Justin86

*"I'm not doing anything suspicious... Really."*

 —Justin86

**Justin86** is a member of the ZNG. He joined in October 2015 in order to play *The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes* with other ZNG members. Justin has been gaming on Nintendo hardware for around 30 years. His favorite Nintendo franchise is *The Legend of Zelda*, the first game having played in the series being *Ocarina of Time* on the Nintendo 64 in 1999, which is also his current favorite *Zelda* title. Justin is one of three people to have completed the Triple Bear Challenge, along with Nintendoer and Stagger.

Justin currently owns a Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U, Switch, Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DSi XL, and New Nintendo 3DS XL. He once had a Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, the original DSi, and Nintendo 3DS XL. At one time when Sega was still producing hardware, Justin was also in possession of a Sega Genesis and Game Gear.

## Zelda Games Played

**Main Games and Their Remakes:**

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**Non-Canon Games:**

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## Top 5 Zelda Games

1. *Ocarina of Time* *Ocarina of Time*

2. *Twilight Princess* *Twilight Princess*

3. *Breath of the Wild* *Breath of the Wild*

4. *The Wind Waker*

5. *A Link to the Past*

6. *Skyward Sword*
7. *The Minish Cap*
8. *Majora’s Mask*
9. *A Link Between Worlds*
10. *Link’s Awakening*

## How He Discovered the Zelda Series

**Date Range:** 1996-1999

Justin received his first true taste of the *Zelda* franchise in 1999 when he began playing the first installment of the crossover fighting series, *Super Smash Bros*. When looking at the roster, he became fascinated with the character named Link, and from there he wanted to know more about the series that he stars in. Of the nine stages featured in the game, Justin's favorite would become Hyrule Castle. Link is now one of Justin's favorite characters to play in the entire *Super Smash Bros.* franchise.

Although Justin became fully aware of the existence of the *Zelda* series with *Super Smash Bros.*, his first real encounter with Link was in the 1996 SNES game *Super Mario RPG*. Upon defeating Bowyer in the Forest Maze, he traveled to Rose Town to rest at the inn. Upon awakening, Justin saw a mysterious character sleeping in the other bed. He tried talking to this person, but he would not wake up, and instead a strange jingle always played. It would be a few years later when Justin finally understood who this character was, as well as the jingle from his franchise.

## First Playthrough of Ocarina of Time

A few months after he played *Super Smash Bros.*, Justin rented a game that shaped his life as a Zelda fan to this day, *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time*. Though Justin actually began the adventure inside the Deku Tree, he was already beginning to learn about the game's mechanics, including how to use the sword and shield, climbing ladders and vines, and open doors among other things. Setting foot outside of Kokiri Forest and into the vast fields of Hyrule was something Justin still treasures about *Ocarina of Time*. His favorite moment in the game is when Link draws the Master Sword from its pedestal, and he later awakens as an adult. It was not until Christmas 1999 when Justin finally purchased the game and played it from beginning to end.

Over the course of the game, Justin became familiar with the formula that was seen in previous games and is still used today. You embark on an quest to thwart Ganondorf's plans to obtain the Triforce and conquer Hyrule. Along the way, you journey through multiple dungeons to obtain items and defeat the bosses that await within. Several villages and towns are found throughout Hyrule, each containing a cast of memorable characters. There are also secrets for you to discover, such as finding hidden grottoes, collecting Gold Skulltulas, and upgrading your equipment. By the time Justin was finished with this epic adventure, he had a new respect for the series and would go on to play every past and future title since. Even 24 years after its release, *Ocarina of Time* continues to be Justin's favorite Zelda game.

## Favorite Games Outside the Zelda Series

### Series

* The *Super Mario* franchise is Justin's second-favorite Nintendo franchise after *Zelda*. Even though you have to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser in many of these games, Justin does not mind at all because he gets to explore all kinds of places throughout the Mushroom Kingdom and other lands along the way, while trying out Mario's new abilities. He enjoys many series associated with the franchise, including *Paper Mario*, *Mario Kart*, *Mario & Luigi*, *Mario Party*, and *New Super Mario Bros*. Justin has played so many *Mario* titles that it is impossible to list them all.
* *Donkey Kong* is a franchise that Justin has always enjoyed since childhood. Besides DK himself, he was also introduced to other Kongs that have stuck with him to this day, including Diddy, Dixie, Funky, Candy, Wrinkly, and Cranky. There are many secrets in each game that Justin likes to discover, some which will unlock the game's true ending. He has played the *Donkey Kong* arcade game, *Donkey Kong Country 1*, *2*, and *3*, *Donkey Kong 64*, *Diddy Kong Racing*, *DK Jungle Climber*, and *Donkey Kong Country Returns*. If Justin is to be honest, he really misses the days when the games were being made by Rare while they were working with Nintendo.
* Kirby may be the most adorable of all of Nintendo's characters. Justin loves the *Kirby* franchise for its charming gameplay and peaceful atmosphere. Meta Knight is perhaps Justin's favorite boss in the entire franchise, and looks forward to playing as him at times. *Kirby's Dream Land 1,* *2* and *3,* *Kirby's Adventure*, *Super Star*, *Kirby 64*, *Squeak Squad*, *Return to Dreamland*, *Mass Attack*, *Triple Deluxe*, *Planet Robobot*, *Star Allies* and *Forgotten Land* are many of the titles Justin has played in this franchise. He has also played *Kirby's Epic Yarn*, which he has yet to finish.
* In the *Fire Emblem* series, you have to plan your moves carefully as you traverse across the battlefield defeating enemies. A mechanic the series is known for is that any non-main character who falls in battle can never be used again for the rest of the game. If this happens you can either continue the chapter and finish it, or restart and try again, which Justin usually does the latter. Marth and Ike are Justin's two favorite *Fire Emblem* characters. He has had the privilege of playing *Blazing Blade*, *Sacred Stones*, *Path of Radiance*, *Radiant Dawn*, *Shadow Dragon*, *Awakening*, *Fates*, *Shadows of Valentia*, *Three Houses* and is currently on his first run of *Engage*. He also checked out the spinoff title *Fire Emblem Warriors*.
* Justin spent his childhood playing mostly *Mario*, *Donkey Kong*, *Kirby*, and *Sonic* games. That would change when the *Super Smash Bros.* franchise introduced him to many Nintendo characters that he never even heard of. Bringing so many characters together for a crossover fighting game was a dream come true. While not a competitive player, Justin still likes to play against his nephews and challenge the world online. Since then Justin would go on to play some of Nintendo's other franchises such as *Pokémon*, *F-Zero*, *EarthBound*, and *Xenoblade Chronicles*. Justin has played all installments of the franchise which include the original *Super Smash Bros.*, *Melee*, *Brawl*, *for 3DS/Wii U* and *Ultimate*.
* Besides Nintendo, Justin even plays a few third party franchises as well, *Sonic the Hedgehog* being one of these. Back when Sega was still making hardware, Justin owned a Sega Genesis and Game Gear, and he cannot recall playing anything other than *Sonic* games on them. He gets a thrill from traveling across levels at breakneck speed. Justin's favorite moment in any *Sonic* game is collecting all the Chaos Emeralds and transforming into Super Sonic. He has played the likes of *Sonic the Hedgehog 1*, *2*, and *3*, as well as *Sonic & Knuckles*, *Sonic Spinball*, *Sonic Adventure 2*, *Sonic Heroes*, *Sonic Advance 3*, *Sonic Rush*, *Sonic Rush Adventure*, *Sonic Unleashed*, and *Sonic Colors*.
* Square Enix is Justin's favorite third party company, and the franchise that he enjoys most is their key series, *Final Fantasy*. The music is what Justin loves most about the series. He also likes to cast powerful spells and summon mighty spirits, many of these which appear numerous times throughout the series. Until recently he had only played the main titles *Final Fantasy III*, *IV*, *V*, and *VI*. Several *Final Fantasy* games have recently been released on the Switch and he finally got to try out *VII* and *IX*. He plans to also play *VIII*, *X/X-2* and *XII* when he has the chance. Justin has also played the spinoff titles *Mystic Quest*, *Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings*, and *Final Fantasy Explorers*.
* Justin's other favorite Square Enix franchise is *Dragon Quest*. He enjoys the storyline in each installment of the series, which even link some of the games together. He was also surprised to learn that the characters and monsters were all designed by Akira Toriyama, who is best known for designing characters in the *Dragon Ball* manga franchise. Justin has only played main installments in the *Dragon Quest* series, and he has finished all but one that has never been released in the West. That entry is *Dragon Quest X*, which may or may ever be released outside of Japan.

### Individual Games

* *Super Mario Bros. 3* is Justin's favorite of the three *Super Mario* games that were released on the NES. In this game you can pick up and store items that can be used before starting a level. Justin prefers to play all the levels in the game without the use of a Warp Whistle.
* *Super Mario RPG* was the first title in the RPG genre that Justin played, and is his favorite game from the SNES era. The Forest Maze theme he finds to be the most catchy tune in the game. Justin's favorite part about the game is that it features cameos and references from other franchises including *The Legend of Zelda*, *Star Fox,* *F-Zero*, *Metroid*, and even *Final Fantasy*.
* *Super Mario 64* revolutionized three-dimensional gaming as we see it today. For the first time you could go in any direction you wanted, and the camera controls allowed you to look at the surroundings around you. This was helpful if if you had trouble locating certain Power Stars. Justin's favorite level in the game is Jolly Roger Bay. For a while he had trouble locating the 120th Power Star because he was unaware that the Princess's Secret Slide actually had two Stars to collect.
* Justin has played all of the mainline *Mario Kart* games, but *Mario Kart 64* is the one he has played the most. Even now he continues to play it whenever his sister and nephews are around. So many glitches and shortcuts have been found by Justin and his family, and they seem to discover more on occasion.
* In *Donkey Kong Country 2*, you play as Diddy King and his girlfriend Dixie as they set out to rescue Donkey Kong. Justin is not a speedrunner, so he takes his time playing each level to find secrets. He prefers to use Dixie over Diddy for her hair-twirling abilities. His favorite levels are the ones you ride on a rollercoaster.
* *Kirby Super Star* has nine games in one package. After Justin completes all the main games, he likes to test his skills in The Arena, and see how fast he can complete it. When the DS remake was later released he enjoyed the additional games that were added. His favorite modes in the remake are Meta Knightmare Ultra and The True Arena.
* *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate* is the latest installment in the acclaimed series. The message going into its release was "Everyone Is Here!"; every fighter that was ever playable in the series is in this roster as well as several newcomers, a few who serve as officially named "Echo Fighters." There are over 100 stages to choose from, the vast majority of them returning from previous entries. A new adventure mode is also included, which has you rescuing all the fighters and spirits from the clutches of the antagonist Galeem. Several DLC characters were added via two Fighters Passes, releasing between April 2019 and October 2021. The first Fighters Pass contains five characters; Joker from *Persona 5*, four variations of the Hero from the *Dragon Quest* series, the titular bear and bird duo Banjo and Kazooie, Terry from the *Fatal Fury* series, and the male and female variation of Byleth from *Fire Emblem: Three Houses*. Fighters Pass Vol. 2 features an additional six characters. They are Min Min from *ARMS*, Steve and three other character skins including Alex from *Minecraft*, the antagonist of *Final Fantasy VII*, Sephiroth, Pyra and Mythra (who can switch at will) from *Xenoblade Chronicles 2*, Kazuya from the *Tekken* series, and finally Sora from the *Kingdom Hearts* series.
* *Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn* continues the story from where *Path of Radiance* left off. In Justin's opinion *Radiant Dawn* has the better story and gameplay. Almost all of the playable characters from *Path of Radiance* return, with the addition of new ones. This game was also the first time he saw Ike older than he was in *Super Smash Bros. Brawl*, and he now prefers that appearance over his younger self.
* *Sonic the Hedgehog 2* introduced Sonic's best friend Miles Prower, or "Tails" as he is best known. Justin's favorite levels in the game are Chemical Plant Zone and Oil Ocean Zone. While in Casino Night Zone Justin spends time on the slot machines to see how many rings he can rack up, or lose. He prefers to play as Sonic alone because in the Special Zones Tails may run into obstacles, causing you to lose rings and perhaps prevent you from obtaining a Chaos Emerald. When he saw Super Sonic for the first time he wondered for a while what came first, Super Sonic or the Super Saiyan featured in *Dragon Ball Z*.
* *Final Fantasy IV* was the first *Final Fantasy* title Justin played, and is his favorite out of the main titles he played. It was known as *Final Fantasy II* when released on the SNES as it was the second game in the series to be released in the West. The storyline is some of the best in the series with a great soundtrack to match. There are twelve characters you can play as, both temporary and permanent. Justin's favorite party member is Rydia.
* *Chrono Trigger* is one of Justin's favorite Square Enix titles of all time. It makes great use of time travel as you journey across various time periods, from the prehistoric past to a future beyond your time, to stop a great threat from destroying the world. The music is amazing in every era as well. Justin has viewed all of the endings the game has in the DS version, thirteen in all.
* Justin's first *Dragon Quest* game was the fifth installment in the series. In it the hero embarks on a journey to find his mother. What fascinates Justin about this game is that it spans about 20 years of the hero's life. Along the way you travel to various lands and fight monsters to grow stronger, recruit other party members to help your cause, and even choose who you will marry.

## Miiverse Posts

* Hylian 101
* Hylian 101 Part II
* Dream Team Item Challenges
* Dream Team Luiginary Challenges
* Phantom Hourglass Sword Training
* Spirit Tracks Sword Training
* ”Link is Dead" Debate