Watch this space for more details as they come

Nintendo has revealed new details about the storyline and single-player game play in Kid Icarus™: Uprising, which will launch exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS™ system on March 23. More than 25 years after the launch of the original Kid Icarus game for NES™, Kid Icarus: Uprising brings the action and adventure of this beloved series to new heights.

•Introduction: The game’s story begins with the return of the dark goddess Medusa and her Underworld Army. With the help of Palutena, goddess of light and guardian of the human race, the heroic angel Pit must combat the forces of darkness as he battles Medusa and her minions by air and by land.
•Fiend’s Cauldron: The Fiend’s Cauldron is an incredible new system that allows players to customize their play experience by adjusting the intensity level. Intensity ranges from 0.0 – 9.0 for each individual Chapter. As the intensity increases, players will be able to earn more Hearts and more powerful weapon drops from defeated enemies. Hearts also can be used to purchase new weapons. The standard intensity setting is 2.0, but players can precisely adjust it by increments of 0.1. In order to increase the intensity, players must bet by placing an increasing number of Hearts into the Fiend’s Cauldron. If the player is defeated during the Chapter, some Hearts will be lost and the intensity will be lowered.
•Weapons: A wide variety of collectible weapons offers an extraordinary amount of replay value. With nine different categories of weapons, ranging from Bows to Claws, players can learn the unique characteristics of each weapon and determine which is best suited for each battle and their style of play.
•Vehicles: During certain parts of his adventure, Pit will have access to special vehicles such as the Exo Tank. Pit can use the tank’s powerful drift ability to boost over jumps or defeat enemies with the tank’s ramming horn.
•Stand: Kid Icarus: Uprising uses a control scheme designed to fit the game’s unique blend of flight, shooting and melee combat, and offers tremendous precision and depth for dedicated players. The left hand uses the Circle Pad while the right hand uses the stylus. Every copy of the game will come with a free stand that holds the Nintendo 3DS at an angle above any flat surface, providing players with a new kind of gaming experience.
•Circle Pad Pro: Kid Icarus: Uprising is compatible with the Circle Pad Pro accessory, offering an alternate control scheme for left-handed players. With the Circle Pad Pro, players hold the stylus in their left hand and use the Circle Pad with their right hand.
Additionally, consumers who pre-order at select retailers will receive a bonus download code for the 3D Classics: Kid Icarus™ game, a re-mastered 3D version of the NES original. The download code will be delivered with the purchase of Kid Icarus: Uprising. A deposit may be required for pre-order. Kid Icarus: Uprising will carry a suggested retail price of $39.99 in the United States.

Hand-held gaming fans with a taste for scary stories and paranormal activity have something special to look forward to this year. Nintendo of America has confirmed plans to launch Spirit Camera™: The Cursed Memoir, an immersive, horror-themed game developed exclusively for the portable Nintendo 3DS™ system, across North America on – when else? – Friday, April 13. The game uses the built-in camera functions and augmented-reality features of Nintendo 3DS to enhance a sinister, spellbinding storyline, incorporating players’ own pictures and surroundings to create a personalized 3D horror experience.

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir introduces a mysterious girl named Maya who has been hiding in the shadows of an old house. Players must help Maya break free from a terrifying curse by aiding her escape from the clutches of a malevolent woman in black. By using the Nintendo 3DS system’s built-in camera, players can view Maya in their own surroundings as the game’s eerie events unfold.

Included with the game is a 16-page AR Book, known as the “diary of faces” in the game’s Story Mode, which serves as a gateway into this haunting experience. As players view the book’s images through the lenses of the Nintendo 3DS camera, they enter its pages using augmented reality. At times, pages will come to life in the form of movies, revealing past events that offer insights into the mysteries surrounding the diary. In other moments, characters will emerge from the pages into the player’s world via augmented reality in the form of evil spirits that attack from all directions.

“Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir will give Nintendo 3DS owners an extraordinary new way to enjoy the system’s augmented-reality features and 3D capabilities,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Everywhere they go, they’ll be able to transform their real-world surroundings into a chilling hand-held adventure.”

The reasons for this are twofold:

A. I couldn’t even access MonsterVine for some time
B. Couldn’t find a worthy game to play

So to make up for it, would you want me to a belated Midnight Run with a classic game?

Because of the controversy of the game using tarot cards as its magic system, for the American and European release, the tarot cards were changed to cards with a fantastic language on them and elemental glyphs. Oddly enough, the Japanese anime uses the language created for the American and European version when the characters summon an arcana.

Despite the controversy, the game sold quite well, but not on the level of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. (some speculate that had it not been for the controversy, it may have rivaled those series) Both animated series and the game retain a large following, and mint copy of the game goes for about $40-60. Both animated series were released on VHS, but so far, only the anime has made it to DVD

Pokémon™ fans can enjoy a special Victini “double feature” this weekend. Starting Saturday, December 3rd, Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version video game players can receive the Victory Pokémon Victini in their game via a special distribution, and discover it’s ready for battle with a set of very powerful moves! Coinciding with the Victini distribution’s launch is the U.S. theatrical debut of Pokémon the Movie: White-Victini and Zekrom, in theaters for only two days, Saturday and Sunday, December 3rd and 4th. To ensure you’re a part of the historic Pokémon the Movie: White-Victini and Zekrom theatrical event at more than 375 theaters nationwide, go to www.pokemon.com/moviewhite for a link to show times and locations.

From December 3rd through Saturday, December 31st, a Level 50 Victini will be available for Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version players via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection service. This Victini has an unbelievable move set, including signature moves of Reshiram and Zekrom: Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt! Victini also knows V-create, an immensely powerful Fire-type move, and Searing Shot, another Fire-type attack that hits all other Pokémon in most battles. To cap it off, this Victini holds a Fire Gem, which provides a one-time power boost to one of Victini’s Fire-type moves. Obtaining this special Victini will add star power to your Pokémon team!

To participate in the Victini character distribution event, you will need:

•A Nintendo DS™, Nintendo DSi™, Nintendo DSi XL™, or Nintendo 3DS™ system
•A copy of the Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version game
•No more than 11 Wonder Cards in your possession

Like Mario, many of Zelda’s musical themes have wormed their way into popular culture (the secret noise and “ba-da-da-DAH!” being two examples–”ba-da-da-DAH!” has actually been spotted in non-Zelda games when a character gets an item)

With this year marking the series’ 25th anniversary, we also receive the latest chapter in the beloved series. Does it surpass Ocarina of Time? In some ways it does, and in other ways, it doesn’t.

There will be spoilers in here, so if you want to be surprised, click away now.

Still with me? Let’s dive into the legend…

Story: Very Good

This installment begins in a city in the sky named Skyloft, where Link is in training to become a knight. One aspect of this training is the Wing Ceremony, a bird race commemorating a knight’s bond with a Loftwing (phoenix-like birds the Skyloftians use for transportation) and the goddess’ providence over the world. After rescuing his Loftwing from his rival Groose (who reminded me of Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), Link handily wins the race and a sailcloth from Zelda. But before he and Zelda can take to the skies in a post-race flight, a mysterious tornado spirits Zelda away, and Link discovers a special blade and Fi, the sword’s mysterious (and almost robot-like) guardian spirit. With Fi’s help, Link ventures down to the surface in a race to find Zelda and stop the evil force that threatens to consume both the earth and sky. It may sound simplistic on the surface, but once again, the huge cast of memorable characters and immense development for both them and Link earn it a rightful spot in the lineup of Zelda stories.

Graphics: Excellent

The Wii is again pushed to its full power in an intriguing blend of Twilight Princess’ realistic style with the whimsy of Wind Waker’s cel shaded style. Link looks more beautiful then ever, and the detail is fine enough you can see the details of hair, threads on his clothing, the wrinkles on his face when he smiles, and more. It’s not just the people that are detailed–so are the places and creatures in Skyloft and Hyrule. From a Loftwing’s feather to the grains of a tree trunk in Faron Woods, the sheer detail in the world makes you feel like you’re right there alongside Link.

Sound/Music: Excellent

The Zelda series has long been known for its wonderful music, and Skyward Sword is no exception. In addition to some old favorites (yes, the beloved main theme is in the game), there’s also plenty of new tunes that are destined to become classics–the haunting main theme of the Ballad of the Goddess, Fi’s Celtic inspired theme, the comical trombone-led theme that heralds Groose’s appearance, and the etheral dream-like music of the Silent Realms are just a sample of the diverse blend of music you’ll hear on your quest.

In keeping with the tradition of Link having a playable instrument on his adventure, Link has a harp availiable to him this time around, with the ability of learning five mystical melodies along the way. While not as complex as the ocarina (you can only play glissandos instead of individual notes), it is still simple to learn and fun to play. (although I wonder what it would have been like if you could play individual notes on the harp….)

Gameplay: Very Good

The game really shines on its gameplay yet again, with the main selling point being the usage of your Wiimote (with the WiiMotion Plus) as the sword. This means that some enemies are vulnerable to a specific slash, so swiping the air willy-nilly won’t get you very far. This adds a new dimension and a sense of realism to the fighting. However, this does come with a price: sometimes the WiiMotion Plus makes the controls work a little TOO well. For example, an early quest that involves climbing to a rooftop took me about ten minutes to finish because Link would jump off even if I slightly moved my Wiimote–so some actions will require a little caution to account for the extra sensitivity.

Longtime Zelda fans will notice that Link starts with six hearts instead of the traditional three, and with good reason–the dungeons are vast and challenging, and enemies can and do hit you hard if you’re not prepared. However, they are not so challenging that you’ll tear your hair out or throw the Wiimote at the wall–the game gives you just enough help to give you an idea of what to do next, but doesn’t hold your hand through the dungeon. In other words, easy enough for the casual crowd to enjoy, but hard enough for the long time fans that expect a challenge with every Zelda game.

Overall: Excellent

Aside from overly sensitive controls and a story some may find simple and cliche, the vast world, memorable characters, beautiful music, and challenging dungeons more than make up for it, making Skyward Sword a worthy addition to the Zelda pantheon and a fitting present for 25 years of adventures.

Happy 25th birthday, Link–here’s to 25 more years of adventures!

Happy gaming,
SparklingBlue

The basic premise was that the unnamed fantasy world had its own spirit that protected it (the titular Mystic Guardian) and that a dragon lord had imprisoned it. The Guardian would only be freed by collecting six elemental crystals (the four Western elements of earth, fire, wind, and water plus light and darkness) scattered throughout the world.

Players could choose between a sword wielding warrior, a dual dagger wielding bladedancer, a bow wielding ranger, and a staff wielding mage. Each character had their own strengths and weaknesses, meaning you had to play through each of the stages 4 times to get everything. Of the four, the bladedancer and the mage were the most powerful (physically and magically, respectively) and the most popular.

Unlike Gauntlet, Mystic Guardian did not have constantly respawning enemies. The only time enemies would respawn was if you took too long to clear the stage, and they would oftentimes be harder then before (but not so hard you could not defeat them at your current level.

Despite its vast world and many stages teaming with secrets and treasure, the critics panned Mystic Guardian for being a little too similar to Gauntlet for its own good. It still managed to sell well, and spawned a successful TV series that ran for seven seasons (210 episodes) The series was relatively faithful to the game, but what surprised the fans the most was the giving of names to the characters–the warrior was named Senion (the calm and laid back leader), the bladedancer was named Aisenna (whose hot headed personality made her a fan favorite), the ranger was named Fanyir (the spiritual member of the group), and the mage’s name was Petra (the intelligent member of the team)

The game and series retain a loyal following, so a mint copy typically sells for $50-70. The show has been released on VHS (but tapes are hard to find), and plans are in the works to release the series on DVD

Keep in mind that this is only my theory of how the Zelda story goes, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Link #1: SS

This explains how the Master Sword came to be

Link #2 (Child Link half): OoT->MM

Many years later, OoT occurs and time splits.

Link #3 (Adult Link half): OoT->WW->PH

Wind Waker hints that the hero of legend refers to OoT Link, and the world flooded when he returned to his own time.

Link #4 (Child Link): TP

Twilight Princess is said to take place 100 years after OoT.

Link #5(Adult Link): ST

Likewise, Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after PH.

After Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks conclude in their respective timelines, I believe the two timelines somehow become one again.

Link #6: TMC->FS->FSA

While this storyline is more of a sidestory, it does hint at some developments that show up later in ALttP.

Link #7: ALttP->OoA/OoS->LA->TLoZ->AoL

This is the longest lived Link of the bunch, IMO. After ALttP ends, we are told that Link left on a “journey of discovery” (according to the LA manual). While we don’t yet know just how many adventures he went on on this journey, I assume that the Oracle games were two such adventures on this journey, because in the endings for both games, we see Link leaving on a boat very similar to the one he is on in the beginning of Link’s Awakening. The original game then occurs when he returns to Hyrule. AoL then happens a few years later.

Of course, I acknowledge there are gaps in my knowledge due to games I haven’t played–so if you have a better theory or a counterpoint, let me know in the comments!

Enjoy the game,
SparklingBlue

Just to warn you, there are spoilers in here, so if you want to be surprised, click away now.

Still with me? Let’s go for the gold…

Graphics: Excellent

The Wii is pushed to its full power here, and the level of detail really shines–grass rustles, water ripples, lights sparkle, and every venue for the 2012 Olympics is faithfully recreated down to the tile and carpet on the floors. The character designs have also been polished–so well you can make out individual hairs and furs on each one. The London cityscapes featured in the London Party mode look like they could come out of a postcard. Details like these bring London into your bedroom or living room–making you feel like you’re right there in the middle of it all.

Music/Sound: Very Good

Festive and exciting is the word in London, from the opening shot of Mario and Sonic atop Big Ben to the medal ceremony music. You’ll be snapping fingers and tapping toes as you compete to both high energy songs for the competition events and classical remixes for the performance events. Unlockable remixes are back in this installment as well, and many new classics (such as Puzzle Plank Galaxy and Tropical Resort Zone, to name a couple) join old favorites such as the Mario main theme and Green Hill Zone. However, this is kept from being Excellent because of some of the odd arrangement styles on some of the remixes, and several remixes were recycled directly from Vancouver. Overall, it would have been nice if some of the returning tunes got new arrangements, but it is nice to hear some old favorites once again alongside some brand new songs.

Gameplay: Excellent

This Olympic installment is bursting at the seams with things to do, and many new events join the party. Synchronized swimming, ribbon dancing, fencing, horseback riding, shooting, canoeing, and soccer are just a few new events for you to try alongside classics as track and field, Ping Pong, and gymnastics. Each event’s controls feel realistic and easy to use, although an explaination is provided if you’re ever confused as to what to do–although you will usually figure it out after one or two tries.

If you get tired of the events themselves, you can always run wild on the steets of of London playing mini games and completing missions in London Party mode. Earning medals will net you scratchcards, which are your tickets to the unlockables in the game. It tries to add an element of surprise as to what you unlock–you might get a new outfit with one card, a decal with another, and a song with a third. While the different events are just as fun alone, it gets even better with friends–up to four players can join in the fun. With so much to do and unlock, it is highly unlikely you will get bored.

Overall: Excellent

Plenty of things to do and collectables to unlock make this the best Olympics game yet–I was actually saddened I only got to play it for a weekend, because I had only scratched the surface on the wealth of things to do both alone and with friends. A must buy this Christmas.