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Welcome to another edition of Week: End Game: On! What games are the staff playing through this weekend? Read on to find out!
Marc Deschamps
For me, it’s all about the pocket monsters, lately. On 3DS, I’m still on my Pokémon Red replay. I just took down Koga in Fuschia City. I forgot just how unusual his gym is! While Koga sticks pretty strictly to the Poison-type, his disciples surprised me with all their Psychic-type Pokémon (which all used Poison Gas to fit the theme). Since Dark-types didn’t come around until Generation II, I had to make do with stronger moves like Hyper Fang to get through the psychic assault. Sabrina will likely give me some similar problems, and she’s coming up very soon! The gameplay still holds up remarkably well, though. Sure, I’d love some Dark-type Pokémon and a pair of running shoes, but I’m really having a blast playing through the game again. So much nostalgia!
While Pokémon Red has taken over my 3DS, Pokkén Tournament has been getting a lot of play on my Wii U. The fighter is easily one of my favorite Pokémon spin-offs in years. There’s a lot of charm to the game, and the fighter selection is small, but great. So far, I haven’t deviated from Charizard or Chandelure, both of which are a blast to play as. The latter is especially unique, and has netted me a few wins online. I’ve never been particularly strong at fighting games outside of Smash (I’m a button-masher at heart), but the controls are pretty easy to learn, and I’m holding my own. Still, I don’t see myself moving from “For Fun” to “For Glory” anytime soon!
Speaking of games I’ve never been particularly strong at, I just wrapped up my review on Mega Man Legacy Collection. The old-school Mega Man games have always appealed to me, but I’ve never managed to get very far in them. Legacy Collection forced me to finally give the series more of a chance, and I’m so happy I did. After all these years, I can understand what all the Mega Man 2 hype is about!
Andy Hoover
The last few weeks have been all about revisiting the wonderful world of Hyrule thanks to Nintendo’s love of remasters!
First is Twilight Princess HD, which is proving to be just as fantastic as I remember. It’s also surprisingly fresh. Not only have I not played it since it originally came out nearly a decade ago, but I had only played it on Wii, so the lack of motion controls and the mirrored world makes so much of it feel new. Also, the updated visuals really help the sense of atmosphere and enhance the art style; I had never really noticed the almost Miyazaki-like quality to the visuals.
Of course, my 3DS is also getting some use with Hyrule Warriors Legends. No, this version doesn’t look as good as the Wii U version and the draw distance and pop-in is impossible to ignore, but I couldn’t care less! I’ve been a Warriors franchise for nearly 15 years and I never had a problem playing the old PS2 games, which had all those faults plus plenty of slowdown. Of course, I should point that I am playing on New 3DS, so I can’t really speak to the reports that the old 3DS doesn’t keep up with the action nearly as well.
Finally, I will continue to be answering plenty of weird questions in Miitomo and keep up my daily visits to the Badge Arcade.
Robert Marrujo
I can’t even put into words how busy I’ve been lately. Between social obligations and work stuff, life has been insane, but I’ve managed to squeeze some gaming in here and there. Twilight Princess HD is very near and dear to me at the moment, and I’m inching toward the finale. Oddly, playing this inspired an Ocarina of Time resurgence for me, so I’ve been blasting through that game in bursts here and there.
Beyond those two titles, I’ve also been getting in some time with Hyrule Warriors Legends. You know what, people? The pundits can take a hike, as far as I’m concerned when it comes to this game! I think it definitely lags on the older gen 3DS systems, but what I’ve been playing on my New 3DS XL has been very impressive, thus far, and is worthy of the same name as its Wii U counterpart. Definitely chomping at the bit to get more time in with this one.
Finally, the last game that I’ve been fooling around with (“I thought you said you were busy?!”) has been Mega Man Legacy Collection on 3DS. I love playing it on my 2DS; Marc was right on the money in his review of this one. These are some incredible, timeless works that every gamer owes it to themselves to experience, no matter how old they are. It’s an absolute gem and a perfect way to unwind at the end of the day.
Jon Stevens
With Fire Emblem Fates releasing in Europe in May, I’ve decided that it is time I actually finished Fire Emblem Awakening. Despite having completed both of the GBA games, in Awakening, I have found that the relationships and opportunities to grind levels has meant that I have spent far, far too long on it. I had hoped that having two 10-hour flights this week would be enough time for me to complete it, but I just found myself trying to marry off the last few pairs and leveling up some of my characters who I still see potential in– Donnel is my strongest fighter now, but I’m sure that Stahl will be able to bring something to the team!
Elsewhere, I have downloaded Miitomo and (despite not really being a game) am planning on giving that a go soon. I’ve also explored the new My Nintendo page to scope out the potential rewards and love how Nintendo has made the account system a little more interactive than we are typically used to seeing.
Next up is to give drawing a go with Flipnote Studio 3D. Hint: I don’t have high hopes!
What about you? What games have you been playing recently? Let us know in the comments section!
