Localization Woes

Kris P. Home, Kristen, Rachel , , , , , , , ,

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Being a video gamer in the west, we tend to get major releases a little while after Japan. However, there are plenty of games that disappointingly have never made it over to us from Japan. A couple of these games that we would really like to play are a few of the Ace Attorney spin-off games, Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2 and Dai Gyakuten Saiban: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Bōken (which, for the sake of this post, we can call Ace Attorney with Sherlock Holmes).

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Ace Attorney is a huge favorite of ours. We’ve enjoyed and loved every single game we’ve played in that series. We get excited to hear about a new game and then are immediately disappointed when it doesn’t come to us. I have thought about, on my occasions, attempting to learn Japanese just for the sake of playing video games that don’t make it to us.

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Learning Japanese probably would be fun, and I’m sure there are fan translations for the games out on the wide spaces of the Internet. I know petitions have been made to bring both games here to the west. It’s a shame that Investigations 2 at the very least didn’t make it over here, what with the first game and the other Ace Attorney games doing well. The one with Sherlock Holmes has copyright issues for here in the west, so that’s a bit of a legal mess.

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I know legal stuff gets in the way, but it’s still bothersome. Also, I know money is a huge thing. It costs a lot to bring it over, but with them being so popular, you’d think that they’d make the money right back. Then again, I don’t know anything about business.

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I assume with the clamoring for the games, they would be able to make the money back, legal issues aside. Seeing an ancestor of Phoenix Wright team up with Sherlock Holmes would be amazing! I’d love to look up the game play, but if there’s that tiny shred of hope that we’ll get it here in the west, I don’t want to spoil it for myself.

Rachel Mii Double Jump
Another game that I really hope will come to us is Detective Pikachu. I was so excited when that was first announced. It was just the other day I looked it up to see if any release dates were added. Apparently, it was released in Japan in February 2016, but for the US, the date says “TBD.” I know that means “to be determined,” but they can always determine not to bring it here… and I hope that’s not the case. (No pun intended!)

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Detective Pikachu sounded ridiculous, in a good way, to me. It’s a unique twist on side Pokemon games, and I was looking forward to seeing how it would play out. Detective and puzzle games are awesome to us, as evident by our love of Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton, so combining that aspect with Pokemon is a great idea to us. Hopefully Detective Pikachu will eventually make its way over to us as well.

Rachel Mii Double Jump
I hope it makes it to us! I love mystery games and adding Pokemon to it is perfect for me. I’m sure there are plenty of other games out there that haven’t been released here… Ace Attorney and Detective Pikachu are the only ones I can think of as of right now, though. I hope they come to us soon.

Any special games you wish were localized in the US, or where you are? Let us know in the comments below!

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Friday Favorites: Unexpected Endings

Kris P. Friday Favorites, Home, Kristen, Nintendo , , , , , , ,

Double Jump Kris MiiThis post will contain spoilers on the endings of some games, but said games have already been out for a while now. The oldest game on this list was published in 1998, for example.

This particular Friday I’m sharing a few games that have surprised me, either by giving me deep thoughts or freaking me out, in some way or another with their endings.

Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Okay, so we all know the ending of the game was going to be Zelda and Link teaming up to kick Ganondorf’s ass, and the final battles are always amazing. What I found unexpected about Windwaker’s final battle was the nature of the last attack. Windwaker’s graphics were a cute, cartoon-y style, so to see little Link leap up and embed the Master Sword directly through Ganondorf’s eyes was startling, to say the least. There was no blood or gore, of course, but in a game that has monsters disappear in a puff of smoke after a few smacks, such a violent end to Ganondorf was unexpected.

Pokemon Sun and Moon: Professor Kukui as the Champion

With Sun and Moon revitalizing the formula for the Pokemon games, it wasn’t even certain that there would be the traditional Champion at the end of the game to battle. When we did go through the new Pokemon League, seeing Professor Kukui at the end was a surprise to me. Never before in a Pokemon game have we battled the professors, except for Professor Sycamore in X and Y to obtain a Kanto starter. There’s a glitch in the original Pokemon games’ code to let the player battle Professor Oak, but having the professor as one of the final tests in a game was new to Sun and Moon. I had expected Hau, Gladion, or another story-centered character to be the Champion that we would battle. Having Lillian be the Champion would have been an interesting twist as well!

Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations

The Ace Attorney games are rife with tricks and red herrings, making them some of the most suspenseful games I’ve ever played. When Rachel and I put our heads together during the last, tense courtroom level, we can generally figure out how to nail the final culprit, yet Trials and Tribulations continued to keep us guessing as we puzzled out the answer little by little (and a lot of saving and restarting). The game had characters that could channel spirits, so not all the suspects were even alive! Once we realized who had been the real mastermind behind every connected case of that game, we were shocked.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Yes, another Zelda game that I felt fitting for this list. At the end of Ocarina of Time, not only is Sheik revealed to be Zelda all along, but she sends Link back to the past to live out the time he had lost. Considering all of the harrowing dangers Link had put himself through to protect Hyrule, I was surprised when I first finished the game to see that he wouldn’t even stay in the peaceful timeline, to help rebuild the land he saved. Now I find the ending bittersweet, especially since he returned to the body of young boy with the memories and nightmares of a young man without his constant fairy companion to boot.

What video games have your favorite endings? Any that particularly moved or frustrated you?

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Top Thursday: Upcoming XBox Games

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Rachel Mii Double JumpHappy Thursday!

I know it’s not Tuesday and I just did a Top Tuesday two days ago, but I thought I’d continue the fun with Xbox games I’m looking forward to from E3. So, here’s a Top Thursday… Which doesn’t have the same ring as Top Tuesday, but oh well.

Favorite Upcoming XBox Games

5. Assassin’s Creed Origins

Assassin’s Creed is a series Kris and I have been wanting to try. We bought a couple of the games but have yet to play them. The trailer for Origins looked so good and I’m excited to try it.

4. Super Lucky’s Tale

This game reminded me a lot of Nintendo. It was cartoony, had an adorable fox, and just looked like the kind of game I would play and enjoy.

3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

I have no idea what this game is about. But they had a cool trailer, the graphics were really pretty, and I like the music that went along with it. I’m intrigued.

2. Deep Rock Galactic

Dwarves are good. And I like mining for treasure. I also enjoy battling enemies along the way. This seems like a different game and I’m willing to try it out.

1. The Darwin Project

I watched the Microsoft press conference through a YouTuber’s stream of the conference. When this game came was announced, he said it reminded him of The Hunger Games and I have to agree. It seems like a cross between that and Player Unknowns Battlegrounds. It looks cool and I want to give it a shot.

Now, all I need is to get another XBox…

Which XBox games are you looking forward to the most? Let me know in the comments below!

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Review: The Girl and the Robot

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Today, we’re over at Miketendo talking about The Girl and The Robot! Check out our review there.

Miketendo64! The Place To Go For Anything Nintendo

The Girl And The Robot Video Game Review

Title: The Girl and the Robot
Company: Flying Carpets Games
Console:Nintendo Wii U (Originally on Steam)
Release Date:August 2016
How we got the game:We got a free digital download code from Miketendo64

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The Girl and the Robot was the first game produced by Flying Carpets Games, funded by generous Kickstarters. It boasted an interesting gameplay dynamic between the two titular characters as well as a cute rapport between the girl and her robot friend.

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When I saw the trailer for this game, I was certainly intrigued. I was thinking about it getting it before Miketendo reached out to us. We were more than happy to give the game a go.

gameplay

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The mechanics of the game comprised of switching between the girl and the robot, mostly in order to solve puzzles in the landscape to allow the heroes to move forward in their journey. While you played…

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Top Tuesday: Upcoming Nintendo Games

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Rachel Mii Double JumpHappy Tuesday!

To continue the E3 hype, I’ve decided to list the Nintendo games that I’m looking forward to the most.

 

Upcoming Nintendo Games

5. Kirby

I don’t play Kirby games often, but Kirby is a character that has always had a special place in my heart. While I have to catch up on the latest games, I was pleased to see that there’s another new game coming to the Kirby series. I’m sure it’ll be awesome on the Switch.

4. Pokken Tournament DX

I wasn’t sure if I should count this or not, especially since a version of this game is already out, but I’ve never played it. I wanted to, but it wasn’t high on my list of games to play right away. Now that they’re updating it, adding new characters, and the fact that it’ll be on the Switch, I’m looking forward to getting it.

3. Mario Odyssey

Who is not looking forward to this game? It’s Mario and it seems similar to Super Mario 64 and Mario Sunshine. I’m not sure how I feel about Mario’s hat. I mean, it’s weird. But it’s something different and I’m looking forward to trying it out.

2. Yoshi

This game looks very similar to Yoshi’s Woolly World, but I do love the Yoshi games. I’m very much excited that they’re coming out with another game for Yoshi because he is one of my favorite characters and is utterly adorable.

1. Pokemon Switch

I can’t say too much about this one since we only got a confirmation that it will be a thing eventually, but… Pokemon.

Which Nintendo games are you looking forward to the most? Let me know in the comments below!

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Of the Xbox Family

Kris P. Gaming News, Home, Kristen , , , , , , , , ,

Double Jump Kris MiiThe presentations at E3 are still being gushed about all over the Internet, and it’s no different here. I’m still a bit bummed that we hadn’t been able to watch the presentations live, but seeing all the wonderful articles and videos from the conference has been great. One of the biggest news was Microsoft revealing that their Project Scorpio was a new member of the Xbox family, the Xbox One X!

Part of Microsoft’s E3 press conference was showing off the Xbox One X, previously known under its development code name Scorpio. Rachel and I don’t have a console that is part of the Xbox family at the moment, as our Xbox 360 had died on us a while ago. Due to the Xbox 360 croaking, we had been debating on whether or not we should invest in an Xbox One or wait for more information on “Scorpio.”

Considering we’re more Nintendo girls and that the Switch had been on its way at that point, we held off and were glad that we did so. The E3 conference had given gamers a better look at the Xbox One X and, honestly, it makes games look really pretty. Just take a gander at Minecraft here:

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The right side is the Xbox One X’s 4K image.

 

We were very impressed with how gorgeous the images of the games could look with the Xbox One X’s help, with Minecraft being one of the best examples that they showcased at E3. But, aside from the souped-up graphics card and the additional teraflops of GPU and higher RAM, there’s not much of a difference between the One X and the One S.

The prices are certainly different, with the One X being priced at about $500 while the One S is about $300. In fact, that may be the selling point for Rachel and me getting a One S rather than a One X. That, and we don’t have a television capable of 4K anyway, so while the extra power may be nice, we don’t believe it’ll be necessary for us. Considering the One X is part of the One family with no exclusive games to the One X being mentioned at E3, the One S may simply be the way for Rachel and me to go.

What did you think of the Xbox One X? Do you think you’ll be investing in the latest version of the Xbox One?

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Microsoft E3 2017 Press Conference

Rachel Gaming News, Home, Kristen, Rachel , , , , , ,

While we watched all the press conferences for E3, other than Nintendo, Microsoft was really the only one we truly cared about. We don’t play a lot of Sony or Bethesda games. Even though we’re currently out of a XBox console, we’re looking forward to some of the up and coming games.

The conference itself was great. We were trying to get work done while watching it a day later than it aired, but we kept getting distracted. Their pace was awesome between game trailers, talking in depth about certain games, then rapid fire game snippits, and then more game trailers.

In between, they talked about the next XBox One X as well as the backwards compatibility program.

It was just a few nights before that we were talking about getting a new XBox in the near future. Now that they’ve announced the X, we have some thinking to do.

Aside from it being an entertaining conference, we were pleased with a lot of the upcoming games. We love XBox, but we’re still Nintendo girls at heart and we don’t play a lot of Microsoft games.

Still, we’re excited about games such as The Darwin Project, Deep Rock Galactic, Super Lucky’s Tale, and more. We were surprised that we wrote down so many more games to look forward to and try than we originally thought.

Overall, Microsoft seemed to “win” the conferences this year in terms of being the most entertaining to watch. We’re looking forward to what Microsoft has in store for us this year.

And we realize that between Microsoft and Nintendo and the other companies, our wallets will be feeling pretty light soon enough.

What games are you looking forward to the most? Which press conference did you enjoy and look forward to the most?

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