What to do if you don’t know what to write about? Simple! Just type in Twilight and any random other word on google images and you’ll be overflowed with awfullness awesomeness. I tried “Twilight cake” and five days before Christmas I think this is the perfect thing to get us into a festive mood. So here’s what I found:

Let’s start with a few examples of “try to cram everything twi-related ever onto one single cake”

Well, all I can say is that sometimes less is more. I mean honestly? An apple, the tulips, the torn ribbon, the chess pattern, a red pawn AND a white queen? Uhm, that’s quite a lot… Just saying. Although the one on the left is still kinda pretty. Well, kinda… I wonder how that tastes, I’ve never eaten a cake that’s black on the outside. Black simply doesn’t look that delicious to me, sorry! Can’t help it…

Okay, so what’s up with this cake? At first I thought those were Edward and Bella. Being a little fat. But take a closer look! The one sitting wears jorts! And a leather string around his ankle. So this is Jacob? Honestly? Shouldn’t he be shirtless and showing us his abs? And I’m not quite sure, but does he still have the long hair? If you add such details as the leather string, shouldn’t you know that this means he is already a werewolf and therefor has short hair? I hope that the other one is really Edward (Well, book-Edward from the color of his hair) and that I didn’t mistake him as well… Cause who knows? If I thought what turned out to be Jacob was Bella at first I shudder to think of who “Edward” really is…

It’s Stella’s 10th birthday and this girl already has a Twilight cake? I bet her (Twi-)mum ordered it as a present for herself. Or has this former 9-year-old girl really read Twilight? If she has, poor girl! Cause she’ll compare every guy available to Edward. For the rest of her life. And then end up all alone… But back to the cake! I mean it’s still pretty nice, but the picture on top? Dear Stella’s mum, you could have chosen any picture in the whole wide world showing Edward and Bella (or Rob and Kristen, cause she’s 9 so she wouldn’t notice the difference as long as they were both dressed up and not Stoli-pub-Rob and black-mullet-KStew) and you went for this one? Why? Kristen looks beautiful in it, yeah. But Rob? This is super-creepo-I’m-on-crack-Rob! With gay hair. And smokey eyes. And wearing lipstick. Showing us his non existant muscles. Couldn’t you have picked a supersexy pic of him so that I could now be swooning over the whole cake? Well, think about it next time! Or just come over and ask me if you need help. Cause I got about 863 uhm a couple of really hot pics of Robward…

Wow, have a closer look to take in all the details here! There’s a different Twilight quote on each level. The “You’re my life now”, the “Superhero / bad guy” and the “lion / lamb” quote? Plus a real red ribbon and a real chess figure. And Edward holding the apple. Standing on a piece of his meadow he brought with him to decorate the top of the cake himself. Plus red painted feathers stuck into the cake? Uhm, now that’s disgusting. Those weren’t feathers but a special kind of tulip (I can’t really remember the proper name) on the New Moon cover. And you shouldn’t have stuck them into the cake…

Wow,this post is already so long and I got so much more awful awesome pictures… Guess I’ll just make a part 2 soon. But of course we don’t want you to think we’re doing nothing but hating on every Twicake possible. In fact I found a few I really liked! Maybe someone could get me one of these for my next birthday (*hint hint hint*). So to cure your eyes a bit enjoy now some of the amazing Twicakes! Yes, they exist!

a

Off to bake my own Christmas Twicake

Saveyoursoul

a

PS: Zelda is kind of MIA over the next few days. I hope she didn’t walk out on me after my confessions and comes back on monday as she has said she would. Do you think I should get her this Zelda – The Twilight Princess cake I found while preparing this post?

What do you think about these Twi-cakes? Awesome or awful? Did someone get you one for your birthday? Btw Twinerd award for the first one who comes up with the real name of the New Moon tulip! Leave a comment or e-mail!

(images: google)

Wow, either Dan has done a really great job mowing the lawn, or Link has a bag full of Rupees, Potions and Hearts right now!

I hope Dan won’t leave him out in the rain though, because that would really be a shame of this wonderful build! ;o)

This Hero outfit Link is Dan’s second build from Twilight Princess, after Zora armor Link. He said he took extra care building that one and it really paid off, because it looks “really good!”

But of course, he had plenty of practice! Printed off and assembled in just two days, Dan’s other models don’t seem to be scared by his new Oogie Boogie (maybe they know it’s just a paper one…?)

Speaking of Dan’s other models, this Kurt Zisa really is a great build: it looks wonderful, but that’s not surprising because he had a lot of practice! ;o)

Take this Auron for instance: Dan says he had ”a lot of fun building it!” and he’s “really proud of the results!” and really, who wouldn’t be? ;o)

And here’s another one for Dan to be proud of: it’s Cloud Strife Kingdom Hearts style! It’s looking at least as good as Auron, maybe it has something to do with the motivation he got from watching his brother play Final Fantasy 7 while he built it? ;o)

A break fom building Final Fantasy models, Dan also built not on, not two, but several of my Zelda models! In the picture he sent me, you can recognize young Link, princess Zelda herself, Majora’s Mask and the Clock Town Schnauzer of course.

I know you’ve never seen the darker dog, because that’s Dan’s own recolor of the Clock Town Schnauzer to make it look like the common ones found at night at Hyrule Castle in Ocarina of Time!

And let’s not forget Homer Simpson as part of Dan’s paper model collection as well!

Thank you for building these Ninjatoes’ papercraft models!

There is a new Zelda game in the works, but that wasn’t really that big of a surprise. What is interesting is that developer Shigeru Miyamoto’s has recently revealed that the new Zelda will be a “new experience”, whatever he might mean by that.

Nintendo has realised that the Zelda games’ game mechanics are pretty much recycling of the previous game in a new wrapping. This is, of course, something any player with a bit of a mind of his own has spotted a long time ago. Miyamoto wants to re-invent Zelda for 2010; taking the game in a new direction and, as he puts it, surprise the player.

Question is: do players really want Zelda re-invented?

The Zelda formula is definitly a good one, and it works perfectly still after all these years. It is the same old formula, and has been so since the very fist Zelda game was released, and in my opinion it is a formula that really works for the game. It has polished Skinnerian game mechanics, perhaps one of the very first games that really understood the concept of game psychology.

I have to admit, I’m not sure Nintendo wants to tinker with the basic game mechanics here. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as the saying goes.

What might this new approach to Zelda be? Are we speaking more role playing elements? Zelda as a more defined action RPG witht he infamous leveling and loot mechanics? Or is it simply a matter of game control, where the Wiimote is used in a more intelligent way than was the case with Twilight Princess?

Your guess is a good as mine, but I doubt we’ll actually recognise any major changes in the core game design. That would be too dangerous for a market where Zelda is not only the name of a game series, but a trademark of a certain type of gameplay. Does Zelda really need to be re-invented?

If it ain’t broke, fixing it could ruin it.

GoGirl786 sent me this picture of the Midna she built back in February already, when she just started papercrafting. I think it looks pretty good, what you? ;o)

GoGirl786 has a YouTube channel with several… crazy vids (I really don’t know how else to describe them… ;o) so be sure to check them out!

Thank you for building a Ninjatoes’ papercraft model!

Today I beat Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the first time. I was motivated after seeing that recent trailer for Spirit Tracks the other day. This was actually my second attempt at beating the game, but it stopped at the same place: right before the last time entering the Temple of the Ocean King, aka that place that you have to go through TEN MILLION TIMES and it doesn’t change at all. Although I have yet to 100% the game (that’ll come soon now that I’ve beaten it), I feel I can now offer a full opinion on the game. Be warned! Thar be spoilers ahead on these waters:

Well, it’s not so amazing. It falls into the classic Zelda trope of, “Get item in dungeon. Use item in dungeon on boss. Put item away and never use again.” Although, Phantom Hourglass is mostly good about reusing items. The boomerang always got some pretty good use, and I have to admit I got some mileage from the grappling hook as well. But I don’t ever recall having to use the bombchus more than ten times outside of the initial dungeon.

But that’s not the main problem I have. My problem is that the game is just laughably easy. There wasn’t a single point where I felt that my hand wasn’t being held by the game designers. Maybe they thought the target demographic was different on the handheld console. I don’t know. Either way, I felt that too many things were just handed over to me. Show me the treasure chests in every floor of every dungeon for only 20 rupees? How can I refuse? And the final boss was a piece of cake, unfortunately (side note: Bellum? what an awful name. “Hey guys, let’s take the Latin word for war and not disguise it at all!”).

Aside from that one major complaints and a couple minor ones, I still felt that Phantom Hourglass was a good game. It had some good variety in it, brought some new things to the Zelda table, and was an okay sequel to my favorite Zelda game (yes, that’s right). BUT THE TEMPLE OF THE OCEAN KING. Once is enough. Maybe twice. But no. You’re forced through the same thing 5 times. It’s awful. But enough about that. It’s time to move on to rant Part II.

I think the Zelda series is getting stale. With Mario, you can have new levels and you don’t even need to change the formula around, because that’s just the nature of a platform game. But I think Twilight Princess and now Phantom Hourglass illustrate that without a really strong gimmick they can’t really stand out as Zelda games. Link to the Past had the Dark World. Ocarina of Time had time travel. Majora’s Mask had the masks. Minish Cap had shrinking. The wolf in Twilight Princess just wasn’t used well enough to make it interesting. The Phantom Hourglass itself isn’t really notable enough to be a major gimmick. I think Nintendo realizes this fact though, and I hope that Spirit Tracks and Zelda Wii are more than, “Well, Ocarina of Time was really good, let’s try and do that again.”

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

The half-announced second helping of The Legend of Zelda on the Wii will make us feel as if we’re in the pointy shoes of Link by means of the Wii MotionPlus reveals Shigeru Miyamoto. GameLife translated notes from a Japanese Q&A session where Miyamoto said the following:

“In this [version], we’re using MotionPlus to make you feel much more like you’re actually fighting while holding a sword in your hand. [As for targeting enemies] in the previous game, you aimed at things by pointing at the screen, but this time we’ll use MotionPlus to create a much more convenient targeting system and a more pleasurable playing experience.”

I’m in two minds about this one. While playing Twilight Princess I always felt that the combat would have been more enjoyable and responsive it were done with button presses rather than waggling. Using Wii MotionPlus may add another level of precision to the Wii remote but it could still so very easily become a nuisance. On the other hand, Swordplay was one of the best events in Wii Sports Resort so if Nintendo can produce something similar for the next Zelda, we could be onto a winner.

Here is a slide show rant by me!

slideshow

If you’re thinking: “that Moomba doll looks a bit small…?” then you’re right, because it is! Uzay resized it to just under 9 cm tall (originally it’s about 20 cm tall). The tiny papcercraft Nintendo DS Lite by Sonicscape Jun proves it! ;o)

Besides Lulu’s Moomba doll, Uzay200 has already built lots and lots of my models, like this NES Zapper for instance; don’t let the “holes” in the wall fool you though, because although my paper NES Zapper is life sized and the trigger moves, it doesn’t really shoot anything (just like the real thing! ;o)

And here’s another nice build by Uzay2000, by the way: Zora armor Link (and the Sword of the Phoenix in the background).

But wait there’s more, much more! ;o) Take for instance this Homer Simpson, built in just two days!

Earlier, Uzay2000 made Final Fantasy X Auron, and also what I think is probably my hardest papercraft model to date: Super Smash Bros. Melee adult Link!

It was a difficult model to build, Uzay2000 said, so it took him about a week to finish; which is actually pretty fast! (but he didn’t build the sword arm until a month later ;o)

I think Uzay2000 is a bit of a Zelda fan, because he also built young Link and Fierce Deity Link from Majora’s Mask. Young Link took him almost a week to complete, and for Fierce Deity Link, he split up the work building the legs on the first day, the body the second day, and the head and sword on the third day.

But Uzay2000 doesn’t only build Zelda models; of course he built Auron, but he also built Cloud, from my Kingdom Hearts version!

You must really like papercraft to build all these models, or be a really big Zelda/Final Fantasy fan!

Or both. ;o)

Thank you for building these Ninjatoes’ papercraft models!

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!

Only a few days after I finally finished it, Nathan “Truffles” Richards already sends me a picture of his completed Hero Clothes Link from Twilight Princess.

Nathan has been papercrafting for about a year now, but he says this is his best one yet - and I must say that it does look outstanding!

Thank you for building a Ninjatoes’ papercraft model!

There has been much speculation and rumours surrounding the new artwork for the next Wii installment of  ” The Legend Of Zelda”.  Here are some of my quick thoughts:

The Snowy Character

Well lets face it, the snowy white character (for lack of a better description) facing toward the artists pen is certainly the main interest here. Everything else is as it should be, Link in his legendary green get-up with his trusty shield etc. But what of his sword?. Well, clearly, the aforementioned snowy “fairy” like character is something of an alter ego form of his sword. looking closely at the lighter half of the character you will see that it is in a very sword like shape resting as the master sword would across Links back, perhaps indicating the character has alternative abilties (part sword, part  spirit-like thing which we do not know!). Now looking at the whole character. Head=Handle, Shoulders=Sword body, Legs=Blade. thats another way to look at the character as a definite symbol of the master sword. That included with the diamond shaped jewel on its chest (similair to the one on the master swords body), makes me conclude with about 99% certainty that it is indeed his sword with some kind of transfigural, alter ego type properties.

Bird People?

So… what of these properties, just exactly what the hell are we dealing with here? Well its very hard to tell with just one measly picture, and as always, the big N are keeping a tight lid on any information being leaked so that zelda fans across the globe can slowly die of anticipation. Some have compared the character to Zoras from past Zelda games. To me, this sword character has a look not unfamiliar to the Rito race in the Wind Waker. Ok so it has no beak, but its pointed head is much like the old Rito postman’s from the Wind Waker  It also appears to have what well could be wings hanging from each side. Could our hero perhaps have the ability to fly? After all it has never truly been done in any previous Zelda game. Then you could argue that it sounds a bit off for a zelda title, you could say it is not all that original and would be crazy to add such a feature to a zelda game. Hmm, cel shading flashbacks (personally I loved the Wind Waker).

Fire Inside The Cave

Moving on to the background now. As you can see Link and his “sword” appear to be standing outside of what looks like a cave, of which is teeming with flames. Could he be standing  protecting his “sword” from evil? Is this merely the dungeon where you acquire the master sword? Some believe the blazing cave to represent corruption inside Links mind, while others believe it to be something on death mountain. I think whatever it is, wether it be evil in links mind, or some mad dungeon. He is sacrificing something for the sword. And i think that if this image represents anything story-wise, it is that the master sword could no longer be just the blade of evils bane, but maybe the spirit of evils gain!

Time Will Tell

Of course, this is all just speculation and theory. We will never truly find out untill next years E3, if then, judging by Nintendo’s tendency to keep there mouths glued shut. Anyway… those were my thoughts, I’d like to hear some of your thoughts on the matter.

Thanks For Reading. Please Comment, Subscribe, and all that jazz.

More Game Related Topics To Come.

Okay, I actually wrote this on Monday, so I wouldn’t have to remember the topic that popped into my mind at the beginning of the week. Here we go…

When do people die? (Oooo, morbid!) No, really, when do they die? How do you define it? Is it that last breath? Is it fifteen minutes afterward? Is it when the Doctors tried to bring a person back after they were already clinically dead and failed? It is when their tissue starts rotting? Maybe they’re only really dead when the last memories of them fade? (If that’s the case, Youtube is the new Cryogenics World Leader!) How do you define it?

I would propose that for some people it happens a lot sooner than that. Of course I’m being just a tad facetious here, but bear with me.

What was the last year that music was any good? Everybody knows someone who laments the good ol’ days of music, when “real” musicians played. What about movies? When was the last “real movie” made? Who was the last great philosopher? Which President was the last good one we’ll ever have? When did the youth become spoiled?

T3h int3rn3tz h4v3 don3 spoil3d dis h3r3 child.

What marker solidifies the end of the Good Old Days?

These people don’t even have to be crotchety old men sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair waving a cane at the young hoodlums. I know one particular person, near enough my own age, who seems to think that nothing good will ever come again. Anything of worth is already in the past.

To him, the classic RPG dungeon crawlers, such as Plainscape: Torment and Baldur’s Gate, are all there ever really need be. (No, I’m not talking about who you think I am. You’re so vain, you think this blog is about you, don’t you?)

Let’s talk for a moment about a particular field that I know of personally. Videogames. What’s that? There are people like what I’ve described above in Videogames? The Videogames Industry is so young! Believe me, they’re everywhere. Like the person I talked about above.

2D Zelda is classic. No doubt.

I recently played through The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It’s a great game. It truly is fantastic. I see why people love it so much. In many ways it set the precedent for adventure games to follow, and is arguably the game which is most consistently used as a template for game ideas, especially within its own franchise. Some people claim that nothing new has ever really been done with LoZ:LttP’s formula in that series since.

There is a Fairy in the bottom left bush.

They may have a point, in a way. Not a Zelda adventure goes by where a green-clad nearly mute prophesied heroic warrior goes off to save the princess against the evil sorcerer. He collects rupees, shoots arrows, throws bombs, slings his boomerang and above all, finds the mythical Master Sword. He crawls dungeons, slays massiv evil creatures and doges bats or skeletons in EVERY FREAKING ROOM! *Huff*huff* okay, got out of control there a bit with personal experiences. But you get my point.

There have been numerous fantastic Zelda adventures since Link to the Past. Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Windwaker, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass, and the brand new Spirit Tracks. Fantastic games, all. The formula is familiar, but each one has something new that sets it apart from the rest to make it special (YES even Twilight Princess which borrows liberally from Ocarina of Time. I don’t have time to explain myself here, but all you haters are WRONG!)

Oooo, I'm getting all nostalgic just looking at that screenshot!

*Ahem* As I was saying, there have been many worthy adventures since, and yet there are some people who draw the line in the sand at Link to the Past and say: “That’s it. No other Zelda game will ever match the glory that is Link to the Past.” They box themselves off, and bam, their journey through videogames is essentially dead. Nothing living and fresh will ever come again. The Legend of Zelda is dead.
I strongly disagree. Not only was Ocarina of Time, the first 3d Zelda experience, fresh and exciting, it is a videogame classic for the ages. And then, guess what, Twilight Princess comes along and utterly surpasses it in cinematic and gameplay glory (Yes, I said it. Ocarina of Time is brilliant, genius even, but only Nostalgia calls me to say it was a better experience.) And even in that above-head almost 2-d viewpoint, I believe Phantom Hourglass to be just as good an experience as Link to the Past, despite a repetitive final dungeon.

Twilight Princess was a fantastic game.

For those of you not plugged in to the videogame world like I am, I’m making some serious enemies here. If I disappear over the next couple of days, look for my body in the dumpster behind the Gamestop.

Take another franchise that I, admittedly, don’t have as much experience with. Final Fantasy.
The easy example is to talk about the people who draw the line after Final Fantasy 6 (3 in America) and say there are no more good Final Fantasies, but that is too similar to my Legend of Zelda example above, as it was the line between 2d and 3d Zelda. Final Fantasy 6 was the last main-line 2d FF in the series.

I fell into a burning ring of fire.

Instead, I’m going to put my head under the guillotine by talking about the Holy Cow that is Final Fantasy 7 (I suppose one could say this is also an easy target.) No, I haven’t played the game yet. I want to. But I can still look at the ridiculous reverence paid this entry in the franchise and say, objectively, that drawing the line of the “Last Good Final Fantasy” at that game is stupid.

FFXIII Looks Pretty Good

Now, let me digress from Videogames. Is it really a digression if I’m, getting back to point? Eh, whatever.
What I want to get across is that this happens with everything, not just videogames, music and politics. This happens in life. “Nothing beats the good old educational system. Back in the day parents knew how to raise their kids. When I grew up, we really knew who God was. There’s never going to be someone else I can ever care for like that.”

You’ve met them. The dead walking amongst the living. I’m not even talking about people who are extraordinarily stupid or incompetent, the dead can be that too. What I’m talking about are people who refuse to grow beyond the bounds they set for themselves. They are no longer a part of the world. They’ve passed on.

My Grandfather and Grandmother on my Dad’s side are true examples of this. They sit around their house, listening to the same old music, watching the same old television programs, reading the same old books, daydreaming about days gone by. Grandpa wanders the house eating too much of the same food he always eats, complaining about everything and anything, driving my Grandmother into depression wondering where the fun-loving husband she had is gone, so that she often as not doesn’t care to think past her memories and what household chore she’s working on at the moment.
I love them both, truly. They are dear to me and I will feel sorry to see them go, but in many ways I feel as if they’re already gone. The only time you see life in their eyes is when they’re re-living the past by telling it to others.

This is called staring into the Black Abyss

When people sit around in their homes with dead looks in their eyes, slumped shoulders and drooping mouths, drooling over what used to be, they’ve forgotten that they can still live. There are people they can help, things they can do, experiences to have, knowledge to pass on. Instead of that, they let themselves die.

People die younger and younger, too. While medicine pushes our lifespans out, our minds pull it right back in, tighter. Some people die before they’re even born! They look back at their parents’ lives and say: “It’s never going to be as good as it was then.” And so they’ve killed themselves before they were born.

For one, I plan on living so that I never draw that line. There is always another excellent videogame, song, movie, book to read. There was never a Golden Day of Education and Politics, so there’s always reason to strive to make it better. There are always more people to help, to teach, to love.

Last week I talked about how people put God into a box. Well, people put themselves in boxes too. They’ve dove headfirst into the packing peanuts and taped it shut from the inside.

To close, then, I have just one question for everybody: “Who’s got the box knife?”

- Edward L. Cheever II

084015 Hero of Twilight (12-12-2009)
from the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Download:
parts (2,65 MB PDF file)
instructions (2,60 MB PDF file)
reverse sides (278 kB PDF file

Pictures:
Webshots album

by ssjrem

It seems like I blog pretty much exclusively about movies, Dragonball Z and philosophy. There are plenty of other things that I could do. One thing that I’ve mostly skipped over is video games, which is rather odd, given my interest in them. Anyway, The Legend of Zelda franchise is my favorite of all time. Metroid sits in second place. After that, I’m not so sure. I’ll have to do a top five Metroid games too. Anyway, yeah, so about this list, I’ll just tell you right now that I’m going to be very biased toward the 3-D Zeldas. Truth be told, I’ve only actually beaten one of the 2-D Zeldas and I’ve never even played the Oracle games at all. So, yeah, you’re only going to get one 2-D game on here. Biased? Yes, but at least I admit it, right? All right, let’s kick it off with number five!

The Minish Cap

In the number five spot, we have The Minish Cap, the only 2-D Zelda game that I’ve actually beaten. It’s interesting to note that TMC is arguably the first Zelda game. That is, in the timeline of the series. The whole timeline of the Zelda series is extremely convuluted and Nintendo just keeps digging themselves a deeper hole in that regard. It was once generally agreed that Ocarina of Time was the first game in the series, but now most of the conventions have been thrown out the window. However, many in the Zelda online community do agree that TMC takes place first, possibly hundreds of years before Ocarina of Time. Anyway, TMC is a damn fine game. It’s got a certain cartoony sort of style to it, but at the same it’s very distinct from the cartoony style of The Wind Waker. It tells an interesting story and I like the fact that they actually give some attention and an origin story to Link’s distinctive cap. And there’s the whole kinstone thing, which adds hours of replay value to the game. Minish Cap is, in truth, a very easy game, but that’s not really a big problem. It’s still got pleny of dungeons and side-quests to keep one coming back. I really will have to attempt the other 2-D Zeldas again. I’ve only gotten like a third of the way though A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening. They’re both very good, but I’ve just never finished them. Oh well. Let’s move on!

The Wind Waker

Back in 2001, Nintendo showed off this Zelda video that most fans took as a confirmation that a Gamecube Zelda was in the works and that it would be very realistic, similar to Ocarina of Time but upgraded graphically. However, that was not the case. A year later, Nintendo turns around and fucks with everyone, debuting the trailer for The Wind Waker. The shit hit the fan. People cried and moaned about the childish, cel-shaded graphics. Graphics whores *cough*Chris Cummings*cough* didn’t like it because everything has to be all pretty and realistic. Well, fuck you. Wind Waker was great. I’ll admit that even I was a bit skeptical about the whole cel-shaded thing, but you just have the give the game a chance. In terms of story, Wind Waker has one of the better ones in the Zelda series, though I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t played it. The graphics are phenomenol and beautiful in a way that graphics whores just wouldn’t understand. The cel-shading allows the characters to be extremely life-like and expressive. They may not look “real,” but they sure seem and act that way. Yes, I will admit that some parts of Wind Waker are extremely tedious and annoying. The sailing is kind of a pain in the ass and toward the end of the game when you have to pay Tingle like 20,000 rupees a piece for the triforce charts, it’s just a pain. But the game is great. The dungeons, though there only five (Forsaken Fortress doesn’t really count) are really well laid out and offer some pretty cool puzzles. Anyway, that’s the wind waker. On to number three!

Twilight Princess

It took me a very long time to come a decision about which game I liked better, Twilight Princess or Wind Waker. And even now, I’m still a wee bit undecided. But I think, in the end, I do have to give it to Twilight Princess. I feel weird that I just decried graphics whores and yet I put TP ahead of TWW, but oh well. It’s just a better game. TP spent a ridiculously long time in development, got delayed a whole lot, but in the end, the amount of polish in the game is worth it. Twilight Princess is fucking gigantic. The overworld is absolutely fucking huge. In Ocarina of Time, getting the horse was a cool little easter egg thing. It helped you get around a lot faster, but it wasn’t necessary. In TP, you need the fucking horse. The world is just too fucking huge to traverse without one. That’s why they give you a horse right off the bat. But, anyway, yeah, TP is extremely polished and features really good graphics, though they are a bit dated by now. But, yeah, much like the expansive overworld, the quest itself is gigantic. There is so damn much to do in Twilight Princess. It boasts nine dungeons, a number that matches Ocarina of Time. Though, really, the first three dungeons, especially the first one, in that game are fucking pieces of cake. I could beat the Deku Tree in under ten minutes if I really wanted to. You sure as hell ain’t beating any Twilight Princess dungeon in ten minutes. They’re fucking huge.

Ocarina of Time

Well, at this point, having unveiled Ocarina of Time as my number two pick, through process of elimination, most Zelda fans would be able to discern my number one choice. But more on that later. Now it is time to discuss the classic that is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. When games made the leap to 3-D back in the mid to late 90s, many wondered how some of the storied franchises such as Mario, Metroid and Zelda would make the leap. Though Metroid didn’t get the chance until the Gamecube, both Mario and Zelda had incredible 3-D debuts on the Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64 was fucking great, so people were wondering if Zelda could replicate the same feat. It’s interesting to note that Ocarina of Time ran on a highly modified version of the Super Mario 64 game engine. Why they did that instead of building it from the ground up baffles me, but when you look at the results, it’s not a big deal.

Ocarina of Time came out in 1998 and fucking set the world on fire. Okay, maybe not, but it was some good shit. It got perfect 10’s all over the place and fucking revolutionized gaming itself. The whole z-targeting thing was a huge breakthrough and tremendously helped with fighting in 3-D. It even integrated it into the game nicely with the whole fairy thing. Though, I think everyone agrees that Navi was annoying as fuck. Interesting to see that James Cameron named the alien race in Avatar the Na’Vi. Connection? Coincidence? Probably the latter. Anyway, the game was the shit. From the opening prologue to the final epic battle with Ganon, it’s fantastic. Yes, the graphics and textures and all that are extremely dated by today’s standards, but the gameplay still holds up. Some of the puzzles are still better than the ones in TP or TWW. Hell, that fucking Water Temple still gets to me at times.

OOT doesn’t really have a whole lot to offer in terms of sidequests, at least in comparison to the other 3-D adventures, but it has more than enough for one to keep coming back. There are a lot of secrets strewn about Hyrule just waiting to be discovered. And eleven years later, people are still claiming that the triforce is attainable in the game. I think it’s been sufficiently proven that it’s not. Ocarina of Time, even to this day, just holds a certain mystique to it for me. I was only nine when it came out and it was my first real video game playing experience. I remember watching my older brother play and wishing I could be as good at it as he was. I think OOT was probably the first game I ever did beat. It really just opened up a whole new world to me and it will always have a very special place in my heart. Nothing will ever take that away from me. I still pick up Ocarina of Time every now and then just because it’s so good. In fact, I’m planning on trying to beat the whole thing in one day some time over Christmas Break. Though difficult, should definitely be doable, especially if I skip a lot of the heart pieces and side quests. But I’m rambling. Now for number one!

Majora’s Mask

Much like the difficulty of coming to a decision between Twilight Princess and Wind Waker, I found myself torn between Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time for quite a while. A couple years ago, I finally came to a conclusion on the matter and decided that Majora’s Mask is overall a better game. And I feel as though that stance has only been strengthened with time. I remember loving OOT back in the day and then news of Majoras’s Mask starts coming in piece by piece. I wasn’t the Internet addict I am now back in the late ninties, so I had to turn to gaming magazines to get my info. I’d go to the grocery store with my mom just so I could go there and read the magazines while she shopped. And I looked at all these pictures of Majora’s Mask and couldn’t help but feel like they were just, well, weird. The odd looking clock thing at the bottom of the screen and the other stuff going on…. it just seemed odd.

And then Majora’s Mask comes out (interestingly on the same exact day PS2 debuted) and it’s met with kind of an odd response. It was very similar to Ocarina of Time in terms of graphics and the overall look and all that, but at the same time, it was radically different. Majora’s Mask has a whole different “feel” to it, one that hasn’t been present in any other Zelda game that I’ve played. In general, it’s just much darker. The whole vibe that the game has is one of impending doom. There’s a genuine sort of hopelessness that accompanies the game. And, technically, you have to fail to save the world several times over before you actually can. Therein lies the main game mechanic of Majora’s Mask and one of the things that really sets it apart.

Ocarina of Time had time travel and some time-themed shit, but Majora’s Mask just took that to a whole other level. The entire game revolves around living the same three days over and over again. Now while that might sound tedious and repetitive, it’s really not. You have to give it up to Nintendo. More than any other Zelda game, the characters in this one are truly alive. Through all the sidequests and such, you find yourself starting to actually care for some of them, most notably Anju and Kafei. That quest is a bitch, but so completely worth it. Anyway, the reason you have to keep reliving these three days is because you’re in the doomed land of Termina. The moon crashes into the world at the end of the three day cycle. Everyone dies. The world is destroyed. And until the very end of the game, you’re powerless to stop it.

Another major aspect of the game is all the masks. While they were an extremely minor part in Ocarina of Time, masks take center stage in Majora’s Mask. There are twenty-four in all and some of them are a bitch to get. However, get all twenty regular masks and you get rewarded with the most badass mask ever, the Fierce Deity’s Mask (see the picture on the right). With that at your disposal, any boss that you come across is just a complete piece of shit. Well, with the exception of Twinmold. Fierce Deity isn’t going to do shit against Twinmold. But, anyway, yeah, there are lots of different masks and they all have different attributes and abilities. Chief among are the transforming masks, which transform you into a Deku, Goron or Zora. Unlike the wolf controls and combat in Twilight Princess, which left a shitload to be desired, all three alternate forms are done really, really well and they’re very effective and easy to control. Flying around Hyrule field with those Goron spikes is still fucking awesome.

Majora’s Mask does feature very similar graphics to Ocarina of Time, though if you pay attention, there are some upgrades. There’s frequently a whole lot more going on on the screen at one time, there are more characters, the graphics are just a little cleaner and crisper and the game as a whole runs a bit faster. It’s just everything that made Ocarina of Time great and then some. I will admit that the save system is kind of a pain in the ass, but it’s a minor complaint against such an outstanding game. There are only four dungeons, but all of them are extremely well designed and quite challenging. Probably my favorite dungeon of all time, Stone Tower Temple, rounds out the game’s dungeons. And then the whole thing at the end of the game with the moon is fucking trippy, but at the same time awesome.

So, yeah, I think that’s enough. Those are my top five Zelda games. Yes, I really should give the 2-D ones another shot and I will some day. That’s inevitable. For now, I’m quite looking forward to getting some more information on the next Zelda game. For months now, all we’ve had to go on are a very cryptic interviews and a single piece of concept art. I don’t feel like waiting until E3 next summer just for a trailer. Oh well. It seems like Nintendo is really going to make some changes with this next Zelda and I have faith that they can make it work. So, I guess that’s all. I haven’t studied at all yet for my theology final, so I suppose that I should go do that. Until we meet again.

The Legend of Zelda series director Eiji Aonuma recently sat down with online gaming publication IGN to offer them a few insights into the development ideas for the next iteration of the Zelda series.

“With Twilight Princess, we challenged ourself to create the most vast and realistic world the series had ever seen, but we don’t feel that we were able to fully complete this objective. With that as a starting point for our improvements to the series in the future, we are of course working on a new game for Wii.”

“For any game to be remembered for a long time, just like Ocarina of Time was, the game must give the strong impression that it has set a new starting point for future sequels to build upon. We are working to further improve upon the experiences found in Twilight Princess so that our future games can realize these innovations.”

- Eiji Aonuma

Source

a lot of stuff to write tonight. first, i have thanksgiving dinner at matthew’s tomorrow. yippee! well, actually, it’s shereen’s house, and apparently grandpa is coming. i don’t know why matthew invited him. i’m going to punish him by making him carry grandpa up the stairs. =) no, just kidding… i’m happy grandpa’s coming. he’d be all alone without us so it’s good he’s part of our dinner.

dance is tiring but good. we’ve added on a lot to all our dances. angie didn’t come to one of my ballet classes, so i got a solo class! i did half an hour on barre and then another half an hour en pointe. it was good to get all that pointe over with; at least now i know all my pointe at the barre, and some centre stuff. oh yeah, chloe from LDA asked if i liked sheila as a teacher. an odd question, so i hesitantly answered yes. she then asked, “you wish you were at our studio?”

well, i said… sometimes. but, i’m with sheila now. doesn’t mean i don’t miss everyone there but it was time for me to go. we all leave studios at some point, my time just happened to be last year. that’s all. i definitely wanna go see their christmas recital, just to see everyone… for old time’s sake. <3

my sisters had their first day back to school. looks like everyone is off to a good start! except sarah… she’s pretty much had it with the kids at school and i’m worried she’ll whip out a really sarcastic remark and offend everyone. they’re sensitive there to begin with, wait ’til they see sarah when she gets really impatient! (i love you sarah). emma has lilian in her class so everything’s good so far. hope it stays that way. don’t get into fights, children.

epephphp. (…yeah.) a lot is on my mind right now! OMG guess what! i finally decided to start playing Twilight Princess because, well, i LOVE the Ocarina of Time. it’s one of the best games ever, so i thought there was no harm in starting TP. i was wrong. i’m now addicted and i can’t stop playing. the graphics are great, and did i mention link is shirtless in this game?

isn’t it funny how i don’t like men, but i make exceptions for the following:

• link in twilight princess specifically.
• donnie darko
• uhh, i can’t think of anyone else.

so there we have it. unless you’re a video game character, or a schizophrenic time traveler, you have no chances. =P

btw, what should i be for halloween?

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 acomodarse 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 versión alternativa del mismo, 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.

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?

Jeg har blitt hekta på Zelda : Twilight Princess til Wii. Opp igjennom årene har jeg spilt endel Zelda-spill, men Twilight Princess er absolutt et av de bedre (kun slått av Ocarina of Time til N64).

Samme hvor mye jeg elsker Zelda, så har jeg allikevel et noe ambivalent forhold til det å faktisk spille spillene. Jeg velger å skylde på Link. Hver gang jeg starter på et Zelda-spill så er alt bare fryd og gammen, Link løper rundt og skaffer rupees, skjold og sverd, men så møter han den virkelige verden…

Dere skulle bare visst hvilke skumle og ekle skapninger som eksisterer der ute, kravlende edderkopper, zombier som suger livet ut av deg, kjøttetende planter… Pulsen min stiger etterhvert som Links liv ebber ut. Til slutt skjer det uunngåelige: På tv-skjermen faller Link om med et smerteskrik, og jeg legger fra meg spillkontrollen med skjelvende underleppe og blanke øyne. Etter en slik episode så tar det ofte en uke før jeg manner meg opp til å starte spillet igjen, og våger meg ut i Hyrule.

Min fascinasjon for Link fører ikke bare til triste øyeblikk, men også til gledesutbrudd. For et par uker siden kunne jeg observeres vilt begeistret foran tv-en: Link ble plutselig forvandlet til en ulv! En varulv…Bedre vri på spillet skal man lete lenge etter!

Er jeg en smule sprø? Høyst sannsynlig…

The following movie reviews were added: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

The following Wii reviews were added: Ghost Squad, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Party 8, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario Strikers Charged, Ratatouille, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wario Land: Shake It!, Wii Play, Wii Sports.

Please spread the word about Relatively Reviewing by reposting our link (http://relativelyreviewing.wordpress.com) on Facebook or Twitter!

We see need some help with the site as well, so check out the Contributors tab above to see what you can do to make the site better.

— JD

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.