Earlier this month, Nintendo unveiled a price cut for the Nintendo 3DS. This was their response to the system's low sales after its weak launch, partially due to the weak lineup of release games. Originally $249.99, this price cut slashed the price all the way down to $169.99. As one of the biggest price cuts in gaming history, those dedicated many who bought the system at launch, like me, felt ripped off. Just because we're dedicated Nintendo gamers, does this mean we'll be left out in the dirt with $80 less?
Luckily, the answer is no, thanks to the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program, which was announced early August and went live today. Nintendo's rewards for those lucky gamers who stuck with the 3DS at launch would receive 10 free NES games and 10 free GBA games through the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The NES games are available today, and will be available at a low price for the non-ambassadors. The GBA rewards will be available by the end of the year, and these are exclusively for ambassadors only. 20 free games amounts to more than $80, so it's a great deal in my book.
The NES games are as follows:
Super Mario Bros.
Donkey Kong Jr.
Balloon Fight
Ice Climber
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
NES Open Tournament Golf
Yoshi
Wrecking Crew.
These are available today, and can be downloaded through the 3DS eShop. Just select the eShop on the 3DS menu, then scroll all the way left to the Settings menu. From there, click "downloaded items", and scroll to find your rewards. It's kind of a pain to download each individually, but they go quick and it's totally worth it. I've had the time to play through a few of these, and there are some great classics on this list that newer gamers and veterans will love. I wouldn't have minded some others, like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Punch-Out!! instead of NES Golf or Wrecking Crew, but hey, you can't argue with free games!
The GBA games (so far), are as follows:
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island
Mario Kart Super Circuit
Metroid Fusion
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!
Mario vs Donkey Kong
So far, only 5 GBA exclusives have been announced, and 5 more will be on the way. These are some of my favorite games, and I'm excited to get my hands on them when they're released later this year.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Livi's Corner : Renting Movies Galore
After a summer of traveling across Europe, I've finally come back with a German exchange student with a love of movies. Unfortunately, none of the ones she rents are good.
Looking for a movie to rent, or not rent? Here's a few renting quick reviews.
1. Valentine's Day
Did I mention she likes romance? Valentine's Day is just that, with a bit of drama thrown in. Sorry, scratch that - a LOT of drama. See, I would explain the plot, but it's every soap opera plotline thrown together with a bunch of celebrities, so you name it, they got it. Pregnant lady? Check. Closeted gay? Check. Married guy who cheats? Check. Business affair? Check. They even got phone sex operator in there at some point. Say whhaaaaa?
Good for mindless brainwashing television at the end of a day. Otherwise, not worth the dollar it costs to rent.
Rating : 1.5/5, for actually getting celebrities to sign on to this.
2. 17 Again
She's also obsessed with Zac Efron. 17 Again is the humorous tale of a woe-begotten man in the midst of a divorce with a bad relationship with his kids, who is turned 17 again (hence the name). He goes back to high school to help out his kids and etc etc etc.
It's pretty funny. It wasn't half as bad as I expected, and Efron shows off his talent. It's too bad this B-rated movie is all he got into. He has the skill, just not the script, and this is the type of movie that will be completely forgotten besides a few dire-hard Efron fans in a few years, if not already. The storyline is believable though not original, although the romance between the resident nerd and the principle (who turns out to be a closet nerd) felt like it was stretching it a bit.
Great for a good laugh, but definitely intended towards teens.
Rating : 2.5/5
3. Game Plan
If you haven't heard of this old movie, don't read the rest of it. In fact, forget I even typed it up anyways. Yup, it's that bad. Disney has this bad habit of trying to make funny family-friendly movies, and this 2007 film is something you should never rent. Ever. If you own it, shame.
It's about this egotistical famous football named Joe King (Dwayne Johnson) who finds out he has a daughter named Peyton (Madison Pettis), and wacky adventures follow ultimately resulting in King proclaiming his love for his daughter over himself and football, but in typical Disney-Happily-Ever-After fashion, wins over his daughter and the football championship as well.
Pettis can't act. She constantly either acts too young for her character or too old, a common disease of child actors who can't seem to act the age they were cast at. There's a few things that are funny, but it's forced and awkward feeling. This whole movie is a reminder of the downfall of Disney, who pretty much lost all respect when they came out with a horrible sequel to every classic and tanked from there.
Save yourself, your time, and your money. Don't get this. Ever.
Rating: .5/5, for the poor cameramen who had to film this disaster.
4. The King's Speech
I finally got to pick out a movie, and I hadn't seen the King's Speech yet. Joey's probably gotten this one down already somewhere, so I won't cover the plotline, but here's my two cents.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. One of the best movies I've ever seen. I think one of the things that most impressed me was the overall dedication to the story there was. All of the costumes, the buildings, the furnishings, the music in the film, everything was really like you had stepped back in time. The characters were completely realistic. The amount of detail that went into the movie was just...wow. There was nothing I would have done differently. Colin Firth, Helena Carter, and Geoffrey Rush along with the other actors all deserve the round of applause they got.
Buy it.
Rating : 5/5
Next Review : Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows Part 2 and What Exactly is Pottermore?
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Captain America: The First Avenger Review
When people think of superheroes, our good friend Captain America isn't exactly the first that comes to mind. Even though he's not mainstream, like Batman or Spiderman, Captain America still has the caliber to be, thanks to a terrific film that doesn't falter.
Captain America: The First Avenger follows the story of Steve Rogers, a puny, weak, young man looking to join the army during World War II. Due to health issues, he is constantly turned down. But one day, a Dr. Erksine allows Steve to enlist under an experiment that will create the "super human". It is successful, and Rogers is now the ripped and muscular Captain America, who leads the war against Hitler. He meets Colonel Phillips, a skeptic who isn't completely on board with the experiment and Peggy Carter, the beautiful assistant and potential love interest to Steve. Meanwhile, Dr. Zola, has stolen a mysterious tesseract from Norway in an attempt to steal its powers and create an ultimate weapon, and it's up to Captain America to stop him.
I don't know much about superheroes, let alone Captain America, nor do I care for superhero movies that much, but I really enjoyed the plot of The First Avenger. It was nice and simple, without throwing character after character at you and forcing you to remember their names. Although predictable, it was a fun time. Each character was very well-developed, as well, especially Captain America himself, and Carter. The villain, Dr. Zola, or Red Skull, is also very well-done, and his motives are clear. Also to be appreciated is the nostalgia of the 1940s, when war was being waged. You'll admire the set pieces from New York, and the cars and hairstyles are a sight to see. One scene in particular, when Captain America Version 1.0 tours America rallying troops, is very memorable. It's a nice break from the skylines of modern superhero movies like Spiderman. Also, a fun treat lies after the credits, so don't miss it!
The acting in Captain America was good, but not excellent. Chris Evans is fantastic as Captain America, and seeing him in Fantastic Four gave me a good idea of how he would perform. His sarcastic one-liners kind of bored me, but he did a great job bringing the first avenger to life. With that being said, the supporting characters, mainly Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Phillips and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Rogers' friend, are sort of just there. They never evolve from nothing but supporting characters. I guess Captain America is sort of a one-man show. Even his love interest, Peggy Carter, is sort of just there for the ride, and she isn't given the screen time she deserves. Luckily, Hugo Weaving, from V For Vendetta and The Matrix series, does a stunning job as Red Skull, and he really provides the entertainment in the acting.
Special effects were fun, but nothing to marvel at, as the focus of the movie is more storydriven, and less focused on mindless action (*cough WOLVERINE cough*). The post-converted 3D is gimmicky, so skip it. The music in the film is patriotic and light-hearted, and a catchy chorus tune with Captain America touring America will be in your head for days.
Captain America: The First Avenger is a great introduction to what I hope will be a franchise as successful as Iron Man. The movie is purely storydriven, which is wonderful, and Captain America is easily the best superhero film this year.
Overall: 4.0/5.0
Captain America: The First Avenger follows the story of Steve Rogers, a puny, weak, young man looking to join the army during World War II. Due to health issues, he is constantly turned down. But one day, a Dr. Erksine allows Steve to enlist under an experiment that will create the "super human". It is successful, and Rogers is now the ripped and muscular Captain America, who leads the war against Hitler. He meets Colonel Phillips, a skeptic who isn't completely on board with the experiment and Peggy Carter, the beautiful assistant and potential love interest to Steve. Meanwhile, Dr. Zola, has stolen a mysterious tesseract from Norway in an attempt to steal its powers and create an ultimate weapon, and it's up to Captain America to stop him.
I don't know much about superheroes, let alone Captain America, nor do I care for superhero movies that much, but I really enjoyed the plot of The First Avenger. It was nice and simple, without throwing character after character at you and forcing you to remember their names. Although predictable, it was a fun time. Each character was very well-developed, as well, especially Captain America himself, and Carter. The villain, Dr. Zola, or Red Skull, is also very well-done, and his motives are clear. Also to be appreciated is the nostalgia of the 1940s, when war was being waged. You'll admire the set pieces from New York, and the cars and hairstyles are a sight to see. One scene in particular, when Captain America Version 1.0 tours America rallying troops, is very memorable. It's a nice break from the skylines of modern superhero movies like Spiderman. Also, a fun treat lies after the credits, so don't miss it!
The acting in Captain America was good, but not excellent. Chris Evans is fantastic as Captain America, and seeing him in Fantastic Four gave me a good idea of how he would perform. His sarcastic one-liners kind of bored me, but he did a great job bringing the first avenger to life. With that being said, the supporting characters, mainly Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Phillips and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Rogers' friend, are sort of just there. They never evolve from nothing but supporting characters. I guess Captain America is sort of a one-man show. Even his love interest, Peggy Carter, is sort of just there for the ride, and she isn't given the screen time she deserves. Luckily, Hugo Weaving, from V For Vendetta and The Matrix series, does a stunning job as Red Skull, and he really provides the entertainment in the acting.
Special effects were fun, but nothing to marvel at, as the focus of the movie is more storydriven, and less focused on mindless action (*cough WOLVERINE cough*). The post-converted 3D is gimmicky, so skip it. The music in the film is patriotic and light-hearted, and a catchy chorus tune with Captain America touring America will be in your head for days.
Captain America: The First Avenger is a great introduction to what I hope will be a franchise as successful as Iron Man. The movie is purely storydriven, which is wonderful, and Captain America is easily the best superhero film this year.
Overall: 4.0/5.0
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