My concerns for Mario Kart 8

When Mario Kart 8 was first revealed at last years E3 Nintendo Direct the game looked phenomenal. All the trailers leading to its May 30th release didn't disappoint either. The stages, characters and graphical presentation all look great, but I can't help thinking about the last two iterations in the series and how disappointing I found them. Mario Kart Wii tried new ways to push the series forward and appeal to the Wii's casual audience but ended up being an unbalanced frustration of a game with a watered down battle mode. Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS was a good game mechanically but you could see the short cuts they took in order for them to get the game out before Christmas (not having a quick race opinion is disgrace, especially for a on the go game). 

My favorite game in the series is Mario Kart DS. Sure, some people didn't like people abusing the snaking mechanic online, but the DS title is by far the most content packed game in the series. It featured Grand Prix, Battle Mode, Online races, 8 player multiplayer and brand new mission mode. I played that game regularly from its release in 2005 all the way until 2010 when the 3DS come out. That's 5 years I played that game, the others didn't even last one.

So what do I want out of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U? First of all I want the items to be balanced during races. 12 player races are back and this issue needs to be addressed, because being hit by shells every colour of the rainbow isn't fun. Second, battle mode needs to be great again. The last two games only had the option for timed matches and didn't let you turn it off. Half the fun of battle mode is frantically racing around looking for that last person to smash them with a red shell you've been saving while not getting hit yourself and time limits take all this away. 

Like most people I'm really hyped for Mario Kart 8. It's a game that has the buying power to help the Wii U move units. I'm just nervous that history might repeat itself, even if Nintendo can't afford it.

Add Drewby on Miiverse @"Mo_Joe" to give him a race when MK8 is released!

Miiverse Madness #2: "Peach, I think you're on heat"

Warning!: Contains stupid, crude humor. This is only a bit of lighthearted fun. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you.

Nintendo's social network, Miiverse is a handy utility for gamers wanting to communicate with other users, but my god, the administrators are so strict! Lets see if we can get some crude (somewhat tasteless) pictures past their defenses!

This week I through a hand full of cheeky submissions into the Super Mario 3D World community. The beauty about this community is that you're able to use stamps that you have found throughout the game in your posts. Majority of posts here are either a cluster of random stamps or a simple illustration with no relevance to anything. Example shown below.

A picture can say a thousand words.

Will my posts be as innocent as Mario waving to a bunny jumping out of a warp pipe? Heavens no!  

Drewby's Super Smash Bros Nintendo Direct thoughts

Early this morning (here in Australia) the Super Smash Brothers Nintendo Direct was broadcast live across the world. Your typical average Joe might just say it was about a well dressed Japanese man talking about crazy cartoon characters beating on one another, but it was much more. For us Nintendo fans it was 39 minutes and 03 seconds of exciting information and reveals about the latest iteration(s) in our favorite series that pulls together iconic and beloved gaming franchises. During the course of the broadcast we learned a lot about the two games coming to the Wii U & 3DS such as release schedules, details on modes, character improvements, inclusions and much more.

Through out this post I'll go through what was discussed and share what I thought about it.

Smash Bros Nintendo Direct (I'm Excited)!

I'll be honest, waiting for the Smash Bros focused Nintendo Direct feels a lot like Christmas, only without the tasty food and festive atmosphere. I cannot wait to discover what information gets spilled out for the internet to break down and discuss, because we really don't know a whole lot about the two games. Sure, we know some characters, stages and the 3DS version has some sort of single player component but that is about it. It is a safe bet that new characters with be revealed (I'm guessing three :P) along with stages and couple of new Final Smashes.

Though, what I am hoping for is for Sakurai to walk through some of the game modes and explain what their idea is for online gaming. Has a lot of thought gone into it or is it an after thought? At this stage I would be happy to hear that it works. Also some gameplay demonstrations for new mechanics would be cool, we've seen screen shots now it's time to see it in action.

Unfortunately the Official Super Smash Bros Twitter account tweeted that a release date will not be announced, only a broad release frame. The translated quote, “We’re not at the stage where we can announce a concrete release date yet, but in [today's] broadcast, we will share a broad release frame,”. While it would be awesome to get a release date, it appears that it isn't to be. I guess it will give us something to look forward to another day! 

So yeah, I'm keen and you're probably keen too! Tomorrow I'll have another post up going through whats shown and my opinion on it all. Hopefully I'll see you there!

Be Drew's Smash Brother by starting a conversation with him on Twitter @iDrewby.

Miiverse Madness: Will It Be Removed? [02-04-14]

Since I purchased my Wii U on launch day back in 2012 I've really enjoyed it as a gaming platform, and one of the features I use quite often is Miiverse. To bring anyone up to speed who isn't familiar, Miiverse is Nintendo's inbuilt network service bringing people together allowing them to communicate and share gaming experiences with other Wii U users. Though, like everywhere on the internet, people are often ignorant and stupid. Because of this Nintendo have very strict administrators looking to find and remove any inappropriate content. 

Although, I question some of their decisions...

I'm sorry Nintendo... Was it because I spelled "community" wrong? 

The reason this one was removed is a bit more understandable.

It really was "the tits".

So for a bit of fun each week I'll post something subtly inappropriate on Miiverse trying to avoid the admin's wrath for as long as possible.

For the first weeks submission I tried to disguise a penis as Captain Olimar's space ship (mature, I know). Evidently other users caught on straight away, opps. 

And so did the administrators...

So each week I'll upload my attempts of beating Nintendo's Miiverse administrators for your viewing pleasure.

Why not join in? Give it you best shot to get past the administrators and leave a screenshot in the comments or @iDrewby on Twitter!

6 Games I'm Keen For In 2014

It would appear that the video game industry assumes we all appreciate an empty wallet. New consoles at the end of 2013 and a huge amount of promising titles to be released in 2014. Here's my quick list with a hand full of games in 2014 that have my wallet frothing.

Super Smash Bros

Publisher: Nintendo       Developer(s): Nintendo, Sora, Bandai Namco           Platform: Wii U & 3DS

Oh boy, Super Smash Bros. A series that pulls together all of my favorite gaming franchises to make an uber meta franchise I cannot get enough of. The atmosphere is captured perfectly as the games act as fan service to Nintendo fans showing tribute to characters, music and locations throughout the Big N's history. Last year leading up to E3 Smash for Wii U & 3DS was all I wanted to hear about, and when the first trailer dropped something wonderful happened inside of me (too explicit to write here). The new characters, graphical and mechanical refinements look great so far, but Sakurai still hasn't spilled the beans on everything, so there is still plenty of information to look forward too! By far the game(s) I am looking forward to most in 2014!

Note: Now that Smash Bros will be on a portable console, when the game is released there isn't much point starting a conversation with me. Unless it's about Smash, of course.

Love the theme music, too!

Infamous: Second Son

Publisher: Sony Entertainment            Developer: Sucker Punch             Platform: PS4

I'll be honest, I am still making my way through Infamous 1 & 2, but from my experience with those games we're all in for a treat with this installment. Controlling Delsin as we explore Seattle using an array of powers, kicking everyone's arse as we shape our future as either good or evil. Yes please!

Mario Kart 8

Publisher: Nintendo       Developer: Nintendo        Platform: Wii U

Boy do I love myself some Mario Kart, but I've never truly loved the series since Mario Kart DS. Mario Kart Wii was a poorly balanced mess and Mario Kart 7 seemed to be rushed to save the 3DS before Christmas. To spite the last two iterations in the series being disappointing I have faith in this game. It isn't being rushed to meet any holidays and the gameplay appears solid from videos online. Also the "F-Zero" magnetic track mechanic looks like it is giving the developers plenty of freedom to be creative and create amazing race courses. I dare say many beers will be consumed while playing this game!

The Crew

Publisher: Ubisoft            Developer(s): Ivory Tower, Ubisoft Reflections        Platform: PS4, XB1, PC

When I first heard details of a game with a map the size of America and that you're able to drive around the whole thing I was intrigued. Then when I found out you can form a "crew" with friends and take on other crews I was sold, it sounds so cool! Defiantly have a solid eye on this game.

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Publisher: Ubisoft            Developer(s): Obsidian Entertainment, South Park Digital Studios       Platform: PS3, 360, PC

Lately I have been on a bit of a South Park binge and this game will pretty much be a really long interactive episode. The RPG elements look interesting but it's the comedy aspect the show captures so well that I am looking forward to the most. The games comes out this week so not long!

Hatsune Miku: Diva F2

Publisher: Sega            Developer: Crypton Future Media        Platform: Vita, PS3

Hatsune Miku: Diva F is one of my favorite Vita games, I love vocaloid music and the pretty music videos played with each song. Not to mention the gameplay is really addictive! I spent more than enough time playing this when I was meant to be doing something more productive. A sequel with more songs is coming late March so I'll be sure to import myself a copy.

Other games I'm looking forward to

Evolve

Publisher: 2K Games           Developer: Turtle Rock Studios         Platform(s): PS4, XB1, PC

Destiny

Publisher: Activision       Developer: Bungie          Platform: 360, XB1, PS3, PS4, PC

X

Publisher: Nintendo       Developer: Monolith Soft            Platform: Wii U

Shovel Knight

Publisher: Yacht Club Games           Developer: Yacht Club Games        Platform: Wii U, 3DS, PC

Child of Light

Publisher: Ubisoft     Developer: Ubisoft Montreal     Platform: PS3, PS4, 360, XB1, Wii U, PC

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

Publisher: Tecmo Koei    Developer(s): Team Ninja, Spark Unlimited, Comcept    Platform: 360, PS3, PC

There are still plenty of titles I would like to try this year like Bayonetta 2 and Kirby: Triple Deluxe. What games are you keen to play in 2014? 

My ''Real Life'' Pokemon Team

Pokemon X & Y are only mere days away from their worldwide release on October 12th. With all the excitement regarding a whole new region to explore and Pokemon to capture, I thought to myself, if I were a real life Pokemon trainer traveling the country and collecting gym badges, what 6 Pokemon would I travel with? Now this is easier said then done, there are over 650 species to choose from, but I've chosen a hand full of my favorites.

So without further a-do, here is my party of Pokemon!

Name: Charizard
Number: #006
Classification: Flame Pokemon
Height: 1.7m
Weight: 90.5km
Ability: Blaze
Potential Nickname: Greymon







Charizard is one of the most popular Pokemon ever. His fire power and ability to fly make him a fantastic asset to anyone's team, and why wouldn't he be? Though to spite this I'm no hipster, so I am going to go right ahead and claim one for myself. Also with the newly announced mega evolutions this classic Pokemon just become twice as awesome!

Name: Heracross
Number: #214
Classification: Singlehorn Pokemon
Height: 1.5m
Weight: 54kg
Ability: Guts/Swarm
Potential Nickname: Hera-angry





Heracross is easily my favorite bug Pokemon. It's bug/fighting combination makes it a reliable Pokemon to take down foes (unless it's a flying type). And that horn means business!

Name: Lapras
Number: #131
Classification: Transport Pokemon
Height: 2.5m
Weight: 220kg
Ability: Water Absorb/Shell Armor
Potential Nickname: Jacob the Great







Lapras is so awesome. Strong, defensive and able to transport you across the ocean. A favorite I would not go without.

Name: Pikachu
Number: #025
Classification: Mouse Pokemon
Height: 0.4m
Weight: 6kg
Ability: Static
Potential Nickname: Pikadrew






Pikachu would probably be the choice of every 7 year old, but you can't go past him. He's so cute!

Name: Tyranitar
Number: #248
Classification: Armor Pokemon
Height: 2m
Weight: 202kg
Ability: Sand Stream
Potential Nickname: Tyranitarsaurus Rex







Every team needs a Pokemon to take hits and deal damage, and that's were Tyranitar comes in. Amazing attack power and a fearsome look, Tyranitar is going to be included in my team, and he's going to kick arse!

Name: Latias
Number: #380
Classification: Eon Pokemon
Height: 1.4m
Weight: 40kg
Ability: Levitate
Potential Nickname: Latiarse




Now I know what you're thinking ''Drew, how are you going to catch a legendary''? Truth is I have no idea, but I would sure as hell find a way. I have fond memories of chasing her throughout the Hoenn region in Sapphire version. She's cheerful, loyal and powerful, traits any trainer would be proud to have in their team.

So that would be my real life Pokemon team! It would looks something a little like this...

If you could choose 6 Pokemon for a real life Pokemon team, which ones would you choose? Leave your answer in the comments below or on Life's a Game's Facebook page!




Drew turned 10 over 9 years ago and still hasn't received his first Pokemon from Professor Oak. Whats up with that?!!