Topics

26

General Gaming / Microsoft Enters Mobile Gaming

« on: January 07, 2011, 01:48:05 PM »

Like the title says, MS is entering the mobile gaming arena, but the interesting part is how.

Unlike the Xbox, MS is going back to their roots and allowing/encouraging others to make the hardware while they provide the software.

I mentioned in the PSP2 thread that a company is showing a dual screen gaming device, and that is the Razer Switchblade. It has two 7" screens, with the lower screen having raised keys on it that can be changed according to game. Engadget has an in depth preview and they are convinced that Razer has the intention of bringing this device to market. They weren't allowed to get video but they report loading up WoW and being able to remove icons and mapping them to the keyboard with the icons themselves rather than hotkeys. There is also a function key that switches the keyboard to "page2" which does mean a second page of keys/icons/controls or whatever you need. Engadget also notes that the device feels good, if a tad thick, can fit easily in a cargo pant pocket, and the keyboard is just as good for typing as it is for gaming; very good.

There are also two other devices from Ocosmos; the OCS1U and OCS1E. The former is a 5" touchscreem device with dual joystick pads on either side of the landscape device, and the latter is the same device without the joysticks. I think there was even another from another company, but there's so much coming out of CES it's hard to find things.

All these devices run Windows 7 (not Windows Phone 7) and have the primary function of gaming, so there won't be a Halo 3DS. It will be interesting to see the level of games these devices can play, and if MS imposes some minimum restrictions or if it's like the PC gaming world where the device simply needs to run the OS.
I sort of figured this would happen and made mention of it in either the 3DS or PSP2 threads, or both, but I thought they would do it through gaming phones like the PSPhone, which they could still do.

The Ocosmos devices are gaming tablets, like Sony has made mention of doing with their PS line.

27

General Chat / Everything is in 3D!

« on: December 14, 2010, 03:05:20 PM »

So, it's pretty obvious that a lot of movies are being filmed in 3D, the 3DS and other small screen gadgets are introducing autostereoscopic 3D, and Youtube 3D and ESPN3D exist, and yet, the debate about whether 3D is a fad continues.

3D has been around before, in niche movies in the 50's and 80's, and also in the VirtualBoy, but we've come a long way since then.

3DTVs are decently affordable, the 3DS has received high praise from those lucky few who have experienced it, and as mentioned before, there are now 3D channels available to home TVs.

Further proof of 3D's viability is that DirecTV is launching a full time 3D channel (powered by Panasonic who is pushing 3D with their TVs) and there's a new Norelco shaver they are calling 3D much like how companies begane calling everything new HD when that was the hot new tech. There are even 3D cookie cutters now; 2D isn't good enough anymore.

Ultimately, 3D is the predecessor of holographic technology (Japan says they could have done holographs of the 2016 or 2020 World Cup and displayed them in otherwise empty stadiums around the world) and I think that is more proof that 3D is here to stay.

In the end, the saturation of 3D technology leads me to believe that it is more than a fad, but that can be discussed here, as well as other 3D products, like that camera someone posted about in the handheld section, since this is the General section.

Am I really the only one who thinks 3D is here to stay? It seems to be following the same path as HD/widescreen except the movie-to-home transition has taken place a lot faster.

28

General Gaming / The Panasonic Jungle

« on: October 04, 2010, 08:57:25 PM »

Its a new portable gaming system from Panasonic. Its a clamshell device with a full QWERTY keyboard, and touch panel D-Pad and button configuration. It was apparently built with MMORPG's in mind, and its fugly... I would post a link but copy/paste function on my phone is not coorperating right now, so Google it.

29

General Gaming / New Glasses-Free 3D Tech From Microsoft

« on: June 14, 2010, 08:00:14 AM »

The new tech uses cameras built into a TV to track viewers and beam images directly into each eye allowing for stereoscopic 3D:


Article: http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25524/?a=f


Proof of concept video: http://www.technologyreview.com/video/?vid=579

The new lens, which is thinner at the bottom than at the top, steers light to a viewer's eyes by switching light-emitting diodes along its bottom edge on and off. Combined with a backlight, this makes it possible to show different images to different viewers, or to create a stereoscopic (3-D) effect by presenting different images to a person's left and right eye.  "What's so special about this lens is that it allows us to control where the light goes," says Steven Bathiche, director of Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group.


Microsoft's prototype display can deliver 3-D video to two viewers at the same time (one video for each individual eye), regardless of where they are positioned. It can also shows ordinary 2-D video to up to four people simultaneously (one video for each person). The 3-D display uses a camera to track viewers so that it knows where to steer light toward them. The lens is also thin, which means it could be incorporated into a standard liquid crystal display, says Bathiche.


Bathiche says the 3-D lens can replace the traditional backlight in a liquid crystal display (LCD) to create a glasses-free 3-D display. Light from the lens will shine through the liquid crystals, projecting images at the viewers. The quality of the resulting picture is limited by the screen's refresh rate. A normal 240 Hertz LCD can accommodate two 3-D views, meaning that each viewer's eye receives a video that refreshes at a rate of 60 Hertz. Any slower, and the frames the video would be jerky. Alternatively, four viewers could watch their own 2-D video using the same display at a refresh rate of 60 Hertz


The technology is to some degree "at the mercy of what the LCD panel in front of the backlight can do," says Michael Bove, director of the consumer electronics laboratory at MIT. To address this, Bathiche says Microsoft is pushing display manufacturers to make faster LCDs. Bathiche's group is also exploring other ways to use the 3-D lens. If integrated into a backlight of a laptop, he says, it could provide a way to instantly toggle between a private view, in which the backlight steers the images from the screen toward a single person's eyes, and a shared view, in which the backlight shines the images out in all directions.

This sounds very cool. It almost sounds like the Kinect 2, but it is to be built within TV's and not attached to gaming console, but can easily be used for gaming.


The first thing I thought about is no longer needing split screen for multiplayer games. It would also allow battle RPG's and strategy games to be played multiplayer locally without your opponent seeing and preparing for what you're doing. MS could even design the Next360 to play two games at once... your mom plays her casual game while you play Halo X all on the same TV. With a cheap pair of noise canceling bluetooth headphones she won't even hear you cursing at your squadron.


This is also the type of thing ad companies would love to have; they could broadcast one commercial to women and another to men, even on outdoor displays, all in 3D, all on one screen. There are a lot of options for this technology and it seems like MS is pushing hard for it's introduction, and is intent on making it better, hopefully this tech doesn't end up like the Courier or Surface computers. 

30

General Gaming / E3 MMX

« on: May 29, 2010, 11:10:22 AM »

1. What are you expecting?


2. What are you hoping?


3. What will surprise you?
__________________________________
1. I'm expecting most journalists to tout the graphical advantages of Move and Natal over the Wii while ignoring the Wii's simplicity,--one of the Wii's biggest draws to the blue ocean crowd--price, and the fact that Nintendo pioneered the technology to much laughter and doubts from the two companies they will be lauding for their 'innovations' and graphics. They'll probably also be casting serious doubt over the 3DS unless of course it is everything I hope it will be: GC graphics in 'good enough for a portable' 3D, serious internet client capable of VoIP, and media player.


2. I'm really really REALLY hoping Nintendo shows the next Zelda and that there is more than one control option... the idea of them simplifying the controls after we finally have motion plus is irritating to me. Also that the 3DS is everything I hope it will be. 


3. I would be surprised if Nintendo steals the show away from Microsoft and Sony. Despite the 3DS being debuted, and possibly new Zelda with hordes of other seemingly A+ Wii games, MS and Sony are going to be bringing their best performances to show off their "new" ideas to an audience of "hard-core" gamers who already favor them. As a fan of all three systems, I have to say I am overall uninterested in Move and Natal, but I still think this is going to be one of the best non-system launching E3's.

31

Nintendo Gaming / 11yr Old Girl Writes to Nintendo: They Respond

« on: May 24, 2010, 09:25:58 PM »

Not sure if this is the right section but its about the DS...
Saw this on Digg thought it was cool: 





Notice that--before the corrections I assume--she got a "C" on it lol I hope the teacher upped it after the response.

32

Nintendo Gaming / Wiimote with built-in MotionPlus Coming Soon!?!?

« on: May 20, 2010, 08:38:24 AM »

From Engadget:http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/nintendo-wiimote-rvl-036-mysteriously-clears-the-fcc/#comments

Nintendo Wiimote RVL-036 mysteriously clears the FCC 




We can't say for sure what's new here but that wireframe outline is most definitely a Wiimote. The Nintendo-branded Bluetooth device just passed through the FCC courtesy of Hon Hai Precision, aka Foxconn. There's very little in the way of detail here other than a new RVL-036 model number reminiscent of the console's "revolution" roots. Perhaps the new Wiimote finally integrates the MotionPlus add-on? Who knows, but it certainly makes sense given Miyamoto's recent comments. At least we can be certain that it's exactly 12 times better than the model RVL-003 Wiimote shipping today. Another FCC document grab after the break.

Everything looks the same so its almost certainly simply the addition of MotionPlus, all I can say is that it is about time...

33

Nintendo Gaming / Ubisoft Brings Pedometer To DS

« on: March 11, 2008, 12:30:04 PM »

Link: http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/11/ubisofts-ds-pedometer-wants-you-to-lose/

So here's another somewhat useful use for the DS. It's a smallish belt/pocket clip, that measures how far you have walked or run while wearing the device. When you return home, or if you're carrying the DS on you since it too is relatively small (Lite version) you plug it into the DS and get reading of distance traveled and approximate fat burned for the day. It comes bundled with My Weight Loss Coach, and is launching in Europe first, as a person who has recently lost 50+ pounds, (recently meaning gruelingly over the course of the last 4 1/2 months) I'm interested in this if for nothing more than to keep track of my continuing weight loss. I just may have to import this game/peripheral.

34

Nintendo Gaming / WiiWare Transition?

« on: February 21, 2008, 05:03:15 AM »

In the press release for WiiWare there's this interestig little tidbit:

[q]Meanwhile Wii owners can download a multitude of cool new games from different genres, including some that are unprecedented, which can be purchased from home at a dynamic price range. WiiWare also empowers consumers to determine with their Wii Points which games have the right stuff to become the next big thing.[/q]

Does this mean indie devs with hit games are going to receive funding from Nintendo to do a full-fledge sequel or to expound upon an idea implemented in their game?? That would be pretty damn cool of Nintendo!

35

Nintendo Gaming / Welcome To The Backseat Core Gamers

« on: February 20, 2008, 07:27:18 PM »

Reggie gave an interview to IGN http://wii.ign.com/articles/853/853258p1.html discussing WiiFit, and here's one of many interesting quotes from the interview:

You know, for the launch of Wii we executed a number of non-traditional programs and that thrust will continue with Wii Fit. You can expect to see it on morning national programs. You can expect to see it on female-oriented programs. There will be a broad Internet program leveraging Cammie's [Dunaway, NOA's executive vice president of sales and marketing] knowledge of that space. And there will also be traditional prime time TV advertising. It will likely be our largest launch of the year from a total dollar spend standpoint.

Barely any advertising for MP:3, compared to a lot of advertising for SMB, and still WiiFit will have the largest marketing campaign of them all. One way to look at this would be to say Nintendo is obviously taking the casual gamer more seriously than the core gamer, and as I started making this topic that's what I was thinking, and it likely is true. However,  putting a little more thought into it, there are three things that make the WiiFit almost demand to be advertised more than even SMB or Mario Kart.

1. Word of mouth - how many casual Wii gamers do you suppose are even aware this game exists? Compare that to the fact all core gamers (even non-Nintendo fans) know of SMB and Mario Kart (if even just because they know of the previous titles and the fact that these games will have sequels until the end of time). Core gamers really only need to be told when a game is released and a few impressive trailers for them to be interested in a game. Everything they will likely explore for themselves, or ask one of their gamer friends for more information. Nintendo also likes to throw a bone with a few competitions here and there further expanding upon these games appeals to core gamers. WiiFit cannot depend on word of mouth being spread without a massive marketing campaign. Casual gamers would likely be completely satisfied simply playing WiiSports off and on, and Nintendo needs to entice them to make their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd game purchase.

2. It's expensive - Reggie also says in the interview that the WiiFit game and balance board will release for under $100, IGN says a direct currency translation put the Japanese version at about $83, so let's say Nintendo launches for $85, or $90 to be greedy. That's asking a lot of a core gamer! Nintendo needs to show each and every person individually why they have to spend close (enough) to half of what they paid for the system. I already know why, and I think it's worth it completely worth it. Actually it wasn't until reading this article and Reggie confirming that (10) other games are being developed to work with the board (how about a recreation of that TMNT game where you were surfboarding(? this was a long time ago pardon my short memory) in the sewers and could swing at enemies as you went!!) that I knew it would be worth it. A casual gamer however is unlikely to read a two page interview with the president of a video game company. Thus Nintendo must prove themselves in this department, whereas we all know that SMB and Mario Kart are going to be extremely high quality games worth every penny (I hope they don't charge $60 for SMB but if they did I'd still buy it, and you know you would too).

3. Audience - I cannot forsee any circumstance where my mom, dad, or other older relatives would ever even think of wanting to play SMB or MP:3 with me and my siblings. Mario Kart, possibly but once they started getting bombarded by shells, and other objects their opinion of the game may change sharply (for better or worse depending on the individual). In contrast to that a hardcore gamer who would never in his life think of playing WiiFit, may pick up the balance board to play game where you play as a hoverboard riding, light saber, wielding jedi!!! And other core gamers like myself are going to pick this thing up earlier to play that soccer headbutting game (it's just too bad the game isn't Wi-Fi enabled that would be hawt). The WiiFit (and the stand alone balance board which will likely never see it's own release the game WiiFit was probably a bargain to make so why decouple it from the board when that would mean an obligatory price drop) appeal to a wider market ("Blue Ocean" if you will and I have to say looking at WiiSPorts sales (in Japan), and WiiPlay (free controller Round 2!! though it'll be more of an issue once that Jedi Hoverboard game comes out SPOILER: THAT GAME IS JUST WISHFUL THINKING . Thus, with the pricetage and wide audience Nintendo stands to make a lot more money off of this than other game (yes even SMB) thus justifying it having the largest budget for advertising yet. Oh, and Nintendo still isn't going to have enough at launch, especially considering it's launch is so soon after Mother's Day (should have been pre-Mother's Day to really cash in).


All in all, core gamers are taking a back seat to the casual gamer, however we are still being taking along for the ride, and with all the money Nintendo is making, plus the high level of quality in their games, Nintendo is driving a Maybach, and let me tell you, sitting in the backseat of a Maybach is akin to sitting in a private jet (two things I've been able to do once each so far, though the jet didn't leave the tarmac lol) you get that same feeling of having "made it". And I get that feeling every time I see a company who practically abandoned Nintendo after the 64 and GC making exclusive original IP's for the Wii.

36

Nintendo Gaming / Is Nintendo Being Modest?

« on: January 26, 2008, 02:49:49 PM »

With Nintendo touting it's phenomal sales of the DS, Wii, and software for both systems, where are the VC sales? Where's the comparison to XBL? The VC to Wii tie in ratio? Or even just how many Wii owners go online with their systems?

Did I miss this press release or is Nintendo up to something?

37

General Chat / Microsoft and Sony Forced To Work Together! (sort of)

« on: January 12, 2008, 12:12:24 PM »

I just thought this was an interesting tidbit, but it's true; with Ford using the Sync system powered by Microsoft in their cars, and now signing a deal with Sony to have their speakers, amps, and further down the road some equipment to give Ford's the "the Sony entertainment electronics look and feel in its stereos".

Of course any audio (entertainment) system has to be paired to it's speakers, and their capabilities thus they work together.

Next Microsoft and Nintendo are going to create the Wii720  

38

General Gaming / New GTA IV Trailer

« on: December 06, 2007, 09:29:52 AM »

Excuse me if there was an old GTA IV thread somewhere, but I just have a specific question, you can watch the trailer here.

Is it just me or do the people have an "outlined" effect to them through the majority of the trailer?? It looks weird to me like their cut outs or something, or their blocking whats  behind them idk maybe it's just me.

39

Nintendo Gaming / Buy Mii a Wii (Buy U A Drank Wii-mix)

« on: October 29, 2007, 05:20:37 AM »

Perhaps this should be in a different thread but idk, it's about the Wii. Unlike that "All I Want For Christmas is a CrappySP" viral video this was just done by a fan with no marketing ppl behind it. Anyway check it out it's funny:



Buy Mii a Wii

40

Nintendo Gaming / Ninja Gaiden Stylus for DS = Best Stylus Ever!!

« on: September 24, 2007, 10:27:50 AM »

When I get this it will be my primary stylus for my 3 touchscreen devices (phone, pmp, DS) It's too awesome to only use for one game, or one system.

Edit: Link

[STILL]

41

General Gaming / PS3's Killer App Gets A 7.0 (decent) From IGN

« on: August 26, 2007, 07:31:26 AM »

 Heavenly Sword which all PS3 owners were looking for got a decent from very biased reviewers.

Had this been a Wii game and reviewed by the Wii editors of IGN I imagine the game would have gotten a 6, the PS3 editors do a good job of pointing out the games faults, while keeping civil, and making it seem like it's not too bad. However if you read in between the lines, you can see that this game isn't worth the Charmin Ultra Softs the developers used to wipe their butts:

Quote
The story isn't exactly the deepest thing we've ever witnessed, but the presentation helps give it weight that wouldn't necessarily have felt like it was there otherwise.

No story, but somehow the graphics make up for it...

Quote
While the combat mechanics are generally quite strong, Heavenly Sword relies on them far too much to carry the excitement through to the end. You'll quickly find that you're fighting the same battles time and time again, and that there isn't much variety in what you need to do. Sure, you have a large number of combos at your disposal, but the actual battles are largely the same.

Part of the problem is that aside from the bosses, you really only fight the same soldier types for most of the game. There's the basic soldier, the heavily armored soldier, guys with bows and some ninjas. There are one or two other enemy types to fight at certain spots, but they're few and far between. Most of these enemies are introduced early on in the game, and you'll fight them until the very end.

Good combat "mechanics", but combat itself is generic and repeating...

Quote
Another issue is that a number of the skirmishes are essentially arena battles where you wind up trapped in a room and need to fend off swarm after swarm of enemies. This just makes it feel like you're trudging through that section of the game and that the designers are keeping you put for a while to rack up the overall game time. Whereas better-paced titles will have you constantly moving forward as you fight, or at least reward you with a new item in these cases, with Heavenly Sword it feels as if your progression is oftentimes paused as you fight off a number of enemies before progressing with nothing new to show for it.

Trying to make the game longer with unimportant, unwanted, and halting dungeons. I assume that when he says "better-paced titles" he means games like Zelda, where you are always rewarded for your hard work.

Quote
There's one section in particular where you must use a crank to raise a large statue and then bounce a shield off it and into another button before the statue lowers back down to the ground. With every miss you need to go back over and spend time raising the statue back up again. This is a very small example and wouldn't necessarily reflect poorly on the game on its own, but there are a number of somewhat similar parts that do make the experience a little frustrating at times.

Another example of how bad the gameplay is.

Quote
But there are a few sniper sections that simply go on for far too long as using Aftertouch to properly steer her arrows slows the game to a crawl. The concept is cool, but when you need to snipe soldier after soldier after soldier with little to no challenge, it just gets old fast.

He's referring to parts of the game where you play as another character, and guess what? The gameplay STILL sucks.

Even though I have no intention of buying a PS3 I was looking forward to this game, now all that is left really is MGS4.
 

42

Nintendo Gaming / Wii + DS = Next Handheld?

« on: August 07, 2007, 09:43:26 AM »

Clicky

According to a recent patent filing Nintendo is looking to incorporate motion controls into it's next handheld. We've already seen this with games like WarioWare:Twisted, and a Kirby game of yesteryear that I can't remember the exact name of, but personally I'm not too excited.

I'm hoping the DS2 is just that, 2 screens, one (maybe both) a touchscreen, bigger screens than the DS1, same button layout with a decent analog stick, but perhaps it would retain it's D-pad for left handed controls, better graphics, and get rid of the GBA slot in favor of a GCN slot!

For me that would be ideal, hopefully this patent is just a test idea that will fail with it's test groups.

43

General Chat / Harry Potter (Spoilers)

« on: July 29, 2007, 06:29:47 AM »

Now that the series is complete with the release of "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows" I thought I'd just point a few of my thoughts on the series overall, the last book, and the movies. I'm eventually going to re-read the entire series 1-7 again, I really love the series.

I'm one of those people who relate to the Harry Potter series in two ways;

1. The feeling of not belonging and always wishing that there was some other reality in which if nothing else, I could feel accepted, purely for who I am. Harry only found this in a few people, namely the Weasly's and Hermione Granger, but even that was enough, as it would have been for me, especially with Ginny Weasly .

2. The desire to have something more than a mundane life. Instead the wish for a life of the constantly extraordinary, random changes, new explorations, and of course magic.

With that behind me, I loved the series, I'll timidly admit to living through Harry Potter while reading the stories, which is why I was at first extremely disappointed by the 5th book in the series. I wish the Harry in the book was more like the Harry in the movie, which gave a lot less resistance to the idea of taking a stand against Professor Umbridge, the Ministry, and Voldemort. J.K Rowling is a very talented writer and until the 7th book I thought the pace of the books was close to perfect. The environments were well set up the character relationships were also superbly done, never overdone. I also enjoyed the fact that her main themes of Love, and Choice, were never lost. Love isn't really too important to me in the overall scheme of things, sure I would like to find love, but my previous statement is in light that love is also a choice. Choosing is the most important aspect of human life for me. I hate to see these people who blindly follow strong, charasmatic, and/or, popular leaders. That's just me though, I almost never let another persons ideas influence my own, unless after careful deliberation of at least a week, proves that their idea is superior to mine, but no matter who is it that tells me, I first search within myself before agreeing with their opinion. I hardly ever take advice, and I almost never give it. I will however give some here, no matter what it is you do, make sure that you are the one choosing it, not only will it ensure happiness, but it will also ensure that there isn't anyone else to blame, or thank for your failures and accomplishments. We all need help, but that help should at least start within us.



While I loved the 7th book, and am actually looking forward to reading it again, there were a good number of points in the story where I just wanted her to move on. Especially the times Harry, Hermione, and Ron (while he was there), were hiding out, trying to figure out where to find the Horcruxes. I think she may have been trying to convey some of there helplessness, and humanity in these long pauses, and they were nicely punctuated by frequent(compared to the other books) Voldemort appearances and consequent battles. The resolution of the story was quite nice. I loved the fact that Snape was vindicated, and shown to truly be a Gryffindor in his bravery. I also liked the conversation Dumbledore and Harry had near the end, in which Dumbledore was also vindicated and we are again shown his great genius and intuition, his role as a father figure to Harry never ended and I liked that a lot. However, I do have one serious gripe with the book, the epilogue was horrible. It was inconsistent and mostly pointless. I get that she wanted to say that Voldemort really was dead and that there was no way for him to come back, and since she skipped so far ahead there really isn't a story left for Harry Potter. However, besides the pointless conversation (except where Harry spoke to his son Albus before he boarded the Hogwarts Express), and strange meeting with Malfoy in which it would appear he went back to his private Dark Arts, although Harry saved his life, the thing that annoyed me most of all was the fact that Tonks and Lupin son after 19 years of life, was still at school... How does this make any sense? Originally I gave the benefit of the doubt and said maybe it took awhile to rebuild Hogwarts, then I remembered that we're talking about wizards here. How shocked was Harry to see that his old house hadn't been rebuilt  only to discover it was left as a memorial. Why would it take the ENTIRE Ministry of Magic a long time to rebuild Hogwarts? Maybe, just maybe it would take them a year if you want to give them the maximum amount of leeway(sp?) but 2? I don't see that happening. Other than the epilogue and the slower parts, I loved the 7th and final installment of Harry Potter.


I loved the first two movies, most of their inconsistencies with the books could be excused with the constraints of making a movie (i.e time, and visuals(you can't really display the internal thoughts of a character)). I just wish they would have just let Chris Columbus direct all of the movies. I didn't like the 3rd movie too much, and while I liked the 4th one I felt it was a little overdone, and even though I loved the 5th movie, I did not like the whole wispy shadow (or light in the case of the Order of the Pheonix) movements and battles. Having one director for all the movies would have also kept the visuals consistent. The landscapes, castle design, and clothing design (why oh why do they have students wearing muggle clothing??) would have been better left in the hands of one instead of changing movie to movie since the 3rd. Overall though the movies have done a good job of representing the books, and granting people who don't read a look into the greatly magical world that is Harry Potter.

44

NWR Forums Discord / How High?

« on: May 13, 2007, 11:49:26 AM »

go ahead, guess!

45

General Chat / Prince of Persia Movie

« on: April 17, 2007, 04:24:24 AM »

Michael Bay (Transformers) is going to direct it, and it is planned to be released either next July or July '09 I forget which and I'm using my PPC so I'm not going to check.

This could be interesting I just wonder whether they would use a stiryline from a game or create a new one?

Creating a new one might alienate fans if not done well. However, it would allow them to create a game based on the movie. Which from a marketing stand point makes more sense, although I would like to see the plot from The Sands of Time used in the movie.

46

Nintendo Gaming / Virgin Channel On Wii

« on: April 11, 2007, 05:18:51 PM »

Virgin Records has announced they will be offering their radio stations through the Wii and PS3.

The service allows you to not only listen to 4 of their radio stations, but you can download music and also buy concert tickets.

As of now this is only available in the U.K so you blokes better use the mess out of this so us Americans can get it too!!

Hopefully with this, more games will start allowing you to use your own music during the game, with the ability to dowload it right to the Wii, or even just listen to the radio, it would be much easier.

[more or less a ground-up project]

47

Nintendo Gaming / Spiderman 3 Wii Exlcusive... Sort Of

« on: April 06, 2007, 09:15:59 AM »

Quote
If you think Spider-Man 3 for Wii is a quick and dirty port of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game of the same name, you've got it all wrong. What most people don't realize - not even die-hard Nintendo fans - is that software house Vicarious Visions has designed the Wii build totally separately from the others and it is more or less a ground-up project complete with original content, unique controls, and individual mission structures. In short, it's different and it actually has been tailor-made for Wii.

This bodes well for Nintendo especially when you look at how the changes are implemented.

Original Content:

Quote
But whereas the other titles set you on a somewhat linear story path and only enable you to wear the black suit during certain missions, you can go dark at any point in the Wii version of the title. There will, however, be consequences, which we'll get to below. In addition to the primary story arch, the Wii game boasts three additional tales with more enemies. In one, you'll fight against Morbius and in another you'll come face-to-face with Shriek. Oh, and the Lizard is waiting to eat Spidey for lunch, too.

Unique Controls:

Quote
To send a web bursting from Spidey's left hand, you hold down the Z button and gesture in the general direction you want to swing with the nunchuk. To release his grip on the web, you simply depress the B button. The same action is performed with the Wii remote to control Spidey's right-handed webbing. It's an ambitious undertaking because to glide acrobatically through the city in true superhero fashion, you will have to learn to swing and release with careful precision. What this technique affords you over the other versions, though, is much more flexible control. There are no pointer-based actions in the swing process - the accelerometers measure your gestures and accurately translate them to the screen, whether you're executing over-the-top motions or simple wrist-flicks. Flick forward with the nunchuk and Spidey will shoot his webbing forward. Flick all the way to the right and you can send the superhero swinging at a near-90-degree angle. You can also dual-swing by motioning with both controllers, which is not possible in any other iteration. People assume Wii controls will be easily accessible and in our experience the opposite is true in Spider-Man 3. We picked up the dual-control configuration in about a minute, but we saw others fumbling with it for a great deal longer. Many forgot completely that they could dual-swing and still control Spider-Man with the analog stick as he soared between skyscrapers. Once you finally do get the hang of it, though, you will find it to be a very rewarding and highly accurate component, especially after you master swing boosts and web zips.

Individual Mission Structures:
*Note: This was kind of touched on in the quote I used for Original Content, in the part about a less linear game than it's "Next-Gen" couterparts, but I also found this part interesting*

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The dichotomy between red and black Spider-Man suits plays an integral role in the Wii build of the game. As we stated, you can don the stealthy black suit at any point by pressing the D-Pad, but you have to be wary of it, too, because it effectively acts like a drug on you. It offers immediate enhancements to strength and agility, all of which are represented graphically in the game. The black suit Spidey is just plain meaner and more confident in the way he moves and fights. For instance, after leaping from a building, he will cause the pavement to crack as he lands heavily on the ground. But these immediate enhancements come at a price, which is that Spidey risks going into full-blown rage mode and blacking out entirely, at which point you'll have to restart from your previous checkpoint. The rage is represented on-screen by black tentacles from the symbiote suit. The longer you stay in rage mode, the bigger your suit's presence on-screen becomes, literally narrowing your gap of vision. The only way to escape the suit's grip is to switch back to the red suit with the D-Pad, at which point a mini-sequence that challenges you to perform a series of Wii-mote gestures is executed. The longer you wait, though, the more challenging the sequence becomes.

IGN also states in the article that the graphics lacked polish and that the camera needed work. However, they also mentioned that in a recent chat with Vicarious Visions, VV said that they have spent ample time polishing both since IGN played the game.

I would also like to note that this show on G4 called Attack of the Show had an exclusive preview of Spiderman 3, in which they brought in the game and played it for us the viewers to see how it was shaping up. I'm not sure which system they were playing, (definitely not the Wii because although I could see the controller he was holding it in the "standard" way) but it was also very unpolished. A lot of the action was jerky, you could see some graphical flaws and also animation hiccups, but they were quick to point out that it's an early build and there will still be a lot of work done to the game. So on no system has the game been completely refined.

If Spiderman 3 for the Wii can fully deliver on it's potential, It will be the first movie-game I can remember (I think I may have bought the Die Hard game, but I also may have just borrowed it, it was so long ago).

Even if it doesn't turn out to be spectacular, just the fact that Vicarious Visions has implemented so many extras into the Wii version pleases me greatly. There's something that I read about a long time ago that adds some seperation between the PS3 and Xbox360 versions but I can't remember what it is, and I can't find it either. In an earlier interview Executive Producer Chris Archer stated that the PS2, PSP, and Wii versions would have 2 extra missions, so I'm not really sure what that means with this more current one saying that there are 3 unique missions for the Wii.

48

General Gaming / PSP Price Cut

« on: April 03, 2007, 07:44:42 AM »

Quote
After failing to keep up with Nintendo's DS juggernaut, Sony promised it would do a better job marketing the PSP, and now it appears that push is fully underway with a $30 price cut to the PSP Core Pack, the base system. That brings the PSP's MSRP to $169.99 or $80 less than the system's launch price of two years ago.

The entire article is here.

The article also hints that Sony plans on having more games come out at the $29.99 level.

Too little too late? I think so.

Price isn't the only thing holding the PSP back, IMO it does have some good games that I wouldn't mind playing, but overall I don't see the system as being worth the time of an hour.

49

NWR Forums Discord / The World Ended And Nobody Noticed!

« on: April 01, 2007, 02:52:21 PM »

50

General Chat / iPhone Killers From CTIA 2007

« on: March 30, 2007, 06:10:38 AM »

Cnet has coverage of the CTIA (think E3 of cell phones) and their are some cool phones in the works.

This is exactly what I was looking for once the iPhone was announced how other companies were going to respond and let me say they have outdone themselves. The new Pocket PC (called Advantage) (although for some reason called smartphone by Cnet, the difference is really the functionality from what I understand) from HTC (I currently have the 8125 ) is so nice, especially since it looks like a laptop in what I can only call landscape mode, if you look at the picture you will see what I mean.

HTC also has the Shift which is more of Cell Phone/Tablet PC/Laptop hybrid. It has the same "landscape mode" as the Advantage, 7inch touchscreen, runs Vista (which I like), and a 30GB HD.

The Advantage is slated for summer release (which means heads up against the iPhone which will be interesting since Cingular is close with HTC as HTC products in the U.S are branded as Cingular).

This should be very.... Interesting!