Nintendo is... losing me

Nintendo: A thing of my past?

Growing up, Nintendo was king in our household. The SNES our first system, it reigned supreme for quite some time. Eventually we got our hands on an NES and even a Genesis for a bit, but rather fond memories are still with the SNES. At one point in my youth, my brother, sister and I decided to pool money together (it took a lot of saving) and sell our SNES and NES (the Genesis was already gone) in order to afford an N64. Looking back today, I think it silly of us to sell those two awesome systems... but back then, being kids with little to no income, we did what we had to.

The N64 blew my mind when I first got to see Zelda in 3D! Many an awesome game later and it came time for the new generation of gaming and... the PS2 was my choice over the gamecube/xbox. GTA3 is really what did it for me, at the time I had never seen another game like that. Time went on and I loved my PS2 and my sis got her hands on a Gamecube of which I was able to experience what I wanted on the system (namely Zelda). FF>> a number of years and I even snag one myself from ebay for cheaps to replay some Zelda goodness.

GTA3 - showed me a world outside of Nintendo... and I liked it.

Since the Gamecube though... Nintendo has never been the same in my eyes. Those mammoth hit games didn't seem to be on the gamecube and for the exception of a handful of titles, I really wasn't that put out not owing the system during it's generation. Along comes the Wii and same thing really. I did end up buying a Wii (again cheap) mostly (again) for Zelda... (which is my weakpoint eh?) and for it's kewl virtual console feature. However, my Wii gets the least amount of use out of all my gaming systems, right behind my DS and I'm left scratching my head as to why.

Quite honestly... I'm not even sure why I purchased a DS... (maybe Zelda? of which I own both)... my experience with it has been quite "meh" to be honest. A few titles I've enjoyed like the Zelda titles, the Kingdom Hearts game, Scribblenauts, the Pokemon gold remake and no doubt a few more... but now that Nintendo has a new handheld out... and the games have shifted to that... I've come to a realization that I really don't care for my DS.

Not a lot of love for these two...

Jump back to home consoles... and the Wii - with a software lineup coming to a close with the Wii U announced... sits on top of my 360, waiting for me to turn it on. Again, Zelda rawks - but thus far a Wii-mote version of Twilight Princess is all we have for it. The Metroid Prime trilogy really made me smile, as it's a blast of a series (again even though 2/3s of it is gamecube games), Mario is usually goto for a romp and the New SMB along with 2 Galaxy titles were decent and I've had fun with Donkey Kong and Monster Hunter (even if Monster hunter is better on the PSP) but... my "awesome" experiences with it seem to extend solely from Virtual Console games... which is sad.

Three titles I've been looking forward to (and also happen to be what prompted this rant) for the system have just been thrown into limbo. The Last Story, Xenoblade: Chronicles and Pandora's Tower are now all under the status line of "there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas". Yep... the 3 titles that I thought would be the biggest bang for me on the system I feel has done a poor job of entertaining me... might never see the light of day.

I think it hilarious that Nintendo keeps touting their love for the core gamer and how they're aiming to get that crowd back and yet... they pull stuff like this. Awesome guys! You know, just cut off three wonderful looking titles that bring a hint of core gaming to your system and keep pumping out mini-game collections and over priced remakes. Woo.

Zelda is sad... and so am I.

 Oh hey, I almost forgot. Did you hear!? In the new Zelda title, both Link and Zelda are in boarding school! Woo! Yeah!*Rolls eyes.

Ack! If the hate and rage hadn't built up enough.... I was interested in their new Wii U system... until I read things like this:

"The Wii U supports just one touch-screen controller per console, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed. But if a game should require more, a 3DS could theoretically be used instead.(link)"

Not to mention that everything they were showing at E3 on the device was either conceptional (faked) or not even footage run from an actual Wii U machine. 

0_o Really?... NINTENDO?

Why in the hell would you show off and sell a system that's literally all about it's new "innovative controller" and then say "Oh, btw you can't have friends use one too, it's just one per console" and then expect anyone who wants to play multiplayer to pony up $300 for a 3DS.... ACK!!! That literally makes me want to walk down to Nintendo HQ and kick each and every one of their higher ups in the face.

It frustrates me so, because I like what I've seen from the Wii U thus far... and yet there's these big ol stakes in the road that Nintendo keep tossing our way and assuming it won't matter.

If Nintendo doesn't do something other than talk lies and not deliver, I may of just had my fill with them. Even if that means no more Zelda.

//Rant.

Free beta code and a PS update

Hey team. Anyone want an Uncharted3 multiplayer beta code? I got one with my copy of infamous2... and really have no use for it (don't generally care for betas... just would rather wait for the full game). It's only good for North American (USA & CAN) PSN accounts (decided to give the code to a gamespotter in Aus who tried to use it and it didn't work). So, if anyone's interested, say so, I'll PM the first who does so, with the code.

Other than that... it's been about 4 or 5 days since my last blog, which outlined some games I was working on beating... and I haven't touched any of those in that time. Nope. I think the only game I played was Plants vs Zombies on my PS3 :P Oh that and a new infamous-facebook game... which is a little weird but decently done.

**For anyone who doesn't know, Pinksquadron.com is a site I run with the help of *punkhead66 (here on gamespot - not sure if they want their real name used :P) and a few others whom act as freelance support that focuses on strong female characters in video games.

I've been a little lazy of late when it comes to pinksquadron... letting articles pile up, unpublished... and it's mostly due to good weather (being out, enjoying it) and work. When I do get slouch time to just chill at home, it seems I prefer watching TV shows I've downloaded or movies if I have the time. I did manage to force myself to sit down for a bit the other day and pump out a number of pieces for the site - but I fear some times my laziness hurts the place - which isn't kewl.

That said, Pinksquadron is going along rather well in my eyes. We average 2000-2500 hits per day, have a small but growing number of facebook fans and thankfully there's enough news on the subject at hand to provide a decent amount of new content (when I'm not lazy ;)). One thing we need to work on is reviews! That again comes from my laziness - but reviews will start soon, I swear. One very kewl thing with the site, is the analytical software google has in place to allow me to see exactly what's going on and who's visiting. I get updates on where traffic is coming from (to better aim my promotion), what posts are being read, what key terms are being searched for when the articles are found, what browsers people are using, where in the world they are and when they're visiting. It's all very interesting and incredibly useful to knowing where and how to be promoting the site.

I just got a bug with my domain host fixed, which took people visiting pinksquadron.com (without the www. prefix) to a default error page with them, to redirecting to to the real www.pinksqudron.com. I actually didn't know this was an issue for quite some time and then once I noticed it... I had to fix it... cuz that's not kewl at all.

We're actually also in talks with a professional artist whom is crafting a few characters of original design to represent the site in a more unique way. Right now we just use some well known video game characters to get our image out, but some time this summer, we may have our own look, unique to the site. I'm rather excited for this.

If you've got any interest in the subject matter, I suggest you visit the place :)

Time to finish up some titles!

So... I've reached a point where... again I've stockpiled some games and have decided that I'm not buying anymore (Deus Ex: Human Revolution at the end of August doesn't count :P) until I start finishing some titles I have. I managed to just skim over a shelf of cheap games today and not buy any! Woo! (I did end up picking up a few DVDs though :P)

That's a good step... as I find it hard to pass up cheap games that I've considered buying at some point. Be they online from steam, gog, PSN or XBL or in a bargain bin at a local retailer for $10-$20 - I generally find it hard to pass up a game I think will be even half decent. Then there's those titles I've been anticipating for their entire creation cycle - those are usually pre-ordered - or games I receive as a gift for birthdays, Christmas or some other random occasion. The point is... they add up and I end up having big stacks of games, some half finished, some not even put into the system it was intended for (or in the case of digital downloads - not even downloaded).

I'm not going to bother listing them all... as that would take effort, but suffice to say, it's a rather large list. Here's what I'm chipping away at right now and I'll be sure to keep a tally of what I finish as to keep an incentive to continue the trend.

L.A.Noire - Have only a few hours into this one, but really want to get back into it. It's really a mood thing... as I feel like I need to pay attention in the game... something I can't do when I just feel like shooting something or running something over in a quick 20 min session of adrenalin pumped fun.

infamous 2 - Just got it... when ever it came out. I couldn't even break open the package (got the Hero edition) for a few days because I was busy with life stuff... but I managed to start in on it and do a few missions. It's very similar to the first one I find... and those baddies still catch me off guard with how effective their bullets are when fired at me :P

 Alice: Madness Returns - Ahh Alice :D I loved the first game from years ago (which comes as a free download with this new game - AWESOME!) and from what I've played of this new one I really enjoyed. Same voice actors, as far as I can tell, some great visuals and twisted sense of style too. Hope the narrative holds up :)

American McGee's Alice - The game that came before Madness Returns - I downloaded it the moment I had it's sequel in my PS3. I may just pick away at this one... as I've beaten it a number of times on the PC over the years.

DiRT3 - Yeah... I'm kinda having my ass handed to me in DiRT3. I've always liked the series for it's mix of arcade and simulation racing (hybrid?) but... I just can't seem to drift very well in any vehicle in DiRT3 and even end up spinning out on normal races.... what gives? I've tried messing with the various settings.... but it feels like either the game is driving for me or I end up spinning... not kewl. It's a shame really because I kicked butt in the first two games, flying down narrow paths, navigating my cars around corners with ease. Gonna keep trying.

Red Faction: Guerrilla - I planned on beating this before I got Red Faction: Armageddon... that didn't happen, lol. I did do a huge part of the campaign in that time leading up to the new game though. It prob wouldn't take too much to finish it.

 The Witcher 2 - I had this title pre-ordered for quite some time and started downloading it the instant it was available for download. 17gb took a little while to acquire... as our connection is far from blazing fast... and I got to play it... once I think... yep once. Didn't even finish the intro. Life got in the way and when I got back to it... a new 9gb update to download... sigh. It's at like 42% ...

 StarCraft 2 - Back when I had PC issues (hard drive issues) my copy of StarCraft 2 wouldn't work. Uninstalls, reinstalls etc... didn't work... and I was left without the game. Once I got my hard drive diagnosed and replaced, I had forgotten about the game and it was a few months later before I remembered. Popped it in, installed, updated and was ready to go. Got a few missions done on the single player but haven't had a chance to delve into it as much as I'd like. Soon I hope, soon.

 Timeshift - So this game is from 2007 eh? It's impressive - visually, for a 2007 game... I'm surprised I only paid $8 for it :P It's a pretty standard run and gun shooter except for the whole slow down, reverse and stop time mechanic - which can be fun. I can only stomach small bouts of the game as it gets old quick... but I still want to finish it.

 IloMilo - Addictive little XBL puzzle game that makes my brain bleed. lol. The game was pie - easy at the first and generally didn't offer too much trouble... but I've reached a point where I'll sit and stare at puzzles for what feels like forever, wondering how to solve them. It's SOOO satisfying when you do though, gahh, like nose candy ;)

Wow... E3 was lame...

Holy crap. I remember having mixed feelings about last year's E3... but damn, some kewl games were announced for various systems last year. That sure wasn't the case this year.

Sitting through the painfully bad Microsoft press conference made me want to bash my face in... with a Kinect. *Rolls eyes. Sony pulled up and I thought "Hey, they've got NGP right, that's what they'll talk about!" ... no... instead we get a ton of Move crap mixed with with some game trailers of games we already know about followed with some little NGP (or Vita) info and a whole bunch of extremely boring "We're Playstation YO!" *Rolls eyes. Nintendo stepped up and IMO has the best showing... but I'm iffy with Wii U and there really wasn't much shown, new game wise to get me excited. NTM, I just got my Wii... and now I need another system? No so fast Nintendo.

Microsoft - 

Likes:

Halo anniversary - I'm not a big halo fan... but the first one is deff my fav... so an updated version of that is kewl :)

Tomb Raider - Was shown in action :) Can't wait for the game.

Mass Effect 3 - Got to see a tiny little bit from the game.

Dislikes - 

Call of Duty - Don't care.

Halo 4 - Ditto.

EA Sports - Ahhh... nope... please shut up Moore.

Mass Effect 3 - Kinect? Really? *shakes head.

Kinect - OMG 90% of their show was Kinect. I don't care about kinect, kinect can eat me.

Over All - So... I enjoyed seeing Lara Croft in her new game. 2/10



Sony - 

Likes:

PS Vita - Named, priced, rough release date announced. Bioshock title announced for it, Street Fighter X Tekken, Uncharted, LBP and MNR all shown for the device.

God of War Origins Collection - The two PSP GoW title on the PS3 in an HD collection? Sign me up.

Ico and Shadow HD coming this fall - About time! I can't wait for this collection.

Starhawk - Looks tight as hell.

Bioshock infinite - OMG the game looks stunning.

Dislikes -

PS Move - I like the idea of move... but they spent WAY too long on it and showed horrible demos. The NBA 2k game with kobe bryant was a joke. The medieval game where gestures control your weapons was equally as bad.

Dust 514 - I was excited for the news (which was leaked before E3) but the gameplay looked soooo generic.

Exclusive EA content - They announced various EA games would come with free content "Only on Playstation" - this stuff includes new weapons, cars, skins etc - just bullshit garbage. Yet they bragged it up.

A few titles I liked and we got a price for PS Vita. 4/10



Nintendo

Likes:

Wii U Announced, shown off. Controller explained. Looks kewl, some core game franchises lined up to appear on the machine.

Skyward Sword coming this fall :)

Dislikes -

Wii U - Is a dumb name. Not all specs revealed, no price, no solid RD, most games mentioned, not shown. I don't know if I'm sold on the idea. Also, I was thinking. Nintendo releasing an "HD console" to match the PS3 and 360 later on in 2012... seems a little odd no? Give it another year or so and I have no doubt both Sony and Microsoft will be releasing consoles that leave the Wii U in the dust graphically and technically. It'll be the same story the Wii has suffered this generation.

A whole bunch of remakes, re-releases, half-assed sequels and other crap announced. Remember when Nintendo did original games?

Little to no support for Wii. Not kewl.

Over All - the Wii U's dumb name still has me looking at it in question. 5/10.



Holy crap... lets hope TGS is better this year or maybe next years E3...

Top 10 (pre E3) anticipated games list

Holy moly! ;) There is a huge flood of info coming our way this week.... and E3 hasn't even started!!! Tons of new trailers, info, screenshots - it's like christmas! No doubt this coming week will be ever crazier as the big players in the game (nice pun, no?) come to the plate and swing, your way, what exactly their plans are for the next year and beyond.

Before we get new footage of awesome new and expected titles, I want to lay down what exactly I'm looking forward to this coming year.

Special mentions - Games that are either not coming out this year, or have no release date yet:

Bioshock Infinite, Bionary Domanin, Dragon's Dogma, Final Fantasy VS XIII, Final Fantasy Type 0, The Last Guardian, Spider-Man Edge of Time, Starhawk, XCOM. Also, infamous 2, Duke Nukem Forever and Red Faction Armageddon - all of which drop this week :P


10. Prey 2

I rather enjoyed the first Prey game. It actually felt like a perfect throwback to the Id games of old (Doom, Quake etc) with just enough polish and kewl ideas to stand out. The story and characters were laughably bad, but it was still fun. The new one looks to take it in a slightly different direction, but I really trust the team at Human Head Studios to do a spectacular job.


09. Xenoblade

It's been some time since I've been excited for a Wii title. The team behind this though, I have some respect for and the game itself looks phenomenal. Quite ambitious for a Wii title and that's exactly what I want to see.

08. Zelda: Skyward Sword 

Strange that I mention it's been a while since a Wii game impressed me... but Skyward Sword... IS a Zelda title... of which I have a soft spot for. Not sure if I'm going to like the whole "Do everything with motion controls" idea... but I'm willing to give it a shot.

07. Darkness 2

Now... I loved the Darkness. The game was SO incredibly awesome. The new title looks to make it a lot more action based with quad wielding. That sounds weird... but it's going to allow you to use 2 guns along with your two snake like evil powers to devastate your enemy. I don't care for the new cell shaded look of the game, but if it's got near the same amount of detail in character design and story, I'll be happy.

06. Tomb Raider

I've always been a casual fan of Tomb Raider since they started doing it right - around the time of TR Legend and generally hated the clunkiness of the old games. This new title seems to be something else altogether. An origins story that has Ms Croft portrayed as a real life person with fault and shortcomings. I love the idea.

05. Uncharted 3

I'm pumped for Uncharted 3... but I also pretty much know what I'm in for. The series is superb with great characters, action and such... but again, I already know that... so my hype meter is a little less than something like... Tomb Raider - which is a completely fresh experience for that franchise. That said, I still have it a notch higher because I still know it's going to rock my world.

04. Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect is one of my most beloved titles this generation. I really want the last story in the trilogy to be epic as hell. I'm kinda scared about rumors floating around though. With EA president claiming stuff will be changed in ME to suit casual gamers... that kinect support may be in.... ugh... I really don't want them to mess up my fav franchise just to be gimicky and reach out to casual gamers :(

03. Elder Scrolls: Skyrim 

I can't even fathom how many hours I've sunk into Oblivion... it's hundreds for sure. The idea of a completely open world where you alone (more or less) face the perils of that world and it's evils with sword in hand and some rat meat to help you through - is completely awesome. The new title is bigger, prettier, sounds better and should just be grander on every scale... I'm excited.

02. Batman: Arkham City

Ahh batman. How I love you so. Arkham Asylum was one of my favs when it launched in (2009?) and I've been anticipating the sequel ever since. We've got more villians, some returning, a playable catwoman, batman with a whole slew of new gadgets and a game that is oozing style!! GAAH!

01. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I wasn't sure if this or Batman should get the top spot... but DX3 beat out the competition just by a nudge. I can't even put into words my excitement for a game in a cyberpunk theme, that looks spectacular, offers open choices on how to play and is backed by a solid universe that's already proven itself awesome.