What I Disliked About Nintendo's Digital Event

The purpose of this post isn't to say I hated Nintendo's E3. As a matter of fact, I actually liked what they did as a whole. However, what they did during their Digital Event could have been better. It wasn't blow me away good however it wasn't their worst E3 ever. It was mediocre and safe. A disappointment but not the worst of the show. This post is to talk about the problems with Nintendo's E3 showing. Plain and simple. With that, let's get into it.

Much of what we saw is what we already new was coming. There were games that we already knew were coming that weren't shown either, despite much of what they shown having a 2016 label. There was too much going on for 3DS and not enough going on for Wii U. There was also too much talking when they could have filled that with more trailers. They have big news to talk about such as the new online and rewards platform with DeNA but failed to mention it. They could have used a price drop and a console redesign for Wii U with more storage and a smaller, more energy efficient Gamepad but failed to do so. They SHOULD have announced the smaller NEW 3DS with the face plates for the Americas but didn't. Also their biggest surprises happened before their digital event, not during (Ryu in Smash and Earthbound Begins). Let's talk individual games.

Star Fox Zero

The problem with Star Fox comes from many different angles. While it's very awesome to see the gameplay for this game, the gameplay shown comes at a time where there's many other games in space. Its competition at the show is Star Citizen, Eve Valkyrie, No Man's Sky, and Elite Dangerous but there's also a ton of other competition that wasn't in the show. Heck, even Kid Icarus Uprising is competition.

What they shown for the game however fails to meet those bars set, not just by other games, but their own games.What people were wanting from this game were one of 3 things: an open ended space game set in the Star Fox Universe, a classic Star Fox style game with 4-player local and online coop, or a very large expansion on the Star Fox Assault style with battles playing out similar to Star Wars Battlefront. What they shown is none of those. Instead we get a Star Fox 64 like experience, which isn't bad however it's not evolved enough for modern times. They're not including any form of online multiplayer, despite this universe being perfect for that, yet they're trying to position this game as the game to have. Heck, even Kid Icarus Uprising has online going for it.

Star Fox Zero, visually, isn't the worst looking game, but for a game that isn't open-ended, it's far from ideal, especially on Wii U. Currently on Wii U, we're seeing games like Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fast Racing Neo, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros, etc. that all blow this out of the water visually yet have more going on. Of course, I understand that this game you traverse land quickly but Star Fox Zero isn't a large open game and it isn't multiplayer. This means they're most likely spending too many resources on the Gamepad integration which isn't good for a game like this in the first place. Everything we've heard about how this game plays is that the controls don't feel good and the cockpit view actually detracts from the experience. The reasoning to put this in over coop and better visuals makes no sense.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is the type of game the 3DS doesn't have in its library and actually could use. A cooperative first person shooter. However, it's not the game Nintendo needs. Nintendo needed a Wii U Metroid Prime at this E3 to get people out buying the Wii U and to really showcase what the Wii U Gamepad can do. Instead of using Metroid for showing off the Gamepad, they decided to use Star Fox, which is doing the opposite of helping. It's hurting Star Fox, it's hurting Metroid, it's hurting the Wii U, and it's hurting Nintendo.

To take it a step further, Metroid Prime: Federation Force doesn't play like a Metroid game. It plays much more like a straight up FPS. This is a given considering that its a spinoff and you're not playing as Samus. Considering the state of Nintendo however, the timing for this game is bad. It would be alright if they had the Wii U Metroid Prime there but this is doing more harm to Nintendo then good.

If you're going to come out with Metroid right now, it should either be a legitimate Metroid game or a legitimate Metroid Prime game, not a spinoff. Neither system have seen one and the fact they're putting this out before a real Metroid game has enraged the fanbase. Again, doing a game like this isn't horrible but the timing of this insanely bad. It's like giving somebody a piece of cheap store bought cake while they're watching their grandma die. Nice gesture, wrong timing. People were upset about Metroid Other M..... what makes you think making this would be a good idea AFTER the fallout of Metroid Other M, WHILE THE WII U IS STRUGGLING?!?!?!?

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Again, this is the wrong game, on the wrong system, at the wrong time. It could be an interesting game but right now, Wii U, not 3DS, needs Paper Mario. Yet here we are, 3 years later, no Paper Mario. 3DS however has already received both a Paper Mario Game and a Mario & Luigi game. I understand 3DS needs games too but they're also getting other games already. This game isn't a game 3DS needs, it isn't a game Nintendo needs, and it isn't a game gamers need. Paper Mario Wii U is what's needed.

SMT X Fire Emblem

It doesn't look horrible and it will definitely find its crowd but it's more Persona then either SMT and Fire Emblem. People were expecting something more Fire Emblem related and what we got is something like Metroid Prime: Federation Force. It's only Fire Emblem in name. It's not something that's going to grab much of the Fire Emblem crowd and will only appeal to a very specific group of people.

Again, while the game isn't a bad looking game, it's not what the Wii U needed. Wii U NEEDS Fire Emblem. Whether that's a cross over or an actual game, it needs that Fire Emblem style of gameplay. Again, this is a huge oversight. It's nice to have but not the best timing.

Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival

Again and again and again. I'm sure this game would have found an audience but this IS NOT the game Wii U needs at this time. Why the crap are they putting this out? Wii U needs a REAL Animal Crossing. NOT A PARTY GAME! A game like this is okay to put out after the fact BUT it's not the game to put out RIGHT NOW. This isn't going to get people excited for Wii U, it's just ticking Nintendo fans off and making people uninterested in your platform.

Mario Party literally just came out too. The fact that your using the Amiibos again and doing exactly what you did with Mario Party is just... bad. This was horrible timing.

Other things

Nintendo had other games to talk about and show in the Digital Event but they didn't. Fast Racing Neo WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown. Project Treasure WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown. Devil's Third WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown. Fatal Frame WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown. Pokken Tournament WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown. Legend of Legacy WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown. Bravely Default 2 WOULD have helped the Digital Event but it wasn't shown.

Another major issue is the fact they announced these new changes and said in the direct that they're transitioning but didn't talk about this at all. We need to see these online changes, but they didn't show them to us. This was the time to talk about it. This is when everybody is listening. This is when you can get people outside looking in to get on board with your products. To add to that, the NX is on the way but the system is still at $300. This is the time to do a major price drop.

Also, where was Dragon Quest? I understand that's Square's stuff but Nintendo should make a deal with Square Enix to get it here. Fans want it. It would sell. Unlike the much of the stuff shown in the Digital Event. Also, yes I understand, Nintendo had other events but if they saved Ryu in Smash announcement, Mother 1 announcement, and indie game E3 demos announcement for the Digital Event that would have helped.

I think NOA did what they could with what Nintendo of Japan gave them. But ultimately, they couldn't do much because the hand they were given was bad from the start.

Again, overall, I didn't hate their E3 but it could have been put together better and they could have shown better stuff. They didn't though and they needed to. This is really why so many people are upset. Not because what they shown was horrible. It's because they had expectations that weren't met on many fronts.

My thoughts on the 3 major consoles of generation 8.

I was recently asked by a user on gonintendo my thoughts on the 3 new systems now that they're out.  I gave a pretty detailed response that I felt was blog worthy so here it is.  I should note, this has definitely been edited as I typed up the original response at some crazy hour of the morning.

Honestly? I feel that this generation of gaming is a bit of a let down compared to the previous generation but especially the home consoles. The graphical jump, while noticeable even on the Wii U (with Wii U games made specifically for the system), is not the graphical leap that we saw from PS2 and Xbox to PS3 and 360 and the Wii U Pad is in no way as revolutionary as the Wii remotes were. Many games that you can buy on PS3 and 360, while they do look better on PS4, XB1, and occasionally Wii U, don't look good enough for somebody to say "I gotta get those new systems or I'll be missing out." If anything, it's making people go in hoards to PC gaming for the vastly superior Steam service, user mods, and the highest end of graphical fidelity.

Why ReviewtechUSA abandoned consoles.

Also the whole sharing features of the new systems, some of the main features all 3 companies seem to heralding, are pretty limited over all which I'll get into more of when I talk about the individual systems. The lack of proper backwards compatibility is disgusting, the lack of digital media playback is disgusting, the forced online payments is disgusting, the storage situations are disgusting... it really seems like outside of marginally better graphics and slightly better online, the 3 new consoles are pretty much a disappointment. But talking about the 3 systems individually...


Wii U:


I find the library of games, since launch, to be the most diverse but the hardware is definitely not pushing the same horsepower as the other 2 consoles meaning, getting publisher support will be more challenging, especially without major sales numbers and a large install base. I love the fact that they introduced the Miiverse and gave the community a family friendly yet steam like way to communicate, I love the built in browser (it's quite possibly the best browser on a console yet), I love the fact they don't require payments to play online, I like the fact there's actual backwards compatibility, and the eShop is by far the best over all shopping experience of the 3 new home consoles however the lack of a real comprehensive account system, the lack of cross game chat, the lack of on screen notifications, the lack of game invites and game joining, and the lack of gamecube support is all VERY disappointing.

To add to this, the weird emulated Wii that basically puts a system in a system needs to go. Backwards compatibility needs to be like what the 3DS has where you can see all digital games in the eShop, not in a separate digital store from the previous generation and launch all physical games straight from the main OS, not an emulated one. Also, I'd really like to see better use of the Wii U pad in more first and 3rd party games as imo it's actually a pretty cool controller with all the buttons you need how you need them (minus analog triggers) and they need to get the controller part of it working with Wii games, not just the screen on the pad and the sensor bar on it. Also they need to get the integration of streaming content better implemented into Nintendo TVii so you don't need to launch different services based on what service has what show. They also really need to consider putting more storage into their systems, yes I understand it has external drive support and it uses quick and expensive flash memory however 32 gb is very small and almost nothing. They should consider shipping the system with 128 gb and with the bigger more powerful battery for the Wii U pad.

He can be pretty trolly but he's right, Nintendo needs to get with the times.

On the note of Miiverse and "sharing" on the Wii U, I find that Wii U unintentionally has the most "open" sharing of the 3 systems. You can upload your Wii U screens wherever you want via the amazing browser and you can access your Miiverse posts pretty much anywhere by linking them. That said, video recording is greatly needed and it is a bit disappointing that there isn't any twitch or ustream streaming features, especially for me as I like to stream games myself for the fun of it.

Lastly, I do wanna go ahead and state that I love the fact that the system has so many different kinds of controllers to choose from. I didn't have to go out and get all new controllers right off the bat because my Wii remotes worked. Also, I highly enjoy the Wii U gamepad (despite its limited battery life) and, despite the triggers being digital and it not offering a headset/headphone jack, the Wii U Pro controller is by far my favorite controller of this generation and quite possibly my favorite of all time (though Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and Gamecube are major contenders for that title for me as well).


Playstation 4:


I actually find the library of games at launch and even announced so far to be the least diverse, which I find very disappointing. It feels Sony has completely gotten rid of what got them to where they are now and are trying to appeal to only an audience that wants mature western themed games. I know KH3 and FFXV are on the way but they're multi platform titles that could end out being on Steam. I'd like to see more of the games that made PS1 and PS2 great, make their glorious return, not more games that look like what most 3rd parties are doing and have been doing for a long time. I'd love a new Jet Moto, or a new Jak and Daxter, or a new Wild Arms, or a new Legend of Dragoon, or a new Dark Cloud, or a new Jumping Flash, or a new Lemmings, a new Parappa the Rappa, etc.

As for the system itself, the hardware is the most powerful on paper but after playing around with the 3 systems, its definitely not the graphical difference the internet makes it out to be and it's definitely not as powerful as my PC (and many other people's for that matter). Don't get me wrong, the games look good, but like the Vita vs 3DS or PS3 vs 360, the graphical difference isn't enough to really sway the smart consumer or the core gamers to the system. I like the controller redesign, the triggers are no longer bent the wrong way, the analogs are stiffer and have more tread, the handles are incredibly comfy, and the dpad has a nice roll to it and is no longer squishy. That said, the triggers feel a bit loose and flimsy, the track pad is awkward and unresponsive, start button went MIA and the share button feels like it could have had its functions mapped to the PS button.

I like the look and speed of the interface. It feels like a very good visual evolution from the XMB and it's definitely the fastest over all however I dislike how it takes your most recent application and moves it to the front though and the front wall looks a bit cluttered though. I hate the fact your forced to pay for PS+ in order to play games online. It's in stake contrast to the whole PS3 is free online and 360 you gotta pay claims that people seem to have forgotten over the past 3 years. Also, when you have a free service like Steam available which is infinitely better then anything any of the 3 console companies are doing and have ever thought of, I personally find it hard to justify paying for a SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE service. Also, I hate the lack of backwards compatibility, especially with digital purchases, which could end up screwing me and other consumers over who bought plenty of digital games on the 7th gen consoles.  Sure there is Gaikai aka PS Now but it's a payed service that requires a constant stable connection.  Anybody promoting Gaikai as the end all be all answer to BC but was against the XB1 DRM should re-evaluate their thinking process as there standards couldn't be any more double.

Killzone: Shadow Fall visually looks great but it still doesn't justify buying clunky new systems with no backwards compatibility.

I like the fact you can change out the internal storage, which is a huge thumbs up to Sony for that but I dislike the fact that you have to install every game you purchase (which can go up to 50 gb) and have all this recording functionality yet it only comes with 500 gbs. The storage is a complaint I have for all 3 systems though to be completely honest. Also, I'm very disappointed there isn't more media features with digital music and videos, which is something PS3 had plenty of. I will say though, I'm very glad they decided to say no to the DRM crap and forced Microsoft to change their ways or lose all their customers.  That said I'm still very skeptical because the question of DRM should have never been an issue in the first place.

Last 2 things, the sharing on the system is one of the most hyped up features of this gen but I feel it's incredibly over rated. The share button could have been mapped to the PS button the way it's mapped to the home button on Wii U and it's mapped to the Xbox button on the XB1 and the sharing is bottled into PSN and facebook... which isn't very many options for sharing at all. It's cool to see the streaming options but nothing about this systems "sharing" makes it this major selling feature. Also the price point, while good, I feel is very skewed when people talk about it. When you buy a PS4, you actually get the least right out of the box. Unless you get a special bundle, it doesn't come with games, it doesn't come with the camera, it doesn't come with with a second screen for off tv play, and it doesn't come with TV functionality. I'm not saying the price is bad, because it isn't, but in general, consoles box price points are not the price you'll be paying for the system, especially in the long run and in the case of the PS4, despite having a pretty good entry price, you'll actually be paying more to take full advantage of the system then you would XB1 and especially Wii U.


Xbox One:


This is by far the most under rated system of this new generation with the most under rated launch line up. Don't get me wrong, there are many more things I dislike about the XB1 then I actually like about it and I actually dislike much more about it then I do both Wii U and even PS4 but it's nowhere near as bad as the rep it's got from it's reveal and forward. First and foremost, I'll say this now, if it wasn't for the payment methods of the games in its launch line up, its launch line up would be my favorite of the 3. It recieved the western focused 3rd party titles also got some other titles worth mentioning such as Killer freaking Instinct. Sure, I know, it's not a real Killer Instinct made by Rareware, but I had a whole lot of fun playing it and in the end, that's what matters. Also, though I wished I was using a Wii Remote or DS/3DS/Wii U touch screen and stylus while playing it, I actually highly enjoyed my time with Crimson Dragon. While it's definitely not a real horror game, Dead Rising was a lot of fun. Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is the sequel to one of my favorite games on Wiiware and is awesome.  Even many of the announced games on the way look great, such as Project Spark, Sunset Overdrive, Below, D4, Titanfall, etc.

Unfortunately, outside of the games... things get pretty ugh worthy. The controller fixes a lot of problems that the 360 controller had. The D-pad is WAY better and has a nice roll, the the face buttons aren't as hard and blister inducing, the triggers feel great on the fingers and have the rumble in them which really is nice and the design is the same design that made the 360 controller quite nice. That said, though the analogs have a generous amount of tread, the analogs feel loose and don't have enough force feedback (though they're not as bad as the Vita's) and the lack of a battery in the controller is facepalm worthy.

Pretty much describes what I think of cable companies.

The DVR functionality is interesting but is immediately hurt by the fact that, unlike Nintendo TVii, you need cable in order to use it. Then you also have the added storage problem to go along with it as the system only has 500 gb and, like the PS4, is supposed to be a system with mandatory game installations, have recording and sharing functionality, BUT ALSO is a DVR. Being a DVR alone and only having 500 gb is pushing it but all the other stuff too.... are you kidding me...? Oh and how do you go from a system that had the most awesome detachable and portable storage option to a system that requires you to take apart the entire system and void the warranty just to upgrade the storage?!? REALLY!?!? To add to that, the lack of external storage is insult to injury here.

The interface .... well it's fast.... Outside of that though, it's pretty nasty. I guess I'm biased here because I can't stand Windows 8 but the fact of the matter is, it's Windows 8, not Xbox. It's incredibly convoluted and confusing (I spent a good 10 minutes just to figure out how to suspend and launch software), it screams corporate, it lacks the avatars, and to be honest, it lacks a soul. Sure its fast and you can use Kinect to get around in it, but it's so uninviting and unispired and doesn't feel anything like the Xbox brand.

Yep.

The lack of backwards compatibility, just like the PS4 is really disgusting but the fact they aren't doing anything to compensate for it shows they really don't care too much about the actual gamer. Then again, what would you expect, it's Microsoft. I just feel that the direction they're taking the Xbox brand will kill it off very quickly. Also, while I understand why the price point is as high as it is, I mean it has the Kinect and the DVR functions built in, the price point would be justified if the DVR functions were more open and the Kinect shown serious promise. Granted the Kinect is great for interacting with your system and moving around the interface quickly but I have yet to see anything that actually uses it to really enhance the gameplay that wasn't just voice commands.

Graphically, the system is much better graphically then the internet makes it out to be. Looking at XB1 and PS4 side by side in action at the store and at friends houses, they're near identical. Granted, there is a difference, but it's not this huge gap the way the net makes it out to be. That said, while things didn't look bad here, like the PS4, I wasn't blown away. What I played was not the bleeding edge of graphics and it felt like what I was playing 2 or 3 years ago on PC. They both look good but they're not this major graphical gap over their predecessors.

Lastly, on the note of sharing, while the XB1 isn't as directly open as the Wii U, it's by far the best sharing experience of the 3 systems or rather, it will be.  It has every feature the PS4 has without the overhyped new button and diehard fan hype but it also does much MUCH more.  First and foremost, every achievement allows you to record footage letting people see exactly how you got said achievement which imo is GOLD.  Another thing is you can highly edit your clips to the point where you won't really need to do things later unless you're trying to go for production like quality.  Also, you can upload your clips to your skydrive allowing you to share your stuff basically anywhere you want.  The problem here though is not all of the features are implemented yet.  Sure they just got streaming but you still can't upload everywhere, which both the Wii U and PS4 had all their sharing features up and running day 1.  Hopefully, this will eventually get resolved.


Overall:


Sorry about the ultra pessimistic post but I'm really not digging this generation of consoles. I'm very disappointed about the direction they're going and saddened by the decisions the companies are making and continue to make. Hopefully all three get their crap in gear and turn things around but I just don't see that happening and feel console gaming is increasingly not for me. I currently have no intention of getting a PS4 or XB1 and if Nintendo continues making the decisions that they are, I doubt I'll be getting another Nintendo system again (even handhelds) and go completely PC.

The List of Rare and Hard to Find Video Games!

This is the list of rare and hard to find games that I know about.  Of course I didn't list any PSP or GBA games because I STILL don't own a PSP  (I need to get one though) or keep up with either PSP or GBA really.  I didn't note games that are really far back because most of those games can be found on digital services usually also because that would take too long.  Of course, I'm sure I'll come across some rare, expensive, hard to find game not too long after making this list or remember one I may have missed but as for now, here's the list that I have come up with.


PS1:
Tactics Ogre (PSP version is cheap)
Breath of Fire III
Tales of Destiny
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue
Star Ocean: The Second Story (PSP version is cheap)
Legend Of Legaia
Saga Frontier
Saga Frontier 2
Rival Schools
Ehrgeiz
Strider 2
Einhander
Suikoden II
Brave Fencer Musashi
Mega Man Legends
Mega Man Legends 2
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne




PS2:
Xenosaga
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Xenosaga Episode III
Suikoden 3
Suikoden IV
Suikoden V
Rogue Galaxy
.hack, Part 1: Infection
.hack, Part 2: Mutation
.hack, Part 3: Outbreak
.hack, Part 4: Quarantine
.hack: G.U., Vol. 1: Rebirth
.hack: G.U., Vol. 2 - Reminisce
.hack: G.U., Vol.3: Redemption
Champions Return to Arms
Shining Force Neo
Dark Cloud 2
Legaia 2: Duel Saga
Unlimited Saga
Romancing SaGa
Radiata Stories




PS3:
Tales of Graces f
Trinity Universe
Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2
Arcana Heart 3
Cross Edge




GC:
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Luigi's Mansion
Tales of Symphonia
Sonic Adventure DX Director's Cut
Phantasy Star Online, Episode I & II Plus (original version is cheaper and the xbox version is extremely cheap)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii version is drastically cheaper)
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 (I traded this with Jose T.T)




Wii:
Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen [Japan Import] (aka fatal frame 4)
Metroid Prime Trilogy
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (music CD version and the gold remote cost more)
Xenoblade Chronicles
A Boy and His Blob
Toshinden [Japan Import]
Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen Special [Japan Import]
One Piece: Unlimited Adventure
One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 1 - Nami ni Yureru Hihou [Japan Import]
One Piece Unlimited Cruise: Episode 2 - Mezameru Yuusha [Japan Import]
Bleach: Shattered Blade
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun
Animal Crossing: City Folk
Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Mario Party 8
Mario Sports Mix
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure
PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
Pokemon Battle Revolution
Star Trek: Conquest
Pikmin for Wii with new play control
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Godzilla Unleashed
Dokapon Kingdom
Kororinpa: Marble Mania
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Arc Rise Fantasia
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack




DS:
Disgaea DS
Super Princess Peach
Yoshi's Island DS
Yoshi Touch and Go
Contact
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier
Luminous Arc
Luminous Arc 2
Knights in the Nightmare
Front Mission
Age of Empires: Mythologies
Age of Empires: The Age of Kings
One Piece : Gigant Battle 2 New World (Japan Import)
Infinite Space
Sands of Destruction
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
Pokemon Ranger
Pokemon - Diamond Version
Pokemon SoulSilver Version
Pokemon Pearl Version
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Pokemon HeartGold Version
Pokemon Platinum
Avalon Code
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey




3DS:
BlazBlue Continuum Shift II
Cave Story 3D
One Piece Unlimited Cruise SP [Japan Import]




Xbox:
Shin Megami Tensei Nine [Japan Import]
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Phantom Dust
Otogi: Myth of Demons
JSRF- Jet Set Radio Future
Shenmue 2




360:
Spectral Force 3
Magna Carta 2
The Lord Of The Rings: Conquest (cheaper on PS3 and PC)
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II




DC:
Dead or Alive 2 (PS2 and Xbox versions are cheaper)
Project Justice
Tech Romancer
Cannon Spike
Power Stone (Powerstone Collection on PSP is cheap)
Power Stone 2 (Powerstone Collection on PSP is cheap)
Gundam Side Story 0079: Rise from the Ashes
Plasma Sword: Nightmare Of Bilstein
Grandia II (cheaper on PS2)
Shenmue
Shenmue II [PAL] (cheaper on Xbox)

The State of Gaming

I guess I should start by saying, I love video games, I've been playing them since I was 3 and I grew up with them as the main staple of my entertainment.  I gained my appreciation for music from them, pursued art as a profession because of them, started scripting and learning programing when I was 12 by messing around with them, and ultimately learned to type and structure sentences in a coherent manner because of them.  For me, it's more then just a passed time or hobby, it's my inspiration, it's what taught me, and it's part of my culture.  It's who I am, kind of like the kids who grew up watching movies in the theaters back in the 30's only to move on to become actors, directors, writers, and producers.

With all of that said, many people have the horrible misconception that follows a dumb stereotype from the 90's that gamers are lazy people who's brains are turning to mush and eyes are frying from playing games.  Of course, this is all bollox and couldn't be further from the truth but this blog entry isn't about arguing the merits and legitimacy of such claims, rather I'm going to take such a claim and run with it as I move into the point of this blog.

The thing is, I'm a gamer, I enjoy gaming, but I'm tired... and feel drained.  Gaming in general has become increasingly political to the point where as a gamer, I've spent more time in the past few years involving myself in the politics of gaming then I have been actually playing games.  I'm not talking about this console company vs this console company type of stuff that we've had since there was more then 1 system on the market (Genesis vs Super Nintendo anybody?), heck I'm not even referring to the constant political groups targeting gaming referring to games as the ultimate evil and the reason the (insert evil thing) exists....  No, I'm talking about the constant struggles we have from the game companies themselves, the constant dumb decisions that are made by the companies that are extremely anti consumer and the campaigns the gamers and fans have to do to not get screwed over.

Operation Rainfall anybody?

It seems like every month there's something new.  Like the above video is a reminder of, not too long ago we had the whole Operation Rainfall campaign because Nintendo of America refused to localize major Japanese games that Nintendo of Europe already did the translation and legwork for.  This of course happened during a huge drought of quality games for Wii and DS, a drought of JRPG's in general on all systems, the 3DS stumbling after launch with not everything ready for launch and much of the quality games a ways off, and Nintendo's business in general reporting their first losses in decades.  Of course Nintendo IS NOT the only culprits here and this is only 1 of the major events in recent times.  Earlier that year you had the whole Playstation Network Outage mess that was caused by a downwards spiral of drama from hackers upset by Sony taking away features from the PS3.  In the process of the outage, a "rumor" with an extreme amount of evidence and truth behind it from many sources came out saying Sony's security wasn't up to snuff and that Sony even knew about it.

Of course both of these scenarios were "amended" by the companies giving away free games and getting their business models back on track but in reality, they shouldn't of happened in the first place and as gamers we shouldn't have to constantly tell the companies to get their acts together.  Why is it though, we're still having to face similar problems and stupidity?  The whole No DRM Campaign that was being aimed at both Microsoft and Sony after Sony's rumored bought DRM rights and lack of straight forward confirmation about the subject when pressed saying it will be up to publishers and Microsoft's rumored DRM/always online which was later confirmed in the form of requiring once a day connections and DRM that binds physical games to an account basically cutting out used games.  In my personal and honest opinion as well as in the opinion of many people in the industry, DRM isn't entirely a bad idea, as companies, such as gamestop, have been leeching off of the success of the industry and exploiting loopholes that were there to give convenience to gamers through their used games strategy.  In example, its rare to find used DS games that have cases and booklets even at places other then gamestop because Gamestop gets rid of the cases and booklets for DS games which is evidence to the monopoly they have on used games.  With all of that said, the way the Microsoft and Sony went about this though and the apathetic, nonchalant, and sometimes even cocky attitudes they had on this situation and even the lack of backwards compatibility rubbed me and other like minded gamers the wrong way.  Messaging couldn't be any worse.... the whole issue shouldn't be happening in the first place and shows just how far greed will take companies, even at the risk of destroying their own image, destroying their industry, and alienating consumers in the process.

The gamer point of view about DRM.

Again, these are just a few of the problems and issues.  Currently there's a campaign going on by gamers and Nintendo fans to End Region Locking that not only has been taken up on social networking but also on Nintendo's own social network aka Miiverse.  For reasons shown above, this is also a huge issue because region locking is effectively segregating gamers who are more then willing to buy games if given the chance.  In the case of Operation Rainfall, it made the success of the games it was gunning to get localized go up by knowledge and word of mouth but a huge majority of the people who would of potentially bought the NA versions of the games modded their systems to import the European versions of the games or even worse, were one of the nearly 1 million people to download the game illegally in 2011 alone.

As a gamer all of this frustrates me greatly and at times it feels like only Valve understands how to do proper business with gamers.  Of course this isn't true but it does get old always having to deal with all of these problems.  The lack of backwards compatibility, the region locking problem, localization issues (Monster Hunter Frontier and Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD anybody?), stupid hardware designs (lack of a second slider pad built in on 3DS, proprietary memory memory on Vita, low internal storage on Wii U, 360's crappy d-pad, PS3's wrong turned triggers, Wii plug in attachments on the Wiimotes, crappy battery life on the Wii U pad 3DS AND Vita), faulty hardware problems (PS3 and 360's failure rates were unbelievably high), wondering why publishers won't bring their older games out (lets talk Capcom - Breath of Fire 2 is on the Wii VC and Breath of Fire 4 is on PSN but BoF 1 and BoF 3 are nowhere to be seen, no Rival Schools or RS Project Justice to be seen, still waiting on Powerstone and Onimusha on PSN and XBLA), the segregation of hardware in order to undercut others, lack of care for making new entries in older IP from 3rd party publishers and the spam of dark mature gritty violent games that turn women into objects rather then attempting to create unique experiences at the retail level that stand out as original ideas.

Thing is, I'm getting fed up with all of this and I'm pretty sure other gamers are as well.  This could be one of the major reasons why the Ouya kickstarter was so successful as the Ouya is offering methods that are going against what the industry is trying to do.  The platform is completely open, it allows anybody to make games on it, because it's games are completely digital it won't have to worry about the used game market, it's open ended nature will kill any region locking through user mods, it will offer the same upgrading and user mod experience that you get out of PC gaming and Valve, and because it allows anybody to make games on it, companies can easily support the system with software if they so choose.  While there are some aspects of its open nature I'm not the biggest fan of, such as the emulation, the PC already offers this, anybody who mods a system can already do this, and quite frankly, like Valve said about piracy, the biggest factor and reason for people to get games illegally is because of a lack of availability which again goes back to failures on the 3 major console companies parts.  I don't support emulation or piracy, but I'm definitely ready for change at a console level and hope that the success of the Ouya and other like platforms as well as the entry of Google and Steam in the console race could help move a young and somewhat hurting industry forward.

Either way, I'll still be gaming, hopefully I'll be doing more gaming and less campaigning, and I'll continue to support the developers that make the games that I want.  In the meantime, my Ouya just came in, time to go unpack it.

Nintendo's Major Changes

I'm sure, by now, everybody has heard the many articles about how Nintendo is... or rather was doing.  What many people don't realize and the press rarely talks about is the major changes Nintendo has made in order to turn things around.  As one of the people that wrote into them and has seen the dramatic changes they've made in the past year or so, I'm actually really impressed and would like to write about it.  



The Email



Around the end of June/beginning of July last year, I was one of the many frustrated gamers that emailed Nintendo.  This was before Operation Rainfall officially formed but after news officially broke that Nintendo of Europe had Xenoblade ready to be shown at E3 but Nintendo of America didn't want to show games they had no intention of releasing.  Happening right off the heels of an E3 where the Wii U was being shown as a device that's supposed to be more for the core gamers, this didn't set well with me and many other gaming and RPG enthusiasts.  So I emailed them about the current situation they were in as a whole, not just the RPG's, in pretty specific detail.

My email:


“Wii was not accepted by core gamers because they did not want to abandon their preferred
control approach.”

“Additionally, Wii did not use HD because HD cost performance at the time was low.”

“Wii U makes it easier to use conventional controls. Also, the Wii U controller is not as big or
heavy as it looks.”

My comment in response to the above comments:

Wrong, those people that wouldn’t touch it because of the control or the graphics aren’t
hardcore gamers PERIOD. Those are the mainstream junkies that play maybe 1 or 2 games a
year.

The hardcore gamers complaints were things like FRIENDCODES, low demo count for wiiware
games, no demos for retail and vc games, unstable online, no voice chat – then bad voice chat –
then lack of use for both voice chat devices, lack of real mii integration into the system, not
being able to communicate with random people through the net and make friends, small
storage and lack of integrating the SD card properly for storage, not supporting SD card music
in most games (only one did this), sloppy online shop set up (even the 3DS isn’t exactly
organized), and for the 3DS at least no communication between the people on your friends list.
Lets be serious, 3DS does fix a lot of things that the Wii had problems with, but not being able
to communicate between your friends is a slap back down to ground 0 in bad online set up. If
you want to fix your game sales and get the hardcore back, increase the space, start doing
demos, and fix your online. Making it so online communities can’t form and not letting people
try games before they buy them are your biggest faults, for hardware and features at least. It is
so sad that people can turn on there Wii, DSi, and 3DS and look up porn but can’t chat with
there friends, make new friends, and play game demo’s. At this day and age where the iphone
and ipad are creeping up on the console and handheld markets, you need to have these features
or you will fall behind.

My comments on the games not getting released in the US:

The core gamers are the ones who are campaigning to get games released in their region. If you
really want core gamers you would stop these PR mind games and stop ignoring your fans and
release the games people want. This includes Xenoblade and The Last Story in NTSC, Arc Rise
Fantasia in PAL, and Mother 3, Pandora's Tower, and Earth Seeker globally (as well as many other
games).

Gamers are like hardcore movie goers. It's not about the genre, its about the quality. When we
see a quality product, we get it. There are a lot of people though including core gamers who
aren't convinced just at glancing at a product, reading about it, or seeing it in action and need
to try it before they drop money on it. This is where demo's come in. If you want game sales,
you need to make these games available, push knowledge for the games, and let people try
them out, not just the press. Demo's are essential to game sales, just look at how well stuff
does on Xbox Live. For system sales (at least for the hardcore) you need a strong, well rounded
game line up. This is where Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora's Tower come in as they're
all exclusive to this platform and are high quality experiences that the core gamers want, just
like Mother 3. To add to this, where is Earthbound? Why hasn't it hit the Virtual Console? Do you
not realize the demand for this game and the sales it would make?

What is happening right now is right on par with the PSN Network outages and 360 RROD. This
is a huge problem that needs to be fixed, not ignored and overlooked through a bad PR stunt.
How do you intend to sell the Wii U to the core when you're refusing to localize core games for
your current systems and ignoring the core gamers (and your own fans). I'm no Nintendo
company fan, I'm not a fan of any publication or console company. All the systems have their
strengths and weakness's and ultimately are there just to run the designers work. I however am a fan of Nintendo software, just as I am of Mistwalker software, Monolithsoft software, Blizzard
software, Bioware software, and MANY other great developers software. I want to support the
developers as it is their products that I purchase the sometimes expensive, unsecure,
underpowered, locked down, and/or faulty hardware to play them on. Hardware and publication
companies need to understand this, as most real gamers only real reason to purchase hardware
or support the publisher IS the software.


Their response:


Hello,

Once again, I want to thank you for taking the time to write to us with your feedback regarding the Wii, Wii U, and those games that you'd like to see translated. I can certainly understand your thoughts on this matter and want you to know how much we appreciate you sending them in. I also want to assure you that your comments have been added to our records for these topics and made available for other departments at the company, all they way up to our executives at Nintendo Company, Ltd. in Japan.

I'm afraid I don't have any new information to share, but I do want to say that we're very aware of your last point that it's the games and the gaming experience that sell the systems. As we go further in to the life of the Nintendo 3DS and as we approach the launch of the Wii U, I hope you find that we're providing a gaming experience you find worthwhile.

Sincerely,

Shawn Ford
Nintendo of America, Inc.



The Changes



The response seemed very standardized but shortly after, we seen major changes in just about every area I mentioned in that email.  First was the price drop on the 3DS which was the official moment when people who may of not realized what was really happening with Nintendo took notice.  The price drop came because of many reasons, none that really need to be discussed again but the move was intended to get its price in line for the holidays.  To compensate those who adopted the system early, they announced the Ambassador Program in which they gave away 10 NES games and 10 GBA games away.  To my knowledge, they are the only gaming company that has ever done this after a price drop and is above and beyond the level of compensation that other companies gave for much worse.

Soon after this though, they introduced Nintendo Direct which was basically their mini E3's.  The first one was all in Japanese and shown off a number of really big titles on the way, including 2 new Monster Hunter games for the 3DS.  This of course made a huge splash on holiday sales in Japan but it also had a huge effect on Nintendo globally.  They were shocked by the amount of people that tuned in and were overwhelmed by the amount of people that watched it internationally.  This was their first major step in communicating what they're doing and what's going on behind the scenes better with the fans and the gamers and it payed off very well.  3DS saw major success during the holidays, exceeding all expectations and drastically softening the blow of the predicted money loss.

This didn't just happen because of the price drop, it was also a number of changes and things they did right that made people interested again and got them taking a second look at their products.  Some of those changes were also listed in that email.  For the sake of shortening the article I'll just list what all Nintendo changed and did right:

• Dropped the price of the 3DS to be in the range of what parents would buy for kids
• Started doing Nintendo Directs to communicate with the gamers and fans to show what the future has in store
• Got many of the games out people were wanting on both 3DS and Wii, including Xenblade, The Last Story, Kid Icarus, Resident Evil, Mario Kart, Super Mario 3D Land
• Implemented Swapnote as a messaging system so people can finally communicate
• Started pushing major eShop titles to really make people get connected and check out what all is in the systems online store
• Started doing demos so titles that may not be as big or don't have the major following that the major Nintendo titles have can garner interest and get support
• Tweeked the eShop to be easier to browse and find what you want
• Introduced full downloadable games into Club Nintendo giving people more incentive to buy there games new
•  Started doing summer sales on eShop games
• Bundled different color and style 3DS's with major games to help pick up sales including a completely awesome Legend of Zelda limited edition 3DS bundle

These and many other things came as a complete surprise to me and made me regain a lot of lost faith in them.  Furthermore the changes coming with the Wii U touch just about everything I wrote and go well above and beyond that email.

• Miiverse fully integrates Mii's into the system
• Miiverse allows people to communicate easily and is all about the community
• Wii U will have more then just voice chat, it'll have full on video chat
• We'll have more storage options then ever before
• It'll have a new Pro controller and full Wii Remote support to go along with the Pad controller
• Nintendo TVii
• Lots of praise from indie developers and major developers
• Unity support

The changes that they made have been completely unprecedented by any console company.  Not only have they made a huge turn around, they seem to be making a huge push forward and the support seems to be overwhelmingly positive in both the East and the West.  The launch window titles are pretty impressive even for multi console owners like myself and even the actual list of launch day titles is one of the more impressive lists I've seen (arguably the best since Dreamcast).  Add this to the already plethora of changes they've made across the board and you have a recipe for success.

I don't think in any way that my email alone made them change there stances but I wonder if the feedback given to them from other fans and gamers had anything to do with this.  I do know that they've been listening to the feedback from developers and were getting help from other companies with their online but changes this drastic means they must of really taken the feedback to heart.

Long Overdue Game Update

Once again, here I am, a good 2 months after my last blog entry, needing to write and inform and wondering why I haven't been blogging regularly.  With that said, a lot has happened that I haven't yet talked about, so again, I'm going to write about some of it and try to cover it.  This time, some of the games I've been playing.



Xenoblade Chronicles

This game is absolutely gorgeous

Xenoblade finally came out, after a very, very, VERY long wait  Yes I know, this came out back in April and yes, I've had it since launch.  I've been slacking in talking about it as well as slacking in playing it.  I was actually doing a live stream of it but due to a major SWTOR patch dropping (and my net being really nasty) I haven't gotten back to it.  With that said, this is an incredible experience and I feel I should note that and give this game some praise and notice.

First, let me go ahead and say this.  This game is by far one of the biggest and deepest RPG's I've played ever.  It easily holds its own to any RPG that came out this generation, regardless of region and is easily the biggest most robust single player experience on the Wii.  The amount of depth and thought put into this game is jaw dropping.  The soundtrack is an instant classic, the English voice acting is a lot better then I thought it would be, and if you're an Otaku, you have the option of listening to the whole game with the Japanese voices.  The environments are enormous and show off a scope not seen in any game this generation, EVEN SKYRIM.  The combat system seems simplistic at first but even 15 hours in the game, you're constantly learning new features that the combat system offers.  There's crafting in the game (yes crafting in a single player Japanese RPG) which is mostly for the "gems" but the amount of stats and effects that go into play from gems plus the fact there's several tiers of them leaves a very deep element of the game that you'll actually need a wiki or a quick gamefaqs search in order to know exactly what to do.

Gem Crafting

There's tons of side quests that have you killing tons of named mobs and exploring the world, that can seem overwhelmingly daunting because there's so many (kind of like MMO's and Elder Scrolls games) but ultimately help drastically in the items you obtain, the equipment you find, and levels.  Of course just like the crafting, you'll need to refer to a wiki or gamefaqs more then once in order to find out what you need to do and some named mob fights such as Reckless Godwin you may even need to refer to youtube gameplay vids for help.

Ultimately this game is, so far, one of the best games I've played in the past 10 years, the best JRPG I've played this gen, and easily the most bank for your buck as far as single player games go on Wii.  I can't stress how much fun this game is or how good this game is.  All you need to know is if you want to play a game where Western RPG mechanics meet a Japanese style RPG, you're wanting a very lengthy and deep single player Wii game or if you're looking for an excellent RPG regardless of platform, look no further.  If not, well, you're missing out.  I'm over 50 hours in and far from finished.  I'll be going back to this game very soon.



Kid Icarus: Uprising

Kid Icarus: Uprising box art

When Super Smash Bros Brawl was first revealed, many of us, myself included had the question "Where have I seen this angel character before?"  That's when rekindled interest in the Kid Icarus IP first started.  Fast forward to March 23 of this year, Nintendo released Kid Icarus: Uprising, which is the first new game in a series that has been dormant for over 20 years since the gameboy sequel to the original Kid Icarus.  This was a series that I never played but remember hearing about and seeing many years ago.  Ultimately what pushed this purchase over the edge for me was the inclusion of the 3D remake of the original NES title and the 3DS stand that came with a pre-order of the game.  Boy did I make a good purchase.

This game is one of the most content heavy, fully featured titles on a handheld, ever.  The voice acting is fantastic and reminds me of a Saturday morning cartoons while the music ranges from absolutely gorgeous to cheesy heroic on the fly.  The single player takes you through stages that are broken apart as part rail shooter and part 3rd person action game.  The difficulty scales from drastically easy, ultra casual friendly to insanely intense bullet hell most hardcore of the hardcore.  Along the journey, there's tons of items for collection that range from quick healing and power items to weapons and gear that you can equip to ultimately make you play different and get stronger.  I should also note, throughout the entire stage, all the major characters, whether good or bad, talk with each other constantly leaving plenty of comedy and adds a nice touch of detail to the experience that most other games can't match.

Screens of the game look better on the 3DS and in 3D

Between each level you're brought to a Super Smash Bros Brawl like menu (which is interactive and a game within itself) that lets you use an in game currency for "idol tossing" which gives you a random chance to get different unlocks, which usually have a nice description and story to them.  Also in the menu you can equip new gear, combine gear and make new gear, and you can go to a practice range to test out your equipment.  You can also equip sub items that you can use during your adventure, such as 1 use bombs, healing items and buffing items.

Like other 3DS games such as Dead or Alive Dimensions and Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, the game makes very good use of the 3DS's wireless, featuring local and online multiplayer which is very well polished and addictive.  Furthermore, they implemented street pass and spot pass features that allow you to send and receive gems with people you pass by, which the gems contain the same stuff you get from the idols, which basically is more collectables and codex entrees.  Also you can fuse gems together to make more items.  They also took advantage of the systems AR features allowing you to collect cards with different gems and duke it out in 3D, which I should also note, this game has so far, the best 3D I've seen on the 3DS.  As for the AR feature, after messing with it in this game, if this catches on, I can see Pokemon being bigger then it ever was before.

Over all, this is another fantastic experience that if you can get passed the controls (which work fine to me) and you own a 3DS, I'd highly recommend it!  Very few games have this much content for only $40.



Radiant Historia

You'd be crazy to miss this one

Radiant Historia is one of the many MANY games that got completely overlooked as it's a JRPG, on the Nintendo DS, and doesn't have huge designer, publisher, or series name behind it.  Because of this, Atlus made the decision to initially make this game a limited print when it came out February 22, 2011.  However, it sold out pretty quickly, became an underground hit, and made a cult following.  Kind of like Demon Souls, the demand for the game was completely unprecedented; they never knew that it would become such a hit.  Four months after the release, the game was rare and hard to find, with amazon being the only reliable source for purchase but even there the game was going for well over $100 new and $50 used without booklet or case.  Luckily, me and many other gamers were pleasantly surprised and taken off guard when Atlus made the brave decision this February and announced that in due to high demand, they were going to reprint the game and have it available online on March 19, 2012.  Needless to say, Amazon and other stores started taking pre-orders and of course, this time, I plopped the money down.

I was sitting on this game for a long time without playing it but this August I decided to put in my 3DS and start playing it.  Boy is this game a good experience.  The graphics are reminiscent of Xenogears, the story is reminiscent of Chrono Cross/Trigger, and the battle system has an interesting grid base, not for your allies but rather the enemies.  Nothing is truly "new" about the game but it's a very well polished and extremely enjoyable experience.  One thing though that it does do different then most other games, is it has 2 simultaneous stories going on that stem from 2 separate realities from 2 separate timelines that stem from a decision you make early on in the game.  All throughout the game you can make decisions than go back to them via a time transport, which allows you to accomplish different things and alter history.  It isn't an open ended story like that of an Elder Scrolls or Bioware game but it does offer an interesting method of story telling, especially as you're constantly going back and forth between story lines in order to progress the over all game.

The time chart

The music in the game is enjoyable but far from memorable when set side to side with the 2 previous games I talked about.  It does definitely fit the game and set the mood though.  Also going back to the combat, while it doesn't feel entirely original, it does offer a very strategic and engaging experience from the typical turn based system.  Just doing attacks won't get you very far and you really have to pay attention.  The combat is consistently a lot tougher then most turn based RPG's and even after getting 50 hours in the game, I still struggle with some groups of mobs.  Expect to deplete your mana regularly.  If you're looking for a challenging and very polished RPG that's reminiscent to past PS1 and SNES games, I recommend checking this game out.  Don't wait too long either, as it can disappear again.



Heroes of Ruin

Hit or miss

In a previous blog I noted that there were many games I was anticipating.  One of them, was the overly ambitious isometric dungeon crawler action RPG, Heroes of Ruin which is made by N-Space and published by SquareEnix.  SE in recent years has been publishing more western games, which is good for them as it helps sales, keeps them competing with the giants like EA and Activision, and keeps smaller developers who's publishers may of dropped them still making games.  This game however, unlike many others, really caught my eye because of the strong online features most online RPG's, on not just handhelds but even consoles, lack and the big focus on randomized items and dungeons.

Ultimately, the randomization of the dungeons was hurt drastically by not having respawning bosses and respawning randomized dungeons for each stage.  This and of course the lack of a new game + killed the longevity of the game.  That said, there's a lot of loot with 3 main stats but a lot of sub stats, the talent tree while basic offers a lot more depth then expected, and the actual core gameplay is rock solid.  The online, while hindered by the lack of respawning content, is a lot of fun, offers voice chat, gives perks for playing with friends, tracks your stats on the website, and balances the game out to be a good mix for the levels of the players in the game.

The environments look great but the models need work

The presentation isn't really anything to write home about.  The menu's are bland and basic, the story is told in still images that only really look good in 3D, and the voice acting is nothing to write home about.  With that said, while the voice acting isn't stellar, it's better then expected and the music is pretty stunning.  Furthermore, while the models could be a lot better, the environments are gorgeous.  Over all, the game is a hit or miss.  For me, I enjoy it for what it is but it definitely lacks the polish and budget of games like Torchlight 2 and Diablo 3.



SWTOR patches 1.2 - 1.4 and Server Merges

Darth Malgus and a Jedi Master flash mob cosplay

I've written a lot about Starwars: The Old Republic.  It was easily my most anticipated game in 2011 behind only Xenoblade.  When the game launched, there was a lot of good things about the game that made it a really awesome experience, particularly while questing, however after spending a good amount of time with it, you began to start noticing certain things that really need to be changed, dropped, and added.  I actually stopped playing the game in February due to some of these problems and issues and came back a little after patch 1.2 dropped on April 12th, right during the middle of my Xenoblade playthrough.

This patch fixed 2 major problems with the game.  First and the reason why I stopped playing SWTOR, it fixed codex entrees.  During my time playing SWTOR, I really REALLY got into the story and lore of the game.  I did every quest, I watched every cutscene, and of course, I read every codex entry.  When I got mid way through Belsavis, my codex stopped working after I got a glitched out datacron.  From there my experience started getting really flat and mid way through questing on Voss, I just closed out of my account because the experience became too flat for me.  Luckily, patch 1.2 fixed this problem and rekindled my interest in the game.  The other major problem that this patch fixed was an annoying and rather troublesome problem with crewskills.  While crafting, in order for me to learn higher versions of my crafts, I need to reverse engineer them which turns items I make into materials but also has a chance of letting me learn higher end versions of my the item I'm crafting.  The problem with this was, at the time, it would roll a dice on it and usually, it would try and give you a version of the item you already know, making you have to constantly RE (reverse engineer) and use tons of materials in the process of trying to obtain the higher end recipes.  The fix basically made it so that when you RE and it lands on a version of the item you already know, it goes automatically to the next version so you're not constantly getting the same thing over and over and over.  This was a huge fix for me and when I came back, I finally got the things I've been lusting after.

All of this + broken system = not fun

Patch 1.2 wasn't all good though, as they didn't add in ranked warzones the way they said they would and do to this, many players that were holding out for it, left the game out of frustration because of the lack of it.  Also, while they introduced legacy, many of the things they shown off with legacy didn't make it to this patch (and still aren't in the game) though myself, I haven't kept up with what all that was and in the coming months after 1.2 enjoyed the crap out of 1.2 and legacy.  I should also mention, the addition of UI customization was a very nice addition for me.

Seems small but it helps a lot!

One thing I did notice was after 1.2's event and all the hold outs left, the servers became barren.  PVP queue's took sometimes upwards of 2 hours, getting a group for anything was impossible without friends, and the questing hubs felt very empty.  This spawned the need for server merges and transfers.  Right before 1.3, they started allowing people to transfer their toons from low population servers to a group of about 10 servers for higher amounts in the population.  Soon after this 1.3 dropped, which brought group finder, ranked warzones, character perks for legacy, same faction warzones, and the ability to add augment slots to your gear.  All of these were long overdue features but after the server merges and with a larger concentration of players to do stuff with, they all helped drastically.

This is a pretty accurate representation of how I felt.

Of course, soon after this we learned that the game will be going free to play and a lot of negative news came out that SWTOR is dieing but the fact of the matter is, with the server merges and the switch to the F2P model, it seems like they're making the correct moves needed to save their game.  They did a lot already to fix major problems and added missing features, most of which a good amount of people who bought the game at launch won't know they changed because they stopped playing early on.  Doing this can and most likely will rekindle interest and get people to take a second look at a game that has, since release, gotten a major face lift.

The recent patch 1.4 however, while adding more content, fails to deliver any major face lifts, which is a bit of a disappointment.  It could be because the game will soon shift to free to play and they'll soon be doing a lot of new things or it could be that they feel there isn't anything else that needs to be changed but there is still one glaring issue that I've had a problem with for a very, VERY long time and it's a PVP thing.  There are some stats in PVP that play little next to nothing in the grand scheme of things for PVP, those being accruacy, defense, shield rating, and absorption rating.  This is also do to how the game works, basically having most attacks labeled to being elemental, kinetic, and internal, rather then playing off of weapon damage, which is the only type of damage that any of those stats work with.  This is a problem imo for all aspects of the game, it makes DPS not have to worry about accuracy in PVE and PVP and it makes it so that tanks with tank stats get shredded apart in PVP.  If you're a tank, you should be able to dodge a fist, knife, and kick better then a blaster shot, which is not the case with this system.  Furthermore, an energy shield is not a middle aged big clunky piece of metal.  It should go off any time an outside force gets close, even something as small as a fly.  The fact that all these attacks don't bring up my shield generator's shield not only doesn't make any sense logically, it's also a broken system all around and needs to be fixed.  Hopefully, this will get looked at because currently, it's one of the most frustrating elements in PVP in SWTOR.  Furthermore, hopefully they fix Illum soon.