Editorials

Includes articles focused on special topics, current events, opinion pieces, lists and list-based features, etc.

Wii Shop Channel’s closure shows why we still need physical games

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After twelve years in business, the Wii Shop Channel closed its digital doors for good today. Last year, Nintendo stopped allowing users to purchase Wii Points for digital products. Yesterday was the last day to redeem any remaining Wii Points toward purchases. While users can still re-download WiiWare and Virtual Console titles, as well as … Read more

Let’s Play GoldenEye 007: Revisiting the Dam Level

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GoldenEye 007 was a groundbreaking first-person shooter on the Nintendo 64 when it first came out in 1997. It still holds up surprisingly well eighteen years later with its varied mission-based gameplay, stealth elements and smart level design — not to mention the best split screen multi-player of the 90s. In many ways, GoldenEye laid … Read more

Xbox 360 10th Anniversary: The Innovations, Challenges and Games That Changed An Industry

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It might not seem possible but Xbox 360 is 10 years old. Microsoft’s second home console ushered in the longest generation in gaming history with a series of unique features that have become standard in modern consoles. No longer are gamers tethered to their consoles as wireless controllers have become a standard feature. The hard … Read more

Resident Evil 2 Remake Should Remain Loyal to Original

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Capcom excited fans yesterday with the announcement that they will be remaking the PlayStation classic Resident Evil 2 for modern consoles. The game is in its early stages of development so no gameplay or screenshots were shown. That has left a lot of people to wonder what the Resident Evil 2 Remake might actually look … Read more

Editorial | The Latest Nintendo Direct Was A Beast

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Yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation was Nintendo’s first in 2015, and the publisher wasted little time rolling out its big plans for the first half of the year. It was not a “news bomb,” it was more like an air strike of announcements.

Nintendo Direct - Jan14

Frankly, to re-cap yesterday’s Nintendo Direct is difficult, because so much was revealed: it almost felt like an E3 presser bundled into a brief presentation. By now you may have heard that the New Nintendo 3DS XL is finally coming to North America, or caught that release dates were confirmed for titles such as Majora’s Mask 3D, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Xenoblade Chronicles 3DS, Splatoon, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and more. Maybe you even spotted the upcoming “Wave 4” Amiibos, or the new Super Mario Edition lineup.

Just in case you missed anything, I will quickly tackle and summarize it all; I’d like to give a special thanks to Vlad N. for his contribution to this re-cap:

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Editorial | Cliff’s Favorite Games of 2014

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To reflect on the past year in video games, 2014 has been…to put it lightly, kind of a disappointment. As the first full year for the “new-gen” PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, I feel like both Sony and Microsoft could have come out a bit stronger. Nintendo’s hardware sales are still nothing to brag about … Read more

Editorial | On Nintendo 3DS Sales & Moving Forward

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I was browsing gaming sites yesterday, and eventually stumbled upon a great editorial featured on Nintendo World Report – the author broke down the Nintendo 3DS’s hardware sales, which have been quietly dwindling over the past few years. As he points out, the 3DS actually started off very poorly in 2014. The 3DS has been … Read more

GamerGate: Tear Down This Wall

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At Game Freaks 365, the goal and direction for our content has always been fair and unbiased coverage for all games -industry topics, current events, ‘gamer culture’ in general. We love video games and enjoy discussing them; unfortunately not everything is always ‘fun and games’, as the old saying goes.

GamerGate Editorial - GG-Banner

It’s time to address the elephant in the room – “GamerGate.”

 

Continue reading after the break as we explore the GamerGate controversy in the first of a three-part series of features dissecting the broader issue of sexism within the video game industry, game design, marketing, and subculture.

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What’s Next For The Nintendo 3DS?

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There are certainly a few very exciting Nintendo 3DS releases to look forward to – Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate are just a few names that really stand out.

Unfortunately, beyond winter 2014 and early 2015, the list starts to get pretty slim – aside from the New Nintendo 3DS, there isn’t much to look forward to. This seems highly unusual – while the 3DS has indeed seen installments from many of Nintendo’s top franchises, there are plenty that are still missing in action.

Keep reading after the jump for the popular first-party games that we hope to see announced sometime soon for the 3DS.

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The Past, Present and (Ugly) Future of Pre-Orders

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I remember the first time you could get something special by “pre-ordering” a video game.

Anyone that reserved a copy of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 before it launched in 1998 received a special gold-colored “Collector’s Edition” cartridge, with a shiny gold box. To this day, the gold carts are still quite valuable and highly sought after by collectors.

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