Change is in the air for the Nintendo Lifeline

Life gets busy. And if it doesn't, maybe it's time to rethink your life.

But anyway, I'm just here to briefly cover a change to the Nintendo Lifeline schedule. Because I also write for Infendo (it's probably hard to know that, since I haven't contributed in so long), I'm directing Wednesday Nintendo Lifeline posts to my latest Infendo posts. It just so happens I have one prepared for you, my loyal readers, today! Click on over to check it out!

CLICK HERE NOW.

A list of video games I want to play!

This is a list of video games I am dying to get my hands on to play because of their opening scenes!

1. Eternal Eyes 
2. Tales of Phantasia
3. Ar-Tonelico
4. Suikodon 3
5. Shining Tears
6. The Last Remnant
7. Resonance of Fate
8. Magna Carta
9. Dissidia Final Fantasy
10. Marvel vs Capcom 3

I believe that one of the most important parts of a video game is the opening scene! I mean look at all these amazing ones that tell you about the story! Personally if the game doesn't have a very good opening I can't get into it as much. That is what usually makes me interested in the first place! Check these out! They look pretty awesome to me!

Shocking news: Animal Crossing is beginning to grow on me...gasp!

Refer back to this post to discover why it's such a big deal that Animal Crossing is now taking up large amounts of my precious video game time.

Animal Crossing: City Folk is still no Harvest Moon or Pokemon, that's for sure. But a new desire is growing in me: a desire to pay off all my debt in Animal Crossing, just to see what happens after that. And collecting as many different types of fish and bugs as possible has become rather addicting. And I can't forget to mention potential. I seem to be meeting new neighbors every time I play. I haven't yet tapped into the designing portions of the game.

It should be interesting to see if Animal Crossing can successfully worm its way into the same league as Harvest Moon, The Sims, and Pokemon. Happy playing!

Augmented Reality: a photographic history

The following photographic history represents my progression in learning how Augmented Reality can be used effectively. Therefore, the photos are in chronological order by date. All were taken by the use of the Nintendo 3DS system's Augmented Reality function.

The first photo I took using AR! This image demonstrates an effective, albeit unintended use of background objects such as the mouse and notebook.

Mii characters can also come to life on real-world surfaces. Additionally, they can assume a slew of poses at the press of a button.

I haven't used the Graffiti tool since this was taken, but my first swing at it wasn't half bad!

A miraculous image that squishes all of my family members together with a certain degree of clarity.

I endorse this particular issue of Nintendo Power magazine.

One photo in a series that captures the idea of the game Save Mii!

It's not just the built-in AR Games application that projects video game images into the real world. This example comes from Nintendogs+cats.

Probably my first attempt to create an image with a humorous premise in mind. Does it look like the Mii on the left has just kicked the Mii on the right to the ground?

The image that originally adorned my "About the Author" summary. It has recently been changed to accommodate my new haircut.

This photo signifies my very first StreetPass encounter, which was arranged beforehand. I've had three more chance encounters since.

Nintendo Lifeline author Mary represents the retro gaming scene with posts that revolve mostly around the 16-bit era.

Say hello to this beast of an AR card! My youngest sister kindly consented to appear in the image to show the size of the card.

This shot captures a life-size Mii as it hurries downstairs to get some much-needed peanut butter from the pantry.

We recently payed a fortune to have this stone dragon adorn the lawn in the back yard.

My youngest brother and his friend casually look on as the stone dragon comes to life right before their eyes.

A scene that captures some of the beauty that awaits those who take the AR fishing challenge.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Thanks for making it through my photographic history! Beginning this Monday, posts on the Nintendo Lifeline will be published at 3:00 p.m. MST on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, as opposed to 1:00 p.m. MST. A minor, insubstantial change, I know. Have a splendid weekend, and don't forget to like us on Facebook by finding and clicking the appropriate button on the sidebar to the right!

Lilt Line: a fun little diversion

I guess I get crazy sometimes, because I just payed 5 bucks for a cheap little WiiWare title. That title just happens to be called Lilt Line. I played a demo of it months ago, and I kinda liked it.

Anyway, what's this game all about, you ask? It's quite simple: the player holds the Wii remote horizontally and tilts it forward and backward to direct a fast-moving line through a channel that shrinks, broadens, and turns. Letting the line touch the edges of the channel takes points away from the total score. Oh, and there's one more thing: Lilt Line is also a rhythm game. Each level is accompanied with a song and vertical lines that indicate places where the player must insert a button press to the beat.

I suppose that may have come off as complex, but once you get playing, the controls take care of themselves. Lilt Line has no story, no multi-player mode, and no online capabilities. What is does have, however, is pure gameplay presented in style. Decide for yourself if it's worth the $5.

Fun fact: Blogger doesn't recognize the word "lilt" as incorrectly spelled, so I looked it up on dictionary.com. It's defined as a "rhythmic swing or cadence".

Why Mario Kart Wii is just good ol' fashioned fun: A Review

This blog began back in March, so there's a huge library of back catalog Wii games that I feel like I can review. So it's not the newest material. Big deal!

Anyway, on with the review. Mario Kart Wii is an E-rated racing game that utilizes motion control and the Wii Wheel accessory. There's not much else to say about it, especially if you've ever played any previous Mario Kart title.

Mario Kart Wii has an unbalanced feel to it, and I'm not the only reviewer out there who's noticed. Sometimes it feels much too easy, other times it feels like you're the sole target of a barrage of deadly items coming from the other 11 racers. Aside from that, the game is really a bundle of fun, especially when played with friends and family. Just relax and enjoy the smooth gameplay.

So there you have it!

Why Super Mario Galaxy 2 belongs to every Wii library on the planet: A Review

My good friend and fellow Nintendo Lifeline blogger Mary once reviewed a game by saying "To start off, I give this game a rating of 5/5 stars. The reasons? I DON'T NEED ANY! I'm the blogger and you have to listen to what I say!" I echo those words now in my review for Super Mario Galaxy 2. This is positively, absolutely, undoubtedly a must-own Wii game.

SMG 2 follows the same plot as every other Super Mario game out there. Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, and Mario must rescue her. Who cares? That bare-bones storyline just gives the player a reason to win the game. What Nintendo has always excelled at is giving players a reason to play the game. And even after 25 years, Nintendo is able to deliver gameplay that is fresh, original, and fun. SMG 2 is proof of that. The puzzles, obstacles, and power-ups go beyond even the first Galaxy (so there are no excuses for not owning both games!).

No amount of praise can do this game justice. It deserves no less than to be played by as many people as possible! Have an amazing weekend!

Nintendo Music: Freezeflame Galaxy Fire

...Just enjoy it! Oh, and get the game while you're at it! And don't forget about Galaxy 2! That is all.

Mario Kart Double Dash!!: A Review

With me, if I want to do a review, I must finish the game first. Guess what? I finished Mario Kart Double Dash!! For some people it's not a big deal, but with my family we all try to get the best score for times and places on races. I started when all of the first place scores were taken. So we did have all of the cars and people, but here's the thing: I wasn't the one with those scores.

So I set off! I did race after race! After eight hours of constant racing the score board read MRB (my initials) for every single race. I did it with the same people every time and same type of kart. My people were the Red Koopa and Baby Bowser and my kart was the green and blue baby carriage. I have to say this is definitely one of those games that you can play over and over!

Onto the review part! To start off I give this game a rating of 5/5 stars. The reasons? I DON'T NEED ANY! I'm the blogger you have to listen to what I say! Though, since I'm so kind I will tell you the reasons you need to play this game. Number one! Fantabulous boards! All of the levels are very fun! Of course they get harder and harder the further you get. After all if they stayed the same level of play it would be so boring! Personally the one race track I'm in love with is Rainbow Road! No one can beat me at it! The secret to it is to not fall off. Once you got that down, you can start going faster around corners and such things.

The second reason is . . . the characters! Now what kind of Mario game would it be if it didn't have all of the guys? It has all the good guys, from Mario to the mushroom guys (I think they're called Toad and Toadette) and Bowser to the plant guy (Petey Piranha I think). I love the noises they make when you hit people! Everything is just so Mario-y. It's so much fun! 

The third reason is how utterly addicting this game is! I mean right when you think you are done playing you think, "Oh wait! I wanted to do that one board!!" I mean it's just so awesome! The battles are really fun too! I mean gosh you can tell how excited I am about this game, look at all the exclamation points I'm using! Anyways, play the game; it's completely awesome. Personally I don't think that Mario Kart Wii lives up to Double Dash. Sure they have some of the awesome levels but I just can't get into that the way I can with this lovely game! See you next time! 

Exclamation Point Count: 26

Everyone Votes!

Back, front views.

The question is, which side of your face is more photogenic? The left/right sides or the front/back? Yes, folks, it's the latest question on the Wii system's Everyone Votes Channel.

Side view.

I thought from the beginning that the Everyone Votes Channel would be a cool little diversion. And I have enjoyed it a great deal. The Everyone Votes Channel is a free application for Wii users to download from the WiiShop Channel. Internet access is, of course, required. Users answer polls in one of two ways, then are able to view the results when the polls close. There are both regional and global polls. Additional details, such as statistics based on gender, are also available to view.

For the most part, I like the questions asked. One recent example is "When you don't have a clock, how do you tell the time? 1. Guesstimate or 2. Look at the sun." One bad example (from several months ago) was "Which hockey player is better? 1. [Someone I don't actually know] or 2. [Someone else I don't know]." Seriously?

Anyway, which side of my face is more photogenic?

A real StreetPass encounter...finally!

So I get home from work one day and flip open my Nintendo 3DS case in order to put the system in the charging cradle, as I so often do. To my utter surprise, the notification light is lit. And...it's green. That's important, because it's not blue. Now I'm thinking wildly, 'Could this really be a StreetPass? Can a green light indicate something else? Nothing comes to mind. It must be a StreetPass! I certainly haven't arranged one. This is the real deal!' I flip the system open and, sure enough, I've had a genuine StreetPass encounter!

As usual, I get to use my newly acquired Mii character in the game Save Mii. But the real treat is that this encounter unlocked a whole new puzzle. There are seven in all, and each 3DS owner starts out with just one of them. The only way to get new puzzles is to StreetPass with other 3DS owners who have the missing ones.

So I had my 10 minutes of fun with my new friend. This got me to thinking about StreetPass as an application. I own Super Street Fighter IV, which is StreetPass able. Does the cartridge have to be in the system in order to have a successful StreetPass transfer? I hope that's not the case, because it is unlikely that I'll pass someone else who owns the game, let alone that they'll have it in their system. I own a second StreetPass-capable game: Ridge Racer 3D. I guess this particular 3DS owner doesn't have either game. I look forward to a day when the 3DS system is more common, and StreetPass encounters will abound.

Animal Crossing: A First

Boy, do I love Harvest Moon/Rune Factory. And The Sims. Can't leave The Sims out. Did I mention Pokemon? Yeah, Pokemon too. What can I say? I'm an easy target for addicting games like that. Animal Crossing should nail my addictive tendencies, right?

Wrong. So I got the Animal Crossing for Wii, and...nothing. If you ask me, a game like that should hook the player right from the beginning and never let go. That's precisely what the games mentioned above did, excluding Animal Crossing, of course. So tell me what's so great about Animal Crossing! Is it the fact that a pile of debt is shoved down your throat right at the start, and you only get more after you pay off the first wave? Is it all the lovely activities you have to do in order to earn money, such as picking flowers and shaking trees? I know repetition is inherent in simulation games, but come on! Picking flowers! I think I'll go play Rune Factory Frontier now, so I can at least get some satisfaction in repeatedly watering and harvesting my crops, thank you.

I know, I know, I'm probably being too harsh. In fact, I know I'm being too harsh. I've only logged a few hours in the game. Still, I have almost zip desire to pop it in again, and that's quite contrary to a game of this nature. By all means, defend this game in the comments, for my sake.

Competition amongst siblings

This is us constantly battling! I got these pictures from here and just mashed them up!

  
Do you have a brother or a sister? Be them older or younger? I do, in fact I have quite a few of them. Among them there is one of my younger brothers, Ammon. Now the both of us don’t exactly get along very well. We have problems like agreeing on things. One thing we do agree on though is Nintendo. We have almost the exact same taste in games. He starts to play a game and I suddenly want to play it too, and vise versa. So what’s the big deal?

Well it gets really interesting when we start to play the same game. If it’s a fighting game, like Soul Calibur 2 or Mortal Kombat, we each get good at one character and verse each other constantly to see who is the better one. Sometimes he wins and sometimes I win. The better person is usually the one who gets more playing time. This is why I usually loose. I have other things to do like sports and blogs. The same thing applies to the RPG games we play, well sort of.

For RPG’s what we do is to see who beats it first. Soon we are trying to undermine each other. We do this by just sitting there watching, criticizing, saying how we could do it better. There is another reason to watch them play. You watch them to see how to do certain parts, how to get past obstacles, and beat ending guys. In the end who ever wins gets a great honor. The honor is being asked by younger siblings (sometimes older ones) how to do things. Why is it such a big deal? By them asking you for help they acknowledge that you are better! Being better totally rocks!

The game that Ammon and I have been competing with recently is Metroid Prime. I think I’m doing pretty well considering the fact that I started later than him. I may not be as far but I do have one more artifact than him! I guess what it comes down to is who works better under pressure. I can beat ending guys faster and do things a bit better than Ammon. Oh wow I can beat my little brother at something, I know I’m lame.

I am happy that we have this sort of bond between us. It is a fun way to take out our frustrations on each other! If you are mad then you go and play Nintendo so you can beat the other one at it! So if you aren’t really getting along with your sibling go and start a competition! I've got to say it is pretty awesome! Especially when you win.

Why Samba de Amigo is a great value: A Review

The following is an article of mine as it appeared in the March 11, 2009 issue of The Lariat, my high school newspaper.

Samba de Amigo may just be the craziest, zaniest, wittiest, and most charming game of all time. The idea behind it is simple: Wii remotes effectively become a set of maracas, which are shaken to the beat of various Latin/pop songs.

My first positive remark about this game is the song list. It contains a host of popular songs that have been given the energy necessary to make them fun for maraca-shaking. Some include Pon de Replay, Tequila, Theme Of Rocky, Mambo No. 5, Jump In The Line, Do It Well, Cha Cha, Livin' La Vida Loca, and Macarena. Upon playing through them, even some of the unfamiliar songs became my favorites. Every song has a good beat and is fun to play.

Though Samba de Amigo is a bundle of fun and charm, it has one glaring problem: its motion control. In the game, there are several rings representing different positions of the player's Wii remotes. Little circles fly across the screen to these rings, indicating when and where to shake the remotes. At times, this control scheme feels unresponsive and frustrating. It takes a large amount of unnecessary time to master it. Even then, there are many techniques that feel as if luck is required to accomplish them.

Despite such a terrible fault, Samba de Amigo is an incredibly fun game. Also, at only $19.99, it offers a great package of gameplay options, online functionality and pure joy. The score I give this game is 8.0/10.

Not bad for a high school Junior!

Metroid: Other M and a critical consensus

True, Samus does say a lot in many of her games. Usually, however, all her words are confined to text boxes only. That and much more is where Other M differs, simultaneously drawing in loads of flak. I must say, I agree wholeheartedly. Blah blah blah blaaah...that's what Samus's voice work seems to sound like for extended periods of time within Other M. Interestingly, most of the other voices are about twice as interesting as Samus's.

But hey! At least Other M's gameplay isn't compromised! Cut-scenes aside, Other M maintains a classic Metroid feel, which drives the desire to keep playing the game, to find the next answer...or even the next question.

This post has mistakenly turned into a review, but nothing particularly profound came to me as I played Other M. So what Metroid will it be next? Honestly, I don't know yet. Excuse me while I find one to play...

Why Sonic Colors should stick with Sonic fans: A Review

I may have played a Sonic game on the PC back in 1st grade or something. Other than that, Sonic has only been a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as far as I'm concerned (mind you, I like using Sonic in Brawl). Of course, I've had ideas of what Sonic games are like: high-speed platforming, to be concise. Though this idea has always frightened me away, the old-school Sonic formula must work. Look how popular it is!

So here we go with Sonic Colors for Wii. Some villain called Eggman has constructed a gargantuan amusement park in space, and it's composed of several themed planets. A great setting. Despite how grand it is, however, Sonic and his best friend Tails arrive on the scene to investigate. The story is punctuated with cut-scenes that, however witty, I would have preferred to see less of.

Now, the gameplay and control. What to say about gameplay and control in Sonic Colors? You know, I suppose there was a reason Mario and Sonic were rivals back in the day: their play styles differ greatly. Lets just put it this way: after playing Sonic Colors, I know where my allegiance lies...with Mario. Though much of the gameplay in Colors feels slick, some of it falls flat, and some of it is downright frustrating. Sonic fan? I'm sure this is just the game for you. Mario fan? You may just want to stay away.

Two features almost redeem the flaws in Sonic Colors: sound and graphics that lend the game a major cool factor. The music in Colors is catchy and memorable. As for the graphics, I thought that a giant, multi-planet theme park could potentially be an amazing visual wonder prior to playing this game: well, to put it simply, the game itself exceeded all my expectations. If you can endure the frustration, you'll find yourself with your mouth hanging open on more than one occasion while playing Sonic Colors.

So when it comes down to it, who should buy this game? I think it's undoubtedly a must for Sonic fans. The frustrations may not be worth it for those of you who enjoy the slower platforming pace of Super Mario games. Tread carefully.

Soul Calibur II: A Review

This is by far one of my favorite games ever! It's just so entertaining, which is a big suprise if you know me. I really dislike combat games. Why? Well because I think that they get too hard. It's just too difficult to find out how to use a character and it gets to repetitive. I mean half the time it's just like, "Okay fight this person for no real reason." They just don't have any storyline! That's why I love this game!

If you are playing on the 'Weapons Master' mode it has a wicked storyline! Of course you do fight the whole time. After all, it is a fighting game, but it's also much more than that. Soul Calibur II goes above and beyond in the storyline area. Even all the weapons you can get have backgrounds. It tells you where it came from, how they got it, and how it kicks trash! Awesome!

Another awesome thing is the moves list. If you go into practice mode you can see all of a character's moves. No messing around with buttons for hours to only find out one simple move. Come on you know that it totally sucks when you have to do that! Heck, I bet some of you even give up and look up the moves list online or something. The only thing that's bad about looking them up is the fact you didn't do it by yourself. You feel incomplete and like a total cheater.Well, you should.

Now you're thinking, "The moves list is practically the same thing! The only difference is you don't have to have the internet to look it up!" You're wrong. You see, the people who made the game wanted you to have it. Why would they do such a nice thing? It makes the game more fun, that's why! There are these parts in 'Weapons Master' mode where you have to do certain combos on the bad guy to be able to move on. The thing is you can't; that is unless you know the move! Of course you have to memorize how to do it and be able to do it in combat. Not very easy with some of the moves!

I have yet to beat this wonderful game, but I am getting better and better! Though some of those levels! They are just IMPOSSIBLE! I guess it would help if I knew how to use other people . . . I just love Talim so much! She's the one in the video who is really cute and has pigtails! SHE IS SO COOL! I can beat anyone with her! MAUAHAHAHAHA! Sorry, this game makes you a little insane at times. I do have a few other people I can play with, I just can't kick trash with these guys the way I can with Talim! 

Here is a list of the other characters and their weapons:

Astaroth - Giant Axe

Cervantes de Leon - Long Sword and Pistol Sword

Isabella "Ivy" Valentine - Snake Sword

Kilik - Bo Staff

Maxi - Nunchaku 

Heishiro Mitsurugi - Katana

Nightmare - Soul Edge

Seung Mina - Zanbatou 

Sophitia Alexandra - Sword and Shield 

Taki - Dual Kodachis

Voldo - Dual Katars

Chai Xianghua - Chinese Sword

Yoshimitsu - Katana and Sashimono

Cassandra Alexandra - Sword and Shield

Charade - Imitative Power

Raphael Sorel - Sword-Rapier

Talim - Dual Elbow blades

Hong Yunsung - Dao

Link - Master Sword and Hylian Shield

Necrid - Transforming Energy called Enigma

Assasin - Dao

Berserker - Double-Edged Axe 

Lizardman - Sword and Shield

If you want to read more about Soul Calibur 2 and the characters click here! To conclude, if I had to give this game a rating I'd say five out of five stars! Excellent story, character, weapon, and level design! So go play this game! You can get it on GameCube, Playstation 2, and Xbox! Yay!

How a remastering of a classic game improves upon perfection: A Review

I'm calling this a review, but there's no point in reviewing standard aspects such as gameplay, story, and control in regard to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. We all know the controls are spot-on. We all know the story is timeless and that it meshes with the gameplay seamlessly. So what more praise can I give this game? Keep reading, and you'll find out why this game is in a league of its own.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is about as traditional as Zelda games get. The player takes control of Link, who leads a simple life until he is thrust into a grand adventure. Link collects items and obtains special objects by exploring puzzle-rich dungeons, which usually end in larger-than-life boss battles. Two other characters join Link to complete a triangle of destiny: Zelda, princess of Hyrule; and Ganondorf, king of evil.

Get it. Got it? Good. Moving on: Ocarina of Time 3D is composed of nothing other than pure video game magic, and I'll tell you why over the course of this review.

Firstly, Ocarina of Time 3D captures a fantastic, adventurous feel, simultaneously capturing the gamer's imagination. Hyrule is a place unlike any other you'll ever visit in books or movies. Danger, friendship, and surprise all await.

I love music, so there's no way I can go without mentioning it. The sounds in Ocarina of Time 3D provide a unique, sensational feel for the whole game. From stepping out into Hyrule Field for the first time, to exploring the ultra-freaky Shadow Temple, brilliant music is a constant companion. Not to mention music actually plays a key role in the story and gameplay of Ocarina of Time 3D.

It's not enough for every aspect of a game to be great. All of those aspects must also fit together. The miracle of Ocarina of Time 3D is that everything just clicks. It's got an unrivaled balance of gameplay, story, and sound.

So what are you waiting for?! With this game and the recent Nintendo 3DS price drop, there are more reasons than ever to own Nintendo's latest handheld. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is a must-own game.

Oh, I almost forgot! The extra features in this version of Ocarina of Time are pretty nice too. You know: the brand-new boss battle mode, the updated controls, the inclusion of the Master Quest, and the updated and 3D-ified graphics. Happy playing! And remember to take a break every 30 minutes while playing in 3D mode!