(And of course what I’m NOT!)
The year 2012 is going by pretty fast. I can’t believe it’s already Thanksgiving. Well, we still have a week to go before then. But still, with us getting in a holiday mood, and seeing how much of a mess Black Friday will be compared to last year, it’s time for a little reflection. Speaking of which, did you hear that stores would be opening at 10pm THANKSGIVING NIGHT? Give me a break. Anyway, I want to let you all know what I have been thankful for this year, as well as those few things I would rather do without. Let’s start with the good stuff.
2K Games’ Dominance
It seems a lot of the best games I played this year, especially in the last few weeks, have come from 2K Games. Sure, I had their sports games to play, and I’m glad to see NBA 2K13 FINALLY makes it possible to shoot baskets without adjusting the AI sliders, it was the one-two punch of Borderlands 2 AND XCOM: Enemy Unknown that has won me over lately. Especially XCOM. I know I go on and on about how great XCOM is, but I’ll put it this way: usually after one huge 20 hour campaign I would put a normal game away and not be sure if I’d play it again before it becomes trade collateral. Not XCOM. I’m already on my THIRD campaign and still enjoying every minute of it. Next stop, beating Impossible IRONMAN mode! God help me on that one.
GREAT Remakes/Reboots
After the horrible remake and reboot titles I dealt with last year (Rush n’ Attack: Ex Patriot) it was great to get back to some games that brought back some of my favorites. There were some great HD facelifts such as Daytona USA, Jet Set Radio and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. But it was what WayForward did with the hilarious and excellent Double Dragon Neon that proved something new can be added to a tried and true franchise and still be loyal to the source material. But then again, adding an amazing soundtrack, which can even be purchased for your own price, and a tribute to all that made 80s and 90s gaming awesome doesn’t hurt either. Don’t let what some Ignorant Gaming Network (hint, hint) blind you with their wrong reviews. Neon is truly worth it.
Android as a Gaming Platform
I’m an Android tablet owner, and I’m quite proud of it. While everyone else was suffering from iPad envy, I decided to break free from the ball and chain that is iTunes and make my ASUS Transformer Prime my handheld console of choice. There are a lot of games coming out for the Android tablet platform that I’m enjoying, and now with more mainstream tablets such as the Kindle Fire HD and the Google Nexus 7 taking a bite of Apple’s market share, hopefully the Android tablet market will be as dominant as the phones.
And then of course, there’s the Ouya project. If that becomes successful. Oh boy!
Speaking of Android Devices, last E3 I was introduced to Xbox Smart Glass, a feature that would allow anyone to control their Xbox 360 via any Android phone, including my own. I had a chance to test it out during Hurricane Sandy and watched Netflix via the luxury of my Galaxy S 2 phone. I’m curious to see how Smart Glass will enhance my gameplay, but being able to watch my movies, and NBA League Pass with the control of my cell phone is too cool to pass up.
But of course there are those factors that I’m not thankful for this year, and they are getting more stressful as they happen.
Kinect, Please Don’t Take Over!
I wrote about this a few months ago. The Kinect is now self-aware. There are times I can’t move a muscle without it glitching up a movie or game that I’m watching. Or there are times I can be talking to someone on my phone or on Skype, and just saying ‘Xbox’ will make the Kinect take over. It got so frustrating that I ended up unplugging the Kinect for a while, but eventually plugged it back in.
Sony, Why U No Give Me PSP Games?
Just recently, I sold my PS Vita. Not just because of my Android tablet being my handheld console of choice as I mentioned earlier, but more because of Sony taking their sweet time getting out the PSP games and PS Minis that I want to play. Every Tuesday I looked at the PlayStation Store to see what came out, only to end up being disappointed. Why aren’t all PSP games compatible? I wanted both Gradius Collection AND Mega Man: Powered Up to play on the Vita, but they never came. Although Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X was available for a long time. And as for the PS Minis, I have Vanguard, one of my favorite arcade games, on the PS3, but they will not release it for the Vita. They have Vanguard II though, which is NOTHING at all like the original. I just got tired of waiting and waiting and sold it. So once again Sony, leave it to you to disappoint me!
Speaking of Sony and their lies in advertising, here we go again, with Ubisoft lying in their ads about how Assassin’s Creed III is a PS3 exclusive. They are ranking up there with EA about how much they can lie about how their games are Only on PS3. At least in my complaints, a representative from EA spoke to me personally and provided some support. Ubisoft’s response: we cannot provide any more information at this time. How does it feel to keep lying to your customers?
Capcom Just Keeps Going Downhill!
As if being selected for owning BOTH the number one and number two WORST games of the year isn’t bad enough, Capcom once again screws over gamers, especially on the 360. Street Fighter X Tekken lied in their advertising about online tag team gameplay on the 360 and would not even patch it. Even worse, they once again kneel to the Sony gods by giving them special characters. And of course, they started the new trend of ‘on-disc DLC,’ forcing you to pay EXTRA for content you already purchased once. How are they still in business after all of this?
So yes, everyone. I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving. Spend it with your friends, and don’t even try to face the shopping lines on Black Friday. There’s always Cyber Monday for that.
Currently Playing: XCOM: Enemy Unknown(360), WWE 13
Waiting For: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2