Week: End Game: On 03.07.2015

Welcome to another installment of Week: End Game: On! What games will the staff be playing this weekend? Read on to find out!

Shawn Wilkins

I plan on finishing up Majora’s Mask 3D. However, I might still play it after it’s “over” and everything is all said and done. The side quests and extra events spread throughout the game are enough to keep me going for weeks. Beating the various temples, that’s the easy part. Seeing how characters move, what they do, where they go, what changes between the days? That’s the fun part. The game could, in theory, never end, and I sort of feel like I never want it to.

I’ve been playing a lot of retro games recently. Not sure how I’ve gotten into this retro-game kick, but I’m thoroughly enjoying Super Mario Land. It’s short, but it’s fun and somewhat challenging like all classic Nintendo titles. Luckily, there’s another right after this and then the Wario Land series, if I wanted to swim in these waters some more. It’s a game I think is a different kind of fun, but moreover, I think everyone should take an hour or so and play through it.

Angela Marrujo

After waiting a week for my collector’s edition to come in the mail, I finally got to start playing Majora’s Mask 3D, and I’m blown away with it. I’ve replayed MM a couple of times in the past, but the excitement I got when starting up MM 3D is something I haven’t felt since I played MM for the first time.

My overall first impressions are very positive; just like with Ocarina of Time 3D, the controls transferred naturally from N64 controller to the 3DS, and the game looks absolutely gorgeous remastered. Since it’s been quite some time since I sat and dedicated myself to playing through, there were parts of the story I didn’t remember, and unlike OOT, which I know like the back of my hand, I found myself stuck and actually having to figure out what to do next at certain parts, which was great.

There are some changes I’m not liking, however, and maybe it’s the annoying purist in me, but why, for example, does the Happy Mask Salesman give you the Bomber’s Notebook instead of the Bombers? Why are there now so many new added events to the notebook (some of which feel a bit unnecessary)? Why the heck is the Garo’s Hood now the Garo Master’s mask?! An outrage, I say! I’m also not sure how I feel about the Odolwa battle… But I won’t say too much more on that. Experience it for yourself first!

So I know how, and with what game, my weekend will be spent.

Joshua Johnston

This week I will be continuing my way through Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories. I love the series and it’s been awesome to revisit it… but, man, is this game irritating. The bosses are much harder than the regular monsters and the learning curve on their tactics is steep. I’ve died more playing this Kingdom Hearts than I ever did with the two PlayStation 2 games combined. I haven’t had this many white-knuckle moments since playing Metroid Prime 2 and I’m not even on the hard mode. At this point I’m at that place where I’d like to play something more tranquil but I also want to see the game through. Oh, first world problems, how you vex me. On the other hand, the action-card nature of this game makes me realize how much I miss playing Baten Kaitos Origins which I just might dust off if I ever survive making it through this Kingdom Hearts game.

Kyle England

Ever since I played Kirby and the Rainbow Curse in late February I have been a Kirby binge! I went back and got a ton of collectibles and secrets in Kirby: Triple Deluxe on 3DS last week, and I was even messing around in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land for Wii as well. I just felt like jumping back into some past Kirby games, even though I always play the heck out of them whenever a new one comes out.

My Kirby game this week is Mass Attack for DS. I got it way back in 2011 and sort of stopped after the first world. That’s not the case this time, as I intend to finish it! It’s the only Kirby game I have yet to beat. It’s a lot more fun than I remember. I love throwing tiny Kirbys at enemies! Those bloodthirsty pink soldiers let out endearing war cries as I fling them into the fray. The Kirby clones shall do my bidding with nothing held back! They shall die for the greater cause of collectibles! MWAHAHA!

Just kidding… I get a small pang in my heart when the little guys croak, similar to how I feel playing Pikmin.

Anthony Pelone

My weekend’s already gone off to a great start. I’m still chugging through 100 percent completion of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, with roughly 45 challenges and over a hundred trophies left. I’ve only just gotten around to clearing All-Star mode with every character, but it’s going very slowly due to the elaborate process I take for each one. Every day, I take one character, engage in eight Smash battles (one for each alt color), clear the various Stadium events (such as 100-Man Smash), and then round it off with a round of Trophy Rush before heading off to All-Star. It’s time-consuming, but I think of it as celebrating every playable character in the game, and so it comes as a very rewarding process. So far I’m at nine characters…I wonder if I can clear it with everyone before Mewtwo arrives?

I’ve also been revisiting the original Majora’s Mask via Virtual Console, and like Angela, I haven’t played it in quite some time (over a decade!) so it’s been a joy rediscovering this offbeat adventure. Currently, I’ve just finished the amazing Stone Tower Temple and am cleaning up the remaining sidequests, masks and Heart Pieces. I already consider it a masterpiece, but it’s rather obtuse; I mean, how could anyone figure out how to get the Stone Mask?!? I’m not ashamed to admit I had to use a guide for that one. I’ve heard they’ve streamlined the remake to render it more accessible, but I also happened to hear about the Garo mask change and wasn’t happy since Garo’s Hood was one of my favorite masks. I’m quite picky with Nintendo remakes, so I can’t wait to hunker down and analyze the bejesus out of it whenever I get the chance.

Robert Marrujo

So, I’ve been running on about three hours of sleep for weeks now, and I haven’t been able to play too much of anything lately. I have an art show I’m putting together, and it’s been ridiculously demanding of my time. That said, I always manage to find time to squeeze in a little of something, and that’s been the new Mario vs. Donkey Kong! I love this series. I don’t think there’s an entry yet that I haven’t enjoyed, but this one is shaping up to be pretty good, so far. I’ll have to see what the customization stuff is all about, but the single player is a blast.

Other than that, I’m focusing on my art. I just painted an 8-bit Samus and 16-bit Sonic-I’ve never really worked with acrylic before! It’s been a real learning experience, but I’ve been liking it. I’ll leave you with a preview of what I’ve been up to! Yoshi egg, made from a plastic egg, and spray and acrylic paints. The base is foam core with fake moss and plants, and more acrylics.Till next week, folks!

What about you? What games will you be spending time with this weekend? Let us know in the comments!