Disney's Golden Age: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

And now for something entirely different! As much as technology and gaming consume a vast breadth of my attention, I have other interests as well. One of them is animation, and starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I'm going to talk about Disney films of the golden era, spanning a ten-part series ending with Sleeping Beauty. This was inspired by a fellow blogger who calls his page "The Norman Nerd", in which he recounts Disney films during their renaissance period in the 90s. I thought that was a fun idea so I figured I'd give it a try, only this time covering their nascent years and early rise to pop culture stardom.

There's some caveats, though, as I'm going to be skipping much of their musical works such as Saludos Amigos, with the exception of Fantasia. This is equal parts because I'm less familiar with those films, and also because they don't fit the typical Disney cannon.

Let's Really Talk About The Next Generation

What can you say about the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3? It's been a long and illustrious career for both of them, hasn't it? At release, they were powerful systems, and provided a level of graphics and gameplay that has left many people with few complaints. Part of this longevity is owed to the developers who have continually pushed the chips inside past their limits. They've done the impossible at times, porting games that are considered cutting-edge on the PC, and doing so with a surprising amount of their aesthetic intact.

The Last Vita Rambling This Year

Last time I rambled on the Vita, I focused on the problems it faced in a diverse market. I pointed out some things that could be done to improve the situation. I even pointed out some silver-lining in the Vita's upcoming releases, with the biggest being Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. There are others, of course, but what the Vita needs the most is a boost for this holiday season.

Thanks to aggressively-priced bundles, it did get a boost. It sold about 160,000 units during Black Friday, the most active period of the year for gift buying. This is a huge boost for a system that can only manage 50k in an average month. From a microscopic viewpoint, this is really good news. From an industry-wide perspective, this is pretty bad.

Wii U First Impressions

My friend got up early on November 18, Sunday morning so he could pick up a Wii U from GameStop the moment they opened their doors at launch. It's funny, because he didn't even pick up the Wii at launch, or the DS, but every other N-brand console and handheld where he's been old enough to buy on the day of release, he's been there. Naturally, I tagged along.

Now I've made it no secret that the Wii U hasn't generated much excitement out of me. It's hard for me to get jazzed about a system that, essentially, will just offer a resolution bump for games very similar to ones Nintendo released on the Wii. At least, that's been my attitude before I've had a chance to see one in person. But how have my beliefs changed now that it's finally out and I've had a chance to actually play with it?