True Jedi

Image via videogamesblogger.com

I know I should have been doing my taxes last night and not playing my new Lego Star Wars III: Clone Wars game, but my only justification is that I didn’t want to stare at my computer screen anymore, so why not stare at a 3D video and deteriorate my vision?

I’m still getting used to the 3DS considering I just got this game yesterday, and I already forgot to save–legitimately I forgot that the “start” button was on the bottom of the screen and instead of hitting “Start” to pause the game, I “accidentally” hit the “POWER” button. Good thing I was only bout 1.3% into the game, otherwise, random objects would have been thrown.

So even though I’ve played about 3 hours of this game thus far, I can already tell you that the battery life on the 3DS is AWFUL. I played for 3 hours and I got the low battery warning. About 5 mins later the game system shut off. Again, I didn’t get to a checkpoint to save. Can you tell it was not such a good night?

On the bright side, with the Lego Star Wars games, you can always go back to a previous level after you’ve acquired certain characters (Jedi’s, Siths, Bounty Hunters…) and access different parts of the stage, so I didn’t really mind replaying certain parts of the game, even though recollecting all those tokens is not so enjoyable the 3rd time around. How is the gameplay on this system with this particular game? It’s very similar to the Lego Star Wars III: Clone Wars for the PS3. Obviously, some of the “challenges” have been adjusted to fit the 3DS–use of the stylus, for example. If you’ve ever played one of those Lego video games, you’d probably understand why the difficulty level is generally low on these games, but they are still very enjoyable and clever in adapting the content into a game. For instance, Jedi characters being able to use the Force to move objects around, using your lightsaber to scale walls, cut holes into doorways… the little details were not missed.

I think the one drawback to playing games on the 3DS though, is how I felt the 3D graphics were screwing with my eyes. If you don’t hold the 3DS at the correct angle while you play, the images look blurry and trippy since only the top screen is in 3D. I felt like this after about an hour and a half, then I turned the 3D off. The images then seemed too flat and unexciting to me so I turned the 3D settings back up again. I just don’t think I can play on this system for a long time even though the colors are so vivid and I much prefer the Circle Pad over the Control Pad.

Looking at the graphics on this system though, makes me VERY excited for “Ocarina of Time”, because I look forward to … spending weekends staying at home conquering temples…. and stuff…

AWWWYEAAAHH REMIXES

If you “liked” us on Facebook, this post will include media I have already posted previously, and then some.

I do spend (time well spent is not time wasted) a lot of time on the internet–guilty of creating my own captions for memes too…. and sometimes I do find some pretty cool shiyet. This cool shiyet is usually in the form of music. Sometimes it’s “a holy light has shone from above”! As in the case of these video game-related remixes below:

1. Super Smash Bros. Melee MIX by Middle Finger Music

2. The Legend of Zelda Electrixx Remix by Electrixx

3. Star Wars intro by Asian Trash Boy (not a video game but it’s too superb for me not to post)

4. Nintendo mash-up with Legend of Zelda theme, Mario Bros. theme and Tetris theme by Yenn

5. Sonic the Hedgehog theme mash-up with ATB’s “Don’t Stop” by FunWithBonus

6. Tetris theme (Boo Remix)

7. Ocarina of Time electro medley by The Bea7nix

8. Tomb Raider theme (Lo-Gravity Remix) by Vertigo

And these are all guaranteed to be much more interesting with some Captain Shepard dancing: http://www.gifsoup.com/view/321301/shepard-dance.html

There are a ton of other remixes out there but these are just a few of my favorites; it’s always nice to see these classic melodies being remixed and reintroduced.

BERFDAY.

Birthdays, something we as youth under the age of 18 looked forward to every year. But I am not turning 18 in 2 weeks, rather, 24, and I can’t say I’m anticipating it, the getting older part. Sure, I’m having a huge party at a restaurant/bar and getting smashed–isn’t everything we do after the age of 21 alcohol-related? I didn’t realize how “old” I was until I went shopping for fucking RED WINE at Ralph’s in ADDITION to my groceries. Anyway, you don’t care about my birthday. What you do care about though, is that February 21st was the 25th birthday of The Legend of Zelda.

Where can I get one?! Image via answerbag.com

This takes me back to my childhood as The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was the very first Gameboy game I had ever played. I would play it at my friend’s house, and we spent so much time trying to clear the first temple we eventually gave up. Then I got internet and looked up the Holy Invisible Hand known as The WALKTHROUGH and learned I just needed to move a fucking BRICK to open one of the doors in the temple. Talk about noob status. (But does ANYBODY remember stealing from the shop owner? Lol.)

After Link’s Awakening, I was pretty hooked on the Zelda games. I also had a lot of free time back then to fuck around, slash at chickens and destroy bushes for rupees. Now I just hunt for treasure chests because that’s obviously more efficient.

Link's Awakening. Image via vgchartz.com

The Legend of Zelda has come a long, long way. Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks are two of my favorite games, and I can’t wait for Skyward Sword to release later this year (for the Wii), Ocarina of Time for the 3DS. The game developers top themselves every time, and the magic of this is that they aren’t reinventing the wheel–I truly appreciate how they take advantage of the console each particular game is released for. Skyward Sword is supposedly more difficult than Twilight Princess as it fully incorporates the Wii Motion Plus control and therefore, you cannot aimlessly swing the remote around thinking you’re going to destroy your target…. not that I do that.

1up.com has a damn intensive tribute to TLoZ, which you can visit by clicking the first part of this sentence, but below are just some of my favorite TLoZ ITEMS, which have now become pretty damn iconic:

(not in any particular order)

1. Grappling hook (Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass) – seriously so helpful for jumping around and nabbing treasure chests. Where can I get one in real life to encourage my already indolent lifestyle?

Image via piranhazone.com

2. Spirit Flute (Spirit Tracks) – I liked that you actually had to blow into the DS (as opposed to just pushing buttons for the Ocarina), but when you’re doing that at the doctor’s office (especially if you’re a 20-some year-old female), you don’t look cool.

Image via zeldadungeon.net

3. Boomerang – I seriously looked forward to acquiring this item every game, the grappling hook is like a slightly more Indiana Jones-esque boomerang, because it’s not as practical as the boomerang. “Practical as the boomerang”, a phrase I may never use outside of gaming.

Image via gametrailers.com

4. Bomb Arrow (Link’s Awakening, Twilight Princess) – So you can’t get this anywhere but seriously, bomb arrows are bomb. Unless you don’t release it in time…

Image via zeldadungeon.net

5. Phantom Sword (Phantom Hourglass) – HELL YEAH KILL THEM PHANTOMS.

Lol you gotta love Oshus. Image via wikia.com

6. Fishing rod (Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass) – Still one of my favorite ways to kill time in-game and receive cool prizes. LIKE PIECES OF HEARTS OHHHH YEAH.

Image via wikia.com

7. Bomb bag – Because you can never have enough bombs

image via zeldadungeon.net

And just because people love to remix Zelda songs,  here’s the one I’m currently listening to:

A Legend of Zelda post is not complete without a mention of THE LEGEND OF NEIL.

Felicia Day as the fairy, absolute gold. Image via nerdreactor.com

DAMN YOU, NICOLE.

OG Oregon Trail. Image via latimes.com

That’s right. I’m playing Oregon Trail. On Facebook. Right now. Brings back fond memories of the computer lab in…1st? 2nd? grade? cursing at the person in my wagon who kept getting a fever and wouldn’t heal properly. Cursing at all the damn rocks as I navigated on the rivers. Cursing at the fucking rabbits that got away when I tried to hunt them for food. Ah, elementary school memories.

I’m sitting here now, waiting at Alcove Spring for my energy to refill (yeup, like Mafia Wars, without the participation in illegal activities–part). I’ve already figured out which one of my teammates is the one who keeps getting sick every 20 miles and won’t heal, and have already had to repair my wagon. It’s been so long since I’ve played that I’m not sure if I even stocked up appropriately for my journey to Oregon, but the “hunt” option is part of the “mini-games” located next to the “speed” and “inventory” icons on the bottom menu. Maybe it’s because I’m on a notebook computer and the trackpad is confusing the cursor but hunting is not really that easy. There’s a rating for “epic kill”–it’s not for killing a bear–I just killed one and didn’t get congratulated on it. So… I have yet to find out what the epic kill is. Bison?

But you can’t hunt too often otherwise you run low on energy. *twiddles thumbs*

New Oregon Trail.

You know, I will admit that I am that person who hides all the game feeds and will hide your feed if all your updates are about which building you just pillaged in Mafia Wars–don’t publish that shit, Facebook friends.

But I will play Oregon Trail on Facebook for memory’s sake so fuck off and don’t judge me.

Oh, and also, Happy Chinese New Year, if you’re Chinese. Just acknowledging, that’s all. We’re all …cultured and socially… aware over here at The G-Spot…

Broomsticks and Snitches and …College Students?

There are very few things that can make me wish I lived on the East Coast. (I can’t handle the cold. California’s a chilly 54ºF right now and I’m wearing three layers, fuzzy socks and huddled under a blanket…)

However, this weekend, I would brave the bracing cold of a New York fall for the Fourth Annual International Quidditch World Cup (Muggle version).

Blurb from the official website says “On November 13 and 14, 2010, 46 official Quidditch teams from around the world – a total of 757 athletes – will descend on New York City for the Fourth Annual Quidditch World Cup. The teams are from 42 colleges and universities, three high schools, and one local community team, all from the USA and Canada.”

(Two countries involved, so it’s officially “international” and “from all over the world” apparently.) (Alright, to be fair, there are over 45 countries in the actual league, so that’s International, even if the actual cup isn’t yet.)

See the following video from last year’s World Cup for an idea of what it’s like.

The rules are pretty simple, modified though they are so that we mere Muggles can play this game of wizards. The players’ positions and duties are basically the same: Seeker, Chasers, Keeper, Beaters. The only real difference is that the snitch is real person (usually dressed in gold or yellow, sometimes with wings) to make up for our sad lack of actual magical flying golden balls. Well, that, and the fact that the broomsticks and Bludgers don’t really fly on their own either…

Sports and nerdiness are not completely separate, it seems. And the combination is pretty close to awesome.