February usually marks the beginning of the first quarter game rush. Despite not being as jam-packed with titles as past years, this February has been a good month for games. Nintendo launched the New Nintendo 3DS XL in North America with two highly anticipated portable games, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, and some big AAA titles like Evolve and The Order: 1886 dropped. It's easy to say February was quite an eventful month. As midterms and major projects will soon be a constant part of life, best to utilize the little free time I have to deliver another exciting edition of Bit by Bit.
Game of the Month
As much as I love the core Pokemon RPGs, I can honestly say Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire didn't excite me that much before their release. Nintendo and GameFreak have been releasing Pokemon RPGs every year since Pokemon Platinum released for DS in 2009 and I was starting to get sick of the yearly releases. Although I planned on buying one of the remakes no matter what (sorry, I'm a sucker for Pokemon), I seriously thought Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were going to be as disappointing as Black and White 2. Much like past entries, differences between the two versions are relegated to minor story alterations and Pokemon exclusive to one version over the other. While I only played Omega Ruby, my opinions on the game can be applied to Alpha Sapphire as well.
It may have taken a few hours of play, but oh was I ever so wrong about these games. Applying the 3D graphics of Pokemon X and Y to the third gen Pokemon games may be the most noticeable addition to these remakes, but it isn't the biggest. First, story has become a bigger part of recent Pokemon games and Omega Ruby makes huge advances in this area. The story is far more engaging than any Pokemon game before it especially the Delta Episode. Unlocked after beating the Elite Four, the Delta Episode links capturing Rayquaza into a Hoenn-wide adventure that has major implications on the series as a whole. Instead of skipping through story moments, I felt compelled to read through all the lines of dialogue for once. The other big additions change the means of exploring the world and capturing Pokemon. The DexNav app of the PokeNav makes finding and capturing Pokemon in each route a lot more approachable as it tells what Pokemon are in the immediate vicinity and helps in finding rarer Pokemon. Also the Soar ability adds a new dimension to exploring as you get to see Hoenn from the skies. Soaring makes the act of flying far more engaging than the fast-travel of regular flying and allows trainers to go off the beaten path to find Mirage Spots, special locations that offer the chance to catch rare and legendary Pokemon. After experiencing the wonders of soaring, I hope that it replaces Fly as the prime form for aerial travel in future Pokemon games.
Despite my early skepticism, Pokemon Omega Ruby turned out to be a great game that I gladly sunk my precious time into. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the game, enough to pick it for Game of the Month over The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, I still feel I am at my wits end with these yearly releases. I love Pokemon, but Nintendo and GameFreak please give us a year off!
Most Anticipated Game of the Month
It seems Intelligent Systems is dominating my Most Anticipated Game of the Month section this year. Last month, I gushed over the announcement of a new Fire Emblem for the 3DS. This month, I am eagerly anticipating Intelligent Systems' new intellectual property, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. First announced at last year's E3, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. along with Splatoon represent the first new properties for the Big N since the early years of the Wii. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.'s interesting look and the pedigree of Intelligent Systems sold me on the game initially then the demo came out and everything changed for the better.
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is one of those games that you can't capture the quality in screenshots or trailers—you need to get your hands on it. The demo takes players through the first few missions of the game, which slowly teach you the core mechanics of the game. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. takes aspects from both Valkyria Chronicles and the newest X-Com and blend them into an extremely engaging turn-based strategy game with turns that play like a third-person shooter.
After getting hands-on with Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., I have a feeling this will be one of those great titles that gets lost in the shuffle because its a new IP and doesn't have much marketing from Nintendo. I highly recommend 3DS owners download the demo and give Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. a chance. It is well worth it
Video of the Month
There are times when a trailer comes around that just sells you on a game. It may only be a few minutes long, but everything contained in that video just leaves you in awe and wonder. That happened this past month with the newest trailer for Persona 5.
In all honesty, I am still fairly new to the Shin Megami Tensei franchise as I have only played the fourth entry in the main series. Despite my current unfamiliarity with the franchise, the trailer caught my full attention with its stylish UI, jazz soundtrack and unique gameplay mechanics. Seriously, traversing through the world like an action-platformer or sneaking up on enemies using cover in a JRPG is freaking awesome!
Thanks to this trailer I want to dive headfirst into the world of Persona. Be it Persona 3, 4, Q or Arena, I am really excited to get into this series when I have the time. Also I will definitely be there day one to buy the newest entry when it releases later this year.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
2015: The Year and Games Ahead
Although we are already a month into 2015, the year is still young. As each day passes, we move one step closer to the next big game release or product launch. After how disappointing 2014 was, the video game industry will be trying to bounce back in 2015 with grander spectacles, shocking surprises and innovative concepts. While we may not know everything that is coming in the next 11 months, I want to share, in no particular order, the games and other products I am looking forward to in the coming year.
Amiibo
Yes, I know it's not socially acceptable for a 23 year-old adult male to be collecting little "children's" toys, but I honestly don't care. Nintendo and their games have and always will be a significant part of my life and the ability to get physical statues of the characters I love without spending an entire paycheck is incredible. I want to own them all, but things haven't been going to plan considering the low supply and the insanely high demand. With their cool designs and extra functionality, I am excited to buy future waves of Amiibos, but I am not going to let these toys consume my life like they have for many others.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
If it wasn't for the additional delay, it would only be weeks between me and Geralt of Rivia instead of months. The delay may be for the best considering all my responsibilities with school and work at the moment. No matter when The Witcher 3 drops, I know it consume a gigantic portion of my time. The scope and scale of The Witcher 3 is just mesmerizing as you can literally go anywhere and do anything you want in its open fantasy world. Every new piece of information, be it a trailer or news story, gets my blood pumping to play this game. On May 19th, the rampage of the Wild Hunt begins.
Mighty No. 9
Everybody and their mother has been clamouring for a new Mega Man game for years now. No matter how loud and boisterous people get about the severe lack of the Blue Bomber, Capcom just doesn't want to give their mascot any love outside the occasional cameo or guest appearance. While Capcom may not be listening to their fans, Keiji Inafune, father of Mega Man, took the opportunity to capitalize on the high demand with Mega Man's spiritual successor, Mighty No. 9. Launched via Kickstarter back in 2013, Mighty No. 9 easily demolished its goal and has gone onto entice millions to donate money even after the initial funding campaign. What Inafune and his studio Comcept have shown off of Mighty No. 9 through trailers, closed betas and previews has looked outstanding. The game has similar elements to past Mega Man games, but combines them with some unique mechanics, such as dashing as the main way of dispatching enemies, that sets protagonist Beck out of his older brother's shadow. With Mighty No. 9 coming to every system on the market today, there's no way you should miss out on the biggest platforming games of the year.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Back in 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles impressed with its humongous vistas and superb adaptation of MMORPG gameplay into a single-player experience and on the Wii no less. Sadly due to a limited production run, many people were unable to experience one of the best JRPGs of the last generation. For those who purchase the New Nintendo 3DS, a port of the original Xenoblade Chronicles is coming in early April, but, in my opinion, the smaller screen of the 3DS will not do the magnificence of Xenoblade's incredible scope justice. Fortunately, Monolith Soft and Nintendo are joining forces once again to deliver a sequel for the Wii U later this year. Xenoblade Chronicles X looks to have even larger environments to explore, more refined RPG mechanics and the addition of mechs! As much as I love giant robots, the added mechs makes the scope of the combat feel as awe-inspiring as the environments. If you aren't convinced, take some time to watch the 24-minute gameplay trailer Nintendo released a few weeks back and see for yourself.
The Legend of Zelda
The release of a brand new Zelda is always a highly anticipated event. This time around, the anticipation is at a fever pitch. Nintendo has shown only two short trailers for the game yet they have been enough to send gamers into a frenzy of speculation. The reason for this frenzy comes from the significant changes to the formula in the way of progression, combat and exploration. The most significant change being the creation of a fully realized open-world Hyrule where you can complete dungeons however you choose. Since Nintendo is aiming to have this new Zelda out by the end of 2015, there is still plenty of information to be revealed in the months ahead.
Yes, I know it's not socially acceptable for a 23 year-old adult male to be collecting little "children's" toys, but I honestly don't care. Nintendo and their games have and always will be a significant part of my life and the ability to get physical statues of the characters I love without spending an entire paycheck is incredible. I want to own them all, but things haven't been going to plan considering the low supply and the insanely high demand. With their cool designs and extra functionality, I am excited to buy future waves of Amiibos, but I am not going to let these toys consume my life like they have for many others.
If it wasn't for the additional delay, it would only be weeks between me and Geralt of Rivia instead of months. The delay may be for the best considering all my responsibilities with school and work at the moment. No matter when The Witcher 3 drops, I know it consume a gigantic portion of my time. The scope and scale of The Witcher 3 is just mesmerizing as you can literally go anywhere and do anything you want in its open fantasy world. Every new piece of information, be it a trailer or news story, gets my blood pumping to play this game. On May 19th, the rampage of the Wild Hunt begins.
Everybody and their mother has been clamouring for a new Mega Man game for years now. No matter how loud and boisterous people get about the severe lack of the Blue Bomber, Capcom just doesn't want to give their mascot any love outside the occasional cameo or guest appearance. While Capcom may not be listening to their fans, Keiji Inafune, father of Mega Man, took the opportunity to capitalize on the high demand with Mega Man's spiritual successor, Mighty No. 9. Launched via Kickstarter back in 2013, Mighty No. 9 easily demolished its goal and has gone onto entice millions to donate money even after the initial funding campaign. What Inafune and his studio Comcept have shown off of Mighty No. 9 through trailers, closed betas and previews has looked outstanding. The game has similar elements to past Mega Man games, but combines them with some unique mechanics, such as dashing as the main way of dispatching enemies, that sets protagonist Beck out of his older brother's shadow. With Mighty No. 9 coming to every system on the market today, there's no way you should miss out on the biggest platforming games of the year.
Back in 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles impressed with its humongous vistas and superb adaptation of MMORPG gameplay into a single-player experience and on the Wii no less. Sadly due to a limited production run, many people were unable to experience one of the best JRPGs of the last generation. For those who purchase the New Nintendo 3DS, a port of the original Xenoblade Chronicles is coming in early April, but, in my opinion, the smaller screen of the 3DS will not do the magnificence of Xenoblade's incredible scope justice. Fortunately, Monolith Soft and Nintendo are joining forces once again to deliver a sequel for the Wii U later this year. Xenoblade Chronicles X looks to have even larger environments to explore, more refined RPG mechanics and the addition of mechs! As much as I love giant robots, the added mechs makes the scope of the combat feel as awe-inspiring as the environments. If you aren't convinced, take some time to watch the 24-minute gameplay trailer Nintendo released a few weeks back and see for yourself.
The release of a brand new Zelda is always a highly anticipated event. This time around, the anticipation is at a fever pitch. Nintendo has shown only two short trailers for the game yet they have been enough to send gamers into a frenzy of speculation. The reason for this frenzy comes from the significant changes to the formula in the way of progression, combat and exploration. The most significant change being the creation of a fully realized open-world Hyrule where you can complete dungeons however you choose. Since Nintendo is aiming to have this new Zelda out by the end of 2015, there is still plenty of information to be revealed in the months ahead.
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