101
NWR Forums Discord / Official Donkey Kong Jungle Beat / DK Rev boycott thread
« on: March 16, 2006, 06:40:45 AM »
Donkey Kong doesn't wear pants! I find this incredibly insulting!
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102
General Chat / Sega takes over Neurobiology!
« on: February 20, 2006, 01:37:10 PM »
So I'm working on this huge Neurobiology paper I have tomorrow, and while flipping through the pages of my textbook I come across this...
Hahaha, WHAT!? I HAVE SONIC IN MY BODY!
Hahaha, WHAT!? I HAVE SONIC IN MY BODY!
103
NWR Forums Discord / PGC forums more like EMO forums...
« on: February 20, 2006, 12:23:15 PM »
HOW DO I ZELDA DELAY AND NO GAMECUBE GAMES AND NINTENDO IS DOOMED IM GONNA GO BUY A 360 AND/OR PS2 DON'T TELL ME TO BUY A DS
If you want to make pointless videogame angst, go to GAF...It doesn't belong here...
If you want to make pointless videogame angst, go to GAF...It doesn't belong here...
104
General Chat / February is VIDEOGAME TRANNY MONTH!
« on: January 31, 2006, 03:59:16 PM »
It's been too long since we've had the likes of Bridget and Poison's watchful eyes hovering over the forums...GET TO IT, PEOPLE!
105
Nintendo Gaming / Forest Wallpaper
« on: January 26, 2006, 07:24:13 PM »
I sincerely doubt anyone has Forest Wallpaper on hand (considering you can only get it from Saharah), but if anyone could keep an eye out for me I'll try and make it worth your while! =D
106
NWR Forums Discord / THERE ARE NO WORDS!
« on: January 15, 2006, 06:23:13 PM »
ONLY SCREENCAPS, OKAY...
107
Nintendo Gaming / I destroy others at weeding!
« on: January 01, 2006, 05:56:53 PM »
KN's town is, or rather, was, a complete disaster due to a little error in his AC clock or something...Weeds? EVERYWHERE! So he invited Mario and myself to go pick them for some loose change...UncleBob somehow wandered in too...Soooo I TOTALLY KICKED THEIR ARSES AT WEEDING!
I'll give 50,000 bells to anyone who can best me at a weeding competition!
I'll give 50,000 bells to anyone who can best me at a weeding competition!
108
Reader Reviews / Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
« on: December 31, 2005, 10:17:31 AM »
Background: The sequel to the brilliant out-of-nowhere GBA hit by AlphaDream, the developer behind Japanese cult hits Hamtaro and Tomato Adventure. This time around, the Princess goes back in time in Professor Egad's time machine and ends up getting kidnapped...again...But not by Bowser this time! Instead we fight these new villains called the Shroobs. Mario and Luigi go back in time and meet up with younger versions of themselves and team up to save the older Peach...Simple enough!
Gameplay: If you haven't played the original game, go kill yourself...I mean, uh...Basically how well you do in the game is completely dependent on your reflexes. That's right, none of this turn-based "you hit me and I can't dodge" crap. Instead, you can avoid EVERY attack in the game with a well-timed button press. But it's not that easy, and you need to pay attention to what the enemy is doing! As with every other Mario RPG game in the past, timed hits are also back, allowing you to do more damage to the enemy. This time around, though, you are able to do a "double timed hit" when you are carrying the Baby Brothers in tow, which is really cool...
AlphaDream wised up and got rid of the horrible Bros. Attacks, which were annoyingly hard to pull off and just weren't fun to use. Instead, you get Bros. Items, which include Green Shells, Trampolines, Chain Chomps, etc. in order to pull off massive damage on your opponents. These were a LOT of fun to use, and rely on quick reflexes in your button presses without being a pain to use.
The only "big" problem with the game is that it is definitely more noticably linear than the original, but the original game only faked not being linear so it's not that big of a deal. The level design is fantastic, and the new puzzles involving the two pairs are clever and interesting. The enemies and bosses are THE BEST in the Mario RPG series, end of story.
~Score: 10 (because I can't put 11)
Visuals: A beautiful step up from the original game, but that's pretty much expected with the superior hardware. The sprites are nicely detailed and the animation is basically perfect. I can't really say much more than that!
~Score: 9.5
Music: If there was a major complaint I had with the original game, it would be that the music really sucked...The battle music was great, but everything else was boring and forgettable, which was fairly shocking considering Yoko Shimomura, the composer, is behind the amazing Super Mario RPG soundtrack. However, she has not only redeemed herself with this game's soundtrack, but has surpassed her previous efforts in the Mario RPG games in my opinion. I found myself just sitting in certain areas listening to music FOREVER before realizing I should move on. The original music is fantastic, the remixes chosen are fantastic (Yoshi's Island, anyone? =D)...
~Score: 10
Replay Value: I just finished my first round through and I'm already itching for another go around. However, because the game is fairly linear, you are likely to find most of secret objects on your first time through...Or maybe not! There are some cleverly hidden items crammed in the game...
~Score: 7
Humour: I didn't know where to put this, so I made it its own category! The original game was lauded for its hilarious script and this game is no different. I've seen past reviews saying that the dialogue isn't as funny as the original's, but guess what? Those people just fail at humour! Kudos to Nate and his NOA buddies for a great translation and kudos to AlphaDream for the "text-less" humour!
~Score: 10
Overall: I have no clue how Mario RPG games are getting better...When M&L came out I was like "There is no way Ninty can make an RPG better than this," and then I found myself saying it again over Paper Mario Thousand Year Door...It's FUN, the music is awesome, and the dialogue is hilarious...This game is just incredible, and you needed to be punched if you don't give it a try...
~Final Score: 10
Gameplay: If you haven't played the original game, go kill yourself...I mean, uh...Basically how well you do in the game is completely dependent on your reflexes. That's right, none of this turn-based "you hit me and I can't dodge" crap. Instead, you can avoid EVERY attack in the game with a well-timed button press. But it's not that easy, and you need to pay attention to what the enemy is doing! As with every other Mario RPG game in the past, timed hits are also back, allowing you to do more damage to the enemy. This time around, though, you are able to do a "double timed hit" when you are carrying the Baby Brothers in tow, which is really cool...
AlphaDream wised up and got rid of the horrible Bros. Attacks, which were annoyingly hard to pull off and just weren't fun to use. Instead, you get Bros. Items, which include Green Shells, Trampolines, Chain Chomps, etc. in order to pull off massive damage on your opponents. These were a LOT of fun to use, and rely on quick reflexes in your button presses without being a pain to use.
The only "big" problem with the game is that it is definitely more noticably linear than the original, but the original game only faked not being linear so it's not that big of a deal. The level design is fantastic, and the new puzzles involving the two pairs are clever and interesting. The enemies and bosses are THE BEST in the Mario RPG series, end of story.
~Score: 10 (because I can't put 11)
Visuals: A beautiful step up from the original game, but that's pretty much expected with the superior hardware. The sprites are nicely detailed and the animation is basically perfect. I can't really say much more than that!
~Score: 9.5
Music: If there was a major complaint I had with the original game, it would be that the music really sucked...The battle music was great, but everything else was boring and forgettable, which was fairly shocking considering Yoko Shimomura, the composer, is behind the amazing Super Mario RPG soundtrack. However, she has not only redeemed herself with this game's soundtrack, but has surpassed her previous efforts in the Mario RPG games in my opinion. I found myself just sitting in certain areas listening to music FOREVER before realizing I should move on. The original music is fantastic, the remixes chosen are fantastic (Yoshi's Island, anyone? =D)...
~Score: 10
Replay Value: I just finished my first round through and I'm already itching for another go around. However, because the game is fairly linear, you are likely to find most of secret objects on your first time through...Or maybe not! There are some cleverly hidden items crammed in the game...
~Score: 7
Humour: I didn't know where to put this, so I made it its own category! The original game was lauded for its hilarious script and this game is no different. I've seen past reviews saying that the dialogue isn't as funny as the original's, but guess what? Those people just fail at humour! Kudos to Nate and his NOA buddies for a great translation and kudos to AlphaDream for the "text-less" humour!
~Score: 10
Overall: I have no clue how Mario RPG games are getting better...When M&L came out I was like "There is no way Ninty can make an RPG better than this," and then I found myself saying it again over Paper Mario Thousand Year Door...It's FUN, the music is awesome, and the dialogue is hilarious...This game is just incredible, and you needed to be punched if you don't give it a try...
~Final Score: 10
109
NWR Forums Discord / Ahahaha, DOA movie trailer...
« on: November 21, 2005, 02:33:58 PM »
Ahahaha, so awful...SO AWFUL...Puke-inducing! Take Charlie's Angels plus generic, cliched jokes and swords and martial arts and sex appeal and you come out with a rather nasty mess all over the place...Ejaculation joke? Hahahahaha, just wait till you see the girls playing the DOA girls (hint: LOL UGLY)....I won't be able to sleep tonight! ;_;
110
NWR Forums Discord / So I totally broke my nose...
« on: November 14, 2005, 03:21:18 PM »
Oops...
113
Nintendo Gaming / Mother 3 to finally become reality early next year!
« on: November 04, 2005, 02:00:46 AM »
It's been ages since we last heard of Mother 3, or Earthbound 2 for those never hearing of it...First announced as an N64 title in the first year of the system's existence, the project fell behind schedule as the development team was inexperienced with the new "invention" of 3D...In 2000, the project was cancelled, in which the title "Mother 3" wouldn't pop up till 3 years later at the end of the Mother 1+2 GBA game released in Japan...Since then, we haven't gotten a single screenshot, hence Mother 3 being the perfect example of "vaporware." But no longer as Shigesato Itoi (the series' creator for the uninitated) has finally spoken on the project...
Thanks to Starmen.net for the translation...Now the anticipation rises yet again!
(Considering Ninty is giving us wacky titles like Drill Dozer and Chibi Robo, let's hope the game is localized alongside the Mother 1+2 pack...)
Quote
"After some discussion with Nintendo, I've decided to make a slightly head-start announcement here on Hobonichi. I've worried people quite a bit this whole time, but I'm happy to report that Mother 3 for Game Boy Advance is nearing release.
I've thought to myself, "It should be all right now that it's this far along," on many occasions, but I always made sure not to announce anything until I could say that it was "ABSOLUTELY all right." At any rate, this time I've decided to try and be reserved about everything. It looks like its release date will be about one season away, and I'm in the middle of doing many work retreats to get it finished. I'm going to work especially hard for a short while longer to get everything done.
By announcing this, I'm sure I'll receive all sorts of questions, but I'm probably going to stay quiet about Mother 3 until just before its release. I know the importance of publicity, but what I feel is that I want players to REALLY enjoy Mother 3. So until just before the game comes out, I'm going to remain as quiet as possible.
In any case, we're working on Mother 3. I'm happy as well that it's reached the point where we can make an announcement. Thank you to all who have waited patiently. Please forget about it again for a short while."
Thanks to Starmen.net for the translation...Now the anticipation rises yet again!
(Considering Ninty is giving us wacky titles like Drill Dozer and Chibi Robo, let's hope the game is localized alongside the Mother 1+2 pack...)
114
Nintendo Gaming / New Miyamoto Interview
« on: September 03, 2005, 10:46:35 AM »
Here
Translated from Japanese to French to English, heh heh...Anyways, as long as there is no big translation mistakes, here are the tidbits...
- "I hope that [gamers] are well, that they have fun with our games. It will be the case I think with our new creations. We sought new things, new directions. Simpler, more direct."
- "I did not say that [the Gamecube controller] was too complex, I think just that one can still improve it. And also ways of playing and the controller."
- "The new Mario game will surprise much people. Trust us. I think that it will open with a new way of having fun. There will be a new character at his side."
- "[Mario 128] will not be the only surprise of the next year. We thought the Revolution compared to this new type of game. It is there for much in the design, like Mario 64 in its time. But we can't direct our new console only towards him! We work on expensive under development, very impressive products and pushing the interactivity very far. Games of a new era."
Also, even though people (read: morons) think that Twilight Princess will be delayed to Revolution, it's NOT...
Translated from Japanese to French to English, heh heh...Anyways, as long as there is no big translation mistakes, here are the tidbits...
- "I hope that [gamers] are well, that they have fun with our games. It will be the case I think with our new creations. We sought new things, new directions. Simpler, more direct."
- "I did not say that [the Gamecube controller] was too complex, I think just that one can still improve it. And also ways of playing and the controller."
- "The new Mario game will surprise much people. Trust us. I think that it will open with a new way of having fun. There will be a new character at his side."
- "[Mario 128] will not be the only surprise of the next year. We thought the Revolution compared to this new type of game. It is there for much in the design, like Mario 64 in its time. But we can't direct our new console only towards him! We work on expensive under development, very impressive products and pushing the interactivity very far. Games of a new era."
Also, even though people (read: morons) think that Twilight Princess will be delayed to Revolution, it's NOT...
115
General Chat / This month is Iwata Month, and there's nothing you can do about it!
« on: September 02, 2005, 12:55:47 PM »
Reggie had his month in May, and now it's Iwata-san's turn...There is no company president as charismatic and determined as he is to bring videogaming to a whole new level...
Iwata will be speaking at this year's Tokyo Game Show on September 16th at 11 AM, which corresponds to September 15th at 10 PM EST...IWATATON is coming! Do I mean Revolution news? Pfffff, who cares about that? IWATATON is all about Iwata giving another fantastic speech about just what gaming is about, so show your support by using that right brain of yours to commemorate Iwata in the same manner we did Reggie...
"People sometimes ask me what I did when I was hired at HAL. The answer is that I was a programmer. And an engineer. And a designer. And I marketed our games. I also ordered food. And I helped clean up. And, it was all great fun."
"The risks are always there, whenever we are taking some kind of new approach. But if we simply take the same attitude as before, well, we know that the gaming population is shrinking, and there is no bright future for the industry. And we really don't want to die slowly."
"We at HAL found a way to bring our idea to life. Our team believed deeply in the concept and we did not waver in our approach. So in this important sense, we at HAL - we're just like every one of you. Even if we come from different sides of the world, speak different languages, even if we eat too many chips or rice balls, even if we have different tastes in games, every one of us here today is identical in the most important way: each one of us has the heart of a gamer."
Iwata will be speaking at this year's Tokyo Game Show on September 16th at 11 AM, which corresponds to September 15th at 10 PM EST...IWATATON is coming! Do I mean Revolution news? Pfffff, who cares about that? IWATATON is all about Iwata giving another fantastic speech about just what gaming is about, so show your support by using that right brain of yours to commemorate Iwata in the same manner we did Reggie...
"People sometimes ask me what I did when I was hired at HAL. The answer is that I was a programmer. And an engineer. And a designer. And I marketed our games. I also ordered food. And I helped clean up. And, it was all great fun."
"The risks are always there, whenever we are taking some kind of new approach. But if we simply take the same attitude as before, well, we know that the gaming population is shrinking, and there is no bright future for the industry. And we really don't want to die slowly."
"We at HAL found a way to bring our idea to life. Our team believed deeply in the concept and we did not waver in our approach. So in this important sense, we at HAL - we're just like every one of you. Even if we come from different sides of the world, speak different languages, even if we eat too many chips or rice balls, even if we have different tastes in games, every one of us here today is identical in the most important way: each one of us has the heart of a gamer."
116
Nintendo Gaming / Gunstar Super Heroes (Why isn't there a topic on this yet?)
« on: August 16, 2005, 05:06:40 PM »
The sequel to Treasure's classic action shoot-em-up is set to release for the GBA come this October, and the game is really looking to match its predecessor and perhaps even exceed it! Look here for the latest trailer...Beware, as things that could be counted as spoilers are contained (return of certain characters)
The most noticable thing from the trailer was the return of many of the bosses from the original game, such as Orange, Pinky Roader, and Melonbread, etc, which is great, because I loved them all...But the BEST thing is the return of the mine level! If you watch the trailer and you've played the original game, you'll probably be as shocked as I was during that segment...
Also, the game looks like it won't suffer from the framerate problems of Treasure's previous GBA games, so cross your fingers!
The most noticable thing from the trailer was the return of many of the bosses from the original game, such as Orange, Pinky Roader, and Melonbread, etc, which is great, because I loved them all...But the BEST thing is the return of the mine level! If you watch the trailer and you've played the original game, you'll probably be as shocked as I was during that segment...
Also, the game looks like it won't suffer from the framerate problems of Treasure's previous GBA games, so cross your fingers!
117
General Chat / The Reggination!
« on: May 02, 2005, 05:40:21 AM »
There is no true Nintendo fan that did not watch Nintendo's E3 2004 press conference and came out unscathed by the pure power and confidence of one man...And that man is none other than Reggie...
I went into last E3 hoping for the best...Nintendo didn't exactly have a great press conference in 2003; in fact, it absolutely sucked, and as you all know, I'm the biggest Nintendo fanboy here at PGC...I remember that day clearly, with fellow pietriots Mario and Kevin (lol) in attendance as we bounced around like giddy schoolgirls in anticipation of a (hopefully) decent showing...And then Reggie appeared...
[04:28:08] peeack is ON: FRANKENSTINE!
[04:28:15] Bill: lol!
[04:28:16] Mario: LOL
[04:28:18] Bill: it is
[04:37:14] peeack is ON: who ever that guy is, i love him
His presence took the internet by storm, as PGC showed last year with the wave of (identical, haha) Reggie avatars post-E3...
In just a mere two weeks we'll once again get ours asses kicked and our names taken...This topic is in his honor...
REGGINATE!
I went into last E3 hoping for the best...Nintendo didn't exactly have a great press conference in 2003; in fact, it absolutely sucked, and as you all know, I'm the biggest Nintendo fanboy here at PGC...I remember that day clearly, with fellow pietriots Mario and Kevin (lol) in attendance as we bounced around like giddy schoolgirls in anticipation of a (hopefully) decent showing...And then Reggie appeared...
[04:28:08] peeack is ON: FRANKENSTINE!
[04:28:15] Bill: lol!
[04:28:16] Mario: LOL
[04:28:18] Bill: it is
[04:37:14] peeack is ON: who ever that guy is, i love him
His presence took the internet by storm, as PGC showed last year with the wave of (identical, haha) Reggie avatars post-E3...
In just a mere two weeks we'll once again get ours asses kicked and our names taken...This topic is in his honor...
REGGINATE!
118
General Chat / Happy Birthday, Reggie!
« on: March 25, 2005, 06:20:11 PM »
Yes, so I'm sitting online waiting for Nintendo Minute 9, which was going to be answered by none other than Reggie...It still hadn't been updated when (thanks to Berty), it seems that it wasn't updated since it's Reggie's birthday! =O Happy B-Day, big guy, and I look forward to more HULK SMASH at this E3!
119
Nintendo Gaming / Mario Kart DS!!
« on: January 27, 2005, 01:26:54 PM »
Every Mario Kart game should have two exclamation points after the name from now on...Oh well...
But anyways, Ninty showed off a nice little Mario Kart demo at their Euro DS conference with a nice simple 8-way wireless versus match, and boy has it progressed since last E3...To the point where I thought I was witnessing a new version of a console Mario Kart for a second...
The framerate looked spot-on, and the second screen employed the map of the course...However, any weapons fired could also be seen on the map which will add a bit more strategy to the mix...The traditional powerslide is back and you can once again hop (for those who missed doing so in Double Dash)...Of course, a lot of details were left out and I really doubt the game will be left without onrine when it's finally shipped...Oh, and the game has also been confirmed to ship everywhere in the world by the end of this year...
Wish List
~Return of the Boo item (which I think has been confirmed)
~Larger battle arenas a la Block Fort from MK64
~At least 20 courses
But anyways, Ninty showed off a nice little Mario Kart demo at their Euro DS conference with a nice simple 8-way wireless versus match, and boy has it progressed since last E3...To the point where I thought I was witnessing a new version of a console Mario Kart for a second...
The framerate looked spot-on, and the second screen employed the map of the course...However, any weapons fired could also be seen on the map which will add a bit more strategy to the mix...The traditional powerslide is back and you can once again hop (for those who missed doing so in Double Dash)...Of course, a lot of details were left out and I really doubt the game will be left without onrine when it's finally shipped...Oh, and the game has also been confirmed to ship everywhere in the world by the end of this year...
Wish List
~Return of the Boo item (which I think has been confirmed)
~Larger battle arenas a la Block Fort from MK64
~At least 20 courses
120
Nintendo Gaming / YOSHI BOAT
« on: October 01, 2004, 06:43:05 PM »
I have been demanded by the forces that be to make a topic on the in-the-works GBA title, Yoshi Universal Gravitation...It's about time that Yoshi has gotten another title under his...err...belt? But anyway, the layout of the game looks pretty unique, and will certainly entertain new gameplay ideas...Considering that slope seems to play a part, and that Wario Wario 2 has been shown to be using motion-sensing technology, I would like to think that this game involves a similar, if not identical, device...I have a bit of a, errr..."fetish" for motion-sensing games since one is able to be more hands-on in a game, so it only looks up for me
Yoshi + possible motion-sensing + Yoshi's Story paper look = GOLD
Oh yeah, I forgot one thing...YOSHI BOAT
Endorsed by DrZ Enterprises
Yoshi + possible motion-sensing + Yoshi's Story paper look = GOLD
Oh yeah, I forgot one thing...YOSHI BOAT
Endorsed by DrZ Enterprises
121
Nintendo Gaming / World Reborn
« on: August 26, 2004, 05:22:32 PM »
I just felt like making a topic about this, since I had never even heard of the game before the other day, when I was looking up info on a future DS game...Maybe that's because it's the first game of a new dev, NeoPong Software...
I really like their enthusiasm, and that they are a small group consisting of people with little videogame experience...Even so, their first game looks pretty good...It being World Reborn, a shooter that is said to have some really good character personality...So if you are into shooters, look into it and support an up-and-coming dev if the game turns out to be good
World Reborn
It should also be noted that their next project, "Project DA," an RPG, is intended for the DS...
I really like their enthusiasm, and that they are a small group consisting of people with little videogame experience...Even so, their first game looks pretty good...It being World Reborn, a shooter that is said to have some really good character personality...So if you are into shooters, look into it and support an up-and-coming dev if the game turns out to be good
World Reborn
It should also be noted that their next project, "Project DA," an RPG, is intended for the DS...
122
Reader Reviews / Tales of Symphonia!
« on: July 20, 2004, 11:01:03 AM »
Alright, I've been waiting a VERY long time to review this gem...Let's get started, eh? ^_^
Visuals - There's just nothing that fits an RPG of this style than cel-shaded goodness. The environments can be absolutely breath-taking at times, and locations like the interiors of homes are just beautiful...Even though you never really notice in a heated battle, you can see the surroundings look like you are fighting in an oil painting...The cons? Namco trying to use real-time cutscenes in scenes where it just looks bad. Also, the overworld isn't "pretty" so to speak, but it's nowhere near as bad as many reviews, even here at PGC, were making it out to be...Overall, it doesn't effect anything...Oh, and the character design is lovely...
-------Score: 9.0
Gameplay - Ah, the skeleton of a game...As a Tales of Phantasia enthusiast, I was really looking forward to seeing what Namco would do with the linear battle style that worked so well in ToP...And not only did Namco match it, it easily surpassed it! For newbies to the system, all action is carried out in realtime...You can control any of the characters and your teammates will be computer-controlled...
The problem with ToP's battles was that it was really tough to go after enemies towards the back of the line without taking damage, but with ToS's 3d-linear battle system, it makes targeting specific enemies much easier...The other problem with ToP was your computer-controlled teammates...They could end up performing a manuever that you didn't want, and end up making the battle much harder than you wished it to be...ToS' computer-teammate AI is much, MUCH better this time around, and they haven't screwed up on me yet(your computer-controlled teammates' strategy can be adjusted in the menu in or out of battle...Thus, you can adjust your team so they stay back and heal, or go full-on with the enemy with only melee attacks, or a mix of melee and magic attacks from afar...It's your choice
)...Kudos, Namco...You made a great battle style even better...
-------Score: 10
Controls - Really quite spotless...I've had no problem with anything in battle...The control stick is used to run towards and away from your enemy on a linear path...A is your regular attack, B is used for techs, Y is to open the menu, X is to block, and the triggers are used to change targets(/vary your linear path)...Very simple, and easy to get used to...
-------Score: 10
Sound - The music in this game is absolutely fantastic, which isn't surprising considering the music was done by the team of Motoi Sakuraba, who's known for his work on Star Ocean, Golden Sun, Valkyrie Profile, Baten Kaitos, etc...Though a lot of the music is brand-new, I'm glad that familiar tunes from ToP were resurrected and remixed, such as "Fighting of the Spirit" and "Mysterious Japon"...Now onto sound effects/voice acting...The voice acting surprised me, because...It's actually not bad! ^_^ Of course, though certain characters do a better job than others(like Kratos
.) the overall deal is one of the best I've seen...The additional voices before and after battle are also a really nice touch, and only further pull you in...
-------Score: 10
Replay/Story/Lastability - Ok, first things first: the story is hardly cliched...Whoever says it is hasn't play long at all...It's a facade...That's all I'll say Ok? Ok...Not only is the story pushed forward through ingame cutscenes, but also through what I'll call "Z-chats" These Z-chats will appear at the bottom left of your screen as you progress through your game...Press Z and a skit will play out on screen with certain characters...The choices you make during these skits or others can effect some events later on in the game, which is a very nice touch...You can also find something I call "Chat rings" hidden on the overworld...These are hidden in the corners of the overworld, off the beaten path...These chat rings really don't play a part in the overall story, but on little things that only matter to your teammates...I'm still waiting to see whether your responses during these little skits effect later events/relations with your teammates, but I wouldn't doubt it...Either way, these two things only pull me in deeper and really make me feel as if I'm in the game(something only Zelda titles and Metroid Prime have ever been able to do!)
-------Score: 10
Now, onto replay...When I can find an RPG where I WANT to get into battle, you know the developer made some great decisions for the battle style...But of course, you already know that...
I've spent hours just fighting enemies, learning new techniques and combo patterns...So far I'm 24 hours in, and probably slightly more than halfway through the game...So it's a decent-sized adventure...And I can count on starting a new game once I finish this one...
-------Score(estimate): 8
Overall - The linear-3d battle setup is excellent, the visuals fit perfectly, the music is soothing/heart-pumping/anxiety-raising at the right moments, and the story is misleading and tricky...My only qualms are the lack of anime cutscenes during certain events(you'll know where when you see them...why have the anime clips in the opening and not have them in the game? -__- I wouldn't have complained about this if they didn't make any at all) and the SLIGHTLY boring overworld...Yeah, that's it...And if you don't decide to get the game because of that, then you shouldn't call yourself a gamer!
Tales of Symphonia: 9.5
Visuals - There's just nothing that fits an RPG of this style than cel-shaded goodness. The environments can be absolutely breath-taking at times, and locations like the interiors of homes are just beautiful...Even though you never really notice in a heated battle, you can see the surroundings look like you are fighting in an oil painting...The cons? Namco trying to use real-time cutscenes in scenes where it just looks bad. Also, the overworld isn't "pretty" so to speak, but it's nowhere near as bad as many reviews, even here at PGC, were making it out to be...Overall, it doesn't effect anything...Oh, and the character design is lovely...
-------Score: 9.0
Gameplay - Ah, the skeleton of a game...As a Tales of Phantasia enthusiast, I was really looking forward to seeing what Namco would do with the linear battle style that worked so well in ToP...And not only did Namco match it, it easily surpassed it! For newbies to the system, all action is carried out in realtime...You can control any of the characters and your teammates will be computer-controlled...
The problem with ToP's battles was that it was really tough to go after enemies towards the back of the line without taking damage, but with ToS's 3d-linear battle system, it makes targeting specific enemies much easier...The other problem with ToP was your computer-controlled teammates...They could end up performing a manuever that you didn't want, and end up making the battle much harder than you wished it to be...ToS' computer-teammate AI is much, MUCH better this time around, and they haven't screwed up on me yet(your computer-controlled teammates' strategy can be adjusted in the menu in or out of battle...Thus, you can adjust your team so they stay back and heal, or go full-on with the enemy with only melee attacks, or a mix of melee and magic attacks from afar...It's your choice
)...Kudos, Namco...You made a great battle style even better...-------Score: 10
Controls - Really quite spotless...I've had no problem with anything in battle...The control stick is used to run towards and away from your enemy on a linear path...A is your regular attack, B is used for techs, Y is to open the menu, X is to block, and the triggers are used to change targets(/vary your linear path)...Very simple, and easy to get used to...
-------Score: 10
Sound - The music in this game is absolutely fantastic, which isn't surprising considering the music was done by the team of Motoi Sakuraba, who's known for his work on Star Ocean, Golden Sun, Valkyrie Profile, Baten Kaitos, etc...Though a lot of the music is brand-new, I'm glad that familiar tunes from ToP were resurrected and remixed, such as "Fighting of the Spirit" and "Mysterious Japon"...Now onto sound effects/voice acting...The voice acting surprised me, because...It's actually not bad! ^_^ Of course, though certain characters do a better job than others(like Kratos
.) the overall deal is one of the best I've seen...The additional voices before and after battle are also a really nice touch, and only further pull you in...-------Score: 10
Replay/Story/Lastability - Ok, first things first: the story is hardly cliched...Whoever says it is hasn't play long at all...It's a facade...That's all I'll say
Ok? Ok...Not only is the story pushed forward through ingame cutscenes, but also through what I'll call "Z-chats" These Z-chats will appear at the bottom left of your screen as you progress through your game...Press Z and a skit will play out on screen with certain characters...The choices you make during these skits or others can effect some events later on in the game, which is a very nice touch...You can also find something I call "Chat rings" hidden on the overworld...These are hidden in the corners of the overworld, off the beaten path...These chat rings really don't play a part in the overall story, but on little things that only matter to your teammates...I'm still waiting to see whether your responses during these little skits effect later events/relations with your teammates, but I wouldn't doubt it...Either way, these two things only pull me in deeper and really make me feel as if I'm in the game(something only Zelda titles and Metroid Prime have ever been able to do!)-------Score: 10
Now, onto replay...When I can find an RPG where I WANT to get into battle, you know the developer made some great decisions for the battle style...But of course, you already know that...
I've spent hours just fighting enemies, learning new techniques and combo patterns...So far I'm 24 hours in, and probably slightly more than halfway through the game...So it's a decent-sized adventure...And I can count on starting a new game once I finish this one... -------Score(estimate): 8
Overall - The linear-3d battle setup is excellent, the visuals fit perfectly, the music is soothing/heart-pumping/anxiety-raising at the right moments, and the story is misleading and tricky...My only qualms are the lack of anime cutscenes during certain events(you'll know where when you see them...why have the anime clips in the opening and not have them in the game? -__- I wouldn't have complained about this if they didn't make any at all) and the SLIGHTLY boring overworld...Yeah, that's it...And if you don't decide to get the game because of that, then you shouldn't call yourself a gamer!
Tales of Symphonia: 9.5
123
General Chat / Live "Onrine" MSN fun during Ninty's conference...
« on: May 14, 2004, 07:02:52 AM »
If you want an example of how exciting it was to watch Ninty's conference live...Take a look at the chat enclosed in the link below...
*LANGUAGE WARNING*
MSN chat
Minty-chan = me
Chris = Mario
peeack = ^_^
*LANGUAGE WARNING*
MSN chat
Minty-chan = me
Chris = Mario
peeack = ^_^
124
Nintendo Gaming / Pokemon GC & GBA scans...
« on: October 19, 2003, 08:03:53 PM »
After hearing recent news about both the Pokemon Red and Green remakes and Pokemon Colosseum, I can't help but twitch in anticipation.
There are new scans floating around, and they look absolutely fabulous...I lost my internet connection, so I lost the link...I'll try and find them...
Things I noticed:
The RPG mode for PC looks great so far...There seem to be towns and characters that you can interact with, just like any other RPG. It seems that the RPG mode may be more than just a gimmick, which is very nice.
For the GBA remakes, a female character has been added, though I haven't found a name yet. The male lead(Ash) also looks really good in the art that has been released. A buy for me ^_^
After a pretty slow first quarter this year(excluding WW), it seems we are about to be blown away with titles like Twin Snakes, Colosseum, Four Swords, and Pikmin 2...
edit: The female lead for the remakes is my current avatar...
There are new scans floating around, and they look absolutely fabulous...I lost my internet connection, so I lost the link...I'll try and find them...
Things I noticed:
The RPG mode for PC looks great so far...There seem to be towns and characters that you can interact with, just like any other RPG. It seems that the RPG mode may be more than just a gimmick, which is very nice.
For the GBA remakes, a female character has been added, though I haven't found a name yet. The male lead(Ash) also looks really good in the art that has been released. A buy for me ^_^
After a pretty slow first quarter this year(excluding WW), it seems we are about to be blown away with titles like Twin Snakes, Colosseum, Four Swords, and Pikmin 2...
edit: The female lead for the remakes is my current avatar...
125
Nintendo Gaming / New EGM scores are in...
« on: October 16, 2003, 05:31:20 PM »
Here are some of the scores from the latest EGM(I took out some of the GC games and the LotR GBA game)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GameCube:
Mario Kart: Double Dash - 10, 10, 9.5 *GOLD* *GAME OF THE MONTH*
RS3- 7.0, 7.0, 7.5
Beyond Good and Evil- 8.5, 9.0, 8.0 *SILVER*
TMNT- 5.5, 6.0. 7.0
XIII- 6.5, 6.5, 6.5
I-Ninja 8.0, 6.0, 6.5
Prince of Persia- 9.5, 9.0., 9.5 *GOLD*
SSX3- 9.0, 9.0, 9.0 *GOLD*
Gameboy Adance:
Fire Emblem- 7.5, 8.0, 8.5 *SILVER*
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Go Mario Kart! Fire Emblem also did very well....Rebel Strike, on the other hand...It's nice to see BG&E get a good score. I'm disappointed that Rebel Strike and I-Ninja did less than adequate, but Mario Kart will make up for it
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GameCube:
Mario Kart: Double Dash - 10, 10, 9.5 *GOLD* *GAME OF THE MONTH*
RS3- 7.0, 7.0, 7.5
Beyond Good and Evil- 8.5, 9.0, 8.0 *SILVER*
TMNT- 5.5, 6.0. 7.0
XIII- 6.5, 6.5, 6.5
I-Ninja 8.0, 6.0, 6.5
Prince of Persia- 9.5, 9.0., 9.5 *GOLD*
SSX3- 9.0, 9.0, 9.0 *GOLD*
Gameboy Adance:
Fire Emblem- 7.5, 8.0, 8.5 *SILVER*
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Go Mario Kart! Fire Emblem also did very well....Rebel Strike, on the other hand...It's nice to see BG&E get a good score. I'm disappointed that Rebel Strike and I-Ninja did less than adequate, but Mario Kart will make up for it
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