Zelda Celebration Info

  My Skyward Sword review will finally be here in just 5 days, this Sunday December 4th the review will be here on the site. Along with the review, I have planned some other activities for the day which will be posted also on December 4th. Here is a rundown.

1. The review will be posted at around 10AM EST in the morning.
2. I will be having a spoiler-filled Skyward Sword feature which will reveal my favorite dungeons, bosses, items, and more. This should be posted at around 4PM.
3. The final feature will be my top 3D Zelda games feature. This feature will re-hash my decisions for my favorite Zelda games before Skyward Sword, and then will include Skyward Sword in the contest for Best 3D Zelda game ever. This amazing feature will be posted around 8PM also EST.

All times and dates are subject to change. Please make sure to check back for the full features and review. Will Skyward Sword get a 10? What are the game's best bosses? What is the best Zelda game? Find out Sunday right here. This is my last preview, so make sure you'll be here.

New Review Info

  My review for Skyward Sword will be landing in just one week. In the mean time I'd like to discuss a change to my review rubric that takes effect starting with next week's Zelda review:

Before now categories included Graphics, Audio, Story, Gameplay, and Gameplay Amount. Starting now, the Gameplay category will be split into two separate categories which will be titled Gameplay and Controls. The new controls category used to be covered in the gameplay category of my reviews, but Skyward Sword has reminded me how important controls are to a game and that they need their own section in reviews. This new rubric will also be used for comparison reviews, and all regular reviews from here on out. All old reviews will not be changed according to this new rubric.

  How are Skyward Sword's controls? Check back on Sunday to read the full written review to find out!

Skyward Sword is Amazing!

   So I have been spending my last three days playing Skyward Sword and let me just tell you, it is amazing! I am not rushing my way through the game but rather taking my time so I don't beat it too quickly. Currently I just beat the Earth Temple and am in Lanaryu Desert. So far I am loving the game and I'm sure the final review score will be extremely high (maybe a 10?) but you'll find out on December 4th when my official review launches, until then, look at some highs and lows of the game below:

The Good:
The beautiful, watercolor, impressionist art style
The orchestrated soundtrack has some great themes
The story: it's the best in a Zelda game so far
The game has tons of content and many dungeons
The motion controls work relatively well
The levels are well designed and characters well constructed
The dash button... the dash button rocks...

The Bad:
Ummmm, well... the beetle? (honestly that's the only complaint I have so far, the new beetle item sucks, but I'll explain why in my review)

The Ugly:
Ghirahim, the game's boss... he's hideous...

"Super Mario 3D Land" Review

                                                                          For Nintendo 3DS

Pros:	Cons:
Amazing 3D Graphics	Too many over-used and re-used songs
Fun, energetic soundtrack and sounds	More content and challenge would be nice
Perfect blend of 2D and 3D gameplay	Some minor issues (bosses, controls, variety)
Fun new enemies and suits

            There is no longer an excuse to not have a 3DS. If you don’t own a 3DS then you must buy one now without any question. My highest rated game on the site is Ocarina of Time 3D which received a 9.8, and I’ll tell you now that Super Mario 3D Land did not quite beat that score, but what it is however, is the best original 3DS game so far. I could go on forever about how good it is, but in the interest of playing Skyward Sword which came out the same day I wrote this, I’m going to keep it short.

            The game’s graphics have flawless detail and camera work on them that always frames the action quite impressively. Mario looks as good as he does in Galaxy and there is tons of varying character models. The game loses something in 2D however, and I recommend play it in 3D, or not at all. The 3D mode makes the brilliant, vibrant worlds come to life like never before and makes gameplay much easier. Even after a week of playing, the 3D effects are my favorite part of the game, tied with the gameplay itself. This is by far the best looking 3DS game, and the best 3D in any video game to date.

            The sound effects in the game work well and range from coin chimes to Mario jumping. Every song in the game is well done and sounds great especially the extra amazing Main Theme from the game and its trailers. My only problem with the sound is that the main theme is used in too many stages, and that many songs are altered versions of songs from Super Mario Galaxy making them seem too familiar. Besides this the audio is superb.

            Whereas the game appears in 3D, the gameplay truly is a flashback to the 2D glory days. In this regard, I’d like to state that the gameplay here is better than the 2D games thanks to the 3D influence it received. Tons of new ideas are present in this adventure including new enemies and new (reinvented) suits such as the Boomerang Suit which allows Mario to throw boomerangs, and the Tanooki Suit, which should require zero introduction. The gameplay here is outstanding, the only issues I faced was the lack of difficulty in worlds 1-8 in which only world 8 was slightly challenging. I also found the bosses with the exception of Bowser to be easy and unvaried. Finally whereas the controls worked well, I found Mario’s new rolling move to be awkward to use.

            With only eight worlds, Super Mario 3D Land doesn’t appear to have much to offer. And based on the first eight worlds you’re not going to have too much content. Thankfully, the game packages in another 8 worlds after the first eight. The only problem with these is the fact that they are similar to the first 8, just with more challenge. They are a nice addition, but the adventure is still a bit lacking on content overall. However, if you wish to unlock the final level, you’ll need plenty of time and patience to do so, you must beat every stage as Mario and Luigi, collect every star coin, beat Bowser, and get every gold flag at the end of every stage. This will take you a while.

            Super Mario 3D Land is definitely not the best Mario game ever, perhaps not even close. But what it is, is an outstanding 3D adventure that is not only the best 3DS game to date (and maybe will always be), but it is also my new favorite handheld game of all time. With amazing gameplay, and outstanding 3D graphics this adventure is not to be missed. And if you’re worried about being bogged down by another boring Mario story, don’t worry as this game has approx. a total of 60 seconds story value overall between cut-scenes and 3D pictures presented to the player. If you do get Super Mario 3D Land, then I have one word for you: Enjoy!

Graphics: Superb 3D effects, amazing camera, frame rate, detail, colorful world                  10.0

Audio: Great tracks and sounds, main theme is over-used, too many re-used themes            9.5

Gameplay: Perfect blend of 2D and 3D gameplay with fun suits, enemies, and worlds        10.0

Gameplay Amount: Only eight worlds but double that content overall                                   9.5

Overall: The best 3DS game so far, the best handheld game ever, one of Mario’s best           9.5

Super Mario 3D Land Preview

   Well, I am now a proud owner of Super Mario 3D Land!!! I'm currently in world 3 and so far its pretty awesome. Here is 10 things I've noticed so far:

1. 3D is awesome, I hate the game in 2D
2. Tons of hidden areas and star coins to find and collect
3. Graphis are gorgeous
4. Music is fantastic, but main theme is overused in stages
5. Game is a tad on the easy side
6. Tanooki Tail should be more sparesly used
7. Gameplay is really awesome
8. Mario's roll is hard to use, run button takes getting used to
9. Boss battles are boring
10. Only 40 levels in main quest, but 40 more after you beat it (80 total, but they go by fast)

Stay tuned for my full review of Super Mario 3D Land coming November 20th. What score do you think it will get? How are you liking the game?

Holiday Games are Almost Here!!!!!

  Here come the holidays. With Super Mario 3D Land launching in just two short days, and Skyward Sword a mere week behind, Nintendo is giving its fans easily the best Holiday lineup in the history of the company. Plus, Mario Kart 7 coming in less than a month and so much more are sure to ramp up excitement for the 3DS and Wii. With games comes reviews and features and we will be having many of those. Check below for an updated list of editorials coming soon!

November 20th-Super Mario 3D Land Review
December 4th-Zelda: Skyward Sword Review
December 4th-Top Zelda of All Time
December 2011-Mario Kart 7 Review, Review of all Mario Karts, Top 7 Mario Kart Games

   December 4th will be a big day as it is not only the review of Skyward Sword, but also the release of Mario Kart 7. Speaking of Mario Kart 7, the official review will be online sometime in December (date TBA) followed by a review of every Mario Kart released to date. And finally, sometime during Christmas Break will be a countdown of my top 7 favorite Mario Kart games, as well as my favorite items, characters, karts, and tracks. So make sure to check back on November 20th for Super Mario 3D Land, December 4th for Zelda, and the exact dates for my Mario Kart coverage will be announced on December 1st 2011. I can't wait for these holiday games, will Skyward Sword get yet another ten?