Best and Worst Nintendo Games of 2013

This is not my article but I figured I share it. It sums up all the Nintendo games this year in a cute little bow.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/2013-year-review-best-worst-nintendo-3ds-article-1.1550359

Here is the link.
I hope you enjoy it!

Video Game Characters: Part One!

Hello all!
I want to start an ongoing topic that I will cover over time. So this is Part One of my Characters segment where I talk about characters that I love and some that I hate. I won't get too philosophical with them because if I am being honest - I could talk about character personas for days. So I will keep these short and sweet! Hope you enjoy.

I am going to start with Mario!!!!  Let's-a-go!

So, Mario is an amazing character. His plot is simple. He needs to save the princess - so he does. It's a great goal because it's easy to understand for kids and the game itself is complicated enough that it won't bore an adult. As Mario evolves throughout the games his story changes. In Super Mario Sunshine (which I feel is one of the more underrated games) he has to clean up Delphino because baby bowser impersonated him and destroyed the town. You do have to save the princess in the beginning but once you save her the game continues. Mario's constantly chasing Princess Peach gives the player a mission without burdening them with layers and layers of back story.

A character in the Mario series that I cannot stand is Toad. He's constantly getting into trouble and then Mario mistakes him for the princess all the time. The only series where he is actually useful is in Luigi's Mansion where, when you find him - he is a save point. Then you're thankful to have found Toad because that means that you can continue on and worry less about dying and losing data.

Link: Protector of Hyrule!

Link is a fantastic character because he demonstrates the wise hero. Link doesn't speak much in his series (I don't know if you've noticed..) and his tacit heroism is something that I greatly appreciate.
Frankly, I don't like the American dubbed voices as much as I like the Japanese ones. Titus? Sucked. Ichigo? Lame. I feel that Link wouldn't be as successful a character if he had some wacky American voice.
Link's silence also gives off a sense of mystery. All the characters in the series find him very mysterious and I think this mystery is the reason Link and Zelda still aren't a couple. If we imagine for a moment that Link is a real person - he is obviously very thoughtful and probably very timid or shy. This makes me think that he would have a difficult time with women because he wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable. So Link stays forever friend-zoned because he's too passive and willing to serve princess Zelda (even if it means life or death).

Paarthunax

This is a totally random character that I want to write about because - I feel this weird bond with him. So at the end of Skyrim you're supposed to kill Paarthunax for aiding in Alduin's regime. For whatever reason when I reached this mission I moved on and ignored it. I went back later - hoping to 100% the game and found myself with my bowstring drawn and unable to release the trigger. Why? I still don't know. This is what I think about the character.
For one, I don't trust The Blades. While I really want Max Von Sydow (Esbern) to like me (or he might exorcise me -- get it?) I don't feel connected to that group. Paarthunax's character to me seems resentful. He's the tragedy of Lucius Malfoy. He would do anything for his master, but when his master is gone he is left to face the crimes he committed. I feel like Paarthunax has redeeming qualities that make me like him. Also, I like talking to him because he has an awesome voice actor (who, oddly enough, is the voice of many many many Nintendo characters).

Do you have any characters that you love? Leave them in the comments below!
Also, tell me whether I should kill Paarthunax or not. I still can't decide.

See you next week and thanks for reading!!

Questionaire Answers - From me!

So I will be answering questions today from the questionnaire I made last week. :) I hope you enjoy!
1. How did YOU get started in gaming?
My cousin introduced me to Pokémon and Legend of Zelda when I was 6. I've been hooked ever since.

2. What is your favorite game?
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time.

3. What was the first game you ever played?
Probably Super Mario Bros. or Duck Hunt! I was pretty young.

4. Which console is your favorite? (Any console not just current ones)
N64 was probably my favorite console. Now my 3DS is a close second.

5. What was the first console you ever played on? (Pseudo-redundant.)
NES!

6. What game are you playing currently?
Pokémon X, Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds, and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.

7. What's the next game you want to get OR what game that's coming out are you excited to get?
I want to finish Bioshock Infinite. And I want to buy and play Grand Theft Auto V.

8. What's your favorite movie/book turned into a game?
I think the Lego games are all pretty good games. I liked the Harry Potter ones a lot.

9. What's your favorite cutesy game?
Animal Crossing! Although I wouldn't say that this game is necessarily a childish game it definitely is very cute. :)

10. What is your favorite moment in a video game?
In the beginning of Bioshock Infinite when you are flying up into the sky and you're viewing Columbia and the giant statue. It took my breath away. It was definitely a beautiful moment.

11. What game (if any) has ever scared you so bad that you stopped playing. Whether for the day, week, or you never picked it back up again.
When Oblivion came out I began playing it and I was walking through a cave when the music started to get scary and all at once my torch went out and a zombie attacked me. I screamed and turned the game off without thinking. I didn't play it for a couple days after because I was so traumatized.

12. What game do you absolutely hate?
I did not like Super Mario Galaxy at all.

13. What game could you play over and over again?
Super Mario Sunshine, Skyrim, and Fable 2.

14. What games would you refer to a friend who has never played a video game? (Let's say that you want to leave this person with a positive response to video games.)
I think that Pokémon is definitely a good game for beginners but this decision definitely depends on the type of person.

I hope you enjoyed this questionnaire! Feel free to leave your responses in the comments! :)

This week - MINECRAFT!

Hello friends!
This week I wanted to cover Minecraft because I believe it to be one of the best games of all time. While I wouldn't say Minecraft is one my favorite games, I think that the idea of it is something worth noting. My first exposure to this game was on the Xbox 360 because I attempted to get it on my PC but my computer's graphic card wasn't good enough. When it came out on Xbox 360 I immediately got it - hearing only good things about it online.

This game is magnificant for all types of gamers. Whether you like to play hard survival mode, peaceful, or be creative - it's perfect. My friend and I always play hard survival mode. The perks of playing survival mode is that the game stays interesting. You're constantly fighting for your life and scavenging to survive. Sperlunking in survival mode is definitely an adventure as well. From fighting off zombies, avoiding creepers, and getting lost in strongholds - this type of play is not for the easily scared. Although - if you listen to my friend and I play all you would hear is me/him screaming "CREEEEEEEPEEEEER!!!!"

Taking on the Enderdragon in The End was awesome! We took a couple hours and prepped and then secured the stronghold so that if we died we could easily come back and still be prepared to fight. Our strategy to take down the dragon was simple. I would destroy the crystals while my friend distracted the dragon. In the end - what is really difficult about all of it is the Endermen lurking around. I can't tell you how many of them swarmed me when we first entered because I was stupid enough to look around.

Creative mode is also great because it gives you the freedom to build anything you can imagine. I have seen a ton of amazing builds online and wish I had the patience to do something like that (or the time).

Minecraft is definitely a great game for all ages. It's easy to play and doesn't have the violence that some parents would find abhorrant in video games.

Also, if you're maybe a little older (this recommendation is definitely not suited for young children) Rooster Teeth has a hilarious series of videos made by their group of guys called Achievement Hunters called "Let's Play Minecraft". They release videos every Friday of the 6 of them playing Minecraft Xbox (sometimes on the PC as well) and each time have different mission for the episode. I watch this series every week because they have a lot of great ideas on how to make the game fun and keep it interesting. They create simulation arcade games, have competitions, and races to build things. I will say though, the reason it isn't suitable for children is because, if you know Rooster Teeth, it is not family-friendly. These guys cuss and make dirty jokes constantly through these videos. It's funny to those who don't mind it and get the humor. To people like - my mom - it's disgusting and obscene.

Anyways, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I will see you next week!
Make sure to subscribe or follow.

Also, if you want to follow me on Twitter my account is @katieishh
Feel free to tweet me or comment below. <3

Video Game Questionaire!

This week I am adding an extra post because I missed the last two weeks.
The reason behind this is because I have been very busy finishing the planning for my wedding.
It's a lame excuse but that's the truth. So now I wanted to do a more interactive post. I looked online for a little while to find a good questionaire. I wanted one that I would want to answer. So I thought of some cool questions that aren't frequently asked by general surveys that you can find online. I hope you enjoy them!

1. How did YOU get started in gaming?


2. What is your favorite game?


3. What was the first game you ever played?


4. Which console is your favorite? (Any console not just current ones)


5. What was the first console you ever played on? (Pseudo-redundant.)


6. What game are you playing currently?


7. What's the next game you want to get OR what game that's coming out are you excited to get?


8. What's your favorite movie/book turned into a game?


9. What's your favorite cutesy game?


10. What is your favorite moment in a video game?


11. What game (if any) has ever scared you so bad that you stopped playing. Whether for the day, week, or you never picked it back up again.


12. What game do you absolutely hate?


13. What game could you play over and over again?


14. What games would you refer to a friend who has never played a video game? (Let's say that you want to leave this person with a positive response to video games.)


15. Got a game recommendation for me? Leave it here!


Leave your answers in the comments! I look forward to reading your answers!!!

This week: Consoling Consoles

This week I want to cover some consoles. 

Recently I have been playing my 3DS and wondering, "What is so bad about Nintendo consoles?" I only hear bad things about the WiiU. I don't own one myself so I probably am not a good source of information but from what I have played on it, it seems to me that it's a pretty cool system. Looking at games that it offers alone doesn't prove my point at all. Most of these games find cheap ways to use the control screen that seem wildly unnecessary. BUT. Look at Grand Theft Auto 5. This game is working on integrating technology that will allow the player to check things on a different device while they play. Isn't that what Nintendo is already doing? While they haven't allowed the WiiPad to live up to it's true potential Nintendo can't be mocked for something that other developers are trying to incorporate. 

Looking realistically at Nintendo though - they definitely have a monopoly on the portable systems. And I'm not talking about the 2DS (which probably stands for 2 damn stupid). BAD JOKE. But Nintendo's platforms went down after the Nintendo 64. That was a great system - but the Gamecube was .... whatever. I liked it but it wasn't the best system.

3DS is still better than the WiiU long after it's release - constantly coming up with limited edition versions that sell like crazy. I own the original Legend of Zelda 3DS and have the new Legend of Zelda 3DSXL on preorder. If could have gotten the Pikachu one when it came out I so would have. The great thing about the 3DS is that it's a good size and it has a ton of features that fixed the previous flaws. Although I do wish I could assign my own background photo. The thing that I love most about the 3DS is the major improvement on the internet connectivity. I remember being on my original DS sitting on the ground next to the computer so that I could get enough WiFi and it was very dodgy even then. Now I just have to be home and anywhere in my house I have internet.
The only thing that I wish was on the 3DS is the ability to save more than 3 networks. My home, work, and fiance's is not the only 3 places I need WiFi and it would be nice not to have to go into my settings everytime to change it.

I've owned a Playstation 2 but that's it. I only played Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts on it and I never had money to buy the PS3 and my dad bought the Xbox 360 instead so ... that is a system I have neglected. But, I have nothing against the PS3 and look forward to the new one. PS2 was my introduction to more serious games so I thank Sony for that.

Xbox 360 has been a love/hate relationship. I love Xbox because a lot of my favorite games are on it (which I realize is a lousy argument because those games are also on PS3..). I hate Xbox because it does shitty things as a company. No backwards compatability on the new system? I almost flipped my lid. But before I make this a Xbox One vs. PS4 debate I will just end it there. Xbox has been something that I've had for a very long time and that alone is the reason that I would maybe get the Xbox One. But, my wedding is coming up and Hawaii won't be free! SO. I probably won't get one of the new consoles for a while. I think in the end my fiance and I will get the PS4 just because it's overall a better system.

When the consoles first got announced I was all in for the Xbox One. Again- because I like consistency. (That's why I have 2 legend of zelda 3ds's..) My fiance insists that we get the PS4 because it really is the better choice. My argument was only that I play more video games than he does so I should pick which system we get. But after many articles and podcasts I have softened up the PS4.

That's it for this week. Please leave a comment below and follow/subscribe/orwhateveritisyoudo. :)

This week: Fable 1, 2, & 3 - Also: Comikaze 2013 - see you there!

So lots of things are happening this week. We got Halloween on Thursday and then Comikaze on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My group of friends will only be going to Saturday and Sunday (mostly because we all work 5 days a week) so if you're there I will be dressed as Catwoman! 

I realized that since Stan Lee is the host he probably will want to see more Marvel heroes but ... oh well. 

This week I want to talk about Fable! I covered it a teeny bit last week but I want to go into detail. Fable was the first xbox game I played. My cousin let me play it when we stayed for the week at my grandmas for the Christmas/New Years break.

This game opened up a whole new world for me. Partially because it was a new system and a new controller and partially because it was definitely a more serious game. Even more serious than Final Fantasy I would say. 

I fell in love with the series but (as I sort of covered already) I wasn't allowed to play around my mom. She didn't like the violence and cursing (even though it's mild) and thought I should be playing more appropriate games. This was one of the first instances where my mom had to restrict me from a game. One of the other games that I played that year was Morrowind. Another game that my mom felt the need to keep me from playing. Although I will give her that one. I was prone to ravaging towns and stealing homes from innocent people. 

After that week of playing I never was allowed to play again. I didn't see my cousin for some time after that. Maybe because he was so much older than me and a boy... so my mom thought it was best to keep me from him because he was a bad influence. But I disagree. He was just sharing what he loved and since he was an only child for a long time he needed someone to share with when we were with family. 

I didn't play Fable again until a couple of years ago when my boyfriend at the time got a new xbox 360 and wanted a game. I recommended Fable 2 along with Oblivion and Fallout 3 but he chose Fable 2. He began playing it and quickly got addicted and then I found a copy of it for $5 so I picked it up myself. We literally only played Fable 2 for like 3 months (okay maybe not that long). Repeating the same quests over and over. Downloading the DLC and playing through those was the first time I actually downloaded a DLC. They were great DLCs and expanded the game a good amount. What I mostly liked about the game was that it reminded me of my formative years and reminded me why I love video games so much. 

And now my boyfriend (now my fiance) and I can play video games. I will point out that he is not as interested in video games as I am. The only game I can get him to play is Borderlands. There are some exceptions. But he just doesn't get hooked on much. 

Anyways -- when we finally got Fable 3 we were both really eager to play. We had to switch off playing because we only had one copy and we didn't live together (and still don't) so it was a little bit longer of a play through for me. Fable 3 was WAY more intense than Fable 2. At least for me. I found it sort of haunting at certain parts too. When you're running through the desert and that guy keeps popping up with no eyes in front of you scared the SHIT out of me. I'm kind of a wimp though when it comes to creepy things. I'll say it! I'm not ashamed! 

Fable 3 was also a bit more complicated. Forcing you to make tough decisions that decide the fate of the game. I failed. I was in millions of debt trying to help everyone and at the end everyone died... 

My boyfriend ended the game completely even. Doing the exact right amount of good and bad. I don't know how he did it honestly but oh well. 

Anyways, that will wrap up my post for this week! Be sure to follow me. You can find me on twitter and instagram @katieishh :) 

Comments below are welcome! Leave me lots of love and hate. 

Looking Back: The Legend of Zelda

Hello all!
This week I wanted to talk about one of my all time favorite games in existence.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
Now. You are probably wondering. Which one?
My answer is all of them.

Just kidding. I hate Adventures of Link.

I have a subscription to Game Informer and before Skyward Sword came out they released an issue featuring the series and had an article about each game. As I read I got really excited about the new game coming out and also realized how many of them I hadn't played. I thought - I have a month to get through all the games. I began with the original Legend of Zelda which I had borrowed from a friend for the gameboy advanced.

This game was pretty hard for me because I was not used to that sort of gameplay. Obviously this game is heavily puzzle-based rather than combat which the newer games have a little bit more of. But after probably 2 hours in the last dungeon walking around in the darkness I found my way to the final room and beat the game.

Adventure of Link really held me up. I didn't like it at all and it took me some time to figure it out. I finally gave up... I know... I'm a failure.

I got through A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening pretty easily. Then I replayed Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

I found that I was running out of time so I skipped the Oracles games and have yet to come back to them but I have them on my 3DS so I intend to play them someday. I played Four Swords with my friends, and replayed Windwaker.

I got Minish Cap on an emulator that would not save for some reason and decided to come back to it. I had missed Twilight Princess when it originally came out because I had to decide between that and Pokemon. My decision was Pokemon. When I played this -- I was taken aback by the amazing plot and features of the game. I regret picking Pokemon over this. Definitely a great game.

I got halfway through Phantom Hourglass when Skyward sword came out and I still have not touched Spirit Tracks. Skyward sword was an awesome game but I am upset that I have not finished it yet. When I was really busy with school I let a friend borrow it and haven't gotten it back. I know that it's not gone forever because the person who has it is my best friend. But I don't have a Wii anymore so playing it would be impossible anyways. I'll eventually get a Wii U once I move out and after I get the PS4 but for now I will just be sad.

Ocarina of Time quite literally changed my life. Without this game I think I would have given up on gaming a long time ago. It makes me so happy and helps me forget the adult things that people struggle with. I get to be a kid again when I play it and that's my favorite thing about it.


Well, that's it for me! Have a great weekend! If you like my blog subscribe or add to your reading list or favorite.. Whatever! Leave your love below! Or hate. I'm totally open to hate. Whatever....

The Beginnings: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Fable.

I decided to update a little early just to fill-in some stuff about me and all that.

Incase it was unclear why I want to write.

Like most gamers, (again I hesitate to use the word "hardcore" because I wouldn't describe myself this way) I grew up playing video games. I mostly played Nintendo systems up until my parents cracked and got the PS2 a year or so after it released after I insisted that we get one since my cousin had let me play Final Fantasy 7 one week when I stayed over.

Side note: My cousin and I were very close growing up and while I didn't see him often and he was a lot older than me we always bonded over video games. He was the major influence for me to play video games since my dad only liked racing games and my mom ONLY played Super Mario games.

So when I played Final Fantasy for the first time I was hooked. When I found out that FFX was out (or coming out?) I begged and pleaded that we get them. Insisting that it was a great system for racing games which pricked my dads attention. When we finally got one obviously the first game I borrowed from my cousin (because after all the whining they didn’t by me the game) was FFX and I played through it. Loving every moment of animation and soaking in the beautiful world. Then I discovered Kingdom Hearts. (*Note: I am being very careful to look up release dates of games as to not only avoid a lapse in memory but to make sure I have my timeline correct. There are so many games that I have played that I don’t want to butcher anything because I’m forgetful.*) Kingdom hearts was a great title for me because being raised in a somewhat controlling and conservative home Disney was often shoved down my throat. I won’t go so far as to say that I don’t enjoy Disney movies. But the combination of Disney into a serious teen-friendly game was perfect.  I never had to be nervous about what the characters would say and hope my mom didn’t hear.
 

When Xbox came out and released Fable, that was when I began the struggle with my parents. Fable wasn’t a gory game or violent or really inappropriate at all it just wasn't something my mom was comfortable with letting her daughter play. She wanted me to play more appropriate games. I stood my ground and continued to play games through high school. I played the sequels to games and new releases to some series. Eventually I got Halo 3 after a few guys around the neighborhood introduced me to the first two.

 

Anyways, this is all supposed to lead up to a introduction of my gaming history and now on to an introduction of ME! I really hate this part.

 

I'm 22-years-old as I've previously posted in my short introduction. I'm engaged to be married in January. Currently work as an assistant for an Interior Design company. I am also a writer for an up and coming company. Currently I am working solo on a script for a machinima. I also do some voice-acting for these small productions. Feel free to check out the youtube channel RoyalWe. Things have slowed down a little because we are all busy playing Pokemon and we all work fulltime since we are unable to create revenue so far. But we hope to one day open an office and work on short films and youtube series' fulltime.
It's exciting being apart of something that has generated so much success lately. I realize more and more how mainstream video games are becoming. I can't wait to one day give my child their first gameboy or 3ds and watch them experience playing pokemon for the first time and have (at least I hope) the same reverie and amazement that I did.

So! I think I'll leave this here. If you got questions - I got answers! Feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading!

Pokemon X!

This week (and probably for the next couple weeks) I am playing Pokemon X!

Before I say anything about the new game I just want to say that I have been playing Pokemon since 1998. My older cousin let me borrow it on Christmas (since the game had been out for a couple of months he had time to beat it) and at 8 years old I was hooked! For Christmas the following year I received Gold version from my parents - and enough christmas money to go out and buy the limited edition Gold/Silver gameboy color with Pikachu and Pichu on it. This was also the same year we obtained the N64 and I began my adventure/addiction with The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64. But I don't want to stray too far...

I was so young when I began playing Pokemon that I didn't really understand the game entirely and looking back at my old Red version years later to see pokemon named "Puppy" or "Cutie" made me laugh. Gold version was my favorite game despite my initial infatuation with Red. I was so excited to see Red hiding up in the mountain after I beat the elite four. It felt like I was in a way challenging myself. It was really meta looking back. This same year I met one of my best friends who I am still very good friends with and for her birthday (she reminds me that I promised her this if she would make me king of the tetherball court) I got her Crystal version. The first game you could choose to be a female in. We played pokemon all day together in school and often had sleepovers where we constantly got in trouble for staying up until 3 in the morning and playing together.

I wasn't as impressed with Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald or Leaf Green & Fire Red. I played them because I didn't want to miss them but overall they are sort of weak games. This deterred me from Pokemon for a while and I picked up playing more Gamecube games like Super Mario Sunshine, Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, and Pikmin.

My sophmore year of high school Diamond and Pearl came out while I was in Hawaii with school and I was ecstatic! I went to the closest video game store (which was at this giant shopping mall on Oahu and a maze!) and bought it along with a DS. Diamond and Pearl was the best game ever for a long time for me. I loved all the new animation and features and pokemon. A group of friends that I had all got the game too and we EV trained teams and created a pokemon league. It was WAY nerdy but I loved every minute of it. When Heart Gold and Soul Silver came out I was again ecstatic - excited to relive and revisit my favorite game and good ol' Lugia. Platinum was another great game that I enjoyed replaying.

After high school I was really excited for Black and White. I showed up at Gamestop at the crack of dawn (to find only myself there for a time - I guess I was overly excited) and played it for about 2 weeks and stopped. Again, I was super excited for the new pokemon and the graphics and everything but something was missing for me. I still can't explain why but I just didn't enjoy Black and White. Of course, when Black and White 2 came out I didn't even buy them. I was disappointed with the first ones so why buy both?

Now, on to my main topic!
Pokemon X is THE BEST Pokemon game yet. I obviously have experience with each game and I am just getting my mind blown by every new feature. So many things in this game that were a common nuissance for me were cleared up. The EXP Share is by far my favorite thing about the new game. It's so easy to keep your party relatively the same level. And the fact that you can turn it off makes it all the more wonderful for building a pokemon up to the level ground of your team. First gen starters? Yes please! Not only do you get a brand new generation starter but you get to pick a classic one too!Roller skates are sweet, catching Eevee in the wild is amazing, and all the new pokemon are awesome. I don't care what Pokemon elitists think. Fairy-type is just so darn cute that I don't know what to do with myself when I see one. Gah!


I think I may have rambled. Well, this is a good stopping point I think. I will probably post a second post this weekend talking about some news and expressing thoughts about some new games coming out.

Stay tuned! If you like my blog make sure to keep reading and comment your love below!

Introduction

Welp! Here I am!
Katie (Katherine), 22-years-old, California resident, and lover of everything cute and video games.

I am not going to say that I'm a hardcore gamer because realistically I am not. I just LOVE video games and love talking about them and going a little crazy everytime a new game comes out.
I am also a big-time reader. Literature is my major in college.
I also am a huge fan of cosplay! I am currently in the process of sewing a suit for the animated series Catwoman while my two best friends make their Harleyquinn and Ivy. We're preparing our Gotham City Sirens costumes for Comikaze coming up in a couple of weeks! Yikes!

Anyways, I will get to the point. I am going to begin blogging about video game news, opinions, reviews, and other junk going on.

So I think that as I am beginning this blog I am going to set weekly goals
1) Update on what I am playing!
2) Mention any news I heard via articles or podcasts that I find exciting.
3) Talk about games I like.

Every week I will feature a new game that I have played and loved or hated.

So! Look out for this weeks post!