Well it’s here: the launch date of Nintendo’s Wii U system.*sarcastic woot*I appreciate the fact that Nintendo is constantly trying to push the technological envelope, but to be perfectly honest I keep my Wii around so I can shake my head with disapproval whenever it enters my line of sight.You know, like when a sibling is the perfect angel and you hear your parents say, “why can’t you be more like your sister/brother?”Nintendo seems to gear their consoles towards a younger audience with the exception of a few party games (who is still having Wii parties after 2007?), so most of us only bought a Wii so we could stroke our inner child (I could probably think of a better way to phrase that…but I won’t) by playing our classic favorites via Virtual Console.
Ever the nonconformist, Nintendo is STILL persistent in trying to win our hearts with another awkward controller and colors so bright that they’ll make your teeth rot.This time they pulled Call of Duty Black Ops II out of the hat, claiming that the Wii U will give you the better experience, but I don’t know many of you who plan to jump consoles to play an amazing game on a sub-par online service.I think having 2 screens to pay attention to sounds frustrating, and I get enough headaches trying to play my Nintendo 3DS for more than 2 hours.
When I watched the announcement for the Wii U on my E3 Livestream (thanks, Machinima!), I was impressed at first.Wow, a gaming system with a second integrated screen that converts into a handheld system AND bring together Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, and recorded shows from your tv?And then I realized….oh wait, I can do most of that with my iPad 1, and I’m not digitally tethered within a 24 foot range of the main system.Nice try with the TVii incorporation, but I doubt that it’s going to help much with sales.
There are 2 Wii U options to pick from with only a $50 bump for the better bundle.The first bundle is called the “Basic”; it costs $300 and it comes with the white system with 8GB of storage space, GamePad controller, chords (including a HDMI cable) and a sensor bar.The “Deluxe” bundle comes with everything mentioned in the Basic bundle, except it costs $350 and comes with a black system, 32GB of storage space, console stand, charging station for the GamePad, enrollment in the Digital Deluxe promotion AND a copy of Nintendo Land.A smart person wouldn’t be caught with their pants down and a white Wii U system, but a smarter person would rather pay $250 for a PS3 or $200 for a Xbox 360 if they haven’t done so already.
Blah blah blah, the glossy surface will be littered with smudgy fingerprints within a day, the GamePad controller doesn’t come with a headset, your children will constantly fight over who gets to use the GamePad and who gets the regular Wii-mote, the system upright stand is unstable, Wii U is not backwards compatible with Game Cube games and the transfer system for the Wii and Virtual Console between 2 consoles and a TV will be complicated.And you better hope that Santa brings you a pack of styluses, because kids are going to lose those like crazy. This won't do, Nintendo. ARGH, I just want to play a Mario game on my PS3, preferably online with my friends. I'm going to go take this out on my Wii, like the red-headed step child that it is......I'm also still very upset about Donkey Kong Country Returns not giving me the option to play with my classic controller. :( At least Epic Mickey 2 comes out this week on PS3...I couldn't bring myself to buy another Wii game that was going to annoy me. Die Wii-mote, die!
4 more days! I'm so excited! I traded in a bunch of games just so I could pay my pre-order off in full! (Food, bills, and rent are taking priority over my gaming habit right now) Dishonored was on my top 5 games from the 2012 E3 conference that I wanted to buy:
1. Beyond Two Souls 2. The Last if Us 3. Dishonored 4. Tomb Raider 5. Borderlands 2
The art direction alone looks phenomenal, but you had me at "Steampunk Assassin Game". Apparently you can kill someone with a fish in this game, and that sounds pretty awesome! I've been counting down the days!
Sorry it's been awhile -I just left my job at the production company that I've been working at for the past 3 years, in hopes of branching out and meeting new contacts at a new company. More news on that once I get some job offers.
Anyway, with my time off I want to get back to blogging about gaming:
BUNDLES!
Instead of looking forward to picking up new games this year, this girl gamer is excited to see some of her favorite game series being upgraded to 1080p HD and bundled together! You bet I'll be be grabbing up the Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and Kingdom Hearts HD bundles for my PS3!!!
And if you're into Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and a few others on this list, then you'll be glad to hear that those HD collections will be available soon as well. When am I going to get a Spyro remaster for my PS3? Huh? Or Time Splitters? -speaking of, where is my 4th Time Splitters?!
If you're like me, then you saw the announcement posted by American McGee a few days ago and you're still picking up the pieces of your brain that exploded from failing to contain your excitement. Yes, it's true, Epic Weapons teamed up once again with EA and created weapon replicas from Alice Madness Returns! So far it's just the Vorpal Blade (2 sizes) and the mechanized-looking teapot. No word yet on the hobby horse, but I'm crossing my fingers. Also, how cool would it be to own a chess set with the characters from AMR? Sorry, (white) rabbit trail. Heh. The Vorpal Blade from the original game is also available (and ON SALE!). I put in my order for the mini Vorpal Blade (only $13!) -I need a new letter opener anyway. :)
Also, check out the latest Launch Trailer for the game:
Still itching to wield that hobby horse or vorpal blade on some deserving Wonderland baddies on June 14? Patience, we all are, but in the meantime the “Art of Alice” book is now available in the Alice merchandise store online! Full of the dark and twisted imagery from the collective genius that created this beautiful game!
T shirts, posters and a tote bag are also available and are sure to get any Alice fan geared up for the big release day!
You can also submit your Alice fan art on the facebook homepage, and view the other submissions here:
If you have been following the Alice MR news, then you already saw the latest trailer that was posted online yesterday. But for those of you who haven’t, here’s the stylish new animated short that reveals a bit more of the storyline:
More good news –the fact that the original American McGee’s Alice is still over $50 for the Mac version of the game is infuriating, but it has been announced that the original game download will be available FOR FREE on your X-BO360 and PS3 with purchase of the console game!!! So be sure to preorder your copy to get the code ($10 download otherwise). Most of the Alice Madness Returns fans are newbies to the series, but for us veterans, it’s going to be awesome to finally play Alice on a console and I can’t wait! ALSO they announced that the soundtrack (8 tracks) will be available for a free download with each game purchase.
If you like puzzles and “winning” –check out the puzzles that are being posted by American McGee on the EA website to get the chance to win free stuff, and keep checking back with me for more updates!
I’ve been following the news and updates for “American McGee’s Alice; Madness Returns” (PS3, XBOX360, and PC), the sequel to my all time favorite PC game, so I’ll be posting updates on my blog as the release date (June 2011) winds down! Here are some of the nightmarish-ly breathtaking concept art and screen captures that I’ve been collecting.
If you haven’t seen these yet, check out a few awesome pictures by Michael Suen, from geekosystem.com, where he “de-made” some popular video games into 8 and 16 bit versions:
Well it’s here: the launch date of Nintendo’s Wii U system. *sarcastic woot* I appreciate the fact that Nintendo is constantly trying to push the technological envelope, but to be perfectly honest I keep my Wii around so I can shake my head with disapproval whenever it enters my line of sight. You know, like when a sibling is the perfect angel and you hear your parents say, “why can’t you be more like your sister/brother?” Nintendo seems to gear their consoles towards a younger audience with the exception of a few party games (who is still having Wii parties after 2007?), so most of us only bought a Wii so we could stroke our inner child (I could probably think of a better way to phrase that…but I won’t) by playing our classic favorites via Virtual Console. 
When I watched the announcement for the Wii U on my E3 Livestream (thanks, Machinima!), I was impressed at first. Wow, a gaming system with a second integrated screen that converts into a handheld system AND bring together Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, and recorded shows from your tv? And then I realized….oh wait, I can do most of that with my iPad 1, and I’m not digitally tethered within a 24 foot range of the main system. Nice try with the TVii incorporation, but I doubt that it’s going to help much with sales.
Blah blah blah, the glossy surface will be littered with smudgy fingerprints within a day, the GamePad controller doesn’t come with a headset, your children will constantly fight over who gets to use the GamePad and who gets the regular Wii-mote, the system upright stand is unstable, Wii U is not backwards compatible with Game Cube games and the transfer system for the Wii and Virtual Console between 2 consoles and a TV will be complicated. And you better hope that Santa brings you a pack of styluses, because kids are going to lose those like crazy. This won't do, Nintendo. ARGH, I just want to play a Mario game on my PS3, preferably online with my friends. I'm going to go take this out on my Wii, like the red-headed step child that it is......I'm also still very upset about Donkey Kong Country Returns not giving me the option to play with my classic controller. :( At least Epic Mickey 2 comes out this week on PS3...I couldn't bring myself to buy another Wii game that was going to annoy me. Die Wii-mote, die!
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