Z is for Zelda

Yup, another Legend of Zelda post.  The "damsel in distress" isn't the correct way of looking at the girl the series is named after. Sure, she's been captured, had a sleeping spell used on her, turned to stone etc etc. But Zelda is a kickass hero in her own right. The best example is the mysterious character of the Sheik in Ocarina. The Sheik helps out Link  a lot in the game, giving him information and teaching him songs. Of course, Sheik is really Zelda in disguise.

In Wind Waker, Link has to deal with a scrappy pirate named Tetra. Sure Tetra helps Link, but she's sarcastic  and snarky towards him. It's later revealed that she's Princess Zelda, although she only learns of this when Link does. At the end of the game, she's seen with her crew of pirates, ready to start a new adventure.   In Spirit Tracks, Zelda's body is stolen and her spirit helps Link restore peace to Hyrule. She's with Link through the whole game.

Zelda is a powerful character in her own right. The stereotypical "save the princess"  scenario doesn't fit in the series. And if you ever played the Super Smash Bro series, Zelda's one hell of a fighter, especially as Sheik.

Again, this A to Z challenge as been amazing and so much fun! Thanks to everyone who stopped by my blog to check me out this month!

N is for Non-Playable Video Game Characters

C was for playable characters, so N is for characters you can't play but still leave a lasting impression.  How can you be attached to a character that you don't play? Some characters are just that awesome.  Here are a few of my non-playable video game characters.

GLaDOS-  Definitely. How can you play Portal and not love the sassy, lying, murderous GLaDOS?  She's so awesome it's sort of hard to write a short paragraph on her. Luckily, the 19th is what I'm calling "Portal Day" because the second one will be released. So you'll get much more GLaDOS then. For now, let's just say Portal would have worked without her omniscient voice goading you on. But, having GLaDOS is the icing on the non-existent cake. (sorry, I just couldn't help it)

The Carmines- Gears of War's brothers have become a fan favorite. From Anthony to Ben to the newest brother Clayton, everyone loves the Carmines. Sure, Anthony and Ben died, but their rookie enthusiasm lives on. (My favorite moments include Ben dropping his gun on his foot) Let's hope the seasoned, buff  Clayton lives in Gears 3.

Legend of Zelda- Zelda is the king of weird non-playable characters. In fact, I wrote a whole article on it. Who can forget the weirdness of the Happy Mask man or the Hand in the Toilet? I'm not kidding. It's hard to pick just one.

Andrew Ryan- You're lead to believe that Ryan is BioShock's big, bad guy to kill at the end. But not so fast. Ryan is the founder of Rapture and his voice haunts and taunts you through out the game. When you finally get to him, he gives one of the most memorable speeches in video games. "A Man Chooses, a Slave Obeys..."

Alma- The creepy girl from F.E.A.R. is one character that is hard to forget. Not only does you pop up and scare the crap out of you, her story is much deeper and screwed-up then I could ever have imaged. Bring on the F.E.A.R. 3!

There's many characters that I'm sure I'm forgetting and hopefully, I will have time to talk about them later this month. But for now, these are the ones that stick in my mind the most.

L is for the Legend of Zelda

Of course!  I know I've said it a million times but Zelda is my favorite video game series. It's what turned me from "hey, this Nintendo is pretty neat" to "OMG Video Games!!" It's the first game I ever played where you could just walk around and explore. That sense of exploration (and the fact you could easily save without a long code) really made me feel like I was in Hyrule. It was more then just go from A to B, kill this, do that....repeat.

Zelda is a series that has a lot of  great memories for me. I remember as a kid, being so proud that I could beat the original in one sitting without dying. I remember getting into my parents' car and seeing that shiny gold box under a white Toys "R" Us bag. I knew exactly what it was. As I got older, I never stopped loving the series. Moments in my life are intertwined with the games from playing Ocarina while pregnant to having my son tell me to "stop hogging the Wii" when Twilight Princess was released.  I'm always playing something Zelda. Whether it be a downloaded game on my Wii or one of the newer DS titles, I always have a Zelda game going somewhere.  This year, we will get Skyward Sword, the newest Zelda Wii game. I can not wait!

Not only do I love the series, but I'm eternally grateful to its creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. When ever I see him on TV or in a gaming magazine, I squee like crazy fangirl.  I just want to hug him and say Thank You.

I have written many Zelda themed articles. These are just a few.

Can Skyward Sword be the New Ocarina of Time?

Top 10 Legend of Zelda Enemies

7 Fun Facts about the Legend of Zelda

D is for Difficult Side Quests in the Legend of Zelda Series

I love the Legend of Zelda. I especially love when Zelda gets difficult.  It can be frustrating, but there's nothing like beating a hard part of the game. Gamers still reminisce about the infuriating Water Temple in Ocarina  or complain about  the Adventures of Link being too "hard". (I don't agree with that one, btw)  The thing about a temple or an entire game being a pain is you can't finish it unless you figure it out.

Side quest are different. You don't need to beat them, but you want to. So you try and try. Sometimes it's painless, many times you just give up and complete the main quest. I'm a glutton for punishment. I look forward to side quests, the harder the better. So I made  a list of my favorite difficult Zelda  side quests.  These hair pullers include the Sun Mask in Majora's Mask and Dark Ore in Spirit Tracks.

Hopefully, when Skyward Sword is released later this year, I can add a few more crazy quests to my list.

C is for (Video Game) Characters

What makes a playable video game character great? Is it their struggles, humor, looks, or sheer badassness? Or something different? I have many favorite playable characters and through this A-Z challenge, I am planning on discussing  many of them in greater detail. But for now, I wanted to mention 5 and give a few reasons. N will be for Non-Playable Characters.

1. Link-  Hands down my absolute favorite. I have many Legend of Zelda themed posts coming up. In fact, there will be one tomorrow. I grew up with Link. When we first met, I was a wee lass of 10. I'm now 34. Why Link? Not only is he the strong, silent type, but he's portrayed as the unlikely hero. The boy who got thrust into saving the princess, or his sister, or friend. But ultimately, he saves the world.

2. Mario- Another one I grew up with. It seems rather silly to play a plumber who squashes evil turtles, travels through pipes, and can shoot fireballs. Whatever. I love Mario and all of his platform games.

3.  Darth Revan- Knights of the Old Republic was not only a great game, but it turned me into a Star Wars fanatic. The lasting attraction is Darth Revan. Forgetting the fact that canon states the "proper" end of the game is Revan redeeming himself, but I turned him (or her in my case) into a complete Sith badass. I really want to train on Korriban, btw.

4. Niko Bellic- Grand Theft Auto was never really my cup of tea until GTA IV and Niko. I liked the GTA games, but mostly watched others play them or I would just drive around causing mayhem without doing the missions. But Niko changed that.  The immigrant  who gets pulled into Liberty City's criminal underworld is still a good guy under the tough surface. And that shines through in the game. He's witty, realistic, and sometimes seems like the only sane person in the city.

5.  Dom- G is going to be for Gears of Wars. Why Dom and not Marcus? When I play Gears it's usually with someone else and I'm Dom. So I feel "closer" to him. And I feel horrible for him, especially after GoW 2.  Everything he went through trying to find his wife and the heartbreaking conclusion was very emotional.  I can't wait be play Dom again in GoW 3 this fall.

This is not a complete list as I also love characters like Leon, Jill, and Chris from Resident Evil. Every survivor especially Ellis, Zoey, Rochelle, and the ever complaining Francis from the  Left 4 Dead  games. I can't forget John Marston from Red Dead Redemption. I better stop now before I write a book here.

A is For Annoying Video Game Sidekicks

Hey! Listen!

Some video game sidekicks are just annoying as Hell. Are they meant to be like that or does it differ from gamer to gamer? I think everyone can agree that Navi from Ocarina of Time is super annoying. But there are others like Brucie from GTA IV that I can't stand, but everyone else seems to love. So who's the worst? Is the Adoring Fan in Oblivion or that damn dog from Duck Hunt? Or someone different?

Here's my top 5 picks for annoying sidekicks.

Video Game Tattoo

It may seem strange that I have over 20 tattoos and not one is video game related. I plan on fixing that soon. I'm going to get a gaming inspired tattoo that spans from my elbow to my wrist. Instead of picking just one game, I decided to incorporate images that come from many games that I have loved over the years. So far I planned something from Zelda, Mario, Resident Evil, Gears of War, and Left 4 Dead. Those "somethings" are undecided as of right now. For other games I have weighted companion cube from Portal, nurses from Silent Hill, Alma from F.E.A.R., Vault Boy from Fallout and Darth Revan from Knights of the Old Republic. There are other ideas I have floating around like Talim from Soul Caliber fighting Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat. I definitely want something BioShock, but I might get a Big Daddy on my leg instead. I also want to incorporate more older games from the 8-bit era and maybe R.O.B. the robot. Of course there are many other games I want to do something with, but I'm afraid I'll run out of room. :) At least my husband is a tattoo artist and will help me pick out what looks best.

It will probably be awhile until everything is mapped out, but I'm just excited I finally decided on what type of gaming tattoo I want.

3D Dot Heroes: a Love Letter to the Legend of Zelda

Ever wonder what those nifty 8bit games of the past would look like if they were updated, pixels and all? 3D Dot Game Heroes gives us  a glance. While some criticize the game  for being too close to Zelda (and I admit I was a bit surprised  at some of the similarities), overall the game does has a style all its own. You can create a character block by block or pick from pre-make ones. You just don't create a person either. Any sort of creature is possible.

The world of Dotnia is place of exploration, filled with towns and people who joke about games. It's close enough to Hyrule that players feel comfortable, but unique enough to stand on its own.  While I can understand how some would feel it's "ripping of Zelda",  I tried to look at the game differently and found it's not a cheap knock off, but a solid, fun game. And isn't that what gamers want?

Read my full review here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5719360/3d_dot_game_heroes_review_ps3_exclusive.html?cat=19

Back to Hyrule

It's no secret I love the Legend of Zelda games. I could probably babble on endless about all the Zelda video games, judging one against the other, comparing all sorts of things. In the future, I'm sure I will.

Today I wanted to focus on the enemies in the Zelda world. Not the mini-bosses or boss, just enemies lurking in the temples or wandering around the map.

Since I was a kid, I have been making a mental list of all the hardest, most annoying Legend of Zelda enemies. I know many other Zelda fans will agree that my list of 10 are some of the worst. Or maybe they won't get why I picked one over a different enemy.  Either way, it's just my opinion of the hardest, most annoying enemies in the entire series.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5651658/top_10_legend_of_zelda_enemies.html?cat=19

Why Spirit Tracks is better then Phantom Hourglass

Don't get me wrong, I love Phantom Hourglass. But compared to other Zelda games, it seems short and not as deep. And don't get me started on that damn timed temple of doom. Yikes! I didn't really like the backtracking or if time ran out, your health dropped like mad. That's why when I read reviews of Spirit Tracks, I hesitated in buying it. Maybe all DS Zeldas were going to be carbon copies.

I'm not a big handheld gaming person anyway, so I rented it from gamefly. Then I kept it. (Yes I paid for it, using their "keep" button). I'm happy to report I'm in love with Spirit Tracks. The Sprint Temple, although quite like the timed temple in Hourglass isn't as tedious. It's not timed and Zelda is there to help you. And It's pretty funny when Zelda gets into a guard's amour and is scared. She does a little dance, it's great. There is some much to do, explore and unlock. And Link looks so cute in his little train conductor outfit. The game is challenging and loads of fun.

For my full review of Spirit Tracks read on here :

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2818094/review_of_legend_of_zelda_spirit_tracks.html?cat=19

In a Zelda Kind of Mood

Maybe it's because we're suppose to be getting a new Legend of Zelda for the Wii by the end of the year (although I would be shocked if that happened) or maybe I've just been playing Spirit Tracks on my DS nonstop, but I have been in Zelda mood lately.

What is it about that little green clad boy that I love? I guess it's because I grew up with Link. From playing the original Zelda in my childhood to beating Ocarina of Time when I was pregnant with my son. To staying up late after the baby went to bed to play Majora's Mask to playing Wind Waker with my pre-schooler on my lap, I've been addicted to all thing Zelda since the beginning. When I get in a Zelda mood, it lingers for awhile.

So to celebrate all things Zelda, I am working on two Zelda related articles.

Before they're done, you can read my "Why the Legend of Zelda is the Greatest Game" article. I wrote this in honor of Game Informer magazine giving the original 8-bit masterpiece the title of best game of all time.

My favorite line in Game Informer's paragraph about Zelda goes something like this: How many life long gamers did Shigeru Miyamoto create with Zelda?
While nobody can give an exact number, I proudly count myself among the millions.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2435718/why_the_legend_of_zelda_is_the_greatest.html?cat=15