First Archimpressions: Kid Icarus: Uprising

 The stand is awesome. Just awesome.

 So, Kid Icarus returns and... it's pretty nice. Graphically, it's incredible, having Pit soaring through some amazing backdrops... And the banter between Palutena and Pit is incredibly funny. It also plays very smoothly, and 3D makes it better, it really does. Then Pit hits the ground.... The on-foot sections are very meh. The controls don't help, Dashing, Dodginga and Walking are all done with the analog nub, so it can get pretty unwieldy. More than once I found my self attack-dashing instead of meleeing due to the nature of the movement. It didn't get me killed, but I like doing melee moves. Dodging can get pretty annoying sometimes.
 So yeah, one half of the game is really good, and the other is hampered by the controls. On another note, while the stand is just a piece of plastic, it's a very nice item, it can even stand on a bed.

First Archimpressions: Nintendo 3DS

 I'm just gonna transcribe my notes, taken in my cel!, as just to have my very FIRST impressions...

 Nice size. Not liking the DPad placement, but it makes sense since the main movement control is now the analog nub. The nub is alright. Love all the minigame, extras and gadgets included by default. Battery life is short as ****. L and R buttons feel much better, though I keep pressing R by accident!. On the lower edges, at the back, there are a couple of bumps for who know what, eventually they grind into the fingers. Not cool.

 The Internet Browser is a godsend. Why would I use the 3DS as an Internet Browser? Try travelling abroad without a computer. It may not load videos, but it's very serviceable.

Progress Report: 7/18/13

 I'm back! Also bought a 3DS and games. Sadly, I finished some of those, so it's kinda late for "First Archimpressions", but I will review them(Star Fox 64 3DS and Tekken Prime). Kid Icarus can be First Impression'd since I'm barely into stage 3.
 I also bought comics, many comics. I will try my hand at reviewing them laters.
 Gotta run, tah tah!

First Archimpressions: Spartacus Legends

 AKA Gladiator Manager 2013.

 Spartacus Legends is a Free to play fighting game based on the show of the same name(Minus the legends part). Actually, it's based on the first season of the series, Blood and Sand, as it's all about the Gladiators. Fights are fought one on one, and the fighting feels a bit... loose. Moves come up fast, and every now and then the action slows down, like the show, which is kinda cool.
 You don't create your Gladiator however, instead you buy them at the streets, as slaves. Better slaves are more expensive, and eventually you'll be able to get "Legendary" gladiators from the show, like Crixus. Although there's no Create-a-Gladiator, you do choose their equipment, all which must be bought. Money is easy to come by, as you earn it even if you lose a battle, and you get some free gold(The real money currency) too.
 The graphics are pretty alright, and some of the executions are downright gruesome, fitting for a Spartacus game. Armors and stages are based on their counterpart on the TV series, which is really cool. Even some of the movements are reminicent of moves from the series.
 All in all, it's an average game, nothing too astounding, yet a decent time waster.

Archview #38: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

  It's really good, despite its use and abuse of motion controls.

  Skyward Sword is the latest(To this day!) Zelda game, and the last one to grace the Wii. Like most other Zelda games, it's an action-adventure game in which you play as Link, the hero chosen by destiny. As one of the last games made by Nintendo for the Wii, it tried to make the most of the Motion Plus technology, to arguably mixed results.
 First of all, yes, motion controls are used everywhere, from riding your Bird, balancing over thin ropes and free falling to swimming, heck, all the sub items use motion controls. Do they work? Yeah, mostly, but there's a huge learning curve. Sword fighting in particular may take you a while to get used to it, it's not really 1:1, and you need to get used to thing's like recoil, lest the game registers one huge motion as two. Regardless, Swimming will always feel quite clunky, sadly, it's a shame they felt the need to incorporate moton controls everwhere, even to throwing items.

 Chronologically, this game takes place before every other Zelda games, and tells of the origins of the Master Sword and other trademarks of the series. This time, there's no Hyrule, instead, Link lives in the town of Skyloft, a town that lies above the skies, due to the Goddess Hylia sending it skyward in order to protect her people from harm, thousand of years before. In this town, every citizen has a partner bird, which they use to ride. This time, Link is being trained as a Skyloft Knight, in an academy, where he is a childhood friend of Zelda. For the first time in Zelda history, Link and Zelda actually share a very deep relationship, which is why him going through all these hardships in order to save her is so much more believable.

 The skies act as the overworld, using your bird to traverse them, but most of the dungeons lie below the clouds. There are three distinct zones, accessed through the sky, that besides having their own theme( Farore's woods, Eldin's volcano and Lanayru's dessert) each has their own gimmicks. A disconnected world is a bit of a departure from the other console Zelda's, but I didn't mind it much, since it made sense inside the context of the game.

 Throughout his adventure, Link will come across many items that serve as sub weapons or equipables. Some of these, like Shields and the bow, can be upgraded in Skyloft by collecting various materials found on the lands below the clouds. Gathering materials and insects can be quite fun, however every time you reset the game, the "Got a new item plus description" scene plays every time you pick up an item of a kind for the first time, which will become quite annoying. Upgrading items, however, is a great new addition, you can even empower potions and add more effects. Given this new mechanics, you'll also notice that money is way more plentiful than in other Zelda games.
 Another new addition is the Stamina gauge. It's a bit of a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of thing. Sprinting is a great idea, and it consuming the Stamina gauge? Fair. But other actions are now governed by the same gauge, like pushing blocks or carrying some items, that's not so fun. Then there is dowsing. Many times during the game, you will have to dowse, point at the TV screen and search for a glowing target, and find the source. It's not engaging nor interesting, and it's very overused throught the whole adventure.

 Visually, it's fantastic. It's not as brown and washed out as Twilight Princess, but it's also not as overly cartoony as Wind Waker, it's probably my favorite look of the series yet. Characters, from the NPCs to Link himself, are extremely expressive in their facial expressions and body animations, pretty impressive actually. Most dungeons are also a visual treat, having some of the most visually appealing dungeons in the series yet, like the Cistern. Soundtrack has a very epic feel to it, and you might run across some familiar tunes. Sadly, like the other Zelda games, there's no voice acting. I don't mind reading, but this game could've benefited from Voice acting, but then again, the animations help convey the feelings of the characters perfectly.
 The game lasts a solid 30 plus hours, with many items for the player to find. After beating the game you unlock Hero Mode, which makes it harder. This would probably be my favorite Zelda, had it not been for the use and abuse of the motion controls, and to be fair, sometimes moving Link himself feels a bit clunky, lining up jumps can sometimes be a bit harder than it should. Regardless, it's a pretty good game, you just need to get the hang of the Swordplay in order to fully enjoy it.
 8 out of 10.

First Archimpressions: Samurai Warriors 3

 Skyward Sword is done, review coming up soon!

 Wow this game is slow. So yeah, with DW 7 still fresh in my mind, this game is soooo slow, but after getting over the hump, it ain't that bad. I've but played two of Kato's story missions and dabbled a bit in character edit, and so far it's pretty alright. So yeah, it's fun, but nothing makes it stand out from the other warriors games. The Gundam warriors are very fast paced, and look very flashy. Hokuto Musou is slow, but it feels very heavy and it's quite violent. Samurai Warriors is... a reskined DW game, basically, althought it has some tweaks to the formula, but nothing game changing.
 The presentations is alright too. Graphics are quite decent, models remind me of Onimusha(A good thing), and I didn't notice much slowdown, the music on the other hand... While Dynasty Warriors' upbeat music makes you wanna crush giant armies, this music is too... tame in comparison. Ah, lest I forget, I love the menus, the art is fantastic, kinda wish they went with that instead of the CG renders on the character select screen!

Progress Report 7/1/2013

 Status:

 Another month, another monday, another report.
 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: 14 hours in, I'm making steady progress, and I'm loving the living S... out of it. Also, I think I finally got over the hump and the motion controls no longer pose as much a challenge as they once did. They are still annoying mind you, but they don't get in the way so much. I assume I'll finish it this week?

 Kirby's Epic Yarn: It's alright. I mean, I'd have prefered a normal Kirby game, but that's just me. Since I'm Co-oping it with my sister, it might be a while 'till I finish it.

 Next: Once I'm done with Kirby, I'll tackle Donkey Kong Returns in Co-op, and after Zelda comes Samurai Warriors 3. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 just you wait, I will finish you before this year is over, I swear it on my honor.