Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Site Chat in 30

Wednesday's usual site chat will take place in 30 minutes.  It's the penultimate chat before E3, what will we discuss!?

See you there!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Site Chat Tonight!

The usual Wednesday Site Chat will take place at its usual time, 8PM EST.

I will be out of town attending a very prestigious dinner/conference.  However, there's a good chance I will be back in town by probably midnight or so.  Perhaps I will see you all then!

Sunday, May 20, 2012

The Plot Thickens #4 - No More Heroes

WARNING: This one’s got more spoilers than a Ferrari convention!
WARNING: Some of the language and content of this article reflects the objectionable content of the game it analyzes. You’ve been warned, f*ckhead.

Here at The Plot Thickens, our crack staff (me) likes to take a look at the narrative elements in games that often go unnoticed or under-appreciated. Usually, we (still just me) try to accomplish this without the use of spoilers. After all, what’s the sense in showing how awesome the thing you just spoiled is?

But, this month, things are going to be a little different. This time around, I’m tackling No More Heroes, a game released way back in 2008 for Nintendo’s family friendly like white box of snuggles. I’ll be using massive spoilers, because, more than simply appreciating the game’s plot, I’ll try to actually make sense of the senselessness that resulted from Suda51 pressing his insanity onto a Wii optical disc. Plus, c'mon, you've had years to play it. Let’s do this!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Nintendo 3DS Game Card Case and site chat

I know one person in peticular was waiting for this on this site and it showed up on my twitter feed so I am sharing it.

The Nintendo 3DS Game Card case is back on Club Nintendo.

3DS Game Card case

Also the site chat will be at 8pm EST tonight.


Sunday, May 13, 2012

Site Chat at 6PM EST

Hey, gang.  It's Sunday evening.  Time for a site chat!

What's on your mind? What have you been playing lately?

Tell us all about it in 68 minutes!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Calling NOA today about Pandora's Tower.

Well Operation Rainfall is going to make one final push at NOA for the release of Pandora's Tower. If you want the game and have the time today call up Nintendo. Here is some tips and rules.

Here are some tips.
  1. Pick up your phone and dial 1-800-255-3700 (This is a Toll-Free number, meaning it’s a FREE call)
  2. Navigate the menu system until you hear the option for “Customer Service”. (Press “0″ for Customer Service followed by “5″ for “Other Inquiries”)
  3. Listen to the awesome Nintendo hold music
  4. When the Customer Service Representative (CSR) answers the phone, briefly and politely let them know that you are interested in Pandora’s Tower being localized in America. You may also inform them that the title is published by Nintendo and already released in Europe and is available in English.
  5. A sample script is: “Hello, my name is ______ and I am calling today because I would love to see Pandora’s Tower in America.”
  6. Keep it simple and brief, and politely thank them for their time.

Some handy pointers.
  • KEEP IT BRIEF. Nintendo CSRs are extremely busy, and handle both Customer Service AND Technical Support questions. By tying up the line, you are creating wait time for customers with legitimate needs.
  • BE POLITE. It is not the CSR’s fault that the game is not in their system, nor do they (or their managers) have any say in the decision-making process. They will simply make a note that you called in and requested Pandora’s Tower.
  • DO NOT MENTION “OPERATION RAINFALL”. This is not only confusing for the CSRs, who do not need to know who we are, but it also ties up the line, since you will then need to explain what OpRainfall is, when they don’t need to know, and frankly probably don’t care. Politely ask to see Pandora’s Tower released in America, and end the discussion.
  • CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS: 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM Pacific Time, 7 days per week.

 Some quick facts

  • Pandora’s Tower was published by Nintendo in Japan, Europe, and Australia
  • Pandora’s Tower launched on May 26, 2011 in Japan and April 13, 2012 in Europe
  • Pandora’s Tower was developed by a studio called Ganbarion, and this is their first original property
  • Pandora’s Tower is an Action/Adventure game with hack’n'slash and light RPG elements
  • The protagonist’s name is Aeron (pronounced the same as Aaron or Erin)
  • The damsel in distress is named Elena
  • The game recieved a rating of CERO C (Japan) and PEGI 12 (Europe), which is the equivalent of a mid-Teen by ESRB standards
  • Pandora’s Tower has already been localized for Western audiences and has already been translated into English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German.
  • The Wii console is region locked, meaning that it is impossible to play games from another region, even if they are in your language, without making modifications to your console. This will also void your warranty.
 Okay I will be making my call right away and then getting the word out everywhere today.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Site chat will be later today at 6pm EST

Well E3 is about one month away, I believe, and well people are going to be pretty excited.  We have a topic about it here.  In the meantime, there is going to be a site chat later today. I may get another post up before then.  It depends on if I can get my thoughts organized.

See you in the site chat at 6pm EST.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

What is Casual?

Pietriots did a great article the other day about the term Casual. It is actually easier then you might think. Here is the article: What is Casual.  It is actually very similar to parts of our mission statement. I just found that interesting.

Small rant about Nintendo's annual loss and other things.

I'd like to talk about Nintendo's annual loss today and the reaction to it that I have been hearing around the net.

I was going to put this up when I had some emotions going on the other day, but I figured it would just be best to wait out the storm a little bit.

After some reflection on it and some of the responses that I saw, I think I was just seeing the typical behavior from certain people and in some cases some people reverting back to old behavior on some forums. Surprisingly, I really only found negativity on two places while checking on many of the usual forums and sites. 
 Which I suppose is pretty good for the gaming community.

As for my own feelings on Nintendo's loss, I think that they will recover as they always do.  They do have lots of money in its war chest and they know how to make hardware that doesn't sell at a loss. So, they will be fine. 

I also saw a great article over at Pietriots about Xenoblade and an article and you should go over there and check it out as well.  My thoughts on that article are that they do make a lot of great points. The Game Informer guy does just build you up to knock you down. Grubbdog does a great job of countering them.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Site chat is going to be later today at 8pm EST

I am going to be busy here today and I am not sure when I will be in for the chat. I could be on time or I could be a little late but don't let that stop you from chatting it up tonight at 8pm EST.  I was informed of something last night and I wasn't given a definite answer on when it is going to be done today. So don't wait for me to show up.

I guess the big news in the past few days was that Nintendo announced that they will be having their E3 press conference on Tuesday June 5 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. PDT at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. There is also a Midnight Purple 3DS announced to be coming out on May 20th for $169.99.

So yeah see you in the chat most likely sooner or maybe later then usual when it happens at 8pm EST tonight.