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Messages - Penguin_Of_Thyme

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426

TalkBack / INTERVIEWS: NWR Interviews Nintendo’s Bill Trinen

« on: July 28, 2009, 01:13:29 AM »

Talkback thread for the Bill Trinen Interview.

427

TalkBack / The Makers of World of Goo aren't Resting on Their Laurels

« on: July 23, 2009, 05:43:14 PM »

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=19087

Last year, the independent developer 2D Boy released World of Goo. The critically adored title evolved from Kyle Gabler's similarly named Tower of Goo, which had been made in just four days as part of the Experimental Gameplay Project.

On the Experimental Gameplay Website, Gabler explained that he is working on a new title based on another of his previous endeavors. Those helping Gabler include Allan Blomquist who assisted in porting World of Goo to Wii, and Kyle Gray the creator of Henry Hatsworth.

Gabler wasn't willing to divulge too many details about the game because he isn't positive the final result will turn out well. He wrote, "Its probably best not to speak about it in more detail prematurely in case the game doesnt evolve as we hope and we need to shoot that baby in the crib. Its all just a fun experiment at the moment."

While Gabler was not willing to reveal what platform the new title was destined for, he did mention the Wii as one the possibilities. In addition, the game is not being made by 2D Boy or Gabler's former employer Electronic Arts. "This new adventure is purely a fun, small, experimental project that three experimental friends are making in our spare time," wrote Gabler.

428

TalkBack / Carlos Santana Set to Appear in Guitar Hero 5

« on: July 21, 2009, 03:49:52 PM »

Guitar Hero 5 will include one of Santana's most popular songs as well as his likeness.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=19057

Activision recently revealed that Guitar Hero 5 will prominently feature famed guitarist Carlos Santana. Players will have the ability to select Santana as their character and make a digital version of the musician jam to some sublime tunes. Along with his likeness, the newest installment in the series will also feature a live version of Santana's popular single from 1972, "No One to Depend On."

There are four additional as yet unannounced musical artists that will be available as playable characters in the game.

Guitar Hero 5 will be available in stores on September 1, 2009.

Award Winning Guitarist Carlos Santana to Lend Smooth Grooves and Trademark Moves to Guitar Hero 5

Video Game to Feature the Genre-Blending Guitar Virtuoso's Music and Likeness

Santa Monica, CA July 20, 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and 11-time Grammy Award winner, Carlos Santana, is set to appear as an exclusive in-game artist in the upcoming Guitar Hero 5. Santana's accomplishments span four decades and more than 40 albums including the self-titled album, Santana, that launched one of the most recognizable Latin-infused classic rock anthems, "No One to Depend On." The live version of the song will be featured in Guitar Hero 5 with Carlos Santana jamming on stage as a playable character.

In addition to music from Santana, Guitar Hero 5 features a wide variety of today's hottest rock 'n' roll bands mixed with classic tracks. Brand new game features let fans tailor their experience to meet the evolving ways consumers are interacting with their favorite music and allows them to challenge themselves as a solo act or band member, or kick back with friends and enjoy their personalized set list.

"We're thrilled to showcase one of the top guitarists of all time in Guitar Hero 5 and offer fans the opportunity to experience Carlos Santana's signature sounds and iconic likeness first-hand," said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Guitar Hero. "His accomplished career and breadth of musical style are a great illustration of the variety of rock experiences we have included in the game and we are excited to announce him as the first of five playable in-game artists."

This September, living room legends will rock any way they want in Guitar Hero 5. The entire set list is at players' finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend. Players take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows gamers to personalize and customize how they experience music by being able to play with any controller combination -- multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode. With the game's all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. Players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session. Elevating the Guitar Hero(R) series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire-up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.

Published by Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) , Guitar Hero 5 is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii system from Nintendo. Budcat is developing Guitar Hero 5 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated "T" for "Teen" by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero 5, please visit GH5.guitarhero.com.

429

TalkBack / DS and DSi Systems Sell Robustly In June

« on: July 20, 2009, 03:52:30 PM »

In the month of June, Nintendo DS systems outsold all current-generation home consoles combined.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=19052

The Nintendo DS topped the NPD Groups June hardware sales chart by a wide margin. More than 424,000 DSi systems and 342,000 DS systems (Lite and Phat) found their way from retail stores into the hand of gamers. In total over 766,000 DS systems were sold, which is more than the combined sales of the Xbox 360 (240,600), PS3 (164,700), and Wii (361,700) put together.

While no other piece of hardware even came close to surpassing the DS in units sold, June was the first month since November 2008 to not feature a single DS game on the NPD Groups top ten software sales list. Interestingly, the DS actually sold less units this June compared to June 2008, when 783,000 units were sold.

NINTENDO DS FRANCHISE SELLS MORE THAN ALL HOME CONSOLES COMBINED IN JUNE

July 16, 2009

In the United States in June, the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems combined to sell more than 766,000 units, more than all current-generation consoles combined, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. U.S. consumers purchased more than 424,000 Nintendo DSi systems and more than 342,000 Nintendo DS systems in June.

Wii marked its 21st consecutive month as the top-selling U.S. home console, with nearly 362,000 sold. Consumers also snapped up nearly 374,000 Wii MotionPlus accessories, including nearly 205,000 packaged with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 from Electronic Arts and 169,000 additional accessories sold on their own. The Wii Sports Resort game launches July 26 and comes packaged with Wii MotionPlus.

More consumers continued to gravitate toward products that offer quality experiences and great value for the whole family, said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. Consumers again selected Nintendo systems for those experiences, particularly our hand-helds.

Four games published for Nintendo platforms finished in the top 10 best-sellers of June in the United States. These include EA Sports Active at No. 3 with more than 289,000 sold, Wii Fit at No. 4 with more than 271,000 sold, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with Wii MotionPlus at No. 7 with nearly 205,000 sold and Mario Kart Wii at No. 8 with more than 202,000 sold.

For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.Nintendo.com.

430

TalkBack / Re: The Conduit Monumental Trailer

« on: June 23, 2009, 01:19:18 PM »

I hope that some stores receive their shipments today. That would be nice like lemon Italian ice.

431

TalkBack / REVIEWS: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

« on: June 10, 2009, 04:29:42 PM »

This licensed game does a fine job of mimicking the look of the film, but doesnt know how to balance fun with tedious tasks.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=18838

Since the early nineties, there have been a number of classic video games based on the animated works of the Walt Disney Company. Games like Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Genesis), DuckTales (NES), and Kingdom Hearts (Playstation 2) are fondly remembered not only for their great gameplay, but also for staying true to their source material. While there have been some enjoyable games based on the films of Dreamworks Animation, there has yet to be a great game among them. Unfortunately, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa does not break this trend, and will be quickly forgotten by the gaming masses if it hasnt been already.

The story very loosely follows the films plot. The anthropomorphic animals crash land their airplane in Africa and end up having some crazy encounters with tourists and the local wildlife. Most levels begin with a cut scene that uses a mix of the in-game engine and stills from the movie. Every line of dialogue is voice acted, and once in a while the characters say something that is humorous.

At its core, Escape 2 Africa is your standard 3D platform game. Unlike the free-roaming worlds of Super Mario 64 DS, Madagascar's levels are very linear and are over once a character has walked forward a short distance. Each of the platform levels are designed to be completed by one of the film's stars including Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo. You maneuver each character with the D-pad and jump by hitting the B button. The Y button triggers a basic attack, such as a punch or a head butt, while the A button performs a charge attack. There are also unique special moves for each character; for example, Marty has a triple jump, while Melman has a flutter jump much like Yoshi.

The touch screen controls are lackluster. Each level is filled with optional mini-games that utilize the touch screen. Some of the games are as simple as clicking on a set of arrows, while others require you to drag shapes and match them. Players can also use the stylus to flick fruit at enemies. This works okay, but it ends up being easier to throw projectiles with a simple button press. The DS microphone can also be used to initiate Marty's spin attack, which often results in your character unintentionally spinning if there is any background noise (such as having the radio on). Overall, these mini-games are boring because they lack challenge and variety.

On the other hand, the game does a great job of ramping up the difficulty as you progress through its sixteen platform stages. Your jumping skills will need to be top notch if you don't want to fall into a river in the later levels. On the other hand, the game's enemies, which consist mostly of tourists, hawks, and lizards, never become a problem to defeat even when playing on the hardest difficulty. Being easy to defeat doesn't make the frequent swarms of wacky tourists any less annoying. Progress in the game is constantly hampered by wooden fences that magically appear in front of you, accompanied by a bunch of new bad guys. Having to repeatedly defeat brainless enemies is very unsatisfying.

In addition to the regular 3D platform levels, there are a small number of side-scrolling stages that star the films comical penguins. These levels are wonderfully reminiscent of Blizzards The Lost Vikings series. To succeed in these levels, players must switch between the four penguins, and use each one's unique ability at the appropriate time. These levels are very cerebral, and it is rewarding to get the penguins to their destination. It is sad that there are only four of these levels because they are ultimately the best part of the game.

The visuals in Madagascar hold up pretty well. All the characters look like their big screen counterparts, and there are some nice graphical flourishes like the occasional waterfall and ash emanating from lava. While the levels are successfully differentiated by their graphics, youll get a strong feeling of déjà vu as you play the game. The level layouts are extremely similar to one another, usually consisting of often-repeated platform and brawler sections.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is filled with a lot of unnecessary elements - like touch screen mini-games - that attempt to extend the life of a short game. It is perfectly suited to children who enjoyed the movies and can overlook the game's more glaring flaws. Most everyone else should skip what is simply a mediocre platformer that brings nothing new to the genre.

Pros:

Side-scrolling Levels

Great Music

Cons:

Tacked on Touch-Screen Controls

Stupid AI

Can be beaten in 5 hours

       Graphics: 8.0
   Griptonite Games has done a good job of recreating the look of the Madagascar films on the tiny DS screen. Occasionally, far off objects will pop-in as the hardware loads them, but overall the game looks nice.

       Sound: 8.0
   The music is very relaxing and fits in perfectly with the game. Unlike the movie, King Julien does not sing Tina Turner's "Private Dancer."

       Control: 7.0
   Characters are responsive and have their own unique moves. Backtracking in a level can be difficult because the camera always faces forward.

            Gameplay: 6.5
   The action is constantly being broken up by boring enemy encounters and the level design is sub-par.

Lastability: 4.0
There are fifty hidden monkeys dispersed through the levels, but once you've been through the game once you won't want to do it again.

Final: 5.5
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is a short and flawed game. Its fun in spots, but in most places its a disappointment that platformer fans should avoid (unless theyre buying it for children who are rabid fans of the movie).

432

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: C.O.R.E.

« on: June 10, 2009, 04:15:57 PM »

The multiplayer mode will be eerily familiar to anyone who has played Quake or Unreal Tournament on the PC.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18837

C.O.R.E is a first-person shooter that takes place in the year 2048. The story follows the elite military commando Jason Crane as he enters an underground lab, which mysteriously ceased all communications with the outside world. The game was released in Europe this past March and will see a North American release on July 7.

At publisher Graffiti Entertainments E3 booth I had the chance to try out the games multiplayer mode. While I only got to play deathmatch against a single Graffiti Entertainment representative, the game does support up to four players in multiplayer. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the multiplayer mode was basically Quake for the DS.

The controls closely mimicked those used in Metroid Prime Hunters. You moved about with the D-pad, while aiming was accomplished by moving the stylus on the touch screen. The L button was used to activate your primary fire while the R button triggered your secondary fire. To jump you needed to double tap the touch screen. The controls seemed to work fine except it was very difficult to reach the R button in the middle of a firefight.

The deathmatch map I played was set in outer space and looked like it could have been taken right out of Quake 3: Arena or Quake Live. It consisted of a small number of floating platforms that you could navigate by jumping, using teleporters, or even acceleration pads, small pads that launch you at a fast speed in the direction theyre facing. In addition, the usual array of weapons were available including rockets, pistols, and plasma rifles.

During my battle I was constantly being gunned down. At one point I was able to get an invincibility power-up that helped me survive long enough to get a kill. The final game will have other power-ups such as invisibility. Along with deathmatch, players will also be able to face off in team arena and capture the flag.

The framerate seemed to be pretty high and made traversing the arena a smooth experience. On the other hand, the character models and the environment seemed low polygon and werent very impressive to look at.

Even though I wasnt very good at the game I had a lot of fun hopping around the small arena and shooting a variety of projectiles. Players will be able to enjoy local play with all ten multiplayer maps and modes using just a single DS card. Unfortunately, the game will not have an online mode.

C.O.R.E. will also have a 15 level single player mode. The multiplayer mode plays great but the games worth will be decided by its single player quest.

433

TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Wii Fit Plus

« on: June 07, 2009, 07:12:31 PM »

Anything that is like Monkey Target is worth trying out.

434

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage

« on: June 07, 2009, 06:39:38 PM »

The Shaun White sequel controlled wonderfully and had some great snow effects. Come watch a video of the new game in motion.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18811

The success of Wii Fit has brought millions of Balance Boards into the homes of people across the world. Strangely, the number of games supporting the peripheral is still pretty low. Thankfully, Ubisoft will be giving players a great reason to get on their Balance Boards when Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage comes out this fall.

My playtime with Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage on the E3 show floor was my first experience with the snowboarding series. Before starting the demo, I carefully stepped sideways onto the Wii Balance Board and pretended I was on a real snowboard. The game starts out in an airport displaying Shaun White and others lounging about. The airport acts as a hub from which players can select levels by aiming their Wii Remote at the departures screen.

I chose the time attack mode and quickly found my in-game character at the top of a mountain. Using the Balance Board to steer was very intuitive. You steer by carefully leaning left and right with your back foot. Gaining speed is as simple as leaning forward with your front foot. A small photo of the Balance Board lies in the left hand corner of the screen displaying how much you are leaning in each direction. When you want to jump all you need to do is bend your knees a little and then quickly straighten them. Racing down the mountain was very enjoyable and my in-game character was responding perfectly to my movements.

In the demo, I frequently found myself passing rails, which I could hop on if I steered my board right at them. Once on top of a rail you could balance by shifting your weight, which was reminiscent of a balancing in a Tony Hawk game. To pull off tricks in the air you needed to hold the A and B buttons and then lean in different directions on the Balance Board.

The trick mode level I tried out was very cool. I was on a very long half-pipe that was sitting in the middle of New Yorks Times Square. Ill admit I had some trouble pulling off tricks, but that may have been because of my complete unfamiliarity with what body movements triggered certain tricks. The graphics for entire demo looked great, but this stage in particular was very impressive looking with the bright lights and billboards in the background.

The completed game will have online leaderboards and an achievement system to unlock new snowboarding gear. The Ubisoft representative said that the new game will have a lot more activities than the previous game in the series.

The demo on display had a very fun arcade feel and hopefully the completed version will have a lot more depth than any normal arcade game could possibly have.

TYP rides down the hill.

435

TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up

« on: June 07, 2009, 02:41:20 PM »

I just added some video of TYP playing the game to go along with his impressions.

436

TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Military Madness: Nectaris

« on: June 06, 2009, 09:13:47 PM »

I was saying the game was ahead of its time because the TurboGrafx game had awesome military action well before the Advance Wars series debuted in the west in 2001 and that it is still unique and fun even today.

437

TalkBack / Video Footage Showing the Return a Koopa Kid

« on: June 05, 2009, 12:31:44 PM »

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blogArt.cfm?artid=18798

The NWR staff got to face off with a familiar face while playing New Super Mario Bros Wii at Nintendos booth. Morton Koopa Jr. has returned and he appears to still have his trusty wand from Super Mario Bros 3. The last time Morton Koopa Jr. appeared in a Mario platformer was Super Mario World. Hopefully, more if not all seven of the original Kooopa Kids will make an appearance in the final version.

NWR decimates Morton.

Classic Morton Koopa Jr. photo from www.mariomonsters.com

438

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Reflections

« on: June 04, 2009, 12:34:50 PM »

A DSiWare puzzle platform game that was developed by students and could be a great downloadable title.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18787

Konami had a very interesting little DSiWare platformer called Reflections at their booth. In the game, the top screen displays what appears to be your average platform game while the bottom screen displays a mirror image of that world and your playable character Kira.

The games twist is that obstacles may be in different places on the bottom screen. For example, as I was running on the top screen I was forced to stop even though it appeared as if nothing was in front me. When I looked down at the bottom screen I saw a hill blocking my path. I was able to move forward by watching the bottom screen and jumping over it.

The controls are what you would expect with running accomplished using the D-Pad and jumping made possible with a single button press. The game has a cool slide move that is done by pressing the D-Pad diagonally down and forward while running. Wall jumping is also possible.

I thought the animation for the female protagonist was very nice. Graphically, the game wasnt pushing the hardware but still was visually pleasing with simple 2D artwork.

The main game will have 24 regular levels and then some really difficult unlockable ones. One level I was shown featured a way for your character in the mirror world to become a shadow. The shadow of your character no longer was directly below your top screen self and instead slightly in front of them. This made running and jumping on platforms difficult because an easy jump above might result in your bottom character falling into a pit. You will really need to think before you jump to get through levels like this.

Impressively, Reflections began as a student project at USC and it appears that many if not all the students are still working on the game. This game will appear on DSiWare sometime this summer. I personally think the demo stages were a lot fun and it has the potential to be a great little puzzle platform game.

439

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Military Madness: Nectaris

« on: June 04, 2009, 05:47:02 PM »

The madness continues on WiiWare.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18784

Military Madness on the TurboGrafx- 16 is a wonderful turn based strategy game that was in many ways ahead of its time. This summer a remake of the game called Military Madness: Nectaris will be released on WiiWare. The new version is being developed by Backbone Entertainment who just recently ported Space Invaders Extreme to XBLA.

When the first level began, I had about five tanks and a few soldiers. My base and my units were on the left side of the screen while the computers base and units faced me to the right. In fact, the first level map looked and controlled just like the TurboGrafx one. During your turn, you can move each of your units and have them attack. Those unfamiliar with Military Madness will find the turn-based combat very similar to the Advance Wars series. The ultimate goal is to destroy all the units on-screen or capture the enemy base.

Unlike the originals 2D graphics, the new title is in full 3D though most of the action will take place from a familiar top-down viewpoint. The craters on the moon looked very nice and compared to the original it was much easier to see the elevation of the units. During battles, you will get to see a close-up of your units. It was satisfying watching your squadron of tanks launch missiles that hit their target.

The biggest difference I noticed in this version other than the graphics was the amount of statistical data displayed. As you move units next to those of your opponent you will see numbers showing whether your elevation is advantageous or disadvantageous to an attack. When attacking or defending it would also show you that having friendly units nearby was a good thing since they could support you. There were numbers showing defensive strength, attack power, and more to help with the strategy. Military Madness: Nectaris will also have a multiplayer action available both online and off.

It plays very similar to the original and that is a good thing. Hopefully the final game will have a campaign mode that keeps the spirit of the original, but also shakes things up with new levels and some twists in the story.

440

TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Buckshot

« on: June 04, 2009, 01:52:37 PM »

I'll get a picture of the gun up later. And if you really want some video of someone playing it I'll get it. Do you want it?

441

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Buckshot

« on: June 04, 2009, 02:39:27 PM »

NWR tried out Innexs light gun peripheral shell. The pumping reload action was sweet.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18763

Along with the 3-in-1 Virtual Retro Adapter, TYP and I also got a chance to try out Innexs new light gun peripheral, the Buckshot.

Players will need to plug a Wii Remote into the Buckshot to operate it. The guns they had on display came in three colors, red, black, and white. When I picked one up I was pleasantly surprised to find they had a nice heft to them. It felt well-made and looked pretty cool. Instead of having to also connect a nunchuck such as with the Wii Zapper, the Buckshot already has its own analog stick and C and Z buttons.

The one game they had available to try with the light gun was House of the Dead: Overkill. The guns trigger acted as the A button and made a very nice click when pressing on it. Reloading was accomplished by pulling the handgrip back and forth. Using pump action to reload was awesome and made me feel like I was playing the game on an arcade cabinet. I had no problem with aiming the Wii Remote while it was inside the gun shell.

Unfortunately, there were no other games to try out. I really wanted to see if I could play a game such as House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return and use the gun sight to properly aim.

The Buckshot will retail for 29.99 and will be available in mid June. The game worked very nicely with House of the Dead: Overkill, but its value will be decided on how well it works with the rest of Wiis shooter line-up.

Truman Chen demonstrates Buckshot.

442

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Medieval Games

« on: June 03, 2009, 09:56:39 PM »

Medieval Games is shaping up to be a fun party game for people of all ages.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18760

There have been countless clones of the Mario Party series yet most have been pretty abysmal. Fortunately, Medieval Games from Vir2L Studios has the potential to be an enjoyable party game.

The E3 demo began with pages flipping through a beautifully drawn pop-up book. After this the action started on a board game map that resembled a medieval forest. To move to different spaces on the board I had to roll the dice using a shake of the Wii Remote. Most of the spaces in the demo purposely started mini-games, but a select few gave your character coins. In the final game, these coins will be used to buy different items including some that can harm the other players.

The first mini-game I played was jousting against the developer. It was split screen with each side showing our characters on horses moving towards one another. As we grew closer we had to do our best to aim our lances, through IR, at the other player. The game shook your cursor as you lowered it to make locking onto your opponent difficult. If you successfully got the other player in your crosshairs you would press the A button to select where you would attempt to hit them. Then once you were on-top of the other jouster it was necessary to jab at them with a thrust of the Wii Remote. In the game, it would take a few direct hits to knock the other player onto their butts. While the mini-game was simple, the controls worked well, and it was a lot of fun.

The other mini-game I tried also took place on a horse. I was able to play this mini-game with three other players, the developer, Zach, and I. Basically in this mini-game the characters were racing one another and had to avoid the obstacles laid in front of them. If a player hit an obstacle they were out of the race. If I remember correctly this game used button presses to duck and jump over the upcoming obstacles. The game was addictive and required quick reflexes.

Other mini-games that will be included in Medieval Games are a battle with a dragon that is reminiscent of the fight with Ganon in Ocarina of Time when you used the mirror shield to bounce his magic back at him, a catapult that launches with motion controls, and something with ogres and apples. Just like Mario Party, mini-games can also be played in teams such as one versus three, or two versus two.

The game is aimed at people of all ages. The developer purposely avoided making the game look childish and went for a more Disney look that everyone can love. The game is already fun and the developer promises the final product will be much more polished.

443

TalkBack / Ubisoft Reveals C.O.P. The Recruit

« on: June 03, 2009, 03:51:50 PM »

Play as a hard-boiled detective on the streets of New York in this new action adventure from Ubisoft.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=18746

Ubisoft announced that C.O.P. The Recruit is coming to DS this fall. Players will take on the role of a cop named Dan Miles who recently joined the terrorist fighting organization Criminal Overturn Program (C.O.P.).

The story finds Dan going undercover and back onto the streets he came from so he can clear the good name of his mentor Brad Winter who was falsely arrested. As players work to exonerate Brad, they will explore a 3D world on foot and in vehicle, have 60 missions to complete, and shoot bad guys with their trusty stylus.

Impressively, the game will run at 60 frames per seconds and includes an in-game PDA for a variety of tasks such as setting up road blocks and calling an ambulance.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES C.O.P. THE RECRUIT FOR THE NINTENDO DS SYSTEM

New Game Allows Players to Fight Crime in Full 3D Open World

SAN FRANCISCO June 2, 2009 Today Ubisoft announced C.O.P. The Recruit, an open world action-adventure game specifically designed for the Nintendo DS handheld system.

Scheduled for release in fall 2009, C.O.P. The Recruit gives gamers the opportunity to utilize tactics from both sides of the law and fight crime like never before in a full 3D open world, available for the first time on Nintendo DS. The game, unveiled today during Nintendos E3 press conference, will be demoed at Nintendos booth and Ubisofts booth through the duration of E3.

With its innovative engine and impressive graphics, C.O.P. The Recruit is truly a breakthrough for Nintendos handheld platform, said Adam Novickas, US director of marketing for Ubisoft. Were thrilled to be bringing this accessible, one-of-a-kind action-adventure experience to DS fans and are confident in the games ability to appeal to a broad audience of gamers.

About C.O.P. The Recruit
Dan Miles is a former underground street racer and new recruit in the Criminal Overturn Program (C.O.P.). Under the terms of the C.O.P., Dan has become a street detective working to protect New York citizens against large-scale threats. Working with his mentor, Detective Brad Winter, Dan is investigating a series of terrorist attacks in the city when Brad is falsely arrested, putting the investigation on hold. While trying to uncover the truth behind Brads arrest, Dan goes undercover and returns to his life on the streets. Little by little he gets wrapped up in a deadly, widespread conspiracy and must work to prevent a potentially catastrophic attack on the city.

Game features include:

- ENJOY THE BEST VISUAL EXPERIENCE ON THE NINTENDO DS SYSTEM
Experience the thrill of cruising the streets of New York City without any loading times! C.O.P. The Recruit is the most visually impressive game on the Nintendo DS, with an open-world 3D experience running at 60 frames per second (FPS). The games innovative engine also allows for a wealth of detailed imagery, whether driving at 120 MPH or shooting your way through the gorgeous interior environments.

- A HUGE ACTION-ADVENTURE WITH A VARIETY OF GAMEPLAY
C.O.P. The Recruit will allow gamers to experience all aspects of being a police officer recruit with 60 missions and over 20 hours of diverse gameplay. Get behind the wheel of some of the fastest cars around, and use the stylus to shoot down enemies and spy on terrorists.

-A CITY THRIVING WITH LIFE
Experience a bustling, vibrant New York City, complete with pedestrians on the street, cars rushing to avoid traffic, and boats navigating the surrounding waterways of Manhattan. Explore the 6 square miles of the city and experience a wide variety of environments and climate conditions.

-POWERFUL CITY-CONTROL SYSTEM
As a recruit, you will have access to New York Citys most powerful tools. Use your PDA to plan and launch a SWAT team assault through your DS systems microphone, set up road blocks, summon an ambulance, access the citys camera system to locate your targets, and much more.

For more information on C.O.P. The Recruit, please visit: www.coptherecruit.com.

444

TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: June 03, 2009, 05:25:43 AM »

New video of Aaron and Neal playing the game are now immediately after the impressions.

445

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Real Heroes: Firefighter

« on: June 02, 2009, 06:44:58 PM »

A firefighting game from people who worked on Call of Duty.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18703

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Real Heroes: Firefight was partially inspired by Segas arcade game Brave Firefighters. Unlike Segas firefighting game, which was on-rails, Real Heroes lets you go anywhere you desire. In fact, it is basically a first person shooter with a water hose instead of guns.

Interestingly, the developer Epicenter Studios has a number of members who formerly worked on the Call of Duty franchise. One of the producers explained that they really want to have the action and thrill of a Call of Duty game except in a non-violent fashion.

From my short play through with the game, I can tell you that in some ways the developer succeeded. Movement in the game is controlled with the analog stick on the nunchuk while you can aim your rescue tool or hose nozzle with the Wii Remote. While the FPS controls werent as precise as Metroid Prime 3 they were definitely functional. It was pretty enjoyable shooting streams of water at the fires. Other rescue tools include an axe which is swung using motion control. The development team thought about including water grenades, but they decided that it currently would not be very realistic.

Graphically, Real Heroes: Firefighter is not very impressive. Levels are filled with a ton of unrealistic looking fires. The models for characters and objects look more like those from a Dreamcast game than a Wii one. While the fire doesnt look all that great, it is interesting to learn that the fire spreads dynamically. There will be a number of locations in the final game including a shopping mall and a bridge that resembles the famous golden one in San Francisco.

In an effort to make the game more immersive, there will be a number of cut scenes with famous actors voicing many of the characters. James Marsters who played Spike on the cult favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer is voicing one of the main characters. Another interesting feature is that messages will be played out of the Wii Remotes speaker to make it seem like a CB radio.

There was one point in the demo where the flames did not seem to die down no matter how much water I was shooting at them. One of the producers eventually told me to shoot more to the left which ended up working. Im not sure if this was a problem with the game or if I just dont understand the mechanics of putting out fires. The game definitely has some promise, but it still seems a bit early to tell. One good thing is that the game is only 30 dollars and that some of the profits will go to a fire fighters cancer fund.

446

TalkBack / New Zelda in the Works With More Mature Link

« on: June 03, 2009, 01:00:32 AM »

Miyamoto and company are working hard on the new Legend of Zelda, and it might be Wii MotionPlus compatible.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=18699

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009: The Legend of Zelda concept art

At the Shigeru Miyamoto roundtable tonight, it was revealed that an all-new entry in the Zelda series is in development. One piece of concept art was shown displaying Link and what was possibly a Zora.

The brains at EAD are still working on many new ideas for the new Zelda, but they hope to include Wii MotionPlus support. In fact, depending on how well Wii Sports Resort sells they may make MotionPlus mandatory. Miyamoto also asked the attendees to think about the new Zelda when playing archery and kendo in Wii Sports Resort.

Unfortunately, the game will not arrive until next year at the earliest.

447

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: Spyborgs

« on: June 02, 2009, 09:17:05 PM »

This brawler impresses visually and is designed for co-op play.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18685

When Spyborgs was unveiled last year the visuals were very children friendly and were aiming to emulate a Saturday morning cartoon. The version of Spyborgs that I saw today had a very eye pleasing stylized look.

The game is a futuristic action brawler designed for co-op play. If you do single player, a computer will control the second character. There are three characters to choose from. One is a soldier who is a fire arms specialist. Another is a big robot that packs quite a punch. I did not have a chance to play as the third and final selectable character who is a woman.

In the game, players will need to use both the Wii Remote and nunchuk. The A button jumps and the B button does a light attack. To perform a heavy attack, players must use the C button. For the soldier, the heavy attack was gunfire while for the robot it was a swing of its arms. The Z button is used to block. The Wii remotes IR is used to aim attacks.

While the levels I played were short, the action was pretty enjoyable. In many ways the game harkens back to old school brawlers like Turtles in Time and Golden Axe. As more and more enemies are defeated, a special attack meter charges up. Once the meter is full, a special attack is accomplished by holding the Z button, near an enemy, to lock on, and then shaking the Wii Remote. The special attacks are impressive looking quick time events where both players will have to perform the motions shown on screen. For example, when I used my special attack during a boss fight with a giant robot I was shown a scripted sequence and then was prompted to make a downward motion with the Wii Remote.

The game is showing a lot of promise and may turn out to be a great next gen brawler.

448

TalkBack / IMPRESSIONS: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

« on: June 02, 2009, 09:22:07 AM »

This game may have a similar art style to the DS game, but it uses the Wii hardware to good effect.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=18663

New Super Mario Bros Wii is a 2D Mario game that is likely to be another demonstration of Nintendos ability to make great platform games. I played a few stages with Zach and was impressed by what I saw.

Anybody who has played the Nintendo DS iteration of New Super Mario Bros will be instantly familiar with the new Wii game. The art style very closely mimics the DS game except everything is now in a much higher resolution. Visually, the game looks very nice and has some great rotating effects that would be impossible to pull off on the DS or Super Nintendo.

The game is played holding the Wii remote NES style. Shaking the remote lets you perform a spin jump. If you hold down the 1 button and shake the remote while next to another player you can pick them up and either carry them around or throw them somewhere.

Many of the familiar stage types are back such as a desert and ice world. The desert level I played was filled with your common bottomless pit. The twist was that from these pits erupted geysers of sand that Mario and Luigi could walk on for a short amount of time. In this stage, because the sand platforms were very thin, Zach and I were constantly knocking into one another and just barely kept ourselves from falling to our death.

The most enjoyable stage I played was a level filled with clouds and rotating blocks. First of all, the blocks were obviously patterned after the ones that were featured in Super Mario Bros 3 because of the screws in each corner of the block. The blocks came in all different shapes and sizes and made jumping around safely a difficult task. This level along with the others I played were much more challenging than most of those featured in New Super Mario Bros. on DS. Also, the clouds in the level would sometimes obscure your surrounding but shaking the Wii Remote would make them dissipate.

Another level I played was an ice stage which included a new power-up that turned Mario into a penguin. As a penguin, Mario could slide down hills on his belly and smash through bricks as he went. Penguin Mario could also shoot balls of ice that could freeze enemies. Once an enemy was frozen you could use them as platforms to get to previously unreachable areas.

Speaking of power-ups, I know that the fire flower is back and that Yoshis will be available to use in some stages. There also was the return of a feature that originally appeared in Yoshis Island. There are certain areas that are obscured until you walk into them at which point you can then see what was previously hidden.

Overall, this game is looking like a great successor to the DS original.

449

TalkBack / Re: Retro Studios to Reveal Something Soon

« on: June 01, 2009, 06:08:56 PM »

Retro twittered, "Just A Little Bit More" about 15 minutes ago.

450

TalkBack / Atlus Announces Trauma Team

« on: June 01, 2009, 03:48:11 AM »

The recently revealed Hospital will be called Trauma Team in North America. It will feature voice acting, new anime-influenced story sequences, and lots of exciting medical action.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=18600

Last week, Famitsu revealed the existence of Hospital, a new game from the creators of Trauma Center. Today, Atlus announced the game for North America with the localized title Trauma Team.

Players will have the opportunity to take on the role of six different medical professions including diagnostician, general surgeon, E.M.T., endoscope technician, medical examiner, and orthopedic surgeon. Popular medical tools like the forceps and the hemostat will be available for surgery. In addition, voice acting and brand new story sequences inspired by anime and manga will be included.

Trauma Team will hit store shelves in spring 2010.

E3 2009: ATLUS UNVEILS TRAUMA TEAM FOR Wii

Not your older sibling's Trauma Center

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA -- MAY 29, 2009 -- Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today announced Trauma Team for Wii, an entirely new medical entertainment experience from the makers of the award-winning Trauma Center series. Encounter unprecedented depth across six distinct fields of medicine: play as a general surgeon, diagnostician, E.M.T., orthopedic surgeon, endoscope technician, and medical examiner. Follow the story as never before with all-new dynamic story sequences inspired by Japanese animation and comics; each dramatic chapter comes vividly to life with distinct style! Hand-drawn art, innovative animation, and quality voice acting perfectly capture the raw intensity, excitement, and danger of every heart-pounding moment!

Bigger, more exciting, and more balanced than ever before, Trauma Team is the ultimate medical entertainment experience!

Trauma Team is currently scheduled for release in spring 2010.