Week: End Game: On 10.19.2013

Mel Turnquist

I’ve been playing Pokémon Y. I forgot how great these games really are, though it’s a little dizzying trying to navigate through Lumiose City. I have beaten the Elite Four and am currently in a binge of Wonder Trades and breeding. In other words, if you get some weirdly named Eevees, Froakies, or anything else, then it’s most likely from me. Though I try to be classy with my Wonder Trades and usually give them something of a reasonable level if it’s not one of the Pokémon that’s rather rare.

I just need to stop myself from catching every single Skiddo that I encounter.

Also, if anybody has a Phanpy or a Growlithe that they’re willing to trade, I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands!

Other than that, nothing else really. Just my usual daily rounds in Animal Crossing: New Leaf…don’t you all forget to do any of that. The game guilt trips the hell out of you if you don’t!

Sam Stewart

Without a doubt I’ll still be playing Pokémon Y. I just finished the third gym and unlocked the ability to Mega Evolve, so I’ve got a lot of cool new things to see. My team is coming together nicely, though I’m not too fond of my Dark type’s evolution, so I’m trying to get my hand on a Pawniard to swap out for him. I doubt I’ll finish it this weekend, but anything can happen!

If things pan out I’ll also get a chance to play Dota 2 for the first time in a while. They rolled out a big new update on the 17th and I can’t wait to see all the changes. If I find the time I might also try to finish up Grand Theft Auto V, or work towards getting all the heart pieces in The Wind Waker HD. I would love to have a 100 percent file in Wind Waker, but getting all those pictures could take awhile…

Nicolas Vestre

After giving the matter careful consideration, I decided to pick up Pokémon X a few days ago. I went with Froakie as my starter, with the aim of choosing Bulbasaur out of the Gen 1 trio. I’ve learned over the years that I make extremely slow progress in games like these, evidenced by the fact that I’m still in Santalune Forest trying to catch a Caterpie. This brings me back to the days of Viridian Forest in Pokémon Blue, except Caterpie were everywhere and Weedle was nowhere to be seen. Actually, I just want a Butterfree with Compound Eyes and the move Thief, so I can steal scales off unsuspecting Luvdisc and give them to the Move Relearner. Hey, I gotta think ahead, right?

Other than that, I’ve been building up my relationships with Froakie and Azurill, feeding them countless Poké Puffs and bouncing yarn off their heads. It’s way too early in the game to know what my final team will be, but I’m interested to find out what kind of Fairy moves Marill or Azumarill will learn.

Apart from Pokémon, I’m still moving forward in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I’m still in desperate need of a Spino Skull to finish my fossil collection. My mom finished hers just a few days ago, and there doesn’t seem to be any reward for doing so, which is kind of disappointing. My two Purple Pansies have turned into four, and my mom loves them, so I’ll be sending her some as a little gift. Meanwhile, my Red Roses haven’t given me a single blue one (I still can’t believe my mom got a Blue Rose in three days), so hopefully the fertilizer will give me an edge. Broccolo just gave me his picture, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy. It’s in my house right next to Tom’s photograph. Just two more upgrades and I’ve maxed out my living space. I wonder if anything happens if you don’t pay off the final loan to Tom Nook…

Anthony Vigna

I’ve been continuing to make my way through the original Ace Attorney trilogy in order to prepare myself for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies! This week, I’ve been playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations, which is the final game in Phoenix Wright’s storyline. Even though this isn’t the last game we see Phoenix Wright in as a character, the aftermath of major plot lines, as well as the whereabouts of certain characters from the original three games, remains unknown. It’ll be interesting to see what continuity the writers included in Dual Destinies when the game launches next week.

Incidentally, a friend of mine made a startling revelation when we were playing Eternal Sonata for PlayStation 3. He pointed out that Allegretto, one of the game’s main characters, is voiced by Sam Riegel, who is the new voice actor for Phoenix Wright in Dual Destinies. I also know that Orion Acaba, voice of Jonathan from Shin Megami Tensei IV, is the new voice of Apollo Justice as well! It’s going to be a challenge for me to detach the characters these actors voiced previously from who they now voice in Dual Destinies.

I started playing Elite Beat Agents again on Nintendo DS as well, and it definitely still holds up as one of the more interesting games within the genre. Elite Beat Agents came out when I was starting to get worn out from the Guitar Hero series, and it showed me that I could still have fun playing rhythm games without holding a plastic guitar peripheral in my hands. The gameplay was simple, including stylus taps and strokes as prompted in accordance to each song, but deceptively challenging to master. Plus, no one can deny that the concept of a secret agent group that dances for people going through some kind of life struggle is pretty hilarious. I also played Rhythm Thief and the Emperor’s Treasure on Nintendo 3DS, a relatively unknown rhythm game on the handheld. While it’s not perfect, it features a great anime-styled story with voice acting, over 50 original songs, and varied gameplay types. The game ends on a cliffhanger, so I’m hoping we’ll hear something about a sequel soon!

I’ve also started playing Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword again, which was one of the earliest eShop games on Nintendo 3DS. After being starved for 3DS content early on, I remember being ecstatic when I finally got my hands on this game, and it still holds up pretty well. Speaking of the eShop, I’ll have to pick up SteamWorld Dig in lieu of the 20 percent off sale!

What’s on your gaming plate this weekend? Are you exploring Kalos in Pokémon X and Y, or will you be digging into SteamWorld Dig? Let us know in the comments!