999: The Devil's Number, Upside Down

A rather dark gem from Aksys Games that I hadn't even heard of until a chance video from Youtube. It starts out as your classic thriller: You wake up in a room you don't recognize. You're wondering where you are, when you suddenly notice something awry. In this case, it's a bracelet with the number 5...

From there, the game turns into a puzzle/horror graphic novel that's as compelling as it is wordy. At least the puzzles are intuitive. Not counting the first two in the beginning, those are half brain power, half blind luck. After the confusing suitcase puzzles, the game kicks into high gear (2nd if you're not into reading a novel). You learn that you're not the only one in this crazy, twisted web. Not to mention a familiar face...

Once introductions are out of the way, you learn more about the [Nonary Game] you're being forced to play. There are numbered doors throughout the ship. Next to them are scanners. No less than two people can pass through at a time. No more than five people can pass through at a time. Whomever passes through, their collective numbers have to equal a digital root that matches the door. For example: The first pair of numbered doors are [4] and [5]. Say you wanted to go through [4]. Since your bracelet has the number 5 on it, then the logical choice would be to take numbers 3, 6, and 8 with you, since as explained earlier in the story, digital roots are computed as such:

1. You take every digit and add them together - 3 + 5 + 6 + 8 = 22
2. Since you're left with a double digit number, you add the digits together - 2 + 2 = 4

So the digital root equals four and therefore your group can pass through the [4] door.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of things you learn about in this game, like hexadecimal to base-10 conversions, scytale ciphers, even luminol testing.

The game can get surprisingly dark at times, and you're free to chose your own path in this dance of death. I would recommend it to the avid horror buff, bookworm, or puzzler. Sweet dreams after a few hours of playing this title of great interest.







SPOILER: To get (in my opinion) the darkest ending, take door 4, insist on taking door 3, and let the story flow from there.

Personal Trainer: Cooking

Which is, by any means, an excellent addition to your NDS library. Several hundred recipes from around the world are packed into this little cart, which includes detailed, step by step instructions on how to cook all of these delicacies, a shopping list mode so that you can gather up the necessary ingredients needed, and even instructions for their instructions such as how to finely chop or peeling a freshly boiled vegetable.

I have made four recipes from this cart already and I am more than happy with the overall results. Fried chicken, potato gratin, potato salad, and a Lassi yogurt drink. Each one was absolutely delicious. Exceeded all expectations from the first bite. I know I'm supposed to be unbiased when I review a game, but this takes all the guess work out of cooking, and results in meals that the whole family will enjoy, on a regular basis. If nothing else, get it for the Fried Chicken and Potato Salad recipes. The latter of which is so easy, with adult supervision even a toddler could make it, and it still taste good.

Pokemon HG/SS Review Part 2

I know it's been a while since I've posted, but not for lack of trying. Sadly I may have to give up my Yoshi's Island DS review, since the game is a little slow for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, it's a good casual game, but it failed to keep a hold on me long enough to keep up an ongoing review of each world.

Now for why I really came back. Another great addition to the Pokemon family is the new Pokeathlon. Once you make it into Goldenrod City, you can bypass it completely and head straight to National Park. Once there, you can veer off to the left, provided the passage isn't blocked by the story. The meat of this sidequest is that every pokemon you own has a chance to shine here, even pokemon you've JUST hatched from eggs.

The name of the game is a triathlon separated into five categories. Your pokemon compete with others in contests of Power, Speed, Jumping ability, Stamina, and overall Skill. Ten events put four teams of three to the test, from running a relay race, to throwing snowballs, then breaking bricks, and beyond.

How do you make your hatchlings or your veterans monsters in their respective categories? That's another aspect they've upgraded for the game. You remember the apricorns that Kurt uses to make custom pokeballs? Well now you'll receive a juicer to blend them into delicious, performance enhancing juices that will give your pokemon the boost it needs to jump higher, run longer, or crush more.

The way the juicer works is simple. You throw in up to five apricorns and then start running around. You could set up a mix as soon as you get the Apriblender, then go throughout the rest of your Johto adventure. The longer the mix is blending, the better it becomes. But wait, what if you decided you wanted to tweak the flavor a little? As soon as the juice is done, you can add more apricorns and begin the process anew.

Finally there is something for everyone. The main story for those who love to raise and train their pokemon, a minesweeper-esque game for the gamblers, and the pokeathlon for those who can't train, but are great at varied minigames. If you're a fan of pokemon, these titles will not disappoint.

Heart Gold and Soul Silver: A review

Now, for all of you that read the title and thought, "Oh great. He's gonna rant on how awesome/lame the new pokemon games are," you are each sadly mistaken. I am here to deliver an unbiased review and overview of the old and new that these titles offer. Yes, I'll admit I'm somewhat of a Pokemaniac myself, but I can appreciate the games' little nuances that most other rabid fans will overlook.

The first thing, and most obvious, is that this game received a major facelift, both in body and sound.Yes, those who have played Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum already know what to expect graphic-wise, but the sound is the meat of the renovations. The soundtracks are familiar to those who know the Gameboy Color grandparents, but there is a noticeable, somewhat elegant arrangement of the classics, especially with the additional drum riff in the "Wild Pokemon" track.

The next feature that deserves note is the new "Pokewalker" accessory that comes free with the game. After you learn to capture pokemon, the option to send your pokemon to the little device is activated. Anyone remember Pokemon Pikachu? This is practically the same thing, although instead of presents you spend your watts on finding wild pokemon to capture, or rustle through grass to find different items from Potions to Technical Machines and everything in between.
From personal experience, I have even found the Big Pearl and Stardust items while dousing, both items that are virtually useless in training or battles but are worth serious coin when sold to shops.

Possibly the best benefit to using the Pokewalker is obtaining rare pokemon early in the game, as the game treats all captured Pokewalker 'mons as your own. Imagine, having a Magby before you get to Bugzy, or a heavy hitting Kangaskhan to mop up Team Rocket, even before you make it to Violet City? It's possible with this little marvel. My only complaint is that you cannot nickname your Pokewalker additions until you get to Goldenrod and meet the Name Rater.

Overall, I say it's a good addition to the family. Get it if you're feeling nostalgic, or if you're new to the games, and enjoy.

Yoshi's Island DS, part 2

Slogging through world one seems to be an exercise in patience and memorization. Already I've come across puzzles I won't be able to solve until later. I do have a revision to my previous entry, though, as I have learned that you cannot use the Y button to run with Baby Peach. It seems that Baby Mario equips the reptilian protagonist with Running Shoes, whereas Baby Peach has a hold of a parasol that catches the gusts about the island to propel you to new heights.

New things that caught my eye were numerous, including the following:

Kamek isn't pulling any punches this time. He throws a giant Spiny at you from behind the scenes, and if you don't have fleet feet, you might find yourself a little holier than you'd prefer to be. Of course there are friendly animal folk as well, a shame they're ugly as sin...

You're reminded that you need to watch your step in the first fortress, since I've had the unfortunate pleasure of becoming roast dinosaur due to a missed jump. Upon making it to the bosses' lair, I've noticed straight away that there was a duo instead of just the single bouncy brother. Same way to defeat the pair, but a little harder due to it being a tandem effort on the enemy's part.

So far, so good. I think I'll report back after each castle and fortress, to keep the amount of posts manageable.

Game One: Yoshi's Island DS

Since I've gotten a sizable way into a few of the games I will eventually feature, I thought I would start with one I haven't even scratched the surface. Enter the title Yoshi's Island DS.

My first thoughts for this game is, "Will this be a rehash of the SNES classic, have they rebuilt from the ground up, or do they give us the best of both worlds?" I plugged the cartridge into my DSi and fired it up...

The opening cinematic is certainly a big step forward for the classic, taking advantage of the dual screens. And what's this? More babies join the fray? This just might be a huge step up after all.

Level 1-1: not much to expect. But then again, it is the obligatory 'Get your bearings on the controls' introduction level. Not much has really changed other than the fact that you have to make Yoshi run by holding the Y button down. But overall, no real stress. Hardest part was getting the 30 star pieces needed for perfect score.

Level 1-2: Now here's where things get interesting. The first thing that I noticed were little red blocks with 'M's on them. Now what could these be? Since this is the intro level for this mechanic, it's more of a novelty at best. But I'm willing to give this game a chance to pull a hard puzzle out with these little bricks sooner or later.

Underground: Oh hoh? What's this? You can actually change which screen you're on? Now this is a nice new feature! As well as a frustratingly difficult little mini-game where you have to 'float' to the finish. I've made it far enough to get the gold #3 medal.

So far, so good. I'll report back when I scout out even more of Yoshi's Island.

Power On, Press Start...

Ok, this is the first time I've ever tried something like this. It seems simple enough, so let's plug the cartridge into the console, turn the power on, and press Start.