The Gaming Backlog Challenge: Episode 2 (Mitch joins the fight!)
Posted on 8 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 0 comments
Last week I began what is to be known from here on out as the “Gaming Backlog Challenge” with “Call of Duty 2: Big Red One” on the Playstation 2. My goal? The start and finish the game in 1 week’s time as a kick off to eliminating my entire backlog of games once and for all. Following that, I’d pick another game on my list and complete that game within the week as well. Since I’m already off to a good start, I might as well keep the ball rolling, but first let me introduce a new player to the “Gaming Backlog Challenge”, a staff writer on our sister site GamingEverything, Mitch! He decided that he had a large backlog as well and needed to make some headway, so check out his post for the details on what he’s doing. I strongly encourage all of you to join us as well, so just e-mail me at [email protected] if you want to get in on it and I’ll add you to next week’s post!
Now, normally I’d have a short review up of the game I had just played, but I did a feature over on GamingEverything over the week that sort of made my feelings about the game clear. Check it out if you’re curious!
Nintendo at E3 – A retrospective (Part 2)
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features | 5 Comments
Just in case you missed it, part 1 covered the first eight years of E3 from 1995 to 2002. If you haven’t read it yet and want to feel older than you really are, take a look at it. For everyone else, let’s jump straight into 2003.
The Gaming Backlog Challenge: Week 1
Posted on 8 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 13 Comments
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Just pretend all the paper gets turned into video games by a witch or something.
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Last week I got ahold of a really sweet shelf to store all of my video games on, and while my collection isn’t the biggest or best out there, I’d say that I’ve got a good amount of games. Here’s the problem with having a good amount of games: You don’t have time to play them all. Every single gamer has a backlog of games, some bigger than others, and I’m ashamed to say that my backlog is quite a hefty one. A little while back I read a post on GoNintendo talking about the administrator’s (Kevin Cassidy) massive backlog of games, and reading that post inspired me to finally take action in completing MY backlog. Along the way, I hope that you guys join me and work on your backlogs as well. If you do, e-mail me at [email protected] whenever you beat a game and I’ll be sure to post about it on the site! Include a story/explanation if you want, but no pressure. Anyway, onto MY backlog:
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
A lot of games, am I right? So here’s my plan: Beat one of these games every week and write about my experience with it as motivation to keep plugging away. For all of you out there, it’s time for you to delve into your backlog as well. Join me in my quest to finish all of the games I own and write to me about them. Each week, every single person that tells me their finished game will get put up on the site to bask in their glory for a bit, and then move onto the next one. Who’s with me? Anyone?
This week’s game…
Nintendo at E3 – A retrospective (Part 1)
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features | 6 Comments
Yes, I know that E3 ended a few weeks ago so writing about it this year’s show would be a bit irrelevant. That’s why I’m going to be REALLY irrelevant and take a look back at the last sixteen years of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, focusing specifically on all the games and hardware shown off by Nintendo. So let’s pretend that Pluto is still a planet and that Sonic is still popular as we travel back in time to the mid 90’s…
What do YOU think? Nintendo’s Press Conference
Posted on 8 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 14 Comments
Hey, guys! Another long day of news, am I right? Well, I’ve been hard a work on this article for you to read over, and it covers just about everything you’d need to know about Nintendo’s E3 if you missed it! Feel free to skip around to the games you’re interested in to see my thoughts on them, and be sure to toss a comment or two in at the end so I know what you all think of what I think!
3DS mock-up image, unconfirmed details
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Reviews | 9 Comments
The image above is based on a drawing created by a Chinese blogger who says he has a 3DS development kit. There are also a number of unconfirmed details about the system, which we’ve posted below.
– 3D camera
– Differently-designed screens
– The blogger says “the effect of the [3D] screen is amazing.”
– MP3/AAC hardware decode function
– Media player
– Will have a second, proprietary medium for 3DS games
– 3DS titles will fit on a card similar in size to a Compact Flash card
– May be able to put in 3DS and DS games in the same slot
– Might not have an analog stick
– Possible tilt sensor/accelerometer
– Might be as powerful as the Wii
Original drawing from the Chinese blogger below:
You know, I really can’t wait until the 3DS is shown on Tuesday. All of the speculation and mock-ups are driving me crazy!
Monster Hunter Tri review
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Reviews, Wii | 9 Comments
Game Info:
System: Nintendo Wii
Category: RPG
Players: 1-2 (offline), 1-4 (over wi-fi)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Monster Hunter Tri is the latest game in Capcom’s Monster Hunter franchise, a series of RPGs that have never really taken off outside of Japan. Well known for multiplayer co-op allowing for up to four adventurers to team up and take down colossal foes, the series now finds itself on the Wii —a system often criticised for its approach to online play. Is Tri the series’ best game to date or is there still something that has been lost in translation?
There’s really no plot to the game. In the single player mode, you’re a wannabe adventurer who is asked to save a small seaside village from a massive leviathan lurking in nearby waters. The storyline only really serves to add new gameplay elements, which is fine by me. After the first few tutorial missions, you can start opening up new missions courtesy of the Hunter’s Guild. Over time, more areas open up, and you can gain access to things like a farm providing you will common (but useful) items and ingredients, a shipping fleet offering to trade commodities and a cat-run canteen that serves up meals which grant temporary stat boosts and abilities. A few quests in, your lonely hunter is joined by Cha-Cha, this weird masked midget who serves as a constant companion both in and outside of quests. He can help gather resources, learn different techniques from different masks and, most importantly, act as a diversion for drawing monsters’ attention.
What do YOU think? Gaming at the cabin…
Posted on 8 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 2 Comments
Surprise mid-day Thursday article! Threw you for a loop, didn’t I?
If you’re like me and you’re going to be heading up to a cabin this summer, chances are you’ll be bringing along some sort of portable gaming device. Now, I know a lot of you might be a little more into the natural beauty of a cabin on the lake (and don’t get me wrong, I am too!), but sometimes I feel like there’s no better way to relax than getting a good game, sitting out on a lake, and playing a little bit of Picross or Chrono Trigger. So, in honor of the fact that I will be gone all weekend at my cabin, here’s a list of the 4 games I will be playing/would like to play while at a cabin out on a lake.
Top 3 Nintendo franchises that need Wii updates
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features | 22 Comments
I think that both Nintendo fans and non-fans alike can agree on one undeniable truth—Mario and co. comprise a company that loves its franchises. Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Pokémon—even Super Smash Bros. has become a franchise in its own right after all these years. And while it can’t be argued that fans don’t enjoy these series, it certainly can be asserted that Nintendo is perhaps a little too reliant on too few franchises. With the advent of the Wii three and a half years ago, we fans were expecting a huge influx of next-gen updates to our favorite games, but the disappointing thing (at least to this gamer) was that only a few series received those updates, a la Twilight Princess, Brawl, and Galaxy (even Galaxy 2 now—doesn’t Mario ever take a vacation that isn’t interrupted by nasty goo?).
So here’s my proposition, Miyamoto: Give these franchises a second look.
The greatest bad games ever: Monster Hunter Tri
Posted on 8 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features | 23 Comments
Most frustratingest game ever?
I really don’t understand Monster Hunter Tri at all. Everything that makes logical sense about the game says that it should not be good: The controls are archaic, 80% of it is grinding, the single player has a lackluster story, it’s unbearably frustrating, and it sucks up hours upon hours of your time to make any sort of significant progress in the game. Regardless, I have fallen so far in love with the game that I have spent all of my spare time playing it. I didn’t have a feature up yesterday. Any idea why? Yes, it was Monster Hunter’s fault. When I’m that addicted to a game, usually I can track the reasons why I love it. Zelda games, for instance, have fantastic gameplay, great atmosphere, and awesome level design. But Monster Hunter doesn’t have very much going for it, yet, for some reason I can tell it is going to be a game I clock well over 100 hours into. It really is the greatest bad game I have ever played.
