Topics

126

Nintendo Gaming / History Channel Games coming to the DS!?

« on: October 20, 2007, 09:18:11 PM »

History Channel Going After DS

Quote
These new titles will extend the mission and core legacy of both companies to bring history to a wider audience. The History Channel Pocket History product line will feature a specific historical period for each release. Iain McNeil, Director of Slitherine, said, "Our objective with the release of the Pocket History series is to bring creative and inventive gameplay, that is easy to pick up and learn, to the next generation of portable gaming platforms. As always we are concentrating our efforts on creating a product that is both historically accurate and innovative and will really suit the DS platform."

The Pocket History series will begin with the release of The History Channel Pocket History: Rome in April 2008, with further products launching worldwide later in 2008.

Too bad there aren't any screenshots, but the description of it does sound intriguing. Hopefully the Food Network follows suit with some Iron Chef games or something. I'm serious... Cooking Mama proves that there is a potential for cooking video games. Probably other channels should get on this bandwagon as well, like uh... HG TV. A home designing game, or a gardening game would be awesome and would draw in the adult non-gamer market Nintendo has been targeting.

As for this one, I wonder if it will be like Sid Meier's Civilization...

127

Nintendo Gaming / Why aren't there any 'Player's Choice' games for the DS?

« on: October 12, 2007, 03:15:21 PM »

What the title says.

The DS came out in November 2004, so I would think by now (late 2007) we should have had some of those earlier DS games given a medal and a lower price. Every other Nintendo system has gotten this treatment by this point in its lifecycle, right? So why not with the DS? Is it because the games are still selling so well after all this time? I mean, New Super Mario Bros. has been out a LONG time but it still is selling extremely well. But that isn't the case with most of the early DS library.

128

Nintendo Gaming / Populous confirmed for DS!

« on: September 20, 2007, 01:59:48 PM »

Populous confirmed for DS!

Isn't this like the original God simulator? I remember the old one for the SNES and how things would move so fast and it was hard to keep up with everything. The DS is going to be well suited for this because that touchscreen will come in mighty handy.

129

Nintendo Gaming / Panzer Tactics DS: Official Discussion Thread

« on: August 31, 2007, 04:44:02 PM »

I couldn't find any thread for this game, so here we go.  Anyone besides me highly anticipating the release of this game? I've been looking forward to it ever since I first heard of it way back in 2005. It has been in development for a LONG time so its got to be polished, right? From what I've read it has 3 campaigns and over 150 units with the battle animations and such for each. That's going to be awesome...

I suppose it is going to be the same general type of game as Advance Wars: Dual Strike except Panzer Tactics will be about WW2 and will therefore be much more realistic and it has multiplayer, including WiFi! Can't go wrong there. So yeah, this is one of my most anticipated DS games.

Anyone else agree?

130

General Gaming / Sega Gamegear Discussion Thread!

« on: July 21, 2007, 08:15:57 PM »

The Sony thread mentioned the Gamegear as being the longest lasting non-Nintendo handheld of all time. The PSP has outsold it so far by more than double, but the Gamegear still holds the record in longevity. It came out in 1990 and Sega didn't fully pull the plug on it until 1997, although you could probably make the case that it was essentially dead in 1995.

Even after Sega dropped support of it it was picked up by Majesco and remanufactured for awhile until 2000. I think even now there are probably some Gamegear like hardware being made with the pre-loaded games as opposed to cartridges...

Anyway, I actually have a Gamegear. It did seem like such a "cooler" thing than the original Gameboy to me, because it had the color screen and all.. but I never played it that much. All the talk of it being a battery hog are true. I think it took like 6 AA batteries! And it at those up pretty quick.... but it did have some cool accessories like that tv tuner and so on. I never got that myself, though.

I believe when I got mine it came with some baseball game (which was okay) as well as a Sonic game (which was also okay). I picked up a handful of other games for it, but I can probably count my entire library on one hand. It is down in the basement somewhere where it has say untouched for many years. I don't know what games I got, but I know one of them is Bram Stoker's Dracula.... I loved that movie back when it came out, the game was terrible, though.

But anyways, there just weren't many great or interesting games for it. There was nothing like Tetris, Metroid II, Wario, Kirby, or any of the many other great Gameboy games for it. The color screen looked nice, but it couldn't make up for the low battery life and weak library of games.

In many respects the Gamegear really was the PSP of its day. I can imagine there are probably many kids out there now who are just like I was back then, who own both the DS and PSP handhelds but get much more play out of the graphically weaker one just as I did with my Gameboy.

Anyways, what do you guys think about the Gamegear? I'm mildly interested in expanding my meager library of games for it, but that's only if the prices are cheap and if there are any gems. Anyone have any recommendations?  

131

Nintendo Gaming / The DS needs Game Show Games!

« on: July 14, 2007, 04:29:31 AM »

Is it just me or does the DS need some game show type games? I would love to see a wheel of fortune game, where you can literally spin the wheel using the stylus. The split screen would also be very useful because you could have one screen displaying the board and the other alternating between the wheel and something else. And maybe you could use voice recognition to call letters and vowels, or even answer the puzzle. Alternately, you could use the touchscreen to type out your answers in a virtual keyboard. This seems like such a great idea. So why hasn't this happened?

Also, where is "who wants to be a millionaire?", "Jeopardy", "The Price Is Right", and these many newer ones that they have now like "1 vs. 100". Heck, it would probably be cool to have a "fear factor" game....

But where are they? Whoever owns the rights to these shows could be profiting greatly with DS versions.... It seems like a missed opportunity.

132

Nintendo Gaming / Do you think the DS game cases are excessively large?

« on: July 07, 2007, 06:01:53 AM »

Is it just me or does it seem like such a waste that the DS game cases are roughly the same size as a CD Jewel case and twice the thickness, even though the DS cards inside are really very very tiny? Obviously, for true portability when you take your DS on the road with you you really don't want to take these bulky cases along with you. They are sturdy and they protect the cards well, but couldn't they be much much smaller?

Nintendo should look at how memory cards are treated. They come in their own little cases, but the cases aren't much bigger than the cards themselves because there is no real need to be. Why couldn't DS games follow their example? They are, after all, roughly the same size.

There are really only two reasons why the large cases are an advantage. For one thing, they accomodate a manual. The other reason the large cases are good is to grab the customer's attention and make the library of games look larger and more impressive than it actually is. In either case, Nintendo could just use a cardboard case that would include both a manual and the game and a smaller more portable plastic case. Wouldn't that be the best of all worlds for them? Considering the plastic shortage and all that I think Nintendo should do things that way.

Actually, now that I think about it... isn't this EXACTLY what Nintendo did with the Gameboy? Why did they abandon that with the DS? I thought the Gameboy way was perfect and should be done that way again.

133

Nintendo Gaming / Why I prefer the DS's "weak" graphics

« on: June 28, 2007, 02:59:56 PM »

You guys might think I am nuts for thinking this, but I really prefer the way games look on my DS than they do on the PSP or really any other current console out there. The game play of these weak graphic games really couldn't be improved by doubling their graphics or making them high definition. The resources developers spend on making games look better tends to detract from what should really count in a game - fun.

I think the DS's low graphics capability is a positive thing, because it forces developers to focus on the gameplay aspects and it keeps the development costs down, but this is also a good thing for myself, because I actually prefer not to have a game that looks like a movie. Why? Well, it is just like with a book I suppose. A book forces you to use your imagination, whereas in a movie you are locked into whatever you can see on the screen. I found the lord of the rings books far more enjoyable than the recent movies that were made. I felt kinda let down, because when I read the books I envisioned things in my imagination that were far different than what I'd seen on screen.

How many times have you read a book that was far better than the movie they based on it? I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, because I hear many people make similar comments all the time. I think this is because no budget is really required to write a book, whereas making a movie requires massive funds for special effects and so on. In the end it really can't compare to your own imagination.

Games are kinda the same way. Old NES games like Super Mario and Zelda had really weak graphics, but they fired my imagination in ways the newer 3D versions never could. The worlds appeared vague and pixelated, and it allowed some room for imagination. I mean, modern advanced graphics games are still great, so don't get me wrong, but the older games had a charm for me that these newer ones haven't been able to recapture. The sound was also great. How many of you remember the sound effects from SMB? Now how many of you remember the sound effects from, uh... Halo?

Some DS games like New Super Mario Bros. have managed to recapture this original charm for me. No PS3, PSP, or 360 (or even Wii) game I've ever seen has done this. They aim to look like movies, and they do quite well in that regard, but I am not really much of a movie person. I am more into the books, and so for me the DS is kinda the perfect system, and it will be a sad day (for me) when Nintendo releases a new hand-held with PSP or higher graphics...

On a side note, I also think it is great the DS card media doesn't hold as much as optical media, because this forces developers to not include cutscenes. I hate those things, and it relates back to what I said about modern games becoming more like interactive movies than actual games.

I say the DS graphics are perfect the way they are, and when Nintendo works on its sequel I don't care if they neglect the graphics aspect entirely. They can improve it by making both screens touch sensitive, or adding a few new features here and there, but I love those crude, pixelated, cartoon like graphics and I hope they never fade from the world of video-gaming.

134

General Gaming / PS2 Getting Wii’d?!

« on: June 26, 2007, 02:45:44 PM »

PS2: Wii Edition

Have you guys seen this?!

If Sony drops the PS3, and instead releases a PS2.5 (with Wii features) they may indeed become the market leader again.... but wouldn't this piss a lot of people off? It would be interesting to see what might happen.  

135

General Gaming / Could Nintendo partner with their competitors on a future console?

« on: June 23, 2007, 12:59:12 PM »

Assume for a moment that the PS3 ends up being a colossal failure (as it is heading to being) and Sony is forced to consider their options for a future console. Let's also assume they are still trying to infiltrate the living room with a supercomputer, but the Playstation name is now very tarnished and can never be used again. Do you think it is at all possible that they would just accept Nintendomination and work with their former competitor on the next Wii, rather than going about it themselves?

Or maybe MS would do this? MS is only in the gaming market so they can force their software into people's living rooms and take them over. Their Xbox division is deep in the red, and there is no real reason to keep doing that if they could just work with Nintendo instead, right? I mean, let Nintendo focus on the gaming aspects of the console, and they in turn would handle the other bits, like word processors and HD-DVD players and whatever else it has.

But anyway, if either one of them decides to abandon the gaming market they may just piggyback on Nintendo's console as their trojan horse into your living room. Wasn't this what Sony was going to do with Nintendo with the SNES's CD drive thing that never materialized, but instead transformed into the original playstation? What are the chances that this partnership that fell apart in the mid-90s might come back in the future?

Maybe MS or Sony wouldn't do this for purely egotistical reasons, but couldn't it happen with some other company? Maybe Apple will work with NIntendo, or Panasonic, or one of the myriad of other electronics companies.

136

General Gaming / How can Sony and MS legally steal Nintendo's innovations?

« on: June 20, 2007, 03:27:50 AM »

I keep hearing about how in the future Sony and MS are going to steal the touchscreen and the Wiimote ideas that Nintendo came up with. They both have already stolen the D-Pad and Analog stick from Nintendo's previous consoles.

My question is, how can they do this? Didn't Nintendo patent these innovations? I thought a patent was good for 20 years or something like that. The D-pad is surely out of patent by now, but what about the analog stick? Companies like Immersion have sued for violating their rumble patent, but why hasn't Nintendo ever sued anyone for taking their ideas?

This is just something I don't understand. It isn't a good business decision on the part of Nintendo to allow Sony or MS to copy their wiimote in the future. Same with the touchscreen gaming...

I'm not really an expert on Patents, but I thought they worked to keep competitors from stealing your ideas. If they don't in fact work this way, then what good are they?

137

Nintendo Gaming / Where are the N64 -> DS ports?

« on: June 18, 2007, 06:47:39 AM »

Back when the DS came out in November 2004 it launched with Super Mario 64 DS which was essentially the same thing as the one that launched in September 1996 alongside the N64 but with some extra characters and mini-games thrown in. Not long after that Nintendo unleashed Mario Kart DS which was also similar to the N64 game in many respects, but with online added and some other improvements. As a result of these games, and the fact the hardware specs of both systems were so similar, I had little doubt that soon there was going to be a flood of great N64 games ported to the DS just as a ton of NES and SNES games were ported to the GBA in the past.

Now, 2-3 years later I still don't see them. Where are they? Will they come? Nintendo never promised us they would come, but I just assumed they would because it made so much sense. I can't blame Nintendo for something they didn't promise in the first place, so it is my own fault for expecting that. But was there anyone besides me who expected the DS would be up to its ears in N64 ports by now?

138

Nintendo Gaming / The DS *could* have an analog stick added

« on: June 14, 2007, 05:29:23 AM »

I have always thought the DS would be better if Nintendo included some sort of Analog control. This was apparent to me from the first time I'd played Super Mario 64 DS on it back when I got it... the touchscreen controls for that game are useless, and the D-Pad is quite a bit trickier to handle.

But the DS hardware was finalized, so for a long time I thought we'd have to wait until the DS2 or something, but now I've been wondering if Nintendo could just release one as an add on. How I'm thinking it could work is it would be a sort of shell which latches onto the DS and plugs into the GBA slot. Wouldn't that be possible?

It would make some games a LOT easier to control.

139

General Gaming / What if Nintendo made a portable Wii/Gamecube?

« on: May 24, 2007, 04:07:55 AM »

This is kinda a spin-off thread from my other one. That thread made me think of what Nintendo's next handheld might be....

Would a portable wii/gamecube be successful? The tiny gamecube discs are fairly comparable to the UMD and are probably equally suitable for a portable, but they'd have to resolve the load time and battery issues. Could this sell? I think it might actually succeed where the PSP failed, because unlike the PSP it would be launched with an already large selection of great games since it would just run the gamecube discs. It could also include a touch screen for additional capabilities and maybe it would be backwards compatible with the DS/GBA as well? Obviously it would have to be rather large, but I see no reason it would have to be much larger than the PSP is.

Maybe it wouldn't replace the DS, but be the third pillar Iwata alluded to and would go against the PSP but the DS would continue on as a seperate thing with its own market?

Something like this was tried before by Sega with the Nomad, which was a portable Genesis that could also be hooked up to a tv. The Nomad didn't do that well, but I think that was because Sega didn't push it enough and there wasn't many ads for it, and also the new releases of Genesis games were drying up as Sega shifted focus to the Saturn. But I think the concept of a handheld that can play games made for a console is a great idea as long as new games are being produced for that. I think Sony's PSP would have done much better if it played the PS2 discs, but maybe that would make them consume far more battery power? I dunno, but there are portable dvd players, so why couldn't there be a portable PS2, Gamecube, or even Xbox if the components can be shrunk down enough?

I'm sure many people have thought of this idea before, but what if it also had some additional features borrowed from the Wii? Could it be possible to make the stylus function similar to a wiimote? Since it would be tiny it couldn't have all the features, but I think a motion sensitive stylus with one or two buttons would be awesome.

*shrug* just a weird idea resulting from too much free time.

140

General Gaming / What would a hypothetical PS4 or PSP resemble?

« on: May 22, 2007, 09:34:02 PM »

Do you think it is likely Sony will eventually release a sequel to their current generation of video game systems, or do you think they'll just throw in the towel and abandon video games entirely?

I personally think they won't give up very easily. The problem is, though, their "graphics is king" strategy has raised the bar too high for their future systems. Nintendo's next generation console would probably sell very well against the PS4, even if it only equaled Xbox360 or PS3 graphics. What can Sony and Microsoft do? They can't release the next generation of consoles without beefing up graphics higher than their current systems, so it is like they aren't really in the same market as Nintendo.

What will the PS4 be like if it ever came out? I guess that depends on how soon it comes out. If it is 10 years from now, as Sony assures us will be the lifetime of the PS3, then it could feature some very advanced technology having to do with Virtual Reality headsets and such. Who can really predict that far ahead? But it is obvious Nintendo and Microsoft won't be idle in that time either, and Nintendo will probably have lots of ideas up their sleeves which Sony will try to steal. But if the PS4 comes much sooner; in like 5 years or so, which I think it will, then it probably will be more like the PS3, but they will of course make it smaller and cheaper, and you can be sure it will have a motion sensitive controller similar to the Wii. I think the graphics won't improve that much over this generation, though. I think we are nearing the point where graphics are getting so close to real life that there isn't much to improve on.

Hardware is already at or near the point where the experience can only be enhanced by peripherals. Nintendo has already grasped this. I think Sony and Microsoft are starting to, but can they catch Nintendo's momentum?

I think the PSP line is going to be a larger conundrum for Sony. The handheld market is very different than the console one. Graphics are even less important on a handheld than they are on a console, and the PSP is very ill suited for this market. The optical media Sony chose for this device is very slow to load and is devastating for battery life. So I think if there ever is a PSP2 they are probably going to drop the UMD format and have it be card based like the DS, Well, I mean, that is if they were smart. But knowing Sony, I wouldn't be surprised if they introduce a mini blu-ray format for it. But even resolving that, they'd lose backwards compatibility with the last generation of the PSP, and this will put them at a serious disadvantage to Nintendo who will almost surely maintain backwards compatibility which has worked out well for them in the handheld market since the beginning.

So Sony faces the dilemma of keeping optical media and have the issues of long load time and low battery life associated with it, OR they abandon that and try card based media and completely lose backwards compatiblity, and alienate their current customers. Although, considering the very small number of exclusive hits the PSP has at the moment, losing backwards compatibility in the PSP2 probably doesn't matter much. So I am thinking if the continue in the handheld market their next device will drop the PSP name and have something completely new. That name is soiled and can never be respected again EVER. Whatever this device will be will probably feature a touchscreen and steal whatever else Nintendo is doing, because that's what Sony does best.

Perhaps I am wrong and there won't even be a PS4 or PSP2. I'm not a Sony fan so I really wouldn't mind if they gave up with video games, but I don't think they will. These are just my speculations. What are yours?  

141

Nintendo Gaming / Why I think there will be a 2nd DS Revision

« on: May 10, 2007, 02:47:02 PM »

Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn't every previous incarnation of Nintendo handhelds seen at least 2 revisions? The original gameboy was first revised into a pocket model which was slimmer and had a clearer screen, and then later revised into the gameboy color. The Gameboy advance seen 3 revisions. So is there any reason to doubt Nintendo is already hard at work on another revision of the DS?

If you think about it, there are some very good improvements that could be made to the DS that would easily justify a new revision. Expansions like the Opera Web Browser and the Rumble Pak could be built in by default while leaving the GBA slot free. I'd also like to see a standard headphone jack; an SD card slot with the capability to play mp3s, movies, and ebooks; and well, they could update the built in pictochat so that it works over WiFi (even if it needs friend codes that still would be cool). How about built in Mario Paint?

Heh, well there is a million things they could add. I think the web browser and SD card reading capability would be reasons enough for a new revision. That way, all the PSP fanboys would no longer be able to boast that their system has that advantage. People who buy the PSP merely for its multimedia abilities would now consider the DS instead, particularly because of its much longer battery life and cheaper card format.

The new revision wouldn't replace the DS lite; but would exist along side it. The newer model would naturally cost more, but would still be less than the PSP.

Anyway, that's why I think within a year or something Nintendo is going to announce another revision. I might be wrong, but I think this makes sense.

142

Nintendo Gaming / Official Sales Thread

« on: November 21, 2006, 12:12:59 AM »

Not much to report just yet. However, the Wii seems to have completely sold out, so whatever it shipped is what it sold.<BR><BR>According to this <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21226">article, Reggie says Wii is on track to sell 1 million by early december. There's no reason to doubt that will be the case. <img src="http://img62.exs.cx/img62/7817/reggiehead.gif" border="0"><BR><BR>Anyone care to do any speculating on future Wii sales? I predict it is going to outsell the PS3 until the PS3 comes down in price and becomes more readily available. After that, I have no idea what will happen. 

143

Nintendo Gaming / Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting

« on: November 17, 2006, 03:48:06 AM »

Has anyone heard anything new on this game? I googled it, and I can't find anything on it since it was announced back months ago. Was it really just an april fool's joke despite assurances it wasn't?

Man, I am actually looking forward to this and would hate for it to be a joke.

144

General Gaming / PS3 Launch Turns Violent

« on: November 17, 2006, 01:58:14 AM »

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/tech/news/4342343.html

Quote
PUTNAM, Conn. — Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting to buy the new Playstation 3 gaming console early today and shot one who refused to give up any money, authorities said.

Oh man... this is worse than any launch I can remember.

145

General Gaming / Businessmen Use Homeless To Buy Up PS3s for Resale

« on: November 12, 2006, 03:37:01 AM »

Link to article.

Seen this on Slashdot. It is pretty sad if you ask me.

146

Nintendo Gaming / Star Trek: Tactical Assault

« on: October 18, 2006, 08:22:49 PM »

I'm thinking of getting this. Coming out in 5 days for DS (yay!) and PSP (boo!).

Don't tell me I'm the only Star Trek fan here. Nintendo systems haven't had a good Star Trek game in quite some time. Hopefully enough people will buy this to encourage more to be made.

147

Nintendo Gaming / Has the Wii made Nintendo cool again?

« on: September 16, 2006, 10:25:12 AM »

It seems that during the dark years of the Gamecube era it was fashionable to be a Nintendo hater, and everyone and their grandmother loved to bash the console or the company. I still see some Nintendo bashing going on, but it seems to have dwindled since this year's E3. Of course, I don't visit Sony or MS fanboy sites, so maybe I'm just not seeing it.

So, has Nintendo become cool again? Or is it still fashionable to be a Nintendo hater?

148

General Gaming / Ken Kutaragi No Longer Matters

« on: June 25, 2006, 09:43:04 AM »

http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/21/technology/10dontmatter.biz2/index.htm

Anyone see this? Apparently Kenny boy no longer matters.  

149

Nintendo Gaming / Has the DSL and Mario Bros. set things right in the USA?

« on: June 22, 2006, 11:01:14 AM »

Okay, everyone seems all doom and gloom about how the PSP has been selling more up until may than the DS, but I'm not really worried because we were talking about the old heavy cheap-plastic model of DS which was as unsexy as a handheld gaming device could possibly be. Anyone who considered purchasing a DS was probably holding off until the DSL was released so they would either wait or buy the PSP. This explains why up til May the DS was being outsold in the USA.

Now, however, the DSL has been unleashed and it will be interesting to see sales figures for June. I expect June will be the PSP's Stalingrad.... for those who don't know, Stalingrad was a battle in WW2 where the Germans were defeated and it turned the tide of the war in favor of the allies. The PSP will be defeated this month, I predict, and the tide of the war will shift in favor of the Allies, err, I mean... Nintendo.

And of course we have Mario, whereas Sony has... I don't know. Uh, Lumines I guess. I don't really follow the PSP much anymore.

150

Nintendo Gaming / Special Deal: Buy 2 get 1 free at Toysrus

« on: March 12, 2006, 10:21:16 PM »

No, I'm not a spokesperson for Toysrus. I just noticed in this week's ad that they had this cool deal and I didn't see a thread on it and thought you all should know. I just ordered Trace memory, Animal Crossing, and Super Princess Peach, and of course I'm getting one of those for free. It's a great deal.