So welcome back to part two of my favorite anime's of 2016, well ones I watched in 2016 they may have aired originally in the 80's I just never watched them till 2016. If you missed part One you can read it right here (opens new window.) So without further adieu lets get started, again I will do my best to include place I watched it, and if it is subbed or dubbed, assume I watched it subbed as it is my preferred way.
6) Our first anime series of part two that I really enjoyed watching in 2016 was originally aired from July 2014-March 2015 spanning 24eps it is Aldnoah.Zero. While hardly a unique story, humankind has split into two factions those who live on Mars and those who remained on Earth, you see where this is going right. After a great war and an event called " Heavens Fall " that results in a Hyper-Gate exploding and destroying the Earths moon, so a fragile peace is established. You know this is not going to last when a Princess from Mars is sent to Earth to try mediate a more sustaining peace and reunification, falls victim to an assassination attempt.
Long story short she survives since she uses stand-ins for a lot of appearances, and the Knights of Mars now have their excuse to take over the Earth in retaliation. Of course the entire plot was hatched by the Knights themselves and so the story starts off a new war as they invade Earth. I will let you watch the series if you want to know where it goes from there, while not a unique storyline, I really enjoyed it. The animation I found quite good and character development while not outstanding is there none the less and of course it has Mechs which is always a good thing IMHO.
(Crunchyroll-subbed 24eps, Funimation-Dubbed 12eps) as of this writing Funimation only has the first season, however I believe they have committed to dubbing the last 12eps as well.
7) Up next is a series when it was first announced I just cringed, a little back ground first I feel is in order. When Love Live Sunshine appeared I just banged my head repeatedly on my desk, saying why God, Why!!! how can you do this to me. If you have followed me for any amount of time you know I adored the original Love Live! I saw no reason for this blasphemy and posted my feelings on it numerous times. Now while it did not turn out as bad as I thought it would, it still fell short for me and I gave up after 7eps and have never returned.
Enter Brave Witches you guessed it saw what it was going to be, repeat banging head on desk muttering the same things I did before, Airing as part of the Fall anime season Oct-Dec of 2016 spanning 12 Eps plus a OVA. This one however unlike Love Live Sunshine I really did enjoy and watched it along with the OVA. It follows the 502 Joint Fighter wing who are also Witches but based in Orussia you know Russia in our world. Like with Sunshine there is cameos of the original Strike Witches the 501st. However the story really is about one Witches journey to try to be like her famous Sister and to fight along side her, however Hikari lacks the talent and confidence of her older Sister as far as the 502nd is concerned. This is not surprising since her Sister is Karibuchi Takami a Legend among the502nd and the entire military. If you loved Strike Witches like I did by all means give this one a shot, it's only 12eps so can be watched entirely in a weekend. If you want to watch the original Strike Witches it is on Funimation has 24Eps and is available subbed or dubbed.
(Crunchroll-12eps+OVA-subbed)
8) I am almost reluctant to even write anything about my next choice, how can one mere mortal man possibly put into words justly, how I feel about 2016's Fall season POCO'S UDON WORLD.
I guess all I can really say is if you loved Usagi Drop then you will love this also, and cry just as much at the end. It shares a few things a Child that is beyond adorable, though in POCO's case he is more then a mere mortal child. He is what is called in JapanneseFolklore a Tanuki, a Racoon Dog animal spirit that takes the form of a child and never ages. A unlikely person who takes them to raise them as their own, one who when they do shocks their own family members by their choice.
In case you are curious there actually is a real animal called a Racoon Dog just in case your curious and want something to google over the weekend. This story is one of joy, of heartache and growth of the human spirit, just watch this anime you will not regret it for one minute, and will be a must buy on Blu-ray for me at least this summer. While it is not a long series at all, ( a shame really) I could have watched it for years, it has a real ending which I wont spoil for you.
(Crunchyroll-12eps Subbed only)
9) For my last entry in this part going to go with yet another from the Winter 2016 anime season and like a few I have been suggesting it is a SOL/Comedy called The Flying Witch. Spanning just 12 eps this is a anime that features a Young Witch who is still learning her craft, however what makes this anime so good is the animation backgrounds and the character/world development. To quote Crunchyroll " Aomori, Japan. In a land blessed by nature’s bountiful beauty, bizarre things begin to take place. Makoto Kowata, 15 years old, is a professional witch. She left Yokohama with Chito, her black cat, to live in the house of her relatives in Aomori. This is where she begins to train as a witch. Even though Makoto’s powers are still limited to just flying through the sky, she and her second cousins Kei and Chinatsu surely make the most out of each and every day."
The character's she meets along the way make this just a nice way to end a day at least it was for me, I really hope we get another season though it does also have a Manga as well though not sure it has been translated or not. So far there has been nothing confirmed regarding a season 2 however keep in mind it was a Winter anime premier so maybe we hear something in the summer.
(Crunchyroll-12 Eps Subbed)
I think that will do it for this part, I think I will do one more part but will save it for the weekend perhaps, I hope you give at least a few of the anime's a try I have been writing about you could be surprised just like I was with them. Feel free to write in your favorites of 2016 that you watched in the comments below, I like many others are always on the lookout for new anime's to give a try.
I will leave you as always with Play nice with Each other.
David
I maybe Canadian but I am rarely apologetic, opinions I have a lot of them. My opinions of course are my own, and I welcome yours
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 January 2017
Monday, 23 January 2017
My favorite anime's of 2016 well sort of, Part 1
So by now you know I often have little quirks in my titles for a post, this one as you can see is no different what can I say I like it. So why the " sort of " well simple really not all the shows I am going to mention actually originally aired in 2016. Everyone and their cat does a Top 10 anime of whatever year it is, I did not want to do that, for a few reasons. One there is well so many of them why just make another one, also there is numerous people far more qualified too make those lists., so I will leave it to them. Secondly they tend to often just be nothing more then whatever was the most popular that year, aka SAO is the best anime ever created by man in x-year type thing.
For me at least a lot of those series just don't move me like they seem to do for millions of fans around the world, I have no interest in One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, etc, etc. Also hopefully you will find one or two I am going to mention you may not have watched, or perhaps knew of before.
So without further delay here are just 10 maybe more anime I watched in 2016 that stuck with me the most, they may not even have been originally aired in 2016 it's just that is when I watched them.
This is not a ranked list so don't read anything into where they appear, I could list a anime near the end could well have been my favorite of 2016 so now you know. Going to split this up into two maybe three parts otherwise it will be TL:DR we'll see how it plays out after this one. I will try list if it is subbed, dubbed or both and where I watched it, where you decide too watch it is up to you. If an anime has both subbed and dubbed versions available, you can assume I watched it subbed unless otherwise noted.
1) First up is well frankly one funny as hell anime I cam across one evening when I was bored, boy was I glad I did it is Squid Girl: the invader from the sea. Originally airing in 2010 it spans 24 episodes plus 2 OVA's and is a SOL/Comedy, and it is damn funny. Squid Girl takes it upon herself to come out of the ocean to invade the land and try to save her underwater world from the ravages of human garbage dumping in the sea. Of course this does not exactly go as planned as she ends up damaging a café, and one of the owners with a scary side makes her work as a waitress to pay off the damages. From there on out the comedy ensues along with some very touching moments just to break up the comedy. (Subbed-Crunchyroll)
2) Next up I came across a anime from 2005 called Solty Rei and it spans 26 eps in total, in all honesty they could have made 126 and I would have been glad, I will quote Funimation's website for this one as they sum it up quite nicely
" Countless were killed in the unexplained Blast Fall, and those left maimed—the Resembles—had their bodies rebuilt with high-tech prosthetic devices. Bounty hunter Roy Revant was sure he’d seen everything the broken city had to offer—until the day a strange little girl named Solty fell from the sky. Roy and Solty may seek different things, but who wants to search for truth alone? "
There is some really funny moments, some really sad moments and I cried numerous times watching this series. Roy has a darkside he holds a lot of pain inside of him because of the "Blast Fall" and lost everything he loved, this has made him into a very bitter man who cares for nothing. He also has no time for others let alone what he perceives as a robot, despite her having feelings and a conscience, I won't spoil it by saying anything else about the story. I will just say this the voice acting is top notch, as is the animation for 2005, I enjoyed it so much I bought the boxed set of the series.
(Dubbed-Funimation)
3) For the next one something that started in the late Winter season of 2015 and ended in 2016, see not all of my suggestions are 10 yrs old. Dimension W shares a cpl of things in common with Solty Rei, in that it features a somewhat Grumpy old guy, and a Female Android type character. Like Roy from Solty Rei the main male character Kyouma diss-likes and distrusts anything to do with Coils and technology, a mysterious device allowing to tap into the power of Dimension W.
He is a hunter/collectors of Coils and redeems them for money, not the most enjoyable thing buy hey it pays the bills. Kyouma is old school in a time of Coil powered everything he refuses Coils and still drives a old Gasoline powered clunker. Long story short one recovery job has him running into Mira a Android who is related to the creator of Coil technology, you know where this is going. I will end it there so you can discover the rest for yourself should you care to watch it, which I highly suggest you do, it is short only 12 eps so can be binge watched in a weekend. (Funimation-Dubbed and Subbed versions)
4) Okay I am not going to tell you anything about this one because frankly I can not do it justice with words, it is that wonderful a series. Originally airing from Oct/2014 thru March of 2015 Your lie in April is something that just has to be experienced, all I will say is make sure you have lots of Kleenex handy as you are going to need them, and that Opposites truly do attract. I have watched this anime three times since first watching it in February 2016, it is just that beautiful and we need more series like this.
(Crunchyroll both subbed and dubbed versions available)
5) For this one going to something that actually did air in July-Sept 2016 and I watched it weekly as it aired and that is New Game. A High School graduate Aoba Suzukaze is a gamer she is also such a fan of a particular game she learns Game Development. Upon graduation she gets her dream job not only is she hired by a game developer, it is the same developer who made her favorite game. She gets to meet her idols if you will but they are not what she was expecting, from there the comedy and the fanservice abounds.
While we have only got the first season (12 eps) so far there is a second season that's been announced, also a visual novel game based on the anime releasing end of January 2017 in Japan on Ps4. There is also a manga that has been in print since 2013 and the series continues to this day.
(Crunchyroll-Subbed)
That will do it for part one not sure how many parts there will be but we will see, probably 3 but I want to limit it to ones that stood out to me, I listed all I watched it would be 50 parts and nobody wats that.
What anime stuck out to you in 2016 that you watched fell free to share them in the comments respectfully of course and as always play nice with each other.
David
For me at least a lot of those series just don't move me like they seem to do for millions of fans around the world, I have no interest in One Piece, Dragon Ball Z, etc, etc. Also hopefully you will find one or two I am going to mention you may not have watched, or perhaps knew of before.
So without further delay here are just 10 maybe more anime I watched in 2016 that stuck with me the most, they may not even have been originally aired in 2016 it's just that is when I watched them.
This is not a ranked list so don't read anything into where they appear, I could list a anime near the end could well have been my favorite of 2016 so now you know. Going to split this up into two maybe three parts otherwise it will be TL:DR we'll see how it plays out after this one. I will try list if it is subbed, dubbed or both and where I watched it, where you decide too watch it is up to you. If an anime has both subbed and dubbed versions available, you can assume I watched it subbed unless otherwise noted.
1) First up is well frankly one funny as hell anime I cam across one evening when I was bored, boy was I glad I did it is Squid Girl: the invader from the sea. Originally airing in 2010 it spans 24 episodes plus 2 OVA's and is a SOL/Comedy, and it is damn funny. Squid Girl takes it upon herself to come out of the ocean to invade the land and try to save her underwater world from the ravages of human garbage dumping in the sea. Of course this does not exactly go as planned as she ends up damaging a café, and one of the owners with a scary side makes her work as a waitress to pay off the damages. From there on out the comedy ensues along with some very touching moments just to break up the comedy. (Subbed-Crunchyroll)
2) Next up I came across a anime from 2005 called Solty Rei and it spans 26 eps in total, in all honesty they could have made 126 and I would have been glad, I will quote Funimation's website for this one as they sum it up quite nicely
" Countless were killed in the unexplained Blast Fall, and those left maimed—the Resembles—had their bodies rebuilt with high-tech prosthetic devices. Bounty hunter Roy Revant was sure he’d seen everything the broken city had to offer—until the day a strange little girl named Solty fell from the sky. Roy and Solty may seek different things, but who wants to search for truth alone? "
There is some really funny moments, some really sad moments and I cried numerous times watching this series. Roy has a darkside he holds a lot of pain inside of him because of the "Blast Fall" and lost everything he loved, this has made him into a very bitter man who cares for nothing. He also has no time for others let alone what he perceives as a robot, despite her having feelings and a conscience, I won't spoil it by saying anything else about the story. I will just say this the voice acting is top notch, as is the animation for 2005, I enjoyed it so much I bought the boxed set of the series.
(Dubbed-Funimation)
3) For the next one something that started in the late Winter season of 2015 and ended in 2016, see not all of my suggestions are 10 yrs old. Dimension W shares a cpl of things in common with Solty Rei, in that it features a somewhat Grumpy old guy, and a Female Android type character. Like Roy from Solty Rei the main male character Kyouma diss-likes and distrusts anything to do with Coils and technology, a mysterious device allowing to tap into the power of Dimension W.
He is a hunter/collectors of Coils and redeems them for money, not the most enjoyable thing buy hey it pays the bills. Kyouma is old school in a time of Coil powered everything he refuses Coils and still drives a old Gasoline powered clunker. Long story short one recovery job has him running into Mira a Android who is related to the creator of Coil technology, you know where this is going. I will end it there so you can discover the rest for yourself should you care to watch it, which I highly suggest you do, it is short only 12 eps so can be binge watched in a weekend. (Funimation-Dubbed and Subbed versions)
4) Okay I am not going to tell you anything about this one because frankly I can not do it justice with words, it is that wonderful a series. Originally airing from Oct/2014 thru March of 2015 Your lie in April is something that just has to be experienced, all I will say is make sure you have lots of Kleenex handy as you are going to need them, and that Opposites truly do attract. I have watched this anime three times since first watching it in February 2016, it is just that beautiful and we need more series like this.
(Crunchyroll both subbed and dubbed versions available)
5) For this one going to something that actually did air in July-Sept 2016 and I watched it weekly as it aired and that is New Game. A High School graduate Aoba Suzukaze is a gamer she is also such a fan of a particular game she learns Game Development. Upon graduation she gets her dream job not only is she hired by a game developer, it is the same developer who made her favorite game. She gets to meet her idols if you will but they are not what she was expecting, from there the comedy and the fanservice abounds.
While we have only got the first season (12 eps) so far there is a second season that's been announced, also a visual novel game based on the anime releasing end of January 2017 in Japan on Ps4. There is also a manga that has been in print since 2013 and the series continues to this day.
(Crunchyroll-Subbed)
That will do it for part one not sure how many parts there will be but we will see, probably 3 but I want to limit it to ones that stood out to me, I listed all I watched it would be 50 parts and nobody wats that.
What anime stuck out to you in 2016 that you watched fell free to share them in the comments respectfully of course and as always play nice with each other.
David
My most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond, so far.
The new generation of consoles are now coming into their own, none of them had bad launch lineups by any means, but now we are getting into the meat and potatoes and PC just keeps on motoring. There also is a new console to look forward to for gaming of course being the Nintendo Switch coming this March, just around the corner really.
That got me to thinking what games am I really looking forward to having the chance to play in 2017 and beyond, I was actually surprised. When I started to write them out there was a lot more then I actually realised had me really excited, granted some have no confirmed dates yet.
So here are just a few of the games I am looking forward too in the next 12-30 months or so as always they are in no particular order. I will do my best to list all platforms and dates as of now the games will be releasing on. Do not expect to see any Call of Duty's, Battlefields or shooters really though I am looking forward to one. Outside of one of these games NONE are pre-orders my feelings on pre-orders are well documented, just DON'T do it.
Lets get this started with a game I have already played some of all be it in Japanese and that of course is Persona 5 and this is the exception to the rule above.
If there is one thing you should know about me by now is I am a huge RPG fan, RPG/JRPG/ARPG to SRPG's I love RPG's. From Final Fantasy Tactics and The Banner Saga, to Mass Effect and Persona.
Persona is a series that well to be honest has never let me down I have played all of them, other then they often get delayed, but that has always proven to be a blessing. I can not think of a game series I have played in my 57 yrs on earth that has never let me down the Persona series is the exception to the rule along with Mass Effect in so many ways. (PS4, PS3 April 4th/2017)
Hellblade what can I say I adore Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword was the first game I bought for my PS3 and is still among my top 10 games. This game however has a serious message as it deals with Mental Illness as viewed through the eyes of a woman suffering from visions of monsters, demons and decent into darkness. You see her Psychotic world through the eyes of (Senua) and her manifestations of her own reality and mind. I jumped out of my seat when this first appeared at Sony's 2013 E3 press conference for the debut of the PS4, as I thought it was Heavenly Sword 2, I cried. (PS4/PC sometime 2017)
Next up I will keep it brief, open world, interesting Female Protagonist, deep crafting system, and, oh yeah and Giant sometimes extremely violent Robot Dinosaurs, do I really need to say more. The minute this appeared on the screen at E3 it was a WTF moment for a lot of people, it was amazing, of course I am talking about Horizon: Zero Dawn oh my god I can not wait for this, the world looks amazing all I can say. (PS4 exclusive, Feb 28th/2017)
Up next a game I know very little about and to be honest have fears it may never be released, given 3 Microsoft Exclusives have been cancelled, despite being featured at E3 prominently. I fear for the game because we have heard literally nothing, and see nothing of the game since that E3 showing in 2014. Of course that is the Microsoft Exclusive Crackdown 3 despite a impressive showing at E3 showing, plus another at Gamescom 2015 we have heard nothing really. Given other games that where also given a lot of stage time like Fable, and Scalebound (both since cancelled) we know nothing (Xbox one/PC sometime 2017????)
Okay I will probably get some heat for this next one as people either love the stuff the studio does or hates it, and that is Quantic Dreams. Few Game Developers have a more polarizing leader then Quantic Dreams, he is the target of both love and Ridicule by many. I actually really like the games the studio makes, unlike many I actually really like Beyond: Two Souls, I almost have the platinum actually I liked it that much. And while it is easy to make fun of David Cages on-stage presence he has a vision and passion to all he does be it you love or hate it. Detroit: Become Human however I have heard nothing but good things and genuine excitement for the game, you can count me among those. (PS4 exclusive, scheduled 2017 sometime) I would not be surprised this one is delayed.
That brings me to the one shooter type game that I am actually genuinely excited and fearful for at the same time that is Ghost Recon:Wildlands I used to be really into shooters, CoD, Battlefield, Gears of war owned them all, so why am I fearful.
I can sum that fear up in one word and you know what one that is developed/published by (UBISOFT) you had to know that one was coming. Ubisoft has a knack of showing one thing and what you actually get is a Ugly, buggy mess of a game. From Assassins Creed games, to Watch Dogs this company just has a habit of misrepresenting their games unlike anyone else.
Still this game has my interest, and that is also unusual because it has a lot of MP aspects to it and I don't like gaming online. (Xbox One/PS4/PC March 7th/2017)
Next is a PC exclusive and is the 2nd instalment in this magical world and I am talking about Divinity: Original Sin II any game that is going to carry on my story in this world I am in. It has no confirmed date that I have seen so far but is scheduled for 2017. Another PC exclusive is A hat in Time what can I say count me in "is a colorful 3D platformer inspired by classic games in the genre, such as Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64" this too has no confirmed release date other then 2017.
This is a change for me as I have not looked forward to anything Nintendo for pretty much a decade however I have to say a couple I really am. The new Shin Megami Tensei game for the switch has my interest but as of yet has not date. That said there will be a new SMT game coming out this year for the 3DS and most will be getting that for sure if a fan of SMT like me.
Also while it just looks like a re-make of the original with a cpl of tweaks Splatoon 2 looks like a ton of fun and may convince me to buy a Switch, sorry not sold on it as a few of my posts show. If Nintendo can mange to entice smaller Indie developers, that can take advantage of things the Switch offers, then the list grows even more.
Mass Effect Andromeda is not on here on purpose, sorry I am still not sold on it, though I know at some point I will buy it on PC.
That's about it, I need to see more of God Of War, it also is most likely a Holiday 2018 game, The Last of US 2 well that could turn out to be a PS5 game.
So those are just a few of the games I am looking forward to there tons I am overlooking I am sure, how about you, what games can't you just cant wait to play, share them in the comments below.
As always Play nice with each other.
David
That got me to thinking what games am I really looking forward to having the chance to play in 2017 and beyond, I was actually surprised. When I started to write them out there was a lot more then I actually realised had me really excited, granted some have no confirmed dates yet.
So here are just a few of the games I am looking forward too in the next 12-30 months or so as always they are in no particular order. I will do my best to list all platforms and dates as of now the games will be releasing on. Do not expect to see any Call of Duty's, Battlefields or shooters really though I am looking forward to one. Outside of one of these games NONE are pre-orders my feelings on pre-orders are well documented, just DON'T do it.
Lets get this started with a game I have already played some of all be it in Japanese and that of course is Persona 5 and this is the exception to the rule above.
If there is one thing you should know about me by now is I am a huge RPG fan, RPG/JRPG/ARPG to SRPG's I love RPG's. From Final Fantasy Tactics and The Banner Saga, to Mass Effect and Persona.
Persona is a series that well to be honest has never let me down I have played all of them, other then they often get delayed, but that has always proven to be a blessing. I can not think of a game series I have played in my 57 yrs on earth that has never let me down the Persona series is the exception to the rule along with Mass Effect in so many ways. (PS4, PS3 April 4th/2017)
Hellblade what can I say I adore Ninja Theory, Heavenly Sword was the first game I bought for my PS3 and is still among my top 10 games. This game however has a serious message as it deals with Mental Illness as viewed through the eyes of a woman suffering from visions of monsters, demons and decent into darkness. You see her Psychotic world through the eyes of (Senua) and her manifestations of her own reality and mind. I jumped out of my seat when this first appeared at Sony's 2013 E3 press conference for the debut of the PS4, as I thought it was Heavenly Sword 2, I cried. (PS4/PC sometime 2017)
Next up I will keep it brief, open world, interesting Female Protagonist, deep crafting system, and, oh yeah and Giant sometimes extremely violent Robot Dinosaurs, do I really need to say more. The minute this appeared on the screen at E3 it was a WTF moment for a lot of people, it was amazing, of course I am talking about Horizon: Zero Dawn oh my god I can not wait for this, the world looks amazing all I can say. (PS4 exclusive, Feb 28th/2017)
Up next a game I know very little about and to be honest have fears it may never be released, given 3 Microsoft Exclusives have been cancelled, despite being featured at E3 prominently. I fear for the game because we have heard literally nothing, and see nothing of the game since that E3 showing in 2014. Of course that is the Microsoft Exclusive Crackdown 3 despite a impressive showing at E3 showing, plus another at Gamescom 2015 we have heard nothing really. Given other games that where also given a lot of stage time like Fable, and Scalebound (both since cancelled) we know nothing (Xbox one/PC sometime 2017????)
Okay I will probably get some heat for this next one as people either love the stuff the studio does or hates it, and that is Quantic Dreams. Few Game Developers have a more polarizing leader then Quantic Dreams, he is the target of both love and Ridicule by many. I actually really like the games the studio makes, unlike many I actually really like Beyond: Two Souls, I almost have the platinum actually I liked it that much. And while it is easy to make fun of David Cages on-stage presence he has a vision and passion to all he does be it you love or hate it. Detroit: Become Human however I have heard nothing but good things and genuine excitement for the game, you can count me among those. (PS4 exclusive, scheduled 2017 sometime) I would not be surprised this one is delayed.
That brings me to the one shooter type game that I am actually genuinely excited and fearful for at the same time that is Ghost Recon:Wildlands I used to be really into shooters, CoD, Battlefield, Gears of war owned them all, so why am I fearful.
I can sum that fear up in one word and you know what one that is developed/published by (UBISOFT) you had to know that one was coming. Ubisoft has a knack of showing one thing and what you actually get is a Ugly, buggy mess of a game. From Assassins Creed games, to Watch Dogs this company just has a habit of misrepresenting their games unlike anyone else.
Still this game has my interest, and that is also unusual because it has a lot of MP aspects to it and I don't like gaming online. (Xbox One/PS4/PC March 7th/2017)
Next is a PC exclusive and is the 2nd instalment in this magical world and I am talking about Divinity: Original Sin II any game that is going to carry on my story in this world I am in. It has no confirmed date that I have seen so far but is scheduled for 2017. Another PC exclusive is A hat in Time what can I say count me in "is a colorful 3D platformer inspired by classic games in the genre, such as Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64" this too has no confirmed release date other then 2017.
This is a change for me as I have not looked forward to anything Nintendo for pretty much a decade however I have to say a couple I really am. The new Shin Megami Tensei game for the switch has my interest but as of yet has not date. That said there will be a new SMT game coming out this year for the 3DS and most will be getting that for sure if a fan of SMT like me.
Also while it just looks like a re-make of the original with a cpl of tweaks Splatoon 2 looks like a ton of fun and may convince me to buy a Switch, sorry not sold on it as a few of my posts show. If Nintendo can mange to entice smaller Indie developers, that can take advantage of things the Switch offers, then the list grows even more.
Mass Effect Andromeda is not on here on purpose, sorry I am still not sold on it, though I know at some point I will buy it on PC.
That's about it, I need to see more of God Of War, it also is most likely a Holiday 2018 game, The Last of US 2 well that could turn out to be a PS5 game.
So those are just a few of the games I am looking forward to there tons I am overlooking I am sure, how about you, what games can't you just cant wait to play, share them in the comments below.
As always Play nice with each other.
David
Saturday, 21 January 2017
How Nintendo can turn public opinion around on The Switch.
Can we all be honest for a minute the Nintendo Switch live event last week was to be kind real awkward and uninspiring to say the least, oh yeah uncomfortable also. I realize they where playing to their Japanese base being based in Japan, but that was down right cringe worthy for anyone outside of Japan. I speak some Japanese and even I was cringing at a lot of points of the presentation, it was Nintendo once again being weird as hell as always. As for the sentiment " Well it was directed at the Japanese press and Nintendo shareholders" yeah that worked realllll well. In a span of 3 hrs during and following the live event Nintendo stock plummeted almost 6%, yeah investors where real impressed with the event.
I follow stocks a lot matter fact watching Bloomberg Asia as I am typing this, and can not recall last time their stock dropped that fast and much. Was not all bad the console would have limited region locking, granted no device should ever be locked to start with. However that is a step in the right direction, they also announced storage can be expanded using easily bought Sd cards, no weird format memory cards (You listening SONY) again another great choice.
I follow stocks a lot matter fact watching Bloomberg Asia as I am typing this, and can not recall last time their stock dropped that fast and much. Was not all bad the console would have limited region locking, granted no device should ever be locked to start with. However that is a step in the right direction, they also announced storage can be expanded using easily bought Sd cards, no weird format memory cards (You listening SONY) again another great choice.
One Youtube personality I follow regularly is Jim Sterling, watching this event reminded me of a video he made a year ago or so. It was called IIRC " Everything that is wrong with Square Enix " it is not safe for work unless wearing headphones, but it was so true in it's content, same apply's to Nintendo IMHO
Stop being so bloody weird Nintendo, do something normal for once, just be normal for godsake, weird is not working for you. Other then the Wii every iteration of your consoles have sold less and less, just be F'ing normal for once. What games they showed where fine, just the presenters my lord and that translator was all I could do to stay awake. Okay so enough ranting, sort of I offer up these ways that Nintendo can turn around Public opinion surrounding the Nintendo Switch.
Let's get started shall we!
So Nintendo chose the location and event time based on showing to Japanese Investors, and of course the media, fair enough, but did you consider the time on the East coast of the US. Now I live in the West of Canada so it was early enough for me, but to be honest at 57 I am not your target audience. The younger kids are who will bug their parents for that Mario Game, or Arms, not me not their parents in some cases. You held the event not only at 11pm ET but on a Thursday night to boot, a School night for heaven sake. I have dual time zones on my PC and my watch, one is set to Vancouver the other to Osaka where I visit as often as possible. You could have easily held the event 3 hrs earlier and still had the press and investors ear, it would have been 10am JST 8pm EST.
Your largest market in combined sales is not Japan so keep that in mind for the future, other things came out the same night and the following days.
1) The Switch will ship with no Netflix support at launch, are you freaking kidding me, even the Vita and 3DS has a Netflix app. Now this could be a temporary thing, but if you google around Netflix has said they have no plans at present to support it
Come on Nintendo get on it this is 2017, not 1997 get with the times. Regardless what some people de-cry about consoles are for gaming not for media watching, millions do. 85+ million people subscribe to Netflix in more countries then I can remember., your device has no UHD or Blu-Ray drive even and people watch movies, animes and tv on their consoles daily.
Now this is not Nintendo's fault for there being no app, apps you use like Hulu, Youtube, Amazon Video etc are created by the respective companies. That said they are not going to invest the time and money to make those apps if they do not think it will be used due to low sales numbers of a device. Nintendo your a Billion Dollar company open the damn wallet a TINY bit and tell Netflix, Hulu the like we want your apps on our device at launch and we will help fund the development.
2) One game a month if you pay for their online service, and not only is it a NES or SNES game but you don't even get to keep it. Once your month is up regardless if you payed for a years subscription the game leaves your library. You can not be serious, even Sony with it's PS+ service which has been criticized for removing your free games if you quit PS+ allows you to keep them so long as you are a member. On Xbox Live which is the same price as your service you get your free games every month it is yours for life, regardless you stay a Gold member or not, get with the times Nintendo.
3) You need to somehow re-work the pricing on your peripherals, $70USD for the pro controller is insane that is close to $90+ CDN, unacceptable. The Joy-Cons are even worse, you promote it as the couch co-op family gaming system but Joy-cons are $80USD, your out of your mind. You could end up spending $300 for 4 controller for the family, and don't give me you can play with them split. So sane person in their right mind are going to play with a single dinky Joy-Con and enjoy it.
4) Just hold normal events without all the goofy weird awkward moments, and don't tell me that is what fans want as thats bullshit. Yes there are some of course who do love it, they are quite vocal but it does not translate into sales. This mantra you like to spout that people buy Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games is utter rubbish. If this was the case then the Wii U would be a runaway success selling 80 million units + as Nintendo games was all it had for the most part.
5) Improve your relationships with those who create media such as Twitch Streamers and YouTube creators, you know the people trying to help you sell your products. Your draconian enforcement of copyright strikes and claiming all revenue from those creators unless they give you 80% of it is beyond redemption.
Those people have millions of subscribers in a lot of cases like Boogie2988, Angry Joe and others to numerous to mention, YOU NEED TO STOP THIS CRAP. Oh and before anyone says anything, I do not make You Tube videos, nor do I monetize this blog though I have the option, I am grateful if even one person finds my blog and posts entertaining, enlightening or down right amusing.
With that I will end it those are just 5 ideas I have to help Nintendo turn around a lot of the bad press/comments regarding The Switch.
If hope you enjoyed my take and suggestions, by all means you have Ideas what Nintendo can do to turn it around share them in the comments.
Till next time as always play nice with each other.
David
1) The Switch will ship with no Netflix support at launch, are you freaking kidding me, even the Vita and 3DS has a Netflix app. Now this could be a temporary thing, but if you google around Netflix has said they have no plans at present to support it
Come on Nintendo get on it this is 2017, not 1997 get with the times. Regardless what some people de-cry about consoles are for gaming not for media watching, millions do. 85+ million people subscribe to Netflix in more countries then I can remember., your device has no UHD or Blu-Ray drive even and people watch movies, animes and tv on their consoles daily.
Now this is not Nintendo's fault for there being no app, apps you use like Hulu, Youtube, Amazon Video etc are created by the respective companies. That said they are not going to invest the time and money to make those apps if they do not think it will be used due to low sales numbers of a device. Nintendo your a Billion Dollar company open the damn wallet a TINY bit and tell Netflix, Hulu the like we want your apps on our device at launch and we will help fund the development.
2) One game a month if you pay for their online service, and not only is it a NES or SNES game but you don't even get to keep it. Once your month is up regardless if you payed for a years subscription the game leaves your library. You can not be serious, even Sony with it's PS+ service which has been criticized for removing your free games if you quit PS+ allows you to keep them so long as you are a member. On Xbox Live which is the same price as your service you get your free games every month it is yours for life, regardless you stay a Gold member or not, get with the times Nintendo.
3) You need to somehow re-work the pricing on your peripherals, $70USD for the pro controller is insane that is close to $90+ CDN, unacceptable. The Joy-Cons are even worse, you promote it as the couch co-op family gaming system but Joy-cons are $80USD, your out of your mind. You could end up spending $300 for 4 controller for the family, and don't give me you can play with them split. So sane person in their right mind are going to play with a single dinky Joy-Con and enjoy it.
4) Just hold normal events without all the goofy weird awkward moments, and don't tell me that is what fans want as thats bullshit. Yes there are some of course who do love it, they are quite vocal but it does not translate into sales. This mantra you like to spout that people buy Nintendo consoles to play Nintendo games is utter rubbish. If this was the case then the Wii U would be a runaway success selling 80 million units + as Nintendo games was all it had for the most part.
5) Improve your relationships with those who create media such as Twitch Streamers and YouTube creators, you know the people trying to help you sell your products. Your draconian enforcement of copyright strikes and claiming all revenue from those creators unless they give you 80% of it is beyond redemption.
Those people have millions of subscribers in a lot of cases like Boogie2988, Angry Joe and others to numerous to mention, YOU NEED TO STOP THIS CRAP. Oh and before anyone says anything, I do not make You Tube videos, nor do I monetize this blog though I have the option, I am grateful if even one person finds my blog and posts entertaining, enlightening or down right amusing.
With that I will end it those are just 5 ideas I have to help Nintendo turn around a lot of the bad press/comments regarding The Switch.
If hope you enjoyed my take and suggestions, by all means you have Ideas what Nintendo can do to turn it around share them in the comments.
Till next time as always play nice with each other.
David
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