[Re-Play] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

Before Inception, there was The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. Don't know what that means? You probably haven't played it. And if you have and still don't get it... listen to some Notorious B.I.G. for the big reveal! Growing up, Zelda games were some of my favorites. I didn’t get into handheld gaming until the Gameboy Color was released. I'm not counting GameGear, because all I did on that was die as Sonic in one of his portable editions. Oh, and that Tom & Jerry game...  If I recall correctly, when I finally got into GameBoy, I played two games: Pokémon: Blue Version (my brother had Red) and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. When I wasn’t thwarting Team Rocket’s plans, I was on Koholint Island exploring its mysteries and solving puzzles along the way. Thank you, Nintendo, for all the memories. And thank you, again, for releasing this game on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

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You play as Link, our green-clad hero. The game takes place after the events of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. The game opens with Link being shipwrecked and waking up on a mysterious island. He slowly pieces together an arsenal of familiar weapons as he tackles 8 dungeons on a quest to find his way off the island.  During the dungeons, he encounters Nightmares and quickly realizes the way off the island is destroy the Nightmares,, effectively waking the Wind Fish. What are the consequences of distributing the Wind Fish’s slumber, though? The game presents itself similarly to other titles, but this time gives you much more of a direction to follow, unlike the original Legend of Zelda. Also unlike other games, main characters Zelda and Ganon, the other two Triforce holders, are only mentioned briefly or appear as imitations, in the case of Ganon. The Triforce, likewise, doesn’t appear in any way, shape, or form. In place of these familiar faces, the player is treated to a variety of other Nintendo characters, mostly from Mario games, including Goombas, Piranha Plants, and even Wart from Super Mario Bros. 2.  Despite the handheld platform, the game is extremely intricate and offers a lot to explore and collect!

How is it a new "secret" dungeon if you advertise it on the box? | mobygames.com

The Idea: Link is shipwrecked and wakes up on a mysterious island. He battles through dungeons to find a way off, which may involve waking something called the "Wind Fish". Add in Mario enemies as well as some classic LotZ enemies, and you’re good to go. After initially releasing the game, re-release it with color and an extra dungeon.

From top left, clockwise | 1, 2, 3, 4

The Look: I never played the original Gameboy one, but compared to screenshots, the colored version is clearly superior. Artistically, this Link is similar to its predecessor, giving some glorious graphics and wonderful top-down navigation. The side-scrolling segments are attractive, but somewhat repetitive in their appearance.

The Sound: The quality is fine for its time period and the tunes are classics. Additionally, the boss music is really awesome and I wish I could just use it for my everyday life. Although, hearing the same music as I traverse back and forth between dungeons (mostly across Ukuku Prairie) can get a little tedious. 

The Play: If you’ve played Link to the Past, you’ll be very familiar with the style of play. Numerous weapons and items provide our hero with a multitude of moves including jumping (Roc’s Feather), dashing (Pegasus Boots), and lifting (Power Bracelet). The majority of gameplay centers on exploration and combat. For exploration we have the aforementioned items in addition to the Hookshot, bombs, and a few other nifty tools. Mostly, Link must discover the key to opening a dungeon (be it an actual key or an event that triggers it), must navigate to the dungeon, and then conquer it. In the dungeon, Link will explore to obtain the Map, the Compass (which reveals the location of any treasure chests and the boss), the Stone Beak (used to communicate with Owl Statues in the dungeon and get tips on solving puzzles), and the Dungeon’s item. In the course of his adventures, Link will unlikely have to slice a few Moblins. For death-dealing purposes he is equipped with a Sword, a Bow, the Hookshot and the bombs. During dungeon excursions, you will encounter minor side-scrolling action that helps to break up the bird’s eye view gameplay.

www.zeldadungeon.net

The Entertainment: Aside from all of the cameos that are made, the excitment of this game lies in the truly in the heart of the series. The dungeon designs are stellar, the plot is linear, but offers some sense of freedom, and the narrative is very good given the time it was released.

The Challenge: The game really doesn’t feel “hard” at any point, but the most exciting aspects are certainly the later dungeons. In fact, there is a surprise ending available to anyone who completes the entire quest without dying once. Now that would be a challenge.

The Legacy: Link’s Awakening is one of the first Zelda games to really fine-tune what would eventually become the Zelda series’ formula. It was also a testament that sticking to familiarity is not necessary to create a great Zelda game. By removing Zelda and Ganon from the equation, the adventure becomes much less predictable, from a story standpoint. Additionally, its one of the first unsatisfying endings I remember. Not as controversial as Mass Effect 3's ending, though...

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[Gamer's Review] Mass Effect 3

Spoiler Alert! 

The following discusses Mass Effect 3 in detail, including the ending. You’ve been warned. If you’re looking for more general information on Mass Effect 3, check out the Mass Effect 3 wikia.

ME3 Cover | technabob.com

Alright… There’s an elephant in the room, so let’s get it out. The ending of Mass Effect 3 wasn’t the best. In fact, it wasn’t even very good… Okay, let’s face it; each potential outcome was the same exact thing, with different colors and slightly different textures to accompany those colors. Oh, and the flashbacks? Not necessarily of your romantic lover or your favorite squad member... just, ya know, arbitrarily picked friends. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Check the YouTube video to the right.

  

You know what else sucked about Mass Effect 3? The DLC released the same day as the game for an extra $10. Granted, the DLC doesn’t suck, but the fact that you pay extra on top of your $60 does. Aside from this, and the highly ridiculous and unfulfilling ending to a great series, the game was nearly perfect. Because it was nearly perfect, we have to examine the few glimmering oversights and errors of the game. I’ll say upfront, however, despite any and all criticisms for the game, I fully recommend and suggest readers purchase it, because it really is fantastic. In fact, looking at it objectively, the game’s story, itself, really isn’t the flawed part – moreover, it’s the politics involved outside the game’s world, where corporations and the entertainment industry reside… But, I digress. Anyway, before we dive in completely, you should take a look at my prior adventures in the Mass Effect universe here.

Just as a reminder: I played the Vanguard class through all three games and had a Paragon reputation through the first two.

The game opened up and refreshed my memory as to how everything worked. Once I got back into the swing of things, it was time to leave Earth, the human home world being decimated by the Reapers. This short introduction also set a nice tone for the adventure that was about to unfold. My Shepard was quickly thrown for a loop when Ashley, his old flame, made an appearance and accompanied him on the mission to Mars. This was an exciting moment. An old friend and lover now distrusting the main character and reluctantly helping him is a level of depth not often explored in the video game realm. It was during that time that I started debating if I would go back to Ashley, knowing she never stopped caring. Imagine the dismay Shepard felt when Dr. Eva attacked her and left her nearly dead at the end of the Mars mission. Imagine my surprise when EDI, my ship’s AI, took the body of the mechanical Cerberus operative that harmed Ashley.  It pushed my Shepard and Ashley closer together than ever before. Imagine my surprise when Miranda enters the picture again. I couldn’t help but tell Miranda that I still cared for her. And the repercussions of that were… kind of unsatisfying, to say the least.

masseffect.wikia.com

The main issue I had with telling Miranda this was not that it would continue a romantic relationship with her, but that it completely ended things with Ashley and that was the end of it. Call me a jerk (or rather, my Shepard), but when Ashley asked if I was committed to honestly putting in effort with her to make our relationship work, I said, “Yes.” Keep in mind; this is prior to meeting up with Miranda. Once I met up with Miranda and she asked if I still had feelings for her, I agreed that I did. After I confirmed my affections for Miranda, Ashley didn’t say another romantic word to me. Not only that, but she didn’t say a word to me about lying to her only moments earlier. The girl who was insanely jealous that I had a fling during the events of Mass Effect 2 all of the sudden doesn’t care that I lied? It just seemed unrealistic. Granted, the galaxy is at a point where petty arguments cannot be had because there is a lot more at stake then that, but it doesn’t make sense. This may seem like a shallow complaint, but look at the bigger picture. I’m not saying that I wish I could’ve had them both as romantic interests or condoning the fact that you can say one thing to one person but do another action. I’m simply stating that, in a real, believable world, which is what the Mass Effect universe is striving to be, a jealous woman would continue to be jealous. Oh, and she probably wouldn’t fight alongside you or support you when you kill the human’s Council representative. She would probably figure you’re not trustworthy, as she can’t even trust you with her feelings. While this is not integral to the plotline story of Mass Effect 3, these romantic relationships are integral to my Commander Shepard’s story in Mass Effect 3.  This really is a minor complaint, though; given the scale of things and the sheer amount of things you can do in the game. It’s just a note for any developers or players that had the same experience I did.

Ashley, Miranda, and EDI weren’t the only familiar faces (well, EDI’s technically wasn’t a familiar face, but you get the idea) that I came across early in my adventures. It seemed anyone and everyone I had ever came into contact with over the previous two games made an appearance in one form or another.

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Some of these people were simply “there” during a mission, like Jacob Taylor when Shepard and crew go to help some scientists evacuate their laboratories during a Cerberus infiltration. While I can’t expect every character I have ever spoken with or fought with to join my cause (because it would be unrealistic), it is still good to catch up with them and see what path their lives have taken. I may also feel this way because I didn’t really care for Jacob in the previous game, either. Other people from Shepard's past played more significant roles. One of those people, that I was elated to see, was Mordin, the Salarian Scientist and most hilarious squad member ever, in my opinion. During a mission n Sur’Kesh, the Salarian home world, Shepard finds Mordin working on a cure for the Krogan genophage. During my story, Mordin nobly sacrificed himself on Tuchanka, the Krogan home world, while uploading the genophage cure to a beacon that would disperse the cure into the planet’s atmosphere spreading it across the planet to all of the Krogan.

While the game had far too many missions (which is a good thing) to detail every single exciting adventure, some of the highlights included tackling the Ardat-Yakshi monastery on Lesuss, rescuing Jack and her biotic students from Jon Grissom Academy, the missions on and around Rannoch, and the all of the events on Thessia.  Oh, and the part with Legion in the Geth collective mind was weird… but very creative and a cool visual representation of a linked consciousness.

Combat-wise, the game played very similarly to Mass Effect 2. My memory may be faded, but it also seemed that Mass Effect 3’s cover system was a lot more responsive, but they were probably similar. I enjoyed the variety of enemies and landscapes. Favorites such as the Husks (mowing them suckers down is FUN!) and the standard Geth troopers make appearances, as do new enemies. These new foes include troops from Cerberus like Centurions, squad leaders with the ability to conceal themselves in smoke, and Phantoms, operatives the utilize close-range combat and come complete with katana-looking swords, as well as Reaper-based enemies like Marauders, Turian-mutations that can give allies armor plating, the Brute, an all-Armor Turian-Krogan hybrid behemoth, the Banshee, a Reaper-mutated Asari with crazy biotic powers, and - the big daddy of ‘em all – the Harvester, the dragon equivalent for this Sci-Fi world.

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While the variety of enemies was fine, the frequency of each variety left something to be desired. I was slightly disappointed with the ridiculously high amount of enemies that used Shields as opposed to any other protective covering, like Barriers or Armor. Granted, some of the enemies were purely Armor, such as the Brutes, and others incorporated Barriers and Armor, like the Banshee, I still felt the majority of enemies utilized Shields, at least in the first half of the game.

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Due to this, I found myself using EDI nearly every mission due to her access to Overload. If it wasn’t EDI, then Garrus was there to take her place. The few times I tried to branch out and try different combinations, I found myself wasting ammo just to break down Shields that EDI or Garrus could’ve easily decimated. Granted, once Tali came back into the picture, I was glad to use her Energy Drain ability, but by that point I had already figured out tactics for my EDI-based party configuration. Javik, the last living Prothean, is also a welcomed addition to my team. His biotic heavy arsenal and access to assault rifles makes him a great soldier, especially when in thick firefights. On a personal level, he seems to be complex and very detailed. His insight into the Reapers and the cyclical nature of their destruction is very important in understanding the story and helps us, as players, to draw conclusions and similarities based on his stories and memories. It’s odd, though, to think that he is not a streamlined part of the story – rather, he is only for those who spent the extra money on the DLC. He’s not really “story” important (read: he's not mandatory in any part of the game), but he makes understanding the antagonists easier and makes relating to the universe much more interesting. If I wasn’t such a biotic heavy player-class, I would’ve definitely liked to use Javik more.

I guess this is a minor complaint, as I still ultimately have a choice in which squad members I use, but it is still something I wish was more balanced. On the whole, however, combat was much more precise and felt a lot smoother. The variety of guns also made the game more fun, once I became more willing to explore options outside of my trust Assault Rifle. The Scorpion, a handgun that fires detonating charges, became one of my favorite (and most useful) weapons by the end of the game.

All things considered, I would highly recommend buying Mass Effect 3 so you can finish your Commander Shepard’s adventure. I realize the ending, and the few complaints I’ve outlined here may make you question whether or not it’s worth it, but the polished and engaging moments in the game far outweigh the negative aspects.

What did you think about Mass Effect 3? How did your story turn out? Leave your comments and thoughts below!

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[Re-Play] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

When not playing Mass Effect 3 (due to lack of an HDTV), I have been once again exploring the world of San Andreas on my MacBook. Admittedly, I am not a big computer gamer, so if it exists on a console, I’ll probably play it there first. What better way to become familiar with an unfamiliar medium than to play a game I already completed on console years ago. After a few minutes of configuring controls and learning how things worked with a keyboard and mouse, I quickly got my groove back and was able to start progressing through the pseudo-Golden State.

Just another day in the neighborhood | www.teamxbox.com

A shake of a spray can and the RockStar Games “R” logo appeared. This is the peak of open-world gaming in the GTA3 era. In control of Carl Johnson (CJ), the player is taken through a whole mess of events that keep the player on their toes and even managed to surprise me the second time around (like reading a good novel, I’ve forgotten some of the details). In fact, the sheer amount of “stuff” to do seems to be so overwhelming this time around. Aside from the main story (which includes everything from car jacking to shoot outs with rival gangs and a whole plethora of other less-than-legal activities), you can moonlight as a police officer, save some lives in the Ambulance, volunteer as a firefighter, or become a professional pimp. Aside from these odd jobs, you might even be interested in spending time shopping in downtown Los Santos, sightseeing in San Fierro, or gambling your savings away in Las Venturas. Whatever your interest, there is a lot to see and do in this huge, huge game.

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The Idea: Create three massive open-world sandbox urban environments based on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas and throw them all together. Fill in the in-between areas with rural country settings that help mix up game play and scenery. Add in the humor and delinquency that Grand Theft Auto titles are known for and you’ve got yourself a game. Sweeten the pot with the ability to swim (finally) and gang wars (which are really as fun as they sound).

Running after a car where the passenger is shooting at you? Good idea. | fileforum.betanews.com

The Look: The graphics don’t really redefine the word “amazing” but they are very good, especially given the time the game was released and the size of the world the player was exposed to. The level of customization in CJ was also extremely impressive given the size of the game (roughly 4 times larger than Vice City). While my CJ is pretty buff and likes to rock shades at all times of day, your CJ could be extremely overweight, wear only sweatshirts, and have a giant afro. Customization comes through the ability to change clothing, hair, tattoos, weight/muscle, and more, which gives players a ton of possibilities to play with.

The Sound: The soundtrack is awesome. Cruising around, watching the scenery while jamming to Ice Cube’s Today Was A Good Day is nothing short of amazing. Featuring over 11 radio stations with 20 DJs, there is certainly a lot to be heard. All of the voice acting was very convincing, as well. Gimme them duckets!

www.gtasanandreas.net

The Play: Controls are fairly smooth and represent the GTA universe well in this iteration. For some reason, a car turned completely on its side can be hit on the underbelly and completely turn right-side-up again (which let me complete the mission, so I’m not complaining), and of course running red lights and hitting pedestrians (note: not killing) don’t cause any police attention, but hey, that’s why we love GTA. As I noted previously, there is a crazy amount of things to see and do, and most of them work smoothly and without error. Only the lowrider mission (on the computer version) gave me any issue, as I didn’t know how to use the hydraulics at first.

The Entertainment: As I mentioned before, cruising… in a Banshee… listening to Ice Cube… Oh, but aside from that, the gang wars are still incredibly awesome. Once the missions become more complex and the “introductory” part of the game is over (for me, it felt like around the time AmmuNation’s started to become available), it becomes very, very fun. Having access to supplies and not depending on Emmett for a weapon (seriously, 16 shots in a pistol does not go far at all in Los Santos) makes for a much more enjoyable ride. And if you don’t like missions (or need a break) try the “spawn Rhino” cheat or the infinite bike jump cheat. Out running the military on 6 stars is also always a fun challenge.

Oh, ya know... just chillin' with my tank | lparchive.org

The Challenge: The game is fairly similar to what I remember. I don’t remember a lot of the details, though, so it makes the mission-to-mission story interesting and (seemingly) new. It’s hard doing some missions, though, knowing how things eventually play out… But as far as actual issues… Well, the obvious issue I have is that auto-targeting is somewhat different than I remember (if not altogether gone). Besides that, I don’t remember dying nearly as frequently in the PS2 version as I do in this one. And keep in mind; I suck less now than I did back in the day at video games, so… what’s the isssh-ya? These are minor complaints, all in all, though. I really think the game is going to get more and more challenging as I get out of Los Santos, but I’m up for it.

The Legacy: Introducing players to the first GTA game of this size was a major achievement for RockStar back in 2004.  This game is also extremely famous for causing some issues in the legal system regarding proper labeling – apparently there was an issue with some virtual nakedness and coffee!  This is also the first time we get to see San Andreas. For those of you who really enjoyed this game, get excited for a new interpretation of San Andreas later this year when Grand Theft Auto V is released!

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That about wraps it up. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got territory to watch and a reputation to uphold in my community. Off to Los Santos! While I’m gone, what’s your favorite part of GTA: San Andreas? What do you think about the whole hot coffee scandal that happened back during the game’s initial release?

http://gtawallpaperswidescreen.blogspot.com

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