I finished the single player of KID ICARUS UPRISING and I loved it. The story was hilarious and charming, with surprising characters and excellent voice acting. The gameplay was challenging but feels like you can get better with practice, and I intend to continue playing for achievements (so many). The controls are amazing, and while I understand they can be love it/hate it, I luckily find myself in the love it camp. Masahiro Sakurai, I bow to you yet again. 9/10

E3 was this week and I saw some upcoming games. Being an owner of 3DS and Xbox 360, I mostly looked to what those would bring in the future. I was also interested in seeing what the Wii U would bring.

On the XBOX side:

Resident Evil 6 looks fun, but I'm a little disappointed in the lack of more survival horror creepiness that was revived in the 3DS Revelations. I'm basing this off the short gameplay demo they showed, and I hope the final game will have more variety in terms of gameplay (not just third person shoot shoot shoot)

Halo 4 looks interesting. I was never too interested in the Halo franchise ever, so if I find myself getting a cheap or free copy, then yay. Otherwise pass.

Black Ops 2 I have mixed feelings about, just because I was a big fan of Treyarch's first Black Ops game, which I felt was the pinnacle of Call of Duty thus far. The formula has gotten too old and I definitely sensed that with Modern Warfare 3. That said, I like the futuristic setting and I like Call of Duty over the top explosiveness, so I'm on the fence on whether to get another CoD or just pass this year.

Tomb Raider looks fun, and I like how they made Lara Croft seem extremely vulnerable. That said, I remember a comic with Doolan saying "Everything was Uncharted" and that sums up the game and the industry in general. The difference between game A and B is become smaller.

I don't remember anything else I cared about really. Out of all that, I'd probably just get RE6 only because I have immensely enjoyed all the games in the series, and if Mercenaries returns and the game's single player has some elements or traditional horror, then yay.

On the 3DS side:

New Super Mario Bros 2. looks fun, and if it is as addictive as Super Mario 3D Land then I'm down. I also hear this game will be downloadable and if that's the case I may purchase it via eShop so that it is always on the system. Overall, another solid looking Mario platformer which is good.

Paper Mario 3DS looks great, and as always with these games you don't really get excited for them until days before its released because screens, videos don't do these games justice. The storylines and the gameplay is what makes them so special, so I'm just happy its coming out this year and can't wait for it.

Castlevania Lords of Shadow Mirror of something something is a 3D castlevania game, and if it has elements of previous Metroidvania titles like amazing music, killer weapons, exciting level design, and awesome bosses, then there's no way this can go wrong. So we'll see.

Luigi's Mansion on 3DS may end up being a sleeper hit, and I can see myself getting it if its a quality game. I've never played the original so I don't know what to expect, but hopefully its good.

There were 3 games I did not see and was disappointed was Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle, and Layton Vs Ace Attorney. But those are sort of niche titles, and as long as they come to US I'll be happy.

On the Wii U side:

Pikmin 3 looks great, and I want to play it since it's sure to be as fun and addicting as Pikmin 2.

NintendoLand looked kinda silly at first, but it's probably really fun at parties and with family (if I had family). The Donkey Kong Crash Course thing actually looked really cool.

New Super Mario Bros U looks like more Mario platformer, which is not a bad thing, but at this point being the fourth release (NSMB DS, NSMB Wii, NSMB 2) the novel concept is getting tired.

Project P-100 by Kamiya looks like a lot of fun, and could capture some of that hectic crazy fun that I've yearned for since Viewtiful Joe. The simple graphics are a slight turn off though, but I don't really care for graphics that much.

ZombiU looks interesting. The zombie survival game concept is far from new, but if this game is similar to the Zombies mode in the Treyarch Call of Duty games, then it could be a lot of fun. Online and offline co-op play would be really important, and if it were just single player that would be missing the point on why CoD Zombies or L4D were so much fun in the first place. Surviving the zombie outbreak is more fun with others.

All in all, the Wii U's reveal was a little disappointing since the first-party efforts felt relatively bare, and the third party offerings were mostly ports. In the same way that Wii Sports eventually evolved into more compelling games like Zelda Skyward Sword, games that take these new and innovative gameplay mechanics into more fully realized games are what me and most people are looking forward to. I know Nintendo will do just that in the future, but it's just I was hoping to see more of it at this year's E3. So if this is what to expect at Wii U's launch, I'll simply wait until more compelling gameplay concepts emerge. Because I do see the enormous potential of the controller to take gameplay to new heights. A new Metroid Prime game could be an impressive showcase for the gamepad. The touch panel provides a canvas for creative input into games, and that could be potentially amazing.

Bottom Line, I see the potential clearly for Wii U, now just waiting for more games.

lets see...

RESIDENT EVIL REVELATIONS - A fully-fledged Resident Evil game on the 3DS, and being a fan of the series since RE4 I was not disappointed. The storyline was interesting and I liked how it was presented like a TV series ALA 24. The gameplay felt like a mix between creepy horror and the fast-paced hardcore action. The graphics were pretty fantastic and sits between RE4 and RE5 in terms of graphical quality, which was impressive. I really enjoyed using the gryoscopic functionality to aim and shoot. Overall, a high quality game that I expect more of on 3DS. 8/10

MIGHTY SWITCH FORCE - I got this off the eShop and I have really really enjoyed it. It feels like Metroid but with puzzle gaming added plus speed run addiction. The soundtrack is one of the best in games, I think. Excellent, ezxcellet game. 8/10

ALAN WAKE - I felt like playing a good single player title for Xbox 360 and so this was on sale. I enjoy the presentation like a TV series (kinda like RE revelations), and the story was very interesting overall. The gunplay is unique and different from most third person shooters, and the lighting effects are pretty amazing (though I was more impressed by the lighting in Silent Hill Shattered Memories). I haven't beaten it yet but a solid game and fun overall. 7/10

SKYRIM - Not initially interested due to my dislike and boredom from Oblivion, I gave this one a shot and have enjoyed quite a lot. Really, the gameplay in the Elder Scrolls series is not complicates - search dungeons, kill baddies, collect loot. Lots of loot. What makes Skyrim enjoyable is the sense of adventure it gives, putting you in a very believable and complex universe that is both epic and detailed. This is a very impressive overworld in terms of topography and lushness, though I found the barren apocaplyptic wastelands of Fallout 3 to be more compelling. The RPG elements are well done, with NPC conversations getting a change in terms of execution (no more zoom ins on faces and that stuff). The addition of dragons is pretty amazing as well, and every bout with a dragon is extremely challenging yet highly rewarding as well. The story is great and manages to keep me entwined in its rich narrative and history. Skyrim is a game meant to be experienced and marveled at, but not at the cost of gameplay and fun. 9/10

KID ICARUS: UPRISING - So I was very hesistant on getting this game because of the mixed impressions in terms of control I've read. I took a chance, and I'm glad I did, this is game is outstanding so far. The controls, are different, but they work very well and make this action shooter feel more twitch and reflex based than a lot of games. My hands are not pushing any buttons (except for firing), its simply making gestures with the stylus and moving with the circle pad. It takes a minute to get used to but it works. I enjoy the game's creativitiy in terms of controls and wish more games would just take risks. It almost puts this game in its own genre for how it destroys notions of traditional controls. On top of that, I'm enjoying the game's funny, Saturday morning cartoon like storyline, and the game's absolutely massive wealthy of unlockable content. Thus far, I don't have that many problems with this game, and if rated today I'd give it 9.5/10

I bought too many games lately, so i gotta stop buying games. anyway here we go:

Red Dead Redemption - I beat it and it was good overall, but it didn't leave that strong of an impression on me to be honest. I rather liked how the end gave several monotonous missions with your family, but overall its GTAIV in wild west. 7/10.

Ghost Trick:Phantom Detective - being a fan of the DS Ace Attorney adventure games, I had to play this and I wasn't disappointed. Probably one of the best games of 2011 that got very little attention. The gameplay was compelling and I liked how it was based in real time, making a real sense of urgency when playing the puzzles. The game is pretty epic and definitely longer than I anticipated, and the storyline was pretty fantastic with a great plot twist near the end that makes you rethink what just happened throughout the entirety of the experience. 9/10

Super Mario 3D Land - I got this and its okay. The game is fun in spurts but I don't get much satisfaction from completing these levels for some reason. It doesn't have a sense of exploration that Mario 64 or Mario Galaxy had, its very linear. There is no story and I guess that's fine but I wish there was a sense of place and setting at least. Mario 64 took place in the castle, Mario Galaxy in space. Even Mario Sunshine had a setting. I like how its sort of a 3D version of Super Mario Bros 3, though that game is much more superior. Overall, a fine game but doesn't have the sense of occasion or excitement that previous 3D marios had. 7/10

Modern Warfare 3 - Another fun and exciting Call of Duty game, but at this point the formula is thin and I can't see myself getting the next installment unless its something truly evolutionary. The single player is good and wraps up the modern warfare storyline in good Michael Bay fashion. The multiplayer is fun but not very different from previous installments. Overall, solid but probably the last CoD game I'll get unless the next one is truly evolutionary. 7/10

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword - I've been looking forward to this game for a long time and now I've played and beaten it, and I think its a huge accomplishment. Firstly, the game's controls are near perfect, they would be 100% perfect if the actions on-screen registered well all the time, but there are moments of hiccups. Not game-breaking at all though, the controls work about 90% of the time, which is great! Sword slashing was more satisfying than I expected, and the various ways the game uses motion for the other items, user interface, and puzzles are all well-integrated into the main adventure. I would expect future installments to continue utilizing motion controls, though I think the option for traditional gamepads should also be added for motion control haters (not me). The game structure is both similar and different from previous Zeldas, for good and for bad. I liked the more interactive environments that felt more like dungeons than overworlds - I kept telling myself this feels like a Metroid game at times (which I like). I was not a fan of the sky overworld, which felt barren and only existed to get you from place to place. I would've preferred a ground based overworld like in Twlight Princess, but with the ability to fly over it. The dungeons were overall very well-designed and the boss battles were all amazing. This game has without a doubt the best bosses in any Zelda ever. There are a couple of fetch quests and collectathons interspersed in the adventure, and these are challenging, but they are not something I can imagine myself wanting to play again. The boss battles, on the other hand, are so good that I do like to go back and do battle with them. Finally the storyline is great and does a good job acting as a starting point of the whole Zelda timeline. Overall, top-notch Zelda game that lives up to the series high standards. Not perfect, will be talked about and debated until the next Zelda game entry, but for now I'm happy we have this game. 9/10.

Portal 2
Really amazing puzzle game with a stellar single player and co-op campaigns. The story in the game is fun and entertaining, with great voice acting and writing. 9/10
 
Super Street Fighter IV 3D
I got this with my 3DS, and while the graphics are great and all, I'm just not into fighters that much. so I decided to get rid of it.
 
Okamiden
I got this after trading in SSFIV3D, and its been fun. But I got bored of it after a while and still have yet to complete the game.
 
Red Dead Redemption
A really fun game, basically GTAIV in the wild west. I got a little bored of it after making it to Mexico in the game, the mission structures are all too similar. 
 
Ocarina of Time 3D
Excellent remake of a classic. I played through the whole game and it brought back plenty of memories. It looks and still plays great, and holds up well against many modern games. No wonder its a classic. 9/10
 
Tales of Monkey Island
I got all 5 episodes and couldn't stop playing it. A really good adventure game, not as hard as the originals but thats fine. The story and the writing was all fun and hilarious, with the voice actor for Guybrush absolutely nailing all his lines with good timing and comedic effect. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but overall a charming and lengthy adventure game. 8/10
 
Metroid Other M
Heard mixed reviews for this one, and I was surprised by how much I had fun with this game. The gameplay and the controls work extremely well, with the transition between first person and third person working. The twitch gameplay felt like a throwback to old harcore platformers of the past. The game's narrative was very good in my opinion, it was a thrilling and mysterious science fiction action drama........many genres. Overall, good game. 9/10

999 
I got this game 999 for the DS, and it was amazing. One of the best adventure games I've played, and one of the best video game stories I've experienced. 10/10 
 
Machinarium 
I got this game off Steam Sale for 3 dollars, and it was worth it. This game has an amazing art style, great music, and some challenging puzzles. Overall solid adventure title. 7/10 
 
The Secret of Monkey Island 
Also got this off Steam sale, its a pretty fun game with some great writing. The only problem is that the controls feel slow and a little off, and the puzzles have solutions that are way too obscure sometimes. But I had fun with it and I think Guybrush Threepwood is a great protagonist, simply because he basically accomplishes nothing in the end and yet we still feel good for him just because he's such a nice guy. 7/10 
 
Dead Space 2 
Bought this game for about 9 dollars since I had a gift card, and its a stellar game, better than the first Dead Space. Well told story with some great character animation. Graphics are outstanding. Difficulty was good, hard but not impossible. Seamless game presentation, basically no load times ever. And the game is scary as well. Great game. 9/10

been a rough time in architecture studio, but there are games and they are fun: 
 
PICROSS 3D 
I got this game for free. When I prerordered COD:BLOPS, Amazon gave me a 20 dollar credit towards any game purchase, and Picross 3D was 19.00. So I ordered it! The game has been excellent, it is the perfect puzzle game. Play a few puzzles when I'm laying around then pass out and go to sleep. The game has enough challenge to be provoking, but not too hard on the brain to make me not want to play more (kinda like how TWEWY was too hard). Overall, fun game with a lot of charm and amazing lasting value. There is no significant way this game could be better than how it is. - 10/10 
 
COD:BLOPS MULTIPLAYER 
 
Been playing a little more everyday. My KDR is fucking atrocious, but that's okay with me. I went back to playing MW2 to see how the games compare, and they are very different. In MW2, everything is 10 times faster since there is constantly death raining from above and people have noobtubes and guns take down enemies quicker and with more accuracy. In Black Ops, no one uses a noobtube, guns sometimes take up half the magazine to take down someone, and there is recoil. The new "predator missle is the RCXD car, but that is easy to counter with the "Flak Jacket" perk, which is amazing. I love not getting tripped by claymores anymore or getting blown by RCXD's, its awesome. Sleight of Hand is still required since its so useful. And I'm using "Hacker" a lot for the third perk since being able to see claymores is pretty useful, its sort of gives away enemy locations. In terms of weapons, I roll with the Strela as my secondary since taking down aircraft or Spy Planes is really fun and useful. The primaries are good overall, all the guns feel like they could do some owning with the proper usage. The biggest detriment to the multiplayer is that aside from the balancing, the game isn't all that new compared to the previous multiplayer experiences, it is beginning to lose its fun. With the next installment, some new game-changing features should be added, what that is I don't know.

more games to give impressions of: 
 
Left 4 Dead 2 - 
I only played the co-op campaigns with a friend. This game is pretty fun but extremely hectic and mind-numbingly fast. I get a headache sometimes when playing. Split-screen co-op has a bit of a framerate dip so it wasn't always super smooth. But for what it is its fun as long as you play with friends. 6/10 
 
Vanquish - 
My friend got this for my birthday, and it is a fucking awesome game. Story is pretty much not important, the game could've been just about going from setting to setting and shooting since the gameplay is so good. What makes this game stand out from a very crowded 3rd person shooter market is its visceral style and neverending sense of of speed. You're always moving and always shooting and only given short moments for a breather. The stamina/energy/power bar or whatever its called is a pretty cool mechanic since it basically powers every aspect of the suit, from time-slowdowns to melees to speeding around on those sliding knees. I like how your character doesn't upgrade in too many significant ways besides weapons, so progressing through the game is dependent on how your skills with the controls improves. While the SP is good, its pretty brief and there is no substantial bonus content afterwards, so replay value is low. But overall, great shooter, better than Gears of War I think. 8/10 
 
Call of Duty Black Ops- 
first impressions: single player is kind of bad, actually. The story is very erratic and with no strong plot. Characters act cool and stuff but I don't care about them....yet. The gunplay is the same as in other games but with a little less variety compared with MW2. My favorite level so far has been Numbers. 
 
Multiplayer: it feels different from MW2, in good ways. Sometimes in MW2, it can be easy to become to overpowered due to a good killstreak. In Black Ops, I don't feel like there is death raining from above constantly, and no more Predator Missiles thank god. I didn't like using them and I didn't like getting raped by them all the time. Stopping Power has been removed so it gives me a chance to choose some different perks, but its actually harder to choose perks this time just because you will always have some sort of weakness however you choose to customize your class. This is good for balance issues of course, and means I can't use my typical "Sleight of Hand" "Stopping Power" "Ninja" class which pretty much is good for everything. I have played a couple of Wager Matches so far and they are actually really fun and the fact that you risk some money adds a sense of urgency in these games that I don't really get from other games. Losing actually means losing. I breathed a sigh of relief after finishing in third for one game, knowing I was on the edge of being out of the money. So far I have tried "One in the Chamber" "Sticks and stones" and "Gun Game". My favorite has been Sticks and stones, just because it adds the "bankruptcy" element which can completely change the dynamic of the game. I was doing really well in one match, getting a ton of kills and being in first, but a single tomahawk to the face and all my success meant nothing. Its frustrating, and I know its meant to be frustrating. Overall, multiplayer has received some good changes that make the game feel more balanced and harder as well. Its now hard to be good.

summer goes on 
 
Mass Effect 2 
I beat this game, took about 20 hours. Overall, it was a great action RPG, but didn't feel as fresh as the first game. In terms of gameplay, ME2 streamlines everything from the first game to make for a more fast-paced and exciting experience. The dialogue was extremely well-done, as expected. The story itself isn't that memorable, but the characterization is. I still kinda miss some members of the old crew, though we do get to see each and every one at points in this game. Bottom line, great sequel and I can't wait for ME3. 8/10 
 
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box 
Deciding that I need a simple game to play on my DS as I wait for the summer to close, I picked up the second Professor Layton title, and it delivers everything I expected, no more and no less. The puzzles are here and the storyline is here too. I thought the story was much better than that of the Curious Village, and the characters of Layton and Luke are as lovable as ever. It was also great to see Flora, the central plot point of the first game, return in a supporting role. Can't wait for the third game, the Unwound Future, to come out later this year. I give this game a 7/10 
 
Dead Space 
The game is cheap now, and I decided to give it shot. After 10 hours of intense third-person shooting, I can say that this is one of the best shooters of its kind I've played. It plays similar to games like Gears of War, Resident Evil 4, and Mass Effect (to some extent), but its great execution of the gameplay makes it standout from the crowd of similar titles. Dead Space is like a mix of Resident Evil 4, Bioshock, and Metroid Prime, in that its an atmospheric and creepy game with great shooting gameplay and a great storyline to back it up. It's also extremely immersive due to its restrictive use of a HUD, which is cleverly blended into the game's environment rather than stickered on the corners of the TV screen. Overall, excellent shooter, and I am interested in seeing if Dead Space 2 is as good. 9/10

my brother mailed me me2, i have been playing a lot of it lately, here are some thoughts: 
 
they fixed up a lot of the technical problems from the first game such as framerate issues, and some texture popping. there are some moments in me2 where i saw some lag, but for the most part, this game runs smoothly, so kudos to bioware. unfortunately, load times are still very long and annoying, so a wag of the finger to that. 
 
the gameplay has been streamlined a bit. for one thing, there is no more loot in the game, which was extremely plentiful in the first game. instead you only have a small choice of weapons, and they are all upgradeable using a simple menu function thats on the normandy. this is good because it gets rid of a lot of wasted time changing equipment and gear. 
 
combat is largely the same, but it feels faster and more exciting this time around. the power wheel is back but i dont find myself needing to go to it as much thanks to shortcut power button mapping. the one thing i probably like less about this game is the fact that there is now ammo, and i actually really liked the fact that there was infinite ammo in the first game. now i have to worry about reloading, which is just another thing i guess. it also seems like its easier to die in this game if  you don't stay behind cover during fights. 
 
the new squadmates are all pretty fantastic and well-developed. i initially missed a lot of the team from the first game (ashley, kaiden, wrex, liara) but the new team is actually really awesome. for starters, Garrus and Tali rejoin the team, which is great since they both great characters. as for the others (miranda, jacob, mordin, thane, grunt, eventually samara) yeah they're all fun. 
 
blah, overall pretty good so far, will play more. sidequest missions are way better than the ones from the first game. the game also has more variety in mission structure. i really enjoyed garrus' loyalty mission, the climax, which was all just a conversation, but it felt like a tense action scene and I was still in control. very well done. Thane's loyalty mission was also excellent. cant wait to play more.