Monday, December 17, 2012

The Pendulum Swing -- Thoughts on the Wii U (Part #2)

Hey folks! Long time no see!!! I hope all is well!!! Ok, so now that I'm done with the Fall semester of college courses, I've got a boatload of free time to make new posts!!! Ok, you got me, I'm working the holiday season so I won't be able to type as regularly as I could but nonetheless, I'm keeping this blog running till the day I croak, I'll post whatever I can, even if it's not finished, and I'll be sure fix it later.

The Gamer's Itch

So, with the Wii U now out (it officially launched in the United States on November 18, 2012) there has been a lot of buzz about the console. However, there have been some stern criticisms as well. As for myself, I've been selling many of my old Wii and Nintendo DS games that I no longer play frequently. I may provide a list of what I've sold and the amount I received from Gamestop on a later date. It's a pittance compared to what I paid for them initially, even though I tend to take pretty good care of the cartridge cases, manuals, and CD-ROMs. Nonetheless, everyone gets a fraction of what they paid for. It's most unfortunate, but it's better than nothing I suppose...Thus far I have $107.15 saved towards my next console.

The reason I say "next console" is because I'm still fearful that the Wii U is severely under-powered compared to the upcoming next-generation consoles from Sony and Microsoft. I'm feeling the pressure from my brothers-in-arms on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Wii because I play with a ragtag group of British players online. The guys are like a second family to me and I've added many of them on Facebook and we generally have a good time playing the game. Unfortunately, the game lobbies are plagued with hackers and glitch-abusing people that do not play honorably and as such, it's become more difficult to find an authentic and fair match. That's why we're all so excited to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (because the game is new and there is less likelihood that anyone has cracked the source code and messed with the programming). There has been a bit of a split among the guild I'm in though, especially with regard to what console we should move onto. Some players have already purchased a Wii U, while others have gone to the Playstation 3. As for myself, I'm still stuck on the fence and I really want to get my hands on the game because Call of Duty games, although not well-known for their single player campaigns, they are infamous for their hardcore multi-player experiences and high replay value.

The Wii U version in particular offers some unique gameplay elements you can not get from the other consoles on the market currently. The most significant of which is the ability to play on the U-pad almost anywhere in the house (so long as you are in range). So technically, if you were desperate, you could potentially be able to play in the bathroom while on the "throne"...

However, there hasn't been many players online on the Wii U version. I suspect that it is because the Wii U is going to be a Christmas gift for many "unsuspecting" children. Many of which will probably hop online either during or immediately after Christmas. Thus these "Christmas Noobs" will most assuredly provide a near limitless supply of sub-par competition so as of right now, I'm not that worried about the current online turnout.

It is at this time that I would like to remind parents that CALL OF DUTY GAMES ARE INTENDED FOR TEENS 17+ YEARS OLD. PLEASE DO NOT LET YOUR YOUNGER CHILDREN PLAY THIS GAME. PLEASE BE ADVISED OF THE ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) RECOMMENDATIONS. They're placed on the box cover for a reason folks. The Call of Duty franchise tends to be violent, graphic, and gory at times. I can't tell you how many children end up playing these games when they should be playing something more suitable to their age levels. Older players will rip them to shreds with vulgar language and racial slurs and the children tend to return them in full...