Five games I have to get back to (and hopefully finish) in 2014

I started a lot of games in the last year or two (or three) that I've yet to finish, but the five below are the ones I most want to get back to and "beat" in 2014.

Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360)--It's going to be very interesting to see if I actually go back to playing this one. Although I loved the bizarro story when I started playing it many moons ago, I wasn't so enamored with some of the gameplay (anything resembling a battle scene, basically). Still, I'd really like to finish it someday--if only so I can say I did it.

EarthBound (SNES)--I know, I know--it's wronger than wrong that I've yet to "beat" this legendary RPG. (I've tried three times now, if memory serves.) The thing is, I've loved every second I've played of it during each of my attempts--but something's always distracted me before I could complete it. Hopefully I can avoid that when I go back to my most recently created save file in early 2014.

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)--This situation surrounding this game is a bit strange, as the only thing I have to do is beat its final boss. I've actually battled it a number of times already, and even made it as far as its third (and final, I think) form, but I faltered each and every time. So, I'm going to make another run at it next year--probably after bolstering my party a bit (or a lot).

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)--Another crying shame, right? I can't remember how many hours I put into this title before being pulled away by Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but I know it wasn't close to enough. Hopefully I can give it the attention it obviously deserves at some point during 2014.

Opoona (Wii)--I bought this unique, Dragon Quest-esque RPG with the best of intentions earlier this year, but only made it an hour or so in before walking away for some reason or another. I found the first 60 minutes to be pretty enjoyable, though, so I'll definitely do my best to further explore it in the next 12 months.

Are there any games you guys and gals started in 2013 (or before) and would like to finish next year? Let me know which ones in the comments section below.

And May's 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' selections are ...

... Crimson Shroud, Fire Emblem: Awakening and maybe Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. I'm also hoping to wrap up my EarthBound playthrough.

I know, none of the above-mentioned titles were included on the list I mentioned in this post, but all of them are fairly recent additions to my gaming backlog, so I'm going to do my best to tackle them this month (while I also continue to chip away at Super Mario Sunshine, of course).

Will I "beat" all of them? I highly doubt it, but I'll give it my best shot.

The main reason I'm attempting to play through so many of my backlogged games between now and the end of May, by the way: I'm fully expecting THE "DENPA" MEN 2: Beyond the Waves (releasing on May 30) and Animal Crossing: New Leaf (due out on June 9) to hog my attention throughout the month of June.

Anyway, have any of you fine folks played any of the three 3DS games mentioned at the top of this post? If so, what do you think of them?

See also: previous 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' posts

I'm taking a rain check RE: this month's 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' selection

You may have noticed that I've yet to publish a "My Month with ..." post in March. That's because I've decided to step away from my backlogathon for the time being.

Don't worry, I plan to get back to it again in April, but for the next few weeks I'm going to focus on the small pile of 3DS games that either have already found their way to my doorstep (expect to read about one of them tomorrow, by the way) or will do so soon instead.

I'm also going to spend some quality time with a game I haven't played in ages--with that game being Shigesato Itoi's magnificent EarthBound (or Mother 2 to you purists).

Why have I decided to turn back the clock and play through this Americana-themed RPG like it's 1995 once again? To be painfully honest, it's because I've never actually seen this game's end credits (gasp!) and I'd finally like to do so.

All of you fellow EarthBound fans should be happy to hear that I'm already off to a good start. After playing the game for a few (four or five, maybe?) hours this weekend, I've reached Peaceful Rest Valley and I'm not too far away from rescuing Paula and putting my days as a lonesome adventurer behind me.

I have no idea how much more of the game I'll be able to play this week given my real-life workload and my desire to continue working my way through Fire Emblem: Awakening, but I think I'll be able to put at least a few additional hours into it.

In the meantime, do any of you consider yourself to be EarthBound fans? If so, what are some of your favorite memories as they relate to this charmingly humorous and heartwarming title?

See also: Previous 'Bye-Bye, Backlog' posts

Hello, Fire Emblem: Awakening; goodbye, holiday weekend

Guess what our pipe-smoking, shorts-wearing (even in winter) mailman plopped onto our doorstep the other morning? If you guessed a brand new copy of Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS, pat yourself on the back. Don't let your head get too big, though--after all, I basically spoiled the surprise in the headline above.

Anyway, the game's cover art (below) is pretty nifty, don't you think? In person it looks even nicer than it does in the photo below, actually, as the gray/silver background has an appealing shimmer to it.

Fire Emblem: Awakening's cart art is similarly noteworthy thanks to the pixelated reworkings of what I'm guessing are the game's main characters. Yes, I just admitted that I know next-to-nothing about this title at the moment.

Why did I buy it if I know little about it (and if I've never before played a Fire Emblem game)? Because I really liked the looks of the battle scenes that were shown off when it was first announced.

Also, I've long been a fan of tactical RPGs, and this is supposed to be one of the best, so the question really should be: how could I not buy it?

As of now, I've yet to even stick the Fire Emblem: Awakening cartridge into my trusty pink-and-white 3DS XL, but that's only because I'm completely obsessed with Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime right now. (More on that tomorrow or Monday.)

I promise to tear myself away from Rocket Slime sometime today (or maybe tomorrow), though, so expect to hear me gushing--either here or on Twitter--about my experience with Fire Emblem: Awakening shortly. In the meantime, are any of you playing it? If so, what do you think of it so far?

Got a couple of hours? Check out the fifth installment of The Nichiest Podcast Ever ...

Of course, you don't have to listen to all two hours and 15 minutes of this edition of The Nichiest Podcast Ever in one sitting.

And don't worry, we don't spend that entire time giggling (or at least Anne and shidoshi don't spend the entire time giggling)--we spend it discussing Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (PSP) and Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS) and Ni no Kuni (PS3) and Pandora's Tower (Wii) and all sorts of other games that were mentioned in this previous post.

Should you actually give it a listen (you can do so here), please let Anne, shidoshi and I know what you thought of it, will you? You can do so in the comments section below or you can do so via Twitter (apricotsushi, pikoeri and thegaygamer, respectively).

Also, we're planning to record another one sometime in early March, so expect to hear more about that in just a few weeks.

Another installment of The Nichiest Podcast Ever is on the way

You know how I spent the latter part of last night? I spent it chatting (via Skype) with Anne and shidoshi. We weren't just shooting the shit, of course; we were recording a new episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever. (The finished product should be available sometime this weekend or early next week.)

We covered a lot of ground this time around, beginning with discussion about a bunch of niche-y games that we're all looking forward to playing this year, including Atelier Ayesha (PS3), Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS), Killer is Dead (PS3/Xbox 360), Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Vita), Rune Factory 4 (3DS) and Valhalla Knights 3 (Vita).

We also talked about the physical edition of Class of Heroes 2 that may or may not be offered the game-starved PSP owners in the coming months, the not-so-well-received-by-shidoshi-and-Anne Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (PSP), the recently released PS3 RPG, Ni no Kuni, and the awesome outfit-creation aspect of Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS).

Oh, and during this podcast's "Cheerleading" segment, Anne trumpeted Pandora's Tower (Wii), while shidoshi did the same in regards to Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS) and I once again blathered on about that wacky PS2 "classic," Chulip.

One more thing before I hit "publish" on this sucker: be sure to stick around for the end, when I am deemed (by shidoshi) to be the "bad boy" of this niche-game-loving trio.

See also: previous 'Nichiest Podcast Ever' posts

10 North American 3DS games I'm looking forward to playing in 2013

As great as 2012 was for me and my 3DS (the same can't be said for my wallet), 2013 looks to be even better in terms of high-quality releases.

Which games am I most looking forward to shoving into my 3DS' cartridge slot over the next 12 months? Here's 10 of them:

1. Animal Crossing: New Leaf--Of all the games included in this post, this is the most shocking, right? Seriously, though, I'm looking forward to playing New Leaf more than any other title that's set to be released--for any system, not just the 3DS--in 2013. My husband, on the other hand, likely is dreading its release, as he knows it's going to take over my life for at least a few months.

2. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy--I know this beautiful, 4 Heroes of Light-esque RPG hasn't been announced for North American release yet, but I'm including it here anyway in the hopes that Square Enix will do so soon.

3. Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers--See the Bravely Default blurb above, but replace Square Enix with Atlus USA. Seriously, though, I think the chances of this one ending up in my grubby little hands are pretty good given Atlus USA's track record when it comes to the MegaTen series.

4. Etrian Odyssey IV--Full disclosure: Although I've been a fan of this dungeon-crawling series since the first title was released for the DS back in 2007, I've yet to play the second and third entries. Regardless, I'm going to pick up the fourth the day it's made available in my neck of the woods.

5. Fire Emblem: Awakening--Ever since the Japanese version of this tactical RPG was first shown off, I've wanted to play it. Given Nintendo of America's track record of bringing niche-y games to this region, though, I was a bit worried I'd never be able to do so. Thankfully, they recently proved me wrong and revealed that it'll be out in early February.

A few thoughts on yesterday morning's trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts

As some (most?) of you likely are aware, Nintendo's European, Japanese and North American arms all broadcasted Nintendo Direct presentations yesterday morning.

Since I took the time to watch both the Japanese and North American ones (I didn't watch the European Nintendo Direct because I was pretty sure it would ape its North American counterpart--which it apparently did), I thought I'd share a few thoughts on them here.

Nintendo of Japan's Nintendo Direct--My only thought about this one, which focused on Wii U software and mostly covered well-worn ground: Damn, Pikmin 3 looks good. Amazing, even. Oh, and: Square Enix (or Nintendo, or both) better bring Dragon Quest X to our shores. Wait, one more: They're not really going to try to sell Wii U Panorama View, are they?

Nintendo of America's Nintendo Direct--Oh, another look at Pikmin 3. Unsurprisingly, it still looks amazing. I especially like the looks of the segment that appears to take place on a beach at night. Also: Wii Fit U to be released in early 2013? Sounds good to me. Hearing that Luigi's Manion: Dark Moon won't make it out until "spring 2013" sounds, er, less good. Is it really that difficult to give this game a specific release date, Nintendo of America? Still, we were told that Fire Emblem: Awakening will hit the streets on Feb. 4 and that Game Freak's fabulous-looking HarmoKnight (above) will hit the eShop sometime during the first quarter, so this Nintendo Direct wasn't completely disappointing.

Nintendo of Europe's Nintendo Direct--You may have noticed that the blurb above didn't include even a passing mention of Animal Crossing: New Leaf (which may just be my most-anticipated game of 2013 at the moment). Well, that's because neither Reggie nor the other Nintendo of America staffers featured in that presentation bothered to bring it up. Thankfully, it sounds as though it was discussed, at least briefly, during Nintendo of Europe's broadcast--although the word is it was given a "Q2 2013" release window, which means April, May or June. Where's that "Debbie Downer" sound clip when you need it?

What did all of you think of the information and footage that came out of these broadcasts? Were you pleased? Disappointed? Or maybe you felt an entirely different emotion after watching them?

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 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?

The best piece of 3DS box art yet? I think so.

Quite a few pieces of 3DS box art have impressed me since the system was launched early last year. Among them: The box art created for Beyond the Labyrinth and Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die (aka Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward).

I think the piece of cover art below may have them both beat, to tell you the truth. What game was it created for, you ask? Fire Emblem: Kakusei (aka Fire Emblem: Awakening).

I'm not entirely in love with the game's logo, although I do appreciate its rather understated elegance. The illustration that resides behind said logo, though, is where it's at. I especially love its diagonal focus and movement.

This fabulous piece of cover art will appear on Japanese store shelves on April 19. Here's hoping both the game and the above-mentioned box art (and maybe this bundle, too) make it out of Japan and into other territories sooner than later.

(Via tinycartridge.com)