The Silent Protagonist

This has got to be one of the most annoying, yet strangely enticing, aspects of many videogames. It is also highly common as well, with notible mute protagonists such as:

• Link - Every Zelda Ever
• Ryu - All Breath of Fire games
• Chell - Portal
• Adol - Ys (He talks through silence)
• Chrono - Chrono Trigger
• Your main character in Pokemon
• The main character of Dark Cloud
• The main protagonist of Cave Story
• Amaterasu from Okami
• Flint - Alundra 2

Among many, many others. 

But is this Silent Protagonist simply lazy writing? Or Genius?

No one will question that it has worked rather magnificently in the above games. In fact, Link from The Legend of Zelda never talks, but he isn't mute. He grunts, screams, and even has "Yes-no" answer box choices. So why would the writers simply make him without a single word of actual dialog?

Well, arguably, in my case, it certainly helps with being in the role of the main character. With a specified dialog to adhere to, it is simple to hop into the books of someone and even pretend the dialog for yourself. This doesn't always work though, it is rather hit-or-miss, but nobody can deny that it has worked like a charm for the Zelda franchise.

I personally enjoy games in which the main character is silent. Because I'd rather have silence (or near-silence) than shoddy, terrible, voice acting, or else horrid character dialog.

Who is your favorite Mute Protagonist?

Graal Online Classic Review

If you took Zelda A Link to the Past, eliminated the storyline, gave it the worst controls ever, made it an MMORPG, and allowed friendly fire, you have Graal Online Classic.  It's kinda like if Ragnarok Online and Zelda ALTTP had a bastard child and named him Graal. It doesn't help that basically all the sprites on here are simply recolors of the original sprites.

The idea seems decent. You pick your character and then make your way through the tutorial, and then through the world to.... uhhhh... do typical MMORPH stuff. Like quests, purchasing houses and houseware, and buying new outfits and headgear. You get a ton of pop-up messages when you just start the game. It happens every time to do anything for the first 5 minutes of the game and it is really frustrating. "Congrats! You opened the menu" I KNOW!

It does seem to have one redeeming quality, at least in the Android version:

ERMAGERD! I'm a motherferken RERKERN!!!!!

There really isn't much to do in this game. There is a decent amount to explore, I guess. But it just seems to be lacking in various different elements that would have otherwise made this game a very enjoyable experience. Although I can't really say that to it's hundreds of thousands of fans.

For a free game it works ok. Even in the PC version, where I can play using Joy2Key, the controlls are better, but the game play is lacking in several areas. Including the fact that you cannot be a raccoon in the PC version of the game

Freebee Game Review: Legend of Princess

This game can be downloaded for free via Konjak.org. For a freely made game, it is fun as hell! As you may have figured out from the majority of my game reviews, I really love Hack-and-Slash kind of games. And this game, despite being extremely short, is a very awesome hack and slash game. It plays a lot like Castlevania, just faster.

You have three hearts, and you must go around, attacking enemies, and 3 bosses. One of which is the shadow version of you... go figure. This game is a lot like Zelda, if you were to make it have the best style of fighting ever. Despite your crazy awesome hack-and-slash sword motions, this game is still very challenging. Your score is the amount of rupee's you are able to get. It's fricken awesome ^_^

For those who didn't get enough of the challenge before, you can actually make it more challenging by using different items.

I recommend this game, and it's free, so get going!

Does A Link Between Worlds Deserve a 10/10? (Spoilers)

This game received raving reviews. Many high-end critics gave it a 10/10, and called it the best Zelda game to come out for 13 years. I myself am a HUGE Zelda-geek and decided to get this game and try it out for myself. As a critic myself, I am likely to point out flaws in this game, and give it a score that I deem acceptable for such a game.

Is this game worthy of a 10/10? That's a pretty big standard to match up against. Especially when it's legacy, A Link to the Past, is almost always number 2 in most "Top Zelda games."

The Good:

This game does have many things that I do enjoy. The maps are very similar to the original A Link to the Past, but the levels are different, and feel new. Each one gives it's own array of challenges to the table, and although it is pretty simple, many of the levels are waaay too easy, and waay too short, but fun to navigate through. In fact, many of the puzzles are highly challenging, and were fun enough to figure out. The graphics, despite being childish for the character design, do an excellent work for the levels and towns in this game. Especially the dungeons, which have great effects and look about them. Also, the characters do have a lot of personality, which I like. Instead of most characters just doing drab replications, each one does have something unique that sets them apart from the other AI's.

You start off with the typical notion of link having a bad dream about the boss of the game. This is obviously a shout out to Ocarina of time. Actually, there are shout-outs of numerous previous Zelda titles in this one. Also, I love how many of the items in this game are used to new and interesting ways. Many puzzles cannot be completed unless you know to use your items outside of the typical format. Many things, like the Diving feature, actually do have a purpose in this game as opposed to simply a way to dodge attacks in ALTTP. You can dive down to obtain rupee's that you would otherwise not be able to obtain. And for what it's worth, the sword beam cuts a whole line of grass, like the magic boomerang did in the GBA version of ALTTP.

The music from the game is a wide selection of music that comes from both previous Zelda titles, as well as new music from this game. But most music that appears in this game is from a Link to the Past. Also, what I really love about this game, is that you can beat the dungeons in any order you see fit. There is no linear format. Beat them however you choose.

The Bad:

For a game constantly rated 10/10 by critics, it certainly has a LOT of issues.

The graphics are kinda childish, as if the game itself is trying to market itself to 6 year olds. But only in regards to the character models. I think they could have gone better with the characters, especially when they spent so much time on the beautiful level designs.

The save feature is annoying. It has to be one of the only Zelda games, apart from Majoras Mask, where you cannot just save wherever you please. Which although is annoying, and differs from the usual Zelda format, is not that much of an issue. But Ravio's shop can be. You have to rent items to get into and complete temples, instead of either buying some items, like you do in Links Awakening, or find them in the dungeon, like you do in every other game in the world. Although you do find some items inside levels, they

This is probably the last time you'll ever use that bow...

are mainly powerup items, like the Titan's Mitt. You do get to buy them later on, but it's kinda useless, as you never need the item after you've used it for a specific temple, useless you are using it for a specific cave randomly on the map. Also, the energy bar is kinda a cop out. Instead of running out of arrows, or bombs, etc, and have to find more, all you have to do is wait a few seconds for your energy bar to refill, which gets rid of a lot of the competitive aspects of this game.

My main issue so far is with the main villain, Yuga.

Red hair, green skin, dark clothing, dark magic.
and an affinity for princesses

Yuga is a person who looks like Ganondorf, but is extremely effeminate. In fact, I thought Yuga was a girl until I heard otherwise. But this isn't the issue, the issue I have is with her ability. She turns people into paintings... that's stupid. Oddly and cliche' enough, she turns Link into a painting, and the bracelet that you got earlier in the game just happens to be the bracelet that allows you to control that ability. Using this newfound ability, you can travel between the light and... oh wait.. Hyrule and "lo-rule" (smart one there, Nintendo) using conveniently placed cracks in the wall, which you can only get to if you have the power you're not supposed to have. It's a nice concept but... Lorule? Really?

I have to admit though, the concept is widely overused already in Zelda. You have:

1. Skyloft and The Surface from Skward Sword
2. The Minish World and The Human World from Minish Cap
3. The Dark World and The Light World from A Link to the Past
4. The Twilight Realm and the Light World from Twilight Princess
5. The Past and the Present from Oracle of Ages
6. The Future and the Present from Ocarina of Time

And apart from the first two, the last 4 on this list has two worlds that are identical to each other, just one is in a land of darkness, and one is in a land of light. And that is not including Oracle of Season's 4 different altering world maps. So although ALBW seems to pull it off well, the concept is already pretty overused. Especially without the topic of paintings coming into play.

Ugh, that's one thing I hated about the storyline of Okami as well, "Drawing shapes with a Wii-mote? Now needed for EVERY aspect of the game!" The same thing with the painting ability, it is used in too many aspects of the game. In Twilight Princess, you traveled around as the wolf, and got through many aspects of the game with it, but you didn't use that in EVERY level, and wasn't needed to get most of the secrets. The same thing with Skyward Sword, the bird was useful, but not dominant in the game.

Conclusion:

It, like all Zelda's before it, is a very fun and fascinating game. It retains, if not simply builds upon, the hack and slash adventure genre that makes up the Zelda franchise.

Despite being easy, it is very fun, and gives a lot to the player. Although it does not give too much to the player, because conflicts are resolved rather quickly, and the game only took me about 10 hours to beat, and I even got some extra's, including heart pieces, and a fully tempered sword. So it's not a very long game.

I personally would not give this game a 10/10. But since it was a good play, is in the Zelda franchise, and was pretty challenging, I'd give it an 8/10. It had lots of drawbacks, but all in all was a very good game.

Games not meant for the DS?

Look at that completely usable bottom screen!

There are some games, like SolatoRobo, which is a game designated for the DS, but uses none of the features of the DS. This is not uncommon either, as fairly many games have started this trend. But why?

It seems to me like a way of earning more money for a game, without using any of the features that the console has for it. It's a cheap and petty way to earn more money for a game that could be so much better, or so much different, with the stylus.

Zelda used all the possible features
that the DS had to offer

Pokemon and Zelda are games that incorporated the touch-screen very well, and through that had some pretty unique gameplay. In Zelda's case, the stylus-based movements are what paved for way for the Wii's motion controls. It bettered the games and made it fun, and dangerous all at the same time (*swings Wii-mote and shatters brand new flatscreen TV*).

But if a game is going to be made without any real use for the second screen at all, then why allow it to be published on the DS, and not, say, the PSP, or the GBA? It would make more sense for a game like Castlevania Dawn of Sorrows to be made into a GBA game. Adding crappy implementation of the touch-screen is just as bad.

Okami is a game designed around this touch-screen concept, and would be a great addition to the DS, because it uses the touch-screen all the time! It is actually the main basis of the game. Why can't other games do that? And if you are not going to implement any groundbreaking touch-screen semantics to the gameplay, then why the DS at all?

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Review: Part 2

Hello all! This is a continuation of my first installment, which can be read here.

The GBA version made several changes to it so that it'd be easier. You know, cause videogame players are IDIOTS! In the SNES version, when you get an item, you then have to search for ammunition or magic so you can use it, not in the GBA version. You get full magic or ammunition the moment you get the item. You know, because handicaps are obviously needed for this game.

Plus, you get to keep the shovel.... which you can use again later in the game for... nothing. Besides one or two spots that holds rupee's, there is nothing you need the shovel for. That is why, in the SNES version, the flute replaces the shovel. Hammers can now destroy rocks and bushes. The save screen in the SNES version made you quit every time you saved, the GBA allows you to save and continue. In fact, there are numerous changes from the old version to the new version, many of which are redundant and pointless.

When you are getting the Zora flippers, no one ever tells you how to get them. In fact, you don't even really need to get them before the second level in the dark world. And they cost 500 fucking rupee's! Why do Zora's sell flippers anyhow? They don't need them! But on well, Zelda Logic.

On the subject of tunics, the one's in ALTTP are not half bad, given their only ability is to heighten your defense. There is the green tunic, the red tunic, and the blue tunic... always the same tunic's.

This game actually had some secrets even I did not know, and that gives it an air of mystery along with the review. There is a sprite in the game coding for an enemy that ever appears in the game. Called the Cannon Soldier.  He has full AI, graphics, attacks, and recoil. But sadly, he never made it into the game.

Now back to the review. The heart pieces are relatively easy to hard to find, depending on where you look. Many are simply placed behind a wall that has a crack in it. Some areas of the map are made specifically with this in mind. Like the hole in the clump of bushes in the forest, and the well in Kakoriko Village. This game allows for a bit of exploration, but for the most part, there is very little to find outside of heart pieces by exploring. Besides the flute.

This game does not hold death properly! Your uncle dies, and so does the king, but... maybe not. Maybe they just passed out... or got held prisoner... outside of the fact that the game's own dialog is either a death scene, or you are told the king was "eliminated." But at the end, what happens? Everyone is alive again! Yay!

I will end off with one irksome thing, the title. A Link to the Past. A Link to the... Past? This game does not incorporate time travel! You go through the light in dark worlds like Twilight Princess and their Twilight World! The game makes you think that it has something to do with the past or future, and that's simply not true.

This game is awesome! It got me playing for days and days, and the levels are pretty fun to go through. I think I will always be a fan of this game, despite the irks. It will always be my favorite game ever.

What do you think?

Ittle Dew review

Hello all. I am Alex Turner, or more commonly known as Inuyuru, a contributor for Not Another Review Blog. This will be my first ever post, so please be gentle sempai. (That wasn't in bad taste right?) Moving on.

Ittle Dew is an adventure-RPG-omg available on Steam, the earthly embodiment of Jesus for pc gamers. You play as Ittle, a spunky, adventure seeking girl garbed in green, accompanied by Tippsie a drunken dog fairy, who is also maybe a woman, who gives you tips in the form of telling you how fucking stupid you are. It's like A Link to the Past as seen through the eyes of Robert DeNiro circa Taxi Driver. You find yourself on an island after drifting on a raft for what seems like days and instead of finding help, you grab a stick and raid a castle, so basically standard vidja game lore.

The story is pretty good in the sense that it's supposed to be ironic. You find a castle, you go inside, you make fun of stuff, you find some chests. All the while trying to find a way off the island, which some smelly pirate will give you if you find something in the castle, possibly wood. The chemistry between Ittle and absolutely ANYONE she comes across, is amazing. Even the monsters she comes across have a snark prepared for them, and watching the interaction between Ittle Wittle and the Tipper is hilarious, if a little grating sometimes. The dialogue is drenched in so much irony, you can put it on a plate and make it pass for a fancy dinner that makes fun of you as you eat it.

The gameplay for Mountain Dew is as I said, very similar to Link tootie Pass, a game I very much enjoy, and you enjoyed that, you're going to fall in love with Little Moo, faster than Van Gogh and anyone in direct proportion to how many ears he had left, compared to how many he was willing to cut off. Basically what I'm saying is, it's great. It's a heavily toned down version of  Link Cables for a Gameboy, in the sense that it gives you siginificantly less items. You only get 4, and you have to go to completely separate dungeons to get them AND you have to locate the chests with the money to buy from the store to get the opportunity to - wWAAAH!

Sometimes it's a bit frustrating. There are some puzzles based around how fast you can solve them and as I said, the game isn't above mocking your dumb ass, for not being very very clever. There are times where I got angry at Littlest Pet Shop, but anger is a motivator. I'd slam the enter key and yell my way through dungeons like a boss.

The art and animation is very well done, and lovely, and quite fitting for a game of this caliber. All in all, this is a great game and worth every penny. There's a lot to complain about, but the pros out weigh the cons. If you buy anything from Steam and want to scratch that adventure itch, Little Bear is the game for you.

Legend of Zelda, A Link To The Past Review: Part 1

I have played this game so many times, it isn't even funny. It's my all time favorite game, but despite my bias, it does in fact have some flaws. This is the first game I ever remember playing, and is probably the main game that really got me into the gaming world. This game had adventure, not bad graphics (at the time), and was just plain addicting. And it is generally hailed as one of the best Zelda games out there... but still below Ocarina of Time.

The game is fun! You start off as link waking up to Zelda's telepathic voice to find out that your uncle is leaving the house for some unknown reason. You follow her voice, which leads you to a hidden passage, one that your uncle must have also known about. You find him against the wall, apparently too aged to defeat two green guards that don't even chase you and has a broken sword... or a dagger? My hero -__-

She is my what? 

You speak to him, and he gives you the sword and sheild. They tells you that you have to save Zelda, she is your........ well, it never says. This has actually become a meme in recent months, but it has been nagging at me since the age of 5. This question is never answered. Ever. What is Zelda's relation to Link? Don't think too much into that, although that might become a topic of a future post.

Can you tell me which bush the entrance is under?
You'd never guess.

The main appeal of the beginning is pretty cool. It is raining outside, storming even. And you have a voice constantly nagging you to go to the castle. You can try to explore, but you really can't. There are these golden guards that are only there to block your path and you never fight them in the game ever. They all tell you to go back to bed. You are basically led, through no other option, to find this not-so-well hidden entrance behind a bush.

The game altogether is not bad. But it can be kinda linear. Green knights take 2 hits to kill, blue take 3, and red takes 4. None of the bosses are hard to figure out either. But the monsters do start to become more and more difficult as the game goes on. Turtles that you find in the later dark world levels need to be hit with a hammer before they can be hurt. Some enemies, like the yellow Stalfos heads in the first dungeon are invincible, and other monsters, like the Freezor in the ice dungeon, can only be killed with the fire rod.

Some of the enemies are just unimaginative, or at best, similar to other characters from games. I mean, what game wouldn't be complete without a wide selection of colored Juju's?

Look familar? They should, they are a common monster found in many games
 as a cheap attempt to not think about enemy sprite designs.

These are from BOF 3

These are from FFX

The character design could have been better, but it really wasn't that bad for what they had. And some of them really aren't half bad. But of course, no talk of ALTTP enemies would be complete without mentioning:

OMG! It's VIVI!!!

The game does not have any cross-level gameplay. While there are some areas on the map that need certain items to get to a secret heart piece, etc, once you beat a level, there is literally no reason at all to return to it later on. Something that other Zelda's accomplished well. In fact, none of the levels contain any secret heart pieces, and only a few levels award your curiosity with rupee's, such as the first level. There is very little use for many items outside of the levels, except for a few notable exceptions. And you really cannot beat any of the levels out of order. Which sucks, but oh well.

There is a ton, and I mean a TON more I can talk about this game, such as the differences between the GBA version and the SNES version, and more hidden non linear adventures, as well as other things. But I think I'll save it for another part.

Why Agahnim, Why!?!? (Game Research)

Agahnim, the dark wizard made famous by the masterpiece Super NES classic, A Link to the Past, is shrouded in mystery. What is his deal? Why is he committing these crimes?

Many believe that Agahnim is simply the "human" form of Ganon. They think this because Ganon generally takes a human form in other games, but he is always Ganodorf in those games. This would be the only time he would take the place of someone who is not Ganondorf.

When you defeat Agahnim in ALTTP for the second time, a bat flies out of his body, and leaves the mage behind. This bat is Ganon, or at least a part of Ganon. The body left behind is either the full mage, or the corpse of the mage, that he controlled to help stop Link. He could easily of just been using Agahnim as a vessel to bide his time until he became more powerful (No different than what Voldemort did in the first book). Ganon refers to him as his alter ego, but this does not mean Aganim is Ganon. As one may have forgotton, Ganon has a nack for controlling other people's bodies, including Zelda at one point. In fact, even some of Ganon's minions are keen at taking control of people, sometimes several people. So possessing someone's body in order the hinder the main protagonist is nothing new to the Zelda universe.

Now many people postulated that since Agahnim looks like Ganon, with blue skin and red clothing, that he must be the human version of Ganon. I don't think so, because whenever someone in the Zelda universe is posessed, they take on traits of the possessor. Namely, blue skin. This is seen in Zelda's posession in Twilight Princess, as well as Narue's possession in Oracle of Ages. Both obtained blue skin, and evil demeanor.

But why is Agahnim doing all this? The only logical reason with the evidence thus far, is that he was controlled by Ganon to do his bidding. Agahnim has no back story, and no, I am not going to use that horrible manga remake as evidence for the canon.

For all I can find out, there is no definitive answer. Agahnim is simply another one of those cliche' bad guys who have no real motivation. Many theories and stories can take place, but there is no true reasoning behind his attacks, unless he is simply possessed by Ganon, or Ganon's alter ego (which may be the bat, because he never again turns into a bat, ever.)

But what do you think? Mention it in the comments below!

My Top Ten Recommended RPG's

Now these are not going to be the newest games on the market, most, if not all, of the games I will list are old. But in my experience there are fun to play, and are good for the person who loves adventure. I love RPG's the best and most of the best ones I have played yet, I played during my childhood.


1. The Sly Cooper Series

This one goes before the game I have played and beat hundreds of times simply because there is a thieving raccoon as the main character. Sly is not only cunning and fun to play as, but he is also funny. Pick pocking people never gets old as you save up enough money to purchase upgrades and such.

There are minor differences between the three in the series that I have played, but I personally love the second one the best, although the first one is a close second.





2. Zelda: A Link to the Past

Yep, you read the message above correctly, I have played and beat this game hundreds of times, found all of the heart pieces, and every possible secret I can discover about this game, including glitches. This is a game I have been addicted with ever since I was really little, and it is the first game I remember ever playing. It never gets boring with me as I travel around in 8-bit saving Hyrule.

From the SNES to the GBA there are a lot of minor tweaks to the gameplay and how certain dungeons look, but unless you are looking for them, you probably won't notice too much different. Also, the map is not a huge jumbled mess of colors and crap, so you actually find where your going! :-D

3. Final Fantasy X

Probably the most religious of games I have played. Although I did love running around, fighting monsters and allowing the troubled souls that turned into the monsters to travel back to heaven. I also loved being a summoner and murdering monsters with my summons. The only bad part of this game I have discovered, is that I have yet, to date, filled up the overly complicated, massive Sphere Grid.

But my favorite parts of the game are the temples, saving simple yet complicated puzzles in order to pass through the game is fun, IMO. And... the elemental flans. Something about those monsters interest the heck outta me. But Final Fantasy X is one of my inspirations to write fantasy stories. So even the annoying sphere grid can get away with it's annoyingness this one time. -__-


4.  Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Most people who have played Zelda OoT can say that it is a very fun game (if you ignore that water temple).    traveling around, saving Hyrule, the princess, the races, and the seven sages from the powers of the evil Ganon. The main story-line travels back and forth through time 7 years, changing Link from kid form, to adolescent form. There are a ton of side quests in this game that have always distracted me from rescuing Zelda.

I only collected all 100 of the gold skultulas once. And by the time you collect them, the prize you will get is basically pointless. And I have never needed to use all 4 bottles for anything, but the Gerudo Training Grounds are my favorite part of the game. What I really want to know, is how he gets that sword out of his sheath.

5. Breath of Fire 3

This is another of the games that I have played numerous times and have had since childhood. This game, like Zelda OoT, starts you off as a child with no parents, and later on your transform into an adult. As a member of the brood (dragon people) you have to save the world by killing the equivalent of God. This game also has a ton of diversity in the lines of furries, magic princesses, talking onions, dragon people, and smart cannon wielding scholars.

There really isn't apart of this game that I don't like. But one sidequest I enjoyed a lot is the Fairy Village. You help a village of fairies build their town and survive. And it is very helpful in the future, when you need items.



6. Atelier Iris Series

Nothing makes my mind delve deep into the world of fantasy and magic than alchemy. Creating new items, making a pact with mana, and extracting elements, what could there be not to like about a game like this? The exquisitely made world (different in each game) has plenty to offer up as you travel to many places covered in elemental mana powers, and create friends with beast people, mages, and artificial life forms.

You can even create items while in battle, something I think is awesome! If you run out of healing potions, you can make one on the spot! Sounds kinda like cheating TBO...

7. Final Fantasy XII

You start off as an orphan, go figure, and wind up saving the land from destruction from an evil king who is set to backstab everybody. Going from place to place, from ancient runes to a hidden forest village. Traveling from magical crystal, to airship, and making the old turn-based battle sequence look slower than dirt.

My favorite part of this game is running around the plains, collecting sun energy and storing them in rocks. Nothing makes buying a new stronger weapon feel better than hard work selling energy crystals.

Speaking of which, like FFX, there is also a form of sphere grid you have to fill, something I have yet to do on this game either.




8. Zelda: Twlight Princess

Instead of changing from kid to adult, you now change from adult to wolf! This game seems very similar to A Link To The Past in where you stop the evil Zant from turning the light world into the twilight world, changing back and forth between the two, and even changing your shape while in the world of twilight. But, in the end, there is a girl who falls in love with link, but has to leave forever.

Playing this game on the Wii, and swinging the control with the fear of breaking something valuable, like a vase, or an eye, is what made this game fun! The ending is rather depressing though.

9. Metal Gear Solid 1

What was that noise?

My favorite Metal Gear has to be this one. I don't know why, but this one seems to have a better gameplay, and storyline than the other ones I have played, in my opinion. This multi-disc game made snooping around and killing people extremely fun to do! You know, back when you can have a CD get scratched and STILL be able to play it on the gaming system?

I have learned never to hide in air vents when being chased by security, unless a grenade to the face is what you enjoy.




10. Pokemon...

You played one, you've played them all. But there is still an addictive aspect about catching pokemon, and training them to beat gym leaders. But although the storyline slightly changes, that is basically all that ever does. But I still don't know why I keep playing them! Their fun! But why?!?!?

I can never collect all the pokemon in the game, and I refuse to use a game shark.