Monday, June 29, 2015

Five additional games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015

Last Friday, I published a post that featured blurbs about five soon-to-be-released 3DS, Vita and Wii U games that I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of the year.

In that write-up, I mentioned that a second such post would be published sometime this week. Well, today is that day, and here are five more upcoming titles that currently take up space on my ever-growing "play as soon as humanly possible" list.


Dragon Quest VIII (3DS)--I know a lot of folks in Japan and elsewhere were unimpressed (at best) when this PS2-to-3DS port was announced a short while ago. I am not one of them--although, to be honest, that's probably due in large part to the fact that I've never played this particular entry in Square Enix's triumphant series of RPGs. (I own a copy of it, but it's yet to leave its packaging, I'm embarrassed to admit.) Regardless, I'm pretty stoked that an upgraded--in the areas that matter most to me, at least--version of Dragon Quest VIII will soon be playable on the system I favor most at the moment. That said, I'm dragging my feet in terms of pre-ordering it, as I want to wait a little while longer to see if the powers that be at SE decide to bring the game to North America. (Yeah, right.)


Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (3DS)--This super-cute music-rhythm game was supposed to be released stateside in May. Just before its "arrival date," though, publisher Sega revealed that it wouldn't hit store shelves in the region until early September. Although I know some folks were upset by the delay, I actually applauded it, as I barely had time to play games--even those of one of my favored genres--at the time. Now, though, my schedule is much less hectic (or at least a bit less hectic). Hopefully the same will be true in a couple of months. Even if it isn't, though, I'm maintaining my pre-order--no ifs, ands or buts.


Persona 4: Dancing All Night (Vita)--Oh, hey, another rhythm-music game. What a surprise, right? Especially since I just told you it was one of my "genres of choice." Anyway, this Persona spin-off only recently leaped onto my "to buy" list, and mainly because it looks to be the definition of cool. One of the reasons I passed on Dancing All Night earlier, by the way, was that I pre-ordered Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version ages ago and I was all that sure that I needed to own two rhythm games for my criminally neglected (so far) pink-and-white Vita. After seeing more footage of it around this year's E3 event, though, I changed my mind. Plus, the new Taiko will be out in a matter of days, so surely I'll be all set for a similar-ish title by the time September rolls around?


Splatoon (Wii U)--OK, so this game doesn't belong in the "soon-to-be-released" category that pretty much all of the other ones that have been mentioned here and in my last post on the subject fit within, but I'm including it here anyway simply because I'm beyond interested in it. Is most of that interest tied to this Wii U shooter's completely fabulous art style? Yes, it is, but I'm OK with that. Also, I've read and heard enough positive impressions of this Nintendo-published effort that I'm willing to take a chance on it despite my general lack of love for the first- and third-person shooter genres--or I guess I should say that I'll be willing to take a chance on it after I finally obtain a Wii U console.


Steins;Gate (Vita)--Why is this oddly named visual novel taking up valuable acreage in this post instead of other portable games that don't include random pieces of punctuation in their titles? Because it's been hyped to the heavens in various online spaces, that's why. Oh, and then there's the fact that I find the VN genre to be pretty darn fascinating at the moment. Unfortunately, no one seems to know when Steins;Gate will finally show up in North America. (Both physical and digital versions have been available in Australia and Europe since the beginning of June.) Thankfully, I'm in no particular hurry to play it, so I'll happily pick up a copy of it--preferably a boxed one--whenever it eventually sees the light of day in my neck of the woods. (Update: apparently it was announced earlier this morning that it'll be released here on Aug. 26.)

Are any of you also planning to buy one or more of the 3DS, Vita or Wii U games mentioned above? If so, which ones? Or maybe there are other titles--even for systems like the PS4 or Xbox One--that have you eagerly anticipating their arrival on your doorstep? Regardless, please let me and others know about them in the comments section below.

See also: 'Five games I'm really looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015'

30 comments:

TheGameroomBlitz said...

Yeah, what IS taking you so long to get a Wii U, anyway? Come on in, the water's fine!


I didn't spend a lot of time with DQ8 myself, but I did like how Toriyama all the designs were. Reminds me of a short-lived Dragon Warrior cartoon series that aired on television in 1990, starring Long John Baldry. (Look him up; I promise you'll like what you discover.)

Zaphod65 said...

Yay, Dancing All Night. I need another game to feed my Yu x Yosuke shipping. I started Persona 4 Golden from the beginning this weekend.



I'm also hoping for DQ8 on 3DS. I think I own it, but I haven't played it. Having a portable version would be great.

thegaygamer.com said...

It's funny you should ask about that, Jess, as my original intention was to talk about it here. Doh!

Anyway, me reasoning is pretty straightforward--at the moment, I'd rather use my disposable income to buy 3DS, DS, PSP and Vita games.

Plus, there actually are too many Wii U games that I want at the moment. (In other words, I worry that I'd buy some of them rather than the 3DS, Vita, etc. games that I want.)

My plan is to pick up a Wii U and some games late this year, though, so hopefully that comes to pass.

Also, I'll go look up this Baldry fellow now!

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh! How are you liking Persona 4 so far, Terry? I keep meaning to buy a copy of the game, but, well, you know how it is :)

Zaphod65 said...

It's very good. My first attempt fizzled out around the 20-hour mark, so this time I'm just dialing back the difficulty and enjoying the story.

thegaygamer.com said...

Oh, so this isn't your first time at the P4 rodeo? Interesting! Hopefully you make it to the end this time ^^

Justin Difazzio said...

I keep waiting for someone I know and whose opinion I respect to buy Splatoon. NO ONE HAS! It's sold like crazy, but I don't know a single person in my real life who has it. I'm interested, since it's been billed as sort of a spiritual successor to Mario Sunshine. Typing that, I realize we've had this conversation before.


Still waiting for my friend Jeff to cave and buy it. I also have a 20% off a pre-owned game coupon from GameStop. It expires at the end of July, so maybe I'll see if they have one when I go in.

thegaygamer.com said...

Take one for the team, Justin! OK, seriously, I understand where you're coming from. That said, if this sucker were on 3DS, I'd have bought three copies already simply because of the awesome art style...

Obscure Video Games said...

You still haven't played Persona 4 yet, right? It'll be funny if Dancing All Night is the game that gets you to finally give it a chance. Actually I have a friend who got into Persona 4 because of P4 Arena, so I guess it wouldn't be that unusual.

thegaygamer.com said...

Sadly, Steve, I don’t actually need to be convinced to pick up *or* play Persona 4: Golden. I’ve just been focusing on other games for the last number of months, which I guess you could say is par for the course for me J

TheGameroomBlitz said...

I didn't like Persona 4 Arena to be honest. It's got the personality-packed characters of Persona, but the dash-happy, weightless, poke-a-palooza gameplay of an Arc System Works fighter. I do like the way Kanji beats you into submission with a folding chair, then sits in it at the end of a match, though.

TheGameroomBlitz said...

I dig where you're coming from, man. Buying multiple consoles spreads your game budget thin, not only from buying the consoles themselves, but because you've got, as one person put it, "more mouths to feed."


Nevertheless, I think the Wii U is worth owning. I'm not sure how long that will remain the case- there's already rumors of a price for Nintendo's next console, the NX- but it's been a fun ride, even if it'll turn out to be a short one.


So, you look up Baldry yet? Don't miss any of the finer details... those are important!

Franggio Hogland said...

Best match ending ever :)
I would like to mention Teddie's Kamui Kablooey. Takes a while so you don't use it to often, preferably :)

Franggio Hogland said...

A great selection there Bryan :) Got my own letter from Nippon-Yasan now that P4D is in France now.
Steins;Gate is going slowly. I really like the 5 hours I put in but everything is playing second fiddle to Heavensward now :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Yes, that's exactly it, Jess. My gaming budget's already razor thin, so buying and supporting a Wii U would force me to stop buying JP DS and PSP games, or at least buy fewer of them, and I'm not ready to do that yet.


I should have picked up enough of my "must buy ASAP" DS and PSP games by this winter, though, so assuming that's the case you probably can expect me to join you as a Wii U owner then.


As for Baldry, er, no. Sorry. I'll look him up once I'm done working tonight, though--promise!

thegaygamer.com said...

I have little interest in fighters at this point in my life, Jess, so I doubt I'll ever discover if I agree w/ your assertions RE: P4A or not. Still, I like the sound of that "final blow" :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Hmmmm, now I'm going to have to YouTube some video footage of this game :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Thanks, Franggio! I'm jealous that you've got a copy of P4D coming your way. Tell me what you think of it, will you? Also, keep me abreast of Steins;Gate, if you think of it!

Franggio Hogland said...

Will do Bryan :)

Franggio Hogland said...

http://i.imgur.com/aaTNDr4.gif





Mission accomplished

thegaygamer.com said...

Ha! That's pretty awesome :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Yay!

Zaphod65 said...

I know you prefer physical over digital, but the download version of P4G is on sale for $15.

thegaygamer.com said...

Ah, thanks, Terry. I'll consider it :)

Chief said...

Splatoon is weird. If you aren't much of a multiplayer shooter fan you probably will like it. FPS fans mainly dislike it.


The game is sound and the single player portion is fantastic. The bosses battles are a highlight. They completely nailed the quirky charm (are you a kid or a squid). I'll even forgive the further corporate use of "fresh".


The negatives I couldn't handle where:
*Drip feed map & game mode releases. The game was clearly unfinished & they needed time. The game's content at launch and even now is way too miniscule. Minimum 8 maps & 4 games modes are acceptable for a full price FPS in 2015.
*Artificial Content Walling. You're forced to play the same 2 maps for 4 hours. That's horrendous. They also unlock game modes as people do more stuff in the game. Weird to sell me stuff & then lock me out of it until the community does stuff. Why not make it a skill thing on my part. Its a weird way to foster a community. The nintendo die hards are ok with it and some view it as brilliant community building. I'll just leave it up to you to decide.
*Lack of Modern Multiplayer Basics. Voice Chat, Lobbies, Custom matches, stat tracking are all awkward to non existent. Nintendo gonna Nintendo.


If you don't mind all that, it's a really fun game. I play it with my teenage cousin every weekend. I couldn't take all that at full price & I passed on it.


TL;DR Brilliant game if you don't regularly play online shooters. Casual game if you play shooters. FPS fans try before buy.

Chief said...

Sounds harsh, but the game really is fun. Also, helluva way to return to this blog. Clearly I have a tenuous relationship with Nintendo 1st party games. :D

thegaygamer.com said...

Well, then, it sounds like I may like it. Yay! Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

thegaygamer.com said...

Nothing wrong with that, Chief! Also, welcome back ^^

Chief said...

Thanks. Got a bit busy the past few months with a side project. :D

thegaygamer.com said...

No worries! Hopefully the side project was fun/interesting?