Another May weekend means we are all one step closer to Electronic Entertainment Expo 2012. Across the pond, Diablo III is taking its hold on PC and Mac gamers, but there is hope that such a game could in fact end up on Wii U, with time. Let us take a peek at what games members of the Nintendojo staff are playing this weekend in the wonderful world of Nintendo and beyond!
Bradly Hale
This weekend has already been, and will continue to be, dominated by Diablo III. As much as I’d love to get down on some Big N gaming, I simply can’t pull myself away from Blizzard’s latest dungeon crawling extravaganza. But, fret not diehard Nintendo fan, for as soon as The Last Story is released, you can guarantee that I’ll be back in the Wii saddle. To say that I’m absurdly, and quite possibly unhealthily, excited for TLS may be a gross understatement. July can’t come soon enough.
That being said, I will be picking up both the new Midnight Purple 3DS and Mario Tennis Open tomorrow morning, which should be, at the very least, a nice distracter between my Diablo-a-thons.
Will you be picking up one of these babies?
Kevin Knezevic
I won’t be doing too much gaming this weekend (as I’m woefully behind on my work for Nintendojo), but I may try to sneak in a few sessions of Xenoblade Chronicles if I get the chance. I’m only about 20 hours into the game so far, but I’ve been really enjoying my time with it. I did not expect the world to be quite as expansive as it actually is (as I’ve been on a media blackout of the game since it was pretty much announced), but I am having a blast exploring its every nook and cranny (even if it comes at the expense of the storyline). I love that the game even rewards you with experience points each time you discover a new landmark or location, encouraging you to tread off the beaten path whenever you get the chance. I still have quite a ways to go on my journey to the Bionis’ head, but I’m really looking forward to seeing more of what the game has to offer.
I may also pick up Mario Tennis Open tomorrow, provided I have the funds for it. Early reviews all seem to agree that it is a solid, if sparse, installment in the series, but considering how recently it was just unveiled, that was to be expected. That being said, I am a little disappointed that it won’t feature an RPG mode like Power Tour before it, but I’m still looking forward to decking out my Mii in Nintendo-themed costumes. What can I say? I’m a sucker for customization.
Nicolas Vestre
Things haven’t changed at all from last week. I’m at the very end of World 4 in Braid for Xbox 360, and I’m having a blast. The puzzles are just difficult enough to be very satisfying when completed but rarely leave me feeling frustrated. I’m also completely addicted to Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley for PSP. After I finish spring of year one, I’ll change gears and play some Mario Kart 7 coupled with Mutant Mudds. The reason for the change is to avoid becoming burned out by playing too much Harvest Moon, which can easily happen.
Katharine Byrne
I’ve finally decided to crack out Pikmin this weekend. I got the New Play Control version for Christmas on the cheap, and what with E3 and an impending Pikmin 3 announcement just around the corner, I thought I better see what all the fuss is about. So far I’m about a third of the way through, but goodness me is it hard! Perhaps I just have poor time management skills, but I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be this challenging. It’s quite a shock to the system after having just played Enslaved: Odyssey to the West on PlayStation 3 where all I need to do is press X and have the game do all the fancy clambering around and stuff for me. That said, while the platforming sections of Enslaved weren’t particularly taxing, it was just such a gorgeous game to play. Everything from the grand vistas of a ruined New York to the intricate facial expressions of Monkey and Trip were simply enchanting, and it had me hooked from start to finish. It’s a shame it wasn’t a bit longer really, as I would have quite happily trudged through the Wasteland for at least another ten hours, but alas it wasn’t to be. Sequel, please, Ninja Theory!
Michael Contino
My weekend began with a bit of Team Fortress 2 on PC and tonight I will be on Minecraft and Crysis (the Xbox 360 versions). I guess you can call me an off-the-wall PC gamer (I play TF2 with a 360 controller, and I am pretty good too). Controllers have always tickled my fancy. If any game can take me away from my controllers, it would be Paper Mario 3DS, which reminds me, I need to start a new playthrough on Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Wii Virtual Console. Hmmm…
Last night, after watching a chunk of Pierce Brosnan’s premiere James Bond outing, it got me in the mood for GoldenEye 007 on Wii. With Wii U right around the corner, giving Wii some ninth inning love is not a bad idea. Besides, Wii still has several noteworthy upcoming games in Pikmin 2, The Last Story, Kirby: 20th Anniversary Edition, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, and even LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (which hits store shelves exactly one month from today).
Now, mind me while I go daydream about a Wii U Metroid/Star Fox crossover.
With Sunday’s release of Mario Tennis Open on 3DS, I am sure many of you will be smacking balls across the court this weekend. What else are you guys and gals playing? Perhaps you are too giddy with E3 anticipation? We don’t blame you!
i finished sin and punishment star succesor, and now i’m playing 3 games, Redsteel 2, Lost in shadow and mario kart 7. Redsteel 2 has good graphics and i like the gameplay with the sword and gun combos, the artstyle is cool too, but i find the game easy and repetitive, lost in shadows has a great concept and good execution, but the graphics are superbad, the boy shadow is very pixelated and the stages looks almost the same, poor textures and overal design, but the music and the puzzles are good, and finally mario kart 7, i think is the best mario kart since mario kart 64, i love the graphics the gameplay and presentation, its hard but in a good way, altough i wish for the day of the death of the blue shell.