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  • Dark_Link142
  • Level: 41 (18%) 
  • Rank: Thunder Force
  • Member since: May 23, 2004
  • Last online: 11/04/09 4:09 pm PT
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Title Score
Fire Emblem 9.0
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones 8.5
Atlantica Online 9.0
Animal Crossing: City Folk 8.0
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World 8.5
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia 9.0
Bomberman Blast 8.0
Mega Man 9 8.5
Mario Kart DS 7.0
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn 8.5

Dark_Link142's blog

~Dark Link's Blog~
Welcome to my blog. Anyone is welcome to comment so don't be shy. Just don't post unwanted or offensive comments.

  • 16Mar 09

    New account

    Hey everyone. Remember me?

    I know, it's been a while since my last blog post. Well, just to let anyone who cares know, I have a new account name as I finally got sick of Dark_Link142. Enough to make me want a name change.

    My new account name is JebranRush. Believe it or not, it actually took quite a bit of thinking to come up with that name.

    Don't know how to pronounce it? Jebran rhymes with LeBron, and Rush...hopefully you can get that on your own.

    So, if you want, add me.

  • 31Dec 08

    Happy New Year

    Happy New Year to everyone.

    ...

    Short blog, I know.

  • 8Dec 08

    My birthday loot

    Well, this year I got some pretty good stuff. I didn't really ask for anything since I already have everything I could want. The only thing I asked for was the Dark Knight 2 disc special edition, which comes out tomorrow (the 9th).

    I got some money (30 bucks in total), an EBGames giftcard, a handmade shirt from my friend (it's part of his school business project...I got one of his shirts for free ).

    I also got Counter Strike: Source from one of my friends, since him and my other friend still play all the time and wanted me to join in.

    So here's a picture of my new stuff:

    And like I said before, I'll be getting this wonderful masterpiece:

    Can't wait .

    My parents didn't know what to get me, so they gave me a raincheck on whenever I decide on what I want. I have no idea what to ask them, so I'll wait until I find something.

  • 6Dec 08

    It's that time of year again

    December 6th. Nice date, isn't it? That date, being today, means I'm another year older. I feel no different but, I quote myself from last year's blog:

    It's nice to have the world revolve around you for one day.

  • 4Dec 08

    Adrenaline Rush

    Sonic Unleashed is one of the most adrenaline pumping games I've ever played. I forget I'm sitting on my couch, but I feel like I'm ripping through deserts, frozen tundras, and rooftops at 300 km/h.

    Reflex is key. Jump, boost, slide, drift, stomp, attack. Quick time events help increase the frantic pace of the game.

    I

    Love

    It.

    Yeah, I'm a huge nerd.

    Sonic Unleashed is incredible. I got the Wii version, and I'm very impressed (if you couldn't already tell). The daytime levels are beatiful and incredibly fast. Nighttime levels are much slower, but still quite quality. The platforming is solid and connecting combo's is surprisingly satisfying.

    The soundtrack sets the tone of each level properly and it's one of the best, if not THE best, soundtrack in any Sonic game. It ditches the 80's rock that Sonic games have been recently notorious for and goes with culturally inspired music.

    Screenshots can't justify the beauty of this game. The game must be seen in motion. Although only 30 FPS, it never takes a hit and consistently remains smooth, even through some of the most hectic parts.

    So, to wrap things up, this is one of fastest games you'll ever play. It doesn't play itself, just to try and clarify that misconception. So, do yourself a favour and at least rent it.

    • Posted Dec 4, 2008 6:11 pm PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 8 Comments
  • 18Nov 08

    So...so many games!

    If you scrolled down a bit, you could see the games I'm currently playing. I spend a LOT of money this month. I'm very close to being broke, but fortunately, I'm getting paid today. I've been working a fair amount so I expect to be in the green again. And with no expenses, I can save up for...fun?

    Anyway, with Animal Crossing, Tales of Symphonia, Zack and Wiki, Order of Ecclesia, The World Ends With You, and Final Fantasy IV, I'm going to be busy for a looooong time. 

    So many games, so little time. I got the Animal Crossing Wii Speak bundle. Wii Speak is so small! It fits right into the palm of my hand. I thought it was going to be fairly bigger. But I guess the size is taken up by it's adaptor. I haven't used it yet. My friends haven't gotten the game yet and they might not for a while...or at all. 

    Tales of Symphonia is fantastic. The dialogue is great, although the beginning of the game is fairly slow and there's a lot of talking and text to go through. Fortunately, every single cutscene is voice acted. I was a little disappointed that not all the original Symphonia voice actors are back, but the replacements are good enough. Zelo's voice sort of unnerved me. It's the only one I sort of don't like, even though it's not bad. The game has a great battle system though. Very fast, and the focus on aerial combos are great. You can tell the game had lesser production values than the original, but it's still well done.

    I'd continue to rant on about every other game, but ToS was the one I wanted to talk about the most. Zack and Wiki is good, but I haven't played it much. Tales of Symphonia is keeping me addicted . So yeah, I'm a happy gamer. How's everyone else's gaming going?

  • 23Oct 08

    Okami review, Order of Ecclesia, and more

    I've reviewed Okami. Check it out here. Tell me what you think and if you agree or not.

    I just recently bought Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Everyone was saying that while Portrait of Ruin was great, it was a bit of a slip-up for the series. It was the first Castlevania game I had truly gotten into and really enjoyed. So now, after playing Ecclesia, I think I can say that what people say about PoR is true. It's really fun and the battle system is neat. But I'll wait a bit before completely judging it, since I haven't played a whole lot of it yet.

    I also recently got a new MP3 player. The Sansa Express. Since I don't listen to a whole lot of songs and I wanted something small and sleek, it's pretty much perfect for me. Here's what it looks like if you don't want to google it:

    Anyway, I'm enjoying it. It was only $50 so it's a pretty good deal, for 2 GB.

  • 21Oct 08

    Why are you a gamer?

    Why do you game and what appeals to you in this hobby? I'm curious to see some different answers as to why you enjoy this activity.

    I, personally, enjoy it because it can be very creative. I just really like the fact that you can do lots of great stuff that you can't do in real life.

    I remember the first games I used to play were Super Mario Bros. for the NES and Duck Hunt with my brother and sister and cousins. Not to mention Dr. Mario, Silver Surfer, Ice Hockey, and Metroid. Those games were great.

    The great ideas of these games were put into these small cartridges which really amazed me, to be honest. The thought of such technology astounded me.

    I really got into gaming with the PS1. I had so much fun with, playing great games with my brother and sister. I was so captivated by the idea of fighting huge monsters, solving puzzles, and collecting things.

    I then got an N64 one day with Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, and Smash Bros. 64, along with 2 controllers. This is a huge basket of great memories. I had such a great time playing Smash Bros. with my friends, exploring Hyrule, and flying around an open ended area filled with Bob-ombs and goombas.

    Perhaps my gaming reasons are affected by my siblings and friends, and how much fun I had with them? Either way, these are all my reasons for gaming.

    How about you? What keeps you gaming and how did you start gaming?

  • 12Oct 08

    And I am Live!

    Xbox Live, of course. I just got connected yesterday and so far, it's pretty good. At the moment, I'm downloading several game demos. The first I downloaded and played is Ace Combat 6, which is pretty good. I don't really like the controls though. A joystick just doesn't cut it for me. I also downloaded the E3 Sonic Unleashed trailer so I can view it in HD.

    I'm currently downloading Devil May Cry 4, Battlefield: Bad Company, The Force Unleashed, and Ninja Gaiden 2. Pretty epic stuff.

    The only online games I've played so far are Halo 3 and Lost Planet (demo). Halo 3 I played with my friends, since I don't own the game. They brought it over and we played 3 player online.

    Lost Planet's pretty fun. I enjoy it thoroughly and I love the explosions. The demo came installed on my Xbox but I never played it, since I didn't have Live and it's an online-only demo.

    Oh, my Gamertag is Drizzt335, so add me and let me know who you are. I'm not going to go and add just anybody. Well, maybe I might . We'll see.

    • Posted Oct 12, 2008 1:41 pm PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 9 Comments
  • 28Sep 08

    Beat Okami

    And I only have one thing to say:

    Wow.

    I won't spoil it but the ending was fantastic. The end boss didn't look like much, but it was intense. I'm glad I was finally able to beat it. Truly a piece of art. If you haven't played it, go and buy it. I assure you, it's on par, if not better, than Twilight Princess.

    I'm glad there's also lots of sidequests to keep me coming back, because I know I will. I still want to learn all the combat techniques and get all the stray beads and get the rest of the weapons.

    It's too bad this game also caused the closure of Clover Studios. Oh well. Just one of those things, I suppose.

    • Posted Sep 28, 2008 7:07 pm PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 7 Comments
  • 26Sep 08

    No, I'm not dead.

    I'm still here so don't worry. I've just been busy with school, work, and gaming. That doesn't leave much time for this. Fortunately, it's the weekend and I'm neither at school or working. So that just leaves lots of gaming.

    I've been playing Mega Man 9 a fair bit. It's a great game with clever puzzles and platforming. It never seems to feel cheap when you die and the fact that I rarely get frustrated with games makes the game ever funner.

    I've also been playing Okami again recently. I'm not sure how close I'm to beating it but I'm almost 30 hours in. It's gotten really good and very interesting. I don't know why I stopped playing it for so long. I'm also trying to beat Fire Emblem as well. I like the story and the characters. Battles can be difficult but that's what makes it fun.

    Apart from that, there really isn't much going on. I'm doing well and all that. Unfortunately the Wii Online Union is lacking in activity (although, when has it not been? ) and I've been unable to keep up with it by sending messages and invites and posting. We get some new members here and there who post a few times, realize the place is close to dead, and leave. It's too bad. Oh well.

    I also have a 360 now as well. The only games I have right now are Eternal Sonata and Tales of Vesperia, both which are great. I prefer Tales of Vesperia since it's a lengthier adventure, the characters/story are better, and the battle system is better. But Eternal Sonata has a good story too as well as some great graphics and music. There aren't really any games I'm interested in to buying anytime soon. There just aren't very many games for the 360 which I might buy. I played Soul Calibur 4 at a friends but it's pretty much the same as SCII. I also played Halo 3 which is fun, but all my friends have it anyway so I can just play it at their houses or they can bring it over. Since I don't have Live either, I can't really do much else. Any games for the 360 you might recommend? Bare in mind, I'm not a big fan of console shooters so that takes out games like Call of Duty 4 and such. I also don't like sports games either.

    Anyway, thanks for reading. Let me know what you all are doing since I haven't made much contact with anybody. I've been fairly active in the Wii forums but nowhere else, really. Well, that's it for me.

  • 12Aug 08

    Strong Bad First Impressions

    just bought and downloaded Strong Bads Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner (yikes, long name). I've played for a little over an hour. It's a surprisingly good game. If you like the internet cartoons, you're going to enjoy this game.

    I made my own Teen Girl Squad comic, wandered around and got several locations on my map, sent an SBMail to one of my Wii friends, played a minigame, and collected a few things.

    It's well done. I like the graphics too. They're smooth 3D and there's very few loading times.

    So far, I give it an 8.5/10.
    • Posted Aug 12, 2008 1:25 pm PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 4 Comments
  • 28Jul 08

    Super Smash Bros. Brawl online review and general tips


    I know a lot of people who have been turned off of Brawl online. It's clearly not one of the best online systems out there, but when it works properly, it's definitely a blast to play.

    I know when Brawl first came out, there were major problems with the online. Error codes, disconnects, and insane amount of lag really ruined the online experience. But with the game being out for a while now, the online traffic has subsided considerably and I want to share the experiences I've had recently.

    The main problem with Brawl's online: Basic/Team Brawls. Looking for someone took forever and when you did find someone, it would lag a lot until it finally disconnected. This happens considerably less frequently now. While it still takes a long time to find someone, you can still have a blast playing once you do get others. Lag usually isn't much of a problem anymore. Error codes only come on occasion and disconnects aren't as frequent.

    For me, it takes anywhere from about 2-15 minutes to find someone in Basic/Team Brawl. This is a major problem. Once someone is found though, it, overall, works quite well for me. There is the occasional slowdown and there is a bit of button delay, though.

    Friend Brawls work as well as they always have. Maybe even better. Connections are generally quite smooth and fluid and, depending on your distance, there is little button delay. Isaac, my favourite Assist Trophy in the game
    After playing several matches throughout the month, I've also come across another conclusion. If you don't have the greatest internet connection, you're going to have trouble playing Brawl online. If you have a wireless network like me with several people using the network, things like downloads and streaming videos can considerably degrade the quality of your online performance.

    If someone is streaming a video on, say, Youtube, your Brawl will be very laggy and choppy and become downright unplayable until the video is completely loaded. If you are downloading something, it may or may not be a problem. It's usually downloads such as bittorrents that truly break up your connection.

    So, in conclusion, Brawl online works well, despite some lag. Disconnects and error codes don't come up often, unlike when the game first launched in North America (yikes!), and lag isn't much of a problem anymore unless one persons connection in your match is bad. If the match is choppy and very laggy and it's wireless internet, then check to make sure you are close enough to your router. Also make sure, if you are in a network with other computers, that nobody is downloading anything or streaming videos or running an internet heavy program. I hope those tips help you. If there's even the slightest bit of malfunction on your internet, your Brawl game will be affected more than any other game.

    The Good
    • Generally lag free friend matches
    • Mostly lag free Random matches
    The Bad
    • Long wait times for Random matches
    • Strict internet requirements
    • Button delay and lag is annoying



    Overall score for Brawl online:

    • Posted Jul 28, 2008 2:34 pm PT
    • Category: Games
    • 11 Comments
  • 25Jul 08

    Giantbomb

    Not a bad site. It's pretty cool, actually. I won't be making it my main site. Gamespot's still my favourite but I will still be going to Giantbomb frequently.

    If you have no idea what Giantbomb is, click here to find out.

    It's sort of like Gamespot + Facebook + Photobucket + Wikipedia. It's a pretty good site but it takes a bit of getting used to. My account name is Dark_Link142 over there as well, so if you want, go ahead and add me.

    Oh, and the by the way, I got my learners permit! Not bad .

    • Posted Jul 25, 2008 6:20 pm PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 8 Comments
  • 22Jul 08

    Watched The Dark Knight (Don't worry, no spoilers)

    Easily the best movie I have ever seen. And that's a very bold statement. No other movie has given me such thrills and excitement.

    Overall, I think it was the Joker's maniacal laughs that did it for me. Heath Ledger is such an amazing actor. This is truly his greatest performance, and unfortunately, also his final.

    The movie was pretty much action from start to finish but had a great plot.

    I'm speechless. There's nothing to say except for : The Dark Knight is a masterpiece.

    My favourite scene? Any one with the Joker in it.

  • 12Jul 08

    My Zelda game idea

    This sounds ridiculous, and in many ways, it is. But I've been thinking of this game idea for quite a while lately. I first started thinking it up when I was watching the first few trailers for Twilight Princess and how it felt like there was a war brewing between the monsters and Hyrule and how Link appears to save the day and cut through the darkness.

    Of course, this war isn't really in the final product. Even so, I was thinking…what if the next Zelda truly was a war game? Sounds crazy? Read on.

    Princess Zelda was just informed of a declaration of war by [insert name of Ganondorf's army or whatever] and she has started to mobilize the Knights of Hyrule (I'm not fussing over plot details right now). After several initial skirmishes, Zelda realizes that there isn't much hope that she can defend her kingdom for much longer. The mobs of creatures, led by Ganondorf, are just far too large and the Knights of Hyrule aren't disciplined enough to fight through sheer size and power (I got this idea as the Knights of Hyrule in Twilight Princess are cowards).

    Enter Link, A man of age [let's say around mid-20's for now] who has a brilliant mind for tactics and war strategy and is a natural at swordplay.

    You start off as Link as an ordinary citizen of Hyrule Kingdom's capital, Hyrule Castle/Castle Town, and he decides to enlist in the Hyrule Knights. At first, you go through basic tutorials of combat and movement and such (Wii-mote is essentially your sword and the nunchuk is your shield) and you eventually come to your first battle. This is a smaller scale battle so as to get used to the game's difficulty level and controls. Basically, you just hack and slash through this battle and follow orders the commander of your squad hollers to you.

    Eventually as you progress, the plot develops, Link realizes he's more suited to commanding, and he eventually becomes Hyrule's main symbol of courage.

    So far, it sounds like a basic war sort of idea, right? The symbol of courage comes into play as unleashed Link's true power as a Hero where he can rip through enemy after enemy. But even Link can't stop Ganondorf himself.

    This is where the more formulaic Zelda plan comes in. Link travels far throughout the world, through dungeons and lands, seeking weapons of legendary power that were thought to be only myth (one of them being the Master Sword). Every dungeon has puzzles, enemies, and bosses. Link gains items such as the boomerang and hookshot/clawshot to solve puzzles. At the end of the dungeon, you face a boss who is guarding the legendary weapon you want. As well, Link seeks alliances with different countries to help the war effort.

    Since that's formulaic enough, back to the battle part. Players can switch between fighting mode (where you control Link and fight monsters) and command mode where the camera moves to fit that of a Real Time Strategy game (which becomes available once Link is promoted). From here, you control all of your soldiers and can command them to follow different objectives (destroy a certain enemy, wait in hiding to ambush enemies depending on the environment, etc). Battles can last up to 15-20 minutes. During command mode, you cannot control Link, so you have to be careful of when you decide to make a command. You should pull back a bit.

    At the end of the game, the final battle takes place between Link and Ganondorf. After the first part of the fight, Link turns into his new pumped out version using his symbol of courage and Ganondorf turns into Ganon using his symbol of power. And Zelda? She uses the power of wisdom to do something that I'm not going to bother thinking up right now .

    Also, there should be difficulty settings. Easy, medium, hard, and legendary or something.

    This will never be Nintendo's idea and I'm pretty sure that the next Zelda will be more casual and shorter. Still, that's what I'd like the next game to be.

    So what do you think? Ridiculous, right?

  • 10Jul 08

    Join a fun Smash Bros. tournament!

    You don't really have to do much. Just join the Wii Online Union and give me your friend code.

    The prize is that you get your name entered into our Union's Hall of Fame. I would offer something better, like a VC/Wiiware game but I'm broke . Plus, region problems might get in the way.

    The deadline to join is July 16th. Make sure to sign up. It'll be a lot of fun!

    Click here to join the union. (At the front page, press "join union" at the right side)

    Click here to join the tournament. (Just post your friend code in this thread)

    The more, the better!

    • Posted Jul 10, 2008 3:13 pm PT
    • Category: Games
    • 6 Comments
  • 9Jul 08

    The Wii Online Union is up again! + Union collaborations

    Click here to be taken to an epic union that's being brought back from the depths of inactivity.

    Check it out. We'll soon have cool tournaments running and fun features soon. Make sure to come and post. It's a great union.

    Any union who's interested in joining together with ours, PM me and let me know. We'll work it out .

    • Posted Jul 9, 2008 6:52 pm PT
    • Category: Games
    • 6 Comments
  • 29Jun 08

    Dual reviews: New Super Mario Bros. VS Sonic Rush Adventure

    Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Mario faces off against Sonic in their platformers on the DS!

    Sonic Rush Adventure review

    New Super Mario Bros. review

    As usual, tell me what you think about them. Make sure to give it a thumbs up...or a thumbs down? Thanks.

    • Posted Jun 29, 2008 11:10 am PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 4 Comments
  • 28Jun 08

    The Incredible Hulk + Guitar Hero 3 + More!

    I went to see the Incredible Hulk today. It was surprisingly very good. The action scenes were incredible and Edward Norton is an awesome actor. Liv Tyler also does a good job and overall, the movie is great. I look forward to "The Avengers". That seems like it's going to be great.

    I would give The Incredible Hulk a 9/10. Very well done. Lot's of exciting moments and a great acting really make it a very epic movie.

    When I got home, my sister had bought Guitar Hero 3 from a friend for $75. It's in perfect condition and, of course, it's a pretty fun game. I've already played it a fair amount before so it's already gotten a bit repetitive but it's still a good game. As well, the stickers you put on the Wii Guitar are great! My guitar looks really tricked out and such.

    I've also been playing a bit of Professor Layton and the Curious Village which is a fairly good game. I'm not a huge fan of puzzle games but it's surprisingly well done and fairly trickey sometimes. Overall, it's a pretty quality game and a nice surprise. Also a good resurgence to a dying puzzle/adventure genre.

    At the moment, the current game's I'm playing are Super Smash Bros. Brawl (still ) and anything else that pops up. I'm on summer vacation now so I have a lot more free time.

    • Posted Jun 28, 2008 9:14 pm PT
    • Category: N/A
    • 6 Comments
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