PixlBit

Athena was the first game on the NES that seemed to be broken right from the start. Never saw a game punish me for using power-ups correctly.

In 1988, Nintendo announced a shortage of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link cartridges and for a long time, the only place where they were abundant was in Canada. People allegedly came here to buy the game instead of waiting.

Last year, Nintendo released an offline version of the Wii that only played Wii games and nothing more (no Gamecube or Wii VC or WW support) for $99 and once again only released in Canada. They actually sold good numbers though you can still find them in stores.

They do this stuff on occasion today like they did in the past. It's very strange.

The Wii shortage was way too much, though. I wanted one for Paper Mario and was forced to pay up the nose for one simply because I had to play the game. Imagine if Nintendo had a killer app I cared for with the U.

Microsoft needs to deliver something that would get me to buy the console. The same stuff they have been offering won't cut it. They need a The Last Of Us, a Journey, a Beyond: Two Souls, a game that is more than a shooter or driving game. I don't play online shooters. Getting exclusive rights to, say, Tomb Raider sequels or Grand Theft Auto VI isn't going to cut it. They need to give me something I've never seen before that doesn't require Kinect 2.0. Sony already has new franchises lined up, Microsoft has to do the same. There are rumors they have exclusives lined up with EA and Spawn Entertainment but you know they're going to be shooters.

A lot of people are excited for this Dragon's Crown game. I've seen very little footage but everyone is calling this a GOTY contender. Both games you mentioned will be coming out on the same day. I'll certainly buy Xillia but I'll need to find the time to look at Dragon's Crown footage.

That and the middling quality of their games and the Always-Online fiasco of Sim City. They shove endless Maddens, FIFAs and NHLs without making any huge changes and I also wonder if they will try another Always-Online game in the future. The only good thing is that they are under new management so maybe they will change my mind. Right now, nothing they have interests me on the console or the PC. 

Saints Row The Third is a good game but it runs terribly on my computer. It said it should easily run the game on high on default settings but all I get is a slide-show. It's too bad as I like the no-holds-barred gameplay. They never fixed the issue and with TH*Q gone, I'll probably have to wait for an upgrade. I doubt I'll buy the PS3 version of SR3 or 4. I'd rather wait for GTAV.

Maybe next generation?

EA still has a long way to go to get me to buy any of their software. I rarely play online so dumping online passes doesn't affect me.

I don't know why backlogs are a big deal. I have a massive backlog of 150 or so PC games, another 30-40 on PS3 and 70 more on older machines but it's not something to brag about. Only 6 games on the PC and PS3 aren't digital so I'll have the rest of my life to finish these game unless I do something dumb that gets my Steam account perma-banned. Better things to do in the summer than play video games. Only reason I buy so many games are:

1. They are ridiculously cheap on the PC if you wait.

2. They belong to me for life.

3. Rental outlets are dead and buried in Canada.

Better to spend $10 on a game you can play for years than a hamburger that will go down my gullet in 2 hours. Nothing against them, mind you.

I'll be watching the press conference but Microsoft will need to do a lot of convincing for me to pay nearly double for a console with barely anything exclusive I'd want. My feeling is that they aren't changing anything. That's how they roll. 

They try that condescending attitude on me and I'll shut the browser off.

Have they ever thought of making a Dr. Who video game? A series that has been around for decades must have some titles released in the U.K. at least.

I watched the show in the 70's and the early 80's but didn't really understand what was going on. It did have that cool intro, though. The KLF were big fans of the show, as well.

Some people believe Mr. Orth wasn't fired, just relocated elsewhere. Still, Orth knows some people will worship Microsoft and its policies simply out of peer pressure.