It's Almost October 14

There are two things I want that are being released next Tuesday. Those two things are Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus and the PlayStation TV. I already have Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus paid for thanks to a Best Buy gift card I had.

The PlayStation TV still needs to be paid off though. I have been trying to make sure that I avoid spending money on games and anything related to games. I have done a decent job about it. I think I have saved over $800. Yeah... I buy too many games. But I don't play them, let alone review them. Sigh.

Speaking of not beating games, I need to finish Senran Kagura Burst on the Nintendo 3DS. It is the game that really got me into the series and I had forgotten how much fun it was. I played some Burst yesterday as I recorded some gameplay footage for both Burst and Shinovi Versus. I thought it would only be appropriate to make a comparison video of the Shinobi Transformations and intros and so forth. For now, I'm only doing a comparison video for Asuka. I may do more down the road, but I'll see how this goes down first.

Like always, I have been going back and forth in regards to buying a PlayStation TV. I already own a Vita and I love playing games on it. It would be pretty cool to play games on my monitor, but I just don't know if it'll be worth it in the end. I'll continue to think about it. I also have to figure out if I really want to sell the games I have been thinking about selling. Yet another thing to think about. I am running out of time though.

There will be a standalone PlayStation TV unit and a limited edition unit. The standalone PS TV comes with the PlayStation TV system, an HDMI cable, an AC adaptor, and an AC power cord. It will cost $99.99.  The limited edition PlayStation TV bundle comes with everything aforementioned, as well as a DualShock 3 controller, an 8GB memory card, a voucher for The LEGO Movie Videogame for PS Vita, and a USB cable. The PlayStation TV limited edition bundle will cost $139.99.

Are you planning to buy either Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus or the PlayStation TV? Or both? Let me know what you're thinking about doing in the comments section.

First Impression: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

I was able to play Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS a couple of weeks before its official release. Because I was a Platinum Club Member, I was able to download the demo a week before everyone else. I had a lot of fun with the demo. The demo showed some promise. Now that I have been playing Super Smash Bros on the 3DS, I confidently confirm that I am in love with this game. It is an awesome handheld experience.

Having played PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale on the PlayStation Vita, I knew what to expect from an all out brawl on a small screen. That being said, I actually preferred PS All-Stars on the Vita over its PS3 counterpart. I don't know if that will be the case once the Wii U version of the game comes out, but I think I will love both of them equally. I just might enjoy it more on a bigger screen is all.

I had been wondering what it would be like to play as Zelda or Sheik since Nintendo chose to make them two characters instead of one. I was also intrigued by the decision to have Samus and Zero Suit Samus be their own characters as well. Much to my surprise, I have yet to play as Zelda or Samus as I have had a lot of fun playing as Sheik or Zero Suit Samus. So far, I think my favorite character in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS is Zero Suit Samus.

That being said, I have also played as Link, Toon Link, Pikachu, and Mega Man. I still have a lot of characters to try out. Gameplay wise, I am impressed how well this game performs on the 3DS. I was worried that I wouldn't like using the Circle Pad, but I have slowly become accustomed to it. It takes some getting used to.

I plan to write a full review of the game some time this month. I will let you know via Twitter where I am at with the review. I want to play the game some more before I give my final verdict of the game. I do have some problems with the game, but again, I will save those concerns for the review.

Did you get Super Smash Bros. for the 3DS? Are you also planning to get the Wii U version of the game? Let me know in the comments section.

Gaming Slump

Friends, I'm in a slump—more specifically, a gaming slump. Pretty sure that the title gave it away.

The number of games I have in my collection is sometimes overwhelming. Sadly, that doesn't stop me from buying a game I want even though there's a good chance I won't play it right away. When I turn on any of my consoles or handhelds, I sit looking at the UI while I contemplate which game I should play.

About an hour ago, I turned on my PS3 to play The Last of Us. I managed to play two multiplayer matches and then I chose to quit playing. Is it because I am getting older? Is it because I am losing interest in video games? Is there not enough time in my life for video games?

Here are my answers to those questions: Yes, I am getting older. No, I am not losing interest in video games. In fact, I am discovering new interests with video games. There is enough time to play games. I may not play them nearly as much as I used to as a teenager, but there is time.

As I write, I think I am beginning to understand why this gaming slump is happening. The overall reason is this: I am not playing video games the way I used to as a teenager. During my pre-teen and teenage years, I shifted over to the PlayStation brand. Games like the Final Fantasy series and Metal Gear series really caught my attention, and I first experienced them on a PlayStation. When we got a PlayStation 2, I played Gran Turismo for the first time and owned my first Naughty Dog game (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy). I began having new experiences on the PS2 that I didn't think were possible while playing on the original PlayStation.

To get to my point, I was playing games to play games. Things really changed a little after my family got a PS3. We got our PS3 a year after it was released. At the time, there weren't Trophies. I didn't even know what Trophies were until I got Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I managed to get Platinum Trophies on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and LittleBigPlanet. I've actually gotten the Platinum Trophy twice on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune because I began using a new PSN name.

Trophies, to a certain degree, began to be an obsession for me. My focus shifted from playing games to obtaining Trophies. I have mentioned through various posts of the small competition a friend and I have about Platinum Trophies. That hasn't help with the obsession I found myself trapped in.

More often than not, I encounter a situation in which I look at how long it would take to Platinum a game prior to buying the game. Not only that, but I can't justify myself playing a game from yesteryear because they don't have Trophies. That makes writing reviews hard when I don't make an effort to play a game from the past. In fact, even wanting to write reviews for the games I have has been contributing to my gaming slump.

In reality, Trophies don't really matter. I made the unfortunate conclusion that they did, but they really don't. I will still want to increase the number of Platinums I have in my Trophy list, but I will do a better job of not making it a priority. After all, I am a gamer. I play games to play games. Trophies (or Achievements for that matter) are just a nice appendage to the world of gaming. I'm glad I took the time to write this.

I don't expect my focus to instantaneously shift back to the way it originally was when I first started gaming, but I will make it a goal. I will continue to obtain Trophies and I will continue to write about games, but I will remember what my focus: playing games to play games. "Let's play a game."