Star Fox Blog

The Legend of Zelda: Timeline? Pg. 2

Fox — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 23:52:00 GMT

Eight years after the last game on a handheld system, Link’s Awakening, two new Zelda games were released for the Gameboy Color: The Oracle of Ages and The Oracle of Seasons. These games (depending on the order which they were played) took place immediately after each other. Although these games could take place after any Zelda game, many fans speculate that they both take place after Majora’s Mask because of the similar characters. Then again many say they both could take place between A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, or at the very end of the timeline. Still others felt it was another Link entirely.

By this point, the timeline had changed. No longer was it constant among all fans. But no matter where you place the Oracle games, the theme of the series remains true.

However, things got even more screwed up when Wind Waker for the Gamecube appeared. The story followed a young Link on the great sea who has to rescue his sister, helped along by a young pirate girl named Tetra who is later revealed to be this game’s Princess Zelda. Wind Waker’s backstory told how after adult Link defeated Ganon, Ganon returned. But Link is now non-existent because he was sent back seven years where he lives his childhood as young Link, which is where Majora’s Mask picks up. So he basically disappeared from the present time. Ganon is back, but there’s no Link to fight him so all three Goddesses seal Hyrule under the great sea. So this is our big problem: Hyrule is flooded so this game would have to be the end. Nothing could happen later if Hyrule is still flooded, unless is was un-flooded.

So when debating the Zelda timeline, one must either believe in one linear timeline or a split timeline, and of course there’s no generally accepted theory.

A year before Wind Waker’s release, another game was made in the series as an add on as a GameBoy Advanced remake of A Link to the Past. this was the first multi-player game in the franchise: The Four Swords. At the time, many fans believed that since this game was so radically different from the others, it didn’t count. However the idea was soon debunked on the grounds that it was nothing but an excuse not to think. After Four Swords Adventures for the Gamecube its significance increased, having Ganon make an appearance towards the very end. This is where the timeline really unscrewed the piping, since many new possibilities were opened.

Then, The Minish Cap on the Gameboy Advanced tied in with the Four Swords as well, and is believed to take place at the beginning of the timeline. That’s right, another prequel! How far backward can we possibly go? Are Link and Zelda going to become the Adam and Eve of Hyrule?

Although I’m being sarcastic, many fans find it hard to accept any game coming before Ocarina of Time, while I am trying to figure why any game would take place before the only game which has the word “past” in the title. Many other theories place The Minish Cap at the very end, while others clump it together with the Four Sword titles, taking place within the middle of the timeline. Others speculate that the Four Swords, are their own separate series, however many believe the Minish Cap to be the first game in the saga, since its geography corresponds with Ocarina of Time better than that of any other game. Also, it takes place during a time without many Ocarina of Time species being prominent, suggesting that the Kingdom has not yet united all the races. That coupled with the lack of a Temple of Time suggest that it falls several generation before the Ocarina of Time. Not to mention that it explains how Link first got his hat.

But Like any theory, someone has to find a flaw. For example, Moblins appear in the Minish Cap. And Moblins are the pig-like soldiers created by Ganon in his own image. No Ganon, no Moblins! It’s up in the air.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, the first Zelda Wii Console installment has no clear place in the timeline. But it’s so awesome it makes you forget all about it. Then there’s The Legend of Zelda: Phantom hourglass, Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword. What a juggernaut of a timeline.

Many have tried countless times to see how each Zelda title could somehow become logically and chronologically connected. And many of you out there can recall quotes, game prologues and instruction manual texts to back up your arguments. That is amazingly impressive. Fans clearly have an intense love for the Zelda franchise, and that’s what drives these theories about the Zelda world.

But let’s pause for a moment and take a look at all these games as a whole, mainly the early ones. If there was some sort of a concrete storyline–a planned out, logical order in the Zelda universe–it would be there clear as day. The creators of The Legend of Zelda, didn’t think about a timeline. Mainly because of pressure from the fans, Nintendo often times injects different aspects into new titles from previous installments, attempting to tie some of them together. But there is no sturdy foundation to do so, it’s simply a puzzle that can’t be solved. Every time fans make headway and piece things together, a new title is released destroying past logical explanations.

We’ve seen Zelda characters in Soulcalibur. And where does Super Smash Brothers tie in? Zelda, Link and Ganondorf are all in that game, so why ignore it? What about the cartoon? What about the amazingly wretched games on the Philips CDi? There was Zelda: the Wand of Gamelon, Link: the Faces of Evil and Zelda’s Adventure. And Princess Zelda had a huge role in those games, why not count those too?

That’s beside the point. The true heart of a Zelda game is the gameplay. If you can’t enjoy the game, then you won’t enjoy the story and characters anyway. The end goal is that the game is fun, challenging, has some unique twists and is a satisfying experience. So instead of looking at all the Zelda games as a whole, look at each one separately. After all, that was the way they were developed; each Zelda game is a different legend and a different experience. You don’t have to play the first one to understand the third one, or even the fourteenth one for that matter. And that’s really fortunate for those who haven’t been able to play most of the games, which is the case for most people.

Zelda games are not meant to connect right down the line, nor are they intended to tell the entire history of Hyrule. They were meant to be single, fun experiences.

Now I know it makes for great fun to try and solve the Zelda timeline puzzle and it definitely shows creative thinking, which I commend very much. But don’t sweat it, it’s nothing that deserves a loss of sleep, just enjoy the past and future Zelda games to come.

The Legend of Zelda: Timeline? Pg. 1

Fox — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:47:00 GMT

As you all have noticed lately, I’ve been on a very nostalgic note with my posts. With so many recent releases and announcements of fantastic Nintendo games intended to tie in with or continue past titles, it’s hard to put those amazing memories out of my head. Then again who would want to?

The Legend of Zelda is recognized by the world as one of the few most formative game series ever, any Zelda title is full of fantasy, wonder, action and countless puzzles providing hours of time in front of the TV and/or the portable screen.

However, with the recent announcement of The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword, I’m on the verge of a rampage. Although this question has been up for debate among fans of the franchise for many years, like a beach-ball thrown to a crowd of sea lions, what is the correct chronological order of the Zelda game series? The timeline has gone backward, up, down, twist, split and anywhere else but forward. So can we piece together this unsolvable puzzle, it’s worth a shot.

Released in 1986 in Japan, and 1987 in the U.S., The Legend of Zelda was the biggest, most epic game ever. Link, Ganon, princess Zelda and the Tri Force would become beloved Nintendo icons, for generations to come. There was a sequel to this game released the following year called: The Legend of Zelda II: the Adventure of Link. However, this would be the only direct sequel within the series of games to come. The Legend of Zelda had a classic storyline: Link saves Zelda, Link defeats Ganon and peace returns to Hyrule! The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link featured Link as a teen or young adult. However, this Princess Zelda was not the same damsel Link rescued from Ganon’s clutches at the end of the first game, as this Zelda has been asleep for millennia.

Obviously, there was never the Zelda III us fans were expecting. What we did receive with open arms was a prequel on the Super Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which came out four years after Zelda II and far exceeded our expectations. The game went back to its original format but made drastic improvements adding a new Light World/Dark World system and making the game’s plot much more involved. Agahnim, who has usurped the throne, is planning to break the seal made hundreds of years ago by the Seven Sages. The seal was placed to imprison Ganon in the Dark World, which was once the Sacred Realm before Ganon invaded, obtained the legendary Triforce and used its power to turn the realm into a land of darkness. Agahnim intended to break the seal by sending the descendants of the Seven Sages who made the seal into the Dark World. The main objective was to defeat Agahnim, save the seven Maidens and ultimately defeat Ganon.

Sometime later on the Game Boy we were given Link’s Awakening which was the first portable Zelda game. It seems to take place right after, A Link to the Past, sort of treating it as its own series. After Link’s boat crash caused by a storm, a mysterious owl tells Link that in order to return home, he must awaken the guardian of Koholint—the Wind Fish who is dreaming in a giant egg on top of Tal Tal Mountain and can only be woken by gathering and playing the eight instruments of the Sirens (you know…the norm). Throughout Koholint Island, nightmare creatures attempt to obstruct Link’s quest to awaken the Wind Fish as they wish to rule his dreamworld. After collecting all eight instruments from the eight dungeons across Koholint, Link climbs to the top of the Tal Tal Mountain range and plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish with all eight instruments. This causes the egg where the Wind Fish sleeps to break open, and Link enters to face off against the last evil being, a Nightmare that takes the form of Ganon and other enemies from Link’s past, culminating in a battle with Dethl, a cyclopean dual-tentacled Shadow. After Link successfully defeats Dethl, he plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish and both Link and the Wind Fish awaken; Koholint Island and all its inhabitants slowly disappear. It may sound corny, but I cried at the end, okay!

Moving on to the N64, we find one of the most anticipated games to date: The Ocarina of Time, the first 3D Zelda game. To my dismay, it was another prequel. Upon release, this was said to be the earliest point in the timeline, so all notions of A Link to the Past being the first were shattered.

As a matter of fact, Shigeru Miyamoto, the man responsible for all of these fantastic games, did an interview with Nintendo Power sometime before The Ocarina of Time’s release, stating, “Ocarina of Time is the first story, then the original Legend of Zelda, then Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, then finally A Link to the Past. It’s not very clear where Link’s Awakening fits in. It could be anytime after The Ocarina of Time.”

And so I sit in confusion.

How could it be? A Link to the Past, the last in the series? I had a difficult time comprehending that any game could take place before it. The name A Link to the Past is of course a play on words however it’s also somehow linking a past chain of events. But linking back to what? Ocarina of Time? I don’t know… I’m not one to doubt Miyamoto himself; however, it could have been a simple mistake due to the interview being on the spot. But I suppose I’ll just go ahead and let it go since it’s only a game.

Anyway, back Ocarina of Time. While it has to be a much different Link and Zelda it definitely seems to take place at the beginning, in fact it seems to tie in with A Link to the Past’s back-story and the origin of Ganon. During most of the game, Ganondorf is in human form, but later transforms into the beast, Ganon, as we know him, right before Link’s eyes! Now counting that this is yet another prequel, the game involves time travel making things even more intricate. Much like A Link to the Past’s Light World/Dark World, Link travels between his childhood and seven years into the future where Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule. So young link basically skips over his childhood to become adult Link who then defeats Ganon.

However, Zelda sends Link back so he can have a chance to live the skipped seven years his childhood, and from this ending we received Majora’s Mask, the second Zelda game to appear on the N64. This game is a sequel to the Ocarina of Time, but not a sequel to the ending where Link defeats Ganon, it’s a sequel to when Link gets sent back to when he was a kid. Any speculation of Nintendo ever making a sequel to Zelda II is out of the question. Only one sequel exists in the entire series which follows in consecutive order, instead Nintendo continues to move back, take a small step up, then back again.

We have: a sequel to the original, a prequel to the original, a prequel to the sequel, a prequel to the prequel and a sequel to the young Link of the prequel’s prequel. At this point be my guest if you’d like to make sense of any of this.

No Dialogue!

Fox — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:25:00 GMT

As many can agree, there's something magical and homey about sitting down upon your good ol' couch and popping in a fantastic Nintendo game, no matter the system! But why are Nintendo's productions so well known for their nostalgic feel?

Is it the storyline, unique thematic elements, characters, graphics, etc.

I was stumped.

This past week, I threw every popular Nintendo title I currently own in a neat stack on my floor, and played through each one! Some of the list included the Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi and Metroid trilogy, a few Kirby titles such as Dream course, Dream Land 1&2, Nightmare in Dreamland, Amazing Mirror, and air ride and quite a bit of Mario games consisting of Super Mario World, 64 and Galaxy 1 & 2, only to name a few!

It was a long road, until I could finally put my finger on an explanation! A few moments after the final battle between Bowser and Mario in Paper Mario 64, I had an epiphany bright as day: no dialogue.

Think about it: most Nintendo heros never actually respond with words or text bubbles of any sort, only physical actions. Such as: a slight arm wave, the arch of an eyebrow, a smile, a frown, or occasionally a brief yell or gleeful cheer, but the individual your onscreen character carries on a conversation with always seems to understand perfectly what you're asking, or stating!

Although this aspect is looked down upon by many core gamers today, I feel this unique trait of most Nintendo Heros gives their titles a perfect balance, and a nostalgic feel no matter the age of the game.

Of course there are so many more amazing qualities Nintendo games offer which give certain people a homey feel. However my opinion stands, although it's crazy.

What's Happened to Difficulty?

Fox — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 03:56:00 GMT

Think really hard. What was the last satisfying thing you remember doing in a video game? Was it winning the highest score out of your peers or siblings? Jumping on, smashing, or shooting random enemies which scatter throughout fairly complicated courses?

While these actions that take place in the gaming realm are quite suitable for a good cheer, think about what really defines a classic, satisfying, gaming moment. In my viewpoint–and I’m sure many others could agree–it’s the final Boss Battle! Making your way through a great game full of intricate puzzles, baddies and traps only to reach your certain demise or prevail victoriously and conquer is one of gaming’s biggest thrills!

However, within the library of games I’ve played throughout the years, only a few Bosses stand out as truly worthy of a touchdown dance. That triumphant feeling as that familiar pixilated/orchestrated music plays while the credits roll across the screen.

What do I mean by this? Well, of course each video game franchise, such as Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Mario and many others, started out as simply classic games, then made it to their prime as we know the lovable characters today. However, in a world where the internet and other technological advances of the modern era didn’t exist, it was hard to make your way through a game such as the Legend of Zelda. Today, if we get stuck on a level or Boss, we consult almighty Google, and there’s the answer; whereas back in the day it was either run your parents phone bill into the ground or (as I prefer it) pure skill and smarts.

As a simple example, all gamers remember each Bowser battle in the classic SMB for the NES! When Mario completed each world, he’d make his was through each of Bowser’s notorious, sinister castles, becoming progressively more and more difficult as Mario made headway. When world 8 was complete, not only did one have to get through waves of fire whips and lava pits, but we were required to navigate Mario in such a precise pattern on three different platforms before reaching Bowser! And as I mentioned before, guides were out of the question. On top of that you actually had to beat Bowser!

So as you could imagine, the player was satisfied when he/she had officially destroyed the Koopa King.

And so this is where I reach my point. Today it seems as if Bosses have lost their touch in giving us a thrill. Often times, where your onscreen character is supposed to strike in order to overcome the boss is clearly marked with practically a giant target! Also, attack patterns become dreadfully annoying. Must have forgotten to place the red flag up when attempting to mail their application for River dance in the mailbox.

Many villains are often times ruined by commercials or online footage. If it weren’t for massive media attention, I wouldn’t even know how to defeat Dino Piranha on Super Mario Galaxy. Why not shove it in my face while your at it!

In 1992, the world was introduced to it’s latest installment in the Zelda series for the SNES: The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past. The entire time, Ganon was the main meanie, and we hadn’t a clue what he looked like or how one should fight him. It was so enthralling to actually be locked in combat with Ganon for the first time. Shouldn’t every boss be that formative?

Video games need to give us a chance to find our true capabilities instead of just laying it all out there. Put some thought into your enemies, make them worthy to fight our heroes with dignity and respect.

Batman: Under the Red hood, Review

Fox — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 04:49:00 GMT

Before you go any further reading my latest post on GI: please take the time to read this article upon my site: Gaming Labyrinth.

In 2005 there appeared a comic book simply titled, “Under the Hood” written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Doug Mahnke. I never got a chance to read it, but hopefully I’ll make the time within the near future. According to, screenrant.com, “The, “Under the Hood” storyline was slightly controversial when it was first published.” So as you could imagine it hasn’t stopped here since one of DCU’s greatest animated films: Batman: Under the Red Hood.

Under the Red Hood finds Batman in the middle of a feud between Gotham’s biggest crime lord, the Black Mask, and one of the latest on the most wanted list, the Red Hood.

Red Hood is slowly swallowing Black Mask’s territory piece by piece, and as you could imagine this doesn’t make him very happy. After several failed attempts to kill the Red Hood, Black Mask makes his final resort to one of Gotham city’s biggest killing machines the Joker, which to my surprise takes an extraordinary deadly turn.

After a while I noticed something strangely familiar about the Joker’s new voice. After the movie made it’s duration to the point of the credits there was the name I was looking for: John Dimaggio, or many may know him as the voice actor for character Bender from the beloved adult cartoon Futurama. And Man was it a fantastic feat!

Who’s under the Hood? Well as you follow the story, it’s pretty easy to guess. But since it’s a fantastic movie I won’t reveal it. Batman: Under the Red Hood is a great, classic, animated Batman movie which makes for awesome action sequences and a deep story line, and is definitely one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.

Is 3D Dying... ALREADY!!!

Fox — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:19:00 GMT

Let's rewind the clock a little, when Avatar had first hit the theaters! Of course, if you saw it in 2D, you were a simpleton no questions asked 3D was king! In fact over 71% of the revenue came from 3D screenings! The visual effects were stunning and beautiful, and overall it was a fantastic film. (Until that robot pulled a goddamned knife) However that's beside the point.

It was obvious that Avatar was an amazing 3D experience (Alice in Wonderland included) But then a mere three months later the animated movie: How to Train Your Dragon pulled in 68% of its revenue from 3D screens, hardly a significant drop-off. Another four months later and we find Despicable Me another animated, 3D, kid's Movie pulling in only 45% of the revenue from 3D screenings! Isn't it obvious?

As you can plainly see, demand for 3D is simply blowing away like dust in the wind. Why? It's only common sense that people who have already had the 3D experience would rather pay the regular steep price of $10 than pay $5 to $10 more just to see crap fly at their face!

Not only is the decreasing demand for 3D bad for Hollywood, but consumer electronic industries like Panasonic and Sony who've sunken buttloads of money towards families who want to upgrade HDTV to 3D HDTV. Sucks for them, but it's good news for consumers who are voting with their wallets.

Limbo

Fox — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:19:00 GMT

I’m going to shed some light on playdead studios’ latest creation: Limbo. The game features a young nameless boy who embarks on a long journey to find his lost sister in a truly unsettling, decaying world!

The first thing you’ll notice about Limbo is it’s horrifically beautiful. The screen’s peripheries glow and flicker, as if you were peering into this world through a grainy, fish-eye lens. Being a 2d side-scrolling platformer, Limbo adds a certain uneasy feeling towards the player as the onscreen character ventures through various deep corners and crevasses not knowing what to expect! Nothing like a the normal 3D titles could ever deliver. The controls are simple and make for good fun as our boy hero runs and jumps through the game's truly disturbing surroundings while trying to keep safe from different tricks and traps!

Overall the game’s provided a positive charge in the 2D realm, and definitely left things open for interpretation, and wonder. My pick, your decision!

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Kirby's Epic Yarn

Fox — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:22:00 GMT

As we could all agree, Kirby titles just don’t seem to utilized the franchise’s potential! While games such as, the Amazing mirror, Nightmare in Dreamland and Superstar Ultra are addictive, Kirby Console games just don’t bat the nail on the head just right! In 2005, Kirby fans were on the edge of their seats awaiting the latest installment, Kirby Adventure. It was going to be everything the fan’s were starving for, until…

If that wasn’t a ’round house’ kick to the happysack, I’m not sure what was! Not only that, but the same title was announced yet another time, Nintendo canceled it yet again! Do you not see this knife on my wrist? With a stack of screen shots and a few gameplay trailers here and there, it was one of gaming’s biggest teases!

Well, as you’ve all heard: there’s been solid speculation of another console installment for the Kirby franchise. “Kirby’s Epic Yarn,” which could only be explained as a cross between Paper Mario and Yoshi’s Story, for the Gamecube’s successor: the Wii! This time around, Kirby and all of his surroundings are nothing but yarn in a 2D world. With brilliant colored graphics, an interesting concept and controls who couldn’t be overjoyed! I’ll tell you who, those who were mislead the first time. However, instead of complaining let’s see what’s in store for us!

As I’ve said earlier, the game features graphics rendered in a unique knitted design, a cute change to the Kirby series. (As if it wasn’t cute enough) The game works its graphics style into the gameplay through creating interaction between the game and its graphical style, such as allowing Kirby to pull on stray threads or zippers to reveal hidden areas. Also your main weapon is a: Whip made of what other than yarn! (I suppose that’s an ideal choice for a Kirby/Yarn game?) When whipping the… Whip, we find there are two options before our pink powder puff! Reel in the foe, or simply smite him? If you decide to pull in the enemy, Kirby will transform the creature and send him on his way in a ball of yarn towards other baddies! Now that is sick! However there is a catch, no longer can Kirby swallow enemies and copy their abilities! (A reasonably small loss) Kirby also no longer floats like in previous games, instead he’ll be gliding in the form of a parachute, as well as turning into a car for extra speed and transforming into an anvil to drop with force from the air. Also at certain parts of the game see him transform into a surfing penguin, a UFO and a giant robot! Now this is the change in formula us fan’s have been hungering for!

In fact, Kirby’s Epic Yarn won numerous awards following its E3 2010 appearance, including the prestigious Game of the Show award from GameSpot and the G4 television show Reviews on the Run. Gamespot also named it as the Best Wii Game, Best Platformer and nominated it for Best Graphics. The game received the award for Best Overall Game from Nintendo Life as well. Additionally, it won the Best Graphics award from GameTrailers, beating out notable contenders like Crysis 2, Killzone 3, and Gears of War 3. GameTrailers also awarded it the Best Platformer title. It was named Best Wii Game by 1UP.com, Nintendo World Report and Kotaku, and awarded Best Character Design by Kotaku as well.

So, I suppose I’m sold folks! Despite past mistakes, I retract my former statements! This looks like a promising title, and it’s at the top of my, ‘to buy’ list! Go on and snicker at my naive attitude and observations! I don’t blame you.

Please visit: gaminglabyrinth.wordpress.com

Nintendo 3DS: First Look

Fox — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 21:31:00 GMT

As it's been stated in countless sites across the internet, Nintendo has most certainly been pitching their loyal patrons some amazing things to look forward to this past E3! Now to be fair Microsoft and Sony did their share of Jaw dropping hardware, as well as software. However, even you coldhearted, blood sucking, incubuses, who care nothing about the company, or their doings, have to admit Nintendo stole the spotlight at 2010's E3 with their latest piece of hardware: the 3DS, no question! Now, I'm sure we've all been keeping up to date with our beloved industry, so allow me to run by this nice and smooth!

The Nintendo 3DS: Yes, that little rumor which has circled the web with promises of an obsolete portable system, which displays your onscreen character and its background/settings in 3D without the use of those godawful glasses has finally been unveiled at this year's E3! Not only did Nintendo give its fans a fantastic new toy to look forward to, but the 3DS gives hopes for over seventy new titles! Some of which are scheduled for release next year, many of which seem to have potential blockbuster status!

The line-up includes games for the core: Kid Icarus, Ocarina of Time, Paper Mario, PilotWings Resort and Star Fox 64 3D. They're all much-loved franchises from Nintendo's past, and are obviously designed to get the core audience in the boat first. Sure, the wider audience will love them too, but Nintendo knows that it doesn't make sense to go after the pony loving little girls and our grandparents – of course that junk will come later, but only as part of the steady expansion out from the early adopters.

One of the key features about the 3DS' latest design lies within its screens! The Nintendo 3DS is based on a custom Pica200 graphics processor from Japanese start-up Digital Media Professionals. The top screen is a 3.53-inch screen with a resolution of 800x240 pixels that is able to produce a stereoscopic three-dimensional effect without 3D glasses, while the bottom screen is only 3.02-inch a non 3D touch panel with a resolution of 320x240 pixels. Moving away from the system's display we find the system features several additions to the design of the original DS, including a slider on the side of the device that adjusts the intensity of the 3D effect, a round nub analog input called the "Slide Pad", an accelerometer, and a gyroscope. And not to mention it's sleek new rounded body!

Deciding to take after iPhone 4 the 3DS now comes equipped with two cameras on the outside of the device, capable of taking 3D photos and capturing 3D video, as well as a camera positioned above the top screen that faces the player; both cameras have a resolution of 640x480 pixels (0.3 Megapixel). The system also has 3D movie playback; Nintendo has made deals with Warner Bros, Disney, and DreamWorks to deliver 3D movies.

And if this rundown hasn't made you the least bit excited, psychiatric treatment would be a wise decision if your condition of pure boredom worsens! As far as we're concerned, the 3DS is the perfect extension of the DS series. It takes all the elements that made the DS systems unique and lays even more on top! I'm simply bursting with anticipation! Now quite frankly, a couple years ago I was excited when there was yet another addition to the DS system line: the Nintendo DSi. However, I'd already purchased a DS lite long before the DSi's announcement, and I surprisingly didn't feel obligated to upgrade!

Although others may disagree, the DSi was simply a gimmick and no one I knew who wasn't already equipped with a DS lite had one! Sure it was innovative, but my overall impression was: simply unnecessary. So as you could imagine, I'm a pretty happy camper! Hopefully, The 3DS will be what we're all anticipating, along with its line-up of games and turn Nintendo's train wreck into a luxury cruise!

Star Fox Shadows of Lylat: Exclusive Interview: Benjamin Suhr

Fox — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:24:00 GMT

Star Fox, one of the most loved franchises on any Nintendo console with some of the most loyal fans, may not need to wait much longer for another installment of this heralded title. This time around however, neither Nintendo nor any of the other previous development teams have anything to do with it - and that's one of the aspects of Star Fox: Shadows of Lylat (SoL) we find most interesting and exciting.

Fan made titles are always fun to see and especially exciting when realized. SoL is no different. With over 5 years of teamwork and dedication Team SOL is uncertain whether or not the final product will see light of day, they've not let that slow them down or stop them from putting forth every effort to the contrary. Yet, the questions remain; even if people put all this work an energy, and no one pulls the plug on the project will it be something people go for and will the game be worth playing? By what we've seen and been told, the game should hold a special place for both Star Fox fans and fans of Space Sim shooters. While breaking away from the arcade style of shooter the original Star Fox franchise had been, the simulation angle would tend to give it a more detailed and mature look and feel. Still much of the appreciation of the game once realized will be held in both the control mechanics and the story telling.

I was granted the opportunity to talk with Benjamin Suhr, Project Manager for Shadows of Lylat. Suhr gives insight on their current, highly anticipated project:

Dolovey Herman (DH): I believe what a lot of fans are wondering is, how did you obtain the licensing to do this?

Benjamin Suhr (BS): We do not have a license. Shadows of Lylat is by no means an official title. Neither Nintendo, nor Namco or any other company had anything to do with the game. We are completely at their mercy. They can stop the project at any time. We hope they consider “SoL” to be fan art, as we do.

DH: While being an indie developer, how does Star Fox Shadows of Lylat compare to your other creations? Or is this your first?

BS: Many of the developers in the team already had some modding experience before they joined. Even now most of them are working on multiple projects. I think “Diaspora”, a Battlestar Galactica game, and before “Beyond the Red” should be mentioned. We shared and still share quite a few members with them.

As for myself, I worked on a few mod projects before as well, helped updating effects and textures for Freespace 2, but “SoL” is the first project I've been in a lead position in.

: Exclusive screen shot of SoL (Credit: Benjamin Suhr)

DH: From what you've done so far, how do you think fans will react to the changes you’ve made, such as: from game console to computer and back to all Airwing assault?”

BS: We hope fans will understand that we tried to turn Freespace 2 into a Star Fox game, as much as possible. Some things are still simply impossible to do. In some cases we deliberately did things different though. For example the ship selection after the mission briefing. It would have been easy to just allow the player to pick one ship, but we decided to allow the player to choose from all ships he/she may use at that point of the story.

I think many players will like this, but I know some players won't be happy with anything that isn't exactly like in the original games. We are trying to get “SoL” to feel like a Star Fox game, but we are not trying to copy everything. Like between the original games, there will be some differences.

DH: Although fans of the Star Fox series (including myself) weren't too impressed with ground assault in the most recent additions to the Star Fox franchise I must ask: will there be any ground assault? Such as the Landmaster, or Third to First Person-shooter?

BS: While it might not be completely impossible anymore, I can't promise there will be a Landmaster level. I can tell you there will be no on-foot missions. The engine isn't suited for this. As long we can't do it somewhat properly, we won't try it.

The Freespace 2 Open engine is currently being reworked and the Source Code Project (SCP) developers are looking for additional coders, so things might change. Those changes usually take a long time though. On the other hand we might not even feature on-foot missions, even if we had the possibility to.

DH: Judging by trailers one and two, Shadows of Lylat looks extremely detailed overall! If I may ask, will the controls and handling be fairly intricate? If so, what actions are required?

BS: The controls will be reworked. Right now they are exactly the same as in Freespace 2, except for corridor missions.

Freespace 2 requires you to use a lot of keys to control your ship/hud/targeting. We've already reduced that, but the ultimate goal is to make “SoL” playable as well on a gamepad, as it currently is on keyboard and mouse.

It's a lot of work and I don't know if we can manage to do it before the first release.

DH: Will there be dialogue?

BS: Yes, all dialogue will be voiced in English. We already found some pretty good voice actors. There will be another casting though.

The voice acting will be one of the final steps before release 1.

: Exclusive screen shot of SoL (Credit: Benjamin Suhr)

DH: Besides what we’ve seen, what are some new weapons that we should expect in the next thrilling Star Fox chapter?

BS: We had a few new weapons in the game, but decided to take them out again. For one part it made the weapon upgrading via power-ups too complicated, but it also made the multiplayer balancing more complex. It simply didn't work well with our “pick up and play” rule.

There will be a new Arwing model though, at least in multiplayer. It has not yet been decided what kind of weapons it will carry. Maybe you'll see some new weapons there.

DH: How long until we are able to play a demo or hopefully the whole Star Fox game?

We canceled the demo when we realized how much content we put in it. So we decided to put some more effort in it and turn it into a full first release of the game.

The single player part will be short, but every stage will be very different. You'll see a lot of impressive stuff in the first few stages.
The multi-player mode will feature almost all ships of the final version.
All those ships can be used to create custom missions. We'll release “SoL” with the latest version of the Freespace 2 mission editor.
Players will have enough content in the game to create something completely new.

We hope to see many many fan-made missions while we're working on the final release. Some good ideas might influence the final game.

DH: Are there any certain programs that we must have installed to run this game? If so what are they?

BS: As Shadows of Lylat is completely stand-alone, there is no program you have to install other than the game itself. The only requirement is OpenAL, which many players probably already have installed for other games.

DH: Being an indie developer can be rewarding, but it can also be quite the challenge. With that in mind, what are your hopes in terms of outcome with Shadows of Lylat?

BS: After all the work we spent on the game, we can only hope it will be popular and played by many players. There some space game fans out there that don't know anything about Star Fox yet, because they only play PC games. We'd like to make them aware of Star Fox.

DH: Has there been any word from Nintendo or the previous developers of the SF series on their feelings towards your endeavor?

BS: So far only Dylan Cuthbert, president of the game development company Q-Games and one of the developers of the original Star Fox for the Super Nintendo, is the only one we (indirectly) heard from. Of course we hope everybody involved in the Star Fox franchise will be proud have fans dedicated enough to spend their free time on a project like this. I hope we will get some feedback from them after the release.

DH: If the plug were to be pulled on the title in terms of licensing the 'brand' as it were, would you redesign the ships and characters so that 'all the work isn't gone'?

BS: There currently are not plans what we will do if Nintendo decides to shut down our project. However if we wanted to create a completely new game, we would have done so. I guess a lot of the content we created would go directly to other projects we're working on.

: Exclusive screen shot of SoL (Credit: Benjamin Suhr)

Looking forward to more development from Team SOL? More information about Star Fox: Shadows of Lylat can be obtained on the official SoL FAQ page and the development team Game Warden page.

Partial Credit: Shawn Gordon, fairchild VI

2010: The year of the Wii

Fox — Mon, 31 May 2010 02:49:00 GMT

let's face it, it's been a little hard for passionate gamers to keep the faith over the last few years as far as the Wii is concerned. For all its strengths, the system just hasn't been delivering for the core audience. Why? Well, you've heard the reasons before, but I'll quickly run through them again.

First, the controls have a load of potential, but more often than not they're something that holds the games back rather than propelling them forward. Secondly, the machine just feels behind the times. It has almost no storage, has poor online play options and - while games like Super Mario Galaxy and it's sequel look quite incredible – the vast majority of Wii titles simply can't compete with games on other systems in visual terms. Not surprising, of course, but I want to put my HD Television to work!

Third - there just aren't enough triple A titles on the machine. The unique nature of the Wii is simultaneously its greatest strength and biggest weakness – it forces developers to make games exclusively for it, and this can be a risky proposition for more 'core' titles, as there's a perception that – despite the system's incredible sales success – these titles won't necessarily sell. As for more 'casual' titles, the Wii's success has resulted in vast truckloads of shovelware. The Wii has more games released on it than any other, but a much higher percentage of terrible games than any other system too.

Given that the Wii hasn't been able to compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360 over the last couple of years, why might 2010 be the year the system will turn it around for the core gamer? Simply put, this is the best line-up the Wii has had in a long time, with a good mix of blockbusters and more obscure games that we never thought would see the light of day in the West. Plus, there's a good chance the system will be able to keep the releases ticking over steadily throughout the year, as opposed to previous years where the great games were dotted across the calendar like boats on the ocean, great empty chasms between them.

The real key to this year for the Wii, however, lies in the company's own titles. With the recent release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and oh how fan's huger for much anticipated Metroid: Other M. That's a huge boost for the Wii and a great way to build on the momentum it's gathering right now. Importantly, it shows great confidence on the part of Nintendo that it has the goods for the end of the year as well. After all, if it didn't have something significant up its sleeve for the Christmas period, wouldn't it hold one of these two blockbuster titles back? Why release them so close together unless you're sitting on gold?

That gold, of course, would be the next Legend of Zelda game, and with the date for Other M locked in, I think that it's very likely that it will be a late 2010 release. We know that the game's producer Eiji Aonuma is aiming for the game to be playable at this year's E3, while Satoru Iwata was actually quoted at the start of the year as saying that the game would be out in 2010. Sure, Reggie Fils-Aime followed up on that by saying that it wouldn't be released until it was perfect, but even so, there's plenty of evidence to suggest it's going to happen.

On the other hand, let's take a look at the titles that will define the Wii this year.

So far in 2010 we've seen the excellent 2D fighting game Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, as well as Endless Ocean 2 – a title that's involving and deep enough to appeal to a really wide gaming audience. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is also out in the States as is the Project Aces-developed flight combat title The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces!

Jumping ahead to and June, things really heat up. Metroid: Other M will come June 27. The long-awaited sequel Sin & Punishment: Star Successor also hits in that window, with a June 7 date for the U.S.

And that's where things trail off a bit. Presumably there'll be a number of games that will emerge from the woodwork. There's Epic Mickey pencilled in for September and NBA Jam, which will probably hit towards the end of the year. The former is a bit of an unknown quantity, but we're inclined to have faith in Warren Spector, while the latter looks like a complete blast. Wii's on fire! Bit.Trip Runner will also come out at some point. And in addition to the titles above, there will be a few big cross-platform titles on Wii, like Rock Band 3, and potential cult hits like Super Meat Boy.

Honestly though, whether Wii gamers have top tier titles to play all the year round really does come down to Zelda. Get that out before Christmas and a great year will end with a bang. One thing's for sure, it's been an interesting year for the Wii, and hopefully it will continue to be.

Natal, a little overpriced for my wallet?

Fox — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:55:00 GMT

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Would you be willing to pay $150 for a video camera peripheral that will only work with a $200 gaming console?

Microsoft hopes so--at least according to Edge Online's "trusted source," who says that $150 is in fact the price tag for a Project Natal unit, and that Microsoft is planning for offer it both as a standalone item and as part of an Arcade system bundle.

Project Natal, which is widely expected to be renamed at its near-final press debut at next month's E3 conference in Los Angeles, is a video capture device for the Xbox 360 that Microsoft promises will bring next-generation voice- and gesture-based gaming without the need for game controllers or headset microphones. It was first introduced at last year's E3, though so far Microsoft has been coy about a price or release date, saying only that it would be out in time for this year's holiday season.

Edge's source says a more precise date is October 26, which could "shift by a few weeks either way." This jibes with the "somewhere in October" date Syed Bilal Tariq, a marketing manager at Microsoft's Saudi Arabia division, spilled to Saudi TV station KSA 2 earlier this month.

One thing to keep in mind is that if Natal does come on the scene at $150, it would be $50 cheaper than the $200 price point some Swedish retailer pre-release listings had pegged it at a few weeks back. Though even there, it's nearly double the rumored $80 price suggested by a November MCV report that was sourced on information from developers who reportedly had been wooed by Microsoft to build the technology into their games.

Microsoft is holding a press conference specifically for Natal at this year's E3, which happens the day before the company's main press event. We'll be there on the scene to bring you the news as it happens.

Taken From: Cnet: Gaming and Culture, Blog.

Dark Side of the Moon Goes 8-bit

Fox — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:26:00 GMT

Although the most beloved musical classics were sadly before my time, I still have a strong appreciation for them. And the rock group Pink Floyd, was definitely a favorite in my home.

Adding to all the cover versions of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" that are out there--the recent one by the Flaming Lips and guests, the dub version by The Easy Star All-Stars, the brilliant parody by The Squirrels--comes this.

Video game programmer Brad Smith has taken the Pink Floyd classic and reworked it as a bunch of sound files for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo's classic 8-bit video console. And he has posted the whole album as a YouTube playlist.

It sounds exactly like you think it would--some of the samples are reduced to static, and bleeps and blips take the place of bass, keyboards, drums, and vocal lines, though the synth-workout "On the Run" sounds surprisingly close to the original, and some of the vocal lines sound neat as pitch-bent tones.

Best of all, if you play it with the animated GIF version of "The Wizard of Oz," they sync up perfectly! Just a little tip of the hat to all you music lovers!

Review: Mega Man: 10

Fox — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most common themes in discussions and arguments among gaming critics is the idea of endless industry progression. Games are supposed to become more and more beautiful as time goes on. Accompanying soundtracks are supposed to become increasingly epic. Storytelling should become more seamless and enthralling. Ingenious methods of gameplay are expected to push us into the great unknown of the medium. And that’s just great. For the most part, such notions are what keep our beloved industry trucking forward. But when you play a game like Mega Man 10, delivered by Capcom to its old-school fans as yet another offering following the 2008 release of Mega Man 9, you realize that stagnation and regression can be good things, too.

Mega Man 10 is a game for the core Mega Man franchise’s many fans, and its appeal inherently sits with its backwards-looking approach. There’s nothing new about Mega Man 10’s tech, delivery or gameplay. The title looks, sounds, feels and plays like the very first Mega Man game released twenty-three years ago on the NES. While Mega Man 7 (SNES) and 8 (PSX/SAT) deviated from the 8-bit path, and ended up disappointing many an ardent fan as a result, Mega Man 9 returned to the series’ roots, and Mega Man 10 stays firmly on that same path. And that’s a good thing, because the 8-bit world is where Mega Man belongs.

Plot: Like always, Mega Man 10’s story attempts to turn things on its head once again. When the game picks up, the world has been hit by a terrible robot virus known as Roboenza which causes robots to malfunction, with Roll becoming one of the many victims. A month following the outbreak, the infected robots go berserk and attempt to take over the world. Dr. Wily comes to Mega Man and Dr. Light, claiming that he was building a medicine making machine to cure the disease before one of the infected robots stole it. Reluctantly, Mega Man decides to help Dr. Wily retrieve the machine and soon runs into Proto Man, who decides to join him. Mega Man and Proto Man must battle against the eight robot masters that are blocking their way towards progress. The Robot Masters in this game are Sheep Man, Commando Man, Blade Man, Strike Man, Solar Man, Chill Man, Nitro Man, and Pump Man. But no matter which direction the story dashes towards, Mega Man’s gameplay and aesthetics remain the same as they’ve been for a long time. And for a title like Mega Man 10, gameplay is king.

Mechanics and Concept: You can opt to play as either Mega Man or Proto Man from the start, no need for DLC or unlocks this time around. Either way, the main game doesn’t see much change other than their particular abilities, and personally I stuck with Mega Man for my initial play through.

One other addition is the inclusion of an Easy Mode, which changes up enemy locations, puts platforms over pits, and generally makes a reduction in damage taken. Switching between normal and easy, I found normal provided me with a solid challenge just like 9, but easy mode was a little too easy for my tastes. You can skate by just about every boss without ever needing to switch weapons or learn patterns, and can generally cause more damage by just letting yourself get hit here and there while keeping yourself pretty stationary. It’s great if you’ve got a younger sibling or a significant other that wants to play but gets frustrated too easy, but for Mega Man fans you’ll find that this mode kind of sucks the fun out of the game When the game starts, you come equipped with nothing more than your standard blaster and the Rush jump mode. As you progress and collect the weapons from the various evil robot masters, you’ll obtain Rush Jet as well. The bolt currency system from Mega Man 9 is also present here, allowing you to go and buy items like Energy Tanks, 1up’s, and so on, which helps to alleviate some of that challenging difficulty.

Their biggest issue here comes from the overuse of the instant death spikes, whether that’s through underwater segments, long pits that span multiple screens (requiring either big time reflexes or pattern memorization along with trial and error), or just some general cheap hits that take advantage of that backward jump Mega Man does whenever he gets hurt. The other issue comes from how many bottomless pits you’ll encounter, which are liberally spread throughout every single level. These are standards in most Mega Man titles, sure, but there is such a thing as relying too heavily upon either of them. It’s funny to note that Easy mode effectively removes both of these issues, most pits are covered, and a lot of the spikes you encounter (outside of the final areas) are covered as well, so it’s a good indication that these two segments make up the bulk of the game’s challenge. The levels are remarkably light on enemy encounters, requiring less on the shooting and dodging side, and more on the precise jumps and execution angle. It’s not a huge issue with the game, but it’s not something that Mega Man 9 had an issue with.

Same goes for the boss encounters, and the subsequent weapons you’ll gain. Outside of Blade Man’s really useful Triple Blade attack, I found myself not needing to make use of enemy weapons outside of boss fights. Even then I thought a surprising number of boss encounters were just as easy with my standard attack, particularly Pump Man, who is supposedly weak to the Thunder Wool weapon, but that weapon is so annoying to effectively use that it was far easier to just attack Pump Man normally. Also, the standard boss fights don’t seem to be that complex, it’s just a matter of timing when it comes to overall difficulty, and there’s not a lot of memorization that’s required as far as patterns go. (Hey guys! You missed the river dance, auditions are OVER!!!)

But just because Mega Man 10 looks backwards in so many ways doesn’t mean the entire package is a throwback. While the classic Mega Man gameplay shines through in the game’s main campaign, there are plenty of extras that will keep gamers busy as well. For instance, Time Attack mode makes its return in Mega Man 10 (having first been seen in Mega Man 9), allowing gamers to work their way through unlocked stages as quickly as they can. Times for each stage are kept on an internet high score board for all to view, so there’s plenty of incentive to master these stages (and indeed, beating the game will also put that time on an scoreboard accessible with the Wii’s Wi-Fi connection as well).

Graphics/Sound: You have to love the 8-bit visual style that Capcom is using for these WiiWare Mega Man releases and Mega Man 10 is as impressive as ever. Granted, the graphics themselves are still fairly pixelated, but Capcom still manages to toss in some flashy effects from time to time to give them a hint of updated appeal. Every stage has its own distinct look and feel and Capcom has once again done a fantastic job of not only creating an interesting group of Robot Masters, but giving them the same classic animations fans of the series have come to expect. There might not be a lot of fancy parallax scrolling or other special effects seen in more modern titles, but you can’t deny the game’s classic visual presentation and how good it looks, even in today’s world of high-res 3D graphics. More striking than the visuals, however, is Mega Man 10’s audio presentation. While sound effects are limited to the “plinks” and “beeps” from the older games, the soundtrack is one of the best pieces of MIDI music I’ve ever heard in a game. The various tunes found in the game are truly excellent, and make the game more memorable than many other Mega Man titles.

Length: As far as length goes, Mega Man 10 may be a tad disappointing in this department. Now, as a Mega Man fan, I know the system/layout (eight robot masters and four final boss stages — that’s it), but there’s no reason why Capcom shouldn’t have packed more into this package. Sure, there are other modes to derail you from the main game, but the backbone is the adventure. This alone is enough to suggest that Capcom should expand or evolve from the particular Mega Man 2 model, which they have been using for both 9 and 10. If they can find it in their heart to go in the Mega Man X route, but with new additions, then we may have another nostalgic hit on our hands. Overall, I expect more DLC to be on the way, but I surely hope it’s not any playable characters on and on again. You can expand a game with new pixels to control, but it doesn’t change the length in any regard.

Closing Comments: Apart from any disappointment about this title, Mega Man 10 still has plenty to offer, and for a game that costs $10, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. Mega Man 10 is unequivocally worth more than you’re going to pay for it, but that $10 might not be well-spent if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Fans of the series are going to want purchase this game, no questions asked, and you’re going to love it when you do. But those who didn’t game during the 8-bit era and have no familiarity with older games are going to find Mega Man 10 to be a frustrating, ruthless and unforgiving crash-course in the way games used to play. There’s no hand-holding to be found here — Mega Man 10 takes levels of memorization and skill that pretty much no game today requires. It’s as throwback as throwback can get in that respect (especially on hard mode — just you wait).

But those nostalgic, skilled old-schoolers who want to take another romp with Mega Man are going to fall in love with Mega Man 10. Its graphics, while in an archaic style, are beautiful. The Robot Master designs are awesome. (Sheep man however…)

The music is brilliant. The gameplay is classic. And the little additions give the series enough new life to keep things going full steam ahead. It’s strange how Mega Man 9 sucked me into speed-running the game just to see my name on the leaderboard, and Mega Man 10 has done the same thing to me. Go figure.

So yes, progression in gaming is a good thing. But when you’re talking about the classic Mega Man series, the world of 8-bit is precisely where it belongs. And because of that refusal to take a big jump forward, Mega Man 10 delivers. This might be quite the statement for many, but I stand behind it 100%: in terms of pure gameplay, Mega Man 10 is easily a better game than 90% of what we play on a yearly basis. And you can take that to the bank.

Blind Gamer's Amazing Feat

Fox — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:32:00 GMT

Blind gamer Jordan Verner of Ontario, Canada recently conquered Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. (Which was released over 12 years ago in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 and the Nintendo GameCube.)

Over two years ago when gamer Roy Williams, a Wisconsin resident, discovered a YouTube video where Verner asked other players to help him win the game. Williams described this as a “cry for help” and with the assistance of three other Legend of Zelda fans, an extremely detailed step-by-step instruction manual that described every action that led to the game’s ending was born. Talk about love for a fellow gamer!

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“Every time we make a move, we roll, jump, do anything, we type down on the computer exactly what we’re doing,” Williams told CNN. Once Verner received the manual, he had his computer read it back to him as he played the game.” I felt great, I felt strong. I felt like the sky’s the limit,” said Verner after his victory.

When Verner first placed his video on YouTube, he wasn’t sure that anyone would come to his assistance, but instead they came like noble steads. “I thought that’s far from reality. That’s more fantasy than the game itself.” What made Roy William so eager to help Verner? As a young child, he had been told that there was a chance that he could go blind. So I would suppose, pure sympathy was the main feeling that had Roy reaching out towards Verner.

“I’m glad everyone can see and learn from this that just because a person has a disability doesn’t mean they can’t do a normal thing, like play a video game,” Williams stated. So, the main question is, “what will Verner play next?”