"Nintendo is doomed!" This is a quote which has constantly been heard by Nintendo fans over the last year. The grossly misinformed mainstream gaming press and hardcore gaming meatheads have done nothing but berate the longtime company operating on the idea that if they say something enough, it will come true. This of course is not the case as it was recently revealed that Nintendo holds a higher market value than all of Sony combined. Business markets currently have Sony's market capitalization at $17.7 billion while the total value of all Nintendo shares sit at $18.4 billion.
This news is a bit sobering when you consider that Sony's number includes not only the PlayStation business but also things such as the companies movies, music and computer divisions. Nintendo's strong numbers come from their continued dominance of the handheld market with the 3DS (remember when people were saying the 3DS was a failure?), the Wii U's upswing over the holiday's and the announcement of China's console ban removal. It's important to remember that Nintendo does not operate like other companies (thankfully) and their brands will maintain the company through even the worst of times because they focus on the games and not pure profit.
Source
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
UnEpic Set To Raid The Wii U eShop Next Week!
The Metroidvania RPG hybrid known as UnEpic has finally been approved for the eShop which is sure to please Wii U owners looking for a deep exploration heavy RPG experience (a perfect fit for those cold winter days!). UnEpic made its debut on computers a couple years ago but the Wii U release marks its first home console release and it's a perfect fit for Nintendo's HD console due to the games many menus and plethora of item management which is handled via the Wii U Gamepad. The game features a rather unique tale of a modern day gamer playing D&D with his friends when the lights go out and he finds himself transported to the dungeons of UnEpic. Publisher EnjoyUp just announced via Twitter that the game was approved by Nintendo and is planning to release the game this month with January 16, 2014 slated as the current release date (gotta love the eShop and its rather quick turnaround for new releases). Wii U owners looking for a deep RPG experience with a heavy emphasis on Metroidvania style exploration should keep an eye on this game. I am including a review for the PC version of the game to give fans a better idea of the full experience. Enjoy!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Zelda Themed Short Film To Get Feature Length Adaptation
In late 2012, a rather thought provoking and emotional short film titled ESCAPE was released showing the truly deep connection between a young gamer and her favorite game, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The film illustrates the power of video games and their unique ability to allow the player to escape from or deal with the often harsh realities of life. Lead actress Bella Porter gives an emotive performance that is sure to strike a chord with just about any gamer with a heart. The film has been quite successful being featured on CNET, IGN and Destructoid as well as winning an award at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2012. Please be warned, the film deals with difficult themes such as psychological bullying and includes some swearing and a brief scene of simulated violence.
Writer/Director Kennedy Baruch has recently announced his plans to expand ESCAPE into a feature length film which will be titled PRINCESS IN ANOTHER CASTLE. The film will be set in 1996 and focus on the main character seeking solace in classic NES games such as Zelda, TMNT II: The Arcade Game and Mother (the NES prequel to EarthBound which never saw a US release). Mother's inclusion is the result of some artistic license by the filmmaker due to the games themes which are quite relevant to the core story. Honestly, films like this are needed to illustrate the real effects of video games and why their current role as media scapegoat for violence is so grossly inaccurate. Enjoy the following announcement trailer and be sure to share ESCAPE and show your support.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
Ys V Finally Sees An English Language Version
The excellent Ys series (pronounced "eese") is hugely popular in Japan yet is largely ignored in North America having managed to only garner a small cult following through its fragmented english language release across a variety of systems. Ys is the type of series that requires a prior knowledge and actual effort to find yet is extremely rewarding to those who put forth the effort. Despite this difficulty and random release history, a surprisingly large number of the games in the series have made their way to US shores in one form or another. XSEED Games deserves a special thank you from fans due to their consistent US release of the Ys series across Steam and Sony Handhelds over the last few years.
Unfortunately, the fifth entry titled "Ys V-Kefin, Lost City of Sand" has been the one title without any official English language release. Thanks to the fan translators at Aeon Genesis, that all changes due to a translation patch just released for the overlooked action adventure title which originally came out in 1995 on the Super Famicom (Japan's named for the Super Nintendo). The patch is available at the Aeon Genesis website but will require the ROM in order to work. Since ROM downloading has a questionable legal history, I will leave you to Google and your own resources to easily find the file. Enjoy!
Unfortunately, the fifth entry titled "Ys V-Kefin, Lost City of Sand" has been the one title without any official English language release. Thanks to the fan translators at Aeon Genesis, that all changes due to a translation patch just released for the overlooked action adventure title which originally came out in 1995 on the Super Famicom (Japan's named for the Super Nintendo). The patch is available at the Aeon Genesis website but will require the ROM in order to work. Since ROM downloading has a questionable legal history, I will leave you to Google and your own resources to easily find the file. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Rap Song Perfectly Illustrates The Corruption Of YouTube
YouTube has quickly become a major source of reviews, news and content for those in the gaming community. Hell, there are a ton of people who make a living from their gaming content and the millions of subscribers who support them. Unfortunately it has become apparent that the steady decay of America has spread to this service which once stood for bringing people together and free speech. The YouTube of today and the YouTube of 6 years ago are very different beasts with money and corruption now dictating how the service can "screw the little guy" and how the behemoth can do so quite illegally.
This whole situation has been building for a couple years but absolutely exploded last month as both minor and major YouTubers were hit with thousands of unverified content claims effectively robbing them of their ad revenue which many depend on for their livelihood. The full ramifications of this will echo through 2014 and could potentially change the face of the gaming community for years to come as many look for alternatives to YouTube as well as ways to "fight the man". Unfortunately there are few legal means to fight the beast as the laws for protecting citizens have slowly been destroyed over the last decade while laws protecting corporations have grown by leaps and bounds over the same period (All the result of a society made purposely uneducated through a broken education system).
On a positive note, there are people fighting back in their own unique way. YouTuber Dan Bull has crafted a rather brilliant rap titled Fuck Content ID which illustrates how bad the whole situation has become. While some may dismiss this whole situation as trivial, the reality couldn't be more serious as the internet is the last source of truly free speech and corporations have literally been waging war on it attempting to regulate and control the flow of information. Watch it, Share it, Get educated and Join the fight!
This whole situation has been building for a couple years but absolutely exploded last month as both minor and major YouTubers were hit with thousands of unverified content claims effectively robbing them of their ad revenue which many depend on for their livelihood. The full ramifications of this will echo through 2014 and could potentially change the face of the gaming community for years to come as many look for alternatives to YouTube as well as ways to "fight the man". Unfortunately there are few legal means to fight the beast as the laws for protecting citizens have slowly been destroyed over the last decade while laws protecting corporations have grown by leaps and bounds over the same period (All the result of a society made purposely uneducated through a broken education system).
On a positive note, there are people fighting back in their own unique way. YouTuber Dan Bull has crafted a rather brilliant rap titled Fuck Content ID which illustrates how bad the whole situation has become. While some may dismiss this whole situation as trivial, the reality couldn't be more serious as the internet is the last source of truly free speech and corporations have literally been waging war on it attempting to regulate and control the flow of information. Watch it, Share it, Get educated and Join the fight!
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