E3 Hype

We are less than one month away now from E3, the major players have announced their presentation schedules and it is looking to be a really good year (of course, I could just be riding the hype train).  Not only are the major consoles presenting - Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo - but additional companies are staking their claim to the E3 spotlight.  According to IGN: Ubisoft, EA, Bethesda, Square Enix and the PC Gaming Show (AMD and PC Gamer) will all be hosting their own E3 press conferences (1).  These conferences will, hopefully, announce exciting new projects.  I can't see why companies such as Bethesda and Square Enix would hold their own conferences if they didn't want to promote something awesome in relation to their upcoming and unannounced titles.  In my opinion, it's a show of confidence.  But, as I said before, one must be careful to not get swept along by the hype train.



At the very least, all of these conferences prolong E3 week and keep the excitement for gaming's future alive. While E3 technically goes from June 16th – 18th (2), five companies will give their presentations in the two days before E3 officially starts. (1)  Add to that the various streaming events (3) and E3 is much more accessible for those of us unable to attend in the flesh.  Nintendo has even partnered with Best Buy again to make their upcoming game "Mario Maker" available for the masses to try on June 17th and 20th. (4)  And don't forget about their Nintendo World Championships, you know...if you're one of the first 750 people in line at one of the eight participating Best Buy locations to get your participating wristband. (4)

What are you hoping for from this year's E3?  More info an on announced game?  New game announcements?  Surprises out of left field?  Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for visiting!  


(1) - http://www.ign.com/wikis/e3/E3_2015_Live_Streams_and_Press_Conferences
(2) - https://www.e3expo.com/
(3) - https://www.e3insider.com/home (site to be updated on June 1st for E3 2015)
(4) - http://e3.nintendo.com/

Pro Level Kickstarters

I find crowd-funding fascinating, especially when game industry legends are involved in the project.  It seems that ever since Tim Schafer (Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango) raised $3,336,371 through Kickstarter for a new adventure game, more and more gaming veterans are seeking the support of their fans to continue their work.  In most cases, they are making spiritual successors to the franchises that they made legendary.  

Aside from Tim, Mega Man legend Keiji Inafune serves as a prime example.  According to both Kickstarter and the homepage for Inafune's project Mighty No. 9, $3,845,170 was raised - just over 4 times the original $900,000 goal.  Two more recent examples are Yooka-Laylee, in development by the minds who brought you Banjo Kazooie, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, from Castlevania legend Koji Igarashi (Symphony of the Night).  Both projects met and surpassed their Kickstarter goals in one day, and both are spiritual successors to the games I mentioned from the developers' histories.

So, what is it that makes these projects so successful?  Is it, like with Hollywood blockbusters, the names associated with the projects?  Is it the promise of a new, albeit spiritual, entry into beloved franchises that have either been forgotten or altered beyond recognition by the big publishers?  Both perhaps?  Or is it a mix of nostalgia and the human willingness to stick to things they already know (again, like Hollywood blockbusters)?  No matter the answer, crowd-funding has certainly made a lot of people's dreams come true.  This is an exciting time to be a gamer, I hope these projects do well and that they deliver the experience their backers were looking for.   

For those interested, the Yooka-Laylee and Bloodstained Kickstarters are still going (as of today - 05/14/2015) so if you are interested check them out.  There are only stretch goals left to reach, but why not?  Feel free to leave your thoughts on pro level Kickstarters in the comments below, especially why you think they have been so successful, and as always - thanks for visiting.

Active Kickstarters

Yooka-Laylee: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playtonic/yooka-laylee-a-3d-platformer-rare-vival

Bloodstained: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/iga/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night

Historical Kickstarters

Double Fine Adventure (Tim Schafer): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doublefine/double-fine-adventure/video_share

Mighty No. 9: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9/description

Mighty No. 9 Homepage: http://www.mightyno9.com/

Nintendo Theme Park and Paper Mario Wii U Rumor

Well, it’s been about a month since my daughter was born and even though we’re all still sleep deprived I have to press through the tiredness to comment on some of the recent Nintendo news/rumors.

This last Thursday, May 7th, brought a surprise announcement from Nintendo and Comcast owned Universal Parks and Resorts.  The two companies reached an agreement to use Nintendo IPs (intellectual properties) in Universal theme parks.  While most people are, understandably, comparing this situation to a real life Nintendo Land there are no details on the project’s vision and plan.  Personally, I have high hopes for this project and can’t wait to take my family on a vacation to a Universal park.  For me, Disneyland is no longer the happiest place on earth J .  I’ve included a couple links to articles on the subject, but there are a lot more out there.  I think this is a really good move for Nintendo, even if their presence at Universal ends up being small it will still promote Nintendo’s characters to a very different demographic than their usual target group.

Aside from the above official business announcement, Japanese message board 2channel posted a very interesting rumor on Saturday concerning a possible Paper Mario game for Wii U.  The rumor’s source explains they were attending a job expo (in Japan) where an Intelligent Systems employee mentioned they were currently working on a Paper Mario game for Wii U.  The post includes a picture of the brochure received at the expo as proof of the interaction.  While this is not the first Paper Mario related rumor we’ve had this year, we had a false leak on a potential 3DS version for Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door earlier this year, this one is oddly vague enough to be believable.  I believe the expo happened, and while unlikely an employee would talk about an unannounced game it could happen – especially if Nintendo is trying to create some additional interest an excitement for E3 next month.  I suppose we’ll have to wait and see.  What do you think, with all the false “leaks” in recent months could this rumor be true?  Leave your comments about the rumor and the possible Nintendo themed Universal attractions below and, as always, thanks for visiting!


Theme Park Info
CNN Money: http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/07/media/nintendo-theme-park/
CNET: http://www.cnet.com/news/nintendo-inks-deal-with-universal-theme-parks-for-themed-rides/

Rumor Info
Japanese rumor source: http://wktk.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ghard/1431178408/
IGN Article: http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/rumor-paper-mario-wii-u-in-development-by-intelligent-systems.454471863/
GameXplain Video Discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cj6yQ02I1s

We had our baby girl this week!  As expected I've been a bit busy and probably will be for a week or two (not that I really have an audience that will miss me :) ).  But here are some thoughts about NES Remix, one of many Club Nintendo prizes available until the end of June.  Thanks for stopping by!



Like many Club Nintendo members, I had a lot of coins to use up before the rewards program closed up shop at the end of June.  Of the many downloadable games Nintendo uploaded for members to choose from, I decided to go with Dr. Mario (SNES version), Earthbound and NES Remix (Wii U version).  Dr. Mario was for my wife, aside from it being a great game, it was one of her favorites as she played it all the time growing up.  Earthbound made the cut as I never had the chance to play the cult classic and wanted to add it to my collection so see if it lived up to all the hype (Plus 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of the game’s release in North America, so why not?).  Choosing to spend the last of my coins on NES Remix was something I went back and forth on quite a bit.  There were several other games I was interested in, but getting Remix would let me exhaust the majority of my coins (thus allowing me to “get the most out of my coins”).  But, I hadn't heard a lot about the game aside from it focusing on Wario Ware like mini-games based on classic NES franchises.  My desire to get the most bang for my virtual reward buck eventually won out and I committed to my purchase of Remix, and even though I wasn't immediately pulled into the game I’m glad I did.

NES Remix turned out to be a lot of fun, but perhaps not in the way I thought it would be.  After I downloaded the game I played only a couple challenges before stopping, it wasn't until my brother came over that I really found Remix’s true value.  We took turns, switching off each time a challenge was completed successfully or when one of us failed.  It didn't take long for a competition to start, who could beat a particular challenge?  Who could beat the most?  The fastest?  We played for several hours and would have continued if I didn't have work the next day.  I haven’t done it yet but, based on my experience with my brother, I would love to have group of friends over to play this game.  We’d divide into 2 or 3 teams and just go crazy with retro challenge goodness.

So, was NES Remix worth my coins - yes.  I would even say it is worth spending money on and buying outright.  I had a lot of fun with it and got a chance to play some NES games I missed out on as a kid like Pinball and Ice Climbers (watch out for the weird platform hit box, I fell through platform corners so many times).  However, keep in mind that even though it is designed as a 1 player game, NES Remix works best as a team competition game.  If you’re looking for a new party game, be sure to give NES Remix a look.

Fire Emblem Analyses / Story of Seasons First Impressions

In my last post I briefly mentioned the trailer for Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei, which aired during last week’s Nintendo Direct.  Since then, Youtube channel GameXplain has uploaded an in-depth analysis of the trailer and the game’s possibilities in gameplay and storyline.  I found it to be very enlightening and it definitely helped me make sense of the rush of images seen in the minute long (roughly) trailer.  If this game peaks your interest, I highly recommend checking out their analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge4XXLVKS0Y

GameXplain also uploaded an analysis of the trailer for the next main series Fire Emblem game, also aired in last week’s direct.  I haven’t watched this one yet but based on their past work I think it wise to give it a look if you love Fire Emblem, I know I will.  Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2e0M7BePtQ

Aside from Youtube recommendations, I just wanted to mention the recently released Story of Seasons for 3DS.  While not exactly a main series Harvest Moon title (I know it still retained the Japanese name for the series, Bokujō Monogatari, in Japan itself but due to naming rights and some relationship issues between Natsume and Marvelous it released with a different name overseas), it definitely retains the magic of the series.  I've only just completed the first month of the game but I'm having a really good time.  Gameplay is fast and dynamic, with lots of different things to do.  Swimming and diving provides an extra method for gathering items to sell early game and I love the new harvest mechanic that causes the entire 3 by 3 square to pop into a single box that you pick up.  This one mechanic saves a ton of time and makes farming crops fun (I usually go for a more cattle ranching approach in Harvest Moon just cause I hated picking up all the crops).  I'll definitely be posting more of my impressions on this game as I get farther in.  But if you're a fan of the Harvest Moon series, or have been looking to give it a try, look no further than Story of Seasons.

Nintendo Direct 04/01/2015

I'm sure most of you have already watched or read about the Nintendo Direct that took place on April Fool's Day.  But just in case you missed out, here is a link to the full direct on Nintendo's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMedqo8mLaQ

I won't bore you with a complete rundown of the direct's contents, but suffice it to say I was pleasantly surprised.  There was definitely a lot more reveled and discussed than I thought there would be.

Probably the biggest surprise, for me at least, was the trailer for Fire Emblem X ("cross") Shin Megami Tensei.  This game was announced quite awhile ago, but with no further news on it since its initial revel many had begun to believe it had been canceled.  I'll admit I was starting to think the same, so I was pretty blown away by the news it was still being developed.  I won't spoil too much, but the game's setting is nothing like what I was expecting.  I'm going in with an open mind though, I think it could be a good and unique experience depending on the story line.  My wife was pretty excited by it too so that is a plus, always good to have the wife on board.  Here is a link to the game's trailer if you want to see that without searching for it in the Nintendo Direct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fS24IxelBA.  I'll probably talk more on this in a future post (if my faulty memory actually works for once).

Other things you can look forward to in the Direct are Smash Bros reveals, more on the next main series Fire Emblem game (I'm really excited for that one), Splatoon, Mario Maker and (of course) Amiibo.

Even with Zelda U being delayed, it looks like there will still be some good stuff coming out of Nintendo this next year.  And with E3 only a few months away I'm sure there will be even more announced.  Let me know what you think of the Nintendo Direct and what you are most excited for.  Thanks for visiting!

Resolved / Zelda U Delayed?

For those who read my first post, I talked about my tendency to get obsessed with things.  At that time, I thought that a blog focused mostly on my interests in the video game industry was going to be my next obsession.  Apparently, for me, "obsession" is defined as "something that occupies your every waking thought....for about a week, and then all traces of the 'obsession' disappear from existence."  Sadly, life happens and I just didn't dedicate the time to maintaining the blog.  However, I am resolved to not give up.  As they say "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade!  Make life take the lemons back! Demand to see life's manager!  Make life rue the day it thought it could give [you] lemons!"  Or something like that :).  (Props to those who get the reference).

Anyway, over the last couple weeks I've been thinking of several topics I'd like to write about.  One, however, hit me over the head late yesterday and demands immediate attention.  When it comes to video games, my focus has always been on Nintendo franchises.  It's what I played growing up and those games just fit me better as a person.  So naturally I have been excitedly awaiting the release of the new Legend of Zelda game for Wii U.  While Nintendo hadn't given an official release date, they had said sometime in 2015.  Sadly, that is no longer the case.  Yesterday, March 27th, Nintendo released a video on Facebook in the which Eiji Aonuma (the current producer of the Legend of Zelda series) announced that a 2015 release date was no longer likely.  The delay reasons cited revolved around the Zelda production team's desire to produce the very best Zelda game possible, and as they had recently discovered some new and interesting ideas they wanted to implement their focus was now on making a great game rather than releasing an ok game in 2015.

While this is certainly not the first time Nintendo has delayed a game release, the news certainly took the wind out of my sails for a moment.  But, as they were striving to make the very best game possible I couldn't really fault them for the delay.  However, I became further depressed when a later post on twitter and on Miiverse explained that Zelda U would not be featured at this year's E3.  I still don't fully understand why they don't want to show anything of the game at E3.  They already showed some interesting clips at last year's game awards, perhaps they want the new direction they are taking to be a surprise and as such have nothing new to show?  I guess the real reason this bothers me is because if they don't show anything this year does that mean it won't be ready till fall of 2016, or maybe even 2017?  Some people have claimed that Nintendo are waiting longer to release the game so that they can release it on both Wii U and as a go live title for their next generation console, the NX.  I suppose only time will tell.  No matter what happens, I'm sure the game will be amazing - at least that is what I have to believe to get me through.

What do you all think?  I'm not really mad about this, just impatient and hoping for a really great game.

For the original posts and videos, here are the links:

Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=866919960035802&permPage=1

Miiverst Post: https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAAADVHjTtchGZw

And for an interesting discussion of this same topic, check out Gamexplain's video on Youtube.  I have no connection to that channel but I like their work and think their discussions cover ideas and points of view I wouldn't have considered otherwise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fj6KtPJA0

Leave your comments and thoughts about this delay, or on delaying games in general, below and thanks for stopping by!