Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, like the cookie

…or a penguin. Or a tux. Or a penguin in a tux eating a black-and-white cookie.

Either way, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White are next two titles for rabid fans to stew over. No reference to specific gems or stones this time around, but I also can’t help and think it has something to do with LOST‘s mysterious black and white rocks that occasionally show up, often as symbols for good and evil. Very little is known about these next generation games, but rumors speak of Zorua and its advanced form Zoroark, a dark Pokémon. I hope they continue to implement the Pokéwalker.

Might be a 2010 release for those shmucking it up in Japan. No idea for the United States. I’d wager early next year. Chances are I won’t even complete my Pokédex for HeartGold before Black/White arrive. I’m, um, pretty slow at catching ’em all. Tara and I tried for probably over an hour to obtain a Jigglypuff, but alas, that pink puffy bastard eluded every single Safari ball we threw at its face. Waaah!

Nintendo announces the Nintendo 3DS, and I am mad

No, no, no nonnononono NO!

That is my gut reaction to the news that Nintendo has announced the successor to its Nintendo DS system, and that it will be all about 3D gaming. I’m sure we all remember how well the Virtual Boy fared. Regardless, I’m more put off that there seems to be a…market for 3D gaming. I just can’t get its appeal. The portable platform will somehow offer 3D gaming without the need for 3D glasses, a first I think. However, I am and will always be more interested in games than gimmicks.

P.S. I blame Avatard for all of this.

Introducing PlayStation Move, Sony’s Downfall

Okay, maybe not its downfall, but really, a motion controller this late in development and then so shockingly close to that of Nintendo’s Wiimote and Nunchuk…well, I just can’t see the PlayStation Move being a huge hit. The system is full of adult-oriented games from Heavy Rain to Uncharted 2 to Metal Gear Solid 4. Rarely does a more kid-friendly game release itself unto the wild, but with this new controller will come a slew of Move-heavy entries. Whether they will be gimicky or fun is for many to decide later. There’s a reported price tag of $100 for the whole kit and caboodle, which probably has no one reaching for their wallets. Ultimately, Sony has a lot of ground to make up. Not sure if this is the right path. Guess you could say they really need to move it, huh?

Sorry ’bout that.

Percy Jackson DS game from the abode of Hades

I’m just finishing up the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series–The Last Olympian–and am eagerly (though somewhat cautiously) anticipating the theatrical release of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. They are fun books, with a lot of humor and Greek geek, and while many might instantly compare them to (or call them a ripoff of) Rowling’s Harry Potter, they should do some research and learn that Rick Riordan’s first manuscript was written in 1994.

Regardless of that fact, as the gaming industry is wont to do, there’s going to be a videogame release to coincide with the movie release. Tie-ins, they never end well. And evidently, Percy Jackson’s adventures are perfect for…an RPG on the Nintendo DS? Really?

Yeah, I don’t get it either. It comes out on 02/09/10, and check below the cut for some atrocious-looking screenshots. I’m in pain just posting them. Quick, feed me ambrosia!

REVIEW: TouchMaster 3 (over at The First Hour)

I’ve got a new on-the-side writing gig at The First Hour, and my first bit of work for them, a review of TouchMaster 3, is now up. The First Hour is a site that uses a unique structure in reviewing games…they cover only the first hour of the game (or, in the cases of many DS games, the first half-hour), and it’s a system that works well. Much like with the first few chapters of a book, if a game can’t entice you within sixty minutes, there’s probably no reason to keep playing afterward.

Anyways, not every game I come across and/or play will be The First Hour material. I’d like to keep this blog as active as possible. But, I now have a perfect excuse to go back and play some games I gave up on or bought and never even tried. The next two I’m probably going to tackle are XIII and Odin Sphere.

Either way, I’m excited to be a part of the site!

Nintendo Announces the Nintendo DSi LL

Nintendo announced at a Tokyo press event there will be a revised version of the Nintendo DS, dubbed the Nintendo DSi LL.

Great. Cause at this point, the world needs one more iteration of the DS. Here’s how it’s gone down over time:

1. The DS
2. The DS Lite
3. The DSi
4. The DSi LL

Evidently the “LL” is in reference to the new, larger screens, which fans have been asking for since the 207 B.C. It’s mostly there for those using the system to listen to music and surf the Interwebz though I wouldn’t mind seeing my tiny Animal Crossing: Wild World items better represented. Anyways, the new DSi LL also comes with two styluses, three in-system games, the DS Easy Dictionary, and three snazzy colors (Dark Brown, Wine Red, and Natural White). There’s probably a stronger battery life in there, too. No U.S. launch date or pricing yet.

For what it’s worth, I love the color wine red, but really feel that things need to slow dooooooown.

Kotaku has a comparison up of the DSi LL to the DSi and DS Lite.

Happy Birthday, Dreamcast!

The Sega Dreamcast, the last console from the company, is celebrating its tenth anniversary today on 9/9/09 for its release on September 9, 1999. Everyone is posting about the news of a new Dreamcast game release, as well as their favorite memories.

Me? I don’t have one, mostly because I never played a Dreamcast before. Is it as magical as everyone is describing? Did I miss out? Somehow, I’m wearing my doubts on my sleeves.

Either way, someone pass me a slice of the birthday cake.

Level-5 bringing “Fantasy Life” to Nintendo DS

Oh, Level-5. How I love thee.

Seeing as how I grew tired of Animal Crossing: Wild World and am currently meandering through Magician’s Quest Mysterious Times with little care, the prospect of a “city sim” with actual endings sounds simply wonderful. Mix that with an art style that is eeriely close to Mother 3, and I’m in:

Retro goodness for everyone!

Fable III has been announced

See the announcement and its details here.

No, you did not leave the kettle on the stove by accident. That sound is my girlish cry of joy at its highest screech–can’t wait to rule Albion! Anyone that does not bow to my dog will be tossed off the nearest parapet!