Switch Light, what’s the point?

So we have not one but two new switch revisions. A better version with more storage and efficient chips and a cheaper portable only one. While the first reversion is a welcome one, the later not do much.

The current switch is underpowered as it is, an even weaker model with just $100 off is not a bargain considering that you will be missing out on performance and some accessories which in my opinion isn’t worth losing over a 100 bucks. I would kinda accept the idea of the difference was $250 or so but $100? Nope, sorry.

Getting a used model or even waiting for the new revision is a wiser move than getting stuck in low power mode in the name of portability.  Yes some folks will welcome this addition as they don’t care about resolution of framerates but for anyone that do care, this doesn’t seem like such a good deal.

This also means that the 3DS is unofficially dead which is a shame as it had amazing retro feel games that were simply plug-in play in the days of 50GB day one patches. Of course there is still the rumor that Nintendo will release a much powerful switch in the future meaning that the current model will get a fare price cut. 

The difference between this and the 2DS is that the later had all the same features and power of the original except the 3D faction which allot of people  disliked including me. The 2DS arguably looked better and for a cheaper price hence why it was a success.

With all being said and done, options and choice is still good and the ultimate winner is the customer. I just hoped for better than what we are getting.

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Dual Pack is the strangest thing in pokemon

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire Dual PackStrange in a sense of “that will never happen” way. Nintendo capitalized on selling the same game twice under the multiplayer excuse and I’m fine with that as pokemon made me love the original gameboy. I have played and enjoyed all the pokemon games up to date and even used to watch the show and this is by far the strangest thing I thought we will never see.

Why am I making a big deal about it? For starters you were not meant to own the other version, instead you had to find a friend to trade with. At least that was the idea. Seeing both games together in this awesome pack for $79.92 made my day. The 200 potions feels out of place but a good free bonus. Overall, a great package.

Pokemon goes V.R using Oculus Rift

pokemon_vrA dream come true for old school Nintendo and Pokemon fans. Pokemon has gone VR. Well not really but this test created by a developer using a motion control and Oculus Rift.

How do I personally feel? I don’t know. Sure it’s cool to be using VR in games but are we there yet? And the most important question; Will this be the next 3D? I remember the craze that came along with the new 3D technology, I my self own a 3D TV and I am yet to test it. Truth is, no body cares any more. The hype shifted to the smart TV which is basically running android on your TV. And with the whole Facebook, Oculus Rift deal things can go south.

I’m not saying this is the next gimmick but I also not sold that this is the future. Just like flying cars, this is just something we are not yet ready to do. Concentrate on making Great games > This VR thing.

I just don’t want this to be the next Wii controller. Doing VR for the sake of VR. Concentrate on making great games and when if Oculus Rift becomes mainstream then and only then jump on the train. Now I realize that no official statement or support been made regarding this but I feel like developers will take note and try to early adopt for the sake of adoption.

I said it twice, I will take great games over new gimiks any day.

Wii U Super Smash Bros. Bundle on Amazon

ssbwu

 

The upcoming Nintendo’s signature fighter Super Smash Bros for the Wii U is now live on Amazon via a bundle package. The box includes the game, a repackaged GameCube controller and the controller adapter all for $99.99. Personally, I think this is a great offer considering you NEED a proper controller to play fighting games and while the GameCube controller is not that amazing it is still better than Nintendo’s iPad for the Wii U.

You will also be able to use the controller on other games which is a win unless Nintendo will only allow you to use it only on Super Smash which would be a stupid business discussion.

Call me old school but I still find the best way to control a game is a simple controller. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all triad to control games via other methods than the controller and failed miserably. Sometimes you gotta understand: if it ant broke, don’t fix it.

The adapter itself looks normally good which is a good thing as no fancy designs required. Great deal although some may say little pricey but you cant complain on the things given inside even though many would argue that Ninntendo should have made GameCube controller ports on the Wii U. Guess they thought the iPad controller thing would shape the future, guess not.

Get it at: Super Smash Bros. Wii U from Amazon

Daily Pickups: Animal Forest Ninntendo 64

While shopping on eBay I came across these collector items and couldn’t pass the deal. While I am little tight on cash as I need to spend it on my car and bills, little retro joy couldn’t hurt.

animal_forest

Not many know that Animal Crossing as well as some other GameCube games were also released on the Nintendo 64 in Japan. 64 was still popular in Japan that Nintnedo decided to support it with some of the GameCube ports like the above Animal Forest (Japanese name for Animal Crossing).

Although I’m still not sure how I will be able to play it considering that everything is in Japanese. Yes I know the game and yes I will most likely make my way around but some stuff just needs reading and answering. Never the less, this is something I wanted for sometime. There are some difreeance between this and the GameCube port, listed bellow and taken from the Animal Crossing wikia:The real-time clock made a new feature for games.

  • A player catches a Herabuna, an Animal Forest-only fish.
  • Questions are asked to determine your look.
  • The Able Sisters and their shop are not in Animal Forest; thus, designs are not available.
  • When fish are released in the N64 game, they bounce along the ground and into the water instead of diving straight in.
  • Insects are not restricted by acres and can freely wander into other acres. Banded Dragonflies and similar, airborne insects cannot fly too far out to sea in the N64 game, but in Animal Crossing there is no limit.
  • Some of the wallpapers and carpets from Animal Forest were redesigned or removed in Animal Crossing.
  • Some of the clothing from Animal Forest, for example, the N Logo shirt (G Logo in Animal Crossing), are redesigned or removed in Animal Crossing.
  • Two sets of stationery from Animal Forest, the New Year’s Card and the Fortune Paper, are redesigned.
  • The holidays from Animal Forest are either changed or removed in Animal Crossing.
  • Tom Nook wears slightly different uniforms.
  • The Wishing Well from Animal Crossing is a Bell Shrine in Animal Forest. On New Year’s Day, instead of tossing a coin in the fountain, the player shakes the thick rope in the middle and the bells ring.
  • The input keyboard from Animal Crossing is a dial that contains the letters, numbers, and symbols that appear on the screen in Animal Forest.
  • The dial input system in Animal Forest (taken from a fan-translated copy)
  • In Animal Crossing, Gulliver would give the player a rare furniture piece for saving him. In Animal Forest, he gives the player a random furniture piece.
  • In Animal Crossing, three items could be stored in container furniture such as dressers, wardrobes, etc. In Animal Forest, only one item can be stored in those kinds of furniture.
  • In Animal Crossing, a player’s initial home had a wooden box that had a college rule journal on top. In Animal Forest, this is not included, so this means this feature was either not included or both items have to be bought from Nook.
  • In Animal Crossing, the catalog has a section called “Handhelds” where umbrellas, pinwheels, fans, balloons and tools could be ordered. In Animal Forest, this section is called “Umbrellas” and only umbrellas can be ordered from that section. This means pinwheels, fans, balloons, and tools cannot be ordered from the catalog.
  • In Animal Crossing, the player could store multiple airchecks in Stereos, Radios, etc. In Animal Forest, only one aircheck could be stored in them.
  • Buildings such as Tom Nook’s shop, the Post Office, and the Dump have slightly redesigned logos in Animal Crossing.
  • There is no Museum, thus there is no Blathers. The Faraway Museum still exists, and fossils can be sent there for identification.
  • Taking a trip on Animal Forest requires the player have 1 Controller Pak to save travel data on, and two Controller Paks are needed to travel directly. In Animal Crossing, an extra Memory Card is used to save travel data, and the player can travel directly to the other town if 2 Memory Cards with town data are in use at the same time.
  • e-Reader support was added to the Japanese and North American releases of Animal Crossing.
  • Mayor Tortimer was not a character yet, and no gifts could be obtained from him.
  • During the Cherry Blossom Festival, all the villagers sit on mats like the Japanese do.
  • Katrina wore a white headband instead of the normal veil that she wears.
  • Instead of buying stationary as a pack of four, only one piece of paper can be bought at a time.
  • In Animal Crossing, a Money Rock appears for every player in a village each day. In Animal Forest there is only one money rock per town per day, no matter how many people are playing.
  • There was no tropical island and there was no Kapp’n.
  • Villagers were not affected if a player hit them with a net.
  • Blanca does not exist.
  • The live version of DJ K.K. uses a different set of guitar riffs, which were most likely changed due to their similarities with the song “Get Ready for This” by 2 Unlimited.
  • Stella2
  • Stella’s original design.
  • Items looks different when on the ground. Stationery is a paper bag with a leaf on it, clothing are treasure chests, and tools are toolboxes. These aesthetics were later re-used for Animal Crossing: Wild World.
  • Mystery items for sale at Nooks. (early January?)
  • Bluebear’s and Stella’s original designs were also slightly different than now, and their appearances were tweaked to the current design in Dōbutsu no Mori + and Animal Crossing. Some of the other villagers have gone under these tweaks as well.
  • There were no coconuts in Animal Forest.
  • When getting bad fortunes identified by Katrina, slightly different effects happen. This can include tripping and falling half as frequently or less malfunctioning of the friendship of other villagers.

One thing is for sure, I will be using the Expansion Pak to displayed the game in a higher resolution 640×480 from 320×240. I will update you all how it goes along with my progress. Very excited to play this soon.

animal_forest_2

Latest pickups: Sonic Adventure 2 GameCube NTSCJ version

sonicadventure2ntscj

My latest eBay hunt, Sonic Adventure 2 new Japanese version. Sonic Adventure 2 was the last Sonic game on the legendary Sega Dreamcast system. Apart from the exploring section, the game shined and provide that a respected 3D Sonic is possible. The game lets you control the good and the bad side meaning you can try to destroy the world or save it although the ending is one, different story approach is always welcomed.

I already own the 10th anniversary Dreamcast edition so I was original looking for an american version but came across this and since I like the Japanese packaging I figured, what the hell.

sonic2sps

I am hopping that like the original Dreamcast version; this will have an option to switch to English voices and subtitles.


Pre-order The Evil Within $59.95 & FREE Shipping.

Link includes all versions

The new 3DS will still be Region Locked

new_3ds

Not sure if anybody is surprised but it is now confirmed that the new, more powerful 3DS that is coming out in Japan next month will still be region locked. I have hated region lock all my life and used Region free carts on Saturn, Dreamcast and even GameCube for imported games so see where people are coming from. Now Nintendo on the other hand argues that specific region adjustments must be made in order to make the game region friendly. My take is very simple; Let the people decide. If a person wants to buy a Japanese Sonic Adventure 2 for his GameCube like I did, let him do it. It is up to me to decide if I want the Japanese version or wait for an american one.

The argument supporting Region locking is that companies spend allot of cash translating and localizing games and may end up losing money if people started importing then ignoring the local versions. The answer is very simple but requre the developers spend little extra; Make the game with both English and Japanese text as an option and before you start: You are asking too much, this game did it!

Metal_Gear_Solid_The_Twin_Snakes_(JP)

This is 2014, Sony and Microsoft did it so why cant Nintendo? Must they always lag behind? One of the reasons Nintendo is in the position it is, is because they refuse to acknowledge anything but themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nintendo like the next guy but things must change before its too late. Crossing my fingers for a better, region free future in gaming.

New more powerful 3DS is coming this October

3ds

Neoseeker just reported that a new more powerful 3DS with extra Ram and better CPU is coming this October in japan. A new small analog stick is also added on the right above the buttons. With this news comes two important questions; A. Will this be available outside japan? B. Will developers take note of the extra power?

The 3DS is no PC so introducing new, more powerful version will force developers to readjust or configure future game plans. So far Xenoblade Chronicles upgraded version will only work on this and not any other 3DS. I just hope that future games will not be divided between the new and old hardware. Upgrades are always welcomed provided they are done right and to be honest, a 3DS could use some upgrade. Didn’t expect this news at all so lets hope Nintendo brings this outside japan.

Mario Maker will make me get the Wii U

mario maker

Ever since Wii U came out I always wanted one but did not take any serious action toward it. The lack of games as well as the kinda expensive price for a no game system. All aside, I will be getting Wii U as soon as Mario Maker hits the stores. I always dreamed of creating mMarioand sonic levels and now I can, officially. It is now confirmed that players will be able to upload and downloaded levels over the internet and that only adds to “reasons to get”.

mario maker

mario maker

I believe that by now you are convinced but just to be sure let me explain: You can switch between styles and Nintendo promised to bring more as DLCs after the game is out. Creating your own containt is always fun and I always loved making my own stuff since NES. Watching this game very closely.