Richard Kain

Looks like Resident Evil 2 is increasing in price a bit from the announcement of the REmake.

That's not actually surprising. The REmake was a port of an existing GameCube/Wii release, which also got released on the PC. They changed very little in terms of content, mainly just focusing on bringing the game over to new platforms in a stable format. From what we've seen of the Resident Evil 2 remake, it is going to be a top-to-bottom revision, with different gameplay, and full-on 3D graphics as opposed to the pre-rendered backgrounds of REmake. It wouldn't be unusual for them to charge the full $60 for that. It will effectively be no different than a new game. They'll have an existing story to work from, but everything else will have to be re-tooled.

If they were giving it the same treatment as REmake, I would not look kindly on a full-priced release. But with the amount of effort they appear to be putting in, I have no problem with it. I may still wait until I can get it for less, this is CAG, after all.

And the value for my still-sealed amiibos just shot up. I might actually flip a few of them. Either that, or my nephews are going to be getting a few extras with the Switch I eventually get them.

It wouldn't surprise me if they re-printed a few of the older amiibos. But I wouldn't expect them all at once. Nintendo will likely do staggered re-prints here and there. The supply will likely continue to be sporadic. With the larger install base of the Switch, it is likely that the demand for the Smash-specific amiibos will be higher than ever. (after the launch of the game, of course)

E3 has been changing fairly drastically over the course of the preceding decade. Many within the games industry have seriously questioned the need for E3, which is part of the motivation for the changes. Last year, they actually opened E3 up to the general public, selling tickets that were explicitely for average fans and not press. (or average fans pretending to be press)

It is very true that all of the major press conferences have begun to shift to more of a pre-show time slot. I think part of this is a misguided attempt on the part of some of these companies to get their stories out first. I say misguided, because in this day and age being first isn't as important as many of them seem to think. Look at the now legendary current-gen console announcements. Microsoft had their conference first. Did it help them, in either the short or long term? No, not at all. The content of a presentation is more important than the timing. The timing will only help you if you have the content to match. Getting out early can at times be a disadvantage, as it gives your competitors time to respond to what you revealed.

The show floor is also becoming increasingly irrelevant where news is concerned. The press conferences are now where big reveals happen exclusively. The show floor is being adapted for public consumption, which means more hands-on demos and less press news.

I passed on the Vita port of Super Hydorah. I had already picked up the PS4 port, and decided not to double-dip on this one. I love me some shmups, but I don't feel that I need to go that far. For the rest of the releases, it was business as usual for me. Which basically translates to, I got one copy each of all the regular editions. I'm a very big fan of small-scale indie games. So most of these titles need to get very bad review scores before I consider not picking them up. It's happened occasionally. But for the majority of the LRG releases, I usually show up. A game that has several hundred positive reviews on Steam is going to be a no-brainer for me.

I don't "get" people who turn their nose up at 2D games, or games with older-styled graphics. But then, I did grow up during the age where such graphics were common place, so maybe I have a natural fondness for that style.

The story behind the long boxes is actually kind of fascinating. The original designs and materials used in the long boxes for Sega CD and Sega Saturn games (and even some early Playstation titles) were notoriously flimsy, and it still quite common for them to break and crack. But a lot of collectors love the things. They come with plenty of room inside for large, thick manuals and other potential extras. Working Designs made a name for themselves producing high-quality foil covers and other extremely shiny long box collectors editions. But the long boxes went out of production only a few years after the original PlayStation launched. (around the late 90s) Up until recently, the only way to get undamaged boxes for your collection was to cannibalize the boxes from other, less popular releases.

A few years back, LRG began looking into the possibility of producing their own long boxes, and even went to the expense of producing custom molds. (a pricey proposition) Another interested collector looked to China to produce his own version around the same time. So now it is possible once again to get fresh, replacement cases. The LRG designs in particular are supposed to be extra-durable, with carefully crafted molds and high-quality plastics. From early accounts I've heard, they're actually quite superior to the original cases.