Let's Play! The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Part II

Welcome back everyone to Part II of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons!

Oh look. It's Spring-time here!

Ooh! Link buy me something! Oh, we're being given a jewelry box. Neat, I guess.

You're obviously not a very good abortionist. You missed one. Oh wait, arborist. My bad.

That lady is killing Link! Well, we can't have that. Let's go get a sword. Come on Link.

A sight like this has to be weird from town or vice versa. How does the snow stay cold when one screen over it's summer time? My brain just melted.

Alright Link. Be a man and go get your sword! Er, no, I'm not going to be a combat dummy.

Hero's Cave. That's not a cliche title at all, is it? Moar like First Sword Test lololol.

It's a little known fact that Link's real arch-enemy is not Ganon, but a movable block.

Here's another one! This time with a dangerous pit! Watch out Link! Does their evil know no bounds?!

It's like they don't even care.

Hey Link, I'm wondering something: What the hell is that thing that's been following you around since you went to town? Oh my god, it's a ghost isn't it!? Don't panic, don't panic.

The arrow ghost is still following us! What have we done to deserve your wrath, mighty spirit?

There's the chest containing your new sword, Link...I'm going to try to ignore the evil arrow that's hovering next to us.

You've got that right, disembodied voice from the heavens! This arrow is terrifying!

Well, that's it for Part II of Let's Play: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons.

Stay tuned for next time!

Let's Play! The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Part I

Ah Capcom, my favorite game company. What do you have in store for us?

What's this? Oh god, it's Silent Hill with horses!

Oh it's just you Link. You scared the hell out of me. Where are you going?

Yeah, it's me Link. Surprise, I guess. I'm following you around today. No, I don't care that you have a restraining order.

You don't have to look so angry, Link. I promise I won't try and get us killed this time.

How are we gonna get down there? Don't tell me you're going to make poor Epona jump.

I'm pretty sure PETA is gonna be pissed. Anyway, where are we?

Holy crap, it's the Tri-Force! Are we gonna make a wish, Link? I could go for some key-lime pie right now.

Is this supposed to happen, Link?

The room's all wavy and now we're falling. Way to break it, hero.

So...much...pain. Why are we outside?

Great Scott! A title screen!

Oh, I suppose this is one of those Chosen One things. I thought I'd just follow you around and take pictures of you being disturbed like always today.

Who's this? Hey there pretty lady.

She left. I'm guessing you freaked her out. Let's find her.

Woah, it's a party and that chick is dancing!

Oh, I guess it was me. Bah, you're a woman anyway.

Really? You could have gotten us a damn bed or something. Whatever.

Nice dance moves Link! This is going on my Myspace.

Uh, why is it dark all of a sudden? Holy crap lightning.

A talking tornado? Yes, sir!

It took her. I guess this it's house.

Oh crap. Someone should call the police. What do you think he's gonna do!?

So his name's Onox, huh? Cool. I like the armor. The girl's name is Din. How do I know? Magic.

Oh, a crystal Onox? You can be more original than that.

This can't be good. I smell a disaster!

Oh, I guess that's the temple. Bye temple!

Funny, you made that laugh earlier too. I have a feeling we'll be hearing it a lot.

Link, you fall asleep a lot. It's not wise to go to sleep in the cold. Wait, why is it cold and why is there snow? I guess it has to do with that Temple thing. Neat.

He's probably got hypothermia or something from sleeping in the damn snow!

Well, whatever. I guess we have to save Din. Let's go, Link...on the next part of the LP! Stay tuned for part two where we'll figure out the story or something.

The Baldur's Gate Series

Now that I've gone through the basic plots of each of the games, I'd like to explain why I love them so much.

The first Baldur's Gate started with a humble enough beginning, and quickly became a sort of detective case. You had to figure out what was going on in the land and who was trying to kill you.

The second Baldur's Gate had more of a personal stake. You had to find Imoen, and eventually your very soul.

Throne of Bhaal felt more epic because it involved mass bloodshed and the killing of those who wished to be gods on a normal basis.

The thing the games have always been praised most for, is the cast of colorful party members you can bring along. Each of them have their own distinct personalities and skills and can bring different skills to the table. I couldn't really pick a favorite because I love so many of them, but I will bring special mentions to my favorites.


This is Minsc and Boo (The Hamster). They're probably the most famous of all of the party members in the game and it's not hard to see why. He's voiced by Jim Cummings, who you may recognize as the current voice of Winnie the Pooh. Jim Cummings also voices several other prominent characters in the series, but Minsc is by far the most popular. He's a Ranger from Rasheman a land of mighty warriors. Boo is his companion and lifelong friend. He provides Minsc with wisdom and comfort amidst the fierceness of battle. Minsc believes that Boo is a Miniature Giant Space Hamster though most think he's just a normal hamster. He's a bit crazy and is prone to going berserk during battle to defeat evil wherever it may go. He'll follow a good-alligned PC to the ends of Abeir-Toril. "Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the EYES!"


This is Edwin Odesseiron. He is a Red Wizard from Thay, and a jerk. He's the most powerful wizard in the game aside from the PC if it's a mage. As an evil character, he doesn't get along well with Minsc, but he makes up for it by providing some of the funniest dialogue in the series. He tends to flaunt his power and his ego is gigantic. At one point in Baldur's Gate II, you can follow a sidequest that temporarily turns him into a woman. She's as bitter and loud-mouthed then as she is as a male. If I don't play a mage, I always bring him with me. "Well certainly! There is so much to keep a great magus such as myself busy here! Look! A rock! How fascinating! "


This is Jan Jansen (Yawn-Yawn-Son). He's a Gnome Illusionist Thief. He likes to invent gadgets, but even more, he loves turnips. In fact, I'd say the only thing he likes more than turnips is telling long, probably untruthful, drawn-out stories about anything and everything, no matter if it pertains to the situation at hand or not. As a thief, he can become rather damn good. As a mage, he's alright, but nothing to write home about. He has a rather sad past, but he tends to not let it drag him down. He has a couple of hilarious banters with Minsc and a couple with Edwin as well. In fact, I'd say he's the best character to have a long if you want someone who will banter with everyone at least once. "Oh, yes indeed. It reminds me of my Cousin, Tyllie Fleetknees, and the garden she had at the foot of a dryad tree in the Forest of Wyrms. I tell you, she went up expecting well-aerated soil and did she get a surprise? Oh yes indeed! Why, I remember it like it was burned into my memory with a flaming stick, which was very close to the truth actually... "


Of course, I can't go without mentioning Jon Irenicus. He's my absolute favorite character in the series and one of my favorite villains of all time. He's voiced by David Warner, a man who is famous for playing villains (Sark from Tron, Nergal from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Ra's al Ghul in Batman the Animated Series). He's a supremely powerful mage who almost became a god. He's a vile, evil man, but wasn't always that way. He longs dearly for the ability to feel, but the only feelings who has are of rage and hatred. A very awesome villain, for an awesome game. "I cannot be caged! I cannot be controlled! Understand this as you die, ever pathetic, ever fools! "

The characters aren't the only things that make these games great. One must mention the sheer number of sidequests available to choose from. They rank in different levels of grandness, such as fetching a scroll for someone up to fighting an evil dragon who has stolen a man's land and kidnapped his child. They make the game very easy to play over and over again.

The game play of course is extremely important and it doesn't skimp out on it. They are in a top-down perspective and battles require varying amounts of tactics depending on the foe. You may reload several times before being able to figure out the right tactic to use against an enemy. Mindflayers in particular are difficult in this fashion unless you know what you're doing. Fighting dragons is one of the most heart-pounding things I have done in a game. You have several different types of weapons or spells to choose from and you must find what works best for the particular monster or person. Magic itself could take an entire entry to explain.

The music in the games is very mood-fitting depending on the location or situation. It can range from a jolly pub tune to an epic dragon fight song. I use the music in Morrowind it's so good.

I should also mention that the mod community is still going on strong and produces several mods of great quality. They've managed to fix some of the persisting bugs in the games as well, and have a made a mod to utilize Baldur's Gate with Baldur's Gate II's updates such as classes, spells, and races.

There are many other reasons to love these games and I've only scratched the surface. I'm done talking about them for now, but you'll probably hear more about them in the future. n_~ Stay tuned for the next entry!

Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal

The final installment of the Bhaalspawn Saga, is Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, expansion to Shadows of Amn. It added a few new spells, increased the level cap, and quite a few new areas, not to mention wrapped the story up. There are new monsters, new weapons and armor, and Watcher's Keep, the gigantic tower full of goodies and danger. Let's dig in, shall we?

Beware, for I will be spoiling most of the story in the next few paragraphs.

We begin where we left off. After spending a few days with the Elves, they kick you out. You hear many stories about the death and destruction brought on by the Bhaalspawn. You end up in a grove with a bunch of odd, stone statues that say some sort of prophesy or some other nonsense. You meet up with Illasera, who claims she's also a Bhaalspawn. Guess what? She's also a pushover. How she became important, is beyond me. You end up in what looks like Hell, but it turns out, that it's just a pocket-plane made by Bhaal.

You meet a Solar, which is a servant of Ao, the head-honcho of the gods (Feel free to correct me if I got that wrong). It brings an old friend...Sarevok! The loser wants you to revive him. When you do so, he tells you that you need to face some challenge. When you make it over to the challenge place, you fight a bunch of weak NPCs and eventually some rather mediocre NPCs. Once that's done, (or maybe it's before that) Sarevok asks you to let him in your party. It's up to choice whether you do so or not, but he's really damn powerful, so it's a good idea.

You eventually make it to Saradush, scenic capital of the Tethyr reg...what the hell happened here? It turns out, it's under siege by an army of massive proportions (almost literally). You meet a woman named Melissan, who apparently knows your name. Weird. Any who, she tells you not to, under any circumstance kill the Half-Orc Gromnir who runs the place. What does that mean, kiddies? That's right! You put his head on a pike and dance around his corpse. Melissan isn't very happy with you, but she says it might have been for the good. By the way, he was a Bhaalspawn too. Of course he was.

Apparently, no one can leave the town because of the siege that still rages. Fortunately for you, you have a Pocket Plane! You bail from Saradush and head to the North Forest to find the secret of Yaga-Shura, the Fire-Giant Bhaalspawn who is attacking Saradush. You eventually find yourself in the Forest of Mir. Here you meet up with Gorion. Wait, what? Yeah, of course, it's an impostor who uses Gorion's form to mess with your head. What a dick. Anyway, after you kill him, you meet Yaga-Shura's mom, who is a witch. She tells you that she wants her son dead, and that you need to go get his heart from the Marching Mountains. Such a loving mother.

You head to the Marching Mountains, kill a bunch of fire-themed enemies, meet a bunch of creatures who also claim to be Bhaalspawn (a chinchilla? Really?), and get the heart, along with the witch's heart. After you give them to her, she suddenly has a change of heart! (Horrible, I know) You kick her ass and destroy both. After that, Yaga-Shura is a wimp. You kick his ass and find Melissan, who tells you about the Five. They are Illasera (how the hell?), Yaga-Shura, Sendai, Abazigal, and Balthazar.

Next, you're told to go visit Balthazar, a badass monk who lives in Amkethran, a desert outpost. Once you meet him, he tells you he doesn't like you, but he doesn't like the others even more and that for the greater good, you should kill them. I love this guy. He gives you directions to their front doors and tells you to finish up your business and leave. What a badass.

You now have the choice of going to kill Sendai or Abazigal. Either way, you kick their asses. After that, you go back to find Balthazar and get some help from an old "friend" to see him. Once inside, Balthazar tells you that he plans to kill the other Bhaalspawn, then kill himself. You can attempt to bargain with him with varying levels of success, but no matter what, you'll have to kill him. After this, you go back to the Pocket Plane (actually you do this after every death of one of the Five, but I haven't mentioned it).

Once here, you're met with a stunning (not really) revelation: Melissan is a traitorous whore! She's actually a priestess of Bhaal that wants to have the power for herself! In an epic showdown, you kill her. The Solar shows back up to offer you two options: Become the new Lord of Murder, or Become a mortal. You get a different ending for either, and all of your party members will have their own epilogues. I especially like Edwin's. Anyway, that's the end of Throne of Bhaal! I'll be doing one more entry where I'll discuss my favorite things about the game. There may also be an LP in the future, but there are definitely a few I want to do before it. Stay tuned!