Gamer Tattoos: Hey, Listen!

Today's final entry features a well known, but little loved, character in gaming history: Navi from Ocarina of Time! I find the placement of Jacki's tattoo to be quite adorable, and also very nicely done! Shading techniques within the ink community really do impress me. See how it is defined, yet still has soft lines like Navi does?

Consideringthat fact that so many gamers garner a serious amount of hatred for Navi, it might seem like an unusual choice! But, that just circles back to how important and personal body modification is. An outisder may not understand a decision, perhaps they'll hate it or think it's stupid. But tattoos aren't for other people. Jacki feels differently about Navi, and even feels a connection with the character. In Ocarina of Time, Navi is a helper, a sort of guardian. Annoying she may be, but also full of good intentions!

 

Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time by Brandon Stewart at Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington.

Here's what Jacki has to say:

"Navi is my favorite tattoo I forget that I have. Maybe this is silly, but I'm honestly pleasantly caught off guard when strangers notice her behind my ear and either, A. Gush with admiration and compliments, B. Ask me to explain why there is a turtle/golf ball/angel tattooed on my neck, C. My personal favorite, when I get a knowing smirk or nod of approval. No words necessary.

I can't say I remember exactly why I chose to get her tattooed aside from the obvious Legend of Zelda fandom. I can't even remember when I got it done... I just know it was a birthday present. I'm just gonna say I woke up one day and *finally* I fit in with all of the other Kokiri. I think parts of her character also remind me a little of myself. She means well and she just wants to help. She has a tendency to air on the side of caution and can get a little annoying but ultimately she'll always be there to help guide you if she can.

While many folks hated her incessant nagging, I have no shame in saying I loved hearing her cute little voice shout, "Hey, LISTEN!" At the very least she's an adorable companion :> " - Jacki

This finishes off my mini series focused on the tattoos of gamers! I sincerely hope you've enjoyed what I've presented. If you missed any entries, be sure to go back and check them out: Blooper, Raccoon Suit Mario, Royal Crest, and Edea. If any readers out there have gaming or geek related tattoos, then we'd love to see them!

-MJ

*header image from zelda.wikia

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Gamer Tattoos: Final Fantasy Edition

Today's feature is by far the most colorful and elaborate of all the tattoos I have in store. It's a real testament to body modification truly being art, as well as the value of an experienced tattoo artist.

Final Fantasy is an incredibly long running series with fans ranging all ages, all groups, and endlessly diehard since the first game came out in 1987. My personal favorites are IV, VII, and IX. In addition to involving stories, deep battle systems, and entrancing music, the character designs are quite amazing. Concept art, booklet images, and official illustrations were used to bring characters and environments to life in ways that older technology never could. It's true, young ones, graphics couldn't always portray cloth details and facial expressions ;>

I respect Morgan on his choice to go with a portrait piece. They tend to be the trickiest for artists, and an inexperienced individual can bring disastrous, permanent results. Fortunately, he went to one of the best in town and ended up with a ridiculously gorgeous piece.

 

Edea from Final Fantasy VIII. Done by Bo McConaghie at Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington.

When I first saw Morgan's tattoo I was stunned. Honestly speechless. I never had the chance to play VIII, but I recognized the art style as something from somewhere in the Final Fantasy backlog. I didn't know him well at the time, so I sputtered briefly about what a stunning tattoo he had, then asked which game it was from. As it turns out, Final Fantasy VIII holds a special place in his heart (as one might expect from a piece this large and detailed):

"I got it in October 2012. Not a lot of people see it, but the ones that do say it's really pretty and something that they've never seen before. I had it done because she's one of my favorite characters in my favorite game. It reminds me of how playing the game made me feel, like the places my life would take me to were infinite." -Morgan

Tattoos are such personal things, that's pretty obvious, yet for many people they still can't fathom a video game holding any real value. I look forward to the day when a great game can be seen the same as a great book, movie, or music album: something to be loved, revisited, and held to a lasting standard. Morgan ended up with a piece of art on his body that is beautiful to strangers while also possessing a deeper meaning to him. Personally it makes me wish my tattoos were larger and colored!

Check back on next Friday for the last entry in my gamer tattoo mini series!

-MJ

*Header image from Final Fantasy Wikia

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Gamer Tattoos: Hyrule Edition

Working at GameStop was really a mixed bag, but we'll talk about the positives right now. Commraderie, for starters! I had many fun conversations with customers regarding my Triforce tattoo, and twice I even encountered other people who also had a Triforce! Both times the other person and I gleefully inspected the work of the other person and then exchanged stories. This has happened to my tattoo buddy as well.

I did have people ask me why a Triforce, but not for reasons of thinking video game tattoos were a bad idea. No, it was because the Triforce is a common tattoo idea, and the askers wondered why I didn't want something more "original".

Perhaps originality isn't my game, because it doesn't bother me that there are so many others out there who possess a similar tattoo. The Legend of Zelda is an incredibly popular sreies, and I am not alone in my love for it. I now personally know a third person with a Triforce tattoo (our own Zach!), although his is more elaborate than mine.

 

Hyrule Crest by Brandon Stewart at Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington.

I asked Zach to share a bit about his tattoo with us:

"I had been thinking about getting something Zelda related for a long while. I got my tattoo when I was laid off from work and received a severance package. It was very spur of the moment. I don't regret getting it, but I definitely regret how impulsive it was!

I decided to go with the Royal Crest over the Hylian Crest because I wanted to include the Triforce to represent power, wisdom, and courage. I wanted it in a place where I could see it as a reminder to those traits and how much I love the series. The comments I get are all positive; people like the look of the tattoo whether they know what it means or not. I even had an older (late fifties) woman compare her tattoo with mine, hers being a symbol from Warhammer. Pretty neat bridge to that age gap. Otherwise, there's one jackass at work who constantly makes comments about me having to save the princess because of my tattoo, but it always makes me laugh.

I have since decided to continue up my arm with more Zelda-related items, possibly branching into other nerdy things I enjoy." - Zach

The Legend of Zelda is a special series, and I find it fascinating and telling that both Zach and I considered the value of the Triforce when deciding on our tattoos. Non-gamers may laugh at the thought of video game ink, but no one can really argue against the desire to have power, wisdom, and courage always with them.

-MJ

*header image from sometimesrelevant

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Gamer Tattoos: Raccoon Mario Edition

Today's gamer tattoo belongs to my friend Rachel. She got hers in March of 2011 from Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington. My group of friends and I are fans of Brandon Stewart's work, and he happens to be a gamer himself, so he especially enjoys our requests.

 

Classic Raccoon Suit Mario with a terrified Koopa Troopa.

Here's a little bit of information on Rachel's tattoo from the lady herself:

"Growing up I played outside or I played my Nintendo. I can't remember most of my childhood friend's names, but I can remember playing Mario for hours on end until my mom told me that dinner was ready. For me, those are happy memories, and so I wanted to get this tattoo as a nod to my childhood and what I spent my time doing. Mario wasn't the only game I played, but it was certainly my favorite and I thought this particular illustration was appropriate because I loved Mario, I loved getting the raccoon tail, and of course Koopa Troopas are my favorite villain.

Half of the people I show my tattoo to are super excited about it and think it's great, and the other half don't understand and they think it's just some stupid tattoo I got of a video game character. But for me it actually has meaning.

I'm a lifelong gamer, but it's always sort of been in the closet until recently. My husband has really brought out the inner geek in me and certain friends who are typing this right now [editor's note: I transcribed this as she spoke :>] also inspired me to let out my geek and be proud of this hobby of mine." - Rachel

When she and I met she was so excited when she saw my Blooper tattoo. She told me how she wanted a Mario one but had met with less than favorable responses from a variety of people. My response was that if she wanted a Mario then she should get one, and to ignore the people who told her it was a bad idea. People will understand it or they won't, and there was no reason to forgo her loves and interests for the sake of someone who would never "get" it.

-MJ

*Header and preview images from here, here, and here!

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Gamer Tattoos: Raccoon Mario Edition

Today's gamer tattoo belongs to my friend Rachel. She got hers in March of 2011 from Silver City Tattoo in Poulsbo, Washington. My group of friends and I are fans of Brandon Stewart's work, and he happens to be a gamer himself, so he especially enjoys our requests. 

Here's a little bit of information on Rachel's tattoo from the lady herself!

"Growing up I played outside or I played my Nintendo. I can't remember most of my childhood friend's names, but I can remember playing Mario for hours on end until my mom told me that dinner was ready. For me, those are happy memories, and so I wanted to get this tattoo as a nod to my childhood and what I spent my time doing. Mario wasn't the only game I played, but it was certainly my favorite and I thought this particular illustration was appropriate because I love Mario, I loved getting the raccoon tail, and of course Koopa Troopas are my favorite villain. 

Half the people I show my tattoo to are super excited about it and think it's great, and the other half don't understand and they think it's just some stupid tattoo I got of a video game character. But for me it actually has meaning. 

I'm a lifelong gamer, but it's always sort of been in the closet until recently. My husband has really brought out the inner geek in me and certain friends who are typing this right now [editors note: I transcribed this as she spoke :)] also inspired me to let out my geek and be proud of this hobby of mine." - Rachel

When she and I met she was so excited when she saw my Blooper tattoo. She told me how she wanted a Mario one but had met with less than favorable responses from a variety of people. My response was that if she wanted a Mario then she should get one, and to ignore the people who told her it was a bad idea. People will undersand it or they won't, and there was no reason to forgo her loves and interests for the sake of someone who would never "get" it.

-MJ

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Collect ALL the Coins! New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo 3DS.

For the past two weeks news has been floating around that New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS is more of the same old Mario, but that it’s not a bad thing. A lot of people are wondering if the series needs a break, but Nintendo has announced that they’re planning one new Mario game per platform. Personally I believe that the Mario series is one that can be revisited with great frequency because Nintendo is always looking for ways to improve and innovate. There are always new things to add to classic gameplay, and I’m glad that they continue to reimagine our little Mario.

If anyone out there has played New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, or New Super Mario Bros. Wii, then New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS will feel right at home in your hands. The graphics and physics are the same, along with a familiar World layout, and there are a lot of hidden levels and stops along the way to the castle for the curious and determined. While on the World view, the bottom screen shows spots of where hidden levels exist. This is great for players such as myself, because I frequently don’t discover the secrets of levels. These spots serve as pointers to at least know which levels merit further exploration!

Tiny dots of great potential in NSMB2.

The additional levels also add a great amount of replayability, as does the ‘collect as many gold coins as possible’ angle. Some reviewers believe that the ‘coin collecting’ aspect of NSMB2 is pure gimmick. I feel that it creates a more driven gameplay system, one where I explore carefully and aim to bring each level as close to completion as possible. The lure of getting all the coins has integrated some very fun new mechanics, such as the Coin Block Head power up, and the Gold Coin suit. It’s also incredibly satisfying to hit a new tier of coins. Your first congratulations will show up at 500 coins, then again at the 1,000 mark. After that you’ll get satisfying notifications every time you gain another thousand coins.

The white leaf (super leaf) power-up in NSMB2. 

Along with new coin-centric power ups, old favorites such as the raccoon suit make plentiful appearances. Having never played Super Mario 3D Land, I had yet to experience the powerful white racoon suit. World 3-3 gave me my first introduction. NSMB2 incorporates yet another feature that has been sorely missing from newer Mario games: the reserve item! The lower touch screen now plays host to a back up item that will fall from the sky at the player’s command. It’s a sigh of relief, especially during the tricky castle fights. Those Koopalings are getting quite inventive.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS brings back the reserve item.

I ended up purchasing NSMB2 through the Nintendo eShop, and it was a hassle-free and easy experience. This is good, since Nintendo's "how to purchase and download games through the Nintendo eshop" tutorial is lacking some important information. Players can add funds to their 3DS through Nintendo point cards (available at retailers) or via credit card. Set amounts of points can be added to the 3DS ahead of time with a credit card, or the player can choose to simply pay the exact amount of the game at the time of purchase and download. There is also an option to store credit card information (with a PIN for verification purposes) to facilitate quicker purchases in the future.

As of now I haven’t had a chance to experience the multiplayer aspect. I’m not near anyone else that owns a 3DS, and even if I were they’d have to have a copy of the game as well! I wish Nintendo had offered the multiplayer through single cart play, but with all of the simultaneous gameplay going on I can see that being a bit much for download and play. I haven’t missed out on all the extra content though, because NSMB2 offers coin collecting speed runs! Once completing a world, the player has access to three random levels to get through within a set time limit, all the while collecting as many coins as possible. It’s a total hectic blast!

All of the Hidden Coins from World 1-5 in NSMB2 for the 3DS.

Overall I give New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS eight out of ten golden apples. The gameplay isn’t totally original, but it’s still very solid. I wish the multiplayer were accessible through the single cart experience, too. It’s worth picking up, especially if you have a friend to play with! Did anyone out there pick it up already? If so, did you do in-store or download? If you did download, did you experience any problems? Personally I was very pleased with how easy it was. It took maybe ten minutes! Go Nintendo!

-MJ

P.S. There is even MORE additional content than what I've mentioned here! This is how you can play as Luigi, and This is how you can unlock a very special Rainbow level!

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Identity crisis.

Tonight would have been made more prefect had I been recording the entirety of my conversation with Xandre.

We discussed the difficulties of the nerd identity and our own personal identity crises. I believe crises is the plural of crisis. There are some rather big ones.

I am exhausted and about to pass out so I'll keep this short, I just wanted to get a few words on here.

My two years at Evergreen have given me a very severe identity crisis. Who am I, who do I want to be? I only just realized this sometime over the past two weeks.

I'm a gamer, I love video games. If it comes down to it, video games are my preference and my love. I'd rather be playing them over most other options, excluding human interaction. I love my gaming t-shirts, my hoodies and my references. I love having my DSi on me and checking the Pokédex app on my iPod touch when my friends and I are discussing move sets and abilities. I love it all and I want it to be a part of my life. It IS a part of my life.

One last time, even though I am speechless with excitement and anticipation regarding Ireland/Scotland/England, I am bummed as fuck that I'll be missing PAX for the first time ever. It is important enough to me to keep bitching about missing it even though I'm going off on a fantastic opportunity.

So tonight I will go to bed dreaming of my shiny Oddish, regretting not playing WoW for the past two nights, contemplating how I can get to PAX East next year and wondering what it will be like to be an Enforcer.

Goodnight.

-MJ

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