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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Trailer + Story Speculation
…Well, it’s been a while since we’ve talked about Zelda on this blog, hasn’t it? 😛 And what better time to make up for that than right here. Now, keep in mind, as I’m typing this, I haven’t been watching Nintendo Treehouse for more info, as it’s one of those things where, if you didn’t watch from the beginning, you’re pretty much screwed, so I’m basing this article solely on the trailer. When the whole thing is posted as a single, viewable video, I’ll check it out and see what I got right. For now, though, here’s the trailer…
… … … …HOLY HYLIA. O_O So, let’s go ahead and get the obvious thing to do with this trailer out of the way: Figuring out where this takes place in the timeline. Well, we can very clearly spot the Bridge of Eldin in one scene, so as it pertains to the fork in the timeline, that tells me that this takes place in the same line as where Link went back in time, warned of Ganondorf’s plans, and thus Ganondorf was tried and executed for his crimes against Hyrule…well, or so people were led to believe, anyway. Granted, Hyrule has obviously gone through some changes since then, but then again, Hyrule in Twilight Princess looks different from how it did in Ocarina of Time, so it’s not too big a leap to suggest that this is the same Hyrule, only that things have changed in the time between the games. We see the Master Sword in the woods, which admittedly could be either the Lost Woods from A Link To The Past or the Sacred Grove from Twilight Princess, but regardless of which one it is, the place has clearly been overgrown by grass quite a bit.
Speaking of, the next thing I’m left to guess at is that a LONG time has passed between Twilight Princess (assuming I’m right about the timeline placement) and Breath of the Wild. What makes me say that? Well, a few things. Specifically, Hyrule seems a lot more lush when it comes to plant and wildlife than it did previously, and we don’t see ANYONE else in the trailer other than Link. That tells me one of two things happened: Either the Hylians all eventually moved on to new lands, leaving Hyrule to the other creatures that inhabit it, or there was some sort of disaster that occurred and that there are very few Hylians left. Naturally, I could be wrong in either case, and that Nintendo simply hasn’t shown off the Hylian settlements in the game yet, but I don’t think I am. Why? The title of the game is Breath of the Wild. Between the title and the gameplay, this game clearly has an emphasis on Link having to survive in the wilds with few to no one around to help him. We hear a voice in the trailer, but it doesn’t sound like she’s anyone who is talking directly with Link, instead being telepathy, or simply some other kind of voice in his head.
On the subject of Link, something odd I noticed during this trailer is that, at no point in it, do we see Link in his trademark green tunic. Instead, we see him in a lot of other kinds of clothes and even armour at one point. This seems to suggest that either Link will find different full outfits to wear along the journey, or that attire customization is going to be a thing in this game. Personally, I’m kind of hoping for the latter, but again, why the lack of the green tunic? Well, the tunic seems to be connected to the Hero of Hyrule, the one who saved it from evil, and thus is why Link wears it in his every incarnation, as he is destined to become the hero. So, why doesn’t he wear it here? One possibility is that he isn’t the hero in this game, or perhaps that he simply hasn’t earned the right yet. But there is one other thing to point out, as it pertains to the Hero of Hyrule: His weapon of choice, the Master Sword.
As we see in the trailer, the Master Sword is rusted and cracked all over. Now, why would this be? It’s been thousands, if not MILLIONS, of years since Skyward Sword, when the Goddess Sword was transformed into the Master Sword, and not once has it ever been shown to have this type of damage done to it. So why now? This would SEEM to suggest something very wrong has happened to it and/or to Hyrule. We know that monsters are not only roaming the land, but now have encampments and are much more organized, that there are massive Guardians around Hyrule, and that Ganon apparently plays a role in this game, but what does that indicate? Has Ganondorf finally taken over and gotten revenge? Has the Master Sword simply become too damaged because of the growing evil in the lands? Could something have happened to the link (pun intended) between it and the line of the hero? And where does that leave Link? Is he a survivor of a group that were hiding out in Hyrule and is now on his own, or some kind of explorer that’s returned to Hyrule to determine what’s happened after so long?
Well, right now, we have no answers. All we can do now is speculate as we wait for more details to arise between now and its release next year on the Wii U and NX. Still, lemme know what you all think of the trailer, as well as my ramblings, and we’ll see what comes up between now and the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Ja né!
Super Mario Maker & Freedom Planet Updates
So, two games I’ve been playing a lot of lately are getting updates/DLC soon, so let’s take a look at ’em. First up, Super Mario Maker.
THANK GOD! I even defended the lack of checkpoints in the game, until I actually played a few of the longer stages without them, and then I was like “Yeah, they need to put in checkpoints”. lol So yeah, looking forward to that. Next up, Freedom Planet.
So, for those wondering if we’d be able to play as those two, there’s your answer. Got any thoughts on these? Lemme know, and let’s hope we see more updates and content for these games in the future. Ja né!
Jyger’s Rant – Freedom Planet Review
So, you know how fans have complained for years and years about how the Sonic games have lacked a lot of what made them great back in the old Genesis days? And, you know, there’s a reason for that, and why 2D Sonic platformers nowadays, while I wouldn’t necessarily call them bad, have ultimately failed to capture that same feel: The people who developed the old Sega Genesis Sonic games don’t work at Sega anymore. It’s that simple. The developers at Sega don’t know how to make a Sonic the Hedgehog game that the hardcore fans (and, let’s face it, they are LEGION) have demanded for going-on-decades now. Mind you, I wasn’t among the fans that were complaining about the 3D Sonic games and begging for more 2D Sonic games… … …Then we had atrocities like Sonic The Hedgehog for the X-Box 360 and Playstation 3, we saw Sonic The Hedgehog 4 ultimately disappoint, and now we’ve got the Sonic Boom spin-off series that seems to have finally caused the fanbase to go completely insane, and at that point, even I couldn’t, in sound mind and judgment, like where the franchise was going. And if Sega can’t give us good Sonic games, we’re just gonna have to look elsewhere. The only problem is, where are we ever going to find a good Sonic-esque game being made nowa-
… … …HO. LY. SHIT! XD
Okay, real talk, I’ve actually been following Freedom Planet for some time now, ever since Liam and Woolie did a Let’s Play of the game a few months ago (so, thank you, Super Best Friends, for introducing me to this game), but I wanted to hold off on giving my opinions on it until I’d sat down and played it. As such, I had to wait until it was available on Wii U, which only happened the other day when I wasn’t paying attention. 😛 Also, despite the fact that it was originally thought up by the creators, GalaxyTrail, as a Sonic fan-game, it’s not EXACTLY the same. A number of people have brought up how the game looks and feels like if the video game developers, Treasure (developers of such games as Gunstar Heroes, Wario World, Mischief Makers, and Sin & Punishment), had obtained the rights to Sonic and made a game for the series. As such, it comes off both as a tribute to the Genesis Sonic games and a lot of other 2D platformers of that time trying to cash in on Sonic’s popularity, while also having its own unique identity.
The story of the game (which, FYI, you can pass over all of the cutscenes by playing the game in Classic Mode as opposed to Story Mode) stars Sash Lilac, a water dragon, and Carol Tea, a wildcat, as they find themselves in the middle of a conflict with an intergalactic warlord named Arktivus Brevon. Brevon, having crash-landed on their planet, seeks to leave by using the power of an ancient artifact called the Kingdom Stone. However, the Kingdom Stone is the world’s primary source of energy, and to obtain it, he sets a series of events into motion to force the three major nations of the world into conflict so that he can take the stone in the confusion. I won’t spoil the entire story, and a lot of the details can seem a bit glanced over at times, but let’s just say that a lot of the story focuses on trying to get the three nations to work together to stop Brevon, and on the friendship of the main characters.
One thing I think this game does smartly is that it introduces the idea of multiple playable characters with radically different styles of gameplay right away, and doesn’t have a single character get top billing. Sure, one can make the argument that Lilac is the main protagonist, since a lot of the story’s more epic moments occur around her (and, in early development, she was a hedgehog…and it shows, lol), but Carol is most definitely not left out of the fun. Let’s be honest: A big part of the reason people complain about other playable characters in the Sonic games is because the game is called Sonic The Hedgehog. It’s got nothing to do with if these characters are good or not (and, a lot of times, I actually rather like the side-characters in Sonic), or if they add anything fun or unique to the gameplay, it’s about how the game is supposed to be about Sonic. Here, we don’t have that problem. Lilac, even if she IS the main protagonist, does not do everything herself. Even when playing as her, there are points in the game where her friends will pop in to lend a hand, such as during a running boss fight where Carol rides her motorcycle (which is badass, btw) and does occasional attacks to the boss while your other friends drop items.
Such an epic boss fight, it’s the loading screen for the Wii U version when you start it up. XD
As for the gameplay itself, like I said, Lilac mostly plays like Sonic, but with other abilities tacked on, although these abilities are oftentimes required to survive. Her Dragon Boost allows her to rocket through the air in different directions, and she can use her hair to whip enemies and do a spinning double jump. Carol can scratch and pounce on foes, do wall jumps, and kick at lightning speed. The last playable character (and only in Classic Mode), Milla Basset, can do flutter jumps, dig through the dirt, pick up items, and produce energy fields that form shields, lasers, and blocks. I’ve heard that they plan to add more playable characters later on, but for now, these three are all cool, despite the lack of a Milla campaign taking place in the actual Story Mode. There’s also different difficulty levels: Casual, Easy, Normal, and Hard. Naturally, because I kinda suck at the old school Sonic games, I opted to go with Casual, just to start myself off. And frankly, I like that there’s a Casual Mode for guys like me to start off with and gradually grow in skill.
So yeah, if you’ve been missing games like the classic Sonic The Hedgehog games, Rocket Knight Adventures, Ristar, and so on, go and get Freedom Planet. It’s currently available on Wii U and Steam for less than 20 bucks, so as long as you have the means to pay for it, there’s no reason you can’t get it. And hey, when you do, feel free to come back here and lemme know what you thought of the game. Also, be sure to check out the designer of the main protagonists, Ziyo Ling, and her work. Ja né!
Earthbound Beginnings Available On The Wii U Virtual Console
…26 years ago in Japan, a game hit stores that ultimately laid the foundation for a whole new game franchise and changed a lot of lives.
The game was supposed to be released on Nintendo consoles in North America as Earthbound, but it was seemingly cancelled at the last minute, likely due to the fact that, at the time of their plans to release it, the Nintendo Entertainment System was being phased out in favour of the Super Nintendo. As such, it’s been unofficially referred to by English speaking fans as Earthbound Zero, and there was even an unreleased localization of the game found and distributed as such. If you want more information on the story behind Mother 1’s failure to launch in North America, or the whole series in general for a REALLY long time, go check out Roo of the Clan of the Grey Wolf or Derek Alexander’s videos on the subject. Regardless, though, for 26 years, there was no official release…
… … …UNTIL TODAY!
Remember, no crying until the end. ^_^
The Smash Bros Fighter Ballot
So, I was sitting around one day when, all of sudden, N. Harmonik sent me the link to something called the Smash Bros Fighter Ballot. What is it? Well, basically, Nintendo is getting the fans to vote for an upcoming DLC character for Super Smash Bros 4. It’s a simple form you have to fill out giving the character’s name, what game they appeared in, and why you think they would be a good addition to the roster.
Personally, I voted for Commander Shepard from Mass Effect. Not only does the character have a wide array of weapons, equipment, and moves that could make for an interesting fighter in the series, but they also have a very large fan base (despite EA kinda fucking over the series a little with Mass Effect 3), not only in having the choice of being a man or a woman (I personally prefer FemShep, please don’t hate me, Mark Meer), but also for having same-sex options for love interests either way, making Commander Shepard a popular character for LGBT video game fans.
Who would you vote for? Click the link below to vote yourself. The poll is open until October 3rd, 2015, so you’ve got plenty of time. Also, be sure to comment below as to which character you voted for, as well as others you might be interested to see appear in this or future Smash Bros games. Ja né!
E3 Info Pouring Out My Ears!!! (Mario, KH3, Pokémon, Smash Bros., Scribblenauts, and More!)
Holy crap, has there been a TON of info released at E3. First off…well, first off, let’s just get this outta the way, STEPHANIE BROWN IS IN SCRIBBLENAUTS!!!
“SCARY STEPHANIE BROWN”
Cried tears of joy when I saw that. I mean, I was already contemplating buying this game, but this sealed the deal for Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. And speaking of tears of joy, that brings me to another major announcement: Kingdom Hearts III is now officially under development, FINALLY! lol
According to Square-Enix, “Believing light and darkness must remain in balance, Master Xehanort seeks to spark war against the ‘tyranny of light’ to restore equilibrium. In an effort to undermine Xehanort’s plot, Sora, Donald and Goofy search for seven guardians of light and the ‘Key to Return Hearts,’ while King Mickey and Riku search for previous Keyblade wielders.” So apparently, this is the one that’ll finally wrap up the Xehanort storyline. Also, it is set to be released on the PS4 and Xbox One, no word on the Nintendo Wii U, but I remain hopeful nonetheless.
One game trailer that caught my attention was, surprisingly, Super Mario 3D World, where four players can play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad all at the same time.
So yeah, for anybody that says that Super Mario Bros. 2 doesn’t count toward Luigi and Peach being useful since it was a dream, guess what? lol And speaking of Mario, he appeared in a trailer for another game that I’ve been looking forward to…
I’m guess these are tentative titles, by the way. Oh, and if THAT wasn’t enough to get you hyped about the game, then there was the BIG announcement regarding a certain new challenger…
So yes, the current confirmed roster for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U consists of Mario, Donkey Kong, Fox, Samus, Pikachu, Link, Kirby, Bowser, Villager, Pit, and Mega Man. Also, looking like there will most definitely be a story mode of some sort, much to my immense joy.
Moving on, there was also a trailer for Pokémon, which confirmed a few things and revealed some new stuff…
Well, I think most of us called the Fairy-type, though a couple of the Pokémon that received it are kind of a surprise. Also, just gonna say it here, I am gonna have SO much fun with Pokémon-Amie. ^_^
And because I feel I should be generous and give credit where credit is due…Halo 5! 🙂
And that’s all for now. If there’s anything I forgot or just wanted to save for later, don’t freak, it’ll be up when it’s up. Ja ne!
Related articles
- Kingdom Hearts III Coming to Xbox One & PS4 (thegeektrench.com)
- E3 2013: Games Announced for Nintendo’s Wii U (nerdsagainsttheworlddotnet.wordpress.com)
- E3 2013: Mega Man Joins Super Smash Bros! (analogaddiction.org)
- Pokemon X and Pokemon Y Launch Date Confirmed, New Type Revealed! (nintychronicle.wordpress.com)
- Sora is all grown in up Kingdom Hearts 3 (gamesradar.com)
What I Bought Today – Injustice: Gods Among Us…The Game, Not The Comic (WARNING – SPOILERS)
Well, a certain game that I promised everyone I’d take a look at is out, which means it’s time to check out…
So, even though I don’t have an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Wii U, I got the game for the Wii U anyway since N. Harmonik DOES have one, and we generally try to hang out at least once a week. This means I have plenty of time to play the game regardless. So, with that said, let’s take a look at Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Now you’ve heard me rant and rave about this game, in particular how Lois Lane is murdered, how Superman kills Joker and becomes a tyrant, and how Damian Wayne murders Dick Grayson, takes his place as Nightwing, and joins Superman’s side. Also, one thing I forgot to mention, in addition to all of that, how Wonder Woman is completely for his actions and decides to try and get into a relationship with him (WHY do we keep seeing these two as a couple?!). However, here’s where NetherRealm Studios has thrown the mother of all curve balls at us. This is actually an alternate-realities-colliding story, where the heroes of a more traditional modern DC world are pulled between dimensions to help save this world where all this badness has happened. In other words, the mischaracterization was intentional. Now granted, this does have a level of lameness to it, since this plot has been done a number of times in comics and in the Justice League animated series, but my opinion is that if you feel you have something new to add, then go ahead and try it. Really, at this point, I’m more amazed they kept this a secret, although admittedly the clues have been there for a while now.
For a pacifist, Raven can seriously knock the snot outta ya.
So how are the characters handled otherwise? Pretty well. Certain elements of both the pre and post-Flashpoint universes are utilized to the point where it almost feels like a hybrid of the two. For example, Wonder Woman is still a demigod, but the Amazons’ back-stories seem unaltered. Her and Superman are just close friends as Superman is married to Lois. Also, Superman wears what appears to be a modified version of his New 52 Kryptonian Armour that’s had its belt changed to yellow, like his old tights had. Personality wise, everyone acts as you would expect: Aquaman is the badass king of Atlantis, Superman is the gentle giant who will alter plans to keep as many people out of harm’s way as possible, Wonder Woman is compassionate and strong of mind and body, Green Arrow is snarky and full of himself, and Flash…well, Barry Allen continues to make me wish Wally West was here instead. lol Also, for anybody bothered by the fact that Superman is the main villain, I should also note that it’s good Superman who takes him down.
Y’know, much as Mister Freeze would be awesome in this game, for the sake of keeping things fresh, I’m glad we got Killer Frost instead.
As far as the actual gameplay goes? Well, I never doubted it would be a good fighting game, considering the people who made it, and I was right not to. This game is as solid a fighter as you can expect nowadays. All the characters feel unique, each having their own superpowers, abilities, special moves, and whatnot. The playable characters are Aquaman, Ares, Bane, Batman, Black Adam, Catwoman, Cyborg, Deathstroke, Doomsday, The Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Harley Quinn, Hawkgirl, The Joker, Killer Frost, Lex Luthor, Nightwing, Raven, Shazam (formerly Captain Marvel), Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, Superman, and Wonder Woman. While I mostly played story mode and a couple of single battles (since we only had one controller and had to alternate between us), I will say that, thus far, my favourite characters to play as are Aquaman, Batman, and Nightwing.
Does anybody else wonder what would happen if Kratos was in this game too? lol
Can’t complain about the sound at all. The music and sound effects are all great, and having a lot of my favourite voice actors for various characters makes this all to easy to feel comfortable with. The graphics are fine, except in the very first cutscene with some VERY derpy looking police officers. One admittedly small thing I kinda have to bring up, though: We had captions turned on, basically out of habit since we never wanna miss important details in the dialogue and like to keep our bases covered, and for some reason, the captions never seemed in sync with what was going on in the cutscenes. Lines would appear several seconds after people started talking, and some lines of dialogue would be left out entirely. Not sure what that was all about.
Green Lantern’s light VS Sinestro’s might
So, with all this said, I’m sure this brings up a question: Does this change my opinion on the comics?……..No, not even a little. In fact, this actually opens up whole new issues. For example, if this was an alternate universe story and the characters’ alternate costumes were to differentiate them, then why are the characters of the universe where everything turns to crap wearing the costumes from the universe where everything turns out okay? Why does Superman say nothing to Joker when he kills him and Batman is seen doing nothing to stop him in the comics, when in the game, Superman yells at Joker for a long while and Batman has to be thrown away to keep him from stopping Clark? I get the feeling there was a lack of communication somewhere, or it was done to keep people in the dark. Either way, though, I am not a fan of the comics at all, aside from the one where Harley Quinn and Green Arrow hang out. THAT was adorably hilarious.
Superman = NOT A VILLAIN
So that’s my thoughts on the game. Does it have problems? Yes. Are elements of the story clichéd? Sure. But overall, I still liked it. It’s still a good game that I think a lot of people, be they comic book fans or fans of fighting games, would enjoy. Though here’s hoping that the next DC game is a little less dark and dire. That’s all from me for today, and I will see y’all tomorrow with my haul of comics…I am gonna be so broke by the end of the week. Ja né!
Who I’d Like To See In Smash Bros. 4
So, seeing as I am a big fan of the Super Smash Bros. series of games, and because I’m sure a lot of people are probably making their own guesses as to who will be in the upcoming Wii U/3DS game, I thought I’d take a moment to talk about who I’d like to see in the new game. First off, I’d like to say that I’d like to see all the fighters in Brawl return, albeit with modifications to some fighters. For example, Ganondorf needs to be changed up so that he’s not a carbon copy of Captain Falcon except made super slow. I don’t know of a single person whose best fighter is Ganondorf. With that said, here’s the new fighters I’d like to see show up…
Playable or Summonable Characters
Shadow the Hedgehog from Sonic the Hedgehog
The Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow is far more than just a dark version of Sonic. Technically, he’s already appeared in Brawl, but he was an Assist Trophy that slowed down enemies with Chaos Control. Instead, I’d like to see him be a fully playable character whose moves are more based off his moves in Sonic Battle.
Loid from Mother/Earthbound Zero
Well, we had one character from Mother 2/Earthbound and one character from Mother 3, so why not a character from Mother/Earthbound Zero? So why Loid instead of Ninten? Because Ness and Lucas are alike enough, and Ninten would likely be the same way. Loid, on the other hand, would use guns and gadgets to fight with instead of PSI, making him unique among his crew.
Poliwhirl from Pokémon
Yeah, I know, I’m kinda biased here, but I personally feel that Poliwhirl would make for an awesome playable character, or at least a callable Pokémon in a Poké Ball, that attacks with various Water attacks and maybe even an Ice Punch. For his Final Smash, I see him temporarily evolving into either Poliwrath or Politoed (decided by the player) to do different attacks.
Sora from Kingdom Hearts
I don’t care what they gotta do to make this happen someday, I wanna see Sora in Super Smash Bros. And considering that this next Smash Bros. game will be for the 3DS, it’d only make sense to have him appear as he did there. Obviously, his attacks would resemble his various signature techniques from Kingdom Hearts games, and for his Final Smash, I’m thinking he’d call in Riku to do an imitation of Eternal Session from Kingdom Hearts II.
Geno from Super Mario RPG
This would be one of the most awesome things to ever happen in Smash Bros. if Geno showed up. Geno is one of the most awesome characters of Super Mario RPG, and other than him being a trademarked character of Square Enix, I have no idea why his only other appearance was a mini-game cameo in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. This is a guy with a move that could obliterate any non-boss in one hit if performed correctly.
Waluigi from Mario Tennis
Again, another former Assist Trophy I’d like to see fleshed out into a full character. After all, Mario has Luigi to team up with in Smash Bros., I’m sure Wario would appreciate the same. Since he’s only ever appeared in spin-off games for Mario, Waluigi’s moves would probably be based off of the various spin-off games he’s been in, like hurling dice, smashing people with golf clubs and tennis rackets, driving into people with go karts, etc.
Bosses In Story Mode
Egg Dragoon (Ultra-Hyper Prototype 2) from Sonic Generations
Seeing Dr. Eggman as a boss would be glorious, and what better mechanised horror has he ever unleashed than the Egg Dragoon’s form in Sonic Generations. With enough speed to rival Sonic’s and enough to strength to stand up to Bowser, the Egg Dragoon would make for an awesome boss.
Mewtwo from Pokémon
I feel bad for poor Mewtwo. It got totally got shafted when Lucario came in and did everything it could do but better. However, I never really felt Mewtwo had a very good moveset in the games anyway and would work far better as a boss. Something approximate to Tabuu’s size, though not quite as powerful.
Smithy from Super Mario RPG
Again, as a big fan of Super Mario RPG, I would LOVE to see the appearance of characters from there, and who better to act as a boss than Smithy? That giant hammer, his mechanized minions, the multiple forms that change at random, he would be an excellent boss. Hell, you could build an entire story around him and Eggman teaming up.
…And that’s all for now. If I think of any more, I will post them later. Remember, we’ll be getting our first looks at the new game in both versions at E3 this June, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Ja né!
Jyger’s Semi-Final Frontier Facebook Poll
Yep, once again you guys get the chance to tell an internet reviewer what to do. Awesome, eh? lol
Images are from the Pokémon “The Semi-Final Frontier”, music is from Mass Effect 3, and no I have not played that game…yet. But I hear it’ll be on the Wii U, so…who knows? Might play it someday, if they fix the ending that is. Also, and I’m just gonna say this once, Femshep for Smash Bros. PERIOD. lol
Jyger's Rant 