Crypt of the Necrodancer: Cadence of Hyrule Review (Hey Poor Player)

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This review represents a shift of direction for my writing career: from now on, you can expect reviews of newer Nintendo games to exclusively feature on Hey Poor Player. Aside from huge games in the vein of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I wanted to evaluate new releases some time after release for two reasons:

1) To accommodate DLC updates in gameplay additions and polishing; therefore, I'd analyze the game in its final, truest vision.
2) To allow my opinion to settle and percolate after launch, letting it evolve past the honeymoon phase.

With my recent decision to scale back reviews here, however, I've recognized this is the most vital step into blossoming as a proper game journalist. For far too long I've neglected to cover newer releases as I've silently pursued ambitious goals for the sake of writing for myself. I simply work far more diligently under journalistic obligations, and with the evidence lying within my Hey Poor Player output, I'd like to think things can only go up from here.

And yes, this means the Nintendo pages in my reviews sections here will be updated accordingly. I'll be working on that over the next month, so stay tuned.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Three days and 2600+ words -- all for the sake of the game that's taken over my life for the past ten days.

Have I mentioned how much I love Smash Bros.? I love it so much that I just share my favorite screenshots I've been taking. Here's one that's gained some traction on Twitter.

Being of radioactive energy patiently awaits dinner. #darksamus #chefkawasaki #SmashBros #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/Uvh9LTbpZs

— Alagunder (@MrSaturn99) December 15, 2018

Sleeping With The Enemy: Embracing Disappointment (Kirby Star Allies) (Hey Poor Player)

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That's right: it's a brand new column by yours truly, and it's debuting on Hey Poor Player! Wowza!
 

As this came out of nowhere, I'm certain you're asking how Sleeping With The Enemy was born. Truth is, much as Biweekly Music Wednesday! interfered with my schedule, I treasured how it was the perfect outlet to discuss personal musings regarding the gaming industry, memories of games past, and the like. With it gone, I certainly had more time for reviews, but the loss of expressing everything else was sorely felt -- I love talking about games, but the passion and fuel behind that love is just as important to me.

The answer was clear: I needed a new column, but this time I knew Hey Poor Player had to be its new home -- not only would that extend my reach and relax Leave Luck to Heaven's focus on reviews, but it'd spice up the site's output. Everyone wins!

Coming up with the theme of criticism was a challenge: any ol' topic can serve just fine as individual opinion pieces, and it's not like everyone's fascinated with my stream of consciousness, so I needed an eye-grabbing hook to lure readers. "Criticism" was eventually decided through two factors: the epiphany I elaborate upon in my debut Kirby Star Allies article, and reviewing this BMW! installment revolving around an infamous Xenoblade Chronicles: X tune.

How do we handle criticism? How do we handle disappointment, or maligned critique of mechanics we fail to understand? I answer to aim these questions and many, many more. You can expect new installments every two to three weeks.

(By the way, my boss came up with the name. Works quite well in grabbing your attention, right?)

Kirby Star Allies Review (Hey Poor Player)

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I'm not sure what's more shocking: my final score or that I didn't have time to discuss the music. And yes, writing that last line did kill me.

Anyway, you'll be seeing Kirby Star Allies listed in the Tier List within either the Good/Great category soon enough.

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Question: was 4/5 too low? I come across as quite positive throughout the review, and I kept going back and forth on that and 4.5. I felt 4/5 was appropriate for a game of this caliber, but it just does so much right; actually, I'd say it's easily the best indie I've played all year.

Let me put it this way: if Zelda: A Link to the Past was your childhood jam, you'll love Blossom Tales. And you'll like it regardless. Play it!

Cat Quest Review (Hey Poor Player)

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What, you didn't think I was gonna play this?!? Hardly one of my longer reviews, but perhaps the short length complements the game?

Anyway, please stay tuned for an important post tomorrow detailing Leave Luck to Heaven's immediate future, as well as my decision regarding Twitter. Also, some fun news regarding Hey Poor Player!

On Mario Odyssey's Photo Mode And Its Expression of Freedom (Hey Poor Player)

 

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A bit late posting this up, but here's something I wrote about Super Mario Odyssey's wondrous Photo Mode? Why did I use such a dreary-looking pic for the header? Only one way to find out!

A game review for Switch will also be up on Hey Poor Player today, so look forward to that, too.

Fire Emblem Warriors Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Woops! I was so distracted by the drama from last week that I forgot to put this up here! In case you didn't know, I think it's been up for nearly a week now, ahaha.

Anyway, I'll be providing a quick update tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.

The Fire Emblem Warriors Beginner's Guide (Hey Poor Player)

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This one's already caught up to my Star Fox 2 guide in views: over 700! Looks like you'll be seeing more guides from me in the future!

Only problem is...what would the next suitable game be? Super Mario Odyssey (COMING TOMORROW!!!) should be as accessible as any other Mario game, Skyrim's six years old, and I'm getting Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for Christmas...will I have to wait until Kirby Battle Royale?!?

ARMS Review (Hey Poor Player)

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ARMS is pretty neat, although its flaws are more evident than Nintendo's other recent debuts. We'll see how Nintendo's future support improves the game, but as it stands, it's still worthwhile.

As far as other blog-related stuff goes...since I had most of my week off from work, I did want to use it to write out a review I've wanted to do since forever, but this article and other priorities overtook it; actually, I still haven't even done my E3 impressions yet! At this rate, that may not become a reality... I'll give it my all this weekend!

Oh, and I've been neglecting to update my game journalism section in The Archives, haven't I? I'll get right on that.

Where Are The Switch Features? (Hey Poor Player)

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What, you think March's been a dry month means I've just laying around playing Zelda on Switch? Well...you'd be right!

However, obviously my time with the platform renders it ripe for opinion articles, like my Hey Poor Player piece for the week. As I say in the article, I look forward not to features coming to Switch, but good executions of them. Is a filterless Virtual Console too much to ask, Nintendo?!?

...that said, what's up with that troll comment? Will console wars ever be over?

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review (Hey Poor Player)

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Look at the size of it! I had no intention of making this review Leave Luck to Heaven-sized, but somehow what was originally planned to be a 1500+ word review ended up being a 2000! Wowza. And I thought I was surprised when The Wind Waker achieved 3000+! (For comparison, both my Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask reviews reached 2500/2400, respectively).

Of course, Breath of the Wild is a game that deserves no less. Finally, after seventeen years of waiting, another masterpiece has graced the Zelda name! (A Link Between Worlds did come awful close, though!) Naturally, you can expect an actual Leave Luck to Heaven review later this year; one that will undoubtedly be even bigger.

(Pikmin 3 is still Wii U's masterpiece, tho)

The Switch and Zelda Will Be Mine!

Finally, after years of waiting...The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild launches alongside Nintendo's latest console: the Switch! Given how perfect the game apparently is, it's a taaaad likely things may be slow here for this month, as I'll naturally be pouring time into everything our new Nintendo baby has to offer.

As for the 3D Zelda reviews...well, I made it to three out of the five games before the new title's launch. That's pretty impressive for my standards, eh? While Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword are still coming, we'll be "switching" the focus on two other relevant titles for this month to celebrate Switch's launch, one of which happens to be Zelda-related! Please look forward to them.

I'm also planning a number of Switch-related articles for Hey Poor Player,  as well as contributing to an upcoming HUGE feature on Nintendojo, so please look out for those as well!

Nintendo Switch, here I come!

Biweekly Music Wednesday! No. 47 ~Inside the Castle Walls~ (Super Mario 64)

Origin: Super Mario 64
Plays In: Peach's Castle
Status: Original Composition
Composed By: Koji Kondo

A new Nintendo console is coming in just over a week! How's everyone handling the suspense?

For me, the anticipation for a new Nintendo console is unlike anything else; of course, other company consoles have come and gone with some great hype periods as well, but there's just something magical about your favorite home team ready to unleash five-years worth of untold adventures, dreams and memories to the public. Nostalgia will be cultivated in young one as us grown-ups revel in the magic that's kept us coming again and again for the past thirty decades. With how much Nintendo is banking on the Switch to last and the ever-changing expectations of the game industry, perhaps we'll enjoy all those and more in a longer cycle.

One of my favorite gaming memories is the time I surely first laid eyes on a Nintendo 64...we were in a Blockbuster (remember those?), and I couldn't stop staring at the demo station in the corner.  It was playing Super Mario 64, and everything about it was a marvel: the new 3D graphics not found in my Super Mario World game at home, the way Mario hopped and swam about with precise ease, how the controller echoed to me that of Mario's gloved hands...everything about it was a mystifying magnet to six-year old me, one that screamed "play me!". It was then the seeds of my gaming passion were certainly born.;

Switch might not have a Mario 64 of its own; in fact, that it's launching with a Zelda game and a title introducing the system's controls (1-2 Switch) recalls more to that of the Wii, a system that captivated many because of how it played rather than the context and dynamics of the games themselves. Certainly, the Switch is set to sail a similar course: a system that captivates the public through one central gimmick. In this case, a hybrid that brings people together and encourages outdoor player is highly appealing.

And yet, I am always reminded of Super Mario 64 and its gardens and castle walls whenever a Nintendo system launches, no matter what the goals it sets for itself. The Wii's motion controls may've defined its respective generation, but Super Mario 64 changed everything on such fundamental levels that its heartbeat still lingers in every 3D title today. Even now, when we're about to be introduced to a Zelda designed to demolish everything we've associated with the series for the sake of a proper open-world experience, I can only think of how Super Mario 64 did the same for the purpose of revolutionizing gaming.

Well, that, and how it looks godly and it may very well be the game to finally surpass the N64 Zelda duo and A Link to the Past, but the point here is that while envisioning a new Super Mario 64-esque impact on the industry is near-impossible, I can't help but see its footsteps being followed here. Yes, Breath of the Wild was built as a Wii U game from the ground-up, but like Twilight Princess before it, it'll be largely associated with the new console. And that already renders it the most exciting Nintendo launch title in over a decade.

Next Friday will surely be something special.

Final Thoughts: Or, hey, maybe it's that Super Mario Odyssey is going back to the original 3D template for Mario? Easily the best thing to come out of last month's conference; I already can't wait to hop around for the heck of it!

No New Tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Hey Poor Player)

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Everyone's been down on Nintendo's Switch Presentation in one way or another, be it the pricing, the launch line-up confusion, the bumbling live translator or the news shared above (my own brief, conflicted thoughts were shared on a Nintendojo Roundtable). I suspect the influx of rumors lining up the weeks before the presentation had a hand in this: there were reports of several enhanced Wii U ports for fan-favorite titles, the bizarrely enticing Mario/Raving Rabbids crossover, and, of course, the ever-eternal localization of Mother 3. While undoubtedly more will be revealed this E3, I imagine most--including myself--got caught up in the hype and expected a bigger blowout than what we received.

Don't get me wrong: I think there's many valid complaints over went down this past Friday, but I can't help but blame myself for being disappointed in this regard. It's not like what was shown wasn't very cool, be it the unexpected surprise of Xenoblade 2 and the mouth-watering give-it-to-me-now goodness of Super Mario Odyssey. In the case of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe not having new tracks, I imagine that a) Nintendo didn't want spend too much resources on improving an older title and b) they thought 48 tracks was enough, and, well, I can't exactly blame them. While I would've loved to have seen a Splatoon track, I'm just happy we're seeing a revamped Battle Mode (and hey, no one ever denied anything about DLC!)

At the very least, I still think more Wii U ports are happening; it only makes sense Nintendo wants certain active, big-name Wii U titles to get more exposure. (And besides, why else are the amiibo for Cloud, Corrin and Bayonetta taking so long?) Smash and Mario Maker are obvious, but I can't help but entertain the thought of a Hyrule Warriors port that combines content from both versions, and I think it's about time Pokken Tournament got some of that arcade-onlky goodness.

Really, I'm left with one important question: will Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as well as any following Wii U ports, inherit save data from their previous versions? I'd hate to have to say goodbye to my battle data from Smash 4, for instance, so Mario Kart will be a litmus test for what's to come.

...that reminds me: I know I said I wouldn't be discussing my review schedule anymore, but to drive up excitement for the fresh new year, I'd like to share a taste of what's to come. I'm planning reviews for certain Wii U titles before their accompanying Switch releases hit stores, so you can expect me to discuss Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon right when Deluxe and Splatoon 2 hit. Any following Wii U ports will likely get the same treatment, so stay tuned for those.

Oh, and remember when I said a famous Nintendo franchise will get its Leave Luck to Heaven debut? Expect that to start very soon...word has it a big blowout's coming to celebrate a certain launch title.

Introducing the Nintendo Switch! (Hey Poor Player)

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The Nintendo Switch has been officially revealed!!! It's been a few hours, so how's everyone taking the announcement? 

Personally, I'm quite excited they got the message across this time. This time, it seems they've ditched building upon the screen--a concept far too nebulous even for Nintendo--but they still feel it's vital for the future of gaming, so why not just have it switch for player preference? 

Very catchy name, by the way. Say it with me: Nintendooooo Switch!

Will it catch on this time? The software presented was impressive, but as much as I'm excited for Mario Kart (and the long-rumored Smash), we'll need more than Wii U ports to succeed. Super Mario is off to a good start, but will it push the series forward? Time will tell, but that developer line-up is promising!

By the way, what do you all make of the Skyrim PR fiasco? Some say it's to encourage sales of the remaster coming out shortly, but it's a little late for me; I was going to replay Skyrim, soon, but now I've decided to wait for the Switch version!