The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Thanks to region locking bullshit on the 3DS it's taken me a fair while to get around to playing this game but it was worth the wait because it's rather good.

It's hard to talk about Zelda really, everyone already knows whats up.  You play as Link and for some reason Hyrule gets fucked and princess Zelda goes missing.  Go around a bunch of dungeons, get a bunch of items, fight a bunch of bosses and save the world.  At this point we've done it a million times and despite things being a bit predictable at this point, it's a tried and tested formula that works and these adventures are fun to go on. 

However, Link Between Worlds tries to mix things up a little bit when it comes to dungeon progression and items.  In previous Zelda games you would go to a dungeon, do some puzzles and get an item, then use that item to do the second half of the dungeon and kill a boss with it.  However in this game all the items are available from the get go pretty much and you pay to rent them out.  Dungeons are still based around the use of a core item but it means that when you find that big chest with the secret thing in it, it's not something predictable and you end up receiving something actually useful and worth the effort of all that puzzle solving.  The games core mechanic of turning into a wall painting to move around the world is also easy to understand and used in a number of interesting ways that keep things entertaining.

I only have two complaints about this game but neither of these ruin the overall experience.  First, the game feels short.  I played it almost exclusively during my work lunch breaks and train rides and I've managed to beat it in what feels like a very short time.  Granted I didn't get EVERYTHING in the game but scouring for little crab things for unnecessary upgrades to my items and raising enough rupees to buy a golden bee didn't tickle my fancy really. My second complaint is that I feel like the game is too easy, I played through the entire thing, had 0 deaths on my death count on the end screen and didn't even come close to dying even once.  There IS a Hero Mode that unlocks when you beat the game which I've yet to try so I'm hoping that a second playthrough may yield a more challenging experience.

Either way, it's a great little game on the 3DS and you should give it a whirl if you haven't done so already.  Just classic, fun adventuring.   

3D Dot Game Heroes

Right, less doom, gloom and controversy, let's talk about some fucking video games.

3D Dot Game Heroes was a 2009 PS3 game released in 2009 and developed by a bunch of people over at Silicon Studio.  The game is basically a Zelda clone through and through but it's one of those self aware comedy titles that has tons of personality and is an absolute blast to play.

The story follows the adventure of the hero of Dotnia as he must venture through the lands and collect 6 magic orbs to stop a bad guy from destroying the world.  The story is about as bare bones as it gets but it serves its purpose of pushing the player from one location to the next.  The game is full of funny bits of dialogue that won't have you laughing out loud but you'll find that you'll have a big stupid grin on your face the whole time.

From a gameplay standpoint it plays pretty much exactly like old school Zelda games.  If you have ever played Zelda or A Link to the Past then you pretty much know how this game works.  Sometimes I found the controls could be a little floaty and this would cause me to accidental fall down a pit and lose half a life point, but nothing game breaking or rage inducing. 

For a game about a world made of pixels it's actually really nice to look at.  There are nice water and particle effects as you explore and kill stuff, enemies will explode into piles of dots when you kill them and there are some really nice lighting effects as well.

The absolute best thing about this game though is the sheer amount of content you get, this game is massive and if you want to do the game 100% then you're looking at quite a lengthy play through.  Aside from the main quest there are tons of side quests, mini games and collectibles that will sap away the hours of your free time.  The game itself is quite challenging and if you plan to do all the extra stuff then don't think you'll have an easy time with the mini games just because they are a side objective.

On top of actual in game stuff, there is a character creator where you can build your own hero pixel and pixel and play with something truly unique.  If you're not into that or can't be bothered then there are pages of pre made characters for you to play with that can be changed at any time when you load a game.

So, if you have a PS3 and you have not played 3D Dot Game Heroes, go get it.  It's a fun, light hearted adventure with enough content to last you long enough to not buy anything for at least 4 or 5 days.