Phantom Hourglass HD Edition – Sailing the 192p Seas

WAHOOOO!! With a well-timed jump over an Octorok spike trap, Phantom Hourglass has landed on the Wii U Virtual Console in Europe and Australia. Unfortunately it has not made its way to America yet, but I’m sure the fog will lift soon. There’s a lot of baddies out on the ocean so you have to plot a course carefully. Let’s get to the point, a DS game on Wii U, what is this madness? Linebeck hid in the corner, he was scared of this new experience. How do two screens work on the TV? Is it functional? Could it be amazing? I’ve just completed the game and yes, it’s pretty fucken playable. I had an absolute blast with the ship’s cannon, ahahahaha. Linebeck told me that joke I swear. The game is pretty good too. This writeup is going to explain how DS games play on Wii U, and why Phantom Hourglass itself is special.

To the SHIP!!

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F***heads – The Right Team

Pietriots Radio – Episode 3 (Games of 2015, Nintendo Direct)

We are BACK!! Join myself, Matto, Bill Aurion and Deguello for the return of the Pietriots radio broadcast. We talk about games we’ve been playing this year, give our thoughts on the Nintendo Direct, and get sidetracked by sidequests along the way.

Download Link

(Thanks Matto for recording the call when my shit failed. Quality is not perfect or as good as I’d like, but it’s a good starting point to get back into it. There’s small issues with my mic / internet connection, volume, and balance. The quality will keep getting better if we can get back into the swing of things, so feedback is hugely appreciated. It was done with Skype / Mp3 Skype Recorder and if you have better options let us know in the comments. Also we’ve run out of space on SoundCloud so we’re looking for other hosting options. Stay fresh!!)

EDIT: They are now all hosted on our site through WordPress.

Pokemon Symphonic Evolutions – Sydney Opera House

Saturday, November 21st. The day my heart was ripped out and thrown around a giant hall in a bloody mess. No, not from a pretty girl who broke my trust. It was because my entire life was presented to me in the purest, most innocent way I could understand; through my favourite videogame memories. Every generation of Pokemon was celebrated one after the other, with hundreds of people sharing music and memories together in a brilliant performance by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The last ~~2 months~~ 18 16 years of my life were set free to swim around the concert hall, completely naked. I could see everything through the sound. My first Game Boy, my first ever Nintendo game in Pokemon Blue, the excitement for Pokemon Gold & Silver’s launch, the grinding I did in Pokemon Sapphire to train for a tournament, ~~the lies that bitch told~~, my midnight download of Pokemon Y. All the different places in my life where I embarked on each Pokemon journey. Such a huge range of situations would normally create a disconnect, but I left with an enormous sense of clarity.

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Twilight Princess – I’m A Wolf Now

ARROOOOOO!! This game has jumped into the spotlight with the recently announced Twilight Princess HD for Wii U so I thought it was a good time for a writeup. I started replaying this on a whim a few weeks ago and have become completely absorbed in its world. Being such a gigantic game, I haven’t done a playthrough since the Wii launch, but I was delighted to discover the game is much better than how I remember it. It’s huge and sometimes slow, but never boring. It’s such a wonderful game. Rather than being an intimidating “time sink” game, it’s been a special part of my day as I’ve slowly rediscovered this enchanting world at my own pace. The land is populated with beautiful, innocent life, but is also threatened by a dark curse. This contrast creates a sense of mystery and urgency that makes even basic travel interesting, and had my mindset permanently engaged and interested all the way to the end of the game. This writeup isn’t a traditional review, I’m going to talk a LOT about the story so it’ll be filled with spoilers, so just don’t read if you haven’t played the game. Or maybe you’re just a free spirit who doesn’t mind spoilers so go for it. I think life is too short to experience everything perfectly. Sometimes you just have to let loose and read a blog post. Like Pietriots, Twilight Princess is rich in surprises and variety and I had so much fun rediscovering all the themes and gameplay elements.

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Toad on Track – 2015 Mario Kart World Championship

My name is Toad. It’s a common name in the Mushroom Kingdom but that doesn’t make it any less special. At the end of a long year in the 2015 Mario Kart World Championship, we’ve arrived at the second last race of the season. I’m in a heated battle for the title with Mario and Villager. Mario leads the championship by 1 point over me, with Villager trailing by 10 points with an outside chance. This is my first championship and from the start my goal was to be champion. People laughed at me and said things like “You’re just an average Toad” and “It’s Mario Kart, not Toad Kart“, but here I am, well in the fight. Even the cutest, most average Toad in the world can chase their dreams and that is the point I’m here to prove. I remind myself every day that I am Toad, and I can do anything. So far I’ve won some races, lost some more, and picked up a lot of points with clever strategies and hard racing. I never give up. I’m firmly in the hunt for the championship and these final two races are going to be the biggest of my life. The pressure is mounting but I’m not scared. I feel a duty to represent all the Toads and Toadettes of the Mushroom Kingdom. I’m going to do it for them.

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Freedom Planet – Kick Ass and Go Fast

Freedom Planet has finally been released on the Wii U eShop around the world and I’ve sunk my teeth straight into the whole game. After a short experience with the demo I was captured by its Sonic-inspired sense of speed and platforming, but now I’ve come to appreciate it as even more than that. The game is HUGE, with levels longer than any Sonic game could dream of, and there’s a lot more of them. The biggest strength of Freedom Planet however, is how it creates a very coherent game world with a strong sense of identity that makes any comparison disappear into the background of your mind after a few levels. Freedom Planet is bursting with its own brand of energy and it feels so fresh. All its stages are unique, the characters are charming, the story is uplifting, the music is exciting, and everything has that new videogame feel that makes me so happy to be a gamer.

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The Swapper – Quadruple Standards

I’m going to make this short because The Swapper is a shit game and I don’t want to waste more energy on it. I’m very busy you see, with superior games like Witcher 3. I’ve spent the last month playing The Swapper on and off, desperately trying to find something interesting to say about it, but there’s just nothing. It’s a puzzle platformer where you create clones of yourself to solve puzzles. Yep an Indie puzzle platformer, what a refreshing addition to your game library in 2015. It’s the “I want to be a game developer” genre, but this game somehow got lucky and became a huge hit with critics. Scores from big mainstream outlets ranged from 8 to 10, and the only reason I’m writing this article is to tear that shit down and put it into perspective.

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Splatfest – Dogs vs Cats (EU/AUS)

Every few weeks the Inklings gather for a festival like no other. Splatfest pits two teams against each other, providing contrasting topics to debate over and throw ink at. Smack talk is laid down, drawings flood the Miiverse, and splats come loaded with purpose. This week it’s Dogs vs Cats, and I’ve just put on my Splatfest Tee to represent Team Dog. First, let’s take a walk around Inkopolis and absorb the atmosphere!

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Tri Force Heroes – Demo Impressions!!

Nintendo’s been distributing *HELLO* demo codes for The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes on 3DS and *HELLO* I’ve been lucky enough to get my hands on some from Nintendo Australia. I say lucky because their *HELLO* email system is shitty and unreliable, and these are seemingly distributed randomly. With the death of Club Nintendo it seems they’ve finally fixed their database and I got my first *HELLO* email from them in months. Anyway, I’m needed in the Drablands!! *LET’S GO!*

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Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Now With 3D Graphics!!

sonic2whoa

WHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!! Don’t fall over dudes!! Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is back in THREE DEE!! Have YOU played it yet? Everyone at school is talking about it. Remastered in stereoscopic 3D glory, the world of Sonic 2 has come alive. Race across Emerald Hill Zone, work your way through Chemical Plant Zone, hold your nose through Oil Ocean Zone and explore Mystic Cave Zone like NEVER BEFORE! Collect rings, save animals, run through loops and take on a range of bosses in glorious 3D graphics that fit in your pocket. That’s right, you can take it to school and be the coolest kid there. 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has launched on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for a few dollars, and it’s worth throwing your lunch away for.

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Plague of Shadows – Erratic and Free DLC

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Hee hee hee!! It’s myyyyyy turn. Throw your shovels away and bust out the beakers, because we’ve got a spell to concoct. With the Essence of every Knight I’m going to make a spell of ultimate power that will allow me to do anything I want. The bravery of these clueless Knights just makes me want to hurl, it’s so cliche. With special potions and smart movement I take advantage of their predictable Knight-like behavior. That’s it, run towards me. Right into my bombs. Too easy, AHAHA. My campaign has taken place in the shadows, and I’m not going to charge anyone or demand anything, just so I can stay underground in my laboratory and continue being brilliant. I have stealthily arrived in Shovel Knight as an automated download, but nobody cares about him. His essence is merely an ingredient in my potion. The other Knights are too stupid to complete anything, so there’s also a password to unlock me. Assuming they can read, HEE HEE!! I merely picked the sneakiest method to execute my devious plan. This is the real story, while the other Knights fight for glory and take each other out, we’re about to take control of the entire world.

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Metroid Prime – The Brightest Star

The cosmos. In the vast universe, the history of gaming is but a flash of light from a lone television. The light of a single console should be lost in space and time, but in the disc tray there is one light that burns brighter than all the rest. The light of Metroid Prime. Its legacy extends beyond the GameCube’s life and etches itself into gaming history. Today, a review of that legacy will be written.

samusgazing

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Super Mario Maker – The First Week

It’s been one week and this game has already turned my brain into coins. I’ve made a bunch of levels and played hundreds, and when I go outside I see potential Mario levels everywhere. The shape of my fence. The hills and trees beyond the farms. The crane at work lifting stacks of wood up to the flagpole, I mean conveyor belt. I’m gonna whore out some level codes in this post, but first here’s a little bit of a *dingding* writeup. What was that? Don’t *dingding* worry about it.

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Gunman Clive HD Collection – Of Jump and Shoot

Pew pew. Gunman Clive is a videogame where you jump around and shoot bad dudes, and Gunman Clive 2 is the sequel with more jumping and more shooting. Originally released on 3DS, they have now combined to form Gunman Clive HD Collection on Wii U, a huge collection of 2 games where you jump and shoot things. I’m going to make this review short and to-the-point, because that’s what Gunman Clive is all about. He doesn’t mess around with convoluted stories or filler content. This is probably the cheapest HD Collection ever made at 5 Australian dollars, and it’s the best version of each game. Instead of following the trend of other HD Collections by including new “features” like glitches, patches, crashes, muddy textures and framerate problems; this HD Collection actually makes the games better by refining the controls and polishing up the graphics for the big screen. The 5 dollar AU price point translates to 4 dollars in the US because we’re different. It’s 3 or 4 pounds / euros / whatever in Europe’s different regions. 700 rupees if you’re in Hyrule. 50,000 gems in Woolly World. 2000 coins in Inkopolis. Alright, that’s enough. I don’t know every currency and Gunman Clive is still pending classification in a few of these places. For a universal comparison, Gunman Clive HD Collection is the price of a freshly baked, choc-filled cake with strawberry topping. Except this will kill you dozens of times, instead of once. YEEEAAHHH!!!

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