Review: Animal Crossing New Leaf

Review by EggBeatr8 

Title: Animal Crossing New Leaf
Developer: Nintendo
Platform: 3DS
Bottom Line: New Leaf perfects everything that was great about past AC games. An absolute must-buy for any 3DS owner.

It had been four years since the release of City Folk that Nintendo announced that there would be an Animal Crossing game for the 3DS. My only initial response to the news was a long winded "uuuugh" in the back of my throat. No way would I play another AC: my love for the GCN original faded with the mixed bag release of Wild World, and City Folk felt nothing more than a ho-hum expansion pack. I was afraid AC had turned into a never ending cycle of repeats to milk money rather than improving the experience- I presumed New Leaf would break my heart once more. I was wrong. I was so very wrong.

From the get-go, New Leaf proves that the 'New' in its title isn't deceiving: this fourth outing in the series (fifth for Japan) doesn't have you thrown into the town, forced into catering for Tom Nook, the pesky home salesmen/store employer, in order to pay off your home loan like every previous AC game had started out before. No, this time around you play as the town's Mayor. For the first time ever YOU are in control of how you play the game. You can set up Town Ordinances, to say boss your neighbors to help clean up the town, or create a Town Project and gather donations of Bells (the game's currency) over time to help build new bridges or water fountains- and it's always your choice. Sure, you still need to pay off your home loan to get a house, but you don't have to work for Tom Nook in order to do it (you start out in a tent in the beginning of the game, but there's no rush to upgrade unless you want space). You are completely free to do whatever in NL, but if you decide to take Mayor duty seriously, your Cocker Spaniel personal assistant Isabelle will give you helpful info at the Town Hall whenever you ask her. There's a great sense of progress to paying off debts, because you never now how much your new project will benefit your experience.

If there's one factor about AC that hasn't changed is its amazing spunky charm that has captivated fans of the series, new and old alike. This is prominently clear in New Leaf: from the new furry texture on the animal neighbors to their hilarious little outbursts and the way they wave/bow at you when you leave their home is adorable beyond words. Neighbors don't just pretend to hold unto items either- they occasionally do fish, catch bugs, shake trees, pull weeds and water flowers, which makes following neighbors around as much fun as listening to what they have to say. The game also looks and plays so perfectly on the 3DS that I can't see myself playing it on a home console again; the wonderful charm of AC and recommended brevity is objectively better on the 3DS. I honestly can't stop coming back for more, and I confess that I've been cheating and have found myself playing the game in longer intervals than I should have been (even my neighbors tell me I should take a break...though I believe this is another one of Nintendo's dirty little tricks to get me outside). It may take some time to unlock and see everything that's new in NL (I was a bit touchy about reviewing this game even after two weeks, because I knew I would miss something worth noting), but the pace at which things happen is at a nice slow motion; perfect for gamers on the go.

The island from the GCN Animal Crossing is back, and it's better than ever. If the many things you can do in your village doesn't satisfy your gaming pleasures, the island offers a huge assortment of mini-games called "tours", where you have to beat the clock under various conditions to win tokens that you can exchange to get exclusive items at the giftshop. Though many of the ocean fish and insects aren't exclusive to the islands anymore (you can catch pretty much every fish and insect in your town) the island is the only place to get the Wet Suit, which let's you swim in the ocean; collecting a new assortment of bottom dwelling marine life, expanding an already impressive Collectopedia. Avid kleptomaniacs will have to wait over a year to catch and collect everything that the game has to offer, maybe even more. But remember: it's not a game meant for 4-7 hour play sessions, so waiting isn't a major concern.

Lastly, your experience with AC:NL is purely random and unique. You might not like the neighbors you get or the dumb shirts they hand you in exchange for that fish you tried so hard to catch (which also was based on luck) but it's not like that everyday. That's the beauty of AC: you never know what's going to happen next. And with New Leaf I can totally stand behind that philosophy even after playing every previous game in the series. NL is a brand new fresh experience, and the 'New' in the title is in no way unambiguous. I absolutely can't recommend this game enough- this review barely does any justice to describe everything that this game has to offer. Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a wonderful journey that 3DS owners of any age cannot miss; whether you played all the AC games prior or it's your first time. Animal Crossing has finally found a way back into my life...and I will never let it go again.

The Good:
+Fantastic replay value and content, both old and new.
+Pacing is perfect no matter what kind of gamer you are.
+Charm is unmatched by any game I've ever played.

The Bad:
-Unlocking new content and items can be a slow process.

Review: Animal Crossing New Leaf

N5S Impressions - Nintendo E3 Conference 2013

E3 2013 has come and gone, and man, what a show! It's that time a year where all the biggest Nintendo fanboys from N5* (and Crossburn) come together and share their subjective opinions about the show. Here's what they thought, complete with the full video if you want to watch it again for the 27th time:

"At this point, after said companies's presentations, Nintendo stepped up with the reveal of their line-up of game both for the home-console and the portable market. At the eyes of everyone, big N's main goal was clear: to keep the Nintendo 3DS flame on and to give vail reasons for customers to own a Wii U for this year. Have they succeded?

THE AWESOME

The Big gUns: At the eyes of the average gamer - both Nintendo affitionados and not particularly keen on Nintendo consoles - this part sums up the selling points that people would pay flushing money to get those at Day 1, possibly together with a new console. New trailers for games such as X, Bayonetta 2, Pokémon X/Y and the Super Smash Bros. "twin games" have been released, and though if their release dates are all set for 2014 (save for the pkmn duo), the Wii U hype train finally received some fresh coal.  

Unexpected Customer Pleasers: Aside those main reveals (which were all grouped for the Nintendo Direct's final portion), several un-announced sequels to Nintendo-related franchises for the Wii U have been featured for the E3 event such as Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Mario Kart 8. Aside for the very last one, all these games will be released before the end of 2013. 
  
Stuff with the Staff: Another good way for a company to keep people in touch with their product is to keep a connection within the world and the main heads behind their products. That's what Nintendo basically did during this E3 week with interviews to game directors, both from big and small sotware house names. Whether people agrees or disagrees to what those guys had to say, this surely gives a more active joining feel to whoever want to be informed about their products.

THE GOOD

Indie-ana Jones and the Raiders of the Third Arc: The 1st-party titles for this year look neat, but what about the gaming support from the companies outside Nintendo? In the E3 Direct, all the 2013 games from other companies have been revealed, together with the new indie additions for the 3DS and Wii U's eShop services as well.

E3 in Stores, E3 in Booths: Don't forget about that Best Buy campaign! Even if the operating stores didn't allow common players to try all the games presented such as the sequels for Yoshi's Island and A Link to the Past, the demo suppled for some of 2013's most anticipated Wii U titles is already a big occasion to have good impressions about gaming companies. You knows, as long as you forget what Microsoft tried to do...

Miiverse Artists Unite!: The Miiverse feature is surely what makes the Wii U interesting the most to whoever likes to draw and to share their creations with the entire world. Considering this aspect, the news of a new Art Academy game for Wii U which improves the Miiverse drawing tools is surely worth the attention of lots of drawing-addicted folks, isn't it?

*BONUS* The (2nd) Fastest Leak Alive Platinum Games's The Wonderful 101 has been featured in the E3-related Direct, with another interesting, yet very small portion of in-game content shown, compared to the rest. However, the fact that there will be another future Direct about the game which will be aired before its release saves it from the 'bad' section this time. Even because there are another stray of pretty-relevant problems...

THE BAD

Crowd-Pleasers: This point's title sounds pretty similar to the one in the 'awesome' section, and for a valid reason. While the announce of new games from already-beloved franchises is surely good news for whoever follows said franchises, that doesn't necessarily translates to good news to the general customer market. As I said before, the average customer from an event like the E3 usually expects to see a lot more chances for the companies to take the proverbial "step in the dark" and try something completely new. In this sense, Nintendo's marketing preference falls in the "predictable" category, as almost all the games presented are remakes or continuations of already-popular series for a relatively-safe profit prevision. As I already discussed earlier, both Sony and Microsoft are guilty of this factor, as most of their programmed releases are based on what people liked the most from the past console gaming generation.

Gimmick Oblivion: Another pretty sad fact is about the Wii U Gamepad's potential in most of the Wii U games revealed. The majority of the Wii U software presented in this E3 doesn't exploit the controller's potential more than a second screen for playing, unlike some of the first game presented, unlike most the main launch-window titles. While this may don't be a major problem for the sales, this already is a relevant price Nintendo has to pay in order to be a crowd-pleaser.

The Missing bUllets: We all have seen that the big titles for the Wii U are on the way, but this doesn't mean that the waiting is finally over, once for all. Again, nearby all the major interest-magnet games for the Wii U are slated for the next year; this reason for a non-Nintendo gamer alone could be enough to dump the Wii U for one of its closer rivals.

FINAL DIRECT: 3/5 STARS

This year's E3 sadly proved - once again - that while the 3DS is now able to run with its own legs, the Wii U still needs a cranky wheelchair before starting to walk on its own. However, this won't be a lone journey, as the Nintendo staff proved - once again - that gamers's interest on a console is a good beginning to support its journey, no matter how easy or rough it can be. Sure, the expectations from everyone have been disappointed in some of the aspects wanted for an event like the Electronics Entertainement Expo, but still this is a good continuation overall as a Nintendo Direct experience, between the Direct itself and the actual booths." -Lokamp, co-writer for Taiko Time Blog.   
  
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"Unlike Sony with their PS4 and Microsoft with their XBox One, Nintendo has already released all their hardware for the 8th cycle and came to E3 with one and only one duty; to save Wii U's ass. For the past year the console had been suffering from a spiralling decline in interest both by players and by developers. Players because of a lack of compelling software (Nintendo's own proposals remained just that: proposals. No action at all.), and developers because of a lack of installed user base and supposedly it was tougher to develop and port games to because of the touch-screen controller. Overall, nothing has gone right for Wii U, and Nintendo came to E3 to set things right.

Although not the perfect performance, Nintendo finally unrolls a tangible action plan (albeit dominated by first-party offerings) with plans to release a ton of good games in the months to come. A lot of these aren't surprises but we've all only heard of them by name, and it's always exciting to see first footage of a new game even though you've been expecting to see it. Mario Kart 8 looks like a huge step up from its 3DS predecessor, Pikmin 3 is finally coming out, Zelda Wind Waker HD by the end of the year, Rayman too. Then Wonderful 101, Sonic Lost Worlds, Bayonetta 2, New Super Luigi U, the new Xenoblade sequel, surprises in the form of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Super Mario 3D World, and finally the game everyone had been waiting for years: Smash Bros. I could spend entire paragraphs writing about how awesome seeing both 3DS and Wii U footage of the game is (and how unorthodox some of the unlockable characters are), but this is about E3 as a whole.

3DS has received lots of love for the past year and is poised to make a stellar performance this year too. Far above every other 3DS game in hype is definitely Pokemon XY. Every new trailer released for XY makes me scream in delight, every single second of footage is delicious in its 3D battles and awesome music. Most of the new designs revealed were solid, and the new Fairy type made the deal sweeter. Pokemon-Amie (see the wordplay?) is icing on the cake, by far one of the most adorable new modes I've ever seen. Can't wait to stroke my Pokemon for hours on end and seeing them smile! Oh my gosh. 

Finally, every Pokemon player's dreams have been fulfilled.

Though Nintendo is trying its darndest to resuscitate the Wii U, I still don't think it'll be enough to get it to the heights that Wii achieved several years back. Without 3rd party support, and with the allure of both Sony and Microsoft's more powerful machines to hardcore gamers and developers of 'triple-A games' (read: shooter:other genre ratio of 948732 to 1), it's still going to be an uphill struggle for Nintendo if Wii U fails to shift significantly. It's a sad state in the videogame industry when cookie-cutter games are the ones that shift consoles and with that pull even more quality games to those consoles.

Nintendo's more subdued presence in E3 via online Direct saves costs and reduces the need for an expensive stage performance (in line with their reason for going to the show), but it definitely isn't going to make any waves in the press when the two other goliaths are competing onstage. Wii U still needs marketing: strong, positive marketing. When all the exciting first-party Nintendo games come out, the one thing that will separate Wii U from Gamecube is 3rd party developer support. Good luck, Nintendo!" -pikaby, Nintendo 5-Star Admin and co-writer for N5-Star/Taiko Time blog.  


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"Whoa, did some fed-up corporate boss just give the internet exclusive rights to host this year's E3 last week? How else can you explain that the new type of Pokemon is Fairy, Kingdom Hearts 3 is finally in development, and that Mega-Freaking-Man is going to be in the next Smash Bros? I'm still not buying it. 

 "FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE" 

If I could describe Nintendo's presentation this year, I would describe it as the anticipation you get when you see a present under the Christmas Tree, and by god, the symmetrical shape of that present is the exact same shape of the toy you've been wanting all year. Christmas comes and, sure enough, it's that Optimus Prime toy you always wanted- but that's all you get. You're somewhat disappointed with the predictability, but at the same time you'd be an idiot to complain- play with your Transformer like a man, Mr. Greedy Greed Greeds. That was Nintendo's E3 show: we got everything we asked for, and though the surprises were low we can't complain much.  

But let's look at what they showed before we reflect on what they didn't show. Super Mario Bros. 3D World has never made me more excited to play a 3D Mario game in my life. Being the first 3D Mario to support 4 players, and the fact that you can as Peach, is a huge breath of fresh air for the Mario series, that's been known for the ho-hum Boswer-kidnapped-Peach-again-whatever-yawn traditional routine that's been in every single Mario game last generation. Also, the Cat Suit is freaking amazing. There's really no words to describe how awesome it is to see Mario CLIMB up the flagpole. Definite GOTY for Wii U. 

Mario Kart 8 was soon to follow, with its flashy HD graphics and new zero gravity gimmick certainly make it stand out from the previous Mario Karts. I can't judge too much about the game without some first-hand experience, (I'm still gunning for 200cc, come on Nintendo!) but it undoubtbly looks fantastic. TBA title X by Monolith studies keeps keep getting me hyped the more I see it. Eventually, I'll have to be under lock-down prior to the game's release, because I'll no doubt be a threat to society. 

"FGHNMKGHFJRTD%^$%^&!%^*&FGHVB" -threat to society 

And of course Smash Bros. ended and stole the show with a debut trailer, revealing Mega Man, The Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer as playable characters, to the shock and confusion of the entire internet, and inspiring many "interesting" Villager fan art. Nintendo did not disappoint with a finale. 2014 is going to drive us all bankrupt and I can't wait. 

If I could be disappointed about one game shown at E3 it would be the reveal of Retro's title, Donkey Kong County: Tropical Freeze. Sure, it looks great, but we expected them doing a different IP like Kirby or Star Fox, or an all new original IP. And speaking of which: where are the new IPs? I find it kind of awkward that I was defending Nintendo for being 'original' and accusing Sony/Microsoft of being mainstream FPS sell-outs, when Nintendo ends up being the only one that didn't reveal new IPs. Mixing up previous IPs will only get them so far, and I wish Nintendo would try to create at least one new IP a year. Hopefully whatever new IP Miyamoto is cooking up is revealed next E3.  

Another disappointment is the 3rd-party support, half of which are ports, and the other half being games already announced a year ago. Lack of any new support or IPs is alarming, especially considering all the exclusives and support the PS4 and Xbox One are getting (and we're talking about a console that's already been released and is struggling to find an audience). To add insult, Square Enix is making Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 multi-plat on every system except Wii U. Same goes for Bungie's new title Destiny. It's arbitrary and unfair, and one of the reasons why I'm shying from the Wii U until another time. 

All-in-all, I'm happy that I got an Optimus Prime* toy, and while I have no idea what I'll get next year, I'll anticipate for at least a few surprises and try to keep a positive face. 

  

*EggBeatr8 does not have an Optimus Prime toy because he's poor and lives in a cardboard box with his bi-polar cat. Please donate and make EggBeatr's day better so he can buy an Optimus Prime toy. Happy Holidays. -EggBeatr8, writer/editor for Nintendo-5-Star Blog.       

N5S Impressions - Nintendo E3 Conference 2013

Mini Review - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Series

Review by Pokefreak

While Wind Waker HD, Link to The Past 2 and an unnamed Zelda Wii U game are in development, Nintendo has been kind enough to give us some filler until the Christmas season. And that filler is two games for the price of one, Pokemon style.

That's not a good way of describing it. Back in 2001, Nintendo teamed up with Capcom (who would later assist with Minish Cap and Four Swords) to make two brand new Zelda games for the Gameboy Color. The Oracle games, according to the official timeline, are sequels to Link to The Past and prequels to Link's Awakening and star the very same Link. While they were released alongside each other similar to Pokemon, these two games have very different plots and areas, despite looking near identical in graphics alone.

Yup, these screens are from two different games. 

Capcom reused the engine from Link's Awakening to make these.

The games have different puzzles and plot based on their names: Ages and Seasons. Ages has you going back and forth 400 years into the past in the region of Labrynna to fix the future and save the Oracle of Ages, Nayru (pictured in the top left singing) from her kidnapper who's possessing her, the sorceress Veran. Seasons has the seasons being thrown out of order in the region of Holodrum due to the Oracle of Seasons, Din (top right, on the stump) being kidnapped by an brutish general named Onox who sunk the Temple of Seasons into the ground. The two seem to be working together for... something. I won't spoil it.

What makes these games unique is that you can link the games together via passwords after completing them to extend your game and advance the plot even more, showing that Onox and Veran weren't the only problem facing the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna along an extended story and even a new final boss.

Overall, the Oracle games are a nice addition to anyone's 3DS. Solid Zelda action and puzzles for a cheap price and a cool addition to the Zelda storyline. Both are on the eShop for a discounted price of $4.99, so there's no real reason not to get them.

Mini Review - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle Series

Pre-E3 Nintendo Direct Impressions.

Summer is (almost) in the air and today's world-spread Nintendo Direct presentation is here to fastly recap the biggest things for their platforms which will be out in the next three months from now, with some twist and turns in each of the individual editions as well. The American Direct broadcast is linked below:

Compared to some of the older entries, today's Direct felt a little lack of content to talk about just with one of the editions, so this time I've watched three different runs of the same event -European, American and Japanese- in order to provide to you a wider range of opinions. Let this ride begin!

THE AWESOME

Boy, someone forgot to put their Heroscape board back in the box...

Nintendo meets Sega: Once arch-rivals in the 16-bit console era, the two companies are going to combine their forces once again in a world-wide collaboration, where a new set of games will be specifically made for Nintendo's consoles. The first entries announced are the new Mario & Sonic entry about 2014's Winter Games in Sochi (Wii U) and a new 3D platform game for the blue hedgehog called Sonic Lost World (Wii U/3DS). Also a big line of games from Sega's Game Gear is on its way to the 3DS Virtual Console.

Convenience E3 Saga: In the very end of the American edition, Nintendo of America sensation Reggie Fils-Aime revealed a pretty interesting way to enjoy what the Electronic Entertainment Expo will have to offer: during the E3 week, over a hundred of Best Buy stores in the USA will feature playable demos of the Nintendo games which will be announced in the aforementioned fair. Good news for whoever trusts their personal impressions of a future game more than the opinion of a random press reporter!

Gangsters and Music at the Rising Sun: The Nintendo x Sega collab acquired a different level of influence in Japan, as their Direct edition was mainly labeled as a 'Sega Direct'. Aside from the Sonic-related games already listed above, the Eastern country will be pleased in the next future with another couple of titles from beloved franchises, such as the Wii U remake of the first two Yakuza videogames and a 3DS sequel to the popular Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai.

THE GOOD

Ten bucks less for the package-less game? If only digital retail games were like this...

Release Dates (...again!): As already said, the main focus of today's video was a complete sight of what Nintendo gamers will be able to buy during the Summer period. In all the three editions, Pikmin 3 and New Super Luigi U had the biggest role, but some release dates for other games have been revealed, like for Platinum Games's The Wonderful 101. It's funny to see that Europe will be able to get great part of those games earlier than both America and Japan, that's for sure!

Pricing Details: For some reason or another, the American streams have been more focused on the reveal of future games's prizes recently. In a market where a lot of new products are announced almost every day, it's a relief to know earlier how much we are going to pay at Day 1 in order to enjoy what we are planning to buy. Will those prices be the same in the rest of the world as well?

The Old Lady's Gold: To see already-released European games in Japanese Directs is always refreshing, since this means that its players love to see something which comes outside from their homelands. Lego City Undercover's feature presentation in the JP broadcast proves that a game nowadays finally doesn't need any kind of specific nationality in order to shine, as long as the experience offered is fun and there is someone who wants to fully enjoy it.

THE BAD

I know you were expecting a different image from me, but... have an otter instead.

The Fastest Leak Alive: Aside the Sega stuff and the usual big N games, there was something else about third-parties today, this time consisting of the reveal of The Wonderful 101's release date. The official logo appears, followed by a couple of sentences by Iwata, ... aaaaaaand it's gone. Granted, today's Direct is meant to be nothing but a sneaky trailer for this summer's goodness but the game really got the shaft, especially compared to the screen time the other titles got!

To Be or Not to Be (localized)?: Surely this point is no surprise for the gaming world in general, but still is worth of a mention. The fact that some of the freshly-announced Sega games have been showed only at the Japanese Direct can be easily translated as unplayable games by the Western audience, thanks to the Region Lock policy issued by Nintendo since eons and eons. While there are many gaming fans out there who are waiting for an international port of other kind of games from Sega (like -say- Yakuza 5), on the other hand we have a relatively small group of people which can't play their favourite game unless on region-specific consoles.

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FINAL DIRECT: 3/5 STARS

Bottom line, today's Nintendo Direct iteration felt more to be like a pre-E3 appetizer than an actual ground-breaking reveal source like in the past. After considering that there will be another Direct episode before the E3's beginning, this doesn't sound that bad, doesn't it? The stuff to tell about is still there, but just in a lesser scale in sight of bigger reveals in the incoming month.

Lokamp Out.

Pre-E3 Nintendo Direct Impressions.

My 5 Wishes for the Next Smash Bros.

We're just a month away (or sooner) until the reveal of the fourth installment for Super Smash Bros. While I'm not one to promote hype (says the guy who already wrote two "Top 5 Wishes" blogs) I think it's a perfect time than any to share my optimism for the next Smash Bros. Like...

5. A More Innovative Stage Builder (Or none at all)

Chances are, after you played versus mode against four Lv.1 Jigglypuffs for 200 hours straight, you probably decided to check out Brawl's Stage builder mode expecting a robust set of features, because dude, this is the best game ever made- with the lamest Stage Builder ever made. Lack of any nostalgic set pieces aside (where the heck is my Chozo set piece, dammit?!) the Stage Builder offers a ho-hum assortment of platforms, while offering three stage sizes where if you pick small, for example, you can't use the medium level sized pieces even though they would fit, and freakin' vice-versa. Instead of being able to recreate the classic Hyrule Castle Stage, we're given pieces to allow douchebags to make "Spike Stage", guaranteed to ruin every friendship every time it's randomly select in Versus Mode. Either give us better variety of pieces/scenery or remove the Stage Builder entirely- it's taking up room for more playable characters. Speaking of which...

4. More 1st Party Characters/Assist Trophies  

 

Yes, Internet, you're welcome. 

As much I like having guest characters like Snake and Sonic appear in Smash Bros., there needs to be more love for the 1st party troopers, because this is Super Nintendo Bros. after all. To name a few I personally would love see make it in: Prince Fluff (Kirby's Epic Yarn), Ridley (Super Metroid), Baba (F-Zero GX), Lady Palutena (Kid Icaurs: Uprising), Waluigi (Mario Party), Shulk (Xenoblade), Zoroark (Pokemon Black/White), Bowser Jr. (Mario Sunshine), Mii's (Misc.); and as for Assist trophies: Cuccos (LoZ) and Dr. Kawashima (Brain Age- NINTENDO CHOP!) would make hilarious items. With Namco Bandai in development, there's a big chance we'll be seeing Pac-Man, Tekken, and SoulCalibur characters in the melting pot as well, so we'll get a good share of 3rd party characters too. That said, Mega Man would be an awesome guest character...as long as he's not a Samus clone. And that's another thing... 

3. No Clone Characters/Identical Smash Attacks 

It's as if whenever a fighting game is being made, someone in mid-development throws his arms up and shouted "F*** it, let's just give them all Landmasters." The lazy palette-swap strategy has been around since the dawn of gaming, and there's far worse examples than Smash Bros. (see "Mortal Kombat 2 Character List") but it doesn't make it any less worse. Granted, there are distinct differences in weight comparing Link and Toon Link; Fox is a lot faster than Falco, etc., which is okay, fine, but why give them the exact same Final Smash? Ness doesn't necessarily have a different ultimate attack than Lucas, but at least reverse the direction of his PK Thunder or something. Toon Link should be summoning a wind hurricane; giving him the same Final Smash attack as normal Link is redundant. I fear clones the worst with Namco Bandai at the helm, but hopefully they'll follow SoulCalibur's direction and eliminate clones altogether (Don't increase Peach's bra size though, there's children who play this). I will cherish the day when all characters are balanced so on-line doesn't feel like Attack of the Clones. That is, however, if on-line is even usable...

2. Better On-Line Play For Pete's Sake 

  

No, DK, I want better. 

Enough said. 

1. Physical Trophy DLC  

Let's get one thing out of the way: Skylanders was an expensive money vacuum cleaner toy gimmick to unlock in-game material that was already on-disc. Why would I want this in SSB4? Because Nintendo does DLC the right way, and this would prolong game content to at least 3 years (albeit price-y). Also, you must be joking with that smirk, because you don't even know how awesome this will be for the SSB faithful. Disappointed that Nightmare isn't playable? Just wait for the bundle pack to be released and you'll get not only Nightmare, but a Stage pack, bonus story chapter, AND you get to keep a physical figurine you can set next to your moniter! It's a bit of an optimistic dream, but if they can do it with Pokemon Rumble U, then why stop there?  And how would this not be the biggest selling game of all time?

 This is what your room would look like. (Though you might want to invest in lighting first, Count Dracula)

But let's think beyond just Namco Bandai/Nintendo licenses: think how pants soiling awesome this would be if gaming giants like Konami, Capcom, Square Enix, etc. joined in group support with their character trophies. My wallet aches just thinking of these implications. Scorpian versus Captian Falcon? Hell, yes. If this is the future for Smash Bros., I'm going to be on life support for all the blood I'll be donating just to collect em' all. But I'll be fine either way, because I'm going to be clocking in over 600 hours beating up four Lv.1 Jigglypuffs anyway.

My 5 Wishes for the Next Smash Bros.

3 Reasons Why Nintendo Not Holding A Big E3 Conference This Year Is A Good Thing.

Nintendo fans had woken up today with rather unfortunate news that the Big N won't be holding a big  conference for this year's E3, but would opt instead to host two smaller events to announce new software. Unsurprisingly, this has set off a disappointed outcry from the fanbase as if they were entitled from birth to get every Nintendo announcement in one day, because dammit, if Nintendo doesn't host a conference how the hell will we know if Mother 4 is announced?!

"I'm already half-dead, Nintendo, what more do you want from me?" 

But cry, rant, or say Nintendo has gone poor, because when you consider in the others factors, Nintendo not hosting a big conference this year is actually better for the gamers. You shouldn't complain, because: 

3. Big E3 Conferences Aren't For the Gamers. 

Reality check quiz: why doesn't E3 allow your average Joe to walk into the convention? Ding, Ding, time's up! If you didn't answer that question within ten seconds and/or your brain was genetically infused with a sloth at birth, you seriously are out of the loop. You either have to be an investor in the game's industry, are a part in the industry, or know a cousin's cousin who happens to be a game developer and invited you to E3 in order to set foot in the convention- and I might be stretching it there with that last one. E3 is not open to the public. The demos on the showroom floor are solely for the persons I mentioned above and are only there because if you're going to invest or be inspired in something it's better to actually see the fangled thing with your own eyes. E3 is only live-streamed to the public because you will be the one's that will be voicing your input about which hard/software is better, thus giving investors a somewhat clearer picture of what to invest in- and it's not even the biggest factor in their decisions. It's like watching the bigger kids ride a roller coaster and then having them asking you how the experience was.

"But lo!" you hark, "Don't the gamers matter more than that? WE buy the games, for crying out loud!" And that's the thing: if you did matter more E3 would be open for the public. Your pleas for another F-Zero are muffled out, because conferences are 45 minute bore trains to show how their new consoles can play movies on the internet while allowing you to simultaneously post dick jokes on your friend's FaceBook pages. By the time they get to the actual game(s) the whole f***ing process repeats again as we're informed how you can live feed your entire gaming chat adventures to other players like it's the gopdamn future of video games, and implying you poor sad sack of a human being will even have friends after you post "GAIS IS THER A CODE TO MAKE LARA CROFT NAK3D PLES I N33D THAT CODE?!?!!?!" for the tenth time in under three minutes. It is a tech show in soul, and your gut spilling reaction to last year's Microsoft conference is not going to change anything anytime soon.  

"Thanks, Microsoft, this is just what I f***king wanted." 

Saying E3's main concern is the gamers is like saying G4 was totally about video games and not game shows about vomiting (also, I totally killed two birds with one stone with that last picture). Nintendo says they'll focus on games for the show and instead focuses on Miiverse like they invented social media, because that's unfortunately what you have to do when you host at E3. "But woooooooooooooe!" you insist on whining in my ear, "E3 gives us something to look forward to at least!" Yeah, and that's another problem, because:

2. The Pre-E3 Hype Is Awful. 

Don't get me wrong; I'm not dissing on the hype train photoshops (I mean, look at that), but sometimes I have to throw my arms in the air whenever I read lists (Yes, lists) of games people are expecting from E3 and just say, "WOW". I don't know if it's in spite of pessimism or a bad act of trolling, but it puts a dampers the whole E3 experience for everyone. We live in an age where someone can take a joke like Sonic appearing in Mario Galaxy 2, twist into a rumor, allowing everyone to grab hold of it until the facehugging rumor pandemic automatically becomes Biblical fact. E3 is the festering abysmal hole of tears and unanswered dreams, and we jump off the crazy cliff like figurative suicidal lemmings every year, believing this garbage, and the rest us are submitted to hearing disappointed fans complain how the new Zelda looks too childish or (do I dare say it?), mother of God, Nintendo revealed a casual game at the show. Gasp! Welp, time to return our Mario fanclub badges, guys, Reggie still hasn't broken his fanboy tear addiction.  

"Did someone say fanboy tears?! I hope they're grape flavored!"

First of all, you don't have a Mario fanclub badge, you sad sack, and stop lying- we can smell your fear. And secondly, Nintendo can release whatever they want, okay? You rubbing your lucky ball (or actual balls) to the melody of California Girls played backwards is going to get you F-Zero as much as flaming Nintendo's e-mail page with hatemail- because that Zelda game was too bright, dammit, are you trying to blind me?! You're as much as a psychic as I am, and I hate to break it to you, but no amount of holy optimism that makes you believe that you'll get everything you want from one show is going to make your dreams come true.  

Sure, we're finally getting Earthbound after so many years, you may point out, but not because we wished for it but because we repeatedly asked for it. We didn't make Operation Rainfall work by just hoping, we had to beg for those games to get localized. It's not entirely the same philosophy for games that don't even exist yet, and I'm not trying to tell you to not have a little faith, but Nintendo is a game company that sells games, and only releases games that they know people will buy, not some wild figment of your imagination. If you want a game to be released, form a vocal community; if you're just predicting what will be shown don't act surprised afterwards that Mario Sport Mix 2 was revealed instead of Mother 4, because Nintendo doesn't have a freaking sixth sense. 

  

 "We have no idea how to make you all you f***ing happy; here's a game where you stare at our logo. F*** you if you don't like it, we're rich." 

Granted, everything fuels some kind of hype, but when we expect something big like E3 how are we supposed to act? The wait period is brutal as it is, and it's bad enough that we end up watching a Miiverse TVii conference when E3 does happen. That's why there's a better alternative:

1. Directs Are A Better Way To Announce Big Titles.

  

 A years ago, a Nintendo Direct wasn't something to get extremely excited about. They were merely appetizers, there to make us hungry, but not enough to write home about. Non-Specific Action Figure skit was good, but something to look forward to as opposed to an E3 conference? Not happening. But then something did happened. Nintendo set off the year with a bang in January by announcing a new generation Pokemon game(s) out of nowhere. In February they surprise our butts off with a Wind Waker HD remake, a Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem crossover and a Xenoblade-style sequel for Wii U, while promising more games to come this coming E3 confer- (oh yeah). In came March and yet another amazing show revealing a new Mario & Luigi RPG and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3DS port among other things. And as if they were planning they're absence from E3 from the very beginning, they hosted a Direct this month again melting our faces off with A Link to the Past sequel, because gosh darnit, if you're going to melt fanboys' faces off always tease them with a Zelda game.

What makes Directs better than the biggest video game show ever is that you have no idea when Nintendo is going to announce one. There is no time for hype or speculation. Nintendo can host their own show on their own timeline without having to vigorously impress the media, in exchange allowing smaller game companies an opportunity to show their own games. It's a show especially for Nintendo gamers and the people that want to support them, and that's just awesome.

Did I mention they showed A Link To the Past sequel? Because they totally did. 

If E3 is out of the picture, we'll no doubt get more information about big game releases via monthly Directs. Everyone gets their big releases EVERY MONTH, and Nintendo can run a show without filler: everyone wins.

Nintendo's big absence doesn't mark the end of E3, but I sure hope it begins Nintendo's new line of independence from all that hooplah in the future. And I will be anticipating that future.

  

3 Reasons Why Nintendo Not Holding A Big E3 Conference This Year Is A Good Thing.

Last Wednesday's Nintendo Direct Impressions.

Iwata and pals showed up once more to deliver juicy reveals about the incoming stuff for the Nintendo 3DS, and... my GOD. Somehow I think this one might have found the receipe to keep the attention of both old Nintendo attenders and new gamers. For me, this surely helps out planning how to properly stab my wallet waiting until the next E3's venture, with loads of stuff that people waited for a pretty long time. The whole Direct presentation can be seen here:

But enough texting! Here's how I sorted the stuff revealed yesterday:

THE AWESOME

All in all you're just / another Link in the wall...

Sequel Fever: A new Yoshi's Island for Nintendo 3DS is in the works. The next portable Legend of Zelda adventure has been revealed for 3DS and it's scened in Link to the Past's world. WHERE'S THAT GODDAMMIT PIGGY BANK WHEN I NEED IT

More Year of the Luigi: Aside from the hilarity ensued by the Mario and Luigi costumes, all the stuff previously announced on the Valentine Direct for Mario's green twin brother has been featured again with new video footage, release dates (we'll discuss of this later) and the introduction of a new Mario Party game.  I think this will be enough to let people finally forget Mario is Missing. Am I right? *runs*

Nintendo 3DS/Wii Direct: From the beginning, Nintendo has labeled this Direct as a 3DS edition about the handheld's gaming panorama, but the Wii U stuff also had its fair share of spotlight, with more details about the next system update (which will be live next week), the New Super Luigi Bros. U DLC adventure, Virtual Console's return and the introduction of a new type of Pikmin for the namesake franchise's third game, coming up this summer. Nice to see some Wii U manna after some relatively-deserted months for the console.

THE GOOD

...WHY only Japan can have this?!?

Release Dates: Another jolly parade of release dates for the next 4-5 months! It doesn't matter if you live in Japan or you are waiting the localization of your 1st-party 3DS game; lots of games now have their launch dates (and boxart, most of the cases) as bright as the sun's light. Plus, it will be possible to buy those titles as bundled in a customized 3DS XL as well!

Fan Service (Not the One with Lots of Perviness): It's nice to see that the pleas of many Nintendo players have been listened by Nintendo, as Earthbound and the two twin Legend of Zelda GB Color games (Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages) will be part of European/American Wii U's eShop service somewhere in 2013, as well as the localization of the Square Enix RPG Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. What an upbeat streak for RPG fans!

DKC Returns + : Another nice thing to see is that the 3DS reharsh of Retro Studios's Donkey Kong Country Returns for Nintendo Wii will feature more than a simple "3D" sticker on the cover. An easier game mode for more casual playing -the New Mode- and a whole new world after the main adventure is over can be worth of a shot even for who already has played the game on Wii.

THE BAD

:

C'mon, spot the differences! It's a fun game for the family.

Retrospective... a bit Retro: Sadly, what I told to you in the Good section is only the abridged version of the reveal's build-up, which consisted in... speaking again about the core of the game. For a good 1-2 minutes. Since this is a remake of a videogame we already know from about 3 years, why to waste time by telling us things we already know from the past game? The new stuff they wanted to say today is still here, but we had to wait for a good chunk of filler moments before it.

No mention of (some) major titles: Directs have been a good vehicle so far for advertising other companies's games as well, like for Level-5's future 3DS eShop games and the final Professor Layton game's release outside Japan. However, some other games are still silent in the NA/EU fronts, like the Professor Layton x Phoenix Wright crossover videogame, always from Level-5. We users don't threat the companies for more details in merit at any cost, but at least state if these games will have a chance to reach other countries as well! It's better than the 'gaming limbo' we experience in similar situations...

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FINAL DIRECT: 4/5 STARS

Nitpicking aside, this has been a great Nintendo Direct for me, as it not only continued the job of the past "episodes" but also proved that they tend to listen to the people's requests for the consoles in order to have fun even more than now. Only two months are between us and the next E3 event, but I'm already sky high towards the future with this additional lineup refresh.

Lokamp out.

Last Wednesday's Nintendo Direct Impressions.