Pac-Attack

Today Michael Pachter said some stuff about Nintendo. Here are some of my thoughts on his thoughts:

1. Sony lost lots of money over the last few years (sold their headquarters and layed off a ton of people) and Nintendo sold many more units than any other console with the Wii. Same leaders so it seems silly to say that Sony is well run and Nintendo isn't.

2. I kinda agree that Iwata seems a bit out of touch with what consumers want. But their unconventional approach has done really well for them in the past. Even if I'd prefer a more "core" games focus.

3. I don't think it's too late for the Wii U to recover but with their current support it seems unlikely. They would need to do much more, both internally and with third parties.

4. If Wii U doesn't make a pretty strong comeback I think he's right that EA is checked out.

5. Definitely should court 3rd parties. This is a must.

6. I don't think they should make smart phone games. Unless they want to kill off their systems. Right now their properties being exclusive is all that's keeping the Wii U (and to some extent the 3DS) viable.

Ultimately I think Nintendo is in a lot of trouble. The Wii U looks destined to be a dud. I'd like to see them make a 3DS style recovery but they haven't really shown any signs of that being on the horizon. I think price on the Wii U must drop because consumers view it as a technologically inferior device and so they don't view it as a value. It's library also leaves a lot to be desired but that will improve (albeit slowly) over time.

Picking Sides

People are always picking sides and it makes no sense to me. For example the console wars. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all have their good points and their bad. But people choose to ignore their merits and instead side with one team or the other for no apparent reason other than that's the one they bought. Same goes for publishers. Valve is held up as this godly development/publishing studio and EA is villainized. But I think chances are pretty good that most people played a lot more titles by EA than they did by Valve. That's not to say that EA does no wrong, Clearly they do. But Valve isn't without flaws either. All I'm saying is I don't think it's good to take either extreme on a company or "team".

 

I get frustrated with the idea that X game is bad because it was made by Y developer. If that's the case then games like Uncharted would have never been made because that game is made by Naughty Dog and they made Way of the Warrior so it can't be good. Similarly I don't like the idea that giving Spirit Tracks a score like an 8 is stupid because "It's Zelda it must be a 10, you are a Nintendo Hater!"

I'm not saying there aren't trends, but saying "I don't like a game because it's made by a certain publisher or developer" is lame. If you don't like a game, dislike it because it's not fun, not because of which team it's tied to.

On the same note stop telling me how awesome Nintendo is. I get that you like them, I like them too! But can't I say one bad thing about them without people getting upset? If no one says anything then they'll stay the way they are until they no longer exist. I don't want that and neither should you.

Everyone has things that they prefer over others. That's fine. For example I like Mario and do not enjoy Half-Life. But if a Mario game is boring (Dream Team) and a Valve game is fun (Left 4 Dead), then I'm just as happy to say so and you should be too. Brand loyalty is dangerous and ultimately it's bad for the consumer.

In conclusion, Be nice to others and consider how your point of view might be skewed by brand loyalty before you accuse others of it. If we all did that then the gaming world would just be a little bit better.

Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded

I finally got around to playing this game and I'm here to share my thoughts with you fine folks.

  

Things I liked:

New Graphics – The game looks great. It could have used some better animation (or in some cases animation at all) but overall I really like the updated look to bring it closer to Larry 7.

Larry's Voice – Larry was only voiced one other time and luckily they have the same voice actor here which is a treat since I liked him in Larry 7.

Humor – Lots of puns and double entendres here. It's juvenile but also clever at times.

Music – I love the Larry theme and Al Lowe has brought a great horn driven sound to the rest of the game as well.

Faithful Recreation – It is almost 1:1 of the old games layout. So if you love the old game then you should be happy with it sticking so close to the source.

Death Animations – They are still here but instead of forcing you to restart they just take you back to the last screen you were in before you killed yourself. A good compromise I think.

Age Verification – An update of the original age test is here. It's a fun little throwback to the original.

Things I did not like:

Kickstarter Backers in Scenes – It was very distracting and took me totally out of the game. Plus they are all facing the camera the entire time so that you can see their likeness. They also happen to be in the very first room so it's right in your face from the very start.

Narrators Voice – It's not too bad but it's not nearly as good as the one in Love for Sail.

Lip Sync - In the close up conversations it is atrocious. Worse than games from the 90s.

The Puzzles – They can still be obtuse. Many times I knew what I wanted to do but just didn't do it exactly the way they wanted. For example you find some coveralls later in the game and I immediately searched the pockets. It told me there was nothing in them. So I spent ages walking around only to find out (via a walkthrough) that the key is in the pockets but only after you have picked up the apple and the helium. Bear in mind that you do not use those items to get the key you just search the pockets again once you have picked them up and then he magically finds the key. I would never think to look again once it told me nothing was there. That's some bullshit.

Money - Having money in the game discourages exploration and experimentation. It puts a limited resource on how much you can look around. I hated this part in the original and I still do.

Overall it's kind of a mess. Larry 1 isn't the best game to remake and while there are flashes of what made the original series so great, there are also strong reminders of why it left us in the first place.

If the same team was to make a new Larry game I have a feeling it would be great. But this remake of a very time worn classic is just not what I had hoped for.

My Time So Far With The 3DS

I got a 3DS XL over the weekend and I have been playing it quite a bit. Here are my thoughts on what I've played so far.

1. Mario 3D Land – Amazing. Completed the main game in about 5 hours. The "Special Worlds" are very challenging and should keep me coming back to this one. It's like a new Galaxy game in the palm of your hand. Great 3D effects, there's just so much to like about this game. Big thumbs up. If I had one small quibble it would be that the music is nowhere near as good as the stuff in Galaxy but that's a small gripe in an otherwise outstanding game.
   

   
2. Mario Kart 7 – Completed all the tracks on 50cc just to get a feel for the game and about half way through 100cc. I've gotta say this is another winner. I didn't really care for Mario Kart Wii and so I was kinda skeptical about this one but I think this may be the best in the series. Great new tracks and it includes a laundry list of my favorite classic tracks with updated graphics and small layout changes as well. I wish multiplayer wasn't such an expensive option in this game (4 3DSs and 4 Games) otherwise I pretty much love everything about it.
   
   

   
3. New Super Mario Bros 2. - I'd say I've played about 2 hours so far. I'm enjoying it but not as much as 3D Land. I also really hate that it only saves after the castles. The coin collecting gimmick is kinda so-so and the music taken strait from the other “New Mario” games is pretty annoying, but the control is good and the levels (though very same-y) are well made. So far this is my least favorite of the three but I will probably still finish it. It's not bad it's just sort of been there done that.
   
   

   

That's it so far. I have Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing and Mario & Luigi Dream Team still to play. Oh, also Zelda in a few days. Damn this thing has a lot of great games now. Anyway I just wanted to let you guys in on my thoughts on the new handheld. Feel free to post questions and I will do my best to answer them. :)

Gotham Noir

Gotham Noir is a one off comic in a sort of spin off Batman universe with a film noir bent following the exploits of Commissioner Gordon as he attempts to solve a murder. It's an idea that really appeals to me because I love noir in general, so I was excited to read this one. Gotham Noir, however has it's highs and lows. It's only 64 pages and in that time it tries to get a lot done but unfortunately it drags a bit in the middle and then ends suddenly. So the pacing is a bit strange. However I can say that the art is excellent and the dialog is pretty good even if I wish it had a bit more of that old fashioned 20's pulp film language sprinkled in.

While the story does mostly focus on Gordon it also manages to work in Batman and the Joker for good measure. I suppose it almost had to happen to make people want to pick this up but I think I would have preferred Batman as more of a cameo than a full on character role. Regardless the design of both Joker and Batman in this book is awesome and so I enjoyed them even if they felt a bit shoe horned in.

Overall it's solid but not a must read. If you love Noir like me then it may have a bit more appeal but if your just a general Batman fan then I don't think this book has all that much to offer you. It's short, lacks depth and does mostly focus on a frequently drunk Gordon. I wish it had been a mini series because as a one off it's just too short to really hook you before it's already over.