Nintendo E3 2015

• I don't care what people say, the muppet intro is hilarious
• Starfox Zero: It looks like a lot of fun, with the transforming vehicles
• Skylanders Superchargers: It's skylanders, but amiibo fans have two more to get
• Fire Emblem Fates: It's IF
• Shin Megami Tensai X Fire Emblem: Still looks great
• Xenoblade Chronicles X: Something that I'm becoming more and more interested in everytime I see it in action, it looks really good
• Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer: It looks charming, but nothing else aside from that
• Animal Crossing amiibo Festival: Animal Crossing Mario Party?
• Yoshi's Woolly World: It's so adorable
• Yo-Kai Watch: Nothing has caught my attention with it yet
• Mario and Luigi Paper Jam: Its a mash up of the two Mario RPG formulas that has a giant Mario Tank made of paper fighting giant paper Goomba tanks. Enough said
• Mario Tennis Ultra Smash: Its Mario Tennis
• Super Mario Maker amiibo support: Because why not have wii fit trainer go through Mario levels?

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: "There's a contradiction in this puzzle"

Time to get back into non marathon reviews that also goes back to my second review ever... and probably my worst written one as I don't think the joke works in a text based format...

"Puzzles and contradictions abound when legends meet". To say that it was a shock to see these two franchises meet is an understatement. Both the Professor Layton and Ace Attorney games are some of the most popular small franchises for the Nintendo DS, but that's just it, small franchises. If I asked a Nintendo fan to name 10 games in the DS's library, its a pretty safe bet that neither of these would be thought of... unless your the friend of mine who I borrowed this game from in which case they would probably be in the Top 3. It would take two years for the game to leave Japan, and like a lot of games recently, it would be in the US last (though why it took 5 months after Europe and Australia is beyond me). Time to return to the courtroom to see how well these two play nicely with each other. Any objections?

Pikmin Shorts: A day in the life of something smaller then an ant

There are a lot of franchises made by Nintendo that don't get a lot of the spotlight. F-Zero, Kid Icarus, Metroid, and one of the more recent franchises: Pikmin (though not as bad as some of the above). Three games have been made for the series... and at time of writing I have not played any of them. I'm curious about the series and I intend to play the newest one, Pikmin 3. Recently however, three short films have been posted to the WiiU and 3DS eshops. So, for the last post before the start of the marathon, time to take a look at the life of the Pikmin.

Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 3DS: Smash ain't no joke

No intro, no more padding. You know what's coming. I've drawn this out enough, time to look at Super Smash Brothers for Nintendo 3DS.

The Hype Train for Smash 4

For a newcomer to this kind of hype train, this was incredible to see. This isn't a review, impressions or anything like that. This is just a reflection on what has been.

E3 2013: This was a weird time to be a Nintendo fan. The Wii U was barely selling and had no system sellers, the 3DS was doing better but still not great and for the first time ever, a first party games company decided not to do a live press conference at E3, instead opting for a Nintendo Direct. The Direct itself, while it had some good titles on it, there wasn't anything we didn't expect. "Oh look a new Mario game" "Oh look a new Zelda", there wasn't anything to really care about... until the finale...

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire: May the trumpets be herd, for Hoenn's Out

To say that I was hyped for this game is a understatement. With Pokemon posts taking up a decent chunk of the content here, its safe to say that I'm a Pokemon fan and if you've read my review of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, then you'll know that I'm a Gen III fan boy. So of course I was excited for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (which for the rest of the review shall be referred to as ORAS). After playing it for just over a week, how well does it show off the strengths of Hoenn and how faithful is the remake? Do note, spoilers are plentiful here (unlike the IGN review).

Kirby Triple Deluxe: Nintendo does have more then one Platformer mascot

Yeah, contrary to popular belief, there are actually more Platformer mascots from Nintendo that aren't Mario. For clarification, a Platformers is a gameplay style, often seen as very arcade in nature as it is getting from point A-B while jumping over obstacles, its the father of Parkour in short.

With every new Nintendo console, you're going to get your staple franchises. You're going to get your new Mario (sometimes 2 in the case of the WiiU), you're going to get your new Zelda, your new Mario Kart and your new Smash bros (I'll get to that one later), Kirby is one of the franchises you don't hear a lot of because it either gets very little publicity or it appears closer to the end of the console's cycle. Kirby didn't get a main series game on the Gamecube (instead we got Kirby's Air Ride) and didn't appear on the Wii until Kirby's Epic Yarn. Portable consoles have been kinder to Kirby as we got 4 Kirby games for the DS. During the wait for Smash 4, Nintendo was kind enough to release Kirby Triple Deluxe, the pink puffball's first appearance on the 3DS (that doesn't include the Virtual Console), how does it compare to its predecessors? Time to see just how big his black hole of a stomach is this time.

Mario Karts 7 and 8: Time to burn rubber again... and again...

With every new Nintendo console, we are guaranteed a new Mario Kart at some point. From its debut on the SNES, Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's safe console sellers with every iteration managing to push units. While I said I was going to do just Mario Kart 8 (even though I still lack a Wii U, thank you to EB games Swanston Street for having the full version available to play), if you're familiar with the Mario Kart iterations, you'll see why I'm grouping Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS in this review as well. Time to hit the track.

First Impressions: Code Name S.T.E.A.M

With a concept as crazy as this, combining American History (kinda), Sci-fi, Steampunk, Comic books, Action RPG, Shooters and Turn based statergy... this 3DS title is... questionable. I'm going to be linking the treehouse video that has more information at the end of this post but I will provide a brief explnation as to my thoughs on the matter.

The artstyle: I'm not a fan of Steampunk in general, I personally prefer futuristic tech, but the art style of S.T.E.A.M is still quite nice for the 3DS. I've been replaying Dragon Quest IX recently and the character models remind me of the 3D models in DQ IX, simplistic but detailed.

The intro cutscene (of the presentation): in true comic book style, its cheesy, its over the top, its funny. Thats all that I can really say on the matter.

Gameplay: The gameplay looks like its going to take some time for fans of turn based games to get used to as there are a lot of differences. The camera is always behind the characters (same as third person shooters), the mobility of the characters is dependent on the amount of steam they have in their tanks, the ability to attack is also affect by the amount of steam so the player will have to balance mobility and attacks. The party of 4 characters seam to have multiple weapons and abilities that they can use during the battle and the power of the attacks can also be edited so that weaker shots use less steam. Height seems to be a core part of gameplay, so that you can no whats happening on the battlefield. Control seems to be touch screen heavy and I didn't see any button controls used in the presentation.

Soundtrack: I couldn't tell what was S.T.E.A.M and what was other games at E3, so i'm not going to say anything about the audio for now.

That's pretty much it for Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Feel free to watch the video for more info on the game if your curious. I'll loo into it some more closer to its release and I'll probably give it a review. Tommorow, the reason why I didn't say much on Far Cry 4.

First Impressions: Sonic Boom

I openly admit that I'm behind the times, this song did come out in 1993 an was the theme for Sonic CD in the US and is one of the most well known Sonic vocal songs of all time...

My apologies for that, I got my documents messed up...

Sonic Boom, the upcoming Sonic game for 2014 along with the new TV show based on the two games. And as usual for Sonic games, they get unneeded hate from the fan base. Why? I'll answer that at the end of this.

I'll start with the games. As with Sonic Lost World, a 3DS version and a WiiU version will be made, but unlike Lost World, the consoles will have a different version of the game with a different plot, playable characters ect. In Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, you can play as Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles, the main 4 characters for the franchise.

 And as you can see from this, all four of them have had a redesign. For a better look...

Before I get to gameplay, I'll go through the "controversial redesigns".

• Sonic: There is barely anything is different with him. I like the little bit of detail in his spines, yes the exsessive use of sports tape is a bit of a let down but the same thing applies to all the characters except the "new" character so I'm going to ignore it. I love the addition of the scarf as it adds that little bit of detail to the character that updates him properly for the first time since the Dreamcast.
• Tails: The short and sharp version of my opinions on Tails is that he actually looks like a engineer now, which I like
• Amy: Ever since the designs were revealed, I haven't had any thing to say about Amy spesifically. I like this design more so then her main design as it seems to be more functional then the main design in the main series (at this point in time, this is a spin off of the series). I like the update to the hammer, even though it will probably be as ridiculous as ever in terms of physics (Amy is the reason why "Hammer space" exists).
• Knuckles: The controversy magnet for these redesigns... Where do I begin with Knuckles... How about the fact that he's not that bad. Even when I first saw him I didn't think he was that bad. Not great, I will admit that there are flaws but its not the end of teh world that people are making him out to be. I'm not a fan of his height, I do think he could be a bit shorter. I do like the fact that he has a lot more bulk to him now as he is supposed to be the muscle of the group, something that doesn't make sense in the current series. I will admit that the lack of a neck is more of a problem with Knuckles then it is for anyone else but I can learn to live with it.
• And finally, defiantly not Marine the Racoon, original creation do not steel... aka Sticks the badger: In terms of design, when its not screaming "I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MARINE", she looks ok. I'm skeptical about her character at this point in time i'm going to hold off on my thoughts about her, until I can see her in action.

If you want a look at some more characters, look here for the concept art: http://blogs.sega.com/2014/07/23/meet-characters-in-the-sonic-boom-universe/ don't ask for impressions on these characters.

As for Gameplay of the WiiU version, it looks fun. Simple, but fun. If you've played a Crash Bandicoot game, then you'll recognize the play styles of the characters. But seeing as the founders of Big Redd Button, the developers behind the games, came from Naughty Dog and worked on the first three Crash Bandicoot games (on top of the fact that Crash was based on Sonic) its no surprise. Each of the characters have a different play style and different paths they can travel to get to the end of the level. Sonic's is based on the 3D sonic games like Adventure, Heroes and Generations, Tails is mechanical and ranged based combat, Amy is the most athletic (has the highest jump ect) and uses acrobatic motions to platform with the help of her hammer, and Knuckes plays how you would expect him to.He can climb walls, tunnel underground, mow through enemies using his fists, the usual. As for Sticks... I have no idea. The gameplay is likely to be replicated in the 3DS version except the fact that it will be 2D based so for now, assume that what I said effects both versions.

Story wise: I'm going to directly quote the Sonic Wiki because news on the plot is scarce.

The Rise of Lyric (WiiU): "Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose and Sticks as they do battle against the evil Dr. Eggman. The group find themselves arriving on an island where they encounter an ancient tomb sealed deep within the island. There, they come across a powerful snake-like villain from a race called the Ancients, named Lyric, who plans to power his army of war mongering robots with the Chaos Crystals and destroy the world. To stop Lyric's evil plan, the group must put aside their differences and find the Chaos Crystals before Lyric. The stakes have never been higher, and the only chance to overcome Lyric is to band together and work as a team."

Shattered Crystal: "In Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, Amy discovers a secret ancient language and manuscript detailing the history and whereabouts of a Lost Crystal of Power. The evil and vile villain, Lyric, kidnaps Amy in his eagerness to get his claws on this long-forgotten power that has been hidden throughout the jungles and canyons of a mysterious new island. Sonic must team up with Tails, Knuckles and new friend Sticks to trace Amy’s footsteps and save her from the clutches of Lyric and his robot army. By trusting in their own abilities and working as a team, they will prove they are stronger together than they are apart."

Based on that, the plot for the WiiU version sounds interesting and I'm curious as to how it will be implemented. My only issue with the story is the 3DS version. Why is Amy being kidnapped? It doesn't make any sense based on her personality. The last time she was kidnapped was in Sonic Adventure and her kidnapper was the final boss in her part of the story so I hope something like this happens again.

Finally, the TV show. For the first time since Sonic X, we will be having another Sonic cartoon. from the two trailers we've seen, it looks like its going to have a comical side to it but I'm not sure how much humor is in the show. We've only had two trailers and they're being very vague as to what the show is about in my opinion. Only time will tell. The next impression will be Yoshi's Woolly world with Code Name S.T.E.A.M being the one after.

The actual first impressions: Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

Yeah, this has probably been a long time coming but i wanted to finish off the Transformers Marathon before i delved into these, and seeing as I've been promising this one for longer then the others: my thoughts on Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the remakes of Generation III.

Fans have been wanting these remakes since the release of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver and for a good reason. Contrary to the belief of Generation I fans, not everyone started with Pokemon Red and Blue, in fact the second major wave of fans was in Generation III, people around my age were starting to play the games for the first time. For myself, while the first game I ever played was Yellow on my cousin's Game boy (it might have been a GB Colour but i don't remember off the top of my head) when I was 5, but the first game I ever owned was Emerald version for the Game Boy Advance (GBA Wide is still the best, regardless of its lack of back light) on my 10th birthday, so yes, I started my "Pokemon journey" when I turned 10 years old. The other major reason for fans wanting the remakes is that all the regions would be either directly connected to, or need a extra step to sync it to, the Pokemon Bank. At the moment, to transfer a Pokemon from Ruby/ Sapphire or Emerald into X and Y, you would need to transfer it to a Generation IV game (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Heart Gold or Soul Silver), then to a Generation V game (Black, White, Black 2 or White 2) and then to the Pokemon bank to send it to X and Y. I don't know about others, but i personally hate the Gen IV-V mini game so the less I have to do that pain, the better.

I'll run through the list of what we know based on the trailers and Corocoro leaks we've gotten up till now (8th of July as of writing this, no i don't keep a large backlog at the moment...)

The Graphics and Aesthetics: Its obvious that this is running off of X and Y's engine, and seeing as this was most likely being developed at the same time as X and Y, I'm not surprised. From the screenshots that we have (thank you Serebii), it looks like the only major changes to the world is more detail in the X and Y assets, which isn't a bad thing, I liked the way X and Y looked

The character redesigns: The character designs... I'm still getting used to as a whole. I don't outright hate them, a lot of them look great. I love how Team Aqua looks now (Archie in particular looks great, but he reminds me of Riku's D-mode from Kingdom Hearts I and Chain of Memories, though that could just be me). The other members of Team Aqua look great and feel more like Pirates then they ever did in R/S/E. Team Magma on the other hand, I'm not as sold on. The grunts look fine, and Maxie has been growing on me, my issue is Courtney and Tabitha. Courtney looks like she was a Team Flare reject now whereas before, she looked like a bad ass (though that might because of how she was portrayed in the Adventures Manga, where she was a bad ass...). Tabitha on the other hand "GO ON A F&(@%^* DIET YOU FAT ASS!!! Another character that looked awesome in R/S/E, now looks like he was in Mcdonalds for 3 days and ate nothing but cheeseburgers, why?

Steven Stone: he hasn't changed (in terms of design), it is believed that he will serve as the way for the player to use Mega Evolution in the game, which I like the idea of as it fits his personality and love of stones.

Brendan and May: More characters that have been growing on me since their reveal. They look nice and admittedly, its probably my nostalgia for their Emerald designs that are holding me back from loving these new designs. They're more tamed then the redesigns Blue/Green/Leaf and Kris got in Fire Red/ Leaf green and Heart Gold/ Soul Silver respectively so i am grateful about that.

The New Mega forms and Primal Forms: (all of these are based on their abilities and design, I'm not including stats)

• Mega Sceptile: I love how Mega Sceptile looks in this and the loss of its tail leaves during battle is a nice touch. I'm not a fan of it having Lightning rod as its ability but that's because i don't see it being used often in battles (personal opinion, don't hate me for it)
• Mega Swampert: First: "Do you even lift bro?" (I couldn't help myself...). Design wise, slowly growing on me, its not the worst Mega form I've seen but it also isn't the best. As for its ability, I DON'T SEE HOW A BULKY THING LIKE MEGA SWAMPERT COULD MOVE FAST, REGARDLESS OF WHERE HE IS AND THE WEATHER (its Swift Swim)
• Mega Diancie: I'm not making a opinion yet about Diancie as i haven't used its regular form so I don't know how this improves it.
• Mega Sableye: "I wonder how long it will be until Link comes to get that Rupee" (...I'll stop now...). Design wise, it looks good when comparing it to Sableye's original design and one thing i would personally like to see with it is that the gem its holding and the eye gem colours change depending on which game your playing. Red in Omega Ruby and Blue in Alpha Sapphire. I do like the fact that it has Magic Bounce, which means that Mega Sableye could make for a viable lead pokemon if your opponent loves using Hazards.
• Primal forms: At this point in time, I get the feeling that its a redundant form of Mega Evolution and that Mega Aerodactal will get reclassified as Primal Aerodactal.
• Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre: Both of them look great, I love the way they look. My big problem with these two is Primal Groudon's typing: Ground/ Fire which means that it has a 4x weakness to water, so unless Groudon gets a massive buff to its defensive stats, then Groudon won't be winning to Kyogre any time soon...

As for the new map: I love it, but i was never going to hate it. I love that the sea routes between Mossdeap, Sootopolis, Ever grande and Pasifilog look great and looks like it will have more exploration in it then the originals (less empty).

That's it for now, my impressions on all the information we have so far on Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. I might do another if we get another substantial info dump before release but otherwise, wait for a review (as I will be getting a copy of the game, preferably at launch). The next impression latter this week: Hyrule Warriors.

The final of the big three:Impressions on the Nintendo Digital Event

 Nintendo Digital Event

1.       Intro Stop motion and filler: the stop motions are comical and shows off the fan opinions of Reggie while also, possibly, highlighting Nintendo’s opinions on franchises the fans want to return

2.       Super Smash bros Mii announcements: It was awsome seeing Iwata fighting Reggie in its intro (the effects were great, purely because they were over the top), then to highlight the Mii use in Smash 4 before Sakurai clarifies. The Mii Fighters themselves look interesting to play as. You can play as a Brawler (fast, but powerful melee combat with little range), a swordfighter (faster, but weaker then the Brawler, but use weapons like swords) and a gunner (great range, sports multiple ranged attacks but they might not have many good melee attacks). (note that this is all speculation). The Mii’s also appear to have customisable special moves, giving players the ability to swap between 36 specials between the three types of fighters. We also have a release day for the 3DS version... October 3^rd 2014. I don’t have high hopes for a Christmas with Smash bros WiiU after seeing this one...

3.       Amiibo: Nintendo’s answers to Skylanders and Disney Infinity. During the direct, there wasn’t a lot shown off but they did mention that they would be discussing it more latter on in E3 so expect a post providing more info latter. The Mario figure looks great though. We also know that Smash 4 and Mario Kart 8 will use Amiibo somehow (Captain Falcon in Mario Kart?). Also, I do believe the Mario Kart 8 footage, highlighting Luigi’s death stare was intentional and another great joke in this (unlike the last two, I’ve already watched this once so I can give more info)

4.       Yoshi’s Woolly World: (Try saying that 3x fast). I haven’t played a lot of Yoshi games (I’m yet to finish a single game...) but this new game does interest me. It looks great and like Kirby’s Epic Yarn, the wool motif works well in this and is incorporated well in the puzzles (from what we’ve seen). The plush Yarn Yoshi’s that were shown off look amazing (both in game and the real life ones that were used as a demonstration).

5.       Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker: Are you happy Captain Toad fans. If you’ve played 3D World’s captain toad levels, then you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into with this as that’s all that is in this game. It does look more refined as there are more things to do, but it’s Captain Toad.

6.       Legend of Zelda (WiiU): It looks beautiful, from what we saw, and it sounds like it’s going back to a progression similar to the original Zelda. Apart from that, we still don’t know a lot.

7.       Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire: latter...

8.       Bayonetta 2: The gameplay still looks great from when we saw it at E3 last year, the inclusion of the first game was a good idea as there are people (like myself) who will be getting the game but haven’t played the first. There will alos be Nintendo costumes for Bayonetta like Peach, Link and Samus, each with their own added Nintendo touches. Bayonetta also has a October 2014 release so we finally have a release window.

9.       Hyrule Warriors: Zelda and Midna are playable alongside Link and Impa. It looks great (so good its giving me a excuse to play Dynasty warriors). The character designs for Link, Impa and Zelda look great, they are different but you still know who they are if you’re a Zelda fan. All that we have to do is wait until September 26^th, which is its current release day.

10.   Kirby and the Rainbow Cruise: If you have played Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Kirby Canvas curse, then you know what your getting yourself into with this WiiU title. It plays similar to Canvas Curse but also shares a trait with Epic Yarn in the form of form changes like Rocket and Tank. I do like the Clay art style with this but I wasn’t a fan of Canvas Curse, I might pick it up when I get a WiiU but there’s a strong chance I wont

11.   Xenoblade Chronicles X: Another game I haven’t had experience with its predecessor before hand, Xenoblade X does look good, but I’m not sure if it’s a CG trailer or if it’s in game footage. Its supposedly going to becoming in 2015 so I could change my mind between now and its launch.

12.   Mario Maker: Ever wanted to make your own 2D Mario levels? Now you can with this...

13.   Splatoon: A NEW IP FROM NINTENDO!!! Also, “Salty’s Splatoon, how tough are you?” Splatoon is a kid friendly version of Third person shooters. You shoot ink, try and cover the most terrain with your ink to win. You can turn into a squid that can travel fast through your own coloured ink. The concept seems wierd, but I’m curious about it.

14.   Palutena’s reveal: I knew this was coming, Palutena was leaked months ago. But it is a great trailer, not one of my favourites in comparison to the other reveals, but still great. She looks like a great fighter and will all the Kid Icarus Uprising banter that was in it. She is yet another character that I’m going to play as when I get the game. The art style for the trailer is the anime style used in the mini Kid Icarus videos on the, now gone, Nintendo Video app on the 3DS. I’m not too sure what to make of Dark pit at the end of the trailer though...

15.   Miyamoto at the end: On the show floor, I have no idea based on the Digital event.

From what I’ve seen so far of E3, this was better than the last two conferences that I’ve covered. There was a lot of time dedicated to games that needed it and the games that just had a trailer, like Bayonetta 2 and Pokémon Omega Ruby/ Alpha Sapphire didn’t need any more information to be shown off then.  The Stop motion animations were genuinely funny and while it wasn’t a conference. It was still great, even I it was only a portion of the news. I’m going to be doing the last two conferences before I try and collect info on the show floor (which might be limited to Nintendo, but I will try and get more info). The next conference: SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS!!!

Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Impressions?

Earlier in the week, the world saw the first trailer for Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. As a Generation 3 fan, with Pokémon Emerald being my first Pokémon Game, I was excited. As to why I haven't done a impressions yet... because I can't. With Arkham Knight there was a trailer to critique, aspects to look at, there wasn't any of that in the initial trailer and the only other gameplay I've seen is Groudon and Kyogre coming out of the ocean which might suggest that there won't be a Emerald story mode for both of them, which is a shame. At E3 I'll do a better impressions because we'll hopefully get new information but until then...We'll just have to wait. Until then, let the trumpets be herd, have your Surf Pokémon ready and enjoy the tropical weather, Hoenn is back

Super Smash Direct: Impressions on new news

I don't think anything I could say could do the Super Smash Brothers series Justice. It is one of Nintendo's most successful franchises considering the number of games it has to date. With Smash 4 on the way for 3DS and WiiU, Masahiro Sakurai announced today, via a Nintendo Direct a lot of information so for today, I'm providing my opinions on the new news and a summary of the news, believe me, THIS IS A SUMMARY.

The first thing revealed is the release windows. The 3DS version's current release window is sometime between June 1st and August 31st where as the WiiU version currently is going to be released in the Christmas window. Its not surprising that this is the case, separating the 3DS and WiiU versions release days so that they don't have to compete with each other and moving the WiiU version to the Christmas window will hopefully help sell more consoles. I'm not going to discuss the technical tidbits as I leave that up to you.

Sakurai confirmed that there won't be version exclusive characters but that there will be unique stages, this was to be expected so nothing new to report there. The WiiU version will have a Brawl styled approach to music where as the 3DS version will use Melee's approach.

Confirmed 3DS Stages: Reset Bomb Forrest from Kid Icarus Uprising, 3D Land from Super Mario 3D Land, Spirit Train from The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Gerudo Valley from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Arena Ferox from Fire Emblem (Awakening???), Tortimer Island from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Living Room from Nintendogs/ Nintendogs+ Cats, Prism Tower from Pokémon X/Y, Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 7, Find Mii from Streetpass Quest II, Balloon Fight from Balloon Fight and Jungle Japes from Donkey Kong Country (it is also a original stage from Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64).

Confirmed WiiU Stages: Mario Galaxy from the Super Mario Galaxy games, Pyrosphere from Metroid Other M, Town and City from the Animal Crossing series, Boxing Ring from Punch-Out, Pilot Wings from the Pilotwings series, Skyloft from the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Windy Hill from Sonic Lost World, Garden of Hope from Pikmin 3, Wii Fit Studio from the Wii Fit series, Palutena's Temple from Kid Icarus Uprising, Wily Castle from Mega Man 2 and Battleship Halbird from Kirby (returning from Smash bros Brawl). Battlefield and Final Destination has been confirmed for both versions.

And now, the bosses in the stage, the only one that was outright confirmed was the Yellow Devil in the Wily Castle stage, when he appears, he will attack all players in the fight. You can hurt him by attacking his eye and when he is killed, a huge explosion, similar to the smart bomb, activates and hurt all players except the one that got the last hit. Ridley was also hinted to be a stage boss.

Through out the direct, Sakurai also unveiled three new collectable trophies which are Tiki from Fire Emblem, Psudo Palutena from Kid Icarus Uprising, King Kihunter from Metroid and Fi from Zelda Skyward Sword.

The Online play appears to be getting a overhall for this new title. According to Sakurai "The WiiU version with have online multiplayer as Brawl did", wether this is better (in terms of lag) then brawl was remains unknown. Like brawl, you can choose to play with friends or with strangers online. While the specifics remain unknown, the 3DS will also have some sort of online play. Based on what Sakurai said, it is likely that a stable and fast internet connection is required to get the best out of these features.

Now the new features for Online Play, "For Fun" and "For Glory" which are replacing the anonymous system used in Brawl and can only be played when you not playing with friends. For fun mode is almost self explanatory, its fun matches online, almost all stages can be played (the exception is Final Destination) and stages are picked at random, items are on, smash matches only (so no Coin or time matches) and only wins are recorded. For Glory mode on the other hand is for the tournament players. Final Destination is the only possible stage, no items are on, it can be 1v1 matches and both Wins and Losses are recorded. The last thing to note about online is that when you play with friends, you can change the rules to how you'd like them to be.

Ah Final Destination, the arena that tournament players only fight on. To provide some sort of diversity, there is a "Final Destination Mode" For all stages, turning them into versions of Final Destination using the palette of that stage. This feature specifically is one I'm excited for because of one reason, there is only so many times you can hear the Final Destination theme before you want to rip your ears out. This feature is enabled in the For Glory mode.

As a part of the Anonymous online match removal, all players will be synced to their Nintendo Network ID and use that name to fight. A code of conduct will be in place for this "to keep things pleasant". Measures are supposedly being put in place to help stop players from

• Starting and not playing in matches
• Relentless targeting of an individual
• Repeated Self-destructs
• Frequent dropping (both intentional or due to technical reasons)
• and other cheats

According to Sakurai, these measures could include temporary bans, with the duration depending on mow much they abuse the other players. Baseless reporting can also result in bans.

A ranking system is also being implemented known as the "Global Smash Power", instead of ranking where you are in a graph, it will display how many people are behind you (in a nut shell). to inprove your score, you complete objectives in solo play (somehow). Match making for online play is affected by this ranking system.

And now the interesting aspects of the direct, first off the items. Items shown off include the Beam Sword (sporting a "katana like" design), the Bumper, The Smart Bomb from Star Fox, the Motion Sensor Bomb from Golden Eye, The POW Block from Super Mario (which acts similar to how it did in the Mario Bros stage in Brawl), the Beetle from Zelda (Which picks up the first enemy it finds and lifts them into the sky), The Fire Bar from Mario (a Beam Sword with limited use), The Back Shield from Kid Icarus (its all in the name, makes a shield behind you), the Bombchu from Zelda (travels until it finds a target, then explodes (can go up walls)), A new restoration item called the Fairy bottle from Zelda, The Ore Club from Kid Icarus (which appears to share similar traits to the star rod but can summon a tornado), The X Bomb from Kid Icarus (upon detination, creates a X/+ that stretches over the entire arena), Hocotate Bomb from Pikmin (flies into the air, fall and then explodes), the Rocket belt from Pilotwings (its a jetpack) and the Steal Diver (fires torpedos).

The Assist trophies, a more diverse version of the Pokeball, what secrets do you hold? According to the direct. I should note that i'll only write the powers of the new characters (if it is a returning character, assume its the same power) Assist trophies include: Andross from Starfox, Devil, Knuckle Joe, Saki Amamiya from Sin and Punishment, Lyn from Fire Emblem, the blasted Nintendog from Nintendogs, Waluigi from the Mario Spin off games, Dr Wright from Sim City, Skull Kid from Zelda Majora's mask (which flips the stage and the gravity upside down), Mother Brain from Metroid (which shoots a beam along with other attacks at opposing fighters), Midna from Zelda Twilight Princess (which teleports and uses her magic arm to attack opponents), "The Great Ashley" from Wario Ware (which creates a area that poisons opponents), Dark Samus from Metroid Prime 2 and 3 (which uses her Phazon cannon and other Phazon based attacks to attack opponents), a Chain Chomp from Super Mario (it behaves like a Chain Chomp on opponents) Isabelle from Animal Crossing (who restores the summoner's percentage), Elec Man from Mega Man (who uses electric based attacks to attack opponents) and a game of Pong (Colour TV-Game 15 as it is called) (this is a self explanatory trophy and if you don't know, PLAY PONG).

What new Pokémon has Sakurai caught and willing to let us use in Smash 4? Well before I tell you, I should talk about a new item: the Master Ball. This is a rare item that when used, summons a legendary Pokémon (like how I suggested on mu Super Smash Bros: Fan Disagreement blog). The Pokémon list for both Pokeball and Master Ball includes (but i'll let their powers remain a surprise until you see the direct for yourself or play the game as it is hard to describe with some of them) Arceus and thanks to Sakurai's Substitute (I kid you not, that's in the direct) Meowth, Electrode, Eevee, Staryu, Metagross, Fennekin, Meloetta, Gogoat, Entai, Deoxys, Palkia, Kyurem, Victini,  Keldeo and Xerneas

The returning fighters and changes to them. Samus's Zero Laser Final Smash now no  longer reverts her to Zero Suit Samus, she and Zelda can no longer change forms now during the fight. Zero Suit Samus and Shiek are now separate fighters. Zero Suit Samus now has Jet boots to increase her capabilities in combat, now that she no longer has the ability to change into her Power Suit. Zelda now has a new down special attack that grants her the ability to summon a Phantom from the Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks to attack or defend Zelda from another attack. But this can be used against her by characters like Mario and the Villager. As for Shiek, her moves have been polished and she now has two new moves: A new Side Special attack called Burst Grenade which blow up once you pull the pin out. Bouncing Fish (dumb name by the way) is her new Down special and it is a kick based attack. Kirby's Hammer attack can now get charged up but at max strength, can hurt Kirby while it is still being held. Kirby's final smash has also been changed from Cook Kirby to Ultra Sword from Return to Dreamland. King Dedede throws Gordos instead of Waddle Dee's (:( ). Lucario's Aura attacks have been given a buff and will do more damage the higher Lucario's Percentage is,this is negated when Mega Lucario is in play (and while Lucario is in his Mega Form, all Aura attacks are at their strongest, regardless of the percentage). Pikmin and Olimar: Olimar can now only have 3 Pikmin at a time but they always come out in a set order. Olimar now also has a better recovery, the Winged Pikmin who will carry Olimar depending on how many Pikmin he has at the time. Pit: the gliding mechanic has been nerfed but his attacks are stronger and the power of flight is more manageable. Pit's new Final Smash is the Three Sacred Treasures. Yoshi has now been confirmed to return. He now stands upright in the fight and is now stronger then previous iterations.

And of course, info on the new fighters and some of their moves include

• Rosalina and Luma: Luma Shot (sends out Luma and brings it back), The luma can wander on its own and attack separately, they have separate moves, Side special attack: Star Bits, Up Special: Launch Star (a long range recovery move), Down Special: Gravitational pull (sucks in items and redirects ranged attacks), Final Smash: Power Star (fires star shaped projectiles around the screen)
• Little Mac: Melee fighter, powerful on the ground, sucks in the air, can shrug off some attacks, Smash attacks "hit at megaton levels", Neutral Special attack: Straight Lunge, connecting attacks and getting hit raise the power metre and once charged, instant KO attack. Side Special attack: Jolt Haymaker, Up Special: Rising Uppercut, Down Special: Slip Counter, Final Smash: Giga Mac. Little mac's alternate costume is the Wire Frame from the original Punch out for Arcade machines
• Villager: Neutral Special: Pocket, Side Special: Lloid Rocket, Up Special: Balloon Trip, Down Special: Timber, Final Smash: Dream Home
• Mega Man: Strong Down: Sliding (MM3), Dash: Top Spin (MM3/Top Man), Strong Up: Mega Upper (MvC), Side Smash: Charge Shot (MM4), Up Smash: Spark Shock (MM3/ Spark Man), Down Smash: Flame Burst (MM6/ Flame Man), Front Air: Flame Sword (MM8/ Sword Man), Back Air: Slash Claw (MM7/ Slash Man),Up Air: Air Shooter (MM2/ Air Man), Down Air: Hard Knuckle (MM3/Hard Man), Grab (Super Arm (MM1/ Guts Man), Neutral Special: Metal Blade (MM2/ Metal Man), Side Special: Crash Bomber (MM2/ Crash Man), Down Special: Leaf Shield (MM2/ Wood Man), Up Special: Rush Coil (MM3), Final Smash: Unnamed attack using all forms of Mega Man
• Wii Fit Trainer: known moves include Deep breathing (a power buff move) and Sun Salutation (a ranged attack that can be charged) which is her Neutral Special move. Male Wii Fit Trainer can be played as a alternate costume

Mysterious move pools: change stats of moves to make them stronger but slower or weaker but faster along with other traits. Known moves include Mario's Fireball, Kirby having frost breath, Pit's arrows changing direction (like it could in brawl), Donkey Kong having a head-butt that slams opponents into the ground .Not usable in online play against non friends.

Smash run was revealed as a 3DS exclusive multiplayer option. Which is a mini game like mode where you collect power ups in a set time limit and then fight your opponents. Pretty simple, looks fun.

And now, finally for the big reveal: Charizard and Greninja are playable characters in the game. Charizardl looks like he plays how he did in Brawl, but like Lucario, is sporting Mega Charizard X as a Mega Form. Greninja looks like a fast character with several Ninja like moves used in combat including his signature move, Water Shuriken.

As for my opinions on the reveal, Sakurai unveiled a lot of information that fans were wanting. A release window was revealed that gives fans confidence that this is coming soon, characters were unveiled to counter the dry month that was march, Fan favourites Charizard, Zero Suit Samus, Shiek, and Yoshi were unveiled and we got a new character in the form of Greninja.While yes, a lot of information was already posted to Miiverse, there was enough new content to make up for it. Will I be getting this game? HELL YES. Midnight Launch? Of course. Review? When I have enough material to review it. In the mean time, there are other things to review including Digimon Tamers, what I am currently collecting material for: K-On and more. Unless something comes up, expect my next impressions to be on E3 in June. Until then, enjoy.

iOS and Android games. My opinions

This is more of a rant then it is a review, it should also be noted that these are just general terms and unless told otherwise, do not relate to any specific game.

iOS and Android gaming, oh how I hate thee so. Unlike most people nowadays, I couldn't give less of a crap about iOS and Android games even if I tried. To me, it is infuriating to see those games. I will admit that I have played a few and there are some I generally enjoy, but for the most part, unless its a port of a game, I don't play it.

And now for the reason why: iOS and Android apps are designed to be small, easily downloadable and easily be erased. Because of this, I feel that the games that are produced have little to no effort put into it. I want to divert your attention to Candy Crush and its developers. Candy Crush is just Bejewled with different textures. If it was just Candy Crush, I would live with it but the developers have released 2-3 other games that are, once again, BEJEWLED WITH DIFFERENT TEXTURES. All for a quick buck. If it was Candy Crush 2 or something similar then I wouldn't care as much but their claiming that its a new IP, that it is a completely new game when its anything but.

Another reason why I hate iOS and Android games, Ads and Micro Transactions. If you get a game for free off of the Apple App Store or Android App Store, then chances are, one of the two (if not both) are going to be in that version of the game. It frustrates me to no end this lame excuse for money. IF YOU WANT MONEY FOR THE GAME, THEN SELL THE GAME AND NOT PUT IT UP FOR FREE!!! I don't want to have to wait 24 hours to complete a game session, nor do I want to pay to complete said session. I don't want to pay for WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE F&!#^)! GAME TO BEGIN WITH (though I will pay for DLC, but I'll explain why at another time). I don't want to watch a add every 5 F&^$*(! minutes just to get s$%@ done.

And finally, the last nail in the coffin. The argument that iOS and Android systems are better then portable game systems. BULL@*!^. iOS and Android systems will never be able to keep up with portable consoles like the 3DS and PSVita. The reason: because their not designed to be gaming consoles, their designed to be PHONES AND MUSIC PLAYERS. They are phones and mp3 players first and games are thrown in second or at the last moment where as the 3DS and Vita, they are designed to be gaming systems. Are they more expensive? Yes. Are they worth the price? It depends on the library. Will they be going anytime soon? No, the reason: Because there will always be a market for portable gaming consoles, it might be a small market, but as long as there are the games that need the power of the portable consoles, there will be portables, even if its a laptop.

That is all that I'm going to say on the matter, I have finished my rant.

Case 1: Turnabout defense. A review of the Ace Attorney main series

*please note that I try to keep my reviews G-PG

This is one of the franchises I thought I’d never look at simply because of the genre. But thanks to a few friends of mine, I have played most of the games in the series enjoyed what I played and thought it might be time to look at gaming’s lawyer. The prosecution is ready, the defense is ready, court is now in session for the review of the Phoenix Wright “games”.

The Prosecution’s opening statement: To the keen eye, the “” around games was no accident. Some people struggle to call these games games. These are more visual novels and no matter what you do, you have to play the story out to the end. In the story, you are, for the most part, Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney who, start the start of the series, is starting out and becomes better as the games progress.

“The prosecution calls its first witness to the stand.

The testimony and Cross Examination: Before most cases (the first case in every game is a exception) you have an investigation, or to me it’s a “touch every ware on the screen” mode. While you investigate, you can search the area for evidence, talk to people who are in the room or move to another room, the more complicated the case, the more rooms you have to go through and the more backtracking you have to do. While it isn’t a problem in Duel Destinies, the newest one for the 3DS (at time of review), in the GBA and DS games, you can only progress to a specific area in a specific order, for example, to get to the boat keeper’s house in the first game, you have to go to the lake and to get to the lake, you have to go to the entrance to the park. While it might not seem that bad at first, it quickly becomes very annoying (something I’m glad they fixed in DD). Another issue that is fixed in Duel Destinies is a small prompt on your curser that shows you what you have already investigated and what you haven’t another thing I’m glad they fixed.

“OBJECTION!!!. This conflicts with the script, there is more to this then the witness is telling us”

If you give me a minute, I can explain the next phase

After you have investigated all that you can on a given day, you can begin the trial for that case, what I believe to be the best part of the game. In the trials, you have to present specific evidence at specific points in witness’s testimonies. In the testimonies, you can either question points further or present contradictory evidence, such as an autopsy report if the witness’s statement doesn’t match the report or people’s mug shots if again, the testimony contradicts the evidence. At first, the cases are pretty simple but as you progress through the games, bigger and bigger trials are accessible and require more and more evidence, it becomes a memory game trying to remember what evidence you have used already. The game is a bit vague overall when it comes to finding the contradictory evidence but it makes it more satisfying when you find the right one. The music is always fitting when you find the right evidence as well. As soon as you find the right evidence, the music cuts and a special track will play when the defense points out the flaw which, to me, makes you feel accomplished, as soon as I hear the music cuts out, you often think “Gotcha you lying jerk”. Which leads to another great thing about this, the animations of the characters, while the original trilogy might only have 32-bit sprites, the animations they make are really well done and its always satisfying to see their breakdowns (my favorite being Damon Grant’s from the 5^th case in the first game). The sprite reuse can come off as a bit lazy but I’m willing to let it slide as they are still high quality.

“HOLD IT!!! Who are the main characters?”

Again I’m getting to it. Aside from Phoenix Wright, you will also be running into Miles Edgeworth, the main prosecutor, Detective Dick Gumshoe and Maya Fey in the original trilogy, Trucy Wright in the second trilogy, Apollo Justice, The Judge and several other characters that I will leave as a surprise.

“In conclusion your honor, the defendant has told me that he believes that these games are good assuming you’re not looking for any actual game. This review hasn’t covered the Edgeworth games as they need a separate review. It’s a entertaining story that Point and click enthusiasts would enjoy.”

“Then I find the defendant…”

NOT GUILTY And worth playing

On the subject of Pokemon

If you have your club Nintendo codes for your 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS and a selected few games (Mario Kart 7, Mario 3D Land, DKC returns 3D and Animal Crossing New Leaf (there might be others)) you can get a free download code for Pokémon X and Y. I would say that this is worth it so if you are interested in playing Pokémon X/Y but don't want to pay for it. Use this offer.

First review of a recent game. Pokemon X version and Pokemon Y version

I think a fitting first review would be the recent Nintendo 3DS titles. Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. This review will primarily based on X version as that is the copy that I have. That being said, the information used in this review can be used in Y version. The only differences between X and Y are the Pokémon and items you can find throughout the game. The reason why I start this is because this Pokémon game is the first Pokémon game in several years that I have put in the amount of hours I have this quickly. Pokémon Emerald version (the first game in the franchise I got (review coming latter)) I put in roughly 150 hours (but that save is long gone so I might be wrong), I don't recall the Generation 4 games (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum and Heart Gold) getting close to the 100 hours, the only reason why Pokémon Black got over 100 is because of the Pokémon Bank and White 2 didn't come close. At the time of writing, I am 111 hours in and still going which I classify as a achievement in itself.

In case you are not aware of the series (in which case I ask what rock have you been living under for the last 17-18 years, (to the people who have been following the franchise since generation 1, feeling old yet?) Pokémon is a franchise based around catching creatures called Pokémon, training them and battling other Pokémon to gain Gym Badges and eventually become the Champion of that region and a Pokémon Master. As of Generation 6, there are over 719 Pokémon and your overall objective is to "Catch 'em all". This is pretty much all that you need to understand this review. Be forewarned though, this will contain spoilers.

Pokémon X and Y are pretty much your standard Pokémon adventure but it does introduce several new features. The first one that new players will be introduced to is customizable avatars. Over the course of the franchise, avatar progression has been... slow. Generation 1 introduced Red who was the only character you could play as, Pokémon Crystal introduced Kris who was the first female avatar and then Pokémon X and Y introduced the character customization (wonder why it took this long...). When you start the game, you will have the option to pick your gender (Calem being the male avatar and Serena being the female avatar) from there, you can pick from three stock designs and latter you will have the ability to change your cloths, hair ect.

Other new features that have been introduced into Generation 6 include the Holo Caster, a machine that allows players to receive information about Pokémon events depending on where you are in the world along with plot based communications with Professor Sycamore, your rivals, Lysander and other characters. The Holo Caster is also the connection to the 3DS's Street Pass feature which allows you to generate "Pokémiles" as you walk past other players. The Pokémiles is a form of currency that you generate through communicating with other players (walk past, trade, battle ect) and apps like the Pokémon Bank that you can spend on items like Rare Candies. The Rollerblades are also implemented as a mid form of transportation throughout the world. Using the circle pad, you can use the rollerblades to move faster then running, however you cannot use them in areas like tall grass.

The biggest feature to be implemented into Generation 6 is Mega Evolution. Some Pokémon have a special item known as a Mega Stone which, combined with the Mega Ring, you can make specific Pokémon stronger during a battle. This change affects stats, abilities and even types. I personally love this feature as it make Pokémon like Absol and Venusaur useful again. It is always satisfying to see the Mega Evolution animation play because you get the sense of "you have no chance now". Admittedly, some of the Mega Pokémon are ridiculously overpowered but they are still fun to use (Mega Kangaskhan with Power Up Punch :D). The trick with Mega Evolution though is that you can only use it once per battle so you have to wait for the right moment to strike.

My personal opinion on Pokémon X and Y is that it is very fun and a great inclusion to the series but it is really easy. You get very powerful items like the EXP Share (which received a very big buff now) and Amulet Coin before the second gym and the lucky egg before the fourth. The EXP share now gives 100% of the experience to the Pokémon that participated in the battle and 50% to all the Pokémon in your team that didn't. On top of this, it is very easy to get a lot of money in the game, but this was to encourage buying cloths which are very expensive. The rival characters never feel like a threat and even the Gym leaders feel a bit lack luster. I struggle to take Team Flare seriously thanks to their design. There wasn't a lot of build up during the course of the story. In one trip to Lumiose City, you have to go to Lysander's café (a café run by the inventor of the Holo Caster). The theme of the café, Lysander's design, the way he speaks and the fact that there was a Team Flare grunt outside the café could tell anyone that he's the big bad guy. In another trip, you have to go to Team Flare's base but no one knows where their first facility is in Lumiose. "I wonder if I should check the café with the clearly villainous theme?". The post game is also lacking in the quantity department. You have a side quest in Lumiose, Mega stone collection, you can catch the third legendary Pokémon in Kalos and Mewtwo.

In conclusion, I would still pick up this game. If you enjoy the series prior to X/Y, curious about the series or looking for a time sync on the 3DS, this is worth the purchase. While the game is easy in comparison to the prior titles and doesn't do a lot to change the formula the series is known for, it is still a lot of fun to play.

Also, a side note. For the first time ever, THE MOTHER HAS A BEDROOM!!! Ever since Generation 1, the mother character has never had her own bedroom until now.