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Con-soul Searching: Familiar Soles
I don’t think I am alone on this one, but are we starting to get Mario fatigue from all the New Sups games? It just seems weird to have two games in the same franchise release in the same year; especially from Nintendo. I’m looking forward to New Sups U but not so much to New Sups 2. I enjoy the four-player chaos more than collecting coins. With so many Mario games, and with Mario plastered all over the world, I wonder if people ever get tired of the eldest, Nintendo plumber.
This is a question I have been asking since E3 earlier this year. It popped into my head when I saw the footage for the new Splinter Cell. I remember thinking, “That’s Sam Fisher?” He didn’t look anything like I expected
after Conviction. So it must be a prequel, right? Nope, Blacklist takes place after Conviction. While Sam’s appearance doesn’t match up in my mind, this is when I started to think Ubisoft could give Sam Fisher some time off.
And for that matter, maybe all companies could give their characters a break. Think about some of the big, long running franchises; Mario, Tomb Raider, God Of War, Zelda. These IPs all focus on their main character, respectively. These characters have been through numerous trials. So much so that developers have made sequels, prequels and side-quels as well as destroying any sort of logic that may dictate a consecutive numbering scheme. Goodness knows a lot of these franchises are in need of some new ideas. Maybe one of Read more…
Con-soul Searching: Emulator Boy
The countdown to E3 is ticking. If you haven’t noticed, news is scarce. Our last podcast was barely an hour long. It’s getting dark but the dawn is coming soon. Before too long we will be in a flood of news and game announcements. As always the big stuff will overpower the little things and all we will hear about is Halo 4, the next Mario game and Assassin’s Creed. 
At least Activision had the good sense to announce Black Ops 2 before everyone goes to L.A. We all want to know what announcements are coming and I am excited to hear what Wii U is all about. However, I am hoping Nintendo will make one specific announcement for the 3DS; a Virtual Boy collection.
I know the Virtual Boy wasn’t Nintendo’s proudest moment but I have never played the majority of VB games. My time with a Virtual Boy starts and ends with an afternoon after a friend dug his out of storage. I believe the only games I played were Galactic Pinball and Mario Clash; the former of which has a Samus cameo (or her ship at least). While the experience was mostly for novelty, I did have fun – so much so that I would like to check out the rest of the Virtual Boy’s small collection. From what I understand there are only 22 games for the system; of which only 14 made it to North America. I’m not sure how varied the under workings of these games are but since development never progressed too far, I can’t imagine it would be that difficult to emulate all the software. Read more…
Con-soul Searching: Obsolete Box
The Vita’s not doing so hot right now. I’m getting sick of hearing about it. I went through the same thing with the 3DS launch. These handhelds were launched with some typical, launch games but people always want something new. Vita sales will pick up soon enough. Things like Gravity Rush and a possible price drop are what I’m waiting for. You know what’s not going to sell? The PSP Go.
Man, what happened to that thing? Lack of content, high price, no way to transfer your UMDs… yeah, Sony botched the PSP Go thing pretty bad. However, Sony did make the first, all digital platform so for that they have secured their place in the history books. Here’s the thing. I have a tendency to pick up old systems several years after their prime; for the novelty and to add to my collection. I imagine someday I will pick up a Go but depending on when that happens, it may be completely useless.
It’s only a matter of time before the PlayStation Network evolves past the point of PSP compatibility. When that happens, it’s going to be hard to add new games to a PSP. Granted the PSP has been hacked to oblivion and you can pirate just about anything you want at this point, but that doesn’t help somebody who wants to acquire things legally. Ten years from now I may be able to add games to a Go through by using a computer but that stuff always seems shady. It almost defeats the purpose of collecting a system like that. Read more…
Con-soul Searching: Small Circles
I was talking to a friend about Kid Icarus. He mentioned the franchise is practically unknown since there has only been one game before Uprising. I looked at him strangely for a second. Then he told me the Game Boy’s Of Myths And Monsters doesn’t count because it’s a handheld game. The strange look on 
my face didn’t go away. I have heard this same argument used by several people I know. Why do they feel a handheld game is lesser than a console counterpart?
I suppose the obvious thing is the power of the system. Portables are usually a generation or two behind the home consoles. I can see how a PSP game may dull in comparison to a PS3 title, but that doesn’t mean we should discount it. PSP games are roughly PS1 games. If God Of War: Chains Of Olympus isn’t a “real game” then what does that say for Crash Bandicoot 2? What I’m getting at is it’s not a concept of power so much as it’s a concept of less than console power. That’s one barrier of people use.
Another attribute is the smaller screen. Instead of a window into another world, you get a peephole. I guess it’s hard to feel a connection when you see a world the size of a postcard. What I find odd, in some cases (say Zelda for example) Read more…
Con-soul Searching: What Will U Have In The Box?
E3 is coming. How can I tell? One, I own a calendar. Two, there has been a flood of rumors about new systems, new games and people seen talking to other people. Lately it’s hard to look at any games journalism and not see headlines labeled rumor. Likewise a lot of stories seem to cite some anonymous informant or insider source. I hate it! Rumors drive me crazy and I avoid them when I can. 
However, I am a fan of speculating and talking about what announcements companies may make. It’s a weird clash, I know. The difference is one is a lie which nobody wants to admit while the other is false and people are up front about it. I say all that because all the E3 rumors has me thinking about the Wii U; more specifically what will be in the box when I buy one. Before I go any further note this, I am basing this on no insider information nor did some secret person tell me something in a whisper. This is just me thinking things through.
First off, the system. We know it’s going to be in the box. It has to be. If it says Wii U on the outside, there has to be a Wii U inside. There will have to be some sort of voltage adapter as well. I say “voltage adapter” specifically over “power cord” since I’m pretty sure Nintendo will not but the power conversion parts in the system itself. They never have. Think about your Nintendo systems; NES, SNES, N64, GameCube and Wii. They all have a box that’s in line between the wall and the console. Next is the AV cord. Will it be component or composite? Read more…
Con-soul Searching: To Set Right, What Once Gamed Wrong
I’ve often wondered if I would have had a SNES when I was younger, would Super Metroid be my favorite video game. Probably. Everything Metroid does, Super Metroid does better. The only advantage Metroid has over Super is the absence of a map. Some would see that as a negative but I love Metroid for the exploration. There is a charm from Metroid and Metroid II that all other games in the series lack. 
Oops, got to talking about Metroid for a second there. Anyway, talking to my friends I’ve realized that gaming tastes are strongly based upon what one plays as a kid. And because of this, I think we all are missing out on some awesome games.
There weren’t any other kids that lived near me when I was younger, and my brother is six years older than me. As you can gather, I played a lot of single player games. Fast forward twenty years and it turns out I don’t care much for multiplayer modes. One the other hand, Peter and Will (brothers close to the same age) rather enjoy co-op games. One thing I find odd about myself, I don’t play a lot of RPGs. On paper they are the perfect type of game for me; single player, long campaign, repetitive but rewarding combat. It’s well known I’m a huge Persona fan, so obviously I enjoy that type of game. The only reason I don’t play more RPGs – as far as I can tell – is because I didn’t play them growing up. Read more…
Con-soul Searching: They’re All The Rage
I have been playing more games on my iPhone these last few weeks. Not games in the sense of shooting aliens or crashing cars, but things like Words With Friends and Draw Something. I was really big on Quarrel until I achieved the most amazing comeback ever. I stopped playing the game because I was never going to be able to top taking over a whole map of six and seven character spaces with only two guys. I did. There are several games I played for a few weeks but now I 
never/rarely touch; Peggle, Bookworm, Mancala, Bejewled 2. Given the open-ended nature of these games, it’s no surprise I would eventually move on. Likewise they only cost a dollar or two. Still, I have noticed a trend of disposable gaming on my phone.
What happens when you buy a game? You play it for a while, maybe you beat it, then you stop playing. Granted some games take longer than other and some have high replay value but eventually you move on to something new. However, mobile games seem to have the lifespan of a fly. Every few week I hear people talk of a new App as if it’s the latest fashion craze; Angry Birds, Tiny Wings, Cut The Rope, etc. I understand Apple has built their brand on being the trendy and “in” thing but does this mentality have to extend to software? Does it extend to software or is this just the nature of the beast? Read more…
Con-soul Searching: Battle Log
Thanks to Shannon, I have been listening to the Persona 3 FES soundtrack whenever I’m in my car. It’s pretty awesome and listening to it reminds me of all the fun I had playing the game. One song in particular really stands out; the final boss track. As long time readers of the site know, I had an epic ordeal with the 
final boss in P3F. For those of you that don’t know let me put it this way; ten hours over eight attempts. Imagine my surprise when a boss with 800 of 24,000 hit points left charms one of my party members to get a full heal. I still get chills thinking about it. This didn’t happen just once but multiple times! Luckily I had means to farm anti-charm items or I may have been flat out stuck. Anyway, every time that song comes on, I remember the battles I went through and all the screaming I did. Likewise, I remember how excited I was once I defeated. It’s pretty awesome how that one song makes me feel like I can take on anything.
Hearing this song over and over got me thinking about all the other epic battles I have fought during my video game adventures. Around the same time as my P3 victory, I had a similar struggle with No More Heroes 2. I was a little nervous starting up Desperate Struggle since I accidently played the first game on the easy difficulty. In fact, I’m pretty sure I wrote a whole thing complaining about that very subject. Anyway, turns out the normal difficulty didn’t present a problem. In fact, I didn’t even notice a difference; partly due to playing the first game years before. If anything I found the game too easy. I never felt challenged but the game was still fun. Read more…
Con-soul Searching: What’s Old Is Stacking Up Behind Me
I give up. I’m never going to catch up with the list of games I want to play. It’s never going to happen. Not if they keep making more awesome games. That doesn’t mean I want them to stop by the way. Assassin’s Creed 3 was just announced and I still haven’t played Assassin’s Creed 2 yet. Not Revelations, not Brotherhood, but Assassin’s Creed 2; the one after the first one. I’m three games behind! And yet I am only one number behind… how’s that work?
Most people refer to their backlog of games as a “pile of shame” but I can’t even say that since I don’t even own most of the games I want to play. On one hand it’s better that I haven’t bought a bunch of game and never played them but one the other hand I am not supporting the games I like. What’s a guy to do? If only I didn’t have to pay for silly things like food, a house and electricity. I guess I will have to call it my “list of shame.”
Just a few of the games on my list are Uncharted 3… and Uncharted 2 (sigh), Donkey Kong Country Returns, Dead Rising 2 (plus Off The Record and Case West) and Mario Galaxy 2. I consider those recent games but as you can see, most are over a year old at this point. Now you may be asking Read more…
Con-soul Searching: Kirby Copy Machine
I wasn’t planning to write this particular article this week, but thanks to Sankei News in Japan, I figured now is as good a time as any. Sankei News claim’s that Nintendo is not adapting to the changing game market because of their reliance on Mario. Now while I don’t think Nintendo has stopped being creative, I do feel 
they have become very reliant on their existing characters; to the point where they are reluctant to release a game (like Kirby’s Epic Yarn for instance) without a recognizable character in it.
Epic Yarn is a fantastic game but it never felt like a Kirby game to me. I think of it more as Prince Fluff’s game and Kirby just showed up. Patch Land isn’t Dream Land no matter how many Waddle Dees or Bronto Burts you have wandering around. Patch Land is a world made out of fabric and Kirby is forced into the world by Yin-Yarn. That premise feels like a metaphor for Nintendo forcing Kirby into the game. I remember reading developer comments which said the game suddenly clicked once Kirby was added. I suppose Kirby added a level of familiarity to the whole package but I wonder if that’s a good thing. The same goes for Kirby Mass Attack.
We are seeing a lot of sequels lately. Mostly the result of an extended console life but it’s also a result of how expensive games are to make. If the people buying the games think $60 is a lot to pay for a game, how do those same people feel about the millions it costs to develop a game? It’s amazing how far things have come in such a short time. It was only a little over 20 years ago that I was playing Read more…
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (3DS)
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U, 3DS)
Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo (3DS)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (3DS)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3)
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