2 posts tagged “muni”
While I will always stand firmly besides my gamer upbringing as a Genesis child, there were certainly moments of console weakness when it came to the Nintendo and the exclusive titles it kept close to its bosom. Upon occasion my siblings and I would trade our Genesis with our friend's respective Nintendo system for a week long liaison. Naturally our inbred gamer instincts drew us to Mario, but what really set my geek-genes ablaze was when I played Zelda: A Link to the Past.
It wasn't until middle school that I finally completed Link to the Past and abruptly became hooked to the entire Zelda franchise. Despite the fact that the main gameplay, story elements, and characters only change slightly from sequel to sequel, Zelda is dependably comfortable while simultaneously manages to enliven its classic content with new environments and features in every additional release.
With all that being said The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a fantastic addition to the Zelda lineage, one which I've only recently been able to fully appreciate while commuting from my house-sitting home to work. Nintendo knows the meat, bones, and heart of its platforms, and in the case of the DS they would not disappoint by making Phantom Hourglass almost entirely stylus oriented with a few bonus DS-savvy actions to boot.
I love managing my stylus like I would a sword, prodding and swirling it around the screen to skewer baddies, but the adventure for me really started when I had to tackle the more unique challenges such as yelling through a door or blowing out a candle. As you might imagine, this involved the microphone proponent of the DS and my voice and/or breath ... applied amidst a large conglomerate of Muni commuters. I had a choice in both cases: close the DS and keep my interjections to myself or solve the puzzle as necessary despite the fact that there were a good 5 faces aimed at my direction who would witness what could seem like a brief instance of insanity.
Of course, I chose the latter. What else could I do to get the fortune teller's attention from the other side of the door? I elegantly brought the DS up to my lips and spoke as quickly and as loudly as I could to solve the puzzle.
HEY!
A few awkward glances, (a puzzle unlocked!), a following round of awkward re-glances, and then it was back to the crabby commute home. I laughed to myself and thought If only they knew how much farther I got in the game after that, only then would they understand.
Lessons learned today about SF Muni:
- Its helpful to know in advance alternate routes to your destination. It's also helpful to know if the line your on has a final stop that ends miles aways from your planned get off.
- Everytime you get on a Muni bus within an hour (in this case, 4 times) you do not have to pay $1.50. After closer examination of the ticket receipt, you may use the receipt to travel as a transfer ticket for an hour or so after purchase.
- Passing by China Town three times in a bus will always be exciting.
- Kind Muni drivers are the best, especially when helping a n00b in need.
- Getting lost in San Francisco is not scary or intimidating. It's a blessing in disguise.
- In addendum, don't forget your keys to the office. Its embarrassing to ring the doorbell.
Exciting things seen and experienced while on my adventure:
- Parks, plazas, and restaurants I plan to lunch at in the near future.
- A woman with a fake baby. Mind you, it was a doll, but the way its legs tossled around in the bus suggested its weight was comparable to a real baby. And it had a nonstop cry voicebox, which was a joy to the rest of the passangers.
- Riding Muni while standing is almost as exciting as the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland.
Total Cost: $4.50 and 1 hour of my time. Well worth it though.
