Messages

4576

Nintendo Gaming / Re: NWR Monster Hunter Club

« on: November 08, 2010, 04:19:42 PM »

I still play.I don't mind helping new players as long as they are nice and is willing to take advice.

Cool.  Any advice would be welcome, especially from established players that have probably already accomplished more than I ever will.  The game seems pretty intimidating to jump into... which is part of the reason I'm such a slow adopter.


Give me a week to get some more practice with the game (hopefully moving past the "totally incompetent" phase) and then I'll add my username/Capcom code to my signature and follow this thread to see when people go online.

4577

Nintendo Gaming / Re: NWR Monster Hunter Club

« on: November 08, 2010, 03:50:04 PM »

Are there still people going online for this game?  I just picked it up and wondered if there is a NWR community playing that wouldn't be opposed to some (semi-useless) newbies tagging along at some point.  Or maybe there are other gamers late to the MH3 party, looking to get some online experience?

4578

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Posts Loss for First Half of 2010

« on: October 29, 2010, 02:29:03 PM »

First, I'm not trying to suggest that everything is rosy for Nintendo.  They need (and appear to be moving towards) some significant changes in the near future.  However, the report isn't as gloomy as some people are making it out to be.


Any comparison of annual numbers vs the first six months of 2010 should be thrown out.  Nintendo has enjoyed massive, record-setting holiday seasons for the past several years.  That might not happen this year... but there is no reasonable evidence to state otherwise.  Year-over-year numbers for the same period do show a notable drop though, and that is something to consider when 2010 has already seen a handful of big releases like Monster Hunter, Mario, Tatsunoku vs Capcom, and Metroid.


However, posting a loss now is hardly surprising if you consider that two platforms are likely to be retired in the next couple of years.  Nintendo must have costs associated with development, design, and production of the 3DS and the Wii successor; costs that will only be balanced out by future sales of those systems.  The only question is how much is actually being invested and whether their next consoles will be as popular as the current ones.


So even though it's interesting news, it's hardly something to get your Princess Peach panties in a bunch over.  Nobody bats an eye when Sony or Microsoft swallow huge losses as long as they call it an investment for future sales... all while Nintendo has milked this generation of gamers (and non-gamers) for ridiculous profits at the same time.

4579

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 216: Made from Real Explosions

« on: October 28, 2010, 10:36:17 AM »

Wow, this controversy is laughable.


I enjoy RFN and make a point of listening because it comes from a group of guys who (a) love gaming regardless of the console being gamed on, and (b) are able to form and express ideas in an intelligent way.  Keep up the great work guys, it's much appreciated.

4580

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 213: To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade?

« on: October 05, 2010, 01:24:15 PM »

I feel the same way about the GBA.

I'd rather use my GBA Micro - but that's probably a minority opinion.


Considering how hard it is to find good, authentic GBA games, there is some real value to having GBA on a portable virtual console.  I'm just concerned that many of my personal favorite games (mostly niche titles) won't be sold that way.

4581

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 213: To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade?

« on: October 04, 2010, 02:18:10 PM »

If the Portable Virtual Console includes Neo Geo Pocket Color games, then I'll be compelled to buy a system.  Otherwise I can wait for a price drop.

4582

TalkBack / Re: NBA Jam Coming as a Standalone Release on 360, PS3

« on: September 28, 2010, 07:44:39 PM »

On one hand, I don't fault EA for going multiplatform.  Many people (with and without Wii consoles) will likely play and enjoy the game - and that's a good thing.


However, it does bite that the "Wii exclusive" game will almost definitely be better on any console other than Wii.  All that hype and excitement, the feeling that Wii owners were getting something special... flushed away in a swirl of disappointment.  Updated rosters won't matter in a couple years, but certainly do matter on release.  Online play won't trump face-to-face gaming with your buddies, but having the option sure would've been nice.


The only way this could be worse for Wii owners was if EA released the game as digital content for 360/PS3 and undercut the Wii price... since being cheaper is just about the only advantage this Wii game has over it's competitors.

4583

TalkBack / Re: Flip's Twisted World Developer Diary

« on: September 27, 2010, 12:39:56 PM »

Wow, what a great (ongoing) read.  Thanks very much to the Frozen North Production guys for sharing, and for NintendoWorldReport for hosting.


Best of luck with the game.  If it turns out half as good as it looks then it'll be worth owning.   

4584

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 24: Enjoy Your Podcast

« on: August 20, 2010, 05:11:08 PM »

Good show guys!
 
 
Interesting to hear Pizza Box Football mentioned in the podcast.  I also rather enjoy the game, though it takes a bit longer to play than I would like.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17851/pizza-box-football
 
Although that's probably the best option, there are many other football board games available:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeksearch.php?action=search&objecttype=boardgame&q=football

4585

TalkBack / Re: NBA Jam Also Coming to 360, PS3 in Reduced Form

« on: August 04, 2010, 02:24:47 PM »

Not including online play for Wii would be a blow against the game, but pricing is still going to be the key factor in my decision.  Will the game cost $50, or $30, or somewhere in between?  Obviously the Wii version is going to compare badly unless it costs significantly less than NBA Elite 11 on the other consoles - where you are essentially getting two games for the price of one.

My question is: why would EA sabotage sales of the Wii version like this?  Many older gamers who would've considered buying the retail Wii version will now either wait for the inevitable price drop or just buy on the HD systems instead.  Even Wii owners who were excited about the news of a new NBA Jam have to think twice about whether the game is worth buying now... especially if their version is missing features.

4586

TalkBack / Re: The Deal Machine - July 2010

« on: August 03, 2010, 12:10:52 PM »

Hmm... Letting the deal machine pick games randomly might not be such a great idea, but at least it ended with a high note.  Ninja Town is totally worth playing if you enjoy tower defense games.  Unfortunately, having so many inexpensive games on both Wii and DS makes it tough to recommend some of the other picks this time out.

4587

TalkBack / Re: Transformers: Cybertron Adventures Review

« on: July 26, 2010, 09:47:05 AM »

Had family visit last night, including a young cousin that is a huge Transformers fan.  He excitedly brought out Cybertron Adventures in hopes that (a) I owned a Wii and (b) I would be interested in playing.  Guessing 1 out of 2 isn't bad, so we spent a little bit of quality time playing.


Impressions went something like this:

• He enjoyed the game and thought there was some cool looking stuff that could happen.  It was a bit confusing how such an "awesome"game controlled so poorly though, and after about 20 minutes he seemed to be getting bored with the game.
• I was totally surprised by the game.  Sure the reviews are out there... but none managed to really impress on me how bad this game really is.  Controls are awkward and not very responsive, graphics are terrible, gameplay is repetitive and boring.  Calling this a cheap cash-in would be giving the game too much credit.

The good news: My cousin spent under $10 to get the game used.
The bad news: That $10 would've been better spent on almost anything else.




To anyone else who is mildly curious about the game: please save your time and money.  I don't know if fault lies with Activision or the development studio, but Cybertron Adventures is a blatant example of using a license to sell a subpar product.


(Sadly, the game will probably sell enough to justify this "profit over quality" approach to software development.  Despite being much worse than Dead Space: Extraction, the Transformers license alone will probably allow this game to move units.)

4588

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 22: Building Shelves

« on: July 25, 2010, 05:37:41 PM »

Activision has really made a name for themselves this generation: whenever I see a Wii game published by Activision I know to stay far away.  Sadly, it sounds like Transformers only further solidifies that reputation.


Maybe I'm being too harsh though?  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex is good (despite being a couple years late and lacking any advertising support).  Guitar Hero has mostly been a solid franchise too, except for a batch of mono-only discs that apparently missed the QA process and had to be replaced through a lengthy mail-in process.


It still seems sad that the world's biggest publisher can't muster up more than a half dozen Wii games worth buying, all from two series and consisting mostly of watered down ports instead of original content.  Especially when the Activision name once was the sign of quality.






Sorry for the rant.  Hearing about the difference between Transformers on Wii and on other consoles just brought the festering wound that is Activision back to mind... and I couldn't help scratch a little bit.

4589

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Dominates NPD's June Top 20

« on: July 19, 2010, 03:47:09 PM »

@ TJ Spyke: Really?  How many copies did you expect Green Day Rock Band to sell?


This game seemed doomed from the start.  Focusing on a single band didn't work for The Beatles Rock Band, and the music genre has really stalled lately.  I'm honestly surprised that it sold as well as it did.


The question now is whether any other bands will see special treatment like this...  Although there are some bands that I'd love to see highlighted with a full game, I doubt that game sales would be dramatically better than what Green Day received.  Probably not worth the development costs in the end.

4590

TalkBack / Re: Hardware Sales Up in June NPD Report

« on: July 17, 2010, 11:13:26 AM »

I'm a bit surprised to the 360 console numbers.  Is this a reaction to the new "slim" model, or did something else cause the nice jump in sales this month?  Were there some major games attracting new customers that I'm not aware of?


Seems like a strong month for hardware across the board though.

4591

TalkBack / Re: Sony Wishes to Work with Nintendo to Promote 3D

« on: July 01, 2010, 10:37:37 AM »

"don't have to bash some small part of what the other company is doing."

Is this for real?  Has he seen ANY of Sony's gaming marketing or PR statements over the past 5 years?

Also, requiring users to have 3D glasses is expensive, annoying, and inconvenient.  Stating the obvious this way is hardly bashing anyone...

4592

TalkBack / Re: The Deal Machine - June 2010

« on: July 01, 2010, 10:34:57 AM »

I own the first three games listed and love them all.  Niche games, but well worth playing if point-and-click, content creation, or a little of the old ultra-violence gets your blood boiling!  Good picks.


Worth noting I've seen all of them (in Canada) for $10 is several locations... so $20 is probably a generous estimate.

4593

TalkBack / Re: Welcome to the New Nintendo World Report!

« on: July 01, 2010, 10:27:27 AM »

Quick note: I didn't (intentionally) change any settings, but the page is displaying correctly now in my browser.  The image blur effect is still getting "stuck" sometimes when the cursor moves quickly across the images at the top of the page, but that's only a minor annoyance.

4594

TalkBack / Re: Welcome to the New Nintendo World Report!

« on: June 29, 2010, 09:48:30 AM »

"Are you sure your zoom settings are normal?  OS should not have any bearing."
 
Pretty sure the zoom settings are normal, but will confirm that (and browse through other settings to see if there is something amiss) after work tonight.

4595

TalkBack / Re: FEATURES: NWR E3 2010 Awards

« on: June 28, 2010, 05:14:06 PM »

I really liked seeing Kirby being picked as Wii game of show.  Even though it probably won't be a difficult or epic title, the way they took a unique art style and just ran with it brings out a sense of child-like amazement every time I watch the trailer.  Simple things like rearranging level structure through zippers or pulling buttons make my jaw drop.  Also, the fact that it's being handled by the team that created Wario Land: Shake It! gives me a lot of confidence because that game was beautiful and had wonderful level design (even if beating the game was easy to do without getting all the secrets, hidden treasures, and achievements).

Zelda looked great, just like Epic Mickey and several other titles... but none brought the same smile to my face like Kirby did.

4596

TalkBack / Re: Welcome to the New Nintendo World Report!

« on: June 28, 2010, 04:44:53 PM »

"The front page should be fine for 1024 and above, which is not widescreen.  We found that only about 2% of non-phone visitors have a lower resolution than that."

Hmm... I'm at 1024 resolution with a 4:3 screen and it's definitely not fine.  Actually, let me add a quick note: for Chrome on Windows XP it's no good.  For the same browser and resolution on Windows 7 it's fine, and the page looks great.


If it's just 2% then don't worry about it... but until I get a new monitor or start using the newer PC for casual stuff like web browsing, any interest in visiting the site "as is" will be shot.  I'm only a casual visitor anyway so it's not a big loss.


Two final comments:
(1) not a fan of the blur effect either, especially because it sometimes isn't removed correctly when the cursor is moved quickly across the screen.  After bringing the cursor back over the blurred picture, it resets and works correctly.  Is that just me, or do others have the same experience?
(2) what a great group photo for the E3 2010 Awards article!  Looks like you guys had a fun time.

4597

TalkBack / Re: Welcome to the New Nintendo World Report!

« on: June 28, 2010, 09:54:38 AM »

Front page doesn't work very well using Chrome with a non-widescreen monitor.  You can't read half of the article titles because they are covered by images.  I suspect that having a widescreen monitor would fix the problem but have no way to test and am not upgrading in the short term.


I like the idea, but the execution might still need some tweaking.   

4598

Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 196

« on: June 01, 2010, 11:32:50 AM »

Listening to the show now, I have to agree on several things. I got LittleBigPlanet in November 2008 and I thought it was piss poor and was upset I paid $64.80 for it, The level editor is decent, but the controls were terrible (and controls are the most important part of a platformer).

For what it's worth, I think the level editor is much better than "decent" in LittleBigPlanet. I just have no interest in making levels for a game that isn't fun to play.  (Actually, I have very little interest in making levels generally speaking - I buy games, not level-design tools.)

4599

Podcast Discussion / Re: Radio Free Nintendo: Episode 196

« on: May 31, 2010, 10:58:33 AM »

Great show guys.


I really enjoyed hearing impressions of Trauma Team, as that series is one of my personal favorites and the latest game has really brought a lot of new content to the table.  It's silly and a definitely over the top, but hits me just the right way.


The throwback to Godfather: Blackhand Edition was also fun.  Hearing about older games that are still worth playing is always interesting and a nice change from the constant "new is better" focus that gaming seems to thrive on.


Finally, Jonny's PS3 beatdown had me in stitches - Sony's console is solid and has plenty of games worth playing, but I agree that two of the three games discussed (especially LittleBigPlanet) were seriously flawed.  Which is worth playing: a cute platformer that doesn't control well, or a story-based game where the story falls apart?  The short answer is neither.

4600

TalkBack / Re: Reset Button #2: The Lion King (SNES)

« on: May 20, 2010, 02:08:32 PM »

It's also a reminder that a lot of licensed games used to be good. It seems like publishers had a hard time making a good licensed game when they went to 3D.

Assuming that a good 3D game is (usually) more tougher to develop and debug than a traditional 2D game, it shouldn't be a surprise to see 2D games getting being reviews if the short development window is unchanged for both options... either that, or the 3D game becomes considerably more expensive.  Which would you rather play: Dark Void or Dark Void Zero?


I haven't read the interview, but am really looking forward to the audio getting posted.