Nintendo Wii

[Toadofsky]

I love you. I thought I was the only one who bought de Blob. House of the Dead Overkill is another fun investment. It's not as hard as the previous games, but it's got a lot more variety concerning game modes and weapons. Klonoa is also a quality game.

De Blob grew on me. I rented it, but I'm considering buying it. And I'm glad that it ended up selling some pretty modest numbers...

And yes, I have to get DK Jungle Beat, and the Metroid Prime Trilogy since I haven't played them in over a few years.

Where is Star Fox (the Super NES original)? And why isn't it on WiiWare? I know that Miyamoto considers Star Fox 64 to be the true beginning, but come on, I NEED that game!

I hope that Nintendo will announce some cool stuff at this years E3, I don't need a new Zelda and Mario as the "hardcore" audience keeps crying about as they play their other consoles with enough games to keep them happy, those games DON'T NEED TO BE RUSHED, they need to be handled with the care Nintendo of Japan is known for with it's games...

[1337 1]

De Blob grew on me. I rented it, but I'm considering buying it. And I'm glad that it ended up selling some pretty modest numbers...

And yes, I have to get DK Jungle Beat, and the Metroid Prime Trilogy since I haven't played them in over a few years.

Where is Star Fox (the Super NES original)? And why isn't it on WiiWare? I know that Miyamoto considers Star Fox 64 to be the true beginning, but come on, I NEED that game!

I hope that Nintendo will announce some cool stuff at this years E3, I don't need a new Zelda and Mario as the "hardcore" audience keeps crying about as they play their other consoles with enough games to keep them happy, those games DON'T NEED TO BE RUSHED, they need to be handled with the care Nintendo of Japan is known for with it's games...

de Blob was a good game, I bought it (3 days before the price got halved :tomatoface:) a while back. I should probably play that again, if only for the cutscenes.

Although for star fox, I'd like to see Assault remade for the wii. I loved the multiplayer, and the single player wasn't half bad either. (shame all the ebay copies of the GC version are retardedly expensive). Hell, anything new for starfox on the wii would be good; the wii is mostly fox-free.

[Thalzon]

Quit trying to be cool people. We know Nintendo are popular so they aren't the hip underdog anymore, but Punch Out is the shit. I'd say that it beats the old Punch Out in every way imaginable and that it's the best Nintendo game to come out in a long time. That's saying something because Excite Bots is pretty awesome. Two fat Nintendo releases almost back to back and people have the nerve to ask "Where's the games?" Where's the love? MadWorld? They're not just solid, they're badass games.

I'm becoming annoyed with these "no good games since whatever Mario game" comments. If you haven't paid any attention to the Wii games coming out or the ones coming out just this summer then you need to look around, because they are out there. Heck, WiiWare and Virtual Console alone have more than my wallet can handle. It seems like every new review that comes out someone says "Finally a reason to own a Wii," as if they haven't said it about the past 15 Wii games they've reviewed. Go and out and buy the games then tell me that there's nothing worth playing.

God, I try to list off a ton of great games to a friend who pretty much does nothing but complain that Nintendo "killed hardcore gaming and haven't released anything worthwhile", and what does he say? "Those games don't appeal to me." It's not even like they're all in just a few genres, either. It's like he just wants to keep spouting off his opinion because it gives him something to complain about. I'd say he won't be happy until the next Zelda is released, but he'll probably end up complaining about that too.

[Zup]

I'd say he won't be happy until the next Zelda is released, but he'll probably end up complaining about that too.


Gosh, all Nintendo does is remakes! Gosh! Ugh! Come up with something original!

[/your friend]

[Dr.Flintlock]

You know what's something that's been irking me as of late? I own a 360 and picked up both Bionic Commando and BC:R and don't get me wrong, they're great. But I was really hoping that Nintendo would give us some RADD Spencer love and release the original NES title on the Virtual Console. Would it have really been that difficult? I know the Master D headsplosion may've been a problem, but seriously...

Playing through the two formers, I'd really like to check out the one that started it all (minus the arcade games). Anyone else agree?

[Penfold]

I'd say that was a pretty good E3 overall for Nintendo, though especially for the DS I think.

[DarkeSword]

No, not "pretty good." Excepting Mario, Golden Sun, and Metroid, it was a pretty terrible conference. They spent far too much time telling us about things we've already seen; things they announced at LAST year's conference. The Metroid and Mario were fantastic, but it was still a pretty crappy presser.

[Native Jovian]

IIT Darkesword dictates Truth.

Sorry, Penfold, your opinion is wrong.

[The Damned]

That's it? THAT'S IT?

Wow. Nintendo disappoints again. You would think that after the last few years, they would have kept something really big and awesome to gee everyone going.

So far, Sony and MS are tied for best conference. And that's just a shame, really, because neither are really that good.

[Meteo Xavier]

I can't remember a time when Nintendo ever won the E3 conference, possibly excepting the SSBB year... so what? They always come through at some point, just be patient.

Its not like they crown the winner and have a dance for goodness sakes, its a showcase of things to come and Nintendo always has something up its sleeve.

[The Damned]

I'd like to point out the year they announced Twilight Princess. And the Wii. It's a little far and few between, but they have have some years when they absolutely dominated the event with their conference.

Sadly, I fear that we will not be seeing much more this year. The conferences are where you bring out the big guns, and show everyone what you got. Yes, they can hold back and announce games and stuff, but the whole "shock and awe" of the conferences is the big draw.

Bo, bad show, Nintendo. You better have something for us later, or you're off my christmas card list.

[cobaltstarfire]

I liked it, but I don't keep up with games as much like you guys so it was all new for me! :tomatoface:

I've fallen so far behind in the game ownership area that I now get to decide if I want to buy mario galaxy or mario galaxy 2 when next I am able to buy a wii game.

[Dr.Flintlock]

Wait, people watch the press conferences? My mistake, I never knew it was important to watch big wigs talk about stuff clearly meant for the PRESS. Snide remarks aside, I was pretty psyched for Sin and Punishment 2 and Red Steel 2. The latter got a major overhaul I think and is looking to be a pretty nice upgrade from the sadness that was the first one.

Definitely got a Stephen King's The Dark Tower Saga from the trailers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing...

[The Damned]

Wait, people watch the press conferences? My mistake, I never knew it was important to watch big wigs talk about stuff clearly meant for the PRESS.
The press in gaming is made up of gamers. The conferences are aimed at the exact people the games and systems are aimed at. It's hype, yes, but it's direct hype. Direct to the very people that they know are going to be interested, not just to the general public.

It's also a good way to get a feel for the next year or so. The reaction to the unveiled stuff tells you what you can expect from the rest of the community.

[Dr.Flintlock]

Yeah, I suppose you're right. I've just never been big on hype trains and the like. I'll check a trailer or two out, maybe even watch someone else play it in the case of a wii game to see if its legit, but otherwise, I try to avoid developers and journalists spouting off their praise for a title that still has a ways to go in its creation.

Call me a stick-in-the-mud. Its just a preference.

[Ray Falling]

I'm actually offended by Mario Galaxy 2.

The whole point of Galaxy was to bring something refreshing and new and the reason it took so long was because it was supposedly so hard to outdo Mario 64.
Bringing a sequel sort of undermines that whole idea in my opinion.

It doesn't look like it'll bring much new, exciting elements and I refuse to collect 120 stars AGAIN!!!

I'm just so done with gaming (in general), seriously ;_;

[Arek the Absolute]

boohoo

cry more

I, for one, look forward to Galaxy 2.

[DarkeSword]

I'm actually offended by Mario Galaxy 2.

The whole point of Galaxy was to bring something refreshing and new and the reason it took so long was because it was supposedly so hard to outdo Mario 64.
Bringing a sequel sort of undermines that whole idea in my opinion.

It doesn't look like it'll bring much new, exciting elements and I refuse to collect 120 stars AGAIN!!!

I'm just so done with gaming (in general), seriously ;_;
You can't possibly be serious. Between this and the Left4Dead2 thread, I think I'm done with gamers.

The whole point of Galaxy was not to "bring something refreshing and new." The whole point of Galaxy was to make a fun game. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a sequel to a very fun game, and that's a bad thing?

Why does everything have to be BRAND NEW I'VE NEVER PLAYED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE MY MIND IS BLOWN? What is so bad about more of a good thing?

[Rambo]

Why does everything have to be BRAND NEW I'VE NEVER PLAYED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE MY MIND IS BLOWN? What is so bad about more of a good thing?

If they make this one less linear, I absolutely agree with you. I loved Mario Galaxy. And I imagine they'll improve upon their very few weaknesses, and keep to all of their strengths, so I'm not worried.

Change isn't always a good thing Ray. Take Mario Sunshine for one. :tomatoface:

[LuketheXjesse]

WHY DOES EVERYONE ON THIS SITE HATE MARIO SUNSHINE I thought that game was pretty rockin'.

[Zup]

WHY DOES EVERYONE ON THIS SITE HATE MARIO SUNSHINE I thought that game was pretty rockin'.

I loved that game. Explored the world in and out. SO much more fun than 64, in my opinion. The world was just so well crafted.

And FUN!

[Rambo]

I loved that game. Explored the world in and out. The world was just so well crafted.

And FUN!


I agree. But they removed long jumping. And hired voice actors. :-x

And the story was pretty poor....

[Ray Falling]

You can't possibly be serious. Between this and the Left4Dead2 thread, I think I'm done with gamers.

The whole point of Galaxy was not to "bring something refreshing and new." The whole point of Galaxy was to make a fun game. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a sequel to a very fun game, and that's a bad thing?

Why does everything have to be BRAND NEW I'VE NEVER PLAYED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE MY MIND IS BLOWN? What is so bad about more of a good thing?

First off, it is my opinion and how I feel about gaming. Altough my 'getting tired of gaming' comment did not come from Galaxy 2, but from how I've experienced gaming since the launch of the Wii. But that's not relevant right now.

I personally didn't enjoy Galaxy for many reasons, and so I personally am not happy with a sequel like that. That doesn't mean I'm saying they should change things because I'm one person who doesn't like the idea.
But making a Galaxy 2, on such small a time frame...that doesn't sit right with me.
Every bit of energy that is put in one project can not be put into something else. So usually that means the 'slot' for a certain franchise is taken and you don't have to expect anything better for at least so many years.
I felt the same way about Starfox, Donkey Kong and others.

I agree change isn't always better, but same-old, same-old isn't always better either.

It's fine if people enjoy these things, it just means that I'll have to wait, or look for something else. And that, I get tired of (and the disappointment :D ).

[Penfold]

Got Wii Sports Resort yesterday and played a bitof the sword, basketball, golf, and frisbee. I was a little worried at first, given how much I had heard about callibration issues and whatnot, but generally it has you recalibrating so often anyway (when you point to the dog in frisbee, when you taking your stance in golf, and just before the beginning of the match for sword and basketball) I didn't experience any problems in my playtime.

I was also worried the constant recalibrations would take you out of the experience; I started my playtime with sword, and was a little worried about it when after taking a stance just before the match as it instructed, it then instructing to essentially break my stance to point at the screen and press A. Since it never asked me to do that mid-play or anything, though, it wasn't quite so bad. I would say in frisbee or golf, the calibration actually somehow adds to the experience given how it was disguised.

I really started having fun with in my second time playing that slicing game with the sword, when I realized all I needed to do was slice as I would in the direction indicated and not have to wait for my Mii to necessarily take the same angle before the cut. Out of the 4 games I played, in terms of fun I'd personally rank them as sword, golf, basketball, and frisbee, but all of them were enjoyable. Looking forward to having a bit more time to play with the game and with WiiMotionPlus (which, incidentally, I would rather they just release another controller with it built in than releasing "controller expansions"), but I have to say so far I'm pretty impressed.

[Nec5]

WHY DOES EVERYONE ON THIS SITE HATE MARIO SUNSHINE I thought that game was pretty rockin'.Crappy music. Uninspired stage design. Boring. A weak game overall compared to Mario64.

[Bleck]

Crappy music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIjW17IPRdg


---

but yeah most people who try to say that mario sunshine or mario galaxy weren't very good are either retarded or butthurt sonic fans

[Thalzon]

I've bought so many Wii games this summer and barely finished ANY of them.

Punch-Out!! - Stuck on Aran Ryan in Title Defense mode.
Excitebots - Played it half to death already, and I STILL need to unlock the Ant, Lizard, Roach, Squid, and Monster Truck vehicles. Online is a blast, though.
World of Goo - I actually finished this one. Used 3 passes throughout the game for particularly annoying levels.
FF4 After Years - I'm at Kaipo.
Megaman 9 - I've only been able to beat Galaxy Man. I suck at this 2D platformer stuff.
Little King's Story - It's still in its shrink wrap.
Wii Sports Resort - I popped it in to give it a try. Surprisingly compelling! Flying around with the plane is currently my favourite thing to do. Basketball is a tiresome pain in single-player. 100-pin bowling = <3.
Startropics 2 Zoda's Revenge - I'm on Chapter 4, the London Sewers right now. The boss is tough, but then the whole game is thanks to the more "free" movement and lack of many bonus weapons.

This isn't even counting all the DS games. Guh... Thank god the job I applied for doesn't begin until mid-september and nothing else I want comes out til then, too.

[HalcyonSpirit]

I've been neglecting my Wii for a while now (mostly because of college, but also because of a lack of funds), and I want to get a new game for it. Not sure what, though. I have Brawl, and I've played Prime 3 and Twilight Princess. I'm thinking about getting Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy, or Excitebots for now, but I'm open to other suggestions. I'm mostly on my own, so any multiplayer would have to also be playable online. Any suggestions?

[Thalzon]

Get Excitebots if you want a ton of bang for your buck. Granted, that bang is long and needlessly stretched-out (first you must unlock stuff. Then you have to buy that stuff with stars earned from races in single-player and online, but everything is pricey and it'll take a ton of races to buy everything).

Mario Galaxy is a quality title, of course, and a pleasant challenge. Mario Kart is cheap as hell, though that can arguably be part of the appeal. Both Mario Kart and Excitebots have gpretty good online.

If you want a serious timesink that still manages to be fun, I strongly suggest Rune Factory Frontier. It's an addictive action-RPG where fighting is just the crunchy crust to a gooey delicious-flavoured filling of farming, fishing, mining, crafting, marriage, and festivals. Only downside is the micromanagement aspect of maintaining the little spirits on every field map.

[Nekofrog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIjW17IPRdg


---

but yeah most people who try to say that mario sunshine or mario galaxy weren't very good are either retarded or butthurt sonic fans

sorry mario sunshine is absolute shit

this coming from a guy who thinks mario galaxy is gotf

[Gollgagh]

I've never really liked any Mario game except for SML


I'll play Wario games all day long though

[JH Sounds]

Those platforming-in-a-void areas in Sunshine were pretty tight, IMO. In retrospect, it seemed like they working out Galaxy elements with those.

[Nec5]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIjW17IPRdg
but yeah most people who try to say that mario sunshine or mario galaxy weren't very good are either retarded or butthurt sonic fansI like how you reference a song that, at best, is mediocre. Try again.

[The Damned]

I've never really liked any Mario game except for SML
Fuck yeah, Super Mario Land. One of my first games, ever.

[Ajax]

The main reason I dislike Mario Sunshine is because of the water pack thingy. I feel that they focused too much on water pack abilities and not enough on Mario himself. In fact the times when I was most happy playing that game was when they took the water pack away.

Additionally (might as well put it in spoiler text lol): Do they expect me to actually feel genuine emotion when the (for the most part) inanimate object dies? "...Mehrio"

Yeah, it was a bad idea to give Bowser a voice as well.

...

I dunno, maybe I'm being too harsh on the game.

[Curly Brace]

I love just about every Mario game except those old school educational ones, and even one or two of those wound up being fun.

[Bleck]

I like how you reference a song that, at best, is mediocre.

how does it feel to not know anything about music

[Jam Stunna]

I can appreciate why people consider Mario Galaxy to be good, maybe even great. I just didn't find it particularly compelling.

[atmuh]

so apparently my brother decided to update my chipped wii to the most recent firmware and when i try to run backups it doesnt work anymore
CAN SOMEONE HELP

[Curly Brace]

All I know is, I was glancing through a Game Informer shortly before my interview and I cannot wait til this Fall.

[DarkeSword]

so apparently my brother decided to update my chipped wii to the most recent firmware and when i try to run backups it doesnt work anymore
CAN SOMEONE HELP
Try softmodding?

[Red Shadow]

i take it youve been neglecting the homebrew side of your wii then, too atma?

use this

http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Dop-IOS

[atmuh]

actually apparently my chip is working fine as all my games work except animal crossing
the only reason that was the one i tried was because thats the only game my sister plays and shes the only one that uses the wii (like 8 hours a day)
time to reburn (probably the ios patching i did conflicts with the new firmware)

[Ajax]

actually apparently my chip is working fine as all my games work except animal crossing
the only reason that was the one i tried was because thats the only game my sister plays and shes the only one that uses the wii (like 8 hours a day)
time to reburn (probably the ios patching i did conflicts with the new firmware)

It is either the IOS patching, or the fact that the trucha bug has been patched out of the latest updated system menu, so perfect 1:1 backups with a correct signature will still work, but anything that has been scrubbed (or ios patched) and then trucha signed will not work until you have a way of reintroducing the signing bug into the IOS that your system menu uses.

Additionally, I second Dop-IOS (use it on IOS60 or 61... might as well use it on both)

[Rambo]

Everyone who has a gold/platinum membership at club nintendo (https://club.nintendo.com) needs to claim their free gift by August 11 2009.

Who here is getting a hat... :<

[Penfold]

Everyone who has a gold/platinum membership at club nintendo (https://club.nintendo.com) needs to claim their free gift by August 11 2009.

Who here is getting a hat... :<

Haha, I dunno if I'm gonna get the hat or that Punch-Out!! downloadable game...probably the hat, given that I already own Punch-Out!! and all it seems to be is you fight Doc.

EDIT: Unrelated, but, is it just me or do all of the WiiWare projects from Nicalis look amazing? Their Cave Story, Night Game, and Project G all look really great to me.

[Bleck]

is it just me or do all of the WiiWare projects from Nicalis look amazing? Their Cave Story, Night Game, and Project G all look really great to me.

if only they would release one of them

[Rambo]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/nightlifecommando/Metroid%20Prime%20Trilogy/MetroidPrimeTrilogy.png


If this is what that trilogy pack actually looked like. I'd definitely buy it.
If I were Nintendo I'd pay this guy for his design.

[Bleck]

so is anybody else pissed that they didn't update the virtual console for two weeks and then finally released... fucking tecmo bowl

[Thalzon]

The football game? Man, my friend and I used to play that all the time! It was an awesome little gem.

But honestly, beyond the old Squeenix stuff, I can't rightly remember too many games from that generation that aren't already on the VC. Well, those and Earthbound, but we're never getting that.

[Arrow]

if only they would release one of them


Well speak of the devil. (http://nicalis.com/blog/2009/08/07/cave-story-online-manual-submitted-for-approval/)

(Although I admit, the post is only talking about the manual, but at least it makes it sound like the game is being wrapped up)

[Bleck]

Well speak of the devil. (http://nicalis.com/blog/2009/08/07/cave-story-online-manual-submitted-for-approval/)

(Although I admit, the post is only talking about the manual, but at least it makes it sound like the game is being wrapped up)

they've made it sound like it was being wrapped up ever since they said there were looking towards a march/april release

[Neo Samus]

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll284/nightlifecommando/Metroid%20Prime%20Trilogy/MetroidPrimeTrilogy.png


If this is what that trilogy pack actually looked like. I'd definitely buy it.
If I were Nintendo I'd pay this guy for his design.

That's not real.....is it?

[Penfold]

Well speak of the devil. (http://nicalis.com/blog/2009/08/07/cave-story-online-manual-submitted-for-approval/)

(Although I admit, the post is only talking about the manual, but at least it makes it sound like the game is being wrapped up)

That'd be nice if it got released soon.

[Neblix]

That's not real.....is it?


Pretty sure that's either fake or the Japanese version. (probably the latter because that takes a lot of skill to fake something like that and you can see non english characters if you look closely)

English version has a different cover (no samus on front) and the games are on one disc.

[Rambo]

That's not real.....is it?

Nah, its not real. :sad:
It's some guy's hopeful design. The actual release will have all 3 games on 1 disk.
In japan they released the old games ported for the wii separately. So they have no trilogy pack at all. It's just a really good mock up. Unfortunately...

[Inimitable]

Nah, its not real. :sad:
It's some guy's hopeful design. The actual release will have all 3 games on 1 disk.
In japan they released the old games ported for the wii separately. So they have no trilogy pack at all. It's just a really good mock up. Unfortunately...
Someone find this man and demand a high quality release so we can print it out ourselves!

[Calpis]

I picked up Wii Sports Resort yesterday.

That game is a lot of fun, and that relieves me. I bought it even though I was hesitant. Wii Motion Plus finally brings the control to the Wii that I was expecting (or maybe just hoping for) when it first came out.

The airplane game is very reminiscent of Pilotwings 64 for me, so I'm loving it. Archery and Swordfighting are my faves, but I was also surprised to enjoy some of the other games that other reviews said were boring, like the canoeing and wakeboarding events. I actually played it for about 6 hours straight yesterday without getting bored. I think I've only done that for 1 hour with the original Wii Sports, so all in all I think it's definitely worth it.

[BardicKnowledge]

Pilotwings mode is definitely the highlight of Resort, IMO. After that, I also enjoy Frisbee Dog and 100-pin bowling.

Incidentally, there are hidden targets in Archery that make the game a crapload more enjoyable...has everyone found them all?

[Penfold]

Did anybody try out the WiiWare game NyxQuest (formerly known as Ikarian)? I had been anticipating this game, but won't get a chance to dl/try it for another week or two, and was wondering if anyone had comments about it. IGN's review seemed pretty positive.

[relyanCe]

I'm thinkin of buying a wii for one reason - Muramasa: The Frickin' Demon Blade.

Of course i'd probably get more than that if i did end up buying one, but that game in particular... wow... eyegasmic!

[linkspast]

I am thinking of selling my Wii... Its been a long since I have touched it... Is there anything coming out that might be worth keeping it for a bit longer?

[BardicKnowledge]

Put homebrew on your Wii, and turn it into an emulation box. :p

[Bahamut]

I am thinking of selling my Wii... Its been a long since I have touched it... Is there anything coming out that might be worth keeping it for a bit longer?

There's a new Zelda in the works for down the road, Super Mario Universe, and Metroid: Other M

[BlackPanther]

I'm thinkin of buying a wii for one reason - Muramasa: The Frickin' Demon Blade.

Of course i'd probably get more than that if i did end up buying one, but that game in particular... wow... eyegasmic!

Yeah Muramasa looks pretty fantastic.

[Thalzon]

I am thinking of selling my Wii... Its been a long since I have touched it... Is there anything coming out that might be worth keeping it for a bit longer?

Well, if you haven't played Little King's Story you are doing yourself a disservice. There's also Muramasa coming out, and a Wii sequel to the DS game Drawn to Life. Hm, what else... Silent Hill Origins, New Super Mario Bros, Tales of... Grace, I think? No More Heroes 2, and a few other games I can't immediately recall.

Also, the Metroid, Mario, and Zelda Bahamut mentioned. So there's lots coming down the line.

[Penfold]

Got a chance to play through some Metroid Prime Trilogy, just landing on Tallon IV. Maybe I'm alone on this, but I'm really not liking this whole "achievments" thing. It really takes me out of the game when whatever achievement pops up. Prime used to feel seemless, and this at least for me is an unwelcome change. At least control-wise it feels great, and the presentation looks better than I had remembered(aside from how blocky some of the textures are).

[Brycepops]

Well, if you haven't played Little King's Story you are doing yourself a disservice. There's also Muramasa coming out, and a Wii sequel to the DS game Drawn to Life. Hm, what else... Silent Hill Origins, New Super Mario Bros, Tales of... Grace, I think? No More Heroes 2, and a few other games I can't immediately recall.

Also, the Metroid, Mario, and Zelda Bahamut mentioned. So there's lots coming down the line.

And Monster Hunter 3.

[Tables]

It really takes me out of the game when whatever achievement pops up. Prime used to feel seemless, and this at least for me is an unwelcome change.
oh noooo

dude quick check if there's a way to shut them off or disable the notification or something.

if there isn't, i'm still buying this (mainly so I have an excuse to beat Echoes finally), but I'd love to be able to save one of my favorite games of all time from anything that takes away its immersion

[Arrow]

There was no way to shut those messages off in Prime 3, so I doubt the Trilogy would let you. It never really bothered me though; it was just a low volume sound effect and a tiny icon in the center of the screen that fades in less than a second.

[Hylian Lemon]

You can turn off the achievement messages. I did. It's nice.

Overall I've been impressed with the presentation. Some of the bosses have even been updated a bit (and Flaahgra has the extended PAL version of his theme, thank god).

Also, wave beam homing + ability to aim anywhere on the screen = curving shots around walls. Joy ensues.

[Antipode]

(and Flaahgra has the extended PAL version of his theme, thank god).
NICE. I always wondered why it was shortened.

[Penfold]

You can turn off the achievement messages. I did. It's nice.

Overall I've been impressed with the presentation. Some of the bosses have even been updated a bit (and Flaahgra has the extended PAL version of his theme, thank god).

Also, wave beam homing + ability to aim anywhere on the screen = curving shots around walls. Joy ensues.

That's a relief - thanks! Next time I get a chance to play it some more, definitely turning those off.

I only got to play about 2 hours of it this weekend, and I know this is just pointing out the obvious, but I gotta comment on just how smooth the controls are! Set them to advanced, and it's just perfect.

[Penfold]

LostWinds sequel announced (http://wii.ign.com/articles/102/1020743p1.html). Really anticipating this.

[megadave]

I'm going to go to the store, buy some frikkin' beer, and then come home and play Contra Rebirth. Because I am a sad man full of sadness and I need some ass-kicking action to help with my emo-itis.

[JoeFu]

Got muramasa today,but haven't had a chance to play. I hope I find it more enjoyable than Odin Sphere.

[Strike911]

been playing muramasa too. I like it. I've only played one of the two characters to finish, it has a fun fighting system and a cool style. :D

There were a few times where I said wow while playing the game. The graphics at some points look amazing.

[BlackPanther]

been playing muramasa too. I like it. I've only played one of the two characters to finish, it has a fun fighting system and a cool style. :D

There were a few times where I said wow while playing the game. The graphics at some points look amazing.

I really want to play now lol.

[Kenobio]

How's the replayability on Muramasa once you've already beaten it?

[Penfold]

It looks like the only thing I would have wanted to have fixed in the first LostWinds is getting fixed in the sequel - they're adding a map! (http://wii.ign.com/articles/102/1024716p1.html)

Edit: Also good to know there are release windows for LostWinds 2, Cave Story, Night Game, and the WiiWare Castlevania. (http://wii.ign.com/articles/102/1024996p1.html)

[Thalzon]

How's the replayability on Muramasa once you've already beaten it?

If it's anything like Odin Sphere, probably not very high.

That said, Odin Sphere was a phenomenal game that never got the acclaim it deserved. Muramasa should get some critical acclaim, don't you agree?

[Weirdboyscott]

This is awesome, looks like I'm getting a copy of Muramasa. A friend of mine told me that I shouldn't buy the game, and I thought it was because she thought the game was awful or something, and she wouldn't give me a reason why I shouldn't buy it. Turns out it was because she is getting it for me, and when I asked why it was because she "couldn't wait for Christmas."

[Toadofsky]

I guess this is a shameless plug, but I've been reading into this guy's articles lately, and honestly, I have to agree with him on SOME of it.

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/email-why-nintendo-should-abandon-the-hardcore/

And no, he also criticizes some of Nintendo's moves both past and present as well so don't think it's blind Nintendo fanboyism. Don't go judging too far into it, you might need to read some of his other articles from the past few months as well just to see where some of the points are coming from.

[cobaltstarfire]

I think the whole hardcore/kiddy/casual divide can just go jump off a bridge and never come back really.

I liked when people could play whatever game they wanted that was within their taste/goals for a game and not have to be so insecure about how "hardcore" or "mature" they appeared to others. Really it just makes us all look bad.

[Necrotic]

not have to be so insecure about how "hardcore" or "mature" they appeared to others.


I never realized this was an issue in gaming.

Just pretentious music scenes.

Or at least I've never been bothered by it.

[cobaltstarfire]

Maybe I know too many snobby jerkass people between all the people I've gotten a chance to play video games with.

[Thalzon]

It started getting really bad around the time Wii Music was shown off. It seemed like everyone I knew began denouncing the Wii as "just a Smash Bros machine" and that Nintendo had sold out.

To someone who had been keeping an eye on the actual good titles and making informed purchases for the system it baffled me. These people hadn't bought Zack & Wiki, de Blob, No More Heroes, etc etc etc... But they complained anyway. Hell, most hadn't bought anything besides Smash Bros. Did they just want... another Smash Bros?

With fans like that, I could totally understand Nintendo not bothering to please them... But Nintendo never really "abandoned" them anyway.

[Kinslayer]

With my experience with the Wii, I've really liked the Gameplay mechanics, fans of Metroid Prime Corruption's control system can now play Prime and Echoes with the same mechanics by buying the trilogy, Smash Bros. is always cool, but I play it better with a GC controller anyway. Super Mario Galaxy was actually really good, albeit extremely short, I'm looking forward to the sequel. Nintendo hasn't sold out, at least as far as the gameplay goes, they are just catering to a broader audience than both Xbox 360 and PS3 do...If you want to accuse Nintendo of selling out, take a look at the DS moreso than the Wii...

There's an online version of Meteos being designed for the PC to be played online, I'd like Nintendo to incorporate this into a Wii version if possible...Meteos is fun to play on the DS, it'd be harder and much more challenging with the Wii Remote.

[Toadofsky]

It started getting really bad around the time Wii Music was shown off. It seemed like everyone I knew began denouncing the Wii as "just a Smash Bros machine" and that Nintendo had sold out.

To someone who had been keeping an eye on the actual good titles and making informed purchases for the system it baffled me. These people hadn't bought Zack & Wiki, de Blob, No More Heroes, etc etc etc... But they complained anyway. Hell, most hadn't bought anything besides Smash Bros. Did they just want... another Smash Bros?

With fans like that, I could totally understand Nintendo not bothering to please them... But Nintendo never really "abandoned" them anyway.

That's exactly where it seemed to start from E3 that had Wii Music. They couldn't stand Cammy (okay, I didn't really enjoy her, she WAS better this year though), there wasn't a new Metroid, Mario, or Zelda (even though all those titles came out in as little over a years time frame), and when they show new ones this year? "Ugh, no new franchises! BORING! Two new Mario games? Peach needs boob physics! Blah blah blah!".

In one of Maelstrom's articles, he cited how many developers, so called "journalists" and "analysts" hate the Wii. They don't get it, and they never will. They don't like competing with Nintendo because Nintendo can (and most of the time) sell more quality titles. Instead of thinking, "Huh, maybe I should make my games better" or, release them in a time frame AWAY from an official Nintendo release, or market the title BETTER, then maybe it would sell.

Most developers are more into making the games THEY want ALL THE TIME. They want to push Digital Distribution down our throats, and kill used game sales. I don't think making a game YOU want to make is a bad thing, nor do I dislike digital downloads (though I do feel that they need to make customers feel more empowered over their purchase, that doesn't make sense does it?) but what do the gamers want? The customer? You know, the people that play games?

I hate the term Hardcore anymore. It's been thrown around way too much. And the funny thing to me is this, people sneered at the Wii Remote. Called it a gimmick, it won't sell. Well surprise surprise, it did. And the beauty of it, is that it got people who wouldn't have wanted to play games to start with, or maybe even come back to it. And Nintendo didn't just show it to gamers, they showed it to the news, TIME magazine, places where that to many in the "industry" wouldn't even bother or even think to reach out to and thus losing out on a golden opportunity to expand the market and it's potential. But the "hardcore" dismisses these potential new long term gamers, they want big, "mature" titles (Now don't think I don't wanna play Mass Effect 2 :-P). Heck, I've known some that won't play anything below rated M, seriously. They want games to be classified as an art form. They want them to be like movies. Why? Because the developers want to, and they tell these hardcore gamers that that's what the hardcore REALLY want, and they believe it.

It's funny how well the Wii sold, and has nearly outsold the PS3 and 360 combined (and no, I'm not obsessive over numbers), and now, Sony and Microsoft want a part of that money. And the hardcore and the fanboys to those consoles are lapping it up. Will they succeed? Depends on the developers, who, ironically, are all on board for it, when motion control has already been around. And largely, it depends upon whether or not Microsoft and Sony market their new technologies right, because if they don't, Nintendo's sales dominance won't budge.



Sorry for the rant....:oops:

[Thalzon]

Anyway, about new games that AREN'T Mario/Metroid/Zelda coming out in the next year or so... Tales of Graces! Lots of redheads this time around (also a bluehead and purplehead and one redhead is also a Canadianhead). They say it'll be one of the longest Tales games, story-wise, at 80 hours or so of main plot.

Sadly I didn't buy the Conduit, but Grinder looks pretty neat (if all those vampires don't take forever to kill like in the trailers). I'm a sucker for a gripping plot, so I'll buy any game that has one... If I can afford it, anyway.

Also, Endless Ocean 2. I loved the first one. Wish I played it more thoroughly than I did, though.

[Kinslayer]

@ Thalzon, do you like Meteos or did you just pick the Lastar Meteon because it looks cool?

[Ray Falling]

I stopped liking videogames when I returned to the Christian faith :) They (videogames) just don't "do it" for me anymore.

Are there any games for Wii right now though that have a long lifespan? Something I can't finish within 5 hours and are actually fun to play over and over again?

If not then I'll probably have no choice but to go through certain RPGS again :D

[BardicKnowledge]

I stopped liking videogames when I returned to the Christian faith :) They (videogames) just don't "do it" for me anymore.

Are there any games for Wii right now though that have a long lifespan? Something I can't finish within 5 hours and are actually fun to play over and over again?

First of all, why does your Christian faith effect your videogame playing? Perhaps that's a topic for a different time and place...

Second, Metroid Prime Trilogy will take you a very long time to finish, and it's incredible.

[Ray Falling]

First of all, why does your Christian faith effect your videogame playing? Perhaps that's a topic for a different time and place...

Second, Metroid Prime Trilogy will take you a very long time to finish, and it's incredible.

I can briefly answer that by saying I experienced priority shift and liberation of a lifestyle that leaned towards addiction. :)

Ah, the Prime Trilogy. I already own all 3 Prime games though, and 2 and 3 are my least favourite to play through again. Would you say the addition of motion control makes the original Prime worth the purchase of the bundle though?

[Schwaltzvald]

I can briefly answer that by saying I experienced priority shift and liberation of a lifestyle that leaned towards addiction. :)

Ah so you're a former hardcore WoW player eh?

[Ray Falling]

Lol, not at all :) But games have taken up a lot of my time and health. I was more of a Halo PC man, myself :)

[Schwaltzvald]

Lol, not at all :) But games have taken up a lot of my time and health. I was more of a Halo PC man, myself :)

Eh fair enough though I have a hard time seeing how one would spend that much time on it and ruin thy health as well. I may seem like I play 24/7 based of my recommendations and experience but I think I don't play any more than something around 2 hours a day; and even then it can be sporadic.

Also try looking at the Wii VC section and check out some oldies like Super Castlevania IV...

[Ray Falling]

Eh fair enough though I have a hard time seeing how one would spend that much time on it and ruin thy health as well. I may seem like I play 24/7 based of my recommendations and experience but I think I don't play any more than something around 2 hours a day; and even then it can be sporadic.

Also try looking at the Wii VC section and check out some oldies like Super Castlevania IV...

I suffer from ME/CFS, which may or may not be the result of my past lifestyle. I think that says enough :) Once you ruin your day/night rhytm you're pretty much screwed.

VC section is a good alternative yes. There are some classics that I really appreciate and certain SNES games NEVER get old :)

I somehow feel like we don't get half the library of available Wii games here in Holland either.

[Thalzon]

@ Thalzon, do you like Meteos or did you just pick the Lastar Meteon because it looks cool?

I liked Meteos. Don't own it anymore, though.

[megadave]

I was going to give the game its own thread, but Dragon Quest Swords is a terribly under-rated game. If any of you haven't tried it yet, I suggest giving it a rental. It's damn fun.

[Thalzon]

Speaking of rather underrated Squeenix games, I bought FF Fables: Chocobo Tales. It's a roguelike game, and a simple one at that. Not terribly difficult, but it's still fun, has good voice acting, and very bright, sharp graphics. Best of all, about 95% of the music is remixed older FF songs! So far I've heard The Void (FF5), Hunter's Chance (FF9), The Man With the Machine Gun (FF8), and the boss music from FF8. There's more, but my knowledge of lesser FF themes like town music or some dungeon music is tenuous at best.

Dialogue is a bit.... special, though. Because it's a light, fairy tale-esque story, you won't even hear so much as a "darn".

[BardicKnowledge]

I can briefly answer that by saying I experienced priority shift and liberation of a lifestyle that leaned towards addiction. :)

Ah, the Prime Trilogy. I already own all 3 Prime games though, and 2 and 3 are my least favourite to play through again. Would you say the addition of motion control makes the original Prime worth the purchase of the bundle though?

Widescreen makes the games worth it, and the new controls are sweet -- ESPECIALLY in Prime 1. You can curve Wave Beam shots around walls! Prime 2 becomes quite enjoyable with motion control also.

Speaking of rather underrated Squeenix games, I bought FF Fables: Chocobo Tales. It's a roguelike game, and a simple one at that. Not terribly difficult, but it's still fun, has good voice acting, and very bright, sharp graphics. Best of all, about 95% of the music is remixed older FF songs! So far I've heard The Void (FF5), Hunter's Chance (FF9), The Man With the Machine Gun (FF8), and the boss music from FF8. There's more, but my knowledge of lesser FF themes like town music or some dungeon music is tenuous at best.


Does Chocobo Tales use the same card battling system that the DS Fables game did?

[Thalzon]

Nope! I haven't used any cards yet, anyway. Found some, but they appear to be for a minigame. Your armour is saddles and your weapons are talons. It's a straight-up roguelike with job classes.

[BardicKnowledge]

Damn, that's too bad, as I really got into the deck building on the DS.

[Toadofsky]

I've been playing Prime Trilogy, but I took a break from it and rented Bully Scholarship Edition. I have to admit, Bully's a pretty compelling game, very enjoyable...

[Penfold]

Got a chance to beat NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits this weekend. Play time was about 4 hours, similar to LostWinds, as well as the same price of 1000 Wii Points/$10. The play style was also somewhat remiscient of LostWinds (you can directly control the character to walk, run, jump, 'fly,' and glide but are reliant on the cursor to interact with the world and defeat enemies). While that game's focus is on exploration, however, this one's is platforming, and is thus broken up into distinctive levels. The visual presentation isn't bad (some bland textures, and in a few spots it's hard to distinguish the foreground from background), and while the music adds to the atmosphere it's also very repetitive (which seems to be a fairly common problem with WiiWare titles). Anyway, all in all, a pretty enjoyable game for those who enjoyed the gameplay elements of LostWinds.

One thing though...The ending was pretty anti-climactic...no big boss fight, just shooting fireballs before they hit you.

[Aninymouse]

Tales of Graces.

Otherwise known as the best RPG for Wii to date.

[Thalzon]

But it's not out yet. It won't be out until next year, in fact.
So for now that honour is still Rune Factory Frontier's.

Also Graces has some horrid colour schemes for its characters.

[Toadofsky]

They (videogames) just don't "do it" for me anymore.

Are there any games for Wii right now though that have a long lifespan? Something I can't finish within 5 hours and are actually fun to play over and over again?

If not then I'll probably have no choice but to go through certain RPGS again :D

I've been going through the same thing, and it's not just with the Wii. Video games for me just aren't as engaging anymore, I'm not as entertained by them. The actual titles that keep me hooked (and have me coming back for more) are few and far between these days.(Of course, having a girlfriend now has kind of filled me with more ambition :smile: )
I think developers need to look more at the games they make and actually look at how they can make games that don't wind up in the trade in section at game stores...

On the topic at hand, I can't wait for New Super Mario Bros.! Looks like a very entertaining game.

Just re-rented De Blob, man that is still a fun game. Might try multiplayer here pretty soon.

[HideousBeing]

Tales of Graces looks very promising. Arc Rise Fantasia, deserves an honorable mention as well. And, of course, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, with Zero confirmed for the NA release.

[Neo Samus]

Tales of Graces looks very promising. Arc Rise Fantasia, deserves an honorable mention as well. And, of course, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, with Zero confirmed for the NA release.

I'm kinda picky when it comes to fighting games, but Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom looks like an absolute blast to play. Too bad it's coming out after christmas (or so I've heard), I was gonna try and ask my wife for it for christmas. :razz:

[Aninymouse]

Also Graces has some horrid colour schemes for its characters.

Your mom has a horrid color scheme.

[Thalzon]

Your mom has a horrid color scheme.

Say what you will, but bright purple pigtails which descend to your ankles and a bright pink leotard do not match. At all. Poor Sophie.

Still looking forward to Graces, tho.

[Penfold]

LostWinds 2 came out on WiiWare yesterday, for those who enjoyed the original. I played about an hour of it yesterday, and I've gotta say I'm enjoying it even more than the first. It's gotta be the prettiest WiiWare game out yet, the music is really fitting to the mood, and there seems to be a more fleshed out story this time around. The gameplay feels enhanced in this sequel as well, adding some new tricks while only removing one from what I can tell. So far, it feels like a larger world (perhaps due to not getting lost so much, thanks to the added map) and a grander adventure seemingly with more to do, though from what I hear in the reviews it's still around the same play time as the original (4 hours).

I'd say if you hated the first one, there probably won't be anything here that'll change your mind; but if you enjoyed the first, you'll probably find more to like in the sequel.

[Thalzon]

Man, I found the first LostWinds to be a real pain, I'll admit. I wanted to like it, but all too often I couldn't get double jumps to work right, I'd get lost, I'd have no real clue of where to go next... I ended up quitting it after finding the second chest.

[megadave]

Hey, is there anybody who still plays Metroid Prime 3? I need to trade tokens with someone so I can unlock all the stuff. Any takers?

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Alright so I'm grabbing a Wii next week, and I have a tech question. I know the Wii is limited to 480p with component, and my experience with my PS2 and standard composite(480i) on my HDTV has been full of blurry visuals. If I were to buy a set of component cables for my Wii, would it still have a pretty blurry picture or not?

[Toadofsky]

Has anyone successfully got all the coins in World 9-7 in New Super Mario Bros. Wii? It's practically impossible for me...
:oops:

[PriZm]

Alright so I'm grabbing a Wii next week, and I have a tech question. I know the Wii is limited to 480p with component, and my experience with my PS2 and standard composite(480i) on my HDTV has been full of blurry visuals. If I were to buy a set of component cables for my Wii, would it still have a pretty blurry picture or not?

Yes it will be pretty blurry, especially since you are probably now more used to seeing stuff in HD. Technically, it shouldn't be as blurry as your PS2 though.

[Hylian Lemon]

Has anyone successfully got all the coins in World 9-7 in New Super Mario Bros. Wii? It's practically impossible for me...
:oops:
My god, that level was hard. I'm assuming you're not having trouble with coin 1, but here's what I did for the other two:

For coin 2, stand to the left of the coin, just far enough to the right that the piranha plants below you can eat away at the ice above the coin. Staying to the left keeps the mass of piranha plants to the right dormant so they don't destroy your exit bridge. As soon as you have an opening, jump down there, nab the coin, and run like hell to the right before the other piranha plants have a chance to melt all the ice.

For coin 3, fall down into the gap as soon as you get a chance, and wall jump back and forth until you're all clear up above. Do a midair spinny move before landing on the top of one of the walls to slow yourself down.

In general, just pretend you're doing one of the super skills videos. Run fast and do a lot of spinny moves to maximize air time. The piranha plants are easier to get through if you don't wait around for them to fill the screen with fireballs.

Speaking of spinny moves, I was playing the old New Super Mario Bros a while back, and I kept accidentally shaking the DS trying to save a bad jump.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Yes it will be pretty blurry, especially since you are probably now more used to seeing stuff in HD. Technically, it shouldn't be as blurry as your PS2 though.

Well right now I'm using S-Video with my PS2, and while it IS blurry, it isn't impossible to deal with as the picture is(relatively) decent to me... If component with the Wii is even just a few notches above that, then I'm sure I'll be just fine.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

So I bought a Wii for myself yesterday.

I do not understand all the hate for this system. Mario Kart Wii alone is most excellent fun, and if I can get my mom and stepdad interested in gaming(Wii Sports Tennis, Boxing, and Mario Kart), well that's some big win in my book.

Too bad I can't find that many people to play Echoes of Time with.

Also double post.

Also Also the universal component cables I bought for the Wii/PS2 really helped out the image. Still a tad blurry, but that's standard def for ya. Nothing terrible, though. I likes what I sees.

[megadave]

I do not understand all the hate for this system.

Jealousy. 10 characters.

[Soul Splint]

I just got a system too, and the person who got it for me bought Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games with it, and supremely unimpressed would be an understatement.

BUT

I just ordered Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime Trilogy, and something tells me the holidays are about to get even jollier. (is that a word?)

It's gonna be GOOD.

[Thalzon]

My dad bought me Silent Hill today. Then he wrapped it.

I don't get to open it til Christmas. Just as well. I need to get all the star coins in NSMB Wii.

[Neblix]

I just got a system too, and the person who got it for me bought Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games with it, and supremely unimpressed would be an understatement.

BUT

I just ordered Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime Trilogy, and something tells me the holidays are about to get even jollier. (is that a word?)

It's gonna be GOOD.


Other games to get:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Super Paper Mario

Super Mario Strikerz

As long as you have those, you should be busy for the next year or so...


I do not understand all the hate for this system.

The hate is because the majority of Wii games are just sets of repeated carnival minigames with different names and brands slapped onto the cases. :/

[Toadofsky]

The hate is because the majority of Wii games are just sets of repeated carnival minigames with different names and brands slapped onto the cases. :/

Also, biased game "journalists"/"analysts" that act like they speak for the hardcore, but have no trouble throwing them under the bus when they don't agree with them (example: Modern Warfare 2).

I've actually quit reading some websites because of how ridiculous they've been acting about the Wii, case in point, IGN, and their "Nintendo Is Lazy", and "Wii Needs Achievements" articles. They must have not liked New Super Mario Bros. Wii doing so well, or maybe they just suck at it.

[Thalzon]

I'm not about to say it's a conspiracy, but I think all the Wii hate stems from both a lack of understanding about this new shift in the gaming industry and a dislike for some of the side effects of the shift.

First off, some people don't understand that every market must be stabilized. We're seeing a glut of casual minigame stuff on the Wii because it's easy to produce, and everyone wants to nab their piece of the casual market pie, and make a name for themselves (or generate a quick buck) before the casual market settles. By "settles" I mean, the casual gamers rest on their selections and stick with them more or less forever. Nintendo and EA are doing a great job of establishing themselves as the companies of choice for fitness and exercise games.

This frenzy, of course, results in a lot of games taking up shelf space that are just plain unappealing to conventional gamers. The frenzy peaked back in 2007-08, when there wasn't much coming out of Nintendo that appealed to the hardcore crowd and everyone else was releasing some terrible software. Sony seemingly had the same problem (some may argue they STILL do), regarding a dearth of great software, but then you won't find Chicken Shot on their console, either.

The second point, about disliking the new software geared towards casuals, goes a little deeper. Basically, people don't want to be associated with Chicken Shot, Anubis 2, or Ninjabread Man, because in their minds, just the fact that the Wii has these games for purchase means the console itself is made worse. It's basically an evolution of the "Nintendo is a kiddy console for kids" thing that the GameCube picked up. Moreover, since the Wii doesn't have the graphical power behind it as the 360 and PS3 do, a lot of the hardcore market doesn't think that even the good games are any good, because they don't LOOK as good. It can be argued that it's the natural result of pushing visuals for years and years.

These same fanboys are, of course, creaming their jeans over Natal and Sony's glowstick, thingies. This implies a rather acute sense of jealously about the Wii's success over the supposedly "better" consoles. Oh well.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

All right gang, so I'm having a connectivity problem with a friend of mine, and I'm sure it's because she needs to have the proper ports forwarded, but I have no idea which ports I'd have to open for the DS/Wii to be able to connect with no problem. Can anyone help with this?

[Toadofsky]

I'm not about to say it's a conspiracy, but I think all the Wii hate stems from both a lack of understanding about this new shift in the gaming industry and a dislike for some of the side effects of the shift.

First off, some people don't understand that every market must be stabilized. We're seeing a glut of casual minigame stuff on the Wii because it's easy to produce, and everyone wants to nab their piece of the casual market pie, and make a name for themselves (or generate a quick buck) before the casual market settles. By "settles" I mean, the casual gamers rest on their selections and stick with them more or less forever. Nintendo and EA are doing a great job of establishing themselves as the companies of choice for fitness and exercise games.

Sony seemingly had the same problem (some may argue they STILL do), regarding a dearth of great software, but then you won't find Chicken Shot on their console, either.

The second point, about disliking the new software geared towards casuals, goes a little deeper. Basically, people don't want to be associated with Chicken Shot, Anubis 2, or Ninjabread Man, because in their minds, just the fact that the Wii has these games for purchase means the console itself is made worse. It's basically an evolution of the "Nintendo is a kiddy console for kids" thing that the GameCube picked up. Moreover, since the Wii doesn't have the graphical power behind it as the 360 and PS3 do, a lot of the hardcore market doesn't think that even the good games are any good, because they don't LOOK as good. It can be argued that it's the natural result of pushing visuals for years and years.

These same fanboys are, of course, creaming their jeans over Natal and Sony's glowstick, thingies. This implies a rather acute sense of jealously about the Wii's success over the supposedly "better" consoles. Oh well.

Sorry, but I think it's best not to divide gamers by what they play. That to me is part of the problem, besides this annoying Hardcore gamer garbage.

It amazes me how they (the industry) make games for the hardcore for the Wii, but when there is little to no advertising for the game, how can they expect it to sell? Word of mouth may get some games a high selling rate, but not all of them are so fortunate.

And not every game needs to be rated M to be considered as a hardcore title/great title, but since I've seen too many "hardcore" gamers/journalists cry about lack of these "mature" games, I think there isn't enough maturity in the gamers/journalists themselves.

Have they (the journalists) even tried to read or research Blue Ocean Strategy? If Microsoft or Sony started in on that, they probably would.

The "casual" mini games are a glut of bad software, there's no ifs or butts about it. But even that is backfiring now on companies that tried to cash in on it (customers are not as stupid as they think, they catch on quick).

But it amazes me that here is a console that has a high install base, is cheaper to make games on, and companies stick their nose up at it. What? Are they afraid to compete with Nintendo? Sure, NOT ALL of their games have been that great lately, but if you can't or don't want to compete with a company that has been known for quality (in the past for some), then YOU'RE LAZY. Hear that IGN? that's what you should have been whining about, third party companies lack of software.

I've become disallusioned with the gaming industry. So much BS has gone on these past few years that I have no trust in it whatsoever. From the reviews that are done in plush hotels paid by the game makers (like Modern Warfare 2), to the manipulated hardcore gamers, to the arguements about games being an "art" form (I don't want to get into that), this is not what I expected, let alone wanted.

I guess I am a jaded gamer, but these things have definitely put a large dent in my feelings on gaming. I don't care about big giant stories in games, I don't care about big orchestral scores (most are forgettable in games today), or acheivements.

I just try to enjoy games, and that's it.

(Sorry for this being a rant once again)

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I guess if Gears of War or Uncharted ain't on the system, it's crap.

There are PLENTY of games on the Wii worth grabbing(or at the least interesting), and I'm not even counting all the stuff on WiiWare/Virtual Console.

[q-pa]

There are PLENTY of games on the Wii worth grabbing(or at the least interesting), and I'm not even counting all the stuff on WiiWare/Virtual Console.

There's also the awesome homebrew scene (http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Main_Page) :wink: :wink:

But seriously, I understand their points; good games are few and far between. And looking at the catalog of titles together on a store shelf is kind of a downer...

Still I love my Wii and am proud to own one. I'm actually still working on several leftover GameCube games, principally Eternal Darkness and Ikaruga.

[AarowSwift]

It helps to not limit yourself to liking just a few genres. The Wii plus the DS caused me to deal with the first backlog I've ever had. A backlog it's taken me over a year to catch up on. My Wii game collection alone is larger than any of my others and I own systems back to the SNES, and this is after a recent brutal cull of games I didn't figure I'd replay. Is the Wii lacking strong showings in some classic genres? No doubt. I saw that as all the more reason to experiment with trying out new stuff and so far this has been very rewarding.

[Thalzon]

It helps to not limit yourself to liking just a few genres. The Wii plus the DS caused me to deal with the first backlog I've ever had. A backlog it's taken me over a year to catch up on. My Wii game collection alone is larger than any of my others and I own systems back to the SNES, and this is after a recent brutal cull of games I didn't figure I'd replay. Is the Wii lacking strong showings in some classic genres? No doubt. I saw that as all the more reason to experiment with trying out new stuff and so far this has been very rewarding.

Indeed. Even average games like Dewy's Adventure or Deadly Creatures are worth checking out, especially since both are likely super-cheap by now.

[Toadofsky]

Indeed. Even average games like Dewy's Adventure or Deadly Creatures are worth checking out, especially since both are likely super-cheap by now.

I heard Deadly Creatures was plagued by bugs (like actual game glitches), and signifcant slowdown, if that wasn't true, I'll by all means check it out.

Never did try Dewey's Adventure, might have to try it out.

[Thalzon]

I heard Deadly Creatures was plagued by bugs (like actual game glitches), and signifcant slowdown, if that wasn't true, I'll by all means check it out.


I encountered one that was pretty annoying. It's on level 9, and there's a chance that some enemies won't spawn. They need to be killed in order to unblock the passageway, but if they don't spawn, they never will unless you reset.

One I only heard of was that certain copies will not work on Wii systems. That didn't happen to me.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles.

If you like Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica, as well as light gun shooters, then this is the game for you. The only problem one might have with it is the shaky camera, but I love this game and you all should too.

[linkspast]

I think that the flood of casual games on the wii is where this negative sterotype comes from, I mean for every Mario or Zelda there must be 30 or more Wii party games...

[XZero]

I think that the flood of casual games on the wii is where this negative sterotype comes from, I mean for every Mario or Zelda there must be 30 or more Wii party games...

Well, that's absolutely true of Zelda.

I just got New Super Mario Bros. Wii for Christmas. Great game. Really great, actually, and probably some of the most ingenious level design I've ever encountered in a Mario game. But you know what? It kind of feels lazy.

I didn't bother reading back through all of the recent posts (so this may have been noted here already), but Matt Casamassina over at IGN recently wrote a good editorial arguing that Nintendo has been lazy, and I have to agree, holding up NSMBW as an example. Yes, it's a fantastic game. It simply could have been so much more.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is, I think, an excellent example of the problems with Nintendo's new strategies. First and foremost, the graphics are identical to the DS graphics. It doesn't look bad, but compared to 2D games like Wario Land or Muramasa, Mario is just bland. This is also true of the character selection. Mario and Luigi are a must. So is a (1) Toad. Not 2; only 1. There is no reason that Peach, Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, etc. are not playable as well. If every character controls the same, it's nothing more than swapping the 3D character on the screen.

The gameplay is generally fine (except for the fact that the GCN and/or Classic Controller should have been optional and the shaking should have been omitted), but it's not perfect. When more than one person is playing, its actually a rather annoying game. Did you ever want to play a Mario game with grandma? Well, now you can, and you can find out just why you don't want to play games with grandma. The fact that characters bounce off of one another is a real problem, and ultimately, I think NSMBW's multiplayer would be more fun drunk at a party. And that's precisely the problem.

Nintendo's *everyone plays!* Wii strategy is really annoying to gamers. The hardcore RPG gamers aren't getting the RPGs (the only place for a steady flow of JRPGs anymore is the DS), the older fans aren't getting the flow of mainstream or adult-oriented games that other consoles have, and the only people satisfied are those who play games casually. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a fun experience, and a solid Mario game. Instead of making something outstanding, they made it accessible to everyone, and it's just not the best way to handle these sorts of things, especially since the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Let me summarize my thoughts on New Super Mario Bros. Wii thusly: it is the DreamWorks to Super Mario Galaxy's Pixar. It's a generally solid game, but it is by no means a masterpiece. The ultimate reason for this, in my opinion, is that Nintendo lost focus, going for accessibility and family play while ignoring the core gamers, just as they have been doing since the N64-GCN era. The Wii is a good system with quite a few very, very good games that are core-gamer oriented. You just have to dig through a bunch of crap in order to find them.

[Thalzon]

So I've been playing Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and I must say, it's a very gripping game. It's not OMG SCARY!!! or anything, but it just feels like I could play through several times and find some new stuff each time. It's a fun game to analyze, because the effects of your choices are not immediately apparent.

For example, I was told to fill in a school schedule. I was told it should be my "optimal school day". Creative Writing, Literature, Science, and Geography (not necessarily in that order). The next area I went through was a high school, naturally. But I really don't know how these choices influenced the environment or how the game progressed. I suppose the "science" choice gave me access to the biology and chemistry labs, but I can't be absolutely certain, because I certainly didn't go through an english class or geography classroom. Also, the main puzzle of the area was in the art studio.

The "nightmare" segments are pretty damn cool, I think. First, you see the entire surrounding area ice over in real-time. People are crystalized, and then the monsters come out. Generally, they are all the same type of monster: a humanoid that screams and squeals like a little girl, and latches onto you, strangling and clawing... But honestly? It really feels like they're HAPPY to see you, because when they kill you they simply lay a hand on your arm or back, as though not understanding why you suddenly fell over. The only annoying thing about these nightmare segments is that it's so easy to get lost and wind up going in circles. All exits and obstacles get a bit of blue light on them, but there's no distinction between the lights, so the way you came from is lit the same way as the way you're going. Also, checking the map is difficult because you're bound to be swarmed by shrieking mutants, and you can't run while the map is open. That might just be par for the course in the series or horror games in general. It may seem like a major annoyance, but it really gives you a feeling of relief when you finally make it to safety.

The plot is pretty sweet, too. Anyone who's played previous Silent Hill games (unlike me) might be able to spot plot twists a mile away, though.

This game definitely puts the "Survival" back into "Survival Horror".

[megadave]

"Matt Casamassina"

I don't mean to be hateful, but those IGN loss relevance years ago. They rate games based off of the effort that goes into games, not how fun the games are. Speaking of RPGs, the Wii has virtual console, which has the best RPGs (especially oddballs like Shining Force) and it effectively defeats other consoles in that category. That's my two cents.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I'm gonna go ahead and just say it.

Fuck "hardcore gamers".

Seriously. Fuck those elitist pricks. If a game is fun, it's fun. If it's not, then stay the fuck away from it, but don't belittle someone's experience by saying they're tasteless shitheads for liking something like Bejeweled or Peggle as opposed to something like Dragon Age or Halo 3: ODST.

Laziness? If by laziness you mean putting out solid experiences time after time, then I guess so. It's not Nintendo's fault 3rd parties are trying to cash in on the success of stuff like Wii Sports and Wii Fit without adding any of the depth to their titles.

[Doni]

The Wii is super cool, I like it, but I agree with some about how most titles suck.

The problem is that nintendo said, "YOU MUST USE THE WII-MOTE EXCLUSIVELY" to all developers. So for a title to be on the wii, it has to have a certain percentage of wrist action... so to speak...

I think it's a shame that nintendo couldn't keep it's RPG cred though. The SNES was easily the best for it's RPG's and it rocked all other systems formidably. Mario Kart, Mario Galaxy, smash bros.... all that is dope... but where for art though my Earthbound sequel that I've been waiting 20 years for... :puppyeyes::puppyeyes::puppyeyes:

[PriZm]

Well I used to have a Wii, but I sold it due to lack of interest in the titles. As much as it's cool for you to like the Wii, it's also cool if someone happens to not like it. I mean, if you're gonna expect everybody to respect you for liking the console, shouldn't you respect also those who don't ?

I do not consider myself an elitist prick or jealous or whatever, I just plain didn't like it.

That being said, it's obvious that someone who spends their time telling everybody how liking the Wii is gayer than gay etc etc. does not deserve your respect.

[XZero]

Laziness? If by laziness you mean putting out solid experiences time after time, then I guess so. It's not Nintendo's fault 3rd parties are trying to cash in on the success of stuff like Wii Sports and Wii Fit without adding any of the depth to their titles.

You are absolutely right that it's not Nintendo's fault (though the Nintendo Seal of Quality used to mean more back in the day...).

There is something that's Nintendo's fault, though. No one would disagree that games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a fun, solid experience. It simply could have been better, and I think that's the general consensus of the various reviewers and fans.

[Hawkwing]

I'm currently addicted to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade. I don't know what it is about those Harvest Moon games, but I love them.

[Schwaltzvald]

I'm gonna go ahead and just say it.

Fuck "hardcore gamers".

Seriously. Fuck those elitist pricks. If a game is fun, it's fun. If it's not, then stay the fuck away from it, but don't belittle someone's experience by saying they're tasteless shitheads for liking something like Bejeweled or Peggle as opposed to something like Dragon Age or Halo 3: ODST.

Hey now don't throw such statements like that around, especially those such as myself consider playing difficult games that would make most run away from them from sheer but not impossible difficulty, "hardcore gamers". Those that make it a habit of searching or artificially making games difficult for the mere challenges and accomplishments from doing so.

I'm on my one man crusade to change that perception as "hardcore gaming" had nearly lost itself to the very same bullshit that you described Malaki. The only place elitism should ever have would be the scoreboard/speed record/highscore record and that's all; simply initials along with the numbers and that's it.



I also like the Harvest Moon series...


wut..?

[Thalzon]

I'm currently addicted to Harvest Moon: Animal Parade. I don't know what it is about those Harvest Moon games, but I love them.

I sunk well over 200 hours into Rune Factory Frontier. Con: Life wasted. Pro: I finally crafted my Whale Hat!

[cobaltstarfire]

You are absolutely right that it's not

There is something that's Nintendo's fault, though. No one would disagree that games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a fun, solid experience. It simply could have been better, and I think that's the general consensus of the various reviewers and fans.

What would you have done to make NSMB Wii "better" just out of curiosity?

Other than 'better graphics and more characters'

I'll just say now I think the bouncing/pushing is an aspect I like about the multiplayer game. So I'll just pre-emptively agree to disagree with you on that bit. (I mean I got used to the bouncing and learned to control and use it to my advantage). Maybe I'm just weird and enjoy that there actually is some interaction during multiplayer beyond 2-4 people being on the screen at once.

[Neblix]

It simply could have been better, and I think that's the general consensus of the various reviewers and fans.


Game reviewers like IGN make big deals out of nothing and nothing of big deals.

There's nothing wrong with NSMBW, therefore IGN has to resort to complaining about stuff that's NOT in the game. However, they don't give the slightest praise to what IS in the game.

I'm not sure what could be added to increase the fun of NSMBW besides HD graphics.
But graphics aren't everything, and the Wii proves it. (the NES proved it, for god's sake)

[Azuth]

Well I used to have a Wii, but I sold it due to lack of interest in the titles. As much as it's cool for you to like the Wii, it's also cool if someone happens to not like it. I mean, if you're gonna expect everybody to respect you for liking the console, shouldn't you respect also those who don't ?

I do not consider myself an elitist prick or jealous or whatever, I just plain didn't like it.

That being said, it's obvious that someone who spends their time telling everybody how liking the Wii is gayer than gay etc etc. does not deserve your respect.

I feel the same way. I gave mine away because I simply hated the motion controls. It's just a personal preference thing.

I might've kept it for the virtual console though if I didn't already have a modded Xbox to emulate the older systems. It sure beats re-buying my old game collection, plus it upscales them all to HD resolutions. Sprites look incredibly sharp in HD. :)

[Neblix]

I feel the same way. I gave mine away because I simply hated the motion controls. It's just a personal preference thing.

I might've kept it for the virtual console though if I didn't already have a modded Xbox to emulate the older systems. It sure beats re-buying my old game collection, plus it upscales them all to HD resolutions. Sprites look incredibly sharp in HD. :)

You could also mod your Wii to run emulators... :P Even though it's not HD, you can use the Virtual Console Controller. :p

[Penfold]

Has anybody downloaded Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth or The Magic Obelisk (the Game Arts Wiiware title) that came out today? Haven't seen any reviews up yet for either, but the both look like they could be fun.

[q-pa]

... but where for art though my Earthbound sequel that I've been waiting 20 years for... :puppyeyes::puppyeyes::puppyeyes:

It's on GBA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_3). And not released in America.:sad:

[SoloGamer]

An official release would be nice, but a fan translation is just as good.

http://mother3.fobby.net/

[megadave]

I've been playing Mother 3. It's awesome.

[XZero]

What would you have done to make NSMB Wii "better" just out of curiosity?

Other than 'better graphics and more characters'

I'll just say now I think the bouncing/pushing is an aspect I like about the multiplayer game. So I'll just pre-emptively agree to disagree with you on that bit. (I mean I got used to the bouncing and learned to control and use it to my advantage). Maybe I'm just weird and enjoy that there actually is some interaction during multiplayer beyond 2-4 people being on the screen at once.

I can think of several ways to improve the game, all of which could have been accomplished while retaining the fantastic level design and generally good gameplay (I can't see us agreeing on the bouncing issue). First and foremost, it does not need HD graphics, and graphics in no way make fun game more or less fun as long as they are passable (neblix, I agree with you on this point). That doesn't mean, however, that it should look generic when it could look better.

So how would I improve the graphics? I would have liked to see something graphically more aligned with Wario Land last year or Muramasa this year. Both were beautiful, and both had a fantastic art style.

The second thing I would improve about the game is its character selection, as already noted. Peach was kidnapped, but that was far from a necessary plot device (Bowser could simply have stolen her castle as he's done before). There was no reason to keep her, Daisy, and others out of the playable character lineup, especially when two of the four characters are the same character.

Finally, I think to compliment the level design, I would like to have seen more usage of items like the mini-mushroom and Yoshi in particular, who only appeared in a few levels. Also, the motion controls, while unobtrusive, should have been mapped to buttons on the GCN or Classic controllers as an option.

Bear in mind, I acknowledge that reviewers did not focus on the positive aspects of this game. It is a hell of a lot of fun, it does feature some of the best level design we've seen since many of us were kids in the 80s and 90s, and it is certainly a generally polished game. Don't get the wrong idea; I really, really like New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It's one of the best Wii games released this year, and it absolutely rapes Animal Crossing and Wii Music as a holiday title. I simply think that there were things that could have been done better.

[Schwaltzvald]

Has anybody downloaded Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth or The Magic Obelisk (the Game Arts Wiiware title) that came out today? Haven't seen any reviews up yet for either, but the both look like they could be fun.

Am playing Castlevania Rebirth and have been waiting ever since I found the soundtrack a good while ago and shared it here. Will give a review post later on.

[Penfold]

Am playing Castlevania Rebirth and have been waiting ever since I found the soundtrack a good while ago and shared it here. Will give a review post later on.

Cool, thanks for the response man. Looking forward to seeing your review of it (still haven't seen any professional reviews up for it, but I guess that's the holiday season for you).

[Schwaltzvald]

SO hey after playing up to four levels I have to say it actually very good, if not entertaining. It does contain the familiar difficulty of the older Castlevania games however it also stays fresh with a different feel of control on Christopher Belmont. I say different feel because while he does move like Simon in the original Castlevania on the NES, he does not suffer lost control while descending from a jump. However there seems to be an option for "classic" play which I assume it actually brings back that bit of difficulty; I haven't tried it just yet so I can't say much for it.
The music rarely ever feels stale throughout gameplay though find myself wanting to hear different tracks for different bosses for some reason; personal nitpick perhaps but otherwise the boss fights themselves are more or less enjoyable.

I actually find the first few major bosses (as well as the mid bosses) more or less easy to fight. I have to say it's mainly to being used to the game play for years as I would imagine any one playing a Castlevania game for the first time will be crushed by them a couple of times before beating them.

Mind you though I had been playing on Normal mode, as there are hard and easy modes available I assume Normal mode would be just the game in its original difficulty.

Overall it's an enjoyable experience imo.

Five holy water bottles torching giant eyeballs out of five.

[Thalzon]

I beat Shattered Memories today. Pretty awesome, but far more cinematic than gameplay, really. The difficulty dropped to zero immediately after the hospital, but I'm okay with that. The narrative remained compelling the whole way through.

Now to gamefaqs, to help with my second playthrough.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Ok gang, we're gonna be talking about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers(The Movie: The Game) in this post.

Where to start? Well first I think I'll touch on the negatives, of which there are several. For starters, this is not your standard Final Fantasy. Hell, this isn't even your standard Crystal Chronicles game. It's a single-player open-world adventure game with a ton of interesting, yet not compelling mini-games. While not entirely a negative in and of itself, it might turn a few people off from the game. The game's narrative follows an established(in the game world anyway) set of characters and as such, you won't see a huge amount of background and world exposition, which to me was a disappointment, because there was a bunch of potential there.

Now on to everything else. I personally enjoyed the game. There's a lot to do in this beautiful world, combat is pretty fun once you figure the ins and outs, the soundtrack is excellent, and the main character doesn't have a huge cloud of melodrama hanging over him the whole time. The main focus of combat is Layle's(the main character and a Crystal Bearer) telekinetic abilities which are activated through the Wiimote. You can pick up objects, toss 'em at enemies, toss people off cliffs, pick up enemies and toss 'em at walls, or other enemies and so on. It sounds pretty basic at first, and you'd be right to think so given that the game does NOTHING to explain how you can interact with enemies and the environment.

For example: You're fighting a malboro who has a bunch of its tentacles protecting it. Well, you could try picking up a cactuar, squeeze it so that it fires 1000 needles at the malboro, or toss boulders at it. Nope, that's hardly killing the bastard. Hmmm... Wonder if I could take out those tentacles protecting it? Sure enough, they go down fast and leave different colored bulbs. Well now what? By accident, you happen to grab the malboro and manage to get it's mouth open. AHA! Let's give it a case of indigestion! Wonder what would happen if I threw that red bulb into it's mouth? ...BOOM!!! Explosion! A few more of those ought to do the trick!

There are plenty of other interesting things you can do like supercharging electric jellyfish, overloading flans, making goats crap then using their dung as projectiles, etc. I found myself not advancing the story often just to see what kind of crap I could do to monsters(here's a hint: A lot)

The storyline is predictable at times, but takes a few interesting turns here and there, it's just too bad that it wasn't as fully realized as it could have been. What's a Crystal Bearer? How does one become one? Are there more? That sort of thing. Also while Layle's telekinetic abilities are cool, it would have been more interesting had he been able to do more with it, like picking up two objects at once, some kind of shield, or blades or something. I have a hard time trying to score this game myself, being that I know I enjoyed it, but most reviewers have been unkind. On my personal scale, I'd probably give it a 7.9. It's a fun game, but so much more could have been done with it. Anyway, give it a shot, see what you think, and happy gaming.

[BardicKnowledge]

SO hey after playing up to four levels I have to say it actually very good, if not entertaining. It does contain the familiar difficulty of the older Castlevania games however it also stays fresh with a different feel of control on Christopher Belmont. I say different feel because while he does move like Simon in the original Castlevania on the NES, he does not suffer lost control while descending from a jump. However there seems to be an option for "classic" play which I assume it actually brings back that bit of difficulty; I haven't tried it just yet so I can't say much for it.
The music rarely ever feels stale throughout gameplay though find myself wanting to hear different tracks for different bosses for some reason; personal nitpick perhaps but otherwise the boss fights themselves are more or less enjoyable.

I actually find the first few major bosses (as well as the mid bosses) more or less easy to fight. I have to say it's mainly to being used to the game play for years as I would imagine any one playing a Castlevania game for the first time will be crushed by them a couple of times before beating them.

Mind you though I had been playing on Normal mode, as there are hard and easy modes available I assume Normal mode would be just the game in its original difficulty.

Overall it's an enjoyable experience imo.

Five holy water bottles torching giant eyeballs out of five.

I'm agreeing with the 5/5 review. A couple important things to note: Switching between Normal and Hard difficulty actually changes the location of all of the platforms, giving you effectively two games in one.

Also, don't think of it as only having 6 stages, as there are TONS of branching paths per level (use those keys!).

Finally, Classic mode does give you Simon jumping. If you're looking for a challenge, I'd recommend Classic mode for Normal difficulty, and giving yourself controlled jumps for Hard mode.

[Thalzon]

Ok gang, we're gonna be talking about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers(The Movie: The Game) in this post.

*text*

I want to play it, but the reviews sort of scared me off at first. Thank you for posting, because I probably would've just forgotten about it. Now, when it drops in price (and since it's a Squeenix game, that means 6 months to a year) I'll definitely pick it up.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I want to play it, but the reviews sort of scared me off at first. Thank you for posting, because I probably would've just forgotten about it. Now, when it drops in price (and since it's a Squeenix game, that means 6 months to a year) I'll definitely pick it up.

No prob. That's what I do.

In this post, I'll be talking about Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

RE: The Darkside Chronicles is an on-rails light gun shooter much like a Time Crisis or House of The Dead game, which chronicles the stories of Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica, as well as adding in a new campaign called "Operation: Javier" which is set in South America in 2002 that tells the story of Leon's first mission with Krauser.

Being that the game is designed with two-player coop in mind(no drop in/out though), several elements of the RE2 and C:V stories have been rearranged to accommodate having Leon/Claire and Claire/Steve/Chris traveling together. For any hardcore RE lore fans, it shouldn't be that much of a problem as it definitely feels natural, almost like it SHOULD have been that way in the first place. Speaking of lore, this game has plenty of interesting pieces of info and background into the RE series, including audio logs of key characters that explain their motives and such. Since you unlock these archives during the course of the game playthrough, there's plenty of replay value, as there might be up to 15 different hidden archives in one chapter, in addition to plenty of other unlockables like standard extra costumes and such.

This game is pretty. I mentioned that I thought The Crystal Bearers looked nice, but this game probably wins my award for best looking Wii game(although I've yet to play Silent Hill). Chapters are decently long and take you through all the usual locales and several new ones(such as a strange "training hall" used by Alfred on Rockfort Island. A lot of the game's environment can be destroyed as well to find gold, herbs, archives and ammo as well.

The game is compatible with Wiimote & nunchuck, Wii Zapper(or perfect shot) and nunchuck, or Wiimote only controls, although I personally feel that using a nunchuck allows for easier controlling. Basic gameplay involves you pointing and shooting(duh) at zombies and other nasties that come your way. Headshots improve your score multipliers(and they're so damned satisfying to pull off) among other things like time to complete stage, number of enemies defeated, etc. You can use a bunch of different weapons such as a handgun, shotgun, SMG, grenades, bow gun, etc. as well as your knife and melee attacks(when things get dicey), and you can upgrade the stats on all guns by using the money you collect in stages.

The one big negative that this game has that'll either make it or break it for you is the camera. To be specific, the shaky cam that's become a movie favorite in stuff like Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity. Personally I found that it adds a layer of tension and promotes a "when to shoot" attitude. Other than that, I can't think of any at all. I'm an RE fan and while I was skeptical about whether I'd enjoy RE on rails, I found myself loving the hell out of it.

I give the game a definite 8.5 on my scale. Zombie-killing and light gun shooters are fun. Resident Evil is fun. This is a no-brainer(HA!). If you liked The Umbrella Chronicles, chances are you'd like this one more. Go out and give it a shot. Happy gaming.

[Dr.Flintlock]

I picked up Sky Crawlers Innocent Aces today and am having a helluva lot of fun with it. While I'm only the 3rd or 4th mission in, its proving to be a pretty satisfying addition to my Wii game library. Kinda plays like an Ace Combat game (seeing as it was handled by Project Aces) but with a higher emphasis on actually flying to strategically place yourself behind your opponent. You don't have any lock-on missiles and are restricted to machine guns and unguided bombs mostly, so the bigger picture is put on dogfighting instead of "fire and forget" kind of stuff you get with other flight sims.

The story's so far pretty good, notably if you've watched the anime by Mamoru Oshii. The game is a sort of prequel to some of the events in the anime and serves as a nice companion to the whole thing. Cutscenes are nice and all the radio chatter is pretty good as well (although I do think they have the voice of Shamrock from AC 6 as one of your co-pilots in this one; a minor annoyance).

Only nitpick I have right now is that the motion controls, while intuitive enough, take a LONG time to get used to. I still prefer using a classic controller, but if I want to mess around, using the wii-mote for throttle certainly feels pretty legit.

Also, I should mention that there's no option to have a Japanese dub of the game. It doesn't bother me much, but then, I'm no purist when it comes to my anime games.

Overall, its a lot of fun so far and the soundtrack is also pretty catchy with lots of synth rock and such. I'd say its a purchase, given I think its only around $30 stateside.

Just my 2 cents. kthanxbai

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I picked up Sky Crawlers Innocent Aces today and am having a helluva lot of fun with it. While I'm only the 3rd or 4th mission in, its proving to be a pretty satisfying addition to my Wii game library. Kinda plays like an Ace Combat game (seeing as it was handled by Project Aces) but with a higher emphasis on actually flying to strategically place yourself behind your opponent. You don't have any lock-on missiles and are restricted to machine guns and unguided bombs mostly, so the bigger picture is put on dogfighting instead of "fire and forget" kind of stuff you get with other flight sims.

The story's so far pretty good, notably if you've watched the anime by Mamoru Oshii. The game is a sort of prequel to some of the events in the anime and serves as a nice companion to the whole thing. Cutscenes are nice and all the radio chatter is pretty good as well (although I do think they have the voice of Shamrock from AC 6 as one of your co-pilots in this one; a minor annoyance).

Only nitpick I have right now is that the motion controls, while intuitive enough, take a LONG time to get used to. I still prefer using a classic controller, but if I want to mess around, using the wii-mote for throttle certainly feels pretty legit.

Also, I should mention that there's no option to have a Japanese dub of the game. It doesn't bother me much, but then, I'm no purist when it comes to my anime games.

Overall, its a lot of fun so far and the soundtrack is also pretty catchy with lots of synth rock and such. I'd say its a purchase, given I think its only around $30 stateside.

Just my 2 cents. kthanxbai

Thanks for posting this. I had heard about the game in passing a few times on 1up, but after reading this and then looking up reviews and more info on the game, it seems like a real steal for 30 bucks.

I'm actually pretty impressed with all the games companies like Ignition and XSEED are bringing over stateside. Games like this, Fragile, Little King Story, Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia, etc.

Tip of the hat to you fine people.

[BardicKnowledge]

If you still haven't bought a classic controller, you might want to wait because these new ones look badass. (http://www.capcom-unity.com/snow_infernus/blog/2010/01/25/monster_hunter_tri_bundle_available_in_april)

[Native Jovian]

Sweet, I haven't played Sky Crawlers yet and I was wondering if it was going to be any good. Now I'm actually looking forward to playing it instead of being cautiously pessimistic.

Shamrock's a fucking tool, though.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Nah, I'm a flight game nerd, so I'm totally excited about using the Wii remote and nunchuck as an actual flightstick. Oh man oh man oh man.

[q-pa]

If you still haven't bought a classic controller, you might want to wait because these new ones look badass. (http://www.capcom-unity.com/snow_infernus/blog/2010/01/25/monster_hunter_tri_bundle_available_in_april)
I already bought one imported. It feels real good.

[Dr.Flintlock]

So I know there's usually an unspoken law about not trading games in, but I did anyway and picked up Mass Effect 2 and No More Heroes 2 the other day. I've barely played the latter as I've been pretty busy with the former, but from what I can gather, its just as inane as the first one and a definite upgrade. I usually don't agree with journalistic reviews, but those retro-style mini games really do kickass, complete with awesome chiptune music.

I won't lie though. I actually had to go online to remind myself who the dude was who died within the first 15 minutes of the game....Also, arcade game called BJ5 (ahem) is hilarious.

Overall, I'll hopefully have something a little more thorough in the next few weeks.



Shamrock's a fucking tool, though.

"I HAVE HIM!!!"

That he is, my friend, that he is.

[The Mutericator]

Ragequit on NMH2's haunted house boss. Has anyone figured out a good way to beat him?

Instead I played Crystal Bearers, and beat it. Definitely thinking about New Game+, since I only bought, like, three pieces of equipment the entire game. Ending was weird, but kind of cool. Hoping that there'll be a sequel somewhere far off with Layle, but no one else (since they killed off most of the cooler cast members).

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

So I picked up Sky Crawlers for $30 earlier today. Thus far I'm on mission 4 and I can say one thing for sure about the game.

It's hella fun.

I'll give my full thoughts once I finish the game, but so far it's going great.

[Poke'G]

I already bought [a classic pro controller] imported. It feels real good.

Yeah, the new Pro controllers are amazing and finally give the Wii a comfortable controller with a logical button layout. It's Nintendo's best one in well over a decade. Playing the N64 VC with it is amazing.

I bought one when they first released over here and was so impressed I immediately picked up another one.

[Cecilff2]

Ragequit on NMH2's haunted house boss. Has anyone figured out a good way to beat him?

Not sure if its the best way, but he doesn't seem to have any glaring weakness besides swinging a slow and unwieldy axe. Clear the room of furniture though so you can dodge his flame attacks, and just let him use that axe and counter each time(Don't continue it too long or he'll start up another swing before you can dodge it). Careful with the blade clashes too, as I have no idea how it determines who wins that type. Normal ones I pretty much always win, but I have no idea what it was asking for in that one(I just kinda swung the remote around like a lasso, which sometimes worked)

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Ok, so I finished all 17 missions of Sky Crawlers last night(and more than a few rounds of free mission mode), so now time to talk turkey.

For $30, you're essentially getting Ace Combat on the Wii with great motion controls that admittedly take a bit of time to get used to, and plenty of replay value.

The game itself is a prequel set 8 years before the original Sky Crawlers novel/anime, which itself is a novel series of about 4 or 5 books(I wouldn't know as my experience is with the movie only). While having background knowledge on the series would help to understand the universe, it isn't entirely necessary as like I mentioned above, it's pretty much Ace Combat, and it should be being that it was designed by the same Project Aces team at Namco.

Gameplay follows you going through 17 different missions ranging from escort, attack and interception, land raids, etc. using different prop planes during an alternate WWII-era timeline. The controls are simple(sort of): Using the nunchuck in your dominant hand, you control roll/turning and pitch like you would on a flightstick, while using the Wiimote to handle throttle, braking, target selection and yaw(on expert controls). Given the timeframe, you won't be using anything other than guns and anti-ground bombs, which means that "fire and forget" mentality from usual Ace Combat games is gone, which leads to a much more up-close, visceral and satisfying dogfighting experience.

In addition to having a great degree of aviation freedom thanks to the Wii controls(you can also use a classic or gamecube controller if you're not up for it), there are special maneuvers such as barrel rolls mapped to the analog stick on the nunchuck for rapid access. Another nice feature is the ability to "track" your enemies with a special gauge that fills up over time, then pressing the A button to do some crazy acrobatics and wind up behind your foe, which lets you make a quick(and awesome) kill. While sorta cheap, it is still pretty cool to watch and actually becomes useful later on.

In addition to the standard "pick your plane and weapons before a mission" AC shtick, you also have a certain degree of freedom in customizing certain elements in your plane such as wing types, engines, cockpit type, and several different paint jobs. While not too compelling, it does at a degree of personality to your style of play.

Production values are pretty decent, although as per most flight games, you aren't going to see a huge amount of detail on the ground, and another personal gripe is that the damned AC mission timer still makes it's appearance here.

All and all, it's a great experience, and if flight games are your thing(like they are mine), you'll probably enjoy it quite a bit, and for the price it's a bloody steal. Go out and give it a shot, and happy gaming.

[Toadofsky]

I couldn't pass up this story, not after hearing all the whining of third party companies not being able to sell games on the Wii. Warning, LOTS OF TEXT...

http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=6926

In a recent Q & A with Nintendo Investors, Iwata answered many different questions, ones that were seriously needing to be addressed, but the biggest thing of all, was this, at least to me...

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/100129qa/img/slide09_l.jpg
Granted, that confirms that console games outsold on the 360, but, there's one game in particular that had boosted those figures for those months,
COD: MW 2, and NPD included ALL SKU's for that game (there were several "special editions" of the game). So, let's see what happens when you remove that game from the equation...

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/100129qa/img/slide10_l.jpg
So any of these arguments that companies can't make a profit on the Wii, is bull.
I think the problem lies in the fact that either the companies didn't really have faith in those "hardcore" games selling, or, they were being lazy themselves.

Also another shock, was this...

Iwata: "To tell you the truth, GameCube is secretly designed to load graphical circuits which display graphics for right and left eyes respectively, for a future possibility of realizing 3D gaming experience."

You heard it folks, Nintendo looked into 3-D gaming as well...
:-P

[Bleck]

Anyone who thinks the original Classic Controller isn't comfortable didn't spend any time playing a SNES, and as such, is terrible.

[Thalzon]

So any of these arguments that companies can't make a profit on the Wii, is bull.
I think the problem lies in the fact that either the companies didn't really have faith in those "hardcore" games selling, or, they were being lazy themselves.


Games like Mad World and Dead Space Extraction probably fall well outside what the majority of Wii owners are looking for in games, whereas something like Carnival Games, despite being inferior, does not. Not to say they CAN'T sell. I mean, HotD: Overkill sold over 500,000 copies (I think it was luck, really). But doing things the old way isn't gonna cut a sizable profit on the Wii. PS3 and 360 are much "safer" in that regard, because third parties don't need to shake up their marketing formula much and sales are much more predictable.

Something I've sorta noticed about successful Wii games is that their commercials (if they have them) or trailer feature people playing the game more than the actual game itself. Sure, they'll show what is being played, even explain it a little, but the focus is on how much FUN people are having with the game, rather than how awesome the game appears to be.

However, to make such ads for single-player games is a difficult task.

[The Damned]

To tell you the truth, GameCube is secretly designed to load graphical circuits which display graphics for right and left eyes respectively, for a future possibility of realizing 3D gaming experience
That... is so unexpected. I never heard of this before. Is that from the latest Iwata Asks?

[Red Shadow]

Anyone who thinks the original Classic Controller isn't comfortable didn't spend any time playing a SNES, and as such, is terrible.

tell me you play smashebroz w/cc

[Toadofsky]

That... is so unexpected. I never heard of this before. Is that from the latest Iwata Asks?

It might be, I found that out from vgchartz transcript of Iwata's talk with investors.

[Cerrax]

tell me you play smashebroz w/cc

I do. It's actually my favorite way to play Brawl.

[Nekofrog]

Anyone who thinks the original Classic Controller isn't comfortable didn't spend any time playing a SNES, and as such, is terrible.

The original classic controller is thick beyond necessity. The SNES controller was thin n' slim and fit the hand perfectly.

Wii CC suffers from obesity. goddamn american controllers

[megadave]

I like the classic. I like the Nintendo Wii. I like the games that have been coming out lately. Wish I could get more of them. That's it.

[Bleck]

tell me you play smashebroz w/cc

I sure do

The original classic controller is thick beyond necessity.

The new one is even thicker you will not like it

[Gollgagh]

when I get a wii, I'll probably get one of these

http://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=31

[Red Shadow]

hey bleck, me too

[Poke'G]

Sonic & Knuckles just released on the VC.

Anyone know if it can it link with Sonic 2 & 3? If so, I'm definitely picking these up. It's been ages since I played S3&K.

(Anyone know how to link up, if they do.)

[BardicKnowledge]

If the info doesn't include lockon info, it probably does NOT. The technology behind it was effectively a hardware based rom patcher, which is why those of us who emulate it have to load separate roms to get Knuckles into Sonic 2/3.

[DarkeSword]

According to this review, it does indeed have "lock-on."

http://vc.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/02/sonic_and_knuckles_virtual_console

[BardicKnowledge]

Nice! Glad to hear that Sega didn't drop the ball -- a good sign of things to come? :p

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

So we just got a big dose of information out of Nintendo's media summit.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 release in May.
Metroid Other M release in June
Sin & Punishment 2 release somewhere in between
Monster Hunter 3 release in April with the classic controller pro bundle, Wii-speak enabled, and no online fee for the NA release.

[Arrow]

Don't forget Cave Story a month from now.

[Toadofsky]

Don't forget Cave Story a month from now.

Ever since I heard that it was coming to WiiWare, I never played the PC version again, just so that I could feel refreshed.

That was over a year ago. All that waiting, just for a few more weeks!!! Huzzah!

In regards to the media summit, maybe the hardcore can finally stop whining for at least an hour.

[XZero]

I'm both thrilled and a little disappointed. Obviously playing a brand new Mario and Metroid title within a month of each other is a godsend, but with those two in May and June and then probably Zelda in November, they're using their "big three" up really freaking quickly. Nothing wrong with that, but they're setting up an epic fail for 2011. Maybe that's when we'll see some new IPs or new versions of classics (*cough*kidicarusandmother4*cough*).

[Thalzon]

You'll never see a Mother 4. That series is done. Forever. Or until the creator dies and someone else decides to make a sequel. But it won't happen otherwise.

[Penfold]

I'm both thrilled and a little disappointed. Obviously playing a brand new Mario and Metroid title within a month of each other is a godsend, but with those two in May and June and then probably Zelda in November, they're using their "big three" up really freaking quickly. Nothing wrong with that, but they're setting up an epic fail for 2011. Maybe that's when we'll see some new IPs or new versions of classics (*cough*kidicarusandmother4*cough*).

I wouldn't worry about being "disappointed" with 2011 while we're not yet 1/4 through 2010 and don't even know what the second half of this year will hold.

[Gollgagh]

why would you be disappointed with what order (and what time frequency) games are released

that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard

[XZero]

why would you be disappointed with what order (and what time frequency) games are released

that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard

I disagree; I believe it's perfectly rational and logical. Grouping all of these big releases into a remarkably small release window means that Nintendo's going to be putting out its major series games almost at one shot. It typically takes anywhere from 3-5 years for new Mario, Metroid, and Zelda games to release (main series releases as opposed to Mario Kart-type offshoots or portable titles). What's disappointing is simply that based on Nintendo's recent history, we could have some real garbage coming out next year. Or have you forgotten that the holiday titles of 2008 were Wii Music and Animal Crossing?

I'm glad to be getting games of this level of quality, but I recognize that the all-at-once approach means that Nintendo either has to reveal something big at E3 for next year, or we're going to be seeing a 2008 holiday season repeat (and yes, I know Smash Bros and Mario Kart were 2008 releases, but I think that's where everything sort of stopped for Nintendo that year).

[Gollgagh]

I guess I should qualify that with the fact that I'm the type of gamer that buys games 4 years after they come out with rare exceptions


also I don't have a wii

[XZero]

I guess I should qualify that with the fact that I'm the type of gamer that buys games 4 years after they come out with rare exceptions


also I don't have a wii

Fair enough ^_^

[Toadofsky]

I disagree; I believe it's perfectly rational and logical. Grouping all of these big releases into a remarkably small release window means that Nintendo's going to be putting out its major series games almost at one shot. It typically takes anywhere from 3-5 years for new Mario, Metroid, and Zelda games to release (main series releases as opposed to Mario Kart-type offshoots or portable titles). What's disappointing is simply that based on Nintendo's recent history, we could have some real garbage coming out next year. Or have you forgotten that the holiday titles of 2008 were Wii Music and Animal Crossing?


You're on the right track. But I think what's happening is this...

Core gaming (and I don't care what people think), is on the decline. All these games that are for the "hardcore" fans, are being put out quickly for one reason, they don't sell. Compare the first Mario Galaxy's sales with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, NSMBW outsold it in 45 days, Mario Galaxy only got 4 million in America after two years, the market is telling Nintendo something. What exactly? They like 2-D Mario better. And to be honest, I'd like to see more 2-D Mario with the production values of Galaxy put in!

Metroid: Other M, is starting to bother me. Some of the voice dialog I've read sounds mediocre. And this game is far from what Metroid is about. I don't care about Samus' past, I want to see more of her future, but they screwed that up with Fusion. Granted, I'm willing to give this game a chance, but I'm only renting it. I may only do the same with Galaxy 2.

I believe that Nintendo is getting a wake up call that they need to get back to what made games good, and why people play them. From what I've heard lately, it seems that they're going back and researching as to why the original games were so good in the first place. This isn't about the "casuals", this is about the values of games. The expanded audience as some have called it, don't care about every game having an epic sweeping storyline, or a bunch of voice acting, orchestral music score (though those things are nice). Gaming for them is about one thing, fun. And I'm increasingly beginning to feel that way...

[XZero]

You're on the right track. But I think what's happening is this...

Core gaming (and I don't care what people think), is on the decline. All these games that are for the "hardcore" fans, are being put out quickly for one reason, they don't sell. Compare the first Mario Galaxy's sales with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, NSMBW outsold it in 45 days, Mario Galaxy only got 4 million in America after two years, the market is telling Nintendo something. What exactly? They like 2-D Mario better. And to be honest, I'd like to see more 2-D Mario with the production values of Galaxy put in!

Metroid: Other M, is starting to bother me. Some of the voice dialog I've read sounds mediocre. And this game is far from what Metroid is about. I don't care about Samus' past, I want to see more of her future, but they screwed that up with Fusion. Granted, I'm willing to give this game a chance, but I'm only renting it. I may only do the same with Galaxy 2.

I believe that Nintendo is getting a wake up call that they need to get back to what made games good, and why people play them. From what I've heard lately, it seems that they're going back and researching as to why the original games were so good in the first place. This isn't about the "casuals", this is about the values of games. The expanded audience as some have called it, don't care about every game having an epic sweeping storyline, or a bunch of voice acting, orchestral music score (though those things are nice). Gaming for them is about one thing, fun. And I'm increasingly beginning to feel that way...


Definitely a valid point, and I will never disagree that gaming is solely about fun. Production values and everything that goes with them are nice additions for the hardcore, but without being able to say that you had fun playing a game, it's pointless.

I think there is another element to it, and it's really the logical conclusion of both of our arguments. I say that Nintendo's putting them out in too small a window, and you say that the direction that games tend to be going, at least based on sales figures, is away from ridiculously high production values and back to the core focus of being fun.

It seems to me that the risk out there is that Nintendo's gaming will put itself back in the 2002-03 rut. In August of 2002, Nintendo released Super Mario Sunshine, definitely not the best Mario game, but a good game nonetheless. In November, it released Metroid Prime. Finally, in March of 2003, Zelda released. It's almost the exact same overarching time period in terms of months that we will probably be seeing for the Mario, Metroid, and Zelda titles this year, except that now they all release in 2010 because there's a 3-month head start.

So what do they do next year? Well, what this means is that Nintendo, in 2011 and 2012 in particular, will have to put out more games that are just as fun as New Super Mario Bros. I personally leveled some criticism at NSMBW, not because it wasn't fun or anything like that, but because it had some obvious missing elements (if you can play 4-player, put better characters in, for example). But going back to what they did after Zelda came out in 2003 on the GCN, ... they didn't do much, besides hosting annual Mario Parties.

And this is where it all comes together. If they're kind of rushing their big titles out now because they know that there's no way any of them top New Super Mario Bros. Wii, then next year they basically have no choice but to release another game of NSMBW quality (whether it's a sequel or otherwise). Nintendo's track record on this sort of thing, unfortunately, is not too good. So if it's a return to fun games that's coming our way, I'm happy. I just don't want to see Wii Music 2 next year because we wasted all of the good games this year.



... actually, I don't want to see Wii Music 2 ever...

[Toadofsky]

Definitely a valid point, and I will never disagree that gaming is solely about fun. Production values and everything that goes with them are nice additions for the hardcore, but without being able to say that you had fun playing a game, it's pointless.

You ever notice that, so many will go and swear up and down how great a game is, then they go and say how awful it was after replaying it. The same can be said about games that haven't even come out yet, or they haven't played yet. The hardcore are a small, easily manipulated audience, they don't matter anymore. If they were so large, then why is it that every time some "hardcore" title comes out, it doesn't stay on the top 10 in sales for more than a month or two? They're like the Sirens to the Gaming Company ships, leading them to the rocks that'll surely sink them. And the sad thing is, the Hardcore don't even realize what they're doing...


I think there is another element to it, and it's really the logical conclusion of both of our arguments. I say that Nintendo's putting them out in too small a window, and you say that the direction that games tend to be going, at least based on sales figures, is away from ridiculously high production values and back to the core focus of being fun.

I honestly feel that that's why game companies are in such a mess. They keep putting these "EPIC" games out over and over, and from the looks of it, they're not making back the invest they thought they would. Recently there was some remarks about Konami not wanting to reveal how much they spent on making MGS 4, honestly though, why does it matter if people knew how much they spent? The answer is obvious, they didn't make as much as they hoped. As far as the release window(s), it does seem troubling, but read on...


It seems to me that the risk out there is that Nintendo's gaming will put itself back in the 2002-03 rut. In August of 2002, Nintendo released Super Mario Sunshine, definitely not the best Mario game, but a good game nonetheless. In November, it released Metroid Prime. Finally, in March of 2003, Zelda released. It's almost the exact same overarching time period in terms of months that we will probably be seeing for the Mario, Metroid, and Zelda titles this year, except that now they all release in 2010 because there's a 3-month head start.


I honestly hope we don't have another rut like that. But I don't think that's going to be a problem. I think Nintendo sees that their focus needs to be shifted, and in order to do that successfully, they're gonna need to get these core games out as quickly as possible so they can get focused on either new games, or re-invigorating these tired franchises. And I think they know that the clock is ticking, so the games that are focused on entertaining ALL audiences need to be developed and released ASAP. Not too mention making sure that there's plenty of polish on them as well. Just wait until E3 this year, besides a "core" Zelda, I'm sure we'll see much more. In regards to Zelda, that is one franchise that needs to be shaken up or let loose for a few years, I've played enough revisions of Ocarina of Time, and I'm exhausted from them.


So what do they do next year? Well, what this means is that Nintendo, in 2011 and 2012 in particular, will have to put out more games that are just as fun as New Super Mario Bros. I personally leveled some criticism at NSMBW, not because it wasn't fun or anything like that, but because it had some obvious missing elements (if you can play 4-player, put better characters in, for example). But going back to what they did after Zelda came out in 2003 on the GCN, ... they didn't do much, besides hosting annual Mario Parties.


I can understand your criticism of NSMBW, and I understand what you're getting at, again, I think we need to wait until E3. Mario Party's not that bad, but we don't need a bajillion of them, that's for sure. I think the other companies that flooded garbage games out on the Wii successfully blotted out any chance of a new Mario Party game.


So if it's a return to fun games that's coming our way, I'm happy. I just don't want to see Wii Music 2 next year because we wasted all of the good games this year.

This is the kegger here... Nobody, almost nobody, understands what Nintendo was doing in that frame of time. They thought that UGC (User Generated Content), was going to be the way to go in game making, the future even. Wii Music for the expanded audience, Animal Crossing for the core Nintendo fans. Anyone remember Reggie talking about that? About UGC? I do. Heck, Wario Ware DIY is coming soon, and judging from Flip Note Studio's reception, I wouldn't count on that game doing so well (That doesn't mean it wasn't made well, so don't misinterpret it). Nintendo couldn't have been more wrong. There is little to no market in those games. You'll find very few people who are interested in paying 50 bucks for a "build your own" game. It's lazy, and stupid. I think they saw a dead end coming (thus the dip in Wii console sales) when they took that route, and thankfully made a complete U-Turn. If Nintendo is going to stick with Blue Ocean Strategy, then they need to ignore the Hardcore's sometimes, no, mostly illogical opinions on what makes a good game, and just listen to the customer, both core, and expanded audience. And that even means not listening to Game "Journalists".

Game Journalists have never even bothered to study the Blue Ocean strategy or to understand it, heck, they don't even do their job, they take everything at face value and listen to "analysts" like Michael Pachter (who's a complete joke), instead of doing their real job: research, and investigating. But since they're too busy getting their all expense paid hotel trips to "review" a game, or getting paid out to give high marks or write glowing previews of an upcoming game, and let alone being addicted to video games, I don't think I'll ever trust them.
But I'm getting WAAAAAAAAAAAY off topic with that....


Sorry for the long post...

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

The best thing I can think of is not to play SSBB online at all, especially if you're trying to be competitive. The netcode for the game is just astoundingly bad, although if you still want to give it a go, you should get away from the WiFi and get a wired LAN adapter for the Wii.

Opening and forwarding some ports on your router might help a bit, but probably not enough for what you want.

[HoopyFrood]

I "toadaly" agree with what Toadofsky is saying.

[Red Shadow]

Metroid: Other M, is starting to bother me. Some of the voice dialog I've read sounds mediocre. And this game is far from what Metroid is about. I don't care about Samus' past, I want to see more of her future, but they screwed that up with Fusion. Granted, I'm willing to give this game a chance, but I'm only renting it. I may only do the same with Galaxy 2.

who cares about story

if you have played pokemon or recent nintendo or sega anything why do you care about story

ignore it and play the game and if that part sucks then there is a problem

[Gollgagh]

who cares about story

if you have played pokemon or recent nintendo or sega anything why do you care about story

ignore it and play the game and if that part sucks then there is a problem

holy crap seriously

[Toadofsky]

who cares about story

if you have played pokemon or recent nintendo or sega anything why do you care about story

ignore it and play the game and if that part sucks then there is a problem

I know this going to sound like I'm backpedaling here, but really I don't care about story. I guess I feel like there's too much focus on narrative (and I never felt metroid was ever about story) and not much on the actual gameplay, that's all. Sorry to sound like I take it so seriously, I don't. I have yet to play this game anyways, so I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm just skeptical about it that's all. :wink:

[Thalzon]

So I finally picked up Endless Ocean 2, and it's still got the same awesome gameplay as before. In addition, there's now a Pulsar, a gun that can cure fishy illnesses and subdue violent sharks and the like. The goal of this is to make money to buy lots of different-coloured gear. It's a nice step up from receiving it at random for favours in the first game.

I've only been exploring the the location so far, though. I want to be thorough, since they give you lots to do early-on. The new air timer kinda blows, though. In the first game, there was an air timer, but it lasted so long as to not matter at all. This time around, the air timer is much shorter, but gets longer the more diving you do. It clocks in at around 8 minutes in shallow water, but even less in deeper water.

Lots of fun, feels fresh, and totally non-violent. Easily my favourite new series of this console generation.

[Thalzon]

I had my first encounter with actual enemy fishies. First off, it was a SWARM of great white sharks. At least 6 or 7, with more in the general vicinity. They are MEAN. They all attack at once, which makes neutralizing them difficult. Funny enough, they open their jaws, move in.... and then whip around to whap you with their tail. And all that does is take away a bit of your air meter. The problem is that there's lots, and no lock-on feature for the healing gun (which calms violent species and cures sick species). Thus it's very easy to get surrounded and disoriented. And I'm not sure how long they stay calm for, because I was forced to escape.

Woo, exciting. Yeah. It really is for me because I generally fear videogame water (real water, not so much).

[Toadofsky]

Woo, exciting. Yeah. It really is for me because I generally fear videogame water (real water, not so much).

I always hated the underwater factory in KOTOR, those Sharks gave me the creeps, as did the ones in TR: Underworld

[Thalzon]

CING files for bankruptcy. (http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=7319)

At the risk of being unpopular, Kent Brockman places the fault of this directly on YOU. The gamer!

[Toadofsky]

Well, it looks like the developers got to put their "story" into the game, and it looks like they're trying hard to get ones who only like 2-D Mario, to play this new Mario Galaxy game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbjwZFMwNjs

Honestly, this is pissing me off, I think they should have put this much effort into making a 4 player co-op 2-D game. Not that I didn't like NSMB Wii, I loved it (I even made an alternate box art for it on my Deviantart page).

I honestly wonder if this game is going to sell very well, couple the fact that from how well NSMB Wii did (people like 2-D Mario better), and the fact they're putting a DVD in to show HOW TO PLAY THE GAME, it looks like they're trying to recoup any potential loss from the game.

Yeah, I'm looking WAAY too far into this, and I pre-ordered it too... :roll:

[Overflow]

Wait, what? They're not actually including a separate DVD, are they?

[Toadofsky]

http://www.destructoid.com/mario-galaxy-2-getting-tutorial-dvd-that-won-t-run-on-wii-172805.phtml

If that doesn't show you how much they want this game to sell well, I don't know what will. It's not like the Hardcore are going to keep this game on the top 20 for as long as a large amount of people have with New Super Mario Bros. on the DS and Wii have.

Other than that, I'd like to play it, I'm just not feeling like it's going to be a game that I'll keep after I've completed it. Heck, I traded Mario Galaxy, AND Brawl, I was done with them.

Maybe I'm growing out of games, or I'm getting old... 8O

[Overflow]

Huh.

Well, I don't need the DVD to know how to play, but I'm sure someone out there will.
Besides, I'm always up for extra Nintendo swag! I've still got that E3 DVD from Nintendo power with the first trailer of Twilight Princess!

[The Damned]

Speaking of E3, Nintendo is supposed to be showing quite a lot this year. Any one thinking some major game announcements, or maybe even some sort hint at new hardware?

[Overflow]

3DS is pretty much confirmed. I don't think we'll be hearing anything of a new console for a few more years, though.

[Toadofsky]

That's how I feel, but idiots like Pachter keep saying that it's needed. I personally don't want a wii HD for a few more years. I have too much time invested with my Nintendo Wii.0

[Thalzon]

If we don't get some announcement this year, we certainly will next year. Either that, or Nintendo is planning to keep the Wii around as long as the PS3 and 360 are. The system still sells quite well and almost every title Nintendo releases easily sells in the millions.

It is pretty amazing, though... N64 and GameCube had one "real" Mario game each. The Wii has three in comparison, and is only around 4 years old. Nintendo could likely milk the "galaxy" angle once more before people start complaining the idea is stale.

[rakebackbros]

I recived my Wii yesterday. Its really fun. Especially when friends come over. And the game with tanks is great ! :-P

[Toadofsky]

I recived my Wii yesterday. Its really fun. Especially when friends come over. And the game with tanks is great ! :-P

I wish I didn't trade in WiiPlay, I loved laser hockey and tanks.

You'll probably like this one then, I'm interested in it myself, it's something I think me and my fiancée could play together...

http://wii.ign.com/articles/108/1088313p1.html

[Neblix]

It is pretty amazing, though... N64 and GameCube had one "real" Mario game each. The Wii has three in comparison, and is only around 4 years old. Nintendo could likely milk the "galaxy" angle once more before people start complaining the idea is stale.


Super Mario Galaxy 2?

[Curly Brace]

Super Mario Galaxy 2?

My gods I can't wait to have my hands on that game. ;_;

[Thalzon]

Super Mario Galaxy 2?

More like a Galaxy 3. I meant one more, after Galaxy 2.

And Galaxy 2 looks incredible. Rumour has it there'll be a third playable character once you earn all 120 stars.

[Overflow]

Wario or Waluigi? I'd love to play as either, but more so Waluigi. I don't think I've EVER played as him in any game before.

[Hylian Lemon]

Peach. She'll rescue her lookalike for no explicable reason, just like Luigi in Galaxy 1.

oh wait her dress is too hard to animate

[Gollgagh]

Sonic



:roll:

[Toadofsky]

Just looked through this....
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article7118570.ece

I honestly call bull on this. I don't see Satoru Iwata even saying something like that, "Apple IS THE ENEMY OF THE FUTURE". Sounds like analysts and journalists trying to brew up a war between two companies that don't even have the same principles going for them.

I like this little wrap up over that article...
http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/journalists-and-analysts-are-more-creative-than-the-product-developers/

Are game journalists/analysts so bored they have to start crap now? They've done enough with retarded rants and getting fanboys riled up...

[Emperor Charlemagne]

Anyhoo, after doing some spending over the course of time, with Wiiware games and a few VC games, I finally was able to get all the odd-ended 800-wii point leftovers into a nice and manageable 500 wii points. Enough for one good NES game.

Now, you'll say "Wow, actually buying a Wii NES game? You're a tool mr. no emulator!" yeah, I am, but I got the 500 points and I might as well use up the damn stuff.

My current VC-only list for reference:
Megaman 2
Secret of Mana
Castlevania III and IV
Sin and Punishment
Kirby's Dreamland 3
Phantasy Star II (good lord was this a mistake)
Super Metroid



Now, what I'm thinking about runs along the lines of:
Kirby's Adventure
Ninja Gaiden
Blaster Master
Zelda 2


Now, what would you suggest? It doesn't necessarily have to be from those four, but a nice platformer would be ideal. I know Kirby is in that list, and Kirby games are never that hard, but a degree of challenge is always nice.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

[friendlyHunter]

a nice platformer
I wouldn't classify Ninja Gaiden nor Zelda 2 as particularly "nice", but you could definitely say they have "a degree of challenge". If by "degree" you mean "buttload", and by "challenge" you mean "this game is ridiculous". Having beaten both, I can say that I highly recommend either. But I think Ninja Gaiden was better. Only get Zelda 2 if you have a lot of free time. And patience.

Alternatively, Megaman 9 and 10 is a good investment of Wii points.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

I listed off only my VC games; I said in the post I only have 500 to spare.

I've beaten 9 and 10 anyway, lol. 10 on hard mode, too.

I think I'mma rule Zelda II out, because I HAVE played that a lot before, just never beaten it. Probably just better for me to go to VirtualNES or something for that one.

I'm still holding out a little on Kirby's Adventure, because I know that that will be fun if anything. But then again, Ninja Gaiden is fun too...

[LuketheXjesse]

Kirby's motherfucking Adventure. Seriously.

[Native Jovian]

Kirby's motherfucking Adventure. Seriously.
YES.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/jepalmer/drawkirby.gif

[Muskweeto]

My personal favourite in that list is Kirby.

I don't know if you have played it before so I will warn you that nightmare
in dreamland for gba is a remake of this game.

if you own or have played nightmare in dreamland a lot you aren't missing anything.

Zelda 2 would be my second choice...

[Emperor Charlemagne]

I never bought Nightmare in Dreamland because enough people who are big gamers tell me it's pretty shoddy compared to the original.

[BardicKnowledge]

I never bought Nightmare in Dreamland because enough people who are big gamers tell me it's pretty shoddy compared to the original.

Having played both, I can tell you that the original has a certain charm lacking in the GBA port. But you get to play as Metaknight there, which was amazing.

Still, I prefer the original game, and if you like a challenge, try to find all of the secrets without any help -- it'll take you a while.

[DarkeSword]

I never bought Nightmare in Dreamland because enough people who are big gamers tell me it's pretty shoddy compared to the original.
I'm a big gamer and I can tell you that's pretty much BS. Nightmare in Dreamland is jawesome. Anyone who says otherwise can GET OUT OF MY FACE.

[Emperor Charlemagne]

So I suppose that's a Kirby's Adventure over Ninja Gaiden, eh?

: )

[Curly Brace]

Kirby ftw forever.

[Thalzon]

Kirby's Adventure is a surprisingly technically-impressive NES game. It never feels like you are cheated and despite its relative easiness, it's got a nice difficulty curve.

[Hylian Lemon]

I'm a big gamer and I can tell you that's pretty much BS. Nightmare in Dreamland is jawesome. Anyone who says otherwise can GET OUT OF MY FACE.
Agreed. Nightmare in Dreamland is basically the same thing with smoother controls and nicer graphics. I still play the original for nostalgia's sake, though. Kirby's Adventure is my favorite NES title by far.

[LuketheXjesse]

try to find all of the secrets without any help -- it'll take you a while.

Truth.----

[Emperor Charlemagne]

From what I've heard from my pals on other forums, it's stuff like the removal of the rotating Butter Buildings and other such things that's annoying in Nightmare in Dreamland.

[Native Jovian]

Having played both, I can tell you that the original has a certain charm lacking in the GBA port. But you get to play as Metaknight there, which was amazing.

Still, I prefer the original game
I agree with this 100%.

[Muskweeto]

From what I've heard from my pals on other forums, it's stuff like the removal of the rotating Butter Buildings and other such things that's annoying in Nightmare in Dreamland.

Oh yeah, they did remove the rotating building, now you just kind of wait for the door to appear.

I think the charm people say isn't captured in the remake is just nostalgia getting in the way, the gba version is almost identical when it comes to level design, and the updated visuals and audio look fantastic on the gba.

That isn't to say your wii points shouldn't be spent on the original, as already stated the game really pushes the nes hardware, the only downside is it suffers from frequent slowdown.

[friendlyHunter]

Kirby's Adventure is a surprisingly technically-impressive NES game.
I'll give you that. I can't think of a more technically (mostly graphically) impressive NES game.

(Get Ninja Gaiden!)

"Nintendo Wii" thread is now "favourite NES games" thread.