Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 - DLC Review

This week saw the release of the second pack of DLC for Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U. This coincided with a slight lull in university work and a visitation from my friend Andy Dodd, who is also an avid Nintendo fan, both events forcing me to play (I tried protesting… honest).  

The DLC (for a explanation of DLC see Here) is named Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8. It is the second pack of DLC for the game coming about a year after the games release. The staggering of extra content for Mario Kart 8 demonstrates Nintendo’s refreshing approach to DLC. Don’t worry I won’t praise Nintendo’s  DLC policy too much, I don’t need to when I did it in this post.

Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8 infuses the game with elements of the Animal Crossing series of games. The DLC adds a total of three new characters, six new kart parts and eight new tracks. All of these come at the price of £7.00 which isn’t too bad, especially as it hasn’t come straight after the game’s release.

As mentioned I have played, and been trounced on (thanks Andy), the tracks and thought I would give a brief review of my thoughts. We were also joined by Amy in this, who terrified us both with a spot of road rage (‘spot’ may be a slight understatement).

Crossing Cup

Baby Park

Courtesy of Nintendo Everything

This track is a remake of the Mario Kart Double Dash track on the Nintendo GameCube. The track is a small oval and the normal three laps is increased to seven. Whilst in some racing games a simple oval can be boring, in Mario Kart they become gleefully chaotic. By the middle of the race you are often left unsure whether the person you have just passed was in front of you, or if you lapped them. Plus there is the potential for weapons overload, which can lead to both tears of joy and frustration. Either way the simplicity of the track hides the hectic fun to be had.

Image courtesy of Nintendo Life

Cheese Land

An impressive 3D remake of the 2D GameBoy Advance Mario Kart. This track didn’t make much of an impression on me, although to be fair, I have only played through once. It just seemed to pass by in a blur of cheddar-yellow and reminded me of Dry Dry Desert. Still a track made of cheese can’t be a bad thing, right?

Wild Woods

Image from Mario Wiki

This is probably my favourite track of the Crossing Cup, not because of the track, but because of the scenery. The track winds its way through a forest full of Shy Guys and Toads having fun. There aren’t many racing games where characters swing above you on tree vines or wave from rope bridges. But even though these are background elements, they add fun to the game. These touches demonstrate why Mario Kart can be such a fun franchise, as it combines endearing characters with gameplay that makes you want to Luigi ‘death stare’ your nearest and dearest.

Animal Crossing

A cool elongated figure of eight map which takes you around an Animal Crossing town. The cool feature of this map is that, like the game, the season changes randomly when you select it. All I have experienced is winter at this point, but driving through snowmen is rather entertaining.

Image from Nintendo Everything

Bell Cup

Neo Bowser City

A remake of the track from Mario Kart 7. This track goes through a brightly lit city under the control of King Kooper himself, Bowser. The track is cool in its design, but compared to the other tracks in the Bell cup, didn’t make much of an impression upon me.

Image from Nintendo Everything

Ribbon Road

Image from Mario Wiki

My favourite track of the DLC, due to it being made up of toys, including the titular road made of ribbon. Everything about this track screams fun, except when it makes you actually scream as a result of another Red Shell. The track reminds me heavily of Toy Story, right down to the wallpaper and bed in the corner. The best part, in my opinion, is the gliding section where you have to avoid two swaying jack in the boxes. Once again the playful element is a sure sign that you are playing Mario Kart.

Image from Mario Wiki

Super Bell Subway

A cool track which includes some formidable subway trains. These add an interesting element as they can be avoided, or boarded from above. This means that each lap is different as the trains continually move as you play. Just make sure that you mind the gap.

Big Blue

The final track is one long stretch of road broken into sections instead of laps. It is based on the F-Zero games series. This is a racing series featuring flying cars, and this fits in perfectly with Mario Kart 8’s new anti-gravity mechanism. A race along this road is filled with futuristic visuals and uncertainty as to which way up you are. I am glad that another single lap track has been added as it makes a nice change from the usual lap-tracks.

Image from Mario Wiki

As this is Mario Kart each of these tracks is accompanied by upbeat theme tunes that are sure to get stuck in your head. The best track of the bunch is probably the theme for Wild Woods.

I haven’t tested out the characters yet as I am still playing as Link from Legend of Zelda. After all what is better than when two of your fandoms combine?

A note on the character of Dry Bowser courtesy of Andy, can any of you imagine a Dry (aka firey-zombie) version of Mario, Luigi and Peach… shudder.

Five Little Known Facts About Nintendo

As a student of Creative Writing at the University of Winchester, I have been spoilt for choice in choosing my topics for assignments. The nature of the degree has meant that whilst the format of the assignments/essays has been stipulated, the topic or genre hasn't.

One of my final assessments for my degree is a twelve panel exhibition for a module known as Writing for Display. This module has been all about writing for the general public. Thankfully, due to my part-time job as a freelance copywriter I have a good knowledge of how to write engaging and informative texts for a range of readers. The topic of the exhibition has been left up to us, with our tutor suggesting a subject that will interest us to make research enjoyable.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise to regular readers that I picked to write about Nintendo, a company close to my heart. As I did research for the exhibition I found myself learning somethings that I had not realised. I thought I would share some of these with you today, along with other facts I knew, but find interesting.

Nintendo has been around for a long time.

Nintendo was founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. At this time there wern't any HD TVs on the market, and therefore no need for video games consoles. But people still wanted to be entertained and Nintendo were happy to oblige. The company began life manufacturing Hanafuda cards, which are traditional Japanese cards to play a game similar to Solitaire. It is a game where players must match up cards with the same suits.Nintendo continued making playing cards right up until 1963 when they branched out into games, food, hotels and even taxi services. During this time they became the first Japanese company to produce plastic playing cards on an industrial scale. It wasn't until 1970 that Nintendo started experimenting with electronic entertainment.

Nintendo make traditional Hnafuda cards too.

The Origins of Mario.  

I knew some things about Mario's origins. The fact that he first appeared as the playable character 'Jumpman' in the arcade game Donkey Kong is common knowledge. But what I didn't know was that originally Shigeru Miyamoto (one of Nintendo's most influential designers) had wanted to make a game based upon the character Popeye. When Nintendo couldn't acquire the character license they re-skinned the game. Mario was originally Popeye, Princess Pauline was originally Olive Oil and Donkey was meant to be Bruto. As someone who isn't a fan of Popeye I must say that I am pleased that a license couldn't be agreed upon.

The Origins of Other Franchises.

Sticking with the theme of origins did you know that The Legend of Zelda series is based upon Shigeru Miyamoto's childhood. He grew up in rural Japan exploring the fields and caves near his home with no map or compass. This goes to explain a few things about the first Legend of Zelda, such as a lack of guidance when you begin your quest.
The main characters default name is link because he is the hero that links the games, regardless of time period. His green costume is based upon Peter Pan, a favourite childhood story of Miyamoto.

It seems that inspiration from childhood is prevalent at Nintendo, as Chain Chomp was based on a tethered dog that would jump at Shigeru. The dog, like Chain Chomp would always be stopped when he reached his tether. The Pokemon series is based upon its creator, Satoshi Tajiri's, love of collecting bugs.

Brotherly Love 

I always assumed that Mario was at least a few years older than Luigi. But I was wrong. According to Yoshi's Island they are actually twins. Both were delivered in a single bundle by a stork (sweet right?), Mario is thought to be older because he left the bundle first.

Name Game

Mario's name comes from the landlord of the warehouse that Nintendo of America used to rent. And the fictional character's full name is Mario Mario, with Luigi being Luigi Mario. Luigi's name origin is slightly less interesting. The development team wanted an Italian-sounding name that went well with Maio. Luigi was picked, also partly due to a nearby pizzeria called Mario & Luigi's.

The reason behind Yoshi's name (in the game's lore) is due to the island that they were discovered on being called Yoshi Island. Perhaps they were discovered by the same person as the Galapagos Tortoise. 

Quick-Fire Mind Blowers

And now for some smaller points that surprised me: 

When Mario breaks a block he isn't doing it with his head. Even in early games his fist is raised briefly showing that Mario isn't as foolish as I thought. 

Wario's name isn't as lazy as I thought (just Mario with an upside down M). Actually his name is Mario's name combined with the Japanese word for bad, Warui.

Lastly, in the original Super Mario Bros, the reason Bowser kidnaps Peach isn't due to love. Instead, it turns out that Peach is the only one who can undo the spell Bowser has put on the Mushroom Kingdom.

So, there you have it. Some rather interesting tidbits I have discovered about Nintendo as I build an exhibition. Once the full exhibit has been submitted I may post it on this blog.

Hanafuda image from Nintendo Wikia, Zelda image from Wikipedia, 

Pax East Round Up/Rant Down

PAX East wasn't the only source of news, I also read that Tim Burton is making a live-action Dumbo movie. Clearly, I haven't seen everything after all.

On set photo of Burton's live-action Dumbo (joke)

But before I get onto a rant about another franchise being Burtonised I will talk about what I had intended for this blog-post. Very recently we had this year's PAX East event, this time being held in Boston. PAX are the Penny Arcade eXpos, established by the creators of the popular web-comic Penny Arcade's as a series of festivals dedicated to gaming. The festivals area place for games that are soon to be released to be aired, and demoed, and should hype gamers up for the year's releases.

I say should because, unfortunately, I feel like the games took a backseat this year. The focus shifted towards demonstrating virtual reality hardware instead, and as a result I feel like the event suffered in the same way that E3 suffered a few years ago when the new consoles took centre stage. Hardware advances are all well and good, but should not eclipse the software (games, apps etc.). Without that software the hardware has no purpose. And the software that was presented didn't get my gaming juices flowing, and felt rather stagnant.

It may be hard to believe that this is a game, not a film.

The parts I paid most attention to were those displays by Square Enix. Final Fantasy XV looks amazing and to see it in demo form got me excited. The cut scenes shown previously at E3 made my jaw drop as they looked almost like a live-action film and not a video game. But this has happened before, with games promotional material looking stunning but the game play looking like it's made of play dough. A clear demonstration of this divide was seen in Alien Colonial Marines, and all gamers know how that turned out. Too often shiny clips promise something that game play just can't fulfil. Yet, looking at the gameplay footage of Final Fantasy XV it would appear like this issue has been solved. And the gameplay visuals appear just as photo-realistic as the cut scenes. I should mention that I acknowledge that graphics aren't everything and a games story and gameplay are major deciding factors on whether it is a great game. But remember that this is a Final Fantasy game so story is hopefully assured. And gameplay wise it is looking rather innovative, for a FF game, which too is reassuring. Overall, I am really looking forward to FF XV's release, and hope that by then I will own a console that can play it.

The Alien Colonial Marines demo looked good... looked!

Other highlights include the trailer for Bloodborne by From Software (yes that is the developing companies name), the studio that have recently brought us Demon Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II. All of these were dark bleak games, which were brutal in difficulty, and yet were both very enjoyable and beautiful in design. And it would appear that their trend continues to Bloodborne. The trailer shown at PAX showed a nightmarish land that had rich detail hiding beneath. It even made Amy, who is far from an avid gamer, sit up and take note. Stating that it looked beautiful. I have faith that this game will be just like the aforementioned, even if it has become a PS4 exclusive.

Worryingly little was heard from camp Nintendo. Although this could be due to an upcoming Nintendo Direct. Perhaps like their announcements during E3 they allow us to think there is nothing before blowing us out the water in private. Splatoon, their new first-person painting shooter got an airing. It still looks rather cool, but the real testament for me will be whether it has any single player appeal. As mentioned in this post, I am rather hesitant about Splatoon as I am no longer a big online gamer.

Courtesy of Forbes

Also worrying was the announcement that Mass Effect 4 will be including multiplayer. But then again the whole existence of the game confuses me. I would have preferred if Mass Effect had remained a trilogy, especially considering such a final end. Not that I am surprised considering it was a major franchise, but sometimes even that doesn't warrant not allowing something to end before it grows too old.

I was sad to hear that Sony have allowed the patent on The Last Guardian to run out. As this could be a sign that they have given up on the game. Considering how long it has been since any news appeared it could be rather likely that the game has been abandoned.

The Last Guardian, gone, but hopefully not forgotten.

Things that passed me by, other than the virtual reality, was that Far Cry 4 now has yetis. I guess at least it now has something that is different from Far Cry 3. And also the fact that Uncharted 4 has been pushed back and that the Assassin's Creed film has gathered some momentum with cast being announced. Neither of which made me excited as both franchises have become examples of overstaying your welcome.

I will try to end on a enthusiastic tone however. Indie games on show were all rather cool looking, which just reaffirms my belief that right now indie gaming Is the way to go. Which is my main reason for not buying either the PS4 or the Xbox One. Also we have heard some of this year's E3 line-up which includes some exciting titles. So, perhaps the gaming horizon isn't as bleak as PAX would suggest.

What do you all think of PAX East? Let me know in the comments section.

Unicycle elephant from johnlund, FFXV image from galleryhip, Aliens image from Scified, Final image from DualShockers.

Shovel Knight and SteamWorld Dig

This Christmas I decided that after shunning gaming in favour of university work for the past six months that I should treat myself for the holidays. So I hit the 3DS' Nintendo e-shop and bought myself a couple of indie games and set aside Christmas day and Boxing day as work free relaxation days. During which time I ploughed through SteamWorld Dig and part way through Shovel Knight. Both of which I have been eyeing up for a while.

SteamWorld Dig is a steampunk western exploration game that is very similar to Minecraft or Terreria. The focus isn't on levels or storyline and instead it is about digging your way down and discovering the hidden treasures beneath the surface.

Image from Steam Store

You play as a mining robot who has come upon a small town built upon a treasure-rich abandoned mine. There are legends around town about a famous miner who disappeared in the depths below and you head off to seek the treasure he sought. As far as plots go it isn't that detailed, but believe me, you don't need much else.

Despite lacking a strong antagonist or reason beyond go explore little robot there is not much else to prompt you along. Unless if you are like me you are quite content to just keep exploring in an OCD like fashion determined to find all the possible items you can. Well if it has worked for the likes of Minecraft, Pokemon and various other collection games it may as well work with this one.

Indeed I found myself rather obsessed with the game and couldn't quite put it down. It is rather addictive and I found myself becoming rather thorough in my tunneling. Like Minecraft I found myself loathing having to trudge back up to the surface. It seems there is an innate desire in me to burrow myself away if I am given the chance. Going to the surface when I had a full inventory brought the chance to upgrade myself and the town before heading back below.

The graphics are not amazing in a realism type of way. If you are looking for a photogenic steampunk robot game then this isn't for you (perhaps next year's Call of Duty will be better for you). Instead it chooses a 2D cartoon type art style which compliments the old west theme perfectly. Characters are cute but not sugary and remind me of the film Robots.

Technically there really is nothing that productive in the game. You dig to find minerals which pay for new upgrades which allow you to dig further. This mindless cycle was just what my overloaded brain needed right now. Something I could dribble over for a few hours whilst someone shoveled mince pies into me.

I love how distinct each character seems

Speaking of shoveled: Shovel Knights a game which has already found a lot of praise piled onto it. Another 2D, graphically simple game but one which has a complex background. This game has received a lot of recognition due to its retro feel. Not just in its 8-bit art style, but also because it is making a name for itself to being rather challenging and one of those games that you learn to master slowly.

You play as the titular Shovel Knight an adventurer who once was known throughout the land for his escapades. His companion Shield Knight was forever at his side until one fateful day when the tower she was in disappeared. Shovel Knight in his grief turns to farming, what else? Until the day the tower returns. With its return an evil enchantress also follows and her army of evil knights.

As Shovel Knight, the player must visit many levels and rid them of the evil knight that plagues them until he reaches the tower and the enchantress herself. Gameplay is very much like the games I would watch my brother play on the NES or Sega Mastersystem. It reminds me mostly of Castlevania in its setting, villains and gameplay. You move left to right platform jumping and sleighing enemies (or should that be shoveling) until you reach the boss of the level.

These bosses are one of my highlights as each are rather individual and very recognisable. In fact what attracted me to the game originally was the Plague Knight; who I have yet to face. The reason for this is despite sounding simple the game is rather tricky and there is a lot to explore beneath its surface. Whilst it can be completed quickly it would take a few playthroughs, and a bit of an obsession to do so.

This is Plague Knight, he's my favourite.

Both of these games are really good in there own right and for the prices asked, great value for money. SteamWorld Dig is about £8, and Shovel Knight about £13. Which compared to most modern games isn't bad considering both can be played multiple times through.

Overall they were a brilliant distraction from work for a couple of days. Small enough that they can be picked up and trawled through in a few hardcore hours. Or you can play bits at a time as neither have plots that are hard to follow. I loved every second I got with both and cherished the precious moments I got between my girlfriend snatching away my 3DS. This wasn't in a bid to force me to spend quality time together, but for her to play Mario Kart 7. Time she spent swearing like a sailor at the screen and making me fear for my limited edition 3DS' life.

Shovel Knights image from SoundonSight, Plague knight image from Planet Minecraft

EuroGamer Expo London 2014

This weekend I was lucky enough to be able to attend Eurogamer Expo London 2014 (EGX). The expo is one of the biggest game shows held in the UK. At the show developers have gathered to showcase what they have in development and give gamers a chance to go hands on with the year’s releases. Whilst not as big as an American gaming convention, E3 especially, the show still excites me.

A massive thank you to my friend Lewis Bailey for allowing me to attend as his plus one. It was a great day and I really appreciated it.

There weren’t any big exclusive games announced at the event, but there were several game titles I was keen to see in action. The games I was most eager to see included: Namco Bandai’s Project Cars, Dragon Age:Inquisition, Arkham Knight and of course the much hyped Alien Isolation (which I even got a chance to go hands on with). For a full list of games I will provide a link at the end.  It was also my first opportunity to hold the Xbox One and PS4 controllers, both of which I am still unfamiliar with.

Before I begin I will admit that I personally don’t like playing demos; worse still I don’t like playing in public (video games that is, honestly your dirty minds!) Firstly, I don’t like demos as often they are lifted from the games directly. I realise this is technically a good thing; it does after all give you a very good impression of the game. But I like my new games to feel fresh and new and hate replaying a whole section. Some games demos have understood this and offered demos that are challenge maps not in the main quest line or serve as prequels to the story. By doing this not only does it save spoilers until release, but also invests me into the story so that I am eager to pick it up on release.

I hope gamers are going to start seeing the lack of real ingenuity behind the triple A game's PR campaigns. Too much glitz, without any substance, is bad for any industry.

My second peeve about playing in public is that I get very self-conscious. I am always very aware that behind me stand several others who are eager to take my place. This realisation isn’t helped when they offer ‘helpful’ remarks or whisper about my techniques. A lot of this is down to my own pig-headed nature; I like to figure things out for myself. Another issue is the queues that come before the demo, often the most hyped games have lines well over 45 minutes long and when you only get a few minutes of game time to compensate I lose enthusiasm.

By the end of the day we were 'BFFs'

For this reason what actually stole the show in many ways for me wasn’t the big hitters it was actually the indie games. Not only are there shorter queues for them, but the developers are usually on hand. They are eager to get feedback from their games and genuinely interested in your opinion. Thankfully I think the gaming industry is starting to slide towards the indie trend. At this year’s E3 big games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare failed to gain as much attention as previous years. I think gamers are starting to see that behind their PR agent led pitches lies a lack of innovation.

The games I tried out were pretty decent and I will post about them separately in other posts. I got to grips with Alien Isolation, NBA 2015, Super Exploding Zoo, Little Big Planet 3, Terra Tech, Never Alone, Cloudbuilt. I also saw a lot of gameplay due to the aforementioned fact that I enjoy watching more than playing. I will go into detail about the games in later posts as I wouldn’t be able to go into enough depth in this post.

You may notice that my Euro Gamer Expo posts are slightly one sided towards what Sony had on show. This isn’t on any biased of my part, more on the part of the show. Sony seemed to get the better space and even the event programme came with a Sony advert attached. The billboards leading from the station to Earl’s court where plastered with their promotions too.  

What I will talk about is my first experiences with the PS4 and Xbox One controllers. I will say that right now due to the exclusives the PS4 is my preferred console (after the Wii U of course). It is also partly because of how the Xbox One’s reveal was handled which left a bitter taste in my mouth. It is rather unfortunate then that after giving both a whirl that the Xbox One controller felt more natural to me.  It hasn’t really changed that much from the old Xbox 360 pad except it has put on a few pounds. The buttons all remain the same and very much easy to understand. Some might complain that the fact that it didn’t change means there is nothing new to gain, but I’m more of the opinion that it isn’t broke, so why fix it?

Luminocity had a beautiful cardboard display.

The PS4 controller on the other hand is an attempt to revolutionise the dual shock pad. Once again it has put on a bit and become squarer at the top. I wanted to test out the touchpad of course, but was somewhat disappointed. The pad is plastic in texture and feels like the back of a Kindle eBook. This made it rather too fiddly for precise control. I found the slightest movement was interpreted as a mile long stroke, which is disappointing considering how advanced touchscreens can be. Despite it’s added size the buttons don’t seemed to have benefited. They instead have become smaller and more out of reach for my fingers to find, the analogue sticks were oddly indented too. I already miss the classic start and select buttons and found myself reaching for empty space. Overall the controller felt alien to me and just rather uncomfortable.

EGX was a fantastic opportunity for me to attend and I really enjoyed seeing what is to come in the year ahead. I saw some great games, met some lovely people, bought expensive merchandise and played spot the cosplayer. It is a must attend expo for those who need to keep up with gaming and geekery.

Link to games on show can be found Here.

Link to Vlog done by The Lewis Rocks, featuring myself, can be found Here.

DLC Done Right

One of the best innovations the last generations of consoles brought to gaming was DLC. DLC, or downloadable content, is content games developer create for the game after it has been released. This gives the opportunity for the games to expand beyond their original limits in ways that were not afforded to them before. In theory it is a great development in gaming, but as any politician can tell you, theories are open to abuse.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for this abuse to occur either. The worst examples came in the form of on-disc DLC, which was content provided on the game, but locked until a pass was bought online. Capcom have become known for deploying this 'business strategy', which seeks to squeeze as much money out of the consumer as possible; they even tried to defend their action. Their defence is that by locking away content they can extend the life of the game. Giving gamers gameplay to look forward to way after release. I agree with the idea in theory, but it doesn't explain why the gamer needs to pay for these passes. After all haven't we already bought the disk and everything that is included on it?



Gamers are wise to the tactics.

DLC also gives publishers another benefit as well as being able to charge additional fees after purchase. By promising that DLC will follow they can coax the gamer into keeping the games and not trading them in. This was just another tool in publishers long standing battle against second-hand sale of games. I can see why publishers loathe second-hand games, they see none of the money that stores get from the sale of used games. But, I think a better incentive to buying a game new would be to stop increasing the price when they hit the shelves. It is no wonder that gamers will purchase a used game when the alternative, new games, come at a hefty price tag that is only seeming to increase.





However, I personally am a fan of DLC; or rather a fan of the concept. If done correctly it can breathe life into a game to keep it from going stale. A recent example of this is Mario Kart 8. Nintendo have announced two DLC packs (something quite new for a Nintendo game) that will be released later this year and early next. The packs will incluede new racers, vehicles and tracks for the game with the theme of other franchises. The first pack will include Link from Legend of Zelda and the second will have content inspired by Animal Crossing. Since the original game only had Mario characters the DLC expands the original game beyond what many, myself included, expected. Added to this is the staggering of it's release Mario Kart 8 arrived late May 2014, which means when the first DLC lands it will have been out for a while. Long enough to have allowed people to have played the game thoroughly, and if they are like me, they are eagerly anticipate a reason to hit the tarmac once more.

Luigi's deathstare should put the fear into bad DLC developers.

Not only does staggering release give people an excuse to delve back into a game they love, if they need more reason then enjoyment alone. But it also means the game isn't confusing at release. A game series I love is Mass Effect, but the third installment arrived with additional levels and characters already available. It left me slightly confused as to in what order I was supposed to play the game in. Did I download these extras first, or play the game and risk missing their mission start points if they took place during the main campaign.

DLC when used effectively can be a force for good. It breathes new life and potential into a game. Unfortunately at present I believe that there is more cases of misues than not.

But enough of my opinions. I want to hear yours. Rant, rave and recommend in the comments, I will always reply.



Luigi image from SuperLuigiBros, DLC chart from IGN comments.

What a gamer wants.

Like many gamers, I have an ever-increasing list of announcements that I want (read as need). Surprisingly, none of these is for the elusive Half Life 3; I have yet to complete Half Life 2. Also, I personally think the good people of Valve aren't quite sure what number follows two.

I thought I would post a list about what I want to see in the near future. You may not want another fan-boy wish list, but I'm going to give them to you anyway.

If by the end of this post you find yourself agreeing/disagreeing or discovering your own wishes, then please leave them in the comment section and we can banter about them there.

1. Minecraft for Wii U.                                                                                                          Just think how well the Wii U's tablet controller would lend itself to Minecraft, or for that matter Terraria. No more fiddling in inventory screens, just drag and drop, the thing touchscreens were made for.                                                                                             I'd even take a 3DS port of the pocket edition. Come on people of Nintendo and Mojang, get together; there's money to be made in this one.                                                                                    
2. Japan's Hyrule Warriors limited editions.                                                                            If you don't know about the Hyrule Warriors Treasure Box set then check out this link. I am rather envious of this limited edition, and very tempted to import it. I especially love the scarf and Tri-force alarm clock. Western special sets have yet to be announced, so I'm still holding out for a similar version to reach our shores.                                                                       
   
3. More respect for the Wii U.                                                                                               I won't rant about this one too much, for now. However, I could and have written many posts about the wasted potential of the Wii U. What annoys me isn't just the gamers who don't give it the time it deserves, developers too always seem very reluctant to give it a chance. The most recent example of this is Ubisoft, withholding a Wii U game that is ready to ship (link).                                                                                                                    
4. The end of console exclusives.                                                                                           Surely, I'm not the only one who is sick and tired of being pulled in all directions, just to play games. Why should we have to choose between missing out on exclusives, or spending money on buying multiple consoles? I know that the simple answer is to buy a PC, where the majority of games end up. But, for someone not tech savvy, PC gaming seems like a minefield.                                                                                                                          

   

   It looks cool but,
   can it play Crysis?

5. The cost.                                                                                                                          Number four leads nicely onto this one. It doesn't matter what console you pick, gaming is getting too expensive. Just a few years ago, a new release would cost about £39.99, that would only be a few days before there was some promotion making it affordable. But now, games release at around £45, and seem to hold that value. Games companies wonder why gamers buy pre-owned, it's because they are pricing themselves out of the market.

That's a few wants off my chest. I bet the moment I hit publish I will think of a dozen more.

For now, however I want to hear yours. Share them in the comments. I will reply and discuss them all, no matter how insane.

Rage image from the christian nerd, Tri-force alarm from nerdreactor, PC image from techspot.

E3 2014 - My Overview

Before I start, I’d like to issue a slight disclaimer. As mentioned in my previous E3 posts I did not go to E3 myself, and all insight I provide has come from live blogs and articles. This is not due to laziness, but living in a totally different country and not having the funds - I would love to go to E3 someday.

With that out of the way let’s take a look at my opinion on E3 2014; an event that has brought back a part of me. For the past two years I have been hesitant to call myself a gamer; I blame this in part to a rather cynical view of the console wars and the handling of the new generation. After last few years of companies showing off who has the biggest CPU, it seems we have finally got back to the games. And to be honest it’s the games that get me excited, not the boxes I play them on. So as I believe that this year focused on the games, it stands to reason that I feel a bit like my old geeky self again.

Favourite Part:

This is an easy one; my favourite part of E3 was Nintendo’s live event. Yes, it can be argued that as the Wii U is the only new gen console I own that I’m biased. But, at least I am honest about that fact. However, Nintendo’s fun and enthusiastic event couldn’t help but raise a smile in anyone who watched. It pays off too, if the creators look enthusiastic then the fans shall be as well. It’s little wonder then that Microsoft, Sony, EA and Ubisoft all seen rather procedural when their announcements can feel like a business meeting. I think this article demonstrates my point; not many executives are seen enjoying themselves so much as Shigeru Miyamoto.

To be more specific, I would say that Nintendo’s showcasing of their Amiibo concept was my highlight. I love the potential behind the idea, and as an avid collect of geeky merchandise, I can’t wait to fill my shelves with my favourite characters.

I can't help but want all of these.

Unexpectedly Impressed By:

On the other hand, I was rather impressed by both Sony’s and Microsoft’s first day conferences. Yes, they may have been a bit business like in their presentation, but they gave us a good look at some amazing games. With the competition between their machine's releases are out of the way we can finally see what they can play. In the exclusivity department I think Microsft did well; with Phantom Dust, Project Spark and Scalebound all looking rather appealing, despite not much gameplay being shown. Sony however, won in my mind with a single game, No Man's Sky - 

which if it is as it appeared, could be revolutionary. Having a genuinely new experience each time you play sounds great, and the fact that you can go from walking on land to space flight seamlessly adds a whole new level.

Disappointed by:

This one shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been keeping even a small interest in E3 -  its Ubisoft. Two reasons for this: firstly, the fact that playable female characters are not being included in two of their biggest upcoming releases co-op modes (article concerning the statement is here). Both Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Unity features co-op with multiple playable characters but with no female option provided. I find it especially odd considering how Far Cry 3 and the Assassin's Creed series have had the option before.  This has been put down to time and resource constraints, which as explanations go is more offensive than the issue itself. There is a lot wrong with Ubisoft’s decision and if I'm honest it is an issue that runs throughout the industry, it will take full blog rant to cover it – look forward to that one!

The second reason is the announcement of a game that has been developed for the Wii U. But wait, surely this is good news? Well no, because Ubisoft refuse to release the game until the Wii U sells enough consoles to justify them releasing the game (article here). This came off as being a dig at Nintendo and a bit unprofessional in my mind. Why mention the game at all? I find nothing wrong with holding back a game ,if you believe it will sell better later. But, when it concerns a sensitive issue concerning another companies product, keep the reason to yourself. 

Looking forward to:

My top three games that I am hyped for are:

• No Man’s Sky
• Mario Maker
• Dragon Age:Inquisition

I also love the idea of Project Spark, however until I see some solid gameplay footage showing the kind of games we could create I will be wary of it. The concept sounds great, but seems a bit too ambitious.


Least looking forward to:

Well the yearly additions of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield Hardline go without saying. I hate how both series release yearly with little to no new features being added. Yet, the game I dread has got to be Let it Die; which from what I’ve seen, looks like a murder simulator along the lines of Manhunt and Mad World. The only outcome of this game is yet another media outcry against video games. For once too I would agree as the game looks like violence for the sake of being violent.

Conclusion:

Overall I was impressed by this year’s E3 and came away feeling rather enthusiastic for being a gamer again.

What did you think? Let me know in the comment section.


E3 logo from Arkhamverse, Amiibo image from Nintendo, Assassin's creed image from Rkbwrites, Shigeru Miyamoto image from paper architect blog

Nintendo's E3 Live Digital Event

Yesterday evening, at some point between the hours of four and five pm GMT, something changed within me. Or, to be more specific, something was rekindled. I am referring to the time at which Nintendo were conducting their live digital event, an event which made me proud to own a Wii U.  I hoped Nintendo would ease any doubts I have been having as an early buyer of the Wii U, and thankfully they delivered.

Even before the live broadcast, details of three titles currently in development began to emerge. All three were described as utilising the gamepad in new ways. The titles include a Star Fox game too, and even though I'm not a fan of the space mammal I know he is a popular character and sure to get people interested in the Wii U. The other two projects are currently known as Project Giant Robot (a fighting game where you pilot a giant robot), and Project Gaurd (a tower defence game). Little else is known about them yet, apart from that the gamepad will be used as some form of first person viewpoint. For instance, in Star Fox and Project Giant Robot the pad will give the view of a cockpit, whilst the TV screen will show the outside world. I hope that more games will incorporate the pad in such ways as this will prove it to be more than a gimmick.

The digital event itself started with a Super Smash Bros. style mock fight between Global Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata, and Nintendo America President, Reggie Fils-Amie. This fun opener stands in stark contrast with Sony's and Microsoft's very business-like approaches, and highlights Nintendo's continuing focus on fun. They went on to demonstrate Super Smash Bros Wii U, which of course looked awesome due to the new features shown. These include allowing the use of your Mii as a fighter and Nintendo's newest concept, Amiibos. These are basically Nintendo's own version of the popular Skylanders and Disney Infinity games, the concept being that physical figurines can be used as characters in the game's world. Nintendo promises each figurine will be able to develop their own stats and playing style, like a memory card. I love the idea of this, although I'm not sure my wallet will. As someone who has been already taken in by the aforementioned examples, I can see myself having the urge to collect them. Especially if they all look as good as the Mario they showcased:

The Amiibo designs are looking good!

When two whole new Legend of Zelda games were shown my excitement almost killed me. One of them, Hyrule Warriors, I had already heard of and I relish the combination of Zelda with Dynasty Warriors. The footage shown looked epic, displaying not only co-op play but also multiple playable characters from previous games - like Midna, a firm favourite of mine. I especially love the cool looking mega attacks and got a bit too thrilled by Ganon's giggle at the end. The second title (not yet named) is described as an open world Legend of Zelda; something seen only in a limited sense in the series before. The trailer shown was visually stunning, with a beautiful Hyrule vista followed by a lush forest. If the finished product is like this I imagine it as being similar to Skyrim. Something I have always wished to see, clearly shown by how my RPG characters are almost always named Link. No date was given for the second game, but Hyrule Warriors could well be in my hands by September and I can't wait.

There was also some typical cute looking Nintendo games. Games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. The trailer looked cool, very reminiscent of puzzle games like Fez. Yoshi, too, is getting a new title - Yoshi's Wooley World (A successor of sorts to Kirby's Epic Yarn). Whilst looking fun and unbelievably cute, I doubt I'll be interested as I havent been a fan of previous Yoshi games. Kirby himself is coming back in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. It looks good but, as I have never played a Kirby game before, I can't form a strong opinion. But I like the clay art style so may keep my eye on it.

With so many enemies on screen at once in Hyrule Warrior I'm going to need a co-op buddy!

As many already know Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire are being remade, and initially I was skeptical as to why. It seems, on the other hand, that these are not just straight remakes. The inclusion of mega evolutions in the battles as well as the story suggests more than just superficial tweeking.

Bayonetta 2 looked good, and I like the fact they are including the Bayonetta 1 on the disc too as the first never had a Nintendo release. Looking as mad and quick paced as the original, it is a great example of a more hardcore game coming to the console that many dismiss as being only for families or children. Another hardcore title, The Devil's Third, will be released exclusively on Wii U as well, further disproving that the Wii U is just for casual gamers. From what little footage I have seen showed it to be quite dark and bloody. Finally, Xenoblade Chronicles X continues to uphold the Wii U's serious side. The trailer gave glimpses of an epic and heartbreaking story that makes me want to complete the first game.

One of my personal highlights was Mario Maker, a game where we will be able to create our own Mario levels. It reminded me a bit of Wario Ware D.I.Y. mixed with Little Big Planet. I can see it being fun and addictive, although I'm not sure my imagination is up to the job!

One citisism of Nintendo is their over-reliance on already established characters; looking back at my previous points in this post show this. Yet, the game Splatoon displayed that new concepts are coming as well. This one looks very odd - take the gameplay of Team Fortress, mix in a few painting puzzles from Portal 2 and then add the ability to turn into a squid... Yes, this game looks very odd indeed. It is essentially an online, team-based shooter, however as I am not a big online multiplayer fan I don't know how interested I am in this. If it is released with a split-screen option or single player I will definitely buy as it looks really fun.

In one word...
 hectic.

Nintendo's live digital event left me excited beyond belief, as you may be able to tell. I finished watching feeling nostalgia for the Gamecube era of my life, a time when I was proud to be a gamer, when every new game seemed innovative. I truly believe that Nintendo have proved that the Wii U has some serious potential, but in all honesty I didn't need much persuading.

I'd just like to finish by saying that I hope I haven't missed too much from E3 so far. There are a lot of games being showcased and I am aware of some I have overlooked. Feel free to ask my opinion on any game below in the comments.

What's your opinion on E3 so far? Are you as impressed by Nintendo as myself?


Amiibo image from Videogamer, Hyrule Warrior image from Zelda Universe, Splatoon image from news.geliyoo

E3 Day One

Today's post is going to be a brief summary of what I thought about some of the announcements made at E3 on day one.

Microsoft

The first day of E3 2014 kicked off yesterday with Microsoft's press conference, and I've got to admit they impressed me. Which is a hard thing to type, considering my current feelings towards the company after the last few years. However their slot didn't start off this way, as they opened with a trailer for the newest Call of Duty. I use the word 'newest' in the loosest possible terms here. The only change appeared to be that they had managed to slip in a celebrity cameo, (Kevin Spacey) in amongst all of the explosions. As the show progressed, I saw some games that did peak my interest and I will give a brief summary of them in this post.

After Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, they showed Forza Horizon 2, not much has changed since the first one; but it is hard to innovate on a racing game apart from better graphics. They were keen to mention the addition of what they called 'dynamic weather' (what I presume means wet surfaces will affect your driving etc.); as I enjoyed the first Forza Horizon I will keep an eye on the sequel.

Kevin Spacey looking rather plastic.

Next came Valve's Evolve, which looks like a cross between Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead and Borderlands. Considering it is a Valve game and they rarely put a foot wrong in my opinion; means this is definitely of interest to me.

What isn't of interest to me is Assassin's Creed: Unity but this is mainly due to how disappointed number three made me. The inclusion of co-op does little to appease this. Similarly my feelings towards the announcement of Crackdown 3 and based on how the first had failed to hook me and the sequal passed me by in the same way I wasn't very impressed.

Project Spark stood out to me however, by suggesting it would allow gamers to create and share games of their own creation. On the face of it this sounds amazing. However I fear it is rather over ambitious idea; and the fact that most of what was shown was little more than a CGI movie did little to abate these fears. I will reserve my excitement for this game when actual game play is shown. The same for both Scalebound and Phantom Dust, games which had no actual game play footage, so whilst looking rather cool and stylish I can't really make a judgement on whether I think they will be any good.

I love that Conker the Squirrel will finally return through Project Spark,
but can't help but wish he would get his own game again.

My highlight of Microsoft's conference was the trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition, it showcased a return to Dragon Age: Origin's focus on beautiful open landscapes and an epic story line. The trailer left me feeling excited for its release and worried about the state of Fereldon (the world it is set in). I can't wait to get my hands on it, and experience the conclusion to the trilogies story.

Overall Microsoft did impress me, with their focus returning back to the games. I did notice a certain lack of Kinect related games and with the announcement of a Kinectless Xbox One package, suggests that perhaps they have finally stopped trying to push what many gamers like myself don't want.

EA

EA's press conference seemed to focus a lot on their sporting games, the Sims 4 and of course Battlefield 5. None of these really peak my interest. They gave some very bare details about both Mass effect 4 and Star Wars Battlefront, two of their games I had hoped to hear about. However, they seem to be a long way off and still very much in development. I do like that they emphasized Mass Effect 4's story which will feature new characters and locations; so at least fears of them trying to rehash Shephard's story from the original trilogy are eased for now.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft did little to enthuse me, but considering a large part of their efforts centered around Assassins Creed: Unity this is of little wonder as to why. Their trailer for The Division was cited as the highlight of their presentation, this looked a lot like a combination of The Last of Us and Homefront. It didn't look bad but with no gameplay shown it is hard to judge as I have mentioned earlier. They gave us a good look at Pagan Min, the lead bad guy in Far Cry 4, as I enjoyed the last game  I looked forward to this one. However the new villain feels very similar to Vaas, Far Cry 3's insane bad guy. Whilst Vaas was what made the game enjoyable I don't believe copying the character is a good way to go, after all if I wanted to see him again I'd just replay it. Still it isn't often a game will allow me to ride war elephant, so my interest has been caught somewhat. Lastly racing simulator The Crew suffers the same problem as Forza Horizon 2, that it looks like any other modern racer with little innovation apart from a shinier setting.

Pagan Min looking both stylish and insane!

However, any good feelings I could have had towards Ubisoft was lost when they made a statement concerning a yet to be released Wii U exclusive. A game that whilst complete, they refuse to release until the Wii U sells more consoles. They justify this action as they need to make the marketing financially viable, to me this just sounds petty and downright dirty. I understand that they need to ensure that a game will be able to at least break even and that sometimes this means being tactical in its release. But then why tease a game with minimal details and say it won't be released until a console sells better. To me this just seemed like a bit of a dig towards the Wii U and a bit unprofessional.

Sony

The last presentation of the night came from Sony and I have rather mixed feelings towards this one. It did not look good at first, as they opened with a trailer for Bungie's newest game Destiny. It looked a lot like a mix of Halo and Mass Effect, which whilst should sound good I think I'd rather see something that looks innovative. This feeling wasn't helped by the trailer for Uncharted 4 which showed Drake once more at a seemingly low point of a new expedition. It repeated the line 'one last time' a few times which I found ironic considering I believe that Uncharted 3 should be the end of the series. Then there is Little Big Planet 3, which also looked rather the same as past iterations; except with the introduction of three new characters. I admit that I do like how it will be backwards compatible with levels created from the first two, and that the new guys do indeed look cute.

What wasn't cute was the trailer for Dead Island 2, which I can assume was meant to be a funny look at the beginning stages of yet another zombie apocalypse. Instead it just looked gross and rather samey. Considering how I quickly grew bored of the first Dead Island I doubt I'll show much interest here. The gore only got worse with Let it Die a game that from the trailer looks like disemboweling people in the most vicious ways possible. The only thing I can see resulting from this one is yet more fodder for the media's hate towards Video games. I honestly felt ill watching this one and can't imagine myself going near it.

Then there was some great looking concepts that emerged. For instance, The Order: 1886 the upcoming Sony exclusive steampunk game, which from the trailer seemed now to be taking a survival horror approach. It showed a man walking the dark corridors of an asylum before taking on what I believe to be a werewolf. Werewolves themselves don't appear much in games so that is a different idea at least. Also looking rather different was Abzu, an underwater exploration game from the makers of Journey. This looked visually beautiful although I can't imagine it will have much storyline which is something I always want in a game.

Let it Die looks too grim and gore related for me

My two biggest highlights were the announcement of No Mans Sky and the remastering of Grim Fandango. The first from the trailers looks amazing; as we were shown game play footage of both planet exploration (with dinosaurs) followed by hoping in a spacecraft and flying through space. They seemed to suggest that the game would be different for every player with the the world being 'procedural generated'. This means to me that the game creates itself as you play, which if it becomes a reality is an awesome concept. The second whilst being the most removed you can get from a new idea still interests me. As Grim Fandango is a game I have always wanted to try, so now seems to a good time to.

Sony's presentation left me feeling rather mixed, they showed some games that didn't interest me, some that really interested me and the one that made me feel ill. However, I still think that between the PS4 and Xbox One I would buy a PS4 first. This isn't really as a result of E3 so far; as Microsoft impressed me this year more than Sony. Instead my choice comes from the exclusives already out for PS4 Although on principle I hate the idea of exclusives they do clearly have an impact.

I'm still holding out for Nintendo's digital event and really hope they give me something good, especially after the Ubisoft statement.

What have you seen that has interested you? I want to  know below!

Kevin Spacey image from the verge, Project Spark image from gameinformer, Pagan Min image from gamepur, Let it Die image from gamereactor,