New Game Alert: Gold Can Be Cheap Edition!

This one is another direct result of Steam's current summer sale: Sacred Gold for the Personal Computer. I love dungeon crawler role playing games and the price for it is incredibly cheap too. At first, I was a bit nervous that this game may end up looking rather horrendous since it was first released in 2005. Thankfully everything looks nice unless you zoom in too close to your 3D character where all of the 2D backdrops become nothing more than a cluuter of messy pixels. This "Gold" release contains both the original game and the expansion. The sequel may be a lot more attractive but I am beginning to like this one a little more because it's easier to see where you are going without having to custom-tweak the camera angle and view distance.

Fresh off the tutorial and looking for the next quest!

Game Room Fridge: Necessity or Overkill?

There is nothing worse than experiencing a sudden hunger and thirst while you are playing a video game because that means a timely interruption to your gaming session. Unless of course you are able to order someone else around the house to grab you a quick snack or a glass of ice cold water. I have decided to place a compact refrigerator into my Game Room and stock it with goodies so that I don't have to run all the way down the stairs every so often - even though I consider that to be a good form of exercise. The fridge has been sitting in the garage for a while and at first, I thought of placing it in the bedroom but that may promote unhealthy eating behavior. The only problematic thing about it is its size: it's still somewhat large for the room and due to the room's current arrangements, it can be a bit of an eye sore. There is no electrical outlet in the room's large closet so this will have to do for now. If I find myself not using it that often, I would have it removed from the room soon enough.

That should last for a while, don't you think?

PlayStation Firmware v3.40 Update

I installed firmware v3.40 for the PlayStation 3 last night and I don't see what the excitement is all about. You can now publish photos and videos to select social network sites straight from your photo application and the new video editor tool from the Xross Media Bar. This is probably nice for someone who doesn't have a Personal Computer but that simple video editing tool is not going to replace what I already use on the PC right now. What is disappointing is that there is still no application that allows the PS3 to record gameplay footage and capture screenshots from anything played on the system so the data must come from outside sources or from the select number of games with the capture abilities. If all of the PS3's games have that capability, then I would be excited about the system's built-in editing and uploading options. The PlayStation Plus subscription service has also arrived and so far, 2 people on my friend's list have paid for it. I will have to check with them on a continual basis to see if they enjoy what it has to offer them. I personally think that it is a waste of money and it creates an unnecessary divide in the PlayStation community. To learn more about the new firmware, click here.

Well, why can't I just capture videos from all of my PS3 games?

Random Game of the Day

Final Fantasy X-2 (2003)

Developer: Square Enix Co., Ltd.

Platform: PlayStation 2

Induction Date: 11/21/2003

Rikku's reaction to all the haters of the game.

I really don't understand why a lot of people do not like this game. Usually, anything that carries that Final Fantasy title would be a sure fire hit but this one got a bit of a mixed response from fans of the series. Perhaps it's the all-girl cast and the strongly feminine atmosphere. Perhaps Square shouldn't have attempted in creating a true sequel to one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made. I personally think that this game is magnificent and I am glad that it was not merely a spin-off. Sure, the story can get a bit saccharine but there's a dark undertone to it - this is, mind you, a young woman's journey to redefine herself after she was relieved of her duty as someone responsible to stop the destruction of the world. It is a personal quest - though it did end up being unnecessarily epic eventually - to heal her feelings of lost love, a transcendence of painful emotion into strength and understanding. It's one of the most refreshing tales in the entire series and I absolutely love finding out what happened to the characters and locations from the first game after the world was saved - no, I won't get into the Wakka-Lulu discussion: the jocks always get the girls, end of story. The battle system is a lot of fun where you can change your character's job classes on the fly, complete with optional transformation sequences and seeing the characters in different outfits is satisfying since Japanese role playing game characters are usually stuck with one look for the entire game. It is great that there are only 3 playable characters in the game too - you don't have to worry about switching up between characters to level grind them all. If you have never given this game a chance, you are missing out on a fun and flirty RPG action that still carries that distinct level of polish usually found in a true Final Fantasy game. Oh just admit it, the Yuna song at the beginning of the game is catchy! Well, at least the Japanese version of the song.

LIBRARY STATUS: 5 out of 5

Games Played 06/21/2010 - 06/27/2010

- 06/21/2010 -
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - NDS
League of Legends - PC
OutRun Arcade Demo - X-Box 360
Persona 4 - PlayStation 2
Torchlight - PC

- 06/22/2010 -
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - NDS
League of Legends - PC

- 06/23/2010 -
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project Demo - X-Box 360*
League of Legends - PC

*I was initially excited about this because it's a 2D shooter with 3D graphics.
Then came the sluggish gameplay coupled by the horrible frame rate. Avoid it!

- 06/24/2010 -
Crackdown II Demo - X-Box 360
Final Fantasy XII - PlayStation 2
League of Legends - PC
RISK: Factions Demo - X-Box 360*
Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love - PlayStation 2
Torchlight - PC
Trine - PC

*I have never played the board game but I like this a lot.
The cartoon-ish presentation is inviting and the game is addictive.

- 06/25/2010 -
Blur - PC
Castle Crashers - X-Box 360
League of Legends - PC
Torchlight - PC

- 06/26/2010 -
League of Legends - PC
Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype - PlayStation 3
Torchlight - PC

- 06/27/2010 -
League of Legends - PC
Rocket Knight - PC
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor - Wii
Zeno Clash - PC

New Game Alert: No Hard Feelings Edition!

The other game that I got today is Zeno Clash for the Personal Computer, a first person action adventure set in a really offbeat fantasy world. Though this PC version has less feature compared to the recent X-Box 360 release - most notably, the missing co-op mode - the graphics is much superior and developer ACE Team did claim that they eventually update the PC version with the new contents found on the 360. Steam is having a summer sale (I missed the first couple of days of it because I haven't logged on to my Steam client in a while) and I snatched up Zeno Clash for only $3.75! The only thing about this game is that it doesn't support the 360 controller even after its debut on the 360. I sure hope that they will add that in when they finally patched up the game with the missing new contents.

Bird-like creatures, tribal overtone, bad hair, horny women... You can find them all in Zeno Clash.

The L.G. Loves Promotion Booklets

When I went to the electronic store today, I picked up couple of promotion booklets that were up for grabs. I don't see them often these days anymore but we can always count on Nintendo to continue printing up these things, even in this era of the Internet and email marketing. The one thing that always impresses me about these booklets is that they are very well made and must cost a pretty penny to make, with their glossy finish and full-colored prints. I do enjoy them dearly and I have accumulated quite a number of them over the years... Which reminds me: I don't think I have seen them after the move - I surely hope that I didn't have them misplaced.

You got to give Nintendo credit for trying to make everyone a video gamer.
I only wished that it worked for my significant other.

Akira Toriyama's incredible artwork bursting out of every single page!

New Game Alert: A Successful Successor Edition!

I got two new games today but I feel the need to separate the announcements because this particular game that I am about to discuss deserves its own exclusive spotlight - ladies and gentlemen, I am talking about Treasure's Sin & Punishment: Star Successor for the Nintendo Wii. It is a rail shooter that sometimes play as a side-scroller. I have played through the first 2 stages and half of stage 3 and I must say the game has improved upon the things that made the first game literally a little bit sinful and punishing: the odd pacing and most importantly, the controls. Though I can't comment on the game's overall pace conclusively (it's good so far), using the Wii-mote to pin-point the target on screen is a breeze and Treasure has truly worked their magic to make the control precise, responsive, and flawless. Since the original did not get released in North America when it first came out - it is now on the Virtual Console - it is great to see Nintendo actually publishing this game themselves here. They should be happy to have done so because this game is a great example of how the Wii-Mote (and later, the PlayStation Move - Sorry Kinect, not you) can be properly utilized for real gaming.

The only sinful thing here is that Treasure doesn't release games often enough.

The LOL in LoL

The more I play League of Legends on the Personal Computer, the more addicted I am to the game and the more I play it, more and more "interesting" user names keep showing up in the matches. I am going to start listing down these names and featuring them here. Bear in mind that I am not criticizing the players' skills and performance playing the game - I am just taking the opportunity to "honor" these players for thinking outside of the box and taking huge risks in being, uh, creative?

Because sweet and sour just wouldn't cut it.

Better check for lumps.

L.G. vs. Summer Heat II: Receiver Fever

The minimal usage of the air conditioner in the summer time may be unthinkable to many but it's something that I have been doing for a long time. Between me and my significant other, we would only turn the AC on when the temperature is deathly unbearable. The temperature isn't bad at all this past week, unless you just happen to sit in my Game Room. It's always hot in there because of one thing - my Onkyo receiver. I love my TX-SR674 but it generates heat as if it was a radiator. When I was living in the old apartment, I didn't use the receiver too much due to the noise level - oh how much I don't miss limiting my aural pleasure- so the heat never get to accumulate this badly before and I would use my Sony MDR-DS3000 wireless digital headphones for the most part. I haven't hooked up that device ever since I moved in to this house because I don't need to worry about sensitive neighbors when I'm gaming.

It provides a great surround sound experience and it doubles as a competent heater!

To help manage the heat though, I have the system hooked up to my entertainment system again. Though I don't plan to use it exclusively throughout the summer, reducing the usage of the receiver should make the temperature a lot cooler inside the Game Room since I do spend most of my time there (where else?) while I am home. The great thing about the MDR-DS3000 is that it is able to decode Dobly Digital and DTS signals and simulate the surround sound effectively - sometimes with better detail than my actual 6.1 setup. The console communicates with the wireless headphones via infra-red but it doesn't interfere with the Nintendo Wii. The Pro-Logic II processing on it is not that great though unfortunately but if you are looking for a great digital surround headset, I highly recommend this unit.

I still have to figure out where to properly place it.

I also have an extra pair of the headphones but I don't think I'll ever use that again - it was really for my significant other to use during our many late night movie sessions in the old apartment: we both like our movies really, really loud. I won't be hooking everything up to the wireless sound system because of the limited connectivity and because that would be just plain silly, but anything to be somewhat savvy environmentally while saving up on energy cost.

Gaming with those headphones on is as comfortable as it looks.

New... Hair Alert?

I have only kept my hair very long twice in my life and though I preferred the long haired look, the maintenance part can become a chore. If you never kept your hair long before, you just don't know how much work is involved in getting it to look nice and feel clean. So, I finally decided to have my hair chopped off today. I haven't done so in 2+ years. The summer heat definitely felt more bearable as soon as all that hair was gone. The last time I lost my long hair, I shaved my entire head bald! This time around though, I still kept some hair on my head. I am missing my long hair already but it's not like I can't grow it back - though that will take a period of a couple of years!

Before.


After.


That's a lot of hair.

Is Your Profile Name Important?

I have seen many strange user profile names while video gaming online. Perhaps a bit too many. It's not a phenomenon specific to video gaming either - there are talented individuals out there who just love coming up with odd (creative?) names for their email accounts and their social networking pages. Well, perhaps they are odd and strange only to me but not so much to others. Unique is maybe the more proper word to describe them? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they always say, so who am I to judge them? I think for the most part, people just like to have fun with their naming conventions while trying to portray a sort of coolness to their online persona. Every now and then though, we will always come across names that are just so profoundly devastating that it makes us wonder about those individuals' state of mental degradation:

Since it's free to make an account for League of Legends, people are not
holding back when it comes to generating memorable names for themselves.

Death Around the Corner

If you are one of those shoot-'em-up fanatics who have been dying to play Deathsmiles on the X-Box 360, you know that the closer you get to the release date of June 29th, the worse the anticipation becomes. My copy of the game is probably going to arrive a couple of days after that date which doesn't help the situation at all. I just discovered that Aksys Games had recently created an official webpage for the game and it is loaded with goodies like the game's storyline, character bios, and several new gameplay videos. But the most exciting piece of information I found on the site was this:

That's a first for a Cave game I think...
I believe that it wasn't even available on the Japanese version.

Wow. Online-Cop-op. I know most shooters don't include this feature because even a slight lag in these titles will ruin one's ability to precisely play these kind of games but I think that the feature should always be included because there will always be people who would be able to take advantage of it. Aksys Games did a great job with the website - it looks pretty and fun despite all the depressing talk about death that surrounds the game's universe. Hopefully, it will attract those who normally don't play "bullet hell" shmup because the title deserves to be successful at retail. I can't wait for them to announce more Cave games to be released domestically here in North America soon!

Death is only the beginning for these doomed girls.

Games Played 06/14/2010 - 06/20/2010

- 06/14/2010 -
.hack//Infection - PlayStation 2
Culdcept - PlayStation 2
League of Legends - PC
Persona 4 - PlayStation 2

- 06/15/2010 -
Culdcept - PlayStation 2
Dissidia Final Fantasy - PSP
League of Legends - PC

- 06/16/2010 -
GundeadliGne -PlayStation 3
Gundemonium Recollection - PlayStation 3
Hitoga Happa - PlayStation 3
League of Legends - PC

- 06/17/2010 -
Culdcept - PlayStation 2
Gundemonium Recollection - PlayStation 3
League of Legends - PC
Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers Demo - PC

- 06/18/2010 -
Culdcept - PlayStation 2
Dissidia Final Fantasy - PSP
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - NDS
League of Legends - PC
Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers Demo - PC/X-Box 360
Super Street Fighter IV - X-Box 360
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 1989 Arcade Classic - X-Box 360

- 06/19/2010 -
Culdcept - PlayStation 2
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - NDS
League of Legends - PC
Persona 4 - PlayStation 2
Super Street Fighter IV - X-Box 360
Undisclosed MMO Beta - PC

- 06/20/2010 -
League of Legends - PC
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast - PlayStation 2
Persona 4 - PlayStation 2
Super Street Fighter IV - X-Box 360

DisKinected

I don't remember the hearing any announcement made during this year's E3 conference in regards to the price of Microsoft's upcoming motion control camera, Kinect. So when I saw much much it is going to cost to get one this November, I was just flabbergasted.

Really, Microsoft?

So you are paying $150 for what is basically a slightly fancier EyeToy. If you add $50 more on top of that, you can get yourself a Nintendo Wii that has a more precise and responsive motion controller setup. This device is definitely overpriced and I will probably not going to be an early Kinect adopter. Sony's Move controller is going to be expensive as well - both Microsoft and Sony need to learn from Nintendo when it comes to proper pricing, especially since they went copycat on what used to be something that belongs exclusively to Nintendo.

A League of Legends Addiction

Over the past several days, I have been playing a lot of League of Legends and because I am really enjoying the game a lot, I have put aside my desire to purchase Heroes of Newerth... for now! I have never played the game this intensely before and for something that is absolutely free to play, its high replay value is just incredible. Since the beta phase, I always thought that LoL looked terrible compared to HoN - in actuality, the difference is not necessarily the technology, but the artistic style. LoL has a cartoonish World of Warcraft look to it while HoN carries a darker, more mature presentation. After spending more time on LoL, I am beginning to appreciate its visual aesthetics more and more. Then, there are the character artwork - I used to hate them but now, I think that they don't look that bad at all. I can definitely see how Riot Games is able to make their money with this game because some of the alternate looks for the characters are just so crazy and over the top that if you really, really love a champion, you don't have a choice but to buy them - and you can only do so with real cash versus the Influence Points that you can easily accumulate by playing the game.

The alternate skins go from mere color swaps to utter ridiculousness.
Dr. Mundo is a gym rat? That's where he got that buff body from I suppose.

Do I have a favorite character, you ask? Well, I used to play the undead mage Karthus a lot but I have moved on to more of the tank champions these days. I really do enjoy Sion, a murderous decapitated warrior who was reanimated to fight again but I also like Singed, an alchemist who carries a large bottle of poison on his back. Recently though, I am beginning to love Dr. Mundo, a madman who likes to perform cruel experiments on living things. Yeah, I am really digging the back stories of the game's champions and I like how some of them are closely tied to each other's past. There are a lot of thoughts and creativity was involved in the champions' histories. By the way, here's a screenshot of Sion and his disturbing discovery of Evelynn's dead corpse:

Is she really dead? Creepy.

If you have a decent Personal Computer - it doesn't take much to run this game - and you are ready for some fun multiplayer battle arena action, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free account by clicking here!

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Two Platforms

As you have probably gathered from my crazy obsession with Culdcept, I have always been interested in Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers that was released on the X-Box 360 last year. I would have already gotten the game if not for its utter lack of deck customizations. I think it's a bit of a foolish design but I understand that if that feature and all of the cards were made available in the game, they may lose out on the physical trading card business. Planeswalkers was just recently released on Steam so I thought I would give the demo another go. I still don't like the idea that I cannot customize my deck but I just cannot help but love the beautiful cards and the sleek presentation of the classic Magic the Gathering gameplay. Planeswalkers definitely looks a bit sharper on the PC than the 360 and this version has a tremendously faster loading time. While I was doing the comparison between the two, I noticed that now, the 360 version is being sold for only 400 Microsoft Points (that's $5 for human beings). I think I would have gotten the Steam version if not for that surprising finding. Then, I almost decided on getting the 360 version because of the price but I think that may not be the wisest decision because of the performance difference. I think I may have to wait until the PC version drops in price before getting the game.

It takes a lot of work to become a Goblin King.

A Surprise Sequel

An unexpected pairing.

It looks like Frozenbyte got a friend in Atlus - it should be easier for them to gain both exposure and monumental profit now. The two are working together to release Trine 2 next year. It is still unclear which platform(s) the game will be available for because the promo generically states that it will be available for digital download - so I am assuming that this would include the normal digital distribution on the Personal Computer as well as the PlayStation Network Store and the X-Box Live Markeplace. Judging from the official trailer, the game still carries the same gorgeous 3D visuals with 2D gameplay from the original. The best feature for this sequel however is the ability to finally play the game in online co-op mode! I look forward to the game's release but I do hope that they are not going to use the recycled character models from the first game in the final product.

That's one wicked looking dragon. Oh heck yeah!

New Games Alert: Triple Pandemonium Edition!

I downloaded Gundemonium Collection today from the PlayStation Network on the PlayStation 3 and this bundle contains three surprisingly addictive shooters from developer Platine Depositif. At first, I was going to order the Personal Computer version of the game because it contains an art book and a soundtrack CD. Then, I found out that the PS3 version is $5 cheaper and with the support of the Sony Online Entertainment division (a shocker since I have heard many times before from my sources in Japan that Sony doesn't like having 2D shooters on the console), these games have online leaderboards! Better still, you can take screenshots of the game and upload your replays to YouTube! The games are: Gundemonium Recollection and its sequel GundeadliGne - both are side scrolling shooters with big, bold sprites. Even though your character is enormous compared to other shooters, the enemies must shoot one of their gigantic shots right into a small area on your chest to kill you. The third game is called Hitogata Happa, a top down shooter with a really complex and maddening (so far anyway) mechanics where you have to get really close to your enemies to slow down their bullets. Your character can also slam straight into the enemies to execute a powerful bomb attack once charged up but doing so will cost you 1 life. It's really strange but I am certainly intrigued. Each and every one of these games are bullet-hell shooters though so approach with caution if you don't like avoiding maniacal bullet patterns 99% of the time. If you are not interested in all 3 games, you can also choose to get them separately and just in case you were wondering, they all have their own unique sets of trophies. The images below were taken using the in-game screenshot tool.

Gundemonium Recollection


GundeadliGne


Hitoga Happa

E3 2010: Thoughts on Sony Conference

Sony is a bit unfocused this year.

Sony tried to accomplish two major goals at the beginning of this year's conference: a) Convince people to buy the whole "Native 3D" thing, and b) believe in the PlayStation Move. They were only successful in one of those key points. So the PlayStation 3 have games that are made specifically to take advantage of high definition 3D - like the incredible looking Killzone 3 - but how is that accomplished really? With special glasses made specifically for the PlayStation 3? Will it need one of those newer native 120Hz televisions and their expensive 3D glasses? Can the PlayStation 3 emulate 3D for all of the titles on the consoles in the future? There were just too many questions unanswered for the point to be successfully carried across. [Update Note - 5:05pm: Super Stardust HD is one of the games that have been recently updated with the ability to play them in 3D and since I do have that game, I installed the patch and went into menu screen to look for a toggle to enable/disable 3D but it wasn't there. So I am assuming that if the PS3 recognizes that a display is 3D-ready then it would kick in the stereoscopic image? This is confusing.]

The live audience gets to wear 3D glasses and watch 3D demos on the big screen.


Uh, the inclusion of those 3D glasses as a PlayStation 3 family member is misleading.

As for the PlayStation Move, I was already sold when it was first announced. Sony stressed out that the new controller is all about precision and... "buttons!" - something that is sorely missing in Microsoft's Kinect - and I am in total agreement with them. The demonstration of "Sorcery" was incredible where you can freely control your character's movement using the "Navigation Controller" while doing a lot of fun motion movements with the wand easily to execute a variety of magic attacks: something that cannot be done by Kinect. The PlayStation Move is also more advanced compared to the Motion Plus because of its PlayStation Eye implementation. I was so excited about the whole thing but unfortunately the price point is a bit steep: The two separate components of the Move experience - the wand and the Navigation Controller - are sold separately starting this September 19th in North America at $49.99 and $29.99 respectively. Since some games use a double wand setup, that means at a minimum, one must spend about $130.00 to be fully prepared and equipped. Ouch!

I like how the orb on the Move changes color to indicate that a spell is fully charged.

----- High Points -----


The new Mortal Kombat looks very promising.


Kevin Butler wanted everyone to know that casual gamers are gamers too.
The thing is though, Sony's casual games look a lot more fun to play because
of the brilliant PlayStation Move implementation and camera tricks.


Sony has created an exact replica of their E3 showroom in PlayStation Home!
What a great use of that ever forgotten piece of free software on the PS3.


Metal Black is back for the PS3. The graphics need more work though.
And oh, Metal Gear Solid: Rising will be released on the PS3 too!

----- Low Points -----

A Bad Step:

How about you guys step it up by giving us that UMD installer for PSP Go?

The "Step Up" campaign for the PlayStation Portable seems rather desperate. Basically, Kevin Butler now has a side kick, a smart-aleck kid who think he's real gangster and cool but the whole concept was just not funny to me, just confusing and slightly offensive. With the 3DS arriving soon, I am afraid that PSP's death may just be right around the corner. God of War: Ghost of Sparta will not be enough - the system requires more quality titles to survive.

Elevate Sony's Revenue:

One step forward, twenty steps back for the PlayStation Network.

Starting later this month, PS3 users can subscribe to the PlayStation Plus program for $49.99 a year and receive free games, exclusive contents, and advance demo access. If you listen carefully to the this part of the briefing, you will learn that you only get to keep all the goodies when you are subscribed to the PlayStation Plus. Thankfully, online play for PS3 games will still remain free without the need to subscribe to this stupid service.

LASTING IMPRESSION: 2 out of 5

E3 2010: Thoughts on Nintendo Conference

The ever lovable, freakishly geeky Shigeru Miyamoto loves playing Link.

Nintendo had a terrific showing this year, thanks to the exciting line-up of games and the debut of the eagerly anticipated Nintendo 3DS system - oh my galaxy I so want one. This show is really about this promising new handheld system. It looks like a Nintendo DSi but with a widescreen 3D display (without glasses yeah!) on top and two cameras that can take 3D pictures on the outer flap. Better still, the 3D depth can be customized and even turned off easily! The graphical power of the handheld is now closer to what could be accomplished on the Nintendo Wii based on the beautiful footage of the upcoming Kid Icarus: Uprising. The 3DS is also equipped with an analogue stick! A second analogue stick could have been implemented into its design and I see this as a missed opportunity. It's impossible to show off the 3D effect via the video stream so the only way to experience it is to actually see the real thing in front of you... Which is a bummer because no release date announcement was made during the show, which means that the 3DS will probably be available in stores sometime next year.

Yeah it's great but how much will it cost? When will it be released?


Kid Icarus: Uprising is a Nintendo 3DS exclusive title.

I would be so happy to just see the 3DS reveal on this show but as a bonus, there are many other reasons to love Nintendo even more:

Donkey Kong Country Returns - Wii
Oh yes! We want more 2D games with 3D graphics like this one!


Mario Sports Mix - Wii
I always like Mario's sports games so this is a must for me,
especially with the variety of different types of sports included in the game.


Kirby's Epic Yarn - WiiJust wow! Very stylish graphics where everything is made of yarn.
This really reminds me of Yoshi's Story on the Nintendo 64!

I must say that Nintendo could have easily pulled off a perfect show if not for these disappointing blunders:

Miyamoto's Zelda Struggle:

But everything went perfectly during the practice run!

I love my Miyamoto like Mario loves his Princess Peach but what the heck happened here? The announcement for the new Zelda for the Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword should have been legendary but instead, it was sloppy and dull. The game will be using the Motion Plus so that players can orient Link's sword and shield accurately. During the presentation, Miyamoto just couldn't get the controls right and then tried blaming it on on the audience's wireless devices interfering with the motion controls. I don't know about this one - all that constant sword allignment and shield orientation maybe a bit too much work for a Zelda game. You are scaring me Miyamoto... First Wii Music, now a potentially bad Zelda game?

Epic Mickey Not So Epic:

The only epic part of this game...

I thought that Disney's upcoming Epic Mickey was a pure platformer. Instead, it tries to combine the "spray" mechanics from Super Mario Sunshine on the Nintendo GameCube with some role playing game mumbo jumbo and a little bit of platforming. During the bulk of the demo, you see Mickey navigating a full 3D world. It was dark and boring until we get to the "Steamboat Willie" section that showcases brilliant graphics and precise platforming. It was a bit too little too late there for me.

Golden Eye or Blind Eye?:

Nintendo is so excited about this title that they allow Activision to produce it!

The new Golden Eye for the Nintendo Wii looks terrible with really, really bad textures and blocky polygons. I don't know why the audience was cheering about this one - I understand that a lot of people love the original on the Nintendo 64 but that game was made by Rare! The same case could be presented about the new Donkey Kong Country: Returns but at least Returns is being developed by the brilliant people at Retro Studios who was responsible for the excellent modern classic: the Metroid Prime Trilogy!

LASTING IMPRESSION: 4 out of 5