Takin' a break from the blog

Hey y'all. Just letting you know that it's time for a break! Despite the fact that I've only got a quarter of the amount of credit hours I normally have in a single semester of school, I'm feeling more stressed than ever this summer. I'll be free from school in two weeks. In the meantime, I need to focus on class more than I have of late, and that means something's gotta go. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, it's the blog.

But I'm not gonna leave you without something Nintendo-related to think about! I'd like to highlight some of my favorite content from E3 2012! Prepare yourself!

The whole hour-and-ten-minute-long presentation from Tuesday morning can be viewed right here. Though it felt rather less than exciting, Nintendo fans shouldn't miss out!

Favorite Trailers
Rayman Legends (Wii U)
If you like music as much as you know I do, do yourself a favor and watch this trailer for Rayman Legends on Wii U.

New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U)
My brother'll tell you that this was my favorite trailer in Nintendo's presentation. I'm particularly fond of the music. And did anyone else think it funny that getting mini Yoshi to shoot bubbles out of his mouth takes the shaking of the remote?

Project P - 100 (Wii U)
I have no idea what this game is all about, but the trailer for it was pretty entertaining.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)
I love the music in this trailer! Aaaand it looks like a good game too. I've never played Paper Mario, but I will get around to that some day!

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
Coins galore! Return of Reznor! New gold-related power-ups! Return of the P-wing! And...this trailer has great music too!

Well, good-bye my friends! I'm trying to sound optimistic here, but truth be told, the future of this blog is uncertain. I'll keep you posted regardless, even though it might be a while before you hear from me again.

Favorite Wii games countdown #4: Wii Sports

For those of you who don't know, the game Wii Sports was the original pack-in game for Nintendo's brand-new Wii console. I don't know about anyone else, but this game had me pumped. It was the way Nintendo would show the world how motion control could be integrated into video games.

And I'll never forget the first time I played it.

It was a feeling unlike any I had ever felt. Here was a piece of content in my favorite medium that actually responded to my movement. It did so with polish, for that matter! Wii was a success! And the funny thing is, Wii Sports remains to this day one of the best examples of motion controlled gaming out there. I still play it once in a while, and I'm always surprised at how well it holds up. Long live Wii Sports!

Honorable Mention: Kirby's Return to Dreamland

To at least rent this game was a no-brainer for me. And that's just what I did. I had Mary over on the day that it came. I thought to myself, "What better time to break it out than while I'm playing video games with Mary anyway?" So I played Kirby's Return to Dreamland with Mary and my little sister, Ivy. It wasn't long before I knew I had to use Gamefly's "Keep" feature on this one. Kirby's Return to Dreamland is a great little platformer that is fun for anyone, but will especially charm the young 'uns.

A Game I Should Have Played: Super Paper Mario
The unfortunate thing is that I've never so much as laid eyes on a Paper Mario game before. I have, however, taken the first step towards playing these mysteries Mario RPG things: I have downloaded the game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars onto my Wii console. I'm on my way!

Looking ahead: Nintendo's 2012

Games
When thinking about the games coming out this year for Wii, one title and one title only comes to my mind: Rhythm Heaven Fever. Out February 13 (yeah, I was quite wrong before), it's sure to assist with the Wii console's final struggle as the world makes way for Wii U. And at a mere $29.99, this is one game I won't be missing out on!

The future of the Nintendo 3DS system is another story. 2011 saw the portable gaming device gathering steam that shows no signs of stopping in 2012. RPG fans should get excited about Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance and Tales of the Abyss. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3D could prove to be a decent little port of the PC series. Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure will likely jump in from nowhere to steal gamers' hearts. Oh, and there's always the growing list of what are sure to be hard-hitters: Luigi's Mansion 2, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Animal Crossing (name not final), Paper Mario (name not final), Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, and Resident Evil: Revelations.

What I'll Be Playing
At this very moment, I have an infinitely long list of games, old and new, to play. I beat Super Mario Bros., so I would like to move on to Super Mario Bros. 3 (I'm not brave enough for number 2). I received the well-reviewed Okami (Wii remake) for Christmas, and it's simply calling out to me. I'm not sure if I'll ever manage to get away from Mario Kart 7 long enough to take the cartridge out of my 3DS. The downloadable Pushmo is a strong contender in the fight for my time. Oh, and there's those ten GameBoy Advance games I downloaded for free recently. I'm actually working on another entry into my Metroid series with Metroid II: Return of Samus...if I can find time to play it. Kirby's Adventure for the NES rounds out the formidable list. Wish me luck!

What will you be playing or looking forward to in the year 2012?