June 2013 Nintendo 3DS Playtime Results

One of my favorite pre-installed features of the Nintendo 3DS is the Activity Log, a place where owners can see how much time they have invested in each game they have played. I am honestly addicted to this little feature, and I am always happy share which games I've been playing the most. It's that time again with our look at my Nintendo 3DS Playtime Results for the month of June 2013.

10) Mario Kart 7 (25:55)

The seventh installment of the Mario Kart series drove onto my Nintendo 3DS with style, offering thirty-two tracks total to rev my engines on. My brother and I actually tag-teamed getting that much-heralded triple star rating on each cup-- new and retro. I spent a lot of time online, grinding for coins in order to unlock all of the kart bodies. I really hope Mario Kart 8 for Wii U has a shop to spend coins in instead of randomly unlocking kart pieces, many of which I ignored and disliked. That way I could get the kart parts I want when I want.

9) Mario Tennis Open (28:31)

I went to the Best Buy Experience, where a Nintendo rep was demonstrating the four E3 2013 demos that the company had in Los Angeles. While I didn't get to play any of the demos, I did get to have a lot of StreetPass action with folks there. Now, I have a full line of opponents that I'm ready to take on in Mario Tennis Open, among other games. While Mario Tennis Open is one of the weaker entries in the Mario Tennis series, I still found plenty of enjoyment out of the game.

8) Super Mario 3D Land (32:25)

You wouldn't believe how excited my brother and I were when we saw the announcement and accompanying first footage of Super Mario 3D World. Both of us loved Super Mario 3D Land, and we find it to be one of the best 3D Marios, flawlessly blending 2D and 3D Mario gameplay together in heavenly harmony. I started yet another new data in the game. That's how I know the game is special. I constantly am eager to replay it over and over again. I'm certain that with multiplayer in Super Mario 3D World on Wii U, my brother and I will be replaying that game repeatedly come December.

7) Fire Emblem: Awakening (32:45)

I joined Chrom and his merry men and women on a quest to save the planet from doom. Fire Emblem: Awakening delivered tactical RPG action that made me want to keep playing just one more battle. Of course, since I was a total newbie entering the franchise, I was total (as the kids say) "weaksauce" and played Casual mode on the easiest difficulty. The way I played the game, I'd only have four characters at the final battle! Not so much a strategic master am I... Regardless, I really enjoyed Fire Emblem: Awakening, and now I am pestering my brother to finally play through the game on his own.

6) Swapnote (34:17)

A lot of people have stopped swapping notes with the free Swapnote app on the Nintendo 3DS. Compared to Miiverse, Swapnote looks a high school student production. That notwithstanding, I continue to use Swapnote on a daily basis, as if my playtime didn't indicate that already. I am addicted to drawing pictures in 3D, sharing photos and accumulating as many new stationery as possible. There are plenty of limitations with Swapnote, which is why many have quit using the program. However, despite these limitations, I am still finding some fun out of the program.

5) New Super Mario Bros. 2 (37:38)

My brother and I spent an abnormal amount of time grinding coins to reach that one million mark. We're totally not going for 10 million, if that's what you're wondering. We are not that bad of masochists or gluttons for punishment. That said, New Super Mario Bros. 2 surprised me greatly. It offered a chance for the new guys to develop a 2D Mario, and I actually found the level design more creative and innovative than the veterans' effort on the Wii U. Yes, the game was easy, but I really enjoyed what I played. My brother can vouch for me, too.

4) Paper Mario: Sticker Star (47:35)

While Paper Mario: Sticker Star is on the low end of greatest Mario RPG titles, my brother and I still enjoyed what we played of this Nintendo 3DS exclusive. The removal of experience points turned a lot of players off, and Shigeru Miyamoto's insistence that no new characters should be introduced also ticked some people off, as well. Another problem with the game was the obtuse nature of some puzzles and bosses. As you can see, Paper Mario: Sticker Star had a lot wrong with it, but it was still a fun and engaging adventure from beginning to end.

3) Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (63:52)

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance is the lead up game to Kingdom Hearts III, so it is recommended playing. That's not the only reason I recommend it-- it's also just a fantastic action RPG. While the Final Fantasy characters were replaced with folks from The World Ends With You, the Disney part of the Kingdom Hearts equation brought with it extravagant new worlds, like those from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Fantasia. Darn it-- now I want to play through the game again!

2) Kid Icarus: Uprising (66:35)

One of my favorite Nintendo 3DS games is one that my brother and I spent time essentially equally on, though we used separate save files, is Kid Icarus: Uprising. The return of Pit, Palutena, Medusa and many others was quite grand, and the epic flight sections, ground combat (that does take getting used to), and boss battles made for a game that I would love a sequel to. Kid Icarus: Uprising delivered one of the best soundtracks in a long time, beautiful 3D visuals and tons of replay value. Although our combined time total was 66:35, we didn't even scratch the surface of all that was possible in the game.

1) Animal Crossing: New Leaf (81:56)

To say the game at the number one spot is addicting would be an understatement. We've only had the game for less than two weeks, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf has already reached the top spot and over 80 hours of combined playtime. That is absolutely crazy. If you want to be submerged into a seemingly innocent world that will suck away your hours like they were seconds, then Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the game for you. Expect a full review of New Leaf at the end of this week.

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You might be wanting to compare play times from this month to our last look at which 3DS games got the most play. If you're one of those people, feel free to look at past lists here:

October 2011

January 2012

April 2012

September 2012 

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - The 400 Aftermath Edition

It seems we've been celebrating a lot this month at SuperPhillip Central. The fifth of June brought with it our five-year anniversary, last week brought our highest day of traffic ever, and last Monday we celebrated our 400th VGM volume. As much as we'd like to continue looking back at our past achievements, we must move on, and so SuperPhillip Central and our Favorite VGMs continue to roll on. This week we have music to share from Katamari Damacy, Mega Man X and Banjo-Tooie. After you have finished with these newest VGMs, check out our VGM Database for every song ever listed.

v401. Katamari Damacy (PS2) - Cherry Blossom Color Season

Let's start with something peaceful and delightful. Cherry Blossom Color Season comes from the eccentric and eclectic original Katamari Damacy. It is a theme that features a Japanese children's choir named Katamari Company Jr., and it was composed by Yu Miyake. It plays during one of the final levels of Katamari Damacy, where you roll up the most colossal of objects.

v402. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA) - Rookie and Popple

Spoiler: Rookie is actually Bowser. We know, it's a tremendous mystery revealed. You may now sleep soundly at night. In all seriousness, this peppy tune composed by the irreplaceable Yoko Shimomura delivers during the battle with the outmatched (when compared to Mario and Luigi) pair of Rookie and Popple.

v403. Mega Man X (SNES) - Armored Armadillo Stage

Time to cut loose and roll down the rails of this mine stage. In Armored Armadillo's stage, X seems to be constantly on the move, whether he's catching a ride on a cart, running from a rampaging robot, or leaping through the air on his way to face the well guarded boss of the level.

v404. Banjo-Tooie (N64) - Chilli Billi & Chilly Willy

Chilli Billi and Chilly Willy are two separate boss battles in Banjo-Tooie's Hailfire Peaks level. One takes place at the summit of the fire side while the other takes place on the ice side. As always, Grant Kirkhope comes in and composes a wonderful, tense theme for the climatic battles between the two.

v405. Killer7 (PS2, GCN) - Rave On

A song title extremely fitting of the piece of music it represents, Rave On is a track from Killer7, a cult classic for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. It's got a driving rhythm, great beat, and sensational synth. We spent countless minutes waiting in the hallways where this song plays in-- the same hallways that you literally only have to spend about ten seconds in each time.

Fortune Street (Wii) Retro Review

We have two reviews for recently released games coming this upcoming week at SuperPhillip Central. In the meantime, we realize that reviews for old games are ones that a fair portion of people don't care for. Regardless, we do not show any prejudice to a game's age when we decide to review a given game. That said, here is our review of Fortune Street/Boom Street for Nintendo Wii.

Occupy Fortune Street

The Itadaki Street franchise is one that has existed since 1991 when it debuted on the original Famicom system in Japan, devised by Dragon Quest series designer Yuji Horii. After the Famicom original, Itadaki Street rolled the die on multiple platforms, including the Super Famicom, PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS. Square Enix's series has finally found its way to the West thanks to Nintendo in the form of Fortune Street/Boom Street, a take on Monopoly starring a roster of all-stars from the Super Mario and Dragon Quest franchises. Does Fortune Street strike it rich, or is it a total bust?

One of these things is not like the other.

Fortune Street takes great inspiration from Monopoly, but it offers its own personal flair to make for a unique experience-- though a much more complicated one that takes time to learn. Thankfully, the game contains two rule sets, Easy and Standard, so beginners and pros alike can have a rule set that fits their play style and experience. Both have the same goal, however, which is to bring your character's net worth to a given board's target amount and reach the bank before any other player. Regardless of which rule set you choose, the main aim to roll the die, wander around the board, purchasing and upgrading properties, and collecting all four suits (club, spade, diamond and heart) to take back to the bank for a cash bonus is the same.

Your opponents will amusingly 

chatter when it is their turn.

Landing on an empty shop space allows you the opportunity to purchase it. When another player lands on it, they have to pay you an amount that depends on how much money you invested in it. They can also opt to buy you out, though this costs five times the amount of your shop. It's to your advantage to buy up as many adjacent shops as possible, as their max capital and price with increase. In addition to that, you can invest in already owned shops when you land on any of your establishments. Thus, you begin earning a lot more money to buy more shops and increase your max worth. Are you following me still? It's convoluted at first, but once a few games (no, not turns-- games) have been played, you will get more comfortable with the ins and outs on how Fortune Street works.

C'mon! Daddy needs a pair of new shoes...

and a pair of new shops!

However, Standard Rules is where the real fun and complexity of Fortune Street comes into play. In addition to all of what Easy Rules have the offer, Standard shoves stocks, districts and more square types into the mix for a more strategic game.

Curses! Foiled again!

Stocks can be purchased at the bank and at designated squares, and will fluctuate as the game goes on. This is where districts come in, color coded areas of the board. Stocks can be invested in the various districts, and as more capital is invested in a given district to give higher shop values, the higher the worth of stock prices will be for that district. If shop prices go down or a lot of stocks are sold, a district's stock prices will go down. Fortunately, you can win big by buying stocks low and selling stocks high, or even investing heavily in a district where you own all the shops in.

Soon I will conquer this district, 

and then... the WORLD!

For single players, Fortune Street offers Tour Mode, which has multiple boards that have requirements that must be met to complete them. These are as simple as getting third, second, or first place (as you progress in the mode, the place you must earn is higher). This mode is how you unlock boards and characters for free play. Unfortunately, speaking of characters, in Tour Mode you curiously can only play as your Mii. That's right. No Mario, no Yoshi, no Slime. Just your Mii and nobody else. Sure, you can customize your look with unlockable items and costume pieces, but it would have been nice to be able to play solo as whoever you wanted.

Dress your Mii for success.

In addition to Tour Mode, single players without anyone for local multiplayer can hop online via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to play one of two types of games: one against worldwide or nationwide opponents, and one against friends who you've shared friend codes with. The inability to save a current game's progress to leave and pick up another time is pretty damning, however, because Fortune Street games last a good while.

The arcade space won't eat up your quarters.

While not a graphically intensive title by any means, Fortune Street still runs well on the Wii hardware. Characters move around the boards without any hiccups in frame-rate, and boards are crisp and colorful, representing their Mushroom Kingdom and Dragon Quest universe locales admirably. If you wish to make games go faster, there are an abundant amount of animations you can turn off. In the music department, Fortune Street features a wide range of familiar themes from both Mario and Dragon Quest series, remixed and sounding as great as ever. The presentation of Fortune Street succeeds in bringing some flash and pizzazz to what could otherwise be a very boring experience.

Both Mario and Dragon Quest share the 

spotlight and number of boards in Fortune Street.

Fortune Street is not a party game for everyone. It most certainly will not excite the Mario Party crowd, and as a matter of fact, it really isn't for them. Fortune Street is a much more strategic and intricate game that you can't just roll the die and hope luck will let you win. That's not to say there is no element of chance to be found, but usually the winner is decided by who has played the best, quite unlike Mario Party. Despite its colorful appearance, Fortune Street isn't really recommended for the younger set. It's highly complicated, takes a while to learn, and quite frankly, those two aspects make it a difficult proposition for even someone my age. That said, if you can get the rules down and plan your moves accordingly, Fortune Street is a worthy investment for your Wii.

[SPC Says: 7.25/10]

Animal Crossing Journal - Under Construction Edition

Phil here with another edition of my Animal Crossing Journal-- New Leaf style! Last week I talked about my humble beginnings as the mayor of Central and introduced my vision for the village. Now it has been two weeks, and I'd like to update you on my progress, starting with my home.

I went ahead and had Tom Nook upgrade my house several times, adding a second floor, a basement, and a back room. Somehow I'm the mayor, yet I feel like I am still under Tom Nook's nefarious control. He must be stopped. He has ties to the raccoon mob-- I just know it!

One of the first public works projects I worked on and contributed all the Bells to was the fountain. It is located directly in front of the town hall. I think it looks nice, surrounded by colorful red and yellow roses.

The second major non-bridge project I wanted to take care of was to make a park. I paved the sidewalk using a custom design and started construction on a yellow bench. You can see the before and after of what we, the citizens of Central, did.

Directly to the right of the bench, I added a street lamp to light up the darkness at night. Not as if there are any troublesome people or any sort of crime in Central, unless they are crimes against fashion, which some denizens are prone to have.

Since it's summer, it seemed like an opportune time to devote some Bells to a campground for out-of-town tourists and visitors. I look forward to meeting new animals who stumble through Central, and perhaps even play some games with them.

One of the more recent public works projects was the establishment of the Dream Suite, allowing Central's citizens to take a nap and venture into a dream where they can visit a town of their choosing. Although they can wander around the towns, any changes they perform on the town will not be saved. It's just like it was a dream... which it was!

The latest project completed was a park clock, placed just to the right of the town hall fountain. If you ever need to know what time it is and are not bright enough to bring up the in-game clock, this park clock will suit your fancy. I know I turned some heads coming to the opening ceremony wearing my Samus helmet. Fortunately, the only snickering came from Lyman, who is already on my list. I can't say what list that is because it's incriminating.

Here are some shots of Central's mayor, me, wandering around the town I helped build with my two small little hands.

And finally... talk about a non sequitur!

Your words say no... but your face says yes... I must think clearly on this before I act. Oh, the woes of being a mayor and having the maturity of a 12-year-old...

Tomb Raider (PS3, 360, PC) Review

A game that is too recent to be listed as a Better Late Than Never review, Tomb Raider released back in March, and now SuperPhillip Central is finally giving Ms. Lara Croft's origin story some of our devotion. How does Tomb Raider hold up? Let's find out with our review.

A Story of Survival... And Mass Murder

Back in the days of the original PlayStation, Tomb Raider was a franchise that was a force to be reckoned with. However, as more sequels came out in later generations, each feeling more iterative than the last, the quality of the games declined greatly. Now, the series is faced with a massive reboot created by Crystal Dynamics-- certainly no easy undertaking. Simply titled Tomb Raider, the game shows a more fragile Lara Croft's origin story. Is the price of survival worth the price of admission?

As stated, Tomb Raider tells the tale of Lara Croft's not-so-humble beginnings. When a voyage to an island in the Dragon's Triangle goes awry, Croft and crew's ship crashes. Lara wakes up, calling for her friends, only to be blindsided by a local. Dazed, tied up, and hanging in some kind of cavern, Lara frees herself and must do everything to survive on her own. It won't be easy, as the island is maintained by a crazed cult, any ship or plane that tries to leave the island gets shot down by Mother Nature, and supplies are scarce. Tomb Raider definitely shows a different side to the mythos of Lara Croft. She starts out as an incredibly vulnerable and scared girl and by the end of the game she becomes a hardened survivor. However, I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief at times. Lara is constantly put in ridiculous situation after ridiculous situation, each more insane than the last that it felt like the storytellers were trying to shove it in my face that Lara was a strong-willed survivor. Seriously, I got it already. It's sort of tough to swallow to have it repeatedly drilled into me.

It takes a big man to use a woman for a shield.

Another issue I have with Tomb Raider stems from how violent the game is. It just feels forced and unnecessary. I don't play Tomb Raider games to see Lara Croft impaled through the throat, bashed in the face until she's a bloody mess, or have her spine snap when she smacks into an underwater rock, nor do I want to see that. What the developers call a visceral gameplay experience, I call gratuitous violence for the sake of violence. There's realism and then there's what Tomb Raider is. It gets worse when you realize that  as soon as Lara Croft comes across her first gun (before which she has to carefully sneak around the island), she almost immediately transforms from a helpless young woman into the female version of the Terminator, complete with genocidal kill counts and merciless executions. The violence displayed by Tomb Raider almost becomes comical at some points, obviously not the intention of the developers. It makes emotionally nuanced story sequences of the game seem wasted when the next moment Lara begins slaying foes as easily as a mass murderer.

Bad dog! Down, boy!

That said, Tomb Raider is an incredibly fun experience. The game has you moving from section of island to section of island, exploring the wide open areas (of which you can fast travel from camp to camp), venturing into optional tombs for treasure, performing feats of climbing prowess that would give Nathan Drake a run for his money, hunting animals as if Lara was on an African safari, and taking out violent islanders that want nothing more than to see outsiders like Lara taken out as brutally as possible.

Well, aren't these cheery surroundings. 

Thankfully, Lara has tools at her disposal to bring the brutality right back to them. There are four weapons that Lara Croft comes across in Tomb Raider, and each serves its own purpose. Lara starts out with the bow and arrow, perfect for silently taking out foes and animals. Holding down the fire button draws the bow back more for increased damage, and also easier penetration into armor. Then there's a pistol, an automatic rifle and a shotgun, all of which can be upgraded through earning salvage points. These come from coming across and opening boxes strewn about the island, and looting the corpses of your slain victims. Upgrades purchased through spending salvage points can be used to strengthen the recoil of your weapon, allow more ammo in a magazine, or cause give better accuracy.

In addition to salvage points, Lara Croft can also earn experience points through multiple means, such as scavenging fallen animals she hunts, defeating enemies (headshots and more savage kills net more points), and coming across hidden collectibles. When enough experience points have been earned, Lara gains skill points. These can be used to get survivor abilities for Lara to use. Such examples of this include being able to spot otherwise hard-to-find sources of loot, recovering shot arrows from downed creatures and enemies, and increased climbing speed.

Speaking of hunting, one of Tomb Raider's first objectives after Lara escapes from the cavern of crazed cult members is to hunt a deer for a source of food. You might think that this skill is useful and is used more prominently later in the game, but no, it's simply a one-off deal that only nets you experience points each time you kill an animal. I would have liked to see taking down animals as something necessary, since after all this is a game showing how Lara survives her ordeal. Wouldn't scavenging for food be an important part of that? And I don't mean something as boring and as tedious as collecting and eating food like Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater had. Just something to make the experience seem more realistic would have been interesting to see.

There's no thrill to these hunts in Tomb Raider.

A great part of Tomb Raider is how much exploring is available to you and Lara. Of course, the linear set pieces that drive the action sequences of the game are nice and wow-worthy, but it's nice to just be able to explore the island at your own pace, uncovering secret tombs and collectibles like GPS caches, documents that fill in the holes of the story, and relics left behind by those who were doomed to never leave the island. The island feels natural, and there's a remarkable sense of wonder in every facet, mountain face, and area. New tools allow for Lara to reach previously inaccessible areas to further discover the entirety of Lara's marooned location.

Nathan Drake, eat your heart out.

Meanwhile, something that Tomb Raider fans are generally unfamiliar with, multiplayer, comes with this all new reboot. It contains four mostly fun modes where beginning players need to grind experience to unlock better skills, weapons, upgrades, and characters. It isn't the most innovative or routinely engaging multiplayer out there, but it does its job well and increases the replay value of Tomb Raider immensely. Some might argue that the multiplayer could have been scrapped in order for the developers to bolster the single player experience better, but I, for one, welcome being able to hop online for some gratuitous shooting that actually belongs in this portion of Tomb Raider.

Multiplayer offers four unique modes to enjoy.

Tomb Raider's budget is quite high, and it's easy to see that a lot of the money went into creating the vast island expanses, gorgeous visual output, and brilliant voice acting. It's nice seeing how Lara gets increasingly more messy as she explores dirty caverns and have her clothes stay wet after she exits a body of water. Effects like fire look damn impressive, and the vegetation and structure of the island are built to look as natural as possible. The island doesn't usually feel like its made by a designer for Lara to easily get to point A to point B. It feels more genuine than that, much like a game like Metroid Prime used the environment to make platforming and journeying seem more organic.

Fire bad! But it looks really good at least!

Tomb Raider is the type of triple-A experience that succeeds in creating an engaging gameplay experience, but fails at conveying a realistic vulnerable survivor in Lara Croft. When one moment you're seeing Ms. Croft cry her eyes out for killing her first islander, and then the next you're performing headshots like a professional hitman, it gets quite jarring. That notwithstanding, a plot and campaign that will keep you wanting to play, fun (though oftentimes unbelievable) set pieces that amaze, and a multiplayer component that increases the longevity of the game make for a remarkable reboot for the Tomb Raider franchise. I can't wait to see in which direction Lara Croft's adventures take her next, because I will happily follow.

[SPC Says: 8.75/10]