The 10th Hour 01.16.09: Top 10 Things I Don't Want To See in 2009

Posted by Derek Robbins on 01.16.2009

Last week the 10th hour discussed things that would make 2009 great, but this week it turns things around. What things would bring 2009 down? From a new Sonic team developed Sonic to the return of the dreaded Six-Axis, 411's Derek Robbins has you covered.

Hello and welcome to the 10th hour! As always, I have a couple of tangents that I wish to go off on before I get this ball rolling.

-I am not sure why everyone is so surprised over the Cardinals exceptional playoff run. Yeah, I know, they finished 9-7, but they also had five weeks where they had pretty much nothing to play for. They weren't going all out until the end and I think what we're seeing now is the real Cardinals. The mainstream media (ESPN) missed this when considering the playoffs because, really, all they look at is the win/loss record. A lot of the time, it just doesn't tell the whole story and in the Arizona Cardinal's case it actually makes them look worse than they actually are. I think the Cardinals will advance to the Super Bowl over the Eagles. Win it? …I dunno. Make it? For sure.

-I have finally, finally, finally got around to playing Luminous Arc on the DS. At first I was kind of skeptical because it plays just like Final Fantasy Tactics but without the strategy, but as I progress further I see that it does take some skill. That, and the story is pretty charming. I'll stick it out primarily because I want to see what Luminous Arc 2 is like. I've heard some good things and it's about time I found a new franchise to pump up.

-I was looking at Dead Rising on the Wii and wondering, you know, why did they even port it there? I mean, yeah, you can make lots of money but from the looks of it, it's just going to butcher what was a pretty fun game. The release of that game leads me to believe that eventually Street Fighter IV will find its way to Nintendo's console. That game seems like a natural fit for the multi-console treatment. All it would need on the wii is Tatsunoko v. Capcom-ish graphics and we'd be all good to go. I don't think a lot of changes outside of graphics would need to happen. That's good! Whatever the case, I hope you guys who only own Wiis get to play the game. I'd hate for anyone to miss out on SF IV!

Reader Feedback

Well, last week I wrote on the top-10 things I wanted to see this year. Let's see what you had to say about that, shall we?

Matt gives me his theory on piracy:

Good article. I agree with your comments on EA, but while i certainly respect EA for being a bit more risky in 08, i feel that sales of Mirrors edge, Dead Space, Spore etc on the PC side would be higher without the whole DRM stuff when its installed, as they stop people buying it properly and get it illigally as protest.

I like what EA did in 2008 a lot. It's a shame it didn't sell better, but that's the world we live in. In regards to piracy, look…I know a lot of pirates claim that DRM is the reason they pirate, but 90% of those guys are liars. These people are so cheap that they'll even pirate something like Megaman 9 or equally cheap new games. Did you see the piracy ratio for World of Goo? 90%!! The people who say they pirate due to protesting DRM are just saying that so they don't feel bad about stealing games. They should either man up and not feel bad about pirating or just not pirate. Simple as that.

shaydee doubts Sonic 4:

sonic 4 would be an interesting concept.. but knowing sega/sonic team they will screw it up for sure. theny really need to just forget every character past sonic 3 & knuckles and start fresh.

Well, I don't think SEGA is messed up. Looking at Valkyria Chronicles, I can tell ya' that they have some good people on board. Sonic Team on the other hand has shown themselves to be incompetent time and time again. The only good version of Sonic Unleashed wasn't even developed by Sonic Team. That's why my preference for Sonic 4 would be for Capcom or a non-Sonic team sector of SEGA to develop the game. They probably know the fans that sort of game would appeal to better than Sonic Team.

In regards to characters, well, Sonic on the Genesis had a tradition of adding one new one per main series installment. Sonic 4 would probably have to do the same, but there is a way around contaminating it with a new, possibly lame character. Just take Amy Rose, who made her debut in Sonic CD, and place her in the game. No new character needed. I don't really know how differently she would play, but I'd rather have her in there than some silly Raccoon or a fire cat.

Bubba talks about confirmation:

Nintendo have announced news of a new Zelda and Mario game this year. I read about it in the Official Magazine.

Sure it might take a while, but wouldn't you rather it take longer and be more awesome?

I think the most that has been said on the issue is that "they are coming". This isn't exactly a confirmation that a title is under development, just one will be coming in the future at some point. I don't believe we'll be hearing about a Mario this year, but Zelda will most definitely happen. I can't see a scenario where it doesn't.

Obviously I would like to wait for an awesome game instead of getting a mediocre game right away. Sometimes though, our desire to play good games gets in the way of our common sense. Even though I know that the longer I wait, the better the next Zelda will most likely be…I still want to get my hands on it ASAP. Sure, the rumored "you don't have to play the hard parts" gameplay innovation sounds lame, but that doesn't even affect those of us who would have played through it anyhow. So, yeah, regardless of Nintendo's direction I cannot freaking wait for this game.

Michael Weyer talks about EGM:

I Liked EGM too but felt the last few years they got so picky on the most minute details of games. I'd go into reviews and see them taking points off while detailing the tiniest glitches and slow rate and such. Hey, I don't care if it's not 100 percent perfection in looks, IS IT A GOOD GAME? Still, bad to see a good magazine go down.

I agree, they were overly picky at times, but at least they mentioned those things and were honest about it. I think a platinum award in EGM meant so, so much more than a 10/10 from IGN or Game Informer. It had a prestige about it. I was mad when Chrono Cross didn't get that honor, but you know what? The reviewer had valid reasons.

I think that EGM got worse in recent years mostly due to content. They seemed to be changing their demographic constantly and there was too much coverage on shooters and what not. I get it, it sells. To me though, it didn't make for a compelling read. I still loved to read through the reviews and EGM's previews were the only ones that I could stand reading, but…from a quality standpoint EGM's golden years were long gone. I'll miss them, but when I think about them in my mind, let's just say the past-couple of years won't immediately come to my attention.

Travis is next:

- Marvel Vs Capcom 3:
..... Fuck yeah! It must be made, and I hope they add in lesser known characters. A brawl between Captain America and Captain Britian/Gaurdian would be great fun. Not to mention a hopeful Deadpool appearance.

- Sonic 4:
Silly Derek, they won't do that, for it would you know... Make the fanbase truly happy.

- Chrono 3:
I think the game may lose some charm if it lost Toriyama as the art director/artist. So perhaps just have him as a supervisor, that way it retains the feel of his work?

Deadpool would HAVE to be in the game. No way would they make a MvC 3 and just say: "Ah, you know what? Not gonna put one of the coolest comic book characters ever in. Just because." Capcom, I am begggggging you! Plus, I would love for a Captain America v. Viewtiful Joe match. Joe's boomerang thing vs. Captain America's shield? That would be so cool.

You're right Travis, I forgot. Sonic Team feeds off of fan tears. How silly of me. I choose not to feed them by preventing tears from rolling down my cheeks when I play the latest Sonic title. It's hard, but I find if I sit in a really cold room the tears will become ice on my face. Since they don't take the time to make good games, do you honestly think they would take the time for ice to melt? Puh-lease.

I disagree on what you say regarding Chrono 3. I think Chrono Cross's art was not only beautiful, but also original. When I see a piece of work from that game, I don't think "Wow, I've seen this before!" I think: "This is Chrono Cross." My main problem with CT's art direction is that it just looks like everything Toriyama does. Crono looks like Goku for goodness sakes! I agree that maybe he could be the supervisor, but having him be the lead guy would be a mistake.

Weston Smith gets the last word this week:

Largely agree with the list, except for a new Mario/Zelda game.

Nintendo needs to try something new, not rely on the same old series they've relied on. The Wii already has a Zelda and a Mario game (neither of which did much for me), so I would hope Nintendo would try their hand at a new Star Fox or DK game. And not high-concept/gimmick games, just something done really fucking well.

I understand what you're saying. Nintendo does need to make a new IP for their hardcore fans. The thing is, they have so many new IPs for the casual/non-gamer that they probably don't think they need to spread out. If we're Nintendo fans and we want to play something new? Go for Wii Music! I think a new Star Fox or DK – particularly DK – would be a wonderful thing, but there's no denying that those two are the most popular of Nintendo's franchises. I'm tired of always talking bad about Nintendo. I want something to excite the fanbase, and while the games you say would do some of that…Mario and Zelda would do a better job.

I hope they do make the DK game though. I'd love that! There are only two Wii games coming out this year that I really want – Mad World and Punch-Out! – so DK would be a third one! Again, I'm tired of hating the Wii. I dislike not liking Nintendo. I want to embrace their system and say: "It'll be okay."

One quick word before I get started: I sent a response to Ben regarding Valkyria Chronicles. I didn't mention your post because I responded to it pretty in depth in the comment section. With that said, did you end up purchasing the game? If so, let me know what you think about it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.



Top-10 Things I Don't Want to See in 2009

Last week I did the 10 things I wanted to see, so naturally this week I complete the series by talking about the things I don't want to see. The things I list don't have to be confirmed, really, it can just be anything I don't want to see this year. Some of the things that are on this list definitely will be coming next year, but that doesn't mean I have to like it! Next week, I'll finally get off the three-week year series and move onto…the top-10 types of gamers I dislike the most. Oh fuck yeah, that will be fun to write. Until then, enjoy!

10-) Street Fighter IV ver. 2 - As you all probably know by now, mostly because I ram it down your throats with reckless abandon, even though you claim it's choking you, that I love Street Fighter. It's probably my favorite game franchise of all time and you can be rest assured that I will be out there on day 1 waiting to buy my copy of the latest installment. To say that I am excited for this game is an under-statement. Ralphie Parker lusting after that Red Ryder BB-gun thinks that I am a lunatic.

There's one trend Capcom does that I absolutely loathe though, and that's all the different versions of their fighters that they release. Street Fighter II had to have been released at least 10-times. I understand why they did it then – balance issues and what not – but it was annoying as hell. When they were doing that, people like me desperately wanted the next SF. In my opinion, this was like patching the game before patches became available. They had to edit the game somehow, so what did they do? Re-release it a billion times.

Times have changed a lot since that point though. I understand that tradition states there should be like three new Street Fighter games for each iteration, but good lord does it need to die. Street Fighter IV could go through the different versions that III and II went through in a rather simple way. Updates could be given to the game via PSN or XBLA. They could even charge for these updates (like ten dollars). These updates would include things such as re-balancing characters, new moves, and perhaps the addition of new characters. Remember how the original version of Street Fighter III only had Ryu and Ken from SF II? Well, maybe later versions of IV could include some of III's cast such as Ibuki and Hugo.

So yeah, I am suggesting that I would like the game to receive periodic updates. Street Fighter is a deep fighter that needs tweaking from time to time. The problem is, I don't want Capcom re-releasing SF IV a thousand times to get these updates to the masses. I want a simple patch, maybe once a year, that gives me everything a new version of SF IV would give me. I would not mind paying something like 15-dollars for that. Sixty dollars for largely the same game though? No thanks. Let's hope Capcom lets the old tradition die.



9-) Punch-Out Wii to just go the motions - I've been waiting for ages for the next Punch-Out to appear. Nintendo consoles have come and gone and as time went on, it appeared that Punch-Out was simply forgotten. Apparently, that wasn't totally the case. Fight Night Round 2 included Lil Mac as a playable boxer on the Gamecube and Smash Brothers Brawl included him as an assist trophy in their game. It seemed like, perhaps, the chips were finally falling in place for a new Punch-Out. Late last year, we learned that one was coming! For that, I am glad.

However, I don't just want to see a rehash of the Super Nintendo version. I don't want to see a port of the game to wii with waggle thrown in for the hell of it. I want to see a new game that does something different. If I wanted to play Punch-Out, I would just hook up my Super Nintendo and play Super Punch-Out. I don't need to have a next-gen console to play an updated version of a game that I played years ago. For the Wii's Punch-out I want to see something different.

My preferred method, which I first heard about at the Exploding Barrel Podcast, would be for there to be some kind of Balance Board Support. Can you imagine how much fun a Punch-Out Wii would be if you could bob-and-weave using the board? It would feel like an actual boxing game. Obviously, the punching would be very similar to what you do in Wii boxing, but as a whole…it would feel like a more complete game. All the same strategies that we loved in the SNES and NES versions could be there for the taking, but this time your body is the one doing everything. That would be cool.

It's not like I want to alienate the Wii owners who don't want to mess with that junk though. With the game, I'd love for a classic control scheme to be implemented as well. That is to say, there wouldn't be any waggle, it would just be you holding the controller like you did back then. Now, I know you might be leaping at your screen saying: "But you said you didn't want that!" You're right. I don't want that to be the ONLY control style in the game. If it's complimentary for people who don't want to play it in a new way, I am totally cool with it. I don't want to alienate fans.

From what I have heard though, nothing like this is even going to happen. What I am expecting is either a Wii-Boxing clone with bobbing and weaving controlled via the nunchuck or a game that plays near identical to the SNES version but with new boxers. I guess that's fine…but I've waited so damn long for this game, I'd like to see something new! I want to see Nintendo take advantage of their technology! For once, the Wii's devices can be something of innovation as opposed to a gimmick. That would be so cool!

Just don't mess this game up Nintendo, please. This is one of those games I've been dieing to play. I am expecting you to pull it off, just don't let it be a rehash. Alright?



8-) Killzone 2 killing PSN servers the week it comes out - On 411mania.com I am responsible for compiling a list of Sony news for the week. I follow what Sony does every week and there's nothing more I would like to see than for them to improve their public image. In my ideal world, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo can rub shoulders as equals. If that were to ever happen, Sony needs to improve their image and well…Killzone 2 could go a long way in doing that.

The thing is though, look at a lot of Sony's big-online releases. On launch day or launch week, they play HORRIBLY. Seriously, were you there for Little Big Planet's initial run at online play? If you were, you know what I'm talking about. You moved as though you were playing Brawl online with someone from Greenland. It was not pretty, and in my opinion was just a stupid thing for Sony to do. Let me get this straight, your biggest game of the year is coming out, the one you want to sell platforms, and you don't even have the online functioning right? Please! It was a disgrace. Obviously, online got better…but it shouldn't need to "get better". On launch day it should be performing as well as it does now.

I want Killzone 2 to have a good launch. I want the launch to play smooth, I want to be able to hop on and shoot people without fear of lagging into a death. I want this game to do well to establish faith that Sony knows how to do online right. I love X-Box LIVE. They know what they're doing. I don't like paying for it, but it's so quality that the price tag is almost worth it. PSN has been getting progressively better and I am grateful that it's free, but there are times that you can pretty much tell that you get what you pay for. Sony being behind Microsoft in the online department isn't exactly new, but they could at least try to match them.

Killzone 2's launch will be an important one for Sony. A lot of people doubt whether they can stay in this console race and compete with Microsoft and Nintendo. While it certainly won't be the end of the world if the online collapses on opening day, it is my belief that a working online mode will restore some faith in Sony. People will say: "You know what? They CAN make good online content." Plus, with The Agency coming out soon, they really need to make sure their servers can handle launch level traffic. Nothing perturbs people more than an MMO just falling flat on its ass at launch. Sure it happens to most every MMO, but it is of my belief that if Sony straightens their server stuff out a lot more people would believe in them.

I want people to believe in you Sony! So please, please let Killzone 2 play smooth at launch. Don't believe in yourself, Sony. Believe in the me who believes in you!



7-) MLB 2K9 sucking - I am a pretty damn big baseball guy. You can tell that because most every week I start out my little tangents section by listing something that's going on in the major leagues. Yeah, scroll up, this week it's football related but you get my drift. A good baseball game is something that is sacred. It's something that can waste a lot of my time and something that I can appreciate. Baseball Mogul does a damn good job of doing that, but it doesn't really have any gameplay (per se). The last baseball game I've played to suck me in like that would be MVP 2005.

MLB 2K5 was good too, I actually bought both games that year because, you know, they were both good. That's the thing though. It was that year that marked the end of ESPN NFL and the year that marked the end of MVP. It's so weird that my preferred baseball and football games were now gone. I was stuck with the second tier products. MLB *was* good with competition, but when that competition left, the MLB 2K franchise started to become horrendous. They left in all sorts of glitches and they even started a new trend.

That trend is having the right-analogue stick control damn near everything. From pitching to hitting, you needed to fiddle with that thing. That's a huge problem if you ask me. I like the Right-analogue stick to fiddle with my camera, but when you're having me do stuff with it in a non-Ape escape game…you're going to cause problems. I've always felt that swinging the bat with the stick was beyond awkward and pitching can be very imprecise. You can switch back to a normal control-scheme, but when I do that, something about the game just seems way off. It feels like they made it super clunky in order for you to WANT to play with their shitty control scheme. It's a mess.

For as much deserved shit as EA gets about Madden on a yearly basis, 2K studios deserves just as much shit for what they've done to the MLB product. Year-after-year features the next un-inspired product. Every time I think they are going to fix it, they rear back and spit in my face. It's not a pretty occurance. What they need is to go back to what worked. Why not make it play like MLB 2K5 again? Don't innovate for the sake of innovating, make the game a FUN game again. I would kill for a fun MLB 2K game again. Hell, if you can make a game HALF as good as MLB 2K5 I'll be happy. I won't ask for MVP 2005 since clearly you aren't capable of coming up with even half the quality found in that game.

Yeah, just stop raping my sport 2K studios. I feel like saying this is a lot like me saying "Please God, let Sonic Team stop raping Sonic" and then expecting the next 3D Sonic to be good, but I mean…maybe this year IS the year!

- Well, at least they got the cover athlete right.

6-) Valve Ignoring 360 gamers with Left 4 Dead - Team Fortress 2 is one of the most satisfying multiplayer shooter experiences out there. You have to actually work with your comrades in order to win a match. It's not just every man for themselves, but every team for every member of the team. It's really cool, especially when you're playing with capable people. The game has received a lot of post-release support with free patches released by Valve to keep the experience fresh. Now, considering I own TF 2 on the computer, I was always the benefactor of these patches. The problem? 360 and PS3 users were left out. I believe the 360 users eventually got the Medic patch – and maybe even the pyro one – but to add insult to injury the 360 gamers had to wait an extra long time to get the content AND had to pay for it.

Seems ridiculous to me and I know it wasn't Valve's idea to have the 360 gamers pay for the DLC, but still, it's sad how long the difference in release was. So the choice for what console to buy L4D for was easy for me. PC all the way. Not only does Valve show favoritism to their PC fans by releasing patches for their games way ahead of when they appear on other consoles, but I also get all these nifty little updates for free. I pay nothing while you pay everything! Still though, I am not greedy enough to hope the 360 gamers get left out. I want them to experience the same stuff us PC gamers get.

Valve has already said that they're actively working on DLC for both versions of L4D. They will be making an announcement for it soon. I fully, fully expect for the PC version of it to come out first. I really don't want it to happen. I think after what happened with TF 2, Valve should really consider the fans that it has on consoles. Do they want to leave them in the dark again? Do they want them to see their PC brothers playing through new content while they have nothing to do for elongated periods of time? I don't think so. Even if 360 fans have to pay for their update, which they probably will, I hope that they get it at the same time.

It would give off the impression, in my opinion, that Valve values each version of L4D equally. They do not view one version above the other, they want both to succeed. With TF 2 that was clearly not the case, so I am really hoping that L4D gets the loving treatment. After all, since I know a lot of you guys own the game on 360, I have to be able to talk about it with you guys and assume you have played through the content as well!

I'll be fine regardless of this one. I can play my L4D DLC. I'm just hoping everyone else will get to at the same time. That would be really nice and it would be Valve showing their console fans that they do indeed care.

Edit: Hurr. Just found out L4D was patched yesterday. The X-Box one is due in the ‘coming weeks'. Well, looks like it's the same shit as last time! GG Valve.



5-) A Sonic Team Developed Sonic - There's no way this won't happen. Actually, it's been confirmed to happen with Sonic and the Black Knight on the Wii. For those who aren't aware, Sonic and the Black Knight follows in the vein of Sonic and the Secret Rings in that it's based off of a story. Well, that's good…at least they won't come up with a totally original story to rape. The problem is, unlike the Wii's version of Sonic Unleashed, this game is being developed by Sonic Team, so hopes are very low. Especially since the game forces you to slow down and engage in active sword battles. Sword fights? In Sonic? No thanks.

I read somewhere on the internet that people think Sonic fans are impossible to please. This is flat-out not true. I think Sonic fans like me are very easy to please. Release a good Sonic game and I will like it, it's that simple. The reason we're so "hard to please" is because Sonic Team keeps releasing god damn garbage on us and expects us to like it. I'm sorry, as much as I love Sonic, I just can't play garbage games all the time and enjoy them. If Sonic Team listened to fans, I think we could be in good hands. If they took out enemy lifebars, if they implemented actual platforming…Sonic could be THE MAN again.

You see though, Sonic Team is definitely the problem. Sonic Unleashed on the Wii proved that Sonic can be in a good 3D platforming game again. For the first time, it looked like to me that a 3D Sonic could potentially rub shoulders with a 3D Mario. The thing is, as long as Sonic team is pulling the strings behind the hedgehog, that just won't happen. Sonic will continue appearing in exceptionally mediocre 3D titles that do one thing right for every million things that it does wrong. The second that Sonic Team loses the ability to make Sonic games, or better yet the second that they all get fired, is the second that Sonic is back on top again.

Once Sonic and the Black Knight shows up on the wii and no doubt sucks ass, maybe we can finally move on and start having Sonic games come from developers who know what they are doing. I wish I didn't have to harp on it so much, but here's the deal: Sonic team just has no clue what is up. They are lost. I have faith in Sega, but in Sonic team I have none. Get lost and stay away from my hedgehog.



4-) Sony using the Six-Axis - God, I loved 2008 as a year in gaming. Yeah, sure, outside of gaming it was a pretty crumby year, but in our own little world I would argue that 2008 was one of the strongest years we've had. Helping this along was the idea that Sony had seemingly abandoned the six axis. I don't think I played a single game in 2008 where six-axis controls were used prominently. Sure, MGS 4 had them briefly, but it wasn't anything terribly jarring. This was a total step in the right direction and I applaud Sony for saying: "Fuck this".

The thing is though, I've heard rumblings of Sony trying to get some sort of new fancy motion device out on the market. Hey, I'm all for motion gameplay, but the kind that we've been seeing on the wii isn't exactly innovation. It's just horribly gimmicky right now. I'd like to see it used in a necessary way, but right now that just isn't happening. Sony's desire to hop back out on the motion sensor bandwagon leads me to believe that part of them thinks that the six-axis is still salvageable.

No, just no! The Six-Axis is a horrible controlling controller that makes games horridly awkward to control. Like, remember that game Kirby Tilt and Tumble for the Gameboy Color? Yeah, that was a fun little game. It felt appropriate and it was innovative. Outside of that environment, those controls don't really work, do they? Well, imagine playing regular games having to do stupid shit like that. It's not exactly fun, is it? No. Most of the time it comes off as awkward and something that should have just been left out.

I understand that you want to hop on this motion train that Nintendo has going. I know that all of your controllers happen to have these motion chips in them, but you shouldn't copy them just yet. Not until you have a controller that controls like complete ass at least. If you want to release a new-fangled motion device for casual gamers to enjoy, that's great. I'm sure all four of them who own PS3's will be very grateful. Just keep that garbage out of my regular games. I have had interaction with Six-Axis controls that wasn't awkward.

Sony, remember Lair? Remember how big of a piece of shit that was? Keep that in mind and use that as a reason to never use six-axis style controls ever again. I assure you, your games and gamers will thank you for it.

Also, I know the odds of them going back to it is a little slim, but Sony's desire to get back into motion control does bother me a little.



3-) Word of a 5th gen of pokemon - I love Pokemon. I am not ashamed to admit this. I have played every single "core" pokemon title to come out and have loved each adventure that I've gone on. It's nice. I like the trend we're on where Nintendo only releases one Pokemon generation per handheld. The problem is, I have a fear that the announcement of a 5th generation isn't far away.

You might be thinking: "Why would you think something silly like this!?" and the answer is simple: "The DSi". It's no secret that the DS is doing sensational business. I really don't see Nintendo upgrading to another portable system any time soon, so I expect a lot of desire within Nintendo to create content specifically for the DSi. You know, stuff that can only be played on that system. Now I know the game that helped usher in the DSi in Japan was Pokemon Platinum, but wouldn't a brand new DSi exclusive pokemon really help sell the system world wide? I know it would.

The thing is, I don't want to see them do it. It comes off as extremely money grubbing to release a game supporting only the latest version of a hardware that some people have already bought three times over. It seems ridiculous to me, especially considering the DSi really doesn't have any true changes outside of a stupid little camera. It's the ultimate: "You know…I think I WOULD like more money out of the DS" move by Nintendo. For all I know, I could be selling it short. Maybe the DSi has a lot of potential. The thing is, right now, it looks like a giant pile of "been there, done that" and I just don't want anything to do with it.

Plus, Gen IV still has a lot of milking to be done! I know we now have Platinum, the required third game in the series, but why not release more off-shoot titles? We are long, long, long over-due for a new Pokemon Snap. We desperately need a Wii pokemon title that isn't an embarrassment. There's just more life to this generation. There is no need to sever our bonds and make 100 more critters. I think Gen IV is the most complete pokemon game in existence. It packs everything you can ask for into one neat little package and gift-wraps it for you. Can gen V really top it, especially if it was announced so soon? The odds seem slim to me.

I really, really hope Nintendo doesn't just keep the DS going for years and years by releasing slightly different variations of it over and over again. It would be horrible. This isn't really anything different than what they did with the GBA or original Gameboy, so I'm not totally worried yet. The thing is, with how successful the DS has been…it makes me wonder why Nintendo would even bother jumping ship? The perfect way to move their latest DS tweak would be to make a new Pokemon exclusive for it, and I just hope that never happens.

I mean, how in the world would I use a flashcard on the DSi!? Nintendo took care of that =( Fuck the DSi.



2-) Any more "Wii" games - Before you get all uppity, allow me to note that I mean games such as "Wii Play", "Wii Sports" and "Wii Music". I do not mean I want Wii game production to totally halt. I mean, if that happened we wouldn't have a No More Heroes 2 or Mad World, and that would be dreadful! No, really, I hope this whole "wii" thing stops. It's getting silly.

From the looks of it, the "Wii" franchise is an excuse to release a low budget game with minimal frills out there for full price. I know that Wii Play at least came with a wiimote, wii fit came with a balance board and Wii Sports, err, came with a wii but the other games that seem to take use of Nintendo's Miis are just a bit goofy. Look at Wii music, for example. Are you telling me that game had a huge budget? Are you telling me that the people who designed that game were going the extra mile trying to deliver a product that people who played games could enjoy? No! They just made something that you could tool around with for five minutes and hope to have fun with.

No, I want to see this stop. It's just lazy game developing catering to people who really don't have much experience in gaming. I know, I know, I don't have to buy these games…but for as well as the Wii is doing, you just know the competition is going to copy the hell out of them next gen. So I want to see a lot of these trends die out before too long. I don't want to see any games that look like N64 titles (for WHATEVER reason) thrown out there to fans who will play them for two minutes and find something better to do. I want to see actual games from Nintendo.

I know Wii Sports resort is coming out soon. The game looks like, you know, more of the same shit you'd expect from Wii Sports. But with a beach setting. Hoo boy. I love that they're throwing the wii motion plus along with it. You mean it's making the wii's motion more precise and now it'll control how you guys said it would originally when you first unveiled it to universal "huh?" That's very nice of you. Thanks for charging fifty dollars for the game and bringing a cheaply produced game along with it.

I get that the "Wii" games are easy to have fun with. They are easy to pull out in parties and they are easy to play with families, I get that. A matter of fact, I support that. Whatever gets more people to play games is fine by me. However, the wii has several less obnoxious party games that families and friends can enjoy. Ray Man Raving Rabbids may not be the highest quality game on the market, but it's fun. It doesn't look like it took a haypenny to make. There was effort involved. I don't mind that these games are getting released. More people playing video games? Sounds great to me. I do mind when they look like no effort was put into them, and that's just what it looks like Nintendo has done lately.

I know I've been harsh on Nintendo in this column, but…I guess they've just done a lot to turn me off lately. So please, please make 2009 a good year for someone like me. Someone who wants to embrace your little gimmicky system. I mean, yeah, you'll have Mad World but that's only going to last me so long!



1-) Guitar Hero junk - I was THIS close to putting "Activision existing", but I decided to back off on it because it would probably mean Blizzard would be placed in dire straights which wouldn't be cool. Where would I get my WoW fix then? Warhammer Online Nowhere, that's where. Plus, no Starcraft 2 would make me one sad man. Plus, it's not like I hate Activision. They have some good games, CoD 4 was awesome. I just hate what they do.

Really though, do we need a thousand Guitar Hero games this year? I'm fine with releasing one GH game a year. That's cool. To be totally honest, I would still support your product if you did just that. The whole reason I jumped ship is because you released about a thousand dollars worth of GH junk a year. Your game is still fun! I still play GH 2 on a regular basis! I think that I want to love your product but you just won't let me! I would say just change your company policy, but milking your games to death is a proud tradition you have, so I guess I can't ask for that.

There is one big reason I am so against Guitar Hero though. I don't like that they go about releasing $50 games four or five times a year but also feel the need to release a billion dollars worth of DLC. Hey, look, if you released one game and a bunch of DLC that would be fine. Releasing eighty games and enough DLC to make Namco rub their head in confusion is an entirely different matter. Just make up your mind. Do you want to release multiple games a year or just one with a bunch of DLC?

What Activision has done with this is over-saturate the market. I can't turn left (not that I can anyhow, I'm like Derek Zoolander) without seeing a new Guitar Hero on a store shelf. I see these action figures, I see a bunch of custom guitars, I just see a bunch of everything. How do I know which one to buy? I see Guitar Hero: Paramore and Guitar Hero: Christmas Jingles on store shelves, I mean, which ones do I know to buy? Do I need to know all the track lists? Maybe I'm missing out.

There's a reason why they don't release a core Mario game every year. They don't want people to tire of Mario. I've been playing the plumber's adventures all of my life and I can't get enough of the guy. I have been playing Guitar Hero since it came out and I'm already sick of it. I see it all the time, they keep making new ones, they demand too much of my money to play new songs…it just gets tiring. Again, it's not like I out-like dislike Guitar Hero. I just want them to stop what they're doing. If they took on a Rock Band like business model (one game a year, lots of DLC), I think I could tolerate them a lot better. I think I would be comfortable with our new rhythm music over-lords. Me? Comfortable? That's crazy.

Until then, I will agitate everyone by railing against this franchise for milking the rhythm genre to death. Enough already! Enooooough! I want to love you Activision, I really do! You make some fun games sometimes. But right now, you're just pushing me away. Embrace me, dammit!



Well, that's it for this week. As always, if you wish to send me any feedback feel free to comment below or shoot me an e-mail at [e-mail] Either way, I really appreciate it. I feel that each bit of feedback you give me, good or bad, helps me become better. So thank you for everything! Feel free to add me via PSN at Croix22 or even by steam at http://steamcommunity.com/id/StJericho. Fun times to be had by all!

Before I get going, let's see what's going on around 411mania.com's game section, shall we?

Theo Fraser brings us The Nintendophiles

Greg Bruno brings us the monthly Gamer Girlfriend. Mario Kart is the topic this time.

JDL's What I Hate About You covers Mr. Jack Thompson

Chris Vicari writes The PC-Spotlight

Vincent Chiucchi's Hall of Shame inducts Wall Street Kid

Greg Bruno hosts a What IF standoff between himself, Rod, and Todd. Ohhh. Nice.

Tommy Coloma writes The Release List

Jacob Lopez hosts Fact or Fiction this week. The competitors are Todd Vote and Chad Alan.

Trace Aber writes Living LIVE

Rod Oracheski writes Achievement Unlocked.

I write B3yond the Report

Vincent Chiucchi writes The Select and Start News Report

Joe Roche writes The Full-Circle 360 news report

AJ and Mike Minotti orate the Exploding Barrel Podcast. I used to be a big member of 1up's community (over 100+ shitty, poorly written blogs. Check 1up.com/danforth), so it was nice to hear them speak fondly of it too. It's sad to see so many changes among the writing staff.

Well, that's it for this week. I'm out.

'til the cross roads

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