Podzilla 1985 - Nintendo Madness

This week, Nintendo released their latest Direct video, which focused on more Amiibo's, more DLC, new games, and nothing about the mysterious NX.

Pentanerd's Jesse Kimball joined the show to discuss all of these things, rant about scalpers, and talk about Fast and the Furious, for some reason.

Click the pic to listen!

Nintendo - How One Generation Could Have Changed Everything

If the Wii U is a joke, I don't see the punchline.

I've been a long time defender of the Nintendo Wii U, and the Nintendo brand as a whole, and I stick to my guns that they're the most innovative and enjoyable systems on the market. From the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Wii U I've enjoyed my time with that beloved plumber and his hardware more than any other machine or mascot.

That's right, read it again.

But even I, the most humblest of internet personalities, have to concede that the Wii U has not lit the world on fire like I had hoped. Numbers don't lie, and the XBox One and PS4 have outsold the Wii U to the extent that a lot of people are worried that the latest Nintendo offering is already on life support.

VGChartz lists the Wii U selling a reasonable 220,732 systems globally the week of Dec. 28th, while the PS4 and Xbone sold 465,686 and 290,762 respectively the same week. If my memory is correct, and God knows it usually isn't, the Xbone and PS4 have already outsold the Wii U, at least in North America, in a few weeks compared to the entire Wii U's life span.

That's just not good news, folks. Unlike the general public, I hold out hope tha
t Nintendo can turn it around though, much like they did with the 3DS and Sony did with the PS3. Both systems got off to a very rough start and both systems, the 3DS especially, has enjoyed great success in the years since their release.

The biggest hurdle Nintendo is facing is the lack of a general direction or personality for their hardware. The big N has always been an innovator, and during the golden era of gaming you knew that the NES and SuperNES was head and shoulders above anything the competition was trying to sell you. Nintendo dominated the charts throughout the eighties and early nineties, but really started to lose its steam when the n64 went toe to toe with the Sony Playstation. That would be the last great battle they would know, as the Gamecube was greatly overshadowed by the PS2 and original XBox. Once the Wii came out Nintendo was already in an uphill battle to stay relevant outside of its handheld division, and though the Wii was a knockout in terms of sales, it greatly hurt their reputation with the so called "real gamers." Though designating someone as a "real gamer" or "casual gamer" is an ignorant argument, it can't be denied that gamers believed the hype and a lot of them turned on the one time titan of gaming.

The Wii U aimed to cater at that hardcore demographic by upping the graphics and third party support while keeping the innovation, but perhaps it was too little too late. It is a cool machine and one that I play quite often, but you can't say that it outsells or gets more attention than Sony and Microsoft's new gear.

And that's where Nintendo screwed up. The Wii U came out a console generation too late. It is superior to the Xbox 360 and PS3 in almost every conceivable way, but it came out in the final years of those systems life spans and just a year before the One and 4 took the game world by storm.

In my opinion, the innovation and sheer enjoyment of the Wii U's library outshines the upgraded ports and lackluster titles the Microsoft and Sony consoles have offered us so far. And that's without even diving into the Wii U's backlog of virtual console titles. It combines nostalgia, innovation, and power in a way that no other system does.

But no one cares, because the XBox One and PS4 are newer, shinier, and strikes a better cord with those so called "real gamers." You know, the ones who call you a faggot online and refer to you as some kind of nigger no matter what color you are.

But imagine if the Wii U had come out at the same time, or perhaps a bit before or after, the Xbox 360 and PS3. In fact, what if we rewrote history a little bit. Let's put the Nintendo family in this order - NES, SNES, n64, Wii, and Wii U.

"But Shannon! The Gamecube was awesome, why take it away? It had Melee!"

Settle down, Porkchop.

The Gamecube was a good system, but aside from a handful of games I really enjoyed I can barely remember its library. Meanwhile the Wii was filled with so much shovelware that it became a permanent black eye on Nintendo despite its success, and compared to the PS3 and 360 the system was woefully under powered and outclassed. Those Gamecube games I did enjoy would have felt right at home on the Wii as the two systems felt so graphically similar, and with the added first rate games from the GC maybe the Wii would have developed a much better reputation. Imagine how embraced and beloved the Wii would have been, back when its innovation wouldn't have been so hampered by its subpar graphics.

The original Wii's graphics would have held its own against the PS2 and Xbox, and it would set the Wii U up as a contender against the next generation systems and their fancy HD graphics and online capabilities.

I also would have changed the name of the Wii U to, I don't know, ANYTHING THE FUCK ELSE. Never have I seen more confusion over a new systems purpose, and that's counting the sudden influx of people referring to the original Xbox as the Xbox One. Nintendo should have just stuck with the horrible "Project Cafe" name. It may sound ridiculous, but at least people would know it was something new and not just an add on or companion piece.

And maybe, just maybe, if the Wii had directly competed with the PS2 and Xbox, and the Wii against the PS4 and 360, that lacking third party support would have resulted in a more even playing field between the three companies.

The Wii was like a beautiful assassin. She blinded Nintendo with her assets while getting a blade behind their back to stab them. For all of its profit it may have sent its parent company into a slow death that is being held off more or less by the success of the 3DS.

But, if it had just come out one generation earlier, I might have been able to boast about my blatant Nintendo bias without the little bastards at my store laughing to my face.

Fucking Nintendo.........I love you.

*hugs Mario doll tightly*

And, as a side note, the sites not dead yet, bitches.

In a few weeks, definitely.

Almost Pocket Sized Fashion

Most of you can tell from my following of Project Runway that I enjoy fashion. Granted I don't get all hyped up about who the big name designers are, frankly the only ones I even know are because of Project Runway. I just enjoy designing cloths. Even when I was little I liked making cloths. I use to draw new outfits for my Jem and the Hologram paper dolls, and I would attempt to make cloths for my Barbies, though they usually just consisted of some wrapped fabric and ribbon. My sewing skills still aren't the best so most of my fashion ideas only wind up on paper. A long time pet project of mine has been creating fashions, be in costume or feasible everyday wear, based off of Pokemon. Which ironically enough was sparked to life by Project Runway...

For a while I also spent a lot of time playing "Fashion Story" on Shannon's iPhone, but as much as I enjoyed the little fashion game it got tedious. Either I'd keep missing my time deadlines and my cloths would expire before I got to put them on the sales floor, or I'd get so far along that I would have to either spend real cash to continue or find friends to move me along. Call me a loner if you will but I like playing those kinda of games alone, not bugging everyone to send me stuff so I can make my shop cooler.

I have however found a new alternative that I am slowly becoming obsessed with. "Style Savvy: Trendsetters" on the Nintendo 3DS. Shannon tried to get me to get this game back when it's first incarnation was released on the DS, but I feared the whole you need other people to play with you thing to even give it a try. I mean I was being realistic, no one around me was going to play the silly little fashion game, they're all bigger gamers than I am and most of them are guys.

But the other night we were at Best Buy checking out their summer "Black Friday" sale and while downloading my free goodies for "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" I spotted this game. I normally I would have probably just glanced and let it go, but it was on sale for $9.99. For ten dollars I was willing to take a chance, and frankly I'm glad I did. The first night of game play alone I was finding it hard to put the game down.

You start off just window shopping when the store's own comes up with her hands full and asks you for a hand with the door. After thanking you she gives you a look over and is impressed with your sense of fashion, which I find funny since you haven't chosen anything for self at all yet. In true video game randomness she asks you to help one of her customers choose an outfit, even though it's her store and she has other assistants working there. But you do it and after a successful choice she offers you a job. The game runs through a couple of days teaching you the basics, how to buy stock, sorting through your inventory for the right type of style your customer wants, taking pictures, etc. All the while little story elements are dropper here and there as you meet other people who will make an impact in your future.

Long story short, you boss decides to pursue bigger ventures and give you the shop. As manager you get to rename the store and give it your own personality. She also leaves you with a fresh assistant, who just happens to be the first girl you helped choose something to buy. Over time you gain other assistants to help at your shop, but you can only have one active at a time.

My current assistant is Danny, an energetic teen who not only was my first male customer, once the men's lines were unlocked, but also my first Bronze rank member of  my shop. You get to dress your assistants up in whatever style you want and they won't bitch about it. They also watch the shop while you're out running errands or just taking some time for yourself.

At my store, SapphireStar, most of my clientele want bold or feminine style items. The search options helps a lot in narrowing down your search, so you don't have to memorize what each item can work under. The search allows you to narrow down by item type, are you needing pants or a skirt? As well as by brand, taste, color, pattern and price. So far I usually just rely on the taste tab. It breaks it down into Basic, Girly, Preppy, Pop, Sporty, Retro, Feminine, Luxury, Boho-chic, Asian-inspired, Princess, Gothic, Flirty, Bold and Edgy. Your customers will usually tell you want style they are wanting to go for, but once they become regulars some of them will expect you to remember what style they love. For your men's line you also get Contemporary as an option and it takes away the female only categories. So far most of my guys shoppers are "contemporary" nuts, but I've been getting more requests for "street wear" which I have yet to unlock.

As your store's popularity increases more styles and stores will open up to you at the buyers center. Each store has a style specialty, but their items are not always limited to just that one style. Several of them encourage mixing and matching, but normally their brand will have a main strength. Such as AZ-USA, my favorite so far in the game, focuses on bold looks but will also have edgy and feminine items available.

The Buyers Center is where you buy all of the stock for your shop. At the beginning of each season each brand will send you samples to start your store off with but it's up to you to buy the rest. One perk is whatever items you choose to sell in your store, you get to add them to your personal closet as well, they'll be delivered to your home.   Once you've added items to you cart you can increase the quantities as well to have more to sell in your store. Not every store is open every day, so it's a good idea to make regular trips to the buyers center. You'll start to see trends in the styles your customers like, so be sure to stay stock up on what's popular to them.

Aside from running your store there is also a make up and hair salon that you can visit to change up your own look, and buy make up for yourself. The manager of both of these establishments start off as customers as well. The sooner you get them liking you work the sooner these stores will open to you. After a while a furniture store will open as well so you can redecorate your home too.

The final element of the game is the fashion contest. You choose a model, are given a theme and then you work your magic. Choosing the right look and matching make up and hair style will get you the win. My first contest was for "Retro" fashion and I'm happy to say I managed to take first place with the little number you see to the left.

In the main menu of the game you're also given a "Style Trial" option. This is a way to find out what your own style is. You make an outfit of your choosing and then it get's rated. I honestly just tried this part today for the first time. I tried to stay true to myself, not be influenced by the game, and the results were "Ice Princess." This got a smirk out of me. I haven't thought of myself as an ice princess since high school. Each time is a little different. My latest look was dubbed "Prime Prima Donna" for style. Either way it's an amusing little feature.

I will say the game is repetitive in nature, but I like it. I wish you could create your own pieces, but you are restricted to what's in the game. In a way though that's part of the challenge. Creating something that you yourself are happy with, but also meeting your client's needs with what you have to work with. There's also an online shop mode, but I haven't looked into that aspect of the game yet.

All and all "Style Savvy: Trendsetters" was well worth the $10 I spent, and you know what after playing it I really don't think i would have minded paying full price for it. Cheaper is always better on my wallet, but this is a good quality game for it's audience.

Now if you excuse me I have more fashion hungry customers to make happy.

Gamers...what do you want?

   I'd like to take a break from working on the story I've started but can't seem to make progress on to write at your eyeballs. But first, here's a red panda:

Okay, enough of that.
 Here are some questions for you if you're a gamer: What do you want from video games? What is it you want the industry to turn out? What do you want to get from the products they turn out?
(Why do I feel like I've talked about this before? If I have, suck it up. I have dementia. Or Alzheimer's. Or...that Memento disease.)

If you frequent message boards about games or get into discussions in real life about them, there tends to be a few recurring ideas. One is that modern games are trying too hard to match Hollywood, creating more story driven experiences heavy on cutscenes and short in gameplay length.
There's also the idea that game difficulty has taken a huge dive in "too easy" territory.
Basically, to me, there SEEMS to be a divide between what gamers are getting from or expect to get from their video games.
To oversimplify this: Older gamers typically claim gameplay is king. Screw story as long as it's fun. Younger gamers are growing up with the kind of technology that allows stories to be told in ways that allow for more believable character performances and budgets that open the doors for a focus on writing. In other words, why should they CARE about shooting the asteroids? What's the point?

Here I am in the middle asking "Why does it have to be only one or the other? Why can't it be fun AND compelling?"

When I was just a young lad pushing a hoop with a stick down the road, I'd push it to my house where I'd go in and play PC adventure games AND NES/Atari/Commodore 64.
My initial experience with video games wasn't JUST side-scrolling platformers with no real story. Nor was it JUST humor filled PC games driven by puzzles, story,  colorful characters and interesting locations.It was both. I'm finding more and more things in life need context for appreciation and having experiences with two approaches to developing games at a young age helped.
So the evolution of gaming to the point it's at now is by no means a disappointment or even a surprise.


"Old school" gamers sound bitter and young gamers have been spoiled.

So back to one of the questions from earlier: What do you want from video games?


Lately I'm finding less and less time to play much but the last two new games I completed were Bioshock Infinite and The Last Of Us. I loved both of them and playing them both so close to each other has really made almost every other game seem like a giant pile of garbage.(I'm exaggerating for effect)

Bioshock Infinite

The Last of Us

The point is, both of these are examples of exactly what I personally want out of gaming at this point in my life. (I liked TLOU a bit better but for the sake of this point, I'll keep them lumped together.)(It must be great to be Troy Baker this year).
They're both story driven with interesting characters, mature without trying to force it(*ahem* Heavy Rain), they're fun, involve interesting universes all while both looking and sounding great. In other words, they don't really slouch anywhere. They put it all together in one fantastic package and when it's done right, you feel it when you're done. You think about what you played.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fascist. There's room for all kinds of games. As I get older my focus is just being narrowed. I'll still have time for skateboarding games, almost anything DC comics related, and anything that has a shred of innovation. But those will always kind of be around. There will always be room for sports games, superhero games and Bethesda will still be making Fallout and Elder Scrolls games. So I'm not talking about that stuff. We're good there. What I mean is what I want from the industry that will keep me sticking around. Keep me saying "Wow, look how far we've come." That's the kind of evolution that keeps me gaming. If people with the type of vision that Ken Levine has, those at Naughty Dog or even Rockstar weren't around, there's no telling how little I'd play games.
 I understand not everyone shares my views. That's fine. Hopefully developers are giving you what you want.

What I'm really saying is that character and story have a much bigger impact on what I play or enjoy than it seems other gamers my age, and I want to see the quality of that growing up with me. Sure, I don't want a broken game. But if I'm hooked into WHY I'm doing what I'm doing, it makes WHAT I'm doing more fun. I'm not saying I want ALL games to be serious. But the game industry has grown so much. The budgets have grown way too big for them to not have quality in all parts of their game no matter what the subject matter is.
(I know I tend to ramble so I just had to make that bold so my point isn't lost)
I guess what I'm saying is that games like TLOU and Bioshock Infinite represent the pinnacle of development team coming together under a director or writer's creative vision and producing great quality(there's that word again) in what they set out to do. The bar has been raised for serious narratives and the complete package of a product. What I want from video games is for every developer to keep raising the bar no matter what their vision is. Don't just churn out sequels that aren't much different in terms of quality from the last one. Don't treat all gamers like we're 14 year old boys. Gamers want to be taken seriously right? We'll achieve that by developers turning out stories and characters that even non-gamers can care about. Not by living in a bubble.


I hope that all makes sense. 

Now here's some more red pandas...