My spooki scary story. No for reals though this is true and pretty personal.

Ok so I know compared to scary ghosts and spooki scary skeletons, my story isn't as frightening. What really sticks this to memory though is its completely unexplained nature. A few years back I worked in a local supermarket of a chain I won't mention, aside that the uniforms are black. That comes in later.  Anyway I was about 16-17, small and generally unexperienced, I just needed extra money while I was in college so I could get the train to see my girlfriend. Call me a modern day romantic I know. Anyway, I hated the work and often took longer breaks than I should, upstairs in the employees room. Now the store is a large square shop floor with a door at the back, leading to a single walkway. At the end of the walkway is a set of stairs leading up to the warehouse room above the shop floor, and the break room adjourning that. No other way down aside the stairs. Ok so I was on break, eating some out-of-date stock, and over the intercom I was called to the tills. I can't remember what day it was, but there were very few of us workers in that night so it seemed busy to us. There was me, an older woman who I think was called Becca, My friend Shaun, and my manager who's name I've honestly forgotten. I responded to the call, dragged myself up and out the door to cross the warehouse and down to shop floor. Now the warehouse is full of crates and those large trolley cages we use for moving stock into shop floor. As I came out the break room I saw a person duck behind one of said cages. I thought it was Shaun, as the shape was black (the uniforms remember), large and 100% a human. Arms, legs, a head, the whole lot. I called out hi, as Shaun is a bit of what some would call a 'lad', and would probably get offended if I  strolled past without greeting him. I got no response. Peering round the cage as I walked up to it, I saw that there was no one there. I'd like to say I've never taken any kind of drugs or hallucinogenics, and at the time drunk rarely and sparsely so I couldn't have been effected by anything like that. The lights in the room were bright modern, so there was no flickering and no way could've created a shape like that. Plus they were directly overhead so it couldn't have been my own shadow, I was 100% done with being in that room. I legged it down the stairs, and got to the bottom, noting that the slow creaky door was shut tight. If anyone had somehow got down there super-fast it would've taken an age to shut.

I got out onto shop floor, and went to find my manager. I was still trying to be rational, and decided that if there was an intruder in the warehouse who had just hidden very well that that didn't look good on me for just walking past. I located him and asked where everyone was. He seemed confused, but told me that Becca was on tills, he had been in the office and Shaun was loading fruit by the front door. I  had been the only person in the entire back of the shop.

So all this doesn't sound overly scary, but what keeps me from dismissing it as just a trick of my mind  is how all the facts are stacked against it. I like horror and creepy things as much as the next guy, but I sleep just fine at night knowing it's all imaginary. My story is very true, I saw a figure. Not a shadowy haze, but a human mass which was there when all logic proves it can't have been, and that scares me to my very core. I'll never forget it.

Shattered memory fragment - Pocket Infinity exotic weapon review and guide.

Pocket Infinity

Obtaining the exotic Pocket Infinity fusion rifle is a laborious task with... ehhh, well okay rewards I guess. The Pocket Infinity is a decent fusion rifle, however the signature perk that gives the weapon its namesake is what truly makes it exotic. The weapon is very situational and plagued by ammo abundance, however once you let it free on a boss it really shines above all other fusion rifles. I'll go over the steps to earn the Pocket Infinity, then give my own opinion on the weapon and the kind of situations it performs best in.

1. Obtain the Shattered Memory Fragment exotic bounty by turning in bounties to the robot in either the Vestian Outpost or the tower. There's still no real solid known method to win one of these, try turning in multiple bounties at once for a higher chance of a drop.
2. Travel to Venus and locate a Damaged Ghost from the Shattered Coast. This can be found in the room in the wall on the left, just after the tunnel that leads to the Ishtar library. It's near the big Venus statue, written directions are hard so click this link to see a quick video. Anyway, pick up this Ghost, unlocking the next step.
3. Kill a Vex Gatelord with the heroic modifier. Nothing new here, just speedrun the story mission in order to restore the Ghost. Bring the Ghost to the speaker so he can give you some schematics, then take the schematics to the Gunsmith. 
4. The long part of this quest is obtaining and dismantling 10 rare or higher quality fusion rifles. It's not particularly difficult, it just takes a long time and you'll either be spending a lot of Vanguard marks or praying for RNG. Anyway, bring the charged core you get from this back to the gunsmith.
5. Kill 200 enemies in the weekly Nightfall Strike with a Fusion Rifle to stabilize the prototype. Try match the damage type with the random weekly Burn, you'll get this done a lot faster. Obviously this is easier to do against low tier enemies like Dregs and Shanks, but remember there's no pressure as you don't need to do it all in one run. Get this done and return to the Gunsmith the be rewarded with the weapon.

Well now you have the Pocket Infinity, what can it do? It's an auto-firing fusion rifle that returns around 70% of missed shots to mag, making it perfect for boss encounters. Just hold down the trigger and watch it spray into the boss, hammering it with solar rounds. However the base mag of three is pitiful and before unlocking it's signature perk the Pocket Infinity is probably the worst Fusion Rifle in the game. It was a painfully long charge time and reload speed, but it's worth it to hang in there and unlock the perks. It's the best fusion rifle in the game, but of course subjectively Fusion Rifles aren't too great anyway. Do not use this gun in the Crucible! The charge is so slow you'll get killed by anything first, and the recoil will spray your shots everywhere but the target. In PVP, as I said earlier, this beast is very situational but it's still a beast in the right scenario. Use this against bosses with Solar weaknesses, but nothing else. It has so little ammo it's not worth using it against lower tier enemies, making you rely heavily on your primary. Now this wouldn't be too bad if you had a strong exotic primary to use exclusively, but since the PI takes up your exotic slot you're forced to rely on lower tier weapons which you may or may not have.

I'd give this weapon a 6 out of 10, it's not really worth doing all the work on the bounty for what little reward you get, but when you find that right situation it really comes into it's own. Do not choose it over any of the other exotic bounties (except Super Good Advice maybe) unless you've got everything else and you want to swap up your playstyle. 

What the Taken King needs to bring to Destiny

What the Taken King needs to bring to Destiny

1. Better loot

With the new ascension via Etheric light, old once-redundant gear is now top-tier again! Honestly who'd use something like the Dreg's Promise over Gjallarhorn, we need new good exotics or everyone will just keep using the best ones from the old year, just buffed up to the new level. The same goes for legendary tier, the new gun models for the House of Wolves do look good but honestly they've never had as much impact on me as the old Judgment, Shadow Price and the Saterienne Rapier. As I said for the exotics, we need good gear to outplay the old ones or I for one will just keep ascending Fatebringer every year!Gear-wise we've done better, the new armor always looks better and cooler than the last set but still the stats on the Prison of Elders gear sucks compared to the previous raid sets. Maybe that's because it's POE-won instead of a random drop so they can't make the stats too overpowered, but still it really doesn't have any application outside the Prison. Plus the new end-game shaders are god-awful. Mhmmmm I love having a bright purple-pink Hunter. The new subclasses look like they'll spice up the monotony a bit, but loot is where it really counts. 

2. More Strikes/Raids

We need more strikes to keep things fresh! Having a playlist feature in the game itself implies that we're meant to grind these, but when you can literally recite the opening audio to each of the strikes and identify which one it is by the opening word you know you've played them too much. I just slip into autopilot on them now, we need a good load more, almost as many more as the original game added on, to boost up the player enjoyment. Now before anyone whines that it's too much work and that's an unrealistic number, remember they're marketing this as 'Destiny 2', set at the same price as the original game. If it's really worth that money, it'll have the same amount if not more content than the vanilla Destiny on release. 
The prison of Elders is an amazing experience, I can't fault it in the slightest for it's engagement and replayability. However since Raids are a standpoint of the expansions and we've missed one out already with HOW, we really need another. I've got no doubt that we'll have a huge impressive fight with Oryx, but it seems very predictable. I'd love something like the Shadow Thief strike, where he shows up at multiple points in the raid, or even story missions, as it really hammers in that feeling of helplessness and hunting. Oryx looks incredible, so the final fight should be in multiple stages and in a huge place, not a cramped room like the other fights. I had a great idea that the final fight happens in the Tower itself, with Oryx swooping around and destroying things and attacking the Traveler itself. We've heard nothing about it really still, aside it's a big space ball, it seems right that Oryx would attack the Guardian's main source of power. This could also feature a cool mechanic where the Traveler is damaged more and more throughout the fight, adding a time element in and a sense of urgency, we'd literally be cornered and fighting on behalf of all the other Guardians. Whatever happens, it needs to be epic.

3. Primary story line progress

So... we destroyed the black garden, killed the son of a god and captured the Kell of Kells. That's all very nice but there's so many unanswered questions. The majority of us who have been playing for nearly a year now still don't know what the Traveler really is, where it came from, or why it chose us. Who is the Exo Stranger, she doesn't even have a proper name and she's easily the most interesting primary story character. What's the deal with the Warminds, where are the others aside Rasputin? There's so much lore that's not told in the story, hinted at in the grimoire, but mainly ignored. We're loyal fans, tell us about the game universe! It's annoying because we know there's so much there but we're being kept in the dark. I have a theory that the Exo stranger will show up in TTK, she appeared when the Vex were going to destroy the universe so Oryx certainly fits the bill. Maybe we'll finally find out who she was talking to in the the 'Little Light' cutscene. Speaking of which... Cutscenes! we got none in the expansions, and if this really is a high-price high-content successor to vanilla Destiny they we're really owed more.

4. Something new! 

This might seem obvious but knowing the previous expansions this needs to be said; We need something new and intuitive to surprise us! The Prison of Elders is a great example of this, bringing new mechanics and a fun co-operative experience to the table. I know it's kind of an arena already, but I think we need a lone-wolf style mission or event, something like the end of Halo Reach. A barren wasteland where enemies just leer at you out of the dust or shadows. It'd be cool if it was a random event, like if you're flying to the Tower or Vestian Outpost your ship crashes and you have to fend off waves till a scout ship comes to save you. There needs to be a risk factor too, like there's a glimmer/motes of light toll on death, but sweet rewards for success. Everything in the game as of current is so predictable, aside the weekly strike resets and the POE rounds. Destiny needs something fresh, even something along the lines of the new modifiers that we got with TTK, but what we're lacking is something new. For a game that requires excessive grinding, the grind needs to at least try to be fun!

Borderlands The Pre-Sequel review - The ugly ducking in the pack?

Gearbox's hottest 8 out of 10, Borderlands The Pre-Sequel brings everything you loved from borderlands 1 & 2... and makes it ok I guess. It's not a bad game, it just seems very aware of what it is and what it's trying to be. To elaborate, Borderlands 2 went above and beyond in the way of making a stellar game, with new features while still retaining that old humor and crazy gameplay. I can't fault BTPS for it's gameplay, after all it's near identical to the previous titles, but all it's new features feel kinda gimicky and forced. For example the extended jump is nice but running around constantly aware of the ticking oxygen meter is annoying and takes you out of the game to focus on the HUD. The new lazer type weapons are fun until you realize that all the old guns are still more powerful and you can only really spec for one elemental damage. This may not seem like a big deal, but keep in mind there are sections that are literally impossible without the right elemental damage. For example I specifically remember a section where you have to break a wall to proceed but it only breaks with ice type damage. I had no ice type guns. I had to spend all of my hard-earned cash on a bottom-tier ice lazer just to progress. That's not rewarding gameplay, if I hadn't collected that money I would've been stuck there for however long it took.

I'm almost getting a Dark Souls vibe at times too, I've been just churning the main story line so I'm horrifically under-leveled which makes even trash mobs in boss fights a very real threat. You could say this is partially my fault, but the way you're hurried from section to section makes side-quests feel like an afterthought. Side quests should (especially in borderlands) should be inviting and shiny, I remember hearing about the gun that screams when you fire it back in BL2, but nothings draw me to stray from the path of pain and occasional progression that I've been traveling down. I remember being a good few levels beneath the level 13 Boson boss, but it was very satisfying to finally take down. 

Let's talk classes, I play Athena - the gladiator. Previously I mained Maya - the Siren, so I'm glad I accidentally speced for a healer again. At first the gladiator class is horribly underwhelming as an understatement. You throw a shield; that's about it. However after going down the medic skill tree the shield now heals me and ricochets and absorbs elemental damage to release. It's pretty fun, the recharge is super high as well making it a very viable option for healing in free time. My tactic is to pop the shield and run at the angriest badass I can see, absorbing the damage while unloading a full clip into him, finally releasing all the stacked damage into him as well. It's proved very effective against grounded bosses, you really do feel like a badass. The classes are the strongest points of BTPS, I haven't had a chance to try out any of the others yet, but the progression and skill sets really add to the otherwise linear and similar gameplay.

The story is hard to get into, you start off traveling to Helios, then it gets taken over by Dahl, and Jack (yes, the handsome one) directs you to save the nearby moon; Elpis. It strays dangerously near that sci-fi trope of having an over-abundance of crazy space names that just sound silly if over used. Psychos and Bandits have been replaced with 'mad men' and 'scavs'. The large Dahl loader robots are particularly hard to take down, but so is everything considering I'm like 3 levels beneath them. Overall I'm finding them fun and challenging, they still have quirky dialog. I want to like them so much but they're missing that craziness, it's hard to believe someone is crazy if they've got technical gear all over them and space hoods. Where's the topless maniacs who ran at you with buzz-saws!? That being said, I do like the design of the suicide psychos, instead of carrying piddly little grenades that they run at you with, these guys carry giant rocket-nuke-missile things on their backs. Badass. 

I've got up to the agro-Felicity boss fight (again around 2 levels under her), so I can't make a valid judgment on the ending, but all I can say is I hope they didn't pull a BL2, because I really disliked the ending in that. I hope that it covers all the loose ends with Jack, I have great hopes for it.

Destiny end-game guide - Top three things to do post level 32!

So you’ve completed Destiny.

You’ve truly become a guardian of the galaxy, pushed back the minions of the darkness on multiple planets, and proved your worth in the iron banner. So what’s left to do? Destiny has some crazy end-game content that may not seem apparent directly after smashing the Black Garden and topping level 20. Lots of players have been turned away by the lack of apparent goals or structure, after all there’s only so many times you can run tiger or roc strikes hoping for a Gjallahorn. Or you’ve already got one, and it feels like there’s nothing left to strike for. This is exactly what happened to me after completing Borderlands 2, a huge thrilling boss fight leading to a very lack-lustre end game, slightly soiling the experience. However Destiny has some brilliant alternatives than just melee-smacking Claptrap over and over, here’s my guide to things to do in end-game Destiny.

Raids

Raids are a big deal in Destiny, they’re a perfect platform to meet new Guardians and level yourself up to the next big step. Even old raids like the Vault of Glass still supply you with an overflow of glimmer and materials, plus are you sure you have all the exclusive raid weapons and armour? Better run Atheon again on hard just to make sure you have The Aspect of Glass custom ship. Helping newer Guardians through the raid can seem infuriating to some seasoned players, but there’s a first time for everyone and it can be genuinely uplifting to see a noobie level 28 get his first Fatebringer. Crota is arguably more of a challenge to first-time players, as everything must be performed so a set time and in a set order. Challenge yourself to own a full set of gear for each raid, after all with the upcoming House of Wolves DLC we can finally upgrade our old Vault of Glass gear to 336 attack damage, offering more high-end guardian customisation and new playstyles. I for one cannot wait to break out my Atheon’s epilogue again, for all its flaws it totally dominates Nightfall strikes that have Void Burn on. I still use it on its current damage cap sometimes! You can also meet new players through the raid system, it’s great to build up a raid clan and meet up weekly to smash Crota or succumb to the Oracles for the millionth time.

Collection

Along the same lines as the raid, having a full set of specific items is hugely satisfying. For example collect all the exotics, I’ve currently got all of them aside the Necrochasm (I’ve got the husk but still upgrading it) and the Vex Mythoclast. I’m currently spam-running the Vault every week with my team hoping for a drop, or mowing down Thrall on the moon to level up the husk of the pit. Utilise the new enlarged vault space that Bungie has blessed up with at long last and stack up your collection! You may even discover new playstyles through this, for example the Thunderlord dropped for me the other day and I’m so impressed by how fast it destroys in Crucible! Pair it with the Ruin Wings for your titan and you’ll find a whole new way to play, likewise the pairing of the Obsidian Mind with the          Bad Juju. No better combination was discovered since Oreos with milk. And you don’t have to just collect exotics, I’m trying to find/earn a whole set of New Monarchy weapons and armour. I’m only missing the boots from the armour set, but I’ve only found the Scout rifle, Fusion rifle and Shotgun from them so far. It’s a harsh grind, but run the nightfall and pour that buffed EXP into your preferred faction of choice and you’ll get a good 2-3 packages per week. These weapons and gear really stand out and have some really cool unique stats, I’m in love with my scout rifle that came with exploding rounds and grenadier! As I said, the grind can be tough but the rewards are worth it by miles. Look great and play great!

The Cryptarch and other assorted grinding.

After vanquishing the forces of evil, finishing both raids and maxing out to Level 32, it’s time to do battle with an even greater dark power; Master Rahool and his son-of-a-bitch RNG loot system. You can always push yourself to search for greater weapons or different stat rolls. Since pre-HOW we can’t re-forge gear yet, you’re just going to have to rely on lady luck’s charms to throw a scout rifle your way that’s packing Firefly rounds, or a shotgun with super long range. The amount of times I’ve said to myself “I’ll do one more Roc strike before I go to bed”, then ended up winning a legendary item is countless, I won a Plan C from grinding just before I said I’d come off. Part of Destiny’s lure is the completely random rewards, you never know what you’re going to get! Unless you solo the Nightfall just to be shown a few measly shards… But generally it’s always a nice surprise to suddenly have a purple pop up from a blue engram. This is a great way to get diverse loot too, I’m not even level 2 on Dead Orbit but I’ve still got the boots, scout rifle and rocket launcher all from random drops! There’s a cruel temptation to grind out a loot cave or farm the strikes till you’ve maxed out your marks. There’s a fun game to play called “don’t stop Roc till an exotic drops”, which’s name is self-explanatory. Keep running those strikes, maybe put some music or a podcast on in the background, the whole thing can be a very relaxing experience. Daily stories and bounties are another great way to spend the time, making you partake in all manner of activities. I especially like the daily story missions, they give me a reason to re-live the otherwise redundant campaign. They reward you with shards and I’ve even got a couple of purples out of them, they’re a perfect excuse to return to the game world and buff yourself up even just for a little bit every day. I normally set myself the goal to complete every bounty each day, that way if I’ve done the Nightfall I can pour max EXP into levelling my faction rank and guns. There’s a lot of self-gratification involved, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort your Guardian can become a top range lethal space savior.

The Crucible and the Iron Banner.

I remember I used to hate PVP in destiny. I chose all my gear to boost me in strike running and boss fighting, until one specific time the Iron Banner came to the tower. Now I didn’t care much for the gear and guns, aside the Warlock chest armour; The Iron Regalia Vestments. I loved the look, it was amazing and individual, I’d seen maybe two other guardians with it. I spent a whole week slaving to Lord Saladin, doing all his bounties and desperately trying to level up while collecting glimmer. I eventually got the robe and it is gorgeous, I rarely take it off unless I’m doing a raid and I need specific buffs, It’s my prize signature piece of armour. Crucible is nowhere near as rewarding as running strikes or raids, buy it’s a fun challenging experience. Are things getting a little repetitive? Put away your Thorn and Suros, try using the No Land Beyond sniper to really make you work for those kills! I recently switched my hunter to Bladedancer and its made my Crucible experience crazy fun. The guns from the Crucible vendor in the tower are generally better quality than the Vanguard ones (in my opinion, just look at the Satterienne Rapier), and you’ll need Crucible marks to buy faction weapons and gear so it’s a good idea to farm a load of them for high-level personal rewards. 

New Monarchy review - all weapons.

Prudence II (Sniper rifle) 6/10
Low magazine, low impact, incredibly good stability-to-fire-rate ratio, The Prudence II sniper is a shockingly overlooked weapon. Sporting fire damage, making it great for nightfall strikes, this sniper also functions well in PVP thanks to its various scopes and high fire rate. My only nag is the mag, there's no way to increase it from 4 shots and I'm used to snipers like Icebreaker and the Spear holding 6. However my one came with the Outlaw perk, so reload speeds are not a problem.
This is an all round good weapon, use it over any other vendor sniper, but not an exotic or iron banner one.

Prestige IV (Heavy machine gun) 2/10
If you've ever used the Super Good Advice pre-patch then you'll understand the general distaste for low-stability heavy machine guns. This is perhaps the only New Monarchy weapon I dislike, terrible stability, range and impact mixed with a maxed out fire rate means you'll miss nearly all your shots and the ones that do hit won't do anything. There's no way on mine to upgrade the stability, only token gesture perks like Rangefinder. Do not use this weapon, even Super Good Advice is better!

Purifier VII (Fusion rifle) 8/10
Pretty bad charge rate for a Fusion rifle, but that's made up for with the nearly maxed out impact and stability. Use this for PVP, it's a one-hit-kill from close to medium range. The fire damage plus the impact makes it very easy to take out shielded Hive enemies, this is a fun little weapon to use while running a exotic primary, as when it's empty you can switch to your Purifier and still deal out massive blows. Mine came with Grenadier and Flared magwell with an ammo capacity of 5, it's always in my inventory and hasn't been put in the vault since I' got it.

Judgement VI (Shotgun) 8/10
One word: Crucible nightmare. I suppose the same can be said for any shotgun, but the high reload speed and impact make this a demon to go up against. I do have a problem with the fire rate, hitting your first shot can be crucial in getting that kill, but all you need is one shot with this beast. Mine came with Grenadier and Spray-and-pray bonuses, making it also work really well in PVE. Again the small mag annoys me but you can easily wipe out 3-4 enemies if you land all the shots. aesthetically it looks great, its got a very unique black barrel extension that really stands out against other shotguns.

Vanquisher VIII (Auto rifle) 9/10
Since the auto-rifle nerf, I initially found this weapon to be a bit lack luster compared to other guns. However compared to other auto rifles it excels in its field, featuring amazing stability, a varied choice of scopes and the base perks of Outlaw and Glass half full. The later perk is heavily utilized due to the mag of 22, which can be increased at the cost of stability. The gun looks amazing too, aside the heavy weapons it's the most chunky of all the guns, sporting the thick three white stripes against stock red, none of the brown detailing like on Crusader or Purifier. Dealing out short high-damage bursts with a super-quick reload, this weapon does well against bosses, normal enemies and guardians alike. I'd suggest actively buying this one if it doesn't drop for you with those perks, it'll be worth the marks.

Crusader I (Scout rifle) 10/10
I'm not sure if it's because of the rolls I got on this one, but aside The Satterienne Rapier this is my favorite scout rifle. Rodeo, Grenadier and explosive rounds and a default maxed out reload, this may be my favorite New Monarchy weapon. If I did have to poke a flaw it'd be the aesthetic, I'm not keen on the red and brown combo, but this can be overlooked by the vibrant trademark white stripes. I cannot sing it's praises enough, it can decimate large crowds of enemies in a few shots in PVE and PVE alike making it a must-have for any loadout. I use the Quickdraw IS scope, it makes getting headshots natural and easy. I'm not sure this weapon is for sale, you're just going to have to get lucky with the perk rolls but if it pays off you'll be using this as your primary for months on end.

Red Hand IX (Hand cannon) 7/10
Let me say a few things; Impact, stability and reload. This hand cannon is visually unique, powerful and a great addition to any arsenal. Maybe I'm biased, but I got this around the same time I got Thorn and after that the Red Hand always seems a little weak compared to it. I see guardians using this weapon almost religiously in PVP and PVE, but I never really got into it. Mine rolled with explosive rounds which I love, but I'll always use Crusader I over it due to the larger mag, range and reload. I'm not saying it's a bad weapon, just a little over-hyped. Use it over any other legendary hand cannon. but not if you've got an exotic or Crusader I.

Admonisher III (Rocket launcher) 7/10
A big red beautiful beast. It looks gorgeous, there's something satisfying about carrying a big block colour heavy around on your back, a feeling I can relate to the Valedictorian but less blue. Mine rolled with proximity detonation, and grenadier. I thought this second perk is kinda wasted, my grenade will have charged anyway by the time I find heavy ammo, however hitting a large clump of enemies can completely stack up our grenade so it's fairly useful but only in certain circumstances. The fully maxed out blast radius is great too, overall its a top-tier launcher among it's peers, but some sort of tracking would be appreciated. I've been ruined by Gjallarhorn.

First dungeon review - Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Since I play a lot of games and want to write up a review instantly, I've come up with an idea:
First Dungeon reviews.
Ta-da, impressive huh. Essentially I'll play to the first dungeon or boss of a game and write up a first impressions post about it. Remember! These are my first ever impressions, these can change as the game progresses! I will factor in Story, level design, challenge and the boss or first big event itself. So without further ado...

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
First dungeon review

Published in 2004 for the Gameboy Advance, The Minish Cap is a charming fun little adventure, literally! Link can use the Minish Cap (which is also a bird called Ezlo) to shrink down to the tiny size of the Minish people. This is a super clever mechanic, as it allows you to explore the fairly small world of Hyrule to a microscopic level. It feels quite childish, nothing like Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask. Hell, even The Windwaker looks dark compared to it!!! This doesn't mean it's any lesser of a game though, it's bright and fun and the world of Hyrule is just as charming and drawing as ever. I picked this up from Virtual Console on the WiiU shop for under a tenner and have been pleasantly surprised from the start.

The story of The Minish Cap is thus. If you don't want spoilers for a game from 2004, skip this paragraph.

Link is living with his grandfather who is Hyrule's blacksmith. He is called Smith. What a name. Zelda comes to fetch Link for the big festival up at the castle, as they're childhood friends and she figures they can hang out even though she's literally a princess and he just sleeps all day. Yup, seeing any similarities to Skyward Sword's opening here? Childhood friends? Zelda fetching Link for a big Festival? Link being lazy and asleep? Woah wait I just realised he's asleep at the beginning of a lot of other games like Ocarina of Time and Windwaker.... Get on this conspiracy theorists. 

Anyway they go to the festival, it's all very cute and Zelda wins Link a shield. However Evil strikes when some purple dude called Vaati comes and destroys the ancient Picori blade,which is kinda like the lock on Pandora's box. All the evil comes out to mess everyone up and Vaati runs away because he thought there would be treasure inside and was a bit annoyed when there was just monsters. So now the Picori blade needs to be fixed by the Picori (otherwise known as the Minish) only show themselves to young children so I guess it's really helpful that there just so happens to be a young hero-type looking boy here called Link I guess he can go save the day.
Travelling to the Minish woods, Link finds Ezlo; the Minish cap himself. Wielding the superpowers of extreme banter, sarcasm, falling asleep a lot and being able to shrink Link down to Minish size, It's time to team up with the bird-hat thing to restore the blade... after you collect a lot of things from dungeons for it.

The game looks and controls beautifully, it's one of those old handheld ones where swinging the sword can be spammed at enemies and rolling and walking just feels fun. It's bright and colourful, fans of the darker games may be put off by its appearance. I do have one complaint, that is the shield takes up an item slot and must take the place of something far more useful to use it, making it totally redundant. However I've been using the Gust Jar, something that must've been the original reference for skyward sword. 
The Minish Cap is not challenging in the slightest. It's fun and easy to run through, but I guess that may be due to limitations on the Gameboy. I got to the first temple within a few hours of playing the game, the story is very fast moving. However this is totally made up for in gameplay, which is a joy to control as I said. 
The dungeon wasn't hard because it was puzzling, it just took a while to do because you have to keep running around. It has a great portion where you sit on a lilly pad and sail along with the Gust Jar, but aside from that it's pretty mediocre compared to the standard of other Zelda dungeons. That being said it's still fun, the boss being a green Chuchu. This would be pitiful, if you were not shrunk down to Minish size, making it huge and terrifying. The battle isn't hard, just run around using the gust jar on its base till it falls over and hit it a lot, but still enjoyable all the same.

So, what's the verdict? 
The Minish Cap is quirky and fun to play as a handheld, I can imagine playing it on journeys of on the bus. It's not hard, just light and friendly with a great atmosphere hindered only sometimes by annoying little blips that soon pass. It's a great game and I would recommend it, mind you most people will have played it by now because it's getting a little aged. I'll give it 8 talking bird hats out of 10.

Why side with a faction in Destiny?

Destiny Factions

So you've reached level 32, decked out in full raid gear with that choice favourite exotic of yours, rocking that one primary gun you use all the time. So what does Destiny have left to offer? My guess is everyone who has reached end game has done their fair share of grinding and loot farming and you know how to speed-run a strike in at least 3 seconds. Is that XP just going to waste of fully-upgraded gear, of being poured uselessly into the vanguard? You should sign with a faction! 

Destiny has three main factions (excluding Vanguard and Crucible). They are Future War Cult, Dead Orbit and the prestigious New Monarchy. Factions offer you special weapons, armour, class-specific items and emblems as rewards for gaining XP with them. You do this by purchasing a class item that you can wear (for example for Hunter class buy a cloak) and while wearing it all your XP will be diverted to levelling up you faction rank. More recent updates mean you can now also be rewarded with faction shaders, ships and crucible commendations. Each faction stands for a certain moral or code, try pick one that best suits you. Or maybe you just like the gear better.

Future War Cult sports garish yellow and purple colours, and is governed by Lakshimi-6, a female Exo who can be found selling FWC gear near the shipwright in the Tower. While the origins of the Future War Cult are greatly debated, their mark has been found on ancient chambers and encampments throughout the system, dating them back to the late Golden Age. Though their secrets are vast, they have proven indispensable in our struggle against the Darkness, earning them power and respect in the City Consensus and among Guardians. 

"There is no future but now. No truth but war."

Dead Orbit is well-renowned for having awesome shaders. Cue Batman shouting "does it come in black?". They have some pretty decent weapons too, draw your eyes to the rocket launcher 'Exodus plan' that speeds reload to half a second, vital when using a heavy weapon. Dead Orbit's theology has developed from mere fatalism into an obsession with worlds beyond Earth. Now their focus is on the building of a starfaring fleet, cobbled together from the ashes of our past and the spoils of war. Arach Jalaal is the spokesperson and vendor for Dead Orbit in the Tower, and can be found skulking about under the stairs, again near the shipwright.

"The Traveller is not our only salvation. Another future lies out among the light of other stars."

I am allowed to be biased here, New Monarchy is by far the most supreme of the factions. I hear you like the colour red? well lets make everything red because that's bad ass. I hear you like high-power balanced weapons that not just look cool but are in cases better than some exotics? Executor Hideo is happy to meet your acquaintance in their huge faction lounge right next to the speaker himself, we've got comfy couches and a nice fire to gather around. What was that Dead Orbit? I can't hear you sitting over there in your corner under the stairs. The New Monarchy rose from the ashes of the Faction Wars with a simple, inclusive guiding tenet: "Together we will rise."
Leery of the fragile state of the City's politics, the New Monarchy maintains a watchful eye on the Speaker, the Consensus, and the Vanguard, seeking the leadership that will properly reign over the City and return our civilization to its Golden Age splendour. If that leadership cannot be found, then it must be created.

"Hope will be born from the collective triumphs of the king in us all."

So choose wisely guardian, and don the respective gear of your chosen faction with pride. You can switch your allegiance at any time by simply swapping your class item, however it's better to level up one single tier to reach high-level gear. I've been with New Monarchy since around level 22-ish, and am getting shaders and guns with every package now. Siding up with a faction gives you new incentive to carry on playing after you've done everything, keep that adventure alive and try to boost your faction to it's highest standing. 

Personally I would love a feature in the tower where you could see the total XP for each faction per week and the one with the highest at the end gave out some sort of reward to its loyal patrons. 

So what faction are you signing up with, and how will it change how you look and play?

Will Cortana come back in Halo 5?

 Will Cortana come back in Halo 5?

Or as it should properly be called;

 Should Cortana come back in Halo 5 and why?

Which one of us is the machine?

 For all the hate Halo 4 got it was a damn fine game. People didn't like it because it wasn't the glory that is its predecessor: Halo 3. Its like how people say Portal 2 was never as good as the original Portal, you can't improve on perfection but you can still try your best, and Halo 4 performed well. 

It offered us a deeper insight into the relationship between Chief and Cortana, and don't try to deny there is one, and threw in a few questions to ask ourselves as the player. So my question is this; Should Cortana return in Halo 5's storyline, and why? Putting all sobbing and heartbroken feelings aside, I'm going to have to say no. We as fans desperately want Chief and his half-naked blue hologram sort-of-girlfriend to share a touching reunion, and the prospect of a storyline depicting Chief's frantic struggle to bring back his only true friend would be widely accepted into the arms of the community, but it would leave Halo 4 entirely redundant. What would be the purpose of Chief discovering his humanity at the loss of his friend be if his friend just popped right back all like "Hi looks like I am the machine now lets bang because its the future". No. We don't want that. 

Cortana's loss inspired players to ask question (after a few hours of crying and rocking back and forth) the morality and humanity of Master Chief. Viewing our once-silent and badass protagonist become totally devastated at her loss brings us closer to him, he becomes more human. Despite all his skills and training, he can't always save the day. 

Any story arc about reviving Cortana or booting up another version of her would devalue the things we learnt from seeing Chief's moment of weakness, we don't want him to just become a faceless killing machine again. Her death also acts as a plot device, preventing the future timeline of the games becoming repetitive. Destroying a safe and dependable part of the story throws the player in the dark, its like starting all over again. People have speculated that since Chief is carrying Cortana's AI chip in the Halo 5 trailer, he must be trying to save her. I'd say no, Chief wouldn't want a copy or a different version of his friend, he'd want the real deal. I for one would get pretty angry if they had some big Forerunner machine that could bring AI back, it'd seem cheap and I've already talked about how it makes Halo 4 redundant. You have to draw the line between what you want from a fanboy perspective, and what would make a good game and progress the story. The Reclaimer trilogy is meant to be about Chief discovering his humanity; that he is not a machine. 

So in conclusion, I want Cortana back. I really really do, she gave Chief a motive to look at himself and question his placement and role. But I also don't think it will benefit the game or future games, I'll be incredibly surprised if Chief does anything to reclaim her. What do you think? "Screw this, I want to stare at some blue butt while she scans things", or something like that? Leave me a comment saying why you think Cortana should or should not return for Halo 5.

Why does Master Chief's armour change drastically from Halo 3 to Halo 4?

Why does Master Chief's armor change drastically from Halo 3 to Halo 4? 

I’m going to start off by saying that Master Chief’s armour change is not 100% because of a change in Bungie’s art directive. Sure we’ve seen some desaturation of the Mjölnir Spartan armour as Halo progresses and advances graphically, but I’m focusing on the obvious huge change between Halo 3 and Halo 4. Chief was in Cryo-sleep for his whole 4 years, seven months and 10 days “holiday break” to escape the events of Halo 3, so he could’ve hardly just got up for a bit to change. Anyway why would another full Spartan suit casually be on the Forward Unto Dawn? Chief is the last Spartan, so it’s clear the armour he’s wearing is the same as in Halo 3. So why does it look different, and is there a cannon reason?

Halo novel ‘Glasslands’ gives us the first clue. In the book (which is Bungie confirmed and cannon) that the Mjölnir mark 7 power armour had Nano-machines capable of repairing and altering the suit. However Chief sports the Mark 6 in Halo 3, so that’s not the straight up answer. It is related though, so keep that in mind. On the other hand, Frank O’ Conner; the franchise development director for 343 Studios directly stated that the Chief’s armour had been repaired by Nano-bots. This proves that Halo 4’s armour is exactly the same as in Halo 4, just an upgraded design. So how did that happen if his suit doesn’t have the self-repair bots built in?

Halo.Bungie’s archives contain a useful source for this theory. In a news bulletin for September 5^th, community manager Jessica Angelshay stated that the chief’s armour (in Halo 4) was “Very fancy, very custom, very unique Cortana special armour”. This leads us to believe that Cortana had some play in the changes to the Mjölnir mark 6, after all she did just kinda sit there and kill time for like 4 years. Having direct control to the Cryo-pod that that Chief was housed in, she could’ve made changes to the suit to prep him for future battles when she wakes him. But that still doesn’t explain everything, since there aren’t Nano-bots just floating about on the Forward Unto Dawn, where did the Nano-machines come from?

Every Halo player has driven a Warthog at some point, probably flipping it off a cliff or succumbing to the terrible steering AI. Did you know that they get their fuel from using Nano-machines to convert water sources into Hydrogen fuel? And where are the Warthogs stored? That’s right, on the big ol’ spaceship that Chief was sleeping on. We know they’re on board somewhere as Chief finds some later to drive, and an AI who has full control over the ship could easily re-purpose them to fix the armour. I think it’s fairly safe to say at this point that Chiefs new look is a nice little gift from Cortana herself. Well she had to have some hobby in all that time.  

So why did the large gash on the right hand side of the breastplate remain? Well we never see a full shot of Chief’s armour until he’s crashed on Requiem, the co-op mode doesn’t count as it is not canon. It could be argued that the gash occurred as a result of Chief’s fall, though that it’s on the exact same side as the mark in Halo 3 is a little suspicious… But the final end-game is a fact from the essential visual guide to Halo. A small note literally states that the Chief’s armour was upgraded by Cortana, the design based on an old iteration of the mark 4. Another good point towards this is the one of the first lines chief says as he’s leaving the pod; “You’ve been busy”, which could be seen as an off-hand compliment to Cortana’s work. In conclusion, I would say all facts point towards the armour from Halo 4 being an upgraded version of set seen in Halo 3, and not a whole new model.

Sources:
Halo Bulletin - 09.05.2012
http://halo.bungie.org/halobulletins/65

The Science Behind Halo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjswo...

I got Thorn! - Destiny exotic review and guide.

As a seasoned guardian, I've only owned two good hand cannons. "The last word", and "The Devil You Don't". I'd never really choose one straight up, when selecting gear I'd normally choose either a scout rifle or a pulse rife as my primary. That was until I got Thorn. 

Some will argue that a low fire rate can impede your ability to breeze through strikes, but after getting into the playstyle handcannons can be extremely fluid and a pleasure to use. The high impact makes them devastating in PVP, and Thorn's special perk obliterates shields in PVE. It is an all round amazing weapon, aesthetically and in practice, I'll walk through the bounty guide and then discuss the weapons perks and why its great.

You'll need to randomly win an exotic bounty, namely "A Light in the Dark". These can be rewarded at complete random from the bounty collector, you'll just have to get lucky. However, turning in multiple bounties at once seems to make them crop up more, but I've got no evidence to concrete that.

Complete the summoning pits strike on the moon. Any difficulty, breeze through on the lowest original level to get this step out the way. You don't even need to get a huge amount of kills or land the final blow on Phogoth or whatever, just completed the strike and you'll be directed to the next step of the bounty. That's the easy part done.

Back to the moon! For the next step you must mow down 500 Hive. Red health bar enemies give you 2 points, yellow ultras and majors give you 20. Defeating Phogoth again gives you 50 points, so I'd suggest running the summoning pits strike a couple of times on a harder difficulty. If the weekly nightfall is on the moon that week go for that, there'll be tonnes of ultras to take down.

Time to equip your shotgun, You have to head to the crucible for the next step. This part of the bounty requires you to earn 500 void kill points. That's not just normal any old kills, that's specifically void damage. This'll be easier if you're an voidwalker warlock or striker titan, but hunters will find this step considerably harder as they have no void abilities in either subclass. 

Each kill gives you 5 points, but you'll loose 2 points per death. I found this to be the hardest part of the bounty, as I suck at Crucible, aside Iron Banner. I was lucky enough to have a void damage shotgun, "The Comedian", and with various voidwalker abilities I managed to get this done in an evening.

Time for a quick stop to the tower to buy an Infusion of Light. This is super simple, buy it for 1 mote of light from The Speaker. He'll then direct you to take down Xyor the Unwed.

- Level 26

- Epic modifier

- No matchmaking 

Time to make your decent into the Hellmouth for the final time to take down Xyor. All enemies have super tough shields, and if you linger in the blasts from any Wizard you're going down in a matter of seconds. I found this stage really hard the first time, don't be fooled by it being only a level 26 strike. You're going to want somethings good at blasting down shields, like a fire-damage fusion rifle or shotgun. You'll want a member of your fireteam to hang back and keep the shields down while you reload, this can take a while. Keep going slow and you'll make it to the final boss fight. Do not kill Phogoth! Keep him alive till the third dropship spawns, you're going to have to just keep killing the enemies till then. Xyor herself is pretty easy to take down once she spawns, after that you don't even have to complete the strike.

Return to the Speaker to collect your hard earned reward, and man was that hard earned. I've done all the exotic bounties now and this was by far the hardest but it's so worth it.

So was all that worth it? I'd say yes, Thorn is a much sought-after prize, it's a real badge of your worth as a guardian.

It handles beautifully, it's very fluid and fun to use even if you don't really prefer hand cannons like me. I'm yet to unlock it's signature perk of lingering damage, but I'll probably get that done tonight. Even without said perk though this beauty far surpasses some other exotics which I originally held with high regard. Personally I would say it's better than The Last Word exotic hand cannon, it performs above the bar in both PVE and PVP. If you come across this bounty I'd say go for it no matte what other bounties there are, you will not regret owning this testament to hard work and aesthetic quality. 

Bootiful.

First impressions of Twilight Princess!

Here's the second installment of my Windwaker VS Twilight Princess articles, so you should know that I'm going to make a lot of comparisons here to WW since I played that first. I was initially more excited by Windwaker, but I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised by Twilight Princess. The beginning of the game has a much more homely feel than WW; you have to do lots of jobs for the Ordon villagers that really builds up the sense of a little community. The woodland setting is beautiful, and all the characters are charming and memorable. I particularly like the chieftain/mayor guy, he has rad mustache game. There's a really funny scene where him and Link being scolded for pushing the horse (whom I have aptly named Fukboy) too far, and they share a really comic glance at each other.

Speaking of characters, my favorite scene has been the opening, where Link and Rusl are sitting by the pond and chatting about the Twilight hour. Theres no music, but the scene is incredibly powerful in its simplicity and sincerity. Rusl also acts as a form of mentor for Link, giving him a wooden sword and tasking him with delivering a package to Hyrule so he can see the world outside of Ordon village. It's a homely and warm set up for the game, which only makes the dark comparisons later even more shocking. 

Before I talk about the darker side of the story, I want to address visuals and controls. My main peeve with WW was the terrible camera setup, but here TP vastly surpasses it. Now this is majoritively because of the advancement in technology between the Gamecube and the Wii, but still TP gets the points this round. Links controls very easily, I was apprehensive about the motion control sword-play, but there are ways to attack without swinging the Wii remote around. I particularly like the slingshot, its great fun to actively aim at targets, or just Z-target and smack B to launch a barrage of pellets at your target.

I was stuck with the fishing rod for a while, and I doubt I'll ever use that again for the rest of the game, but all the other items are useful and easy to use. I find the horse kind of hard to ride when turning corners, but that just be me screwing up. I suppose thats karma for calling the horse Fukboy.

 If I was hanging off a cliff and so was Midna and my girlfriend could only save one of us... she'd probably jump to Midna's rescue. Everyone loves a bad guy (or girl-imp-twilight-thing) and Midna fits the part, even though I got super freaked out when the Wii remote laughed like her for the first time. She ushers in the darker side of the game, taking Link across the beautifully bleak remains of Hyrule castle. Oh plus Link is a wolf now. So that happened. I like dashing in the wolf form, its pretty satisfying, but I really miss the green hero's garb. Windwaker instantly satisfied my desire to don the tunic in around the first 10-odd mins, but I'm having to work a little harder here to gain the right to wear it. Half of me is like "Ugh this is boring I just want my cool green hat" and the other half is all like "No but its building up a sense of achievement, it'll be so much cooler when you finally get it!". You're either going to love it or hate it, it's not as fast paced as WW but it really makes you work for that sense of adventure.

So in conclusion I liked what I played of Twilight Princess. I thought I would like Windwaker more by miles, and I kinda do a little, but both games are very individual. They're both beautiful in their own way, complex in their own way and have their own individual quirks. 

I have got as far as the first spirit, Ordona, and plan to play a bit more tonight. I'll keep posting updates on both games, right now I can't determine a favorite because they're so different, and good for different reasons. So what your favorite? Leave me a comment and a +1 if you liked my first impression.

More game related things coming soon, I've been a bit weighed down by Zelda recently but I'll start posting other game theories and reviews. I played the original Sims the other day so who knows what articles the future of this blog holds...

(spoiler I killed my Sim in the first 5 mins it wasn't fun.) 

First impressions of The Windwaker!

Anyone following my blog knows I've been super excited to play Windwaker for some time now, I've always favored Toon Link's style more and this game looks gorgeous.

I wrote a blog post describing my expectations for the game, in contrast to Twilight Princess which should arrive today or tomorrow, and I'm glad to say it met all of them. Time to talk about the good, the bad and the... well there isn't anything ugly. This game looks fantastic, the cell-shaded art and islands are all bright and scream out with character. 

I've been playing it on my GameCube for a couple of days now, and I've just defeated Gohma and left Dragon Roost Island to find the next pearl. This game may get better or worse (though i can hardly see the latter happening) but this is my impression and so far I love it. Let's talk about why.

1. It's so happy! The game has a lovely bright feel to it, you really feel like you're going on a big adventure, even smashing the enemies with your sword is energetic and fun. All the NPCs are unique and quirky, and you can't help smile at that soundtrack.

2. The story is really captivating, I love games with deep lore and this alternate flooded Hyrule is really intriguing. I've heard lots of complaints about having to sail too much, but I've just started and what little of it I've done was really enjoyable.

I love the way Link's courage is inspired by his quest to find his sister, its so touching and sweet that you can't help root for the little green guy.

3. The enemies and combat are fun and rewarding, the grapple-hook is great fun to use in combat as you can steal treasure and rupees from bad guys mid-combat! Even little things like putting your sword and shield on your back is satisfying.

That list could go on, but those are my top three favorite things so far. My one peeve with the game is the controls system, the left stick which is used for camera control is inverted. I've tried looking in the menu for invert options, but I can't see any. This can be pretty annoying for someone who's used to FPS and Xbox controls, but I'm slowly adapting. This made the boss fight with Gohma particularly hard, but it was still great fun and I loved it to bits.

I'll probably put up more posts as I progress in the game, so keep your telescope handy for more Windwaker articles on the horizon.

Oh, also Twilight Princess gets here soon as I mentioned so look out or that too. It could be fun to compare the games, who knows?

So whats your impression of Windwaker? Love it or hate it? Comment below, especially if you know how to un-invert the look controls!

The Windwaker VS Twilight Princess.

Ok, this isn't a review of such, this covers my expectations for both the games.

I've ordered Windwaker for the Gamecube and Twilight Princess for the Wii, and I'd like to address my expectations for both the games. Again, this is coming from someone who has a limited experience of Zelda, but overall off the bat I like the look of Toon Link better. However my girlfriend is the biggest Twilight Princess fan ever, so I guess I'll do both games justice and talk about what I'm looking forward to, and what I'm iffy about.

Twilight Princess.

I mentioned that I prefer Toon link, after putting most of my hours into Phantom Hourglass, however I love the look of a darker Hyrule. The scenery and atmosphere looks pretty spooki, and what I've seen of the Twilight realm looks kinda messed up. It follows that great tradition of Zelda games by doing the whole "Look guys we made a kids game here's a creature that'll haunt your nightmares". Take the moon in Majora's Mask, the Cubus Sisters in Phantom Hourglass, or... Agatha the bug princess in Hyrule Warriors. They're all wrong and misplaced, Twilight princess looks like the darkest of the lot though. I'm looking forward to the Wii remote combat and feel of the game, I do have one worry though. I'm not too keen on how Link looks, I like his clothes but there's something very off-putting about the way his face is done, like his mouth is always slightly open. I can't really complain though, I mean look at Toon Link's face. Those eyebrows probably weigh him down at least 50Kg. It's all a matter of preference I guess, I'm sure I'll forget about it once I get into the game. I tend to get sucked into the lore of deep games, hence all my Destiny posts. Jeez I'm glad I didn't have this blog while I was play Halo or Skyrim, this'd be jam packed with theory updates. It's because of these games that I've got a feeling I'm going to get sucked into this game and make tonnes of references that nobody will get but that doesn't matter because I'll still feel cool. 

The Windwaker

Honestly the moment I get onto the Great Ocean and that gorgeous music starts playing I will have reached a new state of nirvana. The visuals, the soundtrack, the scene of adventure! Man I am stoked for Windwaker. I loved playing the ocarina in Majora's Mask, so I'm excited to learn all the new songs for this new instrument. I also loved the sailing in PH, so it'll be interesting to see how the boat mechanics work in Windwaker. The only thing I feel like is missing from this game is the token creepy creature/thing that's a stamp of every Zelda. I may be wrong, but I haven't seen any spooki scary skeletons in any trailers or gameplay (write to me in the comments if there is and I'll search it up). 

I feel like the more lax open-worldiness of Windwaker is something I'd enjoy more than a more linear game like TP. I live by the sea (I can literally see it from my window) so the prospect of jumping in a boat and sailing off for adventures feels more like a more achievable adventure than turning into a dog and travelling with a ginger imp to another world. Mind you, what’s wrong with a bit of fantasy? I know I also mentioned that I look forward to using the Wii's motion controls to swing my sword about, but I really like the feel of the Gamecube remote, I hope Z targeting is as effective as it was in Majora's Mask. 

In conclusion, I'm excited for both games! I'll probably write separate reviews for them both once I've completed them (yes, they're being seen through to the end), then maybe I'll choose a favorite. However, that may be a harder job than it seems. My favourite game series is Halo, for the incredible universe and diverse lore, and I could never pick the top game from that series. At the end of the day I think I'll enjoy them both, the hype has already earned them a space on my revered games shelf.

Both are coming around mid-week, so expect first impression reviews sometime after that.

Do you have anything interesting to tell me about the games? Leave a comment and say which your favorite is.