Six months or more ago, I kicked up a bit of a fuss about the fact that I couldn’t change the region of my Xbox Live account despite the fact that I now legitimately lived in another country. This disadvantaged me in a number of ways, such as locking me out of content that wasn’t available in New Zealand while simultaneously locking me into the frankly exorbitant pricing structure of that region.

To Microsoft’s credit, a representative responded to an email I sent him and admitted that the company had to find a solution to this problem, and then it delivered. My profile is now set to the US region, and I enjoy all of the benefits that come with that: Great on-demand video services like Netflix and Comcast Xfinity, a considerably wider selection of content in general, and comparatively much more reasonable prices.

But I have a similar problem with my Nintendo 3DS that gets more frustrating as time goes on. You see, I have a launch-model 3DS from New Zealand, which is a PAL territory. This means that my 3DS handheld can only run software and content from that region.

Initially, it wasn’t a big deal at all. It simply meant that I had to import software from overseas rather than simply picking it up from a local store. My first experience with this procedure was rather painless: I ordered Heroes of Ruin from UK online retailer Zavvi, and because it was a rare, once-in-a-blue-moon instance of a game for a Nintendo console releasing in PAL territories before it released in America, I got to play it around a week or so before it even released here.

Heroes of Ruin: Not quite the dungeon crawler I had hoped for...

Unfortunately, Heroes of Ruin was extremely disappointing, but that’s another topic altogether…

Where this region-locking business becomes frustrating is with a more recent example. Fire Emblem: Awakening released in America on February 4 to much critical acclaim. Not only that, everyone on my Twitter feed just would not shut up about it But Awakening didn’t release in PAL territories until April 19 – close to three months after it released here. Seriously, copies of this much-discussed, highly acclaimed game (that I could not play) taunted me from GameStop stores for almost three months before my copy would even ship to me. Unfortunately, cases like Fire Emblem are far more common than that of Heroes of Ruin. My copy finally turned up on Monday, and while I’m enjoying it immensely, I feel like most of the rest of the world has moved on and that I’m super late to the party.

Secondly, Nintendo has since released a revised version of the 3DS: the 3DS XL. It’s a bigger unit (which is a good thing) with superior displays that are 90% larger than its predecessor, AND it has an improved battery life (also a very good thing). Simply put, it’s a vastly superior version of the 3DS in virtually every respect. It also enables owners of the original 3DS to transfer their data to the new console with a simple SD-card transfer.

Initially, I thought this was the answer to my region-locked woes, but I subsequently learned that the data transfer is simply not possible between 3DS units from different regions. If I wish to upgrade to a 3DS XL, well, I have to kiss all of the digital content associated with my launch 3DS goodbye. And there’s a lot, including 20 Ambassador Program games and then a whole bunch of Virtual Console games and others that I’ve purchased outright.

Well, that’s only if I buy one conveniently from the US. Technically, I could import a PAL 3DS XL, which is a reasonable solution, but it doesn’t solve the most frustrating aspect of this region-locking problem…

The original 3DS (left) compared to the 3DS XL

I’ve become something of a digital-content evangelist since I moved to America. After ridding myself of almost an entire physical-game collection before the move, I’ve really come to appreciate the ability to comfortably take a game collection with me in a digital format, not to mention the ease of access it provides. Seriously, this sounds super lazy, but the ability to boot up a game directly from the unit is a huge draw for me (as opposed to, in the case of the 3DS, powering down the unit and then swapping cartridges – or even hauling around a collection of cartridges, for that matter!).

For those reasons, I tend to buy game content digitally now wherever and whenever possible. But the problem with my PAL 3DS? I’m once again tied to the New Zealand eShop, its unreliably staggered release dates and its highly inflated prices. For instance, not only was Fire Emblem: Awakening also available digitally on the US eShop on the same day the physical version released in stores nationwide (February 4), it was available for $US39.99. On the New Zealand eShop? It released on April 19 for NZ$89.95, which converts to US$77! That is very nearly double what my US friends who choose to buy digitally pay for that luxury. So I opted to import a physical copy from Zavvi once again for a cost (including shipping) of around US$60. It’s really not ideal for a variety of reasons, but it was the best option available to me.

Fire Emblem: Awakening on a 3DS XL, digitally, three months ago and at a decent price - but a dream for those in my situation

When I lived in New Zealand, a small nation isolated in a far-flung corner of the world, I simply accepted that these inflated prices kinda came with the territory. But now that I live in a country where such things shouldn’t hamper me any longer, I’m frustrated. I understand why a company like Nintendo might implement such region-locking features, but it needs to provide adequate solutions for those individuals who move to a new country. The fact that we’re talking about a portable console that is designed for travel renders this as particularly unacceptable, if you ask me. I mean, my 3DS was the only one of my consoles that I could feasibly take with me when I moved, and I imagine that I’m far from alone there.

I’m not particularly fussed about my inability to upgrade to a 3DS XL (although friends who recently visited with their XLs in tow made me extremely jealous!). I’m still very happy and enamored with my original model. But Nintendo’s region policies – particularly its incessant desire to lock content to a console, not a profile – need to go. As with my suggested fix for my Xbox problem, I’m even prepared to pay a one-off fee to facilitate the region switch. Simply put, I understand why Nintendo may want to make it difficult to change regions, as some individuals are likely to exploit it – just don’t make impossible, because legitimate customers are being shortchanged.

May 1st marked one year since Jen and I touched down in Seattle with only three suitcases each and uncertain futures. It doesn’t feel like we’ve been here a year already – experienced a whole year living in Seattle – and yet it feels like far more than a year since we left New Zealand. Our going-away party feels like an eternity ago, which means it feels like an eternity since we’ve seen most of our New Zealand friends.

Moving to Seattle – and indeed America in general – was a huge gamble for both of us. As I hinted earlier, neither Jen nor I had jobs lined up once we got here: we really threw ourselves into the deep end, sink-or-swim style, with a fairly modest amount of savings to tide us over until we found our feet.

It got fairly down to the wire, if I’m honest. Jen landed some part-time work shortly after we got here through a friend’s referral. I had my first experience with something I imagine almost any immigrant goes through when they move to a new country: the feeling that your experience and qualifications matter very little in a new environment and culture. It took me a month to get a single response to a job application. Thankfully, that response is for the job that I hold today at The Pacific Institute.

It’s not exactly the kind of job that I expected to take on once I got over here, but it’s been an enjoyable, fascinating and even life-changing one. I consider some of things I’ve learned on this job to be invaluable, and they’ll dictate the way I approach my life now and in the future.

It’s also forced me to revisit and reconsider my dedication and commitment to the career path that I invested so much of my life (and money) into over the course of my lifetime. As it stands, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that, given my current circumstances and the current climate, I can only pursue work as a journalist when time permits, and that I might have to treat it as more of a hobby at this point in time. And while it was a tough pill to swallow at first, I’m kinda cool with that now. I do have a couple of cool assignments coming up in the very near future, so I’m happy with where that’s at for now.

I’m incredibly proud of Jen. Currently, she’s working a full-time job (that’s kinda more than a full-time job) while completing a Public Relations Certificate at the University of Washington and also working a part-time job on Sundays. And even still, she managed to take babysitting me after my recent, minor surgery in her stride all the while. She seems to be on an incredibly exciting new career path, she’s very good at it, and she’s happy. It feels like, one year later, I can report that we have really found our feet, we feel secure, and we both feel positive about the future.

We’ve made a great group of friends since we moved here, which has made my transition to American culture an easy and an enjoyable one. My thanks to all of you who may be reading this! And we really, really miss everyone from back in New Zealand. We’ve been fortunate enough to have had a few visitors over the past year, which has been awesome. We’ve really enjoyed showing people around our new city and our new neighborhood. And we’ve also really enjoyed receiving all of the New Zealand treats that they’ve brought over for us Seriously, though, all of our friends from back home are always welcome to stay!

Not having a car, we haven’t really ventured outside of Seattle save for a weekend trip to Portland with some friends, but Jen and I definitely plan to explore more in the coming months. I did manage to meet up with my family for a week in Bangkok, and I took a couple of quick press trips for gaming events. But now that we’re relatively settled, I hope to see more of this exciting country soon!

To recount the last year, I’m going to try to let a collection of photos (and some captions) do the talking. Thanks for reading! And here’s to another exciting year

We stayed with Jen's family in Vegas for almost two weeks before taking the flight to Seattle on May 1st 2012

The view from a friend's apartment building in Capitol Hill - you can vaguely make out Mt Rainier in the distance

R.I.P. MCA, and now also Easy Street Records This place was just down the road from us - now a bank is going in that space...

The Space Needle as seen from Capitol Hill

Last year I finally made it to E3, and it looks like I'll be there again this year too!

With the Gameplanet guys after Sony's E3 press conference last year

The view from a lookout just a couple of blocks up the road from our apartment

Downtown Seattle as seen from the pier where I used to take a water taxi to work every morning

Another photo taken from the same pier

The EMP museum has a GREAT sci-fi exhibit!

...and a great Nirvana exhibit - do these look familiar from the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video?

Akhenaten from the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, where Jen worked for the first half of our first year here

Seattle as seen from the Space Needle

Supplies from New Zealand

Jen at the Seattle Art Museum

Mass Effect cosplayers at the Penny Arcade Expo 2012

Dog in the Park

I always try to sneak a photo whenever I run into a squirrel, but they tend to run away. This is one of my better shots

Me with former Seattle Mariners batting legend Edgar Martinez. To those of you from back home who don't know him, he has a street named after him here in Seattle

Early in our move to Seattle, I met Andrew Perti. He's working towards establishing a comprehensive video-game museum right here in Seattle

I got to meet up with my family in Bangkok, which was an incredible trip

More precious supplies courtesy of Kiwi visitors!

We finally made it to our first ball game last Friday!

One of the most-visited pages on this site is a post published back in August of 2011 entitled It’s software, not price, behind the 3DS’ failure. In it, I argued that the handheld console’s poor performance was not due – as many others claimed – to an unreasonable asking price but, rather, a lackluster software line-up. Sure, the price certainly didn’t help, but there were few compelling reasons to buy the 3DS for the first six months or more of its lifetime.

Every now and then, usually after someone lands on this site after searching “3DS failure,” I’m reminded that I should really revisit this topic. That’s because, well, times have changed considerably, and no one can rightly consider the 3DS a failure anymore. To date, the console has sold 31.09 million units worldwide. This now puts the 3DS ahead of its predecessor, the DS, in terms of sales for this point in the device’s lifetime. This is significant because the DS was previously the best-selling handheld console in history (although, funnily enough, the 3DS’ sales figure has fallen short of Nintendo’s expectations).

Anyway, what’s behind this turnaround? Well, two major developments arguably kicked off this change in fortunes: in a rare move for Nintendo, it did indeed discount the hardware; and it also went on to release an undeniably impressive roster of titles that just became stronger and stronger.

It’s hard to prove whether my initial argument was correct, because the price cut came first. This no doubt played a strong hand in the increased 3DS uptake, but I still feel that the strong slate of software provided the most compelling reason for many to make the leap and pick one up.

Of course, Nintendo also released the 3DS XL in July 2012, which surely rectified the concerns of many with its larger display and improved battery life, or at least made it more appealing.

Personally, I still absolutely adore my 3DS, but admittedly, I rarely ever use it. I tend to reserve it for those times when I can’t access my home console, but those occasions are infrequent. These days, the only time it gets any real love is when I’m on a long flight, but I’ve not been much of a jetsetter in recent months.

That aside, it’s a truly capable console, and I’ve genuinely enjoyed many of the games I have played on it at least as much as many of the heavy hitters of this generation of dedicated living-room consoles. Between Ocarina of Time 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (which has gone on to become my favorite version of one of my favorite games ever) and others, I’ve enjoyed more than my money’s worth out of this device.

Another unexpected reason that I’ve taken a particular liking to the 3DS is that it’s allowed me to recollect many of my old favorite games (and some I never got the chance to play) in a highly desirable portable format. The 3DS Virtual Console plays host to an impressive number of timeless Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and Sega Game Gear classics that just keeps growing: The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Blaster Master, Castlevania, Mega Man and many more. It’s even sweeter since I was forced to sell my actual NES versions of many of these games before I moved to America.

As I write this, I’m waiting on an imported version of Fire Emblem: Awakening to arrive (although it released in US stores around three months ago, it only released in EU/ANZ territories about a week ago), and I’m also eyeing up Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon in the not-too-distant future. And I plan to make time for these games.

I’m glad that Nintendo has managed to turn the 3DS into a success story, and although the use of the word “failure” may have been premature in my original post, I always expected the company to turn it around. Here’s hoping it can achieve similar results with the struggling Wii U in the coming year.

Today I amended the bio in my Twitter profile. The reason for this is due to something that’s been gnawing away at me, increasingly, for months now. And the reality of the situation is something that’s been difficult for me to accept.

It used to read “Freelance video-game, tech and music journalist.” But the truth is that I haven’t landed a paid gig (with one outstanding exception) in any of these rounds since shortly after I first moved to America almost a year ago. The last paid writing assignment I had was in covering a US-based gaming event for a New Zealand-based outlet in the April of last year. I actually don’t remember the last time I pinned down (or even pursued) a paid music-journalism assignment, but it was likely around the time that Real Groove magazine called it a day back in late 2010.

My paid freelance assignments have dried up pretty much completely since I moved to America. In the year or so before I left New Zealand, I was landing them with a fair amount of frequency and consistency. But there are a number of reasons for this change in circumstances.

The major one is that I’ve certainly not pursued freelance opportunities in America as aggressively as I perhaps should have, mostly owing to a schedule that’s not as conducive to such. At the peak of my freelance career, I left my job as a full-time writer/editor to return to a previous, convenient, shift-based job. This was for many reasons. But high among them was that I needed more flexibility leading up to the big move in order to ensure the smooth facilitation of securing my visa, selling up and getting rid of our stuff and other housekeeping. At the same time, that flexibility often afforded me the luxury of precious time during the day to make a good stab at the freelance-writing thing; time during business hours to speak to sources, conduct interviews, source and acquire review items etc.

Here in Seattle, not only is my current job (which was a lifesaver for someone who moved here without any job leads) an 8-5 kinda deal, but I spend a total of around three hours a day commuting there and back. I wake up early, and only a few short hours after I typically get home on a weeknight, I really should be in bed. So not only is my writing time limited to a smaller window than I’ve ever been used to before, I can’t make use of business hours to conduct the investigative legwork that I believe quality journalism demands.

On the few occasions where I have pursued freelance work over here, the results have been less than encouraging. More often than not, I won’t receive a response from the editor/outlet in question. In many ways, it feels like I have to almost start from scratch to establish a reputation over here. And in America, a country with a far more competitive landscape in the tech- and video-game writing arena, it’s harder than ever to cut through all the noise. Hell, I can appreciate why it’s so comparatively uncommon to receive a response.

It might sound like I’m being over-dramatic about a simple change to a social-media bio. But it’s something that’s been difficult for me to come to terms with because of what it symbolizes: all but giving up on a long-held dream. I wanted to be a journalist since I was in high school, when I realized – reading Rolling Stone as a typically music-obsessed teenager – that someone was getting paid to interview musicians and to review CDs and all that other fun stuff. I knew that journalism would be a career that would grow with me and my interests. I worked towards a career in this field, choosing a path of study that would lead me there and investing heavily in it (to which my student loan will attest). I’ve put in years of work building a portfolio that, if I could realistically compile every single news story, review, feature and more (including all the print stories and those online articles that have simply vanished), would easily number in the thousands. Eventually, I landed a couple of full-time jobs as a writer and editor. Now in my 30s, having spent around a third of my life as an active journalist only to move here and find it so difficult to even get a look-in as a journalist is deflating and beyond frustrating.

At this juncture, after pursuing a career in journalism for roughly half of my life, I have to seriously ask myself whether it’s worth continuing. It’s only getting tougher and more competitive out there for journalists, which is a notoriously tough trade for relatively little in the way of remuneration at the best of times. There’s also the fact that my first job in America – almost completely unrelated to journalism yet utilizing many of the same skills – is the best-paying job that I’ve ever had. Before I left New Zealand, I had virtually resigned myself to taking my student debt to my grave. Now, ironically, it seems that I could feasibly pay it off within the next decade if I avoid the very career I initially invested in. Now that I’ve been married for two years, and with aspirations to maybe buy a house and start a family in the not-too-distant future, I’ve really had to weigh this up lately.

It’s not that I’m turning my back on journalism altogether, and I can most certainly remain involved tentatively as an infrequent freelancer. I’m even chipping in with a couple of sites when I can find the time on an unpaid basis at the moment simply because I enjoy it. I just felt that identifying myself as a journalist was becoming more and more disingenuous by the day. That’s why I amended my Twitter bio today to read: “Former full-time games and tech journalist. Now a sporadic freelancer.”

I’ve contemplated changing that bio many times over the past six months or so, but I stopped myself every time… until today. But in finally doing so, I’ve felt a weight somewhat lifted from my shoulders, and I feel like I can move on somewhat. I’m confident I can build on my experience and continue on in careers that can leverage and utilize the skills I’ve developed. But given the state of journalism right now, it just might be time for a course adjustment and a renewed focus.

As it happens, I do happen to have something in mind that I’m working towards. I may even pursue a few freelance writing assignments in the coming months. But that single bio change was an important, painful yet simultaneously cathartic thing that I felt I had to do.

There was a combination of reasons as to why I haven’t updated in a while. Part of it was due to being busy. Part of it was laziness. Another part of it is that I became a bit jaded and burnt out with writing, and felt like maybe life was slowly pulling me in another direction. But perhaps the main reason that I haven’t written in a while is that I’ve been unwell.

I won’t go into all the gory details about what was wrong with me, but it was an unexpected kind of debilitating physical condition that I haven’t entirely gotten over yet. I’m confident I’ve almost, finally kicked this thing, but it’s been with me for a long time now. It first took hold a couple of weeks after I returned from Thailand. It was painful and uncomfortable, and I basically didn’t feel like doing anything, practically all the time. I was on two courses of antibiotics (and some pretty gnarly painkillers) for the better part of a month.

Anyway, my spirits are a lot higher now that I’m feeling (mostly) better, and I’m starting to do stuff again. So I’m going to attempt a catch-up post while I can and work my way back through the major things that have happened since November.

Jen and I celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary earlier this month. I had just come off the antibiotics, so we were able to go out for a nice dinner and even a drink at a nice, nondescript cocktail bar that just happens to be around the corner from our apartment.

I spent my first Christmas and New Year’s Eve in America. It felt a little weird to celebrate these holidays in winter when I’d, ordinarily, hit the beach. But we spent Christmas in Las Vegas with Jen’s family, which was awesome – they made me feel right at home. We spent New Year’s Eve here in Seattle at a friend’s house party, and I had a fantastic time despite being on antibiotics and not even being able to touch a drop of alcohol.

I’ve started to get a little more active on the writing front again. Aside from a major, front-facing writing project that I’ve been assigned at work, I was publishedu over at Gameplanet for the first time since E3. I love writing for these guys, and I’m hoping to contribute more in the coming months.

On weekends, I’ve contributed the odd news piece or two for XBLAFans, which is an American site that has been kind enough to take me on as a contributor. One of the best things about writing for this site is that, by virtue of collaborating with writers based all over the country (and beyond), I’ve made some great new Twitter buddies. Also, owing to a recent assignment, I’ve also discovered a bunch of upcoming XBLA games that would likely have gone largely under my radar otherwise.

I’ve probably contributed about $6,508,659 in royalties to Leatherface by listening to Mush over and over again on Spotify over the last couple of weeks. Great album – you should check it out if you’re into melodic punk rock. Frankie Stubbs’ vocals are perhaps an acquired taste, but it wouldn’t sound right without him.

My favorite band, Hot Water Music, is in town next month, which I’m pretty excited for. They’re supported by The Menzingers, which is a band I discovered quite by chance shortly after I moved to the US, and another band that I really dig by the name of La Dispute. It’s a pretty damn awesome triple billing for Chris Leggett – put it that way.

I’ve rekindled a fascination with the Metal Gear Solid series. In my teens, I was obsessed with the original Metal Gear Solid on PlayStation; it was the perfect blend of stealth action and far-fetched theatrics. Its sequel on the PlayStation 2… well, at the time, its batshit-crazy plot kinda put me off the series to the point where I wasn’t interested in Metal Gear Solid 3 when it released in 2004. But I picked the 3DS re-release up before I left New Zealand so I had something to play on the flight over, and I became absolutely enamored with it. Seriously, that game has raced headlong into my list of all-time favorites. I’m playing through the HD collection at the moment, and little else.

Oh, I should also give props at this point to Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb for actually delivering on his promise to enable region transfers for Xbox Live profiles. A web-based tool allowing users to do so went live today. I went through the short process as soon as I got to work this morning, and it was relatively painless… until it got to the point where I had to add my new payment option. For whatever reason, the system wouldn’t accept my US card. Ah well, I’ll deal with that later…

I guess I should probably wrap this up with my trip to Thailand to see my family. It was pretty damn awesome to see them all again, and we had a fantastic holiday. I apologize, but I’m going to gloss over the whole thing with a small selection of photos Take care!

Yesterday marked six months since Jen and I took the big gamble and moved to Seattle without jobs. I’m pleased to say that we’ve been rather fortunate, and we found our feet relatively quickly. Jen is working two part-time jobs while also studying at the University of Washington. I’m super proud of how well she’s juggling everything. Unfortunately, because of all of this, she’s not joining me on this trip to Thailand.

Things have kinda chilled out for me on the writing front, and I must admit, I do miss it. I’ve recently started chipping in occasionally over at XBLAFans – a site dedicated to Xbox Live Arcade releases. I’ve written the odd news piece for this site when I have the time (usually on weekends), and today my first review for the site went live (a game called Pool Nation). As it happens, this is the first non-New Zealand site that I’ve ever written for.

Jen, myself and a bunch of our friends living in Seattle also thought it would be a fun project to start up a collaborative lifestyle blog. So we set up Emerald Pulse, which will cover a range of topics: fashion, politics, music, gaming, tech, sports and more. It’s only just starting up, but hopefully we can keep some interesting content rolling in somewhat regularly. The first piece that I published on the site was a feature about a guy I met who plans to open a world-class video-game museum here in Seattle. I’ve actually been sitting on this story for a couple of months now; initially, the guy was in talks with a collector in France who had listed a particularly comprehensive collection for US$1 million. Unfortunately, those negotiations fell through.

A while back, I also went through something of a role-reversal, and I found myself contributing to Koru Cottage. This is the website of my friend Richard Armitt, who was a talented and reliable contributor to Game Console magazine during my time as editor. It seems that Richard’s made some good PR contacts since he and his family moved over to Australia, and he set me up with review copies of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and Dust: An Elysian Tail. Thanks once again, Richard!

Before I sign off and make my way to see my family once again, I wanted to share a couple of photos from my commute to work this morning. Just as my water taxi pulled in to West Seattle, I noticed that the sky had taken on a blood-orange hue that reflected beautifully off the water. This spectacle lasted all of five minutes before returning to the gray tones that Seattle’s known for, but not before I managed a few quick snaps.

I agree with many of the criticisms commonly leveled at RE6, but I tend to disagree vehemently with the weight generally afforded to them. While it is a disappointment in many respects, it’s far from the train wreck that a great number of reputable video-game media outlets claim it to be. Frankly, I’m rather shocked by the frequency of (in my humble opinion) unfair scores it’s received on the lower end of the 10- or 100-point scales. Personally, I’d go with something along the lines of a 7.5/10.

 It’s an undeniably beautiful experience with truly impressive production values, but that seems to come at the expense of the ‘game.’ It’s a more funneled and straightforward offering than those before it – even the admittedly more action-focused Resident Evils 4 and 5. In fact, it employs the core framework of these two games, distilled down to its base shooting mechanics, while stripping out the very things that made them unique and interesting games. As it happens, Resident Evil makes for a relatively mediocre shooter, even with some ill-conceived cover and roll mechanics tacked on. It’s made more interesting than it deserves to be by some Call of Duty-style cinematics and set pieces, but ultimately, it’s all masking a relatively shallow experience.

To its credit, though, the streamlined mechanics actually play into the favor of the Mercenaries mode. I’ve not really had much time for Mercenaries in the past, mostly because it’s a fast-paced, action-heavy mode historically hamstrung by controls that were anything but fast-paced. No longer, though – the increased maneuverability afforded to players makes it a more inviting, enjoyable and even addictive experience.

But as far as the campaigns are concerned, the non-stop barrage of over-the-top action set pieces and monstrous boss battles detracts from the series’ trademark tension. It’s a rollercoaster ride to be sure, but it’s rarely, if ever, a frightening one. The best horror games display a mastery of pacing and playing dynamics off against each other. And when nothing surprises anymore, it’s difficult to be scared. I also felt that the four-campaign approach generally fragmented an experience that might have benefited from more focus.

For longtime series fans, it’s absolutely worth checking out, and despite the many valid criticisms of the game’s control and camera frustrations, I’m enjoying my time with Resident Evil 6. But this enjoyment is certainly more from a cinematic perspective than a playability perspective, and it’s the first time that the franchise has truly tipped the balance in this manner. The completion of not one of its campaigns has left me with the sense of achievement that previous entries in the series have. But I’m still itching to play through it again, for co-op and completionist purposes alike, and I’m sure I’ll get some mileage out of the surprisingly fun Mercenaries mode too.

An entirely new game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Majesco Entertainment, Neon is not entirely what those who grew up with the arcade brawler series might expect.

It’s not so much a tribute to Double Dragon as it is to the period in which it released and the side-scrolling beat-‘em-up genre in general; it’s just that this particular tribute happens to hold the Double Dragon license. Sure, a handful of characters are present and a handful of its most recognizable tunes are remixed for the occasion. But Neon quickly ditches the tone and style of its namesake and paves its own course. The austere nature of the original arcade games is replaced by an over-the-top, almost slapstick vibe, with cartoonish, self-aware humor aplenty.

As such, fans of the original Double Dragon games should be warned to approach Neon with a sense of humor and their pride firmly in check. For instance, it’s not long before the fight is taken into space, and the action moves from one farfetched scenario to the next. Compared to the relatively grounded nature of the original games (comparatively, at least), it’s quite jarring. Couple this with the newfound humor that Neon brings to the Double Dragon formula, and you’ve got yourself quite the oddball addition to the series.

It’s all just a little bit like Bill and Ted’s Sidescrolling Beat-‘Em-Up may have been a more appropriate title, and it’s something that I, personally, struggled to overcome.

But I’m glad that I did, because once you make peace with the approach that WayForward has taken, you discover that Neon is a lot of fun. In many ways, it’s to Double Dragon as Scary Movie is to the Scream series; it’s loaded with genre hallmarks while simultaneously poking fun at the ridiculousness of them all. For instance, villainous Double Dragon mainstay Williams occasionally screams “I will never die!” when defeated. It’s a humorous reference to the recycled villain character models endemic in this genre, and the fact that you’ll no doubt run into plenty more that look just like him.

As mentioned, Neon references a multitude of genre touchpoints – Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, Final Fight and even Maximum Carnage to name a few – in a variety of ways, both in terms of gameplay and aesthetics. At its core is a simplistic beat-‘em-up mechanic that WayForward has spiced up with light leveling and customization elements. It’s basic, yet with just enough complexity to ensure the core gameplay never quite dissolves into monotony. Players will find (or purchase) tapes, which allow them to enable new abilities, special techniques and rebuild stat allocations to place an emphasis on certain attributes.

In another, less-welcome deviation from Neon’s arcade roots, the ‘Continue’ option upon defeat takes players right back to the beginning of that particular stage, restarting with their allocation of two lives. Unfortunately this can result in frustrating situations where players will work through a level only to have to start from scratch after a narrowly losing out to a tough boss fight. These boss fights are extremely over-the-top (and include encounters with a massive battle tank and a gargantuan plant clearly inspired by Little Shop of Horrors), and they can also be difficult enough to all-too-easily put a stop to a long-fought bid to complete a stage.

It’s possible to buy additional lives at stores, but these stores are generally well-hidden secrets. Players are also capped at a maximum of nine lives and, in another frustrating design decision, they don’t carry over into subsequent levels. Finish a stage with, say, five lives, and you’ll start the next with only two. Add to this an infuriating, two-stage final boss capable of wide-reaching one-hit kills, and Neon can unfortunately become a more frustrating experience than it should be.

That’s in single-player, at least. I can’t speak for co-op (or ‘Bro-op’ as it’s called here) because I was unable to test it locally, and online co-op is simply not included at launch. WayForward has promised that it will be patched in eventually. But it’s a fairly unforgiveable omission for a franchise where, historically, the two-player experience constitues its very essence.

On a more positive note, Neon’s soundtrack is one of the more truly impressive components of this game. Jake Kaufman has remixed around four recognizable tunes from the first two Double Dragon games, which have been paid the utmost respect. The remainder of the soundtrack consists of extremely well-composed ‘80s-style tunes that are extremely appropriate given the direction Neon has taken.

In the end, Double Dragon: Neon is a fun jaunt, even if some of the design choices often result in frankly maddening, progress hampering situations. It’s perhaps more parody than homage, but if you go in looking for a laugh and with an understanding of the wider source material, it’s worthwhile.

6.5/10

However, most of the major gaps in our understanding of the console were plugged yesterday; Nintendo detailed the console’s release date, pricing plan and the first wave of games to release in its (rather vague) launch window. And I must say, I’ve now lost a fair amount of enthusiasm for the machine. It comes down to two main reasons…

The value proposition
This is a difficult one to quantify. I wouldn’t really expect a new console to launch for much less than US$300 at cheapest, and there’s also the value-add of the tablet-esque GamePad controller. But when you compare what you’re getting in the Wii U package with the now heavily discounted Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles in pure value terms, it’s a harder sell. In terms of grunt, the Wii U is said to feature close to the performance of the 7-year-old Xbox 360. And both the Xbox 360 and PS3 can be purchased for less than the cheapest Wii U SKU, often with considerably larger hard drives than the paltry 32GB maximum of the Wii U. And that’s not to mention the substantial library of games already available on both existing systems.

No matter how you swing it, it’s a decent outlay for tech that’s not too dissimilar from devices we already own

Where the Wii succeeded (initially, at least) was as a party console, and the Wii U appears to want in on this too to some extent. But it seems that it’ll require the additional investment of up to four of the old MotionPlus Wii Remotes to get the most out of this. And as we remember, those things aren’t terribly cheap.

Now, this all wouldn’t be such a problem if there was the typical Nintendo killer app to drive uptake and make it all worthwhile, but…

A lackluster launch line-up. And what’s on the horizon?
…unfortunately, this isn’t really anywhere to be seen. Nintendo appears to be largely banking on the success of the casual party game NintendoLand (bundled with the US$350 SKU) and the fact that there’s a Mario game at launch in the form of New Super Mario Bros. U.

I’ll admit, there’s a chance that NintendoLand could be a runaway party-game success. But as far as launch Mario titles go, a new entry into the New Super Mario Bros. sub-series is hardly one to get excited about. Arguably, every Nintendo console from the past has been characterized by a unique evolution of the Mario franchise, most recently with the 3DS’ Super Mario 3D Land. The New Super Mario Bros. series achieved this (in a sense) for the original DS. But with New Super Mario Bros. U being the third game in a series that largely goes back to the traditional formula, it feels of a lesser caliber than the likes of Super Mario Galaxy and even Super Mario 3D Land.

Simply put, New Super Mario Bros. U feels like a stopgap effort and an underpowered offering with which to sell the merits of the system.

Sure, they’re fun, but the New Super Mario Bros. games are no system sellers

There are a handful of interesting games amongst the launch line-up (with the “launch” window said to refer to the first six months of the Wii U’s life in this case). An exclusive, Nintendo-published Bayonetta 2 was a serious surprise and a major coup. Zombi U is a uniquely interesting beacon of hope. Otherwise, there’s very little of interest to me personally that won’t be available on a console I already own.

Zombi U – the one announced Wii U title that has captured my interest

Even more concerning, however, is that there’s absolutely no hint of what’s to come beyond this lackluster launch line-up. At least with the 3DS, itself with a decidedly poor launch library, Nintendo had the nous at an early stage to tease system-shifting software that would surface in the distant future: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land, Resident Evil: Revelations, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Luigi’s Mansion, Paper Mario. Even with little to enjoy at launch, it was easier to invest in the platform knowing that the goodness was eventually on the way.

We simply don’t have that luxury as far as the Wii U is concerned.

And yet I’m still intrigued…
I don’t know whether it’s the tech fiend in me or the hope/faith that the kinds of experiences I expect from Nintendo will eventually show up. But I haven’t ruled out the possibility of being there on day one just yet. Zombi U does look damn awesome, and NintendoLand shows some promise. And whatever happened to that awesome-looking Zelda tech demo from last year’s E3? Personally, if Nintendo had even teased a few more details about what was happening with that, it may have been enough to seal the deal.

Further details of a Wii U Zelda game, even if it’s a year away from release, just might have tipped the balance

Also, the things that first got me excited about the Wii U back in that original blog post still largely apply. For now, though, I’m just going to sit it out for a bit and let everything percolate…

The problem is, this three-day expo is so overwhelmingly popular that the tickets tend to sell out well in advance; before I’d moved to America, even.

Luckily, the guys at NZGamer.com back home noticed my predicament, and they were kind enough to set me up with some media credentials in return for some PAX coverage. Sounded like a sweet deal to me.

PAX is a little bit like E3, but with less of an emphasis on title reveals, breaking news and publisher promotion. Here, it’s more about the fans, and it’s a vibe that permeates the whole show. It’s an extremely social event, with areas set up specifically for handheld, PC and even tabletop gaming.

Of course, all of the major publishers do have some kind of presence, giving the general public their first chance to go hands-on with the most eagerly anticipated games. Most of the game code on display is old news, and the bulk of it’s already been extensively previewed by media at E3 or Gamescom. Still, it presented a couple of quick hands-on opportunities that I missed out on at E3. I finally got to check out the Resident Evil 6 preview build, and I managed a round of Gears of War: Judgment among other things. Generally, I only tried something when a prompt opportunity presented itself, as hands-on sessions for some of the more popular games could require waiting in line for up to two hours at a time. I did manage to tee up one or two media appointments in the week leading up to the show, however.

PAX does play host to some particularly interesting panel discussions, however, which is largely unique to this expo. The first that I attended was an hilarious discussion between four game journalists about the top 100 Nintendo Entertainment System games of all time. My favorite panel was that of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, in which he discussed the history, present and future of the franchise (including a gameplay-footage premiere for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes). And unfortunately, I queued up for some time to miss out on the Halo panel, which hit its capacity, by the narrowest of margins.

Anyway, here’s a bunch of photos that I took from over that weekend..

Yep, that dude’s wearing a Powerglove.

I had a quick jam on the upcoming Luigi’s Mansion, which was also my first time using a 3DS XL. That’s a seriously impressive revision of the original 3DS.

Castle Crashers collectibles.

A Deadpool cosplayer.

On the Friday night, Jen and I went to the Press Start art show that I mentioned in my previous blog post.

There was some incredible artwork on display, with established video-game artists paying tribute to the games that they love.

This Team Fortress painting sold for US$5000!

I bought this print of the battle with The End from Metal Gear Solid 3. Don’t worry – prints were obviously much cheaper than the originals, and I snagged this one for $35.

Speaking of Metal Gear, here’s a shot from the Kojima panel. If you squint, you might just be able to make him out there in the middle.

I finally got to check out the Wii U also, with a quick blat at New Super Mario Bros. U. But I still haven’t had hands on with that Gamepad controller >__<

An up-close look at the hardware. Although this unit seemed much more elongated than others that I’ve seen.

Some of the Mass Effect cosplay was particularly impressive.

And then there was this Mortal Kombat 9 effort!

Borderlands 2 was easily one of the most popular games of the show. The lines to check it out were beyond belief.

Anyway, that’s PAX 2012 in a nutshell! It’s an awesome event, and one that I definitely intend to check out every year from now on. I’m sure those of you reading this back home have heard the news that the show’s also headed to Australia next year!