Gaming opinions, reviews, news, and impressions. Plus thoughts on other cool stuff.
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Nintendo
The 3DS eShop has gradually become host to a growing library of smaller, download-only games that help balance some of the larger retail releases. Those bigger games may help sell systems, but it's titles like Boxboy!, developed by HAL Laboratories (of Kirby fame), that give 3DS owners plenty to do in-between tentpole releases.
Click through to the post for the full review.
You've now doubt heard the news: Nintendo is finally going to (co-)develop games for smart devices (and, apparently Windows PCs?) and they have confirmed the development of their next gaming system, code-named the "NX." Big changes for the house of Mario.
Let's dig into the theories, implications, and wild guesses.
Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m a slow gamer. I regularly have four or five games that I’m “actively” playing, and the result is I’m never getting through any of them as quickly as, perhaps, other players. Case in point: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon was released on March 24, 2013, for the Nintendo 3DS. I finished it last night, March 13, 2015 (and, to be clear, I got it within a few days of release). That’s just shy of two years to complete a handheld game that isn’t an epic, 100-hour RPG. In fact, I spent under 20 total hours playing it.
Am I doing it wrong?
Last month, Nintendo released the latest iteration of its 3DS handheld console series, the clumsily-named "New Nintendo 3DS XL." I've had mine for about a week and a half (after stewing for a few weeks about not getting the limited Majora's Mask edition), and I think I'm ready to share some impressions of the device and whether or not it's worth your cash to upgrade from an existing model or join in as a first-time 3DS owner.
Special edition consoles and handhelds. Limited run games. Pre-order bonus figurines. Rare amiibo figures. The list of Nintendo offerings that are supply-constrained (usually artificially) could go on and on, ironically.
While not the oldest game I'm currently playing, The Swapper is hardly a new release. If you're not up-to-speed on the game, picture a Metroid-esque 2D platformer with a "swapping" gun mechanic that allows your character to create four simultaneous clones (all of which move together) and then swap freely between them. While the atmosphere would make Samus Aran feel right at home, the gameplay has more of Portal than of Power Bombs.
Check out the full post for my initial impressions on this unique indie title.
Well, here we are: the end of another year. 2014 is just about wrapped up, so I wanted to write one last post to reflect on the highs and lows of this year in gaming from my perspective.
Other sites have covered the biggest news stories, the best & worst games of the year, and every other kind of list imaginable. So, rather than retread tired ground, I'll just provide my take on what I played, what I liked, and what really captured my attention.
After months of anticipation and speculation, Nintendo's amiibo figures, announced earlier this year at E3, have finally arrived! Of course, they accompany the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but they are designed to be a cross-game accessory that will work with current and future Nintendo titles. I got my first four today, so let's take a look!
Two years ago today (November 18th, 2012), the Wii U launched in North America. People had been clamoring for an "HD Wii" for years, but the tablet-centric console ended up being a major source of confusion for early consumers. Was it a new console? A peripheral for the Wii? A portable tablet device? Would the games play on an original Wii? Fast forward to today, and the system has found some of its footing, but it's still in strange spot on its second birthday.
Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D got remastered for Nintendo's portable 3DS, fans have been asking the company (and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto) if they would consider giving the same treatment to its much stranger, almost cult-classic-status sequel, Majora's Mask.
Well, it may have taken over three years, but Nintendo announced today that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is headed to 3DS (and 2DS and New 3DS) systems in Spring 2015.
When the Wii U released in November 2012 (could it really be almost two years ago!?), one of the criticisms levied against the console was the GamePad's laughably short battery life, which clocked in at just about three hours. So, when Nintendo, in December 2013, released an extended battery for the Wii U GamePad, I was curious. Was Nintendo planning to sell this "premium" battery all along?
Nintendo has announced today that Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker has an official release date: December 5, 2014. This comes after Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but I think it's easily the more exciting game of the two. Here's why.
In what's apparently a week full of themes hitting handheld consoles for the first time, Nintendo has released their latest OS update that brings support for custom themes (as well as a few other bells and whistles).
Here's a photographic roundup of what you can expect when you update!
Since the early days of Mario sprinting from left to right on the NES, running has been a staple in a video games. And yet, each new generation of consoles brings with it more detailed and beautiful environments. So why, then, do game developers still insist on designing game systems around running past all this beauty as quickly as possible? How did we get here? And, more importantly, should we slow down?
Like many other Club Nintendo members who achieved Platinum status last year, I recently received an email with four special codes to download an early copy of the Super Smash Bros. for 3DS demo (the extra codes are for your friends). This demo will be available to everyone on September 19, but I took some video to give you a sneak peek!
