Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir (3DS) Fatally Frame-tastic (Finally).

Posted on February 29, 2012 by geelw

Some internet nitpickers with too much time on their hands are going nuts about the name change (which is untrue, as Spirit Camera is a spin-off from the Zero/Fatal Frame series) the fact that we never got that Wii FF game localized (OK, they do get a “boo!” from moi on that flub) and a few other things, but whatever. I’m just happy to see the 3DS get another quality game (and another horror-themed game, at that), Of course, I’d LOVE to be on a bus or subway watching someone playing this and screaming out loud when they get freaked out by some ghost popping up in their faces. Hey, Nintendo: there’s your TV spot right there. Have a bunch of people on a train playing the game on a subway in different parts of a car and have them all freak out at the same time (or at different time – your choice). Then have the lights go out on the train and… you can fill in the rest.

No charge for the idea – I’ve got a million of them…

Xseed Games Bringing The Last Story To Wii (And You’d BETTER Buy It, Grrrr!)

Posted on February 22, 2012 by geelw

Fans of many Japanese games (in particular, JRPGs) can be a persistently prickly bunch often to the point of working themselves up into a frenzy if they feel slighted in the slightest bit by a publisher they feel isn’t working hard or fast enough at localizing certain Japanese games (no matter how niche). However, that’s actually a good thing when we all benefit from a publisher like Xseed that can make the magic happen. One example of this is today’s surprising news that Xseed has picked up the publishing rights to Hironubu Sakagushi’s The Last Story, one of the best current-gen games on the console that has a lot of people very excited. You can ogle some more video info on the Mistwalker-developed title over at the Nintendo Direct channel (just skip ahead to 10:11 in the video and prepare to be awed).

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Kid Icarus: Uprising Three Sacred Treasures Trailer (Try Saying That Three Times Fast)

Posted on February 17, 2012 by geelw

Nintendo’s biggest (or at least most wanted by many) first-party 3DS game of 2012 is soaring toward its release – here’s the latest trailer bound to get fans thrilled (and me wanting to see an sequel on the Wii U). Of course, I’d also love a new 3D Metroid game at some point, but I guess we’ll have to see what’s what at E3 this year…

Tekken 3DS Prime Edition Trailer: This Week’s Fight of the Century…

Posted on February 14, 2012 by geelw

POW! Namco Bandai’s firstly familiar to Sony fans fighting franchise finally flies onto a new platform. 40+ characters and a lot of precise button crunching await those 3DS owners looking for another cool fighter for their favorite handheld. Of course, with the publisher also releasing Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS on the same day, it’s going to be a tough choice for some gamers on a budget. On the other hand, that’s what next week’s paycheck is for, right? Game on!

Nintendo’s Fun 3DS Trailers Let You Know It’s Still Going Strong…

Posted on February 12, 2012 by geelw

With Sony launching the Vita this week to early adopters in the US and the PS3 still going strong (Twisted Metal hitting retail on Valentine’s Day is pretty hilarious in a good way), Nintendo is letting us all know they’ve got a big foot in the pool as well as a bigger head start with their portable. Granted, the Vita has a few fun features the 3Ds doesn’t as well as a whole different take on variety in their first party selections, but for me, there’s never been a direct competition between any Sony or Nintendo portable because they do what they do differently. nevertheless, you can’t go wrong with any of the titles here if you own a 3DS or are looking to pick one up…

Atlus Listens to Its Fans: Radiant Historia Is Coming Back!

Posted on February 11, 2012 by geelw

Radiant Historia was absolutely one of the best Nintendo DS role-playing games ever made, but it didn’t exactly get a huge production run back when it was release less than a year ago. Currently, legal copies can currently fetch up to $100 or so on eBay, which isn’t exactly an affordable sum these days (unless you’ve money to burn and want to show off a bit too much). Now, after doing the RIGHT thing and actually asking for input from their fan base, Atlus is giving gamers a second chance to grab the game online with pre-orders starting up NOW through Amazon or EB Games. Sure, I’d personally rather walk into a store and buy the game (I’m crazy like that, wanting to travel a few blocks and not being a total lazy ass who wants everything handed to him and all), but this is the next best thing to owning a time machine and going back to snap up a copy when you should have in the first place. Go, Atlus!

The Last Story English Dub Trailer: Hope, Indeed For UK Gamers, But…

Posted on February 3, 2012 by geelw

…Of course, there’s ZERO official word from Nintendo about a US release for what SHOULD be one of the best and final RPGs released for the Wii. Granted, Nintendo wants to rush the Wii U out at the end of this year, so they’d probably want to pretend this game doesn’t exist or even better, that the fans that have set up online petitions will quietly go away after achieving a bit of victory with Xenoblade making the trip stateside. It’s pretty obvious to me that money is the main issue at the end of the day, especially given Nintendo’s huge losses over the last year. They simply don’t want to spend too much on localizing and producing a game they see as a niche title that even at most, wouldn’t sell more than a few thousand copies to the most die-hard Wii RPG fan.

Of course, this just means that more folks will end up modding their Wiis and going the import route (thus making Nintendo’s UK branch some extra scratch in the process). But perhaps we’ll see a miracle of sorts and Nintendo will wise up and release TLS as a Wii U launch window game just to make RPG fans happier that they would be with a flashier-looking less RPG-like experience. We. Shall. See…

(thanks to YouTuber NintenDaanNC for the trailer)

KId Icarus: Uprising “Intensity” Trailer: Indeed.

Posted on January 31, 2012 by geelw

It’s almost here and if this latest trailer is any indication, Kid Icarus is back to stick around for a while. I really hope Nintendo is hard at work on a WII U game that shows off some even more polished console visuals, a more action/RPG-like game experience and some sort of co-op and/or multiplayer functionality for those who groove on that sort of thing. I’m a story and gameplay guy myself, so I don’t give much of a hoot about multiplayer unless it’s adding to the experience by bringing something new to the table other than just running around and shooting each other in the face. Of course, I also hate over-speculation, so I’ll shut up and let you get to watching that trailer…

Gallery: Nintendo DS/GBA Library (Plus)

Posted on January 31, 2012 by geelw

I’d say the Game Boy library has been the most reduced over time. I used to collect boxed original Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance titles for a few years, but when those got out of hand, the bulk of them were sold off and I got into DS titles. What’s left after even more chopping down is what’s here minus a few things lent out. Also pictured is my tiny WonderSwan collection minus the Wonder Borg and Wonder Witch I sold off a few years back because I wasn’t using them at all. Oops. – I forgot to take a photo of my Game Boy Color, Camera, e-Reader and cards. Ah well. Those will end up in a future update…

Nintendo Network Revealed For 3DS and Wii U: No Microtransactions Planned

Posted on January 27, 2012 by geelw

Nintendo had a pretty rough fiscal 2011, but this year, the company is determined to be a monster in the games world once again. In his lengthy financial briefing, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata discussed numerous topics that ranged from worldwide sales figures to the possibility of the 3DS going up in price at some point, to the introduction of the new and improved Nintendo Network. Iwata takes a guided shot directly at casual games that use micro-transactions to generate revenue in the report and makes what I think are some truly valid points that I hope gain traction in an industry where profit keeps stepping all over common sense.

Even if you’re not a Nintendo fan, the report is ABSOLUTELY worth a read and discussion, as it shows the company is focused on not only being more in step with the current digital era, it’s also focusing on how to bring more of its user base aboard while still keeping a retail presence that matters. Anyway, go grab a cuppa and have a seat, as the entire briefing is five pages long, packed with informative charts, graphs and some great info about the company’s past, present and future titles plus plans for this year and beyond.