Kickstarter Finale!!!

Hey folks!!! How're you doing? Check this out, although the Mighty No.9 and Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero Kickstarter funding periods have ended, you can STILL donate and get the rewards for doing so!!! You'll have to have a PayPal account (which is relatively simple and easy to sign up for). Mighty No. 9 has surpassed my expectations and managed to meet ALL of its stretch goals. They raised a combined total of $4,031,550!!! Mighty No.9 is expected to be released sometime around April 2015.

Shantae: 1/2 Genie Hero on the other hand needs your help. Although it has managed to meet four of its nine stretch goals, the fifth one is inching towards completion.

If successful, the WayForward team would be able to allow players to go through the main story as one of three additional characters, Rottytops, Bolo, and Skye!!!

As of this blog post, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero has earned $816,529. WayForward needs another $83,471 to meet this goal. So, tell your friends and neighbors that are gamers that they can still contribute!!! The game will be available on multiple platforms (Wii U, PS3, PS4, VITA & VITA TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam (Windows PC)) and will be available sometime in October of 2014. Spread the word any way that you can!!! You can find the link to their main website (with PayPal options) here.

You Go (Genie) Girl!!!

Hey folks!!! How've you been? Busy? Yep, me too (as evident by me not posting in quite some time...sorry, everyone!!! I'll get into a routine...eventually). So, first things first, hats off to the amazing folks at WayForward. Their team has managed to get their current project, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero fully funded!!! Congratulations!!!

This image has been borrowed from Shantae: Half-Genie Hero's Kickstarter campaign. Check it out!!!

For those of you that don't know, a Kickstarter fund was set up for the pint-sized genie girl's new game in the franchise. You can continue to donate to make their stretch goals here. As of this blog post, they have 10,275 backers and $408,741 pledged of their $400,000 goal with 10 days left.

They have a really cool ninja outfit and another one that resembles that which the protagonist of Mighty Switch Force, Patricia Wagon, wears!!!

This is just one of the many stretch goals that the WayForward team is trying to reach. It's add-ons like these that bring a nice polish to a finished title. How about lending them a hand, hmm?

Shantae's current design looks adorable and although I've never had the pleasure of playing ANY of her previous titles, I DO intend to make a contribution to WayForward's efforts however small. I support WayForward particularly due to the heavy influence of Jake Kaufman's musical compositions. Some of his work is available with a "name your own price" tag on www.bandcamp.com (which I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at and contribute towards).

Pikmin 3, Fruit, and Rubber Space Ducks

I just recently had the privilege of picking up a copy of Pikmin 3 and I have to say, its just as charming and clever as ever. You play as Alph, Brittany, and Captain Charlie, all from the planet Koppai (not Hocotate). They're attempting to scout out new potential sources of food for their starving planet and land on PNF-404 (That's the unofficial name of the Pikmin planet. *Insert Error-404 Fruit Not Found Joke Here*).

 The problem is that it's by no means a safe landing. Each character ends up in a different corner of the planet with different Pikmin nearby. Fortunately, after you recover your comrades, most of your days are spent collecting what you came for...fruit juice.

However, without the precious Cosmic-Drive Key, the S.S. Drake can't lift off and thus the intrepid explorers are stuck on PNF-404 with their planet's survival in jeopardy.

I am only 10 hours and 13 minutes into the game, but thus far, I'm really enjoying the world, yet it seems as though it's already almost over. I feel like I just have a few more hours left of gameplay before I beat the game, but I could be wrong. I'm in the Formidable Oak, which (at least to me) appears to be the final area in which I must battle a colossal beast, the Plasma Wraith. It's a gold beast that constantly follows one of your astronauts (I won't say whom or why). I'll post more information and my full review of the game when I get an opportunity to do so.

E3 Nintendo 2013 Presentation

For those of you that missed the live coverage of Nintendo's E3 Direct, here is the video:

I'm really fired up for the new Smash Bros. title for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Especially since the announcement of Megaman as a playable character. His inclusion is a more than welcome addition to the Smash Bros. family.

It would seem that even the nameless "Villager" (now the mayor in the latest Nintendo 3DS iteration of the franchise) from Animal Crossing is getting the "star treatment" as well. If you notice his moveset, it is loosely based around the tools that one can utilize in the Animal Crossing series to make improvements to the town. I like how in the intro video, the character speeds off the moment he gets the invitation to join the fray, almost as if he's petrified that he's been selected. Yet, we see him not long afterwards with a smug look on his face after capturing Mario with his net. Also worth mentioning, with regard to his use of the net, is that it reminded me of Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, in that the character Spike, from Ape Escape, also utilizes a net in a similar fashion to knock out opponents.

Nintendo Direct -- May 17, 2013

Today, Nintendo had another one of its Nintendo Direct Announcements at 10am ET, 7am PT and 2pm GMT.

Below is a video link (courtesy of YouTube's embedding feature) to the entire presentation.

Overall, I was not particularly impressed with it, because not much was divulged, but it's nice to know that Nintendo is partnering with SEGA on their mascot's franchise. Sonic has been sunk (in my opinion as well as that of many other gamers) ever since he made the transition from 2D platforming to 3D. Don't get me wrong, the first two Sonic Adventure games were great for their time, but some of the other titles for the Nintendo Gamecube and other consoles weren't all that spectacular, many of which were poorly coded disasters (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006), and others were simply frustrating. This pattern of failure has been known as the "Sonic Cycle".

Nonetheless, a new Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (er...game) will be coming soon. I'm not a fan of the series per se...I like the notion of Mario & Sonic partnering up for titles, but this series is mostly riddled with minigames that I'm not particularly fond of. It's nice to play with others, but I tend to avoid spending money on these.

Kickstarters on Motorcycles!!!

This game looks AMAZING. It's racing and first-person shooting combined.


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darkseasgames/road-redemption

Plus, it will be accessible on the Wii U!!! This game is also in development for the PC, MAC and Linux.

Busted by the Admins on Miiverse (BAM!!!)

So, in an attempt to increase the knowledge of those American or English speaking European posters on the Miiverse Dragon Quest X Community page, I decided to post a few links to this blog. Unfortunately, this is an apparent violation of the terms of service. Thus, I've been banned from making posts for a while.

"Miiverse Administration: You have been temporarily banned from writing messages or community posts for two weeks due to your violation of the Miiverse Code of Conduct. If you continue to violate the Miiverse Code of Conduct, you may be permanently banned from writing messages or community posts." Ironically, one of the reasons that I was banned was because Nintendo claims that:"Your posts have been removed because they contained information related to an outside service (such as a username or ID) or links to external websites that could be used to contact you directly. The sharing of personal information is prohibited by the Miiverse Code of Conduct. For information on the proper use of Miiverse, please see the Miiverse Code of Conduct. Continued violations may result in restrictions of your Miiverse account."

First and foremost, I've deliberately setup my account here on Blogger/Blogspot so that you may NOT contact me directly. This is not only my own personal preference, but a safety precaution on my own part. There are no provided e-mail addresses, no private message options, or any indication of my location or telephone numbers outside of the database that Google keeps tract of for establishing an account with them. In addition, all posts are clearly visible to third parties (thus eliminating private conversations and any potential child predator action) I have created this blog as a public forum for all ages and I intend to keep it that way. Secondly, my username is no different from the one I use on Miiverse so that argument is invalid.

I don't think Nintendo realizes how the internet works...You can take snapshots of Miiverse posts from PCs...I'm fairly certain you can do the same thing on a few smartphones as well...

Finally, the Miiverse can now be accessed by PCs and Smartphone devices, thus making it even more susceptible to watchful eyes. I'm fairly certain that people would "blow the whistle" or "raise a red flag" if they suspected a child predator of making a move. If anything, I'm rather surprised that Nintendo was able to notice my actions so quickly on the Japanese Miiverse boards. Kudos to the response time, boo to the response. I understand that Nintendo doesn't necessarily have the time nor the resources to look into every little URL that comes across the Miiverse, and that it would be impractical to run checks on all of them, but honestly? That should not limited them from at least looking into providing alternative solutions for passionate gamers that want to share their knowledge without that restrictive 100 character posting limit.

So, in the two weeks time, I probably won't be posting anything of the Miiverse, but worry not, I'll be posting away soon enough. I'm going to study for my final exams in the meantime and formulate a plan to work around this restriction on posting links. I find it absolutely ludicrous. My intentions are pure and I'm not trying to solicit anything.

Alternatively, people are just going to end up saying "Google this:___________" or Look up: "themulti-classinggamer.blogspot" (Which I did two hours ago and the post is still up). So it sort of defeats the purpose there...What's even more interesting is that although I can't sign in on a PC or smartphone at the moment, I can still access the Miiverse on my Wii U gamepad and view posts, I just can't comment or "Yeah" any of them...which doesn't seem like much of a sanction/punishment in my book...but considering my predicament, I'm not complaining...much. I intend to inform those that are interested of the amazing games that are abroad, regardless of Nintendo's ridiculously excessive and paternalistic policy. People need to know what they're missing out on. I intend to inform them.

Overall, I truly do enjoy the Miiverse community and the artistic talents of many of my fellow gamers. I'm pleased when others ask questions about upcoming titles and I love to respond with my knowledge and expertise. I'm even content with the anti-spoiler options set in place (although they are a bit of a nuisance at times...especially for the Virtual Console games you've already played...they need a "Set Default" option for all of the communities.)

I'd rather not resort to writing or calling the Miiverse staff, but if I get permanently banned for this issue, I will file formal complaints.

Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online -- Update #3 -- Gameplay Footage

If you are interested, below is a link to Saigancat's Dragon Quest X videos. He is playing the Japanese version of the game on the Wii. Now that the Wii U version is also available in Japan, I'm really pulling for this game to come overseas and hit the international market. I might post pictures of the Dragon Quest X Miiverse artwork here as well since I find it absolutely amazing what these Japanese players can create. Here are some of the most popular posts (No, I didn't just pick these because of a certain, overly emphasized part of the female anatomy, even though it is my favorite attribute...):

Fan artwork of Erinn from Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

On REALLY rare occasions, I come across Japanese players writing in English.

It's a pity I can't read or write Japanese kanji...I would really enjoy reading the comments, criticisms, or concerns of the players over there. What I do when I'm desperate, to see what's going on, is use a PC with access to Google Chrome or Google Translate and I often get a vague translation or crude understanding of what is being said. Every now and then, I come across American or European commenters also pleading for a release in their respective region and I show my support by commenting and giving them a "Yeah!". If Earthbound (Mother 2) can be given a release in this manner, perhaps Dragon Quest X will get a similar opportunity. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my head held high!!!

For those of you that would like some more "substantial" information, Dragon Quest X hasn't sold as well as Square Enix had initially hoped. Below are the figures taken from www.vgchartz.com, one of the leading websites dedicated to providing sales data.

Summer Vacation...I Eagerly Await Your Embrace

Hey folks!!! Quick little update since I'm in my final week of college classes before I take my final exams and enjoy my summer break. I'm excited to inform you that I have pre-ordered my copy of Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS (I've got $25 dollars on it thus far, courtesy of e-Rewards.com) and Watch Dogs for the Wii U. I did a LOT of surveys to get that gift card, but it was well worth it and I intend to do more.

I'm really excited that Nintendo has made the Miiverse available now for PC and smartphone devices. It's neat to be able to see posts from consoles (which are still technically a type of computer) interacting with computers. I like that I can also post from any PC or Mac, but the downside is that you cannot create a new post, but merely reply to an existing one thus far.

I'm enjoying the artwork and witty banter from some of the posters. There are lots of talented artists and it's inspiring to see such dedication to each series.

I'll be going back to my seasonal occupation in retail so I can make some money for textbooks for next semester as well as extra cash for future video game purchases (if possible). Nonetheless, I want to (ideally) post something new every Friday (or every other Friday).

Earthbound bound for the U.S. and Europe!!!

As many of you may know, as of April 17, 2013 Nintendo had their latest edition of their Nintendo Direct public service announcements. As such I've provided a link to the video itself. There were quite a few important updates regarding games coming for the Nintendo 3DS as well as a few more in-depth looks at Wii U titles such as Pikmin 3. I however was floored with the announcement that Europe and the United States would be getting Earthbound (a.k.a Mother 2) for the Wii U Virtual console later this year. 

Although I've never personally had the opportunity to play this game, I already plan on purchasing it when it's available on the Nintendo Virtual Console E-Shop. I've heard nothing but praise and admiration for this title and even though I had an SNES when I was a kid, I missed out on this iconic masterpiece. Check out the video below and tell me if you've been waiting a long time for this game to arrive!!!

Game Watch Forecast & Summary of Recent Events

Well, I'm certainly feeling the burnout from college work and although I should be studying, I feel as though I need a streess reliever so I decided that I'd do a quick little post regarding what's going on in my head as far as Nintendo and the games industry is doing. Unfortunately I feel that this post and possible subsequent posts aren't going to be as "fulfilling" to you readers, because they're not going to have a whole lot of "meat" on them, if you will, and I also feel as though that's not fair to you, my readers. Nonetheless, I refuse to partake in a "dry spell" of postings like other blogs do so frequently and I'm going to try to shift gears a bit so as to perhaps reduce the strain of me providing so many citations and links.

Ok, so as many of you may be aware, Nintendo's Wii U hasn't been selling nearly as well as one might expect. I contribute this dilemma to a multitude of factors. Namely, the Wii U came out of the starting line a "wii" bit too early (pun intended) and seeing as how the competition hasn't yet arrived (not until E3 2013), players and game developers are largely going to overlook the console until the full trio arrives (apparently with newcomers i.e. the Steam box and others hot on their trail). The second factor that's worth mentioning is the lack of third party support (a significant problem and stigma carried over from the original Wii) and even first party support. Nintendo had announced in a Nintendo Direct segment that for the months of January and February that little to no first-party games were going to come out for their console...and with only a few games that are readily available, gamers such as myself, are STARVING for some hot titles.

Even so, there is some hope. I'm happy to look forward to games such as:

1. Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games)
2. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag made by Ubisoft (I bypassed getting the third game because I've never played the first 2 titles in the series and I had heard from friends and reviewers that the game did not live up to its expectations)
3. Watch Dogs (Also made by Ubisoft) 
4. The Wonderful 101 (Platinum Games)
5. Injustice: Gods Among Us (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)

Even though these four titles are on the top of my "watchlist", I'm sort of disappointed in the lack of variety...here's to hoping that Nintendo can still be the supreme leader in the gaming industry for the next four years.

Let's Go!!

Well, I caved in. I bought a Wii U. I figured I wanted something new to play, I liked Nintendo's lineup of games that were promised to the console, I had been putting in 20+ hours at my seasonal job (working retail), and I REALLY wanted Call of Duty: Black Ops II. So I bought it as a Christmas gift to myself.

Thus far I like the game and the Miiverse but if there is one problem that is constant about the Wii U, it's this:

The Wii U constantly freezes and there's NO RESET BUTTON.

More on this once I survive this semester at my university...overall, I'd rate my experience with it as an 8.0/10.0 with plenty of room for improvement.

it's good, but I miss the Wii Connect 24 service, the multi-purpose, practical channels that were available  on the original Wii (such as the Weather and News Channels) and not having a RESET button REALLY hurts when you have to unplug and re-plug your console's power supply to play again.