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Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

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fertiliser

And still the game goes on. I found out that the reason I didn’t have a Gold Shovel yet is because I simply haven’t bought enough fertiliser. So I’ve been buying fertiliser.

But what to do with all my fertiliser? Send it to Agent S, of course! That girl (yes, it surprised me too) loves fertiliser. Probably.

Then my transvestitism was unkindly brought up when the less tolerant than expected Lopez questioned why I was wearing a lady’s hat. Because I like it and it makes me feel pretty, Lopez.

Fight intolerance, yo.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies: Turnabout Reclaimed: completed!

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Let's just deconstruct that headline.  I've completed the game!  The game in question is the additional case for the 3DS Phoenix Wright game; this additional downloadable case was called 'Turnabout Reclaimed'.  It involved two court cases, in fact, first defending an orca from a murder charge, and then defending her trainer.  In that second court case, I called the orca as a witness.

Yes, an orca.


Having the case split into two worked quite well, as otherwise it could have become a little excessive in length.  Towards the end of the second case there were a number of clever twists which referred right back to the initial investigations, and the cast of characters was exactly the right size to avoid confusion.  The only story-related point which did seem a little off was the marginalisation of Prosecutor Blackquill, whose role seemed to only consist of taunting Phoenix from time to time.

As ever, there were some excellent bits of writing in the game, spoilt only by the occasional typo.  The judge in particular was well written, with his amazement over the orca (and distraction by the penguins) well thought out.  His constant mistake over hip-hop music was the most amusing though.

The case-specific characters were a mixed bunch.  Initially I couldn't stand Dr Crab, but I warmed to him towards the end of the game, although I'm annoyed by the way that characters flat-out lie with quite flimsy reasoning at times.  Some of the later parts of the case revolved around the system he ran (which was "illegal" - I think there was a bit of an error in translation here, I think it was probably meant to simply by unapproved), which had one of the most awkward abbreviations ever.


Sasha' on the other hand, I immediately liked as a character, but she very quickly revealed herself to just be a bit shallow and whiny. Her constant fish puns tailed off in the middle of the game, only to see a resurgence at the end.


Finally, Marlon Rimes ... amusing and unlikable, and an obvious villain from the start. He made me laugh many a time, particularly when his solid evidence revolves around him rapping that he didn't do it.


No more Phoenix Wright for a while - this makes me sad.

Things I’ve Played Recently

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The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

lbw2Glorious.

Oh, you want more? Erm, really glorious? It’s the best Zelda game since Minish Cap. Mainly because it’s the only Zelda games since Minish Cap, sure, but still.

Yes, yes, I know there was Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass and those Wii ones and stuff, but they’re not proper Zelda games. Don’t argue.

Nintendo have taken the essence of a proper Zelda game, reused the game world from A Link To The Past, and streamlined a new alternative story. By streamlined, I mean you’re essentially handed all Link’s weapons and very quickly obtain most of his abilities and just left to do the job of winning and exploring. Which might sound awful, but it really works. It’s a lot of fun as a result.

I’ve just finished the first dungeon (which didn’t even feel like a dungeon, and it’s only the first in that it’s the first I attempted – you can do them in any order) in Lorule, so there’s a fair way to go yet.

Super Mario 3D World (Wii U)

tumblr_myu6u3HPvt1svmpf2o1_1280With the game complete (as in, Bowser beaten) it’s mop-up time. I’ve been back to earlier levels and nabbed more stars, stamps and, er, sflags, and played through the post-game unlocked Star World, and some of the post-Star-World Mushroom World. I’m still yet to find any actually really difficult levels though.

Sure, some of the stars have been hard, and there have been a few moderately difficult levels, but there’s been NOTHING as hard as the hard stuff in New Super Mario Bros U yet. Still, there’s more to come so it might happen eventually…

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

Hippo_new_year__Or_would_be_if_the_stupid_hippo_had_turned_up.Still playing. Still not missed a day. Still finding things to do. Still getting the same damn statue from Crazy Redd EVERY SINGLE TIME. Seriously – I’ve had the guy with the disc one six times running.

It was New Year in the game too, and there were fireworks and a big countdown clock and stuff. Which was nice.

3D Streets of Rage (3DS): COMPLETED!

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3dsorThis is not what I expected one of my first completed games of 2014 to be, what with having got A Link Between Worlds and Duck Tales recently. Something made me want to buy and start playing this yesterday (perhaps because I’d just finished Steamworld Dig), and I finished it today.

It’s the same game as it ever was, although you’ll notice I opted for the Japanese version (mainly because I’ve never played it). It made little difference bar the title screen and the small amount of text though.

The 3D effect, however, is impressive. Like 3D Sonic the Hedgehog, it’s entirely superfluous, but the sprites just look gorgeous in the 3D playfield.

There were no surprises – I’ve completed Streets of Rage $hlmun times before after all – but I enjoyed it a great deal. I also found a tactic to deal with the “Blaze Twins” that I don’t think I’d ever realised before: Blaze’s reverse kick. Excellent.

SteamWorld Dig (3DS): COMPLETED!

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steamworldendbossFirst game of 2014 to be completed! Woo!

I was a big fan of the 360 indie game Miner Dig Deep, and many years ago loved Diggers on the Acorn and Amiga, and it was my enjoyment of those two games that made me want SteamWorld Dig. The stars aligned and I was given some eShop credit just as this was on offer, and so I snapped it up.

I’m glad I did. It’s very much in the same vein as those two games I’ve already mentioned, with more combat and much more impressive graphics. Being able to wall jump gets rid of the concern you might dig your way into an inescapable pit, and the ability to carry a teleporter (which takes you back to the surface) means you never need to be too far from home, and the upgrades shop.

It’s a short title (I clocked it at just over five hours), but it’s well worth the journey. The only real downside to the length is it’s difficult to stop playing so the end comes all too quickly.