Oh my great goodness to gargantuan proportions, Mark Haynes (Alvin Earthworm) is rebooting Super Mario Bros. Z! I loved this man’s original work, it was one of my favorite things in the world when I was still toiling around newgrounds in the late ots with my friend, who I think is dead now. Seeing this man pull himself out of the furry hole and a meaningless existence as a dishwasher is so hopeful, so joyous, and something I will undoubtedly support on Patreon. Yes, I have a lot of nostalgia for this sprite based fighting series, but I still think it’s amazing.
2016 is still a little baby girl, the equivalent to a 2-year-old at this point, and there are quite a few keen looking titles due out this year, but it was recently revealed that Final Fantasy VII Remake will not be out until 2017, with 2016 being a year of production, thanks for announcing it so early then. While Platinum Games’ Scalebound was delayed to 2017, which is far more surprising, and likely a move made by Microsoft, as Platinum always seems to meet their deadlines. Ubisoft tries to do similar, by putting out an Assassin’s Creed every year, but rumor has it that the next Assassin’s Creed, codenamed Empires, will be set in Egypt, and will not release until 2017 in an attempt to revitalize the franchise. Good, the series could use some new blood, even if this is likely a reworking of Osiris, a project Ubisoft has been working on for a few years. Also, Watch Dogs 2 should be out this year as Ubisoft’s big holiday game, and Prince of Persia is dead.
One thing that is launching this year are the first major VR headsets, those antiquated devices meant to immerse players in a video game world, because they are unable to do so with a screen and a controller. I’m sorry, but I see this as another incarnation of the same misguided mindset that birthed motion controls. Either way, the price point for the Oculus Rift, launching in March 2016, is $599.00, a price that exists partially because Oculus is giving away final versions of the Rift to its original backers. Also, the Rift requires a gaming PC that is about equal to what I bought and built last month for over a thousand dollars. So, yeah, real nice niche product you guys have there.
I intend to keep my PC unchanged for the next 5 years or so, meaning this was a long term purchase, hence why I spent so much money. This year, I am trying to be very conservative with my spendings on games, as last year’s total was a little embarrassing. Meaning I will not buy things like the HD Remaster of A Boy And His Blob, coming to consoles and PC on January 19th, at launch, as it will be 75% off during the Steam Winter sales of 2016. Nor shall I partake in things such as the successful crowdfunding campaign for Psychonauts 2, although that is mostly due to the lack of gameplay shown for the campaign, and Double Fine’s less than stellar track record with crowdfunding. I most certainly didn’t look at a proposed Star Wars ‘like’ Open World RPG that somebody put on Kickstarter, asking for $200,000 and getting $18,000 for nothing but three paragraphs. 
Over the past few years, Valve has had practiced some very odd behavior, likely due to company expansion, loose management, and a general lack of direction. It may be because of this that the company’s one writer, Marc Laidlaw, left after 18 years to pursue other writing avenues. While Valve themselves are allegedly working on Left 4 Dead 3, with a planned 2017 release window. Meanwhile, Half-Life 3 is likely still in preproduction, as nobody knows how to make a worthwhile follow up to the prior games. Valve also doesn’t know how to keep a super secure database, as according to information found at the Steam helpdesk, a PC port of Grasshopper Manufacture’s Lollipop Chainsaw may be in the works. It would make sense and is totally believable, but my history with anything grade based has been conflicted at best, and I did not love what I played on my Xbox 360. Oh, and about a month ago it was said that Stranger of Sword City was coming to PC through the same means, and the ESRB accidentally confirmed it.
I was interested in checking out Adventures of Mana, a remake of the game known as Final Fantasy Adventure, Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden, or Mystic Quest, which was previously remade as Sword of Mana. However, it was revealed that the English version will only be for mobile, not for Vita like in Japan, and not for PC like Square Enix tends to do. Oh well, guess I won’t get to play as Abdul Crustacean as he goes on his Mystical Fantasy Gaiden or whatever.
Now I’m done, see you later this week with a review of Shadow Complex Remastered. Also,my slapdash editing for The Malice of Abigale Quinlan has been going well, and the story should be released before the 31st. Afterwards, I will start looking over and reformating some of my older novellas and novels, which I plan to re-release. I may also try to sell them on Amazon, assuming I can commission some artists I like to do some covers for me. Despite the old adage, people do judge a book by its cover, and most novel covers are photoshopped mismatches.