Irish Nintendo Fan

Where to find The Last Story in Cork

2012-02-26T21:21:00.000Z

Try Tesco.

Angry Video Game Nerd "What Was I Thinking?" featurette

2012-02-25T23:53:00.000Z

http://cinemassacre.com/2012/02/23/what-was-i-thinking/

This was originally on one of his DVDs but now it's on his site too. Some interesting stuff there, including the fact that he likes some of the games he reviews to an extent. He does say though that some other games really do deserve the angry nerd treatment they get! Have a look to find out what they are.

Where to find Fortune Street/Boom Street in Cork

2012-02-24T23:31:00.000Z

Try Smyths, they have more display cases of the game than any other shop I've been to.

Latest Wii release dates for 2012, new Nintendo Direct feature

2012-02-23T20:33:00.000Z

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2011/nintendo_announces_a_packed_line-up_of_upcoming_games_and_content_in_the_latest_nintendo_direct_49047.html

Quite a few interesting things have been announced here. There's a link near the start of the article to a Nintendo Direct feature where Satoru Iwata talks about upcoming releases.

Near the bottom is a link to a pdf document that has a listing of release dates for Wii software. This includes stuff I'm interested in like Back to the Future which thankfully isn't something that is up in the air like I feared!

Completed Super Monkey Ball 3D!

2012-02-22T21:44:00.000Z

I put this game off for a long while but I beat it! All 10 worlds :) It's not too difficult but it can be tough playing it on a bus. It is a nice bit of fun though!

I don't care what any reviewer says, this is one of the best 3DS cartridge games currently available!

Completed Mario 3D Land!

2012-02-21T23:58:00.000Z

Finally completed all the stages and special stages of this game! They got really tough and annoying but most were still a lot of fun. I heard there's one more special special stage to unlock but it involves getting flags at maximum height and other stuff so I might hold that off for another session.

What makes 3D Classics: Twinbee special (also, my current high score)

2012-02-20T22:38:00.000Z

I love this game so much right now! I have this power up music playing as I type this post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1P29bsH84U

I love the way the stages all have a mellow tune until you nab a power up and then it plays the theme I linked to above, beginning with a fanfare and some hyper happy music.

I didn't say much about the game the last time I made a post about it (click the 'Twinbee' label to find it) apart from me being a longtime fan of the Twinbee series and commenting about the 3D effect.

I did mention the rapid fire option though which is awesome! Maybe it's to cater to the fact that this version was designed for a single player?

Another special thing about this version is the quick save option. It lets you pick up at the start of the stage you were on with your current lives and power ups intact from the moment you quicksaved. Another thing I like is that not only does it tell you what stage you're on, it tells you what loop you're on as well, which is definitely a nice thing for arcade shmup fans!

It's all based on the original NES/Famicom version of the game.

I might as well take a paragraph to explain the gameplay. It's basic vertical shmup gameplay but it has a few of its own unique things, one of which is juggling bells by shooting at them. This helps you get power ups and point multipliers. The danger and excitement comes from trying to collect the bells while the otherwise normal enough baddies constantly get in your way.

I say don't hesitate to buy it if you're thinking about it at all! Also, it's a far better game than Xevious.

My current high score is 1,973,300 on stage 1-5. Yes I know I haven't completed any loops yet but hey I'm having loads of fun!

Jungly Steps is a scary place

2012-02-19T22:13:00.000Z

I absolutely adore Pac-Mania. It's Pac-Man but with isometrics and jumping among other things. It's one of the few arcade games I don't mind doing loops in.

The last themed stage is scary, even on the first loop. There are so many ghosts and they just flash around like lightning. The music has a more serious tone than the other stages and it just adds to the tension.

Alison's replacement in Nintendo Week (well, guest host)

2012-02-18T18:51:00.000Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dbX52WBDkA

Her name is Soul or Sol or something. Maybe we'll see another guest host next week? If there are a few to choose from we'll try 'em all out.

There's a brief look at that game Mutant Mudds which seems interesting. Might give it a go.

Replaying Banjo-Kazooie

2012-02-17T23:26:00.000Z

I love Banjo-Kazooie so much. I'm using an emulator to play it but still using my N64 controller via an adaptor. I then mapped the buttons, swapping the 3D stick and Z button with the d-pad and L button. It controls pretty well for me this way! Normally I wouldn't dare using a d-pad to play a 3D game but I'm happy with it so far.

Maybe I'll be able to give other games of this nature that use the d-pad exclusively a go? We'll see.

Anyway the collectathon nature of platform games like this and especially this one is just so enjoyable to indulge in — yet it annoys me in other newer games for some reason.

It may be on the Xbox now but I don't see how an Xbox fan would be interested in it at all. It actually looks better than other games for the system but that's more because of its aesthetics and style.This game is just too lovely and colourful to go out of fashion unlike all the other games for the system.

Continuing on from yesterday's post about Back to the Future coming to Wii in Ireland

2012-02-16T21:59:00.000Z

I was a bit negative yesterday but hey it's the truth - I'm angry because I care.

You see, I like TellTale's games and the Wii is my format of choice and since I'm the customer I demand a product that works properly.

I'm doing something nice by talking about it and generating excitement, so here's me being nice and talking about the release date!

According to Amazon.co.uk it's being released on the 30th of March 2012. Now I'm taking this with a pinch of salt since Sam & Max 2's release date kept changing, even when it was released it had changes in release dates.

Back to the Future: The Game is coming to Wii in Ireland

2012-02-15T23:32:00.000Z

TellTale did an unforgivably shit job of Sam and Max: Beyond Time and Space for the Wii. The parts at the end of the game came to a complete halt and only moved if you found a way for there to somehow have less stuff happening on screen. This isn't a fault of the Wii, it's the fault of the people behind its development and I have not forgiven them for that. It could've been worse if they actually promoted the Wii version of the game at all. I did not find it easy to obtain it.

Now they're bringing a compilation of their Back to the Future series to the Wii and I am feeling glad, yet wary. Are they going to fuck this up as badly as Sam and Max 2?

I had a look at the first issue of the new Nintendo Gamer magazine and they reviewed the American version of Back to the Future. The score was a low 50 and the contents made reference to the aforementioned Sam and Max sequel. They said Back to the Future has the same problems as Sam and Max 2 but that it isn't as decrepit as the latter — Whatever that means.

Is the game going to come to a complete halt during gameplay like Sam and Max 2 did due to crap development? I don't want that to happen. What I'm going to do now is stay tuned for a few more reviews of the Wii version and also have a look at how they'll promote it (if at all).

USK ratings are hateful boxart ruiners

2012-02-14T22:40:00.000Z

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/ms/the_last_story/product.html
So here's the official website detailing all the stuff that's going to be in the limited edition of The Last Story. You'll also get a big ugly USK rating. I hate these things because they ruin the boxart.

Why do we have to have them? Actually, don't answer that, I don't care. The right question is do German people really have such poor eyesight? What the fuck is their problem? Why does the rating have to be bigger than the PEGI one? Why should Irish people have to suffer this desecrating our game's boxart?

I was really pissed off when I saw the big ass USK rating on Skyward Sword's limited edition box.

Imagining a remake of Donkey Kong 64

2012-02-13T22:55:00.000Z

Just thinking about it hypothetically. This game is famous for having more things to collect than players could actually cope with. Because of that I was wondering what if a remake had an extra feature like having the Banjo-Kazooie pair as an unlockable. Just think about whizzing through the levels with the Talon Trot and of course they would be able to collect and utilise every Kong's items and abilities on top of having their own. That would be cool in a bizarre kind of way.

Imagine the banter between Kazooie and Cranky! That would be fun too.

I also say keep Jetpac and Donkey Kong arcade intact.

GoNintendo says "Mario Party 9 has minimal loading times"

2012-02-12T20:46:00.000Z

http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=171770

There we go! I'm making a post out of this especially because noone else seems to be getting excited over the reporting of minimal loading times.

I think that's WRONG and we should be getting very excited about this! Loading times inconvenience the player and should be BANNED!

I'm very passionate about this issue so I would like to make a label called: "LOADING TIMES SUCK". Expect to see it now and again!

Things Alison Whitney could do and would be great at

2012-02-11T21:51:00.000Z

Listen to me go on! Like I'm some expert or fanboy. I shouldn't really pretend to be either, just thinking here.

She would be good for some kind of family entertainment like a sitcom with a laugh track. I'm actually thinking that she would be brilliant in some kind of Jim Henson production with muppet-like creatures around. Those shows suit everybody, not just kids. If she were to do something like Sesame Street I can imagine her being like Elmo's cool auntie.

I thought a good bit about her doing Samus Aran for some kind of Metroid feature. I think Alison has an unusual quality but it's different to what I picture Samus' unusual quality being like. Considering her portfolio you'd think the most Samus-y thing she could do is promote the latest Metroid game while wearing the suit without the mask and then do one of Samus' moves with a cheesy but amusing special effect.

I imagine the closest to being Samus you could be is to study Daryl Hannah's character in Blade Runner(or maybe even Splash!). I wonder if Alison could do that?

Imagine if Studio Ghibli did a Metroid feature? That would be interesting, and they're known for making movies starring the kind of females you could make plenty of comparisons with Samus Aran.

I told you I'm not an expert! I just deviated and went talking about video games.

Ok how about this: Alison has something different about her. I can't imagine a lot of other women doing Nintendo Week as well as she did it and whatever it is that she had, it's a valuable asset.

Just found out that Alison has left Nintendo Week

2012-02-10T23:57:00.000Z

Aw! I've lapsed in my viewing of the episodes so I didn't find out until now. At the end of last week's episode she was revealed to be an alien and got beamed away. It reminds me of The Simpsons where Poochie left Itchy & Scratchy for his home planet. Alison didn't die on her way back though thank goodness!

She did some great PR for Nintendo of America with her smiles, charm and glamour and seemed to have great respect and discipline for it. I admit it's nearly always very strange to see women do PR for video games. I wonder if girls who aspire to become involved in the industry feel like the old man that can be found in Alltrades Abbey in some of the Dragon Quest games who aspires to become some kind of french maid?
They needn't let that get in their way though as there are veterans like Violet Berlin and Bettina Pieri who have presented game shows in the past. They were quite good.

Anyway, her full name is Alison Whitney and she has a kind of portfolio website with a c.v. of what look like very interesting B movies and a reel of her at her very best, even showing roles where she's swearing and everything.

I wonder what Gary's c.v. is like? I wonder what his second name is? Anyway he's doing the show with his Dark Gary alter ego right now. It's a big change but I hope the show will go on.

Completed 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure, final score

2012-02-09T21:23:00.000Z

For some reason the 3D Classics version of this game has a high score table. I'm not sure if it matters at all but in case you're interested my final score is 460000.

What is Metroid Other M all about?

2012-02-08T21:30:00.000Z

So far it sounds like it's about a girl who had a falling out with her clique and now she's trying to get back with them after she lost her baby.

Giving Metroid Other M another go!

2012-02-07T23:58:00.000Z

Or rather, a proper go since I just watched the cutscenes last time I put it on.

It seems weird, but not Metroid weird. A different kind of weird. Like an ill fitting jumper kind of weird.

Hey Sean Malstrom, I want New Legend of Zelda also!

2012-02-06T22:54:00.000Z

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/i-want-new-legend-of-zelda/
Yeah I'd love it. After finally giving Zelda 1 & 2 a proper go after all these years I'm finding a lot of things the series could do without and what it could do with. Sean gets to the heart of it.

I think the series ought to go a bit easier on the puzzles, or else it'll get as bad as a certain non-Zelda game where the final boss is a sudoku.

I'd also go for less dialogue or, to go a step further, have no dialogue at all.

The suggestion of a Gauntlet style multiplayer is great though it would have to be much better than Gauntlet. How about a Kirby & the Amazing Mirror style of multiplayer? I mean where each player could go to different parts of a map on their own.

Kirby's Adventure & Dream Land 1 glitches from Mike Matei

2012-02-05T22:34:00.000Z

http://cinemassacre.com/2012/01/28/kirby-glitches/

It's been out a few days I know but I just thought I'd link it.

I've been following this little series and I have to say it's really cool to see some of these things and it's great if you've got a few minutes to kill. This one is remarkable because of course Kirby games are amazing and just seeing some of the things there is rad like the the word HAL done in those star blocks.

Should you buy 3D Classics: Kid Icarus?

2012-02-04T22:38:00.000Z

If you like but be sure to buy 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure first! I guarantee you'll play and enjoy it more!

3D Classics Kid Icarus' save feature is ok but...

2012-02-03T23:32:00.000Z

So I got the game anyway. I like the save feature but when you die you reset back at the last checkpoint with progress lost after that point. I'm not crazy about that happening in games that have RPG elements so what happens is your money (hearts) resets back to the way it was. Maybe it's better this way after all since it's a platformer. There could be an advantage to this too like say if your items got stolen you wouldn't have to buy them back again. I'd have to find that out though I'm not sure yet.

3D Classics Kid Icarus out now for 3DS in Ireland!

2012-02-02T23:13:00.000Z

Just when I was giving serious thought about downloading this game from the eshop it appears! That can't be coincidence. I gotta get it! :)

It'll be nice having a save feature and not having to mess around with passwords.

Looking at a clip of the game in action it seems the 3D effect appers more prominently than in 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure but of course that's simply because there's a kind of overlay effect on the background in Kid Icarus but with Kirby the background scrolls along with the action.

3DS Classics version of Kid Icaurus does away with passwords

2012-02-01T22:58:00.000Z

I've heard that this version of the game has the save feature that was in the original Japanese version of the game and works like Zelda 1's name registration screen.

This is a big plus for me and is a good case for me buying it. I hated the passwords on the NES one and this is the only English version of the game that has the save feature. I just might buy it!

This is why we're getting a new 2D Mario (conspiracy time!)

2012-01-31T22:16:00.000Z

http://www.gonintendo.com/?mode=viewstory&id=169831
Have a look at the video at the above link. Reggie's talking about the Wii U yada yada Geoff Keighley is there yada yada there are a couple of glamourous looking women there yada yada but pay attention to what the lady on the left says.

She asks if Mario Bros is going to be on the system! Someone watching at Nintendo HQ must've then went "Hmm..." while stroking their chin and decided "Right! Develop a new 2D Mario!"

That's my made up story and I'm sticking to it!

Seeing display boxes for The Last Story

2012-01-31T00:17:00.000Z

I'm starting to see them now. It has that picture of the girl facing to the left with her hand on her bosom making her bust look huge from a distance.

It of course has Nobuo Uematsu and Hironobu Sakaguchi's names on the cover.

The cover also has an EDGE magazine 8/10 rating.

I'm bored already but I'll try my best to approach it with an open mind.

Ace Attorney 5 is announced! Woo!

2012-01-29T22:08:00.000Z

I just heard from various blogs and stuff that they're making an all new Ace Attorney! There's no other details besides that but it's great news!

Hopefully it'll come out over here on the 3DS. Actually it could very well be a good fit for the Wii U! Thanks to the controller and the extra screen and microphone it would be a great fit for the Wii U so it would!

Now, the second installment of the not so great spinoff Ace Attorney Investigations may not have been released here but that doesn't mean they can't bring this over.

Remember we're Europe! We love adventure games! You also know from my ravings about Katawa Shoujo that I love visual novels as well! I've purchased every Ace Attorney released over here for the DS so I deserve this! Make it happen!

2D Mario confirmed for 3DS!

2012-01-28T22:30:00.000Z

This is great news! Everyone loves 2D Mario! It's still among the best selling DS games and people just plain adore it.

This was announced at some Nintendo press event. I'm very much looking forward to this!

No doubt it'll appear in video form at E3 this year.

Kid Icarus is annoying me

2012-01-27T23:48:00.000Z

I don't mean to be so annoyed lately, honest! I'm trying this NES game out though because Nintendo are kind of doing a revival of this series, what with the 3D classics version and the 3DS game coming out in a couple of months.

The Game Boy game was hard enough all those years ago but the NES one is just hard to get used to. I keep slipping off platforms. The password feature is disgustingly bad (though indicative of its age). They set things right when the GB sequel had a save feature. I wonder if the 3D classics version does away with these issues?

ZeldaClassic's Aloha from Hyrule is annoying me

2012-01-26T21:21:00.000Z

The Darknuts in Level 3 keep killing me! In the normal game I usually get the white sword before going near any Darknuts but I don't have enough hearts for it. I'm a bit lost in Level 2 and I can't find the bomb guy in Level 1. I guess there's not much to do but soldier on...

I'm a bit discouraged by it already but I'll try to keep that under control!

Thinking about Kid Icarus Uprising and it's accessory

2012-01-25T22:58:00.000Z

So this game is being released with a special stand. This is actually something I was looking for since I was playing the DS Zeldas. It'll surely be handy playing the stylus dependant Kirby games too.

It'll certainly be handy. Thing is though, I'm not that crazy about stylus intensive controls unless it's the odd few taps here and there. I have a suspicion that moving Pit around will make your hands tired very quickly, like what happened in Metroid Prime Hunters.

Well, we'll just have to wait and see what it'll be like.

To be honest I've never bothered much with Kid Icarus in the past! I had the Game Boy game but that wasn't always fun. I certainly didn't play it as many times as some of my other Game Boy games. Maybe I should get into the series again? It might be nice.

The cemetary from Zelda 2 is scary!

2012-01-24T22:06:00.000Z

This isn't from my playthrough just so you know. You can't see much from this screenshot but the patterns in which the enemies move make this place scary and also make you want to run away very quickly.

Next time you walk through a graveyard, imagine all these flying eyeball things invading and terrifying all those who bravely enter!

I love ZeldaClassic now! Playing "Aloha From Hyrule"

2012-01-23T22:40:00.000Z

Aloha From Hyrule is an original tileset quest for ZeldaClassic, the first of its kind I tried for it. I have to say I was absolutely hooked the moment I started playing and it didn't let go. Oh it's lovely. So lovely.

You have to search out everything, there's no stupid exposition except for people talking in caves and it is a satisfyingly good challenge. I love it!

ZeldaClassic 16 bit custom quests make me feel grumpy

2012-01-22T20:53:00.000Z

They look colourful and everything but I hate having a view being obscured just because something's behind a tree. I also don't like the way things are flooded with dialogue. There was one quest that had awful quality music and another that was full of block puzzles. I'm getting to have a real distaste for puzzles in Zelda lately. Maybe it's because I'm playing the two NES games a lot.

I should just try out the original 8 bit style ones, if there are any.

Completed Katawa Shoujo!

2012-01-21T22:06:00.000Z

Finally I've completed this!

I must say it isn't my favourite visual novel but it's the one single VN that I've been able to converse with friends about since it was new and we were all excited about playing it at the same time. That's one of the strongest things it has going for it.

So yes now Hanako's path is complete. She's ok but yeah she was never going to be my favourite. Lily's my favourite all the way! I had no spark at all for Shizune because I had absolutely nothing in common with her, unlike the other girls with whom I had at least one thing in common.

Sean Malstrom says Wii U will launch with 2D Mario. I'll purchase it!

2012-01-20T23:36:00.000Z

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/dont-count-out-vita-or-any-game-system/
I'd love a 2D Mario launch title for the Wii U! I didn't have any strong thoughts about buying the system before because we don't know an awful lot about it yet, or at least not all the important things that would be interesting to a customer.

A new 2D Mario hasn't been announced to my knowledge but hey, the idea of one at launch makes me very interested in buying a Wii U now!

Trying out the MotoHeroz demo

2012-01-19T21:02:00.000Z

I'm not that fond of physics-y games I have to admit and that's what this is. It's a side scrolling driving game and I like the idea of those very much.

A lot of reviewers like this game and since it has stuff like loop the loops and the way the physics work it's likeable in some of the ways Sonic The Hedgehog is likeable.

So hey I'm not a huge fan of this game personally but it has some nice stuff like the fast pacing and variety in the levels and the way the game loads amazingly fast. It definitely has that praise due to it.

Playing loads of Zelda 2 lately! Mastering Zelda 1

2012-01-18T23:30:00.000Z

I can complete Zelda 1 now without any game overs! It's difficult but it never stops being fun!

Zelda 2 is so hard but I've grown to love it. I'm on the second palace now and it's really tough. It'll certainly be doable as long as I keep my cool!

Katawa Shoujo: Still doing Hanako's path, thinking about social systems

2012-01-18T07:00:00.002Z

This game can help you learn about social systems that take place in school. I was kind of aware about them already but this helps reinforce that learning. I think it would be a valuable thing to be aware of, vital even.

The reason for this is so you can have to power to create your own social systems, because the ones in place set by other people goes against a lot of things. The strongest being falling in love. That could go completely against rules of social systems that are in place.

In Katawa Shoujo's case, replaying and taking the various paths helps you to figure out which one you like best and gives you the power to choose.

In real life when you're doing this, try not to interfere with the rights of others :)

Katawa Shoujo: Completed Emi's path, doing Hanako's path now

2012-01-16T21:32:00.000Z

Emi is quite fun - except of course for that little episode in the shed. That and her small size is the reason why she isn't my favourite. The fun exchanges feel great and it makes her absolutely fantastic company.

Hanako's path I'm playing now. With her being so quiet I'm not hugely interested in her but getting to know her is nice and it's helping me think about a lot of very important things.

What I think of the Mother 3 localisation email

2012-01-15T19:39:00.000Z

The only point in me blogging about it really is to get people excited about something related to MOTHER/EarthBound.

For reference:
http://earthboundcentral.com/2012/01/the-mother-3-e-mail

I like getting people excited about something related to MOTHER/EarthBound. I should probably do it more often and with things that are positive and gloriously indulgent of the series.

Katawa Shoujo: Completed Rin's path, playing Emi's path

2012-01-14T23:47:00.000Z

Rin's daydreaminess and personality make her very interesting. I do like her but she's far from being my favourite. Experiencing her personality and seeing the way she is makes me think about a lot of stuff. She's a fascinating little thing to look at sometimes. Imagine her breaking out on a dance floor? That would be pretty interesting to watch, seeing her short hair going all over the place while shaking her head.

So I'm starting on Emi's path now. She struck me as being a bit generic but that does change as you get to know her. I love her bubbliness and friendliness and charm. Love it! She'd make for an easy person to talk to and enjoy.

Playing Rin's path now in Katawa Shoujo (part 2)

2012-01-14T00:49:00.000Z

Hmm... I'm starting to not like Rin as much now. I'm getting more and more fed up with her as her path goes on. I'll see it through to the end though.

Playing Rin's path now in Katawa Shoujo

2012-01-13T23:55:00.000Z

I like this girl a lot! She's kind of daydreamy and just a pleasure to just hang around with. Talk about everything and nothing. I'd say she'd be great company to help pass time in real life too.

Completed Shizune's path in Katawa Shoujo

2012-01-12T23:14:00.000Z

I didn't like this girl at all. Some parts of the playthrough were fun like talking with Misha and all the stuff about sign language but overall I'm just not a fan of Shizune's. I'd hate to have her father as an in law *shudder*

Wait until you meet him. He's horrible!

Katawa Shoujo: trying to woo Misha

2012-01-11T22:25:00.000Z

I thought I'd pursue Misha in a new playthrough but well...

I can't say it because I don't want to spoil anything. It's heartbreaking though.

Xenoblade in Ireland costs EUR12.98 in GAME now

2012-01-10T20:47:00.000Z

A while ago Matthew Castle of Nintendo Gamer magazine (formerly NGamer Magazine) posted a pic on his twitter of Xenoblade Chronicles originally costing £39.99 in GAME cut down to £9.98 in their recent sale. The link is here:

http://twitpic.com/7xshe8

I went to a local Irish GAME branch and took my own pic of the cover that was on display there. Here it is:

There you have it, from EUR24.99 cut down to EUR12.98.

It's a new copy and everything! If there's a list of reasons you're not getting this game, price doesn't belong on it.

Completed Lily's path in Katawa Shoujo

2012-01-09T23:56:00.001Z

This was really nice! She's my favourite...

I mean wow... yes it was really nice....

Well ok um I'm going to play the game again but going on a different route. I'm not sure who to pick this time though... I just liked Lily so much. I should try the others out though.

How about the path of least resistance? ;)

(without getting the horrible Kenji ending of course)

Katawa Shoujo is better than 999 (in my opinion!)

2012-01-08T22:16:00.001Z

I'm just remembering the 999 game that came out for the DS a little over a year ago. The set up seemed original and well put together but the gameplay system itself was a pain when you went to replay it to get more endings.

Katawa Shoujo I'm still playing and loving. I got a bad end and am now playing it from the beginning once more. It has a nice skip function. 999 had a skip function but it wasn't good enough at all; plus, you had to do the same puzzles all over again. KS' skip function — that is to say Ren'Py's skip function is miles better.

Some things in 999 felt unnatural, particularly the grusome and detailed death descriptions and the approach it took to swearing. KS has swearing too but so far it feels more natural, like it doesn't upset the flow of the story like it does in 999. My knee jerk reaction to these elements appearing in 999 make it seem like there were just put in to sound cool or mature.

Free 3D Classics Kid Icarus on the eShop but only if...

2012-01-07T19:44:00.000Z

...you register two games from a certain range during a certain time period. You can see the full list of games here:

http://microsite.nintendo-europe.com/games_registration_reward/index.php?locale=en_GB&bcC=HT&bnC=NOE_promotion_3DSreward_home

I've one done already, Super Mario 3D Land and although I have Ocarina of Time 3D registered also, it was done outside the qualifying date range. (Remember the other limited promotion this game was involved in where you could win a free CD Soundtrack?)

The problem with this is... I have no strong inclination to buy any of the other games in that range.

Game and Watch Ball reproduction available in Nintendo of Europe stars catalogue

2012-01-06T23:33:00.000Z

I came across this while registering a few games lately. I'm very fond of Game & Watch and they're normally extremely expensive. I have a Donkey Kong one. This one I played before as a minigame that appeared on the Game Boy Camera. I'm not sure if I'd get this though as I'd prefer the likes of Fire. I'd also like to try the Zelda one or one of the other Mario or Donkey Kong ones.

Playing Katawa Shoujo

2012-01-05T21:36:00.001Z

I know this isn't Nintendo related but I love visual novels and adventure games and this is a pretty popular one among circles of fans. After years of demos it's finally got a big release. Just google "Katawa Shoujo" and you should get the official site which has the game available.

Visual novels and adventure games appear on Nintendo formats too of course! These two sentences are just an excuse to mention that and the famous Portopia for the Famicom.

Enjoy Katawa Shoujo though. My favourite girl is Lily by the way :)

I got Boom Street! It didn't work... but now it does!

2012-01-04T19:43:00.000Z

I got Boom Street as well yesterday. After playing Rayman Origins I put this disc in and it wouldn't work. I was all set to return it today but I tried it again this morning. It worked perfectly and has been working perfectly ever since. That's very strange. My knee jerk reaction is to blame it on the Rayman game I just put in the machine beforehand during the first attempt but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway I haven't played much of Boom Street but it has lovely presentation values so far. Text is clear and legible and the music is absolutely wonderful. When I bring up the game in future posts I'm going to be talking a lot about the music!

First of all I'm going to learn how to play the game through the optional tutorial.

Oh and another small thing, this game thanks you for buying it in the instruction manual. No such thanks appears in Rayman Origins' manual.

Rayman Origins is ok... has long loading times

2012-01-03T20:56:00.000Z

Well, I got it. The game itself is ok. Nothing too special or too bad about it really except for loading times, which are long and painful. Very very silly for a 2D platforming game.

It also seems to demand Widescreen if you want to be able to read the text at all, which is another thing I don't like.

Dragon Quest VI was the best RPG of 2011

2012-01-02T22:41:00.000Z

What an awesome game this was. It made you try and figure out things for yourself and the job/class changing system was a pleasure to use. The version of Alltrades Abbey that appeared in this game is the one I visited the most out of all the Dragon Quest games I've played so far.

It also had some wonderful characters, my favourite being the mermaids. They like to rhyme so it's always such nice fun having a chat with them.

On a side note the game also released on the same day the Queen visited Cork which makes it the most stressful video game launch day I've ever had.

Xenoblade was ok and got people more hyped up(especially Americans) but it's just not as interesting to me.

In 2012 I'll probably like Dragon Quest X more than Last Story, depending of course on how the online stuff will affect DQX.

What I really want though is a European localisation for the Rocket Slime sequel for 3DS!

Happy New Year! Boom Street is out already

2012-01-01T23:05:00.000Z

Happy New Year everyone! Boom Street was going to be out this Friday but it came out last Friday instead. I'm going to buy it as soon as I can and maybe consider buying Rayman Origins.

Enjoy what's left of the holidays!

Thinking about Rayman Origins (part 2)

2011-12-30T23:22:00.000Z

Rayman Origins has come down in price in the sales...

I'm here trying to research the differences between versions of the game.

So far noone seems to care about saying anything except HD on the HD twin formats.

I want to know more! Like loading times for example!

Zelda 1 gets even better the more confident you get at it

2011-12-30T01:04:00.000Z

I've been playing this game from start to finish several times over the holidays and I haven't gotten bored yet. It's really intimidating when you don't know what you're doing but when you get good and know what you're doing you look for more rational ways to go around doing things.

Today for example after beating level 2 I went straight to level 8 and sought out the magical key. It was scary to be doing it so early in the game, being equipped as I was.

Most important of all, I am having a ball playing this game!!!

Thinking about New Year's Resolutions and Wii Fit

2011-12-28T22:13:00.000Z

I hardly ever use Wii Fit. I think it's great and I have improved myself with it before but I never really committed to it on a long term basis. I think if I did it would work really well for me. I'm just thinking about a realistic resolution: Use it every day or if I'm out of town then do some exercise on the quiet.

There's a guy in Skyward Sword who started exercising at night so that he would be able to work during the day with newly gained confidence. That's what happened to him! He got more confidence! I think that's a good thing to work for. It could open doors for me down the road you never know.

Hmm... I'm not sure about Kirby Mass Attack

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000Z

I finally got a chance to play Kirby Mass Attack for the DS today. I can't say I'm all that sure I like it. Aside from plain stupid and useless things like tutorials and achievements it's just the way it's controlled I'm not sure I like. It's the kind of thing I worried about when I saw trailers for the game and I have to admit my apprehensions are true. I don't like dragging and flicking Kirby around with the stylus and I'm afraid about marking the touch screen.

I think about the only stylus controls I like are the occasional jotting down of things or just plain tapping.

Reflecting on 2011: Ghost Trick

2011-12-26T23:00:00.000Z

Wow, remember this? This was one of the very first games to come out in 2011 and I devoured it. I love adventure games but this was something special altogether! It's like, say you know those Rube Goldberg machines? Imagine one of them but pretend a ghost is possessing some of the mechanics and making them work.

I love the way adventure games can allow for this kind of flexibility to the gameplay and make you enjoy it on several levels.

It seems like forever ago since this game came out. It's absolutely wonderful though and deserves to be played.

Christmas with Jingle from Animal Crossing

2011-12-25T23:59:00.000Z

Whenever I meet Jingle from Animal Crossing, it's always during a time when I have to set the clock to meet him. I have to set the clock because I'm always busy on those exact hours when he shows up. It's nice to meet up with him though. This year I got some festive carpet and wallpaper from him in the Wii game so my house is nicely decorated. Happy Christmas everyone!

What is a gamer?

2011-12-24T23:54:00.000Z

Sounds like a big serious question doesn't it? It's just something I'm wondering about myself and if there can be a definition for it, like say you were explaining it to a space alien or something. I came up with the following sentence so far:

"A video game player is someone who plays games on a screen without having to worry about the mathematics."

3DS GBA Ambassador games

2011-12-24T00:35:00.000Z

So we've finally got what we've been waiting for since about September or whenever the Ambassador scheme was announced. I downloaded every single one of them, most I've played in the past, some I haven't. There's no major new thing that I'm excited to play but they're all worth a go. I'll always pick up the first Wario Ware before any of the other games because it's just great to pick up and play!

European trailer for Boom Street

2011-12-22T23:03:00.000Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJGXXsXNH04

There's a Mii character there named "Anis" *snigger*

Apologies! It mightn't be pronounced the same as "anus". Just me being a li'l immature there.

It's a nice looking trailer and it's good to get the excitement going for this game!

Reading Tim Rogers' Skyward Sword article

2011-12-21T21:45:00.000Z

http://kotaku.com/5869411/

It's a top 10 list for "Stupid Things Terribly Wrong" with the game.

I like the article and I have a few issues with the game myself. I won't trouble myself with point 1 or point 2, although in point 2 I think his problem would become N/A if there were to be no dialogue at all in a Zelda game, which is something I'd like to see.

With point 3 I have to admit my mind did wander a lot in the middle of a conversation with another character; on top of that I'd like to add that the text itself isn't shown very clearly and it scrolls far too slowly with no option to hurry it up.

Point 4 I agree with wholeheartedly and then some. You couldn't not agree with it!

With point 5 I started to really enjoy the game when I finally got my hands on that sword, but it took ages to get to it.

Point 6 is something that made me worry when I saw the first trailer for the game. I wanted the game to be more colourful than Twilight Princess certainly but I wondered if they were trying to make everyone happy by doing different things and risk ending up making noone happy.

Point 7 I don't have a strong opinion about but I would like to see a new Zelda that was more action and less puzzles (like Zelda 1)

Point 8.... well this is my first MotionPlus game and I don't mind it really. I like the way it's done in this game though.

Point 9 kind of goes over my head except for the part about the bird. I think the bird is stupid also.

Point 10 goes over my head too... unless it's just something I've come to accept due to diminished expectations or something.

Lovely fanart of Skyward Sword using Link's Awakening's graphics

2011-12-20T21:55:00.001Z

http://www.sansemploi.com/bonus/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-sur-gameboy
Incroyable!

I mean wow this really is just lovely. The standout one is the Kikwi Elder going "Kyu Kyu..." and the idea of talking to him with the fast scrolling of Link's Awakening's text boxes rather than Skyward Sword's slow and difficult to read ones makes me feel excited!

Super Mario 3D Land is an amazing game!

2011-12-19T22:14:00.000Z

So I finally tried out this game after buying it on release day a few weeks ago and I fell in love with it straight away. It's a good bit like the Galaxy games alright but there are numerious subtle and not so subtle differences that make it much tighter and fun to play. This actually really brings out the things in Mario Galaxy that really inconvenience you as a player such as being knocked on your back or flat on your face. This hasn't happened yet in Mario 3D Land... but for some reason I keep expecting it to! I also keep having the urge to shake the 3DS because I've been doing that so much in the Galaxy and Bros Wii games.

I'm still kind of shrugging at 3D effects but this is the best example yet.

I think this just may be the game you buy a 3DS for. (is it any surprise? ;P)

Normal service resumes! More Rocket Slime speedy stuff

2011-12-18T23:17:00.000Z

Apologies for the downtime! ^^;

In proper news I've completed Rocket Slime on my speedy not too labourious playthrough and I have to say it's great that I can play the game this way. It increases the replay value a good bit for me!

To date It's my fourth time playing the game completely from start to finish, more than nearly any other game released in the past 10 years or so. I regard that as something special.

For my fifth playthrough (or at least one subsequent playthrough) I'm going to play with cheat codes and see how fun it'll be. For the record my current completed playtime record is about 6 hours. The longest I've ever done it was for 20+ hours.

Playing Rocket Slime quickly

2011-12-17T23:57:00.000Z

I've been playing Rocket Slime again! I love it and all the other times I've played it through from start to finish I've been like some crazy hoarder grabbing everything I could see and loading them onto the carts.

For this playthrough however I've been trying to play swiftly without going too much out of my way to collect everything. The game is manageable like this and is still very enjoyable. Some things like battles can be a close call at times but that makes them more exciting!

I'm glad the game doesn't make you have to collect every little thing in order to be successful in the tank battles. That is to say, the game is a bit like work but it doesn't have to be a boring slog.

Still no internet. Have a google for the gba ambassador titles though

2011-12-15T20:37:00.001Z

Posting from mobile, no other internet. Sorry! ^^;

2011-12-14T22:18:00.001Z

An extra bit of that Miyamoto/Horii 1989 discussion from the other day

2011-12-13T21:05:00.000Z

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/12/11/miyamoto-asks-horii-do-you-think-rpgs-will-become-a-substitute-for-novels/

I haven't read this yet but the first part I talked about the other day was so interesting that I'd say this will be interesting too. Give it a look if you liked the last part.

NGamer Magazine changing their name to Nintendo Gamer

2011-12-12T19:59:00.000Z

I just flicked through the latest issue of the magazine and saw this so just thought I'd mention it. By the way I have a little backlog of issues I have to blog about! Will do soon!

I have heard that sales numbers for the magazine are low so this name change is probably a reaction to it.

Amazing and intensely interesting 1989 discussion between Shigeru Miyamoto and Yuji Horii

2011-12-11T12:30:00.000Z

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/12/10/origins-of-the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past-and-dragon-quest-iv/

Wow the stuff that's talked about here! Games I love like Dragon Quest IV(one of my favourites of the series) and earlier, Zelda 3(obviously brilliant) and earlier and even brief mentions of the amazing adventure game Portopia and the first game in a series I'm taking an interest in, Itadaki Street. (our first release being Boom Street when it comes out in Ireland here at the start of the new year)

Another couple of very interesting things are talked about like the RPG elements that were intended for Zelda 3, memory limitations, save features, game cartridge shortages, Famicom disks and in general a snapshot of what 1989 was like and where some truly classic games came from.

I consider it essential reading! :)

I beat Skyward Sword!

2011-12-11T02:04:00.000Z

Horray! I just beat this game not too long ago now and I must say there was a lot of nice surprises in it. I have to say now that this was a great Zelda and I hope the next one will be even better and does its own thing.

The Last Story on Wii gets release date for Ireland!

2011-12-09T23:53:00.000Z

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2011/can_you_become_a_true_knight_in_the_last_story_47034.html

The second game in the Operation Rainfall trilogy we always knew was coming to Europe but now we have a definite release date: 24th of February 2012.

I know next to nothing about the game. I'm going to hazard a guess and say it won't be as good as Skyward Sword so I don't want to bother with Xenoblade comparisons just yet.

When it comes to me you'll be reading about comparisons with Opoona!

Rocket Slime with the circle pad feels mmmm!

2011-12-08T19:48:00.000Z

Actually I don't feel much but that's exactly it! The d pad isn't the best for that game because you have to move long distances in one direction and since Rocket moves fairly slow you feel you want to press the button harder in that direction. This is the kind of thing the circle pad remedies.

It's only now that I try it but I've been wanting to since I heard about the circle pad.

This also makes me want Rocket Slime 3D even more! Bring it over here please!

Thinking about Pullblox

2011-12-07T21:51:00.000Z

Well actually I haven't thought much about it but it gets mentioned in blogs and magazines I frequent. Of course it's because it's made by Intelligent Systems and that it's coming out tomorrow on the 3DS eShop in Ireland and the rest of Europe. NGamer really likes the game anyway.

Should I get it? Hmm... well I do like the odd puzzle game so let's have a look at the trailer first and we'll see how it goes.

Thinking About Rayman Origins

2011-12-06T21:21:00.000Z

Hmm... I've never played a 2D Rayman game before but this one seems interesting. The thing is it's released across many formats. Does this mean there are exclusive features?

Back in the Gamecube days, having that version of a game could mean better loading times for example.

I'm not sure. This could be something worth researching.

Some awesome person has uploaded Fortune Street's soundtrack to YouTube!

2011-12-05T21:12:00.001Z

They've spent the last few hours doing it so let's all help promote this game!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Musicaperson#grid/user/E030A3D24F98BDB6

It has some lovely music from the Mario and Dragon Quest series. Follow the link here and have a listen to them all!

I'm impressed that overworld music from Rocket Slime appears in the game! (Slabacca map) Maybe buying this'll help in the localisation of Rocket Slime 3D for Europe? We live in hope!

Kirby's Adventure Wii is pretty darn good

2011-12-04T20:10:00.001Z

This feels like a nice tribute to Kirby's Fun Pak and it loads so so quickly. Nothing delays you, not going to a different area, pausing, nothing.

You should see the instruction manual. It's literally an incredibly short 16 pages long, including covers! I love this! That in itself is like another tribute to games of yesteryear!

Monopoly Collection is abominable, bring on Fortune/Boom Street

2011-12-03T22:17:00.000Z

I just thought I'd try out the Monopoly Collection since I just learned how to play it lately. I should've known something awful was going to happen when I saw that it was published by EA, who of course have dumped this rubbish across loads of different formats.

There are several unskippable animated logos that you have to sit through when you boot up the game. I absolutely hate that. Then when you're finally able to get to choose between the games on the collection you pick one and you have to sit through the exact same unskippable animated logos again. That is just inhumane.

There are loading times and cgi cutscenes that stutter and choke like as if they're from the PS1 era. Why the fuck would you have something like this on a board game? Who cares about them? Not the player I can tell you that much.

On top of that the menu text is next to unreadably small and there are animations during gameplay that would make the game drag on for hours more than it should and there's no way to turn them off.

Bring on Fortune/Boom Street!

Late Late Toy Show 2011

2011-12-02T23:33:00.000Z

Big improvement from last year! A Mario Kart themed K'nex was shown. On top of that, the Wii was also shown! It wasn't shown at all last year so it's nice to see it again! Ryan Tubridy was pretending to play the Just Dance game. The 3DS was there as well but it was demonstrated very briefly.

Kirby Right Back At Ya! — Episode 51 and service ending announcement

2011-12-01T20:57:00.000Z

On going into the Kirby TV channel today I got a message saying that the service will be stopping in 14 days. Then Kirby came along and gobbled it up. Maybe they'll bring it back soon? Because I know there are more episodes. The series is also beginning to be made available for the 3DS recently.

In this episode the town is planning a surprise party for Kirby to celebrate one year since he arrived in Dream Land. Everyone brushes him off when he shows up to play and, as these misunderstandings that all too often appear in these cartoon shows go, he packs up and runs away from home.

King Dedede mistakes the party preparations for a revolution at some point so the misunderstandings don't stop with Kirby.

The NME monster this time is a bomb throwing baddie and Kirby gets his bomb ability from it.

Now I know why Sonic Generations wasn't on Wii

2011-11-30T21:22:00.000Z

It has load times. Therefore, it's not good enough to be on the Wii at this stage.

My point is, after Sonic Colours being so brilliant to video game players by not making them wait for levels to start, this has to drag us back to the Dreamcast era.

I am very interested in Fortune Street/Boom Street!

2011-11-29T22:26:00.000Z

I haven't seen much in the way of footage for the game but these guys play it for the first time in this video so we learn along with them:

http://www.gamexplain.com/article-632-1322533154-fortune-street-game--watch-video-tour.html

Now, I haven't watched the video all the way yet but I'm quite interested in the game! Nice choice of music from the Mario & Dragon Quest games too. I'm not too fond of that loading screen at the beginning but it's short enough. There doesn't seem to be any other loading times. Good thing too, since it's a board game.

It seems like there are some detailed workings and I'm looking forward to learning about them all.

Boom Street is going to be out here in Ireland on January the 6th, making it the first Wii release of 2012 here.

Kirby Right Back At Ya! — Episode 50

2011-11-28T21:06:00.002Z

King Dedede gets these doll replicas of himself from NME and gives them out among the people of Cappy Town. Little do they know that while they're sleeping, the king can hypotise them through the dolls.

After they get hypnotised the people find themselves loving and trusting King Dedede so much that they give all their money to his bank. Something happens though when King Dedede starts jumping around out of frustration due to lack of sleep...

No Kirby abilities this time.

About the ending... I can't help but wonder... is there a "2001: A Space Odyssey" reference in there?

Enjoying the flea market in Animal Crossing for Wii

2011-11-27T22:47:00.000Z

Today was the flea market day in my town. It's not something I've done much with before but today I gave it a chance. I ended up enjoying it so much that I played it for a couple of hours!

It felt good to sell things to the villagers for more than twice the price that Nook would pay me for them. It felt especially so if I didn't really like who they were. I just got stuff from the rubbish for free and was able to sell it. They were really happy to buy it too!

Maybe I should try out some of those business management sims. I've never played the likes of say, M.U.L.E., Elite or Sim City. I played Harvest Moon a good bit before but always gave up on it. We'll see we'll see.

Skyward Sword: Already played the batteries out!

2011-11-26T22:35:00.000Z

Since I got the Golden Wii Remote Plus edition of Skyward Sword, it came with a pair of batteries. I've been playing the game so much though that I've already used them up! It's funny how the game lasts longer than the batteries that came with it.

Not that it's something we really think about nowadays, since nearly everything we use has a rechargable battery built in.

Kirby's Adventure Wii is out today in Ireland!

2011-11-25T22:52:00.000Z

Or as they call it in the U.S., "Kirby's Return to Dreamland". People are going to end up just calling it "Kirby Wii" I'd say. Anyway, I made sure not to buy it in Gamestop in case they sell me a broken case again. Besides, I like it sealed and in mint condition.

So far it feels good to control. Kirby runs a bit slower than I'd like him to but it's better than Kirby 64, where he moves really really slowly.

The game loads very quickly as well! This automatically makes it a million times better than Epic Yarn!

I've even seen an ad for it on tv. It's of a little girl who's asking Santa for the game and wants her mother to play with her instead of being stuck washing dishes.

Kirby Right Back At Ya! — Episode 49

2011-11-24T22:37:00.000Z

Yes! The very first episode I ever saw of this show back when I was only vaguely interested in it!

This episode is all about animation production! King Dedede wants to make a cartoon series with him as the hero so he hires the folk of Cappytown to slave away and make all the drawings for his show. You also see other fun stuff like the voice actors and projectionists. The show they end up producing then depicts King Dedede as the star warrior hero instead of Kirby.

So it's a show within a show that parodies the show it's showing in! It is such a clever episode and it's what initially got me really interested in watching this cartoon to begin with.

Skyward Sword: Beacons

2011-11-23T21:05:00.000Z

These things are a godsend. They're little markers that you put on your map as a guide which then glow as a blue pillar of light you can then be guided to. It reminds me very much of the DS Zelda titles where the best and most fun part was jotting stuff down on the map. I love being able to use navigation tools and techniques.

3D Classics Kirby's Adventure Trailer

2011-11-22T22:45:00.000Z

So this is one of the other games that came out last week. I had a look at the trailer for it on the eShop so I could check out the 3D effect and cripes there is next to nothing different about it with it on. I could get it because it's a brilliant game but hm. I dunno. We'll see.

Kirby Right Back At Ya! — Episode 48

2011-11-21T20:46:00.000Z

This episode is all about tourists! King Dedede decides to open Dream Land to tourism and has a tour bus and everything.

The tourists themselves are like foreign Cappys, styled after what seems to be a mixture of American and Japanese style tourists.

This is kind of going into big detail but I notice that the tour bus has the driver's seat on the left side. Japanese and Irish cars of course have the driver's seat on the right side. However, when tour buses come here from continental Europe they have the left side style of driver's seat on the bus. Maybe that's an extra detail they went into when making the cartoon? You know, since continental Asian tour buses going into Japan may have the left hand style as well? It's kind of thinking too much on my part but it interests me! :)

The NME monster this time is a lava tentacruel-like thing and Kirby fights it with Fire, then Ice when that doesn't work.

Playing Skyward Sword: Fi, your assistant/partner/Navi equivalent

2011-11-20T21:16:00.000Z

Just like the roles characters such as Navi played in the previous games, you have a partner named Fi who lives in your sword and helps you on your journey. Unlike Midna, Fi doesn't take centre stage in the story, rather she's just a pure robotic, polite assistant like say, C-3PO or Data or Spock. She's an assistant in almost the personal digital sense, like the way you'd give your smart phone a quick google for something.

Fi has those voice chirps in the style that Midna has but Fi's own voice has an "auto-tune" effect, which makes her sound all electronic. I think that's a nice touch!

Skyward Sword: Bomb Bowling!

2011-11-19T22:52:00.000Z

I finally got to try out what initially got me so excited about the game a year and a half ago. It feels nice to do this and you really do have to have the Wii Remote way down low, which means you'll have to shift in your seat a bit.

I'm enjoying the game a lot and getting more used to it's little ways such as chaining those stamina fruit things while running.

Still haven't touched Mario 3D Land yet but I will at some point!

Got Zelda: Skyward Sword and Mario 3D Land! Also, Skyward Sword first impressions!

2011-11-18T22:50:00.001Z

Got both games without a hitch today! Apart from the bad rainy weather nothing else came in the way! I haven't played Mario yet but I've been playing some of the Zelda game.

A couple of things pissed me off straight away, namely the illegibility of red highlighted keywords and the fact that I had to turn on the widescreen settings to get rid of the horrible borders (well, alleviate them anyway). In the past I've always applauded Zelda as having text done perfectly. Now it's showing signs of getting as bad as the rest of them.

Characters faces look weird when they move and they talk a lot...

Getting used to how the cursor works can be a bit disorienting. I hope I can get used to it.

Sword controls are fucking lovely though! You still make it swish by doing little flicks but you have perfect control over what position you hold the sword in and what direction you flick. The moment I got a chance to be able to use the sword I started smiling and laughing straight away. Hmm... maybe that should've been the very first part of the game? It's worth noting that this is also my first time playing a Wii MotionPlus game.

Music is wonderful, especially during calm or quiet moments.