I wish 43 year-old me could tell 12 year-old me I still got it #NES #NintendoSwitch #TecmoBowl pic.twitter.com/LFH6Xm2kF6
— Tony (@i_aint_yer_pa) September 19, 2018
Of course I would play Tecmo Bowl first
September 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Come on Nintendo, don’t screw this up
September 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Nintendo’s online service goes live next week, and I have mixed feelings. It’s not groundbreaking to declare Nintendo has struggled with “online”. On their part, it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve been playing Nintendo games online since Metroid Prime Hunters. That was TWELVE years ago. The game worked but the experience was painful. Friend codes has always been the hard mode of online infrastructure. Nintendo has had moments of online success (Animal Crossing: Wild World worked surprisingly well) but it’s been mostly sputtering. You would have thought they would have figured it out by now. I’m not convinced they have.
As soon as I had a Switch in my hands I had dreams of a fully functional Virtual Console. What we are getting is a pitiful facsimile. So forgive me if I’m not super pumped about “play[ing] classic NES games anytime, anywhere”. It’s an undisputed fact that the SNES is the greatest console of all time and the fact that I won’t be playing Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, Actraiser or Super Metroid on my Switch come September 18th is nothing short of a travesty.
The voice chat/party system (that Microsoft more or less perfected) on offer from Nintendo is kind of sad. A phone app? That’s the best we’re going to do, Nintendo? Nintendo’s reluctance for an all-encompassing online service has been partly due to a promise to keep kids safe. I’ve seen my kids interact with the online troglodytes and I respect Nintendo’s intentions. I assume the decision to create a phone app was made to self-select their audience, thinking most kids wouldn’t have a cell phone. In 2018 that is becoming less and less likely. I will give them credit for having a headset jack on the Switch that works with a microphone, but they have some work to do to develop any kind of online community. Maybe they aren’t even trying to.
Look, I’ll be signing up for this day one. Goes without saying. And I will have my eyes glued to the screen during nintendo direct today, just begging for more details on what will hopefully become a robust online service but more importantly, a virtual console with a giant library.
September Releases
September 4, 2018 by Leave a Comment
September brings a serious haul of new games with some tent pole franchises and a bunch of new indie titles (especially on the Switch). I normally grab the releases lists from Amazon but it’s becoming more and more clear that traditional physical copies are on their way out (if they aren’t already). The number of digital offerings on all the major platforms are starting to outnumber physical offerings (especially on the Switch). There isn’t anything I’m specifically focusing on this month, but there are plenty of options.
On to this month’s releases:
Microsoft Xbox One
Week of September 3rd
Dead Age
Elea – Episode 1
FullBlast
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots
Dimension Drive
Week of September 10th
Nefarious
Neonwall
Revenant Dogma
ADIOS Amigos
Week of September 17th
Transference
Hover
Anodyne
Week of September 24th
Nintendo Switch
Week of September 3rd
Super Inefficient Golf
Sigi – A Fart for Melusina
FullBlast
SNK HEROINES ~Tag Team Frenzy~
Shikhondo – Soul Eater
Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition
Hyper Light Drifter – Special Edition
Gone Home
Broforce
Ninjin: Clash of Carrots
Moonfall Ultimate
GOD WARS The Complete Legend
Week of September 10th
Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
Super Dungeon Tactics
STAY
Old School Musical
Nefarious
Defunct
Bastion
Time Carnage
Dust: An Elysian Tail
Week of September 17th
The Gardens Between
Hover
A Case of Distrust
Undertale
Sword of the Guardian
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
Week of September 24th
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Monster Loves You
TowerFall
Nintendo 3DS
Week of September 24th
PC
Week of September 3rd
DRAGON QUEST XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Digital Edition of Light
Claws of Furry
Another Sight
Immortal: Unchained
NASCAR Heat 3
Week of September 10th
NBA 2K19
Chiaro and the Elixir of Life
COLINA: Legacy
RUSH: A Disney • PIXAR Adventure
ReCore: Definitive Edition
Axis Football 2018
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Grimshade
Week of September 17th
Siberian Dawn
Gene Rain
Week of September 24th
Creed: Rise to Glory
V-Rally 4
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Life is Strange 2
Sony Playstation 4
Week of September 3rd
Planet Alpha
Overload
Week of September 10th
Week of September 17th
The Gardens Between
Splody
Anodyne
Week of September 24th
Sony Playstation Vita
Week of September 17th
Pato Box
Week of September 24th
What are you picking up this month?
(Note: As always, all Amazon.com links have our affiliate code embedded in them. If you purchase something through our link, we get a little commission. It’s appreciated.)
Is it Fall Yet? Weekend Gaming
August 31, 2018 by Leave a Comment
My
gaming frequency increases as the weather outside feels less and less conducive to spending time outdoors. It’s not quite fall yet, but as the calendar flips over to September and College Football is in the air, I can feel the pull toward gaming more and more.
While the boys in the house are firmly consumed by the Fortnite tidal wave, I have been wandering here and there, looking for something to stick. I have a handful of games that have been abandoned (but not forgotten) but nothing has gripped my attention completely. In the spirit of posting semi-interesting content after a stream of monthly releases, I am going to take a new look at my gaming threads and pick up one or two this weekend to make some progress. Here is where some of those hanging threads are at:
Zelda: Breath of the Wild: I am actually SUPER close to finishing BotW. I have found the Master Sword, discovered all but the last memory and done enough shrines that my health and stamina keep me alive for quite some time. I really should close up that chapter and move on to something else on the Switch.
Super Mario Odyssey: I grabbed Odyssey the day it came out, played it for a few hours (loved it!) and then moved on. After I finish up BotW, I think I will restart SMO.
Pillars of Eternity: I recently restarted my PoE campaign. I have made it past Lord Raedrick and now that the game has opened up, I’m really starting to get into the flow of things. I imagine I will make some progress in Pillars this weekend.
Tokyo 42: I picked a handful of games in the Summer Steam Sale but haven’t even downloaded yet. I was super excited when information about Tokyo 42 starting trickling out and I pulled the trigger recently but still haven’t touched it. I may give Tokyo 42 a go this weekend.
This is just a smattering of the games that I’ve touched in the past few months. I have limited gaming time which forces me focus my gaming on one or two games (which lately has just been Dota 2, but that’s another story).
So for this weekend, I think it will be Pillars and Breath of the Wild.
What are you playing this weekend?
August Releases
August 7, 2018 by 2 Comments
August is usually reserved for one title: Madden. Most publishers don’t release much of note the week of Madden and not much else the rest of the month, but this month looks to be an exception. Some very solid titles, including Dead Cells, Overcooked 2 and Divinity Original Sin 2 on consoles. On to this month’s releases:
Microsoft Xbox One
Week of August 6th
Dead Cells
Week of August 13th
Fernz Gate
Hero Defense
State of Mind
Airheart – Tales of broken Wings
Week of August 20th
Treadnauts
Week of August 27th
Nintendo Switch
Week of August 6th
Unexplored
In Between
Week of August 13th
Manual Samuel
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Nitro Ball
Cosmic Star Heroine
Week of August 20th
Shio
Week of August 27th
Victor Vran Overkill Edition
Nintendo 3DS
Week of August 20th
PC
Week of August 6th
Gem Rush
Overcooked! 2
City of the Shroud
MONSTER HUNTER: WORLD
Week of August 13th
DEATHGARDEN
Phantom Doctrine
The Walking Dead: The Final Season
Week of August 20th
Shenmue I & II
Silence in Space – Season One
Guacamelee! 2
Week of August 27th
Strange Brigade
Shadows: Awakening
Gene Rain
Two Point Hospital
Sony Playstation 4
Week of August 6th
Week of August 13th
Week of August 20th
Week of August 27th
Sony Playstation Vita
No new releases.
What are you picking up this month?
(Note: As always, all Amazon.com links have our affiliate code embedded in them. If you purchase something through our link, we get a little commission. It’s appreciated.)