Hello and Welcome
to todays episode of Lost & Found.
With
Halloween just around the corner todays episode is dedicated to
Freddy, Jason and all the other Horror greats. Why do you ask? And
why on a Nintendo focused Blog? Well it's simple. They all appeared
in an infamous comic from the German Club Nintendo magazine.
It's
hard to think something like that would be possible in a official
Nintendo fan magazine. Not only can you see Wario scheming with
Satan. (Yes he is called Abigor, but come on.) But there is also a
Zombie Peach and Link, Mario and Kirby transforming into Horror
Versions of themselves. My favorite definitely is Pinhead Kirby.
This
comic is a great blast from the past. Made during a period where
Nintendo, especially Nintendo Germany, was far more lenient with
their policy and, in my opinion, also more charmful. Another example
for this was the translation of Links Awakening.
Now
if you're interested in this quite unique and a little bit cringy
comic you can check out a completely translated version here. It's
definitely worth it.
October is slowly
reaching its end and with it the night of horrors and spooky events
is also drawing closer. Halloween is a big deal. Even here in Europe,
though it has somewhat declined the past couple of years. Still it's
a welcome excuse to dedicate October to all things horror.
And why shouldn't
we. Horror is great.
And even though
Nintendo fans don't often get the treat of a good Horror game, there
is no shortage in unsettling and dark themes in Nintendo games.
Today I didn't
want to take a look at bosses, areas or stories, but simply at the
creepiest enemies in Nintendo games. Just your regular run of the
mill guy (or girl), who still manages to send shivers down your
spine. It doesn't matter if it's a creepy design, unnerving game
mechanics or a dark backstory. If the enemy manages to feel you
uncomfortable, you try to avoid him as good as possible or he simply
scares you, he belongs on that list.
As always only one
enemy per franchise and game. So let's start.
Deep within the
darkness of the submerged castle waits a creature... Unstoppable and
Unfeeling it's only purpose is to fill the heart of its prey with
dread.
Pikmin 2 is a
pretty happy game. You send your colorful plant slaves to fight your
battles and recover junk for your entertainment. Maybe it's not as
happy as I first thought. But that doesn't excuse the horror that is
the Waterwraith.
When I first
discovered the Submerged Castle I immediately started to explore it.
Deep and ancient caverns always draw me in. But my happy go lucky
exploring was cut short by this beast. After five minutes it suddenly
dropped down from the ceiling and started chasing me down. The music
changed into a frantic chase theme. At first I tried to hold my
ground, but soon I realized my foolishness. The Waterwraith can't be
stopped. It hunts you down and never stops.
Within this one
level Pikmin 2 turned from a happy strategy game into pure survival
horror.
Your only hope of
survival is to escape to the next level of the submerged castle.
Deeper down into the darkness. But this is only a temporary escape,
because after five minutes all starts over again.
The Waterwrait is
a scary enemy for a couple of reasons. His first appearance most
certainly catches you off guard. The music and your ships
analysis(or lack theroff) immediately tell you that this is a
dangerous beast. But once you realize how dangerous the wrait truly
is, you probably have lost most your Pikmins already.
It's scare factor
is lessened by the fact that it only appears after five minutes on
each floor, so you have some time to prepare. But it's coming... and
there is nothing you can do to stop it.
Except killing it
on the last floor... Anyways lets move on.
When I played
Super Mario Bros. 2 as kid this guy was responsible for one of the
most traumatic experiences of my childhood. First of his design is
pretty creepy. That smile haunted my dreams. And secondly he is, like
the waterwraith, an unstoppable force. His only purpose is to guard
the keys in the game and if you dare to take them, then praying for
the swift mercy of death is your best option.
Well it's not all
that bad. You can also run like hell to reach the keydoor and flee to
safety.
Phanto is a scary
foe, because of his inevitability. You can avoid the waterwraith if
you're fast enough while exploring the submerged castle. But if you
want to proceed in Super Mario Bros. 2, you'll need that key. You'll
have to face Phanto. This dreadful conclusion makes him worse. He
will hunt you down and kill you. And he will do it with a grin.
I'm not sure if
any amount of Bananas was worth passing through this cave. A Cave
inhabited by subterranean Crocodiles, which now only one thing. How
to make your life miserable. The Rock Crocs only appear in one stage
of Donkey Kong Country, but they left a lasting impression with me.
In true tradition on this list they are unstoppable enemies, which
you can't harm in any way.
Well unstoppable
may not be 100% right. The Rock Crocs hate red light and will curl
into a ball if the lighting in their mine takes that color. And this
is exactly the main mechanic of their stage. Through Stop and Go
Barrels Donkey and Diddy Kong can switch the lights for a brief
period of time. This allows them to pass the Rock Crocs, but it's no
free ride. The time they'll have is very short and one wrong move may
lead you to end up surrounded by awakened Rock Crocs, who tear you to
shreds.
Ok, the last part
may be a little overexaggerated , but you'll lose one Kong at least.
What makes the
Rock Croc so creepy isn't only their adrenalin inducing game
mechanic, but their looks. On SNES most of the time you only saw
their glowing red eyes. And they are quick. You can't outrun them.
Being hunted in the darkness deep below the earth is a feeling that
is the pinacle of horror. And to my youthful self the Rock Crocs
provided just that.
John Carpenters
The Thing is one of the best Horror Movies of all time. Same goes for
Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This is because of the fear and
distrust they create through their premise. A being that can copy you
completely from your memories to your abilities is absolutely
horrifying.
And that is why
the X-Parasite is number two on this list.
This creatures are
the natural inhabitants of SR-388. They were held in check by their
natural enemies the Metroids. But because Samus killed the species
off in Metroid 2 the X could recuperate. Once they infect a host
creature this Parasites will suck it completely dry. Everything from
the memories, to abilities and the personality. Nothing remains, but
a perfect emotionless copy of the victim. When you can't trust the
people, which you knew for all of your life ,because they may have
already been replaced, who can you trust?
That is why the X
is so terrifying. It has the ability to destroy whole civilizations
without them realizing it.
Also this beasts
are responsible for creating the most terrifying enemy Samus has ever
faced. Sa-X!
Fighting the X is
almost impossible. If you're not a Metroid you hardly stand a chance.
Also the more technological advanced a civilization is, the harder it
becomes to fight them. They grow stronger with each absorbed person.
They gain more information and more power. And they won't stop until
the control every single life form on a planet.
This guy just had
to be number one. Even today I ask myself how this beast could end up
in an E-rated game.
The first time you
encounter this monster is as a child at the bottom of the well in
Kakariko village. You enter a room full of strange white hands
sticking out from the ground. Well nothing unusual, right? Wrong!
After wandering
around the room for a little bit to no avail you finally decide to
check out one of the hands. That is the moment it happens. The Hand
grabs you and from behind you this... thing emerges. You can't see
its face, but its bloody stumps instead of hands combined with the
unnaturally long neck and the unnerving way it waddles towards you,
are enough the send you into horror mode.
Then it lowers
it's head and you can look directly into its dead eyes and at the
unhinged jaw, ready to bite your head off.
This beast doesn't
belong in a game that is rated E for everyone. I think we can all
agree on that. Also a fun fact in german the Dead Hand is called
Hirnsauger, which translates into Brain Slurper. This makes his aim
for Links head with his Jaw even more unnerving.
The Dead Hand is a
horrible sight and it never gets better. Even now when I'm playing
the 3DS Remake it sends shivers down my spine and I truly hate this
battle. Knowing what comes, once I step into the reach of one of
those hands, doesn't help at all. It only makes it worse.
So what are your
opinions on this list? Which enemies still scare the shit out of you?
Which enemies do you hate facing, no matter how often? Let me know in
the comments.
Last Thursday the
wait was finally over. One year and a half after it had been
announced the Nintendo NX was finally unveiled to the world. It was
the long rumored Hybrid concept bringing together the power of a
console and the mobility of a handheld. That's what Nintendo promised
at least. It remains to be seen if they can fulfill that promise. But
for now we have a overview trailer showing what the Switch is all
about. And even though it focused mostly on the games itself, it also
gave us small glimpses at several of the games for the console.
Well enough
introduction for something, which doesn't need introduction. Let us
watch the Trailer and see if we can spot some interesting details.
Right of the bat
we get a good look at the newest Zelda Title, Breath of the Wild,
which will release for the Switch (as well as for the Wii-U.)
Here we get the
confirmation that mounted combat from Twilight Princess returns. It
seems Link isn't the only one, who can tame the wild horses roaming
the fields of Hyrule. Something that remains to be seen is, if the
Bokoblins will dynamically use the Horses. What I mean with that is
if only selected and predetermined enemies can use mounts or if the
situation is possible, where Link hunts a group of Bokoblins only for
them to use a nearby group of horses as mounts spontaneously.
Latter would be
really cool.
Also as we know
from other previews of the game the Bokoblins can use a variety of
weapons, but here they are only seen wielding clubs. Maybe later in
the game you'll also encounter mounted enemies, which use Bows or
other weapons, creating a more varied mounted combat.
Here we get our
first look at the console, or the docking station to be more
specific. It's nothing revolutionary looking, but it's well designed.
As we know from Nintendo the docking station doesn't contain any
rendering or processing power, but I'm pretty sure it will still
enhance the performance of the Switch. In handheld mode the Switch
will probably lower it's output to safe energy and cooling power. But
docked into the station it can be actively cooled and doesn't need to
concern itself with running out of battery power. That's why I think
the docking station enhances the power of the Switch, as it easily
allows overclocking.
Now we get a look
at the controller of the Switch. Well that's not entirely true. We get to see one of the Switchs control options.
As you can see the
actual control units, called Joy-Cons, can be easily taken off and
attached to the Switch itself. The huge possibilities offered by this
system is shown later in the trailer. You don't even have to attach
the Joy Cons to anything in order to use them. Nintendo once again
looks to support many different control options and I think this is
great way of doing that. As for the ''controller'' itself. It looks
fine and seems to handle rather well. I personally never had a
problem with the Wii-U Gamepad, but for people who deemed it to big
and chunky this should be good news.
As you can see,
you can use the Switch like a tablet, lean back and use the Joy cons
alone for the most comfortable gaming experience possible in a
airplane.
This is the only
problem I have with the Joy Cons. They seem rather small and when
used like this I'm sure people with bigger hands will get cramps
really fast. A good solution for this problem would be allowing the
use of Wii-Motes. Their basic layout is pretty much the same, but
they aren't as small.
But now enough
with jumping ahead in the trailer. Back to Zelda.
Here we have
another one of the huge boss monster Aonuma mentioned during the
first presentation of Breath of the Wild in 2014. It seems that these
enemies can be found all around Hyrule. This huge Bokoblin takes a
nap on a small island in the middle of a pond, before he is assaulted
by Link.
Of course he
doesn't like the rude awakening and a battle ensues. My guess would
be that these Boss monsters all guard a part of Hyrule. During the e3
2016 presentation we've seen that Hyurle is segregated into different
areas.
It seems pretty
obvious that each of those areas would house a huge boss monster. We
even saw one before in Steppe Talus.
But back to the
Bokbolin Boss above. There are two interesting details on him. His
glowing pendant and what seems to be a rainbow mohawk. I'm sure the
pendant has a deep meaning, while the Mohawk may be the monsters weak
spot. As for a way to fight the boss, I'm not sure. In direct combat
his attacks may be to devastating, so I guess a approach like in
Shadow of the Colossus, where you climb the beast and attack it's
weakspot directly would work best. It also would combine pretty well
with Breath of the Wilds climbing mechanic.
Here we have the
confirmation that the Switch uses cartridges. These look pretty big,
so hopefully they'll offer a lot of space.
And here we get a good
look at the whole system. It's surprising how slim the Switch is. On
top of the console we can see several openings, which will be
probably used for cooling the system. Next to them you can see a slot
used for headphones and then the already seen cartridge slot.
The Nintendo
Switch Pro Controller seems to be a continuation of the Wii-U Pro
Controller, which was great. So I haven't any worries here.
Now this is
interesting again. We get a look at something, that seems to be a
port of Mario Kart 8.
But last I checked
King Boo wasn't a character in Mario Kart 8. Emily Rogers calls this
an enhance port of Mario Kart 8, which would mean that it offers new
content.
Another
interesting fact seems to be the missing motorcycles. In the first
picture we can see all twelve drivers and there isn't anyone driving
one. But that doesn't mean they have been removed from the game,
because we can see Rosalina, starting last, use an ATV Body. So these
are still in and so it's good chance that we will see motorcycles
again.
The last
interesting part about this enhanced port/Mario Kart 9 is that, like
in Double Dash, you'll be able to hold two items at once. Now maybe
this is an indication that this game will be the long awaited Double
Dash 2. It's entirely possible that they used single driver carts as
place holder for this trailer. I think King Boo is another indication
for this, as he had his debut in Double Dash.
For now everything
is possible. The shown footage could be an enhanced Mario Kart 8 Port
or an entirely new Mario Kart 9.
This picture
proves that Multiplayer is still a large focus for Nintendo with the
Switch and it seems easier than ever.
Now it becomes
truly interesting. Here we've got the first glimpse at the next 3D
Mario adventure, exclusively for the Switch. And right of the bat we
are introduced to a pretty unfamiliar sight for the Mushroom Kingdom.
The previewed level seems to be heavily influenced by Mexican themes.
We can see a colorful small town in midst of a scorching desert. But
it seems to be a rather cold desert, because if you take a close look
you can see Ice on both edges of the picture. Even the fountain in
the middle of the town seems to be frozen solid, with some icicles
hanging from the wires next to it.
Generally the
whole area seems to be much more open than any level from 3D World.
So maybe this new adventure returns to the roots of Super Mario 64
and offers a truly exploration oriented experience.
Also remember the
purple building on the far left side of the picture for now.
We also get to see
some new, sombreror wearing characters. I'm not sure if they serve as
enemies or allies, because they don't attack Mario, when he triple
jumps next to them. In fact they don't pay any attention to him at
all.
In the back of the
picture we can also see what seems to be a huge stone structure,
possible a temple of some sorts. There seems to be a while light
emitting from the top, and my guess would be that there lies the
source, which is responsible for all the ice in the middle of the
desert.
Next up we get a
better look of the stone Structure, which is bigger than first seen.
If you take a look at the right side of the picture, next to the ice,
which serves as barrier, you can see the same purple building which I
told you to remember from the first picture. This is another prove
that this Mario seems to go back to 64s huger and more open level
design.
This picture also
shows that Marios Long Jump is back again, next to the triple Jump
shown in the earlier picture.
One nice little
detail is Mario looking towards the Bullet Bill while dodging it. But
the more interesting detail is the floating heart across the chasm on
the right side. This is another indicator towards a 64 style of
gameplay.
And lastly this
picture proves that this Mario will have a Multiplayer once again.
The last part of
the video now shows us what seems to be a Splatoon e-sports event.
I'm not sure if Nintendo truly decides to take Splatoon down this
route, but you can't argue that next to Smash Bros. Splatoon is the
game with the most potential in that area.
Once again we
can't tell if this is truly a Splatoon 2 or just an enhanced port,
like Emily Rogers calls it, but it definitely offers new features.
It seems the
customization of your Inkling has been drastically improved, with
different hairstyles and even different trousers and gloves.
The Trailer did a
good job of introducing us to the Nintendo Switch and enough to keep
us speculating. I hope you liked this Trailer Watch and if I missed
something (which I surely did) post it in the comments.
Hello and Welcome
to todays episode of Lost & Found.
It's
about a fan project again. But hey if it's good there is no reason to
give it the spotlight. Even if it's just on my blog. And this fan
project definitely deserves it.
As we
know there are thousands of talented fans out there, which create
great art, music and even games inspired by Nintendos countless
classics. And today I wanted to show you one of those projects, I am
most excited about. As some of you may know Links Awakening was my
first Zelda and is still one of my all time favorite games. The
unique humor and setting combined with the timeless Zelda gameplay
created a classic that I hold near and dear to my heart. So you
probably can guess my excitement, when I heard that a fan is working
on a mod, which recreates the game in the engine of Ocarina of Time
and Majoras Mask. This mod, called Links Awakening 64, finally got a
first trailer several days ago and I just had to share it with you
guys. So I hope you're as excited as I am for this project and are
looking forward to it.
Also
the creator of Links Awakening 64, Ty Anderson, released a video
detailing the process of recreating the Coholint Library for the
game. It's a great look at how much work creating a video game is,
and it made me appreciate the work of those countless talented fan
creators even more.
Yesterday Nintendo
swept the internet of its feet when they unveiled the Nintendo
Switch. Well most of the Internet anyways, because there will always
be some negative people out there. But from what brief look we got,
it seems as if Nintendo has learned from the mistakes they made with
the Wii-U. The Switch has a clear and understandable vision behind it
and the video explained it very good. Yesterday I already wrote down
my initial thoughts about the switch and today I want to give you a
overview about all known facts and rumors surrounding the Nintendo
Switch.
The Announcement
has generated lots of positivity and many people seem excited for the
newest Nintendo Console. So let us jump right in an start with some
of the facts.
The Facts:
Nintendo sees the
Switch as a home console and it should be treated as such. Source
The Nintendo
Switch is powered by custom made nvidia technology. It uses a
customized Tegra processor and includes the same technology as the
current top graphic cards. It also has a completely new physics
engine and easier tools for developers to use. Source
Because of that
there won't be any physical backwards compatibility. To play Wii-U or
3DS Games you'll still need the respective console. However Nintendo
didn't specify if there will be a digital backwards compatibility. So
maybe you'll be able to at least transfer your downloaded games onto
the Switch. Source
Nintendo didn't
specify if the Switch will be able to play Smartphone games.Source
Nintendo didn't specify how long the battery life of the Switch is, but they stressed
that it will be as long as possible and it should not be a problem
while gaming on the go. Source
The Docking
Station only serves as a means to bring the picture fast and
seamlessly to the TV-Screen. It doesn't contain any GPU or Processor.
All processing and such is done inside the portable unit. Source
A lot of
developers have already pledged their support for the Switch. The
comments are positive throughout and several big publishers already
announced that they have games in the works. Source
The Rumors:
The Nintendo
Switch will be the first Nintendo console without a region lock. Source
There won't be
anymore announcements this year. Source
The Switch won't
have a lot of build in space for digital games, but it can be easily
expanded via SD-Cards. You'll also be able to increase the space by
using a portable harddrive with the Docking Station. This will,
however, limit your range of playing those games.
The Verdict:
The Nintendo
Switch proves to be a bold new step, but I think it's a step in the
right direction. By breaking up the line between handheld and console
gaming Nintendo takes a big load of its shoulders. Instead of trying
to keep two healthy systems afloat they can now concentrate on one.
The move back to
cartridges also makes sense. They don't take as much space as disks,
and in today day and age they are faster, more reliable and offer a
bigger space. This should keep load times on the Switch low and also
keep mandatory installations at a minimum.
The Switchs
message is play how you want, anywhere you want.
Of course it
remains to be seen if the Switch can truly capitalize on the
promising outlook it presented so far. The price will be a huge
factor. As well as battery life and power.
I think it's safe
to assume that the Switch won't be more powerful than the PS4 or Xbox
One, but if the specs are at least competitive I think it has a good
chance of becoming successful.
In my opinion the
biggest weaknesses of the Switch will be the limited storage. Have
you seen how flat the actual console is? I can't imagine that there
is a 500GB harddrive hidden inside.
The Switch seems
to be aimed at the more casual players, as well as Nintendo fans.
That is why I think the price point of the console will be the
deciding factor. If it's competitive the Switch may warrant a
purchase as secondary console for ''Hardcore'' Gamers, which mostly
use the PC or Sony/Microsoft Systems, as well as be attractive for
the more casual audience, who are drawn in by the promise to easily
play on the go.
So what are your
first thoughts about the Nintendo Switch? Are you excited or let
down? Maybe tomorrows Trailer Watch, where we'll dig into the
announcement and see if we can find hidden details, will help you
with your decision. Anyways let me know your opinion in the comments.
From the get go
the message is clear. It's much better done than the Wii-U, which
confused the people when it was announced. Not only do we have a
clear distinction by name, but also the console and the whole concept
behind it is clearly shown and explained. It is clear from the get go
what Nintendos intention was with this. Under this light I would call
this first glimpse at the switch a success from a marketing point of
view. Of course things like the Price, Battery life and games remain
to be seen, but for now I'm optimistic.
So let us talk
about what we saw in the trailer. The Nintendo Switch is indeed the
Hybrid concept that was rumored. And it exceeded my expectations.
Seeing the gameplay seamlessly switch from big screen to handheld was
quite impressive. Of course this also means that the docking station
doesn't have any GPU or CPU build in, because then it would have
never worked so easily. So the Docking Station is probably
exclusively for upscaling the games for a bigger screen. All the
processing and rendering is done by the handheld. This also means
that means that the Switch probably won't be as powerful as the PS4.
There is honestly no way to achieve that and keep a competitive price
tag. Don't forget that the Switch comes with an expensive HD screen.
And for anyone
worried that this will be a Wii-U 2.0. I can at least squelch your
worries. The Switch is not build on the foundation of two Screens,
but rather you can switch (see what I did there) the gameplay
seamlessly from one screen to another. And for anyone complaining
about a clunky controller Nintendo has found a solution in detachable
parts. Judging from the trailer there are countless ways to enjoy
games on the Switch. From using it like a handheld, to using the
small screen as a tablet and holding only the control elements in
your hands, to playing on the big screen.
Honestly it got me
quite excited.
But we didn't just
get a look at the console, but also some games. And although it was
only a brief glimpse the newest Mario game looks quite promising. It
seems to return to the freedom of Mario 64 and Sunshine, but mixing
it up with a pinch of 3D World.
Apart from that we
got some new Breath of the Wild Footage, which showed mounted combat
and a new overworld Boss enemy and it seem the Skyrim HD Remaster is
also heading to the Switch.
And that's not
all. Here is a list of confirmed developers, who announced their
support for the Nintendo Switch. And yes I know the Wii-U also had
developer support at first, but it seems Nintendo has learned from
their mistakes and there are some promising names on it.
It's an impressive
List and it shows that Nintendo truly tries to get third parties on
board this time. All big western publishers are on board and even
Bethesda (Elder Scrolls, Fallout), Take Two (GTA) and Warner Bros
(Batman, Shadows of Mordor) are listed. Let's hope that Nintendo can
ceep this support going this time. Because together with the
excellent games from in house studios the Switch could become the
ultimate gaming experience. Also From Software is on there, so maybe we'll get a Dark Souls on the Switch.
Nintendo Switch
promises games anywhere and anytime. It promises countless ways to
enjoy games. If they can hold that promise I'm pretty sure the
console will be a huge success. But of course this first trailer is
not enough information. We still need a price and specifics on how
powerful the Switch is going to be. But all in all I'm pleasantly
surprised by the Swith and I think Nintendo has satisfied the Hype
they build. At least for now.
So what are your
thoughts on this new console? Do you like it? Are you disappointed?
What are your expectations now that we have seen the idea behind the
Switch? Let me know in the comments.
Yes it's only a three minute preview trailer, but at this stage anything is better than nothing. Let's all hope Nintendo manages to satisfy the hype they've been building over the past couple of months. Anyways we'll find out at 7 a.m. PT (4 p.m where I am).
Nintendo
is often called the videogame worlds Disney. Hardly is it ever
associated with something dark and scary. But just like Disney has
its night on bald mountain Nintendo has several areas that are truly
scary. Areas where even adults may get chills down their spines. If
you stumble upon them in a Nintendo game they may hit you even harder
because that is something you'd least expect to find there.
Two
weeks ago I presented you my picks for the most haunted places in
Nintendo games. And while these places could get kinda creepy, the
five areas today really take the cake for me. These are areas that
really send shivers down my spine. As always there will be only one
area per franchise. So now enjoy my picks for the top 5 creepiest
Nintendo areas.
Kirby
games are always happy go lucky. Just like their protagonist. After
all it's a game series about a smiling pink ball and his adventures.
So you wouldn't expect visiting a dead earth along the way to reclaim
the Crystal Shards. This pic is solely on this list because of the
dark and depressing implications, which made the factory worlds of
Planet Shiver Star so unsettling to me. Even thousands of years after
its inhabitants died out or moved to another planet their robot
creations still continue to work. I find it kinda haunting traveling
through these still working factories. It's a small glimpse into the
past of a dead planet.
I
always found Shiver Star rather morbid and creepy. Even Kirbys
cheerful music and graphics couldn't help disguise this fact. Once
you realize the fact that you explore a dead, post-apocalyptic earth
the atmosphere of the worlds changes completely. It's a depressing
and dark outlook into the future of our planet, and the cutesy
presentation only serves to make it worse.
4:
River Twygz (Super Paper Mario)
This
game was rated E for everyone for gods sake. Just listen to this
music. It alone is enough to keep you awake for the night. But let's
not get ahead of ourselves. In Super Paper Mario one of the last
chapter sends you to this worlds heaven and hell to reclaim the last
pure heart. The River is located in the Underwhere. It's filled with
the tears of thousands of sinners, which give the river its purple
color. That is already pretty dark for a Mario game, but it gets
worse. Just like with the original River Styx there is a ferrymen,
who will take you across for a small fee. However if you choose to
swim instead (which is possible) you'll be greeted by those.
These
disembodied hands will attack you and Mario has no way of fighting
back. No amount of colorful paper graphics can diminish the fact that
you're swimming in the river of the dead, while under constant attack
from spook skeletal hands. Super Paper Mario is already a pretty dark
game beforehand (You know with all the destruction of reality in
Sammers Kingdom) ,but this easily takes the cake. It's a truly dark
and spooky area fitting for any horror game. And that is why it's
number 4 on this list.
3:
Shadow Temple (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
The
Zelda series is home to lots and lots of dark and creepy areas. Be it
the Arbiters Grounds in Twilight Princess, Ikana Canyon in Majoras
Mask or the Bottom of the Well in Ocarina of Time. Even the forest
temple in the same game with it's eerie music sometimes sends a chill
down my spine. But the number one pick for me is without a doubt the
Shadow Temple. The game itself calls it the place where Hyrules Dark
Past is buried.
As
we know from Ocarinas backstory several years before the game took
place a huge war was waged in Hyrule. Links Mother brought her son
before the Deku Tree, so that he may grow up far away from the
horrors of war.
The
Shadow Temple looks like it was used as a prison during that time. A
prison where torture seemed to be the norm.
Exploring
the temple is a truly dark adventure. You can't trust your eyes and
without the Eye of Truth you'll have a hard time navigating through
the blood drenched corridors. The dark hallways are filled with
traps, ReDeads and Wallmasters.
The
final boss, the Demon Bongo Bongo, is a large, pale and headless
torso with a bloody neck and chopped of hands.
The
Shadow Temple is truly a testament to Hyrules Darkness. It is a place
of unspeakable horrors and crimes and the game does a good job
showing you that.
2:
GFS Valhalla (Metroid Prime: Corruption)
When
I talked about the list of my top 5 Nintendo villains I mentioned
SA-X from Metroid Fusion as my number four. The reason I put it on
this spot was because it managed to make the player feel helpless. No
easy feat when you're playing Samus Aran.
The
GFS Valhalla achieves the same without letting you face the source of
your uneasiness. This abandoned vessel fills you with dread and
constantly puts you on the edge. In good survival horror fashion you
only uncover what happened there bit by bit. The music and
environment seem hostile from the get go, and you'll get the ever
increasing feeling of impending doom. The game expertly creates this
high tension which keeps on building.
It
is hard describing the area without spoiling to much, but Retro
managed to create an atmosphere where even normal enemies seem
threatening to Samus. It's a perfectly crafted horror experience in a
game where you would at least expect it. And have I mentioned the
music? Because it's fucking great.
The
Mother games are all pretty dark beyond their colorful and happy
presentation. Just play Mother 3 and you'll understand. You'll
understand.
Anyways
Earthbounds (Mother 2) final Boss Giygas is well known by this point.
And his boss fight is a great part of why the final area of this game
makes this list. But even before the dark and incomprehensible chaos
that is Giygas you're face with the Devils Machine. This device was
created to contain Giygas unending power. After entering through a
hole in the Cave of the Past Ness and his friends follow several
pulsing flesh tubes till they reach the machines core. The whole
thing has a striking similarity to a female womb, and with all the
heavy symbolism surrounding Giygas this doesn't seem to be an
accident.
All
this combined with the creepy and unsettling music in the background
makes this place a truly spine chilling experience. And after that
you still have the Giygas fight to go through. The tream truly
managed make you feel the incomprehensible mass of chaos that he has
become. His boss fight is stressful and fear inducing. The twisted
visuals and his unstoppable attacks are truly nerve wracking. It's
something that still, to this day, makes be break out in cold sweat.
And that is why Giygas and the Devils Machine are the well deserved
top pick for this list.
So
what are your creepy experiences with Nintendo games? Which areas or
chapters send chills down your spines? Let me know in the comments.
I thought I'd
surprise you today with a topic I haven't talked about in a long
while. While most of the buzz surrounding Women in Games has died
down quite a bit, the clickbaity nature of this topic raises it's
ugly head form time to time.
I consider myself
to be part of the camp that values freedom of expression higher than
any kind of political agenda and I can accept if a game is not meant
for me. Sadly it seems that I'm the minority in this case. But I
don't want to go on complaining about the more and more self centered
nature of todays society.
Instead let us
talk about something positive. There are many ways to approach the
topic of women in video games. Many choose the route of complaining
about things they don't like, which often ends in simple uninformed
bashing of a character.
I want to talk
about positive examples. Or at least examples, who I deem positive.
Now you may disagree with me on this and that is your right to do so,
but I hope we can keep this whole thing civil.
As I said with my
post on Bayonetta and why she is a great character I'm pretty sex
positive. That's why I don't have a problem with female characters,
who openly live their sexuality. I don't think they are devaluing
women nor harm the picture of women in any way. But I also think that
such a behavior needs to fit the character. In other words I don't
think that a shy girl should wear slutty clothing, even if it's an
optional costume, but when Bayonetta rocks her High Heels I don't
have a problem with it.
So in that light
today I wanted to talk about another cool female character, who is
great, interesting, sexy and integral to the games plot. So let's
talk about Sylvia Christel from No More Heroes.
For anyone who has
never heard of No More Heroes before let me quickly recap the plot.
One night after the brutal murder of his family Travis Touchdown is
approached by the mysterious Sylvia Christel, who tells him a way out
of his grief. She convinces Travis to try becoming the Number 1
Killer in Santa Destroy and then sweetens the deal by promising to
sleep with him if he achieves that goal. What follows is a great and
surreal Story about School Girl Assassins, Magicans, Irish Twin
Brother and Killer Grandmas among others.
And tieing all
this madness together is Sylvia Christel. She is your motivation.
Your goal. And she is an awesome female character. If you only look
at her appearance and don't delve deeper into her character, you'll
probably get the impression that she is a standard fanservice
character. I mean just look how she dresses. That's horrible and only
serves to attract the male gaze. Am I right?
Of course not.
While there is no
arguing that Sylvia is a very sexy character and is often seen in
situation, where she serves as eye candy, she is also much more than
that.
Yes Sylvias look
is designed to appeal to horny men because that is exactly her goal.
She knows that men like Travis are easily manipulated by a beautiful
women. Her appearance is empowering, because she deliberately uses it
to her advantage. She knows that men, who think with their penis, are
easily controlled and she uses her looks to achieve that. That is
also the reason the camera often pans over her jiggling breasts or
ass. Travis is a pervert. A likeable pervert, but still a pervert,
and as the games protagonist the camera mimics his gaze.
By criticizing
Sylvia on the basis of her looks alone you remove her character from
the equation and, in the end, only devalue her and reduce her to an
object. Yes Sylvia is a very sexy and sexual character, but again
there is nothing inherently wrong with that.
Another thin I
truly like about Sylvia is that she is no saint. She lies, cheats and
steals for her personal gain. Still she manages to remain likeable. I
like such grey characters and find it refreshing if a women is
allowed to have such a character. This still happens too rarely,
which is a damn shame. As long as we don't stop labeling characters
instead of looking at the whole picture this won't stop.
Sylvia Christel is
a great character, she is intelligent, sometimes ruthless and always
sexy. And she uses her looks to her full advantage. And yes she often
wears revealing outfits, but it's justified via her character and the
games story.
She is a great
female character in video games and if you don't like her I would be
happy to hear your arguments. But if it only boils down to big tits
on a fictional character harm the self worth of women, then there is
not much self worth to begin with.
And if you don't like such characters and feel like they hurt you in any way or form, the solution
is simple. Don't buy games with big breasted women and instead let
the rest of us ''perverts'' enjoy them.
While the ending
maybe was a little harsh, I still would like to hear your opinions on
Sylvia Christel or the topic in general.
Hello and Welcome
to todays episode of Lost & Found.
This
week it's only a quick episode about a cool video I found online.
Some of you may know the Zelda CDI games and those of you who
don't... you're very very lucky.
These
games are infamous for their lack of quality and rightfully so. To
put it simply they are horrible. And now some fan on Youtube has
recreated the cut scenes of these games as HD remakes.
