Messages

14576

TalkBack / Network Play in Pikmin 2?

« on: February 25, 2003, 07:59:45 PM »

Here's something worth mentioning.  In the third picture (the one with a close up of both guys) it appears as if the red Pikmin are following Olimar and the blue ones are following the other guy.  That makes perfect sense if the theory about two different human players is true.  But the HUD data shows Olimar's face and shows a BLUE Pikmin.  If only the red ones are following him (which from the pic it looks like that's the case) and both characters are played by different human players then the Pikmin in Olimar's HUD would be red.  I'm not sure what that means but it's worth noting.

As for any networking capabilities I really hope the game is online.  LAN support is cool but is considerably more inconvenient for me than online play.  I only have one Gamecube so I can't play LAN with my brother.  But I could very easily play online with some of my friends.  Pikmin isn't the type of game that I want to wait until people are over to play and hook up an extra TV for.  Online support would make it much more enjoyable and convenient.

14577

TalkBack / THQ needs your help to help shape WrestleMania XIX

« on: February 25, 2003, 07:40:54 PM »

The fact that THQ can't figure out how to fix this game on their own when every fan and reviewer has been screaming "make it like No Mercy" since X8 was released isn't a good sign.  They don't have to put out this feedback form.  The solution is already obvious.

Still it's good that they are at least acknowledging something is wrong.  A feedback form is better than nothing.  Still I didn't really like the way the form was presented.  First of all I have never played Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth and considering it's a PS2 game and the feedback is for a Gamecube game I shouldn't be expected to have.  I essentially lied and based any of my opinions on Smackdown on reviews I read.  I didn't want to have to do this just to give them some feedback.

It seems to me that THQ is merely going to try to improve the X8 design.  This isn't a solution.  What they have to do is start over from scratch with a new system based on the No Mercy design with some new stuff thrown in and stupid crap like the sh!tty No Mercy ladder and cage matches redesigned.  Unfortunately they will never do this because they have to keep a "one WWE game a year" schedule and they couldn't possibly pull off a complete overhaul in time.  Regardless of how much new stuff they add they will remain handicapped by restrictions in WM X8's general design.  I doubt we'll get another truly great THQ wrestling game until the next console's are out and THQ has to start over again.

I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again: the only way that THQ will ever truly clean up their act is if someone releases an amazing original wrestling game (without any sort of license to restrict creativity or impose release deadlines) that smokes THQ's efforts in every way and sells huge based on the gameplay alone.  Without any sort of wrestling game alternative THQ will never do more than "good enough" because they know they don't have to do any better.

14578

Nintendo Gaming / Question regarding Moblins

« on: February 25, 2003, 12:28:35 PM »

"my favorite art depiction of the Moblin is the one from The Legend of Zelda manual.  It looks so evil and wicked. Not to mention it has a very horrifying nightmarish quality to it. Of course most of the enemies were portrayed that way in that manual."

I totally agree.  Anyone who says that Wind Waker's design is more "loyal" to the traditional Zelda design then Ocarina of Time needs to look at the original game's manual.  Every enemy looks incredibly freaky.  Link is the only character in the manual that looks cartoony.  If a future 3D Zelda game had enemies that looked like they do in the Zelda manual the game would probably get a teen rating.

I guess the combination theory makes sense.  One arguement against that is that in Link's Awakening there are two different Moblin sprites: one that looks more like a bulldog and one that looks more like a pig.

Personally I can't stand the Wind Waker Moblin design.  They're supposed to be elite warriors of Ganon.  In Wind Waker they don't look even slightly intimidating or scary (judging by any footage I've seen that is).

14579

TalkBack / Capcom to Deliver a New GBA Zelda

« on: February 25, 2003, 11:29:33 AM »

"Unless they release the same version of Four Swords, which wouldn't be smart, although everyone would buy it just because it's a new Zelda game."

Considering Nintendo has been super lazy with their Super Mario Advance multiplayer it wouldn't surprise me at all if they reused The Four Swords.  Personally I wouldn't mind as I have no plans in buying the GBA version of A Link to the Past (because I have the SNES game) and I would like a chance to play Four Swords.  Though I'd feel sorry for anyone who already owned A Link to the Past and bought the GBA version just for the Four Swords.

14580

Nintendo Gaming / Question regarding Moblins

« on: February 25, 2003, 11:06:34 AM »

In most Zelda games and their manuals Moblins are decribed for the most part as bulldog warriors and that's how they appear in most games.  However I've noticed that in some Zelda games (the Gameboy titles specifically) Moblins appear both as bulldogs and as pig warriors.  The Great Moblin in Oracle of Seasons looks like a pig for example.  The idea of pig warriors in theory makes more sense as warriors of Ganon they would be like "mini-Ganons".  In the manual for the first Zelda game on the NES the picture of the Moblin looks a lot like a pig but is decribed as a bulldog (check out a scan here)

So what I'm wondering is were Moblins initially designed to be pigs and NOA messed up and thought they were bulldogs and as a result they've appeared as both since?  Or are there for whatever reason two types of Moblins: bulldogs and pigs?

14581

TalkBack / Analysts Recommend Nintendo Turn Third-Party

« on: February 25, 2003, 10:20:05 AM »

"Does anyone else think it's ironic that they said 'The number of users of advanced games consoles soared by 128 percent', when the advanced games consoles all have 128-bit graphics?"

Considering that's not irony no I don't.

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Nintendo Gaming / Modern GameCube games Need Difficulty Settings

« on: February 25, 2003, 10:17:34 AM »

I think a big reason why difficulty settings aren't as common as they used to be is because games are just so much longer now and it would take too much effort for designers to make mutliple versions of the game.  When a game is just a side scroller and has only ten levels it's pretty easy to just add more enemies and have less powerups, etc.  However when you have a huge full 3D world where enemies have more complex AI and all sorts of factors can come into play it's not so easy to make different difficulty settings.  Plus difficulty settings make more sense in a no-save beat-in-one-sitting game.  In something like Zelda where it can take weeks to beat the game it's more frustrating for the user to have started their save on a difficulty that is either too easy or too hard for them and they have to start all over from the beginning.

As for those who complain that games are too easy today you have to keep in mind that the general design of games has changed.  Games today are designed for the player to have fun and get the most out of.  Back in "the day" when arcade games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders were the big titles games were designed to get as many quarters out of the player as possible.  That's a huge change in game design philosophy which is why games aren't as hard as they used to be.  Plus let's not forget that NES and SNES games were often pretty short so the games had to be hard or the player would beat them in two hours and have no incentive to play again.  With games all having save features and lasting 20 hours there's no need to jack the difficulty up in order to extent game length.  

14583

TalkBack / Analysts Recommend Nintendo Turn Third-Party

« on: February 25, 2003, 09:07:49 AM »

Okay so a news item about how Nintendo is making more money than anyone was just posted on the site and analysts are recommending that Nintendo go third party.  Does anyone else think that doesn't make much sense?  If Nintendo is making good money with what they're doing why change it?  Sega went third party because they were in a money pit.  That's not the case with Nintendo.

Plus ignoring the GBA makes this whole "analysis" completely useless because it doesn't represent reality.  If Nintendo only relied on the Gamecube then they would be in trouble but they don't so the situation is completely different.

"GameCube's sales are expected to fall by 4 percent in 2003, while XBox sales will rise by 12 percent."

What is this based on?  What hot selling title is coming to Xbox to make it's sales rise so much?  The problem with these analysts is that they don't know anything about games.  A major title (Final Fantasy VII, Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong Country) can change console sales considerably.  If sales trends were all that made a difference then surely the N64 would have been top dog because it's sales were huge during it's first year.

14584

Nintendo Gaming / Miyamoto confirms new Zelda title for GBA

« on: February 25, 2003, 07:04:05 AM »

"I'm still worried they are going to try to throw in some cutesy characters like Ricky or Dimitri. I don't know about the rest of you but I didn't exactly care for some of the over the top cute and silly characters those two games have."

I totally agree.  Unlike Nintendo Capcom tends to group their games as either mature (RE, Devil May Cry) or "kiddy" (Mega Man).  The idea of a game with cartoony graphics that is designed for all ages and can be played by kids and adults is actually a really foreign concept to most developers except Nintendo.  I have a feeling that Capcom regards Zelda as a series for kids and therefore designs everything with that in mind.  You would never see Link riding in the pouch of a kangaroo with boxing gloves in a EAD Zelda game.

Did anyone find it really dumb that Link could ride a DODONGO in the Oracle games?  What's next?  Link makes friends with Moblins?

One thing I'm wondering is what Link will look like in this new game.  In the Oracle games they just used the sprite from Link's Awakening.  Are they going to design a brand new sprite?  Hopefully they won't just use the Four Swords' sprites.  As cool as I think Wind Waker looks I don't want "super cartoony Link" to become the standard.

14585

Nintendo Gaming / More E3 News Here!!!!!!

« on: February 24, 2003, 01:52:28 PM »

"Also, it is very likely that Nintendo will show Wind Waker, last E3 they displayed quite a few games that were already launched."

They did?  I know they showed some released games in a video but I don't recall them having any playable.  Anyone who actually went to E3 last year able to confirm whether or not Nintendo had playable versions of already released games?

"And, yeah, the comment about the 'new Zelda' (notice the quotes) being shown at E3 is nearly nothing, why would Nintendo chance losing thousands of possible gamers from Wind Waker who are hoping this new Zelda comes soon."

Why would showing off a new Zelda lose "thousands" of sales?  Zelda games aren't like Madden where the next game makes the old one obsolete.  The average Zelda fan will buy BOTH games as both games are completely different.  Now if Nintendo showed off Wind Waker: Director's Cut then I can see it affecting sales.  Besides by the time E3 comes around Wind Waker will have been out for nearly two months and by then all the really hardcore fans will have bought it already.  Anyone who really cares about the new look enough to sit on the fence in regards to purchasing likely will never buy the game anyway.

Think about it this way.  If Square showed off two Final Fantasy games for PS2 at the same time (let's say XII and XIII) that are to be released months apart do you think anybody would not buy XII because XIII is being released so soon after?  Not likely because both games are different and most fans will be interested in both.

14586

Nintendo Gaming / Miyamoto confirms new Zelda title for GBA

« on: February 24, 2003, 01:38:34 PM »

"The game is developed by Capcom, who did the Oracle games as well as the SNES port A Link to the Past and the multiplayer game Four Swords."

If this is true it's being developed by Capcom which seems pretty likely considering their recent relationship with Nintendo and the Zelda franchise.  Still I found the Oracle games to lack the extra bit of "soul" that Zelda games need.  They felt more like they were going through the motions with the Oracle games which resulted in games that were generally pretty good but lacked the magic of the other Zelda games.  I would much prefer it if EAD was working on a new GBA Zelda.  Capcom is a good developer but likely won't do much more than "A Link to the Past 2".  EAD would change the way we think of 2D adventure games.

Still a new GBA Zelda is pretty damn good.  Let's get a new Mario too please.

14587

Nintendo Gaming / I am a 31 year old new GC owner

« on: February 24, 2003, 10:34:09 AM »

One thing I've noticed about being an adult gamer that is considerably better than being a kid gamer is that I actually can afford to buy games on a regular basis.  When I was kid I had no job and no allowance and my parents were very anti-videogame so I very rarely got any new games.  Now I buy a new game every few months and frequently buy used games.  When something big like Zelda comes out I can buy it on release day and not have to worry about saving up every quarter I find or hoping to get it for Christmas.

Plus as an adult you have control over what TV you play it on.  When I was a kid I only got to play on the "kids' TV" which was of course incredibly old and crappy.  Now I can buy my own TV and my own sound system, etc.

As for how long I'll continue to play games that remains to be seen.  I'm 21 right now and unmarried so I don't have to focus on a wife and kids.  As a result I'm pretty passionate about games and it remains one of my main interests.  When I do get married and have kids I will have less time to play games so it's likely I won't play them so often.  I don't think I'll stop playing them outright though.  At the very least I'll still continue to play Zelda and likely any multiplayer games that my future kids would want to play with me.  I figure I'll stop playing games when I'll be too old to understand any sort of complicated electronics anymore.  Computers are more difficult to use then game consoles and considering I'm a programmer I'll likely be retired before I find games too complicated.

14588

Nintendo Gaming / Dust off the ol' 64 games.

« on: February 24, 2003, 09:18:48 AM »

"They could take ~40 games, squeeze them onto just 1 GC disc (like they did with Zelda: Ocarina), and sell it as 'N64 Classics'."

What sort of fantasy world are you people living in where you can think of 40 N64 games even worth playing let alone good enough to be classics?  

Besides Nintendo could only do this for their own games and they certainly didn't make 40 of them for the N64.  There wouldn't be much point of this anyway.  Any of Rare's games probably couldn't be included (maybe DK64 but not much else; definitely not Goldeneye) and a lot of the N64 classics have new improved versions that are either released or will be released on Gamecube.  Who needs to play the N64 versions of Mario Kart, F-Zero, Super Smash Bros, Mario Party, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis and Wave Race?  The only stuff left are "big" titles like Super Mario 64, the Zeldas, DK64, Starfox 64, Paper Mario and numerous other titles that Nintendo could make more money on releasing as seperate ports (or as promotional stuff like with Ocarina).

Personally I think that anybody who doesn't have an N64 and wants one doesn't have any excuse for not getting a cheap used one.  N64s are quite easy to find and most of the good games are made by Nintendo and are very easy to find.  Ogre Battle 64 is probably the only title anyone would want that would be kind of rare.

Odds are any of you who would actually want to see this already have an N64 (or stupidly sold it).

14589

Nintendo Gaming / Hardest Single Thing To Do On Gamecube?

« on: February 24, 2003, 09:00:55 AM »

I'd say the hardest thing to do on Gamecube is wax Gracie's car in Animal Crossing good enough to get a Gracie original design shirt.  I jam on that A button as hard as I can and I've never been able to pull it off.  My brother has managed to do it only once.  The "test of strength" in SFA is also ridiculously hard and again I had to have my brother do it for me.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about in both situations the only way to win is to press the A button as fast as possible.  They both rely entirely on button mashing and any sort of skill doesn't play any part at all.

The hardest overall game I've played on Gamecube is either Rogue Leader or Super Mario Sunshine.  Probably Mario because you have to beat numerous hard parts just to beat the game while Rogue Leader only becomes super tough when you try to get medals.  Plus Rogue Leader is more "fun hard" while Mario is more "frustrating hard".  Isn't Mario Sunshine supposed to be suitable for kids?  Why did they make it so difficult?

14590

Nintendo Gaming / More E3 News Here!!!!!!

« on: February 24, 2003, 07:01:27 AM »

"I'd start with anything that was shown at E3 last year but is still not released."

Oh my God!  Wario World is going to be shown at E3!  What a scoop!

"My list? Star Fox Armada, Wind Waker, Kirby, maybe Pikmin 2, and probably others"

Wind Waker is being released next month.  E3 is in May.  I REALLY doubt Nintendo would show off a game they've already released in North America at E3.

"I wonder why Nintendo included Marth and Roy as playable characters in the American version? To spark some interest among gamers?"

It's probably because it would have been a pain in the ass to remove them and the localization job would have taken longer as a result.  I assume that if Nintendo of America had any plans in late 2001 (when SSBM was released) to release Fire Emblem in North America they would have released the GBA Fire Emblem game.

14591

Nintendo Gaming / IGN reports the next Triforce game

« on: February 24, 2003, 06:23:05 AM »

The Key of Avalon sounds like a really cool idea for a game in theory but is hurt by a major limitation that will likely make it only appeal to the hardcore.  The fact that you have to buy a starter set of 40 cards just to play the game (according to Gamepro though Magic Box doesn't mention it) is immediately going to hurt this game's appeal.  The average person isn't going to see a game in the arcade that requires you to buy a whole whack of cards and try it on a whim.  This is an "investment" game and those sorts of games usually don't appeal to the mainstream.

This game is totally made for e-Reader support but again the huge amount of cost for the requirements is going to limit appeal.  In order to play a Cube version you would need the game, a starter set of cards, a GBA, an e-Reader, and a GC/GBA link cable.  That's too much to bundle together and too many requirements for the average user.  All those things can be used with Animal Crossing as well but you don't need all of them just to play the game.  The ideal situation would be to make the Cube version come with an "electronic" set of cards that comes built into the game so people can still play the game without the e-Reader.  They just are limited to using the default cards.  It's like how Pokemon Stadium gives you starter Pokemon for those who don't have the Gameboy game.

Oh yeah and online support for the Gamecube version would be a must have in my opinion.  The game is already very hardcore so they might as well go all the way.  The target audience would fit online support perfectly.

Does anyone else think that this exact game but with Pokemon cards would be f*cking huge?

14592

Nintendo Gaming / Miyamoto interview! Heaps of news!

« on: February 21, 2003, 12:32:27 PM »

"Its a very long interview that you can read at ."

Where?  Where do I read it?

14593

Nintendo Gaming / Official F-Zero Thread

« on: February 21, 2003, 09:35:51 AM »

"there's no point in releasing IDENTICAL GAMES for Arcade and Home AT THE SAME TIME!"

Are they being released at the same time?  I thought the arcade one came out first.

Besides even if they have the same tracks they still won't be identical.  The arcade version has a cockpit, doesn't have split-screen multiplayer, and is available to the public while only Cube owners can play the other one.

Besides it makes no sense to be glad they made two versions when the fact that they made two versions is what I'm complaining about in the first place.

14594

Nintendo Gaming / Official F-Zero Thread

« on: February 21, 2003, 07:45:18 AM »

"It's similar to Namco's policy making their arcade ports more than arcade perfect. It gives the consumer who is likely to play the AC game to death a reason to purchase it on a console."

The Namco policy would have equaled MORE tracks for the console version instead of DIFFERENT tracks.  There's a huge difference.  If the Cube version of F-Zero has different tracks then it isn't even arcade perfect let alone "more than arcade perfect."

No online also sucks but I imagine that's Nintendo's decision instead of Sega's.  It's rather disconcerning considering the game likely could have been online and that doesn't make Mario Kart Online sound like such a realistic possibility.  Odds are Nintendo simply chose to make the game offline because if it was due to another issue like lag they likely would have said outright in the interview "we wanted to make it online but couldn't."  I personally don't see how having barebones peer-to-peer online as an extra feature even with lag is a bad thing but then I also thought CDs were a better choice than cartridges so I what do I know?

14595

Nintendo Gaming / Official F-Zero Thread

« on: February 21, 2003, 06:26:03 AM »

I don't like the way there are different tracks for the GC and Arcade versions.  If I'm buying the f*cking game I should be able to get all of the tracks.  Odds are a lot of people who buy the game will live in areas that don't have any major arcades and therefore won't have access to the arcade version.  At the very least they could have made it so you can download the arcade tracks to your memory card to play them at home.  Maybe they are doing that since I have yet to read a clear description of what the memory cards are used for in the arcade version.  It certainly would be more user friendly and would give people an incentive to try both versions and not feel ripped off.

The game still looks wicked cool but it's F-Zero so I wouldn't expect anything less.  Is there a cockpit view in this game?  I haven't watched the new trailer yet so if it explained in there I don't know yet.  The other F-Zero games didn't have cockpit view and I found that rather disappointing.

14596

TalkBack / Important Game Boy Player Info!

« on: February 20, 2003, 01:43:47 PM »

"they are so simple even a Canadian could figure them out."

14597

TalkBack / Important Game Boy Player Info!

« on: February 20, 2003, 11:04:06 AM »

If this is true I will be importing for sure.  I've wanted this since the day I got a GBA.  The only reason I wasn't going to import was because of regional lockout.  If there is none then there's no point in waiting for the domestic release (aside from costs).

What's the release date for the GB Player in Japan?  I think it's May for the NA release.  If the Japanese date is significantly before the North American one I could always wait until someone from PGC has the imported player and can comfirm or deny whether or not it works alright.

14598

Nintendo Gaming / favorite Zelda game quotes, anyone?

« on: February 20, 2003, 07:59:12 AM »

My favourite Zelda quote is from Link's Awakening.  When Marin joins with you you hold her up like you just recieved an item and it says "You got Marin!  Is this your big chance?".  I just thought it was absolutely hilarious when I saw it for the first time.

Other good ones:

"Secret is in the tree at the dead-end"

"Ones who does not have Triforce can't go in"

"BOING!  This is the Hook Shot!  It extends and contracts and... BOING!"

"Oh?  Link, I see you have a nice stick... can I borrow it for a second?"

"If all else fails use fire"

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Nintendo Gaming / Square/EA is gone now.

« on: February 20, 2003, 07:28:53 AM »

Anything that gives me an excuse to not give EA any of my money is A-OK with me.

"Nintendo might be lucky because FF:CC and FFTA are published by Nintendo in Japan."

I wouldn't worry about either title.  FF: CC is heavily featured in North American Gamecube promos.  NOA is going to make damn sure that title is released over here.  Both titles also have the Final Fantasy name which is strong in North America so they're likely going to be a high priority for localization.

The only titles I would be worried about would be some of Square Enix's more obscure stuff not getting released over here.  Personally I'll be content if the Final Fantasy Adventure Remake for GBA gets released over here.

14600

Nintendo Gaming / Do you think Majora's Mask deserves a special edition?

« on: February 20, 2003, 06:08:24 AM »

I definitely think that Nintendo should do the same pre-order bonus promotion for the next Zelda game with free copies of Majora's Mask.  I wouldn't expect a Master Quest or anything though.  Ocarina's Master Quest was essentially already finished so porting it to Gamecube probably wasn't too much work.  However there was no URA Zelda made for Majora's Mask.  Any changes would have to be done from scratch.  Assuming Nintendo would give this game away for free it's unlikely they would dedicate much effort to making a new quest for something that isn't going to make them any money anyway.

I'd say instead of featuring a Master Quest on a Majora's Mask bonus disc simply put a port of Majora's Mask and a demo of the new Zelda game on it.  I think most people would much prefer a demo for the new game over some remixed Majora's Mask dungeons.