(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on April 7, 2011)

Nintendogs + Cats is a tough game to review, because there’s not much “game” here at all: there’re no goals, you can’t win (or lose), and there’s not much challenge to be found. However, as a piece of software designed solely to entertain, Nintendogs + Cats succeeds.

Nintendogs was one of the original Nintendo DS’s biggest sellers despite being released very early on in the system’s life cycle, so revisiting it to launch the DS’s successor was a no-brainer. Little has changed since then: you still take care of your virtual dog by feeding him, grooming him, taking him on walks and taking part in various competitions.

(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on March 10, 2011.)

If you read my article about being a Pokémon Master, you know that I am well-versed in the field of Pocket Monsters. I’ve poured hundreds of hours into each game, catching over 493 monsters, beating thirty-four Gym Leaders, and becoming the Champion of four different regions. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to Pokémon. Therefore, you can take it on good authority when I say that Black and White are by far the best entries in the Pokémon series.

Anyone who immediately brushes these games off as more of the same is sorely mistaken and will be missing out on the biggest leap forward the franchise has taken since it first prompted us to catch ‘em all over fifteen years ago.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Wii U since it was revealed last week, and while I’m interested to see what Nintendo can do with a console with HD graphics and online capabilities that WORK, I still can’t make myself get genuinely EXCITED, despite the fact that I love Nintendo so much I’ve probably given them over seven million dollars through my life.

I know the tablet controller is an awesome concept. I know it’s going to offer a lot of new ways to play games. Is that enough for me now, though?
Nintendo wants to entice third parties back to their camp. Some third parties are going to do amazing things with that tablet controller. A lot of them, though, are going to tack on some functionality and just port over games they’re releasing for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Realistically, if there’s three HD systems, why should they bother focusing on one new console when the other two will have astronomically higher install bases?

I was planning on writing about Nintendo’s E3 conference yesterday, but it’s taken me until this evening to really figure out what I think.

Plus I’m sick. Again.

Anyway, you have all seen the Wii U by now and read all the information that’s been slowly trickling out since yesterday afternoon. It’s weird for me… I know I should be more excited than I am, but it’s not 100% clicking with me.

I’m very excited by the potential of the new controller. I like freeing up HUD space so your games are more immersive and you won’t need to scroll through menus as often. I LOVED how the Chase Mii demo looked (reminded me of the super-excellent Pac-Man Vs. for GameCube). In my house, with two gamers and one TV, being able to take your game off the TV and moving it to your tablet so the other can watch TV is an amazing feature.

The other day Christina and I were at Target, since we’re adults and sometimes have to go buy things like household cleaners and storage bins and other things that aren’t really all that fun. Still, though, we have a routine each time we go in: we get what we need, stop by the action figures, swing by the video games and DVDs, and then before we hit the registers to check out, look at the trading cards. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a pack of WoW cards to try for a loot card, or we’ll each get a pack of the new Pokémon cards, or Christina finds an interesting new unknown thing to buy.

This time, though, we found something WAY more awesome: a pack of the Animal Crossing e-Reader cards. For the GameCube game. From 2002.

Pilotwings is a series that Nintendo fans have been clamoring for ever since the last title in the series, Pilotwings 64, launched alongside the Nintendo 64 in 1996. The original Pilotwings came out near the release of the Super NES, with the series typically used to show off what Nintendo’s newest hardware is capable of. Therefore, it’s only fitting that the series makes its long-awaited return as Pilotwings Resort as a display of the graphical prowess of the Nintendo 3DS.

The game features a mission mode, where you strap in to either a plane, a rocket belt (similar to a jetpack) or a hang glider and complete a series of tasks such as flying through rings or shooting targets for points. Each apparatus provides a unique flight experience and feels completely different from the others, requiring you to become a master in each in order to advance though the increasingly difficult missions.

In typical Nintendo fashion, Pilotwings Resort starts off easily enough, but the missions get harder and harder very quickly. Something as slight as not hitting a target DIRECTLY in the center costs you valuable points, requiring multiple runs of each mission in order to perfect your techniques and earn the stars required to advance.

All I really need to say about Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is that it manages to cram all of the features of its console big brother into a smaller cartridge. This isn’t just a portable version of SSF4, this is SSF4.

Granted, there were a few things that needed to be scaled down in the transition to a handheld: backgrounds that were full of life and animation are now static, and character model elements that were fluid before, like Ryu and Sakura’s headbands, are now stiff and immobile.

Honestly, though, those omissions aren’t even that big a deal: the game still looks great. The character models retain their personality from the HD versions of the game (and judging by screenshots I’ve seen, they look even better than the iPhone version). The 3D, which you wouldn’t think would add much to a 2D fighter, really adds a lot of depth to the game, with the backgrounds becoming layered and the fighters really popping in the foreground. The fact that Capcom is one of the few developers that still likes to use color in their games really shines here, and the game is a great way to see what your new handheld is capable of.

The long wait is over and the 3DS has finally arrived at the PK Bloggin’! tower (and by that, I mean Christina and I went and bought them yesterday). We got some brief hands-on time with the handheld a few weeks ago at PAX East, but now we’ve been able to put it through its paces and really see what it can do.

This will be a review of the machine itself as it is right out of the box; game reviews will follow later (and we picked up five of the 18 launch games).

One of the things I was most looking forward to at PAX East was getting a chance to try out the 3DS a little early. As you probably know, I’ve been DYING to get my hands on Nintendo’s latest miracle device since it was unveiled last E3. I’ve hungrily gobbled up all the information available until now, but I really wanted to give it a try myself.

Christina and I both got to play a few of the games and we were both really, REALLY impressed (and honestly, playing it early just made the wait that much harder!). The system itself is really well designed, though we didn’t really get a good impression since it was attached to a clamp of some kind. The first time I looked at the 3D screen, I couldn’t believe it. It really works. True 3D without glasses. The screen is sharp, crisp and the 3D gives it an unbelievable amount of depth. The image doesn’t “pop out” as much as you’d think, but instead the top screen becomes a sort of “window” into the game world, where objects in the background really feel like they’re far away.

So for a long time now I’ve been wanting to get a group of people together to play Pokémon. I’ve missed having a group of people to swap strategies with, discuss different movesets and lineups, and battle with. An informal Facebook and Twitter poll later, and I introduce to you, the PK-Mon League.

(C’mon. You know that title is awesome.)

Taking place on the forums, it’s going to be a way for Pokémon fans to enjoy the finer points of the game with other people who are just as into it. With Black and White a little over a week from release, now is as good a time as any to jump back in!