Messages

3001

General Gaming / Re: PSP2 - It's coming and it's called Next Generation Portable (NGP)

« on: March 04, 2011, 03:26:58 PM »

Not too surprising, but Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president Andrew House has confirmed that not all NGP games will see retail releases. Only larger games will see retail releases. However, he did say that all retail games will be available as digital games too (so I guess this means you technically never need to buy physical NGP games if you don't want too).

http://www.industrygamers.com/news/sony-only-triple-a-ngp-titles-will-see-simultaneous-digital-and-physical-releases/

Huh..I would have expected the opposite (All games receiving a retail release, with only AAA titles getting digital release).  To be honest, that's enough for me to squash the idea of having a NGP for a few yeras.  When it has come to Sony, the only thing digital releases have done is falsely keep prices of games such as inFamous, Burnout Paradise, and most of their PSP1 lineup at retail price while you can find the disc copy for half the price.
 
Squashing the used market like that makes it difficult to justify the purchase right now, at least until the system goes down in price.

3002

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo CEO Discusses Wii Successor, Plans for Video Downloading

« on: March 02, 2011, 03:55:50 PM »

I think the name should reflect the direction Nintendo wants to go with the console.  "Super Nintendo Entertainment System" was a good name because it clearly continued the legacy of the "Nintendo Entertainment System".  Same with all the Game Boys and the DS becoming the 3DS.  You associate the name with a certain style and identity.

The Wii was just too different from the Gamecube to use the same sort of naming convention.  Not just because the Cube wasn't very successful but because the Wii was a totally different type of videogame console.  If they want to continue with the same identity next gen then they should use the Wii naming convention.  But if they want to do something different they should go with something else.

The "Playstation" brand has a pretty clear identity.  It makes sense for them to go with the naming convention that they did.

However does the blue ocean group have any brand loyalty to "Nintendo" or merely to "Wii"?  If Nintendo doesn't continue with that naming convention can they continue to use the Wii Series or the Miis?

I agree.  Expect the next generation console from Nintendo to have "Wii" be in part of the name.  It's simply about brand recognition, and Wii is a household term now.  Gamecube and Nintendo 64 didn't have the market presence that the Wii does, and like you state, you can keep concepts like Miis and the Wii Shop Channel without having to re-name them.  But I suppose it's a matter of whether or not the Marketing division of Nintendo makes that choice, as well as if Nintendo has a new play mechanic in mind for their future console that would benefit from a re-naming.


On a side note, I'm completely thrilled that Iwata openly admitted that they have not done enough to make Wiiware and online services flourish, citing Microsoft as an example of proper investment into online channels.  Maybe an indication of better online support from Nintendo products in the future?

3003

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo CEO Discusses Wii Successor, Plans for Video Downloading

« on: March 02, 2011, 03:55:16 PM »

accidental repost

3004

Nintendo Gaming / Re: What Nintendo franchise do you want most on 3DS?

« on: March 02, 2011, 01:19:21 PM »

Nintendo is releasing a 3D Mario game by the makers of Mario Galaxy for 3DS.
 
Sounds like a good start.

3005

Nintendo Gaming / Re: best n64 game and why

« on: March 01, 2011, 07:29:19 PM »

Everyone already mentioned the games I had the fondest memories with, so I'll mention some other ones that I enjoyed quite a bit or offered a unique experience.

Blast Corps was a unique experience at the time, and I found it challenging.

WCW/NWO Revenge was a lot of fun when I played it, although I'm not sure how well it holds up now. 

There's a version of Tetris called Tetrisphere, which is A challenging twist to the traditional Tetris game (Another spin-off of Tetris called Wetrix was also available)

Rush 2049

1080 snowboarding was awesome at the time, but I've had a hard time enjoying it the last few times I've tried.

Bomberman 64 can be a lot of fun if you have 3 friends to play with.

3006

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo CEO Discusses Wii Successor, Plans for Video Downloading

« on: March 01, 2011, 07:13:51 PM »

Well, 3rd parties seem to be abandoning the Wii increasingly quickly.  Nintendo can keep the Wii going as long as it wants, but 1st party software (what little we know of actually existing) alone isn't going to keep the Wii relevant for years to come.  I think Nintendo pretty much has to announce a new Wii console for next year, just out of the practicality of not having software that will move hardware.

Well I think it all depends on the market.  The Wii has never had anything resembling decent third party support but that did not prevent it from being a runaway success.  If we're talking the core market the Wii has been irrelevant for years.  If you're a core gamer you either bought a Wii a couple years back or you're not buying one ever.  With the way things are the system just wouldn't grab your interest unless you're a big Zelda fan but NOT a general Nintendo one.
 
With the casuals third party support never mattered so as long as Nintendo can pump out the annual Wii Series release to keep them interested, they're fine.  How well did Wii Party do?  Is that momentum still there?
 
But who does Nintendo want to sell systems to: casuals, core gamers or both?  If they want both then they've got to step up and release a system that doesn't shoot itself in the foot regarding third party support by being too underpowered to allow for multiplatform releases.  If they're fine with just being the casual company then they've got some more years left.
 
But the 3DS suggests that they're not cool with being just the casual company.  It's an impressive piece of technology and Nintendo talked about how they want it to have better third party support and not just be for women and grandmas and such, like they felt the DS was associated with.  They seem to want the 3DS to be "taken seriously" while also selling with casuals.
 
If they want the same for their console they need something new.  The Wii's image is set in stone.  Zelda isn't going to overhaul it.  They need a fresh start if they want the same market and image they're going for with the 3DS on the console front.

I think that Nintendo's true challenge isn't to reclaim their loyalists, but to transform as much as this new casual market into new Nintendo loyalists, while making the system still accessible to the casual crowd.  The casual crowd will provide Nintendo with the hardware sales, but the Nintendo loyalists and "hardcore gamers" are the ones that are most likely to have 10+ games.  If they can grow their core base from this new demographic that purchased the Wii while making the system as accessible to the mainstream as the Wii, then I would consider that a true success. 

3007

TalkBack / Re: Nintendo CEO Discusses Wii Successor, Plans for Video Downloading

« on: March 01, 2011, 06:18:24 PM »

I would expect a price cut to $149.99 on the Wii before I would expect an announcement of a new system.  Nintendo may not be selling as many as they were before, but they can easily ride the slow downward slope of sales while supplementing their lessening sales on Wii with the 3DS.  I do think that releasing a new console so close to the 3DS would cannibalize sales, not because they may necessarily be similar gaming experiences, but because both products would be competing with consumer dollars.

I expect there to be a big software push for the 3DS, while the Wii will be priced more competitively along with a new set of bundles. 

3008

General Gaming / Re: Accessiblity and the Fighting Game Genre

« on: March 01, 2011, 04:47:05 PM »

I guess what I'm trying to say is that fight game professionals have already received what will probably be the closest thing to a highly competitive game in Street Fighter III: Third Strike.

Hrm. Care to explain why you picked 3S?

Because that's the only version of Street Fighter III I own, so I can't really state an opinion of the other ones  : , but I will also say I thoroughly enjoyed Street Fighter Alpha 3...I still have the PS1 Disc somewhere.

On a side note, I wish they would release another Guilty Gear.

3009

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 233: Don't Try Too Hard

« on: March 01, 2011, 11:27:02 AM »

I remember someone on the podcast mentioning that they'd like Super Meat Boy on 3DS, and while it hasn't been confirmed to be that title, Team Meat has confirmed that they are working on a 3DS title.

3010

NWR Forums Discord / Re: What's with the new Karma look?

« on: February 28, 2011, 10:31:03 PM »

Could someone please smite me?  I want to bump up my street cred.

3011

General Gaming / Re: Accessiblity and the Fighting Game Genre

« on: February 28, 2011, 10:25:56 PM »

If you want to use a sport analogy I'll point out that NO sport worth a **** compromises itself to accomodate whiners who aren't good at it right away.  I suck at golf.  Golf doesn't change itself to allow me to be good at it.  I have to work at it if I want to be good.  No one expects the sport to change for me.  Every sport requires some core fundamentals that one may not immediately pick up in a second.  If anyone complained that swinging a bat in baseball was too hard and they should change it everyone who laugh at such a ridiculous suggestion.  But with videogames it is perfectly okay to make such a request?

You make some good points, and as a fighting fan, I'm not going to dispute the merits of the game having a decent learning curve.

I just don't think the sports analogy works well.  Sports have already reached critical mass.  People wanting to change the rules of sports like you mention would  be laughed out because they are an institution with history and for the most part set rules.

Fighting games are a re-emerging market after being stagnant for a few years.  Companies like Capcom have strayed away from the more complex systems such as Street Fighter 3 because it scared away the casual market that will buy the game to play with friends, but will never truly be good at them.  While loyal, the hardcore market for fighting games (or any genre, for that matter) isn't a large enough group for most companies to cater to completely unless it is relatively cheap to do (example being the PS3/Xbox 360 port of MvC2). 

I would say the Street Fighter IVs and MvC3s of this world are a good compromise.  Letting the casual player jump in and enjoy the flashiness of MvC3 and seeing the crazy moves they can pull off.  But there will be a definite ceiling of where all the professional level players reside that the casual player will never penetrate.  It also gives Capcom the opportunity to make concessions to more casual players while paying lip service to the more serious players who were fond of the prior games.

Rules of sports change all the time.  There's changes to how the clock works, what's legal, what's not allowed, use of performance enhancers, how many games are played, how a team reaches the playoff bracket, and so much more.  Rule changes are a part of sport.  The fundamentals of the game, however, don't change quite as swiftly, though.  Still, if you were to look at American Football today and compare it to football twenty or thirty years ago, a lot of things would have changed, but on a small scale.  Likewise, newer fighting games are working on small-scale tweaks to make a game that functions better on a competitive level, while still allowing people to go "Throw the ol' Hyper Combo" around. Personally, I believe the next step to advancing the fighting game movement is to make a more expensive title that's developed for use in a competitive circuit, which would actually reduce how many people would play it.  The more expensive competitive title would be followed by a less expensive version of the game for general consumer use, but a few features might be switched, as would character balance, so characters would be less balanced, but more in line with the power suggested a character has in his or her background.

Fair enough.  I'll openly admit that I don't follow the seemingly minute changes in rules & regulations in sports, but the core concept of them stays pretty similar as far as I'm aware. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that fight game professionals have already received what will probably be the closest thing to a highly competitive game in Street Fighter III: Third Strike.  Companies' main objectives are to get as much as the potential market to purchase their product, and the majority of the time, making a game that is highly technical with a stiff learning curve will scare away potential customers, therefore lowering the sales and the likelihood that they'll cater specifically to hardcore fans in the future. 

3012

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 233: Don't Try Too Hard

« on: February 28, 2011, 10:17:01 PM »

Don't worry, I've got more!

If I had applauding ability, I would be hitting that button on your post all day.

3013

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 233: Don't Try Too Hard

« on: February 28, 2011, 10:16:11 PM »

Having just recently re-beat Super Ghouls n Ghosts, I can't say that I agree that Super Mario Bros Wii is easier than SGnG, but I will admit that I can beat the game much quicker than NSMBW, although I think most of that is the length of the game.  Also, if you're like me, you've played SGNG enough to regain your timing pretty quickly after a break, and it's easier to maintain the correct rhythm in SGNG than NSMBW, as there always seems to be something put intentionally into a level to break your rhythm.

3014

General Gaming / Re: Accessiblity and the Fighting Game Genre

« on: February 28, 2011, 10:02:03 PM »

If you want to use a sport analogy I'll point out that NO sport worth a **** compromises itself to accomodate whiners who aren't good at it right away.  I suck at golf.  Golf doesn't change itself to allow me to be good at it.  I have to work at it if I want to be good.  No one expects the sport to change for me.  Every sport requires some core fundamentals that one may not immediately pick up in a second.  If anyone complained that swinging a bat in baseball was too hard and they should change it everyone who laugh at such a ridiculous suggestion.  But with videogames it is perfectly okay to make such a request?

You make some good points, and as a fighting fan, I'm not going to dispute the merits of the game having a decent learning curve.

I just don't think the sports analogy works well.  Sports have already reached critical mass.  People wanting to change the rules of sports like you mention would  be laughed out because they are an institution with history and for the most part set rules.

Fighting games are a re-emerging market after being stagnant for a few years.  Companies like Capcom have strayed away from the more complex systems such as Street Fighter 3 because it scared away the casual market that will buy the game to play with friends, but will never truly be good at them.  While loyal, the hardcore market for fighting games (or any genre, for that matter) isn't a large enough group for most companies to cater to completely unless it is relatively cheap to do (example being the PS3/Xbox 360 port of MvC2). 

I would say the Street Fighter IVs and MvC3s of this world are a good compromise.  Letting the casual player jump in and enjoy the flashiness of MvC3 and seeing the crazy moves they can pull off.  But there will be a definite ceiling of where all the professional level players reside that the casual player will never penetrate.  It also gives Capcom the opportunity to make concessions to more casual players while paying lip service to the more serious players who were fond of the prior games.

3015

General Chat / Re: Who here is into Hip-Hop/Rap?

« on: February 27, 2011, 07:46:39 PM »

I'm a fan of some rap.  Here are some things I didn't see mentioned in this thread that I'm really digging right now:

Kid Cudi  - Pursuit of Happiness
                 Day 'n' Night

Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push

Sage Francis - Crack Pipes
                       Broken Wings
                       Message Sent

And regarding Eminem, while I've enjoyed his music on occasion, the only album of his I can listen to on repeat is Infinite.

3016

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Recommend Any Good Gamecube Games

« on: February 27, 2011, 02:40:57 AM »

I have always wondered what would have happened if the N64 used optical media? Would Nintendo have had a stronger third party to carry over to the Gamecube.

Absolutely.  I would contend that Gamecube would have at least equivalent 3rd party support to the PS2. 

3017

General Gaming / Re: PSN = Privacy? Security? Never!

« on: February 26, 2011, 05:49:46 PM »

Congratulations TJ, you have single handedly destroyed one of the pillars of judicatory that has stood for over 700 years. Now you can stand tall, above the illustrious groups of individuals and governments that have for nearly a millennia tried to smash this outdated idea that is presumption of innocence.

You have validated the use of extracted confessions by everybody up till the 18th century, and made Stalin proud, oh so proud. George W. Bush could have made great use of you when he needed extraordinary rendition made legal and quiet! I am sure by extension you can remove  habeas corpus since anybody accused or looking funny are now automatically criminals, I mean look at all those people in Gitmo! I mean water boarding and loud music is so 2000s, lets do something from the 90's like car battery, water sponges and a guy named Ando.

What too slow? Well **** it, why do the whole song and dance when you can just put people up against a wall. They are all guilty of some thing right? They have to be since someone accused them, also with original sin and all that. Who the **** needs evidence or a trial because your word is good. It better than anything a defense could come up with. What? too hard? Well I am sure Broodwars will be willing to assist your crusade to make a simpler world where people will become too scared to even **** themselves thereby solving another problem that plague humanity since time immemorial.

I do wonder what other miracles TJ will have in store next, ready to burst out of his righteous brain of his.

3018

NWR Forums Discord / Re: How do we invite new members to the funhouse?

« on: February 26, 2011, 02:07:02 PM »

ohai.

EVERYONE STARE AT THE STRANGER UNTIL HE IS UNCOMFORTABLE

3019

NWR Forums Discord / Re: How do we invite new members to the funhouse?

« on: February 25, 2011, 10:53:42 PM »

ohai.

3020

General Gaming / Re: Accessiblity and the Fighting Game Genre

« on: February 25, 2011, 10:49:38 PM »

As a fan of the genre, I completely sympathize with your plight.  There are definite steps that could be taken to improve the accessibility of these fighting games, the problem is that with every bit of compromise to the mainstream, hardcore players will begin to abandon the franchise.  Hell, even for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, there have been complaints about it being far too easy in comparison to the earlier versions. 

I agree with the confusion regarding button labeling in comparison to the controllers.  I believe my biggest complaint with every fighter I've played is that it takes far too long to go between practice mode and opening up a specific character's set of moves.  I'd like to be able to practice a character's move set and get a feel for him without having to pause, go to the menu, select character moves, select the character i'm using, and then scroll through their move list to find the specific move.  I can't see why maybe there could be a minimized list at the top of the screen while practicing, and then you could assign a button to press in this mode to expand the list, and it would bring up the character you are specifically playing with.  Completely infuriating, and an example of how bad UI can ruin a player's experience.

With that being said, the only fighter I know that has made major concessions to introduce accessibility in fighting games is Super Smash Bros.  As far as I know, it's the only game which is easy enough to be accessible to the mainstream, but deep enough to encourage tourney play (for Melee, I'm not sure about Brawl).

3021

General Gaming / Re: PSN = Privacy? Security? Never!

« on: February 25, 2011, 10:35:39 PM »

 I'm struggling a bit with the overuse of the words "illegal", "shady", and the possible misuse of the words "hacker", "pirate", and "blackmail"

Firstly, can someone here prove that what GeoHot and Graf did was illegal?  I'll admit I might have a hole in my argument here, but as far as I know, the case against GeoHot is a civil case, not criminal (Link in case anyone needs clarification on differences between the two).  Meaning that technically no law is being broken, as otherwise they would be pursuing putting Geohot in prison instead of suing him .  This is a case more reminiscent of Sony suing Geohot for breach of contract (Terms of Service agreement, I believe) as well as violating the DMCA, which I think is unreliable at best, because:

1) Absolutely no-one reads Terms-of-Service
2) Reading the DMCA, the only things I thought they could put him accountable for are sections protecting the copyright of video games (which Geohot has claimed he has not pirated), and a section regarding unauthorized hacks of cell phones for the sake of putting them on another network, which has recently been negated.  Since the cell phone provision is the closest to the Geohot case because of the questions of the user's rights to ownership of their hardware, I would assume the DMCA would be a bit neutered, if not useless as an argument.

There is a distinct difference between a "hacker" and "pirate" in context of these cases.  A person doesn't have to be a hacker to be a pirate (or vice versa), but that also doesn't mean that they can't be both as well.  It's a bit baseless and biased to say that all hackers are pirates, or that all pirates are hackers.

I actually do agree with TJ Spyke that what Graf threatened Sony with would be considered blackmail (Yes, I know it's not exactly a scholarly source, and I'll gladly listen to counterarguments).  What he threatened to release was something of definite value that could damage their business if released.  The way I read one article is that he threatened to release info from Sony's hypervisor, so wouldn't that technically be Sony's intellectual property that he's threatening to release? 

I don't care for people using the words "shady", because it's simply an adjective used by people of both sides for the sake of belittling or putting into doubt the merits of either side.  Whether you think GeoHot is a smelly pirate hooker, or that Sony is the Shinra corporation in disguise, using insults towards the parties in this issue or other forum members just undermines your own arguments by making you look overly biased.  Let's put aside the vitriol and hate, and have some rational arguments here .   

3022

Nintendo Gaming / Re: What Nintendo franchise do you want most on 3DS?

« on: February 24, 2011, 11:37:57 PM »

F-Zero
Starfox (Other than the re-release of Starfox 64)
Pikmin
Smash Bros.

In that order.

3023

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Recommend Any Good Gamecube Games

« on: February 24, 2011, 04:48:26 PM »

Nintendo still sells Platinum Gamecube controllers at their online store: http://store.nintendo.com

Otherwise, anyone know of a good source for 1st party controllers?

http://store.nintendo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&langId=-1&currency=USD&ignoreCrumbs=N&crumb1=&crumb1Ignore=&crumb2=%253CA%2BHREF%253D%2522javascript%253APassOn%2528%2527X%2527%252C%2B%2527ChooseView%2527%252C%2527%2527%252C%2B%2527%2527%2529%253B%2522%253ENintendo%2BGameCube%253C%252FA%253E&crumb2Ignore=&crumb3=%253CA%2BHREF%253D%2522javascript%253APassOn%2528%2527C%2527%252C%2B%2527CategoryDisplay%2527%252C%252744009%2527%252C%2B%2527N%2527%2529%253B%2522%253EParts%2B%2526%2BAccessories%253C%252FA%253E&crumb3Ignore=&translateFrom=%C3%88%C3%89%C3%87&translateTo=EEC&usrSearchText=&searchText=&selSrchType=&page=&view=&productId=64062&categoryId=44009&lastAction=ProductDisplay&orderTotal=null&tranId=0&jktranid=&rpComment=&dropOff=

I guess this is why people use TinyURL.com. I hope that works...

Wow, I feel foolish.  Bookmarked.  Thanks for the help!   

Luckily I found a used wavebird in pretty good condition, so that should last me a while, but I may throw down $50 for a couple of them just for backup sake.

3024

General Gaming / Re: PSN = Privacy? Security? Never!

« on: February 23, 2011, 10:17:48 PM »

Why couldn't they? They were profiting off of other people's work, just like you said...accept they weren't They were profiting off of their own work. They weren't selling PlayStation games...they were selling a software emulator, you still had to buy the games. Here's something of interest (maybe) - I didn't even buy a PlayStation until after purchasing (yes, purchasing...the way you associate me with the word "shady" bothers me) both Bleem! and Virtual Game Station, along with several PlayStation games. Later, I bought a PS2 (at launch) because I had a bunch of PSX games, initially because of Bleem! and CVGS. So, it pays to not be a dick sometimes.

I think this is a good point to make.  You could probably argue that the introduction of software emulators on PC and Dreamcast actually helped, as it would provide people who had no interest in purchasing a Playstation console to buy a few games, which would result in profits for the game developers.

3025

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Recommend Any Good Gamecube Games

« on: February 23, 2011, 10:15:26 PM »

Looking at these lists of great Gamecube games, I get upset that the Wii's backwards compatibility is so downplayed by Nintendo.  Why aren't Gamecube memory cards and controllers easy to find in stores?  They have this feature but they never promote it in any way.

I agree with this point.  I've been searching for gamecube controllers and have only been able to find 3rd party offerings that look like a nintendo controller that has gained a few extra pounds when looking online.  I had an old college roommate who said he was able to buy actual Nintendo controllers from Japan (With extra colors too!), but I can't begin to find anything like that now, as that was two years ago.

Has anyone tried one of those 3rd party controllers?  Are they any good?  Otherwise, anyone know of a good source for 1st party controllers?

Either way, I'm sure Nintendo not putting any effort in stocking GC controllers is a boon for 3rd party suppliers.