Over the last several years I've noticed that popular gaming trends have been moving in a direction that largely doesn't appeal to me. That's not to say I don't still get excited for new game. I am beyond thrilled for the release of Persona 5 in a few days. Injustice 2 looks like a stellar follow up to the first game. South Park: The Fractured But Whole seems like it's going to improve on the previous game in every way. Ni No Kuni II is sure to live up to the pedigree of the first Ni Nu Kuni. And Bloodstained already has my money and is working hard to impress.
There is a lot to be excited about even if 90% or more of the AAA releases are for a different audience these days. One thing that is very new to my "Day 1" purchase list is the exclusion of Nintendo franchises. Usually I'm 100% on board for the next Mario, Zelda, Fire Emblem and more. But my world got a lot darker on March 17th.......
When I picked up Fire Emblem: Awakening in 2012, I had no idea I was about to play what would become not only my favorite 3DS game to date, but one of my favorite games of all time. I had never played a strategy rpg, but I was aware of the Fire Emblem series' reputation as both a quality franchise and also a brutally difficult one. I might not have gotten into Fire Emblem if it weren't for the controversy surrounding developer Intelligent Systems' decision to make the series' trademark permadeath completely optional.
