Curiouser and Curiouser

Finally got around to checking out this...

I - I - I just need a moment... HOT DAYUMN /fanboy seizure

Okay... honestly, I don't have anything intelligent to say about this. Just know that I love me some Alice, music, visuals and mood... I just love that game... Keep in mind, it came out long before the Tim Burton film, so at the time, a be-goth'd Alice in Wonderland was a very fresh idea, at least to my young innocent self. All I really have to say about this was that for many years I assumed by time the next Alice came out, I would have long outgrown the first. I was also worried that the imagery would be lacking in the wake of an overly Wonderland-saturated American culture.

But no... this looks awesome. The visuals and music will be enough for me to pick it up, even if gameplay is found lacking. So far, the only thing I have to nitpick about from the available videos is the voice acting, but I can forgive that provided the dialogue is as cleverly written as it was in the original.

My fetishism for grim girls and bald women aside, know that I am fully aware this game will be an exercise in corny goth-service... but I just find it to be too damn cute, and it's increasingly difficult to not go on and on about it. But, I shall nay do that! Instead, I will play the responsible Carroll-phile and await the completed game before getting my bloomers in a bunch. I would rarely say this, but expect a full game review for this one!




Now, if only someone would develop a game based on The Hunting of the Snark, the world would truly be a better place!

The Wii U...nexpected

I'm not really a console kind of guy, I never have been as I've always just been about the games. I don't care about the graphics arm race which has only caused games to cost more while the consoles become less dependable. However, I do believe in Nintendo products, as they are always fairly priced and reliable... in that they don't break unless you really want them to. My issue with the Wii, however, was that motion control just seemed awkward and gimmicky. From my personal experiences, that has been mostly true as I would still prefer to play with a traditional controller.

But there is something about the Wii U... I dunno why, but I have high hopes for it. If you know me and my opinions on the progression of consumer tech, you would definitely find my intrigue rather uncharacteristic. Hopefully Nintendo can continue what they do best, while also advancing the ergonomics of game/player interaction and simultaneously gaining increased third party support. As with all things, time will tell... but this is perhaps the first time in many years that I've been even remotely excited about a next gen console.

edit:
Perhaps I'm wrong for calling this next gen. There appears to be an updated console to match the controller, but then again, it doesn't appear to be a new system. Anyway, how much added functionality will there be besides that of the controller? My excitement has kind of waned as of this update after watching more of the few available videos, mainly because I've had more time to think it over; because to me it's not about the technology, but rather how the game developers utilize it.

I think when I first saw the controller, my imagination jumped to great lengths, but I hope designers will have the creativity to make the device more capable than just say, a glorified inventory screen and the like.