My Personal Top 10 Games

I'll admit it. When I was a kid I loved playing video games.....a lot. However, as many of us do, life changes us and we often are forced to forget who we are. You'll look at my top 10 and wonder where the N64, Game Cube, PS1, and PS2 are. Well, besides the PS2, I didn't own any of those systems. So yes. There are holes in my top 10. And that's ok. So without further explanation, here's my personal top 10 all time games. Don't hate. 

1. Earthbound (SNES)

2. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)

3. Mega Man II (NES)

4. Assassins Creed II (PS3)

5. Arkham City (PS3)

6. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

7. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

8. Mario Kart (SNES)

9. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

10. Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

Shoot me a tweet if you'd like to discuss these. 

P.S. I typed all this on my iPod touch. So if there are any errors, I blame it on that. 

Where The Heck Have I Been?

I would like to apologize to those who do read this small, futile blog. Yes I've been quite busy saving the world from Gygas since EarthBound has finally been released on VC for the Wii U. I know every now and then I do post a thought or two and here recently I haven't. I've been extremely busy lately. I have a new job! I'm a US History teacher here in South Texas. Since I'm on an Alternative Certification route, it takes a TON of time. When I'm not teaching, I'm planning lessons. When I'm not teaching or planning lessons, I am in some type of training workshop or webinar. Coming into this I knew it would take up a ton of my time..... that still doesn't make it very fun. But it's quite nice. I enjoy it. We have legit health, life, and dental insurance. Also, once a week my wife and I go to a nice restaurant to eat. So there are definitely more pros than cons. It's just time consuming. Because of that, my gaming time has been reduced significantly. I wouldn't worry too much about that though. Once I get into a rhythm and most of these workshops get completed, I'll be able to get into it more. I have been playing a bit of Rayman Legends on the Wii U. I don't know how different it is on PS3 or Xbox, but if you have a Wii U, get it on Wii U. The gamepad makes it play so much smoother.

The music levels are such a sweet reward for battling through the levels and the enemies are funny and original. It's a great game and a must have if you're into side scrolling fun.

On the horizon for me is the hard copy of Wind Waker HD. I'm really looking forward to that title. Also, for the PS3, I'll be getting Arkham Origins. I'm really hoping that this title will build off of the success of the previous Arkham titles.

I am also happy to report that I've successfully completed my PS4 budget. I don't know if I'll get it on launch day, but definitely launch window. Knack looks pretty cool. Now that I have the money for the system put back, I can start seriously looking into some games to get for the launch window.

Well there you have it. I just wanted to check in while I had a minute or two. I hope everyone that reads this little blog is doing well. I'll try and blog a little more as the year progresses. I'm still adjusting to the life of a teacher. It's going to take time. As always, thanks so much for dropping by!

Earthbound - Nintendo Should Have Done More

Earthbound is FINALLY out on the Virtual Console. I played it yesterday for over 7 hours in two sittings. (breaking occasionally for Miiverse posts) All is well right now. The Wii U is actually being turned on. There's a game that takes more than 4 hours to complete. (Or as I call it a Quality Game) People on Miiverse actually have a happier tone. But here's my only problem - Nintendo of America could have made this a bigger deal.

I'm more than happy to be back in Onett with Ness, but something was missing...

I don't know if their hands were tied behind their backs from HQ in Japan, but there should have been more pomp and circumstance with this release. I was reading yesterday, forgive me for forgetting the source, someone said something to the gist of, "Gamers love teasers. Sony and Xbox are notorious for giving teasers of a teaser." Let's be 100% honest here. As of this writing, Earthbound is the best game available for the Wii U. It was published June 5th, 1995, 18 years ago for North America. I thought Wii U was supposed to offer more than a SNES title being the best game in its library. So my question is, why surprise us out of the blue when you could have made a statement? This has been the most sought after VC title for years. It deserved.....something.....anything.....

I'm not saying that it is something to center an E3 stage around or anything, but I am saying there should have been teasers, a launch party somewhere, and some fan collector items. (i.e. Banpresto figures, Hard Copy republication of the manual) Instead they just posted a video on YouTube and there it was on the eShop.

You would have to put down around $200 on eBay for these that were won in crane game machines in Japan

Whenever the Wii hit Nintendo was everywhere. I remember the commercials, "Wii would like to play." That was awesome stuff! People saw their product and were curious to what it could do. It flew off the shelves. Right now, and I can only really speak for Nintendo of America, whoever is head of advertising needs to get their butt off YouTube and back on the Television. I would like to see either a serious shift in their advertising or someone getting relieved of their duties. I love Nintendo, but I don't care much to watch Reggie stumble through a Nintendo direct. Tell me what you have to offer in a 30 second commercial....spark my interest and curiosity. Other than those who fanatically keep up with the gaming industry, people simply don't know what's going on. I remember a few weeks after Nintendo announced Earthbound's VC release there were people on facebook who kept saying, "Release Earthbound on VC." It wasn't a joke. They were serious. Nintendo failed to reach them.

My little rant is a little heavy, I know. The fact of the matter is we as fans deserve better from Nintendo. Earthbound alone deserved better. The Earthbound community deserved better. Simply put - Nintendo deserves better. The problem is, they don't seem to either notice or care.

There Are Actual Games on the Horizon for Wii U

Don't panic! Don't adjust your screen or handheld device. There are actual Wii U games that I'm interested in picking up on the horizon. I was browsing through the Nintendo eShop today and noticed some interesting titles coming up for the Wii U. Here's my personal list in no particular order:

You've got to be kidding me. This game looks amazing.

1. Pikmin 3
We all know this game was the crown jewel of the "release window" games for the Wii U. Simply put, this game should've been in my games library already. I'll forgive Nintendo for the delay if this game is a good as it looks. This will be my first Pikmin adventure. The game looks amazing and I'm going to get this launch week if not launch day.

2. Sonic Lost World
The visuals kind of remind me of Mario Galaxy. I'm willing to take a risk on Sonic. I haven't owned a Sonic game since the Sega Genesis days. However, while I'm willing to take the risk, I'm going to wait to see what the reviews on this game are before I pull the trigger.

3. Mario 3D World
I'm still a little bummed that this game isn't a Galaxy or Sunshine styled game. It's too 3DS-ish for my tastes. Also, this game seems to be centered around multi-player. This could detract from the disk space and depth that the Galaxy games went into. As mentioned before though, I'm getting this title in spite of the cons.

4. Wind Waker
Simply put, it's Legend of Zelda. I'm getting it.

5. Mario Kart 8
This game is further down the horizon, but Mario Kart is a safe bet. Some days when you just want something fun to play without getting too involved with it, a spin down the track almost never disappoints.

6. Luigi U (DLC)
I'm going to get the physical copy of this. There has been decent buzz about this title. I'll get it eventually.

7. Rayman
I'm going to get this on the Wii U instead of the PS3. I was super mad that they delayed this game for the other consoles. I still am peeved because, like Pikmin, this should've already been on my self. As stubborn as I may be though, I'll purchase this game if the reviews are as good as the demos were.

8. DuckTales HD
I remember renting this game on several occasions as a kid. It's very true that they don't make them like they used to, but no one said you couldn't improve the graphics!!

9. Smash Bros
I'm still unconvinced on this one. I enjoyed Brawl for the Wii. In all honesty though, if Ness isn't a playable character on this, I won't be getting it. Megaman sure is tempting though. Time will tell.

10. Earthbound (VC)
No explanation needed

There you have it! It's a simple list. These are simple observations. It sure is refreshing to look toward the near future and say to myself, "I could see myself getting that game for the Wii U." The other games that will be released on Wii U (such as AC4 and Arkham Origins) will probably be bought for the PS3. Nintendo has a long way to go before they convince me it's worth my while with some of the "blockbuster" third party titles. Anyways, Thanks for reading!

Ten Reasons I Did Not and Will Not Sell My Wii U

The Wii U is awful. The Wii U has obsolete technology. I didn't think it was physically possible, but the Wii U sucks and blows. We've all heard it. The criticism does have a little merit too. I have owned the Wii U since 8:05am on November 18, 2012. I was super excited to get it. I was ready to play Nintendo Land and Mario U. Since then, however, I've only purchased 2 other games. That's a slow start for a system that's been alive for 7 months. So why didn't I just sell the thing off and focus on the PS3 and upcoming PS4? I'll tell you why. I'll give you 10 reasons why.

Reason #1 - First Party Games
I was given the original Wii for Christmas of 2010. Just two years from its predecessor's release. I found out that there were tons of games out there for the system and that there was plenty to choose from. Something began to click though, of the 14 games I own for the Wii, only 3 of them are 3rd party. Nintendo knows games. They usually don't put out garbage, except for some Pokemon titles. Not only that, but the replayability is HUGE. Comparing apples to apples, Wii games vs PS3 games, the replayability of the Wii games outnumber the PS3 games 2 to 1. I understand that Nintendo must take time to push out quality titles. Therefore I was prepared to wait for them. I mean, who buys a Nintendo system to play Assassin's Creed? Then again, I'm a big proponent of having a Nintendo system and one of the other big 3 to round things out.

Reason #2 - Backward Compatibility
This is something Nintendo can boast over the other two competing companies. Their system will, and does play Wii games. As a matter of fact, this reason was the deciding point for me to go ahead and become a first day buyer. As I mentioned before this is one of the very few weaknesses of the PS4 and one of the one million weaknesses for the Xbox. I think Nintendo should promote this fact alone much stronger. Who knows, it might push a few consoles.

I couldn't revisit my old friends without backwards compatibility

Reason #3 - Earthbound
The fact that Earthbound is coming out on the VC has and will sell consoles. As kids often do, old consoles and games get lent out or flat out taken or trashed without even realizing that one day you will regret it. If I wasn't a Wii U owner, I would've bought one on this fact alone. I am also very interested to see this new generation of young gamers out there get introduced to such a great old school game.

Reason #4 - The Virtual Console
For reasons mentioned above in #3 it's nice to be able to play some of those old games on the Wii U. When dodging Piston Honda in Punch Out (now without Mike Tyson) it always brings me back to a safer time.

Reason #5 - Off TV Play
This was a genius idea brought forth by Nintendo. The only problem with it is that no one really can understand it unless you actually go to Best Buy or somewhere else and see for yourself. Once you have it, you'll find yourself using it more and more. I mean come on, you can continue your game while the others in the house watch TV.....simply genius and very underrated.

Reason #6 - Miiverse
I wrote an article on the now defunct Bowser's Blog (currently Gaikoku Gamers) about Miiverse. It is quite an interesting part of the gaming experience. Immediately upon starting up your Wii U system you'll be introduced to Miiverse and some of the coolness (forgive the colloquial term) it brings to the table. You can ask for help, brag to your friends or complete strangers, or just carry on conversations with different people from around the world. Aside from dealing with the overbearing omnipresent Miiverse Police, it is one of the best innovations in the gaming world to date.

Reason #7 - The Nostalgia of the Nintendo World
I was introduced to Nintendo in 1989 when my oldest brother got a NES for Christmas. There's always something about Nintendo that any old school gamer loves. It's the memories of our childhood days. It's the frustration of extremely hard games like Ghosts n Goblins and boxing against Mike Tyson in Punch Out. I still remember the code to get to fight Tyson 007-373-5963 and the Contra Code (which is used in Wreck It Ralph by the way). I remember being in awe of the backgrounds on the SNES. There's something about Nintendo. There's something about Mario, Yoshi, Kirby, Link and Zelda. They are old friends who are always welcome in our houses. We trust them and they can only be found in one place.

Reason #8 - Trust in Nintendo
I've already mentioned this before, but this is a different aspect of the first reason. You can always count on Nintendo to give you great games and high replayability. Nothing feels worse than reading rave reviews about a game, then dropping down 60 bucks to get it, then finding out that it isn't one that fits your style. Instead of doing the whole eBay/Gamestop buying trading selling stuff, we know that we will not only like the games they bring to us, we know we'll want to play them over and over. That's trust my friend.

Reason #9 - It Is NOT an Xbox
Backwards compatible, No need for online connectivity, when you buy the games it is considered your property (trade, sell, lend), and no spying through a camera. The Wii U might not make sense to the "true next-gen" gamers, but right now it makes more sense than throwing down 500 bucks + tax for the Xbox one....or three....or whatever.

Reason #10 - It Is Already Purchased
This is a weak reason, that's why it's last. But the money I dropped for the Wii U is gone. I don't feel like getting a percentage of what I paid for it in November. The money is gone. I researched my purchase beforehand, and quite frankly, besides the delays of Pikmin and Rayman, I expected what most are complaining about.

Well there you have it. Some reasons better than others, I'll admit. Maybe some of you agree with me, while others either passed on the Wii U or sold yours because of some of the very reasons why I kept it. I'd love to hear from you if you agree or disagree. Thanks for reading.

Obligatory E3 Post - The PS4 domination

I was out of the US last week and so I was unable to watch the E3 conference like I did last year. So I had to check it out whenever I got home yesterday. I'll be honest, I've already decided I'll never get the Xbox One. I don't know what the heck they were thinking. Me, used games, and eBay go together like the ice cream, cone, and chocolate of a Dairy Queen dipcone. When you remove that option for me, I'll remove the option of you from my pocket book. So I'll just talk about the two that I do and will own - PS4 and Wii U.

Wii U
I'll be honest. I love Nintendo. I really love Nintendo. The nostalgia of Nintendo and the childhood memories of safer times puts Nintendo in a very special place in my heart. No matter how behind Nintendo is with their technology, I'll always have space on my "media center" for Nintendo. That being said, I'll be honest again. I didn't watch their Nintendo Directs. I don't plan to watch them either. Instead I just watched a 10 minute recap of their E3 Directs. I didn't want to spend a few hours with Reggie stumbling through these.

Please tell me this is funner than it looks

Mario Kart 8 looks to be a solid title. They didn't reinvent the wheel, but at the same time, they've added new ways to play the game. It will be an addition to my game library whenever it comes out. Super Mario 3D World was a little disappointing. It seriously looks like the 3DS game that was lazily converted to HD. I don't really care about multi-player. Wow! It's cat Mario - Big deal..... The thing that really disappoints me about this game is the time clock. The thing that made Super Mario Galaxy so awesome was you could enjoy the game without any time restrictions. I'd much rather have a Galaxy 3 instead of this game. However, no matter how disappointing this may be on the surface, you can always count on Mario to give you a fun game. It will be added to my library. As far as Pikmin 3 goes, that should've been on my shelf in April this year. It'll find its way on my shelf when it does come out this year. They had other games, but I'll keep this short. Notably absent was any word on the Earthbound VC release. They could've taken the ball and ran with it and done something special for us. I imagine something might could happen on the horizon for Earthbound's release. We'll see. Also, a Wii U Zelda teaser was absent. They did mention it in interviews talking about the art style of it. I hope they don't get too radical. I've become quite attached to the current version of the characters.

PS4

She's a beauty

I watched the E3 conference from Sony on my PS Vita last night. All I can say is they simply and decidedly won E3. Not only did they win it, they stepped on the competition's throats and didn't lift their foot until they stopped squirming. They did with me exactly what they wanted to achieve whenever they stepped on the stage that night - they are convincing me to buying their system early. The more I hear about the PS4 the more I can see myself being a launch window (not necessarily launch day) owner. I've been trying to fight it, but I must admit, the battle is growing more and more futile. The games look great. The system isn't an ugly clunky piece of.....something. The price is spot-on for me. Their exclusives are 20 times better than those from Xbox. The only thing is, I wish they had game disk backward compatibility though. I've got about 400 bucks in games on the PS3. I don't want to eBay them off or trade them in to Gamestop for 6 bucks a piece. They do have the cloud thing, but I'm sure that comes for a nominal fee.

I really can appreciate Sony staring the competition in the face and reassuring the paying customer everything that Microsoft is doing wrong, Sony is going to do it right.

Whether you're a Nintendo, Sony or even an Xbox person there's one thing you can be sure of - This generation will not be the last. I look forward to the future. I look forward to getting lost in the games. After all, that's what this needs to be about. And that's exactly what each of these companies focused on during E3. Thanks for reading.

PS Cross Play - Where Have You Been My Whole Life?!?!

Coolness at its best

The gaming world, at least those who really keep up with it, will be overflowing with news and excitement as E3 will be going on this week. I for one will be out of the country this coming week, and since there will be 1,000 other blogs and sites out there giving the news, I will sit back and absorb it all. But before I go, I wanted to shoot out this quick observance to you good readers.

I recently bought an interesting game by the name of Guacamelee. I'm not going to get too much into it other than it is quite fun and very challenging. But one thing that really caught my attention was that whenever you purchase the game you are allowed 2 PS3 console downloads and 2 Vita console downloads with Cross Play capability. I'm not one who will spend 60 bucks on the PS3 version then put out another 40 for the Vita so I can continue my baseball game (or whatever). For me, you either include the Vita version as part of the package or I'll skip out on the extra feature. Anyways, I digress.

Let me tell you, Cross Play delivered. All you have to do is upload your save game data to the cloud and once you get started on the other console, you're ready to continue your game. How awesome is that? I knew about this technology and didn't quite understand why someone would throw down 100 bucks for 2 versions of these games, but I can see that if you're one of those intense hardcore gamers with a really good paycheck, how that would be an extra perk.

The future is bright for the Vita especially with Sony requiring off TV play for their games on the upcoming PS4. I think that with the Wii U going with the tablet controller, that Sony was happy to know their consoles were capable of achieving the same thing.

I'll definitely be looking for other Cross Play options. There's nothing like being able to play a game on the TV then know that when you're on the go, or if you simply want to kick back in the bed and play, that you'll have absolutely no problem doing so. If you have a Vita and PS3, I would recommend you download Guacamelee and give it a try.