Hey, that’s news to me and as I still play DS games (more often than 3DS games, to tell you the truth), I’m intertested in giving this one a go at some point. It’s odd that this is shipping out now, as the Vita and 3DS versions came out late last year. On the other hand, I’m sure that the DS version was a bit low on the totem pole as far as getting done thanks to there not being a huge demand for games for that handheld these days.
Now, does a late launch mean lesser quality? Well, I guess I’ll discover that news soon enough, right? Okay, back to prowling the floor at Toy Fair. I’m overwhelmed with all this cool stuff everywhere I look. Gyah! That and I have a package or three coming today with some games in it and I’m actually dying to get out of here and go play some stuff. We’ll have to see about getting a helper monkey for these press events, so don’t be surprised if I start walking around with an accordion and a tin cup in my bag.
So, Nintendo is definitely trying hard to find its place in this crazier era of free to play games, pay to win and cheap, cheap indies and major releases bundled up and ready to sell as a song for charity at the drop of a hat. I’m a happy Wii U owner disappointed that first party titles that use that otherwise innovative gameplay seem to be slow to get made, a misstep the company that usually pioneers things that get copied hasn’t quite made up for thanks to other issues they’re dealing with. Granted, this set of new games on the way goes a long way in making me cheer up a little, but for my tastes, things don’t get interesting until about 24:11 when the indies roll in. Renagade Kid has always been one of the best developers on the DS, so it’s remake of MOON for the 3DS, MOON Chronicles should be quite a showpiece that makes waves as the first “FPS” for the handheld. It’s also a sci-fi/mystery game between the aliens coming at you, so hopefully those elements get played up as much.
As for first party games? I’m not a HUGE fan of those uber-cute franchises these days, but I see the need for them. I hope more publishers jump on board the Game Boy Advance reissue bandwagon, as there are some true classics for that old handheld worth seeing and playing once more (or more). Finally, Monolith Soft’s upcoming RPG looks great, although I get a sense that some of the gameplay quirks from Xenoblade (Chronicles) will be in full effect. Bayonetta? I wrote about you yesterday, my dear and I know you HATE being spoiled (well, too much). So far, so good… but I’m still wanting to see more and more unique games on the way.
I think I’m the only person I know who wasn’t hesitant about buying a Wii U because I knew Bayonetta 2 was an exclusive. PlatinumGames has gone through hell thanks to fans begging, pleading and even threatening them to get this on other systems, but the team has stuck to their guns and as Nintendo is publishing this one, the chances of this popping up elsewhere are ZERO. Unless Platinum decides to recode this at some point, which I’d say isn’t going to happen. I have to give them all the respect in the world for sticking to their guns on this and I also say if you own a Wii U, you need to support these hard-working guys by buying this game as soon as it drops for full price and not waiting a few months or longer for a price drop when no one notices you picking up the game at a discount. That’s NOT support, folks (despite it being the big thing to do with PC games in those charity bundles). It may seem backwards, but the big three still rely on day/week one buyers to get games such as this selling well enough to justify their development costs AND keep people employed at the end of the day…
Hmm, judging by the spike heel now sticking out of my ear (ouch), I think Bayonetta wants me to let her go so she can get back to that game she’s starring in soon. Well, I shall do just that (and remember not to squeeze her so much while typing). Ouch.
YUM! I said I’d eat a crow pie if I was wrong about The Lego Movie not sucking and yep, I’m a man of my word, although I had to substitute some of my not yet world famous chicken for “crow” and a few slices of whole grain bread for “pie”. Anyway, it’s good to see this one netting nice notices so now I need to see it at some point and make sure all those critics weren’t sucking in the happy gas WB pumped into those free screenings I didn’t get an invite to (boo!). Since I’ve been ignoring the film for the most part, I’m going in blind other than what I’ve seen on those TV spots popping up all over the place every few seconds. I still think it’ll be well over the heads of anyone over ten years old who won’t get all the references and in-jokes, but that’s probably me underestimating the kids of the hipsters and boomers taking them to see this.
And wait, wha-whaaaat?There’s a video game based on the film as well? I did predict this last year or earlier, but I’m actually surprised that there was one made because that’s just TOO meta at the end of the day. Anyway, you KNOW a movie is going to be worth seeing when Fox News has a shit fit about it for all the wrong reasons. They seem to believe that a movie made to get people to run out and spend money to see it (and the tie in toys AND the game that’s made for the same purpose) is somehow teaching kids to be “anti-capitalist” (wha-whaaaat?)… despite the OBVIOUS hundreds of millions this will rake in for a few big corporations. As the kids say, DERP.
Yeah, they’re quite stupid over there and I wish they’d stop it. But it’s interesting watching them hang themselves by their own rope every day they keep the blood pressure of their viewership headed through the roof over trifling nonsense. Perhaps they all need to chill for a bit and actually go see some of the stuff they bitch and moan about as bad for Amurrrrica? That would be my prescription…
Assuming you don’t own a Nintendo 3DS XL yet, here’s the one game that demands that larger screen real estate. Retro City Rampage DX is out now in the US via the eShop (2/20 in Europe) and adds a few fun things you’ll see in that video above (or at the game’s official site) Although it looks fine on the standard model, the extra size does make a huge difference. I’ve played this game on PC, PS3 and Vita (and it’s also out on WiiWare and Xbox LIVE Arcade), but it looks as if I’ll be diving in once more at some point just to get a few more nostalgic chuckles going. But not for a while, though. I’m doing the headless chicken thing at Toy Fair soon and am in the midst of poking through my inbox and setting up meetings. I need a secretary/helper monkey/game organizing librarian or something.
Ah well – I’m off to a late start today thanks to the stupid storm this morning. Back in a bit with more once I get out of the house…
Hey, you beleaguered Nintendo Wii U owners starved for original content, take heart. The indies are coming! The indies are coming! Sure, it’s been edited for content (gone are the profanity and more “adult” references), but Unepic is a wonderful and funny blend of old-school “Metroidvania” style action/RPG gameplay, a very funny story chock full of in-jokes and classic gaming references, and yes indeed, plenty of replay value. New exclusive to Wii U features and some great voice acting are all aboard and even if you have the PC version, this comes very highly recommended. And below (*ahem*), aquí tenéis el trailer oficial en castellano de Unepic para Wii U. Um, so buy it already! Ten years of Spanish waaaay back in school and a bunch of Spanish friends from all over the place and I’ve never used it (*sigh*). So I may as well pretend I can get by. Whee!
It seems in Yumi’s Odd Odyssey
hook, line and sinker set you free
As you strange maps
Avoiding doom (yes, mind the gaps!)
There’s also strange fish and more to fight
(or get away from, far out of sight)
Practice up and learn the moves
(don’t toss that handheld if you lose!)
It may seem tough, but it takes skill
You’ll get it soon by force of will
It’s coming soon via the eShop
keep an eye peeled for it to drop!
Natsume is wisely bringing a fun entry in the Japanese cult classic Yumihara Kawase series to North America under the moniker Yumi’s Odd Odyssey to the Nintendo 3DS soon (it seems this month) and as you can see from that video above, it’s pretty cute… and pretty challenging. Hooking and hauling your character of choice up and around assorted levels as the clock ticks away requires patience and timing, but there’s a load of levels here and too much fun to be had once you get into the mechanics. I haven’t played a game in this series in a few years, so I know I’ll be rusty as hell. But that won’t stop me one bit (although I suck at real life fishing as well!). Unless I get caught up in writing more crappy poetry like the example above and forget all about playing the game…
UPDATE: ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO! The Capcom book is claimed! The Pokemon Visual Companion book is still looking for a new home! GRAB IT!
For you breeders with little to teen readers or anyone who’s into either video games, Pokemon, Capcom history or fine (and game-related) illustration, I’ve got some treats to send out to two lucky folks who just so happen to live here in the connected states here in the U.S. of A.! Yes, you can grab ONE of these two excellent DK Books for FREE by simply leaving a comment below with which one you’d prefer. Winners will be chosen randomly on Friday from all responses received and yes, once I make sure you’re who you say you are and you live at an actual address within reach of the US Postal service via Media Mail, I’ll mail the books out to each person either Saturday or Monday depending on how quickly I get a response from the winners. Yeah, yeah, it’s a post-Christmas contest, but hey – any time of the year is a GOOD time to get something for nothing, right?
Sorry, no International shipping on these (yeah, yeah, I know, but books are stupidly pricey to get from point A to Pont Dupont or wherever and I’m pretty broke!), But anywhere in the 48 contiguous states is A-OK. Nope, I won’t sell or give your address to any spammers. I’m not facebook, you know!
Nope, I haven’t yet picked up The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, but it gets an automatic kick onto my non-list for a few reasons. One: the GameCube original was pretty darn awesome and that wonderful art style made an impression on me as soon as I saw screenshots and others were griping that Nintendo had “lost its mind” by making Link and company look like something out of an old cartoon. As a friend ran out and snapped up a Wii U recently just for this game (he got that fine bundle package with the fancy Zelda-themed GamePad art), I got to see a few hours of the game running (and even played a a little) and can vouch for the buffed up HD visuals as being better than the original game… mostly.
There’s an odd muting of the palette in a few areas and while the use of depth of field is super cool, it tended to make some areas force my eyes to automatically squint until I got used to the effect (but that’s probably just me). Otherwise, the game is just as fun, funny and almost as tricky as ever. From what I’ve heard, Nintendo hasn’t adding any new areas, but tweaked the gameplay, adding some easier and harder means of playing the game for new and old players alike. The annoying Tingle portions are apparently less so, but if the game is also a straight up enhanced port, I’m gathering that long and pesky quest that makes up a chunk of the latter portion of the game is still intact. Oh well, but the good thing about a LoZ game is once you’re past a certain point, you’re committed to completing the adventure, so that’s not much of a big deal.
I’ll most likely go with the physical version over the eShop download just because I really, REALLY want that case and manual. My GameCube Wind Waker is signed by Mr. Miyamoto and I’d love to get the Wii U game signed as well. Hey, I may not have the biggest collection on the planet or be the super-fan Nintendo wants me to be, but I do know having the chance to meet one man I respect for what he’s done for the medium is one other thing worth holding out for…
I actually wasn’t expecting all that much from this new Nintendo Direct video, as it clocks in at just over 33 minutes and the last live reveal the company did outside their straight to the consumer YouTube series was underwhelming at best (or: I don’t give a rat’s banana about Cranky Kong!). That said, there were some nice surprises here in the form of NES Remix a cool mash-up mini-game series available today on the eShop and for me, Hyrule Warriors is going to be a go-to game for a while whenever it actually hits retail. Seeing a Legend of Zelda take on the supremely addictive long running “mindless” hack and slash Dynasty Warriors franchise (done by the folks who make those games, of course) made me a wee bit too giddy. I say this one should have been a launch or launch window game for the Wii U just because it’s one of those series that like it or not, anyone who can hold a controller can dive into and play without a single tutorial or hand-holding moment… Continue reading →
Hey, that’s news to me and as I still play DS games (more often than 3DS games, to tell you the truth), I’m intertested in giving this one a go at some point. It’s odd that this is shipping out now, as the Vita and 3DS versions came out late last year. On the other hand, I’m sure that the DS version was a bit low on the totem pole as far as getting done thanks to there not being a huge demand for games for that handheld these days. 
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 