Dec 25, 2013

Rosaluma Smash 4 Edits


Rosalina & Luma (Rosaluma) were announced for Smash 4. So here's some edits I did with her.























Rosalina & Luma are property of Nintendo.

Dec 22, 2013

Review: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds


The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. The direct sequel to the 1992 SNES favourite The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This game was just awarded Game of the Year by GameSpot earlier this month. I just recently beat it (not 100% yet, but I'm only 5 Heart Pieces away), so I felt it would be good of me to review this game completely, now that I've gone through the main quest. Here is why I feel that this is the best top-down Zelda entry ever.

The Nostalgia is Real
I started playing the Zelda series probably in 1989. I started with the first one on the NES. The SNES game ALttP holds a very special place in my heart. When I heard back in June 2013 during E3 that a direct sequel to this beloved classic was in the works, I was through the roof ecstatic. Between this announcement and Mega Man being in Smash 4, I couldn't contain myself the whole month. ALBW did something that a Zelda game hasn't done in ages or seasons (see what I did there? ;)). There was no tutorial stage, no assistant like Navi or Fi. Nope, Nintendo went old-school and let us use our smarts to figure out the game. And bringing back the beloved world of Hyrule (the Light World) and introducing the Dark World as Lorule (genius naming) along with key music & sounds from the SNES days hit me right in the childhood, as I'm sure it did for many old-school players. ALBW did absolutely right by its predecessor. Nintendo, please continue to amaze us with this franchise that I've followed for almost 25 years!

Freedom of Exploration
I love the fact that Eiji Aonuma decided to break with the Zelda formula of dungeon order sequence & item obtaining in said dungeons. No, we were free to explore dungeons in any order we wanted. Also, you could rent any items you wanted so long as you had the rupees for them. Signs were posted outside the dungeon indicating the key item you needed to complete the dungeon. Here's the kicker: If you fell in battle, you lost all your rented items. When you got to a certain point in the game, you could buy the items for keeps and died all you wanted after that (not that we want you dying in the game). At first, I was taken aback by the break from tradition, but I soon found it quite useful. If I got stuck in one dungeon, I moved on to another. I warmed up to it especially when I got to the Lorule dungeons.

Wall-Merge Mechanic
This single in-game mechanic made for excellent puzzles, probably the most memorable for me in all my years of playing Zelda. It took a bit to get used to, but I soon found how many uses I had for it. It gave way to stealth puzzles (entering the Dark Palace in Lorule, for instance), avoiding enemy attack, and travelling great distances to previously inaccessible places. You couldn't stay merged in a wall forever: You had a stamina meter that depleted over a period of time and you got unstuck from the wall when it was empty. But, if there was no way for you to exit the wall if you were stuck, the stamina meter didn't deplete. Smart programming there. Speaking of the stamina meter...

Item Usage & the Stamina Meter
The stamina meter was used for more than the wall merge. It also dictated how much you could use your items. Yes, this means that for items like bombs & arrows, you didn't have any ammo. Once your stamina meter was empty, you couldn't use items any more till it refilled. And, if you fell in a hole, your stamina meter was topped up immediately. There were jars you could use to refill your stamina meter contained in pots & bushes in dungeons & outside.

The Most Unique Puzzles
This game had the most unique puzzles ever. Not just with the wall merge. I remember particularly in Skull Woods there were some inaccessible switches and I couldn't figure out how to hit them. Well, this dungeon, like Skull Woods in ALttP, had Wall Masters - hands that came from above and, if you were snatched, were sent back to the entrance to the dungeon. Well, I finally noticed that this Wall Master in one room hit the top of a mesh platform I was standing under, which had a switch on it. I then proceeded to stand directly under the switch. Lo and behold, the Wall Master hit the switch for me! Genius! There were other puzzles, too. But Skull Woods really stood out for me.

For these and other reasons I can't enumerate right now, this is why The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is simply the greatest Zelda ever. Yes, even greater than Ocarina of Time. There! I said it! I grew up on top-down view Zelda games. It was awesome of Nintendo to return Zelda to its roots. If you have a 3DS but don't have this game, go get it. Now. Right this second! This is Nintendo's finest work in 2013, just edging out Fire Emblem: Awakening for me. Thank you for reading this review.


Nov 24, 2013

Avatar Fun


I decided to have some fun with some avatars that I have on either my 3DS or Xbox 360. Enjoy!

My real appearance

Nintendo 3DS Mii
Xbox 360 avatar
Professional-looking Xbox 360 avatar
I edited my Xbox avatar in GIMP to this

Hope you enjoyed these.

Nov 22, 2013

First Impression: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Me holding my copy of the game
Today I got to pick up my copy of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for the Nintendo 3DS. I've only got to play it enough to complete the first dungeon (Eastern Palace), so this is only a first impression of the game.

The general feel is like its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo from back in 1992. The overworld in ALBW is very similar to ALttP. The music is reminiscent of the SNES game, as well as certain chimes. The nostalgia in ALBW is very, very real. Those who have had the privilege of playing ALttP back then owe it to themselves to get this game.

There's a new mechanic that will take a bit of getting used to. See, sometime in the beginning of the game, you get a roommate named Ravio. Now, Zelda tradition has you acquire dungeon items used to solve various puzzles. Not this one; Ravio here rents items for you to use. He sets up shop at your house. He rents for a fee, and, if you die, he takes the item back. Don't worry - when you die, you can start again at your/his house and rent the item again. If you have enough rupees, you can buy the items from him. When I went through the Eastern Palace a few hours ago, it was very unnatural for me to walk into the dungeon with the "dungeon item" pre-acquired. And I never got an item in the dungeon itself. Eiji Aonuma, longtime and current Zelda developer, wanted to break with tradition with this game. His premise was for the player to choose their own path, dungeon order, etc. Some fans didn't like that. Personally, I commend him for his effort to change up the "unwritten rules" of the franchise. I've been playing Zelda for 23 years now, and I think this is a step in the right direction. So, kudos Mr. Aonuma for taking a brave risk by breaking from tradition. If this is a sign of things to come, I can't wait to see what he does with Zelda U in the next couple years.

Overall, so far, I am head-over-heels in love with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. I'm hoping my 3DS is done charging now so I can get back to it again. Do yourself a favour: If you have a 3DS, get the game. If you don't, get the Zelda 3DS Bundle Pack. Nintendo went all out with this game; reward them by buying this game. You won't regret it.

Nov 7, 2013

Marth Smash 4


I woke up this morning to find this guy above being confirmed for Smash 4. Yup, Prince Marth is back, and he has his Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon look. I'm glad he got a makeover. He looks much better now. So, guess what I did?

Green & Orange Alternate
With background
Recoloured the Falchion to the Master Sword colours
With background

Marth & Fire Emblem are property of Nintendo.

Nov 1, 2013

Random Pics

Just wanted to post a few random edits.

Mega Man & Toon Link
Cartoon filter
New Pikachu
Vanguard Ike

Oct 29, 2013

Mega Man Smash 4


I wanted to play around with Mega Man today, and this is the first thing I came up with:

Original unedited.
Changed to my favourite colours.
With a gradient background.
Cartoon filter

Mega Man is property of Capcom.



Oct 27, 2013

Yoshi Recolouring


I got a little carried away with Yoshi today. Here's some of my Yoshi recolourings I did today. Some are just colour swaps; others are, well, amusing, to say the least.

Changed boots & bumps to orange.
Blue Yoshi
Red Yoshi
Clown Yoshi
Rainbow Yoshi
Purple & yellow for a friend.
Special request #1 for a friend
Special request #2 for a friend
Special request #3 for a friend

Yoshi is property of Nintendo.