Some more random thoughts on stuff.

2012 in Gaming

Many people are calling 2012 a "great year" in gaming, and just as is the case every year it seems, some go so far as to say it's "one of the greatest ever." But I personally disagree with these claims. 2012 was agoodyear in gaming in many ways, but not a great one. It's been a lot like 2011, with the majority of the year being pretty dry up until the last quarter where everything comes out at once. But I feel the games of 2011 were overall a better lot. So 2012 has basically been 2011- in terms of gaming.

Of course, there are still a number of notable games I haven't played yet, but plan to in the next few weeks. But this is the first year in a long time where I feel hard-pressed to think of my personal "Game of the Year." And unlike 2011 it isn't because there are a few games so great I feel it's hard to choose, rather, I just feel I haven't really played anything truly "special" this year. The past few years have had games like Super Mario Galaxy, Arkham Asylum and Portal 2 (to name a few) that are secured as my "GotY" for their respective years, and they even had some exceptional competition. But 2012 is almost done, and I can't think of anything on such exceptional levels.

With that said though, 2012 did open the gates for the next generation with the release of Wii U (which I should be getting soon). I'm looking very forward to what the Wii U has in store for the future. Speaking of which.....

Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 was delayed....AGAIN!

I guess it's a testament to Shigeru Miyamoto's old adage "a delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is forever." But geez, by the time Pikmin 3 is finally released (2nd quarter of 2013) it will benine yearssince Pikmin 2! That's some wait!

With that said, the new footage Nintendo has showed has only made my anticipation for Pikmin 3 grow all the more. The new creature designs so far look wonderfully imaginative, and the visuals themselves still seem to be the most beautiful on Wii U (which is quite impressive considering it was in development as a Wii game for so long). But of course, I'm most excited for the new gameplay features Nintendo has come up with. The multiple captains concept sounds like it could be really fun, and if stages are built around strategizing four different "teams" of Pikmin it could be really interesting. And I'm looking forward to when Nintendo "officially" reveals details on the Pink Pikmin, and I'm hoping to see if they have any other new types in store.

I only hope the new(est) delay won't put Pikmin 3 too far off peoples' radars. Imagine if it comes out in June just as E3 rolls around, and Nintendo unviels the next (real) Mario or the next Zelda or Smash Bros. I hope for Pikmin to join those ranks, not be overshadowed by them.

Donkey Kong Country

The Donkey Kong Country games are among my favorite games of all time (specifically Donkey Kong Country 2), and I even play through all three of the original SNES trilogy (at least) once annually.

So I was sad to hear that all three of the SNES Donkey Kong Country games have been removed from the Wii/Wii U Virtual Console. Sure, I've downloaded them so I'm good in that department. But why are people who (for whatever heinous reason) didn't download them or were unable to, now not able to?

I fear to think of some legal dispute with Rare, as that would put any hopes for any further re-release in question. Of course, it's highly unlikely that'd be the case, since Nintendo has owned the rights to the series and if it were some legal dispute I'm sure we'd have heard about it. But still, can't help be a little paranoid when it comes to my precious DKC.

Hopefully they only pulled them from the VC because they have some HD remakes in the works on Wii U! Of course, it's highly unlikely that'd be the case, since Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time were both remade on 3DS and remained on the Wii Virtual Console. But still, I can't help but dream when it comes to my precious DKC.

So yeah, what gives, Nintendo?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I got tickets to a midnight Showing of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with my brother and some friends. I can't express how excited I am for this movie for a number of reasons.

For one, there were those few rough years of the film's early planning stages where I wondered if they'd ever get it off the ground. The fact that it is now made and ready to be released gives me goosebumps! Then there's the fact that I actually think the book The Hobbit is more enjoyable than its (also masterful) sequel, The Lord of the Rings (Beorn makes sense in The Hobbit, Tom Bombadil makes no sense in The Lord of the Rings). And most important to my anticipation is that The Lord of the Rings trilogy are among my all-time favorite films (behind the films of Hayao Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli, and equal-if-not-just-ahead-of the better half of Pixar movies, Dark Knight trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit...Yes, my list is very non-specific).

So yeah, I'm really looking forward to that.

CM Punk

Earlier this week, CM Punk became the longest reigning WWE champion of the past 25 years. Sure, some would say it's scripted so it doesn't mean anything, but technically it says a lot considering it means the creative forces of the company feel he can be the "face" of the company for so long.

I'm a big pro-wrestling buff (yeah yeah), and I think it's pretty cool to see a guy like CM Punk, who worked his way through the independent circuit for years, and then worked his way up the WWE ladder (of which he certainly doesn't fit the usual mold), and now the company constantly places him on the same pedestal as the likes of Randy Savage and the Undertaker.

Okay, now I'm just rambling about stuff I'm sure no one else here cares about....

GameCapture Stuff

As I've written before, after years of looking, I finally got a video game recording thing (AKA GameCapture) and it's pretty easy to use. Unfortunately I've been a little busy (when I haven't been really lazy) and haven't actually recorded a full-on video since the WE '13 one I posted here. But with this semester wrapping up next week and my next one not starting until February, I think the dawn of the new year will be a good time to get everything in order to start on a new YouTube channel for reviews. Though I need to come up with a name for the new channel (no YouTube, I don't want to use my full name)....Any ideas?