CooInTheZoo

I've never played ALTTP all the way through, hopefully it will appear on the Wii U virtual console at some point this year so I can join in on the "I remember this place!" fun. I really want to upgrade to a 3DS XL for this game, my regular 3DS seems puny next to the larger ones. Bloody Nintendo.

I recently switched back to Safari after I noticed Chrome was getting increasingly buggier. I did love it for a very long time though, I hope to go back in the future.

I beat the game today.

I would hope that, despite language being ridiculous, if you know a word may offend someone you would choose not to use it. Having some sensitivity for other peoples feelings should be a priority, surely? Bandying around words which you know have negative meanings attached to them doesn't make you a hero, it makes you kinda rude. That's my opinion as a gay man who has been made to feel uncomfortable by straight friends throwing the f-bomb around.

Spice Orange was BEAUTIFUL, always wanted that gamecube. I do love my Flame Red 3DS because it (was) the lesser evil out of the limited colour options here in the UK, but I'd happily swap it for something snazzier. Nintendo, why don't you want our money?

Yeah, that demo is a hot mess. I was excited to see what all the fuss is about, but it's put me off the whole franchise.

My mistake then, I wasn't aware that in the latest game they'd started to sort out the bag problem. But it doesn't sound like the fundamental mechanics have evolved much since Red and Blue, they've just become more complex. That's my opinion, I'm sure you could argue against it. I understand that random battles are necessary, but if the developers made it so a) they were less frequent or preferably b) a little effect of something moving in the grass would indicate a wild Pokemon nearby, and you could walk into it and then enter battle with that random Pokemon - I'd appreciate that a lot.

They are, and they're fantastic. But I'd also argue that they are stale and outdated, predictable and often cumbersome. I've been playing Ni No Kuni alongside SoulSilver, and its been very frustrating at times to have to go through four or five menu screens just to get a potion or view the map. Random/lengthy battles and grinding is also a bit of a nightmare. I'm a big fan of Pokemon, and I want it to do well, but I won't be buying these new games if reviews indicate it's just the same old formula from the 90's with fresh paint thrown on top.

I started re-watching the Pokemon original cartoon series lately out of boredom, which in turn got me to play Pokemon SoulSilver. I've been hooked for days, it's got me really excited about this game. If they make a serious effort to shake up and modernise the play mechanics (I know, dream on) on top of the new visuals it'll be a treat. When do you think we'll see more of X and Y in action?

Like Hero-of-Time said, a lot of the game has been literally easy on Easy mode, but some bosses or unexpected attacks are still challenging. I've died a few times, mostly because I wasn't prepared for something. Personally, I started the game on Easy because I wanted to see how difficult it was, with the intention of switching over to Normal if I wasn't happy. But I am, I like the occasional challenge in battle and the contrast of exploring without a constant headache.

Had a massive Ni No Kuni marathon last night, and soon after getting the ship in Castaway Cove...

Is anyone else surprised at how challenging this game is, battle wise? I'm playing on easy and some battles STILL make me panic.

My game arrived this afternoon, and I spent five hours with it today. Absolutely amazing so far, despite the hand-holding this is already my favourite RPG in the last few years. Probably since Tales of Symphonia. I'm trying to play it as patiently as I can, and do all of the side quests as they become available. I went through two stamp books before leaving the first area! EDIT: More thoughts, I know this has probably been said before but I can't help thinking how awesome this game could be on Wii U, purely for aiming a spell with the gamepad's gyroscope and then drawing it out on the touch screen.

I just hope that using motion control is optional this time. I found it more trouble than it was worth in Skyward Sword.

I'm dying for that HD Wind Waker, I've been meaning to replay that game for so long. If they add touch buttons on the gamepad to instantly change the direction of the wind in the game it could be the BEST ZELDA EVER *dies*

I waited for Xenoblade to drop below £20 before I took a chance on it, and now you can't find it anywhere. I'm not making the same mistake with this one.

Here's IGN's video review for Ni No Kuni. Beyond excited for it now, what a great score http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/01/14/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-video-review

Nintendo Land really comes into its own in multiplayer. The other night we used Mario Chase, Animal Crossing and the Luigi's Ghost House as a drinking game before going out, and with four people it was so much fun, even friends who would never usually touch a video game enjoyed it. Then the next morning with a hangover, Zelda was a strenuous but exciting experience, I think we made it to level seven before the headache kicked in. I really underestimated this game!

The Castle Rock portion of the demo put the biggest smile on my face earlier, something NSMBU hasn't really done yet...

I ordered the initial Zavvi website deal for £259. Then when the £225 ebay deal appeared the next day, I ordered that but Zavvi said it was too late to cancel my first order, so I rang them and complained and they said they would send DPD to pick it up for a return free of charge on the 2nd Jan (its due to be delivered today). Just had an email conformation that eBay's Wii U is being delivered on the 2nd of Jan also, by DPD. Hope they or I don't get confused haha, there'll be a lot of passing boxes back and forth over the next few days.

Oh bloody hell, less than 24 hours later after caving in and buying one. I'm trying to cancel my order on Zavvi's main website (it's saying that it may not be able to be cancelled in time before despatching, yet it hasn't been despatched yet) and I've re-ordered through Zavvi's ebay store. No doubt it'll be £4 in a Zavvi store tomorrow, and I'll drown myself.

If you're using that Zavvi deal, add CONSOLE for free next day delivery and NDD for a £5 discount in the coupon box. I just grabbed one for myself, whoops.

Well, personally speaking I felt kind of alienated from the gaming cliques at school after I became aware of being gay. It felt like I was ostracised from gaming conversations with my lad friends because my sexuality didn't belong in that culture, and if it wasn't through contact on sites like this one I might have lost involvement in games completely. If more/better representation in games helps normalise the notion that gay people play games, that can't be a bad thing. I don't think relating to characters should be influenced by their sexuality, unless their sexuality defines them (and unless the lazy programmers and writers aren't falling back on stereotypes this wouldn't be a problem) it's your ability to emotionally connect. I've had compassion while playing a straight guy because the character seemed human and I could sympathise with their plights, surely a straight guy could get on with playing a gay guy without feeling distant.

At the moment I'm trying to hit the topic from too many angles, which is precisely why I'm asking for opinions on here and elsewhere to find a talking point which generates the most interest and I'll build a case from that. I went into it with a purpose to investigate where all the gay characters in games are, and why the representation is non existant. The Celluloid Closet is on my list of things to check out, thanks again. I know that locally I'm in a pretty good position to sort out interviews and questionnaires etc but I'm hesitant to make contact before I have a clear question in mind.