Malaki-LEGEND.sys

I need to make some friends around here fast, or else I won't have anyone to jam to NSMBU with.

If you wanna be mad at anyone, be mad at SEGA. They've shown time and time again that they have no idea how to manage their IPs, whereas Nintendo actually knows what to acquire, what it's worth, and how to market it. Bayonetta 2 might not even exist right now if it weren't for Nintendo.

So the internet is going on and on about how the Wii U is only "marginally" more powerful than either the PS3 or 360, and thus is a terrible idea. To be honest, with the constantly increasing dev costs that will no doubt sky rocket when the next Xbox and the PS4 launch, "marginally" might just be all we need. Seriously, do we NEED more graphical or audio fidelity? Shit looks and sounds great as it is, and assuming engines like Unreal 4, Luminous Engine, and FOX engine can scale as well as their designers say, then why make a seriously huge push for absolutely nuts graphics in the first place? Most multi-platform games out right now have to be designed around the PS3's 256MB limit anyway. The Wii U has a nice 2GB of memory, 1 of which is entirely dedicated to game processes. Think of the shit devs can do with that added leg room.

You've played through and finished MGS2 more than MGS3!? What the fuckity fuck?

I really don't know how they could keep hype up for the premium model if they did, but Nintendoland really should be a pack in with the basic. By the by, does anyone have any sources for good info on that TVii thing and the other stuff they're doing?

To be perfectly honest, people should have stopped being 1st day adopters ever since Nintendo, Sony, and Sega launched their systems without pack in games circa the N64 generation. How can they not give you a piece of showcase software for their latest(and expensive) piece of hardware?

The whole "hardcore" game thing takes me back to the WCW craze back when I was around 12-years-old. If somebody brought up Todd McFarlane, that'd be amazing.

The 3DS has shown me that it just feels so damn right to be able to switch from something like Metal Gear Solid or Dead or Alive to something like Mario Kart or New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the same system. That's a pretty powerful thing to me. They've also proven to me that they're committed to bringing the "hardcore" experience back to their platforms with the kind of support they're getting with the handheld. So I think I can safely say that I'll be watching the Wii U with enthusiasm as its first few months go by.

Nintendo has to stop with the proprietary media storage. That's the shit that almost ruined them during the N64 years, which created a stigma that they don't get quality 3rd party "hardcore" games that hasn't let up until maybe the DS or 3DS. If that had never happened, I don't really think people would be as down on Nintendo as they are right now.

"Oh my god the system is too expensive!" "These games are gonna fail because they're on a Nintendo system!" There might as well be an online Nintendo Hate Generator, because these bitching and moaning fests seem to come out of nowhere. OK, the Wii had a metric shitton of crappy shovelware, but within said tripe were plenty of excellent games that unfortunately never got the dues they deserved for whatever reason, but Nintendo would pump out quality here and there. I was a fan of motion control from the get go, but Skyward Sword REALLY showed me what motion controls are capable of. That game and the 3DS have showed me that Nintendo really is trying to make good on their promise of going back to the hardcore, and I think the Wii U has a great shot of taking motion controls to the next level(think PSMove with less bullshit), as well with providing a wide array of peripherals to use the system with from the tablet to the Wiimotion+ to the swank looking(but total rip off) pro controller. I probably won't grab one at launch, mostly due to finances, but I'll definitely be grabbing one eventually now.

Whelp... Looks like Ninja Gaiden III, ZombiU, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and a few others have me sold on a Wii U. Is there any word that online might be coming to the 3DS version of MH3U?

Assuming they make a competent game using the license, I'll be more than happy to throw money dollars at WayForward(I'm pretty sure they will though). Of course Virt's music is awesome, so I'd grab the soundtrack anyway.

I think that if Namco makes good on their promise of developing(more like porting which is perfectly fine) games for Ouya and SE continues to expand their relationship with Ouya past Final Fantasy III(like bringing TWEWY to the system for example), and if they report stellar experiences with the platform, then maybe some momentum can be built. We'll just have to see what news comes out.

The question is sustainability. What has Ouya done to market itself to the throngs of people that don't read gaming websites that A)don't already have 3 or 4 devices in their home that can do what Ouya can or B)are even interested in playing a game like Wizorb or other indie games in the first place? I haven't really seen what Ouya has done to build any sort of hype on mainstream channels. Is this thing going to be at Walmart? What's the message they'll send out that'll tell people they really need to get one? You guys are all talking about technical issues which in my mind as a salesman are virtually useless if I can't figure out how get this thing into as many peoples' hands as possible. And Dhsu, the key to effective competition a la Sony vs Microsoft vs Nintendo is differentiation. While there are many multi-platform games and services, each company has a different approach to utilizing many of their services as well as a wide range of exclusive titles you can't get anywhere else. If Nintendo didn't pump out quality software like your Zeldas or your Marios, we wouldn't give 3 shits about 'em. If Microsoft didn't have an absolutely stellar online experience vs Sony's PSN, then we'd probably grab PS3s. That's competition through differentiation. The Ouya doesn't need the best hardware, but it needs stuff that is UNIQUELY Ouya, or else why would I buy one? I know I'm sounding down on the system but personally I'd really like it to succeed because I believe it could shake up the industry, however unless a bunch of devs say "hot damn! we're movin' to Ouya" or some other huge deal happens, I don't see it breaking out of a very small niche of consumers, which would prevent said industry shake up from ever happening. All this of course assuming it isn't a scam.

Alright so now that I've had more time with it, here are my impressions of the 3DS XL! Prepare for length! The very first thing you'll notice out of the box is how damn good the thing looks. The finish(blue/red and black) is at least party matte, so it hardly ever gets any finger prints on any side. You'll definitely notice that it's larger and a bit heavier, but that's because of the following. Opening up, you'll first notice just how huge the screens are. They're roughly DOUBLE the size of the originals', and that actually does help to enhance the 3D effect that much more, not to mention that it's hella awesome to play MK7 or KH3DS on bigger screens. The colors and contrast on both screens are also greatly improved. Very crisp, bright, and distinct. The whole system feels solid, too. The inside feels a bit plasticy, but there's definitely weight to it. The top screen "clicks" into place at 2 settings(half and full open), and it never budges. When turning the 3D slider on and off, you also have to "switch" it, which makes it harder to accidentally turn it off. The L/R and all other face buttons feel more solid. People complained initially that the speaker sound quality wasn't that great, but while the speakers are smaller, I didn't have that problem, and I even think that when playing with headphones, the audio was even clearer than with the original. One HUGE flaw the 3DS had was that when closed, the top screen could scratch across the elevated border of the bottom screen, which could ruin it, but now the 3DS XL has little nubs on the screen that protects it from just that, in addition to lowering the problematic border. I don't play games for longer than about an hour and a half, and after that I connect it to the charger anyway, so battery life was never a huge deal for me with the original 3DS, but the battery life for the XL apparently goes all the way to 6.5 hours with everything maxed out and wireless comm. enabled. All and all, this is what the system probably should have been at launch. Hooray revisionism!

So I just grabbed a 3DS XL last night with Gamestop's $100 3DS trade-up deal. My god this thing is fantastic. A little heavy though, but dem screens! Better impressions when I'm coherent. One thing I screwed up on though... I didn't transfer my system data/licenses last night before leaving, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to get most of that stuff back now! Most of it is linked to my Club Nintendo account including both the 3DS and the 3DS XL, and I also have the Gamestop receipt. Anyone have any idea of whether I'd be able to get lucky and get ma stuff back? If not, no real big deal since I don't mind giving devs more of my money and assuming Nintendo could help me out through Club Nintendo, I'd only be out Mario Land 1 and 2, Gargoyle's Quest, Link's Awakening, Shantae and Four Swords. But yeah...

Final Fantasy X WAS pretty damn linear, both "physically" and... however the fuck else linear something can be(what?), so I don't know where Bleck is coming from there.I guess the complaint about linearity has more to do with the pacing when compared with FFX; there are hardly any "lulls" in the action for example. The biggest problem that FFXIII DOES have in that regard is ALL the hand holding it does until you get to around chapter 9 and have access to a full party. THAT'S annoying. I won't argue that the story, while having an interesting concept, needed some drastic help with adding exposition to certain situations/characters, and the character dialogue really drew a lot from bad anime cliches sometimes in my opinion. The battle system was pretty great, though. I also don't understand where Bleck comes from with the whole "you're not paying attention to what makes Final Fantasy games great". If people didn't give 3 squats about the battle system or thought it was great, then we wouldn't have throngs of 'em clamoring for a return to the traditional ATB system. People play whatever game for plenty of reasons. I can't think of any game in the series that had a plot was better than any fun anime/manga personally. I WILL play an RPG mostly for the battle system(since I'm you know, playing a game), and because of that, the graphics, the audio, and yes, I do like Lightning(and Serah in FFXIII-2), the Final Fantasy XIII series ranks on my favorite list flaws and all, and I'm eagerly anticipating FFXIII-3(refuse to call it that other thing). Of course different strokes for different folks.

You don't need a PS3 to buy a collectors item.

Competition for one.

I am excite. Give me more Lightning and Serah.

I left the argument because it became less about debating or talking about the system and instead devolved into juvenile internet "you're stupid! No u!" bull. Come on, guys. We're better than that. Anyway I still stand by my statement about very small(currently) audience being a potential hindrance(which is is), and yeah, I don't really care much for indie games, but I'm all about like what you like and like liking it, so I hope the system works out. It isn't my ideal solution for the 1 box for EVERYTHING that I'm looking for, but here's to Ouya or whatever.

Many people here like games with budgets and that aren't either time wasters and/or derivative rip-offs of better games. Many people at this point in the console generation already own probably 3 devices that can do exactly what the Ouya wants to do, with MUCH more established distribution models. One of which(Steam), offers exactly what the Ouya offers to indie devs(free licensing among other things) and is already a haven for this sort of thing. Unless Ouya manages to cast a HUGE marketing net, I don't see how it'll break out more sales than just the 60k backers that originally supported it.

Joystiq has a bunch of trailers for 3DS stuff from the latest NintendoDirect presentation. I agree with Mirby. EX Troopers does look pretty awesome. Almost reminds me of ZOE to an extent, and I like the visual style. It seems like the 3DS is becoming the go-to place for the types of creative/inventive games that I'm a fan of(much like the original DS I believe). Other trailers of note to me include Project X Zone, Bravely Default, and Paper Mario. So far we only have one of those confirmed for a U.S. release... I am sad panda. I sure can't wait for more details on Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate to come out. Blasted thing was delayed until next year...

I think they were trying to create a score attack Mario, but realized people didn't really give a crap about the actual score en masse, so what could they use instead? How about coins!? Everyone sees the coins on the screen, and are naturally drawn to 'em, and this game makes it so satisfying to go through a gold ring, knock a turtle shell across the level and keep hitting goombas for 50 coins a pop. It also really encourages you to try levels over and over again, which is great for longevity. But yeah, I wouldn't worry about cheating, since it's pretty much a given that the best runs are going to use those flag multipliers to beef up their score. The best are probably using coop to go for another double as well. And yeah, I've gotta say that one of the best things about the game is that even though you may screw up and die a few times, the game doesn't punish you too badly as that awesome coin total you racked up is yours to keep no matter what, so the game actively encourages you to keep trying without rage quitting. Also coin ships... The coins are everywhere!

So two days ago, I caved and decided to grab New Super Mario Bros. 2, and after grabbing around 50k coins in total, I think I'm ready to give some impressions! So at first I was worried that people were right about the game playing it too safe, not really bringing anything new to the table, etc., and through the first few levels, I was kind of feeling that "Mario saturation" kick in, what with Mario 3D Land having been released so shortly ago. Two days and 50k coins later(I deleted all data twice), I can't put this bloody game down. Sure, the game doesn't do a whole lot to the Mario formula, but at this point, Super Mario Bros. games are really just comfort food for me: something entertaining that I can go back to and enjoy it each time. The game starts out simple enough and in standard Mario fare is pretty accessible. But now you have coins everywhere, and you want those coins. Badly. Coin rush mode isn't for the faint of heart either. There's much more strategy involved and route planning that can really be grating(but pretty fun). The game doesn't do a good job of connecting the whole importance of coin collecting to the narrative(because we're engrossed by the story machinations of our Mario games), and it feels a bit "why am I doing this?" at first, but then you realize that the idea of being a coin kleptomaniac DRAMATICALLY changes the way you play the game and the way you think about levels. Instead of getting through to the goal, you're trying to find every single nook and cranny you can for more coins, trying to get multipliers, and taking advantage of the new gold flower and gold box to get the most bang for your buck(literally). Once you get passed the first few levels, you start to see how exploration is tied into the new level design, and the game feels great in that regard. There are lots of secrets hiding around, including secret exits that give you access to entirely new worlds. I can't really comment on coop since I have nobody here to play locally with, but I do know that you get even more coin bonuses just for giving that a shot. Don't wanna make this too long, but while this games doesn't reinvent the Mario Wheel, it does include nice level design, the RACOON LEAF(I've missed flying), and mechanics and modes like coin rush to ensure that "score whores" like myself are CONSTANTLY pushing towards replaying levels to get better coin rates and eventually hit that 1 million coin mark.