April 2 – April 6

Section: 

The best thing I can say about this Monday morning is that April Fools Day is over. Actually, that's not true. The best thing I can say about this Monday is that it's one day fewer before PAX East begins this Friday.

I've gone from anticipatory, to excited and now almost anxious. I always get like this before a big trip anyway, but attending a big event with a GWJ panel is almost too much for my fluttery humors to handle. I had the same feeling going into PAX West a couple of years back, and it was a tremendous experience. Once I'm shuffling through security at the airport early Thursday morning I expect to be back to relative normal.

As for the week in gaming itself, I want to believe that Kinect Star Wars is going to be fun. I don't expect Game of the Year performance, but jumping around swinging lightsabres with my kids is, I think, a reasonable expectation, so if it can deliver something that makes jiggling around like a fool fun then I'll consider that a win. Still, it's not hard to imagine the many ways this game could be a disappointing catastrophe, and we should simply call my skepticism healthy and leave it at that. Still, unless you're a huge Tropico 4 fan who is eagerly anticipating this week's expansion, there's not a lot else to get worked up about.

[edit]Unless something called -- *checks notes* -- uh, Xenoblade Chronicles is a thing that you like. It is, umm, let's see, some kind of JRPG thingy for the Nintendo Wii. Which is, given those two qualities, obviously a thing I am very excited about. Only a fool wouldn't be, right!

PC
- Confrontation
- Shoot Many Robots (Steam - $10)
- Tropico 4: Modern Times

Xbox 360
- Devil May Cry HD Collection
- Fallout 3 & Oblivion Double Pack
- Kinect Star Wars
- Anomaly Warzone Earth (XBLA - $10)
- Diabolical Pitch (XBLA - $10)

PS3
- Devil May Cry HD Collection
- I Am Alive (PSN - $15)
- The Price Is Right Decades (PSN)
- Wheels of Destruction: World Tour (PSN - $10)

Wii
- Xenoblade Chronicles
- TNT Racers (WiiWare)

Nintendo 3DS
- Funky Barn 3D
- Colors! 3D (eShop - $7)

PSP
- Canabalt (PSP mini)
- Farm Frenzy 2 (PSP mini)

Nintendo DS
- Penguin Patrol (DSiWare - $2)

Comments

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Kinect Star Wars? Really?

Still, unless you're a huge Tropico 4 fan who is eagerly anticipating this week's expansion, there's not a lot else to get worked up about.

Except for the US release (FINALLY) of Xenoblade Chronicles, which is according to reviews in Europe and Japan just about the best thing to happen to the RPG in the last five years. Heck, even Tom Chick has drunk that happy juice.

But, y'know, don't let your prejudice get in the way or anything.

Sean, you and I need to have a talk. I know you have, well, a difficult relationship with JRPGs, but the fact of the matter is that Xenoblade Chronicles seems to be the one JRPG this generation that should be played by everyone. It's getting Skyrim-like reviews for moving the rather stale JRPG market forward.

That said, I can't blame you for not being aware of its existence. Nintendo didn't want you to know it exists as it required a metric ton of gamer whining to get it brought over the the US.

So, in order to get people to notice it, I'm going to use your forum on the front page to display its box art aaaaaaand try to take away any and all knowledge I have of Star Wars Kinect's existence..

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/XtojA.jpg)

Xenoblade looks like the standout there and, IMO is well worth a look - even for people who aren't normally JRPG fans (in fact, probably ESPECIALLY if you're not a JRPG fan, since it shares a lot of mechanics with your average western MMO).

Also, bound to be a very limited run I would imagine.

***

*hah* beaten to the punch

Still, unless you're a huge Tropico 4 fan who is eagerly anticipating this week's expansion, there's not a lot else to get worked up about.

Troooollll in the dungeon!

Minarchist wrote:

Except for the US release (FINALLY) of Xenoblade Chronicles, which is according to reviews in Europe and Japan just about the best thing to happen to the RPG in the last five years. Heck, even Tom Chick has drunk that happy juice.

But, y'know, don't let your prejudice get in the way or anything. ;)

All that means is that everyone thst writes about games is contractually obligated to hate it.

cube wrote:
Minarchist wrote:

Except for the US release (FINALLY) of Xenoblade Chronicles, which is according to reviews in Europe and Japan just about the best thing to happen to the RPG in the last five years. Heck, even Tom Chick has drunk that happy juice.

But, y'know, don't let your prejudice get in the way or anything. ;)

All that means is that everyone thst writes about games is contractually obligated to hate it.

It's not just that it's a JRPG, it's that it's a Wii exclusive JRPG. I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform. As it stands, I can't even play it.

Dysplastic wrote:

It's not just that it's a JRPG, it's that it's a Wii exclusive JRPG. I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform. As it stands, I can't even play it.

And the highlighted game is a Kinect exclusive, and there's less people who own Kinects than Wiis. I hope.

Dysplastic wrote:

I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform.

What do you mean "you people"?

You've earned this one, Mr. Sands!

IMAGE(http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/554/facepalm.jpg)

That explains why Spike's had the Star Wars marathon which has had commercials for this piece of crap looking game.

No sir, I will not accept Kinect Star Wars as the game of the week, and shall instead pretend it is Xenoblade Chronicles (or at the very least, I Am Alive on PSN, now that it's on a platform that has a reasonably sized hard drive).

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dysplastic wrote:

I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform.

What do you mean "you people"? :mad:

What do YOU mean "you people"??

Quintin_Stone wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dysplastic wrote:

I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform.

What do you mean "you people"? :mad:

What do YOU mean "you people"??

What do you mean by "mean"?

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dysplastic wrote:

I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform.

What do you mean "you people"? :mad:

I meant people. You KNOW what I meant!

Demyx wrote:

And the highlighted game is a Kinect exclusive, and there's less people who own Kinects than Wiis. I hope.

I can't disagree with you. But we all know a JRPG is never going to be GOTW material here, for better or worse. I'm making a more general statement that it's hard enough to get your JRPG noticed by anyone among the mainstream NA press/blogosphere without it being a Wii exclusive.

Retake The Week Ahead!

Sean Sands is the 1%! Occupy The Week Ahead! OTWA unite!

Quintin_Stone wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dysplastic wrote:

I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform.

What do you mean "you people"? :mad:

What do YOU mean "you people"??

Huh!

Let it not be said of me that I won't completely capitulate and cave to pressure -- especially when someone face palms me.

That hurts, man. That's just cold.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dysplastic wrote:

I bet you people would be paying a lot more attention if it were multiplatform.

What do you mean "you people"? :mad:

What do YOU mean "you people"??

You know you people know what you know when you ask what you mean when you say you people. You know!

Or at least, I do. You know?

Elysium wrote:

Let it not be said of me that I won't completely capitulate and cave to pressure -- especially when someone face palms me.

That hurts, man. That's just cold.

Your attempt at a public placebo has been duly noted, but we'll be watching you Mr. Man.

First Bioware, now Gamers With Jobs. What can't the internet change?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

First Bioware, now Gamers With Jobs. What can't the internet change?

But the memory shall remain forever, and nothing can take that pain away.

Elysium wrote:

Let it not be said of me that I won't completely capitulate and cave to pressure

Is this now known as pulling a BioWare?

/bait

[edit]

Semi-Tannhauser'd by Clocky

Time to go and see if I can get Journey changed now.

Elysium wrote:

Let it not be said of me that I won't completely capitulate and cave to pressure -- especially when someone face palms me.

That hurts, man. That's just cold.

In other words you all just did to Sean what Operation Rainfall did to Nintendo. Now, we'll just have to do the same thing when The Last Story comes out.

mrtomaytohead wrote:

Now, we'll just have to do the same thing when The Last Story comes out.

We could try and push for Theatrhythm just to see if his head explodes from a rhythm game based around Final Fantasy tunes.

ccesarano wrote:

No sir, I will not accept Kinect Star Wars as the game of the week, and shall instead pretend it is Xenoblade Chronicles

We're sure someone double-checked Sean was aware it's no longer 4/1 when he posted this right?

That's it. I'm hog-tying Sean to the Square-Enix booth on Friday.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Troooollll in the dungeon! ;)

You rang?

jumping around swinging lightsabres with my kids is, I think, a reasonable expectation

I think you could spend $60 at Toys R' Us on toy lightsabers and walk away with a comparable experience

I wasn't going to buy anything this week, but this thread has made me want to buy Kinect Star Wars purely on principle. Also on principle I may have to acquire a variety of Final Fantasy games, set them in a pile, and pee on them.

shoptroll wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:

Now, we'll just have to do the same thing when The Last Story comes out.

We could try and push for Theatrhythm just to see if his head explodes from a rhythm game based around Final Fantasy tunes.

On a handheld to boot.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

First Bioware, now Gamers With Jobs. What can't the internet change?

Itself?

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