Woohoo!! I'm so glad to hear that so many people are liking the demo. Now I'm even more excited for the 4th.

Haha! I did the same thing when I read that.

I kind of have to agree with Grim. Outside of the new Fire Emblem, none of the games appeal to me much. I remember first hearing about Ni No Kuni years ago, but when I found out how the battle system actually works I was immediately turned off despite how pretty it is. The other thing is I don't really want to commit to playing a lot of games that are going to take me 50+ hours to play. I used to complain about this back in the day, but I've grown even more severe about it now. I only will make a few exceptions, and I can sum those exceptions up quickly. Fire Emblem and Zelda. On the flipside, I don't really like it when a game only lasts 5 or 6 hours. One of the few titles I played during grad school was VanQuish. I was really excited for it, and finished it in just over 4 hours. That was disappointing.

Anyway, Fire Emblem and Sly 4 are the two that I'm really looking forward to so far. I've yet to see much else coming that catches my attention. I am keeping an eye on the new Tomb Raider, and though my hopes are nearly gone, I'll keep an eye out for The Last Guardian. That's all for now.

Oh, sure.

Just when I thought my interest in anime had finally completely dissipated. I've just stuck to old favorites for the last few years as nothing new has seemed interesting. Now I guess I'll have to check this out.

Yea, that is pretty awesome.

Just finished reading the first Redwall book by Brian Jacques. I remember seeing them in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section of my local bookstore as a kid and being curious. I saw a copy at work so I snapped it up. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is definitely geared to 10-14 year olds I'd say, but it was an enjoyable read with likeable, if somewhat flat, characters and a fun story. I'll pick up Mossflower later this month.

So I just finished watching Star Trek: TNG. I loved it as a kid, so I was glad when I saw it on Netflix last spring. It's just as great as I remember it being. Really loved the Klingon episodes especially. When I was younger, I really liked Geordi a lot, but he doesn't develop much as a character and so while he holds a place in my heart for nostalgic reasons, I didn't find his character all that compelling.

And of course, it's hard to beat Jean-Luc Picard.

Dang, Ninty is just making me want a 3DS more and more. I'll be fine if I can't get my hands on the bundle, but I'll see what I can find. Good thing I'm only a few subway stops from the Nintendo World store!

I can understand your reasoning, but I have to disagree. Admittedly, this is partially because I've never cared whether a game is linear or non-linear. My problem is that nearly all of the items in previous Zelda games, with a few exceptions such as the Book of Mudora, had practical use fighting enemies or helping the player to navigate further into the game world. The Hookshot in its various iterations being a perfect example. The Ball and Chain and the Spinner have very little practical use outside of their dungeons. The Ball and Chain is a powerful weapon that can really hurt enemies, but it's too unwieldy to be of much use in most combat situations. The Spinner has tracks in the canyon just North of Lake Hylia that lead to a heart piece, and then there are only sparse uses of it in the Sky Temple and Hyrule Castle (I don't remember there being any Spinner rails or gears in the Twilight world, but I could be wrong). And because it requires rails to be effective, it is nearly useless against enemies.  The Dominion Rod has already been discussed above. Those are the three culprits to me.

The rest I just chalk up to different play styles. I very rarely used the Hawkeye item, but I did use bomb arrows pretty frequently, especially to kill Redead Knights or if I just wanted my arrows to have extra firepower. Another example is I never used Deku Nuts in OoT, but they were a core part of my friend's combat tactics. But it seems that most players agree that the usefulness of the Ball and Chain, the Spinner, and Dominion Rod is primarily in their respective dungeons, and that these items only have extremely limited use outside of those dungeons.

Oh my goodness, this thread is still here!

Anyway, I'm currently reading The Passage by Justin Cronin, and No Easy Day by Mark Owen. Only reading both because I received them for free, but I'm hoping they'll keep me amused for a while.

Yea, that was another aspect that I didn't like. All the new items that were ridiculously cool (like the ball and chain) were pretty much useless outside of their respective dungeons.

Well, finished OoT. I have a desire to play Majora's Mask, but that game is a major commitment that I don't think I'm willing to make right at this moment. I guess I'll get back to Xenoblade Chronicles. Maybe I can get it finished before Sly 4 and the new Fire Emblem game are out in February.

It's also brutally hard, even more than the first two Gargoyle's Quest games. That stupid headbutting mini-game was nearly the end of me. I did really like the different Gargoyle forms though, and the best ending was really, really cool. I would like to see it and the two Gargoyle's Quest games on the VC. That would be plenty for me considering I gave up hope for a new Firebrand game years ago.

Holy cow! I was so consumed by grad school the past few years that I had no idea this was even coming! Guess I'll have to get a 3DS now.

I've been searching around for screens and videos since reading this topic and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with what I'm seeing. Shadow Dragon and Radiant Dawn were pretty disappointing entries in the series, but it looks like this game may get things back on track. Really liking the graphics and character art too. Only a month away? Great!

Haha! That's so true! I liked Wind Waker once I actually played it, but I was pretty skeptical prior to release. I was really excited for TP, and loved the dungeons but was disappointed by the story.

Going to finish this playthrough of OoT today. Off to Ganon's Castle.

This.

I knew when I put on the Iron Boots and walked on the ceiling of the Goron Mines that the dungeons in TP were going to be something special. Honestly I didn't care much for TP story wise. But the dungeons, bosses, combat, and the direction of some of the cutscenes really made up for what I thought was lacking in story. I feel almost exactly opposite for Skyward Sword. Really liked the origin story, but didn't care for the combat or dungeons. And even though I thought Midna was mostly uninteresting, I will admit to her being more...agreeable than the Master Sword robot thing.

Speaking of Zelda, I've been playing through Ocarina of Time. I realized I hadn't played it since before I started my master's program 2.5 years ago and thought it would be good to play through it again. I completed the game 100% about a year after it was released for the N64, and in each subsequent playthrough I remembered where everything was and would usually get close to 100%. It's not the case anymore. I just finished the Spirit Temple and I have 3 heart pieces and I wanted just one more to have one more heart container before going to Ganon's castle, but for the life of me I couldn't think of where to find one. Had to look at a FAQ. I'll probably finish it up tomorrow and go back to Xenoblade Chronicles.

Yes, it was. But it is the best pic that I have of me in my new environment.


Ah dang, I live in Brooklyn actually. Next time you're here let me know!