Another NDK has come and gone for us here at the Gameslave. We are hard at working ripping our recordings to computers, cleaning up pictures, and writing articles about this year's anime convention. I'm posting just a quick article about my own feelings and experience at this year's NDK as we work on finishing our main articles. Follow this link here to our Anime page for more of my initial thoughts.
We're at one week, or more technically eight days away, from the largest anime convention in the Rocky Mountain region. We here at the Gameslave are starting to prepare our schedules for coverage of this year's convention. NDK is celebrating it's 15th year, which seems startling to me. Mostly because I, ZeldaQueen, at least have been attending since 2000, so that'd be NDK number four.
In any case, NDK's main site has done their major update before the start of the con, which is very informative. If you've been before, there isn't too much new stuff, but enough that will catch you off guard if you aren't paying attention. Firstly, the Marriot is charging for parking. Paying for parking is not always ideal, but if you've stayed on location before, you know how terrible parking is in the Marriot lot. It's only $5 a day per car, which really isn't too bad considering the hotel is guaranteeing beginning room rates to not start above $100 the next 5 years. Thank you hotel staff and NDK for that. Hopefully more people will carpool and help let everyone have a spot. Woe to those who leave the lot as spots are hard to get back into. Second, there isn't the early dealer's room privilege for those that pre-register. No longer do pre-regs get in an hour to 30 minutes earlier cause we've finally reached the point where more people pre-register now than not. We do have separate lines though, for those who have props to check and those who don't, to hopefully keep things flowing along. Thirdly, the video game room will be going on 24 hours a day, much like the anime video rooms. That's a lot of gaming playing in a single weekend and tournaments if that's what you like. Lastly, we get to see how the attendance cap plays out this year. Each day is capped at 7,500 people. Unless NDK can get a larger venue, we'll have to get use to this new feature. There can only be so many people crammed into one building and trust me it's already been feeling seam-bursting.
If you are planning on attending or know someone that is and would like the heads up, direct yourselves to the main NDK page here at this handy link. There are PDFs of the Events Schedule and Program Guide so you can start planning out your time spent at the con. The list of potentials for us is long already and will need to be pruned as we can't be in three places at once and will need to do some dividing and conquering as well as passing up some items, for our coverage. It looks like it's another great year for panels and guests as many favorites are returning. (Darn you anime counting contest for always being during the costume contest! Why can't you be on Friday night!)
For those of you unable to attend or just want the highlights, is there anything you'd like us to check out and report on at this year's convention? Send your thoughts in a comment and we'll see if we can't take in the sights and answer the questions for you! Keep your eyes peeled for our coming coverage of NDK!
Image courtesy of gonintendo.com Check out their site for the full press release by clicking the imageNintendo has just announced details concerning their up and coming Legend of Zelda release. As stated earlier, the release date is official November 20th. At that time of release, Skyward Sword will be sold in a limited-edition bundle including the game and a gold Hylian styled Wii Motion+ Controller for the price of $69.99. This is a very good deal as you get the Wii Motion+ controller for only $20 with the game. It's useful for those of us like me, who haven't made the plunge into buying one of the new controllers.
Nintendo is also including a special treat for everyone who buys an initial production copy by inlcuding a bonus CD containing the 25th Anniversary soundtrack as performed by the symphony this fall. So not only do you get the game, you also get a fully orchestrated soundtrack of the past twenty-five years of classic Legend of Zelda music. And for those of you not interested to purchase the bundle, never fear. Skyward Sword will also have just a game disc release for $49.99 and will also include the music CD for the initial production run.
I don't know about everyone else, but I for one am excited and am really looking forward to this game. I'm going to have to go and see who I can do a preorder from so I can get that controller with the game. It looks really nice and it's a good buy for me. I'm also really digging the official cover box art for the game. I know there has been talk about the game's esthetic, but I really do like the water color look of the illustrations and game. It makes it feel classic and timeless like an epic story. Just a couple more months to go at this point and I can't wait.
Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary wallpaperI'm glad to see that Skyward Sword has a solid release date now. I haven't been this excited for a Zelda title in awhile. Possibly not since Ocarina of Time. I've enjoyed the Zelda titles that have come out since then, but there is something about this new one that has me thinking about Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, which is my favorite Zelda title. To show my appreciation and love for the series I'm posting up for you, our readers, another wallpaper. This one as you can guess by the title is in homage to the Legend of Zelda series. Like the Mario wallpaper I was thinking about the items that just have that distinctive classic Zelda feel. I've made most of the items harken to my favorite A Link to the Past, though you will find a couple of items that are found in other games. It seems stranged to think that it's the 25th Anniversary of the series, considering I have been playing since the first installment. Man it makes me feel old. In any case I hope that everyone enjoys this wallpaper. It took me a lot longer than the Mario one, but I think the effort was well worth it for the final result. If you are liking these, let me know in the comments section and give me suggestions for a future wallpaper. I might just draw up a suggestion I like!
Click a link below for the desired size then right click on the image and choose Set As Desktop Background
Zelda1024x768 Zelda1280x960 Zelda1600x900 Zelda1600x1200 Zelda1920x1080
Image courtesy of Steam screenshotsIf you are in the same boat Proteus and I find ourselves in concerning Portal 2, as in you don't own one of the best games of the year yet, then we're all in luck. Portal 2 has recently seen a price drop of $20 bucks making the game now $29.99 through Steam. We meant to do the whole pre-order thing but kinda forgot and same thing happened during Steam's Summer Sale when it was nearly 50% off, but now we can make up for it any time with this recent price drop. We're having to be gamers on a budget here with that whole pesky home ownership stuff, but it's a worthy trade off. For your convenience here's a handy link to Portal 2 on Steam if you are interested in purchasing it.
It's closing in on being that time of year for the Rocky Mountain region con attendee! The largest anime convention in the area, Nan Desu Kan is fast approaching its pre-registration deadline. If you are in the region and are thinking of attending, then I suggest you head over to their registration page by following this handy link here. There seems to be a little bit of conflicting information on their site, but my guess is that the pre-registration ends on August 14th and not the 16th, so you have roughly 12 days to get your 3-day badge for the discounted price of $40 versus $50 at the door. Also the sooner you buy the better as NDK is implementing an attendance cap this year. Those of you who drag your feet might end up disappointed. Plus think of the extra benefit you get to go into the dealer's room an extra hour early before everyone else, so for the collector it's so worth it! For those of you who are attending, keep your eyes peeled for those of us from the Gameslave. We will be wandering around, attending panels, taking pictures, asking questions, and giving out original goodies designed by me, ZeldaQueen. We look forward to seeing you all there September 9th - 11th!
Mario Bros. wallpaper image sampleI've been working on some artwork and decided to share a piece with all of you who follow us online. I actually got the idea from trying to work out some sort of Mario Bros. button. I was just sketching out some ideas, but kinda like the idea of the mushroom flanked by fire flowers and it sort of just carried on from there. I know it's not every item available in every game, but I wanted to cover just enough to get idea across. Most of them are old school too, so I like that fact. I know I'm a couple of years late for the Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary, but that's okay. I think I'll actually make it for the Zelda one, so keep your eyes peeled for that post! I think everyone will like that too. Without further ado, follow the links below for a wallpaper of your choice. Until my next art post, game on!
Click a link below for the desired size then right click on the image and choose Set As Desktop Background
Mario 1024x768 Mario 1280x1024 Mario 1600x900 Mario 1600x1200 Mario 1920x1080
Well that cold nip is back in the air and as we head deeper into this winter season, we start thinking about what to get our more geeky friends and family for Christmas. I know it's before Thanksgiving right now, but it doesn't hurt to think ahead and beat out some of the holiday rush with some gift giving ideas. There's only 44 more days till Christmas, so it really isn't that far off.
d8 Phone Charm from World of Dice
One gift giving recommendation I have are the interesting dice jewelry products found at World of Dice. I recently got to meet the owners of this business at this past NDK convention. I found the jewelry to be very well made with a wide range of colors and dice types. You can get any of the 100 or so colors of Chessex dice in d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, or d20 die types in almost any of the jewelry products listed! Talk about variety!
I made a purchase for myself of one of their phone charms. The charm I picked was a scarlet d8, mostly because I like red and I often have characters that rely on the d8 for the majority of rolls. As you can see by the picture, it's still going on strong nearly three months later. I'm still very happy with my purchase as the price was very reasonable for the well made product and there is a lot of variation so everyone's can be a little different. This would make a great stocking stuffer or group buying gift for your gaming table or general geek culture friends!
Cover box art for the third installment of the seriesI don't know how in the world I missed this one! Apparently on September 12th the third installment of Professor Layton series, the Unwound Future was released in the United States market. I really enjoyed the first two installments of the series and had heard that there were more games in the series but hadn't heard any news about the next release. Color me surprised when I just learned today that the next one had come out and I totally missed it! Guess this one will be going on my wish list for Christmas this year. You can check out IGN's review of the game here. Sounds like it's another solid entry into the series. Can't wait to get ahold of it some time soon!
Zelda with Link riding the Spirit TrainI wish I had started playing this game sooner! A review on the Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the DS. I had received this game from IrishPride for Christmas, but since I was still abroad at the time and coming home in about 5 months, we decided that I would just get the game when I finally got State side.
Well I got State side, got the game and then let it set for the past 3 months on my nightstand. I finally decided that I really should play the game and see what it was all about and I'm very glad I did. As I stated before I should have started this game when I first got it! I'm over half way as far as general game play is concerned and I can't wait to finish it.
So this is a game that has me enthralled and wanting to complete it which is something that has happened for awhile, so I insist on you checking it out!
