Games I Want To See For 3DS

Yes, I'm gone for long periods of time. I get it. But I've finally found something on my mind worth writing about. Ever since the announcement of the Wii U, I have been wondering on games I have wanted to see again. However, these games were not for Nintendo's newest console, but rather of list of games that could be pretty ideal for the current 3DS system. So here we go, my list of games that I would love to see come out for Nintendo's handheld (but in no particular order, I guess).

Metroid

Sure, Metroid has had some attention as of late with the Wii U (but not directly, as it's only based on it's world), but when are we gonna see Metroid go back to it's roots as a full 2D epic? Surely, there must be something Samus hasn't explored yet that can warrant a new game in this series. So come on, give us back some 2D Metroid so we can get back to what we loved.

Donkey Kong Country

Again, another game that has gotten recent treatment from the Wii. This time around, even a remake of the classic SNES games for 3D will be enough to make me smile. However, platformers with this level of challenge are hard to come around. Surely, there must be something we can explore with DK and his crew.

Mega Man

I cannot even begin to describe how much I want to see Mega Man return in some form (X Over doesn't count, Capcom). Heck, I will even accept Battle Network (my least favorite series) as your offering. Just give us something. Legends 3 was supposed to be that one thing that was gonna make us happy, but you had to pull the plug on that one! Perhaps another game in the ZX series? We all know Zero's story is done, so there's no way we can do that. But how about a game that shows the Elf Wars taking place sometime between the X and Zero series? Perhaps a return to the classic Mega Man? Anything!

Wish you were here, old friend.

Yugioh!

This one is a bit personal for me, as I do enjoy the annual releases of this game based on the popular card game. I've always enjoyed playing online with friends or random opponents, building different decks without having to worry about money, and just trying out new ideas. While many won't think twice about this game, it's something I would definitely wish to see come to the 3DS.

New Zelda Games

I know it's inevitable, but come on! A new Zelda title on the 3DS would be a winner. You can even make 3D remakes of classic games for all I care, just give us the goods. Simple as that.

Mario & Luigi

Those amazing RPG games featuring the most famous brothers have always been a treat. Fun stories, good battle mechanics, great characters, and Fawful! Bowser's Inside Story is still relatively new, so perhaps it's just a matter of time until we see this one as well.

Damn good game!

Grand Theft Auto

What? Didn't think I was gonna go there? We got another system that can handle a game like this now. So why not?

Dragonball Z Budokai Series

Another personal one, and it's mostly because Budokai 3 is one of my favorite fighting games of all time. Why not make one of these too? And don't make it Tenkaichi style, I mean the original Budokai games where it was just straight forward brawling.

And last but not least...

Earthbound!!!!!

Self explanatory. The mother (pun intended) of all bizarre stories, Earthbound has been one of those series many of us have been begging for. Who wouldn't want to see a modern take on the series? Their last game was way back in the GBA! So come on, Nintendo, give us some Earthbound. We want to see Ness or Lucas in more than just Smash Bros.

I want to see this most of all.

Game Review: Kingdom Hearts 3D

I didn't want to write this review so soon, but it seems I've got to now. I already finished the game, so I guess it's review time. But don't worry, dear reader. I won't spoil anything important for you. I know how annoying spoilers can be. So without further wait, let's get into my review of this game, shall we?

First off, this game's gimmick (because all the side-story games kind of have one) is that you are constantly switching between Riku and Sora as they embark on a journey to unlock the 7 Sleeping Keyholes and become keyblade masters. Pretty simple premise, right? Well, I've found that switching between both characters at times bugged me a bit, but over time I barely noticed. I began to strategize the timing of "Drops" between characters so they could become stronger.

The new worlds visited were quite fun and filled with the same intense action as always. But for some reason, I felt the game was rather short. After passing the 7 worlds (a bit quicker than expected), I quickly found myself in what I suspected was the final world of the game. After a bit of fighting, my suspicions were right. So in terms of longevity, it can be a bit short. However, there's plenty of things there to keep you busy, so don't be afraid to take your time with this game.

And finally, the point I wanted to get to: the story. For some reason, the story was just confusing me in terms to what the main plot was going to be once the villains started appearing (trying to avoid spoilers here). However, it wasn't until beating the final bosses that the whole story was just thrown at me in one swoop. Don't get me wrong, there are still aspects of the main story throughout the game, but the bigger picture isn't launched at you until the end. But when it hits, it hits hard. Suddenly, everything makes sense and you are left at the end with more anticipation (isn't this how all KH games end?).

As for my own thoughts on what might happen? Well, I might dedicate another blog post regarding game speculation (since that post might indeed contain spoilers). But for now, I can finish up saying that Kingdom Hearts 3D was a very enjoyable game (as are all) that will leave you coming back for more.

Who knows? I might start Proud Mode sometime soon.

Game Review: Pokemon Conquest

Yes, I'm back after nearly an eternity away. What happened? Well, vacations/graduation and tons of time at work have kept me from geeking out. However, now I'm back and it's time to get back into the general feel of things.

For today's order of business, I'm going to review Pokemon Conquest, a game I have wanted to review for quite a while but have gotten lazy enough to leave it for later. Anyways, time to proceed.

At first off, I saw this game and quickly wanted to get into it. And once I bought it, I was hooked. It's a basic premise. Build a good team of pokemon and battle your opponents. Each pokemon is only limited to one attack of it's attribute, so making teams at least had an interesting portion of strategy to it. The battles were fun and building a good team did take me a good chunk of time.

However, once the game was done, starting over new stories from scratch seemed a bit discouraging. Either way, it's a game with tons of stuff to do. My only complaint is that other kingdoms didn't try to invade me as much during the main campaign. That definitely would have helped a lot to make my teams a lot better for when I invaded a kingdom.

Having a lot of pokemon to choose from is always nice, but their evolution process works differently here. So of course, I had to rely on searching for outside info to try and get them going. And with the lack of stronger opponents to train against (wild pokemon/warriors sometimes aren't enough to get it done), I found myself grinding more often than invading.

Either way, Conquest was a fun game. However, not having an online versus mode (even if it's just via friend code, I don't care) would have kept me playing this more time. The campaign can be completed fairly quickly (about 20 hours I guess), and the other side-stories will keep you busy for a long time.

I don't know, I still felt the game lacked a certain something. But despite these minor flaws, Pokemon Conquest is a good game if you want to find something to pass the time with. Worth playing.

Marvel Civil War

Yeah, I know I'm a bit late for this. But who cares? I'm finally back into comics and I managed to get my hands on Civil War before starting Avengers.

For those who don't know, Civil War is a Marvel story arc that pits the super heroes of that very universe against each other. Why? Well, there's a particular incident that causes the heroes to take sides. One side would be in favor of serving as public service heroes, but would have to make their identities public as well since they will work for the community. The other team, were the heroes who wanted nothing to do with this initiative and remain independent and fight for their own reasons.

The end result? Massive chaos and dissension between the heroes of the Marvel universe.

This story arc was purely brilliant. You try to take a side, but can't find yourself to do so after some time. The suspense will keep you going until you realize you've finished the whole book and hunger for more. And what's not to like? It's the heroes going against each other!

Then again, Avengers VS X-Men is bringing that concept back too. So I guess I know which new story I'm gonna be following next.

Free Comic Book Day

Today marked a big day for my levels of geek. Today was Free Comic Book Day, and I decided to give it a shot and see which comics I could walk out with. First of all, it's been difficult living in a place where you don't know anyone and your previous hobby (card games) is forced to take a back seat. So I figured this event would give me a morale boost and not only reintroduce me to one of my first hobbies, but perhaps reintroduce me into the world of comics in general (and maybe meet some people in the process).

I quickly saw the variety of comics before me, and without a second thought I instantly grabbed all the comics I knew I was gonna sit down and read.

This is what I came out with.

Right there, I quickly began to remind myself why I loved comics so much. But it's been so long since I picked one up. So for the first time since the late 90's, I was once again sitting down and reading some good comics. And from that pack, a few select comics stood out. And from that pack, I think a few will become series I'm gonna keep up with and have become something I'm looking forward to. So I think I was happily reconnected with an old hobby.

These were the Top 5 Comics that stood out from whatever I brought home.

X6 And The Cursed High Max

Damn, this game is kicking my ass more than I thought. I have no idea how many times I have tossed my controller in frustration to getting my ass kicked by the final battle with High Max. I swear, I've gotten soft. I used to be so good at these games, but now I'm just really rusty!

Curse you, High Max!

I guess that's what happens in an era where platformers are rare. But once I'm done with this, I'm already selecting my next retro challenge.

Megaman X5

Out of all the games in my entire X Series Challenge, the first one to be beat was X5. Why that one? First off, X5 is my favorite of all the Megaman X games. It's got a lot of throwbacks to previous games of the series, as well as throwbacks to the original Megaman series.

One of my Top 10 games of all time.

So it's no surprise that it's the first one I beat. However, I'm still tempted to replay it already in Hard Mode, but I have yet to finish the other X games yet. X4 has been done so many times, it's stuck in my memory, but hasn't been passed this time around. X2 is still in the process of getting all the items, while X3 is in similar steps just so I could get the Gold Armor. And as for the first X, I'm still trying to jump over to try and get that head armor. It's a nasty jump, that one.

Best armor for this boss.

But for some reason, X5 was that one game I was really into from start to finish. Something about it (besides the throwbacks) made the game quite the experience every time. Plus, I have learned to love the Gaia Armor. Even though you can't use other weapons and have reduced speed, your increased toughness and power make it for quite the armor that makes you want to challenge the game with nothing but it. Well, except the first Virus Stage.

I saw this game from a different strategical point of view that just might tempt me into playing it in Hard Mode sooner rather than later. But for now, I'm trying to pass X6 (even though we all know the real ending was in X5).