Happy Birthday to the blog!

Don't worry: I'm not planning on this big of a celebration every year. But the first birthday is a very special thing! Happy birthday to you, blog! I'm proud to have made it this far and hope to see many more years, with many more improvements made! Speaking of improvements, I did say that I had something special planned for today, didn't I? Well, along with pulling back the curtain on my favorite Wii game, I have begun what I hope will be a regular thing on the blog: videos! These videos won't necessarily have a consistency to them: I'll publish them on whatever I can that's Nintendo-related, whenever I can. The first is of me playing a song that I hope you'll recognize on the piano. You can view it right here:

It's kinda rough, but, hey, the whole video thing is a work in progress for me, so I hope to make some better ones in the future. Have a great rest of the day, and thanks for your support!

Favorite Wii games countdown #1: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

I kid you not, I have now been sitting at my desk for fifteen minutes or more, wondering what I can possibly say about my number 1 favorite Wii game, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Should I talk about the controls? Should I address the complaints that other reviewers may have towards this game? Should I recount the experience it was waiting for this game to be released? There are simply too many possibilities! Perhaps I'll discuss all of the above. Perhaps not. We'll see where the flow takes me.

The Wait
The very first teaser fans were blessed with was this little beauty right here:

Tantalizing, eh?

The web must've exploded! I got little tidbits here and there on the internet, but this occurred so long ago, I wasn't the web nut I am now. I remember searching for the image so I could place it as my desktop background, all the better to admire it.

News about the new Zelda game came very slowly, or so it seemed to me. During this time, it was a lot easier to not think about the game than it was during the months leading up to its release. When the trailers began flowing, I found it increasingly hard to keep my mind off of this game. Some months before the blessed released date, I pre-ordered the limited edition bundle from Amazon. More waiting. Agony! That, however, wasn't nearly as bad as the wait for my copy to come after the game's release. It released on a Sunday: I didn't get my package until the second Monday after.

The Game
I wasted little time in getting started with the game. I had all of my younger siblings around me. We watched the introduction sequences, enraptured. I found myself completely absorbed into the game world from the moment I took control of Link.

That immersion didn't let up through any portion of Skyward Sword. The pacing was great. There was always something to be in awe of. The motion control, in particular, added much welcome change and depth to the whole experience. In short, the game blew my mind.

Honorable Mention: Rayman Origins
I heard a lot of great things about Rayman Origins from a variety of sources, so I knew I would get it eventually. When I saw I could own the game for $30, I jumped at the chance. And I'm glad I did. Rayman Origins has got a lot of things going for it: pretty graphics, tight controls, a sense of humor, and a charming soundtrack to name a few. I recently played this one with a non-gamer friend of mine, and she loved it! If you ask me, that is one of the best forms of praise a game can receive. That said, don't worry all of you challenge-seekers out there! Origins has plenty of that along with accessibility. Just...don't miss out on this one if you have a Wii, okay? That's all I have to say.

A Game I Should Have Played: Metroid Prime Trilogy
Why?! Three well-reviewed games for a mere $50? Why did I think I could miss out on it?! For those of you who don't know, Metroid Prime Trilogy is a Wii game that actually contains three games: Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2, and Metroid Prime 3. All three Metroid Prime games were met with phenomenal praise. All I can do is keep asking myself "WHY?!" If I bought this game now, it would burn a $150 hole in my wallet. That's three times as much as it was when it first came out. I have never played any of the Metroid Prime games. Someday I'll get around to that, but I'm not so confident that it will be in "Trilogy" form. Why, Holly, why?

Beating a game

This is exactly what I feel! I drew this!

Sadly I have something pathetic to admit to. I have only beaten six Nintendo games in my life. Three of those games consist of Mario. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario World, and Yoshi's Island. The other two are of course Chrono Trigger and Donkey Kong Country. The most current was Ocarina of Time; I'm so "awesome", yeah right. Anyways I guess my point is I feel pathetic. Out of those five games only one is an RPG; probably the hardest genre to beat out of all of those.

I always end up giving up on games. I know that's a bad thing but they just get so frustrating and hard!! I usually do get back to them after a couple of weeks (sometimes months) but hey, the point is I did get back to them!! After I picked them back up, I do sometimes get past the hard part that made me quit in the first place. I think what makes me want to come back and beat the game is the sense of accomplishment you get! For all of you who've beaten a game before you know what I'm talking about. The most satisfying games to beat are definitely those that have like four discs (in the PlayStation cases at least)! It's insane when you finally beat it.

How do you feel after beating a game? Personally after it's done and beaten I don't even want to look at the case; I'm so sick of it! Then again you feel like something is missing in your life . . . I don't know why! When you get home after a long day and want to play a game you now have to start a new one! I do love the feeling of pure accomplishment when you are watching that final scene. Perhaps one day I'll stop being such a baby and will just jump up and down after killing that final ending guy! How do you react? Pure joy, complete sadness, or are you like me and just put the controller down and walk out of the room very calmly?

Favorite Wii games countdown #2: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Link, Mario, Kirby, Star Fox, Samus...every one knows it thanks to the Super Smash Bros. series: Nintendo has a great range of franchises and characters to go along with them, and putting them together to duke it out has yielded monumental results. This isn't more evident anywhere but in the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii. Players can choose from various control set-ups: Wii-mote + nunchuck, classic controller, GameCube controller, and even the Wii-mote by itself. Players can choose from amongst a staggering amount of modes, both in single and multiplayer categories. Players can choose fighters from a list that includes the likes of Pikachu, Toon Link, Ganondorf, Captain Falcon, Ness, Sonic, King Dedede, etc.

At even deeper levels, players can customize their control scheme to perfection and assign it to their name. Then it's time to customize the battle itself. Features like stock, time limit, handicap, stage choice, and item types and frequencies are all at the player's command. Finally, the battle actually begins. A huge potential for strategy is inherently built into the gameplay of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, yet newcomers can easily join in on the action. All in all, Brawl has to be the most content-rich, meaty experience on the Wii console.

Honorable Mention: Kirby's Epic Yarn
Yes, I did put Kirby's Epic Yarn as an honorable mention rather high on this list, didn't I? Well, I'm just that impressed by the game's graphics. Realism? What's realism, anyway? Give me graphics into which thought was put. Give me graphics that are so unique, original, and/or creative that they'll outlive even the most realistic graphics as a work of art. Give me Kirby's Epic Yarn, for Pete's sake! Gameplay? Kirby's Epic Yarn has got that too. Love it!

A Game I Should Have Finished: Donkey Kong Country Returns
I can't say that I regret not finishing Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, the game has received praise enough for me to put it at the number 2 game I should have played/finished. Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2 are a couple of my all-time favorite video games. Donkey Kong Country Returns lacked the charm that make those two games so special to me. Not to mention the music. When I have the time (which I never will), I'll finish Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Favorite Wii games countdown #3: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Whew! This list is winding down! And at the coveted number three position, we have the excellent Super Mario Galaxy 2! I'm afraid to say I was one of those people who thought that since we'd already had a Super Mario Galaxy, what could Galaxy 2 possibly add? Oh dear, oh dear...poor thinking indeed. But lesson learned: trust Nintendo to come up with the kind of stuff that is beyond even our dreams.

And all you need to do is ask my brother to know that the added player two functionality in Galaxy 2 is almost as compelling as the player one position. Well, if you ask my brother, he'll say that player two is even better than player one. He was certainly reluctant to take up the player two gauntlet when I first sat down to play the game. We initially thought it would be the same as it is in Super Mario Galaxy, in which player two can freeze enemies, collect star bits by pointing, and then shoot them at enemies...yay. Dave soon discovered, however, that player two had a little more power in Galaxy 2. Yes, he could collect star bits by pointing. Yes, he could shoot enemies with them. Yes, he could freeze enemies (not to mention certain contraptions with ill intent). He could also collect distant coins and bring them to me. Then he could hold those coins until I needed them, or just give them to me right away. Working together in this way turned out to be a highlight of Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Honorable Mention: Mario Kart Wii
There are many things wrong with Mario Kart Wii. It feels unfair at times. I mean, even more unfair than in other Mario Kart games. Or maybe the problem is that the game is too fair to those who are in last place or close to. But here's the thing: the motion controlled steering in Mario Kart Wii is actually pretty great. The addition of motorcycles makes it even better, and the whole thing is rounded off by the ability to pull off spiffy tricks with a little thrust of Wii remote at the right moment on jumps. Also, like all Mario Kart games, MK Wii is a great multiplayer experience.

A Game I Should Have Finished: Okami
I put Okami here because I've been working on it...for weeks and weeks now. It's a beautiful game, literally. It does have fairly good Zelda-inspired gameplay. I've only managed to commit about ten hours to the experience so far, though, in all that time. I'll work on it, I promise!