3LL on 3DS: Let's Be Friends!

Hello there! As you may have heard, the 3DS was just released in North America. Hopefully you’ve been able to pick up yours, as I have mine (unless you never cared about the 3DS in the first place, to which I question why you are reading this in the first place).

I decided to do a quick little post just in case any of you 3DS owners out there wanted to share Friend Codes. Mine is (if you haven’t seen the image on the right side of the site) 4468-0967-9973. If you want to be friends, add my code to your 3DS and then post your code in the comments section below (or email me, or tweet me).

Let’s become 3DS super best pals! I almost promise you won’t regret it. Almost…

3D-Day Imminent

It was a little over a year ago today that Nintendo dropped the bob-omb on the unsuspecting gaming public by announcing something called the 3DS. This successor to the money-printing DS could supposedly create stereoscopic 3D without the need for glasses (probably through the use of some manner of dark sorcery, but we couldn't know for sure since we didn't really know anything about it at that point).Then at E3 a couple of months later, everything was revealed and it completely stole the show. Fast forward to now, the eve of the 3DS' North American launch, and we're all ready to fix our eyes upon the magical screen.

I didn't pre-order a 3DS (because I like to live on the edge of danger), but I'll be out there nice 'n early to snag mine (hopefully [maybe]). If you're doing a launch event, line, or what have you, then I hope you have a lot of fun. If you've pre-ordered one, then congrats on being prudent and smarter than me. If you could care less about the 3DS, then keep on... doing whatever it was you were doing before.

And so, the launch day is finally at hand. Game system launches always kind of have a certain magical feel to them, kind of like a holiday just for us gamers. Good luck getting yours and have fun!

Is Super Street Fighter IV the 3DS' Best Launch Game?

Video Games | Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition | GDC 11: Full Experience Interview

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Above, I've embedded a new interview that GameTrailers did with a man from Capcom about the upcoming 3DS iteration of Super Street Fighter IV. While the interview itself is pretty good (albeit lacking in any info we didn't already know), I thought I'd use it as more of a launching point to discuss SSF4 and the rest of the 3DS launch lineup.

In case you need a little refresher on what games will be available for the 3DS on Day 1, I wrote a piece about it back when the announcement was first made listing which titles would be coming out as well as my thoughts on the selection. While I did concede that there wasn't a blockbuster killer app among the games, I wasn't upset like a lot of people were. I felt like it was a very solid lineup, with a few games that seemed legitimately good and not just launch day cash-in shovelware. As we draw ever closer to the North American launch (one more week!), it's time to now focus on just which game(s) are worthy of a purchase alongside the 3DS itself.

A lot of video game websites out there have received their 3DSes and the first reviews are starting to trickle in. The game I'm paying a particular interest in is Steel Diver. It was always the 3DS launch game that I was drawn to the most (despite cries of "boring!" from the comment section of pretty much every major gaming site on the web). The one thing, the ONE thing that I was always apprehensive of was whether or not it had enough content to justify a $40 dollar price tag. Unfortunately, it seems like Steel Diver comes up short in that respect.

As a poor, nigh destitute person of meager income, I must try and be as wise as I can with my gaming purchases. And so, rebuffed by the realities of Steel Diver's lack of bang-for-the-buck, I began to think of other possibilities for a Day 1 purchase. Pilotwings Resort? Nintendogs + cats? Eh... those aren't really for me. Super Monkey Ball 3D? While I'm a fan of the series, the 3DS version doesn't really have me interested. Madden? Please... EA is so ashamed of this hack-job they didn't even dignify it with a year in the title. There really is only one standout, one game that rises above the rest: Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.

GameTrailers named the embedded video above the "Full Experience Interview", and that reflects precisely what SSF4 on 3DS is: a full experience. Not only does it bring nearly every feature over from the console version of the game, but it has numerous added touches that utilize the 3DS' unique functionality. StreetPass, new touchscreen control options, and, of course, 3D visuals.

I'm going to admit, I'm not exactly the most experienced "street fighter". I, like so many others, plunked down my fair share of quarters at the local Street Fighter II arcade cabinet back in the day, and I've also put in a lot of time with Marvel vs Capcom 2 (if you care to consider that a Street Fighter game). I'm not really all that good at either game, but they are certainly a lot of fun. I've never played Street Fighter IV in any form, so playing it on the 3DS will be a completely new experience for me. I know a lot of people are turned off to the 3DS game because they've already played it so much on the XBox 360 or PS3, but obviously that's not going to be a problem for me.

So, to reiterate the question posed in the tile of this blog post: is Super Street Fighter IV the 3DS' best launch game? It seems very possible, if not outright likely. Everyone's certainly going to have their own opinions, but I believe the general consensus will prove SSF4 to be the cream of the launch crop. It's the one game I'm going to try and pick up along with the 3DS on launch day, so I'm hoping my suspicions hold true.

Site Note: The Blogger Formerly Known As...

First of all, apologies for the extended silence on the blog (last post was almost a week ago). I am nothing if not a slacker.

Now to the matter at hand: I've changed my Blogger display name from "Mayor Defacto" to "Alex Agahnim". When I first decided that I wanted to try my hand at blogging, I figured I needed a cool blogging moniker to go by. As I pondered names, "Mayor Defacto" seemed to click in my mind. If you don't know, anytime you start a new city in the SimCity series, you're asked what your name is and are thus named "Mayor Whatever-your-name-is". The default name is "Defacto", and as a fan of SimCity, I thought it would be a neat reference. Starting a brand new blog is kind of analogous to starting to build a new city, so it seemed to fit (and the video game allusion was already built-in).

However, now that I'm a few months into my blogging adventure, I don't think the name fits anymore. As I start to actually communicate with people across the spectrum of internet social sites, the name "Mayor Defacto" just seems too cold and anonymous. I have no qualms about using my real name (Alex Fuller!) on the interwebs, but like I said before, I wanted to have a "blogging name" to go by that was video game related somehow.

And so, with the knowledge that it would be too boring to simply calling myself by my real name, but that it would also be too impersonal to go with a completely anonymous alias, I decided to go with a combination of both: which turned out to be (by using all of my brainpower at full capacity for several consecutive days straight to come up with) "Alex Agahnim". If you have no idea what an "Agahnim" is, then you probably never played A Link to the Past. I liked the name not only because LttP is my favorite game, but because "Agahnim" was actually Ganon's alter ego. I thought that it was fitting, since my blogging/internet identity is kind of like an alter ego of me IRL. Also, you got that double "A" alliteration thing going, so you know, it sounds kind of cool (read: incredibly lame).

And... wow, I can't believe I actually just wrote a lengthy blog post about what arbitrary name I call myself online. I think I need to go read Homer's Odyssey and brush up on the fallacies of identity and perception. I don't even know what that means.

TL;DR: I'm the same person, I just changed my display name from "Mayor Defacto" to "Alex Agahnim". I'm pretty sure all of the old posts now show the new name, so if you're a new reader, you won't know what the hell I'm talking about here anyway. Just call me "Alex" if you want. I really don't want to confuse anyone.

The Shogun Pack Brings Feudal Japan to Team Fortress 2

In their typical out-of-the-blue update style, Valve released to TF2 players everywhere today the latest major content pack in the venerable online shooter: The Shogun Pack. It brings with it 4 new weapons and 4 new hats, each imbued with the spirit of feudal Japan (why not; the stylistic coherency of the game was abandoned long ago anyway). Here's what the new update brings:

The Concheror: A secondary slot weapon for the Soldier that operates similarly to the Buff Banner. On buff, some of the damage your teammates dish out comes back to you as healing.

Conniver's Kunai: A melee weapon for the Spy. The player starts with -65% max health, but you absorb the health of every opponent you backstab.

The Fan O'War: A melee weapon for the Scout. It does -90% damage, but on hit, it marks that player and does mini-crits on him for every hit.

The Half-Zatoichi: A melee weapon for both the Soldier and Demo. On kill, it restores the player's health back to 100%. However, once it is drawn, it can't be put back until it kills.

The Dread Knot: A hat for the Heavy. It looks like a the kind of knotted haircut you often see sumo wrestlers sporting.

The Geisha Boy: A hat for the Medic. A geisha hairstyle for the Medic? Really? As a primary Medic player, I'm offended.

The Noh Mercy: A hat for the Spy. An awesome kabuki-style oni (demon) mask, easily the best hat out of the four in this pack. I'm guessing it'll fetch a pretty penny on trade servers.

The Samur-Eye: A hat for the Demo. A plain ol' samurai helmet, not unlike the Soldier's Killer Kabuto.

Also, there's the Koto Noisemaker, which is a noisemaker that makes some stereotypical Japanese-y noises. Buy a bunch and troll your friends!

This pack was just released as I write this, so I haven't had time to try out any of the new stuff yet. Just from reading the descriptions, I don't think I'd really use any of them, but I usually think that about all new weapons in TF2.

GDC 2011: New Shadows of the Damned Trailer

See more Shadows of the Damned Videos at Shadows of the Damned Official Site.

"Garcia Hotspur was a man that had it all: a killer motorcycle, a sweet leather jacket, and a hot girlfriend... FROM HELL!"

So begins this awesome new trailer for Shadows of the Damned. I could try to describe the awesomeness that lies within, but it's best if you just watch it for yourself. This should leave no doubt that DMD is going  to be a hell of a ride (even I groaned after that terrible pun...).

3LL's 25 Favorite Legend of Zelda Songs

To me, the Legend of Zelda series is video games. Everything I love about video games and everything I feel videos games should be are characterized in Zelda. Unquestionably, it's my favorite series of all time. If you were to ask me my top five favorite games of all time, three of them would be Zelda games (A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask, in case you were curious which three). I've been playing games all of my life, and nothing invokes a more overwhelming sense of nostalgia in me than Zelda music. That's why, in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda, I decided to compose a list of my 25 favorite song in the series.

Given the breadth and richness of the Zelda soundtracks, this was obviously no easy task. There are certainly a great deal of wonderful songs that I couldn't fit into this list, and perhaps even more that slipped my mind to even consider. I selected these songs not based on which I think are generally the best or greatest, but on which I have the deepest personal connection and reverence to; simply put, my personal favorites.

The name of each track is a link to a YouTube upload of the song. I only ordered the top ten songs, the rest are in no particular order.

#25 - #11, in no particular order

Mabe Village (Link's Awakening)

Realm Overworld (Spirit Tracks)

Hyrule Field (Ocarina of Time)

Ocean (Wind Waker)

Shop (Ocarina of Time)

Guessing Game House (A Link to the Past)

Overworld (Adventure of Link)

Title Theme (A Link to the Past)

Calling the Four Giants (Majora's Mask)

Windmill Hut (Ocarina of Time)

Game Over (Legend of Zelda)

Clock Town Day 3 (Majora's Mask)

Mini Game (Ocarina of Time)

Hyrule Field (Twilight Princess)

Opening Demo (A Link to the Past)

#10) Clock Tower (Majora's Mask)

More so than any other video game (much less Zelda game), Majora's Mask brings you into its world and compels you to experience every emotionally resonant trial and tribulation of its characters. Despair, hope, sadness, love, longing, loneliness, mortality, redemption, and much more in between. In one of the game's early moments, we are treated to this piece. You'll recognize the Song of Healing within it, which serves as a sonic and thematic motif for the rest of the adventure.

#9) Linebeck's Theme (Phantom Hourglass)

Link has had a lot of sidekicks in his quests over the years: Navi, Midna, and even Zelda herself. My favorite, though, is Linebeck from Phantom Hourglass. His theme is just like his character: boisterous and adventurous, but with an underlying goofiness. Even though his grandson, Linebeck III, makes an appearance in Spirit Tracks, hopefully we'll see the original show up in a game again at some point in the future.

#8) Kokiri Forest (Ocarina of Time)

Whenever I hear this song, I'm taken back to the first time I picked up Ocarina. Just running around exploring Kokiri was an amazing experience. It's a wonderfully care-free few moments before you have to leave Kokiri and the story expands considerably in both scope and stakes.

#7) Hyrule Castle (A Link to the Past)

All good video game music is supposed to set a certain mood, and this theme undoubtedly accomplishes that goal. It sounds just as you'd imagine an enemy stronghold would: imposing, with a militant drive that conjures up images of a conquering army. The song certainly adds a sense of urgency when you know you're in the middle of the castle, surrounded on all sides by guards.

#6) Kakariko Village (A Link to the Past)

A perfect town theme; calm, serene, and soothing. A welcome escape from the danger that seems to lurk around every bush of Hyrule. The tune is reprised a few more times in later Zelda games, serving as a de facto town theme, and it's great in every iteration.

#5) Dragon Roost Island (Wind Waker)

Wind Waker was such a departure from previous Zelda games that it took everyone a little while to accept it, much less love it. But once most people got a chance to play it, that's just what happened. The spirit of WW, I feel, is captured in the Dragon Roost Island theme. It's breezy, organic, and unlike anything you've ever heard before in a Zelda game. I defy you to listen to it and not find yourself whistling along (unless you can't whistle, of course).

#4) Palace (Adventure of Link)

Although Adventure of Link has gained a reputation as being the outcast game of the series, this song has endured as one of its finest. It's dynamic, and you can just feel the action in the music. The side-scrolling style of Adventure of Link emphasized action game elements a lot more than its predecessor, and the Palace theme certainly reflects that.

#3) Overworld (A Link to the Past)

What do I really need to say about this one? It's one of the most recognizable and iconic songs in video game history. In my opinion, it was never more powerful than in A Link to the Past, so that's the version I included on this list.

#2) Dungeon (Legend of Zelda)

The perfect sonic manifestation of exploring a dark and ominous cavern. It sounds like you're delving deeper and deeper into a winding labyrinth, which is accentuated by a foreboding sense of dread brought on by the the bass. No dungeon/temple/palace/whatever theme has yet matched this arrangement.

#1) Dark World (A Link to the Past)

An absolute masterpiece. My favorite song from my favorite game of all time. Powerful, iconic, exhilarating... there is no praise too hyperbolic for this song. Incredible.

Site Note: A Little Sprucing Up

Some of this stuff is really old, but I figured I'd mention them formally in a post anyway just to have it "on record", I guess. 

First: the new banner. Just something I whipped up on Photoshop, but it looks infinitely better than the banner I was using beforehand (and no one will know what that looked like because I have no reader base, so I'm in the clear as far as that's concerned). Can you identify the fonts I used? Most gamers, especially 16-bit era stalwarts, will probably get the title font, but the subtitle font may be a little trickier. It certainly has a nice link to a past great game (so long, subtlety!). 

The next thing is that 3LL has a new commenting system courtesy of IntenseDebate. I'm still looking for that first comment on the site, so if you're an awesome person, you'll leave a comment because leaving comments is what an awesome person would do. If you'd please leave a comment, it would be much appreciated. Comments.

Last and perhaps least, I re-did a bunch of the tags on all of the old posts so now it's easier to navigate around the site and find the stuff you're interested in. Just take a look at the tag cloud over on the right side of the site. Own a PS3? Click the "PS3" tag and you can see all the posts relating to PS3 games. Want to watch the latest and greatest trailers? The "trailer" tag awaits! 

So that's all for now. Kind of boring, but oh well. I'll have cool, exciting video game things to talk about later, so stay tuned.

GDC 2011: Nintendo Announces Netflix, New Mario Game for 3DS

image from 3DSFocus.com

Earlier today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata gave a keynote address at GDC, of which the 3DS was a main focal point (glasses-free 3D pun!). A number of cool things were announced for the device, including Netflix functionality, which launches this summer. Also, Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 games will be available for the 3DS Virtual Console, which you'll remember comes along with the eShop update that's scheduled for late May.

The biggest news, though, is that a new Super Mario game is coming to the 3DS! It's being developed by the same team that did the Galaxy games on the Wii, which can only portend amazing things. We'll learn a lot more about this one at E3.

Thanks to GoNintendo for being awesome as always.