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TalkBack / Re: Metroid: Other M Japanese Gameplay Trailer

« on: April 02, 2010, 04:17:05 PM »

It's pretty wild how well they seem to move, say, the Morph Ball in 3D with just a dpad. I wonder if tilt is involved there...

Jumping into 1st person mode seems a little jarring, too, does that make you immobile?

Game looks great, though. The Team Ninja influence is all over the place, and it makes for a much different game than we'd get from Nintendo. With some proper marketing, this could be the first Wii game that truly appeals to the Halo or God of War fans of the world.

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TalkBack / Re: Dead Space Extraction May Release on Natal and Move

« on: April 02, 2010, 12:59:55 PM »

If they can rush a port out for the launch of those peripherals, it might sell well. Remember, we bought stuff like Red Steel when the Wii was new. People will buy anything to try a new gizmo.

The only problem is, how many people will get those new 360/PS3 peripherals in the first place?

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TalkBack / Re: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson Confirmed for NBA Jam

« on: April 02, 2010, 12:52:41 PM »

Hangtime was for N64, I believe.

Well obviously it was also on the SNES or I wouldn't, you know, own a copy. 

Huh. I didn't think that got released. It looks to be a rare game, I'd love to see a picture.

I just Google'd it myself. News to me, too. 

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TalkBack / Re: Larry Bird and Magic Johnson Confirmed for NBA Jam

« on: April 01, 2010, 01:17:34 PM »

Hangtime was for N64, I believe.

This game looks great on paper, but watching it... I don't know it seems like the same old game, and since I can't be bothered to play those, it takes something away from this for me. Still great, and for new gamers who missed the old Jam, I'd recommend this one all day.

Also hoping for Obama/Biden and maybe some red-state opponents for them.

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TalkBack / Re: Super Mario Galaxy 2 Footage Reveals Rock Mario And More

« on: April 01, 2010, 01:14:58 PM »

I agree that the world map is boring, but it looks like a fun game. I like that it's a full game spawned from ideas they couldn't fit in before. I played the last two Wii Mario games to death, so this should be a no-brainer.

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TalkBack / Re: Just Dance Sells Two Million Copies Worldwide

« on: April 01, 2010, 01:08:34 PM »

My girlfriend and I got Just Dance for Christmas. It is fun with a few nostalgic songs that most 80s kids would get a kick out of. The dancing works for the most part, although the main key is wrist angle, and sometimes it's not clear how you need to hold your hands (or jazz fingers).

But, it's fun enough. We played it a bunch until her bad knee suggested we stop.

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TalkBack / Re: Reggie Speaks On Industry Trends

« on: March 19, 2010, 01:29:26 PM »

Bioshock 2 on Wii would probably bomb, which is the problem. Take Two can't forecast the sales numbers to make it worthwhile. From 360 or PS3, bringing a game to Wii would require creating it almost from the ground up. It'd be like creating a new game as far as company resources go, so it's still an investment.

Worse, being a port, waggle controls would be non existent or tacked on, so the game, no matter what series, will always seem inferior to its HD cousin. For multi console owners, that means never buying the game for Wii and that further slashes the target audience. It's not profitable.

Franchises like Rockband, Guitar Hero, Madden, WWE Smackdown and Call of Duty show there's hope, but in every instance (a case could be made to exclude Madden), the games lack something from their HD counterparts. And the sales still reflect this.

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TalkBack / Re: Reggie Speaks On Industry Trends

« on: March 18, 2010, 01:19:35 PM »

For the quality games we're talking about, it takes a lot of money to make those games. That's a risk, and on Nintendo consoles, the games won't likely do as well to make up for it.

Why? It has to do with consumers' buying patterns. Look at MadWorld and other poorly selling third party efforts.

It started to happen in the 16-bit era and big time after that. Once developers saw they could sell better out from under the shadow of Nintendo's huge-selling software, they went to support those other platforms instead. With the PS3 and 360 promising big sales for big games, those developers don't need to do anything different.

When it comes to questions about the video game business, as with any business, the answer is almost always MONEY. That's true here, too.

2K would have to develop a whole new game in BioShock Wii. They've seen others like EA go down that road, and it hasn't struck them as a particularly profitable way to go.

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TalkBack / Re: WarioWare D.I.Y. To Include Celebrity-Made Games

« on: March 05, 2010, 01:09:23 PM »

What a neat hook. Can you create a minigame that's better received than one by Miyamoto?

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TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Photo Dojo

« on: March 03, 2010, 04:48:47 PM »

It'd be cool if they used the DSi with connectivity to let you make custom players in the upcoming NBA Jam. Same concept for their artwork, really.

Also, it's too bad you can't do a full body shot for this fighting game. It'd be one thing to see yourself fighting, but it's another just to have a head on a black blob. DSi camera limitation?

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TalkBack / Re: Picross 3D Hits May 3

« on: February 24, 2010, 01:02:55 PM »

Still somewhat underrated, it should be mentioned that 2D Picross is awesome, and so this game has a lot of potential. Like finishing a crossword puzzle, there's just something satisfying about hammering out a Picross picture.

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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Download Platforms Earned $125 Million in 2009

« on: February 24, 2010, 01:01:44 PM »

It's got to feel good for Nintendo to bring in like $14 million a year for having uploaded its old Mario games to the Internet.

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TalkBack / Re: REVIEWS: Madden NFL 10

« on: August 13, 2009, 01:37:33 PM »

Nintendo Power kind of crapped on this game, so this is a bit of a surprise for me. I think they couldn't adapt to the more arcade-style gameplay.

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TalkBack / Re: Get Your Grub On

« on: June 25, 2009, 01:28:08 PM »

Wow, somewhere there is a room full of Gamer Grub P.R. people high fiving each other with sticky, flavor-powdered hands.

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TalkBack / Re: Punch-Out!! and Starfy Are Getting a Whole Lotta Love

« on: June 10, 2009, 01:49:00 PM »

Well, to really attempt to understand the reasons behind this, you have to think in terms of business (in terms of money).

It could be that Nintendo only spends X amount in marketing a title that it expects to bring in Y in profits. There might be a formula to it.

Me, I would've expected Excite Bots ads during Saturday morning kid's programming showing kids yelling "Cooool" and jumping around, but the reason it apparently wasn't there is probably the same reason as most things in business - money.

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TalkBack / Re: Send Photos to Facebook With Your DSi

« on: June 04, 2009, 04:31:28 PM »

Letting their handheld devices interface with online social networks is a pretty bold new direction for Nintendo, and it certainly makes the photo app useful for a change. Imagine what would come next if Nintendo stayed going down this path...

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TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Madden NFL 10

« on: June 04, 2009, 04:28:51 PM »

Madden Wii used to be out trying to create immersion by going crazy with motion controls. With the button controls and new point-passing, things are a little more traditional. Does this take away from the level of immersion at all? It at least suggests that one-to-one motion controls aren't always the best thing for Wii games, which is interesting and kind of an arguement for old-fashioned controllers.

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TalkBack / Re: Miyamoto Roundtable Summary

« on: June 04, 2009, 04:23:44 PM »

Great article and some good questions. Who would've thought that they tried to use things like Wii Speak with games but couldn't?

As far as being out of touch, I think his idea that achievements aren't worthwhile is outdated. He had good rationale for it, but it's actually a big selling point for 360 and PS3 games, so I think most consumers are of a different mindset on that one.

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TalkBack / Re: REVIEWS: Punch-Out!!

« on: May 25, 2009, 03:47:10 PM »

Yeah, people were asking what's new in this one and I have been pleasantly surprised by the Title Defense mode which essentially doubles the roster of fights with some really tricky patterns that change as the fights progress.

There's a lot of replay value there, plus with the challenges in exhibition that get you thinking more like a seasoned player (how can I win the fastest?, what's a trick for more stars or one-punch knockdowns?).

Then, once you've logged in enough hours to be relatively good at each fight, there's the never ending challenge of holding and maintaining a perfect winning record. Good luck.

The devs put in a lot of stuff I hadn't even thought of. I was worried that being able to replay losses endlessly would suck the life out of the game, but they actually added so much that it's only another plus.