Week: End Game: On 09.03.2016

What games are the staff playing on Labor Day weekend?

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 09/03/2016 13:00 Comment on this     ShareThis

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It’s another edition of Week: End Game: On! What games are the Nintendojo staff playing this weekend? Read on to find out!


Marc Deschamps

Despite the fact that we did not do a backlog summer feature this year, I’ve still taken the last few months to really start clearing through some of my unplayed/unfinished games. I’ve naturally added a few more, but I’m still cruising through a bunch of games.

After seeing Suicide Squad, I’ve been on a bit of a Batman kick. I decided to finally try out Batman: Arkham Origins, and I’ve been pretty happy with it so far. It’s not quite as original as the first two Arkham titles (nor is it as clever as the 3DS Blackgate), but it’s still a fun game. The battle with Deadshot is easily one of the best boss battles from the series. The timing and patience required is unlike anything I’ve ever played before. It actually feels like you’re in control of Batman!

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Speaking of superheroes, I also decided to revisit one of my favorite superhero games ever, Spider-Man. When the title came out back in 2000 on N64 and PS1, it really was mind-blowing stuff. It’s a little rough around the edges now, but it’s been a total nostalgia blast. This is the game that really set the standard for modern superhero games.

Finally, I downloaded Super Mario 64 DS on Wii U this week. I’ve talked on the site before about the fact that I haven’t dedicated much time to the original N64 classic, and I’ve always regretted that. I really do want to finally beat the game in some format, and I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with remakes like this one. One thing I’m happy to report is that the Virtual Console release resolves one of the biggest issues I had with the DS remake when it first came out: the lack of a control stick! The DS’s control options just never worked for this game, but now this really does feel like the remake the game deserved.


Andy Hoover

This weekend I’ll likely be starting up a new game! I’ve recently been playing through Metal Gear Solid V and should be wrapping it up in the next day or two. Oh, and by the way, it is really, really good and I’m not even that big a fan of the series. Once that’s out of the way I plan on moving on to some Wii U games I picked up a while ago but have yet to start.

My first option is Tokyo Mirage Sessions. I’m a big fan of Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei games and general unique take on the JRPG genre, so I’m definitely looking forward to giving this one ago. That being said, I’m not sure I want to dig into another big, deep game; something a bit more fast paced might be more appealing at the moment.

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And that brings us to option number two, Star Fox Zero. Yeah, I know it will probably take a little time to get used to the new control scheme, but so few games deliver Star Fox-like experiences, and I could use something in that vein.

Regardless of which I choose, I imagine it should be a pretty good weekend!


Jon Stevens

I can completely corroborate Marc’s comments about the original Spider-Man— it was one of my favorite games at the time! Although, I personally prefer the sequel, Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, which I believe was only on PS1.

In terms of games I’ll be playing this weekend, I’ll be sticking to either free games or going through my seemingly endless backlog.

Like Andy, I recently decided to go back to Metal Gear Solid V, which is an incredible, vast game that I unfortunately never got around to finishing when it was first released. I may also dip into The Witcher 3 again, as I still haven’t made much progress beyond Novigrad (one of the main cities in the game).

I have a long history with the Battlefield series (going back to Battlefield 2) and so I have to try the Battlefield One open beta this weekend. Despite the new WW1 setting, I’m expecting it to feel a lot like the other recent games in the series, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing given how good the multiplayer always feels.

Finally, I hope to give the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice demo a try, as it’s been far too long since I played an entry in the series– I think it must have been Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney!


Kevin Knezevic

Like everyone else, I’ve also been working through some of my unplayed games recently, particularly my Virtual Console backlog. It started a few weeks ago when I finally finished Golden Sun: The Lost Age, and ever since then I’ve had an urge to play more Game Boy Advance titles. I followed that up with Fire Emblem, which to this day remains one of my favorite entries in the series (behind the exemplary 3DS installment, Fire Emblem Awakening), and now I’ve moved on to The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. I largely overlooked the game when it was first released, for one reason or another, but I’m very impressed with it thus far– the visuals are absolutely beautiful, and the new items in Link’s arsenal are creative and a lot of fun to use. I’ve only just collected the second Element, so I still have quite a way to go before I can challenge Vaati, but I’m looking forward to spending some more time with the game!

Zelda Minish Cap Deepwood Shrine

Aside from that, I’m also hoping to finally finish up Conker’s Bad Fur Day, which I began playing again via the Rare Replay compilation on Xbox One. I never made very much progress in the game when I first got it for Nintendo 64, so I’m striving to finally see it through to the end. Like a lot of old Rare games, the controls…haven’t really aged well, but I’m still having fun in spite of that. The controls may not hold up, but the humor is timeless.


Dustin Grissom

Gaming has been doing its best to get my attention lately, but it has largely faulted for the past month or so. I’ve had a few friends over here and there, and our go-to typically seems to be the “Sketch” mini-game in Game & Wario. Pictionary games like these always seem to be a hit with my non-gamer friends, and it is especially fun on the Wii U.

My gaming groove has begun to spark a bit by playing the demo for Battlefield 1 on my friend’s Xbox One. This left me on a journey to finally succumb to finding the cheapest possible Xbox One on the market. During this process, however, it suddenly hit me: What games are on the Xbox One that I truly, truly want to play? As a matter of fact, this whole generation on the non-Nintendo side of things has largely bored me, and contrary to my typical character, I have not been compelled whatsoever to purchase either of the new PlayStation or Xbox. Well, other than brief moments of jealously when I watch my roommates play Xbox together. “I’ll just be up here, playing Splatoon guys!”

This “spark” from that game of Battlefield took me to a very interesting place: the Windows 10 store on my PC. I signed in to my old Xbox account, and have found myself playing vicious amounts of none other than… Solitaire. Why? I have no clue, but I’m determined to get all of the achievements. I also discovered that not every game of Solitaire is winnable, and that blows my mind. Maybe this was common knowledge, but seriously? I could be up in my room alone for hours thinking hard about a card game that was actually never winnable to begin with? It’s insane to me! Although I still compete in those daily challenges, I decided to try my hand at something a little more… “gamey.” And not so futile.

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The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was on sale on the Virtual Console. Apparently it cost just low enough to be worth what would be just an hour long trip to drive back to my parents house to go get my DS cartridge of the game. I had never actually played this game, but I have owned it since it came out. Why? I have no clue! I think my brother just borrowed it for about 10 years. Anyway, I got passed the opening part of the game the other day, and although I’m not fully compelled yet, there has never been a Zelda game that didn’t grab my attention in full force shortly after the beginning chapter. I will return to this game hopefully on this weekend!

Also, on a side note… Pikmin for 3DS looks awesome and I cannot wait.


Robert Marrujo

Can I be obnoxious and mention something non-Nintendo? I finally bought a year of Xbox Live! Yay me! It’s only been, like, a year since I’ve had Xbox Live. I got a Call of Duty itch and I want to start Black Ops III, so Live it is.

But who cares about Xbox?! You want to hear my Nintendo-related shenanagins, right? Well, I bought Metroid Prime: Federation Force and have been really enjoying it so far. It’s minus Samus but yet still maintains the feel of the series, which makes me happy. That said, the controls still feel a little finicky to me, despite playing on a New 3DS. I’ll spend some more time with it and tell you what I think.

Metroid-Prime-Federation-Force

I downloaded Picross 3D: Round 2 the day it dropped on the eShop, and so far it’s been worth every penny. The original was insanely fun, a real puzzle game highlight on the first DS, and thankfully this sequel is equally entertaining. If say if you love Picross to check it out, but even if it don’t… still check it out. It’s just different enough to warrant a look from even the staunchest Picross hater, I think.

Before I sign off, I have to say– download the new games for StreetPass! They’re pretty fun and add some new energy to the feature. Though you’re best off getting everything in a bundle, it’s cheaper that way.


What games will you be playing this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

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