It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since the North American release of the 3DS. I could go on and retouch on the history of the device, the initial drought of games, the price drop, etc., but that’s all be covered before.

What I would like to focus on is Year 1 to Year 2, the changes that have come with the 3DS, and my overall thoughts on the system.

Everyone has their own ideas and opinions on how one of their favorite companies should be run. Whether it’s games released, critiques on decisions made, or just an overall attitude. It’s part of being a fan (or fanboy). For me, the 3DS represents everything I love about Nintendo the company. There’s a real sense of fun around the system that I felt the Wii was lacking. The Wii’s attitude was to tell you have much fun you are having and the numerous smiles it will put on your face. You can’t tell someone how to be happy. You have to find ways to make it happen.

The 3DS focuses on a few things that create those happy smiles: The resurrection of beloved titles Read the rest of this entry

I finally caved and got New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS a few weeks back. I had so many other games on my plate that this game took a backseat, which is surprising because I’m usually right on board for a Mario game. Especially a 2D one.

But there’s something… hard to describe in regards to my feelings on the New Super Mario Bros. series. I liked the DS one as “old was new” and it was the first real Mario side-scroller since Super Mario World.

The Wii one was alright, and I’ll admit I was excited for the novelty of four players at once, though I REALLY wanted this for the character selection:

Nintendo makes a fortune off of nostalgia and “tried and true”. I’ll never understand the yellow and blue Toad thing.

And the Wii U game is certainly very colorful and pretty, but since the initial “wow” factor of the original game, and ultimately culminating with the 3DS title, I’ve reached one conclusion:

The New Super Mario Bros. series are my least favorite adventures of the famed Italian plumber.

Don’t get me wrong: The game is fun, and it plays heavily off of Super Mario Bros. 3 nostalgia Read the rest of this entry

After a brief hiatus from my 3DS and gaming at large, I decided to pick up my portable console once more.

To be honest, the eShop has been a little hit and miss more me of late. The great rush of 3D exclusive and original games that hit the system a year or so back seemed to be replaced with simultaneous releases of retail dominated titles that could be bought in the store or downloaded, and the Virtual Console seemed to be more NES driven than any other platform. Where was the Pinball FX DLC, or even clever titles like VVVVVV or Mighty Switch Force? For all I know, they were there, but just buried under the lack of any discernible search engine the eShop still lacks.

Grousing aside, I got turned on to Gunman Clive via Swapnote conversations. Being out of the loop, I hadn’t paid attention. And being only two dollars, I was skeptical. Most good eShop titles usually run $6-10, and I didn’t want some cheap cash-in. So I watched the video.

And was hooked from then on.

Gunman Clive, as some have noted, feels very much like a Mega Man title, minus some of Read the rest of this entry

2012 has been the year of sequels that I thought would never happen.

First Kid Icarus: Uprising, and now, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, which is a direct sequel to Sega’s Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. While Kid Icarus was a whole new experience, Epic Mickey stays very much true to its 2D side-scrolling roots, with a bit of its modern namesake thrown in.

The nods to the original games are strong: The jumping/bonking sound effects, the little mushroom enemies, certain animations, the cheery music from the original game’s first level…. The developers were fans of the 1990 classic, and it shows. This game took me back to a much younger age, happy with my Genesis.

That’s not to say that it plays exactly like Castle of Illusion. There’s some Epic Mickey influence as well, most notably the magical paintbrush with its ability to create and destroy the environment. It’s not as heavy as in the console Epic Mickey games, but what it does is clever and well used. But basic drawing talent is needed in order to make properly functioning items. At least there’s no time limit or enemies attacking you while you’re trying Read the rest of this entry

Seriously. I am.

I know it’s been a long time since my last post. Believe me, I’m as surprised as you are that it took so long, but I feel it’s only fair to say what’s been going on.

I got busy.

And not just any standard issue busy. The sort of busy that you look up and realize that two months of your life have just up and disappeared. It’s been hustling for gigs, a change in job, a ton of requests from nearly as many people, some of my ideas for the site didn’t come through, and it just added up to the point where I barely had any time for myself, much less updating my content here. And let me tell you: My time away from here was apparently an open invite to blog spammers to dump their garbage in my comments section. 362 deleted messages later, and I’ve finally shooed those buzzards away.

But enough about me. The good news is that I have been doing a little bit of gaming, which means more reviews and content. I’ve been watching the new Tron Uprising series (which if you aren’t watching, you need to Read the rest of this entry

It’s an unusual title to be sure, but bear with with me.

I’ve long publicized my love for Epic Mickey, the Wii exclusive Mickey Mouse title from designer Warren Spector. Sure, it was pretty exciting in that it not only brought back Mickey Mouse as a video gaming hero (Anyone with a NES or Genesis can understand why that was such a big deal), but it fed into my love of Disney history.

Epic Mickey 2, now a multi-console title, looks to be great. Fully voiced characters, more Disney lore, and a musical, of all things. It sounds pretty exciting, and my faith is tested on which version to get, as Junction Point is still making the Wii version the lead SKU.

And then the 3DS version titled Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion was announced.

But I’m getting ahead of myself now. For you see, my title actually does have a point. Scrooge McDuck has both faced the Phantom Blot and heard of the Wasteland very recently, thanks to Warren Spector’s run on the DuckTales comic. This particular menace was faced by not only Scrooge, but also Darkwing Duck and related cast teamed up with Duckburg’s finest Read the rest of this entry