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?

Review: Dead Money

Full Review:

Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money

Developed by Obsidian Entertainment

Published by Bethesda Softworks

for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

Released December 21, 2010 for the Xbox 360, February 22, 2011 for the Playstation 3 & PC

"Should we even 'begin' at all?"

Dead Money is the first of five DLC add-ons coming to New Vegas which will broaden the adventures of the Courier and expand on the lore of both the Mojave Wasteland and the Fallout universe. Dead Money offers the player a couple more hours of gameplay, an increased level cap, and an intriguing back story but falls short in actual gameplay.

A few seconds after downloading the add-on, a mysterious radio signal is picked and a provocative female voice describes a luxurious casino where people can "Begin Again". The player will head to an abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker where you will be wisped away to the Sierra Madre. You will then be forced to perform a heist of the century as you team up with three other unfortunate souls as you attempt to open the doors of the Sierre Madre casino or else die in the process.

The first thing you will notice about Dead Money is that the hue filter has been switched from the New Vegas orange to a blood red haze. At first it's a cool effect but soon the red cloud will impair your vision making it harder to see traps and enemies even when you aren't in the middle of the health deteriorating red fog. The graphics and animations retain the same mediocre look as they did back in the Mojave.

The sound on the other hand works perfectly in Dead Money. The music is appropriately eerie and sad which gave me chills when venturing through the equally eerie Villa. The song "Begin Again" performed by in-game character Vera Keyes is incredibly heart felt and leaves the player with a mournful disposition considering her fate within the Sierre Madre.

The voice acting is top notch especially from the performances of the greedy and prideful Dean Domino and the self-embattled Dog. The sound effects of the holograms' hostility turn is dreadful and will send you running off for cover.

Compared to New Vegas, Dead Money is very linear and doesn't offer or even encourage any exploration whatsoever. The missions consist of b-lines to one area then back then to another area then back and repeat. There aren't even much items to discover or scavenge throughout your journey. The lack of exploration is a shame seeing as how the Villa and Sierra Madre are such fantastic and story driven areas and once the add-on is over returning is an impossibility.

Dead Money consists of traps, traps, and even more traps. It's not likely you'll spend much time fighting but rather crouching on the ground disengaging bear traps or trying to eliminate a deadly signal that could trigger your premature death. It is fun for awhile but the lack of gameplay variety and the great amount of time you'll be spending looking out for traps just becomes much too tedious to remain fun.

If it weren't for the multiple endings, Dead Money would have absolutely no replay value. The endings still pale in comparison to New Vegas as the endings depend on how well you cooperated with your allies. However, with one strategically placed save file, one could see both endings if they don't want to start their New Vegas game all over again.

Dead Money doesn't offer any new gameplay that can't already be experienced in New Vegas. The backstory, however, is incredibly deep and the unearthly atmosphere is a must experience for any Fallout fan. It's also important to note that the entire add-on embraces a stealthy and diplomatic approach to completing the missions as you'll spend the entire time sifting the ground for any traps and running away from seemingly immortal enemies. If you're looking forward to an impressive story and a lot of stealth then Dead Money is for you but I predict even diehard fans of New Vegas will find themselves limited with this premiere add-on.

Details -

Genre: First Person Shooter, RPG, Third Person Shooter

ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs)

Player Options: 1 -Player

Difficulty: Hard

Learning Curve: Harsh

Stats -

Graphics: 2/5

Sound: 5/5

Playability: 4/5

Lasting Appeal: 1/5

Fun: 3/5

22 Hit-Combo

Decent

Review Descriptions

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: Capcom Doesn't Give a S**t

I'm writing this blog post to discuss my month long odyssey in dealing with purchasing Marvel vs Capcom 3 online and making sure I got everything I paid for and on time.

It all started when I went to Gamestop to pre-order the Special Edition of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which contains an awesome steel case, an artbook, one month of Marvel comics online, and two dlc characters. Unfortunately for me, Gamestop and Play 'N Trades stopped all pre-orders for the special edition. So, I forgot about the S.E. and just decided to pre-order a regular copy from Gamestop.

But then I heard about that not only was the Capcom store still selling Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Special Edition but they would also give you a free Shuma-Gorath shirt! I thought to myself, why not give my money straight to the geniuses at Capcom. So I ordered the game on January 29th, half a month before its release on February 15th.

I didn't think much about the game until a couple of days before release. People had mentioned that their order had shipped and was to arrive on their doorstep right on release day. Excited, I checked my order status and saw that the order wasn't even processed. A little worried, I shrugged it off. It wasn't until the day before release that I knew that I wasn't going to get my copy on time.

The order hadn't processed and shipped until the 16th of February and I received it 9 business days later, two days longer than I was told by Capcom. I got it a week and a half after release and I was told I would receive on release especially based on the fact that they hadn't stopped pre-orders for 10 days after I ordered my copy.

I pissed me off was the fact that Gamestop had plenty of copies of the S.E. the day after launch and that people who ordered much later than I had received their copy on time. I don't know why their copy was more of a priority than mine was.

I saw a thread on Capcom unity that claimed that those affected by the late shipments would be reimbursed somehow and that they knew who was affected. Apparently not me as I wasn't given anything not even an email regarding the matter.

Lets fast forward about a month a one undersized Shuma shirt later, time for my free DLC!!!!

Nope.

I go marvelvscapcom3/redeem/ to receive my Xbox Live code but when I entered it in it stated that it was an invalid code. WHAT!!!?!?!?!

I tried many more times with no luck.

I was forced to sign up for their forum, unlike the PS3 players, and not much more than a couple threads have even touched the matter.

I WANT WHAT I PAID FOR CAPCOM!

What kind of company doesn't respond to their customers concerns. I've sent then numerous emails and have received 0 responses. What kind of company makes you sign up for their forum and pm "some dude" just to get your order right.

It's all ridiculous and a customer service nightmare that I hope will end soon.

I for one will be making sure to buy all of my Capcom games used from now on and no longer will I support them by using their store, forum, or downloadable content. The company that's so good at making quality games needs to learn to think of the customer.

Critical Hit: Most Anticipated Games of 2011

With another year comes another wave of great games. Much like 2010, I am very much anticipating a handful of awesome games that cover a wide range of genres. Let's take a look at the 2011 video games that I personally think will bring something great, unique, and awesome to the table.

WWE All-Stars

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, PSP, Playstation 2 Release: March 29, 2011

Developer: THQ San Diego Publisher: THQ

Being the huge wrestling fan that I am, I never really kept up with any of the WWE games. The first few wrestling games I owned and played the crap out of were Wrestlemania 2000 for Nintendo 64 and WWF Smackdown! for the Playstation. Ever since then I've played various wrestling games such as WWE Day of Reckoning along with various entries in the Smackown! vs. Raw series. With WWE All-Stars, it would appear that THQ is taking the wrestling genre back to the over-the-top roots we haven't experienced in real wrestling since the Attitude era. With action-figure like character models to over the top signature and special moves, All-Stars looks to be much more NBA Jam than Smackown! vs. Raw. Gameplay mechanics that rely on health bars rather than body damage is an awesome throwback to all of the 90's wrestling games that I grew up on. With all of the superstars of past and present and not to mention air combos and grabs WWE All-Stars looks to be the wrestling game I've been waiting for all these years.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Release: February 15, 2011

Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom

It's been over ten years since Marvel vs. Capcom 2 hit shelves which allowed people to Maximum Spider and Sentinel Force their friends for years to come. With MvC2 appearing on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network in 2009, Marvel vs Capcom 3 was announced just a year later which had people wondering for months which Capcom legends or Marvel heroes would make the cut. It's safe to say that MvC3 has a great balance of classic Capcom/Marvel characters as well as newer fighters that brought the series up to date in its ten year absence. Yes, I know the game came out last week but since I haven't received my copy from Capcom's wonderful online store I'm still anticipating the damn game. All I can say from the previews is that graphically this game looks fantastic and the voice acting is superb. If the game is just as well done as the aesthetics and fan service then we've got a game worthy of the ten year wait.

L.A. Noire

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Release: May 17, 2011

Developer: Team Bondi Publisher: Rockstar Games

Coming off the success of 2010 game of the year Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar Games is looking to keep the streak alive in 2011 with L.A. Noire. What makes L.A. Noire stand out to me are the life-like facial animations powered by MotionScan. I can't speak enough about the graphics and animation; the game looks gorgeous. But of course, I'd be naive to buy a game based on looks alone. The gameplay shown in the trailers doesn't disappoint either. It blends fire-fighting and brawling with investigative detective work and open world exploration to achieve a better appreciation of 1947's crime infested Los Angeles. A mixture of Heavy Rain and Grand Theft Auto with a extra bit of noire pulp is what I get out of L.A. Noire. If Rockstar can blend all of these elements in a way that gives the player a gameplay and cinematic experience like I know Rockstar can, then we have a sure-fire Game of the Year in L.A. Noire.

Batman: Arkham City

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Windows Release: Q3 2011

Developer: Rocksteady Studios Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive

The greatest Batman game ever made gets a sequel this year. The unfortunately named Arkham City takes the madhouse from the asylum to Gotham. This time around Quincy Sharp and Hugo Strange created a small section of Gotham to better house asylum inmates. However, Two-Face decides to publicly execute Catwoman in order to prove his superiority over his fellow inmates. This is where The Dark Knight straps on his utility belt and takes on the dark depths of Arkham once again. Of course, a wounded Joker is hiding menacingly and enigmatically behind the scenes. I can't wait to see what Bats has in store for gamers this fall.

Journey

Platform: Playstation 3 Release: 2011

Developer: thatgamecompany Publisher: Sony

From the people who brought you Flower, which focused on the beauty of wind and nature, bring an emphasis on the beauty of sand and solitude in Journey. The entire point of the game is to take a cloaked woman across an endless desert towards a giant luminous mountain. During the journey, you may encounter anonmyous PSN players who may help you out with certain puzzles. Eventually, the people you encounter will go their separate ways as no two players' goals are in the same location. The game, much like Flower, already feels like pure poetry and will no doubt add a greater layer of depth and wonder to an enigmatic adventure.

The Last Guardian

Platforms: Playstation 3 Release: Q4 2011

Developer: Team Ico Publisher: Sony

Team Ico's much anticipate successor to Shadow of the Colossus and Ico provides much of the same atmosphere experienced in those two classics. Unlike SotC and Ico, the boy protagonist of The Last Guardian is not trying to rescue a dainty princess. The boy must escape a royal army with the help of a giant griffin named Trico. The boy must complete puzzles and utilize Trico to overcome obstacles in order to continue their journey. The relationship between the boy and Trico mirrors the relationships of Ico & Yorda, and Wander & Aggro. The Last Guardian appears to be very story and atmosphere driven game which will defnitely be another artistic wonder from the minds of Team Ico.

The Last Story

Platform: Wii Release: TBA

Publisher: Mistwalker Publisher: Nintendo

With the downfall of JRPGs in the past couple years, there hasn't been much on the horizon for lovers of the genre. The Last Story hopes to change that. Nintendo and Mistwalker bring an action packed RPG that turns away from turn based combat and embraces free roaming combat with third person shooting and close quarters swordplay much like Demon's Souls but with an increased pace. The story could be a hit or miss as most JRPGs are but a great combat style could make up for a lackluster storyline. Although I trust that The Last Story will bring great cinematic story telling. The game was released last month in Japan to rave reviews which just makes the wait for an American release that much more unbearable.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Platforms: Wii Release: 2011

Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo

I haven't missed a major Zelda release since I can remember and I don't plan on skipping Skyward Sword. Not much has been revealed about the game yet except for the beautiful Wind Waker/Twilight Princess hybrid graphics. Apparently, Skyward Sword will be a rather different 3D Zelda experience with WiiMotionPlus swordplay, a stamina meter, and a departure from the traditional dungeon-to-overworld gameplay. I'm not too too sure what they plan to do for the latest Zelda entry but I know it will be another great experience.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Platforms: Nintendo 3DS Release: TBA

Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo

Ocarina of Time port, with better graphics, in 3D. Need I say more. The greatest masterpiece in gaming history will now be portable with a few enhancements. I don't know about you but that's enough for a first day buy.

Catherine

Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Release: NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Developer: Atlus Persona Team Publisher: Atlus

What else can I say about Catherine other than "What the hell!?!?!" Catherine is a puzzle/adventure game blended with pure Japanese anime weirdness. I have no idea if it's going to be a good game, bad game or even what kind of game it's going to end up being. All I know is that I want to play it. It's got a lot of sex, a lot of puzzles, and whole lot of Japan. Editor's Note: Oh, and Atlus just announced that Catherine will NOT be coming out anywhere outside of Japan. What the hell Fatlus!!!!?!?!?!?!?

Other games I want but don't have much time to talk about:

Duke Nukem Forever

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Mass Effect 3

Kid Icarus: Uprising

There you have it. Awesome games equals an awesome year. So whatever you like, go out and buy it, play it and enjoy it!

Critical Hit: Death of a Dynasty

It was announced a couple of days ago that Activision had pulled the plug on the Guitar Hero franchise due to a decline in sales. It's widely believed to be the cause Activision's poor handling of another great series (The fate of Tony Hawk comes to mind). For five years, the Guitar Hero series changed the way many people played and looked at video games. While its end may seem like a blessing to some and a burden to others, there's no ignoring the impact it has brought in its wake. In remembrance of this fantastic franchise, I want to take a look back at the first four games in the series which I believe to be the most important and defining entries.

Guitar Hero, 2005

It was the game that started off an iconic franchise and revived and propelled the rhythm/music genre to never before seen popularity. Released for the Playstation 2, Guitar Hero came packaged with the tool that would have millions of hands strumming and hitting those five famous colored fret buttons for years to come, the Gibson SG. The game's 47 songs contained an all-star cast of rock legends including Pantera, Queen, Motorhead, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. The fact that all of the career songs were covers made by WaveGroup (which varied in quality from song to song) didn't stop gamers from five starring every song possible. The game allowed for a 1-player career mode which had the player select any one of the memorable and genre oriented rockers and set off in search for fame. A second player could join in and compete against the other as they take turns playing certain sections of a song. Although the game did suffer from an uneventful multiplayer mode and a broken hammer-on and pull off system, these obvious flaws were ignored by most reviewers as they did not affect its great scores. From hitting the first few notes of 'I Love Rock N Roll' on easy to shredding Zack Wylde's insane solo in 'Bark at the Moon' on expert, it was easy to tell how much potential this series had. Harmonix and Red Octane created a rhythm experience like never before and the future looked absolutely rockin' from here on out.

Guitar Hero II, 2006

If the first Guitar Hero started the legendary franchise then Guiar Hero II certainly perfected it. Guitar Hero II came bundled with a red Gibson SG for the PS2 and a wired Gibson Xplorer for the Xbox 360. On disc, the game came packed full with an unbelievably awesome setlist that covered nearly every decade and every genre of rock. GHII was the first to have a big name band give an actual master track to the game (Primus's John the Fisherman) with the 360 version expanding on that. The career remained largely the same but multiplayer improved greatly. Two-players could now team up and complete a song like a real band with one player being lead guitar while the other performing bass or rhythm guitar. Pro-Face off was introduced which allowed both competitors to actually play an entire song, competing for the better score, instead of boringly playing certain sections. GHII's multiplayer set up the building blocks for future games in both the GH and Rock Band series to become the all around party games that they are today. The gameplay mechanics were tweaked to near perfection as the hammer-on/pull-off system ACTUALLY WORKED! Now you were able to solo and FC a song like a pro. But just because this mechanic was much easier to perform didn't mean the rest of the game was. Guitar Hero II was much more difficult than the first by offering insanely complex guitar riffs/solos from songs such as 'Free Bird' and 'Jordan'. Yes, the Guitar Hero mechanics were fine-tuned and perfected. The future indeed held many more Guitar Hero titles but with perfection already at hand, where would the franchise head now?

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's, 2007

Rocks the 80's marks the final entry in the series Harmonix would have the opportunity to develop. Harmonix had been purchased by MTV Games and would go on to create the Rock Band series but not before leaving their mark with one last Guitar Hero game. Being more of a Guitar Hero II expansion than a full-fledged game, Rocks the 80's would be the first of many genre/subject oriented titles of the series. Everything went back 25 years when hair metal and New Wave ruled the radio. The game itself stayed the same other than the cosmetics being 80's-ized. The game included great songs but it was obvious the 80's setlist would have a much more limited appeal than the setlists of the past two games. Rocks the 80's offered half the songs and half the characters at full retail price. It definitely wasn't the last hoorah that Harmonix could have hoped for.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, 2007

Activision's bleak manning of the Guitar Hero franchise started innocently enough with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The first obvious difference in Activision's Guitar Hero was the fugliness of the characters. The weird muppet look of the characters (let alone the horrifying transformation of the lead singer) brought an unsettling feeling to GH fans everywhere. Fortunately the rest of the game felt like the same Guitar Hero that they all fell in love with years prior and that was what mattered the most. Boss battles with Slash and Tom Morello were accompanied with the new battle mode which had one player attempting to make the other fail a song and vice versa. They were considerably more master tracks than there were covers bringing more authenticity never before felt in the franchise. With more characters, master tracks, downloadable songs, and venues, Guitar Hero III was definitely the biggest Guitar Hero game to date.

Unfortunately, the franchise would head downhill from there. With Harmonix's Rock Band seemingly overshadowing its rival, Activision's milking of the franchise, lack of innovation, and a decline in music/rhythm games, Guitar Hero met an unfortunate but perhaps necessary death. Guitar Hero: World Tour attempted to compete with Rock Band by adding drums and vocals but by the time Guitar Hero V came around it was obvious that Red Octane and Activision could not match the incredible innovation that Harmonix injected into its new franchise. The over-saturation of the series was evident in 2008 but reached an incredibly ridiculous high in 2009 when Activision released an overwhelmingly seven titles (1 being DJ Hero). By 2010 people had enough of Guitar Hero seeing as how Guitar Hero V had trouble competing with The Beatles: Rock Band. The final entry in the series, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock put an emphasis on character driven story elements. It was, however, overshadowed by the innovative Rock Band 3.

Despite plans on making a Red Hot Chili Peppers oriented band title and a PSP edition, Activision pulled the plug citing a decline in franchise sales. Guitar Hero's downfall is a sad tale of an icon that changed video game history falling from grace. Guitar Hero shouldn't be remembered as Activision's money puppet but as the game series that offered gamers so much in its prime. It's five year run was something great and will hopefully be revived in much more caring hands.

The V Files: L is Real 2401

On the first post of the V Files, which takes video games myths, legends, and lore and analyzes them, I've decided to go with one of the most famous (or infamous) legends of video games. The L is Real 2041 legend.

In Super Mario 64, there is a courtyard which contains a small fountain or pond. In the pond is a statue much like the one you see to the left. It's in the shape of a star with scribbled words below it. Fans everywhere have created such a ruckus over these words that in turn created a mystery and legend almost as big as the game itself (Well, maybe not THAT big.)

Many people who played the game didn't even notice the texture. Others thought it just read "Eternal Star" referring to the final obtainable star in the game. But then, there were the few that took it to a whole new level. They claimed that the awkward spacing of the letters couldn't possibly spell out the word "eternal" and the "star" looked more like a number.

They claimed it to read "L is Real 2401"

But what does this mean? L is universally understood to refer to Luigi, who does not appear in Super Mario 64. Hopefuls everywhere took it that the cryptic message was proof that Luigi could be playable in Super Mario 64 . . . or perhaps in another game altogether.



Could Mario's green clad brother be behind this mystery? All theories point to Luigi being the subject. In fact there was a picture [below] in Nintendo Power that showed Luigi standing right behind Mario just outside of Princess Peach's Castle. Although it turned out to be a badly Photoshopped hoax, it nonetheless fueled the flames of Luigi's existence in the classic 64 title.

Here are a few possible explanations that fans have come up with to explain the odd text:

Luigi will appear in the game after 2,401 coins are collected.
This theory was debunked quickly as many gamers who have collected every single coin in the entire game still come up a couple hundred coins short of 2,401.

The text refers to Luigi's appearance in Paper Mario

Luigi appears in Paper Mario which released on the Nintendo 64 about five years after the release of Super Mario 64. People claim that the 2401 refers to the date that Paper Mario released which they claim is February 4th, 2001. There are a few things wrong with this explanation, however. First is the length of time between SM64 and PM. It is highly unlikely that Nintendo planned a whole generation ahead for a single game let alone boast about the appearance of a secondary character. Second, Luigi appeared in many other games such as Mario Kart 64 and Super Smash Bros. before the release of Paper Mario. And finally, Paper Mario was released on February 5th not the 4th.

Others

Many people have put various Latin lettering, Chinese, Russian, and Japanese characters to fill in the markings of the plaque but the only things that do fit are in fact "Eternal Star" and "L is Real 2401" Not much has been determined about the scribbles below the legendary text as it is much too blurred to make any real claim about it.

Most Logical Conclusion:

The blurry text on the plaque may be nothing at all just referential images to take the

place of words, much like the lettering on every other sign in the game. If anything the

programmers just tried to make the blur spell out "Eternal Star". People just made it into much

more than it was supposed to be allowing Nintendo to run with it and put it again Ocarina of

Time to further increase interest. Oh, Nintendo, you so curazey.