What's in Store for 2012

Hey.

First off, just wanted to get it out there that my grandfather passed away two days ago at the age of 94. It's been expected for a while, but it's still a bummer to go through, especially since it's dredging up memories of what happened with Michael a year back. Thankfully, this time it's more centered on being a celebration of one's life rather then lamenting on wasted potential, and it's something I'm grateful for. Hope heaven's treating you well, Sal.

So...abrupt change of topic, but you're probably asking "Why's the next Ten Year's Reflection not up yet?!?" Because I'm lazy? Perhaps, but I attribute its failure to emerge as a striking case of deja vu. No matter what direction I tried to take the article in, I found I was parroting passages found in earlier posts, and thus the piece's importance felt less and less relevant. Spoiler: It was Super Smash Bros. Melee. It was something I didn't really want to put down, as I wanted to write the post as a way to erase the weird phobia I've associated with the game thanks to the inane Melee vs Brawl arguments that completely destroyed what the game meant to me in my childhood.

And I guess that was kind of the problem. I realized the only part I really wanted to pen was just talking about how the competitive Smash community are kind of assholes, and I'd only just be adding to the cycle. And during the holidays, no less! The Gamecube article satisfied me enough, and I deserve a break.

So, now that I've broken my promises for the 38949385893th time this year, I suppose things can only go up from here. What's going on for next year?

-In case you're wondering, the new Ten Years' Reflection feature is partially my answer to the problem I had with the individual game posts. I mean, let's face it, do I really need 8-9 posts to gush about how amazing one video game is? It was a fun experiment initially with the Super Mario Bros. Views, and to be honest I think I'll reserve it again for special occasions, but the model I've constructed with my Metroid post is something I'm much more comfortable with. It's easily adaptable for college, far less of a time sucker, and a guaranteed way to preserve my sanity.

But, there was my promise of three of these things! And two of them were delayed indefinitely. To make up for it, there will be another two I was already planning for January. Good news is that they're titles I've barely discussed at all...and they're two of my favorite video games of all time!

-And while I'm at it, I'll throw in a bonus! See, my lack of direction with the Melee feature had me chop out a portion I was unsure for adding in the ending of the Gamecube article, as I wasn't sure which piece it was more suited for. Given the current situation, the answer's pretty obvious (in fact, I'm wondering why I felt this way in the first place). I'll be adding it in within the next week. It's not TOO much, but I'd like to think the climaz will have more impact this way.

-I've thought about what I previously said regarding the large flood of Nintendo titles I have to review, and since I'm in college and considering the way I like craft gargantuan reviews I'm obviously not going to have the time to discuss them all. However, I've thought of a way to get around them, and it'll also be around next week. It's not too creative, but all I'll hint is...other game sites do it, why can't I?

That said, I'd like to make a subtle announcement. Out of the (at least) five fall-related Nintendo titles that will be discussed in the next post, one will be reviewed a month or two after, and it will be quite a notable one. How so? You'll get the general idea next time...in the form of a controversial dissenting opinion! OOoOOOOOOooooOoOooooH!

Catch you next year!