What have i been doing this week?: 16/08/2013

So its been a very quiet week as im trying to sort out moving house!!

What have i been playing?: The Wonderful 101 Demo - Wii U
Ive already had a pretty extensive blog on my thoughts of this demo, i love it, if i weren't moving house soon i would 100% buying this. Best game on the Wii U!

What have i been Watching?: WRESTLING!!

Yep i have been relieving my childhood by watching old wrestling pay per views. Spefically the Invasion era WWE. It used to be so much better then it is now.

Wii U Thursdays?: 15/08/2013

Its Thursday so lets start another little chat about the Wii U! Because...yeah lets beat that dead horse!
Today im going to be briefly giving my thoughts on the Wonderful 101 Demo that recently went up on the Eshop.

So what is the Wonderful 101? Well, its kind of hard to put into a genre but if i were to try then i would say its an Action Adventure game. Despite a striking resemblence to Pikmin it actually plays alot more like a traditional Action Adventure, more like Metal Gear Rising than Nintendo's plant-a-thon to be honest. Its made by the guys at Platinum Games (Famous for Bayonetta and Vanquish among others) and is the first part of there dual Nintendo published titles (the other being Bayonetta 2).

Right so lets get to the gameplay in slightly more detail. First off, it looks fantastic. It might be the best looking game ive played so far on the Wii U, its a perfect blend of a HD engine and Nintedo-esque art design that makes fantastic use of both of the Wii U's screens.

The main gameplay is very Bayonetta as mentioned above but the real touch pad gimmick is essentially a glorified weapon select. You draw a rough image of the item you want to use, press A and then you have that weapon. Its a cool looking gimmick but i feel that in a boss fight that may prove a problem. Other than that its a pretty good game, once you get used to how the game plays and can follow the sometimes hectic screen, you get a game that is really unique, smooth and most of all fun.

Also as a side note, i was only able to give the local multiplayer a little play but looks FANTASTIC. its plays in a co-op mission system that i think myself and my GF will have alot of fun with.

Overall this is the first step to making the Wii U a much more viable sale, its great and with this and Pikmin 3 being within a month, then having a great looking Zelda: Wind Waker remake coming soon after, its finally a good time to be a Wii U Owner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYjBRDxK3b8

What have i been doing this week?: 09/08/2013

Its week two.... so What have i been doing?

What have i been playing?: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wake - Gamecube

Im pretty ashamed to say i never actually got past the first dungeon of this game when i got it as a kid so with the Wii U HD port out soon and a girlfriend who loves Zelda, ive decided to give it a go. Im enjoying it so far and im actually very surprised at how well the game holds up. The controls can be a tad frustrating from time to time but overall its still a great game.

What have i been watching?: Two Best Friends Play

I love two best friends play. They are arguably the funniest team on youtube and i will watch just about anything they put out!!

What have i been working on?: Survival of the Fishiest

This week i started work on the Construct 2 version of the game and thus far its looking promising. Still a long way from a release but hey im getting there!!

Thursday Musing: 08/08/13: The Wii U

Hey Guys! So my second proper blog post (and hopefully a second segment!) is all about my rather expensive Christmas present... the Nintendo Wii U. Its been 8 months since i got it, so does it stand up? or is it the biggest waste of money here in my grotto? lets find out...

First off lets talk about what the Wii U is! The Wii U a video game console from the lords of gaming Nintendo. Its NOT a touch screen controller for the Wii...yes i really think the name was a mistake!

The Machine
The console itself is fantastic... no really, its oustanding. Graphically it easily outpaces current gen consoles and to be honest i feel Nintendos art styles will lead the Wii U to still look comparable when the PS4 and XBox One launch. Intially the load times werent great and stability was a tad erratic, thankfully that has been patched out and it nows runs perfectly.

Now the controller...oh my the controller....

Its very hard to explain this beast of a device, in my opinion, its the consoles strongest feature. From a gameplaying point of view it is very comfortable, the buttons are well built and the touch screen is good. Functionality wise, its saved the Wii U for me due to the ability to browse and watch videos on the pad alone, its one of those features that you will not be able to un-use once youve got the hang of it.

Also as a side note... i LOVE the blue cases, it adds needed colour to my game collection.

GAMES

Ok, here is the big problem right now. Games.... or the lack there of. Now im a really hardcore console gamer, i will buy anything tbh but even i only have  6 Wii U games with all but 1 being launch games. It is coming though, the line up from now onwards is alot better but this huge draught has really hurt the console. If any one is interested in picking a Wii U (you should be, you WONT find a better local multiplayer machine) then i would start with the fantastic underrated mini game collection Nintendo Land. Argueably the best game on the console with a really surprising amount of depth to each of its games. If single player is more your bag then you cant go wrong with Pikmin 3 or the literally life consuming Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Overall i think its becoming less of a problem, the E-Shop offering are getting better and better, and the premium "get back 10% of what you spend" offer makes this download only service a real coup, all the Wii U really needs is that one killer game...and its coming in spring! Depending on who you are, this killer game is Super Smash Bros U or Mario Kart 8. Both look like serious game changers and if you want a new console but dont want to spend £400 and put up with 8 months of growing pains that i promise you the PS4 and XBONE will have... pick up a Wii U and have some fun!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT3diQX3i1I

What Have I Been Doing?: Friday 02/08/13

So what have i been doing this week? This is my first regular segment, im experimenting with it so it wont be amazing right away but here goes nothing!!

What have i been playing?: Wipeout 2048 - PS Vita

I got my Playstation Vita last week and i must say i am heavily impressed with the PS Vita so far. Wipeout 2048 has been a big part of that intial great first impression, its everything that the PS Vita should be shouting from the rooftops about, a HD console experience on the go. It plays great, it looks great and the multi player is flawless. The best thing is i got it for FREE with my console and i really cannot recommend this enough for anyone on the fence about getting a PS Vita

What have i been Watching?: The JonTronShow

I cannot get enough of this guy. JonTron is a youtuber from the school of AVGN and Spoony in that he gets rather worked up about the games he reviews and its utterly fantastic. I particularly enjoy his Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts review. If you like AVGN and games in general, give this guy a look!

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJdEguB1F1CiYe7OEi3SBg

What have i been Working on?: Survival of the Fishiest
Ive been working towards finishing the one of the games my company (Wild Melon Game Studios - Link below!!) have been working on for the last couple months. The games going well, this week ive been going back over the demo we took to the Wales Game Development Show last month and trying to improve it where i can.

www.facebook.com/wildmelongames

Another blog dave? REALLY!?!?!

So yes, its that time of year again... Daves Blogging!

Ok so i know i start alot of these but i do plan to keep going with this, i recently had a interview (Career stuff is cool btw :P) and during that interview it was recommended to me that i should start blogging regularly in an attempt to improve my writing skills and so that im more used to talking about myself and my projects. So here we go!

Im going to start this slowly and add more content as i go, to begin im planning to do a "Friday post" where i just talk about what ive been upto all week!

Hope the few of you who will read this enjoy what i write and tweet me @wildmelondave if you have any ideas to improve my blog!