Eight things I liked about yesterday's trio of Nintendo Directs

Real talk: it would be easy peasy for me to write a post that points out all of the things I found disappointing about yesterday's Nintendo Direct broadcasts.

For instance, there was the lack of news regarding a Western release of the 3DS Dragon Quest VII remake. Also, aside from Steel Diver: Sub Wars (more about this one below), no completely new 3DS or Wii U games were revealed in any of the three Nintendo Directs, as far as I'm aware--which is a real shame, especially since the 3DS is my go-to system this year.

Anyway, let's push those negatives to the background for the moment and focus instead on the positives--like the eight bullet-pointed items below--that I personally took from yesterday's Iwata-led extravaganzas:

A Free-to-Play 3DS Game? From Nintendo?--Wasn't the word on the street that Steel Diver: Sub Wars was being made for the Wii U? Whatever, I'm actually glad it was developed for the 3DS instead--you know, because I don't currently own a Wii U. Anyway, the game's out now and is completely free--or at least a portion of it is. (The full thing, which gives you access to additional missions and subs, costs $9.99.) Consider me intrigued, and consider it downloaded, too.



Hey, Sega, You're Bringing Hero Bank to the States, Right?--Seriously, this upcoming 3DS game, highlighted during the Japanese Nintendo Direct, looks great. And I mean that literally--as in, I love its art style. Unfortunately, I've never had a clue as to what's going on in any of the gameplay trailers that have been used to promote it, and that leads me to believe I should avoid playing it in a language I don't understand. So, uh, throw me a bone, will you, Sega? Pretty please?

Hurray! Kirby Triple Deluxe Finally Has a Release Date--Unfortunately, the date is May 2--the same day Mario Golf: World Tour will hit store shelves, incidentally. Oh, well, that just means I'll be able to take my time with Bravely Default, Yoshi's New Island and a small handful of other 3DS games that are set to be released between now then.

I'm Still Not Sure What I Think About Yoshi's New Island--On the one hand, this game's graphics have started to grow on me in recent weeks, at least in a general sense. On the other, its gameplay doesn't look anywhere near as interesting as what was found in the original Yoshi's Island. And then there are those feet. You know the ones I'm talking about. Still, I'm buying this one despite my reservations, as I just couldn't live with myself if I passed on it simply because it looked kind of boring in trailers. 

I Need Another Portable Puzzler Like I Need A Hole in the Head, But I'm Still Buying Pokemon Battle Trozei--Could a game be more up my alley than this one? I doubt it. I mean, it's adorable, it's a puzzler and it's coming to the 3DS (eShop). Oh, sure, Nintendo could give it a better logo, some cute (and colorful) cover art and offer up a physical release, too, but I can't blame them for going the digital-only route. Regardless, it's mine on March 20.

I Never Thought I'd Say This, But I'm Buying a Baseball Game--Specifically, I'm buying Rusty's Real Deal Baseball once it hits the North American 3DS eShop in April. This one's a localization of Darumeshi Sports Store, by the way, which has been available in Japan for a while now and by most accounts is a completely awesome and worthwhile experience. 

Inazuma Eleven Earns a Stealth eShop Release--Most folks assumed us North Americans would be getting this soccer RPG sometime soon after it showed up on Nintendo.com early last month. I doubt, though, that many of them thought Nintendo of America would toss it onto the eShop immediately following today's Nintendo Direct. No joke: I'd pick it up right now if I didn't already own the European DS version of the game.

Weapon Shop de Omasse Will Be Mine--I'm not so sure it was wise to give this 3DS eShop title (an English localization of the last of Level-5's Guild 01 games) such a weird name, but what do I know? Also, what do I care? All I care about at the moment is that I'll finally be able to get my hands on it--as will you, if you own a North American 3DS and you have $7.99 to blow--on Feb. 20.

So, those are my main thoughts on yesterday's trio of Nintendo Directs. What are yours?

Bye-bye, backlog

My blogging friend and podcasting cohort, Anne (aka apricotsushi), recently mentioned on Twitter that her husband challenged her to pick one game from her backlog each month this year and play it through to completion.

Considering the depressing size of my own gaming backlog, I thought it might be wise of me to do something similar over the next 12 months.

So, between now and the end of 2013 I'm going to choose one of my many woefully overlooked games and play it for an entire month. If I'm able to "beat" any or all of these games, great, but if not, that's OK, too.

As of now, here are the games I'm considering tackling as I work my way through this so-called challenge: Chulip (PS2), Corpse Party (PSP), Deadly Premonition (Xbox 360), Dewy's Adventure (Wii), Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (DS), Half-Minute Hero (PSP), Inazuma Eleven (DS), Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (DS), Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS), Romancing SaGa (PS2), Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) and, finally, Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii).

Full disclosure: as some of you are likely aware, I've already started a few of these games (namely, Corpse Party, Deadly Premonition, Dewy's Adventure and Xenoblade Chronicles). None of them were played for more than a few hours, though, so I think it's OK to include them here.

Also, know that the list above is not in any way set in stone. Well, other than Chulip, which I've already decided will be the game I'll tackle this month. OK, so Corpse Party, Deadly Premonition and Xenoblade Chronicles should be considered "sure bets," too, but the rest are just possibilities at the moment. (For instance, already I'm thinking of replacing, say, Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits with another PS2 title I've been meaning to play for ages, La Pucelle: Tactics.)

I'm not yet sure how I'll update all of you in regards to my progress, by the way. Maybe I should try to publish weekly blog posts (titled something like, "Bye-Bye Backlog Diary Entry #1: Chulip") to keep myself in check?

12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now: Inazuma Eleven (DS)

OK, so the title I'm focusing on in today's "12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now" post isn't as thrilling as the one I wrote about yesterday--or at least I don't think it's as thrilling.

Still, it's an import, and a fairly odd one at that (thanks to it being a soccer-based RPG), so at least it's not a total loss.

Would you believe that I've yet to spend much quality time with this pick-up? Yeah, I thought you would--especially given the track record suggested by the majority of my "Acquisition #123" posts.



Actually, I'm kind of amazed it's even been unwrapped, as I honestly don't remember playing it at all since it arrived on my doorstep a number of months ago.

I guess I should have included Inazuma Eleven in one of those silly posts--like "Five games I have to get back to (and hopefully finish) in 2013" or "Five games I have to rip from their shrink-wrap and actually play in 2013"--I published last week, eh?

See also: Previous '12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now' posts

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Inazuma Eleven 2 edition)

I don't know how many of you are aware, but Level-5's second soccer-themed--or football-themed, if you're not a North American--RPG, Inazuma Eleven 2, is set to hit the streets of Europe today.

Because I've been interested in this series since the first game was unleashed upon the Japanese public back in 2008, I thought I should devote a "Which Box Art is Better?" post to this second release.

The following piece of art will grace the cover of Inazuma Eleven 2: Firestorm:

The illustration below, on the other hand, will serve as the box art for Inazuma Eleven 2: Blizzard.

Which one do you prefer?

As for me: I slightly prefer Firestorm's cover art to Blizzard's, although I have to say I find both illustrations to be a bit busy. That said, I plan on picking up one or the other sooner rather than later--after I've acquired the first Inazuma Eleven, of course.

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Reason #402 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

I have a bit of a "thing" for European DS game cases.

Oh, get your minds out of the gutter. I don't mean that I, uh, do things with them; I mean that I have an odd attraction to them.

It all started when I bought a copy of Freshly-Pickled Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland from the UK. For some unknown reason, that game's clear, thicker-than-the-ones-we-get-in-North-America case (see it in this photo) appealed to me so much that I wanted a few more.

I got my wish a few months later when I picked up a copy of the Euro version of Professor Layton and the Curious Village. (Here's a photo of it, in case you're, er, curious.)



There was, it seems, no turning back after that, as I quickly added Euro copies of Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, Professor Layton and the Lost Future, Last Window (the sequel to Hotel Dusk: Room 215) and Jam with the Band to my collection of DS games. (Photos of the aforementioned games can be seen here, here, here and here, respectively.)

Sadly--for my bank account, especially--I'm not through purchasing such games. I plan on picking up a copy of the Euro release of Inazuma Eleven at some point this year, for instance, and I also hope to buy a copy of Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call (the fourth in the series--it was called Professor Layton and the Last Specter in the States).

After that, though, I probably put a cork in this particular obsession--or at least that's what I'm hoping to do.

See also: Other reasons I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

Five games I'm looking forward to playing in 2012

If you run a gaming blog, every year has to end with a post about your favorite games of the past year and another post about the games you're most looking forward to playing in the coming one, right? Well, I checked that first box yesterday with this post, so today I might as well check the second box with the post you're currently reading.

This post originally contained 10 games, by the way, but it seemed a bit long so I broke it in two. As such, expect to see a similarly titled post published tomorrow that will include five more games that I'm looking forward to playing in 2012.

Bravely Default (3DS)--This Square Enix RPG looks like it's going to be a spiritual successor to 2010's Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. I consider that Final Fantasy side story to be one of my favorite DS games, so you can bet I'll be all over this one like white on rice--assuming it makes its way to North America.

Dragon Quest X (Wii)--I know a lot of long-time Dragon Quest fans were disappointed to hear that the series' latest installment would focus on an online-multiplayer experience, but I'm not one of them. In fact, I'm downright excited for this entry thanks in part because of its online focus and in part because it will feature more of the crazy customization that was present in its DS-based predecessor.

Final Fantasy Type-0 (PSP)--The word on the street is that this game--and, yes, it's another Final Fantasy offshoot--will be released in North America sometime this year. Here's hoping that's true and that the game will be released on PSP UMD (as opposed to PlayStation Vita card) and will feature the same fabulous cover art that appeared on Japanese copies of the title.

Inazuma Eleven (DS)--I have next to no interest in the game of soccer (or football, for those of you who live outside of North America), yet I want this game. Why? Because I've heard great things about it on the Internet--things like, "It's like a soccer-themed Pokemon game." I like the sound of that, so I'm planning to buy the first game in this series from the UK sometime next year. Who knows, I may buy the second one, too, which is scheduled to hit the streets throughout Europe in early 2012.

Luigi's Mansion 2 (3DS)--Is it weird that the game that spurred me to ask for a 3DS for Christmas was this one? Well, it's true regardless. Oh, sure, I was keen on Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, too, but not as keen as I am on Luigi's Mansion 2, which looks to take the basics presented in the GameCube-based original and run with them. The only downer at the moment? The folks at Nintendo of America have yet to give it a release date. (Please be sooner rather than later, please be sooner rather than later, please be sooner rather than later...)

What other games am I looking forward to playing in 2012? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Praise Beckham! Inazuma Eleven will be released on August 26

Unfortunately, the date above refers to when this soccer-themed RPG will be released in the UK, not the US. The brass at Nintendo of America have yet to announce when or even if this DS title, which was developed by the able folks at Level-5, will make its way to the States.

Hey, at least the game--which first hit store shelves in Japan all the way back in 2008 and hit the streets elsewhere in Europe earlier this year--will, at long last, be playable in English, right?



Does Inazuma Eleven's horribly delayed UK launch mean there's still a chance the game will reach our shores eventually, too? I think so--especially since the crew at Level-5 International America (the company's North American branch) recently posted a poll on their Facebook page that asked people to vote for the currently-only-available-in-Japan titles that excite them most.

Inazuma Eleven is one of 10 games named in the poll, with the others being Fantasy Life (3DS), Girl's RPG Cinderelife (3DS), Inazuma Eleven Strikers (Wii), The Little Battlers (PSP), Ninokuni (DS and PS3), Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (3DS), Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney (3DS) and Time Travelers (3DS).

It appears you can vote (here) just once and for just one game so choose carefully and wisely.

Inazuma Eleven, now in English

I have no idea why I'm so interested in Inazuma Eleven. It certainly isn't because I'm a soccer/football fan. Maybe it's because it was developed by the same folks who made Dark Cloud, Dragon Quest IX and the Professor Layton titles?



Regardless of the reason, this soccer/football-focused RPG has piqued my curiosity and interest. Here's hoping it's released in the US at some point (or at least in the UK, so I can pick up a copy via sendit.com).

(Via gonintendo.com and tinycartridge.com)

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Inazuma Eleven edition)

It's been a long time since we've played this little game, hasn't it? To tell you the truth, we probably wouldn't be playing it now if my last post hadn't prompted me to look up Inazuma Eleven's European and Japanese box art.

Speaking of which, the art that will grace the cover of this soccer RPG's European box (when it's released on Jan. 28) is below:

And this is the box art that accompanied the game's Japanese release in late 2008:

Which one do you prefer?

Honestly, I'm a bit torn. I'd go with the Euro art if I were forced at gunpoint to choose one over the other, mainly because I think it's more successful at getting the point across that the game is a soccer-focused RPG, but I have to admit that I also like how dynamic the Japanese art is.

See also: All previous entries in the 'Let's Play: Which Box Art is Better?' series

I completely forgot about this game

Apparently the brass at Nintendo of America have forgotten about Inazuma Eleven as well. After all, although this SRPG--which in this case is short for "soccer role-playing game", not "strategy role-playing game"--was released in Japan in late 2008 and will be released in Europe on Jan. 28, it has yet to appear on Nintendo of America's release schedule.



As much as I'd like to buy a proper North American version of this game, I'm more than prepared to import it from Europe (via sendit.com, for instance) should the need arise--especially after watching the (French) trailer above.