AWBrawler Replays Xenoblade Chronicles (First 30 minutes)

I replay Xenoblade Chronicles in anticipation of Xenoblade Chronicles X for Wii U. I'll Try to keep Shulk dressed how he is in Smash Bros, but everybody else is getting weird outfits on purpose.

Hardcore Gamers Are Killing Creativity

         Yes, I know reading a title like that may upset, anger, or even confuse some of you, but it's true. The whole hardcore mentality is destroying gaming. I'm not saying we should get rid of hardcore gamers or hardcore games. I'm Just saying that developers are apparently more focused on looking dark, gritty, or edgy, than they are on actually making a fun experience. What happened to games that were just fun for fun's sake? What happened to the talking animals, quirky characters, and nonsensical gameplay that captivated us in gaming's younger days? Gaming is in serious need of a wake up call, but it seems the hardcore crowd would rather tease and mock anything that dares to be different than the standard dark, gritty, edgey, motiff.

   one of the greatest  "What the hell?" moments in gaming came for me with the intro to Nintendo's E3 2014 Direct, but it was not because of the Direct itself. It was because of the saddening reaction it received by the supposed hardcore gamers on the internet. The Direct opened with an over the top, anime styled battle between Reggie Fils-aime, and Satoru Iwata. I personally thought it was very entertaining and funny, but apparently the hardcore crowd thought it was immature, childish, or kiddy. At what point did we decide that anything goofy or funny is kiddy? They are a GAME COMPANY. They create VIDEO GAMES. What is serious about video games? nothing? no matter what game you play, there's nothing serious about it, it's still a game. Lighten up! Why does everything have to be dark and edgey now? Even Epic Mickey felt like it was trying to hard to be dark and edgey, and is most likely why I didn't bother to finish it. Though colorful, the colors felts washed out and faded.

  Another example is creativity being killed off by hardcore, lets look at the Final Fantasy XIV Tokyo Gameshow Trailer. Last Time I checked it was called Final FANTASY. Its right there in the title, so how do you not have fantasy elements? They got rid of the chocobos for a convertible car you drive around. I can drive a car in real life. Give me that weird fantasy creature. The entirety of Final Fantasy XIV looks way more Sci Fi than it does fantasy in my opinion. Its trying to hard to be realistic or believable, but why does a GAME have to be believable? Are not the vast majority of games considered to be the greatest game of all time just unrealistic as can be and full of creativity? That is the beauty of games. You don't have to follow any rules whatsoever.

   So, what can be done to revive the creativity of the gaming industry, so that we can see more than urban environments with dark, gritty, edgey elements? to be honest, I have no earthly Idea. I'm still researching trying to figure out when dark and gritty became so popular even with kids. I think maybe the next big thing will have to pop up out the blue to run off this "hardcore" image. Maybe something like Yu-gi-oh!, Pokemon, or Kingdom Hearts will have to surface. Those three took the gaming world by storm and are full of creativity. Sure we have League of Legends and Hearth Stone on the PC, but Why isn't anything like that on the consoles? It seems like the main console that dares to be creative, is the main one being mocked, Wii U. I'm not going to rant about creative Nintendo games being called kiddy, so I'll stop here. I'll close with this prediction: unless hardcore gamers start showing an interest in games that are nonsensical and fun for fun's sake, console gaming will become stagnant and die a horrible slow death.

Where is the Wii Audience Now?

     It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the Wii U is not selling nearly as fast as its predecessor, and one of the main questions people ask is "Where are all those Wii owners?" That very question may seem like it has an easy answer at first, but upon further research, I believed I've found the best way to answer that question. For the most part, the Wii U isn't aimed at them, so they are not buying in to the next generation of gaming.

   Consider this, The Wii was seen by many as the casual console, or the console for the younger audience. In reality in was just the console for the masses, be they casual, hardcore, or nongamer. To first begin answering this question, let us first examine the Playstation 2 and the Playstation 3. The common view is that the Playstation 3 is a hardcore gamer's console, and I'm not going to argue with that, but was the Playstation 2 a hardcore console? If so, why didn't that crowd migrate to Playstation 3? The answer is simple. he Playstation 2 was the same thing as the Wii. It was the console for the masses for it's respective gen. Yes, we often get the argument that the Playstation 2 was more hardcore than the Wii, but when you look at it's staggering install base, and the comparatively small amount of hardcore titles sold, that doesn't seem to be the case. The Wii's Hardcore titles actually sold more than the Playstation 2's, and it did it with a smaller install base. Why? Because it was the console for the masses, as well as for the Nintendo fans. The reason why Wii sold so well, is because those Playstation 2 owners who did not get a Playstation 3, were nongamers and casuals who instead got a Wii. 

       Yes, though the media, your best friend, your brother, and everybody wants you to believe thateveryone who owned a Playstation 2 was playing Hardcore games, thats simply not true. A prime example is  the Guitar Heroes games, Those gamers moved over to Wii. There was also a ton of people who played games like Jambo Safari, Katamari Demacy, and Mr.Mosquito, that migrated to the Wii and began to play games like Wii Sports, Cooking Mama, Just Dance, and Wii Fit. So I would argue that those Wii owners stayed on their Wii. Who could blame them? They moved from Playstation 2 to Wii, so they could play the games that Hardcore and the media call casual and shovelware, but surprisingly, the successor to the Wii has slim picking for people who are into those kinds of games. The Wii U is rather hardcore whether we want to admit it or not. That is one of the main things holding back the Wii owners. Even the Gamepad has a bigger learning curve than the Wii Remote. Its not that they vanished, It's that they have no console to call home this generation. No console has their Cooking Mama, Their Boom Blox, Their Boogie. But even that is just half of the fanbase

     The other half of the Wii owners are those who like Nintendo games, and Exclusives that you can only get on Nintendo Consoles, such as No more Heroes, DragonQuest, Monster Hunter (yea.. it counts now), and this time around even Bayonetta joins that list. If you look at the games that sell best on the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One, you will see mostly multiplatform games in their top 10. The Wii U's Top 10, however, is made up entirely of exclusives. So the people who say 3rd party does not sell on Nintendo consoles is right to a certain degree. 3rd Party multiplats don't sell, but Exclusives sell well. A Nice chunk of the Wii owners were fans of the Lego games, so its no surprise that Lego City Undercover caused a sales boost for 2 weeks for the Wii U, and sold nearly as well as Nintendo's own Pikmin 3. Thats because that game caused a few Wii owners to upgrade, because they couldn't play it on their Wii. For comparison sake, The Skylanders and Disney Infinity games have sold better on Wii than any other console. Its a safe bet that if Nintendo discontinued the Wii and forced Activision to only make a Wii U version, that the Skylanders games would have boosted Wii U sales. As it stands Swap Force on Wii U is outselling the PlayStation 4 and XBox One version 2 to 1. Again, that is  Wii owners who migrated to Wii U, maybe even some of the same who migrated over with Lego City. 

  So, What  can Nintendo do to get the rest of the Wii owners back, or at least a decent amount of them? They're already set to do just that. Nintendo will be releasing their own games that use figures, which has been code named NFP. Nintendo must also be aware that the biggest part of the figures and games fanbase is on their console, so if they are to make their own game with figures, those remainders on the Wii and even the other consoles will have to buy a Wii U if they want to play the lastest Figuringe Collection game. Also, Mario Kart 8 will be out shortly after this article is published. The online Mario Kart experience and the new features will only be able to be played on Wii U. Wii's online is going down, so that too will be incentive to upgrade to Wii U. The other thing that Nintendo seems to be doing getting ready to show off the benefits of the gamepad. We all know the Wii audience loves a fancy controller with nice "gimmicks" so that should win back a few of them as well, granted it is not something too complicated. 

   When its all said and done, Nintendo can not win back all of those Wii owners, because a lot of them are happy playing the old Wii Sports every weekend with their parents, friends, or frat buddies, but they can definitely can win back a sizable chunk that gives them a nice sized install base, and possibly even the lead this generation but they will have to shake the hardcore image and once again be the console for the masses like the Wii was, which still was home to some stellar exclusive games. Here's hoping E3 knocks it out of the park.

What the hell, Gamers?

Warning this is an angry rant! Hell, this is beyond angry! What is going on here?! At First glance when I saw the numbers for the launch week of PS4 and XBox One, I was overly excited about it. That was until I noticed something truly disturbing. Call of Duty was the highest seller on both platforms? What the hell, Gamers? Isn't this supposed to be next gen? Why bother with a port? The Call of Duty obsession should die with last gen. A new generation of gaming should mean new things.

 Seriously, Am I the only person who would be completely pissed off if this gen becomes a repeat of last gen, wherein Microsoft and Sony fight over DLC rights to multiplats and shooters, while Nintendo offers the most variety in exclusives, yet is somehow discredited for it and considered casual? I mean Damn! How many different ways can you play Call of Duty? I know Pokemon is released a lot too, but at least there is years between the releases and there is noticable upgrades, and at least those gamers try NEW games and NEW ideas.
 
 I'm not saying that all of the PS4 and XBox One owners are Call  of Duty Dudebro gamers, but it's a sad day in gaming when 2 new consoles launch and they both have the same game as their top seller, and its a damn port that is also on last gen consoles. At least Wii U's top sellers aren't ports. They're NEW games made for the NEW hardware! What's the point of upgrading if you're still just playing what is already on the older systems? is it graphics? no slightly better graphics that the average joe can't even notice give you wood or something? This Gen is upsetting me already. E3 2014 better be a hell of a lot different than the yawnfest that was E3 2013, or I'll have one hell of a rant.

The Nintendo Hybrid

  Imagine, if you will, a world in which handhelds and home consoles are one in the same. Imagine buying a new Nintendo console and also getting a handheld as well. Imagine turning off your console and fitting it into your pocket to play later away from home. Now stop imagining, because this very well could be the future of Nintendo consoles.

  Earlier this year it was reported that Nintendo's handheld division and console division merged into one building. One of the reasons cited was to further expand connectivity between console and handheld. With that said, it's a almost a no-brainer what's coming after the Wii U and the 3DS/2DS have run their course. Nintendo is aiming to create a handheld home console hybrid. Why wouldn't they? Their handheld division has always been their strongest. Even their most successful home console, the Wii, pales in comparison to the success of the Nintendo DS.  With industry analyst and everyday bloggers suggesting that Nintendo goes 3rd party or release games on the iOS market, making their next console into a hybrid that doubles as a handheld could seriously silence such asinine comments as those.

  If Nintendo realeases a hybrid for their next console, they could easily grow the fanbases of several of their handheld centric franchises. Pokemon comes to mind. Fans could finally get the home console Pokemon game they've been asking for, and when they're ready to battle, or leave the house, they just carry their hybrid with them as they would their 3DS. Even more casual focused games like animal crossing could benefit from having the portability of a handheld alongside the in home experience of a Nintendo console. Beyond just being able to game anywhere, Nintendo will no doubt add some new innovation that we never thought of. They could potentially add GPS technology, a solar energy sensor (ala solar boy django), or some other idea thats can only be described as Nintendo.

  If they do create a hybrid, there are several benefits. They could make it very affordable, due to cost being lowered. With Nintendo only pumping out hybrids instead of console and handheld, they would save a lot of resources, time, and money. They could produce games faster, since team won't have to debate about putting it on the handheld or the console. However, this hybrid would most likely have to be larger than any other handheld they ever manufactured to prevent overheating and house all this technology. It would probably at the smallest be the size of a Wii U Gamepad or Apple's iPad. The hybrid also would have to have a decent online infrastructure. It would be a waste not to. They could upgrade the miiverse to include voice chat, crossgame chat, and videochat during gameplay.  It would take a lot more effort than the average person would assume it would to get the hybrid just right, but if done right, Nintendo could dominate the home console and handheld market with a single device. 

  So I shall leave you with a little food for thought. If the Wii sold over 100 million units, and the DS sold over 150 million units, imagine how successful they would have been if combined into a hybrid somehow. This is the future console that we very well could get from Nintendo. Is your body ready?

The Wii U Has The Advantage This Holiday Season

By now there's already been thousands of articles claiming the Wii U or Nintendo as a whole is doomed. I find that a bit odd considering the 3DS has been doing great for a long while now, and the Wii U is picking up steam following it's price drop and WindWaker HD bundle. I'm not going to waste time arguing counter points against the doomsayers. Instead, I'm simply going to point out why Nintendo has a clear advantage going into this holiday season.

  The first advantage is the Wii U's price. The Wii U is effectively $100 cheaper than the nearest competitor, Sony's Playstation 4, and even comes bundles with a Zelda game. For the Price of a PS4, a potential Wii U owner could get a Wii U and 2 or more games, depending on what they buy, and for the price of an XBox One, they can get a Wii U and a 3DS/2DS to go along with it. With the majority of consumers who buy consoles during the holiday season being parents, that put Wii U in a nice position. They can buy the cheaper option, and still get the biggest titles such as Batman Arkham City, Assassin's Creed Black Flag, and Call of Duty for their child. Price will definitely give Wii U an edge.

  Another advantage is Nintendo's franchises. We all know Mario sells. Nobody can deny that. In fact 80% of Wii U owners have New Super Mario Bros. U, and a brand new 3D 4-player Mario is coming this holiday season, as well as other famous franchises like Wii Fit, Wii Sports, Mario and Sonic Olympics, and Wii Party. Ever since the announcement of Wii Sports Club, the original Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort have seen a sales spike in the US. Both Titles have made their way back into the top 20 weekly games for consecutive weeks. People are apparently preparing to take the new Wii Sports Club online and challenge the world. The biggest key to Nintendo's success this holiday is not even Wii Sports or Mario, believe it or not. the biggest key to their success is Wii Fit. If a consumer already has the Balance Board, they can effectively get Wii Sports for just $19.99 when they buy a Wii Fit Meter. Wii Fit was already a powerhouse system seller for the Wii, and now its only $20 on the Wii U. That is definitely going to sell some Wii U consoles.

  Last but not least, Wii U will be the only new console available in every major region this holiday season. Neither PS4 nor XBox One will be available in Japan this year. That gives Wii U home field advantage for this holiday. leaving the Wii U alone with no competitor except for  PSVita TV in Japan was not the best idea on their part. So with price, their storied franchises, and availability as there big advantages, The Wii U is set to have a very successful holiday 2013. 

Homebrew Channel will keep the Wii alive longer than the HD consoles

This generation of gaming has finally drawn to a close with the Wii leading the way with over 100 million units sold. This gen is also significant as being the generation that sold the most software and hardware ever. The audience was definitely expanded. However, even though this generation is all but over with PS4 and Xbox One coming this holiday season, I have reason to believe the Wii will continue to sell long after the competition stops manufacturing Xbox 360 and PS3.

 The Wii, while currently the lowest selling console on a weekly basis, is the console that I believe will last the longest. It's the top seller for one, and it has a little something called the Homebrew Channel (Granted you know how to exploit the hack) which makes it a go to console for people looking to playing Free Games! It's no secret that the Homebrew channel was a factor in the Wii dominating this generation. Its the cheapest, it introduced motion controls, and it had Homebrew that let gamers play all kinds of roms and actual retail games for free.

  While I do not condone pirating retail games at all, I do know many gamers who did just that, and were able to play every single game they wanted on the Wii, for free. In this age where everyone is used to free to play and 99 cent iphone games, a console having free games is sure to stay around longer than one with $60 and $70 games. Another factor for my theory is that the owners of the Xbox One, thus abandonning the 360 and PS3. this will leave Wii as the last console standing, and when it eventually drops to $99 or less, it will probably reach DS sales numbers, or close to it. There's still to times when the Wii spikes and outsells the Wii U, and there are still applications being made for the homebrew channel. I believe the Wii has a long life ahead of it, as long as Nintendo doesn't pull the plug.

Why is America so anxious to see Nintendo fail?

At some point, I'm not exactly sure when, American gaming media decided to hate Nintendo and wish death upon the company. If I had to guess, I'd say it was midway through the Gamecube's run. It somehow became the cool thing to do. If you want to be part of the cool gamers crowd, you have to hate Nintendo. 

  This type of thinking, in my opinion, is anti-gaming. If you love gaming, and all that it stands for, you shouldn't hate any console manufacturer, especially Nintendo. They've been changing things up since the NES days. Of the 3 major console developers, Nintendo is the only company who's controllers are all noticeably different from the previous console. SEGA used to do the same thing when they were in the console business, because this was a good thing. changing up the controller introduces new ways to play and new ways to interact with your games. How dare the media hate the Wii, but tried their hardest to hype Kinect and Move? How dare they complain about Nintendo milking franchises, but turn a blind eye to the fact that there are more Halo and Uncharted games last gen than main series Mario games? Why is it Nintendo they target? 

  At first I believed it to be simply because they are a Japanese company. Maybe that argument would hold water, if the American media wasn't kissing Playstation's ass almost as much as Xbox's. They only answer I ever get from Nintendo haters is the same repeated uninformed nonsense such as "They're for kids." "Nintendo doesn't make hardcore games." or "I'm sick of Mario and Pokemon." They couldn't be more wrong. Despite the Wii's image last gen, it was home to the three most over the top mature titles and even a game that was almost banned. If they're sick of Mario, don't buy it. Nintendo makes loads of other franchises. They even showed of a new JRPG code named "X" at E3, and there are several rumors floating around about Shigeru Miyamoto revealing a new game soon, and Nintendo obtaining the rights to Baten Kaitos. Yet, it seems like no matter what they do, American media hates them. This is not the case in their homeland of Japan. Pick up any magazine like Famitsu, and you see high review scores, positive Nintendo articles, and praise for DragonQuest X, which is Nintendo exclusive. 

  So Why the hate here? What Did Nintendo do to America? Even The Wii and the Wii U's image is warped into something that they're not here in the US. It's shocking how few people know any game that I mention when they ask me what do I play on the Wii. They expect me to say Wii fit, Wii sports, and Mario, but instead are baffled when I name The Conduit, Red Steel 2, Monster Hunter Tri, No More Heroes, Tales of Symphonia Dawn of the New World, The Last Story, Xenoblade, and games of that nature. The Wii U seems to be Nintendo's best shot at regaining the respect of the American media, and With games like Watch Dogs, Bayonetta 2, Deus Ex, and the ever so popular Call of Duty, Its seems they have a fair shot. With America already trying to claim the Wii U as a failure, will it even have a chance to get out of the Hater's bracket?  Only time will tell.

Gamers DON'T determine the winning console

There was once a time where gamers determined what the top selling console was. Yes, in its infancy, game sells relied almost entirely on the gamer. Ever since the days of the Playstation, well before the Wii, casual players and non-gamers entered the market in huge waves. Sure, we as gamers love our action/adventure, RPGs, shooters, Hack and Slash, etc, but its the casuals that boost the sales of any given console into the 100 millions. 

Let's examine the most recent generation of games as an example. The Wii was the clear winner saleswise, yet the average "hardcore" gamer seems to have a serious disdain for it, claiming it to be the casual, or kiddy console. An incorrect view of the console, but if we look at what games sold the most, we see games aimed at casuals, such as Wii Sports and Wii Fit at the top of their charts. I know we can look at the Call of Duty games and say they sell a lot too, but in comparison to a game that both gamers and average joe's play, such as Mario Kart wii, Those numbers are small.

The same thing will happen with this generation. the landscape of gaming has changed. Why else would the XBox One come with Kinect packed in? Though we are the ones who buy more games and keep the industry afloat, we are but the minority when it comes to deciding which console will have the largest install base. Throughout video game history, you can see that the highest seller has always been the one with the most casual games. Us gamers are here to stay, but to think that we are the deciding factor for who wins a supposed console war, is far from the truth. 

The Wii U's Secret Weapons

  The Wii U has been getting a lot of flak lately, but it seems that the gamers on the interwebz have forgotten almost everything that Nintendo said at E3 2012. The Wii U has a few secret weapons ready to use that will create unique, innovative ways to play games, and boost its appeal to the hardcore crowd, as well as the casuals.

  Did everyone just forget about the Gamepad's NFC features? Seriously! This alone can lend to some pretty awesome game ideas. This could be used with figurines, trading cards, and all sorts of other trinkets. Imagine a Yu-Gi-Oh! game or a Baten Kaitos game that actually uses cards. The possibilities are endless with this one.

  Another Secret weapon is the mic thats built into every Wii U Gamepad. Nintendo Land has already shown that the mic can be used for gameplay by having you blow into it to activate certain parts on DK's Crash Course. The Nintendo DS made use of a mic as well, albeit limited. With the power of the Wii U, this feature should be able to be put to great use.

  The Camera in another weapon in the Wii U's arsenal. We know it has some level of face recognition, because we all used it to make a mii or two. So Imagine a horror game that takes your face and puts it in game, or a game that uses the camera to place a picture of you on the TV screen with some creepy effects like making a zombie appear behind you. Yes we know its fake, but that would certainly cause some of us to look behind us or even scream like a coward.

  Multiple Gamepads is another of it's war horses. Did everyone forget that Reggie Fils-aime got on stage and proclaimed that future games will make use of multiple Gamepads. I could see that going to use in RPG. Maybe even have the two players with the Gamepad go through different dungeons at the same time, and meet up in the middle some how, or even have it where both players are in the same room, but see different things on their Gamepads. sort of like a parallel world where player 1 affects player 2's world  through his actions and player 2 does the same.

  Last but certainly not least is the Wii remote plus. Reggie also said that their may be Wii U games that use the Wii remote. Sword play in games such as Red Steel 2 and Skyward Sword showcased how the Wii remote could make swashbuckling all the more engaging. Also, If i do play a shooter, I prefer the accuracy of a Wii remote over analog sticks. The Wii remote isn't dead just yet, so don't count it out.

  With these secret weapons in its arsenal, I can see a future full of varied games and unique and creative ideas coming from the Wii U. If Nintendo and 3rd party developers can make use of all of these features, the Wii U could end up with a library of games more unique and varied than any console before it. Is your body ready?

Miiverse trolls are pathetic

There's just something sad about a Miiverse troll. I mean its comical even. If you hate the Wii U so much, why are you on the Miiverse whining about it? Oh wait! Let me rewind a bit. The Miiverse is a social network of sorts built into the Wii U. It can be accessed on the web, but get this, you have to have a Wii U to even create an account.  let that soak in for a minute.  mmmmhmmm. See why I say they are pathetic? You're level of hate has to be pretty strong to go buy an atleast $300 machine just to hate on the Wii U, or actively find someone with a Wii U and make an account on their's just to hate.

It's truly pointless. What's the purpose? Do they not realize they are on the Miiverse, which is about 80% Nintendo gamers, 20% newbie gamers, neither of those crowds care about what they have to say. The Nintendo fans love their Wii U, and a few words from a troll won't change that. The Newcomers are just checking out the scene and getting advice and tips on what to try from the Nintendo fans. So what are the trolls doing, other than wasting space and getting shut down by a throng of fans with facts to back up their claims. Well, trolls, enjoy your pathetic existence on the Miiverse, just know that for each troll that joins Miiverse, thats another sell for the console that you loathe. Happy Gaming!

The Last Story is IttyBittyTitty City

Normally this wouldn't even bother me. But 2 hours in i chased around some dang birds to get invisible armor only to realize EVERY DAMN WOMAN IN THE GAME IS FLAT CHESTED! Don't let the cutscenes or the concept art fool you. When you go to change armor colors or see them in game, the women are flat as Yurick. Why even give me the option for invisble armor? You know if you give a guy that option he's going to be expecting some big knockers, not these little ittybittytitty women. Hell, I hate Princess Peach, but even she has bigger boobs than syrenne. Who's idea was the invisble armor? Was it some sick joke? What the hell? Nobody alive can be satisfied with those little mosquito bites. Again, normally I don't care about small breasts, but damn it. They made me work for those only to be rewarded with flatzilla. I'm convinced they could all run around bare chested and it still be rated T for Teen because it would be just like looking at a guy's chest! Argh! Pissed me the heck off! Its still an awesome game and I love it, but damn it, if there is a sequel they better at least give an NPC some boobs.

Captain Falcon needs his own RPG!

We all love Captain Falcon, just admit it. We all love to hear him scream "Falcon Punch!" before punching somebody with and explosion of fire shaped like a falcon. So then, why hasn't Nintendo made an F-Zero spin off game where you play as Captain Falcon? I'm fairly certain that a game where you play as Captain Falcon and save Mute city from the likes of DeathBorn and Black Shadow would be perfect on the Wii U.

    Think about it for a minute. It could be an open world sand box type game, and you use the blue falcon to drive from location to location in epic F-zero race style. Also, there can be missions where you walk around and beat up thugs and Falcon Punch and Falcon Kick your way to victory as you level up and learn new Falcon moves.  The gamepad can even serve as a map in the overworld, and be used for stats and center scripted events throughout the  game. There could be a chase scene where the gamepad is used to defuse a bomb, repair the blue falcon while in a burning building, or even as a skype type of voice chat during driving sequences that in game characters use to contact you for side quests or main missions. 

   As for as story goes, I would really prefer Intelligent Systems write the story for the game. They've provided some of the best stories in all of gaming with their Fire Emblem games. I'm fully confident that they can take Captain Falcon and the F-Zero world and craft a very compelling gritty hardcore adventure that is worth of the awesome Captain Falcon. It could be something involving the plot from the anime, GP Legend, or it could just flesh out the ideas that were presented in F-Zero GX for the Gamecube. Also, they should get SEGA for the soundtrack. The music played during the cutscenes in GX were superb, and I'm pretty sure we can all agree Captain Falcon's song is pretty catchy. Nintendo,make this game happen! The fans will love it!

Why Harvest Moon needs to come to Wii U and not Rune Factory.

You Read that title correctly. Harvest Moon Needs to make its way to the Wii U. I love the Rune Factory series, but there needs to be a return to form for the Wii U, and the Gamepad lends itself perfectly to the series. It could be used for inventory, conversation logs when trying to woo a potential wife, cow milking mini game, or cheese making, washing your sheep, status and health bars. The possibilities are endless. I also see Harvest Moon having a big community on Miiverse. If Natsume knows what they are doing they could combine miiverse with online capability and maybe even start a trade system. Miiverse would be chocked full of people trading goods and selling and auctioning livestock to better their farms. This game needs to happen, and it needs to happen yesterday! MAKE IT HAPPEN, NATSUME! I could use a little dose of "Serious Fun" on my Wii U.

Wii got U covered.

 Since its launch, or even before then, The Wii U has been the victim of much criticism. The media argued that Wii U would be for the casuals, then they argued it wasn’t casual enough with Nintendo Land. the argument soon became that the Wii U doesn’t know who it is appealing to and that it has an identity crisis. well, I am here to let you know that all of those views are wrong. Nintendo knows exactly what they are doing with the Wii U. They are doing what they have always done, and that is try to appeal to everyone rather than just one particular crowd.

   The media, (the more western portion anyway) tries to make the Wii U out to be some sort of child toy or lesser than the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One. This is due mainly to the fact that shooters have become the main focus in the western audience, and Nintendo is unapologetically Japanese just as it has always been. Most of the people saying that Nintendo has changed or that they have abandoned their fans, refuse to see the truth, which is the game industry has changed, but Nintendo remained the same. There was once a time where adventure games, RPGs, and platformers were big. That is the time when Nintendo was still considered cool. For comparison sake, Call of Duty is now a big name in the game industry and kids grow up playing Black ops  and Modern Warfare these days, as opposed to playing Mario and Zelda. How can The media write off Nintendo as ignoring it’s fanbase, yet ignore the fact that Playstation purposely ignored some of the franchises that made it famous? Am I the only one that noticed that Spyro games (skylanders included) are now getting advertised more as Nintendo console games even though they began life on Playstation? What about Crash Bandicoot? He’s seen his share of Nintendo exclusive releases, and not a word was said.

  With E3 behind us, Nintendo is now making it very clear who they are pitching their games at, which, I repeat, is everyone. They’ve shown off Bayonetta 2, and the new Monolith RPG known only as X , and Smash Bros. for the hardcore crowd, Wii Fit U and Wii Party U for the casual gamers, and Mario Kart 8, and Super Mario 3D worlds for the mixture of the two. With Mario, Donkey Kong, Pikmin 3, and wonderful 101 all coming before christmas, I find it hard to see how anyone can say Nintendo has forgotten their fans, or is only for the casuals now. It’s gotten so ridiculous that even Reggie Fils-aime himself has gone on the record saying that he doesn’t know why the media say the things they say about Nintendo. One thing is for certain, when the Wii U is set and done, the media will be singing a whole new tune about Nintendo, and if not, the fans certainly will be. There are some big shockers headed our way, wait and see.

Yoshi's Big BreakBreak

Yoshi had been Mario's loyal guardian and ride since before we even knew he existed. He's literally been there for the Mario Bros. Since birth. (Just ignore the fact he was nowhere in Mario 1-3) Over the years this lovable dinosaurs has amassed many fans,  myself included but as a Yoshi fan I can admit  his games have went downhill since the SNES days with the exception of the Yoshi's Island on the Nintendo DS.

The problem seems to have started in the Nintendo 64 days. If you're  a true fan,  you can admit. Yoshi Story was not one of his shining moments. It was simplistic,  had a God awful song that played between chapters, and lacked the charm of the Yoshi's Island games. It seems as if Nintendo had no idea what to do with Yoshi. He had a horribble tilt and play type game on the Gameboy Advance, and a glorified tech demo on Nintendo DS. However, all hope is not lost.  The Nintendo DS did redeem Yoshi a bit with a very solid and challenging Yoshi's Island game and there is a promising yarn Yoshi game coming to Wii U.

This is the year of Luigi according to Nintendo's own president, Satoru Iwata, but this could very well be Yoshi's big year! I can actually say I've been hype for a new Yoshi game 2 times in a row now. It seems Nintendo is out of whatever rut they were in with Yoshi,  and my favorite green dinosaur lizard dragon thingie is back on the rise. True he didn't  have as many bad games as my favorite blue hedgehog,  but he certainly was heading that way. I hope this wave of good Yoshi games continues and he also finds his way onto the Nintendo 3DS. As for now,  I will impatiently await the Wii U title and hope for a demo before release to tide me over. LONG LIVE YOSHI!

Is Mario being milked dry

The question on everyone's mind these days, is simply a question of "is Mario being milked dry?" In order to answer this question, we must first acknowledge that Mario himself is a character and he has multiple games that he stars in. Is the character Mario used a lot? Yes. Nobody can argue with that, but is each individual franchise that he represent being milked? I would say no.

Let me explain. Mario on average has 1 or 2 main franchise games per console and 1 of each spinoff game. Do you honestly believe everyone who enjoys Mario and Sonic Olympics, or Mario Party is also going to go out and buy Mario Galaxy or New Super Mario Bros.? The problem is that people group anything with Mario in it as a main franchise game for some reason. Mario Kart has its own following separate from Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. I know several gamers who are "tired" of Mario platformers, but get excited every time a new Mario Kart is announced.

Think of Mario as a movie star. Would you group Enemy of the State and I Am Legend as part of the same line of movies with Will Smith? No you wouldn't. Though they all star Will Smith, they are vastly different from each other. This variety is what allows Mario to churn out several games per console and still stay fresh. If we look at each individual franchise, we see there have only been two 3D games, one sidescrolling 2D game and one RPG game on the Wii. How is that any more milked that the yearly Call of Duty games that are all the same genre? So no, Mario is not being milked, he's just the star of multiple separate game franchises.

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