PixlBit

DKCR isn't extremely easy just going for completion! Bad call! And NSMBWii can be quite a feat to complete multiplayer. Especially with Chris.

I'm currently out of town, so I couldn't visit a physical GameStop to verify this story, myself. Instead, I asked Chris nicely to put in an order for me, and he's informed me that I now have the first 3DS preorder of this particular GameStop. Credit goes to GameFAQs' 3DS board for the tip about the preorders.

Assumptions are the villain. Right?

I still expect to see a retail release. Once Team Meat completely disconfirms Wii potential, though, I'll be buying the PC version.

My original intent was to recommend specific games, but due to the differences between platforms, I decided to go game-neutral on this little article. I'll recommend a few choices of my own right here in the comments, instead.

On WiiWare, we have "Max and the Magic Marker." This game came out around March or April this year, and while it's not the greatest game, the game is a bit cute and can be a bit of fun, especially when trying to rush through a stage as quickly as possible.

On the Virtual Console, I can't recommend the NES title "The Adventures of Lolo" enough. It's a block-puzzle style game, similar in vein to the dungeons of the 2D Zelda games, minus the combat. While early stages are a bit easy, later ones are so tough families could probably have a lot of fun trying to solve them together. It's hard not to recommend it for only $5.

On PSN and XBLA, I must say I've enjoyed Space Invaders Infinity Gene quite a bit. It's a great vertical shoot-em-up. It's pretty lengthy, there's several ship types, and a lot of bonus modes. Fans of the genre would definitely enjoy it.

A more classic arcade game I just played, but haven't yet found the time to review? Crazy Taxi. It's not the best buy if the recipient has an older, workable version of the game, like the DreamCast, GC, PS2, or Xbox port, since the downloadable version is missing a teeny bit of the kick, but for wacky, arcade-style driving fun and five or ten minute thrills here and there, the game fits the bill pretty well.

Other than that, I'd say that the various types of points and monies used as online currency work great to expand a Rock Band or Guitar Hero library. Consider that type of option, too.

Merry Christmas everyone!

We'll likely be doing it again next year. We wound up being so far behind with the Holiday Gift Guide that we didn't have time to organize this list, as well. I'm glad to hear you like the concept. Thanks!

Excuse the double post.

It just occurred to me we left out Kirby's Epic Yarn. That's right. We left out what might be one of the most friendly games out there. A game that can be picked up and played just to play. Kirby's Epic Yarn is an especially great title for folks new to gaming. It's impossible to die, it has a cute storyline, similar to a children's book, too. The game has merit on anyone's shelves, but it would make an especially great gift to people with a Wii who are just looking for light-hearted fun.

This was a borderline 3-star title for me, but I have to say, after giving it heavy consideration, it fits somewhere along the line of the quality of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, another DS action title I had some fun with, as well.

I was writing up a response to post, but Nick beat me to it. I figured I'd post anyway, just because:

First, I should say this: It's great you don't agree with my reviews. I welcome constructive criticism and dissenting opinions. I would love it if you spent the time commenting on the reviews with a thorough disagreement, representing a different perspective. So far, any time anyone has disagreed, it's because they read one or two lines out of context or hadn't even played the game I reviewed yet. So, by all means, disagree!

As far as Nick goes, I've met the man in person. The guy is passionate about video games. Before he even joined NWR, he had a collection of over 1000 games, none of which were review copies. He started PixlBit because he didn't want to stick to covering Nintendo games. He's spent months worth of time programming PixlBit, by himself. Not just spare time. At the going rate for website construction, I'd suppose he's done at least thousands of dollars worth of work that could've been put to elsewhere. It's not an attempt to score review copies, not by any means.

As for PixlBit itself? Is there anything that makes PixlBit stand out? Not especially. Sometimes we get pieces of news up first, before most other sites. We've been in existence for less than a year and a half, and already, there's over 250 reviews. There's been over 270 features. Our podcasts aren't consistently recorded, but between PixlTalk and PB&Jason, there's over 40, with one or two more coming from me before the year ends. By sheer numbers, we do beat out many small game websites. More than that, though, our reviews and editorial opinions (though you disagree with mine) aren't filtered. Just the other day, I gave an Atlus game, one of our top publishers who support our site with early review copies and press acceess, 1 out of 5 stars. That's low. It was a bad game. Nick supported the decision for the low score all the way, since the content of my review matched the score assigned. So why Pixlbit? Because Nick, Chessa, and everyone else here wants to be honest with you, and our readers. Because we've been there, time and time again, having played a terrible, but over-hyped game. Because we want to share what games we've had great experiences with, but even more, in applicable cases, we want to help you find ways to improve your gaming experiences, like with Donkey Kong Country Returns. We want to give you real opinion in our reviews, rather than just describe them.

We don't always live up to that, I know. Still, we try. The point is, PixlBit is something special because it's genuine, "home-grown," and imbued with passion whenever we can show it. It's clear that isn't for you. That's unfortunate. I don't discourage criticism of the site, but I do ask that you keep it from being personal. If you make personal attacks, I honestly don't know how your comments will be treated, nor do I know how Nick will respond. That's not my role to know. Regardless, I wanted to give you a full and fair response, both to represent PixlBit and challenge many of the ideas you suggest about Nick, which are cheap shots, especially when I know he's too busy celebrating the holidays to give a full response for a few days, though he definitely will be keeping an eye at things, in the event comments get a bit out of hand.

Actually, that's for the 360 version. We should side-by-side stating that the PS3 version is supposed to allow six-player action on one console. I was shocked when I saw that in the press release when I posted about it.

From Konami's press release:

"Up to six players are supported locally on the PlayStation Network version and up to four on Xbox LIVE Arcade, while online drop-in multiplayer allows anyone to join the battle with a total of as many as six players on either system at any time."