#oracle of ages was its puzzles and oracle of seasons was its action

[gamersonthego]

Matt Giguere's Top 25 Game Boy & Game Boy Color Games

Ed. note: Thanks to “Giggysan” for joining on GOTG’s GB & GBC Top 25 episode. The following list are his personal top games for the system, which include none of the restrictions we used in our shared list.

25. Boxxle

24. Shadowgate Classic

23. Balloon Kid

22. DuckTales

21. Super Mario Land

20. Shantae

19. Kwirk

18. Metroid II: Return of Samus

17. Final Fantasy Legend II

16. Kirby's Dream Land

15. Warlocked

14. Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land

13. Wario Land 3

12. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

11. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

10. The Final Fantasy Legend 

While it may be a very basic RPG (you can make whatever party you want at the beginning) this game is no pushover. There are neat, but often obtuse battle mechanics that may put off those not willing to bend to the whims of the RNG gods, but I still find that as part of this game’s charm. For an early turn-based RPG on the Game Boy, the first Final Fantasy Legend is worth a look for what it accomplished in its time.

9. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

While a bit of a wonky platformer, Super Mario Land 2 manages to make for a very memorable and engaging time. The larger sprites make it easier to follow the action on screen, and while Mario might feel a bit floatier than usual, it still manages to be a solid game from beginning to end.

8. Final Fantasy Adventure

While not as good or transformative as Link’s Awakening, FF Adventure gets points for trying to bring the Zelda formula to the portable screen when few were tapping into that well. Just like Awakening, there is a full adventure to be had with this one, and a surprisingly engaging story.

7. Gargoyle’s Quest

A special little early Game Boy game from Capcom that is surprisingly deep for its time. Mixing both platforming and a character who levels up, this might feel like home to fans of the Adventures of Link on the NES, but here Gargoyle feels a bit more competent with its blend of genres.

6. Mario Golf

THE sports game to grab for the Game Boy Color. Somehow, Camelot made the best feeling and most fulfilling golf game on this small portable, and it remains as one of the best sports games made today.

5. Kirby’s Dream Land 2

While the first Kirby game on Game Boy started the series, it was Kirby on the NES that gave him his personality. Dream Land 2 expands upon the NES game with animal companions that add a dual layer of mixing and matching abilities. It offers a feature-rich Kirby game right in your pocket with all the charm of the originals.

4. Donkey Kong '94

A surprise to be sure, but a welcomed one! Donkey Kong '94 is one of the most pleasant surprises on the Game Boy that, on its face, would have been a very decent port of the original arcade game from 1981. Instead, Nintendo flipped the script on the archaic moveset of Jumpman to make him feel more like modern Mario. There is also an astounding amount of content to be played here with just over 100 levels to test your puzzle-solving and platforming skills.

3. Pokemon Red/Blue

The games that started it all and spawned a billion-dollar franchise. While my love of the mainline Pocket Monsters franchise began and ended with this release, I still think back to the countless hours spent during recess with my friends grinding, trading and, most especially, battling each other to see who was the very best. Much like Link’s Awakening, Pokemon Red and Blue exemplifies how very little in terms of hardware power can produce a whole lot to play.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Link’s Awakening is a good example of how to get a lot out of something with so little by making a full-fledged adventure on a handheld with all the trappings of the home console versions. Few games can make the same claim that Link’s Awakening manages to pull off. Even though this game has been picked apart critically for years, it still remains fresh and a delight to play.

Tetris

You probably saw this coming like a desperately needed line tetromino on a five row setup. Yes, Tetris is one of the best games ever made. Yes, it is one of the greatest pack-in titles. Yes, it is one of the perfect examples of handheld and on-the-go gaming. Kids played it. Their parents and siblings played it. Everyone, for a time, played Tetris on a Game Boy. Tetris and the Game Boy are linked to the hip, and for that it deserves the number 1 spot.

[soybean-official]

We should have a day where nobody talks about BOTW just so I have time to lower my blood pressure

[neokad]

The Legend of Zelda - Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons!

Hi peeps! I recently managed to finish both parts of the most unique set of Zelda games, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons! Since those games don't get a lot of attention, I just wanted to do a (long) writeup on what I thought about those two!So let me get this out of the way first: To my disappoint but not to my surprise, the game still uses the same inventory system as the original Link's Awakening - and a very similar engine as well - which sadly means that the frustration of having to CONSTANTLY switch items in the menu is still very much present. So if you couldn't get into the original LA for that reason, I can tell you right now that this game will not be a good time for you no matter what ;-; Now...

As far as the story goes, I'd say it's pretty typical - and even similar between both games. At the beginning of each story, the game's respective oracle, Nayru or Din, get captured by either Veran or Onox, and it's up to Link to collect eight various artifacts that will break a magical barrier keeping him from the omnious castle of the big bad guy of the day! Just like many games of the era, there is little to no story progression (though I think there's slightly more development in Ages compared to Seasons) but on the flipside, there's nothing here that struck me as dumb or bad, just... not very detailed.And while that's definitively fine for the era, let me say this: I feel like Link's Awakening had something much more interesting going on. I won't spoil it for those who haven't played it or its remake, but I feel like the Oracle games are much lamer and less inspiring in that regard, and combining that with how not much changes in the plot unlike in LA, I couldn't help but be disappointed by this.

And honestly, I'll hold the same opinion for the soundtrack as well. Again, it's not bad! But first off it reuses a couple of tracks from LA, including the overworld theme which... didn't really sit well with me. But although the dungeon and village pieces set a nice tone for the game, I think LA did that better thanks to having more memorable tracks overall ^^

However, fear not! Those games have some very nice improvements regardless! Like I said earlier, the engine is very similar to the one used in LA, but the game looks much more colourful and bright than its ancestor, and I did find the menus to be a bit faster and more responsive as well. Plus, the screens can actually scroll now! Hurray!But what about the game itself? Well, one common point brought up by players of those games is how Ages is centered on puzzle solving, while Seasons has a more combat-oriented approach. Let me tell you right now that this is NOT true at all. I'd almost argue Seasons has more puzzly action, but that might be stretching it a bit :P Either way, I think both games are very similar in structure, story, and dungeon/overworld design, But thankfully, most of it is pretty fun! The dungeons are especially good, with some very clever and creative puzzles. I would even argue they are the best in the entire series overall gameplay-wise, though not very memorable as setpieces. I will say, I had to look up a walkthrough many times, and although I felt dumb for not realizing what to do on my own many times - and the games are also pretty good at giving you a general direction of where to go - I do feel like the solutions to certain challenges can be pretty cryptic and offputting.

As far as overworlds go, once again while they're fine, I didn't find neither Labrynna or Holodrum very memorable. The major difference between those two - besides the layout and name - is how you travel in those places! What I mean is, in Ages/Labrynna you'll be able to time travel just like in A Link to the Past, and solves problems that way! While in Seasons/Holodrum, you'll be able to change the seasons on the overworld in order to change how the environment is laid out around you! This does make traveling in those overworlds very prone to backtracking/back and forth, but it felt pretty satisfying to figure out how to go through on your own!Like I said earlier, the gameplay is overall very similar to LA, but I'll say that it overall feels better as well. The engine has recieved a nice upgrade, but this is mostly thanks to what I think is the biggest strength of the Oracle duo: THE ITEMSTHEY ARE SO MUCH FUN!

They give you some very creative and unique spins to items you're very familiar with in the Zelda series, such as a Magnet instead of a Hookshot, and they build up on some already very fun puzzles! I'll also add that many cool items from LA come back as well, such as the feather! There's also a few new mechanics unique to this game, such as Gasha seeds (basically planting seeds over the world to gain treasures later) and rings (which can grant you unique effects when you wear them). I do like the ring system overall since it makes Link more customizable, but I wish that more than a few rings were actually useful ;-;Lastly, let's talk about what makes those games stand out even more from the rest: Secrets! Basically by completing one of the two games, you can gain a secret password that you can enter in the other, which grants you a few benefits, such as one more heart at the start, plus skipping a part of the intro sequence. Furthermore! You can talk to certain special NPCs, which will grant you shorter passwords that you can then give to another NPC in the opposite game, who will then give you an otherwise unavailable upgrade for both games! This not only makes the games feel special by being physically connected, it also boosts their replay value since you can totally play those games in the reverse order next time you dabble with the oracles!

But overall? I definitively think well of those games, but I find them pretty hard to rate. On their own, they're fun to play but nothing special otherwise. I did find Ages slightly better than Seasons thanks to a better narrative and dungeons, but they're both about as good as each other really :P But together? The Oracle games are a very unique experience that, while I still think they aren't as special as LA for their setting alone, are still memorable thanks to the games being linked!

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

Zelda gimmicks through the ages

While the general “Explore, get items, kill boss, explore more” and the “Save the princess” formulas don’t change too much from game to game, what does change betwen Zelda games is the gimmick of the game itself, resulting in each game having a distinct feel to it. The gimmick can take different forms. Sometimes its a gameplay gimmick, other times its the hardware the game appears on. The following is a list of the different gimmicks the Zelda franchise has used over the years.

The legend of Zelda (1986, NES)

Original game. No gimmicks

The Adventure of Link (1987, NES)

Top-down perspective overworld, side scrolling dungeons and towns

A Link to the past (1991, SNES)

Light and Dark versions of Hyrule to explore. Essentially 2 overworlds 

Link’s Awakening (1993, GB)

It was the first Zelda game on a handheld system

Ocarina of time (1998, N64)

First Zelda game of the 3D era

Time travel.

Music as a tool

Majora’s Mask (2000, N64)

A “Living world” with characters that have set schedules and move around the world accordingly

3 In-game day time limit

Masks grant Link a number of different abilities, including transforming into one of three different races familiar to the franchise for different gameplay options, such as the light-enough-to-hop-on-water Deku Scrub, or the Strong-enough-to-shatter-boulders Goron

Oracle of Seasons (2001, GBC)

Control the four seasons to traverse the world and solve puzzles

Part of a pair of games

Action focused gameplay

Links with Oracle of Ages for a secret “true” ending

Oracle of Ages (2001, GBC)

Travel through time between two distinct eras, the present and the distant past.

Part of a pair of games

Puzzle focused gameplay

Links with Oracle of Seasons for a secret “true” ending

Four Swords (2002, GBA)

A multiplayer game requiring a minimum of 2 people to play

Gameplay is both competitive and cooperative

The Wind Waker (2002, GC)

Control the wind to sail across the sea to different islands

Four Swords Adventures (2004, GC)

Pretty much the same deal as Four Swords, but can be played solo

The Minish Cap (2004, GBA)

Explore the world from two perspectives; Normal sized and tiny.

Twilight Princess (2006, GC/Wii)

Transform into a wolf to traverse areas of the world, solve puzzles, and defeat certain enemies

Phantom Hourglass (2007, DS)

Fully controlled via Nintendo DS touch screen

Plot course on the ocean by drawing a line for your boat to follow

Spirit Tracks (2009, DS)

Overworld is on rails. Literally.

Zelda, as a ghost, joins you on the adventure and can possess certain enemies, at which point you control them to help traverse dungeons or solve puzzles.

Ocarina of Time 3D (2011, 3DS)

Ocarina of time with overhauled graphics and stereoscopic 3D visuals, along with various quality of life changes, as well as an unlockable Master Quest mode featuring remixed dungeons and a mirrored world.

Skyward Sword (2011, Wii)

Full motion controls

The Wind Waker HD (2013, Wii U)

HD remastering of The Wind Waker with various quality of life changes

A Link between worlds (2013, 3DS)

Utilize the ability to become a painting on the wall to traverse the world and solve puzzles

Complete the game’s various dungeons in any order you please

Reuses, but re-contextualizes the dual overworlds of A Link to the past

Majora’s Mask 3D (2015, 3DS)

A graphical overhaul of Majora’s Mask with stereoscopic 3D visuals, various quality of life changes, updated boss battles, and new side content.

Triforce Heroes (2015, 3DS)

A(nother) multiplayer focused game that can be played solo or with friends.

Utilize different costumes to gain different abilities

Twilight Princess HD (2016, Wii U)

An HD remastering of Twilight Princess featuring new side content

Breath of the Wild (2017, Wii U/Switch)

Freedom

Massive, seamless overworld

Weapons break

climb anything and everything

Link’s Awakening remake (2019, Switch)

Links Awakening remade from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch

Features some new content

[awesomebrazilianprincess]

It's Neymar's Time to Complete His Rise to Royalty

If Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi has anything in common with Crash Davis—if there’s any sort of cultural crossover between the archetypes of global sports glitz and minor league baseball grime—it’ll show itself when the tape recorder starts rolling. That’s when the icons in their posh private jets heed the wisdom Davis imparted on a bumpy bus, whether they’ve seen Bull Durham or not. “You’re gonna have to learn your clichés,” Crash says in the 1988 classic. “They’re your friends.”

The galácticos have little choice but to follow this advice. Combine the fanaticism surrounding global soccer with the minimal access afforded the media covering it, and you have an environment where every crumb becomes content, where innuendo is louder than insight, where the tiniest spark can become a bombshell. In short: The less said the better; be safe, not sorry. So it’s significant, then, that in the middle of what should be the most relaxing summer of his adult life, Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. is willing to let you in, share his concerns and maybe even make a headline. He can’t hide from who he is, nor from the momentous, legacy-defining season to come.

The quiet but charismatic 25-year-old Brazilian forward has never won a World Cup. He has never been named FIFA’s player of the year. And if he remains at FC Barcelona (which was up in the air as of Monday; if he’s not in Paris a week from now, it will be a surprise), he will have to wait a bit longer until he’s even considered his own team’s centerpiece. But he’s universally deemed soccer’s best player after Ronaldo and Messi, and he’s beloved in a way that neither of them ever will be. And a big reason for that is his indifference to the Book of Crash.

Neymar can’t fake it. He’s not packaged, and he’s not a ­product—and as a result, he sells lots of them: Nike, Gillette, Panasonic, Beats by Dre. In 2013 he was named the most marketable athlete in the world by SportsPro and Eurosport. In January he was ranked the most valuable player on the Euro­pean transfer market by Switzerland’s CIES Football Observatory. And in April he was the only footballer on TIME’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. (“I’ve always been struck by his humility,” David Beckham wrote for TIME. “He’s respectful and wants to learn...He lives to play the game, and I imagine he approaches it now the same way he did as a boy.”)

Neymar says he can’t explain his inclusion on that list—and then he tries to do just that: “Maybe because I’m an athlete or maybe because I do a lot of things on social media. But I don’t know. I don’t like to talk about myself. I try to be a good role model for my son, my family, my friends, and then I try to be a good role model for the rest of the people, too. ... I try to be myself without being anything different. I’m only one Neymar—for my family, for the public. I’m always the same person.”

When Neymar acknowledges that, yes, the next 12 months, climaxing with the World Cup in Russia, will probably be “the toughest season of my life,” he believes it. The world will read those words and discuss and dissect them, and then they’ll become even more true. The spotlight is about to get even brighter, and Neymar, who’s been soccer’s next big thing for nearly a decade, will have to confront his destiny.

This was Neymar’s first summer without a national-team commitment since 2010, when his exclusion from Brazil’s ill-fated World Cup squad caused an uproar at home. Brazil has already qualified for Russia, so he’s had the chance to indulge. He hit Oracle Arena for Game 2 of the NBA Finals, sitting courtside with Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and posing afterward with Odell Beckham Jr. and Kevin Durant. Neymar wasn’t at all concerned about whether the Warriors’ megastar was a fan; this was no ego trip. “I don’t know if he’s seen me play,” Neymar told SI, “but I had the pleasure to meet him.”

In another photo the 5' 9" Brazilian stood on a chair and playfully lorded over 6' 7" Draymond Green. Neymar enjoys being around famous and accomplished people—he reunited with Green in Ibiza last month—not because of how it reflects on him but because he’s a fan, genuinely in awe of what they can do.

In the last year he performed a short, silly scene in which he juggles a napkin holder in Vin Diesel’s most recent Xander Cage movie—a role only for the athlete who doesn’t take himself too seriously—and kicked a ball across Hollywood Boulevard on Jimmy Kimmel Live! He’s joined musicians onstage, singing and dancing at concerts back home.

Neymar has a piano at his house in Spain—it was there when he moved in, he says, and he has been teaching himself to play with YouTube ­videos—but at an L.A. photo shoot for this story it takes some convincing to get the man watched by tens of millions every weekend to tap out even a simple a tune on a rented grand. He sits, gets up and wanders a bit before settling back in. Songs are suggested. How about Barcelona’s club anthem, “El Cant del Barça”? A Nike marketing rep asks that the studio’s ambient music be turned up, not down, so Neymar might feel a bit less scrutinized. He’s not an action figure to be played with. He’s human; he gets nervous. He says he felt it when he met Michael Jordan in Las Vegas and when he lined up to take what would be the winning penalty kick in the Olympic gold medal game last summer in Rio. Before the confidence bubbled up at the penalty spot, he admits, he endured the “worst sensation—all of the responsibility is on you.”

The Olympics play a distant second fiddle to the World Cup, but that U-23 tournament stubbornly remained the one international competition Brazil hadn’t won. And with the 2016 Games being contested on home soil two years after World Cup humiliation (also at home), Brazil named Neymar one of its three over-age players. He delivered, scoring four goals in six matches and converting that gilded penalty against Germany. Neymar was in tears almost immediately. For him, delivering the final piece of Brazil’s trophy puzzle was an immense achievement. For the public that adores him, however, it’s still not enough.

“It was like the Yankees finishing with the best record in the regular season: O.K., that’s kind of cool, but they measure everything around here by World Cup championships,” says Brian Winter, a Texan who co-wrote Pelé’s 2014 autobiography and who now runs Americas Quarterly, a political, business and cultural journal covering Latin America. As Reuters’ chief correspondent in Brazil for five years, he knows well how the nation’s sports, economics and politics intersect; he was living in São Paulo when Germany dismantled the hosts 7–1 in the ’14 Cup semifinals. That game in Belo Horizonte, he says, marked “the start of a long descent into hell for Brazil,” which has been reeling from financial and political crises since.

Neymar’s penalty and Olympic gold offered only temporary respite. “It was cool for, like, a day,” says Winter. “It created the sensation that hosting the Games hadn’t been a total waste. But once the lights went off, it was so clear that all of the promises linked to the ­Olympics—improved policing, infrastructure—had fallen short.” Brazilians, he says, are “desperately hoping for a reason to be happy in 2018. And so often—maybe too often—Brazilian soccer and politics mix.”

So the nation turns to Neymar. Four years after the misery of the so-called Mineirazodrubbing by ­Germany, which Neymar missed with a fractured vertebra suffered in a quarterfinal Thunderdome match against Colombia, Brazil has a viable shot at redemption in Russia. The 7–1 stain will never go away, but this World Cup will feature Neymar in his prime, shouldering the hopes of a country desperate for a reversal in fortune. This is the season in which it all could turn around. The season in which Neymar might finally fulfill his promise.

"Everybody wants that Neymar be the protagonist in the World Cup,” says Ricardo Kaká, the Orlando City midfielder who was part of Brazil’s 2002 title-winning team (and who, incredibly, is the last man other than Ronaldo or Messi to be crowned world player of the year—10 years ago). “This is unfair sometimes, but it’s also because of who he is as a player, for his potential, how he can decide a game, how he’s a protagonist in Barcelona. There is going to be pressure on him.”

Kaká is certainly familiar with scrutiny, but as good as he was, he never became the long-term, tactical focal point of the Seleção. Nevertheless, Neymar looks up to the former Brazil number 10, who’s 10 years his elder. Neymar admires Kaká’s piety, and Kaká appreciates Neymar’s willingness to listen and learn. They’re both part of a text-message group reserved for Brazilian national team veterans, making it one of the most exclusive clubs in the world: Kaká, Roberto Carlos, Denílson, Elano...–Neymar joined recently, and he employed the group’s advice during the Olympics.

Kaká explains: “The first games, Brazil didn’t play so good, everyone was criticizing Brazil—and he was the most important player. He tried speaking with the press, and then I said to him, ‘Now as a player we have a very good opportunity to answer without saying; we have the field to [show that] we care and that the situation is important to us.’ In the end he won the Olympics, and that was the best answer he could give.”

The members of the group, Kaká says, believe Neymar is “very smart to understand that these guys can give him something different, something that could help.”

Brazil needs Neymar because, increasingly, Brazil is Neymar. Though rocked by recessions and political scandals, the nation has seen massive gains made by the nascent middle class over the past couple of decades. For years, socioeconomic classes “often resembled castes,” Winter says. There were five—A through E—and it’s the C that’s been on the rise.

C is roughly where you would have found a young Neymar. The son of a journeyman pro player, he wasn’t impoverished growing up on the southern fringe of the São Paulo megalopolis, but his family didn’t have much either, and making ends meet was a chore. Now Neymar takes in some $37 million per year (more of it from endorsement deals than from Barcelona), according to Forbes. He’s living the modern Brazilian dream.

“Neymar has the deepest connection with the people of Brazil of any soccer player of this generation, particularly with the rising middle class,” Winter says. “The way he talks, his street-wise charm—he appeals to that segment. He’s the best pitchman in a generation.”

That appeal also dovetails with the millennial generation. Neymar is a master of social media. His image isn’t meticulously crafted or self-celebratory like Ronaldo’s; it’s not homey or reticent like Messi’s. That video of Neymar playing soccer in a backyard with Justin Bieber is more effective than anything a consultant might stage. It’s organic and honest, a window into Neymar’s effortless cool.

He’s fashionable. And he’s got a wonderfully wry sense of humor. “Social media tends to ferret out the phonies,” Winter says. “People love watching for their idols to show a glimpse of insincere behavior—but you really don’t see it from him.”

There’s a 2011 video of a 19-year-old Neymar in the locker room at his old Brazilian club, Santos, in which he dances and sings and thrusts along to Michel Teló’s cover of “Ai Se Eu Te Pego.” The more sighs and eye rolls Neymar gets from teammates in the video, the more committed he becomes.

He’s comfortable, unvarnished and fearless in the moment—the sort of person anyone with spunk or spirit would like to be around. The clip has more than 25 million views, and Neymar has 78 million followers on Instagram, making his account the 14th-most popular in the world, a hair above Messi’s.

Ronaldo has more, but Google “CR7 dancing” and among the first few hits are clips of the Portuguese star gyrating in a pink bathing suit in front of a crowd in Ibiza and another of him cavorting on a private plane. Search “Messi dancing” and you’ll find videos of the Argentine and his wife. There’s no better illustration of the differences among the three men.

Kaká certainly sees it. “Neymar just tries to be himself,” he says. “What’s in your character [takes] you where you want to go. Messi is a little bit shy, so he wants to be more out of the light. Cristiano wants to be not just a soccer player, but also a celebrity. There’s not a rightway, it’s just a choice. Neymar is the nice guy who wants to be everywhere, but he’s humble and simple. When he takes a picture with Kevin Durant, it’s: ‘This is the man, not me.’”

The soccer-loving world may worship now at the feet of Messi and Ronaldo, but that’s humanity’s appreciation for the divine and incomprehensible. Messi plays as if there are fireworks attached to his boots—the ball moves so quickly from one side of his foot to the other that it seems to occupy two places simultaneously. He’s all controlled chaos, staccato soccer. He is a savant, essentially, who doesn’t seem to be truly comfortable anywhere but on a field, and he’s been the driving force behind a three-time European champion that’s arguably the greatest side the sport has ever seen.

If Messi is from Mars, then Ronaldo hails from Mount Olympus. He’s like one of us but better, perfected. He plays like the physical specimen he is: with strength, power and panache. He’s more attractive than the statues of him. If Neymar markets to the C class, Ronaldo aims his CR7 brand, with its underwear and fragrances, at those in the A+. The guy has not only an airport but a galaxy named after him.

Yet for all their supernatural prowess, neither Messi nor Ronaldo is as adored in his homeland as Neymar is in Brazil. Argentines and Portuguese may look up to their respective icons, but Neymar prefers to look you in the eye.

Asked if he’s a little bit Ronaldo and a little bit Messi, Neymar says, “I think I’m like that. Sometimes I’m a little flamboyant, an extrovert. Sometimes I’m quiet.”

Whether he’s their peer is less important to the soccer world than whether he’s their successor. The Messi-Ronaldo duopoly has combined to win six FIFA Club World Cups, eight Champions League titles and a boatload of other honors. But Messi is 30, Ronaldo 32. Next summer’s World Cup will be the last for each man in his prime. At some point, it must be Neymar’s turn.

The Brazilian says that FIFA’s player of the year award is “very important” (Crash Davis wouldn’t like that answer), but he shrugs when asked if and when he’ll break through. “Everything happens in the right time,” he says. “The main focus is to keep playing well, keep winning games, and when the time is right, I’ll get mine.” (I’ll get mine—that wouldn’t pass the Crash test either.)

Back in June, when Ronaldo celebrated Real Madrid’s second consecutive Champions League crown with fans at the Plaza de Cibeles, he made his case for a second straight world player of the year award with a micro­phone and a chant. The thought of it—of using a team event to tout his case for an individual honor—makes Neymar squirm. “No, I wouldn’t do that,” he says.

He attracts attention in other ways. His play, like his demeanor, borrows a bit from both Messi and Ronaldo. But whereas Messi slices and Ronaldo surges, Neymar glides. He’s smoother and more efficient than either, outstanding with both feet and blessed with the creativity and vision of his great Brazilian predecessors. But his game, like his personality, is more accessible. Train long enough and hard enough, and maybe you, too, could play like Neymar. He’s human, mortal, and he speaks with a voice the next generation understands.

This is where Paris Saint-Germain enters the picture. The powerhouse French club was always going to feature in Neymar’s story, thanks to an astonishing Champions League round-of-16 series that will live forever in the lore of both PSG and FCB. Last season was a tough one by Barcelona’s standards, and its puzzling lack of ruthlessness was exposed in a 4–0 first-leg Valentine’s Day massacre at the Parc des Princes. Neymar says he was embarrassed by the performance, and he corroborates the story that he promised friends he’d net two goals in the March 8 decider at the Camp Nou—which he ultimately did, in the 88th and 91st minutes, before setting up Sergi Roberto’s clincher in a 6–1 thriller.

On a team as loaded as Barça, there aren’t many moments when a player can and must take command. But with his European season on the line Neymar was unstoppable, and for many it seemed like a turning point on his climb to soccer’s summit. In TIME, Beckham wrote that it would “be remembered as the moment he stepped up to take on the mantle of best player in the world. Neymar is ready to make his move.

But as July came to a close, it appeared more and more likely that move might take him away from Messi and back to Paris, where PSG was looking for a way to finance the payment of his record $261 million release clause. Yes, Neymar would have to wait for Barcelona to become his team—but if and when it did, then his team would be Barcelona. If he leaves for PSG, he will join a lesser league and a club that has the cash but not the chemistry to make a deep Champions League run. In NBA terms he’d be moving from the Warriors to the Clippers. And instead of Durant, whose desire to win trumped his need to be the man—as Neymar’s did when he left Santos for Barcelona in 2013—the Brazilian would be channeling Kyrie Irving, itching to get out from under LeBron James’s shadow.

Asked which of his two favorite NBA players he identifies with more—James, who was raised in the spotlight, or Steph Curry, who came up quietly at Davidson, mirroring Neymar’s lower-profile beginnings—­Neymar chooses LeBron. Let us not forget, then, James’s ultimate decision to break from the Big Three after winning superteam trophies in Miami. In order to be soccer’s biggest name, perhaps Neymar has to shine further away from Messi, Luis Suárez and Barcelona’s band of superstars.

If he ultimately stays in Spain, Neymar must launch his assault on Messi and Ronaldo while improving on his own 13-goal La Liga campaign and helping steer Barça back to the top under new coach Ernesto Valverde. Last season’s results and the upcoming World Cup apply pressure from both sides. But Messi and Suárez relieve it, at least on the club side. Neymar doesn’t have to be the best player every time he steps onto the Camp Nou field. He’ll have to be more impactful, but he can do so while remaining true to himself. He’ll have some leeway.

If he goes to PSG, he’ll be paid like a king and expected to inspire a desperate club that hasn’t advanced beyond the Champions League quarterfinals since 1995. He’ll have the headlines and the billboards to himself. When those are shared, knocking a ball around with Bieber endears you to fans. When they’re yours alone, a Bieber moment may raise questions of focus, maturity or leadership. There will be no outlets at PSG, no excuses. Either way, he’ll also have to prepare mentally and physically for the rigors of a must-win World Cup.

But it’s all manageable. It always has been—so believes the man with LIFE IS A JOKE tattooed across his left biceps. He was Brazil’s Olympic talisman, and he was thriving at the 2014 World Cup before getting hurt. “We only have one life, so we have to figure out a way to be happy,” Neymar says. “Don’t take it so seriously. That’s pretty much it. Enjoy your life.”

Neymar’s relationship with his homeland remains strong. Not even the court cases concerning his controversial 2013 transfer to Barcelona have dented his reputation. In July, he was cleared of tax evasion in Brazil; a Spanish investigation is ongoing. (“Tax evasion,” Winter points out, “is next to soccer as the national sport in Brazil.”) Neymar’s countrymen, meanwhile, remain grateful for the gold medal and for his staying with Santos as long as he did. His Q rating is unscathed.

The only thing that could hurt him at home is, of course, failure to win in Russia. After he was forced to watch the semifinal rout by Germany while recuperating, Neymar told his fellow Brazilians, “We are going to do all we can so that I can fulfill my dream. My dream is to be the champion of the world.”

Three years later he’s asking for help. “I want to win a World Cup,” he says, “but it’s not only me, you know? There are other factors. There are teammates. There are a lot of things going on.” He’s certainly right, if the Mineirazo was any indication. But then he concludes, “I think you can be a legend without winning a World Cup.”

Maybe, but not in Brazil. Sócrates and Zico, for example, were great players and remain well respected. Many pundits think their 1982 squad, which lost to eventual champion Italy in the second round, was better than the ’94 side, which won it all. But on a team with five stars on its jersey, the bar is so much higher. “If Neymar doesn’t win at least one World Cup, as much as people love him today, he will be forgotten,” says Winter. “Brazil isn’t short of epic personalities who’ve won World Cups.”

Neymar tries to make light of the pressure. “It’s very normal,” he says. “The thing is, if you win a World Cup, they’ll tell you that if you want to be the best, you have to win anotherWorld Cup! When you’re one of the top players, this is going to happen all the time.”

Perhaps it has all felt routine until now. But the next 12 months, whether he’s in Barcelona or Paris, will be anything but ordinary. A new chapter is beginning, and while the end is uncertain, it’s sure to be blessedly free of clichés.

[geekysweetie]

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- Preorder Now Available

Source: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- (The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition): Akira Himekawa: 9781421589633: Amazon.com: Books

Zelda Legendary Edition Zelda Manga

I just came across a press release in my inbox sent to me by someone at Viz Media with details about the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Four Swords – Legendary Edition which compiles all 10 volumes of Akira Himekawa’s manga based on the Legend of Zelda video games. Each Legendary Edition Contains 2 volumes of the manga. This is the 5th, and final Legendary Edition.

Amazon currently has the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords – Legendary Edition available for Preorder at the link below. It will begin arriving on door steps on July 11th.

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Zelda-Legendary-Vol-Swords/dp/142158963X

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- (The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition): Akira Himekawa: 9781421589633: Amazon.com: Books

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- (The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition) [Akira Himekawa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Link must defeat evil at every turn in his perilous quest to help Princess Zelda!

The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition contains two volumes of the beloved The Legend of Zelda manga series

www.amazon.com

Additional LEGENDARY EDITIONS that are currently available from VIZ Media include:

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME –LEGENDARY EDITION–

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ORACLE OF SEASONS / ORACLE OF AGES –LEGENDARY EDITION–

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK / A LINK TO THE PAST –LEGENDARY EDITION

and THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE MINISH CAP / PHANTOM HOURGLASS – LEGENDARY EDITION.

Ah! There’s a Link to the Past Legendary Edition. I really want that, because Link to the Past is still my favorite Zelda game :).

Full Press Release Below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES LATEST THE LEGEND OF ZELDA MANGA RELEASE WITH THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: FOUR SWORDS –LEGENDARY EDITION–

Fifth Deluxe Edition Of The Manga Series Based On The Classic Nintendo Video Game Property Debuts This Summer

 San Francisco, CA, June 28, 2017 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, invites manga readers and adventure fans to enjoy creator Akira Himekawa’s classic THE LEGEND OF ZELDA story in a whole new way with the release of THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: FOUR SWORDS –LEGENDARY EDITION– on July 11th.

The LEGENDARY EDITIONS adapt Akira Himekawa’s 10-volume manga series based on the classic Nintendo® role playing, puzzle-solving, action video game into a line of deluxe omnibus 2-in-1 editions that each feature new cover art and color illustrations. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: FOUR SWORDS –LEGENDARY EDITION– is the fifth release in the LEGENDARY EDITION series. FOUR SWORDS is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry a print MSRP of $17.99 U.S. / $24.99 CAN.

In FOUR SWORDS, Link finds himself broken into four different versions of himself – Green, Red, Blue and Violet Link – and pitted against a fifth, the malevolent Shadow Link who has kidnapped Princess Zelda. The Links must find the Four Sword, the only thing that can combine them so that they are strong enough to stop Shadow Link and save the princess – and the world!

“The latest volume of our LEGENDARY EDITIONS tells the classic FOUR SWORDS story arc,” says Joel Enos, Senior Editor. “Whether it’s the first or fifth volume of the LEGENDARY EDITION that you pick up, all fans will enjoy Link’s enduring and timeless adventures in these deluxe editions filled with bonuses and extras!”

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA manga series was created by Akira Himekawa, which is the pen name of two women known simply as A. Honda and S. Nagano. The pair createdTHE LEGEND OF ZELDA manga series which was inspired by several games and story arcs in the Zelda video game series. They have created a variety of manga adventures, which are published by VIZ Media, featuring Link and the popular video game world of THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, including OCARINA OF TIME, ORACLE OF SEASONS, FOUR SWORDS and more.

Additional LEGENDARY EDITIONS that are currently available from VIZ Media include THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME –LEGENDARY EDITION–, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ORACLE OF SEASONS / ORACLE OF AGES –LEGENDARY EDITION–, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK / A LINK TO THE PAST –LEGENDARY EDITION– and THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: THE MINISH CAP / PHANTOM HOURGLASS – LEGENDARY EDITION.

Readers also are invited to enjoy VIZ Media’s THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS, the latest and ongoing manga series based on the beloved Nintendo® video game with story and artwork also created by Akira Himekawa.

For additional information on THE LEGEND OF ZELDA and other manga titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, please visit VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan’s largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at VIZ.com.

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The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords -Legendary Edition- Preorder Now Available was originally published on GeekySweetie.com - Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News