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I’m Not Excited for the Future of Video Games
Last week Rockstar made an industry changing decision – GTA 6 is going to be digitally only. I think we’ve known this slow death was coming for physical video games for years now. However, the fact Grand Theft Auto 6, arguably the most hyped video game development of all time, is the one to lead this charge is just concerning for us physical collectors.
Most companies, in fact 90% of developers, will never make something as ambitious as Grand Theft Auto. Between the previous GTA games and the Red Dead Series we have no reason to believe this game will flop, or underdeliver or any of the negative things you could assign to a video game. It certainly wasn’t rushed, which I like.
With that said, an $80 digital only game is about to release and blow the world away. Meaning everyone in the industry is going to believe consumers want, or are at the very least, are okay supporting $80 digital only games.
We aren’t.
We just really like and want more Grand Theft Auto. Grand Theft Auto 5 has received updates and support as well as was a darn good product when it came out 13 years ago. Very few companies are releasing 10 out of 10 games and still supporting and having thriving player bases 13 years later.
But, all that said, it killed my anticipation of the game. I was fully prepared to back the truck up for a new PS5 and a copy of GTA6, as the Switch 2 is my only current gen console. I no longer feel that need. If I have to get the game digitally, I’ll wait for it to come to PC.
Still, Rockstar did receive backlash for this announcement by boomers and old head gamers like myself. [I’m 31, but my soul is ancient.]. So how did Sony react seeing this pushback?
By announcing the end of physical media!
No joke. Its ending.
What!? And this is also coming on the heels of removing 500+ digital movies and closing down the PS3 and Vita store. Wake up people.
My brother called me to check on me because he knows im a physicsl fiend. As someone who mostly buys digital, he was indifferent. I think this is a closed minded way of looking at it. Sony controls pricing, distribution, as well as availability and can just remove media at any point.
Its hard to see the forest for the trees. Its hard to realize how this affects everything when were talking about just video games. But were digitalizing our world.
In some ways, it has been beneficial. I shop Walmart and Amazon more than I care to admit. But with the advent of shipping and online commerce, they’ve made it the easiest to shop. But I’m at the whims of their decisions. And as they run out all the small businesses, I have less and less options.
The same will be true when video games are all digital. If I dont like Gamestops pricing, I can go to a local store, or a convention. I can try to see if Amazon, Target, Best Buy, or Walmart has a deal or lower prices.
When Sony is the only person I can get the latest game from, I can’t go to a competitor.
That’s just the Sony side of things. Xbox is… well, I don’t know. I hear they’re in a real State of Decay. They are threatening to shut down 4 studios as well as massive lay offs across the industry. One of those companies being Double Fine Productions.
People say Nintendo is silently winning by not doing anything. It really depends on the key card situation. Sony, Xbox, and Rcokstar have done so much reputational damage in the last 7 days people are actually already looking back at the keycards with nostalgia and fondness. They’re still a stepping stone to a bleak future. I don’t plan to actively buy or collect key card game.
I feel a bit of responsibility to support the games getting physical carts like the new Star Fox Ocarina of Time Remake and Elder Scrolls Oblivion. Let’s just hope Nintendo remains prideful that their internal developed games remain on the cart. It pains me the new Onimusha will be key card only.
All this to say, I’ve been playing PS2, N64, and other retro consoles more and more. Sony cannot delist my PS2 games. Nintendo can’t say my Super Mario 64 is just a keycard. Xbox cannot close down these projects that already breath on OG xbox.
Retro collecting remains the way to go. Vote with your wallet. And most importantly own your stuff people. You dont have to have massive collections. You dont have to be a hoarder. But if there’s something you want to exist in its current state untampered and unchanged, buy it! If there’s a trend you want to support, buy it! Dont let these companies speak for us.
New Comic Book Day Haul #2
Hey guys were back with our next round of comic book pick ups!
I picked up four comics this week. Darkhawk #1, Spiderman Life Story Annual 1, King Spawn and Thor 16 (Not Pictured). Admittedly, kind of an underwhelming and exciting week. I’m only on issue 12 of Thor so I have a long way to go on it. I’m not a huge Spawn fan but the King Spawn being a number one intrigues me. Darkhawk was a favorite of mine when I was younger, so to see him back is awesome. I only have 2 issues of Spiderman Life Story. So while I love the idea, I’m a little ways away from reading it.
So that’s my Haul! Let me know what new comics yall are reading! Thanks for reading and have a great night everyone.
Games That Could Have Saved The Wii U!
*This post was written towards the end of May! Enjoy!*
During the Wii U’s lifespan several games came out that didn’t make it onto the console. If the Wii U had landed some of these titles it definitely would have helped. You guys will see a lot of parallels between the N64 and the Wii U. Let’s go ahead and jump into this one.
JRPGS and RPGs in general were bare on the system, just like the n64. Of course you still got Paper Mario, Xenoblade, and of course Mass Effect 3. So with all that said my first pick is Persona 5. Personally, I haven’t been able to gravitate towards JRPGs, though I do certainly try. With all that said, there is no denying Persona 5s profound impact on the western market. To my knowledge, Persona, as far as a console release, has been exclusive to the PlayStation. Though, the 3ds did see some Persona releases on handheld. I’m not sure the Wii U ever had a chance of landing Persona 5, considering the Switch hasn’t even got a version. This would have been a huge get for the Wii U’s library.
Let’s keep the RPG train rolling. Fallout. Personally, I think New Vegas would be my choice here. If the Wii U had secured a definitive edition of Fallout New Vegas with all the DLC, I would’ve been all over that. If Fallout 4 had released on the Wii U, of course that would have helped the Wii U break the stereotype of being a “children’s unit”, but who knows if Fallout 4 could have even ran on the Wii U in the first place.
And to round out the RPG experience, Mass Effect Trilogy. I’m not sure about Bioware or EA’s relationship with Nintendo during this time, but the Wii U got Mass Effect 3 which just seems weird. I really wish the Wii U either got a separate release for each installment or the trilogy released later on. It’s so weird needing to buy Mass Effect 1 and 2 on Xbox just to jump on the Wii U to round out the trilogy. While this was weird to me, it’s far from the only example (as this also happened with the Batman games).
A Hat in Time- A Hat in Time was originally in the works for the Wii U. Overtime, that plan evaporated along with the hopes of a Nintendo Switch version. As time elapsed, A Hat in Time would finally make its way to the Switch. Sadly, for Wii U Collectors and players alike, this title was missed from the Wii U library.
Undertale- During the time of Undertale’s release I was playing my Wii U exclusively with a little Xbox One thrown in. As a result, I missed out on Undertale. If this game has found a way to end up on the Wii U I might have got around to playing this. As of now, I have yet to experience Undertale.
Rare Replay- When Rare Replay came out, Nintendo and Microsoft hadn’t quite struck up their friendship. Now a days, Banjo Kazooie has arrived on Switch via Smash Brothers. Also, Cuphead is available on Switch. We’ve yet to get any Rare games on the Switch to my knowledge. However, if people were able to play Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Battletoads or any of those Rare classic titles, I think people would have eaten up the nostalgia factor.
Lastly, for today’s post anyway, Super Mario Odyssey. Breath of the Wild may have ended up on the Switch also, but it was designed, in part, with the Wii U in mind. As a result, The Wii U got an absolute epic game in Breath of the Wild. Now, I have also said the Wii U desperately needed a 3D Mario game. Yes, 3D World was a great game yet if it was complimented with Odyssey, that would have solidified the Wii U’s library as top notch. Sadly, Nintendo saw the writing on the wall and bailed on Odyssey ever coming to Wii U. I think ultimately this was a smart decision due to how much Odyssey can be dependent on motion controllers. All that said, I wish the Wii U had received a title maybe more like a traditional Mario 64 title.
So that’s it for today. I’ve been merciless collecting for my Wii U, I only have about 30ish (at the time of writing this. Now I’m not down to 6!) titles left until I have a whole set. I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the library. There’s plenty more games to discuss so expect more videos as time goes on. Thanks for reading guys and I’ll see you in the next one.
Only 7 More Wii U Games Left!
I acquired a lot of Wii U games from Gamestop the last 3 months and found myself only missing 8 titles.
3 Just Dance Games
2 Heavy Hitters (Axiom Verge, Devil’s Third)
Disney’s Planes Fire & Rescue
Ben 10 Omniverse 2
Brunswick Pro Bowling
Currently, despite my fever pitch rush to amass the whole NA Library, I only really desire 3 of them. Ben 10, Planes, Brunswick Bowling. They are affordable, readily available, and games I might play a few times. The Just Dance games might never be played by yours truly. While Axiom Verge looks good, it is also hard to find it under $100 dollars. Devil’s Third is well, well… Well, honestly, it is $200 dollars. Paper Mario Thousand Year Door is my most sought after game right now. It is roughly $100-125 complete and I vomit a little thinking about it. So, no way I am paying $200 for a game I only kinda sort of care about.
I sent that list of 3 games to my local video game store and in about 2 or 3 weeks, one of those games emerged.
Yeap, Brunswick Pro Bowling has been scratched off the list. This leaves just 7 more games! I have no rush for the previously discussed 5 titles. I look forward to getting Ben 10 2 and Disney’s Planes Fire and Rescue in the coming months.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day.
Games I want on the N64 Mini/Classic
Now, we are a little behind on the speculative list, but since nothing is officially official I figured we could dive in and try to form a list of awesome N64 games.
DK 64 and Diddy Kong Racing are titles I’ve heard tossed around, so I am assuming there is no copyright issues here. Still, I am going to leave them off my list for the time being.
So, let’s get this list underway:
The Easy Ones:
Super Mario 64
LoZ: Orarina of Time
LoZ: Majora’s Mask
Paper Mario
Star Fox
Super Smash Brothers
Pilot Wings 64 (Or Wave Racer 64)
Mario Kart 64
In my opinion, these are the easy ones. Obviously, if you included Rare titles Golden Eye, Conker, and Banjo Kazooie would probably be auto includes as well. Super Mario 64, Oracina of Time, and Major’s Mask are the easiest includes in this list. The N64 is notorious for it’s lack of RPGs, so in my opinion Paper Mario has to be an auto include (the others being Ogre Battle and Quest 64). Rounding out our auto includes are some multiplayer games. Pilot Wings 64 was a launch title for the system, though I have never played it. Mario Kart 64 and Smash 64 are some of the best multiplayer experiences you will find on the console.
Tier 2
These games are good and I enjoy them. i am sure a few of these games will make the official list, if not all.
F-Zero X
Kirby 64
Mario Party 2
Mario Tennis
Yoshi’s Story
Pokemon Stadium 1 or 2 (Or both!)
This rounds out my Tier 2. I think there is high chance for Yoshi’s Story, Kirby 64, and F-Zero. I will admit I never played F-Zero, I very much enjoyed Kirby 64 and Yoshi’s Story even to this day. Mario Party 2 is my favorite in the series and would get my nod (though I assume any of the 3 are up for grabs). Now, I put Mario Tennis on here as a placeholder. I never played the N64 Mario Sports games. I do have a feeling we will get one though (but I could also see this slot getting left off the official list).
Third Party Games/Racing Games/Wrestling Games
I grew up with a positive perspective on the N64, but if there is one thing I have heard is that the N64’s tiny library was bogged down by the abundance of racing and wrestling games and the lack of 3rd party games. Let’s take a look at what they have to offer.
Turok
Cruis’n USA/Beetle Adventure Racing (Or insert your favorite race game here)
WCW/mWo Revenge
Star Wars
NBA Hangtime
You could argue if a sports game will finally make it on a classic console, the N64’s library might be just small enough that we see one. The bigger question is will it be a Mario or traditional sports title. People still rave about the memories of playing 4 player wrestling games. My brother, my 2 cousins, and myself played WCW/mWo Revenge so that’s why it is slotted in this spot. Honestly, I really only played Mario Kart and Diddy Kong Racing. I did however play Cruis’n USA some so that is why it makes my list. Rounding out my sports title is NBA Hangtime as we put many hours into its unique style of basketball. We will probably miss out on Golden Eye so I am throwing Turok in this slot. My dad also played through all the Turok games when I was kid, so of course we got a soft spot.
Hidden Gems or Sleeeper Picks?
My faith in these picks are little, but it would be cool to see some or even 1. However, I am not holding my breath.
Rayman 2
Mischief Maker
Glover
Harvest Moon 64
Body Harvest
Bomberman 64
Blast Corp
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Space Station Silicon Valley
I think the only game that stands a chance is Harvest Moon 64. The game I spent the most time with is Glover. It was frustrating, but it was different. Sadly, I never really got to play most of these games which is why I would love for a few to sneak in like Space Station or Mystic Ninja. A closing thought on sleeper picks, I thought about including expensive games such as Clay Fighters or Bomberman 64, but I am not sure it will happen (or if even should happen).
So before we give our official list I should talk about Pokemon Snap. I guess in hindsight I’d throw it in Tier 2, but I just cannot figure out what category I want it in. Now let’s narrow this list down.
Super Mario 64
LoZ: Orarina of Time
LoZ: Majora’s Mask
Paper Mario
Star Fox
Super Smash Brothers
Pilot Wings 64 (Or Wave Racer 64)
Mario Kart 64
F-Zero X
Yoshi’s Story
Kirby 64
Pokemon Stadium
Pokemon Stadium 2
Pokemon Snap
Mario Tennis
Turok
Cruis’n USA
WCW/mWo Revenge
Star Wars
Harvest Moon 64
Wow, that’s 20 games. Clearly, some are going to get left off. I think Nintendo will find a balance between games of nostalgia and games that are actually great. Some of these games are interchangeable but I picked the ones I remembered the most fondly. Yet again, WCW could be any wrestling Game. If we get DK and Diddy Kong Racing, than I think you probably take off Cruis’n USA and either WCW or Star Wars. Maybe.
Let me know what you guys think. I don’t think we have a lot of room for non-Nintendo titles but I think 1 or 2 could make it on the list. Anyway, comment which games you want to see or how many games you think will be on the N64 Classic.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day!
Da_Hubbz 