We got a Wii U! I was sort of not super excited about it at first, but Brandon just could not wait to get one. It really is neat, but we don't have any real games for it yet. We got Nintendo Land which came free with the Wii U we bought. I don't think it comes with the smaller white model. The reason I don't count this as a real game, is because it feels a lot like Wii Sports did for the original Wii... just a tech demo to show off what the Wii U can do. That said, it is pretty fun. I imagine it would be more fun with a large group of people. It's a series of arcade-style mini games that have Nintendo franchise-based themes, such as Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Animal Crossing, etc. The themes are cute, but at the same time, it sort of feels like a rip-off of the original franchise, because the actual characters are never there. It's either your Mii dressed as the character (such as Mario or Link) or there's a strange toy-like version of the character (like Yoshi or the baddies from Zelda). But even without the Nintendo nostalgia, these games would be fun. I want to try it in a group of 4 or more, so everybody bring over your Wii-motes and let's have a party!!!
It is taking major self-control not to replace every "ee" sound with "ii." I love puns. Anyway, the only complaint I have for the system as a whole, is the menu loading times. They seem ridiculous in comparison with other consoles and the original Wii. Brandon tells me they're coming out with an update to fix that, but I don't know his source. Other than that, the Miiverse is really neat. Here's the demo from E3. Brandon and I had a lot of fun creating Mii's as well. There's a feature on the Wii-U where you can create a Mii using a picture that the game pad takes of you (or whatever else you can find). It got kind of silly after awhile...
Hopefully, we'll get the games for it soon! In the meantime, I've been playing Far Cry 3!!!!! It's sooooooo neat. I've heard it aptly described as Skyrim with guns. I think the major differences are the setting, and that's what accounts for the guns. It's a modern setting on a beautiful tropical island. I love the beach, so I love the setting. It one of the more pretty games I've ever played. I think Skyrim is also pretty, but in a more majestic type of way. I'd rather vacation on Rook Island (once the terrorists are taken care of) than Skyrim. You play as a dude, who was taken hostage by terrorists while on a vacation and escaped and is now trying to free his friends. The story is very engaging. It's a little disturbing to me because it's so feasible. This could happen in real life. And the part where you narrowly escape death and you get tattoos that give you super powers to save your friends, probably couldn't happen... so yeah... disturbing.
Even though I am invested in the story, the protagonist and the "good guys" are a different story. They're pretty one-dimensional and remind me of people from an MTV reality show. The opening sequence does nothing to make me care about these people, in fact, I actively dislike them. They just seem like a bunch of rich white kids who are trespassing and got caught. On a number of occasions the protagonist slips into drug-induced hallucinations and sees some flashbacks, which I think are intended to make you want to save these people, but really, I just don't give a shit. What I do give a shit about is every time you come in contact with the main antagonist. He is fucking crazy and terrifying! I found myself thinking, while watching his cut scenes, that he was a really good actor, but then reminding myself that this is all CG. He's the best bad guy I've seen in a long time. On one hand, I can't wait to come in contact with him, just so I can see what he'll do but then on the other hand, I am terrified of seeing him again because of the fucked up stuff he does. So great.
So this is my current obsession since Brandon and I are on opposite schedules and haven't been able to play Borderlands together lately. That will change soon hopefully, because I really want to finish that game too.
Next week will be our live hangout for the Ermahgerd! Berk Clerb! So tune in for that. Only 6 days left to finish The Hobbit! Woooooooooooooooooooo! See you soon.
