-01-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how a system update can either make or break a system. For this particular entry, I can actually site an example of both. In this case, I wanted to discuss the differences between the new Xbox dashboard versus the 3DS update.

I've been on the fence about Microsoft's "evolution" with the Xbox. Between the introduction of Kinect, and the attempt to recreate the nuances of the Wii (one system that NEVER updates, and at this point, never will), they've broken down the easy to navigate style, and somewhat utilitarian functionality of the Dashboard. Certainly, it was simple, but it was to the point. Something that I appreciated.

The last updates change introduced a lot of "whooshing" sound effects to every motion you made (which was thankfully able to be disabled), and while different, was manageable enough to compensate for and become familiar with. I wasn't a huge fan of 2010-2011's look in comparison to previous years, but "eh". What can you do?

I do not like the new interface. At all.

At this point, I sound like a broken record. Or perhaps I'm more set in my ways than I care to admit. But ads seem more prominent, menus seem more difficult to navigate (perhaps being designed more a more full Kinect interface), button interfaces have been switched around, and then there's the true bane of my existence. The one app that just kills me.

Netflix.

Full of sound effects, bizarre menus, and the new hair-wrenching instant start that, if there's a way to disable it, please someone message me in comments. I've been trying to finish off the remaining episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation that I've never seen, and trying to cycle through the unpleasantly changed menu, having to stop to pause the force-played episode that I didn't call up, and God forbid that I ever press "B" by accident as that sentences me to restart the whole process again. Netflix created enough problems last year with their bizarre price hike. This isn't helping matters.

Honestly, I dislike the new Dashboard experience so much that I second guess myself at times if I really want to endure all the hassle in powering on my Xbox. Astoundingly complex in attempted simplicity. What were they thinking? Sad part is, I have a lot of games on the system that I need to finish.

By contrast, the 3DS update fixed a HUGE number of issues, and added all new features.

For StreetPass alone, a sequel to Find Mii was added, new puzzles, an achievement and tagged region system was added, as well as a jukebox.

3D video play was also added, in addition to SwapNote, which finally allows Users to communicate with each other over a Nintendo system. Also impressive is the ability to see which friends are playing what. It's nothing new as it's been on other systems for years, but on a Nintendo system? This actually rates as "impressive".

All of this was preceded by the Ambassador Program finally coughing out those 10 Game Boy Advance games. So in terms of an update, this actually moved the system forward, as opposed to bogging it down. Nothing revolutionary, but for Nintendo, this signifies the biggest step they've ever taken in actually treating online as a serious feature.

Nintendo finally gets it, and Microsoft needs to stop pretending to be a system that they are not, and don't need to be. Certainly any system is only worth the games it possesses, and both systems offer strong, enjoyable titles, but how you access them is part of the process that needs to be accessible.

VVVVVV: Post-Script.

2012-01-03T23:19:00.001-08:00

While I still have a few "End of Year" games to discuss, after having beaten(!) VVVVVV, I had to talk about it.

The above mentioned title, with its six consonants, is very similar to the other punish-fest Super Meat Boy. Both have simplistic graphics, both have catchy music, and both games have you dying. A lot. A LOT.

Players step into the anti-grav shoes of Captain Viridian as he looks for his lost crew in this dangerous and unstable dimension. The graphics are monochrome and very simplistic, not unlike a Commodore 64 or early computer games. All of this, of course, is just a backdrop for the gameplay, but the characters have a charming appeal to them regardless.

The game itself is there to beat you senseless, however. It's all purely a matter of timing, or figuring out the fiendish trap that the room lays out before you, or just simply being fast enough. And yet, for the number of times that I did in any given room, I never felt cheated, and it never felt unfair. This wasn't BS design. This was challenge, and it puts a platformer enthusiast's skills to the test. The game does not hold you hand. It expects you to learn it. Or better yet, understand it. There were some rooms that the little Captain just could not get through. And yet, in one shining moment of clarity, the room began to make sense, and the escape from it was rewarding. The plentiful checkpoints keep the mental and emotional "Rragggh die" moments to a minimum.

The 3D effect in this game is minimal. Just a tiny bit of depth perception that doesn't drastically change the game's look, but it is noted, and is merely just a pleasant little touch.

As noted, the music is a highpoint of the game, as it's very catchy and pleasant to cruise through the game to. Even when not searching for crew members or trinkets, exploring the game's world was pleasant, and the anti-grav mechanic never got tiresome for me. A little stressful during some of the more tense traps, but manageable due to the clever nature of the design.

For the 3DS eShop taking forever to find its footing, it's been fairly consistent of late in terms of putting out quality, fun titles. I hope this recent distribution is the norm and not the exception, and Nintendo has truly learned from its mistakes regarding digital distribution on the Wii and DSi. VVVVVV is a good old "Nintendo Hard" hop 'n' bop that is probably the most creative and fair-minded "punishment" program I've played in a while. Sure, the game has no problem in killing your diminutive Captain hundreds, if not thousands of times, but hey, at least it's entertaining.

My Console Choice Of 2011.

2011-12-28T23:11:00.001-08:00

I won't get into the history of the 3DS' launch, or the painfully dry Summer that followed it. I've covered that time and time again, and really, there's not much to say about it. The console launch was so bad that Nintendo price dropped the system less than six months after launch. And Nintendo never drops the price on anything these days. So for them to do that is a pretty telling sign of how bad things were going.

And yet, it's my favorite gaming gadget of 2011.

For you see, despite all of its missteps this year, once it found its footing, the system positively ran with itself. That's not to say Pilotwings and Nintendogs, Street Fighter IV and Lego Star Wars III were bad games, because they weren't (I took advantage of those Toys R Us launch sales). But they lacked something. Sure they showed off 3D, and it was neat, but there was just something missing. The supposed launch showcase title, Kid Icarus: Uprising, went MIA until next year.

Not to mention that the system itself felt incomplete. The eShop finally took off in late Summer, activating a StreetPass feature was a rarity (though I did hit gold one day during a Disneyland visit), and of course a combination of Nintendo's apocalyptic warnings, and news media exaggeration made the "3D headache" issue seem like the 3DS was going to kill your children Scanners style if they dared to look at the 3D with the slider all the way up.

Finally after E3, the eShop opened up with a free Pokedex and Excitebike, a tiny handful of Virtual Console games (where are the Game Gear and Turbo Duo titles already?). But it remained silent for a long time after that.

And then Ocarina of Time came out. And Starfox 64.

The 3DS was decried as now being a "port" system with no new content, but it was two of the Nintendo 64's best, most beloved games with a beautiful visual overhaul. Was it really that bad?

And then things just got better.

One can't dismiss the potency of Super Mario 3D Land or Mario Kart 7, as both were excellent examples of what the system could do (and Mario is always a crowd pleaser on a Nintendo system). But third parties were actually putting out decent games. None of this sad sack "mini game" and "clone" regurgitation that the Wii suffered under for years. Actual franchise titles and games that don't usually appear that often on a Nintendo system are getting closer to release. Resident Evil? Metal Gear? Even Nintendo has a strong lineup for the beginning of next year, along with a continual line-up of quality games.

And then the eShop flourished. Actual 3D versions of classic NES titles (okay, and Urban Champion as well), but new IPs and characters such as Freakyforms and Pushmo, and other new potential franchise concepts down the line. Nintendo never seemed particularly motivated with WiiWare. They didn't really have character driven games, and not every game has to have Link and Mario in it. New twists on old concepts, and new characters prime for Smash Bros. sequels have genuine appeal.

Not to mention all the free content. It would have been easy to stiff early adopters for eating that initial high price, but they instead chose to give 10 free NES games, and 10 free Game Boy Advance games, not to mention a free Zelda game to celebrate the series 25th anniversary. Nintendo doesn't drop prices, and it definitely doesn't do free, yet here they are, throwing digital games out like candy, and they are generally all classic fan favorites (NES Tournament Golf is nigh unplayable, however).

Other additions added were easier, universal Friend Codes (finally), free channel applications, and two successive system updates that gave users 3D video, a free sequel to the RPG lite Find Mii, a unique chat system(!!) found via SwapNote.... What started as a barren, incomplete system now feels robust and lively.

To be honest, the 3DS represents the Nintendo I love. I struggled to find that feeling on the Wii on a regular basis, and while that system had some truly remarkable titles, the online was awful, Friend Codes were cumbersome, the digital shopping was awkward, then almost non-existant, and the Channel features were by and large useless and forgettable options.

In its first year, the 3DS has flooded me with beloved titles, a better feeling of community previously unheard of on a Nintendo system, the resurrection of classic titles and franchises with a new coat of paint and ideas, and so much to play with that I've had trouble keeping up these days. I can take walks to earn new features and extras to play my games. I can send pictures and drawings to friends. I can watch TV shows and movies on the go, and I can open Nintendo Video for a stream of random, sometimes cool content. I can look forward to new ideas, as developers seem to "get" this system a lot easier that the Wii, and the graphics are well presented and easy on the eyes despite its novel approach.

So that's why I'm choosing the 3DS as my "Console Choice For 2011". The initial failing of the system seems to have benefited the gamers the most, as it seems to have snapped Nintendo out of that lazy reverie they coasted through with the Wii's success, and put them back into focusing on making great gaming experiences for people who love to play video games. All my issues with the Wii have been largely addressed and corrected with the 3DS.

Perhaps a Nintendo not on an unchallenged cruise control winning streak is the best sort of Nintendo to have around.

Mario Kart 7: Post-Script.

2011-12-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

There's no gentle way to say it, so I'll just say it.

I absolutely hated Mario Kart Wii.

Sure, it had some interesting tracks, and the Wii Wheel was amusing, as you would want motion control in a game like this, but I couldn't not fathom the dishonest difficulty. There was nothing worse than being in first place, only to be blue-shelled into oblivion into last place, as Toad merrily zipped past you. The "punishment" doled out for skilled players was unbalanced, unreasonable and frustrating, even against the computer, of all things. It was one blue shell too many that made me set down my controller to walk away and never look back.

Sure the blue shells are in the 3DS version, but they don't seem to enrage me as much.

Mario Kart 7, perhaps the least inspired of the named titles in the franchise, is actually good fun, and a throwback to more of the regular DS version (my favorite in the series). There's a little bit of difficulty wonk, but at least I feel like I have a chance to recover, and in some cases, can. That's all I really asked for.

The 3D is a nice effect in the title. Nothing outrageous, but nice enough to add depth, though the new Rainbow Road was a real "Wow" level for me. From magazine/online previews, I wasn't fully impressed with the graphics, but the game looks much better in person and in motion. The music is pleasant and inoffensive. The older fare stuck out to me more, however.

The game itself controls really well. The analog pad works very well for turning, and the whole game feels responsive and fun. When falling off a cliff, it feels more like a bad driving choice, than some questionable control flaw. The real fun comes from the gliding/diving mechanics, which encourages players to explore possible new paths and shortcuts. Kart customization is also an added benefit, as the new upgrades can make the difference in a race.

There are also a good handful of retro themed levels (not the company, though they did work on the game as well) that add this new exploration element, and the levels that they chose were among some of my old favorites, like Luigi's Mansion and Waluigi's Pinball. Amazing, but true, the game also offers a robust online mechanic, from finding other racers to StreetPass.

For a starved system during its first few months, the 3DS is now overflowing with quality titles, and this is one of them. And best of all, the more agreeable difficulty renders my urges to smash my TV, then punch someone in the face from AI cheating into non-existent territory.

I'm glad that Nintendo finally restored the franchise to form. I don't mind losing, but I also don't want to be punished for having a vague idea of how to play the game beforehand.

Post-Christmas Gaming.

2011-12-26T22:36:00.000-08:00

You know, as we reached the holidays, one would think the concept of "free time" would be easier to attain, yet here I am a month later. Fortunately, I've got a few things to discuss over the remainder of the week, but for now, let's talk the best time of the year: Christmas gaming.

For starters, I picked up this bad boy for my holiday decorations. I hadn't planned to until I saw it in action, and then was committed from that point on.

For the rest of the holidays, I finally got an iPad, meaning that I can try out games on that platform now, and I also got a cool movie theater themed popcorn maker. Not a bad haul.

But as for proper games, I got two nice selections for Kinect: Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Just Dance 3.

It's hard finding games for Kinect, and strangely, the best looking titles are essentially "kid's games" (I still want to play the Sesame Street game).

But Kinect Disneyland Adventures is a near-perfect rendition of the Anaheim park, right down the Captain EO Tribute and the chairs in the food courts. About the only thing that's missing are Star Tours and the Indiana Jones ride. But the park is accurate. Moreso than in any video game depiction before it. About the only thing I couldn't access were a small handful of rides and the bathrooms. But after walking the park for a decade, I know every in and out without a map, and it feels natural here. Well, mostly natural, walking and turning are a little awkward.

But the games based on the attractions make good use of the themes right down to the music. And even in the park, you can do all of the "touristy" things like hang out with Buzz Lightyear, Aladdin, Donald Duck, and Stitch, buying pins, getting autographs.... For a "kid's game", it's really quite fun, and for a Disneyland fan like myself, it's really enjoyable to explore due to the accuracy.

Just Dance 3 is the other game that I got. I avoided the series like the plague on the Wii, but the Kinect version is pretty serviceable, and makes me wish Michael Jackson: The Experience had been this easy and responsive to control. The only thing that I find myself stand offish with is the dance instructor avatar. I enjoy a lively video dance routine, but the wiry little scamp is like a cracked out mime. I get distracted by their Joker-like leer when I am trying to bust a move, and.... yeah. I'd rather play with my Avatar.

But it's nice to give the Kinect something new to play with. I'll be spending the rest of the week talking about dashboard upgrades, Mario Kart 7, and my choices of "Best Games Of 2011".

Is This Wii's Good-Bye Year?

2011-11-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Post-Thanksgiving! Whether full of turkey, or full of batmess-insane shoppers, I hope it's been more enjoyable than not.

While the subject of the Wii is nothing new to "Is this the end of the Wii" articles for years, or more recently "Is this the end of Nintendo" due to the 3DS sales not meeting industry standards, and the Wii's genuine drop-off this year, this one is more discussing the Wii's performance as a software provider this year, and where they will be next year.

The Wii is no stranger to droughts. Things dried up in 2008 after the release of Mario Kart Wii, and with the exception of Punch-Out!!, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and a small handful of third party titles, 2009 was a dud. The same could be said for the first part of 2010, until the Fall season, in which there were so many good games it was hard to buy them all, even on sale.

Which leads us to this year....

The whole year has been focused around one title: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Outside of a Bit.Trip compilation and Rayman Origins, I've heard relatively nothing on the third-party front. For all intents and purposes, this was "The Year of Zelda", and if this does nothing for you, you're out of luck.

Digital downloads met the same fate. I can't remember the last time I powered up the Wii to see what exciting and exclusive new WiiWare title dances around the screen as a must-have, and while it's a popular catchphrase to say that the Virtual Console is dead, it's been at a total and literal stopping point for several months now. Perhaps Nintendo is waiting until Wii U to resume the service. It's not like they or their third party brethren don't have a substantial backlog of titles (and systems) to mine for classics. I would have continued to have supported the Virtual Console had they simply continued to release games for it. How many "drought" periods could Nintendo have avoided with the re-release of a much-loved classic? If the general public can see the "slow periods" in release schedules, I'm certain Nintendo can as well.

And certainly it is hard to ignore the "Operation Rainfall" movement that happened earlier this year, where all regions of Nintendo (save for NOA) released Xenoblade, Last Story, and Pandora's Tower. Granted, RPGs aren't everyone's chosen genre, and such games will do nothing to sway the crowd that only purchases games with the word "Wii" in the title, but considering the demand and the high ratings, one would think Nintendo would have used this to sustain the virtually non-existent lineup this year.

Nintendo seems to have dropped the casuals these days to try to win back their traditional fans again, and that would have been a promising move at this point. Still, NOA coyly hints that the Wii isn't dead yet, and some announcement will come in the next month or so, so perhaps at least two of these titles will be 2012's remaining games. It would be a smart move. Wii users don't seem to have much (if anything) to look forward to now that Zelda is released. Then again, Gamecube had something of a whimpering "death" as well.

It will be interesting to see how the Wii U goes over. Considering that there's been talk of Nintendo rethinking how to present the new system in light of 3DS' shaky start, hopefully Nintendo will look at the mistakes that they've made with this last console. Sure it sold like crazy. Sure it survived off the sales of an average of a dozen game titles out of several hundred released. The system always needed a better sense of balance. Nintendo went from pleasing the traditional gaming crowd, to near-exclusively focusing on the casual gamer, then dumping that group to focus back on the original crowd. Nintendo honestly could have had been able to, should be able to, please both. The company has shown itself capable of creating games for every type of gamer, but only picks one or the other to focus on at any given moment.

As far as the Wii goes, third-party support is pretty much "done". Too many fantastic games overlooked, too many terrible games made into sales juggernauts, and too many terrible games that sit on shelves that should have never been made in the first place. Few third-parties ever truly "got" the Wii, or motion control in general. Even translating the concept to other systems, very few still get it. Too many games had tacked on controls to play up the "moving controller" feature, and even Nintendo is guilty of doing it.

Did Super Mario Galaxy really need motion controls? Or Super Mario Bros. Wii? Or Donkey Kong Country Returns? Metroid Prime 3 really set the bar from what motion control could do, and the new Zelda takes it a step further in what will hopefully become a standard. Honestly, Motion Control Plus should have replaced the "old" motion control set-up in all games once Wii Sports Resort was released. Well over a year later, only a tiny handful of titles actually use the control set-up.

While I give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt every year with "redeeming" the Wii's lopsided line-up, 2012 looks to be even more barren than 2011 has been. The system has always been "feast or famine", and now it looks to finally starve the crowd once and for all. The only hope to release those already translated RPG's for the system's swan song, but while every other region of Nintendo has no issue announcing the titles, NOA won't even acknowledge they exist, much less offer any hope of release. At least the 3DS shows promise that transferring digital titles to the next system may yet be a plausibility, but while Nintendo has a tendency to claim that it's "learned its lesson" from previous mistakes, time will tell if they actually follow through on improving their sense of software "balance", their online system, their digital download distribution, and relations with their third party supporters.

Impressions of Skyrim.

2011-11-21T22:16:00.001-08:00

I knew that when the day came for Skyrim's release, my social life would be taking a hit. And I was was. But you never expect how it will take over.

When I first played Oblivion, I found that I couldn't. There are few games that offer you that much of an open world. That much freedom. And it overwhelmed me. But one day I sat down, convinced that I would master its expansive world. And it eventually all began to make sense. And took over my gaming time.

Skyrim, while seeming less unfamiliar, and less daunting, is no less impressive. In fact, it helps to make the last game that much more of a tangible place, and this is merely an expansion of that world to make it all the more "real". It's like going on a vacation: You may have never been to that new place before, but somehow you know this is all part of the greater whole. You almost wish that the games could be connected as one.

There are caves and towers and fields and snow covered mountains. There is the main quest to finish, but there is a staggering amount of side quests to do, or not do. Even the smallest of tasks become engrossing. You don't merely play a game like Skyrim. You live the experience.

That's not to say that the graphics aren't a step up from its predecessor, or the music, while subtle in tone, is so beautiful that I've set down the controller to let the piece complete its work before moving on. And while the music is subdued, haunting and beautiful, it also tones up to majestic battle scores when things start to hit the fan.

I've fought dragons, and they are fun affairs. NPCs drop what they are doing to join the battle to make the event seem all the more epic, and if it happens in town, people actually stand around and talk about it, not pretending it didn't happen. The dragons are everyone's concern, and it feels like it.

The menus have been simplified. You can't level up stats just by jumping around anymore, and more trivial stat increases have been eliminated or streamlined. It took me a while to get used to the new interface, and I somehow found "easy" to be more difficult to grasp, but it was momentary, and now familiar. There is a sense of usefulness and purpose to even the most mundane of tasks. Somehow even the mundane makes the world seem all the more "real".

That's not to say that the game doesn't have bugs, because it does. It's a big game, and while not excusable, then certainly understandable. Most of the bugs, however, are humorous, and have to do with the horses, which are inexplicable juggernauts that defy the laws of physics.

I found a free roaming horse in the forest, and took it as my own, as we rode to a fortress, we got ambushed by battle mages. The horse took to slaughtering the mages, though it got in my line of fire (literally), and then took to attacking me. Sure, I could mount and ride the horse, but every time I dismounted, it took to attacking me. In my weakened state, I again had to dismount, where the horse finally succeeded in killing me, then took out the surrounding wolves in the area.

You don't mess with the horses of Skyrim. They will climb up straight walls, and take down dragons.

I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface of the game, despite all the caves searched, towers climbed, and dragons killed. There is always something to do here, and you can do it, or not do it. It makes no difference. The game becomes your story, one that I've eagerly spoken to with friends as we discuss the previous night's journeys, and has been well worth the wait.

In fact, I may be returning before this evening ends....

R.I.P., Gary Garcia.

2011-11-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

On November 17, Gary Garcia, one half of the Buckner/Garcia team that brought Pac-Man Fever to the radio waves, passed away.

I actually was lucky enough to get the album in the early 1980's as a record (think of it as a large, black colored CD for you younger folk), and played it as endlessly as I poured over the record jacket memorizing Pac-Man patterns. To me, the album was great fun as it had the actual arcade sound effects instead of the wimpy "bonk bonk bonk" noise of the Atari 2600 version. The arcade always sounded more exciting.

In the late 1990's, the duo brought the same album to the CD age by remastering the album, so I got that as well as the photo listed on the duo's above-listed webpage.

Pac-Man Fever is one of those many footnotes in how deeply Pac-Man had ingrained himself in the public consciousness. Outside of Mario, no video game character has ever truly taken gamer and non-gamer alike in a rush of cartoons, bedsheets, breakfast cereals, T-shirts, pajamas, toys, games.... You had to have something of the actual "Pac-Man Fever", and the song only played into that moment of a pop culture phenomenon. To me, the song still defines that moment.

It's always a sad thing to see one of the people who made that era of gaming so enjoyable pass on. In that regard, he will be missed, and I think it's worth a reprise of that old video gaming anthem:

The 3DS These Days.

2011-11-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

Periodically, I like to post comment on the state of the beleaguered 3DS, and how it's coming along these days. To be quite honest, I really like the system. Granted, its shaky start is only seeming to work out a few more bugs in the last few weeks, but it's got a few good things going for it, and better late than never?

I can only imagine what this next upgrade will bring. Outside of a few tweaks, I hope it brings some solid additions to the platform. I think Nintendo has learned to not be so complacent, and to not so readily underestimate the mobile phone competition. For that matter, I'm ready for those ten Game Boy Advance "Ambassador Program" games.

I still like the 3D. I still think it's a well done feature, and from experience, I don't get what some of the complaints are. The fact that the "gimmick" at hand actually works, and puts some nice visual perspective on gameplay really works for me. It's a shame that Nintendo remains skittish about the feature, hyping up the fact that gamers can play in 2D as well. If they hadn't been so "warning happy" at the beginning, sending shocks of terror into the uninformed public that the system will destroy the eyes of our nation's children, most people wouldn't have likely thought twice about it.

The same goes for the dual circle pad, a feature that Miyomoto was adamant that it wasn't necessary, is now coming six months after launch as a clunky add-on. I have a feeling that the next iteration of the 3DS is going to look vastly different than the launch version in a year or so. Expected? Eventually. But I think sooner than expected to save face. Look how fast a price drop came about, and Nintendo in general refuses to drop their prices on even their oldest of softwares.

Online still needs work. Supposedly, players will be able to join other people's games soon, but not for older titles. I don't think this is a deal-breaker, as so few titles have been released from then to now. Their online store still needs a major overhaul and it is a total mess to navigate. Their sporadic "on the fly" themes make trying to find certain titles frustrating, and even 3DS specific areas, such as Virtual Console and 3D games, are cluttered.

I still think pricing is a major factor for the eShop. Putting the store on mobile phones is a good idea, but what about price drops or sales? Again, Nintendo is the only company out there, whether Xbox, Playstation or PC, that has an online store, and new offers older titles at cheaper prices, or bundles, or holiday deals or anything. It's nice that we've seen a number of free titles on 3DS, but I think that's been more out of desperation than the expectation. If 3DS had sold since Day 1, I'm fairly certain there would be no free games at all, or definitely not as many as we've gotten.

I'm glad that the "3D Classics" series looks to continue past the initial 6 titles, and games like Kirby and Kid Icarus are coming. Sadly, if the Virtual Console isn't abandoned by Nintendo a year from now, I'll be shocked. Nintendo blew that potential on the Wii, and I have a feeling they'll do it again for the 3DS. We still haven't seen those Turbo Duo and Game Gear titles. Weren't those supposed to be out in September?

Speaking of Kid Icarus.... Where is it? Long-time readers know that I bought the 3DS for Kid Icarus: Uprising as it was promised as a launch title. Now news on it is so absolutely quiet that I'm worried about its future. Regardless of if everything is "fine" or not, burying one of your most anticipated system launch titles into such a level of uncertainty isn't the best move Nintendo could have done. Same goes for third party. An exclusive Metal Gear and Resident Evil adventure, and... relative silence. Where did they go, and why aren't we hearing anything? Sonic Generations and Shinobi are big deal names for long-time gamers. Where are the 3D trailers and big promotional pushes for two big name titles this month?

I think it's been a shock for Nintendo that the 3DS wasn't met with the rabid success and universal praise of the Wii. But that was 5 years ago, and it was a very different time then for everyone. The sad part is that it's a really nice little system that actually does what it says, but the pre-emptive bad reputation, high launch price, and lack of games crippled its initial success. And 3D is merely a visual enhancement, not a means to be the trendy social experience that the Wii was. Does it make for great games? What few there are, yes. Does 3D push the Moms and grandparents and people who never cared about video games before out to buy one? Not at all. It's a traditional gaming platform with some flashy effects, and the "Wii crowd" finds their portable fixes on their phones already in hand.

A Super Mario and Mario Kart game will do wonders for the system. The price drop before Christmas will help. Third parties getting over their apprehension will help more, but Nintendo needs to promote some of those "big" titles like one of their own. Better organization in the eShop, and price drops and sales for digital software will help a lot, and there needs to be some emphasis on how fun and harmless the 3D aspect of the system is.

I still see the potential for the 3DS. A year from now, it will be better, and even if the 3DS went the way of the Virtual Boy and just released the announced games and called it a day after that, I'd still be happy with the selection. But I think it could do more. And I think the system is in a good place to release some great things. I don't expect Nintendo's changes to come overnight, but they need to come soon, and more aggressively. There are few more loyal than the Nintendo fan, and with the right choice in old and new titles, they could really create something special with the 3DS.

Back Again.

2011-11-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Finally, after a few weeks of being MIA, I've finally returned to what I hope will be a normal posting schedule.

Being that my personal schedule had gotten the better of me for well over a month, I didn't have a lot of time to play video games, which in turn made for a very boring blog. It's a little hard to write about something when you aren't able to bring something to the table.

But November, which is absolutely teeming with gaming goodness in the form of a new Zelda, Skyrim, and Mario's 3DS debut, I'll have things to cover.

I have put in some gaming time this month already, however. I've been playing Aliens: Infestation for the Nintendo DS, and am finally getting my feet wet with Batman: Arkham City. At least I can post some initial impressions about these two.

Long time readers knew that I was waiting for the DS Aliens game. A video popped up a few years back on YouTube, then was yanked down, and the game disappeared into the shadows for a long time. So long, in fact, that I figured that it was canceled, and my dreams of playing a 2D Metroid style shooter of one of my favorite film series just wasn't going to happen.

But it did! And the game itself is pretty entertaining so far. The game itself looks and sounds excellent, there are some decent "scare" moments in the style of the movies, and it focuses more on the first two films, which is fine by me. I enjoy the exploration and fighting some rather tough enemies. But there is one of the big 2D traps of respawning enemies (to the level of 8-bit Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, and Castlevania games), and they really do take the films philosophy of "expendable marines" seriously. On one hand, I appreciate the true to nature feel of the films. On the other hand, dead means dead in this game, and the bosses I've encountered so far are crazy hard. Is it worth it? As likely one of the last good regular DS games, I'd say definitely so.

Batman: Arkham City is slowly becoming a time sink for me, in a good way. It's very well done with a great opening, and I like the fact that the gadgets Batman ended up with at the end of the first game are all accounted for at the start of the second. It's something Metroid should really consider doing, while adding all new items along the way. There are a ton of things to explore in this new game, and a lot of criminals to trash along the way, either as Batman or Catwoman.

Two small gripes so far: Why does Gotham City hate itself so much that it would allow a substantial part of its city to be sectioned off as a daycare center for the numerous criminals and madmen that take up general residence there? Seriously, are Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum just not cutting it that much that they felt the need to dedicate that much city space to house these nutjobs? I would hate to see the decline in property values on Zillow after this "brilliant" decision was made. Ah, well. It's still an entertaining game.

Also, like Mortal Kombat, I do not like this "online pass" thing games (notably Warner Bros. in my particular selections), are doing to deter the sale of used titles. Integrated game features should not be disabled at the beginning to put in some code to prove that you "bought" the game. The withdrawal from my bank account is enough proof for me to validated my game purchases, and even if a gamer does buy a game used, someone had to make that initial purchase in the first place.

I get the point: Companies want the sales. They want to prevent piracy. I understand that. I also understand in that any game that we as a consumer buy is not "ours" in the sense that I can't go around saying that I own the rights to the Mario franchise or that I created the game in hand. It's not mine to distribute as such. But the specific physical copy that I directly purchased is indeed my property. I have games that are 10, 20, 30 years old, and no company representative has ever shown up knocking at my door saying "You need to renew your license for this game", or "We need to take it back now." If I want to use my games as a doorstop or toss them in the microwave to look at the pretty crackles, then that's my option as well. Bottom line: I don't appreciate buying a temporarily disabled product over an issue that I didn't help contribute into. With the rare, out of print exceptions, I buy my games sealed and new. This is a concerning trend that I hope will be the exception and not the rule.

I'll be updating more thoughts later this week, now that I'm back. I have a few new entries in mind, and finally the time to write them.

It's good to be back....

Updates Coming Soon.

2011-10-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

My apologies on not updating as much for a couple of weeks now.

I'm still here. I'm still interested in updating the site. Right now, I've had a few projects, various gigs, and other things that have been going on in "The Real World" that have kept me busier than expected. As a result, I haven't had time to play, much less think about gaming. And it's kind of hard to update a gaming blog when don't have a few current subjects to discuss. Things are fine and so am I, just busier (way busier) than expected).

That said, my gaming is mostly on the 3DS as I have a few minutes here and there. I picked up Aliens: Infestation recently, and once I get more into the core gameplay, I'll definitely be talking about that. Once the weather cools down, and life should return back to normal (or whatever passes for it) next month. I'll try to get an update or two posted in the meantime.

I haven't forgotten you guys! Honest! And I look forward to catching up soon.

Guy

Latest Club Nintendo Addition.

2011-09-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Finally, after saving up for what feels like forever, I have this:

At 1200 points, it's not an easy thing to score, but my 3DS and the Ambassador program helped get me to the level I needed to own this.

"So how is it", you ask?

I actually owned a few of these Game & Watch titles when I was a kid. I got a few from a cruise ship gift store as a kid, and my favorites were Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and Super Mario Bros. I never did own the elusive Zelda game, however. Heck, I'm still struggling to unlock it in Game & Watch Gallery 4.

But this is a classy piece, easily ranking up there with the Mario Hanafuda cards as some of the nicest items in the catalog, and certainly more exciting than the "Platinum" level pin set coming this year.

For all intents and purposes, this looks, plays, and feels like the games of old. The only major difference is a small "Club Nintendo" logo on the back, and a "Thank you" nod built into the box's packaging as you open it.

Ball itself is very simple: Control the arms of a juggler as three balls fly into the air. And that's basically it. But it's the first Game & Watch title, and an interesting look into the evolution of portable gaming.

If you have the points, or are somewhat close, hold out until you have enough to get it. This is a true "Nintendo Fan" piece", and definitely something for any classic game collector. I do like it when Nintendo goes all out to do something special like this, and as their most expensive item, it's worth the surveys.

Star Fox 64 3D: Post-Script.

2011-09-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

See? I told you that I'd get a little better with my updating, and with a review, no less.

The oft-maligned (unfortunately) 3DS continues with its slow start, but it has gotten a little better, and hopefully moreso as time moves forward. Between the "Ambassador Program" with the 10 free NES games (the jury's out on the painfully boring NES Open Tournament Golf), and the release of Star Fox 64 3D (a title getting dangerously close to Square-Enix's ridiculous titles), things are looking up.

Nintendo is no stranger to rereleases. Heaven knows we see more than our fair share of certain titles pumped out over and over that only their quality keeps them from wearing out their welcome. But Star Fox 64 isn't a title that has seen too many repeats. But Star Fox itself isn't a title that sees as much action as other franchises.

But Star Fox.... I went on and on how utterly brilliant the updated Ocarina of Time was, and how it could be considered the "definitive" version. Honestly, the same applies here.

The title is a great flat-out arcade style shooter, filled with multiple paths and vehicles, and is overall just great fun. None of that is lost in the translation. If anything, the sound is clearer, and the graphics have gone under the same impressive overhaul that Zelda did. Nintendo makes smart use of both screens, the 3D is vibrant and engaging, and the graphics, especially the water effects, are fantastic. It's funny that the two graphical showcases of the system are remakes of decade-plus old Nintendo 64 games.

But in the long run, who cares? The design worked then, and it still works now. At this point, I wouldn't mind seeing other N64 titles get the upgrade, such as Majora's Mask, Waverace, and Super Mario 64 if it meant that they came out like this. With all the system limitations, the N64 put out some groundbreaking games, even if they are uglier than sin today.

I didn't try multi-player, and unfortunately, it doesn't look to be a feature that I'll go crazy over. The original game's multi-player was already limited. It's a shame they couldn't just give that mode online play.

The worst part of the game is the fact that it made me realize how much I've missed a proper Star Fox. The franchise's sequels are so few and far between, and they are generally all over the place. Even when I disagree with Nintendo, it's moments like this that give me that soft, squishy feeling of why I like them so much, and what they do bring to the gaming table. Fox and company need to fly in their Arwings. I've hoping this title will convince Nintendo to reinvigorate the series.

It is worth a look? Most definitely, especially for gamers starving for new, quality 3DS content. I had an intensely fun time with the game, and it's a telling sign of how powerful the 3DS is graphically, and how, when used properly, effective the 3D feature is. For all the craziness Nintendo has put the Star Fox franchise through, this old title feels like a breath of fresh new air for a series (and system) that really needed it.

Pac-Man Fever.

2011-09-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Aggh, I can't believe it's been three weeks since my last update, but there have been a few good reasons for that.

Mostly family and friend visits, in addition to getting ready for said family and friend visits, and honestly, I haven't had much time to game lately, which makes it a little hard to pontificate on the subject when you haven't picked up a controller all that much.

But I do take that back to an extent. There was a Pac-Man Championship DX tournament at Insert Coins last week, which I made a point to enter. The hard part was that a week before, I pulled tendons in my gaming hand the weekend before that, so my electronic interfaces of any sort were limited. Even now, typing isn't the most comfortable thing in the world.

For a busted hand, I did alright. I scored 1.3 million, which put me in the Top 5 of the tournament. I had to wait my turn, kept my hand from getting too sore, and then my moment arrived.

I started out well, practicing from weeks before, but my thumb went screwy, meaning that I died early in the first few minutes. But I stepped up my game, blocking the pain out of my head, and powered on to a 1.4 million score.

It felt good, though, like the arcades of old, where skills could draw a crowd, and playing better could garner cheers. I truly felt the part of a digital gladiator, as the DJ pumped music during my play session. I would have chosen "Eye of the Tiger", anything from Journey, or the appropriate "Pac-Man Fever", but alas, I got Black Eyed Peas. We can't win them all.

Speaking of winning, I got third place, which was a $50 gift card, and since I was the first to review the place on Yelp and feature it on here, I got a cash bonus from the owner as well. Why the winning pose alone ensures that I will never, ever be counted as a "gangsta":

I will be getting back into a more regular posting schedule. Big games are coming out, I got my "Ambassador" games from Nintendo, and speaking of 3DS, I had gotten a screen scratch from opening/closing my system, and while I was mortified at the thought at sending it in for repair, I decided to throw caution to the wind (along with a very specific note), and both my 3DS and Wii were fully repaired and not replaced. I guess the trials and tribulations that I endured last year finally paid off for something.

More soon, I assure you.

Overdue Update.

2011-08-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

My apologies for taking so long to update the ol' blog. I've been busy of late, and unfortunately, just haven't had as much time to catch up. Regardless, I did have an interesting event about a week and a half ago, so I thought I'd share.

Insert Coin(s) was hosting a podcast not too terribly long ago with featured guest Keith Robinson. If the name doesn't ring a bell, Keith is the "big guy" of Intellivision from back in the day, and is still going strong now.

The podcast was supposed to start at 5:00 that night, but ended up starting more around 7:00. But really, it turned out very well for me, as I got to approach Keith, get my copy of Intellivision Lives! for the DS signed, and spent about an hour talking to him.

Getting to sit down with a "legend" like Keith, especially for that long a time is something that a gamer could only hope for. We talked about the state of gaming then and now, transferring Intellivision games(and its quirky controller) over to modern gaming consoles and experiences, the future of where he would like to take the games, handling licensing issues of older (and defunct as a result) titles, hidden trivia and Easter Eggs in games, and well as a few things that he spoke one on one and shant repeat here at this time out of respect for confidentiality. Let's just say we "talked shop", both of us being industry veterans.

He also had these great art prints of the Intellivision title, Thin Ice, one of which I picked up.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience, and something that I hope Insert Coin(s) continues. I prefer that a lot more over "DJ Night" (though they do have an '80's night, and I can't disparage them for that at all).

And for posterity:

Keith took a better picture that I need to message him for. As for the site, I'll get back into posting more regularly. The last few weeks have been nuts, though I can't really account for much of what happened. One of those "time whizzing by" sort of things.

Why I Dislike Store Exclusive DLC.

2011-08-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

Look at these costumes. For any Bat-fan, this is a treasure trove of history. But like most games today, they are all store exclusive pre-order DLC for Batman: Arkham City.

We'll likely get the costumes at a later time, but they will undoubtedly be paid DLC. It happened for Mortal Kombat, so here we go again.

Do you remember a time where things like this were actually awesome in-game unlockables?

*sigh*

General Gaming Update.

2011-07-30T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is not so much a post about any news in specific, as it is more of a what's been going on in my world of gaming.

I'm still getting used to the Lynx. Actually, I took it upon myself to disassemble the unit and clean it. I really don't like doing things like this, as it feels like some terrifying experiment that could go horribly awry, but there were some fairly sizable particles of dust on the inside of the screen, and they weren't going anywhere. Fortunately, I found this guide, and it helped to ensure that I did everything properly. Not something that I hope to do again in the near future, but it was effective. Now, to find a way to better buff out some of those screen scratches. If anyone has suggestions, I am willing to listen.

Playing Atari games actually made me think of the old arcade days, and how different a time it was for gaming back then. You really don't see arcades like those in the 1980's-1990's anymore, even ones that are still around today. They still lack something. As I played S.T.U.N. Runner on the Lynx, I remembered this pretty awesome arcade that was in my hometown's video store, and how it set next to titles like NARC and The Simpsons. Vegas has 3-4 respectable enough arcades, but they each lack... something. I don't think the younger generation of gamers will ever truly be able to understand the appreciation of arcades in their prime, and as gamers, I find that very unfortunate.

I played Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions on the 3DS. The "arcade" effect on the screen is actually pretty cool, but what I don't understand is the unchangeable default that has all of the ghost names in their original Japanese nicknames. How could they miss this and/or not change this? After 30 years of continually referring to that multi-colored quartet as Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde, they would forget it this time? Don't even get me started on the US Cabinet art, because what they claim is it is very much not. I'm curious as to why they won't use these illustrations?

I was very fond of this cabinet art, and found it very iconic and striking. Sure, it was a more surreal depiction, but wasn't every game of that time period to some extent?

Speaking of 3DS, there's a $80 price drop coming next month, putting the system from $250 to $170. What's more, early adopters are getting 10 NES Virtual Console games, and 10 Game Boy Advance game, which is roughly a $130 value (adjusting for Wii VC prices). It kind of makes it difficult to "rage" against Nintendo for such an abrupt price drop just 4 months after the system's debut, but it's even more interesting for the fact that Nintendo admits that they've messed up with their system's debut, and that they are uncharacteristically giving out free content to compensate for it. It's a telling sign from the glory days of the Wii, and the "casual fling" they so greatly enjoyed for the duration of that system. Now they are struggling to find their audience all over again as one group has moved on, and the other group has... also moved on.

I've advocated "balance" between content types, but Nintendo seems set on pleasing either one of the other but not both at any given time. I think the difficulties with the 3DS is indicative of the issues the Wii U will eventually face. It's a shame, really. The 3DS is a really nice little system, and I still stand behind what it will eventually achieve. I wish more people would get involved with its little network and community. Besides, I need more StreetPasses.

More of a random post tonight, but they happen from time to time.

Tron Legacy Pinball.

2011-07-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

These days, only Stern is the only company left making pinball games. It's simultaneously a shame and a relief, but at least somebody is still doing it.

But I made it a point to go check out the new Tron Legacy pinball machine at the Pinball Hall of Fame.

They even had the courtesy to place it next to the original Tron arcade machine, so while waiting for one, I played the other.

My pictures don't really do the cabinet art justice, but it's a wonderland of neon lights and Daft Punk music. And really, what more do you need from the subject matter? It's a fun experience, with lots of lighted ramps, voices and sound effects. It's a pretty machine to watch in a darkened room.

Stern's site gives much more detailed pictures, as well as a means to purchase the machine for a paltry $5,699.00. Considering that I'm hungering for my own pinball machine, this makes the hunger to own this one all the more real.

Now to just scrounge up an extra $5,699.00....

3D Classics: Xevious: Post-Script.

2011-07-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

I never was a big Xevious fan back in the day. Most of my early '80's shooting fare consisted of Space Invaders, Galaga, Asteroids, and Defender. The game never really spoke to me, but I wanted to support the new (and apparently limited) "3D Classics" line on the 3DS, so I gave this a shot.

It's amazing how 3D can revitalize a classic.

One of the largest problems that I used to have with the game is that the relationship between ground and sky battles weren't always clear. I wasn't always sure what I could collide with, and what I couldn't, leading to some stupid deaths. But it's amazing to move the 3D slider from 2D to 3D, and watch the game's perspective just "pop".

For the first time, I can finally "understand" Xevious. And that makes it a more exciting experience.

It's still a hard game. It's still one that I can get scraped across the walls for on the higher stages, but I've been making much better maneuvering decisions, and the analog control really makes flying the ship a much more rewarding experience.

As I said before, I wasn't excited to see one of the limited six titles "wasted" on Xevious, but that was before I gave it a chance and played it. It really is a different experience, yet completely faithful to the style of its original counterpart. It's the same "Wow" effect that I experienced with Excitebike, and to date, the "3D Classics Series" is the best example the portable has to showcase the shift between the different play perspectives.

I don't think Xevious is a waste anymore, and can now understand why it was chosen. If you're on the fence, but like shooters, I've found it to be a safe, and very addictive bet to sample.

This Month's Gaming Find.

2011-07-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist a particular eBay find, especially for the price:

I found an Atari Lynx for $20.

The system is in pretty good shape, with only a few minor (but manageable) screen scuffs, and a copy of California Games in tow. Considering how much these usually run for, I found it a good deal.

I also decided to pick up Batman Returns for the system, as it looked amazing to me at the time, so one can hope it lives up to being envious in Babbages all those years ago.

It's an interesting system overall. It's about the size of a brick, so it definitely feels meaty in the hand, and of course, backlighting technology in the early 1990's wasn't as sophisticated as it is today, but at least it's serviceable and adjustable.

So now that I have it, does anyone have any recommendations as to what games are good for it? I've seen a few interesting looking titles, and the system is fairly full of popular arcade classics of the time, but I'm hoping that some of my old-school brethren can give some solid suggestions.

Personally, I think it's a much cooler system than the original Game Boy, but like most competitor's systems, it just couldn't survive without the third-party support that Nintendo had. Not to mention the still bad taste in the mouth the Atari name left at the time.

Such is gaming history.

I Need This. A Lot.

2011-07-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

The new R2-D2 Xbox 360 with matching C-3PO controller is pretty much all I want now.

This is the coolest console variant I have ever seen.

The console even beeps like Artoo when you power it on and open the disc tray.

Why do they do these things to me?!?

Freddy in MK?!?

2011-07-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

More than likely, your initial response will be the same as mine:

*pause*

"What?"

But it's apparently very true, and despite one glaring cosmetic change, the whole concept of it is crazy awesome. It reminds me of when kids would call our hotline swearing up and down that the goofiest characters imaginable were actually in Mortal Kombat.

To all those random kids with the most bizarre of ideas, this one's for you.

The Site's Gone Way Twitty!

2011-07-19T23:35:00.001-07:00

And not Conway Twitty (I'll spare you all and myself the Family Guy reference).

That said, I've added a Twitter account for the site which will be a little less long winded, but still quite game related.

I'll straight-up admit that I'm not the biggest Twitter fan on the planet, so suggestions on what people would like to see from it would be appreciated. I was thinking largely what I am playing, with commentary on what I find to be more interesting aspects of the games.

Ideas are always good....

How Is The 3DS Now?

2011-07-19T22:18:00.002-07:00

It's been an interesting road for the 3DS since it March debut, and it seems to get more and more interesting as time goes by. The most recent "big" news is the cancellation or halting of production of Mega Man Legends 3.

Some gamers are often quick to crucify Capcom for their quality of games this generation, but at the same time forget Mega Man 9 and 10, as well as them taking a chance with Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom on the Wii, which had a snowball's chance of success, but released it anyway. And who would honestly ever think we'd see another Marvel Vs. Capcom collaboration, even if it wasn't as strong as its predecessor? Capcom has always struck me as a very "fan service" sort of company, which makes this recent announcement more than a little surprising to me.

But there's also been a number of delays of late. Kid Icarus was supposed to be a launch title, but is now "Holiday 2011". Cave Story and Pinball Hall of Fame are delayed. Sega just announced the intentional delays of Shinobi and Crush 3D. Saint's Row and Assassin's Creed are canceled....

Seriously, what's going on?

I've often wondered if the 3DS really was rushed to market as speculated. It didn't feel ready when we got it, coupled by the fact that the eShop was delayed, then forcefully delayed again to coincide with this year's E3. Outside of the Pokedex and Excitebike 3D, where is the 3D content? The 3D game and movie trailers? There's the suggestion to explore the content that the DSi shop had to offer, but truly, of all the titles offered, how many are standouts? How many are enough to weather this most recent drought that is affecting retail as well?

And to make matters worse, the "3D Classics" series, a novel and interesting interpretation of classic NES games, has been whittled down to a mere and only six titles? Excitebike 3D works. Moving the 3D slider shows a significant shift in perspective, and they're going to kill off the concept because it's difficult? Wasn't this one of the hyped software lines that we could look forward to for the system? A whole new shift on the Virtual Console concept which is already halfheartedly attempted to begin with?

There are a seeming number of problems with 3DS. The delays alone give speculative thought that perhaps the system is harder to program 3D visuals for than anticipated. Developers are causing their own problems. In intentionally not releasing games because there are not a lot of other games out there, they are adding to the very problem that they are worried about: A slow market and a worsening situation.

There's also the "boogeyman" scare tactics that Nintendo has used for the system, saying that small children under 6 shouldn't use the system, coupled with a long list of "don'ts" that would make any ill-informed parent fear that the 3Ds is "the most dangerous video game system alive". Not to mention Nintendo has even been backpedaling on the whole 3D thing, saying that the feature may not be essential after all. Honestly, if I buy a 3D system, I want to focus on 3D features and games. Otherwise, I could have just stuck to my DS Lite.

And finally, while the impending software release is compelling, Nintendo once again fails to balance things out. They got too "casual" heavy on the Wii, and now they are perhaps too "traditional gaming" heavy on the 3DS and the impending Wii U. There's no reason now or in the future for the casual market to buy a 3DS. The system provides nothing for them that the regular DS already does. It makes me wonder if this is an indication of where the Wii U will be heading with the extreme polar shift. Nintendo seems fairly incapable of balancing out its content. It's either all one way or the other. Now in the rush to please the old fans, they've brushed off the new group they've spent the last six years building. Is 3D enough of an incentive to draw people in like motion control did?

If it seems like I've changed my tone on the 3DS from my previous posts, that would be incorrect. I still greatly enjoy the system. Nintendogs and Street Fighter IV are ecxellent examples of SpotPass. I still enjoying encountering random people with my StreetPass. Ocarina of Time is a wonderful update to one of my most beloved games. And the list of titles (when any of them ever release) should hold me for quite some time. For me, if they released all the games mentioned so far and then (Heaven forbid) dropped the system a la Virtual Boy, I'd still be able to say I've had a fun time with the system. It's a shame that no one, Nintendo and third-parties, are allowing the system to live up to the potential that I see in it. It's frustrating not to see people jump all over a feature that actually works.

Once the games start coming, I feel confident that this situation and drought will get better, but now the question is: When is anyone going to get brave enough to actually step up and let it happen?

Great Zelda Commercial With Backstory.

2011-07-19T22:18:00.001-07:00

Should Movie Sequels Go Digital?

2011-07-10T22:16:00.001-07:00

I've found myself asking this question more and more of late, especially as beloved franchises of the 1980's get revived for today's audiences.

When I saw Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull back in 2008, I couldn't help but feel confused. This was one of those great moments that you hoped for: A childhood hero coming back to allow you to revisit their world and your imagination one more time. And yet, 19 years had passed in the "real" world, and the roguish, swashbuckling hero was reintroduced as an old man, with a forcible and unwelcome upstaging by Shia LeBouf. The fact that one of my heroes was a senior citizen now was too much of a "wake up call" to the passages of time, and all too much of a reminder that fictional characters age as dictated by their real life performers.

And yet in 2009, the Ghostbusters game came out, reuniting the original cast. Again (with the exception of the seemingly immortal Ernie Hudson), they've all aged over the past 20 years.... Yet, the game placed the setting in 1991, and rendered the character models so that only 2 years had passed, and not two decades. Was it a greatly immersive experience back into that world? Definitely. With talk of a Ghostbusters 3 film, am I as excited for that? It's the "Indiana Jones Factor" all over again. I don't think I'm ready to see the guys old, or passing the torch, or whatever gimmick they use to sell this next plot.

Last year, Telltale released a Back to the Future game, "set" in 1986 and reuniting Christopher Lloyd with Bob Gale. And while Michael J. Fox doesn't reprise Marty McFly, the kid who does the voice (A. J. LoCascio) is a total ringer. FUN FACT: Fox does play of Marty's ancestors for the fifth episode. While now a point and click title, the overall feel is very much in tune with the movie's pacing. Both Ghostbusters and this title "got" the feeling of their respected series, and were handled lovingly by people who cared.

In looking at both games, both titles invested heavily in proper voice talent, character licenses, music, writing.... It's a far cry from the movie licensed games we used to (and still often) get. I mean, look at the original Back to the Future NES title.

A lot of movie based games suffer due to having to be ready in time for a film's release. More often than not, these types of games suffer from a rushed schedule, lack of script/plot information for a "secret" blockbuster title, bad voice acting and delivery, unfamiliar music.... It's not that movie-based titles can't be good, but it's seen as a license that can sell on name alone. While that's often "enough" for marketing and sales departments, it isn't for anyone else, especially not fans. Look at Acclaim. They used the SNES as a dumping ground for movie-based platformers that mostly just changed the skins and backgrounds to reflect the current license.

That's why these current revivals seem to be doing better: There's no movie release schedule. Kids who thrilled to these types of movies way back when are the programmers of today's industry. And a lot of them are fans. And a lot of these games tell better stories than recent cinematic counterparts. Look at Transformers: War for Cybertron. A much better narrative outing than any of the Michael Bay... I really hate to use the word "films" for those things.

Hollywood in general is tapped for ideas at this time. This is why we're seeing films based on board games like Monopoly and Battleship coming out (no, I'm serious). Not to mention all the rehashes and remakes and reboots and every other "re" out there. Same as why 30 year old franchises are being resurrected for new sequels after sitting dormant for a few decades. For fans, the concept initially seems exciting. The end result is usually confusion and sadness.

But why don't they "continue" these stories through the video game medium?

Seriously, I'd pay for a new Aliens story with a 20-30 year old Sigourney Weaver reprising her role of Ripley. Same for a new Terminator story with Arnold Schwarzeneger and Linda Hamilton. Or yes, a good Indiana Jones game with Harrison Ford voicing his character.

There's a number of concepts that Hollywood could revisit, free from the restraints of cinematic cross-promotion schedules, and the passages of time, because the game is the lead product. Beloved characters could forever remain in their primes, performing at full capacity instead of being 50-60-70 years old. It wouldn't matter if backgrounds and special effects would be in CG, because it would all be in CG. After seeing what these products can be, perhaps Hollywood needs to push more to take part in the gaming domain if they are going to continue to revisit older concepts. There's certainly a lot more freedom.

Have any of you played Ghostbusters or Back to the Future? If you're fans of the series, do you think the games have accurately captured the "feel" of the eras and franchises? Would you rather see Hollywood put out "official" game sequels to carry film franchises that have been around for decades, instead of seeing favorite characters as senior citizens ready for retirement?

Dear Nintendo....

2011-07-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

While I understand that you are trying to pretend that Operation Rainfall doesn't exist, what puzzles me is that you are not acknowledging two of your major milestones this year. What are they? Let me provide a quick reminder:

The 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong...

And the 25th anniversary of Metroid.

Credit where due, the celebration thus far of Legend of Zelda's 25th event is much better than the miniscule nod that you gave Super Mario Bros.' quarter century last year, but certainly you have a little love in your heart for these two gaming greats.

The more time goes on, the less I understand Nintendo of America these days.

Play For Japan.

2011-07-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm at 400 posts now (well, 402 with this one. I lost count).

I discovered an album recently that is full of gaming greats and goes for a good cause.

Of course, everyone remembers the multiple disasters that befell Japan earlier this year, and while we don't hear about it as much on the news anymore, the devastation is still no less prominent. Soap box aside, some of gaming's greatest musical legends came together for a compilation album that devotes its process to the continuing relief efforts over there.

What is this album?

Play for Japan.

The Amano cover art alone got me curious, but it's a solid collection of original music (save for a lively Super Mario rendition by Koji Kondo). And certainly, it's a good cause. But is it a good album?

I've enjoyed listening to it. It's a little all over the place from all of these composers and their varying musical styles, but each piece has been unique and solid, especially if you recognize and like a lot of these musicians.

For $10 (the Mario theme is only available on iTunes), it's a worthwhile album, and it seems to have garnered some positive attention. It's worth the listen, and besides, it helps to restore Japan so they can get back to making all of those great games again.

New, But Old Arcade Love.

2011-07-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

Video games never fail to amaze me. Just when I think I've seen it all, something comes out of the woodwork to really impress me.

I remember playing Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator as a kid on my Atari 2600. It was a fairly accurate rendition, but what game ever really did bring the complete arcade experience home?

I was at the Pinball Hall of Fame this weekend, when I happened to stumble across this gem of a game:

And it was amazing with the vector graphics, sound effects of Spock and Scotty, and the layout of the cabinet was great. The sit-down version was fairly respectable facsimile of sitting in Kirk's chair, and with both arms reaching for Warp, Phasers and Photons, and lining up Klingons in your sides, it's a greatly satisfying experience.

I found a fairly cool YouTube video. Ignore the Jerry Goldsmith score (or not) as it's not in the game, but it does add for a compelling looking video.

I will definitely be returning to play this. If you ever find a sit-down unit, make it a point to check it out.

Retro Game Challenge.

2011-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

Did any of you play Retro Game Challenge?

The incredibly fun, loving homage to the good old days of not only 8-bit gaming, but all the experiences that went with it? The DS title that was so good, yet so obscure, that we'll likely never get a chance to see the homage to 16-bit gaming because people didn't buy enough copies?

Yeah, about that. I'd like to have a word with you regarding that....

But! Did you know that the "Master" in the game, Shinya Arino, is a real person, and a Japanese gaming celebrity?

You need to watch this.

At an hour long, Retro Game Master showcases Arino attempting to play through the NES classic Ninja Gaiden for his very first time. While I'm not a Reality TV fan by any means, what started as just a few minute preview led to me watching the whole hour going insane as I felt for the guy's trials and tribulations, his frustration, his despair, and then an honest cheer as he soldiers through to the end.

The thing is, I've been there. Ninja Gaiden has continued to beat me, but I've played through enough classic games to be where he is a hundred times over. My friends and I would stay up all night until the morning sun arose to plow through so many NES, SNES, Genesis, and Playstation titles to clear that one horrible level, or to beat that one monster of a boss.

I think I'm going to have to start watching this show online if this first episode is an indication.

Preview: Sonic Generations.

2011-06-23T22:04:00.001-07:00

And so, a single, 2D level of Sonic Generations came out on the 360 today, with cute, chubby Sonic, instead of the leaner more "extreme" Sonic (I seem to be using the word "extreme" a lot in my posts of late. If I speak of parachute pants and M.C. Hammer, be sure to shake me back into reality, will you?)

As the game loaded after the cheerful and familiar opening theme of the first Sonic game, I found myself repeating "Please don't suck", as I braced myself for whatever may happen. I've walked this path too many times before, and each time Sega promises "It's going to get better" is usually met with varying degrees of success.

Well, I'll be.... It didn't suck.

Sonic Generations features a much tighter feel of play control in that one Green Hill Zone. Sonic hopped and bopped through the stage, and I never once got angry when I missed a jump or lost rings, as I felt that was more my error. I'm not used to playing a game that feels like the Genesis games, and had prepared for floaty controls.

There are some 2.5D effects, but it's very much a 2D platformer at heart. I found myself distracted by the graphics, but in a good way. The graphics were colorful and lively, the music was nicely updated, Sonic behaved like he should and hasn't for a long time.

It's only one level. It's still too early to call it either way, and the "Modern" mode hasn't been revealed as playable yet. A lot can happen from here to later. But the little glimpse felt good. It's the same old thing: You want to like Sonic, but for years, Sega hasn't let you, because I think they forgot who he was. Finally, it seems like they are starting on the road to remembrance.

White Knuckle Scorin'.

2011-06-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Remember when everything game related in the 1980's and 1990's was "extreme", "rad", and every over the top adjective that could describe anything? Remember when Nintendo really didn't have as high standards on what they stuck Mario and company on? I actually do, and while I didn't have this album, White Knuckle Scorin' makes me feel only slightly more embarrassed as I would have been back in 1991.

This article will make you feel somewhat awkward, weird, and a little dirty for looking at it. Not as much as some of those Worlds of Power books that used to be out back in the day, but pretty close.

....

Pretty darn close....

Ocarina of Time: First Impressions.

2011-06-19T22:42:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to purchase a retail game for the 3DS (since the system's launch, to be exact). But I've been waiting for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

Since its release in 1998, this particular "Adventure of Link" has been considered not only one of the best Zelda games of all time, but one of the best games of all time. Ever. Of course, there have been the questions of buying a 13 year old remake of game as a retail product, and not having it available as a download. Or does it carry the same weight as it once did. Do the graphics really make that much of a difference?

One of the main comments that I always made about the Nintendo 64 original is how much Hyrule feels like it is a set world, with actual depth, and height. The layout makes sense. If you were to somehow reconstruct the whole game as a scale model, it would be possible, without nonsensical areas that don't fit. The effect now has changed. It feels different, and I'll explain how.

Imagine that world with depth and width and height. But now it's even more. It feels less of a game, and more of some kind of magical window that allows you to watch and interact with a living, breathing, real world. The effect is astounding, and I found myself genuinely moved by the experience.

Is the experience the same? Tell me, would you really want this game changed? Would you want that one moment you remembered so fondly taken away to make it "fresh" or "different"? When I heard that the soundtrack was the same as the Nintendo 64 version and not aurally updated to match the visuals, I was disappointed. Of course I wanted orchestration. But I also forgot how deeply ingrained and beautiful the N64 soundtrack was. Sure, there is a "What if?", but the original music still makes its point.

As for "new", motion control is used for the brief first-person segments, and it heavily improves accuracy. It's you aiming, and not a cursor. The freedom of control makes a world of difference, and once you get used to it, it feels incredibly natural.

Is this the game you remember? Absolutely. Is this a quick and dirty cash-in? Not at all. It is a wondrous update to perhaps the greatest game Nintendo has ever created. When I mentioned "moments" a few posts back, this game is exactly what I meant by that. And in one day, it's already worn down my battery charge twice.

In retrospect, Excitebike 3D was the first taste in the "old is new" philosophy Nintendo has used for its first generation of 3D titles, and is this is the result of how Nintendo will handle remakes and updates,
I'd be less opposed to them trotting out the same game with a new coat of paint. The update is respectful and... well, just play it.

I'm falling in love with this title for the third time. I can't wait to see how the final boss battle will be handled.

As always, let me know your own thoughts on the matter.

How Times Have Changed.

2011-06-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, if you've heard the news, and couldn't believe that the day would ever come, Duke Nukem Forever has been released.

It seems like such an act would signal the end of the world, like this would be the catalyst for the infamous "Rapture" that was supposed (meant in a tongue in cheek way) to happen. And it's crazy to think that this game (or who knows how many variants of this title) was in development since 1996. That was my first E3. I think I may actually remember some mention of the game from that show. But it's been that long.

I wasn't a huge Duke fan back then. I was more of a Doom player, but the game had its own certain type of charm, parodying all of those action films of the 1980's and 1990's. It was entertaining, in a cheesy sort of way. Doom had its grim, silent protagonist. Duke Nukem 3D had this uber-macho, one-liner spouting semi-lovable jerk.

I haven't played the new Duke, but the reviews have been most... unkind for it. I'm not sure what to think about that. Certainly, Duke is not the first to suffer such a long hiatus between installments (Kid Icarus has been 20, and even games like Punch-Out!! and Donkey Kong Country have had at least decade long absences), but the difference is that those games weren't in development for 15 years.

Truth is, I don't know if I will play the new game. Not anytime soon, anyway. I wasn't a huge fan then, and it takes a lot to really get me excited about a FPS. But from what I have seen and heard, it's the same old ridiculous nonsense that made the game so popular in the first place. It was never meant to be a serious game, and Forever sounds no different.

And these have been a number of fans clamoring for this release, joking about if it will ever get done and mire through "Development Hell" to the store shelves, and freaking out as an actual release date was set, and the game actually, magically made it to store shelves.

And now that it's here, people are ripping it apart for being what it is. A decade plus of a very vocal and rabid fanbase have now turned against their retro messiah.

A lot of the problems seem to come from the fact its based off of 20-30 year old stereotypes. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and John-Claude Van Damme are no longer the box-office's leading action stars anymore. Movies like Army of Darkness and They Live are at the very least 20 years old now. To make us feel all that much older, think about how many of today's gamers have been born and grew up from pre-school to become a good chunk of the gaming population? Duke Nukem is an anachronism of 1990's pop culture. His delay and the character itself are a form of parody in their own rights. And now that gamers have gotten exactly what they've been begging and screaming for over 15 years, it's "outdated", and "bad". From the reviews, and the videos and articles I've seen, Duke didn't change. But we did.

FPS games have evolved so much since 1996. There was the Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye, Turok, and Perfect Dark. Doom has greatly evolved. Quake, Halo, Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead and so many other titles have appeared since then. The FPS became the FPA with Metroid Prime and Bioshock. The genre evolved. Duke didn't. And now it seems that the nostalgia blinders have fallen off, and people can't accept a 15 year old game design in modern packaging.

I don't think the game ever claimed to be anything else but.

I may see what the game is like at a later time (too many games that I'm working on now), but I think people have missed the point of the joke: The whole situation itself is a joke. Fifteen years of waiting, salivation, hoping, wondering, all of the anticipation that built up in one's mind for that long of a time. Did Duke Nukem Forever ever have a chance in Hell to live up to that level of hype and expectation?

For me, I wonder the same about the arrival of Kid Icarus after a 20 year wait. Then again, the sequel was only announced last year, so I don't have the same level of hype going into it. Then again, after 20 years, there are definitely some things that I am going to want to see from Pit.

The "Nintendo Moment".

2011-06-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

I've been a little critical of Nintendo of late, though I've been playing my 3DS often this past week. How could I not? The week has been pretty exciting.

But for a gamer, Nintendo is always one of those things that generates some sort of feeling. I've been a long-time fan of the company, from Donkey Kong and Game & Watch up to the 3DS. My grumbles with the company are meant more as that friend you have that is viewed as having a ton of potential, and you want to make sure that they meet up to it sort of thing.

I've been feeling it more lately. The 3DS, despite its rocky start, is the sort of experience that I want from Nintendo. With the tons of games built within the system, the care and bells and whistles packed into nearly every app, the now launched eShop with classic games (FUN FACT: You can turn the Game Boy screen to its original spinach green color, or set it to it's native resolution complete with Game Boy border with a few simple button codes), the 3D movie and game trailers, AR Cards, Spot and StreetPass. the impending line-up of games, the promise of actual third party support, long dead franchises brought back from the grave, actual working 3D.... It's pretty exciting. It almost feels like the 3DS is tailored exactly to my needs.

But we all have our first moment. Or in some cases, moments. I have a few of my own: Getting the NES for my 11th birthday. The first time I beat Super Mario Bros. The first time I played Legend of Zelda. Super Metroid. The Squaresoft games and Super Star Wars games on the SNES. Seeing Super Mario 64 at E3 '96. Playing Ocarina of Time for the first time. There were games like Conker's Bad Fur Day and Rogue Squadron. Trying to fathom the awesome of each successive Super Smash Bros. Camping out all night to get the Wii. Seeing games like Punch-Out!!, Donkey Kong Country Returns and Mega Man 9 come out. The list goes on.

I admit for a while that my faith in Nintendo was shaken by the Wii. After a respectable start with all my favorite classics coming out steadily on the Virtual Console, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl being the high point of the system, things... just sort of dropped off, and Mario fighting Sonic was the last of those "moments" for a while.

Mario Kart Wii lost me with it's "Last place places first/Winners must be punished" AI. E3 '09 still remains a head-scratching oddity and embarrassment. Nintendo's website became a more sterile and boring place to visit. They closed down their forums. They handed off Nintendo Power to another publisher, no longer making it internal and "straight from the pros". The Virtual Console, once a fountain of 3-4 classics a week, became maybe one game a month if fans were really lucky. Even third-party support, which was relatively weak since the Nintendo 64 days, was slower than ever. Even long-standing franchises, despite being good, still seemed to be very careful retreads of what worked before. Where was the ingenuity and risks in their traditional franchise titles?

The final straw was my Wii breaking down, and Nintendo letting some outsourced repair shop trash my system multiple times over, wiping years worth of data. Nintendo never did wrong. They always made things better. And Nintendo products simply did not break. My original NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy Advance, and Gamecube still all work like champs. And for my loss, Nintendo apologized by simply tossing me the old-style Classic Controller before sending me on my way.

And then, something happened. E3 2010. And with it came an exodus of beloved franchises Nintendo hasn't touched in years. Kid Icarus being one of them. And I played a good number of "old friends" before the Wii started eating discs again, forcing me to stop, but I got to see some revised memories.

3DS put me back on the bandwagon. With what's coming, Nintendo is seeming to return to their older sensibilities. All they need to do now is add a new Punch-Out!!, Metroid, and Donkey Kong to the "Coming Soon" list, and there's not much more that I'd need. But the release of the eShop, and this week's undoubtedly nostalgic Ocarina of Time update has put some more steam in the little system that could, but hasn't just quite yet. But it's gaining real momentum now, and I like where it's going.

And even the next system looks to take third-parties again seriously, though a lot of the details still seem shrouded in mystery, and I'm still not sold on Super Mario Bros. Mii. But I will "wait and see".

The 3DS is my newest "moment" regarding Nintendo. It came at a time where for the first time, I was starting to question the company's direction and plans for "us". the old guard. The people who hunted ducks and tried to figure out a cool-looking but difficult to use toy robot. Even if Wii U *shudder* isn't what I want it to be, I at least know that Nintendo and I will remain friends on their portable side, a system that looks to be speaking directly to their long-time fans.

What are some of your "moments"?

Dragon's Crown Trailer.

2011-06-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

After Muramasa on the Wii (easily the prettiest game this generation, in my opinion), I realized that Vanillaware is indeed something special.

And then they had to go tap into the medieval-fantasy hack 'n' slash genre.

Those... monsters.

It's coming out for the PS3 and the Vita. I will frame it and put it on my wall.

eShop, Wii U, and E3.

2011-06-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

While I think that Nintendo's E3 conference had some good things in it, there was more ambiguity to the whole event than I would have liked.

The eShop finally went live last night after a two-week "delay" (well, more like two weeks and over 3 1/2 hours, since they didn't release the update until 9:40 P.M. PST instead of 6:00 P.M.). I'm still convinced that this was for a "surprise reveal" at E3, not to mention a way to tie Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening into the whole Zelda 25th anniversary event.

The shop itself is nice and easy to navigate. It seems that Nintendo is going to have several shops within the shop to find more specific types of games. Excitebike 3D was an appreciated free item, and while the 3D isn't mind-blowing, it is a very neat and noticeable effect. The Pokedex 3D is also a free item, and is fun enough to play around with, though I'm sure Pokemon fans will get much more out of it than I will.

As for the conference, it was broken down into three areas: 3DS, the new console, and... I guess the Wii. I think Nintendo has written that system off completely now.

I was hyped last year for the 3DS, and this year's eventual showings give me the feeling that this is going to be the Nintendo system I devote most of my time into. Before I get into anything, download and watch game videos from the system. Online videos are alright, but the 3DS shows the full 3D in motion. It's a much more thrilling experience.

Kid Icarus still has no release date, when it was set for a launch title. I'm not really amazed by the multi-player aspect, and wish it was a little less of a shooter, but it looks good. It looks really good, and I'm still quite excited for it.

Super Mario looks very nice, like a mini Galaxy game. Luigi's Mansion 2 is a nice surprise. Starfox 64 still looks good, Metal Gear Solid looks really interesting, as does Resident Evil Revelations. Even Mario Kart looks nice, and I think the flight/diving aspects fit the playful theme very well. I just hope they don't have the same type of broken "Winners get punished and will lose" AI of the Wii version. However, Retro is said to be working on this version, and if so, that’s good news. There was even mention of a Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS, though nothing was shown for it. That seemed to be prevalent for a lot of games at this conference. All talk and no show.

As for the new system.... I was always underwhelmed about the Wii's name, but I grew to accept it. "Wii U" sounds like some sort of prestigious college that either is a massive amount of fun, set in the backwoods somewhere, or makes a lot of jokes about one's nethers. I'm not a fan of the name, but I guess they had to keep brand familiarity. Unfortunately, so ends my hope of seeing an end to the "Wii Whatever" series. Now it's just going to be mini game compilations set to sell all new controller peripherals... but now in HD.

Outside of a look at the controller, all the software was "all talk, no show", save for some conceptual stuff, and a hint at a Mii-themed New Super Mario Bros. (do people really want this from a main entry Mario game?), Zelda, and the promise of Smash Bros. 4.

While the system itself sounds like it's going to address a lot of the Wii's issues (online, decent third-party support, etc.), I had one hope in mind that doesn't look to be addressed:

It's still that front disc loading aspect from the original Wii. Those who have been long time readers of my blog know of the hardware malfunctions that befell me last year with my Wii system "eating" games, and that front loading system clawing my discs up. As a result, I stopped using discs at all in my Wii, because it became too similar to the Kite-Eating Tree from Charlie Brown.

How I see my current Wii.

Considering that I'm not the only one who has dealt with a wonky Wii, I hope that they will build the next system a little sturdier, and less... hungry.

And the Wii.... Ever since 2006, there have always been those naysayers who heralded "The Wii is dead!". I think this year... this year, they may be right.

The best gamers have to look forward to is a new Zelda and Kirby game. Last Story and Xenoblade were nowhere to be found, which really disheartened me, and I think Pikmin 3 and the Vitality Sensor are two of Nintendo's longest and more unfunny running gags. The Gamecube's end wasn't exactly graceful. Nintendo has just yanked life support on the Wii before seeing if the pulse is still there. Wii U is still a prototype at this stage, and at least a year away. NoA is clearly not a fan of the Wii, and the lack of interest is saddening.

At the end of all the videos, trailers, screenshots, verbal promises, and prototypes, I am finding that the 3DS is the one most able to speak to me in terms of the experiences that I'm wanting. The 3D isn't a gimmick, the build-up momentum has been slow, but the rewards seem to be worth it, and I just want classic gaming experiences.

From Nintendo's show, I did find some things to definitely look forward to, but this was not the clear and polished showcase that was their conference last year.

I'm looking forward to the discussion on this one....

The PSP/PSN "Free Game" Thing.

2011-06-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that getting those free "Welcome Back" games isn't as easy as it seemed.

I'm downloading them now, but not without lack of some effort. Sure, they're on the main splash page of PSN, and yet when you click to download them.... Where did they go? And then they're gone as if they never existed.

If you did confirm your free goods, and can't find them for the life of you, here's what you have to do:

Get out of the store and follow these menus:

Account Management
Transaction Management
Services List
SCEA Promotions

Oddly enough, you get to download the games here. Sure would have been nice to specify instead of having to look up the info., wouldn't it?

Hope that saves some of you a little pain in being "Welcomed Back".

$250 for a Vita, you say? A portable Bioshock? Do tell more....

Microsoft: Initial Thoughts.

2011-06-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little... confused by the Microsoft presser. Mostly, let down, but I don't know what I was expecting. Certainly not that.

I may be one of the few, but I had hoped that Microsoft would have found a solution for Game Room and fixed it up. It's a horrible waste and a sad death for a fun service, but between this and 1 Vs. 100, it sends a pretty clear message on how Microsoft is going to treat services like this, and I won't be investing in any of their new programming services. Burn me twice....

Kinect is clearly the focus of the show. And on one hand, that's fine. Other than Dance Central and Yoostar 2, I haven't played anything truly exceptional for the device. Kinect Sports is fun, but it is, after all, a Wii Sports clone from a former Nintendo developer. But I am ready to see some new content for the device, and see what the next batch has to offer.

Is it just me, or is it weird that a Sesame Street game, of all things, is easily the best looking offering of the lot? The Gunstringer looks fun (though not mentioned), and Kinect: Disneyland Adventures could go either way, but Star Wars....

I'd really like to know who at Lucasarts decided that the Original Trilogy is no longer something worth the time to explore. After 12 years, I've grown tired of their games focusing almost exclusively on the Prequels and Clone Wars, and wonder why that outside of the second Lego game, the Rogue Squadron series, and that in-between time frame of The Force Unleashed, we can't be granted some new adventure featuring Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. The Prequels and related content have exhausted me, and this Kinect exclusive title needs a lot of work from what I can tell. It looks to be a handful of mini-games, and the Jedi sequence looks to be the weakest of the lot.

I'm also surprised I wasn't more into Dance Central. That's another issue, as it's all modern club music. Can Harmonix not find any worthy additions from the 30 year time span of the 1970's to the 1990's? I know we aren't seeing the total playlist, but the initial offering has left me cold, no matter how good the first game was.

And I'm not into another new Halo and Gears of War. I know they are the "big" Microsoft franchises, but they aren't my personal thing. I'm sure fans of the two series will be happy, but it's not much in the way of diversifying the audience like they've been trying to (and have had some successes).

At least there's the prospect of a new Batman, Bioshock, and Elder Scrolls, with the prospect of a 300+ hour quest. But I've also known about these three titles for months, and at their hearts, they are still sequels.

Bing, I could care less about, much like I did for ESPN.

Overall, I'd have to say I'm disappointed. I've seen what Kinect can do when modders and programmers play with the tech, and I'm not seeing any of that innovation on "official" display. When Kinect works, it genuinely does quite well. I'm just surprised that we don't seem to be finding that as much given the heavy push that permeated the conference.

A Lost Part of Nintendo.

2011-06-05T16:57:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a working arcade version of Popeye just last week at Insert Coin(s). It seems that they are changing up some of their gaming rotation, and it makes me wonder how many machines they truly have now.

But the last time I played this was... I can't even remember. It was in a Dairy Queen in some small Texas town between my parent's place and my Uncle's. In short, it's been a while.

I did have the game for Colecovision, which was a fairly accurate port of the game. But having not played Popeye in a while, I figured it was worth the quarter to revisit.

It's a shame, really, that this has never come to the Virtual Console. If it's a licensing issue, then it may never come to the Virtual Console. There's also the nagging issue that Nintendo still refuses to release any of its arcade ports to the service, meaning that we may never truly get that perfect Donkey Kong arcade experience at home outside of Donkey Kong 64.

The game came out in 1982, and was designed by Miyamoto. If I remember correctly, the experiences of Donkey Kong were meant to be a Popeye game all along, but Nintendo couldn't get rights to the characters back then. So Mario was born, and we all know how that went.

The last version Nintendo ever put out was for the NES, as well as an educational sequel, before the sailor man disappeared into the night. Namco revived the game for modern audiences, but it remains on mobile phones. It's about as close as we're going to get for a recent version of the game.

It's kind of the shame that Nintendo didn't try to at least keep the license for one of their original titles, but it's something of a moot point since their arcade titles don't get much of a reference to begin with these days.

Still, there's always eBay if you have a NES....

Whatever Happened To Square-Enix?

2011-06-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

I kind of like this new post thread, as it's been leading to some interesting conversations with all of you.

I have a terrible confession to make: I never got into Chrono Trigger back in the day.

Now before you cry "Heretic" and raise pitchforks in my direction, I was always a Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star sort of person, and I was getting ready for Playstation, so there's my reason why. But I did love Squaresoft's RPGs. Final Fantasy VI (our III) was incredible, and I thought Super Mario RPG was wonderful. The games that the first Playstation brought out were equally great, from the FF VII-IX, Parasite Eve, Chrono Cross.... And with Playstation 2, the mere thought of Kingdom Hearts was too much to truly comprehend at the time (The first Kingdom Hearts was actually the last Squaresoft game, by the way).

I loved Square so much, that I am likely one of the few who actually liked Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and the merging of Square-Enix seemed like another dream come true (even though it was mostly done to save Square when The Spirits Within flopped as much as it did.

But initially, I was a little surprised when I read that Square-Enix was in as bad of financial straits as they currently are.

Looking back, I can understand why.

These days, it's not even so much Square-Enix anymore. It's more Square-Enix-Taito-Eidos. In that regard, that stands for a ton of franchises. Square's best work seems to be more on the portable front. The DS's The World Ends With You, and Space Invaders Extreme were excellent. We finally saw the third Final Fantasy, and a revamped Part 4, not to mention Enix's contributions in the Dragon Quest category. I'd even go as far to say that Square-Enix is easily the most supportive of all third-parties when it comes to the PSP.

But there's also a lot of things that don't make sense. The company makes so many sequels of its sequels that it's becoming messy in trying to keep up on what's the real story to the game anymore, or if the "main" entry still matters. Each installment of the Final Fantasy series used to be its own story. Now each installment have become its own franchise, so the numbers don't really mean anything anymore. Final Fantasy 13 is closer to Final Fantasy 30 at this point. I used to miss the characters once a story ended, but each game always had common elements to tie them together and make them familiar. How many sequels is XIII getting again? Or XII? Or X? Or VII? Or IV? You get the point.

I can't truly understand how Square-Enix has gotten to the level of clutter that it has. There's no reason to, and yet it partially makes sense. They release their older titles over and over for every single platform now, yet they refuse to redo the one game that there have been years worth of fan requests for: Final Fantasy VII, the title that simultaneously made and broke Square. The company has refused to make a sequel to Chrono Trigger, their other hugely beloved game. Kingdom Hearts has been diluted with numerous spin-offs, although they won't commit to a Part 3 at any point in the near (or any) future. Seriously, how many times can you approach the events of the first game from a different angle? And who knows if Dragon Quest X is actually going to come out for the Wii as promised two years ago?

There's also Secret of Mana, Actraiser, Einhander, Bushido Blade, Rad Racer.... What happened to those titles? They still currently team up with Nintendo for portable sports games, but can't do another Mario RPG?

And what of Taito and Eidos? Taito, with games like Qix, Bubble Bobble, Rastan, and Space Invaders, have a rich history of arcade style games that could only help to diversify the company's portfolio. Eidos is known for Tomb Raider, but Eidos also absorbed Crystal Dynamics, which owned titles like Gex, Pandemonium, and Legacy of Kain. A Gothic vampire RPG from a company that near exclusively specializes in RPGS? Why... How would they not capitalize on this?

It's obvious that the company's "Big Three" are Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts. Four if they can ever sort out Tomb Raider, and what to do with it. The biggest problems seem to stem from the fact that they've diluted the Final Fantasy brand with the sheer amount of releases and spin-off sequels to their sequels. And it's clear that they are not listening to their fanbase. I've read way too many forums and message boards to know that a remade Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts 3, and a Chrono Trigger sequel would solve a LOT of their current financial woes, not 85 sequels to Final Fantasy XIII, or already hard at work on Final Fantasy 26, or whatever.

And yes, their past accomplishments are indeed beloved. They are still wonderful gaming experiences, full of great and compelling characters with complex and heroic personalities, beautiful artwork, sweeping musical scores, and heartfelt and engaging stories. My playthrough of Chrono Trigger is reminding me of the technical marvels that they did on the SNES.

But these titles need to be put to rest, no longer hyped as "the next big thing", when we've already seen it 15 years ago. It's time to make new classics and memories, Square. Quit riding the old nostalgia wave, and give us new things to fall in love with.

I'd hate to lose Square-Enix. I've built far too many memories with them to see them disappear into the night, but until they quit milking franchises to death and stop ignoring the requests from their consumer base, I don't know what will become of them. In any case, their best work these days seems to be on the portable systems, and at least you can see some sparks of originality or the ability to count to the next number there.

Countdown To E3 2011.

2011-06-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Next week is the Christmas of the Gaming Industry: E3. As someone who used to attend these things on a regular basis, it still pains me not to attend these things (must mend this for next year).

That said, I'll be curious to see what is unveiled for the show.

Xbox 360 for me is mostly looking forward to the Batman, Elder Scrolls and Bioshock sequels, as well as learning more about Sonic Generations, and hopefully something big that will be brought to the table with Kinect. They are promising "big things", and I hope so. There is still a lot of potential in the device that hasn't even been remotely tapped into.

Sony, I hope they get their hacker issues resolved, because they are still a mess. It took me a while to find the right link to change the password on my PSP as their site is still covered in broken links and warning messages. It took me speaking to a customer service rep to find out what possible links to try, with no guarantee that it would even be "live" to fix. I think this overall bad karma is going to damage some of the hype for Sony's products, the potential official announcement for NGP, and I'm not sure if this will be the PSP's last hurrah this year.

Nintendo was the critical darling last year in my opinion, and with the 3DS and "Project Cafe", they could go for two in a row. The Wii's future is going to depend largely on what comes out, and what might be announced. With a new Zelda, and the potential of three JRPGs coming out (though I think we'll be lucky if we get even one, hopefully two, but more than likely not three), the Wii has one last year to sustain itself, and I hope that it doesn't go out with a "thud". Third-party support is looking pretty grim as it is.

3DS.... The three month drought of nothing is almost over. I still think it's utter crappy nonsense that they pretty clearly delayed the eShop's debut for the show to make it seem like some "amazing new and revolutionary feature", instead of an out of the box experience like it should have been. Still, the software line-up looks strong both from Nintendo and third-party, so I hope the ball gets rolling soon. But where is Kid Icarus: Uprising? No, seriously. The game has completely disappeared off the radar from launch game to completely and utterly silent up to this point. I bought the 3DS to play a new Kid Icarus. Actually, I've waited 20 years to play a new Kid Icarus. I'm not going to be pleased if they've delayed this to next year.

Project Cafe? Likely tech videos, and a release next year, so it's up to 3DS and a Wii at the end of its life cycle to carry Nintendo through. Still, in terms of big surprise announcements, I think Nintendo will have the best potential of the big three systems.

I'm hoping we'll get some surprises from everyone. I don't want a year of little else but sequels and shooters. Sequels are so commonplace these days that there doesn't seem to be as much of a thrill when a new one is announced. My list of wants is simple: I just want to be amazed by something at the show.

What are you looking forward to?

Hallmark's 2011 Gaming Ornament.

2011-06-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed in Hallmark. After 2008's clever Pac-Man arcade ornament and 2009's Galaga ornament, I hoped the series would continue.

But in 2010, the closest we got to a video gaming ornament was a Light Cycle from Tron Legacy. Not that I'm complaining, as the film and gaming are most definitely linked.

This year, it's another Tron ornament, and despite my hope for a classic Light Cycle, or Tron, or the MCP or a Recognizer, we get Clu's Light Cycle.

Don't get me wrong: More Tron is always good, but I was hoping for a little more variety.

But if you really want to stretch for another gaming ornament this year, there is this nice Lego Star Wars one:

After all, the Lego games are most definitely a gaming franchise in itself.

But I'm starting to think I may never get that Zelda or Mario ornament now....

To Love A Hedgehog.

2011-05-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

I've been on the "outs" with the hedgehog of late.

It's hard to believe that Sonic is turning 20 this year. Good Lord. It just messes with you when you realize that much time has passed from that lazy Summer in 1991 when I alternated between the first Sonic game, and Sega's equally fun Spider-Man title for the Genesis. But here we are.

And a lot of things have changed since then. The little blue guy has seen how many sequels and spin-offs now, strolling well into Mega Man territory with the sheer amount of games, but unlike Mario, which (back then, anyway) seemed a little more reserved in spin-off titles, Sonic was everywhere. Perhaps too much so at some points.

Outside of the 16-bit sequels, the Sega CD game, and perhaps Sonic's first 3D Adventure outing, most sequels lost their way, either promoting stupid gimmicks, a never-ending expanding cast of quickly forgettable side characters, and the loss of that "'90's attitude" he was so well known for. Even Sonic the Hedgehog 4 just missed... something (I attribute that to those goofy physics they slapped in the game).

Heck, the most fun I've had with Sonic anything is last year's kart racer, him punching Link and Samus in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and a Genesis compilation that he supposedly endorses according to the title's name. I didn't try Sonic Colors, but I've heard it was on the right track.

And with any "anniversary" route, Sonic gets a new game that goes back to its roots. Not in the same cheap cash-in route that Nintendo did with Mario's 25th anniversary package, but an interesting return to the beginning.

And therein lies another issue: I've missed "original" Sonic. I never could put my finger on what I wasn't liking, but cute, chubby Sonic just looks more mischievous and fun, someone who is simply out to have more of a good time.

But looks are looks. This could just as easily be a skin to cash in on nostalgia, and not mean much of anything past that. But then I saw this video comparing "old" Sonic to "new" Sonic:

It just kind of hit me, that old wave of nostalgia. The same way Mega Man 9 did, or the updated Punch-Out!! or Mortal Kombat. It's a return to those "fun" old times of bright colors, simple stories, and just run, run, run.

Whether or not Sega will be able to pull it all off for the final product remains to be seen, but the video looks to be on the right track. I'm actually growing fond of the hedgehog again. And it's been a long time since I've been able to say that.

And then of course, Sega announces this out of the blue:

Is Sega suddenly trying to recapture their glory days? For our sake, let's hope so.

(Space Harrier 3DS please, while you're at it....)

A Different Sort Of Review.

2011-05-28T21:27:00.001-07:00

I'm going to present a different sort of review for this particular entry.

As I mentioned about two months ago, DuckTales the comic was coming this month, and was penned by Epic Mickey's resident Disney fan, Warren Spector. While this is seemingly a bit of a "breaking format" for my usual type of entries, any kid with a NES back in the 1990's would tell you otherwise.

The Disney Afternoon was a 2 hour block of animated shows featuring new or reimagined Disney characters going on series of action adventures from Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and of course, old Scrooge's adventures. With each show came out a usually excellent game from Capcom within a year, so not only could you watch the shows, you could play them.

I actually did read the first story arc of the updated Rescue Rangers, and they make a very direct reference to its gamesake in the second issue (which made me smile, as I loved that game), but to prevent myself from going too far off my intended subject matter, let's get back to the ducks.

Each comic reboot stays within the continuity of the show, but the comic plays heavily from both the show and the comics (again, Spector is a huge Disney fan). While fans of the show will definitely get into it, it does help to read some of those Carl Barks/Don Rosa stories, because there are references a plenty.

I have read in some reviews that perhaps Scrooge was too much of a jerk for his own good in this comic. Actually, he's more true to form. The show toned down Scrooge's greedy, sometimes mercenary character (which I've also written about), and made him more of a "family man". Here, he is a blend of the two versions, and having seen both sides, it made me appreciate the comic more.

There's plenty of humor and an impending new adventure to be told in upcoming issues. Like Rescue Rangers, this comic is updated with a slightly more serious tone, but still retains the characters personalities well. If anything, this furthers my want for Spector to make that DuckTales game he's been trying to talk up in interviews. If Disney has any sense after the sheer joy of Epic Mickey, they'll let him.

The first issue takes its time to lay down the groundwork, and reestablish the gang. I'm sure the adventure will start to really pick up in the following issues.

In any case, the comic came out this week. If you're still on the fence as to whether or not it's worth your time, here's a preview of the first few pages.

Whatever Happened To Sega?

2011-05-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Sega fan is/was such a different creature than the Nintendo fan. For the 1980's/1990's, you chose one side: Nintendo or Sega. I made like Switzerland, and actually enjoyed both. There was always something "edgy" about Sega. Their games had "attitude", which was so popular in the 1990's, and so different that what passes for those terms today.

The Sega Master System, though lacking the 3rd party support that Nintendo had (largely due to the near-monopoly The Big N had on the gaming industry back in the day), they still produced some quirky and unique titles, one of the most standout being the original Phantasy Star, which blew away most 16-bit offerings. And who could forget Alex Kidd and Fantasy Zone? Sega also had a number of notable arcade titles, such as Space Harrier, Shinobi, Outrun, Altered Beast, Golden Axe....

But Sega didn't really find their foothold until the Genesis. It was here where we saw sequels to most of those beloved titles, as well as introducing newcomers like Ecco the Dolphin, ToeJam & Earl, Streets of Rage, and of course, Sonic the Hedgehog.

32X and Sega CD struggled, as did the Saturn, but it still brought games like NiGHTS, Panzer Dragoon, and Virtua Fighter.

Following that was the Dreamcast, which died a much unwarranted death, as it was an absolutely brilliant system with games like Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5, Seaman, Jet Grind Radio, Seaman, Phantasy Star Online, Shenmue, Samba de Amigo....

You get the point.

But the Dreamcast couldn't survive against the initial hype that the Playstation 2 generated, leaving the system getting the plug pulled on it when it was becoming its most brilliant. Oh, how I mourn that system and what could have continued. E3 2000 for Sega was one of the biggest events I remember from any previous show, because it was a full on party at their booth. But the pairing of Nintendo and Sega, however "unholy" a concept was at the time (among Sony and Microsoft), the potential seemed interesting.

But Sega just started losing its identity. My thought is the merging with Sammy. It didn't go well in the initial stages, and Sammy eventually got the upper hand. And with that particular coup, Sega seems to have forgotten who they were, or weren't allowed to be themselves anymore.

And now, ten years later, so many gamers seem to have forgotten what Sega actually contributed to the gaming scene, with some claiming that they never even came close to the creativity of Nintendo. If anything, Sega was more than a competitor to Nintendo. They were a solid equal.

A quick run-through of their most notable titles and series:

Alex Kidd, Altered Beast, Wonder Boy, Hang On, Space Harrier, Zaxxon, Outrun, Shinobi, Fantasy Zone, Phantasy Star, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Jet Grind Radio, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop, House of the Dead, Space Channel 5, Shenmue, Seaman, Crazy Taxi, Samba de Amigo, Afterburner, ToeJam & Earl, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS, Ecco the Dolphin, Vectorman, Sonic the Hedgehog, Comix Zone, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, the Shining series, and a handful of other titles that I can't remember off the top of my head.

Look at the list. How many of these series are still active today?

The most "Sega" I've seen the company be in the last year is the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing (which is a better title than Mario Kart Wii, in my opinion), the attempt at Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and bringing back "Classic Sonic" in Sonic Generations.

I'm not going to lie: Seeing this trailer made me realize how much I've missed "cute, chubby" Sonic, and I hope it's more than a gimmick to mine nostalgia out of oldsters like me. I have to admit that I'm surprised it's not coming to the Wii as well. Then again, I'm surprised that Mario and Sonic haven't been paired for some platforming masterpiece, though apparently not for lack of trying.

Look, it they can merge Marvel Comics with Capcom, Disney Characters with Final Fantasy heroes, and Mortal Kombat fighters with the likes of Superman and Batman, they can merge the worlds of Mario and Sonic. One side is holding out and being stubborn.

It seems like Sega is remembering a little bit of itself better in the last year, but it's only been mining Sonic nostalgia for the great majority of their "revivals". There are about 20 franchises or stand-alone games that are well overdue for some sort of modernization or bringing out of retirement, and while I am all for new IP, multiple decade neglected IP are pretty much the same thing in introducing beloved characters back to a new generation of gamers.

Can 2011 Be "The Year of the RPG" For Wii?

2011-05-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

That's up to Nintendo of America, honestly.

Hard to believe for the newer folks, but Nintendo used to be THE place for top-notch RPGs. Well, back in the NES and Super Nintendo days. When Nintendo refused to go to CD with the Nintendo 64, they lost one of their biggest third-parties (Squaresoft), along with pretty much everyone else who made that type of game. From then on out, RPGs on a Nintendo console (but not portable), have been scarce.

The Wii in particular has been a wasteland for RPGs. Oh sure, there's the Virtual Console, where you can mine a ton of classic 8 and 16-bit RPGs to your hearts content, and there's that promise of Dragon Warrior X (but I'll believe it when I see it), but in terms of retail, it hasn't happened.

Then in 2010, a strange thing happened. More traditional games started flooding the Wii. Whether the early signs of "The End" for the Wii, or a last-ditch attempt to bring in the more dedicated gamer, a lot of great stuff came out.

Among the announcements were these three titles:

Last Story

Xenoblade

Pandora's Tower

Readers may remember earlier lamentations over what happened to the JRPGs of old. Something like this would definitely scratch that itch. But we in North America have yet to hear word one on if any of these titles would even be considered for release over here, and it's a reason for concern.

Nintendo of Japan has released a ton of games, both retail and on their digital services, that have never seen the light of day over here. It makes me wonder if the same will happen with these titles, and Nintendo of America will fail to recognize the want for titles like these. All of this could be revealed and resolved come E3, but the track record this generation has not been optimistic, in my opinion. Honestly (and in a bit of sacrilege), these titles actually have me more interested than the new Legend of Zelda title.

There's also talk of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior, depending on your region and era). Basically, it would be a compilation title of some of the earliest games in the series (and still not on the Virtual Console here), but I'd be willing to check it out as long as it's not presented in the straight-up ROM dump that was done for the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. - Treat a legend like a legend. Not an afterthought.

So either this will be the greatest year for an RPG player on the Wii (and even a Nintendo console in years), or there are going to be some real disappointed faces like myself when 2011 comes and goes.

What are your thoughts? Do any of these games hold your interest in Nintendo finally releasing some new Adventure/RPG based IPs?

Michael Jackson: The Experience: Post-Script (Versus).

2011-05-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm doing something a little different with this "Post-Script": Reviewing a title that has been released on two systems. "But wait", I hear you say. "Aren't cross-platform releases the exact same thing with minimal to no changes?" In some cases, yes. In other cases, even though some games may have the same name, the similarities stop there. Look at 2009's Ghostbusters game. Both Wii and HD versions have the same main story, but are presented in two entirely different ways. And such is the case of Michael Jackson: The Experience.

There is one continued "grouse" point that I will bring up for both: Store-exclusive content. The game is pretty much the same wherever you go, save for Wal-Mart, where buyers get an extra exclusive track "Another Part of Me" from the Bad album and the Captain EO mini-film. I personally love this song, and the news wasn't widely hyped, so it's irritating to miss out on such a catchy tune. Buyer beware. More content for the same price.

But the Wii version and Kinect version are two separate beasts. I'll point out all the major differences:

Wii: The game is set up in the style of MJ's music videos, complete with special effects and signature scene cues. Jackson himself is presented in a weird "ghostly" style, but his look changes from era to album. Play is done through the Wii Remote only with no major button presses outside of menu selections. This game could have greatly benefited from Motion Plus, but Nintendo rarely uses the feature themselves, so why should we expect the same out of third parties? Still, the dance routines are very high energy and video accurate, and if you allow yourself to actually get into it, they are a lot of fun and will generate a sweat.

Not all moves are as responsive as I would have liked, the difficulty is non adjustable, and the menu and extra features are completely bare bones, unlike the excellent Beatles: Rock Band. A musical legend deserves more.

Here is what the Wii/PS Move versions looks like:

Kinect: The Kinect version had a six month delay window, and after sampling the incredible Dance Central, I had high hopes for this game. Set up less as a music video and more of a stage performance, Kinect allows you to sing. I had some issues with Kinect. I'm a fan of Jackson's music, and I do know the songs and the notes. The game expects players to carry notes out longer that Jackson sings them, in some cases by a good 2-3 seconds. There are some special effects like the Wii version, but they aren't as elaborate and iconic in presentation. It's cool to see yourself up on the virtual stage, but the moves are vastly different from the Wii version. Instead of feeling like Michael, I felt more like one of his backup dancers. Not what I want from a Michael Jackson music game.

A good example of this is the song "Keep It In The Closet", which in the Wii version was a pairing off with a virtual female dancer and somewhat seductive. The Kinect version is little more than four moves for this song, which makes you feel like a prancing pony.

This is Wii/PS3:

Fortunately, not all songs are this limited, and some are actually decent... but again, not as robust as the Wii. Another feature the game needed as the option to play as just dance, just sing, and a combo of dance and sing. Some songs offer some of these options, but not all. Slow ballads offer singing only with no moves, and after fighting allergies, there are some songs I would have just liked to dance to without gasping like a frog. I'm better these days, but again, sometimes I'd rather just dance. Again, this version also offers bare bones menus and extras.

Honestly, if the two games were combined as one, with the video style and high energy moves of the Wii, and the singing and "real person" represented stage presentation of Kinect, this would have been a more solid package overall, but I'm going to have to give this "win" to the Wii as the more "accurate" experience. It's crazy to think that the version that only needs to register movement from the player's right hand would give the better full-body workout. The Kinect version still offers some fun, but Ubisoft should have used those six extra months to study Dance Central more and worked to have refined the singing notes. You may be able to fool casual music listeners, but you can't fool the fans.

UPDATE: Apparently, The Playstation 3 version gives the (updated and HD) graphics of the Wii version, more singing and/or dancing options to work with than Kinect, and... yeah. That just sucks that one version gets the best of both. Brilliant job, Ubisoft.

Nintendogs + Cats: Post-Script.

2011-05-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

I decided to review this DS staple after being prodded by Club Nintendo to rate my experience.

I bought this game as part of a fairly nice sale at Toys R Us some weeks back, so I didn't pay full price for it, but as far as experiences go, it's still the best pet sim out there.

I know that I generally "Eh" about Nintendo's casual fare, but I am actually quite fond of Endless Ocean and the original Nintendogs. I thought it was cute, and with multiple releases, kind of a "Puppy Pokemon". (FUN FACT: I've never played a Pokemon title. Not one. Gasp all you want, but I actually do intend to rectify this on the 3DS Virtual Console when they'll likely re-release the originals). The game can technically go on forever, and while I eventually quit the first title, I grew fond of my virtual pooch.

I picked the same breed (Yorkie) with this new title. While there are some new breeds, I'm pretty disappointed that the majority of the dogs are recycled from the first batch of titles. I would have liked to have seen a feature where players could download new breeds (such as a cairn terrier), but you have a few choices. I just wish there were more.

Gameplay is basically the same with some cosmetic changes. The puppies are furrier and more detailed, they respond better to verbal commands, and are cuter to interact with, if that's possible. If you've played the previous title, you'll know exactly what to do.

There are a few notable changes, however. You can take your dog on "real time" walks based on the built-in pedometer. The farther you go, the better presents your pooch will find you. Miis are now integrated into walks, and they actually fit quite well here. StreetPass is also an option, so you can meet other real people and their virtual dogs. Something about this adds to the overall experience that makes me realized how sorely missed this type of interaction was in the first game. You could meet other dogs, but this feels better. The game even uses AR Cards, so you can take pics of your pup. Nintendo even sends out random StreetPass events. Former President Teddy Roosevelt visited my neighborhood, and my dog and his played at the park for a while. At least there's some unexpected interaction.

The 3D works well in the game. Nothing astounding, but does give depth and a sense of space. The boomerang is a nice effect. Pet trials are fun little mini-games, and you don't seem penalized in wanting to attempt multiple walks or competitions in a single play session anymore.

The cats... don't do much. Maybe that's the point, but I don't think it really adds anything significant. And there's only three breeds of cats, so if you don't like any of them... sorry. The whole cat thing feels like an afterthought, and not really fleshed out.

One thing I would have liked to have seen to add to the whole "sim" experience are vet visits. Granted, I don't want to see my pet hurt or what have you, put it is a part of life in being a dog owner. Simple things, such as a flu or an upset stomach likely wouldn't traumatize younger players too much, or even just getting booster shots to stay well. I don't think it would throw off the "gentle" theme of the game. Hopefully, the in-game vet bills wouldn't be like the real-life one, or your Mii would have to get a real job instead of winning pet competitions all the time.

Nintendogs + Cats isn't quite the innovative or groundbreaking title as the first series, but it's still pretty cute, and has some nice new features that show off the 3DS capabilities. It may not be everyone's "dream game", but it's still charming in its own right.

Don't Shake The Hornet's Nest.

2011-05-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been away for longer than I anticipated. Personal life took over, and I haven't had much time for gaming or... well, much of anything personal, really. Work has been a bit of a monster the last few weeks.

That said, I've already changed to a new credit card via all of those "lovely" attacks on the Playstation Network, and now Sony Online Entertainment. I haven't used SOE anything since 2003 (and still don't plan to), so I'm not worried about that, but I did use the PSN for my PSP. Not a lot, but I've dealt with fraud before, and "Better safe than sorry".

Of course now, it's gone to the blame game with people (and government) demanding answers from Sony, while Sony tries to track down the source of who did it. There's a number of oft-mentioned hacker groups, but in this situation, I wouldn't touch credit on this thing with any size pole. I figure if they ever catch who did this, they are going away for a long, LONG time.

It's hard to know what prompted this, and why the other gaming networks haven't fallen prey as of yet. There's been a lot of speculation as to if this was a "personal" attack, or a "challenge". Let's face it. From criticizing other companies to touting their own accomplishments, Sony's PR has always been arrogant. They have issued what amounts to all but engraved invitations to people to come challenge them, in their very vocal waged war on hackers, and their "lack" of a perceived threat. You build a wall, boast to people that no one will ever be able to tear it down while insulting the army positioned outside your virtual gates, then can one really be surprised when relentless attacks find a weakness in the structure, then a way through?

Nothing in this age is impenetrable. Even the best securities for anything are vulnerable. Companies can not boast of their perceived awesomeness when they are the safeguards of their customer base's personal and financial information. We entrust them to keep it safe, and after the SOE attack, it's pretty clear that Sony has pissed off the wrong group of people and they are getting called out on their claims at our expense. Even when they put in the new measures after their last attack, they again claimed that no one's getting through this time. Sony, just shut up, please. Be quiet, work behind the scenes continually on protecting your network, and do something to ensure the customer's safety, instead of continuing to open up the PR speak again and again. Lock this stuff down and hide it, far, far away. Don't antagonize the people who have it out for you.

I'll be sticking to retail PSN cards now. It's just better. Funny thing is, I use to grouse when I'd put in my card every time to make a purchase on my Wii. Suddenly, that doesn't seem to be that bad of a method anymore....

Metroid Shirt In 30 Minutes.

2011-04-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

I love/hate Teefury.

Even though I only got "hip" to this design a little while ago, there is 30 minutes left if you would like to own this shirt:

They have this awesome/horrible habit of introducing shirts like this, and this one was too cool not to share.

Mortal Kombat (2011): Post-Script.

2011-04-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

After months of talking about it, referencing "the old days", and hoping for the best, what is the final word about the new Mortal Kombat? What did I learn about the story, the content, the play mechanics, and everything else that goes with it?

This may well be one of the best fighting games I have ever played.

And if that's not enough, it may be the best Mortal Kombat to date. There's a lot to like about this reboot. The amount of content and things to do is damn-near staggering. You'll be playing this one for a while, and it's going to take you even longer to unearth all of the hidden secrets in the game.

My favorite entry in the series was always Part 3. It may be "nostalgia blinders" due to it was my entry into the gaming industry. But I was good at it. Very good. So good that I could hang off the top of the arcade machine upside down and beat Shao Kahn. So good that I'd playtest Mortal Kombat Trilogy with one of the steering wheel peripherals. You do something for 8-12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week, you're going to get creative. This new version plays like Part 3. The only thing missing is the "Run" button.

Gone are the watered down moves and Fatalities. And the lame characters. And the weak storyline, and the convoluted combos taking the emphasis off the special moves. Good-bye to superfluous "Krypt" material and "Vs." codes, now replaced with useful things to do in the same format. And so long to the removal of the earlier title's "dark" humor and lame dialogue. What you get is this:

After the events of MK7 (Armageddon), Shao Kahn has killed everyone. Everyone. All that's left is Raiden, then insane and with the self-righteousness pushing well into "Evil" territory. With a final desperate move, he sends a cryptic psychic message back to his earlier self before the first tournament takes place in hopes that he can avoid this fate (and I don't blame him).

I find this intro almost a parable for what Midway did to the series (and all of its other franchises) at the end, and Warner Bros.' attempt to set things right by going back to the beginning. Intentional or not, the irony was not lost on me. And with this newfound knowledge, we're given the events of the first three games, but Raiden's luck isn't as beneficial as "The WB" was in starting over.

In fact, things go in a very different direction by the time we get to the end of the third game's storyline. New paths are forged, wild events unfold, and it fills in a lot of blanks from all of the games' pevious backstories. Nods to Sub-Zero's adventure? Yup. That lame banter from Shaolin Monks between Kung Lao and Liu Kang about the "girlfriend" argument? Almost there, but they twist the dialogue at the last second, and I found myself laughing heartily. Gone are the "frat boys", and replaced are two warrior friends now. In fact, all the characters are given personality overhauls, and are more true to themselves than ever. Gone are the weak conversations between what could have been interesting characters. Now in the place are deeper characters that made me laugh, literally gasp in shock, and feel a genuine sense of empathy and sadness for. It doesn't hurt that the voice acting is top-notch. I even liked Stryker and Nightwolf.

The battles are vicious this time. Anyone who complained about Mortal Kombat being "tame" (myself included) can put that to rest. Punching a cyborg lands a solid "klang" against their frames. Blood launches everywhere. Moves hurt now. Like make you wince. Even basic stuff. And unleashing the X-Ray meter.... I cringed a few times. These damage fighters like crazy, and considering how they're displayed, it's no surprise. Fatalities and some moves are just mean. After a good fight, your Kombatant will look like they've been through the meat grinder.

There's also the Krypt, which is full of art, music, special moves, and costumes. There's also the Challenge Tower, which provides even more things to see, do, and unlock. The characters look excellent, the backgrounds have incredible detail to them. There's even a few verbal nods to the first (and only first) movie. The game made me laugh a few times with its goofy humor and clever wit. It's like Mortal Kombat from "Bizarro World". The game is a "best of" from everything positive in the series.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. Going back to the beginning brought back one unpleasant thing: Unbalanced boss difficulty. You are going to hate your life facing Shao Kahn in the story. Overpowered and full of spam moves, you have resort to spamming him back, which makes victories against him hollow. There's also the random moment where the computer AI will do its normal thing, then beat you senseless without a chance of recovery. It doesn't happen as much as in the old games, but of all the things to bring back....

If you're on the fence, if you're wondering if it lives up to the hype, I found the game incredible. Shocking. Inconceivable. Well-written and acted. Deep. Beautiful. Vicious. Maintaining solid controls. And most importantly, fun. It's something else, and after seeing the results of the renewed Hydro Thunder, NBA Jam, and now Mortal Kombat, the best thing to ever happen to these games was to be taken away from Midway's control.

They've certainly flourished for the better without them.

Stop reading. Go check it out.

Portal Kombat.

2011-04-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Big night tonight, with the midnight release of Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat. One crushes your mind through the use of clever spacial distortion, the other gets straight to the point and rips out your spine to crush your mind with it. Are you planning to go out tonight for a midnight launch in your area? Which title are you getting, or are you wanting both?

I would like to hear yours and share my own impressions in feedback to see who is looking forward to what.

Wii (ii).

2011-04-18T21:54:00.001-07:00

So last week there was a lot of speculation, rumor "it just got real" commentary that the Wii successor may be making its way to E3 this year.

All I can say is: "Good".

What surprises me is the features list of all these wonderful things to come: More advanced than PS3 and Xbox 360 graphics, HD, hints of Blu-Ray playability, a touchpad controller. What surprises me is that my inside sources are saying that these new features are apparently (I'm stressing that for my own credibility based off what's been mentioned to me) the real deal.

Again, all I can say is: "Good".

I actually don't like the Wii. That said, I do like a large number of the games that I have for it. I've grown distrustful of the system due to my experiences with it last year, and every replacement system doesn't fully fix the disc scratching problem, which intensifies that the Nintendo repair service wiped my console in vain, and for nothing. In short, I've written the Wii off in hopes of the next system. At least my reason isn't the "Durr hurr hurr, the Wii has no good games, isn't good because it's not HD" rhetoric that so many people spout off. My personal Wii has wronged me one time too many, and it's time to move on to the next one. I am mentally "done" with it.

But it's not realistic to say that I wasn't impressed with a number of other features: The poor online/chat support, the impossible Friend Code system need for the system, every game, and still couldn't see if your friends were online or not, the lack of playing at least DVD, the underrepresentation of utilizing new Channels, the shoddy treatment of the Virtual Console and now WiiWare, the pointless game playing about not allowing us to use an SD card for memory for the longest time while telling us "we didn't need it", the software droughts (I think this year is going to be rough), the "Wii Whatever" series of games, which were little more than tech demos, the motion controlled games for the sake of using motion control, the 8 out of 10 shovelware games that lined the retail shelves.... HD wasn't "Make or Break" for me. Sure, some games could have really used it, but it didn't kill my enjoyment of many of the titles I played.

Yet the 3DS has given me hope that Nintendo is finally willing to move... well, within the last decade, anyway. With their little portable we've seen: Backward compatibility with DS games, the ability to transfer your DSi account and buy games from the service, a one, shorter Friend Code per system, the ability to see who is online, SD Card usage, a little more serious approach to online, the improved (initially) third-party support.... It gives me hope that they are trying to rebuild their name with their fans, because, like it or not, I've read enough comments over the last six years of people who swore by everything Nintendo feel like they've been left in a corner while the company went to pursue a new audience. Perhaps this new system can mend a few of those "broken hearts".

I have my own "Wish List" for what I want to see on this Wii successor. Some of it is obvious, some of it is already rumored, but here's what is going to push me into loving and wanting the next system....

* Backwards compatibility - I've never had as poor luck with a console as I have with the Wii, this coming from someone who also owns the 360. I've thought Nintendo products were infallible, but I think I'm cursed when it comes to the Wii. I want the new system to play my old Wii games without fear of the system cutting grooves and scuff marks into any disc I place in there.

* One universal friend code - The 3DS set this right. I want to keep moving this forward so I can see which friends are online, what they are playing, and the options to not only join into a game in progress, but to speak with them.

* Transfer my Wii account - I have a bought a fairly large sized number of Virtual Console and WiiWare titles over the years. Like the 3DS, I want the option to bring them all to a new system.

* Removable memory storage - No more locking games to the internal memory *ahem*SuperSmashBrosBrawl*ahem* in case something goes wrong. God forbid that I ever have to send in a system for repair again, but if I do, I want it to be like my 360 experience: Detach the hard drive, and when I get the console back, reattach it and reinstate my profile. And it's like nothing bad ever happened.

* Improved online service - Stop playing "overprotective nanny", and let me play online without lag and poor connections. They have a wonderful feature called "Mute" and "Report Player" for annoying idiots who play online games.

* Revitalize the Virtual Console - If they allow me to carry over my already purchased games (and they better), I'll kind of forgive them for all but totally dropping one of the top three reasons I bought a Wii. But they need to continue moving the service forward, adding more games to the platforms already in place. Is it time to add Gamecube to the roster? I think so, but there are enough games left for 2-3 titles a week. This one game every 2-3 months has to stop.

* No more motion control in games for the sake of motion control - Metroid Prime 3. That's all you need to say. Sure there were other titles that did motion control justice, but how many of the titles that were on the Wii truly needed motion control in them? Even Nintendo has toned down things. If it's used intelligently and can provide a gameplay experience that traditional controls never could, I'm all for it, but few games did, and if it isn't going to make a game play better, I don't want to see it.

* Improve relationships with third party developers - Nintendo promoted the odd game here and there, but they never really worked with developers to get more out of the Wii. And there were a lot of once intended exclusives that they could have helped promote. They never really worked with developers on finding ways around restrictions, which is why they lost titles like Super Meat Boy and Retro City Rampage, two titles that scream the old NES play aesthetic. And yes, Nintendo DOES have the power to veto games if they feel that they are not up to par. Perhaps they better consider that for next time so we aren't flooded with endless pet simulators and mini-game compilations. Sega, Capcom and EA really did some unique titles for the Wii, as did a few smaller devs. Pat these guys on the head a little harder next time, because they had the Wii's back.

* New IP - The "Wii Whatever" series, and Endless Ocean are pretty much all that was "new" from Nintendo. Perhaps Last Story and Xenoblade will be added to that list if they actually see a North American release. But where are the new characters, Nintendo? You know, the ones we would be begging to see included in the next Super Smash Bros. title?

* No more 10-20 year hiatus on franchises - Punch-Out!! and Donkey Kong Country have finally been brought back. Kid Icarus and Pilotwings are getting 3DS love. What about Waverace, or a new Starfox shooter where the crew stays in their ship this time, or F-Zero? Mario, Link, Samus and Pikachu are all well and good, but Nintendo has a whole stable of great characters and franchises to fall back on those four for everything. Where's that new Pikmin that was mentioned, anyway?

* No more plastic gimmicks - No more snap-on wheels, or "Zappers" (was it really like the gun of old?), or items that are released and fall by the wayside like Wii Speak and WiiMotion+, or look to never come out like the Vitality Sensor. The Wii Fit Board was supported more than anything, but where is it now? I want a good motion controller, and I want a good traditional controller. Nothing else unless it's integrated properly as a can't live without it feature that is here to stay. My closet can't take any more junk.

* Don't forget the "New" audience - This comment really stuck with me a few months back from the NPR Marketplace regarding 57 year old Elizabeth Bewley:

"She and her husband started playing every night for at least an hour. After six months, they got tired of the workouts, so Bewley figured she'd just get a new disc for Christmas.

Bewley: But we were really disappointed because all the ones I saw are really like video games."

Old-school fans felt largely abandoned over the Wii. The 3DS doesn't look to offer much to the "new" crowd, and something tells me that Nintendo is going to try to keep the old crowd this time with the promise of all the bells and whistles of this new system. I don't care for many of the "general audience" titles (the "tech demo" thing, as well as they seem like all they are designed for is to push variant controller hardware), but I think it wouldn't be fair to abandon that user base as well. There's no need to be bipolar about game distribution. Something can be made for everyone. But I think casual gamers deserve better quality games, especially if they've stayed with the hobby this far.

And of course I'd like to see at least DVD playback (if nothing else), HD (it's time, Nintendo), and all the cool, conceptual ideas that the 3DS seems to be bringing to the table (I want better 3DS/new system connectivity than what we got for GBA/Gamecube and DS/Wii). And weird, but true, I actually did like the Weather and News Channels. I'd actually like them to stay. A little more frequently updated, but I want them around for the next one.

So how about you? Any similar wants? Something different? Sound off for... Discussion Time(TM)!

Mortal Kombat & Me.

2011-04-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

As many gamers are aware of, the reboot of Mortal Kombat hits this week. The new title finally addresses and clears up the mess of the storyline by time-traveling back to the events of the first three (and best) of the game series, presenting a new take on the original material. And I am eagerly anticipating it.

I've played Mortal Kombat from the beginning, with events coming to a head in 1995 when I got a job at Midway (then Williams Entertainment). I got my foot in the industry with Mortal Kombat 3, and have contributed to pretty much every game in the series since (with the exception of the Part 6 and 7, and Vs. DC). The series may be "just a game" for some, but it was a fairly big chapter of my personal life. I may be inclined to share some of those stories and pictures at some point (and with a little prodding), but I thought since we, the gamer, are being taken back, I thought I'd do a quick run-through of the series.

The 2D Era.

Mortal Kombat - The original game, though a little dated today, offered unique characters and a surprisingly solid backstory for a fighter, which at the time usually didn't consist of much more than "I don't like or have just met you! Therefore, we must fight!" The references/comparisons to Big Trouble In Little China are hard to miss, and it was one of the first games to have a "holiday" (Mortal Monday) for a launch. The SNES version had no blood at all and neutered Finishing Moves.. The Genesis version had the gore... if you put in the code for it. I chose the Sega CD version. Awful load times, but no codes, and a video for the unofficial "Theme Song" of the game via the Immortals.

Mortal Kombat II - It refined the series with a dark sense of humor, more kills and other bizarre finishers, an even deeper story, some more great, new characters that fleshed out the mythos, and some great graphics. It feels a little clunky by today's standards, but Nintendo learned its lesson, and put out a superior version (via Acclaim) that looked and played as close to the arcade as you needed. But I still remember that new machine at Super K-Mart, and the late night treks that my friends and I did to play.

Mortal Kombat 3 - Midway realized they could make more money if they published their own games, so their console division was born via Williams, and that's where I came into this story. The character choices started getting a little iffy (Stryker and Nightwolf, anyone?), but it did have a few new interesting characters, a "Run" button, a betting set of combos to string together, those sought after (but largely superfluous) "Vs." codes. "Mortal Mania" was at its peak with a Live Show, the first really fun movie, and a couple updates to Part 3 a la Street Fighter. FUN FACT: When the console game released, the flood of calls to the hint line was so intense that it shut down the phone system in my hometown.

The 3D Age (Or "The Dark Ages")

Mortal Kombat 4 - 3D games of the mid 1990's just didn't age all that well, whether it was arcade, Nintendo 64, or Playstation. This game was no exception, and it I wasn't even all that impressed back then with the "new" visual style, and the loss of the digitized actors. Basically a bare bones 3D remake of the first game, it featured "Weapon Kombat", the odd, random rock you could throw at people in a stage, no sub-boss (the home versions did put in Goro to address that), and a lame final boss in the form of Shinnok. Between this, a few questionable side stories, and the second movie, interest in the series started to wane, and didn't resurface again until 2002.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance - The arcade was dead, and this was the first game in the series exclusive to consoles. Despite involvement in this installment, I was losing personal interest in the series. There were a number of issues that plagues this and the following two games. An increasingly convoluted and confusing storyline. An increasing roster of characters that lacked the appeal of the first 20+ Kombatants. A combo system so technical I felt that I either needed a operator's manual drafted by a scholar with me at all times, or a PhD in combo moves. Signature moves for characters were greatly revised or removed altogether, making old favorites shells of their former selves. The dark humor of the first games were removed entirely, neutering the personality of the series. And Finishing Moves were growing tired and uninspired. The game did offer some new things such as multiple fighting styles per character, and a crap ton of unlockables and side features, making that almost an entire game in itself. The story did take one bold step in killing Liu Kang in the intro cinematic, when he was the continual, unbeaten hero in every previous installment.

Mortal Kombat: Deception - The issues from the previous game plagued this one as well from combos, to characters, to neutering special moves and finishing moves, and focusing on those annoying as Hell combos. Again, the side content filled almost an entire game on its own, with an adventure mode, a chess mode, and a funny Puzzle Fighter style clone. while Gamecube didn't get online, it did get a playable Shao Kahn and Goro. I'll never understand why they made Sub-Zero look like "Super Shredder" from the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - Basically Mortal Kombat Trilogy 2, it included everyone from everything, "Make Your Own Fatality", gave up on the storyline with a "Magic power at the top of a mysteriously appearing pyramid! Go get it!" plot, the series gave up on itself as much as I did on it.

Mortal Kombat Vs. DC - I don't know why so many gamers were dismissive at the mere concept of this title, yet Marvel Vs. Capcom was completely "Okay". This game fixed a HUGE number of problems, reverting to a more 2D style and feel in gameplay, focused more on the events of the first three games (with characters from the first two). Special moves returned. A strong storyline was implemented that made sense (again, something any of the MvC games haven't even bothered to attempt). Better graphics, no gimmicks, cool new fighting such as "Free Fall Kombat", "Close Kombat", and shoving people through multiple walls. Even the DC characters were well portrayed in their classic styles with good voice acting (Joker stole the show). It felt very much like the older games, and while the Fatalities were "weak", the moves hadn't been all that relevant in the last few games, so why stop now? There's also that whole issue of Batman and Superman being morally unable to kill. Delivering massive ruination on evildoers, sure, but they draw the line at killing.

The Side Stories

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero - Part of the triad of the "meh" fourth game, and the incredibly awful second movie, this game had a decent (if cheesy) storyline that focused on the first Sub-Zero and his initial run-ins with Raiden and Scorpion. I love platformers, but they tried to keep too much of the fighting engine in the game, making the game feel like you were controlling it underwater. Players fought the clunky controls while going through numerous repetitive backgrounds. The real killer of this game was the "Turn Button", which forced players to hit a button in order to face right or left. In my defense, my team and I lobbied incredibly hard for the removal of this particular feature, but the powers that be overruled the request. The reviewers hated that feature just as much as we did, and we were left with an "I told you so".

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces - FUN FACT: Early builds of the game included a playable Sonya blade, but John Tobias left in the middle of the development process, and a lot of features were cut down and out, resulting in.... Well, you had this.

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks - Funny how this title, Vs. DC, and the new reboot all realized one major thing: Fans love the first three games. Set right after the events of the first game, this adventure fleshed out the story of the second game as a playable adventure. And it actually was very playable and fun. Sure they made some weird retcons in places, but the fighting was really solid, and built a whole realized world out of all those stages. The issue I had with this game was the dialogue. Someone in development had a serious affinity for the Dude, Where's My Car? movie, and between that, and a couple of obvious in-jokes that no one bothered to share with the rest of us, it kept taking players out of the "seriousness" of the mythology, and wasn't even on the relatable par with the silly stuff the series was known for. Some may argue that humor has no place in Mortal Kombat. I can counter argue that it's a vital element of the series, when it's presented as tongue in cheek and parody, not presented as that guy who keeps telling the same joke over and over again, certain that "the next time you hear it, it's going to be really funny." FUN FACT: This is the last game that I worked on and completed during my tenure at Midway.

So here we are in 2011. Midway the company is dead, yet the core team that worked on the previous titles have been given a substantial amount of time to actually, finally be making this installment "The best MK in years." The starting from scratch and returning to basics were long overdue. MK Vs. DC was a good template to reboot the game's fighting engine. The "time travel" aspect seems just as good as any fix to clean up the convoluted. messy storyline, and wash away those bland, later characters. And it actually looks good. And bloody. And full of (finally) unique, gory finishing moves. Even the humor seems better: Appropriately goofy, and without the eye-rolling dialogue.

Perhaps the biggest lesson learned here is that if you wanted to "fix" Mortal Kombat, just get it out of the hands of Midway.

Follow up on the game coming (er, "koming") soon.

Insert Coin(s): The Review.

2011-04-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

I feel that pictures speak louder than words, but I will detail the events of Insert Coin(s) here. For a more detailed review, you may be interested in reading my Yelp review.

I attended both the "soft opening" and the official "Grand Opening" of the venue. Thursday night's outing gave me a less crowded and more intimate view of the place, as well as a chance to briefly speak with Chris LaPorte, the owner of the place, who was busily running around to make sure everything was up and running. But chat with him briefly I did, and I think that he has a good mindset about the place.

The arcade is a rarity these days. Something from an era sadly long gone. But "vintage" and "retro" is in these days, and arcade games are practically museum pieces. There's an understanding that gaming needs to appeal to a larger scale audience than just "us". So it's an arcade. And a bar. And it has some dancing and a DJ lounge (bear in mind some of these pics were taken before the lights went down, allowing me to better show details of the artwork. The "dark" pics are what it looks like "live").

I'm going to get into the basic "What I Like", "Needs Work", and "Wish List". Any new place is going to take a while to fully work out the bugs and find its voice, so I remain optimistic and open to its progress.

What I Like

It's got a good selection of games. Things you usually don't see in arcades, even with a few vintage machines. Star Wars comes to mind, and I've never played the original Tapper outside of an emulator, much less with the real arcade controls.

Cool artwork. There are some excellent art pieces here, ranging from repainted NES consoles, to photos of original Star Wars figures, to paintings of Robo Force. Robo Force, for crying out loud. I thought I was the only person left on the planet who remembered those toys.

Nice staff. From security to the bartenders to the owner, it's a good crew of people. I got there earlier than the opening (hence the lighted photos), but they let me in to check out the venue anyway. "I've been waiting for months for you guys to open", I commented to one of the bartenders. "Well, we've been waiting for you", he responded back. Good answer. Correct vibe. The drinks were good. The music was generally good. I saw from a Facebook comment that I missed a Legend of Zelda remix. I would have liked to have heard that. For that matter, Daft Punk's Tron Legacy soundtrack practically screams "Pick me!" for this venue.

I finally got some proper StreetPass action. Outside of lurking at playgrounds like some kind of lecherous old man, I was at a loss to find a good place to check out my 3DS capabilities. Not anymore. My system met a good handful of people each night, even giving me some new Nintendogs and Street Fighter IV data. Score. I know the venue is planning gaming tournaments as things move forward, but I would definitely like to see an orchestrated StreetPass event.

Needs Work

More than one dollar bill changing machine. At least one more. The only one available was wedged against a wall, and traffic builds up fast and gets clustered there.

Machines eating quarters. A few friends I was with had this problem as well. Several machines were eating quarters, and not accepting the credit. To the venue's credit, the staff was only too helpful in making things right, but it was frustrating that it happened more than once. I understand these are fairly temperamental "museum pieces" (ask me about my continuing issues with my Tron cabinet), but take my money, please.

Unknown prices. The games were all cheap, but I couldn't tell which games were .25 cents and which were .50 cents. I couldn't tell which titles were going to be the more expensive ones. Some new games were cheaper than I thought. Some older titles needed that extra quarter. A little history note with a tidbit of trivia might help as well. I certainly remember the backstory on these titles, but a 21 year old kid? Maybe not so much.

No signature drinks. The website mentioned gaming themed cocktails. I asked the bartender about trying one, and was given a blank stare in return with the comment that they had no idea what I was talking about. A fairly noticeable oversight that should have been ready at launch. But when they do, may I recommend something like the Metroid-themed cocktail? I got a great rum-based drink, all things considered, but I was a little disappointed.

Wish List

Meal choices. If you're going to reserve one of those nice, comfy couches they have for some console love, perhaps offer some food choices to go with it? Obviously not just plain old nacho, pizza, burger fare, but food and gaming go well together. Granted, indoor smoking would likely have to be lost due to Vegas regulations about food and smoking not co-existing, but personally, with this many rare arcade games, I'd be living in fear that some drunken, careless fool would burn holes in one on my cabinets by resting a cigarette on the control console.

More consoles. I was surprised that there was no Wii representation, as that's about as "mainstream gaming" as one can get. Games like Wii Sports, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, even House of the Dead: Overkill are viable, "all access" selections from that console. The 360's Kinect is also one of those "all access" gaming devices I'd suggest. Sure, drunken debauchery may ensue, but Dance Central with its club hits seems like a perfect choice to get crazy on the dance floor while staying in theme. I was also surprised to not see any Intellivision love. Atari 2600 and Colecovision were represented, but no Intellivision? That's like having Pepsi and RC Cola available, but no Coke as a choice.

More pinball. Granted, we have the Pinball Hall of Fame here in Vegas, and they have that covered in spades, but a few more tables past their two would be beneficial. If they want to keep "mainstream", perhaps invite pool and air hockey into the mix to add extra diversity. Even if they may be a little "eh" about lugging those heavy machines around, perhaps those excellent Crave Pinball Hall of Fame titles on the Wii, 360 or PS3 would be an excellent "quick fix".

At any rate, those are my initial thoughts. But it's a very cool idea, and I'm glad someone has the love and the guts to boldly try and bring the arcade back from extinction. That very reason alone has my support. In the meantime, I want to share some of that amazing art I was mentioning.

Big Night Tonight.

2011-04-14T18:02:00.001-07:00

I'm about to be heading out to that new Insert Coin(s) bar officially opening tomorrow in Las Vegas' Fremont Street Experience.

They are doing a soft opening tonight, and so, I'm going, and I'll be reporting back upon my grand return.

Pictures and updates soon.

5 Favorite Games Part 21.

2011-04-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't done one of these in a while (after the first 100 games), so I thought I'd throw a new entry out there. For the newer readers, it's a post about 5 games I particularly like. They may or may not make the usual "Top 100" lists, but they are recommendations of mine to at least check out to add to one's gaming knowledge. The only real stipulation is the titles have to be at least one year old for inclusion on the list. Feel free to check the tag "Favorite Games" to see other titles included.

1.) Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Vanillaware) - While still quite popular in some circles to downplay the graphical savvy of the Wii against the other systems, this is easily one of the most beautiful games of this current console generation. Taking the popular "Metroidvania" style (though not as intricately complex as its namesakes), Muramasa is one of those games that is so pretty that you actually have to remind yourself to keep playing due to the frequent breaks you'll be taking to stare at the astoundingly well-animated graphics. There's also an enjoyable game in there as well, with two unique characters, an intertwining storyline, and a fairly addicting sword crafting mechanic. If you're among the sword that needs to defend the Wii's honor that the system has attractive looking games, pop this in. This should silence just about anyone.

2.) Goonies II (Konami) - The U.S. never got the first Goonies game (and there is one), but we did get this unique platformer that leads the kids from Astoria Oregon into a new adventure against the Fratelli gang to find a mermaid. From recreating the Cyndi Lauper song in the first section, to having the whole gang intact, Goonies II builds an adventure that has the player exploring caves, warehouses, underwater and more, coupled with some amusing "Engrish" along the way ("Ouch! What do you do?").

3.) Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Lucasarts) - Ah, Lucasarts. Back in the day when graphic adventures meant something, and not every title was yet another Star Wars adventure. This clever adventure featured intelligent gameplay, attractive graphics, witty dialogue, and a keen adventurer's mind as players could choose an adventure based on a sharp mind, or good old fashioned brawling. Either way was in the theme of Indiana Jones, and certainly more than adventures with Crystal Skulls and CG gophers.

4.) Black Cauldron (Sierra) - Disney's "Dark Horse" film, one that they still like to pretend doesn't exist outside of the occasional bare-bones DVD release. This game is from the era of Sierra's 3D adventure games, aimed a little more at the younger folk with a simplified command system, but still quite challenging in its own right. Filled with secrets, multiple endings, and a tone of in-jokes (which again, Disney frowned upon), this is a hard game to find, but still an entertaining adventure, whether you choose to follow the plot of the game, or make your own story.

5.) Crayon Physics Deluxe (Kloonigames Ltd.) - A charming little puzzle game where players write their own rules to solve a seemingly simple goal: Create a path to roll the ball into the star. The beauty of this simplistic title lies in not reaching the goal, but in creating the means to do so. While there is always a set path to follow, experimentation and creatively thinking outside of the box are just as equally rewarded as player create slopes, jumps, and even basic tools and shapes to make the ball roll. The relaxing music and childlike paper and crayon environment add a pleasant visual style to an already unique title.

Why I Really Like 3D.

2011-04-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Oh sure, the whole "3D thing" about the 3DS is pretty cool. No glasses, it actually works... you know, vital aspects of a quite impressive visual gimmick.

But that's not why I like 3D.

The reason I like 3D? This little dog right here:

Meet Junie. My 5 year old cairn terrier. She's one of my household's beloved pets, and generally a lot of fun....

Except when I play video games.

It all started with Fable II, or more appropriately, the dog of Fable II. Cairn terriers are small "varmint" hunters, and being a terrier, once they fixate on something, they don't let up. Ever. So when the game's titular dog leaps and prances about the screen, off my dog goes.

It's not just Fable, it's any game with an animal or creature in it. She fixates on and barks at any number of bouncing enemies across a wide variety of consoles and portables, thus distracting me from any sense of immersion that I hope to get out of a game. Imps in Oblivion? "Grrrr, barr rarr rarr!" Avatar pets in the shop or on my friend's list? ""Whine, howl, whine, howl, whine, howl" while leaping at the screen, desperately trying to capture the dragon, or beast, or tiger, or whatever. It's not even just HD games. She'll leap at old Atari games as well if the sprite is compelling enough.

And this guy?

I would probably need a poet to compose the appropriate sonnet about how much she wants this character dead. It would then be sung by bards as they make their way down from the mountaintop to share these tales with all the neighboring villages. Seriously, she hates Slimer.

This may be the reason why I refuse to play pet games, but I had a lapse in judgement when I bought the 3DS version of Nintendogs.

I realized the error of my ways upon that first digitized bark. And when I saw the ears perk up, that old, familiar sense of dread returned. I cursed silently to myself, expecting her to stick her face all up in my screen, stalking me all over the house to rid the world of this new intruder.

And then I realized, after watching her quizzical face, that she can't see in 3D.

After a few moments of hearing the Nintendog, but not being able to see it, Junie sauntered away, rejected and thwarted.

So I don't really love 3D due to any technical wizardry on its part. I love 3D due to the fact that my dog will actually leave me alone while playing. I get to play a portable system in peace.

Thank you, Nintendo, for the greatest gift of all.

One Week Into the 3DS.

2011-04-05T23:38:00.000-07:00

Considering the system is still new, I figure it's not too much of an "overkill" at this point to keep discussing it.

I got my first StreetPass add the other day from a colleague at work. A funny little intro, but I still can't figure out how to implement them into the Find Mii or puzzle games. I was expecting this new friend to plow through and single-handedly collect hats for me, but alas, no such luck.

The Toys R Us sale cheaply landed me a few good titles, enough to placate me until the Summer.

Super Street Fighter IV is excellent. Easily the best of the lot, and on par with the HD console versions. It's nice to see a Nintendo system get a proper Street Fighter again since the SNES days. I'm surprised Nintendo didn't fight harder to keep this franchise on their systems. But it's back and works quite well.

Lego Star Wars III is more of the same, but "If it's not broken". Some nice 3D effects that are subtle and non-obtrusive, and it's a fun and lengthy enough adventure. Really nice graphics and comfortable play control.

Nintendogs is again more of the same, but nicely done. I like the Mii integration, and the dog care seems a little more flexible and responsive to commands. Some nice gadgets and showcase features. It's been a few years since I played, so it seems somewhat novel to me again. It's still very cute, but up to you if you want to go another round with virtual puppies. I have two real dogs that take up a lot of my time these days, and one goes nuts over the digital barking, so my sanity is on the line with each session.

Pilotwings Resort is another showcase title with effective 3D and a casual if challenging approach to the missions. I prefer the free explore mode myself, and while the Wuhu Island is from Wii Sports Resort, I didn't play that game, so this is all fresh to me. I'm actually relieved. People have complained that the characters from the first games have been replaced by Miis, but frankly, I felt the Miis in Wii titles were sorely underused. The fact that two titles straight out the gate are actively using them actually makes them... viable. I wouldn't mind seeing the island revisited for a Waverace 3D. That's all I could really think about, honestly.

I thought more about the upcoming Virtual Console, and realized that the 1994 version ofDonkey Kong and Kid Icarus II: Of Myths and Monsters would be likely candidates for release... if Nintendo can pull itself together for a decent release schedule this time out, and not drag these games out for one game every two months or so.

Being a more traditional game system (especially since veryone is over the newness of touchscreens and motion control these days), the possibility of a new F-Zero or Waverace is appealing. I personally think a portable Super Smash Bros. or a new side-scrolling Metroid is long overdue, and I wouldn't even mind seeing new versions of Punch-Out!! or Donkey Kong Country since Nintendo decided to pull those series out of storage. Move forward with them. Don't set them aside for another decade-plus. Perhaps that third Pikmin will come to the 3DS instead. It may as well at this point.

Other than Kid Icarus, Zelda, and Starfox, things seem pretty quiet for my interests, though they keep saying a new Pinball Hall of Fame is coming out, in which case, I will be all over that.

The "?" AR Card was a surprisingly deeper gameplay experience than I imagined it would be, and is one of my favorite "games" on the system. I was crazy for Ocarina of Time's fishing, and the mini-game of it here is even more addicting.

At any rate, I may leave the rest of this discussion open for comment feedback. I have another early day tomorrow, and you know how that goes....

Whatever Happened To The JRPG?

2011-04-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

In the interest of seeing big-screen 3DS videos, I cruised the Wii's Nintendo Channel for some new info. It was then that I started exploring my old Virtual Console library.

I don't play a lot of my Wii games anymore due to the great memory purge of last year. It took all the fun of out playing these games for me. But I was in a Turbografx-16 mood, and loaded up Y's Book 1 & 2.

I was familiar with Y's as I payed the first adventure on my Sega Master System. Obviously, the CD version has stronger music, animated cutscenes, and voice (still novel for that time), and what turned into me casually fooling around with it for a few minutes turned into eating up most of my evening.

That in itself got me thinking about the RPG genre, where it was, and where it evolved. The Master System couldn't beat the NES in content, but they did have a solid collection of RPG titles, mostly all published by Sega. It got me thinking of the early Dragon Warrior/Quest and Final Fantasy titles. and then I started thinking about all of those other titles from the 8 and 16-bit eras that I played: Phantasy Star before it went online, Sword of Vemillion, Super Hydlide, Miracle Warriors, Lunar: The Silver Star Story, Shining in the Darkness.... And then it hit me:

Where have all of the JRPGs gone?

While I adore Oblivion, and am waiting eagerly for Skyrim, and I've yet to play Dragon Age, they aren't JRPGs... well, for a lot of reasons, most notably not being developed in Japan.

But old-school gamers know of what I talk about, or those who have mined the Virtual Console or a good Sega compilation. The JRPG has all of these elements in common: Anime style with wide-eyed, fresh faced protagonists, and antagonists with sinister laughs, squinted eyes, and elaborate headgear. Usually, these games had a requisite goal of finding and freeing some Goddess of the land, had a talking animal to accompany you, and a mixing of sci-fi and fantasy. Just because a player started in a woodland village didn't mean that they weren't going to end up in outer space or in an alternate dimension at some point. The tones were lighter, the stories were more linear. Some of these heroes wanted nothing more than to go on and have a grand adventure, and would end up in this fantastic world of discovery. It was the sort of thing on some level all gamers with a sense of imagination secretly hoped would happen to them one day.

But there are still remaining aspects: Some idiot who lost their silver comb or whatever in a cave filled with dungeons that no low HP adventurer could last 5 minutes in, much less escape, level grinding, some reward of rescuing/marrying a princess (but usually not the final quest). But it feels different. There may still be "The Lone Hero", but it doesn't seem as much of a legend/fairy tale like it used to. "Realism" takes precedence over the "colorful fantasy", and yet in that type of cartoony style, when tragedies or bad things beset the party, it somehow made the loss have a greater impact and more and memorable. These days, you expect the "bad stuff" to happen. And happen often.

So what happened to the JRPG? Either the Japanese seem to be emulating Western games, or have made the environments too tech-centric like a weird world inside a computer, than in an idyllic land ripped apart by some hidden evil or tyrannical monarch in a sky pyramid. Where are the sidekicks and the talking animals? The mysticism and the deities? The laser sword and landrover as you brave the dark forest with semi-intelligent spiders? Nothing ever starts out "happy" or "innocent" anymore. You go up levels, but you rarely see your character grow and mature. And most of these protagonists end up having some huge chip on their shoulder that makes them as stand-offish to the player as they do to the characters in the world.

RPGs today are either too tech or medieval heavy without merging the two, revolve in nuclear wastelands, and very rarely have much to do with saving or killing a god. The "anime" feel is gone. It's not even so much the turn-based mechanics or the random encounters that I miss. It's the taking part of something larger than yourself.

Skyrim will whet some appetite, and I pray that Nintendo will release Last Story and Xenoblade in America, because those look promising.

So how about yourselves? Do you notice the absence of the "old style" JRPG? Are there any games of today that generate that old feel? What were some of your favorites from back in the day?

More Hidden 3DS System Items.

2011-03-29T22:10:00.001-07:00

I'm impressed with all of the hidden stuff inside the 3Ds. Seriously, there is a crazy amount of hidden stuff within the system. And now I find that there's more?

I'm a little stunned that Nintendo went as all out on the 3DS as they did. Maybe that was part of Nintendo's plan: A quiet launch for software so that you can find all the hidden games within the system.

At this point, the Augmented Reality (AR) cards and the virtual currency for walking are among two of my favorite features for the system. I'm really hoping that Nintendo doesn't up and drop these features shortly after launch, because there is some incredible potential with just these features alone.

I have a feeling that once the 3DS' Virtual Console launches, all other Nintendo download content is pretty much going to grind to a trickle, as evidenced by how things went when WiiWare launched, then DSiWare, and last Monday's non-existent line-up. I don't know why Nintendo can't support multiple features at once. And the AR stuff is just too cool to abandon. Especially now.

I guess we'll see what the future holds six months from now, but I'm still very impressed with what I'm seeing.

That said, a few questions:

How does one add registered friend's Miis?

Will we be able to buy digital games from the old DSiWare library? There are a few that I wanted to pick up, if they become available.

Do any games besides Nintendogs + Cats currently come with AR cards?

Anyone play the Find Mii RPG? Do you actually get to earn hats for your Mii like it claims?

How is the 3D treating your eyes? (I'm nearsighted with glasses, and I'm actually used to it with no problems).

What are the "Best Of" games from the launch titles, in your opinion?

Ah, what the heck, because I'm nice for you Super Street Fighter IV players:

Platinum Level 7 Ryu: DPrkMnybCd
Gold Level 7 Chun Li: zAAkcHVbHk

You find any, you let me know.

Warren Spector Does DuckTales.

2011-03-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you that played Epic Mickey (and shame on you for those that didn't, as it truly was one of the best Wii games of 2010), you may have caught wind that designer Warren Spector is a big Disney fan. Actually, make that a HUGE Disney fan. Those who actually played through Mickey Mouse's last romp and a know a little something about Disney history is general, know that this love was well verified within each and every level of the game. I could gush endlessly about the brilliance of Epic Mickey, but I'd be getting off subject.

Long before Mickey stepped onto retail shelves, however, Warren kept going on and on about how he'd love Disney to give him the reins to make a DuckTales game. Again, I salivated, considering how much I loved the old NES Capcom classic, the Scrooge McDuck comics (which I can highly recommend), and well, Spector proved that he's no fluke, and he would likely bring as much to the table as Don Rosa and Carl Barks.

Well, Spector got his wish. Sort of:

Coming this May, he's penning a new DuckTales comic. Honestly, I don't know what this means. Does it mean that writing the comic is sort of a "consolation prize", as a new game will never be made, and Disney is going back to *shudder* Disney Channel star based games? Or is this comic his "proving grounds" to show that yes, he could make an amazing game based off the exploits of Uncle Scrooge?

Either way, considering the story he created for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey a few months back, I've already added this one to my subscription box.

I'm so hoping that this leads to a new game....

Who Wants To Design A Game?

2011-03-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

An old friend (and fellow industry veteran) of mine is hosting a game design competition for you good folk who have always wanted to try your hand and creating a game, but never had the resources to do so. If you don't have the tech, but do have the imagination and writing resources, this could be a worthwhile look to see if you could add the next big game.

"GAMEscribe, LLC was formed to give all creative people who have game ideas a means to get those ideas vetted by industry professionals regardless if they have the programming and artistic means to do so. Meaning, we review game design documents as opposed to requiring you to submit a demo like 99% of all other competitions currently out there.

We feel that there is so much untapped talent out there waiting to be discovered which is why we are putting these competitions together. There will be rewards for the best of the best (exact details of which we are not ready to reveal). Entries will be judged on a number of levels, not just the overall concept but also factoring in stuff like marketability, ability to relay concepts across and feasibility (is it even possible with current tech, industry standard budget, etc).

While we get everything together for our official launch we've started setting up on social networking sites to start our grassroots campaign."

To learn more about the details, click here.

Or just keep checking back at their site here for more details in the future.

Atari Vs. Intellivsion: Round 2.

2011-03-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's crazy (for me, anyway) to think that "The Great Atari Vs. Intellivision War" was over 30 years ago. 30 years. Some of you folk weren't even born yet, and video games were out and about, fighting for living room dominance. You've probably seen or heard of some of these games. They look like cave paintings in comparison to today's games, or a basic Lego set.

And yet, they are still fighting it out.

There have been two volumes of Atari Greatest Hits and one Intellivision Lives! - The latter had lived in "Development Hell" for the longest time, yet saw the light of day last Fall. These games were all recently released on the Nintendo DS for about $20 a title. Atari games are easy to port (usually, depending on who is developing it). Intellivision games usually come across as a nightmare, save for the excellent PC/Mac versions of the Intellivision Lives!/Intellivision Rocks! compilations. I'll get to that in a moment, but if you like "The Old Days", or wanted to see what the fuss was about, these three titles are really good examples.

The Atari Greatest Hits collections combined offer a huge amount of titles, both 2600 and arcade. Some of these titles are still as catchy and addictive as they used to be. Some are worth's a few minutes perusal and at least one playthrough. Other titles were dated and never should have been released even back in the 1980's. The arcade games are an excellent collection of titles (no Food Fight, disappointingly), but a lot of the "Old Atari" games (The current Atari was a company known as Infogrames, who bought out and uses the familiar name and logo. "Old Atari" is long since dead) are gone. Most of them went to Midway (now owned by Warner Bros. Interactive), so classics like Paperboy, Gauntlet, Marble Madness, Klax, and others are no longer truly "home".

With the last few year's stance of "New Atari" wanting to be more like "Old Atari", it's a shame that they haven't bought their full stable of titles back, but what they have is still solid. The "Extras" on these two titles are also impressive, ranging from numerous manuals reprinted in their entirety, to a Atari 400 emulator, the declassified military version of Battlezone, to video interviews from "Old Atari" founder Nolan Bushnell (who now is on the board of "new Atari", by the way). The compilations even attempt to recreate some of the more unique arcade and console interfaces (made good on the DS' touchscreen). There's even a homebrew sequel, Return To Haunted House, which was a great concept in the ideas they attempted to excecute, but near unplayable due to the unforgiving difficulty.

Intellivision Lives finally fixes the one vital thing that every console, from Playstation 2 to Game Room on the Xbox 360, has suffered through: Terrible controls. The Intellivision controller was incredibly complex, even by today's standards, and without the touchpad, every attempted compensation... still sucked.

The DS, with its touchscreen, finally addresses this, and the games play so much better for it, finally playing the way they were supposed to, without the misery of fighting whatever attempted configuration workaround only to die time and time again. I can't totally blame the other developers; you can only work with what your given, and unless someone wanted to pony up and make new console compatible Intellivision controller, they were stuck.

There are a few fun games in there: Thunder Castle, Thin Ice, Snafu.... The games looked worlds better than Atari's offerings, with better animation and music, more detail. They were still blocky, but some games just couldn't compare to Intellivision (Fun Fact: Intellivision is actually considered an 8-Bit system, and lasted all the way into the 1990's). But the bottom line is that the games are playable here, and if you ever get any version of Intellivision related games, this is the one to get.

And yet, all of these versions suffer two major flaws that doesn't really paint an accurate picture of why these systems were "the big deal" back then: No licensed ports, and no third-party titles. Intellivison did Tron and Dungeons & Dragons, and a number of arcade ports. Atari had a wide variety of movie, television, and cartoon fare, in addition to arcade games. It even had those infamous E.T. and Pac-Man games that without these oddballs, just doesn't seem the same.

There's also the lack of the third party games, notably Activision and Imagic (Interesting but true: Imagic's titles are now all owned by Activision). Activision has put out their 2600 fare in the past, and Intellivision Rocks! brought all the Activision/Imagic titles home, but without them.... Imagic's titles really maximized the use of the controller, bringing some creative and unique ideas to the table. Activision did things for the 2600 I don't think the system was ever intended to do. If the visuals of these early titles make you shudder, Activision and Imagic's titles were a lot gentler on the eyes.

But the three games, in their portable form, are about as good as it gets. Someone had asked how these titles look/play on the 3DS, and they look slightly better (I'm trying to see if there's any differences in sound), and the analog control is very nice (and more accurate for the overall feel of Intellivision titles - Cutting edge technology to finally properly play over 30 year games.

This is all much cheaper than plunking out money for the individual titles in the "Let's just go ahead and call it abandoned" Game Room, so if you want to get a feel for what these games are about without mass amounts of Microsoft points, the DS is most definitely the way to go.

There are total "duds" in all of these collections, but there are some titles that are still addicting as ever. And there are some previously unplayable titles in other versions that are now made playable. For the price of one new Xbox game, you can have around 200 titles for your DS, and if anything, it's a good and cheap history lesson for those avid gamers who want to learn more about the history of video gaming, and the first "Great War".

3DS Impressions - Day 1.

2011-03-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of different posts in the backlog, but today, being what it is, I figured this was the most important one. For those of you in a hurry, and need me to cut straight to the point on my impressions, here it is:

Wow.

For those with a bit of time, let's get into it more.

I didn't have to fight for the 3DS like I did the Wii. No mad rush or camping out all night like I did for the Wii, with people howling like Tusken Raiders and throwing objects in wanton madness (I asked the sales clerk at Gamestop if I could do this, and he granted me free reign to toss a coupon. It lacked... satisfaction). But here I am, no battle scars, and a new DS. A 3DS.

To be honest, I've always been fond of my DS Lite. I refused to buy the DSi, as it was merely a camera and downloadable game upgrade (not one piece of software came out that ever made specifically for DSi system, and that always bugged me). The DS always suited me fine. It's been an old friend for years. Recently, I bought the two Atari Greatest Hits volumes, and have been basking in my 2600 nostalgia (another post for another time).

When E3 came about last year, I could have cared less about the promise of "glasses free 3D gaming". No, they ensnared me the second they announced a new Kid Icarus game after 20 years of painfully waiting and hoping, and an upgrade of Ocarina of Time, not only my favorite Legend of Zelda game of all time, but one of my "Top 3" games of all time, period.

Too bad both games don't come out until June. Oh, well.

So I'm "stuck" with just the system, and courtesy of a "Buy one, get the second game 50% off" sale at Toys R Us running now until April 2, I picked up Super Street Fighter IV and LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.

Funny thing is, the 3DS is packed with not one, but multiple games.

There's Face Raiders, which is funny. I've used my face, my dog's face, and even a picture of me when I was 5, navigating my house shooting at these flying foes. The AR game, with the included packet of cards, is actually fun to use the system's built in motion control to navigate my own house. There's Find Mii, and RPG-lite game that grows with the Streetpass feature, and a puzzle game that does the same. four titles. not epic games, but playable in their own right. The 3Ds is filled with all sorts of hidden, fun stuff.

The internet features, such as Netflix, the internet, and downloadable titles don't come until May, which makes me wonder if Nintendo rushed this thing out for quarterly sales profits, considering these are a number of "not out of the box" features, not to mention all of their initial "Killer App" games are months out. But instead of being negative, there are still a lot of positives.

There's now analog control (which begs me to try Super Mario 64 DS now to see if I can finally play it properly), a built-in pedometer that gives you gameplay coins as you take it with you (100 steps = 1 coin - A definitely way for Nintendo to ensure that you keep your DS with you at all times), Streetpass, which makes it easy to get new stuff on the fly, and some things the Wii had desperately needed.

Miis. They have more facial expressions and styles now. It's not as in-depth as the 360's Avatars, but it is a much-needed evolution. The "Friend Code" is indeed back, but it's one (smaller) code that once you're linked up, you can see who is online playing what, and you don't need a code for every single game that you and your friends have. It tells you and links you.

The activity log is more detailed and put together better, as are notifications. And you can transfer Miis from the Wii to the 3DS. This is actually a big deal to me. Long-time readers know the Hell I went through when my Wii went rouge last year, and started eating discs. Nintendo's "repair" service formatted my system and sent me a new one against my wishes, and I lost over three years worth of data in the process.... Save for my original Mii stored within my Wii Remote.

Now, like Tron Legacy, where Kevin Flynn had moved Tron from the original Encom server to his own private server, I get to keep my original Mii and bring him to an all-new environment. I'd somewhat like to pretend that the day-long verbal tirade I unleashed upon Nintendo's repair service prompted the designers to find a way to keep one's Miis "alive".

The games I got today? Both Street Fighter IV and Star Wars look wonderful. Street Fighter IV looks little removed from the 360/PS3 versions. The level of detail and animation is astounding, and the 3D effect adds a crazy level of depth that really got me. Not to mention the game handles like a dream. LEGO Star Wars III looks like a huge toy box now, with great effects, and an excellent look to it. I've liked the LEGO games over the years. This one is very glossy. The 3D goes everywhere from subtle to in your face, and each level looks incredible. Honestly, I hope that I never lose this "wow" factor whenever I start up a new game. Yes, the 3D actually, absolutely works. Oh yes, you can also take "real world" 3D pictures, not to mention the AR cards turn whatever surface you play them on into a live-action video game. I hope this feature is not abandoned. I was actually shocked by it.

Between motion controls, 3D, internet/online connectivity, and more "traditional" style games, the 3DS looks to address the issues that people had with the Wii. I can see how Nintendo will keep people "addicted" to their system, "forcing" them to take it anywhere and everywhere to get the most out of it. I expect when the rest of the online feature open up this Summer, that's going to be another whole new level.

Like the Wii? It takes some of the better features from the system, and refines them, makes them better, and adds more. Like the DS? Everything you liked about it is here, and more. The 3D works. The gaming line-up seems better and may draw in more of the "traditional" gaming crowd who derided the constant casual, mini-game fare that populated a huge chunk of the Wii's overall library. Want Street Fighter, Metal Gear, Kingdom Hearts, and Resident Evil, angry that the PS3/360 crowd "gets all the fun"? You can finally stop being jealous.

It's up to you as to whether to buy it now or wait. Remember, Nintendo systems are maddeningly hard to get due to all the "must have" hype that surrounds them, and who's to say that people still won't be desperately searching a year later to find one? It doesn't have everything yet, but there's stuff to do in the meantime, and "better safe than sorry", you know?

All I know is, when Kid Icarus finally arrives, you won't be hearing from me for a while.

Oh yes, for those interested, my friend code is: 1332-7709-5212 - Let me know if you would like to add me. I hope the 3DS tells us people have added us/added us back.

Five Game Commercials That Time Forgot.

2011-03-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! posted this article yesterday, so I thought I'd share it, as video game commercials for the 1980's were not the sleek, savvy ads they are now, either darkly dark with all their darkness, or so sterile that you feel like you're in a hospital ward.

No, video game commercials back then were just flat out weird.

Five Video Game Commercials That Time (Sadly) Forgot.

Free Xbox Game For Subscription.

2011-03-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Ha. I realized that my last post was "360". Somewhat humorous considering this is a Xbox-related post.

And so, I renewed my subscription to Xbox Live in the last week. While the service has gone up an extra $10 bucks, I didn't mind this time, as there wasa pretty good incentive: Renew for a year, and get one of these four games: Halo: Reach, Fable III, Kinectimals, or Kinect Sports. And to keep all of you out of suspense, I chose Fable III.

I couldn't tell you how or why Fable III fell under my radar and I never followed up on picking it up before. I did like the second game, majority wise.

Let me continue on with my statement of that I liked Fable II, but I did have some issues with it. I liked that it was similar to Legend of Zelda in play feel (in some aspects), if not so much a play style. It was extremely linear in some aspects, and yet you could break free to explore if you wanted to. I liked you could be really good or evil, and that it was reflected in things that you did. I liked the dog (my real world dog, however, did not and barked at it often). And mostly, I just like RPG/adventure games.

This game did make me wonder if perhaps there was a thing as being "too good". I had built my character up to the point where he had a halo upon his head. You would think being good would mean that everything would be perfect, right? Enemies were afraid of me and generally refused to attack, I had fans the second I walked into any town or city (once my rep was built up), a wife and two kids (and an extra on the side as I got bored after a while and wanted to be a little wicked. Heh heh). Things were good, but there were issues.

I appreciated the choices, but some choices weren't all they were cracked up to be. I played mine as a good, straight (you can choose sexual preference), warrior with good magic. Clothes are reputed to be such a major aspect of the character, and while I chose the "best" very early on in the game, I looked like a foppish Gandalf, and no clothes that I ever found later ever allowed me to improve, or even switch out styles with some penalty. It's only through one of the expansions that I found a suit of armor that I really liked.

The crowds became tedious. The hero, having renown far and wide throughout the land of Albion, would draw hordes of admirers in every city, rich or poor... and wanted him to fart and do hand puppet shows. This is how I built my adoration and reputation. Not on slaying neighboring bandits, freeing slaves, or overthrowing a tyrant. I built it on doing stupid dances and lute playing.

Even the sexual aspect was skewed. I played my character straight, but during one attempt to impress a villager, I accidentally hit the "Flirt" command. From then on, I had all sorts of men begging me for a wedding ring (in front of the wife, no less). It's a little strange having the entire town begging or griping at you because they want to be married. I already had two wives. I had my hands full as it was.

But the choices could be fun. I'd give homeless people diamonds or a million gold just for the heck of it. And unlike some "moral choice" games that saved after everything, a friend and I decided to test the waters on how "evil" could I be. And some times, it made no sense at all. One shop keeper kept singing my praises... until it came time for his store to close and I was still inside. At that point, he instantly became murderous, and would relentlessly chase me through the streets firing his gun at me. The Jekyll/Hyde thing was a little perplexing, to say the least.

Happily married, we invited some woman we met off the street into my house where the wife was, and proceeded to sleep with said woman right in front of her. The wife, of course, would complain, so my character would slap her, and bring in a new person. Finally after having enough of the complaining, we pulled out the big jade war hammer that we had and uppercutted her over the stairwell. One hit was all it took to become a single man.

Of course, the villagers took offense to this and came into the house to attack (after my character's child was taken away). We used lightning magic to hurl them out the window, destroying a good number of people (And the house) in process.

After leaving the house, we proceeded to go to the tailor's buy and wear the most tartish women's clothes we could find, and then ran to every food vendor to eat every single thing they had. Once "properly attired", we proceed to wipe out the entire town.

From a haloed foppish wizard, to a red-eyed and horned blimp of a monster in only the sleaziest of corsets and thigh-high boots (the feathered hat was a nice touch, however) in a matter of minutes. If anything, it couldn't be argued that the game didn't offer choices or go with the flow if you change your mind on alignment.

The point of all this is that even with its limited and unrealistic AI (despite all the initial hype that it was the most immersive thing you'll ever play), and the glass ceiling in certain areas of what you can do, and where you can go, Fable II did offer some unusual choices. But there were barriers, despite its best efforts, and if you so chose, you could literally "Point A to Point B" the entire game if you followed the little glowing trail.

So there's the question about Fable III: Does it offer more realistic diversity? Is it more of the same? Is it a better experience than its predecessor? I figured "Free" was the best way to figure those questions out myself, but I'd be curious to hear reader's own experiences with either (or both) games.

Do You Sell Your Games?

2011-03-15T15:09:00.001-07:00

I've been contemplating this for a while now.

I've sold games before. Sometime for money, other times for store credit to put on yet more games. I'm viewing my expansive collection now, and wondering: Should I do it again?

Not for money or credit this time, but more to really just weed out the "classics" versus games that I've just amassed, but never really use anymore. Part of me likes the big collection, the chunk of gaming history that I've amassed, and there's a certain sense of pride associated with it, but there are times that I wonder if my collection's simply getting too big at this stage, and are the "merely okay" titles diluting the overall impact of the collection. Do I go for quality or quantity now at this point? What's more impressive to you?

I could see myself keeping classic gaming anthologies, as I feel that they are "collected works" of this hobby's history. Same for the games that I'd factor into my "Desert Island" scenario. You know, the one that if I had an incredibly long extension cord and access to TV I would take with me. I'm just wondering if I should just thin out the pile a little bit, or just send old titles to the archives for later.

So let me know: What do you usually do, and what are your thoughts on my whole "Quality Vs. Quantity" conundrum.

Xbox Labs.

2011-03-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

As I was perusing the ol' dashboard today, I saw something for "Xbox Labs".

I'm a sucker for "Free", so I downloaded it.

....

I'm not sure what it does, honestly, outside of some sort of testing thing that is clearly and apparently internal. At any rate, if you tough it out for 30 minutes, then an hour, then six(!) hours, you get rewarded with exclusive Avatar gear.

I'm near the end of the 30 minute one, so I may actually just hand out for the 2 minutes left to report what the "amazing" item actually is.

In other news, YouTube yanked the new Tron 3 video, so I hope you saw it. I'm personally not liking YouTube forcing you to link with a Google account in order for you to use your account anymore. I find that total garbage.

So... I unlocked the 1st round, got some undefined Avatar award and 0 Gamerscore. At least the 30 minutes invested so far goes into half the time for the second tier.

I may not hang around for that one, however.

The Hype For Tron 3 Builds.

2011-03-13T16:55:00.001-07:00

I just found this short film today, and it's big. It's like crazy exciting big.

For those that are familiar with me, my Tron enthusiasm has been out of control lately. This did absolutely nothing to settle it.

Yoostar 2 Impressions.

2011-03-09T23:04:00.001-08:00

For those of you who don't know much about my other lines of work past the video gaming aspects (which was years ago), I am an actor. You may have seen me around, and may not have even realized it. In fact, my name on here comes from one of those roles (and long-time readers know that I referenced that origin some time ago if you care to hit the archives). So when Yoostar 2 was announced, I was intrigued. Could this game essentially be the Rock Band for actors?

Largely, I'd have to say "Yes".

The concept is simple. Using the 360's or (PS3's) camera, players can integrate themselves into a set (and growing) number of television shows and movies (from Casablanca to The Hangover, to show how far reaching the eras go), and there's DLC, so the number of options could only grow at this point.

The tech itself is actually really cool. The game removes one of the actors from one of these films and puts you in their place instead. The video quality isn't as seamless as the promotional videos portray. It's not bad, and like real acting, changes in lighting, color clothing worn, and possibly a greenscreen help to reduce the onscreen pixelization. It's not perfect, but it is feasible enough to fit you within the "world". Getting the right "look" takes tweaking. Don't expect to find the perfect setting right off the bat.

The line delivery is like karaoke. Depending on line delivery, timing, improv, physical motions and reactions, the game will rate you. The better you do, the higher the score. While it's certainly not going to make Academy Award winning actors out of everyone who plays, the techniques are serviceable enough for real attempts at acting. And if anything, could be utilized as a training utility, especially for timing, delivery, or just good practice. Like real acting, you'll be doing take after take until fully satisfied with your performance.

The game also breaks it down to reading directly from the script, or going full-on ad-lib. I found myself scrambling around the house for props (grabbing my terrier for The Wizard of Oz, or a communicator for Star Trek). For fun, I even did a scene from Star Trek II where Khan had to match wits with my sweater clad Bill Cosby impersonation. It pays to be creative, and it makes the experience more immersive. As a "Party Game", this has got so much potential to be one of the best (and funniest) interactive experiences around.

The community is also impressive. The Yoostar devs regularly comment and help out with their Facebook page, which I'd highly recommend following if you buy the game. The staff are sincerely helpful, friendly, and definitely movie fans. The Playground is another useful area where you can upload and rate videos, gain fans, receive awards, and go up levels. Could this game and community actually become a YouTube like environment where "digital online stars are born"? Honestly, I think if Yoostar supports this right, and stays with it, it just may. I expect the direct uploads to Facebook and Twitter this game allows are going to make for some amusing posts. I should probably post some of mine... maybe. Even the achievements award you for doing a quality job, or thinking outside of the box. Try just doing a voice-over or your best mime impression and see what happens.

Whether wanting to be a serious actor, or just unleash your inner ham, this game is as fun as you want it to be. For myself, props, improv, and just cutting loose has been the way to go, and the fully interactive and supportive community has made it simple to get any major questions answered (or just offer suggestions as to what programs you would like to see in the future).

It's nice to find a game as satisfying as the personal build-up you've generated for it. The DLC and community support will be what makes or breaks this title in the long run.

So far, it's off to a positive start.

Pac-Man Toys at Wendy's.

2011-03-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sure, the 30th anniversary nod to the little yellow guy was last year, but that hasn't stopped Wendy's from starting a new toy promotion this week.

I got four of the five (they didn't seem to have the maze game at the store I visited), but how often does Pac-Man get his dues as a fast food toy these days? The 1980's passed a long time ago for this level of "Pac-Man Fever".

And just so you know, yes, you can buy the toys separately without buying the food....

Sequelitis and Other Dilemmas.

2011-03-06T23:22:00.000-08:00

In factoring in my "Wants" for this year, I realize that I'm something of a hypocrite. For all my wants of originality and new IP, and everything that goes with it, I'm strangely all about sequels.

My list is pretty set on this: Bioshock: Infinite, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, Mortal Kombat, Dissidia 012, Telltale's King's Quest title.... Does Kid Icarus: Uprising even count considering its 20 year hiatus between sequels? And then there's Yoostar 2, which I never even played the first one.

I'm actually trying to cut back my gaming purchases this year, and biased off the listed titles, I would have more than enough to play with. The thing is, I don't know if I'm "playing it safe" with the familiar, or it's just a really good year for the franchises. Bioshock, Elder Scrolls, and Batman all turned out to be first-rate, extremely playable titles from their last versions, so I don't feel guilty for sticking with what I know in those cases.

Still, there is a call for new characters and situations, or bringing back old titles from the dead. King's Quest and Kid Icarus fill that latter niche. I've seen some great "new" titles like Bit. Trip, World of Goo, Braid, Super Meat Boy, and Castle Crashers, but what's next? What's going to be the next title to turn everything on its collective ear? I find it a telling sign that the most creative games of this generation are all downloadable titles. I'm not even factoring in the titles from PopCap or Telltale.

Kinect seems to be offering some new ideas, but in it's current state, I am starting to see limits. Would I like to try Skyrim while tromping around swinging my sword, or using motions to cast spells? Most definitely. But I keep thinking: "How will I be able to move my character? Or turn, for that matter?" I hope they find more to do with the accessory than just physical activity and dance games. The hacks I've seen online are impressive, but when are devs going to apply these ideas?

Gaming has been in a rut of late. I don't know if its the current economic downturn, or people are just strapped for new ideas. Gaming does go in cycles, however. It's all fighting one day. Or puzzles the next. Or platformers. These days, it seems all mini-game compilations and first-person shooters. Now everything is motion control. I still haven't seen as many titles as I'd like to use motion control intelligently. That's forever been my issue with the Wii (other than the whole "game eating" thing). How many games simulate an actual process or task versus shaking your controller until your arm threatens to dislodge its socket? Even Nintendo has stepped back a little from the motion control to focus on more gameplay and less gimmicks. I see the motion control aspect as having a lot of potential, but we end up see seeing more cloned ideas than original concepts. I expect the same will be true for the 3DS. "Glasses free" 3D sounds promising, but you know we're going to see a lot of pointless "in your face" gimmicks and unnecessary special effects from companies in the next year. Mark my words.

Anyway, just a little late night rambling before I hit the hay. What are the sequels you find yourself interested in? For that matter, are you happy with the current state of motion control, or do you think it hasn't reached its potential?

New Readers.

2011-03-06T10:19:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that I've gotten a few new subscribers to my site. First off, thanks for reading. It's good for me to know that I actually have an audience on here instead of me rambling endlessly into the digital void.

For those that are new to my site, I actually used to work in the industry for nearly a decade. I've been a lifelong game before and after that time. I cover all types of genres and ratings (from "E" to "M" rated), for a variety of platforms.

If you want to know more about me and my interests, feel free to ask me whatever to get to know what I like to play, or whatever gaming related questions, fire away.

In the meantime, new readers, why don't you introduce ourselves? I'm going to try to look through your own blogs to see what all of you chat about.

As they do in Space Invaders, fire away!

The New Mortal Kombat.

2011-03-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've always had a special place in my gaming heart for the Mortal Kombat series, given my association and involvement with it. I was one of the few that stood up and gave Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe a chance and kudos (something I still stand by today). The gore was neutered, but the gameplay was restored (and it has a much better storyline attempt than Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, which really didn't try in that specific aspect).

People called for the end of Mortal Kombat, but I stood by it. For a fighter, it's always been about story, cool characters, and of course, its trademarked gore, all of which got lost along the way. It was becoming a mess at the end, but then, look at the state of the company that was running it at the time.

The new company and lack of a rushed production schedule has seeming been good to this new version. Gone are the lame characters that have grown since the 4th title. Gone are the "collect-a-thon" events that initially seemed cool, but grew tedious. Restored is a new take on the original intent of the story instead of "Every kharacter we've ever kreated run up a big mountain for "TEH ULTIMATE POWAR!!!" which it devolved into (Before trying to beat up Batman, that is). And the risk-taking with bloody, gory, crazy Fatalities is restored. As is the dark sense of humor. Mortal Kombat has always been funny, but that was lost along the way.

And like Shaolin Monks and Vs. DC Universe, the programmers wisely chose to focus on the characters and events of the first three games, meaning we're back to fan favorites and the definable faces of the series. And, much like Vs. DC Universe, the game is set in 2D. This is one game series (along with Castlevania, Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Street Fighter) which needs to remain in 2D. And so it has. And the world rejoiced. Mortal Kombat was in a dire need of a "Reset" button, and the results have seemed to have paid off.

Anyway, here's a new video of the "Challenge Tower", which sounds unique, fun, and undoubtedly frustrating along the way.

Countdown To 3DS.

2011-03-04T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well, this is it: The month that the 3DS hits North American shores. It makes me glad that I skipped the DSi altogether. The "red flags" went up when zero DSi-specific games were ever released, and other than an app store and a camera, there weren't enough changes to justify the purchase (that, and I would have missed my Game Boy Advance slot).

But I pre-ordered the 3DS as soon as it came available. Everyone has that "killer app" that pushes them over the edge to buy any system. Mine was Kid Icarus: Uprising. I've waited nearly a year for this particular title, and if the madness that befell the consumer base in trying to get a Wii, I decided to get it at launch instead of spending a year going from store to store in an attempt to hunt the system down. In short, I pre-ordered out of necessity.

The 3DS is a list of positives and negatives for me, though largely optimistic. It's got a laundry list of cool new features: 3D without glasses, a ton of "traditional" gaming franchises that haven't touched a Nintendo platform in years. 3D photography, motion controls, Netflix support, universal "Friend Codes", classic NES/SNES games redone in 3D (will Square do Rad Racer properly after all this time?), account transfers from system to system, a "Virtual Console" for portable titles from Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, and Turbo Duo, 3D movie trailers, remastered Nintendo 64 games.... It addresses a lot of the issues that I had with the Wii (that, and I won't have to worry about it eating games like my Wii still at times does), and shows that yes, Nintendo is learning.

Is it all perfect? Not really. The launch window for software, in my opinion, is awful. Nintendo is strangely gutsy to open the games with just Pilotwings and Nintendogs, and outside of an ambitious Street Fighter IV, there's not much that pushes me to buy any software at launch. There's always Ocarina of Time, ri.... Well, at least Starfox 64 will be there since Kid Icarus isn.... Well, at least I'll have the new Virtual Console and Netflix servic.... in May and in June.

(Question for my readers: Will the DSi Shop allow people who never owned a DSi buy some of the pre-existing titles? I have a few I never got to play, like Shantae.)

Then there's the Virtual Console. Truth be told, the VC was a HUGE reason why I originally wanted the Wii. I was thrilled at the concept of playing what amounted to "old friends" that I grew up with again. The mere thought of Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, and Turbo Duo makes me salivate and hope that we'd get to see the Neo Geo Pocket or Atari Lynx.

And then I remember what became of Wii's Virtual Console and it's state for the last year or so.

As much as it pains me to say this, I wish the Virtual Console would drop all the systems, save for Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Nintendo did an amazing job of promising the gaming world being one click away with nearly a dozen consoles, and little to scarce support for a good number of them (Master System, Commodore 64, Nintendo 64, Arcade, and I'd even argue the remaining systems never reached a fraction of their potential, even excluding the licensed titles). Nintendo can't or won't support multiple platforms, and as a gamer, I'm just not ready to bear that level of disappointment all over again. If Nintendo were to focus on just two systems, they might at least get a more robust library from what they would have to work with. A counterargument might point out that they've addressed a lot of their previous issues with the 3DS, but when it comes to "Round 2" of a new Virtual Console... I'll believe it when I see it.

Don't get me wrong: There looks to be a lot of awesome titles and services available for the 3DS... once the platform picks up steam in a few months. I'd argue that one doesn't need to buy the system at launch, but then again, that would likely be foolish if you planned to pick one up in the next year or so.

All in all, I'm excited for the 3DS. The titles and services look awesome, and the 3D aspect could be really cool (I look forward to seeing how they do this - I'd much rather do it this way then all those glasses sets that I saw for TVs at CES), but it's going to have a slow start.

At least the initial payoff sounds promising. I hope it stays true into the next year.

Just For Kids, Right?

2011-02-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is a little more of an unusual post, but it really brings home a subject that I've long contemplated when it comes to video games.

How old were you when you started playing video games? For that matter, what were some of your first video games? For me, I was 4 years old, cutting my teeth on games like Combat, Superman, Adventure, and Space Invaders for the Atari 2600, then Pac-Man in the arcades. Everyone has to start somewhere, and with gaming so new and novel at the time, it was a few years before the concept of "kid's gaming" came around.

Think about what generally passes for "kid's gaming" these days: Oversimplified concepts and design, repetitive gameplay, questionable production values, and some licensed character of the day cut and pasted for generally lackluster visuals. I mean, you don't have to try to put effort into a game skewed for the younger set. Are they really going to be able to know the difference?

Back then, Atari had difficulty for their regular games marked with a friendly bear symbol to give even the littlest ones a chance. There were a few games for older computers like the Apple ][ series, and largely edutainment games (the impact of some still remain in memory). Traveler's Tales and Lego have put out a large handful inoffensive and fun titles based off of licensed properties. Of all the games, I've seen out there with kids in mind, the Lego series does it right. It doesn't patronize, and makes it accessible for any age group.

That's why I find this next title so... unexpected. Certainly, the license alone should squarely set this with the youngest of young, or in the memories of our own childhood. For a "kid's game", this title has met with some surprisingly positive fanfare, and confusion among an older gaming set. Instead of mocking a youth-oriented title, there seems to be an unexpected conflict of wanting to play it.

The pedigree of Tim Schafer is not without merit. He's made several great games over the years. And so I kept an open mind in tracking down the trailer for this title, and the results were not what I expected....

To be honest, I don't know if this is a title that I'd end up owning, but I will be forthcoming in admitting that I would like to play it. It's a cute looking title, has an air of whimsy about it, and it looks like it's not only captured the knowing quirkiness of the show, but is also trying to be a genuinely credible title. Not just a kid's title, but a quality title. Schafer's own approach to the material seems enthusiastic and genuine, similar to Warren Spector's gusto with Epic Mickey.

And it's coming to the system more known for Teen/Mature fare: The Xbox 360. Or more specifically, Kinect. A surprising system choice, but if this is going to be how the system attempts to skew to younger audiences, is that really such a bad thing?

I was surprised by the trailer. I was expecting rinky dink pop music and stupid jokes and boring looking gameplay. And here I come walking away thinking it would probably be fun to control a flying Cookie Monster.

Admittedly, I've been impressed with Warner Bros.' published efforts in the past (Batman, Scribblenauts, the upcoming Mortal Kombat), so I'm curious to see how they handle this one.

More curious that I thought I'd be, anyway.

The Legend of Zelda Turns 25.

2011-02-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Has it really been that long?

I remember getting my NES on my birthday in 1987. Zelda was still a "new" thing here in the States fully introduced by a color article in the Nintendo Fun Club magazine, and a few weeks after my getting my system, I was introduced to this:

I was mesmerized my this theme. It was haunting and beautiful, and I would sometimes listen to it as background music.

When I wasn't doing that, I was obsessing over the wonderful illustrations in the instruction manual, presenting Link like this:

I prayed for some cartoon or movie to come out looking this good (I have better Zelda pics on older posts). There WAS a cartoon series, but it was nothing like this, featuring an immature Link who commonly cried out "Excuuuuuuuuuuuuse ME, Princess", whenever he hacked off a rather snippy Zelda (which was often).

For all the "oohing" and "aahing" I did on the surface materials, I did even more in the actual game. This full, wonderful world housed in a golden cartridge that lasted hours, progress was saved, and every play session promised new adventures.

I've loved the series over the years, but my next big "love" for the series was Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64. A larger world filled with depth and width, accompanied by a thrilling story, and an even more exciting boss battle (on par with Super Metroid for me). As I said, I've enjoyed all the games, but the two mentioned titles were the ones that won me over.

This year, the Wii gets the new Skyward Sword, and the 3DS gets an updated remake of Ocarina. Honestly, I want Nintendo to have some sort of anniversary celebration and accompanying game anthology title to commemorate the event, but there's also the cynic in me would rather Nintendo just pass if they plan to just cheap out and do what they did for Mario's "celebration" (A SNES game on a CD, a barebones art book, and a soundtrack that doesn't even begin to cover the series). Mario deserved better. Link definitely deserves better.

But with the Zelda series, it harkens back to my childhood, that thrilling sense of adventure, epic battles, wonderful music, and memorable characters. Even if there is no anthology game or art book, a re-release of one of my most cherished games in the series, as well as a new adventure, definitely counts for something.

EDIT: Actually, Link's birthday, is February 21, 1986. Leave it to the internet to start the celebration early.

A Terrible Confession To Make.

2011-02-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true. I have a horrible, dark secret to share.

....

I've played a Facebook game now.

No, I've not (and refuse to) be swept into the multitudes of endless games on Facebook that end with "Ville", but they had to go off and tap my nostalgia bone by releasing Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?.

Yes, they finally hit upon my nostalgia bone, and so I had to see what these are all about.

Presently, I've only played Oregon Trail. The graphics are simple but inoffensive, the game plays the game, all the features of the old game are there, along with newer minigames from more recent versions. People are always split on the whole "Oregon Trail" thing. Some like it, others think it's merely a game mired in nostalgia, and worth nothing more. I still hold a fond place for it, though I understand it may not be for everyone.

While it's a competent version, the very reasons why I've held off from playing Facebook games plague this version. There's the numerous option to flood your newsfeed (and resulting friend's list) with every single move and update you make. Fortunately, you can choose to not "share" it, because I've had to "ignore" my friend's game playing habits in the past as it can get frequent and annoying. But again, you can choose not to clutter your life (and others) with a lot of these redundant and unnecessary updates.

And then there's the "payment" system. Sure, you can play a game normally, from beginning to end. But why would you want to do that, when you can simply spend some real world cash to buy the end of the game? Who cares about playing games anymore when you can simply buy maximum character levels, super items, and just purchase the end destination. If this game had an end boss, you could probably buy beating him without effort as well.

I understand it's a means for a company to generate extra revenue, and yes, there are people who will clearly buy things (as evidenced as to why this system still exists), but I personally find it damaging to the game's balance and exploration/discovery factor. Can you imagine the possibility of escaping every negative situation in a game by simply bribing your way through a title, instead of dealing with the circumstances? Low health? No problem. Negative ailments? Thing of the past. Need to wait until your endurance/magic levels recharge? Five dollars, please.

Don't misunderstand me. The games are playable without having to purchase anything, but that doesn't mean that the game tries to constantly offer you "purchasable solutions" during every opportunity it can afford. Obviously, I'm playing without, on the game's natural progression schedule, and it hasn't been tedious or unpleasant to do.

But it is nice to see Facebook evolving what type of games are available on its service, and after years of holding out, it finally succeeded in finding something I would enjoy. But now I finally understand what people are talking about when they discuss their purchases made for games... and I shake my head a little more for understanding now.

Play Oregon Trail HERE.
Play Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego HERE.

Bad Online Designs.

2011-02-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

I don't get these gaming sites anymore. The gaming magazine is slowly dying out, and one day, it may be gone altogether. While Egon Spengler once said "print is dead", it's not hard to find potential accuracy in that statement in the ease of finding information in the digital age.

I have my own personal favorite gaming sites. I read IGN from the Nintendo 64 days of the min 1990's to just a few years ago. I loved the site, and visited it daily.

Until that last style change.

The site has become much harder to navigate, and archived news and reviews seem to be pure luck, or direct online searches in finding past news or something that I want to reference. From easy to navigate and quick bouncing back and forth from platform specific sites to one giant unorganized mess, I eventually stopped going unless some other site directly referenced an article that I access from a link.

In short: I loved IGN, but their horrid new site layout of the last few years has caused me to quit visiting. That new site designer seriously ripped the company off.

Imagine my disappointment when Kotaku has recently done the same. The new format is apparently designed by a madman who has no idea of how to make good use of visual space, or wants to decrease its readership to save internet bandwidth space.

Fortunately, the Canadian version of Kotaku has not delved into the same bad taste of us in the States. But for how long? When you make a site unreadable due to poor content navigation and site layout, there's a problem.

Currently, I still read Joystiq and GoNintendo (and Canadian Kotaku), but I feel like I'm starting to run out of "good" sites. Does any of my readership have some good general gaming news sites that they find entertaining and User/community friendly? I would appreciate any suggestions, from current news to vintage gaming.

Open your discussions in the feedback sections. Maybe we will all get a few good sites out of this.

The Death of Guitar Hero.

2011-02-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

Gamers are undoubtedly aware that Guitar Hero has finally seen its final swan song courtesy of Activision.

While I'm sure that some view it as a sign of relief, it can't help but be tinged by a hint of sadness. After all, Guitar Hero paved the way for a whole new genre (and a closet filled with tons of plastic instruments), as well as a respectable competitor in Rock Band. But really, the "Guitar War" broke down into a "Coke Vs. Pepsi" matter of choice. It was simply a matter of what appealed to the player's personal preferences more.

So what killed it, really? I would think the multiple updates per year didn't help matters. Rock Band put out three main entries, three spn offs, and a portable version for PSP. Harmonix did the first two Guitar Hero games and one spin-off before Activision took over. Activision did its regular "annualization" of the franchise like it does to pretty much everything else... except that it released multiple entries per year, spin-off series.... It became too much, and the series just ran itself into the ground. There's only so many titles one can afford, and only so much space for the multiple new accessories being put out each year.

In reality, music games just need to be broken down to DLC unless they were to majorly reinvent the wheel (I think annual sports games could stand to do the same, but that's my opinion). The genre in many respects, is stagnant in evolution, and its appeal remains in just what favorite songs can be downloaded. It's too much to ask consumers to keep shelling out for multiple titles per year, though retail is where companies still make their money.

Is the market oversaturated? Well, not as much these days now. It's a shame that the pioneer game of the genre met with such a needless and unspectacular end. Does this mean the end of the music genre? Hard to say. Rock Band is now unchallenged, and whther it chooses to take advantage of that or remain complacent is now up to the developers. Guitar Hero may have actually survived a little longer had it not been run into the ground the way it had been, but as long as there are living room rock star wannabees, and good-natured social gatherings in one's living room, the genre will last a little longer.

But for how much longer...?

Insert Coin(s) - April 2011.

2011-02-17T14:59:00.000-08:00

This has been discussed for months, but a new gaming/arcade bar is coming to Downtown Las Vegas this April. Considering what they promise, this could be very, very cool, and worth a visit by classic gamers. I'm just glad to see someone fighting to keep the arcades alive.

Here are two promos for Insert Coin(s):

Opening April 18!

Dead Island Trailer.

2011-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Before anyone views this, I must be a responsible blogger and forewarn that this is a fairly gory trailer, so young visitors shouldn't click on this one. I'm sure that's somehow code for "Click on me anyway", but it's meant in the literal context, so don't say that I didn't do my part.

That said, Dead Island looks compelling. A first-person, multi-player survival RPG, minus the crazier weapons of Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, and Resident Evil. There's even a leveling system for the character, but due to the "realistic" factor the game is trying to achieve, what does proficiency truly mean against hordes of the undead?

The trailer is interesting. A video played backwards that while no gameplay is shown, it does manage to do something most zombie games don't: Generate a sense of empathy. You can't help but feel a little sorry for the victims here, instead of casting them off as victim fodder. It's well done, and if they are truly attempting a new take on the zombie gaming genre, then I'll be watching this one.

Video Games Get Recognition.

2011-02-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, all! Whether you like those crazy Hallmark cards or those chalky heart shaped candies, there's at least something in there for people. And if you don't like it, there's always the time honored tradition of yelling at people to stay off your lawn. I'd personally like to do the latter myself, but the Missus won't let me get away with it.

Anyway, I heard this particularly noteworthy theme, and had to share it. What is it and why? It's called "Baba Yetu" by Christopher Tin for Civilization. What is the big deal? It's the first video game theme to win a Grammy, marking the fact that video games are indeed of cultural and artistic significance. It also gives me hope that composers like Nobuo Uematsu and Koji Kondo will finally get their long overdue nods as "proper" music. From the critical standpoint, anyway.

Anyway, check out this theme for yourself. It sounds a bit Lion King to me, but I do like the piece. I've been away from posting on here (that crazy "work" thing), but rest assured I'll be back on this week.

Apple Games of Yesteryear.

2011-01-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

Knowing me, I'm always on the hunt for old games from my youth.

Fun fact: About 3 years ago, I won a very nice Apple //c from eBay in great working order. With it, I found a few connections to purchase games that were still sealed in box, and in equally as great of shape. Who knew people would be sitting on these things for 25-30 years?

While I've not gotten into more of the "Collector" games, I was able to get a few of the old Sierra Classics, a few arcade games, as well as some titles like Oregon Trail. It's amazing what you can find, but due to low security on the Apple (you could break the code, load the program, and copy it to a new disk like it was nothing), people will sell copies they created versus the actual retail disk. I figure if I'm going to collect, I may as well go for the authentic copies.

While I haven't purchased anything in a while, and I still haven't rounded out my collection fully, it doesn't mean that I'm still not on the hunt. It was in a recent thread that I found this site: Virtual Apple ][.

While most modern gamers would likely scoff at the primitive music and graphics, it was more advanced than both the Atari and Intellivision. Going through the list (they have a lot, but they don't have it all), I was reminded by the sheer number of adventure and RPG titles, as well as a collection of educational titles that were actually fun. Yes. "Fun".

Most of these titles are considered "abandonware", and it's sad to see these games were cut loose into the digital wild to be forgotten, but this site certainly gave all of these wayward programs a home, and there are a few titles that still have a playable charm to them.

Yoostar 2 Finally Allows For Those Acting Dreams.

2011-01-23T10:04:00.000-08:00

While I've said in the past that I wish Kinect would get off the "Wii Too" library of knock-offs, it seems my dreams may be coming true:

Yoostar 2 looks like the greatest party game to ever exist (for me). I can not wait to start hamming it up with these movie and TV clips, and Lord, I hope they start doing add-ons for other movies. The potential of this looks to be a perfect successor to all of those Rock Band marathons at my get=togethers....

Intellivision Lives!: Post-Script.

2011-01-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

I'm one of those "old" gamers. I've been playing video games for over 30 years, which is a little startling in itself, and as much as my friends deride me for it (though I'll never understand why), I still like playing the "old" gamers.

I'm sure there's a good chunk of my readership that wasn't alive during the first great "Console War". Not Nintendo Vs. Sega, but Atari Vs. Intellivision.

Intellivision was a weird beast. The first real competition for the mega-popular Atari, and unconventional advertising campaign featuring journalist George Plimpton, and a very long run as far as game systems go (1979-1991). While it didn't have the licensed fervor that Atari had, it did have a lot of Mattel licenses (Masters of the Universe), Tron, Dungeons & Dragons, and a majority of the popular arcade titles of the time. It also had Imagic as a third-party developer, which had some truly creative games on the system. And then there was Activision during its heyday.

What's surprising about Intellivision is that it still truly lives. While Mattel no longer supports the console, the original developers still do. Classic gaming compilations are nothing new, but are near impossible to get "right" when it comes to Intellivision. Why?

The controller is not one that can be replicated with modern controllers, and while the package has come to several different consoles, none could ever capture the controller correctly, which resulted into a big mess when trying to relive Intellivision's glory days.

PC can do this, naturally, with Intellivision Lives! and Intellivision Rocks! - And now, finally, the DS can.

The story of the DS compilation is a weird one. This title has languished in "Development Hell" for years, in trying to find a publisher, and Nintendo's difficult stance on approving the project. But it makes perfect sense on the DS. The touchscreen can finally emulate the keypad aspect of the controlled. There's been so many attempted workarounds for trying to emulate this, that it's finally been done justice here for the 60 games featured.

There are a few problems with the library. Activision and Imagic titles aren't here like they were for Intellivision Rocks!, and are sorely missed. The Tron games aren't here, either, nor are the arcade ports. But the Dungeons & Dragons games are, minus the name being changed to something more generic. And while not every game is pretty looking (or in some cases playable in the "fun" or "easily understood" sense), games like Thunder Castle and Thin Ice are quite pretty for the system.

It's a bare bones compilation in terms of the front-end, and the high score input is a little weird in set-up (exit the game in order to access it), but again, the chance to finally play these games in a more accurate setting removed so much frustration that I've experienced with every other console attempt.

There are a wide variety of games available, even if some of my favorites are missing. Frog Bog was unique, Astrosmash and Night Stalker were staples of the system. Even Las Vegas Poker and Blackjack is there (Fun Fact: The Dealer in this game used to scare me a little as a kid, as I thought he was a jerk for smiling when I lost, and looked so mean when I won). There are even a few Intellivoice titles on there.

I was excited for the chance to play Intellivision Lives! on the DS as it would represent the first time being able to play these old games properly on a console. It's shame that Nintendo was so difficult for so long in loosening things up enough to allow it to come out, but better late than never. There are some "must haves" missing, but you can't go wrong for $15-20 on this game, especially if you want to see what the fuss was all about for us older gamers.

I liked this title. Who knows? Perhaps you will as well.

The Want To Like CES.

2011-01-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

I went to CES this last week. I would have done day by day coverage, but outside of being instantly busy once my day ended, and up to this evening, there was a reason why.

I briefly went to CES in 2005. I didn't have much time to explore, but I remember the tiniest bit of gaming stuff there. Mind you, this is no E3, but I knew this wasn't going to be like those old issues of Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly, tantalizing me with the upcoming year's gaming goodness. But with a name like Consumer Electronics Show, you would expect the name to include some video gaming into that definition.

What was defined as video gaming was this: Cases for Wii, DS, PS3, 360 consoles, cases for Wii, DS, PS3, 360 controllers, iPhone and iPad cases, and a kiosk promoting Play With Me.Com, a site where you can play games with attractive women (to credit, the British girl I played Tic-Tac-Toe against was indeed highly cute, and I was given a 50 play token gift card - which may make for an amusing article on here down the line).

Sony had video images of PS3 games, but no PS3 or PSP games or hardware anywhere. Microsoft was hyping Kinect, an online poker game, Fable III, and a software update where Kinect will soon be able to read and translate facial expressions onto Avatars. Nintendo was nowhere in sight.

Third parties? EA Sports has the sequel to their Active game... and that's it. THQ supposedly had their Udraw tablet there, but I couldn't find the damn thing, and Capcom was supposedly demoing Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 at a private event at the Aria casino/hotel.

And that constituted "gaming" at CES.

As for everything else, TV's, PC's, and the like, the "Future" of all tech will now apparently consist of 3D, motion-control, and touch screen for every piece of tech that will be coming down the line for... forever. Apparently, we're all going to be living in the world Nintendo set up for us years ago. I'm sorry, the concept of wearing glasses over my glasses in order to watch TV doesn't hold much appeal for me at this time. Perhaps when people figure out Nintendo's concept of "3D without glasses", we'll start seeing that upgrade then. As for now, it simply feels "Too much, too soon".

So that was CES 2011. I knew the gaming scene was going to be small. I just didn't expect it to be that disappointing, especially with all of these online sites and the like covering it like we would all be missing out by not being there. I was there, and you, dear reader, didn't miss a thing. E3 would be one I'd mourn over not attending.

So how are all of you? Have I missed much this week?

Best and Worst of 2010.

2010-12-30T15:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that we have just a little over a day left of 2010, and then on to 2011. This has been an unusual year for gaming, and all things related, from the return of Classic Gaming Expo and Tron, to every company joining the motion control race, there's been a lot to talk about. While this won't be as formal of a list as previous years, I still have a lot to cover.

Best Game (Retail)

Epic Mickey - It's so good to see Mickey Mouse return to proper gaming form with a real adventure under his belt. It's not the motion controls that make this game. It's not the system. It's the heart. Warren Spector poured his love and very soul into this game, and even with a few unfortunate issues such as a screwy camera, and some control and backtracking quirks, those are easily dismissed when you realize that we got a big name, big budget game that somebody genuinely cared for the source material, licensed or not. A remarkable title for whatever system you like to play.

Best Game (Download)

Super Meat Boy - Infinitely difficult and mean-spirited, but always with a chance and sense of humor, it's hard not to love Meat Boy while simultaneously hating him. A funny game with a great sense of level design and immense amount of satisfaction when completing a level.

Pac-Man: Championship Edition: DX - Proof once again that there is still plenty of viable life in 30 year old concepts. Pac-Man does what he does best: Keep it simple, and adding what seems like such a basic idea (ghost trains), and getting the old gamer blood pumping in the process. Great fun and extremely replayable.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - Classic beat-em-up action with bright, well-animated sprites, fantastic music, and a real arcade feel to the on-screen antics. It suffers a little without on-line co-op, but it's forgivable when sitting down to play this catchy and well-designed game.

Bit.Trip Runner - The Bit.Trip series has always been a gem in the Wiiware library, and this is no exception. Good old fashioned platforming with a tough difficulty, but fascinating visuals, and another solid entry in the world of Commander Video.

Best Game (Phone)

Robot Unicorn Attack - Hard to say what's so "awesome" about this: The Erasure music, the rainbow streaks, the dancing dolphins, the intense challenge.... I shouldn't have liked this game as much as I did, but the goofy elements came so well together that I'd be remiss in not giving it a nod.

Pleasant Surprises

Bioshock 2 - By all counts, this sequel never should have existed. The story was pretty well wrapped up in the first game, and I didn't think that there would be anything left to say, do, or as well pulled off. And yet it was. While not as innovative seeming to me as the first game, it took the concepts from the previous title and did a nice job keeping everything consistent and a little more polished. There is the confirmation of a third game on the horizon, but the concept sounds promising, and just different enough to keep the series alive. It's nice to see the first-person adventure idea survive past Metroid Prime.

Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing - Shockingly, 2010 was Sonic's year. Between this, Sonic 4, and Sonic Colors, people actually got a chance to like the blue hedgehog again. For all intents and purposes, this is a more diverse and balanced game over Mario Kart Wii. While I'm sure that comment generates some "blasphemy" from the more Nintendo faithful, I didn't want to murder my controller or TV over the computer AI hitting me with a power-up. Losses seemed more fair and without resorting to 100 powerful weapons strung consecutively together. Plus, I got to revisit a handful of my old friends from my earliest Sega fandom days. Nice to see Opa Opa again. The sad part is that Sega killed any real chance for DLC when this game would have grown so well from it. Sega's gotten better lately, but they still make a few questionable decisions....

Nintendo's E3 2010 - What can one say? Nintendo really brought their game to the table. New Donkey Kong, new Kirby, new, new, new.... Not to mention the 3DS and a new Kid Icarus. Granted, you can't downplay a new Super Mario Galaxy or Endless Ocean either, but 2010 was a great year to be a Wii gamer.

Tron: Legacy - While not a game, it's history is based heavily in video gaming. I've covered this extensively over the year, so I'll just simply say that it met all of my expectations for what I wanted it to be, and I couldn't be happier as a ressult.

Kinect - I wasn't sure what to expect from Kinect, but full body registry, voice and facial recognition, and a host of cool features made the whole "motion control" concept seem much more viable and immersive than it's ever been. Granted, you need a lot of space to play games in, and the first offerings are clearly and heavily Wii inspired (though I'll take Kinect Sports over Wii Sports any day, but Wii figured it all out in some gaming use areas, so I hope Kinect will do the same.

Most Disappointing

Game Room - To its credit, it at least updates more regularly and with more games than the Virtual Console, but Game Room is often buggy, lacking third party support, weird delays, developer layoffs, lacking standout titles.... The service has delved way too deeply into car/board/strategy games, which would be positively embarrassing to play on a modern calculator now. There are still solid titles left for the companies and systems available (even without licensed titles), but I can't figure out what anyone is trying to do with the service anymore. Game Pack 12, however, has been the most satisfying it's been in a long while, however.

Super Mario 25th Anniversary - For a series as storied, loved, and influential as the Super Mario Bros. series is, it certainly got a week anniversary package. A straight port of the Super Nintendo Super Mario All-Stars game (they didn't even bother to change the SNES controller to a Wii one in menus), the games are fine and still playable, but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface (nor does the music CD or art book) of what the series has accomplished. I supposed we should expect the 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong to be celebrated next year with a retail disc port of the incomplete NES version, and call it a day.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 - The first game, for a few bugs, had an amazing story. This one offers fan-service cameos that don't go anywhere, and raises more questions than may never be answered. Why they killed a potential third game is beyond me, but I think that title wold have held at least some of the head-scratching answers this one created. I wanted to love this one, and even learned to accept its premise, but it just... lacks... things.

Nintendo's Repair Service - Another long story that I won't go into, but if you get a repair package from a California based third-party repair company Nintendo has your system sent off to, I'd be afraid. Very, very afraid. Because if you care about your system data, and are crippled by the fact that 90% of it is completely non-transferrable, say good-bye to your data and your specific console. After this year, I don't think I'll ever trust Nintendo's "repair" service again.

The End of 1 Vs. 100 - One of the 360's most clever features, full of social interaction, a lot of fun, and you may have even learned from it.... The season ended, and it unmercifully died. If they didn't want to keep the license, fine. Just don't kill off the MMO game show and have nothing in place of it. I still look at my custom theme and achievement list and just sigh sadly that it didn't go on past that last amazing season.

Like I said, even if I didn't mention every game in its own category, I still tried to give a nod to "must play" titles. There are others, such as Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, Pinball FX 2, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, Transformers: War For Cybertron, and X-Men Arcade that deserve the praise, but no matter what your gaming preferences, there were more than a few winning titles to play.

Happy New Year, all!