Why I love... The Nintendo DS

WHY I LOVE... THE NINTENDO DS
Another new segment, a day late (sorry blogger stopped working on my phone), and it's called Why I Love, with something that I love being different each time. This time we are starting with the Nintendo DS.

1) It was my first console
This is my very first console that I owned, and because it was a handheld, I took it everywhere with me. It was also the first console I brought and I still love it to this day.

2) The games
The games on the DS are amazing. They all have a place in my heart, like Mario Kart DS and Animal Crossing. Again, I fondly remember playing these games on my DS at the age of 7 (ish).

3) GameBoy backwards compatibility
This reason is a bit weird because it doesn't fit the persona of the DS. I never had a GameBoy (until the age of 16) because I was too young when they came out. However, GameStation (a video game store in the UK that was replaced by GAME) use to sell old GameBoy games for cheap, and since the DS could play them, I use to buy them.

4) PictoChat
This was gold when I was in primary school. Everyone use to join a group chat and send each other drawings and messages containing random things. Those were the days.

So those are the reasons why I love the Nintendo DS.

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

What's in My Collection?... Harry Potter Games (2001-2019)

WHAT'S IN MY COLLECTION?... HARRY POTTER GAMES (2001-2019)
This week's blog post is a NEW segment called, What's in My Collection? Every week (or so), I will pick a series or console to cover a group of titles. This week we are starting with... Harry Potter! In my collection, I have a whopping 18 Harry Potter video games!



The first game released in this series was the Philosopher's Stone. It was released for the PC and PlayStation in 2001, followed by the PlayStation 2 in 2003. This game followed the player playing Harry as he ventured through Hogwarts following the events of the first game/book.

Geekette's Thoughts: Personally, I loved playing the PS2 version of the game, as the PS1 version creeped me out as a kid, although the Devil's Snare level was rather difficult.

This was followed by by Chamber of Secrets. It was released on the GameBoy, PS1, PS2, and PC in 2002. This game allows you to play as Harry during the events of the second film/book, with a Basilisk on the loose.

Geekette's Thoughts: I loved playing the Chamber of Secrets, as it was one of the first games I ever brought. Again, I did struggle with one level in particular and that was the Aragog boss level. I could never complete it, so I did end up leaving it for more than 10 years before attempting it again and beating the level.

The next game in my collection that was released was Quidditch World Cup. This game was released in 2003 and was a bit different from the others, as you are either playing as a Hogwarts Quidditch player or an international Quidditch player in various matches.

Geekette's Thoughts: I have yet to play this game, being honest. Mainly because I haven't got a working PS2 at the moment (due to sort that out). I do struggle with the Quidditch Levels on the other games, so this will be a challenge.

Moving on, we have my copy of Prisoner of Azkaban. This game was released on the PS2 in 2004, and it added a new feature. You could play as Harry, Ron or Hermione! Each of these characters each had their own unique spells to use.

Geekette's Thoughts: This is another one of my childhood games that I thoroughly enjoyed playing. It even had another feature that was super cool, an eye toy play feature!

Next, I have the Goblet of Fire on PS2 and GBA, which was released in 2005. It was different to all of the other games due to the fact that it didn't have the Hogwarts exploration unlike the other games.

Geekette's Thoughts: Again, this is another one of my early childhood games that I loved playing, although I have never completed the game itself. I will one day though.

Joining my other games, I have one of my personal favourite games in my collection and that is... Order of the Phoenix, released in 2007 for the Xbox 360! This is one of my favourites because it has a huge open world Hogwarts Castle that you can explore, which makes the game even more enjoyable.

Geekette's Thoughts: This is my favourite game in the series, as I said above, it has a huge exploration aspect to the game. I use to own the game on DS many years ago and I fondly remember playing this game at my Grandparents house.

Breaking the chain, the next game in my collection is Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4, which I owned on the Wii and Xbox 360. This game was awesome because I remember always playing the Lego games growing up. This game lets you play as any Harry Potter character from the first 4 films in Lego form.

Geekette's Thoughts: This game was another one of my favourites, as it combines two things I love together, Harry Potter and Lego. The game was enjoyable for all ages and keeps everyone entertained.

The last game in the main series I own is Deathly Hallows Part 2. This game is mainly a battle game, as you are mainly going around Hogwarts shooting Death Eaters. It was released in 2011 for the Xbox 360.

Geekette's Thoughts: I personally do not find this game as one of my favourites. This is because it is a bit too much like Call of Duty. Other than that, it did have a good plot to it and it does keep people playing again, and it was one of the first games I managed to complete.

Next, we have Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7. This game was released in 2011, and just like it's predecessor, Lego Harry Potter allowed you to play as any character from the fifth to the eight film.

Geekette's Thoughts: Again, I do love this game and I did manage to complete this on my Xbox 360. My favourite character was probably Umbridge, being perfectly honest.

Second to last is... Harry Potter for Kinect. This was an Xbox 360 exclusive game for the Xbox Kinect (similar to the PlayStation's EyeToy). In this game, you can either create your own character or play as Harry and play through the eight films utilizing the Kinect.

Geekette's Thoughts: This game was a fun game to play, but hard work. This is because it involved a lot of moving around and patience. I have been stuck on the 2nd Task of the 4th film challenge for a long time now.

Lastly, I do have the Lego Harry Potter Collection on the Xbox One. This game is amazing. It is basically a remastered version of the two Lego Harry Potter games that were released on the Xbox 360. This game was released in 2018.

Geekette's Thoughts: This game is amazing! I was waiting forever for Microsoft to announce the Lego Harry Potter games to be released for backwards compatibility, but they instead came out with this. This is my current game that I am playing and I love it to bits.

That wraps it up for today's blog post. I hope that you like this new segment and let me know what you think. Join us next time for our regular post about all things games.

So until next time,

Peace Out - Geekette

Retro Game of the Week - 26/03/2019

RETRO GAME OF THE WEEK - 26/03/2019
SCOOBY DOO MYSTERY MAYHEM!
This week's retro game of the week goes to a personal childhood favourite of mine, Scooby Doo Mystery Mayhem.

This game was released in the years of 2003/2004 for the Gameboy Advanced, PS2, GameCube, and Xbox. The aim of this game was to control Shaggy and Scooby through different levels, as they try to return ghosts, zombies, and other monsters to the Tome of Doom. Along the way they would put on various disguises to hide themselves, until they find the page they need.

Been a little kid and playing this game, some of the controls were extremely hard. For example, if you were trying to capture a ghost or other monster, you would have to press the buttons on the controller in a particular order. This was frustrating when I was younger, as I struggled immensely to complete this. My favourite part, however, was the ghost disguises Shaggy and Scooby wore in the first level, as for some reason, I found this the most entertaining.

That sums up this short, but sweet segment for my blog. Stay tuned for more exciting posts coming your way!

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Game Soundtrack of the Week - 21/03/2019

GAME SOUNDTRACK OF THE WEEK - 21/03/2019

This week's game soundtrack is the one and only Crash Bandicoot on the PS1.

https://youtu.be/PDs3yi_TRuY

This soundtrack is one of my personal favourites as it is so catchy and it contains some of the best sound effects. Give this soundtrack a listen if you get a chance.

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette

Hogwarts Mystery -Year 1 Chapter 2

HOGWARTS MYSTERY - YEAR 1 CHAPTER 2
Here's Chapter 2 of Year 1's walkthrough. Enjoy!:

https://youtu.be/AMgMRexRBRA

Peace Out - Geekette

Hogwarts Mystery: Year 1 Chapter 1 - Gameplay

HOGWARTS MYSTERY: YEAR 1 CHAPTER 1 - GAMEPLAY
I know I've already done a blogpost on Hogwarts Mystery with the first three chapters completed as a walkthrough, but this is the first of them that's on YouTube, so check it out and while you're there like and subscribe!:
https://youtu.be/hwzm_ZoWKAU

Peace Out - Geekette

Geekette's Top 5... Nintendo DS Games

GEEKETTE'S TOP 5... NINTENDO DS GAMES
Hey again and I'm trying something new this week, which is a top 5 list. This list will vary depending on what it is based on and this week, it is a top 5 of my personal favourite Nintendo DS games, so let's jump into it.

5) Mario Party DS

What better way to start of a top 5 then including a Mario game. Growing up, I had a DS and this is one of the games I remember playing, as I was a Mario fan. We also had Mario Party on the Wii, so this was a perfect fit. There were different modes that you could play, including a story mode. This story mode, I remember being incredibly hard and struggling a lot.

4) Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry

This is another game that I loved playing as a kid. I did have things like Animal Crossing, but being a huge Harry Potter fan, this game was right up my alley. Enchanted Folk was like Animal Crossing, but set in a world where you went to a School of Wizardry (not Hogwarts Sadly) and learnt magical spells to use in the world. This was one of my favourite games ever made.

3) Professor Layton and the Curious Village

For everyone who plays Detective Pikachu on the 3DS, this could be one of the games that inspired it. Professor Layton was one of the very first DS games I got, so is always one of my favourites. You go around this village trying to solve the mystery behind it. You are tasked with solving a lot of puzzles, most of which I still struggle with today.

2) Mario Kart DS

Similar lists I have seen have put Mario Kart at the top spot, and you may be thinking along the lines of Geekette how could you?! But Mario Kart has won second place this time. This was another one of my first games on my DS that I owned, so it does hold a place in my heart and brings back some good memories (being sat in our class at the end of term with our DSs racing each other). Mario Kart is your generic race game with everyone's favourite characters going on various circuits set in the Mario world. My personal favourite was Bowser in his orange cart.

1) Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

My top spot is awarded to... Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 (10 points to Hufflepuff)! Being a huge Harry Potter fan and Lego fan, this game was my dream come true. I love the Lego games, but this one gives me a happiness feeling when I play it and I feel like I'm 10 again. Lego Harry Potter is based on the first four years of Harry attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but in Lego form. This game is filled with lots of small and cute cutscenes to make anyone smile.

There we have it, my personal top 5 Nintendo DS games. What are your guys favourite games? Any similar or some that I may have missed? Let me know!

So until next time,
Peace Out - Geekette