Animal Crossing: Part 4 - Welcome To New Leaf City!

Hi All!
This week's entry I'm going to be talking about Animal Crossing: New Leaf City.

Now as you already know I am a big fan of this series! This is the latest game in the series and in my opinion the best. It has all sorts of new features and visually new things so let's get into it!

The beginning of this game is just like any other. You are asked a bunch of questions, arrive in town, but wait- you're the mayor! A cool and interesting new way to play is you control the fate of your town. You character is given duties that involve keeping the town beautiful, adding new buildings and decorations to your town (which...I mean... thank god), and hosting major holidays. The whole town is your oyster!

Another great aspect that I love is the dream suite. The Dream Suite allows you to venture to another persons town in your dreams - therefore you can't muck up anything. This feature is useful because if your friend wants you to see something of there's (ie: the way their house is set up, a new project, or a special flower/fruit) you can go view it while they aren't playing. The Dream Suite is also useful in that you can get ideas, see strangers towns without having to be their friend (the Dream Suite uses a "Dream Code" that is still specific to a town but makes the player anonymous).

Something interesting that's come out of the Dream Suite are these "Horror Towns". I started reading about them a couple of weeks ago and it's really interesting. It started in Japan as just a way to set up your town so that it's spooky. Usually the bulletin board will have some message or story about what happened and then you get to explore the town and see scenes from whatever horrible story it is. I ventured into a couple (I'm very prone to being spooked..) thinking, oh how scary could they really be? TURNS OUT PRETTY SCARY! I mean, I never jumped or anything, but I definitely on more than one occasion walked into a room in one of the houses and went, NOPE. Also, you can make your character have a greeting and I ran into a lot that were something like, "I was just so lonely..." and in the Dream Suite the voices of people kind of echo and sound very eery. Overall this is a really really cool idea that people have adopted in their towns and I urge you to check it out. 

The animation in this game does change a tiny bit. Your character's body is a little longer now, which doesn't seem very important but after being so short and squat for all these years it's definitely refreshing. Nintendo is very much of the mindset that if it's not broken don't fix it, well Animal Crossing is definitely one of those titles where you see that. Minor changes are expected and the look of the game is so great that there's no reason for them to have to change much. I think that mentality hurts and helps Nintendo.. but I digress. 

This game is great because it's suitable for all ages (as were the last 3) and I wouldn't say it improves the series necessarily but it's definitely the best game out of them. The game has morphed little by little through each game and I love how it turned out. I play this game religiously and definitely addicting. 

If you haven't tried this game yet- do it. It's totally worth your money and has given me just about a year of enjoyment. 

Look out for next week's post where I talk about WOMEN IN VIDEO GAMES!

And don't forget to subscribe and leave comments below. 

Animal Crossing: Let the Games Begin!

I am back! The last two months have been ridiculously crazy and I have a lot to share on my personal blog but for today I will talk about another one of my favorite games: Animal Crossing! 

My two best friends and I all have the same Limited Edition: Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past 3DSXL. We got them all on the same day together and just a couple of weeks ago all got the same Animal Crossing tattoo. (We know, awesome!)

(Picture to come)

So for those of you who haven't played Animal Crossing before I'll start with a little prelude so that you can get the general gist of the game before I start spouting off random jargon that won't make any sense to you. Since there are 4 games in this series I am going to break these up into 4 posts! Here we go!

This was the original Animal Crossing released on GameCube in 2004. I got this game around that time but not after hearing about it from a group of guys in my class. They talked about it all day nonstop and would say how they were up all night playing. There was never any preface to this conversation and they only spoke about random things like "Tom Nook..." "fishing..." "centipede..." so I never understood the game at all until the summer after it came out when I received it for my birthday from my grandparents. I was ELATED! After so many months of hearing about it and being curious (and I wasn't old enough to use google searches at this point...) so I was eager to experience the magic first-hand. BOY WAS I NOT LET DOWN IN ANY WAY! I don't think that people would say I have an addictive personality. I tend to be pretty rational and responsible about my interests and hobbies. This game changed everything for me. I played this game all summer long. I only stopped to allow my sisters a turn to play which pissed me off greatly because they liked to pull the, "I am trying to find a bug - then you can play" card. The aggressive relationship in my family drove this hostility to the point of being unable to play for longer than 2 hours. My parents mandated a timer be set and supervision to occur when playing. It was a nightmare for me! But of course, someone always has to ruin the fun. 

Anyways, I'll explain the game! You start the game on a train on your way to a place you've never been. You're greeted by a friendly cat named Rover. He asks you a number of questions which are prompts for town decisions. You decide what your name is, what the name of your town is, and there are a variety of questions he asks that determine how your face will look. That's about as customized as you get in this game! When you leave the train you are then greeted by Tom Nook - Local Store Owner/Real Estate Agent. He sells you and remodels your home throughout the game. You also work for him for a small time in the beginning of the game. The whole point of the game is to make money, renovate and make your home perfectly decorated so that it is feng shui. You do favors for your townspeople, dig up fossils, collect fish and bugs, plant fruit trees, and turn your town into a beautiful garden! And did I mention your townspeople are adorable anthropomorphized animals? YES! They are. 

These cute bundles of joy are your citizens! They all have different personalities and interests as well as special customized homes. The kind of homes that in this game - you can't mimic. But that will come later! 

Some other cool features of this game is the island adventure! If you have a gamecube connector cable to the gameboy advance you can explore the island by taking the boat at the dock! Kapp'n the wise-cracking bard of the sea takes you on a short boat ride over to the tropical island accompanied by an adorable song. On the island you'll meet a villager who lives there. The island has coconuts - which you can sell for a high price on the mainland - and it's always summer on the island so you can catch summer fish all year round! 

Want to make big bucks? The best way to is through the "Stalk Market". This cute little pun of a business venture works through Joan! Joan sells turnips on Sundays before noon for a small price per bushel. Throughout the week the price that Nook will buy them for changes, so if you check everyday you can make a profit! There is also a ton of holiday events, weekly events, monthly events, surprise visitors, and special contests! 

This game is fun for all ages, easy and yet complex. There's plenty to do in it so you won't ever be bored. This game is definitely a game that needs to be played if not daily than definitely regularly. If you don't play daily not only will your townspeople be mad but your home will be filled with cockroaches and your town will be covered in weeds (over the span of a week or so of not playing - a day or two won't hurt). 

I love this game and since I am a huge fan of all things cute it's definitely a great game for me! Plus, since the game isn't stressful really it's good for winding down after a long day of work. 

Leave your comments below! See you next week! 

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!
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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!