Hey Everyone,

I mentioned last time that I would be out-of-town when the Round 3 Battle Tournament in Skylanders wrapped up.  Well, I am back now and despite being really tired, just recorded Round 3 Results and Round 4 Matchups.  I will get them both live on YouTube before hitting the hay.

Nonetheless, I have some stuff going on tomorrow, but should be back in the mix of things by Saturday night...which is when I will finish this post.  And Saturday night is now!  So, let's get started:

Nintendo 3DS

New Super Mario Bros. 2

This is a big day for most of us.  New Super Mario Bros. 2, the highly anticipated follow-up to New Super Mario Bros. (DS) hits stores today and the eShop at midnight.  Nintendo is doing a deal with Club Nintendo where you can download it and get double the coins.  That really interests me, but not as much as having the game in my hands...I am a very physical person when it comes to purchasing things...I know it would be the same game, but having that packaging just makes it seem more valid.

I really wish Club Nintendo would have offered those who buy the game in stores and register it the first week (or even day one) have the chance to get the double coins, but oh well.

The question on everyone's mind is likely, "Are you going to get the game?"  The answer is, "Yes!"  I am a huge fan of the Mario series and wouldn't miss this.  I will probably pick it up tomorrow, well technically today, but if not it will come this week for sure.

I know it will be a great game, especially given how well I liked the first.  In fact, my Nephew and I played some of the MiniGames this past weekend!  The one element of interest here is how the coins add into the mix...I know there are going to be records kept and the chance to compete for high scores...it is a very fitting thing to do and quite frankly I'm glad to see they took advantage of what is often times overlooked.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon

Well, I'm a bit disappointed here.  Nintendo has pushed Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon to the first half of 2013.  I point this out because I was really looking forward to playing this around Halloween...

No specific reason has been given, but I have my own ideas.

The way  I see it Nintendo wants to make sure the WiiU launches well.  They want to sell consoles, games, and then worry about the 3DS crowd.  That said, they have things covered for 3DS owners.  NSMB2 hitting in August is a no brainer.  With this line-up:

New Super Mario Bros. 2-August 19th, 2012
Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask-October 28th, 2012
Super Paper Mario Sticker Star-November 11th, 2012

It just seems like getting Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in the mix would have been over kill...ESPECIALLY when you consider the fact the Wii U is launching!

I am all for Professor Layton sticking to the October release window, but I feel like it would have made more sense to release Luigi's Mansion in September or October and push SPM Sticker Star back to Spring 2013.  I feel like NSMB2 and the current line up plus new releases would suffice for the holiday season ESPECIALLY since the Wii U is also in the mix.

That is just my thought...It just seems to be more practical to have the game featuring ghosts hit for around Halloween and then have the more upbeat, non-ghostish SPM Sticker Star launch in the spring...Oh well.

The new Layton game looks great.  I may not buy it at release though.  I figure I'll be covered up with Skylanders: Giants, but more than that I am in the middle of playing the entire series.  I bought The Last Specter and liked it so much, I have picked up the previous releases and am going to chronologically play them.  I figure I"ll pick it up as soon as the price drops or I catch a good sale.  So for those Luigi's Mansion fans out there, you have to wait...yet again.

Street Passin'

As you all know, my lack of activity and inability to get the Skylander Battle Tournament videos up on time was due to the fact I was out-of-town.  The one thing that should immediately come to the mind of any 3DS owner when they hear "out-of-town" is a Street Pass Tag!

Most of you that regularly read the blog will likely recollect my weekly lament over never getting any local street pass tags.  It isn't a huge bummer, but it does make using Play Coins to advance in Find Mii, Find Mii II, and Puzzle Panel a necessity.

Well, this trip was different!  Here's what went down:


Not only did I get the Street Pass Tag, but I got it a few more times which not only came in handy for Find Mii II, but also for FINALLY getting a Fantastic Rating:




About friggin' time!  I know I'm fantastic, but Nintendo necessitates that some one else tell me, lol.  That aside, I'm glad to have that one behind me.  Now I just have all the other daunting accomplishments to work towards.

Late night in the hotel I don't have a Wii, so with the 3DS handy I made some headway in Find Mii II.  I basically got to a point where I needed 2 Blue Miis and instead of blow through my Play Conis as I usually do, I took advantage of the "Hire Heroes" option and just brought two Blue Miis in to the action...The result, goodbye fire:




I am currently up against the Ultimate Ghost...probably will be for awhile:



However, I also collected a few new puzzle pieces, including the one to finish off my first panel:







Not a huge deal for most, and bare in mind I do have a ton of pieces for various puzzles, but I thought it was cool to finally get one wrapped up.  The "special" pieces will be the death of me...really wish Nintendo sent the out a bit more often for those of us in less populated areas.

Mario Tennis Open

I know with New Super Mario Bros. 2 hitting stores in a few hours, Mario Tennis Open will likely be getting cased for awhile, so I made it a point to make the most of the game the last few weeks, and especially on this past trip.

I am happy to say I got my goal objective: collect all the items!

I know for most people it is unlockables or something in this game, but for me I just wanted all the shops in the item.  I have yet to buy anything, which helped me get my secondary objective of collecting 50,000 Conis!

Here are some of the highlights:






Wii U: In Store Promotion Box Display

I spent a few seconds trying to think of how to word that so as to not make you think I just saw a Wii U in person...I did not.  Sorry to break your heart.  That said, put it back together because I walked into a GameStop on the trip and the employees had just finished setting up the display for the Wii U.  That can only mean that it is getting close to the magical date where we can all pre-order our new consoles!  Anyway, here it is:



I will make a separate post, possibly tomorrow, that will show a close up of each of the three main tiers of this stack of awesomeness.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure and Giants

Golden Dragonfire Cannon Battle Pack (Pre-Order Complete!)

I  pre-ordered my Giants Golden Dragonfire Cannon Battle Pack late this week.  I really wanted to hold out until someone finally got the info out on whether or not Battle Mode would be Single Player, or more importantly in this case, if the Cannon actually has a use (like a magic item) in the game.  I don't know when they'll release the info and at fear of missing out just went ahead and got it.

Giant Character Info Leaked!

The biggest development in the world of Skylanders was the fact that the names of all the unknown characters has been released!  I updated this from the road on the Giants post:
http://www.1ofwiisdom.blogspot.com/2012/06/skylanders-giants-information.html

I will be adding pics/videos of the new characters as time allows.

There Really Needs to be a Single Player Option for Battle Mode

Well, I played a few rounds of Arena Rumble with a friend and actually got to play Sky Golas and Sky Gem Master, or whatever they are called, for the first time today.  I enjoyed both, but have to say, yet again that it really sucks there is no single player option.  I would have so much fun and could upload so many videos people would enjoy if Arena Rumble had a single player option.  I know most people want online, which would be fun as well...but to me, you are breaking the cardinal rule of gaming...Never assume there will be multiple people and if and when you do, and you have not offered online modes of play, what the heck are you doing offering no single player option?

I really hope, like I've said a hundred times, that Giants has single player options.  I have even started "attempting" to ask Activision, but have yet to hear back.  It seems like they use "social media" as a billboard and not so much as a way to interact with fans.

I will continue to ask/annoy though...Having single player options would make the game a 10!

Battle Tournament

We are currently in Round 4 and down to our Final Four Skylanders!  Things are pretty intense and it is looking like we should have another round of a solid 200+ votes.  Thanks to everyone who has participated.  As best I know I should be in town when this one wraps up so you can expect immediate update videos.

Heroic Challenges

I'll be honest...I debated getting back on the HCs tonight instead of updating here, but I had promised I would do this, so I'm sticking to my word.  The main goal here is to get all the Skylanders up to 32 Heroic Challenges before I get Giants!  I plan to start working on it pretty soon.

Skylanders Hunting

Yes, I still do this...just never know when something cool/rare will pop-up...Plus it is kind of a habit after 10 months, lol:

My Local Target:



I sent off two forms a while back...As you read earlier some folks are starting to get their sidekicks.  I planned to buy 2 more bags and go for the whole set, but they only had the Classic Mix.  That is kind of bland and if I'm buying food I prefer to actually eat it.  So I passed.  I find it odd this store either has the Classic or Flavor Mix out, but never both at the same time...weird.  Naturally, since I passed on the Classic Mix it was on sale for $5.99 lol.

Current Projects


Mario Kart Wii

As promised, Part 6 was uploaded tonight.  I will continue to upload the edited videos (Part 16-100cc) and hope to record the 150cc races and have them edited before Part 16 is uploaded.  This is truly a timeless game and a ton of fun.

Mario Party 9

I've upload the first board (2 parts) and plan to record the rest as time allows...Ideally I will sprinkle a board in between every few Mario Kart Wii uploads.  This will let me get 2 playthroughs up at the same time and be ready to move on to something new.  I'm not worried about setting any records in this one...just blindly playing the game and having fun.  I do plan to record most of them really late though, haha.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (The Tragic Playthrough)

By this point you should know this was my big "surprise" game.  I had a lot of requests for it and I really wanted to play it.  Every one of the 7 recordings I have done thus far had major audio issues from the game side of things.  This is really annoying and sad since it kills the entire recording.  My 25 minute commentary will never sync with a 17 minute video.  Having Link stand still for 45 seconds, then move like a lightning bolt for 18 seconds, then be caught up with what I am saying doesn't make for a good time for anyone.

I have a poll up (still running) about what you want to see...As of right now the vast majority of you that have voted want to see it scrapped.  I figured most would want a new save file attempt or something, but what do I know.  I'm pretty sure this game will continue to give me recording trouble, but I may try it when time allows.  I may let the poll decide the fate of this one for the time being.

Upcoming Projects

In all honesty, my free time will dictate when I record Mario Kart Wii and Mario Party 9.  I usually record 4 cups in Mario Kart Wii.  So I really just lack 2 sessions to wrap up the base stuff.  Mario Party 9 doesn't have many boards so it shouldn't take much time.  Once recorded the editing just takes time...

When I get everything recorded is when I will know what kind of time I have before Giants.  Depending on what that is (week, month, etc) will dictate what I decide to start.  In a perfect world I would be able to record that new game in its entirety and then slowly edit/upload.

Giants will get my full, undivided attention when it comes out.

I do have several games picked out for before and/or after Giants though.

Currently Playing

Wii
-Mario Kart Wii
-Mario Party 9
-Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
-Gold's Gym Cardio Workout
-Wii Fit Plus

3DS
-Mario Tennis Open
-Professor Layton and the Curious Village
-Super Mario Land
-Super Mario Land 2-6 Golden Coins
-The Amazing Spiderman (Demo)

Currently Listening

Auto Audio (In the Car): Pearl Jam, Theory of a Deadman
Home Audio (At Home): Seven Mary Three, Anna Nalick

Google +

I really like Google + and enjoy the lack of limits and ease of use (once you are accustomed to it).  The privacy and sharing options are better and the potential is huge.  I know not many have made the switch, or simply made a profile and left it idle, but I think it will be big...in time.

The URLs are still not allowed to be "custom" so I just added the link to the top link bar and RH Link List on the blog.  If you are on Google + be sure to follow along.  I'll treat it about the same as Facebook, but with a bit more detail.  The blog will still remain my favorite form of sharing information.

Conclusion

Well, this turned into quite the post.  It is now pretty late and with NSMB2 hitting when stores open in a few hours I better get some sleep.  Let me know if you download it...I'd like an idea on the time frame etc.  Also be sure to post up if you have your Sidekicks!

I hope to record the 150cc Mario Kart Wii footage and maybe a board or 2 of Mario Party 9 this week.  Stay tuned for the latest!

-1ofWiisdom