This week, we'd like to ask you: Is the Wii getting shafted by third parties? Wii is the big seller, but there's a possibility that it's not getting the focus it needs from certain big parties. You know the ones I'm talking about. Those guys! On the other hand, there are exclusive games and features that can only really be done with the Wii's Wiimote, so maybe it's on the level. Better tell us! Vote in the poll, too, if you so feel inclined.
What we're giving away this week:
Every week, a random, non-terrible poster will recieve a neato prize! This week, it's...
Transformers: "Scorponok" (Decepticon) action figure, brand new in unopened packaging. Robot transforms into a silver and gold scorpion. A Decepticons fridge magnet will also be included.
Reminder: We can only ship to the U.S. & Canada. Posting multiple times will not increase your chances of winning, and spamming posts, breaking the forum rules, or otherwise being a terrible poster may disqualify you or get your account banned. Be sure to check the forum rules before posting. And you can't post if you're not a member of our forums, so if you want to get a chance to win a prize, register now!
Now, for a selection of the finer posts from last week. The threads are open indefinitely if you want to respond to any of these fine internet chaps! Incidentally, Mr. Jack was the winner of last week's prize. Congrats!
Mr. Jack posted:
Thus far, I haven't even touched the Virtual Console. It's not that it's a bad service, I just prefer to own a solid version of the game. In my apartment I have set up a separate room designated entirely to gaming and in there I have all of my systems setup, ready to play at any moment. One of the biggest selling points for people on the virtual console is the relative ease of playing a game, due to my setup the VC doesn't have that same appeal to me.
On the other hand though, there are some games that have come to the VC or are coming that are outrageously expensive in cartridge form and the VC provides a much more reasonably priced alternative for me. The VC would also be great for buying Japanese games that are unreleased in America, such as Doki Doki Panic, Sin and Punishment, N64DD titles, the Famicom Wars games, and the Fire Emblem games. Retooled American releases would also be likely purchases for me. When the right game comes along I'll finally take the plunge, but until then I'll probably continue trying to secure a cartridge and when all else fails I will hopefully have a VC version to fall back on.
Most people my age have fond memories of the games they played as children. I still have all my old consoles and games, but they're packed away in boxes and I honestly can't be bothered to get them out. It's worth it to me to pay a nominal fee in order to get to easily play StarFox 64 or Donkey Kong Country again (shut up--I have very fond memories of that game). I'm starting to feel old and disconnected from today's youth and the VC makes me feel the same glee I did as a kid, if only for a fleeting moment.
More importantly, the VC gives me access to lots of games I was forced to skip the first time around. When I was a kid, the limiting factor in the number of games I played was money (as it is for most kids, I assume). There were lots of games on the NES and SNES that I missed simply because I didn't have the cash. Now that I'm an adult, the limiting factor of my gaming is time. I can buy pretty much anything I want to, but I still miss out on a lot of games simply because I don't have the time to play them. I have no qualms with paying $5-$10 to download a game I've always wanted to play but never did. Without VC I would likely never have gotten to play Kirby's Adventure or get my ass handed to me by level 6-2 of Ninja Gaiden. I'm really excited about trying out ActRaiser to see what all the fuss is about.
There's a definite difference between games of yore (which tended to be much harder, but also much shorter) and games since the N64/PSX era (easier, more "epic", and longer). While I still really enjoy today's offerings, there's something novel--even charming--about classic games. While the stinkers can be truly bad, there are lots of gems out there that today's kids have never played. Anything that has not been ported to the GBA has been lost to anyone under the age of 15. Trying asking your thirteen year old cousin if he's ever played Illusion of Gaia or Gunstar Heroes and look at the blank stare you'll receive. If we don't do something to rectify this our kids will grow up to be a bunch of sissies.
Of course, there are the games I haven't played before. As a gamer who has played games in three separate decades, I know which games are considered classics that I don't own, and which games are just terrible, so I can make good decisions. However, younger gamers and less hardcore gamers shouldn't be expected to know what games are classics and what games stink, or just don't match what they want. At $5-10 a pop, the games cost way too much just to guess, and the only previews Nintendo has made available are incomplete and not even featured on the Wii Shop Channel. To find them, you basically have traverse the Wii website until you find the right link. Even then, all the previews consist of are 30 second clips of random scenes in the game, which is to say, not nearly as comprehensive as should be.
The remedy? Offer some sort of preview, letting people sample games for about ten or twenty minutes, then locking up the previewed games until the game is purchased. The games cost pretty much nil to transfer, after all. They are from the generation before games became unreasonably large to casually transfer through the internet, so allowing previews would return more than it would cost, unless Nintendo is purposely trying to cover up the quality of titles available.
If that wasn't the best thread ever, please check out the forum's current most popular threads!
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Originally posted by: S-U-P-E-R
You're doing it right. It's a forum thread, not an essay contest. It's for discussing, disecting, and taking on other people's claims.
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Originally posted by: KaironQuote
Originally posted by: S-U-P-E-R
You're doing it right. It's a forum thread, not an essay contest. It's for discussing, disecting, and taking on other people's claims.
... with essays. Like they teach us to do in schools, right?
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Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Sup, essay?
Please visit this most popular mafia thread? automated.
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Originally posted by: HadesGigas
Has NWR sent out my prize yet from week one? Haven't heard anything since I gave Ty my address. Write back.
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Originally posted by: S-U-P-E-RQuote
Originally posted by: ShyGuy
Sup, essay?
Please visit this most popular mafia thread? automated.
Not quite automated, but I would LOVE to have an automated list of popular threads on the front page. Plus, I think mafia might be a pretty good draw for new forum members.
