Good Pipe in the Moonlight

We often seek counsel from those whose advice we subconsciously know we’d prefer.


Probably goes a long way in explaining why my
love of Conker and my general life philosophies are
in equal parts aligned and most certainly fucking
absurd

I’m sure examining that axiom more deeply is worthy of continued reflection, and hell, may even be worthy of it’s own article, but like most points I make on ATE, I refuse to elaborate on them in any satisfying or timely manner. Within that spirit, I take this moment now to mention I’m glad I finally got to start writing my series about Rare Replay, as it’s been on the brain for awhile. Rare as a company has delivered a treasure trove of material over the years, so that single compilation alone will be an absolute wellspring of enjoyable content to wax philosophical upon, as the game is filled to the brim with top notch content, and one can’t even really go wrong with nearly any title in the bunch.


Nearly

More on that down the road, and one we are even more immediately detouring from than I initially planned on, as today I was continuing to eye (in a matter of speaking) a satellite of related interests involving Rare’s offerings, but I stumbled upon the confirmation of a random oddity that turned out not to be a fevered dream after all. In celebration of Mar10 Day, (March 10th), Nintendo usually puts a spotlight on their favorite cash cow, in which to milk him further of his sweet capitalistic juices. In spite of my cynical mention of the whole affair, the events year in and year out usually do take the form of some fun events, whether they be in-game what-have-yous, or legitimate celebrations involving easter egg hunts that can score one some sweet swag. Though I’m not yet familiar with all of Nintendo’s machinations in reference to festivities entailing the celebration of Mario Day this year, I do know of one, which is starting today in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and one that can score you some sweet virtual currency that can be used for real life rewards***.


***Dead CEO’s not included

If you log into MK8D, Nintendo has up a special tournament dedicated specifically for a special community event in honor of Mario Day, the event running from today through the 17th in honor of the mustachioed bastard, and the goal is for the collective conglomerate of MK players to race an accumulative one million laps within that time frame. If achieved, every racer who helped out will receive 310 platinum points, which can be redeemed for all sorts of awesome things. Of course, any one player only needs to finish a single lap to contribute towards the grand total, but any laps the player races in that time will be added to the bottom line. Obviously, one will need Nintendo online and a My Nintendo account to claim the coins, *and* be sure to specifically enter the code 1152-2501-4827 under the tournaments tabs in MK8D in order to log the laps, but with all the said, if you burn some rubber in honor of the old plumber’s 40th anniversary, you will reap rewards thusly.


Possibly a blue shell enema in the process, but
at least it’s a worthwhile pain in the ass

Drift on my little koopas.

~Pashford

Quickie: U Doing Alright?

Hey Gamers.

As some of you are well aware, Active Time Event has hit a bit of a snag recently, and is having trouble performing on a consistent basis.

I’m getting help from some friends in the right support group, I swear.

I wanted to have a Muranica prepared for this month’s only post, but completely fucked up that entire plan by not writing one. My current machinations still reside within the realm of straight reporting, one that has me busy on a pretty consistent basis. My original plan, as noted before, was to disappoint any regular readers with a void of good ideas and no new content. I think I’ve done so adequately, but not without a sense of regret.

Something I’ve had a lot of pointers on recently.

Microsoft has done well (better than I have with ATE at least) to get back on track. They did this through taking back what they lost, namely their pride. Or more accurately, backpedalling like mad men to make  the mass majority almost forget what a tremendous flop the Xbox One reveal represented. If nothing else, Sony’s strong (or at least reasonable in comparison) performance at E3, influenced Microsoft to start doing the right thing and get their shit together.

Others I’m afraid, are still late in getting the message.

Seen here: Luigi having to whisper to the CEO that Nintendo’s  fly is unzipped and that they also shit their pants.

I can’t help but soak in the irony that the first year Nintendo celebrates “The Year of Luigi”, everyone stops paying attention to them.

Anyways…
While Nintendo doom is all the rage just about every gen, the Wii U is making enough mistakes to warrant serious concerns over the consoles focus and current popularity. I thought that the idea of the Nintendo Direct at E3 was initially a fun alternative that would set the company apart in a sea of new hardware. While enticed by some of the software on show, having had some time to think about it, “fun” isn’t the first word starting with the letter F I would use to describe Nintendo’s  decision to skip out on E3.

Fucking losing it is the one I would pick.

I’m hoping Nintendo is at least just repeating old mistakes, waiting to get their first wind before they start actually participating in this current gen. Normally, Nintendo has  slow momentum in supporting their system, but have at least one  excellent launch title along the lines of Mario 64, Melee, or Wii Sports to blow everyone out of the water with.

The WIi U’s coolest launch title, already confirmed not getting a sequel.

Keep in mind, I love my Wii U, had a fantastic time with it at launch, and use the thing almost daily. I’m putting aside my fervent gaming bias however, and assessing basic realities in which everyone else lives in. Namely, the one where the best game (opinion alert) at the Wii U launch (Zombi U), sold so poorly, Ubisoft has already denied a sequel, and informed everyone the poor sales on Zombi U was the main reason to make Rayman multi-platform.

Here’s to a successful Wii U launch, Nintendo.

 Pikmin 3 is coming out within a weeks time, and many other titles (even none Zelda ones) are on the horizon for the Wii U. This means little to everyone who have had their console since November, but at least reassures me Nintendo is aware they are a company that needs to make money on an investment at some point. Having the same lack of games throughout this holiday season, with the PS4 and Xbox One launching, would be the last proof I need to convince me everyone on Nintendo is in fact on drugs.

Pictured: The Drug Nintendo Is On.

 I’m still betting on all three companies, as I have no want or need of another video game console that has absolutely no value. Sony just needs to keep (for once), setting a good example, Microsoft needs to keep following the good example, and Nintendo just needs to be reminded of how to be a good example.

Or else this will be the face of every Wii U owner you will meet.

 Happy Gaming,
Pashford