Games and Stuff 2012

I'm excited to play some new games this year, and I've gone over the ever growing list... I've been distracted by Dragon Quest IX, which I've been playing in my spare time when I'm on break at work. I feel like I'm only scratching the surface on that game, and that I'm probably playing it wrong. I'm too far in to restart, so I'll never know.

That being said, I've been looking over the list of games that I want to finish this year, and I wish that I had more time during the day. Changes with work, and life are going to make 2012 a tough year. Keeping on top of my art projects, music stuff, blogs, other things are going to cut into game blogging. I see this as a research project though, into the development of games that people have enjoyed for a long time, and that make me enjoy them more when I learn everything about them. This year will be no different, and I'm guessing that I'll probably end up posting to this blog in spurts.

The PSVita was finally released in America and like many people around the world, I'm finally wondering if the PSP will be cheap enough to buy now. There are lots of PSP games that I want to play. PSP sales have been out selling the new Vita in Japan and that has many people wondering if the Vita has a chance in the portable video game world. It will be fine, just give it time. People forget that the 3DS had a crappy start, and it was all doom and gloom nonsense from the Apple fanboys who never pay more than 99 cents for anything. The Vita looks nice, I've played it a few times, and if there were more interesting titles lined up for it, I'd probably get one. Gravity Rush looks amazing, and from what I've played, it is awesome. The new Lumines soundtrack is worth checking out as well. Its hard to believe this is possible on a handheld console.

There are some big name games coming to North America for the Wii. Nintendo is cranking out some of the best stuff at the last second to grab even more Wii sales. Some Nintendo games that I'm excited to see this year:

Xenoblade Chronicles

After complaining to Nintendo of America long enough, they finally relented and authorized distribution of this game in North America. It had only been available in Japan and Europe up until now, and it will be released in April. Nintendo has always been kinda hesitant to bring over games for localization in North America, but this is a no-brainer. The game look amazing and is another example of the action-JRPG's that have been so popular overseas. I was considering importing this game from Europe and soft-modding my Wii to play it. I've never played any of the other games in the Xeno series, but this one looks like something that I can really get into, and the hype around it's release in America is something I don't want to miss.

The Last Story

This is a game that I've heard less about, and like Xenoblade, was also only released in Japan and Europe. It was announced that this game would see release in America in the Summer of 2012. This game was made by
Hironobu Sakaguchi, THE guy who created and produced the Final Fantasy series (up until IX). He left Square after his movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within flopped, and started his own company, Mistwalker. I would say that his Final Fantasy games are some of my favorites, but I haven't played II, III, or VIII. Given that he created those games and was the president of Square during its heyday in the 90's, this has made The Last Story a super title for the last year of the Wii. It combines elements of an action turn based RPG and a third person shooter, which intrigues my simple brain.

Dragon Quest X

The closed beta for this Wii/Wii-U MMORPG started last week. This game has the potential to be the biggest game for Nintendo hardware. Square Enix has been quiet about this game since announcing it, and besides a few videos, there isn't much in terms of official news. With the beta out, there are more screenshots and videos that have been trickling out to give a better idea on what kind of MMO this will be. From some of the videos it looks like turn-based combat is somehow implemented, and there are multiple characters and jobs available for players. It retains the same Akira Toriyama cartoon style from the previous games (because the Wii can't process anything realistic) and that's awesome. Dragon Quest games have always been cartoon-ish and should remain that way. The game should be out in Japan by the end of the year, and we probably won't see it in America until 2013. Which sucks.

Level 5 did such a great job with the Dragon Quest series, and at the same time, keeping everything that made the series great intact. I've only played a few hours of Dragon Quest VIII, I'd play it more if I could fit it into my schedule. Square Enix is developing the latest game in house, and we'll see if that changes anything.