Week: End Game: On 09.08.12

The Nintendojo team goes back to the basics this weekend!

By Dustin Grissom. Posted 09/08/2012 23:00 Comment on this     ShareThis

Hello and welcome to another riveting edition of Week: End Game: On! This week, we mix the old with the new, from the virtual console to New Super Mario Bros. 2. We’ve covered all bases this weekend, so let’s see what the staff have been playing.


Bradly Hale

What am I going to play this weekend? That’s a good question. I’ve already blown through The Last Story – though I’m still playing its multiplayer because, well, it’s fantastic – so I’ve mostly spent my time trouncingNew Super Mario Bros. 2 and League of Legends (I can’t seem to get away from that game, as I’ve been playing it off and on for the better part of three years). Aside from all that, I also recently picked up Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love for twenty bones at Gamestop. When the game was released, I think I was busy with other things, so I never got around to purchasing it. However, now that I’ve got some down time in my gaming schedule, I figured it was a decent opportunity to check out what the game has to offer. It’s a bit of an odd bird really due to how damn quirky it is. For instance, its tone is hard to decipher, as it’s sometimes serious and more than sometimes off-the-wall, bat-shit bonkers. Needless to say, it’s VERY Japanese. Fortunately the game is pretty relaxed in general, even its battling is very breezy, so it acts as a nice way to wind down after a hectic day at work.

I’m sure, between these three titles, I’ll have something to play this weekend, though, I’m not feeling super attached to any of them. Sure, I like NSMB2, but I can only play a sidescrolling Mario game for so long before I long for something a bit less… conventional. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic game, it really is, I just have to be in a Mario kind of mood to get the most out of it. Fortunately, Kirby’s Dream Collection comes out in about a week, followed by a plethora of other games (Code of Princess and Pokemon Black/White 2 to name a few), so I guess I’m content with this lull period.


Mel Turnquist

A hectic week full of writing sample auditions and working more than just the weekend has left me pretty warn out. So gaming-wise I’ll probably just stick with the basics: Mario Kart 7 and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland but I’m always changing my mind about it all. I’d probably also dabble in some Colors 3D and troll my fellow staff members with Swapnote. Hopefully by the new week, I’ll be ready and raring to go.


Mario Kart remains a staff favorite.

I still haven’t yet purchased New Super Mario Bros. 2 due to being broke all summer and having to pay bills and such. However, I’m hoping to buy that at least by October. I have one game I’m going to be before that– Kirby’s Dream Collection which apparently also has some really sweet side stuff to go with it like a CD and a book.


Nicolas Vestre

This week I’ve found myself thinking about the upcoming release of Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, which has prompted me to make a team in the original White in anticipation. After a little bit of deliberation, I’ve decided on Snivy, Scraggy, Joltik, Skarmory, Wooper, and Growlithe. Half are from Generation 5 and the others are from 1 and 2, so there’s a bit of diversity there. Now all that’s left is to breed some egg moves onto most of the Pokémon so they can reach their true potential. In particular, I’m looking forward to using Drill Peck with Skarmory (for a decent attack move) as well as the fun combination of Spikes and Whirlwind. Then I’ll teach him Roost from the Move Tutor in Black 2, which will take some dust cloud grinding in caves to get enough Shards to make it happen. There really doesn’t seem to be anything else of note coming out in October, so maybe it’s a great time for a Pokémon quest.

In my Wii Virtual Console binge I’ve beaten Ufouria: The Saga, which was exceptionally strange and extremely charming. Switching between the different characters to get stuff done worked very well, even if the game wasn’t that difficult. Who knew that suction cups could arguably be the most useful item in the game? I’m just glad I got to experience such a unique game without paying hundreds of dollars for an import copy. Now where are Star Fox and Yoshi’s Island for Wii Virtual Console? It’s only been five and a half years!


Haven’t seen this in awhile! The Virtual Console still gets heavy playtime from our staff!

Just the other day I started Alex Kidd in Miracle World on Wii VC, which is an intriguing game. It takes a while to get used to the physics after playing so many Mario games, but it’s quite playable. Instead of leaping on the heads of enemies (which here results in instant death), the primary method of attacking is Alex’s punch. One extremely odd thing is the way you vanquish the bosses of certain levels– you play a deadly game of Rock, Paper, Scissors! It’s really annoying to work one’s way to the end of the level, only to die in what is an entirely random event. There’s an item that can be purchased which lets you know what the enemy is thinking, but it still seems quite silly that it’s normally all up to chance.

For some reason I haven’t been able to play New Super Mario Bros. 2 this week, but that will certainly change tomorrow. I’m only in World 3 and I’m enjoying it just like I love every Mario platformer. Maybe part of the reason for not playing the game is because I don’t want it to ever end. After playing NSMB2, I like to play a bit of Super Mario Land 2 to mix things up. Once that’s done, though, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 on 3DS is waiting for my attention, and it’s definitely going to get it. I got the cart on eBay several years ago but missed a secret exit and didn’t get the best ending, so now’s the time to make amends.

Kirby’s Dream Collection has been pre-ordered! I’m not taking chances with this one and missing out on a copy. Several titles on the disc have eluded purchase over the years, but I’m still going to play and enjoy all of them, familiar or not. And the CD and the book look like a decent amount of effort has actually been put into making them, unlike the rather hollow felling I got from purchasing Super Mario All-Stars for Wii.

On the non-Nintendo front, I’ve been playing Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley for PSP. I only play a couple of game days at a time, but it would be great if I could finish the main story before Harvest Moon: A New Beginning releases for 3DS in November. Can I pull it off? We’ll see!


Robin Wilde

I’ve been storming through Tales of Graces this week, while balancing it with some Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, because that game is just incredible. I’m looking into starting MOTHER again (it’s not long, but deserves a third playthrough) and I’m itching to play some more of Xenoblade Chronicles, which I lent out a few months ago and haven’t had returned.

When it comes to weekend gaming, I’m limited by my work, which rules out Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Apart from that, I’m completely free, so bring on the incredible about of JRPGs I seem to be playing recently. And here I thought I didn’t like them.


Now that you’re done reading our weekend gaming stories, what we would love to hear is what you, the readers, have been playing! Sound off in the comments below!

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