'Tis the Season for Portable Games

I'm reaching the end of a trip to my hometown to see my family, which means I have spent several days away from my home… and from my gaming consoles. To get my holiday fix, I've been relying on my 3DS and PS Vita. Somehow it feels right to be playing portable games at Christmastime. One of the best Christmas gifts I've ever received—and the one I most vividly remember—was the original Gameboy that sparked my obsession with Tetris.

This season, I have played three games that have proved to be excellent portable experiences. They have gotten me through the airport, through seemingly endless family gatherings, and through the hours spent at the homes of relatives who have no internet (or who cannot find their passwords). These games are:

1) Child of Light

Although Child of Light is clearly modeled on JRPGs, it does not match them in length. (If we're being honest, it doesn't match them in depth, either.) But the short length of the game and its frequent chapter breaks make it manageable while on a long family visit. You can definitely knock out a significant chunk of the game whenever you break free of the family maelstrom. I'm on chapter eight out of ten, and I haven't needed to put in an exorbitant amount of time.

Aurora from Child of Light
(Image taken from childoflight.wikia.com)

Unfortunately, Child of Light does not offer manual saves. But it does autosave every time I adjust my characters' skill points and oculi. Even when I've had to suddenly quit because family responsibilities called, I've never lost too much progress, and it was easy to pick up where I left off. This may be the most portable RPG I have ever played.

2) Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Animal Crossing is one of those games that I come back to every few months, and it's the first life sim I've ever truly enjoyed. I'm not committed enough to visit my town every single day… but I might return during a specific season to try and catch an elusive fish. My interest in Animal Crossing tends to spike around the holidays. I think it's because this game is perfect to pick up and play when surrounded by family. Even when you can't play for long, you can get something accomplished, whether it's digging up fossils or solidifying relationships with your neighbors. Animal Crossing also doesn't consume too much mental desk space. If a relative walks into the room while I'm playing and starts talking to me, I can welcome the distraction without having problems more serious than scaring off a bug or losing a fish on my line. Animal Crossing is also cute, so I never feel awkward when my grandma asks what I'm playing.

3) Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

My most beloved game of this holiday season is definitely Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a rhythm game based on music from the Final Fantasy series. I received it as an early Christmas gift, and I've been crazy about it ever since. I loathe being stuck in airports, but this game made the time fly by so fast that I barely noticed. This magic seems to result from the fact that Theatrhythm is highly absorbing, but you focus on perfecting individual songs or sets of songs rather than on a deep storyline. Even if you have to stop suddenly because it's time to board the plane, you aren't going to be quitting in the middle of a complicated quest.

So cute! So addictive!
(Image taken from gameinformer.com)

The game is also extra appealing to me because, as a lifelong Final Fantasy player, I have fond memories of a lot of the music and characters. Back in the day, my brother and I rented FFVI from Blockbuster so often that I'm surprised we never just went out and bought it. And I won't lie, I got a little misty when I heard "Aerith's Theme" from FFVII for the first time in many years. It's been fun during the Christmas season to relive some of my fondest childhood memories, many of which center on gaming.

I'm almost looking forward to playing my way through another day of air travel tomorrow.

Almost.

Amiibo: What a Bummer

I've been very excited about Nintendo's Amiibo toys. We ordered several from the first set, and have had a blast at home training them up as Super Smash Bros. allies and sparring partners. Also, what's not to love about having little toy versions of your favorite Nintendo characters?

Amiibo figures may be toys, but unfortunately they aren't all fun and games. I figured that a few characters would become rare—Marth, for example, is not necessarily a favorite character among children and would only have limited use in non-Smash Bros. games. But things have really gotten out of hand, and it's got me feeling sick of Amiibo figures altogether. 

Back in November, I preordered three Amiibo figures: Captain Falcon and Little Mac from Target, and Lucario from Toys R Us. I have now been screwed out of all three of them, because my orders were canceled early yesterday morning without any explanation or recourse. Lucario was a Toys R Us exclusive, and thus can't be found at a different store. But I'm livid about Captain Falcon and Little Mac. Target, if you weren't going to hold up your end of the bargain, why didn't you say so early enough for me to preorder from somebody else? 

NO CAPTAIN FALCON FOR YOU.
(Image taken from IGN.)

A combination of low Amiibo stock and toy scalpers has started to cause problems for everyone, not just me. And I'm not the only one feeling massively turned off by the experience. The market for Amiibo figures is already excruciatingly tight, but rather than promise more product in the near future, Nintendo suggested that it has "discontinued" several Amiibo figures—and that they may never return. For all my anger at the retailers who have failed to live up to their pre-order promises, the real culprit in all of this is Nintendo. 

Nintendo has had a bad year in terms of profits, and it's far behind XBox and PlayStation in terms of console sales. But things were really looking up. High quality games like Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, and Super Smash Bros. Wii U have been generating both goodwill and console sales. Plus, new Zelda and Star Fox games are on the docket for next year. 

Unfortunately, my goodwill towards Nintendo is pretty much in the gutter right now. In my home, we've consistently purchased and enjoyed Nintendo products even when every gaming news outlet was speculating about the company's impending doom. Rather than keep up the steady production of fun, quality games for families to play, Nintendo went for a cash grab and created products that are inaccessible to average people. Many of the Amiibos being sold right now will probably remain suspended in their original packaging for decades to come, hoarded by toy scalpers and avid collectors who would pay $25,000 for a legless Peach Amiibo. 

Nintendo's greed is also going to create a separate problem: How are we supposed to fully enjoy Nintendo games that feature Amiibo support, if it's not possible to access the full range of Amiibos? Nintendo is maneuvering itself into a position where it needs to either reduce Amiibo interaction with games—which makes the figures pointless for people who actually want to play with them—or accept the fact that large numbers of Nintendo fans will be unable to enjoy Nintendo products in their entirety. 

It's clear that Nintendo has already thought of this, to some extent. Miyamoto recently hinted that Amiibo cards might enter the market as an alternative to rare or discontinued Amiibo figures. But this solution isn't sounding so hot to me right now. Even if there are Amiibo cards, I'll know that Nintendo created a product and restricted its supply, knowing that it would be devoured by collectors and speculators. Regular players like me will always be second best. 

The Raven is Old School Fun

I spent this morning playing the first chapter of The Raven: Legacy of a Master Thief. Graphically, the game has nothing on other games released within the past few years. But in terms of its story and atmosphere, The Raven is refreshing and packed with charm.

Your character is Constable Zellner, an aging, overweight, and sweet man who doesn't seem to be the likeliest of heroes. In the first scene of the game, you are sitting on the Orient Express reading a detective novel and having a friendly chat with a playful little boy. But when an opportunity comes to investigate the crimes of the "Raven's Heir"—the copycat of a world-famous burglar infamous for daring heists—you are not content to sit on the sidelines.

The Raven creates a fantastic atmosphere that brings old-school mystery novels to mind, and its characters and music are all well written and voiced. This makes up for the clunky point-and-click game interface. When playing on a console, some of the clumsiness of the gameplay is extra jarring. Zellner does not walk around smoothly, and it's easy to find yourself meandering around like a drunk person. There were times when I could not get Zellner to examine what I wanted him to examine. Transitions between areas were also awkward. When going from place to place, Zellner would usually have to backtrack to a fixed point and then proceed in accordance with a pre-set animation.

But awkward gameplay moments won't deter me from finishing The Raven. I love a good mystery, and it's a blast to follow along with the story and make connections between the clues I'm finding along the way. I also love that the character I'm playing is so unusual, compared to most video game protagonists. Zellner isn't flashy, and he's definitely a goofball. But he's also quietly badass. In The Raven, even a man who has never left his home country of Switzerland might turn out to be a keen detective who gets to have a crazy adventure. I love that, and I'm excited to see where the rest of the game takes me.

I'm Glad Witcher 3 Is Delayed

We've all been waiting for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for a long time now. The game was initially supposed to arrive this year, but was then delayed to February 24, 2015. Yesterday, CD Projekt announced that the game would be delayed for another three months. Its new release date is set for May 19.

The developers explained their choice in an open letter, which explains that the game is not only ambitious, but "the most important game in our studio's history." They need the extra 12 weeks to fix any remaining bugs and to ensure that this game is an incredible experience for everyone.

I'm just glad they were honest. After a season in which new games, most notably AC Unity, have been released with major flaws, everyone is sick of buying games that don't work right out of the box.

I have high expectations of this game. (Thanks to GameSpot for image.)

When I buy a video game, I want to have an amazing experience. I appreciate CD Projekt's honesty, and I trust them to deliver in May. By then, the school year will be nearly over, and summer break will be upon me…

Love and Inquisition: Dragon Age Romances

I never thought I'd enjoy romances as much as I have during my playthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition. They impress me on a number of levels because they are mature, well-written, and deeply human. My tendency to flirt shamelessly with everyone at the beginning of the game also caused me to surprise myself: I ended up choosing Sera as my in-game romance.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. ALSO SEX.

In real life, I am a straight woman. My initial romantic preferences within the game were Cullen (what a cutie!) and Blackwall (dark and mysterious!). It still disappoints me that Varric is not an option. But Cullen seemed like he was going to provide a classic cute romance (my perusal of YouTube confirms this). And Blackwall's talk of duty and seriousness made me think that he was going to be too typically broody and difficult for the romance to be any fun. (My perusal of YouTube confirmed this, as well.)

Sera, though? Sera was different. I think I ended up choosing her because I liked what she would bring out in my Inquisitor's character. In a game as serious as Inquisition, which is full of war and politics and death and the end of the world, I loved the idea of playing as someone who still took time to be a person and to live a little. Sera's friendship and romance scenes appealed deeply to me because to romance Sera is to loosen up. It is also to accept Sera as she is—as a possible embarrassment at a fancy ball, as an incorrigible prankster, as someone who is as damaged as she is bold and rebellious. You don't fix Sera, or change her. You just take her as she is. And she is awesome.

Also, Sera's sex scene is just the best. Why should sex always be so serious? Humans have all kinds of sex—it can be riotous, celebratory, and just plain fun. Below, "the good part" starts at about 3:30.

Other romances in Inquisition are also spectacular. Cassandra's secret love of romance and poetry makes for great entertainment, and it's fun to tease her even while you respect her tremendously as a warrior. If you're playing as a male Inquisitor, Dorian makes for a witty, challenging, and lovable partner. And Iron Bull definitely steals the show in terms of most hilarious relationship reveal:

What I love best about Iron Bull, though, is how that sex scene ends—especially if you get embarrassed in front of your friends and claim you were just having a fling. If you publicly declare your love for Iron Bull, then the romance continues. But if you balk, he breaks up with you, and handles it with such incredible maturity that you will immediately regret your rejection of him:

I think I love Inquisition's romances so much because they feel idealized, yet real. In the real world, we aren't all so in touch with our feelings and the feelings of others. We don't always connect and build mature, interesting, respectful relationships. Sex often embarrasses us. But a lot of us wish it weren't so, and we strive to be better partners. I want more of the relationships that I see—in books, on the silver screen, and in the games that I play—to be written with this kind of variety and joy.

The Game Awards Sucked

I feel a little rude putting this way, but I'm nothing if not honest. The Game Awards show last night? It sucked.

When I watch an awards show, I want to see a real show—bring me your best, your most glamorous, your most exciting. Especially when it comes to video games, because what is more exciting than a really good video game? I have high expectations of games as part of an evolving art form. Apparently those expectations are not shared by whoever planned The Game Awards.

My number one complaint about this award show is that rather than show me cool behind-the-scenes features or serious interviews with developers and art directors, I got a whole bunch of ads. And even the ads weren't that great. You can't call your brief gameplay demo of Bloodborne a "world premiere" when I've been watching teaser footage of it for months and thinking about preordering it at Gamestop. And Hazelight Games? I thought highly of Brothers, but this "teaser" is lame. Fast forward to 1:25 to watch some dudes on a train:

That's it? Seriously? This is an awards show. Bring your A-Game.

Not only were the ads and "world premieres" tremendously underwhelming, but they obscured the point of the award show: AWARDS. On several occasions, awards were noted in passing during backstage interviews, rather than in real time onstage. This was especially true of Nintendo awards—Nintendo picked up two major wins last night, Best Fighting Game (for Super Smash Bros.) and Developer of the Year—and I found out about them both very offhandedly in an interview with Reggie Fils-Aime. In a year when it's been popular to hate on Nintendo, I think it's classless to deny them a well-earned moment in the sun. At least I got to watch Mario Kart 8 take Best Sports/Racing Game. Valiant Hearts similarly got the short shrift, despite winning two awards of its own. That's a shame, because the game has such a different feel from the other stuff that came out this year.

The Game Awards also suffered from weird inconsistencies that made the whole show feel "off." While gamers are not known for their fashion sense (and neither am I), it was off-putting to see people in suits juxtaposed with people in sweatshirts. It's like the game industry is not entirely sure how it wants to present itself to the world, so it ends up looking like nothing in particular. While I'm generally all for casual wear, the traditionalist in me feels that award shows should be different. Step it up, and show the world your most professional face. It was especially jarring to see highly made-up, dressed-up women standing next to men who could have rolled in from Mom's basement. The imbalance may not be intentional, but it's there, and it's weird.

The Game Awards had a few good moments, too. One of the highlights of the show, for me, was getting to hear from Dragon Age: Inquisition's Cassandra and Varric. That clip was funny, well-made, and worthy of the game that would be announced as GOTY. It was gratifying to see Ken and Roberta Williams get some love. Best of all, Reggie Fils-Aime took the mic at the end to present something I have been looking forward to: Legend of Zelda for the Wii U. Not only did we get to see awesome gameplay footage, but we were also promised both Zelda Wii U and a new Star Fox sometime next year. I guess the best announcements of the night were saved for last.

When I think back on The Game Awards, what I see is a missed opportunity. It seems to me that the gaming industry wants to be taken more seriously—games are art, and they expand and comment on the human experience in deep ways. They therefore deserve rich discussion, serious criticism, and award shows. The Oscars can be ridiculous, but they also celebrate truly moving performances and appreciate the magic that film brings to our lives. I love getting a chance to watch writers, makeup artists, costume designers, and sound professionals get their due. Gaming is similarly full of interesting behind-the-scenes action. But largely, The Game Awards chose to showcase the more commercial side of gaming. The show was a hodgepodge of trailers and plugs for a massive Steam sale. Next time, I'm hoping for a richer experience.

Mii Talk: Why I Didn't Rate You "Fantastic"

The Nintendo 3DS Street Pass feature is generally a lot of fun. This weekend was especially great because it was National Street Pass Weekend! I get a little thrill every time I fill in a new region on my map, or when I come across someone who has a particularly desirable puzzle piece. Miis are cute, and Nintendo has obviously designed all of the Mii Plaza animations to give off a warm and friendly vibe.

In fact, you could say that Nintendo goes out of its way to keep things clean—there are pretty serious limitations on how you can communicate with other Wii U and 3DS users who are not your friends. The nastiest dialogue choice you have when playing Mario Kart online is basically "No fair!" Even microphone time among friends while playing Super Smash Bros. is strictly limited.

But it's unavoidable. People will still go out of their way to be assholes. 

If you encounter someone's Mii more than once, you have the opportunity to give that Mii one of two ratings: "Fantastic!" or "OK, I guess…" This rating cannot always be based on actually knowing the person. If I've picked your Mii up a couple of times because we go to the same Burger King, then I have no idea what you're like as a human being. 

I almost always choose to give a "fantastic" rating. Why not brighten someone's day? I already know that we both like video games, so we probably have a lot in common. But there are always exceptions. When I deny that sweet, sweet "fantastic" rating to Miis that I encounter, I do so for two main reasons:

1) You're cocky. If your Mii comment is "Get on my level," or perhaps the ever-classy "f u n00b," I am going to think you're rude. Probably because you are. You get a pass if your comment is obviously playful—I can grin at a "Hail to the king, baby!" or "Settle it in SMASH."

2) You're outright mean. I've encountered several Miis who say things like "your stupid" (sic) or "hey ugly." Seriously? Maybe that seemed funny because you were planning to Street Pass your little brother, but your Mii is also saying that to everyone else you encounter. You're a jerk, and "OK, I guess…" is too nice a rating for you. 

Nintendo goes to tremendous efforts to keep things clean on its network, sometimes at the expense of fun. But when it comes to Street Pass, I'm glad they work to maintain a friendly environment. Sometimes a random Mii saying "u suk" provides enough insight into someone else's personality. No need to see more.