Console Anxiety: Mending my relationship with Nintendo

A couple weeks ago, the hard drive on my gaming laptop (also my work and school laptop) went bully-up.

Last week, my Xbox 360 began to randomly freeze after an hour or two of play. It’s still running fine, and certain game seem to do worse than others, but it’s made me apprehensive about even turning it on for fear that it, too, my be wearing out. Luckily, I’m home for the winter break so I can use the ol’ family PC to write and get in a little Street Fighter x Mega Man here and there. But it’s not a long-term solution. I still have a few weeks before I’ll be able to nab a new hard drive, and even if my Xbox wasn’t acting up, beating Dark Souls *again* or wandering ’round Skyrim a bit more isn’t really doing it for me. So instead, I turned to the tiny white rectangle inconspicuously plugged into the TV here at my family’s home.

I’ve been going back to the classics to bide my time when I need my gaming fix — Super Metroid, and Metroid Prime specifically. I’ve also popped in a Zelda game here and there when I have time. As much as it’s strange to say this, I’m reminded the Wii had some pretty cool games, some of which I’ve completely missed out on (Xenoblade: Chronicles, Monster Hunter Tri, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Skyward Sword) as I haven’t personally owned a Nintendo console since the GameCube/GBA.

Anyway, this got me thinking a lot about what I wanted from my games. I’ve said it time and time again on this blog, but I’m a fan of the kinds of experiences that are fun, imaginative, and gameplay driven; games that favor immersion and design over cinematic story; and games that allow me to explore, be it the the world or levels, or the very game mechanics themselves. Nintendo does that pretty damn well.

Similarly, I’ve been putting together my Best of 2012 list, and realizing my pickst are probably going to be a bit different than what other people will be picking. I like new and different; I like creativity; I like it when a game feel like a game, and not a movie, but not just a “toy” either. I feel like we’re finally at a place where there’s a split in the industry between these sorts of feelings and ideas, and the now-common tropes of AAA development, with it’s frankly insulting pandering to the lowest common denominator. I don’t dig that shit, yo. That’s become rather glaring in the types of game I gravitate towards.

But I digress. I had a much longer, much more in-depth post planned. One where I would plumb the depths of my own interests and passions, my own personal reasons for enjoying games. I was going to explore my feelings about Nintendo; my strange, almost apathy towards the deterioration of my current console. I was going to question this strange, nagging feeling in my stomach that the Wii U and 3DS might just be exactly what I want out of a console. That maybe, just maybe, despite all the waggling and partying, Nintendo may still yet be the very reason I play games at all — PC or console, indie or retail. But most importantly, I wanted to talk about how games are changing and I’m not really sure where they’re going, and why that’s okay — except someone beat me to it and did a far better job of it than I ever could. Instead, I’ll leave you with this excellent comic by Zac Gorman, perfectly capturing my own thoughts:

I’m ready to bet on Nintendo again.

Thoughts on Rayman Legends Wii-U leak.

A leaked  internal Ubisoft development video showing off early gameplay for the yet-unannounced new Rayman game, Rayman Legends, being played on a Wii-U dev kit, appeared on the internet today.

The trailer shows off Legends’ side-scrolling gameplay, featuring 2- and 4-player co-op, tablet controls, and lush graphics — even exceeding the high standards set by last year’s Rayman Origins. It’s unclear just how powerful the system will be, but it certainly looks capable.

The controller in the video is wired, which Ubisoft says is due to only having access to wired dev kits at this time, but I hope maybe we’ll see some sort of charging wire for the tablet as well.

At the end of the video, we see players using small figurines, placing them on the tablet controller’s screen, causing changes to the game. A rabid is placed on the screen, and suddenly Raymna is shown beating up hordes of the little, demented rabbits. They also tease the possibility of an Ezio figure being used. In a statement released after the video leaked, Ubi said this feature is not final — nor is the game — so things may be much different at launch.

However, Ubisoft did confirm that Rayman Legends is in development, headed by Rayman-series mastermind Michel Ancel.

I’m very excited for a new Rayman game, especially if it’s building off of Rayman: Origins — one of the best games of 2011, and my favorite 2D-platformer is years.

As far as the displayed Wii-U footage and prospective feature, I’m curious and cautiously intruiged. I love Nintendo, I grew up on the stuff, and I love Rayman, so I came away awfully excited by this leaked footage. But with word that we won’t hear about a release date or price point at E3 regarding this year’s Wii-U launch, I still feel twinges of apprehension about the new system. Knowing Nintendo will be showing a new Super Mario Bros. and Pikmin helps, but I really hope Nintendo hit it out of the park this year — they need it.

The internet is divided between praise and pessimism for the Wii-U, but seeing Rayman Legends has helped ease some of my concerns, at least for now. E3 is just around the corner, so I’m sure we’ll see plenty more announcements and rumors leading up to Nintendo’s press conference.

New Super Mario game at E3, and my thoughts on Nintendo’s future.

Continuing his trend of dropping rumor-laden comments, Shigeru Miyamoto has said Nintendo will be showing off their next big entry in the Super Mario Bros. series during the company’s press conference at this year’s E3 convention.

This news comes after reports that Nintendo has secured an internet domain for supermaioworld4.com, and rumors that the Wii-U’s true hardware specs and launch price will be unveiled at the convention as well — some speculating it to be as low as $300 USD.

I find this to be very promising. After years of core-gamers being seemingly ignored by the big N, I feel that Nintendo are taking steps to once again cater true gaming experiences. Super Mario on the Wii-U is a sure sell for many gamers of all ages, and with the word being they plan to price the console competitively, Nintendo have a chance to once again be relevant in hardcore gaming.

Of course, I may be a little biased here. I have enjoyed Nintendo ever since I was a kid, growing up with SNES and N64, and playing some of the best games of last generation on the Gamecube. Like many Nintendo fans, the Wii was a disappointment for me. And while I enjoyed the DS, the 3DS still hasn’t quite got the library for me to grab one. That being said, I still find the 3D handheld to be very intriguing, and a step in the right direction.

Is this in our near-future?

There are some strong and legitimate criticisms on the upcoming Wii-U, specifically those regarding the system’s hardware, but until we see the games in action in front of us, we won’t know just how powerful the new console is (or isn’t). However, I’m am quite optimistic about the Wii-U and Nintendo’s future at this point. Despite the console having a rather dumb name, games like Pikmin 3 and this new Super Mario give me hope. And with reports Retro Studios have been working on a new project (Metroid? Zelda?), I’m sure we’re in for some big announcements this year. I may currently be a die-hard PC gamer, but I love Nintendo enough that I’d be willing to pick up a new console if they do it right.

Here’s hoping Super Mario Wii-U and the rest of their E3 show does the trick.

Game of the Week, February 10 2012: A Love Letter to Super Metroid

Welcome to the first entry for our new Game of the Week column, where every week our fine writers feature one of their favorite games, and why you should love it too! This week, Brendan fills us in on an the SNES classic, Super Metroid.

There are games that define a franchise; games that define a genre; even games that define a console.

Super Metroid is a game that defines an era. Sure, maybe it’s a broad statement, tinted slightly with nostalgic goggles used to look back on fond memories, but there’s something of a universal truth to the statement:

“Super Metroid is one of the greatest games ever made.”

What is it? Before we get into why it’s one of the best game of all time, let’s talk about what the game actually is. Super Metroid is a 2D, side scrolling, action/adventure game, with a heavy emphasis on exploration. The game puts you in the power-suit of Samus Aran, the female protagonist of the Metroid series, and the galaxy’s biggest badass. Super Metoid built on the open-ended exploration of the original Metroid game on the NES, adding a map to see where you are and what’s left to explore; meters showing how much of the map you’ve seen, and how many items you’ve collected; and an inventory where you can keep track of/activate abilities and equipment you’ve earned — abilities like the classic Morph Ball and grapple beams, and equipment like the x-ray visor and super missles. Depending on your completion rate and your time, you receive different endings. All of these simple design decisions create an extremely addictive sense of exploration.

What really amplifies that pull to discover is the game’s setting. Super Metroid takes place on the planet Zebes. On this planet, ancient alien ruins, labyrinthine cave systems, underground research facilities, and even a crashed space frigate create a sense of isolation and mystery. Samus is alone on her mission; after a Human Alliance space station is attacked by the Space Pirate Ridley, and the last living Metroid (which were wiped out by Samus in the Gameboy’s Metroid II: Return of Samus) is stolen, Samus tails the Pirates to the planet to save the Metroid and destroy their plans and defeat the nefarious Mother Brain.

Sure, a rather bare-bones and cliched sci-fi plot, but the Metroid franchise has always told its stories through gameplay and the player’s own experiences, rather than dialogue-heavy cut scenes — even when the story involves other characters for Samus to interact with (at least, that was the case up until Metroid: Other M was release a few years ago).

Super Metroid’s atmosphere and world are immersive and compelling, and the game’s music is simply amazing, adding more dimension to the already alien surrounding.

Why do I love it? Pick any of the gameplay elements I listed above: the music, the atmosphere, the gameplay, sense of exploration and mystery — few other games reach the peaks that Super metroid does, and it’s my personal belief that no other 2D action/adventure game has reach quite the levels of mastery that Super Metroid does.

Along with the Gamecube’s Metroid Prime, it hold a special place in my heart as one of my favorite games of all time. Between both Prime and Super Metroid, as well as nearly every other game in the series, Metroid has solidified itself as my absolute favorite video game series of all time, and is responsible for pulling me back into gaming just a few short years ago. Super Metroid has given me something special, and the series’ formula has made for some of the best experiences I’ve ever had as a gamer.

And I’m not alone in that sentiment. The game created a thriving (and still active) speed running community, who took Super Metroid’s gameplay and turned it into something entirely new.

Not only that, but the game’s music is by far my favorite video game music (aside from Metroid Prime’s). Fellow fans created the band Metroid Metal, who cover and arrange metal version of classic Metroid tunes into prog-metal masterpieces. It’s probably the best way the experience the music of Metroid outside of the games.

Unfortunately, the series took a rather grave turn with the recent Metroid: Other M, and I’d be remiss not to mention it. Other M’s heavy focus on story, and the mischaracterization of Samus from bounty-hunting warrior, to an over-sexualized, incompetent and helpless liability infuriated fans. Futhermore, the changes to the gameplay were too far-removed from that of the series’ past. Sure, some fans lamented the switch to first person in the Prime series, but you can’t ignore the fact that those games still captured the feel and look of the Metroid series. Other M took Metroid to unnecessary and insulting territory. It is my hope that one day we’ll see Samus return with a game worthy of the Metroid name. And seeing as Nintendo’s next generation has begun, I have hope.

I’ve beaten Super Metroid numerous times, but I’ve never grown tired of it. From that first time I played it on a friends SNES some 16 years ago, I was hooked. As the game nears its 18th birthday, I have more than enough reason to return to the dark depths of the planet Zebes, and you should too.

Super Metroid is available on the Wii store. Check out more Metroid Metal at their official website.

And seriously, PLAY THIS GAME!