themblan's blog

According to Polygon.com , eBay said it sold an NES Classic console every 18 seconds on launch-day. If there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day, that means that there are 86,400 seconds in a day. Then we need to find the ratio between total seconds and the rate at which NES Classic Editions were sold (60 divided by 18 = 3.3 repeating). 86,400 divided by 3.3 repeating = 25,920. There were 25,920 NES Classic Editions sold, on ebay , on launch-day . There were a total of 196,000 sold total in the US. That's 13.2% of the entire total successfully scalped on ebay on day-one . That's a damn travesty. I would not be surprised if the scalping-rate was as high as 99%.

A lot of people fear for the battery-life, and if Laura Kate Dale is correct, it will last about 3 hours. This is not very good, but it's good enough, because NS will not be used very much as an on-the-go portable device. I heard about a survey and it was found that most people played their mobile games at home. Applying this to NS, its portability will be useful for when people have to concede the television, and for playing in bed. Everyone will appreciate the portability of this device, but mostly inside their homes. So it doesn't really matter that it only has 3 hours of battery-life. If you're at home anyway, you'll be able to play and charge it without the dock. It's how Wii U's off-TV functionality should have been.

On paper, multiplatform gaming is the best. You have access to any game you desire; you're not limited by the platform you own because you own them all. In practice, however, I see flaws. Fanchildism is also not necessarily a foolish way to game. Most multiplatform gamers only play the biggest releases. There is no shortage of hype when you own Wii U, PS4, Xbox One, and PC, so you will be naturally drawn to the games with the most hype. You will be drawn to the Uncharted 4s, Gears of War 4s, and Titanfall 2s of the world, instead of exploring the catacombs of a platform's library. If you did the latter, you would be treated to a greater variety of games instead of AAA games that all try to attract the same gamer with high production-values and cinematic storytelling. Being a fanchild of a company or platform is often looked down upon, but I do not necessarily agree that being a fanchild is foolish. I have been on both sides of the fence. There have been times in my life w...

Although Teal Swan, the Spiritual Catalyst says there's nothing wrong with desire, I've always thought that desire was one of the prime sources of suffering. Unless you receive that which you desire so much, you will suffer. Also, even if you receive that which you have desired, it is highly likely that you will desire something anew and repeat this cycle of suffering. How does this relate to Nintendo Switch? Many of us in #TeamAMD suffered because we wanted a powerful, dedicated home-console, but we instead got a hybrid that was a compromise between portable and home-console. Throughout the lifespan of Wii U, I wanted AAA third-party support on-par with what Microsoft and Sony got. As a Nintendo-fan, I still remember when Nintendo was proud and tried to compete. I want that Nintendo to come back. Now, I feel like they are cowering with their tails between their legs, and not being the men and women they could truly be, content on being a niche company. I do not predict N...

As a diehard Wii U gamer, it was sad to see the reveal of the Nintendo Switch because I knew the graphical jump from Wii U to NS would be small at best. As a gamer throughout the years, I have enjoyed new consoles because of its new games, but also the graphical leap that came with them. With NS, I won't get that sense of awe like I did when I first played Mario Kart 8 (maybe I'll get it with NS2). This is more like the leap from Gamecube to Wii, where Wii was just an overclocked Gamecube. The NS isn't an overclocked Wii U, but as far as results are concerned, it might as well be. How should the dedicated, diehard Wii U gamer cope with NS? Treat NS as an extension of the lifespan of Wii U. Essentially, treat NS like it's the same thing as Wii U and it's just increasing its lifespan. As a result, Wii U's lifespan starts at 2012 but now ends when NS's lifespan ends. We are not getting the next-gen hardware we deserve, but that's okay, because Wii U's...

Yesterday I completed my second full computer-build. I say "full" computer-build because two and half years ago, I transplanted my Phenom II X4 965 Black build into a new chassis and upgraded its cooler, video-card, and added a RAM-stick. So that was technically half a build. This was my second "full" build. I did not need a new computer. My old one works fine. It may be a little loud with five fans and a water-pump, but it's functionally great. The reason I decided to make a new build was that the white Corsair Graphite 380T was starting to sell out in stores like Newegg and Amazon. This is still the most gorgeous case I have ever seen. I always wanted to build in it, but I had already built a system recently, so I did not pull the trigger on a purchase. Upon realization that Corsair may never manufacture these cases again, I had to order one directly from Corsair, which took about a week to get here from California. Here is the beauty in a stock-photo: In...

@brfp26 no release date, we're playing it by ear and will try to announce details when we can — AssaultAndroidCactus (@AndroidCactus) August 21, 2016 Ugh. This bummed me out. Right now, they are actively developing the Vita-version. They'd rather support the Vita than the Wii U. That's incredibly sad. "We're playing it by ear," indicates that they are thinking about a Wii U version, but not really committed to it at all, even after the Vita-version is done. At best, we will get a version on NX.

I know Nintendo was channeling Apple when they came up with the Wii name, and they were hoping that cashing in on the success of the name would translate into success for Wii U. The reason why this backfired is that Wii was a fad, whereas iPhone and the whole "i" brand was alive and strong. Apple's "i" devices are used on an daily basis, whether it's with their smartphones on the go, or tablets at home. Wiis were not used on such a daily basis by the time the Wii U launched. They could have averted some of this failure by calling it Wii 2, but of course, that would have made too much logical sense.

Two mantras I have developed over the last few years is It's not too late, and You/I don't have to I mostly apply these mantras to the practice of eating. It's never too late to stop eating something. Just because you started eating a whole box of junk and you're almost done, doesn't mean you can not stop. It's never too late to stop. For the second mantra, I have another example. Today I was eating and I felt full, but there was only one piece of food left, and some part of me just wanted to finish it for some reason, but I thought to myself, "You don't have to."

This is a response to: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/4zaqy0/whats_with_the_obsession_of_wanting_the_nx_to_be/ The first reaction I had to the title was, "Who actually wants NX to be 'the best'?" Not me. To be the best would be too costly and most people wouldn't buy it, or so I think, because of the price-tag. Look at gaming-PCs. Most people play graphically-unintensive games like LoL and CS:GO. Why? Because the computers that can run those games are more affordable. One of the most prevalent things I noticed was how the writer presented everything as his or her predilections, and that's exactly what they are: just his or her own, personal predilections. Nintendo can't design the NX just for him or her. These are the main reasons why I believe PS4  succeeded: It was the most powerful console. The whole "PC Master Race" meme began cropping up on the internet, making console-gamers very insecure. They wanted to feel better a...

This is a response to http://kotaku.com/the-guy-with-the-lowest-possible-rank-in-overwatch-1785662123   I really enjoyed this article. It was funny and it reminded me of how I would stress about the Arena in WoW: BC. Well, back then, it was just about getting items. Doing well wasn't directly tied to feeling good about myself, but if I got nice items, I would feel better about myself . S o I guess I stand corrected; in fact, doing well in Arenas was indirectly inspired by a desire to feel better about myself. My favorite game of the generation is Splatoon. It has a Ranked Mode, but I stopped at A- (C- to S+). I see a lot of people incorporating their Rank into their self-esteem, self-worth, and in effect, it affects how they view others as well. If someone is a lesser Rank than him or her, he or she will feel less respect toward the one with lesser Rank. Also, because there are not too many things to distinctly "accomplish" in Splatoon, many players feel the need...

This is the newest grammar-epidemic that has been spreading like wildfire in the internet. People think that "lead" is the past tense of "lead," when it is in fact "led." It's reasonable to believe so, because "read" (pronounced red) is the past tense of "read" (pronounced reed) but if there's one thing that's true of English, it's that logic does not apply. There's also the metal called lead (pronounced led).

Lately, I've been hooked on retro games. I've beaten Mega Man 4 through 7 and X, and today I beat Final Fight, which, by the way, is one hella arcade-cheap, quarter-swallowing, beat-em-up that I only got through with Nintendo's Restore Points. I've been enjoying retro games in two ways: original media, and Virtual Console. One method does not benefit the original developers or publishers, while one method does. One method is more nostalgically and viscerally satisfying, and one is less so. I don't know the economics of the Virtual Console. What percentage of the sale goes where? Nintendo must take a cut. Does the publisher get all the money? Do developers who have long-left their publisher still get royalties? Who knows? Whatever the case, the fact is that someone somewhere, whether it's a publisher or developer is still getting paid for their work they did years ago, which is a righteous thing. With the booming popularity of Steam and smartphone-app-stores,...

This is a response to SuperMetaldave64's video: I think it's a slippery slope to say EA is not needed. Sure, one company is not needed, but then say that a few more times. "Rockstar is not needed, Bethesda is not needed, 2K Games is not needed," and now they are all needed. If Nintendo hasn't learned that third-parties are important, then what have they learned with Wii U? Nintendo should treat each third-party as precious and try to get as many as possible developing for NX.

Do you like good graphics, state-of-the-art technology, but are a Nintendo-fan? Fear not. There are things I actively do to keep my Nintendo-glasses rose-tinted, and you can, too. 1. I watch YouTube videos in 360p; it is a nice, balanced resolution. This way, even if I watch a graphically impressive game, it won't look that good, and my Wii U games will still look better. 2. I am trying to stay one generation behind when purchasing other manufacturers' consoles. I bought a 360 before a Wii because I couldn't find a Wii until Q1 2008, but I bought a PS3 in 2014. I'm waiting for the next Nintendo-handheld to drop before I get a Vita. I do have a PS4 and XB1, but I've been waiting for the NX to drop before I play them extensively. 3. I turn the resolution and settings down whenever possible. When I game on PC, I set my resolution to 720p and bring down the graphical settings as much as I feel the need to. I have set my PS4 and XB1 to 720p as well, but it still looked b...

This is a reply to https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/4x7dns/just_a_thought_what_would_it_mean_for_sales_if/ This is just my hypothesis, but I would say that backwards-compatibility does not positively influence sales significantly. If anything, its inclusion in a system and consequent high sales-numbers of that system, is only a coincidence, and not a causation of high sales. By the time Atari 5200 came out, its BC was inconsequential. Most people who wanted to play 2600 already had one and did not want to get a 5200. Sure, PS2 had BC, but the vast majority of people bought the system for the DVD-player. Wii had BC and VC, but most people bought it for Wii Sports. In fact, the opposite conclusion that the absence of BC helps sales, and its inclusion hurts sales might be true. With PS4, Sony dropped BC, reducing costs and allowing them to create a modern system-architecture. With Wii U, the inclusion of BC hurt sales by mentally associating it with the polarizing Wii.

This is response to reddit-post https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/4w1bdw/would_fullfledged_nintendo_support_be_better_than/   Beggars can't be choosers, so I'll be happy with whatever third-party support we get initially. What matters is how that support grows. I read that many people say Nintendo should buy a studio, but simply buying a studio and forcing them to make a game is not what is best. They need to create a platform that companies want to develop and publish games on whether or not Nintendo begs them to with money. Nintendo needs to rebuild these relationships from the ground up to ensure the future as well. To try to answer your question again, I would be happy with 100% Nintendo-support on one platform with sprinklings of third-party support here and there, but would be nowhere near satisfied. I expect the best from Nintendo, and other fanchildren should as well.

This is a response to Reddit NX post: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/4vk9u1/issues_with_handheld_gaming/ This issue comes up a lot and is one of the biggest issue Nintendo faces - the schism between its home-console fans and handheld fans. I'm more of a home-console fan as well. For the most part, I only play handhelds when I'm outside my home. A lot of fans of handhelds say that they only play Wii U for one or two games and the majority of their time is spent on 3DS. I'm the opposite. I spend the majority of my time on Wii U and only use my 3DS when I'm bored and there is nothing better to do. Let us try to understand why this is. Handheld-Fans: Why do they like 3DS so much? They even claim it's the best handheld ever. To understand this, we must understand the previous generation: DS. DS is Nintendo's single most successful platform, and the gaming-industry's second-most successful device ever. Every kid probably had a DS, and now the...

This reminds me of the early days of Wii. There was so much hope and hype, but it didn't control well and we got shovelware like this. One advantage Wii had was affordability, which VR does not. Prediction: VR will die a slow death, but some things will be adopted and learned from for the next generation of games.

Scalebound is not getting the reception it deserves, but it's mostly Platinum Games and Microsoft's own fault. The game is obviously not just another action-game from PG, but that is what people want, and expect. Because we have this dissonance between expectation and reality, there is mass confusion, denial, and ultimately pessimism and negativity. We don't even know what kind of game this is. If it's not another action-game, what is it? We don't know. PG and MS have not communicated this to us; this is their fault. They expected us to look at a trailer, then some gameplay that reminded us of a MMORPG (2015), then a co-op boss-battle (2016), and piece it all together; we still don't get it. PG and MS need to communicate what kind of game this is, whether it's a hybrid of multiple genres, what the game-flow is like, what kind of games it's similar to, etc. It doesn't make sense to be down on Scalebound yet. You haven't even played it yet...

When Aisha Tyler announced that Just Dance 2017 would be coming to NX, it blew my mind. 1. I didn't think any game would get an NX-confirmation at E3. 2. It came from a third-party. 3. The potential ramifications made me dream. Could other companies be announcing NX-titles? It seems weird that only Ubisoft would announce a title for NX. EA and Bethesda had their conferences, and they didn't. Why Ubisoft? 1. Maybe Just Dance 2017 is Ubisoft's only game coming out for NX. This would be sad. 2. It's only Just Dance 2017. No one cares, so I guess Nintendo wouldn't mind.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/4nr3xd/should_the_nx_go_back_to_lateral_thinking_with/ I don't think so. That philosophy applied to their handheld division, and it worked, but it would not apply to NX if it was a home-console. Even the Wii, which used an overclocked Gamecube, succeeded not because of its low specs, but because of its innovative controller. In fact, I would say that it succeeded in spite of its low specs. Imagine if Wii was a little bit more powerful. Imagine if Wii was a little more expensive. How well could it have done? If Wii was a little more powerful and $50 more at $300, I think it still would have done well. In the absence of such an attractive innovation, Nintendo should not go to 'lateral thinking with withered technology.' Isn't that essentially what they did with Wii U? It was a technological jump for them, but not for the rest of the industry or world. It's marginally better than a 360 or PS3. People didn't wan...

With the rumors of PS4 Neo and XB1 Scorpio out there, is NX doomed? Short answer: no. Here is my opinion: NX, as I wanted it to be, might be doomed. I wanted NX to be the Dreamcast of its time, a console that was the most powerful for a year, gathering hardcore gamers in droves. To be clear, Wii U's analogue is the Saturn; not the Dreamcast. But with Neo and Scorpio seemingly coming out with more power than their older siblings, it seems like now there's little to no chance that NX will be the most powerful system out. Is Nintendo doomed if this scenario occurs? Of course not, but my personal dream-scenario, where NX was the most powerful until PS5 and XB2 came out, is likely to go up in flames. Personal dream-scenario criterion #2 was extensive third-party support. NX could still get third-party support if they go with x86 for the home-console, but I doubt they will. It will probably be ARM for both home-console and handheld. I don't want to have to have two gami...

Pokemon is Nintendo's biggest money-maker right now, so it's understandable to direct their company based around that franchise, but I feel like they shouldn't. What if Pokemon was a home-console games? Would it stop selling? What if Monster Hunter was no longer portable and exclusive to a home-console NX? Would it stop selling? These are questions that Nintendo must try to answer for NX. I remember reading about a survey regarding smartphone-games and most people actually played them at home. If people are at home anyway, there is no need for a portable device. Cede the portable market to smartphones and try to take over the living-room and bedroom once again. Although Iwata talked about NX being a family of systems, I think Nintendo should focus on one thing: a home-device. Phones have overtaken the handheld market. It is annoying to carry around two devices when one leaves one's house. I wish Nintendo would take a big risk and move Pokemon to the hom...

To me, the only uncertain thing I want in NX is third-party support. Even if there were two devices with separate libraries again, I would buy them both. Some people like Pokemon more than anything. They will not buy the console. I am not one of those people. My point is that I'm going to buy the handheld and/or console because Nintendo will make games on them whether they're amazing or just great. What I want them to do is ensure third-party support throughout its lifetime; otherwise NX will be another Wii U and 3DS generation but with a unified library. In the end, I'll end up buying both devices, so to me personally, having a unified library doesn't mean much. Nintendo should be striving to be the one true gaming-console, like SNES was, and what Gamecube tried to be. They stopped trying. Wii worked, but unless they make their own phone, it won't happen again. People like I want Nintendo to be #1 again, not because of a fad, but because it's the best pu...

Original thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoNX/comments/4nnye2/if_nx_is_going_to_be_nintendos_only_future/ You have a sound hypothesis. What if Wii U and 3DS had been one system this generation? It would have been considered a success. In a worst-case scenario where all third-parties abandon ship, Nintendo could survive as long as they only have one hardware-platform to support. That said, however, I personally want to play third-party games on a Nintendo-machine again. Having third-party support makes selling the hardware that much easier for Nintendo than trying to sell it themselves.

Interesting... On Thursday, May 12th, SemiAccurate.com reported that Nvidia-chips may be in NX. The following day, famed Nintendo-reporter Emily Rogers blogged about the horsepower of the NX. Both rumors seemed to be able to coexist, meaning they didn't necessarily clash and contradict each other. As far as Nvidia goes, they don't make CPUs for desktops like AMD and Intel, but make SOCs for mobile devices and automobiles. This coincides with what Rogers wrote about how NX won't be x86 and won't blow the socks off of XB1 or PS4. There are four avenues that Nintendo can travel: 1. Handheld-only (no TV-output) 2. Home-console-only 3. Handheld-console hybrid (TV-output w/ possible docking-station or SCD) 4. Both a handheld and home-console Let's look at each possibility and weigh the likelihoods of each. 1. A handheld-only future is definitely possible. Wii U has sold like garbage, while 3DS has sold very well. It makes financial sense to quit mak...

Star Fox Zero would have been much better-received if it was a new IP. As much as retelling the origin-story of Star Fox was very nostalgic and appreciated by many fans, I fear it set the game up for failure as well, because it would draw comparisons to SF64 and SF, when things were simpler. By distracting people and saying it's not Star Fox, they would have given the new gameplay-mechanics a fairer chance. It might have sold less, but then again, it might have sold more (e.g. Splatoon). With NX, I think Nintendo should, and will be more brave in making new IP and not just relying on their old ones. Remember that all their IPs were once new.

I despise how the peanut gallery, with enough vociferation, can become the "general consensus" of the internet. Case in point: Twilight Princess. Twilight Princess was excellent on Wii. The motion-controls did not detract from the experience, were not difficult to execute, but instead edified the experience and made it more immersive. Skyward Sword's motion-controls did detract from the experience, were difficult to excute, and instead of making it more immersive, which was the goal, made me focus on the mechanics of how precisely to use the controller to execute what I wanted to execute; this was the opposite of immersion. I played the Gamecube-version first, because I could not find a Wii. Although there's nothing wrong with it, the Wii-version was better because on the Wii-version, you could map one more item to the plus-pad on the Wii-remote, aiming was motion-based and more intuitive and smooth; swinging the Wii-remote to swing the sword was fun and immersi...

Action Henk Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures 2 A.N.N.E. Antipole DX Assault Android Cactus Axiom Verge Back to Bed The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 Chromophore: The Two Brothers Director's Cut forma.8 Hive Jump Jotun Kerbal Space Program LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Mighty No. 9 The Next Penelope PONCHO RIVE Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero Slain! Soul Axiom Super Meat Boy Terraria Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Tumblestone Yooka-Laylee Source: http://www.nintendo.com/games/coming-soon/

Sometimes it's really toxic reading things on the internet. There is so much criticism and cynicism. Where has gratitude and apprecation gone? Some people want everything they had in the past, all over again, as if it comes freely and easily; as if we're entitled to it. No, we are not entitled to anything, and we should be appreciate of and thankful for what we get, not because we should passively accept things the way they are. On the contrary. We should actively search for things to be grateful for. I wasn't always like this. Maybe this is a maturity and wisdom coming from age and experience. Looking at it another way, things can always be worse. Instead of focusing on what we don't have, we should focus on what we do. In terms of Wii U, some people focus on how its library game-for-game doesn't match up to Gamecube or Wii, but I don't look at it from that perspective. I see a company that tried its hardest to develop, publish, and deliver as many an...

I'm reading Emily Rogers's twitter-feed and I realize that some people just love to argue. Doctre81 is the same way. For me, I don't care enough to try to convince people they're wrong beyond one or two tries at most. The only mind I care about is my own. I feel like it's wasted energy. They're also often not arguing about the same exact thing. They will present an opinion as fact, and then rebut with another opinion presented as fact, with a fact that is unrelated to that opinion. They're really logically flawed. It's kind of a train-wreck to read. Some people are physically incapable of telling apart opinion from fact, so it becomes pointless to argue with them. Some people are physically incapable of agreeing with anyone else in front of someone else's face, so it becomes pointless to argue with them. It's worse than talking to a wall, because at least a wall doesn't spit out inane opinions back. It's telling when they don...

I've been playing Link to the Past recently on my "new" 3DS. A lot of people call it their favorite game of all time - people like Reggie Fils-Aimé and James Rolfe. But my favorite game of all time is Ocarina of Time. Some games and genres work better in 3D or 2D. Racing-games work better in 3D. I don't know how you can objectively say Super Mario Kart is better than the 3D games. You may like it more because you played it first and you were wowed by it, and the others never delivered that same wow-factor, but to say it's better is wrong. Zelda works better in 3D; the combat is better. The combat in 2D Zelda is just not fun. You walk in 8 directions but most weapons only work in 4 directions. If a fast enemy is chasing you, you have to walk away for a few seconds and then face him or her. It's not fun. The sense of exploration is better in 3D. When I first played OoT, it was so immersive because it was a behind-the-back perspective. Now I'm not say...

@playeressence I wish the Star Fox franchise would emphasize more on online multiplayer. I think it would widen the appeal of Star Fox more. — Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) May 4, 2016 Of course, it would have been better if Star Fox Zero had online multiplayer. Of course it would have widened the appeal of Star Fox. But that is not the point. There is a finite amount of time and resources Nintendo could have put into the Star Fox Zero project. Adding online multiplayer would probably have added at least a year to development-time. It would have come out on the NX. Would we have wanted that? I don't know about you, but I would not. This brings me to my next point, which is what do I want from Star Fox? I do not want a generic, online multiplayer shooter like Star Wars Battlefront. Maybe that's what some other people want, but not me. Star Fox Zero was precisely the game I wanted, which was a reimagining of the origins of the Star Fox franchise with new control-mechanics...

People are moaning and groaning about Nintendo's gloom and doom for launching NX in March 2017, but we don't even know what it is yet. It might be the handheld. 3DS launched in North America on March 27th, 2011. The original Game Boy launched on April 21st, 1989 in Japan, and July 31st, 1989 in North America. Game Boy Advance launched on March 21st, 2001 in Japan, and June 11th, 2001 in North America. There was also that poll that Emily Rogers linked that mentioned NX being 900p. Only a handheld would have a fixed resolution. To be clear, the poll was real, but the information in it was not set in stone. There were various what-if scenarios and different specs and resolutions presented, and poll-takers were asked to react to them. Beyond what anyone wants the NX to be, the evidence might point to it being a handheld only, or the handheld launching first in March.

A few days after the disappointing news from the investor-meeting, Nintendo announced the new Splatoon amiibo. Coincidence? I think not. They knew exactly what they were doing, and it kind of worked. I'm very excited to purchase those new amiibo. Even if they had no new games coming out, (which is not true, even for Wii U) Nintendo can tread water these next 11 months by releasing amiibo and trickling out more Virtual Console games. Please release more SNES-games on "new" 3DS. "Perfect Pixel Mode" is the best thing to happen to gaming in a long time. Speaking of Virtual Console, it's a gold-mine that Nintendo has not really exploited to its fullest. Of course, when they were developing their systems in the past, they did not have VC in mind until Wii. Backwards-compatibility came on the Game Boy line of hardware and DSes because the past chips were built-in. Now with the NX, they have a chance to have forwards and backwards-compatibility on all devices g...

Alison Rapp was fired from Nintendo of America for holding a "second job" that was "in conflict with Nintendo's corporate culture." But how did they find out? Obsessed, evil people with too much time on their hands dug through any and all things that was public about her on the internet and sent it to Nintendo. If it were not for them, they would not have found out. So what's the right thing to do here? Should Nintendo ignore the evidence presented to them because it comes from despicable people? Because if it were not for them, they would not have found out. My opinion is that it shouldn't matter what someone does on the hours he or she is not doing his or her job for Nintendo. Is everything on-limits as long as it's out there? What happens in a thousand years when thoughts become readable? Are people gonna be fired for their thoughts? This is ridiculous. What NoA did is not righteous or fair. If they fired Ms. Rapp for holding a second job in c...

The short answer is no. Here's the long answer: A lot of people grew up with Game Boy, GBA, or DS. Some do not know a Nintendo before handhelds existed. But during the NES-era, Nintendo was on top of the world without Pokémon or Animal Crossing. They had exclusive third-party support from the East and West. A lot of that was because of domineering business-practices, but that is beside the point. Even when they encountered stiff competition with the Genesis, they were #1 worldwide. People say Genesis had more sports-games, and that is true, but after a certain year, SNES got all the sports-games from EA as well. We certainly have a more mobile society now. We have smartphones and cellular data, laptops are cheaper than ever, and gas-mileage is better than ever. But right now, multi-purpose smartphones with cellular data dominate. Unless Nintendo makes their own smartphone, they will lose to them. Should they make their portable games for smartphones instead? No, I wouldn't ...

Is Nintendo too good for their own good? I'm not saying third-party games don't sell well on Nintendo-systems; look at Monster Hunter and Yo-Kai Watch. But third-party games don't sell as well on Nintendo-systems. The last time when a Nintendo home-console was on par with the competition was the Gamecube. If you compare sales of third-party games with the same title across PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox; Gamecube usually, but not always, lagged behind. Of course, PS2 had a larger install-base, but even Xbox, which was almost dead-even with Gamecube throughout its life, outperformed in genres like sports-games and Western action-games. Why is this? It's because Nintendo's own games outshine the others. They sought to give third-parties the spotlight during the 3DS's launch, but it backfired on them. I bought a 3DS within a week of its launch. What games did I get? Street Fighter and Dead or Alive. I didn't get Pilotwings, Steel Diver, or Nintendogs. Having no a...

I lost (or never recorded) all my footage of the Inkbrush Nouveau. Octo Josh was kind enough to join me in a few matches and we won most of the games we played together. I've got to admit that following NX is driving me a little crazy. I want to just enjoy the moment more, and not stress so much about the future. This is a call to all Nintendo-fans. Nintendo will reveal the NX when they're ready. Until they are, let's stop worrying and stressing over something we have no power over and enjoy the great games we do have on Wii U, 3DS, and even all the other systems Nintendo has released. There's no crime in replaying older games; in fact, I love doing it. Recently, I beat Luigi's Mansion for the second time. It's a great game, and I got stuck in a few places, but despite the temptation to, I never looked up information on the internet. It's crafted well so that you don't have to, which brings me to another point I have. Luigi's Mansion was critic...

Michael Pachter once said that if NX released during the holiday-season on 2016, it would get slaughtered by VR. I'm not saying he's right, but he could be. Maybe Nintendo is listening to analysts like him. I've read reports by "leakers," fake or real, that even if NX launched in holiday 2016, we shouldn't expect third-party games until Q1 2017. If this is true, then delaying the launch until the end of Q1 2017 makes a lot of sense. I don't know if I believe Nintendo is delaying Zelda for "quality" reasons, but there is a lot riding on Zelda U, and if they are not lying, then the delay of Zelda would necessarily delay NX as well. A theory I read about on Neogaf is that the delay would allow for a simultaneous launch of both the home-console and handheld variants of NX. This doesn't make sense; however, another variant of this theory has the handheld coming out first in March, and the home-console coming out in holiday 2017. I don't ...

The Active Time Battle system, or ATB, was a staple of RPGs back in the '90s. Where did it go? Why have games regressed to a pure turn-based battle-system paradigm? The ATB was the perfect middle-ground between tacticalness, and action. I do not like strict turn-based action, nor a pure action-based system. I actually find the ATB-system to be the most fun, because I do not have to worry about moving around like a bunny-rabbit and just worry about the tactics I will employ during a battle; and the element of time and turn-orders getting jumbled up and/or overlapping adds tension and randomness. I also liked controlling a whole party of characters, not just one and have the others on auto-pilot. This is why I'm not really interested in FFXV, and I found FFXIII disappointing. When I think about the games that most greatly utilized ATB, I immediately think of FFVI and FFVII. Especially in FFVII, you could manipulate time and be really creative with the way you played the gam...

In this fast-paced world of information, we are constantly looking forward to the next big thing. It's exciting, like waiting for Christmas-morning, but we should also remember to be in the moment and enjoy the games we already have. The Wii U is not even four years old. There are a lot of great games out for it. I see a game like Xenoblade X, and although I completed the story, there is so much more "game" left for me to see and do; it's a massive game. I still play Splatoon every day because they keep track of stats like Turf Inked per weapon, and you still can earn money so you can gamble over at Spyke's (up to 9,999,999). As a hardcore Splatoon-lover, I am looking to max out all the stats. With fighting-games like Smash 4 and Pokkén Tournament, you could play endlessly as well; there is no limit to how far your skills can go, and what kind of opponents you will encounter. Enjoy what we have, love it hard, because we have much to be thankful for; and wh...

15 years ago at E3 2001, Satoru Iwata revealed to us what he believed were the "four legs" of Nintendo, calling it "The Nintendo Difference." They were Innovation Quality Characters Heritage Has their company-motto or philosophy changed since that time? I believe it may have detoured a little bit. With Wii, they leaned heavily on innovation. One can argue that quality is a subjective thing, but Nintendo opted not to jump to HD, which many may think of as a component of quality during that era. The characters of Nintendo were not as prominently instrumental during the Wii-era; it was more about the experience and putting oneself into the game with Miis and immersive controls. Heritage was something they used in a bold way by introducing the Virtual Console and including Gamecube backwards-compatibility. Overall, the Wii-era heavily relied upon innovation and heritage. 15 years later, we are bracing ourselves for information on Nintendo's seventh home-c...

Emily Rogers makes it abundantly clear that she adores the Wii and the Gamecube, but not the Wii U as much. She cites the games and compares each generation's equivalents, and it makes sense, but from a personal standpoint, I gotta say I like the Wii U a whole lot more than the Wii? Why? Join me on an epic journey through time and space. It's the holiday-season in the year 2006, and the hype for Wii is at a fever-pitch. At the time, I thought I could go into a store and purchase one whenever I wanted to. I had done so for the Gamecube the day after Christmas at Toys "R" Us, and that was only one generation (five years) earlier. Nope. Everywhere it was sold out, in B&M stores and online. When Super Paper Mario was moved from the Gamecube to the Wii, I was pissed. During late April or May of 2007, I had had enough. I needed to jump into the next generation, so what did I buy? An Xbox 360. Yeah. Had I been able to find a Wii, I might never have bought one. Maybe it...

I just beat Xenoblade Chronicles X...and it was glorious. How would I describe it to someone that has never seen nor played this game before? It's a MSORPG (Massively Single-player Offline Role-Playing Game). It has a unique combination of scripted events with voice-acting, as well as a vast open world for one to explore. It's not a game for binary people - people who only like extremes. It won't satisfy those who only like fully open-world games, and those that only want a linear role-playing game from the traditions of Japan won't like it either. This is why I implore potential players to open their minds and take their time to learn the game. This game is very overwhelming and esoteric; it creates new gameplay-systems and reinvents the wheel more than is necessary, a trend among Japanese RPG-developers, but it's worth learning it. Take each day at a time. Use the internet, read the digital manual, and go to the official NeoGAF thread about this game, and ther...

Wow. We are seeing the first fruits of the new initiative to extend the reach of Nintendo's IP beyond just games. Stuff like this will do wonders for Nintendo overall. This is how they operated during the NES-era. The NES was a cultural phenomenon that extended beyond videogames into television, film, and merchandise, including cereal, apparel, and McDonald's Happy Meal toys. Somewhere along the line, Nintendo lost that. Perhaps they thought their groundwork was enough to ride on, or perhaps they couldn't afford to. I really like the direction Nintendo is going in, from Miitomo providing them a steady income, to anime like this. I think NX will do just fine.

First of all, the term "PC Master Race" should not be used outside of a humorous or sardonic tone. When people use it in a serious manner, it's just wrong on so many levels because 1) it's blatantly racist, and 2) it's inaccurate. When I think about people who call themselves a PC-gamer nowadays, I think about casual gamers with $1000+ rigs that play non-hardware-intensive games like Hearthstone and League of Legends. They only play games with good graphics when they want to benchmark their brand-spanking-new hardware. This is another reason why I do not believe people who feel the need to tell others that they are PC-gamers are actually gamers; they are PC hardware-enthusiasts, or people who like to build PCs for fun. This leads to the distinction between these people and actual, real, true PC-gamers who do not necessarily feel the need to call themselves that. These "real" PC-gamers play thousands of hours on games like World of Warcraft, Counter...

By now, we have learned about the termination of Alison Rapp from Nintendo of America. Other than the obvious things, I would like to write about how this has affected me personally. I remember first seeing Alison Rapp at Nintendo Treehouse Live at E3 2014. She has the best laugh at the Treehouse, hands down. Eventually, I discovered Twitter and followed her. I even participated in her 24-hour Extra Life gaming-marathon charity-event and became the highest donor. It was taking a long time to receive my donation-incentive reward so I tweeted to her about it and she responded quickly. After that, she favorited a few of my tweets as well. It felt nice to be acknowledged. Her termination this past week has triggered mixed feelings about the situation. On one hand, I was sad for Alison Rapp, and indeed all NoA employees. Who knows if Erik Peterson was also terminated for similarly unjust reasons (although I suspect he was Trevelyan's source)? Chris Pranger was also terminated last...

As much as I like leaks, part of me wishes that they didn't happen. There was a new leaker in the last few days. He goes by the alias  desmotor on reddit . So assuming he's for real, why does he, and people like him (Trevelyan's source) want to spoil surprises for the rest of us? Of course, it is my prerogative to ignore the internet and not search for NX-rumors. It's my own fault, and a paradox. I want to know more, but would rather wait until Christmas-morning to open my presents; at the same time, I'm drawn to the flame like a moth. I guess they're assuming that only the hardcore fans will read reddit about NX so they're not damaging a large portion of the fanbase. I guess all I'm wishing for is a middle-ground: for leaks to happen by accident and then hastily and subsequently deleted. I'm going to guess that Erik Peterson was Trevelyan's source; I really liked him. Which leads me to the question of how do firings occur at NoA? Does the ...

Let's start with Microsoft. This generation, they are the only one to have wired data going through their controller. The Wii U Gamepad and Dual Shock 4 do not have wired data. You can plug a DS4 into a PS4 with a micro-USB cable but the cable is only providing power and the data is still transmitted through Bluetooth. Please tell me I'm wrong with links and sources. Why is wired data important? For input-lag. Combine input-lag with LCD display-lag and you have more lag than is necessary. Kudos to Microsoft. Sony has focused on the gamer from the start, whereas Nintendo wanted the casuals who bought the Wii and Microsoft banked on the Kinect. Kudos to Sony. They made the Playstation Eye optional, and did not create an expensive controller. Nintendo has put a lot of resources into creating their own games, 1) because they had to, and 2) because they have the talent to do so. Sony has had the worst first-party support, but Microsoft has done better than them. Why are first-pa...

$. Monetization. Donations. Subscriptions. There are a million Harvest Moon clones on 3DS, so why is it that the Western gaming-world treats Stardew Valley like the second coming? It's because it's very difficult to capture 3DS video. You can have your 3DS modified by someone in Japan, but it takes a long time (half a year even) and costs a lot of money (hundreds). Stardew Valley bypasses that hassle and jumps straight to where the money is at: YouTube and Twitch. I don't think people are saying Stardew Valley is better than the HM clones on 3DS, because they probably haven't played any of them. I find this very disturbing, but it's the nature of the world. From an aesthetic standpoint. SV doesn't look better than the HM clones on 3DS, nor does it look like it offers anything new, but it is simply easier to capture video of it, and stream; simple as that. I'm not hating on SV. I haven't played it, nor desire to play it. I haven't played any of ...