Messages

551

General Gaming / Re: Shadow Complex (XBLA)

« on: August 20, 2009, 09:37:28 AM »

Yeah, buying a 360 doesn't look like it's in the cards for me. I wish the developper hadn't been bought by Epic. I want this on the PSN or Steam!

To console myself, I started playing Super Metroid again, partly motivated by the recent Retroforce Go podcast about it. Still holds up!

552

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Sega: It's not game over for mature Wii titles

« on: August 19, 2009, 09:25:10 AM »

Goddamn it, Sega, I don't want your "mature" titles, just give me Panzer Dragoon or Jet Set Radio on the Wii!

553

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 19, 2009, 09:12:58 AM »

Random observation: When you reach the exit holding a red shell, it transforms into a mushroom. If you're holding a blue shell, it transforms into a feather.

I haven't experimented with more colors.

554

General Gaming / Re: Who is going to buy a PS3 Slim?

« on: August 18, 2009, 04:03:30 PM »

The PS1 era was stagnant? I kind of skipped that gen and went with PC gaming for a while, but from my outsider perspective the PS1 era seemed plenty diverse to me. Sony managed to bring in tons of new gamers, developers where experimenting a ton with 3D gaming with often surprising and delightful results (Jumping Flash!, I love you!), publishers took way more risks bringing crazy Japanese titles to the West, etc.

I'm not even sure I agree the PS2 era was stagnant. Games were perhaps less crazy and inventive, but the added horsepower still made possible new concepts not really possible the previous gen, like the sandbox genre.

If any console gen shows stagnation, it's the current one. Even so, lots of imaginative titles are making it to us via download services. But the retail market is pretty damn unexciting, IMO.


...at any rate, I got a PS3 last year and I certainly would recommend the slim at that price. Make sure to download Flower, certainly one of the best experiences I've had this gen. And don't miss on Infamous and Ratchet and Clank, two titles that grabbed me way more than I could have possibly imagined.

555

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 15, 2009, 09:56:07 PM »

I thought this RetroActive would be a great excuse to finally work on having a file with all 96 exits on the VC. Naturally, no matter how meticulously I worked my way through each exit, I'm missing one and I have no idea which one I could possibly have overlooked.

Anyway, great game. And ridiculously challenging, when you reach the Special levels. You just don't get games in which you can die within 5 seconds of entering a level, anymore.

Some great enemies. Wriggler is probably the best enemy to originate from SMW. One thing, though: had the game come out after Jurassic Park, my young self would probably have felt pretty underwhelmed by Mario's trip to Dinosaur Land. Where are the T-rexes?The diplodocuses (doplidoci?)? Etc. Very few enemies are actually dinosaur-themed. There's Rex. There's that fire-breathing thingy on Chocolate Island... I think that's it.

And of course Yoshi looks nothing like a dinosaur. When I first saw what he turned into in the Super Mario Bros. Movie (someone had to bring that abomination up), I refused to believe it was him. It looked nothing like the cute green thing I knew from SMW.

Super Mario 64 is better, by a large magnitude at that. Galaxy was ok, but by no means all that great.

I am deeply offended.

556

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Icarian: Kindred Spirits (WiiWare)

« on: August 14, 2009, 02:41:01 PM »

...wait, what?

I'm pretty sure he's talking Helios. I haven't seen any minotaur. Is he the boss in the bonus level?

557

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Icarian: Kindred Spirits (WiiWare)

« on: August 14, 2009, 02:40:12 PM »

double post

558

General Gaming / Re: InFamous

« on: August 13, 2009, 10:30:34 PM »

Just started Sly 2... it's fun, but it's not Infamous.

I was told that inFamous runs on an enhanced Sly Cooper engine.

It's possible, I suppose. I did hear Sucker Punch didn't develop an engine from the ground up for the PS3 for inFamous, but their next game will have one.

There are a lot of similarities between the games, like the character's movements, the whole climbing mechanic, the comic-booky art style. Technically, it's night and day, however. Literally: Sly 2 is so ***damn dark I had to crank up the brightness just for that game. But more importantly, inFamous looks very nice. If it's running on a modified PS2 engine, it doesn't show.

559

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Icarian: Kindred Spirits (WiiWare)

« on: August 13, 2009, 10:21:26 PM »

I just finished it. Man, the last levels were intense. Danger from ahead, above, the background... Beating the game felt so satisfying...

Final time: 4 hours. It also seems like getting all the hidden artifacts unlocks a bonus level, which I haven't tried, because I need a break.

Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. And it seems the game was made by a handful of people, maybe one or two guys, not counting the translators and the voice of the main character, so I'm even more impressed.

edit - advk, good review. I posted a comment.

560

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Some NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits impressions

« on: August 13, 2009, 04:31:19 PM »

Sorry, I used the Search function and didn't find this thread. Feel free to erase this thread, I copied my post to the other one. I'm a noob and I don't see a function to lock it.

561

Nintendo Gaming / Re: Icarian: Kindred Spirits (WiiWare)

« on: August 13, 2009, 04:28:44 PM »

I've been playing the game over the last few nights, about 3 hours in, and I'm impressed. The music is captivating, the graphics are neat (to be honest, the animation is a little stiff and it doesn't have a lot of detail, but the art is great), and the puzzles are clever without being frustrating. Its gameplay is really close to LostWinds, though there are some differences. And unlike LostWinds, it's not whimsical, but rather moody. The action is zoomed-out, and all you'll see in your quest is devastation.

I think in the end it's going to be about as long as LostWinds was, except that it feels "fuller" because it's linear: the whole time you're progressing forward, not trying to find your way in a Metroid-like world. Also, in LostWinds the only side activity you could embark on was finding urns that gave nothing. In NyxQuest, you also can collect hidden items, and while I don't know if finding them all unlocks anything, at least they're all unique. You're not collecting urn 1, 2, 3, but the Aegis, Poseidon's trident, the Golden Fleece, etc.

The controls feel better than LostWinds, probably because you're not trying to use the wind to lift a boulder, but you have direct control over the boulder or block itself. You can slide it, or lift it, even when your character is standing on it, which makes for a fun means of transportation.

It's a pretty short game, but it's still more content than a movie (or two) for less money. I guess if you're strapped for cash and want to get the most gameplay time for your buck, this isn't the game you're looking for. But if you want a puzzle platformer that makes excellent use of the Wii's pointer and feels pretty unique (and fun), here it is. It's fun, it plays to the Wii's strength and it offers an experience no retail game has offered us (yet) (sadly).

I still haven't beaten the game, I'm about 3 levels from the end, at the Fields of Argos. I won't spoil anything, but it's intense as hell, probably the most impressive level so far, though I wouldn't call it a favorite since it's hard to love a stage that stressful.

562

General Gaming / Re: InFamous

« on: August 13, 2009, 04:26:41 PM »

I loved this game, enough to beat it twice and aim for all the PSN trophies to make it last as long as possible. In retrospect, collecting all the shards and doing all the stunts probably decreased my enjoyment of it and I should have skipped them, but anyway...

I almost skipped this game based on the demo, which was really hard and just wasn't fun, but the full game eases you into things very cleverly, introducing each power one at a time and giving you a whole linear section to put it into practice. The powers themselves aren't too original (they could be weapons: normal gun, grenades, sniper rifle, etc.), but the controls are very smart in that your whole arsenal is at your fingertips the whole time. No need to change your equiped weapon, just press the right button.

The story was fun though a little disjointed, and perhaps the side missions were a little repetitive, but moving around in the game's world was just fun. Climbing everywhere, grinding on rails or power lines, gliding in the air, it was all pure fun.

I liked the game so much, I picked up Sly 2 and 3 on the cheap recently. Just started Sly 2... it's fun, but it's not Infamous.

563

Nintendo Gaming / Some NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits impressions

« on: August 13, 2009, 04:05:24 PM »

I've been playing the game over the last few nights, about 3 hours in, and I'm impressed. The music is captivating, the graphics are neat (to be honest, the animation is a little stiff and it doesn't have a lot of detail, but the art is great), and the puzzles are clever without being frustrating. Its gameplay is really close to LostWinds, though there are some differences. And unlike LostWinds, it's not whimsical, but rather moody. The action is zoomed-out, and all you'll see in your quest is devastation.

I think in the end it's going to be about as long as LostWinds was, except that it feels "fuller" because it's linear: the whole time you're progressing forward, not trying to find your way in a Metroid-like world. Also, in LostWinds the only side activity you could embark on was finding urns that gave nothing. In NyxQuest, you also can collect hidden items, and while I don't know if finding them all unlocks anything, at least they're all unique. You're not collecting urn 1, 2, 3, but the Aegis, Poseidon's trident, the Golden Fleece, etc.

The controls feel better than LostWinds, probably because you're not trying to use the wind to lift a boulder, but you have direct control over the boulder or block itself. You can slide it, or lift it, even when your character is standing on it, which makes for a fun means of transportation.

It's a pretty short game, but it's still more content than a movie (or two) for less money. I guess if you're strapped for cash and want to get the most gameplay time for your buck, this isn't the game you're looking for. But if you want a puzzle platformer that makes excellent use of the Wii's pointer and feels pretty unique (and fun), here it is. It's fun, it plays to the Wii's strength and it offers an experience no retail game has offered us (yet) (sadly).

I still haven't beaten the game, I'm about 3 levels from the end, at the Fields of Argos. I won't spoil anything, but it's intense as hell, probably the most impressive level so far, though I wouldn't call it a favorite since it's hard to love a stage that stressful.

564

General Chat / Re: "Hey I'm new!" Official Introduce Yourself to the Internet Thread

« on: August 13, 2009, 03:46:54 PM »

You should read the book, Stratos, it's better. I'm no comics nerd, but it was definitely pretty awesome... literature.

As for TWEWY, I haven't played it though I'm perfectly aware that I should. Sadly my backlog is filled with such titles, and it's gotten out of control, so TWEWY will have to wait.

Yep, I was talking about anand (who started posting here, too) from the IGN boards which are getting more ridiculous than ever. Tons of people have left, there are very few Wii fans remaining and we have to deal with the constant BS of "disgruntled former Nintendo fans". Please, someone punch me in the face hard if, being fed up with Nintendo for some reason or another, I bitch on Nintendo boards for two solid years of just moving on.

Sigh, sorry for that. I shouldn't infect these seemingly laid back forums with IGN BS.

565

General Chat / Re: "Hey I'm new!" Official Introduce Yourself to the Internet Thread

« on: August 12, 2009, 09:57:33 AM »

Ahh, my Manny icon. I feel like myself again. I was on the verge of pulling a Rorschach, without my "face".

The games I like... short answer would be my collection in my sig. This year I've gotten back into JRPGs after years of thinking they sucked after Chrono Trigger. And mostly, they did. But Dragon Quest V and Suikoden have shown me that as long as I avoid Final Fantasy or Tales games, I'll be fine.

Other than that, I like pretty much everything, from 2D platformers like Wario Land Shake It to open-world games like Infamous, WRPGs like Fallout, crazy Suda 51 crap like No More Heroes (I'm even playing Flower, Sun and Rain currently, it's terrible, but I enjoy it), etc.

Basically, anything as long as it's not a brown FPS.

566

General Chat / Re: "Hey I'm new!" Official Introduce Yourself to the Internet Thread

« on: August 11, 2009, 10:39:49 PM »

I was told this was an introduction thread, but I see it's about dating. Lied to, yet again.

Hey people, I'm a 28 year old Nintendo fan without a date. I own a PS2, PS3, Wii and DS. I try to devote equal time to each but end up playing the Wii the most. 3rd party games, strangely enough.

Er, I also post on the IGN forums (sorry). The atmosphere isn't... healthy... over there sometimes, but it's good for an occasional laugh, I guess.

Someone (anand) made me discover the podcast and I love it. I tried to register for these boards in time to vote for something other than Super Mario World for RetroActive, and failed.

Story of my life.

567

Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive Game Nominations

« on: August 11, 2009, 12:54:16 PM »

Hey, what's with all the Vectorman hate? Were Genesis owners confused when faced with a platformer that used more than one button or something?

It has balls to the wall action (ugh, unintentional pun) and a very versatile character that could shoot in 8 directions, transform, double jump (his foot thrusters could be used as an attack if timed correctly, how cool is that?), and more.

It's a heck of a lot better than similar titles like Earthworm Jim, I can tell you that.

Or a game like Super Star Wars, for that matter...

Anyway, if there's truly no interest for Vectorman, I second the Pulseman nomination.

568

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 11, 2009, 12:49:12 PM »

I should try going back and playing all of those Super NES games with the GCN Hori SNES pad, but I don't know if it would work (or map correctly).

It would. And by would, I mean wouldn't. It would be like playing with a regular GCN. It would "correctly" map the Y, X, B and A buttons of the SNES pad on the Y, X, B and A buttons of the Hori pad, making the game "correctly" nearly unplayable.

569

Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive Game Nominations

« on: August 11, 2009, 08:39:52 AM »

Bah, you must have been playing it wrong.

570

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 10, 2009, 10:47:34 AM »

Well I wasn't referring to the stage select screen, but to the levels themselves. Anyway, forget I said anything. Clearly my experience with the game is different than yours. I remember having to scour huge levels and explore every nook and cranny to get that 100pts score.

571

Podcast Discussion / Re: RFN RetroActive Game Nominations

« on: August 10, 2009, 10:13:32 AM »

For the Genesis I'd nominate Vectorman. It's on the VC, on the old Genesis Collection for PS2 and Xbox, and on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for PS3 and 360, so it's really easy to get a hold of.

I actually never played this game back in the day, though I thought it looked cool. I got the chance when the Genesis collection released on the PS2, and while at first I thought it was underwhelming, the more I played, the more I liked it.

It's very score-oriented and the stages have a time limit, which might put some people off, but the action is fast, and there's some depth to it. The thing you have to understand if you want to have a hope to complete the game is that the multiplier doesn't just multiply your score, it also multiplies the lives you pick up. So there's some strategy to it: someone who's memorized where the multipliers and the lives are can rack up tons of lives, which will make the game a lot less frustrating.

The platforming levels are varied, and non-platforming stages offer even more varied gameplay.

I loved it and only played it 2 years ago, so I think it's a title that holds up.

572

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 10, 2009, 09:08:24 AM »

Speaking of Dinosaur Land, someone has to mention how cool it was to see the stages and enemies of SMW integrated so well in Super Mario Kart. The moles, the ghost houses... it added so much to both games, IMO.

As for SMB3 being a twitch platformer, not completely. We're talking relatively, here. Compared to SMW, it is. Compared to SMB, it's not. But Mario platformers have always featured a good dose of secrets and exploration from the start.

lol Yoshi's Island wasn't linear? I don't know what game you were playing.

I admit my memory's a bit fuzzy, it's been a while. Perhaps because I always aimed for 100% completion in every level, it didn't feel linear to me. It sure as hell was a twitch platformer, though. Or was it? I need to replay it.

573

Podcast Discussion / Re: Super Mario World - RFN RetroActive Discussion Thread

« on: August 09, 2009, 08:07:39 PM »

Before I replayed this game for RetroActive, I tried to remember the things about it that blew my 10 year old mind when I first played it: the various mode 7 effects like the pixelation of the screen when entering a level or a door, YOSHI!, the keyhole door engulfing Mario, the gigantic map... This game was really impressive, back in the day.

Slightly less so today. But I still appreciate how it evolved the series. As someone else mentioned, secret doors opening new levels are a much, much better reward for exploration than coins and lives. And the cape is a better power-up than a raccoon tail since it requires skill instead of just a runway.

SMW had a number of improvements that often contributed to making it an easier game, for instance the ability to save, or to replay a level, making racking up lives even easier in a game that perhaps gave you too many to begin with.

Other changes made it a much friendlier game than its predecessors. The bricks were gone, instead you had blocks that spun before becoming solid again, so you couldn't screw yourself out of reaching a high power-up. And Yoshi acted as a shield of sort, giving you essentially one more health point in addition to the power-up you could hold in a box.

All of this makes the game way more friendly to exploration. I have to agree with GoldenPhoenix, this title is way more adventure-y than its predecessors. Yoshi's Island and Super Mario 64 evolved further in that direction, before Galaxy brought back some degree of linearity and twitchiness.