Bill Oddie's doing a Nintendo 3DS photography event thingy in UK

Wow this is cool even though it's not taking place in Ireland. I like Bill Oddie and I love the stuff he does with bird wildlife and the stuff he used to do in comedy. He's just instantly watchable and likeable whenever he's on tv.

I guess I'm just psyching out as a fan of Nintendo and Bill Oddie, similar to when I was psyching out when Rik Mayall did that ad about Link's Awakening on Game Boy.

I wonder what kind of stuff he'll talk about and how it'll involve the 3DS camera functions? It should be pretty interesting. I have to admit this is the first time i'm interested in the 3DS camera... :P

Square-Enix's uninteresting prepress release

Ok so they have a brain training game of all things coming out for the Wii later this year and a load of smartphone distractions.

There might be hope for Rocket Slime... I mean... there's no mention of Dragon Quest X in these press releases. Let's hope for the best.

E3 2012 Nintendo conference time

It's this day next week! Here's the main website for it:

http://e3.nintendo.com/

It shows the times and dates for all the goings on. Of course this screen will be gone as the site updates so here's a screenshot:

Now remember in Ireland we're 8 hours ahead so the presentation for example will be 5pm over here.

Rayman is on DSiWare as well...

On reading up about the first Rayman game I find that it's on DSiWare as well. Yet the GBC version is more similar to a different Rayman on another console... I would say that it almost made my head hurt but then I learn for myself for the first time that the game debuted on the Atari Jaguar. That kind of blows my mind.

Game Boy Colour version of Rayman coming to 3DS VC

I've never played the original Rayman. I know that there are a million versions of it but I never bothered checking it out. There's a chance to play the GBC version when it comes out next Thursday on the 3DS VC if you like.

The 1% that don't need Gamestop clerks

One of the Pach Attack videos on Gametrailers lately talks about how since video game fans know so much about games already that we don't need Gamestop clerks. It's the other 99% that need them. Now it is kind of cute that he uses those percentage numbers that have gotten popular recently but he does have a point.

It's sometimes embarrassing going into a Gamestop and you know more about recent releases of games than the clerk does. Sometimes it takes all the patience you can muster to not scream. Over time you do get used to it and you can say "No thanks" before the clerk can even finish making their obligatory offer of disc insurance.

I'd actually love to have self service checkouts at Gamestop like the ones at Dunnes Stores or Tescos. Then again they're not exactly groceries so that won't happen.

About all the Wii U leaks and mini excitements lately

Between the trailer for a new Rayman, the analogue sticks and several other ifs and maybes about the features of the new console, I just wonder what they're all for since next to nothing's been announced officially.

The most cynical notion of course is that these leaks could be just some mini marketing stunts to get us all interested like or to keep our interest. Hardly surprising if true.

Another notion — and it's one that I like to entertain — is that there's going to be so much information about the new stuff this console has to offer that all this stuff that's being revealed now is going to seem insignificant and may be swept under the carpet in favour of all the potentially megaton announcements!

Weird Starfox/Metroid rumour going around

There's this absolutely bizarre rumour going around that Starfox and Metroid are going to have a crossover game. It's too bizarre and ridiculous to like. I mean what would that be like?

Is it going to do something really stupid like link the awful Falco to the Chozo? Urrrghhh.

How to know if you'll like Monster World IV on Virtual Console

Do you like this music?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVEDhyMtgLQ

If you do then there's a good chance already :) because you'll hear that music a lot!

It's a very good game so far and I've been playing it since I bought it on the Virtual Console. One would normally associate games like this with the likes of Dragon's Curse and Shantae but it isn't as excellent as those two games.

It's a great game itself though. I'm well into the third dungeon now and it's proven to be very challenging. Try it out if you like those two other games.

Actually the analogue sticks on Wii U will be a good thing

Yeah I'm just thinking. Now that the circle pads are gone and replaced with analogue sticks it'll be better for the controls of games that'll undoubtedly be ported from the other consoles en masse. Also since the sticks are for a Nintendo controller we can expect the best quality too!

Previously I was open to the change without realising why it would be a improvement.

I want Snatcher on Wii! (Part 8: Wii U)

(Wow I haven't made one of these in a while. If you want to see the other parts just click on the label below)

Well now we've got the Wii U excitement at E3 2012 in the next few weeks. I would like to first talk about this amazing opportunity that Konami can take advantage of.

The Wii has a good few adventure games. The PC on the other hand has many more and has been getting tons of releases over this generation of this genre. Why hasn't the Wii got as many? Noone's really taking advantage of this. Telltale release low quality versions  of their games on Wii discs except for Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, which was on WiiWare and was specifically designed for that service. Capcom put out just the one Zack and Wiki and even Nintendo put out just the one Another Code: R on the console.

As you can see there's a need for these kinds of games but they're just not being made. This is a great opportunity that Konami can take advantage of!

If they're worried about sales then they can put Snatcher on the brand new Wii U! That screen in the controller can list the menu commands and that'll free up the rest of the screen! They could even add a subtitle option! Free ideas here Konami!

That "Final Cut" idea I talked about in other posts is also one I give freely and would be another nice reference to Blade Runner and its latest DVD release not too long ago.

GoNintendo posts Wii U Controller redesign and comparison

http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=177550

This deserves linking. There's an animated gif on this page that shows the difference between the Wii U controller we saw at E3 2011 and this rumoured slight redesign. You may have missed it the first time round if you're a GoNintendo reader but now it's updated with this very handy gif image.

We see slightly different placements of the various input components, particularly the analogue circle pads which are now analogue sticks.

My opinion? Well I do like the 3DS circle pad. I like analogue sticks too, particularly the ones found on recent Nintendo controllers for the Gamecube and Wii. I guess I can welcome the change.

The big thing that matters though is the D-Pad! It still looks good and big and comfortable and I hope it stays that way!

Finished Back to the Future The Game!

Wow I really enjoyed this. It was just brilliant. It's easier than Telltale's other games but it's still just class. It absolutely retains the feel of the movies and you see all the catchphrases, puns and conventions that you come across in the movie like manure trucks for example.

I don't see any sign of commentaries or behind the scenes features that the box promised. Where are they? I'd like to know.

Sean Malstrom loves Diablo III, I think about Dragon Quest X being online

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/email-drm/

This isn't me talking about drm or anything. I also haven't played a single Diablo game ever. This is just me thinking about a game requiring online all the time and making me wonder how it'll affect Dragon Quest X.

Sean sure loves Diablo III. Everybody it seems is excited about it. Even the Gamestop in Patrick Street Cork has a gigantic painted mural in their window dedicated to the game.

Sean's post here(you know, it's difficult for me to type his name without putting a fada over the "a". It goes against my upbringing) has me thinking of a single player game being online all the time. This makes a game a kind of a service instead of necessarily being just a product(he's talked about this before himself). This is usually done with multiplayer but if you're a single player it could be a very interesting thing. I don't really know any game world that's online and has a single player option.

I've actually spoken with a flight simulator enthusiast and he talked about how thrilling it is to connect online and just observe other users flying on their flight routes.

I wonder what that's like?? In Dragon Quest IX, the only time you went online was to unlock a subquest or to shop or something.

I've played Animal Crossing online but the areas I visited belonged to other users. That's OK but I'm thinking about a world that would be on the server of the company who developed the game. Say, if that world was online all the time and you didn't have to do multiplayer to enjoy it.

Is there any other game besides Diablo III that does this? Sorry if that sounds like a stupid question. In any case I heard that in Dragon Quest X you can create a team of characters like you could in Dragon Quest III that aren't controlled by other people but I don't really know for sure. If you could though it would be another example of what Diablo III is trying to do. This could be a pretty cool thing.

Actually one major difference in any case is that Diablo III doesn't have a subscription fee whereas Dragon Quest X does.

Rayman Origins Demo and Kirby's Dream Land 2 out today

I nabbed both of these today. I just had to pay the 4 Euro it cost to get Kirby's Dream Land 2! Especially when I paid the outrageous 5 Euro for Sonic Labyrinth last week when that came out. I'd have to be a fool not to get Kirby.

Then again there is the matter of Kirby's 20th Anniversary and talks of a compilation for the Wii. We'll see.

There's also Rayman Origins for the 3DS. I guess now I can read the text but so much other stuff is unbearably tiny. Gameplay definitely suffers from having the pretty graphics being a higher priority.

Something's wrong with your game if I'd rather play an old black and white game that came out over 15 years ago.

In any case I'm glad to have played some bit of Rayman Origins for 3DS.

We still know absolutely nothing about the Wii U

I've been seeing that there's not much excitement about the new console. Well there's nothing confirmed about it. Just leaks and rumours and none of them are interesting at all. If this was a new Playstation there would be tons of excitement. Excitement from morons who won't question whether the next thing will be worth it or not but excitement nonetheless.

Well the big event at E3 is in just a few weeks. Nintendo has said almost nothing about it since last year so this will be an explosion of new information.

The general opinion about the console has been the same as it was since last year; just people going "er.... I'm not really sure about this thing".

Will it change?

Wii VC: Wonder Boy III Dragon's Trap or Dragon's Curse?

On the Wii Virtual Console we have two versions of the same game, Wonder Boy III The Dragon's Trap for the SEGA Master System and Dragon's Curse for the PC Engine. Which one should you get?

I say get the PC Engine version if you're using a Wii released in Ireland. The Master System is the original and I personally prefer it but it suffers from horribly bad 50Hz PAL conversion. The music is really slow and the scrolling does this rough strobing thing whereas the PC Engine version runs at full speed and is very smooth.

I'd actually tell you to wait a bit longer and wait for the Game Gear version to come out on 3DS Virtual Console.

Sonic Labyrinth is too expensive

5 Euro?! Yeesh. Get GG Shinobi instead... or at least first.

Sonic Labyrinth isn't the greatest Sonic game so you'd think they'd offer it at a cheaper price on the 3DS VC

Back to the Future movie trilogy watched!

I got the dvds the other day and watched them all over the weekend! I wanted to because I thought I'd enjoy the game more if I did. I think I will. I at least know all the recurring mannerisms and catchphrases and jokes at this point.

Anyway it's a fantastic trilogy... but that probably doesn't need to be said. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the third one but I ended up liking it alot. I'm a little disappointed that relatively little of Hill Valley 2015 was shown in the second one. Ah well. It ended up being great anyway like all of them!

Sean Malstrom's Dark Fantasy post

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/the-appeal-of-dark-fantasy-in-video-games/
This is an interesting subject and it got me thinking. Dark fantasy is more than just a genre you see in bookshops due to all those books about vampires. In general it's as Sean says the horror element, the physical presence of evil.

As a kid I often looked at these things and saw them as being stuffy or boring. Oftentimes they still are but I've come to embrace a lot of these games positively.

It was when he started giving examples that I really started thinking of more examples. Could the Mother series for example be seen as dark fantasy? For the most part probably not or if it can be it's very subtle.

Majora's Mask is definitely dark fantasy.

My first experiences with dark fantasy games came from Dark Castle, Warlock and Dungeon of Doom on the Macintosh. The introductions to all those games really show off the dark fantasy element and it stays throughout all of them.

Mystic Quest on the Game Boy at first glance seems more obtuse than dark but then you start playing and hear that music and come across all those characters dying and finding yourself thrown into a big lonely world full of monsters and it's definitely dark fantasy then.

Kid Icarus Of Myths and Monsters was definitely dark, playing as an angel and fighting mythological greek monsters like Medusa and the Minotaur, not to mention the Grim Reaper that screams when it sees you.

He says Kirby's not dark at all but I would say Milky Way Wishes definitely has some dark elements in it.

Hoo hoo.... Banjo-Kazooie! Wow that definitely has dark fantasy involved.

Donkey Kong Country 2 has the darkest mood of the trilogy and I'd say that's why it's the favourite of so many people online.

Solstice on NES, now that's a textbook definition of a dark fantasy video game if I've ever seen one.

For more recent examples, Pandora's Tower is delightfully dark and fantastical. Last Story on the other hand is too goofy and more focused on glamour rather than dark fantasy.

How about Pokemon? There's Lavender Town with it's ghosts that couldn't be identified without some device. Maybe this is one of those examples that's defined by the fan. Remember the amazing Pokemon Ghost Black ReTold, the fanmade visual novel for the Nintendo DS?

Kirby's Dream Land 2 is out on 3DS VC next week in Ireland!

Yes! Released here for the very first time! Yes I mean that. I searched high and low for this game back in the mid 90s and it was nowhere to be found. Now at last Nintendo are releasing it in a place where I can find it! This was one of the very first games I ever emulated because I wanted to play it so badly.

Monster World IV, Sonic Labyrinth out today on Virtual Console in Europe

Wow, lotsa SEGA stuff out today. I'm gonna get Sonic Labyrinth and yes I know it isn't fantastically received but I want to give it a fair shot. I'd like to get Monster World IV as well with its brand new English translation but not without getting Wonder Boy III The Dragon's Curse first because that's the best in the series.

There's also a release of Wonder Boy in Monster Land which kind of confused me, especially since none of the sources I got the news from mentioned its original format. A quick visit to the Wii's shopping channel confirms that it's a Virtual Console Arcade game, which also explains why it's 900 points.

I say go for Wonder Boy III The Dragon's Curse if you haven't already!

Maybe I should watch the Back to the Future movies...

I'm starting to come across references in the Telltale game to the movie trilogy. Thing is, I've only seen the first one from start to finish and I'm a little concerned. But hey I just passed the first episode of the game and I didn't come across any spoilers or anything that left me scratching my head about something I couldn't have known.

The puzzles aren't too difficult compared to other Telltale games I've played. The experience is damn fun all the same! :)

Back to the Future - Wii Controls

Hoohoo I'm really enjoying this game! Ok you can use the remote on its own like in other point and clicks on the Wii but you can also attach a nunchuck controller for analogue control for your character if you like. You can also just point at things for him to go to or you can use the d pad to move him around. It's quite handy!

Playing Back to the Future on Wii

Well I bought it! I got to give it a good try today and I'm glad I got it. It's not perfectly smooth but it's quite manageable and it's not horribly broken like Sam and Max Season Two was. It's got a couple of things I always whine about like long loading times and really small text.

Seriously Sam and Max had decently sized text (well sorta) and so did Strong Bad so this should too!

Anyway this continues to prove the fact that the Wii is a brilliant point n' click adventure game kind of console and I'm going to enjoy this game lots as I play more!

I mean yeah it's got the music, the mannerisms of the characters, the DeLorean.... it ticks the right boxes!

Playing DK 94 on 3DS VC

This is a very satisfying and filling game. There are just loads of levels in it! Anyway it doesn't have the nice Super Game Boy borders unfortunately but it's still a great game without all that. I've just gotten past the Iceberg world. Feels good to play with the circle pad for the most part except on the trapeeze wire where it doesn't feel quite so good.

I think I'll get Back to the Future The Game on Wii

It's on PS3 as well and for the same price of 25 Euro with all those same features. I think I'll get it and get it for the Wii because that's my console of choice.

Even if I had a PS3 I'd still get the Wii version because that's my console of choice.

Back to the Future the Game is now out on Wii in Ireland

I've seen it selling for 25 Euro.

I'm still kind of thinking about buying it. The box says there's loads of special features included for the first time but I'd like to compare that with other versions if I can.

In any case I was able to come across it quite easily so it mustn't be as shoddily ported as Sam and Max Season 2 was.

Trying out The GG Shinobi

I got this on the 3DS VC. I quite like it! Stages are presented like Mega Man's stages where you're able to choose and if you complete one you even gain a new ability! (or a new character but with the exact same life bar)

It's hard. Quite hard. I always feel though that I can give it an extra try if I do such a thing differently and that keeps me coming back.

Angry Video Game Nerd: Double Dragon Memories

I'm not sure what episode this is or even if it's an episode but it's just been released and you can go to the usual site to watch it. (right now it's not on cinemassacre yet but it is on gametrailers)

I haven't watched this yet. I have watched some of the other ones since like Sonic Memories.

La Mulana's WiiWare cancellation proves DLC is bad for games

La Mulana has been killed off and won't be releasing in the west. It was announced for WiiWare years ago but now all of a sudden its chances of release over here has been shot.

Why is this?

What was taking them so long with the game?

DLC. They spent years trying to put DLC in the game and it ended up taking them so long that the publisher cancelled it.

I don't know if this is the first instance of a game to have been killed off by the sick rotten obsession with DLC but if it is we have an all new reason to hate it.