Review Get Fit with Walk it Out Konami Wii Game

I recently began revamping my lifestyle to try to be healthier. To that end, as part of this healthier lifestyle, I began to play some of my old wii games that encourage you to get up off the couch and get active while playing the games. My favorite “weight loss” game has always been Konami’s “Walk it Out” for the original Wii. Yes, Wii U can play wii games in case you’re wondering. However, the switch cannot.

It is worth mentioning that while Wii games can be beneficial to help motivate you to want to lose weight, they are probably not as effective or strenuous as other forms of exercise. I make no claims that playing these games will help you lose a significant amount of weight, but if you’re like me (and millions of other Americans) who absolutely hate exercising to the point where you have one of those on the wall and haven’t used it in the 2 years it’s been hanging there, well then it’s one of those “better than nothing” things. Sure, you can go join a gym, or buy expensive exercise machines and equipment, but if you can’t motivate yourself to actually work out, then you’re not any better off. I can motivate myself to play Walk It Out because it’s actually FUN. – Now you may think exercising and going to the gym, or playing sports is fun – and that’s cool – but that’s you, and you have to remember not everyone has the same idea of what “fun” is. So I ask you to please respect that different people look at fitness in different ways.

Here’s how I’m using Walk It Out to help lose the weight.

I don’t have a Wii (or Wii U) (yet) at the Boyfriend’s house where I spend my weekends. So for me, this is only something I do at home, Monday – Friday.

I aim for 10,000 steps. The game calculates this for you if you input your height, weight, gender, age, etc.

I use the balance board, but you don’t have to! You can use the DDR dance pad (wayyyy more challenging lol – Trust me, I’ve tried this), or the nunchuck and wii-mote – kinda “meh” and not as fun to me – but everyone has different preferences. Some people place their treadmill infront of their TV and slip the wii-mote into their pocket. . – You can check out Consumers Advocate for reviews on treadmills.

For me currently, 10,000 steps takes about 45 minutes, burns about 500 calories, and works out to just under or just over 3 miles.

I chose 10,000 because multiple sites I’ve researched have said 10,000 steps a day, every day is enough to lose 1 lb a week.

After about a month of 10,000 steps a day, 5 days a week, I found I was not getting as tired/sweaty/winded etc so I’m now up to about 12,000 steps a day, with ultimate goal to increase to 20,000 steps a day hopefully by end of the summer.

In addition to getting my “steps” each day I also began a low carb diet, currently limiting myself to 25 or fewer carbs a day and trying to ensure the majority of those carbs come from veggies, nuts, berries, and other healthy choices. – I skipped “induction” and included nuts and veggies and berries though from the start.

I began my journey about 6 weeks ago at 232 lbs. My last weigh in 2 weeks ago (about 4 weeks into the program) was 227 lbs. A total of 5 lbs lost within those 4 weeks.  I will probably weigh myself again some time this week and expect to be at 225 or less lbs. I’ve been losing 1-2 lbs a week, just as I anticipated based on my steps and diet.

This is slow, and yes, there are better exercises and activities than this, but the fact is, it’s still “effective” – if you don’t care “how long” it takes to lose the weight – I’m prepared that it’ll take me 2 years for example if I want to get to 120-130. – Which is what I weighed like 12 years ago in college. I didn’t gain this weight overnight, I’m not going to lose it overnight. It’s just the way it is. But the scales are moving down each time I weigh myself – I try not to obsess about the scale, so I only weigh myself every other week. In the next 10-20 weeks I expect to be back under 200 lbs for the first time in several years.

I’m currently not doing any other exercise other than Walk-It-Out for (a minimum of) 10,000 steps, 5 days a week on the wii balance board. I am restricting my carb intake which could also be playing a role in the weight loss so I cannot make a claim as to if Walk it Out would be effective without a healthy diet as well.

All I know for sure is that Walk It Out, plus a low carb diet, has led to 1-2 lbs of weight loss, consistently, every week, for the past month and a half.

And I know that I don’t mind playing Walk It Out, whereas, if I were going to the gym or playing a sport I’d hate it, dread it, and eventually stop doing it, probably sooner than later. Because to me, working out, or playing sports, etc is not fun. In fact, it’s pretty much the opposite of fun, it might be exaggerating, but it’s kinda like torture to me lol.

And that’s probably because I’m in such bad shape. But Walk It Out has been effective also at helping with that. And I’ll go ahead and claim/assume that this is from Walk It Out and not from the diet, but I’ve already noticed a big change in my stamina.

Prior to 2 months ago, I’d get winded going up 2 flights of stairs at the boyfriend’s apartment to do laundry, and when I first started Walk It Out, I felt like I was dying after 10,000 steps – but I didn’t stop/slow down, I successfully reached 10,000 steps without any kind of rest or break each day, right from the get go. – Not a huge accomplishment if you’re fit and active – but a significant accomplishment if like me, you’re mostly sedentary and in terrible shape.

But now, I can do 12,000, maybe even 15,000 steps before I get tired/winded. I can go up and down the stairs while carrying the laundry without gasping/panting for breath after setting the basket down. I noticed that the other night, as we folded laundry together. I’m like hey, I’m not gasping for breath, I’m able to breathe/talk/etc.

So in as little as a month, making 2 small changes:

1.) Playing Walk It Out 5 days a week for a minimum of 10,000 steps, using the balance board

2.) Restricting Carbs to 25 or less per day

I’ve lost 5 lbs, and become more “fit” and able to do normal chores/walking etc without getting shortness of breath or rapid heart beat like before.

I also suffer from PCOS which makes it more difficult to lose weight due to insulin resistance and other factors. So if you’re relatively healthy, you might lose even more weight than this while playing Walk It Out. But as someone with PCOS, it has a number of side effects, from infertility to weight gain, to fatigue, pain in the sides/ovaries, and skin/hair problems, just to name a few. Probably the most concerning of these side effects is fertility. It’s also well documented that being obese also impacts a women’s fertility. in fact, that’s why I began this work out and diet plan. I am 37 years old and I want to have kids some day. And for me at this age, that time is running out. I know it will take me a year to lost 50 lbs (guessing because 52 weeks in a year, with a lb of weight loss a week). That will drop me down to about 170-180… Still overweight for my height/age. I should be around 130-140 from what I’ve read – which is why it’ll probably take about 2 years to reach that goal. 52 weeks x 1 b per week = 50 lbs a year, so in 2 years I’d be about 127. In 2 years I’ll also be 39….

Losing weight will do 2 things for me – 1.) help relieve some of the PCOS symptoms, 2.) help increase my fertility – even in women who do not have PCOS – they say losing as little as 10-15% of your body weight can help increase fertility. For me, 15% would mean I’d only need to lost 34 lbs… which would take about 8 and a half months. (At a rate of 1 lb a week).

So although my end goal may be getting back down to 120 – 130, which is going to take about 24 months, there are many smaller goals I can aim for along the way. The first goal will be to drop below 200. With an estimated 25 lbs to go, that goal will take about 6 months. The next goal is a combined total of 34 lbs of weight loss, which I should achieve 2-3 months after my first goal. From there, it’s all about setting different attainable goals for myself. For example, I might decide I want to reach 160 lbs next, another 6 months after the 2nd goal, and then only need to lose another 30 lbs to reach the 4th and final goal.

Since it will take me a relatively long time to achieve my goals, it’s important to me to have an activity I can enjoy and one I can stick with throughout the process. For me, that activity is Walk It Out.

But enough about me and my goals, let’s dive into actually talking about the game and I’ll tell you just why I love Walk It Out more than any other fitness game.

Title: Walk It Out

Platform: Wii (will work also on Wii U)

Genre: Music Game / Fitness Game / Walking Simulator / City Building Game

Publisher: Konami

Price and Where to Get:

Why Do I Love Walk It Out So Much / How is Walk it Out Different from Other Fitness Games:

I think Walk It Out is different for the following reasons:

1.) It’s actually a game – I would not say the same of Wii Fit for example which is just a series of exercises and “mini games” – Wii Fit fails at taking your mind off the fact that you’re exercising. Walk It Out makes it so exercising is secondary to the gameplay.

2.) It is a persistent world – You can see your world developing and evolving each day. You can interact with objects in your world. The world changes and evolves based on your actions.

3.) If you like pop music and 80s/90s/very early 2k music, you’ll love the music in Walk It Out. – I tried looking to see if there’s a Japanese Import version of the game with Japanese music tracks but I couldn’t find one – does anyone know anything about this? I think it’d be fun/interesting especially since I enjoy JPop music. I find it hard to believe Konami would only make a game for the European / North American market – because they don’t seem to give a damn about this market. But all I’ve ever seen is the North American version “Walk it Out” (the version I have) – and another version for Europe called “Walk to the Beat” I think there’s only 2-3 songs that are different/unique for each of those versions, not worth importing the Euro version just for those songs. – But Is suspect if a version of this game does exist in Japan it probably has all Jpop music.

4.) It’s a city building simulation – Do you like city building games? This game lets you build a city while you work out – pretty much the only game I can think of that does this.

5.) It has gradual progression – there are over 300 songs to unlock, and there are numerous things to unlock for your city – thousands of things in fact – and there are different areas/paths to unlock. It also has mini games, although a month in and I haven’t discovered any yet. It takes awhile to earn enough points to unlock everything. – To me, this is a GOOD thing – once everything is unlocked it probably isn’t as fun/exciting. But you can always start a new save file and start over unlocking everything again. If you unlocked things too fast the game wouldn’t feel as “rewarding” – it strikes a good balance of rewarding you, plus giving you new things to strive for.

6.) It’s easy/comfortable even for someone obese and in very bad physical condition. This is not true of other fitness games such as Dance Dance Revolution which is significantly more challenging/tiring for beginners. Walk It Out is low impact and simple and does not require great speed, dexterity, skill, coordination, flexibility, etc, making it a perfect game for anyone of any age to just pick up and play.

But What Is Walk It Out, exactly?

Gameplay: 10/10 Walk it Out is a fitness music/rhythm game from Konami, the creators of Dance Dance Revolution. The gameplay is simple! In the top left of the screen you see a beat meter, just walk in time with the beat. If you are rhythmically challenged, don’t worry, don’t focus too much on listening to the music, instead use this beat meter in the top left as a visual guide to time your footsteps. If you’re still having trouble you can adjust the speed and difficulty settings as needed.

As you’re walking, music will begin playing. There are new tracks to unlock – over 300 of them to be exact, and if you like pop music from the 80s, 90s, and early 2ks, you should enjoy most of these tracks.

The object is to time your steps perfectly for the best score. Points can be used to unlock new music tracks or to build your city by opening capsules around the island. Things that you can find might include trees, street lights, cars, buildings, and more. As you build up your city, you’ll see the changes in the town and in the people. It becomes much more lively.

The game can be played with a number of different controller options including the wii balance board, DDR dance pad, or wii-mote and nunchuck.

There’s even a multi-player mode where 2 people can Walk it Out together!

Is Walk It Out An Effective Workout?

Yes, I feel Walk It Out is effective at helping with weight loss, especially in addition to a healthy diet. Using Walk It Out every Monday through Friday for the past 6 weeks has led to me losing 5 lbs and becoming more active, fit, and healthy. I feel like I have more energy and stamina, even if it’s a little improvement, it’s still a welcome improvement, that overtime will continue to provide growing benefits.

It’s simple, effective, and fun – I don’t feel like I’m working out.

The game also tracks many stats for you, such as calories burned, steps taken, miles walked, playtime, etc for each play session. As well as showing you how much of the island you have left to discover.

It has a lot of various settings you can configure such as selecting or restricting certain songs, setting goals in terms of steps, miles, or play time, and allowing you to adjust the speed or points to fine tune your difficulty settings.

The uniqueness of the game, the fun factor, multiplayer, and peripheral support, as well as ease of use and low entry barriers, make this game my favorite for helping to drop the pounds.

However, there are some areas where gameplay could be improved…

If there is ever a “Walk It Out 2” here are a list of features I’d love to see:

1.) More advanced avatar creation – or at least importing our mii’s. The avatars in walk it out are pretty fugly. And although you can choose between a male or female avatar, and male or female personal trainer, and pick some colors from a limited small pallet, that’s where customization ends. In the future they could add hairs, clothes, and other avatar dress up items to the unlockable capsules which would add an additional element to the game.

2.) More Islands – once you complete an island, it’d be nice to have a whole new island to play in, with different styles of buildings, backgrounds, and environments to explore, to keep things exciting

3.) A more “vibrant” world – either through online play, or the internal clock, it’d be nice to have a more “lively” world, like in Animal Crossing how different things happen on different days, weather patterns, holidays, events, etc.

4.) Ability to use your own music – or at least buy new tracks, similar to most other dancing games that release songs via DLC (downloadable content).

5.) Online Play – to walk with friends online in addition to the great local multiplayer support – perhaps also for the switch, seeing support for up to 4 or even 6 people to walk on one screen together in local play.

6.) Built in scale – I use wii fit to measure myself, but I don’t use Wii fit for the games and exercises very often – it’d be nice to just be able to weigh myself right in Walk It Out.

I think just these few little additions would really add to the immersion and fun of an already super fun game.

Story: 0/10 – Nope no story at all – not that it needs one.

Characters: 2/10 – there are characters if you count selecting your trainer and “customizing” (although extremely limitedly) your avatar, but without a story, the characters are empty shells. The characters that move into your city / walk around on your screen are also just empty shells – they could have done something similar to animal crossing or harvest moon here, which is why it’s so disappointing.

Graphics: 7/10 – I’m not sure what to score this honestly… the characters are fugly, the interface is average at best, but the actual world/environment are pretty good given that this is a retro game now.

Music: 10/10 – If you like pop music from the past 3 decades, you’ll enjoy the music.

Voice Acting:5/10 – The male trainer isn’t too bad – the female trainer sounds like she’s about 8 years old and has way too much enthusiasm and that weird “chipmunk” sound that a lot of early 90s anime female voice actresses seemed to have back in the day. – Which I assume is supposed to sound cute, but really just grates on the nerves. I’ve never played with the female trainer because her voice is so annoying honestly.

Replay Value: 10/10 – The gradual progression of the game will keep you coming back to unlock new things on the island.

Overall: 44/70 63%

Note: if you don’t count the story and characters, you have a score of 42/50 or 84 percent which is much closer to how much I “enjoy” this game 😊

Update: My weigh in today was 222 lbs, a loss of 4.9 lbs since last weigh in (15 days ago) . I continue to consistently lose 1 to 2 lbs per week using nothing but walk it out with the balance board for exercise while eating a low carb diet of 25 or fewer carbs a day. I’ve lost a total of 10 lbs over the course of about 6 weeks.

Review Get Fit with Walk it Out Konami Wii Game was originally published on GeekySweetie.com – Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

Improving Your Game: 3 Reasons No Arcade Fighting Game Lover Should Be Without An Arcade Stick

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Improving Your Game: 3 Reasons No Arcade Fighting Game Lover Should Be Without An Arcade Stick

Gamepads are typically the preferred controller when playing video games. However, taking a look at the benefits of opting for an arcade stick, also known as a fight stick, it makes sense why one would want to make a switch.

Arcade sticks are easier to hold and press buttons.

One reason arcade sticks are better than their gamepad counterparts is that you have more control over buttons as they are all on one flat surface. Because of this flat surface, sticks can be placed on a lap, floor, or table during gameplay. Unlike gamepads, one doesn’t have to worry about holding the controller in place, making arcade sticks easier on the arms.

Not being required to hold a stick in one’s hands also means that one has more fingers to use for buttons. Thus, some find that their performance soars. However, with gamepads, your thumbs and index fingers are heavily relied on, and it is difficult to use any other fingers as you must hold the controller with both hands.

Their inputs are speedier and more precise.

One can expect faster and smoother gameplay when choosing a fight stick over a pad controller. With this in mind, arcade fight sticks live up to their name; they are essential for fighting games where speed and precision are potent factors.

Gamepads just aren’t as responsive the way sticks are, which makes pads more reliant on the player’s quick cognition and control. Even if a player is fast at processing and responding, things are more up-to-speed with arcade sticks hands down. One has a fairer shot at earning a higher score when it comes to better inputs offered by sticks.

Hitbox controller dominates all

When talking about responsiveness and advantage over gamepads, you have to take into consideration the Hitbox controller. If you have never seen one, it’s basically a “stickless” arcade stick. Instead of having a joystick or a lever of some sorts, on a Hitbox, you will find four more buttons, which are the directional inputs.

This may not sound like a lot to a casual player, but to competitive player that means a lot! Whilst you won’t be to input two opposite directions on a normal arcade stick, the Hitbox allows you to do that, thus performing a “neutral” stance. The Hitbox also has way faster execution than a normal stick or gamepad making it a way more powerful tool in the hands of a good player!

After the release of Hitbox controllers, other another brand stepped up the game in the unfair controllers business.
A new type of Hitbox was introduced to the market called “Mixbox”. This is a controller made for players coming from PC, since its directional input is specifically made to resemble the “W, A, S, D” keyboard layout. Though most of the fighting game community would argue that the Hitbox is still better than the Mixbox, because of the “up” directional input.

Having said that, it’s also important to mention that the Hitbox and Mixbox are “banned” in most fighting game tournaments, because of their advantages over normal controllers. This was suggested from the fighting game community, since otherwise, all professional players had to move to Hitbox controllers in order to have a fair chance of beating their opponents.

Fight sticks are quite versatile.

Many gamers find that when purchasing a new gamepad or using one of their friend’s, there is a period of adjustment that goes on. Gamepads vary in width, height, and weight; button placement and color; and even texture. Getting used to another gamepad temporarily decreases your performance as you get used to buttons being placed elsewhere or to how the controller feels in your hands. Any one gamepad will not be best for all. Individuals with smaller hands or longer, bigger fingers may find that only certain gamepads are suitable.

Coming to arcade sticks, these controllers are more alike from stick to stick. Switch from one arcade stick to the next, and one typically has no issue adjusting. Buttons tend to be similar in size and placement, and there isn’t a need to find a controller that is suitable for one’s hands because, for obvious reasons, arcade sticks aren’t held with the hands.

Fortunately, one still has plenty of styles and colors at hand when picking among the best PS4 arcade sticks. You can find an aesthetically-appealing stick without worrying if it will be as functional from one to another.

Conclusion

When it comes down to the best video game controller, opting between gamepads and arcade sticks is a matter of preference. However, it can be said that sticks are easier to hold and use, have quicker and more accurate inputs, and are more versatile for the majority.

Improving Your Game: 3 Reasons No Arcade Fighting Game Lover Should Be Without An Arcade Stick was originally published on GeekySweetie.com – Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

Video Games by the Numbers

 

Like many of my readers, I have been playing games for over 3 decades now. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of hours spent playing games like Super Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Country on my SNES with my friends, or time spent immersing in the stories of RPG classics back in the 16 and 32 bit era such as Lunar on the Sega CD or Zelda on the SNES and N64.

Video games have a long history and continue to entertain new generations of kids who are growing up gaming, just like they did back in the 80s and 90s.

To celebrate video games, the team at The Monitor Monitor has put together this infographic of consoles, the number of games produced for each console, and sales numbers for the top selling games on each console.

Please note that the graphic is sorted by manufacturer, then number of games produced, not chronological order.

Enjoy!

(Infographic published with consent from The Monitor Monitor)

Related articles

• Report: Nintendo Switch will sell 5 million units in 2017
• Nintendo Defends DLC Expansion Pass For ‘The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild’
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe On Nintendo Switch Gets New Trailer; Up To 8 Players Local Play
• Wii U eShop Chart – March 3rd
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe May Be Getting A Price Cut For The Nintendo Switch
• Nintendo Puts Banana Peels In Path of Real Life Mario Kart Business Making Money Off Their Ideas, Hilarity Ensues

Video Games by the Numbers was originally published on

Countdown to Black Friday with New Deals Every Day on Amazon

Amazon just launched their Black Friday Pre-sale event. You can check back every day for new items at http://amazon.com/Black-Friday/…

Already they are offering up some pretty sweet deals for geeks and gamers. I recommend bookmarking and checking back as often as possible. I’m hoping for a PS4 Bundle or Console to go on sale. I have enough already to purchase, but since it is that time of year, saving some money never hurts, and I’ve waited this long already to get myself the newest consoles, so might as well hang in there a few more weeks and see what happens!

Last year, amazon had amazing black friday and cyber monday exclusive gaming bundles for all three major game systems including Xbone, PS4, and WiiU. This year the savings should be even greater since the technology continues to age and the market gets even more competitive with new consoles such as the Xbox Scorpio, PS4 Pro, and (soon to be released) Nintendo Switch, which means the standard Xbox One, PS4 Slim, and possibly Wii U will need to discount their inventory to see a strong finish this year.

PC Gamers are not to be forgotten, RIGHT NOW amazon has awesome Black Friday deals on headsets, lightup keyboards, game controllers, gaming mice, and more. There are some great deals such as headsets for 65% off, hot new release games for both console and pc at up to 75% off and many more.

Amazon even has a page set up specifically for gaming deals here: http://amzn.to/2evLcYi

or a general one for Electronics here: http://amzn.to/2evMYZH

I’m also needing a new gaming laptop, and Amazon has a page for PC and Laptop deals here: http://amzn.to/2elLmON

Video Games not your thing? Maybe you want some boardgames, legos, cute plushies, dolls, or figures? If so amazon also has a page for you here: http://amzn.to/2fp9ssJ

And the sales will continue into cyber monday as well and Cyber Monday has it’s own page for deals which will be located at http://amzn.to/2fk9JB3 once it goes live later this month.

 

Powered by Dealspotr | Additional voucher codes for Amazon

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Per Amazon’s site:

“Black Friday Deals–The Party Is Just Getting Started!

Black Friday 2016 will be here soon, but we didn’t want you to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to save on Black Friday deals, so we are counting down to Black Friday 2016 with exciting deals today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and…you get the picture. Stop by each day through November 24 for early Black Friday deals, including sales on electronics, low prices on DVDs, magazine subscription specials, toy bargains, and fashionable deals for women, men, kids & baby, and more. You’ll find our best Black Friday deals, and Deal of the Day bargains you won’t want to resist for holiday gifts.

Something else to be excited about–at Amazon, Black Friday 2016 isn’t just a day to us–it’s a whole week! We’ll kick off Black Friday Deals Week early with Black Friday deals and sales all day every day that week, including Black Friday, with those big after-Thanksgiving sales you’ve been waiting for. Trust us, if you love a good deal, you won’t want to miss it!

To continue the excitement, we have made Cyber Monday 2016 a whole week too! We’ll be kicking off Cyber Monday with a week’s worth of cyber deals, just in time for you to get back to work after Thanksgiving … and shop online. Shhh … we won’t tell your boss! You’ll find more great deals every day during Cyber Monday Deals Week.
So stop by any day, or better yet, every day. We’ll be here with great deals!”

 

Countdown to Black Friday with New Deals Every Day on Amazon was originally published on

MappyLand – 8bit Nintendo – Retro Game Review – 1986

MappyLand was one of my favorite games as a little kid. And I must’ve been super little – since I would have only been 5 years old at the release of this game.

It plays a lot like Mario Bros. in that you run, jump, and climb your way through the levels. You play as a cute mouse collecting items in each level to give to his girlfriend while avoiding and distracting all of the cats. – Although simple, it is a cute concept, which is maybe why it appealed to me so much when I was little.

Title: MappyLand

Genre: Platformer / Mascot Game

Release Date: 1986

Publisher: Taxan

Developer: Namco

Platform: 8Bit NES (Also now available on the Wii U E-store)

Where to Buy: You can still find plenty of copies on Amazon, where Mappyland sales for $6-12 bucks depending on the condition of the game, case, and booklets. Or you can get Mappyland in the Wii-U E-shop for $4.99

Geeky: 3/5 

Sweetie: 4/5 

56 / 80 70% C- “Good Game for Girls”

Concept: 8/10 As mentioned, I loved the concept of playing as a cartoon-style mouse collecting items for his girlfriend and tricking cats. It played very similar to Mario, except you can’t jump on the enemies. It’s been awhile, but I also (think that I) remember a password feature that was used to track the progress of the levels instead of a save feature. (It’s been years since my last visit to Mappyland, so maybe I’m wrong there.) It’s a cute and colorful family friendly game with adorable characters and gameplay that’s simple enough to just pick up and play at any time.

Gameplay: 9/10 Mappyland has some interesting game mechanics. Most notably, it has a story, however, the story is randomized and not told in a specific order. There’s also way fewer “stories” than there are game levels, which means you’ll see the same stories multiple times. (Just how many times is he going to marry his girlfriend, and how many fricken birthdays is she going to have? LOL).

But aside from that quirk, there are about 8 different “power ups” that Mappy can equip and then fire off at the cats, each with varying degrees of success. You can also just run and jump to avoid their attacks. It’s an item-centric game – just like Sonic collects gold rings, or mario collects coins, each “story” has a different item that you’re trying to collect. You’re required to collect all of the designated items to proceed to the next level.

There are also numerous traps that can hurt you – however, you can lure the cats over the traps as well which will help you to slow them down.

The level designs themselves were not that challenging – I beat this game when I was probably 7 years old lol. But the level designs were fun. The level I most distinctively remember had Mappy riding aboard a run-away train. You’re also being timed which can add an extra layer of difficulty to some of the levels. Similar to NiGHTS (which I reviewed the Christmas version of here), once your time is up you will be chased by an invincible enemy who you will need to avoid if you want to pass to the next level.

Story: 5/10 The story that is present is cute – but they could have done more – like write enough stories to match the number of different levels so you don’t see the same 3 or 4 stories over and over. The story is adorable but very childlike and simplistic – but hey, most games were that way back then, because of the target audience, but also because of limitations of the hardware at the time, only able to hold small amounts of text, etc.

Characters: 8/10 – It’s true there’s no back story, no real character interaction, no real character development — but still, the characters, and enemies are incredibly cute and charming. If you like cute and kawaii games, this game is worth playing just for cute overload alone.

Graphics: 6/10  Mappy’s character and level designs are cute – however, it’s an 8 bit game; there’s just not much detail that can go into them. Also I feel like the character sprites are too “large” and look a bit out of place. I also feel that similar games, such as the original Mario Bros was more “clean” and less “blocky” looking – once again I know that’s the nature of most  8 bit games, but the proportion and color palette used were maybe to blame for the game looking a bit “muddy” and not quite as crisp and clean as Mario and other 8 bit platformer games. However, when you look at games like Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Burger Time, and etc, which mostly just had black blank backgrounds, the level of attention given to creating unique and fun environments for each level of Mappyland is pretty good!

Music: 5/10 Not memorable, and of course limited by the technology available in 1986. However, it is catchy, although repetitive, and if you like retro games and retro music you may like this. Most of the music is fast/cheerful which fits well with the cute graphics.

Replay Value: 8/10 – Due to the random story/level pairings, new items to find each time you play, and just overall fun factor, I would say this is a game you probably will replay a few times, even if for nothing else other than nostalgia or cute factor. The simplistic gameplay mechanics make it easy to jump in and pick up at any time. It could also be interesting for speed runs, if you’re into that sort of thing due to each level being timed.

56 / 80 70% C- “Good Game for Girls”

Also I just learned that this was originally an arcade game in Japan – and even more interesting, there’s a 13 episode 2012 anime series (Mappy: The Beat) based on Mappy Land. It is a comedic anime which features other lovable Namco characters but stars Mappy in the spotlight. And there’s numerous Mappy Land games – sadly never translated to English, including “Mappy Land Kids” which is a sequel to Mappy Land. — I wish we had more Mappy in North America!

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MappyLand – 8bit Nintendo – Retro Game Review – 1986 was originally published on

Rumor: Mother 3 Getting Official English Release in 2016

2016 marks the 10th anniversary of Mother 3 – known to gamers in the west as “Earthbound” – Lately, there have been a lot of rumors online, including some started by people from within Nintendo which indicate that we MAY be getting an official English release of the game now a decade after it’s original release in Japan.

Even if the rumors prove false, you can play Mother 3 in English already right now today. You can always purchase the Japanese cart and patch it with the free 100% completed English fan translation which you can get here. If you need help on where to buy the cart for the game, check out Play-Asia who specializes in Japanese import games. There’s also some available that are already “pre-patched” which saves you the trouble of patching it yourself on sites like ebay and amazon here for about $25

But let’s hope that the rumors are true since this is what fans really want from Nintendo, an “official” translation. In fact, the creator of the fan-translation patch has offered his full translation to Nintendo for absolutely free. Though this was years ago now. However, stranger things have happened, Nintendo of America decided to bring out Mother 1 (rebranded as Earthbound Beginnings) just last year which sold better than expected and is much older than Mother 3.  And with the success of the re-release of Earthbound on Wii U, it seems quite profitable (and plausible)  for Nintendo to give fans what they want.

If you’ve never played an Earthbound (or Mother) game, they are very similar to Undertale with lots of customization and freedom, such as specifying your favorite food, favorite color, etc which all get used throughout various parts of the game, as well as a cute, quirky feeling but also very deep and moving story. The charm of the 2nd game, known as Earthbound to western audiences, made it a cult classic among Super Nintendo owners, and it definitely differentiated itself from any other 90s RPG in a very good way.

You can check out a gameplay trailer of Mother 3 to show off the fan translation patch in the video below:

The MOTHER 3 Fan Translation

http://mother3.fobby.net/MOTHER 3 Fan Translation COMPLETE — Do It Yourself Devotion! After nearly two years of development, Mother 3 is finally available …

 

Check out some of the sources below to read more about the Mother 3 Rumors Online:

http://gamerant.com/mother-3-nintendo-114/

http://dorkshelf.com/2016/02/04/mother-3-could-finally-be-coming-to-north-america/

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-02-04-mother-3-will-finally-get-western-release-report

http://kotaku.com/the-mother-3-rumors-are-getting-intense-1757072418

We’re Not Telling You Mother 3 Is Being Released In English

 

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Rumor: Mother 3 Getting Official English Release in 2016 was originally published on Geeky Sweetie

Amazon Prime now gives 20% off all New Game Releases and Preorders

Have you been trying to justify an Amazon Prime Membership? Well if you’re a gamer, here’s the perfect reason to join Amazon Prime! I’m going to join next time before I purchase a new release or preorder another game. I already use Amazon when I want a physical copy of a game anyways (still mostly rely on steam for the digital, though I think this discount also applies to digital stuff too!), so why not take advantage of this awesome Prime benefit?!

This is not just a “sale” or an “offer” – This is a FEATURE – a permanent benefit to being an Amazon Prime Member.

You will get 20% off all new releases if you purchase within 2 weeks of launch date or also receive 20% whenever you preorder a new game!

Let’s do the math. Most new release titles go for $55 to $65. 20% of $55 is $11 and 20% of $65 is $13. Which brings the cost of the game down to $44 to $52.

That’s a large savings, but it’s not ideal for everyone. Amazon Prime Membership is $99 a year. – In order for gamers to benefit from this discount they would need to purchase at least 9 new release games a year.

Amazon Prime does have a slew of other benefits though – Free shipping alone could be worth it for people who use Amazon often. In addition, I for one, would love to have the Amazon drones deliver my package within hours of my order. Unfortunately that feature is not available in my area just yet – but Amazon does plan nation wide rollout of their same day delivery program in the near future. I live in an extremely rural area – It takes me 45 minutes to an hour to drive to walmart or gamestop or best buy or similar game retailers – and thats one way. Factor into that the time spent wandering through the store, time spent in line, time spent in traffic, etc. and Amazon’s delivery service looks very attractive.

They also have a streaming service similar to those of Hulu or Netflix that is exclusive to their Prime Members. I recently paid iptv, where I can get all my favorite tv channels.

Perhaps now is the best time ever to join Amazon Prime – especially if you are a gamer.

You can learn more and sign up at https://www.amazon.com/prime

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Amazon Prime now gives 20% off all New Game Releases and Preorders was originally published on

Bundles and Black Friday Deals Make Christmas Bright for Girl Gamers

This is just a collection of things I’ve come across this week that other gamer girls out there may find interesting. It’s the biggest shopping weekend in the USA, and many digital retailers are also offering deals as well as deals in store for many electronics.

Both Kohls and Walmart will have the PS4 for $299 on Black Friday. – I’m hoping to maybe be lucky enough to pick one up but I did just get an Iphone so I don’t know if I’ll have the $$$$ for a PS4 right now, which is fine anyways since the game I really want (Persona 5) got delayed til summer 2016 anyways. And I also really need a new PC – mine is finally starting to lose it’s ability to play some nextgen games (such as Fallout 4). Which I realize isn’t even the most graphically intensive game out there; but I only have a middle of the line Acer that’s 2+ years old now (only cost me about 600 originally, compared to my previous rig, an Alien ware which cost me like 1300 (But last me for 2-3 times longer). So The PS4 $$$ could be half the payment of a new PC too. Still do want PS4 though — and a Wii U 🙂 I don’t normally play graphically intensive games, but ocassionally I do such as the new fallout So I need to get a better PC at some point.

Humble Bundle has some games from Japan in their weekly bundle from last week still going on but none of them really interested me or I have most of them already You can view it here

Indie Gala has a lot of visual novels and otome games in their Every Monday bundle this week – I picked this one up. Lots of these games were on my Steam wishlist and also are games which I have not previously seen bundled.

If you’re looking for an Xbone (not sure why you’d want one except for the 2 “supposedly” “exclusive” JRPGs (supposedly and quotes because one of these titles already exists on PSP, its just getting a cosmetic pretty facelift for the Xbone, so not really “exclusive” in my opinion lol.) Anyways, if for some reason you do want an Xbone (Scalebound looks interesting as well as the two aforementioned “exclusive” JRPGs) you can pick one up this weekend for $350. Here’s a list where to find one at http://www.cnet.com/news/its-official-xbox-one-price-drops-50-during-black-friday-weekend/ — Personally I think the PS4 blackfriday price of $299 is a better deal and has better games, especially if you’re here reading my blog, chances are you like RPGs, JRPGs, Simulation Games, Otome, Visual Novels, etc – none of which you’ll find on Xbone.

Wii U reguarlly $299 is dropping to $250 at both Walmart and Meijer and looks like it comes with the much beloved Super Smash Bros game. Wii U is also home to Xenoblade Chronicles and future home to the upcoming SMT X FE # which that game alone, makes it a definite must own in my opinion. Plus the nintendo e-store has great retro games such as Earthbound, Harvest Moon, and Chrono Trigger too to name a few. You can read more here: http://www.idigitaltimes.com/black-friday-wii-u-deals-best-nintendo-sales-black-friday-2015-492132

It’s rumored that the big Steam sales that we all know and love will begin on November 25th and run through December 1st. This year it’s also rumored that we won’t have daily deals and flash sales, and that the game will remain the sale price for the duration of the steam sale. It’s also rumored the biggest event of the year, the Steam holiday sale will occur on december 22nd, and run until January 4th. Note this is just unconfirmed rumors. I heard about these rumors here: http://www.vg247.com/2015/11/20/no-steam-flash-or-daily-sales-coming-this-autumn-and-winter-according-to-leak/

All week long Tee Turtle shirts are just $12 I have bought from them in the past and can vouch they are amazing and utterly adorable, even the packaging they ship in! http://www.teeturtle.com/

http://www.greenmangaming.com/
Green Man Gaming has 25% off ALL digital games with coupon: 1MZ9FW-H92JSD-2CT74F

Holiday sale is now live at http://www.rightstufanime.com/ including dvds, figures, and toys

Junkyspot.com almost always has black friday sales for asian balljointed dolls, obitsu, and hujoo dolls. Though nothing has been announced just yet. Their sale traditionally lasts a week, with different unannounced dolls available at steep discounts each day, and if you miss out that day you can’t go back, which is tricky and exciting, trying to wait for the doll you want, or take the one you can afford. I got my Hujoo Dana one year in this way, for a big discount (I can’t recall but I believe she may have been 30% which is like $100 off).

Funimation is having “Up to 70%” select titles. View the full list of anime discounts here http://shop.funimation.com/Shop/Shop_Filter.ss?scategory=1339156

Jlist is having “up to $40 off” in their blackfriday sale. I couldn’t find the exact details. More info here: http://anime.jlist.com/click/5631/70 

Dollmore returns with their fukubukuro lucky bag program with various different price tiers plus the chance to win a doll if you purchase $150 tiered bag or larger. Each bag has about 3 times it’s price in items worth for dolls of all sizes and genders, allowing you to score some nice finds. I bought a bag last year and was very happy with what I got. Will probably purchase again once I get paid.

I will keep adding to this list as I find other great deals for us <3.

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Bundles and Black Friday Deals Make Christmas Bright for Girl Gamers was originally published on

Churbles – Adorable Zelda-Like Action RPG with Anime Style Hamsters

Note: This is only a Preview. I’ve no hands on experience with this game; I just wanted to make my readers aware of this adorable little indie title. It is still in development, and no “public” beta test will be held – they are only allowing those who backed their now closed Kickstarter campaign to test the game. So the rest of us will have to wait. When it releases, it will be a cross platform game available on all current gen systems including PC, PS4, Xbone, and WiiU.

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Churbles is a fully 3D game, and the latest developer blog post details how the environment will work.

“We are currently working on a system that allows you to control how your guild hall layout develops, which will allow for procedural dungeon generation later on. It also allows turn-based combats to occur anywhere, not just pre-built arenas.”

The game also features local multi-player (and I’m sure it will also probably have online capabilities as well).

About gameplay:

Churbles – Adorable Zelda-Like Action RPG with Anime Style Hamsters

“Using their Guild Hall as a base of operations the player selects a location based adventure for their Churbles to embark on. Each location or dungeon is free roaming and can be expanded through story progression and diligent exploration. Enemies can be found freely roaming the world, spoiling for a fight. Some battles must be fought, while others can be avoided through story-based decisions or clever sneaking.

As play continues more and more Churbles will want to join your founder and the Guild Hall to help protect Churble World. With 3 different classes to choose from, each with 3 distinct styles of fighting and 7 different weapons styles you will be able to develop any sort of team you desire. Want 3 different Warriors? What about a Mystic who charges into battle with a two-handed ax? Or a rogue who has a fondness for casting spells? With over 63 different combinations it is all possible!

Skills can be learned through leveling up your weapon skills, heroic paths, through story events, and the acquisition of legendary tutors and items. In fact, over the course of its career a Churble will learn a great many skills and it is up to the player to create combinations of moves that will perform best with the other Churbles making up the party.

Boss battles are a huge focus of Churbles game design. Each one is intended to be challenging, innovative, and unique; this isn’t a matter of tank, heal, dps, success. Drawing inspiration from the best and most memorable boss battles throughout gaming history, we are creating encounters that have the player (and their Churbles) thinking and acting outside the box.

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Churbles takes some of the best features of JRPGs, such as cute and exciting characters, outrageous villains, and over-the-top attacks, and combines it with some of the best elements of western RPGs, like rich customization of both the characters and play styles and streamlined gameplay that focuses more on playing the game and less on grinding.

But what really makes Churbles unique is the ownership the player will feel over their Churbles. Every Churble has its own personality that determines its affinities for different abilities -as well as interactions with other Churbles- and even the player! Everything from fur and eye color to armor and weapon skins can be selected by the player. The Guild Hall where the Churbles rally between their adventures is not just a quest hub: It is their home. Churbles eat, sleep, play, and train in the Guild Hall, which you the player will help design and build.”

Churbles – Adorable Zelda-Like Action RPG with Anime Style Hamsters

I’m super excited about this game, and if you are too, you can find more info about the project via http://churbleworld.com or the kickstarter page at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crashgem/churbles-a-beautiful-3d-rpg-adventure/

Churbles – Adorable Zelda-Like Action RPG with Anime Style Hamsters was originally published on GeekySweetie.com – Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

Nintendo Announces Not Just One, But 2 Fire Emblem Games at E3 2015

Nintendo just made Fire Emblem, and Shin Megami Tensei Fans very happy with the following two announcements.

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Coming to America in 2016

First up, Fire Emblem Fates

IGN.com describes Fire Emblem Fates as “Developed by the same team that created Fire Emblem Awakening, the new adventure adds challenges never before seen in the series and asks players to make decisions that will affect the game’s world in new ways.” They also tell us that the game, known as Fire Emblem IF in Japan was released as 2 separate games. Further research uncovers that these 2 versions feature completely different storylines and different battles as well. They were subtitled Midnight Sun and Dark Night Kingdom. Nintendo did not announce which version(s) would be coming over to the US at this time.

Next, a special Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei Crossover, called Genei Ibunroku which translates roughly to “Ilusory Revelations”

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This is being developed by Atlus and Intelligemt Systems, but it sounds as if Atlus is leading the project. In an earlier interview, Shinjiro Takada revealed that it was very challenging to blend the two gameplay styles. He alluded that it will be a very different game than anyone is expecting. It’s been in development now for over 2 years. Take a look at the trailer that was revealed last month. Also note Shinjiro Takada has already confirmed that there’s going to be even more characters than those shown in these brief trailers below.

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Nintendo Announces Not Just One, But 2 Fire Emblem Games at E3 2015 was originally published on Geeky Sweetie