Messages

[D]

2151

Nintendo Gaming / "DS" in DS titles?

« on: June 05, 2005, 02:44:25 PM »

Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits
CastleVania: Dawn of Sorrow
Snowboard Kids

Okay, the Snowboard KiDS is a joke; it's not like they can help it.  And Dawn of Sorrow is a direct sequel to Aria of Sorrow, so at least they made it make sense.  But Drill Spirits?

I guess they want to avoid the inevitable "DS" suffix.  Yet they might still want to refer to it for some reason...

When you consider all the Nintendo prefixes and suffixes, it's scary that "Super Mario 64 DS" is only one word different from "Super Advance 64 DS", which would be the most loaded yet most meaningless title.  (Other than the fact that it would probably be a 3D game on the DS.)

Do you think having a recognizeable suffix helps, or does it enforce the misconception that the same games are just being reimagined for each console/handheld?

2152

TalkBack / RE:Capcom Announces Mega Man X Compilation

« on: May 16, 2005, 06:12:39 PM »

The X series has always been declining.

X is classic.

X 2 and X 3 are still pretty good.

I played X 4 and X 5 and was like...okay, so...?

I haven't played X 6, X 7, or X 8 (though X 7 and X 8 aren't on this compilation) and I don't feel like I'm missing much.  I may play them one day, but I'm not in a hurry to.

(X: Command Mission (also not on this compilation), since it wasn't a now-generic X platformer but an RPG, was refreshing.  The opposite of Network Transmission, an RPG made into a platformer, that was also refreshing.))

There are some plot twists, but overall, the X series story seems to get more confusing and convoluted, introducing more characters that you don't really care about.  I would like to play them all eventually, when I next get a Mega Man fix, but sadly, these games aren't as good as they once were.  A compilation at least makes it quick and easy to snatch up the first six either way, for those of us who would want to play them.  For me, that would only get me X 6.  Oh, and Battle & Chase.

That Mega Man Battle & Chase game they have as a bonus - you'd think they'd've stuck that on the Mega Man compilation.  Seeing as how it's not quite "X".  I guess they thought the arcade games were enough of a "bonus", then.  I wouldn't have done it this way.  I would've made better game-clear bonuses, as well.  I most certainly wouldn't have mixed up the A and B buttons, or at least allowed different control schemes if there was any doubt.  It really shouldn't be that difficult.  Let's hope they redeem themselves with this X compilation done right, too bad the original Mega Man had longer lasting appeal than X.    

2153

Nintendo Gaming / RE:very interesting video i ran across Nintendo ON???

« on: May 14, 2005, 03:30:03 PM »

Also, this:
http://www.vandal.net/foro/cache/239109_1.htm

2154

Nintendo Gaming / RE:very interesting video i ran across Nintendo ON???

« on: May 13, 2005, 08:07:31 PM »

As someone on other boards mentioned, assuming it to be real, Samus and Mario might look that way based on how a human playing would want to move, limbs, joints, etc., once again assuming the preference for first-person games.

Unless you get lost in a maze of mirrors, you wouldn't see how ugly your character was most of the time anyway.

[BlackNMild2k1]

2155

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Nintendo On Video: Accuracy of Peach's castle count?

« on: May 13, 2005, 08:04:33 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: BlackNMild2k1
http://planetgamecube.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=28&threadid=12492

topic on the same video

I was hoping it wouldn't hurt to have a topic focussing on this technical feat, rather than about whether it's real or fake or cool or lame or how ugly Mario is.

[BlackNMild2k1]

2156

Nintendo Gaming / RE:very interesting video i ran across Nintendo ON???

« on: May 13, 2005, 07:25:30 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: BlackNMild2k1
Even though I knew it was a fake, the presentation had me sold right off the bat.

It was a very 'mature' presentation that not only caught my attention but held it.

Now if we could only see the rest of the vid that would be nice.

Agreed.  The fonts and styles used seemed like something Nintendo would use, an extension of GameCube and DS fonts and styles.  And it's a shame the video got cut off there, during what seems like a highly detailed (if controversial) sequence.  If it truly is a fake as the current consensus is, that's way too much work for that.  Is someone challenging the alien autopsy video or what?

[Artimus]

2157

Nintendo Gaming / RE:very interesting video i ran across Nintendo ON???

« on: May 13, 2005, 06:35:23 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Artimus
The Mario Universe GBA was also exceptional, but totally fake.

As good as this is it is obviously not professional.

Depends on your definition of "professional".  Looks pretty professional to me.  Anyone who can capture all the polygons and textures of Peach's castle, which even the best N64 emulators can't quite do to this quality, and then reconstruct it as close to exactly as anybody can tell, who DOESN'T actually work for Nintendo, deserves some points for technical achievement, I'd say.  If you saw my big topic about the count accuracy, that alone is making it hard for me to shake it off as a fake, and even if it truly is, it doesn't change the fact that that's impressive.  Not amateurish, that's for sure.  How can you NOT call this professional in this regard?

2158

Nintendo Gaming / Nintendo On Video: Accuracy of Peach's castle count?

« on: May 13, 2005, 05:42:57 PM »

"The Princess is in another castle."

Yup, Mario's going to be busy. That's a lot of castles to check. 512 million in total.

The thing that seems strange about this so-called fake video is how well Peach's castle looks. I doubt even with the best N64 emulators can you capture the textures of every polygon so perfectly, or at least without any visible oddities. And then to reconstruct the castle? Seems like a lot of work for a fake.

I thought the count was impressive, fake or not, because it seems to accurately count the number of castles that have passed across the screen. You'll notice at some points, the number jumps up suddenly, like when the camera reveals that the surface of castles is the path leading to a castle made of castles, or when during the mega-castle roof climb the camera swings around to show the rest of the field.

As it climbs the spire, the camera is angled in such a way as to only pick up one side of it, so the castle count goes up by exactly one just as any viewer would count them.

The biggest jump is after reaching the pinnacle of the pinnacle, and then you notice there are WAY more in the horizon. Aside from a seeming pause before hitting 512 million, (though the last one appears on-screen before the count finishes, as it should), it seems very accurate.

Strange thing for me to pick on, but that part is the most impressive to me, not the distorted Mario and Samus at the end. I love the Super Mario 64 music that fits it so well.

I'm guessing they chose Peach's castle because it's one of the most recognizeable 3-D areas, ever. More memorable than any place in Sunshine, or any other Mario game, or any other game, even. It also has simpler polygons than most, being a first-generation N64 game. There probably isn't any bump-mapping or fancy lighting or even any motion, aside from the flags at the beginning. So I don't think the number of castles is unrealistic, if you see it as a non-game scenario with minimum extraneous things to calculate.

Anyone else notice that the original castle seems to be at the very location on the field where Mario starts his adventure?

Even if it is a fake, no one can deny the impressiveness of this segment. Most of the rest of the clip is easy to create, but not this.

[BlackNMild2k1]

2159

General Gaming / RE:Next Generation's Optical Format - Blu-ray, HD-DVD or hybrid?

« on: May 10, 2005, 03:28:43 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: BlackNMild2k1The word sliding along the grapevine is that Blu-ray won for new format and HD-DVD is the software

Oh, that's awesome.

If I have my facts right, Blu-Ray holds more than the former HD-DVD format, right?  Then I would prefer Blu-Ray's format, but hopefully they also take the name of HD-DVD...it actually sounds like a proper step up from DVD.

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Nintendo Gaming / RE:Revolution Secret 'Leaked' At Brokensaints (SPOILER)

« on: May 09, 2005, 06:02:09 PM »

Isn't technology cheap enough these days to at least include DVD playback?  Inexpensive enough that Nintendo can afford to throw it on there?  Assuming it'll take full-sized discs, of course.

I won't use any movie-playback function - at least, I don't think I would, but maybe that's 'cause our household already had multiple DVD-playing devices when the current generation was starting.  If the format was similar enough to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray or whatever format they're working on now and it played those types of movies, maybe it would be worth it to include.

Not including it means Nintendo loses the possible purchases of people looking for more than a gaming machine, including it means losing the money in production for a feature some people won't use.  I would say to include it - not for me but for others who would use it...but that's just me wanting Nintendo to have less negative points against it.

Oh, and I recall somewhere about Satoru Iwata saying in the same day about the Broadway/Hollwood thing about making Revolution the central hub of entertainment.  I can't recall whether or not he said "interactive" before the word "entertainment".  But if it were to be a hub of home entertainment, one should think it should be able to play movies.

2161

General Chat / I drew Kirby...in PSP.

« on: April 03, 2005, 08:10:33 AM »

http://img133.exs.cx/img133/9456/pictochatkirbybyjonleung3eu.png

I made this in Paint Shop Pro, before even remembering that the NES game Kirby's Adventure teaches you how to draw him!

And then after I made it, I realised that I drew it in Paint Shop Pro, so it was done on a PSP and not on a DS.  o_0  

2162

TalkBack / RE:Casewrap Pokemon Decals for Nintendo Hardware

« on: April 01, 2005, 01:10:59 PM »

Maybe I'm so insecure that despite being a Pokémaniac, I wouldn't want to make it so plainly obvious on my console or handheld.

Though at the same time, this intrigues me.  I see this as a way to get the whole "custom skin" thing more popular.  Custom skins have typically only been sold on the Internet, as far as I've seen, which isn't hard to buy from, it's just that like anything else on the Internet, you pretty much have to know what you're looking for to be exposed to it.  It would be neat to see these and more in a video game store.

2163

TalkBack / RE:New Portable NES Released by Fire International

« on: March 23, 2005, 04:00:43 PM »

If it were up to me, I'd have put the B closest to the screen, with the A down and right of it.

Crappy diagrams:

Setup:  
--AA--
BB--A-
--B---

Preferred setup:
--BB--
B---AA
--A---

It just seems more natural.

2164

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Iwata: Revolution Backwards Compatable and Wi-fi out of Box

« on: March 15, 2005, 05:24:32 PM »

Barring some huge leap in holographic technology, a television (or monitor) is still the most likely source of output.  If the controllers are already done wirelessly and easy, there's no reason why resources should be used up trying to make the connection between the device and screen wireless.  So what if your console is next to your screen?  Unless you're really too lazy to reach over there to switch the game disc.

[thepoga]

2165

TalkBack / RE:Reggie Bombs Dropping

« on: March 11, 2005, 12:49:08 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: thepoga
I think Zelda is gonna be playable at E3.

From Penny Arcade Interview
Reggie: It's rich, I've played it, I've only played parts of it because it's obviously still in development but it's going to be huge.

So I guess it's been in development long enough for there to be something to play currently. They still have 2 more months.

I could be wrong, or the source I read was wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that the next Zelda game was already next to complete, its release being held back mostly for marketing/timing purposes.  Or so they can put some extra polish on it.

2166

TalkBack / RE:ESRB Adds new

« on: March 02, 2005, 01:32:40 PM »

I always thought it was funny whenever I saw a game that said "Rated E for Violence".  I guess I always assumed that something rated E would have nothing in it that would make the most conservative person even raise an eyebrow, so it seemed funny that something would be "for everyone" and yet have some violence.  I suppose E10+ would be on those games now...

[TheYoungerPlumber]

2167

TalkBack / RE:Nintendo DS Download Service Revealed in Japan

« on: February 25, 2005, 04:28:36 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: TheYoungerPlumber
Bill is correct.  In fact, if you explore the Band Bros. website you'll find that they have PDFs of (at least some of) the scores of these songs.  Downloading is simply an alternative to transcribing by hand...both will save to one of the 8 save slots. In fact, it's likely using the exact same protocol as for transferring custom Band Bros. songs among game DS systems.

Sadly, this means those songs will have the same limitations found in any other custom song.

Sorry, I haven't read much about Band Bros.  My mind was on the track of like, you know, DDR and Donkey Konga song lists.  That kind of thing.

[Robotor]

2168

TalkBack / RE:Nintendo DS Download Service Revealed in Japan

« on: February 25, 2005, 12:11:10 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Robotor
The characters wouldn't even have to be preprogammed in, the game would just need the capability for added characters.

Great.  Just great.  I had this really nice reply about unlockable bonuses vs. actual upgrading, and my browser decided not to let it go through and I lost some nice writing.

Somewhat more concisely, again:

I had hoped SSBM's Trophy Gallery would've not just unlocked the Pikmin trophy from a Pikmin save, but rather got "trophy data" from every save file from every first-party Nintendo game, to allow for a continually updated trophy collection and incentive for people to play Nintendo's games.  If that sounds too crazy then consider it a nice extra to the people who buy a GameCube for first-party games - and that's probably most of them.

So while Band Bros.' expanded song list is neat, it would be cool if isn't just unlocking them, like Mew/Celebi/Jirachi/Deoxys of Pokémon, but actually adding them in.  That would mean that upgrading/bug-fixing would be possible.  Not major upgrades, but stuff like new levels or missions or soundtracks or characters.  Certain DS games could get better with time, if Nintendo wishes to put in the resources to do so.

2169

TalkBack / RE:Nintendo DS Download Service Revealed in Japan

« on: February 25, 2005, 08:09:29 AM »

I don't know if this is something that Nintendo would ever consider doing, but releasing a GBA cartridge as a memory card to store downloadable content on the DS would be cool.

If they really had a problem with people holding on to demos for some reason, they could make them self-delete after a set amount of time or number of plays.  Either way is still less limiting than having to have to go to a store to get.  Of course, having a GBA cartridge as a memory card would only be worth getting if downloadable stuff becomes a more common thing.  And hackers might use it to grab multiplayer data and keep it...for whatever reason.

2170

TalkBack / RE:Walk of Game Unveiling at GDC

« on: February 25, 2005, 04:26:08 AM »

Nintendo getting three out of the first six stars is really good - though not to sound fanboyish, but being the longest-lasting game hardware developer (and of course, software), it should come as no surprise.

I think the exclusion of Samus is because of her eight-year hiatus between Super and Prime (excluding both Super Smash Bros. and really tiny cameos like in Kirby's Dream Land 3, that is).  If she had more games, some spread out into that time period, she'd definitely have a star.  (Though with recent games, she's quickly catching up to Link in terms of the number of games.)

Though even with a hiatus and whatever reasons one might come up to explain the absence of a star, it STILL deserves to be there more than Halo, a new franchise that only recently got a second game.

Is this a yearly thing?  If more stars are revealed each year, Samus would probably get one soon.  And unfortunately, probably games like Grand Theft Auto as well...

[Rize]

2171

TalkBack / RE:EDITORIAL: With Great Power ...

« on: February 23, 2005, 04:26:57 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Rize
Think of Tom Cruise using that computer in the beginning of Minority Report (the move not the game *shudders*)... sure if you design something like that PC peripheral you described it's going to fail because the PC software isn't designed to work with it.  But if games and/or software are designed to use it, then it could be very effective.

The Minority Report scene you mentioned is kind of like how the PC glove I have works...(sometimes...)  I didn't mean that people would be moving their arms about - but you try holding your hand up for an hour.

I'm sure if games were made SPECIFICALLY for it, you wouldn't get as fatigued as quickly 'cause you're having fun...like those people who like the EyeToy and DDR and etc. where they're physically moving about.  I guess we're jumping the gun with many assumptions here, but if this is what Revolution is about, then if I'm not fearing for Nintendo, I'm fearing for conventional games.

Of course, chucking all assumptions aside, we're left with, well, nothing.

May can't get here soon enough.

Well, maybe, but you know, there's definitely some anticipation.

[Rize]

2172

TalkBack / RE:EDITORIAL: With Great Power ...

« on: February 23, 2005, 12:40:57 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Rize
If they go this route the revolution's "power glove" would use RF (like the wavebird) and might include multiple sensors (one per thumb/finger).  The original powerglove measured finger movement using devices embedded in the glove.  The new one would just use the RF tags on each finger/thumb to track individual finger movements (relative to the rest of your hand).  I'm not sure how feasible it would be for each "revolution" to include RF triangulation hardware (it would have to accomodate multiple players; you would just have to buy new gloves for more players not new receivers).
But that's purely speculation for now.

My brother got, as a Christmas present from work, a PC controller meant to replace the mouse.  It's a glove - or more like a skeleton of one, if gloves had skeletons - with motion sensors on it.  Of course, there's also a big infrared receiver, and the glove is unfortunately not wireless.  Needless to say, I still prefer the mouse.

Even if they COULD eliminate the cable and improve the reception on it, any sort of "Super Power Glove" would be a hard sell.  People are too used to pushing buttons, and no gamer is going to want to wave their hands around for even short periods of time.  It's tiring and awkward; people are used to pushing buttons and that's what they expect to do with every new console.  One day the technology is going to allow for total immersion-type games, and then button-pushing will be a thing of the past, but the first time is going to be difficult to sell and somehow it seems unlikely that that time would be now.

I remember a rumour saying that the next console will be Nintendo's first without A or B buttons.  Now should this mean that they won't use buttons at all, or that there would be other names for the buttons?

However revolutionary this new Nintendo console will be, let's hope there's still room for traditional games.

2173

TalkBack / RE:EDITORIAL: With Great Power ...

« on: February 23, 2005, 08:00:47 AM »

When we dumb it down to this, as I often have:

NES = 2D
Super NES = better 2D
N64 = 3D
GCN = better 3D

...then it sure looks like some sort of "Revolution" is necessary.  That is, if you find "even better 3D" to be boring.  Of course, I neglect to mention consoles such as the various Ataris that were in the pre-NES era, so another generation that's still 3D wouldn't bring about some kind of video game crash, I would think.  Maybe not soon, anyway.

Seeing as how you can't make a game with any more dimensions, I would think that Nintendo would have to be working on something more immersive.  Imagining things like "true holographic 3D" or some new way to interact with characters on a television other than pressing buttons seem a bit hasty.  I'm guessing the best they can do is take a step or two in those directions.  But if not amazing enough, some people might not want to learn how to enjoy such a thing.

That's just how society works.  Everything's got to be dumbed down to the lowest common denominator.  If casual gamers like better and better and better 3D (as we know it, but just better like in the ways mentioned in the editorial) and the same ways to play, that may still sell better, no matter how innovative or new Nintendo's Revolution is.  I look forward to it, but if it's not something casual gamers will like, then I fear for Nintendo.

[RABicle]

2174

TalkBack / RE:FIFA Street Ships

« on: February 23, 2005, 04:04:37 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: RABicle
Cricket Steet! What a fistworthy game that would be. Cricket would work because people actually play that on streets.

Joking aside, I think the next logical game would be NHL Street - it's the only game I've actually seen played literally on the street.  Basketball is played more on driveways, it seems...

NBA Street Vol. 2 > NBA Street V3 in my opinion, and I didn't like NFL Street.  Basketball has fancy dunks - like it always has, like back in the NBA Jam days.  Other sports don't seem to have that kind of flair, and I guess I had to like football to begin with to be able to enjoy NFL Street.  Let's hope they can keep up some momentum, for some reason I don't have high expectations for FIFA Street, despite soccer being the most popular sport in the world...though I suppose it could be like Captain Tsubasa or (Sega) Soccer Slam.

[ViewtifulGamer]

2175

TalkBack / RE:Nintendo offers downloadable games for GBA and DS

« on: February 21, 2005, 01:36:05 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: ViewtifulGamer
Demos were actually the first thing that came to mind when I heard about this. It'd be a great idea, but I'm not sure if it'll happen that way.

Would be nice.  Demos on discs are common (at least with PlayStations and PCs) since we all know that discs are cheaper than cartridges.  If they ever did make GBA game demos, this would be the way to do it, eliminating production costs of cartridges altogether.

Or they could have things similar to the downloadable thingies that the GCN-GBA cable have done, if the Play-Yan becomes more popular, it would likely be more successful.