Grazza

New art software: * use pastels, pencils and coloured pencils * use aspects of it on Miiverse

I lost my stream for a while. Mario Kart 8 looks good. Please tell me that thing before it wasn't the new 3D Mario for Wii U...

About 50% through the whole thing (including optional content). Well, going from A-rank to S-rank (married) is quite a leap. Not every couple can achieve it together, so it's worth checking that. Other than that, if you have two people you are certain you want to marry each other, just grind, grind, grind! There are two things that build up rapport: 1) Attacking together (paired or just standing next to each other) 2) Defending together (as above) Early on, you have so few units, I think it's better to arrange them 2x2, 3x3 etc. That way you can build rapport with many people at once. It is worth pairing up eventually though, as an A-rank or S-rank relationship will block an awful lot of attacks. Same here, although I came to appreciate her as a good bit of writing. As soon as I saw Cordelia, I was certain I wanted to marry her. Tharja and Henry are both good units though (and Henry has a softer side if you get him talking to Olivia). If I play this again, I intend to get them the skills from Dark Knight, then make them both Sorcerers (an awesome class).

I found it much more enjoyable on Normal/Newcomer. Avoids a huge amount of frustration.

I actually think that's quite likely. Not that I'd want to put anyone off getting one (does the offer last for a week or so?), but I really wouldn't be surprised at some sort of 3DS revamp. Exactly how they'd revamp it, I don't know, although I could see one with more storage that really emphasises the fact you can download retail games.

The price of a Reeking Box jumps from 500G to 4800G. I bought one, but (unlike in Normal Mode) didn't make enough money back to buy more.

...Unless it's Ice Climbers!

Completed it about an hour ago... I liked it. Didn't have any real problems and did it without cheats or walkthroughs!

I'm terrible at naming things too, but I've decided my town is going to be called... Oakland! It was either that or Sherwood. I love trees, so the name had to reflect that somehow. I'm going to be the Mayor of Oakland!

Cheats - no. To me, they're just something I used to do when I was a youngster. When you had a £45 Mega Drive game, there was no shame in putting in a level select or something like that. With Revenge of Shinobi, I used to use the "infinite shuriken" code, and it never occurred to me that I hadn't completed the game properly. Actually, in recent years I have started to cheat using Restore Points, which are an excellent way to take the stress out of certain sections. I wouldn't have been able to complete Zelda II without them. You still have to do everything yourself, you just have a safety net. Guides - yes. I remember when Twilight Princess was released, I was determined to complete it without any help. Whilst I achieved this, it made the game seem far longer than it really is, and sort of ruined it for me. Nowadays I will simply have a game session and, if I couldn't work out what to do in that session, will look at a walkthrough the next day. This may be controversial, but I don't think games should need guides or walkthroughs. If you need a guide, it means the game didn't give you enough information. Especially when it's an RPG, for instance, and there are permanent changes and missables. In these situations, the game should explain the consequences properly. As for the more traditional type of walkthrough (ie. "what to do next"), I really think this is a huge area where games need to evolve. Things like Super Guide are a brilliant innovation, in my opinion, and need to develop further. It just seems so old-fashioned that when you get stuck you either a) give up or b) look on the internet. The next level of sophistication should be that you have all the data you need - how high you set your challenge is up to you.

It's interesting that this has become more fashionable than the "3D off = 60fps, 3D on = 30fps" of many early 3DS games like Street Fighter IV, for example. Oh, I agree. I would not trade a large scale world for 60fps (although I think 30fps is the bare minimum now), but I would probably trade small graphical details for it. I suppose it might still be 8-way, but with easier diagonals (goes back to watching video).

I'm surprised too. On the 3DS, you just touch the screen and it turns off.

Yeah, I meant to post about Hellfire's hands-on with the game: http://www.n-europe.com/features/hands-on-with-link-to-the-past-2 Two things really interested me: 1) It runs at 60fps 2) Movement is via the Circle Pad The last one is something I just wasn't paying attention to/hadn't thought through, but it'll be interesting to see how that works - 2D Zelda taken off its "left, right, up, down" rigidity. The 60fps, though, is very welcome indeed. I remember saying before that I wanted Ocarina of Time 3D to be 60fps. It was pointed out to me, quite fairly, that the game doesn't really need it. However, I still think it is an important step in giving Zelda more immediacy. When you play the Mario games, they just feel good... I'm hoping this will translate to Zelda as well. Very interesting. You can really feel the benefit as the framerate increased over successive games. I'm very surprised at that, actually. I had previously assumed all the lighting effects had lowered the framerate. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is another one. It's said to be 30fps, but doesn't feel it to me.

There's one puzzle where you have to move two statues at the same time. Then there's a puzzle where you have to move nine blocks around a statue. When I saw that I thought "Give me a break...!" but I'm pleased to say I solved both without a guide. I'm not too proud to use a guide, it just tends to be something I do "the day after".

I completed the main game a week or two ago and was going to do a review (but haven't got round to it). It made me want to play it again on Hard/Classic (I was on Normal/Newcomer). Am I the only one who wants to match up fathers with the profession of their offspring?

Done it all now. Cheated the heck out of Restore Points! No, not done that yet. I'm looking forward to getting the code from Ages, which hopefully might "enable" the best version of Seasons. I like those too. They are both about the dungeon as a whole (ie. changing the level). It's more the abstract puzzles I'm not keen on (eg. having to arrange blocks that move in unison). Anyway, moan over! I've cheated now, done the mini-games, got the L-2 sword, so onto the next dungeon, Mermaid's Cave. I hope it's not full of those things I've been complaining about...

In 2001, I bought either Oracle of Ages or Oracle of Seasons (can't remember which), played it for a bit, then sold it. It gave me a sort of "Games are a waste of time" feeling. I put this down to my low mood at the time, and assumed I'd be able to complete it nowadays. Not necessarily. I'm typing this because Oracle of Ages is really winding me up. I don't like to criticise a game unless it really gets on my nerves, but I've reached that state now with OoA. A few aspects I'm not enjoying: * The overworld. It's just a nightmare to traverse, especially the mountain ranges. 2D Zeldas tend to have this type of complexity, but at least you are usually only thinking in three dimensions. What makes OoA so difficult is that you are constantly switching between the Past and Present as well. Go here, obtain this, travel to the Past, go there, give object to so-and-so etc... * The dungeons. Actually, the dungeons are quite enjoyable, apart from how hard they are. I've done the 5th Dungeon and the puzzles were extremely difficult. Still, I managed it, I'm just not keen on the idea that there are at least three harder ones! * The mini-games. Now this is what's really winding me up at the moment. I've reached a point where there are a lot of mini-games, none of which I'm particularly good at, so might miss out on the best items. The one that's really annoying me, though, is a rhythm game. I simply don't have rhythm! It frustrates me that rhythm is part of a Zelda game, because it's just a roadblock to me. I normally complete a Zelda game in a week or two, but I think the Oracle games are going to be something that pester me for quite a while.

Yeah, the mermaid series was the peak of GamesMaster! I liked the brunette just as much though!

Can't wait for this! Love the music!

Great idea, Rummy. Grazza - 0774-4233-0253 Town name, I don't know... Sherwood?

This feature about GamesMaster is just astounding. If you were around in the '90s, it will take you back! Dominik Diamond, Dave Perry, Patrick Moore, Sega vs Nintendo... ah, it was better then, wasn't it? http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-04-gamesmaster-the-inside-story

My current list of favourites: Retail * Fire Emblem: Awakening * New Super Mario Bros 2 * Super Mario 3D Land * Ocarina of Time 3D * Pilotwings Resort Star Fox 64 is high quality as well. From what I've played of it, Mario Kart 7 seems good, but I never buy them because I know they'll annoy me! eShop/Virtual Console * Mighty Switch Force * Link's Awakening Sure to change when WayForward release more games. And Nintendo, get the GBA on there, please!

As long as Nintendo show everything they've mentioned, I don't think they can have a bad E3. At worst, it might just be a bit "flat". Really, it all depends on how much you like Mario Kart and 3D Mario, because I don't think there'll be a great deal more than that. Hope I'm wrong!

Yes, it would be interesting to see him opposite John Hurt again.