Konnichi wa, minna-san!

Although I've already put my most anticipated game of 2013 down in my Game of the Year Awards I still want to do a proper countdown. So because I already listed my top game in my GOTY awards Im going to do my top 11 - 2. The next generation of consoles has begun with the introduction of the Wii U but the current systems are still going strong. Everyone is hoping Microsoft and Sony announce their new consoles this year to get them into the next generation. But in the meantime there are still games to discuss. Although I am likely to stick with Nintendo exclusively for next-gen because of me going to university for at least the next three years I still plan on buying 360 and PS3 games to augment my gaming. Of course, there is also my 3DS which I will also stick to. These games have to be close to completion to be put on here. There's no point in putting a game that may not be done soon. So here we are: my top 11 - 2 most anticipated games of 2013!

11. The Last Guardian (Team Ico, Santa Monica/Sony, PS3)

Release Date: ???

This is the last time I'm putting this game on my list. If it does not come out in 2013 or no release date is announced in 2013 I will drop all hope for the game. I am still excited for this game but it seems like I will never be able to play it at this point. Team Ico's games bring out this sense of wonder and atmosphere not found in many games these days. Very few games can do a minimalist style and still manage to be good but this studio is one of the ones that can do it and do it well. But the multitude of problems they have run into has pushed its release date farther and farther down the line. The director and executive producer leave Sony (Director Fumito Ueda is still directing it but its only because of the contract). Sony puts Santa Monica on to help out. Game is scrapped entirely because of technical issues. A game that was supposed to be released in late 2010 early 2011 has now made it to 2013 with nothing to show for it. Sony abandoning the trademark for the game has not helped its case either. That's why it places this low on my list.

10. Fire Emblem: Awakening (Intelligent Systems/Nintendo, 3DS)

Release Date: February 4, 2013

This was a rather sudden release date since it was given only a few weeks ago but Im glad it's coming out soon. I love this series except for the difficulty of it because of permadeath. Apparently you are able to turn it off in this game which is a huge relief for me. It gets me more excited for the game. It also seems like they refined the gameplay which is always a plus.

9. Pikmin 3 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo, Wii U)

Release Date: Q1 or Q2 2013

Nintendo has been rather ambiguous regarding Pikmin 3's release date. They originally said Q1 2013 but then they said Spring 2013 which places it in March - May. Anyway, the game should still come about before the summer which is good. I loved Pikmin 2 for its gameplay and I hope Pikmin 3 is just as good. The game looks great though both from a gameplay and graphics angle.

8. Rayman Legends (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft, Wii U)

Release Date: February 26, 2013

Rayman Origins was amazing. Pretty much everyone who played it says so. So when a sequel was announced, people got excited. When it was revealed as a Wii U exclusive, I was very happy. While it could still be ported to other consoles, so far the only way to play it is on Wii U. And judging from the demo, this game is going to be an easy contender for platformer of the year.

7. Rome II: Total War (The Creative Assembly/Sega, PC)

Release Date: Q3 2013

I loved the Total War series. Its strategy and real-time tactics combined which is a match made in heaven for me. The original Rome: Total War was my introduction to the series and in my opinion is still the best entry. While Q3 2013 is a long ways away, as long as I dont look at gameplay and start drooling over it, Ill be all right.

6. Pokemon X and Pokemon Y (Game Freak/Nintendo, 3DS)

Release Date: October 2013

For the first time since Pokemon Diamond and Pearl was announced, I am legitimately excited for a Pokemon game. As the fanboy I am, I picked up each main Pokemon game simply because I could. The 5th generation is the first time I've been disappointed in the series. Maybe because the DS has hosted the game for too long or my love for Pokemon is draining away or it could be those stupid designs from the 5th generation. I'm not excited about the 6th generation of Pokemon starting in Pokemon X and Y either but now, for the first time in the main handheld games, we have actual battle animations and it will be broadcast in glorious 3D.

5. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PLATINUMGAMES/Konami, PS3/Xbox 360)

Release Date: February 19, 2013

As a fan of action games, I know that PLATINUMGAMES makes the best action games in the business. So when they got their hands on Metal Gear Solid: Rising rebranded as Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I was on board. A sword that can cut through anything is the dream of anybody and youll finally be able to live this out in Metal Gear Rising. I stayed away from the series because of its stealth elements but since this game is action, bring it on!

4. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Capcom/Capcom, Wii U, 3DS)

Release Date: March 2013

I'm a little disappointed this game isn't Monster Hunter Portable 3rd but it is Monster Hunter Tri G which has been out in Japan for quite a while now. At least it's coming out here; I wasn't sure if it would. So the two games will be the same but the Wii U version will feature online multiplayer and you can save your data from the Wii U to your 3DS game kind of like Sony's Cross-Play with their PS3 and PS Vita. I never thought Nintendo would be copying their stuff from anybody! Anyway, now that Monster Hunter Tri G has been confirmed for release here I'm very happy... oh sorry, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

3. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (Level-5, Studio Ghibli/Namco Bandai, PS3)

Release Date: January 22, 2013

Anybody who knows my taste in movies knows that Studio Ghibli is one of my all-time favourite studios. Pixar and Studio Ghibli are my animated movie go-to's. So when I found out that Studio Ghibli was collaborating with Level-5 to make a game, I was ready to go out and buy the game. Since Studio Ghibli has zero experience making a game, they are in charge of doing the visuals, music, and story, all of which Studio Ghibli are experts at making. Having played the demo, the game plays well and it plays a little differently that your standard turn-based JRPG. Collecting creatures for your party, an addicting battle system and Studio Ghibli in charge of everything that makes them superb in my eyes has me stoked for this game! Only a week and a half to go!

2. Monster Hunter 4 (Capcom/Capcom, 3DS)

Release Date: TBA

I can guarantee if Sakurai did not say that SSB had the possibility of coming out in 2013 this would have been my #1 no question about it. I'm such a huge Monster Hunter fan (although some may question that since I skipped out on the PSP) that I went out and bought the Circle Pad Pro the minute they said Monster Hunter 4 would use it. I made sure to pre-order
Monster Hunter 4 as soon as it became available (although at the time of writing this my pre-order has been switched by EB Games to MH 3 Ultimate on 3DS). I'm still not entirely sure if this game has been 100% confirmed for release in North America but I'm still willing to believe Capcom will bring the game over. From what I've seen of the game so far, it looks amazing and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

I know my list is mostly dominated by games on Nintendo consoles but what are you going to do? Anywya, that's my list for this year. All of these are must-haves for me and you can expect to see me playing all of these when they come out.

Mata ato de!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

As much as I would like to keep my GOTY Awards at the top of my blog for a while, this is Pokemon news to share! So, Nintendo has teased today for being a big day for Pokemon fans. The announcement was made at 8 PM JST (Japan Standard Time) which meant... 6 AM EST for me. As much as I like sleep like any teenager, I like Pokemon more. So after getting up at 5:50 AM to get ready, I told myself: This better be good.

I was a couple of minutes late to the video since I couldn't find it (usually Nintendo Directs are on Nintendo's FB page), Nintendo posted a link that allowed me to find the video. Basically the first 7 minutes of this 11 minute video was a recap of the Pokemon series from its humble origins of Pokemon Red and Green (in Japan) to the juggernaut it is now with the most recent release of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. As soon as Satoru Iwata said that the DS was the first Nintendo handheld to support multiple games in the series and it was time to basically change, I knew immediately that it meant a 3DS game. Finally! Now, the next question was, what kind of game would it be? A new series or a remake of an old one? With the focus on Pokemon's past in the beginning, a remake of an older series wasn't out of the question.

The minute and a half video starts off with Pikachu informing us of this big Pokemon game. I was excited to finally see the game with 3D sprites. The battles now have the console level of detail in battles. Well, maybe not that much but it was still exciting to see each Pokemon reacting as they attacked and were being attacked. Now these Pokemon were also new which of course means the 6th generation of Pokemon has arrived. This is a little too much for me. I'm still getting used this generation and here comes the 6th. I feel it's a little too soon to be starting the next generation of Pokemon since it's only been a couple of years and there were 150+ Pokemon this time instead of the usual expansion of about 100 - 120. Regardless, I'm just glad the series is on 3DS now. Oh, one more thing to mention, the new legendaries look really cool. I like the Y one better than X but X's is still good.

While I'm not that excited for the start of another generation of Pokemon, I am excited to see the game on 3DS with 3D sprites and the consoles' battle animations. The best part is that there won't be the usual delay of a few mohts' time before the rest of the world gets the game. Satoru Iwata talked about how Japan always got the new Pokemon games first before anybody else. Now for the first time, everyone gets it at around the same time. The worldwide release date for Pokemon X and Pokemon Y is October 2013. Now I think I see why Nintendo made Pokemon Black and White 2. They just copied and pasted most of the game so that Game Freak would have more time on this series and so they could release it worldwide instead of Japan first. Well s that's that! Next generation of Pokemon on 3DS is coming October 2013!

Mata ato de!

It's time for my Game of the Year Awards! While this year wasn't as good as last year, it was still fairly solid especially with the rise of good downloadable games. This year saw the launch of the PlayStation Vita and Wii U. While I did skip out on the Vita I did pick up the Wii U as the loyal Nintendo fan I am. Besides with the announcement of games like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Pikmin 3 in the Wii U launch window, those are games I've been looking forward to for a long time. The Wii U is truly a whole new way to play games and for those who say otherwise, they haven't tried it yet. With me being in university now I find it quite time-consuming to play console games since I can only play while the family TV is unoccupied which means I can only play late at night. Thankfully, the Wii U helps with this problem by allowing me to play some games on the Wii U Gamepad without needing the TV. Anyway, time to get to the awards. The only rule is: the game must have been released this year. I'm including all the industry's genres in here as well as console exclusive games. So, let's get started!

· (Developer/Publisher, system) If its multiplatform, I list the system I played it on

Best Action:

Kid Icarus: Uprising (Project Sora/Nintendo, 3DS)

Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (Nintendo/Nintendo, 3DS)

Liberation Maiden (Level-5, Grasshopper Manufacture/Level-5, 3DS)

Winner: Kid Icarus: Uprising

This really shouldn't be much of a surprise. I absolutely loved Kid Icarus Uprising. In my opinion its one of the 3DS's killer apps and every 3DS owner should pick this up especially if theyre fans of action games or just weird humour.

Best Adventure:

Diablo III (Blizzard/Activision-Blizzard, PC)

Winner: Diablo III

Best Fighting:

Persona 4 Arena (Arc System Works/Atlus, PS3)

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (Namco/Namco-Bandai, Wii U)

Winner: Persona 4 Arena

I may be a little biased here because I suck at 3D fighters but I found Persona 4 Arena better. Once you get the hang of the controls, it's a blast to play.

Best Platformer:

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo, 3DS)

New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo, Wii U)

Winner: New Super Mario Bros. U

2 Mario games. Not surprising is it? It really is too bad Rayman Legends couldn't come out this year since I feel it would have won this category judging from the incredible demo. But NSMB U is still good especially with friends... or without. You can either have fun or get frustrated playing with friends. Regardless, the game still has that classic Mario feel and design to it.

Honourable Mention: Kirbys Dream Collection (HAL Laboratory/Nintendo, Wii)

Best Puzzle:

Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward (Chunsoft/Aksys Games, 3DS)

Scribblenauts Unlimited (5th Cell/WB Games, Wii U)

Winner: Undecided

Its hard to pick a winner amongst these two since I'm not a puzzle guy. While Zero Escape is more challenging, it's also not a pure puzzle game. This game is the first visual novel Ive played (game with a huge focus on story with little gameplay) and it is intriguing to say the least. Scribblenauts is easier on my brain but it's also a little easy at times. I couldn't decide on a clear winner between the two.

Best RPG:

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Square/Square Enix, PS3)

Xenoblade Chronicles (Monolith Soft/Nintendo, Wii)

The Last Story (Mistwalker/Nintendo, XSeed (North America), Wii)

Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/Take Two, PS3)

Winner: Final Fantasy XIII-2

I was pleasantly surprised by how good Final Fantasy XIII-2 was especially following the negatively-received Final Fantasy XIII. The story, though slightly confusing, was still handled well, the gameplay was excellent, the graphics were amazing especially when it came to the cutscenes and the soundtrack was good. It's always hard for me to decide which RPG I like the best since its my favourite genre but I'm picking Final Fantasy XIII-2 as my favourite RPG this year.

Honourable Mentions: Tales of the Abyss (Namco Tales Studio/Namco Bandai, 3DS), Tales of Graces f (Namco Tales Studio/Namco Bandai, PS3)

Best Rhythm:

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (Indies zero/Square Enix, 3DS)

Winner: Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy

Best Shooter:

Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts, Xbox 360)

Max Payne 3 (Rockstar/Take Two, Xbox 360)

Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/Take Two, PS3)

Winner: Mass Effect 3

While I think Mass Effect 3 is the worst game in the series, especially when it comes to its RPG elements, it made up for it with its great gameplay. It's clear that BioWare spent their time refining the shooter element to Mass Effect 3 since now it plays well. As a shooter, its better than the first two combined. The online multiplayer was also a ton of fun especially with friends.

Best Strategy:

Pokemon Conquest (Koei/Nintendo, DS)

Winner: Pokemon Conquest

Honourable Mention: Pikmin 2 (Wii) (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo, Wii)

Best Downloadable Game:

Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword (Nintendo/Nintendo, 3DS)

Sine Mora (Grasshopper Manufacture, Digital Reality/Microsoft Studios, Xbox 360)

Liberation Maiden (Level-5, Grasshopper Manufacture/Level-5, 3DS)

Winner: Sine Mora

Side-scrolling shooters are a dying genre but Sine Mora proves they can still be relevant. The unique twist with Sine Mora is that its all time-based. Destroy enemies and gain time, take damage and lose time. It adds a welcome change in the genre that makes it feel fresh and exciting.

Best DS/3DS Game:

Pokemon Conquest (Koei/Nintendo, DS)

Kid Icarus: Uprising (Project Sora/Nintendo, 3DS)

Liberation Maiden (Level-5, Grasshopper Manufacture/Level-5, 3DS)

Winner: Pokemon Conquest

I think the last Pokemon game I dumped more than 300 hours into was Pokemon Diamond. But I don't think the hours racked up as quickly as Pokemon Conquest's did. I was already at 100 hours a week and a half into the game. I easily hit 200 a couple of weeks later. Ive lost count of how many hours Ive spent on the game (since I restarted once and I have two copies of the game) but all I know is, this game is amazing! I'm already a huge fan of strategy games as it is but add Pokemon and real-time-tactics into it, you've got me for hundreds upon hundreds of hours! This is easily the best spin-off Pokemon game for a while now.

Best Wii Game:

Xenoblade Chronicles (Monolith Soft/Nintendo)

The Last Story (Mistwalker/Nintendo)

Winner: The Last Story

While the story of Xenoblade is far more engaging and interesting, the gameplay just didnt do it for me with Xenoblade Chronicles. The Last Story had better gameplay and a story that hits home. The musical score for The Last Story just barely beats out Xenoblade Chronicles as well. It was a really tough decision to pick between these two masterpieces of JRPG greatness but The Last Story is what wins for me.

Honourable Mention: Kirbys Dream Collection (Hal Laboratory/Nintendo, Wii)

Best Wii U Game:

Nintendo Land (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)

New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo)

Winner: New Super Mario Bros. U

There wasn't much competition here but next year will be better. It's a fairly obvious choice here. Its Mario!

Best PS3 Game:

Tales of Graces f (Namco Tales Studio/Namco Bandai)

Winner: Tales of Graces f

I didnt buy any other PS3 exclusives this year besides this so here it is.

Best Xbox 360 Game:

Sine Mora (Grasshopper Manufacture, Digital Reality/Microsoft Studios)

Winner: Sine Mora by default (though as of this post, it is also on PS3)

Best PC Game:

Diablo III (Blizzard/Activision-Blizzard)

Winner: Diablo III

Best Multiplatform:

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Square/Square Enix)

Mass Effect 3 (BioWare/Electronic Arts)

Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/Take Two)

Winner: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Surprised? Dont be. Final Fantasy XIII-2 was an excellent RPG that had me playing way longer than I had originally intended. Even now, I still pop it in every once in a while to play. It's just plain fun to play and I never really feel frustrated at all.

Best Graphics (Technical)

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Square/Square Enix, PS3)

Max Payne 3 (Rockstar/Take Two, Xbox 360)

Xenoblade Chonicles (Monolith Soft/Nintendo, Wii)

Winner: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Say what you will about Square Enix, but they know how to make graphics engines. Final Fantasy XIII-2's cutscenes were so realistic I had to remind myself it was a game I was playing. The rest of the game also looks great and it runs at a fairly steady rate. I only experienced a couple of frame rate drops when I played.

Best Graphics (Artistic)

Kid Icarus: Uprising (Project Sora/Nintendo, 3DS)

The Last Story (Mistwalker/Nintendo, XSeed(North America), Wii)

Borderlands 2 (Gearbox Software/Take-Two, PS3)

New Super Mario Bros. U (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo, Wii U)

Winner: New Super Mario Bros. U

Now that Nintendo has entered the HD age, its time to see what their series will look like. Mario brought his worlds usual look but now that everything is in HD, the colours pop out like crazy.

Best Musical Score:

Xenoblade Chronicles (Monolith Soft/Nintendo, Wii)

Dragons Dogma (Capcom/Capcom, Xbox 360)

The Last Story (Mistwalker/Nintendo, XSeed(North America), Wii)

Kid Icarus: Uprising (Project Sora/Nintendo, 3DS)

Winner: The Last Story

This was really close between The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles but I give the nod to The Last Story. It is hard to argue against the composer of the original Final Fantasy games. The musical cues in each situation was perfectly suited to the mood.

Honourable Mention: Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy (Indies zero/Square Enix, 3DS)

For this part I've come up with a couple of categories that I feel like addressing. Now, I have different expectation for different games. What I expect from a game may not be what you expect. I pride myself in knowing the developers behind each game so I know what they're capable of.

To make most disappointing, I had to have had high or relatively high expectations for the game whether it was based off the development team or past work.

Most Disappointing:

Dragons Dogma (Capcom/Capcom, Xbox 360)

One would expect the creators of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 4 would be able to craft a more well designed game. While the combat is extremely satisfying and handles well and the musical score is great, the rest of the game suffered. A lack of tutorials on combat or world exploration hampers the game as well as enemies that dont scale with you so sometimes you may run into an encounter you simply are not prepared for. While I should have expected a difficult game from the creators of Devil May Cry, the difficulty, and the lack of direction was too much for me to handle. While this is fine in games like Skyrim where things are simpler, games like this could use a little more instruction.

Lollipop Chainsaw (Grasshopper Manufacture/WB Games, PS3)

Grasshopper Manufacture is one of the more innovative companies in the industry in my opinion. They constantly push out new IP which is great. Most of their games have been solid. They're full of great bosses, simple combat and ridiculous dialogue that you would never hear in any other game. While all of this is present in Lollipop Chainsaw, it still feels half-baked. Usually if someone armed with a chainsaw in a zombie game you feel like the ultimate badass; chopping zombies in half, dismembering them etc. It took way too long to kill zombies in Lollipop Chainsaw and the combat was unsatisfying. While the whole rainbow thing is part of the game it wasnt satisfying to kill zombies when all that would come out of them is rainbows. No More Heroes had fountains of blood that erupted out of every enemy you killed and that game was so much fun. I was expecting more of No More Heroes in Lollipop Chainsaw.

Mario Tennis Open (Camelot Software/Nintendo, 3DS)

I loved the two previous Mario Tennis games on consoles. The original was simple and had that competitive edge. The GameCube version was crazy fun with the power-up shots and it added strategy to each rally. Mario Tennis has neither of these things. Instead there are Chance Shots which is pretty much a free ticket to score for whoever gets it first. If you dont do a Chance Shot, your opponent will be able to and you lose your advantage. It feels way too simple and the Chance Shots do nothing but ruin the game. Next time Camelot, keep the power-up shots from Mario Power Tennis!

Loser: Mario Tennis Open

This game was the biggest disappointment for me this year. This was a huge step backwards for the series. Past Mario Tennis games were about strategy and choosing your rallies carefully. They were deep games. Mario Tennis Open just feels shallow and repetitive.

To make most surprising I had to have had lower than usual expectations going into it. Usually if I'm not interested in a game I'll ignore it. However these games piqued my interest anyway and when I played them, I was blown away by how good they actually were.

Most Surprising:

Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Square/Square Enix, PS3)

Most of my friends are Final Fantasy fans so when they picked up Final Fantasy XIII they were excited. A couple of months later, they expressed their disappointment in the game. They weren't alone either. A lot of Final Fantasy fans were disappointed with XIII. They said it was too linear; it didn't feel like Final Fantasy. I've never been a Final Fantasy fan (which is surprising given my favourite game genre is RPG and to a greater extent Japanese RPGs) so I skipped out on this one as well. When XIII-2 was announced at E3 2011 to be more open-ended and you had the ability to collect monsters kind of like Pokemon, I was interested. When I played the game I was astonished by how great the game was. The combat is engaging and fun to watch and there is still a fair amount of strategy involved in each fight. The story I found was well-written if slightly confusing because of the multiple timelines and the villain was interesting. But anyway, FF XIII-2 was a surprise gem for me given XIII's terrible fan reception.

Pokemon Conquest (Koei/Nintendo, DS)

I love Pokemon games and anyone who knows me knows that. However, the spin-off games range from good to really bad when it comes to critical reception. So I was pleasantly surprised when Pokemon Conquest got such high ratings. Usually I get nervous when Nintendo gives their IP to other companies to handle since I don't know if it will be able to replicate Nintendos magic. However Koei's Nobunaga's Ambition series has always performed well. I've always felt that a Pokemon strategy game as been a long time coming. It's almost a perfect fit isn't it? Instead of soldiers you have Pokemon. I loved this game so much when it came out that I had logged over 100 hours a week and a half after the game came out. My bed time was 5 AM. And it was all because of Pokemon Conquest. It is THAT deep and addicting.

Nintendo Land (Nintendo EAD/Nintendo, Wii U)

When I first saw Nintendo Land at E3 as Nintendo's closing game, I thought they had gone crazy. Why, WHY would they end their conference on this mini-game compilation?! I continued to carry this thought into October until I finally got the chance to play it at an event in Toronto. I was amazed at how deep the gameplay was in this game. Nintendo asserted that Nintendo Land was deeper than Wii Sports as a tech demo and I definitely believe them now. While it's still fun to play alone the real draw of this game is the local play with friends or family. The three games that require multiple players are the most fun in my opinion since you just end up laughing and smiling since the game is so much fun.

Winner: Final Fantasy XIII-2

In terms of surprising me the most, Final Fantasy wins. I simply was not expecting the game to be as good as it was. I have money to burn on games so I basically bought the game on a whim. Mind you, I knew a little bit about the game before buying it. I've already given my reasons as to why it surprised me.

Most Anticipated Game of 2013:

Winner: Super Smash Bros. sequel

The possibility of playing this game in 2013 gives me an adrenaline rush. I'm serious. Ive loved SSB ever since I was a kid and it's my favourite Nintendo series after Pokemon. And besides, we all know what sells Nintendo's consoles here in North America: the Super Smash Bros. series. You need only look at the GameCube for proof of that. I thought there was no way this game would come out in 2013 but Sakurai has said he wants to release it to the fans as soon as possible. If Sakurai says he wants the game out in 2013 then all power to him. I doubt it will make it out this year but if he says its his goal then hopefully it comes true!

Now it's time for Game of the Year. Now of course what I think is worthy of Game of the Year may not be what you think is Game of the Year. I don't do it based off critical reception rather it's the games I enjoyed the most this year:

Game of the Year:

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Pokemon Conquest

The Last Story

Scribblenauts Unlimited

New Super Mario Bros. U

Winner: Pokemon Conquest

Yes, I think Pokemon Conquest is the best game I played this year. This little spin-off game that came out this summer that I'm sure was skipped over by many. I've pretty much already listed the reasons why I think it's deserving of Game of the Year. Deep and addicting gameplay, hundreds of hours of content, and of course that charm that makes it Pokemon. If you're a fan of Pokemon, tactical RPGs, strategy games, or all of the above then I highly recommend this game. You wont regret it!

So that concludes my Game of the Year Awards. As usual, what follows GOTY awards are the Most Anticipated Games lists. That will be up shortly since it needs to get done before the middle of the month when the new games start coming out! Until next time, keep gaming!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

I know it's been a while since I blogged but I've been busy with family stuff over the holiday break. Not to mention I've been spending way more time watching anime then I thought I would and so my GOTY Awards have been pushed back. I should have it up by Sunday so that way it's done before I head back to school. There's still a couple more games I need to play to get the feel for and then I'll be able to put them in my GOTY Awards. For the most part though I think I've got it all figured out. Anyway, that's it for this quick update.

Mata ato de!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

It's time for my Anime of the Year Awards. Now, I am in no way an expert at anime but I do have experience with story, characters, and soundtracks from video games so I feel I'm qualified enough to do a list like this. As I explained before, mine will be a little different. While usually anything of the year awards are based off of things that year, my anime category is different. Because I only started really watching anime this year I have to alter my Anime of the Year Awards. I'm including both anime I watched this year and anime Ive seen prior to this year. (I do have a couple of anime on here that were made this year but I think you get my point.) You see, I wasnt allowed to watch anime as a kid unless it was approved by my parents. So most of the time, I didnt even bother to watch anime. Now that I'm grown up, I can start getting into it. I guess I can thank the gaming industry for being boring in April of this year!

Since that's the case, the anime I've seen prior to this year have all been English dubbed and edited. So because of that, I'm altering my categories to divide up both English and Japanese voice actors (seiyu) and English and Japanese opening and ending songs. Now because the characters are universal (you can only change a persons personality so much when you dub), all characters whether I watched them in English or Japanese will be judged together. Anime of the Year will also be judged like that; whether it was in English or Japanese they're both up for the award. Some rules: only one character, voice actor/seiyu, and song per anime. Now of course there can be a male and female character and voice actor/seiyu up for male and female character and voice actor/seiyu of the year from the same anime. If the same voice actor/seiyu appears in multiple anime, I will mention the anime they are in but the first anime I list will be what role Im nominating them for. I'll also list all of the roles they played if its within the same anime. Just like above, the first character that comes up is the role I'm nominating them for. I try to include all of their roles, no matter how small they may be. Now, when I judge these anime, I judge them as a whole; that includes all seasons and movies judged as one anime. If a special or OVA is treated as part of the story (like in Lucky Star's case) then I will put it in here but if not then it wont count (Cardcaptor Sakura's specials). Movies are usually part of the story so I will include any movies. For example, Cardcaptor Sakura's finale is actually the second movie not the last season's last episode. There's also something else I need to get out of the way. I know some of the longer anime need more definition as to when I watched them so here it is:

Pokemon (Seasons 1-3)

Yu-Gi-Oh! (Season 1 or the first arc)

I also have pulled my previous decision to completely exclude the English version of Cardcaptor Sakura. While the editors of Cardcaptors, as it was known internationally, destroyed the North American version that doesnt mean I can't recognize the people who did the voice-overs for the characters. On this list though, I will always use Cardcaptor Sakura as the name of the anime as well as the original Japanese names. Also, for those who dont know, for some reason they completely changed the voice cast for the English dub of the second Cardcaptor Sakura movie. So none of the voice actors who voiced the characters in the main series return for the second movie. I think it was a new editing or publishing staff but I'm not exactly sure. So when I list Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card, that's the second movie with the new voice actors.

I've already listed off a few that are in here but let me show off the full list since I didnt watch that many anime this year or in previous years. I'm going to list them in the order I watched them in from when I was a kid until now:

1998 - 2005 (In 2005 I lost contact with my friends who watched anime. I heard next to nothing about anime from 2006 - 2011)

Pokemon (English)

Cardcaptor Sakura (English)

Yu-Gi-Oh! (English)

Megaman NT Warrior (English)

Kirby: Right Back at Ya! (English)

2012:

Cardcaptor Sakura (Japanese)

Daily Lives of High School Boys (Japanese)

Oban Star-Racers (English)

Tsuritama (Japanese)

Lucky Star (Japanese)

Lucky Star (English)

These categories are based off of Animage magazine's Anime of the Year Awards.

So after that mouthful, lets begin!

Male Character of the Year:

Shaoran Li (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Ash Ketchum (Pokemon)

Yugi Mutou/Yami Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Megaman.EXE (Megaman NT Warrior)

Hidenori Tabata (Daily Lives of High School Boys)

Winner: Ash Ketchum

Aside from being my childhood hero, Ash really does show good character development as the series progresses. Although he is occasionally arrogant and egotistic, he does know how to care for his Pokemon and, in his own way, the other people around him. A couple of episodes stand out from the first season that shows his love for his Pokemon and his feelings as he shares his moments with them.

Honourable Mentions:

Keroberos (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Jordan C. Wilde (Oban Star-Racers)

Yuki Sanada (Tsuritama)

Female Character of the Year:

Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Konata Izumi (Lucky Star)

Yassan aka Literature Girl (Daily Lives of High School Boys)

Winner: Sakura Kinomoto

While I love Konata for being a total otaku; basically a female version of me from the game genres to the laziness to the mischievous sense of humour, and making Lucky Star really funny, I just have to give Sakura credit for this one. To be honest, she had this category from the beginning. She's a very selfless character and she always tries to make the best out of every situation. In fact, her magical power becomes extremely powerful if those she cares about are in danger. She even tries to make friends out of her bitter rivals. There's one scene in the anime that permanently cements her as a great character in my mind. I can't reveal it because of spoilers but its definitely something mature for her age. She does grow over the course of the anime from being unwilling to perform the task put before her, to facing danger without fear. Her personality just attracts you to her and its practically impossible to NOT like her.

Honourable Mentions:

Misty (Pokemon)

Tomoyo Daidouji (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Eva "Molly" Wei (Oban Star-Racers)

Kagami Hiiragi (Lucky Star)

Ringo-chan (Daily Lives of High School Boys)

Best English Voice Actor (Male):

Eric Stuart - Brock and James (Pokemon)/Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)/Meta Knight (Kirby: Right Back at Ya!)

Dan Green - Yugi Mutou/Yami Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Samuel Vincent - Jordan C. Wilde (Oban Star-Racers)/Yukito Tsukishiro (Cardcaptor Sakura)/Iceman.EXE (Megaman NT Warrior)

Winner: Eric Stuart

Not only does he voice the womanizing Brock and the ridiculous James, he also does the egotistical Seto Kaiba and the badass Meta Knight. I didn't pay much attention as a kid to the voices obviously but it was pretty amazing finding out the connections.

Samuel Vincent also voices another character in Cardcaptor Sakura but I'm keeping it a secret for spoilers-sake.

Honourable Mention:

Sam Riegal - Minoru Shiraishi (Lucky Star)/Tristan and Rex(Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Best English Voice Actor (Female):

Veronica Taylor - Ash Ketchum, Delia Ketchum and Diglett (Pokemon)

Chiara Zanni - Eva "Molly" Wei (Oban Star-Racers)

Wendee Lee - Konata Izumi and Haruhi Suzumiya (Lucky Star)/Disguise Form Keroberos (Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card)

Winner: Veronica Taylor

I know some will cry foul over this one; I know Wendee Lee is considered one of the best in the business but come on, Ash's voice was my childhood. I still remember when I found out Ash was voiced by a female. My mouth dropped open. Besides, I got the chance to meet her at Fan Expo this year and she's awesome. Wendee Lee will probably have another shot next year since I plan on watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I don't know if I'll watch the dub or not but there's a good chance I will. I wonder if I should see Wendee Lee next year at Fan Expo if she comes. I'll have to find a Haruhi Suzumiya or Lucky Star poster if I want to do that! ;)

Honourable Mentions:

Rachel Lillis - Misty and Jigglypuff (Pokemon)

Brittney Wilson - Maylu Sakurai (Megaman NT Warrior)

Kari Wahlgreen - Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card)/Kagami Hiiragi (Lucky Star)

Michelle Ruff - Tsukasa Hiiragi, Minami Iwasaki, Yuki Nagato, and Minori Chihara (Lucky Star)/Tomoyo Daidouji (Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card)

Side note: I find it interesting how three of the four voice actresses for the main characters from the Lucky Star dub had met up 6 years earlier to do the dub for the main characters of Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card.

Best Seiyu (Male):

Tomokazu Sugita - Hidenori Tabata (Daily Lives of High School Boys)/Akira Agarkar Yamada and Tapioca (Tsuritama)/Clerk Sugita and Kyon (Lucky Star)

Minoru Shiraishi - Himself (Lucky Star)

Winner: Tomokazu Sugita

This guys voice is awesome! He sounds like a total badass even when speaking normally. A voice like this is why I think Japanese is a really cool language. Both of his characters in Daily Lives of High School Boys and Tsuritama are outrageously funny and a lot of credit goes to his sarcastic-sounding voice. A lot of credit still goes to Minoru Shiraishi who was pretty cool during his time on Lucky Star. He also brought a whole new level of humour thanks to his interactions with Akira Kogami on the show.

Honourable Mentions:

Miyu Irino - Tadakuni (Daily Lives of High School Boys)/Haru (Tsuritama)

Tomokazu Seki - Meito Anisawa (Lucky Star)/Toya Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Best Seiyu (Female):

Ikue Ootani - Pikachu (Pokemon)

Aya Hisakawa - Disguise Form Keroberos (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Aya Hirano - Konata Izumi, Herself and Haruhi Suzumiya (Lucky Star)

Winner: Aya Hirano

No, the voice actors for Pokemon will not win everything. I know that's what you were thinking this whole time ;) While it's amazing that Ikue Ootani can voice a character that says one word so well, Aya Hirano as Konata was simply too good. She always sounded sarcastic and condescending which perfectly fits Konata's character. Of course its all in good character. Shes able to handle a variety of voices as shown in the series whenever she makes a character reference and she is also a very good singer since she handles the majority of the ending songs of the first half of Lucky Star. I've also gone ahead and listened to the opening and closing themes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya which she sings and they're both very good. Aya Hisakawa also did an amazing job as Keroberos. Her Osaka accent is such a stark contrast to normal Japanese dialect, it's pretty cool. She is one of the reasons why Cardcaptor Sakura was funny.

Honourable Mentions:

Sakura Tange - Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Emiri Kato - Kagami Hiiragi (Lucky Star)/Koko (Tsuritama)

Best Episode:

Pikachus Goodbye (Pokemon, Episode 36)

Sakura and the Last Judgement (Cardcaptor Sakura, Episode 46)

Lets Go to the Festival (Lucky Star, Episode 12)

Winner: Sakura and the Last Judgement

While I included this because it is part of Animages Anime of the Year Awards, its really a personal thing. So I picked episodes from anime that stood out either for their story, character development or simple enjoyment. Sakura and the Last Judgement was the climatic finale that the anime had spent its time leading up to. A lot of things were finally revealed in this episode as well as a couple of essential story changes. Its conclusion was satisfying and this episode contains the scene I mentioned during my explanation Sakuras win of character of the year.

Honourable Mentions:

Bye Bye, Butterfree (Pokemon, Episode 20)

Sakura and Her True Feelings (Cardcaptor Sakura, Episode 70)

To Be Announced (Lucky Star, Episode 24)

Best English Song:

Pokemon Theme Song - Jason Paige (Season 1 Opening)... Oh come on, you have to know this has no competition! Its obviously the best!

Honourable Mention:

Cardcaptors Theme (Cardcaptor Sakura)

Best Japanese Song:

Platinum - Maaya Sakamoto (Cardcaptor Sakura Opening Season 3, Episode 70 Closing)

Waratteta - (I Was Laughing) - Sukoshi (Oban Star-Racers Closing)

Shiny Tale - Mix Speakers Inc. (Daily Lives of High School Boys Opening, Episode 12 Closing)

Motteke! Sailor Fuku! - (Take it! Sailor Uniform!) Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi and Miyuki Takara (Aya Hirano, Emiri Kato, Kaori Fukuhara and Aya Endo) (Lucky Star Opening)

Winner: Platinum

Believe it or not, this was actually the category I spent the most time debating over. I listened to all the songs many times (especially in the case of Motteke! Sailor Fuku! That song was stuck in my head for 2 months) before I finally decided on Platinum. While Motteke! Sailor Fuku! was catchy as hell and it did end up in second, I prefer songs that have a deeper meaning than simply catchiness. Platinum was named Anime Song of the Year in Animage for two years in a row in Japan and I agree with that. Its simply a beautiful song that fits the feelings of the viewers at that point in Cardcaptor Sakura.

Honourable Mentions:

Catch You, Catch Me- GUMI (Cardcaptor Sakura Opening Season 1)

Chance to Shine - Akino (Oban Star-Racers Opening)

Anime of the Year:

(Animation Studio, year(s) on the air/Region)

Pokemon (Oriental Light and Magic Inc., September 1998 October 2003 (seasons 1 - 3)/North America)

Cardcaptor Sakura (Madhouse Studios, April 1998 March 2000/Japan)

Lucky Star (Kyoto Animation, April 2007 - September 2007/Japan)

Daily Lives of High School Boys (Sunrise, January 2012 - March 2012/Japan)

Winner: Cardcaptor Sakura

It was close between Cardcaptor Sakura and Lucky Star but my second ever anime wins the day. Cardcaptor Sakura was actually better by quite a bit at least to me, but the first movie dragged the score down. But of course it didn't win out of nostalgia. There's a really heart-warming story to this anime yet it remains serious when it needs to be. Its a good blend of story, humour and action. The characters are great, the soundtrack is simply amazing, and it's infinitely enjoyable to watch. This anime was also made over a decade ago and it has aged extremely well. I may have liked it when I was a kid but now I absolutely love it.

So, I know there wasn't a whole lot of competition when it came to my Anime of the Year Awards. Next year will be better I promise. Why? Because these are just a few big name anime on my to-watch list for next year:

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Chobits

Kanon (2006)

Toradora!

K-On!

Clannad

There are a couple more big ones Im considering but those listed above are ones I will do for sure. Ive heard good things about all of them and theyre within the genre I usually like so why not? A few of the voice actors/seiyu might be back up again next year for my awards. Tomokazu Sugita is in 3 of the 6 anime listed above and Aya Hirano plays the titular character in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Even Sakura (Kinomoto) and Shaoran (Li) might not be done yet! They both star in Tsubasa Chronicle, the pseudo-sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura, another anime I plan on watching next year. They just reverse roles, where Shaoran becomes the star and Sakura becomes a supporting main character. Its a completely different universe but the same basic character models are used along with their names which is why I put pseudo-sequel in quotes. Theyre also a few years older than their Cardcaptor Sakura counterparts. Anyway, this concludes my Anime of the Year Awards. My Game of the Year Awards is next so look forward to that! Ill see you guys around!

Mata ato de!

P.S In case you guys are curious, I used this method in helping me determine the winner. I always find its best to be specific, so unlike MAL which uses definitive whole numbers, or GameSpot which uses the .5 system, I like the .1 system since its far more precise. I think using any other system aside from .1 is just lazy on peoples part. I rank the shows out of 20 but I multiply the score (8.5/10 = 17/20), and the movies and OVAs out of 10. The main show is obviously more important than the movies and OVAs right?

Pokemon: TV show: 8.2, Movie: 8.8, Movie 2: 7.5, Movie 3: 8, Movie 4: 8.3, Movie 5: 8.4 Movie 6: 8.5. Final Score: 8.2

Cardcaptor Sakura: TV show: 9.6, Movie: 7.9, Movie 2: 9.5. Final Score: 9.2

Lucky Star: TV show: 8.9, OVA: 9.2. Final Score: 9.0

Daily Lives of High School Boys: TV show: 8.5. Final Score: 8.5

Other scores:

Yu-Gi-Oh!: TV show: 6.5, Movie: 7.2. Final Score: 6.7

Megaman NT Warrior: TV show: 7.4. Final Score: 7.4

Kirby: Right Back at Ya!: Un-finished (added it since I saw a bunch of episodes as a kid)

Oban Star-Racers: TV show: 7.5. Final Score: 7.5

Tsuritama: TV show: 5.2. Final Score: 5.2

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

I've got my Anime of the Year Awards done and ready to publish! It should be up either later tonight or tomorrow. I was planning on releasing it a little later but then I thought: "The end of the world is coming up. I better not let the work go to waste." :P Even if the world doesn't end, I've barely worked on my Game of the Year Awards. Oh well, at least in my Game of the Year Awards I actually know what I'm talking about. Again, if you detect some bias in myAnime of the Year awards it's probably true. I'm a big fan of nostalgia so if you notice that then sorry! Next year there won't be any bias since the anime I'll be watching next year will all be new to me so I won't have lingering memories from the past decade or so. I try and explain why I picked each winner though. Sometimes I really did feel like the winner deserved it and it wasn't through bias at all.

I actually started watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya but as of the time of writing, I am not done with the whole series yet so it will be moved to next year's. I will probably be done with it by tonight or tomorrow but I've already got everything written down and I'm too lazy to start debating over everything again. :P

Anyway, so that's that. I'm going to start deciding over my winners for Game of the Year soon and that's going to have to include playing the games I got yesterday that will be included. 7 games with only 2 weeks left till the end of the year... I might actually postpone posting my GOTY awards until early next year since I still have a week in January off of school.

Mata ato de!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

Now that I have spent enough time with the Wii U, I'm ready to do my first hardware review. I'm going to try and just focus on the hardware and its features so I'm not going to talk much about the games. So, here we go.

There's been a lot of questions about the Wii U ever since it was announced last year. How is Nintendo going to hook gamers with a tablet controller? How powerful is it going to be? What will its games be like? How much will it cost? This year at E3, they put some questions to rest but it was just replaced with more questions. Will re-released games be enough to sell the console? How long will third-parties support the console? How good are version-exclusives going to be compared to 360's or PS3's versions? Only if you're a Nintendo faithful, like me, or just keeping tabs on the Wii U will discover the answers to all of the questions. So far, the Wii U has a few promising third-party games in development for it like Lego City Undercover, Bayonetta 2, Rayman Legends and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Nintendo will augment that lineup with games like Pikmin 3 and the upcoming Super Smash Bros... Wait a second, i'm getting off-topic here! Back to the system.

The Wii U console itself is pretty slick, if a bit weird looking since it's like a rectangle instead of the square-ish 360 and PS3. Standard USB ports are on here, HDMI and standard cables are supported but the strange part is there's no Ethernet port. I mean, in this day and age, most people have wireless routers but if you were hoping for the sometimes more stable connection you get with cable then you're not going to get it with Wii U. Another strange part is that you can't charge the Gamepad with the Wii U itself. Instead the controller comes with its own charger which must plug in to the wall. For me, this isn't a problem since I have multiple unused ports available around my living room but some techies may be strapped for outlets which presents a problem. The Wii U Pro Controller, if you happen to grab one, can be charged by plugging it into one of the Wii U's USB ports. The system is more or less on par with the current consoles with Nintendo claiming it is more powerful. If it is, it's not by much but it'll do for now. The Wii U is slightly more expensive than the 360 and PS3 right now but considering what you get with the Wii U, particularly the Deluxe version, it's worth it.

Now moving on to the Wii U Gamepad. First things first, most people when they see the Gamepad they seem to think: "That things too bulky! How am I supposed to play with that?" The Gamepad is actually suprisingly light, weighing only about a pound or so. Also there are curves along the sides and a back grip so it can fit your hands. Don't worry, it's Nintendo; they know about to make ergonomically friendly controllers. The controller comes with all the workings of a modern controller. Nintendo's ABXY face buttons, dual analog sticks, L, R, and Nintendo's ZL and ZR buttons, and Nintendo's patented D-pad. I'm not lying actually; the D-pad on Nintendo's stuff is patented and they can't be used by other companies. Now this is truly the best d-pad on any controller since it's very precise unlike the 360's weird "webbing" in between their controllers and the PS3's "broken" one. The Gamepad also comes with an inward-facing camera, gyroscope and accelerometer, rumble, and a stylus. The Wii U also has a TV button which you could use to control the TV you're using. Of course it's not perfect (especially not for me since I have a seperate sound system) but it's a little touch they put in for you. Of course, it's impossible to ignore the 6.2 inch screen on the controller. The screen is resistive-touch based allowing for only one input per touch. I know a lot of people are whining about this but I like the idea still. The stylus allows for more precise touches which sometimes you just can't get on a regular tablet. The touchscreen works very well and I have little trouble with it. There is a problem with the Gamepad. Its battery life is only about 3.5 to 5 hours. This presents a problem to marathon gamers like me who spend more than 6 hours of their day playing video games. Almost every time I sit down for a long play session, I have to charge the controller. Again, this doesn't present much of a problem for me since I can comfortably sit on my couch within range of the 8.5 feet long charging cable but for others it may be an aggravating issue.

Let's talk about the menus and applications on the Wii U. First the bad: they are rather slow, taking around 10 seconds for the menu. It doesn't seem that long until you go through multiple menus and realize how much time has been wasted. After installing the day 1 update, in order to play Wii games you have to select the Wii menu on the Wii U and wait a while for the system to switch over. I don't know why you can't just pop in a Wii game and play it without having to switch to the old format. The Wii could do it with GameCube games so why can't the Wii U do it with Wii games? Now to the good, the menus are very straightforward clearly indicating what is what. It's easily the easiest menu to navigate out of the 360, PS3 and Wii U. Now for the applications.

There are quite a few on Wii U. Let me talk about some of the bigger ones. You'll notice quite a few streaming apps right off the bat. YouTube, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix are pre-installed on the system so if you're a subscriber you can easily take advantage of these services right on Wii U. Now since I'm not a subscriber I can't say for certain if you can simply just use the Gamepad to watch shows on the Gamepad but I know for a fact that YouTube needs the TV to be free while Amazon does not. Miiverse is Nintendo's online community and so far it's really good. I don't know if it's better than Xbox Live but the community is out in full force to support Miiverse. The concept of Miiverse is pretty simple: there are times in game (or outside the game if you want to simply post in the Miiverse community) when you can post about your experience. This could be done either in words or through drawing. Let me tell you, the amount of artists on Wii U right now is astounding and I'm always amazed and what people can do. Since the touchscreen is so precise, it's easy to draw on Wii U. Miiverse presents a whole new way to express your feelings on a game and it's one of the Wii U's better perks. There's Nintendo's eShop on Wii U as well. It works like a standard online shop where you can purchase downloadable games or retail games through the store. I'm hoping they add in the Virtual Console service soon as well so I can buy some old GameCube games. There's the Internet Browser which works fairly well but since the Wii U doesn't use Flash Player (and I don't know if you can even download it on Wii U) the ways in which it can be used is limited. Lastly there's Nintendo TVii which is Nintendo's attempt to fit in to the multimedia console. I don't know if it's up yet or not since I haven't tried it but basically what you can do with it is assign all of your favourite TV shows on the Wii U and you can watch it through certain providers. I'm not a huge person on TV so my use of it will be small but from what I understand, it's a pretty cool idea. Best part is, it's free.

Now I said I wouldn't talk about the games that much since it's supposed to be a hardware review but we all know what makes a good game console and that's the games. The initial Wii U launch line-up was great. While yes, some of them are re-releases and there's a few lame party games, it's still a solid line-up. I think most people agree that New Super Mario Bros. U is the best launch game out of the bunch. Now the future of Wii U looks fairly exciting with the games I mentioned earlier. I'm expecting that around fall next year, most games will be truly multiplatform with releases on both 360, PS3 and Wii U. Soon, it will depend on how develop games on Wii U to suit its unique style. My favourite part about some of these games is that they can be played just on the Gamepad itself. Since I share my gaming TV with my family, it's hard for me to play console games until everyone goes to bed or the odd time no one's home. It's an extremely convenient feature of the console and it may not seem like much but if you're feeling particularly lazy and don't feel like turning the TV on to play a game, just turn on the Wii U and play on the Gamepad. I believe the Wii U opens up new ways to play games and I am a believer of the Wii U's tagline "How U Will Play Next". I actually feel like if Sony and Microsoft don't copy Nintendo this time, they may fall behind when it comes to gameplay.

All in all, the Wii U is a solid console with a new, fun way to play video games. This will easily become the console of choice when it comes to party games because of the way Wii U can bring people together. The new party size can now be 5 people with some games. Nintendo brought up the idea of asymmetrical gameplay numerous times when discussing Wii U and not many people knew what that meant including myself until I got the chance to play it. Nintendo has opened up a whole new way to experience video games both by yourself and with other people you know. So I believe I've covered pretty much everything there is to know about the Wii U. The console itself, the controller, its menus and applications and the games.

Pros:

'Asymmetrical gameplay'

Miiverse

Simple menus

Good launch line-up

Gamepad use

Ergonomically friendly

Cons:

Gamepad only lasts 3.5 - 5 hours

Menus are a bit slow

no Ethernet port

Wii U: 9/10

Thanks for reading!

Mata ato de!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

As you can probably tell, I've been fuelling my inner Japanese with my switch to more and more Japanese games. Today was no exception as I played a couple more Japanese-heavy themed games. The first was Persona 4 Arena and the other was the demo for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is set for release in North America on January 22.

Now having never played BlazBlue (Arc System Works did BlazBlue and this game), I had no idea what the combat system for Persona 4 Arena would be like. Man, it's pretty complicated! There are so many factors going into this game like, Persona attacks, hops, dash-switches, super attacks, etc. I have to admit, as a relative newcomer to fighting games I was overwhelmed by Persona 4 Arena. I am going to have to spend more time on the game so I can understand it. I might have to do the tutorial again so I can absorb more information.

One of the games I've been looking forward to all year has been Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. When I first heard about Ni no Kuni last year, I was ready to go out and buy it. The game was created by Level-5 which is cool enough but what got me was that the animation was being done by Studio Ghibli. I'm a big fan of their work and all the anime movies I've seen, aside from the Pokemon movies, as either been made by or assisted by Studio Ghibli. So the demo came out last week and I haven't been feeling very well so I was never in the mood to play but finally I downloaded it and started playing.

The demo consists of two sections of the story. One part is a boss battle and free-roaming afterwards and the other is a standard level which concludes with a boss fight. The boss battle for the first part is pretty easy; I didn't even bother with using the familiar I had as my partner and I just took on the boss with the main character. I just ran around and shot fireballs and occasionally blocked the boss's more powerful attack. I could have spent more time free-roaming around but I wanted to familiarize myself with the game's mechanics so I would spend less time on that when the actual game comes out. Combat in the game takes a little while to get used to. While you can freely move around to avoid attacks or re-position to hit a weak spot, once you commit to attacking, defending, or using a skill, the game takes away individual control and automatically does the actions for you. I feel like the game would have been better suited if it allowed you to be the one to do the actual attacking or keeping control of yourself. The second part of the demo is almost the same but the boss fight this time is pretty epic. It took me a good 10 minutes to beat this boss. As a final wrap-up, the game switches from using voice acting to text reading. I'm not quite sure why they didn't just do one or the other. I really did enjoy Ni no Kuni though and I look forward to playing the game next year.

Ni no Kuni's localization really shouldn't have taken that long since the game was initially slated for Q3 this year but apparently Europe slowed down the process and they eventually decided they wanted to release the game simultaneously in both Europe and North America. If it wasn't for Europe being so slow, we might have had this game by now... Nevertheless, I'll have a new game to look forward to in January.

All this talk about Ni no Kuni and Studio Ghibli has me thinking about doing a little section on them for my Anime of the Year Awards. Although, unless the next three movies impress me greatly, I already know which movie I think is Studio Ghibli's best. Anyway, this ends my blog about these two games... or the one game I'm more excited for. :P

Mata ato de!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

Usually I watch the Spike Video Game Awards but I'm not feeling too well so I ended up missing it. I just caught up online and I agree with the majority of the games except best RPG and best Wii/Wii U game. I personally think Xenoblade Chronicles or The Last Story should have won either of those categories. They really are the RPG gems the Wii has needed for all these years. The new game annoucement, The Phantom Pain, seems to have generated a lot of hype and a few people have started thinking it's a cover-up for a new Metal Gear game. It would be kind of wierd if it was considering it's being made by a brand-new studio. It's certainly an intriguing looking game. Dark Souls II was announced which is great news for those who were hoping to get their butts kicked more. The Last of Us will be arriving on May 7, 2013 and BioShock Infinite was pushed back another month for development purposes.

My Anime of the Year Awards will be coming soon as I have already finished writing it but I'm just waiting to publish it later to give it that "end of the year" feel. I'll probably go over it a litle bit more so I'm entirely satisfied it but other than that I believe it's ready. I also have to start on my Game of the Year Awards and that will include playing the games that have piled up and I'm planning on buying a few more before the year is over. I'm hoping that I feel well enough to play my games soon since I want to make sure I play them before school starts again in January.

Mata ato de!

Konnichi wa, minna-san!

I've got a ton of work to do but I still want to take the time to write a blog. My logic :D

So the Wii U has been out for a week and a half and while I haven't spent a ton of time playing games, I have familiarized myself with the system so I'm going to do a quick list of Wii U pros and cons:

Pros:

'Asymmetrical gameplay'

Ability to play some games, and handle most applications using just the Gamepad

Unique multiplayer options

Ergonomically friendly

Good launch line-up

Miiverse

Cons:

Gamepad only lasts 3.5-5 hours

Some games and a few applications require the TV to be free

TV remote function doesn't work all that well (at least for me)

That hour-long update and the 4 GB it eats up

Menus are a little slow

So that's it for this quick update. I think out of 10 the Wii U rates an 8 to 8.5 right now. I'm sure I'll enjoy it more once the big name games come out for it.

Mata ato de!