We reunite to review E3, answer tons of emails, and share dirty jokes.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/26866
It's so good to be back! We've got the complete quartet ready for your listening pleasure. Jon and Greg have been keeping fairly busy these past two weeks while James and Jonny were goofing off at E3. To get everyone caught up, we recorded this lengthy, three-segment episode just for you! It kicks off with a recap of E3 itself, including our overall evaluations of Nintendo's performance and the future of both 3DS and Wii U. We also get a perspective of the show from the home-bound (and frankly, better) half of RFN.
In the middle, we turn in a typical but meaty New Business with two weeks' worth of games, including our first entries from the 3DS eShop. Jon's infamous Chrono Train rolls into the station, and he ponders the meaning of his own existence following the completion of this life-long gaming goal. Greg reports on X-Scape, the weird DSiWare game about 3D space tanks that is now available through the 3DS eShop; he also plays Link's Awakening for the first time and drops premature impressions on Ocarina of Time 3D! James eschews new-fangled systems to visit Lunar Knights on (2)DS, the spiritual successor to Boktai from Kojima Productions. Jonny ends with a very brief jaunt through Super Mario Land, the delirious AlphaBounce (more DSiWare -- is this a new record?). He also searches for the Japanese word for "bro" to describe Platinum's third-person shooter, Vanquish.
Hey! You guys and gals wrote a boatload of questions about E3, Wii U, 3DS, Skyward Sword, and more Wii U, so we answered as many as we could in a rousing edition of Listener Mail! Gird your loins for this massive dose of RFN-derived opiates because we want to make you see fantastical visions and then fall asleep. You'll need that energy for next week, when we finally complete the Perfect Dark edition of RetroActive! The forum thread is still going strong, and you have one last chance to post your comments for a chance to be read on the show! See you next week. PEACE.
What kind of beam was it?
Wii's lack of HD output came at a very bad time, because a huge part of the population (especially active gamers and other tech-savvy consumers) started buying HDTVs around 2006-2007. Wii graphics don't translate well to many HDTVs, especially if you're using the composite cables that come with the system. Remember that Nintendo never even sold their official component cables in stores. Obviously terms like "unplayable" are exaggerations, but the comparison to Xbox 360 and PS3 was much more unfavorable than it would have been even one year earlier, when most people would have been playing any system on an SDTV.
None of this applies to 3DS, but there is a stigma about 3D displays due to bad experiences in theaters and with overpriced TVs. Also, keep in mind that the individual variance of someone's ability to see and appreciate 3D is higher than that of HD, because it is based on more factors. Some are easy to fix, like position or the slider. Some are hard to fix, like bad vision or motion sickness (which could be linked).
... it just doesn't feel anything like the other Mega Man games.
@ broodwars
This should be your avatar: http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/Supaphatbass/muppets_old_men.jpg (http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x408/Supaphatbass/muppets_old_men.jpg)
@ broodwars
Oh noes!! I enjoy games much more than I complain about them! I must be one of those awful "fanboys"!
Seems like as good a time as any to ask. With few exceptions, I don't particularly like JRPGs. Should I bother trying Chrono Trigger? It's so revered that it's tempting. From the sounds of things, though, it doesn't align with my tastes at all. Yeah, the investment wouldn't be much when it's now out on Virtual Console, but Jon's comments about the slow start have me worried that I'd give up with it quickly.
Games like FF4 might not be any DEEPER, as you question, but I would argue that they more quickly establish what they have to offer. Making them more "accessible" by us unwashed masses. =P
It saddens me that NOA has not said a word about Xenoblades or Last Story. I don't know what they are waiting for, we have nothing really for the Wii this year. :@
Again, it's really not hard at all to set up the Homebrew Channel to play import games.
The crazy thing is that The Last Story seems like it was specifically designed to appeal to Western markets.
...The handling of Xenoblade and The Last Story in NA, two games that are western in their design...
The NoE announcement was a huge surprise I felt. Yet it seems to be happening.It's a Christmas Miraculum!
Can you folks please explain how two JRPGs, steeped in Japanese style (see examples below) are in line with your comments.
Though I will argue that is a more modern JRPG undertaking. Ironically Western RPGs use to be more into guiding you through a story and JRPG where very open and explorative.Can you folks please explain how two JRPGs, steeped in Japanese style (see examples below) are in line with your comments.
It's not a question of artistic style but of design and intended audience. When it was in development, the developers of The Last Story stated that they were designing the game to appeal to a more worldwide audience with specific elements of western game design (such as cover-based shooting). As for Xenoblade, the game takes place in a huge world the player is encouraged to explore at their leisure. In most JRPGs I've played (and I've played a lot), the player is funneled down a carefully scripted series of encounters and locations in order to tell a story. There's a much less emphasis on freedom of choice and movement than in Western RPGs like Mass Effect or Fallout.
Can someone give me a link to Neal's story on all the 10 Review games on the site? I can't seem to find it and its not in the sidebar and Neal pumps out news content as fast as an IT worker to free food so, I can't go to his little profile thing for it.
They said News I'm fairly sure that might have been the problem. Your a Freelance Game Journalist and Site Director. I don't know that's awfully close.Can someone give me a link to Neal's story on all the 10 Review games on the site? I can't seem to find it and its not in the sidebar and Neal pumps out news content as fast as an IT worker to free food so, I can't go to his little profile thing for it.I'm no IT worker! You can find it on the Features tab, though since we're pumping out features left and right, the pages moves a lot. :X
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/26784 (http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/26784)
The Z button on the GameCube controller was not bad, I found it extremely easy to access and use.
I have only gotten to use SpotPass with my 3DS twice, I guess it would help if I lived in a large city like Los Angeles or New York City.
I got my 3DS at launch. I carry it with me pretty much everywhere. I have not yet gotten a single StreetPass.I've been luckier then that. Are you sure you have your Mii setup? I normally get 1 from going to game stores.