Grazza

It most definitely would. That stormy night on Windfall Island, to name one, couldn't have been done on the NES, SNES or even N64.

I can't agree with these points. Firstly, because the N64 was perfectly capable of cartoony colours (look at Mario 64) - Ocarina of Time definitely went for a more subdued colour palette. Therefore, there was a deliberate attempt to make a game that was, if you don't want to call it "realistic", was not strongly cartoon-like. Secondly, there is a clear difference between the way Link was modelled in OOT and Wind Waker. In OOT, his anatomy is a reasonable attempt at realism, whereas in WW his arms and legs are like pipe cleaners. I'd agree with you that Twilight Princess was too "gritty" (just thinking of the detailed armour on the Darknuts - didn't work for me), and I certainly don't want to see a "Gears of Zelda". However, this is exactly what I meant when I said it was only partially successful. They may have gone too gritty with the character designs, but at the same time you can see they tried to recreate some of the N64 games' colours and lighting (the "tour round the overworld" before the title screen is highly reminiscent of OOT's). I couldn't agree that Twilight Princess was cartoony, because if you just look at the NPCs in Castle Town, they are far too realistically-proportioned to allow for any of the oddball characters in either the N64 Zeldas or Wind Waker. We can argue about definitions, but I think it is reasonable to say Zelda has been done in both a "realistic" style and a "Toon" style. The latter was done perfectly in Wind Waker, the former was done perfectly in OOT/MM, and taken too gritty in Twilight Princess. And remember, no one complained about the art style in "The Legend of Zelda 2004" trailer, so I think it's fair to say that something went wrong with Twilight Princess after that point. Were the finished graphics even as good as that trailer implied? Exactly. When people say they want a next-gen/current-gen Zelda, they mean with PS3/Xbox 360 tech, and there is nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean it would be overly cinematic or similar to the actual games on the PS3/Xbox 360. Zelda has always benefitted from hardware that was powerful at the time. In fact, this applies to all the best Zeldas - LttP, OOT, WW... And Zelda games do have involving stories, it's just that (thankfully) the designers choose not to show us too many cutscenes.

Yeah, that's what I mean. With a normal weapon, you can "Miss" a Metal Slime even if it doesn't dodge. With a Rank 9 weapon, though (Metal Slime Sword and Spear are the only ones), you always hit the target. Falcon Slash with the Metal Slime Sword usually knocks off 2-3 HP.

Can't wait to play this on my XL, even though I'll own a 3DS by then. Here's an interview with Yuji Horii:http://www.gamesradar.com/f/an-interview-with-dragon-quest-creator-yuji-horii/a-20110217121813881005 I knew it. It bugs me that the DS games especially get toned down, as there's nothing too risqué about Dragon Quest for the "12" rating. Dragon Quest VIII and DQ Swords didn't seem toned down, but the DS games don't have the same vibe at all. There are only two references to "Puff-Puff" in DQIX, the first is so subtle you wouldn't know what it was without prior knowledge, and the second is just... wrong! Also...

Yep, whatever you do darksnowman, get on DQVC this week! Items 1-6 on Ike's list are Rank 10 (the best). The Metal Slime Sword and Spear are Rank 9, but still excellent for grinding as they don't really "Miss". Enemies can still dodge, but you don't actually miss. Highly recommended. I beat Nimzo last night. Thought it was going to be easy and I could do it with two Gladiators, as his status effects can largely be combated with Metal King Gloves and Lucky Charms. From Level 91 onwards though, I needed to switch to my Paladin strategy and he ended up taking 16 turns (one less than Psaro). I'm pretty sure I can get that lower though. Nice to see Maya too.

Too right. Wind Waker's the only one, and yet it genuinely added so much enjoyment for me. I was a bit harsh on Skyward Sword's graphics in my last post. Every time I see a screenshot I think "Great". Every time I see a video, I think "Twilight Princess". TP's graphics, I think, suffered from the art style. They were so keen to get character proportions correct, the designs in the final game were very close to being generic. Let's hope the NPCs in Skyward Sword are as goofy as those in Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker. An art style with no room for Tingle is a bad art style! I would not be averse to seeing another "realistic" game though. It worked for OOT and I could see how they were trying to recreate that in TP. Trouble is, they were only partially successful. What matters, I think, is not whether the graphics are cartoony or realistic, but whether they are visionary. OOT and WW were, TP was not. They jury's out on Skyward Sword. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter as, despite what I once expected and hoped for, Skyward Sword is clearly one last flutter for Zelda on the Wii, and should probably be thought of as a "Majora's Mask" rather than an OOT/WW. Not what I wanted, but that's the Wii for you. Here's a nice little article about Wind Waker, its graphical style and the expectations for Skyward Sword: http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/115/1150475p1.html

Just a bit of fun, but I love this stuff. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357987/Has-Bownessie-caught-camera-couples-close-encounter-car-long-beast-Lake-Windermere.html

Thanks for the explanations. Just to clarify, does everything in the Solar System orbit the Sun (I think that's the definition of it, but I'm just checking)? If so, would there be periods where Tyche would be closer to us than others? What I'm saying is that it may have been near the Earth before, but this is the first time we've got technology that can (nearly) see it. If it exists, I'm sure they'll be sending probes there soon. Very exciting.

Nah, I don't expect a cinematic experience either. I just want things to look sharp.

I don't get it either, Paj. I mean, I can enjoy an England match, but all the shouting and exclamation feels very false to me. I'm not accusing them of being false, just that it'd be false if I did it. When an England player scores a goal, I think "Oh good" instead of "YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!" Sport is a good thing, I'm totally for it being on TV. I just explain the extreme passion about it as "male bonding". Many of my workmates never talk about anything else. When they bump into each other, they instantly boast/insult each other about their team's performance, and most of their Facebook updates are a serious analysis of the latest player to be bought/manager to be sacked. Harmless fun, undoubtedly. But no, I don't get it!

Ni. Hopefully. But never mind that, what did you think of the nautical theme?

I'm looking forward to it, but it really does look like Twilight Princess to me. More colourful, yes, but not cel-shaded. At the moment it looks like: TP engine + pastel colours + adjustments for MotionPlus.

Well, that's cool. Maybe the extra graphical power and resolution hit that sweet spot. All the screenshots and videos look really good, which is something I thought was missing from the original DS, right from the beginning. The reason I mentioned resolution specifically, is because that will stay the same. I quite expect a bigger-screened version of the 3DS to appear sooner or later, and I will not complain about that, as the DSi XL vastly improved the DS experience for me.

Totally agree with these points. 800/400x240 and 320x240 just seem a bit puny to me in this day and age, especially considering that was my main complaint with the original DS (which was 256x192). This is more, but is it enough more?

I'm 32 but I don't think I'll ever feel like an adult. Then again, youngsters somewhat get on my nerves, so I'm probably older-minded than I'll admit. My advice, jayseven, is don't beat yourself up about not having a job. Yes, it's good to have standards, but there's a fine balance between that and being too fussy. I would say, be realistic and look at the actual sources of employment in the UK. It seems to me that the supermarkets are a phenomenal employer, the likes of which we haven't really seen before. There is no shame in working for one. I assume you've got qualifications and would like a better job. That's great, but there's nothing to stop you getting that kind of job when and if it becomes available. In the meantime, you could be earning a lot of cash, building up your confidence and having a good rapport with your workmates (new friends). But overall, as I say, don't beat yourself up about it, because I think most young people have a certain period before they really feel comfortable going to interviews and getting jobs. As for the I.D. thing, my personal opinion is that it's got out of hand recently. Shops are so worried about it, you have to look 25 nowadays or you get asked for I.D. I almost got asked for I.D. when my Dad was buying beer and, as I say, I'm 32 (and this woman had known me for six years too).

I'm very ignorant about space, but I've got a few thoughts... Firstly, I wonder why Voyager 1 didn't see this? As far as I'm aware, that probe has left our Solar System. Plus, we know about other objects at the edge of the Solar System, like Sedna, so why wasn't this visible? In the wrong place, I suppose? Secondly, how would it cause mass extinctions on Earth? A massively elliptical orbit, or does it just throw asteroids our way?

I saw this on Click and it got my mind racing. Although it's an early prototype, this machine actually projects light at different lengths. Therefore, there is no "illusion" of depth - the image really is there in front of you, which apparently would eliminate the headaches and nausea some associate with current 3D. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9393762.stm

Keep at it. You can get some really cool weapons out of Rank 8 chests. I really would like this game to have a "donate items" feature, because I'd love to send you my Metal Slime equipment (which is Rank 9). It's funny to think I once wanted it so much - now I've got loads to spare, like RedShell said! Yep, he's the one who's given me that feeling even more than Estark. He seems to have so much HP when you think of how many targets there are. Have you used whips and boomerangs on him? I upgraded my Meteorang and Gringham Whip for this purpose (just the one Agate each)... don't know how far that'll get me, but it makes it a bit more fun for the moment. Wasn't Quest 163 cool? I used your "Thief's Co-op de Grace" technique whilst I was at it to nab myself a 2nd suit of Victorious Armour, which is very useful if a boss only uses fire and/or ice. Instead of making a 4th Devilry Drinker, I used my Agates to upgrade my Glorious Armour and I got the Alchemiracle "Legendary Armour". It's yellow.

Brilliant ideas. I've ordered a 3DS and, if I secure one, this is the game I'll buy. Flying is one of the things I'd really like to experience in 3D and I can imagine myself chilling in bed with this more than the other launch games.

Awesome! I played most of my first Dragon Quest (VIII) with the AI set to "Fight Wisely". It's great fun and a brilliant way of teaching you what the moves do. Probably the best AI I've seen in a game, to be honest. Anyway...

I have no attraction whatsoever to the lithe, belly-dancing minx... (Downloads immediately) No, seriously, it looks really good. I think I'll get it, as I love my ol' DSi XL, and it'll probably be better on that than the 3DS.

When I was young, Valentine's Day wasn't yet commercialised, and thus not a big thing (same goes for Halloween). It was just about sending someone a card. Nowadays people think they have to buy their partners loads of stuff every year! Score another one to the commercial forces.

My attitude is "stick to the rules". I don't mean to sound callous, but personal loss or gain shouldn't be part of the decision-making. If you're meant to inform the DVNLI about these things, then you should. Then it's in their hands. Whether they stop you driving or not, you'll have a clear conscience.

I have to admit, I don't understand how the developers of Cave Story could make a game that looks like this concept art unless they've drastically multiplied thier number of employees. I thought it was made with just a few people?

30.6m As far as I'm concerned, this is international-standard. These things are never going to be able to do vertical loops, so that's one way no one can "better" it. Plus, it may look short, but coasters with wide cars lose a lot of speed (Dive Machines are the same). OK, someone might make one with an extra element or two, but not many, and I suspect they'll have to go a lot higher to do that. This is the real deal.