Messages

10126

Nintendo Gaming / RE:2-3 times powerful

« on: January 13, 2007, 07:42:05 AM »

For me, it'll always come down to this:

Art Design > Graphics Power

Also, most current Wii games look awful because of developer laziness and publishers rushing product to market. I still think Nintendo seriously undercut the power of their processors, but that doesn't mean developers can't make a visually stunning game on Wii. You don't need to make Gears of War to wow people graphically. Something like Okami on PS2 looks amazing. A game that looks 2-3 times better than Resident Evil 4 is going to look great. Maybe not Lair great, but great nonetheless. There's a great misconception that more powerful graphics cards automatically mean better graphics. That is simply not true.

10127

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Metroid Prime 3 Revolutionized

« on: January 12, 2007, 07:10:22 AM »

As SixthAngel said, Metroid Fusion states that the Chozo created the Metroids.

They games are all connected, but the prequels and side-stories disrupt the continuity, some information is retconned. Zero Mission was essentially Intelligent Systems trying to mend continuity. Even though the games exist on one timeline, it's easier to think of the Prime games as a separate line.

10128

General Gaming / RE: New news for Starcraft Ghost kinda official

« on: January 11, 2007, 03:34:59 PM »

I still care about Starcraft: Ghost, but I sure as hell wouldn't buy a PS3 to play it.

10129

Nintendo Gaming / RE:RUMOR: Square-Enix to sell two franchises

« on: January 11, 2007, 08:26:27 AM »

Somehow, I doubt the Mana series being sold. SquareEnix has been trying to resurrect the franchise with the World of Mana label so it seems odd that they'd give up so soon. Didn't Dawn of Mana just launch in Japan? There's also Heroes of mana coming up.

I feel that Mana was just tossed in the rumor because it's S-E's most light-hearted series that isn't heavily connected to Final Fantasy. If they'd sell anything and not just with Disney as a potential buyer, I'd see Ogre Battle or even Chrono going first. Others like Tobal hold no weight.

10130

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Metroid Prime 3 Revolutionized

« on: January 11, 2007, 06:30:21 AM »

I admit I haven't played the games in a while so I might be off. I thought Metroid Prime was the source of Phazon. It also seemed like it was the progenitor of all Metriods since it could create them (as shown in its final form, right?).

All Metroid games are about Metroids though they always seem to be of secondary focus, except for Metroid II.

[SixthAngel wrote:]

10131

Nintendo Gaming / RE:I hope "Secret Rings" doesn't suck...

« on: January 09, 2007, 08:34:35 PM »

I think Sonic can work in 3D, but they have to change the mechanics. Sonic was fun because he was kind of the anti-Mario, in more ways than one, though more specifically gameplay wise. That was fine in the Gensis days. One of the problem with Sonic's 3D outings is that Sonic Team basically decided that Sonic was great because he was fast. Sonic the Hedgehog on 360 sucks because it's, ironically, too fast. Sega can't reduce Sonic gameplay to "you're fast, now run."

Super Mario 64 worked so well because it wasn't just Super Mario Bros. in the third dimension. Nintendo found a way for the game to feel like a part of the Mario universe while also making a highly original title. Mario levels were never objective based, but I almost feel like that made the game better. It exists as a Mario title yet it is like no Mario game before. I suppose that's my major issue with Sunshine, but that's a different topic.

Perhaps, as others have suggested, the problem is Sonic Team. You can blame it on a lot of things. I believe that they never excelled at making 3D games. Furthermore, they haven't made much of an effort to improve in that area. Most teams outside of Sonic have fared slightly worse or failed miserably while working on Sonic (i.e. Traveller's Tales, I'll let you decide how they've done). The answer could be as easy as "give Sonic to someone else." Focusing one making one great title instead of 5 bad ones wouldn't hurt either.

Quote
SixthAngel wrote:
They shouldn't train a new Miyamoto, they will never measure up, but instead let the new blood use their own style and bring something new to the table.

Or they could just "steal" talent. Imagine Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Naka, or Shinji Mikami working at Nintendo. That would basically solve both issues of buying a struggling team and grooming young directors/producers. Of crouse, I'm not serious, but if you're looking for an easy out, there's nothing easier than employing proven talent.

[capamerica wrote:]

10132

Nintendo Gaming / RE:For anyone thinking of getting Super Swing Golf do yourselves a favor, don't.

« on: January 08, 2007, 08:47:12 PM »

Quote
capamerica wrote:
The loading times are not that bad, It takes only about 6sec (10 at most) to load a level. The load times are no different then that of Mario Golf or Hot shot Golf.

It's not like Super Swing Golf is taxing Wii hardware. I've seen the game and it could be done on Gamecube so it begs to reason, on more powerful hardware, that the game should have better load times than Mario Golf, a mid previous gen game.

I guess my problem is with load times in general. In most cases, they're nothing like they were early-PS1 (I'll have to take your word on PSP loading since I don't have one). However, I feel rhat they shouldn't be noticable enough to be a nuisance, especially in games that do not particularly push hardware. Despite my annoyance with load times, I can forgive a game like Gears of War for having load times because it looks Oh-My-God. Something like Super Swing Golf is less acceptable. Ten seconds ever for a golf game. Come on....

10133

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Wii + Cell Phone + Bluetooth = I need an SD Card?

« on: January 06, 2007, 06:10:47 AM »

If you do get an SD Card, don't get snookered into getting Nintendo's Official Wii SD Card. It's just like every other SD Card except it has the Nintendo seal on it. Lame.

10134

Nintendo Gaming / RE:It's a Mini Game first quarter!

« on: January 06, 2007, 06:08:40 AM »

I already reserved Wii Play since it comes with a controller. Too bad it's only 2 players. At least, I'll have 3 controllers for Wii Sports.

10135

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: January 05, 2007, 04:52:31 AM »

I'm a completionist. Just last night, I got all the skills for Jonathan and Charlotte in Portrait of Ruin even though I could've easily beaten the game days ago. I get the "itch" to a certain degree, but as Mario said, if it's not fun, why bother?

With Twilight Princess I found all the bugs then I got a wallet. For what? By the time I got it, I didn't need to buy a damn thing. I find that completing everything in a Zelda game is not fun, mostly because it entails collecting things. The Magic Armor side-quest was an entire waste of my life. It took so long and the Magic Armor was a complete failure of an item. I feel like I finished enough of the game to disregard fishing (which I despised), hunting the poes, and the roll-goal game. I'd rather just start the game over entirely.  

10136

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: January 03, 2007, 12:36:27 PM »

For me, all things considered, A Link to the Past is the best Zelda title. I think of subsequent Zelda games and A Link to the Past had the greatest impact on the series. For a game released in 1991, it was just way ahead of its time. The gameplay, the story, the graphics, the music... just everything was amazing.

Sure, A Link to the Past isn't perfect, but I feel that Nintendo made the absolute best possible game they could 15+ years ago. I can't say that about games today. Every game has flaws. I just think that in 2006, some things shouldn't be problems. In Twilight Princess, bosses shouldn't be total pushovers, the overworld shouldn't be empty and so on. Many sequels today, not just Zelda, have some of the same problems of their predecessors.

10137

Nintendo Gaming / RE:The OFFICIAL Wii rumor thread *bring your own salt*(updated 12/11/2006)

« on: January 03, 2007, 10:21:29 AM »

I'd say there's a very good chance the DQS bundle will happen in Japan. It helps both companies. Nintendo can't possibly pass up the opportunity to sell thousands of special addition Wiis which would ultimately lead to greater consumer and developer confidence.

Also, I remember the Psycho Letter of the Month in EGM. I subcribed for like 7 years. You need to something to read on the crapper. The magazine slowly declined in quality after Ed Semrad stepped down as Editor in Chief. Dan Hsu is just terrible. What the hell happened to the previews section?

10138

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: January 03, 2007, 10:05:22 AM »

Yeah, I can agree with those points. To me, the biggest issue was the sailing. Most of the game is doing nothing except sailing and changing wind directions. It became such a burden once the entire map became available while yielding so few rewards. Someone is bound to flame me for that.........

I give Wind Waker credit for having the best story in the series (despite the plot holes), including my personal favorite, A Link to the Past. And though I prefer Twilight Princess' graphics, I loved the cel-shading. However, I didn't particularly like the character designs outside of Ganondorf, who was unquestionably badass in Wind Waker in like every way imaginable.  

[Kairon wrote:]

10139

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: January 03, 2007, 03:10:32 AM »

Quote
Kairon wrote:
This game would've been an utter disaster if it had been released last year, a bigger, worse disaster than even Wind Waker.

What? Someone besides me disliked Wind Waker. Is the sky falling yet?

[Rancid Planet wrote:]

10140

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Is Blockbuster Wiitarded . . . .

« on: January 03, 2007, 03:06:06 AM »

Quote
Rancid Planet wrote:
Rental outlets are only going to stock what their corporate head office sees as being a profitable catalog.

You'd think so...

Hollywood Video has games I've never even heard of.... Amazing Island on Gamecube, for example. What the crap?

10141

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Is Blockbuster Wiitarded . . . .

« on: January 02, 2007, 05:41:56 AM »

I work at Hollywood Video, we have almost every Wii game available since launch including Excite Truck, Elebits, Zelda, Trauma Center, and Tony Hawk. No one is really renting Wii games. I know at least 24 Wiis were sold at Game Crazy, including mine, and that many of those people rent at Hollywood. My guess is that they just bought their games. To my knowledge (and I'll check tonight at work), GC is sold out of Elebits and Excite Truck.

Not every Hollywood Video has a Game Crazy, but that's besides the point. HV is also the most poorly run, ass backward company ever. For example, corporate geniuses decided that being able to connect phone calls between both stores was too convenient and made too much sense. I could go on and on.....

[in a videogame]

10142

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: December 28, 2006, 05:14:34 PM »

Fine.

Allow me to rephrase. Telling a story in a videogame through text is outdated.

I like reading, but I don't play videogames to read. I paid $50 to play. The plots in Zelda games aren't especially engaging (insert flame here), but Nintendo is clearly trying to make them more so. That's why I'm sitting through five minute cutscenes which are often vague and not necessarily enlightening. Those cutscenes pull me away from actually playing the game. Something has to draw me back in. I think voice acting can bring life to a character. I don't want to read through a cutscene. That pulls me further away from playing. I know I don't have to read the text, but it's there and I can't skip the clip entirely even if I want to.

I'm not saying voice acting will make the plot better. Simply, I think, if done well, it can make the cutscenes more engaging which would draw me back into the game. Or perhaps Nintendo just needs better writers.

I suppose my main gripe is with the cutscene as a whole. It's not necessarily the lack of voice acting, as it is the presence of bulk text. In a videogame, I would prefer voice acting for reasons provided already. At the same time, I'd be more inclined to accept text in cutscenes if I was given less of it. For example, the scene in Ocarina of Time when Link leaves the forest for the first time is a powerful scene, one of the best in any videogame and it's done with a minimum of dialogue.

Quote
Mario wrote:
Just like every other, NO. Majoras Mask, Wind Waker, Minish Cap are all COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

Every Zelda plays out exactly the same way. Disordering event --> Link collects artifacts from themed dungeons --> Fights final boss

Along the way he'll learn about some legend and possibly attain a powerful new sword, most likely the Master Sword.

Zelda games are predictable. It's the same structure every time. Predictability makes a game worse. It does NOT make a game bad.

Chill pills for everyone! Sorry, I found fault in your precious Zelda. You're all too busy flaming me to miss the part where I said the game was amazing. See, "amazing" is a positive adjective. Twilight Princess can be both flawed and a good game.    

[couchmonkey wrote:]

10143

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Twilight Princess Spoiler Discussion Thread

« on: December 28, 2006, 12:48:21 PM »

Quote
couchmonkey wrote:
BIG IMPORTANT QUESTION:
Did anybody notice which of the Sages Ganon killed? I think maybe it was forest, but I can't remember the symbols for sure.

Answer:Ganondorf killed the Water Temple Sage

Quote
Boss opinions:
Zant was TOTALLY AWESOME. Favourite fight of the game. I didn't think Ganon felt that tacked-on - it's just more like the olden days of gaming where they don't reveal the boss until you get to the end. I agree that the story could have been clearer at times, though.

Zant seemed like fake Kefka (FFVI) to me. He was cool until he ended up being (literally) a clown. Nintendo dropped the ball on his character design. Anyway, my favorite boss was "Twilight Fossil: Stallord."

I agree, Ganondorf wasn't tacked on. He was just less of a character than he was in Wind Waker and I found it hard to take him seriously as the big villain of the game since there was no character development or explanation for most of what he did in the game. Really, a lot of the plot needed to be explained and that was its major downfall followed closely by Nintendo's reliance on the two worlds mechanic.

Quote
Ending opinion:
Like others here, I was surprised and a bit disappointed that it didn't explain what happened between the Ocarina and the Wind Waker.

My thoughts exactly. I was waiting for it the whole game. At the end, I was thinking Link would jump into the portal, thus explaining why there was no hero before the flood. Twilight Princess, being the game it was, could fit anywhere in the timeline (even though there technically isn't really one to begin with).

My major problem with the ending was that it left too many questions unanswered. The Water Temple Sage was killed off, but the Sages don't do ANYTHING. Who the hell are they? Where did they come from (they don't seem like Saria and the others)? How did Ganondorf get out of the Sacred Realm? How did the sages capture him and why of all places would they chain him to the Twilight Realm portal? What's the deal with the City in the Sky legend? What happened to Ganondorf after Link stabs him? What happened to Hyrule Castle after it explodes? And so on...

The game was amazing though I felt certain aspects were lacking. The fighting system is significantly deeper. That's great, except you barely run into an enemy who requires any effort whatsoever. The art design ranged from excellent (i.e. Link, Imp Midna, Zelda, Ganondorf) to what-the-hell (i.e. Yeto, Yeta, Zant-sans-Helmet, Human Midna). The wolf transformation was cool in the beginning of the game... too bad, your skills don't evolve.

I also feel like Nintendo is still telling 16-bit stories. The plots of Zelda games in general haven't evolved much past "Ganondorf is at it again. Uh oh, spagetti-o..." Then, Link collects some sh*t, fights an easy final boss (or in Twilight Princess' case, 4 easy final bosses in a row) and everyone is all ginger peachy at the end. If Nintendo is going to attempt to tell deeper stories, the series needs voice acting. Link must remain mute, everyone else should not. Telling a story through text is simply outdated. Zelda games should never have 15 minute cut-scenes. My point is hearing Midna's brief gibberish talk then seeing her facial expression, then reading "ZANT!!!" doesn't draw me in. It takes me out of the game.

There are a ton of missed opportunities. The Lost Village and City in the Sky segments left a lot to be desired. I spent half the game wondering what this legend about the City in the Sky was only to find out they're a bunch of birds with creepy quasi-human faces. The game kind of just fizzled at Snowpeak for me. It felt so familiar, just like every other Zelda title.

10144

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Is Twilight Princess too long?

« on: December 27, 2006, 08:15:30 AM »

I thought it was. Once I finished Snowpeak Ruins I was about ready to be finished with the game. A lot of the length of Twilight Princess lies in getting lost, fetch quests, and collecting things. All those things, in addition to the large but largely empty overworld, make the game deceptively bigger and longer than it actually is. All in all, it's an amazing game; there are just a bunch of little things that bogged it down.

10145

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Pokemon mmo

« on: December 23, 2006, 03:09:42 PM »

Quote
SquareEnix can leave altogether before they even have the chance to sully Pokémon's good name. And I don't know how you could type such an atrocious idea alongside such a good one.

It's been sulleyed many times. Pokemon Channel.... seriously, what the hell was that?

Pokemon has basically been the same game since Red/Blue. It could use something new.

10146

Nintendo Gaming / RE: Excite Truck haters: for the love of Reggie, RENT IT!

« on: December 13, 2006, 09:05:52 PM »

Excite Truck is fun......... just not worth $50.

[Edfishy wrote:]

10147

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Super Smash Bros. Brawl

« on: December 13, 2006, 09:04:46 PM »

Quote
Edfishy wrote:
I find the 3rd party characters the only real earth shattering addition Nintendo's making to Smash Bros.

Online multiplayer > 3rd party characters.

10148

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Super Smash Bros. Brawl

« on: December 12, 2006, 01:49:56 PM »

Nintendo says a lot of things. I don't buy the 2-3 more 3rd party characters. I actually expect more.

[diiskrej wrote:]

10149

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Is the Wii remote really so unreliable in Zelda: TLP?

« on: December 10, 2006, 10:42:42 AM »

Quote
diiskrej wrote:
The only problem I have had is using the spinning attack with the nun-chuck. I can't get it to work sometimes, but I have had zero problems with the Wiimote.

Same here.

I'd love to see what Nintendo could do with 1 to 1 sword movements.

10150

Nintendo Gaming / RE:Super Smash Bros. Brawl

« on: December 10, 2006, 09:11:07 AM »

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So don't get caught.... So don't get thrown.

That's not strategy. You're basically saying, "Be better at the game."

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In SSB,  In Melee, you just react faster.

Well, that's not true. I don't know how you can say that the same can't be done in Melee. Reacting faster doesn't win matches. It won't help a slower character beat a faster one. Instead, as you suggested, you "plan around your opponent's plans." The dodging system is part of that. Dodging can save you, but can also leave you open for attack. That balance (deciding the right time and which dodge to use) requires strategy.