Majora’s Mask is the dark direct sequel to one of the most famous entries to The Legend Of Zelda franchise – Ocarina Of Time. It features the same Link, the Hero Of Time, in his child form. We are told that he is on a journey searching for a friend. The most obvious interpretation is that he is in fact looking for Navi, as she left him at the end of the game. But this is never stated as fact, so who he is searching for is really left to our own interpretation.
The game was actually made using the same engine and character models as Ocarina Of Time, so you will most likely recognise all the characters you see in the game, even though they will in fact be different people! I actually don’t see this as a design issue though, as Majora’s Mask is supposed to take place in a parallel world to Hyrule, so I personally feel that the repeated models compliment this well.
The usual Zelda conventions are somewhat tweaked here, in that the main focus is removed from the dungeons, with only a total of four main dungeons for you to clear through. Instead the game pushes you to focus on mask-collecting and side quests, two things which were present in Ocarina Of Time but were not nearly as significant to the story.
I love the side quests so much, and really get a lot of enjoyment out of completing them, but this is hardly my favourite thing about Majora’s Mask.
This is a dark game. Nintendo are usually known for their cute, family friendly games, and although The Legend Of Zelda certainly does have its dark moments, Majora’s Mask set the bar to a different level entirely. Skull Kid has caused the Moon to fall, and so it shall … in three days! The people of Termina are largely ignorant to the certain doom that hangs above them, until the final day … on this day people flee, they take refuge, they are scared for their lives – all the people you come across will react differently to this crisis.
Truly, the beauty of this game is in the tiny details hidden in every area.
In 2015, long-time fans the world over rejoiced at the release of a 3DS remake! The world of Termina has never looked so detailed and full of life! There were some updates made in the remake to make the Player’s journey easier, such as the complete overhaul of the Bomber’s Notebook, which was certainly appreciated by myself at the very least.
This was one of my all time favourites when I was younger, and it still feels just as important to me today!
If you were to ask me what the first thing that comes to my head is when talking about Twilight Princess, my first thought would be the sheer excitement I had as a child waiting for this game to come out. I had some sort of promotional DVD which I assume must have come with a magazine that I used to collect at that age, which had the trailers for the game on it, and I must have sat on the edge of my seat watching these trailers a ridiculous number of times!
As much as I enjoyed the colourful environment of Wind Waker, once I saw how dark Twilight Princess was going to be, I knew I was going to fall in love – and I was right.
Gorgeous visuals, dark atmospheres, a huge and breathtaking world, and an unforgettable story – this is what is waiting for anyone who gives their time to this installment of the Zelda series.
I felt like this was a truly epic adventure, with nine huge dungeons to conquer, monstrous bosses to defeat, and a sinister antagonist in the form of the King Of Twilight, Zant, who was acting on behalf of returning villain, Ganondorf. On top of this, the designs for the monsters were fantastic, particularly those that you would find in the Twilight Realm … the monsters found within are twisted beings, completely contrasted to the world of Hyrule.
As is usually the case with a Zelda game, the soundtrack is unforgettable, big and bold! To this day, I still whistle various tunes as I’m doing the most random of chores.
I feel like I can’t talk about Twilight Princess without mentioning a certain cutscene … If you’ve played, then you know the one. A twisted account of Hyrule’s history, and also a foreboding premonition of what could come to pass. This cutscene is one of the creepiest things I have ever seen, and most likely it is the creepiest thing that I’ve seen in a video game! It’s a perfect example of the exceptional artistic design behind this game.
The creepy cutscene of Hyrule’s history.
I really enjoyed the new gameplay mechanics that were introduced here, in particular Link’s Wolf Form. This really varied the gameplay, making sure that you’re not likely to get too bored running around as Link all the time in this vast world (which would never be a problem for me personally …).
The companion character of this game, Midna, was also a great addition to the game in my opinion. It was the first time it felt like you had a true companion … I like Navi in Ocarina Of Time, but her main purpose is to give you information on enemies and how to beat them. Tatl in Majora’s Mask was an improvement as she had more story involvement. The King Of Red Lions in Wind Waker had a lot of story involvement, but wasn’t a true companion seeing as … he’s a boat. Midna travels with you in your shadow, she has a lot of personality, and I love her story and what she brings to the game.
Though it isn’t my favourite entry to the series, there’s no question that this is one of my favourites – one that I have revisited many times!
Platform: Nintendo Gamecube, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U
I have spent hours and hours and hours on this game. So simple, yet so much depth!
Right from the off you are given a rather heartbreaking scene, where your grandfather is on his death bed and gives you an envelope with instructions to open it only once modern society has pushed you to your limits… after another brief scene showing the joys of corporate life, you open the envelope and learn about Stardew Valley.
You will pick up how to play bit by bit as various NPCs tell you more, and quests offer you some small guidance in how to proceed. You will learn how to tend the land, make a profit, expand your farm, and you will also meet lots of interesting people who inhabit the valley, donate interesting items to the library, delve into the mines, enjoy the quiet pastime of fishing, take part in lots of community activities, bonding with everyone as you do, strengthening your relationships as the years go by, and eventually you will choose one of the lucky bachelor/bachelorettes to be your spouse!
So, do you think there’s enough in this game to keep you busy?
With so many different and unique characters to bond with and choose as your spouse, this adds a lot of replay value, for the sake of seeing what life is like with each one. As well as this, there are a number of different farm styles you can choose at the beginning of the game, so this will help to shake things up a bit between playthroughs.
I have had no trouble maintaining a number of different characters, and have yet to get bored. The one thing I haven’t tried is the multiplayer, as none of my friends play this particular title on the same platform as me, which is a shame because I quite like the idea of it – particularly as they have added the option to reduce profit margins for the farm, as a sort of “difficulty setting”.
This has almost instantly become one of my favourite games, for so many reasons! The Outer Worlds is brought to us by Obsidian Entertainment and the more I play, the more I am reminded of two of my favourite series – Fallout and Mass Effect.
The Sci-Fi space setting, party system, and space voyaging all bring to mind the excellent gameplay of Mass Effect. But the levelling up, bold characters, and the quirky sense of humour behind the writing all point to Fallout, in particular New Vegas which we also have Obsidian to thank for.
But of course, it isn’t all recycled ideas – there is no doubting that The Outer Worlds has plenty of its own unique personality! From the moment I started to create my character creator, and I saw the vast choice of hair colours that I had to choose from … don’t expect to have much choice in the way of “normal” hair colours – they’re vibrant, bold, and occasionally two-tone!
I have pretty much cleared through the first area that acts as the tutorial area before letting you loose to explore other celestial bodies in the solar system. This has been enough to show me that the combat is enjoyable, and challenging at times. I have already found a good variety of weaponry and have started to lean towards certain preferences. I am definitely enjoying the setting, and the characters and factions that are being introduced to me – I have already had to make a moral choice in the form of diverting power to one of two areas … (Sound familiar to the New Vegas fans out there?).
From what I have seen of the game world so far, it really is quite breathtaking and imaginative. I’ve yet to grow tired of traversing across the alien landscape from point A to point B. There is a fast travel option available between certain key areas if you are the kind of gamer who doesn’t enjoy going back and forth across areas you have already seen.
For those of you who really love a good difficulty challenge, much like in New Vegas, The Outer Worlds offers you a somewhat more realistic RPG experience with the Supernova difficulty. In this mode your fast travel will be limited, you will need to eat, drink, and sleep regularly in order to survive, and certain injuries will require bed rest for you to recover. This is of course on top of all the other challenges you would expect to face with the highest difficulty setting, such as enemies having more health and dealing more damage, and even having limitations on your manual and auto saves!
I can’t wait to get further into this game and see what choices and challenges will face me, and what absurd and zany characters I will bump in to. This is definitely going to be a game that has me exploring every nook and cranny to find all the hidden little gems the world designers have hidden away.
Yet another Zelda entry, and it will not be the last. Wind Waker was something of a controversial entry at the time of release, mainly due to the introduction of cel-shaded graphics and cartoonish atmosphere. Personally it was an aesthetic that I enjoyed – it felt so different and refreshing to the series and it gives the game world so much personality!
Wind Waker is set in a world unlike any we had seen before in the Zelda series – a great sea covers the world, the only land in sight being the isles of varying sizes which are far and few between. Although the bright colours and art styles seem charming, this game isn’t afraid to flaunt a darker side. There are plenty of areas you will come across, some of them dungeons, others areas in the overworld, which will be a stark contrast against the rest of the world.
One of the things that I love is how refined the combat felt in Wind Waker compared to previous 3D titles. Link learns swordplay from Orca in his hometown, and one of the techniques taught is how to parry – this awesome move makes combat feel so fluid and skillful, it was a really nice touch and so easy to use. There’s nothing quite like catching your enemy off guard, shocking them and exposing their weaknesses!
The dungeons and bosses in the Zelda series are known for how good they are, and there’s no exception to the rule here! I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first time I tackled the first dungeon boss of the game … grappling onto a dragon’s tail, swinging high above a pool of lava, with the enormous Gohma watching and preparing to strike … I can’t be the only one who loved this boss battle right?
Of course I have to mention the spectacular soundtrack, as is the case with just about any game from the Zelda franchise – I don’t think there’s a track in the whole game that I don’t love! Peaceful and fun tracks we hear in the towns, the track we hear whilst sailing at sea giving us the feeling of being on a grand adventure, and again let’s not forget about the bosses! For the first time Zelda has given each boss of the game a unique soundtrack, once again adding to the amazing personality and atmosphere of Wind Waker!
The main antagonist is my favourite of all time, Ganon. If you want to know what I think of him, you can head to my Top 10 Antagonists to read everything I have to say.
In 2013 Nintendo gave us a phenomenal remaster on the Wii U which gave us beautifully updated graphics and a few changes and additions to the game, my favourite being the Swift Sail which let’s you sail across the Great Sea faster than you ever could before!
This definitely goes down as one of my favourites, and I always love going back to it for another journey as the Hero Of Winds.
Happy Halloween everyone! In honour of one of my favourite annual events, and of the release of Luigi’s Mansion 3, I thought I would talk about the game that started off the moustachioed man’s Ghost-hunting career.
Even to this day I sometimes like to get out the Gamecube and play on some of the classic games in my collection, and Luigi’s Mansion is certainly one of them. The game came out 18 years ago in 2001, and was the first time I got to experience Luigi as a protagonist.
The game starts off with Luigi making his way to his new mansion … which he won in a contest … which he didn’t enter … If you thought this sounds suspicious, then congratulations! You have more sense that the Mario Bros. Luigi was meant to meet his brother, Mario, at the mansion, but he is no where to be seen, and the mansion itself is not quite as pictured on Luigi’s handy map!
It doesn’t take long for Luigi to discover that his mansion is in fact haunted. After an encounter with local oddball, Professor E. Gadd, Luigi is armed with the Poltergust 3000 (a vacuum cleaner…) and is ready to take on the hordes of ghosts that are plaguing the mansion and find his missing brother!
The game’s spooky aesthetic is perfect in my opinion, with Luigi constantly freaking out, the mansion in deep darkness, and the amazing theme music ominously plays throughout. Power returns to the rooms as Luigi clears them of ghosts, making that room a safe place for you and also replacing the theme with Luigi’s whistling version.
It’s not all sucking up random ghosts with your trusty Poltergust 3000 though, as there are larger ghosts with actual personalities who can be found across the mansion who act as the game’s mini bosses and actual bosses. They all take a certain amount of puzzle-solving to deal with, as you must flash your torch on their heart to be able to suck them up – but they don’t reveal their heart so easily! An example is one of the earlier Ghosts who is preoccupied with her appearance at a vanity table, but if you use the Poltergust 3000 to open the curtains, letting in a breeze, she will hastily close them again, showing you her heart in the process.
Besides all of this, there are collectibles for you to find as well, and the puzzle-solving gets a bit deeper as you progress, through the use of elemental medallions which allow you to use fire, water and ice as a means of dealing with certain ghosts and situations.
It would also be wrong of me to not mention the fantastically named Gameboy Horror, a gadget given to you by Prof. E. Gadd and a clear homage to the Gameboy Color. This is how the nutty professor keeps in touch with you whilst you are in the mansion. It also keeps track of what you’ve collected so far and also shows you the map of the mansion, giving you a good overview of where you’ve been and where you are going.
I could keep going on about how much I love this game, but I think I’ve said enough for now. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment and see what mischief Luigi has gotten himself into this time!
These two games are the latest in the Hitman series, and they are actually the first Hitman games I have ever played. I fell in love with them after watching my favourite Youtubers (Outside Xbox) get up to all sorts of mischief with super-tough-guy, Agent 47.
The premise of the game is that you are Agent 47, a hitman (in case you couldn’t guess), and it is your job to eliminate the target. The areas that you will travel to are all quite large, with many different people, as well as different opportunities to take advantage of. This means that there will be many, many different ways for you to eliminate your target.
The game offers you many different challenges which encourage you to explore, experiment, and generally just see what kind of chaos you can cause! There are plenty of fun and helpful unlockables for you to work towards (everyone can find a use for an explosive rubber duck, right?).
The game most certainly has a sense of humour, if Agent 47’s undercover persona, Mr. Rieper, is anything to go by. On top of this, 47 opts for some interesting dialogue options when he is trying to pass himself off as whatever he has disguised himself as. My favourite of such situations would have to be when he dresses as an estate agent (realtor) and gives his target a tour of a charming suburban home, and with each room he gives a speech which in some way insinuates murder …
This is a great game for puzzle-solvers, as there are various challenges and options which will make the game harder, meaning you will have to think and act that much more carefully. The professional difficulty level makes the NPCs much more wise to 47’s antics, but also there are escalation missions, which are multi-stage missions which seem simple enough at first, but with each stage comes either new targets or new limitations!
Hitman has excellent replay value, simply through the main missions having so many different approaches, but also through the previously mentioned escalation missions. And did I mention that you can even create your own contracts, which you can then share with others – and so of course you can also play other player’s created contracts. There’s no denying that this game is fun and gives you plenty of value for your money.
Platform: Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC
Hitman Release Date: 11/03/2016-31/10/2016 (Various Episodes), 31/01/2017 (Complete First Season)
One of the key aspects of story-based games is of course the antagonists! They can take many forms, whether they’re just annoying people who turn up occasionally to get in your way, or an evil overlord who wants nothing short of world domination.
Here are my 10 favourite antagonists, the ones who you just love to hate!
10. Micah Bell
Red Dead Redemption 2 was my first foray in the Rockstar’s classic cowboy franchise, which means that I did not have any insight of events that existing fans of the series had already. For me, the gang’s downfall was a gradual observation, rather than an inevitable conclusion.
As the game progressed I became more and more suspicious of Micah, disliking him more every time he opened his mouth. He seemed to be too much of a loose cannon, and it felt as though his presence would end up being detrimental to the gang’s well-being.
Micah also appears to have a huge chip on his shoulder when it comes to Arthur – as Arthur’s health gets worse, Micah frequently refers to him as “Black Lung” – but even more baffling is how no other gang members ever challenge him on his disrespect towards one of the key members of the gang.
There are few games that force you to spend so much time with the main antagonist – the usual format being occasional meetings and battles. It is always refreshing to see a game that challenges the usual formats.
9. Scott Shelby
Heavy Rain featured three playable characters that the game would switch up from time to time, so players get to know all three at roughly the same pace. Scott Shelby is a Private Investigator who appears to be looking into the deaths caused by the Origami Killer.
Early on Scott meets Lauren Winter, the mother of one of the killer’s victims, and she accompanies him on his investigations. The pair develop a very close relationship as the game progresses. But then a major plot twist reveals that Scott Shelby is in fact the Origami Killer! For first time players (or at least, for me) it was a huge shock to find out that you had in fact been controlling the killer all along.
This impressive twist is what makes Scott one of the most memorable antagonists for me.
8. Seifer Almasy
The rivalry between Final fantasy VIII’s Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almasy is one that I have always loved. They both grew up in Balamb Garden, and have frequently come to blows.
Seifer is eventually recuited by Sorceress Edea to be her knight, taking a completely different path to Squall who is given the mission to assassinate Edea. Seifer appears a number of times throughout the game to hinder the party’s progress .
My favourite battle with him triggers the appearance of Odin, a powerful GF (assuming you have recruited him). Odin has a small chance at the beginning of every battle to use his powerful Zantetsuken skill, which will cut all enemies in half, instantly winning the battle. But when Odin goes up against Seifer, the skilled swordsman in fact manages to strike the GF down, putting him out of commission for good!
Seifer as an antagonist isn’t inherently bad, but rather he is a skilled and ambitious young adult who doesn’t quite fit in thanks to his rash and rebellious nature, until he was manipulated by the Sorceress.
7. Sin
Another entry from the Final Fantasy franchise – Sin of Final Fantasy X.
Sin is a gigantic monster who is best described as a calamitous force in the world of Spira. When the settlements of the world get too large, or start to rely too heavily on Machina, Sin will appear and destroy whatever it can find.
Final Fantasy X has a huge religious theme, and as you might have guessed, Sin is portrayed as the “divine punishment” to the people, and the reason why they must try so hard to atone. Each encounter with Sin is full of tension and intense pressure, as the possibility of destruction is so real once it turns up.
For those unfamiliar with the story, summoners will travel to temples across Spira to complete a pilgrimage, and at the end of this pilgrimage the summoner will call the Final Aeon, which will fight Sin. The hope is that it defeats Sin for good, but that will never happen as there is much more to be told about the origin of Sin.
Sin also has a very bizarre design – one which you don’t get to fully appreciate until much later in the game, as in the early stages of the story it appears in the water most of the time. And as for the actual creation of Sin, there is a very elaborate backstory behind how it came to be, and how it keeps coming back after being defeated.
I think Sin makes for an incredible antagonist. As you travel through Spira, you will see a lot of destruction caused by Sin, and you will meet people who have been affected by it, and the journey to destroy Sin feels like a truly epic tale – one that won’t be forgotten by me any time soon.
6. Zachary Hale Comstock
You’ve all played Bioshock Infinite right? You all know what the deal is with Comstock right? If this information has some how passed you by and you want to play Bioshock Infinite to discover what happens for yourself, MOVE ON.
So, we’ve had the guy who was in our gang, who we spent time with, who then turned on us.
We’ve had the guy who we played as who then turns out to be the killer.
And what do we have now? The guy, who is you but from a different universe!
I don’t think my mind has ever been blown as much as it was when I played this game, and the penny dropped the Comstock was in fact Booker Dewitt, and that Elizabeth was in fact Booker’s daughter, Anna Dewitt.
Again, this is an antagonist with religious overtones, but instead of divine punishment, we have a prophet – you will hear a lot of his prophecies and beliefs as you play the game. The story-crafting here really is phenomenal, with countless tiny details all adding up to make an elaborate backstory.
The uniqueness of Comstock’s backstory and identity truly make him one of the most unforgettable antagonists out there.
5. Skull Kid
This is in fact two separate characters; Skull Kid and the spirit of Majora.
Skull Kid, much like Seifer, is a troubled character, who is corrupted and manipulated by a powerful force. He steals Majora’s Mask from the Happy Mask Salesman, but the spirit sealed within starts to control Skull Kid, causing him to wreak havoc across Termina, the world that Majora’s Mask is set in. This ranges from poisoning the swamp, freezing the home of the Goron’s, blocking paths with boulders, to forcing the moon to fall from the sky.
I first played Majora’s Mask when it was released in 2000, when I was 7 years old … at such an age, this game felt a lot scarier than it actually is. The themes throughout the game are much darker than what is usually expected of a Zelda game, and Skull Kid felt particularly menacing. I wasn’t actually able to complete the game as a child because there were some parts of the game that I just found too frightening to tackle! (Of course, now I can breeze through with ease)
As you get closer to the end of the game, you learn that Skull Kid is just a kid who misses his friends, and that he isn’t actually an evil character. By the time I reached the end of the game, I actually found him to be quite endearing.
The spirit within Majora’s Mask eventually abandons Skull Kid, leading to a very surreal final boss battle.
Skull Kid will always be memorable to me, partly for how disturbing and creepy he was when I was younger, and partly because of how I feel about his character now that I have seen his story.
4. Demise
Demise is the final boss of The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and what a boss he is.
You will not see Demise’s true form until the very end of the game, as the main antagonist that you face throughout the game is in fact Ghirahim, but he only acts as a servant to Demise.
I really like Demise’s design, he truly emanates an aura of pure evil and malice. The final battle with him is quite simply … epic. Phenomenal battle music, a breathtaking battlefield, and a genuinely tricky but enjoyable battle against him.
But most importantly, Demise gives us answers.
The main villain of the Legend Of Zelda series is Ganon, and it was never incredibly clear to fans of the series why Ganon keeps appearing across the various titles … until Demise is defeated in Skyward Sword! It is at this point where Demise leaves his curse behind, claiming that his hatred will be reborn over and over to haunt Link and Zelda’s descendants in a never ending cycle – and this is the explanation for Ganon.
As a long time Zelda fan, I will always remember experiencing that battle for the first time, to then have that bomb-shell dropped.
3. Frau Engel
Wolfenstein’s Frau Engel is simply put … evil. She is a devoted Nazi, so devoted in fact that she states the Nazi agenda is more important to her than her own daughter.
You will bear witness to her evil personality a number of times throughout Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein: The New Colossus.
The New Order features a disturbing cutscene where Engel’s face has been horribly disfigured, and she gets right into Blazcowicz’s face to taunt him, before being flung aside by B.J.’s companion controlling a robot mech.
In The New Colossus, she relentlessly hunts down the protagonist B.J. Blazcowicz, even going so far as to get his father to lure him into a trap, where she then captures him and beheads him on national TV.
There are probably few characters who you will find yourself hating more than this Nazi (which really is a testament to the character’s design), and so I would say that Frau Engel is one of the greatest video game antagonists out there.
2. GLaDOS
Now, if you haven’t played Portal, chances are you’ve at least heard of Portal.
GLaDOS is the main antagonist of the game, and wow, is she a good one. She hates you. She really hates you. She does not have a problem showing you how much she hates you. Never has there been a more sadistic, sarcastic, sassy character. She is always ready and prepared to chastise you for whatever action you’re about to make.
But everything she does is in the name of science, and if you cooperate you get cake. Right?
One more thing – Still Alive. Once you complete Portal and the credits roll, GLaDOS starts to sing. And as it turns out, GLaDOS can sing!
1. Ganondorf
Ganondorf of The Legend Of Zelda series, the third Zelda entry on this list … I wonder if that might be one of my favourite franchises?
Ganondorf is just one half of the character though, as he can transform into Ganon, which is his beast form. He appears across a number of Zelda games, and in each instance there is a powerfully unique design.
My first encounter with Ganondorf was in Ocarina Of Time, and I was instantly taken by him as an antagonist! He has such an obvious air of evil and power, which is fitting for the bearer of the Triforce of Power.Ganondorf feels like a truly epic force to overcome in this game, especially by the time you reach the second part of the game – seven years after he steals the Triforce and reshapes Hyrule as he sees fit.
In Wind Waker he is actually referred to as Ganon, even though he is still in his Gerudo form. His appearance in Wind Waker is a stark contrast to the bright, bubbly setting that is the Great Sea. Such a strong design, and an excellent final boss battle to boot – he absolutely left his mark on this game.
Twilight Princess didn’t reveal Ganondorf until later in the game, with the main antagonist appearing to be Zant – but Zant was in fact acting in service of Ganondorf, who he reveres as a God. Once again Ganondorf has an excellent design, but what truly stands out for me is the spectacular multi-stage final boss battle. First he possesses Zelda’s body and attacks through her, and then transforms into his massive beast form … the next stage is a heart-pounding horseback battle on a huge open field, until finally Link and Ganondorf face off in a one-on-one sword fight.
Ganondorf makes more appearances across the series, but for me these are the stand-out appearances that make him my all time favourite antagonist of all gaming franchises.
Oh how I love Animal Crossing! This is a franchise that I stumbled across on the Gamecube, and I am so happy to say that it has only got better and better as each new game has come out! As fans of the series find themselves counting down to the release of the next title, NewHorizons, I thought I should take the time to talk about my favourite game in the series so far: Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Animal Crossing franchise, the games act as a sort of life simulation game. You are a human moving into a new town, which you will quickly notice is populated by sentient animals! There are 100s of different villages in Animal Crossing, but you can only have a small number of villagers at once. Some do decide to move away, leaving room for a new character to make an appearance!
There are many activities to keep you occupied in the games, such as fishing, bug catching, fossil collecting, donating exhibits to the museum to expand their collection, earning money to pay off your mortgage and expand your house, befriending your neighbour, and even connecting with friends and visiting their towns, or having them visit you! The game follows real time and has a full calendar year with all manner of events for you to take part in. No other game can claim to show off such a great spirit of community!
New Leaf challenged the conventions of the series by saying goodbye to Tortimer, the long-time mayor across the series, and instead you end up becoming mayor! As such, you will have a lot more control over what your town looks like, through the use of Public Works Projects. You will have a list of available projects, and these can range from something as small as a lamppost to something as big as a café!
Are you thinking that the burden of being mayor sounds like too much? Well don’t you worry about that! New Leaf introduced one of the nicest, sweetest characters in the world of video games – Isabelle! This adorable pooch will be your assistant, and she takes care of running special events in the town, helping you figure out where to put your Public Works Projects, and just generally being a lovely character to interact with!
Another thing that I really love about the franchise is how self-referential Nintendo is. There are so many different wallpapers, floors, furniture pieces, and clothing options that are a reference to other Nintendo games and characters! Even some of the villagers themselves are references! Keep an eye on Ganon the pig …
This game has been put into the Nintendo Selects line, which means that it’s standard retail price is £14.99, but I have seen it even cheaper than that in some places. This is a game I can’t recommend enough if you’re just looking for some casual fun, especially at such an incredible price! (It could also be a Christmas/birthday idea for any younger gamers in the family, as it is very easy to understand!)
Democracy 3 is a politics simulation game where you are the leader of the country (finally a chance to see what all the fuss is about)! When you set the game up you will get to choose which country you want from a number of options, and you’ll set various other options before you jump in.
I will be the first to hold my hands up and say that I know very little about politics, much less than I should know. Despite this, something about Democracy 3 makes me keep coming back for more.
You will spend most of your time staring at the same screen, which shows you all the laws that are in place, all the problems you suffer, all the situations that are happening, as well as your popularity with the various demographics. To me this screen is reminiscent of a mind map (going back to my primary school days now) where there are the different sections; transport, law and order, public services, tax, economy, welfare and foreign policy.
How it works is that you have a set amount of “Political Capital” each turn, which you then spend on implementing new policies, or changing/cancelling existing ones. This is going to be a true test of your management skills, as you will find at the beginning of your term in office that the country is facing plenty of problems for you to tackle. As well as that, you also need to be wary of your funds – the economy will take a serious downfall if you allow the country’s deficit to get too out of hand!
Each turn will show you how the state of the country has changed following your policy changes, as well as informing you of any situations that arise. And you will also be informed by any potential plots that might be underway … it’s impossible to keep everyone happy, and some groups may resort to extreme measures if they are displeased with your leadership.
On top of this, your cabinet members may decide they don’t like the way you’re leading the country – something you’ll want to keep an eye on! Your cabinet members are the ones who generate your Political Capital, and they will generate less for you as they get more displeased with your actions. Each one has loyalties to different demographics, and if they don’t like you, then the cabinet member won’t like you either. If you can’t satisfy them, you’d better get someone else in who is more suited to your play style!
It can be very tricky to keep everything perfectly balanced – there will almost always be something that comes out of no where to throw a spanner in the works! I could be running a perfect country, and yet someone (usually capitalists…) will still see fit to plan my assassination.
Election day is the other possible way for your leadership to come to an end – as important as it is to make changes that are beneficial to the country, you also have to bear in mind what the voters think! Implementing too many policies that annoy the public will spell disaster for you once election day comes around.
So all in all, this has become one of my favourite simulation games – and I daresay it’s even managed to teach me a thing or two about politics!
Hobbits Of Hyrule 