Grazza

No, those are exactly the two that I haven't found. I can't pretend I've tried very hard yet, but all the same, it's those two. Agree about diving!

Have any bonus/extra dungeons added to Zelda remakes ever actually been that good? I can understand the desire to get Wind Waker "as it was intended", but unless they did it exactly as it was on the page back then, it's quite likely it'd feel bolted-on and unnecessary.

I'm sure one day I'll StreetPass someone with a full set of something (that hasn't been customised with Ore, either). If they StreetPass me, they get the opportunity to order the full Sleek, Modern, Astro and Modern Wood sets, whereas I just get to order a Samurai Sword and a Lemon Table.

Just these ones now: Stripe Clock Stripe Closet Stripe Drawers Stripe TV Stripe Sofa Stripe Table Stripe Sink Minimalist Bed Minimalist End Table Minimalist Lamp Neutral Wall I'm sure I could get you a Bug Net one way or another, even if I have to mail one to my main character.

Wow, congratulations Rez!

Got my characters to Level 22 and have now Rested all of them so they're Level 20. In the first game, Resting set you back 10 levels, but it gradually shrank as the series went on, and 2 levels is not a problem (I hope). What's different about IV is that the skill tree only lets you unlock certain skills when you are at Levels 20 and 40. This is why I wanted all my skill points back (to use the Level 20 skills), and will probably do the same at Level 42.

Yeah, I decided not to do anything involving Gracie. Great game, but it doesn't let you complete anything fast enough/while you're still keen. The seasonal events/fish/bugs are fine, but other than that I only want to complete my Stripe and Minimalist sets now. Superb game in many ways, but I've only got time to dash to the shops most days.

Fought them myself now. It's quite clever how the game gets you used to a FOE ("Cutter"), then a stronger version, then the boss. In a way, even the Angry Baboon teaches you how to fight the FOEs and bosses in that area, as it's their arms that are dangerous. I forgot this is the first Etrian Odyssey where you can actually see what the FOEs look like on the map (as opposed to an orange or red circle), which leads to some nice, light puzzles. Yep, I did manage to beat a kangaroo FOE at level 14, but I definitely think the game intends them for when you're level 15. I also just managed to beat the boss on B3F at level 17. I think the game considers 15 the right level, but I'm sure I'd have run out of TP. Anyway, it's a really nice game. Plays perfectly in most ways but I still find it strange having so many different areas. So far I've been in a training floor for every level of the proper labyrinth. As you say, it's worth exploring them for the drops and gather points.

Sometimes I think websites (and the world in general) have got their priorities completely wrong. I've seen some really nasty, upsetting stuff on YouTube, yet anything sexual and you're off. I believe they took down a video of Kate Upton dancing in a skimpy bikini.

I'm not going to insult anyone who likes Phantom Hourglass (it's quite a nice game), but to me it didn't feel like sailing at all. The map was just four quadrants where you joined the dots and let yourself be taken to a given location.

Re: Wind direction. I actually think the chimes that sound when you change the wind (and the animation afterwards) is a massive part of the magic.

A lot of people like density, but personally as long as the game has lots of sidequests/side stories like @Rummy mentioned, I don't mind them being spaced out a lot. Yes, Skyward Sword was dense, but there weren't any hidden villages or settlements to find. In my opinion it wasn't spaced out enough to properly convey the idea of mountains, volcanoes etc, and felt far more like a series of obstacle courses. I really think Wind Waker's overworld is a good model. Not everyone liked the sailing, but imagine if it was fields and you had Epona. The extra space would allow a contrast between areas that are packed with enemies, and ones that aren't (like farms). Twilight Princess had a decent overworld, but every time you reached the edge of one area you had to wait for the next one to load. I understand hardware limitations are always an issue, but I definitely think they should be aiming for an overworld bigger than TP's from now on - one more like Wind Waker's.

I don't know any obscure ones, but most people I talk to still don't know these. Their songs are brilliant, particularly the guitar/acoustic ones:

I agree. Wind Waker should be the standard for how things are spaced out, even if it's on land.

Thankfully, this does look really good! Let's be honest, it still looks very much like Risky's Revenge, which is a good thing. Now I've listened to it with the sound on. That music...

Just watched these videos and I still feel entirely positive towards Wind Waker HD. Nintendo is giving us the chance to play (what is for many of us) one of our favourite ever games in a way that will actually look good on the type of TVs we use nowadays. To me, 1080p and 60fps are worth the price on their own. Yeah, the game and the bundles are a little bit expensive, but I don't really think it's a moral issue. Companies charge what they can - if they set the price right, they get rewarded. If they get it wrong, it's their loss. OK, it only really needed up-rezzing (or whatever Dolphin does), but I for one like the bloom and all the sophisticated shadows. Nintendo is actually developing the best visual style for Zelda so far, in my opinion. But arguably the best thing about Wind Waker HD is that not only do we get to revisit it, but so do Nintendo. I can't help hoping that, as they rebuild and assess the game, they are reminded of why it worked so well, and that the same magic and quality will be present in future Zeldas.

I haven't got there yet but it sounds like a Red FOE. It's tradition for them to be on 3F and there is only ever one option when you first find them - run! Right, let's get the negative out of the way first. I don't think overworlds suit Etrian Odyssey. The first two games were about getting further into a labyrinth, which helped make them extremely compelling. III and IV, however, have overworlds which (in my opinion) fragment the gameplay. For example, in IV you have a starting area, then get told to explore the overworld, start on the main labyrinth (one of many?); then as soon as you've mapped the first floor you get sent to a different training area! If they wanted the game to be longer, I don't know why they didn't just add more floors. Etrian Odyssey is about map-making, which is good for the labyrinth but not so much for the overworld. Right, now the negative point is over, time for the good news - Etrian Odyssey IV is a brilliant game. As the first entry on the 3DS, it benefits hugely from the handheld's superior graphics and music. The latter in particular is beautiful. The classes make so much more sense to me than Etrian Odyssey III's and the skill tree is by far the best yet. In the first game you could really waste your skill points by putting 10 points into something when you only needed 1. Not so with this - the skills are all capped at whatever level the designers thought appropriate, and the skill tree makes it totally transparent where each branch leads. There's no need for a farming team either - just put a single point into the type of gathering any particular class specialises in. Furthermore, skills are presented to you in tiers. Certain ones are held back until you are level 20 (for example), so you always have an idea of which ones you should be putting your points into at the right time. So, I'm loving it at the moment. Surely the best RPG on the 3DS.

Well, this is certainly good news and I'd definitely buy it. Honestly though... does anyone else think Shantae has lost a certain amount of appeal in this? I like the visual style, but not so much the character designs. Shantae herself looks a bit pear-shaped, rather than having a concave waist then convex hips. Risky Boots, too, if you look at the design for the HD game compared to this, has lost a lot of charm:

I am so boring. I just keep every room really plain: Main Room - Minimalist Left - Astro Right - Modern Back - Stripe Bedroom - Sleek (my favourite) Basement - Modern Wood ...That said, I am thinking of turning the back room into a sort of Roman spa. Columns, plants, that sort of thing. I've got the big bathtub (the square one) and would quite like the Hot Tub you can get from Club Tortimer, although I think I actually prefer the former (it's mainly the latter's exclusivity that makes it appealing).

You don't read your own posts back?

To me, the Wii wasn't really a proper console, it was more of a well-designed toy. When I used to hear people call the GameCube "a child's toy" I used to think "Oh, grow up", but that's what the Wii was. I don't mean it was childish, I just mean it was designed for a very limited purpose. Nintendo had the opportunity to take advantage of motion control technology - they did so and it was a huge success, but nothing about it was designed to enable the next level of greatness in Nintendo's franchises. It was always going to be a cul-de-sac. I'm not saying it was impossible to create good games for, but that wasn't its main purpose. I honesty would have preferred it if there had been more... well, frankness, about the fact it was just a motion control machine to play things like Wii Sports, with less pretence about it being a good all-round console. Maybe it would have been better if it never had the Nunchuk, just to make it more obvious there was no need to buy it. Trying to force motion controls onto franchises like Metroid and Zelda may have been done with good intentions, but it hasn't got us anywhere. That's not to say it's all bad. Thanks mainly to the DS, Nintendo has learnt how to make Mario and Mario Kart more successful than the GameCube days. I wouldn't say Nintendo can't be mainstream again, but what they need now is clarity about what they're trying to achieve.

Loaded up Animal Crossing Last night, not realising it was September. I saw something I didn't recognise, so I caught it and it turned out to be a Cricket. Saw another thing, caught it and it was a Bell Cricket! This must literally have been Midnight or 12.01am!

Finally completed my Fossil collection. My remaining two goals are: 1) Collect all the Fish and Bugs. If possible, I'm going to collect all the Paintings, but not going to bust a gut about this. 2) Gather all the Stripe and Minimalist furniture. I'd also quite like the Spa Wall and Floor, but it's pure luck whether you get it or not.

Esequiel - how do you manage to find out about so many private emails and conversations? Seriously, people could slag me off all the time and I'd have no idea. [EDIT] Sorry, I hadn't read it properly. But really, I only have general advice. If someone at work is doing you wrong, you should just go to the person above them.

Sounds like that's entirely new, although I've only done four floors of III. Couldn't resist downloading the demo and starting it. Now I've had a play around with the classes, I've decided the two I'm not going to start with are Nightseeker (not my style) and Dancer (hopefully won't be necessary). Although the Nightseeker will probably be needed for conditional drops and the Dancer may be useful for boss fights, I'm happier with the remaining five classes. Also, they seem like better classes to take on others as sub-classes. Of particular note is that the Fortress now has a 3-turn party buff back, and that can lead to an elemental-protection buff once you're a high enough level. Yeah, I'm pleased to say the Fortress seems to have a place in this game.