Hey! :) Well I suppose it's obvious at this point, but I don't blog much anymore. I'm sorry! :cry: But I wouldn't say I had totally left Gamespot these past months. I've left the occasional forum post, tuned in for E3 discussion, etc etc. In fact, I'm in the middle of my latest little spark of activity, mainly hanging around Off topic. So this is just a little check in, in case any of you would care to say hey.

Later!
J-man

Hey everyone! I've written a review for Skyward Sword. Please read and enjoy!

http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword/user-reviews/784051/platform/wii

Months and months ago, I got The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on virtual console and I just now beat it today. I don't know exactly why I stopped playing it. I had just got to Ganon's Tower. But when I picked it up again and beat it yesterday I remembered how much fun it was, though extremely difficult in a lot of places. Overall it is a fantastic game. i may be writing some kind of review for it so stay tuned for that I guess.

Think of any three digit number without a zero on the end (i.e. Don't use 260). I'll use 123. Now reverse it. 321.

Next, subtract the smaller number from the larger

321
-123

198

Take your answer and reverse it, than add.

198
+891

Whichever number you started with.... did you get

1089?

Yes, this is another Mario Kart Wii blog. What are YOU gonna do about it?? Read it? That's great! :D

(In no particular order)

Blue Shell:
OK, really, we all know what's wrong with this item. First of all, the only time you get the item is if you are around 6-8 place or so. If you're trying to catch up and take the lead, HOW does a Blue Shell help you exactly? A useless item to receive. Then, when you are in first, the game throws tons of them at you over and over again. I got hit with three of them in a 50 cc race and ended up getting second. In 50 cc. I mean what the heck.

Blooper:
Useless. Totally useless (almost). Also an item you get when you least want to get such an item, and especially on online racing, it does nothing for you. You can still see. The only time it ever works is occasionally someone might hit a banana or something. But that's it. It was even more useless in MKDS and somehow they still thought they should keep it in this game. Lame.

Fake Item Box:
It infuriates me to no end that these things don't block shells. They are such a nuisance to get when you are in first because as soon as you get one a red shell is probably going to come and hit you. In some instances they can be useful (if you're good at dropping stuff in peoples' paths) but most of the time you're not going to behappy to get one.

Lightning Cloud:
Stupid, awful, lame, dumb. Yay a speed boost! But guess what? You'll probably get it when there is no other races in the vicinity so good luck passing it off. As if one lightning power-up wasn't enough. Come on Ninty.

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In other news, my birthday is/was today. I turned 17.

My ten worst list got some good responses. Thanks guys! So here's my ten best list, which I am predicting will not be as agreeable with some of you as a lot are unique when it comes to favorites. So here goes.

10. Moonview Highway
It's unique firstly because it is one of the few that actually take place at night. If you remember Toad's Turnpike, Moonview takes it to the next level I think. And it ends up being a lot of fun.

9. Coconut Mall
I think most of us can agree that speeding through a mall is quite a bit of fun. Coconut Mall is very well designed and races always become pretty interesting and hectic.

8. Rainbow Road
The well-liked staple of every Mario Kart, this course gets a makeover with every installment. I think this one is the best one out of all of the games, but after racing it a thousand times it doesn't hold up considering the fact that it's in every game. Still an awesome course though.

7. N64 DK's Jungle Parkway
It wasn't my favorite back in the day, but somehow it's a lot better in Mario Kart Wii. The big launch over the river is always good fun and the twists and turns through the jungle are cool.

6. GBA Bowser Castle 3
Somehow this course is kind of amazing. I don't like it in GBA Mario Kart simply because I can't drift worth crap, but with my vehicle of choice (the Dolphin Dasher) speedily drifting around those turns is extremely satisfying.

5. DS Delfino Square
Many of the tracks in MK DS were a fresh new experience, and this one was well designed. It's great in Mario Kart Wii too, subtly shifting from the city square into alleyways and to the riverside. A lot of fun.

4. GCN DK Mountain
I have always loved this course. Speeding down the rocky hilly mountain is always a good time.

3. Bowser's Castle
The best Bowser's Castle we have seen thus far. The sharp turns and the big jumps are fun highlights of this very cool course.

2. Koopa Cape
Honestly, I think I like this course almost solely for the fact that you go underwater, because it's kind of an amazing feeling being under there. The rest of the course is stellar as well.

1. Maple Treeway
The very first time I experienced this course I was blown away. Racing through the tree tops on a beautiful autumn day never seems to get old. It's never bland and it's always changing. I think it is by far the best course, not for any extremely specific reasons but because for some reason I have always, thoroughly enjoyed racing on it.

Thanks for reading y'all. I have some more ideas for MKWii blogs! If you want to see more tell me in the comments.

Peace.

Anyone out there still playing MKWii? Well I recently got back into it and was soon reminded how much I hate some of the tracks. So here's my list:

10. GBA Shy Guy Beach
Never liked the fact of the water slowing you down. Also, I always seem to get hit by those crabs and it just comes off as a nuisance. The course doesn't change at all and while it's short it still manages to become really boring and/or frustrating.

9. Luigi Circuit
It's good for a few fast-paced races, but the long wide road is an obvious giveaway that this is in fact the very first, and very simplest, course in the game.

8. Moo Moo Meadows
There are plenty of great scenic courses in the game, and this not one of them. Like Shy Guy Beach, it gets old fast.

7. Daisy Circuit
Not sure why they added an extra circuit into the mix, as the cla ssic Mario Circuit and even Luigi Circuit kind of overshadow it in the end.

6. N64 Sherbet Land
This track is definitely dated. It wasn't the strongest in its original game and it comes across as long and boring now.

5. GCN Peach Beach
One of the weakest in Double Dash, and its the same deal here. Those stupid ducks are all that's there to be interesting, and they are just annoying instead.

4. DS Yoshi Falls
It's really short, doesn't change much, and it's surrounded by other, much better courses.

3. DS Desert Hills
There's something not right about this one. Maybe it's because Dry Dry Ruins is a lot better, bu Desert Hills just doesn't end up as enjoyable as the rest.

2. Wario's Gold Mine
I really don't know exactly why. The music is good, but to be honest, my luck is always terrible on this course and I feel like it wasn't designed very well somehow. It's just not that fun most of the time.

1. Mushroom Gorge
Almost everything about it is awful. The bouncy mushrooms are pretty much a horrible thing to put in Mario Kart. They bounce you wildly in the air to where you are infinitely vulnerable to cheap blue shell and lightning shots, which undoubtedly plummet you to your death. And other than that it's not remotely challenging in any way; it just depends on your luck on the mushrooms. And I hate, HATE the fact that people online often pick this course.

I'll probably do a ten best list at some point also. Tell me what you think of my list in the comments. Thanks for reading!

I saw Part 2 yesterday and let me just say....

WOW!!!!!!!

I could not believe that they actually made a movie that I am completely satistfied with. What a way to end the series! Next week I will probably post a full review or something, possibly after I see it for a second time, but here's just a couple things.

Amazing emotion from the cast. It's truly a spectacle watching Dan, Rupert, and Emma's (Harry, Ron, Hermione) journey as actors from the first movie until now. They have improved so much and they shine here in the final installment (especially Emma because she's always been my favorite lol). Vast depths of emotional turmoil is present in this movie, and all the other cast members are entirely believable.

Best action sequences in the series. I've felt some combat in past movies to be kind of dry, but in Part 1 (cafe scene) and especially in Part 2 they stepped it up considerably. The Battle of Hogwarts is dark, violent, and as epic as it should be. And this is where Voldemort is most sinister (played by an excellent Ralph Fiennes).

And as always, excellent music. So, I'll probably add to this short little review next week, including stuff I did not like as much (but these are very few. Very, very, happy with the last Potter installment).

:D

Wii U looks pretty amazing. Nintendo has once again pushed the entire industry forward, and in a few years Microsoft and Sony might catch up. Seriously, the amount of stuff this console is showing it can do is very impressive. And quite a bit of awesome content is being showered on the 3DS. Too bad I don't have one yet. And that example of Zelda in HD: pure eye candy.

But as for the current console Zelda, Skyward Sword, it is nothing short of mind-blowing. For those thinking that the graphics and art will suck, think again. Everything in the trailer was simply beautiful. Beautiful. As I was watching the trailer, just simply that view of Skyloft in the beginning was enough to get me completely sold on this game. And Zelda's new look is pretty cute, I don't care what the haters say.:P And even though the trailer shows her being taken away, swallowed, or whatever, and Link will obviously have to save her yet again, other moments in the trailer lead me to believe that the overall story will be quite varied compared to past Zelda games.

One last thing on Zelda, my ears are still echoing with that amazing orchestra tribute for the 25th anniversary. And those were my Nintendo E3 2011 impressions. Now for the agonizing wait for December.

I know, I know, there are sooooo many to pick from. But if you absolutely HAD to pick, what would it be? I think mine is Dragon Roost Island.