Why Gender Select In "Zelda Wii U" Would Actually Be A Good Thing

Gender select for ZU has been a rumor going around lately, probably based on the fact that when the game was initially released, there was a mistranslation regarding the identity of Link and for about a day the whole internet assumed that the blue tunic'd person in the trailer wasn't Link but someone else, and his extremely androgynous/feminine appearance only further fueled that, so theories like it being Zelda or Link's daughter were going around like crazy.

Things got cleared up, of course, but, well.

Gender select is a rumor I've seen going around, both in rumor posts and in posts making fun of the rumor posts (usually including things like voice acting and "extremely skyrim, no linear plot" and other stuff that's really REALLY unlikely for a Zelda U game) - I mean, it's not really a surprise. Gender Select doesn't seem that likely, but listen.

It'd be a really nice thing to have.

And, I think it is something that Nintendo should consider, really consider, just based on what Link is supposed to be. I mean, I know by this point he's a titular character and maybe they don't feel the same way about him as they used to, but when he was created, he was created as a link between the character and the player---that's where his name comes from. That's also why he was created to be so androgynous in appearance, and why you can name him.

However, despite this, Link is constantly referred with he pronouns. And, I mean, that's fine. Link the character is a boy. There's plenty other games where you can name the characters whatever you want and that doesn't mean they're you even if you name them after you. But, considering what Link was created to be (again, someone the player can project themselves onto) it's a little...

I wouldn't call it surprising, I just. I think if Nintendo wants to keep that concept for Link, that concept that as a character Link only exists so the player can insert themselves into the world, they need to include gender select.

Because, for me and a lot of other female Zelda fans, we can't name Link after ourselves. I mean, we can. But the constant "he" pronouns make it extremely uncomfortable. You see your name and then you see people referring to you as a "he" and that's, that's not. That's not right. That's not me. I'm not a boy.

I named Link after myself for the first time in TPHD, and I regret it so much. Maybe some of it is it's just unnatural to see my name in the place where I'm used to Link's name being, but the he pronouns definitely aren't helping. It's gotten to the point where, discomfort wise, I can't read the dialogue with my name in it. I have to mash through the text box because it makes me so uncomfortable to be referred to as a boy, because "Mr. rar" is not me.

I'm not the only person who had this problem, either! A friend of mine named Link after herself in Wind Waker, and ran into the same problem I did. It was always uncomfortable to her to be referred to as a boy in game.

If you want players to project onto Link, you need to make it possible for Link to be referred to with the proper pronouns for the player.

Gender select wouldn't need to be a big deal, either! I don't know how hard it actually would be, programming wise, to just have it be a switch that fills in the pronouns with either he or she depending on what was selected, but like. That's all you need to do. You don't need to change any dialogue. Link doesn't say anything to begin with, and, even if Link did, it wouldn't have to be like Fire Emblem where the dialogue and character interactions change depending on the gender. People think that needs to be a thing, but no. No characters have to say anything different just because Link is a girl. You just have to change the pronouns. (And use gender neutral words like "kid" instead of boy or girl.)

You wouldn't need a separate model, either! If Link stays as androgynous as he looks in ZU promotional trailers, then that's all you need. It serves its purpose. Link looks androgynous enough that both male and female players can project onto that face.

That's all you need, and it would fit into the concept Link is supposed to be. And that's why I think it's so important. If Link is supposed to be someone who links the player into Hyrule, then gender select needs to be an option.

Alternatively, though unfortunately more controversial, the other option is to refer to Link with gender neutral pronouns. Again, unfortunately, though using "they" pronouns as gender neutral pronouns for a single person is something we do in speech all the time ("oh no, someone left their umbrella here" or referring to someone on the web you don't really know the identity of "yeah they did this cool thing check it out") and it has caught on around the internet, but it's still... It's still not accepted in a lot of places. It sucks, and it should be accepted in more places, because language changes and evolves over time.

Realistically speaking, neutral pronouns isn't something I see Nintendo doing in Zelda U, at least not any time soon. And, definitely not for the main character of the game. I wish that wasn't the case, but I see gender select happening before gender neutral pronouns.

And, I mean, I don't really realistically see gender select happening either. I just think it'd be a cool thing, along with kind of important if they really want to keep presenting Link as a character that exists to be named after the player, to be a link into the realm of Zelda.

As closing: I don't super care either way, I just think it'd be cool to be able to play as myself in a Zelda game, and I think it'd be cool to truly play as a female Link, too. Or to have the option to play as a female Link! And, not any of this Linkle "not actually the legendary hero Link" BS. Truly, honestly, the same exact story but with a different gender, female Link.

I think me and a lot of other fans would like that.

Happy (belated) Birthday, Mother 3!!

I'm over a week late, but Mother 3's anniversary was on April 20th. I didn't think in advance about doing a post for it, but seeing all sorts of Mother 3 tributes around the 'net has made me think about doing my own. I figured late is better than never, especially for a game like this.

I found Mother 3 through someone I followed on tumblr. She drew and posted a lot of fanart for it, and eventually I was like "hey, what is this from? It looks kind of neat." By that point I'd been spoiled for a pretty large twist in the game, but knowing that particular fact only made me want to play it all the more. A story about brothers seemed right up my alley, and I'd always been curious about the young boy named Lucas with psychic abilities that I saw and mained in SSB: Brawl.

the enemy descriptions in this
game are fantastic

Of course, in looking to play it, I discovered that Mother 3 has actually only ever been released in Japan. It has a pretty awesome fan-translation (headed by professional translator and huge Earthbound fan Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin), but at the time, I was extremely hesitant about emulating anything. I'd never done it before, and wasn't sure my computer could handle it.

Instead, I watched a walkthrough of Mother 3 on youtube. I was immediately taken by the game's charm and wonderful story. It was well crafted, had a ton of characters and tropes I cared about, and while I won't talk about the ending, we'll just say I was absolutely floored. Even despite having one of the game's biggest twists spoiled for me!

Within literal days (it was like, two) I decided that my hesitations about emulation didn't matter. I was going to play the game myself.

So I did. I downloaded an emulator, a Mother 3 rom, and the English Translation patch, and I experienced the game fresh. I was now able to go through the game at my own place and explore what few places the walkthrough didn't. You'd think that it being the second time I'd experienced the game, I wouldn't feel so strongly for it as I had before, but I did. In fact, the plot seemed to wash over me twice as hard as it had the first time! Perhaps because I'd put myself more firmly in Lucas' shoes, but, who knows.

The thing about Mother 3 is that it's just so undeniably good.

Sure, it starts off as a bit of a drag, considering you spend three chapters playing characters who aren't Lucas, and that becomes sort of a chore at points. And the gameplay, while an improvement over Earthbound's (run button, prettier menu), doesn't exactly add anything new to the formula. But those things aren't what make Mother 3 so great.

Mother 3's story is what makes it so wonderful, and what makes it stand out so much. Mother 3's story is what make fans go on and on about how much they loved it. As a writer, avid reader, and general consumer of works that tell great stories myself, I say with great confidence that Mother 3 is one of the best and most well-written stories I've ever experienced.

I was serious about those
enemy descriptions

Mother 3 touches on darker themes without ever giving off a sense of complete and utter despair. It's not Dark and Gritty (TM) like most "serious" games these days.It tackles challenging themes, but it balances those with humor. (If you're a Paper Mario fan, the feeling is much the same.)

Mother 3 also has some of the best foreshadowing I think I've ever encountered. Undertale is the only other game, off the top of my head, that I can think of with foreshadowing as subtle and as great Mother 3's. Perhaps its telling that Toby Fox, creator of Undertale, was inspired by Mother 3 when he made Undertale.

Mother 3 is fundamentally a story about change, but it's also a story about family. It's, actually, the only game I've ever played that has the theme of family so intricately woven into its climax---and it's definitely the only game I've played that does so without use of any old or annoying tropes. I can't personally name any games that do this specifically, but I know how common the theme of "one brother turned evil and did terrible things and now the brothers are sworn enemies and have to fight" is. Mother 3 isn't like that. Mother 3 is....

Well, I shouldn't spoil it. But it's good, and I'm so grateful for it.

Mother 3's family

And, there's so many other things to love about Mother 3, too!

One of the most striking, and my most favorite things, is that the villains (the Pigmasks) are all extremely human. It's hard to give concrete examples, but in short they really feel like that old cartoon trope of "all the goons are really just guys with a job and have lives outside of this". Some Pigmasks are genuinely nice to you, one takes a paid vacation in the middle of battle, most are all fans of the local rock band... They get flustered, they get worried, and the game lets you see that side of them (multiple times!) and it honestly feels so good.

Mother 3 devotes so much attention to detail, and it pours so much charm and thought into the world and its characters.

The soundtrack is super killer too, with somewhere around 250 tracks. There's so many good songs, but a few of my personal faves are: Tragic Reconstruction, Natural Killer Cyborg (of course!), Gentle Rain, and Phantasmagoric.

There's so much good stuff in this game, and you should really pick it up.


And, if you're lucky, you won't have to be restricted to a walkthrough or an emulator in order to experience it!! Hopes for an English release of this game are higher than they've ever been.

Even if you don't pay attention to the rumors going around, there are so many other signs pointing to an English release of Mother 3 in the future. Mother 1 (localized as Eearthbound Beginnings) was released for the Wii U Virtual Console at last year's E3---the first time it's been released outside Japan!

Mother 3 itself was released on the Virtual Console in Japan just a few months ago. That's really only a step away from an English release on the Virtual Console. That, on top of the fact this year is Mother 3's 10th anniversary! And, we know Nintendo likes doing things to celebrate important anniversaries. Earthbound Beginnings was released as part of a 25 year celebration of the Mother series, and so it seems likely if they'll ever release Mother 3, it'll be in the year of its 10th anniversary!

Sure, it wasn't released for the actual anniversary of Mother 3, but, I've got high hopes for a release at E3 this year, like Mother 1! And if not at E3, then maybe later this year. (After all, the localization process does take time, and could be taking longer than they anticipated, especially considering some of the content Mother 3 presents.)


My hopes are high. This really seems like something that's gonna happen.

We'll just have to wait and see.



Anyway, if you don't want to wait around for an English localization to experience Mother 3, then check out one of these things!

-  Here's the walkthrough I watched when I first got into it! It's nice and simple, with no commentary, meaning the game speaks for itself. A swell way to experience Mother 3 if you don't want to emulate it / don't have the time or energy to play it yourself.

- Here's the English Translation patch, if you want to play and emulate it yourself! The page links emulators to use (personally I used VBA), and, uh, you're on your own for a rom.

- If you've experienced Mother 3 already, then you can check out this playthrough of the game by the guy who did the English Translation patch, featuring his wife! They provide interesting notes about the game and the translation choices they made, and that's pretty neat. ~*MEGA SPOILERS*~ though, so don't watch if you haven't already experienced the game. ((They also joke around a lot, even during a few of the more serious scenes, so I definitely recommend not watching this until you've experienced the game otherwise first.))

Trust me. You won't regret playing Mother 3. It's a wonderful, beautifully told game that's been life changing for me and a lot of people.

~ I believe a dream can still come true  

Why shouldn’t I believe the same in you! ~

Games I played in 2015: Majora's Mask

2015 was a really good year for me, for a lot of reasons, but chief among those reasons was all the video games I played for the first time that year. They were all really good, and each meant a lot to me, and I've been meaning to do a post about each one of them for a while. So, I'm turning it into a series.

Today we'll start with Majora's Mask, mainly because I've been thinking about what I wanted to say about it for months and, well, I'm finally getting around to actually doing it.

Intro

As I've talked about before, Twilight Princess is my first (and favorite) Zelda! But, Majora's Mask is easily second favorite, and honestly if I didn't feel like I was betraying Twilight Princess by saying Majora's Mask was my favorite, well...

There was something about Majora's Mask and its vibe that I really loved. I don't think I've had such a positive experience with a Zelda game in a long time. Playing it was honestly just so satisfying. I have a lot of things to say about Majora's Mask, but, hey! That's what this blog is for.

If you haven't played the game: I suggest you give it a try! If you have played it? Well, I hope you read this anyway. I'm not here to sell it to you, I'm just here to talk about my experiences and what the game means to me. Maybe you'll see the game in a different light, once you're done reading!

Prelude: I Hate Time Limits (Before I played the game)

I got Majora's Mask for the first time shortly after I'd finished Ocarina. I don't remember why, or how, or whether it was a birthday present or just something I talked my parents into. I remember very vividly booting it up, though, and playing it for maybe an hour. We were cleaning the house that day, moving things around, and being only 12 or 13, I wasn't much help hauling furniture. So I sat and I played Majora's Mask. The clock was ticking down. My family was jokingly piling things around me. I couldn't find the fairy piece to restore the Great Fairy. It was well into the second day. I was getting extremely anxious, had no idea what to do, wasn't going to look up a walkthrough...

So I quit. I turned off the console, declared I hated games with time limits, didn't touch it again.

All I knew about Majora's Mask was that it was a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, and to a lot of people, even better than it. (The fandom---or what little of it I participated in at age 13---seemed split on that idea, though.) I knew the Happy Mask Salesman was creepy. I read the Ben creepypasta.

I slowly built up an image of Majora's Mask in my head from what I had heard about it on the internet. It was supposedly the creepiest in the series. A lot of fans considered it the Best Zelda Game Ever, but most that did and who I interacted with came off as stuck-up and rude. A comment still burned in my mind is one where the author said, basically "any person who considers Ocarina better than Majora is dead wrong and a disgrace to the fandom". Then there was all the entitled clamoring for Majora's Mask 3D, and Operation Moonfall....

Let's just say my opinions on the game before playing it weren't very positive ones, and leave it at that.

And yet somehow, I was convinced

It was February 23rd of last year when I booted up Majora's Mask again to actually play it for real. Majora's Mask 3D had just released a week before. A lot of people were posting about it and the game in general. I was intrigued, though still a little skeptical. Two major things played a hand in changing my mind and giving Majora's Mask another chance.

First: A Zelda blogger on tumblr I followed at the time, guru--guru, got an ask about Majora's Mask. The ask consisted basically of "Hey, what are your thoughts on Majora's Mask? I own the game, but I've never really played it. Should I?" The answer was simple. "Drop everything you're doing and play it right now."

Second: I found a Majora's Mask fanmix that I fell in love with immediately after listening to it. It was the exact vibe of songs I love above all others, that blend of dark and haunting and entirely fantastical all at once. The mix has since been taken down (or, the site it was hosted on was, anyway) but you can still locate the tracklist here. 

I loved the mix to death. I spent an afternoon listening to it, it ended up reminding me a little bit of Twilight Princess's vibe and I went "I'm going to play Twilight Princess!!!" 

Instead I booted up Majora's Mask. I'd been warming up to it over the past week, I trusted guru's judgement, I figured it was time I tried the game again.

So I did.

Are these your expectations? cool. [dumps them in the trash]

All I expected from Majora's Mask was "Ocarina of Time but better, probably" and that didn't really set my expectations high. I can appreciate Ocarina of Time for what it is and what it did for the gaming industry but, man, it's definitely not my favorite Zelda. Maybe that's just because I hold Twilight Princess so close, but, who knows.

Anyway, all I expected from Majora's Mask was "Ocarina of Time 2", along with it to be the "creepiest" game in the Zelda series. It... It was neither of those things. It was so much more than I'd ever given it credit for, and it was so good.

My experience with it was so satisfying. Maybe it was because I'd been craving a fresh dose of Zelda for a while. Maybe it's just because Majora's Mask truly is an astonishingly good game.

I instantly fell in love with its atmosphere, the vibe it gave off, the way it made me feel. I don't think I could fully capture it in words, but anyone who plays the game knows what I'm talking about. It's not really creepy, it's not really dark. Haunting might describe the tone the best, or perhaps somber. Maybe it's a little of both? Whatever it is, I love it so much.

I think the mechanic in Majora's Mask is extremely interesting, the idea that the fruits of your efforts are erased, because you have to reset time, you have to constantly reset time. Yes, you keep the mask, you keep the item, but no one remembers you. You make it spring in the mountains, but then it's not spring anymore once you reset. Or, the road to Romani Ranch is blocked off again. Not to mention, for Link, to think about him being forgotten by the friends he's made and the people he helped, for it to be like he never helped those people to begin with. It's hard to think about, and it adds an interesting dynamic in the game.

Majora's Mask also has a different style of story to it than most other Zelda games. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the whole "ordinary boy becomes a hero" stories, but as a veteran to the Zelda series, it's kind of refreshing to have a Link who's been through all this before.

And, though the story is ultimately about Link, for the longest time it feels like it isn't. It always feels more like it's about the citizens of Termina, and the transformation masks play into that. Most of the citizens don't see Link as Link, they see him as someone else. The Dekus see him as another Deku, the Gorons see him as their lost hero, the Zoras see him as a famous Zora---who none of them know is dead. And, by the time it is a story about Link, it's an extremely personal story about Link. It's not about him saving Hyrule (or in this case, Termina) or otherwise achieve something he was fighting for.

In Majora's Mask, he sets out in his quest in order to find Navi. Of course, he never finds her. Majora's Mask is more about him moving on---someone's even pointed out that each of the areas of the game corresponds with one of the five stages of grief. And, if you play the game, or think about the game with that in mind, you see how much it fits. It's amazing, and, maybe that's what makes the game so good.

Closing

All in all, Majora's Mask took every expectation I had for it and flipped them on their sides. My experience with this game was extremely positive. It was refreshing and wonderful experience. A part of me wants to say I wish I'd played this game when I was younger, but in reality, I don't think I'd have appreciated it as much if I'd had.

Majora's Mask is a wonderful game, it's easily among my favorite Zeldas and favorite games in general. It deserves all the praise it gets.

Twilight Princess: My First Zelda, My First Love

I've talked a little before about Twilight Princess and what it means to me, but, I've wanted to give it it's own post ever since TPHD was announced. So! Here we go.

Twilight Princess was my first introduction to Zelda, and per the theme, it's likely my favorite. (Ask any Zelda fan---their favorite is probably their first.) I played it a lot at my friend's house long before owning it, and, though all we really did was fly around Ordon and Kakariko on cuccos, I was quickly hooked. I always liked the concept of Zelda, and was familiar with the characters from Smash (Melee, specifically) and just in general being a Nintendo fan, since, uh, birth, basically.

I bought it for myself the moment we got a Wii, and at 11 years old, I was completely obsessed with the game. I didn't just play it a lot, I played it every waking moment of an entire summer. I'd play it over and over again. Once I beat it, I'd let it sit on the ending screen for about and hour, if that, then I'd restart and play it all over again from the beginning!

I know the game like the back of my hand. I have the story and its atmosphere burned into my mind. For months I'd lull my often restless mind to sleep by retelling myself the story of Twilight Princess. The village of Ordon is like a second home.

I dunno, it's hard to really articulate my feelings for this game into words any more concretely than that. So I'm gonna just! I'll just list a few of my favorite things about it. (In, uh, no particular order!)

1) Midna

I don't think anyone dislikes Midna?? She's so good. She's sassy she's snarky she's only in this for herself. Well, she starts that way, but in the end she's grown to care about the World of Light, or at the very least, Link and Zelda.

She's so great. I love her so much. She's cute and she's funny and some of the most quotable lines from the game are from her. She's one of the best partners Link has ever had, in my opinion, because she's just brimming with character and she's generally a joy to have with you. (Er, when she's not insulting you, that is.)

2) The atmosphere

Gosh, I, I love the atmosphere of Twilight Princess so much. It's one of my favorite vibes or aesthetics (harsh saturation, bright colors on a dark background / an overshadowing darkness balanced with hope and the persistence to keep moving, balanced with a story that wrenches at your chest). I dunno if I love these things so much because I always have, or because of all the time I spent in Twilight Princess's world, but, man! I love them a lot.

3) The character designs??

This is a smaller thing but, honestly, Twilight Princess has some of the best (and, strangest) character designs, especially for NPCs. Weird NPCs is a trend in all Zelda games, but you don't have quite the variety you do in other games like you do in Twilight Princess. Maybe that's just because other games don't have Hyrule Castle Town, which brims with a very large amount of colorful characters.

4) The story!!

Before this point I'd only ever played Mario games, and, while Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door was something I'd already been exposed to, I still wasn't that familiar with games that had stories! The concept was a little strange to me, and seeing so many vibrant and complex characters was wonderful!

I love, man. I love so much of Twilight Princess's story. I love the concept of Wolf Link, of Midna, a princess thrown out of her kingdom and avoiding detection while she finds what she hopes will be her and her people's salvation. I love Zelda, a princess in mourning. I love Link---local farmhand who gets pulled into something bigger than himself.

I love traveling with Midna, gradually learning more about who she is and where she comes from. I love her character in general---which I've already said!---but I love the role she plays in the story, I love how this story is almost, above anything else, a story about her.

I love Ilia and the Ordon kids!! Colin's a gift and a sweetie. I love watching his narrative progress, as well as the other Ordon kids. I love how often Twilight Princess tugs on your heart strings.

Link manages to return from the Twilight Realm, but he's still a wolf. He has no idea where his friends are. He finally finds him, but his first meeting with them---they have no idea he's there. The Bulblin King kidnaps Colin, makes you fight for his freedom. You find Ilia, but she doesn't remember you. You save Ralis, Prince of the Zoras, but his mother is dead, all she can offer you is a gift to help you along.

There's more, there's so much more. Twilight Princess is a constant balance between light and darkness, between joy and loss, between despair and hope. You can probably argue in a lot of games that Link always keeps moving, always gets back up and keep going but it's not just Link, in Twilight Princess. It's everyone. 

Colin stands in the face of danger to protect his friends. Ilia helps a lost Zora kid despite not remembering who she is. Telma and the Resistance constantly fight for hope and freedom in a land where Hyrule's soldiers are laughably weak. Midna makes herself keep going despite all she's lost---for her, it's not because she believes in a better world, but because she has to. And that's alright.

Twilight Princess looks like this dark and edgey Zelda game on the outside because oh Link transforms into a wolf, oh it's rated Teen, oh Zelda get's freaking possessed at one point, oh the whole atmosphere of the Twilight Realm is dark but...

Twilight Princess, a thousand times over, is more a story about hope.

5) There's so much to discover!!

There's a million little things in Twilight Princess to do or to find. All Zelda games are like that, but, there's so many in Twilight Princess that stand out to me. There's the clawshot game in Castle Town (and the discovery that the guy's shady and not as kind as he seems). There's Agitha, and all the separate places you can find her. There's Corro and his birds nest of hair, there's that purple rupee forgotten in Link's basement. There are at least two hidden caves to explore in Hyrule field. There's the Cave of Trials. There's the guy with the guy with the canon and the funny little tune it plays. 

There's the two guys in Castle Town that constantly stare at each other. There's an NPC that looks like a witch. All those cats that just flock to you when you walk up to them!! There are Gorons waiting around all over the place---not just on Death Mountain, they're everywhere! That never felt like something you saw a lot, in other games.

Each character had their own story, and, it seemed really special and unique in Twilight Princess. I didn't just fall in love with the main characters, I fell in love with the minor ones, too.

There's, I dunno, probably a lot more than this, but really, just!! Twilight Princess is so close to my heart and of all the games I played obsessively as a kid I'd probably consider this one the most like Home. You ever have a video game like that? That's just home, to you? Twilight Princess is that for me.

I have so many fond memories of it, I love every detail about it (except, uh, needing to point your wiimote at the sensor bar to work half your items, lol) and I'm. Hoooo. I love it so much. 

I can't wait for Twilight Princess HD. I can't wait to return home, and to have home look a thousand times better than it ever has.

This game is such a huge part of my life and such a huge part of who I am and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully articulate those feelings, but, hopefully you have a game like that too. A game that you know like the back of your hand, a game you'd consider home, a game that seems to make up a component of your soul.

I love Twilight Princess so much, I....

See you later......

If they put the Wii map in the game, why is it only in Hero Mode? (Twilight Princess HD - What's New)

So Nintendo released a trailer for Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and I'm so hype!

I think I've talked about it before, but, Twilight Princess is one of my all time favorite games. I was absolutely obsessed with it six or seven (or, eight, maybe?) years ago and spent a whole summer literally playing it non-stop. I'd beat it, let it sit on the ending screen for an hour, then just restart and play from the beginning all over again.

So, obviously, Twilight Princess has a super special place in my heart and I'm super excited for this HD remake because I can't wait to step back into this world again. (Also it looks so good in HD? I'm gonna cry?)

Here's the trailer they released a few days ago: "LoZ: Twilight Princess HD - What's New"! 

The opening notes of the trailer music alone just get me so excited -- this is one of the orchestral pieces they released as promos for Twilight Princess. It's not my favorite orchestral piece for the game (that one's the song that plays in the intro trailer), but it's still really good to hear it!

Hearing the music, seeing this game, it just fills me with so many memories and emotions, I'm so excited for it, and I really really really can't wait to play.

- - - 

1 - the HD

Obviously, the HD is really kind to this game. I don't even, need to go in depth there. Everyone already knows it looks pretty as heck. The models are updated? Everything is rounder and smoother? Their faces look so good??? I'll cry again??

It looks so beautiful - honestly, out of all the Zelda games to get an HD port, Twilight Princess might benefit from it the most? The game already was shooting for a semi-realism style, and the HD makes that a lot less "nitty-gritty" and a lot smoother. The style of Twilight Princess benefits greatly from an HD update.


Of course, other than the obvious changes to make it HD, this game's had a few other modifications and added features as well. I'm gonna talk about a few of the things they added, and, brought up in this trailer here.


2 - Hero Mode

Just like any other Zelda Hero Mode, it features taking double damage every time you're hit.

It also features one more thing, though. The thing I'm most excited about, and, a most skeptical about.

Hero Mode is flipped! Like the Wii version of the game, Link is right handed. Originally, this was done because they figured the majority of people are right handed, so it would be comfortable to the majority of people to hold and swing the Wii-mote in their right hand. (See also: Skyward Sword.)

Of course, at the time of porting Twilight Princess to the Wii, they'd already made a large portion of the game for the GameCube, in which Link was left-handed. Rather than rebuild everything, it was easier at the time to just mirror it. Meaning, Link is right handed, while Zelda and Ganon become right-handed. All the cutscenes get mirrored, as well as the scenery and map. East becomes West. Right becomes left.

To anyone who's familiar with one version of the game, it's extremely disorienting to play the opposite version.

I was a little mad when they first announced Twilight Princess HD -- excited, mainly, of course -- but when I realized the map was the Gamecube version all I could do was let out this long-suffering sigh, resigned to get constantly lost all the time.

Finding out that Hero Mode existed, and was the mirrored Wii map, I was really excited. Now I could play that all the time, and never get lost again! A real blessing! But, then I got to thinking about it....

You see, if they're going to include both versions of the game in Twilight Princess HD, why like this? Why have one only be in Hero Mode, a mode you have to unlock?

And, if they're going to include both versions, why choose the GameCube version as default? Yes, it was the "original" version of the game, but, look at the sales! According to Wikipedia, the GameCube version sold 1.32 million, and the Wii version sold 5.82 million. That's over 4 million more copies. 4 million more people played the Wii version, are familiar with the Wii version. 4 million more people will probably struggle more with Normal Mode than Hero Mode -- at least in terms of navigation.

Sure, it won't make a difference to people who initially played the GameCube version, or to anyone who hasn't played the game before, but, still. Why choose the GameCube map as the default? Why assume the Wii map is going to be the "harder" one?

In my opinion, the game should start off with a choice -- a choice to pick which map, which version you want. Do you want the GameCube version or the Wii version? Pick, and then when you get put in Hero Mode, it automatically flips to the other version. Everyone's happy, everyone's challenged by the "Hero Mode is mirrored" thing. It's perfect!







3 - The Ghost Lantern.

This is a new item they introduced, which, according to the Twilight Princess HD official website, will glow when you're in the same area as a Poe, making the Poe soul collecting sidequest much easier. This is something myself and other fans had already speculated about, when we first saw it. It's good to see it's got an official description, though!

Even though it's pretty clear what this item is for now, I'm gonna point out one interesting thing I noticed about it.

The trailer made it explicitly clear to show the lantern glowing during the daytime---meaning not only will it glow when you're around a Poe, it also serves as a sort of signal. "Hey, there will be a Poe here at night, better wait around.

Another interesting thing, I realize, now that I'm comparing the two images side by side: Link's standing in two different spots.

The lantern glows while Link is standing down by the water, and, the Poe is up a couple levels, by Auru's watchtower. This is something hard to convey without a video visual, but the point remains. Link is in the same area as the Poe, but not right where the Poe is.

How close to the Poe do you have to be before the Lantern starts to glow? Does it glow brighter when you get closer? Some interesting things to consider.



4 - Gamepad functionality

Obviously, the Wii U Gamepad is used to play the game, and there's quite a few things it does.

1 - This wasn't in the trailer, but they mentioned it in the Nintendo Minute on the game. In Twilight Princess HD, you can tap the Gamepad to instantly transform into a wolf! It seems like a neat little thing, and I'm sure it'll make a lot of speedrunners happy.

Personally, I never minded talking to Midna to do this, but, maybe that's because I never had a faster option! My opinion may change after I've tried out this instant transform thing.

2 - Your map and items are both on the Gamepad screen! This is a semi-expected feature, seeing as Wind Waker HD and A Link Between Worlds (for the 3DS) did this as well.

It means that you can check your map and swap which items go on which buttons in real time, taking out the need to pause the game to do so. Maybe you're a little skeptical of that, since swapping items in real time is hard, but, hey. It's worked in other games. It can work here, too.

5 - Wolf Link Amiibo / Cave of Shadows

The game also includes a Wolf Link amiibo packaged with (some versions) of the game, and, not only does it look good, it unlocks a brand new dungeon called the Cave of Shadows. It looks like the Cave of Ordeals that's in the original game, but designed with being a wolf in mind.

- - - 


That's all the new content I know of, and all that was really in the trailer, but, still, I'm super excited! It comes out March 4th (three days before my birthday!!) and I already have it pre-ordered (it's a gift from my sister!!!) and I can't wait!

I really do love this game so much and I'm so excited to play it again.

Thanks for listening to me yell about Twilight Princess.

Midgar Is Now Too Big To Fit On One Disc (FFVII Remake news)

The Final Fantasy 7 Remake got another trailer at PSX, back on December 5th! The game looks stellar so far and, I'm excited!!

Back when it was announced at E3, my opinions on the FF7 Remake were more like "holy crap? they're actually doing it???" than legitimate excitement for the game. But when I watched this trailer, my attitude shifted quite drastically. This trailer managed to remind me how much I cared about FF7, and how excited I was to see it retold in better graphics and in full voice acting. (No lie: I had to pause the trailer the first time I watched it when Jessie said her opening line because I was too overwhelmed.)


I'm excited for a lot of things shown in this trailer!! The graphics look gorgeous, and the gameplay looks like it's gonna be a lot of fun.

The trailer showed Cloud, while navigating what I assume is Sector 7's dilapidated Mako Reactor, ducking through a hole in the wall, and squeezing between a small gap, which, are little things, but seeing that sort of stuff on a more frequent scale could be pretty interesting, in my opinion! A Midgar that's fully capable of being interacted with? Awesome.

Not to mention, Midgar itself. It's HUGE. The streets are fully rendered, completely with city lights (that reflect off of Cloud's sword!?) and an atmosphere that feels really good. There were only a few sections shown in the trailer, and not for very long, either, but it feels really big. It feels like there's a lot to explore, and, that's one of the things that excites me the most about this trailer. I can't wait to walk around this Midgar. I can't wait to see the buildings around me, rather than looking down on them. I can't wait to move through these streets, especially now that there won't be any preset camera angles to deal with. I can't wait to explore Midgar as if I'm really there. It looks.... It looks wonderful. It looks fantastic. I really, really can't wait.


Another thing that caught my attention about the trailer was at roughly 1:10, when Cloud is surrounded by Shinra troops. This is an effect any fan who's watched the Advent Children movie will be familiar with. The image glitches, flashing, blurring, accompanied by a high-pitch whine and static.

In Advent Children, it was meant to portray the effects of geostigma. Or, basically, portray that something is wrong. 

Here, I figure it is meant to signify Cloud's not-quite-stable memories and mental state. This happens plenty of times within the original game itself, just with different effects. (The latest I saw: a red overlay, that high-pitched whine, while Cloud's model distorts for a second.)

I'm really excited to see this play out, to see how they carry out this plotline with the technology and graphical capabilities they have today. I have high hopes.

(Also, did anyone else find it interesting this happened when he was surrounded by Shinra troops? I mean, considering....)

Slightly on this subject, here's something a lot of people have pointed out, including tumblr user princessmatsuoka and Nomura himself:

Cloud looks sick.

He's thin, he's pale, he's got bags under his eyes---sure, he's got muscles, but his skin is still sticking to them, and he's hunched over most of the time. It's a good reflection of all the trauma he's been through before getting to Midgar: locked in a test tube for four years, Mako poisoning, on top of his emotional / mental state.

To quote tumblr user leonheartleon, Cloud doesn't look like pretty. He looks "like a young adult who suffers from multiple traumas and mental disorders". And that's real good.


(The thing I'm obviously most excited about when it comes to this remake? The things they can do to portray this story with the technology they have today.)

Anyway, I should probably talk about the battle system, too.

As shown in the trailer, the game is going to have an action-based battle system. Or, more action-based than the original, anyway.

Kitase says they're aiming for a "seamless active battle". 

Nomura adds: 

"There won’t be any actions that require a technique. By using the new system, we want to do action battles while also being able to fight while thinking strategically.”

A couple of people are mad about this decision, and would prefer it stuck to more traditional-RPG roots. While I agree revamping the original FF7's RPG battle system to make it more interactive might not have been a bad idea, I honestly couldn't care less. 

I started replaying the original FF7 a few nights ago, because I wasn't sure how else to vent my hype for the Remake, and found myself quitting within the hour because I kept getting really pissed off at random encounters. Sitting around and waiting for your attack bar to fill is boring, the encounters felt like they happened too frequently---you walk three steps, and then, oops! Another random encounter. It was really frustrating, and how slow they were paced played no small part in that.

Honestly, I'll be glad to see any battle system in the Remake, so long as it's not the exact same as the original's. Besides, it's reportedly going to be a little like Kingdom Hearts, and, I love Kingdom Hearts. So, I'm alright with that.

Finally: the FF7 Remake is going to be a multi-part series. Kitase says they knew it wouldn't fit into a single release from the beginning.

Here's the full section of that interview:

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a multi-part series. Please tell us more about this decision. 

Kitase: “The idea that a remake of Final Fantasy VII would not fit into a single release was there from the very beginning. We still can’t share more information about its multiple parts, but please look forward to future announcements.” 

Nomura: “If we dedicated our time to a single release, parts of it would become summarized. We’d have to cut some parts, and additional parts would come in few, so rather than remake the game as a full volume, we decided to do multiple parts. 

Kitase: “As you can see in the trailer, we showed Sector 1 and Sector 8, but in those areas alone, I think you can see a lot of density. When you’re remaking the entirety of the original version in that quality, it’s not possible to fit it all in one release.”

The world has been made so big that they can't fit it on a single disc.

But, hey, in my opinion? I'd rather have the giant world to explore. I'd rather have all the story there. I don't want anything to be unnecessarily cut from this, and if this is how they have to ensure nothing from the original is lost, then so be it.

This multi-part approach means that they can explore each episode, each section of the game more deeply, too. And, they can even expand on parts of the story. Nomura says this about it:

“In addition to delving into these episodes more deeply, we’re preparing a number of mechanisms and such. To those who played the original version will know the important parts and understand the story from the beginning to the end. Also for these people, I hope that they can be surprised once again.”

I'm looking forward to see where this is going.

All in all, I think it looks like the FF7 Remake is gonna be really great.

Nintendo Direct 11 / 12 /15 !!!!!!!!

WOW!! A LOT OF NEWS HAPPENED!!!!!

I'm only gonna talk about what I'm interested in but it's still! a lot!! There's a lot.


We start with something I'm unfortunately very invested in! (Unfortunate only because *sadly turns out empty pockets* no money.)

Twilight Princes.... HD REMAKE.

There's also some news about the new Zelda Wii U game at the end of that video, but, EH, it wasn't anything new or jawdropping, in my opinion.

SO! TWILIGHT PRINCESS!!! HD!!!!!!

Twilight Princess is my favorite Zelda game, if only just because it was the first I played and because I spent a whole summer endlessly replaying it so it's filled with Very Fond memories. STILL, regardless of the whys, it is my favorite Zelda game, and I'm!! I'm excited for this.

 

It was rumored well before it actually released and so it wasn't entirely a surprise when it showed up but!! IT WAS STILL VERY GOOD TO SEE!! It looks so pretty and, I just, I really really love this game. It's probably not the best investment I could ever make when it comes to video games but BOY, I want it really bad, and will probably end up buying it at some point. Or getting it gifted to me for my birthday. (It comes out three days before and I left enough hints about it, haha.)

A little more unfortunately for me and every other fan who played the Wii version, they ended up porting the Gamecube version of the game to Wii U. I'm not, like, surprised, because I figured this was most likely since gameplay wise you wouldn't have to do much. (Gamecube controllers vs the Wii U Gamepad have nearly all the same buttons), I'm just.... still a little disappointed, because I'm going to get lost all the time now. Having everything mirrored is, well... disorienting.

Here's the Very Obvious proof it's been mirrored, by the way. You can tell through all the cinematics that it has been, of course, but for a split second I was sure the gameplay footage from the trailer (top) was the Wii version because Hyrule Castle sat on the right of the screen. Turns out I had the Link's position on the map wrong, and, once I placed him in that spot in the Wii version, saw I was wrong. It's, obviously, 100% the Gamecube version.

BUT THAT'S FINE! I'm still excited.


This was one of the top three things I was really excited about, but, while I'm still on the subject of Zelda, take this news, as well:

This is Linkle!! That is, Link, if Link was a girl. There's actually been concept art of her around for ages, so I wasn't horribly surprised to see her added to the roster for Hyrule Warriors: Legends. Looks like she's just in Legends (the 3DS version of the game), by the way. Maybe I'm wrong, but! Tossing it out there.

My opinion: she's cute, and this is cool, and she looks like she might be a fun character! Gameplay-wise, giving her a separate weapon than Link is obviously a good idea, but I'm a little mad that she's not more straight-up a Link clone, because apparently Girls Must Always Used Ranged Weapons and that.... Idk. If this is just female Link, why doesn't she wield a sword like Link? Also, the name Linkle isn't.... a very good one.

I mean, it doesn't matter much to me. I'll never buy Hyrule Warriors: Legends, so I'll never play her. If she was DLC for Hyrule Warriors itself, this might be another story, but maybe not. I'm kind of.... over Hyrule Warriors. The story was kinda bad and the gameplay's only engaging for a while. But! This isn't a review of Hyrule Warriors!! It's a news post!!!


NEXT UP? SPLATOON!!

Nothing super major, but there's some update news!! And, a lot of neat stuff, from the looks of it!

Lots of new gear, some cool new stages -- both things I want more of in my life! The new stages look like a lot of fun, and, more gear is always wanted! Gotta look as fresh as possible while I'm inking up the place. Plus, bandanas?? cool????


SOME MARIO STUFF!

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam has a release date! Dec 3/4 in Japan and Europe, Jan 22 in North America! A little funny to me that it's taking it a full month more for it to come to North America, but, whatever.

Doesn't look like there's much new in the trailer, outside of the introduction of battle cards! They look kind of cool, I guess?

I dunno, I'm not super interested in this game. I mean, I run a fairly successful Paper Mario blog on tumblr so I'm obligated to be interested but, personally... I love Mario and Luigi series, I love Paper Mario, but my hopes for this game aren't that high, and there definitely a lot of other games I'd rather own first. (I've already played Twilight Princess, but I'd buy it in HD much sooner than Paper Jam, honestly.)


Then, well, I'm not into Mario Tennis, but I noticed this while watching its segment:

Rosalina's floating. It's hard to tell in a picture, so you may have to watch this segment yourself, but... she's floating. Of course, she's floated in every other game she's been in, rather than walked, for... whatever reason, so I'm not surprised. It just makes me smile.

See, her feet don't touch the ground, and it's not just because she's mid walk-cycle or anything. She's just straight-up floating. Amazing.


SMASH BROS NEWS!

This may be something you just have to see for yourself, but....

Cloud Strife, of Final Fantasy 7 fame....

...joins the roster for Smash 4.

My initial reaction was something along the lines of "huh, FF7?" (coupled with "oh is the HD port of FF7 coming to Wii U or--) then it was "Nope, Smash, the music just sounded thE WAIT A MINUTE. WHAT THE HECK!! YOU LITERALLY CAN'T DO THIS!!!!"


I mean, I'm not, like, upset. I'm just!! I don't know!! how to handle!!! these feelings!!! This feels so strange!! Cloud?? In Smash???? It's!! IT'S COOL! IT'S WEIRD!! I DUNNO!!!!! I'M JUST YELLING!!!!


AND, TO TOP THAT OFF....!!!

I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES.....

I SWEAR

I'VE SEEN A FEW!!!

Mother 3 gets a Virtual Console release in Japan!!!! 

Mother 3 gets a Virtual Console release in Japan!!!

Anyone who knows anything about Mother 3 knows that it's the sequel to SNES RPG Earthbound and the final installment of in the beloved Earthbound or Mother series. It was never released outside of Japan, though, and eventually, fans made their own English translation of it.

"Wait, why is a Virtual Console in Japan good news? It's still not in English, officially!"

No! It's not! But hopes are higher than ever. Mother 1, or, Earthbound Zero Beginnings was localized and put on the eShop back at E3 this year. (And, you should've seen the fandom's reaction then.) That already had Mother fans real excited, not only because was it released outside of Japan for the first time, but also because, if they finally localized it, could Mother 3 possibly be next?

Mother 3's release on the Virtual Console is a step closer in that direction, and as it turns out, Mother 3's tenth anniversary is next year. What better time for an announcement this big than then?

Tumblr user mariettapk sums it up pretty well in their post here.


SO! YEAH!! MOTHER 3!!!!


Anyway, that's all the games I cared about, but you can watch the Direct here for yourself!

What a great time to be alive, huh?

SPECIAL POST: KH NEWS?!!? / KAIRI IS REAL

apparently I started doing updates every other Tuesday BUT THIS IS AN EXCEPTION BC KH NEWS. Technically this is Late but.... I WAS EXPECTING A TRAILER, and we didn't get the trailer, so now I gotta!! Give the news!! without!! the trailer!!

It's fine.

A little backstory though, first!!

For the past year, I've been heading a movement on tumblr and twitter (but largely tumblr) known as #KairiNeedsLove2k15 - it's got an official tumblr here, and an official twitter here! (both run by me)


It started back in February, while I was replaying KH2. I started getting really worked up about Kairi and her subsequent lack in any KH game made after KH2 (I mean, alright, she was still in BBS, but that's only 1 of the 4 games released since 2006, while the other 3 had very heavy emphasis on Sora and Riku and their relationship).

You can see my initial posts about the matter here.

And if you want a good portion of the original posts I made for the movement, you can find them here!

I got really invested in this movement, blogging aggressively about Kairi, reblogging art, and other people's posts (if you want proof other people besides me want Kairi to have a larger role, check out this tag in particular). I made fanmixes, photosets, wrote a fic, (three, technically) along with hosted two major events and boy, I got this ball really rolling. 



Kairi E3 Fest 

This event was held around E3 of 2015, the basic concept being "E3 is when social media goes wild over video games, let's make some noise about Kairi during that time!"

You can find details about it here, along with see everyone's submissions for it! (We had somewhere around 70 posts made for this event.)

The E3 Fest was even mentioned in an article by Game Skinny! Pretty awesome.


Kairi Week

I'd seen other appreciation weeks on tumblr where you'd dedicate a whole week to making content about a character (or game, or series, or ship, whatever) and I decided to do one for Kairi! It didn't go quite as planned, but it was still a huuuuge success! It lasted July 6th - 11th, and had somewhere over 150 submissions. 

You can see the details / everyone's posts here!


SO, as you have probably got the gist of by now, I've spent the past year running a largely successful Kairi movement!


Here's one of the Kairi mixes I made for it:

Today's your day from rarmaster on 8tracks Radio.

Art's by ramflega on tumblr - check her out, she's got some real good Kairi / KH art!


The biggest fic I wrote for the movement was Dream, Drop, Don't Leave me Behind! - a retelling of KHDDD where Kairi actually tagged along to watch Sora and Riku's Mark of Mastery exam, becuase Kairi's lack in KHDDD is probably the biggest sore spot for me.

You can read it here!

I also wrote a smaller set of Namine-centric Kairi fics for Kairi Week, exploring the ways I would really really like their relationship to pan out. You can read all three of them here!


The crowning moment -- or, the moment that really sets the stage for my reaction to the news we received on November 3rd, is a post I made the literal day before, about why I really hate KHDDD, followed by a post further detailing its shortcomings regarding Kairi. (In sum: I'm really bitter about the fact we don't have an explanation at all why she isn't in KHDDD, we're just supposed to be okay with the fact she isn't there.)

So, there's that post, and then kind of churning bitterness for a whole year about how "Yeah Kairi's PROBABLY gonna have a role in KH3 but that's only a PROBABILITY, not a definite thing I can count on, and she's been treated so awfully by the games for the past five years and I don't have my hopes high at all".

I wasn't expecting it, and I'm pretty sure, well, no one was.

When we heard there would be KH news at the D23 in Japan, basically everyone expected it to be a lot like America's D23 - a new world reveal, and that's it, no Kairi. No Kairi.


The clock hits 1 AM my time, where I have waited four hours for the embargo on information to be lifted, hoping to get a glimmer of news as to what happened at the panel (because there were no livestreams and no one was allowed to post any information about it.)

The first post I see when loading twitter up is this:

Kairi is real.

It's one picture and that's all we got because the trailer revealed at the showing has not be released online but, it's, Kairi.

Kairi is there.

Kairi is there.

Kairi is there.


I didn't cry like others reportedly did, but I was shaking so hard, and my heart was pounding, and then you get a string of incoherent tweets from me which largely consist of "HO LY FRIK, KAIRI" becuase!!! Oh my god!!!!

I'm getting pumped thinking about it even now!! Kairi is real!! Kairi is here!!!


I've spent the whole year working up to this moment and it's just one image and confirmation she'll be in the KH2.8 game - in the section called 0.2 which is about Aqua, reportedly she and Riku are learning about Aqua and the 7 Guardians of Light, etc - BUT ANYWAY, it's just one confirmation, but it is proof. They haven't forgotten her. Her chances for a Big Role in KH3 are even higher than ever, and I'm just!!

I'm hooting!! I'm hollering!! I'm so!!! excited!!!!


I mean, chances of this actually having to do with my efforts and continuous #Kairi4KH3 yelling are pretty slim but!! BUT!! THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT!! KAIRI IS HERE!!! AND REAL!!!

I'M SOOOO!! HAPPY!!!

KAIRI CONFIRMED FOR KH0.2 AND PROBABLY FOR KH3!!!


THIS IS SO GOOD.

It's so good.


Anyway if you want other coverage of the D23 event, KH13 has a masterlist of all the info they have here!

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS JUST, KAIRI, THOUGH.

Kairi is real.

About rar and.... Video Games!

See more in the About rar Series!
HEY!! I figured while this blog was still getting on its feet or whatever I'd do a quick series about, I guess, who I am. Specifically: who I am in relation to the things I love and will be talking about on this blog.

Today, we're starting with something I've loved since I was small!!! Very small. A small child.

Today we're talking about video games.

photo by yours truly!

I started playing video games when I was very young, like, 5-years-old. Maybe a little younger. We only had a Nintendo 64 (pictured above) for the longest time, and for it, just Mario Parties 1-3, Mario Kart, and Tetris. (We'd eventually get more games, but, it would be a while!)


Princess Daisy was my idol. I spent years running around the school playground pretending to be various Nintendo (well, Mario) characters. I don't want to make this sound like some Serious Essay, but, I was really invested in video game characters even at age 5. It's really no wonder I'm where I am today, 13+ years later.

I didn't, like, seriously get into video games until the summer of 2008 though! That summer, a pair of my dad's friends went either on a long vacation or a business trip (or, both??) and they lent us their Gamecube!! With it they had Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Smash Bros Melee, Mario Kart Double Dash, and Mario Parties 5 and 7! (And, a few others maybe, but, they weren't ones I was interested in! I've been Nintendo trash from a very young age...)

I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I have very fond memories of sitting on the floor each morning, sunlight streaming into the room, as I got more Shine Sprites in Sunshine. I have fond memories of playing through Luigi's Mansion with my dad (and, passing the controller to him when the bosses got too spooky for me!). I unlocked all the karts and characters in Mario Kart for them. I played endless hours of Smash Bros Melee---unlocking a fair amount of stuff there, too, and learning how much I loved Roy!

We had to give the Gamecube back, of course, but later that year I pawned a friend of mine out of her Gamecube (she owned two Wiis by then, and had no need for it) and Super Mario Sunshine.

photo again by yours truly!

Before long we had all the games we'd borrowed, along with more! Many a Saturday morning was spent on Super Mario Sunshine again, and before long I bought Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door, one of my favorite games to this day.

I loved TTYD for it's humor, for it's charm, for it having the familiar Mario characters I grew up with plus a fantastic and deep story, where all the characters I loved had even more personality than ever! I've beaten it I think six times now, still watch the intro story from start to finish upon booting it up, and Rougeport might as well be something like a second home! Delfino Plaza comes close, real close, but there's nothing like exploring the nooks and crannies of a place like Rogueport all over again, and with a wonderful selection of characters to match!

Mario and Paper Mario humor and writing, in general, probably shaped a lot of who I am today! HONESTLY.


The deal was sealed for sure when I started playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It started at my best friend's house (not that we did much more than fly around Ordon on chickens) and continued not long later when I got a Wii myself, and bought it nearly immediately.

I adored Twilight Princess. I'd spend all day playing it in the summer I got it (2009, if you care), go to bed late, start it back up again the moment I was up the next day. And once I finished? I'd reset and start from the beginning within the hour. I probably couldn't do it blindfolded, and I haven't yet tried doing it in one sitting, but I know it like the back of my hand, and it's another one on my top five video games.

Twilight Princess was the first video game I started writing fics about (even if, none of them got anywhere). I can say, with an extreme amount of confidence, that it, along with Paper Mario TTYD and Super Paper Mario are the biggest influences on my writing style and favorite themes. Well, okay, Kingdom Hearts falls in there somewhere too, but... You get the idea.


I was 13 when I got into Kingdom Hearts (had it thrust into my hands by one of my sister's friends who heard I liked video games) and after devoting another summer to it, per the theme, it started taking over my life. I dropped my Zelda fics in favor of a Kingdom Hearts one -- the first I ever finished. I played other video games, but I can't remember any seriously life changing ones over the past five years. (Well, Mother 3 probably, and Majora's Mask, and UNDERTALE for sure, those really stick out, but none were quite as impacting as TTYD or Twilight Princess or Kingdom Hearts.)


I could talk, forever, about my relationship with Kingdom Hearts, but the point of this post is, more than anything else:

I've played video games since I was very young, I was raised on video games, and they have influenced my life in sooooo many ways. I'm the writer I am today because of them, the person I am because of them, and they're definitely among the most important things in my life.

That top five list, if anyone wants it?

• Paper Mario TTYD
• Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
• UNDERTALE
• the Kingdom Hearts series in general
• and then idk specifically on a fifth, but, Mother 3 / Earthbound / Majora's Mask each come to mind. Oh and I guess Mario Sunshine? Hard to pick between nostalgia and Games I'd Really Call My Fave sometimes. (I'm Leaning a little towards Majora's Mask, though, maybe? It's a good game....)