Nintendo has definitely been a little behind in many ways in regards to what most people consider to be the contemporary gaming landscape, and they continue to do things their own way which has its ups and downs. One thing that they have stayed far away from for the most part is DLC and this weekend was the launch of probably Nintendo's first big DLC, the New Luigi U DLC. Before this Nintendo has done a few things here and there, notably New Super Mario Bros 2 and the coin rush DLC packs and more recently Fire Emblem and a steady stream of new map packs.
Having gotten bits here and there of Nintendo's offerings they have been for the most part ok. The pricing I have found to be a little on the high end for what you get, but to be fair some of the coin rush levels and Fire Emblem maps I have gone back to multiple times so for a couple bucks it hasn't been that bad. As for the Luigi DLC it's pretty solid. All of the 80 some levels have been reimagined for use with Luigi who definitely handles different than Mario and some of them have been pretty difficult. There's only 100 seconds with which to do each level so it's going to take a while to get all of the star coins but all in all it's been solid.
I do like that Nintendo is offering up something in the way of content that will make people go back to Mario Bros U and while I think it should be $15 and not $20, it's still adding up to be quite the add on.
Let's see if they indeed do DLC dungeons in the next Zelda and see how that goes though...
My how quickly things have changed. Just days ago it looked like the Xbox One would be having an incredibly tough go at things once it dropped thanks to Microsoft's DRM and always-online restrictions. Then they dropped a bomb and stated that they were going back on their original plans. This is pretty intense as it completely shifts what they were going to be building their whole new ecosystem on but now that is being thrown out the window and they are going back to square one. This of course is due to the huge backlash they had been facing, and it's good to note that the company is listening, but one has to wonder what would have happened had they stuck to their guns?
Regardless Sony and Microsoft as far as next-gen goes are back on par it would seem, and while the Xbox pre-orders have ramped back up over the PS4 it's still a ways off until the systems come out. 5 months at the very least. So it will be interesting to see, but as for me I am sticking with the PS4. While the restrictions definitely left a bad taste in my mouth, it's also the massive list of M-rated exclusives that don't appeal to me. I'm a parent and while my son is still very young and far from playing, he will probably play games with me and watch me play throughout this upcoming generation and I want to set a good example. Halo, Gears, Dead Rising, Ryse, etc don't sell a system for me, and while we have enjoyed Kinect from time to time it's not going to sell me on an Xbox One.
Still it's nice to see that Microsoft has changed their minds and while both systems are pretty equal now I would say, it's going to be at least a year probably until the differences between the systems are noticeable. Definitely an exciting time to be a console gamer once again.
E3 has now come and gone and everyone got what they were waiting for it seems in deciding what was going to happen with the future of console gaming, and after all of that I am decidedly pro-Sony. Microsoft continued to shoot themselves in the foot over the last number of weeks with news coming out about having to be always online and it has continued to go downhill from there. My biggest problem then is that their policies are so incredibly anti-consumer that it has continued to leave a bad taste in my mouth, even just thinking about it. For a company set in a democratic, pro-capitalist market you would think that their restrictions would have led to second thoughts but apparently not. Microsoft is going to do what they want to do and what they think is good for business, but not for the average gamer. I am sure there are the hardcore Xbox fans that love their Xbox Live, their Gamerscore and all that lays in the ecosphere that Microsoft has fostered, but I for one am a fan of being able to lend and trade in the games that I own, and to not have such severe restrictions placed on how my gaming console should work. The always online (or at the least check-in every 24 hours) is still so incredibly ludicrous it is mind-blowing. There are so many places in the world where gamers don't have solid internet connections, and that Microsoft's statement regarding those with lack of Internet to stick with an Xbox 360, well that's just insane.
Also, don't forget about Microsoft being named in the whole PRISM scandal.
This isn't to say that Sony isn't the greatest, most perfect corporation in the world. But how they've leveraged themselves with a cheaper system, one that allows the trading of games and re-selling of them, and how aggressive they have been with indie developers makes me like them all the more. That being said I've pre-ordered my PS4 and will probably pick up Knack, inFamous and Destiny off the bat. Excited about the future of gaming though and for the PS4 and especially how it will tie into using the Vita.
Lastly, I am very excited about the new games for the WiiU. I've felt it's been a little neglected, as has everyone, but with Game & Wario coming in a week, followed by Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101, Sonic, Wind Waker HD, Donkey Kong and Mario 3D World there's going to be tons to play. I feel next year however the WiiU will really take off, after Mario Kart and Smash Bros come out. Nintendo will do their own thing and some developers will make some exclusives, but for the most part Nintendo will just keep doing their own thing.
So, what is everyone else excited for? What have you pre-ordered?
