The Legend of Zelda Review

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"Oh cool, you must be doing a classic review, since The Legend of Zelda came out almost 30 years ago" Nope. I just played and finished The Legend of Zelda for the first time! I was looking to cash in my Club Nintendo points and saw this available and figured I would give it a shot! I am really happy with the choice!

Why had I waited to beat my first Zelda game until now? Well I had played prior games, for example I own A Link to the Past for Game Boy Advanced. Whenever I played Zelda, I had no idea what I needed to do, so I would run around a little bit and then stop playing the game. Gaming before the internet was really a totally different beast. There was no way to look up what to do if you got stuck. Either you had to figure out what to do, had a friend who knew what to do, or own a strategy guide. Now with the internet and having it on my iPhone, I can pull up a guide when I get stuck! (I know the counter argument to this would be an actual gamer would spend the time to figure it out, well I don't have the time anymore and there are so many games I want to play, so internet = my friend)

When you first start this game you can really tell it is a blast from the past. Talk about cold opening, you can get a little bit of story for the title screen, but not much. Now a days you start a game and you have to sit through 20 minutes of opening cut scenes or a step by step tutorial. This game throws you in the deep end and says "Figure it out!" I really liked that about the game (with being able to look up a guide to tell me generally where to go).

Here is a little breakdown of my first couple minutes of play:

• "Okay just got dropped into this world... what do I have to do..."
• I walk into cave... "Cool! I got a sword!"
• I find my first enemies. "Look! Enemies to kill. Wow, I can throw my sword! That will make things easier!"
• "Crap took my first hit of damage, well better throw my sword at this guy..."
• "WAIT, why cannot I throw my sword anymore! "
• And in the chaos and panic of trying to escape the enemy still attacking me... I am killed...

This is how a lot of learning happens in the game. Learning how to kill new enemies, learning new weapons (I made a costly mistake with learning how arrows work, literally), etc. Some will not like this, but I thought it was a fresh change of pace from current games.

I do not know how anyone beat this game without a guide or the internet. I used this online guide to help me through the game (thank you!), mainly for the locations of the Dungeons and special items on the main map. A really nice walkthrough and I loved the detailed maps. With a guide, I felt the difficulty of this game was do able, but if you are going rogue without help... Good luck because you are going to need it.

I love how this game really let's you do whatever and however you want to do it. If you want to do Dungeon 2 first, go for it, it will not be easy but you can. You want to do a ton of preparation before the first Dungeon, do it, because that will make the game much easier.

Special shout out to Dungeon 6! YOU SUCK! I was going through the game at a good pace and then BOOM! Dungeon 6 knocked me back a peg or two. I mean it was crazy tough. Those damn Like-Likes really pissed me off. Whoever created this enemy is evil. "Yeah, let's make an enemy that just eats expensive shields, that you have to work really hard to get. People will like that. Oh wait let's call it a Like-Like to symbolize their enjoyment!"

I do not like you a little bit, I do not like you at all...
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The game has definitely opened me up to play more Zelda games. I purchased A Link Between Worlds and that will be my next 2DS adventure! I even dusted off the old Game Boy Advance SP to play A Link to the Past. With that said, everything that I have read and seen makes this game seem not extremely highly rated compared to other Zelda games. So the games audience now is probably just NES super fans and Zelda super fans, or people like me who just wanted a good deal and gaming experience :)

Final Verdict: B+

A classic NES title that is still fun 30 years later, but now is probably only for NES or Zelda Fanatics

Super Mario 3D Land Review

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It seems whenever you buy a Nintendo system, there is a Super Mario game that you must own. Super Mario 3D Land is that game for the Nintendo 3DS/2DS (wait why did he call out the 2DS??? Yeah I did because that is what I own! BOOM! Expect a 2DS review post in the future). This game is everything you hope for in a Super Mario game.

When I got my 2DS last year, I struggled between this game and New Super Mario Bros 2. You have to have a Super Mario game with a Nintendo system (there is a personal N64 story that comes with this, that I will have to tell some day) so I had to pick and I made a great choice. I enjoyed this game so much I got it for my 8 year old nephew for Christmas last year (shout out to Target for having a crazy Black Friday sale on it too!)

One of the reasons that I got a 2DS was because I did not have time to sit down and play video games for hours at a time anymore, because 1) I am not at home that much and 2) I have a 14 month old son. Super Mario 3D Land is a game that you could play for five minutes or 5 hours, if you really wanted to, because you can play one level and be done or plow through the whole game.

I really like the audience this game reaches too. My nephew and I, who are at completely different skill levels, can play and enjoy this game. All you need to do in each level is get to the end, but for more advanced players they can collect three golden coins hidden in each level, which can require certain powers and creative thinking. Also, there are special more difficult levels after completing the game the first time, a real value adder for those looking for more of a challenge (and it added Luigi to the equation!).

Since I have a 2DS, I cannot comment on the 3D in the game. IGN's Review praises the 3D in the game, so I am going to trust them. Without the 3D feature, it can be difficult to collect some of the Golden Coins, but it was not an issue.

I was a little underwhelmed by the power-up options in this game. Typically in a new Super Mario, a new power-up really shines, but while there is a new power-up, the Boomerang Flower, it was the classics that were the most important. I love Fire Power and the Tanooki Suit aka raccoon tail pictured below, but comparing the Power-Ups to my favorite Super Mario Games: Super Mario Bros. 3/Tanooki Suit, Super Mario World/Cape Feather, New Super Mario Bros Wii/Ice Flower, it felt a little like a missed opportunity.

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Speaking of comparing this to other Super Mario games, this is not the best ever. Some of the levels feel a little too short. I was beating some levels in a minute. I know there are special levels that double the game, but the main game feels too short compared to other Super Mario games. Also in previous games, I had way more concern for lives. This game I did not have that problem. Not being the best Super Mario game is not a knock on this game, it really speaks volumes to the quality of the Super Mario brand.

Final Verdict: A

Great game and should be owned by every 3DS/2DS owner. I don't think this will be remembered as the best Super Mario game ever, but it may be the best handheld Super Mario.