Pandora's Tower, the last of the Project Rainfall operation and probably the least recognizable of the three. Pandora's Tower is another RPG game, which uses elements of action-RPG's but is more level-based, especially compared to that of its two brethren, The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles. In addition, combat takes a bit of twist in this game as your sword/weapon of choice is not the only way to defeat enemies, in fact your chain (called Oraclos Chain) is a integral part of not only fighting, but exploration as well.

The story of Pandora's Tower is a relatively simple one, as you take the role of Aeron, a former solider of Athos, who is trying to save his girlfriend Elena. Elena is cursed while she is performing at the Harvest Festival, somehow transforming into a hideous beast. Upon running away from the Elyrian Army, Aeron and Elena get some help escaping the city from a Vestra merchant named Mavda. Mavda brings them to an abandoned tower called the Observatory and explains what is happening to Elena. After the explanation of the curse, Mavda gives Aeron the Oraclos Chain and tells him he must venture to the 13 Towers above the Scar and bring back the Flesh of each of the Masters; that is the only way to rid of the curse. Along your journey of defeating the Thirteen Masters, you learn about The Scar, what the Masters and monsters in the Towers really are, and how war has ravaged the land for nearly five centuries, and why Mavda had decided to "help" you. In a non-spoiler type fashion, the game has multiple endings depending on how you treat Elena (more explained below), so the story and its meanings do alter depending on which ending you get.



Like all RPG's, gameplay still consists of EXP, a health bar, and a bag to carry your items in. That's about the end of the generic RPG-gameplay for Pandora's Tower. Emphasis on gameplay relies on two things, your Oraclos Chain and your interaction with Elena. The interacting in the game is only done in one place, the Observatory. In the Observatory, you can save your game, rest, search the basement of the Tower for unreadable notes, buy/sell from Mavda, and most importantly talk with Elena. Talking with Elena is what effects the ending you will receive at the end of the game! You can talk to Elena about generic things (usually after the first two or three Talks, she says things that she will always say), you can ask her to translate texts, and most importantly you can give her gifts.

Giving gifts not only effects your Affinity Bar with Elena, but also may lead to Elena giving you items. For example, you can give things like Dryad Berries as, later on Elena will make you Cakes with it. You can also buy gifts from Mavda, like curtains, a rug, new dresses, etc. to increase the Affinity Bar at a much higher scale (of course these cost a lot of Leots [the currency]). Be careful though, because there are "bad gifts" you can give Elena, which will negatively effect your Affinity Bar.

Last things about the Observatory is interacting with the only other NPC in the entire game, Mavda. Mavda serves as the store, the blacksmith, and you can also talk to her in general. Talking with Mavda usually has to do with item hints in the specific Tower you are playing or about the monsters. She does not talk much about anything else other than sometimes joking around with you....in a very creepy manner. Mavda allows you to create items in of two fashions, making crafting in this game extremely easy. You can either "Create" an item or "Use a Material". Creating the item just shows the list of items that you are able to create with the materials you have. The "Use a Material" section shows you all the items you own, and by selecting the material you can see what items that are able to be created using the selected material. Mavda also upgrades your weapons, which receive levels* the more you upgrade them. As in creating they do require materials as well, but some of these higher upgrading levels have materials that are listed "????" until you find them.

Combat gameplay is similar to that of action-RPG. You have free control range of Aeron, you can attack enemies from any location, you can dodge-roll, guard, and of course run away with no extra charge. Aeron also has special attacks, meaning you can charge your weapon to do a more powerful attack. As you level weapons up so do your special attacks; so a level 2 sword would have two special attacks, the one charge special, or the new two charge special (activated by holding A and hearing a ring when you are surrounded by your blue aura). Special attacks are very important in defeating regular Beasts, as they do massive damage and save yourself time from fighting.



Now your Orcalos Chain is really what makes Pandora's Tower unique. This chain allows you travel all around dungeons, as well as serving as second hand weapon (and to boot the only way to defeat the Masters). The Chain is activated by pointing your Wiimote towards the screen (so yes you do need your Wiimote!) and pressing B. Fighting-wise the Chain allows you to chain enemies in turn immobilizing them, throw them, swing them around, or chain two enemies together. In addition, it allows you to rip off enemy armor or weapons, hit their airborne attacks, and/or damage them slightly. The Chain does have its own "health bar" meaning you cannot use the chain all the time (enemies break free or you use your full power of the chain) but do not fret, as the Chain can never break and can always be used. Exploration-wise the Chain serves as the key to puzzles. The Chain can open special locked doors, allows you to get to higher ground (you must find rocks you can chain up to), activates switches, and serves as a grappling mechanism to get to other platforms.

Key points to gameplay in Pandora's Tower is that of the element of time. Time is constantly moving in this game and it plays a major role in your curse and how the monsters are in the dungeon. The time is controlled like Xenoblade, using real-time and methods to choose what time you want to leave. If you start a dungeon in the morning, you most likely will return in the evening and vice versa. You can also sleep in your house, choosing what time you would like to wake up and venture, be it night or day. If you go the Towers during the Night, the monsters will be sleeping, however they will me more powerful versus the day. In addition, certain items are only found during the day and again some at night.

Now for the curse and time; Elena is cursed and only has a certain amount of hours before she completely transforms (this is displayed by a small circular chart on your screen). This chart is usually gray, but has two areas of blue and red. Getting to the Blue Area makes Elena "half-transform" and getting to the Red Area leaves you with little time before she completely transforms. Now, sometimes getting a Master Flesh takes longer than expected, so this is where your chain and beasts from the Towers come in. As you defeat an enemy, you have the option of destroying their body for an item or chaining their skin and pulling out Beast Flesh. This Beast Flesh serves as a delay to the curse, temporarily healing Elena to look human. There are different types of Beast Fleshes which give longer delay time, but most importantly they are needed to be given to Elena. Giving Beast Fleshes do increase your Affinity, as well as letting Elena transform does hurt your Affinity.



Last but not least equipment and items. If you have ever played Diablo you would be familiar with the equipment system that is used in Pandora's Tower. You are given a grid of a certain amount of squares and each item you equip takes a certain amount of blocks. For example, your sword takes six squares, so you lose six squares on your grid. Items can be placed either horizontally or vertically and your equipment grid upgrades every few level-ups or so. Items are held in your bag and are limited until you upgrade your pouch. One problem is that there are so many items in Pandora's Tower, you will constantly be trying to decide what you want to keep and what you should drop. Items are also not immune to harm, as if you get hit by a powerful attack (and anytime from a boss) an item may break and you will have to repair it at Mavda's shop. Beast Flesh can also go bad by leaving in your trunk or equipment bag for too long.

I was not all too impressed with the music in the game, as I felt the game was very barren and Resident Evil-esque where you footsteps were heard more than the music. The only time you hear music is when you come to the Observatory and hear Elena sing (which is very nice) or when you fight a boss battle and hear a full orchestrated tune.

Of course the replay-value is very high in this game, due to it having six different endings! Well, one of the endings is a game-over, but still watching them or wanting to get all the endings is a pretty fun challenge. In addition, the game gives you a New Game+, so you can keep all your items and maintain your level. And to boot, they give you checkpoints in New Game+ so you can start from whatever dungeon you want to!

Overall: 8/10

If you ever wanted to play a Resident Evil RPG game that includes Diablo and Zelda dungeon elements then Pandora's Tower may be your game. The story at first seems pretty simple but changes to a much darker tone and the non-true endings of the game are really something that boggle your mind. One problem with the game is how short it was, I beat the game in about 17 hours which is not RPG like at all. In addition, why would we have a regular weapon if they are a complete non-factor for fighting bosses?

Pros:

Unique battle system, chain implementation is fun
Smooth action-rpg
Gets more difficult as it progresses

Cons:

Short
Practically no music
Boss battles are chain only



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The fourth entry to the Paper Mario series and the first for handhelds, Paper Mario makes another return in his newest adventure Paper Mario Sticker Star. Paper Mario games normally play as standard RPG's with a twist, using your paper-overworld for over-the-top, wacky and fun gameplay. Sticker Star doesn't take a step from any of its predecessors and roughly creates its own game, which unfortunately isn't good news. Many fans of the Paper Mario series were not happy the direction Nintendo took with Super Paper Mario (Wii) as it was more of a Super Mario World game with RPG-elements; so Nintendo brought Paper Mario back to it's turn-by-turn battle system, although keeping the idea of "level-worlds".

Paper Mario Sticker Star storyis a simple one, in which Mario, Princess Peach, and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom are celebrating a Sticker Star festival in which a Sticker Comet lands in the Mushroom Kingdom once every year. The Sticker Comet has the ability to grant any wish and unfortunately (and shocker), Bowser crashes the party and touches the sticker, thus granting his wish and exploding the Sticker Star into six pieces. Upon realization that the town is destroyed and Bowser is wrecking havoc to the land, you meet a Sticker Fairy named Kertsi, who forces you to help accompany her to restore the Comet. Now, doing your Mario-civic duty you must rescue Princess Peach, save the Mushroom Kingdom, and restore the Sticker Comet!



Once again, gameplaytakes a drastic turn in the Paper Mario series, but not on the level of the series first. First, the over-world gameplay is bit similar to that of the Super Mario World/Super Mario Bros 3 world, where you select your levels. Gone are traveling town by town, warp-pipe to warp-pipe, or any other ridiculous manner; instead you just select levels in a boring fashion. In addition there are only two "real towns": Decalburg and Surfshine Harbor along with one "store-level" in each area/world. There is a maximum of six worlds, with each world containing a different amount of levels.

Entering a town or a level you control only Mario and are free to either talk, battle, or search the level. In towns, you visit stores to buy new stickers or you can "paperize things". Things play a huge part in Sticker Star, as they play a major component in solving world puzzles or becoming powerful stickers you can use for boss battles. Things are easily spotted in worlds, as they are not paper, so in turn they are 3D objects in a 2D plane world. Besides Things, stickers can be found anywhere in any world, at any time. To obtain stickers, you must peel them or you can find them in the various "?" Blocks. You can only hold a certain number of stickers in your album, although for each boss you defeat a new page is unlocked, allowing you to hold more stickers.

Stickers are the main component for battle gameplay. Battling in this game returns to its roots as it goes off a turn by turn basis, which you select your command/sticker. Stickers range from Regular, to Shiny, to Mega-Flash and come in all different shapes and sizes, so some may take more space than others in your album, but at the same time do more damage to an opponent. Most of Mario's battle stickers, that aren't Things, are different variations of a "Jump" sticker or a "Hammer" sticker (be it a metal jump or a fire hammer). Besides the usual Hammer and Jump stickers, a few new attacks have been given in this Paper Mario, such as the Raccoon Tail, making the POW block a command, and individual attacks for the Fireball.



Battle gameplay still retains the "action command" meaning you press A during your attack of the enemy, to prolong your attack and do more damage to an enemy. In addition to the action command, the defend button is gone, but you can still block using the action command. A difference in Sticker Star compared to that of the old Paper Mario's, is you can freely hold your defense command, while in the older installments, you have to press it at the correct time. A key note and a MAJOR difference from that of the old Paper Mario's is that there are no EXP points in this Paper Mario. Most Paper Mario's play as a normal RPG's, where you fight, level up, and boost a stat (badges, hp, or flower points); however in Paper Mario, two of the three stats do not exist, and battles are effectively useless (meaning if you want to lose your stickers). To raise your HP you must find a +5 Heart hidden in each level, but other than that you mainly learn attacks when you discover a new sticker.



One thing I have to say I love in Paper Mario Sticker Star is the music. The music in this game is fantastic, from new tunes, to remixes of old classic tunes (like the Warp Pipe theme) Sticker Star is one game you will truly miss out on if you play mute. In fact, one of the bosses (World 3 boss) has a his own theme in which he dances and attacks from, making it the most memorable and fun boss in the game.

Sticker Star does have a lot of in-game goodies and includes banners of goals they want you to reach, but still the game has a moderate-low replay-value. Once you beat the game you may not be inclined as much to go back and play the game, but if you missed finding Luigi, or wanted to unlock all the hidden Blue Door areas then go right ahead.

Overall: 7.3/10

I really wanted to love Paper Mario Sticker Star, I really did, because I love the Paper Mario series, but this game was easily the worst installment of the four. While I am one of the rare few who liked Super Paper Mario (Wii) the idea of Paper Mario seems to be taken for-granted at Nintendo, and they forgot what had made this game an instant classic. Yes, the story writing dialogue is still funny, but story isn't as motivating or complex. Most importantly, the ruined the gameplay in this game. People buy Paper Mario to play a good RPG, even fans of not huge long-hour grinding JRPG's buy Paper Mario to enjoy and play their possible only RPG of the year. I recently wrote something about Mario possibly being the new king of RPG's but this was a step backwards. I wasn't at all motivated to play this game, it didn't capture me, I clearly knew I was playing a game and I didn't want to go back sometimes. Why have an RPG with turn-based battles WHEN THERE IS NO POINTING IN BATTLING? I literally spent half my time finding clever ways to run away from enemies, so I wouldn't have to fight them. Look at Paper Mario 64, unforgettable characters, story, setting, ideas, gameplay, everything you want in any RPG not just a Paper Mario game. Getting rid of towns made this game feel like it just used the Paper Mario name and made its own individual game with no meaning towards the series.

I do have to say I enjoyed the level designs and the puzzles in them, because I did get stuck a few times. Using the Paper-element world in a unique but challenging way is something reminiscent of the Paper Mario series. I think about 5 times I smacked my forehead and went "duh" and should have noticed the shade a bit behind the wall. Other than that, I also enjoyed the final boss battle against Bowser, that was well designed and I had a lot of fun fighting him 5 times.*spoiler

Pros:

-Great music

-Challenging level/puzzle designs

Cons:

-Gameplay

-Unappealing

Hey guys, I decided to do my first ever unboxing. I wasn't really sure how to do it, but I would definitely like to do more like when I pick up my PS Vita or Wii U this summer, so any tips and/or advice would be nice! One problem we had was we shot this pretty late one night and did everything dry, but hey it's a learning process!

Other than that I hope you guys enjoy the unboxing of the Limited Edtion Pikachu 3DS XL and then the Transfer Process of 3DS to 3DS.

If you want to subscribe, I would more than appreciate it.

Right now Bill and I are running through Halo 4 with additional multiplayer levels as well.

Our Channel/LegendofMikeandBill

My Youtube/Supertroinabros

Bill's Youtube/DeathbySpoon31

Thank you!

Luigi, the most famous second-hand guy out there. We all know of him....as Mario's brother but this guy's popularity is more than some 'main' characters of other video game series! Since Nintendo has declared the year of 2013 to be the "Year of Luigi" and the fact that Luigi will be starring in many games this year ranging from Luigi Mansion 2 (release tomorrow), a new Mario & Luigi RPG game, and his own DLC pack for New Super Mario Bros U. (check Nintendo Direct), I thought I might as well dip my hand into the hat. I think it is time for Luigi to get his own real game, outside his usual forte of higher-jump Mario in the Super Mario Bros series. Yes, yes we all know Luigi did have the Mario is Missing games and his most famous solo-adventure Luigi's Mansion but I'm taking about a real Luigi adventure.

It's not easy being able to create your own adventure, especially when you need a new game different from Mario. This explains why Luigi has tagged along with Mario for some time now, even in Super Mario Galaxy 2 it was just Luigi being himself in Mario's game akin to his own style of gameplay (higher jump, slippery turns). So, here is my nice proposal list for Luigi to get his own 'real' adventure, something on the level of a Mario game.

1- Paper Luigi RPG

While I have not really thought of the best name for this RPG adventure for Luigi, the game idea has actually been brought up, by not me, but Luigi himself in Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door! As you may recall, Luigi was going off doing his own adventure to Mario's in TTYD and, while I love Paper Mario to the core, Luigi's own adventure seemed to be able to match that of Paper Mario. His story may add a little more humor and especially it would be more funny if he told it from a past perspective; as in writing in his diary so he could "stretch" the story like he usually does. For a Paper Luigi RPG, the game wouldn't have to be different at all from the classic Paper Mario way (think more of Paper Mario 64) but they can add special Luigi-esque features [like a Luigi Mansion type world] or change it up to feature possibly more mini-games since Luigi is a little more on the light-hearted side. Heck, the Professor (E. Gadd) can provide Luigi with new items in this game, to help him on his quest.



Paper Luigi can go both ways as a 3DS spinoff or a home console, either way I would love to play this.

2- Super Luigi Adventures

Super Luigi Adventures would be something in the mix of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, but obviously in its own Luigi-fashioned way. Why not put Luigi in his own town, on a way to meet up with Mario having to collect Power Crystals, and having it overran by one of Bowser's minions or Wario and Waluigi? While this may sound like a Super Mario 64 reboot, except with Luigi, there is nothing wrong with that classic 3D-world gameplay with a fun character. In fact, why not let Luigi use some things that haven't been used for 3D Mario's yet like a hammer as a weapon along with possibly giving him the thunder power of one of my personal favorites, Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga. [Which brings me to a point of making a Superstar Saga again but maybe 3D world, because although you were Mario and Luigi it was split perfectly that you WERE Mario and Luigi.]

This game would probably thrive better if it were meant for home consoles.



3- Super Mario Bros in....the unlikely trio

This game would be along the lines of Sly Cooper, in the fact of playing as different characters with different traits. Say the Mushroom Kingdom has become overrun or somebody that wasn't Bowser has not kidnapped Peach and the Mario Bros cannot defeat the threat by themselves; they team up with Bowser and go to save the Princess. Mario would have classic Mario-platforming gameplay, while Luigi would be more of the gadgets man (ranging from the Kart to his Poltergust 3000), while Bowser's stages would be full out destroying. Maybe to change up the flavor, you can make it co-op or call out your partners/switch at any time during the level if you feel like it. Again, this is the most non-Nintendo like idea I came up with just to see some change (although I despise change: see skyward sword).

Well, Luigi has always had my respect, see although I may be a Mario guy, as an older brother and younger brother I get both sides. Luigi, has his own cult be it him from Mario Party or Kart games, to his dominance as a secret character in all the Super Smash Bros games, Luigi is not-only the younger, taller brother of Mario (ironically so is my younger brother), but a mascot along with his brother of Nintendo and video games.




--

My youtube: TheLegendofMikeandBill and Supertroinabros

In light of my recent completions of Battletoads and Battletoads & Double Dragon on my Twitch account, I have decided to give all who didn't see a nice review, because no one saw. Battletoads, you know this game with a legacy for being child's play, as it could be one of the easiest games of all time. If you couldn't tell I was joking or if that was sarcasm you obviously don't know Battletoads.

Battletoads is a game developed by Rare in 1991 and was created to rival that of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That's right TMNT v. Battletoads was a thing of the 1990's; as both series spawned cartoons, arcade releases, and home-console games. Battletoads claim to fame was the difficulty that has in a sense become revered by the gaming community. Unfortunately, Battletoads has not spawned a new game since 1994 and it appears that Rare has moved on.

Battletoads (1991) was the first and the most difficult of all the Battletoads released originally for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Later the game was ported to various systems like the SEGA Genesis, GameGear, and other systems. The story of the original Battletoads has to do with Professor T. Bird and Three Battletoads, Rash, Zits, and Pimple, who are escorting Princess Angelica to her home planet. Pimple and Princess Angelica decide to take a leisure trip in Pimple's ship but are suddenly ambushed and captured by the Dark Queen. With that Pimple sends out a distress signal to the Vulture (your ship) and your adventure/rescue mission begins.



Instead of gifs I give you me beating the original Battletoads

Battletoads and Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team combines the villains of Double Dragon, the Shadow Warriors and that of the Dark Queen from Battletoads. With her plain to dominate the galaxy, the Battletoads decide to even the odds by requesting the help of Billy and Jimmy Lee. Now, with the Toads and the Double Dragon team united, they work together and invade the ship looming over Earth, the Colossus, to stop this immediate threat. This game was released on the SEGA Genesis as well as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.



Let's not forget the Ultimate Team ending

Battletoads is primarily a beat'em up style gameplay with occasional platforming aspects and special vehicle themed levels. The game is an arcade style co-op where players share continues and have individual HP bars as well as 1-UP's. You can easily join at any moment or drop out by simply dying, which is quite common in Battletoads. Attacking enemies has to do more a button mash combo, where you perform various uppercuts, punch combos, and may even attack while crouching or jumping. Battletoads also implements a dash method which gives you the opportunity, to not only run faster, but use a special ramming type attack. Sometimes enemies may drop weapons you can use (mainly a stick/bat) or random breakable objects can contain health or 1-UP's.

Battletoads music is fantastic, addicting, and is themed perfectly. The music gives you the sense of battle, urgency, and a bit of futuristic type feel, similar to that of Mega Man (but nowhere near that caliber). While the music from Battletoads & Double Dragon doesn't alter as much in comparison to the SNES and Genesis, the music for the 1991 Battletoads game, changes a bit as the SEGA Genesis had a higher quality audio, making the game look and sound better. If you would play Battletoads and then play Battletoads and Double Dragon, you would notice the change in graphics with cleaner textures and more use of a 3D background (which was quite rare for the time).

Replay-value wise Battletoads, as a series, stands in the middle. While going back to continue the game is a pain and dying is very common, there is something magical about the difficulty this game provides and the satisfaction of each level. When playing with a friend or sibling, get ready for some laughs, tears, and rage.

Overall:

Battletoads: 8.1/10

Battletoads and Double Dragon: 8/10

Battletoads is Battletoads. That really sums up the series but the Battletoads series, is a part of gaming history and deserves to be played by all. While Double Dragon was a nice crossover idea, I oddly found the game to be a little sub par to the original Battletoads, due to the fighting mechanic being a bit off. My favorite moments in Battletoads are always the super-fast orientated vehicle levels, not only due to their difficulty, but the speed as well.

Pros:

Fun multiplayer
Challenging

Cons:

Ending not worth it
Rage

Well I finished Skyward Sword a while ago, and I have to say it wasn't a grueling experience but it wasn't a fun one either. Skyward Sword was that super-anticipated send-off Wii game we got last November, before we jump into Nintendo's new home console the Wii U. Skyward Sword was met with mainly positive reviews except for one, Gamespot.

this blog here is for my opinion and my experience with the game, you are warned brethren



To start off, I want to say I was beyond excited for Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword. I believe my pre-order package with the Golden Wii-mote and time wasted constantly reading about this game had already sold me it was going to be an awesome experience. Unfortunately, fate wasn't kind to me as my Wii had broke (can't read discs) so I was limited to playing the game occasionally at my grandmother's. Skyward Sword had already changed any Zelda-element I had seen by incorporating a "What line you say next" in its gameplay when speaking with other characters. I didn't mind that idea too much, as it gave you/Link a little more life to your character rather than just a Yes and No kinda guy [which might still be better now that I think about it]

What bothered me right off the bat was your Stamina Bar. I remember people complaining how is it possible Link doesn't get tired for venturing around all of Hyrule? Well, Nintendo looking to appease, not its true fans, but dumb outsiders took it to heart and did something dumb. Now, Link would slow jog everywhere he went unless you wasted your sprint which was only fast if you would go straight forward. A good element they added though was the speed of Link going climbing or getting to higher places (meaning like on top of boxes, in which you do a two-step onto the top). It was a nice change from the usual, Link can only climb one pedestal per ladder awkward movement, that we had come to be...be patient with.

Next aspect that bothered me was Link couldn't pillage anymore. Link may be a Hero of Time, Light, etc. but he also was the best Viking in history but Nintendo decided to ruin that aspect. To get money or hearts, Link used to barge into your house and break pots in addition to checking your cabinets. In Skyward Sword you were not allowed to check others cabinets because it was "rude" and breaking pots was "bad" but, don't worry though, sleeping in everyone's bed was fine. Which brings me to my next point, there was no night-time adventuring for Link. If you slept till night, all you can do is walk around Skyloft listening to people sleep or complain while animals attacked you (if you didn't finish that demon's quest). I understand that night-time is "scary", but Legend of Zelda is known to have some memorable night-exploring in addition to moments. From playing with Bombchu's, to hunting down Poe's, night-time had become a stable in the 3D Legend of Zelda world which Skyward Sword rid of!

More Horrible Changes

If you believed that was the only thing that was wrong with Skyward Sword then get ready for whole lot more. Firstly, let us talk about Shields and overall items. A shield to have a stamina bar? This isn't a RPG (few games have the shield HP bar anyway) this is the Legend of Zelda, where items you get are supposed to be already at perfection with the exception of your very first WOODEN SHIELD. Upgrading items is for RPG games; never in any Zelda do I remember ever going to a store and paying a guy to upgrade my weapon. In fact, the only upgrade I would get is the Longshot or finding a Fairy Queen in a secret area (usually river or waterfall) to give Link Magical Items that are already pretty damn good.

The shield in terms of gameplay was useless in itself, as I never used it once. Why do I carry a shield to not use it? In the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, the shield is an integral part of the game, be it from facing Stalfos to even Bats! The lock-on mechanism, a staple for 3D Zelda that was created in Ocarina of Time, makes a return. Unfortunately, it is worse than that of all of Zelda's predecessors and the concept is flawed and awkward, especially from a shield standpoint. Locking onto targets is generally supposed to use your shield as a support, but in this game an awkward motion that required timing was for a "perfect shield" which in fact was your ONLY shielding from enemies and basically never responded. If you did not "perfect shield" you would still block an attack but you would stumble, opening yourself up for an attack.

Health, as all Legend of Zelda games have hearts to indicate your health meter. Firstly, what are these sit areas? Skyward Sword had some mission to make this game as easy as possible from never getting hurt while you fall down a pit, to these random stools appearing everywhere that restore your health. In fact, it was so rare to find a pink fairy in the damn game I had to backtrack to a dungeon to find one to fight Demise with. Ironic? Not really, that was the most difficult part of the game, but I was surprised not to see a stool in the middle of the heavens when you fought Demise.

Here may be one of my biggest quarrels in this game, the lack of adventuring/exploring. The premise of Zelda is to explore the lands, learn the dungeons, and save the land you have come to learn and love. But, nothing better than going to the forest, than back to Skyloft and the thunderhead and then to the volcano and back to Skyloft and then the gorge/desert and then Skyloft...oh wait. Let me rinse, dry, and REPEAT. This game had one town full of boring people (except making the item check girl fall in love with you) so I really was forced back to go see my neighbors and the Owl [kaepora gaebora] reincarnated as a human. Each dungeon and area pertaining to it, were very small, although I would have to say I did enjoy all the desert levels because of the puzzles with the timeshift stones, but I never felt like I saw anything new. I always had to backtrack in this entire game.

Did I mention that every treasure chest was apparently a "Large chest" meaning we had the cinematic every time, which does get old after a while. While people make fun of Link for holding the item, not all treasure openings are when Link practically dives in the chest to get an item. Forgotten are the days of small chests where small keys exist, in which Link would kick the box.

Let us not forget, the useless bug-catching net, the awkward beetle launcher, and how every dungeon map also counted as a compass (the item required to display treasures on your map, thus adding to the easy element of the game again). The point of items in the game "The Legend of Zelda" is to not one-and-done them. It is for gradual use and immediate use. See, the dungeon in which you get a new item, is usually the key to solving 85% of the puzzles of said dungeon. But later on in the game, the items should be used again to solve other puzzles rather than entirely disregarded. In Skyward Sword, all you need is a clawshot and the arrows, to bad they are your last items.

I bet you thought I was done

Seriously, to tell you the truth I am only getting started. Let's begin (well middle?) with Sidequests. They were boring, uneventful and the worst part unrewarding. Most sidequests give you cool items, think Ocarina of Time, the Mask of Truth or getting the Fire Arrows (required in Master Quest), think Link to the Past where you can obtain a Level 3 shield, fire robes, etc. All these sidequests were fun and very, very rewarding. In this game, most sidequests are just for gratitiude crystals to basically give you a bigger wallet. There are no gold skellatas, there are no fun mini-games; in fact the most memorable sidequest is giving your dumb neighbor juice to do pushups, not fun.

I also had a problem with Link. While this may seem more personal, Link was too animated in this game. I understand most people call him stoic and silent, so in this game Nintendo decided to make Link have facial reactions (another horrible choice). This was a hit and miss, as Link smiling occasionally was fine, but some of the animations were over the top like when he was really happy or freaked out, he just looked....wrong. If you want to make Link emotional again, the Legend of Zelda Wind Waker was a great reference that was ignored.

I saved the best for last

OK guys, bear with me I haven't even got to my two favorite parts of the game yet: Fi and Sword-fighting gameplay. Let's start with Sword fighting first, it is kind of an integral part to our game. The first thing I have to say is that the controls suck. If Link wasn't swinging left and right the way I wanted to in a y-axis swing, I was too busy recalibrating my Golden Wii-mote every three minutes. A perfect example would be every-time I fought Ghirahim, I would lose enough hearts (does not mean I died, I never died once in SS, like I said it was an easy game) because Link would swing the wrong way and this is kinda crucial when fighting Ghirahim 2 and Demise. Also, later in the game the bobokins with the electric wrench, would become so much of a hassle because of lack of control of sword swinging. To make matters worse, if you would try to use your shield it would either not come up, or you would keep using your spin attack until you were....too tired to fight (the stamina bar strikes again).



Now, Fi. I swear, this could be the worst character out of anything I've ever played, and by far the worst character that isn't a main character (that would be Hope from FFXIII). Fi, was annoying, unhelpful, and really weird. From the waste of time and in general terms, dumb, moments of her dancing, while you played on your no skill Harp (really swing/strum up and down and "learn a new song"), to her singing, to her constant your battery are low updates (with your Wii-mote beeping), Fi was something I could live without.

The best parts happen to be when Fi states the OBVIOUS. After every item you receive there is an explanation when it comes out the chest, as per all Zelda games. Fi would appear and tell you the same exact thing....thanks! In addition, she would constantly tell you things you already knew. People who want to bring Navi into this really don't know much about anything then. Navi would say Hey Listen! And if you didn't answer she wouldn't keep doing it, you could leave the Navi Up-C-Pad for a good 5 minutes. Now, Navi was great when it came to battles as she gave you the 411 of enemy and weak points. Fi, on the other hand, wouldn't have enough "data" when you fought your enemies so you would have no idea what to do....the one thing I want, Fi couldn't deliver.

All in all Skyward Sword had a good, heartfelt ending (though the after credits scene stunk) and while I may have many complaints I enjoyed a bit of my playthrough, probably the tiniest pit of all time though. A major problem may be that, I fell asleep twice playing the game because the game just is boring and mellow and makes me tired. Really! I just fell asleep on my chair and awoke to see everything on! Only Okami has done that to me.

I would recommend this to any Zelda fan, although I would tell them don't expect too much. Even Miyamoto admitted he noticed a lot of people "just stopped playing" Skyward Sword and that actually happened to me at one point, I had to fight myself to continue to play the game. In essence, they really need to fix what they broke in the Legend of Zelda.

To this day I will never learn how anyone gave this game over a 9, I never will.

Did I mention I felt like I didn't really learn anything this "prequel" brought.

*side note I am not for voice-acting in Zelda, if anyone asks