Nintendo
The Seven Stages of My Nintendo Grief
Literally as I write this, I’m periodically checking Google and Twitter for sudden news, leaks, reports or diagrams. It has gott that bad. But why? After E3’s solitary showing of Zelda and each explicit and subsequent refusal to reveal at events or Directs, Nintendo’s mythical next platform, codenamed NX, has social media and the video game industry on the edge of their digital a...[Read More]
Retro Review: Adventures of Lolo (NES)
Release Date: April 20, 1989 Developer: HAL Laboratory Publisher: HAL Laboratory Puzzle games have always held a special place in my heart. Whenever the adrenaline rush of shoot-em-ups and the story of a good RPG paled, I would always relax by taxing my mind with a puzzle game. The mental stress was taxing yet soothing. It was my way of chilling out. While my ex-wife was in labor with my son, wait...[Read More]
You Wanna Remaster Games? Remaster These!
The eighth generation of video game consoles seems to me like the remaster generation. For all the great original IPs and sequels that we’ve received this generation, we’ve had more than a fair share of remasters on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While some remasters make sense, like Resident Evil 4 and Grim Fandango, some are lazy to the point of ridiculousness. Seriously, did we really need a T...[Read More]
New Video Game Releases for Week of October 4, 2016
It may be the week of the 4th, but the biggest releases pop on the 7th. On that day, we get Mafia III for the major consoles and PC. The Wii U gets Paper Mario: Color Splash. Old-school mavens like me can try out Atari Flashback Classics on the PS4, assuming you don’t have another way to play the games packed in. Click on the games for more info. Game Platform Date A Bastard’s Tale PS4 10/4/...[Read More]
New Video Game Releases for Week of September 27, 2016
This week’s a bit slow for new releases, but two heavy hitters do make their debut: FIFA 17 and XCOM 2. Nintendo has quite a few releases for the Wii U and 3DS. Chief among them are the latest entries in the Yo-Kai Watch series. Click on the games for more info. Game Platform Date Arcade Archives Contra PS4 9/27/2016 Darkest Dungeon PS4,Vita 9/27/2016 Dyno Adventure PC 9/27/2016 FIFA 17 PS3,PS4,Xb...[Read More]
Retro Review: ActRaiser (SNES)
Release Date: December 16, 1990 Developer: Quintet, Enix Publisher: Enix The debut of the Super Nintendo in the United States was not completely seamless. The Sega Genesis, the first true 16-bit console of the fourth generation, was already out and selling like hot cakes. Nintendo, for some reason, did not market their new 16-bit system too heavily. The system released in limited quantities on Aug...[Read More]
Pokemon GO Will Include Trainer Battles and Trading – Eventually
Tsunekazu Ishihara, President of The Pokemon Company, spoke to The Wall Street Journal (pay wall) and mentioned that trainer battles and trading between trainers are planned features for Pokemon GO. The onus is on Niantic, developers of the popular mobile game, to implement them. He also understands that it’s not just a simple matter of wanting it. “Battling is a category that we do best at Pokemo...[Read More]
New Video Game Releases for Week of September 20, 2016
This week’s new releases feature a couple of heavy hitters in Destiny: Rise of Iron and Forza Horizon 3. The second episode of Batman: The Telltale Series also drops this week. PC users get NBA 2K17 after a week’s wait. Indie lovers can round out their collections on their favorite consoles. Vbox One owners get to try out Firewatch, and both they and PS4 owners will have Dear Esther: Landmark Edit...[Read More]
The tale of two cities : How Tokyo’s flagship games event remains in E3’s shadow.
The Tokyo Games Show celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, and while crowds over the two public days hit either side of 100,000, the absence of a genuine show stopper could be seen as a slight disappointment. The presence of Sony, as it has been recently, was huge. Horizon: Zero Dawn still looks incredible, and while the upcoming release of the PlayStation Pro triggered suspicions that...[Read More]
Pokemon GO Plus Not Working Well for Android Users
The arrival of the Pokemon GO Plus has been a mixed bag. iPhone users have had a seamless experience with the Pokemon GO Bluetooth accessory. But many Android users are experiencing issues with keeping the device paired to their phone. Most cannot keep them paired for more than five minutes. The Pokemon GO subreddit has become overrun with threads discussing connectivity issues and possible soluti...[Read More]
Nintendo US Handheld Sales Skyrocket for August 2016
Nintendo released a statement highlighting its performance in handheld sales during August 2016 in the United States. From the numbers, Nintendo had a great month. Sales of the Nintendo 2DS rose over 500% compared to August 2015. Nintendo says the huge increase is partly due to the price drop of the handheld system to $80, something that went into effect in May. They also cited “excitement for the...[Read More]
My Ode to Chris Metzen
I have been playing video games for as long as I can recall having memories. There are literally dozens of video games that I feel have stayed with me as touchstones. I would have to say that my first was Atari’s Football arcade game. As a child, I distinctly recall being told by my mother to watch after my younger brother after she left us at an arcade to go shop at Richard’s, a popular departmen...[Read More]