Impulses can be strange sometimes. I was running around doing boring real life things like going to the bank when I decided to go to Gamestop and just browse around. Now whenever I go to Gamestop, I never leave empty-handed so I knew I would have at least one game added to the roster. So I ended up buying 3 games... Luigi's Mansion for $9.99, Viewtiful Joe for the low, low price of $2.99, and its sequel for the same price. 3 games for about $16? I think that's a good deal.
So I played some Viewtiful Joe for a while and it was what I expected... a solid beat 'em up with a neat art style. I approve of that purchase. As for Luigi's Mansion, I find it pretty average... close to below average. This isn't a graphics thing since I knew it was a launch title... it resembles a Nintendo 64 game in a number of ways. What I don't like about the game is the pace of the game and the controls. It's just too slow and awkward.
I just realized that the title of this entry is an unintentional pun. I'm so damn clever.
Anyhoo, Luigi's Mansion is quite possibly the worst flagship launch title in Nintendo's history, hands down.
First issue, you know that one game that is praised for its beautiful visuals and Zelda-esque gameplay? If you don't know, it goes by the name Okami... and you guys didn't buy it so we won't see a sequel to one of the best games in the past few years. Now I'm guilty of missing out on the original PS2 release since I didn't own a PS2, but I opted for the Wii version since, well, I own one. Anyway, buy the freaking game. It's really good.
Second issue, Okami sold pretty shitty. Alright, it's related to the above rant, but the numbers don't lie. Only 280,000 sold? That might not be horrible, but it deserves better... at least Zack & Wiki numbers.
Third issue, Tecmo defector Tomonobu Itagaki needs to keep quiet. Poo-pooing Okami is a no-no in my book. Itagaki, you had your fun and you can still make a good game, but stop with the hate.
I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but I'd like to be able to arrange the contents of my lists, and the lists themselves, by rank, alphabetical order, etc.
It's weird what one week of browsing around Giant Bomb can do to a man... last week, I had completely forgotten about my Nintendo 64 and had collected dust for at least 3 or 4 years, but after looking back at some of my favorites via Giant Bomb, I decided to hook up my old Nintendo 64 for poops and laughs. I was also planning to break out my old SNES, but I ran into some mechanical difficulties which will not be resolved, unfortunately.
Anyhoo, I've got my black box up and running and I'm now deciding what game I should play. I've narrowed it down to 3 fantastic choices.
Blast Corps
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Perfect Dark
I'm leaning towards Blast Corps, but I'm also itching for some Majora. I could use your help.
So the weekend has arrived and this weekend, I'm hoping to spend some quality time playing some games. It's seriously been about 2 weeks since I've actually played anything... weird, eh? Anyhoo, I'll get reacquainted with Okami... I took a hiatus after a few game freezes.
And feel free to comment... I like a little chatter.
Man, they've been waiting forever for a Wii.Oh, Nintendo... why must you be so popular? Back in February 2007, I waited in front of a Target store for 4 hours in single-digit temperatures to get mine... and it looks like December 2008 will be no different for millions of people who must get their hands on that little white console, at least according to Mr. Iwata. While supplies in the U.S. will be jacked up for the holidays, they are still expecting shortages and lots of tents in front of Best Buy stores this Christmas.
Luckily, I've been enjoying mine for over a year so this shortage is none of my concern.
This generation, we've seen a multitude of commercials for video games, some that were the shit and others that were... well, shitty. So since I'm bored and I feel like I should talk about video games for once, here are some of the greatest, and not-so-great ads of this generation.
Remember this classic from 2006? You had Marcus Fenix running across a city that is completely decimated, several monsters ready to destroy him, and that song playing in the background... it all fit seemlessly to create one of the most amazing ads for a game in a while.
2006 was pretty rough for Sony, but by the end of 2007, they picked themselves up from their boot straps and gave us one of the more impressive ads for a console in recent memory. It was all flash and lots of game footage, which gaming companies sometimes forget to actually put in their ads... I mean, you want to see the games in action, right? Well, we saw plenty of past, present, and future Playstation goodness in this commercial.
There's something about this commercial that just works. Yes, the people in the ad are diverse and it demonstrates the many features in the game, but the music combined with the camera trickery makes this Wii Fit ad great. This is one of Nintendo's post-"creepy Japanese guys in suits" ads so it was refreshing to not see them practice yoga or do push-ups.
So here's the pitch. The Playstation 3 is floating in this white room with a plastic baby doll, but the catch is that the baby is really, really creepy... I mean super-creepy... like totally "WTF I'm not buying this thing" creepy. It laughs, cries, and wants its mommy. Play beyond? More like play with a possessed console that can control your precious toys.
And I thought Nintendo was over with the cheesy ads, but this might go down in history as the worst Wii commercial in history. In the first 3 seconds, you realize that Cowboy Jed is a total dick and if you listen for another 1.6 seconds, you'll get sick of that banjo playing. There are a total of 3 of these abominations, and that's 4 too many.
This commercial explains why the 360 has failed to catch on in Japan. I'm offended by this commercial, and I'm not even Japanese! I can try to describe it, but just see it for yourself.
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