Does this mean Ganondorf is Link’s father? Or perhaps Link and Zelda are siblings?
(Thanks to Delta Attack reader Geoff Daddy.)
Author: Markham Asylum
Member Since: 2010-06-26 03:33:24Posts by Markham Asylum:
Fade Away: Resurrecting the Original Castlevania
May 1st, 2013 by Markham Asylum
The original Castlevania on the NES: 6 stages, 5 subweapons, 11 music tracks, and one slayer of non-glittery vampires that laid the gothic groundwork for a series that has been resurrected into almost 40 incarnations — so far. The roots of all entries in this iconic series can be traced back to this one action-laden creep-fest, and for that we owe it a debt of homage.
Let’s be critical, though. What made Castlevania so great back in the early days of the NES? How does it hold up by today’s standards? Should it still be played, or is it better left in the timeless realm of our nostalgia?
« More »
Paperart Mario: The Art of Rendering Mario with Paper
April 28th, 2013 by Markham AsylumFirst off, isn’t that a brilliant title? No? Oh well.
Check out this Mario made via paperart, which is sort of reminiscent of Super Mario 64:
Impressively, the site on which I found this included other paperart offerings that are far superior; click here to check them out.
Zelda 3DS: New Adventure in World of A Link to the Past
April 17th, 2013 by Markham AsylumIf you’re like me, you’ve long been wondering when Nintendo was going to pony up and create a new Zelda adventure on the 3DS. If you’re really like me, then you’ve been hoping that said game would be presented with a top-down camera angle, because your favorite Zelda adventures — such as the original on NES, A Link to the Past on SNES, Link’s Awakening on Game Boy, and The Minish Cap on GBA — were all experienced from that vantage point.
The over-the-shoulder Zelda series counterparts — such as Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess — are certainly among the best in gaming, but they force you to spend a lot of time wandering around in wide-open spaces, because they had to make room for the camera that followed Link. With an overhead point of view, the level design is much tighter.
Enough of my gushing, though; here’s the reason for my excitement, and I’m sure many of you will feel the same:
What else might we see on the 3DS in side-scrolling or overhead? Castlevania? Metroid? Mega Man? Mega Man X? Sign me up for all of the above.
Keanu Reeves has Shocking Mario Conspiracy Theory
April 11th, 2013 by Markham AsylumWoah.
Deep thought, home slice. Keep ‘em coming.
Vision of an Outstanding Final Fantasy XV
April 1st, 2013 by Markham Asylum
Back before Final Fantasy 9 came out, it was heralded as the return to epic greatness that the series had experienced with 4, 5, 6, and 7. It was — for the most part — but battle animations were slow and the story devolved into some bizarre nonsensery near the end. Early buzz around Final Fantasy 12 promised the same redemption, but the title was marred by the Gambit system, which may as well have been called “autopilot”, and a generally weak soundtrack.
Now, there’s not any indication that Final Fantasy 15 is going to be the moogle’s teats — hell, there’s not even any official word that it’s in development (the logo above is just a fan concept), but come on, of course it is — however, that doesn’t mean I can’t fantasize about what it would be like in a perfect world. I sometimes yearn to have an experience like I did the first time I played Final Fantasy 4, 5, 6, and 7, each of which gave me a unique and profound sensation. I can’t put a value on what it would be like to have such an experience again with a Final Fantasy game, and though I doubt 15 will provide me with that special sense of adventure, here’s my vision of what it might be like if it did.
« More »
Legend of Dragoon: One Worthwhile Thing
March 27th, 2013 by Markham Asylum
Legend of Dragoon was a pretty mediocre RPG. Like most first-gen polygonal RPGs, its battles were slow, and it had low-polygon-count models over pre-rendered backgrounds. (Those backgrounds actually looked great, but just made the ugly models look even worse by contrast.) The battle system also had a timed-hit system with an annoyingly small window for success, making the action stop-and-go as you waited for overly lengthy animations and then had to rapidly hit specific buttons for better attack damage. To make matters worse, the story was generic, and you didn’t get attached to the characters at all.
Amidst this sea of lukewarmness, one of the battle tunes stands out as something really enjoyable. It’s not amazing compared to the best music that gaming has to offer, but it’s certainly just about the only worthwhile thing in Legend of Dragoon.
BTW, the section from ~1:08 to ~1:16 is actually the victory fanfare.
