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

True story: I've been on a bit of a "pre-order tear" for the last couple of weeks due to all of the just-announced games that have been offered up for sale at sites like amiami.com and play-asia.com.

I only mention this because the afore-mentioned pre-order-athon is fully responsible for the creation of this post.

So, which games am I really looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015, and which ones have I already pre-ordered? Keep reading to find out.

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (3DS)--I don't know about you, but I've had quite a change of heart regarding this soon-to-be-released (in Japan, at least) 3DS title. When it was first unveiled, I looked at it in horror due to the fact that it sounded like little more than an embarrassingly limited cash-in. After its brilliant E3 2015 showing, though, I "did a 180," as the saying goes. Now, I'm not only interested in this game, but I've got a copy of the Japanese version, Doubutsu no Mori: Happy Home Designer, pre-ordered along with a couple of packs of the Animal Crossing-branded amiibo cards that will join it on store shelves in late July.

Code: Realize (Vita)--I've considered myself a fan of the otome genre ever since I played through the first Hakuoki game that made its way to the West. (I shared my impressions of that PSP title in this "somewhat gay" review.) Does that mean I'll get a kick out of Code: Realize, which will earn both a digital and physical release sometime this fall courtesy of Aksys Games? Not necessarily, but I certainly hope I'll end up feeling as positive about it as I did about Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. The story "hook" of this Otomate-made game should help matters quite a bit, given that it features a number of famous literary characters as romance options.

Super Mario Maker (Wii U)--Does this mean I'm actually going to get off of my cheap, lazy butt and buy a Wii U before 2015 comes to a close? That's the plan, but your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not that's what will happen. If it does, though, you can thank Super Mario Maker, which I think looks absolutely stunning at this point--and I'm not sure we even know all there is to know about it yet. Speaking of which, if someone at Nintendo were to reveal that Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros. USA in Japan) characters, enemies, items and moves will be appearing in this game, too, I'd go out and buy a Wii U console the very next second.

Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version (Vita)--My decision to include this upcoming Vita release on this list shouldn't surprise those of you who previously read this post or this post. Still, I'm mentioning it here because it's easily near the top of the heap in terms of games I desperately want to play in the next six months. Thankfully, I know for certain that I'll be playing it either in late July or in early August, as I pre-ordered it as soon as I was able via the previously discussed amiami.com.

Yo-kai Watch (3DS)--I've wanted to play this Pokemon-esque Level-5 RPG since it first graced Japan with its presence two years ago. Thankfully, Nintendo revealed it will be releasing a localized version of it in North America this holiday season. Will it also bring the series' second and third entries to our shores, potentially in 2016 and 2017? I sure hope so, although I can't say I'm all that confident that's what will come to pass. Oh, well, at least we'll always have this first ghostly adventure.

This isn't the extent of the games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of the year, by the way. In fact, I've already started writing a follow-up post in which I declare my love for five more such titles, so look for it to be published sometime next week.

In the meantime, let me know which games, if any, you're chomping at the bit to sink your teeth into at some point during the remainder of 2015.

I'd totally buy a copy or two of Keita Takahasi's Wattam if I owned a PS4 (even though I don't understand a second of its first trailer)

I know everyone else in the world who's at all interested in the PS4 is drooling over the "triple whammy" of games--the Final Fantasy VII remake, The Last Guardian and Shenmue III--that were announced at E3 2015 a couple of days ago.

I understand that, I really do, but if I were to be honest (and why wouldn't I be on my own blog?), I'd admit that I'm far more intrigued by Keita Takahasi's Wattam than I am by any of the aforementioned titles.

Which is kind of strange, as I can't say I have a single clue as to what the hell is going on in the trailer that can be watched below.



Still, I wouldn't pass up a chance to put Wattam and its weird collection of characters through their paces, as the ages-old saying goes.

Sadly, that would require me to purchase a PS4--something that isn't likely to become a reality anytime soon, if ever. If Keita and his crew of crazy game-makers (they previously developed the first two Katamari Damacy titles, after all) were to port Wattam to, say, the Vita, though, I'd be all over it like rainbow sprinkles on a frosted doughnut.

How about you fine folks? Are any of you chomping at the bit to sink your teeth into this outlandish-looking PS4 effort?

See also: 'Everything you need to know about Wattam, from Robin Hunicke & Keita Takahashi'

What does it say about me that Square Enix's World of Final Fantasy is the E3 game announcement that most excited me yesterday?

Don't worry, I'm fully aware of what it says about me--especially when some of the other games that were announced alongside this one at E3 2015 yesterday were the long-awaited Final Fantasy VII remake (for PS4, at least initially), the presumed-dead Last Guardian and the out-of-left-field Shenmue III.

What was it about Square Enix's trailer for World of Final Fantasy (watch it below or here), which will be released for both the PS4 and the Vita at some point in 2016 as well as one or more other systems afterward, that tripped my trigger?

I guess you could say the focus of my interest in this retro-modern RPG is its chibi character models, which recall the adorable, sprite-based ones that filled the earliest of Final Fantasy adventures.



Despite the praise I've heaped on World of Final Fantasy so far (well, kind of), I'm not chomping at the bit to pre-order it. That's going to have to wait until I see some more gameplay footage.

Plus, I want to make sure I won't be forced to control those ugly, non-chibi characters that also are featured in the trailer above before I even consider handing over my hard-earned cash for this throwback release.

How about all of you? Are you also (somewhat) excited for World of Final Fantasy? And how do you feel about the other PS4-bound games I mentioned at the beginning of this post?