Animal Crossing: Continued - It's a Wild World After All!

Hello again! Thanks for stopping by again! 

This week I am going to be covering the second game in the Animal Crossing Series! 

Animal Crossing: Wild World

If you haven't read my post from last week concerning the first game to this series, don't worry! This game isn't one for spoilers. I would like to start off by reiterating that I love love love this game series. As mentioned last week - my two best friends and I all got tattoos to memorialize this game. 

So let's begin! 

This game was just what I needed. The Nintendo DS is one of my favorite consoles. My grandparents bought it for me for my birthday the year it came out and I was hooked again! I thought - how could this game get any better - what's the purpose of making a new one? 

In a world so simple and perfect the idea of change almost made me hesitate. I was mistaken though. 

This game exceeded all my expectations on how great this game could be. The quadrant feature was abandoned for a smoother and rounder world. This made the game a little less clunky. Also, the game opened up a multiplayer feature where the former police officers are now gate keepers - allowing and forbidding people to visit your town. This was AWESOME TO ME! I was in high school when this game came out and so naturally all my friends got it and we all chopped down each other's trees, smacked each other with nets, and barracaded you in a circle of holes. 

The adventure had opened up into an experience you can enjoy with friends - LIVE! I should note that in the first game you could also visit other towns but it was only by having a memory card with another village on it and you couldn't interact with other players. So the appeal in this is obvious. Finally this game is perfect. 

Now admittedly because the Nintendo DS still had work to do on graphics and stuff - looking back the game was visually "okay". The characters were difficultly rounded out, somewhat pixelated, and a little unclear. But that opinion is from someone who has been playing on a 3ds XL for a year or so. At the time- the graphics were great and I loved this game. 

Another cool function was that you could all live in the same house! This idea was disasterous for my sisters and I considering our age difference and commitment to the game. I was deeply invested in getting a perfect HHA score while my sisters didn't care and threw anything in their rooms. Eventually when they became disinterested with the game I was able to focus on decorating. I think there is a feature where you can move into your own separate house but I'm not entirely sure and looking it up wasn't much help... 

Overall, this game was a huge improvement in a surprising way. You'd think that the game was great the way it was and a lot of things that changed weren't necessarily a nuissance before so I didn't think to complain. 

Look out for next week's coverage of Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii! 

Thanks for reading and leave your 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! 

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!
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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!!!