Quick Review: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Quick Review:

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

Developed by Nintendo and Grezzo

Published by Nintendo

for the Nintendo 3DS

Released June 19th, 2011

"Improving on a Masterpiece"

Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 is thought to be not only the best game of the Zelda series, but the greatest game of all time. When a fully 3D remastered version of OoT was announced for the 3DS, it quickly became one of the most anticipated games for the handheld. I'm going to make this review quick seeing as how there's not much else to say about OoT that hasn't already been said so allow me to talk about how well this iteration is handled on the 3DS.

The first thing to notice are the improved graphics. The game, for the era, looked gorgeous but Nintendo took the models, the environments, the textures, and the animations and improved upon those pesky 64 bits by bringing the game up to date. Now, with Gamecube quality graphics and beautiful HD 3D that makes Hyrule come alive, the game never looked better.

The controls are intact but now allow for quick equipping with the touch screen capabilities. For convenience sake, there are now six slots for items compared to the three slots in the 64 version (The ocarina takes up a permanent spot) For those who hated the Water Temple with a passion, the iron boots can be equipped by a simple touch, instead of having to open the menu, going to the equipment menu and select it. The most impressive aspect of the 3DS controls is the gyroscopic aiming. Aiming with the bow and arrow has never felt smoother or more accurate.

This version adds a bit more replay value to the tons already implemented into the game. Beating the main quest with unlock Master's Quest. Originally for the Gamecube, Master's Quest brings a rearranged and overall more difficult version of every dungeon. The game also has a boss attack mode that keeps track of how fast you can be each dungeon end-boss.

When it comes to Ocarina of Time and Nintendo's devotion towards it, there's nothing else to do but add to this masterpiece. Ocarina of Time 3D is a perfect way to bring the classic into this generation without leaving anything behind. Ocarina of Time will forever be one of the greatest games of all time and now we have another chance to relive the experience in beautiful 3D.

Details -

Genre: RPG, Adventure

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone (Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes)

Player Options: 1-Player

Learning Curve: 30 Minutes

Difficulty: Medium

Stats -

Graphics: 5/5

Sound: 5/5

Playability: 4/5

Fun: 5/5

Lasting Appeal: 5/5

Amazing!!

35 Hit-Combo!!!

Review Description

Critical Hit: Operational Rainfall

If you are a dedicated Wii player, it's hard not to feel a little forgotten with the anemic 2011 line-up which only consists of Skyward Sword. Now, I'm not undermining the power of Zelda but I would be a little more satisfied if I had a something else to look forward to to ease the pain of waiting until Winter for a game.

Wii fans from all over are indeed hurting and rightfully so, especially when three great games (The Last Story, Pandora's Tower, XenoBlade) have already or will soon be launched on Japanese consoles. I know Nintendo is focusing on supporting the 3DS and creating a great launch for the Wii U, but the utter neglect Nintendo is showing to its dedicated fans is down right insulting.

It is time to take a stand and a group of gamers are doing so by putting forth the effort to bring these games state-side. Operation Rainfall, created on June 26th, is a fan campaign that hopes to persuade Nintendo to bring these to North America.

Operation Rainfall, through their endeavors, has sent letters to the developers of the games and to Nintendo telling them of the situation and pleading for these games. They have also made Xenoblade one of the top pre-orders on Amazon despite not being officially announced in the U.S. Nintendo has taken noticed of OR's efforts and told them that they appreciate their enthusiasm but do not have any plans on localizing these games.

This doesn't mean the fight is over! Europe is getting these games in 2012, it's time we Americans do! So, as a Wii player, or a gamer in general, do your part and join Operation Rainfall and bring these games to us. The campaign has already received much media attention and its just a matter of time but we cannot let up just yet. What you can do is pre-order these games on various shops that allow you to, send letters to the developers and to Nintendo, and like the Operation Rainfall page here.

Hopefully, these games will come to the United States (even those Europeans are expecting them in 20121.

Critical Hit: e3 2011

E3 is finally over and gamers everywhere are still buzzing with the convention high. New consoles, new games, and new announcements are all apart of the e3 formula and 2011's convention wasn't lacking in any of those departments. Let's take a look back at everything that made e3 2011 a memorable one; from Microsoft's press conference to the final day at the booths.

Microsoft:

-Microsoft kicked e3 with a 5 minute playthrough of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. There wasn't much else special; just another upgrade to the CoD series. (The player's controller shutting off was probably my favorite part.

-The new reboot of the Tomb Raider series was showcased with cave spelunking! Lara Croft waded through waters, surviving and completing puzzles. What I found discouraging was Croft's whiny, noisy, and overall crybaby voice.

-A dashboard update will be available this fall that will bring Youtube, Bing (with Kinect voice capabilities ie yelling at your tv to look up tentacle hentai).

-Gears of War 3 present. Same old same old.

-

-Of course, we all knew that Kinect would be a major priority for Microsoft but by the end of their Kinect showcase I wanted to shoot myself. So . . . much . . . gimmicky . . . crap . . . can't . . . take . . .in . . . all . . . the . . . casual. Anyway, here's a list of the Kinect titles displayed: Disney Land Adventures, Kinect Star Wars, Tim Schafer's Sesame Street Once Upon A Monster (that's a long drop from expecting Psychonauts 2), Dance Central 2, Kinect Fun Labs.

-Fable Journey was touched on. A first person, wave your arms around to cast a spell, RPG. Seemed kind of interesting but eh.

-The final Kinect title that was shown was Ryse. A dark Roman gladiator type brawler. Swing your arms to decapitate your enemy!

-Can you believe that it's been 10 years since Halo hit the shelves! Well, in celebration Microsoft is rereleasing the classic FPS with updated HD graphics.

-Are you ready to finish the fight? . . . again? That's right Halo 4 has been announced! Not only that but it's going to be a trilogy! Master Chief's duty will never be done.

Overall, Microsoft gave a unimpressive briefing. Absolutely nothing was a surprise. Nothing but FPSs. And Kinect as far as the eye can see. It was truly disappointing and at times painful to watch. I'll give Microsoft a grade of D just for announcing a few new games even though we saw them coming a mile away.

Sony:

-Sony started off by apologizing for the PSN outage. Maybe I would have accepted their sincerest apology if Kevin Butler had returned to grovel at our knees. But to prove that they have not given up on the consumers, and to prove their are still devoted, they will put up more apps on PSN including Cinenow which shows on demand movies and tv shows.

-A trailer for Uncharted 3 was shown as well as an onstage demo.

-A trailer for Resistance 3 was shown of course.

-Here's some pretty cool new; the PSP God of War titles Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus will be remastered in HD and headed for the PS3!

-Everyone's been waiting for the Team Ico HD collection but Sony has made the wait harder as the collection will now be in 3D. I'm not a fan of 3D but the idea of seeing the epic colossus fights sound pretty awesome.

- Kobe Bryant tests out the Move enabled NBA 2K11.

-An Infamous 2 trailer was shown which I thought was a waste time seeing as how the game would be released the day after the Sony conference.

-Oh, and LittleBig Planet 2 will be Move enabled in an update this September.

-The sequel to Warhawk, Starhawk is set for a 2012 release. I was half expecting it to be Move enabled.

-For the Sly Cooper fans, Sly 4 was revealed in an intriguing trailer. (But if you played the Sly collection, you already knew this news was coming.)

-Back to the Move capable stuff, Dust 514 is an intriguing PS3 game in that in can to connect to Eve Online for the PC.

-They showed a trailer to the much anticipated Bioshock Infinite. Also, they announced a Bioshock game for the NGP.

-They announced a Move enabled Star Trek game based on the newest film.

-I was actually surprised how much exclusive stuff they will offer if you choose to buy a game for the PS3. A Mt. Fuji level will be offered in SSX, Need for Speed: The Run will offer 7 PS3 exclusive cars and Battlefield 3 will have the entire Battlefield 1943 on disc.

-Playstation Suite ill offer connectivity to mobile phones or whatever I don't care.

-Now the time we have all been waiting for, the reveal of Playstation Vita, the next generation successor to the PSP. This baby will include 2 analog sticks, multi-touch 5 inch screen, motion sensing tech, touch sensors in the back of the system, front and back cameras, wifi, and 3G wifi capabilities. Also, it's a phone just so you know with service exclusively from AT&T. And I kid you not, the people actually snickered, laughed and booed when Kaz Hirai announced this. It was truly a priceless e3 moment.

-A social app called Near will act as a Sony social network that will keep track of friends, trophies, and online activity.

-Official Game for the Vita: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ruin which can connect to Facebook and Twitter and it is able to transfer content to the PS3, Modnation Racers, Wipeout (cross platform play), LittleBig Planet, Street Fighter X Tekken will be on the Vita with exclusive character Cole McGrath from Infamous!, Sound Shapes, Project: Gravity, Hustle Kings, Super Stardust, Reality Fighters, Hot Shots Golf, Shinobido 2: Tales of the Ninja, Dynasty Warriors, Dragon Crown

-The games and the Vita will all be available by Winter. The Vita itself will cost 300 for 3G and 250 for wifi only. That's actually a pretty good deal right there.

-Sony had a lot going for it. They didn't focus on the Move but instead included them in games they were either going to announce or integrated them into already existing games. It's a definitely plus that they didn't spend half their show on the Move as Microsoft did with the Kinect. New game announcements and the Vita helped make Sony's 2011 e3 conference a pretty damn good one. I give them a grade of B.

Nintendo:

Perhaps the most anticipated of all the e3 conferences took place on Tuesday after all the others had finished. Nintendo's 2011 e3 agenda: 3DS, new console

-Reggie Fils-Aime detailed a bunch of 3DS games that we had all been anticipating since the dawn of the system. Trailers for Mario Kart (Holiday), Star Fox 64 3D which allows for video chat during gameplay (September), Super Mario 3D (2011), Kid Icarus Uprising which will utilize AR cards (2011), Tetris, Cave Story 3D, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries, Resident Evil: Revelations, Pacman & Galaga Dimensions, Tekken 3d, Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D.

-Luigi's Mansion 2 was announced for the 3DS! After 10 long years this cult classic makes a return to gamers' hands. Luigi will now explore more than one mansion as he searches for someting (could Mario be missing again?)

-Reggie announced the new console to be the WiiU. Although the only thing that was showcased was the capability of the controller, it was enough to keep the audience intrigued.

-This odd new device includes a 6.2 inch touch screen, two analog sticks, a d-pad, XYBA buttons, ZL/ZR buttons, L/R triggers, mic, speakers, camera, stylus, gyroscope, accelerometer

-A video that showcased the Wii U controller's features. You will be able to switch your game from the big screen to the Wii U controller to play while someone watches the big screen.

-Using the stylus you can draw and color on the controller which can also display on the tv.

-The WiiU will be backwards compatible with all Wii games and Wii equipment including the Wiimote, Zapper, Balance Board, etc.

-You will be able to make video calls.

-The video concluded with some impressive CG images of Link fighting a giant spider. Could we have a new Zelda on our hands?!

-Super Smash Bros. was confirmed for both the WiiU and 3DS and they will be interactive in some way.

-Confirmed games: Lego City Stories (Lego GTA?), Darksiders II, Tekken, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed, Ghost Recon Online, Dirt, Alien Colonial Marines, Metro Last Light, Ninja Gaiden 3.

-EA expressed great interest in the WiiU and promises many new titles to the system.

Nintendo really gave it their all at this e3. The WiiU took the show with its innovative game mechanics, jaw-dropping graphics, and its re-embracing of the hardcore market. The 3DS, although we knew about most of them, did a great job showing off its new eShop features. Nintendo definitely earned an A.

Quick Review: The 3DS Launch

Quick Review:

Super Monkey Ball 3D

Developed by Dimps

Published by Sega

for the Nintendo 3DS

Released March 27th, 2011

Sega's favorite simian foursome are back and in 3D but unfortunately they do not bring much else along for the ride. Super Monkey Ball 3D offers three different modes; monkey ball, monkey race, and monkey fight. Monkey Ball and Monkey Race bring the most quality to the game but end up getting repetitive and bland. Monkey Fight offers a watered down Smash Bros. coin battle to players looking for a fight. Unfortunately, it's not much fun either. It's basically a button mash minigame. The online is almost non-existent as the system could not find anybody playing the game. Is it a flaw in its online mode or is it just that no one bought this game; who knows. The music and sound effects are generic and forgettable and the graphics are unimpressive. The 3D even seems stiff with nothing really ever popping out. Super Monkey Ball 3D is fun in a few doses but does not offer much more than a few unlockables in the long run.

Details -

Genre: Minigame, puzzle, racer,

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone (Cartoon Violence)

Player Options: 1-Player, 2 - 4 Player Download/Online Play recommended)

Difficulty: Easy

Learning Curve: Pick-Up-And-Go

Stats -

Graphics: 3/5

Sound: 2/5

Playability: 3/5

Lasting Appeal: 2/5

Fun: 2/5

18 Hit-Combo

Weak

Quick Review:

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition

Developed by Capcom

Published by Capcom

for the Nintendo 3DS

Released March 27th, 2011

This installment of Street Fighter IV is an incredible port that is true to the original game in almost every way. The music and voice acting are just as great as the console versions but of course the 3DS speakers take a little away from quality but not enough to not give the 360 and PS3 versions sound a run for their money. The graphics look beautiful in all its cel-shaded glory. It's nearly impossible to tell the 3DS' versions visuals from the consoles'. 3D Edition loses little from its console iteration. The characters, the venues, the costumes, the missions, and the cutscenes are all crammed intact into the handheld. The online is rather impressive. There were a lot less laggy matches than I expected there to be and most of the matches flowed wonderfully. Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition is the one game that defined the 3DS launch. It single-handedly demonstrated its graphical ability, its online capability and its all around power. If you've bought a 3DS there should be no excuse not to own Super Street Fighter.

Details -

Genre: Fighter

ESRB Rating: T for Teen (Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence)

Player Options: 1-Player, 2-Player (recommended)

Difficulty: Expert

Learning Curve: Harsh

Stats -

Graphics: 5/5

Sound: 5/5

Playability: 3/5

Lasting Appeal: 5/5

Fun: 5/5

32 Hit-Combo!!

Superb!

Quick Review:

Nintendogs & Cats

Developed by Nintendo EAD Group No. 1

Published by Nintendo

for the Nintendo 3DS

Released March 27th, 2011

It's Nintendogs . . . with Cats now. What else do you want?

Video: 3DS Unboxing

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Nintendo 3DS earlier today and I was rather impressed with its sleek design, 3D and gyroscopic gameplay, 3D photos, and so much more. Be warned though that it does have a few drawbacks; the 3D only works if the the player is looking at the screen dead on, with the highest lighting and 3D on the battery drains pretty quickly, and the Mii Maker automatic photo design makes you look like a grotesque monster.

Anyway, take a look at the unpackaging of the 3DS and all of the goodies that it holds inside.

Critical Hit: Nintendo 3DS - More than just a Gimmick

I have to admit that I wasn't all too excited about the Nintendo DS when it was announced six years ago. The whole duel screens and "touching is good" campaign surrounding its touch screen technology didn't intrigue me all that much. I wasn't going goo goo for the Nintendo 64 style graphics that it offered especially when the PSP gave its players beautiful Playstation 2 worthy graphics. (The left image shows the character Cecil from FFIV in DS graphics on top and PSP graphics on bottom) The DS offered up a gimmick and some great games but the whole system just didn't feel complete.

Six years later, Nintendo unveiled the successor to the DS at the 2010 e3 Expo. The title "3DS" alone gave away its three dimensional capabilities but in the coming months, the 3DS would become more than just a gimmicky money grab. It became something that I was excited for.

First of all, the way that the 3DS shows off its three dimensional effect without the use of glasses is definitely a plus. This was a relief to me after hearing how much eye strain people get when watching a 3D tv or wearing glasses when watching a 3D movie. The way it works is that a panel is set between the image screen and outer glass which works the same way as 3D glasses do. So, instead of going through the trouble of looking for the glasses and putting them on, the 3DS is all set and ready for three dimensional action from the get-go! And in case the 3D becomes too bothersome, the 3DS is equipped with a toggle so you can choose how powerful the 3D affect is shown. Now that's thinking of the consumer.

Now that we got the 'gimmick' out of the way, let's get into the meat of the 3DS. The graphics. The graphics are no joke here. Improving on the DS's N64-style graphics, the 3DS offers graphics that give this generation of console gaming a run for its money. Take a look at the remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the 3DS. It looks as spectacular as it did on the Playstation 2. The below picture is Capcom's Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. When I first saw the

screenshots I thought how close to the 360/PS3 Resident Evil 5 this 3DS game looks. I wasn't sure how far Nintendo would go in the graphics department, seeing as how the Wii is just as powerful as the Gamecube but now I am sure that they are going all out with the 3DS.

Speaking of games, the 3DS doesn't disappoint. It seems that nearly every developer is on board with the new handheld. All of the major developers have their foot in the 3DS's door in some way or another. Games such as Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts 3D, Capcom's Resident Evil Revelations, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy, Tecmo's Dead or Alive: Dimensions, Sega's Super Monkey Ball, are among the many games already planned for the upcoming handheld. And of course, Nintendo brings an onslaught of first party titles at launch and in the future. These include Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 3DS, Paper Mario 3DS, Pilot Wings Resort, and also the remakes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and Star Fox 64 3DS. Yes, it is definitely looking like a healthy line-up for the 3DS.

The Wii's Virtual Console brought games from NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, and other consoles of the past. Recently Nintendo announced that 3DS will have the Virtual Console experience as well. As of now, there is only word of being able to purchase Gameboy and Gameboy Color games from the network but hopefully Nintendo would add more games from more handhelds from the 90's. This feature, however, is in doubt seeing as how Nintendo let the Wii's Virtual Console die due to lack of updates.

The Nintendo 3DS is set to release in the US sometime before March 2011 and priced between $250 and $300 dollars. Yes a high price point, but I think I may sacrifice my wallet to get my hands on the 3DS.