Today was a good day!
StreetPassing
So, if you follow the blog you know I got "StreetPassin'" (see also: driving around town with the windows down and my 3DS on in hopes of landing some Street Pass Tags to pick up Wandering Heroes and Puzzle Pieces.
And if you follow the blog regularly, you will not be surprised when I tell you it was another day of nothingness. I remain eternally optimistic that someday I'll land my first "local" Street Pass Tag.
3DS Update
Profressor Layton and the Last Specter
I wrapped this game up and have to say it was great. I really enjoyed it. My only issue now is I can't find a decently priced copy of the first PL game, "The Curious Village." I may just pick up "Unwound Future" and "Diabolical Box" while I can get then new for retail. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME!!
Goodbye AquaBlue 3DS
Thanks to a NintendoFanGirl retweet, I caught news that the AquaBlue 3DS was being phased out, effective immediately. I guess the new colors will supercede it, or they just think the Cobalt Blue will out sell etc. All I know is I really like my AquaBlue and do not regret picking it up...I actually like it better than the other DS, DSi, and 3DS colors I've seen. So, long story short, if you want an AquaBlue 3DS get it while yo u can!
Mario Tenns Open and Midnight Purple 3DS
Both come out this weekend (Sunday, May 20th, 2012). I think it will be a great game and plan to pick it up later in the week...I've never been a huge fan of Sunday releases in all honesty...I prefer less trafficked dates, lol.
Actual System Updates
First off, the system update from a few weeks ago is still out there as is the mandatory update (if you play online multiplayer) to eliminate the Maka WuHu glitch etc on Mario Kart 7. I have not done either of them...but I suppose I will shortly. I noticed you have to do the system update to access the 3DS Store the other night.
Skylandin'
Why not, right? That's what I thought too...
So tonight was a little different. I was a little behind schedule and had originally considered trying Best Buy for Wham-Shell...I ultimately decided against it (I really don't like that store and remain un-phased about not having their exclusive "Volcanic Vault" in case you were unaware).
I ran in Target and was surprised to see some stock had moved and new stuff was in its place:
In a weird move, I just went ahead and skipped Toys'R'Us, GameStop, and Walmart (which will never have a "new" Skylander until they fire the scalper). My logic was they likely wouldn't have anything and I wanted to get home and pick back up on the mass upgrade videos (more on that later).
Well, as you may know I often hit up a regional store that carries Skylanders...I went by and the crowd was abysmal--Naturally that means I had to go in...Needless to say, I am glad I did:
Holy Smorgousborg of Wave 3, 4 and 5 Captain!
You can't see the left side of the rack well, but Zook, Lightning Rod, and Ignitor Single Packs were present from Wave 4, there were 2 Camo and Warnado Single Packs for Wave 5, even the Camo, Ignitor, Warnado Triple Pack was present! You could also find several Cynder, Drill Sergeant, and Double Troubles in addition to Hex, Wrecking Ball, Chop Chop, Stump Smash, Drobot, boomer, and Eruptor. This was the best stock I had seen at this store in quite some time.
I wasn't surprised to not see Wham-Shell on the rack, or to not find him behind the "new" stuff where you're usual assortment of Boomer and Drobot reside. However, my keen 7 year old mindset always looks down, "Wrecking Ball, Wham-Shell, and Stealth Elf...great. Wait...What? Wham-Shell? Really?!"
Oh yeah...there he was...I don't even think he was on the bottom shelf as much as he had taken a spill (we'll call it a jump to keep things more heroic) from the tabs above. I was shocked. I never expected to find a Wham-Shell in my area, especially not this soon and before the Amazon order ships. I'm still kind of shocked in all honesty.
So that is it...the great Skylander hunt is over (although I'll still probably look just because it has kind of become habitual after 8 freakin' months).
Wham-Shell is the 32nd of the 32 base Skylanders. With him I can complete all the in-game Accolades, wrap up recordings, finish upgrades, and all sorts of other stuff I won't go into.
It is sad when it takes you from October to May to complete a collection, but hey...I bet you were (or will be) excited when you land that final Skylander too.
Here he is, just waiting to be unboxed and wreak havoc on Kaos:
YouTube Updates: Recordings and Uploads
So, this is now an area of great activity.
Mass Upgrades
The "Mass Upgrades" I have promised for quite some time (I had to get the Heroics done first) are now underway!
The Mass Upgrades will be two-part segments and divided by Element. Thus, Part 1 you willl see the 4 Basic "X" Element Skylanders go from wherever they are at, down an Upgrade Path, and pick up their Soul Gem. Part 2 will feature those fully upgraded Skylanders showing off their new moves in some gameplay segments.
Last night I recorded the first two rounds of "Mass Upgrades." I began with Magic and Tech. Basically I go thru, take each character (base only, no Legendaries or Variants), continue upgrading them, pick their upgrade path, and purchase the Soul Gem.
I had planned to record random gameplay of the upgraded Skylanders tonight, but with Wham-Shell in the mix I will get that taken care of ASAP!
You can expect to see the Mass Upgrade Vids start trickling out very soon.
Wham-Shell
I think I am more excited about what Wham-Shell will allow me to do than I am about actually seeing how he plays. With Wham-Shell now in my possession, I can record and upload his unboxing (going on as we speak), record his Introduction with basic abilities and Heroic Challenge, and then wrap up Warnado's Heroic Challenge Quest.
I will also be able to pin down the stats on his Heroic Challenge and thus complete the Skylanders: Heroic Challenge List blog post from last week.
Warnado's Heroic Challenge Quest
Just in case you skim topics as opposed to read the whole post, I'll say it again. With Wham-Shell, I can now go in and record the final four Heroic Challenges for Warnado! The last video (Part 105) will feature HC #25, 30, 31, and 32. I held out recording those three to add in with Wham-Shell's to make for a nice video.
As you should know by now, Part 104 is recorded, but the commentary doesn't sync well thanks to gameplay. If I get time I'll re-record it, otherwise I'll upload what I've got.
But now, shortly after you see Wham-Shell's Intro Video you should see Parts 104 and Part 105 completing Warnado's Heroic Challenge Quest...which will allow me to upgrade him!!
Polls
You can still vote for "Your Favorite Skylander" and I encourage you to do so if you have not...I want a big sampling to give the best representation possible.
There is also the poll for what you want to see in the Mario Kart Wii Playthrough...check it out if you haven't.
I should be posting a few new polls over the next couple of days, so stay tuned for that!
Currently Playing
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Wii): I am now recording the "mass upgrades" mentioned above and will also record Wham-Shell's Intro, and wrap up Warnado's Heroic Challenge Quest.
Mario Kart 7 (3DS): I just picked it back up to work on getting all the Kart parts...maybe even the golden ones.
Gold's Gym Cardio Workout: I am partway through Advanced and will definitely be recording this one on down the road.
Wii Fit Plus: Still play pretty much daily to some extent...enjoying Island Laps as of late.
Currently Listening
Home Audio: Taylor Swift, Matchbox Twenty
Auto Audio: Gary Allan, specifically "Smoke Rings in the Dark" and "Songs About Rain"
Conclusion
And that is a wrap! I'm pretty stoked to go record Wham-Shell's Intro Video...I think I can get it knocked out really quick and then have it AND the unboxing edited and uploaded tonight. If it isn't too late I may then record Warnado going thru the final Heroic Challenges.
I guess you'll be seeing a few new videos in the not too distant future...Thanks for reading and enjoy!
