This may sound silly coming off my 3DS post, but I am trying to cool off my spending to have more for retirement etc. As a result the 3DS is the last spending hurrah for a while and I am committing to not purchase any new games until I clear out my backlog. Clearing means I either complete the main questline in a game or decide that the game will never be beaten due to the game loosing my interest fully or becoming more frustrating than the experiance is worth.

Without further adieu, the list:

Update: I have checked a few off, but Blockbuster in Canada closed up so I bought some cheap games. Couldn't hold to it :(

PS3

• Vanquish
• Mass Effect 2
• Assasins Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood
• Borderlands - Only DLC Packs left
• Darksiders
• Fallout 3 and New Vagas
• Infamous
• Little Big Planet
• Braid
• Prince of Persa
• Valcuria Chronicles
• Resident Evil 5
• Crysis 2
• Shadows of the Damned

Wii

• Metroid Prime 1-2
• A Boy and His Blob
• Monster Hunter Tri
• Final Fantasy the After Years
• Muramasa
• Phantom Brave
• New Play Control Pickmin
• The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
• Cave Story
• Super Metroid
• Lost Winds 2 -Forgot I had that one there

3DS/DS

• Chrono Trigger
• Legend of Zelda the Ocarina of Time
• Starfox 64 3D
• Zelda Links Awakening DX
• Pokemon Heart Gold
• Final Fantasy III
• Dragon Quest IX
• Street Fighter 4
• Locke's Quest
• Zelda ST
• Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside Story

PC

• Red Alert 3

This is all software I either have access to via trades with a friend or already own. None of these are second play throughs, even the really old stuff, I never had a SNES or game boy growing up. From the looks of things I should have no problem hanging onto my cash for some time. The only exceptions I may make is if I am looking for a new multiplayer game and I want to get in on the community on the ground floor. Other than that I am going to have to hope that upcoming stuff I am interested in is not impossible to find when the time comes.

PSN ID: Conniption-Fit

3DS Friend Code: 3903-7607-3337

And so far I am quite happy.  It is worth noting that my work provides me with a Blackberry and I am still using my old Nano for music so I don't have access to the iOS library.  I also drive for my commute so the iPod stays stationed in the car to replace the radio. I did not feel compelled to buy an iPod touch because I see some software I am interested in, but not much.  I also only had a DS Lite, not a DSi so no e-shop for me.   No big loss you say, well I have been playing Zelda Link's Awakening, Plants Vs Zombies, and Birds and Beans for the past few days.  I like the fact that the purchase I made will enable me to get access to smaller $2 games like an iOS device, but when Resident Evil revilations comes out I will be able to sit down with that.  I am not by any means saying that Nintendo will come back and make iOS irrelevant, but for me the 3DS is a nice fit.  Its still a couch device because I don't play games on the go, but its a nice one.  
 
I am happy that the game space has evolved enough that people have the choice between phone gaming and what I have chosen and even gradients in between.  I hope that there is enough space in the long run for this variety of choice to continue.

Hello again everyone,
 
Here I am again giving my perspective and I feel like I am an outlier.  I have been reading the follow ups to the Nintendo conference and I find the coverage pretty negative.  A lot of people saying why would you ever buy this thing?  I can tell you without ever having played it I want to buy it.  I want to preface this so people will understand why I am making this decision, maybe I seem like I am advocating for the system, which I am not. I just want to introduce another point of view, one of optimism.  Furthermore, I don't care about the race, I don't care what company is making the most dollars making games and game hardware,  I care about getting new exciting experiences and getting the most value for my dollar.  I am also all about advocating for diversity,  in the information I have seen coming out of E3 I did see innovation and interesting games, but nothing which gripped me as much as the possibilities presented by Wii U.  I am impressed with Vita and if it is capable of the same sorts of things that excite me about the Wii U, and indeed delivers on them, Sony may be able to make an argument for why I should get that instead of a Wii U.... unfortunately I would still likely get a Wii U, because my wife and I both love Nintendo first party software.   In the following post I will present what ideas presented at the press conference excited me, what negative opinions are out there and why I am looking forward to the launch of the system.
 
So my initial reaction was excitement, they were doing things in the trailer I never thought of, and if you read this blog, you will know I was thinking hard.  The idea of it being a scope, used for browsing, catching and pitching. extra info all of these things were great, and I hope that developers get on board with creating innovative uses for the interface.  Secondly I was elated because this solves a very real problem for me, time.  I love standard hardcore experiences, multiplayer and single player, but more and more I find myself struggling to make time for them.  A typical situation will be one where dinner is over, the house will be cleaned up and my wife and I have two - three hours before bed.  We both retreat to the rec-room and then get to debate, does she get her game, me mine, she watches TV or we play together, when we play together-no problem, otherwise somebody looses.  When I loose control of the big screen I can sometimes retreat to another room with the console, but we do enjoy each others company and she would often like me to stay in the room.  If I could bounce from playing Batman on the TV to this tablet, I can get in more game time and still spend time with my wife.  Some may say this is a relationship issue, but trust me even if you don't interact with your partner it is nice to be near them.   Finally the ideas of asymmetrical game play excite me to no end.  While the Ubi game Killer Freaks from Outer Space does not thrill me the demo I heard about where one player placed enemies on the tablet and the other fought them in a dual stick FPS sounds brilliant.  Imagine Hoard Mode, or Left 4 Dead, where someone could assume the role of director.  
 
Now for the naysayers, first off I am hearing a lot about whether this is a good financial move, Kotaku did a too little too late story, and there are reports of stocks dropping.  You know what I won't debate these stories, in most cases they are very well thought out and could be right, I just don't care.  If I get a few cool new experiences for my (estimated) $350  I won't bat an eyelash if the thing crashes and burns, I'll just turn my attention to other platforms.  But, wait you say you live on a budget, you need to get value, you have called out numerous games for not enough re-playability and yes its true, but my value assessment is that if I get three games I care about out of a platform I am happy. Nintendo usually delivers good first party in Mario, Zelda and etc, plus I think I will play Darksiders two and Arkham City on it.  Finally I like party games and I think this system will deliver some good ones.  I have gotten much more than that out of my Wii, so maybe I don't feel as burned.  Also it appears that everything will be based around only one tablet so I won't have to buy new controllers etc. 
 
I hear a lot of people say why wait for Wii U to launch for those third party games, good point, but actually the value proposition and time both are factors.  I have a huge back log of games to play, both in my own library and what I need to trade with friends. I am fairly certain that by the time I get through three Assasin's Creed games, Dragon Quest IX, Resident Evil 5, Borderlands etc. The Wii U will likely have been out for months.  So the question still persists even though the system will be out why not save the money and just buy it for your existing hardware?  The answer is then the time, as I stated earlier, if I can stream the game onto the controller I will get more play time.  As for my trophy progression, whatever I have had to level system accounts before, I don't feel that attached.  
 
Finally I see the reports of being able to do this already on the iPad, well that is an easy argument, its more expensive than this system will be, and it won't have the titles, Darksiders II etc. that I want to play via this method.  Also if I can stream my Wii and VC games to it that means I have games I want to re-play where I will be able to take advantage of the hardware day one.
 
So that outlines why I am still pumped to buy a Wii U.  Its likely a lot of the reasons for me don't apply to you, its likely the system will flop, but I don't care I tend to like things most people hate.  Thing is I think there are more people like me than you think, and for them this system solves a problem and fits a niche.  It may be what puts the final nail in the coffin for me ever buying another portable system.  I usually play portables when I don't have/don't want big screen time.  Provided this gets smaller download games I can do that, hell I could see myself spending hours on Bit Trip Runner, which I already own on the Wii.  Again if you're not like me I get why you might check out, just go easy on us who are still enthused.   

Now that The Wii U and Vita have been shown lets see how many of the suggestions I listed will come to fruition.

1. have motion comics or other cinematics play on the controller and let me keep playing on the main screen. - No
   
2. a dungeon master's game grid to control for other players in a  couch multiplayer situation - Dear God somebody get on this
   
3. rear-view mirror - not shown but likely to happen
   
4. Displays an alternate reality of what is on the TV where you can have an impact on one and see it on the other - not shown
   
5. motion controlled viewfinder for Pokemon Snap or Fatal Frame. Use analogue to move and controller for camera. - several of the demos showed potential for this
   
6. improve your online offering and have the controller screen manage my friends list home screen etc while I am in games. - online not shown
   
7. let me pop DS carts in and play Gameboy Player style - nope
   
8. context sensitive puzzles in action/adventure/rpg games - Not shown but likely
   
9. your own screen for when you go away from a group in 4 Swords or NSMBWii style games - yep
   
10. issuing commands to AI squad mates or placing objective markers for multiplayer games. - Not shown but the developer interviews allude to it
    
11. tertiary RPG elements like inventory management #quest logs etc. - Shown in Darksiders II developer video
    
12. Scrabble iPad style. - some of the videos showed this would be possible, but not specifically shown
    
13. social feeds or chat windows - not yet
    
14. discussion trees in couch multiplayer - not yet
    
15. mouse style controls for an RTS on a console. - someone get on this
    
16. removing some UI elements which clutter the screen and like the DS MAPS. I am building to better ideas promise - yep
    
17. picking football plays off screen for couch multiplayer - yep

Here in Canada  we are seeing more and more stories of Blockbuster stores closing and, I am not surprised.  As far as movies go I am completely satisfied to fire up Netflix or even rent through the Playstation Store ( when it is up).  Additionally DVDs are getting cheap so often its easy to go buy a movie for the same cost as renting it.  Tangents aside Blockbuster is only the latest and largest one to fall, I expect that soon there will be no physical locations to rent movies and games from and its the latter part of that statement which troubles me.  See while movies are relatively cheap or can be expected to show up on Netflix or cable, games start at $50-$60 and can take a long time to come down in price.
 
As I have said I write this blog from my own perspective, a man fast approaching middle age with a household to support, so I rent a lot.  I know a lot of the community may feel this is not a great way to support developers and publishers, but I prefer it to piracy and even more than purchasing used.  I may be using flawed logic in that I believe that the developers and publishers are party to the sale to the rental group, in used sales they are completely out of the loop and thus they get upset.  I like going to a rental shop and picking up a game which has received mixed reviews, has no demo or a demo which does not give enough of a sense of the full game, or the game is brief with no replay value.  I am happy to rent Enslaved get through it over the course of a weekend and return it for example.  Sadly where I live in Canada GameFly is not an option and I have heard things which make me shy away from the Canadian equivalent.  So I guess at the end of the day despite some things they did which miffed me I will miss Blockbuster and rental shops in general.   Sadly I will due to my own economic pressures will end up buying more and more used titles.
 
Talk about your unintended consequences.

I am fully aware that pre-paid cards are a method for protection, there is a layer of security I am puzzled that has not been implemented by credit card companies for online shopping.  When I go to a store now my new chip card requires me to enter a PIN for each purchase.  Would it be so hard to have me enter these four didgets when I make a purchase online?  It is more convienent than re-entering all the info, but it would be something hackers would not have if they hacked my account like in the PSN breach.

Who esle would be comfortable with this security method?

Left 4 Dead has been a very successful franchise, and there was a lot of controversy over the quickly released sequel. Many complained that the maps and new enemy types did not qualify for more than what should have been a DLC pack.  My complaints with the franchise, however began when a friend talked me into playing the first L4D. 

My friend who was very excited to show me this fantastic co-op game was quite crestfallen when I said I was not satisfied with my purchase.  Maybe the problem is that I had played TF2 first.  As we were progressing through the level I noticed that while we had a choice of how we wanted to look, there was no determinable difference between any of the players.  I could choose between young professional and war vet, but they both have the exact same abilities.  It would have been much cooler if each filled a role.  This would create a better team dynamic and given me an incentive to replay the maps, this time as a different character.  Also I don't like AI partners.  I did not realize this was driving me crazy until I played Boarderlands.  I am not always able to play with four friends and I despise playing with strangers.  Borderlands elegantly scales the difficulty and reward based on how many players are logged in.

If Valve is indeed planning a L4D3 I would hope they bring over some of the TF2 team and get some classed based scaling MP in there then, and only then,  will I sit up and take notice.

I already Tweeted them, but I thought I would collect together all my ideas for the next Nintendo System (I think of it as the DS Super XXL).  FYI I would also totally take any of these ideas on a NGP hooked into a PS3.

1. have motion comics or other cinematics play on the controller and let me keep playing on the main screen.
2. a dungeon master's game grid to control for other players in a  couch multiplayer situation
3. rear-view mirror
4. Displays an alternate reality of what is on the TV where you can have an impact on one and see it on the other
5. motion controlled viewfinder for Pokemon Snap or Fatal Frame. Use analogue to move and controller for camera.
6. improve your online offering and have the controller screen manage my friends list home screen etc while I am in games.
7. let me pop DS carts in and play Gameboy Player style
8. context sensitive puzzles in action/adventure/rpg games
9. your own screen for when you go away from a group in 4 Swords or NSMBWii style games
10. issuing commands to AI squad mates or placing objective markers for multiplayer games.
11. tertiary RPG elements like inventory management #quest logs etc.
12. Scrabble iPad style.
13. social feeds or chat windows
14. discussion trees in couch multiplayer
    
15. mouse style controls for an RTS on a console.
16. removing some UI elements which clutter the screen and like the DS MAPS. I am building to better ideas promise
17. picking football plays off screen for couch multiplayer

I am quickly approaching my 30th year and I have played games the better part of my life.  Lately though I feel as though game developers are not making their games with me in mind.  I am not talking about the artistic merit, but rather that most games don't actually fit into my lifestyle.  Games tend either to be too casual and loose my interest or too hardcore and I can't get into them.  I need to be able to pop a game in have my fun in a half hour or so and get out, but I do like to have a larger goal and varried game mechanics.  The best examples of this I can think of are the Mario Galaxy games, or even Mass Effect 2 which enable me to do a level or a mission and get out.  I can't invest three hours waiting for the game to get good, and I hate wasting time looking for NPCs in open worlds wasting precous time I would rather be using to do missions. 

While I am ranting lets talk about my ability to buy games, I have bills to pay.  I can't be spending 60 bucks every 2-3 weeks on a new title.  I know we don't like to make the value judgement, but I have to.  If I put down money for a game at release I need to believe I will be playing it months from now.  DLC and multiplayer help, but there are simple ways to keep me from getting rid of a game.  Bioshock was revolutionary in many ways, but even the technologically inferior Mario Galaxy lets me go back and play my favorate levels after I beat the game.  Some chapter stops which lead into a selection when you beat it would have made the idea of revisiting Bioshock for the big moments a lot more palatable, at this point it just feels daunting.  Yes I could have kept a million saves, but that depends on me knowing when the big set pieces will happen and doing way too much file management.

In short as an adult I want deep games which I can jump in and out of quickly and revisit key moments of after I am done.  Am I asking too much?