About the Weekend... 2-13-15/2-15-15

Last weekend was Valentine's Day, so, for some of you, it meant spending time with a loved one, though, for people like me, we see the holiday for what it truly is: an absolute shitshow. You have to get JUST the right overpriced card, JUST the right overpriced thing of chocolate, JUST the right overpriced piece of jewelry, and JUST the right overpriced bouquet of flowers, and THEN you have to plan the evening JUST right with the right dinner location, the right mood, the right attire, the right words to say, and your reward for maneuvering this labyrinth successfully? She won't hate your guts and tell all her friends how much of an asshole you are for getting 6 roses when it should have been 12, or going to dinner at 7:00 instead of 6:30, and her entire life is ruined! (I'm fine, why do you ask?)

Though not having to deal with all of that did help me spend some time with some video games and have a relatively relaxing weekend, so let's talk about the weekend that was, in the world of video gaming.

- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was released at midnight on Friday (2/13), I haven't spent too much time with this yet - thanks to another release - but I can tell you many people on my friends list are putting a LOT of time into this. Majora's Mask 3D will also mark my first experience with the game, since I didn't play it when it came on to the N64. I played Ocarina of Time on N64 and didn't play another true Zelda game until Twilight Princess. Of course I have gone back and played most of what I missed out on, and I am looking forward to experiencing Majora's Mask for the first time.

- That OTHER game that came out, that one that ate up what time I had to spend this weekend? Yeah, it was Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for 3DS. I had yet to dive into the Monster Hunter series prior to 4 Ultimate - I do own Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for 3DS and Wii U but never had the time to attack the learning curve - that learning curve does exist here, but it seems easier to at least get a handle on it. I'm sure I will devote a post (and some time on the upcoming podcast) on Monster Hunter, but I will say I can not wait to get back in and spending more time with this. Consider me hooked.

- Also, I did end up buying and importing a Circle Pad Pro to make this game even better. I had to import one since the American Circle Pads work for the smaller 3DS and I have an XL, so in the next couple of days I will have a bigger Circle Pad Pro.

- I figured I would take a dive back into World of Warcraft and continue the adventures of my Pandaren (Horde) Warrior. While doing more quests in the Outlands I was able to reach level 70. Once I did that, I ended up doing solo runs of low level dungeons so I can see what they look like (since I prefer soloing to grouping up), plus I get achievements and loot to sell on the Auction House. I think my next plan of attack will be to start questing in Northrend and see some Wrath of the Lich King content.

- Also got a few rounds in of Mario Golf: World Tour - my 3DS got WORKED this weekend - and I still enjoy the hell out of that game. Just saying.

Games Coming Out This Week You Should Give A Shit About (catchy, no?)

-  Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3) 2/17/15

Just happy to get another fighting game for my Xbox, plus I happen to like the series, and not just for the boob physics.

- The Sims 4 (Mac) 2/17/15

You should know my feelings on this game by not (and if not, you can read about it HERE) and now those of you who are Apple supporters can finally get your god hands on it.

- Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (Wii U) 2/20/15

Kirby's games are always enjoyable to play, and will usually be adorable to the point of throwing up (Epic Yarn was just so AAAAAWWWWWWWW). I can't wait!

- The Order: 1886 (PS4) 2/20/15

Still looks awesome and still one of my most anticipated games of the year (Don't worry Mortal Kombat X, you are still at the top of the list).

- Hand of Fate (rumored) (Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, PC)??? 2/17/15

I say "rumored" because I saw this info in my recent Game Informer magazine and went "hmpf, first I've heard of this". I bought this game in Early Access a while ago and it seemed like a cool mash-up of RPG and deck building.

Last Words

I did officially sign up for Extra Life 2015! This will be my 3rd year taking part in this amazing program, so let the campaigning begin.

What is Extra Life? The short version: People sign up and devote an entire 24 hour period to playing games, video games, table-top games, card games, whatever, and donations are made and given to our respective charities. Extra Life works in partnership with Children's Miracle Network.

Where do I come in? This year's scheduled day is Saturday, November 7th. So I will be playing video games online, via my Hitbox.tv account, from 8 AM on the 7th to 8 AM on the 8th, with all donations going to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

Donations can be accepted throughout the year, whether it's one donation or a recurring donation, any denomination is accepted, appreciated, and tax deductible.

How can you help me?

- Click HERE 
- Click "Support Me"
- Fill out the info
- Feel like a hero.

Keep checking the blog for more info as the date gets closer.
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That's pretty much the weekend that was, and the week that will be. Podcast #2 should be up either Tuesday night or Wednesday night, and the plan is to do more live streaming/adding content to YouTube. As always, keep checking the blog for more random thoughts from my digital mind and thank you for your continued support.