Plundering the Internet so you don't have to
Posts tagged Nintendo DS
What have we learned here? Pt1
0977 days
So E3′s biggest events have come and gone. I am speaking, of course, of the big three’s press conferences, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. What can be learned from them, well a lot really.
The first and biggest thing that I came away with from watching the press conferences was that EVERYONE wants to do some sort of motion control and bit off piece of Nintendo’s money pie… even Nintendo themselves! What! Yeah I said it folks. Even Nintendo wants more motion control. Since I brought it up, let’s start with them first.
Nintendo two years ago was the under dog coming into E3. The other companies had released their big new machines or at least the specs and what not, and were ready to put Niddy out of the race, like they had done with SEGA. Nintendo shocked the world with the unveiling of the Wii, and making a firm stand that they weren’t going to do the flashy graphics of the other two and decided to just innovate on almost current technology they had been using in the Game Cube. Sure it had motion control, it was kiddie, and almost gimmicky, but no one could have expected the Nintendo Wii to sell as well as it did.
Flash forward two years and here we are at E3 09 and Microsoft and Sony are BOTH playing catch-up with the Wii. Quite the turn of events. Not content to sit on their ENORMOUS mound of money and be happy, Nintendo reveals more info on Wii Sports Resort. A game that will surely out sell pretty much any title in existence to date, and here is why. People will buy it for the simple fact that the original Wii sports is STILL probably the game that most people fall back on more than any other. It also comes with a packed in Wii Motion Plus. This little square dongle attaches to the bottom of the current Wiimote, and give the player a 1:1 ratio of movement. Meaning that it will match almost exactly every movement that you make outside the game, with in game movement. That may not sound like much, but to watch it in action it will make a world of a difference in games.
Again Nintendo still not happy with just that will also have another add on peripheral to the Wii. This one will work in conjunction with the Wii balance board and the new Wii Fit Plus. In basic terms it is a camera that will watch you work out and be a sort of “virtual trainer”. The camera sees you (creepy) and can tell if you are doing what the on screen trainer is telling you to do. Not trying hard enough fatty to touch your toes, and you will get scolded for it. In demonstration it seemed pretty intelligent, but the question remains how well will it be able to keep you from just not playing the game AT ALL.
- New Mario Brothers Demo
Nintendo also brought the fire with Mario. LOTS of Mario. The first game unveiled was The New Super Mario Brothers for Wii. Pretty much like the game of the same name on the DS with a slight twist. This version can be played with three other players simultaneously. It is sort of a competitive vibe but also has elements of Co-op play as well. You can help your friends get certain items, bring them back to life, or just sit back and watch em die. The next game featuring Mario was Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. It’s the next in the line of the Super Mario RPG’s and sounds like something you would catch on the Biology channel. After that they revealed the next version of the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong series called “March of the Minis” and will only be available to those with the DSi, since it is a download only title. The final Mario game revealed was, Super Mario Sunshine 2… no wait, sorry. It was Super Mario Galaxies 2. That’s right its the follow up to last years award winning title on the Wii. Not much was said about it, other than you won’t get your hands on it until at LEAST 2010.
Other games were revealed like a Red Steel 2 (with pack in Wii Motion+), FF Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (an “open world RPG”) a Kingdom Hearts for the DS called 358/2 Days, and A version of Golden Sun for Ds as well. The games kept coming and coming. Like “Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion, based on the works of James Patterson, yeah I have no idea of his work either. What appears to be an on rails shooter game called Cop: The Recruit, Girls Mode that will apparently make me more “Style Savvy”. There was also a WarioWare game called WarioWare:DIY where as the title would lead you to believe, you get to make the micro games yourself, this will also be a DSiWare game. A few more titles of note… Dead Space: Extraction, and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, both are apparently on rails shooters for the Wii. Finally The Conduit which looks to be a high end FPS for the Wii, and one that I am looking forward to playing.
- Put your finger in it…
Next Satoru Iwata comes out to explain that he wants to know how we feel in games. He wants to know if games can relax us and if they excite us. How will he know that? Through in part, black magic, also through a new dongle that attaches to the Wiimote called the “Wii Vitality Sensor”. Basically you put your finger into it and it measures your heart rate and can tell the game if you are relaxed or freakin the hell out during a game. No mention of WHY that matters, or WHAT they plan to use this information for. Should be interesting if it gets used in more things that just Wii Fit Plus.
The closer for Nintendo needed to be BIG and I am pretty sure that they managed to deliver. No it wasn’t a reveal of the new Zelda game. It was however the a game that is that Team Ninja and Nintendo have been working together. On what… Metroid!! Metroid: Other M, to be exact. From the looks of the sizzle reel, it looks to be a return to the 3rd person Metroid of old, mixed with a generous helping of Ninja Gaiden. So long as it has the fun exploration of Super Metroid with out the frustration of Ninja Gaiden, this will for sure be part of my library.
*drool*
What a way to close out the show. The one time underdog just came out of its corner and put up one hell of a fight, just like Lil Mac. The next year or so will be what really tells if Nintendo has the staying power of first party games to keep the Wii on top of the sales heap.
Whatcha Been Playing??
0992 days
So given the recent arrival of my son, I figured that I wouldn’t have ANY free time on my hands. Come time find out, that isn’t entirely true. Now that doesn’t mean that soon to come I won’t have a chance to do anything for myself. I am not delusional, but at this point in his development, he requires minimal attention. So what can I do with all my free time… Well what comes natural to me, play every game I can get my hands on. So that’s exactly what I did.
Over the past several weeks I have managed to complete several games and come close in several more. I started a while ago (thanks to 1Up Yours) accumulating a “Pile of Shame.” There are more than a few games in there that when I mention that I have yet to finish them, I say it with my head hung in shame. So I was more than happy to take a couple off the pile. Here are a few of them, and a couple more that I am almost finished with.
Hero Vs. Giant Troll
First off, I managed to play through the bulk of (since I had barely scratched the surface of) and actually finish Fable II. Now that doesn’t mean that I “completed” Fable II, just that I was able to finish the main story line. I played through the story as a mostly good guy, and I guess it was pretty fun doing so. Along the way I did realize that this game would be EXTREMELY short if all you did was try to advance the main quest, and never touched the side missions. Once I did get to the ending, I was shocked at how completely anti-climactic the ending was. When the final “boss” was going through his diatribe, I just hit him with my sword to shut him up and start the fight. Not knowing that in doing so would instantly kill him… LAME. After such a build up before hand i expected an epic battle, and was handed a one hit death, that’s pretty weak. Not to mention that as I said on twitter, that fucker shot my dog, and that sir ain’t cool.
I am going to go ahead and play through the Knot-Hole Island DLC that I purchased the other day though. Then when all that is done, I will probably go back and start again this time being a total dick to everyone and anyone that I come across. Not sure if that will change my experience as a whole with the game, but I figure it’s worth a shot. All in all the game is actually quite good. There is much much more that I need to accomplish before feeling that I have “Completed” the game. Several times I caught myself just kind of staring off into the background of some lush scene and being amazed at some of the level of detail in the game. I would recommend it to someone that is looking for a well done non-linear RPG for the 360.
Inside an Oblivion Gate
Next up on the list is a game that is sooo old I am very ashamed to say that I never finished it, but I have a good reason. That game would be Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Yeah I know, that is pretty much a launch title. At first it was just a game that I didn’t want to end so i futzed around with side quests and what not for months. Then, sadly, it killed my first 360, and I never went back to it. From the time that my 360 “red-ringed” playing Oblivion to the time I picked it up again to play, literally over a year had passed. I was to damn scared to fire it up again. However, I bit the bullet and decided that now was the time for me to finally finish the quest I started years before.
So after over 120 hours in the game, I went ahead and started to walk the final path in the game. Oblivion, unlike Fable II, did not disappoint as far as the final fight and story goes. Closing the “Great Gate” was a task and a half when everyone and their evil grandmother is trying to stop you. Though it was fun to loot the bodies of the dead after coming back through again. Then it was on to “Paradise” to destroy the final boss. I can’t say that fighting him was all that hard of a battle, but then again when you are 100+ hours into a game and can kill most anything with two hits, it’s hard to have a long fight.
Mario takes on "the world"
Knocking both of those off the pile really made me feel better about myself as a gamer. They had long been mocking me, and I should have taken care of them well before I actually got around to it. It did inspire me to try and finish more games while I could though, so I made a go at other games as well. Not quite to the point of completion on the rest but I did get much closer, and that’s what counts.
Topping that list is Super Mario Galaxies. I had played through about three stages before I got bored with it and decided to put it down. When I picked it back up, I played through about five more. I really don’t know how close I am to finishing the game, but if I had to lay a guess out, I would say with in a world or two.
Guns and Doves...
Next up we have John Woo’s: Stranglehold. Yeah it wasn’t that great of a game, but it has a subtle charm to it. I will freely admit that I have not paid ANY attention to the story. Actually at one point I think he killed a woman for some reason, maybe, and I was left to wonder why because I skipped the cut-scene. Oh well. This one I am almost completely done with. Currently I am trying to finish off the last stage and boss fight. The game is full of action, to be sure, but none of it is done so well that you could label the game as something “not to be missed”. I will finish it, and for the price paid ($10 when Circuit City was going under) I can’t really complain about what I am getting out of the game.
Japanese Rhythm Fun
Also, since I was in the hospital with my wife, waiting for my son to be released, I got to play a lot of DS(i) games. From Gamefly I rented “Rhythm Heaven” and enjoyed it for what it is. My wife asked me to describe it to her and the best way I could think of was to say that it is the bastard love child of the recent Wario games and PaRappa The Rapper. It’s a lot of quick games that involve a lot of timing and like the title implies… Rhythm. This was not a game that I was destined to finish however. I knew that starting out. I played through the first two sections of 9 (or is it 12) mini games. That was enough for me. It isn’t enough for me to give a full “review” on but it was a good game none the less.
There are probably other games in there that I am missing, but they all tend to blur together. My next couple games that am going to try and finish are Killzone 2 and Fallout 3. It will probably be a couple years on Fallout, but I guess given my track record with open world RPGs it’s not surprising. I will try to keep up with the reviews from here on out. Sorry for the lack of articles on the site but considering the recent events in my life, I think I am doing pretty well.
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
01028 days
by WiFi Pirate
in Reviews
You got your puzzle game in my platformer! You got your platformer in my puzzle game! … Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is both. This game is equal parts puzzle and platform based game play. EA certainly has been on a run of wonderful new IP’s recently and Henry fits in quite nicely with them.
Henry Hatsworth
You play as the title character Henry Hatsworth #1 in the “Pompous Adventurers Club.” You are on a quest to find all the pieces of the “True Gentleman’s Suit” before the #2 guy, Leopold Charles Anthony Weasleby The Third (yes that is his full name) can. Along the way you have the help of Cole, who is far “to young” to go out on any adventures. So he will give you mission info, and also keeps a shop where you can buy upgrades to your suits and your abilities. You have to make your way through five varying sections of the world. Each of the main levels has several “sub-levels” that you must make it through in order to defeat the sub-bosses and then finally the main boss of the level.
The game itself looks great. Each sprite is animated very well and moves smoothly across the screen. The art is very colorful and well suited for this whimsical happy adventure. I also really enjoyed the sound design of this game. The soundtrack (which you can download from the official site for free) is very well put together. It uses a lot of string instruments and has a very orchestral feel to it. The “voices” of each character are hilarious. None of them actually speak more than a few real words, but it doesn’t matter. Most of their dialogue is mumbling and nonsense but each is done in a “voice” that makes the character come to life. It’s hard to explain but once you hear Henry or Cole or any of the other cast speak you will know what i mean.
Leopold Charles Anthony Weasleby The Third
The game play starts off pretty simple but as you progress through the game things start to get a little more complicated. At first you just have to kill enemies with your cane, a la Scrooge McDuck. Then once you start attaining pieces of the suit you can use a sword, gun, bombs etc. Once an enemy dies on the top screen (the “real” world) it then makes its way to the bottom screen (the “puzzle” world). To completely defeat an enemy you must then play a kind of Bejewelled “Match Three” type game to get rid of them. Enemy blocks vary depending on the strength and type of that enemy in the real world. Some are just simple one hit kill types, that are easy to do away with. However others take lock themselves into place and you have to move blocks around them to defeat. If the enemy blocks aren’t disposed of in the puzzle realm, they can escape into the real world and physically attack you. It sounds complicated but once you get the hang of switching back and forth, via the “X” button, it becomes second nature.
It's Tea Time!!
Also on the puzzle side of things are certain power-ups that help you out in the “Real World.” You can get power ups like stopping time, lightning, and health. Almost every action in the real world has an equal action in the puzzle realm, and vice verse. As you get rid of matching blocks, and enemies, your special meter fills up more and more. Once it has been filled twice, you then gain the use of your special “Robot Suit.” This is a source of some of the funniest bits in the game. When activated you get a simple animation of Henry saying “Good Show” and his friends joining him in a cup of tea. Then a large robot suit flies through the air with a heavy metal soundtrack and the Union Jack flag streaked across the background. Hilarious stuff really, and that is what makes Henry Hatsworth such an addictive game. Not only is it a well put together game but its also pretty funny too.
As you progress further and further into the game, the levels start to get much more difficult, as do the enemies. Further on the game really forces you to use the puzzle realm and real world actions hand in hand to accomplish you goals. Some of the later boss fights seem a little cheap until you figure out the pattern for them, much like any other platformer. All in all this is probably one of the better games that i own on my DS. It’s a game that fits snugly between Professor Layton: and the Curious Village and New Super Mario Brothers. Not bad company to keep if i do say so.
Valkyrie Profile DS
01041 days
The unfortunate thing about not reading game reviews before you do your own is that sometimes you are unprepared for what you are about to play. In the case of Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, I had played the PS1 version of the game and really enjoyed it. So naturally when i heard it was coming to the DS i was excited to again be able to play.
I got the game Monday and popped it into my DS that night. I was expecting the kind of game that i had played back in the day, since i hadn’t read anything about the game so as not to spoil my first impressions. Well when i started playing it i discovered it was more of a tactical action RPG than i wanted. I was hoping to have a kinda RPG platformer like back on the first game. Not what i got.
I can’t give this game a full review since i have only played a very very small amount of it. I will say that if you are expecting a game like the first Valkyrie Profile, you will be disappointed, like me. It will be going back in the mail today. Once again so very happy to have a Game Fly subscription…
