New trailer for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds sheds light on plot and characters

A new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds has emerged, and seeks to explain some of the plot of the latest installment of Nintendo's beloved adventure series. It seems a world parallel to Hyrule, aptly named Lorule, will be key to the game's story, as resident Princess Hilda (opposite Princess Zelda) apparently has need of Link's heroics. We see a few familiar locations from A Link to the Past, such as the Master Sword's pedestal and the church, as well as more footage of some of the game's new dungeons. We also get a few decent shots of a character who we can presume to be the game's main villain, an individual clad in dark robes and wielding a magical staff. Most notable is the fact that this character has red hair, much like Link's most nefarious nemesis, Ganondorf. However, the beginning of A Link to the Past states that the Ganondorf of that timeline lost his human form and was forever transformed into the beast Ganon. And seeing as Link defeated Ganon at the end of A Link to the Past, it seems unlikely that this character is in fact Ganondorf/Ganon. However, considering that Zelda has a counterpart in Lorule, it is possible that Ganondorf/Ganon might also have a counterpart from this new world. Lorule's villain invading Hyrule would actually make a lot of sense in setting up the story and the literal link between worlds.

Super Smash Bros. E3 reveal + roster and stage predictions

Nintendo revealed the new Smash Bros. at E3, and while I felt the expo as a whole was rather lackluster in comparison to previous years, the Smash Bros. reveal was certainly one of the highlights for me. I’ve never been real big on the Megaman games, but after Brawl opened the doors to non-Nintendo characters, I had a feeling the blue bomber might be a good fit for the series. Apparently, Nintendo, Capcom, and Namco all felt the same way.

As for the other two new fighters to be revealed, the Animal Crossing Villager looks a solid addition, if not a pretty basic fighter (perhaps the whole idea behind his inclusion is to present another balanced, easy-to use character like Mario). I was by no means surprised that many of his attacks saw him making use of tools like the axe and bug net, but I did get a chuckle out of his moves. As for the other big reveal, the Wii Fit Trainer, I found it downright hilarious, and in the best way possible. Her reveal trailer was just plain goofy, and based on her crazy moves that were shown off, I think ‘over-the-top and silly’ is the whole theme of her character.

When Nintendo first announced the partnership with Namco to bring players a new Smash Bros. title, they stated that the number of fighters on the roster was not likely to increase, but that some of the fighters at players’ disposal certainly would. From the E3 reveal, we know of twelve confirmed fighters, which are as follows:

- Mario
- Link
- Donkey Kong
- Samus
- Fox
- Kirby
- Pikachu
- Pit
- Bowser
- Animal Crossing Villager
- Wii Fit Trainer
- Megaman

The Brawl roster contained thirty-five fighters, which (assuming this number is to remain the same) leaves twenty-three spots open. Personally, I expect most (if not all) of the clone characters to be dropped, while I expect them to keep all of the fighters from the original Smash Bros. – Captain Falcon, Ness, Jigglypuff, Luigi, and Yoshi. Luigi, while technically a clone character of Mario, is such a huge part of Nintendo’s brand image, and I can’t imagine them dropping him for any reason. Plus, his new moves in Brawl set him and Mario a little further apart from one another. While I didn’t expect Mr. Game & Watch's debut in Melee to be more than a cute bit of nostalgia from Nintendo, he made a return to Brawl, and I expect he will be back for this next installment, along with Zelda, Olimar (representing the soon-to-be-released Pikmin 3), Ice Climbers, and at least one of the Fire Emblem characters. Considering SEGA’s good relationship with Nintendo and their upcoming Wii U exclusive Sonic Lost World, I’d say their blue hedgehog mascot will almost undoubtedly return to the fight too.

Assuming all of those predictions prove true, that would leave us with twelve free spots. So then the question is, who is left to fill them? Going solely off what was shown in the reveal trailer, there were two stages that really caught my attention. The first was a boxing ring, which had the Smash Bros. logo displayed in the center. It’s entirely possible that this is a brand new original Smash Bros. stage (much like Battlefield and Final Destination), but I wonder if it isn’t the home stage of Punch-Out protagonist Little Mac. The second was the Skyloft stage from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Link’s appearance still seems to be based largely off his Twilight Princess counterpart, but he has a slightly different look than he did in Brawl. His tunic and the belts that run across his chest bear a striking resemblance to his Skyward Sword design (even though he does not bear any cel-shading), while his face is more angular and his nose slightly more pointed (again, much like Skyward Sword’s Link, or even Ocarina of Time’s). If this new look is in fact a nod to Skyward Sword, I think there is a decent chance that Ghirahim could replace Ganondorf on the roster. He’d certainly offer up a significantly different play style and would remove one of the clone characters in the process.

As for the stages shown between both the 3DS and Wii U versions, we can confirm the following:

- Battlefield (Smash Bros. series)
- Spirit Train (The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks)
- Skyloft (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
- Smashville (Animal Crossing)
- Dr. Wily's Castle (Mega Man series)
- Nintendogs
- A new Mario Bros. stage (that highlighted spiked pillars in the water)

We also saw snippets of a few other stages, but not enough to be certain as to what series they are representing. Here are my ideas on the four:

- Valley with a waterfall (possibly Gerudo Valley from Ocarina of Time)
- Indoor colosseum of sorts (possibly from Fire Emblem or a new original Smash Bros. stage)
- Boxing/wrestling arena (possibly from Punch-Out or a new original Smash Bros. stage)
- Spinning stone wheel in a forest/jungle (possibly from Donkey Kong Country Returns)

I expect we’ll gradually learn more in the months leading up to this new Smash Bros. release. Maybe these exclusivity deals between Nintendo and Platinum Games will see the inclusion of someone from the Wonderful 101 as well? It seems like and appropriate fit for the franchise. As for me, I’m still hoping and praying that they put in Travis Touchdown.

Mewth24's Smash Bros. 4 wishlist - part three

Now comes the part of this series where I talk about the stages where the fighting will actually take place. Keep in mind that some of the new stages I would ultimately like to see are dependent on the inclusion of the characters I previously mentioned in my roster wishlist. Most of the following points are simply arguments I wish to make about the design of a few stages from previous Smash Bros. titles as a collective.

Personally, I've always been a fan of stages that include environmental hazards and moving platforms. I know not everyone is a fan of these, and there are some that I feel are more enjoyable to play and just plain better designed than others. I certainly don't hate Melee's Rainbow Cruise, but it requires that you constantly be on the move, which is obnoxious in comparison to the breaks between vehicles in Big Blue that require you pay attention to your footing. I could certainly see a Sin and Punishment stage designed after the second level of that game, where the characters are stable on a platform that moves about the armada of ships, in a style not unlike past Star Fox levels or even Brawl's Battleship Halberd. A few standstill cannons or other methods for the stage to fire upon players in the midst of a skirmish makes fights all the more entertaining.

That said, I realize that many players prefer the standard stages with a few platforms and zero influence from the environment itself. Battlefield's design is tried and true, and even Shadow Moses proved relatively tame with little more than destructible towers on either side of the stage. Again, I enjoy these stages, and I feel that Nintendo has delivered a solid balance between the standard stages and those with environmental hazards in each Smash Bros. release. However, there are a handful of stages that I find incredibly annoying due to their size and layout. Specifically, I'm talking about Hyrule Temple and New Pork City. It is true that there are other stages in Melee that are quite large, like Fourside and Brinstar Depths. But the former is rather open and the latter constantly rotates, discouraging players from sticking to one spot. Hyrule Temple, however, is a stage that - due to its design incorporating platforms, a tunnel, and pillars for players to hide behind - caters primarily to campers and cowards. The whole point of a four-player fighting game is for the matches to be frenetic, and designing a stage with so many hiding spots/escape routes removes this fun factor. On the other hand, New Pork City seems to have been designed as some sort of successor to Fourside, but the stage is in fact so large that once characters spread out far enough it becomes difficult to track one's own character.

The option to construct your own stages in Brawl was a really neat and unexpected inclusion on Nintendo's part. However, there were only so many pieces allotted and a limited number of ways to place them on a stage. While the stage builder should be retained, Nintendo can certainly do a lot more with it. Aside from new pieces, they could include both new color palettes/themes for the environments (as Brawl only had three to choose from) and the ability to include timed environmental hazards (like the lava spouting forth in Norfair and) or slight/temporary changes in the stage's design (like the extra floating platform that shows up from time to time in Smashville).

With regards to the story modes/single player experience, Subspace Emissary was a great way to springboard off Melee's Adventure Mode. Though it did not feature a perfectly crafted story, a game like Super Smash Bros. does not necessarily need one, as the experience is meant to cater to fans of all Nintendo franchises. Keeping the story simple, yet still creative and fun is great, while offering up the option to revisit Classic Mode caters to fans of the original Super Smash Bros. Boss Battle Mode was quite fun and carried a decent challenge factor, while Home Run Derby and Multi-Man Brawl were only altered slightly from their previous iterations. I can really only complain about All-Star Mode, in that it lost some of its challenge factor during the transition from Melee Brawl. The game did not spawn new foes fast enough during the matches where you were to take on three or four opponents, and not a single one of them felt overly powerful, even on the harder difficulty settings.

Now comes the issue that many a Smash Bros. fan has debated over since Brawl's release: what to do with the Final Smash moves? Personally, I like the idea of Final Smashes from a conceptual stage - they make matches more exciting as players scramble to grab them and simultaneously attempt to keep one another from reaching them. However, they are incredibly unbalanced in Brawl. Pit's Final Smash is basically unavoidable, and will instantly kill most anyone on screen, regardless of how much damage they have already taken. Meanwhile, R.O.B. and Donkey Kong have very underwhelming attacks that can only gain a moderate range and deal relatively little damage in comparison to everyone else. Assuming Nintendo is going to keep the Final Smashes at all, they need to be evened out - either everyone gets an instant K.O. move, or they simply get a temporary power-up of some sort. Frankly I'm more inclined toward the latter. While a tussle over Final Smashes that instantly clear the stage of fellow fighters would be fun for a while, I think many players would ultimately get fed up with them and simply turn said items off. However, a temporary invincibility (ala Ghirahim's ultimate form, which I mentioned in the previous part of this series) or limited use of a powerful attack (ala Travis Touchdown's tiger form) would allow the strategic element to be retained and decrease the likelihood that players become flat out frustrated with matches. If Nintendo decides to completely remove the Final Smashes, it would not completely alienate players - there were two games prior to Brawl that functioned well without them. But I think that Nintendo and Namco could really make the experience fun and fresh by toning down these Final Smashes and evening them out.

Mewth24's Smash Bros. 4 wishlist - part two

Let's assume that all of the characters I mentioned in the last post end up getting removed: Wolf, Ganondorf, Toon Link, Lucas, Wario, Diddy Kong, Lucario, R.O.B., and one of the Kirby characters. This would open nine spots on the roster. Mind you, what follows here is my own personal wishlist, and is not necessarily a representation of what the greater Smash Bros. fanbase might want. However, I do have reasons as to why each of these characters would make for a good fit on a Smash Bros. roster.

As I mentioned last time, there seems to be a trend with the Smash Bros. games altering their presentations of certain characters with their most recent releases - more specifically, I made mention of the Legend of Zelda games, and how Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf's appearances have changed from one game to the next. If the next Smash Bros. game were to adopt a Skyward Sword aesthetic, there's a good possibility that Ghirahim would make an appearance in place of Ganondorf. In Skyward Sword, Ghirahim's tactics relied heavily on swordplay and firing small projectiles. In one of the game's most important cutscenes, he was shown to be capable of erecting a barrier for a brief period of time, and he is also capable of teleporting short distances (which could be integrated as either a jump move or an over+B move). Finally, Ghirahim alters his physical form over the course of the game, making his arms more durable, which could be included as a time-limited move to grant him greater defensive and offensive prowess. Assuming Nintendo wants to keep Final Smash moves in Smash Bros. 4, Ghirahim could either be granted temporary invincibility via his final form seen at the end of Skyward Sword, or (going the more overpowered route) be able to summon the imprisoned for a brief period, allowing the beast to stomp about the stage.

Though Earthbound is probably the game most fans of Smash Bros. are least intimately familiar with due to how difficult it is to come by nowadays, I applaud Nintendo for attempting to better represent the Earthbound/Mother series in Brawl. As I mentioned in the previous part, I felt Lucas' inclusion was entirely unnecessary, but I would love to see another character worked into Smash Bros. 4 - preferably one who has a strikingly different moveset from Ness. Jeff appeared in Brawl as an assist trophy and shot off fireworks, and I think his reliance on weapons could make for a very interesting contrast to Ness' PSI abilities. Admittedly, I'm not nearly as familiar with Earthbound as I am with most other Nintendo franchises, but I think including at least one other character from the game that offers something different from what Ness is capable of would make for a more interesting and diverse roster.

Though I think the Pokémon series is well represented through the presence of Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and the Pokémon Trainer, I would not be surprised if Lucario's spot on the roster is opened up in order to make room for yet another Pokémon. Though Mewtwo and Lucario represent psychic and fighting types respectively, their body types and size are similar, and they even share a few similar moves. A Generation V Pokémon who would fit well with this trend is Zoroark, a dark type famous for his ability to create illusions and mask himself as other Pokémon (and even people, as seen in Pokémon Black 2/White 2). N's Zorua/Zoroark was relatively important to the plot of Black 2/White 2, and he was the first Generation V Pokémon to be officially revealed. Granting him the ability to temporarily disguise himself as opponents (which would either wear off after a short period of time or after he were to take enough damage) as well as a few dark type attacks would allow him to follow the trend established by Mewtwo and Lucario as a mostly close-quarters fighter with a few ranged attacks. At the same time, the sixth generation of Pokémon games will be released by October of this year, so it is entirely possible (perhaps even more likely) that this spot would be filled by a Pokémon representing the new games.

Nintendo has a history of including one or two characters per Smash Bros. game that have not been in any major retail release in quite a few years. In the original Smash Bros., this was Samus Aran, whose only appearance on the N64 was in said beat-'em-up game. Melee saw the return of Mr. Game & Watch and the Ice Climbers, while Brawl revamped Pit. Keeping with the trend of incorporating NES-era characters into Smash Bros. (whether as a teaser for upcoming revival projects or simply for nostalgic purposes) Balloon Fighter trophies, stickers, and music have all previously appeared in Smash Bros. titles, and the incorporating of the game's main character would prove interesting, to say the least. Some of these NES classic characters have a tendency to control unusually, like the Ice Climbers operating as two characters under the control of a single player, and designing the Balloon Fighter as a highly agile fighter with little in the way of defense would add an extra degree of challenge for those seeking it. Sometimes the strategies used by more competitive Smash Bros. players are largely dependent on the unorthodox characters in the roster.

While I did say that I do not expect Wario to make a return, I do feel that the WarioWare games are sort of unsung heroes among Nintendo franchises and ought to be represented in Smash Bros. 4. Kat and Ana are two ninjas who could effectively operate in a similar fashion as the Ice Climbers, with one player controlling two characters, though they would be angled toward quick strikes and offense more than defense. On the other hand, 9-Volt would fit in better with the standard weight class and could dish out a variety of moves inspired by retro Nintendo games, as is his calling card in the WarioWare titles.

Capcom is well-known for making tons of crossover fighting games, as well as notorious in the video game community for their habit of making a buck off of everything possible, earning them the moniker "Cashcom". Regardless, Megaman is a hero familiar to many an owner of Nintendo consoles, and carries a similar aesthetic appeal as many of the fun and colorful Nintendo mascots. He's already seen plenty of skirmishes across other fighting games, so adding him to a Smash Bros. roster would not require much work. Throw in one of his more powerful abilities gained from a Robot Master as his Final Smash and the blue bomber would fit right in.

Travis Touchdown, on the other hand, would be a bit more bold an inclusion. His crude nature and explicit language would have to be toned down for any appearance in Smash Bros., which is just as well since few of the characters spend much time speaking anyways. However, there are still plenty of clever ways his comedic nature could be retained for a story-driven mode like Subspace Emissary: his habit of picking his nose, his sometimes cynical nature, and his general goofy behavior as an outwardly awkward otaku. His collection of beam katanas would provide him with a variety of attacks - Blood Berry providing decent range and acting as his standard means of attack, the Rose Nasty slicing up, down, and all around in a series of consecutive swings, and the Tsubaki Mk-II carrying out a slow but powerful up+B/down+B smash move as Travis leaps up and forward to slam its multiple beam blades into a foe below him. His grabbing a foe could be followed up with one of his many wrestling moves to inflict further damage, though at the cost of leaving him open to attack from others for a few seconds. As for his Final Smash, the most logical answer would be to allow him temporary transformation into Tiger form to inflict significant damage on the other fighters. Though the No More Heroes games do not have as strong a following as many of the other series currently incorporated into the Smash Bros. series, it does have a highly devoted fanbase, and there are plenty of people who would love to see Travis Touchdown make an appearance, even if only for one game.

In order to present a rounded experience, the characters I have presented thus far would have to be offset with the inclusion of a couple of slower characters. In the past, the tradition has been to couple heavy characters with slower motions, but I think having at least one character break from that play style would not be a bad thing. I know some other Smash Bros. fans would like to see Bowser Jr. included, and while I can honestly say that I'm not opposed to the idea of having a small and slow-moving character, I feel that the Mario series is well-represented as is, and I think Namco and Nintendo could do even better by including a strange combination: a standard weight character who moves around the stage at a rather slow jog/run, has an even balance of ranged and close-quarters moves, and whose jump moves are quite limited. Specifically, I am talking about Saki and Airan from Sin and Punishment, a title that was, until its Virtual Console release, a Japanese-exclusive. I suggest the developers include either Saki or Airan, but not both (again, for the sake of avoiding clone characters). It would not be the first time the Smash Bros. series has catered to fans of a series that has seen limited release in the U.S. - Melee included Marth and Roy before the Fire Emblem games really caught on stateside, while Lucas is from Mother 3, which never saw a U.S. release.

There would also need to be at least one more slow and heavy character to balance the experience. I don't have one specific character in mind, but I do feel there are certain franchises that are underrepresented. For Donkey Kong, this character could be K. Rool, a character that many other fans have asked for in the past. His variety of combat methods across the Donkey Kong games would open up plenty of options with regards to his moveset. Samurai Goroh of F-Zero has had cameos in both Melee and Brawl via trophies, stickers, and even an assist trophy. Meanwhile, Fire Emblem's Hector could focus almost entirely on heavy close-range swings of his axe, while the weight of both this weapon and his armor would limit his jumping and speed.

The third installment of this series will focus on the gameplay at large. There are a few alterations I would like to see with regards to how the different game modes are handled and the difficulty factor that accompanies them. I also have a few ideas on how to handle stages in the future - no drastic changes, but a few complaints that I have about a handful of stage designs. And of course, I couldn't properly cover Smash Bros. without giving my own input on the topic of the Final Smash moves.

Mewth24's Smash Bros. 4 wishlist - part one

With the next entry into the Super Smash Bros. series currently in development, I decided it was time to make my own wishlist regarding what changes I would like to see in the fourth game. The game is being developed by Namco, with Nintendo still being heavily involved in the process. At this time, Namco has said that they are hesitant to include characters from any of their own games (Tekken, Pac-Man, etc.). This likely stems from the fact that the Tekken games are much different fighting games that the Smash Bros. titles, and there is no doubt a challenge in trying to sell new, non-Nintendo characters in a game that is all about the Nintendo brand. However, Smash Bros. Brawl opened the door to newcomers Sonic and Snake, characters owned by SEGA and Konami, respectively, and I think it is certainly possible that other non-Nintendo combatants could enter the ring in Smash Bros. 4.

One thing that was made clear by Namco shortly after they announced their involvement with Smash Bros. 4 was that the roster size would likely not be changing from Smash Bros. Brawl's thirty-five playable characters. So we can assume is that there will be at least a few characters that will not be returning for the next game, in order to make room for new fighters. I think the first fighters to be cut would be the clone characters, which have been a point of contest among fans since the release of Smash Bros. Melee. Clone characters are defined as characters whose move set is strikingly similar to another fighter, though their weight, speed, and offensive/defensive capabilities may differ. For example, Falco is a lighter and faster clone character of Fox, while Ganondorf is a slower and heavier clone character of Captain Falcon. Frankly, I was rather surprised that Falco made the cut for Smash Bros. Brawl - despite how much I enjoy playing as him, he didn't seem all that different in the third game, and the inclusion of Wolf made me question just how necessary it was to keep Falco around. I don't know that I am convinced that Falco will be cut from Smash Bros. 4, due to his popularity in the fanbase, but I can't imagine that Wolf will return. If Falco does make a comeback, I think his moveset will likely be reworked to some degree, and hopefully (assuming Namco chooses to keep the Final Smash moves in the fourth game) his Final Smash will be different from Fox's (I'll get into my thoughts on Final Smash moves in greater detail later on).

Though Falco's return is a matter I am still on the fence about, there are a few characters I highly doubt will return: Wolf, Ganondorf, Toon Link, Lucas, Wario, and Diddy Kong. The first four characters are clone characters. Wolf, Toon Link, and Lucas are easily the least necessary fighters in Smash Bros. Brawl, and perhaps even in all of Smash Bros. history. Their movesets are too similar to the characters they are cloned from - even Young Link from Melee had fire arrows to set him apart from Adult Link. Meanwhile, Toon Link is simply there to cater to fans of the Wind Waker aesthetic. Lucas' moves are almost identical to Ness', with one or two slight discrepancies. The same could be said for Luigi in relation to Mario. However, I can't imagine Nintendo approving the removal of such an iconic mascot of their flagship series. While Wario and Diddy Kong both presented something new and unorthodox to the experience, they seem like characters who would be difficult to build upon in future releases, and I feel they will be one-hit wonders in the same fashion as Dr. Mario was in Melee. With Pikmin 3 just around the corner and Kid Icarus: Uprising still fresh in people's memories, it's only smart for Nintendo to keep Olimar and Pit in the mix. That said, I think Pit is easily the most unbalanced character in Smash Bros. history, due to his insane knack for recovering from falls and ridiculously overpowered Final Smash, and needs to be reworked significantly before the fourth game releases.

The Zelda characters tend to represent whichever Zelda game is most recent. With any Zelda WiiU news currently far off, it seems likely that the next Smash Bros. would include a Skyward Sword Link, as the original Smash Bros. and Melee both featured Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask Link(s), and Brawl featured Twilight Princess Link. Zelda's presentation would be drastically different if she were to adopt a Skyward Sword look, so it may also be possible that the Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess looks may simply come in the form of alternate colors/costumes, while the movesets remain largely unchanged. However, Ganondorf is not in Skyward Sword - instead, the role of primary villain falls on the shoulders of Ghirahim, who would make for a very different and interesting fighter, due to his reliance on projectiles, his sword, and his highly durable arms.

Two characters that I think have a slim chance of returning are Lucario and R.O.B. Lucario will probably be swapped in the same manner that Mewtwo was (though I don't understand why Mewtwo was dropped in the first place; I thought he was a great Pokémon to add to the roster). The question is, with the Pokémon Trainer being introduced in Brawl, will Lucario be replaced by another Pokémon or someone entirely different? I feel that R.O.B. will likely follow the same path as Wario and Diddy Kong, but I never expected Mr. Game & Watch to return after Melee, so I can't be too sure on this one. Meanwhile, I expect only one of the newcomers from Dreamland to return, not both. Dedede is more or less a heavy-hitter version of Kirby, while Meta Knight is a light defensive close-quarters variant. Meta Knight's unusual flight patterns and style of attack make him a more likely candidate for dismissal, but Dedede is a more direct clone of Kirby.

In the next part of this series, I will present my own personal wishlist of characters. I doubt that all of these characters will match up with those most-requested by fans, but I have arguments prepared as to why each character would make a solid entry among long-lasting fighters like Mario and Pikachu.

Halo 4 speculation - The Didact and The Precursors

With only two weeks left until the release of Halo 4, I thought I would go ahead and explore one part of the game's promotional content that has left me quite curious as to what direction the story will take. Please note that at this time I have not read any of the spoilers that have apparently broken out over the web - I like my gaming experiences to be pure, with the story unfolding as I play it. While I am happy to entertain other theories my readers might have, any spoiler content posted in the comments will be promptly removed. That said, the content of this post deals heavily with content from the Cryptum and Primordium novels of the Forerunner saga, and there may be spoiler content regarding those for anyone who has not read them.

The most standout element of the trailers for me has, thus far, been the reference to an ancient evil awakening in Halo 4. While the team at 343 Industries stated very early on that the Forerunners would be central to the story, we know by now that they were anything but evil. As the Forerunner novels indicate, the Didact was the most feared Forerunner warrior among the humans that faced them in the ancient interstellar war. We also know that, despite his dissent toward the Librarian's plan to construct and fire the Halo array, the Didact aided in keeping order to this plan by instilling Bornstellar with his own memories and abilities. In that sense, Bornstellar became a sort of second Didact.

Even if the Didact was greatly feared by the ancient humans and their primitive descendants that were relocated to Erde-Tyrene (Earth), the humans in Cryptum and Primordium appear to be more in awe of the Didact than actually fearful of him. Also, at no point during the events of Cryptum does the Didact instigate physical combat, he merely plays self-defense against the Master Builder's forces. In nearly all of the trailers for Halo 4, the Didact's symbol appears (as seen above) - the center of the hexagon may be filled in, but it is otherwise a perfect match.

All of this leads me to believe that the Didact will be important to the events of Halo 4. I don't see a way for either the original Didact or Bornstellar to be physically present, unless one of them miraculously survived the firing of the Halo rings. But it is possible that they left messages or clues behind for the Reclaimers (specifically, Spartan 117). The Didact did make mention of those who came before them, the Precursors, and that the Precursors encountered the Flood and managed to contain it before the Forerunners really took their grand role in shaping the future of the galaxy. Though we know practically nothing about the Precursors aside from the fact that their technology was incredibly advanced for its time, the symbol of the Didact could be the link between them and the recurring theme of an "ancient evil". Will we actually see any Precursors in-game? I don't know, but I kind of doubt it. Bungie shrouded the Forerunners in mystery for so many years, and to suddenly throw in a new alien race with little more than a brief mention in Cryptum seems an odd progression. But I think that the presence of the Precursors will be felt throughout the game, assuming my theory is correct.

Retro Studios Wii U title speculation/wishlist

There have been some rumors circulating the web recently regarding the possibility of a new Star Fox game for Nintendo's upcoming console, the Wii U. Star Fox has became a big hit with Nintendo fans due in large part to the N64 version, which allowed players to take different paths through the Lylat system in order to reach the final boss fight against Andross. What I personally find to be the most compelling aspect about this rumor is that it is often associated with Retro Studios being the developer of said game.

Looking back on Star Fox 64, it really does not present that long of a gaming experience, but still plays brilliantly with its arcade-style gameplay and cool level designs. I have always found it a bit odd how many people have demanded a new Star Fox title for years on end, following the success of Star Fox 64. Many people act as if the three new installments (Adventures, Assault, and Command) since never occurred. I've never been much a fan of Star Fox Adventures. It felt too far removed from the traditional Star Fox gameplay, and took forever for the story to get going. The concept of a planet populated by dinosaurs was entertaining, but it felt off for one of Fox McCloud's adventures, especially considering the fact that he faced it without the aid of Falco, Slippy, or Peppy.

Flash-forward to 2005, and Nintendo released a Star Fox game that was in keeping with its SNES and N64 predecessors. Star Fox Assault proved a more linear approach to the ship-based combat, but offered variety in gameplay via on-foot missions and use of the Landmaster tank. To this day, I still hold Star Fox Assault to be one of the most underappreciated titles on the Gamecube. Certainly it's not perfect; the experience is rather short, and the difficulty is lacking in parts. But it looks gorgeous for the hardware, has a great soundtrack, and is a heck of a lot of fun to play.

If indeed Retro Studios is developing a new game in the series, I'm sure it will turn out splendid. Retro Studios has earned a lot of respect from me, primarily for their resurrection of the Metroid series. But they have also done a great job with Donkey Kong Country Returns. They know how to keep a seemingly-perfect balance of new content with the familiar roots that fans have come to know and love with these games. I would love to see a Wii U Star Fox that blends the decision-based outcomes of Star Fox 64 with the varied mission parameters from Star Fox Assault.

Prior to the rumors spreading, however, Retro Studios had already confirmed that they were working on a game that they said "everyone wanted them to make". It's true that a new console Star Fox game has been in relatively high demand for a while, and the Wii was never host to an entry in the series. But the re-release of Star Fox 64 on the 3DS still seems to be performing pretty well in sales. One title that could be in keeping with Retro Studios' trend of breathing new life into older games (SNES-era games, to be more precise) would be Earthbound. For those not so familiar with Earthbound, it is the RPG from which Smash Bros. contender Ness originated from. While Earthbound did not perform outstandingly in sales during its initial release, its quirky style and gameplay has earned it a cult following since. It is the number-one requested game for the Wii's virtual console, and since Nintendo has not yet appeased the masses with such a release, a new Earthbound could be their answer.

Frankly, I think it would be a great option. Not only would it please gamer who have been asking for a new Earthbound for years, but it could prove a prime opportunity to utilize the Wii U tablet controller. In the same vein as the Zelda tech demo displayed, a Wii U Earthbound could grant players use of the tablet to plan their attacks and keep an eye on their stats while the action takes place on the television screen. It could also be used to make the experience more immersive if, say, something as bizarre and haunting as Gigyas came onto the scene (I'm thinking along the lines of how Eternal Darkness would pretend to shut of the television and so forth). Both Star Fox and Earthbound would be great, especially if either one is being developed by Retro Studios. And who knows - maybe the title they are working on is something completely different. Hopefully we will get some confirmation at this year's E3.

HD Collection wishlist

It seems that HD collections of games from last generation's consoles are all the rage right now - at least, from the developers' standpoint. And frankly, any given one of them - from the largely criticized Silent Hill HD collection to the more graciously accepted Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid HD collections - are solid packages for the price. Paying $30 to $40 for two to three games, each of which lasts significantly longer than many current gen titles is none too shabby. Personally, I would like to see some more of these HD collections hit store shelves. I realize that the some of the games listed below have a much better chance of seeing inclusion on an HD collection than others. But this is my own personal wishlist, and if I want to bend the rules a little bit, I shall do just that.

With the WiiU on the horizon, Nintendo could break into the market of these HD collections by turning to releases from the purple lunchbox. While I personally stuck with the Gamecube through thick and thin, there are quite a few gamers who opted for the Playstation 2 or Xbox and in turn missed out on some great gems. Nintendo does like to group games based on the audience they are catering to, and as such I have organized two hypothetical Nintendo HD collections by the ESRB ratings of the included games.

The first is the 'E for Everyone' collection, whose main attraction is Super Mario Sunshine. Mario Sunshine is an underappreciated entry into the plumber's adventures, and has a lot to offer in terms of playability. Included with it would be Pikmin, a brilliant little strategy/adventure game, and Kirby Air Ride, a very different experience with the pink puffball than his traditional side-scrolling platformers.

The second collection would include games labeled with the 'T for Teen' rating. At the forefront would be Metroid Prime, which is hands-down one of the best games from last generation's consoles. The second entry would be Star Fox Assault, one of the most graphically gorgeous games on the Gamecube. The story mode is linear in comparison to Star Fox 64's multiple routes. But switching between vehicles provides dynamic gameplay and the multiplayer is surprisingly addictive. To top things off, F-Zero GX would be included for the gamers who want an extra level of challenge (which isn't to say that the other two are a cake walk).

I love what Konami has done with the Metal Gear Solid HD collection, and I really commend them for porting Peace Walker over to consoles. I would like to consider the possibility of them creating another Metal Gear Solid HD collection, and including The Twin Snakes and Portable Ops. This might not seem as substantial a package as what the first MGS HD collection offered, but if they were to include the original Metal Gear Solid (accessible from the menu of The Twin Snakes in the same manner that Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake were accessible from the menu of Metal Gear Solid 3) and the VR missions, as well as everything included with Portable Ops and Portable Ops Plus, the sum of those parts would serve as a nice rounded out package. I'm not knocking the original MGS. But the character models and environments are really nothing spectacular considering the graphical limitations of the original Playstation. That's why I would feature The Twin Snakes as a prominent part of the package. But if both tellings of the Shadow Moses incident can be incorporated into a second Metal Gear Solid HD collection, then obviously players should have their choice.

Capcom loves to repackage and re-release their games as many times as possible. While the HD versions of Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica did not make as big of a splash as Capcom had probably hoped, they could easily make up for this by releasing a proper physical HD collection to follow up those two games. Should Capcom choose to revisit the formula that the older games in the series followed, my suggestion would be that they stick with the earliest events in the Resident Evil chronology. As such, the games I would include in a second Resident Evil HD collection would be Resident Evil Zero, the Gamecube remake of the original Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 2. The two Gamecube entries present the classic horror style that the series is known for, and look downright gorgeous for the hardware they originally ran on. Resident Evil 2 certainly looks more dated, but is one of the most popular entries in the series, and would be more warmly received than either of the Outbreak titles or Dead Aim.

Finally, an entry that I really cannot see happening anytime soon (if at all) would be a Sonic Adventure HD collection. This collection would include both Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, as those versions of each game would make for a more completed package. It's possible that SEGA could tack Sonic Heroes on as well, but beyond that there are really no other 3D Sonic games old enough to be considered for such a collection. The reason I consider a Sonic Adventure HD collection so unlikely is that Sonic Adventure was ported to the Xbox Live Arcade not too long ago, and SEGA even went ahead and released a Dreamcast collection disc that included the likes of Space Channel Five and Sonic Adventure. Also, Sonic Generations is still relatively recent in gamer's minds, so I can't see SEGA jumping on an HD collection anytime real soon.

Halo 4 wishlist

Though we still know very little about the campaign mode in Halo 4, a few things have been made clear. The rampancy of the AIs, or the number of years they can operate for before they begin to decay and outlive their usefulness, will be important as it pertains to Cortana. 343 Industries has also expressed a desire to explore who Master Chief is on the inside, territory that has been primarily reserved for the Halo novels and barely ever been touched in the games. On the multiplayer side of things, we will learn why it is possible that some red Spartan-IVs and blue Spartan-IVs can go into combat against one another. What I have compiled below is a wishlist of things I would like to see, not just in Halo 4, but from the Reclaimer trilogy as a whole (ie - Halos 4, 5, and 6). I recognize some of these may be a bit more farfetched than others, but only time will tell if 343 Industries decides to incorporate any of them.

A longer campaign

I'm not asking for Halo 4 to be the length of Final Fantasy XIII. But I am asking that it last around the same amount of time, if not longer than Halo: Reach did. Halo 2's campaign did just about everything right, save for the rushed ending. And while Bungie promised Halo 3 would have a longer campaign, that ended up not being the case. Halo 3 had a lot of ground to cover, and while it did wrap up every loose end that it needed to, the execution of its story was weaker than those of Halo 2 and Halo: Reach because of the fact that Halo 3 rarely slowed down enough to explore who the characters were at their core. I'm not asking for elaborate, hour-long cutscenes in the vein of Metal Gear Solid. But we barely got a sense of Master Chief and Cortana's dynamic in Halo 3, something that seemed to be the focal point of John 117's story.

Greater variety of enemies

343 Industries has already stated that there will be new enemies in Halo 4. Judging from the fact that the new games are part of the 'Reclaimer trilogy', I think it is safe to assume that these new enemies will have ties to the Forerunners. But there will also be Elites and Grunts who have broken away from the Separatists, and who once more view Master Chief as an enemy. Prior to humanity's contact with the Covenant, the many colonies of Earth were plagued by rebel uprisings that, in turn, led to the training of the Spartan-IIs. In the novel Halo: Glasslands, it is made apparent that some of these rebel groups view the victory over the Covenant as a prime opportunity to refocus their own goals. How greatly the Halo experience would be altered if players were pitted against other human characters instead of the many alien species they have become so familiar with gunning down.

More Spartans

While Halo 4 is being advertised with the Chief as the main character, there are still a few Spartans left in the galaxy; most notably the Spartan-IIs Fred, Kelly, and Linda (former squad mates of Master Chief) and the remaining Spartan-IIIs that Kurt trained on the Forerunner shield world of Onyx. Granted, the games would need to provide a brief synopsis of who these other Spartans are and how they ended up in the company of Dr. Catharine Halsey, as not everyone who has played the games will be familiar with the novels. But it could present the opportunity for some rich and deeper storytelling, as the Spartan program is explored to a greater degree. Having Master Chief reunite with his comrades could also present an excellent opportunity to draw out his character.

Return of the Arbiter

Halo 2's campaign split into two separate stories that culminated toward the game's last few hours. In carrying on the torch from the original Halo, Master Chief fought the Covenant forces and the Flood, while the Arbiter provided players with a curious look at the inner workings of the Covenant hierarchy and a concrete idea of what their misguided faith was all about. Prior to Halo 3's release, there were a number of naysayers who complained about the Master Chief not having been granted the spotlight for the entirety of Halo 2. But for me, playing as the Arbiter was a big part of what made Halo 2's campaign the best of the entire series. Forcing players to take on the role of a member of the Covenant expanded the Halo universe in so many ways. To be completely honest, I always found the Arbiter to be a far more believable and interesting character than the Chief because this Sangheili was constantly forced to question the decisions of the Prophets - first in their decision to spare him and dub him the new Arbiter, and second after the changing of the guard and the subsequent schism between the Covenant Loyalists and Separatists. The Arbiter became a tragic hero, a face of liberty for his people.

At the end of Halo 3, The Arbiter and Half Jaw lead the Sangheili forces back to their homeworld to make certain it is safe. Ever since Bungie concluded the main trilogy, I have pondered what the Sangheili homeworld might look like. The Halo Legends anime presented a glimpse of a very primitive Sangheilios, but we have no idea what the planet or its culture are like as of now. In placing players back into the role of the Arbiter, I think it would present a great opportunity to once more expand the story, while simultaneously revisiting what it is that makes the Arbiter tick now that the Covenant has disbanded.

Resident Evil 6 speculation

There are only a couple of things I am going to be covering at present, but they deal with two plot points that I assume will be relatively important in the grand scheme of Resident Evil 6’s story. This will follow in a similar style as my speculation toward The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and anyone reading this should keep in mind that what I am saying here has in no way been confirmed by Capcom, nor anyone else. It’s just me presenting some theories on what might be. (Warning: spoilers regarding Resident Evil Revelations below.)

Resident Evil 6’s reveal trailer highlighted three playable characters. While I was quite pleased to see the return of Leon and not particularly surprised (though rather indifferent) toward Chris’ return, there was a third character who struck me as a pleasant surprise. This character currently has no name, though I can only imagine we will find out more about him in the coming months building up to RE6’s release. In the trailer, this newcomer is shown fighting one BOW in particular, and most of his combat is physical. While Leon and Chris have been known to punch and kick enemies at close-range, they generally rely on guns to dispatch the infected. This guy, on the other hand, displayed some impressive physical prowess as he dropped a few enemies with a low spin kick and hurdled his way over rooftops and scaffolding.

There is a line in the trailer where this new character indicates that the world is only interested in his blood, implying that it is a valuable asset and perhaps some sort of vaccine to whatever new virus has been unleashed. Taking these two elements into consideration, this newcomer seems to bear some similarities with Albert Wesker and may share some of his attributes. While it has been previously stated none of the Wesker children beyond Albert survived, perhaps someone created a new batch of them (or at the very least, a single new Wesker child). This would also help to explain why this character appears so much younger than Albert.

The second point I wanted to bring up relates to a line Chris says in the reveal trailer, when he asks one of his squad members, “How many of our men are dead because of that bitch?” The teammate then corrects Chris by informing him that while he is upset by whatever turn of events took place, he does not think Chris’ “personal vendetta” should get in the way of their mission. The conversation, though brief, implies one of two things: either A) Chris lost a great number of people whom he was very close to, or B) he knows the person responsible for the death of his troops on a more personal level than some new face on the list of Resident Evil villains. If it is indeed the latter, the only female antagonist still currently alive post-Resident Evil 5 is Jessica Sherawat. Since she took the T-Abyss virus following the events of Resident Evil Revelations, it is possible that she helped to further its research to create a new virus, one that will be seen in Resident Evil 6. If Jessica is indeed tied to the events of Resident Evil 6, I see no reason that Raymond and Parker could not make appearances as well. Perhaps Resident Evil Revelations will serve not only as a bridge between the events of RE4 and RE5, but also as buildup to the events of RE6.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword speculation, part two

So I guess I lied when I said that last Skyward Sword entry would conclude my speculations regarding the upcoming Wii release. Some people have expressed their belief that Fi becomes the Fairy Queen. Some others even think that sometime in the timeline, Skyloft is abandoned and becomes inhabited by the Oocca from Twilight Princess. But this will focus on neither. As of right now, I am primarily concerned with the boss-type enemy known as The Imprisoned.


There has already been talk of another unnamed boss character in Skyward Sword, this black and grey humanoid figure who wields a sword, possibly being the ‘human’ form of The Imprisoned. Even without much knowledge of how Skyward Sword’s story will ultimately play out, it isn’t difficult to see the similarities. And since The Imprisoned is reported to show up in Link’s dreams, and Girahim seems to be serving a grander scheme and some higher master, it is possible that The Imprisoned (assuming these are two stages/versions of the same being) could play a much larger role in the game than Nintendo originally led us to believe.

What I find most compelling about this ‘human form’ is the fact that his sword bears the Triforce symbol. This leads me to believe that The Imprisoned may be the essence of Ganon and Ganondorf in later games – most likely that the power of the Imprisoned is what Ganondorf acquires prior to Ocarina of Time taking place, sacrificing his status as solely king of the Gerudo and embracing The Imprisoned as his demon pig transformation. Again, this is merely speculation on my part, but I’d like to think there is enough substance to it to merit consideration. Either way, we’ll find out for certain in a little over a week!

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword speculation

Above is the map of the world in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (or at least as much as we currently know of it, prior to the game's release). As the map indicates, Skyloft is situated above the clouds, while Hyrule is divided into three distinct and sizeable regions on the land below. To my knowledge, the names of these regions are as follows: Lanayru - the desert province to the west; Eldin - the volcanic region to the north, and Faron - the forested area to the southeast. There are some pretty distinguishable locations on the map right now - the Eldin volcano, a giant tree in the Faron region (perhaps with some connection to the Great Deku Tree), and the giant Triforce symbol sitting in the desert. I'm assuming that these markers are not to accurate scale, but rather stand out as key locations for the story.

There are a few things that stand out to me as particularly interesting. In one of the most recent gameplay trailers, Link is in the desert fighting what appears to be some sort of clockwork skeleton pirate captain. The only other time I can think of where pirates played a significant role in a Zelda game (aside from the Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass storyline) was in the Oracle titles. And those pirates were in fact Skeletons. Even more curious is the fact that there is a pirate ship sitting in the middle of the desert on this map, and the pirates in Oracle of Seasons managed to run themselves aground into a desert region (though that was in Holodrum). It may just be wishful thinking on my part, but perhaps there is a connection between the two. The skeleton pirates were some of my favorite characters in the Oracle games, and I'd love to see them make a comeback on a console release.

A number of major races have been confirmed for Skyward Sword. The Deku Scrubs will serve as enemies, popping out of the ground and spitting seeds at Link just as they did in Ocarina of Time. There will be at least one Goron present, and the footage thus far depicts him carrying supplies on his back. It's possible that he might act in a similar fashion to the merchant Gorons from Wind Waker. The Mogma and Kikwis are newcomers to the franchise. The former are dog-like beings that dig under the earth, while the latter are small raccoon-like fuzzballs that can use their tails as camouflage.

The Sheikah will see a return in the form of at least one character. This individual has been referred to as 'the servant of the Goddesses', and as Skyward Sword's Zelda is not a princess at the beginning of the game, this Sheikah could start the trend of serving Hyrule's royal family. This Sheikah is also very young and slender in appearance, and quite clearly female. Depending on the time frame between the end of Skyward Sword and the beginning of Ocarina of Time, this could potentially be a young Impa.

Ever since the release of Ocarina of Time, one of the most prominent races in The Legend of Zelda has been the Zora. The Zora I'm referring to are the more friendly sea Zoras, while the hostile river Zoras have been around since the original NES title. Of all the staples carried over from recent Zelda releases, there has not yet been any mention of the Zoras. However, there is a large portion of the Faron region covered in water, as indicated on the most southeastern point on the map. With such a sizeable area devoted to water, I find it unlikely that the Zora would not make any appearance in this game. Assuming they do, though, the map would indicate their residence to be somewhere beneath the water, since the only recognizable structure above the surface seems to be a dock. I think it would be both interesting to the story and visually pleasing if the Zora lived in a completely underwater community, not unlike the palace in Oracle of Ages.

Finally, Lord Girahim is stated as being a prominent member of the dark tribe. Little is known about who belongs to the tribe or how many members they have, though it is implied that they require Zelda due to some unusual qualities she possesses. I'm going out on a limb here, since we know perhaps the least about the specifics of Lord Girahim, but I would like to think that there is at least a possibility that after the conclusion of Skyward Sword, the dark tribe transitions into the Gerudo tribe. Maybe the fact that they only give birth to a male every one hundred years has something to do with repercussions of Girahim's actions. At any rate, that's all of my last-minute speculations. I'm really looking forward to playing Skyward Sword in two weeks!

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron character speculation

I'm a big fan of the Transformers. As a kid, I watched the original series, and revisited it when my younger brother first got into Robots in Disguise and Armada. I watched all of Michael Bay's explosion-fest theatrical takes on the franchise, and thoroughly enjoyed the War for Cybertron game. After the announcement that Grimlock would be joining the cast in Fall of Cybertron, I did a bit of deeper digging and discovered that Wheeljack and Sunstreaker would also be joining the Autobot's fight against the Decepticons. While Optimus receiving a bit of a makeover for the sequel was mildly amusing, I was more interested in who else might be climbing aboard for the sequel.

What follows is entirely speculation - they are my own thoughts/wishes on who might be in the new game, and have not yet been confirmed by High Moon Studios.

- Trypticon: I don't think we've seen the last of Mr. giant robo-dinosaur. He survived a fall from space to Cyberton. I'm pretty sure he could just as easily survive a fall into the lower levels of the planet.

- Constructicons: With Grimlock on the Autobot side, it only seems logical that High Moon Studios would balance this with something similar and classic for the Decepticons. I don't know that we will necessarily see any other Dinobots, but the Constructicons seem plausible. Assuming this sequel is longer than its predecessor, a few more boss fights would add to the epic scale and fan-oriented nature of the game. And I can think of no better giant green-and-purple robot to face down than Devastator.

- Shockwave: His appearance as a DLC multiplayer character in the first game led me to believe that me might have been intended as a cast member, but ultimately left on the cutting room floor. I don't know how they could go about the sequel without incorporating Shockwave in some way or another, considering how much of a tribute the games are to the old cartoons.

- Arcee: Another multiplayer character from War for Cybertron, Arcee could add some variety to the scout-class characters. Whereas Bumblebee was the excited young trooper and Sideswipe was sort of the cool kid on the block in Jazz's absence, Arcee could act as a more careful and reasoning balance to the boys. Adding Chromia and Elita-1 in as her squadmates for a mission or two could lead to some interesting and creative tactics with the scout-class abilities and weapons.

- Jazz: He was a DLC character. He was a scout. Same stuff that I said before, just as they apply to Jazz.

- Ironhide: He made a brief appearance in the first game, portrayed as an war-hardened bot. It was a cool balance between G1 Ironhide and his live-action movie counterpart, and I think High Moon can more greatly explore the history he and Optimus share.

There's a taste of what I think could end up being in the final product. As for the rest of the cast from War for Cybertron, I think most of them will be returning, though there may be a few exceptions with some of the less-prominent characters (like Warpath and Barricade). As new information is revealed, I may revisit this list to make additions.