The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - Game Review

I finally finished playing The Legend of Zelda:  Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS a couple of months ago, and never got around to posting my review for it. This is the first Zelda game I ever played (yes, I was very deprived from video games as a child). I enjoyed the way the game is told as a story, and is packed with adventures and puzzles, and injected with some humor. The controls were easy to use with the new touchscreen system. While enjoyable, I began to dread going back to the same temple and going through all the levels again and again and again. I was told this is a common theme in all Zelda games, which made me avoid opening the newest Zelda game for the DS, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, even though I've had it for almost half a year now. Yes, it's just sitting in my room, unopened. I'll get to it eventually, I guess, but right now even though I finished the game, I'm still working through the extra side quests of the first game.

Club Nintendo Year Ending June 30!

Just a reminder for those of you who collect Club Nintendo Points! June 30th is the last day to reach Gold or Platinum status for the Nintendo year! Each level gets you a prize. Last year, the Gold status members got a calendar, and the Platinum status got to choose either a Mario hat or a Knock Out Wii game. The prizes haven't been announced for this year yet, but I'm hoping it's something good, because I reached Platinum status this year (egads, buying too many games!).

Pokemon SoulSilver DS Game

I opened up the Pokemon SoulSilver DS game I picked up at the last Shoppers bonus redemption and have been playing it for about a week now. I've never played any Pokemon games before so I'm not really familiar with the story or what you're supposed to do (besides trying to catch them all). I found the game to be really repetitive. I mean, every few seconds you have to battle something, and it's the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over. I don't really see the appeal of this game - does it even end?! I wouldn't have gotten it if my sister didn't want it!

I recommend Pokemon SoulSilver to anyone who is a fan of the Pokemon series. But if you're looking for a game that is fast paced with more action, stay away. Mario games are more worth your money!

Just Dance Wii

After three months, I finally got my copy of Just Dance! Woot woot! I wanted to buy it on Boxing Day last year, but all the Zellers I went to did not carry it, and the one Zellers that did was sold out. I managed to get a rain check (it was half off - $19.99, reg $39.99). Today I made a trip to a Zellers faaaar away, and got my copy. I used up my last $5 Nintendo coupon (from cereal boxes), as well as the 15% off gift card I bought from Olympics. So my total bill was:

Regular: $39.99
Sale: $19.99 + tax = $22.39
- $5 Nintendo coupon = $17.39
- 15% gift card = $14.78 out of pocket! (paid with the gc)

Pretty sweet deal, in my opinion. This game is for my mum's birthday (I already gave her Wii Fit Plus for early Mother's Day), but since her bday isn't until October, I'm going to give it to her early too.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Game Review

I finally finished playing Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I found some of the puzzles a lot easier than the 2nd game, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. The story was interesting as well, and there were of course some challenging puzzles. The video quality was not as good as the second game either. There are still a few extras that I haven't finished playing yet, like the secret door where you can open it using a code found in the second game! Crazy! It's a worthwhile game to buy, though maybe get it when it's on sale (of course) or second hand, since once you solve all the puzzles and get through the story line, I doubt you will play it again (I know I most likely won't). Hope you all enjoy it!

Another Great Deal on Wii Game!

Best Buy has the Wii game Drawn to Life The Next Chapter advertised at $9.99 this week in their flyer ($20 off their regular price). Futureshop sells it for $34.99, making it a $25 difference. Bring your flyer to Futureshop and price match. With the 10% price difference ($2.50), you'd only be getting the game for $7.49 (my FS price matched it at $7.38)! I also used a $5 Nintendo coupon from cereal boxes to bring my total down to $2.38 + tax. WHAT A STEAL! Hurry and go get your copy now!

Wii Sport Resort

Superstore has another great deal right now - half price on Wii Sports Resort!! It's regularly $59.99, but this week it is only $29.99! And of course, to save even more, mosey on over to Best Buy or Futureshop with your Superstore flyer and price match it there. This will save you another $3 with their additional 10% the difference price matching! Only $26.99! Then use your $5 or $10 Nintendo coupons and you can get it for as little as $16.99! ZOMG! What a steal! I would pick up a copy for myself, but I didn't think the games were all that great in it. Others have been saying it's an awesome game though. Now is the time to get your copy, but hurry, quantities are probably limited!!!

Another Sale, Another Price Match, Another Coupon Used, Another Deal!

As I mentioned earlier this week, Zellers has a sale starting today (not a great one, but one I've been waiting for) on a few Nintendo DS games, the are all $5 off the regular price:




Brain Age 2 - Reg 19.99, Sale 14.99
Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Reg 29.99, Sale 24.99
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box - Reg 34.99, Sale 29.99
Fossil Fighters - Reg 34.99, Sale 29.99
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Reg 39.99, Sale 34.99

I was looking for Professor Layton and the Curious Village to be FINALLY advertised in print, because for some reason, Best Buy and Future Shop sells it for more at $34.99 (while Zellers and Superstore has it for $29.99) and I wanted to price match to get an additional 50cents off (if advertised at $29.99). Lucky me, it was discounted even more, so when I price matched it, the 10% difference was $1! I went to Best Buy because I collect Reward Zone Points, and had no trouble price matching. This was my bill:

Best Buy Regular Price: $34.99
Price Match Zellers: $24.99
- 10% Price Difference: $23.99
- $5 Nintendo Coupon: $18.99

SWEET! After tax it came to $21.27, which I paid with a gift card I had. After I play the game, I will post up a review about it. Now is a great chance to buy Zelda because I have never seen it on sale before (it just came out recently. If you price match, you can get it for $34.49. And if you have a $5 or $10 Nintendo coupon, you can get it for even less! Happy gaming, everyone!

Mario Kart

I know this is an older game, but I'm going to write about it anyway! Earlier last year, Superstore had an amazing sale on Mario Kart for the Wii. It was half price! This is one of those ridiculously expensive Wii games ($59.99 regular), so of course, I jumped at the chance to get it! I took the flyer to Best Buy and price matched it, getting another $3 off because of their extra 10% of the difference price matching policy (I love Best Buy!). I ended up getting it for $26.99 (they wouldn't take my $10 Nintendo coupon - I think they were so shocked at the low price!). Since then, my sister has been playing it tons (she loves the game) and I have tried it out. I found it really fun to play, especially if you are playing with other people. It'd definitely a good party game! There are different options, such as playing with a kart or a bike, and many different race tracks. Wait till the next sale or cash in your gift cards you got for Christmas and go pick up your own copy!

Wii Fit Plus - Game Review

I redeemed my Shoppers Optimum Points on a Wii Fit earlier this year and have been using it on and off (because my mum hogs it every night!). Recently I picked up a copy of Wii Fit Plus to try out the new games. I finally opened it today!

There are new yoga and strength excercises, as well as new games. You can also customize your own workout, and it tells you how many calories you burned after each exercise. I played a few of the new games, but I found that they were more for the fun factor instead of working out/sweating. The old games and exercises from the original Wii Fit is still available, but for those people who own the original and is trying to decide if they should shell out the money to buy the Wii Fit Plus software, I suggest you don't if you're looking for an exercise game, but do if you just want to play new fun games.

The Sims 3 - Game Review

I received a copy of  The Sims 3 PC game from my friend for Christmas and started playing it a couple of days ago. If you are a fan of the original Sims games (either The Sims or The Sims 2, then you will enjoy this one! It has much better graphics than the previous ones, and has a nice soundtrack. There are some new additions to the game, including new personality traits (I chose frugal coupon clipper, LMAO!), more challenges and opportunities for your sim, and being able to share Sims videos online. Of course, there are many cheats you can use to make your game play more fun. I always like to use the money one so that I can build and furnish my sim's house without worrying about money. The cheat is Ctrl + Shift + C and you type in motherlode. Other cheats can be found online, just google them. It's such an addicting game, so make sure you set aside a few hours the first time you play!

The House of the Dead: Overkill - Game Review

I picked up House of the Dead: Overkill for the Wii during the boxing week sale at Best Buy. The game is going for only $14.99 right now until January 3, 2010. My sister and I just finished the game tonight, it only took us two nights! It's a good shooting games, great for those people who used to play House of the Dead games at the arcade, or anyone who is a fan of the series. I haven't played the other Wii games in this series, but it's probably quite similar. I found the game to be too short though. It only took about 15 minutes to finish each chapter, and there were only 7 chapters. You are able to play by yourself, or partner up with someone else. After you complete the story mode, you unlock the director's cut, which is the same story but harder. There is guts and gore and a lot of swearing, especially f-bombs, so this game is definitely not recommended for younger children. I enjoyed the game even though it was too short, but at that price ($9.99 after using my $5 Nintendo coupon!) I can't complain! Go pick yours up now!

Mario & Luigi - Bowser's Inside Story - Game Review

I finally finished playing the newest Mario NDS game, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story! It took me over 32 hours to play it! I enjoyed it, but I had to look at online walkthroughs all the time, there were just so many secrets and tips I didn't want to miss! I definitely recommend this game for Mario fans! One thing I didn't like was that you had to go to a separate screen to fight the enemies. I like straight forward stomp-on-your-enemy type fights. There are secret levels that Mario, Luigi and Bowser can unlock if you fight enough and their level goes high enough. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to reach it before I finished the game. Apparently something special happens if you do reach it - I wonder what it is!!! You would have to fight everything you see to reach those levels though, I suspect. I found that I just wanted to avoid the fights later because they took so long! Anyway, great game, lots of fun hours and interesting story line! I think I will play Zelda (the older one) next! Stay tuned!

Lego Rock Band - Game Review

Sister and I opened up our copy of Lego Rock Band for the Wii last night. Sooo much fun! It's definitely a lot more fun than Rock Band 2 because we actually know some of the songs! My favorite is So What by Pink. Hehehe. I played it again this afternoon. There is a tour option where you can make your own band and everything. This game is great for kids and adults too. The songs are more contemporary, unlike Rock Band 2 where all the songs seem kinda old. I'm going to play it some more later! :D

For more info on Lego Rock Band, click here.

Rock Band 2 - Game Review

Got a chance to play Rock Band 2 at home, then later on at a party on the PS3. Sooo much fun! I really like the drums. I'm working on getting amazon.ca gift cards via Swagbucks so I can get the drum set for free, so if you could sign up using the link below, I would greatly appreciate it!

The only thing I didn't like about it was that I barely know any of the songs! That makes it difficult for me to follow along, since knowing the rhythm of the song makes it a lot easier to play. Sister wants to get Band Hero because apparently that has more modern and hip songs (really she wants it coz it has Taylor Swift songs, which she likes). I'm hoping to get drums soon (in 6 months if no one signs up :(). I won't have a mic, but no one is going to sing anyway!

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - Game Review

I have been playing Bowser's Inside Story for the past few weeks now. I had to keep referring to a walk-through just to make sure I didn't miss anything! It's not like regular Mario games. Every time there is a baddie you need to fight, you go to a separate screen, and I hate that! Since you are controlling Mario AND Luigi, that can get a little confusing too, since you have to press 2 buttons at once sometimes. You also control Bowser in some parts of game story line. Very interesting. I'm about 3/4 done the game I think. I have to say I like the New Super Mario Brothers Nintendo DS game better. I'm going be buying the Wii version of Super Mario next, as soon as it goes on sale!

Check out the game's website.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box - Game Review

I bought 2 Nintendo DS games last week because Best Buy was having their grand-opening sale at all Lower Mainland stores, so some new DS games were only 2 for $50. I picked up Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. I whizzed through Professor Layton in about 4 days. Lots of puzzles, quite interesting story line. The only thing I didn't like was that you had to keep talking to all the characters, and you never know if you're going to have to read the same message again, or if they will have a puzzle to offer you! Then if you don't find the puzzle, it disappears and you can't do it anymore! I finished the game and I still hadn't found a few of the puzzles. As if I'm gonna be going all over town trying to find them. They should just make it all available once the game is over! Ugh. Anyway, I digress. I also started playing Bowser's Inside Story, but that's a review for another day.

For more information on this game, go here.