Blueflower's Gaming Blog and Reviews

[blueflower999]

I don't usually do M-rated games, with the exception of Mortal Kombat. Sorry.

I'll think about it.

[SlowPokemon]

I don't do M rated games at all. I had to make an exception for this game though. Again though, it's just a suggestion, I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position.

[blueflower999]

How bad is the swearing? Mother 3 has a few d's and ba's, but no f's or s's.

[SlowPokemon]

Fairly frequent use of "dammit," occasional "sh*t" or "bastard," infrequent use of "f*ck" but it is there.

[blueflower999]

*Sigh...*
Probably not. 

[MaestroUGC]

I've heard great things about that game, I've been considering checking it out.

[SlowPokemon]

It's not like it's resident evil where you have zombies getting sliced in half and dissolving into pools of blood. This is more like a mystery novel.

*Sigh...*
Probably not. 

Do you not like to watch movies/play games with swearing in them?

I've heard great things about that game, I've been considering checking it out.

Do it. It's like $20 on amazon currently.

[blueflower999]

Do you not like to watch movies/play games with swearing in them?

That, and I would be worried about my parents.

[SlowPokemon]

Oh and it's made by the company who made Pokemon mystery dungeon.

Ah, ninjad. well just keep it in mind. Maybe discuss it with them first? That's what I did with my parents.

[blueflower999]

What did your parents think?

[MaestroUGC]

See, this is one on the benefits of being over 18.

That and I don't mind rough language as long as it's not needlessly excessive.

[SlowPokemon]

What did your parents think?

Well basically I showed my mom the ESRB rating and made sure she was okay with me ordering it. Same procedure as the first time I watched a rated R movie she hadn't seen (Sweeney Todd incidentally). Of course, I'm 16 (15 with the movie) so there might be a little more leeway (I can't remember how old you are) and then my parents have always kind of trusted me to make the right decisions in those departments. Maybe try highlighting the fact that it's a novel, and a lot like a mystery novel.

[Yugi]

So because a game swears, you have to wait until you're over 18 to buy it?

and 999 is only PG here.

[SlowPokemon]

I think they should just rate it T and put like a warning sticker of very strong language on the package.

[blueflower999]

2. Maybe something to tide you guys over (This may or may not be a surprise)

I bet you're all... dying to know what your big surprise is! Well, only 2 more pages!
...
...
...
...
SURPRISE! We're doing it now.
Nintendo Land:

Gameplay: 10/10 The gameplay is really what this game is all about. It's one of the most varied and fun games I've ever played, and if you're a fan of games that you can invite 4 other friends over, (Yes, this game has a FIVE player max) then this is the game for you. I really can't speak of it all in one section, so I'm going to look at every mini-game separately in one massive section:

Mario Chase (Hot Pursuit): Competitive Attraction. While this game is very fun, it's definitely one of the simplest games in Nintendo Land. Simplicity isn't always a bad thing, though. The person with the Gamepad is Mario, and the rest are toads. Mario can see the entire map, but the toads can only see what's in front of them. Mario runs away from the Toads, and if he can outrun or outhide them for the time limit, he wins. If a Toad catches him, they win. Once per game, a Starman (The powerup, not the kind from EarthBound) will appear in the center, which, if Mario can catch it, will grant him invincibility from attackers and increased speed for a time. The 3 stages are varied as well, which adds to the strategy. One is relatively normal, the 2nd is filled with mud, and the 3rd has slides that can only be slid down. All the songs that play are classic Mario themes that you should recognize, including ones from Mario 3, World, 64, and the original. The stages also change depending on how many players are playing. Overall, it's very fun and can be hectic if your friends are as crazy as my sisters and I.

Donkey Kong Crash Course (Full Tilt Obstacle Course): Solo Attraction. In this game, your Mii gets turned into a rolling thingamajigger which must make it to Pauline at the end of each stage. There are only 3 of them, but they are each very long and get incredibly difficult. The player moves by tilting the Gamepad left and right to move in the required direction. Too fast, and you die. You'll also have to use the ZL, ZR, and the left and right Glee Spinners to activate clear other obstacles on the course. It's pretty fun, and is probably one of the hardest attractions in the game.

Metroid Blast (Deep Space Shootout): Cooperative Attraction. My families favorite and most played attraction. Wow, Nintendo makes a shooter that I actually like? Of course! Metroid Prime proved to me that not all shooters are cliche and sucky. This one features heaps of Nestalgia (get it?) for those of you that have played the classic Metroid games like the one for the NES, and Super Metroid for the SNES. Bosses like Kraid return that I believe haven't been in a Metroid game in the longest time. Ridley, of course, is quite a challenge, and he also has an ice counterpart that makes him even tougher. There's some nice enemies in the main game, but what's just as fun after you beat all the missions is going head-to-head in battle mode. The players with the Wii Remotes and Nunchuks (as well at the Motion Pluses) are controlled like most Wii first person shooters. However, the one on the Gamepad flies in Samus's gunship. The 2 battle modes are everyone vs. everyone else on the ground, or the ones on the ground vs. the airship. It's quite crazy and fun, and will almost certainly be one of your favorite attractions.

Octopus Dance (Undersea Party Grooves!): Solo Attraction. This attraction I feel suffers from too much negative criticism. It's a dancing game that I actually LIKE. And I'm not really sure why! Maybe because the songs that you dance to are original and don't have annoying lyrics. Anyway, though, you control a person who is dancing. The SCUBA diver does 3 moves to 3 beats. You must then repeat those moves perfectly and in time with how he did it. It sounds simple, but it gets really complex when you have to start moving both arms in 2 different directions, tilting, jumping, and not being able to see when the Octopus sprays ink on the screen, kind of like the Blooper in Mario Kart Wii. Once you beat the first 5 levels, the game gets even harder by doing 3, 2, or even 1 move, so you have to stay on your toes to make sure you don't mess up.

Pikmin Adventure (Tame the Wilderness): Cooperative Attraction. AWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAH, you guys know how much of a sucker I am for Pikmin! I could have bought this game for just this attraction alone, it's just that good. I don't know if I'd call it my favorite attraction, because if you're expecting it to be like another Pikmin game, think again. This one is based way more on action, rather than the strategy of the main series. Still, the visuals are beautiful, you get to fight some of your favorite (sarcasm) enemies like Wollywogs and Blowhogs, as well as some new ones, like Beebs or Pinchipedes. It doesn't really feel like a Pikmin game, but that doesn't make it bad, does it? The person with the Gamepad is Olimar, who can't attack very much on his own, but throws Pikmin at enemies. The other people control Pikmin with Wii Remotes. They attack enemies directly. Has some of your favorite Pikmin tunes as well, like the final boss theme from Pikmin 2, The Forest Navel theme, the Valley of Repose theme, The Impact Site Theme, and some new original songs that are also pretty good.

Yoshi's Fruit Cart (On the Snack Trail): Solo Attraction. This is probably my least favorite Nintendo Land game, but it's still awesome. On the Gamepad, you can't see anything except for Yoshi, and the exit door, but on the TV, you see all the fruits that you need to nab. You must draw a line on the Gamepad and make Yoshi eat all of the fruits, then go to the door. It starts off fairly easy, but it gets harder when they start throwing in pitfalls and making the fruits move. It's casual, yes, but it's still fun.

The Legend of Zelda Battle Quest (Archery and Swordplay): Cooperative Attraction. Oh yeah, you knew this one was going to be awesome. Nintendo just doesn't slack off on Zelda. The Gamepad person is an archer, who snipes enemies from afar. The Wii Remote people have swords, and hack at enemies from up close. The game is long, fun, and if you've played Ocarina of Time and Link to the Past, you'll get a blast of nostalgia from the amazing music. The boss battles are good, the enemies are creative and plentiful in variety, and there's also a 2nd Time Trials mode.

Balloon Trip Breeze (Float with the Wind!): Solo Attraction. Ah, you also should know how much I love me some Balloon Fight. And Nintendo has brought the series back! Hooray! This is probably my favorite Solo Attraction as well. It's very similar to the NES Balloon Trip game, but with so much more depth. There are enemies along the way, mines to avoid, islands to stop at, powerups to get, and, of course, balloons to pop. You control the Balloon Fight guy by making strokes on the Gamepad with the stylus, and he moves in that direction. I haven't gotten to the definite end yet, but I'll say, it's pretty dang fun.

Animal Crossing Sweet Day (Eat and Run): Competitive Attraction. I have to wrap this up, because this is still just the first section! Thank you to everyone who is actually reading this. Anyway, in this game, the person with the Gamepad controls 2 gatekeepers, one with each Glee Spinner. The others run around the town eating candy that is found on the ground. With each bite, they get slower and slower, but they can also drop them and run. Once a certain total amount of candy is possessed by the animals, they win, but if the gatekeepers catch them 3 times, the animals lose. It's a lot of fun, just like all these games.

Captain Falcon's Twister Race (Race Against Time): Solo Attraction. This one I haven't had too much experience with, but it's still pretty good. You control the Blue Falcon by tiling the Gamepad, and you have to avoid obstacles like mines (Ugh), tacks, air vents, and other cars, while still making it to the goal. Simple, but racing gamers will be happy. The music is also reminiscent of past F-Zero games, and is well done.

Luigi's Ghost Mansion (Haunting Hijinks): Competitive Attraction. Ooooh, boy. This one is INSANE. The person with the Gamepad controls the ghost, which the others can't see on the TV. The ghost tries to scare the hunters by sneaking up on them, but the hunters have flash lights that they can use to catch the ghost. The ghost's HP is lowered whenever a flashlight is shined on him, but the lights have batteries, so they can't stay on all the time. If the ghost runs out of HP, the hunters win. If all of them faint, the ghost wins.

Takamaru's Ninja Castle (Throwing Star Showdown): Solo Attraction. This one I also haven't had a lot of experience with. You swipe the Gamepad and throw stars at the TV screen to hit enemies. It's cool, but it's also hard. There are numerous awesome abilities you can get along to way.

Addictiveness: 9/10 Like I said, this is the best party game I've ever played. It'll keep you hooked for quite a while. You have hundreds of collectibles you can get from playing pachinko with the coins you win from minigames, and all of these decorate the park beautifully. I still don't have all the possible prizes yet, and it's really nice that they took the time to add all of them.

Story: 0/10

Music: 9/10 Like I said above, this game is full of remixes of your favorite Nintendo songs. Brinstar, Big Blue, the City Theme from Animal Crossing, Dark World from Link to the Past, Mario 3's theme, and so much more. The game also gives you a jukebox as one of your prizes so that you can play tunes that you unlock. The remixes are done well, and there are also a few original songs in there that are decent as well.

Balloon Trip Breeze (Evening)

[close]

Dark World Theme

[close]

"Invastion", but a remix of Brinstar

[close]

Nintendo Land Plaza Theme (My favorite original song)

[close]

Character Design: 5/10 The only real character in this game is Monita, but she is pretty awesome. She acts as the tutorial of the game, but she does have a very subtle sense of humor, and overall is a likable character. Oh, and did I mention that the main villain of the game is Dark Monita? Yeah, Nintendo is poking fun at themselves a little by this point.

Humor: 7/10 This game doesn't always go out of its way to be funny, but it does have its funny moments. Just the fact that Dark Monita exists is pretty hysterical, but if you go around the plaza and read Monita's notes on the prizes you win, some of them can be pretty comical.

Difficulty: 7/10 Some of the missions in games like Metroid Blast and Pikmin Adventure can be challenging, but the game helps you beat them if you fail enough times. A few of the solo games can get pretty hard too, but it's usually a gradual increase, and won't frustrate you so much as to stop playing.

Other Memorable Features: Dark Monita is the best villain of any game ever.

Overall: 9.5/10 Such a great game. Seriously. If Pikmin 3 wasn't coming out on the Wii U, this alone would be good enough for me to buy one. If you're considering buying a Wii U, get the black version because it comes with this game. You won't regret it, I promise.