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Nintendo question

There are a lot of rumors floating around about Nintendo’s next console, code-named NX.  I normally don’t pay that much attention to Nintendo’s consoles since they went away from the more traditional console to the Wii.  I did have one for a short time, but the motion controls just seemed gimmicky to me and I preferred to play more traditional games.  I think motion can add a lot to a game, such as with the Kinect, but I don’t want to be forced to use it on every game I play.  Kids seemed to eat it up, though.

Next came the Wii U, which was innovative, but has just flopped with consumers.  It offered a tablet as a controller, which is a cool idea, but I guess the execution just wasn’t there.  They are discontinuing this in November, which is a very short life for a console.

Wii U

The reason that I’m keeping an eye on the development project is because it may mean the end of the DS era.  The Nintendo DS was the second-best selling system right behind the Playstation 2.  Nintendo has always owned the handheld market, and the 3DS hasn’t been a slouch, either.  It has sold nearly 60 million units, which isn’t too shabby.  The rumor mills are spouting a potential handheld and console rolled into one.  It is also speculated that they will be going back to the cartridge format, which isn’t so crazy when you consider a tiny micro SD card can hold 256GB of data now, which is way more than necessary for a video game.  I actually prefer cartridges myself, as they seem to last a lot longer than DVDs and are just more collectible.

Nintendo itself has not released much about the system, but has said it will be released early next year.  I hope that they don’t completely discontinue the 3DS as it is a solid platform and the 3D is now really good with the New Nintendo 3DS.  I’m sure I’ll post more as official details are released.

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When the Cat’s Away…

…the mouse will get no sleep, eat nothing but pretzels and Diet Mountain Dew and be out of touch with reality for days.

Matt is going out of town tonight and I am on my own here until Wednesday.  I have vacation next week as I will be joining him in Colorado then.  I plan on gaming like I haven’t in a long time.  I’m sure I’ll be blogging a lot, so game on!

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E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is the biggest event of the year for gamers.  It’s where all of the big players – Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony – and the not-so-big indie players are allowed space on the same floor in Los Angeles to tease us with some of their upcoming products.  It is not open to the general public, but for the week, we are bombarded with the best new thing.

I’ve always taken this week with a grain of salt.  Some of what’s shown there may never come to fruition as it’s still early in the development phase.  There are a couple of things that I’m keeping my eye on, such as Nintendo’s new project (to replace the Wii U and possibly the 3DS?) and the newer versions of the PS4 and XBone coming out.  I haven’t heard much about games yet other than your standard – new Zelda, new Mario, blah blah blah.  Hopefully, something awesome will come along and pique my interest.

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Mugshot

In the gaming community, I am what is known as an achievement whore.  This sounds worse than it is.  This just means that I like to collect as many achievements as I can in each game.

Every developer for the XBox 360 and XBone is required, by Microsoft, to put achievements in their games.  Steam also has achievements now, but I don’t think developers are required to have them as not all games do.

What are they?  Things of great joy!  Many gamers will say that they are a waste of time, but I see them as little guides from the developers to help you find parts of the game that you might not otherwise.  The achievements themselves are just little badges that pop up on your screen when you complete certain criteria.  Each achievement has a score attached to it.  As you play more games and get more achievements, your “gamer score” goes up.  It’s kind of a status thing for all to see.

Some achievements also have new accessories and gear for your avatar.  This was a bigger deal in XBox 360 and isn’t used near as much in XBone.  I thought it was cool when I unlocked a Portal hat for my little toon to wear after unlocking a big achievement in the game.

There’s a third-party website, www.trueachievements.com, which let you create an account for free and compare yourself to other achievement whores.  They put some weight on the achievements as well and make the more challenging achievements worth more points.  So yeah, call me what you will, but I love my achievements.

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Today is Tetris’ 32nd birthday.  Oh, the hours and hours I’ve spent on you.  I’ve watched you grow and develop through the years, but the simpler you are, the better.  I love Tetris so much that Matt made me shelves made of Tetriminos !  I also have a Tetris board game, given to me as a gift.  I’ve also long though about getting a Tetris tattoo.

And happy 32nd birthday to my sister-in-law, Barb, as well!

Tetris birthday

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Chey’s Top 25 – #20 – Peggle

Genre:  Puzzle/Arcade
Platform:  Pretty much all; I have it for PC, Nintendo DS, XBox 360 and XBone (Peggle 2).  It’s on iOS (Apple phones) and Android as well.

Peggle was another one of those games that I instantly said “YES MORE PLEASE” and played for hours until I realized that a lack of sleep will, in fact, make you insane.  This is a highly addictive game.  It’s also a fairly simple one.  Simply clear all of the orange pegs from the board by bouncing a metal ball off of them.  It’s not too difficult, but it is if you take into account some of the additional challenges for each level.

There are different “masters” to unlock as you play.  Each has a special ability to help you complete the levels in new and fun ways.  For example, there’s one that gives you a multiball and another that gives you pinball-like flippers at the bottom.  Each character has their own personality and the game can be funny at times.

There is no learning curve at all with this game, either.  You will instantly know how to play it, so there’s no excuse for not picking it up (I’m looking at you, Mom!).  There was an expansion for Peggle – Peggle Nights – which is more of the same, but there is a slightly different twist on the story.  Totally worth it.

One of the things that I like most about this game is how it makes a big deal if you succeed.  You’ll be treated to fireworks on the screen, loud “Hallelujah” music and flashy text.  You’re awesome, and it lets you know it!  The other sounds effects are playful and fun as well.

There’s also Peggle 2, which I’m going to bundle right in here as well.  It has different masters, except two.  My favorite is the homage to The Big Lebowski.  The game play is the same basic concept.  Aim ball, shoot at pegs, get high score.

Everyone should play this game.  It’s fun, funny and will keep you entertained for hours!


 

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Matt and I used to host Rock Band/Guitar Hero parties when we lived in Daytona.  Since we’ve moved to Houston, we haven’t had one.  Tonight that changes.  We’re expecting a good 10 people and it’s going to be a rockin’ time.  I have just about every Rock Band/Guitar Hero game ever made, but we’ll likely stick with Rock Band 3 as I have downloaded more songs than I like to admit. It will be a bit tight in here, but fun nonetheless.  ROCK ON!

Here I am sporting my Guitar Hero shirt and a wrist band that I won – no kidding! – in an online Guitar Hero tournament.  I was pretty good at one time and was ranked in the top 100 in the country.  I am so rusty now, though.

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