Posts by Amber Ahlborn

Well, another year has ended, and another winding-down Nintendo console has passed the baton to its successor. The Wii U, Nintendo's new generation console, is now the focus for fans—and something for me to anticipate as I save up to buy my own. As I go forth into 2013, I find myself taking a look back on my way forward, and reflecting on my own past experiences with the Wii.

Time sure flies when you're working overtime. It's nearly November 18th already. How did that happen? The launch of the Wii U is just a day away, and by early Sunday morning (or late Saturday night), Nintendo's next console will have landed on store shelves—and for everyone lucky enough to have snagged one—living rooms across the continent. But not mine. For the first time in three generations of Nintendo consoles (and unlike Cory and Brandon), I won't be picking up a Wii U at launch.

Technology and the ways it flows through our culture are constantly changing and, for the most part, we who live embedded in that change don't notice it much. But there are always particular things that impact us on a personal level. Things that make us "miss the good old days" or wonder if we might actually be aging. One of those things for me has been the decline of the rental store.

Kid Icarus Uprising is a game I was looking forward to. While it was in development, I read every scrap of info dribbled to the press. I watched the silly promo cartoons downloadable on the 3DS. It is a game that I pre-ordered and awaited the delivery of with impatience. It is a game, I'm frustrated to admit, that I tried and failed to play. You see, I just so happen to be left-handed.

Monster Hunter Tri turned me into an instant fan of the series, a series I hadn't even heard of prior to its Wii iteration. Since its release, I've played quite a bit of Monster Hunter. It's one of three games I play online (the other two being Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7), and I still hop on like clockwork every Friday to shoot the breeze with friends and battle a few mega beasties.

As if the Rule 34 crowd needed ammo, Nintendo saw fit to sully the dignity of Samus Aran by afflicting her with the cat suit Zero Suit in Metroid: Zero Mission. Then our own Brandon has to go and show off his very own just-released fetish idol from Other M. To try and counter the wretched atrocity that is the Zero Suit, I offer up my own Samus figurine for viewing.

The JRPG, formerly known more broadly as the console RPG, is a genre suffering from stagnation—or so I've been told. It's a statement often bandied about, but how true is it, really? I recently started what promises to be a bit of an RPG binge with Xenoblade Chronicles, and now find myself deep into a replay of Breath of Fire III. When it comes to game mechanics, these two RPGs could not play more differently.

I am no fan of horror or thrillers. It was years before I could sit through Jaws and I've never watched more than an isolated chunk of any of the Alien movies. And yet, I do love the adrenaline rush brought on by the imminent peril I feel in certain video games, knowing that something unstoppable is on my tail. My favorite part of Metroid Fusion was the SA-X, its relentless search for Samus, and how much tension would build up when it entered the room I was desperately hiding in.

It sure does look different around here, doesn't it? The new and improved N-Sider comes with 100% more comments, and what better way to celebrate this feature than with a fun little round of trivia? Think you know your Nintendo esoterica? Step on in and see how you fare in my tricky ten-question quiz. I present to you this ten-question challenge. Post your results in the comments section. Some questions may have more than one right answer.