Dead

I wanted to let you my loyal reader (yeah you wii-man) know that as far as new content is concerned this site/blog is dead. Fear not though, each death breathes new life. I've been working on a bigger better full-fledged site and it should be up and running shortly so be sure to keep checking back here every week, well maybe monthly (shit happens with me a lot) 'cuz I'll post the link on here once it's ready for viewing.

Quick thoughts

I know I said the next post would be King, A Return to Form, but I decided that wasn't such an appropriate topic at this time. I mean sure the Wii is the best selling console right now but it just hasn't lived up to what I dreamt it would be. Don't get me wrong I love the dang thing but at this time its sort of a love hate relationship. I love the experience and feel of it, there is so much potential for the Wii but I hate the fact that many or even most developers are currently only giving us glorified tech demos and expect us gamers to be satisfied. I love video games, especially the ones that have deep rich experiences to be had. Those are too few and far between on Wii.

Currently Nintendo is working this casual gamer angle and honestly that's real good and all for the industry but really what about those of us playing games for 10 plus years now? All the while Nintendo have sung the tune that they aren't abandoning the hardcore gamer but they have done little to reinforce that. Sure there was Zelda and Metroid, along with the upcoming Mario and Smash, but aside from those and Mario Kart next year Wii owners have little to be excited about. I mean its no mystery why the game attach rate for the Wii is barely above three. When I look at the laundry list of crap being released for Wii and then I look at the 360 camp I can't help but think that to truly have a hardcore experience I might need one. I mean Mario and Smash are fun but surely neither are hardcore. Metroid and Zelda are, but once they're over that's exactly it, over. I mean the Wii has such an incredible interface for two of my favorite genres; FPS' and Adventure games. Yet in terms of shooters the Wii has the most piss poor of any console and adventure games are practically nonexistent on the thing.
Maybe I'm just making a fuss for nothing, after all it's not even a year old. Who knows maybe the whole casual games thing was Nintendo's genius marketing plan for the first year just to push expansion and maybe we have an exciting '08 to look forward to.

I just want deep rich shooter and adventure games for my Wii. I don't want to have to own a 360 to play a great shooter, I want that on my Wii. Either way I may have looked and longed but I haven't been swayed by the 360 or dare I say it ps3 camps and Smash will keep me busy for quite some time, but I just hope Nintendo decides to turn it up and truly capitalize on what the Wii can truly be.

These are just some of my thoughts on the way things are right now. As I get back into regularly posting they'll get a lot stronger and more diverse. I mean I wouldn't be a true loyalist if I wasn't critical of every aspect of all things Nintendo.

One good thing to take from everything so far is that the ps2 won last generation and it had an infinite number of crap games so as long as wii get our share of blockbusters history just might repeat itself under another name.

I'm back...sort of

Well I've been gone for almost an entire year now and I must say I'm disappointed in myself, but alas I still have life so it's time to move forward. There is so much to talk about. So much has transpired in my absence and I can't wait to get back in the full swing of things. It seems I still have to make good on a promise and I intend to do so. That being said my article "King, A Return to Form" is due up first followed by a long line of interesting topics. Now as for the 'sort of' in this title, it means I'm back up and running on the blog again with the long overdue changes to come, but I won't be getting those up right away. I need to let things iron out a bit around here first but I guarantee I won't be absent for more than a months time. So be patient with me as I set back up things and get organized for the new things to come. As for the loyalists who still came here in my ridiculously long absence, you have my deepest apologies and I will make it up to you. So check back in a few weeks and see how things have changed.

BLIND AMBITION

Sorry it took me so long to get back guys, life's busy. The next gen war is truly fast approaching, and I for one can't wait to see this war unfold. With Microsoft slightly in front to Sony's two day jump on Nintendo, things are going to get real interesting. (Chock that up as the understatement of the year). Microsoft is well underway and waiting patiently to drop a few bombs on the market. Bombs that they think will hold off or at least slow down the competition.

Just a few days before Sony unleashes their mammoth (both size and price), and Nintendo throws a monkey wrench in the formula with their clever Wii; Microsoft is set to release Gears of War on the gaming world. Even being the avid Nintendo fan that I am, there was a moment when I wanted to play that game. Now don't get me wrong I am as loyal a fan as they get, but there was a moment where I just said "WOW, I want to play that!". For an entire moment I wished Nintendo would make it happen. Then that moment was over. The game has serious potential though ( potential being the key word). I mean it could quite possibly give Halo a run for its money as 'best first person shooter' ever made, or it could be another entirely ho-hum EA made Bond game. Okay that's being a bit too mean but you get my point. Either way Microsoft is hyping it up as the next great thing to slice bread. Come November 12th we'll all find out how right or wrong they are. Emergence Day versus two consoles! Don't thing that's enough? Well neither does Microsoft, they decided they're hungry for a pb&j sandwich but with PS3 and Wii filling. As they are going to release the true nuke on the market, Halo 3, sometime in March. With the 17th and 19th of November just around the corner the 360 is bucking and yelling for attention.

My guess is that Microsoft is banking on their mediocre install base of 5 million (WORLDWIDE!) plus those two giant games will be more than enough to stand strong against the competition. It's not going to be easy though, as being the first console out doesn't guarantee success (dreamcast anyone?); Nintendo is coming along with an ingenious mass market approach and Sony is riding its brand name, so things could start to get a little tough for Microsoft. I see brainstorms for Halo 4 already. Okay, maybe that's a bit of a ways off since Microsoft is trying to convince the world that Halo 3 is the culmination of it all, the big finale. You never know money walks.
Honestly I don't see 360 or PS3 standing up to Wii very well. I'm telling you my idol Shigeru Miyamoto, along with Mr. Iwata has an evil plan to take over the world and Wii is the gateway. Oh I'm going to love being a part of every single moment of it. Wii is set to do what every man wants, his girlfriend playing video games with him, oh yeah and the rest of the family too. I for one can't wait to hook my Wii up and go nuts on games like Excite Truck, Red Steel, Wii Sports, Madden 07, and of course the King of all games, The Legend of Zelda. (That's my top 5 launch titles by the way). A lady right there with me makes it even better. I think you'll agree, at least I hope you do. The 360 has some solid games don't get me wrong, but they just don't bring anything new to the table. The core audience will be there but I don't see any growth beyond that. Not to mention 5 million sold is not nearly enough of a jump to beat the PS3 and definitely not enough smell the Goliath of a shock winner, Wii. I've experienced first hand what Nintendo's attempting with this console and it's guaranteed to wreak havoc on the industry. (You heard it here first--Wii by a landslide). Right now 360 is all smiles no worries but I'd brace for impact , the whole industry should. Someone is going down hard and I see Nintendo running from the cops. Wii is going to put an ass whooping on Sony and Microsoft, the kind you never forget.

WHEW! I'm beginning to ramble (I hate when I do that). I'll get back to you soon on Nintendo's return to true form. "KING, A Return to Form," should explain why Nintendo is poised to reclaim the number one spot.

The Arrogance that is Sony

Sony, the current console King, is doing whatever they damn well please; no doubt they feel as if they've already won the next round of console war infamy. From announcing a $600 price point to claiming that same price point as far too cheap for their mammoth PS3 console, nothing seems to hint that they have even thought of Wii the consumers. For some strange reason they seem to think that whatever they say or do is gold. It seems like everyday we get another exec who gives a speech or statement where in a nutshell they say we're Sony, we're the Shit!!! And rightfully so...right....right, right? WRONG!!! The PS3 has a ton of features that they believe set it apart from the other two, both in terms of power and expandability. The PS3s multi-thread processors are impressive for sure, and robust to say the least, but Sony has forgotten its roots. They got where they are by catering to fans, now they are completely disregarding the fans.
The PS3 is crammed full of features that range from playback of their highly touted blue ray discs, to the ability to upgrade periodically almost doubling as a PC. A mega PC as a matter of fact, have you seen the size of that thing?!!!!! With so many features out of the box(well the $600 box) how can they do anything but crush the competition.

The thing is though, I'm not so sure that gamers are willing to accept a plethora of, quite frankly, unnecessary features at the expense of their pockets. Granted Sony faithful will dry their tears once they get their claws on that hefty machine.
And herein lies Sony's biggest flaw; the diehard Sony fans aren't that many. Whoa! You say...just wipe that silly look off your face and let me explain. Sony sold over 100 million PS2 units this past generation not because they had 100 million die hard Sony fans. Sony won this generation by being the console of choice for casual gamers. And with Microsoft being well into the fray already and Nintendo looking better than ever, it's not such an open shut case anymore. I don't see a $600 system being the console of choice for a casual gamer. A casual gamer plays a game every now and then and there is no way they'll warrant buying a $600 system to use only every now and then. Expecting the casual gamer to walk out of their local Gamestop with a $600 system is insanity in its purest form. What's worse is they actually believe 10 million casual gamers are ready and willing, I don't even think they have 10 million die-hards ready and willing. It's seems that this generation stuck its head in Sony's door for a quick peek and caught Sony smelling their own ass, and from the door it stinks like ass but the blood rush to the head got Sony smelling roses. So with a "my shit don't stink" attitude, I see Sony losing substantial market share this time around.

Next up is the overzealous, hyper-anxious, newcomer to the biz, Microsoft's Xbox 360. Stay tuned for "Blind Ambition!"

THE CONSOLE WARS

Well here I am again, FINALLY!!! And what a nap it was. But what an even better awakening I've had. I couldn't have asked for a better time to pluck the yamps from my eyes and stretch my arms and jaws. I seem to have awoken at the dawn of war. THE CONSOLE WARS! Yes people, the console wars are just getting underway(well just about!) and I know I'm not the only one wetting their pants, with drool of course, over the mayhem that's about to overtake our very lives; not to mention men's hygiene. There could never be a more ample title for a more ample event. Two Goliath company's duking it out, all for the rights to the thrown; wait, what's that you say......Huh.....I didn't catch that.....what, there's a third company in the running. A third company huh? Well don't keep me in suspense, who is it? NINTENDO!!!! What, Nintendo still makes consoles, I thought they died with the Super Nintendo! That's right people Nintendo is back and better than ever. The response Wii has received has been resounding to say the least, and like Nintendo said, the name jokes are just about dead(just about). This David of a console is about to prove one important fact, originality never dies.

The prince of these wars is poised and ready as he awaits the day his father, the king, turns the thrown over to him. Sony's PS3 is sitting pretty receiving word from the frontlines as his big poppa PS2 still rages war against the cocky newcomer, Xbox 360 and the ill-fated, misunderstood wizard known as the Gamecube. With much stronger opposition this time around beauty is only mind deep and if you ask me the PS3 really resembles that fat, lazy, and brutally spoiled rich kid who has hands softer than a baby's ass. Both Microsoft and Nintendo have been getting down and dirty, grinding away hard at work while Sony has been resting on its moral's(or lack there of); only finding time to exercise their jaws to stuff their face and say some god awful dumb shit. Microsoft is already on the rampage, having launched a massive campaign that's nearly one year old; no doubt damaging Sony's stranglehold on the console market. With Microsoft already setup on the battlefield, Nintendo and Sony about to launch later this year, things are just starting to get exciting. Will brute force and reputation dominate this generation, will young arrogance find its way to the thrown, or will David slay Goliath a few more times? Whatever the case it's gonna be one hell of a war.


Oh...............you thought that was it, you thought that was the post, don't make me laugh. I'm just getting started...this is just the intro. Part one, "The Arrogance that is Sony" is up first.

CRAZIEST POST EVER!!!

There is so much going on in the industry right now you wouldn't believe it all if I told you. One thing is for sure though, it's looking real good for Nintendo. I know there hasn't been a lot of new info circulating lately but behind closed curtains activity is running rampant. From a whole ton of new third party support to WiiConnect24 being a much larger player in the online gaming market than anyone suspects.

Well I know we all are aware of the similarities between Nintendo's WiiConnect24 service and another certain live service. What's the point? I thought you'd never ask. Now before I tell you this I want you to brace for impact because not only is it ludacris it's damn well unbelieveable, but I told you it's the CRAZIEST POST EVER!!! How nuts would you say I am if I told you that Nintendo owns the rights to a certain very lucrative and ever growing online gaming market. Well I'm telling you so. It's been brought to my knowledge from a source far more insane than me this is indeed the case. Now being the realist that I am I had a hard time believing it when I first heard this, hell I'm still having a hard time believing it, but my source did bring up some good points. First off Nintendo has had this patent since early on in Gamecube days, far before any online gaming network came into play. Granted patents are normally filed years before they come into play. But my source has told me that Nintendo beat them to the punch on this one. The source claims that the reason Wii has garnered so much positive support from the competition is the fact that they are at Nintendo's mercy in terms of the online gaming market. So why didn't Nintendo release this service for Gamecube? Glad you asked. Well the reason being was what you already know. Nintendo wasn't too sure about the online society and whether or not placing a price tag on the services would damage revenues. So instead of releasing it themselves they let someone else take the risk, lay in the cut and collect if all goes right. Well I think its safe to say that everything has gone exceptionally well, and Nintendo is now primed to take it over the way they envisioned it. Sounds bogus I know, heck, it probably is, but one thing's for sure Nintendo has some shots they holding on to for the moment.

Got to cut this short for now...

Our Time in the Sun

Well E3 is just around the corner and a few things are becoming more evident with each passing second. From Red Steel to the nunchuck attachment accelerometer to launch day Mario, things are beginning to brighten up for our friends in the land of the rising sun. You know, there are times when I get in heated arguments over the upcoming console wars and you wouldn't believe how they look at me when I mention that Nintendo is gonna come out on top this time around. To them it seems as likely as one of those other two leaving the market altogether. Nonetheless things are materializing for us and I must say they're looking damn good. I mean, to say that I know that we are in an excellent position leading up to E3 and launch day is an understatement of the highest caliber.

There were plenty of mistakes that led to gamecube doing a measly 22 million worldwide just about. A few of the those are quite obvious and some are hidden within the confines of Nintendo itself. One major issue that a lot of people didn't think much of(actually, according to launch day 'Cube sales they did), was the absence of Mario. The Gamecube was the worst selling Nintendo console to date and it was the first to launch without Mario, simple coincidence maybe but Nintendo apparently isn't willing to give it another shot to test that theory. This new Mario, they've been crafting it for just about six years now. Yeah I know Sunshine launched in '02 but this Mario was what they were working on before they decided to send Mario on a much needed vacation. See, Sunshine was the necessary sidestep they took because in terms of the development process, the ideas they were crafting for the true Mario 64 sequel were literally impossible on Gamecube hardware. Times are different now though and the masterpiece is finally ready to be realized. One reason to rest easy Nintendites.

Another issue was the lack of third party support and more precisely, Mature content. You would not believe the amount of people who still to this day cast off Nintendo as a kiddy system. No doubt Nintendo wants to uphold their family friendly status but at the same time they have wisely decided that garnering a broader audience doesn't come at the sacrifice of family friendliness. Now they haven't completely decided to accept every Mature game on their system but they're moving in a direction somewhat close. They currently have seven Teen rated games in the launch pipeline, so improvement is looking positive. For all you know there might even be a surprise Mature launch title in the mix. As far as third party goes I really don't have to touch on that too much 'cuz in the last few days alone numerous developers have announced their support and some even mentioned games in development. Two reasons to rest easy Nintendites.

The Gamecube, though a great system, lacked an identity. When people looked at what was already on the market and compared it to the 'Cube they really didn't see much that stood out to sway them. Sure the Cube had its bright spots, namely SSBM but that was nearly not enough. This however is not the case with the 'Revolution'. The controller alone has lit the industry on fire and the gas is in Nintendo's hands, and I have a sneaky suspicion they about to feed the blaze. Not to mention those oh so downplayed graphics. Let me just be the first to tell you that 18 of the 20 launch titles look much better than anything currently available out there. A mature looking Link left people in tears at last year's E3 but this year not a soul present will be able to control their jaws; including our damned "I'm so cocky I disgust myself" competitors. Three reasons to rest easy Nintendites.

In terms of the western market, Nintendo has definitely kicked the bucket in the past, but gone are those ever so dark days. Not only have they catered to the western market with the free-hand controller but they have taken it one step further by actually developing a slew of first party FPS'. Two of which will be available at launch. There are so many mistakes that happened with and to all things Gamecube but I don't dwell on the past and you can be sure Nintendo doesn't either. This generation Nintendo is setting their sites on dominating the field and E3 is just the start. This E3 is practically a Nintendo show but don't take my word for it, wait for the show. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of all that is Nintendo's E3 presentation. Rest easy Nintendites, it's our time in the Sun!

And get ready for the console name, it'll blow your Lites out!!!!

High Praise

Well I know that you're aware of that time of the year; you know the time where people go nuts checking sites and seeing the most unbelieveable news. Yep April 1st, better known as April Fools, personally I'm not a fan and that' s why I avoided posting yesterday. I don't like all the crap that comes with the date so I pay it no mind. But as to what I'm here to post about: nothing groundbreaking, nothing new, just here to show my love for the genius that is Nintendo.

I just got my hands on Metroid Prime: Hunters and one word-- WOW!!! The game is freaking gorgeous in play and not to mention those B-E-A-UTIFUL cutscenes. I mean, I simply can't put into words how I felt when I first started playing the damn thing. I knew it would look nice of course, it's Nintendo, but I was completely blown away. Not to mention I'm only 25% done with the game and I still have yet to play multi or WiFi as of yet. I can't wait to experience it in full. This excites me for a number of reasons but the one that has me cracking my skull on the roof is the fact that, if this is what they can do with DS hardware imagine what the 'Revolution' Metroid and games in general are going to look like. Nintendo really out did themselves this time. This game alone should silence all the critics as to whether or not 'Revolution' will be powerful enough; the DS is proving itself to be far more innovative than that other thing and on par if not better at times in terms of graphical prowess. I don't know if you remember me saying that NST was supposedly developing an in-house FPS for 'Revolution', well after looking at Hunters there should be no doubt as to whether they are capable or not. Also If one of the Hunters are indeed gonna get their own game, my money is on Weavel. To me he seems like he has the best abilities and coolest demeanor and his world-from what the intro showed-seemed to be the most interesting of them all.

I know you want the big posts with all the info and such but I can only give as they come so have faith and the changes that I mentioned before are coming just be patient. Then again you have to be, being a Nintendo fan. That's all I got right now but....

Bits and Pieces

Finally an opportunity to post!!!! Don't expect much just yet.

So I bet your hoping that I have the juiciest and most news worthy information ever. However, from the title of this post you should've already guessed that to be untrue. What I've brought with me this time is just a few things that have been on my mind.

I'm sure you've heard of Nintendo "Go" by now. Strange name for the "Revolution" don't you think? Well not really, from what I've read "Go" means five. Which means that Nintendo's next system could simply be called N5. How likely this is I leave that up to you to ponder, however, that does lead to my next thought. Being that this is Nintendo's 5th home console, and being that they are recreating gaming as we know it, I'm led to believe that the release of this console symbolizes a very special time for Nintendo. What I'm getting at is that I believe that N5 will launch on 08-23-06 instead of the very popular holiday season belief. I say this because that date is the anniversary of Nintendo's foray into the console business. But hey maybe I'm just rusty from all this other junk I've been dealing with lately.

I could get into all the details of certain launch titles, well not all the details but what I've learned through research but my fingers still squeak, let me get some WD-40 and maybe what I bring to the next post will leave you salivating for all things Nintendo. If you haven't been already your a damn sinner by the way.

On a more serious note, I am unstoppable with Dry Bones. Let the games begin; shortly.