A ‘Link to the Past’ Review

So for the 1st anniversary of the Nintendo Switch online service, they finally released Super Nintendo games for the Switch. I have been waiting for these games forever, and now that they’re here, I decided it would be a good idea to review one of my favorites: The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past. This game is incredible and ahead of its time, and I’m about to explain why.

Graphics

A lot of gamers today are super obsessed with good graphics, which is ridiculous considering how many people play Minecraft. I grew up playing a Wii, so I never really had the luxury of caring about graphics.

I initially thought that the pixelated graphics would be a detriment to the game. I was wrong.

A Link to the Past was originally released on a 16-bit system, so you would think it wouldn’t hold up today. You would be wrong in that assumption. A Link to the Past looks great for it’s time, and a cartoonish theme can be distinguished from the pixels. 

The biggest complaint I had with how the game looked was the repetitive assets. Every tree, rock, and bush looks identical, and at times it got a little boring. 

However, all the repetition makes you notice when something is different. A single tree on the map is slightly lighter than the others, so it’s no surprise that running into it reveals a secret cave.

Sound Design and Music

A Link to the Past is part of the Zelda games, a series that is known for its stunning music. Even though this is only the third game in the series, it has some of the best music. 

The main Overworld theme is a new rendition of the Overworld theme from the first game, created to sound triumphant to fit the setting, while not being so good or loud that it distracts the player.

The Dungeon theme isn’t as good, but it serves a more important purpose than sounding awesome. The dungeons are the most difficult areas of the game, and they have a sense of danger that you don’t feel in the overworld, even when exploring dangerous areas. The dungeon music also makes you feel relieved when you exit a dungeon, and makes you feel like you’ve just been in a movie theatre and just went into the sun for the first time in hours.

What I really love about this game is that it feels satisfying to hit an enemy with your sword, all because of the sound design. Every successful hit from a sword rewards you with what sounds like a tiny vibration, and a miss is signified with a little dink. It actually frustrates me every time I miss an easy shot because of that sound, and incentivizes me to improve my aim and therefore my skill in the game.

Story

I love a Link to the Past’s approach at storytelling. You start out on a set quest that you have to complete before the world is open for you to explore. This quest sets up the main villain of the campaign, the ways you can attack, how to use an item, how to solve puzzles, how to interact with the environment, and most importantly, rewards your exploration. 

When you do get out of that first dungeon, you have options. The main quest tells you to go to Kakariko Village to talk to this lady, but you can completely ignore it and head for the next dungeon, or explore the world to get upgrades. 

Upgrades and hidden items play an important role in exploration. As an adventurer, you want to become more powerful, so naturally you seek out as many of those upgrades as you can. However, some items require certain items to get, items which can only be found in dungeons. This invisibly makes the player want to do more dungeons to get more loot, and that’s how they provide you with story.

Gameplay

A Link to the Past features a top down zoomed out camera angle, which is perfect because it shows just enough of what is ahead on the map and gives you enough time to maneuver around enemies and other obstacles.

The main weapon in Zelda is the sword, but every other item you get is just as useful. You have a green magic meter on the side of your screen, which limits how much you can use some magic. If I am being totally honest, the magic meter is a bit too limiting, even with the upgrade that halves how much magic you need.

The dungeons are one of the greatest parts of the game. Each one provides a unique theme and has interesting puzzles. My biggest complaint is that many of the enemies are reused, and it got a little frustrating to kill the same things so many times. 

The puzzles in the dungeons are great. They require a perfect balance of using your items and using your brain. If you get around to playing this game, try not to look up the solutions for any of the dungeons. The moment of satisfaction you get when you figure it out yourself is worth it.

I Just Like This Game

I just have to say it, this game is awesome. It’s one of the best additions to a legendary game series, expanding on the first of its line and setting the formula for the dozens of games that followed it. 

Every random feature of A Link to the Past amuses me. There’s this one part where you drain a lake in the light world to gain access to the dungeon, and it’s a great way to do world building.

In that same lake, you can find a fish that you can carry for absolutely no reason. If you bring it to a man in Kakariko Town, he’ll randomly give you a bunch of items in exchange for it. I have no idea why this is a thing, but it’s awesome.

The Master Sword, the main weapon of the game, is talked about in literal terms. People describe its power, and going back to what I said earlier, you want to find it to make yourself more powerful.

There’s this mushroom you can find in the Lost Woods, and if you bring it to the witch she’ll give you the magic powder. You can sprinkle this on monsters to turn them into weird creatures, an example being it turns electric slimes into these goofy monsters with handlebar mustaches. You can also sprinkle it on anti-fairies to turn them back into fairies to heal yourself.

Every item has a double use. The Cane of Somalia can be used to create blocks to hold down switches, but you can throw those blocks and make them explode by pressing the Y button again. The Hookshot can be used to zip across rooms and over gaps, but can also be used to stun enemies.

A lot of people complain about the difficulty of games that came out before they were born, and most of the time, they’re right. The original Super Mario Bros game is difficult, so much so that I’ve never beaten it. But A Link to the Past doesn’t have any super huge difficulty spikes, and the more you play the more you naturally get better in certain situations. 

They could’ve made this game very dependent on items, but instead it was very freeform. The item you get in a dungeon is sometimes optional, and sometimes you don’t need it for that dungeon but the next one. Sometimes you need to beat a dungeon with an item you got in the overworld. There’s this one point where you need to grab a book to translate the text outside a dungeon, but that same book can be used to translate certain texts throughout the land to gain magical pendants.

Every sword upgrade is found in a different way. The Master Sword is discovered by collecting three pendants from different dungeons. When you finally get to it, the moment is epic, as the three pendants collide and you finally draw the Sword that seals the Darkness. You can temper your sword by rescuing one of the dwarves trapped in the dark world. He’ll power up your sword as thanks. You can increase the damage output again by throwing it in a fairy pool.

Everything about this game is unique, and it never pulls the same trick twice. I’ve only put it down for a few days, and I’m already itching to play it again. If you have a Nintendo Switch, or a SNES classic, or even a Gameboy Advance, I highly suggest playing this game.

My final rating for this game is a 9/10.

With new smart home speakers coming out frequently, the public needs a guide to the pros and cons of the different brands. You’ve probably seen ads for these speakers (Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, and many more), but which one is actually the best?

Coming in at 5th place is the Amazon Echo Plus. It has an attractive fabric design, and has good audio drivers. It also has a temperature sensor. This speaker does have some cons, like it sometimes doesn’t work with Fire TV commands, and it has a premium price of $150.

The next best smart speaker is the classic Google Home. This speaker is great for music lovers, with it being connected to YouTube’s massive song library. It also has a customizable base, along with an affordable price of $99. A few downsides to this speaker are it misses some of Google’s own services and it sometimes requires precise phrasing for the speaker to pick up what you’re saying.

In 3rd place, the Amazon Echo has a great new look and a cheap price. It also has some new Alexa features, but it is pretty close to the old generations. Customers also have said that the Alexa app could be better, with some features being slow or sometimes not working.

The 2nd best speaker is the Apple HomePod. It’s compact, has spectacular sound quality, and has built in Siri (which is very responsive). There are a few cons though, including no Bluetooth feature, no Apple Music support, and a high price tag of $350 (or more, depending on where you go to purchase it).

The first place spot goes to the Sonos One, with a clean look, fantastic sound quality, built in Alexa, and an affordable price tag of $150. The only con that I found was there’s no Google assistant support.

It has been more than 6 years since Sony released the PlayStation 4, so many people are asking for details on a next-gen system. Last week, PS fans got their wish. The PlayStation 5 will be released sometime in 2019.

In a recent interview, Mark Cerny (architectect of the PS4) said that the architecture of the PS5 will be similar to the PS4, which means that the new system will be backwards compatible (works with games from previous PlayStation systems).

The new console will have some significant upgrades with graphics and speeds, including 8K visual support (this will rely on upgrades from TV companies). The graphics will be driven by Raedons Navi line. This new graphics chip will support ray tracing, a fairly new chip that’s beginning to be used in many new movies and video games.

The new Sony console will not be inexpensive, but not as pricey as some devices coming out these days. At a starting price of $499, the system will be $100 more than its predecessor, the PS4. Hopefully, there will be significant upgrades and new specs that will make up for the $500 starting price tag. The system will probably also have more storage upgrade options, which will raise the price for consumers who want more storage for entertainment.

In the past few weeks, many Instagram users have seen strange messages on their accounts and sent to them by friends. If you have seen any of these messages, you are not the only one. The messages are spread from person to person, by clicking one link and entering a password.

The messages that people have been seeing all refer to something called the Instagram “Nasty List.” The messages vary slightly, but they all tell you that you are on the “Nasty List.”

Below the intriguing message, there is a live link. Many people unknowingly click the link hoping to discover where they are on the list and why. After clicking on the link, users are brought to a login page, where they are asked to enter their username and password. Although the page looks very similar to the real Instagram login page, it is really just a convincing fake.

Shortly after giving your information to this website, the same message you received will be sent to many of your followers. By clicking the link and entering your information, you are giving the hackers full access to your Instagram account. It is unknown what the hackers will do with the stolen accounts, but it is always better to avoid finding out.

The best way to avoid getting hacked in this case, is simply to not click the link. If you’ve already clicked the link, change your account password as soon as possible. This will make it so that the password you gave the hackers is invalid; however, they may have already changed your password. In that case, there unfortunately isn’t anything you can do.

If you are ever worried about your Instagram account getting hacked, the best thing you can do is set up two-factor authentication and never enter your information anywhere except for the official website or app.

With the roll-out of new smart devices coming soon from various companies (such as Samsung’s foldable phone), there is a need for a faster network connection. The idea of 5G has already started at Verizon, where they claim their 5G broadband will be 20 times faster than current 4G LTE speeds.

The issue is, AT&T released “5GE” (5G Evolution), which is reportedly slower than Verizon and T-Mobile’s 4G LTE speeds. AT&T claims that 5GE runs on an “advanced” LTE network, but Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint all currently run 4G on that network, making AT&T’s claim false and misleading.

Sprint took this false claim seriously, and filed a lawsuit against AT&T. They say that what AT&T is doing to customers is completely unethical and wrong. This is because what they claim is their 5GE network, is literally the same as Sprint’s advanced 4G speeds.

The fact that AT&T was able to release this network and call it 5G is concerning. This is because as technology develops, consumers need to be able to purchase reliable speeds for their devices, and not be lied to by powerful corporations. AT&T needs to accept what they did wrong, and actually work on a future connection with real 5G speeds.

This spring is sort of boring when it comes to most video games. Because there are not a lot of big holidays around the springtime, developers don’t always put out the big and interesting games. Plus, many of the “new games” aren’t actually new but are old games being ported to the new systems. Some of these games include: Resident Evil 1 and 4, Assassin’s Creed III, and Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. But, there are some new games coming out, and here are a few of the most interesting.

Mortal Kombat 11

The Mortal Kombat series has been a long running series of fighting games. They’re known for their very bloody fights that occur in the game. And because of this, most of the games are rated M. Mortal Kombat 11 was developed by Netherrealm Studios, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game is coming out for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. The current release date is set for April 23, 2019.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission

The Dragon Ball Heroes franchise up to this point has exclusively been in Japan. This is the first to be localized to the rest of the world. It is an action card game that creates what if characters and situations that aren’t originally used in the Dragon Ball manga or anime. So far, it is only being released on Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows, and is developed by Bandai Namco. It has recently been released on April 5, 2019.

Super Meat Boy Forever

Originally, this game was made for iOS but was changed to an actual sequel to the original Super Meat Boy game. Super Meat Boy is a single player platforming game that is known for how difficult of a game it can be. The new game will now have new controls and randomly generated levels based upon the players skills in the game. The game is being developed by Team Meat, for iOS, Android, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and the Nintendo Switch. It is set to release on the 29th of April, 2019.

Battle royale games have gained a lot of popularity in the past couple of years. Games such as Fortnite and Pubg have been some of the most played games in the past year. But why are battle royale games so popular?

Battle royale style games are pretty recent. The first iteration, that people consider battle royale, is the “Hunger Games” mini game in Minecraft servers, which was styled after the movie and book series The Hunger Games.

Today, according to digitaltrends.com, battle royale games have 6 defining characteristics:

• giant maps for the player to explore
• that you start of with nothing
• caches and chests from which you get items from
• a storm or barrier that forces players to get closer together
• the last player or group standing wins the game
• something that makes the specific battle royale game unique (or every game would be extremely similar)

Which brings me to the first point on why they are popular, which is their aspect of being unique. Games such as Fortnite are widely played because they are unique. In Fortnites’ case, it’s building system is what makes it unique, and so fun to play, because you don’t have to sit in specific areas for cover, you can build your own.

But uniqueness is not the only reason battle royale games are popular. They are also popular because its system is very easy to apply to many games. Like how recently, they released a game called Tetris 99 which uses an old and very popular popular game, Tetris, and then they made it so you had to play against 98 other people, effectively making a battle royale Tetris game.

But, not only that, battle royale games are also super popular today because many of the biggest battle royale games are free. Games like Fortnite and Apex Legends can now be played by pretty much anyone because people aren’t blocked by a hefty price for the game. So, everyone can try them, and why wouldn’t you, it’s free.

Next month, Samsung is expected to release two new phones: the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy F. The F is the first foldable smartphone that will be on the market. Samsung is currently working on the physical and UI features at the Samsung Design Innovation Center (SDIC). The SDIC is responsible for the design of Samsung’s new products, services, and the report notes for new devices.

Just like many new smartphones these days, this one will be just as expensive, if not more, because of its new, unique design. The phone will have three screens when unfolded, including the primary panel that’s placed on the inside of the phone, as well as a smaller display on the outer shell.

“Our group here is working to reinvent and reimagine how we can create new experiences based on this new platform,” the Samsung executive said. “And of course we are very well situated here because the Android system has not been designed for that (foldable). We need to explore new ways to do so.”

Since Google is helping Samsung with the Android powered software for this new foldable phone, customers will probably see foldable Android phones from various companies in the not too distant future. This includes Huawei, Microsoft, LG, Xiaomi, and Oppo.

Apple is also rumored to be trying out some new design ideas for foldable smartphones, but there will for sure not be an Apple foldable phone in 2019.

The latest big video games released were Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu and Eevee on November 16, 2018. As it is soon to be the end of the year, there are few video games still to be released. So, here are the last few of them.

Darksiders lll

Darksiders lll is a hack and slash action adventure style game. It is part of the Darksiders franchise which began in 2010, with the first Darksiders. It is being developed by Gunfire Games for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Microsoft Windows. It is based upon Fury, one of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. Darksiders lll is set to be released on November 27, 2018.

Just Cause 4

This is an action adventure game and is a sequel to Just Cause 3, in the Just Cause franchise. The game is being developed by Avalanche Studios. The game is set in an open world environment following the protagonist Rico Rodriguez. Just Cause 4 is being released for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Microsoft Windows. Just Cause 4 is set to be released December 4, 2018.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The last big video game to be released this year, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, is the successor to Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS. It is the 5th installment to the series that debuted on the N64. It is fighting game that does not rely specifically on trying to deplete an opponent’s health, instead it is based more upon doing more damage to knock an opponent off the edge. This game is the biggest of the franchise, including not only new fighters, but every fighter that has ever been in a Super Smash Bros. game. The game includes mostly Nintendo characters but also includes some others like Sega’s Sonic, and Pac-Man. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is only being released on the Nintendo Switch, and is set to be released on December 7, 2018.