New 2DS XL reveal!

Image from Kotaku.com

WHAT? The odd year of 2017 :3DS confirmed? In all seriousness, this is a thing I didn't even envision in my wildest dreams. HANDHELDS STILL LIVE! OK, yeah...this is super weird. I was hoping the 3DS would live into 2018, but a new model? Now? I am shocked. Let me breakdown what this means.

Hardware: The New 2DS is a 2DS(essentially a budget-oriented 3DS without the 3D screens), but with the better New 3DS hardware, and large 2D screens. The name is pretty self-explanatory. The design it self is quite a bit different, with it being much more rounded than other models. It kinda looks like an oval sandwich a bit.

What it means: This relieves some thoughts in my mind over limited hardware. The New 3ds (non-XL) and then original 2DS have pretty well disappeared from store shelves. What I thought this meant was Nintendo was moving away from the 3DS. Nope, they just wanted to make a new model which is cheaper to produce. What this means for the existing New 3DS models in unclear, though this makes me believe that the smaller New 3DS units are pretty well gone. Those units would simply cause internal competition. At the price of 149$, The New 2DS is easily cemented as Nintendo's "Budget Switch".  And yeah, those Switch obsessed people out there are pretty disappointed that developments by Nintendo will be split between two platforms,at least for right now. But me, an unwilling (I prefer both the original DS and the Vita to the 3DS in a lot of ways, but the first is dead and the second... well, maybe I'll write a future article on that) 3DS diehard, is quite happy at this turn of events. What this ensures, t my mind, is an increased chance of localized games from japan. New Monster Hunter and Yokai Watch games probably seem a whole lot more viable now.

In conclusion,this is a pretty short article, the thing was JUST announced, after all. I certainly am not looking forward to being tempted to buy ANOTHER system, but I'm glad the 3DS has some life left in it, as it seems increasingly likely the era of dedicated games consoles that can fit in your pocket is going to end.

Wonderswan Color Retrospective

Now this is the real main event. The Wonderswan Color is the system the people who actually know of it will think when you say "Wonderswan".

The Wonderswan Color color came out in December 9, 2000, more than two years after the Game Boy Color game out in Japan and more than a year after the release of the Neo Geo Pocket Color in Japan and the US. It gained some success, for about two reasons. One: It was cheap, a mere 70$ for a superior specced machine than the Game Boy Color or the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Two: It had Final Fantasy. Square, the makers of Final Fantasy, had a no-Nintendo ban going at the time so they decided to release remakes of Final Fantasy 1, 2, and 4 on the system. These remakes were a hit, and really gave the Wonderswan Color a boost in sales and fame. In fact, the first Final Fantasy was a launch game for the Wonderswan Color, which was a pretty much brilliant move for Bandai. Then Square decided to merge with Enix, who didn't hate Nintendo,and they ended up putting remakes for 1, 2 and 4 on the Game Boy Advance. That was pretty well the final nail in the coffin for the Wonderswan Color. However, the main sign of doom was Nintendo's Game Boy Advance,which made the Wonderswan Color look dated about four months after it came out. Now, lets move into the mixed bag hardware.

Wonderswan Retrospective

The tale of how the wonderswan came about is widely known, so read other's articles about that. This will start at the release of the original Wonderswan.

I think every model of Wonderswan came out in some sort of blue color. I can't blame them, it looks nice.

The Bandai Wonderswan was released in march 4 1999, after the release of the Game Boy Color and also even after the release of SNK's Neo Geo Pocket. The NGP was an immense failure almost instantly and was soon replaced with a color model, so it didn't really impact the Wonderswan's launch. The real competition was from the Game Boy Color, obviously having the color feature whilst the wonderswan was monochrome. There was a reason for this seemingly backwards design, and that was price. The Wonderswan costed 4,900 yen or about 50 dollars in the 1999 valuation. The Game boy Color retailed for 70 dollars. So, for 20 dollars less you technically got the more powerful system, as the wonderswan had a 16 bit CPU but the GBC had a 8 bit CPU. The wonderswan had decent support from developers, quickly accruing over 50 titles. However, the market had spoken: color was important.

Pokemon Moon Review

This review is more of a what I think they did right or wrong with the game rather than a comprehensive overview.
The Pros:
The Region: Make no mistake, Alola,the region Pokemon Moon takes place in, is based on Hawaii. Your main character is from the Johto region, which is based on Japan. This sets up some of the game's constant explanation of how things work in Alola, as the character is from a different place, and Alola is quite different from any other region. Alola is split into four islands, with each island having a Kahuna which acts as the boss of the island. Within each island is at least one trial as well, a sort of gauntlet which pits you against various wild Pokemon, culminating in a final battle with Totem Pokemon. These Pokemon all fight in a new battle style called SOS battles which I will get into later. The Region as a whole is vibrant and a the change away from the grid based system of past helps too, giving the game natural looking flowing paths.
The Roster: The new Pokemon introduced in Moon are generally pretty great, at least as far as designs go. Pokemon with multiple forms like Lycanroc and interesting conditions to catch like Mareanie help these pokemon seem unique in an increasingly huge pool of pokemon.

Inner Monologue Of a Cardboard Box

I’ve been sitting here, on this beige basket, for the past year and a half. My body’s so full of dust, it would be hard to breath, if I breathed. I got Garbage, debris that floated into my cesspit. Forgotten items much like myself that no living being wishes any action upon. I’d stand up and yell, if I could.

“Hey! I’m right here!” I’d yell.

“So what?” The person across the carpet would say.

“Ain't you ever gonna do something with me?”

“No. I don’t want to bother.”

“But i’ve been here for over a year!”

“And you’ll be here for another. Not like you’re about to move.”

“I’ll rot, you know!”

“Look, it’s not that i dislike you, it’s just that you hold absolutely no importance in my life.”