My Top Fictional Video Game Destinations

Escapism is one of the best parts of a video game, and it is made even more satisfying when the world you are exploring in is beautiful. Video games often get a lot of criticism for their violence, but people also need to take a step back and realise just what a positive impact visiting beautiful fictional landscapes can have on people, too. 

While my list could go on forever, I have decided to compile a list of just some of my favourite fictional video game destinations that I wouldn't mind visiting. Take a look below!

Whiterun

There's a lot of places in Skyrim that would be amazing to visit, but Whiterun has some truly stunning views. Whiterun is a major city in Skyrim, a major commercial hub that has plenty of foot traffic. 

Animal Crossing 

The Animal Crossing series is always been one of my go-to's when I just want to relax, or cheer myself up. Everything in the world is pleasant, pretty, and oh-so-cute! If I was able to, I could imagine myself spending my future retirement in a place like that.

Isle Delfino

A holiday destination for Peach and Mario in Super Mario Sunshine, Isle Delfino is such a sunny, pleasant looking place that I wouldn't mind spending a holiday on, either! Featuring a theme park, a sandy beach, a peaceful bay, a bustling plaza, fishing port, volcano, and a small village, there's plenty to do here.

Koholint Island

Like a lot of places on this list, it is best to imagine that you are visiting them after the bad guys have been taken care of (or, before they have arrived to cause mischief). The fictional dream land of Koholint Island in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening would be a beautiful place to visit! Framed by a massive egg atop Mount Tamaranch, it is made up of a quaint villages, swamp and pond areas, a beautiful beach, and prairies, and caves. I cannot wait to see how this all looks in the Switch remake!

Hyrule

Serving as the setting for many Zelda games, Hyrule is a beautiful land filled with deep forests, tall mountains, deserts, vast lakes, cities, villages, and temples. The landscape changes considering on where about's you are playing in the Zelda timeline, but the beauty remains consistent! 

Albion

The land of Albion changes a fair bit throughout the Fable series, but one thing remains among each map - it is a pretty stunning place. From the cobbled streets of Bowerstone, to the gorgeous countryside of Oakfield, it would be wonderful to visit here.

Toussaint

Ah, Toussaint is definitely easy on the eye, and is perhaps the most picture-perfect place on this list, in my opinion. Included as a destination on The Witcher 3's 'Blood and Wine' DLC, Toussaint is famous for it's wines, so what better way to enjoy this beautiful landscape than to sit back and take it all in with a glass at hand? 

Columbia 

The first of two Bioshock destinations to feature on my list, Columbia is a stunning city in the sky that would be delightful to visit if the whole place didn't go to pot! The steampunk architecture, combined with the bright and breezy feel is rather pleasing. 

Rapture

Taking away the splicers, and transporting it back to its heyday would make Rapture a pretty wonderful place to visit. The combination of glaring neon lights, a city infrastructure, and the natural beauty of the deep sea would be jaw-dropping to witness. Imagine staring out of the wide windows of one of the buildings you are in to see a massive blue whale swim past, for example?

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a cute, quaint looking place that would be perfect to visit if you are looking to de-stress, escape a hectic lifestyle, and take some downtime. 

What would your dream destinations be? Let me know on Twitter!

My Favourite Video Game Songs - Part 1

A few days ago, I decided to share a picture on Twitter, which prompted people to drop a like on the tweet, and in exchange, I'd share my favourite video game songs for each like. 

I've done a few music lists in the past that focused on game series such as The Legend of Zelda, but I've never done a list of songs I love from gaming in general.

So, keep reading, and check them out...in no particular order!

The Legend of Zelda: Nintendo Store Unboxing

This month, my The Legend of Zelda Nintendo Store crate turned up! I was a little disappointed with it to be honest, but the mug was my favourite.

Check it out in my YouTube video below:

Subscribe to me on YouTube here.

Visiting Nintendo World, New York

Photo courtesy of Nintendo World Store's website.

From the 24th to the 31st July, I was in New York on holiday with my family. It has been on my list of dream holidays for years, so I was so pleased to find out that my parents had surprised me by booking it up! (Thanks Mum and Dad!)

Being a Nintendo fan, I HAD to visit Nintendo World of course. Situated in the Rockefeller Plaza in New York, it was admittedly a little tricky to find at first as it wasn't as glaringly sign posted as the Lego Store nearby was. The Nintendo World logo is actually pretty subtle! After finally finding it, we went in and picked up a few bits. Here's some of the photos of the store, along with some merchandise I bought. 

If you ever get to visit New York, definitely take a trip into Nintendo World, the only Nintendo shop in the world (and no, Japan does not have one. They have a Pokemon Centre instead, surprisingly).

Remembering Satoru Iwata

The games industry recieved some sad news this week. 

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away at the age of 55 after a long battle with cancer on the 12th July. 

Iwata was truly a key name in the gaming industry, helping to develop games in the Super Smash Bros, Kirby and Pokemon series as a programmer at HAL Laboratory before joining Nintendo in 2000. In May 2002, Iwata succeeded Hiroshi Yamauchi as the company's President. It was under his direction that Nintendo pursued the development of the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles in 2004 and 2006, the DS becoming one of the most successful handhelds of all time. 

Game Art: Manuel Kilger

Hailing from Germany, Manuel Kilger is a digital artist that has created a wide range of fun and vibrant artworks, reflecting games, fantasy, popular TV shows and more. 

Looking through his gallery has been a treat, so I have posted a few of my favourite game-inspired artworks below. (Click to enlarge)

Please be sure to visit his gallery to look at the rest! 

Dead Space

Old Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Samus (Metroid)

Got any great game artwork of your own to share? Please feel free to get in touch! 

NintyFans Halloween Contest Winners

My Nintendo group on deviantART ran a Halloween competition that ran from mid-October to the 8th November.

We had plenty of people enter for a chance of winning some great prizes, such as commissions from artists, deviantART points and features and more. 

As the Founder, I also got to judge the entries. Here's who I chose as the first, second and third place winners. Congratulations!

FIRST PLACE

Smash Halloween Party by Spelarminlind

SECOND PLACE

Haunter House by artisanpanda

THIRD PLACE

GKHGKGDHG


DFKJDFGKDFHGF

FLKJFDLKJG

Halloween Boonanza! by Misswaterfox

NintyFans: Smash Bros. Competition Winners

My Nintendo deviantART art group (NintyFans) recently held a competition to create a piece of art based on a character the entrant would most like to see in a future Smash Bros. game. They were encouraged to draw some of the characters move-set if they wish.

We had a lot of excellent entries, but these three were by far the best, and were awarded our three winners!

Ridley by BonnyJohn

Tetra/Toon Zelda by Icy-Snowflakes

Wart!! by Dominosaur

Congratulations to those who won! If you wish to enter future NintyFans competitions, please keep an eye on the group page.

Winners Of My Mini Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered my mini giveaway! The competition closed on Friday 24th May, and I entered everyone who re-tweeted or liked the giveaway post on my Facebook or Twitter into a random generator.

Two winners were randomly chosen via this, and they are:

Callum McInness, who wins the Tomb Raider Gameboy Colour game

and 

James Hare who wins the Zelda keyring!

Congratulations to the both of you, and thanks to everyone who entered! I am currently in the process of photographing all of the prizes for my big giveaway, which I shall be posting about later. Keep your eyes peeled for further news!

Win!: Tomb Raider (Game Boy Colour) & Zelda Keyring

I've been sorting through my gaming bits and pieces in the last week as I finish off the packing for our new house (we move in two weeks, so excited!).

I'm planning a much bigger giveaway once we've moved, (come back at the beginning of June!) but in the meantime, I thought I'd host a little competition for these two items I re-discovered whilst packing:

Tomb Raider-Game Boy Colour
Unboxed, this is the first Tomb Raider game to make it onto a handheld system!

Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D Keyring
Given to me along with an Ocarina (sorry, I'm keeping that!) at an Ocarina of Time 3D release promotion when I was at the MCM Comic Con back in 2011. For some reason I have two of these, so I'm keeping one and giving away the other!

Two winners will win a prize each!

How to enter:
Follow me on Twitter AND retweet this message:
https://twitter.com/8_BitGirl/status/336177629596110848

OR

Like me on Facebook AND like this post:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=587712027927578&set=a.440841629281286.101641.235231543175630&type=1&theater

One entry per person!

Giveaway closes on the 24th May 2013.
Good luck everyone!

Kayleigh

Da Da Da Daaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

If you've never seen artist James Stayte's art, then you're missing out!

A Zelda fan, James has drawn Link opening a chest to reveal a piece of heart. It's a great piece, (and of course, I'd love it, being a fan of all things Zelda) which you can see below.

'A Link to the Past' by James Stayte

Check out more of James' art here:
deviantART - http://stayte-of-the-art.deviantart.com/
Website - http://www.stayteoftheart.co.uk/

Feature: Nerdy Aprons!

I love seeing people's creativity, so I jumped at the chance of featuring DarlingArmy.

The brains behind DarlingArmy is Amanda Marin, who creates custom-made aprons for a whole host of nerd-dom, gaming being a large proportion of it. On her Etsy store and deviantART page, she shows off her creations, those inspired by Zelda, Pokemon and Portal to name a few.

When I asked Amanda these two questions, she replied with these answers:

What inspired you to create these aprons?
I've actually been creating femme cosplay designs for my best friend and myself for several years. We're both a little tan and therefore can't always cosplay for authenticity, so why not cute it up? Afterall, I don't wear pants in real life, why should I when I cosplay?

Anywho, the aprons came about when I was strapped for cash while I was student teaching full time and still going to school full time. When Christmas came around and I had no cash, I had to use scrap fabric to make my friends geeky aprons.

From there I decided to sell them. Instead of offering dresses, I decided pinafores were much more versatile and accessible for all women since they can be worn fifty different ways instead of just one way like a dress <3

What has been your favourite design so far?
Gaaaaaaah. Such a hard question. I would say...probably my design for Matt Smith's new costume for the newest season of Doctor Who. When I found the leaked photos from the filming of the new episodes, I instantly fell in love with the deep colours!

Amanda's current favourite design!

Check out a few of her gaming designs below.

This has to be my favourite!

Check out more of DarlingArmy's work here:
Etsy- http://www.etsy.com/shop/darlingarmy
deviantART- http://darlingarmy.deviantart.com/

Wind Waker Is Coming To Wii U!

If you needed a reason to buy the Wii U...then this is it. Wind Waker, the classic cell-shaded Zelda game for the Gamecube is getting a HD remake!

Fans will see this beloved title get a complete overhaul, including new HD graphics, up-scaled for today's televisions, alongside new controls to integrate the Wii U's controller. In a Nintendo Direct broadcast today, it's been announced that the game is due to be expected sometime in Autumn 2013.

But that's not all. As well as the exciting announcement of Wind Waker Wii U, there is another Zelda title in the works for Nintendo's latest console. Producer Eiji Aonuma said their mission is to "rethink the conventions of Zelda", but no further details about the game, and what changes are expected, were announced. A big tease, but quite a welcome one. A new Zelda game is just what the Wii U is needing. 

Below are nine screenshots from the remake of Wind Waker. A beautiful game on the Gamecube, it appears that Nintendo have managed to improve on this even more. But will it beat the gameplay experience we originally had on the Gamecube? Only time will tell.

Kirby/Skyrim Crossover by Michael Edstrom

A while ago I was asking for Kirby art for an anniversary themed piece that I was planning to run on 8-Bit Girl. Unlike my previous features (Metroid, Resident Evil and Zelda), I wasn't swamped with artwork, comments and other things that people wanted me to feature. I am not too sure why Kirby didn't get the love that the others recieved!

However...I did get one fantastic piece of art sent to me during that time.

Above you can see the Kirby and Skyrim crossover piece that Michael Edstrom, a graphic designer, podcaster, gamer and 8-Bit Girl reader created. I love Skyrim, so it was brilliant to open this email and see Kirby dressed as the dragonborn doing the 'Fus Ro Dah!' shout!

Thanks for sharing Michael!

Music Monday: Inside A House (Zelda)

Today's Music Monday track appears in several Zelda titles, although it has differed ever so slightly in some. 

As many of you will know by now (I harp on about it enough!), I am a huge fan of the Zelda series. Link's Awakening started off my love of gaming, and I've been a dedicated fan ever since.

So, as I have before, here is a Music Monday feature dedicated to a Zelda track. Now I could have gone for one of my all-time favourites, but I thought I'd go for a different one this time. I hope you all enjoy "Inside A House." Let me know what you think in the comments!

Dark Horse Comics Will Release Hyrule Historia for English Speaking Audiences

Hyrule Historia is a huge guide to the Zelda universe. Packed with plenty of concept art, secrets, and information on the series, it also includes a solution to the Zelda timeline. Fans have been debating that one for years, so it will be interesting to see this!

Dark Horse Comics will be translating Hyrule Historia, which will then be released for $34.99  (other countries prices still need to be confirmed). The book is scheduled for a release on the 29th January 2013. It will include all content in English, even small notes, and will be released in North America, UK, Australia and some additional parts of Europe. This is fantastic news, as there has been a massive demand for this book from Zelda fans. A few pages have found their way online from the Japanese edition, but it'll be great to actually be able to flick through the book without a translation.

Personally, being a huge Zelda fan, I will be buying this!

Zelda Cupcakes!

It's dangerous to go alone....eat this! 

Check out these cute and no doubt yummy Zelda cupcakes by Geek Sweets. The presentation, even down to the packaging, is lovely.

Finger Lickin' Deathwish T-Shirt!

Link should know by now...you never harass Cuckoos! 

Check out this brilliant Zelda t-shirt design below, by WinterArtwork. The shirt is available for $15.00/£9.62 and includes free shipping. 

Zelda Gets A Spaghetti Western Makeover!

A Zelda themed spaghetti western is coming to YouTube on the 7th August! Called "A Fistful of Rupees", this spoof is split into three parts and will be shown via The Gamestation's YouTube channel. 


Check out the trailer below to see Link, Ganon, Zelda, Navi and a whole host of cowboys battle it out in the wild west. 

My Top 15 Zelda Songs

To all who know me well, The Legend of Zelda series is by far my favourite game series. Link's Awakening happened to be one of the first games I actually remember when I first started to get into gaming as a child. Ever since then, I've played through almost every title, sat through (and enjoyed) the Zelda 25th Anniversary concert, read the mangas, laughed through the so bad-it's-sort-of-good cartoon series, and much more. 


I've always loved the music in Zelda games, so join me as I count down my top ten favourite Zelda tunes in the series so far. 


15. Knight's Academy (Skyward Sword)
Like many Zelda tunes, especially at the beginning of the game, Knight's Academy from Skyward Sword is a cheery one. I cannot help but smile when I hear this!




14. Deku Palace (Majora's Mask)
I love the stomping sound to this one, plus I love Deku's, so this one is a winner!




13. Ballad of the Goddess (Skyward Sword)
Skyward Sword's orchestral score is a brilliant accompaniment to the game. Sweeping, adventurous and bold...the "Ballad of the Goddess" works perfectly!




12. Hyrule Field (Twilight Princess)
Whenever I hear this song, I always picture Link, atop his trusty steed Epona, as he gallops off into his next adventure. Good times.




11. Fairy Fountain Theme (Multiple Zelda Games)
There is no denying that the music in the Zelda series often carries a lot of beauty. The Fairy Fountain theme is definitely an example of this. 




10. Main Theme (Multiple Zelda games)
No "favourite Zelda tunes" list is complete without one of the most famous of them all-the main Zelda theme. Used in so many of the games in the series, this is such an adventurous, sweeping sounding piece. Go Link!




9. Zelda's Lullaby (Multiple Zelda games)
Zelda's Lullaby is a beautiful, peaceful and harmonious sounding piece that brings back a lot of fond memories of playing through the Zelda series.




8. Saria's Song / Lost Woods (Ocarina of Time)
This one never fails to put a smile on my face. It's so upbeat, and definitely one of the more memorable of Zelda tunes.




7. Dark World (A Link to the Past)
Another fan favourite, the Dark World theme is definitely worth a listen!






6. Title Screen (Wind Waker)
Wind Waker's main theme has a sort of Celtic sound to it, which works well with look and feel of the game. 




5. Ballad of the Wind Fish (Link's Awakening)
We first hear "Ballad of the Windfish" when island dweller Marin is singing it near the Rooster weathervane. However, the majesty of this track is realised fully at the end of the game (spoilers!) when Link awakens the Windfish by playing the ballad with the full set of instruments. 




4. Song of Storms (Ocarina of Time)
Anyone who has ever played Ocarina of Time may remember the first time they encounter the music man inside of the Windmill who is playing "Song of Storms". It's a memorable tune!




3. Dragon Roost Island (Wind Waker)
I love the music in Wind Waker, and this is my favourite from the game! A great piece that takes me back to all the traversing around the sea the game gets you doing.




2. Gerudo Valley (Ocarina of Time)
I am sure that many of you Zelda fans agree with me when I say that Gerudo Valley is definitely one of the most loved tracks in the Zelda series. Just listen to this, it's a great one!




1. Tal Tal Heights (Link's Awakening)
Of course, my favourite Zelda track had to come from my favourite (and first played) Zelda game! I never forget the excitement I felt when walking up the steps on the way to entering the Wind Fish's egg. This music has stuck with me ever since!