Ok, so I think this is something that has been going on for some time now, but I only experienced it recently.  What is it with all this dicontinuing or retiring games stuff?  You know, like Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was retired, as well as other games?  What is this "new" strategy of retiring games?  You see, I recently first encountered this matter today when I decided to finally buy Metroid Prime 2: Echoes in order to prepare for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.  Surprisingly (at least to me), the game had been retired everywhere, even at online retailers...  So, can anyone explain to me what's going on?  Is this the retailers' decision or the publishers'?  Why are these measures being taken?

The Wii has been pretty much revealed. And as always, different people take differently to the same news. Therefore, I present my personal reactions to the Wii's unveiling. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave a comment.

Price: For me, the most important bit of information at a console's unveiling is its price. It basically determines when I’ll buy it. The $250 price point, at least or me, is perfect. I never expected it to be less than that. Heck, the GameCube was $200 and it didn't have the control technology the Wii has, or any of the built-in features. I think it was unrealistic to hope for anything lower than $200, personally, so I’m more than pleased by the price point.

Launch date: I never expected Wii to launch on October, simply because such a date would only appeal to us GameSpot-dwelling, dedicated gamers. It would have gone against the N’s strategy, in my opinion, so I’m not surprised by the November 19 date. Personally, I’m happy with the date. It is a perfect date to buy at launch, and it is an early enough date to allow retailers to stock-up for Christmas. Either way, I expect Wii availability to be much better than the 360’s was and PS3’s will be.

Launch Titles: Third-party support is quite good (for a Nintendo console), seeing as Call of Duty 3, Rayman, Elebits, and Super Monkey Ball will be available at launch. First-party support is, as always, scarce in numbers, but rich in quality. Zelda is the must-buy first-party title, Wii Sports is definite fun, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl might turn out to be another masterpiece. Please note that by “launch titles,” I refer to those that are released during the first month after the system’s launch, that’s why I included Brawl in the list.

Virtual Console: The prices are, like lesleeee said on her blog, “spot on”. $5 for NES games, $8 for SNES, and, $10 for N64 are perfect. I think I’ll most likely buy from the NES offerings, since I have most of the SNES games I wanted to have, and pretty much all of the N64 games that I want to have.

The controller ordeal: My take on the controllers’ pricing is this: it’s the correct price for the technology you’re getting, but much like the PS3’s price, just because it’s the correct price, doesn’t mean it’s the right price. The thing is, we Nintendo fans may be a lot around the world, but we're usually spread out. Which means that for some people like I, not many of our non-GameSpot friends will actually buy a Wii, and thus anyone who may want to try out our Wii, won't have a controller waiting for them. That’s my only real gripe: the fact that two controllers is usually a must for a Nintendo console owner, because not that many people around said owner also own Nintendo consoles. It’s not like it’s the PS2, for which almost everyone has a controller, and if not, can easily find one.

Miscellaneous: I like the channels interface for the Wii, and even though I don’t think I’ll use the weather and news channel much (depending on how well they implement them), it’s good to have, and it could do for the Wii what Brain Age and similar games are doing for the DS. The “Mii” avatar maker is a cool little gimmick which is well-received, at least by me. By far, the most welcome feature is the picture manager/editor. It’s cool to have additional media features like that in a console. Having to pay for Opera is a real downer. Heck, I don’t pay for a browser for my computer, and I have to pay for a browser on my TV? It’s not like I come over to GameSpot just to read, so it really makes no sense to pay to “look” at webpages, without even having a hard drive to download stuff in. That said, I might buy it…:lol:

And that has been my quite lengthy take on today’s announcements. In the end, I haven’t been this excited about the gaming world in general since the days of the N64. Let’s now hope Nintendo can live up to the anticipation it’s generated. For now, I plan to get a Wii at launch, regardless of the fact that my current Wii fund is $0…:lol: I’d better get saving!

Hey guys! Sorry I've been lost all this time... It seems recovering my energies after the Calculus exam took longer than expected...:lol: Anyway, I received my Calculus grade today and.......................thanks to God, I got a 90%!! *Victory dance!* Thank you for your support, guys; you're the best!

Anyway, on gaming news, I've recently been downloading GameSpot's E3 Unleashed DVD's, which I purchased. So far, I've burned the PS3 conference, and I'm more than pleased by GS's work. This collection is (in my opinion, so far) a must-have for gaming history. It is the "last big E3"...:(

Anyway, since I've been too busy to play recently :shock: I've been studying for my programing class. This way, I can study, have fun, and actually do something related to gaming...:lol:

Well, see you guys around!

Well, tonight's the Calculus II exam. I know I studied well, and everything will be ok. Let's hope I do well.

On other news, what have you guys been doing to beat the post-summer inactivity of the videogaming world? Have you played other games, or have you found new ways to save up for the new consoles?

I'll end this post with the Integral Alchemist Transmutation Circle, just for good luck on my exam. Thanks for your support, guys :P

Oh, I hit Lvl. 10!! *Busts a move* :lol: Anyway, I'm exited about being able to post user videos... but like I predicted would happen, I have no idea what to post...:lol: I guess I'll find out soon.

Anyway, I have my first Clculus II exam this Wednesday at 7:30pm (yes, less than a week after the Physics one). I've been doing all I can to study. Let's just hope it's enough.

After seeing nishamuffypuppy's excelent countdown of his favorite games from this generation, I thought I might soon post something on my opinion on this generation in general. Heck! I can make a video out of that! :o :lol: Let's see if I can actually work that out. Also, don't mind if you see some random video uploaded, as I might upload some random videos just to test out uploading them.

Anyway, see you all later, and take care!

Well, my friends, I have returned from my battle with the exam. And... I'm very pleased to inform you that I think I've assured a victory!

No, but seriously, I think I did pretty well, and hope to receive a good grade. Also, the Algorithg test was easy, though I may have gotten an exercise wrong :? Anyway, again thank you very much, my GameSpot friends, your support really helped me out. Now, comes the first Calculus II exam (next Wednesday), so I'll have to work on that too.

In gaming news, I can't wait for Final Fantasy III to arrive. This may become my first formal forray into the FF series, so I can't wait much longer. :lol: I also want to buy Phoenix Wright. And, I can't wait for the Wii to arrive. I have to play a new Zelda game by this year, or else I'll be forced to give Nintendo a piece of my mind...lol :lol:

Anyway, see you guys around. Take care!

Well, today's the day. Believe it or not, I have a Physics test from 6:30pm to 9:00pm! Which means I should try to be well rested for then. Anyway, there's nothing more left to say than thanks, guys. I'll be sure to do my best, and tell you how it went. Funny thing is, I have an Algorith test tomorrow morning. :lol: I hope I can at least make it to the classroom tomorrow. :P :lol:

Well, see you later guys! Thaks again for everything. I'm off to fight my exam! :lol:

I have yet to take my Physics test, and already I have to hand in lots of Calculus II exercises for the same day. Seeing as I'll have to integrate my way out of this Calculus mess, (and because I was obviously inspired by Full Metal Alchemist) I made the above transmutation circle for "The Integral Alchemist." I made it from scratch, too. I like it. Hope I can harness my alchemic powers this week...lol :lol: :P

See you all later, and thanks for your continued support during my exams. It really does mean a lot. ;)

Hi guys, sorry I haven't been able to reply to your blogs recently.  I've been kinda' busy with everything going on at the university, so I'm sorry I haven't been too active around the blogs.

That aside, the Physics test is only getting closer, and I can only hope everthing goes well.  Let's see what happens.

Just wanted to share an artistic musing.....................lol :lol: Things are going great. I'm still getting ready for my exams. Hope you guys and gals have a great day!