Nintendo Support Page Doesn't Recognize Wii U Error Code [UPDATED]

[UPDATE] After poking around Miiverse for a while, I came across two figure-heads of Nintendo. And what do they have prefixing their names? Why "Nintendo", of course. I had assumed that was the deal, but hey, it's good to finally know.

I picked up a Wii U. Yes, I broke down a bought one. Best Buy had them online, I had $85 in Reward Zone certificates, so I snagged the Deluxe edition; can you blame me?

Well, after the (far from arduous) update process, I get to create my Nintendo Network ID. I'm known around the webs as "Nintendo Tim", give or take the space there. I get error code 102-2572 on my GamePad:

Mother. Fucker.

I check Nintendo's support page for more information:

Fucking seriously, Nintendo? Your error code database doesn't have the error code for "User can't create a Nintendo Network ID"?

I look at the TV for more information. Here's the complexity rules for a NNID:

• The ID you choose will be visible to others using online services, such ast the friend list or Miiverse. Please do not include any personally identifying information or offensive content in your ID.
• Check. Sort of.
• Use between six and 16 characters. You can use numbers, letters, periods, dashes, and underscores. 
• Done. I've got 11.
• You cannot use punctuation as the first or last character of your ID. You also cannot use two or more punctuation characters in a row.
• Don't have any to begin with.

Presumably, Nintendo reserves "Nintendo" for their employees, as I've seen many NOA employees have "NOA" at the beginning of their name, so it may be to reduce confusion on a Nintendo system; I certainly wouldn't want to be hammered with people asking my questions about Nintendo-related anything, but I certainly wouldn't mind answering their questions. 

I've been "Nintendo Tim" for a while now (several years), so my only problem is...what do I name myself now?

[REVIEW] The Walking Dead: Episode 5 - No Hope Left

Release Date: November 20, 2012

System Reviewed: Xbox 360

What's Great: Fantastic end to a fantastic story. The revelation towards the end was a pretty good shocker...highlight the rest to read: the guy on the walkie was the guy who owned the car you ransacked at the end of Episode 2. He also knows (just about) everything you've done since the beginning of the game, thanks to Clementine and the walkie talkie. He serves more of a recollective purpose of the story, a way to reflect on your decisions thus far. I honestly didn't expect him to be tied in this way, and surprises are always nice. It's also not clear if Kenny actually died - at least in my playthrough - when attempting to save Ben (yes, he came along with me); I wonder if Kenny would've come with me if I had not saved Ben in Episode 4....

What's (Not So) Great: The season 2 cliffhanger. Goddamn, did I fucking yell at the TV.

Bottom Line: I...just...it's hard writing this. I knew what was coming, I knew how this would end, but goddamn it, Telltale, do you know how to pull at a man's heartstrings. I damn neared cried at the end, and I haven't done that since Final Fantasy X.

You owe it to yourself to play this in it's entirety. $5 an episode, $25 total, or $30 for the retail package next month. You won't be disappointed.

Grade: A

(I beat the game, made a few choices that actually fell with the minority of players, and nearly bawled like a fucking baby at the end.)

Xbox LIVE 10-Year Anniversary Consoles Aren't the Only Things Microsoft is Giving Away

You know that fancy-schmancy Xbox 360 that Microsoft is sending out to those that've been on Xbox LIVE Gold ever since it's inception 10 years ago? Well, it looks like they're sending out something else.

I've been on Xbox LIVE for 7 years, if you believe my "Tenure" status on my XBL profile. It's been an on-and-off relationship, as I'm currently a Free/Silver subscriber (membership expired a few weeks ago).

I just got an email from Xbox LIVE Rewards VIP Exclusives, including some snazzy stats (check out the full image after the break, tho, it says I have 0 friends (lies!), 0 hours in entertainment (believable) and 0 hours in multiplayer (definitely believable), all over the course of the past year), as well as as voucher for the little number you see above: an Xbox Anniversary-themed Helmet. It may not be free Gold, or that special system, but free, exclusive digital content to show off to others?

Yea, sure, why not?

[REVIEW] Assassin's Creed III

Release Date: October 30, 2012
System Reviewed: Xbox 360
Plays Like: Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Red Dead Redemption

What's Great: I initially gave a skeptic's eye to the idea of the Frontier: a land devoid of buildings, save for a few shacks or outposts, full of Red Dead Redemption in Colonial America. It turned out to be better than I anticipated, considering the vast amount of trees and cliffsides that allowed for climbing/free-running.

The hunting, while given more of a spotlight during the the games various tutorials than Red Dead Redemption, is more robust, what with snares and bait. You can even scan clues laying about that will indicate a certain creature, which will add to the database for that region, and will ping one for you to track and kill. But unlike RDR, you shouldn't sell the pelts or teeth you get, but they end up being supplies for crafting.

Even though Ezio is no more, I enjoyed him up until Revelations, where he became kind of annoying. Connor is actually pretty cool, but he wasn't worth his salt until he became an adult and donned the Assassin's gear. After that, the game came together, and felt like a new entry in the franchise. It's more Assassin's Creed, which is something I love.

Why I Switched from iOS to Windows Phone, Then Came Crawling Back [UPDATE]

For a while now, I've been complaining to friends and family of how "boring" iOS is. It's the same apps, the same bullshit on the phone, the same interface...Apple isn't doing enough to make iOS feel new with each major update. I even had friends tell me how much I'd miss iOS; I brushed it off with enough reasons that I would tell myself it was the right decision to make.

iOS 6 brought two major updates: Maps and Passport. Unfortunately, Maps was horrid, and Passport is lackluster, at best. It started to feel as if Apple was running into a wall, and kept trying to make the best of it. The GUI has been the same, and it feels old.

That's why when Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8, I was actually pretty excited. Android is essentially a copy/paste of iOS, so I know I won't fit in there. Samsung's Galaxy S series, while nice, isn't enough to get me to switch. With WP8 (and WP7 before it), there was a huge draw: mobile Xbox Live games.

Sure, there's your Angry Birds and your Fruit Ninjas, but it's the prospect of Xbox on WP8, the allure, the idea of it. Simply being able to play games on the Xbox service on your cell phone was just enough to get me to switch.

Sadly, I'd find out soon enough that wasn't the case.

This past Friday, November 9, I stopped by Best Buy when I got off of work to pick up the Nokia Lumia 920. After debating between HTC's 8X and the 920, I finally settled on the latter. I waltzed in, sat down at the desk with an employee who I know, and had them hook me up with the 920. After a small snafu of the contract renewal not packaging out with the phone, I walked out with a new phone, and relieved of $105. Since I'm grandfathered into AT&T's Unlimited Data, I was afraid I would lose this going to an LTE/4G device. Nope! I was actually upgraded to "grandfathered unlimited LTE/4G data". Good Guy AT&T!

Before leaving, I set up a few initial things on the new phone, such as connected accounts - Live ID, Facebook, Gmail - and the sorts, and headed home. On my drive home, I found that my iPhone was receiving emails quicker than my Lumia. "Maybe I didn't enable Push settings," I thought. While at a red light, I scurried through my settings; the quickest syncing option I had was every 15 minutes, despite having Push enabled on my iPhone. Whatever, I figured there may be something else.

I got home, perused the Store, found a few apps and trials, and settled on buying Angry Birds Star Wars (good goddamn, that game is fun). Going to dinner that night, I found my phone quickly dying, but it only had half-battery. Again, a paltry "whatever" was thrown my phone's way, despite the phone dying while at dinner. I got home, threw it on the charger, and waited.

And waited.

And. Waited.

"This phone takes for-fucking-ever to charge! My iPhone would have had a full battery by now if it was dead, too!"

That was the first thing I noticed that was bad about the phone. The list would quickly climb during Saturday, then culminate today, hence the post. I started to compile a physical list, coincidentally using Notes on my Mac, and had a bit of a Bill O'Reilly moment on my hands:

Rather than banter on and on, here's the list:

[LATE REVIEW] Gravity Rush

Release Date: June 12, 2012
System Reviewed: Vita
Plays Like: Nothing else, really.

What's Great: The gravity controls are somewhat difficult to master, but once you do, you end up flipping and flying throughout the game, and that feeling of just going anywhere you want - literally, anywhere - is remarkable. Despite being able to just fucking fly everywhere, the level design is very intricate, even thought the main job (that I've been able to discern) is to hide the power gems and warp points. The various nooks and crannies, combined with tunnels, underground passages, hidden areas reachable only by gravity manipulation, the seemingly random staircases, the world itself has an interesting high level of detail, with all things considered

What's (Not So) Great: The camera can be wonky, especially when following Kat on a rough surface, such as the side of a building with jagged levels of windows. Combat isn't friendly early on, as once you start learning new moves (Gravity slide kick and the spin drill attack) it becomes confusing on how to properly implement them, but you will eventually get the hang of it. Unfortunately, until get the hang of combat, the clunky camera can make combat fucking horrendous.

Bottom Line: Gravity Rush is a game you should play on your Vita. It's on par with Uncharted: Golden Abyss in terms of execution of a new game on new hardware, as these are, quite possibly, the best games on the system to-date. That may change come this holiday season, but if you want a game that's going to make you regret buying the system less and less, you have to play this game.

Grade: B-

(Played the game to it's completion, story wise. Earned a 58% of Trophies collected (2 being Gold), going out of my way on various occasions to grab those shiny fuckers known as Power Gems. Killed only one Rare Nevi and earned 'Top Cat' Trophy; that's the full respect of the townsfolk.)

[REVIEW] Dishonored

Release Date: October 9, 2012
System Reviewed: Xbox 360
Plays Like: Deus Ex, Thief, BioShock

What's Great: First and foremost, the one thing I loved the most was the art direction. Thanks to art director Sebastien Mitton (BioShock 2) and designer Harvey Smith (the original System Shock, as well as the first two Deus Ex games), working with Viktor Antonov - the lead director on the game, who also helped create Half-Life 2 - you have this wondrous world, built on parts from steampunk, crossed with gothic architecture, and a little BioShock Infinite, as well. Fame isn't what I'm getting at here, it's the history these gentlemen have. With wondrous games under their belt, out on store shelves and praised by critics, you have this amalgamation of brilliant ideas that culminate in a blend of fantastic art direction and level design.

Going with said level design, the multiple ways to achieve your goal is splendid, being given various ways to complete objectives. You may start out with "kill this guy" as your objective, but on your way to the boat to depart, you are given a side mission to "spare this fellow", and by doing so, you open up another method of taking out your target. Hell, you may even befriend a particular shopkeep who offers to take care of a hit, but requires the combination to an aristocrat's safe in his abandoned home as payment. Furthermore, and it must be said, the absolute beauty in the game design is that you can go through your game and not kill one...fucking...soul.

Finally, there's the Chaos system, which doesn't act as a morality system, but more of how stable the game world is. With the rampant rat plague in the world, it turns our victims into "weepers", who spew the plague forth from their mouth, and attack anything but their own kind. The more dead bodies you leave in your wake, the more food the infested rats have, and with a food supply, their numbers grow, infecting more people. Further in the game, a higher Chaos in the world means more rats, more weepers, and more, well, chaos in the game, making it more difficult (or easy, depending on how you look at it) to make your marks. The Chaos system - combined with some key choices throughout the game - will eventually tell the end-tale to your story.

What's (Not So) Great: Unfortunately, when you spend more time to the gameplay, level design, and art direction, some things get put to the wayside. Key point: the story. Not only is it convolulted, it's burdened with many sub-plot-points. I can see it as a way to help build this new fictional world, but you have (let's count): Orwellian government control on the rise, plague-infested rats, whale oil, magic, kidnapped princess, and prohibition...there is a lot going on in the game world. Just let Penny Arcade take the lead on this one.

The controls can be difficult to learn, as a few things - such as trying to subdue an enemy from behind - may not be as clear to the game as they are to you; there have been many a time where I have hit [RB] to choke a guy out, and I just bring my sword up to block. The lack of a map is the one thing that absolutely bugged the shit out of me. There are even maps you find in the game of the layout, but for some reason, you can't bring it with you and reference it. I can see in areas where a map may end up breaking the game, but if you are the former Empress' bodyguard, who is in a seemingly not-so rag-tag group of misfits, who have access to armaments and a hideout the government has yet to find, you'd think you could carry a piece of parchment with a map on it.

Mission history isn't great. I wish we had something along the lines of Skyrim, at least, where the dialogue in the mission history menu would update itself when you perform a major milestone in your current mission. Instead, we get a "Kill this guy" line, and the blurb off to the right is just about the main target, and not about the currently selected (sub)mission.

Bottom Line: With a bevy of developers with a hell of a repertoire to boot, Dishonored has shaped up to be a hell of a fantastic new IP. The ending doesn't necessarily hint at future installments, but considering Dunwal is the capitol of just one of the four islands that make up the Isles (and that Corvo had been sent away to those islands prior the beginning of the game), there is, no doubt, more to explore in this world.

Grade: A

(Completed the game on Normal difficulty, earning 24 out of 50 Achievements, totaling 430 GamerScore. To avoid spoilers, I earned the "Just Dark Enough" Achievement, which indicates I had a low Chaos level when beating the game. If you want to see what that means, highlight the following text: a successful rescue of Emily put her on the throne, and rescuing Piero and Sokolov helped create a cure for the plague. Corvo, himself, played out his duty as bodyguard to Emily, and upon his passing, was buried in the same tomb that the Empress herself was buried.)

[REVIEW] The Walking Dead: Episode 4 - Around Every Corner

Release Date: October 10, 2012
System Reviewed: Xbox 360
Plays Like: The other Walking Dead chapters; The Secret of Monkey Island

(Ed. Note: It goes without saying, but some may find spoilers in here, despite them not being blatant. You have been warned.)

What's Great: It's really hard to say great things about this, as I don't want to spoil anything here. The episode starts strong, plays strong, and ends very well. This episode doesn't see too many people die this time around (as opposed to the rack of people that were offed last episode), but you do get your hand at killing a shitload more walkers.

What's (Not So) Great: Everything to date that's been questionable still applies: odd controls, strangely worded decisions, outcomes that don't necessarily fit. It may be the downfall of point-and-click adventure games.

Bottom Line: This episode has probably been the best one so far, as it contains some pretty heavy twists and turns within the group, and not to mention it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Having your group with you is probably the most satisfying while venturing into a barricaded town. There was a slight emotional event towards the end, which may end up being a bit of foreshadowing for the final episode.

Grade: A-

(Played the entirety of the story, being lumped into the majority of the rest of players with all decisions, except for the first one.)

Wii U Launch Titles Confirmed; 23 Games to Satiate Your Wallet on Day 1

Nintendo has confirmed all 23 launch titles for the Wii U. Which ones are actually worth the money, that's up to you. Glancing over it - multi-platform and/or re-releases aside - there are some great games available, with about 15 titles (give or take) that I would be interested in, such as Assassin's Creed 3 or Ninja Gaiden 3. Remove those aforementioned factors, and the list diminishes to just two: New Super Mario Bros. U and ZombiU.

Regardless, here's your launch titles, and you can find the remainder of the "launch window" games - defined as those with release dates between November 19 and March 31 - after the break. I've taken the liberty of bolding any titles that are of worthy consideration:

• Assassin's Creed 3
• Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition
• Call of Duty Black Ops 2
• Darksiders 2
• Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
• EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13
• ESPN Sports Connection
• Game Party Champions
• Just Dance 4
• New Super Mario Bros. U
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
• Nintendo Land
• Rabbids Land
• Scribblenauts Unlimited
• Sing Party
• Skylanders Giants
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition
• Transformers Prime
• Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper
• Wipeout 3
• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013
• ZombiU

[REVIEW] Mark of the Ninja

Release Date: September 7, 2012
System Reviewed: Xbox 360
Plays Like: Shadow Complex, 2D Castlevania, Metroid

What's Great: Classic, two-dimensional exploration. There have been games that have dabbled with stealth in 2D, but this game almost nails it. The controls, once mastered, make you feel like a ninja, as you're flying across the screen, grappling to a fro, ducking into air vents, hiding out of sight.

Terrorizing guards is a absolute treat. The game's stealth is done to a point, where you could distract one guard, who's mid-conversation with another, while you dangle down from a perch point, haul him up Batman Connor-style, hide out in a secondary location, and wait for the guard to return to his conversation, only to find the lifeless body of his comrade strung up to a light post. God damn is that awesome.

Lastly, the stealth improvements are phenomenal, especially the whole "fog of war". You can't see what your character literally cannot see. Whatever is out of his line of sight becomes blurry, and any enemy that was once visible that walks away becomes blurry, then disappears, with his own last known location appearing. There's even the rings of sound that emanate from their source, be it footsteps or a dart that hits a surface.

What's (Not So) Great: Some may find the structured way that new abilities are doled out a bit of a downer, as your ability tree is slowly unlocked as you beat story-missions. One of the most powerful moves is the last thing you learn (part of the whole "tattoos give you powers" line), but is tied to a suit you have to wear, rather than an innate ability, such as freezing time. Then again, it's a trade-off, but it'd be nice to be this "all powerful" ninja.

Bottom Line: Mark of the Ninja has quickly shaped what other stealth games should be doing. Be it a new Shinobi title or Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, every game within the genre should take some pointers from this game. The guys and gals at Klei have been on a rampage since N+, followed up with the Shank games. The entire game is great, and comes highly recommended to many gamers.

Grade: A-

(Played the game in it's entirety, but wasn't masochistic enough for New Game+. Earned 22 out of 30 Achievements, worth 265 points.)