This Week’s Videogame Releases

This week is packed full of awesome games. Harvey Smith’s Dishonored has been getting fantastic reviews. I’ve been high on this game since E3 2012 and I’m jazzed by its critical reception. XCOM: Enemy Unknown has also been high on my list of 2012 games. This sci-fi strategy game has an old-school feel and stands out in today’s market — very sweet blend of retro gameplay with modern trappings. Pokemon Black and White Version 2 is out, ready to entertain millions of Pokemon trainers. Fable: The Journey brings one of Microsoft’s most popular franchises to the arm-flapping world of Kinect. Adding to the motion madness is Harry Potter for Kinect, which offers mainstream entertainment for muggles, witches, and wizards. Lastly, Code of Princess is a slick action-RPG that could be one of the sleeper hits of the year.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a pretty loaded week for videogames! Fans of fighting and scantily-clad women will want to pick up Dead or Alive 5. If football is more your thing then FIFA 13 — available on pretty much every platform known to man — will do you good. Pro Evolution Soccer 13 doesn’t have the broad availability of its competitor, but many football fans I know think its the better series. Do you love birds and hate pigs? If so then Angry Birds Trilogy should be right up your alley. A few of my writer friends were surprised by The Testament of Sherlock HolmesWipeout 3 should satisfy fans of high-speed racing. I usually don’t include PC games on this list, but World of Warcraft: Mists of Panderia is simply too big to ignore.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

I Want a Pikachu 3DS XL/LL!!!

I really didn’t want a Nintendo 3DS XL…but then I saw this limited edition Pikachu model available for pre-order at Pokemon Center stores in Japan. A few of you will recall that I own several Pokemon-edition Nintendo handhelds. I love my Celebi Game Boy Advance. I adore my Torchic GBA-SP. My DS Lite with Dialga and Palkia on the cover…well, that one is just okay; the other two portables look cooler. Anyway, the point is that this Pikachu 3DS XL/LL is screaming to be part of my collection. It’s cute and awesome and super-effective against water Pokemon!

If only I had a friend that lives in Japan, like Brad Douglas. If only a pal, like Brad Douglas, would drive down to Los Angeles while he’s in America in a few weeks so that I could give him some money to pick this bad boy up for me at Pokemon Center Tokyo. A good friend, like Brad Douglas, would realize that it’s my birthday next month and this favor would be awesome. I wonder….

Farewell Nintendo Power

It was sad hearing that Nintendo Power will be shutting down. Millions of Nintendo fans have been enjoying the magazine since the late ’80s. Like Egon Spengler said in 1984, print is dead — especially for people that want to read about videogames and videogame-related articles. That said, there was just something comforting about having longrunning magazines like Nintendo Power around. Yeah, you knew that the book was on the decline and that it would eventually go away, but you got warm fuzzies whenever you saw the logo or saw it at a newsstand.

While I’ve purchased dozens of Nintendo Power issues over the years, I couldn’t tell you the last time I bought one. Saying that I will miss the magazine has an empty ring to it. It’s more like…I’ll miss the nostalgic bliss the magazine conjured.

Will any of you miss Nintendo Power? Share some memories of your favorite issues when you have a moment.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a brilliant week to be an RPG fan! Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance brings Sora and the gang to the Nintendo 3DS. Fans of fantasy RPGs will want to keep an eye on Risen 2: Dark Waters. If old-school JRPGs are your thing then you’ll want to pick up Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time for PlayStation Portable. Lots of RPG excitement on a variety of platforms!

Any of you picking up new games this week?

This Week’s Videogame Release

It’s a pretty dim week for videogame releases. Thankfully, Square Enix’s Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is here to brighten things up! I’ve been high on this game since it was first announced in Japan and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Aside from that, Test Drive: Ferrari Legends brings back one of the oldest series in racing games. Spelunky for XBLA is also getting a lot of buzz from game critics.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are a bunch of fun games coming out this week, but I wanted to kick things off with one of my E3 2012 surprises that was released last week. I’m talking about Brave, the game based on the Pixar movie. I had no expectations for this game and was delighted to find an action-RPG that reminded me a lot of the old Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance games. I kind of want to see the movie, but I really want to play the game. Speaking of movie-games, The Amazing Spider-Man is out this week for your web-slinging pleasure. If military shooters are more your thing then you’ll want to check out Spec Ops: The Line. Do you want a game with the ugliest Olympic logo in history? If so then you must buy London 2012. Last, but not least, is a quirky-cute Japanese RPG called Record of the Agarest War 2.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

E3 2012: Skylanders Giants Booth Tour

Here’s a quick run through of Activision’s booth for Skylanders Giants. The sequel to one of the most hugely successful games of 2011, this game brings bigger and badder toys to the mix. Meet some of the new Skylanders in this video booth tour.

Today’s Poll: Who Had the Best E3 2012 Press Conference?

You guys and dolls have discussed the Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony E3 2012 press conference. Now it’s time to pick which console company had the best presser! Please vote in today’s poll and explain your pick in the comments section…

You guys and dolls have discussed the Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony E3 2012 press conference. Now it’s time to pick which console company had the best presser! Please vote in today’s poll and explain your pick in the comments section.

As for me, the choice was clear. Nintendo had a great start with Pikmin and Super Mario Bros., then crashed hard. The presentation for SiNG halted momentum and that 3DS vice president dude sucked the oxygen out of the Nokia Theater. I thought Sony Kaz Hirai was the master of that trick. The Nintendo guy’s air-sucking ability raised the bar. He must have worked with the Kirby games.

Microsoft had a good show, but I wasn’t overly impressed with its first-party lineup. Halo 4 is going to dazzle — no doubt about that. I was never big on the Forza series, buy I get why people love it. The new Gears game??? With all due respect to the awesomely talented people at People Can Fly, my initial reaction was, “Look, it’s Gears of War: The Money Grab!”

Sony did the best job emphasizing games and had the best first-party lineup. I’m so psyched for Beyond and The Last of Us. Lots of people loved the God of War III demo…which I called Kratos vs. Goat Boy and Elephant Man. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was more fun than I thought it would be. Although it only got a brief mention at the presser, The Unfinished Swan is my favorite game of the show so far. For me, this was easily the best presser among the three.

Now it’s your turn! Pick the best E3 2012 presser and explain your pick in the comments section (please)!

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Nintendo E3 2012 Press Conference Open Discussion

Nintendo has already revealed two controllers and a long overdue social network (Miiverse) at its pre-press-conference briefing. What does the company have in store for its proper press conference? Let’s find out together! You can watch the Nintendo E3 2012 press conference right here. As the info flows, please let me know what you think. With so much riding on the Wii U, Nintendo has to bust out some homeruns at this year’s show. I can’t wait to see if Nintendo can win over the mostly unenthused enthusiast-gaming press and the hardcore gaming crowd.