E3 2018-The Good, The Bad, And The Very UGLY

 

E3 is like Christmas for nerds. For a few days, major publishers get on stage and show off new footage, whether it be gameplay or CGI trailers, of their up and coming games. The companies involved include EA, Sony, and Bethesda. Like many others, I watched many of these live myself, or at the very least had it on in the background while I was working on something else. Now that E3 happenings are wrapping up, it’s time to do what every geek like me does…grade the conferences!

A few things to mention before I give my thoughts on the different conferences. First, I’m basing my feelings on the conferences based on two things: games and presentation. I place the emphasis on the games at the end of the day, but presentation can factor into how I feel about a conference. Also, I’ll be omitting Devolver Digital, Square Enix, and the PC Gamer Show from this particular discussion since Devolver’s is mostly a joke conference and Square Enix didn’t really show anything in their conference that hadn’t already been seen in others, specifically Microsoft’s. As for PC Gamer Show, I remember watching the first one they did and being bored for three hours, and I’d rather not do that again. With that out of the way, let’s get to grading, starting with…

Oh boy, EA…let’s just get them out of the way. I’ll say this about EA, you can always count on them to be the most boring of all them. No style, no real interesting games beyond a couple EA Originals…just a stale presentation. It doesn’t help that they once again spent a good chunk of time talking about sports games because they haven’t realized yet that nobody tunes in to E3 to learn about Madden. The ultimate takeaway here is that EA does not seem to understand how gamers work. They don’t seem to know what they want or what they’re here for. That’s why we get dreadfully long segments talking about the next FIFA game or the awful looking Command and Conquer mobile game.

There’s only two games that EA showed that were at all interesting. Unravel Two, a platforming game where you play as creatures made of yarn, looks pretty fun. I’m actually tempted to see if my wife is willing to give it a go with me, since it seems like it’s built to be played with another person. As it turns out, this game is out now, so it’s not like we have to wait to try if that’s what we decide to do. The other game is Sea of Solitude. I can’t say I fully understand what the game is, mechanically speaking. Hard to tell if it’s supposed to be a 3D platformer, an exploration focused game, or a puzzle game. But it looks visually interesting and could potentially be an enjoyable game. At least as enjoyable as a game about loneliness can be. But other than those two games, EA’s offerings were very slim.

I also thought it weird how much time was spent trying to convince us that they “made a mistake” when really they knew exactly what they were doing with Star Wars: Battlefront II and just wanted to nickle and dime us for all we were worth, only for their lootbox focused strategy to blow up in their face. They’re promising all sorts of things with Bioware’s Anthem game, and I just can’t see it ending well. I don’t see how anyone can be excited about Anthem when EA has essentially shown us what they really want to do with their games. But we’ll see…Anthem still looks boring. Yeah, I said it. Putting aside the fear of EA tampering with Anthem to make as much money out of it as possible, the game itself doesn’t look very interesting to me. Always online games tend to bore me. They promise to have a campaign or something for single players, but I get the feeling that will go the way of Destiny 2 where the campaign was pretty forgettable. Regardless, single player is obviously not the focus for Anthem, and thus it does not have my interest.

Conference Rating: F

If you had told me that Microsoft would have been one of my favorite conferences of all the E3 shows, I would’ve laughed. But I think it’s a combination of the rapid fire presentation of a variety of games along with the fact that many of them will come to PC (my platform of choice) actually had me really happy with Microsoft’s presentation. They kicked things off with a trailer for Halo: Infinite. No gameplay was shown, but I’m happy to see some Halo finally making its way to PC. I’m wishing so hard for a proper Halo to come to the PC platform that I’m even willing to play this even if it’s some always online game, just so Microsoft can know that they’d have people willing to buy Halo on PC. Because let’s be honest, if you’re a PC gamer then you have no reason to get an XBox just for one game since most every XBox game is coming to PC anyway. And even if you’re not a PC gamer, I would still question the need to get an XBox.

But this isn’t about consoles right now. This is about games, and Microsoft came out swinging. Kingdom Hearts III got its first of many showings here. A cute fox game called Tunic was shown off that looks like it could be a lot of fun. Fallout 76 took up a little time, but obviously Bethesda was saving most of that game for their own conference. From Software’s newest title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice reminds me that I still need to try Dark Souls sometime. Gears Tactics could also be right up my alley, as I do enjoy a good strategy game. There were, of course, a couple duds. Forza Horizon 4 is not going to sell an extra copy by being at E3 (but at least they didn’t bring out the car this time), and Gears Pop looks weird and out of character for the Gears of War franchise.

Of course, we can’t mention the Microsoft conference without talking about the reveal at the end. Cyberpunk 2077 has been in the works for a long time now, and it’s nice to finally see that come out of hiding. There was a ton shown here, and it would take forever to talk about them all. Needless to say, however, Microsoft’s show has given me a few things to keep an eye on. In terms of conference presentation, everything was so rapid fire that there was barely a presentation to speak of. It was just one game after another, with a few occasional moments of talking. The focus was on the games here, and for that I’m pleased.

Conference Rating: A

 

For the third year Bethesda has brought their own conference. I think of all their conferences, this might be their second best. Their first conference still reigns supreme, but I feel this did a fine job. Though I could’ve done without the concert at the beginning before Rage 2 was announced. In fact, I think the entire conference could have been shortened by a good twenty to thirty minutes and we wouldn’t have lost much, if anything. But once again, let’s get to the games. Rage 2 and Fallout 76 were the two main titles of Bethesda’s E3 conference, with more emphasis on the latter. We started with Rage 2, and I still think that game could actually be pretty fun. It looks to borrow a lot of ideas from the DOOM reboot, and I believe DOOM 2016 sets the bar for how first person shooters should be from this point forward. We’ll just seen when it gets here.

Speaking of DOOM, a sequel to the 2016 reboot has been announced, but it was ultimately an announcement announcing an announcement. We got a teaser trailer for DOOM: Eternal, and then were told that gameplay would be shown at Quakecon in August. I wish they had just not said anything and shown off everything at Quakecon instead, but at the same time I can’t be mad about a new entry in what I think is the best shooter to have ever graced us. We also got a look at a new Wolfenstein game, but once again there was no gameplay.

Fallout 76 was definitely the main attraction here, and I gotta be honest I’m not sure what to think of it anymore. I think I’ve made it clear that online only games aren’t very interesting to me, but Fallout 76 has the potential to be an exception to that rule. It’s hard to know without playing it though, and considering it’s coming out around the same time as Smash Ultimate, I doubt I’ll get to playing the game for some time, if ever. One game that surprised me in how fun it looks is The Elder Scrolls: Blades, a mobile game of all things. Yet it seems to be a mobile game that actually, you know, has gameplay. Once again, it won’t be till Fall of this year when we get our hands on it, but consider me intrigued. Bethesda ended it all with two teasers, one for a new IP called Starfield and another for Elder Scrolls VI. There’s not much to say about either one, since we did just get logos after all, but I’m always down with new IPs and I’ve been waiting a while for Elder Scrolls VI to be formally announced, so it was nice to see them.

Conference Rating: B-

Starting off with a dancing panda was not a great way to start Ubisoft. Stop doing stuff like this. Anyway, I’m so terribly indifferent to the Ubisoft conference that I considered not bothering with reviewing it when I started thinking about this blog post. Ubisoft is a bit like EA in that nothing they do is particularly exciting or interesting. But the difference is whereas EA just has boring conferences, Ubisoft has boring, predictable games. We’ve seen Assassin’s Creed over and over again. Just Dance is nothing new. The Division looks like an online only bore. The only possibly interesting thing they had was Beyond Good and Evil 2, and I still have no idea what to think of this game. I’ve not played the original Beyond Good and Evil and even I know the tone of this game is very, very different from its predecessor. And being open world doesn’t help my interest levels.

Starlink could be cool if they cut out the toy stuff. Transference could be interesting, but it’s VR only and who knows when I’ll ever get a VR headset. I still question the future of that technology. I could talk about the Donkey Kong Country expansion for Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle but that’s for a game released last year. There’s so little to discuss here that I think I’ll just move on. If you like Assassin’s Creed or The Crew, then I’m sure there was something here for you. But for me, there was nothing of interest. Just a very “meh” showing. The dancing panda did not help.

Conference Rating: C-

I hope you’re not squeamish because Sony made it a point to bring out all the blood and gore in the games they showed. I also hope you’re not the type of person who has trouble sitting still for several minutes because Sony made sure you would do that for far too long. Things kicked off in a confusing fashion. The auditorium was dressed up like it was supposed to be some kind of church setting, with a man playing the banjo for several minutes. Then a trailer begins, and it’s for The Last of Us Part II. I know a lot of people are looking forward to this game including myself.

After a lengthy Last of Us trailer, we’re then stuck with talking heads…for thirty minutes. I’m not making this up. A bunch of randoms sat behind a test and talked…and talked…and talked…and talked…and talked some more.

It. Was. Awful.

I was moderating a facebook with some friends commenting on everything live, and when this segment played out everyone, me included, was losing our minds. We could not believe what we were seeing. No gameplay, no trailers for anything, just talking heads for thirty minutes. And when things finally begin to pick back up, we had to listen to some musical number before finally getting a look at the next game, one of the only ones shown at the Sony conference that I found interesting. Ghost of Tsushima is not only a pretty game, but it looks like it could be quite a lot of fun. Although I can’t say much more than that since the gameplay wasn’t necessarily something we’ve never seen before, but it looks like its well put together.

The Sony conference continued at a much better pace after that. A remake of Resident Evil 2 was shown, as well as yet another Kingdom Hearts III trailer. Death Stranding made its third appearance, and we still have no idea what it is. I really wonder about Death Stranding and how it will be received once it finally comes out. I fear it’s getting more hype than is really healthy, and on release it could suffer for it. But only time will tell, I guess. A new game called Control looked pretty interesting, but not a whole lot was shown. Nioh is getting a sequel. But the last game shown, and the other Sony game that has my attention, is the new Spider-Man game. We got a good look at what gameplay is like as well as some characters who will be making their appearance. A lot of people have compared this to the Batman: Arkham games, and I think that’s a good comparison to be made. If Spider-Man plays at all like the Arkham games, then I think we’ll be in for a real treat.

After so many successful E3 shows, it was pretty hard to watch Sony fail so hard this year. A lot of was down to how it presented its conference. A thirty minute long talking head segment soured the mood fast, and brief musical numbers throughout the show all felt extremely out of place. I found out later that those music moments peppered between trailers was for that Dreams game, which has been in development for a long time now, but I wouldn’t have known that just from looking. All in all, presentation was bad and there weren’t many games shown that interested me at all.

 

Conference Rating: D-

They showed Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Instant A+.

Okay, but really. Nintendo got right to business by showing Daemon X Machina, a mech based action game. I like mechs a lot in video games, so it quickly got my attention. I also really enjoyed the visual style of the game. We then got a look at a Xenoblade Chronicles 2 expansion, then swiftly moved on to the two new Pokemon Let’s Go games. I was surprised by how little time was spent on Pokemon Let’s Go, but at the same time I think I see why. Most people know how Pokemon works at this point.

Another neat looking title was Fire Emblem: Three Houses. If they can move away from the waifu simulator stuff the last Fire Emblem game (or rather, games) did, then that’ll be enough for me to be a happy camper. It’s also nice to see Fire Emblem coming back to the big screen after being relegated to the 3DS for a long time. They then showed off a handful of 3rd party games coming to the Switch, but a lot of them we already knew about like Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, Wolfenstein II, and Dark Souls: Remastered.

Then we get to the main event: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A lot of people wish more was shown, but being someone who considers Smash his favorite game series, of course I was all over this. The main takeaway is that everyone who’s ever been in a Smash Bros. game is coming back. This includes Solid Snake, Young Link, Pichu…yeah, they mean everyone.

It may come as no surprise then that I loved this conference. I will eat up anything with Smash Bros. in it. So this rating might come off as a bit biased, but there’s a good reason for that…it is. But as I mentioned, I judge these based primarily on games. And I love Super Smash Bros., and a half hour of that is perfect for me. Yes, I’m still giving this one an A+.

Conference Rating: A+

Regardless of my or anyone else’s opinions, I think it’s safe to say at the end of the day there was something for everyone here. I think Microsoft should especially be proud of the show they put on. I didn’t expect to be saying that at the end of E3, but here we are. Nintendo would of course captured me with ease when they started showing Smash, but I didn’t expect to get so much of it. It’s a shame Sony’s conference dropped the ball so hard when it came to presentation, but they were bound to do so at some point. Even if most of the games don’t interest me, I’m sure there are plenty of people excited to play Nioh 2 or The Last of Us Part II, so to you all I say happy gaming. Now we just need to hope that none of these projects get cancelled (RIP Scalebound). My ultimate (heh) conclusion is that there’s still not a great deal of games coming in 2018 that I desperately want to play, but since 2019 is when a lot of the games shown are planned to release it looks like it could be a crazy, fun filled year.

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Toy Fair 2018-Retro Gaming with My Arcade

If you love Retro Gaming, then My Arcade is for you. Their booth showcased their latest and upcoming products of 2018. Some of their arcade games that you can play anywhere included Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Rolling Thunder, Mappy and much more.

You have the choice of choosing between the arcade games, or the handheld retro games and all of them has a different set of games for you to experience.

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Sonic Mania preview

I was able to cover Sweet Suite’s Blogger Bash NY 2017 this past week and i have seen a very lot of toy previews and demos. There was also one table for SEGA and i have tried the upcoming Sonic Mania video game. I have been looking forward to this game since it was announced last year and i was happy that i tried it. 


The game emulates the gameplay and 2D sprite animation of the original Sega Genesis Sonic games. In this game, you can choose between Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. On the demo that i have played, only Sonic was avaliable and i was shown two stages. One is a remastered Green Hill Zone which has a few noticable differences as you play along during the stage, and the other is a new stage called Studiopolis Zone. Studiopolis is a more challenging stage and i had fun trying it. It took me almost 5 minutes to complete it but anyone who tries a new stage in any game will take some time to get used to it. 

In addition to the standard Spin Jump, Spin Attack and Spin Dash maneuvers, Sonic Mania introduces the Drop Dash, which allows the player to instantly dash into a Spin Attack upon landing from a jump. Also, the shields from the past Sonic games return in this game and some of them has effects that can affect an stage such as the flame shield burning away spiked bridges in the Green Hill Zone.



Overall, i cannot wait to try the full version of this game when it releases next month for the PS4, XBOX ONE and Steam. There is also an collectors edition for anyone who preorders the game. I have not been anticipating an Sonic video game since Sonic Generations and i love that game.

 

I have also taken photos of some of the cool merchandise line as well. check them out.


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Super NES mini Classic announced 


Slated for a launch on September 29th, the Super NES Classic Edition is a console kit similar to the original console that launched more than 20 years ago. Like the NES Classic edition that came before it, the new Super NES allows you to play retro Nintendo games in high-definition, over HDMI with two included wired controllers.

Nintendo will pre-install the following 21 classic games:
Contra III: The Alien Wars™
Donkey Kong Country™

EarthBound™

Final Fantasy III

F-ZERO™

Kirby™ Super Star

Kirby’s Dream Course™

The Legend of Zelda™: A Link to the Past™

Mega Man® X

Secret of Mana

Star Fox™

Star Fox™ 2 (released for the first time ever)

Street Fighter® II Turbo: Hyper Fighting

Super Castlevania IV™

Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts®

Super Mario Kart™

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars™

Super Mario World™

Super Metroid™

Super Punch-Out!! ™

Yoshi’s Island™

The Super NES Classic Edition launches on Sept. 29 at a retail price of $79.99, starting with direct availability from Nintendo. 

Join the free app train: Thames & Kosmos Ubongo

As of late, big names in board games have been adapting the digital ways of milennials and coming out with apps to complement their traditional physical game. From Monopoly to Ubongo, these strategy games are leading the mobile gaming industry with tons of downloads.

And what’s better? 

Now, some of them are available for free! For a limited time only (April 28-30), the Ubongo game app, created by award-winning board game and educational toy manufacturer Thames & Kosmos, will be available for free download on both iTunes and Google Play app stores. With more than 2.5 million games sold worldwide, Ubongo is a fast-paced, addictive and easy-to-learn geometric puzzle game where players race against the timer and against each other to solve a puzzle of interlocking shapes. The faster you solve the puzzle, the more gems you get, and the player with the most valuable gem treasure after nine rounds of puzzle solving wins the game! The companion app features more than 400 engaging puzzles to solve as well.


Lego Games Event and Overview 

Laat week i was invited to cover a Lego Games event in New York City. The game demos that were being showcased was LEGO Worlds, LEGO Dimensions, and LEGO City: Undercover. 


The 20 minute demo presentation of LEGO City: Undercover showcased the updated version of the game as there were new features that has been added in along with an upscslaled resolution since it is running on current gen consoles (PS4, XBOX One) and i got a chance to try the game and the controls were much more smoother and satisfying this time and it is easy to play with children as well. 


LEGO Dimensions has brand new minatures for the game along with a brand new pack featuring The Goonies and Harry Poter which is releasing on May 9, 2017. Both if which will have their own levels and challenges and cutscenes as well. 


And finally, LEGO Worlds which was originally a STEAM early access game has finally arrived to consoles last week and i got a chance to try it for the first time. It is a very lot like Minecraft and with many updates that are coming along the way, it will be a huge success. I always thought that this is what a LEGO game needed to be where you can create anything you want at any time and now the vision has came to reality with this game. I have a review copy of the game which i will review this week as well. 


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Thoughts about the games on the Nintendo Switch Presentation along with the price and online play.

You have no idea how excited I am for Super Mario Odyssey, of course I haven’t played it so I can’t actually review it, but it easily looks to be the best 3D Mario ever, to me.

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Gorgeous and epic like Galaxy, exploration like 64 and Sunshine. And my favorite 3D Mario games are the open worlded, explorational collect-a-thon types. I miss collect-a-thon platformers. A Hat in Time and Yooka-Laylee have been two of the biggest Console games I’ve been looking forward to thanks to the fact I miss this genre so much. I’ve been waiting with bated breath for A Hat in Time for years thanks to this. (Go check out A Hat in Time, by the way, it’s amazing and it should be on your radar)

This is THE Mario game I have wanted for over a decade. And I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Galaxy, it is so cinematic, beautiful, and fun, with a fun story. But I also really miss the open and explorational Mario type game. And I’ve missed them for a long time. I am so glad we’re going back to them.

Odyssey may even up being my favorite Mario game of all time, and if not that, my favorite 3D Mario at the very least. Yes, even more than 64, even more than Galaxy. Sunshine is literally my favorite mainline series Mario game of all time. And it has bugs and other problems, but I just love the feeling of immersion and exploration and just general relaxing beach fun the game has. And this game looks to be everything I love about that game, and more. I could not be happier right now.

Oh I just want to play it now, this really is going to be the best Mario game ever, isn’t it?

This presentation alone was made amazing for me just for this game.

As for Xenoblade 2 and why I’m so hayped for it, Monolith Soft has always been a little underwhelming in comparison to other JRPG developers aesthetically for how they handle anime aesthetics. They have done a mixture between anime and realism that can be done right in some cases, like how Square Enix did Final Fantasy XIV, but with Monolith Soft, it’s always felt a bit out of sync. Particularly with the faces, the faces have often been a little odd for my aesthetic tastes, at least. This has been the case since Xenosaga at least, before being acquired by Nintendo. And sadly it still exists to a degree for me with Xenoblade Chronicles X.

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Because of this, I had kind of wished they were just go for one or the other, closer to anime or closer to realism or if not, figure out what works.

Of course this is just my personal aesthetic tastes. I don’t mean to offend anyone who thinks that the Xeno series has always had great faces and aesthetic sense. But this has always been a little bit of a disappointment for me for the series.

So to see them just embrace classic anime design and color, I’m very happy. It just looks pretty and like a classic JRPG now. I much prefer this to the fusion look with all of this realistic or gritty or whatever you would call the aesthetic of X. Nothing wrong with realistic or whatever it is they have been adding to the other games. But I kind of just miss the “classic” or “traditional” anime look from Xeno. And I haven’t seen it from the Xeno series since Xenogears.

I love the traditional anime look they’re going back to, it reminds me of a classic JRPG which is something I am so happy to see from Monolith soft again. Makes me feel almost like I’m going to play another Xenogears. Of course, this is totally silly and illogical, it’s just the aesthetic, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be another Xenogears. But watching the trailer and getting these illogical Xenogears vibes feels great. It makes me feel like I’m going to be playing a classic JRPG, and I like that.

I love the character designs. I love the look of the world. I love the voice acting so far. Everything about it looks great.

I also really like that airship town. Reminds me of times playing games like Skies of Arcadia. Again, basically comes back to reminding me of JRPGs I’ve played in older years, from the PS2 and Gamecube era and earlier. And done in a real sense. I feel like I’m not necessarily on the same page with everyone when talking about “classic JRPG” eras. Some of us have different things we liked about classic JRPGs, and I for one love modern JRPGs and have no pretense that JRPGs were this superior. But I do love the sense of pure adventure that I had playing a lot of them.

Adventure, plucky spunky adventure, that’s what I mean. When I look at that trailer, it gives me memories of when I first saw games like Grandia or Xenogears. I would love to play a game that feels like those games again from Monolith Soft. Xenoblade and Xenoblade Chronicles X have great things about them, but they didn’t make me feel like I was about to play something like Grandia again.

I really don’t know better how to explain my hype that that. I miss games like Xenogears and Grandia. And the fact when I watch the trailer it instills that kind of feeling in me has me excited in a way that the original Xenoblade and Chronicles X didn’t. It just has classic JRPG written all over it.

Also, Splatoon 2, do I need to say more? Okay, I have more than 700 hours of my life put into Splatoon for the Wii U and had to literally force myself to stop playing it. It is one of the best games of all time. And if Splatoon is in any way an improvement over the original, then I am in for the time of my life and a dangerous addiction. There are thousands of games I love and Splatoon is probably in my top 20 video games of all time, and I don’t even like competitive shooters. Splatoon is Nintendo’s best franchise in at least a decade and I am an addict. It turned me into an avid fan of a genre I thought I would never enjoy. Ohmigosh Splatoon is just so good. Like I’m not even sure if I can put into words how amazing Splatoon is. Phenomenal? Better than drugs?

So good that I wouldn’t have played any other games all 2016 if I didn’t force myself to put it down once Splatfest stopped. Good bye my life when Splatoon 2 drops.

And speaking of which, one of my other most played Wii U games was Mario Kart 8. I got seriously into that game. In fact, the two together are my most played games. I wouldn’t have even dropped playing Mario Kart 8 religiously if it weren’t for Splatoon. Literally the only Mario Kart game I hold in higher regard than Double Dash and super addictive. There is just so much content and polish in 8 that I cannot help but give it the spot as my number one Mario Kart game.

I was legitimately super sad when Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, and Super Mario Maker stopped getting more content. So I am super enthused that finally we are getting more Splatoon content and moreMario Kart 8 content. These are literally my top 3 favorite and mot played Wii U games and some of my most played Nintendo games of all time.

Let’s not forget Breath of the Wild. I was waiting for more gripping storytelling and narrative elements and this trailer had them. This may be also the best Zelda yet ever, though I’m not totally convinced it will be, I would not be surprised it it were. And my favorite Zelda ever is still A Link to the Past, so that’s saying something. This game might actually surpass a Link to the Past for me. Originally, this seemed like a better version of Skyrim for me, if Skyrim were awesome enough to have superior(to my taste, at least), Zelda character designs and aesthetic sensibilities and themes. Cool, but big roaming sandbox games already leave me overwhelmed. And I often get tired of playing sandbox games with big open fields to explore and want to go play like an RPG with more town and NPC focus. I was worried Breath of the Wild might induce that kind of over-exploration with not enough character interaction experience that has left me burned out before.

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But this trailer really sold me on how epic this game will be. I got to see the darkness and the narrative and how gripping it will be. No longer does it just feel like aimless wandering until you get bored. The game now has a great feeling of narrative and I’m looking forward to it more than ever. Now I’ve seen the emotion behind Breath of the Wild and now I feel invested in it, certainly more than ever before.

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So while I’m not as hype for it as I am the new 3D Mario, Splatoon 2, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it looks pretty good and I’m definitely going to have to give the game a buy and at least 40 hours or so of my time. More than anything, I want to see the story now.

So while some of the games I was looking forward to didn’t show up, the games that did made it super hype for me.

The downside is that, indeed, a lot of the games I wanted to see didn’t show up. Lots of games I would have liked to have heard about. But didn’t make an appearance. I’m talking Nintendo games and franchises that didn’t make a show.

So I can only hope that they make the service really appealing like PlayStation Plus has made their service.

Also, I was really hoping for $250. $300 feels a little high, higher than what I wanted to pay. But I’m locked in now, $300 I’ll have to pay, I guess.

 

Also, Setting up a paywall for online play flies in the face of everything Nintendo claims to be about. So I can only hope that they make the service really appealing like PlayStation Plus has made their service.

Despite the lackluster efforts in the past to engage in online gameplay, I respected Nintendo for keeping their online services free. Nintendo hasalways been about facilitating and encouraging multiplayer interactions with their consoles. From bundling two controllers with the NES, to making 4-player inputs standard with the N64 and even the Switch JoyCons, Nintendo seemed to understand that long-term loyalists could be made simply by allowing friends to play without having to worry about ongoing costs after an initial purchase. I felt that the free online service was simply another facilitation and extension of their core values of bringing people together through gaming.

Splatoon 2 will be completely useless without the service. And what’s worse, is the service will be available for free for the first couple of months after Splatoon 2 comes out and then the trial ends. Are young kids (or their parents) going to pay a monthly bill to continue to play Splatoon after they got to play for free? Smash, Mario Maker, Minecraft, and Mario Kart will also be severely lacking, if not unplayable, if one opts not to pay for the subscription. I think that’s going to be a serious barrier for entry for younger Nintendo fans that want to play online.

Assuming future Pokemon installments will come out for the Switch, will online Pokemon activity require the service? Kind of ruins the camaraderie of the games when many are excluded via real world financial barriers, doesn’t it?

I understand Playstation and Xbox have operated this way for a long time, but that doesn’t make it right. Nintendo has prided themselves with bucking trends in the gaming industry. I’m disappointed they would so blatantly screw fans for a small but steady revenue stream after such a long-standing opposition to such practices. It’s an obvious case of placing shareholders ahead of fans and loyal customers.

switch

And that’s my long review and basic gist of the presentation, I guess. The highs were pretty high to be honest, but a few really disappointing lows, as well. Though the lows were more about what Nintendo is going to do to my wallet more than anything. I sure am glad I got years worth of Pokemon online and months worth of Splatoon for free, at least. Honestly, I wish Nintendo would make a legit MMORPG, now. So that a Nintendo online subsciption would feel like an MMO subsciption, which, olddly enough, I’m more comfortable with paying than just to play video games online which is free on other platforms.

Toy Vault’s Outlander: Destiny Dice game will be in stores early 1Q 2017

Outlander: Destiny Dice supports 2-4 players and game-play typically takes 20-30 minutes.

 

Each player rolls the 6 custom dice.  The goal is to roll Jamie and Claire characters.  Dark characters, like Black Jack Randall and Laoghaire MacKenzie, can ruin great rolls when they appear, while helpful characters like Jenny or Dougal, can save poor rolls.  Players can alter destiny through action cards which allow players to re-roll dice or modify their roll. 

 

After each player has rolled, players compare rolls. The best rolls advance their players forward on the destiny track, bringing Jamie and Claire closer together. The first player to get Jamie and Claire together wins the game.

 

Outlander: Destiny Dice was created by designer Kevin G. Nunn. (Sentinel Tactics, Duck Duck Go).

 

Outlander: Destiny Dice contains:

 

6 oversized custom full color dice

40 Action Cards

4 Reference Cards

8 Markers (2 for each player)

A full-color rulebook

 

The Outlander television series is adapted from Diana Galbadon’s New York Times best-selling Outlander book series.  Produced by Sony Pictures Television and filmed on location in ScotlandOutlander follows the story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743 and thrown by circumstances beyond her control into the arms of Jamie Fraser, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior. 


The Holidays are gettimg Batty with 4D Batman Gotham City Puzzle

4D Batman Gotham City Puzzle (1500+ pcs)

Watch this amazing video preview!: https://youtu.be/ACo_91E7RGM


4D Cityscape now introduces the official puzzle guide for Batman Gotham City, based on DC Comic’s famous Batman Comic Series. This puzzle will guide players through the assembly of the official DC map of Gotham City in a patented multi-layer design. The first layer is a 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle that will teach you all about the various locations and regions of Gotham City. The second layer is an artistic 200+ piece jigsaw puzzle that replicates the night landscape based on DC Comics official map of Gotham City. For the the third layer you add 3D miniature replicas models into the puzzle, which include famous buildings and structures such as Wayne Manor, GCPD Gotham City Police Department, Ace Chemical Plant, Wayne Tower, Iceberg Casino & Lounge, and many more! Each model is a highly detailed sculpt piece of the actual location. In addition, the puzzle comes with an Official Guide to Gotham City that teaches you everything you need to know about Gotham City. Bonus items include a mini LED Bat Light located at the top of the GCPD building. It shines the batman logo into the sky as Gotham City calls for help.

Ages 14+

Fully assembled: 32 x 19.2 x 6 inches

MSRP of $89.99


4D Game of Thrones Essos Puzzle (1500+ pcs):

This puzzle will guide players through the assembly of the map of Essos in a patented multi-layer design. The first layer is a 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle that will teach you all about the various locations and regions of Essos. The second layer is an artistic 200+ piece jigsaw puzzle that replicates the current landscape based on the famous introduction of the television series. The third layer adds the 3D miniature replica models that you insert into the puzzle, which include famous cities and castles such as Braavos, Pentos, Meereen, Valyria, Astapor and many more! In addition, the puzzle comes with an information booklet that teaches you everything you need to know about Essos, including over 45 flags to mark famous landmarks, 10 sigils to mark the Houses, and 3 battle markers to learn the locations of three major battles. Bonus items include a miniature set of the Dragon Eggs.

Ages 13+

Fully assembled measures 30x18x2 inches

MSRP of $69.99


4D The Hobbit Puzzle (1400+ pcs):

4D Cityscape now introduces the official puzzle guide for The Hobbit, based on Warner Brother’s famous Trilogy. This puzzle will guide players through the assembly of the official Hobbit Middle-earth in a patented multi-layer design. The first layer is a 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle that will teach you all about the various locations and regions of Middle-earth. The second layer is an artistic 200+ piece jigsaw puzzle that replicates the colorful landscape. The third layer you insert 3D miniature replicas models into the puzzle, which include famous buildings and structures such as Hobbiton, Dale City of Men, Cave of Gollum, Rivendell, and many more! Each model is a highly detailed sculpt piece of the actual location.  In addition, the puzzle comes with an Official Guide to Middle-earth that teaches you everything you need to know about Middle-earth.

Ages 14+

Fully assembled: 30 x 18 x 2 inches

MSRP of $79.99


4D Lord of the Rings (2100+ pcs):

4D Cityscape now introduces the official puzzle guide for The Lord of the Rings, based on Warner Brother’s famous Trilogy. This puzzle will guide players through the assembly of the official The Lord of the Rings Middle-earth map in a patented multi-layer design. The first layer is a 1000+ piece jigsaw puzzle that will teach you all about the various locations and regions of Middle-earth. The second layer is an artistic 200+ piece jigsaw puzzle that replicates the colorful landscape. The third layer you insert 3D miniature replicas models into the puzzle, which include famous buildings and structures such as Barad-dûr, Mount Doom, Minas Tirith, Isengard and many more! Each model is a highly detailed sculpt piece of the actual location. In addition, the puzzle comes with an Official Guide to Middle-earth. Ages 14+

Fully assembled: 37 x 25 x 4 inches

MSRP of $89.99


5-MINUTE DUNGEON, NEW CO-OP CARD GAME FROM AWARD-WINNING PUBLISHER WIGGLES 3D MAKES KICKSTARTER DEBUT NOVEMBER 1

5-MINUTE DUNGEONNEW CO-OP CARD GAME FROM AWARD-WINNING PUBLISHER WIGGLES 3D MAKES KICKSTARTER DEBUT NOVEMBER 1

 

LONDON, Ontario – 5-Minute Dungeona fast-paced, co-operative, real-time card game, launches on Kickstarter  November 1, from award-winning game publisher Wiggles 3D.

 

Adrenaline-fueled to create a jolt of excitement for casual and advanced players alike, 5-Minute Dungeon is a game in which players have a short five minutes to conquer a dungeon. Its humor-filled fantasy world is home to creatures like “A Cactus That Wants a Hug,” “The Grime Reaper” and “A Shark With Legs.” In the game, two to five players join together and choose up to five heroes to battle monsters, overcome obstacles, and defeat the dungeon boss.  There are five dungeons to defeat, each more challenging than the last, with the final dungeon requiring precise skill, speed, and strategy to defeat.  With no time to form a carefully-considered plan, and no predicting what dangers lie ahead, communication and teamwork are the name of the game, crucial to surviving the5-Minute Dungeon.

 

“Designed with enthusiasts, life-long dungeon-crawlers and casual gamers in mind, 5-Minute Dungeon feeds into the hottest trend — co-operative gameplay. It’s a fun, fast-paced card game that can be played anytime,” said Connor Reid, creator of 5-Minute Dungeon.  “With the game’s humorous tone, overarching goal, detailed art and rapid action, we’re confident that5-Minute Dungeon will be the next must-have game launched on Kickstarter.”  

 

A 5-Minute Dungeon timer app, available for free on both iOS and Android, keeps the action on track as the team attempts to conquer the dungeon in less than five minutes.  

 

Following the success of crowd-sourced Kickstarter campaigns, 5-Minute Dungeoncontributions start at $5, with backers gaining access to discounted Early Bird Copies, Collector Editions, exclusive content and more.  As the campaign proceeds, Kickstarter contributors will unlock great stretch goals which include: linen-coated cards, high-quality game mats, collectible figurines, timer app enhancements and more.  

 

Kickstarter pledges begin at $5, as follows:

 

$5 Contributor level

Thank you & a print-and-play copy of the game.

$15 Early Bird

Get the game for $10 less than anyone else. Only 500 copies available!

$25 Base Game

Includes the game, plus all stretch goals unlocked by the campaign

$35 Collector’s Edition

Features a more stylish box and exclusive game content.

$50 Base Game + Collector’s Edition

Get both versions of the game for only $50. Keep a copy for yourself and give one away, or keep the collector’s edition wrapped up and play the base game.

 

To learn more about 5-Minute Dungeon,visit 5MinuteDungeon.com.

 

Two-time Mensa Award winner Wiggles 3D is a Canadian developer and publisher that has been creating board games, apps and syndicated puzzles since 2001. Based in Canada, the company is the creator of the popular magnetic game Bellz and the hit movie trivia game Pass the Popcorn. Their games are licensed in 25 countries and featured in major newspapers and online game portals. Visit www.Wiggles3d.com.