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NWR Interactive => TalkBack => Topic started by: NWR_Lindy on March 08, 2009, 01:45:10 PM

Title: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_Lindy on March 08, 2009, 01:45:10 PM
This Talkback thread is for discussing the year 2007 as presented in the PGC/NWR 10th Anniversary special.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=17996
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Halbred on March 21, 2009, 08:24:50 PM
I think '07 is when I came onboard, right as E3 was happening. Wild time. It was a good year, lots of great games for both platforms!
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Stratos on March 21, 2009, 09:10:50 PM
Christmas 2007 was when I really tried to get a Wii since all of my family had mentioned how they were interested in it and would like to get one as one large family Christmas gift. Since I was living in tax-free Oregon at the time I was commissioned as the official Wii hunter. Ironicaly my Dad had seen two at a Wal-Mart just a few days before our family collectively decided we all wanted a Wii for Christmas. Despite my best efforts a clashing early morning job and school kept me from finding one. I refused to accept one of those exorbitant bundles online for $500 and refused to gratify the scalpers.

Ironically I had succeeded in scagging one that Summer for a friends bachelor party gift. Everyone had agreed to pitch in end several people never gave me the money they promised so I ended up paying a huge chunk of the cost. Pity I couldn't recreate the magic hunting skills to find one that November/December.

2007 was also the year I received Twilight Princess on the Gamecube as a birthday present and was the last GC game I ever got new.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 21, 2009, 09:12:48 PM
I was actually a little happy when Brawl was delayed. I wasn't gonna have the money to get it on December 3, so the delay was fine with me.

2007 was a great year. Super Mario Galaxy is a great game, a shame it has had only so-so sales in Japan. I loved Pokemon Diamond and played it every day for about 16 months (I got bored after getting all 490 Pokemon that were available at the time).
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Stratos on March 21, 2009, 09:19:16 PM
I was actually a little happy when Brawl was delayed. I wasn't gonna have the money to get it on December 3, so the delay was fine with me.

I actually wish it was delayed longer considering the characters and songs that were cut from the game due to time. I would have been content to wait until Summer for it if it meant we got those 'lost songs', dropped characters and a better online experience.

2007 was a great year. Super Mario Galaxy is a great game, a shame it has had only so-so sales in Japan.
1 million units is no easy task. Plus the nearly 7 million from the rest of the world more than makes up for Japan's performance.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 21, 2009, 09:27:40 PM
It hit 1 million in Japan? Still low for a console Mario game, but good sales. It must have been a slow burner though because it had really low sales for the first few months.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 21, 2009, 09:41:34 PM
It hit 1 million in Japan? Still low for a console Mario game, but good sales. It must have been a slow burner though because it had really low sales for the first few months.

Twilight Princess sold much less, so a million is actually an accomplishment.

Wow, we are almost reaching the tenth year! Things will not be so nostalgic now!

2007 was definitely a great year for the Wii. Like expected, it did get hit by software droughts, but it got some great games.

Sonic and the Secret Rings was a great title, one that was quite good when compared to Sonic 06 (released a few months earlier). It did have some issues, many which were fixed in the new game "Black Knight". While it got good reviews it seems to be forgotten now, and even though the sequel fixes things people still took a dump on the game. But what matters is that the game sold and has some fans.

2007 was the year a massive dream came true... Sonic would battle against Mario in not one but two titles and both would be significant events. The first one was "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". This was announced on April 1 so many swore it was a joke. But when the official teaser was released and it showed Mario and Sonic in the same room it was no joke.

Then, on a cold night the SSB Brawl blog updated with the info everyone wanted to hear: Sonic was in Brawl!

Its great that the Wii has become the first console to see this titans together, something that many have dreamed up since the 16 bit years.

Going back to the Olympics game, it was a really great game! I know hardkoar fans will moan and bitch about it, but for a mini game compilation it was well made, had A LOT of events and features and I still play it. I can't wait to play the Winter Olympic games.

Resident Evil 4 on Wii became the game of the summer for me. The controls for it were amazing and one of the few examples that older games could be brand new with Wii controls. Its too bad no one has tried to do this again.

Finally, Super Mario Galaxy was epic. I know the game has received amazing comments, but its truly one of the most amazing games on the Wii yet. Everything from the music to the story has received a push never before seen in a Nintendo game.

I never played Metroid Prime 3, so I can't offer my thoughts.

Other games that were awesome include Zack and Wiki, Rayman Raving Rabbids World Tour, Mario Strikers Charged, Wii Play, Super Paper Mario, Medal of Honor Heroes 2, Cooking Mama,The Godfather, Chicken Shoot and....

WAIT CHICKEN SHOOT?!? THAT GAME SUCKED BALLS!!!

*Goes all Angry Videogame Nerd on it
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 22, 2009, 01:37:55 AM
Super Mario Galaxy is terrible. It is so absolutely terrible because it puts almost every other Wii game to shame due to its incredible presentation, inventiveness, and attention to detail. People have compared this game to Super Mario Brothers 3, and that might be an apt comparison. While Super Mario Brothers 3 didn't really offer up anything revolutionary, it expanded upon the ideas put forth in the first two games and created unsurpassed 2D platforming excellence. Galaxy has accomplished the same for the 3D Mario games by refining every great aspect of both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. However, being able to walk on an object 360 degrees can be disorienting... I think this is the first game that's given me a headache. It’s no big deal though.

A few months ago is when I received Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I think I'm close to finishing this one, as there aren't really any unexplored areas left on the map and I've collected most of the energy cells. This game has a completely different feel than the previous two games; firstly, interacting with other humans just seems wrong in a Metroid game, especially since Samus never utters a word. The environments are far too mechanical; the planets don't have the same sense of life and ruined prosperity that the previous games' worlds had. It does still have the same attention to detail however, and the planet hopping makes for a little more variety. The controls are perfect, they work perhaps too well. The game has been somewhat easy, and this makes me wonder... At the start, you're given the option of difficulty of normal or hard. In the previous games, the hard mode was unlocked after you beat it, but I'm left wondering if the normal mode is actually the easy mode, and there's some sort of "super hard" difficulty unlocked after you beat it. In any case, I should have chosen hard...

I don’t care what anyone says, Mario Party 8 is sweet. The boards have a good amount of variety to them, each one feels unique instead of just being a slightly remixed board with a different theme. The minigames, however, vary greatly in terms of enjoyment and creativity. Only about half use either motion or pointer controls; the others have you hold the controller NES-style and use just the buttons. This seems like a bit of a wasted effort, as the move to Wii was the perfect time to revamp the series. The luck-based games are annoying and tedious; you'll be hoping they never show up. Games which use motions tend to be simple, though the games which use the pointer are a little more creative. The NES-controller minigames are your standard Mario Party fair. Overall, despite a few stinkers the minigames are sill solid.

Battalion Wars II is another game I got recently. As you can see I have some catching up to do on the Wii backlog. I've only played a few missions so the game hasn't thrown anything difficult or complex my way yet. It feels a bit strange to use the pointer for aiming a weapon in a third-person perspective game, but it works. The only thing I don't like is twisting the Nunchuk to roll.

Mercury Meltdown Revolution… I'm not sure if this is really a "puzzle" game, as it's usually obvious what you need to do. Doing it is what can be troublesome. This is sort of like one of those little toys you'd get in a fast food kid's meal with the little metal ball that you have to maneuver through a maze by tilting it... only it, you know, won't bore you to tears. Actually completing levels isn't difficult, but doing it under the par time while collecting all of the bonuses scattered around the level and not losing a drop of mercury can prove quite the challenge. It seems strange that you can use a Classic Controller though there's no Nunchuk support. Just don't try it with the Wii Wheel... I did and I failed. Hugely.

Wii Play is a good two-player game, especially for $10. My sister actually enjoys this more than Wii Sports, if you can believe that. She likes the Find Mii game, we got up over Level 90 by working together. She also likes Tanks!, though we never could get too far in that; I think Level 18 was the highest we ever reached.

My brother has Guitar Hero III and I tried playing a few songs once. Have you ever seen anyone fail a song on Easy difficulty? Yeah, neither had he, up to that point anyway...

Every time my sister visits she loves to use the Everybody Votes Channel and answer the questions, though she likes predicting the majority response even more. I think she is about 85% accurate overall whereas I’m something like 60%. She also likes the Check Mii Out Channel and has downloaded a bunch of Miis to my system, though she was disappointed when she first discovered they couldn’t be edited.

Mario Strikers Charged is a decent game, but it is too contrived for me. For one, it doesn't follow the pick-up-and-play mentality of other Mario games partly due to the controls are leaning towards complex. Characters have greatly varying stats, as well as a unique deke and skill shot; ironically, the captain characters have a generic Mega Strike, making them less interesting than the sidekick characters. Each captain also has a unique item which they obtain randomly. The problem with all of this is that it lacks balance; some captain's items are way too powerful, certain skill shots are unstoppable while others are easy to block, and even some dekes are overpowering. What's worse, there are exploits (unintentional ways of scoring) that were discovered which have further ruined the game. The online play is a joke now because almost everyone uses the exploits to score, and the only way to counter is to use exploits yourself. It's basically one big back and forth of cheap shots until time runs out and hope you have more points at the end.

What bothers me most has to be the art style. The game is strangely set in a post-apocalyptic world, so the stadiums reside in desolate environments and have dark colours and dramatic shading. The generally cheerful cast of colourful characters are now dressed in battle armour and take everything way too seriously. Some of the character's theme music doesn't suit them at all either. It's a stark contrast to the rainbow-happy Mario universe that I'm used to, and seeing such a dark take on the Marioverse is rather depressing.

Mario Strikers Charged is very un-Mario in many ways, so much so that I'd probably like it better if it didn't have Mario characters in it. It is probably the most hardcore Mario game of them all, even more so than the platformers and RPGs. It is quite detailed in its animation and presentation, but it isn't in a style which I like, and it sometimes feels a bit mean-spirited. It is likely no coincidence that it is the worst-selling Mario game on Wii.

In any case, it is always fun to check others into the electric fence using Birdo; he may think he's a girl but he certainly doesn't hit like one!

Then, on a cold night the SSB Brawl blog updated with the info everyone wanted to hear: Sonic was in Brawl!
Everyone except for me, but then again I’m used to spitting in the face of popular opinion. :)
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: BeautifulShy on March 22, 2009, 02:51:02 AM
Yeah there is a third difficulty Mop_it_up.Its called Hyper.I am still trying to beat that difficulty.I am at the end of the game on that difficulty.
I absolutely love Galaxy.It refines the controls to perfection.The music is one of the best vg soundtracks I've heard.I got the game at launch.I have 3 stars with Mario left to get.
RE4:WE is one of my favorite games.I like doing different types of runs through the game.
I liked Umbrella Chronicles as well.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Kairon on March 22, 2009, 02:53:04 AM
I don’t care what anyone says, Mario Party 8 is sweet.

I've known people who would totally agree with you. This is one of the things that so-called core gamers don't get about Nintendo, or maybe once got, then grew away from. We complain about sequelitis and milking franchises and all that... but is there anything wrong with games that give people fun without needing to completely break the mold? What's wrong with Mario party 8 if it's still fun and people are still discovering it for the first time? What's wrong with another Pokemon game? What's wrong with Phoenix Wright 1, 2, 3?

... AND WHERE'S MY TOKI TORI 2?!?!?!?
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: MegaByte on March 22, 2009, 03:43:16 AM
What's wrong with Mario party 8 if it's still fun and people are still discovering it for the first time?
Nothing, but that assumes your premise is true.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Stratos on March 22, 2009, 04:44:34 AM
... AND WHERE'S MY TOKI TORI 2?!?!?!?

When you find it let me know. I loved the WiiWare version.

Mario Party is alright, but I'm now a huge fan of Dokipon Kingdom in the digital board game realm.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 22, 2009, 02:39:50 PM
What's wrong with Mario Party 8 if it's still fun for someone who owns four other Mario Party titles and thinks 8 is the best of them all? If that's wrong I don't want to be right.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 22, 2009, 02:50:17 PM
Crap, I forgot to mention Mario Party 8!

I admit at first I didn't like the game that much. That was because when I played it my group of friends just weren't into it.

That's the main issue with the Mario Party series, in my opinion. You need to play it with the right group of people. When I played the game for the first time two of our players weren't into it. One was busy hitting on random girls at the bar, the other wouldn't stop whining about graphics, gameplay and such. Its also considerable slow, meaning that players waiting for their turn do nothing but whine.

But once I played it with the right players it was a blast. There are A TON of mini games and bonus features, making it a robust Wii title.

I regret selling it because I really wanted more playtime with it.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 22, 2009, 03:00:25 PM
Mario Party 8 does flow a bit slowly, I do agree with that, but I think that's one of the things which makes it a good party game. You can carry on conversations whilst you're all playing the game because it doesn't require your full attention. Since the game uses just the Wiimote, you can use your other hand to eat chips or other such snacks without getting the controller all greasy.

Controller in one hand, strawberry daiquiri in the other; that's how Wii was meant to be played!
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 22, 2009, 03:04:01 PM
Mario Party 8 does flow a bit slowly, I do agree with that, but I think that's one of the things which makes it a good party game. You can carry on conversations whilst you're all playing the game because it doesn't require your full attention. Since the game uses just the Wiimote, you can use your other hand to eat chips or other such snacks without getting the controller all greasy.

Controller in one hand, strawberry daiquiri in the other; that's how Wii was meant to be played!

And hit on girls, just like my friend did while waiting for his turn ;) .

One of the things Smash_Brother mentioned that few people notice is that there's an element of strategy, despite it being luck based. Like using the candy at the right time, studying your board so you can see traps and learning where each character is. I think S_B is right. Despite still being a luck based series if you pay attention you can come up on top and know how to properly screw over other players.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 22, 2009, 03:18:02 PM
I might agree there were some strategy to the game if I didn't always lose. :( I'm not a lucky person, everything which can go wrong, does go wrong, and at the worst possible time. I never get anywhere because I almost always roll a 1 or 2. If I ever do roll a larger number it is only because it's going to cause me to land on a bad space, like the Bowser space. Speaking of, Bowser hates me. Whenever he shows up on boards like the train board, it's always me who reaches him first. The shop never has a sale when I pass it. The random candy pickups usually give me the type where you need to pass another player, which I can't do because I roll 1's and 2's. I'm always the first out in the luck-based minigames.

I could go on but I think you get the point. Whenever it's your turn, wherever you are on the board, if you can imagine the worst possible outcome, I've experienced something even worse.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 22, 2009, 03:28:24 PM
Yeah, its the luck based elements that might scare some players away, because the best players doesn't always win, its usually the luckiest. I remember way back on the N64 days me and my friend would have sessions in which one player would be dead last with few coins and no stars, but would end up winning because of a few lucky chance times.

It's what makes the series so fun for a lot of people but frustrating for others.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Djunknown on March 22, 2009, 11:24:28 PM
2k7, let's see...

To start off, SSX bBur. Talk about one of the quickest turn-arounds in gaming history. It was announced Dec '06, released Feb '07. That was one of the games that divided reviewers into two categories. Those that didn't get the controls and slammed it, the other 'getting it' and praising it.

It took a while (http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=20011.0) but I eventually got it.

Got my VC on with Mario 64; I played at kiosks and at friend's houses back in the day, but never got the chance to sit down and try to get all the stars. Also, MK 64.

Quote
Sonic and the Secret Rings was a great title, one that was quite good when compared to Sonic 06 (released a few months earlier).

Yeah, it didn't have inter-species lip-locking thank goodness... ;)

Quote
The online play is a joke now because almost everyone uses the exploits to score, and the only way to counter is to use exploits yourself.

When I picked it up, they were starting to use it, so I didn't stand a chance.

Alien Syndrome... was ok. It reminded me of Diablo I, with emphasis on gun/beam play. The foundation was there, but that's all it had for 40+ levels. The game refused to end. Though it was fun to put on a set of armor that suspiciously looked liked Master Chief...

While waiting for Metroid Prime 3, I picked up Super Metroid on the VC. Another game that back in the day I played in the kiosks at Sears, but never played it in its entirety. Aside from a few moments of being totally lost (and checking a FAQ...), I can see why this is considered one of the best games ever made.

Another set of VC favorites was Sin and Punishment/ the REAL Super Mario Bros 2. I could see why S&P got so much praise.  If it was released on the PS1/PS2, it wouldn't have control issues with dual analog. But we are getting the follow-up, so I'm looking foward to that. The real SMB2 still remains unbeaten to this day, I'm at level 4-4. Talk about an exericse in Sadomasochism..

What were some of your favorite VC faves for '07? Was your library full of games you already played back in the day, or did you play the ones you missed?
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 23, 2009, 01:58:19 AM
I think my favorite VC game of 2007 was Super Metroid. I'd never played the game before and I hadn't really liked what little of the series I'd played, but I preordered Corruption because of the controls and I bought Super Metroid when it came out the week before because everyone said it was great. I loved it, I completely got all the praise it has gotten, and it has made its way into my personal top 10. Also, I'm 100% behind Pale, Kid Icarus is awesome despite the fact I can't get past the 4th level.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Stratos on March 23, 2009, 02:21:01 AM
I think my favorite VC game of 2007 was Super Metroid. I'd never played the game before and I hadn't really liked what little of the series I'd played, but I preordered Corruption because of the controls and I bought Super Metroid when it came out the week before because everyone said it was great. I loved it, I completely got all the praise it has gotten, and it has made its way into my personal top 10. Also, I'm 100% behind Pale, Kid Icarus is awesome despite the fact I can't get past the 4th level.

You mean you got past the first one? I have no skill in that game, though I like the concept and it is fun until I run out of health and have to start over. Maybe I shouldn't try to kill the witch things who take a lot of hits...

The first VC games I got were Sonic the Hedgehog, Harvest Moon and Lost Levels. I then got Sin & Punishment, Super Metroid and Kid Icarus from a friend a while after that as birthday gifts.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 23, 2009, 02:36:24 AM
I couldn't get past the first enemy in Kid Icarus. "Recommended For Teh Craziez" would have been more apt.

The VC can kiss my powdered pink butt.

Most of the games on the VC which were released on Nintendo systems are ones which either I already own in physical form or are planning to buy. Many of them actually don't cost much more than their VC prices, and some are even less. The only VC game I considered purchasing was Kirby's Dreamland 3 because of how difficult it is to find, especially for a good price.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 23, 2009, 03:14:47 AM
Like the NPC series the VC is not aimed are the core fanbase, but at the new players who never owned these games or just want to play them on their Wiis. It also gives people the opportunity to play games that are rare or were never released.

Its all up to the player whether the VC is useful or not.

The only problem I have with the service is the lack of releases. I want more N64 support dammit!
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 23, 2009, 03:24:57 AM
I know, that comment was just an attempt at humour. The VC isn't a selling point for me but I'm glad that it gives people the opportunity to experience and/or revisit Nintendo's history. I also wonder how interest in certain older games will affect new game development... like a StarTropics 3... *drools*

I agree about the VC needing more Nintendo 64 games, since it was their greatest system after all. It's a shame we'll never see any of Rare's releasing on the VC because they created some excellent titles. Since there are so few N64 games on VC I can't help but wonder if they are a little more difficult to emulate for whatever reason. Didn't they also state that games which used the Expansion Pak wouldn't be feasible? I also wonder if Nintendo and/or other companies are avoiding N64 games because they see it as dark times and want it to be forgotten.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: IceCold on March 23, 2009, 03:48:03 AM
Quote
Most of the games on the VC which were released on Nintendo systems are ones which either I already own in physical form or are planning to buy. Many of them actually don't cost much more than their VC prices, and some are even less. The only VC game I considered purchasing was Kirby's Dreamland 3 because of how difficult it is to find, especially for a good price.

What about Sin & Punishment? Or Super Mario RPG? I'm sure there are more examples of rare games released on the VC which are much more expensive elsewhere.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: Mop it up on March 23, 2009, 04:27:11 AM
There are some expensive ones yes, but on the whole I'd say many of the games available wouldn't cost more than a couple of dollars over their VC prices. That is, the Nintendo system games; I don't really know anything about any of the non-Nintendo system games on offer. However, with the price statement I was really more referring to the games which I wanted to buy wouldn't cost much more than the VC price. I already have Super Mario RPG and don't really have any interest in Sin and Punishment.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2007
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 23, 2009, 07:01:18 PM
Its understandable if you already have the console and the game, and its hooked up to your TV. But like I said, the VC service is mainly for those who are too lazy to connect their old consoles or don't want to look for the old games.

Going back to the topic, 2008 is perhaps going to offer the most interesting retrospective information yet. 2008 was both a great and a bad year for Nintendo. Great because their games and systems kept selling and broke records despite a very, very bleak economic outlook and tough competition. Bad because it seems that the divide between casual and core players was decided and from then on the argument would never die.

Can't wait to offer my thoughts on that!