Grazza

Anyone go to a StreetPass meet-up today? I wandered round town, waiting to be in the right place at the right time. How I'd amuse them with my wit, I thought to myself, when I said "This is like Majora's Mask!" No one turned up. I stood there like a lemon for 15 minutes, then had to go home.

You can buy the Revocation medals? Wow! Two "Honour Amongst Thieves" will make stealing seeds that much easier (with "Medal of Freedoms" for the others) and multiple "Critical Acclaims" should help with the bosses.

Mega thanks for that, I'd never have known about it otherwise. Erdrick's is my favourite helm, so it'd be nice to get another. For some reason, I have a strange compulsion to make another "Erdrick's" set, even though only the Helm has advantages over the other equipment. I'm starting to regret being lazy and not connecting to DQVC over the past fortnight. I wonder how long the shopping will go on for after the last Quest has been released?

You get a six-pack mainly by burning the fat off. Abdominal exercises help, but won't see the muscles unless you've got rid of all the fat.

I've always thought Mario didn't need a plot. I loved the way Bowser swooped in, kidnapped the Princess, then you had to rescue her. There's something simple and iconic about it. However, I then realised I don't actually like Mario that much, not enough to put it up there with Zelda, anyway, so you may have a point, Paj.

I agree with you there! Keep at it though, because it can take years to feel happier because you've got a job. Well, it makes you feel 100x better, even if you're not getting physical with anyone. Obviously I don't know what your situation is, but if you trim off any excess fat and build your muscles, you will get comments like "Nice muscles", "Good body", trust me on that.

I thought you were meant to use Hover Boots? They stop you bouncing when he plays the bongos, anyway. And yeah, you have four item slots, but the touchscreen ones aren't very easy to use in battle. I use them for bombs etc. Don't get me wrong, Bongo Bongo is not exactly Meta Ridley, I just thought there were some issues.

Purely, the bits about looks, weight and employment (which I believe you've mentioned). The rest is just personal anecdote. What is your realism and pessimism about, exactly? It sounds like you aren't happy at all, not that you just can't get a girl at the moment. I've no idea why King V was jumped on when he suggested depression. You need medical qualifications to diagnose depression, not to suggest it. If you haven't been carefreee since childhood, it really might be worth asking to see a psychiatrist.

If Zelda Wii U has a realistic forest, with individually-modelled trees, the best thing about it will be that it's not like the Lost Woods! Mild spoilers ahead: Confession time: I love the Sheikah Stones, they're great. I went to do the Shadow Temple, realised I had to use Din's Fire, but hadn't actually picked it up this time. So, I could have explored Hyrule as both Adult and Child, but I really wanted to do the dungeon that night, so I used the Sheikah Stone to remind me where it was. They get the thumbs up from me. Anyway, I must say, I think the Shadow Temple is the most fun out of all the dungeons, gameplay-wise. There's nothing really confusing. All the main puzzles need the Lens of Truth or Hover Boots, and the dungeon layout is not a head-scratcher. This is how I think Zelda dungeons should be. There is an issue though, surely, with Bongo Bongo in this 3DS version. For this battle, you need the Hover Boots, Bow and Lens of Truth. In the N64 original, the Boots were "Gear", so you could leave them equipped. In this version, they are an "Item", so they take up one of your item slots (which you have less of anyway, that you can assign to a real button, that is). So, I'm wearing the Hover Boots, I take out my Bow, fire arrows at him etc. Then he bangs the drum and I bounce. What? I'm wearing the Hover Boots, aren't I...? Well no, I'm not, because using the Bow unequips them! I still managed to do it without a fairy, but I think this is something of a problem in this remake.

Have a nice one, Dude.

Bugger. I don't know what that is, but now I just have to look it up... Anyway, this isn't aimed at anyone in particular, but to anyone who is overweight, it's really worth losing the excess fat. Just a short run every weekday should be enough. If not, just walk everywhere. Your whole body will look better if you're trim, and your skin will be better for having the sunlight. Do press-ups and sit-ups too. Honestly, thinking you're not good-looking is the most ridiculous thing. Whilst I do believe in objective good looks, I don't think it has much to do with attraction. Imagine you met the most beautiful girl in the world: would you still fancy her if she had the personality of a lemon? [spoiler=]An artichoke, yes, but not a lemon. Kurtle, I don't mean to be rude, but I think deep down you must know you're good-looking enough to get a girlfriend when you're at your best. Also, don't underestimate the effect unemployment can have on the psyché. When I was at school, college and my early jobs, I could get girlfriends. Then I was unemployed for a few years. When I eventually got a job, my personality just wasn't the same as it used to be. I thought I'd never fit in or make friends with the people there, of either gender. Because I didn't respect myself, I thought no one would respect me - and they didn't, at first. I must admit, it took a few years, but I eventually became my carefree-self again, had chemistry with the girls, been for drinks with my pals etc. Now we have a great group there. So what I'm saying is, whatever cards you were dealt in life, please try to solve any problems you have (I haven't solved all mine myself), because you don't become confident by faking it, you only become confident by fixing the things that stopped you being so in the first place.

Thanks, H-o-T. That's just a normal wall, with the cracks to signify it's damaged. The one that confused me was actually a floor with no sign of damage. I remember it really stumping me in 1998, but didn't see it at all this time. Another thing that I've noticed about the Water Temple this time is that if you have the water level at its lowest and enter the room on the West of the ground floor that has the dragon statue, I cannot see how you can get back out. There is a high exit from the dragon statue room, but I'm sure you can't reach it. If you retrace your steps, the water level doesn't take you close enough to the ledge to get back out the way you came. You can just save your game and begin again at the dungeon entrance, but other than that, I don't know if you can get back.

Same here. I think that ruins a game, if you're stuck for days. Totally ruins the pacing. I looked at guides for OOT, MM and WW, and they're the three I enjoyed most... With all games, there's a balance. If you follow a guide in a sort of "Go left, go right" sort of way, that's cheating too much. You won't learn the environments or gameplay correctly. On the other hand, there are some very obscure moments in Zelda games (most games really, I suppose), so if I've slept on it and still can't work it out, I'll look at a guide. I suspect it's the same limit, but I admit it does seem too small compared to the amount of rupees you actually get. Not that you need them, it just seems a waste when you're maxed-out and you still get them (it's better than putting them back in chests though). In this case, I think Phantom Hourglass may have introduced a great mechanic with the infinite wallet! As much as I like winning bigger bomb bags and quivers, wallets are probably best-off infinite. One thing that's confused me about the Water Temple this time... I always thought the most obscure part of it was a floor that you needed to bomb in order to access a certain section and get enough keys. However, this time I've been in every room, got every item (just need to fight the boss) and I don't remember bombing a floor. Did they take it out, am I remembering it incorrectly (?) or did I just do it accidentally?

It's a dilemma indeed. To my mind, Nintendo have created three brilliant styles for the 3D Zeldas: Ocarina of Time - We could call this the "Manga" style. Link is perfectly proportioned and has "pointy" features. The game characters are deeply odd, giving you the feeling that Nintendo is conveying a distinct artistic vision. Wind Waker - My personal favourite. Never have the colours or shading been so bold or impressive. Perhaps the only "weakness" is that only Young Link has been used in this style so far (I wouldn't include Skyward Sword in this art style - it's more like Twilight Princess with a filter). Twilight Princess - AKA The Legend of Zelda 2004/Wii U Zelda HD Demo. Initially, more stunning than the OOT/MM style. I am still disappointed Twilight Princess didn't look as good as the 2004 trailer, but the HD demo looks like this will be put right if Nintendo ever returns to this style. The question is: should they? At first glance, Link has never looked cooler. However, to play as him, his proportions aren't as good as OOT's Link (he has a small body) and the proportions of the game world are too realistic, meaning I personally did not feel I was part of the action as much. Link aside, this visual style does not lend itself to a magical game world as much as the others. I don't mean to offend by calling the style "generic", but the Dodongos looked like Geckos and the spiders just looked like normal spiders. That's not what I want from a Zelda. I want to see the strange designs they've come up with. So, what to do? I tell you what I'd do. If I had my way I'd use Ocarina of Time as a template, use a high-polygon version of Adult Link, apply the brilliant colours of Wind Waker and wrap layers and layers of cel-shading around it. Regardless, bring on Zelda Wii U. I have a good feeling about this one.

I just think it should be properly upscaled. If it's left to the TV to do it, the results won't be anywhere near as good as they could be. OK, I'd like better textures, higher-polygon models, but there must be a limit as to what you can fit on the disc in addition to the standard Wii version. I wouldn't like the core game neutered so it can fit on the disc. To be honest, it's a sorry situation. I always thought it should have been on the PS3, as the Wii was always going to become outdated more quickly.

Double Dragon has very different gameplay to Final Fight, though. Final Fight started the trend that you would fight your way through hordes and hordes of enemies, and this was carried on by Streets of Rage etc. Double Dragon is about fewer, but more difficult enemies. Personally, I think Double Dragon has aged a lot better than Streets of Rage, which never seemed very smooth-scrolling to me even at the time. It also felt a bit puny. Now, Streets of Rage 2 is another matter... Golden Axe uses a similar philosophy to Double Dragon, and that has also aged pretty well (the coin-op, at least).

I don't think anything makes me go more misty-eyed than Double Dragon. There I was, a young lad, trying to find it in every sports centre, arcade and holiday camp I went in. I played it, adrenaline pumping through my body, with the smell of hot dogs and onions in the background. Ah, those were the days... Personally, I've not played the Game Boy version, but I would like the GBA edition (which I believe was extended) and the actual coin-op on the Wii U's Virtual Console.

100% awesome. It's better in every way apart from controls (and they aren't bad, I just prefer to hold a pad). Surely, this is worth playing just for the extra resolution, higher framerate (30 compared to 20) and characters that actually look like the concept art. Plus, it's not like the bad PAL conversions we used to get, which pleases me as much as all the other things.

Only one track has been orchestrated (the one Hero of Time spoiler-tagged), but it seems it doesn't play in-game. The rest of the music is the original MIDI (which I suspect the CD is too). Whether it's higher-resolution than the N64 game, I can't tell. Do you know if these can be accumulated, so four of them would make one full heart? If so, that's quite unwelcome in case someone accidentally gets it twice, then can't tell which legitimate heart piece they've missed. Good job I can't work out how to get it yet. Personally, I've just done the Fire Temple without getting the Compass. No idea where it is! Will head back in there later.

As long as you're both over 16, I see no problem whatsoever. I know it's a cliché, but it's true - age is just a number. We have loads of different ages - biological age, emotional maturity - not just the number of years we've actually been around. I'm way too immature to go out with girls my own age. My contemporaries, both male and female are like adults, whereas I'm like a teenager (people just cannot believe my age when I tell them; they think I'm in my 20s, or even 18). Now, I in no way find immaturity itself a turn-on, but if I, a 32-year-old, get on brilliantly with an 18-year-old, why shouldn't we see each other? Basically, I respect the law but life is too short to worry about social stigmas. We must follow our hearts.

Well, steady on. I remember I had a small guidebook that came free with a Nintendo magazine. I must admit, I doubt I could have worked out everything on my own. The first one I sought advice on the internet for was Majora's Mask in 2000, whereas the first one I completed without looking at a guide at all was Twilight Princess. Took me about 55 hours, now I can cut it down to 14 or so. Thanks. I didn't see more than the eye that opens the door.

Did the Forest Temple last night. Man, it has freaky music! I never noticed it back in the day, playing it on my TV, but now, listening to it through stereo headphones, I can hear all the unusual chanting. It's incredibly immersive. One thing I forgot was how difficult it was, in terms of puzzles and just generally being complicated. I kept thinking of Rezourceman and how he'd be tackling it (sorry, Rez!) One chest seems to need the Lens of Truth, and yet I don't think it's possible to get that before the Forest Temple. Obviously, it's not a necessary chest. The boss isn't that difficult, providing you have enough arrows. I ran out, and he doesn't seem to throw you any more. Had to save my game and fill my quiver.

Ah... thanks, that explains it. I can't get used to the new ways. I'm not overly familiar with this game, but I think you're right in both cases. Also, I keep getting perfect scores in the Archery game in Kakariko Village (literally, not an arrow wasted), and yet all I got was a rupee. Do you not get a heart piece for this? Oh, I know... I bet the reward is a bigger quiver, isn't it? I haven't got the bow yet. Doh!

That's incredibly odd. Every time I've got the Compass so far, I've looked at the map and it has no secrets left. The only explanation is that I've already got them all before I got the Compass.

But does it tell you where treasure chests are in this game? I'm sure they'tre not visible. All it seems to do is make the room that I'm in flash (on the map, that is), I certainly can't tell which direction I'm facing or which door I entered from. Maybe I'm just remembering OOT wrong and confusing it with other Zeldas.