Now Playing: Week of March 31-April 6

Weekly "Now Playing" posts will begin appearing on the Nintendo Lifeline every Saturday, letting you know what Mary and I are planning to play (and possibly review *winks*) in the coming week. So, without further introduction, let's jump right in:

Holly
Me? I could sure tell you what I want to play, but that list would take up a massive amount of post. What I need to play is Okami. My chemistry lab is over for the semester, which will surely free up time in my schedule. On the handheld front, I'm ecstatic to let you all know that I recently picked up the Gameboy Advance game Golden Sun, to which I'm officially hooked. And I'll most likely finish up Kid Icarus: Uprising this week as well. Excitebots: Trick Racing is my current Gamefly rental, so, in the words of Fi, I calculate a 99.99% chance that I will finish it during the week. In addition to all of that, I hope to play some of my Virtual Console games: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64, Final Fantasy III, Actraiser, and Donkey Kong Country to name a few.

Mary
Mary being even busier than me, she has made a single video game goal for the week: to reach a different ending in Chrono Trigger. You all know how high school is! Sports, friends, family, homework, musical instruments, etc. It's sheer chaos!

And you?
The final question, though, is what are you playing this week?

Welcome back to the Kid Icarus: Uprising Tabletop Tumble! Commence Round 2!

If you'll recall from Round 1 of the Kid Icarus: Uprising Tabletop Tumble, Pit has fallen to Three-Headed Hewdraw, but not before he managed to take out Mik! Today we learn who the winner of Round 1's cliff-hanger match, Magnus vs. Three-Headed Hewdraw, will be! First, however, let's have a little discussion. Three-Headed Hewdraw surprised me with a victory against Pit, angel of light. But is our three-headed villain a match for Magnus, the strongest of humans? Parko of Play Nintendo seems to think so. Even so, I think I'm going to put my money on Magnus.

Let's find out! Commence Round 2!

And the winner is...Magnus! He really is one powerful human if he can defeat the enemy that defeated Pit!

Match 4: Magnus vs. First Blade

Maybe all Pit needs to win this thing is a weapon! Enter First Blade card! Magnus, on the other hand, has proved a formidable enemy. I think First Blade is the underdog in this match-up. Therefore, I feel I have no choice but to favor Magnus once again. Will my faith in Magnus prove to be my strength or downfall?

 

And the winner is...Magnus! And he triumphs once more! Will this guy ever go down?

Match 5: Magnus vs. God of Death, Thanatos

Time to give Magnus a real opponent! That is to say, I would think that God of Death, Thanatos would be more of a match than, say, Three-Headed Hewdraw. I'm gonna have to pass on betting on this match. Let's get straight to the results:

And the winner is...Magnus! Will Magnus never meet his superior in battle? Do we even want to see him go down?

Match 6: Magnus vs. Medusa (Battle)

It's time for this round's cliff-hanger match. I think Medusa (Battle) is definitely more intimidating than any of Magnus' opponents so far. But hasn't this determined human already proved his mettle? Who will you root for? Show it by leaving a comment! Until next time!

Nintendo Lifeline presents the Kid Icarus: Uprising Tabletop Tumble! Let Round 1 Begin!

I gotta say, I've been having a blast with the AR Idol cards that work with Kid Icarus: Uprising. From what I've heard, there will be hundreds of these things! And no, they won't be that easy to get, either. Here's a little tip for you, though: the April edition of Nintendo Power magazine contains a pack of three! So, out of hundreds, I have a whopping 9 cards. How 'bout that!

Anyway, I spent a ridiculous amount of time yesterday playing around with my AR Idol cards. It gave me the inspiration for today's post. Ladies and gentlemen, let Round 1 of the Kid Icarus: Uprising Tabletop Tumble begin!

Match 1: Pit vs. Mik

I'm going to have to put my money on Pit in our first battle of the day. He is, after all, an angel. And for those of you who've played the game, you know that the enemy Mik is quite a weakling. Shall we find out?

And the winner is...Pit! Was there ever any doubt? But will Pit be strong enough to face his next opponent:

Match 2: Pit vs. Three-Headed Hewdraw

I'm a sucker for a classic good vs. evil plot. And we all know that good wins! Therefore, I'm goin' with Pit once more for our second match-up of Pit against Three-Headed Hewdraw. Also, I beat Three-Headed Hewdraw myself in the game with Pit, so what else would I do? Let's see for ourselves:

And the winner is...Three-Headed Hewdraw! And Pit goes down! Who'da thunk it?

Match 3: Magnus vs. Three-Headed Hewdraw

 After Three-Headed Hewdraw's surprising victory against the servant of light, I'm starting to think anything can happen in this tournament. Will Magnus pull off the victory that evaded Pit? Or will Three-Headed Hewdraw prove his strength once more? I'm going to leave the commentary open to you guys. Leave your thoughts in the comments! We'll find out once and for all in Round 2 of the Kid Icarus: Uprising Tabletop Tumble! See you then!

First Impressions: Kid Icarus Uprising

Let me just start out by saying that Kid Icarus Uprising, for the fairly short time I've played it, has blown my mind. Never, in my wildest dreams in a million years, would I have expected to like this game as much as I do so far. I already can't wait to get back to playing it.

But let's slow down and rewind. Back to the moment when I first powered up the game. The first thing I did was watch the opening video in 3-D. This was the first indication that I was in for a treat. The graphics were stunning, and the 3-D was impressive. After this video, I touched through into the menu. One thing that struck me once I had a profile up and running was the large amount of buttons to press. I've only played in single player mode so far, but it's exciting to know that there's much more to discover in the game.

About the actual game, though. I have to say that I started out disliking the controls. They're simple enough: the circle pad moves Pit, the touch screen aims his weapon, and the R button shoots it. In practice, it takes a bit of coordination to use them. But that's all you need to master them: practice. Once I had the controls down, the game turned into a ton of fun. And, as the opening sequence suggested, the stereoscopic 3-D graphics are absolutely phenomenal.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of touch control in general. But the use of touch in the game Kid Icarus Uprising is spot-on. I haven't experienced any discomfort from these controls. From my limited play time so far, I heartily recommend this game. Am I alone? Let me know what you think of the game so far in the comments!

Name the game that comes out today. Yes, it's Kid Icarus Uprising!

I have to say I'm rather excited to play Kid Icarus Uprising. In the months leading up to this release, I spent a lot of time trying to decide whether to be interested or not. Finally I gave in and pre-ordered it. Whether it turns out to be one of my favorites or not, I'm eager to play it anyway. How about you guys?