Hyrule Warriors Nintendo Direct And My Hyrule Warriors Impressions

Written By: Tyler

Watch here: http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/08-04-2014/#/video-ndirect

Today Nintendo hit us up with another Nintendo Direct. If you know me in person or follow this blog, you may be aware that while the Playstation has been my primary system since the first one, I'm a Nintendo fanboy in my heart and always treat their systems as my secondary console. Nintendo gives us games that no other platform will -- quite literally because they own and develop their most legendary IPs -- and they're just damn good. I also respect the fact that Nintendo goes off and does their own thing, even if it isn't always for the best. I actually love the Wii U and love the Gamepad.

They may be horribly out of touch in some aspects of their business model and plan, but in others they innovate. I always look forward to Nintendo Directs -- they're an event for me. They're usually about half an hour of showcasing new footage and breaking news. The only problem with the Directs is that they quite often disappoint. I, like many others, hope for certain things that we never get. Some of it is our own fault, but some of the blame rests on Nintendo.

This one focuses on Hyrule Warriors, which is a game I am looking forward to but it's not one of the big games of the year for me. I quite enjoy Dynasty Warriors but don't follow it religiously and I'm not a fan of Zelda at all outside of a few games that I mildly enjoy. So how did the Hyrule Warriors Direct fare? Read on for the news that matters.

Hyrule Warriors is looking like a good time with just enough change on the Dynasty Warriors formula to make it fresh. Don't get confused though, because this is still more of a Dynasty Warriors game with a Zelda skin than the other way around, but I'm okay with it.

The boss battles should be of interest in this. Though it will lack the legendary Lu Bu, it will have bosses from other Zelda games, and it will require the items that you find throughout the maps in order to defeat them. This should keep battles relatively unique and inject some strategy into the button mashing formula that Destiny Warriors is known for.

You will also need to use the items to open up different areas much like in Zelda. 

There are tons of things from the Zelda series brought in, such as the Cucco. They will come after you if you hit them and you'll see them mingling with the enemies on occasion. However, in some situations you can actually make them your allies. Other characters such as the Bombchu or even the Moon from Majora's Mask will also be included. It's safe to say that there will be plenty of fan service involved but it's interesting how they incorporate some of these. For example, you can hookshot the Moon to have it fall on enemies.

You'll have things like grass cutting, which seems silly, but it is part of the Zelda charm. Apparently they were going to have a stage that consisted solely of grass cutting but they didn't include it. I think that might be a good thing because I can't really see that being enjoyable. Sometimes Nintendo makes a bigger deal out of certain aspects of their IPs than they deserve, and I reckon the grass cutting is one of them.

These are the characters that they talked about in the Direct: Link, Zelda, Impa, Sheik, Ruto, Darunia, Midna, Agitha, Zant, Fi, Ghirahim, plus some new characters like Lana. They will all have their own attributes and weapons, such as a sword, a giant hammer, etc. This is typical Dynasty Warriors fare.

This isn't really news, but expect to see a bunch of stages based on places that you know and love within the Zelda universe, such as Skyloft, Lake Hylia and Twilight Field.

You can fill a bar by defeating enemies that will power-up your character when used. It is called "Focus Spirit."

In terms of character progression, it's light but it exists. Your characters level up as you slaughter your foes, and some materials drop in battle that you can use to craft badges that enhance your stats. You can also acquire weapons that enemies drop... some of these also have skills in them or if they have an empty slot you can fuse your own skills in it, such as more attack damage or a better chance of finding hearts.

There's a mode called "Adventure Mode," which basically slaps you on a NES-inspired map and you can move around to the different stages and play them. Each stage will have its own victory conditions and once you achieve them the level will end and more spaces on the grid will open up around you so you can progress to the next stage. It's not mind-blowing, but it's something.

Like any Destiny Warriors game, the core gameplay consists of spamming attacks until hundreds of enemies fall to your might. You can take over bases in the middle of combat to help turn the tides of battle, but mostly it'll just involve you laying waste to enemies yourself.

One sore spot for me is the lack of online co-op, and how they handle the local co-op. I don't know why but for as forward thinking as Nintendo is in a lot of ways, they have some problems with minor issues. Instead of playing on the same screen, which is completely acceptable in local co-op, especially since most people have bigger TVs these days, one person will use the Gamepad screen and the other will use the TV and Wiimotes. Not only that, but the screen resolution will go down when playing in local co-op. I don't know why they felt the need to do this to use, but it's a bit of a downer. I normally play Dynasty Warriors with a friend but I'll be playing this one solo.

As the Direct ends, we are shown Ganondorf. Of course he is badass, and of course you will want to play as him. If you're a Nintendo Club member then you can get the Demon King costume set, and like most games, there are pre-order bonuses from select retailers.


I think the variety and whatnot of the enemies, mixed with the Zelda characters and atmosphere, will make it a little more exciting than just a normal Dynasty Warriors. I enjoy this idea as a one-off, but if it became a series I think the novelty would wear off. After seeing the Hyrule Warriors direct, I don't know if I'm more excited for it or not, but most of my fears have been put to rest, and the problems I had with the game I already knew (such as the co-op).

Kickstarter Games That Deserve Funding Volume 1 - InSomnia, The Deer God and Midora

Written By: Tyler

We live in an age of Kickstarter now, where developers flock to the website and go directly to the gamers to fund their passion projects. Whether this is a good system is hotly contested among gamers, but I thought it'd be interesting to make a feature where I talk about a few games that seem interesting and deserving of your hard-earned (or easily-earned, no judgement) money.

For any of these, it's smartest to go to the Kickstarter page and see a detailed description of their project right from the people making it, but I will use this opportunity to sell you on the game enough that you'll want to click the links.


Midora
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1867607597/midora-0?ref=category

Midora is a throwback to games like Zelda and Secret of Mana. Though I'm not a huge Zelda fan in general, I'm big into Secret of Mana. I'll just let them describe the story:

Midora is a colorful world, crafted by an ancient architect with the elements as his tools. For an eternity after this creation, those elements populated the world, fashioning cultures and kingdoms all their own. They contested each other for land and prestige, and when the world was finally overwhelmed by the strife, the architect came back down to seal the elements away, preserving the world for its lesser inhabitants.

  This harmony lasted for centuries, until even the eldest tribes had only vague memories of the conflict and its participants. The town of Seawind will be the first to remember the Inferno in earnest.
 
  Enter Snow, the lead character of this adventure. A young girl growing up on the edge of Seawind, she embarks on what starts as just a simple chore, only to uncover the catalyst in a war as old as the world she lives in. On her journey, she will encounter help and obstacles in various forms. Elderly town matrons, kings, long extinct races, burly blacksmiths, and the living elements themselves will play a role in Midora's newest story, but it falls to Snow herself to see it to the end.

The main gameplay mechanic is that you can control water. At the beginning you will be weak, obviously, but as the game progresses you will become a lot better at it. I like the idea of being able to manipulate water.

Besides that, it is an action-adventure game like we've seen before but that doesn't mean it's bad. There are no levels but your sword and shield have their own levels, and there will be little stealth elements that allow you to do critical damage.

There is also over 200+ items to get, along with 12 dungeons and 6 towns to go to. Of course, there will also be secret areas that you can find. You can use alchemy to create your own items, or just find them.

It does seem to truly blend together elements from the two main games that influence it, and that's definitely a good thing.



InSomnia
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1892480689/insomnia-an-rpg-set-in-a-brutal-dieselpunk-univers?ref=nav_search

InSomnia is a dieselpunk RPG set on "The Ark" which is basically a gigantic half-deserted space station populated by the race known as "Normans" in which you are a part of. You wake up on "The Ark" only to find that is moving to a planet only known as "The Evacuation Point," in order to start over because the "SORG Regime" are a bunch of pricks, basically.

So why is it interesting? Because it's a dieselpunk RPG, mainly. No, there's actually a lot going on here of interesting, namely:

• No leveling system but instead the game opts for a more Elder Scrolls approach where you use abilities and they get more powerful. There are perks and whatnot as well, but this is a system that is a welcome break from what we normally get (not that I hate levels because I certainly don't).
• 15-20 hours of main storyline with 20+ hours of side-quests. That's not the cool part. The cool part is that that is only the first season and there will be 20 free missions released post-release at some point.
• Did I mention that it's dieselpunk?
• Strategic real-time combat.
• You can also play with friends if you're unlike me and actually have some.
• Not only do you have to fight enemies, but there's a survival element (along with crafting). I'm a little concerned/curious about how the survival elements will co-exist with the sandbox elements because it could possibly get annoying to traverse the land while managing your food. I'm not trash talking the game, but it is literally the only gripe I have and it's not even a very big one considering the developers seem ambitious and I'm sure they'll make it work.

Those are only some of the things to look forward to in this game.

The bottom line is that if the developers can live up to their promises then it should be another great RPG to add to the already excellent canon of the genre. The planned release date isn't for a ways off, however, as it's planned for Q 2015 for PC with Mac and Linux a possibility later on.



The Deer God
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1907053239/the-deer-god-a-game-of-reincarnation-pc-mac-linux?ref=discovery

From dark and depressing to beautiful and majestic, here is The Deer God, a game in which you play as a fawn who was originally a human. Yes, the hunter gets reincarnated as a fawn. You will be a fawn until you gain experience and eat food. You can also apparently made with does.

The Deer God looks like one of those types of games that you will play and be in awe of how beautiful it is. If that sounded too poetic, then let me put it in internet meme form: you will get dem feels. A lot of games use pixel art, but a lot of them fall prey to getting by just on nostalgia. The Deer God does not look like that at all... it looks like a wonderfully crafted world that is full of life and populated by a lot of animals.

The developers say they are influenced by "Metroid, Zelda, Blaster Master, Kid Icarus, Ecco The Dolphin, Joust," and I'm down with all of those games that I've played, but especially Metroid and Blaster Master, which they bolded on their Kickstarter. They are also influenced by that pesky "outdoors" thing that I always hear about.

I know I haven't talked as much about the individual gameplay aspects as I did with InSomnia, but it really does look like it'll be fun to plat form and explore this world. You have to survive and grow into an elder deer (they say there isn't really an end, but there are things like that to make you feel like you've accomplished something), and you have to solve puzzles.

Just watch the video on their Kickstarter page and be inspired by the visuals and atmosphere. Then listen to some of the sample tracks because they've stated that music will be a big part in the game and I believe it.

March - National Women’s History Month: Let's Celebrate The Wimminz

Written By: Tyler

            Every month I’m picking something that the month commemorates and I’m doing a little list in celebration/honour of that. This month I’ll be praising women and some of my favourite video game characters of all time. Unlike black people (check last month), women aren’t underrepresented and though a lot are over-sexualized, there are still a lot of strong, well-written girl characters. It's National Women's History Month so let's take a look at some of the women who have made games what they are.

                I picked fifteen because it’s a nice number for this kind of thing. So let’s do this thing.

Samus Aran From Metroid

                It’s impossible not to start this list off with probably the greatest female video game character of all time – Samus Aran. What’s funny about her is that back in the Dark Ages, you wouldn’t know she’s a girl until you die due to the fact she is wearing a beastly Power Suit. Back then it was a huge deal, like, “whoa, I’m playing as a hot chick?” Yes, we thought that. Don’t let any older gamer tell you otherwise.

                Samus doesn’t really emote very often, except for in the ill-fated Metroid: Other M (which I actually loved), but she does talk when briefing the gamers on what she has done in her career as an Intergalactic Bounty Hunter. Mostly she’s a strong and silent type, and she’s one of the most classic Bounty Hunters in all of fiction.

The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3

                I mentioned her in January (National Mentor Month), but she is such a powerful, influential character that she needs to be included again. When she’s on screen she’s shown as strong yet feminine, smart and exceptionally talented. She is important, loyal and brave. She has a tremendous impact on Big Boss (Naked Snake in this game), who is arguably the most important character in the entire series considering even Solid Snake is just a clone of him. Without Big Boss, there is no Snake, without The Boss, there is no Big Boss.

Princess Toadstool/Peach from Mario Games

                Princess Toadstool isn’t really a great example of a powerful female video game character. She falls strictly in the “damsel in distress” archetype, but it’s hard to deny that she’s an iconic character considering she’s a big piece of probably the most famous video game series of all time – Super Mario.

Joanna Dark from Perfect Dark

                Joanna Dark had the unfortunate problem of being in the Rare shooter that came after the legendary Goldeneye 64 so she had to compete with Bond. No, she’s not James Bond, but she’s also not the type of girl that would become infatuated with Bond… in fact, it’s more likely that she’d kick his ass. Perfect Dark is one of the best shooters of all time, and Joanna Dark is the main character of it.

Juliet Starling from Lollipop Chainsaw

                I love Lollipop Chainsaw. I think it’s an underrated and fun game. I don’t think Juliet is a well-written character that redefines the role of the female in games. She’s a ditsy cheerleader who wears her boyfriend’s head on her belt. But don’t get it twisted… as sexy and as ditsy as she is, she’s a tough, ass-kicking woman. Women can complain but I’m a man and it’s hard not to be into Juliet.

Aeris Gainsborough from Final Fantasy 7

                Aeris is one of the first people you see in Final Fantasy 7. She isn’t in the whole game because, y’know spoilers, she dies (bet you didn’t know that). Her death is felt throughout the rest of the game and she’s probably the most important character in the game. It’s a shame she dies though because she’s a classic healer and her final limit break is the shit.

Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy 7

                Tifa is also awesome. Final Fantasy 7 has two great female characters, and they both love Cloud. Tifa is my favourite to play as and she’s one of my core members in my team. She is a caring, loyal woman with… big bazookas. But of course that’s not all there is to a woman. Heh.

Celes from Final Fantasy 3/6

                Celes is one of my favourite Final Fantasy characters ever. She is the one who gets the honour of getting equipped with the Genji Glove. When you see her she’s in a bad way, and my buddy and I have made the argument that she was raped, but nothing stops her and she shows just how tough she is throughout the rest of the game. She might even be the most developed because when the shit hits the fan and Kefka destroys the world, who do you play as first in the World of Ruin? That’s right – Celes.

Terra from Final Fantasy 3/6

                I think Celes becomes the main character, ultimately, but Terra starts the game and has an interesting, conflict filled character arc herself. I mean, she’s an Esper. That’s pretty awesome in itself and that’s reason enough that she’s a memorable female video game character.

Chun-Li from Street Fighter

                Chun-Li is the most iconic female character in arguably the most legendary fighting game series. Yes, she’s a little over-sexualized like a lot of girls, but she has a great move set and she kicks serious ass. You don’t really go to a fighting game, generally, for characters who are extremely developed anyway.

Aya Brea from Parasite Eve

                The definition of a real woman. She’s sexy, dedicated, conquers her fears and kicks ass. She is on a date, the room catches on fire, everyone is screaming and burning to death and she pulls out her gun and goes and challenges Parasite Eve. From then on, you are treated to what I think is the greatest RPG of all time, and it’s all told through the eyes of probably my all-time favourite female video game character.

Lara Croft from Tomb Raider

                I’m not really a Tomb Raider guy, but I couldn’t make this list without putting Lara on it. This is probably the only case of me doing that. It’s Lara Croft – love her or hate her, people know her… and her tits. It sounds shallow but that’s the reality. It’s hard to deny that she was basically a sex icon for guys who are into video games a little too much, but lately she has been rebranded as a more complex character.

Zelda from Legend of Zelda

                Actually, I’m not a Zelda guy either so there are two choices on here that I’m putting in just because of how big they are in the industry. I mean, it’s Zelda, although the circumstances are a little strange. For years people thought Link was Zelda. Some people still do. But regardless, her name is in the title and Link only gets that privilege in a few games.

Ellie from The Last of Us

                Though she’s more of a one-off character, it’s hard to argue her importance in The Last of Us. She is the person who makes Joel human again, she is the central focal point for the entire game. She is the reason you are making tough choices. The Last of Us doesn’t have a deep plot and it’s a tale that’s been told a lot, but the growth of Joel and Ellie is something special within video games.

Elizabeth from Bioshock: Infinite

                Elizabeth has an Ellie thing going on, though it’s a different situation. She isn’t technically the main character, but a lot that goes on is because of her. You are trying to save her after all, but she’s not a damsel in distress really. I mean, she kind of is, but there’s more to her than that and as the game goes on you see that.

Disagree, agree? Let me know in the comments below who you would put in this list. Or message me on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime. Thanks for reading and keep coming back to this blog because I actually write other articles too! I know!

Aw Look At the Cute Cat Suit - A Super Mario 3D World Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

Rating: 9.5/10

Verdict: Super Mario 3D World doesn’t re-invent Mario, but embraces everything that brought Mario to the dance. That -- and some really clever and fun level design – makes this one of the best Mario games ever.

          

               I have a long history with Mario, much like I’m sure a lot of “old school” gamers do. I remember the NES packaged with the first solo Mario game. I remember Donkey Kong. I remember playing Mario pretty religiously through my youth, to the point where I would dream of playing Mario 3. I would sneak over to my older brother’s room, where the NES was, and play it at five in the morning. For some reason he still likes me.

                But the thing is, as much as I love Mario and I honestly feel no childhood is complete without Mario, I don’t follow Mario as much as I should. There are amazing installments that I just haven’t played, such as Galaxy. I hadn’t even played Super Mario 3D Land, which this is a sequel to. I generally just for a while without playing any of the games and then one day I think, “I should play the latest Mario.” So that means I miss some. But there was no way I was going to miss this one. It’s also because of this that I may not catch every reference to older games so forgive me if I act like something is new when it isn’t.

                And I’m so glad I didn’t choose to ignore it, because it’s easily within the top three of all Mario games for me. Maybe it’s blasphemy that Super Mario 64 isn’t in my top three, but Super Mario 3D World joins the likes of Super Mario World and Mario 3, with honourable mention to Mario 2 and yes, Super Mario 64.

                Nintendo didn’t give us a completely new experience, but instead decided to jam everything Mario into one title. There are references to the other games all over the place, and while that may not sound as appealing to some people – considering some people hate the fact that Nintendo “milks” the Mario franchise – as it does others, it’s a positive in my book, because not only did they show old fans love, but they did include some awesome ideas like the cat suit. Who doesn’t love the cat suit, with how adorable the characters look walking around on all fours? Not to mention that you need it to get a fair share of the stars and whatnot in the game.

                Mario will always have that Mario charm. It’s undeniable, and it’s one of the reasons he is so loved in this world. Mario is a legend and it’s hard to deny that. Some Nintendo haters like to play Mario down like he’s overrated, but I think they’d be overjoyed if Nintendo stopped making consoles and just made games for their system of choice.

                Having so many Mario games can be a little much if they don’t do anything great with the IP, but when the Mario games are on point, they’re the best platformers of their kind in the entire world. Super Mario 3D World is on point with fascinating and genius level design that offers different and often intense experiences in each world.

                Super Mario 3D World does a glorious job of giving you classic platforming but Nintendo threw in levels that make you sit back and just say, “Wow, that was cool.” An example of this are the music based levels which provide a nice break and something refreshing. The game offers a lot of variety, be it speed runs for stars, the musical blocks, the racing levels or just the way they switch everything up. Instead of letting you feel safe and allowing everything to seem familiar, even late in the game they include things that you haven’t yet seen in the game. You never really know what you’re going to get from level to level. From beginning to end, it’s exciting, and they top it all off by having an intense and amazing final level/boss battle. It’s because of this blend of new and old, and this mixture, that the game is one of the most fun games of the year.

                I have to gush a little over the music because it’s tremendous. Yes, there are re-workings of old songs, and they are incredible. There are new tunes, and they are just as good. Even from the main menu, the music just works and puts you in the mood. My personal favourite is the Ghost House music, which is tragic and eerie, like y’know, a Ghost House should be. I know this is a short paragraph because I don’t want to go into every single song and all the intricacies, but the soundtrack is so, so good.

The game is extremely polished, and even the little things add to the experience. I know that the way it uses community, with the drawn pictures and whatnot, isn’t a new thing. It was in the last Wii U Mario game, and I loved it then like I love it now. It’s a joy seeing Miis standing around to “talk” to and having them present you with whatever the player wanted to draw. Then there are the Ghost Miis that are in levels if you go back and revisit them, which allow you to see how other people played the game. My friend made fun of my Mario skills on Facebook randomly one day.

It’s a small, but nice little touch, that the music muffles when you’re in water. It isn’t something that should get a lot of attention but it’s neat that it’s there.

                Or the fact that Nintendo does an outstanding job of balancing difficulty. Some levels are just hard. Some levels only get hard when you want to get all three stars. If you’re a completionist then I’m sure there will be moments that have you pulling your hair out. However, Nintendo is for the children (to quote ODB), and if you are having a difficult time getting through a level, they’ll throw you a bone and give you a power-up that makes you invincible, except for falling in holes.

Which brings me to the multiplayer. It’s not original, but it’s back. You play as one of four characters (it makes me happy that at one point Mario 2 was seen as the bastard son, but now the characters are openly influenced by that one in particular), and playing with a friend or three makes the game significantly harder. But it’s fun. The game somehow makes you want to work together but be competitive. Sure, you want everyone to get through because it eats up lives if one of you die, but at the same time, you need to fight for points (in which you get a crown no less), and it ends up becoming a matter of “screw you, I’m out,” as you watch your friend fall to his death. Some have criticized the camera, but it was never a huge problem for me. Maybe a minor issue here and there, but nothing worth kicking up a stink about.

Another negative I’ve seen in reviews is that the game doesn’t use the Gamepad as well as it should. I get the argument… Mario is a killer app and you would think they would have used Mario to show what the Wii U is capable of. They don’t really do this, outside of a few levels here and there where you use the touch-screen or blow into it. I suppose if you look at it that way, it’s a little disappointing. I think it’s more that they are smart enough not to force something in that doesn’t work. I don’t think Mario is the game to show that off. I think a Zelda or a Metroid is more likely to do so. I see the brief usage of the features on the gamepad as more of a welcome swerve here and there.

Again, it’s the care that they put into the whole experience that makes Nintendo the developers that they are. At their best, and I know I sound like a fanboy, they understand games perfectly. I can’t help it, once in a while something comes along that just has me smiling the whole time (like the most recent Muppets movie), so I can’t help but say it’s one of the best games of the year.