First Byte: Fan Expo 2015 Gauntlet

Early September, I went to Fan Expo Canada for a day. Aside from exploring the massive show floor and buying a few cool items on sale, I spent the majority of my time playing upcoming games. Actually, it was more like standing in line to play said games. Much like last year. there were well over 30 games at Fan Expo for all to play from big AAA titles such as Assassin's Creed: Syndicate to smaller titles like Cuphead. I always go in dreaming to play every game on the show floor, but I can only get in a quarter at best. This year, I played 10 games in total.

This time around I'm changing up the structure of the Fan Expo Gauntlet. Instead of taking two parts to outline every game I played, I'm going to highlight three titles. These are the titles that I got more time to play and can dissect for your pleasure. With how poorly some demos were managed by volunteers, I just couldn't extract enough from them to fill a paragraph. For example, I played Transformers: Devastation for only enough time to say the combat is exactly the same as Bayonetta just with some third-person gunplay thrown in the mix.

Yo-Kai Watch
To my surprise, Nintendo had a lot more games at their booth than the three games advertised (Splatoon, Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Wooly World). One of the titles available to play on 3DS was the newest sensation out of Japan, Yo-Kai Watch. The demo I played gave me a good impression on the game's combat system, which is pretty different from most JRPGs on the market.

There are no random encounters in Yo-Kai Watch, you literally chase down wild yo-kai by keeping your cursor over them. Once the yo-kai are caught, you engage in combat. Combat consists of spinning a wheel on the touch screen to alternate between the six yo-kai on your team and activating special touch screen specific activities in order to unleash special attacks. Outside of lining up the correct elements to maximize damage and special attacks, normal attacks automatically occur at regular intervals.

For the 15 to 20 minute demo, I found the combat really fun and engaging alternative to the traditional RPG combat systems, but I can see it getting tedious over the course of a 40 hour playthrough if this is all Yo-Kai Watch offers.

Star Wars Battlefront
Ever since EA and DICE released the first slew of information on the new Star Wars Battlefront at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, people have been tirelessly debating over the game's content or lack thereof and its similarities to Battlefield. The gameplay footage revealed at E3 did quite a bit to fan the flames, but there were still some doubters. I will say this: you will have no doubts when you get your hands on the game. My friends and I walked away from the demo at Fan Expo astounded at how amazing it was.

The only mode available to play was Survival. It is Battlefront's version of Horde mode as you and a teammate are tasked with battling through waves upon waves of Imperial forces on Tatooine. The first few waves consist of just Stormtroopers, but as the waves go on, the difficulty goes up at a gradual yet challenging pace by throwing AT-ATs and shocktroopers your way. For somebody who can't hold their own in contemporary shooters, Battlefront made me feel like an all-star. The controls felt perfectly tuned to deal with everything that was being thrown my way. There were a couple waves where I was the last man standing and the tight controls were the only thing that allowed me to pull through.

Although the demo consisted of only one mode, the superb controls and the game's ability to accurately emulate the world of Star Wars has me highly anticipating playing Battlefront later this year.

Star Fox Zero
Most games I played at Fan Expo left me feeling optimistic about their final release. Sadly, I can't say the same for Star Fox Zero. While I will still buy this game early next year, I have a bad feeling that the game is going to alienate a lot of people because of its unique control scheme, much like Kid Icarus: Uprising before it.

Star Fox Zero has you using the analog sticks to control the Arwing and the motion controls in the Wii U gamepad to aim your weapons. This control set-up works during the on-rail segments. but completely falls apart when you enter all-range mode. The reason for this occurrence comes from the all-range mode's reliance on pinpoint accuracy to dispatch enemies. If you played Splatoon, you would already know that this control scheme is no where near accurate and Star Fox's focus on it feels counter-productive. Transforming into the walker did alleviate some of the targeting problems with particular enemies, but the walker's controls felt rough around the edges as will.

After playing Star Fox Zero, I am happy that Nintendo delayed the game until early 2016 because it gives Nintendo more time to refine the controls for the game. While Star Fox Zero has the potential to breathe new life into this struggling franchise, a polarizing control scheme might just ground the Star Fox team for good.

Bit by Bit: E3 2015 Wrap-up

E3 is over for another year and I got to say: what a wonderful show.  While there some bumps along the way, E3 2015 was one of the best in a long time.  During this nearly week long expo, we saw incredible feats of game mastery, pipe dreams become reality and the next generation of gaming finally live up to all the hype.

Although there are some issues the video game industry still faces such as the ever-rising cost of AAA development or the instability of jobs, E3 2015 made us forget about all the negativity and focus on the fundamentals of this art form: fun, imagination and community.  All the silly Muppet skits, excessive gum flapping and surreal moments of celebrity interjection cannot compare to the excitement of the Nintendo World Championships, the tears brought on from the Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III reveals, and the blood-pumping gameplay trailers for highly anticipated titles like Star Wars Battlefront, Kingdom Hearts III and The Last Guardian.  

E3 2015 was a show that will reverberate throughout the annals of video game history.  To wrap-up this great event, Silver Bit presents a special E3 2015 edition of Bit by Bit.

Winner of E3 2015

With all the stiff competition, I thought it would be a hard decision to pick the winner of E3 2015.  Nintendo blew things out of the park with their World Championships and constant Treehouse Live coverage only to falter in the most important area: the Digital Event.  Microsoft came out swinging with the announcement of Xbox One backwards compatibility and showing live demos for their biggest titles, but seemed to undermine their momentum by announcing a good number of their Xbox One "exclusives" for PC as well.  Both Bethesda and Ubisoft took a step back to let the games do the talking for them yet did little in terms of delivering truly shocking surprises.  At the end of the day, all these great performances could not stand up to the unstoppable force that is Sony.

Sony may not have delivered much in terms of bolstering their lineup for 2015, but they did make us forget about it with all the bombshells they dropped.  For a solid hour-and-a-half, Sony delivered a steady stream of the most exciting and enticing gameplay trailers and demos at the show.  Out of all the great games shown off at Sony's presser, there were three that took it from great to legendary: The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Shenmue III.  Sony literally made dreams come true by showing them off that fateful Monday night.  They also serviced both the old and the new by announcing three of the most wanted games in the past decade and showing off brand new IPs like Horizon: Zero Dawn, No Man's Sky and Dreams.

For the third year in a row, Sony showed that the PS4 is THE system to own this generation.  Even though Sony's lineup for 2015 is rather sparse, the incredible wave of good will coming off of their performance at E3 2015 along with some smart partnerships with Activision, EA and Warner Bros. might be enough to solidify the PS4s huge lead on the competition.

Surprise of E3 2015

There isn't much else to say about my pick for the Surprise of E3 2015.  In fact, arguments can be made for any of the big three surprises from the Sony press conference.  Personally, my pick is Shenmue III because it came out of nowhere.  With how much Sega has been suffering in recent years, never in my wildest dreams did I expect Shenmue III to get the funding needed for development.  To see Shenmue III caught me off-guard, which left me stunned and a little choked up.  The last surprise to affect me that much was the Kid Icarus: Uprising reveal back in 2010.

Trailer of E3 2015

Funny enough, this year's E3 wrap-up has turned into the Sony show.  In all honesty, there was great stuff from everybody at the show and I would love to highlight it all, but this wrap-up isn't the place for that.  I'm here to highlight the best from E3 2015 and the truth is Sony had the best stuff this year.

Out of everything Sony showed at E3, one title blew me away.  That game was Horizon: Zero Dawn.  Horizon is Guerrilla Games' brand new property that switches out the first-person shooting of Killzone for a third-person adventure game set in a pre-historic/post-apocalyptic mishmash.  Hearing the premise is compelling in of itself, but watching the game in motion is breathtaking.  Seeing the female lead move between stalking mechanical dinosaurs and hiding in bushes along with the fluid fight with the robot T-Rex gives the impression that there are many ways to tackle enemies.  Watching the trailer over again, Horizon looks like a next generation version of Monster Hunter with fluid combat and mechanical monsters to slay, which has me even more intrigued.

If it was playable on the show floor, Horizon would easily nab the number one spot on my Top Games of E3 2015 list.  Unfortunately, all Sony brought to E3 was this awe-inspiring trailer that has me craving for more.

Early Reveals Killed the E3 Surprise

We are less than two weeks away from E3 2015.  It is an exciting time as everyone from video game aficionados to casual fans speculate on what's in store for the show.  During these two weeks, rumours, predictions and even leaks spread across the web like wildfire due to increased levels of interest in E3.  To combat third-parties from leaking their lineups for E3, some game companies adopted the practice of revealing some of their titles in the weeks leading up to the show.  Some people love getting these reveals early because it keeps the games from getting lost in all the hustle and bustle of E3.  On the other hand, these early reveals kill the element of surprise that is a key part of the show's success.

Let's take a trip down memory lane.  What E3 moment made you fall in love with following the event from beginning to end each year?  It certainly wasn't for leaked/revealed games like Titanfall, Gears of War: Judgment, Beyond: Two Souls or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.  It was surprises that made your jaw drop, got you to sit back in disbelief and possibly left your crying tears of joy.  Some moments that come to mind include Shigeru Miyamoto appearing onstage wielding both the Master Sword and Hylian Shield at the Twilight Princess reveal, the legendary Metal Gear Solid 4 trailers, the return of Kid Icarus and Sony's PS4 reveal.  Everyone has a moment that stands out in their mind, but they all have one thing in common: the element of surprise.

By revealing games early or making these secrets vulnerable to leaks, these companies are hurting the show that serves as a massive marketing push for their products.  Seriously, a product's showing at E3 can make or break it.  Case in point, look at the success of Watch Dogs and Destiny or even the continued struggles Microsoft faces with the lagging sales of the Xbox One.

Speaking of Watch Dogs, nobody knew anything about the game or even the fact that Ubisoft would unveil a brand new property at the end of their E3 2012 press conference.  The surprise of the game's reveal coupled with the scarcity of information about it started a frenzy surrounding Watch Dogs.  In the end, it lead to one of the biggest disappointments of 2014, but not before selling millions upon millions of copies.

Now look at Fallout 4.  Yes, the game's existence has been one of the worst kept secrets in gaming history, but that is beside the point.  Fallout 4 was all but confirmed before Bethesda dropped the trailer earlier this week.

Now, just imagine if Bethesda waited until their E3 press conference this coming July 14th, where hundreds of journalists and millions eyes around the world would be focused on this one event, to reveal the Fallout 4 trailer.  It's not hard to image the audience, both live and at home, would have lost it and Bethesda would have seen a dramatic spike in interest for the game.  By trying to get ahead of third-parties, Bethesda has missed out on a golden opportunity and took a great surprise away from the biggest event of the year for the video game industry.

As much as E3 is about impressing investors and marketing products to a worldwide audience, it is about the gamers.  We are the audience that tunes in every year hoping to be surprised, entertained and ultimately excited for the future of this industry.  Taking the surprises out of E3 only leaves people feeling disappointed.  My advice to game developers and publishers: resist the urge, keep your secrets close to your chest and make E3 2015 an event we will never forget.

Year in Review 2012: The Games

While there were quite a few games that I did not get around to in 2012, there were plenty of games that yours truly got to spend some quality time playing.  Some games on this list I played to completion before the end of 2012, some I did not.  Those games on this list that I did not complete, I still got quite a ways through them.  Enough so that they deserve to be mentioned in my top games of 2012.  Due to how busy I was in late 2012, my top games of 2012 will not be organized in a list of ten games in ascending order.  The games will be listed by the order of their release.  Each person is different so my top games of 2012 will most likely differ from your top games so I hope everybody will enjoy my opinion and feel free to share some games that I may have overlooked.

Run Roo Run
There is no other iOS game that I have found released this year that is better than Run Roo Run.  Charming graphics, simplistic yet intuitive controls, satisfying gameplay and a plethora of levels that test both your mind and reflexes, Run Roo Run is the complete package for only one or two dollars depending whether you get it for the iPhone or iPad respectively.  5th Cell's first game for iOS is a game that no iDevice owner should miss.

Journey
Journey is easily one of the most unique experiences I had playing a game this year.  There are no tutorials, no real instructions.  You are just dropped into a seemingly baren 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 sit down and play again.  I cannot stress enough how great of an experience Journey is.  If there is one game on this list that I highly recommend every gamer go out of their way to play, it is Journey.

Kid Icarus:  Uprising 
Nintendo may have took 20 years to release a new Kid Icarus game, but Uprising makes the time fans waited well worth it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is a labour of love from Masahiro Sakurai and Project Sora that brings Pit to the 21st century in style.  While the controls can get in the way from time to time, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and fun multi-player experience sure make up for it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is easily the best 3DS game of 2012 and one 3DS owners should not miss.

Xenoblade Chronicles
One of the last great games for the Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is a grand RPG adventure from Nintendo and Monolith Soft.  Xenoblade Chronicles has an incredibly gripping story, fun real-time combat and an enormous world to explore with a huge amount of side quests to keep you occupied.  I have played over 30 hours of Xenoblade and I barely scratched the surface of all the content in this Wii RPG.  For a system that has been starving for RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles stands tall as the pinnacle of RPGs on the Wii and for Japanese RPGs in this console generation.

The Last Story
The Last Story was the Wii's last story, pun intended.  From the mind of the most recognizable name in Japanese RPGs, Hironobu Sakaguichi, The Last Story looks to take the Japanese RPG in new and innovative directions.  The Last Story's biggest strength is its innovative real-time battle system that has you controlling the protagonist Zael while commanding the rest of your party to set up big combos of magic and physical attacks.  Along with Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story is another great RPG for a system that sure has needs it.

Darksiders II
Originally coming out for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in August, I did not get to try this excellent amalgamation of genres until I bought my Wii U in November.  The combat of great action games like God of War and Devil May Cry, the loot system from classic dungeon crawlers like Diablo, the massive over world of an action adventure game like The Legend of Zelda, the parkour-like platforming of a Prince of Persia and the classic leveling and skill system of a classic RPG can all be found in Darksiders II, but Vigil Games takes all these elements and makes it their own.  Vigil's effort has created a game that you can easily get lost in for hours at a time.  While a few glitches may pop up from time-to-time, Darksiders II is an incredible game that no gamer should pass on.

Transformers:  Fall of Cybertron
Not many licensed games are worth playing; fewer are praised both by critics and fans.  High Moon Studios' Transformers: Fall of Cybertron falls under those select few, no pun intended.  Taking the great framework set by War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron takes players through an incredibly focused and diverse campaign that explores the Transformers' final days on their dying homeworld.  Fall of Cybertron does justice to the Transformers like no other piece of media (TV show, comic or movie) has done for the franchise in the last number of years.  Also it has one of the finest final levels I personally played all year.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Another year, another side-scrolling Mario.  Many gamers, myself included, can remember a time when it was rare to see Gaming's Number One Plumber star in a brand new side-scrolling game.  While Mario platformers are some of the finest games around, it is a little hard to get excited when it seems like one comes out every year.  Seriously, we got two Mario platformers in 2012 alone.  While I was not really excited for New Super Mario Bros. U, I still picked it up for my Wii U at launch.  After putting the game in my brand new system, I learned once again to never doubt Nintendo.  New Super Mario Bros. U is easily the best game in the New Super Mario Bros. subseries and can stand among Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3 as one of the best Mario platformers of all-time.  The levels are expertly designed, the difficulty ramps up at the perfect pace (making use of all those lives you accumulate in earlier levels), there are a great number of secrets to find and plenty of modes like Challenges and multi-player that will keep you coming back for more Mario.  The one game that all Wii U owners should pick up when they buy their brand new console and one of my personal favourite games of 2012.

Favourite Games of 2012 So Far

During the summer months, there are not a lot of big games that come out.  While there is a steady stream of great downloadable games that come out in the summer, not many big retail games come out in the summer as they stick to the overcrowded winter and spring seasons.  With this evident drought of games, there are some weeks when yours truly has to think of different things to write about when no actual games release said week.  This week I decided to look back on the my favourite games of 2012 so far.  The games will be listed in order of their release not how much I like them and I am only including games that I have either beaten or have played a considerable amount of.  I hope that everybody enjoys this list and maybe finds a game in this list that they may have overlooked.

Run Roo Run
There is no other iOS game that I have found released this year that is better than Run Roo Run.  Charming graphics, simplistic yet intuitive controls, satisfying gameplay and a plethora of levels that test both your mind and reflexes, Run Roo Run is the complete package for only one or two dollars depending whether you get it for the iPhone or iPad respectively.  5th Cell's first game for iOS is a game that no iDevice owner should miss.

Mass Effect 3
If you have been following this blog for a while now, you would know I full how much I love the Mass Effect series and in turn Mass Effect 3.  While some jaded people got hung up over all the supposed controversy with the ending and the Day One DLC, I found Mass Effect 3 to be an incredible game experience that serves as a worthy finale to this grand video game trilogy.  Mass Effect 3 is a game not to be missed this year as it is quite possibly the best game of 2012 and the best RPG from this side of the world.

Journey
Journey is easily one of the most unique experiences I had playing a game this year.  There are no tutorials, no real instructions.  You are just dropped into a seemingly baren 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 be finished in one sitting.  If you missed out on downloading this gem for the PSN, you can pick up the Journey Collector's Edition that comes out at the end of August.

Kid Icarus: Uprising
Nintendo may have took 20 years to release a new Kid Icarus game, but Uprising makes the time fans waited well worth it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is a labour of love from Masahiro Sakurai and Project Sora that brings Pit to the 21st century in style.  While the controls can get in the way from time to time, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and fun multi-player experience sure make up for it.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is easily the best 3DS game of 2012 so far that 3DS should not miss.

Xenoblade Chronicles
One of the last great games for the Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles is a grand RPG adventure from Nintendo and Monolith Soft.  Xenoblade Chronicles has an incredibly gripping story, fun real-time combat and an enormous world to explore with a huge amount of side quests to keep you occupied.  I have played at least 25 to 30 hours and I barely scratched the surface of all the content in this Wii RPG.  For a system that has been starving for RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles stands tall as the pinnacle of RPGs on the Wii and for Japanese RPGs in this console generation.

Off the Newsstand: Nintendo Power Issue 280

Absolutely no new retail game releases this week.  Meaning that there will be no Launch Station at all this week.  Now that I got enough time to look at the latest issue of Nintendo Power.  The big Issue 280, only 20 more issues until a landmark 300 issues of Nintendo Power.  Following in suit with all other video game magazines, the July issue revolves around all the big news from this year's E3.

On the cover of Issue 280 is the Wii U, Nintendo's next console.  Considering Nintendo Power has been one of my main sources for Nintendo news, previews, reviews and coverage, I was disappointed that there was not a full article on the Wii U.  It was just a stuck at the beginning of the Power Up section of the magazine.  I remember after Nintendo's big showcase of the Wii at E3 2006, the following Nintendo Power had an amazing article called The Wii Experience that looked at the Wii and some of the big launch titles such as Red Steel, Raving Rabbids, Madden and Tony Hawk.  It was not just a brief look and a list of the Top 10 Wii U Games at E3 2012.  In all honesty, it was a fine look at the Wii U, but I expected much more from Nintendo Power considering this is the official Nintendo magazine for North America and the Wii U report was the cover story of this issue.  If they were not going to have the Wii U as the cover story for this issue, they should have put something else on the cover like New Super Mario Bros. 2.  Speaking of New Super Mario Bros. 2, there was a five page preview of the upcoming 3DS game.  It was a fine preview, but there was nothing too substantial.  Given a few more pages and an interview, this preview could of easily served as the cover story for Issue 280.  Along with that preview was a look back all of Nintendo's releases in 1987, which was pretty cool, but felt more like filler, and a preview of the Adventure Time game for the DS and 3DS.  Even though I have never watched the show, I found the Adventure Time preview easily the best article in this issue.  It gave a substantial amount of information about a game that until now nobody really knew much about and had a very good interview with Adventure Time series creator and animator, Pendleton Ward.  Even though I am being down on this issue of Nintendo Power, there was still some good content in the Download, Preview, Review and Community sections of the magazine.

As a whole, I expected much more from Issue 280 of Nintendo Power.  When you such a big story in the Wii U on the cover, you have to hit the ball out of the park or leave people like yours truly disappointed.  There is still quite a bit of good content in Issue 280 of Nintendo Power, but it is not an issue that you have to go out of your way to read.

On the Download: July 15-21

There is a lot to enjoy in the downloadable space.  There are sales on almost every major downloadable platforms, summer downloadable game initiatives are in full swing and unlike at retail, there are a steady stream of games being released each and every week.  And it is all at a click of a button.

Nintendo's 8-Bit Summer continues this week with finally the release of Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters for the 3DS Virtual Console.  Also this week sees the another 3DS Virtual Console game, Tumble Pop, released and Mario Picross go on sale for 3 dollars, but I am not here to talk about those games.  Today I am looking at the game that I have wanted on the Nintendo eShop since the release of Kid Icarus: Uprising.  Kid Icarus: Of Myth and Monsters is the sequel to the NES classic.  Angel Island is in peril once again.  This time around it is the demon Orcos and his minions who threaten Angel Island.  It is up to Pit to find the three Sacred Treasures in order to defeat Orcos.  The levels in Of Myths and Monsters allow players to freely scroll in all directions, which add more exploration elements to the game.  Also Pit is able to use his wings to slow his descent and extend his jump.  Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters is available for download on the Nintendo eShop for 4 dollars.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, in the eyes of most gamers, is the ultimate skateboarding game in existence.  When this extreme sport was just gaining popularity, Activision and Neversoft made a game that did it justice.  Yes, it was a pure arcade-style skateboarding game more than an actual simulation of the sport, but it really did showcase how spectacular of feats these tricks can be.  Sadly when Tony Hawk's Pro Skater got really popular was when Activision decided to shove it down our throats with yearly sequels, which eventually killed the series for a bit.  Funny how Activision has not learned from those mistakes, but that is not the point.  Looking for a fresh new start to the Tony Hawk franchise, Activision and Robomodo have released Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD, a re-release of the best levels from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2, as part of Microsoft's Summer of Arcade.  Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD has the same gameplay from the first two games in the series.  Robomodo is working on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 DLC for the game that will add new levels and new tricks like the revert.  While not every skateboarder or song return from the classic Tony Hawk games, Robomodo has tried to take the best from the first two games in order to provide a nice nostalgic trip for veterans and a fresh start for new players.  Right now, you can only download Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD on XBLA for 1200 Microsoft Points, but it will be coming to both the PSN and PC in the coming weeks.

Nintendo Direct 6.21.12 Impressions

Nintendo Direct is a mini-conference where Nintendo announces new and exclusive Nintendo announcements and showcases their upcoming games.  Nintendo Direct serves as a way for Nintendo to keep Nintendo fans up-to-date on the newest happenings in the Big N directly from them instead of through video game websites or magazines.  It is a very cool idea and personally these videos have always been fun to watch.  Last night, Nintendo hosted another Nintendo Direct that focused mainly on Nintendo 3DS, but had a little section to showcase a game or two for the Wii.

First and foremost, I really did enjoy this Nintendo Direct as it did wrapped all the information about 3DS and Wii into one concise 20 minute video that flowed perfectly.  My one big grip is that a lot of the big announcements that Nintendo shared with us should have been at E3, not this 20 minute mini-conference.  The major announcements of the Nintendo 3DS XL and Namco Bandai helping develop the new Smash Bros. games along with the reveals of Fire Emblem and Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask should have been showed E3 because it would have definitely improved Nintendo's okay showing at the event and it would gotten out to more people than just this little mini-conference that usually is only viewed by Nintendo fans and video game journalists.  While I can criticize Nintendo's decision to omit a lot of this huge announcements, the Nintendo Direct did what it was suppose to do.  It got Nintendo fans excited for the next wave of 3DS games and the Kirby Dream Collection for Wii.  I would have liked if Nintendo gave a concrete release date for The Last Story, but that is just minor.  We got a price and date for the 3DS XL, a rundown of all the third-party 3DS games, looks at New Super Mario Bros. 2, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Kirby's Dream Collection, Fire Emblem, Pokemon Dream Radar, Pokedex 3D Pro and Pokemon Black 2 and White 2.  One of the other big announcements for me at least was the 8-Bit Summer initiative for the Nintendo eShop.  If any of you have read some of my On the Download posts, I have been crying to the heavens about the lack of Virtual Console games on the eShop.  It seems somebody at Nintendo of America has heard my prayers.  There will be two Virtual Console games released each week in July starting July 5th including Kid Icarus: Of Myths & Monsters, which should of come out alongside Kid Icarus: Uprising in my opinion.

All-in-all, this Nintendo Direct mini-conference was very good.  It was packed to the brim with great content and announcements.  While some of this stuff should have been at E3, I cannot fault this mini-conference for Nintendo's obvious gaff.  If you want to check it out, I have provided the video for you to watch below.  Enjoy and have a nice day.

On the Download: May 13-19

Nintendo and Sega round out our big downloadable games for this week.  Funny how things have changed so much since these two companies were at each others' necks during the 16 bit console era.  For 3DS owners, Nintendo has put up their first retail game patch up on the eShop.  The patch is for Mario Kart 7.  You will need to download this patch in order to play Mario Kart 7 online as it fixes the exploits found in a few of the tracks to keep the game balanced and fair.  3DS owners can check out the Rayman Origins demo on the eShop as well.

It has taken a good number of weeks to finally get a new game for the 3DS Virtual Console.  While not Kid Icarus: Of Myth and Monsters, which should have been released on the eShop already, the game released this week is Kirby's Block Ball.  Kirby's Block Ball is a Breakout-style game that sees Kirby roll up into a ball to destroy blocks and enemies that litter the playing field.  Your objective is to keep Kirby in play by bouncing him off the paddles on all four sides of the screen.  Destroying enemies will give you bonus points.  There are also special items that will help in destroying all the blocks in each level.  Once all the blocks in the level are destroyed, Kirby opens up the next level.  In order to open up the final level of the game, you must beat the high score in each level.  Kirby's Block Ball has a couple different modes like boss battle mode and bonus mode.  Kirby enthusiasts or gamers looking for a good 3DS Virtual Console game will most likely pick up Kirby's Block Ball for its incredibly inexpensive price of 3 dollars.

It has been a long time coming, but the second and final episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is here.  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II sees the return of Sonic's lovable sidekick Tails and the villainous Metal Sonic as Sonic's adventure takes him to Little Planet, where Sonic CD took place.  Metal Sonic has joined forces with the nefarious Dr. Eggman.  The two evil entities plan to reconstruct the Death Egg, which Sonic and Tails must stop at all costs.  For Episode II, Tails accompanies Sonic in his adventure.  Tails can either be controlled by the computer or a second player through Sonic 4 Episode II's local and online coop play.  There are numerous combination moves that Sonic and Tails can do throughout Sonic 4 Episode II such as Tails lifting Sonic to normally unreachable areas and preforming a huge spin attack together.  For those who did not enjoy Episode I's wonky physics, Sega have created a whole new engine with reworked physics that feel exactly like the Genesis games and stunning HD graphics.  Sonic 4 Episode II features four new zones, special stages based off of those found in Sonic 2, red rings which are hidden in each act and exclusive bonus Episode Metal, which explains what happened to Metal Sonic since we last saw him in Sonic CD, for those who own Episode I on the same platform.  Even though I am a huge Sonic fan, I am not going to be picking up Sonic 4 Episode II until it is announced for Wii U as I bought the first episode for my Wii and want to keep it on the same system to possibly get Episode Metal.  For anybody else, Sonic 4 Episode II is available for PSN, XBLA, iOS, PC and soon Android and Windows Phone 7 with varying prices from 8 dollars on the portable devices and 15 dollars on consoles.

On the Download: April 15-21

It has taken a little while for the downloadable game scene to really get going again after a pretty solid start to the year.  With a full-order last week and now a full-order this week, I no longer have to desperately search for big downloadable games to talk about as they seem to be falling right into my lap.  Without any further ado, let us dive right into the biggest downloadable games of the week.

Earlier this week, the Free-to-Play successor to Uber Entertainment's Monday Night Combat, Super MNC leaked onto Steam before its scheduled release.  Instead of immediately taking the game down, Uber decided to make the leak Super MNC's official release date.  From those who have not played the original Monday Night Combat, Super MNC is a strategic multi-player shooter.  Super MNC blends intense tactical combat, a deep RPG-like metagame, ever-expanding roster of characters, a huge amount of customization options and humorous play-by-play commentary into one all encompassing package. On top of all that, Uber will be updating Super MNC every week.  Each update will continue to balance the game, make improvements to the gameplay and add more content such as new characters, maps, weapons and attire.  With a dedicated developer and the ever great price of absolutely free, Super MNC is a game every PC shooter fan should download and try.

Trials HD was a critical and commercial success for XBLA back in the Summer of 2009.  Close to three years later, RedLynx and Microsoft Studios are back with the sequel to Trials HD called Trials Evolution.  Trials Evolution is a 2.5D platform racing game that sees the player control a rider of a trial motorcycle with exaggerated physics as you navigate past various skill testing obstacles on the way to the end of the level.  The main goal of each level is to complete the level as fast as possible and with the fewest number of faults.  Trials Evolution offers a whole new multi-player mode that can be played up to four people on the same system or over Xbox Live.  Trials Evolution also includes 60 single-player levels to compete, online leaderboards and a fully featured level editor.  For 1200 Microsoft Points, Trials Evolution looks to be another great XBLA exclusive that 360 owners should check out.

In the States when you pre-ordered Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS, you got a free download code for 3D Classics: Kid Icarus.  While up in the Great White North, we got the short end of the stick in the form of special AR cards.  After a little less than a month, Nintendo has finally brought this once pre-order exclusive to the Nintendo eShop.  Along with the new 3D visuals, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus has all new backgrounds that make the game's visuals pop off the screen a more than the old NES version did.  The original Kid Icarus follows Pit's first adventure as he fights from the pits of the Underworld to the skies of Angel Island in order to save the goddess Palutena from Medusa's evil grasp.  Journey through all of Kid Icarus' worlds to gain possession of the Three Sacred Treasures, which are needed to take down Medusa once and for all.  For those interested on taking a trip down memory lane or want to experience Pit's first adventure for the first time after play Uprising, 3D Classics: Kid Icarus will be 6 dollars well spent.

Kid Icarus: Uprising Review

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”  The first line of dialogue in Kid Icarus: Uprising is an apology to fans that have been waiting close to 20 years for a new Kid Icarus game.  Uprising serves as one hell of an apology from Nintendo.  The fast-paced action, witty banter, fun story and solid multi-player far outweigh Uprising’s few shortcomings to create one of the best games available for the Nintendo 3DS.

Medusa is back and it is up to Pit and the Goddess of Light, Palutena to stop her and the Underworld Army.  Kid Icarus: Uprising’s story mode is one hell of a ride containing some great twists and turns that keep things fresh and exciting.  When you think Uprising is over, Nintendo and Project Sora throws an amazing twist that has to be seen to understand how great it is.  Every character in Uprising is completely voiced and unlike Nintendo’s other attempts of adding voice acting to their games, the voice acting in Uprising is superb.  The almost constant banter each of Uprising’s levels, which may be a turnoff for some, is highly enjoyable as it breaks the fourth wall early and often, which makes for some truly hilarious and memorable lines.

As an aid to fight Medusa and her Underworld Army, Palutena grants Pit the “Power of Flight”, which allows Pit to fly for five minutes at a time.  This story element plays right into the gameplay as each level is broken into sections, air battle and land battle.  Air Battle plays much like an on-rails shooter such as Sin & Punishment as you control Pit’s projectiles and position on the screen while he flies through the environment.  Land Battle is fairly linear, but offers Pit more freedom to move around the environment and battle enemies.  This simple formula might get tedious in lesser games, but Uprising’s levels are so diverse and unique that it keeps things from getting repetitive.  Plus playing on higher intensities, which can be adjusted by offering hearts (Uprising’s currency) to the Fiend Cauldron, opens up new rooms to explore and better items to collect thus creating many reasons to replay Uprising. 

Aside from the story mode, Kid Icarus: Uprising includes a full-on multi-player that is much more than tacked on.  You can play locally with friends or online over the Nintendo Network in either Free for All or Light vs. Dark.  Each multi-player mode plays out much like the Land Battles in the single-player, but in a big non-linear arena.  Out of the two modes, Light vs. Dark is the most compelling.  In Light vs. Dark, you are split into two teams, the aforementioned Light and Dark.  Each time a person dies on either team, you lose a portion of the team life bar.  Once a team’s life bar is completely gone, one member of said team becomes either Pit or Dark Pit, depending on if the team is Light or Dark.  Once Pit or Dark Pit loses their entire life bar, the match is over.  Overall, the multi-player is just as fun and frantic as the single-player and ran without any hitches for this writer.  Like some have said, you initially buy Uprising for the story mode, but stay for the multi-player.

The biggest polarizing feature of Kid Icarus: Uprising is the game’s controls.  You either love them or hate them.  For veteran handheld gamers, Uprising’s controls are very similar to those of Metroid Prime Hunters for the original DS.  You control Pit’s movements with the Circle Pad, the camera and aiming reticle with the stylus and attack and/or fire projectiles with the L Shoulder Button.  It takes a bit of getting used to and might cause a few hand cramps if you play for long periods of time.  The key point is that you can play Kid Icarus: Uprising, even in 3D, without the stand that comes packaged with the game.  After a little time with the game, I adjusted to the controls and found them very intuitive even if the few instances they do make things a little more complicated.  Other than a few shortcomings with the game’s controls, the game’s Augmented Reality features feel tacked on and more or less completely useless.

While Kid Icarus: Uprising has a couple of shortcomings with the controls and the useless AR Card Battles, the fast-paced action, witty fourth wall breaking banter, exciting story and solid multi-player sure make up for those shortcomings.  It is one of the best games you can find for the 3DS and one incredible apology to those who have been waiting for a new Kid Icarus since Game Boy days.  Hopefully Nintendo won’t make us wait another 20 years for the next entry in the Kid Icarus series.

Off the Newsstand: Nintendo Power Issue 277

With all that came out this past March, there has been no room for yours truly to look at the latest issues of the various gaming magazines I read.  Also for a good few weeks in March, I was without a magazine to read.  That was until this past week when I received the newest issues for all my subscriptions (Nintendo Power, Game Informer and Electronic Gaming Monthly).  Now I at least have some reading material for the coming weeks.

With Epic Mickey: Power of Two announced earlier in the week, it came as no surprise that the exclusive Nintendo Power teased in Issue 276 was no doubt Mickey's return to the Wii.  Well Epic Mickey: Power of Two was not the only Epic Mickey to be covered in this huge cover story.  Nintendo Power got the first details on Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the 3DS, which is the spiritual successor to Castle of Illusions for the Genesis and will release alongside Power of Two this fall.  While nothing too in-depth, this cover story was very enjoyable.  It gave readers a nice look of what these Epic Mickey games will be about when they release later this year.  This cover story had two really good interviews with the creative directors on these games, Warren Spector and Peter Ong, which are both interesting reads.  Like most issues of Nintendo Power, Issue 277 is 96 pages packed with great content.  Apart from the cover story, you got a retrospective look at The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past to celebrate 20 years since its North American release, an extended hand-ons look at Mario Tennis Open with accompanying interview with the game's producer and lead designer, a look back at the Nintendo 3DS's first year and an in-depth profile of Hironobu Takeshita, producer at Capcom and creator of a little Wii gem known as Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.  Issue 277 also has reviews on two big Nintendo games, Kid Icarus: Uprising for 3DS and Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii.

Another all around solid issue from Nintendo Power.  Nintendo Power has been on a roll as of late and personally I hope it keeps going.  While Nintendo Power does cater more to the big Nintendo fans such as myself, it does provide a great read for anybody who owns a Nintendo system or handheld.

Launch Station: Kid Icarus: Uprising

It has been 19 long years since the lovable angel Pit has starred in a game of his own.  While it has been many long years, Kid Icarus has been one of the most requested series that Nintendo revisit.  After Masahiro Sakurai and his team at Project Sora finished work on Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Nintendo had them put on this revival of the Kid Icarus franchise.  Since Kid Icarus: Uprising was first shown at E3 2010 along with the amazing unveiling of the 3DS, it has been at the top of many 3DS owners list including yours truly.

After 25 long years, Medusa and her evil Underworld Army has been reborn and seeks to destroy all of mankind.  The only person able to stop Medusa is our angelic hero, Pit, an agent of the goddess Palutena.  To aid in his battle with Medusa, Palutena grants Pit the "Power of Flight", which allows Pit to fly for five minutes at a time.  Kid Icarus: Uprising is a huge departure from previous entries in the series.  Built from the ground up with the 3DS in mind, Uprising is mainly a frantic third-person shooter.  Each level is broken up into two sections, an air section and a land section.  The air sections play much like an on-rails shooter as you control Pit's projectiles and positioning on the screen while he flies through the environment.  The land sections offer more freedom as Pit can freely move around the environment and battle enemies.  The controls for Kid Icarus: Uprising are very similar to those of Metroid Prime Hunters for the original DS.  You control Pit's movements with the Circle Pad or D-pad, control the camera and the aiming reticle with the stylus and attack and/or fire projectiles with the L Shoulder Button.  Being that Masahiro Sakurai is known to be a perfectionist, him and his team have packed Kid Icarus: Uprising to the brim with content.  There are hundreds upon hundreds of weapons to collect and combine, you are encouraged to replay levels on higher difficulties in order to get better loot and there are tons of achievements to complete, which give you other rewards.  Last but not least, Kid Icarus: Uprising includes a full-on multiplayer mode.  You can play locally with friends or online over the newly christened Nintendo Network in Team Deathmatch or Free for All match types.  Kid Icarus: Uprising also includes a pack of AR cards, which can be used to play minigames with the 3DS' augmented reality features.

Personally, I have been looking forward to playing Kid Icarus: Uprising since Pit appeared on screen at Nintendo's E3 2010 press conference to apologize for keeping all us waiting.  It is the game that I bought my 3DS for and I have patiently waited a year for this game.  Now that I am done Mass Effect 3, I will be spending a whole lot of time playing Kid Icarus: Uprising and I cannot wait.  If you own a 3DS, there is no reason not to pick up this game.

On the Download: February 5-11

While last week was pretty big for noteworthy games for download.  This week there are not as many games that I will highlight, but there was a lot of big downloadable news.  First, this week the Japanese Nintendo eShop saw the release of three new 3DS Virtual Console games (two more than the North American eShop got this week).  Japanese 3DS owners saw Kid Icarus: Myths & Monsters, Kirby Dream Land 2 and Wario Land grace their eShop.  Considering how the Japanese eShop gets games a few weeks ahead of the North American eShop, hopefully these great games are coming in the next month or so.  The other piece of news comes from my favourite franchise from this generation of consoles, Mass Effect.  In the next month, BioWare will be releasing two Mass Effect apps for the iOS.  Infiltrator is a third-person shooter where you infiltrate Cerberus bases to collect evidence of crimes Cerberus committed and freeing prisoners.  Datapad is a companion app to Mass Effect 3, which will allows players to check the galaxy map, receive messages from characters, play mini-games and search a codex filled with information on the Mass Effect universe.  Both of these apps will play into the Galaxy at War meta-game that will affect a player's galactic readiness rating, which will effect the ending of Mass Effect 3.  Enough with the news for this week, let us get down to the meat and potatoes of On the Download.  Let us take a look at the biggest downloadable games for this week.

Originally set to release early last month, Gotham City Impostors has landed on XBLA, PSN and PC.  Gotham City Impostors is a first-person shooter based off a story in the Batman comics where one group of vigilantes dressed as Batman battle another group of criminals dressed like the Joker with guns and other violent weapons across  Gotham City.   You play as either the Batmen or the Jokers in multiplayer-only team death match.  Gotham City Impostors gives players a plethora of customization options from weapons and gadgets to appearance and play style.  There are no set classes to be slotted into, you are given everything you need to play Gotham City Impostors exactly the way you want.  Much like other FPS games, Gotham City Impostors is overflowing with upgrades and unlocks for players to collect as the level up in the game.  Gotham City Impostors might seem like an extremely unorthodox Batman game, but if you are looking for another Batman game to fill the void after finishing Arkham Asylum and Arkham City at 15 dollars or 1200 Microsoft Points Gotham City Impostors is a very affordable Batman fix.

Hyper-stylized art and gory action of Klei Entertainment's 2010 downloadable action game, Shank is back in the sequel.  You play ex-mob hitman Shank on another adventure killing enemies left, right and centre on the way to reach your goal whatever it may be.  As you can probably deduce from the last sentence, Shank 2 is not about the story.  Shank 2 is about improving the main problem with the original game, the game's controls.  Klei made the controls much tighter and to better complement Shank 2's visceral combat system, which allows players to switch between guns, melee weapons and chainsaws on the fly in order to put together some crazy combos.  Apart from the regular single-player, Shank 2 also offers a survival mode, which can be played co-operatively either locally or online.  For those old enough to download it, Shank 2 for XBLA, PSN and PC should provide some mature fun for 10 dollars or 800 Microsoft Points.

Off the Newsstand: Nintendo Power Issue 275

As long as I have loved video games, I have been a Nintendo fan.  No matter what anybody says or whatever happens, nothing will ever change that.  It is ingrained in my DNA.  For a huge Nintendo fan to pick up an issue of Nintendo Power just about ten years ago, it was one magical moment.  Everything Nintendo-related captured in about 100 page magazine made 11 year old me giddy in side.  After buying a few issues, I asked my parents for a subscription to Nintendo Power for Christmas and well the rest is history.  Through the good times and bad, the thick and the thin, there has been one constant these last ten years of my life.  That I would receive a new issue of Nintendo Power at the beginning of each and every month.  Not every issue has been the greatest thing to grace the printed media, but Nintendo Power has never let me down.  

As has become sort-of a tradition over the last few years, Nintendo Power begins the New Year with a big 35-page preview of the year to come.  In this huge 35-page preview, the editors of Nintendo Power highlight the biggest games that have been announced for 2012 such as Kid Icarus Uprising, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 and Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure.  It is one great feature, but the reason you will want to read it is for the excellent previews of Kid Icarus Uprising and Rhythm Thief both for the 3DS.  The preview for Kid Icarus Uprising is extremely comprehensive as it looks at all the features, weapon classes, basic plot and bonus features, much of which was not shared until this feature.  On top of that, Nintendo Power had one incredible interview with the director on Uprising and creator of Kirby and Super Smash Bros., Masahiro Sakurai about the challenges of reviving this 25-year old franchise in this day and age.  After reading the preview, my anticipation for Kid Icarus Uprising has gone through the roof.  The preview for Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure is just as good as Nintendo Power runs down the diverse tasks you be completing by tapping, sliding, tilting and button pressing.  Thanks to Nintendo Power's coverage of Rhythm Thief, I am interested in seeing how good this unique 3DS rhythm game is when it releases in March.  While the big 35-page 2012 preview was the big story in this issue, but it was not the only good thing about this issue of Nintendo Power.  Nintendo Power treats readers to one great interview with Michel Ancel and Sebastien Morin on arguably the best platformer of 2011, Rayman Origins, a list of 40 can't miss games on the Nintendo eShop, a look back at Revenge of the 'Gator, a solid pinball game from Nintendo and Hal Laboratory, and new edition of the always good Power Profiles, in this issue they profile Toshiaki Mori, an illustartor for Capcom.  Along with the regularly solid Pulse, Power Up, Reviews and Community sections, issue 275 of Nintendo Power is one all-around great magazine.

After having such a disappointing time reading OXM, I really enjoyed my time reading issue 275 of Nintendo Power.  While other magazines spend most of their time taking stabs at their competitors, Nintendo Power focuses on highlighting Nintendo's current and upcoming systems and the unique experiences only offered on them.  I would have never been interested in Rhythm Thief if Nintendo Power had not made room in their magazine to highlight this game that has been flying completely under the radar at the moment.  At only 6 dollars, this issue of Nintendo Power is a great read for anybody, not just Nintendo fans like myself.

On the Download: January 1-7

Well the holiday season is over and we are into a brand new year filled with plenty of new games coming down the downloadable pipeline.  Sadly this week On the Download will be shorter due to the lack of big downloadable releases this week, but I come bearing gifts in the form of news about downloadable games and services.  First up, Gotham City Impostors, the downloadable Batman FPS that was scheduled to release next week, has been delayed until some unknown date in February.  It is kind of sad as I was looking forward to seeing how this very different style of game set in the Batman universe would fare with critics and the online community.  Next up is news on demos for the 3DS.  Capcom has assured fans via their Capcom Unity blog that the Resident Evil: Revelations demo that released on the Japanese eShop will be coming to North American and European eShops in the near future, something myself and many other 3DS owners are looking forward to a lot.  And my last piece of news involves the 3DS as well.  It has been reported that European 3DS owners that have bought and register two select games on Club Nintendo from November 1st of last year on will receive a code for a free copy of 3D Classics: Kid Icarus.  This promotion has only been announced for Europe, but I am dearly hoping that Nintendo brings it to North America Club Nintendo users as well.  Without further interruption, let us take a look at the big downloadable release for this week.

Just like EA did with NBA Jam back in 2010, EA has brought back another classic Midway arcade sports game from the dead.  This time EA brought back NFL Blitz for hardcore Blitz fans and gamers such as myself who never got the chance to play the game in the arcade or on the N64.  EA has done their best to recreate the fast, energetic arcade gameplay with a plethora of game modes for gamers to sink their teeth into.  The modes are a regular 7-on-7 exhibition game mode for quick one-on-one games with friends, season mode like Blitz Gauntlet, EAs now signature card-based mode for all their sports games Elite League and online competition Blitz Battle mode.  Coupled with the arcade craziness that gamers have come to expect from this old arcade sports franchise, NFL Blitz should keep the biggest football fanatic to even the young kids satisfied.  If you are looking for an arcade sports game for either your Xbox 360 or PS3, NFL Blitz is the download for you.

2012: The Year and Games Ahead

Now that 2011 has closed its doors and we have entered into 2012, that means we are all on step closer to new game releases and console launches.  Each year, the video game industry tries to top itself with bigger blockbusters, cooler surprises and more innovative ideas.  So today, I would like to list in no particular order the games and consoles I am really looking forward to get my hands on in 2012.

Mass Effect 3
The Mass Effect series has become one of my favourites among this generation of consoles.  BioWare's previous two masterpieces perfectly blended RPG gameplay with the mechanics of a third-person shooter and put together one epic space opera that completely sucked me in.  Personally I cannot wait to finish the story of Commander Shepard as he unites the galaxy against the Reaper threat.  I am a little bummed that there will be no split-screen co-op as I would rather play the multiplayer with my brothers than buy a month of Xbox Live in order to complete the multiplayer missions, which affect the single-player story.  Nonetheless, March 6th cannot come soon enough.

Kid Icarus: Uprising
The one reason that I bought my 3DS is almost here.  Just have to wait three months, but that probably won't take long as time flies.  Kid Icarus: Uprising's third person in-air and on-ground action looks to be as stellar as the Sin and Punishment games that it is definitely inspired by.  The action looks very fast and  fluid so to keep you on your feet.  The addition of local and online multiplayer should be great.  If Nintendo adds the online system they used in Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus' online multiplayer should be the place to be for all 3DS owners.  Even though, I was a little sad that Nintendo held it back until 2012, my thirst to play the new Kid Icarus is as great as it has ever been.

Xenoblade Chronicles
The game that all core Wii owners have been begging Nintendo almost a year will finally arrive this April.  I don't know for sure if it will be coming to EB Games/Gamestop in Canada yet, I am still very hopeful.  If worse comes to worse, I will order it from Nintendo myself.  Xenoblade is a rich RPG for the RPG-starved Wii that has said to be the Final Fantasy of this generation of consoles, which is a huge honour.  Considering how hard many gamers worked to get this game to come to North America, I hoping Xenoblade sells well enough to get Nintendo to bring Last Story and Pandora's Tower over and give the Wii one last hooray before the Wii U takes over.

Wii U
Well speaking of the Wii U, Nintendo's first high-definition console is set to release in the summer or fall of this calendar year.  If you have been following this blog for a while, you have probably noticed that I am a huge Nintendo fan.  I like Sony and Microsoft as well, but Nintendo holds a special place in my heart.  So I am really looking forward to Nintendo's new console and all the first and hopefully third party games that will be released for it.  From what was showed off at E3 2011, I am impressed with the different ways that the new tablet controller can be used (I really want to play that Shield Pose) and I am looking forward to see some innovative uses for the controller.

Tomb Raider
I was introduced like many others to Lara Croft's new direction through last January's issue of Game Informer.  I was impressed then and I was impressed when Crystal Dynamics showed it off at E3.  Now I cannot wait to Fall 2012 when Tomb Raider is released for the PS3 and Xbox 360.  Much more gritty and dark than any of the other Tomb Raider game.  We finally get to see how Lara Croft became the woman that we have been playing as for the past 15 years.  It should be an adventure like no other and I cannot wait to play it when it comes out much later in the year.