So apart from updating you all on our lives, this whole house buying process has been quite a learning experience which brings me to video games.  Within most video games, buying a home is not really an option.  When you play a game like Call of Duty, Halo, or Gears of War, the idea of a place called home is an afterthought.  Of course these characters have some kind of place they call home but it’s a place that we will certainly not be invited to see.  Then you have other games like, most notably, The Sims, Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon which revolve around the notion of getting a home and building a game pretty much around that.  Most recently, however, games like Fable, Fallout 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim feature homes as a large part of the game’s mechanics.

Now, while buying a home in real life has it’s obvious hoops and obstacles, the only real obstacle in video games lies in earning, making, or stealing enough money to buy the house outright.  Off hand, Animal Crossing is the only game that comes to mind that actually offers you a mortgage that you can pay off (at your absolute leisure).  This bank, however, doesn’t care that you have a piddly job at Tom Nook’s store or run a credit report.  Nor do they care that most of your significant income comes from digging holes all around the town, shaking trees, and doing odd jobs for your neighbors for cash under the table.  They also don’t care when you pay your mortgage and they don’t assess late fees if you don’t pay for three months.  They don’t have a minimum payment so you can pay as little as you want or you can pay the house off in full in one fell swoop.  At the same time, you don’t have monthly utility bills nor do you have the ability to max out any credit card bills – in Animal Crossing you can only buy things that you have the cash on hand for.  You do have the option to save money at the town’s bank.  This does not earn interest (nor do the real ones for that matter!) but you can put away some extra cash for, really, whatever you want.

In Fable, you can buy a house once you earn enough money as well as (sigh, if I remember correctly) once you satisfy certain conditions within the game.  From there you have a place that you can call home to sleep in, have sex in (lol), and even redecorate.  You can also rent out houses to earn more money.  The nicer your house is decorated, the higher amount of money the house is worth if for rent or for sale.  If you are evilly aligned, you can even raise the rent above market value to make more money.  In Albion, there is no mortgage. You have to earn the money, ALL of it before you can buy a place.  Houses in Albion even grant the owner certain bonuses that can help (or hinder) you in the game.  You can also switch the home you live in with, quite literally, the push of a button.  The “A” button to be exact.

In games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim, a home is also a place to store all the crap that you collect from dungeons, quests, and killing stuff.  You can decorate the house, you can cook in it, and you can even alchemize potions of all kinds in it.  Like in Fable, you have to earn the money to buy the house.  Earning money, in the beginning of the game, is really hard in both games yet no one has a problem doing so.  We stay late at work (killing anything we can find), we collect as much as we can hold (yah! this book is worth one piece of gold! I’ll take it to town with me and sell it), we even pick town’s people’s pockets or steal from their homes and stores just to earn enough money to buy a coveted home.

So that brings me to real life where we all have a hard time saving money (well, at least I do).  Keeping my eyes on the prize, in a video game, is really the whole mechanic to playing a video game.  Do this to get to that then to that to get to this.  Why is it so much harder to keep your eye on the prize in real life?   Why don’t I opt to stay at work longer and why don’t I find stuff and sell it?  Obviously, I can’t run and and kill shit to either loot the body or sell its pelt (I guess I could do the latter, but a hunter I am not).  I try to recycle but it’s almost more work to recycle than it would be to just stay at work an hour longer.  (I guess I do the recycling thing to get my CRV back, feel less guilty about how much I waste, and feel that much more superior to you assholes who don’t recycle. I’m kidding about that last bit).  With “Buying a Home” being a true real life achievement to unlock, you would think that, as a video game achievement whore, I would have been working harder and longer to unlock said achievement.  Well, the one thing that video games have over real life is accelerated time.  Time happens a lot faster in game than in real life and that makes it a hell of a lot easier to keep your eye on the prize.  That and there are probably a bunch of side quests that need to be done thus earning you even more cash to put towards your home or that new shiny armor you’ve been eyeing in the blacksmith’s shop.

Another thing that is virtually absent in video game home buying is the bank (except in Animal Crossing of course).  the stipulations and hoops that home buyers must jump through are ridiculous.  Of course, it’s somewhat necessary since we are just trying to bounce back from the housing crash that happened a few years ago.  It’s a great time to buy but you really have to make sure that all your ducks are in a row.  Minimize your credit card debt (have as little as possible), pay off your cars, and for Pete’s sake, pay your bills on time – all of them.   You want to have a good credit score basically so you won’t pay a higher interest rate.  Next, you want to have at the very minimum , $25,000 in the bank.  This number is dependent on a number of factors: the price of the home, the status of your credit, your income amount, your debt to income ratio, the type of loan you need, the type of sale, and the condition of the house.  We only had $11,000 saved up so we had to come up with a way to pay the closing costs that satisfied the bank and basically assured them that we can indeed afford the house.  The bank will need to verify where the down payment money comes from so you will need to be prepared to explain it by either making sure it’s obvious or writing a bunch of letters of explanation.  Then there are all the things you have to gather together to prove to the bank that you are worthy of getting their money to buy your home.  Your bank statements, your pay stubs, everything that proves that you make enough and have enough to purchase this house.  Then there is the waiting and oh yes, you will wait.  Even for a home that is bank owned.  A home that makes the bank absolutely no money for every day it stays unsold.  You would think that the banks would do their shit faster so they can stop losing money on it, but they don’t, they take their sweet time and take a process that is supposed to last 30 days into one that takes anywhere from 30 to 45 days and sometimes even longer.  This is assuming that the buyers as well as the sellers are on top of things…if both parties are lagging, the whole process does the same.  In our case, we had all of our ducks in a row and had satisfied all the requirements as early as possible but because the bank took so long to open escrow, we wait.  And wait some more.

And that brings us to the present and possibly, the whole point of this article, in my mind.  Why can’t buying a home in real life be more like buying a home in a video game.  It’s a hell of a lot easier and we seem to enjoy the whole process that much more.  One more thing to note, moving homes in a video game is sooooo much easier than even thinking about moving in real life.  Hell, in Skyrim, I can carry like 350 lbs and all of it fits into my adventuring satchel or whatever it is I keep my loot in (a bag of holding?).  If I had that encumbrance and strength, for that matter, this would be a whole different story!  Anyways, Norm and I will be back soon, once we have completed our move and have settled in, and we will be able to come back and focus on what Married with Video Games is all about – video games, relationships, and more video games.  Thanks for reading!

Blizzcon 2011 – October 21-22, 2011
Anaheim Convention Center

Opening Announcements:

There were some big announcements at this year’s Blizzcon!  Diablo 3 is still on track for a Q3 2012 release with Beta testing wrapping up final details of the game.  During a Q&A session, JAy Wilson, Diablo 3 Game Director, announced that a new wave of Beta keys will be made available after the next patch.

In addition, a surprise announcement was made for all you World of Warcraft (WoW) fans:  if you sign up for an annual WoW account, Blizzard will give you Diablo 3 for free, in addition to a new in-game mount.  So come midnight of the Diablo 3 release, you will have access to download the game for FREE!  You must keep that account active for a year but WoW fans shouldn’t have a problem with that.

Also, a new expansion is being released for Starcraft 2 called Heart of the Swarm.  The expansion features new and changed units with some new abilities as well as retiring ones.

The first expansion for WoW Cataclysm, Mists of Panderia, was announced and features a new class – Monk – and a level cap increase to 90. The expansion also features a new playable race called the Pandaren and a new continent called Pandaria.  It will also feature challenge mode dungeons, new PVE scenarios, pet battle system, and a new talent system.

Convention Floor:

The layout of the convention was really well done.  There was one hall was dedicated to Diablo 3, another hall dedicated to Starcraft 2, and another to World of Warcraft.  Playable demos of all three games were available in each hall.

There were several vendors representing their products as well. LG had a great display setup showing off some amazing 3D monitors.  Steelseries had a display with some cool gaming mice including the new Diablo 3 mouse.  Big screens were draped all over the place so no matter where you were there was a screen to watch interviews or matches in WoW and Starcraft 2.  The costume contest and dance contest were great!  People got down this year and came up with some ornate costumes!

The Diablo 3 demo was awesome!  The graphics were amazing with great lighting effects.  The controls were easy to get accustomed to – right and left click.  The sound effects were great!  The old school feel of Diablo 1 and 2 is still there with the red life blood bowl on one side and the blue mana bowl on the other.  I played the Demon Hunter and really liked the strong beefy sound of the crossbow.  My girlfriend had a blast with the barbarian!

Amidst all the announcements and the excitement of Blizzcon, my girlfriend and I are really excited for what’s coming up in the next year or so.

Normally, I would wander around and check out the world. I may not even talk to anyone before I kill someone or something. When I played Oblivion, I wandered into some random dungeon through what probably was a back door. I killed a bunch of guys I didn’t even know (they attacked me first, by the way), and ended up with some pretty cool equipment. Then I discovered there was a story.

With only three hours to play, I wanted to explore the story. If you have played Oblivion, wandering around the landscape is largely the same, except the graphics are pretty stunning…and oh, you can collect bugs along with the normal foraging for herbs and spices. However, it’s the story that sometimes gets lost in the mix of wandering around taking on side-quests in such a huge, open world.

It would seem that the first 45 minutes of the game is where you will be learning the ropes and building up your character a bit before you are turned loose into the open world. There is a story there, something about a dragon, but it was hard to catch on in such a limited time. I know there are dragons in the game, so nothing new there. After wandering around for a while running from wolves, seemingly weaponless, I bumped into some NPCs at a little cottage. Apparently I know one of the guys there, and he tells me to go to Riverwood to meet the Jarl.

So without a thought to check for a menu system (with a card in front of me that shows me what all the buttons do), I wandered around until I found Riverwood. In Riverwood, I bought a sword and found the Jarl; pretty easily actually. He tells me that one of his wizards is looking for a Dragon Stone, whatever that is. They need me to get it, and that’s good enough for me. So I set off on my way to retrieve the stone, which wasn’t far away. My sword didn’t auto-equip, so I opened the menu for the first time, and lo and behold, I already had a sword…and armor…and magick. So, I wasted my money, but at least I got to see how purchasing an item worked.

So, with my weapon in hand and donning my armor, I used the map to try to find the area the stone was hidden. It seemed I couldn’t find my way up there head on, so I wandered around the mountain where it seemed to be located. Along the way, I bumped into a giant. It killed me with one swing of his hammer, but he looked good doing it. My second attempt at finding the stone took me up a mountain trail. Soon I was in an amazing snow storm. I could see individual snowflakes! Truly stunning. Good thing I picked a Nord, because Nords have resistance to cold, and it was cold! Before I knew it, I arrived at my destination and facing off with some bandits. I dispatched them quickly and headed indoors.

Inside, I made my way through dungeon corridors. Bumping into some more bandits, I snuck up on one and laid an amazing shot on him. There was a cut-scene that showed me slicing the guy in half! Very cool stuff. I continued forward and at one turn, I saw a guy with his back to me. I tried to sneak up on him too, but as I did, he walked up to a lever on the floor and pulled it. Arrows shot out of the walls at him, killing him instantly. Poor sucker set off a trap! I figured out the puzzle that would keep me from getting pelted by the arrow trap and forged ahead. A deadly spider forced me to to use my magick.

The magick system is a little different from previous titles. For example, healing is not a one-shot casting. You cast it and you heal over time while casting it. You can heal more by continuing to hold down the magick button. After fishing around the menu a bit, I found that I not only had a healing spell, but a destructive spell too. I could cast fire, which should work great against a spider and his webs. Sadly, he killed me as I was setting to blast him away. On my second try, I realized that I was ready to level up! OK, so I missed that initially, but I was happy to get more powerful.

To level up, it asked me if I wanted more health, stamina or magick. After I chose stamina, I was taken to this screen with a circle of constellations, each one representing a perk I could upgrade. My flame magick was one of the choices, so I bumped that up a notch. My second try with the spider proved more fruitful, as I set the bad boy on fire and slashed at him with a sword I picked up off one of the bandits.

An NPC that was trapped by the spider forced me to make a moral decision. I won’t go into detail about that, but soon after, I was ambushed by some skeletal warriors. These weren’t random skeletal warriors, I had wandered into their crypt! Oops, sorry guys! Oh well, they didn’t accept my apology, and after several tries I finally destroyed them. One of them had a very nice axe that I procured. Another had a pretty sweet bow and some arrows. Soon, I was a walking armory and I leveled up again. I chose more stamina and more fire. Now I could cast fire with two hands if I wanted, and I did.

A little deeper into the dungeon I faced off with a skeletal mage. He was sucking my life force away, so I sent a fireball at him. I must say that the fireball spell kicks butt! It was simple and small ball of flame that flew to its target and exposed. Awesome. I pressed forward until I found the stone I was looking for. I went up to it and it said that I learned some strange word and it seemed like I had completed my task. After another no-so-surprising ambush, I pushed on.

It seemed I was now moving upwards towards the surface. After a few more battles, all of them pretty fun and tense, I found a large door with a puzzle. The puzzle was fairly easy and I had solved it as a Bethesda representative tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I needed help, and that there was a clue in my inventory. He realized I had just solved the puzzle and let me continue on my journey.

Soon I was on the surface again, and I quick-traveled back to Riverwood. After finding the Jarl again, and receiving some praise in the process, I was asked to defend the west tower from a dragon. Apparently my character has some limited experience in this sort of thing. Well, this sounded pretty intriguing, so I went off in search of the west tower. I didn’t actually have to search at all, as I was led there by a humble little unit of soldiers that seemed ready to fight a dragon.

Good thing they were ready, because as soon as we found the tower, we were attacked. The dragon was big, beautiful, and powerful. However, with my new bow and arrow that I had snagged from the newly re-dead skeleton in the dungeon, I plucked at it from above as my companions sniped and stabbed it from below. Soon it was slain and I leveled up again. After snagging some body parts from the dragon, the representative returned and said that I should just wander around some more as my time was running out.

So I did, and that concluded my three hours of play. Now to back-track a touch, I wanted to talk about the character creation process. As it turns out, you do not pick a class. This is not a bad thing, as you are going to shape your character by the way you play anyway. You can pick your race, and if you have played Oblivion, you will notice that there is nothing new here except how detailed each of the races are now. It’s hard to believe that this is the same system that released Oblivion. You will get to tweak your character’s facial features a bunch, so you can basically make your character look just about anyway you want. It’s slick, easy, a beautiful.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is every bit a sequel to Oblivion as it is a spiritual successor to Fallout 3. The combination is astounding and if my very limited time with the game is any indication, this is going to be one hell of a game.  The two greatest games this year are fixing to come out in November and they both have Sky in the title. Can you guess the other title? I thought so.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is due out on November 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Our demo began about 45 minutes into the game, akin to leaving the sewers in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or Vault 101 in Fallout 3.  You are able to create and customize your character during this time but we were able to create our character right at the beginning of our demo.  Not much has changed in the character creation – you can choose your race, gender, and name – and from there, you can customize the look of your character as you could in previous games.  There are ten races to choose from – all the same races from Oblivion – and they look a lot more realistic than before.  One of the biggest differences in the character creation is that you will not have to choose a character class as you did in Oblivion.  In Skyrim, you can choose to mold and shape your character depending on how you want to play your game.  As you level up, you can focus on skills that you want to build up and ignore the ones you don’t. The choice is ultimately up to you.  I didn’t spend too much time on creating my character as I only had three hours to play the demo and I wanted to try and experience as much of the game as I possibly could during that timeframe.  I chose to be a female Nord (I played a Nord in Oblivion as well) and I started from there.

As soon as I entered the world of Skyrim, I was just completely sucked in.  I paused for a moment to just take a look around at my surroundings.  The graphics are amazing and the detail in the world makes it pop with life.  I immediately began collecting herbs and flowers – you can even collect bugs – as I knew I wanted to try out the alchemy system as soon as possible.    I had no active quests yet so I went to the world map and found the town of Riverwood nearby and set my destination marker.  I made my way, on foot, to the town and got there relatively unscathed.  I ran into a small pack of wolves and realized I didn’t have any weapons (I actually did, I just assumed that I didn’t have any).  I tried to fight them off with my fists but quickly took off running.  The town was pretty close by so I was safe from any danger at that point.

As in the previous Elder Scrolls games, you can interact with just about everything and you can take what you want.  Of course, be careful not to take what’s not yours or you could get yourself into a spot of trouble with the law.  Lock picking is a lot more like it is in Fallout 3, which is not the first time you will make the comparison between the two games.  Even though I picked a few locks and got threatened by the home owners, I refrained from stealing any items.  I did however, take almost everything else that I could get my grubby little hands on.  Upon finding an alchemy set, I tried out my potion making skills.  Each item has four properties which will be discovered as you alchemize things.  I created a few potions via trail and error – I also failed at making some potions as well.

Talking to the NPCs in the area will get you more familiar with the world and what is going on in it.  Some will offer you quests so it is beneficial to talk to pretty much everyone.  I was in search of weapons and armor (since I was too lame to realize that I actually had some already) so I found the blacksmith and immediately started talking to him.  He offered a few small tasks that basically introduce you to the blacksmithing processes in the game.  At a Blacksmith, you are able to forge your own weapons, armor, and jewelry (providing you have the right materials and the appropriate skill level) as well as improve your items.  As you go on, you will level up in smithing which will allow you to craft and improve more items as you achieve more experience.  After that, I roamed around some more – picking locks and talking to more people until I took on a quest that led me to another town called Whiterun.

Fully equipped with armor and weapons that I crafted and improved, I headed to the town of Whiterun.  On my way, I continued to collect more items for alchemy but now I was on the lookout for things to kill.  It wasn’t long until I was found by a small pack of wolves so I fought them off rather skillfully.  New to combat in Skyrim are finishing moves similar to those in Fallout 3.  I’m not sure what triggers these offhand as it didn’t happen every time I killed something (or someone) but nonetheless, they looked awesome.  Combat is relatively simple and you can pretty much customize the way your character will fight.  Use a shield and sword, use a two-handed weapon, dual wield swords, use a spell in one hand with a sword in the other, and once you gain the skill (or perk as they are called), you can even dual wield spells.  The combinations are almost endless.  Ranged combat seems to have gotten better as well.  I remember not really using the bows and arrows in Oblivion as often as it felt very clunky to me.  However, this is not the case in Skyrim.  I was able to kill a few enemies using ranged weapons and just in the few hours of playing, it will be something that you will need to learn to use effectively.  You can still choose to play the game in first-person or third- person with the click of a button and the game will allow you to customize your controls.  You can even hot-key your weapons for faster access.  During combat, I kept pressing down on the left thumbstick, which puts your character into stealth mode.   This is where the ability to customize the controls will come in most handy.

In Whiterun, I followed a side questline that led me to a group called the Companions and after completing a few quests, I was allowed to join their group.  Joining groups is a great help to your character as members of the group will offer to train you for a small price allowing you to level up certain skills a little faster than by traditionally leveling up.

The leveling up system has gotten quite an overhaul.  Since you no longer choose a character class, you are able to level up according to your play style.  You can choose your perks based on what kinds of weapons and armor you use down to the spells or schools of magic you want to use.  You will eventually cap out at level 50 but in Skyrim, you will level up faster in the beginning and slower as you gain higher levels.  Bethesda has been doing a lot to balance out the game so that while enemies will level up with you, facing a pack of rats at level 32 won’t mean certain death as it may have felt in previous games.  During the three hour demo, I managed to almost hit level 7 so you can see how fast your character will level up in a short amount of time.

The talent tree-styled level system is represented by a series of constellations.  Each proficiency within a perk is a star within the constellation shaded by ability for quicker identification.  They all require a certain amount of points to open up so you will want to explore the options in the tree if you want to plan out your character’s path.  I wanted to get the ability to dual cast (cast a spell from each hand at the same time) a destruction spell but I had to take the Destruction perk first, then take on the spell – Burning Touch.  I had to use that spell enough to level up my skill in Destruction Spells and then I would be able to take on the dual casting skill.

My three hour demo pretty much ended there and it left me hungry for more.  I didn’t touch on the main quest at all but I was able to do a little dungeon crawling in my Companion quests.  If you are at all familiar with the Elder Scrolls series, you will see that a lot of care has gone into the making of this game.  Bethesda took a lot of elements from Fallout 3 and Oblivion to create what is going to be a fantastic game that will keep you quite busy throughout this holiday season and for quite sometime after that.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be out on November 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Two Tales Titles Being Updated and Re-Released

Since the release of Tales of Phantasia in 1995, the Tales series has spanned over 12 titles. From the Super Famicom to all the current gen consoles, Tales has seen them all, the classic Japanese RPG continues to thrive by giving the player the freedom to make the gameplay as deep or as simple as they would like. You can micro-manage each little detail, or play straight through the story. And now two of the stories, Tales of Graces F and Tales of the Abyss, are receiving a touch-up and are being released on new systems.

Tales of Graces has really been overhauled. So much so it is being called Tales of Graces F. Moving from the Wii to the PS3 has allowed the developer to really upgrade the graphics and include some new content as well. Most of what we saw in the demo was content from the original game, however we got to see a new cut-scene, which shows that they are including some new story development. There will also be some new Blast Calibers and character outfits. Another awesome addition is an epilogue called Lineage & Legacies that will add around 10 hours of gameplay and fill in some of the stories from the main game. There will also be drop-in/drop-out co-op multiplayer.

Tales of the Abyss is also receiving a port, this time from the PS2 to the Nintendo 3DS. Tales featured the Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System that was used in Tales of Symphonia (play this one if you have a Gamecube!). This version is more of a port than a remake. They have added a 3D effect that doesn’t do anything but spruce up the visuals a little. However, if you missed it the first time around and you own a 3DS, you may want to give this game a try as it is a great JRPG.

Inversion
Namco Bandai is working on the upcoming third person shooter, Inversion, due out in February of 2012.  We got a hands on preview of the game last week.  What makes this game stand out from other shooters is the ability to manipulate gravity.  You can use a device called a gravlink to command and manipulate gravity to your advantage.  You can use it to provide cover, to kill your enemies, and you can eevn use it to retrieve items like ammo.  The trick is that the enemies have this device as well and they can use it to do the same things to you.

Another cool thing about this game is that there are these patches of gravitational forces that manipulate particular areas allowing you and your foes to walk on walls and ceilings affording you a better vantage point to defeat your enemies.  There are even portions of the game where you will engage in weightless gameplay in zero gravity.

The game focuses around two police officers, the main character, David, and his partner, Leo.  The game can be played in single player mode with an AI partner as well as in co-op.  Multiplayer modes are also available however the specific modes have yet to be announced.  The game will support up to 16 players online.

I played through the short demo and it controls like Gears of War and, in fact, it uses a similar cover system.  There are no health packs to pick up, you regenerate it over time.  The weapons are pretty standard for a shooter but it is the gravity manipulation that really sets this game apart from some of the games on the market right now and I can see a lot of potential in the multiplayer.

Inversion is due out on February 7, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Ridge Racer Unbounded

Ridge Racer has been a popular arcade racing game since its debut in arcades in 1993 and made it’s first home console appearace shortly thereafter.  Namco Bandai is currently working on Ridge Racer Unbounded a new experience for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and marks its first appearance on the PC.  This is also the first time that Ridge Racer has not been released as a launch title.  Ridge Racer Unbounded stays true to the series and features no licensed vehicles and keeps the cars clean and damage free during races regardless of how many times you crash into a wall or building.  However, Ridge Racer Unbounded is just that…now you can destroy building and other obstacles on the course.  Destroying buildings will create shortcuts within the race so you will want to keep an eye out for them.

The game plays like a normal racing game and gives you indicators when a building can be crashed into and destroyed.  I suspect that many players will crash into anything and everything because they can.

Another cool feature of the game is the City and Track creator, which will allow you to create your own custom cities and tracks ready for racing and destruction.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is slated for a March 2012 release and will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi is the newest installment of DBZ fighting games that follows the story of the anime.  The 3D fighter allows players to control characters from the Dragon Ball Z franchise and introduces Hero Mode which will allow you to create your very own custom DBZ character using new and existing attributes to customize your character’s hair, clothing, voice, and attack moves.

The game features a story mode and boss battles to fight agains AI or other players locally or online.  The game looks like it ripped right out of the anime and features chaotic fighting sequences.  Since this was my first time sitting down with the game (or any Dragon Ball Z title for that matter), there was a slight learning curve in terms of what to do and when but overall, the game is aimed towards a younger audience so it should be easy for most players to pick up and play.  I won the battle against one of the other previewers but I couldn’t honestly tell you how!

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi should be another fun fighter for fans of the series.  The game drops on October 25th, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Impact

Coming to the PSP on October 18th, 2011, is the latest Naruto game, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Impact.  Built on the Dynasty Warriors engine, the game strays from its usual fighting game style to an action adventure fighter where you take on multiple waves of multiple enemies.

The control scheme is the same as other Naruto games so fans of the series will have no problems making the transtion to the new game style.

The game will be available via the PlayStation Network as a download as well as a UMD disc available at game retailers on October 18th, 2011.

They do this through their new controller. It features a standard set of buttons, which includes two analog circle-pads, a d-pad, a four-button layout, two shoulder buttons, and two triggers. All these buttons surround a 6.2″ resistive* touch screen. The demo they showed featured several interesting ways that developers might use the new controller.

First they showed that you can switch the game display from the TV to the new 6.2″ controller screen. The controller, while not a portable device, can work independently of the television because it is receiving a wireless video signal directly from the console. This allows you to use the controller while the TV is on another channel or even while the TV is off.

Next they showed someone using the controller as a drawing tablet to draw a picture of Link. As he drew, the full-color picture was shown both on the controller and on the television screen. This demonstration also showed that the the controller monitor will have a 16:9 aspect ratio that is standard with all HD televisions.

Then they showed the controller on a tabletop with two players playing Othello on the controller monitor. One player was shown clearing the game pieces from the controller screen by tilting the controller on its side. The pieces just fell right off the screen. This shows that the controller can be used to stream two-player board games from the console directly to the tablet so you can use the tablet as a game board.

In a neat little demonstration, they showed that playing defense in baseball can be redefined with the new controller. On the TV was the normal view you might see in a baseball game, with the camera over the shoulder of the pitcher. The controller showed a different view: the catcher’s mitt with crosshairs to indicate where the pitch would travel. Once the hitter hit the ball, the screen switched to an outfielders view where you “aim” the controller at the ball to catch it. Before we get too excited at this though, it is important to point out that this particular demo only featured one controller being passed from one player to the next.

Next up was one of the more unique uses for the controller. The controller was placed on the ground in front of the TV and it showed a golf ball lying in a sand trap. The player stood to the side of the controller with a WiiMote and when she swung, you could see sand fly up on the new controller as the ball flew on the big TV screen.

Then the demo focused on how the controller can work both for casual gamers and hardcore gamers. For casual gamers, they showed that you can use Wii Fit without even turning the TV on. Just grab the Wii U controller and stand on the Wii Fit board. For the hardcore crowd, you can use the controller in conjuntion with a special gun peripheral that allows you to use the screen as an aiming device, like looking through a sniper scope or down a gun’s crosshairs. In the demo, the Wii U screen showed a close-up view of the virtual world displayed on the TV, and the player simply looked around the screen until he found his target: Shigeru Miyamoto.

Then they showed how the controller can be used to send data directly to the TV with no latency issues. Holding the controller vertically, the player was able to send ninja stars flying to the screen by swiping his hand across the controller screen.

You may also be able to make video calls and send data from websites on the controller to the TV screen. You can use the controller to find a website and then swipe the screen towards the TV and it pops up on the television for all to see.

Last, they showed how you can use the controller screen to display an inventory screen, clearing up visual space on the TV. They did this by showing off Link in HD, fighting a gigantic spider in a beautifully rendered cathedral.

During the entire video presentation of the new console, not once did they show a picture of the actual console. Everything was focused on the new controller. They also didn’t mention any of the specifications on which the hardware will be built. We just don’t really know how powerful it will be compared to the current generation of consoles.

Here is what we know so far about the console:

• The new console can wirelessly transmit data to the new controller without latency issues.
• The console will support HDMI, Component, Composite, and S-video input/output, and will feature HD video which will support 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p and 480i.
• It will have some sort of connection with the 3DS.
• They are trying hard to get major 3rd-party support as shown in the Announced Games below.
• It’s backwards compatible with all Wii software, controllers and peripherals.
• It uses optical disc media that has 25GB storage (although not Blu-ray).
• It will have internal flash memory and will support SD memory cards and USB mass storage devices.
• It has four USB 2.0 slots.
• It will include Mii Support as found on the 3DS system.
• It will not play Blu-Rays or DVDs.

Here’s what we know about the controller:

• 6.2″ 16:9 resistive* touchscreen that will transmit video data streamed from the console, independent of any television.
• Rumble feature, microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, stylus, and an inward-facing camera.
• Two analog circle-pads, D-Pad, Four-Button layout, two shoulder buttons (L & R), and two triggers (ZL & ZR).
• Full games can be streamed from the console to the controller, but it has to be in range of the console and the console has to be on.
• The Wii U controller is NOT a portable gaming device.

Here are the games that have been announced:

Third Party

• Lego City Stories (TellTale Games)
• Darksiders 2 (THQ)
• Metro: Last Light (THQ)
• Tekken (Namco Bandai Games)
• Batman: Arkham City (WB Interactive)
• Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
• Ghost Recon Online (Ubisoft)
• Killer Freaks From Outer Space (Ubisoft)
• Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft)
• Dirt (Codemasters)
• Aliens Colonial Marines (Sega)
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge (Tecmo Koei)

First Party

• Super Smash Bros.
• Pikmin 3

Here’s what we don’t know:

• Technical Specs, although we know it runs on some IBM quad-core chipset that will be able to support full 1080p HD.
• What Nintendo’s online strategy will be (Friend Codes?).
• Launch Date and Titles.
• Prices for the console/controllers.
• Whether you can use more than one tablet controller at a time.
• Exactly what disc media they will be using.
• If it will have a media center like PSN or Xbox Live.
• What will be included with the system (pack-in game?/controller?)

There is still a lot to be discussed, and from what I have read and heard from those in development, the development kit is not complete and the demos you have seen are not really what you are going to get. Not only that, but those few teams that were lucky enough to get development kits have only had them for a very short time.

My thoughts:
The announcement for this console reminds me of the Wii reveal. They focused so much on the new controller that some people didn’t even get that it was a new console. Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata, stated

“Because we put so much emphasis on the controller, there appeared to be some misunderstanding”.

Of course, if you ever read any video game websites you would have known they were announcing a console, not a controller.

The general response from gamers in forums and on websites on the Wii U is mixed at best. While it’s hard to argue that there is an innovative factor with the new controller, some are fearful that developers will not fully explore the functionality and it will just end up being a gimmicky controller.  Others state that even though it would be great to have Nintendo games in HD, there are still so many questions and some of the answers to those questions would be deal-breakers when deciding to purchase a new system.

The fact that Nintendo refuses to spend the money to include Blu-Ray or DVD playback is frustrating for some. For me, I agree with the statement from Iwata who said:

“Wii U does not have DVD or Blu-ray playback capabilities. The reason for that is that we feel that enough people already have devices that are capable of playing DVDs and Blu-ray, such that it didn’t warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies.”

Don’t think that Nintendo could include Blu-Ray playback for cheap. Blu-Ray is a Sony entity and they would most likely charge a pretty penny for Nintendo to include that technology. Besides, you can now get decent Blu-Ray players on the cheap these days. While nothing official has been stated, I’m sure they will include a Netflix application that will feature movies in HD. It just wouldn’t be worth the extra cost that it would take to include Blu-Ray playback.

It is also undecided whether or not multiple tablet controllers will be supported. I have done a ton of research, and as it turns out, the chipset they are most likely using has the capability to stream 1 HD signal and 4 SD signals at the same time. Here is the kicker: how much could one of these new controllers cost to make? Iwata has stated that they are focusing on one controller for now because to make games that feature multiple controllers forces people to buy extra controllers. He seems to be alluding that these controllers are expensive to make. However, they really aren’t.

Since they are using a standard size, 16:9 ratio, standard definition, resistive touchscreen, the cost of the screen itself is actually less than $50 retail. With a lot of digging and a ton of calls, I found that you can get one of these screens for less than $20 in bulk! Add the casing, the buttons, and the electronics, and you can manufacture these in mass for around $60 each. Research has shown that people would be willing to pay around $80 to have the experience that multiple controllers would give. That is a $20 markup for Nintendo!

Finally, there is the question of their long-term online plans. It stands to reason that this will be the make or break feature of the system. If the online experience is anything like the Wii’s, it could be doomed. I think Nintendo realizes this, and from the rumors I have heard and some of the “slips” from developers, Nintendo has ditched the friend codes and has made the online experience possibly better than the competition by using the controller as your online presence (which can be used with the console off).

Much like the year prior to the Wii launch, there are a ton of things for Nintendo to iron out before official announcements are made. Fortunately for us, the longer they wait to decide, the cheaper the technology will become and that will benefit us in the long run. While Iwata doubts that they can release this console for less than $250 retail (and I’m sure they won’t), it could definitely be produced for less than $300. Of course, the value of the console will be determined when all the answers to the big questions come in.

Thank you for reading!!

* A resistive touchscreen senses contact from virtually any object. The other type of touchscreen is a capacitive touchscreen, which senses objects that can pass through an electric signal, such as a finger. Resistive touchscreens typically do not support multi-touch and are less expensive to manufacture.

We would love to hear your comments and suggestions, so feel free to shoot them off to april@marriedwithvideogames.com or norm@marriedwithvideogames.com.  You can also contact us on Twitter: @mwvg, @byerk, and @nmajor3.  Thanks for listening!

The genre was at its peak at the turn of the century. The first few years of this decade saw the release of Ratchet & Clank, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Super Mario Sunshine, Banjo-Tooie, Glover, Spyro, Maximo, Tomb Raider Chronicles, the list is huge. When I talked about games, the conversation would always be about items we were looking for, areas we were trying to reach, or bosses we were trying to defeat. Gaming was a more solitary experience that was social only when we wanted to show a move off, or needed help finding a secret area.

Now, the conversation is about multiplayer options, kill counts, n00bs, and map packs. We talk about quests completed and the characters in our party and about better ways to use our weapons. We are talking about Call of Duty, Dragon Age, Fallout 3, and Farmville. We chat about Mafia Wars, and speak of the Gods and Gears of War. It’s more social and more competitive. Stories are more complicated and include complex relationships and plot twists. The princess truly is in another castle.

Part of me realizes that this is both industry and market growth for video games. It’s a necessary step in the socialized network that interactive media is taking. The simple idea of just taking a game to its completion is now morphed into getting better times and scores, or improving player skills so you can compete online, or even playing through all the possible story lines a game has to offer.

There was a time when most games tasked you with little more than finding an object hidden in a 3D world. These are true platformers, where you really have to analyze the world around you. Sometimes you are given a clue as you enter the level, or by speaking with characters within the level. Sometimes you are left with very little to go on and you just have to figure it out for yourself. You start with all your moves and have access to all the tools to beat the game from the beginning. No leveling up, no skills to learn, and no weapons to find. Tomb Raider and Super Mario really stand out as the best examples I can give of that style.

It’s no wonder that they stand alone with Ratchet and Clank as the last triumvirate of 3D platforming. It was sad to see Rare separate from Nintendo, because they had a winning formula. When we finally got to see the release of Kameo: Elements of Power, we realized why Nintendo held off on the green light and let Rare slip away. It just wasn’t as good as it should have been. With Rare went Banjo Kazooie, who’s Nuts and Bolts release in 2008 left all the things that made the series great out of the game and heaped in loads of ridiculous vehicles, which makes absolutely no sense to me. We also lost Conker’s Bad Fur Day, which was re-released by Microsoft, however all rumors about a sequel were subsequently squashed and we have been left with tales of “what could have been”.

Granted, in making my point I have left out some important titles. I have yet to give mention to Jak and Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Sly Cooper and most importantly, Prince of Persia and Uncharted. None of these games, save Uncharted and Prince of Persia, have not seen an original platforming game for a major console since 2005 (Sly). Once I invite Uncharted into the mix, it gets a little complicated. While being more than just a Tomb Raider rip-off, Uncharted still falls more into the category of action adventure.

The action adventure genre encompasses games whose focus is more on story-telling and combat. This genre would also include Lost Planet, Bionic Commando, Infamous, et al. We start to drift away from the pure element of using the surrounding landscape and a handful of moves to find hidden goals.

Prince of Persia comes even closer to a platformer, particularly the most recent release in 2008. However, in Prince of Persia, focus is split between platforming, combat, and puzzle-solving. You also have to “level-up” by finding ways to use the magical pads that are strewn through each level. These elements make it more of a hybrid game than a true platfomer.

Most platforming games today take shape in 2D. Games like Little-Big Planet, N+, Braid and ‘Splosion Man have all garnered excellent reviews, but will not be breaking the 2D plane anytime soon. Of course, with the release of the 3DS, who knows what could happen with these franchises. It’s all up to the consumer, who drives the traffic of these trends. The media can help suggest and steer the ship, but the true direction of popular gaming comes from those purchasing the games.

When Grand Theft Auto 3 came out to rave reviews, the sandbox genre of games had not taken off. It wasn’t until Vice City that dollar signs lit up in the eyes of developers and the sandbox grew significantly that day. Now, the sandbox genre is starting to dwindle again, mostly because the first-person shooter has been making a tremendous comeback. Even tactical shooters are becoming more common as they offer a bigger challenge than the typical shooter, which is often wrapped in some sci-fi or western theme.

In the sandbox genre, we are now left with Elder Scrolls, more of a role-playing experience in first/third person, and games of its ilk such as Fallout and Red Dead Redemption, which incidentally is a converted first-person shooter and published by Rockstar, the creator of the GTA series. These games go beyond the normal sandbox game and add in elements from just about every other genre. Take Red Dead Redemption for example, it has leveling up from RPGs, it has first-person shooter elements taken from its namesake, Red Dead Revolver, it has racing elements, as well as action adventure qualities such as sweeping story elements and third-person travel (who doesn’t think Epona when they first have Marsten hop on a horse?).

Where does that leave the 3D platformer? No one can do better than Nintendo, so why even try? I suppose it’s a question that the consumer has to answer. Are the days of hide and seek over, or is it just a small hiatus while the genre reinvents itself? Is convergent styling the wave of video games? Does a game have to fit a category? Hell, even Final Fantasy X mixed sports into its RPG!

For me, 3D platformers have been one of my favorite genres of all-time. I would hate to see them go, and with Mario being such an important title for Nintendo, I don’t see it ever going away for good. But seriously, where are all the other great ideas for the genre? Why have we gone pretty much exclusively to 2D? And most importantly, what do you think?

This year will be an even more game-filled Valentine’s Day.  We get a demo for the upcoming shooter, Brink, from Bethesda Softworks and Splash Damage.  This demo will showcase the game’s multiplayer modes. I saw the game at E3 2009 and although they offer no female characters, I am quite excited to see the game and be able to play it and experience its S.M.A.R.T. (“Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain”) System.  We’ll have that preview up within the week.

As for our 2011 Valentine’s Day game, we have chosen Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.  It’s a game that we have been meaning to get and review for the site and we felt that this would be the perfect game for Valentine’s Day.  A review of the game will follow.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, it is a downloadable arcade game for both the Xbox 360 and PSN and more recently, the iPhone and iPad.  The game is a fixed-camera 3D platform with an isometric view and can be played solo or with a partner. You take the role of world adventurer, Lara Croft and team up with a 2000 year old Mayan warrior named Totec. The co-op game can be played locally or online, which was added a month after the game’s initial release.  Although the game places a heavy emphasis on cooperative play, the game features a single player campaign mode that doesn’t include the NPC AI following or helping Lara.  The game does not bear the Tomb Raider brand and instead was intended to start a all new brand hence, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.  In December of last year, Square Enix-Eidos/Crystal Dynamics announced that the Tomb Raider/Lara Croft series was getting a reboot and some teaser screenshots were released with an all new look for Lara.  Both Norm and I have been fans of the Tomb Raider series from its earlier days.  We used to play the games together, each of us playing every other level.  I enjoyed both of the “next-gen” reboots by Crystal Dynamics, Legend and Underworld, but I am glad the series is being rebooted.

What is your traditional Valentine’s Day celebration?  Does it involve video games?  We’d love to hear what you did this Valentine’s Day!  Check back in a few days to read our Brink Preview and our Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light review.

No Capcom event is complete without my pals, Jessica Villarreal (@JesV on Twitter) as Chun Li and Mandie Bettencourt as Dark Phoenix!

Big thanks to Tommy Lawler for covering the event and to Anson Cu for takings some spectacular photos!

Be sure to check out Tommy’s coverage of the event here.