You know, when I did my top 10 for games I’d suggest my nephew play, I was hoping for commenters to add their own top 10 or 5. Unfortunately, I never got that, but I did get some good feedback on it. I’ll get to that as well as responses to my Xbox One musings. But first, the 3DS is calling for me.
As with last time, each comment from you will be in italics, and my response will follow. As per usual, anything I say is my opinion, does not reflect the opinions of the website as a whole, and is meant to be a part of an open dialog with you. TO THE BACKLASH!
Year of the 3DS, So Far…
Love my 3DS, and I’m excited about a lot of the stuff due out, but why focus on it exclusively, or compare it to other systems? If anything, this feel more like a really positive year for Japanese games as a whole – we’re still getting awesome stuff on the PSP, tons of Nippon Ichi goodies ahead, XSEED has cool stuff on the way, on and on and on.—Eric M.
You’re right. There is good stuff coming for other consoles. However, this article was more about checking out how my prediction was going, hence why I focused on the 3DS and compared it to the other systems.
In all honesty, there are differing opinions as to what this year is. If you ask co-owner Jonathan Higgins, he’ll tell you that this is the Year of the RPG. (You can hear that in Episode 11 of the Downpour Podcast.) While we do have similar opinions on why we chose them, we do differ on how we approached our statements. Jonathan made his statement three months into the year after seeing that great RPGs either had been released or were going to be released this year. I made my prediction before the year based on conjecture on what could happen, basing it on recent history and reception of similar games.
Did u forget [Ni no Kuni]? I would think u wouldn’t. And by the time 2013 is over [PS3] will see [The Last of Us] and [Beyond: Two Souls] and possibly [Gran Turismo 6] When you throw in [multiplatform] games such as [Watch Dogs] and [Grand Theft Auto V] along with [Assassin’s Creed IV], [Call of Duty: Ghosts], [Battlefield 4] and on and on. This doesn’t even mention next gen which I know r different consoles but have many overlapping games. There’s [Destiny] and games I already mentioned. I can’t forget [Dark Souls 2]. I dunno but I would rather have a [PS3] this yr than any other console….if I could only have one. PC is close but will miss some.—joab777
1. I did forget Ni no Kuni. Thanks for bringing that up. Doesn’t really affect my analysis, though. It’s just one more exclusive game for the PS3.
2. Yes, there are some interesting games coming for the PS3. And yes, I did talk about what was coming for the 3DS. But I only wanted to compare what was already out. It’s my argument, and I’ll frame it how I want.
3. Multiplatform games don’t really impress me when trying to declare which console will have the better year. From what you listed, I only see two, maybe three, that would work for your argument. As for me, if I took the multiplatforms out of the 20 good games there were for the first four months into 2013 for the 3DS, you’d still have at least a dozen games left, with most of the retail titles and about half of the digital selections being exclusive to the system.
4. Bringing up Call of Duty and Battlefield with a site that deals with niche Japanese and indie games? I don’t know whether to applaud you for having the balls to try that or slap you for not knowing who we are…
Blasphemy! This is the year of Luigi!—PSNintyGamer
Well, I can’t really argue with that.
I’ve spent more money on 3DS hardware and software than I have PS3 so far this year.—jagstatboy
And THAT’S the point I’m trying to make. This is the year to spend money on the 3DS. Thanks for understanding that, jagstatboy.
If the Wii U can be in such a favorable position 2 years after release, it will be doing just fine. Its future seems a little bleak right now though.
My 3DS gathered dust for a while, and now I can’t keep up with it…—Knux
The games should pick up soon. (By soon, I mean fall and winter this year.) However, if we go by the same time frame, it could be until fall 2014 when Wii U owners really reap the benefits of the system.
You know what, I’m gonna call it right now. Post-E3 2014 will be the best time to start being an owner of Nintendo systems this generation. By that time, they should have the Wii U eShop figured out—they should have at least a third of the Wii’s VC games programmed and on the shop as well as new VC games and a steady stream of new Wii U games. They should have a steady stream of solid titles being released for both the Wii U and the 3DS. They should have some sort of cross-play figured out for games that appear on both systems, both old and new. And they should have a sort of 3DS Nintendo ID figured out and going strong.
Ball is in your court, Nintendo.
Top 10 Games I’ll Let My Nephew Play When He Starts Gaming
ALTTP [The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past] confuses you & Harvest Moon 64 confuses your brother…ALTTP CONFUSES you and Harvest Moon 64 CONFUSES your brother! ….I…I’m at a loss of words for this. I just don’t know what to say… *Cringes*—Jonah R.
Get ready to cringe some more: I used to get scared when I watched Xanadu.
harvest moon is a great choice! it is relaxing and pleasant. it also makes you manage time and energy accordingly. you have to work toward one of multiple goals and it takes a deal of focus and problem solving to achieve them. Animals and vegetables are great. With some of the stuff that is too hard at first you or your bro could sit in and help the tot along. As they get older they can take on more responsibility.
And when they get much older and it is time to draw a sword. You’ll have Rune Factory.—RagunaXL
I can definitely vouch for both Tides of Destiny and Frontier and recommend both if he wants more Harvest Moon-type goodness.
My plan for when I have kids is to let them identify to me what they are interested in, but to make sure that I play with them or have a good grasp of what the content of the games are. However, I REALLY doubt that my kid will be wanting to seek out games from my childhood when they are old enough to play them.
I mean, best case scenario, my fiancée (to be wife next year) and I have kids starting in 2015. Other than maybe some tablet/leapfrog type stuff, they wouldn’t get into console/handheld gaming until they are at least 5 or so years old. We’re talking the 2020’s. NES games will start hitting 40 years old at that point. And I can tell you that when I was a kid, Pong and other media from the 40s and 50s really didn’t interest me.
So my kid will likely play on whatever I have, and I will seek out some kid friendly gaming. And as they get older, I will make sure to be involved. My kid won’t be one of those 8-12 year olds with lazy parents, playing halo in their bedroom screaming profanity into the mic, and ruining the M rated game experience for the adults who want to play without getting teabagged by some pre-pubescent child who has nothing else to do with their time besides play games.—smacd
First off, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials. I wish you and your fiancée the best.
Second, my philosophy with this list is what I would suggest if my nephew wanted to play a game. Sure, I’d probably suck it up and play some random kids game like Daniel Tiger and Dora the Explorer Meet the PooYoos in Disneyland (OBVIOUS DISCLAIMER: Not an actual game). However, I would suggest and try to push him towards those ten games and games like them because they are better-quality experiences.
My Conversation With an Xbox One
maybe not a great game system but a date might be nice. let it pay – you could treat it as an asset and the thing would be fooled into paying for dinner.—Ryan L.
I wonder if the Xbox One likes long walks on the beach…
Thank Sony for the New Xbox One
Sony? LMFAO thank the gamers for Xbones reversal NOT SONY!—David D.
Really? So I should thank the fans for Sony deciding to come out and say that they’ll have the same policies with used games, DRM, and trading games as they did with the PS3? No, I’ll thank Sony for that. Also, I’d like to share something with you. It’s a definition of the word “catalyst,” which I used to describe Sony (taken from Dictionary.com):
- a person or thing that precipitates an event or change
It’s not so much that Microsoft faithful should be thanking Sony, as much as it is that Microsoft realized that they were shooting themselves in the foot for coming up with asinine ideas for stifling the freedom of their loyal customers.—Johnathan K.
Perhaps, but it wasn’t until after Sony came out with that barrage at E3 2013 that they started to notice. Hard pre-order numbers started to come in and sent a shock through Microsoft as they saw what had happened.
That Damn Natsume Article That Will Not Go Away (and the Backlash)
I take issue with the statement that Natsume’s localisations have been “fantastic” and “well done”. Every localisation they’ve touched since at least 2001 has been filled to the brim with typos. Only in a Natsume localisation can you read “THIS is what I call frue destruction!”. Their latest releases, Harvest Moon: A New Beginning and Carnage Heart EXA (which they even dare ask $30 for), continue this trend. It’s downright embarrassing and I’m glad that XSEED Games will be gracing Rune Factory 4 with their superior localisation skills.—BenoitRen
I can’t speak for all the games that Natsume has done; I can only speak for the ones that I have played. From what I’ve played, Natsume does a fine job.
Your Natsume doom and gloom is a bit unwarranted. The person replying that Natsume actually owns the US trademark is correct [SEE HERE], and based on the filings, they just recently renewed it. So it’s unlikely that MarvelousAQL will hand that series to XSEED in the immediate future.
However, I’m not certain on the person who said Natsume JP helps develop these games. Their website [SEE HERE] doesn’t list them as having done any work for those games. I believe it’s just Marvelous for Harvest Moon, and Neverland for Rune Factory.
All of this said, it appears Natsume is trying to broaden their horizon. This year they’re publishing some very non-Natsume games like Carnage Heart EXA, and Mystic Chronicles with the promise of even more to come. They’re also co-financiers on Hometown Story, and will hopefully bring back a brand that was once successful for them in the way of Medabots. It looks like the lack of Rune Factory is making the company look for other games, and if you’re a fan of niche gaming that’s not a bad thing at all. There are plenty of games that slip through the hands of XSEED, Aksys, and Atlus for there to be quality games for Natsume to pick up.—JonathanisPrimus
Thank you for providing evidence. I was not aware of that website. Thank you for pointing it out. And thank you for providing a link to the Natsume site, as well.
And yes, once again, I’m sorry. And you do make a good point about Natsume picking up games that XSEED, Aksys, and Atlus (well, maybe not right now) can’t get to. I guess there’s still some room left for Natsume.
Well, that’s all I can stomach for now. But don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to tell me how wrong I am with the upcoming Sonic retrospective. I’ve already purchased the games and am working my way through these games (or back through, in some cases) as you read this. And after playing these games again…
I’ll have plenty to write about.
