Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company released an official app on the iOS App Store.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32767
The Pokedex for iOS app is now available on the official App Store on iOS platforms. The reference app bears a striking resemblance to the previously released Pokedex 3D Pro for the 3DS, though each has unique features. All 647 Pokemon (and their alternate forms) are available in the application via in-app purchases. It is a universal app so a single purchase works on iPhones, iPod Touches, and iPads. It requires iOS 6.0.
Users of the app are able to use extensive search options to discover Pokemon. Once viewing a Pokemon, they can see a unique animation, hear their cry, see their stats, and understand their abilities. The app is also capable of storing custom notes for each monster.
The app can be downloaded for $1.99. The initial download features entries for Pokemon #494-647 (The Unova Region). Pokemon from Kanto (#1-151), Johto (#152-251), Hoenn (#252-386), and Sinnoh (#387-493) can be added via in-app purchases. Each region's set costs $5.99. Therefore, to outfit the app with every Pokemon, the final cost of Pokedex for iOS would be $25.95.
Note: There are many nonofficial Pokedex apps available on the App Store. At the time of this writing a simple search for 'Pokedex' will not reveal the official app from The Pokemon Company. It is recommended that you search for 'Pokedex for iOS' as a phrase and make sure you are downloading the one provided by The Pokemon Company.
Wii is home to the best Mario Kart game in the season.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/31606
If asked to point to the most exemplary Wii game available, Mario Kart Wii isn't a bad choice. It embodies everything Nintendo marketed the Wii to be. They kept a standard control scheme for the lifelong fans but added the ingenious plastic wheel to draw in non-gamers and youngsters. The game's difficulty is balanced in a way that does not alienate the new players, and doesn't have the offensive level of rubber banding, handicapping, and general AI cheating of some of the previous games in the series. It also features arguably the most robust online mode of any game on the system. These are the reasons why Mario Kart Wii belongs in this top 10, as well as in every Wii owner's collection.
Mario Kart Wii should be extremely grateful to its predecessor on the DS. Nintendo added an online mode to that game, and the experience gained from doing so is evident. Mario Kart Wii allows players to easily jump into matches with random opponents online, create private races for only their friends, or join friends in races with random opponents. Multiple players can also enter online matches from a single console, utilizing the classic split-screen mode. As online matches are completed, players' ratings are adjusted for that extra layer of competition. If you beat a highly rated player in a match, your own rating skyrockets! It's a mode that's hard to put down, and it gives the game a lot of longevity.
The online features aren't the only parts that make this game stand out. Probably the most often overlooked new feature in Mario Kart Wii is the allowed number of karts per race jumping from eight to 12. This increase doesn't create too much chaos, though, as most of the courses in the game are of sufficient scale to allow people to still get out and race. While this addition isn't so obvious in standard races, when you get that many people competing in an online race, it's hard to imagine going back to a smaller crowd.
The most obvious addition the Wii version brought to the series is motorcycles. When selecting a character you can put them in either a kart or a bike, depending on your preference. The control differences between the two types of vehicles really let the player play the way that's best for them. In general, the bikes turn sharply and drift less than the karts. Greg Leahy put it best in his review:
"The different handling is disorienting at first, but with time and practice the merits of the bikes emerge. Slender profiles and superb manoeuvrability can prove invaluable for weaving in between traffic and the ever-numerous track obstacles, and their ability to corner sharply with finesse makes driving the time-honoured karts seem awkward by comparison."
In a lot of ways, the bikes are equal parts "beginner mode" and "advanced mode." Beginners flock to them because they are easy to control. Advanced players use them because their speed and maneuverability make it easier to hold a lead (assuming they don't get smacked around too much trying to get there). Purists still demand the karts, though. Who wants to pop wheelies for speed boosts when you could drift more instead?
Item wise, Mario Kart Wii features two great additions, the Mega Mushroom and the POW Block. Introduced in New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, the Mega Mushroom drastically increases the size of the player, allowing them to squish other racers. This was a perfect item to introduce to the series, as players have been changing size and getting squished (thanks to the lightning bolt) since the original Super Mario Kart. A cool twist to the Mega Mushroom is that, while activated, it also acts as protection from possible lightning bolt attacks. Instead of shrinking to mini, huge players only shrink back down to normal size.
The POW Block is another outstanding addition to the series. Every player ahead of the racer using this item spins out! It's a great equalizer and should have replaced the Blue Shell. Alas, the blue death remains in this game, continuing to be the most controversial thing to ever happen to the series.
The rest of the Mario Kart Wii package is quite strong. Different kart and bike options make it easy to find a race experience for everyone. The tracks are well designed and offer great variation. The classic courses included are some of the best of the entire series. Everything about the game is fun, and the multiplayer keeps people coming back.
If you only own one Mario Kart game, the Wii incarnation is easily your best bet. While it may be missing the co-op play of Double Dash and the cool battle modes of 64, the control options, online multiplayer, and top notch-racing action more than make up for it.
The Pro Controller will come at a premium price.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/31714
Noticeably absent from Nintendo's press conference today was the pricing for peripherals and accessories. Since then, the price of one of the key new controllers has been revealed. A Nintendo representative confirmed to the folks over at Polygon that the traditionally styled Pro Controller will retail for $49.99 in North America.
This price point falls in line with the prices that the Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers launched at, though both can be easily had for less at this point.
Pop balloons, solve puzzles, dodge obstacles, and stack goats in last week's digital releases.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/31607
This week, the Nintendo 3DS welcomes two interesting puzzle games to the mix while the Wii gets a classic puzzle/platformer on the Virtual Console. There's also another bizarre release on DSiWare.
3DS eShop Games:
Balloon Pop Remix - $7.99
Use the stylus to pop balloons in this portable puzzler. It features a story mode along with more than 100 stages in the more traditional puzzle mode. Neal Ronaghan calls it a "a fine puzzle game that presents a complete package on the eShop" in his review
Heyawake by Nikoli - $7.99
Enjoy sudoku-style puzzle games from the publisher that gave them their name with this eShop download. Heyawake (divided room) puzzles involve a grid playing board that is divided using bold lines into a series of rooms. Using the information presented to them and the rules of the game, players must determine which squares should be filled in and which should be left blank. This download version of the game contains 50 puzzles.
Virtual Console:
Prince of Persia - 800 Points
The Wii Virtual Console welcomes the enhanced SNES version of the classic from Jordan Mechner title this week. Known for it's fluid animations and high level of difficulty, this is an early remake of the original Apple II puzzle/platforming game.
DSiWare Games:
Crazy Hunter - $4.99 / 500 points
Drive a boat. Run into goats. Capture the goats. Stack the goats high enough to reach the clouds. Find hens that lay golden eggs in the clouds. Profit!
What was that, Nintendo? You almost left out features? You didn't put a feature to good use? You have to speak up, I can't hear you over your screaming laziness.I can't help but speak up in instances of people calling developers lazy. This is almost definitely not an issue of laziness. These games get set forth with a budget and timeline in mind. Features are added and removed based on what's doable in those constraints.
Boo.I can only assume there is some technical reason that the desired release timeline made them not want to solve. If I could hazard a guess, I bet there are environmental factors like enemies and what not that only trigger when Mario is in view and having multiple ones possibly trigger caused some snafu.
Want NSMB Mario vs. Luigi mode. With cool new levels.
Regarding the camera problem though... isn't that why we each have our own screen? Why not let us each have our own camera?
