Messages

51

General Chat / RE: This free album stuff (ie: Radiohead)

« on: October 10, 2007, 04:33:58 AM »

I think the thing is that technology is forcing the industry to change.  While I'm not too sure about this whole "free" album deal, the fact is that the opposite approach - suing people that use filesharing devices - shows a real lack of adaptation by the recording industry.

Technology giveth and technology taketh away.  100 years ago you made your money with live performances.  Maybe that's the way things will have to be again.  Maybe you'll use merchandise...or maybe someone will donate to you...the trick is to figure out a new way to hawk your wares!  It's the difference between capitalism and fascism.  

52

Reader Reviews / Sin & Punishment Impressions

« on: October 10, 2007, 04:16:26 AM »

I'm sure there are many people on here who are way ahead of me on this game, but in case you're on the fence about it, I've played through a bit of the game, so here are some impressions:

Basically Sin & Punishment is about non-stop action.  There is a story, but it's kind of silly, cliche anime stuff.  There are graphics, they're not that pretty but they're fast and action-packed.  There is voice acting, but it's mediocre and heavily compressed.  There is music...but it's weak and repetitive.

The action, though, is really good.  There are tons of bosses and mini-bosses, tons of regular enemies, and just shoot, shoot, shoot!  At times there's so much shooting to do that it becomes slightly monotonous, but the game switches up the action fast enough that it's generally a really fun.

It's a little hard to play with the GCN controller...you can either use Y and X to strafe and the control stick to aim, or you can strafe with the d-pad and aim with the c-stick.  I don't like the first option because I find it hard to fire with the L-button while I'm aiming, but the second option is a little uncomfortable with the Wavebird's tiny d-pad.  I bet the "traditional" controller would be great, too bad I don't have one!

It's moderately hard and has multiple difficulty levels.   If I'm not mistaken the save system eats credits, so it's kind of like old-school games where you have to start all over again if you don't do well enough.  This works well since I hear the game is short (I couldn't say since I have yet to beat it). It also includes a two-player mode which I imagine would be awesome.

Overall, it's very much an arcade shooter...I've heard lots of comparisons to Star Fox, and I'd also say that it reminds me of classic "beat-em up" games with the short length and swarms of enemies.

I wouldn't say this is a must-have game, it's not super-polished and I hear it's not very long, but it is a really fun diversion.  At 1200 Wii points it's as expensive as VC games get, but it's not a bad deal for a good game that never reached North America before.

53

Reader Reviews / RE: Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

« on: October 10, 2007, 03:58:04 AM »

Thanks for the review, it was much-needed!

54

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Medal of Honor Heroes 2

« on: October 10, 2007, 03:50:26 AM »

Nothing involving reenactments of real wars will quench my online Wii gaming thirst.  I could just pick up Strikers.

55

Nintendo Gaming / RE: What are Nintendo's options for a Wii Price Drop or increased value?

« on: October 10, 2007, 03:47:31 AM »

Exactly.  So would dropping it to $250 or even less REALLY cut in to Nintendo's sales?  I doubt it.  I don't think that $30 is the magical gap between mass market and hardcore.

56

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land (Longest WiiWare title EVAR),

« on: October 10, 2007, 03:44:22 AM »

Good question...because unless this is a one-town game, it's going to take up a lot of space...
I'm also just a little disappointed that the first WiiWare titles announced are all exisiting product tie-ins like this and (apparently) Dr. Mario.  Where are the original concepts by developers with a good idea and not a lot of money?

57

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Japanese Retailer Conference

« on: October 10, 2007, 03:41:00 AM »

Ah ha, Peach on a motorcycle, that's awesome!

58

General Gaming / RE: Sony getting hit Hard lately (Now With Rumbling Fun Time Machines)

« on: October 10, 2007, 03:14:01 AM »

I got sunshine
In a bag
I'm useless
But not for long...

On topic: I have no doubt Microsoft would abuse its power if it came to dominate this industry...the whole idea is to control the living room.  That said, Mashiro's got it right here: "do we honestly think SONY is the only thing holding back MS?"  The company has thrown seven billion dollars into the industry so far, and while that may not be a big deal to MS, it isn't a little deal either, especially considering just how little progress they make.  How much money will execs and shareholders tolerate throwing away until the big payoff comes?

More on topic: Can Sony actually sell PS3s entirely on Drake's Fortune and Ratchet and Clank this season?  

[IceCold]

59

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The more I think about it...

« on: October 10, 2007, 02:48:29 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: IceCold

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
Dang.  Please somebody not only permanban that poster and and duplicate accounts they might have.  But Lock and delete this thread.  

That was totally uncalled for and disturbing.  For Pete sakes we have people of all ages that actually come to this site and use our forums.

I missed it. What happened?

Yeah, now all I can think about is this juicy gossip.  Because it's more interesting than Snake.  
Edit: Nevermind, funhouse sleuthing shows it was just Goatse, even Snake is more interesting than that.

60

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Caption it! Featuring SSB Brawl!

« on: October 09, 2007, 11:43:31 AM »

Are we not breaking all da rules by putting pictures from Smash Bros.com on here?

In spite of that, the Bowser one makes me think "Heey kids, it's Oscar the Grouch!"

61

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Official Smash Bros. Dojo Update Discussion - Ashley's Theme! (Oh, and Cook Kirby)

« on: October 09, 2007, 11:38:43 AM »

I hate to contribute to the whining, but I'm not crazy about the lead vocals on the American Ashley song.  She just sounds way too perky to be Ashley...you can even hear her gasping for breath she's singing so hard.  I don't mind the remix otherwise, in fact I like her voice...but I just can't imagine Ashley singing like that.

The E for all announcement is awesome!

62

General Gaming / RE: Interactive Fiction Competition 2007

« on: October 09, 2007, 11:23:36 AM »

September is write sh*tty novel month!

He he, seriously, that's interesting.  I may check it out sometime.

63

General Gaming / RE: Sony getting hit Hard lately (Now With Rumbling Fun Time Machines)

« on: October 09, 2007, 11:21:27 AM »

I don't think MS is in a position to dominate the gaming industry like it does the PC software industry.  Yes, Microsoft has more money than Nintendo, but as Wii has already proven, it's not all about money or the size of the company.  Nintendo is smart and knows how to survive in this industry.  I think defeating Nintendo once and for all would require more than pure money.

64

Nintendo Gaming / RE:What are Nintendo's options for a Wii Price Drop or increased value?

« on: October 09, 2007, 11:09:46 AM »

I think the added value concept makes good sense - the system is going to be sold out even if Microsoft has a competitive price (honestly, if price matters that much, why isn't Core selling really well at $280?) and adding Big Brain Academy to the bundle could hook new gamers on something beyond Wii Sports and Wii Play.

65

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Is Nintendo Creating Lapsed Wii Gamers?

« on: October 04, 2007, 04:57:30 AM »

I'm personally shocked at how fast many gamers blast through stuff.  Metroid Prime 3 was done for everyone after a couple of weeks and they were all looking for the next big thing...no wonder they aren't satisfied.  I just don't have that kind of time for gaming any more, so Nintendo's new direction actually fits nicely with my lifestyle.

66

General Gaming / RE: Sony getting hit Hard lately (Now With Rumbling Fun Time Machines)

« on: October 04, 2007, 04:44:02 AM »

MLS_man: nice find.  It's not quite as bad as I was expecting, Midway didn't come out and say that the poor hardware sales are causing problems for them...more that the hardware is delaying their products.  It's a big difference, because when publishers start blaming your system for the poor sales of their games, that's when you've really got problems.

67

General Gaming / RE: This just in: Developers and publishers still have no business sense!

« on: October 04, 2007, 04:37:53 AM »

Nintendo is stingy with moneyhats because it has won.  I know we're not seeing it yet and nobody believes me, but third party support is coming.  We've already got way more support from Rockstar than ever before, and everybody's talking about how to make a buck on Wii...because if you can't, you're going to lose money this generation.

The thing is, people don't really seem to acknowledge all the support Nintendo's getting because the games aren't the main Resident Evil or Grand Theft Auto.  I guess that's fair enough: the support needs to increase in quality as well as quantity.  But if you look back at PS2, quantity is really where it kicks butt, not quality, and I believe that the huge quantity is what ultimately leads to a better overall third party lineup.  I disagree with anyone who says Xbox or GameCube had a better third party lineup than PS2, but there's also no doubt that the majority of the third party games on PS2 are crap.  

68

General Gaming / RE: After Burner: Captain Falcon

« on: October 04, 2007, 04:21:09 AM »

This has no Captain Falcon!  False reviewertising! 3/77.5

69

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Zelda DS: Phantom Hourglass

« on: October 04, 2007, 04:13:49 AM »

I really want this game, but I have too many other untouched DS games and no money.  I'll check it out later.

70

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Nintendo... Rising To Heaven

« on: October 04, 2007, 04:05:24 AM »

I think at Christmas, maybe, although I believe Nintendo is going to continue to surprise folks all the way through next year.  I think the big question is: has Nintendo already won this generation in the mind of investors?  Because if it has, then they don't have much of an upside anymore.  If it has not, then I think the investors will continue to be impressed by the company's performance.

71

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Super Mario Galaxy

« on: October 04, 2007, 03:57:27 AM »

Sunshine was a bit of a letdown, but it gets too much criticism for it.  It is one of the best 3D platformers around, but it didn't pack in quite as much variety as 64...it feels like they were 2-3 levels short of a full game, and tried to make up for it with hundreds of blue coins.

On the other hand, I think it refined Super Mario 64's design well.  FLUDD gave more control over the platforming elements, I think the game was a lot clearer about goals so that you can get straight to the action, and of course there are all the bonus areas that focus on pure platforming and action which were pretty rare in Super Mario 64.

Eh, I've had this argument so many times that I should almost delete this post.  But I won't.  I will admit that Super Mario Galaxy looks to be the ultimate 3D Mario.

72

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Is Nintendo Creating Lapsed Wii Gamers?

« on: October 04, 2007, 03:48:21 AM »

I'll take one second for the obligatory Wii Defense Force post: the lineup is comparable or better than 360 last year, and it blows PS3 out of the water.  This is not really an unusual first year for any console, and like others have said, it's really the third parties that aren't stepping up.  Nintendo is giving us four hardcore games in the next three months.

Now on to the real question: Yes, Wii and DS are creating lapsed gamers.  Ian is a prime example: he's not 100% lapsed yet, but he's practically there.  Who will be a lapsed gamer?

1. People who can't stand motion controls.  They're going to be lapsed within a generation because nobody will make a home console without them anymore.

2. People who pine for maximum graphical power and hours of cinemas.  Nintendo is pointing the way here: you can make a whole lot more profit when you don't waste tons of money on the trimmings.

3. People who want long, hard, complicated, one-player games.

None of these are to say that we'll never again see a long, hard, single-player games with awesome graphics and almost no motion controls: but these types of games will take a back seat to simpler stuff that focuses on social gaming, and I believe future lapsed gamers will reject video games as a whole because they perceive the new gaming as either a personal insult to them (how can they do this to me, their loyal customer?) or as an insult to the passtime (kids these days don't know what a real video game is!)

73

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Official Wii Sales Thread

« on: October 04, 2007, 03:29:46 AM »

Ha ha ha.   I already saw the sales, and I said "wow".  Too bad it barely pushed any extra hardware.

74

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Official Smash Bros. Dojo Update Discussion

« on: October 04, 2007, 03:26:55 AM »

I'm pretty sure Lucas is flipping the bird in that shot where they're standing on the tank.

I can't wait to try out its law-breaking power for myself.

75

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The more I think about it...

« on: October 04, 2007, 03:23:37 AM »

Naked Samus? Maybe you're referring to when her armour falls off...I don't think she's naked, it's just that her jumpsuit is skin tight so she might as well be.

The neck snap is kind of disturbing, but I'm guessing you'll barely notice when you're playing the game as it won't be shown at a nice, close angle in slow-mo.  I am a little surprised it got past Nintendo so far.