Show me the fever, into the fire. Taking it higher and higher. Nothing to fear, it’s only desire. Taking it higher and higher. Ooooo! I could only sleep just shy from 6 hours. I have every right to indulge in my Team Teamworks!
Okay, Let me just pick up a few nits that I missed day one, because ten pages of news can do that. First off, Telltale’s The Walking Dead: 400 Days. It will somehow bridge the events between the two seasons of the game series, and be a single episode telling the stories of what is likely to be five of the second season’s main characters. I’m a sucker for short side stories in a familiar universe, and Telltale’s The Walking Dead is not only familiar, it is likely going to be on a list of my favorite titles I played in 2013, despite oddly being the first.
Also, the free Xbox Live Gold titles briefly mentioned in MS’ press conference will not be bound to a subscription like Playstation Plus. The actual library is still up in the air, as are the plans for it to be used with Xbox One, sixth the whole thing seeming very rushed and not given the care or even some of the value of PS Plus. I was also probably right about Ryse being kinda meh as Killer Instinct‘s classification as F2P is very iffy and Crimson Dragon, which was one of the few captivating titles at Microsoft’s conference, at least to me, which gave off the impression of being a mess. Beating the neatness of the titles with mediocrity right down to Quantum Break, which doesn’t look too tubular. Making the Xbox One look more and more meh, while the Playstation 4 is also region free. Giving an apple while taking a cupcake by tying online onto the bundle of Playstation Plus, meaning that you need to pay to play online with the PS4, while using apps like Netflix still just require a subscription to that. So, they’re still better than MS in that regard, I guess.
Although, did they do better Nintendo? Well, Nintendo did do pretty well overall (With the exacts being summarized here). With a conference only forty-something minutes in length, the Nintendo Direct had some streaming issues so most people missed the reveal of Fairy Pokemon. With the majority of the game still looking very good, both visually and in terms of quality. With 5 more Pokemon added to the batch of the 750 I’ll predict for them to pause on, at least for now. Teamed up with the worldwide release date of October 12th certainly making the launch the most interesting one yet for people in non-Japan. And good god must that have been a pain to translate those 1.4 million English words! Either way, there will be 5 Vs 1 horde battles, feeding and petting time, along with sky battles… so I’ll just preorder it now.
However, the Mario trumpet must be blown at these sorts of events, with Super Mario 3D World being the multiplayer Doki Doki Panic-esc spin off that is presented as the next big 3D Mario adventure. Where things keep the same look of tile sets and reused tools that the similarly titled Super Mario 3D Land had. The reason why the Galaxy titles are so beloved is because they had so many ideas in them and a sense of freshness in most of the massive 3D maps you were tossed in. Although this does let you play as Peach in a kitty suit, so I guess they can do whatever they want now and when the game releases in December. Still not that keen on playing another Mario title with a run button and mushrooms representing health. Especially when the rubbing the gamepad is the best way to find secrets.
At the same time, Mario Kart 8 is taking the mechanics found in 7 and the Wii one, mushing them together with hoverbikes, and throwing in Super Mario Galaxy-esc anti-gravity because why not? I mean, the end result is a rainbow of drifting on walls, so who am I to complain? It might be the best one come early 2014. Certainly more appealing to me than the Wii Party U 80+ minigame collection that was apparently delayed along with the Wii Fit U.
Titles that I’m curious as to who would buy them due to the Wii U’s limited range. Just like how Art Academy seems odd considering how imprecise the 3Ds’s touch screen can be for me. But if people really are able to draw on the Wii U gamepad’s screen , might as well let them finally play with colors. Certainly more plentiful than the fairly meek third party lineup, with Shin Megami Tensei and Scribblenauts being the only major exclusives. At least at retail, with a lot of eShop titles, though I can’t help but compare them to Sony’s and call it a hint lacking. Shovel Knight still looks sweet though.
There is also the October bound Wind Waker HD experiment. Looking pretty darn, well, pretty. Not totally changing the base artstyle, and throwing in the HD bells and whistles, I certainly would love to go back to the Great Sea, hoping that they changed the Triforce collection expenses along with that Miiverse TIngle bottle thingie that I still don’t quite get. But at least there is a turbo sail for the impatient.
Meanwhile, the only major third party exclusives aside from Sonic Lost World seem to be the Wondrous 101 and Bayonetta 2: Subtitle This and Kamiya-san Will Tell You Mom You’ve Been A Bad Boy. Where my reactions are a bit of a groan that the Wii U pad will be involved in the core gameplay at all, seeing as how I’d prefer an off TV option. Alongside a bit of lust for the five player co-op mode hardly explained. While Bayonetta 2 shows a short haired and cape wearing Bayonetta in very similar gameplay scenarios, excluding how she has new hair demons to summon. Although, it’d still probably punish me for taking damage more so than the punishment of losing health. Yet, the undetailed co-op feature might help out in the respect.
Although, my disdain towards that stuff along with the idea of a lives system has kept me from some very well received games, like Donkey Kong Country Returns, which is oddly getting a sequel after its 3D remix. Called Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, it appears to be more or less the same, minus a bit more 3D centric areas and Dixie Kong as a playable character. Looks all well and good, but why is it a Wii U title after the last one did well on the 3DS? And why isn’t Retro making their promised Star Fox title?
I get why Xenofunk would be on the Wii U though, or to use its more common name, X. To me, Xenoblade was a game that should get a successor in some form, and a futuristic game about dinosaurs and giant robots certainly makes the $350 box sound more appeal- wait, no price drop? Really guys? You even removed the $300 model for crying out loud! Oh well, I can wait until 2014.
Which is also when the promised title to bring forth the fans in droves, Super Smash Brothers! Yes, marking the two new characters of the Villager from Animal Crossing and Mega Man, the classic Blue Bomber with a plethora of powers The new dual system title actually looks pretty radical, with lovely Wii U visuals and a semi-cel shaded look for the 3DS. However, the limited development time likely means that there will only be a maximum of 30 playable characters in the box, (Or possibly across both boxes) with another ten or so being DLC. Still, will likely buy the title if only so I can look at it and jam my toys together like I’m eight once more. Oh, and there’s the Wii Fit Trainer Girl as well… Okay!
A fairly nice showing, meeting the requirements but not really going above and beyond. I still want that Star Fox title Retro teased a while ago, and an F-Zero would have been keen. But the lack of price drop and rushed feeling I get from some of the shown footage, plaything things very safe in many regards. Not bad, but not overly good, a C or C+ at best. With Yoshi’s Island 3, Mario & Luigi 4, and a Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds trailers all being available, yet not used to flesh out the feeble 40-ish minute conference
An hour or so after Nintendo’s Direct injection of bliss, Square Enix had an event planned planned, where a lot of stuff was said about the Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV that I’ll summarize without throwing around four annotations. Both games will be on the PS4 and Xbox One worldwide. Final Fantasy XV will likely have its own sequels. And the actiony trailer shown is representative of the title, just not the series as a whole. I’m still very skeptical due to how the main Final Fantasy team last seemed more concerned with the visual fidelity of a consoles than making an overall well designed system that would work with a SNES title, but hey, if it is good, then I’ll get to buy and enjoy it.
Which I could also say about Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s Director’s Cut, which is now for other current systems. Making the Wii U look even less attractive than the decaying plant that it is currently resembling, even after the Nintendo Direct injection of blood into the system. I mean, it’s not like Nintendo had a Last Guardian to show off before shelving it (yet not being cancelled). Oddly absent after several years of hype, I’m not surprised the project has been put on hold, but I’m guessing this hiatus will be indefinite.
In about 4,000 words less than the previous day, I think that is all I have to say about the second day of the great E3 rush. Thus far, I’m actually far more confident in the next generation. Mind you, I was a bitter loathsome stick in the mud beforehand, who was looking at a PC and still is after being informed of a $200 coupon from my folks. However, much like the Christmas where you wanted something a bit too much, and only got your second wish list items, I’m happy, but have a bit of a hole in my heart. Like there should have been a few more things under the Christmas tree for the selfish bastard that is and was me. As my transition words are beginning to wane, I’ll just sign off with my anticipation firmly planted, yet more than a hair misplaced for someone who will enter 2014 playing game that are from at least a decade ago… How did Microsoft ruin everything so amazingly anyhow?