A Link Between Worlds- First Impressions

Confession time- Outside of a few minutes at the beginning, I've never played A Link to the Past.

Now that I have your attention, let me explain. I got into Zelda during the pre-release hype for Twilight Princess, and as a result I've always been more into the 3D Zeldas than the top-down ones. That’s not to say that I didn't enjoy them- the Nintendo DS Zelda games, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, remain two of my favorite games from the past generation- but the reason I was excited for A Link Between Worlds was more for the prospect of playing a brand-new handheld Zelda game than it was to revisit a classic.

Still, after my initial hours with Link’s latest adventure, the drive to go back and see what I've been missing out on is stronger than ever. The newest Zelda game seems poised to address many of the criticisms longtime fans have had for the more recent entries. Link’s adventure starts out humble, but within the first ten minutes he is given a sword and thrown into the introductory dungeon, a far cry from the notoriously lengthy prologue of, say, Twilight Princess. New items are acquired, monsters are slain, and before long Link is on a quest to track down a sinister man who is trapping the descendants of the Seven Sages inside paintings. The pacing, so far, is much faster.

Final Fantasy Type-0/ Bravely Default: Flying Fairy- Localization Woes

Square, I really don't know what has gotten into you lately. If you guys want to improve your company's image, why don't you localize these great looking games that people really want and would sell well?

Instead of, you know, more FFXIII sequels?

Linked below is a petition to bring Final Fantasy Type-0 to the states, as well as the Facebook page for a group trying to do the same with Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, two excellent looking handheld RPGs that Square Enix has for some reason currently passed up for localization. Final Fantasy Type-0 was originally announced in 2006 as part of the Fabula Noval Crystallis project, alongside Final Fantasy XIII and the ever-delayed Versus XIII, and is an action-RPG in the vein of the excellent Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Bravely Default, on the other hand, is a homage to classic Final Fantasy (much like it's predecessor, 4 Heroes of Light), and has been compared to series installments such as Final Fantasy IX.

http://operation-suzaku.com/  - Final Fantasy Type-0

http://www.facebook.com/#!/BringBravelyDefaultFlyingFairyToTheWest  - Bravely Default


After the success of Operation Rainfall, there can be no doubt that we as gamers are willing to purchase these Japanese games, if only these companies would release them over here. Let your voices be heard, show Square Enix that they have a market, and support efforts to convince them that localizing their games is worthwhile.

And, while we're at it, it wouldnt hurt to convince them that Dragon Quest VII on 3DS is worth bringing over, right? Operation Dragonfall, anyone?

Dragon Quest VII Remake for 3DS

Square Enix announced a 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden, originally released on the Sony Playstation, in the latest issue of Jump Magazine. Not many details are known at this time, but early screens show a 3D graphical upgrade (the original game is similar to the style used for the DS remakes of IV, V, and VI), apparently players will be able to trade 'lithographs' via Streetpass, and the game has a February 7 release date in Japan. No word yet on a US release (what are the odds), but in this case let's be optimistic.

Oh, and Happy Halloween! >:D

Pokemon... Black and White 2?

Didn't see that one coming. 0_0 I think everyone was hoping that the next Pokemon game would be something along the lines of a Pokemon Gray. You know, something like Crystal, Emerald, and Platinum Version, which basically combined their prior duo of games and added new content.

I don't think anybody expected direct sequels. Direct sequels, and for the DS instead of the 3DS.

Still, I've got to admit, those legendaries look pretty cool.

Pokemon fans, don't write these off yet. It may not be what we expected, but who knows? This could be really awesome. Black and White were noteworthy for adding several enhancements to the classic Pokemon formula, so perhaps Black 2 and White 2 will do the same.

That reminds me. I still need to play Black Version...