Expectations Met...and it Was Not What I Was Hoping For

For a brief time in an embarrassing moment during my childhood, I played the role of a Sony Fan Girl. Like most people who have no clue what they're talking about due to sinful ignorance, I loudly decried Nintendo without ever really investing the time to play a Nintendo game. It was purely brilliant reasoning, I know.

The Link Between Super Mario 3D Worlds Launch Event at Nintendo World, NYC

Streetpass continues to be one of the best features of Nintendo's 3DS. It certainly comes in handy when you're waiting in line for a launch event. It makes the cold air a little more tolerable while you're standing on the street. Listening to friends talk about their respective Pokémon Safari is amusing. There's fun to be had being allowed to peek into what games others are currently playing. And of course, the all mighty flicker of a green light indicating you've tagged a fellow Nintendo Enthusiast is one of life's simple yet wonderful pleasures.

I wish my Streetpass was no longer working. I just really wanted to an excuse to get my hands on that sweet new The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 3DS XL!

Not the Green Hat Adventure I was Planning on Embarking on This Week...

While the rest of you were sailing the oceans blue, or taking the King of Red Lions straight into treacherous waters drummed up by magnificent storms… I took my green clothed tunic friend on a different high sea adventure. I left my hut with its cooking pots and potion storage. I put on my green tunic, and matching fitted green hat. With my rosy cheeks matching my rosy red underwear that I like to wear on the outside, I set off on a grand (?) adventure to collect some rupees.

The Seedy Social Experiments of Animal Crossing

At some point, and very early on in my Animal Crossing's town's short existence, a green parrot named Frank moved in.  He and I did not get along the minute he opened that brutish mouth of his.  He sounded mean and gruff, and spoke Animalese in a tone that was very much like how Okami's Susano sounds.

He's one of those animals that had the heart of a jerk.  You know the sort if you've played any iteration of Animal Crossing: the judgmental type who is unpleasant in his mannerisms.

I wanted him gone.  And so, the fastest way to get rid of him was to have little to no interactions with him.  Day in and day out, I uttered barely a word to that ugly green bird.  An occasional pleasantry was exchanged, and I may have run an errand once or twice but not much more was done to further the friendship.

Late Night Story Time!

Don't be weepy, sleepy puppies... It's almost time for bed, TAY.  Time to change into pajamas (or if you don't wear any of those... whatever it is you want to do, it's kewl.  I just don't need to hear about it), brush your teeth, dim the lights and curl up under those blankets.  Hm? You're not sleepy yet? TAYV Movie Night gave you the scares?! Oh.  Ohhhh, you wanted me to read you a story before bed! Sure, I can do that.  Actually, I've got about 16 to share!

Story Time and Pajamas: The Dream Team Launch Event at Nintendo World, NYC

Another Mario Luigi and Mario RPG game is out, everyone (as if you all did not already know)! It's called Dream Team, it's for the 3DS and I have not even opened up the game yet.  Nope!  What I did do on Saturday however, was skip to Nintendo World for a Pajama Party complete with musical chairs, story time, popcorn, drinks, cupcakes, the chance to dance with Luigi and Mario and of course, the ability to purchase a copy of the game a day before release.

Hosting the Open Forum 3

Heeelllloooooooo, TAY! Welcome to Thorsday and the Open Forum.  Hello? Yes, this is Zarnyx and I will be your host today.  Thorsdays have always tossed mishaps at me for as long as I can remember.  So today I say: pox on you, Thorsday! We're going to do an ActiviTAY to make us forget that there's one day until sweet, merciful freedom.  That's right! We're going to parTAY like it's Friday.  I'm sorry.  I know Friday is still a thing that has to happen but letmejustconfuseyouwithabunchoftextthathasnothingtodowithanything.  And onwards to our game!

We said it before and we'll say it again.  At the recent launch party at Nintendo World for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, a game of Mario & Luigi's Mushroom Kingdom Mad Lib was held and it was rigged.  The Top 5 Mad Lib entries were revealed and the team of Hannibal Chau Chow (fellow TAY'er UI 2.0) and Zarnyx did not win.  Maybe we are just bitter that our Mad Lib entry was not chosen (which seems more than likely) but man, I really wanted a Luigi key chain or plush as a prize! Not really but we were wronged, TAY! WRONGED!

Sometimes...

...sometimes, it's the little moments like these that give me pause for quiet reflection.  As simple as this is, there was something amazingly magical about walking around in the dark with my watering can in hand, hearing a tiny 'ping' and another.  Then came the others in rapid succession and the frequency finally forced me to pay attention and had me looking up to the sky and there it was: the stars were falling.  Every time they did, that twinkling sound (the best way for me to describe that glorious sound) happened and just like that, a Meteor Shower was happening in my virtual life.

On Ice

I'm sitting here thinking to myself that it's really just terribly bright out there today and whoa, is it muggy.  As I was scrolling through my phone's weather app I could only nod my head that it indeed feels like a Thunderstorm is coming.  I may love a storm but the humidity before hand makes me feel miserable.  In looking through the list of those other cities I've added to my weather app, I see that London's having an awesome 68 degrees and partly sunny kind of day.  It's raining in Tokyo and the temperature's at 68 degrees.  But what's this? Phoenix is at 83 degrees only right now.  And as I look at the 90 degree temperature which it is supposed to hit today for NYC, I am reminded that oh yeah, Summer is here.  Immediately I start wishing for the glorious days of Autumn, and the cold air to follow in Winter.  I get to thinking about snow.  And then I remember that as much as I love the cooler weather of Autumn and Winter in real life, I sure do despise an ice level in my video games.

The Ides of March

The Ides of March visited my world one week and one day too early this year.

No, I did not get stabbed by Senators and no, in my dying breath I did not utter a very dramatic "Et Tu, Brute?" but it certainly felt that way when my boss of 9 years hauled my department in for an emergency 1:20 p.m. meeting on March 8th and began the meeting with the news, "It's not good, guys".
It was a gross understatement if ever I heard it.

For the 9 years I've worked at a large law firm in Midtown, I've been at the receiving end of a pay scale that supposedly meets "Industry Standards".  Speaking with colleagues employed in other sectors and other firms confirms that I'm an underpaid peon.  Perhaps it's my fault for staying so long but having a job lulls you into a sense of security.  That cushioned feeling one gets when a steady pay check comes in - enough for bill paying, saving, the occasional concert and maintaining a hobby such as playing video games - is calming.
In the 23 years that the collective 'we' were employed by our client, the news of a filing of bankruptcy took all of 10 seconds to tell and with that, 8 plus people (at least those we know about in our immediate circle) were left with looming unemployment.

The nature of the work has required us to wind down operations and without a fixed end date,  it's been nothing but mixed emotions coming into work every morning knowing that you are hastening the end of your job.

I've heard a lot of advice in the past few weeks:

"Start looking right away!", "Go on vacation, mope around your house for a month then dust yourself off and start looking then." 

"Wait for a severance package!" or quite possibly my favourite today, "Oh...don't rely on a severance package because you're probably not getting one of those that's going to be any more than a 2 week pay check for your almost 10 years of service." 

Well that's completely lovely, isn't it?

These days, I've started noticing a lot more too, now that I am not so self-absorbed.  As I make that death walk to work on mornings, suddenly there seem to be a lot of people with portfolios tucked under their arms.  I whisper "good luck" to them every time I see them under my breath.  It's a little prayer for them and certainly one for myself as I face the same grind in a week or two.

And then there are the moments that I try to be optimistic.

"Well hey, the job provided me the opportunity to buy myself some games.  In between looking I can catch up on that atrocious backlog!"

But my heart has not really been in it.  I've been struggling to play "Breath of Fire IV" amongst other things for the past few weeks and I have the occasional chuckle at some of the dialog but if I can play for more than five minutes at a time, it's a lot. 

I think this is what they call a funk.

Tomorrow though, I am off to pick up my copy of "Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon" at Nintendo World's launch party in NYC.  It was bought on a Christmas credit I had from my very kind sister.

It's probably the last game I will purchase for some while.  So, here's hoping that little green plumber can show me his brave stance against the scary things in this world and give me the courage to go out there and do same.  Well, you know...not become a Ghostbuster (although, any job openings in that field?!) or anything, but some encouragement to stay strong during the tough job hunt would be welcome.

At the very least, I hope he whistles that nervous little tune/theme song as he did in the first game. 

That always cheered me up.

The Legend of Zelda Symphony That I Dragged H1 To

Yep, it was some time in November when I dragged a poor, little H1 to that thing.

November 28th to be exact.

Much like our trip to the Final Fantasy Distant Worlds Symphony in April of 2011, there were people dressed up as their favourite characters but the best I saw had to have been the awesome tribute someone did as a Skull Kid from the best of the Zelda games (which of course is Mask of Majora).

However, unlike our trip to Distant Worlds, this Symphony was vastly different and not in a terribly positive way either.

The Highlights

1.  In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, the good people at Nintendo crafted this entire tour featuring the music of the fantastic Zelda series.  It was the same for the 25th Anniversary of Final Fantasy and I couldn't be happier.  Both series shaped the type of games I enjoy playing now, and gave me a greater appreciation for music of its kind.  I'm sure I spoke at length before about my adoration of one Nobuo Uematsu but he's not the only one to thank.  The great Koji Kondo, composer to the Zelda series helped create the tone and indeed, the world of Hyrule and beyond.  The fact that the opportunity was afforded to be in attendance to hear musical genius realized by a full orchestra is a highlight enough.

2.  I saw Stephen Totilo and Jason Schreier of Kotaku at my show! They sat one row in front of me but more to the left of me but not too far away that I couldn't hail them.

3.  The music was played absolutely beautifully.  The orchestra sounded better than at Distant Worlds and the acoustics at the Theater at MSG were quite lovely.

4.  The scenes accompanying the music from the various games in the Zelda series was well-thought out and put together.

5.  Ending the Symphony with music from The Mask of Majora? That's a damned plus right there even if it almost felt like an after thought.

6.  Whhhhaaaaa...??!! Conducting the Orchestra with the Wind Waker baton? I see what you did there...

Well-played (and I see what I did there).

7.  I would have rioted had "Lost Woods" not been played.  They're lucky... 

The Lowlamps

1.  This is not so much the music but the Theater at Madison Square Garden.  It's not that nice, which is sad.  It sounded great but it was not that comfortable.

2.  I did not shout out to Totilo and Jason at Kotaku.  I was playing Woobeewoo in that, "I'm shy".  It also meant I did not get to tag them in Streetpass.  It also made me miss Crecente.

3.  The Symphony itself while it sounded fantastic, as H1 rightly observed, it was not as fun.  This was not really the fault of the music selection though maybe that could be part of it but it was very much due to the fact that the musicians did their job and that was to read sheet music.  It was not played with feeling and there was no investment on their part into what was being performed.  At the very least in Distant Worlds the musicians truly had a keen interest in what was going on and the interactions from the crowd.  It made the FF concert that much more lively while this one suffered from a lack of personality.

4.  Musically, the song selections while not...horrendous, there was a lot overlooked and could easily have been included to make it not as somber as it felt at times.  I did not mind the inclusion of many of the Ganondorf battle music but what about the exploration? Some of it was there but not a lot...fantastic dungeon music, forest temples, and even some of the other minor bosses' music was overlooked.  Any piece of boss music (save Ganondorf) from Wind Waker would have made the whole thing so much more entertaining.

It was a fun night overall, except for the fact I failed to get a blasted ocarina at the shop which was a complete mob scene.  It was one thing to not get an ocarina but it sold out right before I could have ordered and sold to some woman who did not even want to really buy one.  ::sigh:: Such is life, I suppose.  And maybe it was Karma paying me back for having the "opportunity" to order a Virtue's Last Reward pre-order bonus thing.  I don't know.  Let's not talk about it.

I think H1 had a decent time and I think it's safe to say these crazy Video Game Symphonies won't be happening again any time soon.  Awww, that kinda makes me sad...Ah well.  Maybe next 25 years...

Awww, friends.

Fellow 3DS Cool Kids Met Via Streetpass: It was probably over 60 and it could have been more too, if not for my not wanting to leave my seat.

Currently listening to: "Magick" by Klaxons

I Have Not a Clue

If this trailer for the upcoming Wii U game "Little Inferno" does not creep you out, then you are a stronger person than I.

I have no idea what the gameplay is like but this trailer was enough for me to be highly interested and that alone is way frightening to me.



I absolutely adore it but mostly I'm pretty worried at the same time.

Happy Anniversary, N3DS!

Today marks the one year anniversary of the North American release of the Nintendo 3DS.

Usually, I don't care about such things but Nintendo sent me a little present today and since we're all in the mood to celebrate, I decided to take a look at what I've done with Zarnyx: The 3DS Edition in the past year.

When I first got little bluesey N3DS, he was bought with not much fanfare.  In fact, I deliberately canceled my pre-order at Amazon just so I could waltz into Nintendo World to pick up one from the herd from the damned source!

I'm not that obsessed over Nintendo but I was looking for some sort of freebie.  Nintendo World is glorious at freebies, so I was hoping for something awesome!

It turns out I got diddly-squat.

25 Years

This year marked the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda.  25 years!

I chopped some bushes and messed around Hyrule in the original game a long time ago but did not play my first game until Ocarina of Time.  I know! It's a terrible confession, isn't it?

Since then, I've played most of the games that followed with my favourite game of all time being The Legend of Zelda: Mask of Majora. 

Saturday Disappointment, Part I: Mario 3D Land in Times Square

What can you say about people?

They're the scum of the earth!

Alright, so not everyone can be classed as scum but this past Saturday morning proved to be quite trying when The HOchieS' ventured to Times Square to attend Nintendo's Super Mario 3D Land Event.

I shaved all but my Nintendo of America? How...crude.

Zarnyx: The Nintendo 3DS Edition

I have had the 3DS for just shy of an entire week.

I did not attend the Best Buy Union Square NYC Launch Party, I canceled my pre-order on Amazon and opted instead, to pre-order the thing at damned Nintendo World in NYC.

It was the wrong move to make and I knew as much a week before the blasted thing launched.

I got zero swag from Nintendo World, and just about as much fanfare on the Monday - one day after its U.S. launch.

The girl who rang me up at 9 a.m. was less than enthusiastic.

While I was not impressed by the swag anyway (sour grapes! sour grapes! - no really, the case would have been awesome but everything else was mostly 'meh'), it still sucks to get nothing when I'm used to the opposite.

But that's okay.

I love my Aqua Blue.  For the most part.

Zarnyx, the Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS.

What's in the Box?

I got a pleasant surprise on Saturday via the Post.

A familiar box! Full of coins? A 1 up mushroom, perhaps?

No! Better! It's almost the entire crew!

The best: Luigi

Mario oppressing Yoshi (as per usual), Toad and a cute Goomba to stomp on

Peach with some brain crushing power on the part of my new favourite -

Bowhahaha.  Bowser's truly bad-assed.

More awesome from behind!

And so, that was the my Elite Reward Status from Club Nintendo for the 2009 - 2010 Year.  Pretty cool, I must say and much more awesome than the Mario Hat of last year (although Mari Ho was fabulous).

I am uncertain if I will make the Elite status for the 2010 - 2011 year.  It's looking a little bleak right now, but with more than half the year to go, I am not too concerned.

In the meanwhile....

No, Thank YOU, Nintendo.

Thought of the Day

While I do not have a confirmed reason to cry, I have come to a realization today.

Nintendo may not like me for my charm at all... they might actually love me for my money.

Currently listening to: "It's Not The Fall That Hurts" by The Caesars.  Yes, it might not be the fall but when you hit the ground, but it's also the fact that they make me want Ocarina of Time all over again! In the hopes Mask of Majora, the greatest game in existence, gets the same treatment!

H1 is ashamed by my behaviour.

Because I Need To Make a List

I know I have Amazon for it but not all these things are on there yet to be added to my wish list!

I took a second look at the games coming out for the 3DS today and made a list of all the ones I am interested in. 

I'll be cursing Nintendo a lot within the next year. 

Animal Crossing
Kid Icarus
Mario Kart (maybe)
Paper Mario
Etrian Odyssey
Shin Megami Tensei
Resident Evil: Revelations (what the hell...can't be that scary on a hand-held, right? Bwahahaha, who am I kidding?)
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (more like Mask of Headaches...I can see frustration now from a 3D related puzzle.  Oh Hershel.)
Kingdom Hearts
Final Fantasy
Dragon Quest
Codename: Chocobo Racing 3D
A Boy and His Blob

And all this for games that are not even out yet and ONLY DS related!!!  What about all the games I still have to play or want?!

The Last Story (no release in sight or details...phew)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)
Professor Layton and The Unwound Future
Super Scribblenauts
Okamiden
Rock Band 3

Thank goodness I didn't see anything from the PS3's Move list that I wanted.

And thank goodness for reviews.  I'll just wait for those...

Tuesdays Can Be Fun Too

The week got off to a pretty dismal start.

With not-so-cool work-related things and the rumours that Matt Bells might be 'dating' that whore bitch, Kate Talentless Hudson (WHY MATT?! Say it ain't so! And what about Gaia?!?! Sure she's part of the reason I have an unfounded dislike of Italy but at least she was SMART!), Monday seemed like the crappiest crap for crap in a long history of crap.

Then Tuesday came and I actually felt excitement.

Real excitement.  It's the kind of nerdish excitement that I'm not so sure I've ever truly felt before.

Nintendo's E3 Press Conference made me giddy; perhaps too giddy?

I'm coming off my high now but a new The Legend of Zelda called "Skyward Sword" is coming in 2011.  Truthfully I'm not feeling that incredibly excited about it as I thought I would, but I am catching Nintendo 3DS fever.

It's a beautiful thing.

I suspect it MIIIIGGGHHTTT give me a headache or nausea but rest assured that once I find out on Day 1 of release, I will be sure to update the blog of my sad follies.

The Launch Title will be Kid Icarus and while I was not hardcore back in the day to have ever have known the fun times (so says everyone) of Pit, I am feeling excited for that.

The long list of games is making my head spin and if the rumours are true and Ocarina of Time is getting a 3D remake, I'm even more excited that maybe Mask of Majora will follow soon after.

H1 would probably tell me to stop speaking nerd at this point and she is right.  I should stop.

But I have one question.

Which colour should I get?

photo source: www.kotaku.com

Classic black

Cutie blue

Or this stunning red?

I'm feeling slightly partial to the blue although the red is just awesome.  I would not get a black because H1's DSi is black....we've been there and done that.  However, our first DS was also red.  Not so shiny a red but still red.  

Hmmmmm.

P.S. As for Matt Bells...it might be time to move on from one hid. Brit Matt to another.  I'm thinking Matt Smith.  What's not to love about Doctor Who?!