Here we go again. A week after all the hullabaloo that was the PS4 launch, we’re ready to do it all over again with the Xbox One. Me, I’m pretty happy with my PS4 because Remote Play is the best thing ever. That being said, I do wish there were better games for the system but this is the price you pay for buying a console at launch. If you have an Xbox One on preorder or plan on waiting in line for one, best of luck and be safe. Enjoy your new console when you get home and above all us, keep calm and have fun.
In non-Xbox One news, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds comes out on Friday and by all accounts it’s a pretty rad Zelda game. I’m still knee deep in Pokemon and now have the ability to play every PS4 game I own on my Vita so I can’t see spending money on yet another handheld game, even if it is supposed to be amazing. Luckily, Christmas is right around the corner. Also coming out this week is Mario Party: Island Tour
, a game that will have to wait for the Christmas at the heat death of the universe to get played at my house. Hey, do you like farming? If so then Farming Simulator
may be for you. If not, well, maybe picking a game called Farming Simulator isn’t the wisest choice. Hey look, another Adventure Time
game with a weird name. I’m sure the kids love it. A handheld game I will make time for this week is Tearaway
if only to see the game’s cool art style. Hopefully the game itself will also be good. In other news, AC IV comes out on the PC, Need for Speed Rivals
comes out on a bunch of non-PS4 platforms, AquaPazza
hits the PS3 and the Walking Dead gets a collector’s edition on the 360 and PS3.
Deals
Toys R Us – Free $15 gift card with purchase of any two Xbox 360 or Xbox One games priced $59.99 and up. Free $50 purchase with purchase of three games. Buy one, get one 40% off all Wii U and 3DS games. Get three $14 Disney Infinity figures for $30. Get three Skylanders Giants or Swap Force characters for $35.
Target – Buy AC IV and a four pack of Red Bull and get a free $10 gift card.
Best Buy – Save $20 on an Xbox Live subscription with purchase of an Xbox One or Xbox 360. Buy three Xbox One games and get $25 in Reward Zone certificates.
I’m closing in on the end of Phoenix Wright and devouring lots of XCOM.
New XCOM is so damn good, tinkered in all the right ways.
Zelda is on pre-order and will soon take over.
And isn’ t the new Mario 3D out the same day? I feel that is kind of exciting/important ??
Despite all my concern-trolling, the XCOM expansion is utterly fantastic. I drooled all over it on this week’s podcast (which I’ll get a post up for soon).
I thought “concern trolling” meant pretending to care about something solely for the sake of undermining it. As in, “I hatred the first game, so I’m dredging up a bunch of insincere worries about the sequel to diminish everyone else’s excitement.”
You seem to use it as an equivalent for simply voicing legitimate concerns. Now I don’t know who’s right. If only the podcast still featured a dedicated topic segment!
Technically, I think you’re right, I just call it that because I like the the way the words sound and it fits my penchant for faux self-deprecation.
The way the meld canisters are balanced in the maps for collecting is, to my mind, just right.
Variable time to capture, indicators where it is.
I have rarely had to give one up unless I’m getting scorched by heavy opposition and then it’s my least concern.
Oh, and using the MEC to savage two chrysalids in one terror mission at once? Satisfying.
I’ll do you one better. On my first chrysalid encounter with a Mec in tow, three of the came up on one of my guys, who was behind cover. I thought he was dead meat, but I walked up with the mec and hit all three with the flame thrower (the cover protected my guy). They all panicked, which I had no clue would happen, and ran to different areas where I was able to clean them up fairly easily.
Cue sigh of relief.
I’m finally getting a 3DS, the Zelda XL coming out on Friday. Hopefully it ends up being the purchase my head thinks it will be. I need some Nintendo in my life. Though Super Mario 3D World probably would have been enough. Now I can get 3D Land as well
Did you use the DS much?
I seriously can give an easy 20 game series of awesome for the two systems
3DS is the best current video game system. Back when I sold my launch day model, I never regretted it because a) it was too small for me and b) there wasn’t jack shit to play on it other than games that were available elsewhere. But they made it bigger and did that Nintendo thing where they started making games that you can’t play anywhere else (unless you’re playing games trying to be like Nintendo games, which really doesn’t work). I absolutely love my 3DSXL.
Super Mario 3D Land is freaking fantastic. I’d say it’s just behind Super Mario Galaxy. There are some really brilliant levels in it, and I think the challenge level is just right, if a touch on the easy side (as compared to the NSMB games, which are more difficult and often frustratingly so). There’s content galore, plenty to keep you busy.
Fire Emblem is a best-in-class title, Kid Icarus is fucking brilliant if you like games like Sin and Punishment/Panzer Dragoon/Diablo (!!!), Donkey Kong Contury Returns is better than on the Wii, SMT IV is great, Luigi’s Mansion is great…Etrian Oddyssey rules…so many good games for that little thing,and if you play DS games on it there’s TONS more that are still very much worth looking at.
Reminds me, I need to get another copy of Bangaio Spirits and Shiren the Wanderer…maybe finally get Radiant Historia…
Radiant Historia is amazing.
Chrono Trigger is better and more accessible, but the joy of untangling two timelines in Radiant is a joy all its own.
Kirby’s Canvas Curse is a blast. Loved Ghost Trick to death.
Seconded on Mario Land and Donkey Kong.
Fire Emblem still my GotY too.
I have a DS, though I haven’t played any of the games yet listed (minus Chrono Trigger). Donkey Kong Country is a game I’ve been waiting to play. I’m excited I waited to get in on a mobile system. It’s more of a game I want to play while watching tv or something.
Others on my list include Fire Emblem, Luigi’s Mansion, Kingdom Hearts (I’m an addict, and I will not apologize), 3D Land, Kid Icarus, A Link Between Worlds (after playing a Link to the Past from the eShop), and Pushmo.
With the possibility of Ocarina of Time and Pokemon. Because Pokemon…
I really need to get into the Layton games as well, because those types of logic puzzles and word problems are right up my alley. Just have to motivate myself to actually do it.
Hello, new Tokyo EAD Mario game this week…if that’s not an event I don’t know what is. I’ve already traded up for it and the Zelda game…anything “more like A Link to the Past” is golden for me.
I’m thinking about getting another Vita for the remote play myself…it would be my third. Launch day, I got another on eBay for a song but it had a tiny scratch that abraided my OCD, and now maybe a third. I _love_ playing off the TV with the Wii U gamepad, I can imagine with the Vita it would be the same. Wait..except for the fact that there are barely any PS4 games worth looking at right now. Maybe later then.
Still not interested in the Xbone despite all of the reversals…and I think that at heart I’m really more of a Playstation-style game player. The Japanese/weird/obscure stuff has always been more my bag than the AAA Western junk. I’m sort of coming home to all of that lately. Looking forward to hearing what everybody has to say about the Xbone experience and if it delivers something unique.
I finished Wind Waker HD this weekend, and even setting aside the wonderful graphical update, it is a greatly improved experience over the original release. From cutting travel times in half with the Swift Sail to eliminating the worst of the inventory juggling with simple and intuitive interface tweaks, the game has taken on a much more natural momentum to carry the plot. I absolutely loved it!
I’ve also started Arkham Origins on the PC. Not much to say yet, except that Batman’s crime scene reconstructomincon seems like a wild assumption machine. “Hmmm, the angle of the bullet impact suggestly the shooter was an Italian Protestant who was lying on the ground after being surprised by the recent lottery drawing. Or just standing a few steps closer…no, it’s definitely that first thing.”
I’ll probably be picking up Zelda alongside Wonderful 101 as part of the Toys ‘R Us deal, but my only other acquisition this week will be the digital copy of Assassin’s Creed 4 that came free with my video card. I’m really looking forward to that – reviews say it fixes everything I disliked about the third game -but I probably won’t start until after Batman’s done.