Week: End Game: On 03.01.2014

The staff return to some older titles this weekend.

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 03/01/2014 12:00 3 Comments     ShareThis

Welcome back to another edition of Week: End Game: On! What games are the Dojo staffers playing this weekend? Read on to find out!


Jake Shapiro

I’ve finally gotten around to playing EarthBound on Wii U Virtual Console. It’s awkward and inaccessible in all the right ways to tickle my fancy, in the same way some of my personal favorites like Killer7 and Deadly Premonition are awkward and inaccessible. There’s not much to say about EarthBound that hasn’t already been said, but I love it.

On the 3DS side of things, I’ve been playing Yoot Saito’s Guild01 contribution, Aero Porter. It’s not quite as awkward and inaccessible as his masterwork Seaman, but Aero Porter is still a deviously challenging, fun little game. Why aren’t there more games about blue-collar jobs like airport luggage handling?


Jon Stevens

I rediscovered Fire Emblem Awakening this week and was immediately hooked again. Trying to play through on Hard (Classic of course!) without losing a single character meant that I never actually finished the game in the first place. It’s so frustrating when one of your characters dies midway through a level and you have to replay the whole thing again, but I can never let myself carry on without someone!

Fire Emblem and Advance Wars are two of my favourite handheld franchises, with the RPG mechanics in Fire Emblem pushing it slightly above Advance Wars in terms of preference. Despite this, the success of Fire Emblem Awakening makes me hopeful that Nintendo is still considering reviving Advance Wars on 3DS!

Luckily, for the moment, Donnel can pretty much take on an entire army himself! I do wonder how he would fare against a Neotank though…


Nicolas Vestre

Finally, after what seems like forever, I put the finishing touches on Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. The final boss can deal some serious damage, so I actually put decent equipment on the Bros. for a change. This has to be one of the most enjoyable 3DS games I’ve played so far. Unlike Paper Mario: Sticker Star, which left me quite disappointed even after getting every sticker, I really feel satisfied with Dream Team. Also, I don’t regret my decision to use weak equipment; it was way more enjoyable to figure out each enemy’s pattern than to just tank a huge amount of hits and learn nothing. This game lets you dodge almost every attack, after all. There are post-game things that can be explored, but I have such a huge backlog that they’ll be going unfinished for now. At least I completed all the Expert Challenges!

In preparation for Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (it’s sitting there in the shrink wrap), I’m playing Donkey Kong Country 3 on the Wii Virtual Console. I entered the cheat code “TUFST,” which means no DK barrels and no halfway barrels. I’m about 35 percent done, which is a third of the 105 percent I’m shooting for. Levels like Ripsaw Rage can go from being pretty challenging to frighteningly difficult. It’s a good thing I’m stubborn, or some of these levels would make me angry.

Apart from my simian exploits, Animal Crossing: New Leaf keeps on going forward. No more snow means no more Snowman furniture, but at least I got all the Ski furniture (after endless days of playing Bingo), as well as all the Ice furniture from my mom. Now I just have to wait until tomorrow to catch a loach, and I’m done with my fishing encyclopedia!


Joshua Johnston

I’m about midway through Tales of Graces f for PS3, a Christmas gift from my wife. Like many other Tales titles, it takes a bit to get its legs but once it does the battle system is a great romp. (My six year-old daughter sometimes tags along as one of the female brawlers in the game, thanks to the franchise’s longstanding co-op abilities.) Tales of Symphonia has long been my baseline for Tales experiences, and while I found Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World to be too different and Tales of the Abyss to be a step down all-around, Graces recaptures the fun of Symphonia and has a more cohesive plot to boot. It’s unfortunate that Wii got shut out of this game but the PS3 version is quite a gem in its own right.

As a side hobby I’ve also delved back into PC gaming in the first time in forever, playing a bit of Star Trek Online on weekends. What’s fascinating is that the game not only uses just about all of Trek canon, but it is 1) completely free to play 2) very playable at high levels without ever spending a dime 3) very possible to solo through the storyline if dealing with other people isn’t your game. Given that F2P has already hit some consoles (DC Universe Online for PS3 and PS4) it will be interesting to see how that market works out in the coming years.


Anthony Vigna

This week, my time will be spent playing Tappingo on my 3DS! I was immediately drawn to it when I saw how the game’s puzzle mechanics work. The game almost plays like a variation of Picross, but it substantiates itself as a unique title through its innovative gameplay. In order to solve each puzzle, you’ll have to extend numerical blocks to the length specified, but the only way to block the line is if it hits a wall. If you’re successful, you’ll create an image on the top of the screen. It sounds simple, but the later stages can get really complex! I would definitely check if out if you are into puzzle games, as the game is only $2.99. Expect a review to be up on Nintendojo soon.

I also can’t stop playing Brave Frontier on iOS. I thought I’d never get hooked into free-to-play gaming, yet here I am wasting away hours of my life each day on this app! This is probably due to the fact that Brave Frontier is a JRPG, because I’m just a sucker for these kinds of games. Plus, it’s a good alternative for saving money instead of buying something new on the market like Bravely Default.

Other than that, I’m continuing to participate in Twitch Plays Pokémon! At the time of writing, we have roughly 100,000 people trying to finish the elite four at the same time! Our journey has almost come to an end, and I can’t wait to see it finish.


Robert Marrujo

This weekend is going to be devoted to finishing off Tropical Freeze, which has been a total blast. I’m not going to say much else (read the coming review!), but… yeah. No more DK talk! Haha.

Anyway, let’s focus on something I can talk about, which is my continued infatuation with New Leaf. I finally got the last upgrade for my town’s shop, which is cool, but despite having three floors, it still feels like there’s not as much to buy as I’d like. The white, snowy ground of winter has given way to lush spring greens, but I already miss its coziness. It’s freaky to think that my one year anniversary of playing the game is right around the corner.

Anyone with an iOS or Android device should go and snag Ridge Racer Slipstream. It looks gorgeous, and the folks at Namco somehow cemented the series’ signature drifting controls via a touch screen. It’s got a bit of that obnoxious in-app transactions nonsense going on, but for the most part the game is playable without spending a ton of cash. It’s sucking up quite a bit of my time during my commute. I wouldn’t mind seeing a Ridge Racer game come to Wii U at some point; I’m a sucker for the series.


Angela Marrujo

It feels like a Mario Kart 7 and Pokémon X weekend for me. I got back into Mario Kart a couple of weeks ago, and am working on a new goal I’ve set for myself: first place in every race, in every cup. Shy Guy’s up for the challenge.

As for Pokémon, I go through phases where I’ll play the heck out of it, then get Pokémon’d out, and then suddenly want to play again, and that’s where I’m at right now with X, wanting to play again.

Maybe I’ll get some Tropical Freeze in, too. I was really impressed with the hands-on time I’ve had with it so far, and found myself not wanting to stop playing. Visually it’s gorgeous, and in terms of gameplay it’s solid and incredibly fun.

Looks like I have quite a bit to keep me busy this weekend.


What will you be playing this weekend? Are you still working through Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, or have you recently gotten into an older title? Let us know in the comments!

3 Responses to “Week: End Game: On 03.01.2014”

  • 1379 points
    xeacons says...

    Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going puzzle hunting with Prof. Layton! Prof. Layton & the Azran Legacy is probably the most action-packed game in the series. It starts out fast and doesn’t slow down. And I’ve got to see how this all ends.
    Of course, I’m still thawing DK Island as well as going on some family outings in Mario’s catsuits. But I set aside my beloved Nintendo systems each night for the latest Thief game, on my 360. Fourth in the series, it promises the most immersive experience yet. And being that the last episode came out in 2003, I’ve been waiting over ten years for this. Let’s see how it lives up to expectations.

  • 745 points
    OG75 says...

    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (PS3).

    Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

    Retro City Rampage (3DS).

    It has been a diverse weekend, gaming-wise.

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