SomeBitTripFan

It seems decent, but certainly incomplete. I'm happy y'all shared this with me, but there was no reason to compare this to Smash. I honestly have no idea why that comparison was made.

I'm glad to see Nintendo doing this. Now they just need to keep left handed gamers in mind.

Eh, that's just one less map than TF2 had at launch, but I don't know how similar each map will be (the launch maps of TF2 spanned 4 different game modes, and some are massive, multi-staged, etc) but if they are unique enough, I'm sure they'll be fine for a few weeks. Nintendo will need to get that content out quickly and consistently, but they aren't charging for it, so I'm not going to complain.

I can understand why most of these games are here, other than a handful that I have very limited knowledge about (both the game itself and the genre it represents). Eventually I hope that just about every one of these games makes it into the Hall of Fame at some point. We need to remember that this Hall of Fame, at least to my understanding, isn't (or shouldn't) be choosing games purely on popularity, nor on the absolute first game to do X or get X right. This is meant to display influential games, consoles, etc. I doubt there will be any mention of the Microvision, the first handheld to use interchangeable cartridges, releasing almost a decade before the Game Boy, simply because the Game Boy popularized this idea (and the idea of portable game consoles in general). Heck, Pong isn't even original, it was a copy of the Magnavox Odyssey's Table Tennis/Ping-Pong game, but Pong became the popular one (and popularized the arcade game format/video games in general). Popularity is vital for a game to be influential, it has to be the game that widely introduced an idea. This isn't meant to be a video game history museum, but a collection of the important/impactful ones. [End Mini-Rant]

I'll be rooting for Pong for this year, due to its importance in popularizing video games (and not being the first video game) in general. I feel like it's a massive oversight to not have Wii Sports on this list though.

@Lz: $40 for an abundance of half-baked content and the remaining one third of the content costing $13 more than what you paid for the other two thirds. Drop the total price of the DLC into the ~$20 territory to get it all, and I wouldn't be too bothered by the DLC, excluding the Pay-to-Win content.

@TheKingofTown: It's an article that serves little more purpose than to bash an iOS parody/joke game. It's barely informative, except for bringing attention to the game. It's a meaningless article added to this site (currently swamped in computer-lagging video ads) that's mean to get reader's attention.

I'm planning to get Black, but I'm holding off on getting the game until I have confirmation that it's good and that there aren't any terrible DLC practices. I'm extremely concerned about this game and if it's anything near what Awakening was (both gameplay and business model-wise), then Fire Emblem is dead to me.

I got a nice chuckle from this one. Thanks for showing me this. Oh, and nice clickbait, NL.

I get the feeling that the game was designed for an Xbox controller, that would explain the button placement. It is weird that the colors follow the European SNES controller though, not the Xbox. It could also be that he was making sure she was paying attention to what she was doing, so she didn't accidentally choose "Yes". I can't say for sure.

It's great to see a game that is mean to be completely personal. You never see anything like this, but it's a good display of what games can be. And congratulations to the couple, I wish them a happy marriage.

Aim assist confirmed. You can see the crosshair snap pretty clearly in that video...

The thing the bothers me is how the cinematography basically throws the downgrades in your face. Why would you ever make that foot shot is the floor has that low of a texture. I'm sure from a normal perspective in game, everything will look fine, but what made many of those shots so good (the Doll activating and walking off) are gone, and your left with a longer-than-necessary cutscene of someone walking, no diversions. The scene inside the Doll was particularly rough to see, looks like fullbright.

@MoonKnight7: I understand your point, but you are missing a key element. In some regards, as selfish as it is, I'd rather see Fire Emblem die off than it continue along a path comparable to Awakening, just as some shambling corpse, possessed by a different spirit. If every following Fire Emblem game is designed to be like Awakening, since that's what will sell, then the series is already dead. If you don't understand what I'm trying to portray, think of the difference between the N64 Banjo-Kazooie games, then Nuts & Bolts. That's a more exaggerated example, a complete shift in genre, but expresses this idea clearly. I would rather see something completely die, be sad at its death, and move on, rather than watch it personally die to me, but hope that it might spring back to life with every subsequent entry. Treat the following as an expression of an idea, not an equivocation. In no way are the two equivalent. Watching every following Fire Emblem be comparable to Awakening is like watching a relative die from Alzheimer's. Despite being alive, the person is no longer the same person you knew. In a way, you accept that that person is gone, but every time that you see some kind of glimmer of their past self, there's this spark of hope. Maybe, despite all odds, they are getting better; maybe, tomorrow, a cure will be discovered. It doesn't happen. The cycle continues, maybe for days, or years, but has a conclusion. With Fire Emblem, an idea, it does not reach a conclusion. Ideas can rise up from the dead. So I ask, would you rather see something you love die, while still fully intact, fully dignified, or atrophy away, living on, but a mere shell of the figure in your memory?

@FireEmblem: So, I am unable to express my opinion? Even the biggest idiot can state his or her opinion, well founded or not, and I will not ever tell him or her to shut up. My opinion is well founded; my rights allow for the expression of my opinion, both in my country and yours (http://www.denederlandsegrondwet.nl/9353000/1/j9vvihlf299q0sr/vgrnbj1z0qzw); and I have clearly indicated that I was is my opinion. If you want to try to prove to others why my opinion is wrong, feel free to, but indirectly telling me to simply "shut up" is not going to support your argument or convince anyone of anything.

@ Everyone: This is not directed to any user in particular. This is a general qualification for my opinion of Fire Emblem: Awakening. I do not hate Fire Emblem: Awakening. The game does concern me however. In many regards, it is, to me, an abandonment of many core elements of the design of previous games. My assumption is that this was to appeal to a broader audience, since the series was going to potentially end. My fear is that the series will continue to do this. There is speculation that the game That is my reason for concern. I'll also be honest, I'm still bitter about the game. I bought it expecting the best Fire Emblem game yet. They presented the game as the Fire Emblem that would have everything I could want from a Fire Emblem game. Branching Promotions, Pair Up, Marriage, the ability to make a team out of previous game's characters, etc. The game genuinely seemed like the ultimate game in the series, a culmination of the entire series' past. The game did not meet these expectations. It may have been that the game was rushed, there is speculation and discussion on that topic, or it could be that the teams was trying to save the series. Whatever happened, the game failed meet my expectations, not only based on how it had been presented, but in terms of what I expect from a Fire Emblem game in general. That is why I call the game a "failure".

@FireEmblem: Hence why I linked the word to disappointment. I was very clearly indicating that was my opinion.

@Cainenghis: A large majority did enjoy it, but a good number of previous fans of the game seriously dislike it. I didn't say the majority, I said many, since there is a clearly present group of people sharing very similar opinions on the game. If you go to the Serenes Forest forums, Fire Emblem subreddit, or ask any group of Fire Emblem fans who did not start with Awakening, or at least play it before they had played many others, you'll probably find a few of such people.

There's so little we know about the game right now, so I'm going to hold out on a conclusion. I'm certainly concerned for it. The biggest concern for me though is the actual quality of these games. Awakening was an overall disappointment/failure and even if both games have a comparable amount of content, if the content is just as lacking as it was in Awakening, or even more-so, then this game will be a true disaster. I would like to remind everyone that Awakening wasn't much better with it's DLC though. If you wanted all of the DLC in the game, you'd have to pay $53 at least, after playing $40 for the game, an overall cost of $93 for the actual full experience. The price to content ratio is the real issue though. Those 25 maps (many of which that are based heavily on previous game's maps) are more expensive than the game itself, which has 50 maps. I like what this game is doing by comparison. I don't like that we're being forced to buy one difficulty, nor that the big plot choice isn't really based on the story as much as it is what kind of game you want to play, but I guess this is the best option for the series. A large number of people were disappointed in Awakening, so it looks like they are splitting the series to try and appeal to both groups. I don't know to what degree the differences are, but if each game is designed to be a single, balanced, coherent experience, then I'm happy with this handling of the series.

I'd recommend that some people read this article: http://venturebeat.com/community/2010/06/05/my-four-year-old-son-plays-grand-theft-auto/

I don't think it's inherently wrong for a kid to play some M-rated games, as long as the game does not force that content at the child and that a parent is present, monitoring and constantly considering what the child is doing. I'm not a parent. I'm far from being a parent, but I don't doubt that M-rated games and R-rated movies, among other types of media can't be used in a way to help raise children. Overprotective parenting isn't a better alternative to neglectful parenting and both are selfish. Moderate what your kid reads hears, sees, and plays, but don't just leave him or her clueless. Expose them, but explain.

@A01: True. I was specifically referring to the ability to transport data between games, which is covered by memory cards, USB drives, etc. NFC Figures are essentially a limited form of such things, but the functionality in Skylanders is admittedly neat. It's technology used in a novel, but imaginative way. Taking what looks like a toy, placing it on a stand, and watching the character depicted by that toy appear, moving, talking, etc. on screen is a magical experience for a child. Is this aspect of the argument purely emotional, yes. Skylanders function, that emotional element, cannot be replicated with a USB Drive or Memory card. Are there issues with the sheer number of Skylanders, steady annual releases, and other methods to make children bleed money into the franchise? Yes, but those games are using the "Toys to Life" concept in a fun way. Let's not attack something for what it's doing right, but certainly some of the issues arising from it. Let's instead focus on the real issue, amiibo, the "Toys to Life" series that's screwing up in every way possible.

@A01: Actually, they do serve a purpose in Skylanders. All of the levels/stat progression and whatnot are saved to the figures, if I understand correctly. I also doubt that Skylanders would have such a large character roster if not for the figures, the budget is no doubt based on people purchasing them. All of these "Tap-to-unlock" amiibo figures are doing nothing more than restricting content. Would such content have been produced without amiibo? There is no definitive answer. As it stands though, excluding their use in Smash, amiibo are barely serving any functional purpose

@Quorthlon: You post had basically no relevance to the point of my post. My statement, "Splatoon is still built on the fundamentals of other team/squad-based objective based shooters. The ink itself in unique, but otherwise, it's building up on set foundations.", was meant to counter the statement in the article, "Splatoon is to shooting games what Mario Kart is to racing games; it's something that fits in the genre while also managing to be drastically different, and that's exactly what shooters need right now". Plenty of Nintendo games are based on old formulas, formulas which they introduced or polished immensely and that come from an early period in gaming. Splatoon is new, but based on foundations which Nintendo and the game Splatoon itself are not establishing. Splatoon is not the Mario Kart of shooters. Mario Kart took a genre with established ideas and put great emphasis on items. The game is balanced in a way to benefit the people loosing and hinder/slow down the people winning, keeping the group in a relatively tight group, so that weapons/items can remain an important aspect. Mario Kart is considered a separate genre from both Arcade Racers and Simulation Racers, it's called a Kart Racer. Splatoon is still fundamentally a squad-based/objective based shooter. The design of Splatoon makes it an interpretation of the genre, and one which chooses to indicate territorial control in a different manner, conferring certain advantages in the controlled territory. Is it a great design choice and a fantastic addition to the genre? Yes. Is it a revolution for all shooters? No. Heck, this game shouldn't even be compared to deathmatch-based shooters, as people seem to want to do.

Eh. Splatoon is still built on the fundamentals of other team/squad-based objective based shooters. The ink itself in unique, but otherwise, it's building up on set foundations.

...please no Majora's Mask 2... Majora's Mask benefits greatly from its sense of mystery. Leave questions up to speculation. I wouldn't mind seeing the mechanics of Majora's Mask experimented with, but significant differences would be necessary. Just copying the most unique Zelda game would cheapen the original...

I'll try to grab this a soon as I can, I had a lot of fun with the demo and this scratched my turn-based-strategy itch much better than Awakening. Hopefully there's a good future for this game.

Well, the concept is great. I don't think I'll consider grabbing this until reviews though. I want to know how well they execute it.

What have we learned:
Princess Peach really is the "ruler" of the Mushroom Kingdom.
All of Bowser's minions are not worth being called people.
Mario is loyal, but will sacrifice his companion, Yoshi, for an extra jump...

I had to say The Last Story. It isn't a long game, the controls could ranslate fairly well, and it just seems like it would still work on a portable. F-Zero GX, as good as it is, would be terrible on the 3DS. A big screen and high framerate are both important for competent play. Twilight Princess has absolutely no need for a remake/port. Pikmin sounds like a disaster on 3DS, considering the size of the Pikmin relative to the screen alongside the 3DS's low resolution. I haven't played Eternal Darkness, and no basically nothing about it, so I can't make a call there.

Great run. I'm actually surprised to hear the record was beaten by 17 seconds. That's a lot of time in a speed run.

@EvisceratorX: It's actually pretty simple. The money that you withdraw from the bank is not the money that you put in. It isn't resisting time at all. The invisible stamp on Link's hand simply says how much money he put in. The stamp is not altered when traveling through time, since it is on Link's body, so when he goes to the bank, he sees that Link put in however many Rupees according to the stamp, and gives Link the requested amount. I hope this makes since to you.

That is just amazing looking. I'd buy them if NoA had the sense to give consumers options...

What would be neat is a model like this where the timer had a set maximum and minimum. You could pay money to permanently decrease the waiting period by a certain amount. Once you had payed the full price of the game, no more waiting times.

Differences I've Found:

-Trees are present at the top of the cliffs surrounding Colony 9. These trees/bushes are missing in the 3ds version.
-Shoreline in the 3ds version has a dark line going through it, the Wii version does not.
-The water appears far more detailed in the Wii version. (1:15)
-Less detailed textures in the 3ds version. (0:54 shows a clear contrast, but ground textures in general are much less detailed)
-Better smoke and fire effects in the Wii version.
-Some kind of blur in explosions, much less present in the 3ds version (0:57).
-More dust on Metal Face lift off in the Wii version.

The differences are very clearly there and the visuals of the Wii version are stronger, but it's good to see this game release again.

SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!!
@RadicalYoseph: From my understanding, our universe is destroyed/rewritten and becomes the universe of Xenoblade, which is then changed an becomes a new world.

It's actually hard to determine, or even unlikely that Xenoblade and X are connected. There is an "Earth" in both games. In Xenoblade, I don't recall Earth being directly named, but the game heavily implies that the planet near the end is our Earth. The planet destroyed in X is also our Earth. The presence of the United States and Los Angeles is enough proof. How could the Earth have been destroyed twice?

The acronym BLADE: Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator does seem interesting me though. If only there was a way to know what that was meant to actually stand for...

I wasn't very interested in this game... I can only say that I am now.

As much as I don't like the female character designs, I'm willing to give this game a try. Awakening was a massive disappointment and if the upcoming game equally disappoints, then this may just be where I go.

I still don't understand why Nintendo is manufacturing more of these. It helps customers, it lines their own pockets, it punishes scalpers. What's there to not like?

So, Nintendo is repeating on Youtube what they did with consoles years ago? Remember how well that went? Everyone jumped ship and ran over to the Playstation.

Eh. Couldn't they have allowed the player to toggle fast or slow with a button or something? Locking it to using magic just seems to be a waste.

Cave Story is an incredibly special game to me. I'd love to see a follow up, but it would need to be natural. Pixel doesn't need to create a sequel just because fans are requesting it. The thing that made Cave Story so great was the fact that Pixel belabored over every detail. He doesn't need to do anything but make the game he wants to make, down to the smallest detail. It needs to be a natural progression of ideas, refined and tempered under intense judgement. That's what turned the Cave Story Beta in the Cave Story we played, and it needs to happen again.

Nintendo seems to be having an issue with supply and demand right now. I've been struggling to find some 3DS games anywhere. Make sure you have some copies of the games on your current handheld in Walmart, otherwise you're losing a sale and the customer has to go pay more to get what they want from some scalper.

Well, there's a reason I call the writing in a High School bathroom stall the "Tabloids".

I've taken a break from the first game, since I haven't had much time to play it. I'll probably get this game also.

@invictus4000: I felt the same about the dungeons. I honestly dread them.

I wouldn't mind the TotA one.

Yet this infographic lacks any reference to Xenoblade (or Dunban)?
#Don'tForgetWhereYourQuoteComesFrom

I wish I could have written my take on Paper Boy, but I'll likely end up reading these at some point.

The big question is why this game makes the track look far more fun...

Anyone notice the coat spasm at 8:14?

Reggie says something with a few brain cells as possible, then Sony replies with a response composed by an equal number of brain cells... Beautiful.

As long as there's a long GTA V concert and no awards are given, count me in!

I see exactly what this guy is saying. I can't stand Mario's jump physics, primarily for the horizontal inertia. Did the game introduce some important control mechanics? Yes it did. Is the inertia out of whack? Completely. SMB was a big step in the right direction for platformers, but that doesn't mean that it holds up by today's standards. Just as Donkey Kong Country is no longer the pinnacle of game graphics, Super Mario Bros isn't the pinnacle of controls. We've learned and progressed, so there's no need to get uptight or attack someone when they point out that a game released over 25 years ago has aged.

I'm taking this study with a grain of salt for now. There isn't enough information from this article to reach any conclusions for or against it.

Seriously, everyone, buy The Swapper immediately.