Back in April, I was picked up by GameStop as a part-time employee. I've wanted to work there for a while, but I never really gave it much effort until last fall when I tried (and succeeded) to get hired for the holidays. It honestly seems like the perfect job for me - I'm not much of a salesman and I don't like talking to people very much, but if there's one thing I can talk about endlessly, and talk up, and convince others to try it's video games. That's why I started this blog on the topic that I did, because I knew I could write about video games all day, every day if I had the time to sit down and do it.
Anyway, with the announcements of Playstation 4 and XBox One, my job basically exploded with activity. The buzz and the conversations happening daily down there is awesome, and I picked up a bunch of extra hours which I'm sure wasn't unrelated, also. It's been a complete blast to go in every time and do something I actually feel passionate about - I know it's a low-level retail job, but seriously, I'm having so much fun. I hope the novelty doesn't wear off anytime soon.
I hoped to put this up as a Bunker Hill Bros. entry this week, but perhaps next week. Deez and I did get a little bit of in-game time together but it was to briefly exchange Friend Codes, set up our Best Friend status, and exchange our native fruit. My town has peaches; his has pears; my wife has cherries. That really worked out in our favor. We're still hunting oranges and apples if anyone out there wants to trade! This week, I built a bench just to get the feel for public projects. This weekend I will build a new bridge!
This week, my trusty pawn Lyn and I decided to venture into Bitterblack Isle. Together with my friend's pawn, Val, we journeyed into the unknown. We defeated a giant, chained up, Gorecyclops, a few Cockatrice and some strange beholder-type monster. None of them were too challenging, but I did find a room with two Gorecyclops that was best left undisturbed. I'll save that challenge for another day. I feel my interest in this game starting to wane, though, as The Last of Us and Animal Crossing completely take over my free time. I really hope I can power through the Bitterblack Isle content.
I'm not sure what to say about this game. It got so many good reviews that it was difficult for me to ignore. I haven't beaten the main story, nor have I gotten into the multi-player games. I really have no excuse since it's been an entire week. I do struggle to find time (when my children are away) to play. Your story and characters thus far are incredible, and your infected, mushroom-zombies are terrifying late at night in the dark. I reserve a full judgment on the game until I've actually completed the entire story-mode.
I haven't done a week in review since March. They don't take very long, especially when I'm only playing one game or so a week because of my busy university schedule. The real reservation I have, however, is that I didn't want this blog to simply become a "Week in Review" blog. Without some feature articles, just hearing about what I'm playing seemed boring. I'm trying to use the freedom of summer to get this blog back on schedule, though. My next semester will be even busier than the last, so hopefully I can queue up a few thoughts to post more regularly over the school year. I really appreciate the attention the blog got during Music May and I want to keep you wonderful people of the internet entertained with my thoughts, ideas and reviews of gaming more consistently. Without further ado, here are the games that I've been playing this week!
My wife bought me my own 3DS for Father's Day with a copy of Animal Crossing that was recently released and I'm really excited about it. I played every Animal Crossing game so far, but I really haven't enjoyed one as much as the very first one for GameCube (N64 in Japan). My brother (@Deezer509) and my wife both have a copy as well and we're looking forward to playing together a lot. I'm also trying to just explore the content and unlockables and collectibles on my own. to enhance the surprise factor of the game.
Before I got Animal Crossing and whenever my PS3 was in use by another member of the family (Netflix) I would pop on Waking Mars which is an interesting little game I have on Steam. You play an explorer/scientist delving into the depths of Mars caverns where unique life does exist. It's both a platform and puzzle game as you meet challenges to balance the ecosystem to allow you access to deeper areas. There is also a hint of mystery as you uncover more clues as to the origin of life on Mars. My daughter is my co-pilot on this one. She often sits beside me to watch me explore Mars.
I got the original version of Dragon's Dogma close to its original release, but because of Dark SoulsI never really gave it a fair shake. A couple weeks ago, my best friend picked up Dark Arisen so I upgraded my old copy to the newer expansion and set off on a whirlwind adventure. I only use my own Pawn and his Pawn, and we set each other up for success and keep our levels similar. Although it's not as good as playing together, the level of cooperation between us still keeps it fun and interesting.
- TOP
@TOPGamingBlog
PS: I'm really excited to be picking up a copy of The Last of Us tonight!
This is part of an ongoing series about my favorite memories
from video games. You can find the original list and table of contents in last
month's post or by clicking here. Please be aware that these posts are going to be full
of spoilers which may ruin the impact of these events on anyone who wishes
to experience them on their own in the future.
#4 - The Master Sword (Ocarina of Time)
I was only seven years old when The Legend of Zelda and I first crossed paths in 1987. I don’t
believe I ever truly owned a copy of the original Nintendo Entertainment System
cartridge, but I sure had a copy on extended loan from a friend at several
points in my childhood. Although I attribute “Final Fantasy” with pushing me
towards writing, I do think The Legend of
Zelda sparked something in me. This game was different from anything I had
ever known. It did not boast a complex story like Final Fantasy would when I played it later on, but it did come
packaged with unrivaled exploration and adventure. What I’m trying to express
is that I grew up with Link, Zelda and Ganon. Their story is a part of me as a
gamer, as a writer, as an explorer and adventurer.
The first copy I truly owned was in Animal Crossing!
Prior to this title, I viewed video games as simple
entertainment, something to turn on and enjoy for a few hours. Legend of Zelda was something more,
though. It wasn’t just monsters on the screen to shoot or stab, or levels to
complete like games I’d played prior. It was like entiring a whole new world
and it was the first time I found something of myself in a game. I enjoy being
thrust into a world without much direction and left to explore and uncover
pieces of the story as I go. As often as I say “I love a game with a good
story” the simplistic approach found in Legend
of Zelda and mirrored in great games such as Metroid (particularly the “Prime” trilogy) and Shadow of the Colossus is something I also greatly admire.
In the original title, the most powerful blade is called “Magic Sword” but many
believe it to be what later titles would call the “Master Sword.” The legend
surrounding the Master Sword would first grow stronger when A Link to the Past was released for
Super Nintendo. In this incarnation Link must face an evil wizard who has
usurped control of Hyrule Castle in an attempt to release the seal that has
locked a god-like being named Ganon in the Dark World. In order to succeed Link
would need to get his hands on the Master Sword, a powerful blade with the
ability to reflect evil magic back at itself. It would require a test of
character and he would brave three dungeons to retrieve three pendants in order
to awaken the sleeping sword. This quest which ends in a symbolic moment of
Link pulling the Master Sword from the stone in the Lost Woods would become an
iconic representation of the Legend of Zelda from that moment on.
The Master Sword of Link to the Past
Link to the Past
is one of my favorite games ever made so it was difficult to believe that
moment in the Lost Woods between a boy and his legendary sword could ever be
trumped. When Ocarina of Time hit
shelves for Nintendo 64 in 1998, Nintendo really outdid themselves. Again we
are taken further into the past of the Hyrule Kingdom. Again Link awakens to
find himself thrust into an adventure he was not quite prepared for and rushes
into danger without a moment’s hesitation. Link’s first dungeon is an attempt
to free the guardian of the Lost Woods, the Great Deku Tree, from an evil curse
that has been laid upon it. Though he releases the curse, the Great Deku Tree
still withers, but not before giving Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest and
sending him to find Princess Zelda. Anyone who played Link to the Past may realize they are now holding one of the three
stones required to awaken the Master Sword. In an attempt to thwart the evil intentions of
Ganondorf, King of Thieves, Zelda sends Link on a quest to find the other two
spiritual stones so that he may enter the Sacred Realm and protect the sacred
relic, the Triforce, from falling into Ganondorf’s hands.
When I finally stood before the Temple of Time with all
three stones in my possession, I already feel like an accomplished adventurer. I
have met the Goron people of the mountains, and the Zora people of the sea. I
proved myself to them by braving the challenges they put before me and earned
the stones necessary to enter the Sacred Realm. I didn’t know it at the time,
but as I entered the Temple of Time, the gateway to the Sacred Realm, I stood
upon the threshold of one of the greatest moments in gaming history. As I
placed the stones on the altar, a door slides open revealing a large chamber.
Before me is a sword stuck in stone upon a large hexagonal dias. The symbol of
the Triforce is etched into the stone, as well as the dias. This young Link I
command wraps his small hands around the hilt of a sword that is slightly
larger than he is and pulls it free of its stone prison. The Triforce etched on
to the dias begins to glow and then, if that weren’t enough, something
unbelievable happens.
Master Sword in the Temple of Time
Ganondorf is there and he thanks me for opening the door to
the Scared Realm for him. I was a pawn in his plans all along. The screen fades
to white and when vision returns, I’m in a strange glowing chamber. An old man,
Rauru, explains he is one of the Seven Sages (I’d heard of them in Link to the Past!) and I am in the
Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm. He instructs me to take a good look at
myself – I mean, at my Link and I’m astounded to see that I’m not the small boy
from the forest, but a grown man. Pulling the Master Sword from the stone,
opening the door to the Sacred Realm, placed Link in stasis until he was strong
enough to wield the blade and become the Hero of Time. Now, it was time to set
right what he and I had done wrong when we allowed Ganondorf to enter the
Sacred Realm and claim the powers of the Gods.
I felt as if everything I’d done with Young Link was a long prelude
to the real heart of the game. Now I had a goal and a purpose. Ganondorf had
used his powers to destroy and corrupt the land of Hyrule and now seven years
later he would have to face Link on near equal terms. What a great build up,
and a great plot twist. It was an eye opening moment when I realized I had only
scratched the surface of what this game was going to throw at me, and how I was
not going to have to experience the entire game as the pint-sized hero, but as
a full-grown warrior. I was truly blindsided by all this, and it was here that
I realized not only was I now in command of a grown Link armed with the Master
Sword, but I was actually playing the legend that had been built up in the back-story
of Link to the Past. I was witnessing
the King of Thieves, Ganondorf, claim victory over the Triforce and become the
evil monster Ganon that I had fought many times before. I was playing the
origin of it all.
Now I get to play as this guy? AWESOME!
Honestly, what an amazing moment to realize that not only
were you instrumental in creating the villain of every Zelda game you had
already played, but you were playing out the events you had heard as myths and
legends. It is not a wonder to me why Ocarina
of Time stands as one of the most highly acclaimed and influential video
games of all time. In my opinion, it has not been outshone by any other title
in the franchise and I think it would be difficult to do so. Someday I will
build up the Courage to face my fears and play the Master Quest version and then
I will truly be worthy of the title, the Hero of Time.
