The Seventh Generation: Essential Games

What makes a game essential?  Is it the cutting-edge graphics, the gigantic scope, the innovative gameplay or the masterful mechanics?  An essential game may include one or more of these aspects, but having these aspects does not automatically make a game essential.  In this writer's honest opinion, an essential game is not the highest rated or most popular game out on the market.  An essential game is one that NEEDS to be experienced by everyone who plays video games.

There were a ton of great games from this past generation.  To boil all those great games down to a list of nine essential games is an incredibly hard and daunting process.  This writer took a lot of time and care in putting together a list that encompassed the experiences that defined the seventh console generation from the largest blockbusters to the smallest experiments.  There may be some omissions such as BioShock, Grand Theft Auto IV or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but this writer has not played enough of these games to even form an opinion on them much less name them an essential game of this past generation.  Without further ado, let us dive into the final entry of The Seventh Generation, the essential games of the last console generation.

Portal
Originally bundled with Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 in The Orange Box, it looked like Portal would be overshadowed by Valve's heavyweights.  Fortunately, Portal was never overshadowed.  The game's expertly crafted humour, perfectly developed villain and incredibly unique puzzle mechanics made Portal an instant classic.  Portal has the player take control of a test subject at the Aperture Science Enrichment Center.  Equipped with only the Portal Gun, the player is tasked with completing a gauntlet of test chambers which grow more difficult and dangerous as the player advances.  Throughout these chambers, the player is constantly berated by a computer AI known as GLaDOS.  While GLaDOS is the antagonist of Portal, she spouts the funniest and most memorable lines of the game.  Even though Portal can be beaten within a few hours, you grow to love the characters, the enemies, the dialogue, the Portal Gun, the level design and the puzzles.  If it was not for this little game stuck on The Orange Box, gamers would have never learned to think with portals.

Rock Band
At one point or another, everybody has wanted to be a rock star.  The dream of singing your heart out, shredding the strings on a guitar or smacking a set of drums in front of a sea of thousands is one that many imagine, but few actually live.  Many games have tried to emulate the thrill of being a rock star, but only a handful have succeeded in fulfilling this childhood dream.  Rock Band is among the pinnacle of these games.  Using the plastic instruments that come packaged with the game, one can emulate being in a band with friends and family or play the guitar, drums or sing solo.  With the focus on local multiplayer, Rock Band quickly became the most popular party game of this generation because of its excellent accessibility.  While sequels and future rhythm games made improvements on the original, nothing will ever beat the euphoric thrill of getting three to four people together to play in Rock Band.  Rock Band brought the rhythm genre to its greatest peak and no other rhythm game has been able to recreate the magic this game created.

Mass Effect
The Mass Effect trilogy as a whole encompasses the three greatest games of this past generation.  Perfectly blending the combat of a third-person action game with the complex systems of a RPG and single-handedly revolutionizing the art of storytelling in this medium as one's decisions followed them throughout each game in the series, the Mass Effect trilogy is an astonishing feat of artistry.  As great as all three Mass Effect games are, this writer can only choose one for this list--the original Mass Effect.  The sole reason this writer bought a Xbox 360, the original Mass Effect is unlike any game before it.  You are given the freedom to create whatever Shepard you desire.  Male or female, good or evil, tactically savvy or guns blazing, the player's Shepard is not just their avatar, it is an extension of themselves.  From the heart-racing thrill of threatening a journalist on the Citadel to the heart-wrenching indecision of choosing the fate of a crew mate, an entire fleet of soldiers or a small group of Council delegates, Mass Effect is never afraid in giving players decisions no matter their difficulty.  If there is one RPG that you play from this past generation, make it BioWare's sci-fi masterpiece Mass Effect.

Super Mario Galaxy
Just like Super Mario 64 defined the 3D platformer during the fifth console generation, Super Mario Galaxy defined the future of this genre.  No longer restricted by flat surfaces, Mario traversed a number of spherical planetoids on his way to retrieve all the missing stars.  Playing around with gravity in interesting ways, Galaxy provided new ways to maneuver around a three dimensional space.  The motion capabilities of the Wii remote are expertly used to ease jumping, interact with objects in the environment and control Mario on different rides such as a ball or a manta ray.  Super Mario Galaxy is the premier platforming game of this generation and it should not be skipped over by any gamer.

Uncharted 2:  Among Thieves
This writer considers Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception to be the best entry in Naught Dog's venerable series.  Although if it was not for the excellence of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, there would be no third entry in the Uncharted series.  That is the reason Among Thieves makes this list over Drake's Deception.  Uncharted 2 launched Nathan Drake and Naughty Dog into superstardom.  It is an exhilarating roller coaster ride from beginning to end with some unbelievable set pieces like battling mercenaries in a collapsing building or traversing a moving train as a helicopter guns Drake down.  Aside from the Hollywood blockbuster-like moments, Uncharted 2 has a solid base of third-person shooting, visceral hand-to-hand combat and parkour-like platforming.  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves single-handedly created a juggernaut franchise for Sony this past generation and going forward into the future.

Batman:  Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City is the ultimate superhero and ultimate Batman game.  Arkham City is a fully realized world where the player is given the skills and abilities to explore every nook and cranny, fight waves of convicts, tackle story missions or collect hundreds of creatively hidden collectables.  One can easily lose tons of hours just playing around in Arkham City's open world.  Any gamer no matter if they are hardcore fans of the Dark Knight or know nothing about the Caped Crusader will enjoy the amazing experience Arkham City offers.  It puts you in the shoes of a superhero like no other game has ever done before and few could possibly do after.  Batman: Arkham City is the best licensed game of this generation and arguably of all-time.

The Legend of Zelda:  Skyward Sword
Unlike Twilight Princess, which launched with the Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is built from the ground up for the Nintendo's motion-based console.  In short, Skyward Sword stands as the pinnacle of the Wii’s library, an example why high definition graphics do not make games better and why motion controls are not just a gimmick.  Skyward Sword offers one-to-one swordplay like no game has ever achieved before or since, an excellent array of items with intuitive motion controls from old favourites like the bombs to new choices such as the beetle, mind-bending puzzles, beautifully constructed dungeons and a wonderfully orchestrated soundtrack (a first for the Zelda series).  Arguably the greatest game of this generation, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword stands as the embodiment of the pure fun and emotion brought forth by Nintendo's mission with the Wii. 

Journey
Journey is one of the most unique experiences of this past generation.  There are no tutorials, no real instructions.  You are just dropped into a seemingly barren desert with this profile of a mountain in the distance.  The controls are simple yet incredibly intuitive, the graphics and art are just jaw dropping, the music is beautiful and the puzzles, while simple, are very charming and engaging.  Journey is a soothing and relaxing experience that can easily be finished in one sitting, which makes the game easy to replay again and again.  This writer cannot stress how amazing of an experience this game is.  Journey is a game that cannot be captured in words or through video.  Journey is a game that must be experienced to understand its greatness.

The Walking Dead
Unlike any experience in this medium, The Walking Dead transcends the title of being a mere licensed game.  Fans of this property or not, The Walking Dead is an emotional tale that anyone will easily be drawn into.  The Walking Dead will make you laugh, cry, scared, disgusted, shocked, surprised, intrigued and every emotion in between.  When everything is said and done, you will be amazed at how much you care about each and every character you meet and interact with in this game and contemplate on what could have been if you made different decisions.  The Walking Dead is hands down the benchmark for modern adventure games and should be experienced by all gamers mature enough to play it.

The Seventh Generation: PlayStation 3

The third and final console to look back on is the world's best Blu-Ray player, the PlayStation 3.  All joking aside, the fortunes of the Playstation 3 were the exact opposite of the Xbox 360.  The PlayStation 3 had an extremely rough first few years on the market.  Coming off the incredible success of the PlayStation 2, Sony got complacent with the PlayStation 3.  Sony's ignorance cost the company as the PlayStation 3 fell far behind the competition.  It took a large price drop and a console redesign before the PS3 started moving off the shelves.  While Sony had problems getting consumers to buy the PS3, their first-party development in both the downloadable and retail spaces and their extensive library of third-party exclusives made convincing arguments for owning Sony's third console.  Once Sony turned their string of bad luck around, the PS3 became the console of choice for many gamers this past generation.

Out of the gate, the PS3 was struck with a seemingly never ending string of problems.  The over 600 dollar price tag was far too steep for most people even the most enthusiastic gamers.  Programming for the PS3 was much harder than the other systems of this generation due to the PS3's Cell Processor.  Sony executives were making outrageous claims about the PS3's "monster" sales.  Game developers and publishers from Valve to Activision were voicing their disdain against the system.  The one glimmer of hope in the early days of the PS3 was Blu-Ray's win over HD-DVD as the definitive format for high definition home entertainment.  Despite Sony's PR nightmare with the early years of the PS3, things eventually turned around for the system.  Even with the better standing of the PS3 in later years, there were still a good number of mistakes made by Sony.  One big problem with Sony in general is the company's lack of commitment to an initiative or product if it does not have immediate success.  During the life of the PS3, Sony relentlessly tried to shove two different initiatives down the throats of gamers only to completely abandon them less than a year after announcing them.  These two initiatives were the PlayStation Move and 3D compatibility.  The PlayStation Move was Sony's answer to Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Kinect.  Much like the Kinect, the Move tried to bring in a casual audience to the PS3 only to alienate the system's primary audience of hardcore gamers.  Sony tried their hand at 3D compatibility with the PS3 when stereoscopic 3D was all the craze back in 2009.  Sony put 3D compatible logos on all their major games and even released an extremely overpriced 3D monitor to get people to adopt stereoscopic 3D into their lives.  Both initiatives were just gimmicks that Sony used to extend to life of the PS3, but neither caught on and Sony ceased to promote them.

While Sony has made a good number of mistakes with the PS3, they have made some good decisions as well.  People made fun of using Blu-Ray discs as the default format for all PS3 games upon first release, but it is the biggest strength of this system.  While Microsoft faced numerous problems with their dual-layered DVDs for the Xbox 360, Sony's Blu-Ray discs are nearly indestructible.  One would have to make a considerable physical effort to damage a Blu-Ray discs.  Also the PS3 never felt the need to chew up games like the Xbox 360.  Apart from the great success of the Blu-Ray format, Sony's first-party efforts during this generation were among their strongest.  From established franchises like Ratchet & Clank and God of War to newfound properties such as Uncharted and Infamous to experimental titles such as Journey and the PixelJunk series, Sony's first-party had an incredible amount of variety compared to that of Microsoft and even Nintendo this generation.  This vast library of first-party titles was complimented by the great number of third-party exclusives especially in the later years of the PS3 such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Valkyria Chronicles and 3D Dot Game Heroes.

One cannot talk about the PS3 without discussing the biggest event in the console's life-- the PlayStation Network Outage.  This outage happened during the spring of 2011 when hackers attacked PSN causing Sony to shutdown all online functions for about a month.  This outage served as the biggest scare for gamers to this date as hackers got ahold of millions of peoples' personal and even credit card information.  The outage is considered one of Sony's greatest debacles, but personally this writer believes it is a significant turning point for the Sony PlayStation brand.  This outage was a wake-up call for Sony.  They nearly hit rock bottom in the eyes of the gaming community due to the outage.  Many people to this day do not fully trust saving their credit card information to any online store including the PlayStation Store.  This outage showed Sony the horrors of not protecting their customers and has brought forth a brand new direction for the PlayStation brand as a whole.  While Sony has not entirely turned the company's consistent problems around after the outage, they have made greater efforts to push games like the slew of Sony exclusive indie games and initiatives such as PlayStation Plus which actually please and benefit gamers rather than bring in the most cash.  Personally, this writer does not believe Sony would be in such a great position with all the good will surrounding the PS4 if it was not for the lessons learned during the PSN outage.

While things started out the worst possible way for the PlayStation 3, things eventually turned around for Sony's third outing in console gaming.  Hard lessons learned from the PS3 has definitely changed the PlayStation brand for the better as seen with the overwhelming success of the PS4's launch.  Although the PS3 may never be considered in the same league as its predecessors,  it is arguable the best console of this past generation.

The Seventh Generation: Xbox 360

The second console to look back on is the first one out of the gate this past generation, the Xbox 360.  Microsoft stepped into the video game industry with the original Xbox, but the Xbox 360 was when Microsoft made their foothold in the market.  Launching a full year ahead of the PS3 and the Wii really helped the Xbox 360 establish itself as the must-have console for the early years of this past generation.  While the PS3 had problems with making the system easily accessible for programmers and the Wii was too concerned with the casual gaming audience, the Xbox 360 had the premier online service in Xbox Live, a prospering selection of downloadable games through Xbox Live Arcade and a good number of first and third party exclusives.  The more successful the Xbox 360 became, the more Microsoft tampered with this winning formula.  The later years of the Xbox 360 saw so many shifts in focus that have gone onto hurt this console and company's standing in various ways.

The Xbox 360 made some significant improvements over its predecessor.  Apart from enhanced processing power and improved online services, Microsoft completely reworked the controller for the 360.  While the original Xbox controller was cumbersome and uncomfortable to use, the 360 controller fit perfectly to the contours of a person's hands.  The 360 controller was so well received by gamers that it is considered among the best video game controllers of all-time.  Through Xbox Live Arcade, the 360 brought forth a new avenue to access games.  No longer did one have to go to their local video game store to pick up the latest game, there were hundreds of games, demos, downloadable expansions and extra content available to download from the system's marketplace menu.  All one needed to access all this content was an internet connection.  Xbox Live Arcade also gave independent game developers a chance to easily release games on consoles.  While these indy developers needed the support of Microsoft or a third-party publisher to get their games on this service, Xbox Live Arcade did offer an affordable way to create console games.  Some of the best games for the 360 such as Braid, Limbo, Shadow Complex and Trials were released through Xbox Live Arcade.  Speaking of games, the Xbox 360 saw the release of some generation defining games like Gears of War, Mass Effect, BioShock, Fight Night Round 3 and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion before landing on other platforms.

The Xbox 360 was overwhelmingly successful with the core gamer audience despite the hardware problems.  There are always problems with technology, but the 360's problems like the infamous Red Ring of Death and the far too common ring scratches were widespread problems.  Although some people like this writer have never experienced such hardware failures, not everyone was that lucky.  Many people went through a good number of Xbox 360s in the last generation.  During this generation, Microsoft constantly improved the Xbox 360 hardware to avoid these hardware problems in later Xbox 360 hardware.  While the hardware improved over time, the 360's standing did not.  From 2009 onwards, Microsoft shifted the 360's focus from  the defined core gamer audience to a much broader all-encompassing audience.  Microsoft moved away from developing first-party software and pushing support for indy developers to creating new peripherals and fostering greater relations with third-party publishers.  The lack of first-party support and worthwhile exclusives pushed gamers away because there was nothing to differentiate the Xbox 360 from the PS3.  The onslaught of casual games brought on by the Kinect, Microsoft's answer to the Wii's motion controls, did not help matters either.  It did bring in the casual audience, but it also alienated a good portion of the 360's primary audience.  Microsoft's SmartGlass and multimedia initiatives made it even more evident that this company had no clue about what to do with the 360's success.

The Xbox 360 has definitely had its ups and downs.  The 360 started out as the dominant console of this generation in the eyes of gamers, but completely fell flat on its face in the past few years due to Microsoft's lack of focus.  The Kinect and SmartGlass were sadly glorified prototypes that did more to hurt the 360 than extend its life.  Although these mistakes, the 360 offers a great selection of games from the Triple A blockbusters to the independent darlings.  In the end, the Xbox 360 is hands down Microsoft's best console to date.

The Seventh Generation: Nintendo Wii

While it has been much longer than just a couple weeks, The Seventh Generation is back.  The first console to look back on is Nintendo's biggest gamble, the Wii.  Coming off of a turbulent run with the Gamecube (Nintendo's weakest selling game console at the time), Nintendo came to terms with the fact that they could not compete with Microsoft and Sony when it came to computing power.  Nintendo looked at their strengths, gameplay and design, and the risk taken with the Nintendo DS for inspiration for their newest console.  Instead of directly competing with the Xbox 360 and PS3 in terms of power, the Wii focused its entire design around one core mechanic, motion control.  Motion controls were attempted in earlier console generations, but they were never refined to the point of actually being more than a non-functional gimmick.  The Wii brought motion controls to the forefront of the video game industry and nobody could have predicted the success to follow.

Apart from the hardcore Nintendo fans that flocked to the Wii for the newest entries in Nintendo's venerable franchises (Mario, Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Donkey Kong and Super Smash Bros.), the Wii caught the attention of people who never considered playing video games as an activity for them.  The simplistic design the Wii Remote, which was intentionally designed to look and feel like a TV remote, and the familiarity of the sports included in Wii Sports, the game packed in with every Wii system, broke down the large barrier of entry video games had before this point in time.  No longer did people have to learn complex button presses to play games, they just had to mimic certain motions to get involved.  This universal appeal equated to monstrous sales for the Wii.  While the Wii may had been a minimal improvement over the Gamecube in terms of power and graphics, it easily outsold PS3 and Xbox 360, incredibly more powerful machines, this past generation.

Being the most successful system of the past generation did not mean the Wii was the best console of this past generation.  In actuality, the Wii was quite the opposite.  Although Nintendo and a few other developers used the Wii's under-powered specs to create artistically stunning games, the majority of Wii games can be considered lacking at best.  During the early years of the Wii, there was such a large number of shovel ware released on the machine that it was hard to discern between the good and the bad.  For every Super Mario Galaxy, there were dozens of shovel ware like Carnival Games and Chicken Shoot.  The Wii, much like the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube, suffered from a lack of third-party support.  While there were publishers like Sega, Ubisoft and EA that supported the Wii with numerous games, a good number of publishers such as Bethesda and Take-Two passed over the Wii due to its lack a processing power.

For Nintendo fans, the Wii offered a lot of great games both old (through the power of the Virtual Console) and new that you could not experience anywhere else.  Apart from the core Nintendo faithful and the new slew of casual gamers, the Wii did not offer enough to sway people away from the most cutting-edge systems in the PS3 and Xbox 360.  The Wii may be among Nintendo's most successful video game consoles, but it will never be remembered as fondly as its predecessors.

The Seventh Generation

It seems like just yesterday when all the hype over the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consumed every facet of video game media, mainstream media and regular conversation.  Like no other console generation before it, video games were about to take a quantum leap in terms of graphics, processing power, interconnectivity and controls among many other things.  This console generation launched the video game industry to unimaginable heights.  Playing video games was no longer a niche activity for children and obsessively intellectual in the eyes of society.  Due to the popularity of this console generation along with ventures into different forms of interactive media (motion and social games in particular), video games made major strides in becoming a serious media in our culture much like films, books, music and art.  While video games still has many more years and possibly decades before it is on the same level as those forms of media, this generation really got the momentum building for the argument that video games as an art form.

Sadly with the eighth console generation already on its way and just about to shift into turbo with the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this November, it is finally time for these consoles to take a backseat for the next generation.  Big things are ahead, but the title for this series of articles is "The Seventh Generation", not "The Eighth Generation".  For the next month or so leading up to the launches of the PS4 and Xbox One, this writer will be taking a retrospective look at the all of consoles of this past generation (Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3).  For the final article of this series, this writer will be listing the essential games from the past generation.  This article will not be your normal top ten list.  Essential games are not necessarily the best rated games of this console generation; they are the games that NEED to be experienced from the seventh generation of video game consoles.

This series of articles has been boiling around in this writer's mind for a long time.  To take this trip down memory lane should be loads of fun.  Enjoy the ride and The Seventh Generation will be back in a week or two with a look at the Nintendo Wii.

Kickstart This!: Summer of Kickstarter

Welcome to Silver Bit's newest recurring article, Kickstart This!  With Kickstarter's rise in popularity among video game developers and in some cases composers to fund their projects, yours truly has been trying to think of ways to promote these great projects.  A few of video game Kickstarter projects get the initial publicity on big video game media sites such as IGN and Gamespot if they are attached to a popular video game designer such as Tim Schafer or noteworthy developer like WayForward.  There are plenty of Kickstarter projects that never get the public attention they deserve.  While Silver Bit is not among the most viewed blogs in the world, this writer wants to do his part in spreading the word about the Kickstarter projects that appeal to him.  One more person talking about these projects will definitely get a few others talking and hopefully cause a domino effect as more and more decide to spread the word.

The inspiration behind Kickstart This! came about due to all the Kickstarter projects that yours truly has been following and supporting as of late.  I have supported a few projects over the past year or so, but not at the frequency that I am doing now.  It has gotten to a point where this writer is scared to find another project to whisk away more money.  What a better way to kick off Kickstart This!, pun fully intended, then with the three Kickstarter projects that sucked up this writer's money this past Summer.
                       
The first Kickstarter project highlighted today is actually not a video game.  Before you raise your virtual pitchforks, this project does involve video games in some form.  Particularly, it involves video game music.  This Kickstarter is to fund Video Games Live's third album.  For those who have not heard of Video Games Live, it is a multimedia symphonic/rock video game concert run by prolific video game composer Tommy Tallarico.  Video Games Live's first two albums focused on the most popular and recognizable video game music from the likes of Mario, Halo and Warcraft.  For the third album, known as Level 3, Video Games Live is focusing on the more underrated video game tracks from games like Monkey Island, Street Fighter, Journey and Beyond Good and Evil.  Due to how niche the audience for this album is, Video Games Live is looking for passionate gamers like you and I to help fund this project.  Video Games Live is looking to raise 250 thousand dollars to fund Level 3.  Currently 205 thousand dollars have been pledged to the project with only three days left.  If you are a lover of video game music, the Video Games Live Kickstarter is definitely one to support.  Every bit counts.
                       
It has been well documented on how horribly Capcom has dropped the ball with their flagship franchise, Mega Man.  Once the Blue Bomber's creator Keiji Inafue left Capcom to create his own independent studio Comcept, Capcom seemed to abandon their mascot.  Many have been clamouring for any sort of news about a new Mega Man game, but to no avail.  Capitalizing on the demand, Keiji Inafue announced a brand new project from Comcept called Mighty No. 9.  Mighty No. 9 is the spiritual successor to Mega Man.  It is a side-scrolling action game where you run, jump, shoot and transform much like Capcom's Blue Bomber.  It might seem a lot like Mega Man, but with one huge twist.  Beck, the main character, can transform at will.  These transformations are not only earned from defeating the bosses in the game; they can be gained from collecting energy dropped from common enemies.  The Mighty No. 9 Kickstarter has been a runaway success.  The game was funded within two days and is now currently working towards its 2.2 million dollar stretch goal, which will see Mighty No. 9 ported to PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U.  With 21 days left to go, Comcept will definitely have enough money to fund Mighty No. 9 and then some.  Guess the demand for a Mega Man game is bigger than ever imagined, eh Capcom?
                        
Last but not least, the latest Kickstarter project to make me part with my money to support.  WayForward has been on a roll with their latest offerings (Mighty Switch Force series on 3DS and Wii U and DuckTales:  Remastered for consoles).  So it came as a surprise when they announced that they will be funding a new game project through Kickstarter.  Some thought it could be a whole new intellectual property or a console installment in one of WayForward's signature franchises.  The latter came true as Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was revealed to be said Kickstarter project this past Wednesday.  Shantae is WayForward's first original franchise.  It stars a female half-genie by the name of Shantae who is in charge of protecting a fishing port called Scuttle Town.  Half-Genie hero is Shantae's first venture on consoles as she has been at home on handheld and mobile systems for the past decade.  Before any funding was needed, WayForward confirmed Half-Genie Hero will be coming to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U and PC.  Meeting the funding goal of 400 thousand dollars will allow WayForward to create a HD Shantae game with an introduction and conclusion stage along with three chapters in between.  Stretch goals are in place to include extra modes, different costumes and even bonus chapters if WayForward's goal is met.  At the moment, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is half way to its goal with just under a month to go.

Hopefully you all enjoyed this first edition of Kickstart This!  If you are interested in any of the projects shared in this article, please pledge some of your money to the project of your choice.  Kickstarter is becoming such a powerful tool in the video game industry especially for the gamers who are getting sick and tired of the current state of Triple A video game development.  These three projects are only a small sampling of everything that is on Kickstarter.  There a tons of projects out there to support.  If these projects did not speak to you, there is definitely a project out there.

Launch Station: Rayman Legends

The time has come.  After close to a year of waiting, Rayman Legends is finally on store shelves.  It has been a long and tumultuous road of delays, loss of exclusivity and many other crazy circumstances.  While this writer is baffled about how horrible Ubisoft handles one of their premier franchises, it is relieving to finally get our hands on a game that should have been out six months ago.  Rayman may not be a sales powerhouse like Assassin's Creed; this limbless hero is easily taking the platforming world by storm thanks to polished gameplay, excellent controls and beautiful hand-drawn graphics.

After sleeping for a century, Rayman and friends are awoken to world far less pleasant than they left it at the end of Rayman Origins.  The Bubble Dreamer's nightmares along with the dark teensies have grown in strength and kidnapped the princesses of the land and the peaceful teensie people.  It is up to Rayman and friends to stop the nightmares and dark teensies from corrupting the Glade of Dreams.  Rayman Legends improves on the platforming gameplay of Rayman Origins as running, jumping, collecting lums and saving teensies are the name of the game.  Just like its predecessor, Legends allows up to four players to participate in these levels.  Note that this co-operative multiplayer is only available locally.  Apart from the standard platforming fair, Legends offers brand new levels where you take control of Murfy the fairy.  As Murfy, players interact with the environment to assist Rayman and friends such as cutting ropes, activating switches or distracting enemies.  On the Vita and Wii U, players control Murfy with the touch controls on the Wii U's Gamepad or the Vita's touch screen.  While on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, Murfy is controlled by a button press.  Rayman Legends includes 80 brand new levels and 40 remastered levels from Rayman Origins along with remixed versions of each level available upon completion of the game.  While Rayman Legends offers a ton of content for its single-player component, it offers a robust online component as well.  The online Challenge mode offers challenges for players to complete in order to earn trophies and rise through the leaderboards.  There are new challenges offered everyday to keep gamers coming back each day to post their best times and distances.

Rayman Legends has been a high anticipated game for yours truly.  It was the game this writer bought a Wii U just to play.  While the delays and other obstacles Ubisoft threw at us were disheartening, those actions will not deter my enjoyment of Rayman Legends.  The men and women at Ubisoft's Montpellier studio put their hearts and souls into this game and for them this writer puts down his money in support.  While Diablo III and Grand Theft Auto V may suck up a ton of money this September, let us show Ubisoft that Rayman and Ubsioft Montpellier deserve a lot more respect than they give them.  The only way to make this change is to talk with your money and pick up Rayman Legends for your console or handheld of choice.

First Byte: Nintendo 2DS

This past Wednesday was a big day if you are a Nintendo fan.  The Big N came out and revealed their plans for the remainder of 2013.  They gave release dates for all their first-party titles and finally announced a much-needed fifty dollar price drop for the Wii U.  This announcement alone would have been enough as it puts the Wii U in a better position to compete with the PS4 and Xbox One this holiday season.  Funny enough, the Wii U price drop and the slew of release dates was not all Nintendo had in store this past Wednesday.  The biggest and most polarizing news was the reveal of the Nintendo 2DS  (no that is not a typo).  The 2DS is the newest model of the Nintendo 3DS designed specifically for young children and those who cannot use the 3DS's glasses-less 3D features.  The 2DS's major changes are the removal of the signature 3D features and the bulky design, which is very similar to old Tiger Electronics handhelds.  Other than those changes, the 2DS is exactly the same as the other 3DS models on the market.  Since its reveal, the 2DS has created a major stir across the confines of the World Wide Web.  Due to how sudden the reveal of the 2DS was, the reactions from media outlets, game designers and general gamers have been very interesting.  So interesting in fact that it has inspired this writer to give his two cents on the topic.  To tackle this topic, yours truly has decided to take a different approach with this edition of First Byte.  This writer will be analyzing the 2DS from two different perspectives- Nintendo's perspective and the gamer's perspective.  There is no absolute right or wrong perspective to this topic because both have their pros and cons.  So sit back, take in the insights provided and do not be afraid to share your opinions in the comments below.

First and foremost, Nintendo did not design the 2DS for core gamers like you and I.  The 2DS is designed for children under the age of seven because 3D is damaging for a young child's developing eyes.  The 2DS, much like the Canada-exclusive Wii Mini, is designed to be a child's first handheld game system.  This mentality is why the 2DS looks a lot more like a children's toy than any other Nintendo before it.  The new bulky design is definitely built to withstand the abuse a child can give to a device.  The 3DS XL is very durable, but the original 3DS with its gloss finish is much more fragile than any Nintendo handhelds to date.  For a younger gamer, it is not hard to see them causing a lot of damage to the regular 3DS unless you invest extra money in protective case for it.  While children are the target audience for the 2DS, it also appeals to gamers that cannot use the 3D features of the 3DS because they get easily nauseated by 3D or it is damaging for their eyes.  You can just turn off the 3D on the regular 3DS, but there is no purpose for these people to have the option if they are never going to use it.  These people can now buy the cheaper 2DS and never have to worry about getting a migraine or experiencing double vision because they accidentally hit the 3D slider.  The final reason Nintendo decided to announce the 2DS has to do with its release date of October 12th.  Funny thing being that October 12th is the same day Pokemon X and Y release, hands down the 3DS's biggest games to date.  Connect two-and-two together and there is no doubt Nintendo is positioning Pokemon X and Y to sell the 2DS as it will cost less than 200 dollars to purchase them together.  It is an ingenious plan on Nintendo's part as this writer predicts Pokemon X and Y will be the best selling Pokemon games in years.

With all that said about why Nintendo decided to make the Nintendo 2DS, the question that should be on gamer's minds instead of blind rage is whether this was the right time to release the 2DS.  In all honesty, this writer thought somebody was playing one hell of prank on him when he first saw the announcement.  I had to check a calendar to make sure it was not April 1st.  The reason these thoughts were running through my mind was that the 3DS has been having the best year a system can ever have.  Nintendo did not need a new piece of hardware or a brand new accessory to sell the 3DS because the onslaught of quality games releasing for the system were doing it for them. Yes, they are taking advantage of the 3DS's immense momentum at the moment, but there is one caveat.  Nintendo is one entity and that entity as a whole is not in the greatest light with the problematic launch of the Wii U.  There is no reason to overshadow the best news the Wii U has gotten in months with the reveal of the 2DS.  By no means is the Wii U dead; in fact it is actually on the up swing.  Although, it should be Nintendo's top priority to get the Wii U on stable ground before making more strides with 3DS hardware.  Another problem with this system will come about because of the 2DS name.  This writer can easily see confusion with the target audience and uninformed parents.  From experience, it is hard for people who do not play games to wrap their head around some of the most basic concepts.  This writer has seen people buy 3DS games even though they do not own the 3DS because they see the DS logo after the three and think it must work on the DS.  A game can sitting its own separate section in different cases with Nintendo 3DS plastered all over it, it does not matter.  There is no doubt in my mind there will be a few kids that search high and dry for these mythical 2DS games as they do for Mario on the PS3 or Halo on Wii.  It will not cause massive confusion, but just enough to possibly frustrate the guardians of the target audience.

Is the Nintendo 2DS the worst idea for a game system?  No, it is not.  In actuality, it is a very smart business choice on Nintendo's part.  By designing a new version of the 3DS that is more approachable to younger children and those easily bothered by 3D, it drops the barrier of entry for those looking to invest in a video game system.  Including more people into this hobby we share is never a bad thing.  On the flip side, this writer whole heartedly believes that Nintendo's timing for announcing the 2DS, while ingenious in some sense, was absolutely horrible.  The 3DS is in a great place with an incredible lineup of games this year and leading into next year as well.  There is no need for Nintendo to focus too much energy on thinking up new 3DS redesigns when the Wii U is definitely in need of some good will for once.  Right now, Nintendo should step aside and let the 3DS games do the heavy lifting.  Get the Wii U on stable ground then unveil a new 3DS model when all the animosity has dissipated.  In this writer's opinion, six months to a year from now when people are concerned about the problems of the PS4 and Xbox One would have been a much better time to announce the 2DS.

First Byte: Splinter Cell: Blacklist

Back when my brothers and I first bought a Xbox 360, Splinter Cell: Conviction was among the titles we specifically bought the 360 just to play.  After watching demos and reading reviews, we finally got a chance to pick up Conviction a few months after its April 2010 release.  For the first Splinter Cell game that we ever got our hands on, Conviction blew us away.  The smoothness of the controls, the stylishness of the executions and the slickness of the stealth all combined with the phenomenal story of a burned CIA agent pulled back into the game in order to correct past wrongs and get revenge on those who betrayed him.  This writer's fond experiences with Splinter Cell: Conviction has put a huge amount of expectations on Ubisoft's newest entry, Blacklist.  Developed by their newest studio, Ubisoft Toronto, Splinter Cell: Blacklist looks to combine Conviction's action-pack Mark and Execute system with the hardcore stealth found in the earlier Splinter Cell games (Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow and Chaos Theory).  There have been quite a few posts on Blacklist already up on Silver Bit.  Instead of regurgitating the same points mentioned in earlier articles, I will share my first impressions on Splinter Cell: Blacklist in this edition of First Byte.

Due to many commitments and an ever-growing backlog of games, this writer has not been able to spend as much time as he has wanted to on Splinter Cell: Blacklist.  Even though I have not spent most of my free time playing Blacklist, I have put in just under ten hours into the game.  Funny enough, I have only finished two story missions outside of the intro mission in those ten hours.  A ton of my time has been spent on playing the optional side missions, trying out the co-op missions with my brothers and dying multiple times.  It has been well over three years since yours truly has played Conviction.  Due to the long time away from this series, it is taking some time to get back into the intricacies of Splinter Cell's mechanics.  Blacklist does an admirable of making the tutorials scattered throughout the first few hours as unobtrusive as possible.  Every mission in Blacklist supports three types of play styles: Ghost (stealth approach by using non-lethal takedowns), Panther (stealth approach by using lethal takedowns) and Assault (guns-blazing approach).  After each mission, you are shown the amount of points gained in each play style to see which one you lean towards and to post to leaderboards for bragging rights.  During my time with Blacklist, I have personally leaned towards Ghost with a little Panther mixed in every once and a while.  There are so many options to dispatch enemies from plain takedowns to guns to gadgets to the Killing in Motion system, Blacklist's version of Mark and Execute.  Speaking of Killing in Motion, it is the natural evolution of the Mark and Execute system.  While I have not pulled off anything as smooth and slick as what Ubisoft has shown off, it is a lot of fun to take out one enemy with a takedown and in a few quick button presses mark and execute a few other enemies in the immediate vicinity.  It is very smooth and incredibly empowering.  Apart from the sonar googles, there were not many gadgets to use to dispatch foes in Conviction.  Things are much different in Blacklist with Sam Fisher's new placement as the leader of Fourth Echelon.  There are tons of gadgets for you to use against the foes that guard your mission objective.  My personal favourites are the shock mines, sleeping gas and Tri-Rotor, but each gadget offers tons of options to tackle missions.  Aside from the story missions, which are all great so far, there are a number of side missions to complete.  Each of these side missions can be opened up from the SMI, Blacklist's centralized mission select screen, or by individually talking to each character on the Paladin, Fourth Echelon's mobile base and Blacklist's hub.  Grimm's missions focus on infiltration, Charlie's missions focus on wave-defense, Kobin's missions focus on taking out all enemies and Briggs' missions are a combination of all of the above.  These missions can be played solo or cooperatively both on and offline.  The side missions serve as great diversions from the main missions and allows the player to sharpen their skills solo or with a friend.  The Briggs and Kobin missions are the ones I have been spending the most time playing as I have not tried a Charlie mission yet and the only Grimm mission my brother and I tried was a two hour disaster.

Personally, I can dissect every little piece of Splinter Cell: Blacklist, but this post would go on for far too long.  In conclusion, Splinter Cell: Blacklist is a great game so far.  The pacing of the story is not the greatest especially compared to Conviction's campaign, the Grimm side missions can be unnecessarily unforgiving and Sam's new voice is quite jarring.  I have not run into any glitches or problems that hinder Blacklist in any way, but I have only played a little slice of the entire game.  I am hoping to put up a full review of Splinter Cell: Blacklist in the near future.

Rent, borrow or buy it.  Splinter Cell: Blacklist is a game that deserves some of your attention especially before the holiday flood of games sweeps it under the rug.

On the Download: DuckTales: Remastered

“Life is like a hurricane, here in Duckburg.  Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes, its a duck-blur.  Might solve a mystery or rewrite history!”

When that iconic verse rang through the halls of PAX East, a chill formed down gamers’ spines both young and old in anticipation of the newest adventure with the greedy yet lovable Scrooge McDuck.  From the charming 8-bit graphics to the beautiful chiptune music to the masterful gameplay, Capcom’s DuckTales for the NES has been revered as one of the greatest licensed games of all-time.  To see such an iconic game be remade for a new generation of gamers to experience and older fans to lovingly revisit is simply amazing especially considering the NES original has never been released on any online service.  Being developed by the wonderful team at WayForward Technologies, who are responsible for great titles like Shantae, Contra 4 and the Mighty series on DSi and 3DS, there are high expectations for the return of Scrooge McDuck.

DuckTales: Remastered is not a quick and dirty remake of the NES original.  The team at WayForward has put their heart and soul into reimagining DuckTales for this modern era of video games.  The 8-bit sprites have been replaced by beautifully hand-drawn and animated sprites that look straight out of the cartoon itself.  Even with the limited bleeps and bloops on the NES processor, DuckTales’ soundtrack is held in high regard by most older gamers.  Jake Kaufman, the composer of DuckTales: Remastered, did his best to preserve the original compositions of the soundtrack while taking a more orchestral approach on each track.  The NES did not have enough processing power to convey a story through cutscenes like games do today so most of the storytelling was put in the game manual.  With the extensive power of the game systems of today, WayForward expands on the original story of DuckTales with brand new cutscenes which add more context to Scrooge’s objectives in each level and explains some lingering questions such as how a duck is able to breathe on the moon.  Along with the obvious additions to the presentation and audio, DuckTales: Remastered contains two new levels, new areas to explore in returning levels, the privilege to swim in Scrooge’s money vault, a map screen, an easy pogo jump setting and tons of unlockables such as concept art and music.

As a big fan of the show, DuckTales has been a game that yours truly has wanted to play for the longest time.  I have listened to the music and watched quite a bit of gameplay from DuckTales, but I had never got the chance to play the game itself.  Thanks to DuckTales: Remastered, this writer can finally experience this NES classic now in high definition.  DuckTales: Remastered is available now for 15 dollars on PSN, Steam and the Wii U eShop.  Sadly, Xbox 360 owners will have to wait until September 11th to join Uncle Scrooge on his globe-trotting adventure.  For those who prefer physical copies of their games, a physical copy of DuckTales: Remastered will be available exclusively for PS3 on August 20th, which will cost 20 dollars instead of 15.  No matter if you enjoyed DuckTales on the NES or never played the game before, put down your money and support DuckTales: Remastered in order to convince Disney to revisit more of their classic video game library and hopefully inspire them to start a new age of quality Disney licensed games.

Launch Station: Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

Gaming's favourite plumbers have explored many genres from goomba smashing platformers to fist pumping sports.  While Mario and Luigi have put on many caps, one genre has blended with the antics of the Mario Bros. better than the platformers they originated from.  This particular genre has been the RPG genre.  Quite a few developers such as Square and Intelligent Systems have successfully brought Mario and company to the realms of role-playing greatness.  While these Mario RPGs have found homes on Nintendo's consoles, there has been one that has dominated on Nintendo's handhelds- AlphaDream's Mario & Luigi series.  AlphaDream has taken the Mario Bros. through the BeanBean Kingdom, the past and Bowser's innards, which shows that there are no limits for where they can take Mario and Luigi next.

For the Mario & Luigi series' first foray on the 3DS, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the Mario Bros. are going to a realm they have never travelled to before- Luigi's dreams.  After their latest adventure, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toadsworth decide to take a vacation on Pi'illo Island.  What originally starts out as a relaxing vacation turns into another princess-saving adventure as Mario and Luigi must save Princess Peach and the habitants of Pi'illo Island from the devious bat-king Antasma.  Only exploring the exotic locales of Pi'illo Island will not lead Mario and Luigi to their goal.  In order to save the habitants of Pi'illo Island from their stone pillow prisons, Mario must enter Luigi's dreams.  On Pi'illo Island, Dream Team plays like every other entry in the Mario & Luigi series from the turn-based battles to team-based puzzles.  In the Dream World, Dream Team turns into a 2D side-scroller in vein of the Super Mario Bros. series.  Considering Mario is in Luigi's dreams, the player is able to interact with the sleeping Luigi on the bottom screen of the 3DS to manipulate the environment or create a great number of Luigis to demolish enemies and barriers.  Luigi also helps Mario when fighting enemies in the Dream World by allowing to hit multiple enemies with successful attacks and through special Luiginary Attacks such as using a humongous ball of Luigis to crush your foes.

The Mario & Luigi series has been a fan-favourite due to its quirky humour, charming visuals, engaging combat and interesting gimmicks.  Dream Team seems to have all that in spades along with a lot of new gameplay options for gamers to sink their teeth in to.  All the interesting ways to manipulate the Dream World both inside and outside of combat looks to be an excellent hook for this new Mario & Luigi adventure.  All-in-all, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team looks to be another great entry in AlphaDream's Mario & Luigi series and yet another great RPG to get for the 3DS this summer.

Launch Station: Pikmin 3

It has been nine years since the last entry in Shigeru Miyamoto's Pikmin series landed on the Gamecube.  While there were Wii re-releases and the inclusion of Captain Olimar in Super Smash Bros. Brawl to keep fans satisfied, it has still been one long wait for the third Pikmin game.  When Pikmin 3 was officially announced for the Wii U last year, fans were itching to get their hands on it along with the launch of Nintendo's newest console.  Sadly, Pikmin 3 has suffered from a number of delays that have removed it from the initial launch window of the Wii U.  Well come this Sunday, August 4th, the wait will be over as Pikmin 3 lands on store shelves across North America.

The first two Pikmin games followed the adventures of Captain Olimar and the Pikmin of PNF-404.  This time around the beloved captain is absent instead Pikmin 3 follows the adventures of three new protagonists from the planet of Koppai- Alph, Charlie and Brittany.  Koppai is suffering from a massive food shortage and it is up to these three adventurers to find a solution to this problem in the far reaches of space.  During their travels, Alph, Charlie and Brittany's spaceship crashes on PNF-404.  While stranded on PNF-404, Alph, Charlie and Brittany discover an overabundance of fruit, the solution to Koppai's food shortage.  It is up to Alph, Charlie and Brittany to collect as much fruit and fix their spaceship before they run out of resources.  Aside from the story, Pikmin 3 is a real-time strategy game where the player is in controls Alph, Charlie and Brittany as they command a huge assortment of different Pikmin.  There are different types of Pikmin that all have special abilities and uses such as Red Pikmin can withstand fire or Blue Pikmin can walk under water without drowning.  Pikmin 3 introduces two new types of Pikmin, Rock and Winged Pikmin.  Rock Pikmin can smash through tougher barriers like glass while Winged Pikmin can carry items through the air and fight airborne creatures.  Pikmin 3 offers multiple control schemes (Wii U Gamepad, Wii U Pro Controller and Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk combination).  No matter the control scheme used, the Wii U Gamepad will display a map of the level that allows the player to keep on top of all the tasks their Pikmin and commanders are in progress of completing.  Apart from the single-player, Pikmin 3 offers other options for gamers to pass the time such as the Gamepad's in-game camera feature, cooperative and competitive challenge modes and the multi-player centric Bingo Battle.

Pikmin 3 has been a game that yours truly has eagerly anticipated.  Originally, I hoped Pikmin 3 would have been out for the launch of the Wii U along with Rayman Legends as they were the two games that sold me on Nintendo's newest system.  Sadly delays plagued both of these titles, but delays are not going to temper this writer's excitement.  There is some great software on the Wii U, but the wait for this software is far too long.  With Pikmin 3, things look to be turning around for the Wii U with a major release each month until the end of 2013.

On the Download: Earthbound

Since the inception of the Virtual Console in 2006, there has been one game that Nintendo fans clamoured to see on Nintendo's online catalogue- Earthbound.  Earthbound is a cult classic RPG from HAL Laboratory and Ape that released on the SNES back in 1994.  When Earthbound initially released, it did not do well commercially despite how loved the game was by RPG fans and critics.  Due to the poor sales, Nintendo kept future re-releases of Earthbound and its predecessor and successor in Japan.  For a long time, the only way to get Earthbound was by buying an original copy for the SNES, which easily cost upwards of 100 dollars.  After 19 years, Earthbound is finally being re-released for an affordable price in order for those who missed it to enjoy this classic.  The launch date for the Virtual Console re-release had been shrouded in mystery until the masters at Nintendo of America surprised everybody with a Nintendo Direct Mini, which revealed Earthbound would be released today on the Nintendo eShop!

Earthbound follows four unlikely heroes, known as the Chosen Ones, as they fight off an extraterrestrial threat.  These four heroes are small-town Onett native Ness, famous young physic Paula, child genius Jeff and mystic prince Poo.  These four heroes must use their Psi powers to dispatch numerous strange monsters from dinosaurs to piles of vomit and even some human foes such as hippies.  On their adventures, they will experience the quirky humour that Earthbound is known for firsthand as the game parodies American culture and many RPG tropes.  The original Earthbound came with a strategy guide to help gamers if they ever got stuck.  Considering this Virtual Console re-release is digital only, there is no way to get the guide when purchasing the Virtual Console version.  Before you get depressed, Nintendo has made a digital version of the strategy guide available for free on Earthbound's official website.  The guide is also optimized for use on the Wii U Internet Browser.

Earthbound is available now on the Nintendo eShop for 10 dollars, which is peanuts compared to the insane price the original SNES cartridge fetches nowadays.  Personally, I never got the chance to play Earthbound for myself as I did not owned a SNES.  Seeing Nintendo re-release this beloved RPG for fans old and new to experience is just wonderful.  Hopefully if enough people purchase Earthbound on Virtual Console, maybe Nintendo will finally bring Mother 1 and 3 across the pond to North America.  If you own a Wii U, it is time to make Nintendo notice that we want more games like Earthbound by talking with our money.  Simply Earthbound is a must-buy for any Wii U owner.

Most Anticipated Games of the Next Half

Just last week, this writer reflected upon his favourite games from the first half of 2013.  While there were some great games already available to play, there are some stellar ones coming out in the next six months.  The summer is definitely slow on releases, but the holiday season sure makes up for the slack.  There are the regulars like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed that rake in the big bucks yet are losing traction with more gamers with each yearly release.  The most exciting new releases of the upcoming months are sequels that have not been diluted by a yearly release schedule or brand new experiences that uses new interesting ideas to grasp our attention and money.  Here is this writer’s list of his most anticipated games of this Summer and Fall.  

Splinter Cell:  Blacklist

Splinter Cell: Conviction was one of the games that this writer bought an Xbox 360 just to play.  While some of the Splinter Cell hardcore were not fond with Sam Fisher’s new direction, yours truly found Conviction unbelievably fun.  The stealth was smooth, the guns felt great and the Mark and Execute system made clearing a room of enemies such an adrenaline pumping experience.  With Blacklist, Ubisoft Toronto looks to expand on what made Conviction so much fun with the Killing in Motion system.  Killing in Motion allows Sam to string together stealth kills with the Mark and Execute moves in one fluid motion.  Along with an interconnected campaign that allows you to access both single and multiplayer levels from the same mobile base and the return of the Mercs vs. Spies multiplayer mode, Blacklist is shaping up to be one of the standout games of the Summer.

Rayman Legends

Ubisoft broke many hearts with the seven-month delay of Rayman Legends and the loss of Wii U exclusivity.  The thought of Ubisoft’s betrayal still stings, but this French publisher has at least made an effort to mend the bridges they burnt with the free Challenge App on Wii , which gives early access to Legend’s multiplayer Challenge mode.  There are both weekly and daily challenges in various difficulty levels to complete and earn trophies in order to increase your Awesomeness level.  Having this leaderboard-focused multiplayer mode along with an incredible single-player should easily keep Legends stuck in many disc drives for months after release.

The Wonderful 101

Put the vast number of controllable units from a game like Pikmin with the B-movie superhero hijacks of Viewtiful Joe and the result would be Platinum’s Wonderful 101.  The first game in Nintendo’s exclusive deal with this extraordinary Japanese developer, The Wonderful 101 has the player taking control of one hundred different superheroes much like Captain Olimar controls Pikmin.  While it is neat to control the entire horde of little heroes, Wonderful 101’s hook comes from all the various ways you can use these heroes' Unite powers, which are activated these by drawing a different symbols on the Gamepad’s touch screen.  These Unite powers allow these heroes to form into either a ladder, a sword or even a giant fist.  Each of these Unite powers can be used to interact with the environment or fight off all the enemies that stand in your way.  The Wonderful 101 looks to be the beginning of a beautiful partnership that this writer hopes to see continue in the years to come.

Watch Dogs

Chicago is your playground and weapon.  In the world of Watch Dogs, the Windy City is in the palm of your hands and you are free to do whatever you want with it.  Hacking into the city’s systems to spy on strangers, evade the law, complete your agenda and cause as much chaos as humanly possible are some of the activities you can get up to in Watch Dogs.  Funny enough those activities are only the tip of the iceberg in this open-world.  Watch Dogs immerses the player with multiplayer that seamlessly integrates with the single-player campaign.  No need to log into a separate lobby to play with others, just have to be connected to the internet or playing on the companion app for iOS and Android platforms.  The potential of Ubisoft Montreal’s newest venture is limitless, which has this writer and many others excited.

The Legend of Zelda:  A Link Between Worlds

It has been ages since Nintendo has delivered a proper top-down Zelda adventure to gamers.  The announcement of true return to the top down format with A Link Between Worlds left many including yours truly weeping tears of joy.  On top of the return of the top-down perspective, A Link Between Worlds is a direct sequel to A Link to the Past, a game among the top echelon of the Legend of Zelda series.  The brand new mechanic in A Link Between Worlds is Link’s ability to merge with the wall as a painting.  This mechanic opens up the door for some unique platforming-like puzzles for the developers at Nintendo to test gamers with.  Much of the game is still under wraps by the Big N, but what has been shown so far looks very promising.  No matter what, A Link Between Worlds should be a stellar game to wrap up the 3DS’s phenomenal year.

Favourite Games of 2013 So Far

The first half of any year has a good amount of new releases to play.  Not as many as what will be releasing this holiday season, but a good amount nonetheless.  With June in the rearview mirror, we enter the second half of 2013.  Before we look ahead to all of the games releasing during the summer and holiday seasons, it is time to look back on the past six months and all the great games that are already available to play.  The games will be listed by order of release and only the games that this writer has beaten or played a considerable amount of before the writing of this article will be included.

Fire Emblem Awakening
What has this writer not already said about Fire Emblem Awakening?  Easily the greatest game to grace the 3DS, Awakening packs well over 100 hours of content into such a small 3DS cartridge.  There is even more hours of content to download through the 3DS' SpotPass functionality or DLC for the game.  The amount of content does not matter if the gameplay does not entice you to play for all those hours.  Awakening has the already superb tactical gameplay of the Fire Emblem series, but with a couple key improvements to the support system.  For Awakening, the support system is brought to the forefront as it allows the player to strengthen bonds, improve stats in battle and even have characters marry, which allows you to recruit their children later in the game.  Fire Emblem Awakening is easily the frontrunner for this writer's Game of the Year.

Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2:  Future Legend of Rhythm Alien
Do not overlook Runner 2 for its incredibly odd title because you would missing out on one of the most enjoyable downloadable games of the year.  The Bit.Trip games were retro-inspired rhythm games that made a name for themselves on Nintendo's WiiWare service.  Runner 2 is a sequel to the gruelling Bit.Trip Runner.  The difficulty may be scaled back for gamers of all ages to enjoy, but that does not mean Runner 2 is a walk in the park.  Runner 2 will put any gamer's hand-eye coordination to the test in trying to rack up the most points, collect all the secrets and Perfect+ every stage while listening to the incredible ever evolving soundtrack.  Odd name or not, Runner 2 is pure unadulterated fun.

Tomb Raider
It was a long wait for Crystal Dynamics' new direction for Lara Croft to reach store shelves, but it was well worth it.  Tomb Raider takes the iconic and pristine image of Lara Croft and throws it in the mud.  The mature tone of this new Tomb Raider is a breath of fresh air for a game series that seemed a little dated this generation especially competing with Sony's action-adventure giant, Uncharted.  Tomb Raider does an excellent job of placing gamers in Lara's shoes, which makes her much more relatable than in past entries.  Apart from the story, the gameplay is phenomenal as the interplay between the gunplay and stealth is well balanced, the puzzles are always engaging and the optional tombs and collectables offer a lot of opportunities to traverse the interconnected island of Yamatai.  The multiplayer may not be the greatest, but it is still a fun diversion for those who cannot get enough of Tomb Raider's combat.  Since Tomb Raider's release, the game has not gotten as much attention as it deserves.  Hands down, Tomb Raider is one of the best games of this year and should not be overshadowed by some games in this writer's honest opinion are extremely overhyped like BioShock Infinite and The Last of Us.

Lego City Undercover
On the surface, Traveller's Tales first original Lego game may look like just another clone of Rockstar's immensely popular Grand Theft Auto games, but it is a fun and charming experience that gamers of all ages can enjoy.  The gameplay is the tried and true Lego formula of breaking and building Lego objects to collect studs and open up new objects to interact with that many gamers are well too familiar with.  Even with this tried and true formula, Traveller's Tales has added on a simple combat system similar to that of the Batman Arkham games, various disguises to switch between in order to reach different areas or interact with certain objects and the freedom of an open world to explore at will that all keep this Lego game fun and engaging.  The gameplay may be great, but it is the personality and charm that exudes from Lego City Undercover that make it a standout.  Hilarious dialogue, amazing pop culture references and one wacky story keep a smile on your face at all times even through the excruciatingly long load times.  Young or old, Lego City Undercover is a game that everybody can enjoy.

Luigi's Mansion:  Dark Moon
The first Luigi's Mansion was a launch title for the Nintendo Gamecube.  Being a huge Nintendo fan, yours truly was very eager to play Luigi's first big adventure.  After breezing through Luigi's Mansion in a week, this writer was very disappointed with the end result.  While length does not determine the quality of the game, Luigi's Mansion felt a more like a tech demo than a full-fledged game.  The mechanics were never fleshed out enough to feel rewarding in the mid to late hours of the game and there was not much to do in the mansion after capturing all the ghosts other than collect more money.  After revisiting Luigi's Mansion about a year ago, I enjoy the game a little more than my initial reaction, but it still was not a home run.  Well Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is that home run.  It improves on everything the first game lacked.  The bite-sized mission structure sets an excellent pace for the game, the multiple mansions offer more places to explore, the length of Dark Moon is two to three times the length of the original and the Poltergust 5000 is so fun to use with the upgradable suction, stunning white light and secret-finding dark light.  Also there are tons of secrets to find and Boos to capture and there is a full-on multiplayer mode to boot.  This writer can go on and on about everything great about Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, but this article will run far too long.  In summation, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is one of the premier experiences on the 3DS and definitely worth owning a 3DS just to play.  Do not miss out on the greatest ghost-busting game on the market.

On the Download: 400 Days Review

Telltale Games has been around for years as one of the few developers that continue to work on traditional point-and-click adventure games.  Gaining a cult following for their Sam & Max, Monkey Island and Back to the Future adventure games, the first season of their Walking Dead adventure series was the game to finally garner Telltale some mainstream success.  The Walking Dead not only marked Telltale’s rise as a prominent developer when it comes to adventure games; it marked the revitalization of a genre which has not seen much love in the last decade.  The story of Lee Everett and Clementine was a touching and disturbing tale of how far people will go to protect what they cherish in the most dire of situations.  While the door closes on that story, it does not close on Telltale’s Walking Dead universe as there are still many more stories to tell.

400 Days is the start of a new story that will come to further fruition in the second season of the Walking Dead.  In 400 Days, the player follows five poor souls at various points during a four hundred day period.  Each of the five segments takes about twenty minutes and serves as an introduction of some of the key characters of the second season.  From escaping a prison bus to fleeing from enemies in a cornfield, 400 Days has a key focus on action due to how little time there is dedicated to each character’s story.  This action gives 400 Days a much different pace than the first season of the game, which is very refreshing and engaging.  Even with such a short time with these characters, Telltale does a phenomenal job of investing you in their stories and making you truly care about their well-being.  400 Days allows you to tackle the stories of these characters in any order.  Also some of the smaller choices you make in one segment will affect something in another.  While these changes are more on the cosmetic side, it is still neat to see how each segment interweaves with one another.

Much like the first season of Walking Dead, 400 Days suffers from the same technical problems.  These problems are the cursor becoming next to impossible to move at times, some lip syncing hiccups and the stuttering which happens a few times when changing between scenes and camera angles.  These technical problems are easy to work through, but they do break the immersion 400 Days tries to establish.  Clocking in between one and half to two hours in length, 400 Days is one of the shorter episodes in the Walking Dead series.  While length does not determine the quality of a game, it does determine how long one experiences said quality.  400 Days gives a great taste of what there is being set-up for the upcoming season, but you are left wanting more.  Do not get this writer wrong; wanting more is not a bad thing.  Just 400 Days seems a little incomplete considering the story of how these characters all come together is not included.  This omission will not be much of a problem if and only if Telltale allows gamers to play said omission in the second season of the Walking Dead.  Right now, it just feels like a missed opportunity. 

The Walking Dead: 400 Days is a very good yet short episode of Telltale’s acclaimed adventure series.  For those who have played through the whole first season and cannot wait for the second season, 400 Days is a worthwhile investment.  For those who have not given the Walking Dead a try, 400 Days is not the preferred episode to jump right into as the focus is more on rapidly introducing these new characters rather than sinking your teeth in a getting to know each character on a personal level like in the main game.  400 Days serves as a great bridge between season one and two of the Walking Dead, but not as a standalone entry in the series.

Top 5 Games of E3 2013

E3 2013 has been in the books for two weeks now.  The fallout from this year's show has been big with the incredibly positive buzz surrounding the PS4 and the immense animosity towards the Xbox One- even following Microsoft's change of heart.  E3 2013 saw the first real shots fired in the next round of the console wars.  The frontrunner following E3 looks to be Sony with Nintendo in second and Microsoft in a distant third.  E3 did garner some excitement for the next generation of consoles yet this writer does not see a game that provides a reason for gamers to drop their cash to pick up these new systems at launch.  Those games may be a couple of years down the road, which makes waiting possibly the best choice for most unless you are among the most hardcore.  Most of the games showed off for the next generation of consoles were a lot in line with the games that have dominated the last half of the current generation- shooters and sequels.  It is a new generation; time for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft to start taking more risks rather than solely resting on their laurels.  Most of these companies are making moves to secure exclusives on their console and ramp up their support for independent developers, one of the few sources of originality in the industry nowadays, but those things alone will not secure victory this time around.  The dawn of the last console generation saw the birth of franchises like Gears of War, Uncharted and Wii Sports to name of few.  Creative risks of that ilk seem to coming from downloadable games or a select few games available for both current and next generation consoles.  The console manufacturers need to start leading by example and move this industry out of the sequel-driven slump it has fallen into.  Do not get this writer wrong, sequels are fine and healthy parts of this industry, but too many unnecessary sequels (Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Need for Speed) cause stagnation in creativity and disinterest from gamers.  Once the initial wave of games for the next generation release, hopefully we will see some new ideas emerge from the triple A publishers.

No E3 is complete here at Silver Bit without the annual Top Games of E3 list.  Throughout the hectic week that is E3, yours truly makes a tireless effort to watch as much gameplay footage shown at the show.  Without physically being in LA to experience the event, it is hard to find footage for every single game at the show.  Like last year, the only games that qualify for this list are those that had demos on the show floor.  Now let us get on to the Top Games of E3 2013.

Honourable Mention

Batman:  Arkham Origins- PS3, XB360, Wii U, PC

The reveal of Arkham Origins just about two months ago was not well received by this writer.  Arkham City is easily one of the best games of this generation, but Origins seemed to be a quick cash-in by Warner Bros.  After watching the demo showed off at E3, Arkham Origins looks to be more of the same Arkham City greatness with some improvements and that is totally fine.  The combat and open world traversal looks the same as usual, but it is the new investigation mode that should get gamers excited to venture into Gotham City.  Instead of the forced investigation segments from the previous entries in the Arkham series, Origins allows gamers to become the World's Greatest Detective by being able to reconstruct an entire crime scene using evidence collected throughout the investigation and exploration. Seeing the new investigation mode in motion has got this writer excited to lace up the Dark Knight's boots once again.

5.  Murdered:  Soul Suspect- PS3, XB360, PC
Last year, Airtight Games was gathering a lot of attention for Quantum Conundrum, a first-person puzzler similar to Valve's Portal.  Now come E3 this year, Airtight has got gamers intrigued with their newest game Murdered: Soul Suspect.  Murdered places you in the ghostly shoes of the recently deceased detective, Ronan O'Connor.  Caught in limbo, Ronan is tasked in solving his own murder using his new found supernatural powers.  Powers like possession let Ronan interact with the environment around him to find evidence unbeknownst to the other NPCs in the game.  With the evidence collected, Ronan can piece together key information used to open up new areas to investigate.  Ronan is not the only one stuck in limbo.  From time to time, Ronan will run into demons that threaten the ghostly detective.  To dispatch these enemies, Ronan must use stealth and possession powers.  At E3, Murdered: Soul Suspect seemed to get swept up under all the hype produced by the next gen consoles and huge Triple A games.  It is sad considering how unique and intriguing this game is.  Murdered: Soul Suspect will definitely be one to watch come 2014.

4.  Bayonetta 2- Wii U
Nintendo showed off some great games at E3, but none really blew this writer away much like Bayonetta 2.  The Masters of the Insane, also known as Platinum Games, have brought some of the most unapologetically crazy games this last generation and they look to continue that drive into the future with Bayonetta 2.  It is really hard to describe the demo showed off at E3, but did it ever make this writer's jaw drop on multiple occasions.  Watch the demo and you will see what is trying to be conveyed in this paragraph.  You play as a witch covered in clothes made of her own hair as you fight angels, demons or whatever enemy Platinum throws your way with magic produced by using your hair.  It does not make much sense, but sure does it look fun.  While Bayonetta 2 will not be a system seller for the Wii U, it could push some hardcore gamers to pick up Nintendo's newest console.

3.  Transistor- PS4, PC
When Transistor was first announced at PAX East, many were comparing it to Supergiant Games' freshman effort, Bastion.  Transistor does have a couple similarities to Bastion like the isometric perspective and the use of a narrator to describe the action, but that is where the similarities end.  Transistor is primarily a turned-based strategy game, but it does allow you play it like any other action game if you choose.  Choosing to play Transistor like any other action game will be a mistake as you are missing out at Transistor's greatest strength, its planning mode.  In planning mode, time stops and you are able to plan out your moves and attacks on the action bar.  You are given all the time in the world to plan out your battles as you can scrub up and down the action bar and edit it as you want.  You cannot abuse the planning mode as it will need to recharge after every use.  The interplay between fighting in real-time and using planning mode is very intriguing and will easily make one of the standout downloadable experiences on PS4 and PC next year.

2.  Plants vs. Zombies:  Garden Warfare- XBOne, XB360, PC
Nobody thought turning Plants vs. Zombies from a tower defense game to a third-person shooter would be a good idea.  Many thought this change in genre would destroy all the fun and charm that makes Plants vs. Zombies so endearing to gamers and non-gamers alike.  Well PopCap proved us all wrong then because Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare looks flipping awesome!  Easily one of this writer's biggest surprise from E3, Garden Warfare did not look like anything exceptional from the trailer showed off at the EA Press Conference, but the gameplay changed the entire story.  Allowing gamers to jump into any one of the plants from the Plants vs. Zombies games, you fight off hordes upon hordes of zombies with your own weapons and other traps and defences you set up throughout the level. Garden Warfare looks like a team-based shooter that should be a lot of fun to play with others hopefully both on and offline.

1.  Watch Dogs- PS4, PS3, XBOne, XB360, Wii U, PC
Watch Dogs shocked the world when it was revealed back at E3 2012.  The more Ubisoft has shown of their newest IP, the more gamers have been impressed.  Watch Dogs keeps on looking better and better to the point that it has easily become one of the most anticipated titles of 2013.  For a brand new IP to have such huge amount of anticipation is very hard to come by in the sequel-driven environment that the video game industry currently is.  Watch Dogs looks to blend a straight-forward action game with the freedom of a open world Chicago to explore, but this blend is not the reason people are excited for Ubisoft's newest venture.  The reason people are excited to play Watch Dogs is due to the amount of freedom you have to manipulate the world around you.  Playing as master hacker Aiden Pearce, Chicago is your playground and also your weapon.  Hacking into the city to escape the pursuits of the police, cause chaos and listen in on phone conversations are just the tip of what you can do in Watch Dogs.  Couple all that control with the ability to have a friend play co-operatively or competitvely using a tablet, which this writer hopes Ubisoft integrates natively in the Wii U version, Watch Dogs is the game to watch this holiday season.  Ubisoft could have another hit on their hands with Watch Dogs.  Just hopefully Ubisoft does not run this potential series into the ground like they did with Assassin's Creed.