Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 19, 2009, 05:22:04 PM
Namco didn't publish Baten Kaitos Origins, Nintendo did.
Twilight Princess is the game I would point out if someone were to ask me what was the definitive Zelda game.
While New Super Mario Bros. doesn't feel as tight as Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World and the stages aren't as memorable, I agree that it is still a great game and a must buy for anybody who owns a DS and likes platformers.
My favorite part of the DS Lite announcement was that a Nintendo of Europe said that Nintendo had NO plans for releasing a re-designed DS, and the very next day is when Nintendo of Japan announced the DS Lite (basically making NOE look like idiots).
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Halbred on March 19, 2009, 06:13:33 PM
Wow. While I can't disagree with the Games of the Year due to the competition, I can safely say I didn't especially like Twilight Princess or New Super Mario Bros. Didn't play Baiten Kaitos (it's a card game RPG!) or Drill Dozer (I regret not playing it).
Twilight Princess was the first Wii game I sold for credit. It's like Ocarina 2.0 with pointless wolf sections (sniff for things!) and a "dark and moody" atmosphere that feels forced. Ocarina is the better game. And besides that, Wind Waker is better in almost every way, even graphically.
I didn't like New Super Mario Bros. because the wonky save system and AWFUL item management system ruined it for me. The three new items (Koopa Shell, Mini Mushroom and Giant Mushroom) were far too limited in scope for me to ever use aside from finding alternate routes. And the whole game had like three musical tracks. Just like Twilight Princess, older Mario games were by far better. Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3 blow New Super Mario Bros. out of the water.
2006 was an interesting year, though. I was the first in line at the one Fred Meyer that was having a midnight launch by an hour. I sat in the freezing cold for five hours waiting for the doors to reopen. I brought my DS, but the cold weather was hard on it. I brought my iPod, but faced the same problem. In the end, my brother and I basically took turns sitting and running into the store to get food/hand warmers/foot warmers/Carl's Jr.
Good times.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: D_Average on March 19, 2009, 07:04:48 PM
Excite Truck WAS 2006!
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 19, 2009, 07:07:39 PM
I will post my ramble later, but I have to say a couple of things...
- Its amazing how no matter what Nintendo does no one is pleased. With Wind Waker Nintendo tried to present Hyrule in an unique way and enhance the Zelda mythos further. It got mixed reviews from fans. With Twilight Princess Nintendo went back to create a game that looked even better than the infamous Space World 2000 demo, tripled the scope of the game and it still got mixed reviews from fans. I personally loved TP, even if I agree it felt very similar to OoT. I liked the characters and story (I know Pro will come in and dissect the whole storyline, but whatever I don't care).
- I admit I didn't like New Super Mario Bros. at first and thought it was overhyped. But then I realized that the game was NOT trying to innovate in the same way that the older platformers did. All it was trying to do was rekindle people's love for classic Mario, in the same way Megaman 9 was created to appeal to older Megaman fans, and it did a pretty good job of it. It was too easy and some stages felt uninspired, but the game wasn't trying to turn the series on its head, it was paying tribute to it.
Hal, the original SMB only had 3 tracks. That didn't stop people from liking it...
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on March 19, 2009, 07:29:24 PM
On Toilet Princess' story,
BLAH
and furthermore,
BLAH.
I hope people finally put their timeline misconceptions to rest. Rufus can't stand it.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Halbred on March 19, 2009, 07:40:33 PM
That's what I'm saying, pap. It's 2006, and the hardware is a LITTLE BIT BETTER. Surely you can squeeze a few more musical tracks into the game!
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Stratos on March 19, 2009, 07:47:42 PM
The end of '05 and beginning of '06 was where I fell away from gaming as a whole for a time. I remember I stopped coming to game site like NWR shortly after the name change from PGC to NWR. I was very busy with school and relatively short on funds. I wasn't terribly interested in the Wii at first or in any system for a while. I eventually got a DS Lite and Mario Kart but that wasn't until spring/summer of 2007 I think. For whatever reason my school's servers blocked game sites my first year there so that didn't help with my flagging interest in games. I don't think I got any new game in 2006. I did get Fire Emblem for Gamecube and I almost bought Drill Dozer, but I think FE was my '06 Christmas gift. A depressing year for me and my gaming life. At least '07 brought the DS Lite for me and I wouldn't want a Wii until holiday '07 and then didn't find one until ten days ago last year.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 19, 2009, 07:58:02 PM
That's what I'm saying, pap. It's 2006, and the hardware is a LITTLE BIT BETTER. Surely you can squeeze a few more musical tracks into the game!
I think with the exception of Mario Galaxy the Mario games have never been about expansive soundtracks. They were about creating a couple of really good themes and using them again and again and again.
Maybe its just me, but it isn't surprising that NSMB reuses the same themes when its been happening since the NES days.
But really, its just nitpicking. I won't argue your other complains since I do agree that the new items weren't as compelling.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Stratos on March 19, 2009, 08:07:19 PM
That's what I'm saying, pap. It's 2006, and the hardware is a LITTLE BIT BETTER. Surely you can squeeze a few more musical tracks into the game!
I think with the exception of Mario Galaxy the Mario games have never been about expansive soundtracks. They were about creating a couple of really good themes and using them again and again and again.
Maybe its just me, but it isn't surprising that NSMB reuses the same themes when its been happening since the NES days.
But really, its just nitpicking. I won't argue your other complains since I do agree that the new items weren't as compelling.
I avoid the blue turtle suit like the plague.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 19, 2009, 08:10:59 PM
The Koopa Shell was pretty bad overall. My problem with it was you would tuck into the shell and start sliding if you were running.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 19, 2009, 08:12:01 PM
That's what I'm saying, pap. It's 2006, and the hardware is a LITTLE BIT BETTER. Surely you can squeeze a few more musical tracks into the game!
I think with the exception of Mario Galaxy the Mario games have never been about expansive soundtracks. They were about creating a couple of really good themes and using them again and again and again.
Maybe its just me, but it isn't surprising that NSMB reuses the same themes when its been happening since the NES days.
But really, its just nitpicking. I won't argue your other complains since I do agree that the new items weren't as compelling.
I avoid the blue turtle suit like the plague.
Oh yeah, its the game's spring suit. Not really effective and its annoying to control.
I think I was so upset with the game before was because the hype was too much. Now I understand that it was ages since there was a classic Mario game, so the hype made sense. But still, people made it out to be like its the best game ever. Its a great game, I give them that, but its far from the best game ever.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Stratos on March 19, 2009, 08:14:14 PM
That's what I'm saying, pap. It's 2006, and the hardware is a LITTLE BIT BETTER. Surely you can squeeze a few more musical tracks into the game!
I think with the exception of Mario Galaxy the Mario games have never been about expansive soundtracks. They were about creating a couple of really good themes and using them again and again and again.
Maybe its just me, but it isn't surprising that NSMB reuses the same themes when its been happening since the NES days.
But really, its just nitpicking. I won't argue your other complains since I do agree that the new items weren't as compelling.
I avoid the blue turtle suit like the plague.
Oh yeah, its the game's spring suit. Not really effective and its annoying to control.
I think I was so upset with the game before was because the hype was too much. Now I understand that it was ages since there was a classic Mario game, so the hype made sense. But still, people made it out to be like its the best game ever. Its a great game, I give them that, but its far from the best game ever.
NSMB needs to stop selling like crazy so they can make a "New Super Mario Bros. 3" and after that a "New Super Mario World".
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Nick DiMola on March 19, 2009, 10:21:29 PM
2006 was a fantastic year.
I was compelled to do the retrospective for the year because of some of the great memories I have in these forums. After the frenzy of the Wii name announcement, I finally felt I needed to stop lurking and start posting. I was so caught up in the pre-Wii launch that there was nothing better than having hopeful uplifting conversations with the very intelligent posters here.
In terms of actual games, there were a number of great ones to enjoy before and after the Wii launch. Chibi-Robo! is one of my favorite Cube games, and Drill Dozer one of my more enjoyed GBA titles. New Super Mario Bros. was a totally kick ass revival of old school Mario, and though it controlled a bit differently, the coveted gameplay of the NES titles still remained in-tact while some new school flair was added in to connect modern gamers. Excite Truck rocked my world when I played it pre-Wii release, and then continued to do so for the next month or two after launch. In semi-Nintendo related games, I actually played through Kameo in the 2 days before the Wii launch, which made for a nice preparation.
Wii Sports was mindblowing when Chessa, myself, and two friends played it after getting a Wii at a Walmart midnight launch (waited 22 hours in the freezing Rochester cold!). As for Twilight Princess, it was and still is my favorite Zelda, and made the Wii launch that much more special.
(Sorry for the rambling)
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 19, 2009, 10:34:59 PM
Wii Sports was mindblowing when Chessa, myself, and two friends played it after getting a Wii at a Walmart midnight launch (waited 22 hours in the freezing Rochester cold!). As for Twilight Princess, it was and still is my favorite Zelda, and made the Wii launch that much more special.
Rochester? Which one? I am from Rochester, New York.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 19, 2009, 10:47:03 PM
OK, now its time for MY ramble...
2006 was an amazing year in both personal and gaming terms.
I, like many, though the new name of the Revolution was stupid and debated its value constantly. I too stopped being a lurker and joined the forums just to debate this back and forth. But in the end we were proving severely wrong as the Wii really defined this new generation of gaming and no one has yet to chuckle when they hear it.
I completely missed out on the Wii launch, due to school and being very, very far away from any midnight launches (a lack of funds didn't help either). So you can imagine my rage and envy whenever I read these awesome midnight launch stories. S_B told me how they kept waiting at Wal-Mart all evening and made a lot of friends while waiting in line, then one of our friends got crazy drunk that night.
I would give anything just to relive the Wii launch.
What I remember best about the Wii launch was everyone eating crow at Wii Sports being good. Do you guys remember all the hoopla that went on when Nintendo announced that it would include Wii Sports with the console? "We are getting a pricier console thanks to Wii Sports!"
Yet when people actually played it and loved it...EPIC.
I think it was one of the few times S_B admitted that I was right.
But the epic Wii Sports domination didn't end there...
After Christmas S_B came to visit me in Puerto Rico (he could avoid the snow then) and he brought his Wii over. We set it up in the living room, and the magic happened. Even though S_B was sick from the plane ride and the car ride through some nasty curves after some coffee he was alive and willing to play Wii! But then something amazing happened. For the first time in YEARS my whole family took interest in videogames. Wii Sports enthralled my family, including my mother who hasn't gamed since the NES days. We celebrated New Years doing nothing but playing Wii.
Then when S_B was determined to finish Elebits everyone just stayed and watched him beat the final boss, including shouting tips. "Go for the chest!"
Since then, the Wii has been a console I emotionally cherish because it reminds me of that wonderful time friends and family got together and just played a simple game of tennis.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Nick DiMola on March 20, 2009, 12:08:25 AM
Wii Sports was mindblowing when Chessa, myself, and two friends played it after getting a Wii at a Walmart midnight launch (waited 22 hours in the freezing Rochester cold!). As for Twilight Princess, it was and still is my favorite Zelda, and made the Wii launch that much more special.
Rochester? Which one? I am from Rochester, New York.
That's the ticket. I went to RIT (Class of '06) and Chessa went to Nazareth. We camped out at the Walmart off of Jefferson Rd in Henrietta. Mike Gamin (aka Pale) is also (still) a Rochester resident. If you check out the staff launch stories that I linked in my writeup, you'll see that him and I were in correspondence during the day before launch. He couldn't get there early to camp due to work, and the spots filled up quickly. Two spots opened up near the end of the night, but he didn't make it over to Walmart quick enough to grab an open spot.
Where are you from in Rochester TJ Spyke?
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Djunknown on March 20, 2009, 12:09:52 AM
Oh yes 2006. This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7l250E5uM4) comes mind.
Next to the Celda debates, the name 'Wii' sparked one hell of a forum war. Smart move by Nintendo releasing that info before hand. Otherwise people would've been hung up on the name as opposed to checking out the awesome games.
My gut instinct told me to hold off on a DS purchase until a redesign was announced, and sure enough it came. That summer, I had other financial obligations that prohibited me from making 'large' purchases, so I waited. And waited. And waited...
Fast foward to mid-october '06 when EB got their Wii kiosk in. You had to present a driver's licence since the wii remote wasn't tethered to the kiosk. I played Excite Truck and wasn't really impressed with it. I understood the concept of the Wii when I got my hands-on, but needed something more.
Another store had Wii Sports on, so I gave it a go. That sold me on the Wii. When I put tennis and bowling, I knew. I believed.
The rest of the story can be found here. (http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=19142.0) Its a short thread, and you'll see some faces that aren't around anymore... ;)
One thing that sticks out is the Ebay scum for both PS3/Wii. I remember some winning auctions were as high as $700! I was thoroughly disgusted... What's funny though, is that by mid Janurary '07, the bubble burst for the PS3. I remember they were some personal ads around my school trying to dump the PS3's they couldn't get rid of. Talk about payback... 8)
I never got around getting a DS for a while. But that's another story...
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 20, 2009, 12:29:21 AM
That's the ticket. I went to RIT (Class of '06) and Chessa went to Nazareth. We camped out at the Walmart off of Jefferson Rd in Henrietta. Mike Gamin (aka Pale) is also (still) a Rochester resident. If you check out the staff launch stories that I linked in my writeup, you'll see that him and I were in correspondence during the day before launch. He couldn't get there early to camp due to work, and the spots filled up quickly. Two spots opened up near the end of the night, but he didn't make it over to Walmart quick enough to grab an open spot.
Where are you from in Rochester TJ Spyke?
Didn't we actually talk before? I remember talking to someone from NWR who was from Rochester, and I think it was around the time of the Wii launch. I don't know if it was you or Pale. That's pretty cool that a fellow Rochesterian is a staff member here and a former Rochesterian is too. If you are ever in Rochester again (your profile says you live in Florida now), we should have a meeting of NWR posters.
I live in the southwest area, off of Lyell Avenue and near #17 school.
I got my Wii at the Wal-Mart on Hudson Avenue. I was one of the many people who thought it would be easy to get a system at midnight. I ended up calling this Wal-Mart at about 6PM and they said there were already 20 people in line and they only had 30 systems. So I left my house right away and ended up being 28th in line. I think it was like 30 degrees that night and we had to wait outside the store. Luckily there was a bunch of other people who had DS's and we ended up playing a few rounds or Mario Kart DS (which was fun despite someone snaking).
I remember there was a lot of eBay scalpers around launch time. I don't recall anybody in line saying they would do that with their Wii (everybody was friendly and seemed to be there because they really wanted to play their Wii), but I remember people saying they had bought a PS3 and sold it on eBay for over $1,000.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 20, 2009, 12:29:42 AM
Speaking of the DS...
THE ELITE BEAT AGENTS ARE AT YOUR SERVICE!
That summer I was introduced to what at the time PGC considered "The best DS game ever": Ouendan.
I was sold. I believed in the hype and the game delivered. The music was awesome and the characters were great.
I remember people weren't too happy that Ouendan was receiving an American make over, but in all honesty it made sense. Ouendan was great, but VERY Japanese. Half of the jokes, characters and story elements would have flown over people's heads. Not to mention that the Ouendan looked like the German police, which would have sent people the wrong idea.
Elite Beat Agents was awesome and a great Blues Brothers/Men in Black parody. The music may have been hit or miss but the gameplay was amazing.
2006 was also the year I played my first Castlevania game: Portrait of Ruin. I got it simply because I wanted to play two player with S_B, and I ended up falling head over heels in LOVE with the gameplay. Once I started playing I couldn't put it down. Too bad Death was cheap and thus I never finished it :( .
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Mop it up on March 20, 2009, 12:30:04 AM
Not much really happened in 2006 for me. Since Smash Brothers Brawl wasn’t a Wii launch title like it was scheduled to be, I didn’t acquire the system until last year.
A few months after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess I looked around many stores for it but didn’t see it for sale. I never did find it anywhere. Since the Wii version is cheaper (used) I might end up going with that, although seeing a right-handed Link is just going to look wrong.
None of those GameCube releases are anything I own, though the only one which interests me (besides TP) is Chibi-Robo!.
I’m still depressed that Mother 3 wasn’t released in North America. Lucas’s inclusion in SSBBrawl just made that even worse. That tease a little while ago about how a DS version would be possible is just torture, though I now kind of hope it doesn’t happen because then I’d have to buy another DS.
It was just recently that I had the pleasure of playing New Super Mario Brothers. It is a pretty good homage to the classic Mario platformers, you can really tell many stages were inspired by the old design philosophies. The three star coins to be found in each level add to the replay value because you’re unlikely to find them all your first time through. The new powerups aren’t integrated very well into the gameplay though, as they have limited usefulness and are oftentimes just required in certain levels to find secrets.
I was probably one of the few people who liked the name “Wii” when it was announced, it really seemed to encompass the spirit of the system. I will admit however, that back then I would always refer to it as the “Nintendo Wii” to make sure people knew what I was talking about, although now that pretty much everyone knows what Wii is it isn’t necessary any longer.
I remember seeing the Super Mario Galaxy box art mock-up at one point which showed that the game was for two players, and it got my hopes up that the series would once again have a two-player mode featuring both Mario and Luigi. Maybe next game… *sigh*
I still don’t own any of those Wii games released in 2006 (besides the obvious), but Excite Truck, Red Steel, and Trauma Center are on my list, and Rayman Raving Rabbids is in the “maybe” pile.
All I can say about DS Lite is, “saw it coming”. With how fugly the original DS is, and with Nintendo’s track record, you’d have to be pretty naïve not to.
This site shall always be known as Planet GameCube to me. There’s noting wrong with the current moniker, especially since the site covers all things Nintendo, but I still can’t get used to thinking of it as anything else.
For the first time in YEARS my whole family took interest in videogames. Wii Sports enthralled my family, including my mother who hasn't gamed since the NES days.
In this respect, Wii is amazing. I've seen people whom I believe have never touched a videogame in their life pick up the Wiimote and serve up a game of tennis like it were second nature. It was the first time I ever got chills from watching somebody play a game.
For the first time in YEARS my whole family took interest in videogames. Wii Sports enthralled my family, including my mother who hasn't gamed since the NES days.
In this respect, Wii is amazing. I've seen people whom I believe have never touched a videogame in their life pick up the Wiimote and serve up a game of tennis like it were second nature. It was the first time I ever got chills from watching somebody play a game.
I actually had a big smile when my family and S_B played the Wii together. I look at the pictures I took of that time and I sometimes tear up because it WAS a wonderful moment made possible by the Wii's "everyone can play" belief.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: TJ Spyke on March 20, 2009, 01:04:21 AM
I don't think Nintendo ever said that Brawl would be a launch game. The closest they came to that was Iwata saying he was pushing for Brawl to be ready at launch (but he didn't actually say it would be a launch title).
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Mop it up on March 20, 2009, 01:26:24 AM
You're probably right, I don't really remember what was said. My point though was that I didn't want to buy the system until the new Smash Brothers was released. In the end, it doesn't really matter since I don't like the game.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: ShyGuy on March 20, 2009, 03:13:04 AM
2006 was a lousy year for the Cube. It really felt like the GC had too short of a life. I kind of hope the Wii lasts longer than the typical five years.
I did wait all night outside a Circuit City (lulz) for my Wii, and it was worth it. Red Steel was my game of the year.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Stratos on March 20, 2009, 04:49:56 AM
2006 was a lousy year for the Cube. It really felt like the GC had too short of a life. I kind of hope the Wii lasts longer than the typical five years.
I did wait all night outside a Circuit City (lulz) for my Wii, and it was worth it. Red Steel was my game of the year.
I've heard a lot of negativity about RS so I've avoided it, but I have been tempted to try it. If it was GOTY for you would you recommend me trying it now, especially since it is only $20 new or less? Or should I just stick to WaW and wait for the sequel?
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 20, 2009, 01:56:57 PM
2006 was a lousy year for the Cube. It really felt like the GC had too short of a life. I kind of hope the Wii lasts longer than the typical five years.
I did wait all night outside a Circuit City (lulz) for my Wii, and it was worth it. Red Steel was my game of the year.
I've heard a lot of negativity about RS so I've avoided it, but I have been tempted to try it. If it was GOTY for you would you recommend me trying it now, especially since it is only $20 new or less? Or should I just stick to WaW and wait for the sequel?
You should rent or buy it for cheap before the sequel is out, if only to see part of the story.
I played the game (still need to finish it) and while I wasn't that floored it wasn't as horrible as reviews made it out to be. Once you find a sweet spot when playing you will have no problem shooting down the Yakuza.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: ShyGuy on March 20, 2009, 04:13:21 PM
The controls are problem number one with Red Steel. I adapted to them, but if you've played a good Wii FPS since then it may be impossible to go back.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_Lindy on March 21, 2009, 01:15:04 AM
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on March 21, 2009, 03:08:18 AM
Wow. That Black Friday story is about the most spiteful thing I've ever heard of in the retail business.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Nick DiMola on March 21, 2009, 10:27:28 AM
Damn man, that story sucks, Gamestop sucks, and their opened new game policy sucks, too. Got an opened new game from them recently and I asked them what they would do if I were to return it in the same condition I was given it. They said they would not give me a refund, only exchange it for another product! So I get a shittier condition item, and I can't return the fucking thing!?!??! Thanks Gamestop, you fucking suck.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Flames_of_chaos on March 21, 2009, 12:30:01 PM
Let me share you my GameStop story.
One day I wanted to get one of those fancy Pelican PS2 to PS3 dongles(lets you use PS2 controllers as if they were for PS3), the guy rung me up, and because the store and the counter looked like a hurricane hit it I didn't see the little credit card swipe machine, so I handed my credit card to the guy so that he could charge my card for the dongle. When he took it, the guy acted like a total asshole and said,"OH what have we here your credit card? I'll just charge my full pre-order of the Halo 3 Collector's Edition, it's only 130 bucks!!"(Halo 3 wasn't out yet, and I recently bought a PS3 when the 60GB dropped to 499.99) At this point my face was flush red in anger and I really wanted to curse him out, even if it was a bad joke. I was really tempted to call the district manager and have a nice and friendly "chat" about my terrible experience unfortunately I was so mad that I forgot about it. I guess I really should of knocked over some of those magazine racks.
To this day I have never stepped into a GameStop after that experience, I worked in retail and I know how frustrating it could get sometimes but I could never imagine treating customers or other people like that. The only way I conduct business with GameStop is online, and only if I really want a preorder bonus, or if they have a really nice sale that's too good to pass up. But I will never ever walk into a GameStop or a subsidiary store that's owned by GameStop.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 21, 2009, 12:52:59 PM
Better chime in before this turns into a Gamestop hate fest...
Chibi-Robo was a title I completely disregarded when it was first released, but ended up falling in love with it when I finished the game.
I remember both S_B and NWR hyping the game like crazy. It was during the worst droughts the GC had ever seen, a clear sign that the GC was on its way out and the only thing Nintendo was releasing on it were B-projects. At first I played it at S_B's house and I just didn't see the appeal. But then I borrowed the game and played through it on my own and I was floored by the great characters and story. Its at this point that I realized that Skips would forever be an underrated developer.
I really hope that the Wii remake really brings Chibi-Robo to the spotlight because its a wonderful title that doesn't deserve to be forgotten.
2006 also saw the release of Yoshi's Island DS, which was a really good platformer. I still haven't beaten it because my niece pretty much made it hers, but I liked the multiple baby concept and Baby DK is so adorable!
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: Kairon on March 21, 2009, 05:03:40 PM
I've said it before I'll say it again: I don't consider Twilight Princess anywhere near the best Zelda game ever.
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: BeautifulShy on March 21, 2009, 05:18:34 PM
Well here is how I got my Wii.
My story of getting the Wii is full of excitement,disappointment, and euphoria.
It was about a month before the Wii came out and I remember getting excited!I didn't have enough money for the Wii at launch.So I picked up my preorder of Red Steel at launch.Black Friday rolled around I had enough.So I walked down to Target at 5:00am and looked for one.No luck there. I took the bus and went to Walmart and it was the same story as Target.Gamestop was close so I went there.They sold their last Wii about 30 min before. Undeterred I went to Best Buy.By this time it was about 11:30 am so it was getting late for BF shopping.I had no luck there or at Circuit City. On my way back I looked in another Target.No Luck.I got home and I was disappointed. Nearby I found out that someone was selling a Wii.They wanted $325 for it so I had some money to make. Finally when I made the money one of my friends handled it and I was under the impression that I would have a Wii soon. After about a week or so I wanted to find out where my Wii was.So I got to talking with my friend and it turns out this guy had gotten arrested for drug charges after my money went to this guy that had my Wii.Needless to say I was mad.I would have to continue my search for a Wii.So I called up all of the stores I went to on Black Friday in the days and weeks after.I tried everyday till I found out that Gamestop was getting shipments at 1:00 on December 1st.He told me that Fed Ex would bring some in the next shipment So I was excited!As I was reaching the mall where Gamestop was located I saw a Fed Ex truck and a UPS truck.I was in the backseat so I squeezed my self out and ran towards Gamestop. When I arrived I told the associate about the trucks that I seen. It turns out that FedEx was for the PS3 and UPS was Wii. I was waiting intently for my Wii.I got one Finally! As I looked at my receipt I saw the name Nick. I first thought about St.Nick.It was a Christmas miracle.:)
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_pap64 on March 22, 2009, 03:37:53 PM
I've said it before I'll say it again: I don't consider Twilight Princess anywhere near the best Zelda game ever.
I have to be honest with everyone here...
I will agree that the game is far from perfect, the story is not as good as in other titles, it was too easy (especially the boss battles) and the gameplay is extremely familiar to OoT.
But to me the game truly shines because of the characters. Simply put TP has some of the most realized characters in the whole series, and perhaps the most memorable yet.
Link is far more expressive in this game than in any other game, rivaling Wind Waker. The characters are also expressive and very creative. Yeto, Yeta, Midna, Malo, Talo, Wolf Link, the Sages, the Gorons, the Bomb Shop keep in the end a lot of great characters.
It also has so many memorable moments. The howling moments were really awesome, same with the scenes in which Link trained with the deceased warrior.
The only thing I was annoyed with was the ending, simply because its the tired "And Link rode off into the sunset, adding yet another confusing element to the Zelda timeline" ending.
In fact, I would say the last half of the game is where it truly suffers. It has a great beginning and middle, but the end was somewhat weak and not as satisfying. Zant turned out to be a disappointing villain, especially since the first half of the game he is shown as this terrifying guy out to screw you.
In those aspects, I can agree why TP isn't the best. But to me, it has many enjoyable moments that keep it from being the worst.
Now if Zelda Wii is able to tighten up the story, add even more memorable moments, re-define the gameplay and work on the Zelda formula we could end up with Mario Galaxy equivalent of Zelda...
Title: Re: A Decade of PGC/NWR: 2006
Post by: NWR_Neal on March 22, 2009, 07:31:30 PM
The majority of 2006 was 10+ months of buildup for the Wii followed by two months of fun. If I remember correctly, I had an Xbox 360, but I basically only played Uno and Geometry Wars. That first year of 360 sucked. I did get a lot of older NES and SNES games, especially since I discovered Digital Press (http://www.digitpress.com/) near my college.
And then I waited outside a Target with about six other people for 12 hours and it was awesome. I remember playing Wii Sports with friends and then setting up another TV and my friend and I each started Zelda.
