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Messages - PGC-Agent Cooper

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1
Podcast Discussion / Episode 386: A Blue Shell of Our Former Selves
« on: June 08, 2014, 03:34:07 PM »

This week's episode features special guest Billy Berghammer and a spectacular title provided by Mr. Jon Lindemann. It's always the quiet ones.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/37649/episode-386-a-blue-shell-of-our-former-selves

We had to drop something a little special for RFN listeners just before E3, so here's a sizable pre-show episode made even bigger by the deep tones of Billy Berghammer. He's a well known Mario Kart fanatic, so of course we spend a huge chunk of New Business on the brand new Mario Kart 8 and find quite a range of opinions. Guillaume also revisits Klonoa: Empire of Dreams on Virtual GBA Console, while James slays one of his Moby Dicks with Japan-only Super Famicom tactical RPG, Bahamut Lagoon. Fans of his Ogre Battle 64 lectures will particularly enjoy how James dissects this legend of the import scene. Jon seeks and indeed finds Mario redemption with the delightful and relatively easy Super Mario World, one of three Virtual Console titles in this segment. Jonny delivers the third with the all-original, surprisingly polished and NES-like Mega Man V for Game Boy (on 3DS).

The second segment begins with the sad news that Iwata won't be attending E3, but then we switch up the mood with very positive impressions of the new Wii U system update and thoughts on Nintendo's improved standing as extremely strong Mario Kart 8 sales carry them into a wide-open E3 and an increasingly barren video game market in late 2014. Before we let Billy go, there's just enough time to squeeze in a bit of Listener Mails about the Smash Bros. E3 Invitational Tournament and the game's overall presence at the big show. Keep those emails coming throughout the week, as we may have other opportunities to answer your questions!

We've got tons of E3 coverage coming your way just days after this episode drops, so be on the lookout for special episodes of RFN and Connectivity, as well as tons of video coverage and, of course, our detailed, hands-on impression articles of every damn Nintendo game at the convention. If you still need input before all that hot news is live, Jonny joins Mike Sklens and Neal for a long and exuberant Connectivity segment about E3 2004 (it was a really good year), and you can also hear Jonny and friends from Crosstawk on a new Beatles-themed episode of Discover Music Project! It's a great way to check out that show for the first time.


2
TalkBack / Ittle Dew Interview with Ludosity's Joel Nyström
« on: March 31, 2014, 10:00:00 AM »

Joel talks speedrunning, jokes, and features in this Ittle Dew focused interview.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/36961/ittle-dew-interview-with-ludositys-joel-nystrom

We had the privilege to interview Joel Nyström, founder of Ludosity, on his upcoming Wii U game Ittle Dew. It's a humorous, puzzle-and-secret-packed adventure with an endearing art style. The game has already been released on numerous platforms, but the best version yet is coming to Wii U.

Nintendo World Report (NWR): First off, for those who aren't familiar with it, what is Ittle Dew?

Joel Nyström (JN): Ittle Dew is a light-hearted adventure game with a lot of puzzling and secrets to find. It's a very dense game with much more content crammed in there than first meets the eye, and you can play through without even seeing half of it. We also geared the game towards speed-running, which is something we all love here at Ludosity.

NWR: This game has been released on various other platforms. What's your personal favorite version to play and why?

JN: My favorite version is actually the Wii U version. Being the last and final version of the game, it has a little more love and polish than the other versions, plus it has some nice features the others don't have.

NWR: Now, the GamePad will display the map and support Off-TV play. Are there other features you're utilizing on the GamePad?

JN: We didn't want to go bonkers with the GamePad though, so it's pretty much what you'd expect - a map that is revealed as you go in real time, and the ability to play off-screen.

NWR: And aside from the GamePad, will it support other controllers?

JN: There's also support for both the Pro and the Classic controller.

NWR: In an earlier interview with us, you mentioned that it was created with speedrunners heavily in mind. With that said, do you think the Wii U version will provide an advantage or disadvantage of some kind when speedrunning compared to other platforms?

JN: When it comes to speedrunning, the Wii U version will be balanced identical to the PC version, so we expect times to be very similar.

NWR: You also told us that this game was made to be broken, due to being created mostly for speedrunning. So far in the game's life, have you witnessed people "breaking" the game outside its intended design?

JN: We have seen some interesting exploits used in speedrunning, the biggest one being the "reset room" exploit where you can open a door through a puzzle, and then instead of running there you reset the room to get closer to the entrance. When I first saw this, my first immediate gut reaction was to patch it immediately--before I realized two seconds later that this was exactly what we were after all along =) So it's still in.

NWR: Will the Wii U version be getting leaderboards?

JN: Unfortunately, we don't have online leaderboards on the Wii U, since it would mean we'd have to set up our own servers, etc. That's a whole other ballpark that's outside of our reach as a small indie studio. We do still have locally saved best times, of course.

NWR: Ittle Dew is chock-full of jokes and other entertaining bits poking fun at old school games. Are there any jokes you've since thought of that you wish you could have put in?

JN: Haha, well, no not really. Having seen these jokes hundreds of times I'm a bit tired of them myself so sometimes I'd rather wish we'd have less of them. But many seem to like them so it's all good.

NWR: When can we expect to see Ittle and Tippsie on the Wii U eShop?

JN: The game is finally in submission now, so it shouldn't be long now. But we've said that for a long time, and for various reasons out of our control it has been delayed many times, so I'll hold off on promising a set date this time.

NWR: If you could work on any Nintendo franchise, what would it be and why?

JN:Oh boy, that's a good question. I think I'd pee my pants if we got to do a sequel to Super Metroid. A really good one, preferably on a console and not handheld. Fusion was good, but it had pretty bad controls due to the GBA's lack of buttons and uncomfortable ergonomics. Yeah, New Super Metroid on the Wii U - I'd like to do that =)


3
TalkBack / Grinding Beautiful Gears in Mario Kart 8
« on: April 03, 2014, 03:01:00 AM »

We played Mario Kart 8. It's more of the same, but that means it's awesome electric fun, generally.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/37036/grinding-beautiful-gears-in-mario-kart-8

Mario Kart 8, as a per a recent demo at Nintendo’s New York offices last week, seems to be exactly what you’d expect. We got to go hands-on with a new build of the long-awaited Wii U title, and it was impressive in some regards while woefully depressing in others. One thing was clear, though: this is Mario Kart like it was on Wii and 3DS, only now it’s in HD with new tracks. It follows the same structure of eight cups, with four featuring new tracks and four featuring retro tracks, making for 32 tracks in total.

Still, Mario Kart 8 looks absolutely gorgeous. The characters, which now include Metal Mario and Shy Guy, animate beautifully. I loved seeing all the Koopalings show a ton of personality in how they moved and jostled as they raced. Seeing Roy Koopa fist pump when he launched an item is super cool, as is seeing Lemmy Koopa move around erratically. While it’s tough to notice when you’re racing, the environments are stunning as well, especially when you look at how the inversions and loops all link together. One retro stage we saw from Mario Kart: Super Circuit had a wonderful vista that showed nearly the entire track.

Racing feels mostly the same, as you can use the GamePad, Pro Controller, Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and Wii Remote to play. Some key differences are how items are used. Instead of being able to hold onto items like you could before, you can really only have one at a time. So, instead of holding a train of bananas behind you while you get another item block, you can’t get another item until you use the bananas. Personally, I like the way that alters the strategy, putting more emphasis on quick reflexes and smart item management rather than stockpiling protective items like a kart-racing chipmunk.

Two new items were shown off in the demo as well: a piranha plant and a boomerang. The piranha plant sits in front of your kart and eats items and other racers that then in turn give you a boost that gets bigger the more your plant eats. The boomerang hits enemies that are around you, which is awesome for clearing out a crowd of racers.

Also, there’s a new technique where you can sideswipe other racers when your wheels are in anti-gravity mode to get a boost. It sounds weird in writing, but it makes sense when you see it. Your character does a 360-degree spin and then boosts when you do so, and you can even chain it together for a bigger boost. Those boosts certainly make close-quarters racing more dynamic.

The biggest letdown, so big I had to write a companion editorial about it, is the implementation of the GamePad. When using the GamePad, you can change the second screen to a map, a horn, or what’s shown on the TV screen. You can’t however, use it to race with five players locally or even race one-on-one, with one player using the GamePad as a screen and the other using the full TV screen. Instead, the GamePad would display the split-screen shown on the TV.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about Mario Kart 8. We haven’t seen the online at all, though it is confirmed to feature 12 players with two being able to go online on the same system. We’ve heard scant details on “Mario Kart TV,” which is some kind of highlight reel thing that you can share online, I think. We haven’t heard anything about a battle mode or any kind of four-player split-screen (we only played two-player locally in this build) other than that they exist. Mario Kart 8 is looking beautiful and fun, but it’s not shaping up to be much of a unique shot in the arm.

Mario Kart 8 is due out on May 30 in North America and Europe, and May 29 in Japan.


4
Podcast Discussion / Episode 373: Death of a Soft Salesman
« on: March 09, 2014, 09:57:47 PM »

Jon is back, and he brought along Billy for this big episode in which we give Nintendo WiFi Connection an honest (if slightly premature) eulogy.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/36800/episode-373-death-of-a-soft-salesman

Jon's back, Billy is our special guest, and we take an extensive look at online gaming in this week's episode. Lindy catches up with Steel Diver: Sub Wars and uses his FPS expert skills to slice it up for us. James tries the newest and maybe final Professor Layton; he also polls the group on our Bravely Default progress. Gui checks out an upcoming PC/Wii U game called A.N.N.E. that sounds like a twist on Blaster Master(!). Jonny approaches the end of DKC: Tropical Freeze and tries the new South Park game. Billy's up last with NES Remix, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, and even a couple of minutes on Titanfall.

That's the perfect segue to the feature segment, in which we take a look back on a decade of Nintendo WiFi Connection. It's been a rough path to retirement for Nintendo's first major online network, but we have plenty of happy (or at least amusing) memories. In fact, we thought it would be kind of cool to go back and play one of these games, so look out for details on a WFC-themed RetroActive to come out this week through our SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. And please shoot an email on any gaming topic for next week's deep dive into the bag!


5
TalkBack / 1001 Spikes Hands-on Preview
« on: February 05, 2014, 01:00:00 PM »

Shoot fireballs as Mr. Video Game and double jump as the President in 1001 Spikes' awesome multiplayer.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/hands-on-preview/36465/1001-spikes-hands-on-preview

Before last week, Aban Hawkins and the 1001 Spikes was not on my radar at all. Another masochistic platformer? Eh. I’ll probably buy it, but those are almost a dime a dozen these days. My time with the single-player portion of 1001 Spikes largely proved that. It’s a brutally unfair game that often has deaths caused by surprises you couldn’t possibly foresee. Though challenging, it remained fun, but it is a game that seems to demand near perfection shortly after starting.

All of that was fine and well, but what sold me on 1001 Spikes was the multiplayer. You can romp around with four people throughout the main game, which depending on the stage is either a boon or bane. It’s basically like playing Super Meat Boy with four people, which is a concept I can get behind. You can work together to triumph over tough levels, or just be real jerks to each other and whittle down the 1001 lives quickly. The other multiplayer modes I played were even better.

The first was a single-screen competitive mode where every player fights over a golden vase that spews coins. It’s like a hardcore platforming version of King of the Hill or any of its offshoots. Holding the vase earns you coins, and if you die by your opponent’s hand or the stage, you quickly respawn. It’s chaotic, but in a good way.

The second mode, called Tower of Nanner, features a variety of vertical stages. Each player only has nine lives, and the goal is to reach the top of the tower without everyone dying. Once again, you can hurt each other if you want to, but since it’s cooperative, there’s not much reason to other than to see your friend’s face when you play as the machine gun-toting President character and double jump past them.

That’s the other outrageously awesome aspect of 1001 Spikes: the playable characters. You’ve got your standard Indiana Jones-ish dudes, but there’s also a lot of cheeky references to other video game characters. Mr. Video Game looks like a familiar plumber. He even throws fireballs and a similar musical theme plays when you use him. There’s also a knight that goes down to his underwear when he dies like Arthur from Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, a ninja reminiscent of Ryu from Ninja Gaiden, a Belmont-inspired character wielding a whip, CommanderVideo, and more. Each character has strengths and weaknesses, making it fun to find your favorite and experiment.

1001 Spikes won’t be out for a while longer, though. The rough estimate from Nicalis is March or April, maybe. It seems like its nearly ready, and when it does come out, I’ll be hanging out with friends and testing our relationships playing this multiplayer.


6
Yup, Monday nights will be the nights Monsters die. Thanks for all who showed up. Next week I want to target going from HR6 to 7. Time to get some new gear....

7
Next MonHun Community Night - Monday 5/20! News coming soon...

8
I'm actually HR5 now, but worked for a few days on getting a full armor set, upgrading my blades, and upgrading my new armor. Hoping this will help me die less :)
Since the first week was really fun, we're hoping to do this on a weekly basis. I also may be a little late this week because I'm trying to be on RFN for a bit which records at the same time. Looking forward to tomorrow night!

9
I don't think you'll have to sweat what your HR is. I'm only HR4 and I'm playing. I think it's going to be fun. Now will Lindy step up and get a WiiU already?!

10
TalkBack / Fluidity: Spin Cycle Impressions
« on: September 04, 2012, 11:33:19 AM »

Fluidity disables the 3D on the 3DS, but it brings the same water-controlling madcap fun to the portable world.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/31536

A while back the esteemed Jonathan Metts hit me up to recommend a WiiWare title called Fluidity. I had played the game at a previous PAX Prime, and was eager to try out the final version. The game was enjoyable, and while I never finished it, it’s one of those games in my backlog that I've been meaning to revisit. Now, Curve Studios is back with a follow-up titled Fluidity: Spin Cycle, which refines some of the elements of the original, and makes the overall game much more suitable for portable play.

As the story goes, a wizard had a book with beautiful pictures that he wanted to bring to life. By utilizing magical rainbow spirits, he was successful, but unfortunately pesky evil goop ruins the fun and messed everything up. By utilizing the awesome power of water, your job is to rescue the rainbow spirits and rid the world of evil goop.

If you played the original, what's immediately noticeable is the change in art style, and Spin Cycle has a distinct old storybook aesthetic to it, which is quite charming. Levels are broken down into different blocks or areas – much like a comic book. By tilting the 3DS, you tilt the world that moves your pool of water. By manipulating your water through different ramps, passageways, and jumps, you'll locate stranded water drops, the missing rainbow spirits, as well as puzzle pieces. Abilities, such as gathering your water into a tight pool, are back in and now mapped to a button on the touch screen, and the representative on hand also mentioned water, ice, and vapor forms will return later in the game as well.

 

One of the new key moves is being able to completely rotate the 3DS in 360 degrees, allowing for you to pilot your water mass through new looping and twisting canals and shafts. 3D has been completely disabled for Spin Cycle due to this new control mechanic, and while you can actually rotate the 3DS, I learned that tilting the 3DS downwards  gave the same desired effect while also allowing for better control. The levels in the demo reflect testing this new mechanic, as well as bringing back the basic moves, such as jumping over chasms (Jump is mapped to pressing L and R), destroying pools of goo, and pooling water to trigger switches that unlock doors.  For now, it seems levels are now laid out sequentially (level  1, level 2, etc)  with Spin Cycle, and you’re actually now rated (1-5 stars) on how much water you end up with at the end of a level.

Spin Cycle is shaping up to be a fantastic sequel, and seems to really refine and sharpen the concept of Fluidity. I like that the levels are sequential, which will reduce having to scour the map for an elusive missed open door. The visuals are much more organic, and feel much more alive than what I experienced in the original Fluidity. The controls are what really feel great, and although the 3D was ditched for Spin Cycle, I hope that the new level designs and rotating mechanic more than makes up for it.


11
TalkBack / Re: Paper Mario: Sticker Star Impressions
« on: September 03, 2012, 02:08:56 PM »
Hey all! Glad you liked the brief impressions, and sorry they're so short. I really wish Nintendo had more to play. As why I wrote this for NWR, Neal needed some help with PAX coverage, and since I was going I thought it would be fun to help. Got one more preview coming later today, but overall there wasn't too much new stuff at PAX that hasn't been reported before or that I felt qualified to cover.

12
TalkBack / The Nintendo Booths at PAX Prime 2012
« on: September 01, 2012, 07:01:27 PM »

Check out our first day pictures of Nintendo's PAX Prime 2012 presence!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/31510

Nintendo came to PAX Prime 2012 with a full suite of games for the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and even the Wii and Nintendo DS, spread across three areas at PAX. In the main exhibition hall in Nintendo's main booth, Nintendo was showing demos of ZombiU, Nintendo Land, Pikmin 3, Project P-100, New Super Mario Bros. U, Scribblenaughts Unlimited, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and Mario Kart 7.

On the 2nd and 3rd floors of the North Galleria, Nintendo was demoing Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, Pokedex 3D Pro, Pokemon Black and White version 2, Pokemon Conquest, Paper Mario Sticker Star (presentation only), Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Fluidity: Spin Cycle, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd you steal our garbage?!!, Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, and Skylanders Giants.

Nintendo's Main Expo Booth






















13
TalkBack / Paper Mario: Sticker Star Impressions
« on: August 31, 2012, 10:56:14 PM »

This adventure is showing some real depth.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/31500

Although Nintendo showed a demo of Paper Mario: Sticker Star during their E3 3DS Software Showcase, the game wasn’t playable to attendees. During PAX Prime 2012, while on the show floor the game was being demonstrated once again to the public, I was taken behind closed doors to get my hands on Mario’s latest paper adventure. Though the demo I got to play was just a portion of what Nintendo showed during the Software Showcase, I did notice a few things in my brief play through.

There’s an overworld map very much like what players are used to from Mario Bros. 3, and the New Super Mario Bros. series. While I wasn’t told how many areas or different environments there will be, they did have the trademark 1-4, 2-3 type naming convention. Visually, everything has a nice diorama look to it, but the 3D effect on the 3DS XL I played with felt a bit off during my demo so I turned it off.

Stickers can be found everywhere in the world and are used for everything: solving puzzles, getting into new areas, and most importantly, combat. While Super Paper Mario ditched the turn based combat, in Paper Mario: Sticker Star it's back and your moves and actions are controlled by choosing stickers from your sticker book. Jumps, line jumps (jumping down a line of enemies), shells and flower powers are just some of the stickers you’ll pick up and utilize in battle. After you choose the sticker attack you want, you’re asked to confirm your choice of attack, and then the action battle sequence begins. There’s a break between choosing the sticker and the attack beginning, which is a good thing. Just like in previous turn-based Paper Mario titles, after the attack is initiated you can increase the intensity of your attack and block enemy attacks by timing your button presses. It all feels familiar and great, and while we've only seen some stock Mario moves, I’m curious to see what new elements they decide to drop into the mix.

Stickers are also used to solve puzzles, and you’ll encounter different real-world things in your adventures, such as an electric fan. By "stickerizing" these items, or turning them into stickers, you can use them to solve puzzles. For example, by using a giant electric fan to blow enough wind to power a windmill, you can enter new areas. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any new uses of "stickerizing" but I get the feeling that it will be one of the main ways of progressing through the game.

Sadly, after turning on the fan and powering up the windmill and going inside (which included a number puzzle that I didn’t have the answer for), the demo was over. Just a few battles, a puzzle solved and kaput; an all too brief taste of Paper Mario: Sticker Star and I’m hungry for more.


14
TalkBack / Re: Happy 12th Birthday, Nintendo World Report!
« on: March 07, 2011, 05:12:29 PM »
HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY to the best damn Nintendo site on the interwebs! Very proud of you all, and keep kicking ass. My apologies to Karlie on the complete picture fail. GDC ran me over like a truck, and somehow the message didn't get to me. I'll blame it on TEH CAT.

15
TalkBack / Happy 10th Birthday, Nintendo World Report!
« on: March 07, 2009, 12:19:55 AM »
NWR turns 10 today!  To kick off the celebration, here's a few words from the Godfather himself, Billy Berghammer.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17894

 March 7th 1999. My girlfriend was out of town, and I was kind of bored. The N64HQ had closed down months before, and rumors began swirling about the successor to the N64. One of my close friends in Milwaukee was part owner of an ISP called NConnect Internet and gave me some free space to create one of the first sites dedicated to the next Nintendo console.  So it was me, Front Page 98, zero experience in building a real website from scratch, absolutely no management skills whatsoever, and horrible design taste.  I still can’t believe that a decision I made while bored on a Sunday afternoon would change my life forever, as well as many of the staff members that have drifted through the hall-less offices of PlanetN2000, Planet GameCube, and Nintendo World Report. Who would have thought that we would  bring together hundreds of thousands of Nintendo fans for years to come? Actually, let’s make that exactly ten years, today.    


Happy Anniversary PlanetN2000, Planet GameCube, and Nintendo World Report! 10 Years!    


Billy with the First GameCube Sold in Japan

   


Wow!  And looking back at our first days online, boy were we awful. In the beginning, there really wasn’t a “we” per say. In the beginning it was just me trying to figure out how to create a website. Since there really wasn’t too much information on N2000/Project Dolphin, a lot of it was speculation, dreams, and me babbling. But I had high hopes, big dreams, and very little else to do with my time since I was between radio jobs and living off of unemployment.  At this time the interwebs were still very much in their infancy; the blogosphere wasn’t even close to existing yet, the webcrash was still a few years out, and sites like IGN and GameSpot were just starting out.    


After I networked up with a number of ex-N64HQ/OperatioN2000 staffers, Justin Nation decided to close the doors to his Dolphin site and move his forums and some features over to my server. One by one I recruited a number of writers who were just as excited to find out what Nintendo was cooking up. I never paid anyone for their hard work (except with games and hardware), and over the years people lost jobs, girlfriends/friends, and life opportunities for their contributions to our efforts. I owe an awful lot to the staff of this website.  If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.    


Over the next week or so the staff will be featuring their memories of our site, and breaking them down year-by-year for the decade that this Nintendo website has been rolling along. As far as my favorite moments, there are really too many. In fact, for the most part, all of them were chronicled in the four years I was the Director of PlanetN2000/Planet GameCube. This website was my life. From its birth in Milwaukee, to moving up to Minneapolis for another (and my final) radio job, until I passed on my responsibilities when I basically ate, slept, and **** this website from morning to…well…morning.    


However, if I had to pass on one favorite memory, it would be when I finally got to meet people from the staff. Whether it was E3, GDC, Space World, or Nintendo events, it was nice to finally put a face to the many AIM, ICQ, IRC, or phone chats. People from all walks of life and from all over the world would come together for a shared passion for Nintendo, and a bigger love for this website. These folks work their asses off around the clock to deliver you fresh and entertaining content, and that’s why this site has been a continued success. I still stay in contact with many of the staff throughout the years today, and can’t wait to see them again at E3 this year. It’s going to be one hell of a party, fellas.  I’m extremely proud of the staff that’s kept this website alive through its many iterations. Ten years is an accomplishment any website should be proud of – let alone a website whose staff has always done it for free. Happy anniversary Nintendo World Report! I look forward to seeing the next ten years to come!    


Word.    


B


16
NWR Feedback / Staff at PGC please read!
« on: June 08, 2003, 09:00:38 AM »
Andrew it was sent to your Santa Barbara addy this past week.  Sorry for the delay.

17
TalkBack / Billy Berghammer Retires From Planet GameCube.com
« on: May 02, 2003, 08:27:39 AM »
Hey everyone,

I just wanted to say thanks for a the support that everyone has given me for the move.  You all rock.   I got a lot of e-mail of people asking me about when I'll be appearing in Game Informer Magazine.  Well I can't say exactly what I've written, but my first 2 works will be appearing in the next issue of Game Informer which should be getting to subscribers and the newsstands in two weeks.

Also, for you heading to E3, it'll be in the issue you can pick up there.  

Word.

B

18
NWR Feedback / PGC turning into IGN?!?!
« on: April 14, 2003, 01:23:16 PM »
These problems with repeated posts have to deal with web accelerators.  If you have something like that installed, please disable that before using our forums.  You won't have that problem again.

19
TalkBack / Mother 1 + 2 Announced!
« on: April 14, 2003, 08:31:21 AM »
...And 3 teased?  Oh, what's this?  The first commercial even!

Mother 1 + 2 has been announced in Japan for the GBA, and we've got the first commercial for you. (Thanks Quiter!)


The original Mother for Famicom was never released outside of Japan.  Apparently, its graphics have been slightly updated in this port.  Its SNES sequel, starring Ness, a little boy who Smash Bros. fans will recognize, was released worldwide as Earthbound and quickly became a cult hit.  Mother is highly regarded as a very funny, underrated, and unconventional RPG series.


Mother 1+2, which obviously contains both of these classic RPGs, will be released on June 20th for 4800 yen.  There's no release  date for Mother 3, but there's a teaser at the end of the commercial for this brand new game in the series.  We'll  have more information when we find our Japanese correspondent.  For now,  check out the commercial!

Mother 1 + 2

MPEG

Movie 1  (2.9MB MPEG)


20
NWR Feedback / Trivia - How much is too much
« on: April 14, 2003, 07:45:22 AM »
This person e-mailed us as well.  I don't think you're going to find too much support with your complaint.

Secondly, we're in a pre-e3 news lull.  This happens every year.  Hey, at least we post news on Sat. and Sun.

21
TalkBack / Must See Miyamoto TV
« on: April 14, 2003, 06:55:28 AM »
A new documentary about video games premiers this Wednesday night on The Learning Channel.  Did I mention that Shigeru Miyamoto will be featured?

Gameheadz Premieres on TLC on Wednesday 16th April at 10pm ET/PT

TLC presents a new documentary that tells the story of the early pioneers of the world's fastest growing entertainment industry. It's a tale of visionaries, brilliant inventors and genius hippie renegades - the story of Computer Games.


It all began with the unveiling of PONG in a local Californian tavern in 1972. Atari's founder Nolan Bushnell and Pong's creator Al Alcorn tell the story of how they created the games industry with a bunch of spare parts and an old wooden crate.


Gameheadz includes never-before-seen footage from "A Day at Atari" - a mock documentary made by Atari employees in the late seventies.


Activision founder and star designer, David Crane, explains what went wrong at Atari and how it led to the entire industry collapsing in 1983.


Ralph Baer, creator of the Odyssey system, sets the record straight on who really invented video games.


In the early Nineteen-Eighties, British teenagers revolutionised the computer games industry with games they designed at home on cheap computers - computers bought by parents to help with their homework.


Oliver Twins, Philip and Andrew, tell the story of how they sold their first game at the age of thirteen and went on to become millionaires. Their collaboration with the teenage Darling Brothers helped build one of the world's most powerful and acclaimed game publishers, Codemasters.


Nintendo filled the void left by the collapse of Atari and the American computer games industry.


Thanks to the work of its creative genius, Shigeru Miyamoto, the company became synonymous with computer games and its mascot, Mario became more famous than Mickey Mouse.


Gameheadz explains the Miyamoto phenomenon, tracing his inspirations back to a magical childhood spent exploring the Japanese countryside. Miyamoto tells the story of how an amazing series of twists of fate led to him being asked to design his first game - Donkey Kong.


A highlight for game fans in particular is Miyamoto performing the theme tune to Super Mario Bros. on his guitar.


And Miyamoto reveals how he came up with the magic formula for Zelda - the game critics said at the time was doomed to failure, but has since been acclaimed as the greatest series of computer games ever made.


Nintendo's dominance of the games industry was assured when it scooped the world rights to Russian puzzler Tetris - the most addictive game of all time.


Henk Rogers tells the story of how he travelled to Moscow in the dying months of communism, befriended the games creator Alexey Pajitnov and won the rights to Tetris against strong competition from Hungarian publisher Robert Stein and the wishes of the KGB.


Alexey Pajitnov reveals how he came up with the game that has driven a generation of children and adults alike to the brink of insanity. And this program gives viewers a rare glimpse of his original version of the game in action on a Soviet Electronica 60 computer.


22
TalkBack / Sega Announces Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
« on: April 14, 2003, 06:49:20 AM »
An all new platformer from Yuji Naka!  Get the beefy vittles right here!

SEGA UNVEILS "BILLY HATCHER AND THE GIANT EGG" FROM THE CREATOR OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

SAN FRANCISCO - (April 14, 2003) - SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced "Billy Hatcher and the Giant EggTM," a new platform game exclusively for the Nintendo GameCubeTM. "Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg" is currently in development under the direction of SEGA's renowned Yuji Naka, the creator of SEGA's world-famous Sonic The Hedgehog® series.


The first all-new platform game and character from Yuji Naka and SONICTEAMTM since the SEGA SaturnTM era, "Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg" is the story of a young boy who must save a once magical kingdom from the clutches an evil King who threatens to rule with an everlasting night. Gamers must learn to use the powers of a legendary suit and control magical eggs to restore light to the kingdom.


A vibrant, lightning-fast 3-D platformer, "Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg" challenges gamers to hatch dozens of magical creatures from special eggs as they explore themed, carnival-esque environments on their quest to save the kingdom. Playing as Billy Hatcher, players will roll the eggs though the world, using them to solve puzzles, fight enemies, and even ultimately hatch magical creatures that enhance their abilities, adding a unique strategic twist to the fast action.


"'Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg' is pure SONICTEAM magic," said Mike Fischer, vice president of marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "A dizzying blend of fast action, hypnotic gameplay and one-of-a-kind characters, 'Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg' is, without a doubt, the next big thing from the legendary SONICTEAM."


"Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg" is slated for release in the U.S. in Fall 2003.


23
Hrm, no.  I think it's complicated enough as it is.  But thanks.

24
While we'd like to do something hardcore, we're probably just going to post a small special on the winners.  It's a little too much to do the 50.  We've got E3 in a couple weeks, and a whole bunch of stuff going on.  Going thru the thousands of entries alone was enough for us at this time.  Seriously, you have no idea


25
NWR Feedback / The Forum "Motto"
« on: April 11, 2003, 10:55:18 AM »
Yeah, this thread at least is all about bitching about the bitching.  Hehe.  Funny stuff.  And Oooohboy, look at your sig!

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