Today Nintendo made a huge announcement that set the games world ablaze, and that was they were cutting the price of the 3DS by 30 percent, from 249 to 169. Keep in mind that it's only been six months since the handheld came out. Nintendo has also stated that they are in a slump and sales are down quite a bit year on year. Is this that shocking though? No, I don't really think so, and I think it's a move Nintendo needed to make, although maybe a bit sooner than they had wanted.
Most people know that the console hasn't been doing the numbers that Nintendo had wanted it to, and some may say that's the rather high price point, and others may say it's the lack of games available for the system, or you could say that it's both of those things. The console is a cool innovation to say the least, and there's room to do some cool things for it, but there's not much going for it. Now though, I'd say that things are looking up for Nintendo. There's some things that still need to be worked on, and Nintendo is facing still the upcoming threat of the PS Vita, as well as the wide availability of Apple's touch devices, but this early price drop, and the games coming out for it this fall, I feel will actually start to put the 3DS in peoples pockets.
Now, at 169, with StarFox 3D, Kid Icarus, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land amongst others coming out, I think the catalogue is starting to look pretty solid for the little handheld.
Not to mention the promise of GameBoy Advance games on the eShop.
As well though it is important to note that for those who already have 3DS's they will get 20 free games to download to their 3DS; 10 NES games, and 10 GBA games, including the original Legend of Zelda and Metroid Fusion amongst other great games. For those who already have one and are suffering the lack of games that's definitely a bonus.
I'm personally excited. I think the move was a bit early, and earlier than I expected but it's the right move for Nintendo to make to start moving units, and start putting games out there. Nintendo isn't really hurting but they needed to make a big and bold move, and I'm glad to see that they have definitely stepped up.
Now let's see how they do with the Wii U.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Final Fantasy III
Over the last month now there has been a lot of talk about Nintendo not releasing 3 great and deep game experiences on the Wii. Sadly there may not be any Xenoblade or Pandora's Tower coming soon, however they did slide in one of the greats onto the Virtual Console.
Final Fantasy III.
I have been playing games for over two decades now, but Final Fantasy III on the SNES still stands as my all time favorite game and one of the best games ever made in my opinion. While II for the SNES also had a stellar cast and story, everything that happens in III just seemed more epic, more important. While having grown up on a steady supply of fantasy novels and Star Wars, FF III seemed like the greatest combination of all that I loved at the time, in a nice 60-plus hour package. The story of the evil empire and the band of rebels fighting against them, all the characters, the romance, the twists, the magic, the epic shift half way through the game.
Everything. This game was amazing, and still is.
The opportunity to play through this game again on the tv is bringing back all those memories from when I rented it from the video store in my hometown, and spent countless afternoons and evenings playing it. Then after getting it for Christmas a few months after I played it even more. I still remember beating it the first time and being in awe of the ending that seemed to go on for forever, but even then, I didn't want it to end.
It's been awhile since I played FF III, somethings I remember, somethings I forget, and I am definitely glad I have the chance to play it all over again and enjoy one of the highlights of my youth.
Greatest game ever.
Final Fantasy III.
I have been playing games for over two decades now, but Final Fantasy III on the SNES still stands as my all time favorite game and one of the best games ever made in my opinion. While II for the SNES also had a stellar cast and story, everything that happens in III just seemed more epic, more important. While having grown up on a steady supply of fantasy novels and Star Wars, FF III seemed like the greatest combination of all that I loved at the time, in a nice 60-plus hour package. The story of the evil empire and the band of rebels fighting against them, all the characters, the romance, the twists, the magic, the epic shift half way through the game.
Everything. This game was amazing, and still is.
The opportunity to play through this game again on the tv is bringing back all those memories from when I rented it from the video store in my hometown, and spent countless afternoons and evenings playing it. Then after getting it for Christmas a few months after I played it even more. I still remember beating it the first time and being in awe of the ending that seemed to go on for forever, but even then, I didn't want it to end.
It's been awhile since I played FF III, somethings I remember, somethings I forget, and I am definitely glad I have the chance to play it all over again and enjoy one of the highlights of my youth.
Greatest game ever.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
What I Like
So this year I've beat quite a few games already, some taking a bit longer than others. It's been through these games that I realized what I really quite like and that's games that take no longer than 10 hours to play through, are generally single player, and have very strong narrative. Even if the controls are a little broken, well it doesn't matter as I will trudge through just so I can experience a great story. Case in point, Alpha Protocol, and Enslaved, 2 games that are pretty broken but I just dug the characters and story so much that I forgave bugs and random deaths caused by no fault of my own, just a glitchy engine. As well though I really can't get into a game that will clock in at longer than a dozen or so hours, unless it has something really great going for it (like a certain Commander Shepherd) and thus I am now going to plow through Prince of Persia, Bioshock 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction, and wait in anticipation for Mass Effect 3.
Monday, March 7, 2011
How My PSP Got it's Groove Back
Since I have moved out to the suburbs of Vancouver my time spent traveling to work has doubled, if not tripled on some days. Because of this in general I have been loading my phone up with podcasts and such to pass the time whilst I travel, but something miraculous happened at my new place of residence.
I can connect to the PS Network on my PSP.
That also means I can connect to the PS Store.
Now i've had my PSP for a couple years now, and in general I still play games like LOCO ROCO and Patapon alot, and some other titles like FF Tactics and Scrabble get a lot of play on the go. For the most part though I really haven't touched it even though there's quite a few things I thought would be online that I could get for it. Now, all of the PSone classics that I grew up playing and loving 15 years ago are available for me to sink back into, all for 6 bucks or 10 for some of the bigger ones.
Super excited for this.
Here are my top ten games that I am planning on destroying over the next year on my PSP now.
10. Metal Gear Solid
9. Bloody Roar 2
8. Twisted Metal 2
7. Jet Moto
6. Resident Evil 2
5. Front Mission 3
4. Alundra
3. Final Fantasy VIII
2. Final Fantasy VII
1. Final Fantasy IX
Actually, it should be a top 20 list i'm pretty sure, not to mention the regular PSP games that are available for only 10 bucks like GTA Chinatown Wars. Yes, it looks like my little gadget that I got for my trips to Vancouver years ago is really going to come in handy over this next year.
I can connect to the PS Network on my PSP.
That also means I can connect to the PS Store.
Now i've had my PSP for a couple years now, and in general I still play games like LOCO ROCO and Patapon alot, and some other titles like FF Tactics and Scrabble get a lot of play on the go. For the most part though I really haven't touched it even though there's quite a few things I thought would be online that I could get for it. Now, all of the PSone classics that I grew up playing and loving 15 years ago are available for me to sink back into, all for 6 bucks or 10 for some of the bigger ones.
Super excited for this.
Here are my top ten games that I am planning on destroying over the next year on my PSP now.
10. Metal Gear Solid
9. Bloody Roar 2
8. Twisted Metal 2
7. Jet Moto
6. Resident Evil 2
5. Front Mission 3
4. Alundra
3. Final Fantasy VIII
2. Final Fantasy VII
1. Final Fantasy IX
Actually, it should be a top 20 list i'm pretty sure, not to mention the regular PSP games that are available for only 10 bucks like GTA Chinatown Wars. Yes, it looks like my little gadget that I got for my trips to Vancouver years ago is really going to come in handy over this next year.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Mass Effect Plus Clint Mansell
Probably the best news I've heard in a while is that Clint Mansell is doing the music for Mass Effect 3. This game was already the top of my list for the year, as I love both Mass Effects way too much, but with Mansell onboard, man alive that's the best thing ever.
If you don't know who he is, no worries, but if you have seen an Aronofsky movie like Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, or my personal favorite, The Fountain, then you know what you are in for. The soundtrack to the Fountain is one of my all time favorites thus I'm super excited to hear what the music is going to sound like. Why is the end of the year so far away?
To hear some of his sweet tunes, just click here.
If you don't know who he is, no worries, but if you have seen an Aronofsky movie like Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, or my personal favorite, The Fountain, then you know what you are in for. The soundtrack to the Fountain is one of my all time favorites thus I'm super excited to hear what the music is going to sound like. Why is the end of the year so far away?
To hear some of his sweet tunes, just click here.
MvsC3 First Impressions
Marvel Vs Capcom 3 has finally hit, after over a decade of waiting for a followup and I'd say it's definitely been worth the wait. I've finally had a chance to sink a bit of time into the game and all in all, it's as good as I remember playing back at PAX and is a blast to play that's for sure. The look of the characters and the general style, as well as the crazy lighting and effects and all the special moves, make this one gorgeous game to behold that's for sure. All of the characters all play pretty differently and I already have some favorites thus far, including everyones favorite wolf God Amaterasu from Okami. I dig the wolfs moves, the ability to switch her weapons mid combo and just the general speed and power.
I have heard some of the talk about the crazy lag in playing online, which Capcom states is from the massive amounts of people playing online (which to be fair the game is sold out everywhere so that is a possibility) so I decided to give it a try this morning. After getting booted back out to the menu screen numerous times I finally got into a lobby and waited for my turn. After starting up against my opponent, well, it was indeed like playing underwater. It was pretty fun, but it seems like for now it'll all be about getting together with some friends and laying some smackdown whilst sitting next to someone as opposed to the world arena.
Myself and my friend Mike were talking yesterday though, about the changing of buttons though in fighters over the years. After playing some Super Street Fighter II Turbo at an arcade on Granville, and the 6 attack buttons, playing MvsC and only having 3 attack buttons and the special basically, it seems a bit strange. At the same time though it makes sense. The plethora of buttons used was always based on the arcade cabinets, and when you'd port the game home to consoles there was always the awkward mapping problems and not being able to access all the buttons you need. As the arcade era has come and gone and now most new fighters are made for consoles, I suppose it does make sense to change the button layouts to accommodate what people are most commonly playing on. Still, it does seem like it's dumbing down the genre just a little bit, but I suppose the amount of characters and combinations you can choose in a game like MvsC more than makes up for the loss of buttons.
All in all though it's been a fantastic way to kick of the year, and I welcome the plethora of new fighters coming this year that's for sure.
Dead Space Followup
So Dead Space 2 has come and gone, mostly. Truth be told I really did enjoy the experience. It was definitely a lot different than the first game in some ways, but also still some of the same things that I enjoyed about the first experience that kept me going and helped me to plow through the game in about a week of solid playing.
One of the main things I really enjoyed about it was how streamlined it was. Where the first one you do lots of back tracking and going here, then back to there, then back to somewhere else and then finally onto the next location, Dead Space 2 did a pretty good job of keeping the game moving forward. While this did make the game seem more like an action game than a slower paced survival horror game, it also helps to give you more variety in the environments, and the fact that there was more chapters and it took a bit longer than the first, means there really was more to see this time around.
The game was also super gory and graphic, though truth be told I think the first game was a bit more scary and was able to convey tone and atmosphere a little bit better than the new one was. Again, it's not a bad thing, just a little bit different and something to get used to. There was really only one section in the game that was super creepy, and the developers definitely did a good job with it, but otherwise I think I may prefer the first ones creepiness just a little bit more. Dead Space 2 though all in all was a great experience, and after I plow through my next batch of games I'll for sure go back and try the harder modes that's for sure.
One of the main things I really enjoyed about it was how streamlined it was. Where the first one you do lots of back tracking and going here, then back to there, then back to somewhere else and then finally onto the next location, Dead Space 2 did a pretty good job of keeping the game moving forward. While this did make the game seem more like an action game than a slower paced survival horror game, it also helps to give you more variety in the environments, and the fact that there was more chapters and it took a bit longer than the first, means there really was more to see this time around.
The game was also super gory and graphic, though truth be told I think the first game was a bit more scary and was able to convey tone and atmosphere a little bit better than the new one was. Again, it's not a bad thing, just a little bit different and something to get used to. There was really only one section in the game that was super creepy, and the developers definitely did a good job with it, but otherwise I think I may prefer the first ones creepiness just a little bit more. Dead Space 2 though all in all was a great experience, and after I plow through my next batch of games I'll for sure go back and try the harder modes that's for sure.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Dead Space Excitement
Today is January 25th technically. It's just a bit after midnight, but the key point is that today Dead Space 2 is finally out. After waiting a number of years and replaying the first game I'm excited to sink my teeth into the next section of the story of Isaac Clarke.
Ever since I was first terrified by the dogs that jump through the windows in Resident Evil on Playstation, and creeped out by the atmosphere of Silent Hill, and even more so in Fatal Frame, I've had a soft spot in my heart for horror games. It's just something that really couldn't be done in the 16 bit and prior eras of gaming and it's something that I embrace whole heartedly to this day. Whether it be campy, or serious, or too serious it's campy I love these horror games. It's Dead Space however that I have really grown to latch onto over the last few years.
You see, growing up I thrived on horror stories and movies, especially those of Stephen King probably more than anybody else. I loved his simple writing style, his interesting but usually severly flawed characters, and his darkened tint on the society that we live in. I also loved watching scary movies more than anything growing up, and it was in the mid nineties that a certain movie combined horror and sci fi just the way that I had always wanted it to, better than the Alien movies in my opinion. That movie was Event Horizon. It combined a future that was standard it seemed for most sci fi stories, but added in "what if's" in regards to space travel and the unleashing of demons and darkness when things went awry. I loved that movie and ate it up in the theatres and on video, and it's still one of my all time favorites. Dead Space owes alot to Event Horizon and I am sure that the people at Visceral are very much aware of that.
The first game introduced us to engineer Isaac Clarke, who worked on a planet cracker, a giant space ship used to harvest minerals and resources from planets as Earths had all dried up, but what was found on one of the planets that the Ishimura went to was an alien artifact that came to be known as the Marker. It's this marker that helps to unleash all forms of horrific monstrosities on the poor people of the Ishimura as well as the planets surface. As Isaac, well you have to get rid of the marker and basically survive. It's pretty simple but the world and the character, as well as spot on controls and genuine scares are what made me love this game so much. It may not be as in depth as Mass Effect, but the story keeps rolling on and there's alot of great encounters and creepy areas to be uncovered. Now with Dead Space 2, the story continues as another Marker has surfaced, the insane Unitologists are gathering some strength, and poor Isaac is trying to keep a handle on his sanity.
I'm definitely excited that EA has put as much into this world and IP as they have, and that there will be more of these adventures to come. Dead Space has easily replaced Resident Evil as my go to for horror games and I can't wait to pick up my copy tomorrow.
I'll write more after I've played the actual game, but for now i'll leave you with a video. Did I mention you die alot in these games? Well, you do. Enjoy!
Ever since I was first terrified by the dogs that jump through the windows in Resident Evil on Playstation, and creeped out by the atmosphere of Silent Hill, and even more so in Fatal Frame, I've had a soft spot in my heart for horror games. It's just something that really couldn't be done in the 16 bit and prior eras of gaming and it's something that I embrace whole heartedly to this day. Whether it be campy, or serious, or too serious it's campy I love these horror games. It's Dead Space however that I have really grown to latch onto over the last few years.
You see, growing up I thrived on horror stories and movies, especially those of Stephen King probably more than anybody else. I loved his simple writing style, his interesting but usually severly flawed characters, and his darkened tint on the society that we live in. I also loved watching scary movies more than anything growing up, and it was in the mid nineties that a certain movie combined horror and sci fi just the way that I had always wanted it to, better than the Alien movies in my opinion. That movie was Event Horizon. It combined a future that was standard it seemed for most sci fi stories, but added in "what if's" in regards to space travel and the unleashing of demons and darkness when things went awry. I loved that movie and ate it up in the theatres and on video, and it's still one of my all time favorites. Dead Space owes alot to Event Horizon and I am sure that the people at Visceral are very much aware of that.
The first game introduced us to engineer Isaac Clarke, who worked on a planet cracker, a giant space ship used to harvest minerals and resources from planets as Earths had all dried up, but what was found on one of the planets that the Ishimura went to was an alien artifact that came to be known as the Marker. It's this marker that helps to unleash all forms of horrific monstrosities on the poor people of the Ishimura as well as the planets surface. As Isaac, well you have to get rid of the marker and basically survive. It's pretty simple but the world and the character, as well as spot on controls and genuine scares are what made me love this game so much. It may not be as in depth as Mass Effect, but the story keeps rolling on and there's alot of great encounters and creepy areas to be uncovered. Now with Dead Space 2, the story continues as another Marker has surfaced, the insane Unitologists are gathering some strength, and poor Isaac is trying to keep a handle on his sanity.
I'm definitely excited that EA has put as much into this world and IP as they have, and that there will be more of these adventures to come. Dead Space has easily replaced Resident Evil as my go to for horror games and I can't wait to pick up my copy tomorrow.
I'll write more after I've played the actual game, but for now i'll leave you with a video. Did I mention you die alot in these games? Well, you do. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Alpha Protocol
So thanks to some pretty solid bargains I managed to pick up a few games over the Christmas season for cheap. Highlighted deal being getting Splinter Cell: Conviction, Bioshock, and Alpha Protocol for twenty dollars. A pretty good deal I must say. But primarily I was excited for getting my hands on Alpha Protocol. I was intrigued by what I had heard about in regards to the game, but heard that it had a few bugs and so I wanted to wait till I could try it out for a bit less than sixty dollars.
All in all though it's a pretty solid game. The game itself is kind of the bastard child of Mass Effect and Splinter Cell if I had to describe it to anyone. It's a 3rd person shooter-rpg that is pretty heavy on the story and as well has a pretty solid dialogue wheel system much like Mass Effects, and depending on how you respond to people and choices you can make in conversations, you can have quite a drastic effect on the overall game. Definitely a fan of the story and the characters even when sometimes the dialogue comes off a bit flat, but it's great if you choose the more sarcastic responses often as they all say some pretty funny things. The whole espionage and globe trotting story also has some great Bond undertones to it, and Michael Thornton is actually a very interesting character that has already grown on me.
I've been enjoying the game though it has quite a few bugs here and there, especially when you are doing missions and engaging in firefights with enemy agents. Frankly the enemy AI is pretty idiotic, running around and often not even shooting, reminding me of doing the facility mission in Goldeneye and laughing at how awful those guards are. As well in some boss battles there have been some frustrating glitches, and some pretty funny ones. Favorite moment was when a certain boss was on some stairs with some henchmen. I cleared out the henchmen with ease and as I ran up the stairs, I stood just below the villain, and he just shot over my head but couldn't hit me. I proceeded to unload my machine gun into his face until his health was gone. Huge boss battle over in about 15 seconds.
It's definitely been a fun experience I would say even with bugs, and if Obsidian would have put a bit more time into this game (as well as coughfalloutnewvegascough) then this could have become something great and we could have seen more of Agent Thornton. Sadly all we will be left with is some multiple play throughs and wondering what could have been. Still though, it's an enjoyable little game thats worth checking out, especially if you can get it as a bargain.
All in all though it's a pretty solid game. The game itself is kind of the bastard child of Mass Effect and Splinter Cell if I had to describe it to anyone. It's a 3rd person shooter-rpg that is pretty heavy on the story and as well has a pretty solid dialogue wheel system much like Mass Effects, and depending on how you respond to people and choices you can make in conversations, you can have quite a drastic effect on the overall game. Definitely a fan of the story and the characters even when sometimes the dialogue comes off a bit flat, but it's great if you choose the more sarcastic responses often as they all say some pretty funny things. The whole espionage and globe trotting story also has some great Bond undertones to it, and Michael Thornton is actually a very interesting character that has already grown on me.
I've been enjoying the game though it has quite a few bugs here and there, especially when you are doing missions and engaging in firefights with enemy agents. Frankly the enemy AI is pretty idiotic, running around and often not even shooting, reminding me of doing the facility mission in Goldeneye and laughing at how awful those guards are. As well in some boss battles there have been some frustrating glitches, and some pretty funny ones. Favorite moment was when a certain boss was on some stairs with some henchmen. I cleared out the henchmen with ease and as I ran up the stairs, I stood just below the villain, and he just shot over my head but couldn't hit me. I proceeded to unload my machine gun into his face until his health was gone. Huge boss battle over in about 15 seconds.
It's definitely been a fun experience I would say even with bugs, and if Obsidian would have put a bit more time into this game (as well as coughfalloutnewvegascough) then this could have become something great and we could have seen more of Agent Thornton. Sadly all we will be left with is some multiple play throughs and wondering what could have been. Still though, it's an enjoyable little game thats worth checking out, especially if you can get it as a bargain.
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