A big thanks to all of our readers

I shall be gone on Friday when this post will (hopefully) be published, so today (Wednesday) I'm scrambling to get something prepared...nothing profound is coming to me, so I just want to take some time to thank all of my readers. A special thanks to my parents, who read every single post even though they don't like video games in the slightest. A huge thanks to my brother Dave, who has been surprisingly supportive of the blog, commenting, sharing to Facebook, and +1-ing posts. A thanks goes to all of you who read the blog because you actually like Nintendo. I also appreciate all of you who liked the blog's Facebook page, even though you only did it to support me and Mary. And thank you Mary! Life in high school is crazy, but you still manage to contribute your personality to the blog once a week. It's not an easy task!

Finally, I'd like to thank the Academy.

Nintendo Music: Spirit Tracks Opening Theme

Give this song a good listen, it's only a minute long...don't you just want to go on an adventure after hearing this! Oh, wait! You can go on an adventure after hearing this! It's easy: just go pick up The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for Nintendo DS!

About the song, though...how can you go wrong by starting a song with that iconic Zelda theme music, anyway? It's almost as if it's saying, "Hey. This game is gonna be great...you're in for a real treat." But not every Zelda game can depend on the original theme song for its music, and the Spirit Tracks opening theme sets itself apart quickly and in amazing fashion. Oh, and wait until you get the actual game: chugga-chugga sounds from Link's in-game steam engine add a lot to the tune. I suppose you could check that out right here on this YouTube video if you don't plan on getting the game (shame on you, if that's the case!).

Sorry Guys



Hey guys sorry about this. I have just been working on a paper this whole week and haven't really had time to write anything good for the blog. My mind is stuck in proper grammar, serious mode. Everything I write doesn't sound like, well, me. So I'll leave it at this awesome trailer for Final Fantasy XIII!! One of my favorite FF games.

What makes a video game great?: Plot

Hey, don't mock the picture! A plot has to include characters, doesn't it?

Last time on "What makes a video game great?" I discussed an aspect that is exclusive to video games: gameplay. Gameplay doesn't apply to books, movies, TV, or music. In this post, however, I want to cover something that is prevalent in almost every medium out there: plot.

There is a delicate balance of gameplay and plot in video games. You don't want a game to sacrifice gameplay for the sake of the story. Likewise, it's hard to get into a video game with no story, even if the gameplay is fun. The first example I want to demonstrate is the game Wii Sports Resort, which I recently experienced for the first time. It effectively shows off the enhanced capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus accessory, so it relies heavily on gameplay as opposed to plot. Does is suffer from lack of plot? My answer is yes. Yes, it does. There's no final goal in that game: nothing to look forward to. Sure, the player can get pro status in every sport, but what good is that? I think the game would benefit from story-related tasks. For example, Showdown mode in the swordplay sport sees the player battling hordes of enemies in 10+ levels. What happens when all the levels are completed? You get a stamp (I think). A stamp? Yay. I feel like I should have rescued the princess after going through all that. Do you see what I mean?

But that doesn't mean video games can't get overpowered by the sheer amount of cut-scenes. I can't say I've played any that suffer in such a way, but I know they're out there!

Nintendo's hard-hitters (Zelda and Mario, basically) tend to hit a good balance of gameplay to plot. Even the original Super Mario Bros., as simple as it seemed, had a cohesive plot. The Legend of Zelda series has always been story-driven, but not at the expense of great gameplay.

So, once again, there you have it. Feel free to argue with me about anything you read in this post! I welcome the comments.

My current fantasy...

I'll be starting this post with a little background on myself (I hope you like me enough to enjoy it!): I've been graduated from high school now for over a year. I've spent the time since living with my parents (and younger siblings) and taking general education classes from the college 20 miles away. This May, I'll be leaving here to attend Utah State University at Logan, UT.

We got the family Wii for Christmas 2006, the year the system debuted. Because the Wii is a family system, I can't very well take it with me to school. This is where my current fantasy comes in: I want my own Wii. And at $150, I think I found my dream bundle. It's a black system with the standard Wii Remote Plus. The included game is New Super Mario Bros.Wii, which easily fits into my top 5 favorite Wii games of all time. Call me crazy, but here's how I know this is the bundle for me when there are so many other choices out there: it also comes with a Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack CD. It's the delicious cherry on top of the cake. That's it, I've made up my mind! You're the bundle for me, Wii!

(Important note: this particular version of the Wii system has no GameCube compatibility. Don't worry about me, though, I care not!)