El mundo , ha podido entrevistar a Eiji Aonuma, uno de los responsables en el proximo Zelda para Wii.

En la entrevista ha declarado que con este Zelda tienen la intención de superar a Ocarina of Time, entre otras cosas dice que este nuevo Zelda tendrá un cambio radical para innovar, y según podemos apreciar el proximo Zelda sera tecnicamente superior a cualquier otro.

Superarse es algo muy complicado. Además, las cosas del pasado pasan a nuestros recuerdos y allí dentro se hacen cada vez más grandes. Si ahora juegas a Ocarina of Time, te das cuenta de que no es un juego tan tan bueno. Hay momentos en los que no se mueve tan rápido como debería, los gráficos no son tan bonitos como deberían, hay partes algo confusas… Ahora cualquier Zelda es técnicamente superior. Todo va mucho más rápido, mucho mejor… pero para superar aquel Zelda de Ocarina of Time, lo que se necesita es aportar un cambio equiparable al que se vivió en aquel momento. Y eso será algo bastante complicado. - Eiji Aonuma

En aquel momento hubo muchas cosas que no pude hacer por limitaciones técnicas. Las máquinas no eran tan potentes. Sin embargo, creo que con los sucesivos juegos de Zelda he ido subsanando todos esos errores y deficiencias que veía en Ocarina of Time. En cada Zelda he intentado ir añadiendo cosas que en su momento no pude hacer. En realidad es como si hubiese estado haciendo un remake a lo largo de estos años, solucionando todos esos problemas técnicos que en aquella época eran insalvables. Si me preguntas si va ha haber un remake de Zelda, te contesto que creía que había estado haciéndolo todo este tiempo… pero debe ser que no lo he hecho demasiado bien, no he llegado al nivel que se esperaba. - Eiji Aonuma

También c0menta que tiene  una buena relación con Miyamoto al cual le tiene mucho respeto, y que aún le falta mucho para llegar a alcanzar a tal genio.

Creo que tenemos distintas formas de ver las cosas porque Miyamoto es directamente un genio, su talento es innato, y yo todo lo que sé hacer lo he tenido que ir aprendiendo muy poquito a poco.[...] Por supuesto, cuando Miyamoto ve cualquier cosa que a mi se me ha pasado y me dice “¡Esto es imposible! ¡Esto no puede ser así!” siempre discutimos, pero con mucho respeto. [...] Aún así a mi me queda muchísimo para poder llegar su nivel. - Eiji Aonuma

Y por supuesto, también  ha comentado sobre el proximo Zelda para Wii, y dice que exprimira al maximo todos los aspectos de Wii, y a pesar de que actualmente la consola de Nintendo tiene limitaciones tecnicas prometen crear un juego realista.

Con el juego de Wii queremos hacer lo mismo, exprimir al máximo las posibilidades que ofrece el control. Queremos conseguir la mejor forma de que el jugador controle el juego. En Wii la cámara es una cámara mucho más real, los gráficos también son más realistas y el control, por lo tanto, deberá ser mucho más realista. – – Eiji Aonuma

Marconintendo

On insistera jamais assez sur l’importance du Sound Design que ce soit pour le cinéma ou le jeux vidéo ou encore tous supports multimédia. Cet article a pour but d’exposer le rôle de deux composantes du Sound Design : la musique et les bruitages.

Dans un premier temps, parlons de la musique. La musique joue plusieurs rôles : elle accroit l’immersion au sein d’un univers ; elle permet à l’utilisateur-joueur de se repérer dans cet univers à travers des boucles. Un bon exemple pour illustrer ces deux rôles est le jeu Zelda, ocarina of time. Dans ce jeu, chaque niveau à une musique lui correspondant. Ainsi, lorsque l’on se trouve au château d’Hyrule, dans le temple, chez les Zoras ou chez les Gorons, la musique est différente. A chaque fois que le joueur entre dans l’un de ces niveaux, il retrouve la même musique. Grâce à ce procédé, le joueur identifie immédiatement l’endroit où il se trouve. D’autre part, en participant à l’action et en illustrant la scène, le joueur s’immerge encore plus dans l’histoire.

Mais lorsqu’on parle de Sound Design, on ne parle pas seulement de musique. On doit également parler des bruitages, qui jouent un rôle déterminant dans une scénarisation interactive. Ainsi, lorsque le joueur utilise un objet (le déplace, le lance, tir avec un fusil…) cet objet émet un son. Chacun de ces sons participe à la création d’un univers. Par exemple un univers futuriste va chercher à avoir un design sonore futuriste, tout comme un univers réaliste va, lui, chercher à rendre réel l’utilisation des objets. De plus, les sons permettent également de donner des indications sur le lieu où l’on se trouve (comme sa taille par exemple). Les bruits de pas d’un homme qui marche dans un hall de gare seront différents de ceux d’un homme qui marche en pleine rue.

La musique et les bruitages participent donc activement à la création d’un univers. C’est pourquoi il est important dès le départ d’avoir une idée claire de ce que l’on veut faire à ce niveau.

Mood: Tired
Listening to: Nebula (feat. Hatsune Miku) – Tripshots

Greetings! I thought I should maybe make an entry to prove that I’m still alive. I’m aware that I only get like 2 hits a day, but the fact that I don’t blog daily is probably what causes that. Oh well, rofl.

Been kind of busy with college. It’s not like I don’t have free time, but most of that free time goes to watching various crimeshows (like NCIS and CSI Miami) and playing video games. I picked up Zelda: Twilight Princess again the other day and I’ve been playing that. It’s finally grown on me, despite the irritation I’ve expressed with it in the past. I still like OoT and TWW better, but I think I originally may have judged Twilight Princess a little harshly for not being OoT. xD

In college-related news, philosophy class has finally grown on me, now that we’re talking about stuff that is a little more interesting (i can only take so many arguments for the existence of god – it’s a relief to be done with that unit) and I can argue with everyone without being afraid that someone might come find me after class and punch me in the face for being agnostic.
The problem is now I’ve been assigned a marathon of essays – but 1 and a half of 3 of them are done. My philosophy essay is done, now I just have to finish my english essay on Hamlet (shudder. my hamlet rant is too long, we won’t talk about it) and the do my history essay before thanksgiving. I finished enrollment for my next semester of classes, which was hellish. I like how a lot of the classes I really really want are in other branches of the campus I can’t possibly get to, or at weird times that I can’t make.

In more gaming news, the new Zelda DS game Spirit Tracks is out [Edit: ACTUALLY IT'S NOT NVM], as well as Dragon Age: Origins, which I’ve had my eye on for awhile now. I can’t decide which one I want more. It’s not like I don’t have enough money for both, but it would still be a little pricey to go out and buy both… I’ve decided to pick one around thanksgiving, so that I don’t have them around to distract me from those essays I’m supposed to write. The game I really wanted this year, Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the moon, is unfortunately not due until Februrary, and the other game I really want, Pokemon Soul Silver, isn’t due out until Q2 2010 at the moment, so I have to wait on those. But there’s a whole host of geeky shirts from Thinkgeek on my christmas list instead, like this one and this one.

Also, Star Trek 2009 is due out on Blu Ray and DVD soon, and I’m so excited I can barely contain myself. I’ve pre-ordered the Blu Ray copy and it will arrive at my house on or close to the release date and I will scream like a fangirl. End of story. Speaking of Star Trek, I sure wish I could get into the Star Trek Online closed beta. Oh well, it’s probably better that I don’t have it too to distract me from college. I’m waiting [im]patiently for the open beta.

As far as my blog goes, while I haven’t been posting a whole lot, I still do update my fanlistings page a bit more frequently, so it’s not like I’ve abandoned this thing completely.

Anyway I’m going to go maybe write a little more of my Hamlet essay before swearing at it and darting off to the TV to play Phantasy Star Online or maybe grabbing my DS and playing some Magical Starsign. <3
Wisenri out!

~Aurelia

From the Distributor
Imported from the UK! No one can question the courage of the Hero of Time, the true bearer of the Triforce and Master Sword. At the beginning of the Nintendo 64 game title The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link unsuccessfully tries to save the Great Deku Tree from the evil curse placed by Ganondorf. However, with the help of his fairy companion Navi and a host of other friendly faces, he sets out on an adventure across time to banish the evil forces of Ganondorf from Hyrule!

First 4 Figures is hugely proud to present Link from the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time game! His pose shows him winding up for his signature spin attack. Not only has Link been faithfully recreated, but so has the Master Sword and Hylian Shield. Link wears the distinctive Goron Tunic which protects him from extreme heat, or the blue Zora Tunic which allows him to breathe underwater. Cast in high-quality polystone, the superb statue is hand finished and hand painted. Link stands upon a diorama base and includes a dungeon map and dungeon key for added realism. Each statue is limited to only 1,250 pieces worldwide. Preorders ship on January 27, 2010.

Recentemente o usuário do youtube,  genivf2, postou um vídeo que mostra o antigo Legend of Zelda Ocarina os Time rodando em um emulador com uma resolução de 5760×120, em três monitores simultâneos e som sunrround. Confira e babe com um game de 1997 que já tinha suporte para tal tecnologia.

E pra quem não lembra ou não viu, vejam como era a versão original que rodava a 320×240 no Nintendo 64.

maiores informações
http://www.ovelho.com/content/zelda-x-3

I originally did this a year ago on a Matrox Triplehead setup now that I got a HD video camera I figure I make the video. This video was done with ATI 5870 Eyefinity at 5760×1200 resolution over 3x 24″ monitor

This a Zelda Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64. I ran the ROM with Project64 v1.7 emulator.
I almost poop my pants when I loaded the game up and it runs in H and support triplehead surround perfectly (at least the 3D part).

After I that I tried a whole bunch of N64 games but sadly none of them work properly. As far as I know this is the only N64 game rom that runs in H . Imagine that, the game came out 12 years ago (1997) and runs on 320×240 on a tube TV.

Tradução Google

Inicialmente eu fiz isso há um ano em uma instalação TripleHead Matrox agora que eu tenho uma câmera de vídeo HD eu acho que fazer o vídeo. Este vídeo foi feito com a ATI 5870 Eyefinity na resolução de 5760×1200 mais de 3x 24 “monitor

Este um Zelda Ocarina of Time do Nintendo 64. Corri a ROM com o emulador Project64 v1.7.
Eu quase cocô minhas calças quando eu carreguei The Game-se e corre na H e TripleHead apoio surround perfeitamente (pelo menos a parte 3D).

Depois que eu tentei um monte de jogos de N64, mas, infelizmente, nenhum deles funciona corretamente. Tanto quanto eu sei que este é o único jogo rom N64 que é executado em H. Imagine que, The Game saiu há 12 anos atrás (1997) e roda em 320×240 em uma TV de tubo.

achado no http://ovelho.com

Não sei até que ponto devem ter ouvido esta definição, Ocarina of Time 2D, foi um projecto de Daniel Barras com cerca de 6-7 anos que se baseava em recriar o mundo e a aventura de um dos melhores jogos de sempre, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time em duas dimensões, nomeadamente com grafismo copiado/alterado/baseado em A Link to the Past, da mesma série.

Num resumo menos aborrecido, o americano Daniel Barras lançou três demos de engine, com Link a andar numa área limitada, a conversar, a levantar arbustos, com direito aos corações e rúpias da praxe e formou a comunidade/fórum/site: Zelda Fan Game Central, onde várias pessoas fazem e promovem os seus jogos baseados em Zelda. Ficou de lançar a famosa “Demo 4″, que já incluiria a 1ª dungeon, a Great Deku Tree. Foi atrasada e atrasada, entretanto, casou-se, divorciou-se, foi para o Iraque, casou-se outra vez, e nunca mais se falou no Ocarina of Time 2D do Daniel Barras.

Especifico o autor porque, no fórum ZFGC, principalmente após a ausência de Daniel Barras tornou-se moda fazer Ocarina of Times 2D à toa. O Manel fazia com gráficos do A Link to the Past, o José também, o Jaquim também, mas eram todos iguais ou nada acrescentavam. O Luís Maria fazia com gráficos do Minish Cap, o Paulo Matias com gráficos dos Zeldas do Game Boy Color, o Toino Zé fazia com desenhos do filho de 5 anos, enfim. Resumidamente, nenhum passou da dita Great Deku Tree, destinados todos a desistência precoce.

Mais recentemente, decidiram deixar de trabalhar individualmente, e formou-se uma equipa actualmente com 6 pessoas (liderada por Xfixium, nome fictício usado nas internetes) que, tal como a outra, ainda vão no início, no entanto as imagens são promissores. Quem sabe o trabalho de equipa e os erros de projectos passados tenham servido de lição a estes jovens. Com sorte ainda chegam à Dodongo’s Cavern. :O

Para os adeptos da série, pode-se constatar que este projecto conta com um grafismo baseado tanto em A Link to the Past, Minish Cap e Four Swords Adventures (que misturava ambos).

Por agora ainda só há algumas imagens da primeira área disponíveis mas, com sorte, teremos num futuro próximo uma demo.

O progresso deste projecto, bem como mais informações poderão ser encontradas no respectivo tópico em: http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=30924.0

Vale a pena uma vistinha de olhos, ou ver os comentários, mas no momento deste post não tem muito mais informação do que a que coloquei aqui.

Buenas. Otra ves por aquí para quitarles algo de su tiempo. En esta ocasión les hablare sobre una consola ya un poco pasada en años, bastante impopular y que quizás a muchos de los lectores les resulte por completo indiferente, pero aun así, y apelando a la reivindicación histórica que se merece, en los siguientes párrafos intentare contarles un poco sobre lo que el Game Cube tenía –y aun tiene- que ofrecer.

¿A que viene todo este rollo? Muy fácil ¿Les suena el Dolphin? Pues es El emulador del Cubo, en cuyas últimas versiones ha logrado establecer una emulación relativamente decente, y que sin duda dará mucho que hablar durante los próximos años, cuando comience el redescubrimiento en la Web de los JUEGAZOS exclusivos que el Game Cube de Nintendo ostentaba en su un tanto limitado (pero aun así notable) repertorio.

Haciendo algo de historia, por si alguien no lo sabía, el Game Cube fue la consola hogareña de Nintendo que secundo al popular N64, con no tan buenos resultados como sus predecesores. Son varias las razones que propiciaron esto, pero  es mas que nada por la dura competencia que ofrecieron las consolas de la competencia, principalmente el dúo PSX-PS2 de Sony y la XBOX (posteriormente XBOX 360) de Microsoft, además del ya mencionado cuestionamiento a la plantilla de títulos disponibles para la misma, que no pasa de la centena (de juegos dignos). Otro GRAN inconveniente que precipitó la caída del Cubo fue la explosión del famoso debate “¿Los videojuegos son sólo para niños o para todas las edades?”, dilema que cualquiera con un mínimo de contacto en el área sin duda a oído hablar, y que se ha mantenido constante desde los albores del género, pero fue en esta época donde la burbuja estalló, con perjudiciales resultados para la gran N. Aunque no nos precipitemos con las conclusiones.

¿Es realmente la Game Cube una consola para niños?, en lo absoluto, aunque si es muy cierto que el marcado tono familiar de la mayoría de los juegos disponibles para la misma es inconfundible, pese a que esto tampoco tiene que ser necesariamente algo malo. Profundizare un poco más al respecto. En aquellos tiempos, las consolas de la competencia comenzaron a apuntar mas que nada a los adultos-jóvenes, personas ya veteranas en el sector, principalmente a los herederos disconformes del Famicom y del Genesis que, a medida que van envejeciendo, comienzan a inclinarse hacia juegos más “maduros”, de contenidos profundos y mucho más explícitos, es decir, no tan infantiloides ni argumentalmente primitivos como eran los juegos que antes levantaban sus pasiones. Los tiempos cambian y las prioridades de las personas también. Así lo entiende el mercado, la competencia, pero aun con toda la evidencia empírica en su contra Nintendo se rehúsa ha abandonar su inclinación ancestral, el tono familiar, que con el tiempo se convertirá en la marca de casa de la compañía.

Pese a intentos aislados –y muy interesantes, de paso- por atraer a un público mayor, el fuerte de la consola siempre estará dado en este tipo en particular de videojuegos. Dentro de este lote destacan todos los Marios y compañía (se cuentan por decenas) que sin exagerar acaparan aproximadamente el 50% de los títulos dignos para el Cubo. El resto lo ocupan las dos entregas exclusivas de Zelda para esta consola y los remakes de las versiones de Nintendo 64  (Zelda Master Quest y otro más); Los Pokemon`s Colosseum uno y dos, el Soul Calibur 2 (con la gloriosa incorporación de Link en la plantilla de personajes), el Resident Evil Zero y RE 4 en conjunto con el remake de la primera, segunda y tercera entrega de la saga. Otro título exclusivo interesante es el remake del Metal Gear Solid de PSX (sobresaliente en todos los sentidos posibles), y salvo algunas menciones honrosas aparte (Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, Ikaruga, Baten Kaitos, el remake del Skyes of Arcadia de Dreamcast, Rogue Leader, entre otros), eso sería todo. El resto vendrían a ser los sucedáneos de Mario, es decir, los innumerables Marios Party, Tennis, Soccer, Golf, Double Dash, Sunshine, Paper 2, DDR Mix, Smash Brothers Melee, Luigi`s Mansion, etc., etc.

Como quizás habrán apreciado ya,  el Cubo también tiene la particularidad de ser la consola de la nostalgia, al recopilar una buena cantidad de remakes muy amplia y singular. Un enorme porcentaje de los títulos dignos corresponden a reediciones de juegos viejos, originalmente aparecidos en otras consolas.

Como sea, démosle un veloz repaso a lo realmente importante de este asunto, es decir, los juegos, para ver si nos sacudimos de encima un par de mitos que no han hecho mas que servir como sustento a los prejuicios tan sombríos y desprovistos de toda racionalidad que no hacen mas que ofuscar la verdad detrás de esta especie de niebla formada por preconcepciones.

Fuera de meros enunciados, comenzare describiendo brevemente lo que a mi gusto, absolutamente subjetivo y parcial, son los mejores y mas interesantes juegos de la consola:

-Resident Evil Zero; 4 & Remakes: El RE Zero es un título muy atractivo por varias razones. Primero que nada porque argumentalmente se sitúa antes que la primera entrega de la saga, propiciando variadas y sensuales referencias a sus predecesores (¿o antecesores? No estoy seguro), además de complementar ciertos vacíos en la historia y en el correcto desarrollo de los acontecimientos generales. Segundo, ya que de alguna manera modifica, a la vez que mantiene el clásico Gameplay y engine gráfico de la saga. Me explico. Digo que altera el Gameplay ya que innova en ciertos aspectos especialmente relevantes, como por ejemplo el hecho de utilizar simultáneamente a dos personajes a la vez, no existir los útiles baúles teletransportadores que ignoraban las reglas del espacio-tiempo, la posibilidad de dejar en el suelo los ítems, entre otras cosas más. Se mantiene fiel el engine gráfico según es tradición en la saga, incorporando bellísimos gráficos render, al contrario de lo que ocurre por ejemplo con el Code Verónica X y sus sucesores, enfocados más en el aspecto poligonal (lo cual de paso no me desagrada en lo absoluto).

La tercera razón vendría a ser en lo polémico de su lanzamiento. Atravesando varias consolas, retrazando indefinidamente una y otra vez su salida al mercado, entre otros cotilleos jugones que no vienen al caso.

El RE 4 es el juegazo, y no hay mucho más que decir sobre ello, más que mencionar que la versión de GC es bastante reducida en comparación con la de PS2.

Sobre los remakes, destaca el de la primera entrega de la saga. De nombre “Resident Evil” a secas,  revive los acontecimientos acaecidos hace ya tantos años en nuestras viejas y olvidadas PSX`s de antaño. Tanto a nivel gráfico como sonoro está a la altura de una obra maestra. El grado de fidelidad con la versión original es monstruoso, aunque eso si el juego ha sabido adaptarse a los nuevos tiempos y muchas localizaciones, eventos y demases son originales de esta adaptación. Recordemos que este es el único Resident donde los zombies solo pueden ser asesinados mediante incineración o haciendo estallar su cabeza, por lo que el grado de dificultad puede resultar bastante alto para los novatos, al igual como ocurría con la primera entrega de la saga en sus tiempos.

Este juego tiene un montón de extras, entre los que destacan el modo “prototipo” donde los baúles no están vinculados entre si y la mira no es automática, aumentando la dificultad del juego en un 900%, y el modo fantasma donde los enemigos son invisibles, transformando el juego en un suplicio interminable.

Los restantes remakes (RE 2 y 3) son clavaditos en todos los sentidos a las versiones originales de los mismos, por lo que no vale la pena referirse a ellos.

-The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker;  Twilight Princess & Remakes: Wind Waker es famoso por sus singulares gráficos –Cell-Shaded- que a muchos gustan, a otros no tanto, en fin. Esta entrega en apariencia es bastante menos “oscura” y dramática que sus antecesores (a los cuales me referiré enseguida), pero lo que parece ser un juego sencillo, nada pretencioso e infantil, en realidad es un videojuego de una dificultad considerable, sumamente extenso, con una línea argumental profunda e intrigante, entre múltiples virtudes más que hacen de esta entrega una de las mas queridas por los fans de la saga.

De Twilight Princess no puedo decir nada ya que solo he jugado la introducción, pero a nivel grafico es bastante sobresaliente. El protagonista esta vez tiene un “look” mucho más adulto y maduro, y los análisis que se le hacen no son nada malos. Es considerado casi unánimemente por la crítica especializada con “el mejor Zelda de todos los tiempos”. Record histórico en evaluación en diversas revistas especializadas del sector lo confirman.

Además de estas dos versiones originales del GC, también podemos encontrar los Remakes del “Zelda: Ocarina Of Time” y su secuela directa, “Majora´s Mask”. Sobre el primero se encuentra contenido en el juego “Master Quest”, disco que acompañaba al Wind Waker, y que además de la adaptación  del juego -absolutamente igual a la versión de 64- se encontraba una adaptación del mismo, pero con dificultad aumentada y uno que otro extra. El Majora´s MaskZelda: Collectors Edition” pero los rumores dicen que  las conversión presentaba problemas de diversa índole (tales como inconvenientes para salvar, entre otros), pero a falta de confirmación oficial no puedo pronunciarme objetivamente al respecto.

-“Metal Gear Solid – Twin Snakes” REMAKE: Uno de los mejores juegos de la historia, adaptado a los nuevos tiempos. El MGS de GameCube es uno de esos videojuegos que simplemente no pueden ser pasados por alto. Tanto a nivel argumental como de Gameplay es idéntico a la versión original de PSX, pero los gráficos han sido concebidos de una manera exquisita. El nivel de dificultad también permanece intacto. Gran juego, nada más que decir.

-Pokemon Colosseum 1 & 2: Estas son versiones de Pokemon bastante fuera de lo convencional. Si esperabas algo similar al “Pokemon Stadium” de 64 te llevaras una gran sorpresa. Estos juegos, al igual que en las en las entregas de Game Boy, poseen modo historia, con la salvedad de que en vez de atrapar pokemons salvajes en la hierba debes robarlos a entrenadores (solo puedes apoderarte de Pokemons Shadows, es decir, de pokemons que han sido infectados por una “sustancia” que detiene su crecimiento y los vuelve super-agresivos) purificar sus corazones y utilizarlos para vencer a las fuerzas del mal. Que más podríamos pedir.

-Super Smash Brothers Melee: De todos los juegos que he mencionado hasta ahora, este es el primero que realmente saca partido del modo multijugador. Uno de los videojuegos de pelea considerados por la crítica con personajes “mas equilibrados”. Sencillo de aprender pero duro de pelar, son las mejores palabras para describir este juego. La verdad no soy muy experto en SSBM, por lo que limitaré a mencionar que la plantilla de luchadores, pese a aparentar ser muy numerosa, en realidad consiste en nada mas que en una limitada cantidad de personajes “principales” (por ejemplo Pikachu) y en igual cantidad de personajes “secundarios” (por ejemplo Pichu) que no son mas que adaptaciones de los mismos personajes bases, con las mismas técnicas y todos, con la única diferencia de poseer mayor o menor velocidad de reacción que el personaje original, mayor o menor daño, entre otros detalles.

Por lo demás es un juego genial, la mar de divertido y que puede generar por si solo horas interminables de entretención con amigos.

-Mario Party 4, 5, 6 y 7: Estas son las versiones de la popular saga “Party” del carismático Mario. En ciertos Estados de EE.UU es considerada como una forma de blasfemia el no conocerlos, por lo que si nunca los han probado les recomiendo que no pierdan mas tiempo y le den una probada a lo que son probablemente uno de los juegos mas adictivos jamás creados por el ser humano.

De todas estas entregas la que mas me agrada es la séptima (me parece la mas equilibrada e imparcial de todas), pero en gustos no hay nada escrito.

-Ikaruga: Este es un shooter de naves bestial con un nivel de dificultad absurdo. Su duración completa no excede la hora de juego y la nave espacial que manejas solo tiene tres comandos, disparar rayos negros, blancos y un láser cargado, pero pese a lo simple de su planteamiento, este es sin duda uno de los juegos más interesantes para la consola. Originalmente lanzado en Dreamcast (ojo, este no es un remake de la consola de Sega, sino que solo una adaptación), Ikaruga vio la luz el 2003 con modestos resultados, sin embargo alberga un lugar especial en el corazón de los fans, principalmente debido a que hay pocas experiencias mas frustrantes y dignas de elogio que superar el verdadero reto que este juego significa. Incluso en el nivel mas bajo de dificultad requerirás de extensas horas de práctica para pasar del tercer nivel, y es aquí donde la cosa alcanza tintes épicos. Puedes considerarte un jugador experto si atraviesas con vida la cuarta etapa, y superar el quinto nivel es algo digno de ser enmarcado en el vestíbulo de tu hogar.

Haciendo cuento corto antes de pasar a las conclusiones, haré un breve repaso de algunos muy buenos títulos que razones temporales se quedaron fuera de este recuento: Tanto el Mario Sunshine como el Paper Mario 2 son secuelas directas de juegos originales del N64 (Mario 64 y Paper Mario, respectivamente). Ambos son muy similares a sus predecesores en casi todos los sentidos posibles, por lo que si disfrutaste de estos juegos en su tiempo, no dudes ni un instante en que estos dos serán de tu agrado.

Dentro de los títulos deportivos encontramos al Mario Tennis y Mario Soccer (también conocido como Smash Football o Strike), excelentes para disfrutarlos entre cuatro personas, de manejo sencillo e intuitivo.

Conclusiones

Tras analizar los juegos más llamativos para la consola, podemos concluir con certeza tres cosas:

1-Pese a que el grueso de los juegos dignos son prioritariamente multiplayer y el marcado tono familiar no se los quita nadie, un enorme porcentaje de los mismos (mas o menos el 50%) lo abarcan juegos de un solo jugador. Ya sea aventuras extensas como los Zelda, el Metroid Prime y los Pokemon Colosseum, como también los múltiples Survival Horror, categoría en donde encontramos a todos los Residents y al Eternal Darkness (que de paso es un juego muy interesante, pero no lo he probado en profundidad).

2-Es innegable que el fuerte de la consola siempre estará dado por su contenido “apto para todos los públicos” enfocado en el sector infantil, sin embargo un buen trozo de la torta se lo reparten varios juegos más “adultos” como son los RE, el Zelda TP, el mismo Metroid Prime, el remake del MGS, entre otros excelentes títulos.

3-La cantidad de remakes, reediciones de juegos viejos, adaptaciones y lavados de caras varios es notable. Tener la posibilidad de jugar el primer RE o el MGS de PSX con gráficas de la tercera generación es un lujo que sin duda los jugones de antaño sabrán apreciar. Sumado a los compilados que incluyen a los Zeldas, se encuentran el “Megaman Collection” (título multi-consolas) y un juegazo creado por fans que agrupa a cientos y cientos de títulos de SNES con una emulación perfecta, infaltable para cualquier coleccionista que se precie de serlo.

Sobre el Dolphin y la actual emulación de Game Cube

Seamos sinceros sobre esto. Ahora mismo la emulación de Game Cube está en pañales. Para poder emular decentemente un juego se exigen requisitos prohibidos para la gran mayoría de los PCs convencionales. Incluso he escuchado de personas que les corre fluido el “Silent Hill 5” y no son capaces de emular “Mario Kart: Double Dash!” para que se hagan una idea del nivel de exigencia al que me refiero. Pese a esto, en el último año la emulación de GC ha dado pasos gigantescos en la materia. Si nos ponemos a pensarlo con calma, hace solo dos años atrás nadie hubiera apostado un peso por emular Nintendo DS en un ordenador hogareño. Ahora cualquier equipo decente es capaz de correr el Nocash y hacer volar, literalmente, el frameado de esta consola portátil. Esta tecnología es relativamente reciente, pero que no les quepa duda que en un par de años mas jugar Game Cube va a ser tan normal como en su tiempo fue emular SNES y N64. Les doy mi palabra.

PS: El Dolphin también emula Wii, por lo que apostando por el estaríamos matando dos pájaros de un tiro. Dos generaciones de video-consolas con una sola piedra…que bellos son los tiempos en que vivimos.

Agradecimientos a ExorcistaX por su inestimable ayuda durante la redacción de este artículo.

Looking ready to ride right onto your desk from the computer screen are Link and Epona, built by Adam Kozlowski!

They’re on a shelf in Adam’s bedroom now, after he built them during the summer. He used 160 gsm paper and I don’t know if they were the first papercraft models he made, but I think they look really good: picture 2 | picture 3

Thank you for building these Ninjatoes’ papercraft models!

Irina Sheik

I, to this day, have never found a more beautiful being in existence. I found this russian model by total accident. I was googling for Hottie number three on my list, ‘Shiek,’ and she came up on page 30039493 on my search for Sheik Pictures. I like this particular picture, because she is painted with this paisley-ish body art, and it’s so fricken beastily.

Kate Beckinsale

I first saw her in The Underworld trilogy. I have since kept up on her every move in film. She was really powerful in Snow Angels, but I still dig her best in Underworld, she makes a fine ass vampire.

Zelda/Sheik

This is my longest running crush. I have played every Zelda game. My favourite being, Ocarina of Time. She was hottest in Twlight Princess. It was before I finished Ocarina I had a secret crush on Sheik. When I finished the game, Sheik unveiled…itself as being Zelda. I honestly thought I was gay because of that video game.

Shannyn Sossamon

I first saw her in A Knight’s Tale. I don’t know why, but that movie is one of my favourites. It’s an odd movie, but it has a good cast, with Heath Ledger as the lead. She was adorabley cute in Wristcutters: A Love Story.

Anna Paquin

I fricken love Anna Paquin. I loved her before all you True Blood posers did. I loved her in Fly Away Home, as I, myself had pet ducks and geese as a child(they lived in my bathroom and then my backyard). X Men was the shizz. I then loved her slutty portrayal in 25th Hour, but indeed we truely hit jackpot with True Blood. She is on my hotty list, because, well she has such a unique look. Come on how many of you wouldn’t risk getting the life sucked out of you for her to touch you just once; what I wouldn’t do to be a glove on her hand(<—X men reference)? I know i'd risk it, readers, I know I would. She has this really deep, innocent look to her face. Her teeth have more character than you will ever have in your entire being/soul.

Jason Schwartzman

you will have to do a double take when you see this kid in Rushmore, even then I think he was a cutie. He blossomed into quite the looker when he hit Darjeeling Limited, who didn’t pause the shit out of Hotel Chevalier? He recently had a role in Funny People.

Hugh Jackman

I really like Hugh Jackman. He has this guidance to him that seems like he’d make a great mentor, say if you had the chance to meet him. I’m basing my prior statement purely on his portrayal in X Men and how he watched over Rogue. So, yes, I do have a little girl crush on him, but more in an admiring way.

Elliot Smith

What can I say, it’s Elliot Smith. i’ve listened to live recordings of him talking, and he’s so soft spoken. He’d be one of those relationships that would sit on your mind so heavy it’d be nice just to have ever known him as a friend. Aha, you know considering fricken ELLIOT SMITH would of befriended you. I don’t know why I think his death is the reason we aren’t good friends, and not the fact he’s FRICKEN ELLIOT SMITH. I like to think we would have a lot in common…me an Indian girl rockin hick towns, and he, a beautiful man with a melodic voice that could soothe you into a coma.

Stephen Moyer

I’ve only seen him in True Blood. But I…Want…To….Tap….That……Ass.

Would-be videogame critics plough their way through mountains of bad games, studiously chattering away at their keyboards; squinting and crying like kitchenhands dicing onions with dull blades, in the faint hope that by being faithful in the little things, they will one day land The Big One, or at the very least, the Good Game By Accident (as those assigned to reviewing Mini-Ninjas recently can no doubt appreciate).  Be careful what you wish for, Constant Reviewer; there is always someone waiting in the wings to hang, draw and quarter you for crimes against ‘their’ game.  One need look no further than last year for examples of this.  Grand Theft Auto IV got a perfect 10.0 from IGN, which was furore enough (I too, would argue that a 100-point scale is sufficient scope to adequately express less-than-perfection in a videogame), but the real pain came when Metal Gear Solid 4 received its 9.9 (I don’t know why game developers didn’t just pack it in and call it a day by this stage; perfection had just been achieved – TWICE, nearly – and where do you go from perfection?!), which Playstation 3 owners for some ridiculous reason took as a slight against ‘their’ system. In between spamming cries of ‘teh biased!’, did you ever stop to think how fortunate you were to have two ‘near-perfect’ videogames instead of one?  This is the kind of stupidity you’re up against when time comes for you to review a potentially great videogame.  And so it is with great trepidation that I come to this review of Nintendo’s classic game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Watch out for the guards - they'll getcha!

There is no perfect introduction to this great work of art (yes, I just went there, and I don’t regret it in the slightest) that has ignited so many imaginations; a game that has danced in the minds of young children with magic and possibility. I know this because I rehearsed them all in my head a hundred times before I could even muster the curry to sit down and write this, and each one of them – in the nicest possible way – failed to encapsulate the full gamut of what this game represents to Gaming as a whole.  How do you review something that you know will outlive you? How do you review…a Legend?

Well, you can start by slinging a few tired cliches. Let’s call them ‘adages’ for legitimacy’s sake.  There are two adages that spring to mind when playing A Link to the Past:

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

AND

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Zelda games are 3-D now, but graphical updates aside, scant little of them have strayed from the indelible watermark set by this game.  It may as well be set in stone: the multi-level dungeons, the hookshot we all take forgranted, the Pegasus Boots, the MASTER SWORD, the Spin Attack, HYRULE CASTLE – THE HUB OF THE ENTIRE SERIES, Nintendo’s now-infamous Light World/Dark World theme (or in broader terms, travelling between two parallel worlds) – all emerged for the first time right here.  Even the fan-favourite Ocarina has its origins here, though the English translation yielded only the word ‘flute’ (presumably the Western gaming world was not yet ready for the word ‘ocarina’). Zelda’s musical landscape as you now know it – “Zelda’s Lullaby” (Princess Zelda’s Theme), “Ganondorf’s Theme”, “Hyrule Castle”, “Kakariko Village”, “Fairy Cave” (better known as THE SELECT SCREEN SONG) – was brought into being by Koji Kondo for this game. Even Link’s wide sword swing had its genesis in – you guessed it – A Link to the Past. So little has changed because so little needed changing. If any Zelda game or game *period* deserved a dubious 10.0, it was this one.

Speaking of dubious 10s, The Ocarina of Time is a sacred cow that I take great pleasure in sacrificing on a regular basis. Those familiar with this particular habit of mine; feel free to roll your eyes knowingly at this point.  But when the two games sit right next to each other on my Virtual Console, comparisons are going to be made.  Ocarina of Time is, for all intents and purposes, A Link to the Past in 3-D.  It was not the revolutionary trend-setter 19-year-old Nintendophiles claim it to be.  It’s barely evolutionary, and its ‘innovations’ – context-sensitive buttons; NAVI, YOUR HELPFUL FAIRY GUIDE – loathe as you may be to admit it, could well be the reason you have to sit through a compulsory three-minute tutorial before you can play Wii Sports Resort. The introduction of one of Gaming’s most irritating support characters was the first of many steps towards Nintendo’s long-term stupefication of the gaming population. Z-Targeting meant a lot to 3-D games, but only insofar as it made what was already a simple task in 2-D games tolerable on an additional axis. Like the fifth generation consoles themselves, the shift to 3-D was completely arbitrary. I don’t know what flavour Kool-Aid we were drinking, but all of a sudden we were willing to lay down Super Street Fighter II for Battle Arena Toshinden, Sonic 3 for Crash Bandicoot, Tetris for Tetrisphere.

And Link to the Past for Ocarina of Time.

Never mind the fact that these mechanics work better in two dimensions; never mind the garish, jagged, polygonal puppet show before you; it’s in 3-D, kids! I often wonder what might have been if Sega stuck to their 2-D guns instead of panicking and cramming a second CPU in there (alternate realities are the Last Bastion of Hope for the Displaced Sega Fan). Did we ever reach the pinnacle of 2-D game design? Allow that question to fill the air and let it breathe for a while.

Why do I feel the need to tear strips off Ocarina of Time – a great videogame adored by thousands (millions even?) – for a Link to the Past review?  Think of me as the critical Robin Hood, robbing the rich to feed the poor. Earlier I alluded to a very vocal segment of the gaming population, the circa-19-year-old gamer whose first videogame console was the Nintendo 64, to whom Ocarina of Time represents the dearest experience one can have with a controller (albeit an absolutely terrible one). To those people, please understand that it is not my desire to stomp all over your childhood memories, I merely seek to contextualise the pedestal you place them on. The fifth console generation coincided with the rise of the internet, and so unanimously lauded franchise entries reached critical mass very, very quickly. Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario 64, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – all new entries to long-standing franchises; all made relatively successful transitions to the third dimension; all were the first of their respective series to appear on the fifth generation of consoles; all were hyped like hell on a worldwide scale by online and print media – all received unanimous critical praise, and all have been claimants to the title of “Greatest Game of All Time”. Gamers today are no strangers to “Sequel Syndrome”, nor its dark brother “sequelitis”, and so I’m sure you can appreciate the powerful effect this had when unleashed on the international consciousness for the first time. Again, that’s not to belittle the achievements of these great titles, but the fifth generation of console owners had found their international voice for the first time, and that voice was saying “[Franchise Sequel X] is the Greatest Game of All Time” on a semi-regular basis. Those that had experienced previous console generations and earlier iterations may have perceived Franchise Sequel X in a different light, instead approaching it in the wider context of their place in the series as a whole.  Had the internet reached critical mass in say, the late 80s, we might have proclaimed “Final Fantasy III/Metal Gear 2/Super Mario Bros. 3/The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the Greatest Game of All Time” upon release.  And we may have been right.  But that’s not the point – the point is that the current Loudmouths of Gaming first owned a Nintendo 64 and their favourite game is Ocarina of Time.  I disagree.  I put my own bias under scrutiny, however, with the admission that I reached the “golden age” for gaming (that’s eight years old) during the 16-bit era and my first console was the Sega Megadrive.  And so this could easily be [mis]interpreted as generational walking-stick-waving at good-fer-nuthin’ whippersnappers who don’t know no better.  “In my day we played real games with real difficulty, no tutorials, and graphics that don’t look ugly as fuck in retrospect, and we walked barefoot eight miles to school every day in the blistering snow” and so on and so forth. I can hardly be accused of enshrining those experiences, though, given the vast majority of my output on this website (playful jab: besides, I wasn’t nearly as starved for games as N64 owners were! ).

Now, whenever I ask [goad/provoke/whip into a frenzy] OOT fans just what it is that makes the game worthy of ‘Greatest Game of All Time’ status, they are happy to provide me with a laundry list of reasons.  However, it wasn’t until I played A Link to the Past for EveryGame that it occurred to me: a vast majority of the things they loved about Ocarina were present in the series before Ocarina. To be precise, most of the things they loved about Ocarina of Time were introduced in A Link to the Past.  The rest centred around nostalgia or something else unquantifiable like watching a Hyrulian sunrise for the first time (which, by the way, sounds like a great name for a drink). None of these things are enough to melt this cold, cold heart.  Now, if someone was to craft a compelling argument citing OOT’s contributions to the development of Hyrulian anthropology, that is something I could get behind (after all, the game introduced and developed the Kokiri, the Deku, the Gerudo and Goron tribes).  It’s all unquantifiable of course, but in pure gaming terms, I’d have to award my “Best of Series” to A Link to the Past.  Now falls to me the thankless task of convincing you.

Let’s begin by revisiting one of my earlier statements:

‘[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is] a great work of art  that has ignited so many imaginations…’

Recently I likened creative genius to a bag of Pop Rocks, buzzing and crackling with ideas and potential – it’s a strange feeling, to be sure, but damn if it doesn’t feel great.  Now, Miyamoto is credited with most of these – it’s difficult to tell with the Japanese – certainly he was [and is, and probably always will be] ‘the fall guy’, taking responsibility for the team’s collective brilliance and blunders.  Regardless, Link to the Past bursts at the seams with all the vitality of an art form that’s never been done before.  There’s a sense that these guys are creating their own rules; their own language; and quite frankly, it’s exciting.  Those who travel to the Dark World without the aid of the Moon Pearl transform into a creature befitting of their nature, in Link’s case, a pink rabbit.  The Book of Mudora can be used to translate ancient Hylian runes.  A curse that threatens to ‘halve’ your magic bar actually doubles it.  What kind of topsy-turvy wall is this? At this point I was willing to accept that the helpful sage, Sahasrahla, might communicate his cryptic clues via wall-intercom; though others seem to put this down to telepathy; or even something as unremarkable as wall plaques (spoilsports!).

"...and User of Intercoms!"

Returning to the rest of that sentence:

‘[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is] a game that has danced in the minds of young children with magic and possibility.’

I’ll make that more specific for you: Link to the Past is the quintessential boy’s game.  It’s packed with the things that boys love to do.  One need only look as far as Link’s inventory screen to realise this: a sword, a shield, a bow and arrow, a mallet, a boomerang, a grappling hook, BOMBS, and a BUG-CATCHING NET. Let’s focus for a second on the bug-catching net.  Nothing appeals to my boyish mischief more than catching a fairy in my bug-catching net and being asked by the game:

“you have caught a faerie!  Would you like to:
→ Keep it in a bottle
→ Set it free?”

What kind of boy wouldn’t take the first choice? A fairy boy, that’s what! I chuckle evilly as I stuff the helpless creature in its glass prison. It tries to get out, but I knock it back in and press the lid down tight. I shake it up a little to let it know who’s boss. I put breathing holes in the lid of course! Then I stuff the jar in my rucksack. My childhood was filled with stuff like this – I have a fairly amusing story of a boomerang that flew into a tree and disappeared (a MAGIC BOOMERANG, if you will) – and who here hasn’t fashioned a sword, or bow and arrow out of wood to fight with their brothers? Who hasn’t tied a stick to a length of rope and swung it onto the roof? Who hasn’t – with their friends – pooled together resources from their fathers’ garages to make a bomb and set it off in the park?

…

Oh.

Never mind that last one. Link to the Past lets you do all of these things and more without fear of reprisal from disapproving and fun-hating adults – mischief is encouraged! Where do I sign?! A Link to the Past is A Link to Your Past; it taps into your boyhood fantasies* and imaginary play, and coming at this game for the first time as a full-grown man (debatable, I know), I can say that its effect is profound. It doesn’t rely on nostalgia, it evokes nostalgia.

* Sorry ladies, how about, um…Animal Crossing?

ALTTP reminds me of another ‘toy’: Rubik’s Cube. The entire game is a puzzle, from the Hyrulian overworld to the deepest dungeon. You can view the puzzle holistically (from a ‘helicopter view’, if you will), then by working away at a particular section, the puzzle begins to open up to you. And when you discover the secrets of a dungeon or a map, it feels as though they’re opening only to you. It’s all a clever ruse, of course, as they’re often necessary to completing the game, but this is a feeling distinctly missing from all subsequent Zelda titles. The Navis and the Midnas of the 3D Zeldas robbed me of any cleverness I might have had, and for the most part secrets have now been relegated to ancillary discoveries. In A Link to the Past, the dungeons themselves are the puzzles. And while the game does bottleneck at points (most notably at its beginning and end) – like Rubik’s Cube, there’s no ‘correct’ order of completion. The design encourages a particular dungeon order, but it does not force one, which is, you know, kinda nice. Multiple routes means you can skirt most of the overworld from the start, despite not being able to access it in its entirety. It’s not a case of “what are you doing here?! You’re not allowed in this area yet!” More like, “I wonder how I can get over there…” As you gain new items on your dungeon crawl, new paths begin to open up in your mind, and you begin to see how the Rubik’s Cube fits together. Then you start getting real clever, when you can exploit the subtle differences between the Light World and its Dark World counterpart, switching between the two at will.

Light World, Dark World, Light World, Dark World...

The Hyrule of Link to the Past is the perfect size: open enough to explore from the very beginning, but dense enough so as to prevent getting lost or bored, with enough *just* beyond your grasp to keep things intriguing. The place is a veritable hive of activity, where stuff actually happens. Guards are constantly scouring the streets and forests for you, thieves are trying to rob you, and the villagers are trying to run from you. The landmarks are distinct and memorable, and it ranks as the only incarnation of Hyrule I’ve ever memorised incidentally. By comparison, Ocarina of Time (et. al) may as well be a barren wasteland (the original Hyrule was intentionally a wasteland, in line with its narrative**).

Hyrule will never be the same again.

While we’re on the boredom score, what other Zelda game throws you headlong into its main dramatic situation from the outset? None, that’s what! **The original game didn’t have a dramatic situation at all per sé, instead motivating players through its over-arching narrative of survival and exploration, and power to it – but every other Zelda game opens with a whimper that can only come from performing menial tasks for village idiots. Link to the Past opens with a telepathic distress call from the titular princess. You receive your sword immediately from your dying uncle, and head directly to Hyrule Castle for the rescue. There are, of course, other forces at work, lest the game be finished within its first half-hour, but no time is wasted on Navi-coddling (“hey, listen!”) or training (welcome to Link’s Crossbow Training – who’d've thunk they’d ever make a full game out of it?).

Like most elements of this game, the combat is nuanced enough to be satisfying, but simple enough to keep things in perspective. There’s less dicking around in the item-switching department, for one.  Power gloves and flippers kick in at will when required, while boomerangs, arrows, bombs or hooks can be fired in tandem with sword-swinging without overtaking your primary aim (compare this to say, Twilight Princess, where the world virtually stops for you to take the shot). That’s not to say it’s a cakewalk, either – indeed, if you’re not on your A-game, you can find yourself in a very tight spot, scrounging for hearts wherever you can.  The combat is never drawn out; rather it’s a vehicle for further puzzling. In this way it’s similar to one of the truly great 2-D-to-3-D migrations, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – combat is a pace-changer but not a pace-breaker. Unlike those 3-D adventures, however, Link to the Past’s combat isn’t lumbered with an invisible tractor beam in the field of battle. Z-targeting was Ocarina’s ’solution’ to its own camera-wrangling problem, praised for its ‘innovation’ – what it *was* was a sufficient stop-gap, not a praiseworthy one. Would you praise a biochemist for providing the cure to the flesh-eating virus of his own creation? Would you thank a snake for biting you and then slipping you the anti-venom vial? No, you’d be relieved perhaps, if not slightly annoyed at the inconvenience, before you dust yourself off and be on your way. And so it is with a mixture of relief and annoyance that I approach the Past and ask the snake [Nintendo], why bite in the first place if you’re not going to make a meal of it? Why create a flesh-eating virus if not to wipe out millions?

If it ain’t broke, why fix it?

Aunque este trailer esta super bien elaborado resulta que no es nada mas que una broma del dia de los inocentes para todos los fans de THE LEGEND OF ZELDA por parte de su creador, aunque yo pienso que al presentar este video la idea de hacer una pelicula sobre Link no seria tan mala.

So, you saw this picture and thought Fierce Deity Link, Wolf Link, and Link & Epona were all the models Francesco built?

Guess again! Here’s how big a Zelda fan Francesco is: not only did he build those models, but Zora armor Link, Ganondorf, the King of Red Lions (including Josh Darrah’s Great Sea stand!) Majora’s Mask, Midna, young Link and young princess Zelda as well!

If that went all a bit fast for you, here’s a groupshot with all the Zelda models Francesco built so far!

And I have a feeling he’s not done yet… ;o)

Thank you for building these Ninjatoes’ papercraft models!

Now, I don’t usually like mash-ups, but this is so cool and so dope. Team Teamwork mashed up songs from N64’s Ocarina of Time with a bunch of different hip hop songs. Some work better than others, but most are solid gold. My favorite is definitely the “Getting Treasure” soundclip of Zelda fame mashed up with Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg’s “Still D.R.E.”.

I grew up on N64, and this is a great collision of my favorite game with many of my favorite hip hop artists. I think you guys (especially you, mikel, seeing as how you would wake up at 5 to play Zelda before your parents woke up) will dig this, although I’m sure some of you have this already. Word!

Download the album here. Click “download”, and you can either pay for it or download the 128k album for free (look for the free download at the bottom of the download page). Enjoy!

I left the forest, got the ocarina and made my way to Hyrule Castle. I had to spend a night out of doors fighting off skeletons, but it was all good. Once the sun rose, I made my way through town to the castle. I’m still in familiar territory, so it took me very little time to find out how to sneak inside.

I met Zelda, heard her dream story, then met Impa and was led out of town again. Next, I head straight to Kakariko Village. I talked to a few people, rounded up a few chickens and let a skulltula cry on my shoulder. More tomorrow . . .

Time played: 45 minutes

The picture of Zora armor Link that you can see above was sent to me by Andrew.

He’s a really big Zelda fan, as this picture proves: besides ZaL, he also built Ganondorf (that was the first one he made) young Link, Oni Link, the Clock Town Schnauzer and Epona.

He’s getting the hang of it more and more, so it’s nice to hear he’s having so much fun building them!

Thank you for building these Ninjatoes’ papercraft models!

I was stuck in the bowels of the Great Deku Tree for about 30 minutes. I must be retarded. For some reason, I knew to climb to the top of the tree and jump with sword extended through the web, but I didn’t think to go in any of the rooms on the second or third floors. As a result, I was walking around the basement, trying to figure out what to do.

After looking at the map, I realized there were multiple rooms I hadn’t explored. This is where I got the slingshot, and the rest was fairly easy.

I think having played through this game’s beginning before puts me at some weird disadvantage. I remember and pursue the bigger puzzles, leaving the obvious things forgotten. Thankfully I haven’t played this game very far before, so this will dissipate shortly.

In short, I got the slingshot, beat the boss and was given Hyrule’s back story before watching the Great Deku Tree die. Next, onto Hyrule to find the princess.

Time played: 1 hour 30 minutes

I love the beginnings of games. The story and characters are introduced. You get some nice cut scenes and usually a lot of dialog. It pulls you into the game and makes you want to play to unravel the story. Ocarina of Time is no exception.

I like how the game subtly nudges you in the right direction, while still leaving it fairly open-ended as to how you approach it. For example, you start off with the mission of visiting the Deku Tree. The map makes that task pretty easy, but then you run into Mido who says you need a sword and shield first. Great, but where do you get that? The shield is easily obtained for 40 rupees at the town shop. The sword takes a little more digging.

As usual, my intuition is not to be trusted. I quickly found the Training Grounds, but passed them by reasoning that I shouldn’t go there until I had a sword. I mean, it was the training grounds for using your sword, right? I explored the village and then I wandered around the Lost Woods for a while, making no progress. As a last resort, I went back to the training grounds, shimmied by butt through a tunnel and found the sword. Success!

It's a me, tree-Mario!

Next, I made my way to the Deku Tree, where he set up the story a bit more. I couldn’t help but noticing his Mario-esque mustache. I also found it odd that he wanted me to enter his mouth. Must be a tree thing.

I entered, got some Deku Sticks and Deku Nuts., found the map, then called it a day. I look forward to returning tomorrow.

Time played: 1 hour 15 minutes

i went to ross holmes’s art show last night! it was really awesome, we’re thinking of buying one of his paintings. he sold a lot during the opening night!

okay, so apparently my mom got a call at work from a man asking for “kaela’s mom”. she said it was her, ’cause no duh, she IS kaela’s mom. so he put this girl on the phone, and she kept saying “Mommmmm?” over and over. so, my mother told her that she’s not her mumsy, because the girl didn’t sound anything like me (but apparently she sounded more like my sister emma). the other guy came back on the phone and said he must’ve gotten the wrong person, but it was a crazy coincidence and it scared the shit out of all of us.

in other news, i have rediscovered the Legend of Zelda. Nintendo 64 style!! oh yeah. it is probably the best game in the world despite it’s oldness.

Here it is… my Top 10 favorite video games of all time.

10. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

GAMECUBE
Of all the games I’ve ever played, I’ve probably played this one the most. I bet I’ve played over a thousand matches, at least. My high school friends and I would literally, almost every day after school, go to my house, and play this for three hours straight. Things got emotional. Neufeld almost cried once when Sam beat him. Controllers were thrown, I’m sure of it. I even entered in a SSBM bracket tournament at Third North freshman year. I lost to some Asian dudes, but I got into the semi or quarter finals.

I think the above paragraph pretty much sums up why this game is so awesome. People who say the N64 original is better really don’t know what they’re talking about. I don’t even like to argue with them; their stupidity astounds me. Everything about Melee is better- Everything. And I’ve played Brawl, but frankly, I wasn’t impressed. I didn’t see much of a difference from the Gamecube version; I mean, it didn’t even use the Wii’s motion controls. Why even bother making another, then?

My main man was Falco, although previously I exclusively used Link. The thing is, almost all the characters are good in their own way (except for the Ice Climbers. They blow), which is why I think this is the greatest masterpiece in fighting games. If Da Vinci made a fighting game, it would be Super Smash Bros. Melee. Straight up.

9. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (2002)

GAMECUBE
One of the scariest games of all time. Perhaps not as soul-shatteringly terrifying as the Gamecube remake of the original Resident Evil, but it has a way better plot, and much more innovative gameplay. The sanity meter is genius. Pure genius. All the different effects it can have- from your character shrinking as they enter a room, or losing their limbs one by one, to the game pretending to effect the real world by turning the volume down on your TV or creating bogus error messages- they’re all brilliant. I know there are actual Cthulu games out there, but Eternal Darkness is the best interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft’s works that I’ve seen to date. Just a really, really great survival horror game, a hidden gem.

8. The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)

PC
Like I said earlier, I consider MI2 to in fact be a better game. And maybe if Lucasarts gives it the special edition treatment they graced Secret with, it’ll replace this on the list. But this game just holds a special place in my heart. It was the second MI game I ever played, and the voices instantly sounded like the characters. There was no question in my mind, after hearing him read just a few lines, that Dominic Armato was Guybrush Threepwood, or that Earl Bowen was LeChuck. They just encapsulated the characters so brilliantly in the voice work. And the 2D hand-drawn animation fit the style of the universe perfectly. This game looks, sound and feels like Monkey Island. It also has the best story- it’s a good blend of real drama and goofy comedy (I think the fourth game got a little too dark, and I always found the ending of MI2 a little too trippy). And it has the best incarnation of LeChuck- as a demon pirate. Lucasarts adventure games were already breathing their last breaths by this point, but from 1997-1998, the company produced some of the greatest games ever made. And this is one of them.

7. Half-Life 2 (2004)

XBOX 360
I played this, along with the expansions Episode One and Two, when I bought The Orange Box for the 360, and although I was at first a little confused as to what was going on, as I had never played the original, but I quickly realized that this was not only one of the greatest first-person shooters ever, but quite likely the most original and compelling story ever put to a game. I mean- aliens invading from another dimension and subjugating us like the Nazis, complete with a human Vichy government- why didn’t anyone think of that earlier? And the character animations and voice acting are so impeccable, you feel like these are real people. Like, I kinda got a crush on Alyx Vance by playing this. And she doesn’t exist. All of this adds to make for an incredibly cinematic experience, and when my games are similar to my movies, I’m a happy camper.

This sums it up:

Episode Two ended on one of the best and most fucked up cliffhangers ever, so I’m crossing my fingers that the in development Episode Three is released for the 360. I really want to know what happens!!!

6. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)

XBOX 360
Some prefer the more old-school GTA, but for me, this is it. This game literally blew my mind when I first played it. Like, I turned the Xbox on, heard a squish, and turned around and my brain was lying on the floor. That’s how impressive it was. I mean, the game practically recreates New York City in a virtual world. It’s smaller, and not quite right, but that’s okay, because this isn’t NYC- it’s Liberty City. But the city is so detailed, and so true to real life, that just driving around is fun.

While still allowing you to fuck, then kill hookers, and go on ridiculous killing rampages, this game actually doesn’t feel like as much of a moral vacuum as previous installments. This is in large part due to the much improved story, and a more compelling protagonist. As opposed to every other game in the series, Niko Bellic isn’t trying to become the pimpest gangster of all time. In fact, he doesn’t even really want to be a gangster- he just doesn’t have a choice because he needs money, his cousin’s already involved with criminals, and his skill sets are all killing-related as he comes from a military background. It’s a revenge story, which is great, but also incorporates elements from almost every crime movie you’ve ever seen, which trust me, is a good thing.

To top it all off, Rockstar has released a downloadable expansion that gives you as many missions and gameplay hours as some $59.99 retail games, entitled The Lost and Damned. You play as an entirely new character, which is great, especially as you’re a biker. And another is set to be released October 29th- The Ballad of Gay Tony. If the title has anything to do with the story, then it will probably feature about twice as much full frontal male nudity as TLAD (I’m not kidding, there’s a floppy dick in that game).

5. Resident Evil 4 (2005)

GAMECUBE
One of the best action games of all time, combined with one of the best survival horror titles. This game is AWESOME. AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME. Right off the bat- first mission in- you’re running away from hordes of angry Spanish villagers, and a dude with a bag on his head wielding a chainsaw, and are forced to hole up in a building and fight them off. IT’S AMAZING. Playing this game is like being in the middle of a really gory and really cheesy 80s horror film. I’ve never seen a main character in a video game die in so many horrible ways as Leon. Giant bugs can melt your face off with acid. You’re decapitated on a regular basis, sometimes with the aforementioned chainsaw. At one point a monster cuts you in half at the waist with his scissor-like appendage, and lifts your lifeless legs into the air as your guts spill out. NO JOKE.

See, even though this is much more of an action game than any of the previous installments in the series- you have a fixed, over-the-shoulder camera, and a truckload of weapons which you can upgrade- it still manages to keep the spirit of Resident Evil, and provide you with some really intense scares. It’s without a doubt the best in the series. Resident Evil 5 was in my opinion, a big letdown. It was pretty much the same game, only with better graphics and co-op play, which is admittedly fun to play online… but still… it just fell flat. Because unlike RE4, it lost the spirit of the series. It’s not very scary, not particularly gory (no decapitations shown on screen), and puts you in bright and sunny Africa, instead of dark and dreary Europe. RE4 worked because it shook of the Resident Evil world so much- it broke barriers.

4. Donkey Kong Country (1994)

SNES
The first console game I ever owned, this is a masterpiece, plain and simple. The graphics, the gameplay, the art direction, sound effects, music- wonderful. And it still holds up today. Every once in a while I break out the old, dusty SNES and play through the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. The first was the best- it’s a 2D, side-scrolling platformer, but it’s beauty is in its simplicity. I think that’s what sets these 10 games apart from all the others- they all find the perfect balance of simplicity, innovation, story and playability. I could play all of these over, and over again- and DKC is no exception.

3. Super Mario 64 (1996)

N64
And on the seventh day, God made Super Mario 64, and declared it the perfect platformer. “No other 3D platformer will ever need to exist” his voice boomed from the heavens. Nonetheless, man continued to pump out Crash Bandicoots and Dak and Jaxters, never realizing that Sir Mario Mario was the Jesus of platformers. Eventually God smited the heathens, and the platformer genre died a slow, painful death. In the end only Mario 64 remained, and all was right with the world.

2. Grim Fandango (1998)

PC
These next two are almost tied for first. They’re just that good. Grim Fandango is without a doubt, the greatest adventure game of all time. Many were skeptical if Lucasarts adventure games could be as good in 3D as they were in 2D. Creator Tim Shafer proved they can. Simple controls, incredibly difficult puzzles- that’s what these games are all about, and GF perfects it.

I teared up when this game ended. That’s how attached you get to the characters. It’s also probably the funniest game of all time. Especially having Manny recite poetry at the beatnik club- that always cracked me up. This game takes the Alex Hilhorst prize for Best Story- the mix of Casablanca-esque noir and indigenous Mexican mythology- worked really, really well.

I love this game.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

N64

In a word, Ocarina of Time was monumental. The controls, the graphics- the sheer expansiveness of the world you could explore- there had never been anything like it when it came out in 1998. This catapulted the N64 into superstardom, and made it, in my opinion, the greatest of all of Nintendo’s consoles. Any little kid who’s into fantasy, sword fighting or horseback riding- this game was like a dream come true. And like Grim Fandango, it had a fantastic story. I remember very specifically, how shocking it was when the game jumped ahead seven years, and all of a sudden you were grown up, and your actions as a little boy had fucked up Hyrule for everyone, and turned a portion of the population into zombies. That reveal- it made me feel bad. Like, guilty. I felt bad for unleashing Ganondorf. If that’s not an impressive emotional reaction for a video game to elicit, then I don’t know what is.

Ocarina of Time is number one, in my eyes, because it is comparable to many of my favorite films. I could play it over and over, and probably would never get tired of it. It’s perfect.

Well, hope you enjoyed this countdown. If my hits are any indication, you did. There will be more lists in the future, but I think I’m gonna take a little break for a while. It was more difficult to think of things to say about a hundred different videogames than I thought it was going to be.

To end, I’d like to list my top most anticipated games:

1. Assassin’s Creed II – 11.17.2009

While to be honest, I did enjoy the Medieval Crusade setting more, I am certain this sequel will be above and beyond the original. For one thing it looks a lot harder and with more varied gameplay, and a much more refined combat system. I like the idea of usually not having a weapon, and disarming your foes for theirs instead. Also Leonardo Da Vinci acts as James Bond’s Q, giving you crazy contraptions like his fabled flying machine, and a hidden pistol. I want to own this more than any other game on the release calendar right now. Can’t wait.

2. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction – 03.31.2010

While Double Agent did a decent job of changing up what was becoming somewhat stagnant game mechanics, it still didn’t achieve the greatness of the first installment, or Chaos Theory. Sam Fisher was a double agent, sure, but what he could actually do in the game hadn’t changed much. Conviction promises to change all that.

This game has gone through several facelifts since it was first announced a couple years back. At first it was going to be similar to Assassin’s Creed, with Sam out and about on the street; it even used the same crowd system as AC, and featured a grizzled, bearded Fisher. Fans weren’t so happy, so they did a page-one rewrite, turning the game into much more of an action game, while still retaining its stealthy soul. Watching the previews, I got a real Jason Bourne vibe. Sam’s newest ability- the mark and execute function- looks like a lot of fun. If you do well in the game, it rewards you with points you can use to “mark” enemies and objectives, then click “execute,” and Sam will automatically prioritize, and take them out. So, if you walked into a room, marked two dudes and a lamp, Sam would shoot the lamp first, then blast the two goons. Kick-ass, right?

3. Bioshock 2 – 01.31.2010

I’m still a little skeptical as to whether the Bioshock storyline can actually be continued in a cool and logical fashion, but no matter what this will be just as fun as the original. I mean, you get to play as the first Big Daddy ever, the prototype, and use the drill and rivet gun just like in the first game. How cool is that?

4. Alan Wake – Q1 2010

Another game that’s been in development forever, Alan Wake looks like the video game version of a Stephen King novel. The influence is pretty obvious, really. The titular character is a writer, after all, and the game takes place in a Maine-like wilderness. What’s cool is the way light works- light is what this game is all about it. If you don’t have a light source, you’re dead, because it’s the only thing that can weaken enemies. Pretty pumped for this one, hope it gets a real release date soon.

5. Brütal Legend – 10.13.2010

How could I not put a Tim Shafer game on this list? Prior to going to Comic-Con, I was interested in this game, but really only because Shafer was involved and because I liked the idea of Jack Black voicing the main character. But after getting my hands on it at the Con, I knew it was a must have. It was a lot of fun to play. The combat system is really good, and it’s really satisfying to fuck up demons with a guitar solo before cutting their heads off with an axe. The art direction was awesome, and the dialogue was really funny. This is the first M-rated Shafer game I’m aware of, but it works really well. There’s lots of swear words and blood, but it’s pretty comical- even the characters are designed to be cartoon-like.

It took me 9 hours & 47 minutes to finish the game but, I finished. I felt like giving up after the water temple. I doubt I’ll have time to beat another one today.