Nintendo E3!!

I've been really bummed out about my launch day purchase of a WiiU.  Prior to MarioKart, I rarely played it.  I mean both Mario U and Mario 3d World and Donkey Kong were all great, but an almost 2 year old console should have WAY more playability than that.   I feel they are starting to finally get in the swing of things.  And it isn't only Nintendo who is struggling with content, but Nintendo has had more time to get things going and haven't.  I was actually a bit worried going in to E3, but they surprised me.. And you know what was my favorite thing that they surprised me with?  I'll give you a hint, it wasn't an actual "big" Nintendo title..  It was SPLATOON.  A 4v4 paint splattering, cartoony, shootem style, fun fest.  So say Mario Sunshine, Nickelodeon's Slime, Rocket Power, Portal 2 and Subway Surfers all mixed worlds and made a game slightly influenced by TF2.  If you don't know what Splatoon is, watch this trailer!

I'm hoping to see a lot of cool maps and game modes for this game.  I hope it has a lot of content to keep it fresh but so far I'm really loving what I've seen.  Sadly we have a while before it comes out.  It has a vague 2015 release date.. Sigh..     

I was a big fan of the creativity that the ZombiU, 2 player, brought to a "shooter" game.  Yes, it lacked in a lot, but overall it was a new feel that gave me a ton of ideas as to what Nintendo COULD do.  The WiiU has so much potential to bring a new style of play to gaming and I think E3 really started to show they are still not giving up on that idea.  They even use it in Splatoon..
With Miyamoto working on 3 new titles strictly focusing on Wii Pad play, I was impressed with what he had to show.  Always a treat to see Miyamoto!  StarFox of course was the only "BIG" title, but Project Guard and that Robot Sumo fighting Game (Sorry the name slips my mind ATM!) both looked like fun games.  Project guard more-so, but both show new ways the WiiU COULD be amazing.  I understand people want big bad graphically brilliant games, but I do enjoy fun games too.  The only problem I have is getting people to play with, and the prices they want to charge for games that aren't really worth 70% of what the big games are worth.  I understand they want to make money but come on..  These aren't EVER going to be the money makers.  I feel these are basically party games.  The things they should all just put together on one disk and sell.  Things to challenge your friends with...  But what do I know?  I happen to enjoy some fun, childish games but I see many people don't.  They want the realistic, story driven, intense action games.... and that is definitely understandable, but it's ok to have fun with cartoony Nintendo stuff, too.  I won't tell. :)  No, but really.... I get it you elitist CoD bros!  Nintendo sucks and is for women, noobs and children.  :/

I'm done being mean.. Sorry!  Must have read too many comments during Treehouse live yesterday.   

We're getting a new Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker game during this Holiday Season.. No actual date because I'm sure they will have to postpone it.  I like Toad and I'm glad he's getting a Puzzle Platformer for himself.  If you Played Mario 3D World you are already familiar with what the game is.  It's those little Toad Puzzle levels where you move around a 3d level trying to collect things.  It utilizes the wii pad a lot to view the nooks and crannies of the level..  I personally sucked hard core at those.  Not sure the game will be worth a full retail price for me, but if it is an eshop cheapo, I may pick it up.  Maybe even if they make it a Mario 3d World DLC pack.  That'd be cool.

They showed a little more gameplay for the Yoshi's Epic Yarn.. I mean the Yoshi's Woolly World game.  Reminds me a lot of Yoshi's latest game for the 3DS.  It's as cute as a button though.  I NEED that Yoshi knitted plush figure.. NOW PLEASE..  I'd buy this game.

The new Zelda open world game they are working on looks soooooooooooo amazingly good.  No release date of course.  I'm pretty sure that will take a while.  I'd estimate next holiday season but I hope I'm wrong..

Bayonetta 2 finally got an October release date.  I must say this game looks beautiful.  Graphics are stunning.  It also features Peach, Metroid and Zelda skins.  Oh and it includes Bayonetta 1 in it.  Nice to finally see some good gameplay.  Not my type of game, but I know my fiance will love it.

X got the Xenoblade Chronicles X title.  I watched it played on Treehouse and thought it was like Monster Hunter.  Not impressed with the gameplay they showed, but the trailer for it looks pretty interesting.  Still not really my type of game though but I saw a lot of mixed reviews about what people thought.  

Hyrule Warriors got an official release date of September 26th!  Wasn't expecting that at all.. Also you can play with Midna.  My personal favorite Zelda character.  It looks really good.  I enjoy Dynasty Warriors so I'm guessing I'll enjoy this game too.

Pokemon really got my hopes up for something on the Wii U.. But no.. It was introducing Mega Evs into the Sapphire and Ruby remakes.. Meh.. I want a wii U Pokemon!

Mario Maker.....................................     '_____'   Not interested.  It's something that should be a free download if anything.  Modders have been making Mario levels for years.  I see this as a quick way to make a few bucks for Nintendo which I'm all for... I guess.  They need moneys.

Amiibos.. Yeah.. What a name.  This is Nintendo's introduction to NFC.  (Disney Infinite, Skylanders) As much as I hate the fact that I'm going to buy every single one of these probably, I seem to think it has a potential to be pretty neat.  It learns your play style and stuff.. Not much was revealed, but they will work with Mario Kart, Smash, Mario Party 10 and some other games.  I'm looking forward to using them.  Best of all they go right on the wii pad.  No portal or anything you have to buy.

And Finally what EVERYONE was anticipating.... SUPER SMASH BROS! YAY!  Another game I love but absolutely suck at.  The 3DS version was postponed to October 3rd I believe.  WE WANT GAMES NOW!  Hopefully this won't delay the WiiU version a lot too.  I'm rather upset with the graphics on the 3DS but honestly what can you expect?  Some shots of it look good but some look absolutely awful.  I am pumped about the Smash Run mode in the 3DS version though.  A loot crawl through a maze to build up your character stronger than the other 3, and then a final brawl.  That seems really cool.  Wish they'd add it to the WiiU version.  I'll probably get both though.  And if you watched the Smash Tourney, you got to see some actual footage of the Wii U version.  Some new items they added were the Mario Kart shells and a bullet bill.  They both look really sweet and I think I may just head on out to Best Buy tonight to try them out.  Pretty proud that my Smash Character made runner up.. Now I don't feel so bad when I pick the fluffy pink ball of cuteness.  It's the only character I can almost win with!  They also added the mii as a playable.  You can customize their moves too.  Choose between a fighter, a swordsman, and a gun dude.  Looks pretty powerful.  Also I was quite impressed with Wii Fit Trainers moves.  Also Lady Paluntena and Pac Man have been announced. Waka Waka Waka.   Game and Watch was teased.

Hopefully I'm not forgetting anything important.  They will be showing more game plays throughout tomorrow on Twitch so maybe they will show some new stuff.  Good Job Nintendo!  Now PLEASE just give us the games NOW..  Even if it's only Smash!

What I'm excited for from Microsoft's 2014 E3 Presentation.

I really don't get AS excited for E3 anymore as I once did, due to the fact that he last few years have been a little underwhelming, but since next gen consoles are just getting warmed up, a lot of exciting things are happening.  I haven't bought an Xbox One or a PS4 yet, due to the fact that I'm not interested in enough games to justify spending the money.  I can't even promise that after E3 I will, but I saw a few things that are tempting me from Microsoft's Presentation.  Like...

Halo-  Freaking Halo.  Why am I such a Halo Fangirl?  I have no clue.  I guess your first always stays with you.  I mean I loved it so much back in the day that I named my puppy Halo.  It's the only shooter I can say I'm ok at.  And that feel..  That feel of adrenaline pumping through my body as I pull the trigger and attempt to kill someone in online battle..  (No worries.. That feel is strictly related to video games. I actually HATE guns IRL.  I'm not against them.. Just not for me.)  That feel when I'm not dead last at the end..  Anyways back to Newness..  The Halo Master Chief Collection.  Um, yes please! Halo 1 Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4 all in 1080p with dedicated servers on 1 disk.. AND a mini series leading into the story for Halo 5 Guardians.  I'm about to drop the money for an Xbox One right now.   That's pretty impressive.

Sunset Overdrive-  I remember seeing Sunset Overdrive last year at E3 and thinking it looked pretty awesome.  They went a little more in depth with it this year and it still looks awesome, but I'm not sure it will be.  I have such mixed feelings about it.  It seems like it may just be another "meh" game.  I think I mainly was in love with the area.  I LOVE amusement parks in games.  It just feels as if it's missing something and I can't quite put my finger on what it is.  I'd be excited to try a demo maybe.  I just don't want to commit to buying it just yet.

Fable Legends-  I played Fable 1 and 2.  I've always been a fan of the series.  I tried playing Fable Anniversary but on launch day it was pretty glitchy, I thought.  Never really went back to see if they updated it or anything, but maybe I will after seeing the new Fable trailer. It got me pumped for the series again.  Co-op Fable?  That's awesome.  I really enjoy a game I can play with my Fiance.  It'd be really cool if it were a local co-op, but I won't hold my breathe.  If not, I'll pray for a PC release eventually.  I also like that they are allowing one person to be the bad guy.  It seems a lot of games are steering this way lately.  Reminds me of the Super Dungeon Explorer board game.  Haha.  I also saw Mario Party 10 will be doing this as well.  It's fun to screw over your friends!

Evolve- Now I'm really excited for this.  Multi-Class, multiplayer, monster hunting sci-fi shooter game.  It looks awesome.  Reminds me of a Borderlands, Monster Hunter mash up but way different in it's own style.  Oh and you can also be the Monster..

ScaleBound-  I'm pretty geeky so of course a dragon killing catches my eye.  There isn't much revealed in the trailer, but from what they do show, it looks pretty sick.  Something to watch for, for sure.

Mario Kart 8 Review!

I can't even begin to tell you how big of a Mario Kart fan I am.  I was deprived of the fun until Double Dash, but since then I have more than made up for my lack of pre Gamecube Mario Kart time.  Friday Mario Kart 8 arrived on the wii u and I guess I will review it since I have to be at work NOT able to play it.  Separation anxiety anyone? 

Now as big of a fan as I am I will start off saying this game does not get a 10 out of 10 from me.  Sigh.. and it's not (mostly) for gameplay reasons, but for stupid things that were left out of the interface.  Let's go ahead and get the flaws out of the way so I can fangirl over it's awesomeness.. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.   

Number one thing that bugs me which is the main reason it gets a 7.5.  There is no on screen map! (Unless I'm just an idiot and can't find the options which also seem to fail to exist in Grand Prix anyways)  There is a tiny map on the wii pad display but I can honestly tell you I didn't even notice what was on it until after my first race.. Who actually looks down at the gamepad during the race?  Or who even uses the gamepad?  It's a GIANT horn.  That's it.  Maybe there is/should be a way to turn off the gamepad display and display ranking/items people have/a map.. on the big screen like previous versions?  Like in Donkey Kong too.. You can turn off the pad display to save battery life..  This is the only racing game in existence without a map!  I guess they really want to make getting inked impossible, yet it doesn't seem to phase the computer drivers as much as it used to.  I don't know.. It's a big deal for me.  

Another kind of annoying thing is when you complete a race the automatic selection is view highlights.  Not next race.  I usually have no interest in watching my highlight reel.. Unless it was something awesome.  Like my first mushroom acceleration to avoid a blue shell.  But sadly that didn't make the highlight reel?? I just think NEXT RACE should be the default first thing.

1. A minor thing.. There are no times after you complete the race.  I like to see how much faster or slower I was than my opponents.  Unless it's also on the gamepad, which I don't think it is.. But anyways  I happen to use a pro controller.  Much easier.  And is it fair one person has the opportunity to look at a map while everyone else who doesn't have a gamepad doesn't?  I mean not that you're actually going to look at it.  Or are they trying to promote the gamepad?  Can you even buy standalone ones yet?  (No..)  Would you want to? (Probably Not..)

Small issues that just bug me..

They definitely nerfed take off boosts.  I just feel like it's a lot slower of a take off than previous games, but on a side note for this, the fire boosting out of your car looks awesome.  Very detailed.  I didn't take off anything for this, it's more of just a personal thing here.   

The piranha plant powerup is pretty useless.  For me anyways.  It seems to boost you but somehow doesn't.  And usually I can never get close enough to anyone to use it and it just seems to screw my rhythm up.  

And lastly they give you a lot of kart customizations (Karts, Wheels, and Parachutes) to unlock, many of which have the exact same stats.  And I feel there weren't enough characters to unlock.  Especially since there is no King Boo!  :(  Take the million "baby" characters out and put more classic players in.  I'm honestly tired of "baby" everything.

And now for the good.  Typical Mario Kart awesomeness.  Mario Kart is the best ever.  It cheats you so hard but you just can't stop.  Gotta get those stars.. Gotta 3 star every cup.. 

Mario Kart in HD is the best thing ever!  I can't even begin to describe how crisp and awesome it looks.  The 16 new levels are all really cool.  My favorite has to be Mount Wario.  It's a segment race down a ski slope.  I also like the Cloudtop cruise level a lot.  150cc races still screw you over in every way possible!  I did finally manage to star all the cups to unlock mirror mode though.

The Karts are all very interesting and unique looking.  My favorite is the carousel Kart.  It seems to be a pretty solid Kart too which I'm pumped for because I LOVE carnival stuff.  I also like the cool parachute options.  And tires are tires..  I go with the button ones more than anything.  The trike seems to be my second favorite car just because it handles drifts like no ones business.  (I'm a heavy drifter)

So cool customizations, and cool new levels (Both Rainbow roads are too easy though!) The game runs very smooth except a small amount of lag in the menus when switching characters..  Not sure what is up with that.  I haven't tried online mode yet.  Was too focused on unlocking everything for our Mario Kart party this weekend.

The boomerang powerup is useful if you have good aim.  I was hit and miss with it.  It will take some time getting use to I'm sure.  Overall I like it.  I also like how you do get some better powerups even in 2nd or first place.  It's normally a coin (which are used to unlock Kart customizations), but you do get some better stuff more often than previous titles it seems.

And for the last thing that's what seems to be the main feature Nintendo wants to display.. Highlight reels.  It's cool you have the option to upload your awesome moments straight to youtube.  I actually had a pretty sweet finish and was able to upload it right from the gamepad.  Baby peach was annoying me all race, but I took her out with a fireball right at the finish line and won!  It's cool, but I'd rather a better interface than social network focus.  Still cool though.  A nice way to gloat your awesomeness to friends.   Here's my video.