3LL's 3DS Odyssey: Part 1

Hello, dear reader. It's been a week since I've made a new blog post, and coincidentally, it's been a week since the 3DS was launched in North America. And what a week it was. A week of seeing, a week of believing. A week of StreetPassing, a week of SpotPassing. A week of reality augmenting, a week of face raiding. A week of... umm, sorry about that. Didn't mean to go all Charles Dickens on you. Apologies.

I decided back then to forgo rushing some quick impressions up on the site and instead wait a week, get a good feel for the device, learn its ins and outs, and then write about my impressions, thoughts, criticisms, and what have you. I'm going to break this up into parts, since I'm sure no one wants to read giant, rambling walls of text. This first part, appropriately titled "Part 1", will be about my launch day experience, which I'm sure a lot of you will find boring, but just think of it as a necessary introduction into more interesting things to come later, okay? Alright, here we go.

Before I could set my eyes upon the 3D screen for the first time and start playing, I had to, you know, buy one. All signs leading up to the launch suggested incredible scarcity, so naturally I didn't do a pre-order, because I'm just that cool. Instead, I phoned up a bunch of local retailers to see if they were going to have any. First GameStop, no luck. Second GameStop, the same. Third GameStop, they said they'd probably have a few. Cool. I decided to also try the local Target, and the helpful man on the phone said that they were going to have a bunch available. Right on! I always knew not being prudent and refusing to get a pre-order would pay off in the end.

Early morning, Sunday March 27th, and it's time to head out and pick up my 3DS. I got there a little bit before the store opened, just in case there was going to be a bunch of people lining up. There weren't. Oh well. I got in and, at last, purchased my Aqua Blue 3DS. The person working there said they had 24 3DSes, which surprised me a little that they had so many available, but as I'd learn later, it seems like supply shortages turned out to not be much of an issue at all. A lot has been made about whether this means the 3DS is selling poorly or whether it just means that Nintendo manufactured an adequate supply of units this time as opposed to the Wii launch, where there was nary a Wii to be found anywhere (except on eBay for a ridiculously gouged price). I'm inclined to believe the latter.

And so, triumphant, with 3DS in hand, I returned home. Then, all of a sudden, without warning, THE MOST INCREDI*... nah, I think I'll stop here for now. Tune in next time to hear about my initial impressions! Same bat-time, same bat-channel.

* nothing exciting or unexpected actually happens, I'm just trying to drum up suspense for the next part of this feature.

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.

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.

Look Back: The Music of Square SNES Games

Without a doubt, my favorite game system of all time is the SNES. It had an absolute abundance of amazing titles, too many for me to even attempt to list them all. And where there's great games, great game music is sure to follow. For this blog post, I'm going to focus particularly on the games of Square (now Square Enix).

Some game developers, in my mind, become almost synonymous with certain systems because of the library of awesome games they create on those systems. Rare with the N64, Valve with the PC, and Square with the SNES are some examples for me. The SNES was a hotbed for amazing RPG games, and Square was right in the thick of it, developing a number of incredible RPGs for the venerable console. Below, I've embedded a song from six different Square RPGs for the SNES. Each game had so many great tunes that I could have easily picked 7 or 8 per game, but I've got to stop myself somewhere, right? Enjoy!

Final Fantasy IV

Boss Battle Theme - composed by Nobuo Uematsu



Secret of Mana

What the Forest Taught Me - composed by Hiroki Kikuta



Super Mario RPG

Nimbus Land - composed by Yoko Shimomura



Secret of Evermore

Ivor Tower (The Town) - composed by Jeremy Soule



Chrono Trigger

600AD (Yearnings of Wind) - composed by Yasunrori Mitsuda



Final Fantasy VI

Locke's Theme - composed by Nobuo Uematsu

3LL's 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2011

2011 is going to be an absolutely ridiculous year for gaming. Just taking a cursory glance at the release list makes my wallet silently weep within my pocket. So, in anticipation of the glory 2011 will surely bring, I put together a little list of the games I’m most excited about. In a testament to the amazing depth of titles coming next year, I had to leave off games like Crysis 2, Dragon Age 2, L.A. Noire, Gears of War 3, Batman: Arkham City… the list really goes on and on.  Of course, there’s always the ever-present threat that some of these games might get pushed back to 2012 (or beyond), but for now I’ll just assume everything will remain on track. Aaaaaand the survey says:

10) The Lord of the Rings: War in the North

An M-rated Lord of the Rings game exploring a little-told history of Middle Earth? Yes, please, with sprinkles. It even has 3 player co-op, so your friends can join in on the orc slaughtering.

9) Deus Ex: Human Revolution

If you ever need to get a PC gamer’s attention, just say “Deus Ex”. The 2000 original still holds its place as one of the greatest games of all time, so if Human Revolution can be more like that and less like Invisible War, then you’ve got a winner.

8) Marvel vs. Capcom 3

I wanna take you for a ride. Now that I’ve made that reference, I don’t know what else to say about this one. It’s Marvel vs. Capcom, it’s going to be awesome.

7) Portal 2

Spoiler: Gabe Newell ate the cake.

6) Rage

This game impresses me based on the tech alone. If id can really make that next quantum leap in FPS gameplay and enemy AI, then Rage will be a surefire hit.

5) Duke Nukem Forever

Any other year and this would be a joke, but this time it actually seems like Duke Nukem Forever is, in fact, nearing the end of its 13 year odyssey. Thanks to new developer Gearbox, it looks like we’re finally going to get to play The Duke’s latest endeavor into ass-kicking and bubblegum-running-out-of in 2011. Hail to the king, baby.

4) Shadows of the Damned

Suda 51? Awesome. Shinji Mikami? Just as awesome. So the two of them collaborating on a new game? That’s, like, double-awesome, isn’t it? Shadows of the Damned: double-awesome, as proven mathematically just now.

3) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Is there anything better than a game that sucks over 100 hours of your life away, but you love every minute of it? Perhaps, in fact I’m sure there are a lot of things that are better, but the point I’m trying to make is that Oblivion was awesome, and now the next game in the venerable Elder Scrolls series is on its way. All we’ve seen so far is a short teaser trailer, but all I need to know is that it exists and I’m pumped. Dragons!

2) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Anytime a new Zelda game is on the horizon, it instantly becomes one of my most-anticipated games, and Skyward Sword is certainly no exception. This is perhaps the biggest leap in game design the series has seen since Ocarina of Time, with the Wii MotionPlus being heavily relied upon for precise swordplay and actions. Buggy E3 2010 demo aside, I can’t wait to experience how this game plays. And as a last thought, I love the graphic style. It’s like what A Link to the Past would look like if it were a 3D game.

1) 3DS

Wow, what a cop-out by me, picking an entire system instead of a single game. Nonetheless, my most anticipated game (system) for 2011 is the 3DS. Why? Because it offers a completely new gaming experience that actually has the potential to enhance games by providing players with a sense a depth to better estimate distance. Also, no stupid glasses. Also also, the games: Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Super Street Fighter IV, Kid Icarus, Star Fox, Mario Kart, et al. Who knows if all the games we saw at E3 last year are going to see the light of say this year, but it’s still an impressive list. DS, you’ve had a great run, but 2011 belongs to the mighty 3DS.

New Sponsored Stats for Madden 11

In case you hadn't heard, Madden 11 will introduce sports gaming's first ever sponsored stat with the "swagger" rating (SWG) sponsored by Old Spice, as you can see below:

 image from Kotaku.com

The corporate fun doesn't stop there, though, as Madden 11 will also feature three more sponsored stats that will revolutionize Madden as we know it. I'm proud to announce that Three-Life Legends has the exclusive scoop on these game-changing stats, and here they are:

Choke Factor (CHK) sponsored by the American Heart Association

In an effort to promote awareness for CPR and Heimlich Maneuver training, the American Heart Association has sponsored the CHK stat. The higher a player's CHK rating, the more likely they are to completely botch a play in crunch time of important games. Brett Favre's CHK rating see's a big increase in Madden 11 after his game-ending interception in last year's NFC Championship game.

Diva-ness (DVA) sponsored by Victoria's Secret

Finally, a stat that chronicles a player's propensity to act like a diva! Dropped passes, lackadaisical effort, and sideline arguments abound for players with a high DVA rating. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco lead the league in this category.

Al Davis Factor (ADF) sponsored by the SyFy network

A team stat that measures how much Al Davis has permeated a football franchise. If your team has a high ADF, players you draft become busts, players your trade for become worthless, and players you sign as free agents become over-payed shells of their former selves (in Madden terms, this means all of their stats go down the toilet). The specter of Al Davis' ghoulish visage haunts those with high ADF ratings. The Raiders have a 100 ADF, while every other team in the league gets a 0 ADF.

3DS Virtual Console: 3D Updates to Classic Games?

After the addition of the DSi Ware shop service on the DSi, it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that Nintendo's true next generation handheld would likewise feature a download service of some sort. Lo and behold, company prez Satoru Iwata says in a recent interview: "I can’t go into detail on what the plans are today, but of course, with a device like Nintendo 3DS, we do intend to offer some type of digital distribution." What kind of digital distribution? Nintendo fans have long clamored for a handheld virtual console that would offer up classic handheld games from the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, etc. in a way akin to what the Wii virtual console does with old school console games. Well, there may be a virtual console service for the 3DS, but it may not be what you're expecting.

According to IGN's Nintendo Voice Chat podcast, 18 NES and SNES games were demoed on the 3DS at E3 this past week, including Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man 2. Plus, we know that a pair of N64 classics, Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time, were also shown at the convention. It sure seems like a lot of "old" games were being shown for this brand new system. Why would Nintendo do that? Did they just want to throw together a bunch of quick demos with games people were already familiar with in order to highlight the 3D effect? Or maybe, and rather likely, Nintendo was showing off some of the titles it will be offering in a new, 3D-updated virtual console for the 3DS. While it may seem like it would be a long and arduous process to go back through entire libraries of games and update them to utilize 3D effects, but Iwata said in the same interview that: "From a development perspective, it actually does not make much of a difference in terms of development costs to create the 3D visual effect." So maybe this is actually a great business decision by Nintendo: jazz up the classics with a 3D effect on the cheap and sell it back to us for a tidy sum. Think about it; how many times has Nintendo repackaged the original Super Mario Bros. to consumers, and how many times have you bought that same game?

So in all likelihood, we're going to see a 3D virtual console for 3DS that enhances classic games with new visual magic. Will Game Boy games be included in there somewhere, even if only in 2D? I'm thinking probably not, and definitely not at launch. What about those unlucky few games that were doomed to appear on Nintendo's first major foray into 3D: the Virtual Boy? Maybe. It makes a lot of sense, so that means Nintendo probably won't do it just so they can cackle callously at the suffering masses while they sip virgin blood from a solid gold goblet. So that just leaves us with the console games. Am I excited by the prospect of playing side-scrolling NES games in 3D? Not really. Am I excited by the prospect of playing Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time in 3D? Absolutely. So bring on the 3D virtual console, I say, just try and make sure it gets better support than DSi Ware.

Look Back: The Bosses of Zelda Twilight Princess

Last week at E3, we all got our first look at The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii. Technical issues during the press conference notwithstanding (I still feel bad for Miyamoto), it looked fantastic. With the next console Zelda on the horizon, it's a great time to take a look back at the last iteration of the great franchise, Twilight Princess, and its awesome boss battles.

Now, if you consider yourself a gamer of any credence, chances are you've played Ocarina of Time. Hopefully you have finished said game, in which case you've experienced the epic final showdown with Ganon. So far, nothing has come close to topping that as far as boss battles in Zelda games are concerned. However, if you consider all of the bosses throughout the game as a whole, I think you'd have to give the nod to Twilight Princess as tops among Zeldas. I mean, OoT is an amazing game certainly, but do you remember the water temple boss? The development team must have phoned it in the day they came up with that thing...

But, what I want to talk about here is Twilight Princess' bosses. They're easy to dispatch once you figure out their patterns/weakness, yes, but they are well-designed and make for some memorable moments. So with that said, let's take a look at some of those big bads:

Forest Temple - Diababa

To start things off, the first boss you encounter is this giant plant thing (technical term). It's pretty a decent take on the plant-type creatures that show up throughout Zelda games, though not exactly awe-inspiring as an ultimate embodiment of evil among floral folk. For a first boss, though, it wasn't bad at all. Use the gale boomerang to carry bombs over to it and wham-bam-boom, it's dead. Solid design, first dungeon, pretty good.

Goron Mines - Fyrus

First made famous for his appearances in E3 trailers and demos, this big burning dude is the next foe. For you Lord of the Rings fans out there, he's essentially a Balrog. Arrow to the face, drag his chains while weighted down with the iron boots, and he's a goner. Simple, easy, but the scale of this boss lends a certain level of epicness (another technical term) to the game that will build up as you progress.

Lakebed Temple - Morpheel

OK, now we're talking. This is where I think the quality in the boss designs starts to really pick up. It first appears to be some kind of lame squid thing, but after a couple of eye pokes, it busts out from under the sand and OH SHI-. There's definitely some inspiration taken from Majoras Mask's water dungeon boss, but this one dwarfs it in scale and impact. Swim around, clawshot onto its back, and take that sucker down. I think you'd have to consider this one of if not the best boss of a water dungeon in Zelda history. But the hits just keep coming, because next up...

Arbiter's Grounds - Stallord

... you come face to face with this dude. Seriously, this thing is huge. In an inspired use of the spinner gameplay mechanic, you ride around on the spinner until you get behind Stallord, then you launch yourself at its spine and knock it down a peg. After a couple of strikes, it crumbles and a giant pillar emerges from the ground. You head over to the, uhh, head, only to have it come back to life. This is where this boss gets even more awesome; you engage the skull in a high-speed chase while on the spinner, jumping from wall to wall as it tries to hit you with its fireballs. Really fantastic sense of scale with some great action to boot.

Snowpeak Mansion - Blizzeta

In this case, it's not the boss itself that makes this great; it's the means by which you take it down. With the floor covered in ice, you look at the reflection on the ice of Blizzeta to determine where she will strike. It also didn't hurt that you used the game's most awesome item, the ball and chain, to defeat it.

Temple of Time - Armogohma

For the boss of the famed Temple of Time, one of the most sacred and important places in all of Zeldadom, the boss is... a giant freaking spider! Somehow I was expecting more than a giant spider for the Temple of Time. What was it even doing in there to begin with? Well, I guess as far as giant spiders go, this was a pretty good one. It was bigger and badder than the one in OoT, and to boot, you use the dominion rod to have giant statues to crush it. Thumbs up for that.

City in the Sky - Argorok

Now, you knew who the boss here was the moment you launced up to the City when Ooccoo pointed out, you know, the immense dragon terroizing the rest of the Oocca, but that didn't detract from the battle. In fact, it actually built up a little bit of suspense and dread. Once you finally get up to the top of the structure, it's go time. In order to take him out, you have to double-clawshot your way up two of four skycraper-sized chain towers, then clawshot onto it and put on the iron boots to pull it down and break its armor. After that, floating plants will rise up and circle the middle of the airspace. Using those to Spiderman your way around the dragon (while he's shooting fireballs at you, BTW), you take him out in the same fashion as before. Best boss fight in the game, I'd have to say. Such an epic scale for a dungeon boss.

Palace of Twilight - Zant

Zant! The mighty Zant, the boss of bosses in Twilight Princess. Well, it's not quite the Zant we all came to know and loathe. Prior to your confrontation, he goes a little bit insane. It kind of makes the boss fight itself rather pitiful in a way that almost makes you sorry for the guy. There's some great irony in him being built up as such an ultimate badass, only for him to reveal that he's just a power-hungry average joe who was being used by Ganondorf in order to make his evil return. Still, it would have been cool to actually have a new villain in the Zelda series to save us from Ganon fatigue. Oh well...

I think I'm going to stop there for now, lest I get into too deep of spoilers for some of you out there. I know it's an almost four year old game now, but I've made my point by now, right? Twilight Princess bosses... good. Now, I do know that there's a bit of a controversy about the final boss fight, Ganondorf, and how it failed to live up to the expectations of some. So, possible material for a future blog post? Perhaps...