Skyward Sword HD (Switch)

Take me on your Mighty Wings!

Take me on your Mighty Wings Tonight!

Have finished Skyward sword for a third time now. First two being the original release back in 2011. I didn't play through Hero's Mode this time around, mostly because I've got other games to play and there ain't that much to get from it. One difference though is that I didn't 100 % it this time, only missing a heart piece from the Rickety Coster Mini-game since I can't get it to work. You're supposed to finish one of the courses below 65 seconds, and I can't get it. Didn't need that last heart though since if it's something I got better at it seems to use the motions control for the sword. Demise didn't stand a chance. 

Story is that on the day Link becomes a knight Zelda is being thrown to the land below the clouds by a tornado created by the demon lord Ghirahim. Link finds the goddess sword containing the spirit of Fi. At the ground he learns about the Imprisoned, a demonic beast trapped below the sealed ground that try to breaks free. First Link travels to find Zelda, but with the help of Impa she travels back in time to avoid the demons. Link then powers up the goddess sword so it becomes the Master Sword. Then he opens another gate back in time where it turns out that Zelda seals her into a crystal in order to stop the imprisoned to escape in the past. Link then searches for the triforce and uses it to kill the Imprisoned in the present, but as Zelda is awakened in the present Ghirahim appears, kidnaps Zelda and intends to use her in the past to release the Imprisoned. Link fight his way past a horde of moblin and defeats Ghirahim that still is able to summon Demise, the Demon King that was the imprisoned. Link defeats Demise and all is well.

Still fun to play and I have no problem with the motion controls. Graphics are good and the music is really good. Still misses some songs from older games, but now that Breath of the Wild took pretty much most music away I find it even better. Some problems I have with the game I saw already at the original release and that is that the world is really small. Not only do you start with 6 hears (normal is 3 for Zelda games), but two of the hearts are medals you need to equip to gain. No place to stick 8 heart pieces I guess or get two more bosses or give boss status to some apparently free roaming mini-bosses (thinking about the Levias parasite in particular). The temples are fun, and, again, makes me realise how much I miss that in Breath of the Wild. You have certain areas that feels something like that, but there is no Ancient Cistern with its buddhistic theme that makes it really fascinating for example. 

I also like Skyloft, on one hand a bit small, but that makes it better to learn and not feel overwhelming. Since Breath of the Wild 2 is taking place in the sky I hope for a comeback. Overall, I enjoyed it and it was a great summer vacation game with the adventures feel. Gotta find another one now. I also got the special controls and they look really good. Dark blue and purple with gold and red markings. Think I found my new main joycons controlers (help a lot that they won't joy-con drift for a while as well).

Look at the Blue and Purple!

The Adventures of Tintin (Comics, Movies and TV-series)

Tintin and friends.

As of writing it's inbetween my two summer vaccations in 2021 and used the first week to pretty much read all Tintin comics I had bought right before Midsummer. So I got 22 of 24 (or 25 if you count the comic based on Tintin in Shark Lake). Rather fun since it's been years since I read them last and some of them I've never even read. So for the first time I read the very first Tintin-album, Tintin in Soviet and... I can't really say it was worth it. In black and white and not updated to the later style and clearly well before the realism mind-set was put into place so it's rather convenient to just find a diving suit in a soviet prison so that Tintin can escape for example, or how he survives being frozen into an ice statue. Most things are rather absurd and the end is just abrupt since he's on his way to Moscow in a race car he got and crashes into the train back to Brussel so he just goes home to fanfares. 

Couldn't get my hand on Congo and America, but it seems like Congo might be released again during autumn 2021 (a small update, I got it and has the same feel of things just happen without any real end goal just like Soviet). I've read them as a child back home and most people does't value them as highly since they suffer a bit like Soviet since it more things just happens, and not to mention the racism in Congo. No, most people agree that you start with Pharoes Cigars since it's beginning of the classic Tintin template. And it also introduces Dupont and Dupond... (Thomson and Thompson I guess in the english version... and this is way I got the Swedish translations) as well as Rastapopulus. The most fun of the classic albums to read was The Broken Ear since I've never read it before either, but saw it in the Nelvana series and boy does it change a lot. The bomber in San Theodores is gone from Nelvana, more time is spent in the Amazon with a rival tribe and witchdoctor and the bad guys are dragged to hell. Also, people dies like flies in this story and Tintin is in blackface. 

My personal favorites of all the albums is one of the double albums, The Secret of the Unicorn/Treasure of Red Rackham or To the Moon and Back I and II. Depends if I'm more for a pirate story or a sci-fi one with a lot of cool gadgets. Although, one things bother me with these versions, and that is I could have sworn that there was a picture of the Unicorn as a schematic in the album I read as a kid, the same with Carreidas plane in Plane 714 to Sydney, but it isn't in this release. I know the plane exists at least since they show it on the wikipedia page for the album and it seems to be a picture created for a magazine so maybe it's a bit unofficial (although made by Hergés studio). 

Look at those lines!

The last album was the unfinished Alpha Art, and it's hard to judge as well since it is not even halfway done and no notes on completion. I got the unofficial finished version just to see it in colour and the potential ending and it's a bit definite in this version since Rastapopulus finally meets his end and suddenly Tintin has a potential girlfriend in the end. So the series just ends here.

Of course there's a lot of adaptations, like the Belvision series from the 50's and 60's that was dubbed in Swedish mostly in the 70's. We had the Shooting Star and the first part of the Black Island recorded on VHS and was my first introduction to Tintin. I quite like the Shooting Star better in this version actually, first you have the dooms day vibe and chaos in the beginning before the meteor lands in the ocean, then the bad guys of the Perry expedition is really ruthless in this version. In the album they don't shoot at Tintin as he lands on the meteor, but here Tintin and Professor Calculus are saved by the rocks instead (and yes Calculus is part of this episode even though he wasn't introduced until the album afterwards, even the Dupont's have a lot of screen time here even though they don't show up in this album). And the spider is more creepy here, could be the two eyes and how it moves. It feels a bit more action oriented overall. Black Island have the same vibe from at least the episode I watched, and Haddock is crammed in from the start.

Belvisions most important contribution though is probably the film Tintin and Lake of Sharks. Didn't watch it until my family found it in a cheap bargain bin for DVD's and just had to get it. We had the album version of the film as well as an LP with the story. Although I guess those things are better than watching the movie. Although it had the return of the shark submarine, but it doesn't help a rather slow paced movie. Which makes the shorter audio and a more quick paced album the better version. Decent music though. Overall, the Belvisions aren't that great (with exception of the Mysterious Star, but it can be nostalgia). Otherwise watch the Nelvana-series instead, which looks more like the album art, have a better soundtrack, the voices are great and they follow the stories a bit better. The only complaint would be a bit of censoring when it comes to alcohol, and even though the voices are great the Swedish dub has a tendency to use the same voice actors for more roles so when Haddock is the same as Rastapopulos and other side characters, and many of the gags have disappeared in the adaptation (which is rather fair, but still) but they still keeps certain punchlines. For example in the Calcalus Affair where the sales man in the original brings his family and Calcalus mishears Haddock and tells the sales man he has scarlet fever driving him away. Why keep the scarlet fever joke if the punchline of driving the family away isn't there? Other things is much better story wise, for example the japanese agent in the Crab with the Golden Claw that is captured and Tintin find in Carabodjan's hold, making it more personal when the ship is said to have sunk.

Lastly we have the Spielberg and Jackson Hollywood movie... don't like it much. Might have been nice watching in 3D on the big screen, but cutting together several albums like that and make an innocent victim the bad guy is rather irritating. And the 3D-models, they move a bit weird and slow at times. And where is the sequel? It's been 10 years, where's the sequel?

Metroid Fusion (3DS)

The first resurrection of the Metroid-series!

While writing this there have been 1 week since E3 2021 and the news of Metroid 5 aka Metroid Dread have been revealed coming in October 2021. And since there have been the annual Midsummer celebration in Sweden I was back home with my parents so I fired up my 3DS and played through Metroid 4 aka Metroid Fusion to get back in the story as well as brushing up on the gameplay. And I haven't written a review of the game which is surprising as well.

It start as Samus is heading back from SR388, the planet where the Metroids originated from that she eradicated in Metroid: Samus return or Metroid II: Return of Samus. There she is infected by the parasite X and on the way back to a space station in orbit she loses conscious and crashes into an asteroid belt. She somehow is rescued and taken back to the Galactic Federation where they remove the suit and injects her with a Metroid vaccine in order to combat the parasite. She recovers and is sent back to the space station since the Federation have lost contact with it and they fear the X parasite is behind it. She arrives with a new space ship with a new AI that gives her orders during the game. The station is overrun by X parasites and the SA-X, X parasites that have taken the form of Samus Aran from her destroyed suit. 

Samus looks a bit green.

During the course of the game Samus regains her abilities and discovers that the station is actually a Metroid cloning facility to recreate the Metroid and use them for the Federations benefits. Which the X destroys. The AI tries to keep Samus in place until the Federation arrives since they are trying to capture the SA-X as they see potential in it's capabilities. Samus reacts rather poorly at this and scolds the AI, and in frustration calls it Adam, which was the name of the CO she served under while in the Federation (and in Other M, which I've haven't finished yet). Turns out that the AI is based on Adam so that jolt of memory kicks it's old personality into gear and they plan to send the station out of orbit and into the planet to destroy the station and all X parasites before the Federation arrives. A final confrontation with the SA-X and the station is on it's way. While trying to leave Samus is attacked by an Omega Metroid that have been let loose on the station and tries to kill her. The SA-X arrives a final time and tries to fight its mortal enemy the Metroid, but due to the injuries it's killed. Samus absorbs the ice shoot and make short work and escaped the station before it crashes into SR388. The end.

Took me just below 3 hours with 70 % completion. It was the first Metroid game I played and it was originally for the GBA. It was a fun game when I got a hang on it. Didn't like the split areas of the station since they locked you out from time to time until the end when your abilities allowed you to go anywhere. It also was 8 years between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. I got it for GBA, 3DS (through the Ambassador program) and the Wii U. Now, the funny thing with the 3DS version was that I noticed that the screen wasn't properly displayed, part of the top was at the bottom. Some say it's due to larger Micro SD Cards that to be correctly formatted or that it's basically the bad emulation (which I don't think they updated once since I got them). This game is at least passible and at times it looks right when you restart the game. And I also want to notify the records that I was right on the money at Dread being the 10 game as mentioned in Samus Returns as 2D/10, take that!

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd: Argynvostholt

The Great Stone Dragon!

Continuing the adventure they have all met up in the inn. My sisters explain how they ended up in Castle Ravenloft and how they needed to return to the mayors mansion in order to free the captured man and get more knowledge about what's going on in the house. Katrina and Cygnus in their turn tell them about the festival that descended into chaos when one guard was about to be arrested for laughing at the pitiful experience, but pretty much was saved as Rictavios circus tiger was set loose. Which Cygnus and Katrina had to help so that also could escape. They followed Rictavio to to Van Richten's Tower (which frankly is a stupid name for the tower since he's supposed to be incognito and it should have the name of wizard that built it which also keeps the information away from the players when they look at the map). There they aid Van Richten (who know reveals himself) and Ezmeralda in fighting off a pack of werewolves (which is the werewolves the members of the Silverhawks have been searching for). They beat them and then return back to the inn and the story intersects again.

So they decide that next morning they visit the mayor's house again, that is in turmoil since someone have attacked their son in the attic. Which allows them to do a proper investigation of the scene, but most things have disappeared, probably due to the son having removed the evidence. My sisters hints that it might have been the Wachter family, that the mayor instantly jumps on it. With that they leave, leaving the imprisoned man there since they still need to keep a low profile, so they head to Van Richten's Tower instead. They are able to figure out the trick to open the door and climbs to the top and then heads out again. Nothing else to do they head toward the Argonvostholt, the destroyed home of the Order of the Silver Dragon.

They arrive and begin going from room to room. They avoid the spiders in the damaged part of the mansion, they find an injured elf that was looking for a girl that have disappeared from the Vistani camp, and they are haunted by strange visions and unknown entities stalking the corridors. A curtain closes every time they open it, they see the vision of the lord of Argonvolthost, whispers from the dragon is heard and they even saw a vision of Ismarks decapitated head. They also meet the revenants of the knights that were part of the order of the Silver Dragon. They learn about the destruction of the mansion and the stolen skull of Argonvolt, the silver dragon. One of the Revenants is sir Godfrey Gwilym that decides to join them (as foretold in the card reading), which the other revenants at the table agree to keep it a secret from the commander. As they prepare to leave a black carriage appear with an invitation to dinner at Castle Ravenloft with the lord himself. They all get in and of it goes toward maybe the final confrontation.

I'm thinking about holding a little dinner at the castle next time. They arrive at midday and meet Strahd posing as Strahd IX and let them settle in a bit, maybe trying to explore until 20:00 and dinner is served. So maybe we will end this campaign and continue in another. I assume they would like Dragon Heist since they really started liking the emporium idea, and what better place to continue that thread with a treasure of  500 000 gold?

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (Sega Mega Drive)

 

How gracious of them to show the furthest kids mostly will get.

Continued going through the games stored at my parents place, and the Sega Mega Drive games are all mine so at least no one else is nabbing them (like one of my sisters that gotten.... or more correctly taken our N64 games).  I guess I got Mickey Mania for being a Disney kid, and it looks fantastic and the music is really memorable, especially since it is rather long time ago since I played it and when the different stages came around I still could hum with it. Or at least as far as I got, cause as usual with these Disney games, the difficulty spikes goes through the roof and probably to cover up the fact that these are rather short games. 

So basically modern Mickey Mouse is travelling through time to rescue his past selves from their adventures. Sadly there is no overarching plot like Pete have done something that needs fixing. It just that you start at Steamboat Willy and goes through up to 1990 when the latest Mickey cartoon was released, which was The Prince and the Pauper. The game was released in 1994 and seems to be promotional material for a new Mickey cartoon that was released in 1995, and a belated attempt to release it for Mickey's 65 birthday in 1993. 

The furthest I got was Mickey and the Beanstalk from Fun and Fancy Free, which was the second to last level. Usually got killed by the spider at the segment before entering the giant Willy's castle. I think that had to be due to my arachnophobia, no problem today, but as a kid falling into a dark room, not registering the shadow and turning up the light and standing before a spider and the boss theme kicking in doesn't help me as much. So now I got past that, and kid me would probably never have handled the last level, with a lot of insta-kill moments like drowning if you  don't get that you gotta pump up a bath ring so that you can float to the top of a pit, climb a burning tower where a lot of enemies stand and shoots at you that you need to hit with marbles that are limited and you start with zero if you die. Of course, with time you could probably get past it, like how I played through the Lonesome Ghost stage (hate the damn water barrels part of it) and the Mad Doctor stage (the damn autoscroller part). Never found the hidden Band Camp stage.

I assume it's a black widow?

The game is a bit short and it would have been nice with maybe a stage from Fantasia or Mickey's Christmas Carol, making the jump from 1947 to 1990 not so empty. Plus if it was just a little longer maybe they would have toned down the difficulty. It was pretty much released for everything back in the day, Mega Drive, Mega CD, Playstation and SNES, but most seems to think SNES is a bit inferior since it's missing the bonus stage and such. You can get the Playstation version as a Playstation classic, which I also got, but I find the playstation 3 controller not being that good. Also, it comes up in Maui Mallard as well, why don't you get back your life on a new stage? It's a bit punish surviving a boss with a sliver of health and be thrown into the next dangerous stage. But, hey, kids need to toughen up I guess.