Nintendo Direct

http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/01-14-2015/#/video-1ndirect

Recently, a brand new Nintendo Direct aired full of interesting little videos and gameplay footage. Among them are the Nintendo New 3DS XL, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, Splatoon, and more. Check it out for yourself above.

Most Anticipated 2015

Legend of Zelda Wii U

honorable mentions:

Tom Clancy's The Division

Halo 5 Guardians

Star Wars: Battlefront

Game of the Year 2014

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

honorable mentions:

Mario Kart 8

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Shovel Knight

Game of the Year 2014

For those of you who thought I had forgotten: I didn't. This year, I am looking to simplify things quite a bit. Last year you may remember I gave out tons of awards (best graphics, best sounds, console exclusive games of the year) but that's pointless. Game of the Year should be how it sounds. Not a multi-day piece by piece release but a simplified Game of the Year Award. Here's the schedule:

December 31st - Game of the Year 2014
January 1st       - Most Anticipated 2015

That's it. See you there.

Super Smash Bros. Wii U Review

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Review

Super Smash Bros. is back and it is loaded with new arenas, characters, and moves for you to try out, but it has been a long 6 years since the last Smash outing, so how does this one stack up?

REALLY FREAKING WELL, that's how it stacks up. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the greatest entry in the franchise so far, even besting the classic Super Smash Bros. Melee. What differentiates it and ultimately makes it the better game is really a combination of a few things.

First and foremost, the characters. There are a LOT of characters in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and a LOT of them are new to the series. Greninja makes an appearance as well as Duck Hunt Dog, Pac-Man, Mega Man, and even Little Mac. All of the new additions are welcome (except the Fire Emblem ones, but more on that later) and provide a new, wonderful experience for the user. My two favorite characters are Little Mac and Pac-Man, both newcomers.

Secondly, the stages are nice. Representing a pleasant mix of past games and the current iteration, each stage is unique and offers a new experience then wherever you just came from. Additionally, there is an option to toggle whether the stages are flat or their normal stage. This is useful as it allows any stage to be flat and super useful for classic Smash fights.

But thirdly, the features. All of the features of this game all are fantastic. To name one, EIGHT PLAYER SMASH, in which eight players all fight each other. At the same time. Not four. Eight. Yeah, it's pretty frickin sweet.

Overall, the experience is absolutely amazing. Whether you're playing by yourself or duking it out with seven of your friends, Smash Wii U is an absolute pleasure to play, and a must-have for any Wii U owner.

SUPER SMASH BROS. WII U - 98

Pros:

 - The new, bigger roster
 - Eight player Smash
 - Literally everything besides the board game and the title

Cons:

 - Boring board game mode 

 - The title (c'mon, at least try)

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby Review

For years and years, Nintendo fans have been calling for a remake of the third generation of Pokemon: Ruby and Sapphire. To everyone's delight, this game was confirmed earlier this year and has now hit shelves, but how does it measure up to the Pokemon community's expectations?

Generation III is my second favorite generation of Pokemon. I like the starters, I like the legendary Pokemon, but I LOVE the locale. Hoenn boasts plenty of impressive locations and the new ability to soar over Hoenn increases the amount of respect I have for everything there. And speaking of new features, Alpha and Omega have a few.
The DexNav allows trainers to see what species of Pokemon is in the grass before entering and this eventually expands to show moves, ability, and even held items and IVs.
Also new are the plethora of new mega evolutions; introducing Mega Pidgeot, Mega Salamence, and Mega Steelix to name a few.
Another new feature is the new cosplay Pikachu which I could not care less about. I instantly wonder traded mine away.
Speaking of wonder trade (kind of), the PSS is back and so is Pokemon Amie and so is Super Training. It's Pokemon X but all contained in one tab of the brand-spanking-new lower screen.
As far as the story goes, it's pretty much untouched from Ruby and Sapphire with a few twists thrown in to allocate room for mega evolutions, primal reversion, and other new happenings, and after the Elite Four is beaten for the first time, the game gives you the Delta Episode to complete, which is a cool little story about Deoxys's creation.

All in all, the remastered editions of Ruby and Sapphire are every bit as amazing as the originals and then some. Are they better than Pokemon X and Y? Yes. Are they the same as Pokemon X and Y? No. Should you get them immediately? Yes.

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Pokemon Omega Ruby - 94

Pros:

 - the new soar ability
 - the additional story elements which clarify Deoxys' creation and the sheer power of Kyogre and Groudon
 - a daycare on the same island as the IV guy
 - the perfect amount of water

Cons:

 - no battle restaurants (that shoddy cafe doesn't count)

God forbid a Pokemon game have 7 damn HMs...