Introducing: The Nichiest Podcast Ever!

So, I have a bit of a surprise for you today. I actually considering bringing it up a month or so ago when it first came to light, but I decided against doing so because I didn't want to jinx anything. Anyway, what's the surprise, you ask? Well, it's that I recently--as in, just a few, short days ago--participated in a new podcast that I very much hope will become a regular (or at least regular-ish) gig.

This brand-spanking new podcast is called, as I'm guessing you've picked up by now (assuming you read the header above), "The Nichiest Podcast Ever." Shockingly, our first show focuses on all kinds of niche-y game-related stuff--like some of the smaller titles that were overshadowed during E3 2012 and a few recent, worthwhile releases that we feel have been overlooked by the masses.

We also spend a bit of time chatting about the 3DS XL and the Wii U, and have a lot of fun with a segment called "The Nichiest of Them All," during which we try to stump each other about some of the lesser-known games we've played throughout our lives.



As for who "we" are: Well, you know enough about me, I'm sure. (Or at least I hope you do by now.) You should know a bit about one of my, er, podcast costars--blogger, translator and yaoi enthusiast Anne Lee, otherwise known as apricotsushi--too, since she's not only left a number of comments here over the last few months and years but authored a post on this here blog, too.

My other costar--and, really, let's call a spade a spade and admit that this person is the star of this particular production--is writer and podcaster extraordinaire shidoshi. (You may recognize that name from seeing it in the pages of EGM, GameFan and Play magazines or from hearing it in WARNING! A Huge Podcast.)

That's all well and good, but what you really want to know is how can you listen to the first installment of "The Nichiest Podcast Ever," right? Don't worry, I'm getting to it. In fact, I'll get to it right now. If you're obsessed with getting your podcasts from iTunes, go here. (Note: should this podcast stand the test of time, it'll eventually get its own iTunes page.) Another option is to go to radio.morningproject.com and either listen to it or download it there.

Should you actually check out "The Nichiest Podcast Ever," would you be so kind as to let Anne, shidoshi and I what you think of it? Feel free to do so in the comments section here or on Twitter (@apricotsushi, @pikoeri or @thegaygamer).

Oh, look, another reason to buy a Wii U

I don't know about you, but my "Reasons I Want a Wii U" list already is chock-full of "launch window" releases--like New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U. (Yes, I actually want Wii Fit U.)

Well, another first-party, launch-window game was not only added to that list but placed atop it over the weekend after watching the following video of the Pikmin-meets-Viewtiful Joe Wii U title that's currently known as Project P-100.



Although I first learned about this Platinum Games-developed title shortly after Nintendo's E3 2012 press conference ended early last week, I only paid attention to screenshots of it at that time. Those screenshots were nice enough, of course, but I'd be hard pressed to say they did much to pique my interest in the game.

The video above, though, did that and then some--as did this video, which shows what happens when you take your hoard of heroes insides one of Project P-100's many buildings, and this one, which features Nintendo's Bill Trinen.

Anyway, as strange as it may sound, Project P-100, or whatever it ends up being called, is now at the top of my Wii U wish list. Here's hoping it's either released alongside Nintendo's next console or shortly afterwards, as I'm extremely eager to give it a go.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

My two-word review of Nintendo's 3DS Software Showcase: More meh

Actually, saying that yesterday's 3DS Software Showcase was a "meh" experience is like saying my early teens were enjoyable.

A much more accurate description of the event, in my opinion, would be to say that it sucked. Or, rather, that it completely sucked.

The reason: The folks at Nintendo of America didn't show or even announce a single new 3DS game. Yes, you read that correctly--not a single new 3DS game, first-party or otherwise, was discussed during this so-called showcase.

Because I spent an hour of my time to watch it, though, I've decided to write a blog post about it. Be warned, though: I have almost nothing nice to say about Nintendo this time around.

* I hereby nominate Nate Bihldorff to lead all of Nintendo of America's press events, E3 and otherwise, from here on out--Bihldorff, for those of you who haven't played through games like Animal Crossing and Paper Mario and read their end credits, is a senior localization manager and producer at Nintendo Treehouse. He was brought on stage twice during the 3DS Software Showcase--once to chat about New Super Mario Bros. 2 (below) and once to chat about Paper Mario: Sticker Star--and both times he showed that he has more presence than his superiors, Reggie Fils-Aime and Scott Moffitt, combined. Whereas Moffitt, who headed up this particular presser, was as awkward as can be, Bihldorff was relaxed and even witty. More Bihldorff, less Fils-Aime and Moffitt in the future, please!



* Thanks for offering up such specific release dates, Nintendo!--In a move that will surprise nearly no one, but will irritate nearly everyone, Moffitt reiterated during the 3DS Software Showcase that the numeral-phobic pair of upcoming releases known as Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (below) and Paper Mario: Sticker Star will hit store shelves (and the Nintendo eShop, too, I'm guessing) "this holiday season." Gee, thanks! I'll be sure to circle the entire months of November and December, and maybe even January, on my calendar in anticipation. Really, would it be so hard to provide us 3DS owners with actual release dates? I guess so. At least they didn't leave us hanging in regards to New Super Mario Bros. 2, which will see the light of day--both digitally and at retail--on Aug. 19.



* If Animal Crossing 3DS isn't released before the end of the year, I'm going to make voodoo dolls that look like Satoru Iwata and send them to anyone who wants one--Unexpectedly, the long-awaited (by me, at least), 3DS-based iteration of Animal Crossing wasn't even mentioned during this so-called showcase. Why? I have no idea. I'm guessing it's because Nintendo of America had too many other great 3DS releases to talk about during this hour-long event. Only they didn't. Like I said earlier, not a single new game was announced yesterday. Even worse, only a handful of previously-announced games were given center stage, with those games being Castlevania: Lords of Shadow--Mirror of Fate (what a great title!), Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Paper Mario: Sticker Star (below). In other words, Moffitt and Bihldorff had plenty of time to toss out a sentence or two about the game that's sure to sell as much as each of the aforementioned titles combined.



* That's all right, Nintendo, I wasn't planning on buying any more eShop games this year anyway--OK, so that's a lie; I was planning on buying more eShop games this year. Sadly, Nintendo of America decided to mention just two of them during the 3DS Software Showcase: Pokémon Dream Radar and Pokédex 3D Pro. I'm guessing this means the Dragon-Quest-meets-Pikmin curiosity known as Denpa Ningen RPG won't be making its way to our shores anytime soon? If so, bummer.

I could easily add a few more complaints--such as, oh, the fact that Fire Emblem: Awakening was completely ignored--to the list above, but why bother? I'm sure you get the idea that I was more than a bit disappointed (disgusted may be a better word) by Nintendo's 3DS Software Showcase.

Were any of you similarly turned off by the event? If so, what were you hoping the folks at Nintendo of America would discuss or reveal?

See also: 'My one-word review of E3 2012 (thus far): Meh'

My one-word review of E3 2012 (thus far): Meh

After spending (some would say wasting) a good chuck of yesterday watching Nintendo's, Microsoft's and Sony's E3 2012 press conferences (I wasn't able to watch Sony's or Microsoft's live on Monday), all I can say is: Woof. As in, "woof, all three of them sucked, didn't they?"

OK, so saying they sucked may be a bit harsh. Saying they were awfully underwhelming, though, is as close to the honest-to-goodness truth you're going to get, in my opinion.

Why? Read the following blurbs to find out. I combined my thoughts on Sony's and Microsoft's pressers, by the way, because I only had a few things to say about the latter conference and I felt bad about leaving it out in the cold, so to speak.

Sony and Microsoft:

* Beyond: Two Souls looks nice, but that's all I can say about it--I have to give it to the crew at Quantic Dreams for coming up with graphics that nearly, but not completely, put to rest the notion that game consoles are unable to produce human characters that aren't at least a bit creepy. Unfortunately, that's about all I was able to glean from the trailer shown for this upcoming PS3 title, which features Academy Award-nominated actress Ellen Page, as it showed no actual gameplay footage. I'm guessing it'll follow in the footsteps of the developer's previous product, Heavy Rain, but it would be nice to know that (or not) for sure.



* The Last of Us was the most intriguing game of Sony's presser, and maybe the most intriguing game of the whole event so far--PS3 and Xbox 360 games look so good these days that it's hard to impress me anymore. That said, The Last of Us (above) impressed me. It looks amazing, the banter between the main characters was about as natural as you could hope for in a video game and the gameplay seems diverse. Can someone remind me why I don't yet own a PS3? Oh, yeah, it's because I can't afford one right now. I may have to buy a copy of this game, though, as soon as that situation changes.

* PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale: Most boring name of the event?--I sure think so. Granted, I've yet to come up with a better name for this Super Smash Bros. clone, but I can't help but think anything would be better than the current one. Thankfully, few gamers are going to care about its name. Will they care enough about its gameplay to add it to their collections? I'm guessing so, although I can't say it appeals to me all that much. (Full disclosure: I find Super Smash Bros. and its sequels similarly unappealing.)

* South Park: The Stick of Truth was the only Xbox 360 game that impressed me during Microsoft's press conference--Which is kind of sad, as this Obsidian Entertainment-developed RPG isn't even an Xbox 360 exclusive. OK, so I also kind of liked what I saw of Fable: The Journey and Resident Evil 6, but the former requires Kinect (which means it gets a big "hell no" from me) and the latter is a game I'd much rather watch someone else play than play myself. Oh, well.



* Vita? What's a Vita?--You know a system is having problems when the company producing and selling it barely mentions it during one of the biggest events of the year. Honestly, I think some people may have blinked and missed the Vita segment of Sony's conference altogether. That's how short and underwhelming it was. A few games were announced for it (including the above-mentioned PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale), as was PSone Classics support, but that's about it. Sigh.

Nintendo:

* Does anyone else think the Wii U may support a few too many controllers?--As of now, players can use Wii U GamePads, Wii Remotes (and Wii Remote Pluses, along with Wii Nunchucks), Wii U Pro Controllers, Wii Classic Controllers and Wii Balance Boards while playing games on their Wii Us. Although I'm glad all of the peripherals I bought for my Wii won't just sit around and gather dust after I pick up a Wii U, I can't help but wonder if all of the control options will overwhelm some consumers and even developers.

* I'm not so sure NintendoLand is the killer app Nintendo thinks it is--That said, the Animal Crossing- and Luigi's Mansion-inspired portions of this mini-game collection (Animal Crossing: Sweet Day and Luigi's Ghost Mansion) look like a lot of fun. Personally, I think Nintendo should include a copy of NintendoLand with every Wii U console, but I'm not at all confident it will do so. If not, here's hoping it's no more than $19.99. Otherwise, I have a feeling a lot of gamers--myself included--may give it the cold shoulder upon release.



* New Super Mario Bros. U is more of the same, but I'm (kind of) OK with that--Although I'm not the biggest fan of the art style used in the New Super Mario Bros. series (I find it a bit generic), I am a fan of the tried-and-true gameplay that takes center stages in these titles. New Super Mario Bros. U looks to be the best yet thanks to the inclusion of the new flying squirrel suit (I'll die if the chicken suit is in here, too) and some adorable baby Yoshis. Oh, and some impressively detailed backdrops.

* Pikmin 3 looks and sounds wonderful, as expected--Not only that, but Nintendo wisely decided to allow gamers to use their Wii Remote Pluses and Wii Nunchucks (or their new Wii U GamePads, of course) while playing this, the latest entry in the vaunted Pikmin series. Combine that with the news that Pikmin 3 will include new captains and, well, you've got yourself a game that will be picked up by yours truly the day it's released (or the day I purchase a Wii U, whichever comes first).

* Uh, where's the rest of your games, Nintendo?--Nintendo only showed off a handful of first-party games during its presser: New Super Mario Bros. U, NintendoLand, Pikmin 3 (below) and Wii Fit U. (I'm not counting LEGO City: Undercover or SiNG.) That's pretty paltry, especially when you consider two of those titles were shown and one was announced at last year's E3. Hopefully a few more will be revealed by the end of this year's event (or in the coming weeks, at the very least).



* Wii Fit U will be bought for one reason, and for one reason only--With that reason being that it can be used while watching TV. Honestly, one of the only reasons I haven't used Wii Fit Plus in a few months (I used to use it two or three times every week) is that I prefer watching TV while I work out at home.

Overall:

* I'm completely sick of the "let's have four guys (OK, maybe one girl) stand on the stage and seemingly play the game we're currently talking about" strategy employed by each of these companies--I understand what they're trying to do (make us believe that what we're seeing on screen is actual footage of the game they're promoting), but it's always seemed rather lame to me.

* Next year, let's hear from some new "suits"--I'm sure Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime, Microsoft's Don Mattrick and Sony's Jack Tretton are great at whatever they do when they're not on stage at E3, but when they are on stage at E3 they are about as awkward and unappealing as can be. No personal offense meant to any of these men, of course; I just wish their employers would ask someone else--someone with a bit more personality and presence--to front these particular press conferences.

* What's up with the 10-minute-long gameplay videos?--Both Microsoft's and Sony's conferences could have been a good half-hour shorter, if not more, had they limited gameplay videos to about three minutes. Instead, they went with gameplay videos that seemed to last an eternity. A good portion of the live crowd seemed to enjoy them, but I found them to be snoozefests.

So, those are my rather long-winded thoughts on E3 2012 so far. If you've been paying attention to this event, what do you think of what's transpired?

My entirely reasonable wish list for E3 2012

E3 2012 starts tomorrow. Here are a few of the things I hope to see--or at least hear about--between then and the end of the event on Thursday.

* Acknowledgement that Fire Emblem: Awakening is coming to North America--And soon. Granted, I'll buy this 3DS game whether it hits store shelves next month or next year. Next month would be preferable, though.

* A final name and release date for the North American version of Animal Crossing 3DS--Oh, and a few details that make me a bit more excited about this particular entry. A much-improved online aspect would fit the bill, I think.

* A number of completely new and unexpected 3DS game announcements--From both Nintendo and third parties, if possible.

* Glimpses (in-game ones, especially) of a few first-party Wii U games--I don't care which ones. I'll take anything at this point. Well, anything other than Metroid x Star Fox. Also, as much as I'd love to see a new 3D Mario title, I'd prefer to be shown something new and unique. That said, footage of a near-final Pikmin 3 surely would make me swoon. (For a bit of pre-E3 news about the Wii U, check out the "Nintendo Direct" video that was posted on Nintendo's website yesterday evening.)

* Signs that Sony and third parties aren't completely giving up on the Vita--A nice price drop would be welcomed with open arms, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

* Teases (or, hell, even whispers from anonymous sources) related to Microsoft's and Sony's next consoles--Surely they aren't going to let Nintendo have the E3 spotlight all to itself? Even if they do combat the Kyoto-based Mario maker, though, I don't expect them to talk about anything concrete.

Anyway, that's my fairly reasonable wish list for this event. What are some of the things (games, systems, whatever) all of you are hoping to see or hear about during this year's E3?