Category: Video Game Musings

So I finally bit the bullet and bought that WWE 2K19 game off Steam… primarily because I could grab the deluxe version for forty bucks and be none the wiser.

Look, here’s the thing. The first couple WWE 2K games I bought because they came out months late and only cost about 50-60 bucks for the full release plus all DLC. Then after a while, it fell into the same practice as the console releases and it was just too much for me. Money is a thing, especially for a game that I might not see myself get too much mileage out of unless there’s something I like.

In any event, whenever I get the chance, I’ll probably give it a shot. Don’t expect anything to come of this from a “content” standpoint. Sometimes, I do things for a lark and that doesn’t always translate to consumable digital entertainment.

As for the Holy Grail special… yeah, I’ve seen it. Thoughts on it tomorrow.

For curious parties, news broke as it relates to the full game listing of Konami’s upcoming Castlevania collection that is due for release May 16th. The eight games to be included are:

– Castlevania (NES)
– Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES)
– Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (NES)
– Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
– Castlevania: The Adventure (GB)
– Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (GB)
– Castlevania: Bloodlines (Genesis)
– Kid Dracula (Famicom)

Purchases are region-specific, so if you buy this in Japan, you get the Japanese releases while non-Japan purchases gain the English versions. So, a fair standard lot of games, with the only real standout being Bloodlines seeing a re-release for the first time in decades as well as the first time non-Japanese audiences (who wouldn’t have resorted to imports or emulation, that is) will experience the Famicom Kid Dracula… although in hindsight, I would’ve preferred the MSX Vampire Killer instead. Still a fairly basic collection for those who never experienced the early games.

For the record, I’ve yet to play Konami’s recent arcade collection, but I might give it a shot somewhere down the line. If nothing else, it should be a good indication as to how the rest of the collections would turn out.

So, for those who missed the news, the next generation of Pokemon games, dubbed Sword and Shield, will be hitting the Nintendo Switch this year and this is certainly going to excite the diehard Pokemon fans who are into the franchise and stuck with it for so long.

Naturally, I’m not one of those people. My only experience with Pokemon was the first generation on Game Boy. Red, Blue, and Yellow. I’ve seen some of the anime, saw the First Movie, and even dabbled in that Pokemon Go game that was a hit a year or so ago.

After that first generation, I sort of drifted away from the franchise and when I peek back in, there’s suddenly hundreds of Pokemon in the litter and too much information to digest. Not only are there new generation games, but there are also remakes of the older generation titles on stronger hardware and now Pikachu’s a detective and… what the hell is going here?

For the younger folks and for those with way too much time on their hands who can invest themselves into learning the intricacies of all these various incarnations and whatnots, more power to you. It’s great to see a franchise last for two decades and still go pretty strong. Pokemon in its current form might not be my cup of tea, but for those who enjoy it, I hope this next wave turns out well and becomes as much of a hit as its predecessors.

Cheers.

Source: https://www.engadget.com/2018/12/14/nintendo-will-not-make-more-nes-snes-classic-consoles/

In fairness to Nintendo, 2018 was a good year if you wanted to hunt for the NES or SNES Classic Edition systems since they were much easier to find in stores. A recent trip to a couple Walmarts around town still had a couple in stock, so they weren’t impossible to find. Regardless, Nintendo not planning on making more beyond the current stock shouldn’t have been a surprise since they’ve said as much for a while now, but people are still going to complain about it because… well, it’s social media.

There used to be a time when I saw someone bitch about the NES Classic being released at all because it meant Nintendo had no plans for the holidays back in the day and the Switch was still months away. Now that Switch is here and has its Online component with classic titles – even if they are the same paltry NES titles that have been re-released more times than Atari 2600 compilations and plug-and-play systems have seen the light of day – there’s no need to be for these systems to be around… at least in Nintendo’s mind.

Personally, I would’ve liked to have seen these last a little while longer. Not everyone is going to want a Switch or 3DS and these would’ve been a nice little side source of income for the company. And while I’m not clamoring for a N64 Classic like most people are, maybe a side line of classic console PnPs wouldn’t have been such a bad idea.

In any event, if you want an NES Classic or SNES Classic, best get them while they’re in stock because once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.

But look on the bright side. At least the Playstation Classic is a thing now. That has to be cool, right?

Right?