Wii U Post-Play Analysis

So after a few years of anticipation, the Wii U finally launched. I picked mine up day one, as planned and have now had just under a month to play with it and so far I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Let's start with the contents of the package. I bought the Deluxe Edition (pictured left) which comes with the black system, black GamePad, all the necessary hookups (including an HDMI cable) and a copy of Nintendo Land. Also included are a few superficial pieces such as two cradles allowing you to rest the system on top of those, and have it sit vertically, a small cradle that you can rest your GamePad on, and the most useful inclusion in my opinion is the charging cradle for the GamePad.  Similar to the charging cable of the 3DS you plug the AC adapter into the back of the cradle, and all you have to do is rest the GamePad on top and it charges.  The Deluxe Edition also comes with a 2-year subscription to the Nintendo Network Premium service.  This allows you to earn rewards points when you make purchases on digital items in the Nintendo e-Shop.  One of the downsides to an out-of-the-box Wii U is they are assuming you either own an HDMI-compatible TV, or that you still own an original Wii. The Wii U will support the red/white/yellow AV cables that come with the Wii but if you don't own these or have an HDMI compatible device, you will need to purchase one or the other (I recommend the cables.)

Moving along, The GamePad feels very natural. It is surprisingly lightweight and very ergonomic. It feels like it's either JUST the right size or maybe a tad too big but overall it's extremely comfortable. The screen provides a decent resolution which will be a little grainy depending on what activity or game you are doing at the time, but overall the quality is damn nice.

If you haven't yet bought a Wii U you probably heard about the horrendous update on day one.  Open up the box for your system, get everything hooked up, start putting in some primary information and then.....a system update must be performed. DAY ONE.  What the hell, Nintendo?  You better be glad I'm not a child who just got this for Christmas and was so excited to play it that I pestered my dad to the point of alcoholism to set it up for me. Although I must admit I was equally as heartbroken.  Had I known this was going to happen we would have started the update, then left to get food but unfortunately we got food before setting it up, then sat there and watched the screen guessing what percentage the unmarked progress bar was at.  Learn from our suffering:  start the update, then go kill an hour doing something else.

The next feature I toyed with is the TV button and MAN this thing is so cool. It turns your GamePad into a universal remote for your TV and cable box.  To set it up, just select if you want just TV or TV and cable.  It asks for the brand of device you have, then you test a button or two to see if it works.  Mine clicked on the first try.  I can control my TV's power, volume, channel up/down, manually enter a channel number, or change the input on the TV (between viewing shows, games, DVDs, etc.) If the cable box is set up you can individually control the power for the TV or cable box, and you also have access to a Guide button if your cable provider has such. You can access all features of the TV button without the system even being powered on, which I discovered accidentally.

The Wii U menu has two screens.  By default the GamePad's screen is a lot like the 3DS main menu, with a bunch of individual bubbles for apps and digital downloads. The top left spot is always reserved for disc games. The television display shows the WaraWara Plaza where your Mii along with many others will be gathered around talking about the games and activities going on in MiiVerse. You can switch these at anytime, so that you may use the touch screen to see what some of the other Mii's in your plaza are posting about.

Speaking of MiiVerse, I will give you my first impressions of that here.  The coolest feature is it really is a social network for gamers.  You can ask a question on the New Super Mario Bros. U Community, and you will receive a notification when another MiiVerse user has replied to your thread.  You can also hand-draw pictures to post, or browse the various threads and see other people's amazing work. Some games that enable MiiVerse will allow you and other users to post helpful, encouraging, or taunting posts along the way. Cleared that level without taking damage? Take a few moments to boast to the world. Struggling with a certain section? See what other people did to get through. MiiVerse IS monitored (thank God) by a Code of Conduct basically saying no personal information, no harassing, nothing of a sexual nature blah blah blah. If you breach the code of conduct you will get warned or banned, depending on your infraction. Trust me, I tried to link this site, and got a warning to change my profile.

The internet browser built into the Wii U is surprisingly fast, and fairly reliable. The biggest downside is it doesn't  support anything flash related. You can view content solely on the GamePad by closing a curtain on the television screen with the push of a button. You can unveil this curtain at anytime to show other people in the room what you're looking at. If you have a Mii set up, they will do minor entertaining things in front of the curtain so people sitting around won't get bored. I played Rock, Paper, Scissors against my Mii...and it won.  Jerk.  If you're playing video content on the screen you can set it so that you can still continue browsing other pages on the GamePad as well.

Some of the other features that are available on the Wii U at the time of this posting are the YouTube, Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Video apps. If you have a subscription to the necessary services you now have another device you can access them on.

The launch lineup of the Wii U is admittedly a little lackluster. Nintendo Land is surefire gold, supposing you have someone else to play it with. But I'll be doing a Nintendo Land review next so you can get more details there. New Super Mario Bros U., ZombiU, Scribblenauts Unlimited, Assassin's Creed 3, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, Ninja Gaiden III: Razor's Edge, along with Nintendo Land have all been making a splash as the best titles to come out at launch while the other 15 or so have been getting mediocre reviews. There will be better games coming out within the next few months including Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, and Rayman Legends, among others. Plus as developers start getting creative with the software I'm sure we'll see some interesting projects arrive. I will be posting reviews of the few games I have been able to play shortly, so look for more details soon.

I hope you enjoyed my first impressions of the Wii U and maybe got you to consider buying one.  Check out my review of Nintendo Land in the very near future here at A Gamer's World and be sure to contact me with questions, comments, stories, etc.

Dishonored Review

Available for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC

Take one part steampunk, one part first person shooter, one part stealth games,  add a dash of magic powers, blend lightly while stirring in a good story and you have a recipe for a great game.  Dishonored is the newest project from Bethesda and it's a pretty sweet game.  You assume the role of Corvo, the royal bodyguard to the Empress.  When she's attacked and murdered you are framed as her killer and the kidnapper of her daughter Emily and get locked away. While in prison you receive a note telling you how to escape and meet with a group of Loyalists to the Empress who want to help you get revenge on whoever dishonored you and get your life back on track.

You get to encounter a mystic being known as the Outsider who grants you access to some powers.  Now with your new-found profession as an assassin, you can choose to be really stealthy, and never let anyone know you're there or go in with guns blazing. Or if you prefer, crossbows. Or grenades.  You can choose to kill everyone in your path or kill nobody.  Every mission has options for stealth, and non-lethal means so you can choose to be a ghost and never let anyone see you, if that's more your playstyle.  If you've ever played Thief or Metal Gear Solid, it's kinda like that.  Some of the powers you have access to are short distance, line-of-sight teleportation,  the ability to possess animals or humans to sneak around, slow or stop time,  or turn bodies to ash if they don't see you kill them.  There are plenty of other abilities but I don't want to ruin any surprises.

The missions are very open in how you deal with them.  You're given a primary objective or target such as assassinating someone as well as optional side missions which may be finding something, other assassinations, or helping someone.  How you choose to complete the mission is up to you. For example I played the game stealthy, and if I did get caught I used non-lethal means to take care of people. My friend on the other hand kicked in the door, announced his presence, and took out anyone who had a problem with it. If you're supposed to kill someone, do you want to sneak in, abduct them, and kill them later?  Maybe shoot em with your crossbow so no one knows you were there? Poison their drink? Hide under the table for an ambush?  Just make sure you eliminate your target however you want to do it. The game also offers multiple paths to travel along.  Take  the road, climb up boxes and crates, jump from rooftop to rooftop, possess a rat and crawl through tunnels, or possess a fish and swim through sewers.  Climb into windows, scale walls the possibilities are near endless.

One of the biggest downsides to this game is that it's mission format instead of open world.  You have a hub location you start at, where you can talk to people, rest, buy upgrades, etc.  When you're ready to head out, you leave for a mission.  After the mission is over and you're ready to leave, you head back to the hub again.  If this game was open world it would have been near flawless.  The mission system really detracts from the game in my opinion. It's still good, but it could've been better.  Another downside is the campaign of the game is actually fairly short.  There is about 6-8 hours of gameplay if you just play straight through the campaign without worrying about collectibles and the like.  If you play it stealthy, the game does take longer because you have to wait for guards to walk their posts, and sneak up on people.

Speaking of collectibles, the game has a slew of things to look for during your missions.  Collecting runes will allow you to buy and upgrade more powers, finding bone charms that you can wear will grant you additional abilities or perks such as walking quieter, increased health, etc.  Many levels also have collectible paintings you can find, which are needed to unlock trophies/achievements in the game.  If you play through one level and do it stealthy, maybe you want to go back through and play it chaotic.

Combining powers to achieve goals in levels is a really cool way to replay levels. Possess a guard, sneak past the other guards, then exorcise yourself to kill your target. Someone threw a grenade near you?  Stop time, possess someone, and switch places with them. When time unfreezes, they die by their own grenade.  Teleport to someone and choke them to sleep. Your imagination is the limit.

***Synopsis***
Dishonored is an awesome game combining elements of stealth and first person shooters.  They have allowed a lot of creativity in achieving your goals, but not as much freedom in your environment or exploration. You can choose to be stealthy or bold.  Assassinate everyone in your path and leave no survivors, or put guards and civilians to sleep. Use your sword and skills, or conjure magic abilities.  Take back the life they stole from you, one target at a time.


Gameplay: 8.5 - Fast paced action, lots of conflict, supernatural powers. Stealth or slayer, take your pick.  The game offers a lot of freedom on how to accomplish your missions and lets you combine your abilities in creative ways.

Graphics/Presentation: 8.5 - The general presentation is done well, the overall atmosphere is somewhat colonial, but with technology that's more modern or even futuristic.  Walls of invisible electricity seem to fit in place right along with gunpowder loaded pistols and swords. Lighting is beautifully used with streetlights, and shadows for cover.

Story: 7.0 -The story feels predictable at some points, and didn't hold very many surprises.  It's a nice tale of  revenge but it's kind of dry overall. Just go to a new location, find your target, eliminate them. There are one or two twists, but overall it's the same formula.

Sound/Music: 9.0 - The voice acting is superb, sound effects are good.  Music gets intense during some of the bigger fights, along with the ambiance of the environments, it really makes the game feel dark and brooding.

Replay Value: 6.0 - One of the game's weak points is that the campaign is very short and there's not much to keep you coming back.  There are collectibles in every level, but it doesn't take much to get them on your first playthrough.  The most replay value comes in trying out new ways to use your abilities, and different styles of finishing your missions. There are tons of trophies too, but I'll warn you...most of them are rewards for being very stealthy and non-lethal.

Overall Score:  38.5/50

Have you played Dishonored? Do you agree with my review?  What are some of your creative kills?  Contact me for all your gaming needs!

The Walking Dead Game Review

Episodes 1 through 4 available on Playstation
Network, Xbox Live Marketplace, and PC

Everyone loves zombies, this is just fact. Zombies have appeared in many media outlets like movies, television shows, video games, books, etc., and an apocalypse of the undead is the most likely scenario for the end of the world according to many people. There's just something about flesh-eating humanoid figures that's scary, funny and cool.  The Walking Dead was originally a graphic novel before it premiered on AMC where it initially only had six episodes but has since turned into one of the biggest franchises on television. So when I heard TellTale Games was making a Walking Dead game, I was a little skeptical but my fears were soon destroyed as I dove into the interactive world full of walkers.

The Walking Dead Game takes place before the events of the show, and the visuals are based on the graphic novel. It looks like the comic has been brought to life in beautiful cel-shaded graphics, with character emotions and a fully voiced cast. The game has been separated into episodes, five in total, for roughly $5 a piece, or if purchased on most outlets like the Playstation Network or Xbox Live Marketplace there is a package available to purchase all five episodes ahead of time for a discounted price and each will be available to download as they are released monthly.  I did the latter option and it was the best $20 I've ever spent (saving me $1 on each episode.)

You control Lee Everett, an ex-convict who suddenly finds himself thrust into a world gone to hell where the dead walk the earth. He discovers a young girl surviving on her own and he decides to watch after her to ensure her safety. As they travel to find safety they meet other survivors and plenty of non-survivors. The episodes are each about 2-3 hours long and I guarantee you will make some level of emotional investment in the story.  You will care about the characters and the story, you will think about your decisions rationally and how it will affect your story. Everything you do will be to protect the people you care about or to punish characters you dislike. The game is a sort of exploration with point and click aspects similar to Heavy Rain. You move around environments but you can interact with other characters and certain preset environments and objects and when certain things are examined, or you've completed a task the story will progress.

Another aspect of gameplay is decision making.  Many characters will engage you in conversation and you will have a limited time to choose your reply. The things you say can affect how a character thinks of you, and also change how you act around others.  If you tell someone a lie, you need to remember what you told them because it could come up later.  Also the decisions you make in each episode will carry on to the next episode. If you stick up for a character, they'll remember your loyalty later on.  If you screw someone over, they're gonna remember that too.

In general the game's downsides aren't many but for a maximum of $5 each the flaws can be overlooked. Things like loading times between scenes while the autosave occurs, or small pauses in video are a small nuisance that remind you you're playing a game, which is unfortunate because you really get drawn into the environment and if it weren't for those subtle reminders it would be a great interactive experience that lets you feel like you're a part of the action. Some of the situations in the game are frustrating because you know what you want the end result to be, but you have to make the right in-game decisions in sequential order, to get the characters to do what you want. There also aren't in-game hints to help you when you're stuck. But for such a low price, I promise this game will keep you entertained.

Since this is set up in five episodes, I won't review it like a normal game but I'll just give a brief summary of each episode so far with a score of up to 5 for each episode.

Episode 1:  A New Day
The first episode in the series introduces us to our protagonist Lee and Clementine, a young girl left alone in the zombie apocalypse that Lee now looks after. You're first introduced to the concept of "walkers" and you will meet a group of survivors just trying to get by in a world gone mad.  This episode introduces you to the mechanics of the game, including conversational decision making, action sequences, and exploration. It has some slow moments, and the midway goals are frustrating to achieve because you know what you WANT to do but the game just wont let you until you do it their way. Some sections of this episode are a little laggy but overall doesn't take away from the experience.
[4/5]

Episode 2: Starved For Help
The survivors turn a motel into a makeshift fortress as a place to lay low for a while. Three months after the events of the first game, supplies and food are running low, the group is hungry and you have to make decisions on who gets to eat and who doesn't.  Who's more important to you? who needs their strength?  The survivors meet a couple of people from a nearby dairy and are willing to work with your group to help you get supplies and they invite you out to check out their place. There's also a group of bandits out in the woods who are stalking your group and harassing you and the people at the dairy seem to know about them. But these nice dairy farmers may have a few secrets... Most of the bugs seem to have been worked on in this game, and I don't recall seeing many long load times or screen glitches.
[5/5]

Episode 3: Long Road Ahead
This episode is probably my favorite so far because it really pushes your emotional choices.  You have to make some SERIOUSLY messed up decisions in this episode.  Someone at the motor inn is sneaking supplies to the bandits and its threatening the group. After some unfortunate circumstances, the group has to leave their safe haven at the motor inn, and find an abandoned train. The plan is to get it working and head for the coast. Surely there won't be any difficulties, right?
[5/5]

Episode 4: Around Every Corner
The group makes it to a city, and find themselves outnumbered by walkers. They find temporary shelter, and while scavenging for supplies and a boat, they encounter another group of survivors. Everyone works together to formulate an actual escape plan, and set out to gather supplies from a nearby community. The community is extremely dangerous and tensions within the group are already high due to some previous altercations.  This episode is unique in the sense that you have multiple decisions that will actually affect the number of people in your group, which is a very interesting concept.  The graphics in this one seem somewhat upgraded, and this is also the longest episode yet.
[5/5]

Episode 5: No Time Left
The end of Episode 4 left us with some very interesting questions about what's going to happen next, and Episode 5 does not disappoint. I did not physically time it but it felt like this episode was shorter than the others by a small margin. This is probably because you're so enveloped in the action. It's kind of hard for me to summarize this episode without spoilers but if you've played the first four episodes, there's no way you're going to miss this exciting, emotion-filled conclusion.
[5/5]

***Synopsis***
My reviews on these games may seem really high, but I promise it's for a good reason.  At the time of writing, four of the episodes are released, and I'll review the final episode when it comes out.

The Walking Dead game is an extremely good value and a wonderfully done game. Any fans of the series, or of zombies in general should definitely check this out!


Have any questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from any Walking Dead fans. Feel free to contact me with anything, and subscribe to my page!

Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward Review

Available for the 3DS, and Playstation Vita

Many people haven't heard of 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and that's really unfortunate. Luckily anyone who knows me or read my Top 10 Best Games You've Probably Never Played article knows that I absolutely adore the game. Virtue's Last Reward is the sequel to this great sleeper hit and with a gripping story and unique puzzles, it lives up to its predecessor in many ways. 999 will retroactively be considered part of the "Zero Escape" series along with any future games with Virtue's Last Reward being the second entry in the franchise.

The first thing I always make sure to tell people about these games is that they are VERY text-heavy, story based games.  If you don't like reading, or don't feel like going through a lot of story before you get to gameplay, this isn't the game for you.  But if you're still interested after my warnings, then you're in for an awesome story.  In a Saw-esque fashion, nine people wake up in a strange building with faint, blurred memories of being abducted. Some of them seem to know each other or are at least connected somehow, but no one trusts each other enough to open up to anyone else. They are thrown into a twisted game of trust and betrayal known as the Nonary Game: Ambidex Edition. Everyone is equipped with a bracelet showing three points, and as the story progresses you will have multiple chances to ally with or betray the other characters and they will have the same opportunities against you, and depending on how you vote you can earn or lose points.  If you break any of the rules of the game or your points drop to zero, your character dies. If anyone (or everyone) reaches nine points they can escape the game.

The game is primarily divided into two segments, Novel and Escape.  The Novel segments progress the story and as a major upgrade from the previous game, VLR's Novel portions are done with a full cast of voice actors in English or Japanese and 3D character models that are animated.  Every character has a distinct personality, from the douchebag dressed up like a magician, to a very polite gentleman in what appears to be mechanical armor, to the mysterious woman barely clad in anything. The rules of the game are explained to the players by their host, a CGI rabbit named Zero III. He's like a mixture of Kathy Griffin, Elmyra from Tiny Toons, and the Genie from Aladdin all balled up into a cute little psychotic, bipolar bunny body. Seriously, this guy's nuts. After a stretch of Novel progression, the Escape portions are where the gameplay comes in. You get stuck in locked rooms and you must use point and click movements to examine the room, check for clues, solve puzzles and play mini games. When you succeed, you'll find an exit to the room and progress the story through more Novel segments.

The puzzles in this game are fairly challenging.  Some may be easy or obvious, but others will really make you think and give you a serious sense of accomplishment when you get through them. I actually fist pumped when I solved a few. Some are just stupidly frustrating.  The game does provide you with an in-game memo feature that you can use to draw or write clues to help yourself figure things out. If puzzles get too difficult, there's also an easy mode you can switch to for that room and get more hints. The Escape rooms will also group you with other characters and you may get some extra tidbits about their back stories or find out information about the game from them. You may learn how one character is connected to another, or maybe get a brief lesson in quantum theory. Who knows?

Virtue's Last Reward has a TON of replayablity because every time you make a decision in the story it causes a branch in the flow chart.  You can choose from three different doors?  That's three different story paths. Down one path, you chose to betray someone?  You can go back to that point later and choose to ally with them instead. In all, the game provides a whopping 24 endings to earn, consisting of nine "game over" endings, nine "actual" endings, and six "to be continued" endings which require you to get more information from elsewhere in the story.  Conveniently enough, Virtue's Last Reward has a flow chart showing where you are in the story, and allows you to go back to previous segments to try other parts in the story and get new information. After a weekend of non-stop playing this game (including 14 hours in a car, and a day and a half in a hotel room) I've logged 16 hours of gameplay and I have roughly half the available endings and the best part is I'm not bored yet.. The cool thing is, anytime you reach text you've already read you're able to fast forward through it until you reach something you haven't read. Another feature that adds to the replayability is that every level requires you to find a password to escape, but there's also a secret password hidden in the room that will earn you a special file containing extra information about the game.  These files aren't required to progress the story, but a true completionist won't pass them up.  If you find the 2nd password while on easy mode, you'll receive a file with five pieces of information, but if you complete the room on hard mode (as you should!) then the file will have eight pieces of information for you.

***Synopsis***
Overall, Virtue's Last Reward is exactly what I was hoping for: a game with an awesome story, intense puzzles, and lots of replayability.  In 999 you had to do a lot of reading, and in this game there's a lot of story but if you don't want to READ everything, you could just listen to the characters. Be aware there is no voice for your character so you'll still need to read that. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, the beginning of the game is like 45 minutes of story before you get to your second puzzle so be aware that while this game is awesome, you better be prepared for a lot of story. But when you DO get gameplay, the puzzles are pretty fantastic.



Gameplay: 6.0 - The puzzles are great. Most are a nice difficulty with a balance of challenge while still giving you a rewarding feeling. However some puzzles are extremely difficult or tedious for seemingly no reason. Also since this is a story-driven game, gameplay elements are fewer than most games.

Graphics/Presentation: 9.0 - 3D character models is a nice step up, even though each has a preset number of animations, reactions and poses. The 3D graphics are used to give depth to the environments, altho not necessary. Some scenes are actually presented animated in video CGI. Very simple layouts for both button controls or touch screen.

Story: 10 - The game is BASED on a good story. This feels more like you're reading a virtual book than playing a game. There are a lot of plot twists, various endings, and shocking moments.  Each story path you choose gives you a new outlook on some of the characters' personalities and it's kinda fun finding the endings that aren't the "true" ending.

Sound/Music: 9.0 - Full cast of voice actors really lends to make this game better. Zero III is one of the most interesting characters I've encountered in a long time, and everyone's personality really shines more through their voice actor.  The music offers creepy undertones to lend to tense situations, and simple rhythmic music during puzzle solving.

Replay Value: 9.0 - The game has 24 endings to unlock, and a diversely branching story tree. Every room has an extra password to find, on easy or hard modes.  This game will ensure a lot of long nights and plenty of hours logged before you complete everything.

Overall Score:  43/50

The Facts About Wii U

Nintendo will be launching the Wii U this holiday season and it has come to my attention that an alarming number of people don't know much about it, if anything at all! Unfortunately I don't think Nintendo has done a great job on spreading the word this time around, so I've taken it upon myself. My hope is I can use this article to educate people before the system comes out and maybe you'll learn something new. Now ladies and gentleman of the internet, I present the Wii U.

Nintendo has recently published this handy infographic to give you all the details at-a-glance, and I will go more in-depth on a lot of these features below as I answer some of the most common questions people have asked me.  For a bigger view of the infographic, click here.

1. What is the Wii U?
The Wii U is Nintendo's newest console system. Let me say that again: IT IS A NEW CONSOLE. Many people mistakenly think that it is just a new controller/accessory for the Wii, but it's actually a whole new system. The biggest feature of the new system is the badass new controller called the Wii U Gamepad, which I'll elaborate more on soon. The Wii U will be fully backwards compatible with all previous Wii games and Nintendo will be providing a method to transfer Virtual Console and WiiWare games from the Wii to the Wii U. the Wii U will also feature HD capabilities, and will support previous Wii controllers such as the Wii Remotes, Nunchucks and the Classic Controller along with the new Wii U Gamepad.

Wii U Gamepad (left) and Wii U system (right)

 2. What is the Wii U Gamepad?
 The Wii U Gamepad is the innovative new controller that's going to set Nintendo apart from the competition. It's the size of a small tablet, with a touch screen in the center, that also doubles as a gameplay screen. Playing Legend of Zelda and need to go into your inventory for an item? Just look in your hands. Touch controls put all your items, tunics, potions and more at your fingertips. Maybe you're more of a first person shooter type of gamer, the Gamepad's screen can be used as a map/radar to find opponents, as well as sending support to your teammates.

Look at all the shiny toys!

The Wii U also has the functionality to take gameplay on your TV screen and transfer it to the Gamepad for some games. This solves a couple age old gamer problems. Say you're in the living room, playing a really intense game of  Mario and suddenly Dad walks in and has to catch the last 2 minutes of the big game that's in overtime.  He pilfers the remote, and changes the tv screen off your game forcing you to pause your gameplay and wait for his game to be over before you can switch back.  But with the Wii U, you can press a button and transfer the gameplay directly on to the gamepad, essentially making it a portable display system.  You can also use the above example but instead of Dad coming home for a sports game, change the dilemma to Nature calling collect and the solution is still the same.

The Gamepad will have two analog sticks, as well as four face buttons (A, B, X, Y), two trigger buttons (ZL and ZR),  and two shoulder buttons (L and R.)  Wii players will also be familiar with the Home, plus (+), and minus (-) buttons. The Gamepad features a front facing camera and a built in microphone as well as gyro and motion controls. All this technology in one package really gives developers a plethora of new ways to make gaming fun and interesting for players.



3.Will there be a more traditional option for players who don't want to use the Gamepad?
The majority of the games that come out will take advantage of the WiiU Gamepad, but for gamers who prefer a more traditional controller, Nintendo has developed the WiiU Pro Controller.

As you can see the design is very similar to the XBOX 360 controller, with the buttons and right analog stick switched. This design has proven to be very ergonomic and most gamers will admit to this style being the best controller design. The Pro Controller won't be available on EVERY game, but will be an option for a lot of the more hardcore genre's like first-person shooters.


4. When does the Wii U come out and how much will it be? What games will be available for it at launch?
The Wii U will be available in North America first on November 18th. Then European territories and Australia will get theirs on November 30th. And lastly if you live in Japan, the Wii U will hit shelves on December 8th.

The price of the Wii U (in $USD) is dependent on which package you buy; the Basic or the Deluxe. The Deluxe is a little more expensive but definitely a better value.  For $349.99  you get a Wii U system and Gamepad, both in sleek black, 32GB of internal flash memory, an HDMI cable, an A/C adapter, stands on which to rest or display your Gamepad and system, and can't forget to mention a copy of the game Nintendo Land! And if this wasn't enough for you, the Deluxe edition will also come with a subscription to the Premium Nintendo Network which is a new service Nintendo will be offering to encourage people to buy digital titles by offering them 10% off those purchases, as well as providing them with special rewards.

Maybe you don't want more stuff for your system, or just don't have that kind of money. Maybe it's a gift for a child or a friend. Maybe you just don't like the color black. Well Nintendo has you covered too. The Basic edition still comes with a Wii U Gamepad and system, but this time in the shiny white color the original Wii has made famous. Also included will be 8GB of internal flash memory, an HDMI cable, and an A/C adapter and this can all be yours for $299.99.

In my personal opinion, the Deluxe is a no-brainer. Nintendo Land alone is a $60 value, and you get it by paying $50 more than the Basic.  Both versions will also allow users to increase the amount of memory via USB external hard drives as well, so the memory isn't a big issue. 

The Wii U will have a better launch lineup than the 3DS did, and looks to be better than the Wii's lauch as well. Below is a brief summary of some of the games available from day 1.

Zombi U - (Ubisoft) A deadly virus has broken out in Britain and has turned the living into hungry zombies. Use the Gamepad as your all-in-one zombie apocalypse survival kit! A first-person shooter in the Survival/Horror genre that's sure to keep you on your toes.

New Super Mario Bros. U - (Nintendo) Mario and friends are back in crazy classic platforming action with up to FIVE player co-op! If you loved New Super Mario Bros. Wii, this game is an absolute must have.

Nintendo Land - (Nintendo) 12 fun mini games based off various franchises in the Nintendo universe. This game is designed to introduce new players to the Wii U Gamepad and its functionality.  This looks to be one of the most popular titles.

Scribblenauts Unlimited - (5th Cell) Maxwell is back, and better than ever! Use the Wii U Gamepad to not only write out the words you want to create, but even use the touch screen to bring to life all new creations to help solve puzzles.  With a huge databank of new words, Scribblenauts unlimited will give you hours of puzzle solving fun. Your imagination is the limit.

There are also other major title games that will be brought over to the Wii U such as Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Assassin's Creed 3, Darksiders 2, and Batman Arkham City will receive an upgrade in the Wii U-exclusive Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition, with new content and new ways to use the Wii U Gamepad.  The Nintendo eShop will also go live for the Wii U on day one with plenty of digital titles to check out as well. More details on those in a future article.

Along with these blockbuster hits, there will be even more great games coming out in the launch window, which normally consists of the first six months.


5. Will it play DVDs or Blu-Ray movies?
Unfortunately, the answer is still no.  While the game discs themselves ARE Blu-Ray discs (much like the PS3) the Wii U will not provide movie playback. Nintendo's reason for this has been cited as "most consumers already own at least one device with which to play movies, and to include such in our system will just make it more costly for our customers."  However if it's any consolation, Nintendo will be offering various video services such as Amazon Video, Netflix, and Hulu Plus from day 1, allowing you to watch your favorite movies and shows.


Well folks, I think that covers most of the common questions I get asked. I'm really looking forward to this system and I hope you are too.  If you have any additional comments, suggestions or questions, I'd love to hear from you.

Hall of Fame and Shame: Persistent Villains

Villains. Bosses. Bad guys. Call them whatever you want but they're always there to mess up the hero's plan. Most of them really do try to put forth a solid effort in stopping the protagonist from achieving their goal. Some develop really intricate schemes, others have outrageous fortresses lined with traps and hazards, while others still may just use brute force in the form of a massive amount of money and/or weaponry.  But what separates the champs from the chumps in the villains' world? It's not about whether or not you were defeated. I mean c'mon, you're the bad guy! You already know going into this that you're gonna lose.  What really matters, is will you try again? Revise your scheme to fix the weak points? Or maybe just try the same strategy again and hope for a different result?  Here's a list of baddies that never seem to give up...and the ones that didn't make many attempts.


Your Rival
From: Pokemon series
Status: Shame

You may have kept his default name as Blue or maybe decided to reenact the show and name him Gary, or named him a random insult like Dickhead but whatever his name was your rival was a pain in the ass from day one. As soon as you pick your pokemon, he wants the one that has a natural advantage to yours. Everytime you've just finished an important mission, and your team is slightly wounded he's going to inconveniently show up to challenge you. And then finally you beat the Elite Four and you walk that long hallway after Lance's room, and there he is with that smug look, ready to gloat about being the best in the world.  But that didnt last long did it? You defeat him, take on the role of Champion, and your rival never shows his disgraced face again.  Guess he gave up. So much for wanting to be the very best there ever was.

Dr. Robotnik

From: Sonic series
Status: Fame

Dr. Ivo Robotnik is a brilliant scientist with a huge IQ of 300 (along with a gut and mustache to match) but apparently being book smart doesn't always equal out to common sense. Robotnik (I refuse to call him "Eggman") has been chasing after Sonic and pals for over two decades with his non-stop army of robots created from helpless animals.  Every single time, Sonic manages to defeat him and yet Robotnik will hop in his little hover pod, retreat to safety, spend time and money on an even bigger robot, then go right back at it. He just doesn't know when to quit! I'd also like to point out that this guy created a Death Star-like space station, it crashed after a defeat by Sonic, then he re-launched it into space, and finished construction! This isn't like the size of a dump truck, we're talking a SPACE STATION of death.You sir, have my respect.

Sephiroth

From: Final Fantasy series
Status: Shame

Sephiroth is an MVP in the villain world, highly regarded especially by fans, but why? Is it the long flowing hair, the cool sword, the death glare?  I mean what did he really do? Mistakenly thinks he's descended from ancient godlike creatures and wanted to become a god himself, tried to destroy a single planet in the process, failed, died, and is never seen again (excluding spin-offs.) But like seriously, one planet, Sephiroth? Just one? Kefka puts you to shame sir. Realistically, the most villainous thing Sephiroth has done was kill poor Aerith.  Despite your name, appearance, and music being badass you're actually kind of a joke. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go brace myself for all the Sephiroth fanboys' hate mail.

Ganon

From: Legend of Zelda series
Status: Fame

Dark Lord of evil and not an ounce of good in this guy. He's just bad straight to his core. In one form he's a big boar-like demon sometimes standing on two legs, other times more like a beast on four. In his other form he's more human, a sorcerer of dark magic. This guy is the epitome of persistent and he will be reincarnated every time the Hero of Time is reincarnated so there's a constant struggle to keep his evil out of the world. Ganon is so evil that even when he was sealed away in the Sacred Realm his corrupt evil spread and when he finally broke out, he brought that evil world back with him. Aside from using magic and creating monsters, Ganon is also skilled in hand to hand combat, sword fighting, and horseback fighting. This guy's just, to quote Austin Powers, "dag nasty evil." Did you notice I used the word "evil" 6 times before this sentence? Yeah, there's a reason for that.

Count Bleck

From: Paper Mario series
Status: Shame

Everyone knows in the Mario universe that Bowser is the bad guy. And in most of the Paper Mario series this continues to be true. But in Super Paper Mario, a new villain takes the helm and he's....well, underwhelming. His plan starts by forcing Peach to marry Bowser (oh that horrible fiend!), then creating a Chaos Heart to open a universal void that will slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) destroy all worlds. And why is he doing this? Because his daddy said he and his girlfriend couldn't see each other, and made them break up. I'll give him props, instead of being like every other emo kid and cutting his wrist when life doesn't go his way, Bleck decided to take it out on the rest of the world. But even then he still failed. Not only was he defeated by Mario (as to be expected) but also betrayed by one of his own henchmen in the same day. He would've seen it coming if he weren't such a noob. And so the well-dressed Count Bleck has never made another appearance, and Bowser resumed his role as Mario's primary antagonist.

Dr. Wily

From: Mega Man series
Status: Fame

The second mad scientist of this list is Dr. Albert Wily and unlike Robotnik, Wily built his robots from scratch instead of enslaving animals. Wily is a brilliant mind who created a huge arsenal of Robot Masters, mechas and fortresses. His story seems to be a repetitive one: attack the city/world with robots, get defeated by Mega Man and then get on his knees and plead for mercy. Instead of killing him, Mega Man lets him go and Wily gets arrested only to eventually find a way to break out of jail. Lather, rinse, repeat. Even loss of body parts won't stop this guy as seen in the Battle Network series where Wily is shown to have a mechanical eye! Wily has been the bad guy for EVERY game in the Mega Man (classic) series. "What about Dr. Cossack in Mega Man IV" you ask?  That was Wily too. He kidnapped Cossack's daughter to force him to fight Mega Man. You would think if the same man tried to kill you 20+ times, you would stop believing him when he says he's going to change. Wily's motto seems to be "if at first you don't succeed....try try try try try try try again."

Onaga

From: Mortal Kombat series
Status: Shame




Onaga, also known as The Dragon King, was the ruler of Outworld long before Shao Kahn (the series' primary antagonist.) Onaga and his army were deemed invincible due to Onaga's ability to raise the dead, allowing him to consistently bring his army back. But Shao Kahn, who served as an advisor to Onaga poisoned him, and the Dragon King's army was mummified.  So fast forward a bit, and we find Shang Tsung and Quan Chi (the Thelma and Louise of the Mortal Kombat world) have discovered Onaga's mummified army and plan to revive them to take over Outworld. Raiden attempts to stop them, and loses, when suddenly, the big guy himself burst into the room. The Dragon King had been revived as the last existing dragon egg hatched, and he used Reptile's body as a host. So for one whole game, Onaga wreaked havoc on players until he was defeated and sealed away in the Netherrealm, and players continued to fight Shao Kahn as their final boss.

Bowser

From: Mario series
Status: Fame

Bowser is the herpes of bad guys. No matter what you do you will never get rid of him. I don't know if he does it for fun, or for sport, but every game is the same: Kidnap the princess (and/or the brother), watch Mario show up and win. Every. Time. In later games he has shown the ability to teleport, grow in size, cast dark fireballs and other weird powers but originally Bowser could only shoot fireballs and throw hammers. What's with the hammer obsession anyway? Did Bowser just go to Ace Hardware and buy out every hammer in every store, and equip his minions with them? Anyway we're not sure how Bowser survives, but time and time again he is cast into black holes, lava pits, and even suns and yet with every new Mario game, Bowser is back in action. You can't help but admire his tenacity though.

General Tsao

From: Sly Cooper series
Status: Shame

General Tsao is not only a tasty meal, but also an antagonist in one of the Sly Cooper games. As would be expected, he's a giant rooster and his main obsession is with his family lineage. He believes that his bloodline is the best, and that mating with the Panda King's daughter (who also has great heritage) will continue his bloodline and make it even stronger. He was completely oblivious that his prisoner had been switched out for a cop until he was arrested. Arrested in the same game he was introduced in, if I may point out. If you're gonna fall for something that lame, you deserve to lose. ...Can chickens even mate with pandas? I'm sure there's a dark corner of the internet that talks about this.

Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde

From: Pacman series
Status: Fame

The Ghost Gang from the Pacman series are shining examples of both teamwork and persistency. They work together for the common goal of chasing down Pacman and stopping him from eating all the pellets. Each of the four ghosts have a nickname that corresponds to their strategy in hunting Pacman. The leader, Blinky (red) is the first out of the ghost house and he gets his nickname "Shadow" from always being the one to directly go after Pacman. "Bashful" is the blue ghost named Inky and is known as such because he will not chase Pacman directly, unless Blinky is close by. The only female of the group is Pinky. Her nickname is "Speedy" because instead of going directly for Pacman, she instead chases him in the direction he is going and is usually first to reach him. Bringing up the rear, as he does when leaving the ghost house is Clyde the orange ghost. His nickname is "Pokey" both because he is slow to leave the ghost house, and he's been known to be a little slow in the head too. He randomly does whatever he wants until Pacman is close, then he pursues. Together these 4 Ghosts do literally nothing but chase Pacman until they are eaten, in which case they return to the ghost house, and wait to do it all over again.



There's another entry in the Hall of Fame and Shame! Did you enjoy it? Can you think of any I missed? Have suggestions for the next Hall of Fame/Shame? I'd love to hear from you if you have suggestions, coments, or questions! Please be sure to check out my other articles as well!

New Super Mario Bros 2 - Review

"Can you collect 1,000,000 coins?" This is the challenge issued by Nintendo when they announced New Super Mario Bros. 2 at the 2012 Electronics Entertainment Expo.  When I first heard this I thought "Wow, that's nuts. How's this even possible?" But then I started seeing gameplay footage of the game and when they say the Mushroom Kingdom is bursting with coins, they aren't joking!


At first glance it looks like another typical Mario title complete with Goombas, Koopas, "?" Blocks, platforms, mushrooms, etc. Then I came to a coin brick that you can hit repeatedly and like any good Mario player, I do just that. Suddenly, the block dislodges from its suspended place in the air, and became stuck on Mario's head, and every few steps I took, a coin got added to my total! Curious, I began running and jumping and coins started streaming out of the block on Mario's head. Now I'm only 20 seconds into the first level of the game and I've already got 60 coins and suddenly the one million mark doesn't seem like it will be as daunting of a task.

This game is a direct sequel to the original New Super Mario Bros. for the DS and just like its predecessor and New Super Mario Bros Wii,  NSMB2 keeps the same style, music, and gameplay. You know how in NSMBWii the Koopas and Goombas dance to the music?  Yeah, that's back too!  A 2D side scrolling platformer, get to the end of the level and touch the flagpole, collecting coins and power-ups along the way. The difference is this time, almost everything you do can cause coins to appear. And I mean everything. If you see a ledge that just looks out of place and serves no purpose, hop on it, and a couple rows of coins can appear out of thin air!  Hit a switch and pipes may start spewing coins everywhere! Wario would probably have a seizure if he saw this vagrant display of financial hijinks. There may even be something if you reach the flagpole under certain conditions.... Hmm....

The Tanooki Leaf makes a return in NSMB2 and this time it functions more like the original one in the NES's Super Mario Bros. 3.  Grabbing the leaf will turn you into Racoon Mario allowing you to whip enemies and blocks with a swing of your tail and flutter down slowly from a jump or fall. Also returning from Mario 3 is the ability to take flight after running a short distance, allowing you to reach greater heights (and more coins!) Pro tip: if a block gives you the Tanooki Leaf, you should probably try flying up somewhere in that immediate vicinity. Just sayin'.

A new power-up item in this game is the Golden Fire Flower which turns you into -- you guessed it -- Golden Mario. And let me tell you, this item is about as awesome as a Mario power-up can get. As Golden Mario you will throw fireballs that are golden in color, and every enemy it hits will give you 5 coins, or if you hit a chain of enemies the number of coins will increase like multipliers. Every block that gets hit will turn into a coin, and also destroy surrounding blocks into coins as well. You can unleash sheer golden fury and wipe out whole screens worth of enemies and blocks with this item, all the while fueling your own greed for coins. I'm not usually a perfectionist, but damn it when I had that golden fire power in my hands, there wasn't a single block or straggling Koopa left unscorched. I turned them all into cash without a single one left to tell the tale.

One of the other new additions is the Golden Ring that when touched, turns all enemies in the area to gold. Eliminating them or otherwise using them (such as kicking a Koopa shell) will produce coins. This effect lasts for about 10 full seconds so make sure to take advantage of it as best you can! It feels really good to jump on a Koopa, get five coins, then kick it so a trail of money starts flowing behind it, chase after it, and watch as every enemy it encounters gets you an increasing amount of coins per hit.You may not think you're greedy now, and you're not going to bother trying to collect a million coins, but let me tell you when you see that money popping up everywhere, you're gonna find yourself going out of your way to grab every last coin. You will make daredevil jumps and take risks you'd normally never think about just to make sure you nab every single penny.

The hub world consists of a map with levels that must be completed to form a path to the next level. Also present on the hub screen is a counter that tracks your total coin count that you have collected throughout the game. It's this very coin counter that will mock you and also motivate you. Every time you enter a level, you see the numbers there, telling you how far you've come or how far you still have left to go, (y'know the whole half-empty, half-full thing) to reach that shiny million mark. As is typical of the Mario formula, each world has a theme (grasslands, desert, iceland, etc) and you can only progress to the next world after clearing the castle of your current world. Each area has some levels that can only be accessed by discovering secret exits within some of the levels themselves and these new areas can open shortcuts across the maps or take you to new areas with special coin levels, like for example riding on a platform while hundreds of coins are just rained down upon you and your only goal is to collect as many as possible. Pretty sweet right?

New Super Mario Bros. 2 features two new modes as well. For those who loved playing co-op in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, you can relive the fun and frantic action with a 2nd player who also owns the game via local wireless connection.  With Luigi at your side you can topple enemies together and also work together and gather as many coins as possible. ...Or choose to betray each other so you can get more. Whatever strategy works best for you. The other mode is one that everyone seemed excited about and I didn't share their enthusiasm until I played it.  The all-new Coin Rush Mode gives you a single life, and throws you into a set of three randomly selected stages from levels you've already cleared. Your goal is to race to the finish as quickly as possible, while also collecting as many coins as you can along the way. Getting the highest number of coins in the fastest possible time can only be accomplished by practicing speed runs, and studying where the biggest amounts of coins can be found in each level. It's quite an experience trying to rush through a level, yet grab every coin, and avoid hazards. It's a nice balance of risk and reward and you may impress yourself with how fast you can go when that timer starts flashing red. Also if you have Streetpass enabled for the game you can send and receive Coin Rush challenges to see if you can beat other player's high scores.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 has quite a bit to offer and will give you hours of gameplay goodness. But like all good things it does have to come to an end, and the replay value isn't the best.  Sure there's all the hidden levels to find,  and there are 3 Star Coins hidden in every level and of course reaching your one million coin goal.  But after you beat the game, there really isn't much more to do, as is typical of most Mario games. But it'll take you a while to get to that point, and Nintendo has released waves of paid DLC producing all-new Coin Rush challenges and special levels to try out.


***Synopsis***
New Super Mario Bros. 2 brings about classic Mario side scrolling gameplay, with the added task of gathering as many coins as humanly possible (and then gathering more.)  What happens when you get to 1,000,000?  I'm not gonna tell you here, so only one way to find out. Co-op and Coin Rush Modes allow for new ways to play and test your platforming and coin collecting skills. Great game if you're a fan of the Mario series.


Have you hit the 1,000,000 mark? Do you have a Coin Rush video you want to show off? Contact me with your questions and comments, maybe show off some of your records. I'm here for all your gaming needs!

Persona 4 Arena Review

Available on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

So I'll be the first to admit, I actually know nothing about the Persona series.  I was unaware of its existence until I saw this game and at some point I'll try to check out some of the other entries to the franchise. A friend brought this game to my attention a few days before it came out, and we decided to try it out. Persona 4 Arena is a fighting game brought to you by the same people who worked on BlazBlue games as well as the Guilty Gear series and produced by Atlus.  If you're unaware of what all this means, let me translate for you: this game is fighting genre gold.

Controls for this game are very similar to that of Guilty Gear and they're extremely well-done. Every character has a Persona, representing who they want to be or what they want to achieve in life and these Personas can be called into battle to aid in attacks. You earn damage by attacking the opposing player directly but if you attack their Persona enough times you can disable it from coming out for a few seconds which can prove vital to a winning strategy. This game has multiple combos and chains that are easy to learn with different ways to string them together and every character has flashy special moves and even a One Hit K.O. move in the last round for a visually dazzling finisher. For people who are new to more in-depth fighting games the game has a training and tutorial mode that will get even the most novice player into the game quickly.  Persona 4 Arena has the classic formula of easy to learn, hard to master and it will keep you coming back for more.

The story takes place directly after the events of Persona 4, with the mysterious Midnight Channel appearing back on the air. The investigation team goes to check it out to see if the rumors are true, and when they look inside the TV as before, they don't see other people, but themselves competing in a tournament of sorts. The story mode for the game is pretty deep and anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I'm a HUGE supporter of story in any game and P4A doesn't disappoint for the most part.  The story follows the individual characters, letting you hear their thoughts, follow the action and it goes pretty deep.  It's well written, and beautifully presented between still screens with voice actors and fully animated scenes. But the story mode is also one of my biggest complaints with the game. Fighting games are not meant to have a lot of story, or if they do, there should be enough action involved to keep your attention.  I went into story mode, expecting a few paragraphs or pages of text/dialogue, then a fight or two, then repeat.  Unfortunately I sat through 30 minutes of mostly pointless plot and inner monologue to finally be greeted by a fight that lasted all of 25 seconds, then more plot. I realize story is important, especially to this franchise, but you gotta give me a little more action than that in a story.

Persona 4 Arena really shines in presentation.  From the neon-colored menus, to the fast animations of the fights and attacks, right down to the J-Pop/Techno soundtrack. Every attack, combo, and special in the game has so many frames that the animation is very fluid. The characters are well-drawn, and the attacks are creative, especially Teddie. Every level available to play on is a creative spin on one of the locales of the characters' high school and the music is always upbeat, fast paced, and increases the action. As previously mentioned, during the last round of a fight, when certain conditions are met a character gains access to a One Hit K.O. finishing move, and if it connects you'll see a combination of in-game sprites, cartoon animation, and 3D effects.  All of the finishing moves are really a sight to behold and give a feeling of more accomplishment to a win. I would almost compare this game's flashy graphics to that of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but it's not quite there yet so you don't have to keep your optometrist on speed dial.

One of the first things I noticed about P4A when I loaded the game for the first time was the number of modes. Between Story, Training, Tutorial, Arcade, Challenges, Online and more, this game really has a lot to offer.  As usual in a fighting game Arcade mode pits you against CPU-controlled opponents that increase in difficulty as you progress. Challenge mode lets you take the skills you've learned and try to complete move sets and combos to help you learn your characters better. The online fighting mode has quite a few options for filtering your opponents such as region, skill level, and more to keep you from getting in too far over your head.  There's also a rating system and a level-up system for various skills you may use, such as how often you throw or how many special moves you've performed. I noticed slight lag in the animation aspects sometimes, but never any noticeable breaks in gameplay. Definitely a fun opportunity to test your skills against other players around the world!

 



***Synopsis***
Persona 4 Arena is a fighting game from the creators of BlazBlue and Guilty Gear with tight controls, a variety of game modes, and a dazzling presentation. The game's visuals and soundtrack are astounding and there's a very deep (albeit frustratingly unsatisfying) story mode. Must-own for any fighting fan.


Gameplay: 8.5 - Responsive controls, easy-to-learn but hard-to-master fighting system for combos. Great for beginners, and veterans alike.

Graphics/Presentation: 9.5 - Animated cutscenes along with high quality voice acting in story mode,  fluid animations and bright, colorful menus. Awesome finishing moves, special attacks and combos.

Story: 6.5 - The story itself is very well done with deep character development, but this score is hurt by the gameplay aspect of the story mode. 30 seconds of gameplay after 20 minutes of reading really doesn't balance out well, in my opinion.

Sound/Music: 8.0 - Some of the repetitive voice clips during fights can be mildly annoying but is by no means a deal-breaker. The music of this game is great. Every stage is set to a Techno/J-Pop style soundtrack that keeps the game feeling upbeat and energetic. Depending on where you buy your copy, a lot of new copies of Persona 4 Arena include a soundtrack with it!

Replay Value: 8.5 - Story mode has a number of characters to play through as, and there are a variety of other modes including Arcade and 30 Challenges for each character, and a fully equipped Online mode to let you play with friends, foes, and strangers alike.

Overall Score: 40.5/50


Overall Persona 4 Arena is a fantastic game for any lover of fighting games and it takes a lot of skill to fully master it.  Comments? Questions? Fight requests? Contact me for all of your gaming needs!

Top 5 Indications of a Boss Battle

As a gamer nothing will get your adrenaline rushing more than knowing you're about to enter a boss fight. You've fought your way through a level, a dungeon, a stage and now the action is about to come to a head. In mere moments you will be staring down a formidable enemy ready to end your quest and you get a knot in the pit of your stomach. From the old days of the NES to modern day games, there has always been a few ways to tell that the boss is looming just ahead, Some of them are a welcome sight to see while others serve to further the intimidation factor.

#5

The Boss Door

This is probably the most used and easily recognizable sign that you're about to be in for the fight of your life. Usually requiring some type of key that was earned elsewhere in the level, sometimes the door is huge and intimidating while other times it's subtle but with that eerie, ominous feeling of dread. Rarely is there a boss entrance that's just an open space to walk into. The developers want you to make an active decision to progress forward towards the challenge. So take a breath, steady your nerves, and open it.

#4
The Audio

So you're walking down a hallway, not sure what's coming up. You've been playing this level for 30 minutes, solving puzzles, wrecking baddies, and exploring when suddenly the music changes. The room falls quiet. A slow, deep, dark sound is rising around you as if the depths of Hell are creeping up on your shoulder. Maybe you hear sounds like growling, footsteps, or evil laughter depending on the threat that lies ahead. When the same music you've been hearing for a whole level takes a sudden change, you better put on your big boy pants.

#3

Newer Enemies

As you progress through the dungeon/level you're in you probably start seeing a repeat of the same similar enemies over and over.  And one by one you continue to trounce them with ease. Then you enter a room, and suddenly you're greeted by a new threat! It's not a boss, but perhaps a new strong creature guarding the boss room unlike any of the others you've seen so far.  These tend to be strong and serve as a means to get you warmed up (or weakened) for the even bigger threat that awaits after their defeat. Sometimes after defeating these sub-bosses you are rewarded with the next item on the list....

#2

Healing Items

Game developers aren't cruel, horrible people (most of the time) and they realize that after fighting through a whole level, you've probably taken some damage here and there.  If the boss room has some sort of guardian it's almost guaranteed that your health is low and this, my friends, is where healing items come in.  Almost all boss areas will have a major healing item (such as restoring one's health to full) outside the door. Others will have some way of healing DURING the boss fight, maybe scattered around through the room.  But if you ever see a fully healing item, it's probably safe to assume you're going to need it very soon.

#1

The Save Point

One of the most tried and true signs of an oncoming boss fight is a save point.  These come in two forms: a physical point where you must go up and actively choose to save your file (sometimes right next to #2's healing item),  and the other one is a bit more scary--the autosave!  So you walk into a room, doesn't seem too dangerous, and then you see whatever autosave icon your game has appear somewhere on the screen. Oh man, the game is saving by itself, something bad's about to---OH NO A CUT SCENE!!!  Yep, good luck with that. These two can give contrasting feelings because the physical save point is usually a sign of relief, knowing you have a place to go and save and maybe rest before continuing on.  While the autosave just sneaks up on you when it's too late.

So next time if you're playing a game and you encounter a strong enemy, defeat it and find a healing item, a save point, and a big door in the same room,  and the music starts changing....odds are you're close to the boss.  What are some other things you've experienced?  Something I may have missed?  Comment here, or contact me via the information in my profile because I'd love suggestions!